Severian as the Outsider?

This may well have been covered, and if so I apologize for re- treading over old ground, but my question is; can a legitimate claim be made (even a decently founded speculation!) that Severian is the Outsider? First, he is marked as the only god existing outside the Whorl (makes sense- no reason for Sevvy to be in Typhon's seed-ship), is referenced as "dark" (stretching, i know). These two points alone, of course, do not make a for any kind of argument. However, when we get to Horn/Silk's journey in SS, and Horn's near-starvation/ hallucinations in the crude trap his son made, he is visited by a dark character (whom he believes to be the Outsider), wielding a glowing blue stone (the parallel seems too strong for this to be anything but the Claw). If Severian is indeed the Outsider it raises some questions that perhaps you could shed some light on for me. First, it would mean that Typhon recognized and included Sev in his canon, albeit in an indirect way. This seems peculiar, but I suppose that I wouldn't preclude him for having some strange respect for the New Sun. Secondly, it means that Severian enlightens Silk on Sun Street, but to what end? To prevent Pas' future plans from coming to fruition? Thomas John Gamble thomasjgamble at mac.com

Actually, Wolfe discussed this issue in an old interview: http://www.urth.net/whorl/archives/v0006/0350.shtml To quote: "15. "Is the Outsider a form of Severian?" No. Severian is a form of" the Outsider."" I tend to interpret that as a Catholic answer, something along the lines of "Severian was created in the image and likeness of the Outsider." I could be wrong though. -Matt

You are not wrong. The Outsider is the Creator-God of the Bible, "outside" in every respect. Severian, like all of us, is made in His image, and in Sev's case, in a special way. But then, each of us is special, Wolfe would say. Patera Nutria