The story Mr. Echo told can be found in chapter 22 of 2 Kings. Which leads to the renewing of the covenant in chapter 23! Interesting...

In the preview for next week Echo was quoting... Psalm 23 : o

Well, I don't know how significant that is. Psalm 23 is pretty well known.

Charlie...do you know a good Bible scripture site that I can get that full quote?

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green [1] (http://www.christnotes.org/bible.php?q=Psalm+23&ver=kjv#f1) pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest [2] (http://www.christnotes.org/bible.php?q=Psalm+23&ver=kjv#f2) my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. [3] (http://www.christnotes.org/bible.php?q=Psalm+23&ver=kjv#f3)

www.studylight.org

Comprehensive scripture site

This is really significant. Very deep. I will have to re-read Kings and think on it.


edee

Did anyone else notice in the preview that...

Eko transposed some words? He said, "Yea, though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death."

I noticed it immediately, and it's been driving me insane ever since.

I noticed that too. I wondered if I was mistaken though.

I have listened to it a few times.
It seems to me that he says
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

Did anyone else notice in the preview that...

Eko transposed some words? He said, "Yea, though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death."

I noticed it immediately, and it's been driving me insane ever since.

I noticed that immediately too. I had a very christian upbringing and have that psalm memorized. It has to be intentional, if they looked it up for him to quote it then they had to have know the order of the words. So the question is 'why did Eko get the quote wrong?'

I am confused?
How did he get it wrong?

never mid It's late my brain is tiered

I noticed that immediately too. I had a very christian upbringing and have that psalm memorized. It has to be intentional, if they looked it up for him to quote it then they had to have know the order of the words. So the question is 'why did Eko get the quote wrong?'

He didn't get it wrong. He wasn't quoting the Psalm. He was quoting "Gangsta's Paradise".

Aren't there several different translations though?

I have listened to it a few times.
It seems to me that he says
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

He said, "shadow of the valley of death."

I was about to post about this somewhere else but yeah it caught me when he first said it and it nagged at the back of my brain for the past two hours. I started wondering if maybe Coolio had it wrong or any one of the numerous other places I have heard it as "The valley of the shadow of death" so i went and rewatched it and he does say "The shadow of the valley of death." Which one is the right one?

Charlie...do you know a good Bible scripture site that I can get that full quote?

In case this hasn't been mentioned:

http://www.blueletterbible.org

peacock spring...thanks...just what I need...to look up specific books/verses

Aren't there several different translations though?

New International Version, King James Version and a Hebrew-Greek study Bible I have all say, "valley of the shadow of death." In the Hebrew-Greek study Bible "shadow of death" is underlined and a superscript gives the Hebrew word it comes from, which is "salmawet" (there's a couple marks on the letters I can't type) which translates as "shadow, darkness, gloom, blackness."

Did anyone else notice in the preview that...

Eko transposed some words? He said, "Yea, though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death."

I noticed it immediately, and it's been driving me insane ever since.

I noticed that, too, but it's so common for people to misquote the Bible, especially on TV, that it's almost predictable anymore.

Like when Bill Clinton said, "It is written, 'Ear hath not heard, nor hath eye seen........what we can build.' It's actually, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

Or how people are always saying, "Money is the root of all evil," when it's actually, "The love of money is the root of all evil."

Ok guys, doesn't that make a great discription of the island?
Shadow ofthe Valley of Death Bring back the pergitory themes.

I was about to post about this somewhere else but yeah it caught me when he first said it and it nagged at the back of my brain for the past two hours. I started wondering if maybe Coolio had it wrong or any one of the numerous other places I have heard it as "The valley of the shadow of death" so i went and rewatched it and he does say "The shadow of the valley of death." Which one is the right one?

So I'm gathering from this that Coolio has a song in which he misquotes the 23rd Psalm? And the writers of the show used that quote instead of the original one from the Bible? That's odd...maybe the only place they've heard it is in that song, and they just assumed it was right? I sure hope not....if that's the only reason it was wrong, that's just shoddy research.
:ermm:

Don't forget that English is not Eko's native language. I am sure he read the 23rd Psalm in a Nigerian translation. Also, as was pointed out, the King James is not the only version of the original Hebrew Narratives.

I think it is important that Eko called Josiah a "good" king. If I recall correctly from my reading of Kings and Chronicles they Bible often describes the kings as either "good" or "bad", which is similar to a theme we see on the island.

Wohoo, second post. Just joined, been reading for a while.

IMNot and others have it right, there are many different ways to translate the Old Testament, and many words do not have literal translations, and the word order of older languages is completely different (i.e. Subject-Verb order is different and so on).

Ummm, the smoke creature monster thingy kinda looks like a shadow.

:eek:

Consider that the overall theme of "Lost" is second chances, redemption, forgiveness, etc. and this is being conveyed through religious and mythological motifs.

In Jungian psychology (Carl Jung), "The Shadow" is one of his major archetypes. We're just beginning to see references to shadows and I predict we'll see a lot more before the mystery is resolved. One must confront his "Shadow" and reconcile with it before being made whole (or reborn)...according to Jung. Still more black/white and Yin/Yang...

Mr. Eko said "the shadow of the valley of death" very purposefully ..."Everything happens for a reason". I believe that Mr. Eko knows what's happening on the island.

Anima Mundi - The Return of the Soul to the World by James Hillman

What I thought was significant about what Eko said was that King Josiah was a child. He was 8 or 9 when he became king. I've always loved that story because a child was able to accomplish what all the previous adult kings could not. And he had the book of the law read aloud for all the people to hear.

It is interesting because they took the children.

Mr. Eko said "the shadow of the valley of death" very purposefully ..."Everything happens for a reason". I believe that Mr. Eko knows what's happening on the island.

I still think it was a mistake by the writers, and not some sooper-seekret Eko thing. Valleys don't make shadows; mountains do, so what would be the purpose of switching those words?

The story Mr. Echo told can be found in chapter 22 of 2 Kings. Which leads to the renewing of the covenant in chapter 23! Interesting...
hey Charlie..is that you? fancy meetin' you here :) i really dug that part of the episode, my son's name is Josiah! hehe...
see ya on the 'ship :wavey:

Charlie...do you know a good Bible scripture site that I can get that full quote?
you could go to Biblegateway.com ~ you can look up any passage there in many different Bible translations. it's a kewl site.
ciao! :wavey:

In case this hasn't been mentioned:

http://www.blueletterbible.org
that's a great site too, i recommended Biblegateway.com ... :)

I noticed that, too, but it's so common for people to misquote the Bible, especially on TV, that it's almost predictable anymore.
ordinarily i'd agree, but they got the story of King Josiah right... and that's sure not nearly as well known as the 23rd Psalm... though i honestly didn't hear the preview so i don't know yet if it was mis-quoted or not. i'll have to wait and see :wavey:

that's a great site too, i recommended Biblegateway.com ... :)

That looks like a great site; you can even search in different languages. Thanks for posting it!

