#elveden

[saiyukiitaliaandinternational]

Monthly Minekura Christmas edition

Day 11 “Elf”

I know this might seem strange but the background is actually linked to the theme of 'elf' because that's Alden Valley, based on this photo that inspired me with the subject. Alden derives from Old English ælf ('elf') + denu ('valley'), thus meaning 'elf-valley'. I didn't want to use the Christmas version nor the Tolkien-based elves, and I couldn't find an equivalent in Chinese mythology. I prefer to stick with old traditions but it is complex and sometimes even confusing, so I preferred to use a place in England that was once associated with elves. Elves appear in some place names, though it is difficult to be sure how many of other words, including personal names, can appear similar to elf. The clearest English examples are Elveden ("elves' hill", Suffolk) and Elvendon ("elves' valley", Oxfordshire); other examples may be Eldon Hill ("Elves' hill", Derbyshire); and Alden Valley ("elves' valley", Lancashire). These seem to associate elves fairly consistently with woods and valleys. In Old English, elves are most often mentioned in medical texts which attest to the belief that elves might afflict humans and livestock with illnesses: apparently mostly sharp, internal pains and mental disorders. The most famous of the medical texts is the metrical charm Wið færstice ("against a stabbing pain"), from the tenth-century compilation Lacnunga, but most of the attestations are in the tenth-century Bald's Leechbook and Leechbook III. This tradition continues into later English-language traditions too.

Because of elves' association with illness, in the twentieth century, most scholars imagined that elves in the Anglo-Saxon tradition were small, invisible, demonic beings, causing illnesses with arrows. This was encouraged by the idea that "elf-shot" is depicted in the Eadwine Psalter, in an image which became well known in this connection. However, this is now thought to be a misunderstanding: the image proves to be a conventional illustration of God's arrows and Christian demons. Rather, twenty-first century scholarship suggests that Anglo-Saxon elves, like elves in Scandinavia or the Irish Aos Sí, were regarded as people. Keep in mind that like words for gods and men, the word elf is used in personal names where words for monsters and demons are not, so elves are people. In Old English, the plural ylfe (attested in Beowulf) is grammatically an ethnonym (a word for an ethnic group), suggesting that elves were seen as people.

Elves are known in Norse tradition, notably in Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, which talks about svartálfar, dökkálfar and ljósálfar, but these terms are attested only in the Prose Edda and texts based on and it is now agreed that they reflect traditions of dwarves, demons, and angels, partly showing Snorri's "paganisation" of a Christian cosmology learned from the Elucidarius, a popular digest of Christian thought (this is why I take with a grain of salt Prose Edda when I want to learn about Norse religion). I prefer to focus in Old Norse poetry, particularly the Elder Edda. Elves are frequently mentioned in the alliterating phrase Æsir ok Álfar ('Æsir and elves') and its variants. This was a well-established poetic formula, indicating a strong tradition of associating elves with the group of gods known as the Æsir, or even suggesting that the elves and Æsir were one and the same. There are other sources that talk about elves such as Sagas of Icelanders, Bishops' sagas, and contemporary sagas. In Kormáks saga there is the mention of álfablót ("elves' sacrifice"), and in Eyrbyggja saga we can find the existence of the euphemism ganga álfrek ('go to drive away the elves') for "going to the toilet".

Fun fact: by the end of the medieval period, elf was increasingly being supplanted by the French loan-word fairy. An example is Geoffrey Chaucer's satirical tale Sir Thopas, where the title character sets out in a quest for the "elf-queen", who dwells in the "countree of the Faerie".

I imagined Gojyo (I find him the best for these kind of works) being alone in this place, pondering about his life and letting thoughts roam freely before maybe elves try to steal them. Here you can see two versions, a black and white version which resemble a manga page and another one where Gojyo chromatically stands out. I was unsure which posting, so asked a dear friend of mine and she liked both and eventually I decided to post both. Gojyo's pose was partially inspired by the famous painting of Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog. Ok again sorry for long post.

Credits:

Saiyuki Reload Blast © Kazuya Minekura, Platinum Vision, 2017-present

[royal-diaries-podcast]

Maharaja Duleep Singh (4 September 1838 – 22 October 1893)

A young Maharaja Duleep Singh.

Maharaja Duleep Singh (4 September 1838 – 22 October 1893),  was born in Lahore in 1838. He was the youngest son of the legendary Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Lion of Punjab, Duleep Singh ascended to the Gaddi of Lahore in 1843. This period also saw the once impenetrable Punjab annexed by the British East India Company. 

Promptly de-throning the young Maharaja, the Company was determined to cut him off from his now erstwhile subjects to curb any chance of a rally of support to re-instate him. He was removed from Punjab by British authorities, sequestered to the Hill Station of Mussoorie, followed by his de facto exile to England. 

In 1849 at the age of 10, he was removed from the Punjab with his title and power devolved. The Koh-i-Noor Diamond, part of his inheritance, was surrendered to Queen Victoria. 

Queen Victoria wearing the Koh-i-noor as a brooch

He was subsequently kidnapped by the British Crown, and thereafter exiled to Britain at age 15 where he was befriended by Queen Victoria, who is reported to have written of the Punjabi Maharaja: "Those eyes and those teeth are too beautiful". 

Duleep Singh (1838–1893) in 1854; portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter

Duleep Singh became known for his extravagant lifestyle, enjoying the countryside and game-shooting in particular. Duleep Singh also rebuilt the church, cottages and school in Elveden. Despite his lifestyle in Britain, he decided to fight to reclaim his land and title in the Punjab. 

