The significance of Apu Punchau

David Stockhoff · 29 Dec 2008, 23:40 · from 2008-December.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:40:48 -0500
Subject: (urth)  The significance of Apu Punchau
In-Reply-To: <mailman.1.1230156555.28690.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
References: <mailman.1.1230156555.28690.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
Message-ID: <49596000.8060200 at verizon.net>

Well, that's one theory that has been raised---that Urth is in a "later" universe than Earth. The idea of Urth being a subsequent "run" is intriguing. But it's both unnecessary and unsupported.

Perhaps the plainest problem with this is the existence of the lunar module photograph. 



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Message: 6
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:22:57 -0500
From: b sharp <bsharporflat at hotmail.com>
Subject: (urth) The significance of Apu Punchau
To: <urth at urth.net>
Message-ID: <COL109-W34285575845D1C803FC26AD7ED0 at phx.gbl>
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David Stockhoff writes:

> >So as far as plot is concerned, Apu Punchau is likely to be way in OUR past. 
> >It makes sense he would be the Inca sun god because of proximity, although really
> >he should be ALL sun gods, which would make him very busy. (Like Santa Claus will be tonight.)
>   
 

> >And if it's true that AP has no other plot role outside the Stone Town episode,
> >then he is best understood symbolically, as you say: he is the Old Sun and just
> >another incarnation or emanation of the Eternal. And that's why he's in TUotNS.
> >
> >You'd think the various emanations would not need to "be" one another, so it is 
> >geographical proximity that leads to their merging. Had Severian been landed in Persia
> >and bumped into Ahura Mazda, presumably he would have caused a proximity explosion then, 
> >and had he then run back to Zarathustra's time, he would be Ahura Mazda. Except the Persians
> >burned or chopped up their dead, so that might not have worked out so well.
>   
 
I think it is confusing without recognizing that Urth is not Earth. Urth is the analog of Earth 
in another earlier universe (if "early" has meaning in extra-universal context). Urth doesn't
have Incas or Persians or Jesus, just (perhaps) analogs of them. 
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