(and your sig line is so true, LOL.)

I know a lot of you guys are relatively new to the Fuselage, but just as a gentle reminder, discussion of information from the preview should be spoiler fonted here.

Wohoo, second post. Just joined, been reading for a while.

IMNot and others have it right, there are many different ways to translate the Old Testament, and many words do not have literal translations, and the word order of older languages is completely different (i.e. Subject-Verb order is different and so on).

That's true enough. The Bible is translated into about 2,100 different languages/versions IIRC. Still, the meaning of the verse changes significantly when said as Eko said it. Since there is apparently a return of the "monster" in the episode, it may turn out to be important afterall. English may not be Eko's native language, but he is fluent in English. I haven't heard him misspeak even once. Anyone as religious as Eko appears to be, who speaks English as fluently as he does, I would expect is likely to have studied an English language version of the Bible at some point. I know this isn't covering every possible version of the scripture, but I did find it interesting that in all of the different versions sited at the following link, not one of them uses Eko's wording.

http://bible.cc/psalms/23-4.htm

Cool NKowal and thanks everyone for the info...

I wish I had that story on audio tape, of Eko telling that story...he's so awesome...

The thing I found puzzling about what he said was, "You may know it as the Old Testament." The Book of the Law is considered by most to be the source for most of the body of Deuteronomy. At most one might stretch it to refer to the Pentateuch. It made me think of two verses in Deuteronomy that warn against adding to or taking away from the Bible.

"You shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish ought from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you" (Deut. 4:2).

"What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: you shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it" (Deut. 12:32).

Since we were shown a Bible with sections cut out/diminished, and a section of film added, the whole thing just seemed odd to me.


Consider that the overall theme of "Lost" is second chances, redemption, forgiveness, etc. and this is being conveyed through religious and mythological motifs.

In Jungian psychology (Carl Jung), "The Shadow" is one of his major archetypes. We're just beginning to see references to shadows and I predict we'll see a lot more before the mystery is resolved. One must confront his "Shadow" and reconcile with it before being made whole (or reborn)...according to Jung. Still more black/white and Yin/Yang...

Mr. Eko said "the shadow of the valley of death" very purposefully ..."Everything happens for a reason". I believe that Mr. Eko knows what's happening on the island.

Anima Mundi - The Return of the Soul to the World by James Hillman

Well, we know that certain writers have a fondness for Jung, don't we? How interesting that you cite James Hillman. Before space got so limited, I had a James Hillman quote in my signature. :smile:


What I thought was significant about what Eko said was that King Josiah was a child. He was 8 or 9 when he became king. I've always loved that story because a child was able to accomplish what all the previous adult kings could not. And he had the book of the law read aloud for all the people to hear.

It is interesting because they took the children.

That struck me as well, especially since Kate's "father" made mention of not having murder in his heart. Josiah was portrayed as having a tender heart and humbling himself before God, though he was a king.

I still think it was a mistake by the writers, and not some sooper-seekret Eko thing. Valleys don't make shadows; mountains do, so what would be the purpose of switching those words?

Huh? In neither case, Eko's quote or the KJV quote, would the valley make a shadow. I take Eko's way as saying he walks through the "shadow" that inhabits the valley of death. The losties do live in a valley right? Hmm...

um the psalm 23 trailer was advertised as "coming soon" (NOT NEXT WEEK!):. Lost is on hiatus until 2006.

one poster mentioned that he never heard eko misspeak, it was totally ***MOD edited to remove racist comment*** to begin the monologue about Josiah "Ill begin at the beginning...." and an insult to viewer intellect. I hope you start at the beginning, you idiot!

What I thought was significant about what Eko said was that King Josiah was a child. He was 8 or 9 when he became king. I've always loved that story because a child was able to accomplish what all the previous adult kings could not. And he had the book of the law read aloud for all the people to hear.

It is interesting because they took the children.

Excellent parallel.

Josiah was 18 when he sent the Secretary to collect for the temple. Still very young though.

King Josiah began his reign at 8 years old, but the events that Mr Eko spoke of began when King Josiah was 26 (in the 18th year of his reign).


Josiah totally cleansed Judah of all the false idols, etc, and took the
people back to the basics. After Josiah died, His son took over when he was 23(King Jehoahaz), and he went right back to all the idolatry.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a phenominal actor. He is from England, is very well educated with a masters degree, and speaks perfect english.

I don't believe he "misspoke". He said "the shadow of the valley of death". It had to have been a part of the script, it must be intentional.

Eko also told Locke that finding two parts of the film on separate parts of the island wasn't just a coincidence, it was fate. I believe he knows something about the island that he's not sharing....

Shadow of the valley of death...go back to Danielle's map, the central triangle, Dark territory, on an elevated section, possibly within this valley he walks through.

What will he see in the monster, something beautiful like Locke saw? The eye of the island?

Maybe our friendly smoke will be making an appearance. We should watch closely young padawans.....

"The Lord is my Shepherd" - 23 Psalm

Jack Sheppard - Seat 23 A

Probably not a coincidence either!!!

Did Eko say the book of Noah?If so wasn't there some ealier connection between Olvar Hanso's name and Noah?

Olvar Hanso=Noah's Valor

He said, "shadow of the valley of death."

Ya, I got that . it took me long enough but got it.
If you look at my post you will see I said i was tiered and thinking slow :rolleyes:
Thanks

I still think it was a mistake by the writers, and not some sooper-seekret Eko thing. Valleys don't make shadows; mountains do, so what would be the purpose of switching those words?

The purpose of switching those words was to emphasize the word "shadow" for us. It's another clue as to what's happening on the island. If he had quoted the psalm in the conventional way we would never have zeroed in on the one word "shadow".

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a phenominal actor. He is from England, is very well educated with a masters degree, and speaks perfect english.

I don't believe he "misspoke". He said "the shadow of the valley of death". It had to have been a part of the script, it must be intentional.

Eko also told Locke that finding two parts of the film on separate parts of the island wasn't just a coincidence, it was fate. I believe he knows something about the island that he's not sharing....

Amen to all you said!! I agree completely!!

Actually, It's Alvar Hanso...

Noahs Larva???

Shadow of the valley of death...go back to Danielle's map, the central triangle, Dark territory, on an elevated section, possibly within this valley he walks through.

