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On 11/15/2011 5:38 PM, David Stockhoff wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:4EC2F7F8.50603@verizon.net" type="cite">On
11/15/2011 5:40 PM, <br>
<blockquote type="cite">On 1/1/2011 3:15 AM,
<br>
<blockquote type="cite"> <br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Marc Aramini wrote:<br>
Do you or do you not agree that it is likely that Horn winds
up in Babbie through the mechanism of the Big Tree at the
end of OBW?<
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
Roy C. Lackey wrote:<br>
Ican't explain Silkhorn's dreamlike confusion of himself with
Babbie except to suggest (a) Horn's resurrection in the pit
made him somehow part Babbie, (b) Babbie is calling him by
projecting his own name, or (c) someone else is telling him
that Babbie is near. That is, someone is calling someone but
the confusion is merely situational/linguistic. Whichever it
is, Wolfe is being very careful here and it's an important
moment.
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
David Stockhoff wrote:
<br>
I went back a bit further and saw that Marc has actually done a
good bit of work on this general problem. If I understand
correctly, his idea is that Horn left Horn and perhaps went into
Babbie. That leaves only Silk (with a touch of Neighbor?). This
makes a lot more sense than Babbie going into him, and explains
why OBWSilk briefly relates being Babbie but otherwise forgets
Babbie. He never knew him anyway. It also explains (sort of) why
the narrator (Horn at that point) is plainly about to die and
then gets up and walks away.
<br>
<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br>
Let's take this on.<br>
<br>
The scene occurs after the Rajan has returned from the Whorl with
Silk's body. After Horn's body was destroyed on Green. Krait is
dead. Sinew is on Green. He has one eye, which he donated to Pig.
The Rajan was transported from the Whorl with the Gaonese, and given
the title Rajan. Now he has fled Gaon with Evensong, his wife. The
inhumi (including Juganu and Jahlee) are hunting him because he
knows their Secret. <br>
He has not yet arrived at Blanco. Nor led a revolution in the Dutch
town. He does not yet have a staff. He has not yet met Fava. <br>
<br>
The Rajan and Evensong are hiding in the boat that is constructed
with a "little hut of plaited straw". They are hiding in the little
hut part. <br>
<br>
Now, I want remind you that I now firmly believe that the Mucor that
stood over Silk in "Lake of the Long Sun"--the Mucor he sees the
night he sees both an astral Oreb and "Pike's Ghost" is actually the
Mucor that Horn visited in OBW and asked to psychically go to the
Whorl and find out where Silk is. This Mucor stood over Silk that
night because she had met the Rajan in Time-traveling in the
dream-travel and he took her with him to Silk's room at that very
night. It is the Rajan who tells her to tell Horn not try to come to
"where he is". <br>
The reason this is important (I think) is because it is Mucor who
sends Babbie with Horn. The question of why she did that has always
concerned me. I still don't quite know the answer. But one other
point is that a Hus is a psychic animal. The longer he is with Horn,
the more like him he becomes. After a while he can even steer Horns
boat. And, we are told, that the longer he is away from Horn, the
more he will return to being a wild animal. Okay? These are pieces.
Let's see if we can make them fit.<br>
<br>
The following is the relevant text:<br>
<br>
start text**************************<br>
I crawled out of the hut. Our little fire had sunk to a glow so
faint that I would not have seen it if I had not known where to
<!--377-->look. Oreb was gone, too, and I was afraid that the inhumi
had killed him. <br>
<p align="justify">After a time that seemed long to me, three or
four hours I would guess, when I was practically asleep, too, I
heard myself calling Babbie. <br>
Certain that I had been dreaming and had spoken aloud in a dream
that I could no longer remember, I rubbed my eyes and rolled onto
my hands and knees. The inhumi had gone. I had no idea how I knew
that, but I knew it with as much certainty as I have ever known
anything. <br>
I crawled out of the hut. Our little fire had sunk to a glow so
faint that I would not have seen it if I had not known where to
<!--377-->look. Oreb was gone, too, and I was afraid that the
inhumi had killed him. <br>
Someone on shore called again for Babbie, and I understood that he
meant me; it never so much as occurred to me then that I had
sometimes been called “Silk” or “Horn.” He who called me seemed
quite near, and he called me with more urgency than Seawrack ever
has. I searched the shadows under the closest trees for him
without result. <br>
End text*****************************</p>
<p align="justify"><br>
Now at this point, I first thought "Holy cats! Horn has somehow
split his soul and sent half into Babbie. [I didn't yet know about
his trip to the Whorl] The person calling is surely Horn. The rest
of this tale will be told from Babbie's POV. " But no. That is not
possible because the Narrator is still in human form.<br>
</p>
<p align="justify">Note that Oreb is nowhere around at this time.<br>
</p>
<p align="justify">start text************************<br>
I had on my trousers, with Hyacinth’s azoth in the waistband, and
I got my tunic as well and the augur’s black robe that Olivine had
found in some forgotten closet for me; I left behind stockings,
boots, sash, and the jeweled vest. For a moment I considered
taking back my dagger and the sword that I am still too weak to
use, but the voice from the forest was calling to me and there was
no more time to waste upon inessentials. I waded ashore and set
off through the forest at a trot. I have the pen case on which I
am writing and this rambling account of my failure, with a few
other possessions, because they were in the pockets of my robe.<br>
endtext**********************************<br>
</p>
<p align="justify"><br>
That's how the Rajan abandoned Evensong. The next part is
occurring not in the past but at the time of the writing. It is
not clear how long it has been since he left Evensong on the boat.
