(urth) the phial, Severian's mother, and also Urth of the new Sun

Cliff Judge transentient at gmail.com
Mon Jul 12 07:13:49 PDT 2010


The phial that the Autarch wears around his neck containing the high-powered
alzabo gland extract - the Autarch pulled that out of his robe and showed it
to Severian when, as an apprentice, he was leaving the house Azure.

Aside from the fact that the phial was shaped like a penis, which is an
amusing fact that is not reinforced when Severian is passed the reigns, I
think the act of waving this at the young Sev, combined with a look of
honest friendliness, was meant to show that Severian's visit to the House
Azure was something of a test to see if he was really to be the next
Autarch. Though that is a strange test. Anyway, this was something i came up
with when trying to figure out how how and why Severian was selected to be
the next Autarch and New Sun.

After re-reading the conversation with Ouen at the end, when he asks if Ouen
once screwed a tall, dark, girl, and Ouen owned that he did and her name was
Catherine, I think that Severian's mother was the apparently ageless lady
who came every year to play the part of Holy Katherine at the Feast. I
started to think about how there was another girl who was called out as
being dark - the other khaibits at the House Azure.

That might be a good explanation for why this lady never seemed to get any
older to the young Severian - it was a different khaibits every year. Or,
perhaps, it was the exultant herself, who was kept young by the blood of her
khaibits. Anybody else think this way?

Finally, a question: I am halfway through Urth of the New Sun and I cannot
figure out what is going on in the scene where Severian is captured by the
jibers. They bring him into a room where a holographic projection of himself
waves and walks forward, and they command him to do the same or else they
will kill him. What is going on here? Are they trying to identify him as the
Autarch? I am not aware of any clues to suggest that this would require him
mimicking the gestures of the hologram. Are they trying to duple his
likeness or something?

Thanks all.
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