What will he see in the monster, something beautiful like Locke saw? The eye of the island?

Maybe our friendly smoke will be making an appearance. We should watch closely young padawans.....

Maybe by saying "shadow of the valley of death" he meant "shadow in the valley of death". Could he be referring to the "monster"? The "smoke"? Something else?

Someone mentioned AAA has a masters degree. In what subject? Children's lIt? "Illl begin at the beginning...." had to be the most ghetto ebonics i've ever heard on television...

Since we were shown a Bible with sections cut out/diminished, and a section of film added, the whole thing just seemed odd to me.

I agree that the film in the bible was very odd indeed. I also believe that Mr. Eko knew what was in that bible when he first saw it in last week's episode. I'm beginning to believe that Mr. Eko is representative of Jung's archetypal "Wise Old Man" (as Yoda was in Star Wars). He knows more about what's happening on the island than he is sharing with the "losties".

Well, we know that certain writers have a fondness for Jung, don't we? How interesting that you cite James Hillman. Before space got so limited, I had a James Hillman quote in my signature.

Please share what James Hillman quote you had in your signature.

King Josiah began his reign at 8 years old, but the events that Mr Eko spoke of began when King Josiah was 26 (in the 18th year of his reign).

Josiah totally cleansed Judah of all the false idols, etc, and took the people back to the basics.

Is that what someone/something on the island is trying to do? A cleansing? A return to the basics? Forgiveness? Redemption? Rebirth?

I think the point that needs to be considered is why did he tell that story in conjunction with giving locke the filmstrip? thats what interests me the most

The more I think about it the more I am inclined to think that it was intentional.
"Yea, though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death"
Like others have said it seems a direct reference to the monster and the area were it seems to be its hunting grounds (for a lack of a better word)

I just checked this bible:
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Psa/Psa023.html#top
It's exactly the way he said it.
In German you would say: "Und wenn ich auch wandele durchs finstere Tal..." = "And when I am wandering through the darksome valley..."
I do not really see a problem here.

Charlie...do you know a good Bible scripture site that I can get that full quote?

Try a Bible.

Someone mentioned AAA has a masters degree. In what subject? Children's lIt? "Illl begin at the beginning...." had to be the most ghetto ebonics i've ever heard on television...

There's no need for this racist crap.

Someone mentioned AAA has a masters degree. In what subject? Children's lIt? "Illl begin at the beginning...." had to be the most ghetto ebonics i've ever heard on television...

First of all, AAA is an ACTOR...he said what he was told to say by the writers...I believe AAA has a law degree from what I read...just because he speaks with an accent (in his role or real life) does not make him stupid...or does something *else* about him make you think he's stupid?

Someone mentioned AAA has a masters degree. In what subject? Children's lIt? "Illl begin at the beginning...." had to be the most ghetto ebonics i've ever heard on television...

I'm sorry...what? First of all "I'll begin at the beginning" is a perfectly reasonable thing to say. Because you can begin a story anywhere. I can say "I'll begin in the middle and work backwards." I'm not sure what makes this bad grammar.

Second of all, Ecko speaks incredibly well and AAA is a brilliant actor and interesting person who speaks with a british accent. Probably speaks more eloquently than most people on these boards.

Third: Do you think AAA writes his own dialogue?

And finally: to refer to a perfectly well spoken black actor as speaking in "ebonics" is incredibly racist. You should be embarrassed.

First of all, AAA is an ACTOR...he said what he was told to say by the writers...I believe AAA has a law degree from what I read...just because he speaks with an accent (in his role or real life) does not make him stupid...or does something *else* about him make you think he's stupid?

Ed it is best to just ignore him. He made almost the same exact post twice. The mods edited the first one. He is just trying to start a flame war. It is better if no one even responds.

Ed it is best to just ignore him. He made almost the same exact post twice. The mods edited the first one. He is just trying to start a flame war. It is better if no one even responds.

Yep, Me...you're right...my bad.

I'll go back to quietyly reading, now.

Thanks...

I think the point that needs to be considered is why did he tell that story in conjunction with giving locke the filmstrip? thats what interests me the most
Me too, and for the life of me, I can't put it together. I was sure Eko was going to hand Locke a fully intact Bible and start sermonizing to him. When I saw that it was hollowed out with the film in it, nothing he said before in the story of Josiah made sense to me any longer. If this is the book he was delivering (like the secretary [eko?] to the king [locke?]) that would save the kingdom (island?) from false idolatry (the hatch? the button pushing?), I don't see how what was on that tape acheived that goal. Certainly not in the lofty, spiritual terms indicated by the story itself.

I am not religious. Is it sacriligious to hollow out a Bible like that? Just curious.

Ummm, the smoke creature monster thingy kinda looks like a shadow.

:eek:

THis was my first thought too, shadow=blacksmoke thingy.. :)

If you look at the screen caps it looks as if the part of the bible that is hollowed out is the same exact place that the story is written in. I could be Totally wrong but it looks that way to me.

What I thought was significant about what Eko said was that King Josiah was a child. He was 8 or 9 when he became king. I've always loved that story because a child was able to accomplish what all the previous adult kings could not. And he had the book of the law read aloud for all the people to hear.

It is interesting because they took the children.

Aha!!! Very Interesting!

Me,
Any input from TIb?

Restoration of faith built the temple, faith in one truly divine, or did they remember the one true divine.

The shadow of the valley, he needs the armour of God.

I'm sorry...what? First of all "I'll begin at the beginning" is a perfectly reasonable thing to say. Because you can begin a story anywhere. I can say "I'll begin in the middle and work backwards." I'm not sure what makes this bad grammar.


I believe that was a storytelling convention, a reference to Genesis and "In the beginning..." Until Josiah restored the Book of the Law to the people, those stories were lost to Judea. One might consider that moment the beginning of Cristianity/Judaism/Islam. All of those religions are related, and they all incorporate The Book of the Law in their religious texts. It seems fitting that Eko would know about Josiah and The Book of the Law, as I suspect his story may contain shades of the religious violence that plague Nigeria.


Me too, and for the life of me, I can't put it together. I was sure Eko was going to hand Locke a fully intact Bible and start sermonizing to him. When I saw that it was hollowed out with the film in it, nothing he said before in the story of Josiah made sense to me any longer. If this is the book he was delivering (like the secretary [eko?] to the king [locke?]) that would save the kingdom (island?) from false idolatry (the hatch? the button pushing?), I don't see how what was on that tape acheived that goal. Certainly not in the lofty, spiritual terms indicated by the story itself.

I am not religious. Is it sacriligious to hollow out a Bible like that? Just curious.

