Hierax is dead

Lee Berman · 23 Nov 2011, 18:20 · from 2011-November.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:20:43 -0500
Subject: (urth) Hierax is dead
Message-ID: <SNT123-W1120D93C5A0819E87218A3CFC90 at phx.gbl>

> Pig said, "Hierax is dead."

I find it interesting that Hierax is dead, but I find it more interesting
to wonder how Pig knows this.

>James Wynn: we'd really have to know what the purpose in sending Seawrack 
>was in the first place. Was her purpose solely for Horn? Did Mother decide 
>Horn was a "worshipper" because he killed that pirate woman and caused her 
>to be dumped in the water?

Wow. My interpretation is so different. I think perhaps the "pirate ship" was
like the naviscaput in the off-world legend in UotNS. An above-water extrusion
of The Mother. I think Horn's shot is what knocked off Seawrack's arm, she also
being an extrusion of The Mother. (James do you have a different explanation for
Seawrack's arm?). Seawrack's arm seems freshly lost but carefully dressed and
healed. I think that occurred via The Mother when she dropped back into the sea.
Despite the arm loss she can still swim pretty fast.

As for the purpose in sending Seawrack, I think it is similar to the sending of
undines to Severian. There are powers in the sea who have a presentiment of Horn's
future and want to be a part of it and/or influence on it.

>I think it is significant that the Narrator does not reconnect with 
>Seawrack in his non-Horn body until the end when the Rajan returns to 
>the Whorl with Marble, Nettle, and Seawrack. (and Oreb, of course). Of 
>course, I'm not sure what the reconnection means any more than I know 
>what the separation means.

There is such a personal, wistful note to the description of these characters. I 
think there is some reflection of the author's personal life which may not directly
tie to the story.

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