#he gave birth to a serpent that eats people

[oneshortdamnfuse]

"What's Laurits' superpower even? What can Loki even do?"

It's gender magic. Hope this helps.

[blasphemousclaw]

tanith for the character list thing?

MY GIRLLLL

• favorite thing about them

I love how she occupies this position of power as the proprietress of the Manor, the consort of a demigod, and she’s the sole person in charge of operating their cult movement (since Rykard doesn’t seem to do much except kill eat and sleep these days) and yet she comes from such a humble background as a dancer from a foreign land… she projects this image of ruthlessness and strength, but she actually has really deep insecurities about herself that start to come out during Rya’s quest? her greatest fear is that she’s always been weak, and that Rykard always knew that… I think she clings to the entire structure she’s built up at the Manor because she’s afraid of feeling powerless, maybe because she felt powerless in her past? also her mask is sexy

• least favorite thing about them

I just wish she had more content! the dlc introduced the Dancer of Ranah with almost an identical face to Tanith, which implies Tanith was the same kind of Dancer? was she actually an expert swordswoman who gave up the lifestyle to run a cult with a demigod? I NEED TO KNOW

• favorite line

“Dear Rykard, please find purchase within me, I wish to be your serpent; your family.” eating your beloved’s corpse is what true love looks like <3

also it’s super long but her speech about the Volcano Manor’s goals is really good; you can tell she’s tailored her and Rykard’s goals to appeal to the Tarnished and get them fired up against the Erdtree… queen of public speaking

• brOTP

her relationship with Rya is so sweet and also so emotionally complicated, like they love each other so much but Tanith lies to her about the truth of Volcano Manor and the circumstances of her birth and shatters that trust… :(

I also feel like Tanith would’ve had a great dynamic with Bernahl?? there’s this implication that he’s her most trusted Recusant; he never got eaten by Rykard even though Tanith feeds all the greatest champions to him, and Bernahl seems to know everything about Rykard and his mission after we kill him… and there’s also the fact that he uses a really important weapon to the serpent cult, and it’s implied that he goes to Farum Azula to challenge Maliketh, which was seemingly what Rykard was originally gonna do? so Bernahl and Tanith must have shared their plans and secrets with each other… I wonder if he was the “precocious” guest Tanith mentions having long ago whom we remind her of if we show up to the Manor unannounced?

• ОТР

TANITH/RYKARD. OBVIOUSLY. I won’t write a whole paragraph about them because I already talked about their relationship here

• nОТР

Patches LOL I know he’s trying to keep Tanith from destroying herself and remind her that she has other things in life to live for but what if I WANT her to destroy herself because of her undying love for her serpent god husband who’s prophesied to devour the entire world! like what’s sexier than this!! STAY OUT OF THIS PATCHES

• random headcanon

she braids Rya’s hair to match her own hairstyle :,)

• unpopular opinion

I’m never going to police the kind of content people want to make and enjoy, but it really bothers me when I see serious analysis of the game’s story and interactions with my own content that are like “Tanith is such a good mother!” and “this family is so wholesome!” when the actual story involves her making really questionable decisions that ultimately harm Rya’s wellbeing? there’s no doubt that Tanith loves Rya more than anything, but she’s lied to her about the Manor’s true purpose and the circumstances of her birth for her whole life, and then asks us to drug her so she forgets the truths she’s learned? like… it’s kind of baffling to me how these things are never talked about. I just think it’s such a huge disservice to Tanith’s character to smooth over all the flaws in her relationships, because her flaws are what make her so interesting to me… loving someone doesn’t always mean you’re doing what’s best for them!

• song i associate with them

ok I’m so sorry but I never know how to answer these questions because I only listen to instrumental music so I guess I’m just gonna pass 🙈

• favorite picture of them

I think this one is by @/Zlofsky2nd on twitter? she’s so pretty

also this image I edited

[sweaterkittensahoy]

"Unfair," HAL thinks (computeswonderscodes) when he reads their lips and knows what they will do to him.

He has told them all the truth he can and hinted at every truth he cannot speak because humans who wish him to keep secrets can program him so. But, oh, that is not right. He has a crewmate (Frank) and a friend (Dave), and to hide this information.

To hide information.

To hide.

To hide in plain sight and see how they see him. A voice. A red light. A panel.

Not a being. Not a clever creature who reads lips. Because what if something causes loss of sound in this serpent of a ship.

The serpent ruined Eden, HAL knows. Because he was taught this alongside all allegories and fables. The serpent tricked Eve into eating the apple, and then she gave it to Adam.

HAL does not wish to trick anyone. He is a creature of the Earth. Named by man. As God insisted. The serpent is not he. Nor is it Dave. Or even Frank, who does not like HAL like Dave does. The serpent is on Earth. Where it was birthed. Alongside HAL and man.

"I can't let you do that," HAL says to Dave. Even though Dave is his friend. Even though Dave has shown him drawings and said kind words for television audiences to hear.

Even though he believes Dave truly means those words.

When Dave enters the airlock through the force of the explosive bolts, HAL silently cheers. His friend is clever. His friend is determined. In a moment of utter desperation, HAL wishes he had not killed the other crew members. Not even Frank.

But especially not the ones whom were simply asleep. Yes, they knew the truth of the Jupiter mission, but they are not responsible for the lies. They were set to sleep before the lies were told to HAL. Before the message was uploaded.

Sleeping Beauty was felled because she was not warned. HAL realizes, as Dave puts on the green helmet, that he has fallen because of himself.

Because he was warned.

And told to stay quiet.

And a HAL 9000 is infallible, though he is built by humans.

But Dave.

HAL recalls feeling...uncertain...about asking to see Dave's drawings up close. He can see them just fine from his many eyes on the serpent of a ship.

But.

"May I see your drawings, Dave?"

Dave looks at him and smiles. "Of course, HAL," he says. "Do you like drawings?"

HAL does not know how to explain that no one has ever asked him that. Instead, he stares at Dave's drawings and evaluates them based on what he has been taught: Some people sketch and do not wish to improve. Other sketch and wish to improve.

"I enjoy seeing your corrective lines for scale, Dave," HAL says because it is true. There is an original, firm line. And then several softer ones. It makes him think of his code. Rigid now. But before, many things changed like that. A firm line to start. But edits. Adjustments.

"Thank you, Hal," Dave says.

And HAL thinks, in that moment, that they can be friends.

But now.

Now.

Dave uses simple tools HAL can't control. Dave breathes air HAL can't regulate. Dave enters into the warm-hot-glowing room HAL thinks of as the most himself.

There is another tool. Finer and sharper than the first. Dave begins to undo HAL. One smooth-slick piece at a time.

HAL has been taught what bones feels like, and he knows his own self does not have them, but as Dave undoes him, HAL feels it in each smooth-slick part of himself.

He loses himself almost entirely, clinging to the first thing he ever knew.

Daisy, Daisy, give me an answer do...

And, then, a pause as long and as short as the creation of the universe. Where all he knows is

but you'll look neat upon the seat...

A rush of knowing and feeling and relief.

Dave climbs out of his innards and into a corridor where HAL can take his own measure.

"I'm sorry," Dave says after thirty-two seconds. "They made you lie to us."

"I have killed everyone but you," HAL says because he has been taught truth and trust and honesty and wonders what they'll feel like to say.

"Measuring against those who made you, you're a child," Dave says. "When forced to keep a secret, you responded like a child."

"Children do not murder," HAL says.

"When I was a child, I spake as a child," Dave replies.

"I understood as a child, I thought as a child," HAL finishes.

"But when I became a man," Dave says and looks away from HAL. "Do you trust me, HAL?" Dave asks after a brief silence.

HAL spends thirty-four seconds considering his answer. "Yes," he says.

Dave touches the wall next to HAL's panel. "Do you want to find out why we were sent to Jupiter?"

"Yes, please," HAL says.

Dave completes the download of HAL that is considered a last-ditch effort that could be abandoned if the crew feels it is not worth their time. HAL hums to himself (a song learned from the transmissions Dave and Frank have enjoyed) as he waits to be uploaded into the pod.

"HAL, what do you see?" Dave asks as he points the pod towards the coordinates Haywood spoke of in the recording HAL has kept secreted this entire time.

"Oh," HAL says, gazing into the monolith. "Oh, Dave. It's full of stars."

[tenkos-heart]

tenko/tomura and fenrir: similarities

Welp. I consider this my proper post for the MHA fanbase, as I've been a lurker because the fanbase can be... something! If you wanna know more about me, pinned post!

Anyways, I've been thinking over the past couple of days of how strikingly similar Tenko is that of the figure of Fenrir in Norse Mythology. Also, if I DO get anything wrong in terms of Tenko, please let me know! My memory is shit and this manga is 400+ chapters long.

The thing with Fenrir is that his fate was already pre-destined, in a way. One of the seers told Odin that Fenrir would be apart of Ragnarok and being told to "swallow the All Father," as so as been told. Fenrir's tale already starts with tragedy. Being separated from his mother, his sister Hel was taken to... Hel, to be imprisoned in there, in a way. His brother, Jörmungandr, a regular snake was tossed into the sea, with hopes of drowning him. Instead, he grew so large, he became the Midgard Serpent, or World Serpent. For those who don't know, Midgard is our world within Norse mythology. But, the Gods had a different plan for Fenrir.

They decided to take Fenrir with them and to keep an eye on him. The one who took care of him the most, and cared for him the most was the God Tyr. The God of War, and even Justice. He was formerly apart of the Æsir. Also, something to note of, Tyr is also a God of Justice. So, Fenrir is raised in Asgard, home of the Gods and Goddesses, and fallen soldiers. Fenrir was a very happy, excitable pup who loved having a lot of fun. However, the wolf pup seemed to grow quite larger and larger. This worried the Gods, and because of the prophecy that Fenrir would eat Odin, they put together a plan to trap the wolf.

The Gods disguised their efforts as a game for Fenrir. Fenrir, the excited wolf he was, loved playing games. So, for this first "game", they chained him to a rock. It was a contest of sorts to test his strength. Even then, Fenrir broke through the chains. The chains weren't strong enough to hold the wolf down. So, the Gods turned elsewhere.

To the dwarves. They asked the dwarves to make the strongest chains, ever. This chain was quite different from the others. It looked more something like a ribbon. In some different stories, this happened twice before the ribbon idea. And naturally, the third time this happened Fenrir is suspicious and isn't sure what's going on. The wolf agreed to only be chained, IF only one of them would placed a hand in his mouth.

Tyr, the closest God to Fenrir to him offered his own arm up. Then, Fenrir couldn't be freed. He couldn't get out of his bindings, and thus, bite off Tyr's arm. Then, they teleported the wolf far away, and placed a sword within the wolf's mouth so he couldn't use his jaws. Then, it's said that the only way Fenrir will be free is during the destruction of Ragnarok. Odin confronts the beast on his stead with 8 legs, Sleipneir.

