Urth Net
Borskisms
↰ answers Robert Borski
· by quotation
"Robert Borski" <rborski at coredcs.com> writes:
8 quoted lines
"His empire did fail him, as it had to...But he did not retire as he had planned into that vault and the curtain wall he had caused to be built around it, for when once the wild things have been put behind a man for good and all, they are trap-wise and cannot be recaptured.
"Nevertheless, it is said that before all he gathered was sealed away, he set a guardian over it. And when that guardian's time on Urth was done, he found another, and he another, so that they continue ever faithful to the demands of that autarch..."
Cyriaca, earlier, has called this vault "the lost archives" and when she finishes her tale, Sev says, "It is a wonderful story. I think that perhaps
I know more of it than you, but I have never heard it before."
This is because he's just realized the Claw has reawakened the guardian of the lost archives.
Sigh. Once again, I have a much duller interpretation. Call me a bore- schismatic. Cyriaca gives the location of the lost archives. They are "in Nessus, a long way south of the city most people visit, so far down the great river... there stands an ancient fortress.... It stands upon a hill overlooking Gyoll... staring out over a field of ruined sepulchers, guarding nothing." Severian knows more of the story because he's visited the vault. He himself carries one of the lost volumes beyond the curtain wall.
Naturally, I agree with your nominee for the "autarch."
m.driussi at genie.com writes:
1 quoted line
Am I wrong? Did all that intellectual labor go out with the alchemists? Has Science become some sort of orthodoxy of divine transmission? Have scientists become a species of cargo cult, waiting for the next Truth to come tumbling out the cornucopia of the vast complex?
For what it's worth, I enjoy Mr. Borski's speculations, though I don't agree with most of them. Great fun! But theorizing is only part of science, of course. The dull part is gathering evidence to support or refute a theory.
One I'd like to see developed far better is the two-names-per-Hierodule theory. There's an obvious link with one of Winge's most famous short stories, of course; I suspect the titles of some of Mr. Borski's posts are intended to hint at it. But I'd like a lot more detail. Why, for example, tie "Abraxas" in particular to "Father Inire"? Was "Abraxas" just a loose name, or does it have some meaning that connects it to Inire?
raster at highfiber.com