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televised-uhhh-nerdistry · 1 month

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currently thinking about how ages ago my friend sent me a long-ass explanation about why saltburn is an adaptation of the myth involving theseus, the minotaur, and the labyrinth.

nobody asked but here’s some of the fun proof that exists of this:

first and foremost, icarus, the boy who flew too close to the sun. during the party scene, it is evident that felix symbolises this poor ill-fated youth, and the symbolism here is potent. he flew too close to finding out what oliver truly is. he discovered something he shouldn’t have, and dressing him up in icarus cosplay is the perfect showcase for his fate and his mistakes. it’s also brilliant in terms of what icarus actually did to “deserve” death. realistically, he was told not to go too high or too low, but in actuality, such cryptic instructions were difficult to follow mid-flight, and it resulted in catastrophe. felix is trying to navigate the responsibilities of being a good friend with his baggage as someone in a family of rich pricks. it’s hard, and in flying too far away from his background, he “flew too close to the sun” and discovered things he shouldn’t have. as a small nod to further the icarus imagery, felix’s body is discovered under bright and direct sunlight as he lays motionless in his winged costume.

secondly, saltburn is in the center of a labyrinth. the labyrinth lore runs deep in this movie, because not only does the labyrinth function as symbolism, it has lore that runs adjacent to the lore of the actual labyrinth. in theseus and the minotaur, the labyrinth is a construct of greek architect and inventor daedalus, who was conscripted by king minos to create the maze. in saltburn, the labyrinth is constructed upon special request from james catton, the owner of the estate, and a very wealthy man (almost like a modern day king).

the labyrinth (in the original myth) is dangerous to all characters that reside within it. it keeps all in within a chance for escape, and those that get close die tragically. in saltburn, the labyrinth functions as an ode to the ways in which riches and fame poison those that reside in the walls, keeping them locked within its dangerous talons, or in this case, cleanly trimmed hedges. it’s suburbia on a larger and more internal scale. even those that do not have riches themselves, namely farleigh and annabel, do everything they can to remain on the estate and in the good graces of those on the property with immense money. it affects how they act and how they are expected to act. farleigh, as a good example, is very stuck on the particulars of rich people’s behaviour. as mentioned above, those that try to leave the maze die tragically, and icarus is a prime example. felix, in his attempt to be better than the riches of the estate socially allow, flies too close to a possible escape from the confines of the labyrinth and is murdered as a result.

in the story of the labyrinth, it is unsolvable, unless you are clever and quick witted (manipulative), which theseus luckily is. the same is true for oliver. oliver, like theseus, gets into the heads of multiple characters, manipulating his way to the top of the food chain. the scene where oliver views the wooden counterprt of the maze through the head office in the estate, he is told that he shouldn’t be there, and a sense of ominous foreboding takes place. we feel that he has seen something that will change him. however, i believe this is simply symbolism for the fact that oliver has figured out the secret to the maze: a secret that he, an outsider and a poorer, less sociable man should not be aware of, as he is a representation of theseus, a character who has no right being king.

thirdly, oliver is juxtaposed with imagery if the minotaur during the party scene, and though this costume doubles as a reference to the changeling in a midsummer night’s dream, it is still highly important. in the original myth, people are sacrificed to the minotaur on a yearly basis. at first, felix fits the profile for the minotaur: a rich, wealthy man in a labyrinth who is regularly described as going through friends the way a young boy would go through toys. it is also true that the minotaur has often been seen as a controversial figure, one that begs the question “is a monster just a tormented creature fated to behave according to the will of the gods?”. felix’s behaviour, or namely, his attempted deviancy from the behaviour he is expected to show, is a major prt of his character arch. we expect oliver to be the victim of felix’s behaviour exactly because of this. but he isn’t. an easy explanation is that oliver is the minotaur, going through the family members as though they were victims in a maze. however, oliver is NOT the minotaur, as the myth is a lot more complex than the minotaur being the bad guy. despite what we expect, director emily fennel is leaning into the concept that the minotaur’s storyline is that of fate versus free will. the minotaur is cursed by the gods to fall into certain patterns and to be punished for its behaviour, despite it doing exactly what was expected. felix attempts to deviate from what is expected, but ultimately he fits in well with the rich and social, and his death is a punishment at the hands of a sort-of theseus who believes he is more deserving. rather, oliver is also seen to be theseus, who famously invaded the maze, manipulated its dwellers in order to navigate it, killed the minotaur, and then manipulated his way into becoming king as a result. sound familiar? it is because of this that the imagery of oliver as the changeling is particularly important. the horns can be evocative of the minotaur, offering us a red herring, where he is truly disguised as the opposite. it’s a fake out.

fourthly, king minos (owner of the labyrinth) did not die directly at the hands of theseus, he did eventually meet his downfall and was boiled to death in a bath. james catton, head of the estate, dies of a supposed suicide, also not directly by oliver’s hands, but still implicitly connected to the events of the story, much like king minos’ death.

the lore in this film is incredible, and though emily fennel has not said that the film is an adaptation of greek myth, the parallels are deliciously undeniable. saltburn is fascinating, and truly one of the best films of 2023. there is so much stuff jam packed into it, and it’s one of those films that takes a few watches to fully grasp its depth. i love it!

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ryin-silverfish · 6 days

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Lotus Lantern: The Summaries, Part 1

I grew up watching the Lotus Lantern TV shows, both of which have a special place in my heart. However, this particular tale is kinda one that thrives in operas and modern media adaptations, while the written texts of the story remain mostly out of reach for average audiences, being compiled in an 1957 book named 董永沉香合集.

As such, I've decided to make an informal summary of all versions of Chenxiang's stories from this particular book and maybe some more, for anyone wanting to learn about Lotus Lantern beyond the TV show.

This series is a WIP; each post features the summary of a single version of the legend. For Part 1, it will be——

Chenxiang Baojuan("The Precious Scroll of Chenxiang",1847/1907)

-This story took place in the Han dynasty. Son of a rich landlord, the scholar Liu Xiang(刘向) was on his way to the imperial examination (which didn't exist in the Han dynasty, but okay), and decided to stop at the temple of the Lady of Mt. Hua(华岳娘娘) for prayers.

-However, she was attending a party in the Celestial Realm, and her attendants——ghostly judges and pawns——didn't know how to answer when Liu asked if he'd succeed in the imperial examination, so they just threw him a blank wooden slip (used in divinations).

-Feeling cheated, the scholar angrily swept open the curtain covering the goddess's idol, and was instantly charmed by her beauty, so much so that he wrote a poem on the walls asking for her hands in marriage.

-As King Zhou's story in FSYY has told us, this was a very bad idea. The Lady of Mt. Hua was not amused upon her return, and went after the scholar with a sword in hand, but was also instantly charmed by his good looks.

-After a quick confirmation from the Old Man Under the Moon(月下老人) that their relationship was, in fact, Fated to Be, she used her magic to create a beautiful mansion, then, a huge storm, to force Liu to seek shelter there.

-She proposed to him inside the mansion, and Liu Xiang was like “I'd love to, but I gotta go to my exams and take care of my parents back home, so…later?”

-The Lady took it with characteristic grace, by which I mean she kicked him out of the mansion, then sicc demonic tigers and snakes on him and forced him to come back.

-Anyways, they married each other, and the Lady gave him three treasures as tribute to the ruling emperor: a luminous pearl, a pearl belt, and a crystal bowl, before sending him on his way to the imperial examination.

-Unfortunately for Liu, a corrupt minister saw those treasures and wanted to take them for himself, so he falsely accused Liu of stealing and threw him into prison.

-Just when Liu was about to be executed, his divine wife saved him again by whipping up a storm; Liu cleared his name in front of the emperor, and all was well…but not for long.

-The brother of the Lady of Mt. Hua is a guy called True Sage Xuanmiao(玄妙真君), but later, the text also referred to him as Erlang Shen.

-While at the Peach Festival, he teased He Xian'gu(何仙姑), one of the Eight Immortals, about her (nonexistent) husband, and she mocked back: "Well I don't have a husband, but your sister sure does! That's why she isn't at the party."

-Xuanmiao got really mad, rushed home to fight his pregnant sister, and sealed her under Mt. Hua. She gave birth while imprisoned, and sent Chenxiang to his father via a ghostly official/Yaksha.

-After learning about his mother's imprisonment, 12 years old Chenxiang left to pursue studies of the Taoist arts. He met the Gold Star of Venus, who led him to some divine pills and peaches that granted him superpowers. That wasn't quite enough, however, and when he went to fight Erlang, he was soon losing and being chased around.

-Luckily for Chenxiang, the White Crane Boy(白鹤童子), a divine messenger, was passing by and helped him get reinforcements; the "Eight Cave of Immortals, the Great Immortal of Penglai, the Mystic Lady of the Nine Heavens, Fourth Sister of the Hundred-Flowers"（八洞仙人、蓬莱大仙、九天玄女、百花四姐）. In return, the True Sage summoned legions of celestial soldiers, Sir Thunder and Lady Lightning(雷公电母), and the Four Heavenly Generals (Ma, Wen, Zhao, Guan, not to be confused with the 4 devarajas).

-The battle became so heated that it alerted Guanyin, who went and informed the Jade Emperor, causing him to send the Gold Star of Venus down there and order both sides to quit fighting. With that taken care of, Chenxiang cleaved open the mountain and saved his mom, but the imprisonment had done a number on her: her form was skeletal, her hair was a mess, her gaze was unfocused, and she was more or less catatonic.

-It would be really depressing if the story ended here, so the Mystic Lady of the Nine Heavens gave her a magical pill that returned her to full health, and the family went on to enjoy their happy ending.

#Lotus Lantern #erlang shen #liu chenxiang #sansheng mu #chinese folklore #summary #chinese folk religion #reference

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adarkrainbow · 14 days

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Quite an unusual subject today but: music! More precisely, a "fairytale" album.

Have you ever heard of Joanna Wang? She is a Taiwanese-American singer, quite known, and I want to briefly evoke here an album of hers released in 2014: Midnight Cinema.

