#thistle is one of his early translation names

[orphetoon]

Just asking bc I really like your au, do you have an idea for everyone's favorite dysfunctional villain family? I admittedly am an anime only Dungeon Meshi watcher but I can imagine Selim taking a Sissel like role.

i do have two different ideas im trying to decide between for our favorite terrible family but sadly,,,, it is Very spoilery for the later parts dungeon meshi. slides the manga ur way ig

but yes selim would be like thistle/sissel! just little guys. they did nothing wrong

[shalpilot]

okay, general list of different spellings I’ve seen in the dunmeshi fan translations

laios- has never been spelled differently in my experience. that’s bc ライオス is very easy to transliterate lol. (raiosu)

falin- farlin/farlyn were the most common! falin was actually a pretty unpopular/scrapped translation from my memory lol. i think her name is just ファリン (falin) though so. yeah it is the most literal one. i still like farlyn a little more though heehee.

now! their last name- now localized as “touden” was spelled “thorden” in the translation i read.

senshi- always been senshi. this is actually important for a small bit where Falin thinks his name is 戦士 (warrior), lol

marcille- surprisingly, she also had a few different spellings. it was really early in the fan translation so you don’t see a lot of people calling her anything other than marcille. it was like… marshille/marsille/marsil so not too different.

chilchuck- chilchack. i specifically remember a t/n saying they decided to go with chilchack over chilchuck LOL.

Thistle- Sissel. Thissel.

Shuro- THIS ONE IS SO FUNNY ACTUALLY. For a while in the translation I was reading Laios & co would call him “Sureau” WHICH. fuck makes later events so much better. I’m not sure how intentional it was on the translator’s part but it ended up working out if it wasn’t!

Other things:

-Tallmen got translated just as “human” before it became clear that it was the canon term for humans.

-I can’t remember exactly what name they chose, but one translator decided to localize Kensuke to something to sort of preserve the pun. For those who don’t know, naming a sword Kensuke is kinda like naming it “Sir Swordsington” lolol.

[stephensmithuk]

Garter and Silk

No, not the name of a pair of detectives with red hot chemistry solving murders, but two items somewhat relevant to this story.

The Right Hon. the Earl of Thornaby, K.G. is the holder of two very important titles in the UK. Right Honourable means he is a Privy Counsellor, a title given to high-ranking politicians and which gives them access to highly secret information. You retain membership for life unless you resign or do something really stupid.

But I'm going to talk more about a organisation with a somewhat silly name. K.G. stands for "Knight of the Garter", which means Thornaby is a member of the Order of the Garter. Covering England and Wales, this is the highest state honour you can get that does not involve the serious possiblity of dying getting it; the two above it being the Victoria and George Crosses. Scotland has the Order of the Thistle, just below it in precedence. Ireland had the Order of St Patrick; with no new member added since 1936 and the last surviving member dying in 1974, it is essentially defunct.

Tradition has it that the order was founded by Edward III in 1348, but records suggest it was actually slightly early. The most popular version of the name is that a woman at a dance in Calais had her garter fall down. As courtiers sniggered at the wardrobe malfunction, Edward picked up the garter, returned it and said "Honi soit qui mal y pense!", which is generally translated as "Shame on him who thinks evil of it". The story comes from the 1460s and may well have been conocted to explain why the order was named after what was then a feminine garment.

As you can see from the link, the blue belt has a prominent role in the royal coat of arms used outside of Scotland. The Scottish version has the Order of the Thistle's motto Nemo me impune lacessit or "No-one provokes me with impunity", which definitely sounds more stereotypically Scottish!

It also features in the simplified version of the arms used by the British government, featuring on all British passports.

Membership is limited to the monarch (of course currently Charles III), the Prince of Wales (Prince Williams) and 24 living members. There are also Royal Knights and Ladies, basically members of the Royal Family like Queen Camilla, the Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Edward) or the Duke of Kent (the other Prince Edward). In addition, there are Stranger Knights and Ladies, covering a good proportion of Europe's monarchs, active or retired. Both the former and current Japanese Emperors are there; Hirohito was thrown out in 1941 for obvious reasons, but reinstated in 1971.

The latter two do not count towards the total.

The current membership gives you an idea of the sort of people who get this honour. For example:

Former Cabinet Secretary Lord Butler of Brockwell, also known for the Butler Inquiry into intelligence used to justify the Iraq War.

Sir John Major and Sir Tony Blair, former Prime Ministers.

Lord King of Lothbury, former Governor of the Bank of England.

Marshal of the Royal Air Force The Lord Stirrup, former Chief of the Defence. Or Jock Stirrup.

Lord Lloyd-Webber. Yes, the musicals guy.

The 7th Marquess of Salisbury, also a former Cabinet minister. Descended from the PM at the time of "Knees of the Gods" and all the way back to William Cecil, chief minister to Elizabeth I; the Cecil family have long been friends with the royals.

There are currently three vacancies.

Until 1946, appointments to the Order were made by the monarch on advice from the government... with all the potential for patronage that would involve. Edward VII threw a major tantrum in 1902-1903 over giving it to Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar, the Shah of Iran, because the guy wasn't a Christian. An alternative design for the badge minus the Cross of St George was drawn up... and Bertie literally threw it out of the porthole of his yacht. He eventually had to back down though.

However, in 1946, Clement Attlee and Winston Churchill, at the time Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition respectively, agreed that the honour would go back to the monarch. Elizabeth II would make them both Knights of the Garter.

****

So, onto the Silk part. "Kingsmill, Q.C." is a "Queen's Counsel", meaning he is a highly experienced lawyer appointed from the profession. You'd want one of these if you were up on a charge in the Old Bailey.

As a QC, he would have the right to wear a silk gown when in court, hence the nickname of "silks". At the time they were appointed by the monarch on advice from the government; since 2004 a selection panel makes the decision and it's a formality from there on in.

This story is set in 1893 when Queen Victoria was on the throne. When the reigning monarch is male, like at the moment, these people are known as King's Counsel or KC. The changeover is immediate; when Elizabeth II died in 2022, the head of the Bar Council signed off his tribute with "KC", causing some moderate confusion and necessitating a clarification on that matter:

The current Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer is a KC by virtue of having made a silk in 2002 as a barrister; he would later head the Crown Prosecution Service. His knighthood is the Order of the Bath. Others may make the jokes.

Sitting MPs who were barristers were made silks automatically until the 1990s; the top law officers of the government get the title as well. This is not necessarily a popular decision with other lawyers, especially if the person has little recent legal experience.

There was a BBC TV series that ran from 2011 to 2014 called Silk about a chamber of lawyers in London; including some QCs. The first season features Natalie Dormer before she joined the cast of Game of Thrones.

****

It is entirely possible to be a Silk Garter i.e. have both honours. There is currently one in fact - Baron Phillips of Worth Matravers, former President of our Supreme Court.

[scarletunit6]

Many countries around the world have adopted a flower as part of their national emblem, usually chosen for historical or cultural reasons. England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are represented by the rose, the shamrock, the thistle and the daffodil respectively. Read on to learn about each of these plants, and discover how they earned their patriotic status.

Tudor Rose

The national flower of England is the rose, but not just any rose. The Tudor rose was adopted by Henry VII as England’s emblem of peace at the end of the War of the Roses, the civil wars between the royal house of Lancashire, who wore a red rose, and the royal house of York, who wore white. The Tudor rose, which combined both, came to symbolise peace between the houses. A red rose is used by sports teams like the England Rugby Union team, while the stylised image of the tudor rose is seen on the dress uniforms of the guards at the Tower of London and in the royal coat of arms.

Scotland Thistle

Commonly found in the highlands of Scotland, the thistle is the country’s national flower, but it's not clear how it came to attain this status. One legend has it that a sleeping party of Scottish warriors were spared ambush by a Norse army when a soldier trod on the prickly flower, rousing them with his pained cry. The emblem can be found on the Scottish rugby team, and it's also an important heraldic symbol. Founded by James III in 1687, the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is awarded to those who have made an outstanding contribution to the life of Scotland.

Wales Daffodil

There is much debate about how the daffodil came to be named the national flower of Wales – but the clue could be in the title. The leek was the traditional emblem of Wales until the 19th-century. The Welsh name for daffodil Cenninen Pedr translates literally as ‘Saint Peter’s Leek’, which may have led to the confusion. It may also be because it blooms in early spring, coinciding with St David’s Day on March 1, when the flower is traditionally worn.

Northern Ireland shamrock

Not to be confused with the lucky charms of the four-leaf clover, the three-leaf shamrock is a registered trademark of the Republic of Ireland, and is also unofficially regarded as the national symbol of Northern Ireland. Its distinctive three-leaf foliage is said to have been used by St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. Although by no means a showy flower, clover is increasingly a popular addition to wildflower meadow bouquets and arrangements.

