(urth) Pike's ghost

[David Stockhoff]

On 11/28/2011 9:13 AM, António Pedro Marques wrote:
> Gerry Quinn wrote (28-11-2011 13:10):
>> *From:* Lee Berman <mailto:severiansola at hotmail.com>
>>
>>> Yes. There is an additional bit of evidence. In the back of a
>>> manteion, during a search for a working window, iirc, Silk discovers a
>>> painting of "Pas" depicting him presiding over an orgy scene of sexual
>>> debauchery. The nursing of erection(s) presents us with a clear clue
>>> that Pas is the Typhon that Severian meets and that the depiction of
>>> his tyrannical perversions is accurate.
>>>
>>> There is no glimmer of recognition in Silk. No jog of memory of some
>>> hint in the Chrasmologic Writings or anything. Silk just considers it
>>> utter blasphemy, destroys it on the spot and never mentions it again
>>> (iirc).
>>
>> Actually this is quite incorrect. Silk recognises the painting as a
>> “crude mockery of Campion’s celebrated painting of Pas enthroned”.
>> Campion’s painting was probably created at the time the Whorl was being
>> fitted out (it shows bulldozers, referred to as taluses), and in the
>> Whorl, which is unlikely to be as prone to viral images as our current
>> society, would have needed some time to become famous. The obscene
>> parody, then, was presumably created much later.
>
> Either way, what is meant by 'recognition'? If it's that Silk doesn't 
> recognise Typhon, there's no reason he should, he's never met him. If 
> it's that Silk doesn't recognise himself, well, one more hint that he 
> doesn't look like Pas (who probably looks like Typhon, and if he 
> doesn't it's at best neutral data, not evidence for anything).

There's no real reason, even if he is a clone, why Silk should look that 
much like a parody of a painting of Pas that probably was meant to 
glorify him. How do we even know Pas looks that much like Typhon? Would 
a reborn/genetic Jesus recognize his official portrait?

Any ideas on whether Silk's head (when shown to Silk as Pas by Khypris) 
replaced Piaton's or Typhon's head? is Silk ridden or rider?