Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 11:31:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: Phoebe Davis 
Subject: Re: (urth) Re: Scylla & Oreb

My profound thanks to William Ansley who helped me set up my Yahoo
account properly.  Here's my post - its been tested successfully.  

I am rereading the Severian, LS, and SS books for the first time since
their publication. I started reading Wolfe when Shadow came out in mass
market and went on to purchase that and all his books since, and most
before, in first editions.  I owned a SF & Mystery bookstore in
Richmond, VA for 6 years (1988 - 1994) and Gene came twice to meet
local fans and sign books.  From my experience, Gene is a scholar and a
gentleman.  If he calls himself difficult, I think better to agree with
an earlier posting that he does not suffer fools gladly.  I took Gene
and Rosemary out to dinner each time they visited and could not have
asked for a better conversationalist or guests.  

Authorial behavior at cons or not often seems inexplicable and can be
confrontational.  No one would be surprised at anything Ellison did at
this point in his life after all.  Brilliant people are not usually
easy people.  I can't imagine there is any author who has not managed,
at the same con, to piss off one fan and delight another. 

Oreb has long intrigued me.  I'm about to finish Exodus and I
remembered from my first reading just how much I wanted to know what a
night chough looked like. Nigel (and other brits on this list) might be
familar with them.  Apologies if this has been covered, but last night
I went searching for choughs and found more than I bargained for.  This
is the best picture I found
http://www.fishing-in-wales.com/wildlife/birds/chough.htm.  They are in
the crow - or corvid -family.  I discovered that the chough (pronouced
chuff)is a protected species in Wales because the soul of King Arthur
migrated into a chough at his death.  I don't believe that Wolfe does
anything by accident and must be aware of that legend.  I had not
previously considered Wolfe's book in light of the Arthurian cycle but
the connections are obvious. Fisher King/Sleeping King -  Severian,
Syclla's possession of Oreb - migration of the soul into a chough.  I'm
sure you all will think of many more - or shoot this down of course. 
Can't say I see that much in common btw Syclla and Arthur but there it
is. 

Phoebe

(Hi David!)

--- "Roy C. Lackey"  wrote:
> (Reposted from yesterday's urth list glitch)
> 
> Andrew asked:
> 
> >>Forgive a newbie for rehashing old hash, but the archives are a bit
> chaotic on Scylla & Oreb. Is this a plausible reading:
> 
> Scylla possesses Oreb at the very beginning of NTLS, just as Silk is
> about
> sacrifice him (her?):<<
> 
> Scylla possessed Oreb when Silkhorn sacrificed at the Grand Manteion,
> just
> before being captured by Hari Mau (RTTW, 356). That is why Oreb
> disappeared
> for almost a year after Silkhorn was brought to Gaon--Scylla was
> looking for
> a glass so she could be uploaded again, lest she be trapped in Oreb.
> 
> -Roy
> 
> 
> 
> -- 


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