Funny how flowers do that. (n.d.). The symbolic blooms of Britain: secrets of our national flowers. [online] Available at: https://www.funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk/symbolic-blooms-britain-secrets-our-national-flowers. ‌

[artpharos]

Post the first line of your last 10 published fics, then tag 10 people.

tagged by @aurantia-ignis​. I’m told that the first sentence of the fic should somehow set the tone of the fic/set the fic up in some way but I don’t intentionally do that so this was an experience on seeing how well the first sentence matched the rest of the fic /cries 

1) “The first time, Lambda accepts Asbel as his host.” 

An angsty soda prompt done here about immortality and watching everyone you love die while you’re stuck being alone :D 

2) “His body felt weak.” 

A Richass prompt where Richard is sick and Asbel nurses him back to health done here. Tried to go for the warm fluffies for this one :P 

3) “She slips in through the window in the still of early morning.”

Rosali prompt done here. Prooobably angsty :D 

4)  ““I don’t understand what’s the big deal about a crummy name anyway!”” 

For Want of a Name, a Sormik childhood fic prompted ages ago when Dai told me that there was a little translation somewhere about how the true names of the Seraphim can be granted to the seraph by someone who they’re so close to that they know the name before the seraph does and I was like ‘cool imagine if that was sormik’ and it took me two years to finally getting around to write it. 

5)  “The world was aflame.”

Antumbra, Prologue. Antumbra is gonna be the project that sucks the life out of me for the foreseeable future and it’s first sentence also couples as a statement of its effect on my life :D 

6) “There were some things in life that one couldn't expect.”

My Girlfriend Is A Ditto. I WROTE THIS FIC FOR APRIL’S FOOLS AFTER A HORRIBLE BRAINWAVE OF ‘WHAT IF MOON ACTS EXACTLY LIKE AN IN-GAME POKEMON PROTAG AND THEN GLADION THINKS SHE’S A DITTO’ AND FOR SOME REASON IT’S LIKE MY SECOND MOST KUDOS’D FIC AFTER MOONWATCHING AND I GUESS PEOPLE REALLY LIKE MY CRACK FICS???? whatever i gladly accept any validation thrown my way 

7)  “It wasn't real.”

Illusions, done for Lonashipping Day/Week for Unrequited Love despite me trying very hard to break away from my angst roots but eh it popped up and I was a bit afraid it went full melodrama but my usual melodrama restrainer (that’s you, Dai) didn’t stop me so I guess we’re good 

8) “It's late when she gets home.”

Lamplight, done for Lonashipping Day/Week for Healing/Protection. Like. I need fluffy warm hugs ok. I need to just have my otps be in love and be happy and just be contented together

9) “There is something off in Moon's smile.”

Reflected Warmth, done for Lonashipping Day/Week for Detachment. I maaay have been a bit tipsy when I wrote this one because I was wondering what to write and just drank some plum juice before writing whatever on the page so. hm. 

10) “It hurt.“

Thistle, done for Lonashipping Day/Week with the theme of Nobility/Graciousness. This one was kinda meh. Feels kinda meh. But eh I guess you could tell that from the first sentence. 

Tagging @azureheavens because girl i know you have more than just RoP stashed around somewhere and @maginpui because I haven’t seen your fics in forever :D 

[oaklheart-blog]

Tochmarc Étaíne - The Wooing of Etain - Passage 1

This was written for use as study material for Thistle Protogrove of Ár nDraíocht Féin, a Druid Fellowship. That isn't to say that it cannot be used for study outside of this group, but please let me know if you are using it. Insight is welcome, discussion is encouraged. Using this well-known story, I hope to help folks become better acquainted with some of the Gods of Irish Religion. The writing in the notes is informal, in hopes of holding the attention of some very distracted readers. You know who you are--I still love you.

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

There was a famous king of Ireland of the race of the Tuatha De Danann [Tua-dey-Dan-ann], Eochaid Ollathair [OH-hay-d ALLA-hay] his name. He was also named the Dagda [DAG-dha], for it was he that worked wonders for them and controlled the weather and the crops. Wherefore men said he was called The Good God. Elcmar of the Brug [BRU] had a wife whose name was Eithne [En-Ya] and another name for her was Boand [BO-an] . The Dagda desired her in carnal union. The woman would have yielded to the Dagda had it not been for fear of Elcmar [elk-MER] , so great was his power. Thereupon the Dagda sent Elcmar away on a journey to Bres [BUR-as: Beautiful] son of Elatha in Mag nInis [ALE-ah-hah-in-Mag-Nin-ISH] , and the Dagda worked great spells upon Elcmar as he set out, that he might not return betimes (that is, early) and he dispelled the darkness of night for him, and he kept hunger and thirst from him.  He sent him on long errands, so that nine months went by as one day, for he had said that he would return home again between day and night. Meanwhile the Dagda went in upon Elcmar's wife, and she bore him a son, Aengus, and the woman was whole of her sickness when Elcmar returned, and he perceived not her offense, that is, that she had lain with the Dagda.

The Dagda meanwhile brought his son to Midir's [MID-ir] house in Bri Leith in Tethba [BRUH-ley / TEY-buh] , to be fostered. There Aengus was reared for the space of nine years. Midir had a great playing-field in Bri Leith [BRUH-ley]. Thrice fifty lads of the young nobles of Ireland were there and thrice fifty maidens of the land of Ireland [150 boys + 150 girls = 300]. Aengus was the leader of them all, because of Midir's great love for him, and the beauty of his form and the nobility of his people. He was also called Mac Og (the Young Son), for his mother said: "Young is the son who was begotten at the break of day and born betwixt it and evening."

****1: NOTES****

This passage serves several purposes. Not only is it terribly important in Irish mythology to establish the lineage of a God or Goddess, but it is also terribly crucial, especially in earlier literature (of which sort this is) to highlight the parents' merits, abilities, and so on. This foreshadows those of the child, while adding bulk to the narrative in general; and as we know, this was important because they didn't have television, computers, and smart-phones back then. Initially, we see the very typical and oft-mentioned 'praises' to the Dagda for his abilities "for it was he that worked wonders for them and controlled the weather and crops". The next half of this section highlights his other abilities, which include magic and control over nature and time. The Dagda is sometimes referred to as "King of the Sidhe", for it is he who is accredited with building the Sidhe mounds, and who keeps the sacred magic of the Druids. Hence his title as Father of the Druids. These traits are highlighted by the rather potent spell he works on Elcmar. Furthermore, his deception here shows his cunning, a trait that is highlighted in Angus as something of a trickster.

After Angus Og's birth, he is transported by his father to Midir's house in Tethba, who one of his older sons. This section has a few of those ever-present homages to the Druidic fixation with the number three. The first is, of course, the statement of the length of time of the pregnancy and the passage of days. Nine months in a pregnancy, and as we know if you divide nine by three you get, well . . . three. Elcmar is gone for the span of the pregnancy, but experiences time differently thanks to An Dagda's spell, which causes him to perceive nine months as one day. Nine divided by three is three, three divided by three is one. I may be losing some of you. In Irish myths, Gods are often three in one, and I have long assumed these numerical clues to be hints at that theme.

In the next paragraph, we are given more numbers to think on. Again, we have the theme of nine leading back to one, with Angus being reared in the span of nine years. The next reference to the number three is a little more elusive, if you're just reading it at face value, but a sequence of equations leads to an infinite progression of the sacred number three.

"Thrice fifty lads of the young nobles of Ireland were there and thrice fifty maidens of the land of Ireland."

3x50 = 150x2 = 300

300/3 = 100

100/3 = 33.3r

What does the infinite nature of the number three here indicate? Well, the number is in regard to those whom Angus is leader of, perhaps indicating his connection to the eternal and divine. Likely as well is this as a reference to his link with the royalty and kingship of the Tuatha De Dannan. Whatever the case,  it is clear that numbers were hugely important in Irish, considering the nature of Ogam and the Druids' calenders of the phases of the moon and other celestial bodies. Figures such as The Morrigan and The Dagda, who are primordial mother and father archetypes each have a significant link to the triadic theme. The former having 6-9 Goddesses in her conclave, and the latter being referred to as a God of "Druidic sciences", and who is referenced as being of "multi-formed triads". Three is ever-present in Druidic writing, and surrounds the origins and stories of the Gods, seeming to hint at their divine qualities; and Angus the Young is no exception.

Names, phrases, and words in this section:

Tuatha De Danann - Tua-day-Dan-ann - There is some debate on the proper pronunciation and spelling of this phrase, mainly over the usage of "De", or "of". I won't get into that too much here, but wanted to make it apparent, if anyone ever sees it spelled sans "De", not to be alarmed or confused. It means the same thing either way, and that is "The Tribe/People of Danu". Danu being, of course, the ever-present but rarely heard from mother-deity in Irish mythology.

