The Fifth Head of Cerberus
Encyclopedia
The Fifth Head of Cerberus is the title of both a novella
and a single-volume collection of three novellas, written by American science fiction
and fantasy
author Gene Wolfe
, both published in 1972.
of Greek mythology
, the three-headed dog who guarded the gate to Hades
, the Greek underworld, a statue of whom stands outside the home of the family in the novel. One of the characters mentions him (her) as having had four heads (three actual heads along with her maidenhead
); this condition is similar to that of the narrator
of the first novella, whose four principal family members are analogous to Cerberus' four heads, while he is the non-existent "fifth head" (and, also, he is known as Number 5).
in 1972. The following novellas, "A Story" by John V. Marsch and V.R.T. expand on the plot and themes of the first.
These works are set on two colony worlds, 20 light-years from Earth, the double planet
s of Sainte Anne and Sainte Croix, originally settled by French-speaking colonists, but lost by them in a war with an unnamed enemy. Sainte Anne was (perhaps) once home to an indigenous aboriginal
culture (at an apparently neolithic
level of technology) of shapeshifters
, who may – or may not – have been wiped out by the human incomers.
Wolfe presented the title novella at a Milford Writer's Workshop
. Norbert Slepyan, an editor at Scribner's, was impressed by the story and proposed that Wolfe write two more, related novellas, to be published in a single book.
Brought up in relative comfort in a large house (a brothel run by his father and aunt, staffed by several genetically enhanced "demimondaines"), he and his younger brother David are privately tutored by a robotic servant and often go outside the house for short trips.
One evening his old life ends when he is called to attend to his father, a distant figure. He is told that his name is now "Number 5", and after a period of questioning he is given a barrage of psychological, visual, drug, and association tests, which endure for some time. Finally released, he feels very drained. He finds out that David has been treated similarly; both boys undergo this treatment regularly for years afterward, though Number 5 is treated more severely, and begins to experience painful headaches and memory lapses.
He meets his aunt for the first time, who seems to know about Veil's Hypothesis (the theory that the Sainte Anne aboriginals could mimic the human settlers so perfectly that they killed them and took their places) and is given light duties in the running of the family business. He also meets John Marsch, an anthropologist
from earth, when he visits the house. He is visiting Aubrey Veil, author of the hypothesis, who happens to be Number 5's aunt.
Befriending a girl, she, he, and David get involved in amateur dramatics; money being short, they decide to break into a slave trader's warehouse and steal some cash. There, they meet a surgically-altered human slave who bears an uncanny resemblance to him, and his father. After it attacks them, they kill it and run away.
Finally sick of his father's ongoing experiments on him, Number 5 decides to kill him. His resolve is bolstered after another visit by Marsch, who casually informs him that he, Number 5, and his father are clones – only two of many. This conversation is ended when Number 5 identifies Marsch as being an aboriginal, based on evidence never specified explicitly in the book. He kills his father, but is discovered and incarcerated.
Walking on, he meets a girl and a baby, whom he befriends. After sleeping with her, and hunting for more food, he decides to follow the river downstream to the marshes. He manages to rescue some Shadow children from enemy marshmen, whom he kills. Learning that his mother and friends have been captured by other marshmen and taken away, he decides to follow and rescue them as well.
Followed by the Shadow children, they are all, themselves, captured and thrown into a large pit, where he finds his mother and friends; they are all due to be sacrificed by the marshmen, so their souls will enter the river and carry messages from them to the stars. His twin, Eastwind, belongs to the tribe who captured him.
The Shadow Children, whose thoughts, for many years, have spread out into space and protected the world from discovery by alien races (such as they were, originally) decide to relinquish this protection, which attracts a passing starcrosser, and in the excitement of its landing nearby, they escape, and nothing is the same ever again.
from the first story, has been imprisoned in a Sainte Croix jail, ostensibly for espionage and assassination. After a few years of captivity, all of it in solitary confinement, Marsch's case is being reviewed by an unnamed security official who must go over the files and determine the next stage in his punishment. These files consist of Marsch's logs from his previous anthropological visit to Sainte Anne, interspersed with taped recordings of his interrogation sessions. The interrogator believes it is obvious that Marsch has never been to Earth, although Marsch is not shown as betraying his origins in the text.
