Ceryx (answer to Lee)

Lee Berman · 25 May 2011, 12:43 · from 2011-May.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Wed, 25 May 2011 08:43:03 -0400
Subject: (urth) Ceryx (answer to Lee)
Message-ID: <SNT123-W3863446253D75EBFAF100CCF740 at phx.gbl>

>Sergei Soloviev:  We know that there are many biblical parallels. Ceryx corresponds rather 
>to Simon the Magus, who had a magical contest with St. Peter....By the way, the scene in the 
>skill of the Typhon's monument (the mountain) in "the Sword of the Lictor"
>has also a biblical parallel - Devil tempting Jesus in the desert. Devil had taken Jesus to 
>the top of a mountain etc.

I don't see how the Biblical parallels undermine my view of the connection between Ceryx and 
Typhon. I would say they bolster them. We have a Severian-Typhon encounter which echoes Jesus
and The Devil. A Severian-Ceryx encounter which echoes Peter and Simon Magus. So, as Peter
served Jesus, (and perhaps Simon Magus served The Devil), it isn't a stretch to conclude Ceryx
served Typhon.

>Severian thinks that while he travelled to Yesod, Ceryx probably travelled to some other "dark" 
>worlds. So Ceryx is compared (and opposed) to Severian in his humanity, he is not an "alien" like 
>Father Inire. He is a sort of potential Antichrist who fails miserably before developing his full 
>power.

First, I can't see travel to dark worlds as evidence for humanity. Quite the opposite. In my view,
Severian's comparison should be taken more celestially. As Yesod (heaven analog) is the universe 
higher than Severian's, I think he implies Ceryx has been to Abaddon (hell analog), the universe
which is lower than Severian's. Again, a Typhon/Devil connection for Ceryx. 

Plus, as has been discussed previously, there is much in the text to suggest Father Inire's power is 
dark and monstrous in origin. Moreover, he is a small, twisted, long-lived alien, who is highly
involved in the intimate workings of the Commonwealth.  He is the exact opposite of the tall, 
beautiful, short-lived, angelic Hierodules (B,F & O) who keep their distance from humanity. Again,
the implication, for me, is that Inire is a fallen version of these angels. Hence another link between
Inire and Ceryx.

Second, I am not so sure Severian really is 100% human. His ancestry is quite deliberately masked, 
and we have a mysterious alien who is labelled "Father" but seems to have no religious function.
Past discussions outline the elusive evidence I see that Inire is Dorcas' husband and thus Severian's
grandfather. Moreover I've argued that over and over in legend, it is the "half-breed" who serves as
The Conciliator between Man and God(s). Hercules and Jesus are fine examples. (It is for this reason
I like James' theory of the tripartite nature of that other Wolfe Conciliator, Silkhorn) 

(hm...the Antichrist is supposed to be a half-breed also, yes?)

>You forget the details - the group of soldiers had no intention and no order to take Severian to Typhon 
>at the moment of his arrest. If not his miraculous powers, he would die - they had beaten him mercilessly.

If their purpose had been to kill him, they would have just shot him (like bin Laden?). They were clearly 
going for a capture and a trip to the torturers for questioning. Somebody wanted information from Severian, 
not just his elimination. I can agree that Typhon's immediate attention and audience was called from 
Severian's recovery from the Disruptor at the Citadel more than the previous rumors, and I'll adjust my 
theory accordingly!

p.s. apologies for the misidentification. Plus I'm glad James is safe from the physical violence
threatened by that other guy :- ).

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