Lives of the Great Beasts

Jack Smith · 03 Jul 2010, 23:31 · from 2010-July.txt.gz

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From: jack.smith.1946 at gmail.com (Jack Smith)
Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 19:31:47 -0400
Subject: (urth) Lives of the Great Beasts
In-Reply-To: <913AE74CEFC14B18844618335D1D1A8E@jill>
References: <SNT123-W48D04E7E5C75069C9DD6E3CFCE0 at phx.gbl>
	<913AE74CEFC14B18844618335D1D1A8E@jill>
Message-ID: <AANLkTing29U7kKpEiAxCVMiexQh0uEt_-PA9Xvm0-5pY at mail.gmail.com>

When I first read *Shadow*, it seemed obvious to me that Jonas's tale of the
beans referred to the origins of Abaia and the other monsters in the sea:
 "she displayed the beans to the lords of men, and told them that unless she
were obeyed she would cast them into the sea and so put an end to the
world."  (Shadow, ch. XXXV)

However, others readers don't see this and so it must not be so obvious.


On Sat, Jul 3, 2010 at 3:51 PM, Gerry Quinn <gerryq at indigo.ie> wrote:

>
> From: "Lee Berman" <severiansola at hotmail.com>
>
>
>  Jonas tells Severian that they were brought to Earth, possibly in the
>>> zoetic tower, to replace the extinct fauna.
>>>
>>
>> I don't remember this. Is it in reference to megatherians? My vague memory
>> is that might refer to creatures like the alzabo; but that could surely be
>> faulty.
>>
>
>
> I don't think so eitrher.  The alzabo was brought to Urth "as many other
> things,for the use and benefit of Man" [quoting from memory]. All I know of
> the undersea monsters, if they are indeed the Megatherians, of which I am
> not certain, is the story of the beans.
>
> I assume this beans story to have some basis in truth, but it may be
> historically twisted or even metaphorical.  Hmm... could Erebus/Abaia be
> some kind of feminist revenge on the race of Men, as the story might
> suggest?  Their only acolyhes we meet are female, and we are not really told
> the gender of the giant monsters, even if we tend to assume them male.  [Nor
> are any serious hints given about their sexual proclivities, but after the
> Wizard Knight, I am inclined to feel that this may be for the best.]
>
> - Gerry Quinn
>
>
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-- 
Best wishes,
Jack
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