(urth) Home Fires questions

[David Stockhoff]

(1) What the hell was that about Ellen Woodward, Connell, and Auciello? 
The leader she shoots is not the hijacker's, because he (I can't find 
his name) is subdued by Soriano. Was Skip once someone else? (Why did 
Chelle think he had a cane at one point?)

(2) Charles is emphatically Chelle's father (unless he is not). At the 
formal dinner, his family reunites. All three have trouble recognizing 
one another (except when they don't). Two are known to be not entirely 
who they think they are. Surely the third is also not entirely who he 
is. It has been suggested Blue is an Os, but surely the Os are not 
sexually/genetically compatible with humans. Was Charles abnormally tall 
previously? Chelle says he would do anything to get ahead; he was quite 
old. To complete the trio of "spirit mounts," is Mr White Charles in an 
Os body (or some Os-tech amalgam that lets him keep his blue eyes)?

(3) Someone mentioned the loa; someone else also wondered about a mythic 
family containing a resurrected mother and a tricksy father. I don't 
know about that but has anyone checked out the Ogun angle? From the Wiki:

(a) In a ritual the Loa are summoned by the Houngan 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houngan> (Priest), Mambo 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mambo_%28voodoo%29> (Priestess) or Bokor 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokor> (Sorcerers) to take part in the 
service, receive offerings, and grant requests. The Loa arrive in the 
peristyle (ritual space) by mounting (possessing) a horse (ritualist) - 
who is said to be "ridden." ....

Certain Loa display very distinctive behaviour by which they can be 
recognized, specific phrases, and specific actions. As soon as a Loa is 
recognized, the symbols appropriate to them will be given to them. For 
example Erzulie Freda <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erzulie> will be 
given a mirror and a comb, fine cloth or jewelry (Vanessa?!); Legba will 
be given his cane, straw hat and pipe (Charles?); Baron Samedi 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baron_Samedi> will be given his top hat, 
sunglasses (Charles again?) and a cigar.

Further, as to why Wolfe would suddenly write a voodoo novel:

(b) As a way to keep their European 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europea> masters from interfering, and to 
appease the authorities who prevented them from practising their own 
religions, the African slaves <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery> in 
Haiti syncretised <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syncretism> the Loa with 
the Roman Catholic <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic> saints 
- so Vodoun altars will frequently have images of Catholic figures 
displayed. For example, Papa Legba 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papa_Legba> is alternately St. Peter 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter> or St. Lazarus 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Lazarus>,^[/disambiguation needed 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Disambiguation/Fixing_links>/] 
Ayizan <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayizan> is Saint Clare 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clare_of_Assisi>, and so on. Syncretism 
also works the other way in Haitian Vodou 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Vodou> and many Catholic 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholicism> saints 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint> have become Loa in their own right, 
most notably St. Philomena <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Philomena>, 
St. Michael the Archangel 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael_the_Archangel>, St. Jude 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jude_the_Apostle>, and St. John the 
Baptist <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John_the_Baptist>.

And finally:

(c) The Rada Loa <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rada_loa> are generally 
the older, more beneficent spirits, and are associated with the gods of 
Africa. They include Legba <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papa_Legba>, 
Loko <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loco_%28loa%29>, Ayizan 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayizan>, Anaisa Pye 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaisa_Pye>, Dhamballah Wedo 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damballah> and Ayida-Weddo 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayida-Weddo>, Erzulie Freda 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erzulie>, La Sirène 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Sir%C3%A8ne>, and Agwe 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agwe>. Their traditional colour is white 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White> (as opposed to the specific colours 
of individual Loa).



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