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harpagornis · 1 year ago

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Minoan Gods

Decided to take an old article and repackage it for the tumblr audience.

The double-edged axe or labris, likely the least controversial thing written here.

To honor the latest release of Minotaur Hotel I decided to do an article on what is known of the Minoan deities.

Known as the “first European city-makers” and a distant precursor to Greece, what is called the Minoan Civilization after King Minos of Crete was a mysterious Bronze Age nation that governed Crete and neighbouring parts of the Aegean. Its age, likely influences over posterior Greek (and by extension western) culture and unique art has long made it a subject of mystique and intrigue. Whereas it’s the several still undeciphered scripts and languages or the fact that it seems to have a rare genuinely matriarchal society, it seems the countless research and academia only raises more questions than answers.

One such well documented but ultimately unsuccessful endeavour is identifying the pantheon these people worshipped. It is strongly speculated that Minoan Crete was theocratic (Kristiansen & Larsson, 2005, among several others) and several art either represents cultic activities (such as the famous bull leaping) if not gods themselves, but in the absence of the proper written word this is beyond impossible to ascertain. The implications of understanding Minoan religion are very clear, as beyond offering a snapshot to the lives of these people it also bears the potential implication that many Greek gods and mythological figures ultimately had their origins here.

To completely compile, summarise and synthesize all that has been written on Minoan religion is a task far too vast to implement, so here are some of the most widely agreed upon gods.

Queen of the Gods

Snake goddess figurine by C messier. The most well known Minoan possible religious artifact, it’s still not clear if these figurines represent a goddess, multiple goddesses or human priests.

By far the most well kown figure attributed to Minoan religion is the Queen or Mother goddess, sometimes known as “Snake Goddess” due to an abundance of figurines depicting women holding snakes. Perhaps surprisingly (or not given the second paragraph), she’s not actually attested anywhere, given that Minoan scripts haven’t yet been deciphered, but her existence can be inferred due to a variety of factors:

Female figurines are by far the most common representation of what could be interpreted as a god in Minoan sites. Chief among these are the aforementioned “snake goddess” figurines. While there is considerable debate on whereas these truly represent deities (plural or singular) or mortal priestesses, they are comparable to apotropaic depictions of surrounding cultures, most notably those of the latter Athena Parthenos which similarly is associated with serpentine iconography as controlling these forces of chaos (Ogden 2013).

The fact that Minoan society was matriarchal in nature, which would lend credence to the supreme being in their cosmology being feminine in nature. While a dominant female deity does not always correlate to a matriarchal society (i.e. Amaterasu, Virgin Mary, et cetera), the opposite, a matriarchal society with a masculine supreme god, is yet to be documented (though see below).

Several Greek mother goddesses such as Demeter and Rheia are thought to have a Cretan origin (Mylonas 1966, Sidwell 1981 among several others), so it’s not terribly hard to see them as “descendents” of this Minoan deity.

The Philistines, contray to biblical assertions on Dagon worship, seem to have favoured a goddess as their primary deity (Schäfer-Lichtenberger 2000, Ben-Shlomo 2019). The Philistines, through genetic legacy and material culture, are now understood to have had an Aegean origin, so again seeing this as a continuation of a Minoan goddess is plausible.

Several names have been speculated for this deity, usually along the lines of the author’s interpretation of Minoan scripts (which should be noted, are not only undeciphered but very likely don’t mention deities at all, since all we have seem to brief texts likely attributed to tax reports). The name “Rhea” doesn’t seem to be of Indo-European origin (Nilsson 1950, Sidwell 1981), making it very likely that this is a theonym with Minoan origins. The same applies to Ariadne (Alexiou 1969) and possibly also Athena (Beekes 2009). Conversely, the Philistine goddess is possibly attested as “Ptgyh” (Ben-Shlomo 2019), a name that is speculated to be related to Greek “Potnia”, “mistress”. In all likelihood, such an important goddess likely was known by a variety of epithets.

Fertility is naturally considered a major function of this mother goddess, but perhaps in ways one might not expect. An emphasis on solar worship has been noted due to temple arrangements and material objects such as “frying pans” with solar iconography (Ridderstad 2009), suggesting that, rather than an earth goddess as one might expect, this was a solar goddess. Solar goddesses are known from a variety of Near Eastern cultures such as Egypt (Sekhmet, Hathor), Anatolia (Arinniti, Istanu, Estan, Wurunsemu) and Canaan (Shapash) so a solar interpretation of the Minoan supreme goddess isn’t unusual. In particular, this might imply a more “chthonic” interpretation of the sun than the Classical “object in the sky”, due to temple angles tressing sunrises and sunsets (Ridderstad 2009), whch is consistent with the Hittite notions of the sun goddess ruling the underworld. Regardless, as noted below in Talos there is also possible evidence for a Minoan male sun.

More unambiguously, this goddess had a civil and possibly domestic function. As noted above snake goddess figurines might be apotropaic in nature, used to ward off evil spirits or more mundane threats like snakes. If Athena is derived from this goddess then a role as the protector of the palace is also implied given Athena’s role in the Mycenaean era, and both Ariadne and Athena are associated with weaving. Conversely, so are solar goddesses in other places, like the Baltic Saule or the Turkic Gun Ana, as the rays of the sun are easily linked to threads, further suggesting this role for the Minoan goddess. Both Rhea and Demeter are also associated with lions, animals that not only are symbolic of the sun but also of a notable sun goddess across the sea, Sekhmet.

The fact that the Minoan ruling goddesses was the possible genesis for several Greek goddesses like Rheia, Demeter, Ariadne and Athena suggests a rather extensive and important function in ancient Cretan religion. Conversely, it might also suggest that what we might attributing to a single goddess was in fact several different deities, but as deities overlap and flow into one another it is possible that these goddesses were either seen as one or acquired independent identities several times throught Minoan history.

The Bull God

Bull-leaping fresco. A stapple of Minoan art.

The bull is extensively depicted in Minoan art. Most common are bull-leaping frescos depicting youths of both genders leaping or interacting with bulls, suggesting this was a common Minoan sport and perhaps even a religious ritual. But bulls are depicted in many other contexts as well, and as such the existence of an actual Minoan bull god is frequently speculated upon.

In Near-Eastern cultures, bulls are both solar and lunar symbols. On the one hand, the bull’s horn/s resemble/s a lunar crescent, and indeed not only are Middle Eastern male moon gods like Nanna and Suen associated with the bull but even the Greek Selene is described as having a chariot pulled by bulls, suggesting that not even a shift towards a feminine moon deity erased this iconography. On the other hand, a bull is a powerful animal and thus worthy of male solar gods, most notably the Mesopotamian Marduk (literally “calf of the sun”). Sometimes both interpretations show up in the same culture: in Egypt the Apis bull is associated both with Ra and with Osiris as Yah (the moon). Perhaps the same applied to ancient Crete (again, see Talos below), but a lunar bull would certainly be a vivid symbol contrasted against the sun goddess.

The bull is associated with Dionysus which otherwise is mired in more “exotic” symbols, suggesting that the putative “Minoan Dionysus” might be the bull god. It has long been speculated that the bull god is a male youth and son and consort to the queen of the gods, though women are also depicted bull leaping.

The Greek minotaur has long been speculated to be a remnant of the Minoan bull god, not without reason being so throughly linked with Crete as a concept. In this case, the monstrous depiction is either fully discontinuous from older practises or defamatory, with my personal two cents that it is also a jab against the bull gods of the Phoenicians, accused at the time of human sacrifice by the (infant killing) Greeks. Asterion is said to be the birth name of the minotaur by Pseudo-Apollodorus, but I wouldn’t read much into this since this name (literally “starry one”) is a common Greek name for many figures both historical and mythological, and at any rate a recent Indo-European name at odds with the most likely Pre-Greek Cretan languages.

“Dionysus”

“Prince of the Lilies” fresco, often but by no means universally interpreted as a male youth figure.

There is extensive evidence of wine cults in Minoan Crete (Kerényi 1976). This, combined with the Mycenaean depictions of a bull-horned Dionysus (or “di-wo-nu-so” as it is) seems to point to a Minoan origin for this god. “Dionysus” is an Indo-European name connected to Zeus and other sky father figures but the actual character of the god is not easily identified in the PIE world, suggesting a Pre-Greek, local origin. A possible exception is the Lusitanian god Andaeico (Teixeira 2014) which might resemble the putative “flower Dionysus” (see below), but this deity is himself not well understood and might be from an ancient Iberian stratum in Lusitanian culture.

