#so he needs power. first to overthrow his several hundred year old father (what the Fuck dude)

[four-loose-screws]

FE4 Suzuki Novelization Translation (Gen II) - Chapter 10

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Chapter 10 - Dark God Loptous

After the battle at Thracia Castle ended, Seliph gathered his entire army and said, "With this battle over, all of Thracia is free! But that does not mean the war is over here, because the children taken from here are still missing. When we safely save them, that will be the beginning of the end of the war in Thracia.

"We didn't come here to fight and defeat the Thracian dragon knights. We came to fight and save the people from the Loptr Church's oppression, as well as save the children from being sacrificed.

"Just because we've liberated Thracia, does not mean we can party, or rest. We must begin to march soon. To Miletos, to rescue the children. Then, we will go to Grannvale next, and topple the empire!"

After fighting one battle after another, the soldiers were all tired, but Seliph's speech put them in high spirits.

"To Miletos!" One person shouted, which soon turned into everyone shouting.

"To Miletos!"

Seliph had also grown over the past year. His position as the leader of the liberation army made him experience many times more worries, decisions, and orders than one living a normal life, but it had also outfitted him with charisma befitting of a leader.

The liberation army left Thracia Castle without taking much time to rest, then started marching towards the Miletos region right away.

The Miletos region (sandwiched between a portion of the sea surrounded by land) was located south of the empire, and was home to many cities that had built a great amount of wealth through trade. Those trade cities used the power of their wealth to avoid interference from the surrounding nations, and each possessed self governing rights like that of independent countries.

Peruluke was one such city. It was a northern port city located near the Thracian border. The land bridge that connected Grannvale and the Thracian Peninsula was extremely inconvenient for transporting goods, so Peruluke took advantage of that geographical situation and prided itself on how it flourished as a relay base for trade.

However, when the liberation army reached Peruluke after fighting a harsh battle, they couldn't believe their eyes. What lay before them was a far cry from a prosperous city. Instead, it looked like it was about to die. After just a few years of the empire and Loptr Church's rule, the most beautiful city on the isthmus had changed into a town that reeked of death.

The Thracian children were nowhere to be found. As they were the first children to be taken from Thracia, they were said by the Loptrian priests to all be "the finest treasures." Because of that, they were quickly taken to Queen Hilda's Chronos Castle.

Hilda was from Velthomer, the same house as the emperor, but she'd married Bloom of Friege and had two children with him. One was Ishtor, who'd been killed at Melgan Castle, and the other was Ishtar, Julius' beloved.

Hilda was so cruel by nature that it could be considered insanity. And it was only doubled when her husband and son were killed by the liberation army. 

When the liberation army thought of what kind of fate awaited the Thracian children, they couldn't afford to relax in Peruluke. They quickly prepared for their next attack.

-

During their preparations, Julia went missing.

'Did she have some kind of premonition?' Seliph wondered.

As soon as they'd gained control of Peruluke, she had approached Seliph to talk to him, and he did not know the reason why, so he’d felt uneasy ever since.

'It's really unusual for her to be the one to start a conversation with me.'

Ever since Lewyn had entrusted Julia to him, as her guardian, he'd always taken special care of her. However, she did not take advantage of that. Especially ever since she'd learned that Lana loved him, it was apparent that she was always avoiding him on purpose.

But on the battlefield, she told a different story. Though she'd previously been a shaman, she could also use light magic. Seliph had given her an Aura spellbook he’d obtained during the battle in Isaach, and used it to fight bravely, killing countless enemies.

Seliph talked to Lewyn about what to do.

"Julia's gone missing!"

The always calm Lewyn looked unusually shaken up. "I see, that is a huge error on our part. We needed to be more careful. It seems we underestimated the enemy a bit."

"What's become of her?"

"She was kidnapped by the enemy. That's the only thing I can think of."

"But why?"

"I don't know why yet. But your mother Deirdre also went missing once. It was during the fight  with King Chagall in Augustria. She'd just given birth to you, so she didn't participate in the battle. However, during a break in the fighting, she left the castle to meet with Sigurd. That was when she went missing.

"The next time I saw her was during the Battle of Belhalla. She appeared before us as King Azmur's granddaughter and Arvis' newly wedded wife. That makes you and Crown Prince Julius brothers from different fathers."

"Lewyn, I've always had this feeling. This feeling that you're hiding a lot from me. Please tell it me. Don't worry about my feelings. I want you to tell me everything you know."

"Yes, I was thinking that the time would soon come for me to tell you. It seems like this is perfect timing.

"Until now, I have emphasised the aspect of this war that is the people standing up against the tyranny of the empire and Loptr Church. That was because I wanted you, as the leader of this army, to think about the people. No matter how many Crusaders wielding Holy Weapons rise up, if you are not an ally to the people, you have no chance of winning.

“But when I heard your speech in Thracia recently, I felt that you now have all the qualities of a leader. So I think it's finally time for me to tell you about one more aspect of this: the Crusader's battle.

“I have traveled the world for over ten years in search of the truth about the Battle of Belhalla. What really caused it? I met more people that I could count, and scrutinized each and every record of the event I could find. I thought the profession of bard fit in perfectly with that goal, but I also occasionally changed my appearance. I have even disguised myself as a priest of the Loptr Church.

“That was how I discovered a huge secret."

And so, Lewyn began to tell a long story.

"This happened about three hundred fifty years ago.

“Galle, who would go on to become the founder of the Loptrian Empire, crossed the sea and traveled the world when he was young. His goal was to drink the blood of an ancient dragon of legend and gain power that humans could not possibly match.

"Nowadays, ancient dragons have become the products of our imaginations. No one has ever seen one. However, when Galle returned home from his journey, he possessed a mysterious power.

“Galle had been ambitious from the very beginning, and in Year 440 of the Gran Calendar, he said that he was the arrival of the one and only god Loptous, then founded the Loptr Church. After that, he used his mysterious powers to reform many young people, and created an evil army that did exactly as he told them to.

"Seven years later, his army caused a civil war within the Gran Republic. The world called it "The Rebellion of the Twelve Deadlords." In just half a year, the republic fell. And in the next year, they established the Loptrian Empire, with Archbishop Galle as its emperor. That was when Loptous transformed into a dark god.

"Loptous wanted the fresh blood of children. Those who resisted were killed without mercy. The "Tragedy of Miletos" and "Massacre of Edda" that we still pass down stories of now, are nothing more than particularly striking examples from that time. 

"To the people, every single day was a living hell.

"Finally, they were unable to put up with it any longer, and in Year 535, Maira, of the imperial family, started a rebellion. Maria's rebellion was quickly suppressed, but after that, a liberation army rose up in every region, revolting to overthrow the empire.

“The liberation armies were defeated by the mighty imperial army, but where one was defeated, another rose up in its place, and the fighting continued on for a long time. Only the fighting itself could not be stopped. Then, the Miracle of Darna, which you've spoken of before, occurred.

"The gods that descended at that time knew that the chaos occurring on the Jugdralian continent was caused by powers those of the dragon tribes possess, and if they left things as they were, then the entire world would one day be controlled by dragons. To prevent that, they came from their other world.

  “The gods took on human forms. For example, Light God Naga appeared as a young girl, and Fire God Salamander appeared as an old man. Next, they exchanged a blood pact with twelve warriors, meaning that they pricked their fingers, and gave their blood to the warriors. It was the same way that Galle hand received the ancient dragon's power. The twelve gods were actually dragons as well.

"The dragons gave the warriors their blood, as well as twelve weapons that had their powers sealed inside them. That is how the Twelve Crusaders were born. 

"Loptous was the most evil of his tribe, one that possessed terrifying power. Only the Dragon King Naga could oppose him. And so, Naga gave Saint Heim, the leader of the liberation army, her blood, and the Book of Naga. 

“After that, they passed on several warnings to the Crusaders, then left. The Twelve Crusaders combined their powers and finally defeated the emperor of the Loptrian Empire, who was Loptous current incarnation. Some were against the efforts to eradicate Loptous’ bloodline, as they questioned whether or not it was necessary to go so far as killing the children. However, they had no other options. One of Naga's warnings explained to them that Loptous could be revived. 

“If a woman who'd inherited Loptous' blood birthed a boy and a girl with one of the descendants of the Twelve Crusaders, and their children then had a child of their own, Loptous would be reborn in that child. Fearing that possibility, the Crusaders killed every member of Loptous' family. However, one person managed to go undetected by the Crusaders.

“That person was a descendant of Maira, the one to start the rebellions. The emperor who suppressed the rebellion had massacred Maira's family, but a child he'd had with a commoner when he was young escaped. Maira had only spent one night with the mother, so he didn't know they'd had a child together. Because of that, the child was not treated as a member of the imperial family.

"One hundred years passed.

