Molpe seems to leave a message for Silk in a shop window, but he fails to see it (see MYSTERIES). She is also the subject of one of the three paintings in the cenoby at Sun Street (see PAINTINGS).
Myth: (Greek) one of the Sirens, her name is a word for “music.”
Moly Hammerstone’s lost sweetheart, a housemaid whose full name was Molybdenum (IV, chap. 11, 232). Possibly the ultimate origin of prosthetic parts used by Rose, and then by Marble. Last seen (in the form of Marble) in the group heading for the lander (IV, chap. 16, 369).
Myth: (Greek) in Homer’s Odyssey, Moly is the mythical herb that is the only protection against the metamorphosizing magic of Circe.
Molybdenum a chem maid. See MOLY.
Mineral: (from Greek molubdos, meaning “lead”) a hard, gray metallic element used to toughen steel alloys.
Moorgrass “the woman who prepared the body of Orchid’s daughter for burial” (IV, list), and later tries to do the same for Quetzal’s body onboard the lander (IV, My Defense, 381).
Botany: Sundew, Droseia rotundifolia; Silverweed, Pontentilla anserina; a grass of the genus Molinia, especially M. caerulea, blue moor-grass; the cotton-grass, Eriophorum angustifolium.
Moray, Patera “the augur murdered by Eft” (III, list) at the jewelry shop on Gold Street (III, chap. 6, 252).
Zoology: a name for various tropical species of eel belonging to the family Muraenidae.
Mountains That Look At Mountains a ring of snow-capped mountains that separates Mainframe from the rest of the Whorl. Nettle says they look like a lamprey’s mouth, round with rings and rings of teeth (IV, chap. 16, 355).
Mucor “daughter” of Blood (I, chap. 5, 127), she is actually a COLD ONE brought to term in a surrogate mother (perhaps Orchid). Silk says she is one of Molpe’s children, meaning that she is insane (I, chap. 5, 128). But he may be literally correct. Later Silk says she is Hierax’s child (III, chap. 2, 73). Hierax is one of the few things, if not the only thing, Mucor is afraid of (II, chap. 9, 243).
Mucor says the lynxes are her children, and she did give birth to them (I, chap. 5, 130).
Mucor can leave her body to search around and possess people, but torturing her body brings her back to it (III, chap. 7, 275).
Mucor’s Possessions (in order of appearance)
• Marten, Teasel’s father (I, chap. 9, 218).
• At Orchid’s place: Orpine (I, chap. 10, 248), and other prostitutes before her, including Poppy (chap. 11, 287; 289–90), Crassula (289), and Violet (289). Always violent, ripping clothes, etc.
• Mamelta and other sleepers before her (II, chap. 9, 242–46).
• Cassava, the pious old woman (III, chap. 4, 124). After Echidna’s possession of Marble/Rose (where she sacrifices Musk and tries to get Villus), Mucor possesses Cassava and is violent with needler.
• Remora at Ermine’s (III, chap. 7, 273).
• Asphodella the schoolgirl, through whom Mucor reveals herself to her grandmother Marble/Rose (III, chap. 10, 361).
• Sciathan the Flier (IV, chap. 5, 85), which touches off combat there.
• Saba at the dinner party (IV, chap. 9, 183; chap. 10, 199). Saba below the airship (IV, chap. 14, 292). Saba on the airship (IV, chap. 14, 307).
• Horn on top of the airship gondola (IV, chap. 15, 342).
• Sleepers to awaken them for the exodus (IV, chap. 16, 359).
Mucor is last seen in the group heading for the lander (IV, chap. 16, 369).
Botany: mold, any of various fungus growths fanned on the surface of organic matter.
Medical: mucus, the viscous liquid secreted as a protective lubricant coating by glands in the mucous membrane.
Commentary: Mucor is very powerful, almost like one of the gods. She doesn’t need a monitor, but she does need her window; and while she can possess anyone, she cannot download expert systems into people in the way that transforms Mint into a Military Genius and Auk into a Great Engineer; nor do her fragments, if any exist, have much life on their own beyond being a binary switch “psychic channel open.” The gods also have some control over ship systems, which Mucor lacks; and those whom the gods possess receive superhuman powers.
So Mucor is something like a young female Hermes, herald of the gods, psychopomp of the dead, opener of the ways, trickster. But she’s not quite yet up to god strength, not yet incorporated into Mainframe/Mount Olympus.
Murtagon “a famous artist, now dead” (III, list; III, chap. 10, 338; IV, chap. 1, 19). See PAINTINGS.
