The Binding of Zeus in Mainframe

Although the other Olympians seem to have been in compliance, these four were the main actors involved – Hera was the ring-leader. In The Book of the  Long Sun, Wolfe offers an Olympus of monsters:

o       Pas (Typhon) is Zeus; father of the gods whose “companions” (see Aristaeus of the Long Sun) bring rain to the Whorl

o       Echidna is Hera; according to Robert Graves, Hera is the chthonic, serpent-bearing Mother of the World, receiver of human sacrifice, whose Python at Delphi was slain by Apollo

o       Scylla is Poseidon; god the Oceans

o       Molpe is Athena; patroness of smith-craft, and according to Graves, was originally the Moon (“she who shines by night”)

o       Hierax is Apollo

Quetzal (the Dionysus-monster) identifies these four (Echidna, Scylla, Molpe, and Hierax) as the primary actors (“perhaps some others”) who erased Pas from the Mainframe. 

Note: It may be pointed out that Hierax, as the god of Death should more properly be identified with Hades. And some times he is. But Apollo is the god of Sudden Death with his deadly arrows. Also, the eagle (Hierax means “hawk”) is one of the emblems the sun in Native American and Mesoamerican mythology. In Illiad Book 15, Apollo is actually described as “flying like a falcon”.

In the Long Sun version, the Thetis’ role is played by Kypris. It is she who starts events moving that lead eventually to Pas’ resurrection. Kypris is the goddess of love, and “Kypris” is an old name for Aphrodite; but Robert Graves (Ibid) claims that Thetis and Aphrodite were originally the same. Hence:

Thetis = ancient version of Aphrodite = Kypris

Note: Interestingly Apollodorus does reference Thetis and Aphrodite in the rescuer role in the same verse:

Apollodorus 1:25. And as they sailed past the Sirens,1 Orpheus restrained the Argonauts by chanting a counter-melody. Butes alone swam off to the Sirens, but Aphrodite carried him away and settled him in Lilybaeum.

After the Sirens, the ship encountered Charybdis and Scylla and the Wandering Rocks, above which a great flame and smoke were seen rising. But Thetis with the Nereids steered the ship through them at the summons of Hera.
Apollodorus Book 1 vs25

Briarius was one of the three Hecatonchires, monsters born of Ouranos and Gaia. They had fifty heads and one-hundred arms. They were so terrible and strong that Ouranos resisted having them born, forcing them back into Gaia’s womb which caused her awful pain. This was the act that precipitated Kronos’ castration of Ouranos. But Kronos did not release Briarius and his brothers (keeping them locked-up in Tartaros) so they supported Zeus in the revolt against Kronos and the Titans. Zeus gave them the duty of guarding Tartaros which apparently meant they had to stay in Tartaros, but they got to keep the Titans from escaping. Thetis released Briarius from Tartaros, and with his one hundred hands had Zeus untied before the other gods realized what was happening.

In The Long Sun, Briarius is played by Auk and his pardoned criminals from Alambrera pits, and also Mint, Remora, Spider, Sand, and the rest who were also recently released from the dark labyrinths under Viron. Thetis’ name survives as a “tessera” (that is, an identification code) Auk uses to escape the pits to the Juzgado

Robert Graves says that Zeus punished Hera for her treachery by hanging her from Olympus, but it seems he’s confabulating this event with another. Wolfe deals with this ambivalence by showing Echidna being punished, and relating Pas’ intention to erase her from the Mainframe, BUT not revealing exactly what happens.

While there is some syncretism and derangement of the characters, the story is all there in it’s peculiar, Lupine, monstrous way.

Incidentally, there was a cultic tradition on the isle of Crete of Zeus having died.