Subject: (urth) Hierodule fieldguide

From: m.driussi <m.driussi at genie.com>
Date: Wed, 02 Sep 1998 22:16:00 +0000

Yes, yes, we have been over this before.  But still, who knows--maybe
we'll figure something out?

The hierodules are creatures of Briah who are agents/tools of
Hierogrammates in Yesod.  The different types of hierodules in the
Urth Cycle:

Kelpies--B&F are analogous to kelpies (re: Severian's reaction to
their stateroom onboard the Tzadkiel).  They are tall.  Ossipago is
an automaton, shorter in stature than they are.  Water/horse symbols.
Mischief, if not fatal (death by drowning).

Mother Reptile Hundred Eyes--the Cumaean.  Symbol of Earth,
seer/pythoness.

???--Father Inire.  He's a hunched little guy, a Daedalus or
Hephaestus or Toth, and since Toth is the most ancient I tend to
think of Inire as being something like Toth's totem, the ibis, a bent
neck little bird hobbling around, finding treasures in the muck. (Of
course, he's also Lewdis Carnal, Victorian child pornographer,
hunched over his primitive camera obscena. <g>)

There are more Hierodules onboard the time saucer.  Dr. Talos wants
them to come out and blast/scare the natives.  Severian sees most of
them as mermen, but sees one and thinks it squirrel-like in its climbing
around.

Here's a tidbit--

Barbatus: "Baldanders always comes to see us off" (III, ch. 34).
This makes it seem like OB&F have indeed skipped back sixty years
or so (I'm guessing that the villagers of Murene built the castle for
little Baldanders circa 50 years pre-Severian's Reign) and then
blipped forward from there, visiting Baldanders from time to time.
As this is their last visit with him, they are presumed to be about
to skip back to some period prior to their last starting point.

=mantis=

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