I think it was more about missing pieces of information than anything else, but I like the idea of Eko representing the secretary. In the past I have noticed that Locke seems rather childlike in his belief in the "island's" power. If you want to make a parallel to Josiah, it was because of his tender heart, and possibly because he became King at such an early age, that the high priest was able to influence him to restore the old faith.

I don't know if you saw my previous post or not, but I quoted a couple of verses from Deuteronomy about God's admonition not to add to or diminish from the scriptures. It is generally accepted that The Book of the Law is the source for most of the body of Deuteronomy, not the entire Old Testament AFAIK. The Pentateuch, like the Torah, is also called The Law. One might be able to stretch it to say the Book of the Law is the source of the Pentateuch, the first five chapters of the Bible. I suppose it would depend on whether you believed in the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch/The Book of the Law. It's a source of controversy among Biblical scholars.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_tora.htm

At any rate, if you consider physically cutting words out of the Bible diminishing it, and replacing them with that film as adding to it, you have to wonder about the person who did that. Does that person consider the film, or hiding the film, more important than the words on those pages? If so, that would be sacreligious, IMHO. Of course, you have to take into consideration that I was raised in a home where you were never to place anything on top of a Bible, and allowing dust to collect on your Bible was symbolic of a spiritual life in disarray, etc. :)

Hello everybody. I'm the one who put wrote about AAA having a master's degree etc.... Thank you to all of you who wrote in and gave kudos to this awesome actor.

shame on those of you who claimed "ghetto ebonics"!!!!

He is very simply acting out a script that the writers gave him.

The "book of law" otherwise know as the "old testament" created tremendous change in the way people think, and what they believed in and at the time of its discovery.

This bible with the film hidden inside that Eko gave Locke, I think is supposed to signify a great change in what we think, and what the Losties think the island is all about.

Did it give us any answers? NO!!! I don't think it was meant to. It just signifies a point of change yet to be determined.

What is the island? Are the being watched? Why did the computer initiate contact with Michael at the very same moment that Locke and Eko were listing to the film that firmly insisted that no one use the computer to communicate with others.

Where is Walt? In another hatch? With another computer? Is he IN the computer? "far-fetched - just thinking "MATRIX".:drowsy:

I just checked this bible:
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Psa/Psa023.html#top
It's exactly the way he said it.

No, actually it's not. He switched the words "valley" and "shadow" around.

Did anyone else notice in the preview that...

Eko transposed some words? He said, "Yea, though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death."

I noticed it immediately, and it's been driving me insane ever since.

Yep, I noticed and it annoyed me too. I can only imagine there was a reason for it, maybe because the "monster" has been seen as black smoke, or a "shadow"?

Here's what I got from Ecko's story:
Ecko was speaking of a civilization in it's infancy. This civilization was going to grow in one of two directions. The first direction would be positive, a good thing whereas the second direction would be negative, a bad thing. One direction would be led by one leader while the other would be led by another. Dude came back with the "book of laws" or the old testament which then acted as a guidepost for the people. What I find unclear is whether ecko thought the direction that civilization went was positive or negative.
By giving Locke access to that missing film, he is also giving him a great amount of power. Similar to the way in which buddy came back from with the Old Testament. Ecko sees an eagerness in Locke that he isnot completely comfortable with, an eagerness that could potentially lead to ruin.
Face it, what's going on with the survivors is a VERY spiritual thing. This whole Dharma initiative thing is turning into a pseudo-God.

Me too, and for the life of me, I can't put it together. I was sure Eko was going to hand Locke a fully intact Bible and start sermonizing to him. When I saw that it was hollowed out with the film in it, nothing he said before in the story of Josiah made sense to me any longer. If this is the book he was delivering (like the secretary [eko?] to the king [locke?]) that would save the kingdom (island?) from false idolatry (the hatch? the button pushing?), I don't see how what was on that tape acheived that goal. Certainly not in the lofty, spiritual terms indicated by the story itself.

The way I took it was that it wasn't gold, it wasn't "things" that was going to restore the city. It was knowledge that was sorely lacking in Josiah's day. I think Eko was trying to tell Locke that all the work that the losties were doing would just go to waste if they didn't even know what they were up against. They needed knowledge, and he knew that the film provided that.

I noticed that immediately too. I had a very christian upbringing and have that psalm memorized. It has to be intentional, if they looked it up for him to quote it then they had to have know the order of the words. So the question is 'why did Eko get the quote wrong?'

I dont think the character got the quote wrong, I think the actor did. He probably didnt do a good job of memorizing his lines that day or after several takes he thought it all sounds the same.

A couple of thoughts:

I served in Somalia and spent a fair amount of time working with members of the Nigerian army. I have attended a Nigerian church service. They used the King James Bible. I also had a law school professor who was Nigerian. The Nigerian accent is fairly distinctive, and AAA's accent doesn't strike me as being Nigerian.

It sounds more like an eastern African accent, so Ethiopian is within reach. (understanding that he's faking it and the producers may not feel a need to get regional dialects perfectly accurate.)

As for Psalms 23, it is true that there are many translations. But that doesn't mean that each translation gets to play with the meaning of the words. The Hebrew refers to a valley and modifies that word with the Hebrew word /tsalmaveth/, which means the "shadow of death." It is used throughout the old testament, and it doesn't refer to literal death. It's more equal to the english colloquialism "pitch black." That is, it's darker than dark. Therefore, you could not properly translate a phrase that essentially means "really dark valley" and change the meaning to read "dark valley of death." It just wouldn't make sense.

Lastly, and this has been said already, but the "book" they brought Josiah was not anything we would call the "Old Testament." It was, at best, a few books from the Old Testament. That should be obvious, because most of the Old Testament was written after Josiah lived. I think Eko was simply recognizing that Locke was not well-versed in the Bible and may not know what he was referring to if he called it the Law, the Torah or the Pentateuch.

Any of yous guys who may interact with Nigerians and or persons from elsewhere, their English is not always the same as ours. Theirs may be somewhat more correct.

Tolerance.

You want bad language, go see Eko on the HBO series OZ. Powerful.

Wow, I didn't expect this thread to take off like this. Very interesting connection with Josiah and the children on the island... I wonder what it means. Can't wait to see this week's episode, that's for sure!

