Sapphire Star

Son of Witz · 31 Dec 2008, 17:24 · from 2008-December.txt.gz

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From: sonofwitz at butcherbaker.org (Son of Witz)
Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:24:23 -0800
Subject: (urth) Sapphire Star
In-Reply-To: <COL109-W6376CF4485BDEDF4F1DCE1D7E40 at phx.gbl>
References: <COL109-W6376CF4485BDEDF4F1DCE1D7E40 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <12B9F55E-B5AA-4004-8D98-2A08D9972237 at butcherbaker.org>

On Dec 31, 2008, at 8:00 AM, b sharp wrote:

>
>
> I thought the connection of the blue Claw with Severian's star was  
> doppler
> blue shift as the star moved toward Urth. Perhaps religious  
> significance
> was also intended.
>
>
> -bsharp

yeah, if it can be understood in scientific terms, it can't possibly  
be a spiritual metaphor.
:P
symbols in stories can operate at multiple levels.

On Dec 30, 2008, at 7:14 PM, David Stockhoff wrote:
> Witz wrote (among other things):
>
>
> "As the stone swung back, I saw the starry sky and the single  
> bright  star (blue now with its velocity) that was myself."
>
>
> I had forgotten that line---it does clearly and cleverly link the  
> Claw with the New Sun. Like the Claw, then, you would assume, the  
> New Sun draws its power from Severian, not the reverse. Which seems  
> counterintuitive.
> But the link also suggests that neither one (Sun or Severian) is the  
> only and original or "true" entity. Both are objects in some sense,  
> "clothes" worn by the deity. Much as SoW has suggested.

I don't jibe with the first part about "power from Severian"
but I especially agree with your comment about "clothes worn by the  
deity"

When I was on my first pass, I thought early on that Severian was some  
aspect of the Claw, but didn't understand the connection to the  
Conciliator.  Now I see the Claw and the Star as tools the Conciliator/ 
NewSun wields to do his work.  The Claw is symbolic of the Star.  On  
one hand, it helps awaken Severian to his path, but then also stands  
in for his promise in the 1000+ years between Conciliator & New Sun.  
It's almost literally a promise of the star that the Conciliator-Come- 
Again will bring.

One of the biggest gaps in the story is "How did the Claw get enclosed  
in sapphire corundum?"
I've seen a post here that said synthetic corundum crystals can be  
made synthetically, but at heats that would destroy the organic claw.
of course, that's our tech, not Hierotech.  One wonders how that  
happened.  Who would have done it? Followers of the myth? Pellerines?  
yet the Pelerines thought the thorn was just a flaw in the heart.

How do you all picture this thing?
I imagined it as rough cut crystal until Urth showed it's origin in  
the Thorn.  with that in mind, I figure it would be a synthetic  
enclosure, and as such would NOT look like it was mined from the  
earth, rather it would probably be smooth or with faceted cuts.  It's  
described as about the size of an orichalk.  Do you see it as round?   
Do you see it as the shape of the thorn + the thickness of the  
crystal.  It's weird because most of us probably developed mental  
images before the thorn aspect was emphasized.  I figure it would be  
shaped like a crystal smilodon tooth.

??
~SonOfWitz

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