Eochaid Ollathair - OH-hay-d ALLA-hay - This is the Dagda's "true" name, which is handy to know seeing as how he has about a dozen or so monikers, many of which indicating his red nature.The color red is associated with magic and otherworldly forces in Irish mythology. Here, though, his name means "Horseman Allfather".

Dagda - DAG-dha - The Dagda, when translated quite literally and simply, means "The Good God", though there are other translations that have its meaning as "God of All" or "God of the World".

Brugh - BREW - This word refers to a dwelling or a house, though is sometimes translated as "mansion" or "palace". Brughs are where the Aes Sidhe [Ays-Shee] in Irish mythology dwell. An Dagda's Brugh na Boinne - The House at the River Boinne, which brings us to . . .

Boan - BO-an - Also spelled Boinne, the River Boinne is named for her, and in Irish mythology she is the Goddess associated with this body of water. The mother of Angus Og, her name means "White Cow".

Elcmar - ELK-mer - His name means "spiteful/envious one", from the proto-Irish "Ealcmhar". He serves as steward to the Dagda, and is husband to Boan. He is killed by Angus Og, and is clearly an ill-fated character from the start of things.

Bres - BUR-as - Bres the Beautiful appears in several legends, most notably the Silver Hand of Nuadu. Outwardly, he is considered to be the most beautiful and intelligent man in Ireland, but inwardly his heart is small and tarnished, full of ego and selfish vanity. Think the Beast in Beauty and the Beast before he turned all big and gnarly. Bres is made defacto King of the Tuatha De Danann due to Nuada's incapacity as King, and he drives the kingdom into the ground. Eventually, you have the God of Speech doing back-breaking labor and An Dagda being starved near to dying. He ends up being ousted as King, though, and everything is okay.

Elatha in Mag nInis - ALE-ah-hah-in-Mag-Nin-ISH - Often billed simply as Elatha, for reasons that should be quite obvious, though his name isn't as intimidating as it at first appears. He is a prince of the Formorians, considered to be the "bad guys" in several fables, never-minding that Irish mythology doesn't always have traditional concepts of 'good' and 'bad'. Before you go writing off the Fomorians as 'bad guys', bear in mind that one of the greatest heros of Irish oral tradition was half-Fomorian: That is, the shining one, Lugh. Anyways, Elatha is most likely the namesake remnant of a long-forgotten moon deity, as he is said to have visited Eriu [UR-you], the matron Goddess of Ireland, at night by way of a shining, silver boat.

Bri Leith / Tethba - BRUH-ley / TEY-buh -  In this passage, it states that "the Dagda meanwhile brought his son to Midir's house in Bri Leith in Tethba, to be fostered". Bri Leith was a place in Tethba, which was a kingdom, the location of which is still up for question. Most can agree that it encompassed parts of Westmeath and most of County Longford--the North-West of the Province of Leinster. If you don't know what I'm talking about, look at a Map of Ireland and find Dublin. You'll be in roughly the correct region.

*Note on Irish Writing*

"Young is the son who was begotten at the break of day and born betwixt  it and evening."

This is a very round about way of saying that Angus was born in the afternoon. It would seem rather pointless to us, nowadays, to be so particularly wordy about this, but to the Druids it was all about the number of syllables present in their sentences. This, of course, is utterly destroyed when translated to English, but you understand the objective, I hope. These numbers usually referred back to the number three, or were otherwise numbers divisible by three. Some part of this roundabout speech is also a product of the syntax of the old Irish language. You may have found some examples of that in the excerpt so far, such as:

". . . the woman was whole of her sickness when Elcmar returned, and he perceived not her offense, that is, that she had lain with the Dagda."

A modernized version would read:

" . . . she was no longer pregnant when Elcmar came back, and he had no idea that she had lain with the Dagda."

It is important to remember this syntax difference, and the numeric syllable importance whilst reading Irish myths, as it can be very easy to become confused in the esoteric style. Honesty is my way of conveyance, of this subject, I speak not untrue. See, it's easy once you get the hang of it, but until you do it can make your eyes glaze over.

[christsbride]

The Shepherd Restores

Psalm 23:3-4

As a former shepherd keeping watch over flocks in the wilderness, the composer of Psalm 23 understood the nature of sheep, including their bad habit of wandering. When one is attracted to a clump of grass away from the flock, off it goes, and sometimes it's followed by several other woolly wanderers. Soon, night falls. Lurking in the darkness are hungry wolves, four-legged savages, looking for a supper of mutton! The shepherd counts his sheep, calling them by name.

Verse 3

The song includes this line: "He restores my soul." It's about restoration. The term is loosely based on the idea of repentance—a "turning back"—only it's not accomplished by the sheep, but the Shepherd. Realizing he has a wanderer missing, the shepherd sets out to "restore" or "return" that wandering member of his flock, calling its name and awaiting an answering bleat out in the wilderness. The wanderer is restored to fellowship despite itself.

Occasionally, one particular young sheep will get into a habit of wandering. Again and again the shepherd will have to go and find the wandering lamb. When such occurs too often, the shepherd will lift the lamb from the thistles and cactus, hold it close, and abruptly break its leg. He will make a splint for the shattered leg and then carry that once-wayward lamb over his shoulders. Hopefully, during this period of restoration, the sheep learns not to wander off and to depend completely upon its shepherd.

Finally, verse 3 promises guidance. Look at the last part of this verse. Literally, it means: "He guides me in the right tracks for His name's sake."

The Hebrew shepherd was a master at reading tracks. Many marks and paths sprawled across the rugged terrain. Some were made by wilderness beasts; others by robbers lying in wait. The wind also etched its subtle "track" in the sand. To the untrained, dull eyes of the sheep, they all looked alike—like real paths. But they led nowhere. The sheep were wise to follow only their shepherd, who always led them along the "right track." After all, it was the shepherd's reputation that was at stake: "for His name's sake."

Verse 4

The tone changes in the latter half of Psalm 23, but not the Shepherd! From the verdant, fertile slopes and bubbling brooks of verses 2 and 3, we are plunged immediately down into the "valley of the shadow of death"—literally translated the "valley of deep darkness." How does this tie in with verse 3? You'll observe that verse 3 promises that our Shepherd-Savior guides us along "right tracks." Verse 4 is simply saying that one of these tracks or paths winds along the steep, downward valley below. There is a reason for this.

Early in the year, the flocks graze leisurely in the lowlands, but as summer's sun begins to melt the high mountain snow, the shepherd leads his flock to better grazing land above. This trip inevitably includes some dangerous paths filled with uncertainties and fearful sights. The way is dark, unfamiliar, difficult. The trees periodically blot out the sunlight, and there are serpents coiled to strike as well as hungry wolves lurking in the shadows. But the sheep walking beside its shepherd is secure because the shepherd is near, leading the way, fully aware of the valley's path. Such a scene was as familiar to David as a sheet of music is to an orchestra conductor. The ancient shepherd-made-king mentally sifts through those earlier days as a lad in the wilderness with his father's flock and pictures himself as a sheep: "Even though I walk through the valley of deep darkness . . . "

As God's sheep, we are sometimes led by Him into the valley of darkness, where there is fear, danger, uncertainty, and the unexpected . . . even death. He knows that the only way we can reach the higher places of Christian experience and maturity is not on the playground of prosperity but in the schoolroom of suffering. Along those dark, narrow, pinching, uncomfortable valleys of difficulty we learn volumes! We keep our courage simply because our Shepherd is leading the way. Perhaps that is what the writer had in mind when he exhorted us to keep " . . . fixing our eyes on Jesus . . . . For consider Him . . . so that you may not grow weary and lose heart" (Hebrews 12:2–3).

Notice the psalmist says that because "You are with me," he is kept from being afraid. Mark it down, my friend. There is no experience, no valley (no matter how severe or uncertain) that we must journey alone.

Take note of what gives David comfort. He recalled the tools of his former trade: the rod and staff. The shepherd's rod was a symbol of his power. Actually, it was an oak club about two feet in length. It was used to defend the flock against wild beasts. The head of this rod was round, usually whittled from the knot of a tree—in which the shepherd had pounded sharp bits of metal. This heavy club could easily kill a lion or bear or stealthy thief threatening the safety of the sheep.

The shepherd's staff was his crook, which was bent or hooked at one end. It provided the shepherd with an instrument for prying a sheep loose from a thicket, pushing branches aside along the narrow path, and pulling wandering sheep out of holes into which they had fallen. He also used it to beat down high grass to drive out snakes and wild beasts. Like the rod, the staff was a symbol of the shepherd's power and strength. The sheep took comfort in the strength of their shepherd.

