Subject: (urth) 'Pian

From: Ranjit Bhatnagar <ranjit at moonmilk.com>
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 19:05:58 +0000

I worry that I've missed some obvious counter-argument, but it seems
to me that Appian and Paeon are one and the same.

Roy quoted:
> [...] "Paeon, who
> trained me, who was honey-steward fifty years gone by. I knew what he was in
> truth, for I had met him before." [...] (CITADEL, chapter XXV)

"I knew what he was" -- he was the Autarch, playing honey-steward as
Severian's predecessor played at whoremaster.

Tony:
> And finally we have the mysterious Paeon, whom Roy also mentions. You
> reason that the penultimate Autarch may have been 5-12 years old when
> Paeon trained him, 50 years ago, and I agree. But since we know Appian
> had been on the throne *at least* 12 years by then, doesn't that support
> my theory rather than yours?

... or MY theory :)

"Paeon" sounds like "Appian."  It could be his honey-stewarding
nickname, or perhaps even Severian's mishearing of the Old Autarch's
words.

- ranjit