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queenlua · 9 months ago

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amusing bits from Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet so far:

* "What sparked [Luther's] anger, so he later reminisced, was the preaching of a Dominican friar, Johannes Tetzel, in the nearby town of Jüterborg, who went so far as to claim that his indulgences were so efficacious that even if a person had raped the Virgin Mary they would be assured complete remission from Purgatory." used car salesman-ass strategy lol

* "...the wealth of material that has survived on Luther is so great that we probably know more about his inner life than about that of any other sixteenth-century individual... His collected works, the famous Weimar Edition, extend to 120 volumes, including 11 volumes of letters and 6 volumes of his dinner-table conversations"

holy FUCK. truly a poaster before his time. like would the median tumblr blog fill 120 volumes jeez

* "In the early years of the Reformation, for example, [Luther] talked constantly of invidia, or envy, attributing it to his opponents—though it is hardly likely that they would have envied a penniless, powerless monk, while he, on the other hand, had every reason to be preoccupied with those he envied." lmao. mean girl who goes "they're just jealous" every time ppl hate on him

* "Extraordinarily, in an age when letters were routinely passed from person to person, were forged or intercepted, and when every chancellery filed drafts, Luther kept no copies. This gave his correspondents huge power, because they alone had records of what he had written, but Luther was relaxed about this, joking that he could always deny his own 'hand,' a remark that reveals his remarkable confidence."

i will have to look into this later but this is lowkey fascinating??? it hadn't occurred to me the 16th century world would've, like. written out copies of every damn thing. to support audit trails and such. just because the overhead of producing all those damn copies seems really high. suggests fun possibilities for intrigue and mailfraud shenanigans lol

* "It was popularly believed that when of the counts [in the town where Luther grew up] commissioned an altarpiece for the chapel depicting the Crucifixion, he had the thief on Christ's right painted as his most hated co-ruler

LMAOOOooo. also reminds me of the funny story that the tobacco magnate who funded the creation of Duke University Chapel asked that the stained glass depict the 12 desciples smoking cigarettes, and the dude had to be talked out of it... though i can't find any reference to the story on the internet, sadly. did the duke chapel tour guide MAKE UP LIES to me

* Luther grew up in a family that owned a mine & it's sort of hilarious how bad all these 1500s miners were at economics. they're like. running whole mining operations but with only the haziest idea of, like. where capital comes from. how to not resource trap your way into fuckedness. etc. i dunk on economists a lot but y'know there are some concepts here that actually were p worth formalizing

* our dude Luther was a fucking DRAMA QUEEN let me tell you:

"[Luther] joined the Augustinian order in Erfurt on July 17, 1505 [...] Luther sent his academic gown and ring home to Mansfeld, telling his parents he had drawn a line under this part of his life. He sold some of the fine legal textbooks his father had bought him and donated others to the monastery. Then he invited all his student comrades to a lavish meal, with music and entertainment. At the height of the party, he told his shocked companions of his decision to become a monk, announcing melodramatically, 'Today you see me and never again!' He then left for the monastery, accompanied by his sobbing companions." bet those dudes never forgot that party

* though Martin Luther's dad sure could match him for drama queen-ness (and apparently never stopped resenting Luther becoming a monk instead of a lawyer):

"At the ensuing feast to celebrate [Luther's first mass a priest], for which Luther's father, always the man for the grand gesture, had given the sum of twenty guilders, the breach was still evident. Luther asked whether his father now accepted his decision, and in front of everyone at the table, Hans Luder replied, 'Remember the fourth commandment, to obey father and mother.' 'What if it was an evil spirit' behind [the storm that convinced Martin to become a monk]? he asked. It was a very serious charge, made at a point where Luther had just acted as Christ's representative on earth for the first time."

* Luther was in one of the more hardcore monkish orders, and said order had a pretty rigorous schedule of prayers that involved waking up in the middle of the night... but apparently you could just pay other monks to pray for you if you just Didn't Feel Like Doing It one day? lmao. and in particular Luther did the strategy of "i'll just get them done ALL IN ONE DAY" instead of, like, doing them throughout the week (going without food or sleep, working that day & night to get them done)

* our dude could definitely be a poor lil meow meow / woobie if fandom got their hands on him. this boy is constantly having literal panic attacks about WHAT IF I MISINTERPRETED THIS PART OF SCRIPTURE AND NOW WE'RE ALL GOING TO HELL, when he's in Rome one of the things that bothers him the most (besides the famous indulgence thing) is the fact that they SPEEDRAN masses over there and he's like "oh no though, i spend SO MUCH time on the masses i run, i'm so afraid of doing it without true feeling... who are these speedrunning fucks with no respect goddamn," his confessor gets tired of him because he'll spend UP TO SIX HOURS AT CONFESSION agonizing over shit that doesn't matter... (this is part of the reason he went into academia, actually, his confessor was like "boy you have got way too much anxiety for the purely monastic life, go get a degree or something i stg")

* i do kinda love it when theologians get sexy with it:

"[Staupitz] wrote of different 'stages' of union of the soul, the first being that of 'young maids in faith,' the second that of the 'concubine,' the third, the 'queens': 'They are naked and copulate with the naked one. They taste that outside Christ there is nothing sweet and they enjoy [his] continuous sweetness. For the naked Christ cannot deny himself to those naked,' while in the fourth stage, which Mary alone experienced, Jesus 'sleeps naked with her naked and he shows other signs of such love.'"

#lua reads martin luther renegade and prophet

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rpgsandbox · 1 year ago

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kickstarter

Welcome, traveller, to the fungus-wracked tangle of Dolmenwood, and beware, for all here is not as it seems…

Dolmenwood is a fantasy adventure game set in a lavishly detailed world inspired by the fairy tales and eerie folklore of the British Isles. Like traditional fairy tales, Dolmenwood blends the dark and whimsical, the wondrous and weird.

Streamlined rules and helpful introductory materials guide novice players, while unique new magic and monsters bring a fresh sense of the unknown to veteran role-players. We’re launching the three Dolmenwood core books, plus a range of delectable extras.

Check Out a 76-Page Preview PDF!

Check out our free 76 page preview PDF of material from the 3 core books!

Preview also available at DriveThruRPG and necroticgnome.com (no account required).

Rife with intrigue, secrets, and magic, Dolmenwood draws travellers of adventurous spirit, daring them to venture within.

Explore the wild places of the Wood, travelling through bramble-choked dells, fungus-encrusted glades, and foetid marshes, bedding down among root and bracken amid the nocturnal babbling of strange beasts.

Unearth treasure hoards in forgotten ruins, haunted fairy manors, dripping caverns, crystal grottoes, unhallowed barrow mounds, and abandoned delvings.

Confront fell beasts, roving fungal monstrosities, terrible wyrms, tricksome fairies, and restless spirits of the long deceased.

Recover saintly relics and shrines lost in the befuddling tangle of the Wood, gaining the favour of the Church by returning them to civilisation.

Forage for weird fungi and herbs in the untrod depths of the woods, many with useful magical powers—and many that can be sold for profit.

Strike against Chaos, defending civilisation from the encroaching forces of the wicked, half-unicorn Nag-Lord who lurks in the corrupted northern woods.

Unravel secrets of deep magic, charting the obelisks, dolmens, and ley lines littered throughout Dolmenwood—but beware the sinister Drune cult that wards them.

Seek the counsel of witches and hags, masters of magic that can heal, hex, or divine the future.

Meddle in the affairs of the nobility, allying with a noble house in its intrigues and power plays in the courts of High-Hankle and Castle Brackenwold.

Journey along fairy roads, ancient magical paths bordering on the ageless realm of Fairy that allow travel throughout Dolmenwood—and perchance to realms beyond.

Return to the homely hearth to share tales of peril with quaint locals over a mug of ale and a well-stoked pipe.

The Dolmenwood Player’s Book (A4 size, Smyth-sewn hardcover, 192 pages approx., 1 ribbon marker) contains the complete game rules plus all character options.

Player’s introduction to the intrigues and mysteries of the forest realm of Dolmenwood.

Familiar character creation with the six classic stats, level and XP, Hit Points, and Armour Class.

6 playable kindreds: goat-headed breggles, starry-eyed elves, tricksome grimalkin cat-fairies, everyday humans, fungus-riddled mosslings, and bat-faced woodgrues.

9 character classes: cleric, enchanter, fighter, friar, hunter, knight, magician, minstrel, and thief.

4 kinds of magic: mighty arcane workings, fairy glamours and runes, holy prayers to the host of saints, and the odd knacks of mosslings.

