Malrubius's ghost and Paeon's

Dan Rabin · 19 Jul 2003, 06:29 · from urth-v0307.mbox · original

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From: Dan Rabin <wolfe-lists at danrabin.com>
Subject: (urth) Malrubius's ghost and Paeon's
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2003 23:29:16 -0700
Message-ID: <urth-v0307-3697 at digest.urth.net>
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Any explanation of the appearances of Malrubius to Severian should=20
also account for the appearances of Paeon, the honey-steward who=20
trained the Autarch when the latter was a servant in the House=20
Absolute.

The old Autarch says in _Citadel_, ch. 25, that this Paeon-image=20
appeared to him while Severian was with the false Thecla in the House=20
Azure to tell him that Severian would be his successor:

"You remember everything, and so you must recall the night you came=20
to my House Azure.  That night someone else came to me.  I was a=20
servant once, in the House Absolute. . . . That is why they hate me.=20
As they will hate you, for what you once were.  Paeon, who trained=20
me, who was honey-steward fifty years gone by.  I knew what he was in=20
truth, for I had met him before.  He told me you were the one . . .=20
the next.  I did not think it would be quite so soon. . . ."

This seems to me to accord with the view that eidolons in the form of=20
trusted mentors from an Autarch's youth are sent to counsel them.

   -- Dan Rabin

--=20

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