Chicks Dig Elum
 

Okay, I don't know what had me thinking about Elum, but I've got me some questions that I wasn't able to answer with a search:

-Are the elums in in AO domesticated or wild? If they are wild, why do they respond to the bell and why do they listen to Abe's commands?
- Do they naturally occur in both Paramonia and Scrabania or were they introduced as transportation?
- Do they only eat honey? Because there doesn't seem much else to eat in Scrabania.

So, let's hear what you think.

1.They are probley domesticated because how else would they would know to follow a mudokon?
2. There probley isn't many, but they appear when the bell is "gonged". This probley is because for goddness sake, there are slig, droid bombs, and slogs out there! Elums are the transportation of free mudokons. Those would be killed at sight. They appear when the bell is "gonged" because that's sign that says "it's safe to come out now!"
3. Most likely not. OWI just showed us the important stuff of Paramonia and Scrabmania. There probley is more food, like some plants in Paramonia.

Note: This my idea. Not factual

Will elum ever make a comeback ?

If they ever produce Hand of Odd, maybe. We saw sketches of warrior mudokons on elums.

Elum do eat more then Honey, and I don't think that they are all the same.
Surely there are many wild ones, but also some trained ones.

Elums did make an appearance in MO. In the last level after you destroy the vykkers with the mud archers, there are dissecting tables with dead decapitated elums on them. I wonder what type of experiments would require a dead elum anyway...

I doubt the vykkers were actually conducting experiments.

In any case, I think it would be awesome to see elum again. Especially if they were used in the same way horses were used in old wars. Like, trumpets would sound, and the mudokon cavalry would ride up on elums, and it would be like "oh em gee its teh clavary! liek we am fuk'd!" for the bad guys.
Or something.

Aren't those Slogs on the tables?

They seem to be too big to be slogs, plus their hind legs are pretty long.

I find it weird that for some reason, elums are connected to mudokons in a strong force. In AO, elum would appear if out of the bird portal as well when you die.

Alf has hinted pretty strongly that they are elums.

In terms of them being domesticated: who by? Are there populations of muds hiding out in Paramonia and Scrabania that we didn't see? Doesn't that conflict with the prophecy that only the chosen one would pass through Paramonia and Scrabania and survive?

No, that doesn't. The chosen one was suppose to go through the entire maze of areas in one piece. Would you think the mudokons think Abe is intellgent enough to do the mission empty handed and no help what so ever?! I don't think so. Big Face would want a few to accompy Abe on his journey. There aren't many muds that could domesticate every living and breathing elums in those areas. Probley only a few elums were chosen to respond to the gong and listen to the orders of Abe. To fully answer your question, it would take years of training to dupilcate Abe's ability. There is one and one only chosen one.

Well I don't see many Mudokons that helped Abe through Paramonia & Scrabania.

Chicks do dig elum... ;)

I do think that the elum in AO is (along with others) domesticated, for the reasons: He obeys abe and other mudokons, and responds to elum bells.

I agree with slaveless in that Elums are like horses.... A lot are used for travel and war, yet there are some wild mustang elums roming out in the wild somewhere....

I suppose what I was wondering was whether there was some mystical way that the bell was formed that it had the ability to call elums (kinda like a dog whistle). Possibly also, the chosen one could have some special power to control them as well as being able to chant.

Haven't there been some pictures from HOO that show muds riding elums with saddles? So isn't it interesting that Abe rides Elum bareback?

the elums with saddles are most likely the ones that are domesticated and cared of who are fed by muds. The Elum Abe finds is most likely a wild Elum.

For me its both mistical and domesticated. It can be the bells have some "hypnotic" effect on them and make them obbey Mudokons. And on the other hand they seem to go to well along to be not related at all (see the bird portal exemple).

they realy have a strange band indeed.

Can we just conclude that it's just a mechanism used for calling an elum for help? I think you're all looking too much into this.

Have you ever considered that it's fun looking into things "too much"... I mean...
That's like what 1/2 of the forum's threads contain...

EDIT: Further more... isn't "delving into the deepest corridor of the mind" one of your intrests?

:lol:

I have one question in my head about Elum. Are there two elums in AO or one? I've very confused in how the manual says there is one.

You obviously don't understand what I mean when I say that.

Sometimes common sense is the best answer in some discussions.

There are many, many more then just 1 or 2.

Sorry, I meant do you see just 2 in AO, or one? I am sure there more.

Okay, well, you go to Paramonia & Scrabania, so obviously, there is more than just two.

Do you own the game, or ever played it?

Yeah, I know it was from a while ago, but I had to point out the mudokons in Paramonia and Scrabania that Abe had to do a whistle puzzle to get past. For example, to get the spirit rings to blow up land mines, or to get a mudokon to lower a lift to Abe's spot.

And I think that Elums can be found anywhere mudokons are found. Mudokons obviously live in/around Paramonia and Scrabania, and you can always get an elum from ringing the bell (I haven't tried killing elum and then ringing again, but you probably could get another one, since you need him to pass the area). You only see one at a time, but that's all Abe needs is one.
Though you gotta wonder, why does only one elum come to you when the bell is rung? Wouldn't it make more sense for several elum to come running, if the bell is meant to attract them?

Okay, if you mean those kind of Mudokons, then you are very much correct. I guess that I just had a little misunderstanding.


And yes, it would make more sense for more then one Elum to come, at the ring of the bell, but I would assume that they wouldn't be able to communicate and say: "Alright, I'll go assist Abe this time."
Bassicly it's just for gameplay purpses.

Yes I do own the game. I'm trying to say, how many do you see in Abe's Oddysee?

Official texts indicate there is just the one Elum, but since Paramonia and Scrabania are so far apart, it's hard to see how they could be the same, unless the Mudokons transport Abe's pet between the two in the interim.

That raises the question of how this particular Elum is so attached to Abe. We've never seen them together before. Maybe this will be clearer in the film, should Elum be in that story (and I think he should, as he is very cute and popular).

Only one Elum appearing when the bell is rung is more for technical reasons than gameplay reasons. Elum was a massive character, memory wise, for the game to deal with. Having two at once would probably melt the game.

On a side note, there were Elums in MO. Anyone remember where they were?

Wooaaa!
Wait! Where?

I NEVER remember seeing a single Elum in Munch's Oddysee.

... redundant, I think.
Anyhow, yeah, memory usage would mean only one elum on screen. I was talking about, you know, if it were a real situation, not a game.