Detailed, flavourful equipment with lists of adventuring gear, armour, weapons, mounts, hounds, inn lodgings, tavern fare, beverages, pipeleafs, fungi, and herbs.

Simple core rules: roll a d6 or a d20 plus modifiers versus a target number.

Easy-to-follow procedures for travel, camping, foraging, dungeon delving, encounters, combat, and downtime.

Full examples of play and introductory materials make the game easy to learn.

The Dolmenwood Campaign Book (A4 size, Smyth-sewn hardcover, 464 pages approx., 2 ribbon markers) presents a lavishly detailed campaign setting, ready for years of adventure.

Referee’s introduction delving into the regions and history of Dolmenwood.

Mysterious lore of the lost shrines, standing stones, ley lines, fairy roads, Wood Gods, and fairy nobles.

7 major factions: the Chaos-godling Atanuwë, the wicked fairy Cold Prince, the sorcerous Drune, the human nobility, the breggle nobility, the monotheistic Pluritine Church, and the enigmatic witches.

12 settlements detailed with major sites and NPCs and beautiful maps.

Expanded procedures for weather, getting lost, encountering monsters, fishing, foraging, and hunting.

200 pages of fantastic locations waiting to be explored.

Over 280 NPCs with their own desires and schemes.

Referee advice on starting and running campaigns, awarding XP, designing adventures, and creating dungeons.

Starter adventure to get you right into the action.

Hundreds of magical artefacts from enchanted oddments to mighty relics.

Over 250 rumours to drive adventure.

Easy-to-reference presentation designed to minimise page flipping and prep time.

The Dolmenwood Monster Book (A4 size, Smyth-sewn hardcover, 128 pages approx., 1 ribbon marker) details a bestiary of creatures that lurk under Dolmenwood’s eaves.

87 fully detailed monsters dripping with flavour, including encounter seeds and beautiful illustrations.

48 mundane animals including unique Dolmenwood fauna such as gobbles and gelatinous apes.

9 types of of normal humans: anglers, criers, fortune-tellers, lost souls, merchants, pedlars, pilgrims, priests, and villagers.

27 NPC stat blocks for common adventuring classes.

Adventuring party generator for rolling up NPC adventurers on quests of their own.

Over 300 rumours describing monsters as featured in local folklore.

Monster creation guidelines to keep players on their toes.

Easy-to-read stat blocks and bullet point presentation for quick reference.

Dolmenwood uses a lightly customised version of the acclaimed Old-School Essentials rules system, tailored to Dolmenwood and with some major quality-of-life upgrades. Players of all editions of Dungeons & Dragons will find the Dolmenwood rules very familiar.

Ability Scores: Roll for 6 ability scores: Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, Charisma.

Kindred, Class, and Level: 6 kindreds, 9 classes, levels 1–15.

Hit Points (HP): Roll 1d4, 1d6, or 1d8 (determined by Class) for HP. Re-roll 1s or 2s. 0 HP is dead!

Armour Class (AC): AC 10 = unarmoured, better protection raises AC.

Initiative: Streamlined side-based initiative makes combat fast and exciting: each side (monsters / adventurers) rolls 1d6 each Round—highest roll acts first.

Attacking: Roll 1d20, add Attack bonus and modifiers, try to beat the target’s AC, roll damage.

Saving Throws: Roll 1d20, add modifiers, try to beat a fixed target number on the character sheet.

Ability Checks: Roll 1d6, add ability modifier, 4 or higher succeeds.

Skill Checks: Roll 1d6, add modifiers, try to beat a fixed target number on the character sheet.

As an adventure game in the heritage of the RPGs of the 1970s and 1980s, Dolmenwood espouses the danger and excitement of the old-school play style.

Emergent character creation: Unique and surprising Player Characters emerge from quick random rolls, rather than from detailed character build optimisation.

Exploration, puzzles, and tricks: Players’ ingenuity and creativity are challenged by devious puzzles, traps, and tricks. Simply rolling dice to succeed is often not an option!

Creative thinking encouraged: Easy-to-learn rules for exploration, encounters, and combat provide referees with a robust framework from which to make impromptu rulings on players’ outside-the-box antics.

Fast, exciting combat: Combat encounters are quick to play out, leaving plenty of time in game sessions for exploration and role-playing. As in real life, combat is not fair or balanced—players whose clever tactics tip the balance in their favour will prevail!

Zeroes to heroes: Characters advance from humble beginnings to heights of great power.

Open-ended sandbox play: Campaigns focus on freeform stories evolved over the course of play, with players driving the action.

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Website: [Exalted Funeral] [facebook] [twitter] [instagram] [youtube]

#RPG #kickstarter #Dolmenwood #Old-School Essentials #Exalted Funeral

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sunny6677 · 4 months ago

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Okayyyy I'm gonna try continuing that one Spooky Month x Disney AU I did a while ago (the one where it's like the different Disney movies are actually their past lives and shit and the characters are in place of the Disney characters for each movie)

The Sheriff is a very arrogant, sadistic, bully of a cop who goes around forcibly collecting taxes from the poor even if they need to save up money. He takes pride in what he does, never feels sorry for taking from the poor at all, and is always trying to catch Robin Hood but is never able. He's also only really scared of Prince John, bit specifically likes to target an elderly poor man named Friar Tuck out of all the poor.

#spooky month #disney au

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tinkrs · 1 year ago

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˚ ✰ 。 ㅤㅤ 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑.

TINKERBELL, ageless.

thief waitress at the friar's fat boy.

tinkerbell nasceu da primeira risada de um bebê e uma semente de dente de leão branco. ainda assim, não nasceu especial, nem destinada a ser algo demais. era só mais uma fada entre tantas outras que residiam não só no refúgio das fadas, mas pelo mundo a fora também. e só mais uma fada funileira comum. entretanto, ouviu histórias de fadas da natureza que fizeram com que seu interesse pelo mundo, especialmente pelo continente, crescesse. queria ser como elas, queria ver as coisas, as estações mudando, queria conhecer os humanos, queria mais do que aquele cantinho em uma oficina estúpida. e foi assim que sua aventura começou.

tinker deixou o refúgio das fadas para trás a fim de seguir seus sonhos, mesmo que seus poderes não fossem os ideais para o que queria. conheceu peter e, consequentemente, sua sombra. não imaginava que podia se dar tão bem com eles, mas aconteceu. porque tinker era determinada e tinha objetivos a concluir. ela era ambiciosa, determinada, queria mais do que lhe foi dado. e foi por esse tipo de pensamento que a vida de crime acabou tendo seu brilho nos olhos da fada. além da conexão que acabou criando com peter. com ele, sentia-se segura e confiante, bem mais do que normalmente era. e cada crime bem sucedido a enchia ainda mais de confiança.

mas é aquilo, não dá para andar com o nariz muito em pé porque aí não dá para ver por onde anda. a queda foi dura, difícil de assimilar que tinham cometido um erro tão bobo, que tinham se enfiado em uma clara emboscada e acabaram capturados e forçados àquele acordo ridículo. mas que escolha ela tinha? eram as consequências de seus atos e precisava arcar com elas. mesmo a absoluto contragosto, tinkerbell segue sob as ordens de hook.

personality

tinkerbell é e sempre foi determinada. tanto que chega a ser teimosa, petulante e ambiciosa. não tem problemas em tomar todas as medidas necessárias para alcançar seus objetivos ou se livrar de algo que a incomode. se não puder se livrar, ela vai perturbar até não poder mais. isso porque é ciumenta e temperamental. mas ela não é de todo mal. tinker é esperta, curiosa, corajosa e enérgica. pode ser muito afetuosa, também, mas depende muito da pessoa. no fundo, tinker é só uma garota com emoções demais e apoio emocional de menos. nada fora do comum.

#pinned post.#⸻ ✧ 𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐋 : development ‘ she's a bad lil' bitch. ’ .

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docpiplup · 1 year ago

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A century of the Order of thuggish and drunken knights: Lorca, Dalí and Buñuel partying in Toledo

Federico García Lorca was wrapped in a sheet stolen from the Posada de la Sangre – which disappeared in the Civil War and was the scene of Miguel de Cervantes's The Illustrious Mop –, drunk as a thief and with the desire to wander alone through the narrow streets of the old town of Toledo. Around him, some young hooligans laughed with the poet with noise and hubbub. This is how a Toledo man named Eduardo met the playwright from Granada during a Toledo night in the 1920s. At that moment, this kind man, seeing the panorama, tried to take Lorca to the relief house on Barco Street, but He flatly refused to accompany him. The poor man, of course, did not understand anything.

