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breelandwalker · 1 year

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JSTOR Articles on the History of Witchcraft, Witch Trials, and Folk Magic Beliefs

This is a partial of of articles on these subjects that can be found in the JSTOR archives. This is not exhaustive - this is just the portion I've saved for my own studies (I've read and referenced about a third of them so far) and I encourage readers and researchers to do their own digging. I recommend the articles by Ronald Hutton, Owen Davies, Mary Beth Norton, Malcolm Gaskill, Michael D. Bailey, and Willem de Blecourt as a place to start.

If you don't have personal access to JSTOR, you may be able to access the archive through your local library, university, museum, or historical society.

Full text list of titles below the cut:

'Hatcht up in Villanie and Witchcraft': Historical, Fiction, and Fantastical Recuperations of the Witch Child, by Chloe Buckley

'I Would Have Eaten You Too': Werewolf Legends in the Flemish, Dutch and German Area, by Willem de Blecourt

'The Divels Special Instruments': Women and Witchcraft before the Great Witch-hunt, by Karen Jones and Michael Zell

'The Root is Hidden and the Material Uncertain': The Challenges of Prosecuting Witchcraft in Early Modern Venice, by Jonathan Seitz

'Your Wife Will Be Your Biggest Accuser': Reinforcing Codes of Manhood at New England Witch Trials, by Richard Godbeer

A Family Matter: The CAse of a Witch Family in an 18th-Century Volhynian Town, by Kateryna Dysa

A Note on the Survival of Popular Christian Magic, by Peter Rushton

A Note on the Witch-Familiar in Seventeenth Century England, by F.H. Amphlett Micklewright

African Ideas of Witchcraft, by E.G. Parrinder

Aprodisiacs, Charms, and Philtres, by Eleanor Long

Charmers and Charming in England and Wales from the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Century, by Owen Davies

Charming Witches: The 'Old Religion' and the Pendle Trial, by Diane Purkiss

Demonology and Medicine in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, by Sona Rosa Burstein

Denver Tries A Witch, by Margaret M. Oyler

Devil's Stones and Midnight Rites: Megaliths, Folklore, and Contemporary Pagan Witchcraft, by Ethan Doyle White

Edmund Jones and the Pwcca'r Trwyn, by Adam N. Coward

Essex County Witchcraft, by Mary Beth Norton

From Sorcery to Witchcraft: Clerical Conceptions of Magic in the Later Middle Ages, by Michael D. Bailey

German Witchcraft, by C. Grant Loomis

Getting of Elves: Healing, Witchcraft and Fairies in the Scottish Witchcraft Trials, by Alaric Hall

Ghost and Witch in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, by Gillian Bennett

Ghosts in Mirrors: Reflections of the Self, by Elizabeth Tucker

Healing Charms in Use in England and Wales 1700-1950, by Owen Davies

How Pagan Were Medieval English Peasants?, by Ronald Hutton

Invisible Men: The Historian and the Male Witch, by Lara Apps and Andrew Gow

Johannes Junius: Bamberg's Famous Male Witch, by Lara Apps and Andrew Gow

Knots and Knot Lore, by Cyrus L. Day

Learned Credulity in Gianfrancesco Pico's Strix, by Walter Stephens

Literally Unthinkable: Demonological Descriptions of Male Witches, by Lara Apps and Andrew Gow

Magical Beliefs and Practices in Old Bulgaria, by Louis Petroff

Maleficent Witchcraft in Britian since 1900, by Thomas Waters

Masculinity and Male Witches in Old and New England, 1593-1680, by E.J. Kent

Methodism, the Clergy, and the Popular Belief in Witchcraft and Magic, by Owen Davies

Modern Pagan Festivals: A Study in the Nature of Tradition, by Ronald Hutton

Monstrous Theories: Werewolves and the Abuse of History, by Willem de Blecourt

Neapolitan Witchcraft, by J.B. Andrews and James G. Frazer

New England's Other Witch-Hunt: The Hartford Witch-Hunt of the 1660s and Changing Patterns in Witchcraft Prosecution, by Walter Woodward

Newspapers and the Popular Belief in Witchcraft and Magic in the Modern Period, by Owen Davies

Occult Influence, Free Will, and Medical Authority in the Old Bailey, circa 1860-1910, by Karl Bell

Paganism and Polemic: The Debate over the Origins of Modern Pagan Witchcraft, by Ronald Hutton

Plants, Livestock Losses and Witchcraft Accusations in Tudor and Stuart England, by Sally Hickey

Polychronican: Witchcraft History and Children, interpreting England's Biggest Witch Trial, 1612, by Robert Poole

Publishing for the Masses: Early Modern English Witchcraft Pamphlets, by Carla Suhr

Rethinking with Demons: The Campaign against Superstition in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe from a Cognitive Perspective, by Andrew Keitt

Seasonal Festivity in Late Medieval England, Some Further Reflections, by Ronald Hutton

Secondary Targets: Male Witches on Trial, by Lara Apps and Andrew Gow

Some Notes on Modern Somerset Witch-Lore, by R.L. Tongue

Some Notes on the History and Practice of Witchcraft in the Eastern Counties, by L.F. Newman

Some Seventeenth-Century Books of Magic, by K.M. Briggs

Stones and Spirits, by Jane P. Davidson and Christopher John Duffin

Superstitions, Magic, and Witchcraft, by Jeffrey R. Watt

The 1850s Prosecution of Gerasim Fedotov for Witchcraft, by Christine D. Worobec

The Catholic Salem: How the Devil Destroyed a Saint's Parish (Mattaincourt, 1627-31), by William Monter

The Celtic Tarot and the Secret Tradition: A Study in Modern Legend Making, by Juliette Wood

The Cult of Seely Wights in Scotland, by Julian Goodare

The Decline of Magic: Challenge and Response in Early Enlightenment England, by Michael Hunter

The Devil-Worshippers at the Prom: Rumor-Panic as Therapeutic Magic, by Bill Ellis

The Devil's Pact: Diabolic Writing and Oral Tradition, by Kimberly Ball

The Discovery of Witches: Matthew Hopkins' Defense of his Witch-hunting Methods, by Sheilagh Ilona O'Brien

The Disenchantment of Magic: Spells, Charms, and Superstition in Early European Witchcraft Literature, by Michael D. Bailey

The Epistemology of Sexual Trauma in Witches' Sabbaths, Satanic Ritual Abuse, and Alien Abduction Narratives, by Joseph Laycock

The European Witchcraft Debate and the Dutch Variant, by Marijke Gijswijt-Hofstra

The Flying Phallus and the Laughing Inquisitor: Penis Theft in the Malleus Maleficarum, by Moira Smith

The Framework for Scottish Witch-Hunting for the 1590s, by Julian Goodare

The Imposture of Witchcraft, by Rossell Hope Robbins

The Last Witch of England, by J.B. Kingsbury

The Late Lancashire Witches: The Girls Next Door, by Meg Pearson

The Malefic Unconscious: Gender, Genre, and History in Early Antebellum Witchcraft Narratives, by Lisa M. Vetere

The Mingling of Fairy and Witch Beliefs in Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Scotland, by J.A. MacCulloch

The Nightmare Experience, Sleep Paralysis, and Witchcraft Accusations, by Owen Davies

The Pursuit of Reality: Recent Research into the History of Witchcraft, by Malcolm Gaskill

The Reception of Reginald Scot's Discovery of Witchcraft: Witchcraft, Magic, and Radical Religions, by S.F. Davies

The Role of Gender in Accusations of Witchcraft: The Case of Eastern Slovenia, by Mirjam Mencej

The Scottish Witchcraft Act, by Julian Goodare

The Werewolves of Livonia: Lycanthropy and Shape-Changing in Scholarly Texts, 1550-1720, by Stefan Donecker

The Wild Hunter and the Witches' Sabbath, by Ronald Hutton

The Winter Goddess: Percht, Holda, and Related Figures, by Lotta Motz

The Witch's Familiar and the Fairy in Early Modern England and Scotland, by Emma Wilby

The Witches of Canewdon, by Eric Maple

The Witches of Dengie, by Eric Maple

The Witches' Flying and the Spanish Inquisitors, or How to Explain Away the Impossible, by Gustav Henningsen

To Accommodate the Earthly Kingdom to Divine Will: Official and Nonconformist Definitions of Witchcraft in England, by Agustin Mendez

Unwitching: The Social and Magical Practice in Traditional European Communities, by Mirjam Mencej

Urbanization and the Decline of Witchcraft: An Examination of London, by Owen Davies

Weather, Prayer, and Magical Jugs, by Ralph Merrifield

Witchcraft and Evidence in Early Modern England, by Malcolm Gaskill

Witchcraft and Magic in the Elizabethan Drama by H.W. Herrington

Witchcraft and Magic in the Rochford Hundred, by Eric Maple

Witchcraft and Old Women in Early Modern Germany, by Alison Rowlands

Witchcraft and Sexual Knowledge in Early Modern England, by Julia M. Garrett

Witchcraft and Silence in Guillaume Cazaux's 'The Mass of Saint Secaire', by William G. Pooley

Witchcraft and the Early Modern Imagination, by Robin Briggs

Witchcraft and the Western Imagination by Lyndal Roper

Witchcraft Belief and Trals in Early Modern Ireland, by Andrew Sneddon

Witchcraft Deaths, by Mimi Clar

Witchcraft Fears and Psychosocial Factors in Disease, by Edward Bever

Witchcraft for Sale, by T.M. Pearce

Witchcraft in Denmark, by Gustav Henningsen

Witchcraft in Germany, by Taras Lukach

Witchcraft in Kilkenny, by T. Crofton Croker

Witchcraft in Anglo-American Colonies, by Mary Beth Norton

Witchcraft in the Central Balkans I: Characteristics of Witches, by T.P. Vukanovic

Witchcraft in the Central Balkans II: Protection Against Witches, by T.P. Vukanovic

Witchcraft Justice and Human Rights in Africa, Cases from Malawi, by Adam Ashforth

Witchcraft Magic and Spirits on the Border of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, by S.P. Bayard

Witchcraft Persecutions in the Post-Craze Era: The Case of Ann Izzard of Great Paxton, 1808, by Stephen A. Mitchell

Witchcraft Prosecutions and the Decline of Magic, by Edward Bever

Witchcraft, by Ray B. Browne

Witchcraft, Poison, Law, and Atlantic Slavery, by Diana Paton

Witchcraft, Politics, and Memory in Seventeeth-Century England, by Malcolm Gaskill

Witchcraft, Spirit Possession and Heresy, by Lucy Mair

Witchcraft, Women's Honour and Customary Law in Early Modern Wales, by Sally Parkin

Witches and Witchbusters, by Jacqueline Simpson

Witches, Cunning Folk, and Competition in Denmark, by Timothy R. Tangherlini

Witches' Herbs on Trial, by Michael Ostling

#witchcraft #witchblr #history #history of witchcraft #occult #witch trials #research #recommended reading #book recs #jstor

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cincinnatusvirtue · 9 months

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Countries that are no more: Achaemenid Empire (550BC-330BC)

It was not the first empire of Iranian peoples, but it arose as probably the greatest in terms of influence and became the measure by which all subsequent Iranian empires tended to compare themselves and its influence on culture, government & civil infrastructure would influence others beyond the span of its territory and the span of time. This is the Achaemenid Empire.

