From: Charles Dye <raster@highfiber.com>
Subject: Re: (whorl) Spoiler on the connection between New Sun/Long Sun
Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 09:43:29

At 10:10 PM 2/16/99, Robert Patterson wrote:

>I noticed in the archives a discussion of the derivation of some of the
>Long Sun words. The one I saw for "talus" failed to give the most
>important  reference. Talus was a demigod character in Spencer's "The
>Fairie Queen" who accompanied one of the knights on many of his
>adventures. He was invincibly strong, fairly stupid, and rather
>unpleasant for a "good" guy. His whole purpose was to implement justice
>untempered by mercy or extenuating circumstances. In one scene he
>slaughtered an entire town for a minor infraction. He was similar to
>Long Sun taluses in many important ways, and I am certain that is where
>Wolfe got the name.

Not bad.  Not bad at all -- this fits the Long Sun taluses nicely!

But doesn't Mr. Wolfe explicitly mention guard robots under the Talos
entry in "Onomastics?"  A role Dr. Talos actually plays in Chapter
XXXV of _Sword_ -- there's one small connection for you.

raster@highfiber.com



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