Typhon's nature

Lee Berman · 12 Oct 2011, 15:09 · from 2011-October.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:09:49 -0400
Subject: (urth) Typhon's nature
Message-ID: <SNT123-W88482AF2B953D9F118299CFE30 at phx.gbl>

>Larry Miller: 
>As I posted before the Mandragora was likely a proto chem Typhon built
>to download into.  Theres a point in Long Sun where Silk having
>discovered that the Gods can possess chems and I remember Echidna
>mentioning a Prime Calcula in the Citadel.  Im sure this was a
>reference to the mandragora.  This would also keep with Wolfes naming
>conventions as Calculas is I believe the latin word for stone.

Sorry I missed your post Larry. Some interesting ideas! There are a few
Latin words for stones and rocks. "Calculus" is most specifically for "pebble"
which became associated with math via the use of pebbles in a Roman abacus-type 
calculator. Anyway, with both the stone and computing aspects of the word, it 
becomes a fantastic option as a name for a Chem. Not sure why Wolfe wanted to 
feminize it by spelling it "calcula".

Pursuing that thought, I can't agree that the Mandragora is a good candidate 
for the prime calcula of the Citadel. It seems to be a purely biological being;
a fetus, immersed in preserving fluid. Severian gives us no hints of any 
mechanical parts. Rather than being a "prime calcula" it is so ineffectual 
it just wants to die.

Moreover, I think all of BotNS is contains a subtext of more biological SF, 
like cloning and chemical memory.  It was written in a time before electronic 
downloads, when computer memory was encoded on magnetic tape and paper punch 
cards. 5HoC does have Mr. Million but his mental upload was a fatal process and
apparently not subject to further up/downloads.

Anyway, if Wolfe meant the "prime calcula" to refer to a chem being in BotNS
I think we only have two or three characters who qualify as mechanical 
beings:  Jonas, Sidero and Ossipago.  None would seem to have any association
with the Citadel, unless.....

Perhaps we could extend some latitude to Borski's idea that Ossipago is Father
Inire in disguise.  The identification is based largely on the idea of obscured
eyes (eyes being the window to the soul, which chems don't have?). The role of
"bone grower" and "father" are not so far apart.

If we can accept this idea, we now have a "prime calcula" who has been the power
behind the throne of the Commonwealth for a millenium, is the architect of the 
House Absolute and likely the Citadel (given the mystic pathways between them),
and is the boss of Barbatus and Famulimus, directing their "hammer" and "tongs"
actions which forge humanity.

Moreover, Inire's name can be connected to the god Pan (from whom Pas seems to
have derived his name) and thus Dionysus, who is associated with The Outsider in
RTTW. I find some substance to these connections and find them helpful to my own
understanding of the text. Thanks for the inspiration, Larry! (even if not shared, heh)

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