The Mycenaean Dionysus is a figure with stronger ties to death and rebirth than revelry necessarily but the evolution from “eldritch god” to “party dude” might not have been as linear (geddit) a concept as one might expect. Male figurines thought to represent a young god increase in popularity in later stages of Minoan history (Vasilakis 2001) as do male youth figures often identified as “prince of the lilies/flowers” which alongside the wine cults is closer to the Classical Dionysus than the Mycenaean or later Orphic one. However once more in the absence of deciphered scripts it is impossible to say for certainty that these figurines represent deities let alone are Dionysus. Hell, the “flowery figures” have even been interpreted as female at times.

If an actual god, the “Minoan Dionysus” might very well be identified with the bull god, as the bull is a rather odd symbol for the “exotic” attributes the Classical Dionysus is associated with. Ariadne in Greek myth does get hitched with Dionysus; an imbalanced, reversed remnant of the male youth/Minoan queen goddess pairing perhaps?

Talos

Talos by laura Jastrow.

Perhaps the only Minoan or at least Cretan god we may truly known by name is Talos. In Greek myth Talos is best known as the strange automaton made by Hephaestus, but it was also the Cretan word for “sun”, analogous to “Helios” of mainland Greece according to Hesychius of Alexandria. Zeus was worshipped in Crete as Zeus Talaios, who was associated with the sun, and the Tallaia was a spur of Mt. Ida associated with sunrise rituals (Nilson 1923).

This association of Zeus with Talos is as peculiar as it is extensive. Zeus, a god whose origins are well documented to be Indo-European in nature, is held in Greek myth as born and raised in Crete, and Cretan depictions of Talos differ from those of mainland Greece in having wings. Further, the seduction of Europa by Zeus as a bull links the Classical Zeus to Crete in a very fundamental way. This seems to indicate a rather through syncretism between the Greek/Mycenaean sky god and this indigenous Cretan deity, which in turn implies a rather relevant role to the Minoan Talos.

Conversely, outside of Crete Talos is an enigmatic figure, as noted by Pausanias himself which seems more confused than anything. Certainly, the story of a pre-sci-fi robot is weird, let alone how it relates to an ancient Cretan god, linked to the supreme god of all Greeks down to his very birth.

Talos is truly an anomaly. A solar god which was important enough to warrant syncretism with Zeus, in a matriarchal culture where the sun seems to have been traditionally the supreme goddess herself. Crete was likely never a monolith even at the height of Minoan rule, but all current signs point to Talos being an ancient Cretan deity from before PIE influences in Greece, and he seems so out of place.

My personal two cents is that Minoan cosmology was similar to that of the Hittites and other Anatolian cultures, where the sun is male during the day as it travels through the sky and female at night where it rules the underworld. Talos’ syncretism with Zeus therefore would be derived from representing the male, skyward aspect of the sun, corroborated by worship at the Tallaia. In the original Minoan religion Talos was probably lesser compared to his female aspect (which even as a chthonic deity would easily be accepted as the supreme power; even Mycenaeans favoured the chthonic Poseidon to the celestial Zeus after all), but his roled ensured syncretism with the king of the gods once Crete was conquered.

Britomartis

Candiacervus by Peter Schouten.

Britomartis is possibly another deity we might know from a genuinely Minoan or at least Cretan name. Solinus claims it is “sweet virgin” in Cretan and the name doesn’t seem to have Indo-European roots. If true, I’d imagine this theonym is more due to syncretism with the Greek Artemis if anything as I doubt ancient Minoans cared much about virginity as a concept, though Artemis herself may be derived from this deity. Some archaeologists have further suggested that it is an euphemism for the deity’s actual name, since being a goddess of the wilds saying it might have been unwise (Ruck 1994). Another name attributed to her is Diktynna, “hunting nets”, or simply Dicte/Dikte (unsurprisingly, she named said mountain, and was likely its spirit). I’ve never seen the etymology of this name tracked, so I can’t say for sure if it is Greek or Pre-Greek in origin

Britomartis is in Greek myth a mere oread or mountain nymph, said to have invented hunting nets. She is said to have fled Minos’ lust, a tale that even Siculus expressed disbelief at due to her divinity. Thus, although greatly diminuished by Hellenistic times, she was still clearly held to be a deity, and still seems to have been worshipped in Crete during Classical times, frequently appearing in coinage as a winged figured. She is equated to Artemis, a goddess associated with the wilderness and mountains, and it can be assumed she represents a similar “lady of the beasts” archetype. Artemis herself has a name of unclear etymology, and could be of Minoan origin, being perhaps another name for Britomartis.

Some authors tempt to lump Britomartis with the Minoan mother goddess, but to me these seem like clearly distinct figures. Whereas the queen of the gods is a civic, fertility and possibly solar figure, Britomartis is alcearly a goddess of the wild places, perhaps even more specifically the embodiment of Mt. Dicte. Of course, overlap between these two goddesses likely happened at several points in Cretan history.

And that’s it for now.

Other Minoan gods have been positted, including a sea one (naturally), but they aren’t sufficiently supported by everyone in the field at large, so I won’t bother.

References

Kristiansen, Kristian & Thomas B. Larsson. The Rise of Bronze Age Society: Travels, Transmissions and Transformations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Ogden, Daniel (2013). Drakon: Dragon Myth and Serpent Cult in the Greek and Roman Worlds. Oxford University Press. pp. 7–9. ISBN 9780199557325 – via Google Books.

George Mylonas (1966), “Mycenae and the Mycenean world “

Sidwell, R.T. (1981). “Rhea was abroad: Pre-Hellenic Greek myths for post-Hellenic children”. Children’s Literature in Education. 12 (4): 171–176. doi:10.1007/BF01142761. S2CID 161230196.

Christa Schäfer-Lichtenberger, The Goddess of Ekron and the Religious-Cultural Background of the Philistines, Vol. 50, No. 1/2 (2000)

David Ben-Shlomo, Philistine Cult and Religion According to Archaeological Evidence, January 2019Religions 10(2):74, DOI: 10.3390/rel10020074

Nilsson, Martin Persson (1 January 1950). The Minoan-Mycenaean Religion and its Survival in Greek Religion. Biblo & Tannen Publishers. ISBN 9780819602732 – via Google Books.

Alexiou, Stylianos (1969). Minoan Civilization. Translated by Ridley, Cressida (6th revised ed.). Heraklion, Greece.

Beekes, Robert S. P. (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Leiden and Boston: Brill

Marianna Ridderstad, Evidence of Minoan astronomy and calendrical practices, October 2009

Kerényi, Karl. 1976. Dionysus. Trans. Ralph Manheim, Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691029156, 978-0691029153

Monteiro Teixeira, Sílvia. 2014. Cultos e cultuantes no Sul do território actualmente português em época romana (sécs. I a. C. – III d. C.). Masters’ dissertation on Archaeology.. Lisboa: Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa.

Andonis Vasilakis, MINOAN CRETE: FROM MYTH TO HISTORY Paperback – January 1, 2001

Nilsson, “Fire-Festivals in Ancient Greece” The Journal of Hellenic Studies 43.2 1923

Carl A.P. Ruck and Danny Staples, The World of Classical Myth [Carolina Academic Press], 1994

#minoan #greek mythology #gods #pagan #paganism #reconstructionism

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genuptoncrane · 7 months ago

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{ JESSICA ALEXANDER, 21, CIS FEMALE, SHE/HER} Is that GENEVIEVE UPTON-CRANE? A JUNIOR originally from LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, they decided to come to Ogden College to study JOURNALISM & CREATIVE WRITING. They’re THE NEPO BABY on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

OVERVIEW

full name: genevieve marie catherine upton-crane

nicknames: gen, genny, viv, vivs (et all)

gender: cis female (she/her)

sexual orientation: queer (sapphic leaning)

height: 5'9

nationality: american

birthplace: los angeles, california

major: journalism & creative writing

extracurriculars: editor of the school paper, writing club, cheerleading (flyer)

trope: the nepo baby

sub tropes: deadpan snarker, spoiled brat, trophy child, parental issues, famous for being famous, statuesque stunner

relationship to greer: her roommate

ABOUT GEN

The only daughter to Adam Crane and Violet Upton-Crane nee Upton, her surname had to come first of course. Adam comes from the Crane music dynasty and Gen's grandfather set up a record label. Her parents met via her mother's short lived music career, Violet Upton-Crane is a child star turned actress-model and now director-producer who's always appearing in Women of Hollywood write ups and panels. Her current project is a Ladybird style movie about a contentious mother-daughter relationship starring rising star Ruby Flores and no Gen would not like to talk about her mother. Or that movie, which is currently getting rave reviews from film festivals.

