(urth) The Ship

[Lee Berman]

This could be a could time to resurrect a discussion regarding Apu Punchau's
miracle. I think the pertinent information we are given is:
 
>Severian’s prolongation of the night, however, may leave less credulous minds 
>puzzling over the ways in which such a marvel might be achieved without a 
>cataclysm greater than that which accompanied the arrival of the New Sun...
>Nothing Severian writes indicates what the opaque body may have been; but the 
>thoughtful reader will find little difficulty in advancing at least one plausible 
>speculation.
 
In my first reading I took the "thoughtful reader" reference to be ironic, meaning
very little thought is required to guess that the moon (or Lune, as it were) was
used. This was in keeping with the trend of other Severian-produced clamities when 
he is troubled, like storms, earthquakes and ship blackouts, which seem associated 
with the Urth or other celestial bodies.
 
I was surprised to learn from this board that others assume it is Tzadkiel's ship 
or perhaps B, F and O's smaller ship, come to deliver a black hole to the center of
the old sun. The popularity of this theory is notable, but I have trouble with it
for a number of reasons. Tzadkiel's ship doesn't seem to want to enter the solar
system. B, F and O's ship isn't big enough. And the timing for either doesn't seem
to be right. The black hole could either be a naturally occurring phenomenon or a 
punishment delivered during Typhon's time, but why bring it during this primitive
time? Also, B, F and O don't arrive until a while later, after Severian has been 
Apu Punchau for a while and has been killed.
 
You could stretch the time frame around using time travel or other explanations.
But I still like the moon theory best. Partly because it seems the simplest and most 
direct interpretation from the text and partly because it better alludes to the 
eclipse in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.