"Naga's warning was the "Hope of Resurrection" to the surviving followers of Loptous. Any of them that were found were burned at the stake. However, the priests could use magic, so some hid their identities, and served royals and the wealthy.

"Those mages searched tirelessly for a survivor of Loptous's family, and, in the end, they found a descendant of Maira. That lineage had birthed a daughter, whom the priests educated in the behavior and speech of a high-class woman, dressed in fine clothes, and sent to a place where she would be noticed by a man who'd descended from one of the Twelve Crusaders.

"Eventually, the woman, named Cigyun, caught the eye of Duke Velthomer. Though she did not wish to marry him, she had no choice but to do exactly as the mages told her to.

"That marriage resulted in the birth of Arvis.

"But later on, Grannvale's Prince Kurth sympathized with her plight, and the two developed a secret love. As soon Duke Velthomer discovered it, he felt he could not bear such a disgrace, and committed suicide.

"Meanwhile, Cigyun was terrified of the weight of her sins, and fled Velthomer. She was pregnant with Prince Kurth's child at that time. After returning to her home, the Verdane Forest, she gave birth to a daughter, who was your mother, Deirdre.

"The Loptrian priests searched frantically for Cigyun. However, by the time they figured out where she had been, she had already passed. That was when Deirdre and Sigurd were married, and had even already had you.

"However, the priests didn't give up there. Their only hope was in Loptous' revival.

“For that reason, they kidnapped Deirdre and erased her memory. The one to do that was probably Archbishop Manfroy. He had appeared when Arvis came of age. This is also just a guess, but Manfroy probably told Arvis that he has both Mage Warrior Fjalar and Loptous' blood, and once Arvis knew that, he likely feared that he would be burned at the stake. Of course, Manfroy undoubtedly also whispered in his ear sweet words of making him emperor if he'd cooperate with the Loptr Church.

“And so, Arvis fell in love with Deirdre at first sight. Then, he introduced her to King Azmur as his betrothed. The king took one look at her, and suspected that she might be a member of his family. When he had Deirdre take off her circlet, he saw the Holy Mark of a descendant of Saint Heim. He recognized her as his late son's daughter, and entrusted the country to them.

"That happened right before the Battle of Belhalla. Since three years prior to that, battles had occurred here and there across the continent, but it’s believed that those were also orchestrated by Manfroy from behind the scenes. There's no question that Manfroy's target was Arvis and Deirdre's child, and to end the bloodlines of the Crusaders before Loptous was reborn. And things went as he'd planned. When the Battle of Belhalla was over, the only surviving descendants were Arvis and Travant.

"Then, Julius, the child who was supposed to eventually become Loptous in the future, was born. The first half of Arvis rule was not a bad one, but recently, the Loptr Church's tyranny has become obvious, and I'm certain this is because Julius has grown and become powerful. 

"Arvis and Deirdre had one more child, a daughter and Julius' twin. She should be, of course, Saint Heim's descendant, but no one has seen her at the palace in years, meaning she has gone missing. But she is actually Julia.

"She is your sister from another father.

"The only thing is, I do not know the reason why she was kidnapped.

“I know it has something to do with Loptous' rebirth, but how is Julia connected to that? She may be a descendant of a Crusader, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she was born with one of their powers. Julius should be the same. Has Loptous already been reborn within Julius, or has that not happened yet, and they need Julia for it? Or perhaps they are trying to round up all the Crusader’s descendants fighting with the liberation army, for something like the Battle of Belhalla. Is that why they kidnapped Julia, because their goal is simply to recreate that?

"That is what I do not know."

Lewyn's long story was finally finished.

There was so much to it, that Seliph didn't know what to say right away.

Just then, Lana walked into the room. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, you're okay. Do you need something?" Seliph asked.

"A bard has asked if you'd like to listen to a poem about the Crusaders."

"I don't really want to hear it right now, but…"

"No, a bard is a person that always tells the truth. If he's come from afar, we absolutely should listen.” Lewyn said.

Lana led them to the bard, a blind old man. His clothing was not at all stylish like Lewyn's, and he had nothing but a kithara with him, making him easily mistakable for a beggar.

 He clumsily bowed his head, then raised his kithara.

However, from the moment his fingers strummed the strings, and the first sound echoed into the air, the proof of his skill was undeniable. The first measure was powerful, the second was like something from a dream, and from the third onwards, he strummed a string of complex chords.

When the short prelude ended, he recited with a clear voice,

'Black Knight Hezul

Cut through the darkness with Demon Sword Mystletainn

Sword Saint Od

Swept away the darkness with Divine Blade Bulmung

Holy Warrior Baldr

Lit up the darkness with Holy Sword Tyrfing

And lastly, Saint Heim

Prayed to the heavens with the Book of Naga

The prayer turned into a light

Which turned into a white dragon

That challenged the black dragon to battle

The white dragon and the black dragon,

Light and darkness,

Fight a long battle that might never end

Will it end in victory?

Or in death?

I am not afraid

For even if our battle

Ends in defeat 

The light we seek

Will never be lost

I believe

In those who will inherit our hearts

I believe

In those who will inherit our light.'

Seliph gave a huge round of applause for the bard's magnificent recitation of the poem.

The bard winked at Lewyn, then left the room.

"What's the matter, Lewyn? That was an amazing performance, wasn't it?"

Seliph looked at and asked Lewyn, who hadn't clapped, and spoke not a word, because he was lost in thought.

"I was a fool."

"Why? Why were you a fool?"

"The reason why Julia was kidnapped. It was obvious. She isn't necessary for Loptous’ revival. She's the opposite - she's an obstacle in their way, because she is the inheritor to the Book of Naga. Meaning she is the one who possesses the power to defeat Loptous. I fear that Loptous has already been revived, and he intends to kill her. Why did I not realize it sooner!?"

"What did you just say!? Then we must go save her right away!"

'Julia, please stay alive.' Seliph prayed. 'We'll come save you. Until then, please stay alive.'

#fire emblem #fe #fe4 #genealogy of the holy war #nintendo #super nintendo #snes #famicom #super famicom #seliph #japan #japanese #translation #novel #light novel #fe4 suzuki novelization translation

[alliswell21]

@duckpotatodandelion’s Prompt: “I do love me a coffee shop au.”

Rated T

This was writen last night and edited this morning before I had to run errands, so my apologies for any errors.

Also, since @duckpotatodandelion had that post about hot chocolate, I may have deviated her Prompt a bit... 😳... fine! a bunch... 🙈 don’t tell anyone!!!!

☕️ ☕️ ☕️

I walk into the Starbucks and wrinkle my nose in the first breath. I’m not a coffee person, the dark concoction loosens my stomach for whatever reason, but thanks to my boss, Plutarch Heavensbee, I have around $100 in Starbucks gift cards that only keep piling up for every occasion that requires management to give the employees recognition.

I’m guessing the man thinks coffee shop gift cards are the hip thing to do, and say whatever you want about Plutarch, that man is still trying to stay relevant.

One look at the line and I quickly realize I must be the only soul in this planet that doesn’t care for coffee. I sigh to myself, stepping in line with the rest of the morning rushers, wondering how does the son of a baker could’ve develop such an aversion to coffee, when it’s perhaps the hot drink most served in my father’s shop?

Since I’m number 2002 (fine, that’s an exaggeration on my part) in this line, I decide to spend my time people watching and trying to guess what they do for a living for a bit, it’s not like I can see the menu from where I stand, though the baristas seemed to be pretty proficient at their jobs, dispatching drink after drink like caffeinated fairy godparents.

The first customer in line is a severe looking woman with straight, gray hair that falls into a perfect curtain down to her shoulders; she’s wearing a gray power suit and gray comfortable shoes; when she turns around with her distinctive paper cup in hand I realize her eyes are the same hue of gray as her hair and outfit. It’s like all color has been drain from her. I’m going to call her Madam Monochrome. Or maybe Coin, since she reminds me of silver change. I wonder if she lives down in an underground bunker and only came up to surface because coffee is banned in her secret lair, that would explain the monotone colors. If that’s the case, she must be the president of the underground community, otherwise I don’t see how she was allowed to leave.

Next, is a guy with a wiry frame, ashen skin, balding. His glasses keep sliding down the bridge of his nose, so he pushes them back up with the middle finger of his hand. He’s carrying a laptop briefcase, the padded kind you don’t have to completely open in the TSA line at the airport for the x-ray machines. I’m going to call him Beetee, because that’s what the logo in his case says. He’s probably a genius, working for the next iPod nano device that may fit 3 gigabytes of music into chip as big as a grain of rice. Then again, he could be plotting to overthrow some totalitarian government, by breaking into the TV transmission with well placed anti government propaganda… he’d call them Propos for short, because he doesn’t have time to say the whole word. He’s too busy inventing weapons to chat.

