Ludens (Noon Universe)

Ludens, singular - Luden (людены, люден), are a humanoid race in the fictional Noon Universe created by the brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. They appear principally in the novel "The Time Wanderers". The name "Luden" is probably a reference to Homo Ludens, a 1938 book by Johann Huizinga, and the Russian term lyudi (люди), "people". The term "Luden" is also an anagram to "Nelud" - "inhuman" in Russian.

Ludens are born human, but possess latent mental powers far beyond those of normal humans. These abilities (referred in the text only as the Third Impulse System) can be activated and developed, a process that takes several years. It is not clear from the book who initiated the first Luden.

Ludens view themselves as a distinct race, and claim to have "different interests" from humanity at large, in some instances claiming to be above traditional human morality. The Ludens routinely conduct experiments on humans and alter their minds in order to further their own means, but according to Daniel Logovenko in "The Time Wanderers", over ninety percent of Ludens have no interest in humanity.

The Ludens operated on Earth in secret for less than one hundred years, searching for possible recruits. Any human who possesses what the Luden call "the third impulse" has the potential to be trained. On average, this impulse occurs in less than one person out of 100,000. At the time of their discovery by Maxim Kammerer and Toyvo Glumov, the Ludens on Earth numbered 432. The discovery of the Ludens caused such a shift in human understanding that it was thereafter referred to as "The Great Revelation".

The progressors want to make amends after a terrible time, forgiveness and misunderstandings have previously been the problems and higher intelligence is not always easy, ludens can translate feelings and senses from alteria energies, transitions, and put them into direction and words. They are good, with overpowering demands of correctness for evolvement and progression.

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