#The people of Britain celebrated his death

[meraki-yao]

I'm in a law lecture, the lecturer is talking about British history because the lecture content is Civil Law System VS Common Law System

And I'm trying so hard not to laugh because all I can fucking think about is George Villiers

Like as a historical figure, I have opinions on the real-life George Villiers, and most of them are very negative

But mix that sentiment with the fact that Nick's playing him, and I can't fucking stop laughing

Oh God, M&G is gonna be a ride for me

[childotkw]

I’d love to read a dark Harry fic (but like a good one). Would you ever consider writing a dark Harry? Like riddle persuades Harry to join his dark side? Maybe they went to school together or something… or just any other hp/tr fics tbh I love your work sm xx

I might pinch the beginning of Dig Two Graves for this one, but I was thinking -

Harry and Tom attended Hogwarts together, and their rivalry was the stuff of legends. They pushed each other to new heights, nipping at the other’s heels in each class, and the teachers despaired as much as they celebrated the wonders it did for the boys’ grades.

Both mistreated orphans, both from old, respected families (though it takes time for Tom to find his), both powerful halfbloods.

Their differences only just outshone their similarities.

Everyone agreed - quietly, of course, because heaven forbid one of them hears - that if fate had been kinder, Harry Potter and Tom Riddle would have been the best of friends.

And the funny thing? They actually were.

In between their sniping and duels and mean smiles, these two boys succumbed to the draw they felt to each other. Orbiting, never quite colliding but still basking in the presence of the only other one in the world that seemed to see them.

They kept it hidden. Something special, private. A friendship they treasured but were unwilling to share with the world because it was theirs.

Late nights studying in the library turned to idle plans of their future. The places they would travel to, the magics they would learn.

Harry doodled maps and routes they would follow on the backs of his parchment. Tom daydreamed of the power he would wield and the Harry-shaped shadow that was forever at his side.

But they were young, and stupid, and good things never lasted for people like them.

Myrtle Warren died in an accident, and Tom panicked.

He then made a mistake that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Harry was sent to Azkaban for murder, and Tom was the one who put him there.

Across the channel, Gellert Grindelwald awakened from the most vivid prophetic dream he had ever experienced. He’d laid there gasping, still blinking away the spots in his vision from the duel with Albus that he lost -

And filled with the bone-deep certainty that he needed to find a boy called Harry Potter.

With the future still ringing in his ears, with the whispers and warnings from Death - not the concept, not the idea, but the being itself - coiling through his mind, Gellert accepted what he must do.

At the very least, he mused, dropping back into his bed and waiting for the pounding of his heart to settle, Albus would never anticipate this.

-

Three months later, Harry Potter vanished from his cell in Azkaban.

Two years later, Gellert Grindelwald was defeated in battle, clutching his first, original wand.

Ten years later, Tom Riddle returned to Britain, ready to seize the power he had always dreamed of.

And two days after that, the remnants of Grindelwald’s Acolytes, long thought to be disbanded and destroyed, launched an attack on the British Ministry of Magic.

Led by Grindelwald’s apprentice.

And he had waited over a decade to submit his complaint to the Wizengamot.

[loneamaryllis]

Merry Christmas @racfoam ! Here's a small gift for you!

A scene from a Harrymort AU where Harrie sold herself to Voldemort in exchange for peace.

"Look up."

The words were whispered in her ear, a sinuous demand that wound its barbed coils tight around her throat. She complied, helpless against the command, her eyes flicking up.

There, hanging from the ceiling, was a bouquet of mistletoe. Vibrant green leaves, white fruits dotted around the bulk of the plant, and a red ribbon.

Fuck.

Harrie tried to run.

Large hands clamped down on her shoulders, pinning her in place.

"You know what that means," Voldemort said, with a softness that belied the steel strength of his grip.

"No."

It didn't mean anything, because he couldn't force her into it. That was one of the few safeguards of the contract binding her to him. She had to obey most of his orders, but she was free to ignore anything regarding physical intimacy. He couldn't make her kiss him.

"It's tradition, Harrie."

"I'll make a new tradition. Stand under the mistletoe, punch you in your noseless face."

He chuckled, and the sound trailed down her spine like a ribbon of smooth silk.

"Still so fierce. You've been mine for six months now, and you haven't lost your fire."

