# more symbols *The Urth list — 1 messages, 1 voices, 28 Jul 2006* > 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. --- ### b sharp *28 Jul 2006, 11:41* regarding teratoid symbols as radiation warnings Jeff Wilson notes: > I don't recall Domnina entering the chamber; wasn't she just in a mirrored > hallway? As I see it, little Thecla and Domnina were admiring themselves in the mirror hallway when Father Inire warns them about the imp of vanity that can creep into a girl's eye. Dominina makes a comment suggesting she has an extra perception on imps in mirrors so Father Inire rather forcibly invites her to the transport chambers to see the silvery fish in his special mirrors. Anyway, regarding teratoid, monsterish symbols I think the other example we are expected to compare them to is Agia's scratched symbol of a Jurupari: > Jurupari, is a translation of the Tupi (S. American tribe) word for Forest > Demon or Devil and comes >from the native name for certain fish - > juruparipindi or devil's fishhook (lure) I wonder what relationship teratoid symbols have to the "gnostic" symbols Severian sees in the Witches' Keep. > Gnosticism: the thought and practice especially of various cults of late > pre-Christian and early >Christian centuries distinguished by the > conviction that matter is evil and that emancipation comes >through gnosis. > Gnosis: esoteric knowledge of spiritual truth held by the ancient > Gnostics to be essential to >salvation So, Gnosticism (Christian or not) can be seen as an early competitor to the brand of Christianity we have now. For them, salvation was not to be found in faith, but rather the acquisition of arcane knowledge. Aside from Witches, I think there are some other seekers of arcane knowledge in BotNS. I think this is relevant to the overarching subtextual theme of Christianity replacing its competitors. -bsharp ---