vanished people=hieros

David Stockhoff · 11 Nov 2011, 00:09 · from 2011-November.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:09:04 -0500
Subject: (urth) vanished people=hieros
In-Reply-To: <SNT123-W434F12B0B1FC6DACA2C73ACFDC0 at phx.gbl>
References: <SNT123-W434F12B0B1FC6DACA2C73ACFDC0 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <4EBC67A0.7000401 at verizon.net>

On 11/10/2011 5:34 PM, Lee Berman wrote:
>
>
> Wolfe uses the quote in reference to Severian, The New Sun; Apu Punchau,
>
> the sun god. The stone is the sun. Severian is a Sun god in a Stone Town
>
> Why would Venus be relevant in those words in this context? (perhaps David has an idea....)
>
>
>
>
>
>> >David Stockhoff: I haven't worked this out at all, but it always seemed to
>> >me that the poet observes a specific night sky, with Orion, followed immediately by
>> >a dawn sky. And the implication to Wolfe must be the sweeping away of
>> >myths by the coming of Christ.
>
>
> Yes. I'm not sure but you might be on the right track and perhaps WOlfe is on that
>
> same track. The last star to be swept away by the sun each morning is the Morning Star
>
> which is an epithet for Lucifer.


Venus is the stone, that last star which precedes the sun. I have no 
idea really, but if Venus is love and God is love---facts which do not 
escape the author of Long Sun---well, then ....

I wouldn't put much weight on Lucifer's later identity as Satan though, 
just its meaning of Light-Bringer (Sun-Bringer?). And there you go.

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