(urth) god(s) and gods
Lee Berman
severiansola at hotmail.com
Sun Nov 28 19:36:57 PST 2010
Ack, so many new threads. Had to pick one subject line to respond to all.
*god(s) and gods* seemed most inclusive.
With regard to Inhumi on Urth, I guess I should clarify that I meant I think
beings corrupted by inhumi have populated Urth. By corrupted I mean had their
consciouness shared via blood feeding as we see in Short Sun. (Gerry the nature
of Shadow Children has been discussed before; I think it is safe to say there is debate
on the issue. I tend to think they are not human but a first attempt to imitate humans
by a predatory native spirit/creature. Abos are a more successful imitation, but with
that success they have mostly forgotten their true nature).
I was just reading Borski. He thinks Blue is the home planet of Typhon (based in
part on the muliplied body parts). I might agree. I think Blue is the home planet
of the megatherians, based on the giant Mother creature there. I am guessing seeds
of this giant being (or beings) made it to Urth in the form of pinched-off buds in
human form (what else could fit in a spaceship?). Once on Urth they were able to
start the process of gaining great size and godhood, eventually necessitating their
oceanic abode. I think the end of RttW sort of demonstrates this as Typhon's daughter,
the girl, Cilinia/Scylla, goes out to meet her alter ego, "Great Scylla" in the ocean
who is in the process of budding off her own little army of undines. They are wearing
black robes which I think is a play on words- the Islamic black robe called an Abaya used
to hint at great beast Abaia.
Interesting debate on whether some Nephilim giants survived the flood by breathing
underwater or whether new ones were created after the Flood as we contintue to be
plagued by fallen angels/demons. The example of Baldanders living under water seems
relevant. I assume it has been discussed somewhere in the history of this board that
part of the legend of mermaids is that their kiss can convey the gift of underwater
breathing to drowned sailors. Surely Juturna's offer to Severian is related to this. We
can probably find significance in the fact that Severian was able (with Dorcas' help)
to resist the offer while Baldanders, perhaps, did not. Anyway, I think Wolfe continues
to use giants, be they nephilim, Nod, Baldanders or godlings, to convey the idea of
transitional (false) god-figures.
The origin of the name Pas is certainly a thorn in my side. The text hints that it is related
to the god Pan, though I suspect Wolfe knows Pan's name has more of a connection to the word
"panic" than the prefix for "all". Pan's name may have a connection to "pastoral" and that is
the source of the name of Pas. But I also note the connection between Typhon and his Persian
cognate Pazuzu. "Pas" could be short for that nasty wind god/demon. But I think I'm alone in
that guess. Even James Wynn and his attraction to the wind aspect of Typhon doesn't share my
interest in Pazuzu here.
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