My impression:
I always thought (though it doesn't specifically say) that he lost his fingers as a result of sranc attacks. I think it's mentioned his hand had scars, which wouldn't be the case if it was congenital. Second, just before he exits the narrative, as the skinspy is chasing him, he feels fury. I think his defect was emotion, or too much of it according to the Dunyain, anyway. That was my take.
My impression:
I always thought (though it doesn't specifically say) that he lost his fingers as a result of sranc attacks. I think it's mentioned his hand had scars, which wouldn't be the case if it was congenital. Second, just before he exits the narrative, as the skinspy is chasing him, he feels fury. I think his defect was emotion, or too much of it according to the Dunyain, anyway. That was my take.
Kellhus feels emotion in his training flashbacks. To be a "real" Dûnyain, you need to be fully blooded and trained. Crabicus is not trained.
My impression:
I always thought (though it doesn't specifically say) that he lost his fingers as a result of sranc attacks. I think it's mentioned his hand had scars, which wouldn't be the case if it was congenital. Second, just before he exits the narrative, as the skinspy is chasing him, he feels fury. I think his defect was emotion, or too much of it according to the Dunyain, anyway. That was my take.
What I understood from TGO was very much the same, though I wonder
why/how he was considered to be defective so young, since apparently he was an infant (per Koringhus' recollections) at the time Ishuäl was attacked. Seems a bit premature to label a child as too tainted by emotion...
My impression:
I always thought (though it doesn't specifically say) that he lost his fingers as a result of sranc attacks. I think it's mentioned his hand had scars, which wouldn't be the case if it was congenital. Second, just before he exits the narrative, as the skinspy is chasing him, he feels fury. I think his defect was emotion, or too much of it according to the Dunyain, anyway. That was my take.
What I understood from TGO was very much the same, though I wonder
why/how he was considered to be defective so young, since apparently he was an infant (per Koringhus' recollections) at the time Ishuäl was attacked. Seems a bit premature to label a child as too tainted by emotion...
I think I mentioned this in another thread some time ago, but couldn't say which one it was. My take was that, after two thousand years of eugenics, they know what to look for. Also, as Esme recounts the births of her children, she's able to deduce pretty much right away if they were more Dunyain or more human. I don't see why the Dunyain wouldn't be able to tell quickly one way or the other.
...
I was going to agree with Thelli but I do think Somnambulist makes a good point as well.
Before I returned to this forum after completing TUC, I had an inkling that he was going to play a major role in defeating TNG. This was before I knew there were going to be more books ( so I still may be right, but by the end of the book I was like, "Where did he go? He survived the skinspy only to disappear into the wild ... ". My thinking was his "defectiveness" would ironically be the special brew ( of genetics ) to defeat Mog/The Consult, that the Dunyain lacked dimensions and were eliminating defectives to their detriment, too focused on their pursuit, too quick to eliminate persons who could've helped them on their path as well as defend them against attacks, etc. A "human" Dunyain could well be the "hero" the world needs. I was thinking his "defect" was emotion as well, but could've been physical - something The Mutilated has learned the hard way, physical "defects" don't denote weakness