Hierodules

John Gersten · 02 Sep 1998, 08:28 · from urth-v0018.mbox · original

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From: John Gersten <jgersten at slip.net>
Subject: Re: (urth) Hierodules
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1998 08:28:18
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On Wed, 2 Sep 1998 m.driussi at genie.com wrote:

> Interesting how native lifespan figures into time travellers: OB&F
> (dog lifespan); Inire (past his years); Father Thyme (physically ages
> as he travels); Master Ash (hint of Thyme as he walks to answer the
> door--Severian hears old footsteps growing young and virile).

With regard to OB&F, I've often wondered about their experience of time
generally.  I had the impression that they actually lived time "backwards"
with reference to Severian's (and everyone else's) motion through time,
and only "switched around" briefly (perhaps with Ossipago's help?) to
match Severian's time-direction when they needed to interact with him.

Are B&F born in the future?  Do they then "age" as they pass backward in
time (from Sev's point of view)?  This would seem to be the case.  But
then how can they interact, even briefly, with people whose physiological
and neurological processes are, time-wise, working backward from their
own?  Perhaps they use artificial means to briefly sort of "snap"
themselves around to Sev's time-arrow direction?  Or am I just
overcomplicating things (in a Wolfe book?!? <g>)?
=20
> Or do they just grow up into those silent giant statues that roam the
> gardens of the House Absolute?  They are certainly alike in terms of
> angelic beauty.

Or are the statues perhaps proto-larval forms that miss getting animated
with a spark of individual soul?  For whose benefit exactly are they
prowling the environs of the HA?

John

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