{ "export": { "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/4876", "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": 4876, "subject": "Severian and Merryn", "messages": 3, "voices": 3, "first": "2007-07-04T23:16:01+00:00", "last": "2007-07-14T09:34:18+00:00" }, "messages": [ { "message_id": "<1A905D5AFFFCE14BA291E0BB8D0A65BF051ED2F0@WDCNTEXVS01.corporate.nzpost.co.nz>", "from": { "name": "Maclean Jessica", "address": "jessica.maclean at nzpost.co.nz" }, "date": "2007-07-04T23:16:01+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Severian and Merryn", "in_reply_to": null, "reply_link": null, "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Hi all\n\nHaving also just re-read the The Claw of the Conciliator, I respectfully\nrequest some clarification on the Severian and Merryn twin-thing. I'm at\nwork so don't have the book with me, but I just finished it last night\nso it's pretty fresh in my mind :-) \n\nNear the end of the book, it clearly states that Severian was a small\nboy (small enough to have to jump to reach the knocker) when he went to\nthe Witches Tower, whereas Merryn looks \"old\" (to a small boy) and is\nreally about 20 years of age.\n\nI accept that GW himself has stated that Merryn is probably Severian's\nsister (not sure if I have the probably bit right- please advise! :-) ),\nI'm just wondering how that works out... is it magic that Merryn appears\nthe same age regardless of her actual age? Cos when Sev, Dorcas and\nJolenta meet the Cumean, Merryn and Hildegrin atop Apu Punchau's\nbuilding, the Cumean and Merryn look exactly the same as they did when\nlittle Sev delivered that letter, so long ago... \n\nOn a maybe-not-related note, I can't help but wonder if Mr Wolfe\ndeliberately left things vague in his own mind, in order to preserve\nsome mystery for us readers? I always thought that the best way to keep\nthings secret is not to know yourself, so you can't give it away... \n\nJessica \n\n________________________________________ \nJessica Maclean \nCustomer Liaison \nNew Zealand Post \n________________________________________ \nTel: 0800 100 318 Fax: 0800 100 319\ne-mail: jessica.maclean at nzpost.co.nz \ncustomerliaison@ nzpost.co.nz \n_______________________________________ \nWinners of GOLD at the coveted CRM Contact Centre Awards 2006\n\nSmile, life is good! \nThis email with any attachments is confidential and may be subject to legal privilege. \nIf it is not intended for you please reply immediately, destroy it and do not copy, disclose or use it in any way. " } ] }, { "message_id": "<000c01c7bf99$6716d6c0$86ca5a42@rclackey.stic.net>", "from": { "name": "Roy C. Lackey", "address": "rclackey at stic.net" }, "date": "2007-07-06T06:46:32+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Severian and Merryn", "in_reply_to": "<1A905D5AFFFCE14BA291E0BB8D0A65BF051ED2F0@WDCNTEXVS01.corporate.nzpost.co.nz>", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "quote", "depth": 2, "text": "Jessica Maclean wrote:\nI accept that GW himself has stated that Merryn is probably Severian's\nsister (not sure if I have the probably bit right- please advise! :-) ),\nI'm just wondering how that works out... is it magic that Merryn appears\nthe same age regardless of her actual age? Cos when Sev, Dorcas and\nJolenta meet the Cumean, Merryn and Hildegrin atop Apu Punchau's\nbuilding, the Cumean and Merryn look exactly the same as they did when\nlittle Sev delivered that letter, so long ago... <<" }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "A number of people have commented on the apparent age discrepancy. The text\ngives no objective reason to account for the discrepancy, if Merryn is in\nfact supposed to be Severian's twin sister. Her cameo in _Short Sun_ does\nlittle to illuminate the subject. In fact, I have always suspected that her\nappearance there was a gesture, polite or otherwise, to the many queries\nWolfe has received on the topic. There was no real need for her to be in\nthat scene, and that may be the best proof we will ever get that she and Sev\nwere siblings -- if they were.\n\nI doubt that Wolfe had _Short Sun_ mapped out when he wrote _New Sun_, so\nit's hard to say what he originally had in mind when he created the mystery.\nBut if Merryn is indeed Sev's long-lost sister, it makes the solution to the\nmystery rather anticlimactic, don't you think?\n\nAnd it hangs the mandragora out to dry.