#Mekar

[lavb-b]

More Zelda Pixels :]

Starving Artist has singlehandedly made me improve (somewhat) in pixel art!!

[bronzegods]

Mekal (or Mekar), the lord of Beth-Shean

I strongly hold that the Baal Cycle is not "Canaanite mythology." The Ugarites themselves identified Canaanites as "foreign people," and Mot, in particular, is strongly suspected to be a literary invention of Ilumilku, the scribe who wrote the Baal Cycle. To subsume the myths under the vague title of 'Canaanite mythology' is a disservice to Ugarit and its creativity, in my opinion.

So that naturally brought a question to mind: are there any Bronze Age deities who are distinctly Canaanite?

Enter Mekal/Mekar. A Fresh Look at the Mekal Stele (Levy 2018) introduces us to a deity who was attested in northern Palestine during the Bronze Age.

(Levy 2018: 361)

That "r" at the end of his name can be either an "r" or a Semitic "l", hence the Mekal/Mekar options for his name. And he's attested as the lord of Beth-Shean (or Bit-Shani, if you fancy the syllabic Akkadian transcription). How cool is that?

Some thoughts about this deity: his iconography is closely aligned with Baal's known iconography from the time period (which should make one wonder if there isn't some possible synchronization afoot, as if Seth-Baal wasn't strong enough evidence, lol), with one caveat: he has Resheph's headband. So some differences!

What I draw from that is Mekal/Mekar is a Baal-like deity but with some differences. In the Pantheon universe, thus, Mekal is primarily a vegetation god with some rain-bringing abilities, not a storm god proper. He doesn't have the weather manipulation capability that Baal does, but he's good at making flowers and helping agriculture grow!

Given the strong Egyptian influence here, Mekal strikes me as the type who really likes lotuses, too. Maybe he really looks forward to the few visits that Nefertem makes in the foreign northern lands? Well, assuming Sekhmet's willing to let him out...

Anyway, Beth-Shean is a major Egyptian administrative center in the Late Bronze Age, so Sutekh likely stops in Beth-Shean often before continuing onward to Gubla (Byblos), another Egyptian holding. Mekal, with his minimal attestation, seems like a very young god (and it's suspicious that he's not attested afterward). Perhaps he was educated in Kemet as a godling and then brought back to Beth-Shean to rule it, as the Egyptians were known for doing with foreign princes. Couldn't get him to get rid of the beard, though. Some cultural influences refuse to die.

Artwork commissioned from Eaglidots

[bonusdragons]

November 12, 2023:

Sanddollar Secondary, Obelisk, Smoke.

Mekar of williwawwarden's clan!

[herupras]

bermekaran

tidak ada bunga yang mekar hari ini. kesedihan baru saja mematikan bunga terakhir yang hampir tumbuh. atau mungkin kau sedang bersikeras merawat tangkai-tangkai layu di tempat lain, menyirami dengan harap dan ingatan-ingatan yang telanjur membatu di dadamu. aku tunggu, sampai gelisahmu yang kian hari kian mengembang pecah dan tak mampu kau kenali lagi.

hari ini masih tidak hujan, aku masih berpikir bagaimana caranya bunga bisa tumbuh dengan baik jika kekurangan air? tapi siapa juga yang peduli dengan pikiranku, semesta merawat segala yang tumbuh dengan hati-hati. semoga kau juga, aku mengaminkan cara paling baik semesta merawat senyummu.

jika senggang, taman di dadaku masih lapang. kau bisa menanam apapun yang kau suka selain kesedihan yang rumit itu. aku akan riang merawatnya dengan hati-hati.

— bdg, oktober 2024.

[queenaya22]

Bunga mekarpun tidak selalu bersamaan, mereka punya waktu sendiri yang telah Tuhan tetapkan. Tenang saja, setiap makhluk punya takdir yang telah digariskan, maka tak ada yang perlu dicemaskan. selagi menunggu tiba giliran, persiapkan apa yang sedang menjadi tujuan, sampai datang waktu yang telah ditentukan. Maka, kokohkan dulu akarmu, kuatkan dulu batangmu, lebarkan dulu daunmu, hingga ketika bungamu mekar, semua bagian telah siap untuk menopang. Yakinlah, kau akan temui hadiah terindah sebagai buah dari kesabaran.

