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<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=severiansola@hotmail.com
href="mailto:severiansola@hotmail.com">Lee Berman</A> </DIV>
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<DIV><BR>> David Stockhoff: <BR>> > However, I can't say I've noticed a
motif of describing characters in terms of animals.<BR> <BR>> I think we
do see this and it is associated with characters which are higher beings
than<BR>> humans. Tzadkiel and The Cumaean are explicitly shown in an
animalistic form. </DIV>
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<DIV>The megatherians are, by definition, beastial. </DIV>
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<DIV>Since we don’t know who the megatherians were, that is hardly
certain. While the name suggests beasts, the fact of a biography suggests
otherwise.</DIV>
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<DIV>> Melito's angel takes an eagle form. The <BR>> armiger's daughter
has her lark form. We must wonder about "Mother Pyrexia" and what<BR>>
she turned into while confined.</DIV>
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<DIV>The first two aren’t characters. That said, the humans Rudesind and
Fechin are also likened to monkeys. And Agia turns gracefully like a
cat. I don’t think there’s any particular motif there, though.
People in life and in books are not infrequently likened to animals.</DIV>
<DIV><BR> <BR>> I think an extrapolation of this theme makes it almost
necessary to wonder what monkey<BR>> form Father Inire might be taking. Why
would other aliens take animal form and not him?</DIV>
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<DIV>He is described as looking like a monkey (admittedly he is so described by
someone who has never seen him). But can it really be considered unusual
for aliens to be described in terms of animal analogies? A non-human
living creature is likely to remind us of some sort of animal. </DIV>
<DIV><BR>> I find Talos' vulpine nature and some animalistic comparisons for
other characters to be <BR>> invitations to speculate on their
alien/angelic/pagan god nature.</DIV>
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<DIV>On the other hand, the undines don’t seem to be likened to any particular
animal, nor are the sea monsters Abaia etc. Nor is
Typhon.<BR> <BR>> IMHO, the snake and bird and fish (and Pig)
associations found in Long/Short Sun for <BR>> superhuman characters continue
this theme. </DIV>
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<DIV>Some of the gods have strong animal associations, but others don’t have
anything much.</DIV>
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<DIV>- Gerry Quinn</DIV>
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