Next, is a man tall, dark and very handsome. The kind women swoon after. I’m sure when he was in high school, girls giggled about him behind their notebooks and commented on how cute he was. He turns his head my way, probably feeling my gaze on him; he only spares me a glance and turns back to stare at the baristas impassively. Good looking Jerk! I bet he’s the military type. Fancy job at some highly rated base, with a huge family that adores him and look up to him. He also looks the type to own hunting gear. He’s probably a sharp shooter too… I can already picture him bringing home a twelve point deer he shot through the neck and a handful of dead, fat rabbits hanging from his belt, he caught in his snares, because what do you know? he’s also a whiz with snares! I should move on from his rigid form. For some reason I don’t think we would ever be friends, him and I. I bet we are total opposites. I’m gonna call him Gale, because he probably has a temper that would wreak havoc, like a strong willed gust of wind.

Behind Gale, there’s a little old lady I’m gonna call Mags, because she looks like she could be a Mags. She seems kind, but there’s something about her face that looks almost like one side is sagging. It saddens me. Maybe she had a stroke at some point, in which case, the mere fact she’s standing in line to get a hot beverage in a busy shop shows her resilience and strength. Good for Mags! I hope she gets to live a hundred more years. She deserves it.

Then, my eyes find two young women. One is blonde and blue eyed, while the other is a brunette with smooth olive skin. Both have matching braids which is strange. Most women don’t wear the same hairdos unless they’re in some kind of play, or maybe they’re twins… there have been cases with twins that physically aren’t even the same race. The two ladies are standing shoulder to shoulder. The blond keeps talking and gesturing with her hands animatedly, while the brunette looks on with rapt attention, nodding and smiling at the blonde. Brunette laughs out loud and I’ve never heard anything as musical as that before.

While pondering on names and imaginary backgrounds for the women, I try to lean on a display of collectible mugs, to disastrous results.

The whole shelf uppends under my weight and sends every single mug careening to the floor with a loud crash, with me, following closely. To say I’m embarrassed would be a gross understatement.

“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” Asks Blondie, blue eyes dripping with concern. “Your hand is bleeding, sir.” She states looking down at my hand, just as a barista comes to help me up from the floor, where I’m sitting on my ass surrounded by the broken pieces of the mugs I just murdered.

“I’m okay. Thank you.” I say trying to save face.

“Nonsense! Katniss, help me here!” Blondie calls to Brunette who’s looking at me with pity and apprehension.

“Prim…” Brunette sighs more than says, but comes closer all the same, “I don’t think I’ll be that much help. Sorry.” She says locking eyes with me, like she truly is chagrined she can’t help.

“I’m okay, really.” I say finally on my feet. I nod to the Starbucks employee. “I’m sorry about the mess. Talk about a bull in a China shop, right?!”

Brunette fights off a smirk at my self deprecating joke and I swear my heart swells in my chest.

Looking back at the young man helping me, I address him. “You wouldn’t be able to give me a veteran discount to pay for the mugs I broke, would you?”

He just stares at me for a second, “I- I’m not sure, dude. Are you cool? Do you need me to call 911? Your hand has a pretty big gash.”

“I’m a registered nurse, I can help him and take him to my hospital if he needs extra care.” Says Blondie… Prim, Brunette— Katniss— had called her.

“I really am alright—“ I stop talking when I lift my hand and see for myself the gnarly long cut in my hand. It goes from the side of the palm, to right under the thumb, like a jagged smile on the heel of my freaking hand.

I go woozy for a moment, and find myself sitting in a chair with Katniss pressing a cup of water to my good hand. “Drink this. My sister is gonna take good care of you, and then we will drive you to the ER so you can get a note from her boss telling your employer why you’re late.”

“Okay,” I say simply staring at her. She’s got the most amazing gray eyes ever, with specks of blue all over the iris. She’s gorgeous from this close.

“What’s your name?” She asks.

“Peeta Mellark.” I say automatically.

“Hi Peeta Mellark, I’m Katniss Everdeen. What else can you tell me about yourself?”

I think she’s trying to keep me distracted while her sister cleans my cut at the very back of the coffee house, where we can still hear the clinking of ceramic pieces being swept into a dustpan and then chucked into the trash. The silver lining is that they’re taking all my gift cards as payment for the broken cups!

“I’m a painter on a TV production company. I truly am a veteran. Lost my leg somewhere in Iraq. I came in here just for a cup of tea without sugar, how lame is that?”

“I’m sorry about your leg, but thank you for your service.” She says wincing a little. She recovers quickly. “I don’t like coffee either, this is more of Primrose’s addiction. The stuff makes me jittery and jumpy. I’m more of a hot chocolate kind of person.”

“Ditto!” I exclaim. “Dip some chunks of bread into the chocolate for a homier experience, and you’re in hot cocoa heaven!”

“Gotta try that, so much better than coffee!”

“Sure, hate on the drink all you want, but imagine the stories I’m going to tell my grand nephews and nieces about how their grandparents met!” Sing-songs Prim still wiping my hand with some rubbing alcohol infused gauze she apparently carries in her purse. “How romantic will that be?! They met at a coffee shop I dragged grandma Katniss to!”

“Prim…” Katniss mutters half hearted under her breath; both sisters glare at each other for a bit.

I have the distinct feeling this is a conversation they’ve had before and disagree upon.

In and effort to break the siblings staring contest, I dig around my brain for something to say, but instead of wit and charm, I come up with, “What’s your favorite color, Katniss?” Like a fifth grader or something.

She smiles and I feel all warm and tingly inside. “Green. How about yours?”

“Orange. Soft, like a sunset…”

“Mmm! Pretty.” She cocks her head, “What’s your biggest pet peeve?”

“Easy!” I say, “Starbucks microwaves all their pastries! That’s sacrilegious for guy who grew up in a bakery!”

Katniss laughs at that and I hope I can keep her laughing. We keep talking quietly until Primrose declares me ready to go. The cut is mainly superficial, and I won’t need stitches if I keep my injury from re-aggravating.

“So… how can I repay you ladies for the first aid care?” I ask them both smiling.

Primrose opens her mouth with a sly smile, “Take my sister out for a coff—“

“A burger!” Katniss cuts in. “I’ve had enough coffee for the day, but a burger with a chocolate milkshake would be awesome.”

I feel the smile unfurling slowly on my face. “I can do burgers and milkshakes.” I hope Primrose is a good storyteller, my grand babies deserve this story to be told epically.

#duckpotatodandelion #writers block prompts #everlark fanfiction #my fics

[twatd]

6,000 Years of Murder – Part Four: There Goes the Neighbourhood

Tim: The Wicked + The Divine #36 finally gave us a definitive list of every damn Recurrence that has occurred since Ananke first started exploding heads, so we thought we’d take a walk through the annals of history and provide some context for what was happening at the time. Welcome to 6,000 Years of Murder.

In this entry, we hit the halfway mark in our voyage through history, as we found a modern religion, celebrate the most baller of all the Pharaohs and watch thousands of years of progress get flushed into the Mediterranean Sea... 

1657BC – North America It’s time for another one of our rare pre-Columbian trips to North America, and around this point, that means we’re probably in the area of modern-day Louisiana, checking out some mounds. The Poverty Point culture (an unfortunate name, but historians are a cruel and unusual lot) were a group of indigenous peoples who occupied the lower Mississippi Valley from around 2200BC to 700BC, building settlements in over a hundred sites and creating a large trading network throughout what is now the eastern United States. Mainly hunter-gatherers, they are descended from the tribes that passed through Wrangel Island and down into the continental US.

This time would have been the peak of Poverty Point culture, with work on their eponymous largest settlement just beginning. It would go on to take up 910 acres, and has been described as the “largest and most complex Late Archaic earthwork occupation and ceremonial site found in North America”. Exactly what Poverty Point was used for is heavily debated – some think it was a settlement or trading centre, while others point to its concentric rings of semi-circular mounds as suggesting a ceremonial function.

1565BC – Northern China Our last trip to Northern China saw the Xia dynasty emerging around Erlitou and the Yellow River. As we check back in, the Xia are on their way out, about to be replaced by the Shang dynasty, who will rule for around 600 years. The Shang provide us with some of our first examples of Chinese writing, and oversaw several important developments, including large-scale production of bronze; a foundation of a powerful standing military; artistic works in jade, bone and ceramic; and the construction of large walled palace complexes.

The Shang are the earliest dynasty we have concrete archaeological evidence for, with earlier dynasties existing in the weird space between oral history and folklore. Not only do we have evidence, but we have accounts of the Shang in classic Chinese literature like the Book of Documents, the Bamboo Annals and the Records of the Great Historians (although these were all written at least 1,000 years later). Sidenote: the Chinese remain great at naming things.

