#mesopotamian power couple

[literary-illuminati]

Skimming over a couple thousand years of Mesopotamian social history is, if nothing else, a great source of data points to support the whole 'Classical Greece/Athens was actually weirdly patriarchal and misogynistic. Like, even for bronze age city states,' thing next time there's an argument about it.

The fact that noble families in Old Babylon dealt with unfavorable marriage prospect/not wanting to pay out large dowries for their daughters by, like, creating a whole institution where they'd symbolically marry the sun god and be given an extra-large dowry (equal to what their share of the inheritance would have been if they were a son) to live off the revenues of and ideally steward and grow some before it went back to the family when they died is just fascinating though.

Also fascinating - the fact that Ashur circa ~1800 BCE was something like a merchant republic, with the theocratic king sharing power with an official serving 1-year terms, apparently elected from/by the leading merchant magnates.

#history #weavers scribes and kings #amanda podany #tht

[gallusrostromegalus]

I only just started following but I have a couple questions. Are werewolves a thing and what bit of lore are you really proud of/had a sudden idea that just spiraled out?

So the clinical term for any human that transforms into an animal/more animalistic form during a specific celestial phenomenon is "Cyclical Zoothropy", of which wolf-transforming humans that have thier transfrmation cycles triggered by the "full moon"* are only a small slice.

All cases of CZ have been traced back to a single curse accidentally placed by Ancient Mesopotamian wizards approximately 20,000 to 40,000 years ago. The going theory is that they were attempting to create solar-powered super-soldiers and really, really REALLY messed it up.

Cyclical Zoothropy is a blood-bourne curse, and is transmitted in similar fashion as many fluid transfer diseases- through bites, sexual contact, or ineffective filtering by the placenta from mother to child. Certain strains of CZ have drugs that reduce the symptoms and contagiousness, but it's generally advised to avoid bites or direct sexual contact with anyone if you think you might have CZ.

"...wouldn't you know if you had it because you turn into a horse every time Orion is visible in the sky?" Not necessarily! Some cases of Cyclical Zoothropy can lie dormant for years or generations because the celestial phenomenon they're associated with is so rare. When Hale-Bopp came around in '97, more than a few people were in for QUITE the surprise! Other transformations are triggered by more erratic phenomena, like the presence of solar flares, or when meteor showers reach a certain intensity.

Turning into an animal or developing a more animal-like body isn't a good indicator either, because there are quite a few things that can cause someone to suddenly and spontaneously transform, like misdirected curses, living near a magically powerful artifact, gaining the 'favor' of a powerful entity, or eating random mushrooms you found in the woods. If you do suddenly experience transformative symptoms, please isolate yourself and contact a medical professional for tesing immediately. CZ and other transformative curses are extremely variable in nature and can effect people in unexpected ways. Also, humans have an extremely high tolerance for toxins that most animals do not, so stay away from the chocolate, avocado, oions, xylitol and grapes.

That said, CZ is a very treatable and livable condition, and there are many people with CZ that live very celebrated lives. Many lycanthropes find fulfilling work as search-and-rescue professionals, disease diagnosticians or taste-testers. The famous "Lassie" was portrayed by beloved actor "Pal" Weatherwax for almost two decades to great critical acclaim.

That said, due to the widespread nature of CZ, (while CZ is not common, it is found worldwide across regionality, ethnicity, sex, gender and class. If you know more than 100 people, odd are you know SOMEONE with CZ) certain public accommodations have been made- medical time off for transformations is legally protected in most countries, and discrimination against people with CZ is increasingly discouraged and banned under the law. Wearing excessive amounts of perfume or cologne is considered extremely rude and is grounds for barring someone from entering an enclosed space like a plane or public transit. Food labeling laws to prevent accidental poisonings came about much earlier in most of the world and even trace amounts of commonly-toxic-to-animal ingredients must be reported.

#TPOFATGIF #The Power Of Friendship (And This Gun I Found!) #Yugioh #Yugioh fanfic

[jakethesequel]

I need to prune the followers a bit. What are my most important controversial takes.

I am an anarchist. Yes this includes your favorite heirarchy. The United States is an evil of unprecendented power. Abolish class. Civilization was a bad move, the mesopotamians really fucked us on that one.

I follow the transfem style of agender kung fu. I think gender and sexuality is socially constructed bullshit without inherent meaning. I have opinions on transmisogyny and think it's an important axis of societal oppression unique to transfemininity. Also DIY HRT is fucking based.

I have type 1 diabetes. I wear a P100 grade 3m particulate respirator whenever I'm in enclosed public spaces because covid is still among the most deadly transmissible diseases in world history killing millions, vaccines and previous immunity have only temporary benefits when a virus is allowed to mutate unchecked, and masks fucking work. If you don't wear one I don't trust you and think you're being an asshole. Wear a fucking mask.

I'm not vegan and won't be. Even outside of the dietary challenges diabetes poses, I've only gotten less inclined to it as I've aged and gotten more conscious of where my meat comes from. My family are fishers, my extended family are cattle farmers, you don't need to tell me about what meat cultivation actually looks like, I'm familiar. I've also been trying to get my hunting license. Nonetheless, you have a right to choose what you put in your body, and access to vegan alternatives should be available to all who need with with the same convenience and price as animal products.

On that note: guns are based, and anti-gun legislation is cringe. I'm not American. Any law is evil when it's enforced by the pigs, but even if it weren't, the only reasonable restriction to gun ownership should be showing an ability to use it safely, as you do a car. Which is similar to the setup we had in Canada, sans a couple of nonsensical gun bans and magazine limits.

Speaking of legalization, drugs are morally neutral. You should be allowed to put whatever you want in your body. In fact you should be given unrestricted access to knowledge to make a completely informed decision, equipment to do so safely, and strong support systems if you need to kick the habit.

And finally: Bad movies are the greatest things ever made. An inspired failure is always more interesting than an uninspired success. Make art freely, take critique easily. Believe it to be the greatest thing in the world while you create it and when someone says it's trash say yeah I see why you'd think that it's not perfect. The time for ego is in the creation and the time for critique is in the consumption do NOT reverse the two.

[sumerianlanguage]

I was wondering if the word Mana was in Sumerian

Hello! There are a couple ways I could interpret your question, so I've answered both below.

I've previously answered about Sumerian words for magic (ningak "doing-thing") and the magical arts (e.g. ningdimdimma). As far as I know there is no Mesopotamian concept of "magical energy", "life force" or "healing power" corresponding to either the original Polynesian/indigenous Pacific concept of mana or the subsequent usage of the term in Western cultures. I've seen some people use the term alad, though this means "male guardian spirit" rather than some pervasive life force.

If instead you meant, what would "mana" in Sumerian translate to in English, the answer is that, written 𒈠𒈾, mana means "mina, an ancient unit of weight equivalent to a little over a pound", while written 𒌋𒌋, mana or man means "partner, companion; equal", and is related to mina 𒈫 "two".

