(urth) traveling north

[Lee Berman]

It is not crystal clear in the text, but Wolfe has explicitly
stated in some interviews that Urth is not meant to be Earth
but rather a version of Earth in a previous universal iteration.
One clue in the text is that the word Urth, from the 3 giantess 
norns of Norse Mythology, refers to the Past (while Verthandi is 
the Present and Skuld is the Future).  Thus it can be explained 
why Severian lives on a continent very similar to our South 
America but with some notable differences.(still, I do think we 
can spot Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, the Andes, the Amazon and 
Lake Titicaca referenced)
 
FWIW, my opinion is that Urth is presented as less spiritually 
advanced than Earth, notably lacking two important earthly 
spiritual events, The Flood and the Coming of Jesus. Thus, 
Severian has his roles to play. The Urth we are reading about 
is much older than our current Earth but being stunted in its 
spiritual growth is still troubled by some of the ills which 
plagued our pagan ancestors. 		 	   		  
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