(urth) Appearances of Inire

[David Stockhoff]

Wolfe bases all his "gods" on "real" gods. Yes, there does seem to be a 
pairing of Mother and Father in Inire and the Cumaean, but then there 
would be.

Lee Berman wrote:
>> Well, obviously Inire's also Master Ultan.  Since he's clearly the
>> Librarian.
>>     
>  
> Yes, Ultan is a curator. And like some other candidates, Ultan's eyes 
> are obscured. I think the dark haired woman in the grave is some version
> of Catherine. Why does Severian see her face in Ultan's? Could he be 
> Catherine's father? If Inire is also Dorcas' husband, he would appear
> as grandfather to Severian on both sides of the family. Why IS he called
> "Father" Inire? I can't recall any religious association.
>  
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>   
>> Is Inire known to travel in time, himself? 
>>     
>  
> If he is Isangoma, who resembles the jungle shaman, then I'd say, yes.
>
>  
>   
>> Why limit Inire to male characters? If he can be a fraking robot (Ossipago)
>> and monkey his way up Agia's family tree (which, according to some, makes
>> him related to Severian), and be both dead characters (Boatman, Maxellindis'
>> uncle) and living ones, a change of gender is no obstacle.
>>     
>  
> In UotNS we are rather explicitly shown that Tzadkiel can change size, shape
> gender and plurality, so I agree with Roy's statement. If there is a female 
> version of Father Inire, the most likely candidate is Cumaean. One is Father,
> the other is The Mother. We hear them paired as alike but they are never quite 
> together. Inire has his monkey essence, the Cumaean has her snake essence. I
> don't know if they are supposed to be borne of the same original entity or not
> but they could be.
>  
> Given the Tzadkiel model, there is no reason there can't be multiple versions
> of the same being running around manipulating Severian's life and travels. We
> are told that not even Tzadkiel can resurrect a dead person. So, I suspect, 
> neither can Father Inire (or the Cumaean, by herself). Perhaps it wasn't a
> coincidence the boatman just happened to be there on the lake when Severian 
> showed up. How else could he restore his long dead wife?
>  
> Tzadkiel is an angel (who never comes to Urth). What is Inire? 
>  
> Genesis 6:1-8 seems to suggest that the purpose of The Flood was to cleanse 
> the earth and humanity of a corruption brought on by the mating of fallen 
> angels and human women, producing giants, demons, etc. Severian's resistance to
> the seduction of Juturna is significant. What is the purpose of the Flood
> of Urth? The same as the Biblical Flood, I think.
>  
> I suspect that Wolfe is making the point that the fallen angels of 
> Judeo-Christianity bear a striking resemblance to the gods and monsters
> of pagan mythology and are, perhaps, one and the same. Incestuous, large sized, 
> animal essenced, shape-changing, other "magic" abilities, mating with humans, the
> pattern is fairly consistent. (Hephaestus is an artisan, bent and twisted, 
> sometimes depicted with red hair).
>  
> One more candidate for Father Inire- Cyriaca's book-loving "uncle" who seems to 
> know so much about the inner workings of the Autarchy and the history of humanity
> and the universe. And Cyriaca does share some characteristics with Catherine.  
> Cyriaca's dark hair paired with a red-headed father might produce the chestnut color
> we find in Agia and Agilus. Thus the origin of the incestuous curse which seems to
> plague Severian's family- the Father.
>  
>   
>> Severian only screws his relatives, by logical extension "All You Zombies"
>> is us and we are Inire, but we are not alone.
>>     
>
> Yes. I once read a Gene Wolfe interview in which he said he was unhappy with his
> status as an only child and spent much of his youth scouring the faces of strangers
> for signs of hidden family and lost kinship. This is more explicitly themed in 
> Fifth Head of Cerberus but I think it makes a significant appearance in New Sun also.
>  
> (p.s. the "battles" over these issues from a few years ago were invaluable to me in 
> helping clarify my interpretations. I truly appreciate all those who participated and 
> helped me)
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