Pike's Ghost

Larry Miller · 28 Nov 2011, 21:51 · from 2011-November.txt.gz

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From: decanus1284 at gmail.com (Larry Miller)
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:51:24 -0500
Subject: (urth) Pike's Ghost
In-Reply-To: <SNT123-W384E29239A101E6AFAD3FECFB20 at phx.gbl>
References: <SNT123-W384E29239A101E6AFAD3FECFB20 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <CADQR0Gpzn+VFtUyOtksG4eoy2TMkJyESDAC5tF_XLD8mMKftMg at mail.gmail.com>

Yeah I always wondered if Typhon was in fact a fallen Hierodule.
"Better to rule in Hell than to be a slave to Heaven" indeed.

On 11/28/11, Lee Berman <severiansola at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>> 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. The
>>> evidence seems
>>>pretty clear that the blond-haired body in which Typhon resides is not his
>>> original self.
>
>
>>David Stockhoff: Certainly Typhon is uncannily careless of his *body*. But
>> recall your
>>own theory that what many characters in TBOTNS desire is immortality.
>>His body is now just in the way, whether it is his original one or not.
>
> Yes. I think immortality is a key concept. Notice that I didn't discuss
> Typhon's original
> "body" but rather his original "self". Immortality might be an inherent
> quality of such
> beings (not a far-feched conclusion for beings which can so easily copy
> themselves).
>
> I strongly consider that Typhon's true, original nature is akin to that of
> ancient gods,
> monsters, angels, demons, etc. They are more of what we are forced to call a
> "spirit" in
> nature. They don't have any sort of "body" that would make sense to human
> perception. In
> many cases (notably Zeus and Jaweh) a human being is destroyed if ever
> confronted with the
> true, full glory of a god's presence.
>
> Thus pagan gods, angels, demons etc. must take on a material, human (or
> animal or burning bush)
> form to allow them to interact with us. I think this may be what is going on
> with Typhon and
> the other gods of the Whorl. With Shadow Children also. And perhaps even
> inhumi if their
> original parasitic form was even less substantial than reptiles or lianas.
> 		 	   		
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