Subject: (whorl) Re: the Mother-as-Inhuma

From: Robert Borski <rborski at charter.net>
Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2001 00:53:22 +0000

Shellac having gracefully conceded the following:

<Okay, point taken. I remembered the line about "holy slave" after I posted.
I suppose the only legs that the Cumaean-as-Inhuma hypothesis has left to
stand on would require that a) Severian was wrong (as he often is) about the
Cumaean being a Hierodule or b) the Inhumi DO come from Yesod, which is
certainly an interesting thought.>

Well, you're hardly the first person to mis-identify the Cumaean.

In one of the very early posts I wrote after reading OBW, I speculated that
the Mother of Blue was actually the Mother of Urth--i.e., the Cumaean.

I based this on two reasons:

1) Both are "Mothers."

2) The Mother of Blue is wearing a crimson robe when she first appears. This
will probably not connect with many of you, but in an essay I've shared only
off-list, I postulate that the Pelerines and the witches are sacred and
profane branches of the same religion, with the Cumaean being the leader of
both (hence the crimson cloak found by Severian in the stone town is hers).

Turns out I was wrong, however--at least about the Mother of Blue being the
Cumaean.

Now let's hear some more of your speculations and theories, Shellac!

Robert Borski

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