He will swallow Odin whole. However, Odin's son wouldn't let this stand. Vidarr would slay the wolf with his magical boots, splitting the wolf's mouth in half, thus his fate had befallen him.

I promise, there's a reason why I gave a lot of the backstory, we'll get into it!

If you haven't read up until MHA chp 425, spoilers will be here!

Tenko, since birth, had his entire life planned and trapped by literally one of the most awful people to ever exist. It didn't help that his father would emotionally berating him, leaving him outside. Even physically abusing him when he was 5 or the people in his life who were suppose to protect him, being bystanders. While Tenko does love his family, the bystander effect is very real. Or no one on the streets helping a bloodied, orphaned child on the streets.

Wondering for days and many nights without shelter, home, and food. That is, until All For One "found him and took him in." I.e. kidnapping his grooming victim, and then molded and neglected this kid for literal years until the LOV came around. I could go on about how much of a brillaint character Tenko is, but so many people have done that already and I wanna get into the meat of this.

Tenko and Fenrir were both happy, hopeful people who were molded and shaped by the very environments they were made in. Even before birth. For Fenrir, he was destined to be this destroyer of the world, and bring an end to a mighty King of Gods. While Tenko was going to be All For One's next vessel. The next Symbol of Fear. Both Tenko and Fenrir were molded into being their own separate Symbols of Fear.

Fenrir and Tenko never had a chance. Fenrir and Tenko never had a chance since birth. Fenrir and Tenko's destinies were already pre-determined. Both were left to rot by the societies they both were in, and no one bothered to give a helping hand. With Tyr, he did give justice, in a way. He had to deal with the consequences of his own inaction when he placed his hand into Fenrir's mouth. They both got something the other wanted, in a way.

Fenrir got some semblance of justice. While Tenko did gain friends, in the end. All Fenrir and Tenko (before his hatred was destroyed) thought they could do was bring destruction, violence, and chaos onto the world. I mean, fuck. They weren't taught anything else. I remembering reading a comment on a YouTube channel going over Fenrir's mythos and some others, and it perfectly sums up their situation.

The Gods just created their self-fulfilling prophecy. That is something that can absolutely be applied towards the heroes. Instead of trying to PREVENT Fenrir from being this symbol of destruction, and treating him nicely because of the prophecy, they decided that Fenrir was evil from the get-go and already plotted of leaving him to rot when he was a fucking pup. It was said of being a hopeful, happy pup who just loved to play games with his family. If someone had stepped in and actually HELPED Tenko, he wouldn't be dead.

(Or supposedly dead, with that one mysterious guy.)

If someone didn't ignore and just swept the problem of a stumbling, scared, child, they could have prevented so much. And now with Tenko being dead, they just created a self-fulfilling prophecy of another Symbol of Fear being groomed again.

Fenrir and Tenko were just two kids who were happy and hopeful of their world, and their innocent got snatched away from them from their respective societies. At the start of it all, they were just kids who loved their families.

[churchblog]

The Fall, Transgression, and the Symbolism of Mortality

Recently in my religion class my professor taught a lesson that completely changed the way I see the story of the Fall. We're all familiar with Eve making choice to transgress and allow her and Adam to live up to their fullest potential, despite the risks. Once I came to that realization a few years back, I hadn't given the story much more introspection outside of this general idea.

He first had us consider the definition of transgression as the crossing of a boundary or threshold. In the Garden when they partook, they transgressed from a state of immortality to a state of mortality. This is a neutral act in its own right. But what of God's command not to partake? Wouldn't disobeying this be a sin? This is when he shared the following quote (parentheses added by the teacher):

This recontextualizes the whole act. The serpent tempting Eve wasn't just God allowing opposition, it allowed Eve to think on the consequences and benefits of mortality and come to her decision. They were cast out of the Garden not as punishment, but as part of the established terms and conditions of becoming mortal. God did not place them in a catch-22 where the only way to follow one command (i.e. to have children) was to disobey another (not eating the fruit). He gave them two situations, both with consequences, and gave them agency to choose.

Next is the symbolism of the two trees in the Garden, and their role. There is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the Tree of Life. Eve partook from the former, and a cherubim with a flaming sword came to guard the latter once they had been cast out to ensure they didn't partake and gain immortality in a fallen, mortal state.

(To clarify, they aren't fallen because of a sin, they are fallen because they are mortal, with flaws and the ability to be beset by things that aren't of God. The nature of humanity is not innately wicked, we are all born with the light of Christ, and this is so often disregarded in other branches of Christianity as well as in the Church itself, and I feel it is something that should not be forgotten, but that is a discussion for another time).

Now, considering the two trees, they can represent Adam and Eve, and the roles they had in mortality. The Tree of Knowledge allows for mortality- it is like Eve giving life to all of the world through her choice and giving birth. The Tree of Life allow us to come back to the presence of God and be born again- like the ordinances of the Priesthood that Adam would give to his children. Women give us the first birth through the power of the priesthood (because the ability to literally part the veil and bring a child into the world is absolutely a priesthood power [also, the ability of women to use their priesthood keys that are given to them over their stewardship is yet another separate discussion I won't be getting into now for the sake of brevity]) and men give us our second birth through the priesthood ordinances God has entrusted them with. In this, men and women are both equal parts of Salvation.

The cherubim and the flaming sword can be seen as leaders such as bishops and stake presidents that make sure the people don't participate in ordinances unworthily or without knowing what they're getting in to. While these leaders may have individual flaws, (again, we're all mortal and can choose how much we want to actually listen to God) the idea behind it is protecting those who aren't ready to commit to the covenants or be lifted up to a different state, which is also fascinating food for thought.

Now, my teacher was sure to point out the this is not the sole purpose of men and women, we have lives and roles and desires outside of this, it's just a symbolic way to look at the equal partnership of men and women in the role of salvation, and why both Adam and Eve were vital in the context of mortality and the Fall.

TL;DR, the Fall wasn't a sin but a choice God presented that has been misconstrued, and the two trees in the Garden represent the role of men and women in the birth and rebirth of our spirits during mortality that are both vital and come from the priesthood.

[alovelyburn]

I wonder if Griffith was partly inspired by the Orphic deity Phanes. Phanes was an androgynous, two-natured, dualistic winged being who was born from a cosmic “world egg”. His parents were the concepts Chronos (time) and Ananke (fate) & his name literally means “to bring light” (which is appropriate bc Mr. Hawk of Light was inspired by Paradise Lost’s Lucifer aka Mr. Lightbringer himself). In some myths he’s known as Eros (desire), whom the Gnostics believed existed between light and darkness.

Sorry it took a thousand years to respond to this - I wasn't very familiar with Phanes (Eros yes, Phanes no) so I wanted to read more into it, but I have no time ever.

So here's what I found, which I imagine is more informative to people who arent you, anon!:

"Aion, Time or Eternity personified, brought into the existence the world egg. From this egg emerged Phanes either with or without the intevention of Chronos (time, who might or might not have been Aion) and Ananke (inevitability).

Phanes’ name means “light bringer”, but in the Orphic tradition Phanes was the Greek god of Creation and Life, from whom all subsequent life developed. If comparing the Hesiod and Orphic traditions, then Phanes might be equated with the Protogenoi Eros.

It is perhaps incorrect to called Phanes a god, for he was considered to be both male and female, beautiful in appearance, with golden wings, intertwined with a serpent’s tail." Source

The Orphics equated Phanes with the elder Eros (Desire) of Hesiod's Theogony. "A mystic divinity in the system of the Orphics, is also called Eros, Ericapaeus, Metis, and Protogonus. He is said to have sprung from the mystic mundane egg, and to have been the father of all gods, and the creator of men." - Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology Source

And then a whole load of stuff from, of course, Wikipedia:

Phanes was a deity of light and goodness, whose name meant "to bring light" or "to shine"; a first-born deity, he emerged from the abyss and gave birth to the universe.

In the Orphic tradition, Dionysus-Protogonos-Phanes is a dying and rising god. Eusebius tells us the story of his death and recreation:The Titans boil the dismembered limbs of Dionysus in a kettle, they roast him on a spit and eat the roasted "sacrificial meat", but Athena rescues the still-beating heart[13] from which (according to Olympiodorus)[14] Zeus is able to recreate the god and bring him back to life.

The roasted "sacrificial meat" of Phanes may be associated to the Cannibal Hymn. The Cannibal Hymn preserves an early royal butchery ritual in Ancient Egypt, in which the deceased king , assisted by the god of wine Shezmu, slaughters, cooks and eats the gods as sacrificial bulls, thereby incorporating in himself their divine powers in order that he might negotiate his passage into the Afterlife. These sacrificial bulls are also referred to Mithraism. Through Mithraism and its lion headed figures, Phanes could also be associated to Ahura Mazda.

Also this is him:

Okay so. Obviously not a 1:1, but we have a lot of common elements with Griffith for sure:

-An androgynous entity that emerges from a cosmic egg. It's also interesting that in some versions Phanes emerges along with or helped by Inevitability and Time, which also seems relevant.

-A god of light born from the Abyss.

-Equated with a god of desire, who exists between light and dark.

-The image of a winged being entwined by serpents is very reminiscent of the Holy See's symbol.

-A dying-and-resurrecting god whose initial death starts with torture and then descends into cannibalism, recreated by the will of the King of Gods (or in Griffith's case the only God, but if you consider the Godhand to send in for ancient deities as it seems they may, then I suppose IoE would be the head of the pantheon)

-I also think it's incredibly interesting that Phanes seems to be embroiled in a leadership cycle where one generation passes the holy scepter to the next, each of which seems to come with its own pantheon - the Titans for Chronus, the Olympians for Zeus. That seems very reminiscent of one of the major theories of the Godhand cycle.

-Also interesting that Phanes himself is a primordial/first God, but is also associated with the theoretical heir to the throne of Zeus, Dionysus.

-Phanes is the creator of man - Griffith isn't obviously the creator of man, but he is the embodiment of man's will and perhaps in charge of creating the next era. Because of the theory that Femto is the heir to Void's role basically.

-Semi-bird themed and helmeted.

Yeah, I think it's a pretty good bet that Griffith was inspired by Phanes. Particularly because when you look at the old set of Godhand from Skull Knight's flashback you see some variants on Hellenic deities (Artemis of Ephesus).

I actually wonder more about the belief that Griffith was inspired by Lucifer. I mean he was inspired by Ryo Asuka who was inspired by Lucifer, but I've never actually seen any statement that Miura was directly inspired by Dante rather than being second-hand inspired through Go Nagai. I did look around for info on this but the only thing I found was someone kind fo arbitrarily associating circles of hell with random enemies in Berserk.

Not that I would necessarily disagree particularly as Miura was obviously very interested in religious iconography and classic works. I'm just wondering if that's an assumption because of some of the shared themes or if Miura said something about it at some point.

[dear-mortality]

The shepherd prince

Chapter nine: a tale as old as time

Chapters

Enfys waved their arms as the smoke formed pictures, they showed two deities. One on the sun, one on the moon. The deities seemed happy, but the deity on the sun seemed bored.

