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Three images from this museum which I was privileged to visit whilst living in Austria, two rather strange and one lovely and evocative. Vogel Selbsterkenntnis (The Bird of Self-Knowledge) The text…
(My A to Z Blog Challenge theme this year is How to Make a Fantastical Creature, in which I explore 26 traits that are widely shared among the monsters and marvels of fantasy and folklore.) In nature, animals are morally neither good nor bad: they all just do what comes naturally to eat, breed, and keep themselves alive. But in unnatural history, creatures are almost always labelled as good or bad, and the really bad ones are often actually demonic. Mythology and folklore are full of strange and magical monsters that originate in hell or actively align themselves with pure Evil. Mythology of many cultures around the world deals with forces of evil, although there is wide variation in how the whole cosmology of good and evil works. Are demons subservient to God; does God use demons for heavenly ends? Can one demon serve as protection against another demon? Do demons have free will? Can humans summon and command demons using magic? Were demons created evil, or are they fallen from a divine creation? Despite all the various ways these questions can be answered in different cultures, there are some common threads that show up with some frequency: demons are often seen as forces of disease, and also forces of sin (ie negative behaviors and disorders). They are often believed to be able to possess humans, rather than merely acting on them. It is also the case that “demons” is frequently considered a general category including many undifferentiated individuals. Still, there are some particular demonic monsters I can highlight today. The incubus is a kind of male demon who seduces/rapes sleeping women, while the succubus is the female equivalent. Usually they are portrayed as gorgeous humanoids, but often they have unsettling characteristics such as claws or tails. The Trauco (a dwarf with no feet) is an incubus who lives on an island in Chile, and the lidérc (who can take the form of a will o’ the wisp - or of a naked chicken!) lives in Hungary. Incubi and succubi are ever-popular in folklore, because sex. In South Africa the impundulu or lightning bird is a vampiric demon that summons lightning, serves as a familiar of witches, and can also behave as an incubus. The Balrog of The Lord of the Rings is a winged demon of fire and shadow, armed with a flaming sword and a many-thonged whip. Tolkien gives the etymology of the name as Orcish for “cruel demon.” The giant spider Shelob also seems to be classed as a demon, rather than a mere monster. The batibat of Tagalog folklore is a huge, obese tree-spirit demon, who becomes vengeful when her tree is cut down, and may suffocate people, or torture them through dreams. In Bali Rangda is a demon queen who eats babies and brings disease, and is eternally battling the forces of good. One of the most famous Judeo-Islamic-Christian demons is Asmodeus, who, depending on who’s telling, ranges from “the worst of demons” who murders anyone he gets his hands on, to one that can be bound by Solomon to build the temple and do other odd jobs. He’s often said to be a demon of lust, but also gets credited at various times with vengeance and gambling. Sometimes he’s portrayed as a handsome man who limps due to one rooster foot. Other times he’s a little more interesting: in addition to the rooster leg, he has a serpent tail and three heads: a sheep, a bull, and a man spitting fire. He appears as a character in tons of modern stories, but I won’t even get started on all the demons of modern fiction, D&D, and various computer/video games. Ammit (introduced under the letter C) is also often classed as demon, although in ancient Egypt the distinction between demons and gods could be fuzzy. The wendigo (introduced under A) can also be classed as a demon. Plus, you can check back in previous posts for snippets on Bartimaeus, the tormentors of St Anthony, imps, Tibetan demon Mara, Persian demon Falud-zereh, Japanese oni, and the Alpine Krampus. Because this is the last post of the month, let’s spend a little time on etymology. The word demon appeared in Middle English around 1200 from the Greek daimōn. The Greek word referred to a minor deity, a divine spirit lower than a god, or a guiding spirit. It had no negative connotations. Its English meaning of a spirit of pure evil arose because Greek translations of the Bible (both Christian and Jewish) used the word daimōn for “heathen gods and idols,” and “unclean spirits.” So as the word was absorbed into English, it came with that connotation. But around the mid-sixteenth century English went back to the Greek and re-borrowed the word in its original sense of a guiding spirit. It’s usually spelled daemon or daimon when it’s used that way. This etymology helps illustrate that your views on demons (even taking the modern English definition of “a spirit of evil”) will be influenced by your culture. Lamashtu is a dreadful demon of ancient Mesopotamia. With a lion head, donkey