#and Ruth said: entreat me not to leave thee

[riversongsandfolktales]

Love in The Biblical Sense (Series)

IX.

Love in the Biblical Sense

The best gospels about love,

are created by sinners.

For only those without divinity,

can devote themselves so wholeheartedly.

For example:

David said about Jonathan –

“I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan;

very pleasant hast thou been unto me.

Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.”

(2 Samuel 1:26)

and Ruth begged Naomi–

“Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from

following after thee; for whither thou goest,

I will go,

and where thou lodgest,

I will lodge.

Thy people shall be my people,

and thy God my God.”

(Ruth 1:16)

and Samson caved to Delilah as he told her

all his heart –

“If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me,

and I shall become weak

and be like any other man.”

(Judges 16:17)

-knowing the Philistines would be upon him.

And despite all his brothers did to him, Joseph –

“(…) fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck,

and wept;

and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

Moreover he kissed all his brethren,

and wept upon them (…)”

(Genesis 45:14-15)

The Lord himself –

-in spite of his divinity –

knew,

“It’s not good for the man to be alone (…)”

(Genesis 2:18)

.

-

Rest of the Series:

{ I. | II. | III. | IV. | V. | VI. | VII. | VIII. | IX. | X. | XI. | XII. }

[calchexxis]

I love this, and also, I’m sure someone must have mentioned that quote, because it’s just such a quote, but I haven’t seen anyone, anywhere, mention its source, which is the Book of Ruth, specifically Ruth speaking to Naomi.

“And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee, for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou doth sleep, so I will sleep; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.”

“The land that shall receive thee dying, in the same will I die: and there will I be buried. The Lord do so and so to me, and add more also, if aught but death part me and thee.”

“See you on the flip side, sugarlips.”

[trueloveculture]

#WHM keeping herstory alive 24/7.

[thethirdrose]

So uh. I guess writing a play is a thing I’m doing now?

[featherquillpen]

Vassal and Liege: A FE3H Meta

"So please call upon me when you walk alone at night. And even when you go out in the day, please tell me where you are going, and whom you are meeting."

—Dedue to Dimitri

"And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God"

—Ruth 1:16

I wanted to compare and contrast the two vassal-liege relationships in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Dimitri/Dedue and Edelgard/Hubert. They have some obvious commonalities: Dimitri and Hubert follow their lieges everywhere, they're overprotective, they're ride-or-die for life. But there's a lot about these two fealty relationships that's very different.

Consent

A huge difference between the two fealty relationships is how consensual they are. Neither of the relationships are 100% consensual in their power dynamic, but Edelgard/Hubert is far more consensual than Dimitri/Dedue. I don't mean that Dimitri is forcing Dedue into a power dynamic, by any means. Rather, for both Hubert and Dedue, the world and the culture that they live in has placed them into a vassal position, but that coercion is much stronger in Dedue's case than in Hubert's.

In Hubert's case, there's some amount of coercion he was raised from an extremely young age to be Edelgard's vassal. But when the Insurrection happened, we can infer that he was freed from that obligation as far as any of the nobles in Enbarr were concerned. At that point, I don't think anyone expected of him to be the left hand of a princess who was just a political puppet anyway. It's very clear in his supports with Edelgard and his B support with Dorothea that Hubert is free to leave her service at any time, and he chose to walk this path with her out of personal devotion because he believes in the vision she laid out before him.

I think for this reason, Edelgard is able to accept Hubert calling her Lady Edelgard and Her Majesty all the time and all his other little acts of service, in a way Dimitri struggles with; she understands he's choosing it. There's almost a BDSM feeling to it, where they have chosen their roles in this dynamic. The other Black Eagles all call her Edelgard without repercussion (contrast the Blue Lions who all feel pressure to call Dimitri "Your Highness"); Hubert chooses to call her Lady Edelgard and Her Majesty, much like a submissive may choose to call a dominant "Mistress" as part of a scene to symbolize the power exchange.

This is not to say that the relationship between Hubert and Edelgard is 100% consensual. Up until Hubert was ten or so, he was coerced into this dynamic with her, and it's hard to deny that that history plays a role in his choice to recreate that dynamic later.

But with Dimitri and Dedue, it's totally different. Dedue is being forced into the vassal role from multiple directions. Most importantly, he's liable to get hate crimed to death the moment he's no longer Dimitri's vassal. There's also the fact that Dedue owes Dimitri a life debt, and there's all manner of Faerghan culture he's internalized about what that means. Dedue hardly has a choice other than to follow Dimitri, and I think that that is a big part of why Dimitri is very uncomfortable with how Dedue treats him, with formality and constant service. Dedue didn't freely consent to this dynamic, and neither did Dimitri. It's very clear that they both wish their relationship were one of equals instead.