On Sainte Anne to study the mystery of the original inhabitants, Marsch hires a local boy (VRT) from his father, who claims the boy is half-aboriginal. Both the father and the son claim that aboriginals can still be encountered in the deep countryside, so a mission is undertaken to explore.
The two set out into the wilderness. Much time is spent looking for them, but Marsch, despite coming into contact with many examples of Annese wildlife, and learning much from the boy (and he from him), he never seems to find what he is looking for. Over time, they develop a camp follower, a cat. Marsch suspects at around the same time that the cat joins their company that the boy has been having visitations by a woman.
Later, an accident occurs in which the boy dies. After that, Marsch continues exploring on his own, but he has changed in ways that the alert reader will find suspicious.
On his return to civilization, he visits the brothel run by Number 5's father to interview Dr. Veil. Soon after, he is arrested, tried, and imprisoned for the crimes mentioned, above.
In his memories and dreams, it is revealed that Marsch may in fact be the boy, their identity overlapping. The vital inference of this story is that Veil's hypothesis is indeed correct, the boy assuming Marsch's identity, a wound suffered from the cat being a convenient explanation for the marked decline in hand-writing quality, the native Annese being renowned for their inability to use tools.
has said that the original story was the best novella of the 1970s.
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
and a single-volume collection of three novellas, written by American science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and fantasy
Fantasy literature
Fantasy literature is fantasy in written form. Historically speaking, literature has composed the majority of fantasy works. Since the 1950s however, a growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films, television programs, graphic novels, video games, music, painting, and other...
author Gene Wolfe
Gene Wolfe
Gene Wolfe is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, to which he converted after marrying into the religion. He is a prolific short story writer and a novelist, and has won many awards in the...
, both published in 1972.
Explanation of the novel's title
The title refers to the CerberusCerberus
Cerberus , or Kerberos, in Greek and Roman mythology, is a multi-headed hound which guards the gates of the Underworld, to prevent those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping...
of Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, the three-headed dog who guarded the gate to Hades
Hades
Hades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...
, the Greek underworld, a statue of whom stands outside the home of the family in the novel. One of the characters mentions him (her) as having had four heads (three actual heads along with her maidenhead
Chastity
Chastity refers to the sexual behavior of a man or woman acceptable to the moral standards and guidelines of a culture, civilization, or religion....
); this condition is similar to that of the narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
of the first novella, whose four principal family members are analogous to Cerberus' four heads, while he is the non-existent "fifth head" (and, also, he is known as Number 5).
Single-volume collection
The collection is an expansion of the first novella, originally published in the Orbit 10 anthology edited by Damon KnightDamon Knight
Damon Francis Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, critic and fan. His forte was short stories and he is widely acknowledged as having been a master of the genre.-Biography:...
in 1972. The following novellas, "A Story" by John V. Marsch and V.R.T. expand on the plot and themes of the first.
These works are set on two colony worlds, 20 light-years from Earth, the double planet
Double planet
In astronomy, double planet and binary planet are informal terms used to describe a binary system of two astronomical objects that each satisfy the definition of planet and that are near enough to each other to have a significant gravitational effect on each other compared with the effect of the...
s of Sainte Anne and Sainte Croix, originally settled by French-speaking colonists, but lost by them in a war with an unnamed enemy. Sainte Anne was (perhaps) once home to an indigenous aboriginal
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
culture (at an apparently neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
level of technology) of shapeshifters
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
, who may – or may not – have been wiped out by the human incomers.
Wolfe presented the title novella at a Milford Writer's Workshop
Milford Writer's Workshop
The Milford Writer's Workshop or more properly Milford Writers' Conference is an influential science fiction writer's event founded by Damon Knight among others in the mid-1950s in Milford, Pennsylvania...
. Norbert Slepyan, an editor at Scribner's, was impressed by the story and proposed that Wolfe write two more, related novellas, to be published in a single book.
The Fifth Head of Cerberus
The title story is in the form of a biographical study, the narrator of which looks back on his boyhood and youth on the planet of Sainte Croix, and the events which led to his long, harsh incarceration, and eventual freedom.Brought up in relative comfort in a large house (a brothel run by his father and aunt, staffed by several genetically enhanced "demimondaines"), he and his younger brother David are privately tutored by a robotic servant and often go outside the house for short trips.
