In a recent theory it was speculated that Richard Alpert (R.A.) was the Egyptian sun god, Ra. I think that is a fun speculation, but it would seem weird for an Egyptian god to have left the Nile Delta region for some flickering reality of an island in the south Pacific.
It occurs to me that perhaps a healthy dose of the literary conceits of Neil Gaiman might work in "Lost". As initially sketched in "The Sandman" series and later fleshed out in "American Gods", gods can be flesh and blood and have power, as bestowed upon them by believers. In Gaiman's world, provide enough belief in a god and they will walk around, flesh and blood.
If this is applied to "Lost" then perhaps the initial discovery of the island was by a group of Egyptians (post Roman conquering of Egypt so they would speak Latin) who settled the island and Egyptified the island, placing temples and talismans that combined with their deeply held religious beliefs eventually transmogrified faith into flesh causing Richard to appear and join the island culture at this time as their religious leader. Having different religious versus secular leaders would also explain why, although Richard seems in charge, there needs to be a day-to-day leader, such as Whidmore or Ben.
Another aspect of Gaiman to consider is that being's of power (such as his character Dream of the Endless) appears differently to different people. Perhaps smoky can be explained in these terms of appearing different to different people depending on their level of faith. Theory by slothrop
It occurs to me that perhaps a healthy dose of the literary conceits of Neil Gaiman might work in "Lost". As initially sketched in "The Sandman" series and later fleshed out in "American Gods", gods can be flesh and blood and have power, as bestowed upon them by believers. In Gaiman's world, provide enough belief in a god and they will walk around, flesh and blood.
If this is applied to "Lost" then perhaps the initial discovery of the island was by a group of Egyptians (post Roman conquering of Egypt so they would speak Latin) who settled the island and Egyptified the island, placing temples and talismans that combined with their deeply held religious beliefs eventually transmogrified faith into flesh causing Richard to appear and join the island culture at this time as their religious leader. Having different religious versus secular leaders would also explain why, although Richard seems in charge, there needs to be a day-to-day leader, such as Whidmore or Ben.
Another aspect of Gaiman to consider is that being's of power (such as his character Dream of the Endless) appears differently to different people. Perhaps smoky can be explained in these terms of appearing different to different people depending on their level of faith. Theory by slothrop