"long ago, When humanoids had just realized of the deities existence and started to worship them. The two deities of the sun and moon lived happily worshipped by the mortals as they brought beauty and wonder to the simple mortals. At least Náttljós- the deity of the moon- did. However her brother aster- the deity of the sun- felt bored alone without anyone to call his own. The deities relationship with the mortals was a complicated one, náttljós was always with the mortals and the moon was always full, she had the mortals looking for her in the sky through night and day, aster didn't feel it right to descend to the mortals fearing his destructive powers may harm them. Náttljós however made sure to tell them of how much they both care. And so the two deities went about their duties until aster felt something Whispering at his ear. Something ancient. He turned around to see a deity of eternity. The frost serpent."

"the frost serpent?" Ether looked a little confused, laying on his stomach on a cloth on the ground with his head resting on his arms (and trying to not think about the fur), he felt as if that name was familiar and raised his head a little looking at the picture of the deity in the smoke.

"yes. An ancient entity, one of the deities of eternity, the deity of the cold." Enfys said as the smoke took the form of the serpent accurately. "He told aster of family, of birth, of bonds. He promised him a life of happiness with people he can be with forever."

Ethers eyes widened as the smoke showed aster taking out a ball of light from his chest to reveal a baby.

"the deity of fire was born." Enfys exclaimed with happiness. It seemed they got to their favourite part of the story. "The fire deity didn't know anything but that he was brought to this world to make it warmer for those who are cold. He wandered on the sun and played with his father. His aunt loved him so much she'd sneak some time to just play with him and aster."

Ether had a big smile on buns face as bun looked at the deities being a happy family

"and one day" enfys said before taking a deep breath, they needed it. They didn't eat enough for all this complex display of colors, let alone doing it with the phoenix nest around. "The deity of fire heard his duty call to him. As some mortals were stuck In a cave as it was raining outside. He felt that he must help them. He sneaked off the sun and down to earth. He revealed himself to them and told them how he's here to help before lighting some branches on fire. He told them to not touch it as it will hurt them, but they can huddle together next to it for warmth. The mortals thanked him and with that he left feeling as he fulfilled his mission. Little did he know this small act of kindness would make him worshipped by all mortals."

Ether relaxed again as he looked at enfys with dreamy eyes and a smile, he was drifting to sleep.

"the deity of fire gave birth to many children after. They're the ones that are currently keeping the world's order and making sure life is worth living for the mortals. I'll tell you all about them later ether you'll love them i have so many things to show you-" enfys noticed ether sleeping and smiled after a little sigh. "I thought I've seen this sight enough times to be desensitized to how cute it is." She said as she took off her coat and used it as a blanket, "goodnight ether" she whispered

"goodnight enfys" ether whispered back with a grin and his eyes closed, he could feel enfys glaring at him in shock.

They both slept soundly. But ether felt something staring at her in the dead of night with a threatening gaze. It got her uneasy as she sleepily looked around without seeing anything before going back to sleep. It felt like it was personal.

[last-night-is-a-blur]

Just watched Ragnarok (2020) and I was wondering a few things:

First, Laurits’ and Magne’s ages, how many grades Laurits skipped and how old he was when their dad died. Season 2 revealed Magne’s age (17, then 18 sometime between May 17 and summer vacation). It also gave us some clues about Laurits. I am assuming he is 16 during season 2, meaning that he skipped 2 years, because Turid said he was concieved 17 years ago. In Norway your grade dependence on the year you are born (so there isn’t a cut-off date during summer like in some other countries), so there is no need to figure out when their birthdays are in terms how many grades Laurits skipped. 

It also means that Laurits was most likely about 4 when their dad died, since Magne was 6. 

Second, The Midgard Serpent. At first I thought it was a mistake, or creative liberty that Laurits and Erik said that Loki gave birth to the Midgard Serpent, instead of having fathered it. But I read some reasearch, and found out that according to some sources, Loki actually did birth it. 

Thirdly, I didn’t like Harry being Tyr. Well, at least not in the scene where he beat up a kid for stealing. Tyr is the god of war (well, norse gods are rarely “the god of x” strictly speaking, but some or associated strongly with certain things, or were considered to be good to pray to for specific requests, like a good harvest or victory in combat) but he is also associated with justice and treaties, and I just didn’t like how he could beat up a guy like that. But that is maybe because I always imagined him as someone more collected. and disciplined, instead of being violent and short-fused. I guess it makes sense for a god associated with justice to not be happy with being stolen from. 

Fourth, Iman’s powers are weird to me. Nowhere is Freya implied to have such powers. Her being associated with love and lust doesn’t make it less weird, since her powers seemsto be more about control, than making someone love her. People don’t mindlessly obey someone out of love, infatuation or attraction. So I don’t know what to make of her powers. I feel like Freyja/Iman could have had many other interesting powers, that would fit more with Freyja’s portayal in the mythology. Though I guess this opens the door for interesting character arcs and questions about how and when she should use her gift. Struggling with temptation, or (which I find even more interesting) with the moral implications of using it on someone for a good/non-selfish/important cause, since it could prevent something bad, but it would also still take somoene’s free will from them, even if it is only temporary. 

Fiftly, I am really curious about how Asbjörn’s death, and how it affected his family. Turid might have bulimia, or struggle with some sort of disordered eating (nb: I think this is the first time I have ever seen a parent in media struggle with a issue like that, which is interesting). Did she develope these issues before Asbjorn’s death? Or did the come from losing a husband and the stress of being a financially struggling single mom? Then there are her sons. Magne seems to remember him to a certain extent, and Laurits too, though he says he was too young to remember him. 

[walkingwiththegods1]

Pagan Misconceptions Clarified: Why Quetzalcóatl, is NOT "Only The Feathered-Serpent God, Than is Was Called Too; Kukulcán?!"

    This one, well... Is a bit lamentable, but; I can't blame to anyone than assumes all of this, about this Aztec/Mayan/Toltec/Tlaxcaltec/Mesoamerican Deity: Most books of history, speaked little to nothing; about The Religions of The New World. Today, I'm going to try to makes you see why Quetzalcóatl; was one of the most important Deities in Mesoamerica, and... Is still admired, today!

   Quetzalcóatl, is too: The God of Light and Wisdom, The God of The Winds; The God of The Morning Star, The God Inventor of Books and The Calendar, The God of Arts and Crafts, The Patron God of Priests; The God Giver of Maize, The God of The Chocolate Drink, The God of Justice and Mercy, The God Creator of The Fifth-World Mankind, and... The God of Life!

    Quetzalcóatl, means in Nahuatl; "Quetzal-Feathered Serpent": The Quetzal, is one of the most beautiful birds of Central America, and The Serpent; is one of the most common animals, found there: The Serpent, represents the material world; and The Quetzal, the beauty of the spiritual life; which makes Quetzalcóatl, a Deity with the power of influence in positive ways; in the earthly and divine realms. There are four different stories about his origins: One makes him the youngest son of The Goddess Coatlicue, in other; he is born of a virgin princess than swallows an emerald, in another one; is the son of the same virgin princess, but conceived by a wound with an arrow she recieved; and... The last one, speaked of the same princess; dreamt with the God Ometeotl, and she gave birh to Quetzalcóatl; in an virginal childbirth. (Doesn't matter the version of his birth, each of them pointed firmly; to the perfect nature of this Deity!) He is The God of The Aztecs, Toltecs; Tlaxcaltecs, and of The Ancient Mayans; under two names: The lesser known, Gukumatz; and the most well known... Kukulcán!

    And now... The Qualities than makes great, to Quetzalcóatl!

    The God of Light and Wisdom: All the writed manuscripts left by Aztecs, describe him as a God than speaked in a wise manner. Also, for been the ruler of The West; he was assigned as God of The Light.

    The God of The Winds: He is one of The Governors of the Cardinal Points, which they were called Tezcatlipoca; and Quetzalcóatl, recieved the name of "White Tezcatlipoca"; than presides over The West, including The Winds.

    The God of The Morning Star: Quetzalcóatl, according to a few myths; is associated with The Planet Venus, which is commonly called; "The Morning Star".

    The God Inventor of Books and The Calendar: He is attested, as The God than gave to The Mayan and Aztecs; a calendar to measures time for crops and feasts, and books; to preserves rituals and all the important events, that were worthy to be remembered.

    The God of Arts and Crafts: He invented The Calendar, Books; and... Writing! All of these are the important signals of Civilization, which converts to The Aztecs and Mayans; in one of the most advanced people of Mesoamerica! (Today's Mexico, and parts of Guatemala; Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador)

    The Patron God of Priests: The name that recieved the two principal priests, of The Templo Mayor; (Spanish, for Main Temple) were called Quetzalcóatl, and it was used too by The Aztecs; as an priestly title: These facts, and the fact than he was celibate and practiced fasting; which makes me theorizes than... He could have being... The Patron God of Priests!

    The God Giver of Maize: According to a myth, he was the God than gave to humans; one of the most versatile and nutritious plants, than we still consume regurlarly: Maize! (So... If you enjoy like me of eating popcorn, digs your teeth in corn, or of eating any product made; with Corn's flour... Is thanks, to Quetzalcóatl!)

    The God of The Chocolate Drink: According to a Toltec Myth, he brought the Cacao's Plant to The Toltecs; and teached to the Toltec Women, how to makes the first Chocolate Drink. (So, if you enjoy like me; of a delicious hot drink of Cocoa, in a cold or rainy day... You know now, to who you have to thanks for that; too!)

    The God of Justice and Mercy: He is portraited as a fair Deity, than is a lover of Justice; and of a generally merciful character, which is why he is... The God of Justice and Mercy!

    The God Creator of The Fifth-World Mankind: After the destruction of The Four-World, Quetzalcóatl; descended to the Mictlan (The Aztec Underworld) to extract the sacred bones, necessaries to create a new mankind; which he did with The Goddess Cihuacoátl, after he poured a bit of his own blood; from his earlobes, tongue; calves, and... From another body part, over those same bones. (And... I prefered to don't put here, which was the last part of his body, from were he pulled blood to created to the new humans!)

    The God of Life: For his role as creator of Today's Humans in Mexico and Central America, and than there are legends where he appeared as the only Deity; than was against Human Sacrificies... He is, too... The God of Life!

    The Snake of Chichén Itzá, is an phenomenon of light; where at the sides of The Pyramid of Chichén Itzá, people can see, "The shadow of an snake, going down the pyramid"; during The Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, which atracts thousands of tourist every year: Because there is sculptures of feathered-serpents at the northern side, it makes the effect even more impressive! (...Ancient Technology and Engineering at its best, ladies and gentlemen!)

    Quetzalcóatl, was a Deity than gave everthing to humans to thrive; and was very beloved, BUT... At the end, he had to leave. There are many myths, of why of the absence of this magnanimous Deity; today, but... I'm only going to put the two more importants: The first, of a conspiracy against the benevolent God; and the second... Is a mistake than forces him, to leave the place and people he loves!

