Pike's Ghost

Lee Berman · 28 Nov 2011, 19:23 · from 2011-November.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:23:21 -0500
Subject: (urth) Pike's Ghost
Message-ID: <SNT123-W590B365923C00EEFC688FECFB20 at phx.gbl>

>Marc Aramini: Silk's description as a slender but fit guy WOULD NOT MAKE HIM 
>SIMILAR IN BUILD TO piaton at all.

>Dan'l Danehy-Oakes: I think Silk's ability to lead/influence others IS the charisma 
>Typhon associates with his face. The embryo that became Silk was a clone of Typhon 
>into which he intended to d/l himself on arrival at the Whorl's destination, thus 
>preserving his "face."

Yes, I think Dan'l's idea is more in line with larry's theory (and what is actually 
going on, imho). 

Leaving the question of Typhon's alien nature aside for now, the Mandragora seems 
almost indisputable proof of Typhon's potential to be cloned or downloaded into a
new body in some manner. There is nothing dragon-like about the fetus in the bottle.
What possible reason is there for Wolfe to call it "Mandragora" if not to refer to 
Typhon, the only other reference to a man-dragon there is.

Severian is shocked beyond belief that Typhon would choose to have his own head chopped
off as most of us would be. But Typhon just laughs it off casually demonstrating a lack
of human body self-identification and preservation that we all share. Moreover Typhon
says he was not born, in the way Severian understands it. The evidence seems pretty 
clear that the blond-haired body in which Typhon resides is not his original self.

I don't have a definite opinion on what this means in regard to Silk but I think there is 
surely some connection there. FWIW, I'll mention that at the end of RttW, during a 
dream-travel to Urth, they are on a ship. Along with snaky-armed Scylla (or is it Cilinia? 
doesn't matter) there is a big, blonde guy steering the ship. He is clearly supposed to be 
connected to Typhon/Pas in some manner.

Is this dream-travel version of Pas meant to be Silk? Or is it Jugano? Oreb? I dunno. 
Maybe someone can make sense of it better than me.

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