One evening his old life ends when he is called to attend to his father, a distant figure. He is told that his name is now "Number 5", and after a period of questioning he is given a barrage of psychological, visual, drug, and association tests, which endure for some time. Finally released, he feels very drained. He finds out that David has been treated similarly; both boys undergo this treatment regularly for years afterward, though Number 5 is treated more severely, and begins to experience painful headaches and memory lapses.
He meets his aunt for the first time, who seems to know about Veil's Hypothesis (the theory that the Sainte Anne aboriginals could mimic the human settlers so perfectly that they killed them and took their places) and is given light duties in the running of the family business. He also meets John Marsch, an anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
from earth, when he visits the house. He is visiting Aubrey Veil, author of the hypothesis, who happens to be Number 5's aunt.
Befriending a girl, she, he, and David get involved in amateur dramatics; money being short, they decide to break into a slave trader's warehouse and steal some cash. There, they meet a surgically-altered human slave who bears an uncanny resemblance to him, and his father. After it attacks them, they kill it and run away.
Finally sick of his father's ongoing experiments on him, Number 5 decides to kill him. His resolve is bolstered after another visit by Marsch, who casually informs him that he, Number 5, and his father are clones – only two of many. This conversation is ended when Number 5 identifies Marsch as being an aboriginal, based on evidence never specified explicitly in the book. He kills his father, but is discovered and incarcerated.
"A Story," by John V. Marsch
In this hallucinatory tale from pre-contact Sainte Anne, Sandwalker sets out on a dreamquest to find "the priest", in his lonely cave, to commune with him. Sleeping at the entrance to the cave, he and his twin, Eastwind, unaware of each other's existence, dream of each other. Waking, Sandwalker goes out to hunt, where he meets the Shadow Children, an ethereal, nocturnal race, and they make an alliance by sharing food and learning each other's songs.Walking on, he meets a girl and a baby, whom he befriends. After sleeping with her, and hunting for more food, he decides to follow the river downstream to the marshes. He manages to rescue some Shadow children from enemy marshmen, whom he kills. Learning that his mother and friends have been captured by other marshmen and taken away, he decides to follow and rescue them as well.
Followed by the Shadow children, they are all, themselves, captured and thrown into a large pit, where he finds his mother and friends; they are all due to be sacrificed by the marshmen, so their souls will enter the river and carry messages from them to the stars. His twin, Eastwind, belongs to the tribe who captured him.
The Shadow Children, whose thoughts, for many years, have spread out into space and protected the world from discovery by alien races (such as they were, originally) decide to relinquish this protection, which attracts a passing starcrosser, and in the excitement of its landing nearby, they escape, and nothing is the same ever again.
V.R.T.
John Marsch, the anthropologistAnthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
from the first story, has been imprisoned in a Sainte Croix jail, ostensibly for espionage and assassination. After a few years of captivity, all of it in solitary confinement, Marsch's case is being reviewed by an unnamed security official who must go over the files and determine the next stage in his punishment. These files consist of Marsch's logs from his previous anthropological visit to Sainte Anne, interspersed with taped recordings of his interrogation sessions. The interrogator believes it is obvious that Marsch has never been to Earth, although Marsch is not shown as betraying his origins in the text.
On Sainte Anne to study the mystery of the original inhabitants, Marsch hires a local boy (VRT) from his father, who claims the boy is half-aboriginal. Both the father and the son claim that aboriginals can still be encountered in the deep countryside, so a mission is undertaken to explore.
The two set out into the wilderness. Much time is spent looking for them, but Marsch, despite coming into contact with many examples of Annese wildlife, and learning much from the boy (and he from him), he never seems to find what he is looking for. Over time, they develop a camp follower, a cat. Marsch suspects at around the same time that the cat joins their company that the boy has been having visitations by a woman.
Later, an accident occurs in which the boy dies. After that, Marsch continues exploring on his own, but he has changed in ways that the alert reader will find suspicious.
On his return to civilization, he visits the brothel run by Number 5's father to interview Dr. Veil. Soon after, he is arrested, tried, and imprisoned for the crimes mentioned, above.
