(urth) House Absolute

[O'Donnell, Tim (BOSI)]

Hi David,

I thought that Nessus = Buenos Ares was accepted here but I could be wrong.

In the archives I can find the following discussions:

http://lists.urth.net/htdig.cgi/urth-urth.net/2008-September/010056.html

http://lists.urth.net/htdig.cgi/urth-urth.net/2007-December/008446.html

Although I do remember further discussion on the older lists (I had a great few months in a new job where I had the opportunity to read through the entire archives).

Your objection based on the flow of the river came up.  At least one person (Raster) suggested that Severian may have spatial dyslexia and raised some interesting points in this regard:

http://www.urth.net/urth/archives/v0001/0021.shtml


Just on the point of the House Absolute connecting to Nessus (and I am in no way welded to the idea, just throwing some ideas around)
at least 2 ways in which this could be the case and the two could be at a long remove:
i)  Some transport device like the one Typhon uses to ascend to the top of the mountain with his face carved on it could be used to move around.  IIIRC there is a suggestion of anti-gravity device in operation here
ii) One of Father Inire's devices could be at work here.  Some variation on mirrors for transport to allow rapid transport.

Is it established how long it takes to walk between the House Absolute and Nessus?  The tunnels are certainly extensive enough to allow children to be lost and possibly for timber wolves to live in the tunnels.
There is also the possibility that the tunnels joining these two are extremely long.

As I say, I don't think it is that important to the story, just idle speculation...


__________________________________

David Stockhoff dstockhoff at verizon.net  

My curiosity has been awakened---What is the argument for Nessus' being Buenos Aires? 

I agree that it's a candidate, and I understand that, if anything, Nessus would be "a descendant" of that city rather than in the same location. But if we are to take the present geography of South America as any kind of guide, it's impossible. The small river that flows through BA runs from NW to SE, so that the city would move NW, not south. No river flows due north anywhere in the region, and we know Nessus moved to get away from the squalid lower river area, just like London did. So Nessus did not move south---unless a new, wide, long river with a huge estuary sprung up out of nothing, in which case all bets are off. 

Once you accept that the city moves north or northwest (regardless of what Severian says), Gyoll may as well be Rio de la Plata/Parana River. Only this river has a long estuary and a region where the land is flat enough for the river to meander as Gyoll does. The river descends from the north before turning southeast.

So if Nessus IS Buenos Aires, it first enlarged itself to include the estuary and half of Uruguay, then moved northwest. If this contradicts any other known facts, then we have to accept that contradiction. Wouldn't be the first time.

Incidentally, there is a town/province of northern Uruguay, up the Parana, called Salto, which may be Saltus. 

And I need not point out that Borges wrote extensively of the rebels of the plains north of the rivers in Brazil and Paraguay, and Wolfe is a fan.

As for House Absolute---who knows. There is plenty of room there and time for various ancient installations and constructions. We do know, however, that its tunnels connect with Nessus, so it can't be too far away.


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