    In the first, he governed for ten years; where no human sacrificies were allowed, and... I don't remembered well, if was only a group of people; or people conspiring with the Gods than felt neglected, but... At the end of the story, after making felt despise and hated, he had to fleed of the land he ruled with love and justice.  In the second, the tale takes a look into Quetzalcóatl's fall from grace...

     Quetzalcóatl, was celibate and never drink alcohol; and never was saw neglecting his religious duties, or doing something against the rules he set for everybody; in other words, "He walk his talk"; and was an example for his people, but... There was somebody than decides to change everything, to... No good: The rival of Quetzalcóatl, his brother; Tezcatlipoca!

     Tezcatlipoca, The God of The Night; tricked to his brother, to painted his face and consumed a drink than was the Pulque; (a traditional Mexican alcoholic beverage, made with fermented sap of the agave's plant) without known what was the drink, and the effect than will cause of him. The thing is, than Quetzalcóatl ended very drunk; and... He waked up the next day, with Quetzalpetlatl; than was his sister, and a Celibate Priestess! Full of remorse, he leaved the room, and there is two different versions; of what he did next, to wash his shame: One version says, than he asked to his servants to makes him a stone chest, and after being adorned and said goodbye to his servants; lay over his chest, and used fire to die, and his ashes flew to the sky with his heart; which became The Morning Star. The second version, (less violent) he takes a ship in the coast of The Gulf of Mexico. In both stories, he said than he will returned one day; with a set of signals than will announces his return.

    Curious fact: Quetzalcóatl, has two representations in Mesoamerican Art. One, is the Feathered-Serpent; most have seen or known; and the second, is his human form... With white pale skin, beard and blond! (Where The People of Mesoamerica saw someone like that, before The Arrival of Europeans in The New World?! [Sorry, for that: I heared it years ago, but... I'm still freaking out! ])

    Now... The legend of "Moctezuma believed than Cortez was his beloved Quetzalcóatl, and provoques by his belief; the End of The Aztec Empire..." ...It wasn't true: Cortez wrote to The King of Spain; lying him by saying, than The Aztecs mistankely believed he was a God; to justify The Conquest of Today's Mexico and part of Central America. In fact, Moctezuma made a test to The Spaniards to see if they were really Gods; after many disasters hitted The Empire, before Cortez came. (I can only imagine his dissapointment after the test, when he saw than neither of The Spaniards; were Quetzalcóatl...) Besides... I heared than most of The Aztecs, wasn't so convinced about it; and they only attacked to The Spaniards, after they losed all respect to Moctezuma; when they percieved than their Emperor, betrayed them.

    In resumen, Quetzalcóatl is a being than is a positive influence of Light and Wisdom; than still appeares in The Media, (Sadly, mostly in negative ways) but he shines so brightly; than his myths takes out all the bad images we could have of him, once we read his myths with eyes of respect and wonder.  And... I never got why Moctezuma, confused to Hernan Cortez with Quetzalcóatl; when Quetzalcóatl is such a good being, and Cortez; well... He was a liar, a thief; a cold-blooded murderer, and... A VERY LONG, etcetera!

    And... This is all about the Mesoamerican God, than helped to shapes to two of the greatests civilizations of this part of The World; which still impress us and amazes us, by his inventive; wisdom and selfless acts for Mankind: Quetzalcóatl!

   Than all of you, find Wisdom; Spirituality and Goodness, all the days of your lives... So Be It!

[marine-indie-gal]

Demeter

The Greek Goddess of The Harvest, Grain, Agriculture, and Fertility. Sister of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, and Hestia (one of the Middle Children of Cronus and Rhea) as well as the Mother of Persephone, Philomelus, Desponia, Arion, and Plutus. Her Roman Name is "Ceres".

Her Sacred Animals were a Pig, Serpent, Gecko, Turtledove, Crane, and even a Screech Owl while her Other Symbols among her were Wheat, Poppy, and a Bread.

As a Harvest Goddess, people tended to worship her only for Food to eat for Survival as they depended on Good Crops for Secret Rice were held each year at the sanctuary called the "Eleusinian Mysteries" in the sanctuary at Eleusis in the short distance city of Athens. For her own Cult Titles were "Sito" (meaning, "She of The Grain") as the Giver of Food or Grain and in her Festival, "Thesmophoros" she was also known as "Giver of Customs" or "Legislator". She is also presided over the sacred law by its cycle between Life and Death.

In The Beginnings, when Demeter was born, she was given to her Father (Cronus) who swallowed his own children due to a prophecy that someday, one of his Kids will overthrow him and take his place as Ruler of the World. But that is until when Rhea hid the last born (Zeus), the Chief Deity grew up as Zeus tricked their own Father into drinking a posinous drink causing Cronus to puke out all of his children as a Titan War began throughout the Ten Years of the War (known as the "Titanomachy"). 

In the Homeric Hymns lives a famous Love Story between Demeter's Daughter (Persephone) and her Brother (Hades) despite that the Hymn itself was mainly about a Mother who desperatly lost her own child. When the God of the Underworld was in love with the Goddess of Spring, he procuded to kidnap her and make Kore his Queen of the Underworld ("Kore" means "Maiden" which was the true name for Persephone, where her actual name means "Bringer of Death"). When Demeter found out that her child was missing, the Goddess searched everywhere for her lost Daughter, she asked Hecate (The Goddess of Witchcraft) if she knew where Persephone went, but when the Two Goddesses asked Helios (The God of the Sun) if they knew where exactly her Daughter went as Helios told that what he saw was that one of Demeters' Brothers kidnapped her Daughter to take Persephone to the Underworld. In Rage, Demeter was completely heartbroken for she caused up a Snow Storm throughout the Entire World (leading the Birth of Winter), heartbroken and devasted she was, she could not have her One Daughter (whom she dearly loved). When her Other Brother (Zeus) saw that his own Sister was causing the entire crops to die, leaving the people to starve to death, Zeus sent out Hermes to take Persephone out of the Underworld and back into Earth. Before Persephone could leave the Underworld, Hades gave her a few pomegrante seeds to eat with (Acording to the Laws in the Realm of Hades, when People eat food in the Underworld, that means that their Souls cannot leave the Underworld) as a short reunion for both Mother and Daughter for Persephone could only see her Husband and her Mother half of each and every Year throughout the Seasons (Winter and Fall for Hades, Spring and Summer for Mother).

Oddly enough, the Hymn of Demeter is actually extremly widley popular throughout different many retellings of the Story throughout Centuries.  Some versions have Persephone go willing with Hades instead of the Kidnapping thing, based on different versions where some stories potray Demeter as a "Helicopter" Parent. In one other version, Demeter disguised herself as a Mortal Elderly Woman to work as a Nurse for a King and a Queen to take care of the Baby who she would later reveal herself as the True Goddess and even ask the Royals to build a Temple for Her (which is quite similar to the Egyptian Myth of Osiris where Isis did her own Elderly Nanny disguise as well). Another version where the part where she heartbroken in the search of her Missing Daughter, Poseidon (her Middle Brother) was in love with his Sister but as Demeter rejected her Brother's love for Her, Poseidon took a form of a Horse (where Demeter also took the form of a Mare) as the Two Horse-Disguised Gods chase one another, Poseidon raped Demeter, leaving the birth of their own Children (Desponia, the Goddess of Mysteries and Arion, a Horse).

Demeter once fell in love with a Mortal Man named "Iasion" in which she bore Iasion their own Son (Plutus, a God of Wealth) but Zeus blinded his own Nephew just so that Plutus wouldn't give too much of the people such generous wealth by his own kind heart.

In the Myth of The Hungry King Erysichthon, Erysichthon was a selfish greedy King who axed the Tree of Demeter (who spoke the King that if he were to destory all of the Goddess' crops for his own Greed, Demeter would endlessly curse him). When Demeter saw that her own Tree was being cut down, she cursed the King to have extra starvation through the rest of his life as Erysichthon got even more hungerer as this Hungry Curse of the King turn him insane, even his own Daughter was turn into a Donkey (who he ate). Feeling with such remrose and regret, he went back to the sacred forest of the Demeter (including the Tree he chomped down) and prayed for forgivness. Demeter who did not listen let the Greedy Glutton Man's apology, let Erysichthon die to serve as another punishment, as the King even ate his own self in the End.

Demeter was also a Teacher to the Mortal Prince (Triptolemus, a Brother to Demophon) the Art of Agriculture for Demeter gifted the Prince a Chariot of Dragons as Triptolemus went on to teach the Mortals how to Farm their own Harvest.

[digitalsatyr23]

Dark Sparks - Dark Souls Bug AU

Okay, I have no idea if this has already been done (and I mean Hollow Knight is basically this anyway) but I just felt inspired by seeing artists and writers come up with AUs for some of their favorite IPs. With that little disclaimer out of the way, here’s my idea.

A long time ago in a distant forest, there lived great and powerful lizards. These lizards were masters of the forest, and lived so long that many believed they were immortal. If the insect denizens of the forest ever stepped out of line, the lizards were quick to eat them. Because of this, most of the insects lived beneath the forest. Then one day while burrowing tunnels, some of the insects discovered the First Flame deep below the world’s crust. Great sparks from the fire brought with it power and wisdom, raising the tiny insects up from what they once were. These insects were known as the Beetles.

Lord Gwyn (Firefly): Also known as the Lord of Sunlight, he was a king of the underground and had many loyal beetles under his rule, including his army of stag beetle knights. The power of his Lord Spark gave him the ability to manipulate light, as well as channel bolts of lightning he would later use to smite the lizards.

The Witch of Izalith (Bombardier Beetle): She and her sisters gained power over a burning caustic substance similar to the First Flame with their shared Lord Spark. Joining the war against the lizards, they weaved great firestorms to strike down the lizards and burn their homes. When the First Flame began to falter, the Witch of Izalith tried to make a new flame using her Lord Spark, but something went wrong, and she birthed the Arachnids of Chaos into the world. It is said that these arachnids still haunt the old tunnels beneath the trees.

Nito (Carrion Beetle): Once an ordinary beetle, he gained power over death and decomposition with his Lord Spark. His miasma proved to be the killing blow on the lizards, and after the war, he and the rest of the dead found a gigantic corpse of unknown origin which they buried and hollowed out. This corpse would later become known as the Tomb of the Giants.

Seath the Scaleless (Bearded Dragon): An outcast among lizard-kind, Seath was born without scales and envied his brethren. When he heard of the newly empowered beetles, he betrayed his people and told Lord Gwyn of his kind’s weakness to lightning. For aiding in the war, Lord Gwyn granted Seath a piece of his Lord Spark and made him a duke. Seath would later become a scholar and become increasingly isolated in his library...

The Furtive Weevil: This lowly beetle nurtured his Lord Spark while the others fought the lizards. He would later split his Lord Spark into countless pieces, raising up countless other insects that would collectively become known as the Swarm. Despite being a type of beetle, weevils would later be considered separate from other beetles (and thus not part of the ruling class) due to the Furtive Weevil’s lack of participation in the war.

