# "Another ancient greek of the same name"

*The Urth list — 3 messages, 3 voices, 23 Jun 1999*

<https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/1698>

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### David_Lebling
*23 Jun 1999, 09:08*

> Roy C. Lackey wrote:
> Jonas says: "I know where we are," ... "and raised one arm stiffly to point
> toward
> something I had taken to be a folding screen." Sev asks where, and Jonas
> answers
> "On Urth", then walks across the room to the panels.

I've always taken this to mean that only at that moment does Jonas realize that
he's on Earth, rather than some very odd colony world. His knowledge is
obviously based on reading the odd glyphs (there must be mirror-teleporters all
over the galaxy).

Perhaps this is too simplistic a reading, but I have a mental picture of the
software that does his speech having a slot for "the planet I'm on = 'Urth'",
"the home world = 'Earth'"; but of course, the two are homophones, so Severian
is a bit confused when Jonas says "On <the home world>."

     Dave Lebling
     (aka vizcacha)

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### Roy C. Lackey
*23 Jun 1999, 16:55 · follows David_Lebling*

>> vizcacha wrote:
>> Roy C. Lackey wrote:

> Jonas says: "I know where we are," ... "and raised one arm stiffly to
> point toward
> something I had taken to be a folding screen." Sev asks where, and Jonas
> answers
> "On Urth", then walks across the room to the panels.

>> I've always taken this to mean that only at that moment does Jonas realize
>> that

he's on Earth, rather than some very odd colony world. His knowledge is
obviously based on reading the odd glyphs (there must be mirror-teleporters
all over the galaxy).
Perhaps this is too simplistic a reading, but I have a mental picture of the
software that does his speech having a slot for "the planet I'm on ='Urth'",
"the home world = 'Earth'"; but of course, the two are homophones, so
Severian is a bit confused when Jonas says "On <the home world>." <<

David,

    I can only give you my word as assurance that I did not rip you off for
the homophone angle. I wrote my earlier post last night but did not send it
until today. When I checked the urth list this afternoon I saw that you had
posted a similar idea this morning. Bad timing on my part--and it's not the
first time such a thing has happened to me. Perhaps we can just chalk it up
to the old saw about great minds thinking alike. <g>

Roy

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### Peter Stephenson
*24 Jun 1999, 09:12 · follows Roy C. Lackey*

> "Roy C. Lackey" wrote:
> vizcacha wrote:
> Perhaps this is too simplistic a reading, but I have a mental picture of the
> software that does his speech having a slot for "the planet I'm on ='Urth'",
> "the home world = 'Earth'"; but of course, the two are homophones, so
> Severian is a bit confused when Jonas says "On <the home world>." <<
> 
> Perhaps we can just chalk it up
> to the old saw about great minds thinking alike. <g>

This was going through my mind, too, and it seems to tie up the loose end
in the most plausible.  It's the sort of mistake Severian makes a lot.
Nice way of illustrating that even if (as Thackeray kept insisting) the
narrator is omniscient, he still doesn't know everything :-).

corncrake

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