From: "Jeff Veyera" 
Subject: RE: (urth) Quetzal On Urth? (responding to Charles' arguments)
Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 17:32:49 -0800

: Second, I assert that my arguments -- that Quetzal was on Urth and
manipulated Typhon to start the Whorl project -- is textually supported.
Quetzal is *clearly* (clear to me anyway) identifying himself with the cobra
in the A-man/Wo-man story (the story is in the Chrasmological Writings btw).
He could not have enticed A-man and Wo-man into his tree from Green (as far
as I can see). Therefore he had to be on Urth. This is textual evidence.:

Sure, it's in the text, but we're arguing meaning, not existence.  Could it
not be that Quetzal mentioned it because he felt like the snake in Viron,
luring the Vironese to the tree (Green) so that they could be fed upon?
This seems to be less of a leap than Quetzal as the mastermind of the Whorl.

:Furthermore, if, as Wolfe said, Typhon did not know about the inhumi, then
neither he nor his scientists had ever been to Green. This seems reasonable
from the way the Plan played out. So he sent this massive project to a star
system without reconnaissance - no recon by mirrors nor by the sort of ship
Severian rode in. That's faith, man. What reason did he have to believe
there were inhabitable planets there? My explanation is that he was assured
that there were hospitable planets by Quetzal. That's not textual evidence,
but it's not extra-textual either. It's just making sense of the narrative.
Perfectly fair.:

Again, Occam's Razor applies.  There WAS an earlier interstellar empire, was
there not?  Could Typhon have learned of Blue and Green from his
excavations?  I seem to recall a reference to the mines of Saltus containing
a vast amount of artifacts from the earlier civilization---might a star map
be one of them?

No ranting, just wondering.

Teflon


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