Jordan Interview

Lee Berman · 22 Oct 2011, 19:34 · from 2011-October.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:34:06 -0400
Subject: (urth) Jordan Interview
Message-ID: <SNT123-W78B2FC7468997703A2569CFE90 at phx.gbl>

>mark me down in the camp who thinks Christ has not
>appeared in the Briah universe.

>Dan'l Danehy-Oakes: Then how explain the references to the Theoanthropos?

Without meaning to slight Christianity, the theoanthropic concept did not

originate with Jesus Christ. It can be found in pre-Christian religions 

stretching from Hinduism to Greek and Egyptian mythology.

I really think Agia's use of "the name of the Theanthropos" as an expletive

to Severian is a purposefully ironic joke by Wolfe. I think the Theanthropos

refers to The Conciliator for those in the commonwealth. As I've noted in 

recent posts, Severian seems to be immortal and in possession of supernatural

power yet never in his writing (until perhaps the final pages of UotNS) does

he even slightly acknowlege his own godhood (I can accept demi-godhood as I 

think Jeff prefers to think of it).

>Dan'l: My suggestion is that there was a historical person named Jesus who
>did many of the things Christ did, but who was not God.

This I agree with. But I don't think we see any reference to this guy until 

Silk mentions his dream of a guy welcomed with palm fronds, etc. In my view,

Wolfe mentions this Jesus not-Christ, and roods and gammadions and the distorted

Roman Catholic Church in Viron as a way of saying that many Christians get too

involved and attached to the trappings and rituals of their religion and forget 

that the essence of their faith (missing in Urth/Whorl) is Christ.

I don't agree with Marc that Wolfe retconned Urth/Briah into a previous-

parallel planet/universe to our own after writing it. I see it there from the 

beginning of the story. I think this is the origin of the ubiquitous "fuligin" 

theme.

I think it was a pretty standard 70's-80's SF trope that you passed from a

higher univere to a lower universe by going through a black hole and 

emerging from a "white fountain" or quasar. Asimov used this exact scenario

in The Gods Themselves and didn't the later Star Treks use it also?

Anyway, I think Wolfe puts Severian in fuligin and uses the color so liberally

in the story as a way of indicating that Severian and Urth are accessible from

our Earth only via a black hole. Yes, there is the plowman's explanation that

fuligin is good for not showing blood splashes, but I think there is more to it.

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