Borskisms

Charles Dye · 14 Oct 1998, 20:52 · from urth-v0020.mbox · original

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From: Charles Dye <raster at highfiber.com>
Subject: (urth) Borskisms
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1998 20:52:35
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"Robert Borski" <rborski at coredcs.com> writes:

>"His empire did fail him, as it had to...But he did not retire as he had
>planned into that vault and the curtain wall he had caused to be built
>around it, for when once the wild things have been put behind a man for
>good and all, they are trap-wise and cannot be recaptured.
>
>"Nevertheless, it is said that before all he gathered was sealed away, he
>set a guardian over it. And when that guardian's time on Urth was done, he
>found another, and he another, so that they continue ever faithful to the
>demands of that autarch..."
>
>Cyriaca, earlier, has called this vault "the lost archives" and when she
>finishes her tale, Sev says, "It is a wonderful story. I think that perhaps
>*I know more of it than you, but I have never heard* it before."
>
>This is because he's just realized the Claw has reawakened the guardian of
>the lost archives.

Sigh.  Once again, I have a much duller interpretation.  Call me a bore-
schismatic.  Cyriaca gives the location of the lost archives.  They are
"in Nessus, a long way south of the city most people visit, so far down
the great river... there stands an ancient fortress....  It stands upon a
hill overlooking Gyoll... staring out over a field of ruined sepulchers,
guarding nothing."  Severian knows more of the story because he's visited
the vault.  He himself carries one of the lost volumes beyond the curtain
wall.

Naturally, I agree with your nominee for the "autarch."

m.driussi at genie.com writes:

>Am I wrong?  Did all that intellectual labor go out with the
>alchemists?  Has Science become some sort of orthodoxy of divine
>transmission?  Have scientists become a species of cargo cult,
>waiting for the next Truth to come tumbling out the cornucopia of the
>vast complex?

For what it's worth, I enjoy Mr. Borski's speculations, though I don't
agree with most of them.  Great fun!  But theorizing is only part of
science, of course.  The dull part is gathering evidence to support
or refute a theory.

One I'd like to see developed far better is the two-names-per-Hierodule
theory.  There's an obvious link with one of Winge's most famous short
stories, of course; I suspect the titles of some of Mr. Borski's posts
are intended to hint at it.  But I'd like a lot more detail.  Why, for
example, tie "Abraxas" in particular to "Father Inire"?  Was "Abraxas"
just a loose name, or does it have some meaning that connects it to
Inire?

raster at highfiber.com

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