(urth) Particolored Brocade

[David Stockhoff]

Good observation. Severian is the Black Sun and is probably depicted with a black halo, and it may be his own iconography he sees in the green book ("ascetic pantocrators and hypostases with black halos and gemlike
robes"), which I always suspected. 

I also have wondered about Ymar. How and why did he start the Autarchy? Wouldn't the alzabo be needed for this, and thus, presumably, Father Inire? Why and when did Father Inire get involved with the Commonwealth? Were the death of Typhon and the appearance of the Conciliator a cause, or Ymar's just rule itself? Severian tells him, " 'Ymar, someday you will become the ruler. You'll be the monarch, although I don't think you'll call yourself that. Try to rule for Urth, and not just in Urth's name as so many have. Rule justly, or at least as justly as circumstances permit.' " 

The Guild may have already existed under Typhon, however. At least, an office existed that carried out torture for the monarch. But it uses a "strange uniform" rather than fuligin and may not use the term "journeyman." (Severian is vague on that point.) They are clearly not military but another branch, but are closer to being military than in Severian's time: "another journeyman with a vouge, looking almost like a soldier." So that's several points on which Severian created his own legend.

His face would undoubtedly be depicted unscarred and possibly young-looking.



Incidentally, Herena says, speaking of the southern ice, "Great Erebus, who has established his kingdom there, will soon be driven before them, with all his fierce, pale warriors." So Erebus at least would not be able to survive ice, and the volcano must be dead.


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Message: 1
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2008 18:07:07 +0000
From: "Son of Witz" <sonofwitz at butcherbaker.org>
Subject: (urth) Particolored Brocade
To: urth at urth.net
Message-ID: <W84112757218641229710027 at webmail21>
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* * *

I was toying with Conciliator iconography last night, trying to figure out how he would be portrayed. This was a big mystery for me on the first read.  It dawned on me that he's wearing this Fuligin cloak with the particolored brocade most of the time he's doing the acts that make people think of him as Conciliator, so this would undoubtedly show up in the iconography of his followers. One of whom must be Ymar, though he wouldn't have seen the Fuligin cloak.  It would seem that Ymar, in creating the Autarchy, infused his state with Conciliator/NewSun symbols (Phoenix Throne) and had the Jailers turned into The Guild, and honored them with the Fuligin cloaks of the Conciliator, though they apparently lack the lining. When the guard of the jailers is described, he has the carnificial sword, but no cloak is mentioned.  That Ymar would give this honor to the Guild is not that surprising because it's where his own roots are.

There is also, of course, the beautiful metaphor of death and resurrection right there in that cloak alone, Fuligin out, Multicolored within.  That's one thing I really like about Maitz's painting.

Of course, Maitz's painting was done before Urth was written, so perhaps Wolfe liked it and wrote it in.

I love how this detail adds texture to the time loop situation of Severian becoming the myth that inspired him.  This would be a crucial aspect of the Conciliator iconography, because, lacking that, what other symbols mark him as different.  With Christ, he might always look a bit different, but you've usually got a cross or a halo to identify him.  While, I suspect Conciliator icons would potentially have halos, (black halos) this Fuligin cloak would identify him distinctly, while the artist's rendering of his face would vary as much as any Christ picture does.

Cripes, only Wolfe would take something that ripe and make it practically unnoticeable. 

neat.

~witz




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