Pas[sing] as Urthling

Robert Borski · 12 Mar 2001, 17:00 · from whorl-v0012.mbox · original

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From: "Robert Borski" <rborski at charter.net>
Subject: (whorl) Pas[sing] as Urthling
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2001 17:00:59
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First Alex Groce wrote:

<Fine and well, but you still haven't dealt with the fact that when Severian
meets Typhon in SWORD, Typhon doesn't remotely resemble a Neighbor, in any
way, form, or fashion. Indeed, if he's a Neighbor, the grafting of a human's
head onto his shoulder seems unlikely in the extreme.>

Then batting second Kevin Maroney added:

<Pas's second head is artificial. This is explicitly stated in _New Sun_.
Typhon doesn't show any evidence of having any other attribute of the
Neighbors, including a long nose, an excess of limbs, etc. I wouldn't
presume to call something that obvious a "coincidence", but I think that the
connection is more subtle than that.>

Gentlemen, you both need to reread SWORD or increase your dosage of gingko
biloba because your memory apparatus is slightly skewed.

Observe what Typhon tells Severian near the end of Chapter XXV:

"No, I was not born as I am, or born at all, as you meant it. Nor was Piaton
grafted to me. _I was grafted to him._"

So no, of course, Piaton-Typhon doesn't resemble a Neighbor in any way, form
or fashion because Piaton is a human and Typhon's head is grafted to him,
not Piaton's head to Typhon's body.

For all we know Typhon's body--the part we never see (although I hear the
autopsy photos may soon appear on FOX)--could have any number of limbs, or
even one hundred heads, like the Typhon of Classical Mythology.

Factoring in the "I was not born as I am, or born at all" leaves even more
wriggle room, no?

Robert Borski

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