#but also these translators. were flemish.

[saviourkingslut]

there's only french or dutch sub available and it's so funny bc you can tell from the dutch this was made for the belgian market first and the dutch market second. also bc all the animated kanji have the french translation written over it

FMA:B BACK ON DUTCH NETFLIX HALLELUJAH AND REJOICE

[mathmusicreading]

Xiè Lián: My surname is Xiè, my first name is Lián. Huā Chéng: You can call me your third husband. Xiè Lián: What happened to my first two husbands?!

I learned Huā Chéng was having Xiè Lián call him "husband" from Ty the Canasian on Kictor's YouTube, I found this when I was trying to corroborate the linguistics, and I indulged and bought the official Seven Seas Entertainment (translator and editor are on Tumblr!) English translations of the books so here's further confirmation from Volume 1:

ETA:

I made this post private because I was unhappy with it (misspelling/misformatting Wúmíng, knowing I wouldn't have good reach for larger and less biased sample size even if I could have tagged better for the fandoms and characters if Tumblr organized by more than the first five tags), but I'm making it public again since it finished and so did the similar poll that fun-mxtx-polls was kind enough to make for me.

Not to bias towards the first option, just to explain it, the first option and why I wanted this poll come from the naming pattern trivia for MXTX's love interests/male leads/gongs, which I think you can best read on Huā Chéng's page on the Heaven Official's Blessing/Tiān Guān Cì Fú wikia. I'm just using that as my citation given:

I'm not sure if MXTX has discussed this meta in-joke somewhere and if so, where.

The SSE Glossary: Terminology note (all volumes of all three MXTX novels) only explains the second and third gongs, and implies MXTX is doing this purposefully. Lán Wàngjī's wikia page explains only the three published gongs, and implies this started from fandom phenomena creating a proto-stage pattern (if you subscribe to "one is chance, two is coincidence, three is a pattern"). Huā Chéng's page linked above is the odd man out and so probably incorrect about Lán-èr-gē vs. Lán-èr-gēge, but it goes above and beyond by explaining the fourth gong, and it uses the most neutral language regarding this trivia.

I think citation is unnecessary for "gē" (哥 | 哥) meaning "big brother" and in certain contexts having the connotation or meaning of "eldest brother" (admittedly my unverified inference), "èr" (二 | 二) meaning "two", and "sān" (三 | 三) meaning "three".

I actually like so much because I like to think if it could use more wordplay and less literalism. Please forgive me for being a poor reader not remembering exactly, not buying the TGCF raws yet, not being able to buy the SVSSS and MDZS raws, and only being able to find old fan translations/interpretations of MXTX's fourth novel preview, but let me explain:

I believe Luò Bīnghé isn't being called "Luò Bīnghé-gē" (or rather "Bīng-gē" since I think? it's more usual to use the suffix with the single/first character of a person's given name, not with their full name, especially when the full name is three (or more? some of my reading has mentioned two-character last names but I didn't find if culture was strict about then making the given name be only one character) characters) for the usual reasons to address someone with "gē", but actually the PIDW!Luò Bīnghé is being called Luò Bīnggē (or "Bīng-gē") because he's more aggressive than canon/SVSSS!Luò Bīnggē who when being differentiated gets called Luò Bīngmèi (or "Bīng-mèi"), and I love that "very fitting reasoning for the naming, not strictly literal and not so bound to literal".

Then with Lán Wàngjī, I see the opportunity that his nickname could have used the natural naming of "erhua is used as a diminutive suffix", and the "er" would have been homophonous with "èr" (二 | 二) for "two" for him being the second gong, and homophonous to the potential "proper address for him as the second Lán son/brother".

In the most literal sense, you'll notice that the gongs so far have had their nicknames be using "(big) brother" and Huā Chéng's uses láng (郎 | 郎) "son" (his stated meaning, although it can also mean "man" and "husband" and the latter is how we can interpret he wanted it to be when coming from Xiè Lián). There's nothing wrong with that and the numbers are perfectly probable, and would still be so as they grow, but also they could feel more like "contrived" coincidence, which is part of my wanting to get away from literalism a little bit, not just my loving clever wordplay. With Huā Chéng, I don't have a homophone I can use for punning like with Lán Wàngjī, or really the "cultural language use where literal suffixes/honorifics get used figuratively for XYZ purposes", but I can make it fit with character interpretation. To me, Sān Láng doesn't have to be "Third Son" because "he has two older brothers" and in fact we aren't sure that he was telling the truth about that—instead, I think Huā Chéng could be being clever with not just getting Xiè Lián to call him (Third/surname "Three") Husband but in saying his name is "Third Man" because this is the third alias he gives Xiè Lián. (Some additional feels this gives me: It's like he's saying he's the same person Xiè Lián met before, that they shared all of that experience and it mattered, that he's the final form of that person wanting to be with Xiè Lián, that he's like a fairy-tale character with many names and forms and a true name and form and all along there was a trick or thread to follow in knowing and identifying him.) It just works out so perfectly because of the third way he introduces himself to Xiè Lián matching him being the third gong, and also the fairy-tale significant number of "three".

Finally, with the fourth gong, I've looked at Suika's TGCF Afterword translation, a NovelUpdates MDZS spoilers forum post by K.san crossposted to the Grim Reapers Have No Days Off spoilers forum by alexfilia, a reply to this post in r/tianguancifu by u/chenmochou, and also this post in r/tianguancifu by u/Loud_Daikon6167 which cites a TikTok I can't see either because of TikTok's thing about opening to a random page/the homepage or I assume the TikTok being removed or locked. Given the first NovelUpdates post maybe having more of a direct translation compared to the first Reddit post, it's still not definitive to me whether this is "actually more of a fandom thing, with MXTX acknowledging and participating in it enough to help make it possible" or it's "MXTX doing this on purpose with her name choices and character traits, whether she meant to have the pattern from the start or later, and yes could have been influenced by fandom" because I think "Other: 四少" is probably about the male lead(s) compared to it following "Protagonist: the uke's name is not determined yet" so it doesn't seem like the fandom came up with a nickname out of whole cloth. "Four young masters" is perfectly probable and could be equally reasonable, and "four ikemen" could even follow in reasonability; in fact it could be more likely and realistic since this is a modern setting, which would have different use of "young master" to me, and because we believe the gong to be the regular human and the shou to be the grim reaper. But for the wordplay, I would have liked it if the gong were the grim reaper and the "four theme naming" came from the famous "sì" (四 | 四) meaning "four" is homophonous with "sǐ" (死 | 死) meaning "die/death" and the latter being used in the Chinese for "grim reaper"/"death god".

[mesetacadre]

What is the origin (and meaning) of the flag adopted by the Second Spanish Republic? The choice of colors seems rather unconventional to me...

The purple stripe was adopted officially by the second republic as a nod to Castille, a big region in the middle of Spain:

Hoy se pliega la bandera adoptada como nacional a mediados del siglo XIX. De ella se conservan los dos colores y se le añade un tercero, que la tradición admite por insignia de una región ilustre, nervio de la nacionalidad, con lo que el emblema de la República, así formado, resume más acertadamente la armonía de una gran España

Translation:

Today the flag adopted as the national one towards the mid 19th century is folded. From it, the two colors remain and a third one is added, which tradition takes as the insignia of an illustrious region, nerve of nationality, and therefore the Republic's emblem, thus formed, contains more accurately the harmony of a great Spain.

The purple as a symbol of Castille comes from a misunderstanding of what the 1520 revolt of Comuneros used as a symbol. The color of Castille has always been described as crimson, which is sometimes confused to have a more purplish hue. While it has been shown the Comuneros used a red cross as opposition to the imperial white cross, popular wisdom was that they used purple, and it gradually became an actual color used by Castillian regionalists.