In his memories and dreams, it is revealed that Marsch may in fact be the boy, their identity overlapping. The vital inference of this story is that Veil's hypothesis is indeed correct, the boy assuming Marsch's identity, a wound suffered from the cat being a convenient explanation for the marked decline in hand-writing quality, the native Annese being renowned for their inability to use tools.
Characters
- Number Five: Narrator. It is implied that his real name is Jean Wolfe, from his discussion of his last name in the library as "past Vernor Vinge" and the gender indifferent "Jean".
- David: Number 5's half-brother. Actually natural son ("an outcrossing") of Maitre.
- Mr. Million: A "ten nine (1000000000) unbound simulator"; a robotic body containing the scanned, uploaded brain of a human (Number Five's "great-grandfather", actually the clone-originator). Tutor to him and David.
- Maitre: Number 5's "father".
- Madame/Aunt Jeannine/Dr. Aubrey Veil: Number 5's "aunt"; actually natural daughter of an earlier clone.
- Dr. John V. Marsch: Anthropologist, originally from Earth.
- John Sandwalker: Aboriginal on walkaboutRite of passageA rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
in a pre-contact Sainte Anne. - John Eastwind: Twin of the above; separated at birth and brought up by a rival tribe.
- Trenchard: Human Sainte Annese drunkard, father of VRT.
- V.R.T.: Son of Trenchard; half-aboriginal.
- The Officer: Sainte Croix security-forces bureaucrat.
Major themes
- The stories touch upon many points of post-colonial theory.
- The Maitre character in the first story seems to have a knowledge of the pre-DarwinCharles DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
system called LamarckismLamarckismLamarckism is the idea that an organism can pass on characteristics that it acquired during its lifetime to its offspring . It is named after the French biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck , who incorporated the action of soft inheritance into his evolutionary theories...
(inheritability of acquired characteristics; an organism can pass on characteristics that it acquired during its lifetime to its offspring). - Twinship; rites of passage; personal freedom; nature versus nurture; theory of mind; place of the individual in society.
Literary significance and criticism
Gardner DozoisGardner Dozois
Gardner Raymond Dozois is an American science fiction author and editor. He was editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine from 1984 to 2004...
has said that the original story was the best novella of the 1970s.
Awards and nominations
- Story: nominated for the 1972 Nebula AwardNebula AwardThe Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
for best novellaNebula Award for Best NovellaWinners of the Nebula Award for Best Novella. The stated year is that of publication; awards are given in the following year.-Winners and other nominees:-External links:**... - Story: nominated for the 1973 Hugo AwardHugo AwardThe Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
for best novellaHugo Award for Best NovellaThe Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially... - Story: nominated (3rd) for the 1973 Locus AwardLocus AwardThe Locus Award is a literary award established in 1971 and presented to winners of Locus magazine's annual readers' poll. Currently, the Locus Awards are presented at an annual banquet...
for best novella - Story: nominated for the 1999 Locus All-Time Poll for best novella
- Novel: nominated (11th) for the 1973 Locus Award for best novel
Release details
- Dec 1972, HB, ISBN 0-684-12830-6, USA edition, Charles Scribner's SonsCharles Scribner's SonsCharles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
- Mar 1973, HB, ISBN 0-575-01597-7, UK edition, GollanczVictor Gollancz LtdVictor Gollancz Ltd was a major British book publishing house of the twentieth century. It was founded in 1927 by Victor Gollancz and specialised in the publication of high quality literature, nonfiction and popular fiction, including science fiction. Upon Gollancz's death in 1967, ownership...
- June 1975, PB, ISBN 0-7043-1176-3, UK edition, Quartet Books
- Janu 1983, PB, ISBN 0-09-930030-3, UK edition, Arrow BooksRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
- Mar 1994, PB, ISBN 0-312-89020-6, USA edition, Orb BooksOrb BooksOrb Books is a publishing imprint of Tor Books. Orb Books specialises in trade paperback reprints of science fiction and fantasy works of special merit which are unavailable in mass market paperback.-Authors published by Orb:* Poul Anderson* Isaac Asimov...
- Apr 1999, PB, ISBN 1-85798-817-5, UK edition, Gollancz