She gnawed into her lower lip, unable to deny it. She was his. She had signed that contract and given herself to him, and in exchange, he had halted his attempts at taking over wizarding Britain. He no longer threatened Muggles and Muggle-borns. There was peace—at the cost of her freedom.

"One kiss," he said, leaning down until his lips brushed the shell of her ear. "Just... one kiss."

She swallowed past the heavy lump in her throat. Something was churning in her stomach. Disgust, that was disgust—disgust when she pictured his snake-like face, the pale skin, the slits he had for nostrils, and those unnatural red eyes that always pierced right through her.

Yes, disgust only, she told herself, resolutely ignoring the low, cramping pull in her belly.

People were watching.

This was a party, after all—a Yule celebration—and there were guests from both sides. Death Eaters mingled with members of the Order of the Phoenix, while a few international guests were present as well. The orchestra was playing, and people were talking and mingling around the buffet, half of them oblivious to the mistletoe situation. The other half was looking at her and Voldemort.

The Malfoys were watching, all three of them, identical gray eyes on her. Snape was watching, from halfway across the room, a glass of Champagne in his hand as he stared at her, gaunt features set in a blank mask. Her friends—Ron, Hermione, Ginny—were watching, and they looked furious, but there was nothing they could do. Coming to her rescue would violate the terms of the contract, and Harrie had made it clear to them that—

—that she'd chosen this. That it was worth it. That she wanted it.

Another pulse of heat tugged at her core.

The bastard was keeping the soul bond wide open, wielding it as a weapon against her. His desire flowed toward her like a torrent, the water accumulating fast. Her mental wall wobbled.

He wanted a kiss? Fine. He would get a kiss.

Turning around, she grabbed him by the lapels of his stupid suit, tugged him down, and smashed her lips to his.

A solar flare of desire erupted between them. Voldemort let out a predatory growl and opened his mouth, his forked tongue flicking out. Harrie growled back.

Then she bit him.

Her incisors sank into his thin bottom lip, and the bitter flavor of his blood burst onto her tongue. She huffed in triumph, drawing back. He didn't let her move away. His hand cupped the back of her head, his fingers knotting in her hair, and he pressed their mouths together with ravenous greed, his tongue plunging between her lips.

Blood.

Blood and fire—she was burning, burning for him.

A final lick of that prehensile tongue against her own, and he let her go.

She hurriedly stepped back, her heart racing. Glaring at him, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Her face felt too hot, her knickers too damp.

"What a delightful surprise," he said, with a sly grin. "My lioness has claws."

"That's all you'll get out of me."

His crimson eyes flared like a sunset. He lifted a finger to his mouth and casually ran it across his lips, before licking the blood with a swipe of tongue that was frankly obscene.

"That is all I wanted for now, Harrie."

She turned her back on him and lied to herself, twice. She pretended she wasn't running away.

And she pretended she hadn't liked that kiss.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

By India McTaggart and Tracey Kandohla

21 April 2024

The first statue of Queen Elizabeth II since her death has been unveiled to the approving barks of nearly 50 corgis.

The permanent memorial to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch – complete with her own immortalised dogs – has been hailed as a fitting tribute for the “mother of our nation.”

The eye-catching 7ft bronze statue went on display on what would have been the late monarch’s 98th birthday, with a group of her favourite dogs stealing the show.

It takes pride of place outside the library in the market town of Oakham, in Rutland, Britain’s smallest county.

It depicts a youthful Queen Elizabeth – who stood at just 5ft 4in – standing at 7ft in regal robes with three loyal corgi companions at her feet, one peeking out from the creases.

It serves as a permanent reminder of her 70-year reign and her enduring affection for the Pembroke Welsh breed.

Sculptor Hywel Pratley believes the memorial will become a hit not only with royal fans, but that it will attract social media users wanting a selfie beside the late monarch and her dogs.

Speaking before the unveiling in front of a 400-person crowd and with a host of local dignitaries attending, he said:

“The plinth is designed to be sat on and I can see the statue becoming popular with the Instagram generation, and why not?

It will make a perfect backdrop for pictures and people will be able to reach up and pat a dog or if small enough even sit in its back.”

Mr Pratley, 51, who is half Welsh and lives in Chelmsford, Essex, told how he chose to add the corgis for a “bit of fun and to tap into the late Queen’s humanity and address her friendliness.”