#replies #sumerian magic #sumerian vocabulary

[yamayuandadu]

do you know anything about urartu?

why do they seem to have adopted mesopotamian styles of art and deities? tho I'm sure even though there aren't any surviving works from the period wouldn't Hayasa-Azzi also have adopted mesopotamian or Anatolian art styles too?

I do not think it's surprising. Mesopotamian culture was arguably the epitome of prestige for thousands of years over a pretty sizeable area even without imperial power directly backing it so it is not surprising a state which was right next door to Assyria (Assyria at its absolute maximal extent of imperial power at that) adopted cuneiform and some Mesopotamian artistic conventions. The full scope of influence is difficult to ascertain though: Assyrian sources are more plentiful, and it is difficult to tell when they describe genuinely simialar institutions and when do they attribute Assyrian ideas to Urartians in order to create the image of an "anti-Assyria" of sorts, a mirror image nemesis. The matter of deities is complex. I presume you are referring to the case of Haldi. He can indeed be considered a Mesopotamian deity, sort of: the oldest references to him are theophoric names, one from Old Babylonian Mari and a couple from Middle Assyrian sources. However, Haldi was only made the head of the Urartian pantheon in the ninth century BCE, which might reflect the place of origin of the ruling dynasty (alternatively, the choice of a new "outsider" god as the pantheon head might have been an aspect of forging a new national identity, see here). Therefore, it's a weird unique case and not strictly Mesopotamian religious influence. Curiously Musasir wasn't even a part of Urartu, it had its own king and served as a neutral buffer state - even though it was where Urartian kings were crowned. It needs to be stressed that save for Haldi and the fact the weather god (Teisheba/Theispas) and the sun god (Shivini) have names cognate with their Hurrian counterparts (Teshub and Shimige), there doesn't seem to be any real overlap between Urartian pantheon and either Mesopotamian or Hurrian one. There's an isolated Urartian reference to Assur, apparently, as per Paul Zimansky's article Assur among the Gods of Urartu, and that seems to be it. The (relatively) well attested Urartian deities - Haldi's spouse Arubani, Shivini's spouse Tushpuea, the moon deity Sheraldi, as well as more nebulous Aniqugi, Baba, Nalaini, Quera, Ua, Qilbani (a deified mountain), Eiduru etc. - are unique.

A good start to learning about Urartu are the Reallexikon entries: a, b, c. Karen Rander wrote a great article about the history of relations between Urartu and Assyria and another about the buffer states between them (other authors seem to disagree with some of her Kumme conclusions though). Some commentary on religious art can be found here. Hayasa is too nebulous of an entity to discuss, I am afraid, unless I am missing something big. It sure did have rulers, Hittites clearly did not consider their deities to be conceptually different from their own seeing how all the references to them use logograms to represent their names but that's not saying much.

#mesopotamian miscellanea

[scary-ivy]

TMBG concert at the Filmore thoughts

I think they opened with synopsis for the latecomers, very fitting

When Will You Die!!! Yes! Was not expecting that

Love the rapport between John and John, they're somehow telling jokes and yet also feeling honest and relatable at the same time

I think both their voices have gotten higher? Idk Flansburgh sounds better than ever with his high singing, while I remind stunned by Linnell's vocal control and ability to hold long notes

YOUR RACIST FRIEND verses Soo good, but then on the guitar solo Flansburgh shredded so insane I felt like the floor was shaking. Love the contrast between his soft vocals and That.

In general I felt like a lot of their songs sounded Better than they do on the records, like they've added to them and improved them over the years.

Marty and Dan's good as usual but the horn section especially got to do a bunch of cool solo jams, with trumpet and saxophone

I cried during moonbeams rays :')

DARLINGS OF LUMBERLAND THREE PART HARMONY INSANELY GOOD

LOVED DEAD, hypnotic how the backing vocals and lead vocals mesh

Flansburgh invited the press photographers into the stage to take pictures from behind the drumset, which seemed kind of unconventional and they joked about it later

They talked about not being able to enjoy a quiet moment in Japantown because some type of festival was happening

Linnell said the Bart made the subways in New York look good by comparison. Then added that the respected public transport.

lead into a joke about how everyone came here to see old men complaining.

At one point they went right from the end of one song into Minimum Wage and it was amazing

Whistling in the Dark the stage lights go down

said they were practicing Brontosaurus for a tv show?

SAPPHIRE BULLETS BACKWARDS WAS AMAZING. THEY'VE GOTTEN SO GOOD AT SINGING BACKWARDS, IN HARMONY, AND THE RIFF SOUNDS SO AWESOME BACKWARDS

Had fun dancing to Lucky Ball and Chain

Said "this is our last song" before doing Particle Man, and it had a whole extra part at the end about Triangle Man going to the planet Venus, more minor key and different rhythm and I really liked it

Intermission, why don't more bands do these?

Sadly, Hearing Aid was just a intermission remix song. But the remix was super cool! Minor and industrial

I always forget how cartoony John and John's voices sound. Linnell also did a couple different funny voices.

Let Me Tell You About My Operation, amazing amazing, Flans doing funny dramatics all over the stage.

Spy!!! Great, they started doing a thing they do where they gesture to different instruments, to play and then not play, sounded cool, BUT THEN it turned into a complete different thing were John Linnell did a funny announcer voice and recited some lines that sounded like a vintage commercial for records while turning the band off and on, to a cacophony of sound.

Road Movie To Berlin sounded amazing, everyone in the audience was swaying as if under a spell.

John Flansburgh joked about not saying "Live in my head rent free" because it was on Marty's list of things they shouldn't say because they were outdated. John Linnell said he was trying to remember something else on the list, joked about blurting it out during the song, WOMEN AND MEN HELL YEAH, then he said he remembered it during the song (it was "saying the quiet part out loud). And I feel like I could tell exactly when he remembered it, he slightly flubbed a line of the song

I think I saw Flans look at his pick, reach into his pocket, and get another pick during a song.

I also saw him take off his glasses and wipe his whole face down with a towel.

I never noticed when Linnell picked up the accordion he just somehow instantly had the accordion

MESOPOTAMIANS, BIRDHOUSE IN YOUR SOUL, GREAT AS USUAL

It was fun seeing them sing Theme from Flood, and the whole audience join in

Great audience

Linnell has such a unique and powerful presence. Almost made eye contact with him.

Don't Let's Start, instead of screaming he now melodically sings the I Don't Want To Live In This World part

double encore really faked me out.

Underwater Woman, unexpected but cool!

Dr. Worm!! Ending song.