As the name and the album cover show, this album is entirely dedicated to a specific type of cinema, which does contain - and this is why it is interesting for us fairytale afficionados - fairytale movies. In fact most (if not all?) the songs of this album are covers and reprises of songs from movies!

And the very first song of the album sets the tone for what this "Midnight Cinema" is about: titled "Alice in Wonderland", it is actually taken back from... Disney's Alice in Wonderland.

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Outside of this song, the album also contains a cover of "Pure Imagination", the famous song from 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. And we do know that Roald Dahl works are considered "modern day fairytales"...

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What I find most interesting with this album, however, is how it also chooses songs and melodies from what I consider to be "fairytale-adjacent" movies. I haven't spoken much about this (except for when I did a "Spooky fairytale" series back in Halloween) but there are stories and movies that have the feelings or are deeply linked to fairytales, without being fairytale themselves.

The most obvious of these choices would be how Joanna Wang covered "What is a youth", the beautiful song from the most famous Romeo and Juliet adaptation to this day, the 1968 movie. And if you know your Shakespeare, you will understand why his works are all "fairytale adjacent" - from his constant reuse of the exact supernatural characters involved in fairytales (kings, fairies, witches, star-crossed lovers) to him actually quoting and reference numerous fairytales (lines from "Jack and the Beanstalk" are found in King Lear, itself having a plot belonging to the "Love like salt" type of fairytale, while the British fairytale "Mr. Fox" is referenced in Much Ado about Nothing).

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Another interesting choice would be the Moon River song, from "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Why? Because interestingly, there was a short study of the evolution of the figure of the "fairy" ("la fée" in French) I recently read, and among the various incarnations, this book stopped upon the classics of the American cinema to point out two female characters from non-magical movies that still were perfect fit for the archetype of the "fairy" as she was developed by medieval tales and literary fairytales. One was precisely Audrey Hepburn's character of Holly Golightly (I believe the other was the character of Lisa Carol Fremont, played by Grace Kelly in Hitchcock "Rear Window").

After these specific movies, the other tracks can have some names and lyrics evoking fairy tales... But they come from movies that have no relationship whatsoever with fairytales. Like the track "Love from Once Upon a Time" which actually comes from... "A Better Tomorrow", an 80s action movie of crime and battle considered to be the epitome of the Hong Kong genre called "heroic bloodshed".

I am not going to put here all of the songs of the album, but if you want to know the full list, here are the remaining songs:

Forgotten Times. From 2002's Infernal Affairs

The Dream Chaser. From 1990's A Moment of Romance.

The Scent of Roses. From 1994's "Red Rose White Rose"

Night Shanghai. From 1946's All-Consuming Love.

In the Mood for Love. This one does not come from a movie, but from a 2000 album by Tony Leung.

You Only Live Twice. From the 1967 James Bond movie of the same name.

This Precious Night. From 1991's Prison on Fire II.

If I Had Words. From 1995's A Little Pig Goes a Long Way.

Fun fact: While the album was sung and created by a Taiwanese artist, mixing Hong Kong cinema with America movies, it was actually recorded in Finland, with the music produced by Finnish musicians.

#music #songs #joanna wang #midnight cinema #fairytale music #fairytale songs #fairytale movies

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wataksampingan · 1 year

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Spoilers for Ep 69 COZ OF COURSE I'M SCREAMING (as well as Ep 70 and beyond coz I apparently hate myself and spoiled myself on Naver Webtoon. Again.)

It's a SUPREMELY interesting choice of translation in that scene where Theo has to pretend he knows how to behave like a normal loving husband. The English line the translator chose is "Isn't that right, Pereshati?"

Which is fine, coz 1) he doesn't call her anything different, and 2) this is a far more subtle shift - Theo only says her name in highlighted moments (e.g. when he fell off the bed, when he noticed her a little unsettled by his ferocity in the last chapter). Otherwise, his dialogue doesn't use her name at all. So this is him trying to emphasise their closeness... by using her full name (Lord love you Therdeo Lapileon, you hopeless dork)

However. In the original hangul, he outright calls her 부인 (buin) - 'wife'. Just to hammer in the awkwardness of "HI YES HELLO WE ARE EXTREMELY MARRIED, YES THIS IS MY TRUE, LEGIT WIFE, NOTHING ELSE GOING ON HERE" (the Webtoon comment that called him "an underrated comedy king" should be one of the top comments of the YEAR coz it's truer than we could've ever hoped)

Anyway, in modern usage(?) apparently its considered impolite to refer to your own wife as "buin" (someone better versed in Korean, please enlighten me)? It's more appropriately used to refer to another person's wife. But technically speaking, MILAOWM is set in some... 18th-19th century world so I would argue it could be okay to use...?

It's possible that it could be an equivalent to the way "madam" was used in the Regency era when men would and did call their own wives "madam". It was considered a proper term of address back then so I can only suppose "부인" in this regard can act the same way. But, I also recognise it would be a pain in the ass to translate it as "isn't that right, madam?" and then have the entire fanbase go berserk over why he's calling her something we mostly recognise as a formal term for strangers these days.

The... unofficial, let's say, translation went with "isn't that right honey?" which, while it would have achieved the same effect as 부인on the readership, also isn't quite the most accurate read on the line.

Literally speaking, the translation would have been: "Right, wife?"

...which would have been hilarious, but also WAY too close to Borat and just... undermines his dignity as a ML, possibly to irreparable extents (maybe? I don't think I would have minded coz there is really no fooling us at this point: Theo can do cool things if he puts his mind to it, but his default is Socially Awkward)

But because I'm biased: just you wait, Perry. We're all waiting with you for the time he smiles at you with his whole heart and you MELT - JUST WAIT.

Anyway, I thought that was just interesting and just makes me determined to keep Google Translating my way through the Naver versions. Also reading it on Naver is how I found the April Fool's 4koma and let's not go there coz I'm already thoroughly distracted.

The hand holding is just icing on the cake. Theo shattered me into pieces for a variety of reasons, but the hand holding is just *chef's kiss*. At this point, this is all progress on Theo's part ("if it's Pereshati, it's okay also I'm in love but no one say anything about that yet") it'll be another long wait until she figures out that she's fallen for him (so we hope) We are all Vicountess Otiz at this point.

We are also all Gloria Lapileon. MADAM. YOUR GRACE, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING.

That determined LOOK on her face in Episode 70 after she sort of denies Daniel a chance to play Cupid since Theo clearly hasn't made any progress in wooing Perry. That is the expression of a Grandmother with A Plan to Help Her Awkward Grandson Win the Hand of the Fair Lady who Saved Her Great Grandson/Family. I know she's been given the idiot ball to hold this whole time with regards to her own family and their household, but I love this matriarch and I wish her every success.

Meanwhile, the other current love of my life, Pereshati - is so tired of shenanigans and having to worry about so many people. I'm crying. She literally mutters to herself, "Why am I surrounded by weak* men?" and the bodyguard nearby, in utter shock, thinks to himself 'd-does she mean even the Grand Duke?'

[*the 'weak' here can refer to physically weak in hangul]

Just to preempt the "PERESHATI DON'T BE MEAN" comments, look at this from her perspective:

Count Jahardt: been sickly most of her adult life

Theo Lapileon: has just recovered from seizures, severe blood loss and a 3 day coma, and is honestly more fragile than he lets on

Adeus Potson: has been hurt twice, looks like a puff of air could blow him over

Celphius Lapileon: probably not included in her list, but he's still a wee babby, also full of toxic blood, and must be protected at all times

She's just so tired, guys. Exhausted by everything. Men, essentially (the women are also exhausting but they're not as fragile).

Also she doesn't have the full picture of the kind of demons Theo has been fighting/Adeus' true motives (though that is about to come SHOOTING OUT THE LEFT GATE) so we'll see how this shakes out eventually if/when she finds everything out.

I am not ready for Ep 75 being the season 1 finale. Truly I am Not Ready, but it must be done of course. I don't know how seungu is doing but I hope they're able to rest and recuperate and take care of themselves so this series can continue fucking me up being lovely and the target of my current obsession.

Shout out to Islette and Phineas - please let this father-daughter side relationship be given a spin-off/side stories coz poor Islette has been subjected, undoubtedly, to Phineas' unceasing tutoring coz he's a well-meaning worrywart and probably wants her to get up to the level of literacy she should have at her age (regardless of the trauma) and I just want to see how Phineas learns and grows to become the most whipped papa in the world

Honestly: who run this world? Girls.

(Okay, girls AND Marvin and Celphi, coz that map foreshadowing is heavy; why is Schwartz not considered a vassal state of Castor, despite having been defeated recently? HMMM.)

#MILAOWM #my in laws are obsessed with me #my in-laws are obsessed with me #unhealthy rambling of a diseased mind #translation is a fascinating art #do your best Grand Duke #you're fighting some Tall odds #but you can get there #MILAOWM episode reactions #spoilers #MILAOWM spoilers

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iberiancadre · 6 months

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Critiquing Hispanism

This is going to be an analysis of this twitter thread: https://twitter.com/thespanishlegcy/status/1730128381142819110

For context, hispanism is a trend in modern history circles that tries to defend, preserve, or otherwise explain Spanish history in the modern age, between 1492 and 1808, coincidentally the same time period where Spain grew into the biggest empire of its time, and then lost it all (except Equatorial Guinea and Western Sahara but everyone always forgets them)

[ID and translation: were the lands of the Spanish Empire colonies?... We'll clear your doubts in this thread! The image reads: England = Colonies; Spain = Viceroyalties]. The argument of viceroyalties vs colonies is expanded on a later tweet.

[ID and translation: Already in 1519, a Royal Decree from Charles V, which would later be included in the Indies Laws, said what you can see: "That the Western Indies shall always be united to the Crown of Castile, and cannot be alienated. We command that, at no point, can they be separated from our royal Crown of Castile, disunited or divided as a whole or in parts, nor in favor of any person."]

They are saying that, since the land in the Americas were considered integral to the crown, they could not be colonies. Nevermind that every empire in history has used this argument: Portugal with Angola and Mozambique, France with Algeria, Great Britain with South Africa... The level of grace these people grant to the Spanish Empire is astounding and we will see more.

