Subject: (whorl) Mucor's parentage; Chenille

From: David_Lebling <david_lebling at avid.com>
Date: Thu, 06 Feb 1997 17:00:12 +0000

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

[Mucor]

I've checked out the two references that mantis gave on Mucor's
parentage, and sorry, I don't buy it.  Both are in exactly the form that
implies a caring or proprietary relationship, similar to referring to
children with disabilities as "Jerry's Kids," due to Jerry Lewis's
sponsorship of his telethon.

When Silk says Mucor is a child of Molpe's, he means that she is insane.
Molpe is the patroness of the insane (being subject to insanity
herself).  The reference to Heirax is similar.

[Chenille]

I agree with algae (actually isn't one an _alga_?) that Chenille is the
normal, straightforward daughter of Tussah.  There's a passage soon
after Silk gets confirmation that he is Tussah's adopted son in which
Chenille's face is described in exactly the words used to describe
Tussah's:  "coarse features, broad flat cheeks" (more or less).

     Dave
     (david_lebling at avid.com)

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