Amazing concert, I loved the variety of songs

[santmat]

Solving the Mystery of An Ancient Saying: "What the Eye Has Not Seen, the Ear Has Not Heard…"

There's a spiritual saying, an axiom of wisdom, that's been meaningful to millions of people spanning many centuries, scriptures, spiritual classics, languages, nations, and several world religions from West to East, East to West. This saying was quoted by the Apostle Paul in the New Testament but it's been a mystery as to what exactly the SOURCE was for his quote. Today, we find out the origin of this saying, and get to hear various versions of this saying as it appears again and again in so many ancient texts, traveling far and wide, passing through Jewish or Rabbinical… also many Christian Apocryphal Writings. A version of it is even attributed to Jesus, and by this I don't just mean in The Gospel of Thomas (saying 17) but in many other sources as well, and I will explore many of those as they appear in other early Christian writings. Other versions also turn up in Egypt, Ethiopia, the Mesopotamian region, in Gnostic, Mandaean, Manichaean scriptures, Suras of the Quran, a couple of Hadiths, and there's even similar versions to be found in the writings of Kabir, Guru Nanak, and other sources in India.

First Letter of Clement 34:8: "For He [God] says, 'Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, neither has there entered into the heart of man, what things He has prepared for them that wait for Him.'" (Charles Hoole trans.)

“How privileged are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. I swear to you, many prophets and righteous ones have longed to see what you see and didn’t see it, and to hear what you hear and didn’t hear.” (Matthew 13: 16–17 = Q/Luke 10: 23–24 — New Testament and Sayings Gospel Q)

“His power will be given to them, which no eye has seen nor ear heard, and they will rejoice in My Kingdom.” (Jesus, apocryphal “Testament of the Lord in Galilee”)

“The rest of you shall inherit the kingdom of heaven, whose delights no ear has heard described, which no eye has seen and which has not appeared in the human heart.” (Jesus, Apocryphal Gospel of John)

Yeshua says, “What your own eyes cannot see, your human ears do not hear, your physical hands cannot touch, and what is inconceivable to the human mind — that I will give you!” (Jesus/Yeshua, “Gospel of Thomas”, Saying 17)

#podcasts #spirituality #meditation #mysticism #gnosticism #christian mysticism #christianity #christian meditation #christian spirituality #Youtube

[pagetwo]

New York City: Feb. 14- Feb. 19

Friday, March 10, 2023

From February 14th-19th, I had the opportunity to go on a university class trip to New York City to meet with professionals in the Art History field and to explore the rich art scene of the city. This is the second trip of this sort that I have gone on with my school, but this trip was special because of the emphasis on meeting with art museum professionals- the field which I will be entering after graduation. During the week I was in the city, I visited the New York Public Library, the Morgan Library, MoMA, the MET, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Rubin Museum. We met with so many amazing professionals, including the chief curator of the Egyptian exhibit at the MET and one of the Egyptian artifact conservators who works at the MET as well. 

On my first night in NYC, a couple of classmates and I explored the city in search of Anish Kapoor’s mini-bean under the jenga building. Visiting this newest iteration of Cloud Gate was a great way to start our art history trip- seeing this new piece of history that had recently been installed in the Big Apple. Visiting such an iconic piece of art, regardless of how one feels about Kapoor, was a grand way to kick off the trip!

On the 15th, after visiting some of the photo archives at the NYPL, our class attended a guided tour of the Morgan Library. We got to have such a surreal, humanizing, and unique experience during the tour when the docent pulled out a 5000 year old cylinder seal from ancient Mesopotamia and let us each hold it. My passion for art history was sparked when I first learned about ancient visual culture, so being able to hold this piece of history was a full-circle moment for me and my peers. It brought to life what we often can only view in photos or behind glass. 

At the Morgan Library, we toured the exhibit “She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia, ca 3400-2000 BC.” It was all about the women of ancient Mesopotamia and how womanhood was understood during those times. We learned so many beautiful things about women deities who were bringers and takers of life, or wagers and enders of wars. A piece that really stood out to me was the costume for a Mesopotamian queen. The beading was gorgeous, featuring lapis lazuli- indicating the reliable trade the Mesopotamians would have had in what is considered modern-day Afghanistan. I noted that her headdress must have been an inspiration for Queen Amidala’s styling in the Star Wars franchise, calling back to the powerful women of our ancient civilizations. 

After visiting the Morgan Library, we went to the MoMA. This being my second time at the museum in the last 10 months, I was comfortable visiting the pieces I missed the most- one of which being Matisse’s Dance. This painting always stuns me due to the grand scale of it and the use of vast fields of cool toned colors- green and blue. 

On the 16th we spent the entire day at the MET. This was my second time at the MET as well, so I spent a majority of my time catching up where I left off last year- finally entering the wing of the Greek and Roman galleries where the cubiculi and mosaics are housed. The Chroma exhibit throughout the galleries was stunning to put it lightly! Classical sculpture is where my heart lies and finally I was seeing what the people I admire so much were seeing when these sculptures were at their prime. The Boxer sculpture has always been one of my favorites, so seeing it in such surreal detail was overwhelming and unforgettable. The Chroma exhibit had me imagining what my life would be like if I worked in the MET and got to study sculptures and look for remnants of pigment on them. It is groundbreaking research and I have such immense respect and appreciation for the brilliant art historians and scientists who are doing geeks like me this service.

Some things that were stunning and gripped me in tears for an hour were a mosaic of a woman in a wreath, coins depicting Trajan, and the vibrant cubiculi that I did not have a chance to visit last year. These are what it is all about for me. These are what my discipline mean to me! Seeing the mosaic mere inches from my face, as opposed to from around a roped-off corner as I did last year, allowed me to see all of the individual tesserae and imagine how it would have looked inside of a Roman villa. The coins with Trajan on them made me incredibly emotional, as I am somebody who studies Roman emperors. These were undeniable visual evidence that these subjects I devote so much of my studies to were real people! Real people who had real impacts on the world and who I only wish I could have met. The star of the show for me though were the cubiculi. I had been dying to finally enter one ever since I first studied Roman villas, particularly Pompeiian villas. As I stood inside of the cubiculum pictured, I took my time admiring all of the gorgeous frescoes. Frescoes I had only seen in textbooks and on powerpoint slides. There they were, right in front of my face. All the room needed was the proper furniture and I would have been exactly where my heart longs to be.

Lastly, on Friday the 17th, we visited the Brooklyn Museum as a class and later some of us visited the Rubin for a free guided experiential tour and DJ event. At the Brooklyn Museum, we got a tour from one of their museum educators of the Thiery Mugler exhibit. My goal is to be a museum educator, and to make museums enjoyable and understandable for every visitor. Our tour guide did exactly that for us. Part of our tour included ten minutes for us to go around the exhibit with provided paper and pencils, to draw any of the costumes we were drawn to and to think about the material or how the costume must have felt. She provided us with an activity that I definitely would have done if I were in the same position. That activity engaged our intrinsic motivation, allowing us to connect with a piece of our choosing, but it also encouraged us to think critically about the pieces in the exhibit. How would they have felt? Who would wear them? Why am I connecting to it? She showed me exactly how effective and necessary museum educators are in order to engage all visitors and to break down barriers of intimidation in museum spaces. 