Her family, Mom especially want her to be part of the family legacy. Gen however has...not wanted that. She wants to be a writer but isn't sure what form she wants that in but she is in that weird place of wanting to stand on her own two feet and also being a spoiled brat who has barely had to work for anything.

It's debatable whether or not she actually got into Ogden on her own merits considering the sizeable donation her parents threw at the school before her admittance. They are to Gen's embarrassment, pretty active as parents even if they talk at her rather than to her. Her Mom for instance, visits Gen and takes her for a very awkward dinner at Ambrosia every month.

And her roommate/friend (sometimes??? now former considering that Gen has to share now) is now the subject of a missing persons investigation and Gen loves Veronica Mars but she didn't ask to recreate an episode. Thanks.

#ogdenintro

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reinaazarolla · 10 months ago

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STATUS: Closed for @mari-zuko SETTING: Homecoming Gala 2023

Reina had taken a moment to sit down to fix one of her shoes that was starting to become undone. Once she was all sorted out she sighed and leaned forward, legs crossed, elbow resting on her knee and chin in her palm. The only other homecoming she had gone to was her freshman year at Ogden and she tagged along in Greer's group. This homecoming felt so different so lonely. A part of her felt like leaving but another knew she should stay. Should G make an appearance it would be best if she were around for two reasons. One, it would look oddly suspicious if she leaves the gala and then suddenly G decides to join. Two, she doesn't learn or gain anything by leaving. Not that she was ever able to learn anything from previous G shenanigans.

Eventually, Reina stood up and started walking, having bumped into someone after a slight stumble. "Sorry," She said a little groggy. The sight of Mari caused her breath to catch for just a moment. "Mari," she whispered with a sigh. It may have been all the alcohol she already had but the other girl looked absolutely stunning, more so than usual. "Love the silver dress, very...shiny." She pressed her lips together and mentally kicked herself wondering why that was the best thing she could come up with saying.

#th. mari #th.mari04 #event: homecoming 2023

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duranduratulsa · 1 year ago

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Now showing on my 90's Fest Movie 🎥 marathon...The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1996) on on glorious vintage VHS 📼! #movie #movies #animation #animatedmovie #disney #thehunchbackofnotredame #quasimodo #tomhulce #demimoore #KevinKline #jasonalexander #BillFagerbakke #MaryWickes #DavidOgdenStiers #vintage #vhs #90s #90sfest #durandurantulsas3rdannual90sfest

#movie #movies #animation #disney #the hunchback of notre dame #tom hulce #demi moore #kevin kline #jason alexander #mary wickes #david ogden stiers #bill fagerbakke #vintage #vhs #90s fest #90s #duran duran tulsa's 3rd annual 90s fest #Spotify

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the-rewatch-rewind · 1 year ago

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Here it is! My most frequently rewatched movie! Thank you for coming on this journey with me.

Script below the break

Hello and welcome back to The Rewatch Rewind! My name is Jane, and this is the podcast where I count down my top 40 most frequently rewatched movies in a 20-year period. Today, at last, we reach the end of that list as I discuss my number one: MGM’s 1940 comedy The Philadelphia Story, directed by George Cukor, written by Donald Ogden Stewart with uncredited contributions from Waldo Salt, based on the play by Philip Barry, and starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart.

Two years after the disastrous end of her first marriage to childhood friend C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), socialite Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) is preparing for her second wedding, to George Kittredge (John Howard), general manager of her estranged father’s coal mining company. Eager to cover this story but knowing that Tracy loathes publicity, Spy magazine editor and publisher Sidney Kidd (Henry Daniell) enlists the help of Dexter to get reporter Macaulay “Mike” Connor (James Stewart) and photographer Elizabeth “Liz” Imbrie (Ruth Hussey) to the Lord house the day before the wedding. In those 24 hours before her second marriage begins, Tracy is prompted to rethink not only her choice of husband, but also her entire attitude toward people and life.

This must have been one of the first old movies I saw in 2002 because the only thing I remember about my initial experience of it was that I expected Tracy to accept Mike’s proposal, and if I’d been an experienced old movie watcher by then I would have known that obviously Katharine Hepburn was going to end up with Cary Grant, not James Stewart. I certainly did not immediately fully appreciate this movie, although I was intrigued enough to keep revisiting it until eventually it became my favorite. I watched it five times in each year from 2003 through 2005, four times in 2006, twice in 2007, 2008, and 2009, three times each in 2010 and 2011, five times in 2012, once in 2013, once in 2014, twice in 2015, once in 2017, twice in 2018, four times in 2019, once in 2020, twice in 2021, and once in 2022. Part of why I watch this so much is because it has three stars whose birthdays I celebrate almost every year, so I often watch it for Cary Grant’s birthday and then either Katharine Hepburn’s or James Stewart’s (their birthdays are only about a week apart so I don’t usually watch it for both). I think part of why I didn’t watch it in 2016 is because I watched it in late December of 2015 for the 75th anniversary of its release, so Grant’s birthday in January felt too soon to revisit it, and that May I decided to watch through all the Fred and Ginger movies starting with Astaire’s birthday, so I was less focused on Kate’s and Jimmy’s birthdays that year. And then later in 2016 I was too obsessed with Poe Party to watch much of anything else. But to make up for that, the reason I watched it so many times in 2019 is because Mary Kate Wiles used to host readings of plays and movie scripts with her actor friends for her Patreon, and I offered to transcribe the script of Philadelphia Story so she could do a reading of that one, and even though I knew the movie very well by then I decided to go through it a few more times to make sure I got all the details right, so eventually my love of Poe Party led to more rewatches of this. And the current Shipwrecked project, The Case of the Greater Gatsby, takes place in December of 1940 so there are lots of Philadelphia Story references in it and they make me very happy. Anyway, I’ve put quite a bit of effort into not watching this movie too many times too close together because I don’t ever want to overwatch it to the point of getting tired of it, like I did with a few other movies I’ve mentioned on this podcast, and many more that I burned out before they could make it into my top 40. While the stars’ birthdays have contributed to the view count, mostly this is my number one comfort movie that I know I can always turn to when I need something to watch, and I’m afraid of pushing it to the point where that no longer works. Although the fact that I sat through it 51 times in 20 years – the same number of views as number two plus number 40 on this list – and haven’t come close to getting tired of it yet indicates that I probably never will.

I don’t think I can really articulate what exactly it is about this movie that makes it my favorite to revisit, but I’m going to try. Certainly the fact that it features three of my favorite classic film stars helps, although a big part of why I love those stars so much is because of what they did in The Philadelphia Story. Every single member of the cast gives an absolutely fabulous performance. There isn’t a ton of action, but the dialogue is a perfect example of everything I love about the best Old Hollywood scripts: snappy and witty and clever on the surface, with real human emotion and intriguing philosophy underneath. The movie features many different kinds of brilliantly executed comedy, but the more serious moments still hit without feeling out of place. It deals with taboo subjects like divorce, infidelity, and alcoholism in ways that complied with production codes but still don’t feel too watered down. Basically, it has all the aspects I love about the other old movies on this list, only more so.

Several of my very favorite movie scenes of all time are in The Philadelphia Story. One is when Mike has had a lot to drink at a party and decides to visit Dexter in the middle of the night. The way drunk Jimmy Stewart and sober Cary Grant interact is hilarious and makes me desperately disappointed that the two of them never appeared in another movie together. At one point, Stewart makes a noise that’s kind of a mix of a hiccup, a cough, and a burp. Grant, thinking that Stewart has ruined the take, goes, “Excuse me,” sounding a little annoyed but trying to make a joke out of it, but then Stewart drunkenly responds with, “Huh?” indicating his intention to go on with the scene. Grant looks down, stifling a laugh, and then they continue with the dialogue, and I love that instead of reshooting it, or editing around it, they kept that in the movie. There may not be a blooper reel, but we still get to watch Jimmy Stewart almost break Cary Grant, and that’s good enough for me.