\n\n-Roy" } ] }, { "message_id": "<172716.51437.qm@web90414.mail.mud.yahoo.com>", "from": { "name": "Ian S", "address": "greenbook5 at yahoo.com" }, "date": "2007-07-14T09:34:18+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Severian and Merryn", "in_reply_to": "<1A905D5AFFFCE14BA291E0BB8D0A65BF051ED2F0@WDCNTEXVS01.corporate.nzpost.co.nz>", "reply_link": "header", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Hi Jessica,\n\nQuite an interesting question. Well, the answer to\nyour query may be be quite simple. Merryn and the\nCumean probably 'walk the corridors of time,' to\nborrow a Wolfensian phrase. That's why Merryn seems to\nbe the same age when Severian met her at the tomb of\nApu Punchau ( who is actually Severian from the\nfuture-past or the past-future ) as when he met her in\nthe Witches Tower when he was a small boy, if indeed\nthis Merryn is one in the same person. Merryn could\nhave gone into the future, met Severian atop the tomb\nof Apu Punchau, than gone back to her own relative\npresent day where she could have met the boy Severian\nat the Wiches Tower the next morning. I'm not saying\nthis is what happened for certain, but it would be the\nsort of thing that Wolfe might write about. \n\nThrough what means she may have carried this out ( or\nmore significantly, why ) is debateable and we'll\nprobably never find out, but I suspect it may have\nbeen done through devices similar to the one used by\nRudesind to get to the House Absolute, though this\ndevice moved him through space, rather than through\ntime. Please note the conversation between Severian\nand Rudesind in 'The Claw of the Conciliator' in\nChapter 20, entitled 'Pictures:'\n\n\" While ago you come looking for Ultan. Didn't you\nfind him? \"\n\n\" Yes, I found him,\" I said. \" But it wasn't a short\ntime ago.\"\n\nHe seemd to grow angry at that. \" I didn't mean today!\nBut it wasn't long....\"\n\nI'm not too sure about the courtesan at the House\nAzure, though. For those interested, please refer to\nThe Shadow of the Torturer, Chapter 9, for Severian's\nimpressions that the Chatelaine Barbea and the\nChatelaine Gracia might be the same person. Though\nducking into a space/time device to change appearences\nand then zipping back to the moment you left is a bit\nunneccessary!\n\nIf you're a fan of 'Lost,' this may also explain why\nRichard Alpert does not seem to age either.\n\nIan" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "--- Maclean Jessica \nwrote:\nHi all\n\nHaving also just re-read the The Claw of the\nConciliator, I respectfully\nrequest some clarification on the Severian and\nMerryn twin-thing. I'm at\nwork so don't have the book with me, but I just\nfinished it last night\nso it's pretty fresh in my mind :-) \n\nNear the end of the book, it clearly states that\nSeverian was a small\nboy (small enough to have to jump to reach the\nknocker) when he went to\nthe Witches Tower, whereas Merryn looks \"old\" (to a\nsmall boy) and is\nreally about 20 years of age.\n\nI accept that GW himself has stated that Merryn is\nprobably Severian's\nsister (not sure if I have the probably bit right-\nplease advise! :-) ),\nI'm just wondering how that works out... is it magic\nthat Merryn appears\nthe same age regardless of her actual age? Cos when\nSev, Dorcas and\nJolenta meet the Cumean, Merryn and Hildegrin atop\nApu Punchau's\nbuilding, the Cumean and Merryn look exactly the\nsame as they did when\nlittle Sev delivered that letter, so long ago... \n\nOn a maybe-not-related note, I can't help but wonder\nif Mr Wolfe\ndeliberately left things vague in his own mind, in\norder to preserve\nsome mystery for us readers? I always thought that\nthe best way to keep\nthings secret is not to know yourself, so you can't\ngive it away... \n\nJessica \n\n________________________________________ \nJessica Maclean \nCustomer Liaison \nNew Zealand Post \n________________________________________ \nTel: 0800 100 318 Fax: 0800 100 319\ne-mail: jessica.maclean at nzpost.co.nz \ncustomerliaison@ nzpost.co.nz \n_______________________________________ \nWinners of GOLD at the coveted CRM Contact Centre\nAwards 2006\n\nSmile, life is good! \nThis email with any attachments is confidential and\nmay be subject to legal privilege. \nIf it is not intended for you please reply\nimmediately, destroy it and do not copy, disclose or\nuse it in any way. " }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 2, "text": "_______________________________________________" } ] } ] }