What this Toledoan, grandfather of the author of the space Toledo Olvidado, who is the one who told this anecdote, did not know is that Lorca was complying with one of the strict rules of the well-known Order of Toledo, a brotherhood of artists and writers related to the Generation of '27 and the Madrid Student Residence created by Luis Buñuel – calling himself Condestable – in the Venta de Aires de Toledo restaurant in March 1923.

This is how a century ago the streets of Toledo could not believe what was happening on its cobblestones. One hundred years since Buñuel, with his idea, managed to revolutionize the students of the Residence and the silent alleys of the old town of Toledo. Despite such famous components, the truth is that little or very little is known about this Order of Toledo. There is not much documentation available, beyond the stories of the protagonists themselves. Buñuel, the architect of this mischievous and intellectual action, dedicates an entire chapter to the Order in My Last Sigh, his autobiography written in his exile in Mexico.

A religious revelation and the smell of wine

«I am walking through the cloister of the cathedral, completely drunk, when, suddenly, I hear thousands of birds singing and something tells me that I must immediately enter the Carmelites, not to become a friar, but to steal the convent's treasury. The doorman opens the door for me and a friar comes. I tell him about my sudden and fervent desire to become a Carmelite. He, who has undoubtedly noticed the smell of wine, walks me to the door. The next day I made the decision to found the Order of Toledo," explains Buñuel in the aforementioned autobiography.

The rules of the Order of Toledo are strict and taken very seriously by its members. So much so that some of them even had a little problem or another in 1936, as the poet José Moreno Villa told us from Mexico, after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. "This order is a bit communist," thought some "men alien to letters and much more alien to irony"; although the truth is that there was only a hint of provocation in this crazy association. A normal thing among extravagant artists, somewhat dadaist, somewhat surrealist. «The starting point was to have fun, have a good time and get drunk. But it is true that, personally, I have always related what these young people did in Toledo with the historical avant-garde of the moment. I see it as the performances that the Dadaists did in Paris and Zurich, which were things that didn't make much sense, as Surrealism later adopted. In fact, it is worth noting that some members of this Order of Toledo were part of the Paris surrealist group, like Buñuel or Dalí himself,” explains Juan Carlos Pantoja, author of The Order of Toledo: imaginary avant-garde walks*.

Pantoja also details that, possibly, there were some precedents to Buñuel's Order of Toledo because "there was already a group of great intellectuals, among whom were Américo Castro, Alfonso Reyes, Antonio García Solalinde or Moreno Villa, who met in Toledo to walk at night and drink wine from 1917 onwards. He details that "they stayed in a rented house on Cárcel del Vicario street, in front of the Cathedral, and they became known as the gathering of El Ventanillo, due to the existence of a small window with views of the Valley. Buñuel says that he got to know Toledo accompanying Solalinde, so we can think that perhaps the Aragonese was at some point in these gatherings and that, from there, the idea of doing something similar arose. Pepín Bello – who left no work, but was a friend to everyone, as gallery owner Guillermo de Osma once commented –, Rafael Alberti, Dalí, María Teresa León and Federico García Lorca and his brother, among others, were part of the Brotherhood created by way improvised by Buñuel that had something of a "poetic act", according to the poet from Cádiz. And the students of the Residence were lovers of Toledo, according to Bello in an interview in 2000:« We took the train from Madrid to Toledo, we traveled in third class and it took us two hours to arrive. We went up from the station and went to drink in the taverns of Zocodover, which was very close to the Posada de la Sangre, to get into the mood a little »

Order of Toledo: drink wine and do not shower

Courtyard of the Blood Inn

Among the rules of the Order of Toledo, and which Buñuel said with his Calanda crudeness, was that of not washing or showering "while the visit in this Holy City lasted." They had to go to Toledo once a year, watch over Cardinal Tavera's tomb, love Toledo above all and, of course, "wander, especially at night, through the wonderful and magical city of the Tagus," according to Alberti. "Those who preferred to go to bed early could not qualify for the rank of knight, little more than the title of squire," explains Buñuel in his autobiography. Furthermore, Pantoja details, "each of the members had to contribute ten pesetas to the common fund for accommodation and food and to go to Toledo as frequently as possible and put themselves in a position to live the most unforgettable experiences." Bello points out, recalling Toledo's adventures in an interview, that "we stayed at the Posada de la Sangre because we were students and it was difficult for us to sleep for just one peseta. Of course, it was a place of dubious cleanliness, where mainly muleteers stopped with their animals. The poet María Teresa León, in her book Memory of Melancholy, also remembered that this inn “had little rooms with just one bed. There, Rafael [Alberti], that night we didn't talk about El Greco, but we did talk about bedbugs. Toledo bedbugs! Toledoan night! I turned on the light. How well Rafael slept with his chest crossed by hundreds of little animals frantically searching for the hiding place of poetry!

Alberti precisely explains in The Lost Grove that "the brothers left the inn when the cathedral clock struck one, a time when all of Toledo seems to narrow, become even more complicated in its ghostly and silent labyrinth" and also relates in detail how He experienced firsthand his initiation into the Order of Toledo, with some fear at not knowing anything about the labyrinthine streets of Toledo.

«We went out into the street, carrying all the brothers, except me, hidden under the jacket, the sleeping sheets, taken out quietly. The poetic act was going to consist of bringing to life an entire theory of ghosts in the atrium and plaza of Santo Domingo el Real. After weaving and unweaving steps between the deep crevices of sleeping Toledo, we ended up at the convent at a moment when its defended windows lit up, filling them with veiled songs and monkish prayers. While the monotonous prayers went on, the brothers, who had left me alone at one end of the square, covered themselves with the sheets, seeming slow and distanced, white and real ghosts from another time. The suggestion and fear that I began to feel were increasing, when suddenly, the dressed visions appeared, shouting at me: 'This way, this way!', sinking into the narrow alleys, leaving me - one of the worst tests I have ever faced. the novices were subjected – abandoned, alone, lost in that frightening winding of Toledo, without knowing where I was and without the possibility of someone showing me the way to the inn, in addition to not finding a single passerby at that point in the night, in Toledo, if they don't inform someone every 30 meters, you can consider yourself lost definitively. At dawn I found the Posada de la Sangre, and I went to sleep, happy with my first adventure as an initiate into the mysteries of the Toledo order,” Alberti recalled years later. Food and comedy at Venta de Aires

Members of the Order of Toledo, at the Venta de Aires

In Toledo, the members of this order ate, explains Buñuel, "almost always in taverns, such as Venta de Aires, on the outskirts, where we always ordered tortilla on horseback - with pork -, a partridge and white wine from Yepes." . There, in this sale, the friends performed for the first time Don Juan Tenorio, by José Zorrilla, dressed in improvised costumes, where we see that Buñuel is dressed as a parish priest, an irreverence with respect to the church and the double standards of its members that We will always see them reflected in their films. «With regard to this, this relationship between artists and religion, Max Aub told the anecdote that while walking through Toledo they found a Virgin in a niche on the street, it could be the one still located on Alfileritos Street, although it is not documented, that Dalí began to pray in a devout and tender manner, but suddenly began spitting at her angrily and insulting her. He went from one thing to another in an incomprehensible way, once again showing off his surrealist thinking," explains Pantoja.

Alberti says that also on the walls of the Venta de Aires, the brothers of the Order had left the mark of their art. «Under the arbor, the patio of our banquet, the main brothers were portrayed in pencil on the whitewash of the wall. Its author, Salvador Dalí, was also among them. Someone told the innkeepers not to whitewash them, that they were worthy works by a famous painter and that they were worth a lot of money. Despite the warning, years later they no longer existed. They had been erased by new owners of the sale," explains the poet. After eating, they returned to Zocodover, always on foot, making "an obligatory stop at the tomb of Cardinal Tavera, sculpted by Berruguete. A few minutes of contemplation in front of the recumbent statue of the cardinal, dead of alabaster, with pale and sunken cheeks, captured by the sculptor one or two hours before the putrefaction began," adds the filmmaker.