Adapted from Charles R. Swindoll, Living the Psalms: Encouragement for the Daily Grind (Brentwood, Tenn.: Worthy Publishing, a division of Worthy Media, Inc., 2012). Copyright © 2012 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved. Used by permission.

from Chuck Swindoll's Daily Devotional http://ift.tt/2CqguZq via IFTTT

[daxionsunvale]

Profile:  Daxion Sunvale

Name:  Knight Master Daxion Alaunus Sunvale Pronouns:  He/Him Alias ( nicknames ):  Dax, ‘Ken Doll’ by some of his military buddies much to his dismay Gender:  Male Ethnicity/Species:  Sin’dorei / Elf  Age:  Elven equivalent of early 30′s Date of Birth:  September 23rd Birthplace:  Quel’Thalas Spoken Languages:  Fluent in all Horde and Alliance languages, knowledgeable in quite a few others! Romantic Preference:  Women Sexual Preference:  Women Occupation:  Knight Master within the Blood Knights, he’s also an ambassador and translator for them.  Also does a lot of freelance modeling, usually for clothing lines! Criminal Record:  Squeaky clean! Disorders:  PTSD, Depression Eye Color:  Very light green with golden flecks, while he’s using the Light they often take on a more golden hue. Hair Color: Sandy blond Height:  6′4″ Scars:  He has various scarring all over his body from years of battle, but nothing too prominent aside from the more recent one left behind by his liver transplant.  It’s a large upside-down Y-shaped scar that runs just below and along his rib cage on his stomach.     Overweight: Absolutely not! Underweight:  Nope! Color: Red, Gold, Yellow Food:  Steak is always a good option, meatloaf, beef stew, pot pies Drink:  Water!  For alcohol he’d go for a good whiskey. Candy: He’s rather fond of sour things Had sex: Yes     Had sex in public: Absolutely Kissed a Boy: Yes   Kissed a Girl: Yes Gotten Tattoos:  He has tattoos of shoulder pauldrons on both shoulders in the Blood Knight colors (red and black) with the Blood Knight symbol on both of them. Gotten Piercings: Nope Smoked / Drank / Done Drugs :  Smokes occasionally, more often while out on the field.  Drinks regularly but tries to avoid this while out on the field.  Thistle on *very* rare occasion, drug testing is a thing! A Cuddler: If he is comfortable with that person then yes. A Kisser: He loves kissing! Scared Easily: No       Jealous Easily:  Occasionally Trustworthy:  Absolutely      Considered Mean:  To those under his command, probably a little.  To civilians, absolutely not! Harmed Themselves:  Yes Thought of Suicide:  Yes Attempted Suicide:  No Wanted to Kill Someone: Yes Have / Had a Job:  He’s been military in some fashion his entire life, so yes! Siblings:  Older brother, Adryion - Deceased Fears/Phobias:  Never being good enough, Chronomancy Parents:  Adryion Sr. and Alavea both died in the scourge attack, his biological father Talonoa is still alive and well!  @talonoa

Guilty Pleasures:  Smoking for sure, especially right now! What they would be famous/infamous for:  He rose in rank very quickly among the Blood Knights and he’s not planning on stopping anytime soon!  Given he’s an Ambassador, he’s often one of the ‘faces’ of the Blood Knights for when business needs to be done or war needs to be discussed.  You’ll also see his face (and body) in a lot of clothing ads in magazines and posters around Silvermoon - he was ‘discovered’ about a decade or so ago and a little extra income is never a bad thing! Character(s) you ship them with:  His love life is a hot mess right now, there are a couple interests, but no ships.  We’ll see how it all goes! Character most likely to murder them:  @gaebral Talents and/or powers:  Very strong in the Light offensively and defensively!  He’s rather adept in a variety of weapons and various forms of hand to hand combat (thanks to Talon).  He’s excellent at boxing and free climbing as well and is one of the top competitors in the Azerothian Ninja Warrior. Why someone might love them:  He is an absolute gentleman (most of the time), who says chivalry is dead?  Polite, well-mannered, funny, charming, kind, compassionate - on the outside he seems like the perfect man.  His dashing good looks help a lot too:  Jawline for days, perfect smile, muscled body...there’s a reason he’s nicknamed ‘Ken doll’. Why someone might hate them:  I’m not sure anyone would hate him, other than the obvious enemies he meets on the battlefield.  Perhaps he can be seen as too lawful good for some. How they have changed:  The PTSD has gotten SO MUCH WORSE, especially after that whole timelock incident in Suramar last year.  He hides it exceedingly well and does what needs to be done, but that internal struggle is starting to rear its ugly head.  Also his wants in life have started to shift as well, at first it was all focused on military, now he’s seeking to improve his personal life more and more. Why you love them:  He’s my knight in shining armor and he’s just a all around really good guy.  No ulterior motives, he just wants to do what’s right and make the world a better place.

Tagged by:  @dicenne Tagging:  @laurel-shadowfury @selysona-wra @talonoa @camliristarfallen @kavtari @bluexepher @viceofalltrades @kharrisdawndancer

[dailybiblelessons]

Our Bible Readings for October 18 to 24

What's ahead in the Bible readings for this week?

October 18 to 24, 2018 The Twenty-first Week After Pentecost The Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Bible Review: The Inclusive Bible

There are two important things for you to know about The Inclusive Bible. First, it is a serious, and mostly successful, attempt to render the scriptures in ways that are more gender-balanced without losing the meaning of the text. Second, it is designed to be read aloud.

The authors didn't simply replace male pronouns, but created a new translation into modern English. Most importantly, they crafted it to let the power and poetry of the language shine forth (from the introduction to the first edition of The Inclusive New Testament).

Both male and female sexist language was examined. An example given in the introduction is the way in which the render the Whore of Babylon in Revelation 17:1-18 (which is our Friday New Testament lesson). The Greek word in the original text was more closely related to idolatrous defilement (for example worship of the emperor) than with sex for money, as the words whore and prostitute in our culture imply. Instead of whore or prostitute, the Inclusive Bible uses "Great Idolater."

The authors obviously gave careful consideration to the words used. For example, when Lord is a form of address, they use Adonai in the Hebrew Scriptures and Rabbi or Teacher in the Christian Scriptures. Abba and Loving God are substitutes for Father. Substitutes for Son of God include Only Begotten, God's Own and Eternally Begotten. These, to me, maintain the sense without the sexism.

One of the things I appreciate is that the Hebrew Scriptures are divided into The Torah, The Prophets, and The Writings. In the typical Christian Bible, the early prophets—which we refer to as the former prophets (Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings) are separated from the latter prophets by Ezra, Nehemiah, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and five other books, all of which the Hebrew Bible considers part of The Writings. The Inclusive Bible keeps all the writings together, which is very sensible.

The Inclusive Bible also explicitly refers to The Twelve, the so-called minor prophets whose writings were less extensive than Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Of course, they are called The Twelve because there are twelve of them. (If you can't find a book in your Bible, it's probably one of the twelve.) This way of referring to them (as is also done in some Hebrew Bibles) seems more respectful.

It also does not include section headings. An example of a section heading in the NRSV is "The Request of James and John" for Mark 10:35-45. Although some people find the section headings helpful in getting a sense of what's ahead, others find them intrusive. We often use them in the summary that appears in What's Ahead each week, but we don't include them in the daily readings.

Here is the Sunday Gospel lesson, as rendered in The Inclusive Bible:

New Testament Gospel Lesson: Mark 10:35-45

Zebedee's children James and John approached Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, ”we want you to grant our request.”

“What is it?” Jesus asked.

They replied, “See to it that we are next to you, one at your right hand and one at your left, when you come into your glory.”

Jesus told them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptised in the same baptism as I?”

“We can,” they replied. Jesus said in response, “From the cup I drink of, you will drink; the baptism I am immersed in you will share. But as for sitting at my right or my left, that is not mine to give; it is for those to whom it has been reserved.”

The other ten, on hearing this, became indignant at James and John.

Jesus called them together and said, “You know how among the Gentiles those who exercise authority are domineering and arrogant; those ‘great ones’ know how to make their own importance felt. But it can't be like that with you. Anyone among you who aspires to greatness must serve the rest; whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all. The Promised One has not come to be serve, but to serve—to give one life in ransom for the many.”(The Inclusive Bible)

If you decide to buy this Bible, please use this link, so that your purchase will help us in our work of spreading God's word to all God's people: The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation The prices on Thursday, October 11 were $20.99 for the Kindle Edition and $24.61 for paperback.

