From: "Endymion9" <endymion9@mindspring.com>
Subject: (whorl) Finally finished RTW <SPOILERS>
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 20:33:36 

"Bob Musser" <rmusser@mindspring.com> wrote:

>I think the carnage which follows Silk around is one of the
>frightening aspects of his goodness.  He doesn't instigate it; it
>flows from the responses of those who fear him.  I'm starting to re-
>read the series and haven't revisited Green as yet, so I'm not sure if
>the same theory can be applied to Horn's actions there.


Reminded me of the crusades and the Spanish Inquisition.  Many leaders have
thought they were warring on others "in the name of God."  Also, reminds me
of a skit on the old tv show "Laugh-In" where it showed an American,
Englishman, Frenchman, German, Italian, and Japanese soldier each in his
foxhole.  Each said "And we will prevail because God is on our side." or
something similar.  I think the punchline was each was struck by lightening
but I can't clearly remember <grin>.


Ok.  I'm always better at asking questions than answering them in this group
so I'll begin my list now.

1.  Why did Nettle chose to return to the Whorl?  Especially since if I
understood the ending, Horn's personality disappeared or was totally
absorbed into Silk's.  His memories remained, I'm sure but his personality
died.  Or course I know Nettle had a love for Silk like Horn did, so was
this the reason she returned with him?

As I continue to read other's posts (catching up) I agree with mantis
suggestion that it wa not safe for Nettle to say on Blue as she knows the
inhuma secret.

2. Revelations.  Call me dense but I never understood that Maytera Mint was
not a chem.  I thought every Maytera was a chem.  So it was just coincidence
that Maytera Rose and Maytera Marble were?  Also, thinking of Mint made me
realize that Wolfe reused a similar pattern in the *good* men of the Whorl.
Silk
Horn
Bison
Hound
Auk
They all loved their women deeply and would sacrifice their ideals and
principles for those women.

3.  Why did the corn farmer attack Horn, even after he said he was leaving?
Why give him the corn just to kill him?  When Wolfe writes passages like
these I feel so dense, like I'm the only one clueless as to what is going on
<grin>.

4.  Considering why Silk returned to the Whorl and decided to leave
Blue/Green after the godling received a report of Blue/Green's condition
from Horn.  Someone earlier asked if the colonists were going to suceed in
colonizing Blue/Green or would the inhuma wipe them out?  It seems to me
that Silk has decided to condemn the Blue/Green colonists to death.  It's
not clear if the Whorl had the resources to help them win anyway with all
the embreyos being misused before they got to Blue/Green.  If this is so,
why wouldn't Silk/Horn take his sons with him back to the Whorl also?

5.  I saw no evidence that the Whorl had used resources from Blue/Green
returning landers to resupply the ship.  The ship seemed in bad shape in
Exile before we saw it even further run down in RTW.  How do the gods expect
their worshippers to survive for very long if they are just travelling
without a specific destination as was suggested in another post?

6.  Just saw a mention of Fava.  Was Fava's spirit residing in Mora or was
it merely Mora creating a memory of Fava like Hoof did of Hide (or vice
versa if I'm remembering it backwards).

7.  There has been mention of why Silk would be interested in Seawrack.  As
was discussed in some of the "Lily" posts earlier I still wonder if it was
Kypris more than Hyacinth that Silk was "in love" with.  Someone mentioned
Seawrack possibly containing a god.  Kypris?  Is this Silk continuing his
love affair with Kypris?

8.  I'm still confused about the Neighbors.  Where are they now?  Why are
the inhuma not a threat to them now?  Why did they want a promise that they
could come and go on Blue?  They seem to have introduced inhuma to the
Whorl, possibly in a preemptive attack on invaders?

Just read this
dd@adobe.com (David DiGiacomo) wrote:
>The Neighbors of Green sent their slave inhumi to prey on the Neighbors of
>Blue.  Once that source of blood was exhausted, the inhumi turned on the
>Neighbors of Green, ultimately destroying their civilization.
>
>It would not be very satisfying if these very bad Neighbors could escape
>the consequences of their evil through astral travel.  It makes more sense
>to me that they were damned and died in the hell of Green.  Like the
>people of Viron, they seem to have neglected to bring their gods with
>them, and suffered greatly as a result.
>
>On the other hand, the Neighbors on Blue would have had the assistance of
>their gods in developing astral travel.  Perhaps they "went away" in order
>to avoid having to kill all the inhumi.

Where did they "go away"?

9.  It seems to be the Silk personality that hates and wants to destroy
inhumi vs. Horn's trying to live in peace with them.  Why does Silk hate the
inhumi?  Is this from Pas's knowledge of them?

Whew <wiping brow) Not through catching up but I'll send this now and read
the rest of the posts I've missed and probably ask more questions later. :)




Dennis/Endy
http://home.mindspring.com/~endymion9/index.htm


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