Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2003 22:57:55 -0700
From: maa32 
Subject: (urth) different sev's and silk as seeker

Two brief points:

I believe Nutria asked me to clarify why I stated that the author of Urth of 
the New Sun was different than the Severian of Book of the New Sun.  Note that 
the old Severian copies out the Book of the New Sun again and then dies 
falling down a shaft, after which point another physical body is created, then 
yet another one is made before that eidolon writes Urth of the New Sun: a copy 
of a copy.  It isn't the same human hand - that's all I meant, and there may 
be other differences (since the hierodules aren't really God, after all - they 
just approximate him as best they can)

As far as I know, Wolfe was not specific about Silk being the only member of 
the Seekers for Truth and Penitence.  Here is my take: the Matachine Tower is 
the last refuge of a distorted Catholic church: all male, in black, seeking to 
serve a greater justice beyond their ability to judge.  They obey.  They have 
ceremonies of religious import, but the church has ultimately fractured into 
the female Pelerines and the more sedentary torturers, who have adapted a bit 
of a secular role in punishment - bringing hell to Urth a bit before death, 
but still serving a higher power.  Purgatory, if you will.
Silk is a member of a distorted church that seeks truth and penitence as well, 
but since the traditions have been muddled with by Typhon, it is even more 
corrupted by polytheism.  They still wear black and even have the sign of 
addition and confession and other DISTINCTLY Catholic sacraments (Silk even 
knows about the eucharist, but I think sacrifice has taken the place of that 
in their masses).  So here is my take: the torturer's are very corrupt 
priests, and Silk is a priest of a polytheistic syncretic Catholicism (hell, 
there's even a pope).

I don't think we can use that interview statement to say that Silk is a clone 
of Ymar or Severian .... BUT on the other hand everyone and their brother 
thinks that Silk is a ghost of Malrubius, which STILL blows my mind.  So ... 
Silk as clone of Malrubius, anyone?  And where the hell would Typhon get a 
clone of a man born more than a thousand years after him to put on a ship, 
unless that "original" man (Malrubius) was a clone from an earlier source?

Any explanations for why Silk (possibly with some small fragments of Horn left 
inside him and blurring his astral appearance) looks like Malrubius?  Could 
this be an explanation for why he needs to meet Severian?

Marc Aramini



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