This week's image

As the text above shows us, God expects us to be servants, which requires our humility. There have been times in my life when humility was difficult, but it is less so now. The image shows humility even in its form: it is an object that represents a person, and it is rusted. May we all go about God's work with the humility to know that it is not we, but God, who lets us see where we can be of service.

Gospel Lessons

Our Gospels this week are all lessons in humility. On Saturday, the disciples are arguing among themselves about who is to be the greatest. Jesus says to them “For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.” On Sunday it is James and John, the children of Zebedee, who are asking to sit at Jesus' left and right hands. When the rest of the Apostles become indignant, Jesus says to them “whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.” And on Wednesday Jesus washes the disciple's feet and tells them “I have set you an example, that you should also do as I have done to you.” This is an example of Jesus acting out the first being last, the greatest being the least of all. May we all find ways to do as Jesus did this week.

Epistles

In our time of preparation, we read a series of Hebrew Scripture quotations about Gentiles in Paul's letter to the Romans. During the time of reflection, we read from the letter to the Hebrews. On Monday, the author uses an image of us as ground that soaks up the word of God and either produces a useful crop or thorns and thistles. On Tuesday we are reminded that Jesus has entered the holy of holies, the inner shrine behind the curtain in the Jerusalem temple, to give us hope and a steadfast anchor for our souls. It is probably the symbol of an ideal priest-king (discussed in the Complementary Series Hebrew Scripture below) that the author of Hebrews is referring to in our Sunday Epistle lesson, and again on Tuesday.

Complementary Series Hebrew Scripture

In our first reading this week, Abram meets Melchizedek. Abram was Abraham's name before God changed it in Genesis 17. Melchizedek appears several times in this week's readings. Here's what Who's Who in the Bible has to say about him:

King of Salem. When Abraham returned from rescuing his nephew Lot from the four kings who carried him off, Melchizedek welcomed them with bread and wine. Abraham gave him a tenth of the spoil.

Scholars think that Salem might well have been Jerusalem, which is called Salem in Psalm 76:2 and in the 14th century BC Tel el-Amarna tablets called it Uru-salim.

In Psalm 110:4 Melchizedek is a symbol of an ideal priest-king.

Our other Hebrew Scripture readings are from Isaiah and Samuel. Isaiah declares God's word that Israel deserved the punishment that Babylon (also referred to as Chaldea) meted out, but that Babylon overstepped her bounds. Babylon will be punished for her misdeeds. The Babylonians had highly developed divination rituals and relied on astrologers, but they will do her no good.

Our readings from Samuel concern the appointment of the first king, Saul. Samuel declares that the Israelites were unwise to seek a king, and that in fact God was their king.

In the complementary series, our Psalm of preparation is from the ninety-first. It contains these lines

For [the Most High] will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

During Jesus' temptation the first few lines come out of the devil's mouth, but Jesus replies, quoting from Deuteronomy 6:16, Do not put the Lord your God to the test. The last few lines quoted here have led some people to put their faith to the test by handling snakes. I think we are better advised to take Jesus' advice and not put God to the test.

Semi-continuous Hebrew Scriptures

We continue our reading in Job this week. Next week we will finish up. Here is a portion of the introduction to The Book of Job in the The Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with the Apocrypha:

The poet boldly challenges the Deuteronomistic theology that goodness is rewarded with material prosperity and wickedness is punished with temporal suffering. While the merit of this position is acknowledged, the poet creates a dialogue in which Job maintains that integrity in the face of disaster must not be sacrificed to social convention, nor even to established concepts of the deity as upheld by his friends. In the end, Job discovers that his own God as well as that of his friends is too small. Nevertheless, because of his integrity, Job is exonerated and stands before God as intercessor for his friends. And perhaps the key to the book is the view that the suffering of the righteous individual stands in the presence of God. (p.510)

In the Monday reading from Job, God mentions the Behemoth. According to the Oxford Dictionary of the Bible, it is usually thought to be either a hippopotamus or some creature from primordial times.

I hope this week's readings bring a blessing into your life. Thank you for all that you do to bring God's reign into being. Mike Gilbertson

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Summary and links for the week ahead

Thursday to Sunday Psalms Complementary Psalm 91:9-16 Assurance of God's protection Semi-continuous Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35b Bless God and God's majesty.

Thursday: Preparation for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary Genesis 14:17-24 Abram meets Melchizedek. Semi-continuous Job 36:1-16 Elihu exalts God's goodness. Both Romans 15:7-13 Paul quotes Hebrew Scripture about Gentiles.

Friday: Preparation for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary Isaiah 47:1-9 Isaiah taunts Babylon. Semi-continuous Job 37 Elihu's exaltation of God continues. Both Revelation 17:1-18 The Great Idolater of Babylon

Saturday: Preparation for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary Isaiah 47:10-15 Isaiah condemns enchantment. Semi-continuous Job 39 The second part of God's answer to Job. Both Luke 22:24-30 Jesus asks, "Who is greater, the one at the table or the one who serves? But I am among you as one who serves."

The Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary Isaiah 53:4-12 A Servant Song Semi-continuous Job 38:1-7, 34-41 God's answer to Job Both Hebrews 5:1-10 Christ, a priest in the order of Melchizedek Both Mark 10:35-45 James and John asked to be seated at Jesus' right and left hands. Jesus says, "Whoever wishes to be first among you must be a slave of all."

Monday to Wednesday Psalms Complementary Psalm 37:23-40 God rescues the righteous, who take refuge in him. Semi-continuous Psalm 75 Thanksgiving for God's wonderous deeds.

Monday: Reflection on the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary 1 Samuel 8:1-18 Samuel becomes old. Semi-continuous Job 40 Job and God speak to one another. Both Hebrews 6:1-12 We are either useful crops or thorns.

Tuesday: Reflection on the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary 1 Samuel 10:17-25 Samuel anoints Saul as king. Semi-continuous Job 41:1-11 God's answer to Job continues. Both Hebrews 6:13-20 We have this hope in Jesus, a sure and steadfast anchor.

Wednesday: Reflection on the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary 1 Samuel 12:1-25 Samuel is angry with the people. Semi-continuous Job 41:12-34 God answer to Job is completed. Both John 13:1-17 Jesus washes the disciples' feet.

The links become active at 3:05 a.m. eastern time on the designated day.

*Denominations have different ways of designating the weeks during the year, so your church may refer to this week by a different name or number or both. Regardless of the name or number, the readings are the same. Here is an explanation: Calendar Explanation

Selections from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings copyright © 1995 by the Consultation on Common Texts. Unless otherwise indicated, Bible text is from Holy Bible New Revised Standard Version with the Apocryphal / Deuterocanonical Books (NRSV) copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All right reserved. Passages ending in (The Inclusive Bible) are from The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation by Priests for Equality, Published by Sheed and Ward. Copyright ©2007 by Priests for Equality. Note: The links in the titles above take you to Amazon, where you can purchase them and benefit The Lectionary Company. Image credit: Humility by an unidentified photographer via Max Pixel. This is a public domain image.

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Wednesday 16th May 2018

"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you….  Well, we have made it half way through the week, and so far all is good, weather in Estepona is perfect, warm in the day and window open at night so it cannot be bad… Bella and I enjoy this time of the year as we walk so much the climate determines where and how far we walk, Today for the first walk, we went to the ocean, just the sound of the waves washing against the shore to me,  are restorative in the melody of the surf…. No matter how difficult things are, the waves take away that frustration and bring a balance and harmony back to life.. along with a good cup of Colombian Coffee that is…

FEARS OVER TREE FELLING THREAT TO WILDCATS IN CLASHINDARROCH FOREST…. A wildcat group is concerned about the impact of tree felling on the population of the animals in Clashindarroch Forest in Aberdeenshire. Wildcat Haven, which has footage of a large cat in the forest, claims the Forestry Commission is carrying out "extensive commercial exploitation". It also fears plans for two large wind farms will threaten the wildcats. Forest Enterprise Scotland (FES) said the management of forests created a very good environment for wildcats. FES is an agency of the Forestry Commission, which manages Scotland's national forest estate. The agency said that if the wind farm proposals for the area went ahead, they would be subject to a full environmental impact assessment, public consultation and planning processes. It also said the turbines themselves would cover a relatively small area and the rest of the area within the boundary and near it would be restocked. The Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Scottish Wildcat Action (SWA) project has named the area as one of its five priority sites for wildcat conservation. The independent group Wildcat Haven said it had identified at least 13 wildcats living there, including the large wildcat which has been nicknamed the Beast. The group is concerned that the clearing of trees and the installation of the planned wind farms threaten considerable disturbance to the wildcats which could lead females to abandon or even eat their kittens. Wildcat Haven's Kev Bell said he asked Forestry Commission Scotland to cease its actions more than a year ago. "We're appalled by what's going on," he said. "The exact area where we've filmed the Beast just weeks ago, is right now being clear-felled, right when wildcats are breeding and raising kittens.

