{
  "export": {
    "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/4678",
    "note": "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.",
    "addresses": "obscured as 'user at host'"
  },
  "archive": "urth",
  "thread": {
    "id": 4678,
    "subject": "Gnostic characters",
    "messages": 1,
    "voices": 1,
    "first": "2006-07-28T13:06:41+00:00",
    "last": "2006-07-28T13:06:41+00:00"
  },
  "messages": [
    {
      "message_id": "<BAY103-F15B2F1D3E68BA5A9A971DD7590@phx.gbl>",
      "from": {
        "name": "b sharp",
        "address": "bsharporflat at hotmail.com"
      },
      "date": "2006-07-28T13:06:41+00:00",
      "subject": "(urth) Gnostic characters",
      "in_reply_to": null,
      "reply_link": null,
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "As noted in the \"more symbols\" post I think BotNS has Gnostic characters who \nseek advancement/salvation through acquisition of arcane knowledge.  This is \nin opposition or competition to belief in the New Sun,  paralleled in the \ncompetitors to early Christianity.\n\nWhich characters and what is the knowledge they seek?  I'd like to start \nfirst with the unnamed old leech who treats Severian after his near-fatal \nfacial wound.  They discuss corpse eating and the leech is quite familiar \nwith it (more than Vodalus, even) but says that method is not useful in this \nquest.  None of the recently dead have the knowledge he seeks and it must be \nobtained by experimentation.  Severian worries that children have been \ntortured in these experiments, but I suspect the leech's current experiments \nregarding this unnamed secret knowledge has a different subject.\n\nNext is Ceryx (name implies cacogen) who relies on mumbo jumbo but shows \nhimself to have some real secret knowledge and power, the most notable being \nthe ability to animate dead flesh into zombie form.  He seems insanely \njealous of Severian and his true healing powers.  I've always thought Ceryx \nwas the original inspiration for the Jungle Sorcerers who also rely on \nmumbo-jumbo but also are shown to have secret knowledge and abilities.  Agia \nis shown, in multiple ways, to be associated with these sorcerers.\n\nNext I'll mention the Cumaean, who enlists Severian's aid in resurrecting a \nlong-dead Apu Punchau.  I have a hard time believing this is a chance \nmeeting or that the Cumaean, Merryn or Hildegrin have any real interest in \nApu Punchau. What good is he to them?  I think what is of interest is \nSeverian's contribution to the process.  Gnostic symbols are found in the \nWitches' Keep and the only mention of Witches' purpose is raising the dead.  \nI notice that Hildegren is present at two other instances of Severian's \nresurrectional powers, the Lake of Birds with Dorcas, and after Severian's \nown death by Avern.\n\nIt seems clear that there are higher powers contending behind the scenes in \nBotNS.  Severian himself starts the story suggesting he might have had some \npre-sentiment of his future.  If so there are likely other, more \nknowledgable characters who also have this pre-sentiment.  We might ask why \nthose who oppose the coming of the New Sun wouldn't kill him. I think the \nanswer is 1.) They try but can't.  2.) They seek knowledge of power that \nonly Severian has in this universe (and the next?) and are trying to get it \nfrom him.\n\n-bsharp"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}