Note that Oreb has rejoined :<br>
</p>
<p align="justify">start text**************************<br>
Oreb has been urging me to rise and walk, and in a moment I will.
It may be that we are lost. I do not know. I have been trying to
go northwest, that being the direction in which I think New Viron
must lie, and I believe that I have succeeded pretty well. <br>
end text *********************************<br>
</p>
<p align="justify"><br>
More time passes and then we get to the text that Marc consider's
key.<br>
</p>
<p align="justify">start text******************************<br>
Another halt, and this one must be for the night—a hollow among
the roots of (what I will say is) just such a tree as we had on
Green. It is what we call a very big tree here, in other words. I
will write, I suppose, as long as the light lasts; I have three
(no, four) more sheets of paper. The light will not last long,
however, and I have no way to start a fire and nothing to cook if
I did. The last time I ate was at about this time two days ago
with Chota. I am not hungry, but am afraid I may become weaker.
<!--378--><br>
If the inhumi find me here and kill me here, then they find me
here and kill me. That is all there is to it. </p>
<p align="justify">Good-bye again, Nettle. I have always loved you.
Good-bye, Sinew, my son. May the Outsider bless you, as I do. In
the years to come, remember your father and forget our last
quarrel. Good-bye, Hoof. Good-bye, Hide. Be good boys. Obey your
mother until you are grown, and cherish her always. </p>
<p align="justify">I found him in the forest, sitting in the dark
under the trees. I could not see him. It was too dark to see
anything. But I knelt beside him and laid my head upon his knee,
and he comforted me. <br>
end text*********************************<br>
</p>
<p align="justify">Okay. NOTICE. This is in fact the Rajan
confabulating his identity with Babbie. BUT (I think this is
important) THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. THe hus,
remember, is a psychic creature. There is much Horn in the hus.
Maybe some Silk in the hus too. But based on our experience, that
does not seem to require a leeching of spirit from the "source". <br>
</p>
<p align="justify">After this, the Rajan meets Brother and Sister
and teaches them to fish. He leaves them. Then he has a dream in
which "he", Pig, and Hound run into an abandoned house. Now it
might be significant that the word "Hus" is Scandinavian for
"house". But as the dream progresses, it is clear that the
abandoned house is primarily Silk's body. This is a hint (propose)
that there are three persons Silk's body now...Silk (his
memories), the Neighbor, and whatever is left of Horn.<br>
</p>
<p align="justify">Admittedly, I have reasons beyond this particular
text to doubt Horn's spirit fled into Babbie as the Rajan sat
beneath the big tree (yes, it was probably a Neighbor). But I
don't want to discuss them here. There are still two other reasons
I doubt it. <br>
</p>
<p align="justify">1) Arguing that Horn fled into Babbie explains
what is happening when the Rajan sits under the tree. It doesn't
explain what happened on the boat.<br>
</p>
<p align="justify">2) At the end of OBW, the Rajan relates much that
only happens to Horn--not Silk. Why does the Rajan still have
Horn's memories if his body is destroyed and his spirit has left?<br>
</p>
<p align="justify">So, I doubt that the "Good-bye" text is a true
farewell. But still it troubles me.<br>
</p>
<p align="justify">J.<br>
</p>
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