The Brooklyn Museum had a lounge area that I connected with during my individual expiration of the museum. Museum fatigue is real and can be a huge barrier to enjoyment for museum-goers. Not only was this room visually stunning, the ottomans were also art and welcomed visitors to be comfortable and relaxed. This is something that I am passionate about as I prepare for my future in museums. I know how important comfort is when people have so much going on in their days and lives. My respect for the Brooklyn Museum only went up that day, as I went down and laid on one of the ottomans. 

At the end of the night, at the Rubin museum, I attended a guided tour of the galleries. The Rubin is a museum of Himalayan art and visual culture. The gallery is meant to be experienced rather than viewed. We explored our senses as we explored the galleries, we meditated, we transformed our energy into something beautiful. The whole design of the museum and tour were a unique take to museums and welcomed visitors into Himalayan Buddhist culture and practice. I think that this is a museum that everybody should visit if they have the opportunity to do so. 

Overall, this trip did a lot to prepare and excite me mentally for my impending future. Soon I will be released into the world, no longer in school, no longer in a classroom. The professionals we met with during our trip provided a lot of insight into the many avenues and journeys one may endeavor to get to where they are going. My journey so far has had so many twists and turns, and it was comforting and affirming to hear their stories. I related to so many of them and I felt assured that at the end of the day, if I continue chasing my dream and my happiness, I will end up exactly where I belong. Being an art historian is so much more than being a student or being an academic. Art can be found anywhere: on the street, under buildings, in libraries, or in museums. Wherever there are people, there is art. Wherever there is art, there are art historians. Not everybody in the museum or art historical world comes from an art history background. The greatest thing I took away from this trip and the stories I heard at these various institutions is that achieving one's goals is all about accepting any and every opportunity for growth, as opposed to making some sort of five or ten-year plan and adhering strictly to it. I came out of the trip knowing that my path to being a museum educator is unclear but that I will get there as long as I continue chasing it.

#art history #museum #photography #mesopotamia #met #metropolitan museum of art #moma #modern art #new york city #nyc #university #student life #appalachian state university #class assignment #digital storytelling #museum education #dreams #goals #the future really isnt that scary #journal

[liliesandloveatelier]

A Timeless Tradition: The Enchanting History of Wax Seals in Wedding Invitations

In an age where digital communication reigns supreme, there is still something alluring about the tangible beauty of a wedding invitation sealed with wax. The tradition of using wax seals in wedding invitations has withstood the test of time, adding an element of elegance and romance to the timeless affair. In this blog post, we will journey back through history to explore the origins and evolution of this enchanting tradition, where the invitation itself becomes a symbol of love and commitment.

The Ancient Roots of Sealing Invitations

The practice of sealing envelopes with wax dates back to ancient civilizations. The ancient Mesopotamians used clay to seal scrolls and important documents, while the Egyptians preferred the more luxurious approach, using wax made from beeswax and resin. Throughout history, this method spread across continents and cultures, and it was eventually adopted by the Greeks and Romans as a means of securing and authenticating important messages and decrees.

Wax Seals in Medieval Europe

During the Middle Ages, the use of wax seals became an integral part of nobility and royalty. The emblem or coat of arms imprinted on the seal served as a signature, signifying the sender's status and authority. The wax seal was also a security measure, as breaking the seal indicated tampering or unauthorized access to the document. As the centuries passed, the practice of using wax seals extended to various forms of correspondence, including invitations.

Love and Romance Enter the Picture

The transition of wax seals from official and political documents to wedding invitations is believed to have begun during the Renaissance. With romance and courtly love flourishing, the wax seal became a symbol of fidelity, trust, and commitment. The act of sealing an invitation with wax represented the couple's union, and the sealed envelope held the promise of a grand celebration and a lifetime of happiness.

Victorian Era Elegance

The Victorian era further elevated the use of wax seals in wedding invitations. This period was characterized by a love for ornate and lavish designs, and wedding invitations were no exception. Elaborate monograms, floral motifs, and intricate symbols adorned the wax seals, making each invitation a work of art. The use of different colored waxes added a personal touch, expressing the sender's feelings and emotions.

The Modern Resurgence

With the advent of modern printing techniques and mass-produced invitations, the tradition of using wax seals temporarily waned. However, the late 20th century saw a resurgence of interest in all things vintage and sentimental, including traditional wedding practices. As couples sought ways to make their weddings more unique and personal, the wax seal found its way back into the limelight.

Personalization and Creativity

In today's digital world, couples are embracing the opportunity to infuse their personalities into every aspect of their wedding, and the wax seal provides the perfect canvas for creativity. From custom monograms and initials to incorporating meaningful symbols or designs, each wax seal becomes an expression of the couple's love story.

The history of the wax seal used in wedding invitations is a testament to the enduring power of tradition and romance. From ancient civilizations to the modern world, the wax seal has been a symbol of trust, love, and commitment. As we continue to embrace the past while celebrating the future, the use of wax seals in wedding invitations is sure to remain a cherished and cherished tradition, weaving an elegant thread of history into the tapestry of every couple's love story.

#wedding #wedding invitations #invitation #invitationdesign #engagement invitation #wax seal #wax seal history

[infjtarot]

2 of Cups. Weiser Waite Smith Tarot

A young man and woman raise their golden goblets to each other and touch, fingertip to fingertip. She has a laurel wreath of victory on her crown; he wears a wreath of roses. Hovering over them is a herald’s wand, or two serpents entwining a winged staff with a red lion’s head, known in modern times as a caduceus. Per traditional Mesopotamian and Egyptian mythos, the caduceus symbolizes harmony and balance, the yin and yang, female and male energy respectively. One coiled serpent is the Pingala per Hindu mythology, and the Od per the Kabbalah, the yang. The other serpent is Ida, or Ob, respectively, the yin. They symbolize the Biblical Adam and Eve. The caduceus is also the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology, and thus symbolizes diplomacy, mediation, and communication.86 It is a symbol found in many cultures, from the Aztecs to the Persians. the two working cooperatively. It symbolizes the power of alliance. For some tarot practitioners, the caduceus suggests a sense of healing. Figuratively, the card can also represent the harmony and balance of our internal dichotomies. When a reading is about love, the card could indicate the start of a new romance and mutual attraction. The romance will have a strong friendship element to it. The relationship will be one of healing. The couple is well-balanced. When a reading is not about love, the card indicates friendship and harmonious collaboration with one other individual that will bring fulfillment to both. It shows two people working together out of a mutual respect and love for each other. The caduceus wand is symbolic of commerce. In a question about work, there may be a genuine alliance that will yield great fruition and advantage to the Seeker. The red lion’s head represents strength of character. The Two of Cups can be thought of as the best friend card. If there has been a great deal of conflict

#2 of Cups #cups #tarot #Weiser Waite Smith Tarot

[ichigomaniac]

#gilkidu #fgo #fate/ grand order #fate/ strange fake #Gilgamesh #Enkidu #mesopotamian power couple #i love how while ishtar calls her kids to cry over the dead bull #the bull she sent in to kill gil and was basically going around killing civilians #gilkidu are just like check out all that lapis lazuli in their horns #and proceed to party with uruk ppl #gilkidu the true ancient パリピ #15mnc art #doodles

[tantumuna]

baby’s first fanart

Ko-Fi | Commissions

#fate #fate grand order #fgo #gilgamesh #enkidu #tine chelc #arts #mesopotato #mesopotamian power couple #fate strange fake

[mountain-man-cumeth]

Vesuvia: A Tired Discourse

I wasn't initially going to write this long essay but it seems like the fandom is oversaturated by strictly modern western perception of history and I would like to offer my two (thousand) cents about fantasy.

