Fish and Caves

Lee Berman · 30 Dec 2010, 09:16 · from 2010-December.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2010 04:16:52 -0500
Subject: (urth) Fish and Caves
Message-ID: <SNT123-W37D04FFD6FA609C77FC88CF030 at phx.gbl>

As discussed with David Stockhoff, the fish theme is not purely demonic. There is
the suggestion that Jurturna and her father-husband are fallen but of the same stock 
as the angelic beings in the story.

Excerpts from the sequence in which Severian encounters the environment in the stateroom 
of Barbatus and Famulimus (Ossipago is a machine, it doesn't matter to him):

>I am tempted to write that it appeared  to be underwater, but it did not. Rather we seemed
>immersed in some fluid that was not water, but was to some other world what water was to Urth.
...
>Severian: "I know your race was formed by the Hierogrammates to resemble those who once formed
>them. Now I see, or think I see, that you were once inhabitants of lakes and pools, kelpies such
>as our country folk talk of".

(Interestingly, in mythology, Undines are more benign water sprites and need to mate with a human 
male and bear a child to obtain a soul. Kelpies are more malignant water creatures and are likely 
to steal, drown and even eat human children)

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