Explore The Resistance Image Library's 4486 photos on Flickr!
The Nazcaän Script (アストラム語 Asutoramu/Astram language) is an alphabet/syllabary made by the people of Nazcaän/Asutoramu civilization during its golden age. It is nowadays used as a cipher to write modern languages. Not much is known about the original Nazcaän language(s) for which the script was initially devised. It's first mentioned in-game when talking to Horace, the Sage of the Ages. Download font Nazcaän Script Depending on the language written the rules of use differ. For instance when writ
Conheça a fascinante lenda do Povo Formiga da Tribo Hopi nesta emocionante narrativa cheia de mistério e sabedoria ancestral.
We may take it for granted that the earliest writing systems developed with the Sumerians around 3400 B.C.E. The archaeological evidence so far supports the theory. But it may also be possible that the earliest writing systems predate 5000-year-old cuneiform tablets by several thousand years.
Ometepe is an island located on Lake Nicaragua in Nicaragua. The name of this island comes from the indigenous Nahuatl language. Ome means as ‘two’, whilst tepetl means ‘peaks / hills / mountains’. Hence, Ometepe may be translated as ‘the place of two hills’.
A kudurru (meaning ‘boundary’ or ‘frontier’ in Akkadian) is a type of stone document used in ancient Mesopotamia. While stone monuments have been used at various times in ancient Mesopotamia, it is especially associated with the Kassite period.
When you feel like you're constantly doing battle against the world/what's getting you down, it's easy to get fatigued and lose sight of the beauty of life and its many possibilities. The Uplifting Sigil was designed to help people navigate through these times.
My Sigils and how I make them My process of making sigils is with a Custom Alphabet, therefore i made my own Alphabet and then with a clear...
“My privacy is respected” requested by anonymous
A kudurru (meaning ‘boundary’ or ‘frontier’ in Akkadian) is a type of stone document used in ancient Mesopotamia. While stone monuments have been used at various times in ancient Mesopotamia, it is especially associated with the Kassite period.
Ogham (OH-am) is an ancient alphabet used to write Old Irish and other Brythonic/Brittonic languages (such as Pictish, Welsh) from about the 3rd century CE. The Ogham alphabet is sometimes called …
Nothing conjures up mental images of lost secrets quite like alchemy. Alchemy, the fore-runner to modern chemistry, was full of mystery and surprise (and danger, if you got it wrong!) If your LARP …
'I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, the Sovereign of mankind, the God of mankind from the evil of the retreating whisperer, who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind, from among the jinn and mankind.' Surat an-Nas As an artist, I am interested in the decorative aspects of Islamic Art. The fluidity of written text that often time assumes various illustrative forms has an awe-inspiring quality, which continuously draws my attention. As an art historian, I am drawn to the meaning that text and image represent, which leads me to write about the use of the Qur’an as a conveyor of both decoration and meaning. In this post I shall primarily focus upon textual intention and briefly explore the use of the verses from the Qur’an as a manner of protection. Figure 1 The belief in the evil eye was prevalent amongst pre-Islamic Arabs, and people wore a myriad of amulets to protect themselves, their homes and livestock from attacks of evil spirits.[1]This practise continued to evolve and often time involved the assimilation of other methods of creating amulets from other cultures. However, with the rise and establishment of Islam as the dominant religion, verses of the Qur’an replaced previous associations amulets may have had with other religions. Amulets worn by the primitive Arabs were un-inscribed, but later the pre-Islamic Arabs wore amulets associated with Hebrew, Egyptian, and Gnostic writings.[2] Figure 2 The incorporation of pre-Islamic magical beliefs and practises with verses of the Qur’an possibly made the use of magic within the Islamic religious world more acceptable. It has been suggested that Muhammad sanctioned the use of inscribed amulets and, through the Qur’an, passed on to his followers the history of Solomon as a magician and the emphasis of the apotropaic qualities that the names of Allah held.[3] The Qur’an is believed to possess magical or supernatural powers, which coincides with the use of its verses within amulets as an element of protection.[4] Moreover, certain suras of the Qur’an are considered extremely efficacious in their apotropaic potency and are used more frequently within amulets.[5] The fact that the Qur’an is believed to hold the answers to all queries, coupled with the attested faith that Muslims hold for the Qur’an, creates the potential for it to be intermingled with other non-religious aspects in an acceptable manner.