Since the game itself hasn't done alot of worldbuilding I will have to infer certain things strictly from the aesthetics that were used on the visuals. And I will only talk about the stories presented in the game. Nothing more, nothing less. No dev tweets or headcanons.

1. Indigenous men of Arcana

2000 BC some people in today's China set on a journey towards west. Calling them nomads today means very little, since permanent settlement was not a common concept for most societies. The civilization as we know of today is thought to emerge in Mesopotamian region(all the way back 10k BC), we are still uncovering pieces of that history so I won't get into that. For now just read this without thinking of words such as "civilization" "settlement" etc. in today's context.

Fast forward to 1500 BC, in Anatolia a state, Hittite, among many other small states, triumphs. We do not know from where exactly they originated from, but the remnant of their culture can be found in modern-day Ukraine. We can, however, say that they've been in Anatolia for at least a couple hundreds of years by the time their name started to appear in historical records. They expanded by conquest. And as they expanded, they adopted several deities and traditions from the lands they occupied. At one point it is thought that they had hundreds of gods in their pantheon.

There was another big name player in the game at their eastern border, an empire called Mittani, it's not known where exactly they came to be. Records show that they were worshipping indo-aryan deities but have likely adopted the local language.

The third competitor is probably the most well-known today, Assyria. Now this kingdom had a more strict caste system than the rest, as far as we are aware. They seem to have had rather harsher rules regarding liberties of slaves. Though, much like in Hittites, it was -on paper- possible to climb the ranks and upgrade your caste.

These civilizations generally had two types of slaves, what we would consider proletariat today and captured foreigners. From the records we have today, race doesn't seem to be a concept that played a part in deciding someone's caste.

Now we have here three sizable Empires, all grappling for power, all who'd left a huge mark in world history and we are not entirely sure where any of these people originated from. We know there were already established inhabitants in the lands they occupied (Hassunas, Hurrians etc.) and we know Hittites didn't conquer their way from Eastern Europe. They may have unified the tribes/clans in the area, they may have just settled on an empty land and kept expanding. Certain things were documented, other details, were not.

Mittia falls and the other two grapple for power. It becomes a vassal for Hittites and Assyria annexes a great majority of it. Now these supposed Aryans are spread between two kingdoms.

1200 BC and Hittites collapse. Assyria swoops in and claims its remains.

Assyria cannot be stopped, it absorbs the entire asia minor, until 600 BC, when Babylonia overpowers it. Now this Babylonia, it had appeared on a land that used to be Sumer and gradually their cultures and languages had meshed together. It was already bi-cultural by the time it absorbed Assyria, who had already absorbed Hittites, who've also absorbed Mittians.

Upon their demise another kingdom goes to town on Anatolia until Greeks make themselves at home and start naming everything Greek and start speaking Greek and worship Greek gods.

At this point we start seeing a form of discrimination that is closer to modern-day racism with how people are documented, and its only 300 BC. Up until this point, no one seems to be big on assimilation. As the conquerors didn't seem to much care about the native customs. BUT much had gone undocumented so nothing's for sure.

Greeks/Macedonians rebrand their empire to Roman Republic and slowly chomp down on other Hellenistic states. Okay, so we add Armenians, Greeks and Slavs to the pile.

Let's circle back to those bunch of people from China, over the span of 3000 years they slowly made their way to Mesopotamia, establishing numerous states on the way, splitting, regrouping, intermingling with the natives, getting hairier...

Over time their population spreads to Asia Minor completely, establishing smaller feudalities which eventually merge to Ottoman Empire. They call themselves Turks, apparently. To the pile they go.

Now I'll tell you what you call all these people today, and I don't mean what you'd call them after running some DNA tests and measuring their skulls or such, what you'd call them off the top of your head. You don't call them Aryan or Slav or Yamyana. They're Persian. We call them Persian.

So there are these native Persians, living in Iran, an established country today, where they are native to. And there is this big pile of other ethnicities we collected. Whom have also meshed with Persians over the span of thousands of years. The Persians of today are not the Persians of Assyrian Empire. Cultures grow and change as they interact with each other whether through war or trade.

Why the long history lesson? Because I would like people to know what it sounds like when they write "But Muriel, a native--"

Native doesn't mean what you think it means. Indigenous or native-coding is A Thing. And I understand what people mean when they say that, because they're referring to modern western history. However, it is not the only history. Cultural genocide had been done by many people of various ethnicities to other people of varying ethnicities throughout the history. Chinese are native to China, Slavs are native to Balkans, Celts are native to Britannia. You can't just say "he's native therefore--" and expect to offload the entire history of western expansion when by the time some of these cultures were establishing trade routes west didn't even have wheels.

Muriel is native to South, in Arcana. So is Lucio. Yes, Morga's people are native to the land that they occupied. They are described as warring tribes, so I can assume that they weren't expanding, but ransacking. Which means they didn't conquer or colonize. This conflict between two tribes resulted eventually in both their destruction and both tribes only have two survivors left that we know of.

This is the history we are given. As you can see this is missing few thousand years worth of steps that I outlined -in detail- above, that results in a dominant ethnicity in a given region.

Two native tribes warring for resources is not a colonization effort. As the history shows, some civilizations we call indigenous today are alive not because they survived peacefully of the land but because they prevailed through bloodshed.

I am not telling this to advocate for one side of the other, I'm only saying that you shouldn't read these through a modern lens and instead put it in the historical context it was inspired from.

2. A brown person with a white oppressor

So we continue this history lesson from the Archaemenid (Persian) Empire which overthrew Assyrians.

I think we can safely say that all these people I talked about are a little brown. I don't think you'd call any of them white, anyhow. So these brown people were colonizing Greeks, and when Greeks rebelled, they'd be sold to slavery. (circa 500 BC)

100 CE Slave trade played such a big role in Roman Empire that there were wars named after them. Well but, who were these slaves?

Barbarians.

The word barbaroi means something like "non-greek". But if you're thinking of a hunky seasoned dark man in leathers you'll be sorely disappointed. At its inception it was used for Northerners such as Germanics or Celts. They were a quite bit paler than your average greek. (There were black slaves, mostly bought from Egypt, whom had been colonizing the norther Africa)

Somewhere around 1400 CE this Ottoman Empire stars stealing the boys of Europeans they conquered to indoctrinate them into the army, and distributes their white, pale, blue eyed blond women to noble houses. If you know about orientalism movement you know the horror stories that were told and later used as propaganda. Propaganda can have a basis in reality. They enacted raids on Scandinavian region, which I have to assume have paler people than Turks, and sell them to slavery. At some point the death rate of scandinavian slaves gets so bad that the vezir has to tell people to "protect the slaves" because even with what a native considers normal accommodations, they all die to heatstroke.

