(urth) City on Green

[Lee Berman]

>Roy C. Lackey: Humans originated on Urth. If Green is Urth, then the Neighbors did not
>originate there. The Neighbors did not, could not have built Nessus. There
>is no evidence, no suggestion at all that the Neighbors ever existed in
>Urth's past, and Severian went all the way back many thousands of years into
>the past to the dawn of history in the time of Apu-Punchau, long before
>Nessus even existed.
 
I think Roy makes pretty good arguments for Green not being Urth (yet, still, considering 
the private Wolfe correspondence, I can easily see why Marc isn't ready to drop the idea 
like it is the lit stink bomb Roy implies).
 
But I think Roy is wrong in the above paragraph, specifially the part about "Neighbors did
not, could not have built Nessus."
 
Citing Severian's time travels is not relevant. He only travels to two places in Urth's past,
Apu Punchau's time when there was no advanced technology and the end of Typhon's reign when
interstellar travel is dwindling to nil (the ships at the Citadel site are already "hulks"). 
We do know that in between these two times have been periods of great interstellar travel to
and from Urth. Nessus was at least partially built (and perhaps named) in this time period.
 
We are told there are numerous alien races and we know some representatives spend time on 
Urth. We know Blue and Green are in reachable space from Urth. It seems eminently *possible*
that Neighbors and/or Inhumi have made it to Urth in real (as opposed to dream-) travel.
 
>From my perspective, it is not only possible but probable that Neighbors and/or Inhumi have
made it to Urth in history previous to Severian's times there. I base this probablity on the
Dr. Talos principle. Like the impressario, Gene Wolfe prefers not to have different actors
play all the different roles in his dramas. Instead he likes to have a smaller stable of
actors who don disguises to play the various roles.
 
Thus, I think he is loathe to create two completely unrelated species to put into an offshoot
story from BotNS. If he wanted no relationship he would have created a completely, unconnected
story. (so yes, I do think Neighbors and Inhumi are disguised versions of aliens found on Urth
though it is actually vice-versa; [angels and fallen angels])

Like most here, I think Gene Wolfe did NOT have Neighbors and Inhumi specifically in mind when he
wrote BotNS. However, I think one single word provides the strong suggestion that Wolfe meant some 
of the aliens who travel to Urth have the capacity to become entwined in identity with humans. Nephilim.
 
Nephilim are giants (or "men of reknown) who result from the mating between humans and a superior race. 
We have numerous giants in the extended story, we have humans and we have superior alien races. But can 
humans and alien species mate?
 
Here is the thing: In dream travel, we know that Inhumi go to Urth and all they want to do is have sex. 
But, (it might be argued), that's just a dream. It doesn't result in offspring (or does it?). *But* on 
Blue/Green, all Inhumi really want to do is suck blood out of humans. This IS related!
 
When we humans mate with each other it involves a fluid exchange which results in the blending of the 
identity of two beings. That process is also true for Inhumi biting humans. Wolfe MEANS for us to get 
the connection.

(James thinks there is identity blending not only between humans and inhumi but also between human and 
Neighbor. I think the idea has merit, and if it does, I think inhumi are the vector for the identity
merging. James thinks Horn merges with a Neighbor at his death in the Pit. When Horn wakes up there the
first thing he sees is an inhumu, Krait)