He explained he made the statue larger than life because a “life-size Queen Elizabeth is too small. She deserves more.”

The £125,000 statue was commissioned by Dr Sarah Furness, the Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland, following the Queen’s death in September 2022.

Addressing the crowds in the spring sunshine, she said:

“We are witnessing a piece of history today with the first statue of Queen Elizabeth to be commissioned since her death and who gave us 70 years of exemplary service.

Rutland may be a small county, but the response to this had been huge with contributions from local businesses and individuals of varying sizes.”

As she spoke, barks from 46 dogs from the Welsh Corgi League rang out, and she said, smiling: “You can hear them!”

She added: “The statue is for everyone.”

Before his cancer battle had been known and made public, King Charles III had been invited to unveil the statue.

It is not known if Palace officials had agreed to the request.

Instead, the honour fell to Alicia Kearns, the Tory MP for Rutland and Melton, before being blessed by Debbie Sellins, the Bishop of Peterborough.

One resident, Hilda Townsend, said: “It is just wonderful. We are the tiniest county, but the first to honour the late majesty in such a big way. It is a very fitting tribute.”

Her husband, John, added: “It is absolutely amazing and, as Rutlanders, makes us extremely proud.”

The unveiling of two of the three bronze corgis was given to two young children who had won a local school art competition.

In an emotional speech, Ms Kearns, 31, said:

“It is an incredible statue of our beloved Queen, who showed unwavering commitment.

We hope we can reflect on her legacy of compassion, strength and leadership. The statue was no mean feat and is for all of Rutland and all of our country, and to come together in joy. Rutland leads and others will follow.”

The MP revealed that the King would be visiting the statue.

Crowds of local residents mingled with visitors from further afield, some waving Union flags, with children sporting gold paper crowns on their heads.

She told spectators: “I am proud to play my very small part in helping to celebrate her reign,” pointing to the statue and saying: “She belongs to all of you.”

Following the unveiling, a lone bagpiper played a lament to the late Queen and the National Anthem was played, with crowds joining in.

Dozens of corgis, some wearing red, white and blue, then posed beside the new monument with their owners and officials before parading along the packed streets to Oakham Castle for a meet-and-greet session with the public.

Among the corgi owners was Katrina Emptage from Lincoln, with her two-year-old pet, Mable.

She said: “The statue is absolutely amazing and I’m delighted to be here to see it and be part of the corgi parade. It is very special.”

The late Queen held a life-long, deep affection for the breed after she fell in love with the dogs as a child.

She owned more than 30 over the years, many of which were direct descendants of the first, Susan, which was given to her as an 18th birthday present by her parents in 1944.

Speaking of his inspiration, Mr Pratley said:

“I very quickly thought that I would like to have a corgi nestling in her robes by her feet because what a great symbol it is, artistically, of her being mother of a nation.”

[yoga-onion]

Legends and myths about trees

Celtic beliefs in trees (18)

T for Tinne (Holly) - July 18th - August 5th

“Tree of Sacrifice - 8th month of the Celtic Tree Calendar (Ref)”

Colour: red; Star: Mars, Saturn: Gemstone: ruby, bloodstone; Gender: male; Patrons: Taranis, Jesus Christ, Thor, Lugh; Symbols: discord + humanity, blood + compassion, endless love

When it comes to holly, there is no one who doesn't know the prickly leaves and red berries. The evergreen holly tree has dense branches, and thanks to its glossy evergreen foliage, the holly tree remains unchanged through over time and throughout the year. 

Since ancient times, holly has represented the robust vitality and masculine strength of nature. It was closely associated with birth and rebirth rituals and the transmission of esoteric knowledge, and was particularly linked with unconditional love, and eventually came to symbolise all gods dedicated to sacrifice. The holly is also known as a tree that protects fairies and, as with all 'fairy trees', legend has it that cutting it down will bring bad luck. People in the past planted holly near their houses because it was said to ward off evil and stop lightning from striking.

It is said that long ago, when the island of Britain was still called Albion, prehistoric Britain was protected by a giant called Gogmagog. This giant who covered his entire body with holly branches and leaves, primeval god Gogmagog, eventually became known by the name 'the Holly King'. The giant held a holly bush as a club and is said to be the twin brother of the 'King of Oak'. In the medieval story 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight', the Holly King appears as the immortal Green Knight and Sir Gawain as the Oak King. 