Christianity was heavily shunned by the Ottoman Empire, and the worshippers could never become a full citizen. With the genocide committed by the turkish republic later and the discrimination of armenians and rums(greeks) that are still prevalent today, its quite clear that the effects of Ottoman's islamic hegemony outlived the Empire itself.

The slavery we do all of these modern media comparisons with today begins at around late 1800s with western powers colonizing the continent of Africa. A continent which had been colonized before by brown people. I have given you a 4000 year history of slavery with every possible skin colour combination. I can personally confirm that the wounds of at least one of them are still healing. So it's not ancient history.

When everything is perceived from an American lens it erases often gruesome but nonetheless rich histories of POC. Native POC, who rose armies, built Empires, sacked and razed cities... It used to be Huns, now it's Western powers, the history of greed doesn't have a skin colour.

3. Devs are American, though

But Vesuvia isn't. It's clearly not inspired by US. Every character and action can be assessed in that context. I cannot say what the devs were thinking. But I can tell you how I read it. Vesuvia is a very Mediterranean inspired city, seems to be a cultural hub of sorts. Lucio was an outsider when he took the throne, he didn't march his mercenary armies, he instead learned the customs of Vesuvia and made his move within the political playfield.

Nothing about his story tells me he had a specific cultural background that allowed him a privilege due to his ethnicity. Nothing shows me a system that catered towards favouring him. In the boundaries of the games lore, that is.

The reason I feel the need to write this is because I believe what Lucio did to Asra's family or Muriel was wrong on a moral level, but not wrong because he was white and they were brown. When we observe the oppression of minorities irl, there's a history there. It's not about one racist man underpaying a certain ethnic minority. It's about a system that allows that, a system which is deliberately crafted to exploit people. Generations of monarchy turning into autocracy that systematically breeds nobility.

No, they haven't done that work in Arcana. Instead in the confines of the world given we have a story of this norse barbarian "civilizing" himself to charm his way onto a Macedonian throne. It could've been a triumphant tale for minorities at that time.

That's where the worldbuilding clashes with modern understanding of race politics. Because the Dev's are American. And Vesuvia was written as a modern Utopia. Call it a shortcoming on the story's part or lazy writing if you want. But you can't call it one-to-one retelling of western conquest. That is an extremely superficial and uneducated interpretation.

Advocating against oppression only means white vs. poc in todays western society. In the imaginary time period Arcana tries to emulate, it could mean advocating for scandinavians against arabs. Or advocating for arabs against indo-aryans. Context matters.

4. Religion

This one I'm not gonna go into too much detail. Everyone's beliefs differ but I would like to briefly touch on Asra's family and Devoraks.

This is a world with supernatural and pre-established gods (or god-like figures). It has a pantheon. I am not %100 certain about Judaism but I believe in both religions, witchcraft is a big no-no. In islam fortune telling is haram too. Even so I know many muslims that get their coffee fortune read or hang up the evil eye to ward of bad omens. And some of them call it the worship of false idols and shun them. So that is not to say these beliefs can't co-exist, but they wouldn't be the religions as we have them today, in the real world. If there was a fox headed man walking around that could give you tips on creating water, I am sure the holy books would have some adjustments to make.

Fandom in general agrees that Aisha is muslim-coded because of her hijab. Hijab is a form of headwear that wraps around your scalp, and it predates islam, because it's the best way to protect your head from scorching sun and your hair from lice. The clothing of natives of the peninsula getting adopted by the dominant religion isn't exactly specific to islam. Traditional balkan to armenian and georgian clothing have similar wraps. So another possible interpretation is that she's just from a hot climate.

It's not erasure to miss the coding. In a global sense, muslims are not a minority everywhere. Islam is not a dying, banned religion everywhere. I understand that it's not represented well in western media and nothing is wrong with reading the characters that way but if for whatever reason someone doesn't, it's not right to scrutinize them for it.

I know people who find it insulting to mystify their religion in a fantasy and I know people who are overjoyed by it. A religion(and its culture) is not a monolith with millions of people having the exact same consensus all the time. And you don't have to have an opinion on it. You don't have to pick a side.

What I think went wrong there was that by removing her hijab, the devs showed their lack of knowledge on the matter. There are dozens of different islamic headwraps, and various levels of modesty allowed. With differing pagan traditions in said cultures that prevail to this day. The islamic society, much like christian society, has a a culture beyond the religious beliefs itself.

Closing thoughts

I repeat, I know what people mean when they make posts about problematic aspects of the story and its interpretation of the characters. I know the devs may not have been coming from an informed mind state when they borrowed aspects of various cultures. But the fans are from all around the world, and their experiences and interpretations doesn't have to adhere to US-centric social-justice movement.

If you read this and your take away is "brown people also doing bad stuff doesn't make white people doing it right", youve missed the point.

If you thought this was written as a defense of actions of certain characters, you've also missed the point.

I wrote this because to think critically of the media we are consuming, it helps to know of the historical context of its inspirations. Theres nothing wrong with peeking inside the gate you're keeping.

I may have misused some terms, english isnt my native language and I am very bad with dates.

#long post #rant #personal #thearcana #the arcana #the arcana game #count lucio #asra alnazar #muriel #live and let live

[the-ghost-king]

wait Apollo isn’t originally greek? thats so interesting 👀👀

Where ever did you hear that? /ij

Definitely putting all of this under a read more, it’s a long one!

Cw: Greek statues, they're naked :/

But yeah, Apollo was actually an inherited god, it’s likely that because of this as well he was a blending of multiple different gods to some extent. It’s also good to note that Apollo’s name is unknown, meaning that nobody really knows what exactly Apollo means, which is pretty weird all things considered about the Greeks who placed such importance on the god’s forenames (ie, phoebeus, acestor, age’tor, etc). 

"Though Apollo was the most Hellenic of all gods, he derived mostly from a type of god that originated in Anatolia and spread to Egypt by way of Syria and Palestine." (X)

There’s a couple of different things which point to Apollo being a Anatolian god (or being of, coming from him) named Appaliunas, and it is said they were on opposite sides of a war most beloved of their people during the fight. It’s important to note that it’s believed Appaliunas means “father light” and that he shows some level of importance over drafting peace treaties (which Apollo has some reputation in as the bringer of civilized order). We don't know too much about their connections however, because the documents are incomplete.

This theory also makes sense, because the name Leto (Apollo’s mother) is Lydian in origin, and there’s decent connections to her having been worshiped on the coast's of Asia Minor. And it is known the Greeks have adopted Anatolian gods into their religion before, see Cybele (sometimes called Cybele-Rhea), and the origin of Kore (later Persephone). There's stuff which points also to an Anatolian goddess called "Artimu" (Artemis) who is often confused to Cybele for some reason, and again this bears connections to the Lydians which worshipped Leto. There's information which points to Hekate being a goddess from Anatolia as well, which shows significance considering she is Apollo and Artemis's cousin (leading to my personal question of was Phoebe Anatolian in origin?). Apollo's divine number being 7 shows Babylonian or at least Mesopotamian Origin.

