![]() The Puppeteer brain is housed not in the heads, but in the "thoracic" cavity well protected beneath the mane-covered hump from which the heads emerge. The heads are small, containing a forked tongue, rubbery lips rimmed with finger-like knobs, and a single eye per head. ![]() Pierson's Puppeteers are described by Niven as having two forelegs and a single hindleg ending in hoofed feet, and two snake-like heads instead of a humanoid upper body. The group name they use for their own species translates as "Citizens". Puppeteers' names for themselves are reportedly highly complex, and unpronounceable by humans. ![]() Puppeteers dealing with humans usually give themselves the names of centaurs and other figures in Greek mythology, such as Nessus, Nike and Chiron. According to the Niven story The Soft Weapon, Pierson was a crewman aboard a spaceship at a time when there was a camp revival of the ancient Time for Beany TV show featuring Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent, an animated character based on a hand puppet Pierson accordingly described the alien he had met as a Puppeteer, given some resemblance of the head and neck with Cecil. ![]() ![]() The sobriquet "Pierson's" comes from the name of the human who made first contact in the early 26th century in the Known Space timeline. Illustration of Pierson's Puppeteer from Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials Biology and sociology ![]()
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