(urth) Crotali (was: Re: traveling north)

[Jane Delawney]

If I may crave your collective indulgence a little longer ... please 
forgive me if you're all heartily sick of this, but in my re-reading I 
have just come across another of those moments which, now I have 
reminded myself, has also featured in my doubt about north-south 
consistency (or consistency with the present at least) in the New Sun 
'canon'.

Toward the end of TUOTNS Severian, having been 'rescued' from a suicidal 
funk by Juturna of all beings (and this scene is debate-worthy in 
itself, since she was earlier his enemy - though since he has succeeded 
in his destined role as the New Sun she and her kind no longer have a 
reason to oppose him), and incidentally proving that even though he's 
fulfilled his primary role he *still* can not die (earlier, he assumes 
that the reason for this characteristic is that he's yet to bring the 
New Sun, which he has been foreordained to do) wanders up the Brook 
Madregot and emerges from the Corridors in the age of Apu-Punchau.

Although by then many readers are saying, 'Well, we all knew that was 
going to happen' and maybe even 'Well, get on with it!', he then spends 
a page or two wandering over the pampas. No mention of shadows here 
(good, given previous responses they are far too confusing and 
ambiguous); instead, when he first meets the native people of that era, 
he notes that they are busy watering their fields and generally acting 
as though it is spring or summer, even though " ... among the 
constellations of the previous night had been the crotali, the winter 
stars that bring the rattle of ice-sheathed branches".

We know already that in the time of the Conciliator temperate-climate 
crops extend some way 'south' (or whatever:) ) of where they are found 
in Severian's day (he remarks on the occurrence of apple-orchards way 
'south' of where he remembers), and of course the time of Apu-Punchau is 
millennia earlier. But postulating a longer summer and growing season is 
surely not enough to bring the stars of deepest winter (the name 
crotali, 'the rattles' according to Andre-Driussi, though I confess to 
ignorance as the language involved, seems to be related directly to the 
rattling together of icicles in the wind, I have no idea which if any of 
our present constellations may be involved) into summer. The implication 
seems to be clear that what Severian knew as winter is now summer. The 
only explanation that I can see here is that the poles, the hemispheres 
themselves, are not arranged as Sev knew them in his original place and 
time.

Would be glad of any comments / illuminations, am quite prepared to 
accept that I  may have made an egregious mistake (again :)! ) here. But 
I really am not convinced (pace Adam :) ) that this is in fact the land 
of Oz.

regards

JD