Subject: (whorl) Void Cross

From: Doug Eigsti <douge at nti.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 13:20:39 +0000

[Posted from Whorl, the mailing list for Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun]

Whorl Wolfe's;

	What is the Void Cross that Silk wears? Silk refers to it as a
gammadion. Some have said that it is a swastika but this does not quite
fit the descriptions: NIGHTSIDE pages (hardback);  43, 112, 170, 217, 239,
291. It clearly must have an "X" shaped cross or plus sign void in the
center of the four gammas. A swastika does not fit the bill.
	One configuration that does fit follows: Imagine a 5 x 5 square
with a cross, or plus sign, occupying the five center squares. Now arrange
four "gammas" around the edges consisting of four squares in line and then
one square next to the last one but to the right. This is like an
elongated Knight's move. Each gamma on Silk's necklace can be separated
and used as a screwdriver for checking the electrical connections on the
Sacred windows. When connected in this manner the four gammas do form a
void cross in the center. It does not have the mistique of a swastika but
is more appropriate for the cross symbolism of Wolfe's story. 

=Doug Eigsti=

Questions or problems to whorl-owner at lists.best.com

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From: Jim Jordan <jbjordan at gnt.net>
Date: Wed, 18 Dec 1996 19:39:14 +0000

>center of the four gammas. A swastika does not fit the bill.

	Not sure. My dictionary gives "swastika" as equivalent of "gammadion."
Silk's cross has corners that he can us to carve with.

>is more appropriate for the cross symbolism of Wolfe's story. 

	If I read you correctly, this is not one of the traditional meanings of
"gammadion." The other is "voided Greek cross." The Greek cross has the
crossbar in the center of the vertical bar, and of equal length, looking
exactly like a plus sign +. A voided Greek cross evidently has two lines in
each directly, closed at the ends. Thus, one line is straight, while the
other is a gamma -- in each of the four directions. 

	Only Gene could answer which is in view, but Meyers is certainly right
that a cross emptied of Christ is partly in view -- since Pas has tried to
pervert the traditional religion of the people. But since this is Pas's
cross (as we are told), it may be a swastika.
	And don't put it past Gene to be doing something sophisticated. Remember
that before Hitler the swastika was a perfectly good Christian symbol. This
story is set in the equivalent of the far future but in a universe
preceding ours -- so the Hitler-association would be long gone, if ever it
existed. 
	I suspect Gene intends a variety of associations, corresponding the
ambiguity of the religious Silk serves. 

Jim Jordan

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From: Doug Eigsti <douge at nti.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Dec 1996 06:14:28 +0000

> ambiguity of the religious Silk serves. 

Jim J,

	I can see how your Voided Greek Cross, which does indeed look like
a plus-sign, can be made out of four gammas and four straight lines but to
my knowledge Wolfe never mentions the Voided Cross of Pas as consisting of
anything more than four gamma shaped pieces that Silk uses to tighten the
connections of the Sacred Windows. Somehow these four gammas must fit
together leaving a plus-sign shaped void in the center. 
	If the Outsider is the God of the Christian Bible and Pas and his 
cohorts are considered to be mere pretenders to the throne of men's souls 
then the Void Cross would be a negation symbol indicating Pas' antagonizm 
to everything the Christian Cross stands for: i.e. he is the equivalent 
of the Devil. Early in the text of NIGHTSIDE Wolfe indicates that the 
Outsider was worshiped in The Short Sun Whorl before the Nine. The Nine 
are limited to inside the Whorl. The Outsider is everywhere on the 
outside, just as the Christian God is omnipresent.