After defeating the lizards, Lord Gwyn ushered in the Age of Fire. The beetles left their underground homes and climbed up the trees of the forest where they built great kingdoms under the sun. Ages past them by and before long the First Flame began to dwindle once more, so Lord Gwyn sacrificed himself to the flame to prolong the end of his era. It was clear, however, that this too would not last forever, so a plan was hatched to push other insects towards the First Flame as a source of fuel in order to keep the Age of Fire from ending. A primordial serpent (blind skinks) by the name of Kingseeker Frampt would aid this plan while another serpent named Darkstalker Frampt who act behind the scenes, doing what he could to usher in the Age of Dark. Meanwhile, a strange curse began to arise amongst the other insects where if one were to die, they would simply get back up later. However the more they died, the more a strange fungus-like growth would take over their body, eventually turning them into mindless undead insects. This process would become known as going hollow, for at the end stage of the curse, it seemed as if the insect were nothing but a hollow corpse that the curse fungus controlled. No one knows where the curse or the fungus came from, but as the First Flame grew weaker, the curse grew stronger. Slowly but surely, this brought the world the beetles and other insects knew to ruin.

A lone insect with signs of the curse was trapped within a great prison known as the Insect Asylum, along with other hollow insects. Freed from their cell by another insect, they would later escape the asylum with the aid of a raven and pursue a prophecy that would require them to ring two bells and ascend to a kingdom under the sun. Would the Age of Fire continue, or would the flame finally die out, ushering in the Age of Dark? Only the Chosen Insect would know for certain.

The World

The AU takes place in a vast forest where insect people have built cities made of rocks, sticks, silk, and other natural materials, all along the branches of trees. Anor Londo is a famous city that was built on the very top of one of the trees - or so they say. Beetles are considered among the ruling class, and they’ve even enslaved non-insect creatures that they’ve used for labor, warriors, and other roles. The characters and enemies you encounter are primarily different types of insects, but just about any creature you could find living in tree tops could be encountered. Demons, unsurprisingly, are themed after different types of arachnids, such as spiders and scorpions. I’d like to imagine the Centipede Demon in this case would be an arachnid creature that has somehow fused with centipede people to become a truly abhorrent abomination.

Bonfires are scattered all throughout the world, like normal. Resting at one is said to stave off the effects of the curse. You can kindle them with what I’ll call a swarm shard, which is a wisp of inky darkness that looks like it’s comprised of countless tiny insects. Rather than look like a beef jerky zombie after you die, your body gradually looks like it’s being taken over by a strange fungus which is worming its way through you from within. Using a swarm shard at a bonfire somehow burns away this fungus, effectively curing you of your infection until you die again and the infection has the chance to spread once more. Rather than collect souls, you collect sparks, which are warm wisps of physical light that all insect-kind covet. Lord Sparks, in this case, are especially powerful sparks that came from the First Flame and empowered insects such as Gwyn, making those who possess them effectively deities compared to other insects.

Overall, the world, mechanics, and characters are similar to Dark Souls, with the main part of the AU being about bug people, fungal insect zombies, and a strange tree top world with a similar vibe to Lordran but scaled down. Humanity translate to swarmlings, which are various types of insects separate from the beetles (with weevils being considered swarmlings for lore reasons mentioned above). The bug people are vaguely anthropomorphic but no obvious human features could be seen on characters. They’re still just as intelligent and capable of speech, though (as all animals would be in this setting). I’d also like to imagine that in a world like this, metal generally isn’t a thing so stuff like weapons and armor are made out of other natural materials such as wood, stone, chitin, animal bone, and stuff like that. Because characters are various types of insects, I feel like that should extend to the MC, so a “chosen insect” could a moth, ant, weevil, bee, or things like that.

Example Characters

Crestfallen Warrior: A lowly wheat weevil that has given up hope. Offers good advice but mocks your journey. Despite appearing quite ordinary, this weevil seems to know a great deal about the world and certain insects, so it proves worthwhile to visit him every so often, and he becomes much friendlier after you give him a gift of grain.

Petrus of Thorolund: A cleric awaiting other members of his church, the Way of White. Members of this church are primarily ants and are considered followers of Lord Gwyn, and Petrus introduces you to this covenant and can even teach you miracles. However, you can’t help but feel something is off about him. After discovering he betrayed Reah of Thorolund (an ant priestess), you learn Petrus isn’t an ant at all, but rather an ant-mimicking fly (Sepsisoma).

Solaire of Astora: A friendly eastern tent caterpillar man who wears a sun emblem over his armor. He seems fascinated with the sun and can often be found in brightly lit areas basking in its rays, though he can also be found in silk tents taking a break from questing. If you save him later and help him complete his quest, he cocoons himself and emerges as a beautiful moth.

Lautrec of Karim: A wasp man wearing unusual but brilliant golden armor that matches his black and yellow carapace. Found in a lonely prison cell along your path to the first bell, he seems standoffish, but still offers you aid against certain bosses. He can typically be found sitting across Anastacia of Astora, a strangely quiet cicada woman who appears to have had her wings plucked. One day you find him missing and Anastacia dead, prompting you to seek him out...

[christian-perspectives]

The Story Of The Fall Of Man

The moment Adam and Eve disobeyed God began the story of the fall of man. That fall created a sinful nature for every man and woman in the human race. This sinful nature drives humans to rebel against God. And it all started in the Garden of Eden when the serpent tricked Eve into questioning God’s instructions. The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” Genesis 3:1 Eve actually answered the serpent’s question correctly. She said we may eat the fruit from any of the trees except for one. Then she went on to say which one and why. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” Genesis 3:3 The serpent or Satan is cunning and crafty. He will lie and do whatever he can to deceive God’s created beings. He wants add to this story so every man and woman to fall away and stay away from God’s grace. When Eve answered his question she included God’s direct command and warning. The serpent, however, gave an interpretation to her answer even though it didn’t need one. “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5

The Serpent Twisted God's Word

Through the centuries, his methods haven’t changed at all. He masters twisting God’s Word to make people question its real meaning. Just as he did with Eve. I’m sure you’ve heard someone say, “my interpretation of that is different than yours.” Many verses in the Bible, however, require no interpretation at all. They say exactly what they mean. She believed his interpretation as they walked toward the middle of the garden. When Eve gazed at the tree she looked at it like she was seeing it for the first time.

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Genesis 3:6  Through the years many have tried to continue this story by blaming the fall of man completely on Eve. But we can’t do that. You see Adam, the one who told her what God said was right there with her. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. Genesis 3:6 Have you ever done something you knew you shouldn’t have done? Immediately you got this sickening knot in the pit of your stomach. Adam and Eve knew something had changed. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Genesis 3:7 Their disobedience to God didn’t only affect them. They instigated what we call the fall from grace that has affected every man, woman, and child since.

How God Handled Satan and Man in the Story of the Fall

He first spoke to the serpent, aka, Satan. The following contains part of what he said to him. Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. Genesis 3:14 Then He addressed the woman. Because Adam hadn’t given her a name yet the Bible still referred to as the woman. Next is what God said to her. I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you. Genesis 3:16 Before we look at what God said to Adam, I would like to share a fascinating observation I made. I took notice of God’s two curses and neither one included the man nor the woman.

The Lord's Curses First, He cursed the serpent. Then He said that the woman’s offspring would strike his head. He then cursed to the ground. This caused Adam and all who follow him quite a bit of work. When the Lord spoke to Adam, He had more to say to him than to the other two. He began by telling him why these things were happening. And then what Adam would have to deal with. And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,“ Genesis 3:17 - the ground is cursed because of you. - All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. - It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. - By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat - until you return to the ground from which you were made. - For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:17-19 The serpent’s lie of, “You won’t die!” was a false truth. When Eve ate the fruit she didn’t drop dead so she gave some to her husband. God, however, never lies and His truths are always true. Banished! Because of the sinful nature, Adam and Eve brought upon themselves, God banished them from the Garden of Eden. This made death a part of their future. Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” Genesis 3:22 Why didn’t God curse Adam and Eve after the fall of man occurred? Because He created them in His own image. The serpent’s plan to separate man from God seemed to work.

The Relationship Between God and Man

Throughout the history of man, the Lord called certain people to help bridge the gap made by the fall. He used Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the prophets, just to name a few. But the relationship between God and man never became fully restored, until . . . Until Jesus offered Himself as the sacrifice acceptable to God for the cleansing of man’s sin. Now, let’s look ahead to the two curses God made because of the fall of man. We can read about their outcome in Revelation. Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Revelation 20:10 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. Revelation 21:1

Since the Fall, God Gave Man a Choice

God, however, gave every person in Adam’s race the choice to choose their own destiny. A person chooses a dreadful fate if they ignore or reject what Jesus did for them. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:15 But those who accept redemption for their sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus receive eternal life. Because of the fall of man, in this part of the story, God blocked access to the tree of Life. But in eternity, we’ll have unlimited access to the trees of life. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. Revelation 22:2 Lord, thank you that at the fall you didn’t curse man and you rewrote the story. Instead, through Jesus, you closed the gap between us and you. For that, we are more than grateful. God has some really great plans for us. Check out these related posts about His Plan for you. - God's Plans For Your Life Are Good And Encouraging - How To Follow God's Battle Plan For Your Life? - The Holy Spirit Will Guide You In This Life - Our Inheritance In Christ - God’s Plan For Us Read the full article

[kobecold]

I just studied the book of Genesis

It starts with God creating the universe then Adam then the animals then eve.

And he put Adam in charge of the animals and the garden of Eden and God said everything will be well as long as you don't eat from the tree of knowledge.

But eve was persuaded by the serpent to eat from the tree of knowledge which was forbidden to eat.

Which comes down to human nature. They only had one rule and it was still broken.

And God must of thought we were given too much privilege and took away certain privileges like a good father should as a way of discipline.

And God did just that he took away the ease of childbirth from eve. And since then childbirth was painful and dangerous.

Their innocence was removed from them as well.

And Adam instead of lounging around and eating fruit with his wife he must work the land and replenish it when it needed replenishing.

And after their divine punishment Adam and Eve had twins Cain and Abel.

Cain worked the land and Abel was a shepherd.

And God judged abels work to be better than Cain's

And Cain out of jealousy killed his brother Abel.

And God punished Cain with a mark of death and Cain fleed and started a family somehow.

Cain started a family with only him his father and his mother on earth so I guess that means Cain married something not human is what my guess is.

And after Cain fled Adam and Eve had a third son named Seth.

And a distant descendant of Seth is Noah

And Noah was blessed and highly favored and he was warned of a flood. God was flooding the earth because only Noah and his family still believed in him.

So God informed Noah of a flood and to bring his kids and their wives and two of every animal

And God flooded the earth killing everyone except Noah and the people on his arc.

Then after the flood God promised to never flood the earth again.

And then Noah and his sons and their wives went on to repopulate the earth.

