(urth) Pike's Ghost

[Lee Berman]

>> Severian is shocked beyond belief that Typhon would choose to have his own head chopped
>> off as most of us would be. But Typhon just laughs it off casually demonstrating a lack
>> of human body self-identification and preservation that we all share. The evidence seems 
>>pretty clear that the blond-haired body in which Typhon resides is not his original self.

 
>David Stockhoff: Certainly Typhon is uncannily careless of his *body*. But recall your 
>own theory that what many characters in TBOTNS desire is immortality. 
>His body is now just in the way, whether it is his original one or not.

Yes. I think immortality is a key concept. Notice that I didn't discuss Typhon's original
"body" but rather his original "self". Immortality might be an inherent quality of such
beings (not a far-feched conclusion for beings which can so easily copy themselves).
 
I strongly consider that Typhon's true, original nature is akin to that of ancient gods, 
monsters, angels, demons, etc. They are more of what we are forced to call a "spirit" in
nature. They don't have any sort of "body" that would make sense to human perception. In
many cases (notably Zeus and Jaweh) a human being is destroyed if ever confronted with the
true, full glory of a god's presence.
 
Thus pagan gods, angels, demons etc. must take on a material, human (or animal or burning bush)
form to allow them to interact with us. I think this may be what is going on with Typhon and 
the other gods of the Whorl. With Shadow Children also. And perhaps even inhumi if their 
original parasitic form was even less substantial than reptiles or lianas.