Agia's Weapons

Lee Berman · 20 Dec 2011, 20:50 · from 2011-December.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:50:18 -0500
Subject: (urth) Agia's Weapons
Message-ID: <SNT123-W5322B708B2E83A4A169D01CFA40 at phx.gbl>

>Jerry Friedman: And specifically associated with Dionysus, as at
>http://books.google.com/books?id=XCDvuoZ8IzsC&pg=PA153&lpg=PA153

Yes, thanks for that Jerry. And the ivy-wreathed Dionysus can be traced in
a direct line to the Green Man who is not so subtlely referenced in BotNS.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Man

>Okay, I suppose it's time to ask this question--not just of you, Lee.  As I recall 
>(I'm AWB), the aquastor of Malrubius tells Severian that "powers above the stage" 
>are managing his life.  When do we know who does that and why?  For instance, is the 
>resurrection of Dorcas an example?  If so, who is or are responsible, and how do they 
>manage it, and how does it serve their purposes to have him resurrect his grandmother 
>or to have a relationship with her?  The same questions apply to the examples above 
>and every other incident that Father Inire or any other manipulator is supposed to be 
>responsible for.  The only thing I remember that Severian says on the subject is that 
>the undines may have saved him to put a torturer on the throne.

I think that is certainly a great mystery with no obvious answers provides. Peter Wright
(in Attending Daedalus) suggests that Severian's life is all a big, deceptive manipulation
by the Hiero-types- an alien race who are simply trying to propagate themselves.

I see it in more mythological-religious terms.  The powers in the oceans (Abaia, Erebus and
the other 15) and their agents are analogs to pagan gods/fallen angels. They know there are 
higher powers in "the heavens" from whence they came, but they are attempting (like mythical 
gods/demons) to establish their own little fiefdom on Urth.

They are manipulating Severian because they know he is the "chosen one" for the heavenly Hiero-
types and they hope to wrest the secret of his divine powers (healing and resurrection) before
he becomes aware of who and what he is. So many of the adventures Severian in maneuvered into
involve resurrection of dead people, in some manner. I think it first starts (chronologically)
with the Concilliator and the Ceryx/Zama episode. But, of course, no matter what the demonic
types do, it all serves the Increate's Plan in ways even they don't understand.

What is AWB? I did a search and got possibilities ranging from Average White Band to Asian
Wetland Bureau and Accupuncturists Without Borders.

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