Fish and Caves

Lee Berman · 22 Dec 2010, 12:44 · from 2010-December.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 07:44:04 -0500
Subject: (urth) Fish and Caves
Message-ID: <SNT123-W6F36D742034F331B7E640CF1B0 at phx.gbl>

Considering the fish that ate Mamelta and perhaps the fish in Father Inire's mirrors, 
I was thinking that it may be a mistake to make the leap to the conclusion that an evocative fish 
in the Sun series is a Christ-symbol.

It may start with Agia's "Jurupari". This is a jungle demon known for swallowing its victims
whole so that they live for a time in its mouth, like a cave. This is paralleled by the 
Jurupari cichlid, a jungle stream fish which broods its eggs and hatches them in its mouth.

Next there is the Saltus cave full of man apes. Severian's presence seems to disturb some
deep underground presence in a way which reminds me of the giant caecilian which is disturbed 
by the Millenium Falcon spaceship (in Empire Strikes Back) inadvertently flying into its mouth,
mistaking it for a cave.

There is the BonNS story of some people who entered the mouth of Ouroboros thinking it was a cave 
and spent a long period of time there "not knowing they were dead".

We have Wolfe choosing the name "Jonah" for one of Severian's companion. 'Nuff said there, I think.

During the seance, The Cumaean says she is contacting a being on a planet circling the star, Fomalhaut,
"The Fish's Mouth", in the constellation Pisces. The Cumaean is a being described as living in a cave. 
Echidna and her daughter Scylla are both mythological monsters who live in caves; Scylla's is aquatic. 
I don't think The Cumaean's cave is unrelated. (Scylla's father is, of course, Typhon)

I think Fomalhaut is a very good candidate for the star around which Blue and Green orbit.

In UotNS, the "demon" Juturna is seen munching on a fish (I forget if she is associated with a cave).

I've already mentioned the fish and caves associated with Scylla in Lake of the Long Sun.

Seawrack emphasizes the siren aspect while Juturna emphasizes the mermaid aspect of the myth but these
two seem to be quite simliar characters, in derivation and function.  Seawrack, like Juturna isassociated 
with eating raw fish (when she didn't have human flesh) and The MOther provides a cave-like dwelling for 
Seawrack beneath the waves.

I am suspicious of Mucor's choice to live in a cave but I don't have a clear connection to this theme in mind
for her. Perhaps others can help me on this.

Anyway, as noted, when I see evocative fish in the Sun series my first thoughts jump to this demonic/monster
theme rather than to Christ.

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