doubling of limbs, spirits in branches

maa32 · 08 Jan 2002, 03:54 · from whorl-v0013.mbox · original

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From: maa32 <maa32 at dana.ucc.nau.edu>
Subject: doubling of limbs, spirits in branches
Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2002 20:54:43 -0700
Message-ID: <whorl-v0013-whorl.v012.n184.1 at digest.urth.net>
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I want to thank Andy R. and Michael Andre-Druissi for at least looking at t=
hat=20
Blue as Ushas time-travel theory, and at least considering it.  Yes, I thin=
k=20
Typhon wanted loyal subjects to repopulate the Urth after its (virtual)=20
destruction (perhaps he had some presentiment of the world's future - he kn=
ew=20
enough to want the conciliator to serve him when he returned) and so sent t=
he=20
whorl on a big circular sojourn. After all, Patera Remorah will serve Pas'=20
purpose and actually WILL bring Pas to Blue, as is foretold in Silk's final=20
augury - they are building a window for Pas now.  Typhon has found a way to=20
rule Urth long after his defeat. The biggest problem is the doubling of lim=
bs,=20
that Andy so cogently brings up.  That bugs me, too.
 =20
All right, this is my best shot: the native inhabitants have adapted to the=
ir=20
environment, and these mutations have happened quickly and vegetatively.  I=
n=20
other words, I think that the liana vines (which is the narrator's staff an=
d=20
is the creature that makes him sick by always biting him) and the big trees=20
that they live off of are somehow the vanished people and a primitive form =
of=20
the inhumu.  The trees have branched out and adapted by eating animals and=20
becoming more like them (note how scared Horn is of the trees on Green when=
 he=20
describes them on Blue's waters as the most terrifying thing he ever=20
encountered, which no one will believe), replacing all indigineous life, bu=
t=20
why the limbs are doubled instead of tripled (or some other mutation)=20
absolutely escapes me. But they are identifiable, in some part, as analogs =
of=20
animals that once dwelt on Urth - there are crocodiles and some other speci=
es=20
that have become multi-limbed.  I think that those trees are important, the=
y=20
keep popping up.  But like I say, there are a lot of problems with my theor=
y=20
that may perhaps relegate it to "just a theory" for a while.  As Nutria=20
posits, the vanished people, if vegetable in nature, closely resemble the=20
green man that guides Severian.  I really think that the Malrubius/Silk=20
connection bears a lot further exploration, as well. =20
The time travel is DEFINITELY debatable - thanks for considering it, guys. =
On=20
the other hand, I am confident that Silk's staff is a liana, that the huge=20
trees that compose a few of the islands of Blue are actually somehow the=20
vanished people (they are like spirits in the trees), that some of Horn fle=
es=20
into Babbie at the end of On Blue's Waters, and that Chenille is on Blue in=
 a=20
drunken stupor mourning her children when Jahlee happens to feed on her (in=20
Lake of the Long Sun, a big deal is made of Chenille's huge drinking proble=
m -=20
and Jahlee says she feasts on a "big woman" and her speech is slurred as if=20
drunk). If you recall, Sinew had the ring that (the original) Horn died wit=
h,=20
and then may have sent it with Chenille after he repaired the lander, or sh=
e=20
may have escaped with it. I am also 100% certain that Seawrack is a spy and=20
Pig is a godling (I cheated on those.)
The idea that the vanished people and their animals are spirits that inters=
ect=20
a different dimension also might account for some kind of weird doubling: h=
ow=20
do animals appear when they intersect another plane of existence (or a high=
er=20
dimension)? Of course, maybe cacogens dropped a few multi-limbed beasts dow=
n=20
to keep humanity company as they evolved into multi-limbed vanished people.=
 =20
(and how do we account for the odd scene where the Neighbor names himself a=
s=20
Horn? That seems to imply that they are very similar - and He-pen-sheep, wh=
en=20
asked who the Neighbors are, points at Horn (perhaps not entirely because o=
f=20
his ring).)
I'll try to find more evidence one way or the other... hmmm.
Also, something to watch out for- we know that the gods are fleeing into=20
animals and down to Blue, and that Silk kills the bird Heirax by dumping  h=
im=20
off a roof in Nightside the Long Sun.  In Return to the Whorl, Silk (in Pig=
)=20
asserts that Heirax is dead.  Could any animal that the narrator has killed=
 in=20
self defense or sacrificed have been (the god) Heirax?  And if my theory th=
at=20
Salica's first story parallels the scene where Silk describes the statue of=20
the Gods to Pig and Hound, (remember the meanings of the Italian names?=20
Helmet=3DSphigx, Soldier=3DPig, Strego=3DSilk, Bird=3DScylla, Joy=3DPhea,=20
Solemnity=3DMolpe, Salica=3D? (Echidna? her statue was discussed there - ma=
ybe=20
Thyone...)then Heirax parallels the death adder that died and continued to=20
kill EVERYBODY with a fragment of himself until they find him in a boot and=20
remove his fang.  (it's weird  how only  a few of the statues are described=
 in=20
the scene, and those ones match up nicely with the names from Salica's stor=
y.)=20
Just something small that might make more sense of the struggle going on in=20
Mainframe.
Marc Aramini

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