Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 17:46:11 -0600
From: James Jordan 
Subject: RE: (urth) Quetzal and Noah's Ark 

God said to Noah, "Build me an ark."
         Typhon said to Quetzal, "build me an ark." I don't think so. No 
reason to think Quetzal was on location.
         So how's this? Typhon took over Piaton and directed him to build 
an ark. God wanted a human being, made of flesh, to build the Ark. Typhon 
needed a body so that he/he could build his ark.
         Neat, but I don't think so. The analogy breaks down too quickly.
         Typhon is both God and Noah. Noah went on the ark with his wife 
and sons and their wives. Typhon goes on his ark as Pas, with with and 
family. That's the parallel and analogy.
         We'll get farther recognizing that Noah's Ark is a traditional 
symbol of the Church, a place where the whole old creation is preserved for 
a new creation to come. Common enough, and surely part of Wolfe's 
background (unlike some weird Mormon website). Starcrosser should be 
compared and contrasted with the Ship that carried Severian to Yesod. 
Everything "spiritual" about Typhon's ark is an inversion, a negative 
image, of the Church, since idolatry is a main theme, really THE main 
theme, of the Long Sun quartet. Starcrosser is an anti-ark that the 
Outsider decides to invade and save because of His love for human beings. 
The Outsider converts the Plan of Pas into HIS plan, and subverts the 
"plan" of Quetzal into His own larger Plan. Typhon is just an unwitting 
pawn in the Outsider's huge purpose -- just as Satan is just a pawn in the 
purpose of the Biblical God.
         That's the Big Picture, folks.

Nutria


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