The Geographical location of these two places also bears similarities, they are close to one another, and it's known the Greeks had decent travel capabilities over water. There's also the fact that both of these lands border Troy, which is shown to have significant values in Greek culture and mythology, as well as the Greek belief that the Anatolian gods were present at Troy as well as the Greek gods.

(It's also notable the similarities in naming traditions, Alaksandu for one such example, does not sound too far off from the later Latin name Alexander, which came from the Greek name Aléxandros).

The other possible origin given for Apollo is Aplu (Apulu), a Hurrian god (of people who lived in Anatolia, Syria, and Northern Mesopotamia). Aplu and Apollo bear semblance to one another in more than name, Aplu was the god of plague (bringer of the plague more specifically) and he bears a large amount of resemblance to Apollo Parno'pius/Smitheus and Aplu's main story provides reasoning as to why Apollo may also be the god of healing and Medicine.

The story of Aplu involves the idea that the individual which brings the plague, must also be the one to banish it. This makes Aplu both bringer of plague(s) but also, protector from plague(s). From this we learn Aplu's name means "son of" (please note here Apollo's iconographic connections to "youth" and "sonship" among the Greeks, as the god of kouros), but the connection of "the son of" was a title granted also to the god Nergal (worshiped by many different people(s) across Mesopotamia) who is at least in part someone who holds power over the sun, and holds connection to Shamash (Utu).

Aplu is also often depicted naked (ya know) but wearing a laurel leaf, and part of a cloak... It's funny how these images are Apollo though:

Aplu is also symbolized by a staff and laurel a twig(s), while we know Apollo to be associated closely with the laurel because of Daphne, and Apollo having iconography related to staffs involves him giving his away to Hermes- which perhaps has to do with the caduceus being interpreted as the symbol for medicine, or the connection of Apollo to Asclepius and the rod of Asclepius.

Aplu isn't isolated necessarily either, there is also the Etruscan goddess Aritimi (Artume, Artames, or Artumes) and she oversees animals, human assemblies, and is considered a hunting deity. As well as scrolling through this list, you'll note more than one Greek/Roman mythological figure.

There's also a ton of stuff from Etruscan mythology (Hurrian mythology is just a subsect of Etruscan mythology) which overlaps with Greek mythology, some sources even state Etruscan -> Greek -> Roman mythology (I wont comment on that because I don't know well enough).

There's some other places Apollo's name might have come from, but those are probably the two most likely under the assumption that Apollo is a collective of many gods.

These are the specifics of the Anatolian god's Apollo may be born of/from, but there's a variety of things which point to him and mythology around him being of other origins as well (Minoan, Dorian, and Proto-Indo-European... yeah)

You may have heard one of Apollo's sacred animals is dolphins, Apollo Delphinios/Delphidios, this is because of a Minoan god named Paiawon (Paion) who was worshiped on Crete and also originated in Delphi. In the second part of Homeric hymn to Apollo, Apollo would transform his shape into that of a dolphin and carry the new priests to Delphi for the transfer of religious practices:

"Phoebus Apollo pondered in his heart what men he should bring in to be his ministers in sacrifice and to serve him in rocky Pytho. And while he considered this, he became aware of a swift ship upon the wine-like sea in which were many men and goodly, Cretans... Phoebus Apollo met them: in the open sea he sprang upon their swift ship, like a dolphin in shape, and lay there, a great and awesome monster, and none of them gave heed so as to understand but they sought to cast the dolphin overboard. But he kept shaking the black ship every way and making the timbers quiver. So they sat silent in their craft for fear, and... so they kept sailing on; for a rushing south wind hurried on the swift ship from behind... They wished to put their ship to shore, and land and comprehend the great marvel and see with their eyes whether the [dolphin] would remain upon the deck of the hollow ship, or spring back into the briny deep where fishes shoal. But the well-built ship would not obey the helm, but went on its way all along Peloponnesus and the lord, far-working Apollo, guided it easily with the breath of the breeze..." (X)

Apollo Delphinios was largely only worshiped by people of Crete and surrounding islands, but this is also largely where Paiawon was worshiped as well. There's also many things from early Grecian history which simply state Apollo to be Paiawon or of Paiawon, or at least doesn't bother to specify which god is being talked about.

In the earlier parts of Greek history, seventh-sixth century, there was distinctions made between the pair:

"and in Solon's opinion it is Apollo who makes a man a μάντις (soothsayer) but healers do the work of Paion" (X)

The whole thing with Apollo being descended from Paiawon however, is that Paiawon may not be Minoan but Mycenaean in origin, which means even if Apollo is originated in Minoan culture one of the gods who has influenced that origin wasn't even necessarily Minoan but taken in. Others believe Paiawon was Minoan or Aegean in origin but very far in the past, since his songs used a meter of pre-Greek origin.

You'll also not the commonalities between Paion (a spelling of Paiawon) and Paean (also spelled Paian), Apollo's original name according to Homer. It could mean a variety of things but "who heals illnesses through magic" and "pre-greek" are the most common translations of the word Paean, but it is also associated with music (most specifically a song sung by Thetlas who cured the Spartans) and is said to denote hymns for Apollo.

"PAEAN, that is, "the healing," is according to Homer the designation of the physician of the Olympian gods, who heals, for example, the wounded Ares and Hades. After the time of Homer and Hesiod, the word Paian becomes a surname of Asclepius, the god who had the power of healing. The name was, however, used also in the more general sense of deliverer from any evil or calamity, and was thus applied to Apollo and Thanatos, or Death, who are conceived as delivering men from the pains and sorrows of life... From Apollo himself the name Paean was transferred to the song dedicated to him, that is, to hymns chanted to Apollo for the purpose of averting an evil, and to warlike songs, which were sung before or during a battle." (X)

In regards to the possibility of Apollo having been of Minoan origin, one must consider not only his origins but the origins of the gods and goddesses around him and how they may have developed over time.

In this case Britomartis (Diktynna) is of particular interest, she was the Minoan "mistress of animals", she was a goddess (or sometimes nymph, or oread) of the mountains and the hunt. There's points to the name meaning "sweet maiden" or other similar things, but it is debatable.

Eventually Britomartis would become the goddess of nets in Hellenic myths, and would simply be closely identified with the goddess of Artemis. However, to the Minoans Britomartis wandered alongside a bow-wielding male hunter who's name has been lost, it is likely that aspects of this hunter were absorbed into Apollo; when the introduction of worshiping Artemis was brought to the island of Crete where Britomartis was also worshiped they were compared and quickly said to be of one another.