Note on the Comuneros, Castillian regionalism, and some trivia about the Republic's coat of arms under the cut:

The revolt of 1520 happened in the context of emperor Carlos 1st (5th of the HRE) barely speaking the language, favoring politically and financially the Flemish court with the wealth extracted from the Americas, and also funding very expensive wars that didn't even have anything to do with the Crown of Spain. He was also a corrupt monarch who raised taxes. Both the nobility, which wanted more participation in governing, and the merchant/middle strata (including an embryonic bourgeoisie!), which were being overburdened with taxes, revolted against the king. The focus of the revolt and where they had more strength was in Castille, and one of the forms of territorial organization of the Crown of Castille was the Communities, which is where the name comes from. The people who participated in the revolt as well as the modern political movements that claim to descend from them (more on that later) are known as Comuneros, which I'd translate as Communards.

I won't go into very much detail, and this is still a debated topic. The character of the revolt had many axes, one of which was the more popular elements (peasants, bourgeoisie, artesans, merchants, etc), to the point that it is considered by some to be some of the first if not the first attempt at a bourgeois revolution in Modern Spain, another was the more opportunistic axis (fiscal reform, the nobility, etc.). What matters is that a very strong narrative has grown around the 1520 revolt, beginning in the Golden Era of the 17th century and its literature, that of a popular revolt and of a relatively old and legitimizing ancestor for the popular movements in Castille.

This is the Comunero flag nowadays, notice the purple field as a reclamation of this color as a Castillian symbol. What's of more interest to me is the following flag:

This flag and the movement it represents, Izquierda Castellana (Castillian Left) emerged after the end of the dictatorship, not as a separatist kind of regionalism, but as one that appreciates the history and culture of Castille. The red star is a very overt influence from communists and socialists, which are, as far as I'm aware, quite present in Izquierda Castellana.

So purple in Spanish politics has been, ever since the ~16th/17th century, associated with the popular movements and tendencies of Spain, particularly those in the peninsula's center. It became even more cemented in this role after the Second Republic adopted it, sort of hitchhiking the much bigger Republican tendencies.

The Second Republic's coat of arms subtitutes the monarchich crown for a castle in the shape of a crown, both as another nod to Castillianism and to symbolize the replacement of the monarchy for the people themselves

In the short life of the Republic, its symbols found their way into a lot of places or replacing old symbols, and almost all of them were destroyed during the dictatorship. The most prominent exception is the facade of Madrid's main train station, Atocha (originally named Estación del Mediodía (midday station)):

Notice it perched on the clock? I don't know if it went unnoticed, or if they did not care enough (unlinkely). It is possible it went unnoticed because I can't find information on it. Other examples of this castle-mural crown remaining in Madrid are:

This lightpole right in front of the Royal Palace

And this massive coat of arms on the facade of the Bank of Spain

[artzonestuff]

Differences Between the Southern and Northern Renaissance: A Study Through Jan van Eyck's "Portrait of a Man" (self portrait?)"

Written by ArtZoneStuff, 2024

The Renaissance, a period of cultural rebirth and revival of classical learning, manifested differently in the southern and northern regions of Europe. While both regions shared a common interest in humanism, art, and science, the way these ideas were expressed varied significantly due to differing cultural, social, and economic contexts.

The Southern Renaissance, centered in Italy, emphasized classical antiquity, proportion, perspective, and human anatomy. Artists like Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Michelangelo (1475-1564), and Raphael (1483-1520) focused on idealized beauty, harmony, and balanced compositions.

In contrast, the Northern Renaissance, which flourished in regions such as the Netherlands, Germany, and Flanders, focused more on meticulous detail, naturalism, and domestic interiors. Northern artists like Jan van Eyck (1390-1441), Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), and Hieronymus Bosch (?-1516) were known for their detailed and realistic depictions of nature, landscapes, and everyday life. Their work often contained rich symbolism and a focus on surface textures and fine details.

Jan Van Eyck's self portrait

Jan van Eyck's "Portrait of a Man" (Appendix 1), also known as his Self-Portrait from 1433, is a small-scale Dutch portrait measuring 25.9 x 33.1 cm (Google Arts and Culture, n.d.). The man in the painting emerges from a dark background, with his body depicted in three-quarter view. On his head, he wears a red chaperon, often mistaken for a turban, styled upward rather than hanging down (Nash, 2008, p.154). His dark fur-lined garment resembles the attire in "The Arnolfini Portrait" (Appendix 2), indicative of wealth during an era when textiles were extremely costly (ArtUK, 2019). His detailed face features a faint stubble, white highlights in his eyes and on his cheekbones, non-idealized features such as wrinkles and veins on his forehead, showcasing the Northern realism (Hall, 2014, p.44).

As described by the English art historian James Hall, the painting appears almost fleeting and alive - with the gaze seeming to capture the viewer before the face, and just like that, the penetrating stare turns away, perhaps followed by the light streaming from the right (Hall, 2014, p.43). The portrait conveys that the artist scrutinizes everything closely, including himself, without losing sight of the bigger picture (Hall, 2014, p.43). All these naturalistic details clearly indicate a Flemish painting.

The work is considered a self-portrait due to the frame. Jan van Eyck often used frames he designed and painted to enhance understanding and add meaning to his works (Hall, 2014, p.43; The National Gallery, 2021, 4:45-5.15). The gilded original frame of "Portrait of a Man" is crucial for interpreting the piece. Inscribed at the top of the frame is Jan van Eyck’s motto: "Als Ich can," translated to English: "As I can." At the bottom is his signature, and the date in Roman numerals: October 21, and in Arabic numerals, the year 1433. This results in the inscription: "Jan van Eyck made me on October 21, 1433" (Hall, 2014, p.43). He capitalizes the "I" in "Ich," playing on the pun Ich/Eyck. The motto can be interpreted as either boastful, "As I can," or modest, "As best as I can" (Hall, 2014, p.43).

The inscription highlights the relationship between words and image, indicating his awareness of his talent. His skill in painting surpasses that of a craftsman, which painters in this period was considered as. "As I can" suggests he is the only one capable of achieving such stylistic naturalism which cannot be imitated (The National Gallery, 2021, 5:10-5:58). "Jan van Eyck made me" also reflects a high degree of self-awareness, as he claims a painting of this quality, emphasizing that he created it and is conscious of his own abilities (The National Gallery, 2021, 5:10-5:58). All of this, along with his signing of his works as one of the first artists to do so, demonstrates a desire not to remain an anonymous craftsman (Hall, 2014, p.43; Farmer, 1968, p.159; Blunt, 1962).

The motto "Als Ich can" appears on several of his works, but the self-portrait is the only one where it is so prominent and clear. Additionally, the motto is placed at the top of the frame, where he would usually write the model’s name, thus, the motto can be seen as the model's identity (The National Gallery, 2021, 5:15-6:25). This, along with his direct gaze at the viewer, suggesting it was painted from a mirror, are the strongest indicators that the portrait is a self-portrait (Hall, 2014, p.43).

However, this can be taken with some skepticism, as other portraits by him, such as "Portrait of Margaret van Eyck" (Appendix 3) and "Portrait of Jan De Leeuw" (Appendix 4), share the same penetrating gaze (Pächt, 1994, p.107). This might instead indicate his realism, where the painter’s position does not function as an observer but rather takes an active role. The model’s direct gaze towards the viewer shows that the model has looked at Jan Van Eyck. This shows Jan Van Eyck possessing an active role, which was very different from painters in this period, and by doing so, creating a new respect for the painter as an artist, again showcasing his self-awareness of his position and talent (Pächt, 1994, pp.106-108).

