Meanwhile, back on Urth

Peter Westlake · 12 Jun 1998, 09:39 · from urth-v0013.mbox · original

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From: Peter Westlake <peter at harlequin.co.uk>
Subject: Re: (urth) Meanwhile, back on Urth
Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998 10:39:05 +0100
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At 04:03 1998-06-12 GMT, m.driussi at genie.com wrote:
>Spectacled Bear,
>
>Did alga get huffy with you?  Well then you are extra
>special--if not unique! <g>

No, with Mr Wolfe for (as she thought) not explaining the
mystery of who made the footsteps in the mine at Saltus.

>Re: the sack of the Claw.  Hmm, yes, "leather" is "manskin"; or
>rather, "manskin" is "leather."  And "doeskin" is "leather," too.
>But only by an obvious joke can "manskin" be "doeskin."
>
>("The manskin was made from the skin of a guy named John Doe.")
>
>"Claw of the Conciliator. re: the sack it is carried in by Severian.
>The text gives it as made of doeskin (III, chap. 1) and human skin
>(III, chap. 21, last page).  This curious detail is seen in REALMS OF
>FANTASY (1983) by Malcolm Edwards and Robert P. Holdstock as a
>concrete example of how Wolfe uses careful signals to cast doubt upon
>Severian's memory" ("LEXICON URTHUS:Additions, Errata, &cetera
>(Volume I)," p. 7).

... and on my memory too. Whorl readers may recall that "bears
are not universally intelligent"! I shall have to look again.

>"Who (or what) is the intelligence in the depths of the mine at
>Saltus?" (item number four in list "Mysteries of the Urth Cycle,"
>LEXICON URTHUS, p. 175)
>
>My own guesses (in more or less chronological order)

... are very interesting. I haven't seen LEXICON URTHUS,
or any of the chapbooks, and thanks for reminding me to
look into how to get hold of them.

But I think it's the war machines. I guessed at the end=20
Citadel, XXII, where they appear, and was amazed by the
mention of the footsteps in the mine in XXIII, which is
a very generous clue.

Peter.


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