(urth) traveling north

[Jane Delawney]

On 07/06/10 06:57, Roy C. Lackey wrote:
> The Curtain Wall around the Citadel didn't need to be as big or
> sophisticated as the City Wall. The purpose of the Curtain Wall (according
> to Cyriaca's tale) was to safeguard the writings that became Ultan's
> Library. Her tale also implies that the City Wall and the curtain wall date
> from the same period. That is, "Their spoil was gathered into a great heap
> in the city of Nessus, which was then newly built, to be burned." She goes
> on to say that the cache of books was enclosed by a curtain wall when the
> ruler changed his mind about burning the books. That ruler had planned to
> retire behind the curtain wall if his dreams of a "new empire" (as distinct
> from the "first empire") should fail (SWORD, chap. VI ).
>
> The implication, of course, is that Typhon was that ruler, though he died
> alone on his mountain. So, yes, if Cyriaca is to be believed, the walls are
> the same age.
>
> -Roy
>    
Indeed that perhaps the Citadel wall might even be a trifle *earlier* 
than the City Wall itself. Yet according to Jonas, the Citadel was built 
to the *north* of the city (presumably including its curtain wall if 
these two walls are indeed of an age)  ... there is a question here that 
it still unanswered I think, in terms of the the geography of Sev's Urth.

Unless of course Jonas is simply telling fairy stories! However I'm 
inclined to think Wolfe does not include this kind of information just 
for 'decoration' as it were.

Have remembered a couple of other points which gave me pause regarding 
compass directions back when I last read this work. The first was the 
description of Sev's journey to the Last House and back. He is clearly 
described as travelling with his shadow before him, a phenomenon which 
can only be observed in the southern hemisphere when travelling 
southward. I now realise that at the time I first read this, I assumed 
that when this happened he had to have been travelling northward ... but 
in fact this is not the case, since Mannea's map is not 
compass-direction specific as in fact it could not be since the Last 
House does not quite exist in normal space. He could have been 
travelling in any direction at all when he made note of his shadow, 
since to find the Last House he has to follow the map's instructions 
(which do not include points of the compass) exactly, and may have been 
travelling in that direction he had not previously noticed :)

Also there is the (probably quite small) point of the identity - if any! 
- in our world of *The Eight*, a constellation which Sev notes consists 
only of three stars (so the reason for its name is a mystery to him) and 
which is circumpolar about whichever pole :) he may have observed in his 
hemisphere throughout his life. Any views on this?

thanks very much for responses and am very sorry I am only able to get 
replies out about every 3 - 4 days. I really enjoy reading most of this 
list and it is way more than just 'interesting' to me to rediscover the 
fandom after so many years. Thanks to all!

regards

JD


PS I have not yet re-read UOTNS this time round (actually have been 
trying to spin out *Citadel* for as long as possible :) ); if there is 
more information in there about the Walls, I have not yet caught up with 
it.