noirserviteur - Tumblr blog

[noirserviteur]

Something I've been working on for an embarrassingly long time. In addition to cleaning up 'The Fenian Cycle' Book from the manga, I also wanted to put my own spin on Yana's design with additions relating to the mythos, as well as some more details. The goal is to make this into a physical book, eventually.

[noirserviteur]

Absolutely fucking miserable I couldn't make it to the dismal Willy Wonka AI scam.

[noirserviteur]

Colored one of Yana Toboso's sketches for @azuresins birthday.

[noirserviteur]

Azure is correct that there isn't any singular publication tiled "Fenian Cycle" from the 18th or 19th century-- What ultimately constitutes the Fenian Cycle is hundreds of stories that date back 800 years.

But it should be noted that the 19th century was a particularly important time for Celtic folklore; there was an explosion of publications around that time by Irish and Scottish folklorists, attributed to the Celtic Revival.

There are easily a dozen authors from the 19th century who recorded some portion of the Fenian Cycle, and many such Irish authors and folklorists were politically active at the time. As such, folklore and mythology were heavily linked to the Irish national identity and invoked as a symbol often during conflict with the English in modern history.

So, the importance is not so much in which version of the Fenian Cycle the twins read, but that regardless of which version they read, there's a significant cultural and political provenance.

Azure mentioned the Fenian Brotherhood in his original Finnian Name Theory post, but at the time of the twins' childhood, the Fenian Cycle would have been heavily associated with the Fenian Brotherhood and particularly the Fenian Dynamite Campaign, a series of bombings from 1881 to 1885 (notably the year their parents were killed, and one which was set to take place on the twins' 9th birthday).

The stories contained in the twins' book could be any and all of the ones compiled during the Celtic Revival, and regardless of which ones it actually contains, the Phantomhive's motivations for giving that book to their children probably have a lot to do with the contemporary importance of Finn to the Irish and particularly Irish Nationalists. That isn't to say that there isn't importance in the actual content of the myths, I think Azure has demonstrated that. It's only to say that if you look into any of the Finn myths, contemporary publications would probably be the most relevant for a presumably Irish nationalist to give to his children. Mind, none were exactly children's books, and there's a lot of overlap between retellings, but there's plenty to research nonetheless. This is a small selection of 19th century authors writings on Fionn but they're some of the more well known ones. Azure also tipped me off to the Fionn Folklore Database which is difficult to navigate but helpful if you know what you're looking for. They've archived 3500 poems and translations.

I was wondering, can you explain in more detail about what exactly the Fenian Cycle is ... and what version you think our!ciel is reading?

"The Fenian Cycle" is the third of a series of cycles... The order is, the Mythological Cycle, the Ulster Cycle, the Fenian Cycle, and then the Cycle of Kings. These "Cycles" refer to a collective... bodies of literature/stories pertaining to specific time periods in Celtic Mythology. In the case of the Fenian Cycle, the stories are about Fionn mac Cumhaill and/or about members of the Fianna, his band of hunters / warriors. This includes his family and sons, as well. (The Fenian Cycle, is also called the "Ossianic Cycle" after Fionn's son, Oisín.) There are thousands, of different stories, and/or versions of these stories. If you come across any story that has Fionn in it, or members of his family, or the Fianna... it's a part of the Fenian Cycle. Some of these stories, are older than others... and some of them, have been adjusted, expanded upon, amended, and also Christianized. They've been copied down, and spread... many times, in many different books. There's never going to be any "official" set of stories because many people have very strong feelings about which stories, and which version OF the stories, are "authentic."

As for Kuroshitsuji...? A publication titled "The Fenian Cycle" didn't exist in the 1800s as far as I know of, so it's likely a fictionalized published book-- one that only seems to exist in the context of the manga (I am sure others have pointed this out). My best guess, is that Our!Ciel is reading a book, that is a modest collection of the most popular and well-known stories, pertaining to Fionn Mac Cumhaill that have been organized, translated from Gaelic into English. I'd also assume this book is a part of a set (featuring similar collections for the other Cycles). * * * That's why I sometimes wonder, which specific stories are in there. We already know this book is deeply sentimental to him. Sometimes I get curious about how the stories were translated in the context of the kuro-universe, what his understanding of the stories are, what his understanding of the celtic underworld is.