1473BC – Northern Indus Valley Our old friend the Indus Valley Civilisation is no more, I’m afraid. It dissipated around 200 years back, when consistent drought and aridification made agriculture more difficult, and urban settlements became harder to support. As it broke up, the people of the Indus Valley Civilisation scattered. Many headed east, while others remained, mingling with incoming Indo-European and Indo-Iranian tribes. For the next 1,000 years or so, the Indus Valley will return to a more tribal, pastoral model without a strong urban centre.

However, who needs an urban centre when you’ve got RELIGION?! Not just any religion, either – this time is known as the Vedic period, because it’s when the four central texts of Hinduism will be written, starting around this time with the Rigveda, a collection of 1,028 Sanskit hymns and 10,600 verses. Discussing cosmology, the nature of god and the virtues of charity, the Rigveda is one of the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language, and a cornerstone of a religion that boasts 1.15bn followers today. If we’re trying to correlate Persephone fighting back with particularly momentous periods in history, the Vedic period – despite being largely pastoral – certainly qualifies.

1381BC – Central America It’s Central America. There’s a big head in the background. It must be OLMEC TIME. One of the earliest known major civilisations in Mesoamerica, the Olmecs were found in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in the modern-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco, between 1500BC and around 400BC. As the first major culture to emerge in the area, the Olmecs sort of set the template for civilisations that would follow in the area, and while that template included a complex writing system, the concept of zero, advanced calendars and a great ballgame, it also involved ritual bloodletting and, quite possibly, human sacrifice.

Let’s talk about the big heads. No known pre-Columbian texts explain their origin or purpose, and while only 17 have been unearthed to date, they have become a well-recognised symbol of the Olmecs. Once theorised to be popular ballplayers, they are now generally accepted to be portraits of rulers, although possibly dressed as ballplayers, like when Putin rides around shirtless on a horse. No two heads are alike, and they were carved from huge single blocks or boulders of volcanic basalt, with the finished products ranging in size from 4'10″ to 11' tall. Those are some big-ass heads.

1289BC – Egypt Oh Egypt, we couldn’t stay away too long, especially when you’ve been so busy. The Middle Kingdom is long over and it’s time for the New Kingdom. See if you can recognise some of the names that have come and gone while we were away. Amenhotep. Nefertiti. Tutankhamen. But if they weren’t important enough to bring us back, what could possible be around the corner? It’s only ya boi Ramesses II, aka Ramesses the Great, aka Ozymandias, Great Ancestor, king of kings, the greatest, most celebrated and most powerful pharoah of the Egyptian civilisation.

The 19th Dynasty has just begun in Egypt, and at age 14, Ramesses has been appointed Prince Regent by his father, Seti I. Within 10 years, he’ll have taken the throne, and he’ll reign for around 70 years. During that time, he’ll engage in countless military campaigns, retaking territory from the Nubians and Hittites. He’ll also sign the first recorded peace treaty, oversee a period of unprecedented construction throughout Egypt, and move the capital from Thebes to a new city named after himself that includes huge temples and a zoo. Microscopic inspection of his mummified body, which was originally buried in the Valley of the Kings, suggests he was a redhead, adding to his similarities to Cheryl Blossom.

1197BC – Hattusa We’ve mentioned that Ramesses II was going to war with the Hittites – what’s their deal? Well, at this point, their kingdom is in decline, following a lengthy war with Egypt and the rise of the Assyrian Empire. But at their height in the mid-14th century BC, they encompassed Anatolia (aka modern day Turkey), Upper Mesopotamia, the Levant and chunks of modern day Egypt. The capital city Hattusa is located in central Anatolia, surrounded by rich agricultural lands and small woods that provided wheat, barley, lentils and timber, as well as grazing lands for sheep.

During the reign of the most successful Hittite monarch, Suppiluliuma I (circa 1344-1322 BC), large walls were erected around the city that are still visible today. The city had an inner and outer section, with the inner area occupied by a citadel with large administrative buildings, temples and a royal residence, all decorated with elaborate reliefs depicting warriors, sphinxes and lions. Unfortunately, just as Ananke perfects her force field, here comes the Bronze Age Collapse, which will result in much of the city being abandoned and falling into ruin.

1106BC – Greece That long mix of a fart noise and a scream you can hear is the Late Bronze Age collapse. In between 1200-1150BC, the area surrounding the Mediterranean  undergoes huge upheaval, shifting from the city-state and palace economy that has characterised the region back to small isolated villages. Wave goodbye to the Mycenaean Greeks (who just won the Trojan War finally), the Kassites in Babylon, the Hittites and the Egyptian Empire. In a 50-year span, almost every major city between Pylos in Greece and Gaza in the Levant will be violently destroyed.

What the hell caused all this chaos? There are a variety of theories, including climate change, drought, a volcanic eruption, changes in warfare, the rise of the Iron Age and a general systems collapse that encompasses all these things plus untenable population growth and soil degradation. Whatever the cause, the result is a complete shift in terms of power in the area. While Assyria and Elam will survive past the main period of collapse, they too soon shrink and fade. The Iranian people from Central Asia and the Eurasian Steppe will travel southeast, displacing the Kassites and Hurrians to become the Persian Empire, while following the Greek Dark Ages, this area will eventually re-emerge into the Classical Greek period with its many steps and columns.

1014BC – Central China While the Middle East is wondering what the hell happened, China is continuing to kick ass and take names. The Shang dynasty has come to an end, and been replaced by the Zhou dynasty, which will last longer than any other period of Chinese history, from 1046 to around 250BC. The period will see Chinese bronzeware-making at its peak, and the written Chinese script evolve from a very basic form to something close to its modern version. The Zhou dynasty is often compared to feudal Europe, with a complex system of peerage ranks and intensive agriculture carried out by serfs on land owned by nobles.

The first half of the Zhou dynasty is called Western Zhou, and begins with King Wu of Zhou overthrowing the Shangs at the Battle of Muye. Wu died shortly after and, with his son too young to rule, his brother the Duke of Zhou took command, stamping out civil wars and rebellions, conquering more territory and establishing the Mandate of Heaven, a sort of two-for-one sale that combines the divine right of kings with manifest destiny. All this upheaval and authoritarian rule is clearly approved by Ananke, who has perfected her Double Click Technique when it comes to taking out Persephones.

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#WicDiv #The Wicked + The Divine #the wicked and the divine #twatd #6000 years of murder

[heroineimages]

Queens, ships, and a bastard niece

Queen Sita of Illara is another character I’ve introduced in a few scenes who I look forward to using more extensively later in First Empress. Sita is a former colleague of Queen Viarra’s father and grandfather, and is hegemon of the second most powerful empire on the Vestic Sea. Her land army is nearly twice the size of Queen Viarra’s and (counting privateers) her fleet is possibly five times Viarra’s. Sita is currently locked in a stalemate with the Empire of Pellastor that fluctuates back and forth between cold-war status and open warfare. 

The initial conflict between Viarra and Sita is basically that Sita would love to drag Viarra’s army into the conflict with Pellastor, while Viarra would much prefer to remain entirely neutral in said conflict. Thus instead Sita has to content herself with distracting her enemy with phantom threats from Viarra’s direction. In the following scene, Sita visits Viarra, offering the gift of a quinquereme, a new type of warship that Vi’s shipwrights have never had access to before. While on the surface it comes across as a generous gift, its true intent is to make Pellastor see a phantom alliance between Sita and our protagonist. 

Elissa found herself staring in awe as the largest warship she’d ever seen rowed into the harbor of Kel Fimmaril, taller, wider, and longer than the pair of triremes escorting it. She could tell her awe was shared by everyone present as Queen Viarra’s entourage made their way to the harbor area.

“I’d heard about these ‘quinqueremes,’” General Derron commented. “But my understanding was that only Pellastor knew how to build them—that their construction was a closely-guarded secret. Clearly Queen Sita’s people managed to capture one and reverse engineer it.”

“What do you think: a hundred and fifty feet to the trireme’s hundred and twenty?” Ronnius speculated.

“I’d say all of that,” Derron agreed. “The deck looks to be at least thirty feet wide, and I count three tiers of around thirty oars on each side. From what I understand, the top two tiers have two rowers per oar.”

“Ferra’s breath,” Ronnius swore, “so we’re talking as many as three hundred rowers per ship, plus deck crew and marines. That can’t be cheap to keep afloat.”

“They don’t have a full complement of marines,” Queen Viarra observed.

Derron frowned as their delegation stopped up the beach. “You’re right,” he agreed, turning to her majesty. “They could carry as many as six-score hoplites between the three ships, but that doesn’t look like even eighty. Why would Sita travel with diminished security?”

“Because they’re not planning to return home with the quinquereme,” Queen Viarra answered. “I suspect she means it as a gift.”

“The intent of which is probably to spite Pellastor,” was Ronnius’s comment.