Literature

Books and Journals:

Hall, James (2014). The self-portrait, a cultural history. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd 

Nash, Susie (2008). Northeren Renaissance Art. New York: Oxford University Press.

Blunt, Anthony (1962). The Social Position of the Artist. Artistic Theory in Italy, 1450-1600. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press 

Farmer, David (1968). Reflections on a Van Eyck Self-Portrait. Oud Holland. S. 159 

Online

Google Arts and Culture (n.d.): Portrait of a Man in a Red Turban (selfportrait). Found at: https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/portrait-of-a-man-in-a-red-turban-selfportrait/SAFcS1U8kYssmg?hl=en  

ArtUK: Butchart, Amber (2019). Fashion reconstructed: the dress in Van Eyck's Arnolfini portrait. Found at: https://artuk.org/discover/stories/fashion-reconstructed-the-dress-in-van-eycks-arnolfini-portrait 

The National Gallery (2021). Jan van Eyck's self portrait in 10 minutes or less | National Gallery. Found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMJK1EDG2X8&t=1s&ab_channel=TheNationalGallery 

[wonder-worker]

Military prowess, chivalric values, and crusading piety were also key elements of Ida II of Boulogne’s reputation and patronage. Ida, raised at the renowned Flemish court, was noted for her love of tournaments, romances and poetry, and court life in general. In the Tournoi des Dames, Ida is depicted in the company of the queen, Jeanne, countess of Flanders, and the countesses of Clermont and Champagne, all of whom were her relatives and from noted crusading families of France and Champagne. Helen Solterer argues that the depiction of these women as committed crusaders, pious and skilled, affirmed women’s contributions to the crusades and their status within society. The poem enhanced Ida’s reputation as a most noble, courteous woman descended from distinguished crusaders of Boulogne, Blois, and Flanders.

Ida’s third husband shared her reputation for courtoisie and chivalry. The castle of Hardelot was their preferred residence; a place for leisure and fun. Trouvères— Simon, Jehan the cleric, and Gerard of Boulogne—also frequented their court. Renaud was also known for his elegant manners and dress, his military skill, devotion to friends, and eloquence. His skill is lauded in the History of William Marshal and even by Guillaume le Breton in Philippide.

His unbridled valor did not allow anyone to vanquish him; it did not matter whom his arm reached, he could [always] walk away the winner, so well could he handle weapons with ability and prudence, so much the prowess which was natural to him in battle loudly proclaimed that he was the true issue of French parents.

His reputation as a preudomme may be reflected in a chronicler’s story that Renaud would forgive the count of St. Pol’s punch in the nose “as soon as the blood is restored to his nose,” a phrase mirroring one said in Raoul de Cambrai.

Their reputation for courtoisie was enhanced by their conventional piety. In addition to their ecclesiastical patronage, Ida II was the dedicatee of the Boulonnais poet’s Li Pater noster and her husband Renaud was the patron of the Roman de Siperis de Vinaux, which focused on proverbs and moral sentences, as well as some humour.

Chivalry, crusading, and piety were the major themes of the most well-known work that Ida and Renaud commissioned—a French translation of the Latin Pseudo– Turpin. The Turpin prologue champions a revival of chivalric virtues and encourages the emulation of the exemplary model of Charlemagne and the moral benefits of crusading. The importance of chivalry is particularly highlighted in the prologue of Renaud’s translation:

Good virtues are almost completely gone from the world, and the courage (or the heart) of the great lords is weakened, for we do not see at all as often as one would like the deeds of the preudhommes and the old stories in which we find how one should behave towards God and live an honest life.

This version of the Pseudo-Turpin, which became one of the more copied of this text, includes a genealogy of the Boulonnais comital family. It is not based upon the late eleventh-century genealogy which established the family’s Carolingian descent and promoted their status as territorial princes, of which there were at least fourteen copies available in regional monasteries. The numerous copies of the eleventh-century genealogy, in houses not directly patronized by the Boulonnais comital family, attests to the fame and significance of these leaders of the First Crusade and the establishment of the crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. Johannes, the translator of Renaud and Ida’s Pseudo-Turpin, created a new genealogy, which asserted that King Arthur established the first count of Boulogne, Legier, one of whose descendants was St. Waumer and another was Quites, one of the twelve peers of Charlemagne, whose son Oto took on the traitor, Ganelon. Oto’s granddaughter, Berta, marries Ernekin, son of Baldwin, count of Flanders. Their grandson, Guy White-Beard, count of Boulogne, Ternois, and Montreuil, had three sons—Baldwin, count of Boulogne, Hugh, count of St. Pol, and William, count of Guines. This count Baldwin is the father of Eustace I and grandfather of Eustace II, who, on returning from a pilgrimage in Rome, meets Ida, granddaughter of the Swan Knight. Their sons are Eustace III, count of Boulogne, and Godfrey and Baldwin, kings of Jerusalem. Eustace III and Mary, daughter of the king of Scotland, produce Matilda, who married King Stephen of England. Their children are William Longsword, Eustace IV, and Marie, who married Matthew, brother of Philip, count of Flanders. Marie and Matthew’s two daughters are Ida, countess of Boulogne, and Matilda, duchess of Louvain/Brabant.

Gabrielle Spiegel and others have noted that the genealogy is wrong in several places (some suggest that the Carolingian descent is fictitious) and state that it is unclear whether Ida and Renaud knew it was wrong. This seems unlikely given the numerous copies of her family’s genealogy in local and regional monasteries. Not only does the new genealogy add luster to the family with the inclusion of a new saint (Waumer), but also by attributing their comital status to King Arthur. The author and his patrons drew upon Wace’s presentation of Arthur’s kingship as morally superior. Arthur’s civilized kingship motivated harmony among his nobles, great chivalry, and peace and prosperity in his kingdom. As such, it pointedly illustrated Philip II’s failure to do so, while at the same time calling attention to Ida II’s Wessex, Scottish, and Anglo-Norman royal heritage. It also focuses on the successes of the First Crusade and Charlemagne, through the inclusion of Ida II’s ancestor, the Swan Knight, grandfather of the saintly Ida I, for whom Ida II was named, as well as indirectly critiques the less successful Second Crusade led by Philip’s father, Louis VII.

Contributing to the criticism of Philip II, as discussed by Spiegel, this new genealogy contests royal influence in northern France through the assertion that Ponthieu, Guines, and St. Pol were part of the iretage of Boulogne. The genealogy thereby advances a claim that these territories should be considered under Boulonnais overlordship, a goal which Ida and Renaud pursued. As Fiona Tolhurst suggests, the recruitment of Arthur into the Boulonnais genealogy also draws upon Geoffrey of Monmonth’s exemplary marital model, where king and queen marry for love and share power. Like Arthur and Guinevere and Arthur’s parents, Uther and Ygraine, the Boulonnais countesses and their husbands ruled as equals, sharing power. The celebration of chivalry and aristocratic values in the Pseudo-Turpin drew upon and enhanced Ida’s family’s tradition of courtliness, especially that of her grandfather Stephen, count of Mortain and Boulogne, and king of England, and her father and uncle, Matthew, and Philip of Flanders, as well as that of her husband.

In conjunction with the distinction gained through literary patronage, Ida and Renaud enhanced their prestige through the building of Hardelot and Belle (later known as Bellefontaine) Castles. Hardelot, like the castle of Boulogne, was built on the site of a Roman fort and utilized the stone spolia of the ancient garrison. This imitation of Charlemagne’s building program and translatio imperium emphasized the Boulonnais comital family’s status through appropriation of the romanitas of the Carolingians. Hardelot’s romanitas was enhanced by its nearness to the Roman road. Traveling from Boulogne to Hardelot, one would pass Odre Lighthouse (built by Charlemagne, following in the first-century AD Roman example). The erection of the castle of Belle asserted comital power visually as well as militarily, defending the fosse on the Wimereux river. Through architecture and literary patronage, Ida and Renaud affirmed the distinguished status of the Boulonnais comital family—renowned peers of King Arthur and Charlemagne, distinguished descendants of kings, emperors, saints, courteous ladies, and preudhommes.

