traveling north

Jeff Wilson · 12 Jun 2010, 00:48 · from 2010-June.txt.gz

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From: jwilson at io.com (Jeff Wilson)
Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:48:36 -0500
Subject: (urth) traveling north
In-Reply-To: <4C12B912.4090703 at sky.com>
References: <4C06DFE0.3040805 at sky.com>	<4C06E4C7.7020706 at sky.com><476916.92692.qm at web50707.mail.re2.yahoo.com>	<4C0AF273.7070303 at sky.com><009b01cb0535$75580760$9ace4a0c@rclackey>	<4C0C3D9C.4000106 at sky.com>	<006901cb0606$65730bc0$90cd4a0c@rclackey>
	<4C12B912.4090703 at sky.com>
Message-ID: <4C12D964.8030004 at io.com>

On 6/11/2010 5:30 PM, Jane Delawney wrote:
> Have remembered a couple of other points which gave me pause regarding
> compass directions back when I last read this work. The first was the
> description of Sev's journey to the Last House and back. He is clearly
> described as travelling with his shadow before him, a phenomenon which
> can only be observed in the southern hemisphere when travelling
> southward.

?? A pedestrian's shadow can lay to the westward in the morning and to 
the eastward in the evening.


> Also there is the (probably quite small) point of the identity - if any!
> - in our world of *The Eight*, a constellation which Sev notes consists
> only of three stars (so the reason for its name is a mystery to him) and
> which is circumpolar about whichever pole :) he may have observed in his
> hemisphere throughout his life. Any views on this?

Octans, the octant. It doesn't actually form a 45 deg angle now (1/8 of 
a circle), and apparently not in Severian's time either or the name 
wouldn't puzzle him.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
IEEE Student Chapter Blog at
< http://ieeetamut.org >

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