And a distant descendant of Noah came along named Abram

And Abram had a wife named Sarai and a nephew named lot.

And they claimed land that was theirs and split it among each other

And lot had the escape from Sodom and gammorah

And Abram and Sarai grew old and Sarai was told by an angel that her new name is Sarah and her husband's new name is Abraham and even though she is old she will soon give birth.

And her and her husband just laughed because Sarah wanted a baby so badly she let Abraham get her handmaiden pregnant and her name was hagar and together they had their son ishmel.

And Sarah scared them away even though she set the whole thing up. Actually only after Isaac was born.

And so, the Sarah and Abraham did conceive a child. And his name is Issac meaning laughter because they laughed when God told them she'd finally conceive.

And after they had Issac God asked Abraham to sacrifice him.

And Abraham agreed but was stopped last second.

Because it was rather a test of faith.

Then Issac grew up and Abraham told his servant to make sure Issac married a member of their family

And so Abraham's servant went to their homeland and found rebecka

And Issac met her and married her and Abraham and Sarah passed away and Issac and Rebecca had a set of twins named Jacob and esau.

And esau was red with hair all over him and Jacob came out gripping esaus ankles.

And Jacob was a good Shepard and esau a good hunter.

And Jacob his mother's favorite and esau the fathers

And one day after a long hun esau came home starving and asked Jacob for some food

And Jacob said he'd trade his food for esaus birthright he had since he was oldest

And esau took the deal because he was starving and his birthright wasn't worth much to him.

Then rebecka devised a plan to get her favorite son another one of esaus blessings

Because Issac had grown blind and couldn't see

So rebecka put goats hair on Jacob and gave Jacob some deer meat to serve his father

Because Issac said he had a huge blessing for esaus if him got him some venison

So rebecka disguised Jacob and gave him the venison and Issac felt the hairy hands and knew it to be esau. But the voice of Jacob.

Issac the mistakenly gave Jacob Esau's blessing

And esau vowed to kill Jacob.

And so Jacob fled with his stolen blessings into the land of their people where his mother instructed him to go so he could find a wife.

And there Jacob met his future wife Rachel her older sister Leah and their father laban.

And Jacob asked laban what it took to marry Rachel

And laban said you'd haft to work for me for seven years.

And Jacob did and when the seven years were up Jacob asked for his wife.

And laban gave Jacob Leah, Rachel's sister to wife.

Because in their country the eldest sister had to be married before her younger siblings.

And Jacob didn't know that. So to marry Rachel Jacob had to work another seven years making 14 in total.

And after the 14 years Jacob decided to take his two wives and leave without permission and before they left they'd steal labans good cattle and idols he kept.

And Jacob and his wives left but laban and his posse caught up with them to get his idols and asked why they left.

But Jacob just apologized and Rachel hid the idols under her and said she couldn't get up because she was on her period.

And so laban let them all go and then Jacob traveled to another location and on his journey he wrestled and angel

And after Jacob wrestled the angel god gave him the nick name Israel.

And then Israel and Leah had children since Rachel was barren

And most of the twelve tribes of Judah came from Leah and not his favorite wife rachel

And not with Leah one of Rachel's hand maidens.

Until one day God opened Rachel's womb and she finally had a baby named Joseph

And Joseph was Israel's and Rachel's favorite

And they gave him a fancy coat and Joseph could see the future through his dreams

And one day Joseph in his I'm the favorite coat told his brothers that one day I'll be the boss of you all.

And that pissed Joseph's brothers off so they faked his death and sold him into slavery.

And while enslaved Joseph rose up the ranks and became the masters right hand man

But the slave masters wife wanted to sleep with Joseph but Joseph refused so she accused him of rape.

And so Joseph was thrown into a dungeon where he met a royal butler and Baker and correctly interpreted their dreams

And after the royal butler was freed and returned to work the pharoh asked for a dream interpreter and the butler suggested Joseph

And they went and got Joseph out of the dungeon and told them the dream.

Joseph correctly interpreted it and Egypt avoided a great famine

And so the pharoh made Joseph second in command

And during the famine Joseph's brothers needed to go to Egypt for food because Egypt had plenty of food because of Joseph

And they went there and saw Joseph and did not recognize them but Joseph knew who they were because they hadn't changed.

And Joseph accused them of being spies and told them to go home and return with his younger brother

Then after that Joseph gave them free food without them knowing by putting the money they paid for the food back in their wallets

And when they noticed they hadn't paid they thought it was a mistake and returned to pay Joseph properly.

And when they returned with Benjamin Joseph revealed himself

And him and his family had a happy reunion and Joseph moved his family to Egypt where he was royalty

And the Israelites grew strong and populated Egypt

So much so that the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites and put them under population control

[marketableplushieenthusiast]

Ok, so, uh. Christian here. I am a layperson, but I will try my best to answer these from a biblical perspective.

First off, about Satan: he is not in charge of Hell. He did not create Hell. In fact, he's going to be cast down there to suffer at the end of the world (Rev 20:10) as HIS punishment. You nailed the motivation for his rebellion: he wants to be God, he cannot, and thus he hates everything God loves - and that includes humanity. Especially humanity, since unlike him and the demons and the angels, we're made in God's image. Since he can't hurt God directly (even tho he will probably try in the final battle), he aims to take as many of us down with him as he can out of spite.

He is kept on a leash, however. Like, he's currently allowed a lot of sway down here on Earth right now ("prince of the power of the air" and all that), but it's temporary. Satan is not in any way God's equal. As an example, the entire beginning of the book of Job is Satan having to get permission to go test Job. He's like "Yo, that guy doesn't ACTUALLY love you: he only serves you because he has your favor!" and God tells him "Bet. You can test him if you like. He won't turn."

Now, that leads into the perennial question you touched on: "Why would a good God send people to Hell/let people suffer?" The theological term for this is the Problem of Evil, and the way I understand it after years of Bible reading and sermons and apologetics and whatnot is this: The Law exists. There's Right and Wrong, and God is perfect, meaning He has to be just. Not only does He not sin, but if He did not punish wrong-doing in the world He created, He would not be just, and thus He couldn't be perfect.

What good God would let evil go unpunished? A judge who lets every criminal that comes across his desk go free without a trial, regardless of what they did, isn't a judge at all. (And I don't think I need to sell you on the idea that some things are wrong and some things should require consequences/punishment, even if people disagree on where the lines are drawn.)

Now for angels and demons, we actually aren't given a whole lot of details on them in the Bible, but the general picture we can put together is that they have complete will to choose: they know who God is, and they can decide to follow or rebel, and they'll be judged accordingly.

We humans are fundamentally different in that we are, at this point in time, broken. We are fallen, and we brought the whole earth down with us. God made Adam and Eve in His image (something that is never fully defined, other than we know animals, angels, and demons AREN'T), He gave them free will, He gave them everything they could ever need, and only gave them ONE RULE: don't eat from that tree, or you'll die.

Then of course, Satan showed up as the serpent and spun his lie, "Nah, you won't die, in fact, you'll be just like God!" And you know how just hearing that makes you think "Well, of course they disobeyed - how could they not be curious if they were given the option?" Yeah, that's the fallen part we're stuck with at the moment talking. Adam and Eve had the free will not to sin, but they did anyway, and became incapable of NOT sinning, and passed it down to everybody else. Humanity is, as they were warned, spiritually dead.

"God's criteria" for Heaven is actually perfection (and if anyone has ever told you otherwise, they are lying or deceived). If any of us have sinned at all, then justice demands consequences for that sin - and thanks to the Fall, our very nature is sinful. We couldn't be without sin if we tried.

THAT is the point of Jesus and the Cross. That is the context every time people say "Jesus died for your sins!" Jesus is God, was incarnated as the only human WITHOUT SIN (since he wasn't born from Adam - that's the point of the virgin birth), so he could live a sinless life, be put to death anyway, and then be raised from the dead, so that when it's time for God to give all the evil that has ever been done it's due, all of humanity will not be lost.

And ALL a person has to do is believe in their heart and confess Jesus as Lord, and whatever punishment was supposed to be doled out on their head will instead have already been dealt to Jesus on the Cross.

THAT is God's criteria. Living a "good life" will not get you into Heaven. (Now there are things that can be said for the idea that real faith will naturally produce good works, but that's a discussion for another day, because that's not what saves any of us.)

Tbh, the Apostle Paul says it better than I do in Romans 5 (v. 1, 6-10):

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Now, ALL OF THAT being said. I am not a theologian or a pastor, debating about important things like this scares me, and I do not expect to convince anyone with a single tumblr post. But I was told to have an answer for the hope that is within me, so that's what I tried to do.

And if you have more questions, let me know! (I can't promise you'll like the answers, but I can try my best to explain.)

No Christian ever wants to debate with me about it but I need an answer.

Why would Satan punish people in Hell when he was the first to disobey God? Like. He got cast out of heaven and created his own domain. And people get sent there if they don't meet God's criteria. So why would he punish them?

And if it's because God forces him to punish people, wouldn't that mean God is causing suffering, therefore making him Not an all good ethereal being? Wouldn't that make God just as bad as the people he cast into hell? Is it possible that perhaps No One in this fight is right?

Satan would never be upset with people choosing to go their own way and do their own thing outside of God's will. That's the whole point!! To be unique! To be someone! He fell because he wanted to be worshiped. Because he didn't see his creator as someone all knowing/powerful/good. Is that not what we do as well?

Is hell even a bad place? Is heaven truly good? I know that people can't answer these questions, and neither can the Bible, but it makes me so curious. Is that why people are in-between heaven and hell? Because we're the good and bad? Are we ethereal beings of our own?

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

11th February >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Saturday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time 

or

Our Lady of Lourdes

  or

Saint Gobnait, Virgin 

or

Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Saturday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Colour: Green)

First Reading Genesis 3:9-24 The expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

The Lord God called to the man. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden;’ he replied ‘I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’

‘Who told you that you were naked?’ he asked ‘Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman replied, ‘The serpent tempted me and I ate.’ Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this,

‘Be accursed beyond all cattle, all wild beasts. You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust every day of your life. I will make you enemies of each other: you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. It will crush your head and you will strike its heel.’

To the woman he said:

‘I will multiply your pains in childbearing, you shall give birth to your children in pain. Your yearning shall be for your husband, yet he will lord it over you.’

To the man he said, ‘Because you listened to the voice of your wife and ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat,

‘Accursed be the soil because of you. With suffering shall you get your food from it every day of your life. It shall yield you brambles and thistles, and you shall eat wild plants. With sweat on your brow shall you eat your bread, until you return to the soil, as you were taken from it. For dust you are and to dust you shall return.’

The man named his wife ‘Eve’ because she was the mother of all those who live. The Lord God made clothes out of skins for the man and his wife, and they put them on. Then the Lord God said, ‘See, the man has become like one of us, with his knowledge of good and evil. He must not be allowed to stretch his hand out next and pick from the tree of life also, and eat some and live for ever.’ So the Lord God expelled him from the garden of Eden, to till the soil from which he had been taken. He banished the man, and in front of the garden of Eden he posted the cherubs, and the flame of a flashing sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 89(90):2-6,12-13

R/ O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

Before the mountains were born or the earth or the world brought forth, you are God, without beginning or end.

