(urth) The Two Katharines

[Jeff Wilson]

On 8/15/2010 10:59 PM, Lee Berman wrote:
>
>
>> Jeff Wilson- the blade of execution is wood and tinsel.
>
> Yes a thin wooden batten with lightweight tinsel.
>
> Yet when Severian first takes up the sword, "It was very heavy".
>
> When he lifted the sword, "I feared it would overbalance me".
>
> Using all his available strength, he sends the "false" blade down.
> For an instant it seemed to meet resistance then thudded into the
> block, which fell into two. The maid's head, all bloodied,
> tumbled forward..
>
> I used to think it was just Severian being drunk. Now...
>
> Well, there are certainly some theatrics going on. I just can't
> be sure which audience is being fooled. Would the guild really
> use fake blood from a wax head as their most sacred chrism? 		 	   		

There's no indication or reason that the *blood* is fake. It might be 
animal blood if no recently dispatched clients or willing donors were 
available at the time.

Severian can't have been completely fooled into really beheading a 
person because he's supposed to turn the blade aside to *avoid* striking 
the maid, and he's not drunk because the feasting comes after. But the 
importance of the day is not to be underestimated in its effect on human 
perception; as I recall from my wedding day, that  little ring was heavy 
like a barbell and slick as an eel.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
IEEE Student Chapter Blog at
< http://ieeetamut.org >