Fisticuffs with the cadets of the Military Academy

Upon returning to the old town, the Order even experienced some fights with the cadets of the Toledo Military Infantry Academy, after some of them rudely complimented María Teresa León, an anecdote that she herself tells. «At I don't know what time, just when we were visiting some taverns to balance with so much church, we came face to face with a group of uniformed boys, who turned to me and said: 'Blonde, I would eat you with suit and with everything'. Buñuel rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and when he saw him advance, the boys ran out so as not to commit themselves to Aragon, a region where the insults are harsher. They caught up with them and, after several punches, the cadets were defeated. A neighbor handed us a jug: 'Drink, drink. These cadets always making a fuss!' Meanwhile, she licked her lips with pleasure because the civilians had beaten the military, those boys are always on the hunt for Toledoan girls," León said.

Rafael Alberti and María Teresa León, poets of the Generation of '27 and members of the Order of Toledo

A confrontation with the military that Buñuel also remembers, although in a somewhat less refined way than the poet. The film director explains in his memoirs. «The cadets were really scary. One day we came across two of them and grabbing María Teresa, Alberti's wife, by the arm, they told her: 'How horny you are.' She protests, offended, I go to her defense and knock down the cadets with my fists. Pierre Unik comes to my aid and kicks one of them. There were seven of us and the two of them, we did not boast. We leave and two civil guards who had seen the fight from afar approach, instead of reprimanding us, they advise us to leave Toledo as soon as possible, to avoid the revenge of the cadets. We don't pay attention to them, and for once, nothing happens».

The Order of Toledo in Tristana

This entire Order of Toledo is reflected in Tristana, the film that Buñuel would shoot here in Toledo. Pantoja defends that "he winked at his youthful adventures, with Catherine Deneuve wandering the streets and visiting Cardinal Tavera, and bringing his face closer to him, which is one of the great images of the film." «That Order of Toledo laughed at everything, nothing was taken too seriously. They laughed at art, like the futurists did, who advocated burning museums and libraries, and they did everything, in addition, in a groundbreaking way. Their lives, without a doubt, were pure avant-garde," concludes Pantoja.

* I have scans of this book, I am planning to publish them here on Tumblr on a series of posts

#la orden de toledo #caballeros de la orden de toledo #knights of the order of toledo #federico garcía lorca #luis buñuel #salvador dalí #order of toledo #maría teresa león #rafael alberti #pepín bello #josé moreno villa

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lynx-girl · 2 years ago

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Three-Fingered Pete, an archer who only has three fingers on his right hand.

Guy de Glastonbury, a highwayman who kills his victims after taking their money.

Friar Bellows, who uses his position to deflower peasant girls.

Sean the Irish Bastard, a thief who preys on beggars.

Yo mama so EVIL, she dating 4 evilest men in the history

#Black Adder

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charlenasaxen · 2 months ago

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The Radix Quotes

“The Holy Guard had tracked him to Notre-Dame. Amid flickering torches, the eighty mounted warriors”

“They would not rest until della Rovere revealed his secret. Could he endure their torture? The priest feared he was unsuited for martyrdom.”

“golden cuirass and headdress shimmering in torchlight. The tail, woven in a net studded with pearls and rubies, slapped against its hide. Hooves shod in gold stamped”

“The bloodthirsty Duke of Valentinois was not among his cavalry”

“Cesare Borgia emerged from the bell tower. The tall duke was draped in a velvet cloak with gold brocade”

“Cesare Borgia had once been considered the most handsome man of his age”

“The Radix is the unfathomable mystery of God. The Secret of Secrets.”

“Della Rovere would never surrender the Radix to a man who poisoned enemies and corrupted the Church”

“I believe you, Father. You are a thief, not a liar. But know that I shall find it.”

“lightning glinted over the Abbaye de Saint-Germain”

“I’m speaking about how you killed her.”

“I did not mean for that to happen.”

“His childhood friend, Machiavelli”

“Raphael, you do not understand.”

“I understand Borgia. You are seduced by him.”

“But I fear God’s wrath more than the Devil’s strength.”

“I’ll behead Niccolò as easily as that bull.”

Machiavelli’s eyes sparkled with fear.

“He faced the heavens, then closed his eyes. Thunder roared like cannon fire.”

Machiavelli pleaded, with the blade creasing his throat. “Listen to reason.”

“Farewell, my friend.” He blessed the two men, then made the sign of the cross over himself.

“Notre-Dame’s rose window blurred past as he plummeted, the wind howling in his ears”

“He made a slashing gesture across Machiavelli’s throat, leaving a line of della Rovere’s wet blood”

“Think you have me figured, huh?” He smiled. “Heading to the library. Brynstone out.”

“Cast in reddish gold glass, Arabic chandeliers decorated the gold-leaf ceiling”

“Turns out it’s true, Brynstone thought. People do buy pets that match their own personalities.”

“Brynstone caught his chiseled reflection in the display glass. He squinted, intensity sizzling in his ice blue eyes.”

“Brynstone opened the standing Egyptian sarcophagus, hoping it was empty”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks for your help. Brynstone out.”

“upright mummies guarded the room like battle-hardened sentries”

“everything from sugar, lime, and salt to frankincense, mercury, and alcohol”

“He caught his breath after reading the inscription above the glass door.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT”

“Brynstone had never seen a “honey mummy.” God knows, he’d always loved the name.”

“His face was another matter. The nose was missing, thanks to a famous royal blunder.”

“Caesar Augustus had inspected the mummy, brushing his hand across the face. Bad idea. Caesar had snapped off Alexander’s nose.”

“he had a nose, more than his Macedonian neighbor could say”

“della Rovere had stashed a priceless relic inside Friar Zanchetti’s corpse”

“He rolled back on his feet, breathing and swallowing, ears ringing.

The endoscope was coated in blood.”

“Although Armstrong and Starr had once been political rivals, they had settled their differences before coming to the White House”

“Armstrong had been with the Starr family on the day Andrea was diagnosed”

He placed the silver angel in her open palm. Her eyes fluttered open.

The child’s face glowed. “Thank you, Mr. President,” she giggled.

sliding her hand around his arm. “You’re able to enchant little girls and little old ladies and everyone in between.”

“I took a correspondence course.” He flashed a smile. “Presidential Schmoozing 101.”

“brimming with greenery, limes, and pineapples”

“The president’s little brother was worth twenty billion dollars now”

“As far as he knew, they shared a positive work relationship. This conversation looked different.”

“I’ll take it in the Oval.”

“Trade magazines had christened him the Market Alchemist based on his skill for transforming”

“twisting away from the weapon. The curved blade brushed past his shoulder”

“Zanchetti’s corpse burst like a piñata under their weight”

“Now the big question, he thought. Is the Radix inside?”

“State Department justified it based on death threats and his status as a prince.

Brynstone knew otherwise.”

“Guns aren’t allowed in here. House rules.”

“I don’t sweat the rules.”

“You’re my kind of guy, Anderson.”

“Please say Alexander the Great is intact.”

“Alex is fine,” Brynstone assured. “Although he could stand a nose job.”

“Not even Brownies?”

“I look awful in brown. It was a fashion choice.”

“He was my grandfather. When I saw Amherst on Berta’s list, I decided to come here.”

“He took the assignment because he could provide a humane death”

“Distant church bells serenaded the new hour as he waited”

“Courage is in his heart, loyalty is in his brain, but another organ commands him”

“I suppose there is no harm in telling a dead man. I have been contracted to kill John Brynstone.”

“As I said, I cannot torture you in a more deserving manner. For that, I apologize.”

“I keep it for the occasions when he visits Aspen. After tonight, it goes in the garbage.”

“In a hail of gunfire, Brynstone dove into the chamber”

“Sorry, buddy, Brynstone thought. You’re not hitching a ride.”

“He squeezed off two shots before dropping into a cushion of forest”

“one thought haunted him. What if the Radix isn’t in the cista mystica?”

“Aspen Mountain loomed ahead with its formidable 3,267-foot vertical”

“Like a frozen Mardi Gras, Wintersköl boasted a fireworks extravaganza and a torchlight descent”

“staring in disbelief as the helicopter blasted into the mountainside beneath them”

“blinding powder sprayed the helicopter”

“the wave threatened to crush the torchlight skiers. He hoped they had abandoned their formations and raced to safety.”

“He braced as the helicopter rolled down the steep mountain face. The bird busted apart as it flipped.”

“hurling him upside down as if he were strapped inside some psychotic carnival ride”

“jumped for the gondola, diving into a wall of white”

The blond man pulled him inside the gondola.

“That’s a beaut,” the man cried in an Australian accent. “Good on ya, mate!”

“We invented an extreme sport,” he laughed. “Hope we survive to claim credit for it.”

