The Two Coins...

Ryan Dunn · 13 Aug 2010, 16:48 · from 2010-August.txt.gz

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From: ryan at liftingfaces.com (Ryan Dunn)
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:48:56 -0400
Subject: (urth) The Two Coins...
In-Reply-To: <009601cb3b05$7b35f4c0$34cd4a0c@rclackey>
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On Aug 13, 2010, at 12:34 PM, Roy C. Lackey wrote:

> Ryan Dunn wrote:
>> Okay, but it is called a false coin and rather readily by Dr. Talos, so
> what marks it as false?<
> 
> The greasy texture, in part. At any rate, there is something about the
> dubious specie Talos collected that night that set them apart from the coins
> that were undoubtedly genuine.
> 
>> Dr. Talos is quick to tell Severian and Dorcas to be careful using the
> second coin which matches the one in Severian's mausoleum. Who is supposed
> to be on the coin besides the Autarch at that time?<
> 
> Huh? No one else. The face on the bad coins was the same as on the good
> ones. Who would try to pass counterfeit coins with an unknown's face on
> them? It would draw unwanted attention.
> 
>> I just thought that, since Tzadkiel is a hierogrammate, that androgynous
> or feminine could apply to him as well, combined with his ship. It would
> mean the coin came from somewhere else, and might have some meaning.<
> 
> I knew better than to get involved. <g> This is the title of the relevant
> chapter in SHADOW: "The Autarch's Face". That should be enough, I hope. As
> for the flying ship on the reverse side of the coin, the Old Autarch had
> gone to Yesod the same way Sev would.
> 
> BTW, if I had to guess who had dropped a false coin at the play that night,
> it would be Hildegrin. Somewhere, IIRC, he said that he had been keeping an
> eye on Sev for Vodalus, and Vodalus was shown to pass bad coins.
> 
> -Roy


Can I make one more bold proposal? I can? Good, thanks.

Since the false coins are never used, is it possible these coins bear Severian's face? I mean, after all, we've come to a bit of consensus that Dorcas is his grandmother based on a waiter's comment on Ouen and Severian having a similar profile.

I know I know, androgynous I know.

But if it is Severian's face on the coin, then the coin may have come from a starsailor who had been in the future when Severian was Autarch. Ya dig? Also, it gives a little more weight to Dr. Talos going so far out of his way to return that single coin to Severian at the end, maybe?

...ryan

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