Name: In Old Persian it was known as Xšāça or the "The Kingdom or the Empire", it was named the Achaemenid Empire by later historians. Named after the ruling dynasty established by its founder Cyrus the Great who cited the name of his ancestor Haxāmaniš or Achaemenes in Greek as progenitor of the dynasty. It is sometimes also referred to as the First Persian Empire. The Greeks simply referred to it as Persia, the name which stuck for the geographic area of the Iranian plateau well into the modern era.

Language: Old Persian & Aramaic were the official languages. With Old Persian being an Iranian language that was the dynastic language of the Achaemenid ruling dynasty and the language of the Persians, an Iranian people who settled in what is now the southwestern Iranian plateau or southwest Iran circa 1,000 BC. Aramaic was a Semitic language that was the common and administrative language of the prior Neo-Assyrian & Neo-Babylonian Empires which centered in Mesopotamia or modern Iraq, Syria & Anatolian Turkey. After the Persian conquest of Babylon, the use of Aramaic remained the common tongue within the Mesopotamian regions of the empire, eventually becoming a lingua franca across the land. As the empire spread over a vast area and became increasingly multiethnic & multicultural, it absorbed many other languages among its subject peoples. These included the Semitic languages Akkadian, Phoenician & Hebrew. The Iranian language of Median among other regional Iranian languages (Sogdian, Bactrian etc). Various Anatolian languages, Elamite, Thracian & Greek among others.

Territory: 5.5 million kilometers squared or 2.1 million square miles at its peak circa 500BC. The Achaemenid Empire spanned from southern Europe in the Balkans (Greece, Bulgaria, European Turkey) & northwest Africa (Egypt, Libya & Sudan) in the west to its eastern stretches in the Indus Valley (Pakistan) to parts of Central Asia in the northeast. It was centered firstly in the Iranian Plateau (Iran) but also held capitals in Mesopotamia (Iraq). Territory was also found in parts of the Arabian Peninsula & the Caucausus Mountains.

Symbols & Mottos: The Shahbaz or Derafsh Shahbaz was used as the standard of Cyrus the Great, founder of the empire. It depicts a bird of prey, typically believed to be a falcon or hawk (occasionally an eagle) sometimes rendered gold against a red backdrop and depicts the bird holding two orbs in its talons and adorned with an orb likewise above its head. The symbolism was meant to depict the bird guiding the Iranian peoples to conquest and to showcase aggression & strength coupled with dignity. The imperial family often kept falcons for the pastime of falconry.

Religion: The ancient Iranian religion of Zoroastrianism served as the official religion of the empire. It was adopted among the Persian elite & and had its unique beliefs but also helped introduce the concept of free-will among its believers, an idea to influence Judaism, Christianity & Islam in later centuries. Despite this official religion, there was a tolerance for local practices within the subject regions of the empire. The ancient Mesopotamian religion in Babylon & Assyria, Judaism, the Ancient Greek & Egyptian religions & Vedic Hinduism in India was likewise tolerated as well. The tolerance of the Achaemenids was considered a relative hallmark of their dynasty from the start. Famously, in the Old Testament of the Bible it was said that it was Cyrus the Great who freed the Jews from their Babylonian captivity and allowed them to return to their homeland of Judea in modern Israel.

Currency: Gold & silver or bimetallic use of coins became standard within the empire. The gold coins were later referred to as daric and silver as siglos. The main monetary production changes came during the rule of Darius I (522BC-486BC). Originally, they had followed the Lydian practice out of Anatolia of producing coins with gold, but the practice was simplified & refined under the Achaemenids.

Population: The estimates vary ranging from a low end of 17 million to 35 million people on the upper end circa 500BC. The official numbers are hard to determine with certainty but are generally accepted in the tens of millions with the aforementioned 17-35 million being the most reasonable range based on available sources.

Government: The government of the Achaemenid Empire was a hereditary monarchy ruled by a king or shah or later referred to as the ShahanShah or King of Kings, this is roughly equivalent to later use of the term Emperor. Achaemenid rulers due the unprecedented size of their empire held a host of titles which varied overtime but included: King of Kings, Great King, King of Persia, King of Babylon, Pharaoh of Egypt, King of the World, King of the Universe or King of Countries. Cyrus the Great founded the dynasty with his conquest first of the Median Empire and subsequently the Neo-Babylonians and Lydians. He established four different capitals from which to rule: Pasargadae as his first in Persia (southwest central Iran), Ecbatana taken from the Medians in western Iran's Zagros Mountains. The other two capitals being Susa in southwest Iran near and Babylon in modern Iraq which was taken from the Neo-Babylonians. Later Persepolis was made a ceremonial capital too. The ShahanShah or King of Kings was also coupled with the concept of divine rule or the divinity of kings, a concept that was to prove influential in other territories for centuries to come.

While ultimate authority resided with the King of Kings and their bureaucracy could be at times fairly centralized. There was an expansive regional bureaucracy that had a degree of autonomy under the satrapy system. The satraps were the regional governors in service to the King of Kings. The Median Empire had satraps before the Persians but used local kings they conquered as client kings. The Persians did not allow this because of the divine reverence for their ShahanShah. Cyrus the Great established governors as non-royal viceroys on his behalf, though in practice they could rule like kings in all but name for their respective regions. Their administration was over their respective region which varied overtime from 26 to 36 under Darius I. Satraps collected taxes, acted as head over local leaders and bureaucracy, served as supreme judge in their region to settle disputes and criminal cases. They also had to protect the road & postal system established by the King of Kings from bandits and rebels. A council of Persians were sent to assist the satrap with administration, but locals (non-Persian) could likewise be admitted these councils. To ensure loyalty to the ShahanShah, royal secretaries & emissaries were sent as well to support & report back the condition of each satrapy. The so called "eye of the king" made annual inspections of the satrapy to ensure its good condition met the King of Kings' expectations.

Generals in chief were originally made separate to the satrap to divide the civil and military spheres of government & were responsible for military recruitment but in time if central authority from the ShahanShah waned, these could be fused into one with the satrap and general in chiefs becoming hereditary positions.

To convey messages across the widespread road system built within the empire, including the impressive 2,700 km Royal Road which spanned from Susa in Iran to Sardis in Western Anatolia, the angarium (Greek word) were an institution of royal messengers mounted on horseback to ride to the reaches of the empire conveying postage. They were exclusively loyal to the King of Kings. It is said a message could be reached to anywhere within the empire within 15 days to the empire's vast system of relay stations, passing message from rider to rider along its main roads.

Military: The military of the Achaemenids consisted of mostly land based forces: infantry & cavalry but did also eventually include a navy.

Its most famous unit was the 10,000-man strong Immortals. The Immortals were used as elite heavy infantry were ornately dressed. They were said to be constantly as 10,000 men because for any man killed, he was immediately replaced. Armed with shields, scale armor and with a variety of weapons from short spears to swords, daggers, slings, bows & arrows.

The sparabara were the first line of infantry armed with shields and spears. These served as the backbone of the army. Forming shield walls to defend the Persian archers. They were said to ably handle most opponents and could stop enemy arrows though their shields were vulnerable to enemy spears.

There was also the takabara light infantry and though is little known of them it seems they served as garrison troops and skirmishers akin to the Greek peltast of the age.

The cavalry consisted of four distinct groups: chariot driven archers used to shoot down and break up enemy formations, ideally on flat grounds. There was also the traditional horse mounted cavalry and also camel mounted cavalry, both served the traditional cavalry functions and fielded a mix of armor and weapons. Finally, there was the use of war elephants which were brought in from India on the empire's eastern reaches. These provided archers and a massive way to physically & psychologically break opposing forces.

The navy was utilized upon the empire's reaching the Mediterranean and engaged in both battles at sea and for troop transport to areas where troops needing deploying overseas, namely in Greece.

The ethnic composition of Achaemenid military was quite varied ranging from a Persian core with other Iranian peoples such as the Medians, Sogdian, Bactrians and Scythians joining at various times. Others including Anatolians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Anatolians, Indians, Arabs, Jews, Phoenicians, Thracians, Egyptians, Ethiopians, Libyans & Greeks among others.

Their opponents ranged from the various peoples they conquered starting with the Persian conquest of the Medians to the Neo-Babylonians, Lydians, Thracians, Greeks, Egyptians, Arabs & Indians and various others. A hallmark of the empire was to allow the local traditions of subjugated areas to persist so long as garrisons were maintained, taxes were collected, local forces provided levies to the military in times of war, and they did not rebel against the central authority.

Economy: Because of the efficient and extensive road system within the vast empire, trade flourished in a way not yet seen in the varied regions it encompassed. Tax districts were established with the satrapies and could be collected with relative efficiency. Commodities such as gold & jewels from India to the grains of the Nile River valley in Egypt & the dyes of the Phoenicians passed throughout the realm's reaches. Tariffs on trade & agricultural produce provided revenue for the state.

Lifespan: The empire was founded by Cyrus the Great circa 550BC with his eventual conquest of the Median & Lydian Empires. He started out as Cyrus II, King of Persia a client kingdom of the Median Empire. His reign starting in 559BC. Having overthrown and overtaken the Medians, he turned his attention Lydia and the rest of Anatolia (Asia Minor). He later attacked the Eastern Iranian peoples in Bactria, Sogdia and others. He also crossed the Hindu Kush mountains and attacked the Indus Valley getting tribute from various cities.

Cyrus then turned his attention to the west by dealing with the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Following his victory in 539BC at the Battle of Opis, the Persians conquered the Babylonia with relative quickness.

By the time of Cyrus's death his empire had the largest recorded in world history up to that point spanning from Anatolia to the Indus.

Cyrus was succeeded by his sons Cambyses II and Bardiya. Bardiya was replaced by his distant cousin Darius I also known as Darius the Great, whose lineage would constitute a number of the subsequent King of Kings.

Darius faced many rebellions which he put down in succession. His reign is marked by changes to the currency and the largest territorial expansion of the empire. An empire at its absolute zenith. He conquered large swaths of Egypt, the Indus Valley, European Scythia, Thrace & Greece. He also had exploration of the Indian Ocean from the Indus River to Suez Egypt undertaken.

The Greek kingdom of Macedon in the north reaches of the Hellenic world voluntarily became a vassal of Persia in order to avoid destruction. This would prove to be a fateful first contact with this polity that would in time unite the Greek-speaking world in the conquest of the Achaemenid Empire. However, at the time of Darius I's the reign, there were no early indications of this course of events as Macedon was considered even by other Greek states a relative backwater.

