urth-urth.net Digest, Vol 6, Issue 13

James Wynn · 08 Feb 2005, 13:36 · from 2005-February.txt.gz

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From: thewynns at earthlink.net (James Wynn)
Date: Tue Feb  8 13:36:31 2005
Subject: (urth) RE: urth-urth.net Digest, Vol 6, Issue 13
References: <0E50DE328EBD6F4FA7F07A31A12AE34F239C66 at MCLNEXVS02.resource.ds.bah.com>
	<003601c50e24$e84848b0$a51b0101 at gensym.com>
Message-ID: <006001c50e26$3fc18380$4c1e4b0a at vcorp.ad.vrsn.com>

>My recollection is that Wolfe has stated that the pagan gods actually
>existed, and were in effect, demons. This is, I think, a conservative but
>orthodox position within the Catholic Church.

I think it was the Apostle Paul who suggested that the pagan gods were
demons. In the only quote I know of about this, Wolfe said he believed that
they existed but the only mistake was in worshipping them. I haven't
rechecked the quote but I don't think he elaborated more except to say his
ideas were contrary to the RCC.

>So in short, I think that Wolfe's thinking on the matter (at least as
>expressed in his fiction) has refined itself since his comments about the
>pagan gods, which I believe were contemporaneous with _Soldier in the
Mist_.
>Of course, the Overcyns also seem to be somewhat nicer than the Greek gods,
>and nicer than the actual Norse pantheon.

Weren't the gods in the Soldier novels at least as god-like as the Overcyns?
Now the gods of the Whorl-- *they* were demons.

~ Crush

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