Silkhorn^H^H^H^H and Severian

Dan'l Danehy-Oakes · 31 May 2001, 16:24 · from whorl-v0012.mbox · original

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From: "Dan'l Danehy-Oakes" <ddanehy at siebel.com>
Subject: RE: (whorl) Silkhorn^H^H^H^H and Severian
Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 16:24:31
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Jerry Friedman wrote:

> Any comments?

Oh, I suppose ... a few ...

Given the change in the Narr's astrally-projected "appearance,"=20
I suspect that, yes, there is a change in his or their "soul"=20
somewhere, somehow, in between those two dates. I supsect it may=20
not, however, have anything directly to do with Li'l Severian.

Actually, I feel like Darwin dealing with Wallace: I haven't=20
formulated a really solid theory, yet, which is why I haven't=20
posted it yet, but given that Jerry is now concentrating on=20
the significant parts of the text (which have hitherto been
mentioned in passing but not really attended to), I think I want=20
to stick my oar in and establish a sort of priority on what I=20
do have.=20

The missing piece here is the deScyllification of Oreb.=20

The connection is fairly clear at a structural level:=20

	(A) something happens to free a body (Oreb's) of a=20
	    soul or astral persona (Scylla-the-daughter-of-Pas)=20
	    which has possessed or partially possessed it, or,=20
	    mutatis mutandis, to free that soul or astral=20
	    persona from the body which has possessed it;=20

	(B) something happens to change the soul or astral=20
	    persona (Horn's?) associated with a body (Silk's)=20
	    which seems to be or to have been partially=20
	    possessed.=20

But this isn't really developed into any kind of thesis or=20
theory, as you can see; all I'm saying here is "this pattern=20
seems to establish something of the possible meaning-space=20
for case (B) by putting it into relief against case (A)."

> I promised you folks an unfounded speculation.=20

It doesn't look unfounded to me, though I'm not readly to agree
with the conclusions.

> Several people have also criticized Silkhorn's meetings
> with Severian for being indecisive, apparently just for
> decoration--"fanficcy", as Jacob Corbin aptly said.

I think they may even be a deliberate red herring. Or, if they
serve as real clues, they may be serving as clues to something
else entirely.

(H'mmm.  If Sev is sort-of-kind-of Jesus, and Silk is sort-
of-kind-of Moses, then can this be a sort-of-kind-of=20
Transfiguration, a fancy name for the scene in the Gospels
where Peter sees Jesus chatting with his old pals Moses and
Abraham...?  Naaaaaah...)

> Does Severian by his mere presence resurrect Silk? =20

I find this highly dubious for half a dozen reasons; the most
important of which: I think Silk is neither more nor less dead=20
at the end of _RttW_ than he is when the Narr first takes up
his pen in Gaon. The "climax" of _RttW_ is not a resurrection=20
but a recognition, and what is recognized is something that the
Narr has been trying very hard not to see since long before he
began astrally travelling to Green, let alone Urth.=20

> There's a strong objection to this speculation: the
> transformation happens at the wrong time.  We might have=20
> expected it at Silkhorn's first meeting with Severian (Chap.
> 13), or failing that, when he dreams of Severian (Chap. 15),
> or at their last meeting, but not in between.

Here is one weakness your theory clearly doesn't have. On the
many occasions when Sev commits miracles without knowing it,
he seems to do so in a rather haphazard fashion, and not=20
necessarily at the first opportunity. (How many encounters=20
does he have with water before suddenly turning some into=20
wine...? And it isn't as if that had been for a wedding!)

--Dan'l

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