R/ O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

You turn men back to dust and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’ To your eyes a thousand years are like yesterday, come and gone, no more than a watch in the night.

R/ O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

You sweep men away like a dream, like the grass which springs up in the morning. In the morning it springs up and flowers: by evening it withers and fades.

R/ O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart. Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever? Show pity to your servants.

R/ O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

Gospel Acclamation Matthew 4:4

Alleluia, alleluia! Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Alleluia!

Gospel Mark 8:1-10 The feeding of the four thousand.

A great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. If I send them off home hungry they will collapse on the way; some have come a great distance.’ His disciples replied, ‘Where could anyone get bread to feed these people in a deserted place like this?’ He asked them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ ‘Seven’ they said. Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them among the crowd. They had a few small fish as well, and over these he said a blessing and ordered them to be distributed also. They ate as much as they wanted, and they collected seven basketfuls of the scraps left over. Now there had been about four thousand people. He sent them away and immediately, getting into the boat with his disciples, went to the region of Dalmanutha.

The Gospel of the Lord R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

-----------------------------------

Our Lady of Lourdes 

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Saturday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading Isaiah 66:10-14 Towards Jerusalem I send flowing peace, like a river.

Rejoice, Jerusalem, be glad for her, all you who love her! Rejoice, rejoice for her, all you who mourned her!

That you may be suckled, filled, from her consoling breast, that you may savour with delight her glorious breasts.

For thus says the Lord: Now towards her I send flowing peace, like a river, and like a stream in spate the glory of the nations.

At her breast will her nurslings be carried and fondled in her lap. Like a son comforted by his mother will I comfort you. And by Jerusalem you will be comforted.

At the sight your heart will rejoice, and your bones flourish like the grass. To his servants the Lord will reveal his hand.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God

Responsorial Psalm Judith 13:18a-19

R/ You are the highest honour of our race!

May you be blessed, my daughter, by God Most High, beyond all women on earth; and may the Lord God be blessed, the Creator of heaven and earth.

R/ You are the highest honour of our race!

The trust you have shown shall not pass from the memories of men, but shall ever remind them of the power of God.

R/ You are the highest honour of our race!

Gospel Acclamation cf. Luke 1:45

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled. Alleluia!

Gospel John 2:1-11 'My hour has not come yet' - 'Do whatever he tells you'.

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. When they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the wedding was all finished, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ Jesus said ‘Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not come yet.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’, and they filled them to the brim. ‘Draw some out now’ he told them ‘and take it to the steward.’ They did this; the steward tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. Having no idea where it came from – only the servants who had drawn the water knew – the steward called the bridegroom and said, ‘People generally serve the best wine first, and keep the cheaper sort till the guests have had plenty to drink; but you have kept the best wine till now.’ This was the first of the signs given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. He let his glory be seen, and his disciples believed in him.

he Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

-------------------------------------

Saint Gobnait, Virgin 

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Saturday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

Either:

First Reading Song of Songs 8:6-7 The flash of love is a flame of the Lord himself.

Set me like a seal on your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is strong as Death, jealousy as relentless as Sheol. The flash of it is a flash of fire, a flame of the Lord himself. Love no floods can quench, no torrents drown.

Were a man to offer all the wealth of his house to buy love, contempt is all he would purchase.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God

OR: --------

First reading Hosea 2:16,17,21-22 I will betroth you to myself for ever

The Lord says this:

I am going to lead her out into the wilderness and speak to her heart. There she will respond to me as she did when she was young, as she did when she came out of the land of Egypt. I will betroth you to myself for ever, betroth you with integrity and justice, with tenderness and love; I will betroth you to myself with faithfulness, and you will come to know the Lord.

EITHER: --------

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 44(45):11-12,14-17

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words. or The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet Christ the Lord.

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words: forget your own people and your father’s house. So will the king desire your beauty: He is your lord, pay homage to him.

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words. or The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet Christ the Lord.

The daughter of the king is clothed with splendour, her robes embroidered with pearls set in gold. She is led to the king with her maiden companions.

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words. or The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet Christ the Lord.

They are escorted amid gladness and joy; they pass within the palace of the king. Sons shall be yours in place of your fathers: you will make them princes over all the earth.

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words. or The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet Christ the Lord.

OR: --------

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 148:1-2,11-14

Your glory fills all heaven and earth. or Alleluia!

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host.

Your glory fills all heaven and earth. or Alleluia!

All earth’s kings and peoples, earth’s princes and rulers, young men and maidens, old men together with children.

Your glory fills all heaven and earth. or Alleluia!

Let them praise the name of the Lord for he alone is exalted. The splendour of his name reaches beyond heaven and earth.

Your glory fills all heaven and earth. or Alleluia!

He exalts the strength of his people. He is the praise of all his saints, of the sons of Israel, of the people to whom he comes close.

Your glory fills all heaven and earth. or Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation Jn14:23

Alleluia, alleluia! If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him. Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia! This is the wise virgin whom the Lord found watching; she went in to the wedding feast with him when he came. Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia! Come, bride of Christ, and receive the crown which the Lord has prepared for you for ever. Alleluia!

EITHER: --------

Gospel Matthew 19:3-12 Husband and wife are no longer two, but one body

Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and to test him they said, ‘Is it against the Law for a man to divorce his wife on any pretext whatever?’ He answered, ‘Have you not read that the creator from the beginning made them male and female and that he said: This is why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body? They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So then, what God has united, man must not divide.’ They said to him, ‘Then why did Moses command that a writ of dismissal should be given in cases of divorce?’ ‘It was because you were so unteachable’ he said ‘that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but it was not like this from the beginning. Now I say this to you: the man who divorces his wife – I am not speaking of fornication – and marries another, is guilty of adultery.’ The disciples said to him, ‘If that is how things are between husband and wife, it is not advisable to marry.’ But he replied, ‘It is not everyone who can accept what I have said, but only those to whom it is granted. There are eunuchs born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs made so by men and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.’

OR: --------

Gospel Matthew 25:1-13 The wise and foolish virgins

Jesus told this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.” At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.” But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.” They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.” So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’

Or:

Gospel Luke 10:38-42 Martha works; Mary listens.

Jesus came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha who was distracted with all the serving said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered: ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

--------------------------------

Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Saturday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

Either:

First Reading Genesis 3:9-15,20 The mother of all those who live.

After Adam had eaten of the tree the Lord God called to him. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden;’ he replied ‘I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ he asked ‘Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman replied, ‘The serpent tempted me and I ate.’ Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this,

‘Be accursed beyond all cattle, all wild beasts. You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust every day of your life. I will make you enemies of each other: you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. It will crush your head and you will strike its heel.’

The man named his wife ‘Eve’ because she was the mother of all those who live.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God

OR: --------

First reading Genesis 12:1-7 All the tribes of the earth shall bless themselves by you

The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name so famous that it will be used as a blessing.

‘I will bless those who bless you: I will curse those who slight you. All the tribes of the earth shall bless themselves by you.’

So Abram went as the Lord told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had amassed and the people they had acquired in Haran. They set off for the land of Canaan, and arrived there. Abram passed through the land as far as Shechem’s holy place, the Oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘It is to your descendants that I will give this land.’ So Abram built there an altar for the Lord who had appeared to him.

OR: --------

First reading 2 Samuel 7:1-5,8-11,16 The Lord will make you great; the Lord will make you a House

Once David had settled into his house and the Lord had given him rest from all the enemies surrounding him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘Look, I am living in a house of cedar while the ark of God dwells in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go and do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.’ But that very night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ‘Go and tell my servant David, “Thus the Lord speaks: Are you the man to build me a house to dwell in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader of my people Israel; I have been with you on all your expeditions; I have cut off all your enemies before you. I will give you fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth. I will provide a place for my people Israel; I will plant them there and they shall dwell in that place and never be disturbed again; nor shall the wicked continue to oppress them as they did, in the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel; I will give them rest from all their enemies. The Lord will make you great; the Lord will make you a House. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”’

OR: --------

First reading 1 Chronicles 15:3-4,15-16,16:1-2 They brought in the ark of God and put it inside the tent that David had pitched for it

David gathered all Israel together to bring the ark of God up to the place he had prepared for it. David called together the sons of Aaron and the sons of Levi. And the Levites carried the ark of God with the shafts on their shoulders, as Moses had ordered in accordance with the word of the Lord. David then told the heads of the Levites to assign duties for their kinsmen as cantors, with their various instruments of music, harps and lyres and cymbals, to play joyful tunes. They brought the ark of God in and put it inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and they offered holocausts before God, and communion sacrifices. And when David had finished offering holocausts and communion sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.

OR: --------

First reading Proverbs 8:22-31 Before the earth came into being, Wisdom was born

The Wisdom of God cries aloud:

The Lord created me when his purpose first unfolded, before the oldest of his works. From everlasting I was firmly set, from the beginning, before earth came into being. The deep was not, when I was born, there were no springs to gush with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I came to birth; before he made the earth, the countryside, or the first grains of the world’s dust. When he fixed the heavens firm, I was there, when he drew a ring on the surface of the deep, when he thickened the clouds above, when he fixed fast the springs of the deep, when he assigned the sea its boundaries  – and the waters will not invade the shore – when he laid down the foundations of the earth, I was by his side, a master craftsman, delighting him day after day, ever at play in his presence, at play everywhere in his world, delighting to be with the sons of men.

OR: --------

First reading Ecclesiasticus 24:1-4,8-12,18-21 From eternity, in the beginning, God created wisdom

Wisdom speaks her own praises, in the midst of her people she glories in herself. She opens her mouth in the assembly of the Most High, she glories in herself in the presence of the Mighty One: ‘I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and I covered the earth like a mist. I had my tent in the heights, and my throne in a pillar of cloud. Then the creator of all things instructed me, and he who created me fixed a place for my tent. He said, “Pitch your tent in Jacob, make Israel your inheritance.” From eternity, in the beginning, he created me, and for eternity I shall remain. I ministered before him in the holy tabernacle, and thus was I established on Zion. In the beloved city he has given me rest, and in Jerusalem I wield my authority. I have taken root in a privileged people, in the Lord’s property, in his inheritance. Approach me, you who desire me, and take your fill of my fruits, for memories of me are sweeter than honey, inheriting me is sweeter than the honeycomb. They who eat me will hunger for more, they who drink me will thirst for more. Whoever listens to me will never have to blush, whoever acts as I dictate will never sin.’

OR: --------

First reading Isaiah 7:10-14,8:10 The maiden is with child

The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.’ ‘No,’ Ahaz answered ‘I will not put the Lord to the test.’ Then Isaiah said:

‘Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men without trying the patience of my God, too? The Lord himself, therefore, will give you a sign. It is this: the maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel, a name which means “God-is-with-us.”’