“With the avalanche rumbling around them, the roof dug into the snow, nearly flipping them”

“snow blasted his face. He hoped the cista mystica in his belt would survive the ride.”

“A bitter stillness settled over the mountain. Buried in snow, Brynstone groaned”

He squinted. “Is that blood on the snow?”

Hollingworth gaped at the bills. “For that kind of money, mate, I can forget anything.”

“The Void refers to the moment you realize you’re losing your mind. Leo also calls it the Revelation of Madness.”

“the words and symbols painted on the north wall formed a composite image of Jesus with disciples surrounding him”

“Jung is at the heart of understanding our puzzle. We must learn his secrets.”

“Synchronicity brought you here, you know? Our families share a bond.”

“We met years ago, when you were little.”

“He did it again, knocking over wall after wall like massive book dominos”

“Remember this: the Tree of Life blossoms in the Land of the Dead.”

“She tugged on her Pooh hat. Nothing made him smile like a baby in a hat.”

“You could stick it on his headstone: JOHN BRYNSTONE LOVED BABIES IN HATS.”

“He swallowed hard. She had grown so much. His daughter. His only child.”

Then she said something like “Daa-da.”

Tears stood in his eyes, blurring the image of his child.

“He hated it when giving his best at work conflicted with giving his best at home”

“He couldn’t tell Kaylyn that his life might be in danger. He didn’t want to scare her.”

“Honey, I gotta go. Love you.” He ended the call.

And maybe his marriage.

“The road was open now, with no one ahead. That’s when he heard gunfire.”

“another one advising, 45 MPH CURVE AHEAD. Good advice.”

“With two SUVs trapping him against the tunnel’s right wall, he didn’t worry about steering”

“Both men shouted. Brynstone seemed to be pissing off everybody tonight.”

“My baby daughter said her first word tonight,” Brynstone said. “You had to go and ruin that moment. Makes me downright unhappy.”

“Next time, stay in Aspen,” he called, “with the damned scorpions.”

“A sleek black cat napped on the center of the mahogany table. Brynstone smiled.”

“Making a low chirp, she stared up at him”

“he changed into Levi’s and headed for a leather club chair with Banshee curled against his bare chest”

“he could see the jambiya dagger plunged deep into his father’s chest”

“the man’s voice sounded choked and desperate.

Get out of here before he comes back. Hurry, Johnny.”

“Brynstone remembered struggling to brake as he looked down the dark stairs, thinking he was about to die”

Jordan emerged from the galley. “Ready for a dirty martini?”

“You must be a mind reader.”

glancing at the muscled contours of his stomach. “Why the sutures?”

“Didn’t you sew up Banshee when she lost her eye?”

“It was the least I could do after she saved my life.”

“Recognizing her name, the cat sauntered over and rubbed against his leg”

“My daughter refused to kiss me unless I shaved.”

She traced her hand along his defined jaw. “Smart kid.”

“The thieves had ignored the other work. They just wanted her sculptures.

In a weird way, it was a compliment.”

“created an outdoor piece for the Olympic Sculpture Park on Seattle’s waterfront”

“He bought her a drink. She told him she missed Eclipse. He promised visitation rights. The rest was history.”

“For all she knew, he could be having an affair.

She prayed that wasn’t the case.”

“In reality, Dr. Ryder’s “miracle discovery” was actually a cocaine extract”

“Brynstone cupped Banshee’s face. She issued a deep purr.”

“The kitten’s cry had distracted the gunman and saved Brynstone’s life”

“His one-eyed companion joined him. Kaylyn called them soul mates, sharing a fearless streak and a craving for adventure”

“He stopped the intruder, but the guy stabbed Delgado. My dad died that night. Delgado came close.”

“the only time her husband lowered his guard was when he was with his family”

Dillon Armstrong gave a sneaky smile. “Mind if I come in?”

“He is a sinner begging for redemption,” the Knight said. “I have been sent to save him.”

“And as always, Ariel Cassidy would whisper the same words before climbing into her casket: the Tree of Life blossoms in the Land of the Dead.”

“Raised in secrecy, the child was nurtured on stories about the relic that had once belonged to his grandfather, Pope Alexander VI”

“The pages were filled with a bizarre enciphered script and cryptic watercolors of unfamiliar plants”

“Who does he think wrote it?”

“Raphael della Rovere.”

“the knights had appointed d’Aubusson as the Keeper of the Radix”

“The delighted Pope commissioned scholars to study the relic, but none could decipher its secret.”

“the root itself”

“I had no idea what the Radix could do until I saw Zanchetti’s mummy.”

“A Voynich B cipher,” he added. “Hopefully, my friend will know what it means.”

“That’s what the records show. My predecessor, Paul Fischer, kept notes all the way back to Eisenhower.”

“He glanced over as the vice president slid into the chair beside him”

Starr gave a roguish grin. “I just said the same thing to your brother.”

“What’s the best part?” Starr asked, standing.

“All of it.”

“White House was one of the loneliest places on the planet”

“you should notify Aspen police. Not the president of the United States.”

“He disabled my camera equipment. He immobilized my security team. He crashed one of my helicopters.”

“Two had to be fished out of the Colorado River. This man is not a common intruder.”

stared at the December night. “I want to get to the bottom of this fast.”

“The Ten Commandments are engraved on the handle. All seventeen of them.”

“Cori couldn’t catch her breath. She couldn’t believe this was happening.”

“Blood dripped off her toes. She shined the flashlight on Perez’s face. His head was almost severed.”

A gun barrel nuzzled the back of her head.

“Step away from the door,” a cool voice ordered.

“Told me to contact the guy on the card.”

“John Brynstone?”

“Then you better start talking.” The dark-haired man brought out his ID card. “Because I’m John Brynstone.”

“As he petted the cat, her tail twisted into a question-mark shape”

Cori turned to her. “Who are you?”

“Don’t ask,” Jordan advised.

“She saved my life, so I adopted her. Truth is, she adopted me.”

“He’s a cryptanalyst. He tried to break code on something called the Voynich manuscript. It pushed him over the edge.”

“He’d chiseled the base of each to widen the opening. Edgar painted da Vinci’s messages inside each skull.”

“Alchemists called it the Radix ipsius, meaning ‘root of itself.’”

“Of course, there’s a familiar symbol for the Radix. One that’s in every pharmacy in the country.”

“The Rx symbol?”

“Cori,” he said, staring into her blue eyes, “it’s not a myth.”

“No one has laid eyes on the Radix until last night. That’s when I found it.”

“A fire burned part of Dickinson Hall. All that’s left is the one notebook in my house. I’ll show you.”

He had warned against calling the authorities.

“We have to go,” Brynstone said, turning at the sound of a distant siren. “Now.”

“Little wonder it was the most secretive intelligence agency on the planet”

“Brynstone’s a risk-taker. The man never gives up. We couldn’t have designed a more perfect special operator for this mission.”

“Mr. President, the relic is called the Radix.”

Armstrong and Starr exchanged looks.

“Two high-level intelligence agents are missing, and the NSA has no idea what happened?”

“John Brynstone is like a son to me. I’m confident he’ll turn up soon.”

Why hadn’t he thought of it before?

“A book code,” he said. “That’s what it is.”

“See the number sequence? Wurm wrote his message in the ‘traitor’s code.’ Benedict Arnold used it back in 1779”

“The general deceived and betrayed you your father never searched for the Radix”

“Wurm’s message took on a new meaning. He had used the traitor’s code”

“And miss the fireworks?” Starr grinned. “The Service would have to kick me out.”

“When I get back to the penthouse, we’ll arrange to secure the Radix. Then we’ll celebrate.”

“Beveled opaque windows shattered behind her. Glass shards burst into the lobby. Heat seared her back and hands.”

“Dillon was out there. Someone had tried to kill him.”

“Deena climbed to her feet and staggered toward the door, screaming as she rushed to the sidewalk.”

“the woman pulled her to her feet. Deena stumbled, leaning on the firefighter for support.”

“He looked broken, pinned beneath the car. All she wanted was to hold him and hear his voice again.”

“What’s Dillon’s condition?”

“He’s in an ambulance.”

“I’m sure he’ll visit after you go back to sleep,” he said, working the time-honored tradition of holiday manipulation.

“We issued him special security clearance. Right, Kevin?”

At the door, Agent Quick nodded. “Yes, sir. Mr. Claus has been cleared.”

“He wondered about that secretive purchase Dillon and Deena had discussed. Did it have anything to do with what had happened to his brother tonight?”

“Poor kid.

Banshee cuddled against her, working some feline therapy.”

