(urth) [BGSpam]Re: Typhon's nature

Lee Berman severiansola at hotmail.com
Sat Oct 15 18:08:23 PDT 2011



Gerry Quinn: 

>So now Typhon’s at it too? The implications are complicated, though, 

>for a guy with somebody else’s genitalia.

 

Heh, well. I don't think Typhon was having much sex with Piaton's body

since it was in restraints until their (first) death on the couch. But

who knows. We know from Typhon's conversation with Severian and the hidden 

painting of Typhon that Silk destroys that he was a pretty kinky guy.

 

> Show me where the text implies Typhon engaged in sacred incest, and 
> I’ll be interested.

 

This has already been done. WOlfe chose to name Typhon-Pas' wife

"Echidna". Mythological Echinda was a snake-woman and was the sister and 

wife of Typhon and the mother of Scylla and Sphigx (sphinx) among other

monsters.

 

Long Sun Echidna is a snake woman, wife to Typhon and mother of Scylla and

Sphygx. If we understand that there are puzzles to solve in this book, the

sibling status of Typhon and Echidna isn't a difficult one to solve. You 

have four linked puzzled pieces (snakey, Typhon, Scylla, Sphigx) and one 

missing piece (siblings). Simply plug it in. It fits.

 

Against this positive evidence that Typhon and Echidna are siblings we are 

getting an argument that they are not siblings based on....well, nothing I 

guess aside from a gut-level feeling that incest just ain't normal.

 

It was normal for pagan gods and it was normal for pharonic dynasties both

of which lend themselves to the literary creation ofthe gods of the Whorl.

This has been pointed out, but without text evidence Gerry bravely soldiers 

on in his insistance that Typhon and Echidna cannot be siblings.  I guess that 

level of devotion to intransigence does warrant a bit of admiration. 		 	   		  


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