Subject: (urth) Time Spans and the Conciliator

From: David_Lebling <david_lebling at avid.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 11:18:04 +0000

Something I noticed in the chapter of _Shadow_ dealing with the destruction
of the Pelerine's altar.  Agia is telling Sev about the Conciliator.   She
remarks that he may have lived thirty thousand years ago.

I have two wonderings about this.

First, I wonder if the original intent of this passage was to refer to
Jesus, not Severian-as-Conciliator?  As usual, it seems wrong for the span
between the age of Typhon and TBoNS to be that long, given other evidence,
though to me they seem emotionally correct, I must admit.  (I've mounted
this hobby-horse before, though, so I'll be quiet about it).

Second, why is Agia telling Severian about all this (and Severian finds it
to be news) if the fourth book he brought to Thecla is _The Book of the New
Sun_?  Wouldn't he know all this stuff already?  Hmm.  Well, perhaps the
original _Book_ only deals with the time up to the Conciliator's
disappearance, and makes no mention of the Claw, a later addition like the
pieces of the True Cross.

     -- Dave Lebling
     (aka vizcacha)
     (david_lebling at avid.com)

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