# Inhumi *The Whorl list — 2 messages, 2 voices, 16 Jan 1997* > Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright > in each message remains with the person who wrote it. > Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original > archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than > retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact. --- ### Jim Jordan *16 Jan 1997, 13:16* > At 12:21 PM 1/16/97 -0500, you wrote: > > I started rereading "Exodus.." last night, and started with the Dramatis > Personae. Sure enough, Teasel's entry says she was attacked by an > inhumi. In fact, she's not the only one listed as such there. I'll > leave the other as an exercise. This (for me at least) puts a slightly > altered spin on Quetzal. > > Dave Lebling AN inhumi! AHA! Maybe there are more than one? Maybe Quetzal is indeed a "converted" inhumi, and thus his alliance with Silk? Maybe.... Those re-reading the quartet can do us a favor by paying close attention to this question. Is there evidence that Quetzal has altered his beliefs/behavior at some time in the past? We know from Book 4 that he is familiar with the Jesus of this universe. On the other hand, he advises that the settlers go to the wrong planet -- or so it seems (never try to guess where Wolfe will go -- maybe Quetzal's advice was right!) Theologically, with Quetzal as "pope" of the local church situation, we are in the realm of good Catholic (RC) thought. The Pope is the vicar of Christ, and therefore a bad (serpentine) Pope is the vicar of Anti-Christ. The Protestant Reformers said that the whole Papacy, and thus all Popes, were involved with Anti-Christ, but long before then Medieval theologians had said that some Popes had been agents of Anti-Christ. --- Yet Quetzal might be a "converted" serpent. The ambiguity is certainly there in my mind at present. Can we find enough clues to decide for sure? I'll be interested to see what the re-readers find for us on this one! Or: Is Quetzal the serpent in the garden? Or: Are the inhumi in general the serpent in the garden? The latter seems clear enough, and probably can be expanded by a theologically-sensitive reading of the quartet. (I can't wait until I find the time to do it myself!) Jim Jordan Questions or problems to whorl-owner at lists.best.com --- ### CoxRathvon *17 Jan 1997, 12:00 · follows Jim Jordan* Thanks to everyone posting to this group! I feel I get a little insight from every message. As I re-re-read the quartet of "Long Sun" books, I'm keeping my eye on Quetzal. It's pretty clear that he preyed on Teasel and Mattak; I can't find a hint about any other such attack, nor do I find a reference to any other inhumi aboard the Whorl--except for that revealing remark by Patera Pike that "devils" had infiltrated the Whorl against the wishes of Pas. Very mysterious comment, that. Like a total dope I first read "Exodus" without browsing the introductory list of "Gods, Persons, and Animals Mentioned in the Text," so I missed a couple huge hints about Quetzal and the inhumi. I did accidentally bump into the reference to Horn as "the colonist who undertook to write the Book of Silk"--but I figured "The Book of Silk" would get mentioned near the end of the story; I wasn't prepared for that book to be Wolfe's "Long Sun" itself!!! --Henry Rathvon Questions or problems to whorl-owner at lists.best.com ---