Duleep Singh photographed by Dr. Ernst Becker in 1854 on the lower terrace at Osborne House

In 1886 he returned to India where he re-converted to Sikhism. He went to live in Paris where he enlisted the help of Irish revolutionaries and the Russians to lead a revolt against the British in the Punjab but he was ultimately unsuccessful in bringing these plans to fruition. 

The Koh-i-noor diamond (which may have been referred to in Mesopotamian texts dating to 3200 bce) mounted in the centre of the cross pattée on the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's Crown.

[usafphantom2]

8 September 1939. Vickers Wellington Mk 1c L4320 (KA-B) of 9 Squadron RAF was destroyed, killing all 5 crewmen after striking trees while low flying near Elveden, Berners Heath Bombing range. P/O Harold Rosofsky was the first South African WW2 casualty.

@ron_eisele via X

[atelierkhamis]

Galileo

Elveden Hall Invitation

An invitation to a private reception in Elveden, Suffolk, to commemorate the inauguration of the Galileo project.

[sidwales]

Center Parcs Elveden Forest Night Tour

[qudachuk]

Antlered absconders Blue and Blitzen bolted onto the A11 from a Santa’s grotto event on Sunday.

[gezzabella]

I had a great start to my week off with a weekend at Center Parcs Elveden Forest with my family. Everyone loved seeing so many creatures roaming the complex. #CenterParcs #ElvedenForest #FamilyTrip #WeekendAway #Deer #MuntjacDeer #GreySquirrel #Duck #Goose #NotAnAd #WePaidForThisTrip

[delightful-goblins]

https://www.sharedearth.co.uk/

Herd Of Highland Cow Headband

Flock Of Sheep Sofa Socks

Fox Sweater - Medium

Elveden Cardigan - Small

Hoxton Sweater - Medium

[f1]

Former F1 owner to enter 4bn race for Center Parcs resorts

The former owner of Formula One is preparing to enter the £4bn race to snap up Center Parcs, the family holiday resorts group. CVC Capital Partners is poised to make an offer for the company’s six sites across the UK and Ireland later this month, weeks after the business was put up for sale. CVC, a private equity firm that also owns the RAC motoring group and a stake in Premiership Rugby, is expected to table its bid through its Strategic Opportunities fund, which typically holds on to businesses for six to 15 years before selling them on. CVC already owns a British holiday parks operator, Away Resorts – with sites including Tattershall Lakes in Lincolnshire and Sandy Balls in the New Forest – after a £250m deal in 2021. The firm faces competition to buy Center Parcs’ sites from several infrastructure funds, including France’s Antin, according to Sky News, which first reported CVC’s interest. Center Parcs has been owned since 2015 by Brookfield Property Partners, part of the Canadian asset manager that counts former Bank of England governor Mark Carney as its chairman. Brookfield hired bankers at Barclays, Bank of America and Eastdil Secured to manage the sale. Bids are expected to come in at the lower end of a previously reported £4bn to £5bn price range, Sky reported. If Brookfield can land a price towards the top end of the range, the firm would double the £2.4bn it paid the private equity group Blackstone for the UK business eight years ago. Center Parcs operates in Europe – in Germany, the Netherlands, France and Belgium – under separate ownership. Resorts including Center Parcs bounced back quickly from closures forced on them during the start of the Covid pandemic, with holidaymakers flocking to domestic resorts as international travel restrictions fuelled a staycation boom. Center Parcs has five resorts in the UK and one in Ireland that are known for their range of activities – from treetop trekking and pantomimes to crazy golf and spas – and their sometimes eye-watering fees. Its UK resorts are Elveden Forest in Suffolk; Whinfell Forest in Cumbria; Woburn Forest in Bedfordshire and Longleat Forest in Wiltshire. In Ireland, its site is at Longford Forest, near Ballymahon. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion If CVC were to land Center Parcs, it would increase private equity ownership of the UK’s domestic holiday park market. Bourne Leisure, which includes caravan park operator Haven Holidays, was bought by Blackstone for about £3bn in January 2021. After snapping up Away Resorts later the same year, CVC then bought up Aria Resorts and Coppergreen Leisure to combine the businesses. Center Parcs has been operating in the UK since 1987 when it opened in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. The group’s roots can be traced to 1967 when a Dutch businessman, Piet Derksen, opened a campsite at De Lommerbergen, called Sporthuis Centrum. It was later rebranded to Center Parcs and the tents were replaced with lodges. Brookfield declined to comment. CVC has been contacted for comment. via Formula One | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/sport/formulaone

[justthingsilike123]

My own photo 🥰

[bluesman56]

Under the road by Tony

[severnsees-blog]

We visited the Treehouse in 2019, have an exclusive look inside every room and share the memory of our stay with us.

[alienbeing]

The high light of our visit to Elveden forest (Centerparcs) has been seeing a Stoat for the first time, I tried to get some photos but I didn't get a chance to set up anything as he was so fast! He was picking up and rolling stones under the corner building. https://dragon-flame13.deviantart.com/art/Stoat-6-744445747 #stoat #stoats #nature #naturephotography #wildlife #wild #wildlifephotography #photography #animals #animalphotography #mammals #british #carnivore #cute #britishwildlife #centerparcs #elveden (at Elveden Forest)

[ginevra17]

We took a little detour to #Elveden before coming back home. It's such a beautiful place! 🌲 (presso Elveden, Norfolk, United Kingdom)