“Who called?”

“President of the United States,” he answered, starting the engine.

“Okay, fine,” Cori sighed. “Don’t tell me.”

“Preparation. Stealth. Intuition. Infiltrating a high-tech facility was artistry.”

Delgado’s eyes brightened with intensity. “You’re the son I never had, John.”

“You represented his greatest hope and his greatest fear. Too bad Jayson didn’t live to see you climb out of that wheelchair.”

“Tell me, John, did you witness its power? Did it make you a believer?”

“Or breaking into the home of the NSA director?”

“Actually, yes.”

“Together we can capitalize on the power of the Radix. Join me, son.”

Brynstone stood over him. “Trust me. You would have preferred the syringe.”

“When fighting Borgias, it was always a good idea to make it short”

“she reached up, then ran her fingers across the desk, finding a sculptor’s knife”

“their words cut off by the discordant crash of piano keys”

“It wasn’t Dad’s mission.”

“You would have stopped had you known that. But we can’t stop. We have to find the Scintilla.”

“It’s not easy to convey Professor Cassidy’s ideas under a paint-can label.”

Brynstone looked at Cori inside the vehicle. “We’ve come too far to give up now.”

“That’s Banshee Brynstone.”

“Not a good day for fingernails,” she sighed

“She headed for a grove of evergreens, taking out her gun. He brought out his Glock, covering her.”

“the gray shingled cottage decked with window boxes. A cutting garden bordered it with tall grass waving in the wind.”

“Jim convinced me that dark things from my past could return to haunt me. He was protecting me, but that meant he had to lie to you.”

“If anything happened to me, I wanted you to know the truth.”

“Rest assured, I will kill Dr. Brynstone,” the man said, “but first I may need to kill his wife and child.”

“Metzger looked around, unbelieving, at the hotel room.

Kaylyn Brynstone was gone. And she’d taken her baby.”

“They broke the clay sculpture my son made for me last night. Some people can’t help but ruin the holiday spirit.”

“He looked like a tourist, with Mickey Mouse shorts and a sweatshirt that read California Cool.”

“Kaylyn tried to pull away her daughter, but he pressed the blade to Shay’s soft neck.”

“It claims the Radix can be dangerous, especially when combined with certain ingredients.”

“You’re talking about the Scintilla.”

“You can use the Radix to create two chrisms. The White Chrism can heal, the black can kill.”

“The Black Death,” Jordan whispered. “Are you serious?”

“That’s what the legend says. Together, the Radix and Scintilla can deliver the greatest good or the greatest evil.”

“I’ve seen its power. Over time, it can regenerate necrotic tissue in a mummy.”

A tear streamed down her cheek and dripped onto the blade. “Hurry, John. He has Shay too.”

called the one person who could help. Alex Armstrong picked up after the first ring.

“Mr. President, I’m sorry to bother you.”

“It’s beautiful. Still alive after so many centuries.”

“I’ve waited a lifetime for this moment.”

“Remember, he was the model for Machiavelli’s The Prince.”

“She visualized herself placing the Radix in her mother’s hand. She flirted with that image, watching Ariel Cassidy’s face brighten.”

Jordan shook her head. “I’m going with you, John. I want to help you find Kaylyn and your daughter.”

wrapping her arms around his neck. “Good luck finding your wife and daughter.”

He kissed her cheek. “Good luck finding the Scintilla.”

“Jordan embraced Cori, who stooped and petted the cat”

Brynstone softened his voice. “Good luck, Edgar. God knows you’ll need it.”

“What would you do for redemption? For immortality?”

“Andy must be lucid during my work. I want him to experience everything I do to him.”

“Banshee played in the aisle, kneading her paws”

“Brynstone had advised her to wait. She thought about his cat and realized she missed Banshee.”

“alchemists had coined the word arcanum to describe secrets revealed to loyal followers”

“Carl Jung cloaked his concepts with psychiatric code words like collective unconsciousness and archetype”

“Jung did refer to the unconscious mind as the Land of the Dead”

“Jung’s dream castle was a stone personification of his unconscious mind.”

“With Dillon in a coma, she was more anxious than ever”

“It is my destiny to become Keeper of the Radix. Find it.”

“Good,” the Knight answered. “I am ready for him.”

“it represented the Tree of Life. Crusaders destroyed this Judean date species during the Middle Ages.”

“took one seed—she nicknamed it Methuselah, after the 969-year-old grandfather of Noah—and fertilized it.”

“I’d say your brother has a fifty-fifty chance of pulling through.”

Deena closed her eyes, absorbing the information.

“Secret Service can try to stop me from going to that hospital, but it won’t do them any good.”

“Guten Morgen, Herr Doktor. You have a beautiful family.”

In a crackling voice, Kaylyn said, “John, please hurry—”

“I don’t need NSA’s Men in Black. I can handle Metzger.”

“absorbing the fabric of the conversation”

“What would have happened if they had eaten from the Tree of Life?”

“Immortality,” he answered. “Adam and Eve would have lived forever.”

“Eavesdropping on the director of the National Security Agency. It’s like interrupting a telemarketer’s dinner with a sales call.”

“When I asked about Metzger’s physical ID, he just laughed.”

“Then, he thought about his wife and baby girl in the hands of that monster.”

“Although far from complete, his painting of a man crucified on an X-shaped cross was already remarkable”

“Andrew could train his gaze not on his executioners nor on the earth, but on the heavens above, where his beloved kingdom awaited.”

“He pushed the plunger, squirting blood into the red ochre”

“Listen, Deena, if the Radix can do what you claimed earlier, we could help Dillon.”

“Because,” she said, “the Radix belonged to Jesus Christ.”

“The staff took root, flowering for centuries at Christmastime. Today a thorn bush stands on Wearyall Hill.”

“Joseph of Arimathea was the first Grail Keeper?”

“More importantly, he was the first Keeper of the Radix.”

“it remained buried but never forgotten, as generations of mystery cults kept alive the Radix romance”

“Sensing its importance, Locke traveled to the Holy Land to have it blessed”

“After that, the Knights of Saint John became the Keepers of the Radix.”

“the Templars had been charged with defending the Holy Land”

“The Vatican had no idea the Knights Hospitaller possessed the greatest relic in Christendom”

“I believe in the Radix. So does your brother. Do you?”

“Maybe,” he said. “If it can save Dillon.”

black shirt emblazoned with the message “Guns don’t kill people. I kill people.”

“Bob the Driver”

“Negative,” he answered. “My family’s inside. There’s no room for error.”

“Hand over my wife and kid and I’ll tell you over a cold beer.”

“Präzisionsscharfschützengewehr”

“Ja,” Metzger winked. “I like games. Know why? Because I always win.”

“The history of Christianity was littered with mythical healing agents, ranging from the Holy Grail to the shadow of Saint Peter”

“It is I whom he must take seriously, not my father.”

“He headed to his wife, fighting the urge to sprint toward her”

Cloud patted his back. “Don’t see Bob or your baby. At least we found your wife.”

Without blinking, he whispered, “She’s not my wife.”

“She wore Bob the Driver’s pinkie ring on her finger”

“He let her keep the ring. He had a feeling Bob wouldn’t miss it.”

He frowned. “How did you get out of the car?”

Following instinct, he darted outside the lobby entrance with the cat chasing.

He looked at her. “It says, ‘Go home.’”

“The realism astounds me. I feel as if the man is screaming through the paint.”

“I’m afraid my studio is in a frightful disarray.”

“His homecoming felt bittersweet when he spotted his daughter’s unopened Christmas presents”

“Know the guy?”

He nodded, staring at the body. “A neighbor.”

“Enough games,” Brynstone announced. “We’re settling this in Las Vegas.”

“their chili red MINI Cooper”

“southward into the dark woods. Thorn bushes cut at their legs.

Jung’s dream castle loomed ahead. Bollingen Tower was haunting. And haunted.”

“Before long, laughter, singing, and music flooded the woods. Jung sensed dark figures parading around the tower.”

“the vinecrossed wall”

“The creepy part about the image? Philemon looked like Edgar Wurm.”

“Symbols and images crammed the curved walls, some painted in vibrant colors, others carved into stone.”

“menagerie of creatures prowled the tower walls. Dragons acted as silent sentries”

“With the Tree of Life,” he answered, pointing. Protruding from the wall, a sculpture of a white oak climbed the tower.”

“Ever hear of a scytale?” he asked, pronouncing it like Italy.

A figure darted past the courtyard door.