[6] Figure 3 Figure 4 One example of the Qur’an, or its verses, being used as an apotropaic intermediary may be derived from some miniaturised examples of its text. These small codices did not necessarily always contain the Qur’an as whole, but did consist of particular Qur’anic chapters, verses, transcribed hadiths, or a selection of prayers.[7] Figure 5 One cannot suppose that all miniature Qur’ans were used for an apotropaic means, but the use of Qur’anic verses has been identified on various amulets.[8] Furthermore, the incorporation of miniaturised verses have been implemented on talismanic shirts meant to be worn in battle as a metaphysical protective layer.[9] Thus, it may be suggested that miniature texts with an apotropaic functionality probably contained features such as specific suras from the Qur'an known for their protective attributes, for example, Surat al-Fatiha, the 'Throne Verse' from Surat al-Baqarah and Surat al-Nas as well as other components often used within amuletic or talismanic materials such as magic squares, the zodiacal signs and the seven seals. Figure 6 Detail Figure 7 Detail In addition to verses from the Qur'an, some amulets also incorporated the names of Allah (as can be seen within the black circles in Figure 6) as an additional layer of protection because the names of God (and His attributes), or ‘the Beautiful Names’ are considered to possess the greatest magical powers.[10] The juxtaposition of the names of Allah along with Qur’anic verses on an amulet can be interpreted as a manner in which to ensure the amulet’s continuous apotropaic efficacy whilst serving as a supplication, which calls upon God’s divine protection and mercy. I find the multivalent aspects of the Qur'an to be fascinating. Even though most amulets or talismans may have not been visible to anyone but the bearer, the intersections between Islamic art, religion and science have the capacity to captivate its audience, whether it is via the aesthetic beauty of undulating text enveloped in rich colours and vegetal motifs, or a deeper meaning that may range from devotional piety to an apotropaic purpose. ~ Shandra Bibliography: [1] E.A. Wallis Budge, Amulets and Superstitions the Original Texts with Transl.and Descriptions of a Long Series of Egyptian, Sumerian, Assyrian, Hebrew,Christian, Gnostic and Muslim Amulets and Talismans and Magical Figures,with Chapters on the Evil Eye, the Origin of the Amulet... Etc. London: Oxford Univ. Press, 1930. 33; Figure 1, this is an example of amulet that would be worn for protection against the evil eye. These amulets are still being created and used in multiple Islamic regions. [2] ibid. [3] ibid. [4] B.A. Donaldson, "The Koran As Magic." The Muslim World 27, no. 3 (1937):254-66. doi:10.1111/j.14781913.1937.tb00355.x.254. An example of the Qur’an’s acknowledgement of magic can be seen in sura 114 (1-6). [5] T. Canaan in E. Savage-Smith, "The Decipherment of Arabic Talismans." In Magic and Divination in Early Islam, edited by Emilie Savage-Smith, 125-78. Vol. 42. The Formation of the Classical Islamic World. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2004.129; V. Porter,Shailendra Bhandare, Robert G. Hoyland, A. H. Morton, and J.Ambers. Arabic and Persian Seals and Amulets in the British Museum.London: British Museum, 2011,132. An example of an efficacious sura is the sura al-Fatiha [6] N. Guessoum, "The Qur'An, Science, And The (Related) Contemporary Muslim Discourse." Zygon® 43, no. 2 (June 2008): 411-31. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9744.2008.00925.x.412-414; Guessoum’s argument concerning the approach contemporary scientists should take with Muslims in regard to their beliefs in the Qur’an, explains a probability of receptivity amongst Muslims to scientific theory by ‘showing that at lease one intelligent reading and interpretation of various passages [of the Qur’an] is fully consistent with the scientific theory,’ 429. [7] H. Coffey 'Between Amulet and Devotion: Islamic Minature Books in the Lilly Library,' In The Islamic Manuscript Tradition, edited by Christiane Gruber, 79-115. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2010, 80. [8] For more examples and descriptions of the attributes of Islamic amulets and talismans see E. Savage-Smith, Science, Tools & Magic, The Nour Foundation, 1997. [9] H. Coffey, 89. [10] E.A. Wallis Budge, 46; Venetia Porter, 132. Images: Sura: http://in-islam.com/fr/sourate-an-nas/ 1: Glass amulet to avert evil eye. Hebron, Israel/Palestine, Asia; PRM 1885.3.4http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/amulets.html 2: Talisman. Chad 20th Century.Digital Image. Georgetown University Libary Special Collections, Georgetown University Library, Washington, D.C. 3:http://www.iub.edu/~iuam/online_modules/islamic_book_arts/exhibit/miniature_manuscripts_and_scrolls/img/thumb-large/Adomeit-mss-C6-image-1.jpg 4:http://www.iub.edu/~iuam/online_modules/islamic_book_arts/exhibit/miniature_manuscripts_and_scrolls/img/thumb-large/Adomeit-mss-C6-image-2.jpg 5-7: http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2012/arts-of-the-islamic-world/lot.419.lotnum.html Hyper Smash