=Doug=

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From: Doug Eigsti <douge at nti.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 10:32:51 +0000

Fernando writes,

> **** On Tue, 21 Jan 1997 15:17:47 -0700 (MST), douge at nti.com (Doug Eigsti) said:
> 
> Doug> 	I like your diagram it does seem to allow for the void-cross, and
> Doug> it is a nice plus-sign shape. I can find two things to take
> Doug> exception.  One: The disconnected gammas which you mentioned. It
> Doug> would be more elegant if the gammas were self connected, not needing
> Doug> a framework to keep them together. Two: Gammas do not have arms of
> Doug> equal length. They look like an upside down capitol "L".
> 
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> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOO
> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOO
> OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO          XXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOO
> OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO          XXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOO
> OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO          XXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOO
> OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO          XXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOO
> OOOOOOOOOO                              OOOOOOOOOO
> OOOOOOOOOO                              OOOOOOOOOO
> OOOOOOOOOO                              OOOOOOOOOO
> OOOOOOOOOO                              OOOOOOOOOO
> OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX          OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
> OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX          OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
> OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX          OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
> OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX          OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
> OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
> OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
> OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
> OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
> 
> 
> Doug> This has the advantage of being connected and built exclusively from
> Doug> four gamma shaped objects. One can see how Silk could use a gamma as
> Doug> a screwdriver for tightening the power connections on a window.
> 
> It has the disadvantage, though, of not being a cross at all! Since Wolfe
> repeatedly says "voided cross", I'd expect something that was a cross but
> had some sort of hole it in. (Or was missing something---an allusion I
> think Wolfe intends but that is immaterial to the shape of the thing.)
> 
> 
> Fernando
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> Fernando Q. Gouvea			
> Chair, Dept. of Math & CS		Editor, MAA Online
> Colby College				http://www.maa.org
> fqgouvea at colby.edu			fqgouvea at maa.org
> ==========================================================

Fernando,

	My concept of a voided cross is that of a cross shaped void. I 
found a couple of references in LONG SUN to support this:

	NIGHTSIDE p.112.1 - "There was a secret in the empty, X-shaped 
space,... a mystery far beyond the detachable arms."

	CALDE p. 322.1 - "...again traced the sign of addition, which 
could not - now he came to think of it - ever have been Pas's. A sign of 
addition was a cross... Pas's sign was not a cross but the voided cross."

	Note that it is the empty space that is considered the cross, not 
the surrounding framework.
	The OED sheds some light on this also:

	GAMMADION - A decorative pattern formed of repititions or 
combinations of the shape of the Greek letter gamma. By antiquaries 
applied otherwise fylfot. Also to a figure composed of four gammas placed 
back to back in such a way as to form a voided Greek cross.

	VOIDED - 2. having a part or portion cut out so as to leave a 
void or vacant space.
		c. Her(aldry) - voided per cross - c1828 Berry. Encycl. 
Her. Gloss. voided per cross is a voiding in the form of a cross, such as 
a cross Moline, and the like, voided, or cut, out in the middle in the 
shape of a plain cross through which the field is seen.

	Dave Lebling referred me to the OED. Thanks.

Dave has stated on these pages that he thinks Silk's cross fits the OED 
definition.

Dave, 

	I visited the cross web site you listed and found it very well 
done. Someone is really into crosses. The second listing for a gammadion 
does indeed look like a passable design for Pas's Void Cross. You are 
correct that the gammas do not need to have arms of unequal length. The 
gammadion listed there shows each of the four gammas being symmetrical. 
	I am willing to concede that this gammadion shaped like a Greek
Cross is probably the one intended by Wolfe. It being a more obscure
reference than the swastica definition for a gammadion would appeal to
Wolfe's flair for mischief while still maintaining his tendency to utilize
existing, albeit obsolete, words, weapons and other implements. This
design makes a fine hearldric symbol but cannot be directly translated
into a physical object. I still prefer the design I had referred to earlier
as being more satisfying because all the gammas are physically connected
without an additional framework and because the cross appears without
orienting the gammas in a cross pattern. The void does not follow the
shape of the gammas. When looking at the other gammadion the eye is drawn
to the outline determined by the gammas and not to the narrow void in the
middle.
	One nomenclature oddity strikes me as I researched the 
references to the void cross: the individual pieces of the gammadion are 
themselves referred to as gammadions:

	NIGHTSIDE - p.217.-5 - "...pointed corner of one of the four
gammadions..." 

	NIGHTSIDE - P.292.1 - "...gammadion by gammadion..."

Is this correct?

=Doug Eigsti=
douge at nti.com