Abaia and the undines

Matthew Malthouse · 10 Dec 2008, 23:49 · from 2008-December.txt.gz

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From: matthew at calmeilles.co.uk (Matthew Malthouse)
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:49:01 +0000
Subject: (urth) Abaia and the undines
In-Reply-To: <493FDCEA.1020508 at verizon.net>
References: <mailman.38551.1228879380.21489.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
	<493FDCEA.1020508 at verizon.net>
Message-ID: <20081210234924.D4D3A8039 at diego.dreamhost.com>

At 15:14 10/12/2008, you wrote:
>Otherwise, I have not found any correspondence of these names with 
>one another or any single mythos in any way, except that the names 
>Erebus and Arioch may have Semitic roots, and that Erebus and Scylla 
>are Homeric.

Arioch is indeed Hebrew meaning fierce lion and as a  demon appeared 
in works as diverse (or similar?) as Paradise Lost and Morcock's Elric et al.

Erebus son of Chaos was shadow.  Also a part of or alternate name for 
all of Hades.  The word has proto-indo-european roots and may be 
cognate the Hebrew erebh, sunset.

Scylla, daughter of Nissus king of Megara.  Or (more likely):  one of 
the monster guardians the straits of Messina, either 6 headed or a 
single human head with 4 dogs' heads.

Thematically all these three are bad ends for men - or mankind.

So even if their motives are complex and their actions mot entirely 
explicable I think the name are enough to tell us that Wolfe means us 
to understand that This Is Not A Good Idea.

Matthew

Si non confectus, non reficiat

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