[noirserviteur]

The cult also revolves heavily around Roman constellations, no? The stars for which the members are named are Greek, of course, but star divination and the naming of constellations is heavily linked to Romans, as is cult based society. The Romans also killed Jesus so there's that.

The first thing I noticed in the chapter 204 cover art was both Finny's thorns and, the way his hairclips are arranged like Roman Numeral Eleven. (XI)... This is also a reference to Jesus Christ, which. Seemed like Yana wanted us all to know for absolute certain, that this thorn crown is specifically a Christian reference and wants us to really notice, and for us to compare Finny to Jesus. Which is interesting to me, because in the picture Finny is dressed like a vampire... I can't help but wonder, if Christ's resurrection, is meant to enter our mind, too. ...? The dead can't come back to life that we know of in the context of the manga so far, but there are Bizarre Dolls (I forgot no one calls them Weird Barbies except me and I almost typed that and left it in), and there are Death Gods, both of these are beings that were human, once and have died (more or less). We don't know anything about vampires, but now I have to wonder what Yana has in mind for Finny's fate...

Is he... fated to be die, and come back...?... is that too good (or terrible??) to be true...? Finnian is my favorite, and I know I'm actively trying to talk myself out of the hope that he's not just going to die, and thats it. But, still. That seemed a highly specific choice. There's nothing to suggest any human character will be a Grim Reaper definitively and I certainly can't make that claim off of one thing she's drawn, but Finnian in particular, always kind of gave me pause simply because. He's the gardener. He uses garden tools every day. What if that was some kind of foreshadowing, since all the grim reapers in Kuroshitsuji use a variety of garden tools and not just typical scythes ... is it possible? The only others we've seen garden to that degree, are Grelle (...lol) and Sebastian. For a human character we've known for a long time, to undergo that human to death god transformation, in real time? Before our eyes? We haven't seen that, yet. That could be interesting... but would she do that, and would she choose someone like Finnian (or any of the other servants) for that part? I don't know, but. I am looking directly at this art and I am suspicious of it. If nothing else, it's scratched my brain. Is it possible fanfic fodder, if nothing else? Yes. I feel like I'm repeating myself a lot, but I stand by that I think Finnian is extremely important and paramount to this story, there's more to him than most think... It's also worth mentioning by contrast, Snake, is dressed as a Hogwarts Wizard, right. Except... Snake, really DOES actually TALK to snakes. In that context, this frames that reference a bit interestingly... because to talk to snakes, would mark someone as a respected, feared, and powerful wizard in the context of the series he's making reference to. Our snake isn't a powerful wizard (I mean, that we know of, we really don't know much about snake yet), but that's not the point I'm trying to make. In that series talking to snakes isn't a good thing, but, it still makes his outfit interesting-- because he can actually do that. Talk to snakes. What does Finny, then, have in common with a vampire with a Jesus complex? "Super human" quality? Abused by humans? Guilt? Unwavering loyalty, to the point of martyrdom? ... is that all? Is there anything else? ???

[noirserviteur]

I am going to peel off all of your skin.

sexy (͡o‿O͡)

You know something, you're right. ... And when you're right, you're right, you know?? What else can be said? Prejudice be DAMNED! He's the ideal, for the occupation, in every conceivable way. Whatever title you would give him. Butler, Steward, Manservant, Majordomo, even a Chamberlain, perhaps? 💙 He's talented, true to his word, apt and capable, most adaptable to countless situations and just... altogether, the pinnacle of utter perfection. I think you said it best, anon... maybe it's a bit crude, a bit too bold... but we can't really blame anyone can we? Whoever can't admit it, just... they're being honest with themselves and just NOT looking hard enough and it's such a shame. I mean just LOOK at him...

PERFECTION! NOT ONE FLAW!

[noirserviteur]

behold the arcane bunny ritual sculpture at a park near my work. i took this from a bridge 15 ft up and all these bunnies are as large as me, a 5’3 adult person

[noirserviteur]

[noirserviteur]

I have always known this, but you are forgiven. 💜

Apparently, @azuresins didn't know that Irish harps are traditionally played with long fingernails. The Irish did not all start using finger tips until the 18th century.

