(urth) Shadow Children and Inhumi

[Lee Berman]

>Gerry Quinn-  I think that's quite a stretch - the text pretty much spells out what the 
>Shadow Children are.

I think this was discussed in the past year so I'll try to keep it brief. Yes, The Old Wise
one clearly tells Sandwalker that the Shadow Children are the remnants of human beings who
arrived on spaceships and have been stunted, deformed and indeterminate in number by their 
chewing of an addictive narcotic plant. I have no objection to those who find this answer 
satifying and sufficient. But I find a few plausible reasons to doubt the story.
 
The first is that The Old Wise One names six possible names for their home nation on earth
but five of them are fictional or otherwise unbelievable names. Moreover, the Shadow Children 
are nasty little liars and deceivers. 
 
Later they are discussing names and the Old Wise One states that the Shadow Children "had no 
names before men came out of the sky. We were mostly long and lived in holes between the roots 
of trees". The Old Wise One goes on to say he is confused and doesn't quite know which race is
native to St. Anne and which were the starcrossers. So perhaps he is just an old confused guy, 
his first version is the correct one and his later revision means nothing. I tend to think
the revision is more likely correct. Names are important for Wolfe and I think these are really
the descendents of indistinct shadowy creatures imperfectly imitating humans.
 
I find a possible parallel in the story of the Inhumi. We are given pretty explicit detail on 
their reptilian nature and their reproduction- how they play at human courtship, have sexual 
intercourse like humans but then go off in some water to externally fertilize their eggs like 
frogs or salamanders. 
 
But Inhumi, like Shadow Children, are big fat liars. Also like Shadow Children there is a good 
chance they have lost memories of their origins after long imitation of another species. Thus I 
think the one small suggestion (I think in IGJ, James probably knows where it is) that Inhumi 
are orginally derived from the parasitic vines on trees on Green is the deepest truth.
They've been imitating humans for a while. But I suspect they have imitated the egg-laying
creatures for much longer. They pretend the reptile-stuff is their deepest secret. But I think
there is a deeper one. (that in essence, they are nothing, just instinctive imitators of other
species, from whence comes all their attributes and abilities)
 
 
 
James wonders if there is any relationship of this secret vine origin to Dionysus, god of the vine.
I wonder if there is any possible relationship of any of this to Master Ash's missing mate Vine? 
I dunno. But her name has to mean something, doesn't it? If there is a Dionysian deity popping up
in various guises throughout Severian's story, Master Ash would likely be among them, perhaps.