Hierogrammates, Briah and Yesod

Roy C. Lackey · 13 Aug 2010, 04:25 · from 2010-August.txt.gz

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From: rclackey at stic.net (Roy C. Lackey)
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 23:25:02 -0500
Subject: (urth) Hierogrammates, Briah and Yesod
References: <SNT123-W42A5FAD6E9232923981AECCF970 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <006d01cb3a9f$82b37080$51cf4a0c@rclackey>

When Severian was being returned to Urth from Yesod, the Ship somehow took a
shortcut. Only a day or so after the trial, the Ship was just outside the
Old Sun's system, somewhere "outside the circle of Dis." (XXVI, 186) Gunnie
said:

------------------
"You know what I mean. When I came on board with
you, I thought we had a long voyage ahead of us. But why
should they--Apheta and Zak--have done that? The
ship's leaving eternity now, slowing down so the tender can
find her. Until she slows down, she isn't really a ship at all,
did you know? We're like a wave, or a shout going through
the universe." (ibid.)
-------------------

The tender was waiting for them (187) and it took about another day for it
to reach Urth. On the deck of the tender with Burdundofara, Sev complained
to the tender captain about the rough ride to the surface:

--------------------------
    I managed to say that our arrival on Yesod had not been
so violent.
      He turned serious. "You didn't have much potential to
lose there, you see. You'd used it up reaching the higher
plane. We've come in without a rag to brake us, like we
were falling into the star. Stay away from the railing for a
bit. The wind there will broil the skin right off your arm." (XXVII, 193)
--------------------------

There it is again, as I said earlier, Yesod on a higher *plane*. And
entropy. Not that this will make a damn bit of difference, but there it is.

-Roy

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