From: "James Wynn"
Subject: (urth) RE: Typhon and Apollodorus
Date: Mon, 1 Jul 2002 12:57:53 -0500
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The following is the story of Typhon’s war with Zeus and the Olympians as
told by Apollodorus. It is a story that seems rife with potential background
for Wolfe’s Typhon. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find anyone to take Zeus’
role. The bit about Typhon’s head brushing the stars and his reach extending
to the west and east is certainly applicable. Also, when Severian finds
Typhon, he can be thought of as entombed in a mountain.
Can anyone find a stand-in for Zeus in the Sun books? Surely not Severian,
he’s Apollo (who according to Apollonius Rhodius killed Delphyne) or
Hercules. Nor Ymar since, if I’m right about Typhon being entombed in a
mountain ala Mt Etna, the end of Typhon’s war with Zeus occurs shortly after
the prophecy of the Concilliator in the Urth of the New Sun. Perhaps
Tzadkiel? But I’m not aware of any evidence that the Hieros ever so
completely fleeing before Typhon. Perhaps the war is personified in the
dying red Sun that Severian must rejuvenate. Whadya say?
-- Crush
Apollodorus, Book 1, Chapter 6, Section 3
“When the gods had overcome the giants, Earth, still more enraged, had
intercourse with Tartarus and brought forth Typhon in Cilicia, a hybrid
between man and beast. In size and strength he surpassed all the offspring
of Earth. As far as the thighs he was of human shape and of such prodigious
bulk that he out-topped all the mountains, and his head often brushed the
stars. One of his hands reached out to the west and the other to the east,
and from them projected a hundred dragons' heads. From the thighs downward
he had huge coils of vipers, which when drawn out, reached to his very head
and emitted a loud hissing. His body was all winged, unkempt hair streamed
on the wind from his head and cheeks; and fire flashed from his eyes. Such
and so great was Typhon when, hurling kindled rocks, he made for the very
heaven with hissings and shouts, spouting a great jet of fire from his
mouth. But when the gods saw him rushing at heaven, they fled to Egypt, and
being pursued they changed their forms into those of animals.
However Zeus pelted Typhon at a distance with thunderbolts, and at close
quarters struck him down with an adamantine sickle…”
Note from Crush: This is, of course, the same sickle that Cronus used to
castrate Ouranos–that is, to “cut the link between Earth and the Heavens”
ala the Hittite myth of Ullikummi. The connection between Typhon and
Ullikummi is drawn credulously by Robert Graves as well as Hittite mythology
scholars. Ullikummi was the child of the obscure god, Kum-arbis, who
precisely parallels Cronus. It was Kum-arbis who separated Earth from Heaven
with the knife used against Ullikummi.
Apollodorus continues:
“…and as Typhon fled, Zeus pursued him closely as far as Mount Casius, which
overhangs Syria. There, seeing the monster sore wounded, he grappled with
him. But Typhon twined about him and gripped him in his coils, and wresting
the sickle from him severed the sinews of his hands and feet, and lifting
him on his shoulders carried him through the sea to Cilicia and deposited
him on arrival in the Corycian cave. Likewise he put away the sinews there
also, hidden in a bearskin, and he set to guard them the she-dragon
Delphyne, who was a half-bestial maiden.
But Hermes and Aegipan stole the sinews and fitted them unobserved to Zeus.
And having recovered his strength Zeus suddenly from heaven, riding in a
chariot of winged horses, pelted Typhon with thunderbolts and pursued him to
the mountain called Nysa, where the Fates beguiled the Typhon; for he tasted
of the ephemeral fruits believing that he would be strengthened by them. So
being again pursued he came to Thrace, and in fighting at Mount Haemus he
heaved whole mountains. But when these recoiled on him through the force of
the thunderbolt, a stream of blood gushed out on the mountain, and they say
that from that circumstance the mountain was called Haemus. And when he
started to flee through the Sicilian sea, Zeus cast Mount Etna in Sicily
upon him. That is a huge mountain, from which down to this day they say that
blasts of fire issue from the thunderbolts that were thrown. So much for
that subject.”
