(urth) Thecla's genealogy folio

[Rex Lycanthrosaurus]

On Sat, 7 Oct 2006 14:24:47 -0500, "Roy C. Lackey" <rclackey at stic.net>
said:
> 
> As I've said before, one of Thecla's memories is of her running naked by
> the
> Acis, presumably as a child.

Well, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't wondered about Abdiesus being
either Thecla's or Thea's father. Thrax is on the Acis, and Abdiesus--an
exultant--rules it as Archon. What better way to secure his loyalty than
to hold one (or both) of his daughters hostage back at the House
Absolute? It seems likely Thecla would rouse herself from the mnemonic
bed she shares with Severian if he were her father, but maybe less so if
he were half-sister Thea's; then again, she does stir when Severian is
given a paper coin, which is his ticket for admission to the ridotto:
"He extended his hand, holding delicately, as though he feared it would
flutter from his fingers, one of those disks of stiff paper, no bigger
than a chrisos and lettered in gold leaf with ornate characters, of
which I had often heard Thecla speak (she stirred in my mind at the
touch of it), but which I had never before seen." But how likely is it
that such disks are coin-of-the-realm so to speak and used for
invitations elsewhere/everywhere? And could the actual reason Thecla
makes her presence known involve her recognition of Abdiesus as either
her or Thea's father? Severian may be misinterpreting the reason for her
arousal, and as far as that goes, no one is worse at recognizing kin
than our torturer hero.

Abdiesus is butt-ugly, so the physical resemblance seems muted; still,
as my own daughters resemble their mother, this is no impediment. Nor
can I find any age distinguishing characteristics that suggest Abdiesus
may be too young. And just as Thecla has eyes that may have been
enlarged by "the application of minute amounts of certain poisons during
childhood," Abdiesus has "large eyes rimmed with dark flesh." 

Further questions I'm unable to answer. Has Abdiesus been Archon long
enough in this scheme? Would Palaemon send his beloved protege--who's
directly responsible for Thecla's suicide--to serve as lictor under the
man who may be her father? A nice bit of irony if so; just as is Sev's
sparing Cyriaca from her death sentence. But if Thecla's biological
father is dead, as suggested by the text ("my father had given a ball
for me each year until his death" [unless this is some female autarch's
memory--a suggestion I do not like], it does not seem possible he's
Thecla's father. Therefore, he may well be Thea's. Isn't there evidence
Abdiesus is actually co-operating with the rebels, perhaps even sharing
a corpse or two with his daughter and Vodalus?  

-- 
  Rex Lycanthrosaurus
  lycanthrosaurus at fastmail.fm

-- 
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