[ID and translation: The writer Cesáreo Járabo uses this humanist principle to explain that this concept not only spans the hierarchy and dignity of the Imperial institutions, but also the recognition of equal rights to those from the Indies]

There were no equal rights between Spaniards and natives within the empire. The Spaniards famously held the economic and political hegemony, and they formed their own class, called the creoles. This is not a humanist concept, it's 16th century imperial propaganda and there are people who still fall for it.

[ID and translation: From 1869, the nomenclature of Spain and its lands went from being called "Kingdom of the Spains" to being called "Kingdom of Spain", to reinforce the idea that all of its lands had the same rights and were under the same crown]

You know, it's interesting they mention the date. 1869 was one year after the revolution of 1868, when the bourbon queen Isabel II was ousted and replaced with the savoy king Amadeo I, and by this point all American colonies had revolted and gained independence except for Cuba. Outside the Americas, the Philippines was the only other notable colony, the rest were unprofitable and largely unimportant to the Spanish. It's almost like Spain was doing anything it could to keep the last colonies, feeling pressure from the nascent nationalist movements. The strongest of these movements was in Cuba, and it just so happens they were the first to get a couple of seats in the senate. Only creole parties won, of course.

[ID and translation: Despite this, and that "colony" was never used ("viceroyalties instead") for the official designation of the overseas lands, the term was used in propaganda by the rest of European powers, and to this day it is still used, with a critical intention towards Spain.]

Just because you name a thing a different thing it doesn't mean it's not the thing. It could be argued that foreign propaganda influenced how people think of the Spanish Empire, but literally every other European Power had propaganda levied against it. "Viceroyalty" comes from the medieval era, named after the viceroy, a person the king left in charge while he was gone. But just because it has a different name it doesn't mean it is not a colony. The British use overseas nowadays to refer to its remaining colonies, does that mean they aren't colonies?

It's the logic of an eight year old. Would anyone be convinced by a killer defending himself like "but I don't call it murder, so it can't be murder"

[ID and translation: Although there were models of exploitation of resources that could be considered colonial, many experts consider colonialism to be a completely different phenomenon to what happened in the Spanish Empire]

Ah yes, the "many experts" defense. Nevermind that these "experts" are almost always hispanists with a skewed view of the era and an ideological investment in rehabilitating the Spanish Empire. Pardon the usamerican expression, but this is a nothing burger

[ID and translation: One of the reasons to consider it like so is that the overseas territories reproduced many of the institutions of the metropolis, including all citizens under their protection]

This is not the argument they think it is. One of colonialism's key characteristics is the erasure of native power structures and replacing it with the metropolis' (It's so funny they use this word while trying to convince you Spain didn't have colonies). This is not unique to Spain, look literally anywhere in Africa

[ID and translation: The origin of the Spanish Black Legend is those European powers that used the term "colony" to appeal to a negative image of the Spanish Empire and its overseas territory]

They are repeating themselves on a previous point so I won't do the same, but it's ironic they are using a word the British used to avoid saying colony

[ID and translation: The current "decolonization" campaign that Spanish museums continues to perpetuate the Black Legend, because you cant decolonize what doesn't have a colonial history]

Reminder that, so far, the only arguments against Spain having colonies are:

Spain never called them colonies

Spain imposed its laws on the native population

The other Europeans called us bad names

It falls apart once you remove the fancy language

[ID and translation: Járabo concludes saying that the overseas territories were treated early on as provinces, functioning like those of the [Iberian] peninsula, and methods of assimilating the natives were pursued, not of exploitation]

What a way to end it. They didn't want to exploit the natives, just erase their culture, religion, language and government. They seem to be under the impression that assimilation is somehow better than "just" exploitation. Also, exploitation very much did take place, and Spain's economy throughout the 16th to 18th century was very reliant on the captive trade with the Americas, because once Spain lost these colonies, the economy crumbled

So overall, very weak, ahistorical and frankly, pathetic. Hispanism is a minority movement, very reactionary and unsurprisingly right wing. At their core, they only believe that Spain used to be great and benevolent, but for whatever reason (outside interference or internal sabotage), it is not anymore. These are people who are nostalgic for an empire that died 200 years ago. People who take this dead empire, make it their personality, and act offended when other point out its negative effect on the world, and that Spanish imperialism in the modern era still holds up modern Spain's wealth, nevermind the more recent imperialism.

#real marxist hours #hispanism #hispanismo

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officialyourdailyinspiration · 5 months

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Stephen Is Seized While Doing Miracles And Proclaiming Christ With Irresistible Wisdom

(6) 8 Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 But some of the ones from the synagogue being called “of Freedmen”— both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and the ones from Cilicia and Asia— rose-up, debating with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly-induced men [to begin] saying that “We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God”. 12 And they stirred-up the people and the elders and the scribes. And having suddenly-come-upon him, they seized him and brought him to the Sanhedrin. 13 And they put-forward false witnesses, saying, “This man does not cease speaking words against this holy place and the Law. 14 For we have heard him saying that this Jesus the Nazarene will tear-down this place, and change the customs which Moses handed-down to us”. 15 And having looked-intently at him, all the ones sitting in the council [chamber] saw his face was like a face of an angel.

(7) 1 And the high priest said, “Do these things hold so?”

Stephen Reports Seeing Jesus At The Right Hand of God. The Jews Stone Him To Death

(7) 54 And hearing these things, they were infuriated in their hearts, and were grinding their teeth at him. 55 But being full of the Holy Spirit, having looked-intently into heaven, he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right side of God. 56 And he said, “Behold— I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right side of God!” 57 And having cried-out with a loud voice, they held-shut their ears, and rushed against him with-one-accord. 58 And having driven him outside of the city, they were stoning him. And the witnesses laid-aside their garments at the feet of a young-man being called Saul. 59 And they were stoning Stephen while he was calling-upon Jesus and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”. 60 And having put down his knees, he cried-out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not set this sin against them”. And having said this, he fell-asleep. — Acts 6:8-7:1 and 7:54-60 | Disciples’ Literal New Testament (DLNT) Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing Cross References: Exodus 23:1; Leviticus 24:14; Leviticus 24:16; 1 Kings 21:10; 1 Kings 21:13; Job 16:9; Psalm 31:5; Ezekiel 1:1; Ezekiel 3:23; Daniel 12:2; Hosea 7:4; Matthew 3:16; Matthew 5:22; Matthew 5:44; Matthew 8:12; Matthew 24:15; Matthew 26:61; Matthew 27:32; Mark 8:25; Mark 16:19; Luke 20:1; John 2:19; John 4:48; Acts 2:9; Acts 6:5; Acts 7:2

#Stephen arrested #Synagogue of the Freedmen #Stephen's address to the Sanhedrin #Stephen stoned to death #Stephen sees Jesus at the right hand of God #Acts 6:8-7:1 and 7:54-60 #Book of Acts #DLNT #Disciples’ Literal New Testament Bible #Reyma Publishing

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juliansswimmingpool · 1 year

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Merthur Fic Masterlist (Updating)

These are some of my favourite Merlin fics so far. A lot of these will contain spoilers for the show. They are listed in no particular order. I have also cropped some of the summaries to save people the scrolling time.

Updates since first posted: 1

Under 10k:

The Tulip Thief by Polomonkey | Complete | 3.2k, 1 chapter | General Audiences | Modern setting, fluff, pre-slash, misunderstandings, hand-holding | 'Sometimes I steal flowers from your garden on my way to the cemetery, but today you’ve caught me and have demanded to come with me to make sure the “girl is pretty enough to warrant flower theft” and I’m trying to figure out how to break it to you that we’re on our way to a graveyard'

10-20k:

to go with grace by andiwriteordie | Complete | 17k, 1 chapter | Teen & Up | Post-canon, character redemption, Morgana POV, angst, introspective, forgiveness | Morgana Pendragon is dead, at Emrys’s hand. Just as the prophecies had foretold. But before she can enter Avalon and find peace, she must first pay penance for all the sins she committed in her life. Her penance is quite simple: look after and heal Arthur Pendragon, the Once and Future King, until the time comes for his return to the land of the living.

The Sorcerer and the Lionheart by just_a_wavefunction | Complete | 16k, 1 chapter | Teen & Up | Post-canon, historical references, friendship, Immortal Leon | Merlin spends fifteen hundred years waiting for Arthur's return. Luckily, he doesn't have to wait alone.

Hear Your Heart Sing (Love, Love, Love) by schweet_heart | Complete | 15k, 8 chapters | Mature | Soulmates AU, fluff, humor, angst, office romance | Merlin used to like the idea of finding The One – until he fell in love with Arthur Pendragon. Now he has a boss he can't date (but can't stop thinking about), a soulmate he can't find (who has terrible taste in music), and a best friend who can't believe he still hasn't got his act together (even though it's seriously not his fault).

From This Day On by lady_ragnell | Complete | 19k, 1 chapter | Teen & Up | modern setting, canon era (it'll make sense), mystery-solving? (idk how to describe it) | While on a hike, Merlin and Gwaine stumble upon the Lost City of Camelot, cursed to wake up every morning a century in the future, and Merlin decides it's his duty to break the spell--with help from a prince, an imprisoned seer, and quite a few others. A Brigadoon AU.

21-50k:

and with my opened mouth i join the singing light by intothefirewego | Complete | 33k, 6 chapters | Mature | Graphic descriptions of blood | Heavy angst, major character injury, emotional hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending, magic reveal | Merlin frowned, and tried to inhale, but choked on a cough. He opened his mouth, trying to speak but his mouth was sticky and full and he felt warm, warm, warm, warm spilling down down down down… The world tilted on its axis a little bit, and Merlin leant into Arthur’s body. Why was the world tilting? Arthur’s face shifted from annoyance to horror.

Destiny That Darkly Hides Us by Nympha_Alba | Complete | 40k, 7 chapters | Explicit | Angst, WWI, Edwardian era, college AU | It's 1913, the practice of homosexuality is unlawful, so is the practice of magic. When Arthur Pendragon and Merlin Emrys meet as Cambridge undergrads, they're both hungry for a real and true connection without secrets. For a short time they believe they may have found it. But war breaks out and separates them, and it seems unlikely that they will meet again. After all, what are the odds?

