Katherine

I've never heard the notion that the maid who performs the role of Holy K on the feast days of the torturers is a machine. Personally I'm resistant to the idea, since I belive that the "maid" in question is the same dark haired lass named Catherine beloved by Ouen (son of Dorcas) so long ago, the disgraced monial who gave birth to twins in the Matachin Tower. (This Catherine was a Pelerine, and as such she was probably exultant or a released khaibit of an exultant.)

I always figured Katarine was a robot (or whatever you would call it) and never assumed it was a real person. Thus I never tried to place her in the larger context of the story. I will admit that your story seems to ring true. Here are my reasons for believeing as I did (although now I'm not sure)

-- Severian admits not being of his wits at the time: "I felt dizy and tired." -- The blade seems to meet resistance and then thuds into the block. -- The Block is cut in half by the sword! -- A bloody head rolls onto the stage (supposedly a fake head, but...) -- Even though Sev knows the lady's head is covered in fuligin, TO HIM it looks like the head is missing. -- She returns the wax head to her shoulders and is whole again. (Sev explains this as some slight where she ditches the 'wax' head in the fuligin, but how?) -- She is never seen except on feast day AND she never appears to age or change.

It looks like the ceremony was changed when Severian did it. He may have been drugged, and he definitely had a real sword, not a wooden one (it was heavy and nearly overbalanced him). The resurrection of that Katarine was probably an early result of his power, being tested by the Guild under orders of the Emperor. The unaging aspect may be due to the use of khaibits, and possibly all of the ones he saw were khaibits of his mother. In the Talos play, the maids of Contessa Karina are all named for beheaded saints.

To which I'd like to add a new speculation regarding Holy Katharine, patron saint of Severian's guild. I remain puzzled as to Severian's rather quick and callous murder of Prefect Prisca (V, ch. 36), a move we know was instrumental in breaking the guild of jailers into the guild of torturers and the guild of witches (attributed to Ymar). I have failed to find any case of Jesus doing something like this womanslaying, nor any clear mythic link. Yet it just might be that this tyrannicide is transformed into the yearly atonement ritual for Holy Katharine.

Character Synopsis

Onomastics

Physical Description

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