Pelicans in Tim Powers' Dinner at Deviant's Palace
Aaron Irber asked me yesterday on Twitter whether Gregorio Rivas’ violin-like pelican in Dinner at Deviant’s Palace is a reference to the medieval representation of the Passion of Christ by means of a pelican feeding its young by piercing its own breast and allowing them to drink the blood, a mythical practice known as vulning.
Given that a major theme of Dinner at Deviant’s Palace is painful self sacrifice, I find this pretty plausible. Plus, as Misha Burnett pointed out, with Tim you should probably assume any reference is deliberate. I endorse this position.
By the way, Dinner at Deviant’s Palace [Amazon link] happens to be $1.99 on Amazon right now. I can think of worse ways to spend a couple of bucks.
Other books by Tim Powers
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