(urth) Merger

[Lee Berman]

>James Wynn:  On the other hand, there are no "alien civilizations" in tBotNS, are 
>there? There humans and the descendants of humans.
 
Before we are made to realize that B, F and O and Inire and the Cumaean have mythological
analogs, there is (at least it was to me) a sense that there are non-human alien civilizations
out there. There must be some sort of civilization out there producing blasters and fliers
and anti-iron etc.
 
But using mythology/religion as a guide, I think there is a sense that all the beings to 
be found in BotNS (and Long/Short) have some intrinsic relationship to humans. I guess the
Hierogrammates (and Hierodules) were fashioned from lower animal types, not civilized 
creatures? On the other hand, apports tell us that to Hiero-types, civilized intelligent
beings can be mistaken for animals. I dunno. Wolfe doesn't give us much on "aliens".
 
But anyway, here is my real sense of things. Forgive me if I am too much a slave to symmetry:
 
If Hiero-types which are angel-analogs, come (in some manner) from Yesod the universe higher 
than Briah, then the worst, demonic things come from Abaddon, that universe which is lower than 
Briah. For me this would include Notules, slugs,salamanders and alzabo. (and perhaps Hethor himself, 
but another thread for that).
 
Thus it makes sense that they don't really arrive on spaceships physically travelling through space
to Urth. They are brought by mirrors which accelerate light to faster-than-light speed, thus 
leaving the universe and providing inter-universe travel. Angels-Yesod, demons-Abaddon. Mirrors if
you want a short cut to either. The symmetry works for me.