(urth) Who's Right?

[Son of Witz]

On Dec 4, 2010, at 5:51 AM, Ryan Dunn <ryan at liftingfaces.com> wrote:

> 
> On Dec 4, 2010, at 8:46 AM, Ryan Dunn wrote:
> 
>> On Dec 4, 2010, at 3:54 AM, Lee Berman wrote:
>> 
>>>> Andrew Mason: I agree that there's more to Agia than mees the eye. There are a
>>>> couple of definite indicators of this: her use of the symbol of the
>>>> Jurupari (if that's what it was);  Agilus' ribbons.
>>> 
>>> Agilus' ribbons might be connected to the Jungle Sorcerers' masks. Agia uses a 
>>> claw weapon much like (perhaps identical) to those of the jungle guys to cut
>>> Severian's face. 
>>> 
>>> (Actually I also find much hidden significance to Agia's other weapons-
>>> the misericorde, the athame and the crooked dagger. I can elaborate if anyone is 
>>> interested.)
>>> 
>>> The Jurupari is a jungle demon. Also a fish known as the earth eater. And there is a
>>> thematic connection between the fish and the demon reminscent of Abaia and undines.
>>> 
>>> And as mentioned before I am intrigued by how Agia herds Severian around Nessus and the 
>>> Commonwealth and her association with a weird little guy from outer space who is clever
>>> with mirrors (Inire-Hethor ambiguity intended).    
>> 
>> 
>> Simpler still, we meet Agilus with a mask on. It looks real enough, and skeletal. He takes it off and reveals his "real face". He is laying there near dead, and Severian sees more ribbons.
>> 
>> Isn't this more likely to connect to the Hiero's and their masks under masks? Two alien poppets for the price of one?
>> 
>> ...ryan
> 
> 
> And no, I haven't forgotten how real his head is when it is lobbed off, but I am still trying to reconcile the ribbons, which almost have to indicate that his face is a mask, right? Unless I'm reading it wrong.
> 
> ...ryan
> _______________________________________________

Those ribbons are a clear difficulty.  It's easy to see the soothsayer's meaning, that Agilus is still presenting himself falsely to Severian.  But how this works out in the ploughman's meaning is beyond me.  I thought the heirodule mask idea good until you reminded me of the beheading, and that doesn't seem to work.  Thinking further, a Heiro would have a reverse time perspective that should give him an advantage he clearly doesn't have.
~Witz