TESCO STARTS HOME DELIVERIES…..  A Tesco lorry has crashed into a house in Rothes, Moray. The HGV struck two cars before ploughing into the house on the High Street at about 03:20. The driver was taken to Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin where it is understood he is being treated for non-life threatening injuries. Earlier, a 22-year-old man was taken to hospital in a critical condition after his Mazda 3 was involved in a crash with a Land Rover Discovery in Mintlaw. The crash happened on the A952, near Hardyards at about 22:35 on Saturday. The Mazda driver was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where police said he is being treated for life-threatening injuries. The 62-year-old woman driving the Land Rover was taken to the same hospital with minor injuries. Sgt Andrew Meikleham, of Police Scotland, said: "Inquiries into the circumstances of the incident are at an early stage and I am appealing to anyone who witnessed the collision or saw either vehicle prior to the incident to contact Police Scotland."

DRUGS WORTH £100,000 IN VEHICLE ON A9 NEAR INVERNESS…. Cannabis worth £100,000 has been found in a vehicle stopped by police on the A9 near Inverness. Police Scotland said the recovery was made by officers south of city on Friday afternoon. Two men, aged 45 and 43 years old, were arrested in connection with the seizure. They are expected to appear at Inverness Sheriff Court.

PILOT SCHEME TO FAST-TRACK MIDWIVES FOR HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS…. Twenty nurses will be offered the chance to train as midwives in the pilot scheme. Nurses in the Highlands and Islands have been offered the chance to be fast-tracked to become fully qualified midwives. Health Secretary Shona Robison has announced the £500,000 pilot scheme which would see the newly trained midwives working in the region. The University of Highlands and Islands will run the 20 month-long training. The Scottish government is helping to fund tuition fees, bursary support and salary costs for 20 students. NHS Highland and NHS Western Isles have welcomed the pilot scheme. Both health boards have struggled to recruit people to certain roles, including midwives. Ms Robison said: "We are taking action to widen access to midwifery and this pilot programme will allow nurses - both living in the Western Isles and Highlands and Islands and those who live elsewhere but wish to work in the region - to become registered midwives faster than the standard courses currently on offer. "I hope as a result of this, more nurses will consider a career in midwifery where there will be more posts available. "Applications are now open and I would encourage those who have considered training to become a midwife in the past but haven't pursued it to apply."

STUDY INTO ECONOMIC IMPACT AND POTENTIAL OF ROBERT BURNS…. Academics are to assess the economic value of Robert Burns to Scotland. A team at the University of Glasgow will also look at the future potential for the bard to boost jobs in hotels, restaurants and tourism. Led by Prof Murray Pittock, researchers will examine how the worldwide appeal of Burns is already supporting Scottish business and jobs. The Scottish government-funded study is believed to be the first to look at the economic impact of such an icon. Prof Pittock, of the Centre for Robert Burns Studies, said he hoped to establish how the fascination with Burns translated into economic return for Scotland. "Tourism and food and drink are two of the three largest industries in Scotland, which in their turn reflect a highly visible national Scottish brand in the global marketplace, a brand which owes an enormous debt to Scotland's 18th and 19th century history," he said. "We need to understand the relationship between our culture and our economy more fully in order to maximise our already world-leading position." Within the UK, Scotland attracts more culture and heritage visitors than anywhere outside London. The Robert Burns museum in Alloway is second only to Shakespeare among UK writers' museums in visitor numbers. Prof Pittock, pro-vice principal at the university, added: "With up to nine million people now attending Burns Suppers every year across the world and the recent decision by Norwegian Airlines to put his name on the tail fin of one of their planes, the global importance of Burns is established. "What is important is to know now is the value he brings to the Scotland, and how he can be used to further enhance our economy."

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is an early photograph of Glasgow University... seemly fitting as we were discussing the worth of Robbie Burns to Scotland earlier....

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Wednesday 16th May 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[thedeadshotnetwork]

