Two tombs

b sharp · 05 Jul 2006, 20:50 · from 2006-July.txt.gz

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From: bsharporflat at hotmail.com (b sharp)
Date: Wed, 05 Jul 2006 16:50:46 -0400
Subject: (urth) Two tombs
Message-ID: <BAY103-F340E8F12A81ADB7966C7D6D7760 at phx.gbl>

thalassocrat and don write:
I've tried to make up stories about who the other
>coffins in Sev's tomb might belong to, but I can't find anything to
>go on. And why *two* open?
>
>Ideas, anyone?

>One is Severian's analog (Ymar, imo) or Sev himself,
>the other his twin sister (probably Merryn, possibly
>Valeria) though I feel strongly that the sex of Sev's
>twin is variable. There's a lot of gender ambiguity in
>Wolfe's work, it seems to me, beginning with 5HC.

I don't have a good practical theory within the story regarding Severian's 
mausoleum but I always think the five coffins are related to  Five Heads in 
some way. And I think most agree that the Five Heads of Cerberus are related 
in some way to Gene Wolfe.

Also, for some reason, I think the opened coffins have let someone out, 
while the other three have a person/character not yet released. So maybe the 
first coffin is the Number 5 incarnation of Gene Wolfe and the second coffin 
is the Severian incarnation.  Not very well supported, but...for what it's 
worth.

-bsharp

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