Reply from Robert Gibson re Mercury/Language myth influencing Valeddom
by Robert Gibson
(Lancashire, England)
I enjoyed your new Alien Scripts page, Zendexor, and as always am grateful for your coverage of my work. However, I feel I must tell you, that when you state, re the Mercurian connection with language in myth, "Gibson's use of the language theme in Valeddom is surely influenced by this tradition. I can't believe it's coincidence that he writes of the ultimate language as something Mercurian" you're wrong - unless I was being unconsciously influenced - for the amazing truth (amazing when you consider how staunch a Lewis fan I am) is that when writing Valeddom, and specifically the Noleddern episode, it just never occurred to me that I was chiming in with Lewis' emphasis on the connection between Mercury and language. Why it didn't, I can't imagine - the link seems blindingly obvious now that you mention it.
Perhaps unconscious influence was at work - in which case it almost sounds as though C S Lewis in his Cosmic Trilogy was telling it like it is, and the Intelligences governing the planets are real! (I'm half joking.)