Severian's skin color

James Wynn · 20 Jun 2005, 14:54 · from 2005-June.txt.gz

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From: thewynns at earthlink.net (James Wynn)
Date: Mon Jun 20 14:54:01 2005
Subject: (urth) Severian's skin color
Message-ID: <30712710.1119304439136.JavaMail.root at wamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

>>I find this [Typhon/Piaton/Severian] alternative
>>interpretation of Severian's
>parentage intriguing, although it's warping my
>mind...What's the rationale behind it?

>It's been discounted by most people on the list, but
>the rationale  in a nutshell is the parallels between
>Sev's life and Ymar's, clues in the Tale of Frog
>(sorry, my  books are on unintentionaly permanent loan
>- I  should know better by now.)  And the fact that
>Sev's confrontation with Typhon reflects the hero's
>confrontation with his father in Joseph Campbell's
>whatever-you-call-it theory.

For the record, I concur with the gist of the interpretation
although I couldn't say what the parallels between Sev &
Ymar's life are, I didn't originally find Don's interpretation
of the Tale of the Frog drastically compelling, and I'm
contemptuous Campbell's interpretation of myth and don't
see it as much of an influence on Wolfe.

I believed it, initially, because the Short Sun declared that 
Severian's crypt held Typhon's immediate family. After that,
things began to fall into place and make more sense. 

In an interview with Nick Gevers he was asked:
http://www.sfsite.com/03b/gw124.htm

NG: Why did you choose in Short Sun to have your
characters cross over into the milieu of New Sun? In
particular, do the meetings of Horn/Silk and Severian have
a decisive impact on the destinies of both? 

GW: Because the books would have been lame if they had
not. Once you see that Pas is or was Typhon, and know the
Rajan can travel by astral projection, he's got to do that.

What Wolfe doesn't explain to my satisfaction is why it was
necessary. It doesn't seem that obvious to me. I mean,
it would seem more obvious for the Rajan to go back and
meet Typhon wouldn't it? Or at least stand over his
lifeless body. Why Severian?

In some interview that I can't currently place, Wolfe said
that early on in the writing of the Long Sun, he came to
realize it had to be a story about the family of Typhon.
Which made me say "Hmm...I thought it was about Silk
and Tussah and Pike and Marble and Awk and Chenille 
and Horn."

Well?  That's why I think Severian *had* to make an appearance.

~ Crush

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