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<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=severiansola@hotmail.com
href="mailto:severiansola@hotmail.com">Lee Berman</A> </DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV><BR>> > > Then there is Agia. There are a couple converging lines
of evidence that<BR>> > > she is Severian's cousin.<BR><BR>>
> Gerry Quinn: What evidence?<BR> <BR>> It wouldn't be evidence for
you, Gerry. You have spent 2 or 3 years here<BR>> demonstrating that your
definition of that word is "supports my own beliefs".<BR>> Your demonstration
of this skewed definition also includes taking what<BR>> all other posters
call evidence and relabeling it as "rubbish" or <BR>> "nonsense" or
"ridiculous, mindless, unthoughtout, bizzare...etc. etc.". There is<BR>> no
point in responding to such a request from you. Your rejoinder regarding<BR>>
the ideas of others is completely predictable. The only variation in your
posts<BR>> is which derrogatory term for others you will use this time.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Why the fear of posting it, if all posters but I would consider it
evidence?<BR> <BR> <BR>> > However, I think you have
inadvertently hit on something that indicates she was never <BR>> > a
witch.<BR></DIV>
<DIV>> > Heh! You made me laugh with that one, Gerry! Nothing inadvertent
there. Sorry if that<BR>> > takes some of the pats off your own
back. I was aware of Palaemon's explanation of the <BR>> > guild
when I put the quote from the waitress in and the ambiguous nature of that clue
in <BR>> > regard to her origin. As others here recognize, that statement
might lend support and might <BR>> > also undercut the idea that she had
been a witch.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Curious that you did not mention those implications. But
<shrug> they have been stated now anyway.<BR><BR><BR>> >David
stockhoff: Good eye. But a witch who recognizes a torturer outside the Citadel
might not say <BR>> >so;<BR><BR>> We have some evidence regarding this-
Upon their meeting, Merryn comments on "this man in fuligin".<BR>> The
Cumaean explains, "he is but a torturer". Is Merryn, a Citadel resident, really
so ignorant?<BR>> Perhaps. Severian remembers running an errand for the
Torturers. They apparently don't remember<BR>> him. And he is dressed as an
apprentice then, not in fuligin, but why does Merryn not know what<BR>>
fuligin means?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>If she doesn’t (it’s not altogether clear – “this man in fuligin” can be
taken in a number of ways) it’s an argument against Merryn being Severa (same
applies to Jolenta) While not all witches might have torturers uppermost
on their mind, surely a witch named Severa – if that is truly an indication of
being born a twin – would take an interest in their affairs. Again, of
course that presupposes that Merryn was originally called Severa, taking another
name later as members of religious orders often do. The books lack any
Severa other than the young girl in the mountains. <BR> <BR><BR>>
Further ambiguous evidence: in the appendix on social classes, Jolenta is listed
as part of the <BR>> "commonality" while Severian and other Citadel residents
are listed as "servants of the throne".<BR>> But it also says servants of the
throne are drawn from the commonality. Thus, the waitress is<BR>> part of the
commonality due to her occupation, but there is a loophole which could allow her
to<BR>> have formerly been a servant of the throne.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>That wouldn’t be a problem anyway, as presumably any non-exultant kicked
out penniless into Nessus would become part of the commonality. A
worse problem, perhaps, is Wolfe’s selection of her as an exemplar of the
commonality.<BR><BR><BR>> > Any idea what her coloring was before Talos
transformed her?<BR><BR>> She is a thin woman with straggling hair. The lack
of information regarding her hair color is<BR>> interesting, as Wolfe seems
later to reveal it through the odd revelation of her pubic hair<BR>>
resembling a downy chick (i.e. golden). </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>It seems cuffs and collar do not entirely match. But some of that
could be down to Dr. Talos’s silken threads.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>- Gerry Quinn</DIV>
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