The Two Coins

Lee Berman · 13 Aug 2010, 17:14 · from 2010-August.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:14:42 -0400
Subject: (urth) The Two Coins
Message-ID: <SNT123-W4986820D33CFFDA4E85380CF980 at phx.gbl>

>Ryan Dunn-

>the coin in the mausoleum from Vodalus is a gold chrisos as far as Severian can tell. 
>He tells us he knows the difference, and that he's handled aes and orichalks enough to 
>know them well, but he only knew gold chrisos vaguely when he got his from Vodalus.
>The second coin, the one Talos gives him at the end of Citadel, is clearly a match to 
>the one in Severian's hand.

Ryan I think that is an excellent point. Does it suggest the false coin was not a dropsie 
but comes from the stack of chrisos that was provided to Dr. Talos by the Old Autarch and/or
Father Inire? If so, that raises some interesting possibilities and interpretations.

To me the essential question is the symbolism. What other character is Wolfe trying to tell us 
is as false and "bad" as Vodalus? (perhaps simply Talos, himself? I dunno).

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