From: m.driussi@genie.com
Subject: (whorl) Frags & Techies
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 97 02:55:00 GMT


[Posted from Whorl, the mailing list for Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun]

Reply:  Item #8204225 from WHORL@LISTS.BEST.COM@INET#

Vizcacha (!wow!),

I agree with you re: psychic fragments contaminating gods and mortals
alike.  This is one vector I can see that allows lovey-dovey Kypris
to get the ninja training we expect from Sphigx--they fought at some
time in the past, like girls do sometimes (link to Hyacinth and
Chenille), and Kypris learned the same tricks that Scylla has, for
instance.  All leading back (imho) to Severian's discussion with Ultan
about holograms; and the way that Tzadkiel can fragment and recombine.

Since Pas was the only one of the human monsters to take a god name,
he evolved towards becoming like that god.  The others evolved along
their monster names.

Re: alga's technicians turning off the theophanies.  While I agree
with your sentiment about there being some kind of physical (physics
related) relationship between human sacrifice and theophanies, alga
has a very strong case here.  Quetzal says,

"Before Kypris manifested here on Scylsday, the Windows of our city
had been empty for decades.  I can't take credit for that, it wasn't
my doing.  But I've done everything in my power to prevent theophanies.
It hasn't been much, but I've done what I could.  I proscribed human
sacrifice, and got it made law, for one thing.  I admit I'm proud of
that" (III, ch. 4, 147).

So alga appears to be correct-- a non-Quetzal agency did something that
stopped the gods from coming around.  But Quetzal also seems to say that
human sacrifice is one of the factors that will awaken the sleeping gods,
or contribute to theophanies.

Thus both sides are correct, yet the mystery remains: who put the
gods to sleep?  (Gee, maybe it had to do with the switch to card
currency?  Hadn't thought of that before.  The Lemuroid conspirators?)

Jerboa sacrificed a child?  I'll have to look into that!

=mantis=

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