(urth) Urth-Earth links

[Lee Berman]

>Gerry Quinn: And (I should have noted) Juturna has no antigravity belt, and she 
>could certainly have benefited from one.  Nor, if I recall correctly, does Severian 
>mention any gills, though I suppose it may be that his eyes were drawn elsewhere.  
>The technologies, magicks or whatever are different. 
 
Given what we later learn, I think Severian's observation of strange scars on Baldanders'
neck as a non-recognition of gills is a pretty good guess. Dr. Talos' assertion that 
Baldanders can breathe underwater because he is a super-genius is not a very satisfying
explanaion.
 
Given the blobs of light travelling upward from Baldanders' castle to the Hierodule ship, I 
think it is safe to guess that the anti-gravity belt was a gift from B, F and O, not Jurturna.
B, F and O's appearance at the House Absolute might also explain the origin of the anti-
gravity used in the Autarch's flier.
 
Hm. Advanced physics technology comes from the angels while advanced biological technology 
comes from witches and undersea monsters. Could this reflect an engineer's prejudice regarding
the sciences?  Though I was a bio-science major myself I could imagine an engineering student's
preference for the nice, clean confines of a physics lab over the smelly funk of a bio-lab.