Arrhenius? Eureka! Mycorrhiza...

This passage from Dragonflight said to be written about Ted Tubberman in Dragonsdawn, has long confused many a Pern reader.  Various speculations in the newsgroup have come close to the mark, but I don't think anyone knew who Arrhenius was (or that he was a who).  I discovered a fairly thorough explanation in the Atlas of Pern by Karen Wynn Fonstad, and thought I'd post a scan of it here for all to read (cause I'm too lazy to retype it all at the moment...). 

This passage is copyright © 1984 by Karen Wynn Fonstad.  This excerpt is for viewing purposes only, may not be downloaded or used in any other manner without permission of the author.   It is illegal to reproduce or transmit in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, any part of this copyrighted text without permission in writing from the author.

Of course, I don't think that Thread ovoids are of the size that Arrhenius was thinking (aren't they about a fire-lizard length in diameter?)...