ears, hairy body, and talons for feet, Lamashtu particularly loves to kill babies and pregnant women. On the other hand, she can be warded off by invoking other demons, particularly Pazuzu, with a canine head, horns, a scorpion tail, and two sets of wings. Pazuzu is certainly a scary and dangerous being, but he obviously has his uses. (Also in Mesopotamia, Gallu demons dragged their victims down to the Underworld, and the demon Asag was so monstrous that his presence made fish boil alive in the rivers, which I think is a marvelously horrible description.) The obvious moral of demons is that you must stay strong and vigilant to withstand the temptation to evil. A Pro Tip for exorcists is that sometimes you can summon one demon to get rid of another. On the other hand, sometimes that strategy ends up like The Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly: she died, of course. It’s probably wise to have bell, book, and candle at the ready just in case things get out of hand. A shofar and Thibetan Guthuk soup can also be efficacious. The nature of Good and Evil - that really is THE question, isn’t it? [Pictures: Incubus (The Nightmare), oil on canvas by Henri Fuseli, 1781 (Image from Detroit Institute of Arts); Balrog, film still from “The Fellowship of the Ring” directed by Peter Jackson, 2001 (Image from Wikimedia Commons); Impundulu, illustration by Ken Wilson-Max, 2013 (Image from the artist’s web site the Illustrationist); Rangda, wooden mask from Bali (Image from Wikimedia Commons); Asmodeus, engraving by M.L. Breton from Dictionnaire infernal by Collin de Plancy, 1863 (Image from Library of Congress); Lamashtu amulet, carved stone, Babylonian, c 7-6th century BCE (Image from Met Museum); Divs, illumination attributed to ‘Ali Quli, from the Khamsa of Amir Khusraw Dihlavi, c 1598 (Image from The Walters Art Museum).]
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This is the lost story of Lord Ankhwenefer, known to the Greeks as Chaonnophris the Rebel, the last native Egyptian Pharaoh. The brilliance and heartache of his rebellion weave a tale that history has forgotten. Until now. July 8, 2019 Writing a novel is an adventure, each one a creation with its own world, story, characters and as such, each one requires a different approach. People often ask me how to write a novel, which is amusing, for the answer is so obvious—in order to write a novel, you must, well, write a novel. I wish I had a formula that was more exact, but I don’t. I’ve written six novels, and the only thing they’ve had in common is that with each telling, I’ve improved as a writer. Yes, there’s a research phase, a brainstorming phase, an execution phase and then a publication phase. But what happens within those phases is up to the author and the story that wishes to be told. And that is the biggest difference between my writing in 2011 and my writing now—in 2011 I wrote stories that I wanted to tell, what I’m about to release to the world in 2019 is a story that wanted to be told. In 2014, while researching rebellions in general, I stumbled upon a Wikipedia entry about the Great Egyptian Revolt of 200 B.C.E. It was at most four sentences long and mentioned two men, Horwenefer, who launched the civil war against the Macedonian Ptolemaic Empire in 205 B.C.E, and his successor, Ankhwenefer, who held the Upper Kingdom, approximately 80% of Ancient Egypt, until 186 B.C.E. This entry intrigued me because I’d forgotten that the most famous last Egyptian Pharaoh, Cleopatra VII, was NOT Egyptian, she was Macedonian, and the last of the Ptolemies to rule. What followed for me was deepening interest in Ancient Egypt, many strange coincidences, books literally falling off shelves to be read, and about a year spent ruminating on this Pharaoh named Ankhwenefer and his forgotten place in history. In the fall of 2015, I sat down to write my third eHuman novel, a story I wanted to tell. Instead, a Pharaoh came to me and insisted I write his story instead. Trying something new, I listened to the muse, and thus began the greatest adventure of my writing so far. Diving into Ancient Egypt is to visit an entirely different world, rich with custom, ritual, religion, architecture, and characters so interesting, I had a hard time keeping track of who was “real” and who was imaginary. One of the few facts we know about Ankhwenefer is that he was arrested in 186 B.C.E. by a Macedonian general, and afterward, Ptolemy V spent two years chiseling his name from every surface in southern Egypt. Everything he’d built or written was destroyed. His name lived on only in journals and records of merchants, tax collectors and slave owners as they documented their woes during the time of the "Rebel King." While his actual history is lacking in primary resources, I had carte blanche when it came to creating this tale. Four years after I sat down to write his story for the modern age, I’m proud to announce that the first book, Origins, will be released October 1, 2019 by Literary Wanderlust. People follow me on social media for different reasons. My Facebook friends tend to be readers of the eHuman novels. Twitter is a blend of readers