“Or at least make them nervous,” Viarra agreed. “Andivel’s navy is less than a quarter the size of Illara’s and possibly as small as a tenth the size of Pellastor’s. Even so, Emperor Orvandius is scared shitless of the possibility that we might ally ourselves with Illara and attack his empire from the north while Sita hits him from the west. Beginning production of our own quinqueremes would increase that paranoia a dozen-fold. Yet at the same time, we’d be stupid to not commission quniqueremes of our own to enhance our navy.”

“Sita was always a shrewd politician,” Derron nodded as the quinquereme’s crew beached the huge dreadnought along an empty stretch of sand. “She’s a consummate manipulator and has been the power behind the throne of Illara for twenty-odd years; she’s in a class of her own when it comes to getting into her enemies’ heads.”

“Or her allies’,” Queen Viarra added grimly.

The triremes waited until the larger ship was secured before beaching on either side of it. A pair of sailors lowered a ramp from the side of the quinquereme, allowing Queen Sita’s entourage to disembark. First came her honor guard, twelve swarthy Illaran men and women in black armor with crimson capes and plumes. Next came Queen Sita of Illara and her servants and entourage, including at least one woman who Elissa recognized as one of the Illaran princesses.

Queen Sita had aged well, to Elissa’s estimation. The grey in her dark hair gave her a distinguished look, and she had excellent curves for a woman in her forties who’d borne eight children. Or was it just seven? Elissa couldn’t remember. The Illaran queen wore an elegant dark blue dress with a violet shoulder cloak.

“Viarra, my darling, it’s been far too long,” Queen Sita hailed, striding forward to embrace her fellow monarch.

“It’s wonderful to see you again, dear Sita,” Queen Viarra laughed in return. The queens held each other fondly for a long moment before stepping back.

“By Nyrus’s teeth, you look so grown up, dear,” the Illaran queen said appraisingly. “You were what, ten years old last we met?”

“All of that,” Viarra smiled.

“I was sorely grieved to learn of your brothers’ murders,” Sita told her, voice quieting, “as well as your father’s death, for that matter. I may not have always agreed with his administrative policies, but I know he believed he was doing what was best for his people.”

“Thank you for your condolences, your majesty,” Viarra replied somberly. She turned to her retinue. “You remember General Derron of course,” her majesty introduced the commander of her island forces.

“Of course I remember the old flirt,” Sita smiled, stepping up to embrace the grizzled general. “You’re looking well, all things considered,” she said as she stepped back. “Where is that Verleki woman you married? How is she holding up?”

“Wonderful to see you again, your majesty,” Derron bowed. “Vola is doing well, despite a leg injury that didn’t heal properly. At the moment she’s on the mainland working on expanding and integrating our hegemony’s cavalry troops.”

Sita nodded appreciatively.

“This is Ronnius, my second in command and Steward of Kel Fimmaril when I’m away,” Viarra introduced next.

“Majesty,” Ronnius bowed.

“Steward,” Sita nodded in return.

Viarra turned to introduce Elissa next. “You may remember Elissa, my handmaid and now concubine.”

“No doubt there’s an interesting anecdote behind that,” Queen Sita smiled lopsidedly. “It’s lovely to see you again, my dear.”

Elissa curtsied, feeling herself blush.

“And my more recent handmaids, Naddie and Gwynnet.”

“Ladies,” the older queen nodded to each in return.

“And, lastly, I’d like you to meet Princess Juda of Valos.”

Queen Sita barked out a laugh—a surprising breach in her silky demeanor. “By Nyrus, that’s delightful. What did dear Xafod do that you need to keep his daughter under wraps?”

“He bankrolled several small privateer task groups operating within my territorial waters,” the younger queen explained, “claiming blackmail as his motivation.”

Sita looked surprised. “Do you believe him?” she asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Queen Sita laughed again. Princess Juda fidgeted uncomfortably.

“Not to worry, dear,” the older queen reassured the princess. “I’m sure your father is wise enough to not cross Queen Viarraluca again.” She patted the girl on the cheek briefly.

“Queen Viarra, my dear,” she continued, taking Queen Viarra’s hands, “my purpose for visiting is twofold. Firstly, I wanted to express my gratitude. You may not realize it, but you did my people a great turn by overthrowing the Tetrarchy of Andivel. My enemies in Pellastor were using the payments from Andivel to buy privateers to counter the privateers I hired to harass their supply lanes. Though inadvertent, it was your intervention that forced Orvandius to sue for peace last summer. And for that I wished to repay you in kind.” Sita turned and gestured dramatically at the dreadnought beached before them. “As a token of my thanks, I present the Myrmidonian Harpe, one of the newest quinqueremes from the shipyards at Descal. She is yours to do with as you wish.”

“She’s magnificent,” Queen Viarra smiled, appraising the great warship and doing an excellent job at acting surprised. “She’ll make a fine flagship, thank you, your majesty. I’ll have to ask your captain to take us on a full tour later—and I very much look forward to seeing what she can do on the open sea.”

“I’m sure you’ll know exactly how best to integrate her into your fleet,” Sita told her. “Secondly, I wanted to introduce you to someone very important,” she continued. “Landra, bring Tila here, please. You remember my daughter Landra, of course.”

“Of course,” Viarra said as the Illaran princess led forward a young girl with golden-brown hair. “I’m pleased to see you again, your highness.”

“You as well, your majesty,” Landra replied, her civil tone nearly masking her annoyance at having to be here at all. The shy-looking girl with her looked to be about seven or eight years old, with light green eyes and facial features that seemed eerily familiar to Elissa.

“Come here, darling,” Queen Sita commanded gently, taking the small girl by the hand and leading her before their hostess. “Viarra, my dear, I want you to meet my granddaughter Tila, daughter of Landra and your brother Arrol.” Elissa gasped at the revelation, placing a hand to her mouth. She could tell her shock was shared by the others present. “Tila, say ‘hello’ to your aunt Viarra.”

“Hello, your majesty,” the girl said, blushing as Queen Viarra knelt before her. “I’m very pleased to meet you.”

“And I’m very pleased to meet you, Tila,” Queen Viarra said in return, embracing her niece with tears in her eyes. “I hope we get to know each other very well during your visit.”

Elissa just covered her mouth, feeling stunned. The little Princess Tila looked hauntingly like the late King Arrol: similar facial features and identical shade of golden-brown hair. There’d been rumors that Arrol had seduced Princess Landra during Sita’s visit eight years ago—though Viarra had always suspected it was the other way around—and Elissa vaguely remembered hearing that Landra ended up pregnant not long after. But she’d never heard if there were efforts to confirm those rumors.

Looking down at the pretty little princess in Queen Viarra’s arms, Elissa felt no doubts that she was Arrol’s daughter. She could only imagine the joy and wonderment her beloved queen must be feeling at the moment.

#my writing #my novel #First Empress #Queen Viarra #Queen Sita #General Derron #Steward Ronnius #Handmaiden Elissa #Handmaid Naddie #Princess Juda #excerpts

[unifycosmos]

A Guide to Sudarshana Maha Mantra [Everything You Need to Know]

Sudarshana Maha Mantra is a powerful mantra which helps us to acquire all-around success and Karya siddhi. It is the most effective way to please Lord Sudarshana. It captured my attention when I’ve first heard of it, so I said to myself that I need to share it!

This mantra will give you a divine aura to both your mental and physical aspects. It will also help you to progress spiritually and lead you to inner peace and serenity. You will get relieved of ill luck, financial crisis, health issues, spiritual dissatisfaction etc. if you chant this mantra regularly.

What is Sudarshana Maha Mantra?

This Sanskrit word ‘Sudarshana’ is a combination of two words. ‘Su’ means divine, ‘Darshana’ means vision so, the word Sudarshana translates to ‘Divine Vision’.

The Sudarshana Maha Mantra is an auspicious and potent mantra that will help you to de-clutter your life from any unnecessary elements that may have been hindering your progress. Sudarshana mantra benefits are not only just a religious aspect, but they heal us physically, mentally and spiritually.

You need to recite is as follows:

“Om Shreem Hreem Kleem Krishnaaya Govindaaya Gopeejana Vallabhaya Paraya Param Purushaaya Paramathman Para Karma Manthtra Yanthra Tanthra Oushadha Visha Aabichara Astra Shastra Samhara Samhara Mrithiyur Mochaya Mochaya Om Namo Bhagavathey Maha Sudarshanaya Om Preem Reem Rum Deepthrey Jwala Pareethaya Sarwa Digkchobhanakaraye Karaeya Hum Phat Para Bhrahmaney Param Jyothish Swaha Om Namo Bhagavathey Sudarshanaya Om Namo Bhagvathey Maha Sudarshanaya Maha Chakraya Maha Jwaalaya Sarva Roga Prashamanaya Karma Bandha Vimochanaya Paadaathimastha Paryanthan Vaada Janitha Rogaan Pitha Janitha Rogaan Shlesma Janitha Rogaan Daathusankalikoth Bhava Naanaa Vikaara Rogaan Nasaya Nasaya Prasamaya Prasamaya“

Meaning of the Sudarshana Maha Mantra in English

Here’s a quick translation of this mantra.

