Hierogrammates, Briah and Yesod

Roy C. Lackey · 12 Aug 2010, 14:39 · from 2010-August.txt.gz

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From: rclackey at stic.net (Roy C. Lackey)
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 09:39:06 -0500
Subject: (urth) Hierogrammates, Briah and Yesod
References: <SNT123-W57B05DF133DC82E315801CF970 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <006c01cb3a2c$23d932c0$71d14a0c@rclackey>

Lee Berman wrote:
[snip]
> My conclusion is that those who insist they are unequivocally right about
Wolfe's work and are sure of their
> own correctness are, by lupine definition, wrong.
>
> I have noticed that some are willing to take the trouble to post a
statement that they are right and/or
> another is wrong. But not so willing to take the trouble to post a
statement admitting that perhaps
> they were not so perfectly right after all.
>
> Yes, that is a challenge. To myself, included.

22 minutes later, under a different subject line, he wrote:
[snip]
> This mish mash of different geographic and time period species does
reinforce the
> sense that The Botanic Garden is also a zoo. It suggests that the creator
of the zoo
> considers human beings as a sort of animal, to be put on display.
>
> This can't help but bring back to my mind the "sexual penetrating" meaning
of the Latin
> word "inire" and the derived name of Inuus, epithet of Pan/Faunus, and his
proclivity
> for intercourse with animals. ;- )

And these two statements can't help but bring to my mind the post I made in
the "Boatman as Inire" thread four days ago:

> I have already given my summary of your Grand Unified Theory. Aside from
the
> details, what really gets my goat about it is that it is a logical dead
end.
> Just suppose you are right, that alien Inire (for whatever reasons) was a
> fallen Hierogrammate who coupled with human women and this unholy union
was
> a Bad Thing. Enter Severian, Epitome of Urth, Willing Savior or Grand
Dupe.
> He goes to Yesod to win a new sun which is also the New Sun which is also
> Himself. He succeeds, wins a new sun and Ushas is born. Exactly how did he
> do it? *He screwed an alien.* Hallelujah! Let's sing another verse.

I never got an explanation for the difference, so I'm asking again. What is
the difference between:

    Alien + human female = Bad
and
    Human male + alien = Good?

-Roy

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