{ "export": { "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/2028", "note": "Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright in each message remains with the person who wrote it. Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact.", "addresses": "obscured as 'user at host'" }, "archive": "urth", "thread": { "id": 2028, "subject": "Typhon and Pas", "messages": 3, "voices": 3, "first": "1999-12-13T16:24:52+00:00", "last": "1999-12-13T18:55:01+00:00" }, "messages": [ { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Mitchell A. Bailey", "address": "mab at lindau.net" }, "date": "1999-12-13T18:19:22+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Typhon and Pas", "in_reply_to": null, "reply_link": null, "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "One curious contrast I noticed between the postoperative recuperating\nTyphon of Urth and the bicephalic simulation Pas of the Whorl.\n\nTyphon of Urth was rather reticent about his, er, condition when the\nConciliator showed up. The monarch had retired to his work camp in the\nmountains where his monument was being carved while he recovered (that\nis, until Piaton should outlive his usefulness and be amputated like a\ntumour). The chiliarch threatened Sev with death if he should speak of\nanything he might see or hear, and ensured the troopers could not see\nthe monarch when the curtain was drawn. I think we can guess what it is\nTyphon did not want spoken of, and it seems clear that he does not wish\nhis subjects generally to see or know about his surgery or the means by\nwhich his intended rejuvenation was supposed to occur.\n\nHe appeared readily enough to Sev in both _Sword_ and UNS, but those\nwere special cases out of sight of his ordinary subjects.\n\nOn the other hand, the Typhon who was simulated as Pas seemed to have no\nproblem whatsoever with the people on the Whorl seeing his\ndisfigurement, and in fact flaunted it as a sort of trademark.\n\nOther than to say that the Cargo of _Whorl_ were permanently removed\nfrom Urth and what is an acceptable appearance for a god might be\nunsuitable for a monarch, it seems to be a bit of a contradiction in\nattitudes. This could call into question the theory that Urth and Whorl\noccupy the same milieu after all." } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Greene, Carlton", "address": "cgreene2 at hunton.com" }, "date": "1999-12-13T18:55:01+00:00", "subject": "RE: (urth) Typhon and Pas", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "I always understood that the chiliarch was protecting against news of\nTyphon's weakened, post-operative condition, and not the fact that he would\nbe sporting two heads for a while. Although we might see Typhon's status as\nhorridly embarrasing, it might also be seen as an impressive, god-like\ndisplay of magical technology. Such a display is consistent with Typhon's\ndeity status on the Whorl generation ship. It is also a peculiarly\nsymbol-laden technological achievement, and gives Typhon more of the\nmythological touches that a good deity needs. A two-headed man has a rich\ngrounding in myth (Janus and fairy tale giants spring to mind), much more so\nthan a man who achieves immortality by taking a high-tech multivitamin.\n\nAs a practical matter, it might have taken too long for Typhon to wait for\nhis spare head to atrophy before returning to his empire, leading him to\nmake the best of it and exploit his two-heads' symbolism as best he could.\nAre we told how long it would take for Piaton to atrophy?\n\nHaving said all this, it does seem odd that he would choose his two-headed\nself as the self-image he bequeathed to posterity aboard the whorl, given\nthat he planned a return to one-headedness. Maybe the mythological power of\nthat symbol was more important than the man he would become.\n\nC/" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "----------\nFrom: \tMitchell A. Bailey[SMTP:MAB at lindau.net]\nReply To: \turth at lists.best.com\nSent: \tMonday, December 13, 1999 9:19 PM\nTo: \turth at lists.best.com\nSubject: \t(urth) Typhon and Pas\n\nOne curious contrast I noticed between the postoperative recuperating\nTyphon of Urth and the bicephalic simulation Pas of the Whorl.\n\nTyphon of Urth was rather reticent about his, er, condition when the\nConciliator showed up. The monarch had retired to his work camp in the\nmountains where his monument was being carved while he recovered (that\nis, until Piaton should outlive his usefulness and be amputated like a\ntumour). The chiliarch threatened Sev with death if he should speak of\nanything he might see or hear, and ensured the troopers could not see\nthe monarch when the curtain was drawn. I think we can guess what it is\nTyphon did not want spoken of, and it seems clear that he does not wish\nhis subjects generally to see or know about his surgery or the means by\nwhich his intended rejuvenation was supposed to occur.\n\nHe appeared readily enough to Sev in both _Sword_ and UNS, but those\nwere special cases out of sight of his ordinary subjects.\n\nOn the other hand, the Typhon who was simulated as Pas seemed to have no\nproblem whatsoever with the people on the Whorl seeing his\ndisfigurement, and in fact flaunted it as a sort of trademark.\n\nOther than to say that the Cargo of _Whorl_ were permanently removed\nfrom Urth and what is an acceptable appearance for a god might be\nunsuitable for a monarch, it seems to be a bit of a contradiction in\nattitudes. This could call into question the theory that Urth and Whorl\noccupy the same milieu after all.\n\n\nworks" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Michael Andre-Driussi", "address": "mantis at sirius.com" }, "date": "1999-12-13T16:24:52+00:00", "subject": "Re: (urth) Typhon and Pas", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "Mitchell A. Bailey wrote:\nOne curious contrast I noticed between the postoperative recuperating\nTyphon of Urth and the bicephalic simulation Pas of the Whorl.\n\nTyphon of Urth was rather reticent about his, er, condition when the\nConciliator showed up. The monarch had retired to his work camp in the\nmountains where his monument was being carved while he recovered (that\nis, until Piaton should outlive his usefulness and be amputated like a\ntumour). The chiliarch threatened Sev with death if he should speak of\nanything he might see or hear, and ensured the troopers could not see\nthe monarch when the curtain was drawn. I think we can guess what it is\nTyphon did not want spoken of, and it seems clear that he does not wish\nhis subjects generally to see or know about his surgery or the means by\nwhich his intended rejuvenation was supposed to occur.\n\nHe appeared readily enough to Sev in both _Sword_ and UNS, but those\nwere special cases out of sight of his ordinary subjects.\n\nOn the other hand, the Typhon who was simulated as Pas seemed to have no\nproblem whatsoever with the people on the Whorl seeing his\ndisfigurement, and in fact flaunted it as a sort of trademark.\n\nOther than to say that the Cargo of _Whorl_ were permanently removed\nfrom Urth and what is an acceptable appearance for a god might be\nunsuitable for a monarch, it seems to be a bit of a contradiction in\nattitudes. This could call into question the theory that Urth and Whorl\noccupy the same milieu after all." }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "I agree with everything but the last paragraph.\n\nI took the situation as meaning that the \"scanning\" for the Whorl had\nhappened before the slave's head had been removed; thus sometime before\nSeverian met Typhon in Typhon's era; which is obvious and self-evident.\n\nI would add to your notions that it would be more fitting for a god to have\ntwo heads. That is true and I agree. Here's the addition: we know that\nTyphon was seriously messing with the heads of all the people (and\nembryoes) going onboard the Whorl, thus there is no \"continuity\" problem\nfor them; whereas on Urth, the palace guards are saying, hey, what's the\ndeal--bossman had only one head yesterday!\n\n=mantis=" } ] } ] }