Quetzal in orbit

Charles Reed · 19 Nov 2002, 16:54 · from urth-v0211.mbox · original

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From: "Charles Reed" <cmreed at link.com>
Subject: Re: (urth) Quetzal in orbit
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 10:54:29 -0600
Message-ID: <urth-v0211-2183 at digest.urth.net>
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cilluff1 at optonline.net wrote:

><<<Quetzal speaking
>"'...Before Kypris manifested here on Scylsday, the Windows of our city=20
>had been empty for decades.  I can't take credit for that, it wasn't my=20
>doing.  But I've done everything in my power to prevent theophanies.  It=20
>hasn't been much, but I've done what I could.  I proscribed human=20
>sacrifice, and got it made law, for one thing.  I admit I'm proud of that.=
'"
>...>>>
>
>This is something that has puzzled me, although I have only just started
>reading Green so perhaps it becomes clear.  But, why did Quetzal try to
>prevent any more theophanies?
>

I think Quetzal wanted to prevent theophanies so that the populace=20
wouldn't be informed that Pas was dead.  (Of course, this is exactly=20
what happened when Echidna appeared at the Sun Street Manteion during=20
Rose's funeral rites, even though very few people actually heard what=20
she said.)  Quetzal wants the Plan of Pas carried out, and anything that=20
could hinder that -- such as the other gods showing up in sacred windows=20
and telling everybody that the Pas is dead -- is what he works against.

>  I have no real answer, or even theory, but
>only some musings that touch upon the subject.  Pas chose Blue and Green as
>the destinations for the Whorl -- clearly the Whorl didn't arrive there at
>random, and Pas (or Typhon, I should say) must have been familiar enough
>with them to know they would be habitable to humans. =20
>

OK so far.

>Presumably, then, he
>knew about the inhumi as well, yet he still chose Blue and Green as
>destinations.
>

Not true.  Here are Gene Wolfe's own words, which you can find in volume=20
6 of the Whorl archives:  "Typhon did not know about the inhumi [and]=20
would have done everything possible to keep them out of the Whorl if he=20
had."  And besides, even if he had known about the inhumi from his=20
palaces on Urth, he would only have seen them as the beasts they were --=20
they could not have assumed human form until the Whorl, loaded with=20
humans, actually arrived in their system and became food for them.

>  Why?  Was he "in cahoots" with the inhumi (and is that how
>Quetzal got on board the Whorl?)?  After all, Quetzal speaks fondly of Pas
>(the type of person who loves a bird so much he sets them free) but not so
>nicely about the other "gods" (they are the type who cage those they love).
>

Quetzal speaks fondly of Pas because he agrees with Pas's plan.  He=20
wants the humans to come down to Green so that the other inhumi can be=20
elevated above the bestial level they have been living at ever since the=20
Neighbors departed.

>The other "gods" of the Whorl stymied Pas' Plan to bring humanity to Blue
>and Green for years, perhaps because they knew of the inhumi -- is this why
>they killed Pas, to prevent the delivery of humanity into the hands of the
>inhumi?
>

I don't think so.  I think Quetzal's assessment is accurate -- they cage=20
what they love.  They also love being gods, and know they wouldn't be=20
gods if there were no people aboard the Whorl to worship them.  It might=20
be argued that they could have set themselves up as gods on Blue and=20
Green as well, and I don't really have a could counter-argument for=20
that, other than to guess that Pas kept his plans for transferring=20
godhood planetside pretty close to the vest.  That is, they didn't know=20
how.  Kind-of weak, I know, but it's the best I can come up with.

>and is it also why Quetzal made such efforts to prevent theophanies?
>

Again, I don't think so.  Quetzal wants the humans to go to Green.  He=20
wants the Plan of Pas to succeed.  He wants the inhumi to become "human"=20
like he has become "human" because as Horn notes on at least a couple of=20
occasions in Short Sun books, without humanity the inhumu would be=20
nothing more than mindless beasts.

Charles

--=20

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