Where's the Minotaur?

Lee Berman · 10 Feb 2011, 14:00 · from 2011-February.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2011 09:00:38 -0500
Subject: (urth) Where's the Minotaur?
Message-ID: <SNT123-W37F240EF50231AFB8B55C4CFEC0 at phx.gbl>

>LB: So, first answer for Minotaur= Erebus and Abaia.

>Jeff Wilson: That's fine, for that maze and that level of metafictionality 

>LB: > But we also have monster and labyrinth symbols in the Secret House. Who can be found at the
> center of the Secret House? What is the connection of Father Inire to Erebus and Abaia?

>JW: I was wanting the monster that goes with the panels - of course, there's 
>a *lot* of monsters that can come through the mirrors - but what 
>minotaur-like entity is associated with the House Absolute?

>Inire lives there, but he's supposed to be a monkey.

Hmm..how to put my view into words....

I think Wolfe, in trying to make ancient gods "real" in his story recognizes that they are,
as in legend, giant, superpowered beings who must change size and shape to appear in human
form and interact with them. Wolfe recognizes that, on Urth, only in water (or deep underground) 
could such giant beings have actual, physical form.

Their human-sized, -shaped agents, as shapeshifters, must follow the rules and always betray some
sign of their origin. Often this is expressed via an animalistic association, but coloration, naming
or other marks can also serve (as seen in the Armiger's Daughter).

As demiurge, Dionysus/Pan is the model for Father Inire. He is not really a monkey. As the deepest, most
central mystery of the labyrinth of BotNS he needs a really good disguise for the Pan model. If
Wolfe had said he resembled a goat, the mystery would be far to easy to solve. So, we get 
monkey from layering and wordplay. Pan=Faunus=Inuus/Inire=monkey. BTW, Inuus sylvanus is a monkey which
has no tail, so we don't have to worry about what's lurking under the guy's robes.

Like Pan, Inire is not really one being but a small horde of similar beings all working toward the same
goal. But if you are looking for a "center" Father Inire is it, since he never openly appears.

If you want the version of him which is the center of mirrors and monsters, that would be Hethor. There are
a number of others.

Grr..time pressed right now. I know this is sketchily presented. I can elaborate or answer questions 
later if desired.

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