(urth) (no subject)

[Andrew Mason]

Lee Berman wrote:

> I have wondered more than once in these annals about the lack of pregnancy in Valeria.

If it were just Valeria, one could just say that Valeria was unable to
have children. (Silk had no children in twenty years with Hyacinth,
although he - or his body - produced at least two children in Gaon
shortly after her death.)

However, it isn't just Valeria. He had no children with the other
woman he lived with over a long period of time, 'the tall woman',
Apu-Punchau's wife/partner. (I take it she was that, since when he
moved into the shaman's house, she moved with him.) At least I assume
he didn't; with Valeria the lack of children is specifically
mentioned; with the tall woman we have to assume that if there were
any he would mention them, though as this is Severian you can never
tell.

You might just suppose Severian is unable to have children - but he
refers near the end of UOTNS to 'my descendants'. The possibility that
he had a child with Dorcas seems to be offered and then torn away from
us. (When he sees her near the end of COTA she has a basket, and there
are repeated references to babies in baskets. But when, a few chapters
later, we find out how long he has been away, it becomes clear that if
she has a child it can't possibly have been born yet.)

I think there is a considerable amount of evidence that he may have
had a child with Burgundofara - from whom he and a large part of the
population of the Commonwealth are no doubt descended.