“ O Lord Krishna, you are the controller of this entire universe, the senses. You are the supreme soul and the beloved one among the gopees. Please Param aatma, protect me from all evils, acts of others, evil mantra and weapons. O Lord, who has the entire world on his fingertips, who holds the mighty Sudarshana chakra and wards off evil from all eight directions, I surrender myself to thee.”

How and When to Chant Sudarshana Maha Mantra

This Sudarshana Maha Mantra can be initiated on birth(nakshatra) days and Ekadashi tithi days. It is very beneficial if you can recite it, but with busy work schedules these days, it may not be possible, that’y why you can also recite it on Saturdays and Wednesdays, which are the most favorable days.

This sacred mantra should be recited in the early morning after taking a bath or in the Sandhya Kala, i.e., evening. It is advised to do it sitting in front of an idol or picture of Lord Sudarshana/Lord Vishnu.

You can recite it for 3, 9, 11 or 108 times as per your convenience. And any individual can chant this maha mantra; there are no barriers.

You could also offer sweet food items made with sesame or laddu, tamarind rice, etc.

Tulsi and Lotus flowers can be used to offer to Lord Sudarshana.

Recite it facing the north and east direction.

While chanting the mantra, you can use the rosary beads made of tulsi or clear quartz crystals.

This mantra can also be used in Shri Sudarshana Homa or Yajna. Homas are thousands of years old rituals in which the mantra is recited over the burning fire which is the Yajna. They usually have elaborate setups with other routines. There are hundreds of homas for different purposes, and Sudarshana homa is one of the powerful ones.

Chanting of this mantra over a fire ritual or homa is a Vedic custom which accesses Lord Vishnu’s spiritual weapon, the Sudarshan chakra. The person on behalf of whom the homa is performed should be physically present in the homa or japa.

It won’t be possible for you to perform this homa every day, so you can also do it in the confines of your home. You can sit in front of a picture of Lord Vishnu, offer some flowers, burn a lamp and incense sticks. Take a glass of water and put a few tulsi leaves, cover the glass using the right-hand palm, recite the mantra and then the holy water can be given to people who need it.

If you cannot arrange much, then sit with a clear mind and chant the mantra daily. If you chant the maha mantra regularly with a pure heart, then you will definitely see results.

Who is Lord Sudarshana?

Lord Sudarshana is a manifestation of Lord Vishnu shown holding the Sudarshana Chakra in his rear right hand. In the other three sides, he holds a shank (conch), Gada (mace) and Padma (lotus). When Lord Vishnu is seen in his form holding ths chakra, he is acknowledged as Lord Sudarshana. This form of him is rightly called as the ‘Divine Vision’.

Lord Sudarshana by: Devshoppe

This weapon is of such significance that it is acknowledged as a deity itself. When you chant this powerful mantra, you are showering praise on the weapon by addressing it as a deity named Lord Sudarshana. You hail the powers that it unfolds and invoke the power of Lord Vishnu or Narayana. This powerful mantra helps to harness the auspicious qualities of the Sudarshana chakra which is one of the most feared and dreaded weapons in the universe.

Significance of the Sudarshana Chakra

It is the holy weapon of Lord Vishnu. This chakra has 108 serrated blades or edges. These blades lookout for evil and destroy them. Out of all his weapons, this is the most significant and powerful one. The sharp edges can severe anything in the Universe. The disc gives out immense heat as it is also an aspect of Agni who is the Lord of Fire.

The typical image of Sudarshana chakra contains a circular ring where Lord Sudarshana is shown with Sixteen hands. Around the circle are found flames of fire as a representation of the Sun God. On the other side there is an image of Lord Narasimha.

This ring represents the destruction of all evil forces and imparts victory of good over evil. When hurled at an enemy, this chakra slices through the air like a disc with blazing fire with a tremendous amount of power. It is known that the chakra can search for its enemy in all the four directions. So, this weapon is also considered as the protector of Dharma and justice among humanity.

In the Nrisimha Upanishads, there is narration as to how Lord Vishnu obtained this powerful weapon of destruction. Once when demons began to overthrow the Gods, so the gods went to Lord Vishnu and asked for his help. Vishnu wanted to have a mighty weapon to defeat the demons. So, he started praying to Lord Shiva and decided to offer one thousand lotus flowers and chanting the Shiva Mantras. Vishnu noticed that one of the lotus flowers were missing so he offered to give his own eyes to replace the missing lotus so that he could complete his prayer ritual.

Lord Shiva was so impressed by his exceptional devotion that he granted Vishnu a weapon of his choice. Lord Vishnu asked for the Sudarshan Chakra so that he could fight with the demons. Shiva fulfilled his wish and gifted him the most potent weapon in the universe.

Sudarshan Chakra

It is written in the Puranas that the heavens architect Vishwakarma made the Sudarshan Chakra from shreds of fire of the sun. Vishwakarma’s daughter was married to Lord Surya- the sun god. Due to his intense heat, she could not be with him, so she complained to her father.

To please his daughter, Vishwakarma shaved off the edges of the Sun to make it shine less. The leftover ‘sun dust’ was used to create three powerful celestial objects. The first one was the aerial vehicle called the Pushpaka Vimana, the second being the Trishul- the Trident. And the third one was the Sudarshana Chakra.

That is why the chakra is considered to be a blazing disc having all the power of the sun. It is a portable instrument and the most powerful among all of Vishnu’s weapons. Its presence also implies that Lord Vishnu is the keeper or owner of celestial bodies in the three lokhas (heaven, hell and earth). You can also get the qualities of this weapon such as courage and fearlessness by praying to lord Sudarshana. The ultimate reason for worshipping this chakra is to refine your perception and vision by achieving an enormous amount of spiritual maturity.

Benefits of the Sudarshana Maha Mantra

Chanting of this mantra will give you immense benefits that will bring peace into your lives. When you recite this mantra, you pray to Lord Sudarshana to bless you immensely with good luck, health and spiritual well being.

This mantra has the power to remove all curses or doshas and will provide a shield over you and your family.

We can block all evil influences that prevent good things from happening in our lives.

It is also beneficial for pregnant women who will be thinking of Lord Sudarshana during their pregnancy and get blessings for the unborn child.

It will give you courage, fearlessness, confidence and victory over your enemies.

You will also be relieved from unknown or unexplained worries that may hinder your progress.

It will remove any obstacles that you may face in your path to spirituality. Your connection with the Lord gets strengthened.

On regular chanting of this mantra, it will cure you of any unidentified disease whether it is mental or physical. It will give you a healthy mind and body.

It will bless you with wealth, health and prosperity.

If you are suffering from any disease and you chant this mantra regularly, then you will see tremendous improvements in your health. It will also keep you more energetic.

Since it is very powerful, it is also used to ward off bad energy, ghosts and evil entities. It can be used in the exorcism of demons and evil spirits.

It will bless you with success and abundance; it will help you to achieve your dreams.

You can use this maha-mantra to remove darkness from the mind. It will lead you to self-purification and mental rejuvenation.

It is essential for Karya siddhi. Any work that you set your mind to do will be a success if you religiously chant this mantra.

If you have been dealing with any kind of legal disputes in the court regarding property, money or land, this mantra will help you to ease your problems in these issues. Any pending cases or litigation will be dissolved.

Or if you have been going through financial issues regarding loans, credit card or you can’t find a good job, and then this mantra will lead you to an excellent financial status or a good job. It is beneficial even for entrepreneurs as they can earn more profits or get success in new ventures. It also helps in career advancements.

Final Thoughts

In today’s fast-paced world, this mantra can give you spiritual access with your inner self. Chanting this mantra will help you to develop your personality so that you attain Karya siddhi in any venture or activity. Lord Sudarshana will bless you and your family with health, wealth and prosperity.

Please keep in mind that Whenever you recite the mantra, do it with a clear mind and soul. If you hold grudges, ill feelings or greed in your heart then you won’t be able to feel the connection and reap the benefits.

Related articles: The Complete Guide to Shreem Mantra [Secrets of Money Mantra] The Absolute Guide to Surya Gayatri Mantra [Blessed By Lord Surya] The Complete Guide to Chamunda Mantra [Feel Miraculous Blessings] The A-Z Guide to Vakratunda Mahakaya Mantra [Blessed By Ganesha]

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[gaitsinwind]

戀戀歲月-義大利羅馬聖天使堡Love in fading time - Castle Sant'Angelo,Rome,Italy.