At any rate, if you consider physically cutting words out of the Bible diminishing it, and replacing them with that film as adding to it, you have to wonder about the person who did that. Does that person consider the film, or hiding the film, more important than the words on those pages? If so, that would be sacreligious, IMHO.
It seems that the person thought, for whatever reason, that the Bible was the safest place to hide it. Maybe they knew that no one else would be likely to open it (no Christians, no other Bible readers living/working there), or maybe they felt that the holiness of the Bible would protect the film from being found. Perhaps they felt that the sacrilege was justified in order to prevent some presumably horrific outcome, should the film be discovered...to "save the world"...for the greater good. Also, if the hider wasn't Christian, that act might not be considered sacrilege, in their eyes.

I'm just speculating...because we really don't know who hid it yet.

It seems that the person thought, for whatever reason, that the Bible was the safest place to hide it. Maybe they knew that no one else would be likely to open it (no Christians, no other Bible readers living/working there), or maybe they felt that the holiness of the Bible would protect the film from being found. Perhaps they felt that the sacrilege was justified in order to prevent some presumably horrific outcome, should the film be discovered...to "save the world"...for the greater good. Also, if the hider wasn't Christian, that act might not be considered sacrilege, in their eyes.

I'm just speculating...because we really don't know who hid it yet.

This brings to mind a discussion from a while back about the Virgin Mary statues. When Sayid threw one down and broke it in front of Charlie, it seemed kind of contradictory. While Sayid was worried about burning the bodies from the fuselage without sorting out everyone's god, he was evidently unconcerned about breaking the religious icon of another faith. The question was, did he consider the Virgin Mary statue to be tainted, and thus no longer holy? If the statue is used to conceal something unholy, does that mean it is no longer holy? OR, did he not consider it holy because he wasn't Catholic? For me I think it comes down to motivation. Like you say, if it was done to "save the world" or for the greater good, then perhaps it isn't.

shootfire: I agree about motivation. And I don't recall the context of Sayid throwing the statue down...I thought it fell down and broke, but maybe that was with Locke.

I am spoiler-fonting because it's about the preview:

the preview could be interpreted to show that Eko knows that the Virgin Mary statue contains drugs, and he smashes it with his stick (I think), shattering it in front of Claire. He's my favorite character now and people wonder if he is a priest, minister, or missionary (I do too). And if he knows about the Beechcraft. This preview makes it look that way. Someone said it looks like he burns the plane...I didn't catch that tho.
I think he may have been on the island before the 815 crash. If he was on the Beechcraft, maybe he didn't know about the drugs.

Also the "shadow of the valley" controversy...I think it was intentional because it is relevant to the plot. We'll see, I guess.

Oh, I had forgotten that the dead body was a disguised priest -- that would makes sense if Eko was a priest who had been innocently thinking that he was delivering Virgin Mary Statues. The only thing that doesn't makes sense is when he says, "what you call the Old Testament". That seems like he would call it something else, and a Catholic priest would call it the Old Testament, but someone who is Jewish or Muslim would not.

Good observation, Notlost. I think we can rule out Eko being a Muslim, seeing as he has yet to perform any of the mandatory prayer-duties that is imposed upon all Muslims of able body.

^ but we haven't seen Sayid do that while on the island. I never thought about that before... is he Muslim or not?

^ but we haven't seen Sayid do that while on the island. I never thought about that before... is he Muslim or not?

I believe we saw him observe the evening pray once.

Did anyone else notice in the preview that...

Eko transposed some words? He said, "Yea, though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death."

I noticed it immediately, and it's been driving me insane ever since.

I'm so glad U mentioned that.
I thought something was wrong there too.
and wondering if I've been saying it wrong all along.
lol
So then...Shadow dark image of self. Black/white thingy?
Shadow of Death('s) Valley.
I know...
That expalins the Joshua tree in the pic.
They're in Death Valley desert and everything's a MIRAGE!
lol
i dunno
:ohwell:

shootfire: I agree about motivation. And I don't recall the context of Sayid throwing the statue down...I thought it fell down and broke, but maybe that was with Locke.

I am spoiler-fonting because it's about the preview:

the preview could be interpreted to show that Eko knows that the Virgin Mary statue contains drugs, and he smashes it with his stick (I think), shattering it in front of Claire. He's my favorite character now and people wonder if he is a priest, minister, or missionary (I do too). And if he knows about the Beechcraft. This preview makes it look that way. Someone said it looks like he burns the plane...I didn't catch that tho.
I think he may have been on the island before the 815 crash. If he was on the Beechcraft, maybe he didn't know about the drugs.

Also the "shadow of the valley" controversy...I think it was intentional because it is relevant to the plot. We'll see, I guess.


I posted this
My theory is:
Eko was on the plane. He is Nigerian and I think at some point in Nigeria he was involved in the drug trade. Something happened to convert him and he found God. The he is traveling on the plane ( or at least with this group. Not so sure crash actually happened)
He finds the statue of Mary knows what it is and smashes it . he makes Charlie show him were the rest of it is and proceeds to burn the plane with the heroin.

Charlie & ME: Sayid is a Muslim? That's news to me. I thought he only pretended to be a Muslim as part of his undercover mission for that intelligence agency, not that he actually was one.

P.S Great thread, this. I'm very excited that the LOST writers are starting to incorporate religious themes in the plot.

"I think we can rule out Eko being a Muslim, seeing as he has yet to perform any of the mandatory prayer-duties that is imposed upon all Muslims of able body"

hey! I just would like to precise that all muslims do not necessarily do those prayers. It's just like all christians do not go to church every sunday or pray before going to bed, it still doesn't make them any less christian. It's the same with muslims. My best friend is muslim and although she practices ramadan for example, and doesn't eat pork, she doesn't do the five prayers a day thing. Actually she even never does it. But she's still muslim nonetheless. So yes I think Eko is muslim as well as Sayid.
I'm sorry if that sounded a little redundant! I just tried to be precise with my thoughts...:ohwell:

I still think it was a mistake by the writers, and not some sooper-seekret Eko thing. Valleys don't make shadows; mountains do, so what would be the purpose of switching those words?

I would think that a valley would be in shadow most of the time... since it is an area of lower elevation in relation to surrounding areas. But I'm being nitpicky...



Eko also told Locke that finding two parts of the film on separate parts of the island wasn't just a coincidence, it was fate. I believe he knows something about the island that he's not sharing....

Eko's exact words were, "Don't mistake coincidence for fate." There was a good little discussion about the quote in an earlier thread here. (http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=28134) There is another interpretation of what Eko meant by this statement. With the way he placed the word "coincidence" before "fate", he was distinguishing between the two insinuating that he did NOT believe it was fate, but coincidence in this case. (thanks to ExistentialAngel (http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showpost.php?p=637716&postcount=3) for that).

I find it to be great symbolism with the way that the film piece was inside of the bible. With the way that Locke devotes himself to the hatch and what is said on the Orientation film, it is as if it has become the scripture that he lives by.

