"...these women are called valkyries, and they are sent by Odin to every battle, where they choose which men are to die and they determine who has victory..." - from the Prose Edda
]]>What have you been putting off doing?
Submitted by BeautifullyBroken.
My thesis research!!!! Oops.
"First in my prayer, before all other deities,
I call upon Gaia, Primeval Prophetess . . .
The Greek great earth mother."
-- Aeschylus
"I will sing of well-founded Gaia, mother of all, eldest of all beings. She feeds all creatures that are in the world, all that go upon the goodly land, and all that are in the paths of the seas, and all that fly: all these are fed of her store. Through you, O queen, men are blessed in their children and blessed in their harvests, and to you it belongs to give means of life to mortal men and to take it away." -- Homeric Hymn
]]>"...these women are called valkyries, and they are sent by Odin to every battle, where they choose which men are to die and they determine who has victory..." - from the Prose Edda
"Dance of the Faeries"
Faeries fluttering
Sparkly glittery forest
Dance 'round forever
Magic in the trees
Lights a swaying musically
Endless reverie
A midsummer's eve
Listen to the faery song
Dance 'round forever
Some cool historical science paintings I found around. Mostly of alchemists and Galileo.
Eerie little poem by Edgar Allan Poe for Friday the 13th. Its "The Haunted Palace" which is featured in The Fall of the House of Usher (1839) by Poe.
In the greenest of our valleys
By good angels tenanted,
Once a fair and stately palace-
Radiant palace- reared its head.
In the monarch Thought's dominion-
It stood there!
Never seraph spread a pinion
Over fabric half so fair!
Banners yellow, glorious, golden,
On its roof did float and flow,
(This- all this- was in the olden
Time long ago,)
And every gentle air that dallied,
In that sweet day,
Along the ramparts plumed and pallid,
A winged odor went away.
Wanderers in that happy valley,
Through two luminous windows, saw
Spirits moving musically,
To a lute's well-tuned law,
Round about a throne where, sitting
(Porphyrogene!)
In state his glory well-befitting,
The ruler of the realm was seen.
And all with pearl and ruby glowing
Was the fair palace door,
Through which came flowing, flowing, flowing,
And sparkling evermore,
A troop of Echoes, whose sweet duty
Was but to sing,
In voices of surpassing beauty,
The wit and wisdom of their king.
But evil things, in robes of sorrow,
Assailed the monarch's high estate.
(Ah, let us mourn!- for never morrow
Shall dawn upon him desolate!)
And round about his home the glory
That blushed and bloomed,
Is but a dim-remembered story
Of the old time entombed.
And travellers, now, within that valley,
Through the red-litten windows see
Vast forms, that move fantastically
To a discordant melody,
While, like a ghastly rapid river,
Through the pale door
A hideous throng rush out forever
And laugh- but smile no more.
Better to reign in hell than serve in Heaven.
(Book 1, line 263)
The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a Heaven of hell, a hell of Heaven.
(Book 1, lines 254-5)
Awake, arise, or be forever fallen!
(Book 1, line 330)
And, when night
Darkens the streets, then wander forth the sons
Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine.
(Book 1, lines 500-2)
Artwork by Gustave Doré
Here are some random quotes/scenes from Nausicaä Of the Valley of the Wind.
........................
LORD YUPA: Nausicaä! What are you doing here? This chamber is filled with toxic plants.
NAUSICAÄ: I collected the spores and grew them down here myself. Don't worry the plants aren't poisonous.
LORD YUPA: Not poisonous? Its true, the air is pure in here. But I know these plants from the jungle. These are some of the most lethal.
NAUSICAÄ:: I irrigated this chamber using water drawn from deep underground by the castle windmill. I used soil drawn from there as well. I found that with clean water and soil, the plants from the toxic jungle aren't poisonous. All the poison is in the soil. Even the topsoil in our valley is polluted. But...I don't understand. Who could have polluted the entire earth?
LORD YUPA: You discovered this all on your own?
NAUSICAÄ:: Yes. I was hoping to find a cure for father's illness.
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MAYOR OF PEJITE: The Torumekians nearly killed off all our people. They must be stopped. We have no other choice.
Stop her! Grab her!
NAUSICAÄ: Let me go! Let me go!
MAYOR OF PEJITE: Things may seem bad to you now, Princess. But once we have the Warrior, we'll burn the jungle and take back the earth.
NAUSICAÄ: You savages! You're just as bad as the Torumekians!
MAYOR OF PEJITE: You're wrong! The Torumekians want to take over the world.
NAUSICAÄ: Listen, every one of us relies on water from the wells. Because mankind has polluted all the lakes and rivers. But do you know why the wellwater is pure? The trees of the wasteland purify it and you plan to burn the trees down?!? YOU MUST NOT BURN DOWN THE TOXIC JUNGLE! YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE GIANT WARRIOR BENEATH THE EARTH!
MAYOR OF PEJITE: So what should we do? Surrender and become the slaves to the Torumekians?
NAUSICAÄ: Don't you understand? Asbel, tell them how the jungle evolved! And how the insects are guarding it so that we won't pollute the world again. Asbel...please...
]]>As I am eagerly awaiting the release of the final Harry Potter book, I would like to share this cover art I found by Mary GrandPré. I always liked her Harry Potter artwork. This is from the deluxe edition of book 7 but I kind of wish it was on the regular edition too. It's Harry, Ron, and Hermione riding a dragon!!!!! Soooo...dragons in book 7!!!?!!?!!