From: "Robert Borski" <rborski@charter.net>
Subject: (whorl) Re: Re: Godlings
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 16:51:26 

Kevin J. Maroney writing:

<That seems contrary to the idea of "small godlings". If the Narrator is
indeed thinking of Pig a small godling, it seems odd to call him that when
he's only slightly larger than a normal human.>

Guess it depends on how you configure Pig's height. When Horn first
encounters him (perhaps significantly the chapter is entitled "Great Pas's
Godling"), he is in Silk's body, who is considered tall. Horn subsequently
describes how Pig's hands are twice his own size, and at one point how Pig's
elbow brushed his ear. My own elbows are located at about the 3/5 mark of my
total height (I'm 6'4"), which may mean Pig is as tall as ten feet. Robert
Pershing Wadlow--the tallest person ever in history according to
Guinness--was only 8' 11". So I'd argue that Pig's height may well fall
within the parameters that define "small" godlingness.

Rostrum then arguing:

<But one of the main arguments for Pig's demideity ("godlingness"?) is that
comment about his ears, suggesting some kind of biological kinship with the
big guy.>

The ear link is almost certainly valid. As is shared eye size and the thick
black nails. But to argue this implies biological affininity isn't
necessarily so--chems, after all, resemble human beings (at least
superficially) and aren't related to us except as mechanical simulacra.

<I agree, but if the godlings' purpose is to carry the gods to Blue, that
kind of negates your argument that they can be big because the Whorl's
apparent gravity is low.>

You're right, but only if the giant godling who picks up Horn is organic. In
my post I tried to account for how either biological or taluslike godlings
might be technologically feasible; my own belief is as I stated: i.e., that
the bigger godling is a talus, who, as a mechancial, shouldn't be that
impeded by heavier gravities. (Of course, we all know that gravity doesn't
work the same way in the Blue-Green system as it does on Earth, since it
allows the inhumi to fly from one to another and then back again.<gr>)

Pig, I don't think, even as big as he is, would find it that difficult to
manuever on Blue or Green--plus he may have had modifications like the
talents to improve his overall agility.

I'm also on record as stating that I believe the Mother is a godling and
meant to host Scylla, but this involves accepting my notion that Pas and the
other Mainframe gods are Neighbor-type aliens.

Re yet another discredited theory of mine--that Pig has assassinated Silk in
his manse--one of the objections raised is that the structure containing the
augur that Pig kills has doors big enough for Pig to go through without
kneeling. But manse, according to the OED, also means mansion, and doesn't
mansion connote big doors?

Robert Borski




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