Ymar

Gerry Quinn · 25 May 2011, 21:39 · from 2011-May.txt.gz

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From: gerryq at indigo.ie (Gerry Quinn)
Date: Wed, 25 May 2011 22:39:28 +0100
Subject: (urth) Ymar
References: <BANLkTik+mU7OOwr4yf+Tn=9DEs=4bY5PJw at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <8AE97E010C3948A783BB7BEFA0C58C84@jill>


From: "Andrew Mason" <andrew.mason53 at googlemail.com>
Gerry Quinn wrote:

 > >  In BotNS, (unless you include Frog!) there is no
> > indication that Ymar was the first Autarch, or was contemporaneous with
> > Typhon. Nor does his contemporeity with Typhon seem to inform us of
> > anything; indeed I personally think it hurts the story in some ways.

> More than that:it seems actually inconsistent with some things in the
> text. In connection with the antechamber, we are told that _before
> Ymar_ the autarch himself used to judge crimes committed in the
> grounds of the House Absolute. Malrubius says that Ymar was the _last_
> Autarch, before Severian's predecessor, to take the test. (Technically
> 'last' can include 'only', but it would be very deceptive. Possibly
> Malrubius is deceptive, but I see no reason for him to deceive about
> that.)
>
>  Also, Typhon seems to be dated several  chiliads earlier, by
> Severian's remark about the Conciliator, that he disappeared several
> chiliads ago, and by Cyriaca's story - I think she says that the book,
> which mentions Typhon, is itself several chiliads old. Also by the
> time it would take to shape all the mountains into figures of
> Autarchs. Ymar, I think, isn't dated in the text,but in an interview
> given at the time Wolfe put him just a chiliad before Severian - where
> in the now canonical dating Typhon seems to be as well, causing much
> confusion.
>
> Besides that, there's the fact that Ymar is a known historical figure,
> whereas Typhon is forgotten.

Very good points.  I knew there was something wrong with Ymar being a 
contemporary of Typhon, but I couldn't put my finger on what exactly.

- Gerry Quinn

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