Epic Ink: How Japanese Warrior Prints Popularized the Full-Body Tattoo By Hunter Oatman-Stanford In the late 1820s, when artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi debuted his stunning new series of warrior prints, Japanese culture was well into a period of flux. Since around 1615, after the ruling Tokugawa family established their headquarters in Edo (the former name for Tokyo), the country had been set on a course of rapid urbanization and isolation from the global order. The private wealth of Japan’s thriving merchant class fueled the emergence of the so-called Floating World—shadowy urban districts devoted to nightlife and entertainment—and a host of media chronicling its hedonistic delights. In response, the country’s leaders passed laws to curb the spread of illicit activity and establish new standards of decency. “Tattoos were for the fashionable urban commoners, not usually people of a high social level.” Kuniyoshi released his action-packed illustrations, inspired by the characters of a popular Chinese martial-arts novel, amid this social turmoil. But unlike previous illustrators who stuck closely to the text, Kuniyoshi made a key change, adorning several of the story’s heroes with elaborate, large-scale tattoos. In doing so, he merged fantasy and decorative art to create a breathtaking new style of body modification. By transforming a few brief mentions of tattoos in the source material into a vibrant feature of his prints, Kuniyoshi produced a cultural touchstone that remains influential more than a century after his death. Tattooing existed in Japan well before the Edo Period: Small tattoos of words or text were sometimes applied when a person took a romantic or religious vow, or were forcibly given to criminals to remind others of their transgressions. But as with other areas of Japanese life, the disruptive social shifts of the Edo Period transformed tattoos from basic lettering into a complex art form. Top: “Zhu Gui, the Dry-land Crocodile” by Utagawa Kuniyoshi from the series “108 Heroes of the Popular Water Margin,” reprinted c. 1843–47. Above, a print by Kitagawa Utamaro I entitled “Onitsutaya Azamino and Gontarō, a Man of the World” depicting a courtesan applying a tattooed name, c. 1798-99. ©  Museum of Fine Arts, Boston . During the 1790s, government censors began cracking down on books and prints to discourage works that celebrated the vices of the Floating World. As a direct result, publishers focused on fictional stories with historic settings and lots of action, including the 14th-century Chinese book Shuihuzhuan , or “ Water Margin ,” whose Japanese translations had already been popular for decades. As the mythical tale of Chinese vigilantes living on a mountain surrounded by wild marshland (hence the book’s title), Water Margin , or Suikoden, as it was titled in Japanese, fit perfectly into this trendy new genre of historic fiction. The novel’s first Japanese translation appeared in episodic segments between 1757 and 1790, and instantly inspired other adaptations. Similar to the 20th-century  Marvel Universe , authors and illustrators repurposed characters and plotlines from Water Margin  for a variety of media over the course of several generations. The story’s most famous translation, A New Illustrated Edition of Water Margin , debuted in 1805, with original text by Kyokutei Bakin and illustrations by Katsushika Hokusai. Though conflicts between Bakin and Hokusai forced the publisher to pause production, more than a decade later, Utagawa Kuniyoshi was inspired by this version to create his series, “108 Heroes of the Popular Water Margin,” released to great acclaim in the late 1820s. As Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, curator Sarah E. Thompson explains in her book, Tattoos in Japanese Prints , Kuniyoshi took a few references to the tattoos of four characters and made them a prominent feature of his elaborate artwork. “In the illustrations of Chinese editions of the book, which Hokusai followed closely in his own versions, the tattoos are relatively simple line drawings,” Thompson writes. “Kuniyoshi, however, created extravagant, complex prints-within-prints, filled with color and action.” Of the 75 different heroes Kuniyoshi included in his unfinished series, 15 were depicted with large pictorial tattoos. Many of these tattoos include imagery drawn from the natural world—waterfalls, lions, snakes, peonies, monkeys, octopi, fish—while others show fantastic creatures and gods. Though earlier Water Margin prints had been popular with the public, Kuniyoshi’s series was such a massive hit that it established a entirely new genre of printmaking— musha-e or warrior prints—and made its tattooed subjects into style icons for many fans. After the Water Margin illustrations launched Kuniyoshi to fame, he continued producing artwork of the ukiyo-e school, or imagery of the Floating World. Many of these prints featured kabuki performers, a group of all-male celebrities that often donned fake tattoos for certain roles, and such portraits served to increase the visibility and popularity of bodysuit-style tattoos. It’s unclear how much Kuniyoshi’s art was influenced by actual tattoos, rather than simply his imagination, but regardless, his inked protagonists inspired countless copycat characters, artwork featuring tattooed subjects, and real-world tattoos in the decades following. “Not only were the tattoos that Kuniyoshi designed for the heroes copied in real life, but also the heroes themselves became the subjects for tattoos,” Thompson writes. We recently spoke with Thompson about the appearance of tattoos in Japanese art and the flowering of their real-world counterparts. A hand-colored photograph of a tattooed Japanese laborer by Felice Beato, circa 1880s. Via Wikimedia. Collectors Weekly: What are the first records of tattoos in Japan? Sarah E. Thompson : The earliest records of any tattooing going on in Japan are actually from Chinese history books of the 3rd century C.E., which include accounts of travelers who went to a place that is most likely Japan. One of those mentions that people had tattoos in that country. But the large-scale pictorial tattoos that we know today seem to have originated sometime around the beginning of the 19th century, and it’s not exactly clear how it happened. There was a shift from small tattoos—either given as some kind of mark to punish criminals or when someone made a vow to a lover or a deity—to these big, gorgeous pictorial tattoos that look like some kind of bodysuit. Small tattoos that symbolized a vow would be more acceptable, especially if they were religious, but in general, tattoos were for the fashionable urban commoners, not usually people of a high social level. Collectors Weekly: What led to the emergence of the so-called “Floating World”? Thompson : The Edo Period, which was roughly 1615 to 1868, is often described as the early modern period in Japan. During that time there was a major shift from a feudal society, in which your position was determined by birth, toward a more modern type of society, where your social status is mainly a matter of how much money you have. In this print by Utagawa Kunisada, c. 1862, actor Bando Kamezo I brandishes a cooking knife as the character Oni “Demon” Keisuke; his tattoos depict the oniazami weed, also known as “demon thistle.” ©  Museum of Fine Arts, Boston . Theoretically, the official class system was divided into four social classes, according to the neo-Confucian ideology of the rulers. At the top were the military rulers or the samurai, and the next most important were the peasants, because their labor was essential, and then the artisans who made useful things. The lowest of the four classes was the merchants because they didn’t do anything except shift money around. But in practice, the rich merchants were often better off than the poorer samurai. However, there were legal limitations to what you could do with that money: If you were not a samurai, you couldn’t be involved in government or travel outside Japan, and even travel within Japan was somewhat restricted. So there were quite a lot of people with money to spend, and they spent it on this popular culture in the Floating World, which was a general term encompassing all the urban pleasures—the kabuki theater, the legal brothels, restaurants, fashion stores, all kinds of things. The name Floating World described this world of transient, ephemeral pleasures. Collectors Weekly: What visual records do we have from this period? Thompson : We have quite a lot of visual documentation from woodblock prints and book illustrations, which were created by the same artists. The pictorial woodblock prints were actually an offshoot of book publishing, which became a big business during the Edo Period. The Japanese had been printing for a long time, though it had mostly been done in the Buddhist context. But during the Edo Period, you have this increase in urbanization and the population who could be defined as middle class, plus a rise in literacy rates. In the bigger cities, there were enough people who could read or at the very least had friends who could read to them, so there was a growing market for popular reading matter. “Firefighters were very likely to have tattoos, often of dragons because they’re water creatures, so it was an implicit prayer that the dragons would rain on the fire.” The earliest printed materials were mostly versions of classical literature, but pretty quickly publishers started getting authors to write stories about new subjects like the Floating World. In terms of woodblock prints, those were a spin-off from book publishing roughly around 1680, when they started selling single-sheet pictures as a separate product line. People would pin or glue these prints to their walls and throw them away when they got tired of them. Fortunately for us, some people liked them enough to save their prints even if they weren’t really meant to be saved. People who did keep them often pasted them into albums—they were glued together, perhaps with prints back to back, and then bound together. You could also do it in scroll form, or as an accordion-folded type of book. That’s the way a lot of things survived. “Hayakawa Ayunosuke,” from the series “800 Hundred Heroes of the 
Japanese Water Margin” by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, c. 1830. The historic Japanese figure is shown here with a dragon-themed bodysuit tattoo, which the actual Hayakawa certainly did not have. ©  Museum of Fine Arts, Boston . Collectors Weekly: What were the subjects of these print series? Thompson : What was written about in books and what was illustrated with prints typically went hand in hand. Especially in the 18th century, there were a number of works of fiction about what went on in the Floating World—love affairs between rich playboys and courtesans, that kind of thing. There was also a substantial amount of nonfiction, travel guides, how-to books, and there was still classical literature in addition popular literature. There were critiques of courtesans and kabuki actors, maps, all types of things. In the 1790s, there was a bit of a crackdown with the Kansei Reforms, a set of laws that tried to make people less frivolous and more moral. Moving into the beginning of the 19th century, there was a tendency for popular authors to avoid stories about present-day life and look at more distant history instead. As you know, Water Margin , which was Kuniyoshi’s first hit series, was based on a translation of a Chinese novel from several centuries earlier. But Japanese authors also wrote other adventure stories inspired by it, spin-offs set during different periods of Japanese history. To a large extent, the authors were trying to create something that would sell well and was still acceptable to the government. Italian photographer Adolfo Farsari captured this portrait of a tattooed horse groom around 1886. A warrior figure is clearly illustrated on the groom’s upper back. Via  Pitt Rivers Museum . Collectors Weekly: Were there illustrations of large pictorial tattoos before Water Margin became popular? Thompson : Yes, there are a few, which is interesting. Some people think that Kuniyoshi’s Water Margin series started it all, but I think there were large-scale tattoos being done before that. Interestingly enough, much of the evidence is in early prints by Kuniyoshi himself. He had been active as an artist for 10 years or so when he finally had this big hit with the Water Margin series in the late 1820s. But if you look at some of Kuniyoshi’s own works from earlier in the 1820s, you find images of men with those types of large tattoos. In one of the early Kuniyoshi prints in the MFA’s current show , there’s a little inset showing a fishmonger cutting up a fish and he has tattoos. We can’t date that exactly, but judging from the style, it looks as if it’s from the early 1820s, a few years before he did the Water Margin series. There’s also a well-known triptych where Kuniyoshi shows a group of men making a pilgrimage to a sacred waterfall, and when they get into the water, many of the men have tattoos. I think the trend for pictorial tattoos had started already, though we could credit Kuniyoshi with taking it to a new level of artistic value and making it something that would really last. But I’m still collecting evidence for this. This print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, “Great Falls of Sekison at Ôyama,” shows several male bathers with tattoos on their arms and backs, seen mostly as vague grey coloring, c. 1830s. Via Wikimedia. (click to enlarge) Collectors Weekly: How was the Water Margin story absorbed into Japanese culture? Thompson : There had been Water Margin translations going back to the 18th century, and you see references to it sometimes in print, but it seems to have been something that only Sinophile intellectuals knew about. Then there was this popular translation in the early 19th century, which was illustrated by Hokusai. That seems to have made the story really famous, although there’s a bit of a gap between the first part of the translation coming out and the time when Kuniyoshi did his prints in the late 1820s. Hokusai’s original illustrations did include tattooed characters, but he drew the tattoos as fairly simple outlines, rather than the elaborate designs Kuniyoshi illustrated. Most of Kuniyoshi’s heroes were not shown with tattoos and that seems to reflect reality—even when tattoos were very popular, they were still only popular for a minority of people. These images were supposed to represent 12th-century China, but we don’t know much about tattoos at that time, other than the fact that they did exist because they are actually mentioned in the original book, Shuihuzhuan . Four of the 108 heroes were specifically said to have had tattoos, and Kuniyoshi put tattoos on 15 of them. Collectors Weekly: What types of tattoos did Kuniyoshi depict? Thompson : Lions and peonies were very common, and this gave the warriors a mildly exotic look since, of course, there were no lions in Japan, or in China either, for that matter. You see them in Buddhist art because that ultimately came from India where there are real lions, but for the Japanese at this time, they were almost imaginary animals used as symbols of courage. Dragons were also very popular, and other mythical creatures like giant snakes. Often a hero is depicted fighting a monster. There’s another story that crops up a lot about a diving woman who steals a jewel back from the Dragon King, and you see her swimming along, being chased by water creatures. Occasionally, you see something like a courtesan in her full elaborate costume, parading down the street, but that is a bit unusual. Usually, it’s something more violent, something with a lot of action. “Yan Qing, the Graceful” is adorned with tattoos of lions, peonies, and waterfalls in this print from the series “108 Heroes of the Popular Water Margin” by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, c. late 1820s and reprinted around 1843-47. ©  Museum of Fine Arts, Boston . Collectors Weekly: Did Kuniyoshi’s series spawn a lot of imitations? Thompson : It was his Water Margin series that made the warrior prints, or musha-e , a major new genre of subject matter—right up there with beautiful women and kabuki actors. Just a few years later, Hokusai did the same thing for landscape prints when he brought out his “36 Views of Mount Fuji” series, which was also a huge hit. Kuniyoshi was great at the warrior prints, and he continued to be the main artist doing them, but other artists created them as well. Kuniyoshi himself brought out a second series of Japanese heroes and put tattoos on some of them, even though it wasn’t necessarily historically appropriate. So their depictions aren’t only connected to the Water Margin . Collectors Weekly: During the Edo Period, do you think tattoos were more common in prints than in reality? Thompson : Possibly. It’s hard to say. By the time you get into the later Meiji Era and foreign tourists were running around photographing people, there certainly were a fair number of tattoos. They’re typically seen on working-class men who did physical labor that involved stripping down when the weather is warm—porters, palanquin carriers, horse groomsmen, firefighters, those kinds of jobs. Firefighters were very likely to have tattoos, often of dragons because they’re water creatures, so it was an implicit prayer that the dragons would rain on the fire. This print from the “Plum” tryptich in “A Contemporary Water Margin” by Utagawa Kunisada I, c. 1859, depicts actor Ichikawa Kodanji IV dressed for the role of Danshichi Kurobei, a fishmonger. ©  Museum of Fine Arts, Boston . Collectors Weekly: Were women ever portrayed with large tattoos during this period? Thompson : Somewhat to my surprise, no. I haven’t found any direct evidence of women in the Edo Period, or even in the following Meiji Period, being tattooed. If you look at present-day movies and manga and so on, historical Edo-Period stories often include women with tattoos. But looking at material actually from the period, I can’t find any evidence for women with tattoos. The closest thing I could find was a Meiji triptych that supposedly shows tattooed women, but it’s actually kabuki actors who were all men. My impression is that women were not getting tattoos at that time. I think it was probably around the beginning of the 20th century that women started getting tattoos, although, at that point, it was illegal anyway, so only women in certain underground social circles were doing it. “Zhang Shun, the White Streak in the Waves” from the series “108 Heroes of the Popular Water Margin” by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, c. 1827-1830. ©  Museum of Fine Arts, Boston . Collectors Weekly: Why was tattooing Japanese citizens made illegal after 1868? Thompson : That was around the time of a major push for modernization in Japan, and it looks as if the Japanese government thought tattoos were old-fashioned and kind of embarrassing. The upper class had never had them anyway, so the people who were running the country probably thought, “Ugh, those working-class men with their tacky tattoos. The foreigners will think we’re all uncivilized!” Something along those lines seems to have been the rationale, though I don’t think there was any official explanation. Collectors Weekly: Did tattoo artists continue practicing after these restrictions were in place? Thompson : Yes, on an underground basis. Despite the fact that Japanese officials restricted tattooing because they were worried about what outsiders would think, real foreigners actually liked the tattoos. Although getting tattooed was illegal for Japanese citizens, tattoo artists were permitted to tattoo foreigners. Many tourists who came to Japan wanted to get tattoos—apparently even royalty like George V of England and Nicholas II of Russia, who received tattoos while in Japan. In port areas like Yokohama, there were legal tattoo shops for foreigners, though I’m sure the same tattooers were doing work on Japanese clients secretly. The restrictions were finally removed in the early 1950s under the American occupation after World War II on grounds of freedom of expression. The argument was that in proper democracies, people should be able to get tattoos if they want. A hand-colored photograph of tattooed Japanese laborers by Felice Beato, circa 1870. Via Wikimedia. ( For more on the emergence of pictorial tattoos in Japan, check out Sarah E. Thompson’s book, “ Tattoos in Japanese Prints .” ) November 10, 2017 at 09:11AM

