Titanide (Gaea Trilogy) - in Wizard

In Wizard

The second novel goes deeper into the nature of the Titanides. Cirocco Jones has become the Wizard, Gaea's agent among the species of the Wheel. In an ironic joke, Gaea has arranged the Titanide's reproductive biology so that the species will die out unless Cirocco is alive to activate the eggs they produce with her saliva.

Here the Titanides are described as approximately 3 metres tall at the tops of their human heads. Although their horse bodies are likened to the Percheron, their hooves are cloven like those of a goat, giving them extra grip to climb steep slopes. They are brightly colored, some being pure colors, others striped. In addition, they adorn their bodies with jewels and flowers. Many of the Titanides speak human languages, typically English, and form close relationships with different humans.

All Titanides have breasts like human women and can give birth from the rear vagina of their horse body. All have a large horse-like penis. Titanides are classified as male or female based on the human-like sexual organs at the base of the torso. Because of these arrangements, a Titanide may have up to four "parents".

This novel also introduces the Titanides elaborate naming scheme. The "given name" is usually that of a musical instrument. The names in the novel tend to be obscure, such as Valiha or Serpent. The last part of the name is the "chord" name, similar to a human clan name. This is typically a musical form or genre, such as Symphony or "Rock-n-roll". The middle component of the name describes the individual's parentage. These use the names of the Greek musical modes (Aeolian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian) coupled with the words "solo", "duet", "trio" or "quartet" to describe the number of parents the individual has, and the ways in which genetic material is transferred between them.

Titanides are born able to function independently, although they still suckle milk from their mother. They are able to talk, having been in communication with their mother during gestation. The "egg" from which they are born is a partially cybernetic entity containing pre-programmed knowledge. Their bodies grow around the "egg" which becomes part of the brain, and also allows the new individual to communicate with the mother's brain. One of the first things a newborn Titanide will do is make a musical instrument from whatever materials are available. This becomes their talisman.