Agia's Weapons

Daniel Petersen · 19 Dec 2011, 20:07 · from 2011-December.txt.gz

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From: danielottojackpetersen at gmail.com (Daniel Petersen)
Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:07:49 +0000
Subject: (urth) Agia's Weapons
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Ok here's the passage.  Severian is speaking I believe (chapter XXI in
SotL):

"What I was going to tell you was that the existence of that relic seems to
have given some people the idea that the Conciliator used claws as weapons.
 I have sometimes doubted that he existed; but if such a person ever lived,
I'm sure that he used his weapons largely against himself.  Do you
understand what I am saying?"

I doubt that he did, but he nodded.

"When we were on the path, we found a charm against the coming of the New
Sun.  The three-colored men, who I think are the ones who have passed this
test, use claws of steel.  I think they must want to hold back the coming
of the New sun so they can take his place and perhaps usurp his powers.  If
- "

Outside, someone screamed.   [The chapter ends here.]

I would be inclined to treat this passage as an interpretive key to the
whole question of weapons in BotNS.  For example, self-sacrificial
weapons/claws bring in the New Sun.  Weapons/claws of steel resist the
coming of the New Sun, seek to replace him.

-DOJP

On Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 7:51 PM, Daniel Petersen <
danielottojackpetersen at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 7:33 PM, Lee Berman <severiansola at hotmail.com>wrote:
>
>>
>> Daniel Petersen:
>> http://silkandhornheresy.blogspot.com/2010/06/reading-wolfe-is-dream-like-another.html
>
>
>
>>
>> Nice essay, Daniel! I found the graphic intriguing as well. The dagger
>> put me in mind
>>
>> of a topic from the past which might be worth bringing up- Agia's weapons.
>>
>
>
> Ha, thanks, Lee!  (You just got on my good side - let's see how long you
> can stay there, heh heh.)
>
> The rest of your post is unfortunately beyond me.  I'm not that intimate
> with the minutiae of New Sun yet.  But I think a study of weaponry on Urth
> would be very fascinating and fruitful.  I'll venture the one comment that
> *if* her 'lucivee' is indeed a claw of sorts, I would bet all that Wolfe
> was aware of its play off of the Claw of the Conciliator.  One comparison
> is that hers is for aggression toward others whereas the Claw harms the
> Conciliator for the healing of others (as Severian has it in his meditation
> at one point:  I'm not going to dig out the reference right now).
>
> -DOJP
>
>
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