(urth) Severa

[David Stockhoff]

On 12/4/2011 9:10 AM, Gerry Quinn wrote:
> *From:* António Pedro Marques <mailto:entonio at gmail.com>
> > No dia 04/12/2011, às 01:42, David Stockhoff 
> <dstockhoff at verizon.net> escreveu:
>
> > > Antonio's question raises another point from that intended---who 
> named Severian?
>
> > Ahem. Though not explicit, that was the point intended (the other 
> point would hardly
> > have been worth raising).
> I’m not sure it matters – surely the main question is whether the name 
> does imply a twin?
> Certainly the book seems to be suggesting that a twin sister exists 
> somewhere.
> With regard to this question, it doesn’t really matter if the 
> torturers pick names, or defer to the client’s wishes.
> There is a possibility that occurs to me – the torturers name the boy 
> and the witches name the girl. Might the torturers have given a twin’s 
> name to the boy, then handed over the girl to the witches, who gave 
> her a standard name? It would explain Merryn’s name, but it seems a 
> slightly convoluted explanation.

That's what I said, except that Severian is not "a twin's name." It's 
just a name. Any Latinate male named can be twinned with a female form.

What's convoluted about it?