A.S.S. (Agents of Secret Stuff) series by supercalvin | 39k, 8 parts | Mostly Teen & Up | Mostly none, one fic is marked with Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Spy AU, modern setting, humor, crack treated seriously, BAMF characters | Merlin & Arthur are an unstoppable spy duo. Basically merthur + the knights and other characters do whacky spy shit

51-100k:

Tributes by TheAvalonian | Complete | 88k, 10 Chapters | Mature | Graphic Depictions of Violence | Hunger Games AU, angst, enemies to friends to lovers, emotional hurt/comfort | It is the 57th annual Hunger Games, and Merlin Emrys stands at the Reaping ceremony with his best friend Guinevere Smith at his side. In a twisted game where death seems the only certainty, Merlin will find himself tested in ways no one could have ever predicted - and may even find himself fighting for more than just his own life as he enters into an unlikely alliance with Arthur Pendragon, the Career tribute poised to win it all.

Over 100k:

To Bare Our Teeth and Our Hearts by queerofthedagger | Complete | 124k, 14 chapters | Mature | Graphic Depictions Of Violence | An execution was not exactly on Merlin's bucket list, wasn't even what destiny had intended for him. Arthur, for his part, really wants to catch a break, and to stop thinking about his late manservant. Or sometimes, things have to go downhill first before they get better, and if Uther had known about the eventual outcome, he might've changed his mind for once in his life.

What I'd Have Done by Flight_of_Fantasy | Complete | 119k, 14 chapters | General Audiences | Canon era, magic reveal, heavy angst, gen or pre-slash, Arthur-centric, character study | For better or for worse, Arthur knows Merlin's secret. The problem? Merlin doesn't know Arthur knows. This leaves Arthur with a predicament… and an opportunity. A test. Three trials and three opportunities for Merlin to prove he doesn't deserve death. Arthur hopes he will pass them. Maybe then the image of Merlin's golden eyes will stop haunting him.

The Heart's Search by rotrude | Complete | 115k, 2 chapters | Explicit | Some violence | Romance, AU - dystopia, modern setting | For thirty-five girls/boys, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Arthur. But for Merlin Emrys, being Selected is a nightmare. Leaving his home to enter a fierce competition for a crown he doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Some bonus non-merthur Merlin fics:

Everyday Destiny (ffn, ao3) by Searchingforangels (ffn) or DancingInTheStorm (ao3) | Complete (only on ffn) | 53k, 200 chapters | General Audiences | Drabble collection, golden age AU, exploration of themes, non-linear narrative | Great destinies swing of small hinges; a collection of small moments that shape Albion. A pre- and post-reveal drabble collection.

#merthur #bbc merlin #merlin #arthur pendragon #merlin fic rec #merthur fic rec #merlin x arthur #merlin emrys #fic masterlist #fic masterpost #fic rec list

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forsakensnakeskin · 2 years

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Venus & Satan

Connection with Satan/Lucifer

In the Book of Isaiah, chapter 14, the king of Babylon is condemned in a prophetic vision by the prophet Isaiah and is called הֵילֵל בֶּן-שָׁחַר (Helel ben Shachar, Hebrew for "shining one, son of the morning"), who is addressed as הילל בן שחר (Hêlêl ben Šāḥar), The title "Hêlêl ben Šāḥar" refers to the planet Venus as the morning star, and that is how the Hebrew word is usually interpreted.

This passage was the origin of the later belief that Satan was a fallen angel, who could also be referred to as "Lucifer".

However, the translation of הֵילֵל as "Lucifer" has been abandoned in modern English translations of Isaiah 14:12.

An association of Isaiah 14:12–18 with a personification of evil, called the devil, developed outside of mainstream Rabbinic Judaism in pseudepigrapha and Christian writings, particularly with the apocalypses.

The metaphor of the morning star that Isaiah 14:12 applied to a king of Babylon gave rise to the general use of the Latin word for "morning star", capitalized, as the original name of the devil before his fall from grace, linking Isaiah 14:12 with Luke 10 ("I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven") and interpreting the passage in Isaiah as an allegory of Satan's fall from heaven.

Astronomy

Venus is the third-brightest object in the sky and the most prominent planet.

The third smallest planet in the Solar System, Venus is a terrestrial planet and is sometimes called Earth's "sister planet" because of their similar size, mass, proximity to the Sun, and bulk composition.

Venus is shrouded by an opaque layer of highly reflective clouds of sulfuric acid, preventing its surface from being seen from Earth in light.

Venus has an extremely dense atmosphere composed of 96.5% carbon dioxide, 3.5% nitrogen—both exist as supercritical fluids at the planet's surface—and traces of other gases including sulfur dioxide.

The ground shows evidence of extensive volcanism, and the sulfur in the atmosphere may indicate that there have been recent eruptions.

The absence of evidence of lava flow accompanying any of the visible calderas remains an enigma.

The planet is bright enough to be seen in broad daylight, but is more easily visible when the Sun is low on the horizon or setting. As an inferior planet, it always lies within about 47° of the Sun.

Venus "overtakes" Earth every 584 days as it orbits the Sun. As it does so, it changes from the "Evening Star", visible after sunset, to the "Morning Star", visible before sunrise.

As it orbits the Sun, Venus displays phases like those of the Moon in a telescopic view.

The pentagram of Venus is the path that Venus makes as observed from Earth.

The pentagram of Venus. Earth is positioned at the centre of the diagram, and the curve represents the direction and distance of Venus as a function of time.

The pentagram of Venus is sometimes also referred to as the petals of Venus due to the path's visual similarity to a flower.

What color is Venus

To the naked eye, Venus appears as a white point of light brighter than any other planet or star (apart from the Sun).

If looking with human eyes, Venus is white and yellow with a reddish and brown surface. Scientists generally agree to describe Venus as white and yellow.

2022 Observation

Mornings: Jan 17-Aug 27

Evening: Dec 23-Dec 31

Faint or invisible: Jan 1-Jan 16; Aug 28-Dec 22

Astrology

Domicile sign(s) Libra (diurnal) and Taurus (nocturnal)

Detriment sign(s) Aries (diurnal) and Scorpio (nocturnal)

Exaltation sign Pisces

Fall sign Virgo

Joy sign(s) Gemini, Cancer and Aquarius

Ruler of 2nd house

Rules over Friday

Associated with

The principles of harmony, beauty, refinement, affections, love,

the urge to sympathize and unite with others,

the desire for pleasure, comfort and ease

Governs romantic relations, sex (the origin of the words 'venery' and 'venereal'), marriage and business partnerships, the arts and fashion

Alchemy

To the world of antiquity, Venus/Copper stood as a personification of the divine feminine.

Venus/Copper was the planet/element that represented aspects of feminine beauty, love, lust, artistic creativity, affection, fertility, and balanced thinking.

In magic, Venus/Copper is used to promote love, sensuality, friendship, positive relationships, fruitful negations, and peace.

To the alchemist, Venus/Copper represents the love and compassion needed to become a well-rounded individual. It is the balanced psychological energy of Venus/Copper that allows the alchemist to evaluate experiences through one’s inner eye and bring those powerful insights into conscience awareness.

Culture

Dante Alighieri associated Venus with the liberal art of rhetoric.

The Venus symbol, ♀, consists of a circle with a small cross below it. It has been interpreted as a depiction of the hand-mirror of the goddess, which may also explain Venus's association with the planetary metal copper, as mirrors in antiquity were made of polished copper (alloy), though this is not certain.

In botany and biology, the symbol for Venus is used to represent the female sex, alongside the symbol for Mars representing the male sex, following a convention introduced by Linnaeus in the 1750s.

Arising from the biological convention, the symbol also came to be used in sociological contexts to represent women or femininity.

The discovery in the modern era that Venus was a distant world covered in impenetrable cloud cover gave science fiction writers free rein to speculate on conditions at its surface; all the more so when early observations showed that not only was it similar in size to Earth, it possessed a substantial atmosphere. Closer to the Sun than Earth, the planet was frequently depicted as warmer, but still habitable by humans. The genre reached its peak between the 1930s and 1950s, at a time when science had revealed some aspects of Venus, but not yet the harsh reality of its surface conditions.

Devotional Ideas

If you need or want to be subtle you can use Venusian aesthetic (images, models, color scheme) to represent Satan/Lucifer

Welcome the Morning/Evening Star when they become visible

Celebrate when the Morning Star switches to the Evening Star and vice versa

Learn more about Venus as a devotional act

Utilize planetary magic

Examine the interactions of Venus in your astrological birth chart

Sources

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_in_culture

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagram#Pentagram_of_Venus

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planets_in_astrology#

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_planet

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_symbols

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/venus/overview/

https://nineplanets.org/questions/what-color-is-venus/

https://www.planetsforkids.org/what-color-is-venus.html

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/visible-planets-guide

https://www.thewonderingalchemist.com/blog/7-planets-and-metals-venuscopper

#lucifer #satan #luciferianism #satanism #venus #my post

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josefavomjaaga · 1 year

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Murat in Königsberg, December 1812

While looking for more information of a certain general Loison I came across something much better: A Saxon report of Murat reviewing troops in Königsberg, while he was at the head of the Grande Armée, after the retreat from Russia and after Napoleon had gone home to warm cuddly Paris. Enjoy.

(Translated from: Karl Geissler, Geschichte des Regiments Herzoge zu Sachsen unter Napoleon mit der großen Armee im rußischen Feldzuge 1812, Jena 1840)

Even though the King of Naples, who immediately had the troops take up their arms before he descended, won everyone's heart at this inspection by his immense affability, he was particularly friendly towards the regiment of the Dukes of Saxony.

He first greeted it with the call: "Ah, ces braves Saxons!" and then expressed unconditional praise for its previous conduct towards Colonel v. Egloffstein.

He was less friendly towards the other regimental commanders, and as far as the 6th Regiment in particular was concerned, one even thought to hear the words: "que vous méritez des reproches", which perhaps referred to the above-mentioned, partly unsuccessful escorting of some money sledges.