Botany: a non-English spelling for Martagon, purplish red lily, Lily martagon, known as Turkish red cap.
Music Street parallel to Lamp and one block east (IV, chap. 1, 25). Orchid’s place combines two buildings: a house on Lamp and a former manteion on Music. The Music Street entrance is the more discrete entryway into the brothel.
musical instruments an assortment of devices from the text:
• Cello: cellos of the woods of Mainframe (II, chap. 2, 46); yellow goblets and chocolate cellos that danced across the carpet (III, chap. 8, 297).
• Flute: Rose’s flute (II, chap. 2, 46).
• Lyrichord: name of a suite at Ermine’s (IV, chap. 11, 212).
• Zither and dusty bassoon (IV, chap. 1, 25). See MYSTERIES.
musical tunes see SONGS.
Musk “Blood’s steward and lover” (II, list); “Blood’s sadistic young killer; a competent tenor and a lover of raptorial birds” (III, list); “Blood’s lover and chief subordinate, killed by Marble” (IV, list). First seen in I, chap. 3, 86. His hobby is falconry, with which he plans to bring down a Flier. Perhaps he is the “woman” Blood had said he had promised he would pray for (III, chap. 4, 144).
Musk is easily aroused to acts of violence. After the exorcism of Orchid’s place, he does a mock-stabbing of Silk. After Echidna’s theophany, he shoots at Silk with a needler, a narrow miss, then he is seized by the Echidna-possessed Marble/Rose, who sacrifices him to Echidna.
Zoology: an odorous substance secreted by an Asian deer, used in perfumery (from Persian “muskh”). Thus, of a type in common with blood and mucor.
mutes the professional mourners at funerals in Viron (II, chap. 2, 34). Part of the funereal customs.
mysteries there are a number of mysteries, to be sure, but here are two minor ones that have no other place to go:
The identity of the person who chalked the first slogan “Silk for Caldé.” (See GULO.)
The mystery of the zither and the dusty bassoon. This appears to be a message for Silk from a god, but one he does not see. It occurs when Silk is frantically searching for Hyacinth after she had been taken by Auk. His litter-bearers are running down Lamp Street, a block west of Music Street where he wants to go (to enter Orchid’s place by the old manteion side). They turn east onto a narrow street that Silk does not recognize. Silk has just been saying it is up to the gods, and then he rhetorically asks Oreb what Auk wanted with Hyacinth. “As he spoke, the litter sped past a shop with a zither and a dusty bassoon in its window. But Caldé Silk of Viron did not see them” (IV, chap. 1, 25).
Musical instruments are signs of Molpe. Music Street, which is near the shop, also points to Molpe. Molpe gave the kite builder the wind he prayed for, and it may be that she is trying to give Silk a message here.
Zither and bassoon seem to appear together in comedic opera. Marinelli’s “The Magic Zither” (1791) is a fairy tale opera wherein the hero, Prince Armidoro, has a magic zither and his cheerful companion Kaspar has a magic bassoon. It includes all sorts of magic adventure, and perhaps significantly, the marriages of two couples (Armidoro and Sidi, and Kaspar and Sidi’s confidante). “The Dead Bassoon” (Der Todte Fagott) by Conradin Kreutzer (1780–1849) is a humorous piece with operatic flavor. Again zitherist and bassoonist are companions, the zitherist trying to woo a girl, but the sound of his companion’s bassoon causes the girl’s father to murder his daughter, the zitherist, and the bassoonist.
N
Nemesis a month of the ye
ar in the calendar of Viron. Nemesis is an autumn month (I, chap. 13, 318), probably the first because a few days after the end of Nemesis autumn is “half spent” (III, chap. 10, 337). Nemesis is thus analogous to October in the Northern Hemisphere. Nemesis is the beginning of the school year (I, chap. 2, 44). Doctor Crane complains that when autumn-weather comes, the temperature will fluctuate between ten and ten below, “as if chained to the freezing point” (I, chap. 13, 318): thus a range between 50 degrees F and 14 degrees F. See CALENDAR.
Myth: (Greek) goddess of divine vengeance upon human transgressors of the natural law.
Nettle Horn’s sweetheart and later his wife. Last seen in the group heading for the lander (IV, chap. 16, 369). She has a large role in writing and editing The Book of Silk—see BOOK OF THE LONG SUN.
Botany: a plant of the genus Urtica, of which the commoner species (U. dioica, the Common or Great Nettle, and U. urens, the Small Nettle) grow profusely on waste ground and are noted for the stinging property of the leaf-hairs.
