Grace (Sword of Truth)
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A Grace is a fictional symbol in the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind.
[edit] Physical Description
A Grace is a magical symbol, a circle with a square inside it, its corners touching the circle. Inside the square sits another circle, just large enough to touch the insides of the square. The center circle holds an eight-pointed star. Lines radiate out from the points of the star, piercing all the way through both circles, every other line bisecting a corner of the square.
A Grace is usually drawn from the inside out. The star is drawn first then the inner circle is added. The square is drawn next with the midpoints of the square touching the North,South,East,and West Quadrants of the circle. The outer circle is drawn last, and is drawn so that it touches all four corners of the square before it.
Drawing it in a different order while performing a spell can bring about different - potentially disastrous - results. If the Grace is drawn in the reversed order exactly, it is known as a Fatal Grace. In mose cases, to invoke a Fatal Grace is considered to be suicide.
[edit] Symbolism
A Grace is often drawn by those with magic. The outer circle represents the beginnings of the infinity of the spirit world out beyond. The square represents the boundary separating the spirit world - the underworld, the world of the dead - from the inner circle, which represents the limits of the world of life. In the center of it all is the star, representing the Light, the Creator.
It is a depiction of the continuum of the gift: from the Creator, through life, and at death crossing the boundary to eternity with the spirits in the Keeper's realm of the underworld. It represents a hope as well, a hope to remain in the Creator's Light from birth, through life, and beyond, in the underworld. It was said only the spirits of those who did great wickedness in life would be denied the Creator's Light in the underworld.
An altered Grace was drawn by Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander when he put up the boundaries. In this Grace, two sides of the square (the boundary) dipped into the inner circle (the world of life) in arcs that ended outside the outer circle (the underworld). This corner had no ray coming through it from the star in the center.
