(urth) Wounds (was: Re: Corundum of the Claw)

[brunians at brunians.org]

Saints bearing stigmata are commonplace.

Some object that Severian is no saint: he is as saintly as many a saint.

Like, for instance, St Olaf: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaf_II_of_Norway

.

> On Wed, June 23, 2010 8:53 pm, Jane Delawney wrote:
>> On 23/06/10 12:38, Lee Berman wrote:
>>> There has been some debate in the past whether Severian is a "Christian
>>> figure"
>>> or a "Christ figure". A recent article in Ultan's Library reminds us
>>> Severian
>>> was marked by stigmata on the forehead after viewing Tzadkiel in the
>>> book. Now
>>> we are reminded that Severian was also pierced by a thorn. There is the
>>> desert
>>> garden and some other stuff that would seem to relate directly to Jesus
>>> and not
>>> just Christianity in general.
>>
>> By the end of BOTNS / UOTNS Sev has acquired at least two of the
>> orthodox Wounds of Christ and also a couple more long-term injuries
>> which have Christian or semi-Christian mythic associations.
>>
>> First there is the chest injury from an avern-leaf (I haven't the book
>> in front of me at the moment but I think I remember this wound being
>> described as 'the size and shape of a willow leaf' or something like,
>> rather like the wound that would be made by the blade of a Roman spear);
>> this injury is later reopened and presumably made more obvious in the
>> throne-room scene at the end of Citadel where the resurrected assassin
>> kills Valeria and injures Severian. Sev tells us that the knife reopens
>> the avern-wound.
>>
>> Then there is the 'crown of thorns' stigma which appears when he looks
>> into the face of Tzadkiel in the Mirror-book.
>>
>> The lameness, the thigh injury from an energy weapon which Sev acquires
>> in battle and which is later first healed and then reopened, seems to
>> relate to the Judean kingship ritual Robert Graves postulates in his
>> novel King Jesus (...
>>
>> There's also much emphasis on Severian's facial scarring from Agia's
>> weapon. ... .... The whole
>> subject is spooky enough already.
>>
>> regards
>>
>> JD
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>
>
>
> Good post. I can chew on that for a while.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Urth Mailing List
> To post, write urth at urth.net
> Subscription/information: http://www.urth.net
>