and those interested in my work in universal basic income and technology. My Medium followers are mostly those dropping in for modern musings on the state of the world—from politics, to technology, to modern parenting. If you’ve enjoyed any of my writing on any platform, I ask you to give The Song of the King’s Heart Trilogy a try. Why? First of all, I wrote the first draft of all three novels in one go. This means that if you like the first one, you won’t have to wait decades (ahem) to see how it ends. The second book, Blood and Chaos, is about to go into the production queue as we speak and the final book, Civilization’s End, has just been given to my editor. The goal is to release an installment each year, starting this fall. A second reason is that Egypt is overdue for a revival. There is a majesty waiting to be unearthed in our imaginations, a civilization that lasted over 4,000 years in perpetuity. That’s about four times longer than Rome, and there’s a reason for their lengthy success. The Song of the King’s Heart may be the story of how their era ended but remembering their culture can inspire us to live with more beauty, love, and art in our lives. We can learn from a civilization that believed that all are one, that words have power, and that living in accordance with nature can advance humanity. Interested? Origins will be released worldwide on 10/1/19, but you can preorder a Kindle or print copy on Amazon or my publisher, Literary Wanderlust. Preorders create excitement on Amazon and drive the novel's placement in their searches. Want to read it sooner? I have ARCs, both digital and print, for free to anyone willing to give an honest review on Amazon and/or Goodreads before the book comes out. Message me @NSallakAnderson on Twitter, FB, or Instagram, and I’ll be in touch. Releasing a novel is a strange mixture of anguish and ecstasy. On one hand, it feels like Christmas Eve and I can’t wait until the big day. On the other hand, I’m like a parent dropping my kid off at his first day of preschool. How will he be received with the other children? Will he be cared for? What will the teacher think? It’s quite uncomfortable, but can’t be avoided, as any writer can attest. When a story wants to be told, it will haunt you until you do so. All the rejection, anxiety, and insecurity are nothing compared to the emptiness of living with a story untold. As always, I’m grateful for your time and attention. Writers need readers and I hope readers will enjoy the story of Lord Ankhwenefer, Good Being of Isis and Rebel King...the last native Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.
Bruno Santos geeft gedaantes en gezichten aan een reeks van minder bekende monsters die nog steeds levendig zijn in legendes en fantasie.
Etimologia, simboli e significato dei sette peccati capitali. Una guida completa all'arte, ai film e ai libri che accompagnano i sette vizi dell'uomo.
Many spirits that humans come into contact with are simply lost souls looking to take care of unfinished business they neglected while they were living. They are generally understood to be humans …
P. Gasparis Schotti, regis curtani ... Physica curiosa, sive, Mirabilia naturæ et artis libris XII. comprehensa :. Herbipoli :Sumptibus Johannis Andreæ Endteri & Wolfgangi Jun. hæredum, excudebat Jobus Hertz ...,1662.. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41531388
Sloth and Anger from Recueil des plus illustres proverbes divisés en trois livres : le premier contient les proverbes moraux, le second les proverbes joyeux et plaisans, le troisiesme représente la...
“For I am I: ergo, the truth of myself; my own sphinx, conflict, chaos, vortex – asymmetric to all rhythms, oblique to all paths. I am the prism between black and white: my own unison in duality.” – Austin Osman Spare Austin Osman Spare may be “one of the most overlooked figures in … Continue reading "The Occult Art of Austin Osman Spare: Child Prodigy, Anti-Nazi, and “Possibly the Greatest English Magician of the Twentieth Century”"
25 Hilarious Historical Art Memes.
Cuál es el misterio que Fausto oculta, por qué este mito o leyenda -historia real- ha causado tanto revuelo a lo largo de la historia, quizá aquella carga simbólica y sacrílega que traía consigo; e…
by Terri Windling The period in art history now referred to as the Golden Age of Book Illustration occurred in London at the end of the 19th century and in the dawning years of the 20th -- growing out of the reassessment of Book Arts fostered by the Pre-Raphaelites and...
Оригинал взят у kardiologn в Миниатюры Detail from the Santa Maria del Soccorso fresco by Domenico di Zanobi (Master of the Johnson Nativity). Santo Spirito, Florence. c.1475-1485. Cambrai - BM - ms. 0422, f. 095v. Apocalypsis figurata. Louvain (?), c. 1260. Bibliothque nationale de France,…
Angela Barrett's illustrations can be enjoyed by all readers, young and old. These striking and detailed pictures tell more of a story than most, and their mysteries are worth lingering over
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www.odisea2008.com Referencia post: www.odisea2008.com/2012/09/codex-seraphinianus.html