[description: Dedue says, "Are you dissatisfied with me, your Highness? Please do not hesitate to correct me."]

It's hard to imagine Hubert ever saying this to Edelgard. He is her vassal, but he exercises his own discretion about how to carry out her orders, as he explains in his B support with Ferdinand. Dedue and Dimitri both know that Dedue doesn't feel the same freedom to exercise his own discretion; later in their C support, Dimitri says he "gives leave" for Dedue to go. In his A support with Edelgard, Hubert is able to say that their relationship is not about titles, just about personal devotion, present tense. In his A support with Dimitri, Dedue says that titles and roles are essential in their relationship, but he dearly hopes that that will one day change, future tense.

Justice

Both Hubert and Dedue, like I said, were coerced to different degrees by the system they live in to become vassals. They both deserve justice for what was done to them. The other big difference between them is what their lieges are able to do to give them that justice.

Dimitri clearly wants justice for Dedue. They discuss in their A support that they both want to see a world where Duscurians and Fodlaners stand as equals. But while Dimitri's intentions are completely honorable, his methods can never actually achieve that goal. Dimitri aims to find the true culprits behind the Tragedy (the Agarthans), get revenge, and show the whole Kingdom the evidence that Duscur was innocent. That's not a bad step, but it's far from enough. The Duscurians lost their most fertile land to Faerghus in the genocide against them, and the Church still teaches that only Fodlaners are blessed by the goddess. The only way to achieve true equity between Duscurians and Fodlaners, and thus between Dedue and Dimitri, is to give the Duscurians their land back, and to end all the xenophobic doctrines of the Church. Dimitri shows no indication that he understands those things are necessary, let alone any intention to do them. But without them, just protesting Duscur's innocence, even with clear evidence, is slapping a bandage on a gushing wound. It's tragic because Dimitri has the power to enact the real change that would help Dedue, but not the perspective to know how to use it.

Hubert was raised to be a vassal because of the noble house he was born into: the Vestras are the Crestless, landless counterparts to the royal, Crested line of Hresvelgs, raised from earliest childhood to serve them in vassalage. Hubert never asked Edelgard for justice for how he was raised. But Edelgard gave it to him anyway. Her goals include dismantling the nobility and ending the supremacy of Crests. Without nobility and Crests, there's no noble House Vestra, and no need to raise any more Vestras to be vassals. Edelgard is out to break any semblance of a shackle binding Hubert to her, and her vision for Adrestia and Fodlan is one where no child ever again has to be raised for servitude the way Hubert was.

[wordmage-girl]

So I haven't read Nona the Ninth yet (life!) but I've seen some posts (specifically this one) and would like y'all to know that the last thing Gideon says to Harrow is not only "wedding vows" but a quote from the Book of Ruth, and it comes right after a line typically used in Jewish lesbian weddings, which I've highlighted here:

Ruth 1:16-17 "And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee, for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. The land that shall receive thee dying, in the same will I die: and there will I be buried. The Lord do so and so to me, and add more also, if aught but death part me and thee. "

and then in HtN when Harrow says 'let my right hand be forgotten' THAT IS LITERALLY FROM THE TRADITIONAL JEWISH WEDDING VOWS that's what my husband said when we got married.

Romance.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Ruth's Loyalty to Naomi

And Ruth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; — Ruth 1:16 | JPS Tanakh 1917 (JPST) The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic text; Jewish Publication Society 1917. Cross References: Ruth 1:15; Ruth 1:17; Ruth 2:12; Ruth 4:15; 2 Samuel 15:21; Psalm 45:10; Proverbs 17:17

[imposterogers]

Feeling like sharing some Jewish Bucky headcanons tonight. On Shavuot (a holiday thay commemorates the revelation of the Torah on Mt. Sinai and where we discuss what is means to actively choose a Jewish life) one of the texts we read from on is The Book of Ruth and I feel like Steve and Bucky could relate deeply to this passage as it perfectly encapsulates their bond in a way other words cannot:

And Ruth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried; the LORD do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.’

-Your Jewish Bucky/Arnie Roth friend

!!!

[chibi-tsukiko]

Exclusive Excerpt from Chain of Iron via Cassies Newsletter

She glanced around. “Why don’t we practice the ceremony?”

“The parabatai ceremony?” said Cordelia. She had to admit, the thought had a certain appeal. “Do you know all the words?”

“I watched James and Matthew’s ceremony,” said Lucie. “I think I remember. Here, pretend where you’re standing is a circle of fire, and I’m standing in a different circle of fire.”

