(urth) Tzadkiel's form

[Lee]

>Mark Millman: I hope that this information proves helpful.


It is Mark.

Though I will disagree with one of your interpretations from it.


>Gene Wolfe: Typhon bears the name of a classical giant
>who breathed fire and was one of the chief enemies of the gods. The
>typhoon has blown his name into the modern world. Some commentaries
>make him the son of Zeus and Niobe (well, that's what Niobe said), and
>the wicked brother of the Egyptian Osiris, whom he murdered. . . .
>Other commentaries--and in mythology, there are always others--say he
>was conceived by Hera without male assistance. (My own bet is that
>she just wanted to forget that guy.) He is often confused with
>Typhoeus, son of Gaea and Tartarus, who had wings and the body of a
>snake. When two boys look so much alike, you're bound to get them
>mixed up."


>MM: So we at least know what background Wolfe was using when he named
>Typhon, and that he distinguished Typhon, who may be born of Hera
>alone, from Typhoeus, who is the offspring of Gaea and Tartaros.


I disagree that Wolfe is truly distinguishing these two. I think, by 

mentioning Typhon Seth from Egyptian mythology (a hot desert

wind god) he is invoking the concept of "epithets" i.e. the idea that 

a certain god often had multiple names reflecting geographic and

historical variations in the focus of worship of the god.


If Wolfe truly meant to distinguish Typhon from Typhoeus, why, in Long Sun,

would he give Pas/Typhon a wife named Echidna? She is the wife of the son of 

Gaea and Tartaros, Typhoeus, not the "Typhon" identified above.  I think Wolfe's

overall purpose is to recognize conflation of the gods not to emphasize their 

separate, distinct name/nature. These guys, (like angels, like Tzadkiel) were giant, 

plural beings with multiple names and multiple forms. This is important to Wolfe

and his religious philosophy for reasons mentioned below.


FWIW, Wikipedia says this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhon

>Typhon (/ˈtaɪfɒn, -fən/; Greek: Τυφῶν, Tuphōn [typʰɔ̂ːn]), also Typhoeus

>(/taɪˈfiːəs/; Τυφωεύς, Tuphōeus), Typhaon (Τυφάων, Tuphaōn) or Typhos (Τυφώς, Tuphōs)

>was the deadliest monster of Greek mythology. The last son of Gaia, fathered by Tartarus, 

>he was known as the "Father of All Monsters"; his wife Echidna was likewise the "Mother 

>of All Monsters."



Why would Wolfe choose the alternate name "Pas" for Typhon, explicitly explaining

that the word is grammatically associated with the word/god Pan? Why would he explicitly

explain that The Outsider is associated with Dionysus, who is associated with Pan......etc.



I truly think Wolfe used the idea of electronic cards to represent Whorl gods as a metaphor

meaning that gods are able to be shuffled and redealt as history progresses. Thus the pagan

gods the ancients worships were not just imaginary or entirely disconnected from the Judeo-

Christian God. They were, in some way, an earlier version of Him.



If the ancients made the mistake of worshipping fallen angels/demons instead of Jehovah, 

Wolfe appears sympathetic and finds it an easy mistake for them to have made. They were

large, supernatural beings who demanded to be worshipped. The Flood and the coming of 

Jesus were steps toward helping humanity recognize the true God.