The Holly King, who rules over the six months leading up to the summer solstice and winter solstice, takes the throne after the Oak King dedicates himself to the summer solstice bonfire. Then, in a cycle of death and rebirth, he sacrifices himself to give way once more to the Oak King on the winter solstice. Hence, Oak King and Holly king represent two phases of nature's guardian deities.

The Celtic festival of Lughnasadh (Lughnasa) takes place at the end of the holly month. This celebrates the rebirth of Lugh, the god of light (the sun) and crafts, and is celebrated on 1 August in the UK, Ireland and Europe at the Harvest Festival. This is also the Anglo-Saxon festival of Lammas.

The evergreen holly, which does not die out even when all plants have died, symbolises a strong life force and is a 'good omen' tree. The druids (Ref2), who regarded holly as a particularly sacred tree, proceeded to bring holly into the house during the winter months. The holly, with its red berries and bright foliage, which exalts the soul, was a protector of elves and fairies from the harsh cold. So, during the winter, they do not misbehave.

Any holly brought into the house must be returned to the outdoors by 'Imbolc Eve'. It's because if holly leaves remain in the house after that, misfortune will befall them.

This was retained in Christianity as Twelfth Night (also known as Epiphany Eve). In Christianity, which teaches that holly eventually grew from the ground on which Jesus walked, the thorny leaves and red berries of holly represent the Passion and shed blood of Jesus.

木にまつわる伝説・神話

ケルト人の樹木の信仰 (18)

TはTinne (ﾋｲﾗｷﾞ) - 7月18日～8月4日

『犠牲の木 〜 ケルトの木の暦（参照）の第8月』

色: 赤; 星: 火星、土星: 宝石: ルビー、ブラッドストーン (血石) ; 性: 男性; 守護神: タラニス、イエス・キリスト、トール、ルー; シンボル: 不和＋人間性、血＋憐れみ、限りなき愛

ヒイラギといえば、棘のある葉と赤い実、知らない人はいないだろう。常緑樹のヒイラギは、びっしりと枝を張り、またつやつやとした常緑の葉のおかげてヒイラギは、時の移ろいにも変わらぬ姿を見せている。

昔からヒイラギは自然のたくましい生命力や男性的な力強さを表してきた。古代では、誕生や再生の儀式、秘伝の伝授などに縁が深いものとされ、とりわけ無償の愛と関係があり、やがて犠牲に捧げられたすべての神々を象徴するようになった。ヒイラギは妖精を守る木としても知られ、「妖精の木」がすべてそうであるように、伐採すると不幸をもたらすという言い伝えがある。昔の人は家の近くにヒイラギを植えていたが、それは魔除けになり、雷が落ちなくなると言われていたからだ。

その昔、ブリテンがまだアルビオンと呼ばれていた頃の、太古のブリテン島はゴグマゴグという巨人が守っていたといわれている。このヒイラギの枝や葉で全身を覆った巨人、太古の神ゴグマゴグはやがて「ヒイラギの王」の名で知られるようになった。その巨人はヒイラギの茂みを棍棒として持ち、「オークの王」の双子の兄弟であるといわれている。中世の物語『ガウェイン卿と緑の騎士』では、ヒイラギの王が不死身の緑の騎士として、ガウェイン卿はオークの王として登場する。夏至かた冬至に至る半年間を治めるヒイラギ王は、オーク王が夏至のかがり火に身を捧げた後、王位につく。そして、死と再生を繰り返すサイクルの中で、冬至の日に、自らを犠牲にしてふたたびオーク王に道を譲る。オーク王とヒイラギ王は自然の守護神の二つの局面を表している。

ヒイラギの月が終わる頃にはケルトの祭典、ルーナサが行われる。これは、光 (太陽) と技芸の神、ルーの再生を祝うもので、英国、アイルランド、ヨーロッパでは、8月1日に収穫祭が開かれる。これはアングロサクソン人のラマス祭にも当たる。

