(urth) Sev's common lineage

[Mark Millman]

Dear Mr. Wells,

On Monday 30 June 2008, you quoted and wrote:

>>> I still don't see that any
>>> effort should be made to
>>> find a source of exultant
>>> blood for Severian.
>>
>> Severian is the Epitome of Urth, and
>> possibly of humanity, if Urth be tak-
>> en to be the epitome of the human
>> worlds of the galaxy. The exultants
>> are of Urth and have been since the
>> time of the Monarch a thousand
>> years earlier, but originated off-world.
>> It's possible that among the reasons
>> that Ymar and the Old Autarch failed
>> is that they did not represent the ex-
>> ultants. If Severian has exultant heri-
>> tage, then he does.
>
> It seems to me that it could be seen exactly the
> opposite way round.

Indeed it could, depending on what interpretation you prefer.  To go
back to Mr. Tallman's statement, I don't really think that there's any
need to make an effort to find a source of exultant blood for
Severian; I think that Wolfe tells us he has it, and argument to the
contrary is over-interpretation.  But if a reason for effort were
needed, the interpretation I've proposed suggests one.

> The exultants are not really Of This Urth. You
> point out that they originated off-world.

Indeed I do.  Please remember, however, that they're a strain -of
humanity- that diverged off-world, and that they have integrated
themselves into the life of the Commonwealth and, presumably, the
other states of Urth as well.  (For example, there's some evidence to
suggest that exultant bloodlines persist in Ascia.)  Having done so,
they've returned to being part of the humanity of Urth.  At the very
least, we know that they're not a distinct species of humans, since
they can interbreed with the commonality.

> As others have said, the mating of Men and Mon-
> sters (or Angels?), and genetic engineering in
> general, seems to be generally disparaged.  Per-
> haps it was necessary for Severian to be of the
> common(er) people?

Perhaps it is.  I doubt that you will be surprised to learn that I
prefer my own interpretation, to the (slight) extent that I think it's
relevant.

> newt

Best,

Mark Millman