(urth) Sev's silence about Catherine

[aaron]

This is a bit off subject, I know, but it does pertain to Katherine, at
least the one at Severian's raising ceremony.  It has always seemed to me,
even the first time I read Shadow, that Severian was deceived into thinking
that his beheading of Katherine was illusion using a wax head, stage blood,
fuligin cloth, and a clever device of some sort.  If you read the passage
(sorry, I am not close to my books just now) in TSotT I am speaking of, you
will notice that Sev goes out of his way to point out that the head is wax
and that there is a clever mechanism used to make it all appear real.  What
strikes me as strange is that Severian has, from his own admission, helped
to prepare the wheel and other props (one can assume) when he was a
apprentice, but seems unable to explain how they work (besides the wheel)
when he is raised.  There is also a short description of his sword meeting
resistance when it comes into contact with Katherine's neck.  Perhaps there
are other clues, but as I said, I am going from memory here, so...   Any
thoughts?


Aaron Singleton
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