すべての植物が枯れても死に絶えることを知らない常緑樹のヒイラギは屈強な生命力を象徴し、「吉兆」の木でもある。ヒイラギを特に神聖な木として崇めていたドルイド（参照2）は、冬の間はヒイラギを家の中に持ち込むように進めた。赤い実と鮮やかな葉が魂を昂揚させるヒイラギは、厳しい寒さから妖精やエルフを守ってくれる存在だった。だから、冬の間、妖精たちは悪さをしない。家の中に持ち込まれたヒイラギは、「インボルクのイヴ」までには必ず屋外に戻さなければならない。その後にも家の中にヒイラギの葉が残っていると、不幸が訪れるからだ。

これが十二夜（エピファニー・イブとも知られる）としてキリスト教に残された。イエスが歩いた地面からはやがてヒイラギが生えてきたと教えるキリスト教では、ヒイラギの棘のある葉と赤い実は、イエスの受難と流し血を表している。

[blackswaneuroparedux]

I never admitted to anybody during my entire military service that I had been an actor. I was terrified that I would be put in charge of Ensa [Entertainments' National Service Association]. Not even my closest friends knew I was an actor. I told them I was reading English at St Andrews University.

- Richard Todd

In his heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, Richard Todd was Britain’s leading matinee idol. If you love old movies, you’ll have seen Todd in one of his starring roles in “The Virgin Queen” opposite Bette Davis, “Stage Struck” with Marlene Dietrich, or “The Dam Busters” for which he won a Golden Globe Award. He was the tough little Scotsman in the wartime weepie “The Hasty Heart” and had audiences madly hunting for hankies.

Those were the days when Todd streaked across North American film screens as virtually every romantic hero from Rob Roy to Robin Hood. Ian Fleming chose him to play James Bond in “Dr. No” in 1962, but a schedule clash meant Sean Connery stepped into the role.

Little less known is the fact that he was also among the first British soldiers and the first Irishman to land in Normandy on D Day. More specifically, he participated in Operation Tonga during the D-Day landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944.

So it must have been surreal for Richard Todd the hearthrob actor to find himself playing Major John Howard in the epic movie ‘The Longest Day’ (1962) based on Cornelius Ryan’s book. Not least because he served with Howard and took part in the fighting at Pegasus Bridge that Major John Howard was tasked to secure on D Day.

Richard Todd was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1919. His father was a medic in the British Army and, as his posting required, the early years of his life were spent in India. The family settled in Devon upon their return to England, and Richard was educated at Shrewsbury Public School, in Shropshire. The theatre was his first love, and he furthered his dramatic skills at the Italia Conti school, thereafter moving to Scotland where he helped to form the Dundee Repertory Theatre. When War was declared, Todd went to St. Andrew's University on the following day to volunteer. He was not a member of the University, but he not only convinced the selection unit that he was, but also added that he had been reading English there for six months, and that he had obtained a Cert A in his school cadet corps; a key point to being accepted as an officer. Despite success in passing off this invented career, Todd was to be disappointed by a lack of interest in him thereafter.

Becoming increasingly desperate to get into the War before it ended, he sent numerous letters to the War Office to press his case, which, in June 1940, was finally noticed.

Accepted by the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, Todd went to Sandhurst to receive his officer training. He had a very lucky escape here when he was in a corridor on the second floor of a building when it was hit by a bomb, and he was blown into the garden outside by the blast. He got to his feet in the darkness and did not feel particularly affected by it, but an examination by torchlight revealed that his whole body was covered in blood from numerous small wounds.

A spell his hospital delayed his passing out from Sandhurst until early 1941. Celebrating in London, he narrowly avoided death again when he found his usual haunt, the Cafe de Paris, was too crowded to admit him and so he went elsewhere; it was hit by a bomb that same night and 84 people were killed.

His Battalion, the 2nd/4th Battalion The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, was posted to XII Corps in defence of Kent, where a German invasion if it came would almost certainly land. Todd was given command of the infantry in the Dymchurch Redoubt, a fort of the Napoleonic era mounting two six-inch guns.

In the event of an invasion, this would certainly have been a primary target for the enemy, and those manning it were told that, with the main defensive line far to their rear, they would be left to fight to the end. General Montgomery commanded XII Corps at this time, and his characteristic emphasis on training and preparedness led to the formation of the first Battle Schools. Richard Todd attended one of these, and the experience allowed him to run his own School when, in December 1941, he was sent to Iceland with the 1st/4th King's Own Light Infantry to be trained in arctic and mountain warfare. Returning to England in September 1942, he eventually ended up in the 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion of the 6th Airborne Division. He was among troops of the 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion who, at 00:40 hours on 6 June 1944, landed behind the Normandy beaches in a cornfield, perilously close to tracer fire.

