Sol Weintraub
A Jewish professor on a pilgrimage to save his daughter from a reverse-aging disease.
Sol Weintraub is a Jewish professor present on the pilgrimage to Hyperion's Time Tombs with his infant daughter Rachel. Twenty years previously, his adult daughter had become an archaeologist and had gone to Hyperion. While mapping one of the Tombs, the Shrike appeared; Rachel contracted a disease that causes her to age backwards. Weintraub wrestles for years with dreams in which he is ordered to go to Hyperion and sacrifice Rachel in a replay of the Binding of Isaac. He decides to become a pilgrim and to implore the Shrike for a cure.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Pilgrim
- First appears
- Hyperion
- Key motivation
- To implore the Shrike for a cure for his daughter Rachel
Lore & Background
In the broader context of the Hyperion Cantos, Sol Weintraub's story is told in the Scholar's Tale: 'The River Lethe's Taste Is Bitter.' His narrative is rooted in the personal tragedy of his daughter Rachel, who aged backwards after encountering the Shrike while mapping one of the Time Tombs. Weintraub's recurring dreams echo the biblical Binding of Isaac, commanding him to sacrifice Rachel. His journey to Hyperion is driven by the hope that the Shrike will grant a cure.
Reader's Guide
Sol Weintraub is introduced in the framing narrative as one of the seven pilgrims journeying to the Time Tombs. His tale, 'The River Lethe's Taste Is Bitter,' is the fourth told, following the Poet's Tale. Weintraub's dreams command him to sacrifice Rachel in a replay of the Binding of Isaac. He decides to become a pilgrim to implore the Shrike for a cure. After his tale, the party sees the Templar treeship destroyed by Ousters, and Het Masteen goes missing, his room found full of blood.
More in Pilgrims & Key Figures
Elsewhere in Hyperion Cantos
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