From: sherman@oak.math.ucla.edu (The Ahkond of Swat)
Subject: Re: Cerebus thoughts
Organization: UCLA Mathematics Department
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 92 23:09:02 GMT

In article <1992Apr5.215746.15403@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> damiller@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Dale J Miller) writes:
>I'm just going to put forth some ideas about Cerebus and the three aardvarks 
>theory and see what kind of feedback I get.

Oboy!  My favorite!  

>It seems to be a general concensus that Cerebus, Cirin, and S. Po are the 
>three, but as I read it, there are four major belief systmes in the world.  
>Cerebus/Tarimite, Cirin/Terimite, Po/Illusionist, and then there is Astoria and
>Kevillism.  Does that place Astoria on par with the aardvarks?

In her dreams.  The Kevillists at this point seem to be an underground
radical faction in the Cirinist movement (if any of them are left outside
of prison).  There are lots of other belief systems, too... the Shen
have their Emperor-God, Tarimism is largely limited to the Sepran Empire
and maybe some of the southern city-states, the Pigts believe in Cerebus...

Then again, one needn't be an aardvark to be a shaker and/or a mover in
Estarcion.  For example, Lord Julius and the Lion of Serrea.  But aardvarks
would seem to have a knack for becoming historically pivotal.  Cerebus 
can't stay out of it!

As for S. Po = 3d aardvark, we'll see, very soon (158)

>That was an idea stemming from the trial of Astoria, when the 'echo'/flashback 
>seen happened - Astoria had sentenced an aardvark to death (was that Po?).  
>The other aardvark says its "time for you to execute me, and them to execute 
>you."  I read this as being repeated by Astoria and Cerebus; Cerebus was to 
>kill Astoria, then the Cirinist would invade and kill Cerebus.  Was/Is it some
>kind of circle?  Other thoughts on this?

(Well, it would probably take more than one Cirinist 8^). )

Yep.  I think so.  When C found the gold sphere, Astoria (and the others)
started thinking "something's ... different ...".  I think that this indicated
that the historical cycles (all the failed Ascensions) had happened similarly,
but that this time, things were different.  And they were!  Cerebus made it
to the moon, after all.

About just when the "flashback" scenes happened (if at all): nobody knows
for sure.  This feels to me like one of those "there is no answer to that
question" thingies Sim has gotten fond of lately, like the floating 
miniature Cerebi and so on.

>It seems that this would have happened had not Weisshaupt interfered and left 
>the sphere for Cerebus.  How did he know?  Someone post some ideas on this, 
>since it perplexes me to no end.

My only guess is that he had inside/magical info from Suenteus Po (his 
"uncle").  There's something fishy about that sphere; notice that it 
appeared on the steps of the church courtroom; things don't just get 
left lying around in a place like that without getting noticed...  as
C would say, "Sorcery!"

>Finally, someone said that it was his heart that wouldn't burn (re: Astoria's
>execution of the other aardvark), but I wondered if that was an educated guess 
>or was that based on something else?

That was me, and I was quoting Astoria.  She says his heart was there in the
flames, unburnt.  This may be a reference to the cremation of Lord Byron
(or was it Percy Shelley?).  Anyway, when one of those gentlemen was cremated
after drowning in Italy, his heart supposedly survived.  (I think I read
that years ago in one of the "Book of Lists"/"People's Almanac" books, which
are marvelous treasure-houses of information, much of which is dubious
and apocryphal, as this probably is.)

I can find the page for you (where Astoria says this) if you want.  It's
hard to notice, because the line "his heart" is in a black panel, and
you'll miss it if you blink.

Praise Tarim's Orange Bricks!  (squish)

--
 Bill Sherman     S^1 `--> S^(2n+1) -->> CP^n      sherman@math.ucla.edu
      Hail to the sun god!  He is a fun god!  Ra!  Ra!  Ra! 
                                  -Shea and Wilson, _Illuminatus!_