Subject: (urth) Tracking Song and vizcacha, and misc.

From: Matthew Groves <matthewalangroves at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 19:09:11 +0000

vizcacha wrote:
> Thanks, Matthew. It's "Lebling," by the way, not "Liebling."

Woops, sorry about that. Take "Liebling" as a sign of my affection. What
sort of thing is a vizcacha, by the way?

> The epigraph has multiple meanings.

Well, that wouldn't be a first. So there is another layer there, or several
layers in one, as you observe. And you thing this all takes place on an
asteroid? That would not be a first either. Can you expand on that at all?
It is obviously extremely small, but do asteroids have moons?

On another matter: If all the tribes carry weapons keyed to their "totemic"
animals, then what are we to make of Mantru's horned staff? I though perhaps
he might be a minotaur, particularly because he lives in a "labyrinth." But
in that case it seems like Mantru should be a lot bigger. And the
description of the staff gives it insect qualities: it has "a pair of
slender and nearly parallel horns," it's metallic, and the horns are
"gracefully curved antennae." But what about the "geometric designs
interspersed with faces" on the shaft and the fine script on the antennae
that is "of a form I felt certain I had never seen before."

Still the correspondence among the words "Min," "Mantru," "Minotaur," and
"King Minos" is suggestive, and the epigraph from the Aeneid points in that
general direction also. And what would this say about the *winged man* at
the end!!! The winged man who is catching the *sun*!!! Any thoughts?

The winged man is from a bird tribe;
The winged man is a cherub, or an archangel;
The winged man is Great Raven;
The winged man is Icarus;

...

Wolfe is a tricky bastard.

Matt G.
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From: Daniel D Jones <ddjones at riddlemaster.org>
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 19:34:56 +0000

> It is obviously extremely small, but do asteroids have moons?

Suppose an asteroid were in orbit around the earth?  Would a stone-age level 
inhabitant consider the Earth and Luna as two moons?  I'm not certain that it 
makes sense to say that they're actually on an asteroid orbiting our Earth, 
just pointing out that the word "moon" might need to be taken rather loosely.

> animals, then what are we to make of Mantru's horned staff? I though
> perhaps he might be a minotaur, particularly because he lives in a
> "labyrinth." But in that case it seems like Mantru should be a lot bigger.
> And the

It's been awhile since I read this story, but I was under the impression when 
I read it that Mantru's staff was an artifact (probably of the robot makers) 
and not something that he or his kind had constructed.  

> Wolfe is a tricky bastard.

Grass is green.  The sky is blue.  :-)

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From: brunians at brunians.org <brunians at brunians.org>
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 19:43:56 +0000

> sort of thing is a vizcacha, by the way?

I was going to say, I *loved* 'Springtime for Hitler'.

.

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From: Dave Lebling <dlebling at hyraxes.com>
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 00:03:20 +0000

> sort of thing is a vizcacha, by the way?
Vizcacha is usually (but not always) spelled "viscacha," and it's a 
small rabbit-like rodent native to South America; it's closely related 
to the chinchilla. Given the far future South American setting of New 
Sun and the South American culture of Long Sun (which prompted all the 
animal and plant nicknames), I thought it fit.

Here's the Wikipedia article, with a decent photo: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vizcacha
> It is obviously extremely small, but do asteroids have moons?
Some asteroids do indeed have moons. Check the archives for discussion 
of the size of the setting for "Tracking Song." The Great Sleigh 
circumnavigates it in two weeks (by my memory here), going at a rather 
sedate speed. I suppose it could be a moon, but I think asteroids with 
moons are more common than moons with moons.

Dave Lebling, aka vizcacha

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From: Daniel D Jones <ddjones at riddlemaster.org>
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 00:49:30 +0000

> moons are more common than moons with moons.

How big would an asteroid have to be to maintain an atmosphere?  Could one of 
sufficient size be circumnavigated in two weeks at "rather sedate speeds?"  
(It's possible that Wolfe simply took poetic license, of course.)