(urth) silk, the dancing toy, gods in the tunnels

[Marc Aramini]

One of the oddest moments in New Sun comes when Severian reflects on how the language he uses is perspicuous, with one word having only one meaning, when the wording of every statement in new sun is ambiguous. "he was the smallest of those dead" - this is another example of the literal interpretation being the "right" one even though it doesn't fit the context.  Grammatically it says Triskele (a three legged tripod used in worship of a sun god) is dead.  Everything is heliocentric in the metaphors of new sun- the coast rises to meet the sun, etc. We know it can't be literally true because Triskele is alive, but the literal, coded message is that the Claw is not the actual source of healing. Does that make Severian and his dog ciphers?