[silverhands-etcetera]

I'll Take The Dirt Road.

I was wrong. About the thing last night about everybody being asleep. As (should be) expected, the whole gang came home through the front door at about 4AM, from whatever it is that people who are in a position to nurse a hangover do at night in Sevilla. By the time I woke in the daylight, only one of the six beds in our room was empty. Appearing to be the relative early-riser, I took care to gather & leave with a minimum of noise. Stepping out into the hall put me into an alternate reality. Young French girls were in every corner, two or three in every bathroom, every seat in the kitchen and each couch cushion occupied. The soundproofing properties of our bedroom door must be praised. I put all my phones & chargers in my pockets, tied the guitar on my back and headed for the door. A breakfast could be had at the hostel for just 2€, but I was certain I could fortify myself with a tostada y jamón & a cafe con leche down at the bar on the way out of town for no more than 3. And I would be far away from the frenzy of activity- toasts & cheese on couch armrests, washing & painting of faces, straight hair being curled & curled hair being straightened, and all manner of morning rituals being woven together. In the street, the traffic was light, only the breakfast bars were open, and there was a placid hush over those of us who were out. With a solid breakfast in me, I set out across the river, toward the tower of Sevilla, where I would join the trail. Just as the intersection came into view, I saw three backpackers cross the street from the Triana district and head out on the trail in front of me. Along with the painted arrows, I now had three moving targets to aim for. Despite not having the Dog pulling me, I felt a strong need to overtake them. I was gauging their distance from me, & I was indeed gaining on them. But as I mulled it over, I began to reconsider. I could see no point in winning a race, just to become the leader, when I actually have no idea what I'm doing. Many people have been installed to positions of power through plans such as this, and I for one have no need to punish myself, or anyone following me today. I kept back and was soon overtaken by a lanky Italian, who also quickly overtook the pilgrims in front of me. In the suburban village of Camas, my predecessors stopped at a bar and I was forced to take the point, as our fleet-footed friend was now out of sight. The arrows kept showing up, doing good things to my need for constant reassurance. The only time when I felt as though I'd lost the path, a time when an arrow pointed straight, through a 5-point traffic roundabout, I simply followed the instructions of the last arrow, regardless of how ludicrous it seemed, and walked into the center of the garden in the roundabout, among a half-dozen palm trees, at which point an arrow scrawled on the opposite guardrail was visible. Just as I caught sight of this, the three pilgrims from Triana came upon the roundabout from across the street. I set out quickly, so as to stay ahead & not let on that I had allowed a moment of doubt cross me. After that, I did not see them again, but as I came to the rise of the ramp that I was ascending, I saw another pilgrim far ahead of me. Once again, the race was on... In Santiponce, the church square was filled with proud families, and little girls in white dresses & little boys in the funny sailor suits that boys get dressed in for first communion in Spain. It's Saturday, of course. Everyone is on their own time. At the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Itálica, families were swarming the gates, and an attendant asked me for 1€ .50 for the right to mingle with all the holiday-makers, so I walked on. When the Via finally split with the highway, it did so in dramatic fashion. One last duck under an overpass, and a short hike through the trees/garbage dump, and turn and face the postcard-perfect image of a dirt path laying over the hills in a line like the crow flies. The photo op was ruined by the guy in front of me though, so it'll just have to be one of those things I gotta remember. I pulled the guitar off my back, which had the combined effects of removing weight from my shoulders, and putting my mind on an occupation besides walking. A series of chords fell under my fingers, and this pattern sustained for a couple hours at least, being the new theme of the walk, and setting its cadence to my feet. The Pilgrim in front of me had started into a habit of turning and looking behind him, and once I began messing with the guitar, he was doing so more & more. It's not a particularly loud instrument, & I was keeping it very mellow, being as nobody invited me to pollute their ears. Eventually he stopped to take a picture of a thistle, & hesitated at it long enough to allow me to pass, with a shaky "hola". His curiosity satisfied, or his nervousness over being in the lead relieved, he fell in behind me, and his footsteps soon drifted out of my ears. At the crest of the next hill, I saw a town. The target, Guillena. With a name so similar to "gallina", the Spanish word for "chicken" (the animal, not the meat), it gave a fanciful image to itself in my head. Down the hill I went towards Chickentown. Stepping closer & closer but not arriving -which is the biggest problem with seeing your goal such a long distance ahead of you, as it gets very easy to feel like you're not making any progress at all. One more left turn to reconnect with the highway and walk into town on the Calle Garcia Lorca. The routes followed to the side of each other for a while, and just before joining with the street, I discovered a lost horseshoe in the path- an omen of good luck for humans, though not really for the horse. Either way, it was too heavy to carry as a memento from day 1. I hung it in a tree for the next souvenir collector to pass, & I walked on to the door of the boarding house, which carried a sign translated to English reading "I leave, call Pilar...." I spoke to Pilar on the phone & disturbed her lunch, and she hurried back down to open the doors. While I was waiting, the tall fellow from this morning caught up. He had gotten behind me somehow and we spoke for a moment, he identifying himself as an Italian, and I as American. Pilar called us both "chico" and showed us around the place. I felt like a new man without my pack & shoes. Stage 1 in the books, and I still have energy to step into my back-up sneakers & hit the streets for a couple beers & fried cuttlefish (sorta like morels when you batter them). Vamos a ver what tomorrow brings...