From: "Alice Turner" <pei047@attglobal.net>
Subject: (whorl) Re: Digest whorl.v011.n029
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 11:29:29 

From Sieur Borski:

> alga then continuing:
>
> <This may well be true in "The Night Chough," which only you and
mantis seem
> to have read. But there's not a tweak of evidence for it in the five
books
> we have all read. Scylla has apparently been there (for the story),
done
> that and skedaddled.>
>
> I'm curious, alga, if you have any thoughts about why then in GREEN's
Proper
> Names In The Text, Wolfe parenthetically includes information about
how
> Scylla is "also a sea-monster of the Red Sea Whorl"--since it doesn't
seem
> to play (selon toi) a part in the Green narrative at all. Also curious
if
> you're still holding to your Mother-as-undine theory, and how you fit
> undines into the Short Sun weltanschauung.

The Red Sun Whorl is, of course, Urth. And if Urth is Earth in any way
Scylla is indeed a sea-monster of ancient mythology. But I have no idea
why wicked Mr. Wolfe identified her that way and I agree that it seems
left fieldish. I had forgotten that I ever advanced the Mother-as-undine
theory--you have a good memory! No, I don't hold to it now; the Mother
seems rather more complicated than an undine. I wonder if we will ever
know more about her--perhaps not. There are some equally mysterious
Mothers in German mythology that continue to baffle.

> Falcon then ruminating:
>
> <Just because Oreb sees Scylla in the lake and another person sees
Scylla
> walking beside Oreb and someone else doesn't prove that Oreb is being
ridden
> by Scylla.  What we see of Scylla, for example when she rides
Chenille, is a
> personality that exhibits vicious and bloodthirsty characteristics
utterly
> foreign to Oreb's character. [snip] A Scylla-ridden Oreb would be a
much
> different, and less likable and wise, bird.>
>
> Oreb, in "The Night Chough," is a somewhat more sinister figure, even
going
> so far as to suggest which weapons Starling use to avenge the murder
of his
> girlfriend. Then again, the murderers (who also sexually assault Lily)
are
> hardly sympathetic figures. (Hurry up, Kevin M. and reread the story.
Surely
> others on the list have read TNC?)

I suppose Wombat will take me to task for copyright violation if I
publically wonder if anyone could be persuaded to photocopy this story
and pass it out to those interested. (In fact, Wombat, it's not a
violation if it's for private use.) If someone sent ME a copy, I would
gladly act as a conduit just so we could all figure out what we're
talking about here.

-alga


*This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun.
*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.moonmilk.com/whorl/
*To leave the list, send "unsubscribe" to whorl-request@lists.best.com
*If it's Wolfe but not Long Sun, please use the URTH list: urth@lists.best.com