#sainthood

[pityroad]

— Forfeiting My Mystique, Kaveh Akbar, in '100 Queer Poems, an anthology' (2022)

[text ID: Some saints spent their whole childhoods biting their teachers' hands and / sprinkling salt into spider-webs, only to be redeemed by a fluke shock of grace just before death. May I feather into such a swan soon.]

[letallthetrashraindown]

Anne Carson, “Grief Lessons: Four Plays by Euripides” / George William Joy, “Sleeping Joan of Arc” / Andrei Tarkovsky / Anne Sexton / “Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian”, Il Sodoma / Caroline Walker Bynum, “The Holy Feast and the Holy Fast” / “St. Denis Picking up His Head”, 19th century Panthéon murals / Margaret Atwood, “Half Hanged Mary”

[lucidloving]

Chelsea Hodson, "Tonight I'm Someone Else" // l.a.m, "The Rising of the Phoenix" // @astrono77153462 // author unknown, "Fallen Angel in Church" // Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov // Franz Kafka and @wingful // @conturnacious // Ted Chiang, Hell is the Absent of God // Google search results // David Bowie

[surelyspacejunk]

'Sainthood' in the Shadow Realms

When I was exploring Enir-Ilim, the pillars made of humans reminded me of stories of the 'Hitobashira' in Japan (which literally means 'human pillar'.) Hitobashira was the practice of sacrificing humans before a grand project (such as bridges or castles) to appease gods and ensure the success of the project. In some stories, the sacrifices are entombed/buried alive in the structure as part of the ritual. It was also said that the hitobashira gave the building more structural integrity (with a side effect of the occasional vengeful spirit because not all sacrifices were willing participants.) You can read the wikipedia entry for hitobashira here if you're interested.

Bringing this back to Elden Ring, I felt like this was the most straightforward explanation to what sainthood meant; becoming human pillars for the gate of divinity to usher in a new god. If building Enir-Ilim required a large number of sacrifices, and the shamans somehow acted as catalysts that stuck more bodies together, it'd make sense why the hornsent would hunt them to extinction. It would also make sense why it wasn't just the numen put in jars, it was as many people as they could fit to complete the project.

If this is correct, then it makes sense why it wouldn't matter if the people in the pots were willing or not, their sacrifices would ensure the Gate of Divinity would be made and have their deaths honored in the name of 'sainthood'. The parallels of unwilling sacrifices/martyrdom and direct visual wordplay on hitobashira/human pillars make me think that this explanation is as simple as it gets. It was also shown that in The Lands Between, jar folk were used to bring bodies back to the Erdtrees, so it would make sense if their predecessors in the Shadow Realm also had a role in bringing bodies to Enir-Ilim.

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

Etienne Azambre (French, 1859-1935) Saint Cecilia of Rome, n.d.

[catholicmemoirs]

Please pray for me. I have been suffering from fits of rage ever since having my second child and although I've made progress I'm not at the vision of Catholic calm and peace I always imagine a mom should be and it breaks my heart because I want to become a saint but feel so very far from it. Please pray for my children and husband who don't deserve my rage.

[blackwomenrule]

[imaginal-ai]

"The Meditations of Saint DeAndre" (0006)

(More of The Meditations and Ecstasies Series)

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[woundlight]

devotion this salvation that. what about fallen saints. saints who once were adored and perfect in the eyes of their god but fell from its grace. saints who once served their divine so faithfully they were seen as extensions of it, yet were given an order they could not fulfill. saints who couldn’t bear the prayers of the innocents ringing in their ears. saints who were once blessed with power and glory. saints who discarded it all in exchange for freedom.

[thatgentlewife]

ST. MOTHER TERESA'S HUMILITY LIST

1. Speak as little as possible about yourself.

2. Keep busy with your own affairs and not those of others.

3. Avoid curiosity.

4. Do not interfere in the affairs of others.

5. Accept small irritations with good humor.

6. Do not dwell on the faults of others.

7. Accept censures even if unmerited.

8. Give in to the will of others.

9. Accept insults and injuries.

10. Accept contempt, being forgotten and disregarded.

11. Be courteous and delicate even when provoked by someone.

12. Do not seek to be admired and loved.

13. Do not protect yourself behind your own dignity.

14. Give in, in discussions, even when you are right.

15. Choose always the more difficult task.

[my-deer-friend]

The Saint of Never Getting It Right

(Click for full quality!)

[mothmussy]

Goku should be given sainthood

[spiritstarry]

After two years of hard work, soul searching, and combing through bad jokes, my friend @thetempurmental and I are finally ready to start sharing our new comic. It's called Sainthood. It's a satirical dramedy about a group of students at a Christian high school in Middle America. The first few pages are up now. Updates will come as they come. Enjoy!

[apesoformythoughts]

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

Vladímir Lukich Borovikovsky (Russian, 1757-1825) St. Luke the Evangelist, ca.1804

[anetherealpoetess]