Another of my favorite scenes comes a bit earlier in the film, when Tracy and her younger sister, Dinah, played by Virginia Weidler, meet Mike and Liz for the first time. Tracy immediately saw through Dexter’s story that they were friends of her older brother’s and knows they’re reporters, but agreed to play along when Dexter informed her that Sidney Kidd intends to publish a story about Tracy’s father’s affair with a dancer unless he gets a story on her wedding. To protest the situation, Tracy and Dinah decide to put on a show for Mike and Liz, who don’t know that they know they’re reporters, and it is maybe my favorite comedic scene in any movie. First Dinah dramatically stumbles in wearing pointe shoes and some gaudy jewelry that was a wedding present she previously insulted. She then puts on an overly posh voice as she explains that she spoke French before she spoke English – “C’est vrai absolument!” – and boasts that she can play the piano “and sing at the same time!” She makes her way to the piano with the least graceful toe walk possible, and then bangs out a very silly rendition of “Lydia the Tattooed Lady,” a song mainly associated with Groucho Marx. While Mike and Liz are staring at her in bewilderment, Tracy peeks into the room and beams like she’s never been prouder of her sister. Once the song is finished, Tracy enters and praises Dinah in French, comparing her to Chopin, and then saying Dinah looks ill and she hopes it’s not smallpox, which freaks out Mike and Liz, but the audience knows it’s a private joke because earlier Tracy told Dinah that the only way she could postpone the wedding was to get smallpox. After Dinah leaves, it’s Tracy’s turn to confuse the reporters, and it is truly brilliant. The dialogue and the way it’s read, as Tracy turns the interview around and starts asking them invasive questions, is so good. Like when Tracy’s talking about how they don’t let any reporters in, “except for little Mr. Grace who does the social news. Can you imagine a grown-up man having to sink so low?” or when she’s welcoming them to Philadelphia and says, “It’s a quaint old place, don’t you think? Filled with relics, and how old are you, Mr. Connor?” It’s the seemingly accidental but actually very deliberate insults that get me. And then on top of that, there is some incredible yet subtle physical comedy going on throughout the conversation. Tracy accidentally-on-purpose pushes Mike and Liz into each other as she offers them seats, and there’s a whole very long bit between Tracy and Mike involving cigarettes, matches, and lighters that I didn’t even notice the first few times I watched it because I was too focused on what they were saying. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable scene all the way through, and every time I watch Tracy exit that room, leaving the reporters to ponder their bafflement, I have to applaud.

But the movie also excels at mixing some drama and seriousness in with the comedy. There’s a lot of focus on how Tracy demands perfection from herself and everyone around her, and as a result is missing out on the joys of human messiness. She makes a big deal about never drinking alcohol, although Dexter reveals that she did get drunk one time when they were married, and later remembered nothing about it. But after Dexter tells her that being married to her felt like being a high priest to a goddess, and George tells her that he worships her like a queen, and her father, who showed up uninvited, tells her she might just as well be made of bronze, Tracy gives in and starts drinking heavily at the party the night before her wedding, which was where Mike also got very drunk. Tracy and Mike meet up at Dexter’s house, then go back to her place, and dance and argue for a while until Mike kisses her and tells her that he sees her as a human being, which is a wonderful change of pace for her, so she suggests they go swimming together. Later, Dexter and George see Mike carrying Tracy back to the house, both of them in bathrobes, and George assumes the worst. The next morning, Tracy can’t remember what happened, but Dinah tells her that she saw Mike carry Tracy into her room – which is another excellent scene, Virginia Weidler was one of the best child actors of all time and people barely ever talk about her anymore, but she and Katharine Hepburn do a fabulous job of getting the point across that they both think Tracy slept with Mike the night before without breaking production codes. And then after that when Mike appears, he and Tracy have the most excruciatingly awkward conversation, and it’s so painful but so good. Dexter also shows up trying to comfort Tracy, and I love the way he doesn’t accuse her or condemn her or even ask her what happened, partly because he knows she doesn’t remember, partly because Mike told him nothing happened, but partly because you get the feeling that he wouldn’t think any less of her if she had drunkenly hooked up with Mike. And maybe that’s reading too much into this, but his reaction is certainly quite different from George’s, which I guess makes sense because technically she would have been cheating on George and not Dexter, but George doesn’t even let her explain before breaking up with her by note. He does finally show up in person as she’s reading the note aloud to Dexter, Mike, and Liz, and their confrontation is so well done – I particularly love Liz’s “Say something, stupid!” to Mike, who is just standing there listening to George accuse Tracy of having an affair with him. But after a while, Mike does eventually reveal that their so-called affair consisted of exactly two kisses and a rather late swim. Tracy and George don’t believe him at first, and then Tracy is offended, until he points out that she was very drunk and he didn’t want to take advantage of her. And like, I know that this movie was made in 1940, so the censors weren’t going to let Tracy actually have sex with another man the night before her wedding anyway, but I still can’t help loving the way they handled this. Tracy makes a bit of a fool of herself and learns that George is not the right man for her without going too far, and Mike demonstrates that it’s not that difficult to respect a woman’s autonomy and recognize when she is unable to consent.

I have a lot of mixed and complicated feelings about this story from an aroace perspective. On the one hand, it is very focused on romance and marriage. Also the whole thing about characters describing Tracy using phrases like “virgin goddess” and “perennial spinster, however many marriages” to illustrate her coldness and lack of human understanding is…not exactly an ace-affirming metaphor. On the other hand, I always appreciate stories about adults who have the chance to sleep together and choose not to, even when I know it’s at least partly because of production codes. And somehow, something about the way Dexter, Tracy, Mike, and Liz all interact give me hints of queer found family vibes, even though they end up paired off heterosexually. Maybe it’s the fact that it was directed by a gay man and features at least two probably queer actors that’s giving me that vibe, I don’t know. Another of my favorite scenes – I know, I have way too many – is when Dexter and Liz return to the Lord house after writing a blackmail note to Sidney Kidd. It’s a fairly short scene, but the way the two of them interact as platonic friends who understand each other but clearly don’t like each other romantically is not something I’m used to seeing in a scene featuring a man and a woman alone, and it makes me happy. Mike also has some great moments with Dexter, as does Tracy with Liz. I like to think that the four of them maintain their friendship after the events of the movie, rather than amatonormatively going off and doing their own thing with their spouse and forgetting about their friends. This movie does portray sex and romance as part of the human experience, but I don’t feel like it portrays them as the only important part. The message is all about pursuing the life that’s right for you, and not looking down on people who have different priorities, and when you look at it from that perspective, it actually is kind of ace-affirming, albeit probably unintentionally. But as I’ve indicated multiple times in previous episodes, asexual representation is so rare, and aromantic representation is even rarer, that if you can find an approximation of affirmation by tilting a story and squinting at it, even that feels exciting. That’s how low the bar is.

With that being said, as a teenager I definitely did relate to Tracy Lord, at least in terms of the way I was perceived. I think a lot of my peers thought that I thought I was better than them, when it was mostly that I just didn’t understand them. I don’t remember anyone calling me a goddess or a queen or a statue, but other middle and high schoolers definitely teased me for being “perfect”, which told me that they didn’t really see me as a person, so I felt Tracy’s pain and confusion when she got called out like that. I do think that like Tracy, I had a lot to learn about letting myself make mistakes and not judging other people too harshly for theirs, but I also still strongly feel that some of the criticism leveled at Tracy – and at me – was unwarranted. I can’t tell if the movie wants us to agree with Tracy’s father when he blames his philandering on not having the right kind of daughter, but I think that’s entirely unreasonable of him, and Tracy absolutely does not deserve that. And I’m not sure it’s fair of Dexter to blame her for contributing to his alcoholism, but at least Dexter takes some responsibility for his actions, unlike Seth Lord. I think my peers didn’t understand me any more than I understood them, but I probably could have cut them more slack and tried to get to know them better before writing most of them off as too different for me to possibly get to know. The circumstances in this movie are very different from being a high school misfit, but as a high schooler who often had trouble relating to movies that were actually about high school misfits, somehow this movie spoke to me. It was an escape from high school that also helped get me through high school. The story helped me become a less judgmental and more forgiving person toward others while also helping me feel better about being who I was unapologetically. I also got similar messages from other sources, so I don’t want to give this movie too much credit, but at the same time, I don’t think any single movie affected my teenage years more than this one, so I would certainly be a different person if I had never seen it.