“Did you see that?” Wurm asked. “We have company.”

“Sooner or later, Wurm knew, he would need to take the root from Cori.

Even if it meant killing her.”

“She’s not making the trip to Vegas.”

“Aww. You should have let her come to Europe with us.”

“trying to make sense of this place. Then something cold slithered past her shoulder.”

he turned her head.

“That’s no snake. Take a look.”

A white arm floated on the water.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to the woman in his arms. “Poor Lucrezia.”

“Notre-Dame of Paris resides on the same site where centuries before a Roman temple had been built.”

“Feel like I missed it.”

“We’re heading to Paris on a luxury jet.”

“The Borgias are a ranting bunch of psychopaths, and I fell into a race to find the Radix before them.”

“The desperate priest concealed the Radix inside the Zanchetti mummy, then fled the village”

“the Celtic tribe who worshipped Esus and gave their name to the city of Paris”

“Take a look at the branch he’s chopping. Scientists can’t identify it because they’ve never seen a plant like it.”

“We’ve seen it,” Cori whispered. “It’s the Radix.”

“he’d grabbed a change of clothes and his favorite photograph of his daughter”

“Brynstone felt as though he could trust no one except Jordan and Wurm and Cori”

“the Hospitallers enjoyed a more heroic reputation. Legends told of their bravery during the Crusades.”

“But if the Pope secretly used the Radix to heal, then he would get credit for the miracles.”

“It would be the supreme triumph of religion over science.”

“Like I said, you have no idea how many powerful people want the Radix.”

#quotes #the radix

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libidomechanica · 6 months ago

Text

Untitled (“And drunken beames”)

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#poetry #automatically generated text #Patrick Mooney #Markov chains #Markov chain length: 6 #221 texts #ballad

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heartlikeawound · 8 months ago

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➵ main ➵ bio ➵ face ➵ muse ➵ starters ➵ wishlist ➵

about:

This is a sideblog, and I follow back from my main @grimmusings. Please direct IMs there, since it's easier for me to keep all my messages on one blog. It's also easier to start interactions with me there, where I regularly post open starters and meme prompts. For a full list of rules, see my main. Honesty hour questions will largely be answered IC and treated as anonymous unless signed by a muse.

Will is a canon character from Robin Hood. All details vary based on verse, but in general he's a mix of headcanons, folklore, and influences from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). I'm happy to write him into AUs and fandom crossovers.

wanted connections:

This is by no means a comprehensive list, and I can roll with most muses as far as basic interactions. I’m happy to ship Will with other fairy tale characters and OCs/fandom crossovers based on chemistry.

Family: Robin Locksley (half-brother), Marian (sister-in-law) Other: Sheriff of Nottingham, Guy Gisborne, Friar Tuck, any Robin Hood or Wizard of Oz muses

default verses:

ever!after: Characters are reincarnated versions of their fairy tale counterparts, and few know who they truly are. Will is an ex Marine Sergeant who lost his arm and half his unit on his last mission and retired in Fableton. (bio)

fableverse: When the storybook worlds collapse, Will finds himself in a contemporary town called Fableton, where he works as a thief and a mechanic and does everything he can to avoid his half-brother, Robin. (bio)

verses by request only:

I'm happy to write these, but since they're more specific AUs, I don't default on them for asks/memes. Please feel free to request them.

horror!verse: Will is attacked by a rogue werewolf in the 1930s and joins a small pack of career military wolves, most of whom are killed in a dirty mission in the 60s. Reluctant to join and lose another pack, he primarily works as a bodyguard or a mercenary. (bio)

twd!verse: A zombie apocalypse AU with the same history as Ever After, only the breakout happens after Will settles in Fableton.

#welcome #mobile navigation

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a13thprincefora13thprincess · 5 months ago

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Have you seen the movie Lady Hawke?

Helsa Hawke AU

Hans as captain Etienne Navarre

Elsa as Isabeau d'Anjou

Anna as the thief who is a girl in disguise in this AU

Kristoff as the friar (a former friar in this AU)

Duke of Weselton as the Bishop from Aquila

I want to draw more helsa but running out of ideas so...any requests?

#helsa #prince hans #queen elsa #frozen #Lady hawke #Helsa hawke AU

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xtruss · 2 years ago

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Who Was The Real Robin Hood?

Just as Robin Hood eludes the sheriff of Nottingham, pinning down the folk hero's exact origins challenges scholars.

— By J. Rubén Valdés Miyares | Published 6 February 2019

Beech trees in Sherwood Forest near Nottingham. Extending over some 450 acres today, the former royal forest still contains numerous veteran oaks of around 500 years old. Photograph By Dave Porter, Age Fotostock

Stealing from the rich to give to the poor, Robin Hood and his Merry Men are a permanent part of popular culture. Set in England during the reign of King Richard the Lionheart, the adventures of Robin Hood follow the noble thief as he woos the beautiful Maid Marian and thwarts the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. The story has been around for centuries, but its most familiar elements are also the most recent additions.

Like the roots of Sherwood Forest, the origins of the Robin Hood story extend deep into English history. His name can be found all over the English map: Robin Hood’s Cave and Robin Hood’s Stoop in Derbyshire; Robin Hood’s Well in Barnsdale Forest, Yorkshire; and Robin Hood’s Bay, also in Yorkshire. When the story is traced back to its 14th-century beginnings, the figure of Robin Hood changes with time. The earliest versions would be almost unrecognizable when compared to the green-clad, bow-wielding Robin Hood of today. As the centuries passed, the tale of Robin Hood evolved as England evolved. With each new iteration, the Robin Hood legend would absorb new characters, settings, and traits—evolving into the familiar legend of today.

English painter Edmund George Warren’s 1859 painting of Robin Hood and his Merry Men in Sherwood Forest. The outlaws gathered in the greenwood under the great tree reflect a set of idealized symbols of old England many centuries in the making. Photograph By Christie's Images, Scala, Florence

The First Robins

In 19th-century England numerous scholars embarked on a search for Robin Hood after the publication of Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe in 1820. Set in 1194, Scott’s novel takes place in England during the Crusades. One of the featured characters is Locksley, who is revealed to be Robin Hood, the “King of Outlaws, and Prince of good fellows.” Scott portrayed Robin as an honourable Englishman loyal to the absent King Richard; this popular characterisation renewed modern interest in the figure of Robin Hood and the question of whether or not this “King of Outlaws” was based on a real person.

Photographs By Illustrations: Alamy/ACI. Colored: Santi P & Eacute; Rez. From Top Clockwise:

From the outset, Robin Hood was depicted as a rebel who pitted himself against authority. Even so, the idea that he stole from the rich to give to the poor only becomes a character trait from the 16th century onward.

The name of Robin’s deputy in the ballads was ironic as he is a notably brawny man. He saves his leader’s life on more than one occasion. He is one of Robin’s earliest companions and appears in many of the oldest ballads.

Starting in the 16th century, Marian appears in Robin Hood ballads, although she already existed as a figure in English folklore. In one 17th-century ballad, she disguises herself as a boy, fights Robin, and then reveals her true identity to him.

“Sheriff” is from the Old English scirgerefa, meaning “representative of royal authority in an shire.” As Robin’s nemesis, he is a constant presence in the story from the earliest ballads to the recent film adaptations of the tale.

Also known by the nickname Scathelock or Scadlock, Will Scarlet figures in the oldest ballads about Robin Hood. Despite his pedigree, Will rarely appeared in May games, probably because he did not have a clearly defined character.

Presented as a friar expelled from his order for his love of wine, he first appears in a Robin Hood ballad in 1475. Growing out of the stock medieval figure of the corrupt cleric, he later became a popular character in England’s annual May games.

Historian and archivist Joseph Hunter discovered that many different Robin Hoods dotted the history of medieval England, often with variant spellings. One of the oldest references he found is in a 1226 court register from Yorkshire, England. It cites the expropriation of the property of one Robin Hood, described as a fugitive. In 1262, in southern England, there is a similar mention of a man called William Robehod in Berkshire. The previous year there had been a reference to “William, son of Robert le Fevere member of a band of outlaws”—believed to be the same person. In 1354, farther north in Northamptonshire, there is a record of an imprisoned man named “Robin Hood” who was awaiting trial. Because Hunter and other 19th-century historians discovered many different records attached to the name Robin Hood, most scholars came to agree that there was probably no single person in the historical record who inspired the popular stories. Instead, the moniker seems to have become a typical alias used by outlaws in various periods and locations across England.

