Osiris = the Green Man in BOTNS?

Lee Berman · 24 Dec 2012, 14:38 · from 2012-December.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2012 09:38:18 -0500
Subject: (urth) Osiris = the Green Man in BOTNS?
Message-ID: <SNT123-W32B73DCCCC696070DDDEDCF3B0 at phx.gbl>

>Jeff Wilson: If the images are taken from Egyptian myth, they are remixed with themes 
>as thoroughly as in the Student and his Son.

I think the connection Steve Roh sees is real and Jeff's idea explains it. Wolfe does
conflate earthly mythology in his fiction but this is a reflection of the real world
conflations which have happened throughout the history of myth on earth. I see it
portrayed graphically in Long/Short Sun where Whorl gods are encoded in "cards" which
are shuffled and redealt into new god combinations on The Whorl, Blue and perhaps Green.

In this case, there is a real Celtic deity/figure who actually goes by the name of The Green Man.
This character has clear and direct mythological connections to Pan and to Dionysus. And all 
these deities these have mythological roots in Osiris as can be found in various website references. 
E.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osiris-Dionysus and http://whisperingworlds.com/wiccan/wiccan_god.php

I am pretty sure Wolfe was aware of these connections as he wrote the Sun series. Therefore
the Egyptian mythological connection between Osiris and Typhon-Set may well have an intentional
echo in Wolfe's Green Man and Typhon.

In the past I've noted that I think the gods of the Whorl tend more toward Egyptian forms in contrast to 
the Greco-Roman style of the god-beings and heroes of Urth. Greco-Roman mythology has roots and inspiration 
from Egyptian mythology. This discussion even more firmly convinces me that Long/Short Sun was meant almost 
as an origin myth/story to help us understand the events on Urth/Ushas.

>David Stockhoff: interesting that there is a dead son in such close proximity when Severian meets Typhon.

Oh good catch, David.

Actually the story of father Osiris and brother/uncle Typhon Set and son/nephew Horus is jumbled but similar 
to the Greek story of uncle/monster Typhon, father/nephew Zeus and sons Hermes and Dionysus. There is murder 
and dismemberment and resurrection via body parts in both stories.

I think we find another jumble of it on The Whorl with Typhon-Pas, his electronic murder, dismembering and 
reassembly. This is followed by the confusing paternity/deity connection with Pas, Silk and 
Quadrafons/Dionysus/The Outsider. The Father, Son, Holy Spirit precursor trinity, I think. 

Jeff Wilson >No Typhon, no Green Man either.

>Steve Roh: But if Severian had sworn that oath to Typhon, then there would be no New Sun, and the future of
>Master Ash (white) would have come into being, instead of the future of the Green Man.

Good point and good rebuttal. I see both as relevant.

It could be like saying, no Egypt, no Greek and Roman civilizations. No Greco-Roman empires, no north/west
European ascendency. And of course it was the north/west European ascendancy which really spread Christianity
across the globe.

But for north/west Europe and Christianity to ascend, Egypt and Osiris had to fade then Greece, Rome and Zeus, 
Dionysus and Pan had to fade.

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