Newt, Councillor a new member of the post-rebellion Ayuntamiento, the one chosen by Potto (IV, chap. 14, 312). Previously he had been commissioner of the Juzgado (chap. 13, 314).
Zoology: salamander.
next friend [cross reference] a legal term, meaning “one who, without being regularly appointed guardian, acts for the benefit of an infant, married woman [!],
or other person, not sui juris” (BLD). See AMI; PROCHEIN AMI.
night chough [CHUFF] Silk’s bird Oreb is a “night chough.” There is no such thing on Earth. From the description, Oreb is a Red-billed Chough, with glossy black plumage, a long curved red bill, and red legs. The only other member of the genus is the Alpine Chough (with a shorter yellow bill). There are eight sub-species, but none are known as “night.” (For the story “The Night Chough,” see entry in the SS Half.) See also PHANTOM BLACK BIRD.
Nizam, Private “a young pterotrooper who is fond of animals” (IV, list). She is the one who catches Tick the catachrest after Hyacyinth has let the pet go (IV, chap. 14, 294).
Turkish/Urdu: from Arabic nidam (meaning “order, disposition, arrangement,” etc.) used for the Turkish regular army (the men, or one of the men, composing this), and also as the hereditary title of the rulers of Hyderabad.
numerology there seem to be a lot of fives in the story. Five in one: Xiphias (five legs into one). Marble/Rose/Magnesia/Moly/Echidna. Five sacrifices for Maytera Mint. Five councillors in the Ayuntamiento, five Fliers in team sent to find Auk, five mooring lines for the airship (IV, chap. 15, 322).
O
O soror neque . . . Remora uses two phrases in talking to Mint in the kitchen with Potto: “O soror neque enim ignari sumus ante malorum. O passi graviora, dabit Pas his quoque finem” (IV, chap. 1, 27).
Latin: these are slightly altered lines from the Aeneid (lines 198–99). This is where Aeneas is giving a pep talk to his men. Remora’s version translates as, “O sister, we know too well about hard times before this. O you have been through worse, Pas will give an end to this, too.”
Commentary: aside from establishing that Latin is a language of religion in Viron, this passage also hints that the Aeneid, in whole or in part, is contained within the Chrasmologic Writings. See also ACHATES.
old alambrera, the Auk takes Silk to Pork’s, the restaurant located in a building that was formerly “the Alambrera back in the old days” (I, chap. 12, 306). It is located “right down the street” (306) from the Sun Street manteion, presumably at Cage and Sun. Auk says it is closer than the eight-block walk to the Orilla. See PORK’S.
old Palustria Road the road from Viron to Palustria in the north, with Blood’s villa located before the forest and the mountains (I, chap. 3, 88).
Olive “a sleeper” (II, list; II, chap. 9, 244). The olive branch is an ancient emblem of peace.
Botany: an evergreen tree, Olea euroaea, especially the cultivated variety, O. sativa.
Commentary: Gene Wolfe’s mother’s name was Mary Olivia Ayers Wolfe. See also AER.
onomastics “the meaning of names,” here an opportunity to outline the various naming conventions in The Book of the Long Sun.
Vironese bio-names divide upon gender lines, where girls are named after plants and boys are named after animals (including humans, and parts of same, and products of same). Simple on the surface, yet some names can be gender ambiguous (Marrow, Titi), while others have a number of different data points. For example, “cat with tail on fire” becomes a symbol for “Chenille.” That means taking chenille as the raspberry colored flower that is also known as “burning cat tail,” rather than the easier dictionary route that leads to silk fabric/caterpillar creature that point to Silk (worm) and Tussah.
Vironese chems are named after minerals, except for Hammerstone.
Trivigaunti names come from words in Arabic, Hindi, and Turkish.
Flier names come from words in Irish.
Oont “a porter” (III, list) who sees Echidna’s theophany (III, chap. 3, 94).
Zoology: a camel (Indian and Australian colloquial term).
Oosik, Colonel “commander of the Third Brigade of the Civil Guard of Viron” (II, list), first mentioned on a recruitment poster at Limna (II, chap. 6, 139). He has slept with Hyacinth, most recently on Phaesday (III, chap. 5, 206): thus he is one of the many who visited her the night Silk broke into Blood’s villa. He also knows Chenille (207). His son is Mattak.
Oosik crafts the peace plan whereby Silk is recognized as caldé by the Civil Guard (III, chap. 8). It turns out to be 75% successful, since only the Fourth Brigade resists (IV, chap. 1, 30). For this he becomes generalissimo of Viron.