Murat then had the regiments paraded before him and his brilliant entourage, with the remnants of the French and Italian regiments No. 1, 3, 29, 105 and 113 leading the way accompanied by the thousand-voiced cry of joy, "Vive l'empereur!"; then followed the Frankfurt and the ducal Saxon regiments, also shouting, "Long live the emperor!" and finally the 5th and 6th, both of which marched by in silence.

During this revue we had a very good opportunity to get a close-up view of King Murat, who attracted everyone's attention with his stature, expensive costume and rich harness. His face, his beautiful black eyes and black curly hair, which fell down on his kurtka, - a Polish suit, whose tight sleeves had an opening under the armpits - captured the eye. The collar was richly embroidered with gold, and a golden belt was fastened around this garment, from which hung a light sword with a straight blade, Roman style, without edge or guard. He wore wide amaranth-coloured trousers and yellow gold-spurred boots. -- The splendour of these clothes, which were covered by a green gold-embroidered coat, was further enhanced by a square red Polish chako with broad gold embroidery and a plume of four large ostrich feathers falling back, from the centre of which rose a magnificent heron feather. The saddle and stirrups were gilded and of Turkish shape. The horse was covered with a gold-embroidered sky-blue saddlecloth and the bridle, appropriately, was truly magnificent. Murat's entourage, of course, was also rich and brilliant, but it was nowhere close to him. He, the only medieval character of romantic poetry in the French army, outshone them all and in his tight-fitting kurtka, in his yellow or nanking-coloured riding boots, with his ostrich feather ornament proudly swaying around the Polish sammet cap on the Andalusian steed, stood out wonderfully against the heavy gold-embroidered marshals' uniforms and the soldiers of the French army. Napoleon, however, appreciated these distinguishing elements of his brother-in-law, who, like a knight of the Round Table, like a modern paladin of love and honour, shone with his dark eye and long hair among the heroes who surrounded the Emperor. Murat was, as mentioned above, the soul of French cavalry, a true Chevalier reminiscent of the Troubadours, with all the charm of romanticism, all the courage, daring and bravery of earlier times, as graceful as it is sublime in legends and fairy tales.

I’d say Murat, in those final days of the empire, still managed to get himself some fans.

#napoleon's marshals #joachim murat

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nw-of-dark · 11 months

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Vampire Clan: Ventrue

The Clan of Kings, Blue Bloods, Patricians, Warlords, Ambitiones, Power Mongers, Monarchs

The Ventrue, a distinguished lineage of vampires, have always taken great pride in their heritage. Members of this clan devote themselves to upholding a reputation for honor, refined conduct, and leadership. They embrace a profound sense of noblesse oblige, sincerely believing that they possess the knowledge of what is best for all. Not only do they consider themselves the oldest vampire clan, but they also perceive their role as guardians of tradition and the rightful rulers of Kindred society.

Throughout their history, the Ventrue have predominantly embraced individuals from the ranks of nobility and privilege. Whether they were kings, merchant princes, knights, or warlords, these individuals strived to live by the principles of chivalry and duty. The Ventrue clan remains staunch supporters of the Camarilla and the Masquerade, viewing both institutions as the most reliable safeguards against the encroaching mortal masses and as a means to protect their own power.

Disciplines: Dominate, Fortitude, Presence

Bane - Rarified Tastes: When a Ventrue drinks blood from any mortal outside their preference, a profound exertion of will is required or the blood taken surges back up as scarlet vomit. Preferences can range greatly on individuals. Ventrue can sense if a mortal possesses the blood they need.

Organization Within a City

Within urban areas, the Ventrue establish a structured institution known as the Board. This council serves as an effective body for addressing Ventrue matters within the city, overseeing the clan's business ventures and political interests within a given domain. The Board is officially led by the Praetor, who presents issues to the rest of the council and presides over their meetings. Below the Praetors are the Aediles, who provide assistance to the council and the Praetor, much like supervisors support managers in a business setting. Serving their purpose, the Questors act as aides to more experienced or elder Ventrue members. Finally, at the bottom of the hierarchy, there are the common Ventrue, lacking a formal title or substantial experience within the clan. They are referred to as Eiren.

Culture

Ventrue culture places a strong emphasis on dignitas, which can be understood as "dignity" or "face" in modern terms. Ventrue leaders are well aware of the negative aspects of power. While they may engage in unsavory activities such as organized crime or corporate dealings, they are expected to maintain their dignity, grace, and honor, especially in public. Attacks on their reputation are taken seriously, including spreading rumors, claiming credit for others' work, or insulting a Ventrue without justification. Such actions can diminish their dignitas and result in severe punishment or discipline.

One defining tradition that sets the Ventrue apart from other clans is their Ethic Succor. Unlike other clans that provide support within their own ranks, the Ventrue adhere to a strict policy of aiding one another without exceptions or excuses when in need. This practice is seen as a key factor in the clan's enduring strength. Respecting other Ventrue involves refraining from encroaching on their territory, avoiding competition in their established holdings, and, most importantly, safeguarding their dignitas. It also means providing assistance to a fellow Ventrue, regardless of the inconvenience it may pose.

Having been shaped by millennia of noble upbringing, class, and culture, the Ventrue highly value gentility. Ventrue etiquette can be quite intricate, especially in Europe where ancient standards persist. Although things may be less formal in the New World, the comparison is still significant. Even in the most casual Old World cities, the atmosphere often appears rigid and excessively polite by modern standards. For the Ventrue, politeness serves important functions beyond traditional customs. It helps mitigate personal conflicts and ensures respect for the social structure. Kindred, by their nature, are prone to emotional outbursts and grudges. Considering the Ventrue's regard for their dignitas, maintaining a sophisticated, polite, and somewhat distant demeanor becomes not just a matter of manners but a matter of survival. The Ventrue, devoted to tradition and meticulous detail, have developed an extensive code of conduct covering various aspects of life, from appropriate attire for Board meetings to gift-giving during death-night celebrations, although they have never officially collected these guidelines in written form.

#clan ventrue #ventrue #vtm #vtm ventrue #vampire #vampire: the masquerade #clans

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otosugar · 8 months

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Heavens' Paradise Lost: Their biblical counterparts part 1

Not a lot of people know this from me, but I was raised as a Christian girl, nowadays I still believe in God, but I'm not used to do more stuff on the religion since I actually got more intereses and I grew up over time.

Heavens' Paradise Lost has given me a lot to think from them as it was my first ever Utapri drama cd I saw and to say it impacted me is just saying something, so to share my knowledge about some of the angel stuff I have received (read as: I just went to wikipedia for their names) I wanted to share the biblical counterparts/namesakes for the Heaven characters here as a summary

Beside You can be found here

Lucifer

Lucifer is the Latin name for the morning appearances of the planet Venus. It corresponds to the Greek names Phosphorus Φωσφόρος, "light-bringer", and Eosphorus Ἑωσφόρος, "dawn-bringer". The entity's Latin name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage (Isaiah 14:12), where the Greek Septuagint reads ὁ ἑωσφόρος ὁ πρωὶ, as "morning star" or "shining one" rather than as a proper noun, Lucifer, as found in the Latin Vulgate. The word "Lucifer" appears in The Second Epistle of Peter (2 Peter 1:19) in the Latin Vulgate to refer to Jesus. The word "Lucifer" is also used in the Latin version of Exsultet, the Easter proclamation.

Considering pride as a major sin peaking in self-deification, Lucifer (Hêlêl) became the template for the devil. As a result, Lucifer was identified with the devil in Christianity and in Christian popular literature, as in Dante Alighieri's Inferno, Joost van den Vondel's Lucifer, and John Milton's Paradise Lost. Early medieval Christianity fairly distinguished between Lucifer and Satan. While Lucifer, as the devil, is fixated in hell, Satan executes the desires of Lucifer as his vassal.

Lucifer is regarded within the Latter Day Saint movement as the pre-mortal name of the devil. Mormon theology teaches that in a heavenly council, Lucifer rebelled against the plan of God the Father and was subsequently cast out. The Doctrine and Covenants reads:

"And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son whom the Father loved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son, and was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him—he was Lucifer, a son of the morning. And we beheld, and lo, he is fallen! is fallen, even a son of the morning! And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we should write the vision; for we beheld Satan, that old serpent, even the devil, who rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom of our God and his Christ—Wherefore, he maketh war with the saints of God, and encompasseth them round about."

—Doctrine and Covenants 76:25–29

Belial

Belial is a term occurring in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament which later became personified as the devil in Christian texts of the New Testament. Alternate spellings include Baalial, Balial, Belhor, Beliall, Beliar, Berial, Bylyl and Beliya'al. In the Secret Book of John, an early Gnostic text, the ruler of the underworld is referred to as Belias.

Belial is a Hebrew word "used to characterize the wicked or worthless". The etymology of the word is often understood as "lacking worth", from two common words: beli- (בְּלִי "without-") and ya'al (יָעַל "to be of value").Some scholars translate it from Hebrew as "worthless" (Beli yo'il), while others translate it as "yokeless" (Beli ol), "may he have no rising" or "never to rise" (Beli ya'al). Only a few etymologists have believed it to be an invented name from the start.

The Jewish Greek Septuagint, later the Old Testament of the early Christian church, generally renders the "sons of Belial" verses in the Hebrew Bible either as "lawless men", by idioms "sons of the pestilence", rather than a personal name "sons of Belial"

Azazel

In the Hebrew Bible, the name Azazel represents a desolate place where a scapegoat bearing the sins of the Jews was sent during Yom Kippur. During the late Second Temple period, Azazel came to be viewed as a fallen angel responsible for introducing humans to forbidden knowledge, as described in the Book of Enoch. His role as a fallen angel partly remains in Christian and Islamic traditions.

