Pike's ghost

Larry Miller · 30 Nov 2011, 20:51 · from 2011-November.txt.gz

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From: decanus1284 at gmail.com (Larry Miller)
Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:51:45 -0500
Subject: (urth) Pike's ghost
In-Reply-To: <SNT123-W2740EDD5F5D66BCF17847ACFB00 at phx.gbl>
References: <SNT123-W2740EDD5F5D66BCF17847ACFB00 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <CADQR0Gpz_-fk6a_dDwL7Ctswd=CEW-1HTW2TFE3YpycoR3v02A at mail.gmail.com>

Thank you Lee for pointing out that the memories Severian inherited
from the previous Autarchs make no mention of the Mandragora.

On 11/30/11, Lee Berman <severiansola at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>> > Mandragora is the genus of the plant mandrake,
>> > which often has a somewhat man-shaped root. It is also the name of a
>> > type of demon. These demons are little dolls given to a sorceror by
>> > the Devil for the purpose of consulting "in time of need". They are
>> > thought to be related to the "/fetish> thought to be related to the
>> > "/fetish
>> >which is nothing else than a dwelling-place made by a shaman or
>> > medicine-man
>> >for the reception of any wandering spirit who chooses to take up his
>> > abode therein."
>
> I was aware of these meanings and always found them applicable. The little
> guy in the jar
> probably was used as a consultant. But by whom? Which "sorcerer"?
> Severian's autarchial
> memories make no mention of the Mandragora to him. Perhaps the Mandragora
> predates the
> autarchs.
>
> Do we have a medicine man or shaman in our story? Two, it would seem-
> Isangoma and the
> Uturuncu, the jungle shaman. Many feel these two represent the same
> character, Father
> Inire. Do we have a sorcerer in the story? Hethor?  Ceryx? Are these also
> the same character?
>
> Ceryx is a sorcerer to be found in Typhon's period on Urth. What is his
> relationship to
> Typhon? Why does he have the same obsession with raising the dead as so many
> characters
> in Severian's time? In Typhon, do we have the "Devil" who provides the
> sorcerer with a
> Mandragora? Perhaps Father Inire started his career as a vizier well before
> (he installed)
> the first autarch of the Commonwealth, Ymar.
>
> FWIW, though the jungle shaman supposedly can turn into a tiger, Uturuncu
> means "puma" in
> Quechua. This is also the name of a volcanic mountain in Bolivia. There are
> two BotNS
> characters who have mountainous, volcanic descriptions attributed to them. I
> don't know
> exactly how Abaia and Erebus (and Typhon) are related to the shaman/Inire.
> But we might be
> able to make some guesses after observing Tzadkiel, The Mother and Great
> Scylla in action. 		 	   		
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