[noirserviteur]

Apparently, @azuresins didn't know that Irish harps are traditionally played with long fingernails. The Irish did not all start using finger tips until the 18th century.

[noirserviteur]

Something important consider regarding Sebastian, and some of the things people have had to say about him pertaining to following Christian Mythology.

Some people are using the wrong evidence to support Sebastian following what they claim is "Christian Mythology." If one tries to base his origins off of his contract symbol alone, and link it to The Lesser Key of Solomon… a lot of people have some feelings on the matter. Namely, an entire group of people. I did my best to break down the contract and it's origin in a previous post, but I did not further expand on it. I deeply regret that I didn't. The lesser Key of Solomon is a grimoire that does not actually trace back to the Talmud. The Lesser Key of Solomon is loosely based off of The Testament of Solomon... which barrows from multiple cultures and can only be traced as early as the middle ages. In fact, is has absolutely no connection to true Jewish folkore or true Kabbalah. There are mountains of evidence to support this, I would encourage people to keep digging. This article expanded upon this much better than I could ever explain. :

That people have used this grimoire in the past as "evidence" that jewish people have "secret magic and powers" and as an excuse to be antisemitic. N-zi's used this, as propaganda.

The book was clearly written by a non-jew (goy), who culturally-appropriated from Kabbalah and Talmudic texts. How do historians (more importantly, jewish historians) know that? There's a lot of grammatical errors in extremely-broken hebrew, for one. There's the countless books and articles written about this by Jewish people that often get trampled on, by people in occult spaces. Theistic Satanism is rife with people who are comfortable brushing shoulders with N-zis and parroting their ideology, for a reason. Occult spaces in general are very hostile, toward jewish people in general and they don't care if they're stealing from a closed practice. Quabbalists / Cabbalists were formed in general, so that non-jews could steal/practice Kabbalah and pretend it's Christian … The Lesser Key of Solomon, is a part of that. People call it "Christian" as an excuse, to be able to use it in religious practices. Solomon came before Christ, not after.

Jews who believe and practice in a non-secular way, don't believe demons are inherently always evil beings. There isn't a clear cut translation for "demon" in hebrew. That very belief in of itself, has gotten many jewish people hurt, killed, and persecuted for centuries.

A mystic jew who practices Kabbalah, would not have written a book/grimoire describing demons, like that. A jewish person wouldn't have even approved of the vast majority of those illustrations of the demons, either. Another reason this is known: it's staple of jewish folklore that demons aren't capable of completely shapeshifting into a human being, as they always will have what's described as 'chicken feet' / 'bird feet' / 'cock's feet', when they're in disguise, and they have to hide them using other much more ordinary means outside their own magic.

A lot of those illustrations in the lesser key, describe and depict them as having human feet, when they take the shape of a human... There's not even one mention of 'They take the shape of a man with chicken's feet/birds feet' or any warning, about what their feet will look like, anywhere, in the Lesser Key of Solomon. Wouldn't that be important?

In jewish folklore sometimes demons are known to chase ghosts and wayward souls that were once evil in life, trying to escape accountability for their misdeeds. Human ghosts who try to posses or hurt other humans. In other words it's generally accepted that human evil has the potential to be more meddlesome and monstrous, than a demon can be. That's not primarily a Christian belief. It is also a Jewish belief, that demons are inherently doing what they're supposed to do and have a place, in G-d's plan. Even 'Satan' (not the correct name in Jewish belief!!!) is ultimately a subordinate to G-d, working with him and not against him... not necessarily HIS adversary or the enemy, it's much more accurate to say demons and devils are an adversary to humans and human kind, alone. Didn't Sebastian say, "Where is the FOOL who spits on God?" ...That doesn't sound like a demon who sees God as an adversary. Contrary to popular belief, the Christian God and the Jewish G-d, even conceptually... are extremely different concepts, and entities (I mean for fucks sake one did the whole Jesus thing, and one DIDN'T... that's a huge difference. It is not by any stretch the only one).

People have been pointing these things out for centuries. That Christianity is NOT Judaism Plus™️... but it continuously falls on deaf ears. The reason why discussions like this almost never go anywhere productive, are because people out there... either don't care, or are Antisemetic anyway. It doesn't matter if they brush shoulders with extremely misguided and bad people, they want to believe what they want to believe. People will always be out there who will try to insist the Lesser Key is actually-reliable knowledge concerning the vast majority of these demons, and those who actually use it are "doing it in good taste!" and that "this source is Christian actually, and I am respectful!"