In older English versions, such as the King James Version, the phrase la-azazel is translated as "as a scapegoat"; however, in most modern English Bible translations, it is represented as a name in the text:

"Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting; and Aaron shall cast lots on the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord, and offer it as a sin offering; but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel." - Leviticus 16:6–10

#uta no prince sama #utapri #Heavens #Heavens Utapri #Paradise lost Utapri #eiichi otori #ootori eiichi #kiryuin van #van kiryuin #hyuga yamato #Yamato Hyuga

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kradogsrats · 2 years

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raised to spouse the question of “wait, what the hell is Opeli High Cleric OF, exactly, in this setting that appears to be completely devoid of actual religion?” last night, causing us to rehash a discussion that apparently we had before and I somehow completely forgot (thanks ADHD?)

Opeli is very clearly designed to look religious, and she has this explicitly religious title in some official sources (Callum’s Spellbook, at least... I haven’t dug through the novelizations to see if it’s referenced there), but for a fantasy setting TDP is actually shockingly areligious. Where there would usually be gods of various elemental powers, instead there are the primal sources, regarded more as natural phenomena. (And also, through the arcana, instilling a bit of the divine in every Xadian, but that’s irrelevant.) The Archdragons, which could also be a focus of religious worship, are instead portrayed and regarded as essentially political beings. (Rayla acknowledges Sol Regem’s power and prestige, but also that he’s kind of a dick in a very non-reverent way.)

Opeli is also presented entirely as political--every official source description of her emphasizes her focus on law and her competence as an administrator. Not her spirituality. Not her religious morality. Those simply don’t exist. In fact, the rituals we see performed in Katolis are also pretty much devoid of any religious significance. Take Harrow’s funeral: there’s a prescribed set of rituals around the burial of a king, including a set amount of time that the body is expected to lie in state before interment. But Viren breaking those rules is a violation of propriety, not blasphemy. He has offended Opeli and the traditions of Katolis, but not god. And Harrow’s soul isn’t going to be trapped in the the mortal realm because his body was destroyed early, or anything. It’s just rude.

It’s all just legalistic ritual. Which aligns with Opeli’s character as described, sure, but the religious nature of her design still makes me itchy.

I’d like to do a deeper check for references to religion in canon through rewatch/reread, even just any errant “gods/god” light cursing, but until then the only thing I remember is in the Tales of Xadia sourcebook’s section on--get this--Startouch elves. It describes a poem held by the Royal Library of Evenere called “The Epic of the Void,” which pre-dates the fall of Elarion and is held in greatest secrecy and security:

Those hoping to study the poem must petition the High Mage of Evenere personally, but she is notoriously strict in allowing access to the work. Most hopeful readers are turned away without explanation (and often with a stern lecture on the sacred nature of Startouch scholarship), creating ever more mystery around this ambiguous poem.

(Emphasis added.)

A stanza of the poem is included:

Where do the fabled Great Ones hide? What secrets have you locked inside? From rising Sun to Moonlight’s grace I search the Sky for any trace Of Starfolk, fabled, fallen, found-- Once everywhere, now none around. Is all we are to know of thee Consumed by Dark, or cast to Sea? So bound to Earth, are we denied The touch of Stars? Have our Gods died? Where do the fabled Great Ones hide?

(Again, emphasis added.)

So a) nice tie-in with the recent Aaravos short Patience, but b) wasn’t Aaravos just casually standing around at the expulsion of humans from Xadia? Pretty sure that was after the fall of Elarion. So unless he’s like... the only Startouch elf who has ever manifested on Xadia, something’s weird. (Also, just for fun, c) note the inclusion of Dark among the references to the primals.)

So idk but what I’m getting here is that modern humans are largely areligious, but deep in the history of human culture there is the concept of a plural divinity associated with the stars that has, for some reason, not survived. This could be something shared in elven culture, but the inclusion of dark magic with the other primal sources in the poem implies a human author, and the same section in Tales of Xadia describes an elven children’s rhyme that references Startouch elves being gone(tm) but not really distinct from other elves. (Elves are more likely to have religion-adjacent rituals associated with their primals, imo. For example, the ostentatious purification ritual of the Sun elves.)

Anyway, to circle back to what started the discussion: Opeli’s role is almost definitely more of a “master of laws and rituals” one than a “spiritual guide” one, and also (the real reason I was thinking about this) the routine mild blasphemy used by humans for emphasis would likely be “gods,” or possibly some variant of “stars,” “stars above,” etc.

#the dragon prince #yes i did all of this to figure out what people should be saying during sex #i am a simple creature #'stars' bothers me because it was heavily adopted by star wars fandom so now i get cognitive dissonance #i should just buy digital editions of the novelizations shouldn't i #being able to search text would be SO useful

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horizon-verizon · 1 year

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Aemond is a child. Alicent did plant the seeds of hatred for his sister Rhaenyra and her children, but Rhaenyra didn’t exactly do anything to stop it from growing. Aemond may be smart but he is still a child and thus impressionable. If Rhaenyra had tried to build a relationship with her siblings, they likely wouldn’t believe what Alicent says. Aegon in particular actually seemed to like his nephews. Rhaenyra may not have ever shown hostility towards her siblings, but she never showed that she cared for them either.

When Aemond lost his eye, her reaction to it told him that he could not trust the Blacks. She showed that she would gladly throw him, her brother, under the bus for her children. Before that incident, the Black and Green children used to play together. After the eye incident, that is when the line is really drawn officially between the Blacks and the Greens. Rhaenyra as the adult and the eldest should have approached her siblings and spent time with them. But she just let those seeds of hatred and paranoia grow in her siblings.

So were Jacaerys, Lucerys, Joffrey, Rhaena, and Baela. All younger than Aemond.

Anon is referring to my thoughts HERE. Yet I suspect anon didn’t read my post carefully, or knew it even existed.

I don’t know, anon, if you read Fire and Blood either, or just its section on the Dance. It seems like you you just watched the show. And because both HotD and F&B still tell of the rivalry between Rhaenyra and Alicent, what I point out about the book's account of what Alicent did ro Rhaenyra concerning her children still applies.

When Viserys refuses and even dismisses Otto for talking against his decision, Alicent immediately begins to antagonize and plot against Rhaenyra:

Why does Rhaenyra have to be the one to sacrifice her own childhood--whatever is left of it by being a princess mosly alone (emotionally) at court--and some of her adulthood, to devote herself to a fruitless endeavour? Why does she have to be the one to give up her time away from her own life and bridge the gap between her and her siblings, when Alicent is the one responsible for that gap and is higher authority here? In both book and show?

You know who else was a child, anon? Book!Rhaenyra.

In the book, by canon AsoIaF lore/history, Rhaenyra is 9 years old when Alicent marries Viserys. Alicent is 18. A year later, Alicent gives birth to Aegon, and she immediately expects Viserys to appoint Aegon as his heir and replace Rhaenyra, who at this point is 9-10.

Still, questions persisted, not the least from Queen Alicent herself. Loudest amongst her supporters was her father, Ser Otto Hightower, Hand of the King. Pushed too far on the matter, in 109 AC Viserys stripped Ser Otto of his chain of office and named in his place the taciturn Lord of Harrenhal, Lyonel Strong. “This Hand will not hector me,” His Grace proclaimed.

Even after Ser Otto had returned to Oldtown, a “queen’s party” still existed at court; a group of powerful lords friendly to Queen Alicent and supportive of the rights of her sons. Against them was pitted the “party of the princess.”

(Fire and Blood; A Question of Succession)

Alicent also has much more authority over her own kids than Rhaenyra because she is their mother, the Queen Consort, and a full grown adult. And in HotD, Alicent is still their mother and Queen Consort. In episode 6, we see how she outright refuses to marry Helaena to Jacaerys, showing that she has and uses much more power over her children and Rhaenyra.

18 is an adult by both our modern Western (U.S.) standards and these feudal, Westerosi noblepeople. Rhaenyra, while being the heir apparent, is a child of 9-10. Alicent also has more family members (not Otto, her brother was part of the City Watch) to plot with at court.

I want you to imagine the events at court in the book/canon history, but also those in HotD. Especially HotD where the writer didn't bother to show us how these people interacted between episode 5 & 6.

Alicent can’t openly say that her kids can’t hang out with Rhaenyra, especially in front of Viserys. So how does she stop Rhaenyra from interacting with her kids? She subtly sends them to bed early, she tells them behind the closed door of her apartments that they should stay with their nurses or Alicent’s ladies-in-waiting more than they should Rhaenyra, she distracts them from possible conversations with Rhaenyra, etc. She may interrupt Rhaenyra’s talking in ways that seem like they could just be accidents but are actually contrived. She’d seat them as far away from Rhaenyra as much as possible.

From all of these moments, her own kids pick up that Rhaenyra is not a person worth their attention, even someone to be wary of, even if she is their sister.

For the book, what power does a 9 or 10 year old Rhaenyra have in the face of all of that? Years of social separating? Please tell me anon, would you have that sort of miraculous patience, attention span, or complex thought/long term/years-ahead planning at 9?

By the time book!Rhaenyra was considered an adult by Westerosi standards (14-15)--which is 4-5 years later--the 24-25 year old Alicent garnered a lot of power. Alicent was definitely not going to encourage much interaction between her kids and Rhaenyra, because she has been against Rhaenyra and is plotting her deposing since she birthed Aegon.

So, there was little to no real hope for a relationship between siblings, anon. Alicent made certain of that. And book!her will continue to do so, making sure that her kids do not see Rhaenyra as a real sister but an enemy and an inferior human. Show!her is trying after how many years later, when the damage is irrevocably done? Show!Alicent is a different type of delusional, the type without a brain or any cunning. But she is still the real person responsible for her kids emotionally separated from Rhaenyra and willing to fight openly with Rhaenyra's kids.

Teen/adult Rhaenyra sees and feels this and she knows that even if she tried, Alicent has her claws in. There’s no point. Who would these kids listen to, anyway? Their mom or their sister? Why do you think that a sister’s authority would trump a mother’s, anon? A EU/Westerosi Queen Consort vs an heir?

More on HotD's Characters & Situation

After show!Alicent finds out about Rhaenyra sleeping with Criston Cole and dresses in green, we know that she has fully turned against Rhaenyra. From that poin ton, Alicent is set to depose Rhaenyra. We even get her talking to her unlcle, the Lord of Hightower and Oldtown, where she says accepts his “support”. That’s plotting, anon.

