(urth) Mystery of Ascia

[Son of Witz]

On Jan 24, 2011, at 8:24 AM, Lee Berman <severiansola at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Hm...you know...it just occurs to me...It is part of my growing hypothesis that Hethor (the true
> boss of the partnership) never wanted to kill Severian, just test his abilities. Could the slug
> have been used by Hethor BECAUSE Severian was in real danger of losing and being killed by the jungle
> sorcerers? The timing is awfully suspicious to think the slug was intended to kill Severian.

Exactly.
Hethor spurs him on more than anything else. The Circle of the Sorcerors and the slug is a good example of that.  And the Salamander provides a good distraction for his escape, even though he blunders right into engaging with it.
Hethor is also morally repugnant to Severian, as he contextualizes him with the group that takes an unhealthy pleasure from the executions.  This perverse enjoyment is repulsive to Severian, giving him more reason to put torture behind him.