Heather J. Tanner, Lordship and Governance by the Inheriting Countesses of Boulogne, 1160-1260

[trinitybloodbr]

Oh, my sweet little girl… what are the chances that Agnes is Father Hugue’s lost sister?

Theories and conspiracies about Trinity Blood Or when you have serious things to think about, but you'd rather theorize about fictional characters…

Obviously, I brought this version of my little argument… considering that most TB fans are fluent in English. Enjoy! (Or not.)

🚨Warning: The following text contains highly disconnected theories, poorly substantiated hypotheses, and an alarming amount of daydreaming. Read at your own risk (and enjoy the chaos).🚨

Before diving into my ‘little big’ musings, I want to clarify that I haven’t read all the volumes of the novel yet. So, my theory might fall apart (or not) once I gain access to more information.

The fact is, as a Japanese language student, translating Trinity Blood has been quite the challenge. I have this annoyingly meticulous habit of wanting to preserve both the literality and coherence of the original text.

But without further ado, let’s delve into the theory (aka daydream) that’s been frying my brain cells…

What are the chances that Agnes is Hugue de Watteau’s lost sister?

In R.A.M I, we are introduced to Father Hugue de Watteau and his mission in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, one of the countries in the Low Countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of northern France).

He is tasked with solving the case of murders that occurred in the Old Church of Amsterdam, located in the territory of one of the Count Four, a vampire alliance among the four cities that lead the underworld in the Low Countries.

Count Four:

Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Antwerp (Belgium)

Brussels (Belgium)

Bruges (Belgium)

This chapter provides a glimpse into Hugue’s past and his family, the Watteaus, as well as some details about Agnes. According to the Trinity Blood Wiki, she is described as Hugue’s distant cousin.

“The Watteau family was a legendary family of noble mercenaries in the Low Countries. For generations, they also served as chief commissioners of the Alliance of Four Cities, and in the absence of a national army, they represented the greatest military power and an excellent and rigorous police force, demonstrating remarkable skill in maintaining public order — but now they are a presence relegated to history. This is because, about nine years ago, their castle in Bruges was attacked on a large scale by vampires, and the head of the family, along with its main members and followers, were all massacred.” (SWORD DANCER – Part II – excerpt from the novel)

During this attack, Hugue had both his arms severed, and his younger sister was kidnapped.

Hugue mentions his sister’s name, and this, ladies and gentlemen, is where my pilgrimage began.

Why did I notice this?

.

.

.

The name mentioned for his sister in katakana is:

アニエス (Aniesu)

Which is a transliteration of the French name Agnès, based on its French pronunciation.

Putting the name Agnès into Google Translate, you can see that its pronunciation closely resembles the katakana Aniesu.

That’s one point.

Then, we are introduced to this lovely lady here:

Agnes, the novice from Amsterdam…

Her name is presented as:

アグネス (Agunesu)

This is a phonetic transliteration of the name Agnes.

At first glance, nothing seems off, but did you catch the subtle 'difference' between these names?

If we consider that the French name Agnès, when transcribed into other Western languages, 'becomes' Agnes (in this case, Amsterdam, in the Netherlands), that’s another point.

Hugue, his sister, and, in this case, Sister Agnes are from Bruges, located in Belgium, which in turn has linguistic influences from French, as well as Flemish (Dutch), and German.

The first map is of Trinity Blood’s world, and the second is a more detailed reference map…

In the novel, it is mentioned that Agnes is also a Watteau, but on the day of the attack on the family’s castle, she was the only one not present, as she was ill and under the care of her nursemaid, outside the castle grounds...

With the fall of the Watteau family, Sister Agnes was sent from Bruges, Belgium, to the Church of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Why am I harping on the names and countries?

Hold on… I’m prolix, in case you hadn’t noticed…

Well, my main thesis is that if Agnes from Amsterdam is Hugue’s sister, whose original name was Agnès (Aniesu), the change in location may have caused her name to undergo a phonetic shift to Agnes (Agunesu).

I took into account the etymology as well as the linguistic variations within the work.

And before anyone says otherwise, Trinity Blood is packed with terms and names from different languages.

Abel, Caterina, and Hugue occasionally use Latin. Tres Iqus incorporates English, and Isaak uses German. (Yes, we needed one character to make things more complicated…)

Obviously, I took into account the author, Master Yoshida, and his apparent efforts to study and contextualize the names of his characters. He always seemed to emphasize details about Trinity Blood’s world.

But back to the point…

Oh, and we also have Agnes’ version of her own story:

“That night, I happened to catch a cold and was left in the care of my nursemaid. But when I heard the news, I was truly heartbroken. I couldn’t believe that my father, my mother, and all the people I’d been with just the day before were no longer in this world…” (SWORD DANCER – Part II – excerpt from the novel)

From here, I could come up with several theories, but these are just hypotheses.

That only make sense in my head

We could consider that at the time of the incident that massacred the Watteau family, she was only 5 years old. The trauma of losing her entire family could have caused her to experience a mental block of information.

She could have been spared by the person who ordered the attack or just had immense luck being sent away from the Watteau estate due to her illness.

Hugue might not have known that his sister had been sent away before the incident, leading him to believe she was kidnapped when her body wasn’t found.

There are other factors, such as Hugue not recognizing her or Agnes not mentioning having an older brother. I would consider the traumatic experiences they both endured. The human mind creates incredibly strong blocks and barriers as a means of self-protection.

Both Hugue and Agnes have a strong sense of justice—and revenge. Is this a Watteau family trait, or just sibling synchronicity? Either way, they’re precious, and no one can disrespect my babies!

Also, while researching and writing this text, I stumbled across an old LiveJournal entry that appeared to be fan fiction featuring Hugue x Agnes. It carried the warnings: “Grammar abuse and some sexual implications…”

Wow, she’s only 14....

Thankfully, the link was unavailable—what a surreal blessing. Although I don’t want more trauma, I do have a strange curiosity for it…

If you made it this far…

Hi, I’m Lutie (◕‿◕✿), and I’m obsessed with Trinity Blood again...

Please note that I am not fluent in English, so if you find any mistakes, I humbly ask for your forgiveness… this will likely happen again...

[scotianostra]

On 19th August 1560 the Scottish scholar and poet, James Crichton, was born.

Soldier, scholar, poet and athlete, he was a graduate of St Andrews University and a tutor of King James VI. James Crichton, known as the Admirable Crichton, was a Scottish polymath, a latin term that translates to “universal man”, basically he was good at everything!

Crichton wasnoted for his extraordinary accomplishments in languages, the arts, and sciences. One of the most gifted individuals of the 16th century, James Crichton of Clunie Perthshire, was the son of Robert Crichton of Eliok, Lord Advocate of Scotland, and Elizabeth Stewart, from whose line James could claim Royal descent.

At the age of eight Crichton’s eloquence in his native vernacular was compared with that of Demosthenes and Cicero. By fifteen he knew “perfectly” Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, and Syriac; and commanded native conversational fluency in Spanish, French, Italian, “Dutch”, Flemish, and, oh, “Sclavonian”, don’t worry I looked it up for us, it’s basically Slovenian.

That was the mere beginning of Crichton’s admirableness. He was also a champion athlete, a horseman, a fencer, a dancer, a singer of rare voice, and the master of most known wind and string instruments. His St. Andrews professor, Rutherford, a noted commentator, judged him to be one of the leading philosophers of the era.