Nevertheless, the Battle of Marathon in 490BC halted the conquest of mainland Greece for a decade and showed a check on Persia's power in ways not yet seen. It is also regarded as preserving Classical Greek civilization and is celebrated to this day as an important in the annals of Western civilization more broadly given Classical Greece & in particular Athens's influence on western culture and values.

Xerxes I, son of Darius I vowed to conquer Greece and lead a subsequent invasion in 480BC-479BC. Xerxes originally saw the submission of northern Greece including Macedon but was delayed by the Greeks at the Battle of Thermopylae, most famously by Spartan King Leonidas and his small troop (the famed 300). Though the Persians won the battle it was regarded as a costly victory and one that inspired the Greeks to further resistance. Though Athens was sacked & burnt by the Persians, the subsequent victories on sea & land at Salamis & Plataea drove the Persians back from control over Greece. Though war would rage on until 449BC with the expulsion of the Persians from Europe by the Greeks.

However, the Greeks found themselves in a civil war between Athens & Sparta and Persia having resented the Athenian led coalition against their rule which had expelled them from Europe sought to indirectly weaken the Greeks by supporting Greek factions opposed to Athens through political & financial support.

Following this reversal of fortune abroad, the Achaemenid Empire not able to regain its foothold in Europe, turned inward and focused more on its cultural development. Zoroastrianism became the de-facto official religion of the empire. Additionally, architectural achievements and improvements in its many capitals were undertaken which displayed the empire's wealth. Artaxerxes II who reigned from 405BC-358BC had the longest reign of any Achaemenid ruler and it was characterized by relative peace and stability, though he contended with a number of rebellions including the Great Satraps Revolt of 366BC-360BC which took place in Anatolia and Armenia. Though he was successful in putting down the revolt. He also found himself at war with the Spartans and began to sponsor the Athenians and others against them, showcasing the ever dynamic and changing Greco-Persian relations of the time.

Partially for safety reasons, Persepolis was once again made the capital under Artaxerxes II. He helped expand the city and create many of its monuments.

Artaxerxes III feared the satraps could no longer be trusted in western Asia and ordered their armies disbanded. He faced a campaign against them which suffered some initial defeats before overcoming these rebellions, some leaders of which sought asylum in the Kingom of Macedon under its ruler Philip II (father of Alexander the Great).

Meanwhile, Egypt had effectively become independent from central Achaemenid rule and Artaxerxes III reinvaded in around 340BC-339BC. He faced stiff resistance at times but overcame the Egyptians and the last native Egyptian Pharaoh Nectanebo II was driven from power. From that time on ancient Egypt would be ruled by foreigners who held the title Pharaoh.

Artaxerxes III also faced rebellion from the Phoenicians and originally was ejected from the area of modern coastal Lebanon, Syria & Israel but came back with a large army subsequently reconquered the area including burning the Phoenician city of Sidon down which killed thousands.

Following Artaxerxes III's death his son succeeded him but a case of political intrigue & dynastic murder followed. Eventually Darius III a distant relation within the dynasty took the throne in 336BC hoping to give his reign an element of stability.

Meanwhile in Greece, due to the military reforms and innovations of Philip II, King of Macedon, the Greek speaking world was now unified under Macedon's hegemony. With Philip II holding the title of Hegemon of the Hellenic League, a relatively unified coalition of Greek kingdoms and city-states under Macedon premiership that formed to eventually invade Persia. However, Philip was murdered before his planned invasion of Asia Minor (the Achaemenid's westernmost territory) could commence. His son Alexander III (Alexander the Great) took his father's reforms and consolidated his hold over Greece before crossing over to Anatolia himself.

Darius III had just finished reconquering some rebelling vestiges of Egypt when Alexander army crossed over into Asia Minor circa 334BC. Over the course of 10 years Alexander's major project unfolded, the Macedonian conquest of the Persian Empire. He famously defeated Persians at Granicus, Issus and Gaugamela. The latter two battles against Darius III in person. He took the King of Kings family hostage but treated them well while Darius evacuated to the far eastern reaches of his empire to evade capture. He was subsequently killed by one of his relatives & satraps Bessus, whom Alexander eventually had killed. Bessus had declared himself King of Kings though this wasn't widely recognized and most historians regard Darius III, the last legitimate ShahanShah of Achaemenids.

Alexander had taken Babylon, Susa & Persepolis by 330BC and effectively himself was now ruler of the Persian Empire or at least its western half. In addition to being King of Macedon & Hegemon of the Hellenic League, he gained the titles King of Persia, Pharaoh of Egypt & Lord of Asia. Alexander would in time eventually subdue the eastern portions of the Achaemenid realm including parts of the Indus Valley before turning back to Persia and Babylon where he subsequently became ill and died in June 323BC at age 32. Alexander's intentions it appears were never to replace the Achaemenid government & cultural structure, in fact he planned to maintain and hybridize it with his native Greek culture. He was in fact an admirer of Cyrus the Great (even restoring his tomb after looting) & adopted many Persian customs and dress. He even allowed the Persians to practice their religion and had Persian and Greeks start to serve together in his army. Following his death and with no established successor meant the empire he established which essentially was the whole Achaemenid Empire's territory in addition to the Hellenic world fragmented into different areas run by his most trusted generals who established their own dynasties. The Asian territories from Anatolia to the Indus (including Iran and Mesopotamia) gave way to the Hellenic ruled Seleucid Empire while Egypt became the Hellenic ruled Ptolemaic Kingdom. The synthesis of Persian and Greek cultures continued in the Seleucid and Greco-Bactrian kingdoms of antiquity.

The Achaemenid Empire lasted for a little over two centuries (550BC-330BC) but it casted a long shadow over history. Its influence on Iran alone has persisted into the modern age with every subsequent Persian Empire claiming to be its rightful successor from the Parthian & Sasanian Empires of pre-Islamic Iran to the Safavids of the 16th-18th century and the usage of the title Shah until the last Shah's ejection from power in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Even the modern Islamic Republic of Iran uses Achaemenid imagery in some military regiments and plays up its importance in tourism and museums as a source of pride to Persian (Farsi) & indeed Iranian heritage. Likewise, its form of governance and the pushing of the concept of divine rights of kings would transplant from its Greek conquerors into the rest of Europe along with various other institutions such as its road & mail system, tax collection & flourishing trade. Its mix of centralized & decentralized governance. Its religious & cultural tolerance of local regions even after their conquest would likewise serve as a template for other empires throughout history too. The Achaemenid Empire served as a template for vast international & transcontinental empires that would follow in its wake & surpass its size & scope of influence. However, it is worth studying for in its time, it was unprecedented, and its innovations so admired by the likes of Alexander the Great and others echo into the modern era.

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listen-to-the-inner-walrus · 8 months

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What's your favorite rare fact about ships/shipwrecks? Like one most people don't know?

oh oh oh!!! i know exactly which one fits this anon!!!

off the top of your head, how old do you reckon the oldest shipwreck ever found is?

since its most peoples reference point, titanics wreck is 111 years old. the vasa is just under 400 years old. mary rose is nearing 500 years. (both of these have since been raised to the surface)

so like, how old is the oldest?

2400 years old

this ship sank before alexander the great was born and the wreck is intact

[photo id: a digital map of the ship that was created by two ROVs after surveying her]

we dont know exactly where she is, but shes laying on her side over 2000m down somewhere off the coast of bulgaria.

(the exact position is unlikely to be released publically to deter vandalism or theft.)

shes known as the greek trading ship and shes incredibly well preserved due to the anoxic nature of the water in the black sea. [x]

its insane to me that it fucking exists????? like this shipwreck is around 2400 years old and shes better preserved than the titanic wreck is.

like just look at the picture again and remember, this ship sank before alexander the great was born. it makes me go feral like i want to crawl along the ceiling and bite the concept of time.

so yeah, heres a fun fact for when you want to break someones brain for a bit :D

#anon #ask games #kai rambles #every time i remember it #i just #WHAT IS TIME #shipping history #greek trading ship #ancient greece #history #i nearly went with 2x shipwreck hero guitarist moss hills #but this one just edges it out #shipposting

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iamthetruenhaz · 1 year

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Today on the Balkans, there is a custom with variations in different countries that celebrates the coming of spring. In Bulgaria and North Macedonia it's Baba Marta (Granny March), in Romania it's Mărţişor, in Greece it's Martis. It's usually something along the lines of giving people small charms (to be worn as pins) or bracelets made of white and red yarn or similar. In Bulgaria, those are called Martenitsi (March things) and often include two red and white puppets in the form of a man and woman, Pizho and Penda:

As per tradition, when you see a migratory bird (usually a stork), you take the martenitsa off yourself and hang it on a tree.

There is the Bulgarian myth that when Khan Asparukh founded Bulgaria in 681, he sent a falcon with a sign to his brother, Khan Bayan, who had stayed behind in Old Great Bulgaria (on the territory of today's Ukraine) to defend it against Khazar raids. Asparukh tied a length of yarn to the falcon's foot to mark it. When the bird reached Bayan, he lay slain in battle and half of the yarn became soaked in his blood, creating the first martenitsa. As I found out, this myth was fabricated in the 30s but I can't say if it is fully fictional.

Often, as it happens on the Balkans, there is an air of "we invented this tradition, yours is a copycat" when talking about March customs. I hope we can celebrate cultural unity instead. Happy Baba Marta/Marţişor/Martis/Verore to all Balkan people here! 🤍❤️

#Bulgaria #Balkan #baba marta

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sitp-recs · 1 year

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hii! i hope you’re doing well!! i was wondering if you have any long-ish fic recs that are harry-centric? ive been rescind a lot of draco centric fics lately and while i adore those i was hoping a for a bit of change and you have the best taste in fics so i came straight here 😅🌸 thanks in advance

Hi there! Thank you, I’m so happy you enjoy the recs 💜 here are some great Harry-centric long fics, I hope you enjoy:

At the Doorway, On the Stair by dwell_the_brave (T, 30k)

A year after Draco Malfoy goes missing, his mother has one last option—Harry Potter. Having left the Auror department and made a name for himself as a Private Investigator, Harry cannot help but get involved in the disappearance of Draco Malfoy.

Faint Indirections by ignatiustrout (T, 30k)

Draco Malfoy is the last person Harry expects to turn up in Boston, Massachussetts. But now he's here, and he won't stop requesting books from the library where Harry works.

On Your Shore by @xanthippe74 (M, 35k)

Clearing out a remote house full of cursed collectibles in the Outer Hebrides? Not a problem for an experienced curse breaker like Harry Potter. Spending a week with the straight, happily-married man that he’s starting to have feelings for? And sharing a bed with him at night? Surely Harry can handle that, too.

