Pike's Ghost

Larry Miller · 27 Nov 2011, 21:21 · from 2011-November.txt.gz

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From: decanus1284 at gmail.com (Larry Miller)
Date: Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:21:02 -0500
Subject: (urth) Pike's Ghost
In-Reply-To: <SNT123-W151D650A1B6C93609E14E4CFCD0 at phx.gbl>
References: <SNT123-W151D650A1B6C93609E14E4CFCD0 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <CADQR0GqWkBQDJdDVv7H+U8yNhP5RTy2zHRXVMVi1Mcff8NjBmA at mail.gmail.com>

Thanks Lee.  I think that the concept  of aliens in Wolfes universe
being evolved or mutated humans is interesting and it may very well be
that Typhon could be one of these beings.  I think the more likely
explanation regarding Silk as clone is that Silk is not a clone of
Typhons original alien body but a clone of the blond haired man whose
head is grafted onto Piaton.  That would explain the hair color at
least.  As for the Mandragora, I brought that up a few months back as
a possible body for Typhon ( I see it as a proto chem and the Prime
Calcula that is referred to in Exodus/Long Sun).

On 11/27/11, Lee Berman <severiansola at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>>larry miller: I think hes an alien mainly because
>>of Wolfes naming strategum and some things that he says to Severian.
>>When telling him about his grafting to Piaton he mentions the solar
>>decay and says "I should have left then."  I think maybe hes refering
>>to escaping back to his homeworld.  His comments about "sending his
>>thoughts into far places" are a reference to some psychic abilities he
>>has (and I know there are those on here that disagree).  And theres
>>Severians initial description of the newly resurrected Monarch.
>>"...it was as though one of the monstous constellations of the night
>>sky had fallen to Urth and clothed itself in the flesh of humankind."
>
>
>
> I think your reasoning is spot on, larry. If Wolfe wanted us to think
>
> of Typhon as a normal, Commonwealthy sort of human he would have been
>
> given a saint name. Other non-human aliens are given Roman names like
>
> Inire, Cumaean, Barbatus and Famulimus. Alien monsters are given monster
>
> names from mythology like Abaia, Erebus and Scylla. Why should Typhon not
>
> follow the same rules?
>
>
>
> I think idea makes greater sense if we consider that humanity has been
>
> out in space for a long time at the time of Severian's story. Aliens
>
> may well be mutated, evolved humans in origin.
>
>
>
> In my understanding, when Wolfe uses mythological names then leaves gaps
>
> in our knowlege about the characters, the gaps may be filled using
>
> mythology. Gods, demons and angels could never appear to humans in their
>
> true form. They always had to assume a human (or animal or other) form to
>
> walk among us. Thus with Typhon. (and Scylla/Cilinia?)
>
>
>
> The Mandragora (myth Typhon was a mandragora) is a good clue that Typhon has
>
> human bodies with special abilities cloned for his personality to be
> downloaded
>
> into. We see this process continued on The Whorl and that feeds into the
> idea
>
> that Silk was a clone of Typhon. I think it makes more sense to think that
> Silk
>
> and other special individuals were created so that they might become a
> receptacle
>
> for the gods.
>
>
>
> Another unmentioned hint that Silk was prepared as a receptacle for Pas
>
> is Typhon's mysterious hair color. We are told the two headed guy has
>
> one dark-haired head and one light-haired head but we aren't told which
>
> is Typhon and which is Piaton. There are clues which can tell us that
>
> Typhon was, in fact, the blonde but why would WOlfe make it such a secret
>
> unless it was supposed to be important? For whatever reason, Typhon/Pas
> seems
>
> to like inhabiting blond guys.
>
>
>
> FWIW, I think the original mystery of the blond/dark hair might have to do
>
> with Typhon's (and Spring Wind's?) association with Alexander The Great. He
>
> was a blonde Macedonian commanding an army with many darker coloured Greeks.
>
> (aside from the parallels of Spring Wind/Typhon to Alexander there is the
> issue
>
> of Alexander's supposed, claimed godhood which resonates). 		 	   		
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