The Resurrectionist The Lost Work of Dr. - By E. B. Hudspeth Page 0,23

asterion

THIS SPECIMEN DEMONSTRATES the unique musculature necessary to support the minotaur’s head in all of its possible functions, including combat. I have gathered incomplete segments of what appear to be creatures of the same species; thus far, I cannot conclude the existence of any variant to the species analyzed herein. The minotaur must have been unique despite conflicting accounts of its historical pedigree. It is important to consider the very real question of its ancestors, some of which may have possessed six limbs—four legs and two arms—as does the centaur. However, I have not yet come to know such a thing to be true.

Like many of the animals I have excavated or acquired from private collections, this specimen’s preservation and condition have not allowed me to support a complete survey of the body. The soft tissues were so badly decomposed that I could ascertain nothing from the remains.

I would surmise that the ancient minotaur did not have a four-chambered stomach like its bovine cousin. I would consider it impractical to be a ruminant, having an upright disposition and two arms for the gathering and preparation of food. The minotaur was likely an omnivore; given its size, its disposition for predation may have been engendered by a scarcity of food. It is likely that it did not evolve balanced enough to adequately compete for food or defend itself: having only a simple brain and being bipedal, it would not have been able to run from an animal attack or devise a strategy or weapon to protect itself, as a beast with a greater propensity for intellect might have done.

THERE ARE MANY INTERESTING LEGENDS SURROUNDING THE ORIGIN OF THE GANESHA. IN ONE STORY, THE GODDESS PARVATI CREATED A BOY FROM DUST TO GUARD HER WHILE SHE WAS BATHING. HER HUSBAND, SHIVA, CAME ALONG AND FOUND A STRANGER WAITING OUTSIDE HIS WIFE’S QUARTERS; HE ATTACKED THE BOY, DECAPITATING HIM. UPON LEARNING THE CHILD WAS IN FACT PARVATI’S SON, SHIVA RESTORED THE BOY, USING THE HEAD OF AN ELEPHANT, AND MADE HIM A LEADER.

The Ganesha was a drastic evolutionary juxtaposition of the natural physical form; man and elephant. Though Ganesha’s origin is mere legend—it did not arise from the dust—truth is always hidden in the past.

—SPENCER BLACK

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GANESHA ORIENTIS

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KINGDOM Animalia

PHYLUM Vertebrata

CLASS Mammalia

ORDER Proboscidea

FAMILY Homoeboreus

GENUS Ganesha

SPECIES Ganesha orientis

MY STUDY OF THE ganesha answered one of my most persistent questions regarding the bone matter in a host of creatures: How can such small and slight bones support such massive appendages and disproportionately sized heads? It seems the ganesha had a sinewy fiber woven throughout its bone structure, independent of the ligament and tendon systems. This sinew acted as a resistance barrier for undue or excessive strain—much as a splint protects a broken limb. The sinew functioned not unlike an external skeletal structure for the bone; this material helps explain how many animals could withstand excess strain and torsion. Unfortunately, I do not know of any living creature that evolved with this material.

My specimen is one of the great treasures of the east. Though only a portion of the creature was recovered, it was well-preserved, and wrapped in hundreds of yards of decayed cloth. Future discoveries are a possibility. I happened upon chance to come to the tomb of one, and surely there are many more.

The ganesha’s skull would not have housed what would be classified as either a human or an elephant brain; however, the shape and position of the brain, especially the cerebral cortex, is cause for more extensive study and additional research. I can conclude that the animal was more than likely of a high intellect, confounding one who considers why it failed to prosper as a species.

TODAY THERE ARE NO KNOWN SPECIES WITH MULTIPLE HEADS, ALTHOUGH TWO- OR THREE-HEADED MUTATIONS OF EXISTING CREATURES ARE NOT UNCOMMON (THIS CONDITION IS KNOWN AS “POLYCEPHALY”). OFTEN THE MUTATIONS ARE BORN WITH THEIR HEADS FUSED TOGETHER. SADLY, THESE MUTATIONS RARELY LIVE FOR VERY LONG.

IN THE NEXT TWO CHAPTERS, DR. BLACK EXPLORES A PAIR OF THREE-HEADED CREATURES—THE CHIMÆRA AND THE CERBERUS. HE WAS ADAMANT THAT THESE SPECIES WERE NOT RANDOM MUTATIONS BUT RATHER FULLY FORMED ANIMAL.

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CHIMÆRA INCENDIARIUS

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KINGDOM Animalia

PHYLUM Vertebrata

CLASS Echidnæ

ORDER Praesidium

FAMILY Incendium

GENUS Chimæra

SPECIES Chimæra incendiarius

WHAT CHALLENGE LIES before whoever ponders this beast! Why would nature require it to be shaped in such a fashion? Its form is confounding and distasteful. Nonetheless, all mysteries ought to be solved; their secrets should be revealed.

Without having the great privilege and