“Hopefully we will be wearing gear,” said Cordelia, arranging herself in the imaginary circle. “Our skirts would quite go up in flames.”

Lucie thrust out her hands and indicated Cordelia should do the same. They clasped hands, and Lucie, an intense look of concentration on her face, began to speak: “Though most parabatai are men, the ceremony uses words from the scriptures that were spoken by Ruth to Naomi. By one woman to another.” She smiled at Cordelia. “Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after me, for whither thou goest, I will go —“

Lucie suddenly jumped as if stung, and dropped her hands. Alarmed, Cordelia moved toward her, forgetting about the imaginary fire rings in her concern. “Lucie, is everything all right —?”

————————-

WHAT HAPPENED?! Does this have to do with the Cordelia in flames thing???

[cocomonetxos]

Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth–lehem–judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elim´elech, and the name of his wife Na-o´mi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chil´i-on, Eph´rathites of Beth–lehem–judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. And Elim´elech Na-o´mi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelt there about ten years. And Mahlon and Chil´i-on died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread. Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. And Na-o´mi said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. And Na-o´mi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? Turn again, my daughters, go your way ; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have a husband also tonight, and should also bear sons; would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me. And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth clave unto her. And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister-in-law. And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me. When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Na-o´mi? And she said unto them, Call me not Na-o´mi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Na-o´mi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? So Na-o´mi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

Ruth 1:1‭-‬22 KJVA

https://bible.com/bible/546/rut.1.1-22.KJVA

[mayasaura]

YEAH!!! And Harrow is replying to what Gideon said to her right before "See you on the flip side",

Harrow said, “Don’t leave me.”

“The land that shall receive thee dying, in the same will I die: and there will I be buried. The Lord do so and so to me, and add more also, if aught but death part me and thee,” said Gideon. “See you on the flip side, sugarlips.”

Which is a quote from the Tanakh and Bible, Ruth 1.17, a passage from one woman to another woman that is often used in wedding ceremonies. Usually with Ruth 1.16, the full passage (using a different translation) being:

‘Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried; the LORD do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.’

Which I'm bringing up because while Gideon didn't quote the whole thing, Harrow did just ask Gideon not to leave her (entreat me not to leave thee), and just before her death Gideon opened herself to really being the Ninth and of the Ninth (thy people shall be my people).

'See you on the flip-side, sugar lips.' I know only pain. why griddle did you have to say that? 😭

Why were we put on this earth just to suffer. That little flirtatious goodbye fucking hurts me too, buddy. "See you on the flip side" oh you mean death???? You mean the flip side of life?? You mean when she dies griddle bc you are dead. Calling her sugar lips like she ever got the chance to kiss her kill me now

[fjsenters]

May 03, 2021 - Do You Love Me?

May 03, 2021 – Do You Love Me?

Do You Love Me?  MAY 03, 2021 KEY FROM GOD’S WORD: Ruth 1:16 And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: THOUGHT ON GOD’S WORD:     Love is a funny thing. It will cause people who never knew each other before, to start dating and…

[prixmiumarchive]

The Parabatai Oath

This may not be news to some of you, but my friend who brought me into the Shadowhunters fandom was unaware and thought it was really cool, so I wanted to write a brief meta post about it. (Thanks, @thethirteenthhouse!)

I should note that I am pretty much a show-only fan (full disclosure view expressed here) so I am only going by that portrayal. One can infer from the Shadowhunters television series that it is going with a worldview that posits that multiple mythologies are real, including one of a Judeo-Christian flavor. The notion of Nephilim is something that is borrowed and extrapolated from the Bible/Torah, etc. Given that, I think it’s fair to assert that Biblical mythology has a place in this world that is pretty solid.

Which brings me to the Parabatai Oath. I was watching 02x03 with thethirteenthhouse and when Jace began to recite the Parabatai Oath, I started to think... this is really... really familiar. And then it hit me.

Cut for length.

The Parabatai Oath is lifted straight out of the Book of Ruth, which is to my knowledge from both Jewish and Christian scripture. My perspective is a Christian one, so if anyone with a more Jewish background wants to jump in and counter my understanding of this passage from my religious background with the way it is viewed from another background, feel free, but I wanted to give a background ans summary for any who might be interested.

A summary of the Book of Ruth (colored by my own perspective) is that it is the story of one of Jesus’s ancestors who was a foreigner to Israel. It tells us that there was a woman named Naomi (later Mara) who had gone to a country called Moab with her husband and two sons. They established a life there and settled down to form permanent roots. Eventually, Naomi’s husband died and left her two sons. The two sons married women of Moab and they continued to live there about ten years. Eventually, both sons die as well while Naomi is yet living, leaving her two daughters-in-law widowed. 

