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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>This may well have been covered, and if so I apologize for re-treading over old ground, but my question is; can a legitimate claim be made (even a decently founded speculation!) that Severian is the Outsider? First, he is marked as the only god existing outside the Whorl (makes sense- no reason for Sevvy to be in Typhon's seed-ship), is referenced as "dark" (stretching, i know). These two points alone, of course, do not make a for any kind of argument. However, when we get to Horn/Silk's journey in SS, and Horn's near-starvation/ hallucinations in the crude trap his son made, he is visited by a dark character (whom he believes to be the Outsider), wielding a glowing blue stone (the parallel seems too strong for this to be anything but the Claw). <div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>If Severian is indeed the Outsider it raises some questions that perhaps you could shed some light on for me. First, it would mean that Typhon recognized and included Sev in his canon, albeit in an indirect way. This seems peculiar, but I suppose that I wouldn't preclude him for having some strange respect for the New Sun. Secondly, it means that Severian enlightens Silk on Sun Street, but to what end? To prevent Pas' future plans from coming to fruition? <br><br><div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><div>Thomas John Gamble</div><div><a href="mailto:thomasjgamble@mac.com">thomasjgamble@mac.com</a></div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span></span> </div><br></div></body></html>