A Popular Hero

When historical records failed to yield a definitive personage behind the noble outlaw, scholars than turned to the popular culture of medieval England: folklore, poetry, and ballads. These three formats all grew out of an oral tradition. Some theorize that they originally derived from troubadours’ songs that reported news and events.

The first known reference in English verse to Robin Hood is found in The Vision of Piers Plowman, written by William Langland in the second part of the 14th century (shortly before Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales). In Langland’s work a poorly educated parson repents and confesses that he is ignorant of Latin:

I kan noght parfitly my Paternoster as the preest it syngeth,

But Ikan rymes of Robyn Hood...

The Middle English translates roughly to “Although I can’t recite the Lord’s Prayer (Paternoster), I do know the rhymes of Robin Hood.” Putting Robin Hood’s name in an uneducated character’s mouth demonstrates that the legend would have been well known to most commoners, regardless of whether they could read or write.

By the 15th century the Robin Hood legend took on its first trappings of rebellion against the ruling class. One of the oldest known written ballads about the forest outlaw, “Robin Hood and the Monk,” dates to around this time. It is the only early ballad to be set in Sherwood Forest near Nottingham, and it features Little John, one of the best-known members of the band of Merry Men. In the tale Robin Hood ignores the advice of Little John and leaves the safety of the forest. He travels to Nottingham to attend Mass and pray to the Virgin Mary. At church Robin is recognized by a monk who turns him over to the sheriff. The monk then sets off to tell the king of the outlaw’s capture, but before he can arrive, Little John and Much, another of Robin’s men, overtake the monk on the road and murder him and his servant.

Posing as the monk and his page, Robin’s men deceive the king. They deliver the news of Robin’s capture to him and are rewarded with money and titles. They return to Nottingham and free Robin from prison. The sheriff is humiliated but survives the story, while Robin, Little John, and Much return to the forest with the forgiveness of the king. In this story the monk—not the sheriff or the king—is the true villain. The monk is a corrupt figure who violates the sanctity of the church by betraying Robin’s presence to the sheriff.

This version of the legend visits extreme violence on the villain, delivered by Little John and Much. The killing of the monk is justified because of his corruption, while the death of the monk’s page, to avoid leaving a witness, is also accepted, despite the page’s innocence. Later versions of Robin Hood stories would move away from these deaths that appear as collateral damage, but medieval audiences did not seem overly troubled by them.

A relief from Nottingham Castle shows Richard the Lionheart joining the hands of Robin Hood and Maid Marian in marriage. Photograph By C. Hoggins, Age Fotostock.

Medieval crime and punishment often centered around brutality and violence. Kings, lords, and their representatives used it often to punish rebellious peasants. Bodies hanging from the gallows or displayed as a warning at crossroads were familiar sights during this time. These early Robin Hood ballads begin to show a turning of the tables, in which the lower classes are able to punish the upper classes through trickery and violence.

In the 15th century more ballads about Robin Hood spread across England. One of the longest, A Gest of Robyn Hode, originates during this time. In this work is one of the first iterations of Robin Hood’s edict of stealing from the rich to give to the poor. In the poem Robin says, “If he be a pore man, Of my good he shall have some.”

In these tales Robin belonged to the lower classes and was considered a yeoman. The medieval English ballads use this term to describe a status higher than a peasant but lower than a knight. In its original sense “yeoman” meant a young male servant, applied to servants of standing within a noble house. In the Gest Robin is depicted as a Yeoman of the King who, despite his privileged position, misses the forest and so chooses to abandon the court.

Robin Hood takes on a role as an administrator of justice for the underclass in the Gest. When Little John consults his leader for guidance on whom to beat, rob, and kill, Robin Hood provides him with a code divided along the lines of rich and poor. No peasants, yeomen, and virtuous squires were to be harmed. On the other hand, the Merry Men were allowed to “beat and bind” bishops, archbishops, and, above all, the loathed Sheriff of Nottingham. In the Gest the type of villains has widened to include more figures at odds with the lower classes.

The ballads name two English forests as Robin’s haunt— Sherwood and Barnsdale. Other locations across England appear in the legend’s history, strengthening its English pedigree. Photograph By Map By Eosgis.Com

The Robin Hood legend also takes a bloodier turn than in previous versions as vengeance is delivered to villains. In the Gest Robin shoots the sheriff with an arrow and then slits his throat with a sword. In a 15th-century manuscript of Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne, Robin is not content with just killing his opponent, Guy. He also mutilates the corpse with a knife, a deed he carries out with considerable relish.

Scholars sometimes explain these recurring themes of duping and punishing corrupt people in power as reflecting a struggle between dispossessed Saxons of the countryside and the powerful Norman rulers in the cities. In the centuries when the Robin Hood legend was taking shape, the English government was beset by a number of crises that upended the social order. A civil war in the 12th century, later known as the Anarchy, led to a catastrophic breakdown in law and order. In the 14th century the Black Death and Hundred Years’ War with France placed a huge burden on the lower classes, who, in 1381, launched the Peasants’ Revolt.

A Class Act

In the 16th century Robin Hood lost some of his dangerous edge as he and his men were absorbed into celebrations of May Day. Every spring, the English would herald in the spring with a festival that often featured athletic contests as well as electing the kings and queens of May. As part of the fun, participants would dress up in costume as Robin Hood and his men to attend the revels and the games.

It is during this period that Robin Hood also became fashionable among the royalty and even associated with nobility. One story from 1510 claims that Henry VIII of England, then barely 18, dressed up like Robin Hood and burst into the bedchamber of his new wife, Catherine of Aragon. There, accompanied by his noblemen, he entertained the queen and ladies-in-waiting with his exuberant dancing and high jinks. In 1516 King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine took part in May Day festivities. Two hundred of the king’s men dressed in green and one dressed as Robin Hood led the monarchs to a feast.

Several more characters begin to appear in the Robin Hood stories at this point. One is Maid Marian, and the other is Friar Tuck. The two enter into the legend at around the same time. Like Robin Hood, these two were also popular figures at the May games, and they begin appearing in literary works as well.

One of Friar Tuck’s earliest appearances is in the play Robyn Hod and the Sheryff off Notyngham, which dates to approximately the late 15th century. His popularity grew in the coming years, and he appeared more frequently in later works, such as Robin Hood and the Friar from the 1560s. This work features an episode where the monk bests Robin Hood and tosses him in a stream.

An 1839 painting by Daniel Maclise shows Robin Hood and his Merry Men entertaining Richard the Lionheart in Sherwood Forest on his return from captivity and the Crusades. Nottingham City Museums and Galleries. Photograph By Bridgeman, ACI

In the Elizabethan era Robin Hood became a popular presence in plays staged for the upper classes. Several playwrights, such as William Shakespeare, featured him in their works. Most notable was Anthony Munday, who wrote two plays centered around Robin Hood. Munday reinvents the outlaw as an aristocrat: Robert, Earl of Huntington, whose uncle disinherits him. Robert flees to the forest where he becomes Robin Hood. There he meets Maid Marian, and the two fall in love. No longer was Robin Hood a yeoman; he had been gentrified for new audiences.

Munday sets his works during the reign of Richard I, the Lionheart. The king has left England to fight in the Holy Land, and his younger brother John rules in his stead. Although Munday’s Robin Hood plays are regarded by modern critics as poorly constructed and a bit dull (most of the action had to be written out to avoid censorship), their influence has been considerable. Setting the tale during King Richard I’s reign became popular with other authors when they interpreted the legend for themselves. Munday’s decision to make Robin Hood a nobleman also recurred in later tellings.

For the Ages

Drawing on the medieval foundations, authors would continue to reinvent Robin Hood for their own times over the centuries. Walter Scott repackaged Robin Hood for Ivanhoe in the 19th century, while Howard Pyle most famously re-created the legend for a children’s book, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood of Great Renown in Nottinghamshire, in 1883. Pyle’s work gained a new audience for Robin Hood in the United States, which seemed to hunger for more tales of the Prince of Thieves in years to come. In 1917 author Paul Creswick teamed up with notable illustrator N. C. Wyeth to create a colorful Robin Hood, one of the most visually striking renditions of the tale.

In the early 20th century Robin Hood migrated from the page to the cinema, and the tale was reinvented and retold time and again with stars like Douglas Fairbanks, Errol Flynn, Sean Connery, and Daffy Duck all taking their turn in the lead role. In each version, glimmers of the original ballads and poems remain visible as each new version adds more to the legend of the Prince of Thieves.

#People & Culture #Robin Hood #History

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