Thecla, Ultan, Rudesind, Fechin

[avram]

The Chatelaine Thecla: A chatelaine is the wife of a castellan, the mistress of a household, or the clasp or hook for a watch, purse, or bunch of keys. There’s a Saint Thecla, whose origin story is given in the apocryphal Acts of (Paul and) Thecla. She visited Paul to hear him preach when he was in prison; sort of an inverse of the relationship between Thecla and Severian early in Shadow of the Torturer. There’s a ruined Chapel of St. Thecla, on an islet in the Severn River; the similarity of “Severn” to “Severian” may have inspired Wolfe to pick this name.

Master Ultan: Wolfe’s Ultan is the master of the curators and librarians. Saint Ultan of Ardbraccan compiled a biography of his niece, Saint Brigid, and educated and fed thousands of poor students.

Rudesind: Curator of the Citadel; he’s cleaning a picture when Severian meets him while carrying a message to Ultan. Probably named for William Rudesind Barlow, a prest and professor of theology who more than once refused promotion to abbot or bishop.

Fechin: An artist mentioned by Rudesind. Perhaps named for Nicolai Fechin?

The chapter with Rudesind contains one of my favorite bits in the book, Severian’s description of the picture Rudesind is cleaning:

The picture he was cleaning showed an armored figure standing in a desolate landscape. It had no weapon, but held a staff bearing a strange, stiff banner. The visor of this figure’s helmet was entirely of gold, without eye slits or ventilation; in its polished surface the deathly desert could be seen in reflection, and nothing more.

I also love Ultan’s description of the legend of the Historians, “which tells of a time when every legend could be traced to a half-forgotten fact.”