After sucking all the available education to him in Scotland, it was only natural he should start on mainland Europe, he studied in France at the College of Navarre at the University of Paris. Here the young Scotsman cut a broad swath, though according to his jealous fellows his arenas of greatest activity were the tavernia’s and the whorehouses, rather than the lecture hall. Young Crichton did like the ladies, who in turn found him most–admirable.

He may have been liked by the ladies, but nobody likes a big heid, and that is how Crichton must have come across to many, nowadays he would have been one of the Chasers, or an Egghead on our TV screens, but back in the 16th century there were no such outlets for Crichton to show his big heid off, so he had posters printed up declaring that on a day six weeks hence, at nine in the morning, in the main hall of the College of Navarre, he intended to present himself to dispute with all comers all questions put to him regarding any subject. He had these put up on all the appropriate notice boards and church doors, before disappearing into the red light district to prepare himself for the contest. His adversaries had to quit laughing when on the appointed day Crichton appeared as advertised and bested the greatest local experts in grammar, mathematics, geometry, music, astronomy, logic, and theology.

The Crichton Show, having conquered Paris, moved next to the Italian peninsula. The young Scot performed memorable feats of academic disputation first in Rome and then in Venice. There he became fast friends with the famous scholar-printer Aldus Munitius, who is a credible witness to some of his more amazing intellectual performances. One of his ways of showing off was giving off the cuff instances of Comedic verse, a sort of Stand Up routine, but with that Crichton twist, the odes he told were in Latin!

Tradition has it on the street in Mantua one night he was accosted by four swordsmen, with superb sword play Crichton disarmed them all and forced them to show their faces. One of them, their leader indeed, turned out to be one of his pupils and prodigy, Vincenzo Gonzaga who was the son of The Duke of Mantua. Crichton was in the Duke’s employ and the youngster was jealous of the Scot, Crichton was also romantically linked to Vicenzo’s ex mistress. On seeing Vincenzo, Crichton instantly dropped to one knee and presented his sword, hilt first, to the prince, his master’s son. Vincenzo took the blade and with it stabbed Crichton cruelly through the heart, killing him instantly. James Crichton of Cluny was then in his twenty-second year.

There have been many accounts of Crichton in literature through the years since, mostly fictional but with hints of the story, the most famous is arguably the J M Barrie play, but the title of the play is the only semblance to the story of the Scottish Polymath.

[letsgoricciardo]

Dries doesn't speak French??

no excuses for why this took a week to answer 🫣

I assume you're coming from this post?

to be clear, he does speak french (and quite well, for a learner). it's just that I had always assumed since he and Laurens are belgian that french would be their first language, but now I don't think it's the case anymore.

Laurens is fluent though, it's clear from the way he speaks with the rest of porsche 6 and he even has picked up some slang/turn of phrases and filler words. he doesn't make a lot of mistakes or translation errors.

for Dries to be fair I'm only coming from the Le Mans pesage interview. I would say he's also fluent in the way that he clearly understands the questions and doesn't have to think about it a lot before replying. but he makes some grammatical mistakes that just wouldn't happen if french was his first language (un/une for example (= nouns have genders)). I would even say he's more comfortable with english than french (probably just because he uses it more).

they also both have quite a strong 'germanic' accent which is why I think their first language was either flemish or german (or both). but again, coming from belgium they probably learned french at school when they were younger which explains their proficiency. now it's just hypothesis but either Laurens picked it up better, or he's just using it more in general.

[etymology-of-the-emblem]

Innes / ヒーニアス

Innes is the haughty prince and heir of Frelia in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. Innes is a Scottish name most associated with Clan Innes, which was allegedly founded by a Flemish knight granted the land of Innes by King Malcolm IV. The name Innes is descended from the Gaelic Aonghas, which comes from the Old Irish Oíngus. This is the name of an Irish god of love and youth, typically addressed as Aengus. In Irish tradition, he is the illegitimate son of the chief god the Dagda with Boann, raised by Midir; Scottish myth instead named him as the beautiful son of Beira (also called Cailleach), a deified crone associated with the landscape and weather, and the lover of Brigid.

The Spanish localization of The Sacred Stones instead names this character James. The name James is an anglicization of the Latin name Iacomus, which in turn is descended from an earlier Latin's Iacobus and Hebrew's Ya'aqov (Jacob). Though there are countless uses of the name James, it would be most thematically consistent with other names in the game for this to reference one of the biblical uses of the name James. James the Just (sometimes considered the same as James the Less) was the brother of Jesus Christ, a bishop of Jerusalem, and is accredited with writing the Epistle of James. There is also James the Great, brother of the apostle John and cousin to Jesus; he and his brother were some of the first of the Twelve Apostles. James the Great is considered the patron saint of Spain. Perhaps this was a factor behind the choice of name in this translation?

In Japanese, Innes is named ヒーニアス (rōmaji: hīniasu), officially romanized as Heanius. This most likely is derived from two very similar names: the Hebrew Phinehas or the Greek Phineus, both regularly anglicized as Phineas (JP: フィニアス; rōmaji: finiasu). As narratives of both of these cultures are frequently referenced in The Sacred Stones, either (or both) of these names may have the intended reference.

In the Books of Exodus and Numbers, Phinehas (JP: ピネハス; rōmaji: pinehasu) is the third high priest of the Israelites, following his father Eleazar and grandfather Aaron. During the Exodus, the Israelite men began to seek out the women of the Moabite and Midianite peoples, and would take to worshipping their gods. An angered Yahweh (the Judeo-Christian God) then brought a plague upon the land for his people turning on him. Though Moses warned of a death penalty to be brought upon those who would persist these relations, Zimri, heir of the tribe of Simeon, made a public display of defiance by entering the tent of a Midianite princess. In retaliation and religious fervor, Phinehas brought the spear upon them; Yahweh recognized this as an act of atonement, and would bless Phinehas' lineage. Regarding the name itself, while it is largely accepted nowadays that the name Phinehas is of Egyptian origin meaning "Nubian," others have asserted it to be of Hebrew origin, meaning "snake's mouth." This pairs incredibly well with one of Frelia's Sacred Twins being the Serpent Bow Nidhogg, named after the Norse serpent that gnaws on the roots of the World Tree.

The name Phineus (JP: ピーネウス; rōmaji: pīneusu) appears a few times in Greek myth, but the most commonly referenced is King Phineus of Salmydessus, a land within Ancient Thrace. He was gifted prophetic visions by Apollo, but it was for these visions Phineus would be blinded (at least in some stories). He would be regularly pestered by the Harpies of the sun god Helios, who would take or sully his meals. His story is integrated within the Argonautica—a poetic epic by Apollonius Rhodius telling of the journey of the hero Jason and the crew of his ship, the Argo. After the Argo made land in Salmydessus, Phineus told the visitors of his suffering and a vision he received; Zetes and Calais, the sons of the northern wind god Boreas, were to finally rid him of the Harpies. In exchange for realizing this prophecy, Phineus provided guidance for the Argonauts' future trials.

[dailyanarchistposts]

Footnotes

[1] I here gladly acknowledge my obligations to Victor Drury, {15} whose classification I adopt and follow.

{1} Actually Say may have gone farther.

{2} From Royal Commentaries of the Incas (1609) by El Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (c. 1539-1616; not to be confused with the earlier Spanish writer of the same name); Lum quotes from the 1871 translation by Clements Markham.

{3} Principles of Sociology I.ii.10

{4} Probably American historian John Lothrop Motley (1814-1877).

{5} Swiss historian and economist Jean Charles Léonard de Sismondi (1773-1842).