There's "demons" on that list, that come from completely unrelated cultures and practices, that aren't christian OR jewish. I've cited sources that confirm this already... but you need look no further, beyond the names and descriptions of the demons themselves. Therefore, insulting to say, "Their overlord is Satan" and they're beneath a rank in any kind of Christian-formulated hierarchy.

For the record... Of course, it is possible to explore this in fiction and to study these things. Of course it's possible, that jewish people have written about these spirits, and have tried to reclaim some elements of design of the sigils and content that was badly botched. It's their right to do so. Of course it's possible, to take these sources with a grain of salt and read it as someone curious, and studying how this all happened... how these texts came to be, and why it's so far removed from the closed practices that wrote about them. I'm not saying it can never be used or written about, ever, I am not trying cancel anybody (or Yana). Especially people who didn't know half of what I've just talked about. It took me an embarrassingly long time to understand any of this, and even accept half of the things, I've read. I'm just saying trying to say, as someone who has studied these matters independently for over fifteen years... That even if you're of the belief, Sebastian is connected to the symbols within the contract and that grimoire? ... It still doesn't mean, he's a part of Christian mythology. That source doesn't necessarily mean anything, in the context of who Sebastian is. The evidence to support he is Abrahamic in origin is much more arguable. The fact is, we don't know what Yana has in store for him, and we don't know that his contract necessarily means that The Lesser Key of Solomon, or The Testament of Solomon are accurate sources for what he is, or are actually helpful when it comes to identifying what sort of demon he is. He's certainly not following Christian mythology, and isn't displaying any of the signs that track with Christian mythology. He wears a crucifix, walks about a church, and walks on hollowed ground. Before anyone says with their whole chest they know exactly what sort of Demon or entity Sebastian is, in the context of the manga… I would implore people, to do more research, about these matters and to ask a lot of questions... and seek many different sources, regarding even what they THINK they know, and who they THINK they can trust.

It's easy to imagine in fiction, that if an entity went from a g-d to demon, or even from one type of demon to being seen as a different type... that they might embracing the symbols and names, they are now so commonly associated with. A lot of stories have been written like that. It's a very common theme in a lot of media, written by many different people across several different cultures! Jewish culture was not the only culture appropriated, in The Testament of Solomon.

I do find it extremely odd though, that people use the contract symbol and where it came from, as evidence that Sebastian is a "Christian demon" and "A fallen angel"... when Yana herself has already said she doesn't ever intend to confirm what his nature is, or where he came from. I also don't believe that humankind is supposed to be the pinnacle of all things innocent, and that the supernatural and divine are forces, are leading them to pain and poor choices... there are so many evil humans, in black butler and if anything, they use the supernatural as means to accomplish their goals and ambitions. Not the other way around. We have seen Sebastian act manipulatively, destructively, and even cruelly... but not any more so, than other characters in the story. Sebastian is not behaving the way a true evil being out of the bible, would.

Sebastian's contract isn't even "perfectly" inverted (as I already pointed out). "Solomon" / "Soluzen" isn't in Sebastian's contract, at all (the exception being S1 in the anime... thats it) ... and that tells me all I needed to know! * * * If you read all the way to the end of this you deserve rewards and treats. * * *

But finally on a personal and extremely petty note …why do people want things to be infinitely less interesting than they could be????? 😭 Why do Christians think they invented and have the monopoly on demons? Why does he need to fit into an extremely limited view of what a demon is that BADLY?

[noirserviteur]

“6 wings” “2 heads” “6 legs” linocuts from the exhibition “7 maa ja mere taga”

[noirserviteur]

Engaging in hand to hand combat to defend the ending of Good Omens 2

[noirserviteur]

SebCiel is the least gay thing in Kuroshitsuji

[noirserviteur]

The people calling S4 Sebastian ugly have forgotten how ugly S1 Sebastian was. I live in envy.

[noirserviteur]

by Daniel Cid

[noirserviteur]

💋💋 You've been kissed!! Send this to five other people to give them kisses!!

Why are you yelling. What do you want from me. Where do we go from here.