Talos, Dorcas, the Botanic Gardens

[avram]

The Botanic Gardens

I’m still confused by the events of Chapter XXI, “The Hut in the Jungle”. The Botanic Gardens, designed by Father Inire, seem to transcend ordinary space, and likely time as well, so Severian and Agia are probably visiting the 20th century (early enough that there’d be missionaries preaching to naked savages, but late enough for the airplane they see overhead), but why do Robert and Isangoma see Severian and Agia while Marie does not? Perhaps they aren’t fully transported, but just visiting in some insubstantial way, and can be seen only by people with some psychic sensitivity, but Severian describes them shaking the hut on their way up the ladder, so what’s the deal? Isangoma is Zulu for a diviner or witch doctor, which lends weight to the “just visiting insubstantially” theory, but Robert just means “bright fame”.

Also, Severian slips into some kind of trance in the Sand Garden, which is empty (being refurbished) save for some rocks and “one large plant, half bush, half vine, with cruel, curved thorns.” Probably the same thorny plant that the Claw comes from. Perhaps the Sand Garden projects back to the time of Apu Punchau (“head of the day”, another name for Inti, the Incan sun god), and Severian is somehow being contacted by that version of himself?

Dr Talos

Dr Talos neither eats nor sleeps, an early hint of his true nature. When we first meet him, Severian has been sharing a bed with Baldanders, and Talos has been out somewhere, we’re not told where. The next day, at the café, Talos gives Jolenta the pastry she serves him. Later, after Severian and Dorcas meet him and perform in his play, he mentions that they once found a baby pig — “Delicious, or so Baldanders told me when he ate it.” And he doesn’t sleep that night. His name is another hint, of course — the original Talos is a being from Greek mythology; in most legends made of bronze, and in some constructed by Hephaestus. Added later: OK, Talos seems to sleep later, at Severian’s prompting, but he’s probably feigning.

Dorcas

I remember deducing that Dorcas is Severian’s grandmother, but the details escape me, so I’m keeping track of them here. Severian resurrects Dorcas in the Garden of Everlasting Sleep, where her body was preserved at the bottom of the lake. An unnamed old man had been searching for the body of his wife, whom he called Cas, clearly a shortened version of Dorcas. The bodies have lead shot forced down their throats to keep them from floating; Dorcas complains of stomach pains at the Inn of Lost Loves, later (as I recall from an earlier reading) she’ll vomit up lead weights. The old man says his wife had blue eyes (he describes them popping open as she hits the water); Severian mentions Dorcas having blue eyes.

The waiter at the Inn leaves a note for Dorcas, that says “The woman with you has been here before. Do not trust her. Trudo says the man is a torturer. You are my dead mother come again.” If Dorcas is Severian’s grandmother, the author of the note must be his parent, or aunt or uncle. Trudo is the inn’s ostler, who flees when he hears that Severian is looking for him. Trudo apparently comes from “the far south”, which Severian figures means the south of Nessus, near the Citadel, where he’d be familiar with the guild of torturers.

This isn’t enough to link Dorcas to Severian. There’s more that shows up later, I think, but I remember it only vaguely. Don’t bother reminding me — I’ll notice it when I get to it.

Comments

[hissilliness.livejournal.com]

The evidence that you listed demonstrates pretty clearly that Dorcas is one od the bodies from the Garden of Sleep. I think the blood relation between them comes out only in the denuement, when Severian returns to the tavern and meets the author of the note.

S. Figures out that the guy is his father, but doesn't reveal the fact. I always attributed his own lack of surprise to a combination of his head still swimming from his ascention and his general tendancy to play it cool.

If there's evidence that would haver allowed him to figure it out already, I missed it.