# _Urth of the New Sun_ query *The SF-Lovers list — 5 messages, 5 voices, 25 Jul 1995* > Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright > in each message remains with the person who wrote it. > Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original > archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than > retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact. --- ### Emmet O'Brien *25 Jul 1995, 10:36* I was recently rereading Wolfe's _Urth of the New Sun_, and for some reason the names he uses for the higher and lower universes in the story, Yesod and Briah, seem familiar. My first thought was that they sounded vaguely Cabbalistic, but I don't have research material to hand. Can anyone enlighten me ? Emmet --- ### Mark Andersen *26 Jul 1995, 10:20 · follows Emmet O'Brien* eaobrien at ebi.ac.uk (Emmet O'Brien) writes: > I was recently rereading Wolfe's _Urth of the New Sun_, and for some > reason the names he uses for the higher and lower universes in the story, > Yesod and Briah, seem familiar. My first thought was that they sounded > vaguely Cabbalistic. So I've been told. He also apparently has the names inverted for some reason of his own. (i.e., higher universe: lower name and vice versa). Dr. Mark Andersen Department of Fishery and Wildlife Sciences New Mexico State University --- ### Jon Evans *26 Jul 1995, 19:43 · follows Mark Andersen* eaobrien at ebi.ac.uk (Emmet O'Brien) writes: > I was recently rereading Wolfe's _Urth of the New Sun_, and for some > reason the names he uses for the higher and lower universes in the story, > Yesod and Briah, seem familiar. My first thought was that they sounded > vaguely Cabbalistic, but I don't have research material to hand. Can > anyone enlighten me ? Yesod at least is indeed, uh, (ducking a surefire spelling error) what you said. My limited knowledge of the sefirah is from Umberto Eco's FOUCAULT'S PENDULUM, which explains all ten of them; I suggest you read it a) because it answers your question and b) because it is a work of magnificence comparable to THE BOOK OF THE NEW SUN. Mind you, it's not SF. Jon --- ### Charles Dye *03 Aug 1995, 01:27 · follows Jon Evans* Changing the topic somewhat (well, okay, completely): Reading "Castle of the Otter" for the first time, a few weeks back, I discovered Mr. Wolfe's unfortunate taste for name puns. ("Carrol of another kind", crimony....) I got to wondering if he buried any name puns in "New Sun", and then it hit me: Chapter One of "Shadow of the Torturer" revolves around GRAVE ROBBERS. Is my sick mind inventing a joke that Wolfe really didn't intend to put in there? It's been bothering me for some reason. And I haven't been helped by the fact that "Long Sun" features a "Dr. Crane" .... What do you think? --- ### CANTY DANIEL *06 Aug 1995, 00:41 · follows Charles Dye* > Charles Dye (raster at terra.com) wrote: > Chapter One of "Shadow of the Torturer" revolves around GRAVE ROBBERS. The opening of _Shadow of the Torturer_, and the narrative stance which the appendices suggest refer, I think, to ROBERT GRAVES'S _I, Claudius_. Was that what you were referring to in suggesting the existence of a pun? Daniel ---