chaoticneutraletymologies - Tumblr blog

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

Crochet snowflake ❄️ Step by step ❄️ 👉 https://youtu.be/Chumf9OB6gU

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

Sea life art pieces by Mitizure (shop), made using tsumami zaiku (folded silk squares) technique. You can see here a whale and her calf, a sea turtle, a sea angel/clione, an anomalocaris (?), and a winghead shark.

I also really like those other works (moth+rooster):

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

Abkhaz people, Abkhazia, by Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Abkhazia

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

The Burmese Harp

The Burmese Harp is a sad tale of a Japanese unit immediately following the end of World War II, as they try to uncover the whereabouts of their lost comrade. This was definitely one of the most touching movies I’ve seen for this class, and it might have been my favorite.

Initial Reactions

This movie hits INCREDIBLY hard. One scene in particular near the beginning struck out to me, where one soldier of the defiant Japanese unit says, “Who can lose if we don’t surrender?” and then immediately cuts to dozens of wounded men in the cave, as if to say the act of fighting in itself is already a loss, since resistance at the moment was futile. This damnation of hyper-nationalism was much needed, especially in deference to a different form of patriotism that Inouye’s unit exhibited, where loss must be accepted in order to reconstruct.

One specific shot of the film I loved but unfortunately couldn’t find was after Mizushima visits the hospital grave and returns to his room in some sort of panic attack, where the camera cuts to his shadow. It was really striking how long the shot lingered, and I saw it as some visualization of the emptiness Mizushima was feeling at the moment, as after that he establishes his purpose as a monk and begins his journey to bury his fallen Japanese comrades.

Motifs/Symbolism

One major motif in the film is music: Mizushima plays the saung (the titular Burmese harp), Inouye’s unit enjoys singing, and the British army’s singing signifies the end of the war. I think the use of music is used to generally identify passivity and a desire to return home. The main song within the movie is “Home, Sweet Home”, and Mizushima’s post-Monk communications with the unit while in Burma is brought about by his harp playing and their singing. The accompanying child in the movie also wants to learn “Home, Sweet Home” to get nostalgia money from soldiers.

I was reading something about the harp itself, and it’s interesting that the harp is an instrument that has a direct inspiration from a weapon: the bow. The transformation of the bow into a harp can be seen as a transformation from an instrument of war into an instrument of peace. This is paralleled in the transformation of Mizushima from a soldier into a monk, as he forsakes the violence of war for the placid yet arduous life as a man of peace.

Final Thoughts

This might be the best movie that we’ve had to watch for this class in my opinion. The final part where Captain Inouye reads the letter brought me to tears, as the considerable sacrifice that Mizushima made for his mission couldn’t have been weighty. With the music and the story and the camaraderie, this movie might honestly be one of the best films I’ve seen in general.

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

Burmese Petitions, Letters, and Other Papers, Reproduced by Photolithography

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30911481063&searchurl=sortby%3D0%26vci%3D65071755&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-title1

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

“A rushnyk or rushnik is a ritual cloth embroidered with symbols and cryptograms of the ancient world. They have been used in sacred Eastern Slavic rituals, religious services, and ceremonial events such as weddings and funerals.”

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

Love and Light 

Margaret August

from the website: Love and Light is a limited edition print by Margaret August based on an original painting by the same name. It shows two eagles, the moon, and an owl at the bottom. The two eagles surround the feminine energy of the moon, offering their devotion, strength, and protective powers. The owl represents wisdom, security, and clear vision, even in darkness. The moon appears in the mythology of all Northwest Coast nations. She is a guide, a protector, a guardian spirit, a timekeeper, and is also associated with transformation.

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

Raven Steals the Harvest Moon 

Andrew Williams

from the website: “I made this pendant as a memory of when I was young and used the raven steals the moon image to convey it.

When I was 3-4 years old my Dad took us out to harvest butter clams, he took us out during the full moon which was the brightest natural light, it was in October full moon, it had to be cold to harvest butter clams so they aren’t toxic, every fall and winter is butter clam harvesting time.” -Andrew Williams

This piece was created for the exhibition ‘Cycles: Themes of Renewal in Northwest Coast Jewellery’ at Lattimer Gallery between September 18 – October 2, 2021.

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

壽／HAPPY

Credit: ambigram-lab

🧧 #Chinese #文字 #文字移植 (at Vancouver, British Columbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_z20s6j2p-/?igshid=12zk6c078uftq

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

ΛNΛLOG / DIGITΛL ™

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

Merthur (Merlin/Arthur) - Symbiotogram (similar to Ambigram)

(rotate the image by 180 degrees for the magic to happen..)

some people were asking if i'd ever think of making merch of this and i never did yet but then i kinda sorta set up a redbubble account..i'm very new at this so everything might not be as it should be.. :3 ..but if you want to, then check these out: https://www.redbubble.com/people/pen-dragon-lord/shop?asc=u

@achievementofthemajority thanks for the idea and the info.. :3

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

棺桶       @itousatosi   　　/ネガポ字

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

enjoy your mooncakes <3

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

The Goddess of Bees - Emily Bolivet Art

Goddess of Bees

Belisama (Brigit) : Celtic Goddess

Beyla : Nordic scandinavian Goddess

Austeja : Baltic Goddess

Mellona : Roman Goddess

Bhramari Devi : Hindu Goddess

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

I think the main issue with trying to study the Baltic pantheon, the lithuanian pantheon in particular, is that the information is really spread out or just wrong. Most lists of deities i’ve come across are incomplete in some way shape or form. Most texts about mythology, the afterlife, ect are contradictory or are in lithuanian and get lost in google translate. There’s so little good-quailty information out there its so frustrating. 

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

Bengali calligraphy moodboard

All images from Pinterest.

[chaoticneutraletymologies]

Śubha janmāṣṭamī | Śubho jônmāṣṭomī | Happy Janmashtami