It is also said in some variations the myths of Britomartis that she was taken to the mainland in the nets of men after fleeing Minos, this seems like a euphemism for her as a goddess of worship being brought by fisherman to mainland and taken into their culture and worship, more so than it sounds like a goddess's story. Perhaps this led to her becoming Artemis, although most myths seem to agree Artemis gave Britomartis immortality... So who knows, but it's a point of particular interest for me.

Also I know I mentioned proto-indo-european origins for Apollo and I could analyze gods and goddesses relating to Apollo being a Minoan god like Aphaea, but I am not going to lie I am rather sick mostly of sourcing everything and I don't like to talk about stuff without stuff to back me up because I don't want to come across like I'm pulling information or ideas out of thin air because that's how misinformation spreads... But yeah, here's a somewhat simplified piece on Apollo's possible origins as a pre-Hellenistic god, and I hope you enjoy because I know you sent the ask a bit ago <3

#asks #glassamphibians #apollo #greek mythology #notpjo #apollo origins #historians please feel free to correct me

[yamayuandadu]

Weekly Wikipedia ventures roundup

Another batch of fixed wikipedia articles:

Gunura, daughter of the annual winner of the best mom award, Ninisina

Ninimma, a bootleg Nisaba.

Numushda, I admit I fixed this only because I had the info ready for the Nanna article and because I had to save the article from the grasp of “Michael Jordan, Encyclopedia of Gods, Kyle Cathie Limited, 2002“

Pabilsag, he sure is the husband of his wife (also Gunura’s dad).

Tishpak, sort of like a Ninazu expy, but not actually Ninazu. Also not Marduk, a late god list notwithstanding. Also imagine being called “steward of the sea” but having 0 clout outside a perpetually landlocked kingdom.

Tutu, independent god turned name of Marduk. Shows up in the “bird call text,” one of the most out there works of Mesopotamian scholarship, in which every innocent feathery creature is in fact informing the world about otherwise unknown cosmological battles at all times.

Wer/Mer/Ber, Humbaba’s master in an Old Babylonian version of Epic of Gilgamesh (his power level was too high for the heroes to confront him). Not to be confused with Itur-Mer. 

Shulshaga, son of Bau and Ningirsu. Fixed only because it was quick to do and because I can’t stand seeing incorrect information sourced from “Michael Jordan, Encyclopedia of Gods, Kyle Cathie Limited, 2002“ as all there is in an article. Sadly the wrong info most likely is still present in other language versions.

Nanna, god of the moon (and cattle herding), father of Inanna, Utu, multiple Inanna equivalents and a couple of gods you’ll probably never see outside of descriptions of his court, occasional king of gods, all around nice guy. I assume you can easily guess why his name was sometimes written with the sign for 30. Feat. guest appearances from Yarikh, NI-da-KUL, Shangar, Elamite moon god, Arma, Kusuh and Kashku.

Also the Nisaba article has info on temple names now.

#weekly wikipedia repair roundup

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/five-scientific-explanations-spooky-sensations-180973436/

By: Andrea Michelson

Published: Oct 30, 2019

Tis the season to celebrate the supernatural, whether that means visiting a haunted house or donning a spooky costume. But while some might scare themselves silly in the name of Halloween fun, 42 percent of Americans believe ghosts are for real, according to a 2013 Harris Poll. The belief in ghosts dates back to at least ancient Mesopotamian times, and it seems to have lodged itself in the collective psyche. But in many cases, science can explain what might seem like a message from beyond. Here are five scientific explanations for encounters with the supernatural.

The “Fear Frequency”

Just below the range of human hearing, infrasound can cause some strange sensations. Humans can’t hear sound below 20 hertz, but some people subconsciously respond to lower frequencies with feelings of fear or dread, reports Jennifer Ouellette for Gizmodo. In one account from 1998, engineer Vic Tandy of Coventry University spent a night in a lab believed to be haunted. He and his colleagues experienced anxiety and distress, felt cold shivers down their spines, and Tandy even reported seeing a dark blob out of the corner of his eye. It turned out that there was a silent fan creating sound waves at around 19 hertz, the exact frequency that can cause the human eyeball to vibrate and “see” optical illusions. “When we finally switched it off, it was as if a huge weight was lifted,” Tandy told Chris Arnot for the Guardian.

Unusual Electromagnetic Fields

Electromagnetic field (EMF) meters are commonly used to identify electrical problems. They’re also a staple of the ghost-hunter’s toolbox, reports Erika W. Smith for Refinery29. Neuroscientist Michael Persinger thinks normal variation in electromagnetic fields could be a possible explanation for supposed hauntings. He tested this theory in the 1980s by having people wear helmets that delivered weak magnetic stimulation. Eighty percent of his test subjects said they felt “an unexplained presence in the room” when they wore the helmets. What’s more, famous spooky spots like Hampton Court Palace have been found to have unusual electromagnetic fields, reports Neil Dagnall for the Conversation.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

On a Halloween episode of This American Life, host Ira Glass and toxicologist Albert Donnay unearth an old ghost story published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology in 1921. As recounted by “Mrs. H,” her family moved into an old house and began experiencing what seemed like paranormal activity—the sound of footsteps, strange voices and even feeling like they were held down in their beds by an unseen person. Meanwhile, the houseplants were dying, and Mrs. H’s children felt weak and suffered from headaches. A quick investigation revealed that a faulty furnace was filling the house with carbon monoxide fumes. Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause hallucinations and sickness, explaining all of their symptoms. After the furnace was repaired, the “hauntings” stopped.

Sleep Paralysis

The most common explanation for a ghost sighting is sleep paralysis, sleep specialist Priyanka Yadav tells NBC News’s Diane Mapes. The body is naturally paralyzed during REM sleep, but the feeling of paralysis can cause terror if experienced while awake. Sometimes, the body and brain get their wires crossed, and a person can experience a few seconds to a couple minutes of waking paralysis, which is often accompanied by hallucinations. Yadav says the hallucinations can involve anything from spiders to ghosts and are usually characterized by a feeling of dread. When someone reports a “haunting” that happened right around bedtime or after waking in the middle of the night—and that they were so scared, they couldn’t move—it’s enough for Yadav to diagnose a case of sleep paralysis.

The Power of Suggestion

Social psychology might have an explanation for reported hauntings that the natural sciences can’t resolve. Refinery29 reports that one study found the power of suggestion to be strong enough to make people believe they witnessed a supernatural event. Participants watched a video of a purported psychic supposedly bending a key with his mind. The people who were exposed to positive social influence—meaning that an actor in the group said they saw the key bend—were more likely to report they saw the key bend, too. Participants who were in a room with naysayers and skeptics were more likely to doubt the validity of the trick, but just one person’s confident assertion that they believed the psychokinesis was enough to make others believe it as well.

"wHy aRe yOu sO cLoSeMiNdEd aBoUt tHe sUpErNaTuRaL?!?1??”

#ghosts #ghost stories #haunted house #supernatural #supernatural claims #carbon monoxide #infrasound #sleep paralysis #electromagnetic field #skepticism #scepticism #religion is a mental illness