Post by rebyc in About the Hinterlands, missing kids, and Zezé (0.5 spoilers)

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I think you nailed it, really! I hadn't thought of making those connections, but it fits damn well. And what I like is that Zezé's faded form is just faint enough that you can't quite pick up his caprine features unless you're really looking hard.

There's something I'd add too in hindsight: One of the first chilling things Pedro experiences at the shed is himself, "P", involuntarily saying the words "It was you" in someone else's voice, then sensing his grandfather. Here's my additional theory:

That voice saying those words was an echo of Pedro's grandfather
It was in fact, Pedro's grandfather discovering Zezé's secret (likely after the massacre of the 12 tapirs) and catching him in the act
Zezé is the one who killed Pedro's grandfather to silence him
Zezé, knowing the powers of mythical peacocks, warns Pedro to leave not because "the hotel ain't real" but so he won't find him out

caketo3 years ago(+2)

Oh god, that makes a lot of sense. I was wondering what the deal was with Pedro speaking in another person's voice, and why he immediately brings up his grandfather-- it might have been a P speaking, just not him. That also fits in well with the fact that Pedro specifically states that, if Zezé were some sort of mythical being, his father and grandfather never brought it up, which seems to indicate that they weren't aware of Zezé's true nature in advance.

Rob MacWolf3 years ago (1 edit) (+5)

Something that just occurred to me: if you're right about Zeze killing Grampa P? That MIGHT fit Grampa P's recursion: Because the person playing the Argos role is supposed to get killed by someone playing the Hermes role, right?

If you go back into some paleomyhtology, it's thought that both Hermes and Pan have their origin in a Proto-Indo-European god Pehusan, who is theorized to have been a god of pastures, roads, journeys, boundaries, the wilderness, and herding. At some point between the Linear A and B periods and the beginning of classical greek antiquity, the version of this god they had in Greece got split, with some of the myths and godly responsibilities:--Roads, Journeys, Boundaries, being a Psychopomp--going to Hermes, and some--Herds, Pastures, being a Goatman, the Wilderness (and what's another word for wilderness? Hinterlands) going to Pan.

The other thing about Pan is that "Pan" is the Greek word for "everything" or just "every-" if it's used as a prefix.

So if we've got a guy who is a goat mythical, who lives in the Wilderness where there's not much but people in pastures raising herd animals, and his name is the same name as EVERYone else? That seems like a REALLY good candidate if Recursion needs someone to do a Hermes job real quick.

caketo3 years ago (1 edit) (+2)

Given how layered some of the references in this VN can be, I really wouldn't be surprised if that's the case. Cue5c pointed out a little further down that Zezé is actually derived from Joseph, and... well, to quote their quote:

"This name derives from the Hebrew name “Yehôsêph”, meaning “Yehowah has added, he will enlarge, God will increase, may he add”, which in turn derives from “yâsaph”, meaning “to add, increase, do again, increase, do again”. "

That would fit really well with what you posited here.

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