(urth) Appearances of Inire

[David Stockhoff]

Thus the double quotes.

brunians at brunians.org wrote:
> These guys are not gods.
>
> They are angels or fairies or some such.
>
> The distinction is nontrivial.
>
> .
>
>
>   
>> 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.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>       
>>>> 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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