king jesus, the feminine divine, etc.

maa32 · 11 Nov 2002, 15:56 · from urth-v0211.mbox · original

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From: maa32 <maa32 at dana.ucc.nau.edu>
Subject: (urth) king jesus, the feminine divine, etc.
Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2002 08:56:04 -0700
Message-ID: <urth-v0211-2079 at digest.urth.net>
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Hi Don. =20
Welcome!  It was very nice to hear your theories.  I think that if you posi=
t=20
that Silk is Typhon cloned and that Severian is Ymar cloned, then Silk is=20
genetically Severian's father.  Patera Silk, heh heh heh.
Interesting. =20
I am especially interested in your right on target claim that feminine wors=
hip=20
is the target that must be overthrown, and that this is straight from Grave=
s. =20
Look at the text in the New Sun alone: Severian in the Botanical Garden mee=
ts=20
up with a member of the Uappes tribe, where menstraution is the ultimate ev=
il=20
goddess.  In the play eschatology and genesis, the evil druj is a female an=
d=20
in Persian myth a female goddess is reponsible for the murder of King Manyu=
. =20
Almost every myth that is invoked seriously as directly related to Severian=20
(ie - the native of Brazil actually encounters Severian, Severian actually=20
re-enacts eschatology and genesis) deals with evil women goddesses who are=20
being overthrown or resisted by a masculine cult.  Except for the copulatio=
n=20
that results in the birth of the New Sun ... but otherwise women divinities=20
are pretty much either for procreation or are evil schemers.  Notice that t=
his=20
changes somewhat in Long Sun (despite the fact that the primary villains ar=
e a=20
powerful force of women), but I really see it returning with a vengeance in=20
Short Sun.  Keep in mind that Seawrack is a palpable spy of the Mother who =
the=20
narrator (Silk) must keep an eye on at the conclusion of the Short Sun, eve=
n=20
though the original lover of Seawrack (Horn) is dead and gone (into Babbie)=
.=20
The treatment of Jahlee and her own behavior kind of speaks for itself.  Th=
e=20
very carefully selected mythical assocations with vile femininity are so=20
prevalent in the New Sun that even I am shocked at times.  This might be th=
e=20
most direct link to Graves.  Interesting.  How do you think that Ymar and=20
Typhon are really father and son?  It would be thematically interesting to=20
think of father Silk teaching his surrogate, genetic son.  I always thought=20
that Malrubius and Silk must be genetically cloned from the same person, bu=
t I=20
could never posit a real link.  If Silk is truly related to typhon at all,=20
then Wolfe definitely believes in nurture over nature - they are night and=20
day.
While a neat idea, I think we might need a little bit more textual internal=20
evidence.  Nice to hear from you.
Marc Aramini

--=20

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