# A Quick Question

*The Urth list — 6 messages, 5 voices, 19 Jul 2007*

<https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/4882>

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### Paul B
*19 Jul 2007, 02:55*

Hi!  I saw this alluded to in the archives, but wasn't able to find a text
reference - where does it say that Severian spent a year as an Ascian slave,
after becoming Autarch?
That's a curious detail that came as a surprise to me.

Paul

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### Roy C. Lackey
*19 Jul 2007, 05:13 · follows Paul B*

> Paul B wrote:
> Hi!  I saw this alluded to in the archives, but wasn't able to find a text
> reference - where does it say that Severian spent a year as an Ascian
> slave,
> after becoming Autarch?
> That's a curious detail that came as a surprise to me.

URTH, chapter LI, second page. But it doesn't quite say he was a slave then.

-Roy

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### Paul B
*19 Jul 2007, 05:42 · in reply to Roy C. Lackey*

Oh, I see what you mean.  I'd thought he referred to his much shorter
capture by the Ascians in Citadel, which admittedly seemed much shorter than
a year, since he says the Autarch (as Severian and the old autarch) was
absent for a month only in XXIV of Citadel.  However, I dismissed that as
another self-contradiction by Severian.
But, if it's true, then that means he must have been captured twice - one
would think that would somehow have been more important than it's been, but
I suppose that's solidly in the realm of speculation.

Paul

> On 7/19/07, Roy C. Lackey <rclackey at stic.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> Paul B wrote:

>> Hi!  I saw this alluded to in the archives, but wasn't able to find a
>> text
>> reference - where does it say that Severian spent a year as an Ascian
>> slave,
>> after becoming Autarch?
>> That's a curious detail that came as a surprise to me.

> URTH, chapter LI, second page. But it doesn't quite say he was a slave
> then.
> 
> -Roy
> 
> _______________________________________________

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### Rex Lycanthrosaurus
*19 Jul 2007, 15:09 · in reply to Paul B*

On Wed, 18 Jul 2007 22:55:43 -0400, "Paul B" <pb.stuff at gmail.com> said:

> Hi!  I saw this alluded to in the archives, but wasn't able to find a
> text
> reference - where does it say that Severian spent a year as an Ascian
> slave,
> after becoming Autarch?

It's extratextual and was mentioned in an interview conducted by Robert
Frazier for a fanzine called Thrust in 1982:

Frazier: "Perhaps we could end this by telling something about Severian
that doesn't end up in the books."

Wolfe: "There was the time when Severian encountered assassins in the
Secret House who had come to kill Ymar, an autarch a chiliad dead. I may
write about that sometime. And the year he spent as a slave of the
Ascians. But I doudt that either will make it into print."

The interview may be reprinted in the new Wright book, but I'm not sure,
as my copy has not arrived yet.

```
  Rex Lycanthrosaurus
  lycanthrosaurus at fastmail.fm

-- 
http://www.fastmail.fm - Or how I learned to stop worrying and
                          love email again
```

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### Stuart Hamm
*19 Jul 2007, 15:29 · in reply to Rex Lycanthrosaurus*

FYI
  It is included, and this quote is on page 55
  Have a great one Y'all!
  Stuart

Rex Lycanthrosaurus <lycanthrosaurus at fastmail.fm> wrote:
  
On Wed, 18 Jul 2007 22:55:43 -0400, "Paul B" 
said:

> Hi! I saw this alluded to in the archives, but wasn't able to find a
> text
> reference - where does it say that Severian spent a year as an Ascian
> slave,
> after becoming Autarch?

It's extratextual and was mentioned in an interview conducted by Robert
Frazier for a fanzine called Thrust in 1982:

Frazier: "Perhaps we could end this by telling something about Severian
that doesn't end up in the books."

Wolfe: "There was the time when Severian encountered assassins in the
Secret House who had come to kill Ymar, an autarch a chiliad dead. I may
write about that sometime. And the year he spent as a slave of the
Ascians. But I doudt that either will make it into print."

The interview may be reprinted in the new Wright book, but I'm not sure,
as my copy has not arrived yet.

```
Rex Lycanthrosaurus
lycanthrosaurus at fastmail.fm

-- 
http://www.fastmail.fm - Or how I learned to stop worrying and
love email again
```

---

### don doggett
*19 Jul 2007, 16:07 · in reply to Rex Lycanthrosaurus*

> --- Rex Lycanthrosaurus <lycanthrosaurus at fastmail.fm>
> wrote:
> 
> It's extratextual and was mentioned in an interview
> conducted by Robert
> Frazier for a fanzine called Thrust in 1982:

> Wolfe: "There was the time when Severian encountered
> assassins in the
> Secret House who had come to kill Ymar, an autarch a
> chiliad dead. I may
> write about that sometime.

I'm assuming this is the episode that ends up in Urth
of the New Sun? If so, then this is important because
the assassin clearly singles out Severian to die and I
believe the consensus was that he was sent to kill
Sev. As many of you know, I believe that Severian and
Ymar are essentially the same person. This just
increases my belief in that theory.

Don

The Evangelists: a Lesser Apocrypha                                                                        http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=178109961


       

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