The story of how this movie came about and what it led to is also very important to me. After appearing in several box office flops in the late 1930s – several of which made it onto this list – Katharine Hepburn left Hollywood for Broadway to star in and financially back the stage version of Philadelphia Story, which Philip Barry had written specifically for her. Howard Hughes purchased the film rights as a gift for Hepburn, with whom he had been romantically involved, although it seems like the romantic part of their relationship was over before that, so this is like My Man Godfrey in that it turned out the way it did partly because of exes who were still friends. Katharine Hepburn then sold the rights to Louis B. Mayer for only $250,000 on the condition that she would have input and veto power over producer, director, screenwriter, and cast. She got the director and writer she wanted, but her first choice for the two male leads – Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy – were unavailable. Gable reportedly hated George Cukor and was rumored to be at least partly responsible for the director being kicked off of Gone with the Wind, so it’s probably just as well that he wasn’t involved. Future lovers Hepburn and Tracy hadn’t even met yet at this point, so it would have been interesting if this was their first movie. But ultimately, Cary Grant came on board, under the condition that he would receive top billing, which feels a bit strange to see because Hepburn is clearly playing the main lead, but Grant also donated his entire salary to the British War Relief Society, so we can’t accuse him of too much selfishness. And James Stewart’s performance as Mike would earn him one of the film’s two Oscars, although he apparently thought that Henry Fonda should have won for The Grapes of Wrath, and that he had only received it as belated recognition for his performance in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington the previous year. Donald Ogden Stewart also won for Best Screenplay. The film was also nominated for Best Picture and Cukor was nominated for Best Director, and the performances of Katharine Hepburn and Ruth Hussey were nominated as well. The fact that Hepburn didn’t win – and lost to her rival Ginger Rogers, no less – indicates that Hollywood was still a little reluctant to welcome her back. But this movie crucially changed the public’s perception of Katharine Hepburn, transforming her from box office poison to a box office draw. They were calling her a has-been in 1938, but with The Philadelphia Story she showed them that she still had more to contribute, and her career took off in the 1940s, and lasted into the 1990s.

Even now, generations later, twenty years after Hepburn’s death, it’s easy to tell just by watching this movie why it was such a turning point for her. She completely embodies the spoiled socialite, but she makes Tracy sympathetic enough that when she is taken down a few pegs, as she needed to be, the audience feels sorry for her rather than gloating. Tracy is radiant enough that we understand why George worships her, yet she is down to earth enough that we understand her yearning to be seen not as an object of worship, but as a human being. Hepburn nails both the comedic scenes and the more serious dramatic scenes, with no hint of the desperately-trying-too-hard actress who comes across too often in some of her earlier films. While I obviously still love many of those films, watching this one feels like we’re seeing a Katharine Hepburn who has finally come into her own. There certainly was an element of trying to get the public to like her, but there’s no desperation about it. She gets this character, and knows how to make the audience get her too. I don’t think I could have found Tracy so relatable if she hadn’t been played like that. And listen, I’m thrilled that Ginger Rogers won an Oscar, especially because Hepburn would end up with four and didn’t really need this win, but if I had to pick one single all-time favorite film performance, I can’t think of any that would beat Katharine Hepburn’s Tracy Lord. Although I also have to say that I think Cary Grant’s performance as Dexter is incredibly underappreciated. I’ve said before that sometimes I have trouble taking him seriously in dramatic roles, but this was the ideal blend of seriousness and silliness for him, and he nails every emotional beat. He does an excellent job of showing the audience that he has grown and learned from the mistakes of his first marriage and is ready to move forward with healing his relationship with Tracy, which makes this a much better remarriage story than His Girl Friday, for example. There were a lot of movies made around this time about a divorced couple reconciling, mostly because that was the only way the Production Code allowed the scandalous topic of divorce to be addressed on film, but Philadelphia Story feels different from most of those. It’s more like Pride and Prejudice, if Pride and Prejudice started right after Elizabeth turned down Darcy’s first proposal. Both are about a couple who needed to grow and reflect before they could be happy together. I think those are my favorite kind of romances because they have less to do with attraction, which I don’t really understand, and more to do with trying to become the best version of oneself, which everyone can do regardless of how they feel about romance. Anyway, I’m a little sad that this was the last time Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn worked together, but I’m so glad they got to make this masterpiece before their careers diverged.

In 1956, The Philadelphia Story was remade as a musical film called High Society, which I watched 12 times. I enjoy that version too, although obviously not nearly as much as this version. It’s a fun romp, and the Cole Porter songs are great, but it doesn’t quite pack the same emotional punch as The Philadelphia Story. Strangely, considering I don’t think anything can touch Hepburn’s original portrayal, my favorite part of that movie is Grace Kelly’s performance as Tracy. She put her own spin on the character and was clearly having fun – probably at least partly because she’d already decided to retire from acting and marry a prince, and was wearing her actual engagement ring in the film. My biggest objection to High Society – and yes, I know I’ve complained about this too many times on this podcast but bear with me one more time – is the age gap between Dexter and Tracy. They’re supposed to have grown up together, but Bing Crosby was 26 years older than Grace Kelly, and their dynamic is just all wrong. The story doesn’t work if Dexter is old enough to be Tracy’s father! Whereas in Philadelphia Story, we’ve got Cary Grant who was born in 1904, Katharine Hepburn who was born in 1907, and James Stewart who was born in 1908. They were all basically the same age! It can be done! John Howard was born in 1913, so he was a bit younger, but I think that works for the way George looks up to and admires Tracy, and still that’s a relatively small gap. Anyway, we can add “getting actors of appropriate ages” to the long list of things The Philadelphia Story did right.

So there we have it. I’ve talked about all of my top 40 most frequently rewatched movies of my first 20 years of keeping track. Thank you so much for listening to all my rambling! I hope you’ve found this entertaining and informative – I know I have. I’m planning to do one more epilogue episode in a few weeks summarizing what I’ve learned from this project, so stay tuned for that if you’re interested. I also have lots of other ideas for movie-related podcasts that may or may not come to fruition, we’ll see. Since I don’t know what the next movie I’ll podcast about will be, I’ll leave you with one last quote from The Philadelphia Story: “We all go haywire at times, and if we don’t, maybe we ought to.”

#the philadelphia story #george cukor #katharine hepburn #cary grant #james stewart #i love this movie so much #this project has been a lot of fun #i'll be back with a conclusions episode soon-ish #but i'm going to take a break first

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camyfilms · 1 year ago

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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 1991

If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast?

#beauty and the beast #1991 #paige o'hara #robby benson #richard white #jerry orbach #david ogden stiers #angela lansbury #bradley pierce #rex everhart #jesse corti #jo anne worley #hal smith #mary kay bergman

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mari-zuko · 10 months ago

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who: @jessehart when: mid move in week where: somewhere around campus

Mari had been trying to avoid her father at all costs. Even before having returned to campus - the only issue was that Ogden was a fairly small school, making it a much difficult task than when she had been avoiding him over the summer, miraculously just always somewhere he was not, busy if he called. She had to keep her eyes peeled for him now that she was back at the school he oversaw, not wanting to deal with the aftereffects of having backed out of her internship. When she thought she spotted him, she darted off the path she had been walking on, abruptly switching her direction to make sure he didn't see her as he made his way past. It only took a few minutes, Mari's eyes fixed on his back, only relaxing once she was off the hook for at least a bit longer. She let out a sigh as she turned, stepping out of the spot she had tucked herself into in the shadow of one of the buildings, only to come face to face with Jesse.

Ironically, he was someone who could probably very much understand her desire to avoid her father - considering the summer he had had. She was pretty sure it was half the gossip at the school, and Mari - in the brief conversations she had had with her father - had already had it mentioned, well aware that the dean was not thrilled with Jesse's returning to campus, despite his friendship with Donovan Hart. There had probably been a good chunk of money involved in that. She couldn't help the slight wince that crossed her face, half out sympathy, and half out of embarrassment that he had spotted her in the act of trying to dodge her father. What did you even say to someone who had just spent the summer in rehab? "....Hey," she said, awkwardness coating into the tone. "I could explain why I'm skulking around the corner like a creep, but..." she paused, tilting her head slightly towards a shoulder. "Think you might appreciate the warning that my father just passed by more."