南歐晚春氣溫除早晚稍冷外，大致還是溫和舒適，只是太陽微笑依舊，曬得我額頭冒汗，皮膚日黑，從約旦沙漠來，老早就放棄防曬了，擦再多也防不了，老外從一開始猜我是東北亞人(先猜我是日本人)，一路猜到我是菲律賓人、馬來西亞人，就知道我被曬黑到一個不行，美白是很重要的，俗話說"一白遮三醜"，就知道我們是很注重膚色的民族，顏色一對，心情就會好很多，相對於城市風貌，我的態度也是一樣，義大利羅馬的古蹟形塑城市色調，黃土偏紅的大地色系，街樹枯黃亂生，綠葉這時節還未長齊呢，這時節的羅馬讓我的心情就像風中枯黃樹枝，加上日曬，整個煩躁到一個不行，沒辦法羅馬古蹟太多，古蹟顏色都是這樣，還是多走走心情就會變好。At the time of the late Spring,it was a bit cold in the moring and at night in the southern Europe,but the rest time of the day was still warm and cozy.It's just sun shined as usual bright,that I'd gotten suntanned deeper day by day,ever since I came from the desert in Jordan.I could tell the change of my skin's complexion by people's speculations about where I came from.People guessed me coming from Japan first,then as time went on,they started saying I was from Philippines or Malaysia.Then ,I knew I was so dark for having been exposed myself too much in sun these days.I didn't think sunblock cream would help at all.So,I'd better give up the thoughts of using more any sun prevention lotion. You see,whitening is very important to my people.We even have a say about being skin "white" makes you look prettier.Here,don't get me wrong.I am not saying "racism" stuff. Eastern Asians think that being skin white means you are from wealthy family and don't work in sun.And because our genetic face structure,we think Asian people are prettier with lighter skin complexion. It's just paranoid notion anyway.But the skin color preference affacts my people's aesthetics.Thus,I think "color" is also very important to a city,as it to men. Rome has too many ancient ruins left,plus, dry ,withered branches of street trees at this time of year,that makes Rome fit to the "earthy" colors.Today,walking in the atmosphere of dry,sultry weather made me annoyed to some extent.But I'd felt better after spending more time walking outside .

市區台伯河 River Tiber in Roma.

市區台伯河 River Tiber in Roma.

市區台伯河 River Tiber in Roma.

走著走著就來到行程中的聖天使堡，羅馬博物館千百家，慎選參觀目標對金錢比較有保障，總不能每家都去吧?門票全加起來也不是便宜，每家少說也要個3、5百塊台幣呢，錢省起來可以拿到酒吧喝掉說~哈哈哈。Walking on, and soon I reached Castle Sant'Angelo that was on my today's schedule. Things are like this. There are hundreds of museums in Rome ,and no way that I could go to visit each one of them.So,I need to select wisely,and the fee of admission doesn't come cheap in the end.It's about averagely NT$300-500 per ticket. Well,I'd rather spend money on beer later at bars or clubs,hahaha,just a thought.

聖天使堡Castle Sant'Angelo

13歐 Eur13.00(2017)

可以從梵諦岡聖彼得廣場過來，或像我是經過最高法院(正義宮)，再沿著台伯河散步過來，台伯河岸這時樹枝蕭蕭疏疏，非常有文藝氣息。Either can you come from Saint Peter's Square,Vatican,or,like me,passing from the other end,by Supreme Court of Cassation,then going on,along River Tiber to reach Castle.At this time of year, while walking down the banks of River Tiber,withered tree branches on both banks of the river made up some literatural atmosphere. Nice promenades they were.

梵諦岡方向過來，可看見我國大使館和國旗。Coming from Vatican,I saw our embassy and our national flag on the way to Castle Sant'Angelo.

正義宮 Supreme Court of Cassation

正義宮 Supreme Court of Cassation

正義宮 Supreme Court of Cassation

正義宮 Supreme Court of Cassation

義大利人只要加個外套整個人就會很有型，隨便再加個圍巾，或將領子立起來，就很好看，街頭商店或小販賣的圍巾很便宜，約台幣150-200元左右就有一條了，有點出乎我的意料之外，大概是因為台灣天氣熱，很少有機會用到圍巾吧。General Italians could be posh poshy by simply putting on a long coat.They like the collar to stand up ,and then add a scarf,which makes them look stylish and good-looking.A convenient way of making over promptly. To my surprised,those scarves were not expensive,about NT$150-200 a piece.Taiwan's temperature is usually high,which might be the reason that I have no idea on scarves.But you can get them anywhere from street vendors or shops around.

名店Bialetti剛好在打折。Brand name store,Bialetti,was on sale.

會經過最高法院是因為前一條街的街角有一家Bialetti，是知名義式廚具店，剛好在大打折，就買了2個咖啡壺，台灣這個品牌的2人份咖啡壺要賣3,600元，我在這裡用1,200元就買到了。The main reason that I walked by Supreme Court of Cassation was because there was a Bialetti store on the cornor of the prior street.It was holding a discount for its goods.Bialetti is a famous brandname kitchenwares in Italy.I bought 2 coffee pots from it.For 2 cups pots,it sells NT$3,600 each in Taiwan's department stores, but I got it here by NT$1,200 only.

說到shopping就會沒完沒了(趕快回來，哈哈)，快到了才發現手機快沒電了，沒得拍照(我不只來一次，所以有補拍)，不過也沒關係啦，因為世界的著名地標，早被大家都給拍爛了，看看別人拍的也不錯，如果下次有來再拍就好，太有名氣的景點就是有這點好處，太多人來，太多人都拍過了，你拍的跟別人拍的長得都一樣，沒有怎樣，不用大驚小怪。 因為是市區重要景點，所以有街頭藝人在這表演，買票進去後真是覺得是一間軍事堡壘，防衛意圖的色彩很重，當然，裡面也是有古時監獄設施，但是怎麼是圓形滴??!!，那你就知道內部會有環形通道了。I need to get back to my original track,or I'll soon get lost in the irrelevant shopping topic.haha. I'd found my mobile's battery was dying soon,before reaching to the gate of the fortification(Sant'Angelo).The power couldn't last long.However,I was not worry too much.Because famous landmarks in the world are usually taken pictures by innumerable tourists already.I can always see others' photos instead,and make up the lost in my next visit.The landmarks in your photos are the same as other people's. It's not a big deal,no need to make a fuzz. Since it is the famous landmark in city,there's no surprise to see street artisits performing here too. I felt Castle Sant'Angelo indeed a fortress,built for serving the millitary purpose of defendence.It also served as a jail for dissidents in the 10th centuary.It was a cylinder shape,which plainly for me to know there must be a spiral walkway inside the building.

堡前天使橋。Angels’ Bridge in front of the fortress.

堡前天使橋。Angels’ Bridge in front of the fortress.

約西元6世紀時，當時正流行瘟疫，很多人死掉，有天羅馬教皇額我略一世經過時，說有看到大天使米迦勒現身在堡上，諭示著瘟疫將要過去，所以後來這裡就命名為聖天使堡，供奉的正是大天使米迦勒。The plague was on the loose in the 6th centuary,which caused many people died.One day,the pope(Pope Saint Gregory I the Great) went by the castle.He claimed he saw Archangel Michael on top of the castle,indicating the plague was going to end according to his own interpretion. From that on,the castle was named as "Sant'Angelo",worshipping Archangel Michael.

大天使米迦勒 Archangel Michael.

誰是米迦勒?他是統領所有天使大軍的天使長，常常輔佐另一大天使加百列處理棘手的事務。天使的概念在西方其實出現的比我想的還要早很多，我以前也不知道，我還以為是古時候的人太過浪漫，捏造一堆沒穿衣服的小屁屁到處亂晃，最近才發現西元前十幾世紀就出現了，從亞伯拉罕教派引申出來的。Who is "Archangel Michael"? HE is the leading captain of all angels,usually assisting archangel Gabriel tackling arduous affairs.The concept of angels appeared quite early than I had anticipated.I didn't know beforehand,and I thought the concept came from people's melancholic romance in old times,getting a bunch of kids' naked asses frolicing about for fun.Actually,it derived from Abraham sects more than 1000 years before Christian era.

堡頂平台可讓大家望遠用。The rooftop of the castle,where is used as a observation platform for tourism.

大天使米迦勒 Archangel Michael.

