typhon's knowledge

Chris · 31 Dec 2002, 19:24 · from urth-v0212.mbox · original
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From: "Chris" <rasputin_ at hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: (urth) typhon's knowledge
Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2002 19:24:52 +0000
Message-ID: <urth-v0212-2576 at digest.urth.net>
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Speaking of myth, I have been toying with an idea which I am hoping someone=20
can put me on the right track with (or off the wrong one). The Learned Ones=20
of this list have certainly seen a lot, and I would be surprised if someone=20
hadn't already pursued this in more detail.

I am thinking that *one* way to describe what's going on is that the nature=20
of Yesod is that it is a world of *myths*, and not just a world with myths,=20
but essentially it is the mythical realm and follows mythical rules. It is=20
also one of four distinct stages of creation, of which our physical world i=
s=20
also one. If one traces from the Creator to Creation, just one step short o=
f=20
the physical world is Yetzirah; an "Ur-Earth". Qabbalistically, there are=20
four worlds of creation, starting from Atzilut (which is Nothingness),=20
closest to the creator. The next rung down is *Briah*, whose focus is=20
bringing Something from Nothingness, and whose associated archangel does=20
happen to be Tzadkiel (also associated with Chesed, the sefirot of "Mercy"=20
or giving, which is appropriate). Next down is the world of Yetzirah, the=20
world of Forms (Something from Something) - this is where one might say the=20
myths go to play. I believe this is the stage where the New Sun series take=
s=20
place; perhaps you could say it is an alternate way of telling the same=20
story that is our universe... The use of the term Yesod (which is the=20
sefirot of "Foundation") could refer to the fact that Yetzirah can be said=20
to correspond to 6 of the lower sefirot taken together, the lowest of which=20
(low being in the direction of creation, away from creator) is Yesod. The=20
world as we know it in our physical sense is Assiah (Completion) and is=20
associated with Malkhut, the "lowest" Sefirot of all (this is a vast=20
oversimplification).

There are numerous things that would seem to go along with an interpretatio=
n=20
like this. Talos' play may be a very big hint toward how to look at the=20
overall story.

Another thing which I may pursue in an unrelated (or related way) is the=20
association of Severian with Sammael - the angel often associated with=20
Geburah ("Severity") and I guess you would say the counter-part or=20
counter-balance to Tzadkiel. While these two angels are in opposing spheres=
,=20
it's important not to read any antagonism into the relationship: the two=20
form a thesis/antithesis pair that is necessary for the process of=20
synthesis. A point of note is that in qabbalah each persistent, named angel=20
is associated with a star - exactly *one* star per angel. The terms in whic=
h=20
this was described to me reminded me very heavily of the association of the=20
Conciliator with his New Sun.

If I use this framework, I am as yet uncertain whether to say the Long Sun=20
books take place in Yetzirah or Assiah. Either seems possible. It's=20
maintained by mystics that it's possible for a person in this world to=20
temporarily translate his consciousness to the world of Yetzirah (though no=20
higher than that? not sure about that), which would make it possible for=20
Silk to talk to Severian even from a different realm. An interesting side=20
effect of this is that if that's how the communication takes place, then th=
e=20
difference in time and distance between Silk and Severian becomes completel=
y=20
irrelevant.

I have far more to learn on both of these subjects before I can really do=20
much useful with it - that is, if I'm not running down a blind alley.

Chris

>Roy claims that Typhon knows very little about the conciliator or about
>flooding.  However, he hints at several things in his appearance in Sword=20
>of
>the Lictor.  He claims that water brings new life and rebirth.  He=20
>understands
>the role of the conciliator and his idenitity, promising Severian that if=20
>he
>kneels before him, the Conciliator come again will also kneel before him. =20
>And
>what does Severian see when he looks out the eyes of Typhon?  A vast plain=20
>of
>water.  This is what Typhon sees from his mountain, with his false eyes.
>As for  the idea of the Conciliator was not unknown in Typhon's time - the
>conciliator was a rewriting of christology - an echo of the promise of a
>savior that MUST have been extent if Buzz Aldron was extent in that distant
>future.  The conciliator became meshed with Christ in myth- and of course
>Typhon knew about that, since he is an allegory of Satan.  He is=20
>re-enacting
>the temptation scene - he knows everything about the conciliator and his
>mission.  Even if there was no need for a sun before the age of Typhon,=20
>there
>was still need of a spiritual salvation with which the conciliator became
>associated.  Come now.  How can the memory of Buzz Aldron outlive the=20
>memory
>of Christ?  You really believe that Typhon, the satan figure of the text of
>New Sun, is ignorant of the role of the savior figure?  He might, after=20
>all,
>have had access to the book of Canog that Dr. Talos must have perused to=20
>write
>Eschatology and Genesis.  And the whole secret of the future is of course=20
>in
>that text, composed from notes Severian revealed at the time when he meets
>Typhon in the past and is incarcerated.  If Typhon lived even another year=20
>or
>two, he might have seen that text, with its gnostic eschatology and genesis
>ripe for his analysis. He might have even tried to use it when he took all=20
>the
>other writings of ready-made religions and made his whorl.  (if the whorl=20
>was
>already sent, then he still had an immense storehouse of myths that would
>become inseparable from the story of the Conciliator, who, before the
>publication of Urth of the New Sun, seemed to be homologous with Jesus=20
>Christ.
>  Could Sappho and Aurelius outlive the documents of Christ in someplace=20
>like
>Buenos Aires?).
>
>Marc Aramini
>
>
>
>--


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