Todd scrambled into a wood and with 150 other paratroopers reached Pegasus and Ranville bridges, vital crossings to allow Allied forces to break out from the beachheads into Normandy. They had been seized by a glider force from the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry under the command of Major John Howard, who needed reinforcements to fend off ferocious German attacks.

In his memoirs, Caught in the Act, Todd would write of the carnage, “There was no cessation in the Germans' probing with patrols and counter-attacks, some led by tanks, and the regimental aid post was overrun in the early hours. The wounded being tended there were all killed where they lay. There was sporadic enemy mortar and artillery fire we could do nothing about. One shell landed in a hedge near me, killing a couple of our men.”

Todd would go on and see action at the Battle of the Bulge and push into the Rhine into Germany. After VE day, his division returned to the UK for a few weeks, then was sent on counter-insurgency operations in Palestine. During this posting he was seriously injured when his Jeep overturned, breaking both shoulders and receiving a concussion. He returned to the UK to be demobilised in 1946. 

In 1962, Todd was given the part of Major John Howard in the film adaptation of Cornelius Ryan's book about the D-Day landings, ‘The Longest Day’ (1962). Due to the nature of cinema, it was impossible for the film to give a thorough reflection of the role of the 6th Airborne Division during the Invasion, and as such their activities were solely represented by a reconstruction of the capture of Bénouville Bridge by Howard's coup-de-main force. Although briefly mentioned, the role of the 7th Battalion in the defence of the western bridgehead was largely ignored, and so it appeared as if the defence of the bridge rested only on Howard's men.

Naturally, the omission of their fierce defence of Bénouville caused some resentment amongst veterans, not least because one of their own was championing this re-working of history. Todd, however, regarded ‘The Longest Day’ (1962) as a film rather than a documentary, and his part in it was simply that of an actor doing as he was told.

Richard Todd would never have guessed, that in 17 years since he was on Pegasus Bridge as a paratrooper that he would standing there again as an actor portraying Major John Howard who was given the order: 'Hold,… until relieved'. It had to be Richard Todd’s 'twilight-zone' moment.

The ‘relieve’ for Howard had to come from Lord Lovat and his troops, who had landed on SWORD Beach, and were legging it towards Pegasus Bridge.

Before the shooting of the scenes were started at Pegasus Bridge, the film producer of The Longest Day, Darryl F. Zanuck, had the real life Lord Lovat and Major John Howard brought over to meet the men who were going to portray them (Peter Lawford portrayed Lord Lovat). The men had not seen each other since 6 June 1944.

Photo (above). From L-R: Peter Lawford, Lord Lovat, Richard Todd, Major John Howard.

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

The REAL story of St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated every year on March 17, but why? Many who celebrate have only a vague idea that there was a real man — a Christian — named Patrick. He was born in Britain to a Christian family, but he didn’t accept Christ until after he was kidnapped at age 15 by Irish pirates and sold to a harsh Druid man in Ireland. Patrick was forced to work as a herdsman by his captors, and during that time he would pray for hours. At age 22, he escaped and returned to Britain. But several years later, he had a dream calling him back to Ireland to minister to its people. Heeding this call, Patrick journeyed throughout Ireland, sharing Christ until his death, thought to have been around March 17, A.D. 461. Whether you’re wearing green or not, remember the story of the Christian witness behind St. Patrick’s Day.

[phantomato]

44, starting a war…

A timeline of the relevant dates in Voldemort/Tom Riddle’s life pre-canon—

Dec. 31, 1926: born

Sept. 1938: Matriculates for his first year at Hogwarts

June 1943: Kills Myrtle (age 16)

Likely Aug. 1943: Kills family (fight me, ring-first people)

June 1945: Finishes school at Hogwarts, applies for DADA post the first time, is rejected, starts work at B&B

1970: First wizarding war begins (As per Dumbledore in Ch. 1 PS: “We’ve had precious little to celebrate for eleven years.”)