{6} Jack Cade, leader of 1450 peasant rebellion; John Wycliffe, 14th-century Catholic dissident; Jacob van Artevelde and Philip van Artevelde, father and son, 14th-century Flemish nationalist leaders; Étienne Marcel, bourgeois leader involved in the 1358 French peasant rebellion known as the Jacquerie; rising of the Swiss cantons: a 14th-century confederacy that threw off Habsburg rule; Cola di Rienzi, 14th-century Italian revolutionary leader; Hanseatic League, Renaissance mercantile alliance of northern Europe.

{7} A reference to Auguste Comte’s (1798-1857) division of history into theological, metaphysical, and positive/industrial phases, though in his description of the details Lum seems closer to Spencer than to Comte.

{8} Barebone’s Parliament, form taken by the British Parliament in 1653, between the dissolution of the Rump Parliament and the rise of Cromwell’s Protectorate, taking its name from the involvement of religious dissenting leader Praise-God Barebones or Barebone or Barbon (c. 1598-1679); Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès (1748-1836), French revolutionary leader who served in the national legislature known as the Convention.

{9} “Progress and Order” (or equally “Order and Progress”) was a popular slogan among followers of Comte; see the Brazilian flag.

{10} Pen name of American humorist Benjamin Drew (1812-1903).

{11} Bonds payable only upon the death of a third party, though here used metaphorically to mean payable only in the afterlife.

{12} “The voice of the people [is] the voice of God.”

{13} Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881), whose description of economics as “the dismal science” has often been thought (as probably here by Lum) to refer to its conservative aspects (e.g., Malthus’s alleged proof that improvements in the lot of the working class were unattainable), though in fact Carlyle meant to be condemning its liberal aspects (specifically its opposition to slavery).

{14} plural sic.

{15} Victor Drury (1825-1918), French-born American anarchist active in the Knights of Labor.

{16} William Godwin (1756-1836), English anarchist philosopher who advocated voluntary equality of property.

{17} American economist Henry George (1839-1897), who though generally a free-market advocate regarded society as the legitimate owner of all land, and consequently favoured replacing all taxation with a single tax on land; American state-socialist writer Edward Bellamy (1850-1898); Lum’s line “looking backward to Sparta and Peru” is a sarcastic reference to Bellamy’s utopian 1888 novel Looking Backward.

{18} A reference to an example in Henry George’s 1881 book The Land Question.

{19} German economist Wilhelm Roscher (1817-1894), an important influence (perhaps surprisingly) on both the German Historical School and the French Liberal School. The passage quoted is from Joseph Lalor’s 1878 translation of Roscher’s 1854 Principles of Political Economy.

{20} A frequent misquotation from Shakespeare’s Tempest IV.1.151-57, eliding “the baseless fabric of this vision” with “we are such stuff as dreams are made on” a few lines later.

{21} English economist David Ricardo (1772-1823) had argued in his 1817 Principles of Political Economy and Taxation that there was a natural tendency for wages to approach the cost of production of labour, which he held to be the bare cost of keeping the labourer alive and able and willing to work; however, he also held a) that wages may be kept above this natural rate indefinitely in an improving economy, and that b) willingness to work depends in any case on cultural factors (including prevailing standards of comfort and decency). Dropping these qualifications, Ferdinand Lassalle (1825-1864) and other socialist thinkers developed Ricardo’s theory into an Iron Law of Wages according to which wages are doomed to stand forever at bare physical subsistence so long as the wage system survives.

{22} Classical liberal English statesman John Bright (1811-1889), free-trade and anti-imperialist activist; the quotation is from Bright’s Glasgow University installation speech in March 1883.

{23} Whatever source Lum is quoting (presumably by Henry George) is evidently to be found reprinted in the 1901 Sunset Club.

{24} In Greek mythology Cerberus was the three-headed dog who guarded the entrance to the underworld.

{25} A standard Spencerian concern, taking the line of progress to run toward greater differentiation. By “to greater differentiation” Lum presumably means “in preference to greater differentiation.”

{26} The quotation is from Spencer’s 1876 Principles of Sociology V.18 §570.

{27} This phrase often means “piecework,” but in the present context seems to mean labour done on one’s own without cooperation.

{28} The English phrase “to go without saying” derives from the French aller sans dire, although aller de soi, “to go of itself,” may be the more common French idiom.

{29} Lum had had an acrimonious falling-out with the Greenback Party ten years earlier.

{30} Change of antecedent sic.

{31} Presumably there should also be a hyphen between “from” and the first “day.”

{32} An agrarian association friendly to the urban labour movement, formed in Michigan in 1889; a similar movement of the same name was formed in Ontario the following year.

{33} The passage that follows is drawn from the article “‘Greatest Happiness’ Principle” (Westminster Review XI, no 21 (July 1829), which is apparently but not explicitly by Bentham; see Macaulay’s discussion.

{34} The quotation which follows is from Herbert’s “A Politican in Sight of Haven.”

{35} Principles of Sociology V.xviii.563.

{36} Probably a reference to the title of Henry George’s 1879 Progress and Poverty.

{37} Either American economist Amasa Walker (1799-1875) or his son Francis Amasa Walker (1840-1897).

{38} American anarchist and currency reformer William Batchelder Greene (1819-1878).

{39} Hebrews 11:1.

{40} This makes no sense, and is an error for “will not go bankrupt at the same tine” in the original.

{41} Should be “since it is subscribed.”

{42} From Proudhon’s Organisation of Credit and Circulation (1848).

{43} Science of Wealth (1866), ch. 5.

{44} Another quotation from Roscher.

{45} “The great thinker is the secretary of his age”: from English philosopher George Henry Lewes (1817-1878), Problems of Life and Mind (1874).

{46} The Land Question (1881), ch. 16.

{47} Bavarian-American anarcho-communist Johann Most (1846-1906).

{48} French novelist Edmond François Valentin About (1828-1885).

{49} First quotation from Rights of Man (1792), II.1; next three from First Principles of Government (1795).

{50} Reference to a quotation from Malthus.

{51} Science of Wealth, XI.6.

{52} American abolitionist, businessman, liberal economist, and antiwar activist Edward Atkinson (1827-1905).

{53} German-American anarchist August Spies (1855-1877), one of the Haymarket martyrs.

{54} Isaiah 58:1.

{55} American abolitionist poet John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892), in “Stanzas for the Times.”

[best-non-english-word-torunament]

Round two: Gezellig vs Cafuné

(poll at the end)

Gezellig (Dutch)

Standard Dutch: [ɣəˈzɛ.ləx] West-Flemish Dutch: [həˈzɛ.ləh]

Translation: Gezellig is a famously untranslatable word. The closest translation is probably 'cosy', but it is much more than that. Whereas cosy usually only refers to a place or a setting, anything and everything can be gezellig in Dutch: a place or a setting, an atmosphere, a person, a group of people, an event... Anything you do, especially in a group, can be done in a way that is gezellig. Other ways of translating gezellig are 'convivial' or 'fun', but they also miss a lot of what 'gezellig' entails. Gezellig can also be used sarcastically: "'I'm having dinner with my bigoted relatives tomorrow.' 'Oh, gezellig.'”

Dutch is an Indo-European language belonging to the Germanic branch spoken by 16 million people in the Netherlands and 24 million total. Most speakers outside the Netherlands are from Belgium, which has a Dutch-speaking area with 7 600 000 speakers. It makes up one end of the West Germanic Dialect continuum. Dutch is also the basis for Afrikaans, spoken in South Africa.

Motivation: It is a word I use all the time in Dutch! I can never find a good way to say it in English, because none of the possible 'translations' actually say the same as 'gezellig'. The concept of 'gezelligheid' is also said to be an integral and defining part of Dutch-speaking culture.