Rush (For A Gap That Exists) by @sleepstxtic-drarry (M, 42k)

A story of love and loss that grew amidst the most infamous rivalry in Formula One history: the story of Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter.

Blood and Fire by @lqtraintracks (E, 45k)

Harry has spent the last twelve years in Romania, not returning to England as often as he knows he should. It's complicated. But when Ginny asks him to be her best man and help her plan her wedding, he can't say no.

The Way We Wind by @thesleepiesthufflepuff (E, 45k)

After the war, Harry’s life falls to shambles. Each day revolves around an intense battle with his mental health, and there’s nothing that Ron or Hermione can do to help him.

fly like paper, high like planes by @harryromper (M, 47k)

Harry Potter, Head Coach of the Appleby Arrows, is very content leading a quiet life. He has a doddery old house-elf who makes his breakfast, a team of players who love Quidditch almost as much as he does, and a Kneazle that curls against his damaged leg at the foot of his bed at night.

Crossing Lines by Ren (E, 48k)

While investigating a ring of smugglers, the Aurors receive a tip saying that the European Express is being used to move contraband across state lines. To solve the case, Harry has to unmask the smugglers and find the hidden contraband before the luxury train reaches Bulgaria.

Here's The Pencil, Make It Work by ignatiustrout (M, 49k)

Harry thinks "Why is Malfoy working in a coffee shop in muggle London?" is a much simpler question than, "Are you going to accept that auror offer and, if you don't, what will you do?"

I Won't Let You Fall Apart by @xanthippe74 (M, 50k)

Harry has spent the year after the war staying out of the public eye, dodging political battles, and standing firm against pressure from his friends. But he has a secret plan to get away from it all. He just needs to testify at one more Death Eater trial: Draco Malfoy’s.

New Message by @m0srael (T, 58k)

Harry Potter has a crush on his roommate--like, a BIG one--but he can't say anything to him, can he?! Naturally, he does what any early 2000s young adult would do and asks the internet for help, and gets a lot more back than he expected.

Modern Love by @tackytigerfic (E, 61k)

Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is.

The Beauty of Thestrals and Other Unseen Things by @writcraft (E, 63k)

Harry has terrific friends, an amazing girlfriend and his job as Head Auror enables him to work on challenging cases and Ministry reform. He just wishes he could work out why he’s been so out of sorts.

The Promise of Summer by Omi_Ohmy (M, 66k)

How was Harry supposed to know that coming back for eighth year would be so confusing? Everything is the same, and yet not the same. And nowhere is this more obvious than with Draco Malfoy.

Crown Witness by @slytherco (E, 70k)

After the war, wizarding society is oppressed by a new kind of plague—an organised crime group calling itself the Family. When Harry Potter goes to interrogate a potential witness, he doesn’t expect to end up on the run again, trying to keep Draco Malfoy alive, while a manhunt follows in their footsteps, adamant on eliminating the one witness that could ruin everything.

Little Deaths and How to Avoid Them (or Draco Malfoy's Guide to Stop Dying and Start Living Instead) by nerakrose (T, 96k)

Malfoy is way too interested in coroner reports for somebody who's definitely not looking for ways to die, Harry wants to be friends with him, and Ginny wants to break up with Harry.

Pages of You by @wolfpants (E, 101k)

Summer, 1980. Harry is floating between university and becoming a Real Certified Adult. He's not ready. He really isn't. In a desperate attempt to have the Best Last Summer ever, he takes a casual job at his godfather's bookshop in London, starts an illicit pen pal affair with a wordy posh boy that he's catching feelings for, all while dealing with the son of Sirius's business rival, one Draco Malfoy, insufferable know-it-all extraordinaire.

Make Yourself by AnyaElizabeth (E, 103k)

Harry just wants to be safe within the freshly painted walls of Grimmauld Place, with his friends around him. But when he hears Draco Malfoy has been spotted at the local soup kitchen, he can't help but encourage a different type of stray to come under his roof.

By the Grace by lettered (T, 140k)

Harry is an Auror instructor. Malfoy wants to be an Auror.

where all the veins meet by eight_of_wands (E, 146k)

It's the summer of 1998. The battle is over, and Voldemort is dead, but Harry still has more questions than answers. Who is he without a piece of Voldemort's soul in his head? What is he supposed to do now? His friends try to help, but the only thing that can hold his attention—one of the only things that ever has—is Draco Malfoy, out on parole and weirdly hanging around the British Museum.

#asks #anon #drarry reclist #long Harry-centric fics

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dreamsequencermusic · 6 months

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youtube

I recently went back to the my old hometown in Bulgaria. The place where I grew up. The place where made my first friend, fell in love and spent 23 years of my life in total.

It was unrecognizable, to say the least. Most of the houses and buildings are in f**king ruins, including mine. There's like 200 people left in it. No one seems to care. Time has stopped somewhere in the 90s. It's dying.

I felt a mixture of nostalgia, sadness and pure anger. I couldn't help but shed a tear or two even. Such a shame. The village has a great geolocation, next to the Danube river and rich roman history.

So much potential, wasted. But it's okay. That's entropy, I guess, that's life. All good things come to an end eventually, and my lovely Vrav is not an exception. This tune is an attempt to keep the memory of it a bit longer.

Here's some more info on it, if anyone's interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vrav https://www.selo-vrav.com/

Peace.

If you like my music, please consider subscribing or checking it out on other platforms:

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6l9r9...

🌊 Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/artist/5023593

🍎 Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dre...

🌌 Bandcamp: https://thedreamsequencer.bandcamp.com/

🎶 Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/dream-sequencer

#dark ambient #ambient music #dark music #dark ambient music #dream sequencer #dark aesthetic #Youtube

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paganimagevault · 1 year

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Cyrus the Great with a Hemhem crown from Pasagardae 559-530 BCE.

"The four-winged guardian figure representing Cyrus the Great or a four-winged Cherub tutelary deity. Bas-relief found on a doorway pillar at Pasargadae on top of which was once inscribed in three languages the sentence "I am Cyrus the king, an Achaemenian." Scholars who doubt that the relief depicts Cyrus note that the same inscription is written on other palaces in the complex."

"Cyrus II of Persia (c. 600–530 BC; Old Persian: 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 Kūruš), commonly known as Cyrus the Great and also called Cyrus the Elder by the Greeks, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all of the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Western Asia and much of Central Asia. Spanning from the Mediterranean Sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, the empire created by Cyrus was the largest the world had yet seen. At its maximum extent under his successors, the Achaemenid Empire stretched from parts of the Balkans (Eastern Bulgaria–Paeonia and Thrace–Macedonia) and Southeast Europe proper in the west to the Indus Valley in the east.

The reign of Cyrus lasted about thirty years; his empire took root with his conquest of the Median Empire followed by the Lydian Empire and eventually the Neo-Babylonian Empire. He also led an expedition into Central Asia, which resulted in major campaigns that were described as having brought "into subjection every nation without exception". Cyrus did not venture into Egypt, and was alleged to have died in battle while fighting the Massagetae, an ancient Eastern Iranian nomadic tribal confederation, along the Syr Darya in December 530 BC. However, Xenophon claimed that Cyrus did not die in battle and returned to the Achaemenid ceremonial capital of Persepolis again. He was succeeded by his son, Cambyses II, who managed to conquer Egypt, Nubia and Cyrenaica during his short rule.

Cyrus is well-known for having respected the customs and religions of the lands he conquered. He was important in developing the system of a central administration at Pasargadae governing satraps in the empire's border regions, which worked very effectively and profitably for both rulers and subjects. The Edict of Restoration, a proclamation attested by a cylinder seal in which Cyrus authorized and encouraged the return of the Israelites to the Land of Israel following his conquest of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, is described in the Bible and likewise left a lasting legacy on the Jewish religion due to his role in ending the Babylonian captivity and facilitating the Jewish return to Zion. According to Isaiah 45:1 of the Hebrew Bible, God anointed Cyrus for this task, even referring to him as a Messiah (lit. 'anointed one'); Cyrus is the only non-Jewish figure in the Bible to be revered in this capacity."

-taken from wikipedia

#persian history #cyrus #persia #iranian #antiquity #antiquities #statue #sculpture #art #history #ancient history #pagan #paganism

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usafphantom2 · 2 months

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Restoration of the Smithsonian’s Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik

March 27, 2024 Vintage Aviation News Warbird Restorations 0

Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik arrived at the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar at the Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. November 18, 2021. (Smithsonian photo by Mark Avino)

United Fuel Cells

By Adam Estes

In the desperate and cataclysmic struggle that was the Eastern Front of World War II, which the countries of the former Soviet Union still call the Great Patriotic War, the Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik (Shturmovik being a general term for attack aircraft in the Soviet Air Forces) was deemed by Stalin to be just as vital to the Red Army as air and bread. Designed by a team led by Sergey Ilyushin in 1938, the prototype for what would become the Il-2, then called the TsKB-57, first flew a year later in 1939 and was just beginning to enter production and operational service when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. As the relatively few Shturmoviks built up to that point where rushed into service, most of the factories tasked with building the Il-2s were forced to hastily relocate east of the Ural Mountains, where unskilled workers struggled to keep up with the production quotas sent from the Kremlin, but as the tide of war turned in the Soviets favor, the Shturmovik, much like the T-34 medium tank, would meet the Germans with numbers and determination. They were flown by crews from across the Soviet Union, who served as pilots and rear gunners, while ground crews worked tirelessly to repair and rearm Shturmoviks returning from the front.

Over 36,000 Il-2s of both single-seater and two-seater varieties were manufactured, making it the single-most produced military aircraft in aviation history. With its armored cockpit and engine compartment and wide array of armaments, from 23mm cannons to unguided rockets and various types of anti-personnel and anti-vehicle bombs, the Il-2s provided close air support for Soviet infantry and armored units, and were a vital part of Soviet military aviation, from the defense of Moscow to the Battle of Berlin. After the collapse of Nazi Germany, many Il-2s were exported to the Soviet Union’s new satellite states, such as Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Mongolia, and Yugoslavia (though this latter state would soon become a non-aligned nation during the Cold War). The Il-2, which would be codenamed the “Bark” by NATO, also led to the development of the Il-10 (NATO codename “Beast”), which served not only in the latter stages of World War II but in the Korean War as well. A number of Shturmoviks can be found in museums in Eastern Europe, though three examples have made their way to the United States since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, including a single example currently under restoration at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

The Museum’s Shturmovik at its current location at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility in Suitland, Maryland. Image by Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

The identity of the Shturmovik in the Smithsonian is still surrounded by mystery and ambiguity. It is a composite aircraft made from the remains of three or four Shturmoviks recovered from the bottom of lakes near Leningrad and Murmansk in the early 1990s. With the fall of the Iron Curtain t, it suddenly became easier for Western warbird collectors and restorers to recover wrecks of German and Soviet aircraft from the battlefields of the Great Patriotic War. In addition, it opened once-classified former Soviet archives to Western historians. And while more wrecks would be recovered up to the present day, the current situation with the Russo-Ukrainian War and the subsequent sanctions from NATO countries in response to Russia’s aggression has made it increasingly difficult for old wrecks to leave Russia or for Western scholars to visit those same archives.