Zoology: an Inuit word for the penis bone of the walrus.
opticsynapter a large, tweezer-like tool for repairing fiber optic lines (III, chap. 2, 57). (It seems to be a Wolfe-coinage.) This is the device Incus uses to repair Hammerstone and Marble.
Orchid “madam of the yellow house on Lamp Street. Orpine’s mother” (II, list; mentioned I, chap. 3, 82; met I, chap. 10, 243). She had a baby girl whom she lost (I, chap. 10, 266–67): probably this is Mucor. Her second child was Orpine (also known as Pine), who was taken away by her father, a man who molested Orpine as a child (I, chap. 10, 265) and later showed up as a customer at the brothel.
The brothel has around 30 prostitutes (I, chap. 8, 203) including Chenille, Mezereon, Orpine, Poppy, and a bleached blonde. Beginning in the summer of 332, a ghost (Mucor) haunted the place (I, chap. 7, 189), a condition that ends with Silk’s exorcism.
The monitor in Orchid’s room has been out of service for 18 years (IV, chap. 11, 227). Orchid uses peacock feathers for her writing quills (I, chap. 9, 268), a possible link to the man seen outside of Ermine’s with a peacock feather in his hat (III, chap. 7, 256).
Botany: any plant of the Orchideous family (from the Greek word for “testicle”).
Orchid’s the brothel is a combination of two previously separate buildings: a private residence on Lamp Street, and a manteion on Music. For location, see the map at MARKET.
Oreb name of Silk’s night chough (I, chap. 2, 47; I, chap. 9, 236). Said to be from the swamps of Palustria. Since Palustria is also the origin for the brain surgeon who “accidentally” damaged Mucor, and with the evidence of Oreb’s power of speech, obviously the Palustrians have some skill. Oreb might be an espionage agent of Palustria. (See also PHANTOM BLACK BIRD.)
Oreb calls Quetzal “Bad thing” (III, chap. 8, 299). He seems able to see that Quetzal is an inhumu.
Onomastics: in the Bible, Oreb (Hebrew word for “raven”) is a Midianite prince defeated by Gideon (Judges 7:20–25; 8:3; Psalm 83:12; Isaiah 10:26). He is usually paired with “Zeeb” (Hebrew word for “wolf”).
The land of Midian is where Moses fled to after killing an Egyptian. He spent 40 years there before his return for the Exodus. This turned out to be valuable training for the 40 years of leading the Israelites through the desert after Exodus.
Orilla the most dangerous sectio
n of the Sun Street quarter (I, chap. 3, 70). Located south of Sun Street, it used to be Lake Limna’s edge before the waters retreated. Southern Lamp Street enters the Orilla right where the Cock tavern is located. Around the Cock the buildings in use are all former basements. Auk held Hyacinth prisoner in a boarded-up shop that seems above ground (IV, chap. 3, 61).
Spanish: bank, shore; water’s edge.
ormolu Orchid’s ormolu inkstand (I, chap. 10, 268). Meaning “ground gold” in French, it is an imitation gold made from an alloy of copper, tin, and zinc.
Orpine “Orchid’s daughter, stabbed by Chenille” (II, list). A secret daughter, actually her second child (I, chap. 10, 247).
When she met Orchid, she called herself Pine and claimed to be 15 but was 13 (I, chap. 10, 263). After she’d been working at Orchid’s for nearly a year, her father showed up as a customer and Orchid figured out that Orpine was her daughter (I, chap. 10, 265).
Orchid’s new tradition of “having cake on the birthdays” (I, chap. 10, 265) suggests that Orpine was there for one or two years at least, which would put her age at death at 14 or 15 for the low end.
The 13/15 thing is potentially important because it suggests that the first “dead” daughter would be 14, so if Orpine is 15 then Mucor is clearly not Orchid’s, since she would have to be 16. (Presumably Mucor, the frozen embryo, took less than nine months; then, in mourning after Mucor was taken away by Blood, Orchid got herself pregnant with Orpine.) It all comes down to how many birthdays Orpine had at Orchid’s. At least one, but maybe not. Mucor is “about 15 years old” according to the lists.
Chenille seems to confess to having killed Orpine when Mucor possessed Orpine (I, chap. 11, 278–79). However, it seems possible that Mucor possessed Chenille in order to kill Orpine, her “sister.” That is to say, Chenille does not have much motive to murder Orpine, but Mucor might have sibling rivalry.
Gate of Horn, Book of Silk Page 8