T.W || 01.04.24 || 20.15

[fishfingersandscarves]

maharet and mekare!

[misslovelace]

maharet and mekare. inspired by a pic of elyanna

[sizeofyoursoul]

Character "Pin-Ups" (Inside Back Covers) from Innovation Comics' The Queen of the Damned (1993), art by O.J. Cariello

[ven0mvamp1re]

mekare & maharet

[vamptember]

𝖁𝖆𝖒𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖒𝖇𝖊𝖗 𝕻𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖘…

In honor of International Women’s Day, we will be hosting a week-long event taking place March 3 - March 9 to shine a spotlight on Anne Rice’s beloved female characters and/or the genderswapped versions of your favorite male characters! 💖

Create fic, art, playlists, moodboards, headcanons, meta, and anything else you can think of that centers the beautiful, brilliant, dynamic ladies of TVC! Base it on the books, the movie, the show, the musical, or even that other movie! Canon or AU!

𝕽𝖚𝖑𝖊𝖘 & 𝕲𝖚𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖘

Each day has THREE prompts in case one doesn’t speak to you! Pick one or combine them or rearrange them, it’s up to you! Make it SFW or NSFW!

Genderswapped and trans versions of canonically male characters are welcome! There are so many dynamics and possibilities to explore!

The event isn’t femslash exclusive with regards to NSFW content but it is highly encouraged!

AO3 collection here!

Tag your posts #vamptember so that we can reblog! If your post isn’t showing up in the tag, please don’t hesitate to send us an ask with a link!

𝕿𝖊𝖑𝖑 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖋𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖘𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖘𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖉! 𝕻𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖕𝖙𝖘 𝖇𝖊𝖑𝖔𝖜 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖚𝖙!

Day 1: Darling Daughter | Bejeweled | Rosary

Day 2: Sleeping Beauty | Cradle | Starring Role

Day 3: My Sister's Keeper | Puppy/Kitten | Hairbrush

Day 4: Mistress | Garden of Earthly Delights | Venus

Day 5: Hell Hath No Fury | Butch/femme | Devour

Day 6: Cowgirl | Looks That Kill | Mother's Milk

Day 7: Queen of Hearts | Lingerie | Betrothed

[graphic by @mariusderomanus 💕]

[foolforlover]

Diary entry of Jesse Reeves, age 19

[dreadfuldevotee]

the GG assad snub by amc is crazy especially considering the next season is going to be focused on the guy they submitted for supporting. it's honestly upsetting considering how good assad's performance was

I wish I could say this comes out of left field, but seeing how press has evolved over the course of season 2 (Remember how Assad was on all the pre-season SDCC posters, with his face blown up large on the sides of buildings. To being replaced this year by? Ben Daniels?) It's very clearly about Islamophobia. Articles refusing to print his or Armand's name, disapearing from episode press. It paints a pretty damning picture. And to specifically prop up Sam over him, despite the laughable difference in screentime and frankly- plot importance, leaves a decidedly sour taste in my mouth.

[fenicenera83]

De Romanus Coven Halloween Event:

DAY 2

Theme -> Witches

1-Prompt-> Suspiria/Maharet & Mekare

[pristina-nomine]

But you see, I still don't really fully understand what happened. I don't know whether or not it was a tragedy, or merely a meaningless venture.

The Queen of the Damned (1988) by Anne Rice

[swedenis-h]

Heart and Mind (X)

Just in case the link doesn’t work:

[wizardpink]

The meaninglessness of a concept like marriage to immortal blood drinkers, and the nature of IWTV as a gothic horror aside, I do like to go full ooc fluff and think about Daniel and Armand having the first ever Jewish Muslim Gay Vampire wedding.