Her kid Aegon is 2-3 and Helaena would have ben 1-2. The picture of Alicent turning her kids against Rhaenyra is the same for what I drew for you above.

Even though Rhaneyra is now Alicent’s age, those kids are still going to listen to their mother way more than they will Rhaenyra. Because a mother’s words trumps a sister’s and in this feudal society you owe your obedience to your noble/royal parent more than you ever will your royal sibling--unless that sibling is the ruler. Not heir, ruler.

Alicent had loads of time to turn her kids against Rhaenyra. And again, why should Rhaenyra waste her own childhood or adulthood on this?

Even with this older, more-capable of complex-thought version of Rhaenyra, she would/should have been busy consolidating power both before and after she marries Laenor. The writers should have accommdated the implications of this change.

This is a change from the book--go back to the quote. In the book, where there was enough supporters for there to be a “princess” party, which will later be called the “blacks”. And both women would have had ladies-in-waiting following them, helping them out, etc. Where are these other noble girls?!

The show is ridiculous and doesn’t know the lore it’s drawing inspiration from.

Rhaenyra never showed “hostility” towards the green kids either before or after Aemond lost his eye. She would have been trying to ignore them most of the time, but again that’s Alicent’s fault for turning those kids against her.

And the Vhagar/eye incident was all about her prioritizing her own kids in the face of the danger Alicent presented, not because she hated Aemond. Though I wouldn’t castigate her for hating him after the Vhagar/eye moment for endangering her son.

Go back and read my post about this, I already linked to it way above.

The Vhagar incident is not where the factions form and “the line is really drawn officially” as I already said. There has always been a black vs green party. The Vhagar incident is actually the turning point of the kids' rivalry.

Section “A” explains why. It even has the direct quote. Go back to it.

You: “Before that incident, the Black and Green children used to play together.”

They did not play together, and if they ever did they didn’t do it willingly or joyfully.

Since the jump cut from episode 5 to 6 makes us lose a huge chunk of time that could have shown us what life at court was like for both sides:

adults vs the kids

the Velayron boys versus the green boys (this is even explicitly told in F&B; go back to my post about)

Viserys vs Rhaenyra

Viserys vs Alicent

Rhaenyra vs Alicent

Alicent vs her own kids (we see her grab Aegon in episode 6 and slap him in epsiode 7)

The jump cut between episodes 5 and 6 disallowed us from seeing the interactions between our characters and show us the development of the social climate at court. We don’t see how the courtiers around the main royal family and their immediate persons feel and think about the royals. So we’re left to depend on what we see in episode 6 to gauge what the royal family feel and we see Alicent’s frenetic energy, Harwin smiling at Rhaenyra and dying with Lyonel, Rhaenyra climbing the steps after labor, and that pig prank and Aemond’s stoicism against it, etc.

The only interaction we see between green and black boys is them at the Dragonpit with Lucerys being taught how to deal with Arrax and give commands. This is not “play”, this is business. And right after, we see Aegon and one of the V boys prank Aemond and mock him. Exactly where do you see the “play”, anon? We don’t see the green boys play with their nephews at all. If they did, it would have happened way back in the never-written scenes before the jump cut (blame the writers).

Remeber that Alicent has been talking shit against Rhaenyra and now her sons ever since the end of the betrothal feast of episode 5, so again, she would have been turning her 2-3 and 1-2 year old kids against Rhaenyra ever since then. Aemond and Daeron practically from birth. This is proven in episode 7 when Aemond threatens them and escalates the situation by telling them they will die like Harwin did, screaming and he looks at Alicent when Viserys asks him where he heard the idea that the V boys were bastards.

And in Fire and Blood, it is quite clear that the V boys vs the green boys’ beef has always been hot:

The show presents this idea that Aemond is this helpless victim because he didn’t have a dragon. But as a prince, by being unsuspected of being a bastard, and by history of most Targs/Targ descents people claiming dragons way after they turn 8, he has a lot more privilege to be able to antagonize the Velaryon boys before they ever do him. And Alicent’s words about their inferiority and Rhaenyra’s unfitness and shared plans at deposing Rhaneyra would have all instilled in Aemond to see the boys as less-than himself. Hence, him threatening them and calling them the pseudo-slur of “bastard”, refusong to let his nephew go. Realisitically and psychologically speaking, Aemond is the likelier person to antagonize and bully the Velayron boys enough where the v boys would retaliate. But, again, the show encourages us to see otherwise despite the illogic of it.

The sins of the fathers are oft visited on the sons, wise men have said; and so it is for the sins of mothers as well. The enmity between Queen Alicent and Princess Rhaenyra was passed on to their sons, and the queen’s three boys, the Princes Aegon, Aemond, and Daeron, grew to be bitter rivals of their Velaryon nephews, resentful of them for having stolen what they regarded as their birthright: the Iron Throne itself. Though all six boys attended the same feasts, balls, and revels, and sometimes trained together in the yard under the same master-at-arms and studied under the same maesters, this enforced closeness only served to feed their mutual mislike, rather than binding them together as brothers.

(Fire and Blood; A Question of Succession)

The boys had to be forced to be together despite Viserys’ own constant pushing. And with more time they spent together, they hated each other more and more.

Why?--> the Princes Aegon, Aemond, and Daeron, grew to be bitter rivals of their Velaryon nephews, resentful of them for having stolen what they regarded as their birthright: the Iron Throne itself.

Aemond is not “smart”. He is cunning or clever (sometimes and not enough times). There is a difference.

You’ll find out--if you haven’t read the book, which I think you didn’t--that he makes the stupidest of choices. No matter how much Condal, Hess or any other person working on the HotD set says about Aemond reading philosophical books, he obviously hasn’t learned a goddamn thing from such books. Or the books themselves preach a philosophy that is as stupid and flaccid as most of Kant’s.

Probably some conservative, traditionalist nonsense derived from Faith of the Seven religious treatises that actually encourage his sense of superiority and cruelty.

#aemond targaryen #asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #hotd #house of the dragon #Fire and Blood #rhaenyra and aemond #aemond and rhaenyra #ask #asoiaf asks to me

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frontproofmedia · 1 year

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A Tribute to Sugar Ray Robinson

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By Sina Latif

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Published: May 03, 2023

When speaking about Walker Smith Jr, otherwise known to box fans as Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali referred to him as “the king, the master, my idol.”

Joe Louis said Robinson was “the greatest fighter to ever step into the ring.”

“Beauty, power, greatness, perfection — Sugar Ray Robinson was the best,” said Sugar Ray Leonard.

Take a moment to comprehend the caliber of the men giving Robinson such high praise. Some of the finest to ever grace the sport bowed down to Robinson as the greatest of them all.

Robinson fought great opposition at activity levels that are unheard of in modern boxing, and it is surreal when one considers the number of quality opponents he was consistently fighting and defeating while fighting so regularly. Robinson’s accomplishments will never be equaled.

In 1946, the year Robinson finally won the welterweight title, he fought 16 times. In 1947, he fought 10 times. In 1948, he had somewhat of a quiet year, fighting five times, before fighting 13 times in 1949, and he fought on an astonishing 20 occasions in 1950.

Ray fought 18 world champions and defeated 10 Hall of Famers. The great fighters that he defeated include Jake LaMotta, Henry Armstrong, Sammy Angott, Fritzie Zivic, Kid Gavilan, Carmen Basilio, Gene Fullmer, Randy Turpin, Rocky Graziano, and Bobo Olson.

The original Sugar Ray was a revolutionary fighter during the ’40s and ’50s. He had his own style and made it work. He could do certain things in the ring unconventionally and have success. Robinson was simply too advanced for his time.

Robinson possessed magnificent all-around skills, terrific timing, quick feet, power in both hands, great jab, hand speed, ring IQ, strength, granite chin, heart, brilliant combination punching, stamina, and courage. Fluidity and power while throwing triple hooks with either hand. Great athleticism paired with great all-around boxing ability. The general consensus is clear; Sugar Ray Robinson is the most complete fighter to have ever set foot in a boxing ring.

Ray was vicious but graceful. He defied all limitations of boxing. He was that rare breed of fighter who was brutal but elegant. A.J. Liebling described Robinson as “the epitome of ring grace,” but he was also a chilling puncher with vicious power in both fists.

Ray once said: “Rhythm is everything in boxing. Every move you make starts with your heart, and that’s in rhythm or you’re in trouble. Your rhythm should set the pace of the fight. If it does, then you penetrate your opponent’s rhythm. You make him fight your fight, and that’s what boxing is all about.”

After a brilliant amateur career in which he went 85 fights undefeated with 69 KOs and 40 KOs in the first round, winning two New York Golden Gloves championships along the way, he turned professional in 1940 at the age of 19.

Over a career spanning a quarter of a century, from 1940 to 1965, Robinson recorded 174 victories, 19 losses, and six draws, with 109 KOs.

Robinson was welterweight world champion from 1946 to 1951, then became an unprecedented five-time middleweight world champion between 1951 and 1958.

The welterweight division is known for its rich history and amazing talent. “Barbados” Joe Walcott, Armstrong, Kid Gavilan, Leonard, just to name a few of the legends to grace the 147 lbs division. The most accomplished of them all. Sugar Ray Robinson. There have been few fighters throughout history who were so utterly talented and special in their prime that they were considered unbeatable in any era of their optimal weight class. Roberto Duran’s reign of terror as world lightweight champion was devastating for all opponents. A prime Duran at 135 lbs was the ultimate fighting specimen. A peak Roy Jones Jr was dominant and simply unbeatable as a super-middleweight. Sugar Ray Robinson was untouchable as a welterweight. Then, in an equally historically revered division as a middleweight, he was competitive well beyond his prime against the roughest competition and cemented his place as one of the greatest middleweights ever.

Within 12 months of turning professional and after a mere 20 professional fights in 1941, Robinson had defeated Angott, an experienced 80-fight veteran who would become the best lightweight of his era. From the very start, Robinson was fighting frequently and fighting great opposition. He proceeded to beat Angott twice more in his career.

