(urth) The Katharine maid

Jeff Wilson jwilson at io.com
Wed Oct 25 22:13:42 PDT 2006


Roy C. Lackey wrote:
> Jeff Wilson quoted and wrote:
> 
>>> The external technology for the eidolons is alien, but the animating
> spirit
>>> comes from a living person. The eidolon of Severian created on the Ship
>>> differed from the original in that his bum leg was repaired. None but
>>> Severian knew knew about Triskele, so the dog's eidolon came from his
> mind.
>>> The dog's missing leg might as easily have been restored, but Severian
>>> remembered him as having three legs, just as the maid remained fixed in
> his
>>> famous memory.
>> Whose memory does the maid come from?
> 
> It may have come from his memory of her annual feast appearance. It may have
> come from one of his extra-textual time trips to the past. It may have come
> from some other person.

I don't think it would be Severian's memory. Presumably, it would be 
someone available whenever the jailers guild was reformed into the 
all-male Brotherhood, long after the Conciliator had departed and Ymar 
had ascended.

>> Does this imply Brother Cook and Brother Porter are likewise eidolons?
> 
> Huh? They weren't eidolons. I don't understand.

They seem to be menial functionaries, and they don't have saints' names, 
suggesting they are not like other residents of the Commonwealth.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
< http://www.io.com/~jwilson >



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