(urth) Father Inire Theory

[Jeff Wilson]

On 12/5/2010 7:55 AM, Lee Berman wrote:
>
>
>> Jeff Wilson: That would suggest that Severian and Dux Caesidius and Ouen are
>> shape-shifting godlets, as they resemble each other in just as many respects. Agia
>> and Agilus are even more alike, surely they are as well?
>
> I'm not sure if this is an expression of personal interest and request for an elaboration of
> my Father Inire theory or an attempt at invalidating it via reductio ad absurdum. If the latter
> I will suggest, as before, that it is a waste of time. Like shooting fish in a barrel. It is my
> opinion that the superficial mysteries of BotNS which can be solved by careful reading, logic and
> a little research are solved. The mysteries which remain, if any do, require a large dose of
> intuition.

One can certainly use intuition as a means of selecting possible 
answers, but the answer must still logically fit the puzzle given for 
the exercise to be meaningful.

> For this reason, I've been steering my Inire Theory away from (St.) Rudesind. Perhaps his
> old, bent, monkey-like appearance is due to the nature of his assistantship and association
> with Father Inire and an admonition to trust in the power of names and not be deceived by
> appearances. I don't know. Theory is still a work in progress.

What purpose of the author or of Inire would posing as Rudesinde serve? 
Why can't his old, bent, monkey-like appearance be due to him being an 
old, malnourished, primate?

> On the other hand there is no St. Hethor. And his space origin, mirror skills and interest in
> young human women make me suspicious. If he was really Inire, would he be trying to kill his
> own grandson? I think perhaps he would if he knew Severian couldn't be killed but had a secret
> power he hoped to explore/exploit.

There's nothing mysterious or particularly sinister about an older man 
enjoying the attention of a much younger but still adult woman who

>> Jeff Wilson: Inire and the Cumaean are manufactured creatures or at least of manufactured race,
>> like the rest of the Yesodis. They have no need to split and change shape because they are made
>> to order for their specific tasks handed down by the likes of Tzadkiel. They become bent with age
>> as they struggle to exceed their parameters, but that's it.

> B and F remain pure and above humanity. Inire and the Cumaean have gone native, and have gotten involved
> in a variety of evil activities such as running wars, establishing an autarchy surrounded by beautiful
> young concubines, witchcraft, beautification, necromancy and eating of the  dead. Not a coincidence they
> are gone as Urth is gone.

it's not a coincidence that human-scale biological beings who have been 
kept alive by artificial means for many centuries beyond their few 
decades of normal life die in a flood that kills all but four of the 
best sheltered, well-fed people in the prime of their lives out of tens 
of millions.

Inire and the Cumaean don't need to fall from grace to exceed their 
parameters, they just need to avoid being killed for a few decades while 
there remains work to do. They apparently are not disowned, or their 
"cousins" would not be going business with them for their client, the 
Commonwealth.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
Computational Intelligence Laboratory - Texas A&M Texarkana
< http://www.tamut.edu/CIL >