Oct. 31, 1981: AK backfires and he loses his body

Which leaves a big ol’ gap between 1945 and 1970 to fill in, 25 years of his adult life to be accounted for. But, we’re not without clues! In particular, we know:

He worked at B&B, until

he killed Hepzibah Smith and took two of her artifacts, after which

he disappeared from Britain for a decade (Dumbledore in Ch. 20 HBP: “Ten years separate Hokey’s memory and this one, ten years during which we can only guess at what Lord Voldemort was doing”), and then

he came back to interview for the DADA position a second time, under Dumbledore as headmaster.

Which isn’t a full picture, and we need one more fact, which we’ll have to borrow from Lupin: in PoA Ch. 18, Lupin states: “I was a very small boy when I received the bite… But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic." Given Lupin’s age, the bite must have happened at some point during the 1960s, and Dumbledore became Headmaster at an unspecified point afterwards. Pottermore/Wizarding World canon sets the age that Lupin was bitten at 5 years old, giving us a range of ~1965 to ~1971 for Voldemort’s second DADA interview.

And so we can begin to fill in those missing 25 years:

Voldemort spent 10 of them abroad, and

at most 5 of them in Britain prior to the start of the first war but after returning from his travels, and

at least 10 of them working at Borgin & Burkes.

Personally, I love a 15-year tenure at B&B for Tom Riddle, because I think it’s fascinating if he spends a huge chunk of his adult life in the working class of Knockturn Alley, building up a great deal of resentment and impotent rage and dissatisfaction with his own life. I think it’s a lot of fun if his first war starts in his middle age, and represents something of a crisis for him: anxiety about whether he can still make the most of his potential, bad decisions like recruiting opposed stakeholder groups (e.g. purebloods and werewolves) from feeling rushed along, and a decade of building paranoia manifesting in the choice to believe and chase down a prophecy.

I also think there’s plenty of wiggle room in here, and a Voldemort in his late thirties starting to recruit for his Death Eaters is perfectly compatible with the canon text. And, of course, it’s always valid to just say fuck it, this is fanfic, I want to write Voldemort at 25 starting his group of supporters. It’s fic; do what makes one happy.

But: I run into this confusion and curiosity a fair bit, given I mostly write Voldemort as starting his first-war effort, including the Death Eaters, in his forties, and that timeline isn’t used by a majority of the fic I’ve read in HP fandom. So it’s interesting to put forward what the textual evidence actually says about his lost years, and consider that there’s a lot of interesting room to work with a Voldemort who doesn’t get his start for at least two decades past when he finishes school, and who might have to create his movement from nothing when he finally starts it. Also, like, starting a war as a midlife crisis is just fun.

[mariacallous]

Must we, really? I’m afraid there is no avoiding the great crown soap opera as this finely crafted Prince Harry publicity spectacular engulfs the news. However nugatory the revelations about scenes of brotherly rivalry, beards, bridesmaids and broken dog bowls, it’s no use pretending it’s not happening or that the country and its households aren’t dividing into Harryites and Williamists.

Pollsters see a leave v remain rift – with leavers on the side of the monarchy and remainers inclined towards Meghan and Harry. While older people back the palace and the young lean more to Montecito, I doubt that last night’s angry and contrary ITV interview will restore Harry’s sliding ratings.

The interview landed as the next neatly choreographed step in the ace publicity machine of Prince Harry’s publishers. After the Oprah interview in 2021, six episodes of the Netflix series, teasers for his four TV interviews this week and the early leaking of his book, was there really anything new for him to say or for us to think? Nothing, beyond the painfully raw spectacle of his inchoate rage.

The palace, with its hordes of PR specialists, spent weeks war-gaming its response – it was prepared for devastating revelations, ready to break its silence if absolutely necessary. So far, its worst fears have “not come to light”, which tantalisingly suggests it thought Harry had more lethal missiles to unleash.

Of course, Harry’s words evoke some sympathy for an angry, damaged man. In what family is it psychologically acceptable to consign the younger son to service the elder for life? Few parental divorces are as horrible as the one these boys suffered, their schoolfriends snickering over the tampon tape and the James Gilbey recordings, everyone ogling Diana and Charles’s self-justifying TV interviews and books, capped by their mother’s horrific death. The monarchy teetered as the Queen misjudged the Diana moment, but then she held it together. If it could survive all that, the blow of a minor twig breaking from “the Firm” to seek his Californian revenge is hardly fatal – as he voices full support for the monarchy itself, condemning only its toxic relationship with certain portions of the press.

