Abaia & co.

Macronaut · 19 May 2006, 16:02 · from 2006-May.txt.gz

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From: macronaut at yahoo.com (Macronaut)
Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 09:02:02 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: (urth) Abaia & co.
In-Reply-To: <BAY107-F27F2C17F272EE027C287F2D8A70 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <20060519160202.2057.qmail at web51114.mail.yahoo.com>

> > > The undines as "brides" of Abaia strikes me as
> > > ludicrous unless bride is
> > > meant metaphorically, in the sense that nuns are
> > > said to be brides of
> > > Christ. Juturna was big -- about sixty feet tall
> at
> > > the Cephissus -- but
> > > still quite small in comparison to a mountain.
> > > Undines as sexual playthings?
> 
> Again, I think you're thinking too rigidly
> biological here. Severian couples 
> with Apheta, and their child is the White Fountain.
> Explain the genetics of 

I agree with that, and I don't think you even need to
resort to stellar/metaphysical coupling, basic
physical biology will do.  As a fan of H.P. Lovecraft,
Abaia make me think of big Cthulhian monsters floating
around in the sea with lots of psuedopods.  Just
because Abaia is the size of a mountain doesn't mean
his sexual organs need to be.

Not to mention that if Tzadkiel can shed pieces to
form smaller, more manageable versions of himself, a
big floating monster like Abaia might be able to as
well.

Since everyone is on the subject of Megatherians these
days, did anyone ever solve the mystery of what the
giant walking thing was in the Saltus mine?  Our only
clues, as I recall, were:

1) it took steps (or at least flopped around loudly)
2) the man-apes were afraid of it (and therefore
seemed to have some idea what it was)
3) Severian thinks "he now knows what it was".

Didn't he also ask Jonas about it, who had some idea
but wouldn't say?

Macronaut

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