#thread: jesse #jesse05 #this is so unnecessarily long #do not feel the need to even remotely match length

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libraryofcirclaria · 3 months ago

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08 September 1281

Library of Circlaria

Third Level Society: First Version

Story Six: Meona Bell

I'm trying to piece together what happened since I last wrote. Everything Ivella told me when I first woke up in the University Hospital Wing made no sense to me. How Carter almost caught her...how she got away...her background...

I have somewhat of a vague memory of the Caucus Chamber. It was on fire. Or was it just smoke and sparks? Was that yesterday? Or was it last week? Or a month ago?

I know that Daniel Carter and Julian got into a fight? But why would they be hurling spellfire discharges at each other?

Or was it Kara Martins? Yes. I remember now. Carter wasn't there. Or maybe he was on the Dais. And then Kara lashed out at Julian. First, it was shouting. Then it was spellfire dueling.

Wait. No. Ceri Mains was there. And she attacked them both. She barged in. Either that or one of her cronies slipped into the Chamber among other Members. I don't remember Ceri emerging from the Audience Section though. She was just spontaneously there.

Ivella is telling me that the later in time I think, the worse it is. So I need to go back to the beginning, the morning of September 6.

That does seem clearer to me. So here goes, 1281 September 6:

Shortly after breakfast came a knock on my Guestroom Door. To my complete surprise, I saw standing at the door a very aged version of Daniel Orville Carter, himself.

"Meona now, is it?" he said. When I answered, he shook my hand and gave me a hug. "A very beautiful addendum."

"I didn't know you'd respond so quickly," I said.

"To what?" Carter said, finding himself a seat. "If you sent a message, I never got it. I was staying up the road from here since yesterday. I picked up on your name over the phone with Dungeonmaster Julian." Carter reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an envelope. "By the way, I also have an important letter from Miss Ivella; and I need to take this to Julian in person. As you can see noted, we are not to mention this letter to anyone but Julian and his close company. And no one but Julian may open this letter and read it."

"So you've come to get me to take with you to Julian?" I asked.

"You seemed to have read my mind," Carter said, standing up again. "I'm afraid I have no time for coffee and biscuits if that's what your plans were. We'll have that later."

The Campus Watch checkpoint was still up. In fact, they stepped things up by doing a more thorough search of our bags and persons. Within a very short amount of time, however, we were in Dungeonmaster Julian's Office, where Carter handed Julian the letter and ordered him to read it.

"Finally, a sign from her," Julian said grudgingly but relieved. "Right on the day of my big talk." But when he read, the look of relief fell from his face, which turned pale and blank. With his hand shaking, he handed the letter to me. "Meona. Tell me what you make of this."

I looked at the letter. Apparently, Ivella Ogden boarded an airship in Clareon, the capital of the Mid-Westerlies, and intended to ride a flight to Savel, from where she would take a cable train to Ereautea. However, the airship she was on experienced an engine failure, forcing them to make an emergency landing in the island-nation of Monassa. That was, of course, a customs nightmare for her, because Monassa has been an independent country since 1249. So she had to wait for a copy of her passport to be mailed to her.

In addition to that, there was also heavy traffic due to summer travels; so Ivella had to wait a week before finally boarding an airship back to Savel, putting her hopelessly behind schedule.

I read the second part of the letter aloud but in a quiet voice: "...However, Julian, you don't need to be afraid, and I'm saying this for two reasons: first, I know Mary Kormann very well, much more than you think. Despite her demeanor and appearance, she is very resilient. Ceri Mains is no match for her.

"Second, in watching and even involving myself in the protection of the Cabotton community during this uncertain time, I've been made aware, much to my surprise, that Ceri Mains actually has no intention whatsoever to harm Mary Kormann or otherwise infiltrate the Society, despite what certain media sources may say.

"I cannot explain why I am saying this in this letter because that involves disclosing dangerous information that I cannot risk being leaked in the unlikely event that this message gets intercepted, but I promise that I will speak with you when I finally arrive, at which point everything will make sense. In the meantime, I must ask something unusual of you. And that is to have, what you may deem, blind faith in what I've told you and to use your best judgement given the circumstances.

"I will hopefully arrive by this coming Sunday, September 9. Again, once I explain everything in person, you will be left with no more questions on the matter. Sincerely, Ivella Marie Ogden."

Julian shook his head. "That...this just...None of it makes sense," he said hysterically. "At all...I have to be on the podium in..." Julian paused and looked at his watch. "Ninety minutes!" Julian stood up and began to pace frantically. "Ninety minutes from this very moment! I have to reassure the Caucus that everything is going to be alright! And then I have Kara Martins and those other buffoons to deal with!" Julian snatched the letter from me, crumpled it up, and threw it at the wall. "That daft woman, Ivella! How could she say this!? How could she be in complete denial!?"

"She is running that darkfire sanctuary, you know. I'm afraid it's possible she may have been swayed," Carter said, and for a brief moment, I remembered back to when Julian had mentioned that diplomacy was questionable between the two figures.

"What do we do, Daniel Carter? Meona Bell?" Now there was desperation in Julian's voice.

"You're a Dungeonmaster now," Carter said. "Think!"

"Oh great!" Julian said sarcastically. "Thanks for your encouragement!"

"Let's talk to Mary Kormann," I said suddenly, standing up and lifting a calming hand to both of them. "Let's see if she has some words of encouragement to say...to the Caucus, I mean."

"You're starting to sound like Ivella now," Julian said accusingly.

"Do you have a better alternative, Mackwell?" Carter asked sternly.

Julian paused and sat back down. It seemed that he shrank and grew weaker. "Fine," he said. "Let's try Mary."

It was overcast and thundering, I remember. Small scattered thunderstorms was what the Weather Bureau called for. With that and the tight schedule, we made our way briskly to Mary Kormann's dormitory, located in Fleming House.

It was there where I met Dyla Cormick for the first time. She introduced herself and said that Mary was busy at the moment. Just then, Mary came out of her bedroom, accompanied by a tall and somewhat muscly figure named "Parker."

"Who are you to Mary?" Carter asked Parker. "Friend? Boyfriend?"

"Nah," Parker said. "Friend since childhood?"

"Who are you?" Mary asked, pointing at Carter and hiding behind Parker. "Are you a Ceri Mains thug?"

"Quite the opposite," Carter said. "I'm here to make sure Ceri doesn't get to you."

"Are you sure?" Mary asked. "I don't trust you."

Carter turned to me and Julian and said, "I'll remove myself out of sight for the time being. Call me when you're done."

I remember at that point wondering if Parker, himself, was actually a Ceri Mains accomplice influencing Mary. I almost tried to pull Julian aside to voice that concern but Julian was already in conversation with Mary. He was explaining to her how Ivella did not have answers yet.

"But she's aware of you and your safety, and is working on a solution," Julian concluded. "In the meantime, everyone else in the Caucus is scared too. We need to say something to them to make them feel better. Mary, what would you say right now to make them feel better?"

"Oh...well...I don't know...Let me think." Mary paused, sat down, closed her eyes and said, "Think...think...think..." repeatedly for the next few moments. "Oh I know," she finally said, springing to her feet and smiling gleefully like an eight-year-old. "I'd tell everyone everything you told me. And then I'd tell everyone how I have you and you and you and all these other friends to protect me." She pointed to me, Julian, and Parker when she said her last sentence. "It's just...I'm really shy..." Then she whispered, "I don't want to be on the Podium."

"You don't have to be," Parker said, gently patting her on the back. "Julian'll speak for you."

"Parker's right," Julian agreed. "I've got you there, Mary. Thank you for helping me figure out what to say though."

I called Daniel Carter back. It was twenty-five minutes before that meeting was due to start, so we set off, once again, at a quick pace.

On the way over, we talked about how things would go with this important moment. Before long, it was agreed upon that Daniel Carter, Dyla, Mary, and I would sit on the Dais by up in the front by the Podium while Julian stood and gave his speech. Meanwhile, Parker would be sitting in the Audience Section to give Mary encouragement with the presence of a friendly face.

I remember the thunder being a little louder and a little closer, though not as intense as the storm that destroyed that Great Oak Tree. Nevertheless, there were two reasons to hurry.

On the way over, we walked by a couple of Campus Watch Officers. No doubt, they were stepping up patrols since the news of Ceri Mains in Gentry County. It was all very scary for Miss Kormann, though, and I saw her flinch.

"Are those Ceri Mains thugs in disguise?" Mary asked.