However, during the 1990s, a Russian team of restorers would reassemble a Shturmovik in St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad) out of several recovered wrecks. At the time, the Smithsonian was informed by Russian sources that the basis for their Shturmovik had been one that had been shot down on the Leningrad front on March 15, 1944 while being flown, and was being flown by Lt. Ivan Maksimovih Andreyev and Sgt. Goncharov. Later investigative work has revealed that there was little information to substantiate the story, and with no data plates recovered from the wrecks, the National Air and Space Museum has since retracted their earlier stance. Another complicating factor in terms of the restoration was the way in which the aircraft was assembled in Russia. In the article The Flying Tank, written by James R. Chiles in the June 2022 issue of Air and Space Quarterly, restorer Bill Hadden said, “It appears that they used paint stripper and sand blasting and whatever was needed to remove corrosion and old paint before rebuilding the airplane…. For instance, the serial number was painted on in several places when they were manufactured…. With essentially all the original paint removed, we may never know the identity of our airplane or its particular service history.” Nevertheless, the Russians installed an original, albiet non-operational, Mikulin AM-38 V-12 inline engine, reassembled the landing gear, and refurbished the cockpit. After decades of submersion in the frigid Russian waters, the wooden tail assembly had fallen apart, so a new assembly was built. Following all of this, the reassembled Shturmovik was coated in primer, but the final paint scheme was never completed because a deal had been made for the Smithsonian in a trade agreement.

A view inside the cockpit of the Museum’s Il-2 Shturmovik. Image by Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

In the spring of 1995, the still-unpainted Shturmovik arrived at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility in Suitland, Maryland. At the time it had gone to the Garber Facility, aviation enthusiasts could go on pre-arranged, docent-led public tours of the facility’s numerous warehouses and its restoration shop. But in 2003, with the opening of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia, the tours gradually came to an end, and those aircraft that had not gone to Dulles before the opening of the massive new museum would remain at Garber, away from public view.

The beginning of the ongoing renovations to the National Mall location would see some aircraft pulled out of Garber to be eventually displayed either at the National Mall or at the Udvar-Hazy Center, and with a new layout in store for the museum’s World War II in the Air gallery, the Smithsonian’s Shturmovik seemed the perfect fit to bring light to the Soviet perspective of World War II aviation. On November 18, 2021, the Il-2 arrived at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center’s Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, where visitors can view the ongoing restoration projects from a second-story glass mezzanine.

Overhead view of Museum Specialist Jay Flanagan working on the new tail section of the fuselage he is building for the Ilyushin IL-2 Shturmovik in the background, while Museum Specialist Bill Hadden works on the horizontal stabilizer in the background in the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. Image by Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

After it arrived in the Engen Restoration Hangar, NASM restoration specialists began analyzing the Shturmovik and preparing it for restoration. In this evaluation, the wooden tail reproduced by the Russian team in St. Petersburg was considered to be a poor facsimile with numerous structural problems. Luckily for the Smithsonian, enthusiasts of the Shturmovik were willing to help, providing access to manuals and reference materials, which would provide valuable information once translated into English.

The restoration staff has received further assistance from the Pima Air and Space Museum of Tucson, Arizona, which is home to another Il-2 recovered from the Eastern Front. Pima provided the NASM restoration team with digital copies of their engineering drawings used in their own restoration. These have been especially helpful in the refabrication of the tail action, which differs only from those built in wartime Soviet factories with the use of modern epoxy resin as opposed to water-based wood glues.

Museum Specialist Tony Hare adjusts the landing gear flaps for the Ilyushin IL-2 Shturmovik in the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. Image by Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

The restoration has also revealed traces of the original paint on several components, with the standard black, brown/tan, and green scheme on the upper surfaces of the aircraft, and the light blue paint on the underside. The Smithsonian intends to replicate this scheme, which was common on most Shturmoviks of the mid to late-war period. Other discoveries made during the restoration have led NASM officials to conclude that the aircraft was assembled in late 1943 at Zavod No.18 (Factory No.18) at Samara (known during the days of the USSR as Kuybyshev).

When the Shturmovik is complete, it will be placed on public display for the first time at the National Mall location’s upcoming Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air Gallery alongside several other aircraft, including the Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 flown by French defector René Darbois (previously covered here: Smithsonian’s Bf 109 Unveils a Hidden Story of Resistance ), the museum’s North American P-51D Mustang and General Motors FM-1 Wildcat.

With the IL-2, the Soviet perspective of WWII/Great Patriotic War, made all the more prescient by the current war between Russia and Ukraine being fought on some of the same battlefields in which Soviet aircrews flew their Shturmoviks against the Germans, can be told in ways that the original gallery, opened in 1976, was unable to do. Among the stories of Soviet aircrews that the museum intends to highlight is that of Anna Yegorova, who after flying reconnaissance missions in the Polikarpov U-2/Po-2 biplane, would fly 41 of her 277 combat missions in Shturmoviks until she was shot down in August 1944, and was held as a prisoner in the Küstrin sub-camp of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, until it was liberatedin January 1945. Like many Soviet POWs, Yegorova was interrogated by the NKVD, and it would be twenty years before she was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union, the country’s highest military decoration.

Besides the example being restored at the National Air and Space Museum, there are two more Il-2s in the United States. Il-2m3 s/n 305401 has been restored to airworthiness at the Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum in Everett, Washington, along with parts of three other Shturmovik wrecks and powered by a Jose Flores-built Allison V-1710 in lieu of the original Mikulin AM-38 V-12 engine. The other is the aforementioned example in the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, and is currently on static display in the museum’s Hangar 3.

For more information on the Shturmovik and other projects, visit Homepage | National Air and Space Museum (si.edu).

Special thanks to Dr. Alex Spencer for his contributions to the making of this article.

@Vintageavaitionnews via X

#il2 #ww2 #russian air force #bomber

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lactodebillus-bulgaricus · 4 months

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world academy w headmaster: sir I've called u over to discuss ur son's issues. he's extremely distractible, he's never listening to the lessons, he's always somewhere else mentally, his grades are flunking

old great bulgaria *isn't even listening to him, he's staring into nothingness, probably thinking about yogurt*

#world academy w headmaster: HEY ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME #hetalia #gakuen hetalia #gakuen au #aph bulgaria #hws bulgaria #hetalia bulgaria #hetalia oc #aph bulgar #hws bulgar #hetalia bulgar #aph old great bulgaria #hws old great bulgaria #hetalia old great bulgaria

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orthodoxydaily · 7 months

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Saints&Reading: Saturday, October 21, 2023

october 8_october 21

VENERABLE PELAGIA (457) THE PENITENT OF THE Mt OF OLIVES

Saint Pelagia the Penitent was converted to Christianity by Saint Nonnus, Bishop of Edessa (Saturday of Cheesefare Week). Before her acceptance of Christianity through Baptism, Pelagia was head of a dance troupe in Palestinian Antioch, living a life of frivolity and prostitution.

On the following day, when Saint Nonnus was teaching in the church about the dread Last Judgment and its consequences, Pelagia came. The teaching made a tremendous impression upon her. With the fear of God and weeping tears of repentance, she asked the saint for Baptism. Seeing her sincere and full repentance, Bishop Nonnus baptized her.

By night the devil appeared to Pelagia, urging her to return to her former life. The saint prayed, signed herself with the Sign of the Cross, and the devil vanished.

Three days after her baptism, Saint Pelagia gathered up her valuables and took them to Bishop Nonnus. The bishop ordered that they be distributed among the poor saying, “Let this be wisely dispersed, so that these riches gained by sin may become a wealth of righteousness.” After this Saint Pelagia journeyed to Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives. She lived there in a cell, disguised as the monk Pelagius, living in ascetic seclusion, and attaining great spiritual gifts. When she died, she was buried in her cell.

Source: Orthodox Church in America_OCA

NEW MONK-MARTYR IGNATIUS of BULGARIA and Mt ATHOS (1814).

The holy New Martyr Ignatius was born in the village of Eski Zagora in the Trnovo region of Bulgaria, and was named John in Baptism. While he was still a young child, his parents George and Maria moved to the city of Philippopolis and enrolled him in a school there.

Although he did well at school, he had a strong desire for the monastic life. Upon reaching adulthood, he entered the Rila monastery in western Bulgaria. There he was assigned to an Elder, with whom he lived in obedience for six years. When the Elder’s strictness became unbearable, John returned home.

About that time the Serbs rose in revolt against the Moslem government. John’s father was asked to take command of an Ottoman brigade, but he refused to fight against other Orthodox Christians.

The Moslems attacked George with furious anger. He was stabbed and then beheaded. John’s mother and sisters were also taken by the Hagarenes, and they ultimately agreed to convert to Islam.

John fled and hid in the home of an elderly Orthodox woman. His mother and sisters learned where he was hiding, and they told the Moslems. Those sent to capture him did not know what he looked like, so the old woman told them she did not know him. The woman helped him escape to Bucharest, Romania, where he became acquainted with Saint Euthymius, who would also endure martyrdom.

John did not wish to stay in Bucharest, however, and so he left for Mt. Athos. On the way he visited the village of Soumla, where he ran into his friend Father Euthymius again. Learning that Euthymius had denied Christ and beome a Moslem, John became very sad and left the village.

He had not gotten very far when Turkish soldiers stopped him and took all his possessions. They demanded that he convert to Islam, and in his fright he told them that he would do so. Satisfied with this reply, they let him go.

John reached the village of Eski Zagora, where he met an Athonite monk from the monastery of Grigoriou. They journeyed to the Holy Mountain together, and John settled in the Skete of Saint Anna. There he met Father Basil.

One day John and Father Basil traveled to Thessalonica on monastery business. While they were there the monks David and Euthymius of Demetsana suffered martyrdom because they were Christians. John was inflamed with the desire for martyrdom. Father Basil, however, urged him to postpone his intention, and so they returned to the Holy Mountain. A short time after this, Father Basil died.

When a monk from the Skete of Saint Anna told him of the martyrdom of the New Martyr Euthymius (March 22), John was once more filled with zeal for martyrdom. He was placed under the spiritual direction of the Elder Acacius, who prescribed for him prayer, prostrations, and reading the Gospel.

In time, John was found worthy of monastic tonsure, and was given the new name Ignatius. The Elder Acacius blessed him to travel to Constantinople with the monk Gregory in order to bear witness to Christ. After receiving the Holy Mysteries in Constantinople, Ignatius felt he was ready for his ordeal.

