Subject: (urth) Severian as the Outsider?

From: thomas gamble <thomasjgamble at mac.com>
Date: Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:26:49 +0000

treading over old ground, but my question is; can a legitimate claim  
be made (even a decently founded speculation!) that Severian is the  
Outsider? First, he is marked as the only god existing outside the  
Whorl (makes sense- no reason for Sevvy to be in Typhon's seed-ship),  
is referenced as "dark" (stretching, i know). These two points alone,  
of course, do not make a for any kind of argument. However, when we  
get to Horn/Silk's journey in SS, and Horn's near-starvation/  
hallucinations in the crude trap his son made, he is visited by a  
dark character (whom he believes to be the Outsider), wielding a  
glowing blue stone (the parallel seems too strong for this to be  
anything but the Claw).
	If Severian is indeed the Outsider it raises some questions that  
perhaps you could shed some light on for me. First, it would mean  
that Typhon recognized and included Sev in his canon, albeit in an  
indirect way. This seems peculiar, but I suppose that I wouldn't  
preclude him for having some strange respect for the New Sun.  
Secondly, it means that Severian enlightens Silk on Sun Street, but  
to what end? To prevent Pas' future plans from coming to fruition?

Thomas John Gamble
thomasjgamble at mac.com

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From: Matthew Keeley <matthew.keeley.1 at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:34:03 +0000

Actually, Wolfe discussed this issue in an old interview:
http://www.urth.net/whorl/archives/v0006/0350.shtml

To quote:
"15. "Is the Outsider a form of Severian?" No. Severian is a form of"
the Outsider.""

I tend to interpret that as a Catholic answer, something along the
lines of "Severian was created in the image and likeness of the
Outsider." I could be wrong though.

-Matt

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From: James B. Jordan <jbjordan4 at cox.net>
Date: Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:56:45 +0000

You are not wrong. The Outsider is the Creator-God of the Bible, 
"outside" in every respect. Severian, like all of us, is made in His 
image, and in Sev's case, in a special way. But then, each of us is 
special, Wolfe would say.

Patera Nutria

At 03:34 PM 1/3/2008, you wrote:

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James B. Jordan
Director, Biblical Horizons
Box 1096
Niceville, FL 32588
http://www.biblicalhorizons.com 
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