Subject: (urth) New Sun! Apu-Punchau

From: m.driussi <m.driussi at genie.com>
Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 17:34:00 +0000

[Posted from URTH, a mailing list about Gene Wolfe's New Sun and other works]

Reply:  Item #2152520 from URTH at LISTS.BEST.COM@INET02#

Xury,

Re: motives for Hildegrin attacking Apu-Punchau.  We have to guess.
He claims to Severian that they're going to contact Apu-Punchau in order
to recruit him for Vodalus et al.  But then he seems to attack him,
which makes it look as though the plan is really to nip the whole
"New Sun" notion in the earliest bud by assassinating Apu-Punchau.
Or cutting the helpline link between unaware Severian and Apu-Punchau
(this sees Apu-Punchau as an active player on the team against Abaia,
Erebus, and Co.).

Hildegrin appears to be surprised to see Severian out in the Stone
Town, suggesting that Severian's presence wasn't a required part of
the plan.

Hildegrin claims that it is all his idea, and that since he has done
three big favors for the Cumaean she is obligated to help him in this
quest.  The reason why he disappears is that he was grappling with
Apu-Puncau when Severian got too close, causing Apu-Punchau to
implode and either take Hildegrin with him or propell Hildegrin into
the Dawn Age.  (Maybe Hildegrin woke up in our Earth and became Pizarro?
Inti, aka Apu-Punchau, was said to have visited his people periodically
but was not on hand when the conquistadors came along--perhaps in the
Wolfe-version we can see why; he has been assassinated by Hildegrin
[actually by Severian] in the Age of the Autarch.)

Anywho, that gets pretty wooly pretty quickly.  The motives are a bit
more straightforward.  (The Cumaean knows what will happen and sells
Hildegrin the rope to hang himself, as it were.)

=mantis=