Dressed in Moslem garb, Ignatius went before the kadi and proclaimed his faith in Christ. He told him how he had promised to become a Moslem when he was younger, but now he threw his turban at the kadi’s feet and said that he would never deny Christ.

Thinking that Ignatius was insane, the kadi warned him that if he did not come to his senses he would endure horrible torments before being put to death. On the other hand, if he embraced Islam, he would receive rich gifts and great honor from them.

The courageous martyr told the kadi to keep his gifts, for they were merely temporal gifts. “Your threats of torture and death are nothing new,” he said, “and I knew of them before I came here. In fact, I came here because of them, so that I might die for my Christ.”

Saint Ignatius went on to call Mohammed “a false prophet, a teacher of perdition, and a friend of the devil.” Then he invited the Moslems to believe in Christ, the only true God.

The kadi then became so angry he could not speak, so he motioned for a servant to lead Saint Ignatius out of the room. Ignatius turned and struck the servant, then knelt before the kadi and bent his neck, as if inviting him to behead him then and there. Other servants entered the room, however, and dragged him off to prison.

Later, Ignatius was brought before the kadi for questioning. When asked who had brought him to Constantinople, he replied, “My Lord Jesus Christ brought me here.”

Again the kadi urged him to reconsider, for he was about to experience unimaginable tortures. “Do not expect to be beheaded so that the Christians can collect your blood as a blessing,” he said, “for I intend to hang you.”

Ignatius replied, “You will be doing me a great service whether you hang me or put me to the sword. I accept everything for the love of Christ.”

Seeing that he could not turn Ignatius from his Christian Faith, the kadi ordered him to be hanged. He was taken to a place called Daktyloporta, where the sentence was carried out. The martyr’s body remained hanging there for three days, then some pious Christians paid a ransom for it and took it to the island of Prote for burial.

Saint Ignatius gave his life for Christ on October 8, 1814. He is also commemorated on May 1 with Saints Acacius and Euthymius.

The head of Saint Ignatius is in the Monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mt Athos.

Source: Orthodox Church in America_OCA

2 CORINTHIANS 1:8-11

8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, 10 who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, 11 you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.

LUKE 5:27-32

27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. 29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 30 And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" 31 Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance

#orthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #easternorthodoxchurch #originofchristianity #spirituality #holyscriptures #bible #gospel #wisdom

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sisididis · 1 year

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Romania and his relationships

La mulți ani, România! 🇷🇴

As a special treat for today, here are some headcanons about Ro and his closest relationships throughout the years. The lines stand for family, friends and tense relations.

Romania

Was "born" as a result of the Romanization of Dacia (106 - 271 CE)

And gradually became known as Wallachia even though he represented all the Romanians in the Carpato-Danubian-Pontic territory.

A troublemaker with a fatalist attitude.

He's a gourmand but regrets it because his food is heavy.

Is acutely aware of his position as a Latin "island" in a Slavic "sea” and is extra sensitive when people try to deny his heritage.

Has a complicated relationship with the Church. His faith is almost as important to his identity as his language because it kept him from assimilating with the empires which ruled him (the Catholic Austro-Hungarians and the Muslim Ottomans).

Lately, his fashion choices have become more daring and experimental.

He's very street-smart and can blend in with any crowd.

He's very superstitious and believes in old-world remedies. He’s big on conspiracies and sometimes thinks the world is plotting against him.

Is proud of the inventions his people gifted the world, like the fountain pen, the first experimental air jet, insulin and so on.

Does anything in his power to avoid staying in Bucharest and owns houses in several cities (like in Sibiu).

Still does not know what to make of communism.

He's a sweet tooth and has been known to claim ownership of his neighbors' food: "What do you mean găluște cu prune are not Romanian? Of course they are!"

He'll roll his eyes when he hears someone mention Dracula but will overlook it if it brings him 💰.

Can speak Greek thanks to being ruled by Phanariots for so long.

Wants to punch something every time Ned opens his mouth. The same goes for Hungary.

He's hardworking and eager to keep up with the rest of the world.

Romania has one of the highest emigration rates in the EU so Ro should have an episode in which he travels abroad to work just like Romano.

Romania and Bulgaria

One of Ro's closest and longest relationships.

They've seen each other at their best and worst.

Their earliest encounter occurred between the 3rd and 7th centuries when the Bulgar and Slav migratory peoples crossed Ro's territory to settle south of the Danube.

Back in the day, Bul personally taught Ro the Cyrillic alphabet. Ro went on to use it until 1862 when the then-ruler of the United Romanian Principalities decreed that the Latin alphabet must replace the Romanian Cyrillic alphabet.

That's right, kids. Romanian, a Latin language, used to be written in Slavic script.

Saw a great deal of each other during their time as Ottoman vassals.

Ro had personally sheltered Bul during his time as a revolutionary émigré. Wallachia became a safe haven for hundreds of Bulgarian revolutionaries during Ottoman rule. After Bulgaria's liberation in 1878, many chose to stay behind and settle in Romania.

Even though Ro and Bul did not always fight on the same side, they hold no resentment over their past. Only friendly jibes! Like Bul calling Ro a "shameless mămăligă eater."

Bul's seaside is very popular among Romanians, so Ro likes to visit Bul during summertime when Bul can hang out in his boxers all he wants and Ro can visit his late queen’s palace.

Nowadays, they bond over being EU’s late-bloomers and GOSSIP. Ro talks himself hoarse on the phone with Bul.

They also discuss the latest Turkish telenovelas but would rather die than admit they like them.

Ro and Russia

A very tense relationship

Have met first through Ro's little brother when Dimitrie Cantemir allied with Peter the Great to form an anti-Ottoman alliance.

Their relationship formalized during the 18th and 19th centuries when Russia demanded a say in Mol and Ro's internal affairs as the "big brother" of all Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire.

Even though the Russian occupation protectorate did not benefit Ro and Mol much, it introduced the two brothers to their first government by law.

With the occupation, the Russians also brought over nobility customs, like ballroom dancing.

After Russia helped Ro gain his independence from the Ottoman Empire, the relationship got warmer (for a while).

King Carol I of Romania had even considered Tsar Nicholas's eldest daughter, Olga, a potential bride for his grandson, Carol II.

But after the Bolshevik takeover and the assassination of the Romanovs, Ro and Russia's relationship turned icy again.

One of the most sensitive topics today is the loss of Romania's national treasure, which was transported to Russia during WWI for safekeeping. Romania had to decide between sending the treasure to Great Britain or Russia. In the end, we chose to send Russia 93 tons of treasure as a display of mutual trust. After the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks seized the treasure and refused to return it. Since then, minuscule parts of the treasure have been returned as displays of "goodwill."

Their relationship hit an all-time low after the loss of Moldova and the installation of the communist regime.

Nowadays, Ro tries to keep his distance from Russia as much as geographically possible.

Ro and Hungary

Ro’s other historically tumultuous relationship

Ro has been the underdog for much of their shared history, but the tables turned after 1918 with Transylvania's independence and Romania’s unification.

Ro remembers a time when both had fought against a common enemy - the Ottoman Empire.

But that alone isn't enough to get over their past.

Ro probably gatecrashed Austria and Hungary's wedding and did everything in his power to be a constant nuisance under their rule.

He sends text messages to Hungary every year on the 4th of August, saying, "you're welcome." Hungary knows to block his number on that day.

Nowadays, I see them being (somewhat) tolerant of each other (even cordial during spells of drunkenness).

Ro can speak fluent Hungarian and shares a people with Hungary.

Ro and Italy

Home to Ro's largest diaspora

One of Ro's closest relationships

Have an easy time understanding each other thanks to their common Latin heritage.

Italy is a popular holiday destination among Romanians, and Ro admires the Italy brothers' culture greatly.

Although they like to tease Ro about his Latin origins, which never fails to annoy Ro.

Ro and Spain

Home to Ro's second-largest diaspora

A generally warm relationship

Romanians are very taken with anything Spanish (see that Romania sent to Eurovision three songs in Spanish: Zaleilah, Llámame , Liubi Liubi, I Love You).

Also have an easy time understanding each other thanks to their common Latin heritage.

Both are very friendly and hospitable, but Ro tends to be more serious and pessimistic than Spain.

Ro is a big fan of Spanish telenovelas and has a romanticized image of Spain (flamenco, paella, sunshine and passionate lovers).

France and Ro

One of Ro's closest and most complicated relationships that had once resembled that between a mentor and his protégé.

Especially during Napoleon III's reign when Napoleon actively championed the unification of the Romanian Principalities (Ro and Mol) under a single ruler.

Take that Austro-Hungary, the UK and the Ottomans! 😝

Most of Ro's intellectual class during the 19th and early 20th century was educated in France or emigrated to France at some point.

In turn, plenty of important French figures contributed to Ro's modernization. French architects such as Albert Galleron built some of Romania's most symbolic landmarks, e.g., the Romanian Atheneum, while pioneers such as Carol Davila reformed Romania's national health system and founded its first ambulance system and Bucharest's School of Medicine.

Ro wanted to emulate everything French to the point that Bucharest became known as 'Little Paris' (see that we also have our own Arc de Triomphe).

Ro speaks fluent French and is an avid Francophile.

Although everyone jokes about the white-handkerchief-waving French, the opposite is true in Romania.

Much of the Romanian army's success on the Eastern Front during WWI was owed to General Henri Berthelot, who reorganized, equipped and trained the Romanian army.

After his mission here, he became so attached to Romania that upon seeing the Romanian detachment march during the 1919 Paris military parade, he told a French marshal: "Foch, saluez ! C'est la famille."

Much like Poland, Ro gave France some of his most brilliant minds and talents, like Constantin Brancuși, Emil Cioran, and Eugen Ionescu.

During the Cold War, Ro and France's relationship became colder. Yet Ro was grateful to France for sheltering his dissidents who fled the communist regime.

Nowadays, Ro still looks up to Francis but can't stand his arrogance.

Ro and Prussia

First came in contact during the Teutonic Knights' mission in Transylvania in 1211.

Maintained ties thanks to the presence of Saxons in Transylvania.

Ro and Gil became very, very close after the Romanian Parliament elected Prince Carol of the Prussian dynasty Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen to rule Romania.

Trash-talked Austria at every opportunity given the historical rivalry between the Habsburgs and the Hohenzollerns.

Had a tense relationship during WWI and WWII because Ro liked to switch sides a lot.

Ro was a neutral country until 1916, then an Entente power until 1917, then signed an armistice with the Central Powers in 1917, only to rejoin the war on the Entente's side ONE DAY before the war ended in 1918.

(Congrats Ro! You won the war out of sheer luck.)

Ro switched sides again during WWII and ended up on the Allies' side after initially joining the Axis.

You can see why Gil found Ro such a reliable ally.

Ro and Gil (then DDR) reconnected during the Cold War and maintain an amicable relationship today.