I was thinking that perhaps the words are switched to allude to the fact that the losties should be dead, but they aren't - so they are in the shadow of death instead of in the actual valley of death. The Hanso site has a link to a life extension project, Gilgamesh was searching for eternal life, and Sawyer has called Ana "Ponce de Leon," who was searching for the fountain of youth.So, it seems like this could be another clue about the fact that they have faced death and escaped.

I would think that a valley would be in shadow most of the time... since it is an area of lower elevation in relation to surrounding areas. But I'm being nitpicky...

that line is from the bible...it had nothing do with whether theres actual shadows lol

hey! I just would like to precise that all muslims do not necessarily do those prayers. It's just like all christians do not go to church every sunday or pray before going to bed, it still doesn't make them any less christian. It's the same with muslims. My best friend is muslim and although she practices ramadan for example, and doesn't eat pork, she doesn't do the five prayers a day thing. Actually she even never does it. But she's still muslim nonetheless. So yes I think Eko is muslim as well as Sayid.
I'm sorry if that sounded a little redundant! I just tried to be precise with my thoughts...:ohwell:

Actually, being a Muslim and not observing the prayers are kind of mutually exclusive. It couldn't be any clearer in the Quran. Even though Christianity often let things like skipping church and premarital sex slide, I assure you, Islam does not.

"Actually, being a Muslim and not observing the prayers are kind of mutually exclusive. It couldn't be any clearer in the Quran. Even though Christianity often let things like skipping church and premarital sex slide, I assure you, Islam does not."

I understand what you mean. It might be the case is muslim countries (I mean where muslim is the official religion), but here in france most muslims do not do the prayers, but they're still muslims.Now, all of them practice the ramadan, and they donot eat pork. But they donot do the prayers.

Ok, here is what I got from Mr. Eko's story.
Well, i think there were two points.

1. Mr. Eko represents the secretary that brought the Book Of Law back and Locke represents the King, even thought he didnt tell eko to go get gold, he is like the leader of the hatch(temple). So, the hatch(temple) must have been used wrong or there was a purpose that someone has for it and by adding that splice of film, even if it does not directly imply what they are supposed to do....it will in effect lead them to doing what they are supposed to do...Sorry if that is hard to follow. Hence, with the book they will rebuild or find the purpose of the hatch.(have a feeling it is more than typing numbers)

2. Ok this relates micheal chatting on computer with mystery someone (maybe walt) at the exact same time the film strip is aired.
Ok, I will begin from the beginning. Long before christ there was adam and eve. I think we all know that eve got tricked and then adam and herself ate the fruit from the forbidden tree. Ok, at this point, they entered into SIN. God did not completely turn his back on them, but before they had sin in them he could just come to them and talk to them but since he is pure and holy he cannot communicate with them as sinners(atleast not in the same way or something like that). So, later on, in order to speak to his children, he created for them a book which would is essence lead them in the right direction.
SO, once they have the Old Testament, he is basically communicating with them through his WORD(written word) and now has a line of contact with them. So when the got the film strip...which symbolizes the book of law, he can now communicate with them through written word(on a computer screen in this case)

edit: by the way, i am not implying that the guy on the other side of the computer is God. Just the God of the island or the one who is to lead them or maybe be their savior or something.....who knows?

I posted this
My theory is:
Eko was on the plane. He is Nigerian and I think at some point in Nigeria he was involved in the drug trade. Something happened to convert him and he found God. The he is traveling on the plane ( or at least with this group. Not so sure crash actually happened)
He finds the statue of Mary knows what it is and smashes it . he makes Charlie show him were the rest of it is and proceeds to burn the plane with the heroin.


I believe that was a storytelling convention, a reference to Genesis and "In the beginning..." Until Josiah restored the Book of the Law to the people, those stories were lost to Judea. One might consider that moment the beginning of Cristianity/Judaism/Islam. All of those religions are related, and they all incorporate The Book of the Law in their religious texts. It seems fitting that Eko would know about Josiah and The Book of the Law, as I suspect his story may contain shades of the religious violence that plague Nigeria.


Pardon me if I'm actually the one who is off-base, but...

The Mr. Eko character has never been attributed to being of Nigerian origin!

In real-life, A.A.A. has Nigerian parents - that's all. It's just that I've come across this assumption soooo many times on these boards... it's actually infiltrating and influencing people’s ideas and theories.

I mean, Naveen Andrews [Sayid] is of Indian origin - but he's playing an Iraqi.

Pardon me if I'm actually the one who is off-base, but...

The Mr. Eko character has never been attributed to being of Nigerian origin!

In real-life, A.A.A. has Nigerian parents - that's all. It's just that I've come across this assumption soooo many times on these boards... it's actually infiltrating and influencing people’s ideas and theories.

I mean, Naveen Andrews [Sayid] is of Indian origin - but he's playing an Iraqi.
Yes, I do know that both Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Naveen Andrews
are just actors and that they are playing a part.
I have done research on both.
But there was an article ( I know it has been link to here on the board. Stating that Eco's character is of Nigerian background. I do not have it and I am not going to look for it.
If you wish you could probably find it.)

That is why Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje character speaks with an ascent. That is where the speculation come in. It is not a unfounded assumption and you seem to think.
let me know if you find the article.

that line is from the bible...it had nothing do with whether theres actual shadows lol

Really? I had no idea! :rolleyes:

Yes, I do know that both Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Naveen Andrews
are just actors and that they are playing a part.
I have done research on both.
...
It is not a unfounded assumption and you seem to think.

OK, thanks for that. Sorry if I upset you... as I said in my first line - "Pardon me if I'm actually the one who is off-base, but..."

When I said "The Mr. Eko character has never been attributed to being of Nigerian origin!", I meant attributed by the actual show, as in "officially". In that context, my statement is valid.

But there was an article ( I know it has been link to here on the board. Stating that Eco's character is of Nigerian background. I do not have it and I am not going to look for it.
If you wish you could probably find it.)
...
let me know if you find the article

I will endevour to find this article you speak of. However, nothing but speculation has come up in my searches so far. I do hope that it is not another article like the one from TV Guide near the end of Season 1 where it infamously stated that Arzt would become a more central character in Season 2.

That is why Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje character speaks with an ascent. That is where the speculation come in.

I know Eko speaks with an accent, however it could be from any number of African countries, besides Nigeria. Believe it or not, I totally expect him to be from Nigeria. I'm merely waiting for Lost to tell me so first.

You say that the specualtion comes in because he speaks with an accent. Firstly, it is speculative that it is a 'Nigerian' accent. Secondly, last time I checked, specualtion means the same as assumption, as per my orignial post.

