# Digest whorl.v011.n011 *The Whorl list — 2 messages, 2 voices, 08 Aug 2000* > 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. --- ### Ian Smith *08 Aug 2000, 16:29* Adam said: But, as I've said before, the problem isn't just that he denies being Silk. It's that he never mentions being in Silk's body, and does things which suggest that he doesn't know where Silk's body is. And I say..... Exactly. And whilst I've only read IGJ the once (on 2nd time now) and don't remember all of OBW, as far as I remember the only people who knew Silk who recognise the narrator as Silk in the two books are Auk and Colonel Abanja, and both these encounters occur during the dream shift to Green, where, as old newt notes: Hide notes that [Silk] looks much more like Horn during at least one of the trips. I think that this is simply logical (well, spirit-logical anyway). His body is 100% Silk. But his spirit is 50% Horn - hence looks more like Horn. Cf. the changed appearance of Oreb's spirit (and, for that matter, those of the inhumi). ie the narrator looks more like his spirit self (or SELVES) during the trips. Remember how Sev used to be mistaken for Thecla at times? Other people (the Gaonese, Inclito) who didn't know Silk on the whorl may well assume that a wise man with a) a talking bird, b) a stick c) who talked like Silk d) was a fantastic leader, and e) wore an Augur's robe would be that bloke from 'the book of Silk'. Yup, I'm proposing that both Horn AND Silk are occupying a third (unknown) body at the 'present of OBW and IGJ, which would explain both the narrator's lack of recognition of being in Silk's body and also his circling a physical description of Silk out of Gaon in order to 'locate' him. As I said I'm reading through again to check, and anyone with evidence against please step forward..... Ian *This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun. --- ### Josh Levitan *08 Aug 2000, 17:03 · follows Ian Smith* Adam Stephanides wrote:> > David Wells wrote: >> I concur with others that Horn knows that he's in Silk's body, but >> denies >> "being Silk" because >> - basic honesty. He isn't 100% Pure Silk(TM) >> - neither he nor the fragment of Silk's spirit within him >> actually >> want to try to live up to the legendary status which Silk has attained >> (The latter is, arguably, rather a selfish motive, although maybe I am >> unfair in ascribing it to him). > But, as I've said before, the problem isn't just that he denies being > Silk. It's that he never mentions being in Silk's body, and does things > which suggest that he doesn't know where Silk's body is. This seems to be another example of Wolfe's (and Horn's) disingenuousness, like when Horn says that Hide/Cuoio "looks familiar." Yeah, he looks a lot like a son he used to have. Narwhal ---