Black Sun, White Fountain

Jim Jordan · 12 Feb 1998, 13:56 · from urth-v0007.mbox · original

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From: Jim Jordan <jbjordan at gnt.net>
Subject: Re: (urth) Black Sun, White Fountain
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 13:56:31
Message-ID: <urth-v0007-0556 at digest.urth.net>
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[Posted from URTH, a mailing list about Gene Wolfe's New Sun and other work=
s]

At 03:20 PM 2/12/98 -0000, you wrote:
>
>[Posted from URTH, a mailing list about Gene Wolfe's New Sun and other wor=
ks]
>
>Christopher Culver says:
>
>>if anything came into this universe from a lower universe (White Fountain=
),
>an
>>equal amount would leave it to a higher universe (black hole).
>
>er, that's kind of what I was getting at in a previous post.
>
>>So, speculation follows: the black hole that is destroying the Old Sun is
>>merely the necessary complement to the White Fountain. One has caused the
>>other, and are both different sides of the same coin that is Severian.
>
>While I've been aware that there was a black hole in the Old Sun, and that
>the catalyst for the conversion of the Old Sun to New Sun is a White,I've
>never been able to imagine what exactly is supposed to happen when White
>Fountain meets Old Sun and why this event creates a young regenerated sun.
>It's a bit like the two scientists at the blackboard in Larson's cartoon:
>"and then a miracle happens".
>
>So to be explicit: It seems plausible that the black hole in the Old Sun is
>*directly* connected to the White Fountain. Energy/matter exiting through
>the black hole in the Old Sun appears from the mouth of the White Fountain.
>Which means that its not a Black Hole complete with singularity but instead
>both phenomena represent the two mouths of the same wormhole. This has some
>nice cyclical resonances if we can get over the dualist implications it has
>for Severian's character and nature, and also gives us a way to think about
>the rejuvination of the Old Sun.
>
>Kieran C.

	I'm partial to Alga's suggestion that the black hole, the worm in the
heart of the sun, relates to original sin symbolically. The white fountain
relates symbolically to redemption and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
(parallel the river flowing from Yesodh to Beriach, Revelation 22:1ff.).
This seems very Wolfean to me, especially given the theological subtexts in
the book.
	Now, IF there is an old Severian and a new Severian, then this might be
like the old Adam and the New Adam (Jesus). In that case, it MIGHT be the
case that the old Severian is guilty of introducing the black hole
(original sin), while the new Severian comes to undo that sin and restore
the sun.
	I'm still not sure about the two Severians, though.
	Maybe Wolfe needs to write a "Book of the Old Sun" for us, about the old
Severian?
	Any thoughts on this?

Nutria

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