Parker put a comforting hand on Mary. "Rest assured they are not," he said.

"And neither is Daniel Carter," I added. For a quick moment, I pulled them aside and flagged down one of the Watch Officers, who shook Mary's hand and gave a friendly reassurance.

"She thinks I'm one of Ceri's thugs," Carter added.

"Oh wow," the Officer laughed. "Carter's been here a million times. If he was an accomplice, we would've caught him by now."

It was when we entered the Side Hallways lining the Caucus, which was full and ready for Julian's big speech, when Daniel Carter bugged out.

"Gotta go," he said quickly. "Start without me. I'll join in the audience later."

Right when we needed his presence the most, I thought to myself.

Nevertheless, we entered the Chamber through the side door next to the Dais. The crowd fell to a murmur, expecting Julian to make his moment. Julian ascended the Dais first, then came myself, and then the other three.

"I'm okay with just Meona, you, and Julian," I heard Mary say. I turned around behind me. "Parker's not here but that's okay," Mary said to me.

That's when I realized that I did not remember seeing Parker since we were outside. But I didn't have time to think on that.

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to 'make a commitment' after all," someone said. I turned to the audience and saw that Peter Crane and Kara Martins were standing together in the front row to my left.

"Roll call!" shouted the Bookkeeper on the Podium now before I could say or do anything.

I never got a chance to know who the current Bookkeeper was or his name. He was clearly one of the professors, though, as a few Society Members are, and this one was nearing retirement.

I remember, now, whispering to Julian how they needed to change how that was done. The Dungeonmaster called the first 100 Members on the Roster; and as soon as 100 vote present, the session would begin. Julian was about to respond when a large clap of thunder outside startled the Caucus.

"Order please," the Bookkeeper said. When he finally finished, he yielded the Podium to Julian. And so Julian began his speech.

"I understand the fear, and yes it feels omnipresent," Julian began. "But rest assured, we, all of us, are constantly vigilant in protecting the Society given the situation. I have spoken with Ivella Ogden recently. She does not yet have a concise answer, but she has shelved all of her other commitments in order to focus on what is best for the Society-"

"Like what!?" Kara Martins cut in. And that was how it started. I'll never forget her shouting that, the sound of a few dozen Members shouting in support of her, and the Bookkeeper telling her to sit down and be quiet. She rounded on the Bookkeeper. "Oh so you're part of it too?"

"The Dungeonmaster is speaking!" said the Bookkeeper. "I said sit down and be quiet!"

"You and Ceri will not subjugate me!" Kara shouted, barging out into the Center Aisle. "You know about the thing with the Academy strike, right? All the faculty across all the schools are thinking of it as I speak! It's coming, I tell you! Now's the time for all of you to rise up too! Rise up and bring down these evil cronies!" She pointed at us as she said those last two words.

"Stewards! Take her away!" the Bookkeeper called amidst the growing tumult in the Audience. This turned into an uproar as the Stewards went in to take away Kara out into the Side Halls.

Suddenly, someone ran into the Chamber, shouting, "Ceri Mains has been reported on Campus!" This made the uproar in the Chamber turn into screams and panic.

"Order! Order!" the Bookkeeper shouted. "Everyone remain in their seats! This session is suspended until further notice! Stewards keep Kara in the Hallway once we resume!"

But those words were no good. Just at the moment, the Campus Watch arrived.

"Session will resume tomorrow!" the Bookkeeper shouted.

"This building's being evacuated!" an Officer called. "Everyone leave now!"

"Except you!" another Officer said, pointing at Mary. "We need to speak with you!"

Mary tried to squirm away. I tried to take her hand and calm her, but she took out a talisman and hurled a Stun Spell discharge at me. I did not expect that, but somehow I dodged that first hit and dove behind a seat. Campus Watch Officers tried hitting Mary with their rounds of Stun Spells but Mary had a good Shield Spell. Then she saw me and hurled another Stun Spell discharge, which hit me square in the face.

Next thing I remembered was waking up in this Hospital Wing.

"You were emotionally swayed, Meona," Ivella said to me. "You knew something was off with her appearance. She is a prodigy, this Ceri Mains, but disguise as a different person is not one of her strengths. You picked up on that, but you were under 'darkfire entrapment,' which dominated your emotions. And that inhibited your ability to act on what would have been your logical instinct. That is what I assume happened with you, anyway."

"You're not that far from the truth," I said.

So I learned from Ivella many things having elapsed since Thursday night. First, Ceri Mains, despite being surrounded by scores of Campus Watch Officers in that Caucus Chamber, managed to escape, and is currently at large.

And I still can't fathom the idea of Mary Kormann actually being Ceri Mains in disguise.

Second, Daniel Carter is in pursuit. I realized now that I was not the only one suspicious of that figure named Parker. It turns out that Parker was actually Kevin Mains, the cousin of Ceri Mains. Carter picked up on this on our way into the Caucus Chamber when Kevin Mains slipped away from us unnoticed. Carter noticed and went after him, which was why Carter had to leave us.

And they confronted each other. Apparently, Carter tried to stop him, but Kevin Mains turned around and struck him with a Stun Spell.

I thought back to the clap of thunder I heard during the roll call. Perhaps that's what I heard.

And apparently, Ceri Mains and Kevin Mains were, in fact, tied to the ongoing Weyne-North feud. I requested news periodicals brought to me so that I could read up.

So it began between the years 1200 and 1230 that both the Weynes and the Norths had moved out into what was considered the territory of the former nation of Wannonia as part of the big Combrian Settlement plan. There was a competition between the two families to have the highest value in property held, especially with land.

At one point, the Weynes bought partial farmland from the North family. On that plot was built a house at the end of a long driveway; this would come to be 1093 Cunningham Drive. The surrounding land was empty and remote but was eventually developed into the town of Orsbendock in the Province of Nintel. The driveway was converted into an actual street and the house became the address of 1093 Cunningham Drive.

So the Weynes built the house, hiring workers from the North family with the deal that the Norths would be allowed to live in that house for rent paid to the Weyne family. The Norths agreed to this. However, once the house was finished and they moved in, the Norths discovered that they had to share the household with Weyne tenants who claimed partial residence. Furthermore, rent was too high. As a result, the Norths handed a list of grievances to the Weyne landlords, who responded by deeming the North tenants to be a nuisance and evicted them.

The first Holz Finzi incident in the year 1237 left an opportunity for the North family to retaliate, because numerous members of the Weyne family had Involuntary Darkfire Conjuration Syndrome. The Norths convinced the surrounding community to label the Weynes and had the local government at the time blacklist them from their property holdings at the time and hand them to the North family. This gave the North family 1093 Cunningham Drive.

Then came the Retunian Revolution, which began in 1238. Once that war passed, won by the Retunian Republic, which established itself in place of the old Combrian government, the new government did away with "family condemnation," meaning that the Weyne family could regain some of their properties.

This did not include 1093 Cunningham Drive, however. That still remained under possession of the North family because in that time, there was a will written on it. The Weynes would have received it back regardless since they were technically the original owners, but the Weynes never wrote a will on it. And thus, 1093 Cunningham Drive became became a point of contention between the two families in the decades to follow.

By the 1270s and 1280s, the North family had members living in various locations throughout the Eastern part of Nintel, particularly in North Kempton, where they had particularly strong social connections; and they were quite the sociable family, apparently, having connections across all the places where they lived. Meanwhile, the Weyne family was more spread out, having residences in that same area but also in Gymia and Western Ereautea. Half of the Weyne family has the Darkfire Syndrome, half of whom reside in the Mount Carris Perimeter. And of the combined afflicted Weynes living inside and outside of the Perimeter, about half are in some way involved with the dangerous darkfire cartels.

The Weynes, like the Norths, are also sociable, but are popular with the marginalized Darkfire Syndrome demographic.

So tension had been building between the families over the past 100 years or so, but had been mounting especially between the 1250s and now. The Weynes had felt that the Norths would, at some point in the years to come, lobby both the County and Provincial legislatures to pass laws effectively bringing back "family condemnation." Though such legislation never materialized, many Weynes felt compelled to defend themselves by force, and began joining the community spellfire combat legions. Many of these legions, as we all know, charge tuition; and it's not cheap. Some of these Weynes turned to the darkfire cartel market to help pay for those training courses.

There was felt a mutual benefit there, however, because some Weynes decided to delve completely into the darkfire market, utilizing the skills gained in the legions. This would ultimately lead to direct involvement with Ceri Mains.

