The Secret

stilskin · 01 Sep 2000, 05:31 · from whorl-v0011.mbox · original

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From: stilskin at sff.net
Subject: (whorl) The Secret
Date: 1 Sep 2000 05:31:02
Message-ID: <whorl-v0011-0208 at digest.urth.net>
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I think there are clues to the secret planted right from the start of the L=
ong Sun books.  After all, Quetzal is an inhumu, and we come to know him be=
tter in many ways than the other inhumu characters in OBW and IGJ.  We know=
 that Quetzal has been on the Whorl for generations.  Nor is he the only in=
humu aboard.  Silk ministers to one of Orchid's girls after she's been bitt=
en, and does the same for a little girl in his congregation whose name esca=
pes me at the moment.  Indeed, there is a very suggestive episode in the fi=
rst Long Sun book, shortly after the revived Oreb makes his appearance, in =
which Silk awakens from a troubled dream and sees a shadowy figure, which h=
e mistakes for Oreb, leaving his room -- I can't prove it, but I suspect th=
is is an inhumu, perhaps even Quetzal himself.  Has Silk been bitten?  Agai=
n, I can't prove it.  But it's interesting to think about.

On the subject of Oreb and the Night Chough, I'm with Alga all the way.  Cl=
early Scylla is speaking through Oreb as Mr. Borski says, but these are jus=
t as clearly isolated incidents.  All that is established in the story is s=
omething we knew before:  namely, that Oreb is sometimes ridden by a god.  =
That god, in my opinion, is not always Scylla.  In fact, I defy anyone to p=
rove to me that Scylla has ever ridden Oreb before the occasions in this st=
ory, or after it. I remain attached to my original theory that one of the p=
ieces of Pas was (or still is) in Oreb.  Here's another suggestive point:  =
Oreb is portrayed very often as perching upon Silk's (and in TNC, Starling'=
s) shoulder.  Hmmm. . . .  A second, talking head upon a man's shoulder?  W=
here have we seen this before?

What's interesting is that TNC seems to be set on Blue.  If Scylla has made=
 the journey, why couldn't the others as well?  I'm about to start rereadin=
g OBW, after plowing through all the Long Sun books again, and TNC, so perh=
aps I'll pick up some clues along these lines that I missed the first time =
. . ..=20

Falcon

www.sff.net/people/stilskin
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