(urth) The Salamander Again (Long)

[b sharp]

Again Macronaut, I appreciate this post.

Robert Borski did propose that Mother Pyrexia was a slug.  And that Beuzec 
was the Salamander.  I think he uses the Pyrexia name to suggest the slug is 
afraid of fire and I think mournings glory picks up on that in his almost 
certainty that the Slug died in the fire in the Village testing room.

Tying "Pyrexia" to a slug didn't make much sense to me either when there is 
a salamander around.  To me the weakness of that theory is that the 
Salamander is practically invulnerable in Thrax, facing Severian with a 
sword and all the archon's horses and men firing energy weapons.  The 
alcalde of Saltus and his men are only armed with stuff like torches, staves 
and piletes (okay I don't know what that is and internet isn't helping. Def. 
of pilete anyone?).  But maybe Salamander Pyrexia was too weak to scorch the 
Saltusians after being sealed in a house for a while.

Reminds me, I forgot to make this point to mournings glory in "shapeshifting 
Hethor".  You find great importance in the disapperance of the slug after 
the village scene.  But all of Hethor's creatures make one appearance and 
then disappear, except one.  Both Severian and I demand that be explained.  
Why is the slug such a Hethor favorite it had to be used two or three times? 
Maybe four.

-bsharp