Meanwhile, the Norths were aware that the Weynes were arming themselves. And so the Norths, themselves, began training in community spellfire combat legions. The difference here, however, is that the North family is reputedly evangelist, and vowed never to involve themselves with darkfire, securing donations from churches instead.

Concerning 1093 Cunningham Drive, the North family apparently carved out a perpetual will, which ultimately played a role in sparking all the violence in the first place. This was written by Roseanne North in 1274, and was certified by a court of law and dictated that the deed to the house, upon death of the owner, who go to the husband or wife; if there was no living spouse, then the deed would go to the oldest son, or the oldest daughter if there was no son. If the married couple in question had no children, then the house would go to the oldest son in the "extended North family."

Richard and Roseanne North, husband and wife, inherited the house in 1243, after which the perpetual will was crafted at some point. In 1259, Richard North died, thus the deed went to Roseanne. Then in 1276, Roseanne North died; the house then went to her daughter, Bella North Kormann, who was married to Jon Kormann but was still considered a North under the will, and was eligible as Roesanne's eldest daughter since Richard and Roseanne had no sons.

Nonetheless, with Bella's last name being Kormann due to the marriage, this inheritance was the first in the North family history that handed 1093 Cunningham Drive to an individual whose legal last name was not North.

On 22 March 1281, Jon and Bella Kormann were both found dead at 1093 Cunningham Drive, with the cause of death determined to be poisoning. Their murderer is still at large, to this day, and has not been identified. Regardless, Jon and Bella, both 35 years of age at the time of their deaths, had no children, nor did they have a will prepared of their own; and thus the perpetual will had to be invoked.

But therein stood the conflict of interest. There had been a change in Nintel Provincial Law concerning the definition of "extended family," which took effect on 1 June 1276. Before that date, Nintel Law considered the term, "extended family," to mean all direct relatives, including one's first cousin or closer, with the same last name as yours, regardless of whether or not your descendent had a different last married name in the event they don't write a will themselves; therefore, under this version, the house was to go to someone in the North family.

The Province of Nintel was, up until 1276, the only Province in the Retunian Republic to have Provincial Law defining "extended family" in this way. This apparently caused a headache in court cases involving property disputes between parties in different provinces. So Nintel, under pressure from the other provinces as well as the federal government, made a change to said law, which took effect on 1 June 1276, to define "extended family" to mean all direct relatives including first cousin and closer of either you or your spouse regardless of whether or not you write a will, under the pretext that a perpetual will now applies to you and not the original author of that perpetual will. This would mean that the house, in this case, would go to someone in the Kormann family.

Again, this created a point of contention. But the ultimate controversy was this: Roseanne North wrote out the perpetual will in November 1274, before the change in Provincial Law was made and took effect. The change took effect on 1 June 1276. And then Roseanne died on 2 June 1276.

Obviously, this controversy could not be resolved without legal intervention; so a case was made to John Trayne, Arbitrator in service of Tradehouse County, who stated that the deed shall be signed over to Henry North, based on the notion that Roseanne had the earlier definition of "extended family" in mind.

However, the Kormann family disputed this, stating that since Roseanne did not have an actual individual in mind to receive the estate in the event of the deaths of Jon and Bella, the residence should go to Robert Kormann in adherence to the will based on the "extended family" definition in place after the 1 June 1276 change, since Roseanne died on June 2. This drew a rebuttal from the North family, stating that the will was signed on 18 November 1274, meaning that regardless of whether or not Roseanne intended a certain individual as a recipient of the estate in the event of Jon and Bella's deaths, the earlier law needs to apply.

Within his bounds in accordance to law, Arbitrator Trayne could not resolve this dispute, and was forced to turn the case over to court for a proper hearing and trial. The first of these took place in the Tradehouse County Courthouse on 14 April 1281, during which both the Kormanns and the Norths voiced their aforementioned arguments.

It was at this point that there was a big hole in the Provincial law revealed with no statement covering whether the law should interpret the will based on when it was signed or based on when the author of the will died. And apparently the gap was present in both the earlier and later laws. Judge Mervin Tame, presiding over this case, stated that every possible written statement by Roseanne that can be found must be collected and combined with witness testimony from both sides regarding interactions with Roseanne to determine what Roseanne had intended. The court was to reconvene on 18 April.

During the time that elapsed, Ceriph Wayne apparently approached Todd Buorning, Head Juror of the case; and there was a jury there owing to the intensity of the controversy. Ceriph had apparently promised Todd a good retirement if he promised to do everything possible to ensure the Jury did not side with the North family. Todd had sent a ticker message accepting the deal in secret; and Ceriph replied with an extended message of thanks.

This, neither I nor anyone else out there in the world would have ever known, had it not been for Todd's apparent absent-mindedness. This earned him the reputation these days as the "worst Head Juror in history." Upon receiving the ticker message of thanks from Ceriph, Todd had this stashed in his personal briefcase, which he accidentally left on a chair at a small cafe in one of the smaller towns in Tradehouse County. An anonymous person very much interested in this case, spotted the briefcase and the message hanging out of it, and had this message delivered directly to the Desk of Judge Mervin Tame, himself. Tame ordered the entire message exchange pulled from the wires.

And so on 18 April 1281, the court convened again. The Judge read the entire message exchange publicly and then subsequently ordered Ceriph and Todd jailed. He then dismissed the whole Jury and declared a mistrial, ordering a second retrial to be scheduled for October of 1282 and also ordering that 1093 Cunningham to remain vacant.

Rochelle North was, obviously, of the North family, raised by their ideals. However, she never "fit in" with the North family or their traditions, especially of their evangelist faith. She was always seen by herself and others as a "rebel."

At some point, she began a romantic relationship with Adam Kormann, who was close friends with Robert and Edward Weyne. Of that group, Rochelle was the leader; and they reputedly became involved in the illegal darkfire trade.

On the evening of 21 April 1281, they broke into the residence of 1093 Cunningham Drive.

Roger North, cousin of Rochelle North, had a completely different outlook, being truly loyal to the North family and their values. He was aware of Rochelle's plan and intended to confront her when she carried it out. Roger had two friends: Christopher Morriston and Charles Grodd, the latter of the two, may I mention, was a very close friend of Cray Fenton.

So on 21 April 1281, Roger, Christopher, and Charles went to 1093 Cunningham Drive and confronted Rochelle, Robert, and Edward. Suddenly, as all six individuals were armed and trained with spellfire talismans, all hell broke loose.

No one is sure what exactly happened but the end result was that the back add-on section of the house caught fire, warranting a call to the Fire Department. They extinguished the flames before too much was damaged. But the outcome was tragic; for they had discovered that Rochelle North, Roger North, and Adam Kormann were killed. Christopher and Charles were taken to the hospital but both survived and recovered. The same held true for Robert and Edward Weyne, but evidence emerged leading to the arrest of the latter two.

Thus the feud ignited. On 1 May 1281, the Weyne family struck back with a spellfire attack on a group of the Norths in a street battle in Orsbendock. Both sides suffered a few deaths while both Norths and Weynes, and their friends, were arrested.

The Norths retaliated on 7 May 1281, during which Tom North lured Casey Weyne into what she thought was a blind date starting on an airship leaving the Tradehouse County Airfield. As she arrived at the Airfield Tram Station, though, she was ambushed by North family thugs. She had brought Weyne family thugs of her own for precaution, but the fighting was intense enough and in a significant enough public space that the feud started to gain national attention.

Nevertheless, the violence spread. On 17 May, deadly fighting between the Norths and Weynes and their friends took place in neighboring Lyndon County. Between 18 and 24 May emerged reports of deadly fighting in Tradehouse County, Lyndon County, and Worden County. Between 1 and 8 June, the fighting spread to Torrens County and West Front County in Ereautea, and also to Shon County in Gymia.

On 11 June, Prime Minister Edward Jackson addressed the crisis, which now spread into Dearing County, and declared a national emergency, placing all the counties involved thus far under direct martial law to be administered by the Retunian Civil Guard.

And then, on 12 June 1281, Ceri Mains escaped. As it turns out, she was aided by Charles Kormann, based on a ticker message exchange pulled by the authorities shortly after the September 6 incident.

Neither he, nor Ceri, nor her other friends are to be found anywhere at this time.

<- 05 September 1281 <- || -> 09 September 1281 ->

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