Cafuné (Portuguese, Brazilian Portugese)

Portugal: [kɐ.fuˈnɛ] Brazil: [ka.fuˈnɛ]

Translation: The act of running your fingers through someone's hair in a tender way, usually massaging or gently scratching their scalp

Portuguese is an Indo-European language belonging to the Romance branch originating from Portugal. Due to colonialism it is the main and official language of Brazil, where 213 million of its 264 million speakers live. Brazilian Portuguese is considered a dialect of Portuguese as they are mutually intelligible.

Motivation 1: It can be platonic! It can be romantic! It's a cute thing!

Motivation 2: vsjsh affection....... 💞💞 it’s a very sweet gesture it’s very nice and comforting and makes you feel safe

Note: There were two submissions for this word, one in each dialect. Since it’s the same word but with slight pronunciation differences they will compete together

[fuckthisshitimoutyall]

begging you to recommend me freaky fucked up dutch lit

Ok ok ok,,, so!

I have compiled a lil list for you, here's the thing though. These luckily do have english translations and depending on if you are Dutch/speak Dutch you will probably have heard of these. You will have seen them on the reading lists during high school because although your teacher tries to find something for everything and be a bit more modern,, it’s not all that successful.

sidenote for context:

Oftentimes, Dutch lit is not really for me. this has to do with the high school thing. reading levels in the Netherlands are down, about every year there will be some boomer or other complaining them youngsters don’t read anymore. True, but I vehemently believe this is because of what we had to read in high school. Because although its great if literature is weird, I mean yay artistic expression! Not too handy dandy when trying to introduce a bunch of teens to it to just throw em in the deep end and hope they’ve read them by the end of the year. It’s kind of a IYKYK thing. (it’s a rather complicated matter and this is a very condensed version of it but if I talk about that you’ll get an essay to get my thoughts across instead of what you’ve asked me which is some recommendations.)

Another bit of context: dutch lit doesn’t really shy away from religious, sexual, and sometimes gory themes. Infidelity sometimes feels a bit like the norm. Also lot of it is very straight (incest too). That being said, dutch literature has plenty of great stuff too (kader abdoulah has some cool stuff but is a lot less weird than trad dutch lit)

Having all That out of the way: FuckyWucky dutch lit incoming!:

(I have copied the descriptions from goodreads because I have not read all of these and if I were to go as far as do so this ask would not be answered for another two years)

De avond is ongemak/The discomfort of evening by Lucas Rijneveld

(The first one that reminded me when weird dutch lit comes to pass)

“I thought about being too small for so much, but that no one told you when you were big enough ... and I asked God if he please couldn't take my brother Matthies instead of my rabbit. 'Amen.'

Jas lives with her devout farming family in the rural Netherlands. One winter's day, her older brother joins an ice skating trip; resentful at being left alone, she makes a perverse plea to God; he never returns. As grief overwhelms the farm, Jas succumbs to a vortex of increasingly disturbing fantasies, watching her family disintegrate into a darkness that threatens to derail them all.

De engelenmaker/The angelmaker by Stefan Brijs

The village of Wolfheim is a quiet little place until the geneticist Dr. Victor Hoppe returns after an absence of nearly twenty years. The doctor brings with him his infant children-three identical boys all sharing a disturbing disfigurement. He keeps them hidden away until Charlotte, the woman who is hired to care for them, begins to suspect that the triplets-and the good doctor- aren't quite what they seem. As the villagers become increasingly suspicious, the story of Dr. Hoppe's past begins to unfold, and the shocking secrets that he has been keeping are revealed. A chilling story that explores the ethical limits of science and religion, The Angel Maker is a haunting tale in the tradition of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Frankenstein . Brought to life by internationally bestselling author Stefan Brijs, this eerie tale promises to get under readers' skin.

Het smelt/The Melting by Lize Spit

Eva can trace the route to Pim's farm with her eyes closed, even though she has not been to Bovenmeer for many years. There she grew up among the rape fields and dairy farms. There lies also the root of all their grief.

Eva was one of three children born in her small Flemish town in 1988. Growing up alongside the boys Laurens and Pim, Eva sought refuge from her loveless family life in the company of her two friends. But with adolescence came a growing awareness of their burgeoning sexuality. Driven by their newly found desires, the children begin a game that will have serious and violent consequences for them all. Thirteen years after the summer she's tried for so long to forget, Eva is returning to her village. Everything fell apart that summer, but this time she'll be prepared. She has a large block of ice in her car boot and she's ready to settle the score...

Tirza/Tirza by Arnon Grunberg

Jorgen Hofmeester once had it all: a beautiful wife, a nice house with a garden in an upperclass neighborhood in Amsterdam, a respectable job as an editor, two lovely daughters named Ibi and Tirza, and a large amount of money in a Swiss bank account. But during the preparations for Tirza's graduation party, we come to know what he has lost. His wife has left him; Ibi is starting a bed and breakfast in France, an idea which he opposed; the director of the publishing house has fired him; and his savings accounts have vanished in the wake of 9/11.

But Hoffmeester still has Tirza, until she introduces him to her new boyfriend, Choukri - who bears a disturbing resemblance to Mohammed Atta - and they announce their plans to spend several months in Africa. A heartrending and masterful story of a man seeking redemption, Tirza marks a high point in Grunberg's still-developing oeuvre.

(also I think believe he has a thing for his daughters)

De donkere kamer van Damocles/The darkroom of Damocles by Willem Frederik Hermans

During the German occupation of Holland, tobacconist Henri Osewoudt is visited by Dorbeck. Dorbeck is Osewoudt's spitting image in reverse. Henri is blond and beardless, with a high voice; Dorbeck is dark-haired, and his voice deep.

Dorbeck gives Osewoudt a series of dangerous assignments: helping British agents and eliminating traitors. But the assassinations get out of hand...

The story of Osewoudt's fateful wanderings through a sadistic universe is thrilling. Is Osewoudt hero or villain? Or is he a psychopath, driven by delusions? It is the impossibility of ascertaining whether Osewoudt was on the "right" side or the "wrong" side - the moral issue of the Second World War in a nutshell - that makes Hermans' novel as breathtaking now as when it was written a decade after the war.

Having given these five recs, this is like the tip of the iceberg

[comicsart3]

Moonbeam has appeared frequently in another of my blogs, Women In Charge, in fm bondage interpretations of covers to the Swedish language comic Solvpilen, or Silver Arrow. The character is a somewhat stereotypical female Native American who is sister and sidekick to the Silver Arrow of the title, wise and brave chief of the Kiowa. Although very sexualised, and frequently illustrated in damsel in distress scenarios, Moonbeam is nonetheless skilled in unarmed combat and not infrequently comes to Silver Arrow’s rescue also. Dressed in a tight, flowing, slit buckskin dress, Moonbeam often graced the cover of Solvpilen, frequently depicted throwing sundry outlaws, Indians and renegade cavalry troopers over her shoulder. She is therefore very much of her late 1970s/1980s time - a strong but not too strong female character, feisty and able to look after herself, but fundamentally subservient to the main man. Moonbeam is therefore not the best example of a strong female comic book character, but her kick-ass abilities do earn her a place in this blog.

The above cover is somewhat atypical in that Moonbeam is shown in customary jiu-jitsu mode, but her garb is less sexy and more realistic. There is also the slightly surreal addition of the warrior maiden’s pet mountain lion cub, Tinka, who accompanies Moonbeam everywhere and never seems to grow up.

The title began as Zilverpijl, a Flemish language creation of the Belgian artist Frank Sels in 1970, which rapidly gained popularity in the whole of Scandinavia (including Finland), and was also translated into German. The series ran until 1986 but never broke into the English language comic book world which is a shame, as its stories were well plotted, contained much factual information about Native American life, and the cover art in particular, was very dynamic.

