(urth) The Wizard

[Craig Brewer]

Fair enough. And this got hashed out in the same terms on the list a long time ago, so sorry to bring it up again for the oldsters.

But I do think that Wolfe meant it metaphorically in the sense of belonging to a tradition that seeks truth. (In the interview, he says he means it "in the broadest possible sense" which to me means that it isn't just a plot point.) But, hey, Silk is good with a knife in those sacrifices, so who knows...

On Mar 10, 2012, at 10:33 AM, "Gerry Quinn" <gerry at bindweed.com> wrote:

>  
>  
> From: Craig Brewer
>  
>  
> > I forget which interview it is where Wolfe says that Silk is a member of the
>  > "Order of the Seekers of Truth and Penitence" ... which I think a lot of people
> > (me included) interpreted as saying not that he's secretly a torturer, but that
> > the and the Seekers are actually members of "The Church."
>  
> I can’t say I have ever thought that, and to be honest I don’t find it credible.  The name is surely just an ironically appropriate one for the guild of Torturers.  We are told of other guilds, chiefly the Animal Trainers and the Witches.   All three guilds have weird, unique rituals and ceremonies.  The Witches seem closer to a religion than the others.  As for the Torturers, they take their business seriously but not to my mind in a religious fashion.  And their history insofar as it is described is entirely secular, except that they have a patron saint – which I think many guilds might do, even in the real world.
>  
> - Gerry Quinn
>  
> 
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