I'm a bit confused, you begin with disagreeing with me in thinking Eko's Nigerian origin is based on assumption. But you end with a comment that agrees with this.

OK, thanks for that. Sorry if I upset you... as I said in my first line - "Pardon me if I'm actually the one who is off-base, but..." I did not mean it the way you took it.
as I have said in other post. I have a very formal way of writing and sometimes it comes off a bit more snippy than I intend it to. Sorry for that.
I'll try and find the article and post a link to it hear if I can.

Spoilers are courtesy of SpoilerFix.com (http://www.spoilerfix.com/)
11/28 - Spoilerish excerpt from article "Five Alive:" Mr. Eko: Born and raised in Nigeria. Source: The Official Lost Magazine, Issue 2, Jan/Feb 2006

Me, don't forget to spoiler font!!! :smile:

ooops! sorry :frown:
is that better?

Just don't want anyone getting into trouble. :smile:

I understand what you mean. It might be the case is muslim countries (I mean where muslim is the official religion), but here in france most muslims do not do the prayers, but they're still muslims.Now, all of them practice the ramadan, and they donot eat pork. But they donot do the prayers.

I can relate, over 80% of my Muslim friends drink and screw around, but I guess that's where the difference between being a Muslim and being of Muslim descent becomes apparent.

What I meant was that if you do not adhere to the religious rules, technically you are not a Muslim.

Just don't want anyone getting into trouble. :smile:

That's ok. I come in to post sometimes from other than the direct link and I forget which part of the board I am on.

What I meant was that if you do not adhere to the religious rules, technically you are not a Muslim.

technically your not Catholic either.

Umm...I guess?

Did you assume I was a Catholic or something?

Has anyone mentioned the similarity to the scene in Shawshank Redemption, where Andy hides his pick in the bible just as the film was, and then leaves the message to the warden, Salvation lies within? A cool allusion perhaps.

How come no one has talked about the importance of his stick.... after all in Psalm 23 it does say something to the effect of..."thy rod and thy staff...they comfort me". after all they have gone lenths to show that he is carving something on it.

Umm...I guess?

Did you assume I was a Catholic or something?

No, I did not assume anything.

You said:
if you do not adhere to the religious rules, technically you are not a Muslim.

I said: technically your not Catholic either.
As in: if you did not adhere to the religious rules,technically your not Catholic either.

^ or you are and you are sinner.

No, I did not assume anything.

You said:
if you do not adhere to the religious rules, technically you are not a Muslim.

I said: technically your not Catholic either.
As in: if you did not adhere to the religious rules,technically your not Catholic either.

I see. It is just that I didn't see where Catholicism came into the picture, but I guess I kind of left the issue open for other religions when I wrote "...to the religious rules", when I was actually referring to Islam in particular. Should've been more specific I guess.

"I see. It is just that I didn't see where Catholicism came into the picture, but I guess I kind of left the issue open for other religions when I wrote "...to the religious rules", when I was actually referring to Islam in particular. Should've been more specific I guess."

It's because of what I said: I made the parallel by saying you can be muslim and not doing the prayers, just as you can be catholic and not go to church every sunday. And then you answered that catholism let slips the going to church thing whereas islam doesn't. But yeah I suppose there is a difference between being muslim and of muslim descent. I think most youngs now don't practice the religion heavily like their parents do.

How come no one has talked about the importance of his stick.... after all in Psalm 23 it does say something to the effect of..."thy rod and thy staff...they comfort me". after all they have gone lenths to show that he is carving something on it.

I'd like to believe that Mr. Eko is being portrayed as a priest of the Vodoun religion. In the Vodoun religion the "Legba" may be likened to or compared to Christ. This Legba is concerned with spiritual growth, governs the actions of the soul, and is typically depicted as a man walking with a stick made from a tree or large bush. This would fall in line with all the other religions that have been presented to date...

Mr. Eko is one of the african drug dealers that pretended to be monks...

^ or you are and you are sinner.
Braking some rules makes you a sinner.
Baking some rules will get you excommunicated ( tossed out)
On such rule is if you remarry after a divorce then you become Persona non grata


Mr. Eko is one of the african drug dealers that pretended to be monks...

We do not know this for a fact all we know is
That he is Nigerian

We do not know this for a fact all we know is
That he is Nigerian

Do we? There is nothing in the show that says that.

Yes, I do know that both Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Naveen Andrews
are just actors and that they are playing a part.
I have done research on both.
But there was an article ( I know it has been link to here on the board. Stating that Eco's character is of Nigerian background. I do not have it and I am not going to look for it.
If you wish you could probably find it.)

That is why Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje character speaks with an ascent. That is where the speculation come in. It is not a unfounded assumption and you seem to think.
let me know if you find the article.
It was on the Podcast where they say the Eko's character is indeed from Nigeria.

A lot of speculation on this thread, and I would like the chance to throw my theories around a bit.

1) Eko was definitely involved with the drug plane in some way. My best guess is that the statues and pastor's clothing were stolen from Eko's church in Nigeria and he later found out that they were used for drug smuggling - that is why his reaction would be so harsh when he is reunited with his "unholy" statues. The other version of this and probably plays with the recurring themes in the series is that Eko used to be a drug smuggler and posed a Holy man to get access to the statues, etc... he found the light while in the church, had a falling out with his associate, they fought and his associate left and subsequently died in the plane crash. Eko burns the plane and the statues to allow closure of this part of his life.

2) The quote was said on purpose due to the context and situation in which he finds himself. Eko is very spiritual and can see and understand things on a different level than others.

3) I think the encounter with the "monster" may be one of FEAR in the part of the monster -- maybe it has met its match.

4) The stick that Eko has will play a great role in the next episode (breaking the statue, fighting the monster). In the 23rd Psalm, a Rod and a Staff is mentioned which has a lot in common with Eko's stick -- the Stick will protect him from evil -- that is why parts of the Psalm are written on his now converted "Holy Stick".

Any validity to my comments?? Please let me know.

Cheers

Do we? There is nothing in the show that says that.
read my above post
The spoiler

http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showpost.php?p=651803&postcount=97

read my above post
The spoiler

http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showpost.php?p=651803&postcount=97

The magazine isn't the show. No-one who hasn't read the article would know Eko's nationaility, ergo it hasn't been shown on the show. We know that Sayid is from Iraq because he has said so on the show. We know that Jin and Sun are Korean because it has been said on the show. When it is referenced on the show then I will be happy to call Eko Nigerian.