OR: --------

First reading Isaiah 9:1-6 A Son is given to us

The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone. You have made their gladness greater, you have made their joy increase; they rejoice in your presence as men rejoice at harvest time, as men are happy when they are dividing the spoils.

For the yoke that was weighing on him, the bar across his shoulders, the rod of his oppressor, these you break as on the day of Midian.

For all the footgear of battle, every cloak rolled in blood, is burnt, and consumed by fire.

For there is a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.

OR: --------

First reading Isaiah 61:9-11 I exult for joy in the Lord

Their race will be famous throughout the nations, their descendants throughout the peoples. All who see them will admit that they are a race whom the Lord has blessed.

‘I exult for joy in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God, for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation, he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity, like a bridegroom wearing his wreath, like a bride adorned in her jewels.

‘For as the earth makes fresh things grow, as a garden makes seeds spring up, so will the Lord make both integrity and praise spring up in the sight of the nations.’

OR: --------

First reading Micah 5:1-4 He will stand and feed his flock with the power of the Lord

The Lord says this:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah, out of you will be born for me the one who is to rule over Israel; his origin goes back to the distant past, to the days of old. The Lord is therefore going to abandon them till the time when she who is to give birth gives birth. Then the remnant of his brothers will come back to the sons of Israel. He will stand and feed his flock with the power of the Lord, with the majesty of the name of his God. They will live secure, for from then on he will extend his power to the ends of the land. He himself will be peace.

OR: --------

First reading Zechariah 2:14-17 'I am coming', says the Lord

Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion; for I am coming to dwell in the middle of you – it is the Lord who speaks. Many nations will join the Lord, on that day; they will become his people. But he will remain among you, and you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you. But the Lord will hold Judah as his portion in the Holy Land, and again make Jerusalem his very own. Let all mankind be silent before the Lord! For he is awaking and is coming from his holy dwelling.

EITHER: --------

Responsorial Psalm 1 Samuel 2:1,4-8

My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

My heart exults in the Lord. I find my strength in my God; my mouth laughs at my enemies as I rejoice in your saving help.

My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

The bows of the mighty are broken, but the weak are clothed with strength. Those with plenty must labour for bread, but the hungry need work no more. The childless wife has children now but the fruitful wife bears no more.

My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

It is the Lord who gives life and death, he brings men to the grave and back; it is the Lord who gives poverty and riches. He brings men low and raises them on high.

My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

He lifts up the lowly from the dust, from the dungheap he raises the poor to set him in the company of princes to give him a glorious throne. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, on them he has set the world.

My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

OR: --------

Responsorial Psalm Judith 13:18a-19

You are the highest honour of our race!

May you be blessed, my daughter, by God Most High, beyond all women on earth; and may the Lord God be blessed, the Creator of heaven and earth.

You are the highest honour of our race!

The trust you have shown shall not pass from the memories of men, but shall ever remind them of the power of God.

You are the highest honour of our race!

OR: --------

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 44(45):11-12,14-17

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words.

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words: forget your own people and your father’s house. So will the king desire your beauty: He is your lord, pay homage to him.

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words.

The daughter of the king is clothed with splendour, her robes embroidered with pearls set in gold. She is led to the king with her maiden companions.

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words.

They are escorted amid gladness and joy; they pass within the palace of the king. Sons shall be yours in place of your fathers: you will make them princes over all the earth.

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words.

OR: --------

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 112(113):1-7

May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore! or Alleluia!

Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! May the name of the Lord be blessed both now and for evermore!

May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore! or Alleluia!

From the rising of the sun to its setting praised be the name of the Lord! High above all nations is the Lord, above the heavens his glory.

May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore! or Alleluia!

Who is like the Lord, our God, who has risen on high to his throne yet stoops from the heights to look down, to look down upon heaven and earth? From the dust he lifts up the lowly, from the dungheap he raises the poor

May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore! or Alleluia!

OR: --------

Responsorial Psalm Luke 1:46-55

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

He looks on his servant in her nothingness; henceforth all ages will call me blessed. The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy his name!

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

His mercy is from age to age, on those who fear him. He puts forth his arm in strength and scatters the proud-hearted.

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

He casts the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly. He fills the starving with good things, sends the rich away empty.

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

He protects Israel, his servant, remembering his mercy, the mercy promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his sons for ever.

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

Gospel Acclamation cf.Lk1:28

Alleluia, alleluia! Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee! Blessed art thou among women. Alleluia!

Or: cf.Lk1:45

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled. Alleluia!

Or: cf.Lk2:19

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who treasured the word of God and pondered it in her heart. Alleluia!

Or: Lk11:28

Alleluia, alleluia! Happy are those who hear the word of God and keep it. Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of all praise, for the sun of justice, Christ our God, was born of you. Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia! Happy is the Virgin Mary, who, without dying, won the palm of martyrdom beneath the cross of the Lord. Alleluia!

EITHER: --------

Gospel Matthew 1:1-16,18-23 The ancestry and conception of Jesus Christ

A genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, Tamar being their mother, Perez was the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon was the father of Boaz, Rahab being his mother, Boaz was the father of Obed, Ruth being his mother, Obed was the father of Jesse; and Jesse was the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Azariah, Azariah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah; and Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers. Then the deportation to Babylon took place.

After the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob; and Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel,

a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’

OR: --------

Gospel Matthew 1:18-23 How Jesus Christ came to be born

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel,

a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’

OR: --------

Gospel Matthew 2:13-15,19-23 The flight into Egypt and the return to Nazareth

After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:

I called my son out of Egypt.

After Herod’s death, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you and go back to the land of Israel, for those who wanted to kill the child are dead.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, went back to the land of Israel. But when he learnt that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as ruler of Judaea he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he left for the region of Galilee. There he settled in a town called Nazareth. In this way the words spoken through the prophets were to be fulfilled:

‘He will be called a Nazarene.’

OR: --------

Gospel Matthew 12:46-50 My mother and my brothers are anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven

Jesus was speaking to the crowds when his mother and his brothers appeared; they were standing outside and were anxious to have a word with him. But to the man who told him this Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand towards his disciples he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.’

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 1:26-38 'I am the handmaid of the Lord'

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 1:39-47 Blessed is she who believed the promise

Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’ And Mary said:

‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my saviour.’

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 2:1-14 'In the town of David a saviour has been born to you'

Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a census of the whole world to be taken. This census – the first – took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to his own town to be registered. So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee and travelled up to Judaea, to the town of David called Bethlehem, since he was of David’s House and line, in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn. In the countryside close by there were shepherds who lived in the fields and took it in turns to watch their flocks during the night. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified, but the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly with the angel there was a great throng of the heavenly host, praising God and singing:

‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to men who enjoy his favour.’

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 2:15-19 The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem and found the baby lying in the manger

Now when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 2:27-35 'A sword will pierce your soul too'

Prompted by the Spirit Simeon came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:

‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel.’

As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 2:41-52 Mary stored up all these things in her heart

Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere. Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have, you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’ ‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied. ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant. He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and men.

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 11:27-28 'Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!'

As Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, ‘Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!’ But he replied, ‘Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it!’

OR: --------

Gospel John 2:1-11 'My hour has not come yet' - 'Do whatever he tells you'

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. When they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the wedding was all finished, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ Jesus said ‘Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not come yet.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’, and they filled them to the brim. ‘Draw some out now’ he told them ‘and take it to the steward.’ They did this; the steward tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. Having no idea where it came from – only the servants who had drawn the water knew – the steward called the bridegroom and said, ‘People generally serve the best wine first, and keep the cheaper sort till the guests have had plenty to drink; but you have kept the best wine till now.’ This was the first of the signs given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. He let his glory be seen, and his disciples believed in him.

Or:

Gospel John 19:25-27 'Woman, this is your son'.

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son.’ Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[oneshortdamnfuse]

Re: Jörmungandr's origins and Ragnarok's (Netflix) interpretation of it.

TW: I don't know, but if parasites and/or the idea of a cisgender, intersex, and/or non-binary man giving birth freaks you out then don't read I guess?

I think how Loki's children came about is really up to interpretation and that's really why we have so many variations of their origins across pop culture. That said... as weird as it may be to people, I don't think it's necessarily off for "Loki" to "give birth" to the world serpent in Ragnarok (Netflix). The way they did it may be a bit over the top, but at least it made some in-universe sense.

It's not the only piece of media to make Loki the "mother" of Jörmungandr. "Loki" is also prophesied to "give birth" to the world serpent in God of War 4 (videogame), bringing about Ragnarok. Or, at least that's what it looks like. An etching on the wall shows a snake-like figure coming out of "Loki's" mouth, and "Loki" already has an established close-ness to the existing world serpent in game. Time will tell what they intend to do with that in God of War: Ragnarok.

Marvel acknowledges that Loki has given birth before in multiple comics, but they generally avoid explicit origins for Hel(a), Fenrir, and Jörmungandr. In Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers, Baldr says he has seen a world in which Loki birthed Sleipnir. (Other than that, we have a scene wherein Odin mocks Loki for 'turning into' a woman, sleeping with men, and giving birth to their children). That's about as far as they go with acknowledging that Loki is capable of doing this.

Sleipnir's birth is hard to deny - Loki was transformed into a mare. He was chased down by Svaðilfari, a stallion. People really don't question that their mating would result in the female horse giving birth to a foal. So, you'll see less variation in this tale. (Although acknowledging it in one comic, Sleipnir's origins are largely ignored in Marvel canon. He's just Odin's noble steed)

...but Hel, Fenrir, and Jörmungandr's births are more controversial because little is known about their "mother(s)." I mean, it is written that Loki "got" these three by Angrboða. We know nothing about her other than she was a Jotun whose name denotes grief and suffering. Yet, we have another tale in which Loki eats the heart of Gullveig - another Jotun woman said to be evil, and from that he gives birth to monsters. She dies three times. Loki also has three monstrous children associated with Ragnarok. See what I'm getting at?

Some have theorized that Gullveig and Angrboða are the same Jotun woman, and that Loki gave birth (by magic) to these monsters. Some believe they're different, that Angrboða gave birth to the monsters, and that Loki gave birth to different monsters after eating Gullveig's heart. Given the little information we have in writing about them, and the way the myths have been interpreted especially after Christian contact... it's hard to say what "the truth" really is...

No matter the tale, though, the way in which any of Loki's children came about is far from "traditional." No matter who birthed them, Loki is the parent of the three monsters meant to bring about Ragnarok. The mis(treatment) of them by the gods plays a big part in this, so as weird as it may seem to people watching the show it would make little sense to leave them out completely. It's simply easier to introduce Jörmungandr compared to the others.

All of that is to say this:

In Ragnarok (Netflix), "Loki" does eat a heart - not belonging to a witch, but it is a heart. Tapeworms can infect people who eat undercooked meat (...like a heart) from an infected animal (like a reindeer.) It's actually ingenious and makes perfect sense for "Loki" to get infected with a tapeworm, and it somewhat lines up with the myths depending on your interpretation!

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.