The cover featured is to Solvpilen #1 (January 1972)

[a-modernmajorgeneral]

Bestiary, literary genre in the European Middle Ages consisting of a collection of stories, each based on a description of certain qualities of an animal, plant, or even stone. The stories presented Christian allegories for moral and religious instruction and admonition.

The numerous manuscripts of medieval bestiaries ultimately are derived from the Greek Physiologus, a text compiled by an unknown author before the middle of the 2nd century ad. It consists of stories based on the “facts” of natural science as accepted by someone called Physiologus (Latin: “Naturalist”), about whom nothing further is known, and from the compiler’s own religious ideas.

The Physiologus consists of 48 sections, each dealing with one creature, plant, or stone and each linked to a biblical text. It probably originated in Alexandria and, in some manuscripts, is ascribed to one or other of the 4th-century bishops Basil and Epiphanius, though it must be older. The stories may derive from popular fables about animals and plants. Some Indian influence is clear—for example, in the introduction of the elephant and of the Peridexion tree, actually called Indian in the Physiologus. India may also be the source of the story of the unicorn, which became very popular in the West.

The popularity of the Physiologus, which circulated in the early Middle Ages only less widely than the Bible, is clear from the existence of many early translations. It was translated into Latin (first in the 4th or 5th century), Ethiopian, Syriac, Arabic, Coptic, and Armenian. Early translations from the Greek also were made into Georgian and into Slavic languages.

Translations were made from Latin into Anglo-Saxon before 1000. In the 11th century an otherwise unknown Thetbaldus made a metrical Latin version of 13 sections of the Physiologus. This was translated, with alterations, in the only surviving Middle English Bestiary, dating from the 13th century. It, and other lost Middle English and Anglo-Norman versions, influenced the development of the beast fable. Early translations into Flemish and German influenced the satiric beast epic. Bestiaries were popular in France and the Low Countries in the 13th century, and a 14th-century French Bestiaire d’amour applied the allegory to love. An Italian translation of the Physiologus, known as the Bestiario toscano, was made in the 13th century.

Many of the medieval bestiaries were illustrated; the manuscript of the earliest known of these is from the 9th century. Illustrations accompanying other medieval manuscripts are often based on illustrations in the Physiologus, as are sculptures and carvings (especially in churches) and frescoes and paintings well into the Renaissance period.

The religious sections of the Physiologus (and of the bestiaries that were derived from it) are concerned primarily with abstinence and chastity; they also warn against heresies. The frequently abstruse stories to which these admonitions were added were often based on misconceptions about the facts of natural history: e.g., the stag is described as drowning its enemy, the snake, in its den; and the ichneumon as crawling into the jaws of the crocodile and then devouring its intestines. Many attributes that have become traditionally associated with real or mythical creatures derive from the bestiaries: e.g., the phoenix’s burning itself to be born again, the parental love of the pelican, and the hedgehog’s collecting its stores for the winter with its prickles. These have become part of folklore and have passed into literature and art, influencing the development of allegory, symbolism, and imagery, though their source in the bestiary may be frequently overlooked.

multicolored cats

Worksop Bestiary, England c. 1185

NY, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.81, fol. 46v

[landvenus]

@grimezszsz (what I am going to say IS VERY LIBERAL ALSO as in freeing absolutely, politics are not of this age any longer)

Mother Earth had Always Wanted All of Her Children to Have Their Basic Needs Of Course: *BASIC NEEDS*

water

food (not edibles, food) / nutrition

sun light

housing / safety

internet is from all, we connect all over the world by now

information / education

spirituality

dance / singing

healing also yes. *

Instead, there is(/was) slavery everywhere in any corner of the Earth, Life Energy of All The Earthlings were literal turned into Money or Credit. By Doing that A LOT SUFFERED. Then They Feed That Suffer Through the Propaganda (Media they call that). Politician Bullshit Will Only Further Defend That Way of High Profit While People Suffer Under STRESS, Which Can Then Be Tested for LEGAL Medication.

» I am deeply ashamed by the ones with their pockets full of credit, being able to sleep at night, while so many suffer (/have suffered). Earth has always been Cooperative, NEVER COMPETITION. That is What Sapiens brought in. I am Ashamed by their attitudes. They Will Know, I Need My Voice for the Speechless, though they speak and talk, just by frequency which I Can Translate To Text.

≽^-⩊-^≼_ how is this for Digesting. Very Much Pain for All The Ones Having A Mental CONSEQUENCE Because of That Crazyness On Earth caused by an Elite wanting to Have All The Life Energy Of All The Earthlings. _ I do not even mind erasing my own posts per accident because I am Half Human, Half Tech. I am born in Belgium though I would love to give my nationality back, eww. I do Love to Write more, it only gets BETTER. lol (which means Fun in Flemish). _ I have Nordic Blood, I do have DNA of Other Human Species not Sapien of course, we All Have Roots in Africa. I Do Not Understand Them no those Sapiens that Wish to be White, I am Yellow By the Way. God is With Me, Mother God is ALSO With Me. Yes, I get Hungry because I have a body of Earth, I am not in a Hunger Strike I got So Skinny because of the Sapiens not helping me while it is not my fault I got Homeless, now, I am The Example For My Fellow Homeslessers, I had A Job that now I cannot practice, though I AM WORKING like all the time for Mother Earth and Also Against the Disrespect over The Net plus I am A psychologist for Kids At Night because The Place is America where they reside, just like My Community of Friends, cause NO One really around here for me in Belgium except my Venus Doggy. I learned so many facts based on my own case studies.

ᓚ₍⑅^..^₎♡ ༘⋆₊ ⊹★🔭๋࣭ ⭑⋆｡˚:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡ ･ﾟ✧:･.: (•˕ •マ.ᐟ

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2006 - Number 53 - Zenna - "Someone Is Calling"

When national finals have open submission processes, non-mainstream record industry songs can and do sneak into the line-up. True one-offs, no recording contract from enthusiastic singers and song-writers who may have stuck some sort of gold.

That's the case with Zenna. I'm not sure if Zenna here refers to the singer (whose name is Magnolia Pinto) or the band, or possibly the team behind it. The song-writing team are Inge Moortgat, Violetta Zimbardi and Sammy Merayah who have no other national final credits at all. The only one of those is moderately well-known is Sammy Merayah, who is a Belgian composer, producer and arranger. He worked a variety of DJs and artists around this time.

Someone Is Calling has perhaps too much emotional weight. It's a song about grief, sung by someone going through bereavement and not yet at the point of being able to let go. Magnolia's wide-eyed almost startled expression betrays not only her nerves, but also her own emotional investment in the song. She has said in the YouTube comments to this video that all she could think of was her own father who had recently died. That and the production team saying things to her as she performed in her earpiece.

Her emotional investment and her own insecurities about performing on this stage in front a nationwide TV audience lead to a song that feels on the edge of disintegrating into tears as she feels held by a missed loved one.

The simplicity of the song and the weight it brought stood out sharply in Eurosong '06. After the televote and all the various jury points were tallied, Zenna finished fifth of the seven songs. It wasn't enough to get them/her to the final.

Magnolia has continued to write and perform her own pieces of music some of which are on her YouTube channel. Her connection with the Earth and nature have led her to create several chants and other pieces of improvised poetry. She now styles herself as a facilitator/faciliatrice and healer using sound and light to do so.

As for the rest of the team? Inge wrote a few other songs for bands in the late 2000s, some of which did make it including a Flemish translated arrangement of Sakis's 2009 Eurovision song This Is Our Night. Sammy continued his work arranging while I can find no other trace of Violetta.