(urth) Grand Unified Theory

James Wynn crushtv at gmail.com
Sun Aug 29 06:06:26 PDT 2010


> Dave Tallman - I agree that astral projection/dream travel can involve 
> time travel, and that the "Patera Pike" who appeared to Silk was in 
> fact the Rajan with his dream Oreb (now normal size with Scylla gone).

I think we should be looking for him elsewhere in the story, as well.

> I'm less convinced about the time-looped astral form of the dead Fava 
> becoming Hyacinth. Other than her possible light weight it seems like 
> the evidence is mostly negative -- references to Hyacinth's parents 
> and siblings that have to be explained away. There's an even more 
> specific one from the Ansible Cloud Chamber 77:
>
> 26. /Who was Hyacinth's mother?/ – I don't know how to answer that. 
> She was not a character you have known in some other connection, if 
> that's what you mean. She was the wife of Hyacinth's father, and the 
> mother of her sisters and brothers.
>

I believe this is a puckish answer. Hyacinth has at least two "mothers" 
mentioned in the story. Here Wolfe is referring to the human one.

As for her supposed siblings. It makes no sense. Not one of them were at 
her wedding. Not one of them is named. And after she marries the CALDE, 
not one of them tries to reconnect, as far as we know. Any lottery 
winner can tell you how peculiar that is. Heck, we even know the name of 
_Auk's_ brother.

I think all the answers we think Wolfe didn't address in the text, he 
did. But I believe this extra-textual answer about Hy's mom was worse 
than no answer. And Wolfe did promise to do his best to be evasive in 
answering these questions.

> A few other objections that come to mind:
>
> 1) Fava is repeatedly mentioned as being light-haired or blonde. 
> Hyacinth's hair is jet black.
>

Her wig is long and light brown. _I think_ there is only one mention of 
her hair color is in dream-travel. If there are more, you're right, it 
becomes very problematic.

"And even Fava had changed only subtlety, for she had always seemed and 
apple-cheeked child just short of puberty, with long light brown hair 
and a winning smile."
~ In Green's Jungles, chap XIII

It all depends on the emphasis of the words. If you read it "for she had 
ALWAYS seemed" then this is the way she looked and the Rajan does not 
tell us specifically how she changed. If you read it "for she had always 
SEEMED" then he is telling us in some way how she changed.

> 2) Dream spirits don't eat, and derive no nourishment from eating. I 
> think we see Hyacinth eat, though I would have to dig up the reference.
>

[Hyacinth said] "I don't like not walking. My thighs are getting fat, I 
can feel it."
Maytera Marble overtook them. "They can't be, dear, you don't
eat anything. I'm worried about you."
Exodus, chap XVI

I'm not sure that dream-travellers CAN'T eat. Only that they don't need 
to. And, anyway, as an inhuma, Hy would be quite good at pretending to 
eat (just as the Rajan says he is).  But Marble is not fooled it seems.

> 3) As an already-dead dream spirit, Hyacinth would be effectively 
> immortal. There would be no death to distress Silk so that he would 
> need the help of Horn's spirit to stay alive himself.

Well, Hy didn't die of old age. As Roy pointed recently, it had only 
been some 20 years after her marriage.
Dream-travellers CAN die, however. They can be killed and buried like 
anyone else. When the traveller returns however, he is mute and 
amnesiac. His soul has been lost. But Hy-as-Fava would have no body to 
return to. How did Hyacinth die? Once again, Orpine lurks in the back of 
my mind. Not that Hy was murdered in Viron, as far as I know. But Silk 
has a knife at her wake--and based on the "scratches" on his wrist-- he 
killed himself with it. That Silk himself murdered her is on the table 
considering the Rajan's murder of Jahlee (I know how revolting that 
thought is, and I only offer it as an example of how little we know).


u+16b9


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