The Two Severians

David Rolsky · 01 May 1998, 21:46 · from urth-v0010.mbox · original

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From: David Rolsky <grimes at waste.org>
Subject: Re:  (urth) The Two Severians
Date: Fri, 01 May 1998 21:46:28
Message-ID: <urth-v0010-0055 at digest.urth.net>
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At 10:22 PM 5/1/98 -0400, you wrote:
>< Where it seems that the same amount of time has flowed by (a
>hundred years?).>
>
>Can it be that long? How have Odilo and Pega and the other lass lived so
long?

I don't think that they are actually alive.  First of all, the Sleeper's
priest says that he is the grandchild of the first people who came to Ushas
(UOTNS, ch. 51.  page 369 of the Tor paperback).  Severian asks the priest
"Was it you who came to Ushas?"

The priest shakes his head and responds "My father's father and my mother's
mother."

We don't really get any idea how old the priest is but assuming that he is
even just 20 (which seems young for a priest) and his progenitors each had
kids at 20 years old then at least 60 years have passed since the coming of
the New Sun.  Given the fact that Odilo was at least in his 30s (given the
life experiences he descibes while on the raft) he'd have to be 90 when
Severian returns.

Now lets assume that Odilo was in his 40s, as is the priest, and that the
priest's progenitors were 28 when they had their respective children.  This
would make Odilo something around 106.  Given the apparent low tech level
of this culture, it seems very unlikely.

I think that when the priest says "There the other gods sleep" (last line
of UOTNS) referring to the bowers he is speaking metaphorically and that
these are the tombs of Odilo, Pega, & Thais, or at least monuments to them.
 This would make sense since Severian's bower is said to look much the
same, and its obviously a monument to his death, since it is believed that
he drowned.

Plus think how much more interesting it is for Severian to return to a time
where he has already passed into mythology (ok, that's not an argument for
anything but I still think its cool).

-Dave

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