Fish and Caves

Lee Berman · 23 Dec 2010, 20:02 · from 2010-December.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 15:02:53 -0500
Subject: (urth) Fish and Caves
Message-ID: <SNT123-W6471C1346D356859B4AC90CF1C0 at phx.gbl>

>Gerry Quinn: I thought we were told that Abaia lived in the sea?  I can't recall where 
>exactly, but the locations of Erebus and Abaia were given at some point.

Mount Erebus is a (earth) volcano in Antarctica and iirc, the god/demon Erebus is said to
dwell in that location on Urth. Abaia is frequently associated with the ocean or sea or
pelagic depths or whatever. It is possible to believe this evidence for their locations and
stop there.

On the other hand, mythogicla Abaia is specifically a freshwater eel. Diuturna and Juturna 
can hardly be accidentally similar. Likewise, Wolfe could hardly name a town on the shore of 
this lake as "Eel" by accident. Severian is told there is a fish god in this lake. It is possible 
to believe this evidence for the location of Abaia and stop there.

Or it is possible to recognize the clues that these are superhuman creatures who can divide and unite 
with each other and be located in many places at once in ways verily incomprehensible to human beings 
such as ourselves. Also possible to catch the occasional hints that Abaia and Erebus (and Scylla) are
essentially the same being.

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