(urth) Catherine

[Lee Berman]

>larry miller: Doesnt Sev search for the Atrium from above in a flyer when Auturch? 

 

Well, he is searching for Valeria's tower. He can't find it. He has to find her by

retracing his steps through the twisting path from the oubilette.

 

 

>This fits nicely with The Last House that can only be seen and approached from certain 

>angles.


Yes. Severian tries a short cut by climbing right up the cliff to it. When he reaches the

top, it isn't there. He has to follow the proper twisting path. I think Mantis 

(m. andre-driussi is working on a similar theory, but I beat him to it. Heh).

 

>And it was the Pelerines (that Catherine belonged to) that sent Sev to Ash with
>very specific directions to find the Last House.  Perhaps the Pelerines have some 

>connection with the Temporal Obfuscation technology adherrant to these structures?

 

I think that is very insightful. The Pelerines really might be involved. There are a few

clues that they may be more involved with witches than we might expect. Anyway there is a

mysterious "Red Tower" which is not so easy to identify the residents of as the other 

mentioned towers. Perhaps this Red Tower is the home of the Pelerines and perhaps this

tower is one of those around the Atrium of Time.

 

>In response to Jeffs question I seem to remember Sev
>mentioning a trick mechanism and fake severed head being used to
>create the illusion of Katherines beheading.

 

Was Jeff's question about how Catherine can survive being beheaded so many times?

Anyway, yes the trick mechanism is described in detail. Severian can do this because,

as an apprentice, he helped assemble it. He knows how the trick works. Lightweight

wooden sword, wax head, fake blood etc.

 

It was Dave Tallman who noted that when Severian goes to lift this fake sword it is

very heavy. Also, when he works up the nerve to swing the thing down he seems surprised

to find that the sword meets resistance for a second. It is like most other Wolfe puzzles.

We can ignore it and just assume Severian is having these perceptual problems because he

is drunk. Or we can start to wonder why WOlfe goes through the trouble to decribe a fake

sword as lightweight then a few paragraphs later tell us the sword Severian used felt very

heavy. 

 

This theory is not mine in origin but I think it has merit. I wouldn't think much of it if I 

didn't agree with the puzzle solution that this "maid" is Severian's mother. Adding Dave's

observation that the three maids in the play were all beheaded saint names and it gains even

greater heft.

 

To answer a question by David Stockhoff, no I don't think this beheading (fake ones or real one)

is part of Catherine's torture sentence. I think the penalty for adultery is strangulation and

in the Citadel, this is accomplished by the guild using Allowin's Necklace. That's why the corpse

has a "livid face". Severian does not have this device in Thrax and thus must use his hands (though

of course he stops before completing the action).