Four fights and two months after the first Angott fight, in September 1941, Robinson was only 20 when he beat undefeated veteran Marty Servo before again defeating Servo via split decision a year later.

In February 1943, Robinson completed three 10-rounders in four weeks, and two of them were against fellow Hall of Famer LaMotta. Later that same year, Robinson defeated another all-time great in Armstrong, the legendary prizefighter and Robinson’s idol, who holds the distinction of holding world titles in three divisions at a time when there were only eight divisions altogether.

Ray was unbeaten in 40 fights before losing in his 41st bout against LaMotta in February 1943, losing a ten-round decision to a man who out-weighed him by 16 lbs. It was now 1–1 between the pair as Robinson had previously defeated “The Raging Bull,” and they proceeded to fight four more times to create one of boxing’s most epic rivalries. In the end, Robinson won five of their six clashes, but Robinson stated that LaMotta was his most brutal opponent.

Robinson and LaMotta served fight fans with a legendary rivalry and cemented an everlasting legacy for one another.

LaMotta was famously quoted as saying: “The three toughest fighters I’ve ever been up against were Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Sugar Ray Robinson. I fought Sugar so many times, I’m surprised I’m not diabetic!”

After losing to LaMotta, Robinson went on a 91-fight unbeaten streak for the next eight years.

After finally defeating boxing politics along with the best welterweights, Robinson got his first welterweight title shot on December 20, 1946, against Tommy Bell, who he outpointed to win the vacant title. At this point, Robinson had a phenomenal record of 74–1–1.

In September 1948, Robinson beat the great Kid Gavilan via unanimous decision in a 10-rounder. Less than a year later, they had a rematch. Robinson proved too strong and won another unanimous decision over 15 rounds.

His loss to Lamotta was his only loss in Robinson’s first 132 fights, in which he recorded 84 knockouts.

During his long career, arguably his most impressive feat is that while moving through 46 lbs in weight, no man could knock out the original Sugar Ray. Only the unbearable heat in Yankee Stadium managed to do that during a fight in which the referee had to be replaced at the end of the 10th round due to the intense heat. Ray had dominated the bewildered 175 lbs light-heavyweight champion Joey Maxim for 13 rounds before collapsing at the end of the 13th due to disorientation as a result of the heat, and the fight was over. This was the only time Robinson had lost a fight within the distance.

Ray fought in a magnificent era with many great fighters and fought them while they were at their best.

A fitting manner in which to conclude would be to quote the former president of boxing at Madison Square Garden, Harry Markson:

"With all due respect to all the good fighters who were before my time, I can’t conceive of a better fighter than Ray Robinson, and here’s why: If you take all the requisites necessary for a great boxer, you find that Ray Robinson not only possesses them all, but does everything to perfection. Everybody agrees on that. So, to be better than Ray Robinson you have to improve on perfection. I ask you — is that possible?"

(Featured Photo: The Ring Archive)

#SL #Sugar Ray Robinson #Tribute

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canalmuseum · 2 years

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Great Dust Heaps in the Kings Cross area sold to Russia: fact or urban myth?

By John Robinson

On the first floor of the London Canal Museum is a description of Victorian recycling which ends with the words, ‘a huge dust heap was cleared in 1848 to build the (Kings Cross) station’. That seems clear enough but is that actually all there is to the story?

A quick on-line search confirms the existence of several large dust heaps and an intriguing connection with Charles Dickens’ novel Our Mutual Friend and his character Nicodemus Boffin, the Golden Dustman, who became extremely wealthy, inheriting his own dust heap on the death of his master, and thought to be modelled on the real-life dealer in waste, Henry Dodd.

However, by delving a little further, I came across statements, put forward in seemingly reputable contemporary accounts, such as that in P. J. Pink’s mighty History of Clerkenwell (1880), to the effect that the dust heaps were sold to the government of Russia to help the re-building of Moscow after the war of 1812 with Napoleon! Similarly, a syndicated article that appeared in the Fife Herald on 17 May 1837 states, ‘it is a well-known fact that the dust-heap that was wont to grace the top of Gray’s-Inn-Lane is now a competent part of the city of Moscow, to which it was exported as a material for brick-making after the conflagration of that city’.

Figure 1 – The illustration above is an 1873 watercolour painting by E.H. Dixon of a dust heap located next to Battle Bridge and the London Smallpox Hospital and Weston Place, viewed from Maiden Lane (now York Way). An inscription below the painting inserted by an unknown hand, much later than the date of the painting, refers to the Great Ash Heap being cleared in 1848 to assist in the re-building of Moscow, Russia.

A giant-size dust heap

Coming from an engineering background, I feel the need to gain an approximate understanding of the sort of quantities of materials we are talking about. I have made an attempt to calculate the quantity, based on the Dixon watercolour shown in Figure 1 above and using the people and perimeter fencing shown in the painting as a scale. This suggests that there might be as much as 200,000 cubic metres of rubbish contained within this particular heap. If we assume conservatively that sixty per cent of this was composed of ash and clinker, that would give a quantity of material to be shipped of 120,000 cubic metres, enough presumably to assist with the rebuilding of at least part of Moscow. If we then assume that the volume of cargo that could be accommodated on a canal barge was 80 cubic metres, it would require 1,500 journeys from Kings Cross to Limehouse Basin. Allowing, say, five barge loads per day, it would require the best part of a year to complete the clearance.

The sale to Russia, if true, seems extraordinary and has some relevance to the Museum, as moving the considerable volume of material concerned would, no doubt, have involved loading the material onto barges at the most convenient point, possibly Battlebridge Basin, shipment along the Regent’s Canal to Limehouse Basin, followed by transport by sea-going sailing vessels across the North Sea, to the Baltics, more or less the reverse of the journey made by the ice consignments from Norway to Carlo Gatti’s ice storage warehouse in what is now the London Canal Museum.

The story appears to have aroused the interest of several modern researchers which I found in a wonderful paper compiled by the British Brick Society (2017) titled, ‘London’s Dust Mountains’. Much of what follows has been gleaned from this document.

Circumstantial evidence

What we know:

Much of the content of the dust heaps was ash and clinker from the fires that were needed in every domestic residence. These materials were used to make bricks, with the ash being mixed with clay, and the clinker used to keep the bricks separate and provide additional heat for the firing of the bricks. This material would, therefore, have been useful to anyone undertaking building work, even in a location as far away as Moscow.

Much of Moscow was destroyed by a fire in 1812, started by the Moscow police as part of a scorched earth policy to frustrate Napoleon’s forces sacking of the city. We also know that a 'Commission on Moscow Construction’ was set up in 1813 to coordinate the re-building activity, a plan for which was completed by 1817. The commission was disbanded in 1842. We know that the chief planner for the re-building works was a Scottish architect called William Hastie, confirming a British connection.

Russia had raised a large loan against its sovereign debt in 1822 of £3,500,000. Some of that money could have been used to purchase the dust heap(s).

There was a slump in economic activity in Britain after 1825 leading to a drop in the demand for building materials, which might have encouraged the owner of the dust heap to look for a market elsewhere.

A sea route from London to Moscow was feasible, with ships sailing through the North Sea and into the Baltic to St. Petersburg, entering the river and lake waterways where barges could have taken materials into the heart of Moscow. This route would only have been possible during the summer months when the waterways were ice-free. The alternative route, heading south through the English Channel, through the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean, and entering the Black Sea to the sea of Azov, east of Crimea and then overland, via the River Volta to the Moscow River, can most probably be discounted due to the number of transhipments required.

Hard evidence

As mentioned earlier, there were several dust heaps in the Kings Cross area. A huge dust heap, referred to as Smith’s dust heap, was located close to the junction of Gray’s Inn Road and New Road (now Euston Road). This was cleared in 1825/26 which would be consistent with the period of rebuilding in Moscow. Of this, Pink’s History of Clerkenwell states, ‘the corner of Gray’s Inn Road was covered in a mountain of filth and cinders, the accumulation of many years, and which afforded food for hundreds of pigs. The Russians bought the whole of the ash-heap, and shipped it to Moscow, for the purpose of re-building that city after it had been burned by the French’.

Another dust heap, that illustrated in Figure 1, was located close to the site of Kings Cross station and it would seem likely that its clearance would be necessary to make way for the construction of the station. An inscription below the painting inserted much later than the date of the painting, refers to the Great Ash Heap being cleared in 1848 to assist in the re-building of the city of Moscow, Russia. The date of clearance in 1848 would seem to be later than the period of rebuilding of Moscow. However, it is possible that rebuilding work continued following the disbanding of the Commission on Moscow Reconstruction in 1842. The date of clearance would be in line with the date of construction of Kings Cross railway station (1851-52).

But, there is a but…

An article in Slavic Review, ‘The Restoration of Moscow after 1812’ by A J Schmit (1981), makes no mention of the dust heaps being sold to Russia. It does, however, mention Catherine the Great’s ‘masonry city’ and the scarcity of building materials at the end of the 18th century.

Prior to the fire, except for some of the public buildings and churches, most of the buildings in Moscow were of timber construction. Soon after its inauguration in 1813, the Commission on Moscow Construction established brickworks and set about opening quarries. It seems likely that from the fire, it had plenty of ash to call upon, although it would seem likely that clinker was scarce, as the fuel used in domestic fires in Moscow would have been wood rather than coal.

Some buildings were reconstructed using brick construction, but many properties, both public and domestic, were reconstructed using split logs covered in plaster, both inside and out, to provide insulation against the harsh Russian winter and the heat of the summer.

To clear up this mystery, it ought to be possible to check the bills of lading or cargo manifests held by the Lloyds Register of Shipping. Unfortunately, it appears that such records are only available from 1837 onwards.

Conclusions

From the hard evidence provided above, it seems likely that one or more dust heaps did go to Moscow. However, unless further research on this subject is carried out to confirm the fate of the Kings Cross dust heaps, I am left with romantic dreams of the Golden Dustman flogging his dust to the Muscovites. But for those who like conspiracy theories, there is another possibility. The absence of a transparent audit trail appears to be reminiscent of money laundering, for which London appears to be Moscow’s (and the world’s) favourite laundromat.

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