The magazine isn't the show. No-one who hasn't read the article would know Eko's nationaility, ergo it hasn't been shown on the show. We know that Sayid is from Iraq because he has said so on the show. We know that Jin and Sun are Korean because it has been said on the show. When it is referenced on the show then I will be happy to call Eko Nigerian.

Call me stupid but is it says it came from
Source: The Official Lost Magazine, Issue 2, Jan/Feb 2006

Since it is put out by ABC.
I would have a tendency to believe it. you noticed i said tendency.

Call me stupid but is it says it came from
Source: The Official Lost Magazine, Issue 2, Jan/Feb 2006

Since it is put out by ABC.
I would have a tendency to believe it. you noticed i said tendency.

I'm not saying that I don't believe that it will be proved true, but at the moment we have no evidence from the show itself about Eko's nationality. Remember, one of their own props on the show has been proved to have the wrong date on it.

Unfortunately so far the only people we have on the island that know about the drugrunners having Nigerian money on them is Locke, so until someone else finds that out, any revelation of Eko's nationality to the other Losties won't mean much - will be interesting ot see Locke's reaction tho'.

Do you think that the content of the Psalms is important?
Could it be that Mr. Ecko is acting liek the author of the Psalms?
Shephard or King-like-figure... (David was a shephard when he wrote some of the Psalms... and then a displaced King when Saul was hunting him down)

Mr. Ecko and the survivors are obviously being hunted down by the Others but to what extent and for what reason we don't know yet. Yet, Mr. Ecko has acted like a Shephard when he went and searched for Michael in the forest.

Braking some rules makes you a sinner.
Baking some rules will get you excommunicated ( tossed out)
On such rule is if you remarry after a divorce then you become Persona non grata

Oh yes. I am aware of this. Unless you can get your first marriage annulled. This happens all the time in the church, even for marriages of several years. :rolleyes:

My point was (and you confirm "Braking some rules makes you a sinner.") that breaking the rules does not automatically mean you aren't Muslim or Christian etc. It may mean that you are simply a sinner in the eyes of that faith.

A drinking Muslim is a sinning Muslim, not not-a-Muslim.

I'd like to believe that Mr. Eko is being portrayed as a priest of the Vodoun religion. In the Vodoun religion the "Legba" may be likened to or compared to Christ. This Legba is concerned with spiritual growth, governs the actions of the soul, and is typically depicted as a man walking with a stick made from a tree or large bush. This would fall in line with all the other religions that have been presented to date...

Holy crap! Were'd you get this. I'm pretty good with world religions and this one is new to me. It seems I've heard of Vodoun but didn't know anything about it. Oh well... research ahead. ;)

Holy crap! Were'd you get this. I'm pretty good with world religions and this one is new to me. It seems I've heard of Vodoun but didn't know anything about it. Oh well... research ahead. ;)
the closest i could find was this not sure if it is what AquarianStella ment.


The term Voodoo (Vodun in Benin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin); also Vodou or other phonetically equivalent spellings in Haiti (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiti); Vuduin the Dominican Republic) is applied to the branches of a West African (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Africa) ancestor-based spiritist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritism)-animist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism) religious tradition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vodoun

Ah yes. Voudoun/voodoo. That's the refence I recall.

It would indeed be interesting if Eko was a Voudun priest. Could be some interesting struggle between light/dark especially if the writer's portrayal of Voudun was accurate and not 'movie'd' up.

the closest i could find was this nor sure if it is what AquarianStella ment.

Voudoun or Voudou is pronounced, "Voodoo". That's exactly what I meant. Good research!

And for Jed: You're right. If Eko is a voodoo priest, I hope that the writers portray the religion correctly and not as it's usually portrayed in grade C horror movies with zombies and such! I would hope for accuracy. Animism: Spirits or Souls. Lost souls? Anima Mundi?

Voudoun or Voudou is pronounced, "Voodoo". That's exactly what I meant. Good research!

And for Jed: You're right. If Eko is a voodoo priest, I hope that the writers portray the religion correctly and not as it's usually portrayed in grade C horror movies with zombies and such! I would hope for accuracy. Animism: Spirits or Souls. Lost souls? Anima Mundi?
Did you notice that the hotel that Jin worked at (as a doorman) in Korea was named "Seoul Gateway Hotel?"...more (maybe) useless trivia...

Did you notice that the hotel that Jin worked at (as a doorman) in Korea was named "Seoul Gateway Hotel?"...more (maybe) useless trivia...

Oh, yes! I did notice that -- might it have been hinting at the "gateway of the soul"?? And the episode "Hearts and Minds" --- might that have been referencing the better known term "Heart and Soul"??? Watch for lots of references to the term "soul"... All of these references just cannot be trivia.

See my quote below: "But if you do not know yourself (your own soul), then you will be lost..."

Great thread!!! By the way, I read that AAA is fluent in six languages!!!! And for his dialect...I believe it could be a dialect from a number of African countries or a West Indie dialect. I can't place it tho.

I can't get it out of my head that Eko was deliberatly speaking to Locke in a way as if he wanted him to grasp each word. As if he was being very specific behind his words or as if he was giving him a very improtant message.

Something about Eko tells me that he has a very good idea of what is going on in the island.

Is it possible that the body of the priest was Jacks Dad and Eko swapped his clothes?

AAA has a very broad London accent. Not a cultured accent at all. I don't know if he speaks other languages (but believe you) but he has spent a lot of time in Nigeria. Probably doing a Nigerian accent.

Even though they haven't stated it in the show, I think we can assume that Mr. Eko is in some way or another affiliated with the Nigerian drug plane and the 'priests'. I mean, what are the odds he's not?

Even though they haven't stated it in the show, I think we can assume that Mr. Eko is in some way or another affiliated with the Nigerian drug plane and the 'priests'. I mean, what are the odds he's not?
Ten bucks says that on Eko's stick it says:

"I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever"

Cheers

"I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever"

And thereby we've begun to touch on the theme of immortality...again. Just from a different angle in this particular situation.

I bet you it says "Eko's stick....hands off!!!"

Voudoun or Voudou is pronounced, "Voodoo". That's exactly what I meant. Good research!

And for Jed: You're right. If Eko is a voodoo priest, I hope that the writers portray the religion correctly and not as it's usually portrayed in grade C horror movies with zombies and such! I would hope for accuracy. Animism: Spirits or Souls. Lost souls? Anima Mundi?


Well, if Eko is a Voudou priest, it kind of sheds a different light on the whole chicken killing/not eating scene. Hmm...:undecide:

Something about Eko tells me that he has a very good idea of what is going on in the island.

I've gotten a feeling of something close to that.... it's almost as if he came to the island, and immediately realized something of great importance...