Ro speaks fluent German thanks to his Transylvanian Saxon population.

Mol and Ro

They're the cutest brothers, and I would die for them.

Their relationship holds a deep sense of loss and regret that might never disappear.

There was a time when Mol was admired by all his neighbors (like in 1497 when Ștefan cel Mare put the Polish in their place), and Ro was the proudest brother.

1859 - 1940 was perhaps the happiest time of their life because they were finally together.

Nowadays, Ro knows that Mol is not the same as he was before 1940.

After 1991, Mol found his voice, and Ro couldn't be prouder to see his little brother come into his own.

Still! His growth is so bittersweet!

Ro and Mol always give each other 12 points during Eurovision and consider it the height of betrayal if one doesn't.

Ro sometimes "forgets" to remind people that O-Zone was a Moldovan band.

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zyxwl2015 · 1 year

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A heartfelt story: Lando and Bankai

I don’t know if anyone has compiled this here before; but if you are interested, here is a heartwarming story about the friendship of Lando and Bankai 🧡

Lando loves gaming and streaming, that’s no secret. Back when he streamed almost everyday during the lockdown in 2020, at the end of each stream he always raided (aka. send his audience to another streamer) someone, and often he’d choose a small streamer he didn’t necessarily know anything about. (BTW this is a very nice thing to do, as Lando would usually have a few thousands of audience, so he can really help some of the small streamers.)

So one day he randomly chose Bankai, who is a streamer from Bulgaria. (Bankai had no idea who Lando is and that interaction was absolutely hilarious!) Bankai is not famous or wealthy at all; in fact he is as ordinary as you or me and he actually needs streaming to earn enough money to support his family (look at his cute son who just turned two years old!), as his regular job isn’t sufficient enough. Bankai usually streams Escape from Tarkov, at which he’s seriously one of the best player in the world I’m not even joking, and Lando was extremely impressed with his skill and since then they have become friends and they regularly play EFT together, also with Max Fewtrell and recently Matt Gallagher (ex-WTF1), up until this day. Oh Bankai is also one of the nicest person you would ever see, he always gives his high level gear in EFT to Lando and Max to help them out, his streams are so chilled and his community is also very nice with each other 🧡

Since they became friends, Lando have been very supportive to Bankai; he has gifted 775 (!!!) subs to Bankai, which, at the price of about $5 per sub, he has spent about $4000 of his own money to support his friend. And that’s not even the most heartwarming part: last year Lando invited Bankai to the Hungarian GP, as a McLaren VIP, so that Bankai can finally meet and see Lando race in person. Bankai spent the best time in his life there and it makes me so happy seeing Bankai happy and getting what he deserves 🧡🧡

Some of my favorite interactions between Lando and Bankai (other than the ones already linked):

Lando gifting 50 subs to Bankai shortly after they knew each other

Simply wholesome

Bankai being the great supportive friend he is

Casually dropping 100 subs to Bankai, leaving Bankai almost in tears

Just a normal stream title from Bankai

A typical gameplay between the two

#lando norris #Bankai

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idabbleincrazy · 7 months

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The Start of Something Old Ch.1

Fandom: Angel (Buffyverse)

Rating: E

Pairing: Spike/Lindsey/Angel (Splingel)

Word Count: 3495

Warnings: Sounding, double penetration, rough sex, oral, anal fingering, anal, subby Lindsey, biting, blood sharing, vampire dynamics

Summary: Angel gives Spike a very special gift.

A/N: ok, I finally found some headspace to get this done. Ended up more plotty than porny, and I'm not sure on some parts of it, but, it is what it is. Yay for finally finishing a Splingel, tho! Written for day two of Kinktober.

Squares Filled: enemies with benefits ( @julybreakbingo )

When he finally heard the elevator signaling Angel's arrival, Spike was splayed out across the bed, his cock ruddy and curved up towards his pale stomach, hard and leaking, his fists clenched in the sheets as he fought against the need to cum. He had kept himself on the edge, just as Angel had told him to. For two and a half agonizing hours. If Angel didn't let him finish soon, something was going to rupture.

Angel strode into the bedroom, pulling his gift to Spike along behind him. Spike sat up, his aching cock momentarily forgotten as he looked over his present.

"Not messing with me, are you, Angel?"

"Nope. He's all yours. For the month anyway. We'll figure out what to do with him after Halloween."

Spike's lips spread into a wicked smile and he climbed off the bed, crossing over to Angel. Pulling the older vampire away from the surprise offering, he captured his mouth in a deep kiss, both of them chuckling at the quiet whimper that sounded from beside them. Releasing his hold on Angel, Spike stepped over to stand in front of the shorter man.

"All mine to use as I see fit, for a whole month. Surprised you went in for it, Texas."

"Wasn't exactly a hard sell, Blondie. Upgrade to my prison cell," Lindsey gestured at the room, his gaze locked on Spike's, a smirk playing on his lips. "Better lookin' cellmates than a Groxlar demon. The potential for a lot of great sex. May have done some stupid shit over the years, but mamma ain't raise no idiot."

Spike barked out a laugh, reaching out to untie the bow wrapped around Lindsey's hands.

"Leave it, Spike. At least for tonight, Lindsey's hands stay bound."

Spike looked over at Angel, eyebrow quirking up in curiosity.

"Probationary period. If he behaves, the bow comes off when we go to sleep. If not, it's replaced with something a bit sturdier." Angel reached into his pocket and pulled out something metallic, handing it over to Spike. "Another little gift, for both our pleasure."

"This is lookin' to be the best anniversary month since that year Bulgaria. Love the way you know just how to keep me happy."

Spike rolled the hollow sounding rod between his fingers, admiring the narrow, lightweight, titanium tube. His cock twitched, reminding him of his long-suffered plight.

"Right, then. Time for pleasantries later. Been waitin' long enough, let's get this show on the road."

With his free hand, Spike ripped away Lindsey's shirt, careless of the scraps of fabric falling to the floor. Handing the sound back to Angel, he then went to work undoing the Texan's blue jeans, pleased to find he was going commando. Steadying the human as he stepped out of the denim, he looked him over appreciatively, letting out a low whistle as he took in the sight of his half-hard cock.

"Christ, you're prettier than I thought you'd be. C'mere, Linds, on the bed like a good pet."

Spike tugged Lindsey backwards with him, turning them both and pushing him onto the bed.

"All mine?"

"Mmm, mostly. I want his ass first tonight though, Sire's prerogative."

"Yeah, alright", Spike allowed with an eye roll. "Wanted to try out that smart mouth of his anyway."

Angel scoffed a laugh and began to undress as Spike turned his attention back to the brunette laid out on the bed, tossing the sound onto the mattress by Lindsey's head. He watched the two as he unbuttoned his shirt, his cock twitching in his pants at the compelling contrasts the pair presented, Spike's blonde hair and marble-pale skin a striking counterpoint to Lindsey's brunette locks and sun-kissed tan, both males deceptively muscular.

Spike climbed onto the bed, tugging Lindsey's hands away from where he was idly stroking himself, stretching his arms up over his head.

"Keep those there, pet, your cock belongs to us now, no touching 'less we say you can."

"Want me to call you Master while I'm at it?"

"Snark's my department, Tex, and we don't take backtalk from pets. Next smart li'l quip'll earn you a punishment you won't like."

Lindsey glared at Spike, but kept silent, much to Angel's amusement. He'd expected the human to respond in kind, so similar was his attitude to the younger vampire's. Probably just didn't want to risk not getting to cum, or a thrashing that wasn't meant for pleasure.

Angel stepped out of his pants as Spike straddled Lindsey's hips, his gaze drawing to the juncture where the two were touching. A brief image of Spike riding the cowboy while he fucked into Lindsey flashed through his mind and he let out a quiet growl, half aroused, half angered by the notion. Spike looked back over his shoulder at him, his face wary.

"You alright there, luv? That didn't sound like a playful growl to me."

"It's nothing."

Spike looked down at Angel’s hardening cock and shrugged, seemingly placated by the curt response. Angel pushed the stray fantasy aside, focusing on the display of flesh on the bed before him. He watched as Spike dipped his head down to tease at Lindsey’s nipple, the brunette’s head arching back as he let out a moan.

"Like that, do ya?" Spike shifted and another moan was pulled from Lindsey's lips as he gave the other nipple similar treatment. He sat back up and pinched at the hardening buds. "Betcha Eve never thought to bother playing with these pretty little nubs. Most girls never do. Don't realize how sensitive they are for us, too."

"Fuck, Spike, yeah, feels good."

Angel's cock was now fully hard, his body reacting to Lindsey's sounds of pleasure and the musky scent of arousal filling the room. Keeping half his attention on the activities on the bed, he strode over to the bedside table.

Spike's focus on Lindsey was diverted when a bottle of lube and a foil-wrapped alcohol wipe landed beside him. He smirked and snatched the items up, eyes glinting hungrily as he looked up at Angel.

"Can we get to business, already? Want to sink my cock into that pretty ass some time tonight."

"Alright, bossy britches."

Angel rolled his eyes and joined the pair on the bed, stroking his cock as Spike slid off of Lindsey to the other side. Spike opened the alcohol wipe and wiped down the sound.

"Ever used one of these, mate?"

Lindsey looked at the tube in his hand and shook his head.

"No. Heard about 'em, just never tried it."

"Think you'll find it quite enjoyable. Might feel a bit weird at first, but you get used to it."

"Not like you to give your pets a pep talk, Spike."

"Yeah, well, ain't had a pet since before the soul. Makes me…give a crap."

Angel chuckled, the laugh getting louder when Spike rolled his eyes in return. Spike turned his attention back to Lindsey, his free hand wrapping around the brunette's flagging erection. He stroked the cock slowly, his eyes flicking up to Lindsey's face to watch his reactions as he pumped him until he was half-hard. The vampires shared a smile when Lindsey let out a whimper of disappointment when Spike stopped stroking him.

"Ah, ah. Can't have you completely hard when it's inserted, need that pretty cock to have a li'l give to it."

Spike lubed the tip of Lindsey's cock and applied a liberal amount along the length of the tube. Holding the cock upright, he slowly pushed the sound against the slit on the cockhead. Lindsey gasped as the sound began to slide into the hole, fighting the urge to squirm.

"Ohh…"

"Yeah. If it starts to hurt, say something. Don't want my month of ownership dampened by you gettin' an infection."

Lindsey moaned out an affirmative as the rod slowly disappeared inside him. Spike pushed the sound all the way in, until the flared tip rested against the skin, then eased the now rigid member to rest along Lindsey's stomach.

"Feel good?"

"Uh-huh. Weird, but good. Feels full."

"Good." Spike moved around the bed until he was looming over Lindsey's head, knees pressed against the brunette's shoulders. "Not the only part of you gonna feel full tonight, pet."

