Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 12:44:23 -0600
From: "Charles Reed" 
Subject: Re: (urth) Quetzal On Urth?

cilluff1@optonline.net wrote:

>Charles wrote:
>
><bugs me more than it should.  There are other theories floating around 
>that I don't agree with but that I can stomach because they at least 
>seem to be within the realm of possibility because their positions can 
>be argued from the *text*.  Examples of such theories include the Blue = 
>Ushas theory, and the theory that it was Severian who appeared to Horn 
>in the pit.......  
>
>In other words, if the inhumi can travel to Urth (as has been suggested of 
>Quetzal) then they've *got* to do that.  We would hear stories of them 
>on Urth, see one flying in the distance, observe people who don't eat, 
>can't run, and lick their chops when someone mentions blood.  Something. 
> Some indication.  But there's nothing.  No indication whatsoever that 
>any of the inhumi have ever been on Urth.>>
>
>Let me start by saying that I agree with your points, and generally don't
>think the inhumi were on Urth.  But just to put forth one possible textual
>reference, when I first starting reading Blue the inhumi reminded me of the
>bloodbats that bite Jolenta and Severian.  Perhaps these were the
>pre-evolved inhumi?  Jolenta's reaction to the bite were reminiscent of the
>child who was bitten that Silk attended to (the name slips my mind).
>


I always took the blood-bats to be actual bats, similar to South 
American vampire bats except larger and less afraid of attacking people 
than those we have on our "Earth."  Also, the physical reactions of 
anybody that loses a lot blood -- whether to a vampire bat, an inhumu, 
or a cut on the wrist -- would be the same, although the emotional 
reactions might quite different.


And as for some other creature evolving into the inhumi:  this could 
only happen if Urth somehow became . . . Green? . . . since that's the 
only place the inhumi can breed.  


By the way, I think the child's name was Teasel.


Charles

>



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