歲月流轉，後來因為政治環境變遷，聖天使堡也轉而成為軍事用途，就近保護教皇所在的梵諦岡，今日已經沒那個用途，所以成為博物館，但是，一開始聖天使堡並不是有這些有的沒的，它是羅馬帝國五賢帝之一,哈德良皇帝，他和他的家屬的陵墓(哈德良陵墓)，哈德良死後骨灰存放在這裡，經過不同年代戰亂，早不知去哪了，據說現在在梵諦岡聖彼得教堂裡。However,the roles of the castle transformed through time in terms of politics.It once served to protect Vatican.Today,its millitary function had long gone,and turned into a museum.But,in the very beginning,the castle was the mausoleum of Hadrian and his family,one of the 5 most revered Roman emperors.His ashes were stored here at first,but it was lost after different wartime.I've heard it was stored now in Saint Peter's Basillica,Vatican.

堡壘周圍公園。The park that surrounds the fortress.

堡壘周圍公園。The park that surrounds the fortress.

如果你有注意，羅馬皇帝雕像中哈德良是第一個有留鬍鬚的羅馬皇帝，古時是用蠟直接將死者面容翻模，所以今天我們可以清楚看到哈德良長的怎樣，而聖天使堡是因為哈德良而生，來這邊玩，我不得不知道這位皇帝是怎麼樣的人。(雕像看起來約40多歲左右)。There are many statues in Italy.You might think those figures are from artists' imagination.No, No,Nope.If you had paid attention,you might have noticed that Emperor Hadrian is the first Roman emperor with beards. Ancient Romans used wax as materials for the molds of duplicating people's face,which allows us to know what Hadrian really looks like today.And since Sant'Angelo was born because of Hadrian,I couldn't help but do a little bit of research about him before visiting the castle.He looks like at his 40s' from the statues.

哈德良大帝，攝自堡中壁畫。Emperor Hadrian,taken from the mural in the fortress.

哈德良大帝 Emperor Hadrian

他.....滿粗的，哈哈哈哈，不是雞雞，是指他不是清秀那一型，他前後的羅馬帝國有不成文規定，歷代皇帝常常選下一任為王，選中的就先收為養子培養，哈德良也是，他文武全才，歷代罕見，圖拉真(我有PO過羅馬尼亞國家歷史博物館的圖拉真柱，義大利這裡也有一支，奧古斯都的骨灰聽說埋這支下面。)是他前任皇帝，是他的養父，阿提安是近衛軍首領，也是他的養父。有這兩位超重量級當靠山，沒見過這麼妥當的，但是他也歷經一番鬥爭才站穩皇帝的位置，不是簡單的人物，講一個故事當例子好了，圖拉真傳位給他後，他還剛要從前線(古伊朗、伊拉克)撤軍回朝，後方元老院舊勢力早就想推翻他，他委託養父阿提安處理元老院的反叛勢力和領袖，阿提安還真是老辣，下手一一剷除，綁架、暗殺等見不得人的手段全出籠，最後為了平息政治紛爭，又一人擔下所有罪名，阿提安說，「我（阿提安）的職責就是做這些事情的時候，保證你（哈德良）的手是乾淨的。」 哈德良感恩銘記，雖然被迫降罪於他，但還是搞個元老院的席次給他，讓他可以無後顧之憂地享盡繁榮富貴而終。He....looks kind of rough,hahaha,muscular and perhaps a dick.Anyway,he is not the type of a scholar.In his times,it was not weird that emperor chose his successors by being a foster parent.Hardrian was adopted by emperor Trajan too.Hadrian had two foster fathers.One was the emporer,Trajan, the other was the leader of Roman royal army,General Atilla.He was sent to Greece for learning literature and later on sent to learn hunting and battling technics from General Atilla.He was trained to be a full telanted and promising king.The solid background from his both foster parents made sure he would be anything he'd want. P.S. Trajan Column, I had already introduced the Column when I was in Bucharest,Romania.There is another one in Rome,Italy.The ashes of Emperor Augustus was buried under this one(Rome,Italy). Even so,Hadrian still went through a struggle to make a stand for the throne,after he went back from front line(Wars in ancient Iraq and Iran).Several council leaders wanted to overthrow him.Hardrian was threatened hard.So,he asked help from his foster father,General Atilla.Atilla was a determined man.He quickly underwent a series of stigmatic means by assassinating and abducting these dissident council leaders.Soon,there was no one in council objecting Hadrian,but the political ambience became harsher.In the end,Atilla offered himself to be the blackgoat blamed for the turmoil,in order for Hadrian to regain peace and start positive relationship with council. Here,Atilla was alone in court judged by emperor's enemies.He told Hardrian before going to the judgement by,:This sort of things is my duty and I will make sure your hands won't be stained with blood. Apparently Hadrian was so moved by his foster father's love.In order to thank Atilla's sacrifice,Hadrian let Atilla have a seat in council later on,and enjoy in a lavish and secured retiring life.

歐盟的旗和義大利的旗子 Italy’s national flag,and EU’s flag.

內部近照 internal close-up.

外層進出口。The gate of external layer.

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外在的長年征戰，和對內的政治鬥爭，沒有沉穩的個性的人是會屍骨無存的，因此有個情感的支持是很重要的，出乎我意料之外的是，哈德良有演斷背山，還吃小鮮肉安提諾烏斯，兩人差了20、21歲，後來安提諾烏斯跟著他巡視埃及時意外淹死了，我猜應該是被政敵暗殺吧，聽說哈德良聞訊還嚎啕大哭，別人勸也勸不住。Hadrian survived from long time wars and internal political fights,which was not miraculous,for men living in that kind of risky situation needed emotional backup.Hadrian was no exceptional.He had a very important love ally,Antinous. Yes,He was homosexual and Antinous was 20 years younger than he was.On a tour to Egypt,Antinous was drown dead accidently,but I guess he must have been murdered by enemies. Anyway,Hadrian was so sad and heart broken about the news.So he cried and cried really bad. No matter how hard people tried to console him,and still couldn't help him stop crying.

安提諾烏斯雕像被挖掘出來的資料。The statue of Antinous digged out,from my data files. 

安提諾烏斯雕像 The statue of Antinous .

後來他在羅馬到處建紀念他的神廟，宮裡隨便一個轉角也放他的雕像，這麼哀傷啊，雖然世間所有愛戀都會消逝在歲月的流轉中，但是聖天使堡往後的日子，卻有著更加黑暗的歲月等著，所以他的愛情並沒有迴盪在聖天使堡紀念著。Later on,Hadrian started to build temples to commemorate Antinous,and made statues in every cornors of his palace. So sad,he was.Though all love in earthy world will dissipate eventually in flowing time,his love didn't last long enough to reverberate in the castle,either. There were darker days coming up for Castle Sant'Angelo after Hadrian's times.

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哈德良皇帝的愛情在安提諾烏斯死後也就沒了，但是對哈德良這個人不用想得太過浪漫，在政治權力的鬥爭中，滿手血腥是這個職業的風險，西元１３２年，在他快要巡視到埃及時，耶路薩冷爆發猶太人起義，他轉過頭來打起戰爭，史稱第二次猶太戰爭，這一戰讓猶太人離鄉背井、流離失所近兩千年，差點滅族。 我說啊~，人喔............Hadrian's love was ended right after the death of Antinous.In the process of political fighting,Hadrian proved himself was a tough emperor. In 132 A.D.,when Hadrian was cruising near to Egypt,Jerusalem broke up a revolution against Roman empire. Hadrian ordered to annihilate all men,all people in Jerusalem,which caused Jewishes almost extinct.Then,in the coming years,almost for 2 thousand years,Jewishes had been loitering everywhere but home.This is called :the 2nd Jewish War. After all,Hadrian was a man with bloody hands. People ,ah~, people.

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大天使米迦勒 Archangel Michael.

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聖天使堡在中世紀經過幾任教宗作為軍事和監獄的使用，嚴然是 - 上帝的衛兵團，現在只是間博物館任憑世人憑弔，頂樓是觀賞都市風景的絕佳地點，米迦勒大天使手拿寶劍，俯視羅馬，有點鎮煞態勢。 我在頂樓天台上留了一會............ 勁風帶來寒意， 相思遙寄風中， 風華年代數不盡， 轉眼已是夕陽紅。

Castle Sant'Angelo was used as a jail and military fortress,it's the God's terrestrial guard.Now,It is a museum.Its roof top is one of the best location for overlooking Rome.The statue of archangel Michael holding a sword,overlooking us from above,which making it like a protector of Rome. I......stayed on the rooftop for a while........ Feeling cold from rustling gusts, Delivering my thoughts far and away through air, Counting innumerably great tides in time , that come and go nonstop. Then I turned and found.... a sinking sun in a scarlet dusky sky.

~ end ~

屋頂可看到梵諦岡 Vatican from the rooftop of Castle Sant'Angelo

#就醬玩 #羅馬 #義大利 #聖天使堡 #哈德良大帝 #米迦勒大天使 #安提諾烏斯 #梵諦岡 #正義宮 #Italy #Rome #Castle Sant'Angelo #Hadrian #Antinus #Vatican #Supreme Court of Cassation