PEACE: Labyrinth
The Urth list — 3 messages, 3 voices, 07 Jul 2009
https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/5465

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Christopher Keiser — 07 Jul 2009, 17:20

Mantis, way back in 2000, provided a wonderful clue (he he) regarding
Weer's mansion.

"The House of the Axe" is the literal translation of Labyrinth, iirc.  So
Wolfe is signaling that Den is at the entrance to a maze . . . well,
=obviously= . . . and Wolfe also has a track-record of mixing up Daedelus
(labyrinth maker) with Minotaur (labyrinth monster/inhabitant) with Theseus
(labyrinth visitor).

Following up on this, I discovered that "palace of the double-axe" is
the full meaning of Labyrinth.  The labrys ("double-edged axe")
symbolized power, or royalty in Cretan art and architecture.

This sheds some light on the text. The issue of Weer's inability to
wield the double headed axe, as described in the first few pages, may
also symbolize his loss of power and vitality.  He has strength enough
to use only Bunting's single-edged axe.

Also of interest is Mantis's statement "and Wolfe also has a
track-record of mixing up Daedelus (labyrinth maker) with Minotaur
(labyrinth monster/inhabitant) with Theseus (labyrinth visitor)."

In the case of PEACE, Weer is definitely the creator of his memory
mansion (maze) and the visitor, lost and confused in the maze.  Is he
also the monster in the maze?

Chris Keiser

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James Wynn — 07 Jul 2009, 17:53
  in reply to Christopher Keiser

> In the case of PEACE, Weer is definitely the creator of his memory
> mansion (maze) and the visitor, lost and confused in the maze.  Is he
> also the monster in the maze?

Well, Daedalus was also lost in in own maze. Weer might be Theseus if Sherry 
Gold is Aphrodite, I suppose. But if Weer is also the Minotaur, where are 
the virgins sacrificed to him? If Sherry's father is King Minos then the 
Minotaur is the hidden treasure. 

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Stephen Hoy — 09 Jul 2009, 15:52
  in reply to James Wynn

Try this idea on for size: Gold's story about Venus as fake is artistic
invention, acting as an entertaining distraction not much different from
Weer's unrevealed story of Napoleon's pose.

The inside story of the discovery of the Venus de Milo can be found in
Disarmed by Gregory Curtis; bottom line, the statue is genuine. If money
were the object of the forgery, we can quickly calculate that Gold's premise
doesn't add up.  The French purchased the Venus de Milo fragments for 750
francs from the farmer who discovered it, with another 250 francs presented
to the primates of Melos to help them justify reneging on a sale to a
Turkish dragoman. By comparison, Canova's marble statue of Napoleon as Mars
was obtained by the Duke of Wellington for roughly 375,000 francs.

So what's the point in having Gold toss out his story? Probably commentary
on Wolfe's creative process, a touch of "the whole being greater than the
sum of its parts" added to "re-shaping existing stories."

I've seen suggestions that the Venus statue represents the armless Mrs.
Turner or Aphrodite Pandemos Sherry Gold, but I'll make a case for Lois
Arbuthnot as Venus/Aphrodite. The Venus de Milo is paired in the text with
the Napoleon figurine; the surname Arbuthnot links to Napoleon via Harriet
Arbuthnot, the diarist who was the closest female friend of the Iron Duke
who commanded the allied forces at Waterloo.

Wolfe punningly connects Arbuthnot with the statue when he has Weer disarm
her. There's even a scene where Lois--tipsy with alcohol--removes her upper
garments and topples over, mimicking the statue.

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