we may have more to say about
astrology later. consider for instance the glossary entry for
Nail of Heaven:
The northern star that, aside from being the brightest star in the night sky (it is sometimes visible in daylight), provides the axis from which all other stars revolve.
(III at 469). contrary to being in orbit around the planet on which the story is principally set, it matches the axis of that planet’s rotation. the planet rotates and the nail does not move with the rest of the night sky.
or, in the much more intriguing alternative, it is the ajencian nail from which the setting hangs--and the planet itself is the center around which all other objects revolve in geocentric orbit: for, if the universe revolves around the planet, which is set and does not rotate, there will be a stable center of that rotation at the top and the bottom points of the celestial spheres that have no radial motion. the nail is one such point. that the nail is also the brightest object in the heavens is quite a coincidence: 1 in a googolplex, maybe? I suspect that the setting has some astrotheological significances, but this is a damned interesting setting detail, especially with the revelation in “the false sun“ regarding its newness for cunuroi--which makes it something like tycho brahe‘s supernova. perhaps this is why the inchoroi think that the planet will reward their theology: it is the center of the universe; if they can decenter the universe, then they might seal it. or something like that?