Mandor?

[Croaker]

Ok, maybe this is old news for you, but I had never noticed this*, and, reading wikipedia today,  stumbled on this bit:

Mandor, Merlin's stepbrother, a son of Gramble Sawall from a previous marriage. He is a machiavellian manipulator, but Merlin likes him. His name may be derived from the Latin mandare, and is an anagram of "Random"

What could this mean? Is this Mandor's real name or one he chose for himself?
Could mandor be a personna of random? Is he trying to draw on random's power by emulating his name?
Random being the king of Order, Mandor being a chaos lord... Is this something allegorical, or metaphysical?

Thoughts, ideas?


* Actually, my best friend is telling me I have forgotten it. Several times.

[finarvyn]

Like you, I'm not sure if I've ever noticed that before. In retrospect it ought to be obvious since most names in Amber are names I've heard of before from the real world, but I don't think I've ever heard of anyone named Mandor.

In light of the Amber/Rebma thing, it looks like a clue of some sort that RZ is dropping for us to uncover. Since Rebma is Amber reflected, perhaps Mandor simply Random chaos-ized. (Randomized? )

[Moonraker]

Random being the king of Order, Mandor being a chaos lord... Is this something allegorical, or metaphysical?

Mandor, from the Latin mando, mandare, mandavi, mandatus, meaning to order or command, from which we get mandate and mandatory.

And then there's random, meaning: occurring without definite aim, reason, or pattern.

In Amber, the realm of Order, we have a king, ruling openly, whose name is contrary to order.

In the Courts, the realm of Chaos, we have a sorcerer—apparently ruling from behind the scenes (as against the aged, ailing Swayvill)—whose very name implies order.

Random's life before kingship was one of spontaneous debauchery and mischief-making. Where he bothers to apply himself, it's to gambling (randomness) and jazz performing (a musical form known for improvisation)

Mandor apparently spent his life in intense study of the arcane, and has mastered the art of personal presentation such that even his slightest gesture and expression is an exercise in precision and control.

Obviously, Zelazny was having a little fun with us here.

[Evermasterx]

And remember that mandor is a passive form, and ego mandor means: I am committed, or I am entrusted, or I am granted.

So Pattern & Logrus maybe have found an equilibrium...

[Croaker]

Great posts, guys, thanks!