(urth) Father Inire

[Lee Berman]

>larry miller: Im pretty sure we see Inire twice in BotNS.  The crooked bent man that
>appears before the Autarch and Severian in the Secret House and the figure Severian 
>sees entering the Autarchs tent near the end of Citadel is Inire.
 
I think those are pretty good guesses for Inire appearances. The cowled servitor does
appear in Father Inire's wing of the House Absolute. And the appearance of the Jungle Guide
in Citadel connects with the Father Inire letter Rudesind carries which says he has been
in the North with the Ascians.
 
But both are guesses. Neither of these characters is confirmed by any other characters as
Father Inire though it would have been easy for that to happen. Why didn't the old Autarch
tell Severian, "follow Father Inire to the thiasus and your acting troop."?  Note that both 
these characters are silent despite the fact that they serve as guides. Both characters have 
their faces covered. I think something deeper and more mysterious might be going on here.
 
Moreover both these characters seem to fit the description of Father Inire being small, old 
and bent. Interestingly, this description comes from characters who are themselves small,
old and bent, Rudesind and the old boatman (Rudesind also sharing the Inire characteristic of 
being monkey-like). Both Rudesind and the old boatman claim an association with Father Inire.

The Jungle Guide has a dark, metallic looking skin which is reminiscent of another jungle guy,
Isangoma, from the Jungle Hut. Who, by chance, is also a small, old bent kind of guy. And how
does Isangoma know The Bible. Is that connected to Rudesind cleaning a painting of an Apollo
space mission?
 
And so on. There are other interesting and (for me) compelling connecting links of these guys
to other characters. Though they aren't obvious, I am willing to consider that they represent
a collection of multiple Pan-like iterations who are getting things done in the Commonwealth
and have been doing so for all its history.