(urth) lameness

[Lee Berman]

>Gerry Quinn: Severian may exaggerate his sexual prowess, but he does not indicate that he 
>is unable to perform sexually, as one would expect of a castrated man.  It seems unlikely 
>that he would particularly desire a child from any of his sexual encounters in BotNS.
 
The discussion is of the barren nature of Severian and Valeria's marriage. His thigh wound
was at the Battle of Orithya. Most of his sexual encounters were previous to this wounding.
Severian's lameness is healed after his trip to Yesod so any later sexual encounters would
seem to fall in a different category.
 
I don't understand about Severian exaggerating his sexual prowess. Anyway this discussion is
more about the mythological/religious implications of lameness in a king/god not Severian's 
actual sperm count. Jane's discussion of Jesus' hip dislocation is very interesting and
relevant. Perhaps the mythic connection between Dionysus and Hephaestus is also. David has
mentioned the Fisher King.
 
Perhaps it is not a coincidence that Severian is (temporarily) lamed in the fiacre accident
when he is in the Pelerine's cathedral and receives the Claw of the Conciliator.
 
>Andrew Mason: > Thecla - exultant.
> Valeria - armiger.
> Dorcas - optimate.
> Jolenta - commonalty.
> Cyriaca - (former) religious.
> Daria - servant of the throne.
> Apheta - cacogen. (She would certainly be called that if she came to Urth.)
 
>Son O' Witz: VERY interesting.
>I think you've hit the nail on the head, Andrew.
>I'd say the Khaibit's are more or less their own class. Enslaved Prostitutes.

 
Yes, great work Andrew! I would tend to call Thecla's khaibit more closely as the "servant of 
the throne" and in more ways than one. Also, Valeria might not count as an armiger "conquest"
if their marriage is chaste. But I think Cyriaca nicely fits the missing slot.
 
Speaking of Cyriaca, my hovering theory is that, with her dark hair, armiger height and sentence
of strangulation for adultery that she is a mirror of Catherine. If Catherine was an adulteress, 
whom did she cuckhold? Would have to be someone who lives in the Citadel, I think.
 
I've wondered for a while about The Castellan.  His lack of a name and the attention to his details
the story gives are suspicious. Also, he is lame. If his lameness can be attributed to a castrating
war wound then a few pieces fall into place. We can know how he knew his wife Catherine had been
unfaithful (her pregnancy).
 
 
>Jane Delawney: By refusing to do his 'duty', Jesus in Graves's work subverts his role 
>from that of sacrificial King of the Harvest, into Saviour of the World.
 
James Wynn is a devout Graves fan when it comes to interpreting Wolfe.