Subject: (whorl) Seawrack's boy toy

From: Dan Parmenter <dan at lec.com>
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2001 11:19:06 +0000

> Somewhat related question to Adam, Blattid, or Alex, whoever cares
> to answer: why, in your opinion, does the Mother (rather a benign
> figure compared to Greater Scylla) give Seawrack to Horn? And how
> does she acquire the mermaid--especially, if, as I've argued, she's
> really Screadhbhuidhe, a special talent?

Part of the "Screadhbhuidhe" hypothesis is that it fits Vironese
naming conventions.  Actually, what you wrote was this:

From: "Robert Borski" <rborski at charter.net>
Subject: Seawrack's Real Name
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 12:51:10 -0500

> Given the naming convention for women of the Whorl (since I believe
> Seawrack is a special talent), the name should be floral, with a
> possible nod to something in the broader seaweed family.

But wait, the floral-girl-name convention is a Vironese yes?  Not
everyone in the Whorl uses it (e.g. Grandecitta, the Flyers, not sure
about the Trivs to be honest).  As it happens, we meet several
Vironese "special talents", but it's natural that they would have
those names.  I'm not syaing you're wrong, but it seems a bit flimsy
to me.  I have no idea how it's pronounced, but is it really much of a
tongue-twister?  It looks like one, but so do plenty of English
language words that are easy enough to pronounce but look frightful
(e.g. "wrought-iron").

But more importantly, why do you and everyone else cling to this
notion that Seawrack was given to Horn?  I've mentioned this before
and now I have the citation.  This is during an early meeting with
Krait, who comments upon Horn's "lovely woman":

       "Not mine," I told him.
       "Not now, and not ever."
       Seawrack herself said "But he belongs to me."  She joined me at
       tge fiit if the mast and linked her arm in mine.  "The Mother
       gave him to me.  What of it?"
       (OWB, hb, pp. 175)

So is Seawrack deluded?  And what is her special talent?  Her gills?
Her song?  I suppose that a cargo that included a siren or two
wouldn't be a bad thing to have on hand if you know your destination
has its own mythic sea monster.

Perhaps there's another Wolfean parallel in play with regard to
Seawrack's relationship to the Mother.  The theme of adoption with a
twist: The Mother adopted Seawrack and Horn will soon adopt Krait and
others.  If a shape-changing monster can adopt a human being, then why
can't a human being adopt a shape-changing monster?

BTW, in examining the archives, a few of us (including Alga I think)
speculated that the Urthly Cumaean seemed a likely Inhuma.  Nothing
I've read in subsequent BotSS books seems to contradict this and
certain things seem to shore it up even.  I haven't thought it through
fully, but is it possible that the ancient mind that she and Merryn
were attempting to contact in the Fomelhaut system was one of these
sea-monsters?  Or perhaps the Mother herself?  Perhaps Merryn's first
encounter with the astral Jahlee caused her to seek out similar minds.
I know, it's all idle speculation, but it seems like a nice fit, and
it makes the whole astral travel aspect of BotSS seem a bit less
fan-fic-esque as well as shedding light on what remains to me, one of
the more obscure aspects of BotNS (namely, "what on Urth is up with
the Witches?").  Mind you, even if the astral stuff is mere Wolfean
self-indulgence, it still makes for some great reading.  P 221 of IGJ
has a classic Lupine passage where he our hero speculates about the
possible effects of "chimerical" weapons.  I grinned ear to ear when I
read that.

Finally, Borski also opined:

> Are we to make anything of the similarity in names "Cilinia" and
> "Scylla"? Or is this just more happy coincidence?

Given the Urthly Saint-based naming convention, it's a coincidence,
but a very satisfying, artful one.

Shellac

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---

From: Robert Borski <rborski at charter.net>
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2001 14:15:33 +0000

Dastardly Dan Parmeter having argued:

<BTW, in examining the archives, a few of us (including Alga I think)
speculated that the Urthly Cumaean seemed a likely Inhuma. Nothing I've read
in subsequent BotSS books seems to contradict this and certain things seem
to shore it up even.>

I'm surprised this argument wasn't resurrected by its proponents earlier,
citing the "Merryn had problems with animals too" line, which seems to
support the notion--especially if you buy into my theory that Merryn is the
biological daughter of the Cumaean.

Unfortunately, the Cumaean-as-inhumu argument seems severely undercut by the
following passage from URTH (p. 357), where Severian is talking to the alien
Ossipago:

***********
"...the Cumaean, she was a Hierodule, like you. Father Inire told me."

Famulimus and Barbatus nodded.

***********

Unless, of course, you're now arguing that the inhumi are creatures of
Yesod...

Robert Borski