Subject: (urth) Quetzal's Story of Creation

From: Charles Reed <cmreed at link.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 18:16:53 +0000

Hello all.

This recent talk about Quetzal and when he came aboard the Whorl, etc. 
got me to re-reading a few things, one of which was his accounting of 
the Adam and Eve story to Patera Remora at the beginning of CALDE.  It 
struck me -- "and it struck me indeed, so that I staggered as at a blow" 
:-) -- was that Quetzal was not only recounting the Garden of Eden 
story, but was in fact recounting his own species' story of creation!

It's not too long, so read it again:

      "You must recall the story, Patera."  Quetzal swayed from
   side to side, perhaps with silent mirth.  "A-man and Wo-man
   like rabbits in a garden.  The -- what do you call them?"
   He held up a thin, blue-veined hand, palm cupped.
      "A cobra, Your Cognizance?"
      "The cobra persuaded Wo-man to eat fruit from his tree,
   miraculous fruit whose taste conferred wisdom."
      Remora nodded, wondering how he might reintroduce the
   springs.  "I recollect the -- um -- allegory."
      Quetzal nodded more vigorously, a wise teacher proffering
   praise to a small boy.  "It's all in the Writings.  Or nearly
   all.  A god called Ah Lah barred Wo-man and her husband from
   the garden."  He ceased to speak, apparently wandering among
   thoughts.  "We seem to have lost sight of Ah Lah, by the way.
   I can't recall a single sacrifice to him.  No one ever asks
   why the cobra wanted Wo-man to eat his fruit."
      "From sheer, er, wickedness, Your Cognizance?  That is
   what I had always supposed."
      Quetzal swayed faster, his face solemn.  "In order that she
   would climb his tree, Patera.  The man likewise.  Their story's
   not over because they haven't climbed down."

Obviously, Adam and Eve.  

But consider another interpretation:  the inhumi (before the Whorl came) 
can be seen as the "rabbits in the garden" -- i.e., the stupid, mindless 
beasts that they were.  Somehow they discovered a certain miraculous 
fruit (humanity) that if eaten conferred wisdom (raised them out of 
their ignorant, beastlike lives and gave them minds).  The god Ah Lah 
(the true God of Gods, the Outsider) barred them from the garden -- that 
is, they could not revert to their innocent, beastlike selves after 
tasting such wisdom but felt compelled to seek more of it out.  The 
inhumi then climbed the tree (i.e., ascended to the Whorl) so that they 
could continue partaking of such miraculous fruit.  The Plan of Pas 
being put on hold, they haven't been able to come down yet.

Anyway, this idea has probably been posted here before, but I couldn't 
remember seeing it and a quick search through the archives didn't yield 
anything, so if I'm bringing up something that everybody has already 
figured out, please forgive.  I just thought it was cool, cool, cool 
that the story could serve as the creation story for both humanity and 
the inhumu.

Whadya think?

Charles

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From: James Wynn <crushtv at hotpop.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 18:52:53 +0000

Charles proffers:
beasts that they were...

Crush asks:
Who is the cobra?
-- Crush

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From: Charles Reed <cmreed at link.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 19:08:44 +0000

>can be seen as the "rabbits in the garden" -- i.e., the stupid, mindless

The Neighbors.  They're the ones who wanted to use the inhumi as agents 
for measuring humanity's worthiness.  That is, they introduced the 
"fruit" to the "rabbit" so it would "climb the tree" and get more.

Charles

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From: matthew.malthouse <matthew.malthouse at guardian.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 18:56:13 +0000

>that the story could serve as the creation story for both humanity and

And what's with Quetzal swaying?  Cobra-like....

Matthew

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From: Charles Reed <cmreed at link.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 19:13:32 +0000

matthew.malthouse at guardian.co.uk wrote:

>And what's with Quetzal swaying?  Cobra-like...
>

Hey, all allegories fall apart if you examine them too closely.  ;-)

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From: matthew.malthouse <matthew.malthouse at guardian.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2002 08:28:09 +0000

>Hey, all allegories fall apart if you examine them too closely.  ;-)

Indeed they do.  However I was wondering if while telling the story
Quetzal could be seeing himself as the snake in the garden.

Matthew

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