(urth) Fairies and Wolfe [was: Short Story 5: Mountains Like Mice]

[Gerry Quinn]

From: Marc Aramini 


> Mountains like Mice
> 
> The gyrda as scandinavian gods or fairies without a heart is perhaps interesting 
> to think of, as if all this scientific meddling has brough back nature spirits that 
> have little humanity.
Fairy-like races have been a continual thread throughout Wolfe, but the details vary.  They are usually small, they are usually attuned to the natural environment; they are always distinctly non-human and mysterious, and difficult for humans to understand.  Wolfe’s aliens (or in this case modified humans) more often than not have at least some fairy-like aspects.  The frequent fairy resonances are probably in part a deliberate strategy for evoking a sense of mystery, and tilting Wolfe’s SF in the direction of fantasy.
The degree to which fairy morality intersects with human morality varies; it looks like it’s not too high with the Gyrda.  
Carrying on from this thought, it occured to me that robot races in Wolfe have common characteristics too.  They are often moral exemplars.  (Of course, it is logical that we should construct them according to our ideals, though they often evolve beyond the plan.)
It occurred to me that perhaps (in Wolfe) robots think of humans the same way humans think of fairies.  The more I think about this, though, the more I am inclined to discard the idea.  There may be elements of it there with chems and similar constructs, but I don’t think the analogy apples generally.
- Gerry Quinn
 
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