While in grief, Naomi decides that she will return to the land of Israel because she has heard that the Lord has blessed Israel with a good growing season and an abundance of food. One of the ways Israel’s social system at the time was set up to care for the poor was a rule that employed grain harvesters were not allowed to pick up any grain they mistakenly dropped or which fell from whatever vessel they were putting the grain in. Any grain which fell to the ground was free for the impoverished. I assume, then, that even though Naomi was an older woman (or at least middle-aged) her plan was that at least there she would not starve. And yeah, it sucks, but basically the expectation was that most women did not have jobs or professions sufficient to fully support themselves, even if they were capable of some trade. 

Anyway, Naomi’s daughters-in-law pack up to go with her, widowed as they are. And she tells them to go back home even though she loves them because she cannot provide a good life for them. Presumably, they had effectively become her daughters through marriage to her sons, but she had no more male relatives. In this largely patriarchal society, male relatives were not only empowered to but were (at least ideally) obligated to care for their female relatives. This might include sisters, nieces, widowed mothers, and so on. It was heavily reliant on the practice of levirate marriage, however. This is a practice where if a woman’s  husband dies without leaving her a male heir, she is obliged to marry her brother-in-law of nearest suitable station and age (even in cases where it may cause polygamy to my understanding) basically forming a social contract, if not a conventional marriage, where he is supposed to take care of her and attempt to give her a male heir. Then, presumably help care for that male heir, his son, until he is old enough to take on the male responsibility for taking care of hims mom or something like that. And I know, I know, this is gross to any modern feminist sensibilities we have, but bear with me.

The above circumstances explain why socially and economically it was pretty impractical and a mutual burden to take on for Naomi and her daughters-in-law to stay together, even though they were very much family-by-marriage in some sense. Naomi tells her daughters-in-law that whatever their sense of obligation to and love for her, they should return to their home and their families and gods because she cannot hope to provide them with future husbands, or a surrogate father, or anything like that. Orpah (not Oprah) agrees and lovingly tells her mother-in-law farewell.

Ruth, however, cannot stand it. She clearly has a deep bond with Naomi that she refuses to break, whatever the consequences. She loves her absolutely and would forfeit and forsake anything for her. I’ve seen a handful of arguments that this is an example of wlw or sapphic love, and while I’m not here with an axe to grind, I would argue instead that we see a bond that is every bit as strong and deep as a romantic one but which is different in quality. (On the other hand, I would 100% argue that it’s really, really hard to read David and Jonathan as bros, but I recorded their narrative here a long time ago.)

In Shadowhunters, it is said that parabatai being in love with each other is not a good thing. It is my understanding that it is because it would place an undue strain on the bond that is already so powerful and produce dark magic or something, but ask thethirteenthhouse to explain that to me again. So, I would argue that Ruth and Naomi’s bond is the Type for this kind of bond, drawn from the mythology from which the Angel and other things are drawn. Basically, it is a love that supersedes practical reason or practical intent -- it has nothing to do with practical companionship, with romantic love and a cessation of loneliness, with procreation (in the case of people who can procreate together). Instead, I would posit, the parabatai bond is the equally beautiful, altogether more rare bond that forgoes practicality. It promises nothing in return for itself except the fierceness of its own commitment. It is a commitment and love that, while it may strengthen the bearers at times, seems more liability than benefit in a lot of other ways. I would just point to Alec’s straining and suffering when he has been at odds with or looking for Alec as an example. Mutual,committed romantic love is a series of implied promises made to another person that, hopefully, hold that person up, in exchange for those same or similar promises and support and a gratification of longing for that person. It would seem that being a parabatai comes with none of those stipulations or fringe benefits (though I am certainly not belittling them). Being a parabtai is a promise of oneself and oneself alone. Being a parabatai has need of a person as a consequence as much as a prerequisite for the commitment and continuation of that relationship. Being a parabatai would seem, to me, to be a kind of commitment and connection that calls for and promises nothing except you and me against whatever should oppose us and that alone and that is enough.

And so, I leave you with the Parabatai Oath (also known as Ruth 1:16-17):

16 And Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.

17 Where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.”

And the Parabatai Oath adds: “The Angel do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.”

[chairofbullies]

DARBY Ruth 1:16 And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God

[thethirdrose]

and yet you act as if there is some ideal order in the world, as if there is some... some rightness in the universe by which it may be judged.

-Hogfather, Terry Pratchett

[kgriffin37]

Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband.

If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; Would ye tarry for them till they were grown?

Would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.

And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.

And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.

And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

Ruth 1:12‭-‬18 KJV

https://bible.com/bible/1/rut.1.12-18.KJV