Angel settled himself between Lindsey's legs as Spike teased his cock over the human's lips, pre-cum slicking the pink flesh like lip gloss. Lindsey stuck his tongue out and groaned at his first taste of the blonde vampire before flicking the tip of his tongue over the head of Spike's cock.

Spike grunted at the warmth, and pushed his cock past the parted lips, eyes fluttering at the sensation of a hot, wet mouth surrounding his length. Raising his gaze from the enticing sight of his cock disappearing down Lindsey's throat, he quirked an eyebrow at Angel.

"Not the first cock he's sucked, it seems. Christ, didn't think he could take me so deep on the first go 'round."

"Well, this is Wolfram and Hart, he probably climbed that corporate ladder on his knees."

Lindsey mumbled around Spike's cock, and Spike pulled out, letting him speak.

"Didn't learn how to suck cock working here, but it was a useful skill to have when I started."

The vampires snorted a laugh and Angel shuffled closer, grabbing up the bottle of lube. He squeezed out a decent amount and slicked up his cock, his eyes glancing back and forth between Lindsey's face and his cock where it lay twitching against his stomach.

"And what about your ass, Lindsey?" Angel reached out with his slick fingers, one digit circling the clenched pucker hidden between his cheeks, pulling a soft gasp from the human. "Anyone ever been in here?"

"No. Topped plenty, never bottomed before. Never found anyone I wanted to bottom to."

"But you do want it, don't you, Lindsey?"

Spike watched as Angel used his free hand to spread Lindsey open further, and knew the second his finger pressed into the virgin hole, Lindsey letting out a loud moan and beginning to squirm beneath him.

"Yes. From you. And Spike. Been wanting it. Wanna know how it feels."

Angel let out a low growl as he perfunctorily stretched Lindsey, quickly adding a second finger.

"Gonna give you what you've been wanting from me for years, Linds, a good, hard fuck."

"Texan's got a vampire kink, does he? Can see why you thought he'd make a good pet."

Spike thrust his cock back into Lindsey's mouth as Angel removed his fingers, sinking the full length of his shaft down the brunette's throat as Angel lined his cock up at the loosened pucker. He groaned as Angel pushed into Lindsey, Lindsey's muffled moans vibrating around his aching length.

"Jesus, he's so fucking tight, Spike."

"That soul of yours ain't gonna flutter away, is it? Don't need a repeat of the last time you had your way with a human virgin."

Angel gave Spike a disbelieving look as he paused, giving Lindsey a moment to adjust to the stretch.

"I hardly think Lindsey is as likely to give me perfect happiness as Buffy, Spike. And it wasn't the sex that gave that moment, so much as her making me feel human enough that I forgot what I really was."

"Yeah, well, still…you feel it tugging at ya, say so. I'll start natterin' at ya or somethin', keep it in place."

Angel growled in annoyance and leaned forward, grabbing Spike around the back of the neck and pulling him into a harsh kiss. Spike groaned into the kiss as he felt fangs scraping over his lip. The taste of his own blood soon mixed with Angel's as his own fangs descended and pierced the older vampire's tongue, and he felt his arousal surge higher, Lindsey's mouth still working his cock. Angel broke the kiss with a sharp nip to Spike's bottom lip.

"Shut up and fuck the boy, will you? I've got my cock deep inside a hot, tight ass, and I want to actually enjoy it. Ruin this for me, and I might have to take back my gift."

"So fussy."

Angel growled again and Spike rolled his eyes, but didn't press his luck. He had too many ideas brewing on how to spend the next month with their new pet, and wasn't willing to risk calling Angel's bluff.

Spike was brought back to the moment when Lindsey's hands clumsily grasped at his ass, trying to urge him into movement. He nearly toppled over as he tried to start a rhythm, and Lindsey moaned his disappointment when Spike sat back.

"Bloody hell, pull out for a mo', Angel."

"What! Why?"

"'Cause I can't get no bloody leverage like this. Much as I wanna keep seeing that pretty cock of his twitchin', need him on his hands and knees."

Angel huffed but pulled out, another complaint falling from Lindsey's lips at the loss. He quickly turned the human over, letting him steady himself on his knees and elbows, and slid back into him. Spike stroked himself for a moment, watching the two brunettes.

"Fuck, that's a pretty sight. Think Tex is regretting not bottoming before. Be a right little cockslut by the time we're through with him."

Lindsey moaned, his cock twitching, a bead of pre-cum welling up at the tip of the sound. He was already pushing back on Angel's cock, wordlessly urging him to move.

"Like the thought of that, pet? Bein' our li'l cockslut?"

"Shit, Spike. Yeah."

"Smelled it on him the first time I met him, Spike. Could've had him on his knees for me right there in that office, he was so hard for it."

Lindsey's cheeks reddened, and Spike chuckled at his embarrassment.

"Angel, please, man. Need you to move." Lindsey's voice was strained, and both vampires groaned at the desperation they could smell wafting off him. He looked up at Spike, his pupils lust-blown, and pleaded with him. "Spike, c'mon, need to cum. Angel told me, can't cum till you do."

Angel thrust once, quick and sharp, pushing Lindsey up the bed closer to where Spike knelt, causing the younger brunette to cry out in pleasure.

"Yeah, Spikey, fuck the boy already. If you aren't going to take care of your pet properly, I'll just have to take him back to the kennel. Besides, I can smell how badly you need it."

Spike gave Angel a heated look before relenting, scooting forward. Lindsey's mouth opened eagerly, and Spike let out a groan of hunger at the wantonness of the gesture, sliding his cock past his lips.

"Fuck. So much better this way, pet. Christ, you take me so deep." Spike bucked his hips, feeling his cock slip into the tight grasp of Lindsey's throat as the human swallowed around him. It was almost enough to make him spill, then and there. Needing a distraction, he pulled Angel forward, capturing his mouth. "Thought you promised him a good, hard fuck, Ang. Gonna follow through?"

"Just waiting on you," Angel growled against his lips, starting a harsh pace, one hand raising to wrap around Spike's head to keep him from pulling away, the other gripping Lindsey's hip. "Jesus Christ, wait till you fuck him, Spike; he almost gives your ass a run for its money."

Spike growled into the kiss, his fangs dropping again to nip at Angel. He thrust his hips in rhythm with Angel's, rocking Lindsey between them, barely more than a vessel for their lust as they began to lose themselves to their passion.

"Bite your tongue, luv. No one's arse compares to mine, an' you know it."

"Bite it for me."

Lindsey moaned beneath them, their rough treatment of his body surging his arousal higher.

Spike did as prompted, sinking his fangs into Angel's tongue and groaning at the fresh burst of familial blood that filled his mouth. He carded one hand into Lindsey's hair, guiding his head along his cock as he felt his orgasm looming, the other gripping Angel closer as they devoured each other's mouths, nails scratching along the nape of his neck.

Angel snarled hungrily, his own fangs extending and tearing at Spike's lip.

"Feelin' demon enough, luv? Soul all steady?"

"Fuck, yeah, Spike. You always know how to bring it out in me. Shit, not going to last long."

"Christ, me neither, 'Gelus. 'Specially the way he keeps swallowin' me."

"Do it, boy. Cum for us. Bet he'll blow the second he tastes you."

Spike's roar was muffled by Angel's greedy mouth as he let himself fall over the edge, his hips stuttering to a stop as Lindsey milked his cock. He let go of the human's head so he could ease his cock back, letting Lindsey lick him clean as he came down from his orgasm. He could scent the fresh spill.of human cum in the air, and his cock gave a valiant effort to rise once more.

"C'mon, Angel, luv. Know you gotta be close. Feel that sweet arse clenching around you, waiting to be filled full of your spunk?"

"God, yes."

"Do it, then, luv. Fill our slutty li'l pet up."

Angel let go of Spike and gripped Lindsey tightly with both hands, thrusting his cock into him one last time. His head fell back against his shoulders and he let out a howl as his climax overcame him. Spike withdrew from Lindsey's mouth as he watched the older vampire cum.

Lindsey keened, pushing back against Angel, taking him as deep as possible, and came again from the sensation of the cool seed filling his heated passage.

"Boy's got impressive refraction time for a human. Come in handy, that will."

Angel grunted and released his hold on Lindsey's hips, easing his cock from the slick hole. Lindsey collapsed to the mattress, looking like he was seconds away from passing out.

Angel climbed over Lindsey, flipping him over, and let out a pleased chuckle at the blissed out look on his face.

"Aw, look, Spike, we wore him out."

"They're so cute when they're sleepy, ain't they?"

"They can still hear you, you know."

Spike barked out a laugh as Lindsey struggled to sit up, his bound hands hampering his success. Taking pity, Spike untied the ribbon and helped the brunette upright.

"So pet, was it all you thought it'd be?"

"Fuckin' a, man. Better." Lindsey looked over at Angel, a frown tugging at his lips. "But next time, maybe use more lube?"

"Be thankful for that soul of his, mate, or he'd have taken you dry."

Angel rolled his eyes, climbing from the bed and gathering up Lindsey's clothes from the floor. Handing them over to him, he pulled him from the bed. Taking his cock in hand, he carefully removed the sound, inspecting the tube for traces of blood in case of any internal damage.

"Looks fine. Now, time for obedient little pets to get some rest. Your room is down the hall." Lindsey looked between the two vampires, confused at the abrupt dismissal. He started to leave, but Angel grabbed his arm, stopping him. "And bother trying to sneak out of here. Had the mystical department work up a little spell just in case."

Lindsey nodded and left, walking slightly awkwardly.

"Love the bedside manner there, luv." Spike maneuvered up the bed, shoving the covers down beneath him. "Bit curt with the boy, weren't you?"

"He's here for sex, Spike, not affection. This is Lindsey we're talking about." Angel turned off the light and climbed into the bed, pulling Spike close. "The man who conned you, the man who tried to pit us against each other for his own agenda, the man who has tried to kill me on multiple occasions. I may have a soul, but that doesn't endear me to him. Don't push me on this, alright? Don't make me regret choosing him as your gift."

"Yeah, sure, luv, no need to get your knickers in a twist. Just weren't expecting you to be so cold about it."

Spike let Angel tug him into his embrace, snuggling into his chest.

"He's a pet, and nothing more."

"I get it, Angel." Spike wasn't entirely convinced by the tone of his Sire's voice. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time one of their pets turned into something more. Valentin had been much more to both of them, to the point where they'd contemplated turning him. "Thank you for the gift, Da."

"I do love you, little one, happy anniversary. And thanks for earlier. I wasn't sure about doing this until then. I think it's something we both need, to bring balance between the soul and the demon."

Spike lifted his head and pulled Angel into a slow kiss, his tongue washing away any last traces of their blood. Feeling sleep overcome him, he pulled the covers up over them both. Whatever the month held in store for them, he would be sure to pay close attention.

*****

All Things Spike: @leatafandom

#spangel #a:ts fanfic #buffyverse fanfic #lemon

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