--
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The following
is the story of Typhon’s war with Zeus and the Olympians as told =
by
Apollodorus. It is a story that seems rife with potential background for
Wolfe’s Typhon. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find anyone =
to take Zeus’ role.
The bit about Typhon’s head brushing the stars and his reach =
extending to the
west and east is certainly applicable. Also, when Severian finds Typhon, =
he can
be thought of as entombed in a mountain.
Can anyone
find a stand-in for Zeus in the Sun books? Surely not Severian, =
he’s Apollo
(who according to Apollonius Rhodius killed Delphyne) or Hercules. Nor =
Ymar
since, if I’m right about Typhon being entombed in a mountain ala =
Mt Etna, the
end of Typhon’s war with Zeus occurs shortly after the prophecy of =
the
Concilliator in the Urth of the New Sun. Perhaps Tzadkiel? But I’m =
not aware of
any evidence that the Hieros ever so completely fleeing before Typhon. =
Perhaps
the war is personified in the dying red Sun that Severian must =
rejuvenate.
Whadya say?
-- =
Crush
Apollodorus,
Book 1, Chapter 6, Section 3
“When the
gods had overcome the giants, Earth, still more enraged, had intercourse =
with
Tartarus and brought forth Typhon in Cilicia, a hybrid between man and =
beast.
In size and strength he surpassed all the offspring of Earth. As far as =
the
thighs he was of human shape and of such prodigious bulk that he =
out-topped all
the mountains, and his head often brushed the stars. One of his hands =
reached
out to the west and the other to the east, and from them projected a =
hundred
dragons' heads. From the thighs downward he had huge coils of vipers, =
which
when drawn out, reached to his very head and emitted a loud hissing. His =
body
was all winged, unkempt hair streamed on the wind from his head and =
cheeks; and
fire flashed from his eyes. Such and so great was Typhon when, hurling =
kindled
rocks, he made for the very heaven with hissings and shouts, spouting a =
great
jet of fire from his mouth. But when the gods saw him rushing at heaven, =
they
fled to Egypt, and being pursued they changed their forms into those of
animals.
However Zeus
pelted Typhon at a distance with thunderbolts, and at close quarters =
struck him
down with an adamantine =
sickle…”
Note from
Crush: This is, of course, the same sickle that Cronus used to castrate
Ouranos–that is, to “cut the link between Earth and the =
Heavens” ala the
Hittite myth of Ullikummi. The connection between Typhon and Ullikummi =
is drawn
credulously by Robert Graves as well as Hittite mythology scholars. =
Ullikummi
was the child of the obscure god, Kum-arbis, who precisely parallels =
Cronus. It
was Kum-arbis who separated Earth from Heaven with the knife used =
against
Ullikummi.
Apollodorus
continues:
“…and as
Typhon fled, Zeus pursued him closely as far as Mount Casius, which =
overhangs
Syria. There, seeing the monster sore wounded, he grappled with him. But =
Typhon
twined about him and gripped him in his coils, and wresting the sickle =
from him
severed the sinews of his hands and feet, and lifting him on his =
shoulders
carried him through the sea to Cilicia and deposited him on arrival in =
the
Corycian cave. Likewise he put away the sinews there also, hidden in a
bearskin, and he set to guard them the she-dragon Delphyne, who was a =
half-bestial
maiden.
But Hermes
and Aegipan stole the sinews and fitted them unobserved to Zeus. And =
having
recovered his strength Zeus suddenly from heaven, riding in a chariot of =
winged
horses, pelted Typhon with thunderbolts and pursued him to the mountain =
called
Nysa, where the Fates beguiled the Typhon; for he tasted of the =
ephemeral
fruits believing that he would be strengthened by them. So being again =
pursued
he came to Thrace, and in fighting at Mount Haemus he heaved whole =
mountains.
But when these recoiled on him through the force of the thunderbolt, a =
stream
of blood gushed out on the mountain, and they say that from that =
circumstance
the mountain was called Haemus. And when he started to flee through the
Sicilian sea, Zeus cast Mount Etna in Sicily upon him. That is a huge =
mountain,
from which down to this day they say that blasts of fire issue from the
thunderbolts that were thrown. So much for that =
subject.”