His one act of heroism is this dangerous duel with the tabloids that he blames for his mother’s death, as he pursues cases against the publisher of the Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers and the owners of the Daily Mirror and the Sun, the Reach plc subsidiary MGN Ltd and Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers, accusing them of phone-hacking or other breaches of privacy. His father warned that it was a suicide mission, but Harry says the royals have, in feeding the beast, made a pact with the devil. He rages at their failure to stand up to them: there was not a word from the palace in rebuke for Jeremy Clarkson’s disgusting hate attack on Meghan.

Everyone knows Harry is entirely right about the filthy, hypocritical, moralising amoral press and its corrosive effect on national life. Yet in his mist of confusion and contradictions, he doesn’t see that publicity is the monarchy’s lifeblood. When Queen Victoria withdrew from the public eye for years, her popularity plummeted. That oxygen is how the royals make their pointless living as fantasy creatures: they need the press to justify their very existence, like any celebrities. Their only role is to entertain us, and Harry plays his part perfectly. Walter Bagehot was wrong: the royals were never the “dignified” part of the constitution, but undignified performers who reduce us to infantilism in following their small dramas. Bagehot wrote that the purpose of the monarchy is “to excite and preserve the reverence of the population”. Indeed, citizens are reduced to subjects in revering this family of nothingness. Nor was Bagehot right to claim the monarchy’s “mystery is its life” and “we must not let in daylight upon magic”. The public needs feeding constantly with each new royal episode.

Of course the press is retaliating with a sewage outflow of bile, the full firing squad of rightwing commentators hating the Sussexes’ “wokery”. It stays unspoken that “wokeness” means #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, race swirling around in their loathing of “victim culture”. Harry sounds ill-equipped intellectually to take them on, unfocused in his fury against them, unpolitical, tin-eared and clueless about how his Afghanistan kill-count angered other soldiers, giving fresh ammunition to the enemy press. Don’t expect him to examine the slavery sources of some royal riches: the future William IV made a pro-slavery speech in the Lords accusing William Wilberforce’s abolition campaign of misrepresenting the treatment of enslaved people in the British sugar colonies, whose good living conditions he could attest to himself.

With the battle to re-examine the legacy of empire and slavery barely begun, the royal family’s failure to prevent Meghan’s flight is a disaster for them. Whatever restraint it took, it needed to embrace her. The Queen is gone. Charles’s pitiful King Lear plea, “Please, boys, don’t make my final years a misery”, reminds us that he lacks her reinforced steel. The monarchy’s popularity has declined for years: more 18- to 24-year-olds would now prefer to have an elected head of state, while only 53% of 25- to 49-year-olds are in its favour. As Graham Smith of Republic says, three white men in a row as kings stretching ahead for maybe the next 100 years looks singularly out of step with modern Britain.

Look at the Clarksonesque roll-call of Harry and Meghan haters and you might instinctively take Harry’s side, but no, let’s not be dragged into the psychodrama of this spin-off from The Crown. This country is braced for the deepest recession in the G7, so badly misgoverned that people can’t call an ambulance to a heart attack or police to a burglary, catch a train or stretch their shrinking wages to pay for food and heat, while public services are drained dry by austerity. Yet how easily we succumb to the great distraction of another instalment of the royal charivari, briefly diverting public anxiety and conveniently relieving pressure on the government.

Monarchy is a cast of mind that blocks reform, an unholy religion made of these remarkably unremarkable people. Despite the best education for generations, their most useful genetic function is to demonstrate that talent and intelligence is randomly assigned. Monarchy breeds in Britain a feudalism of the imagination that gives a stamp of approval to inheritance and to the inequality, risen rampantly in recent decades, that is at the root of our social and political malaise. Harry exhibits the epic unreality the royals inhabit when he imagines this: “I genuinely believe, and I hope, that reconciliation between my family and us will have a ripple effect across the entire world.” The rest of the world, I fear, enjoys the show, but laughs at our absurdity.

[feministsforkatemiddleton]

today's sexism in the nyt

“Where Is Kate Middleton?” yet another headline blared on Monday. The public speculation after her unspecified abdominal surgery, long withdrawal from appearances and dubious publicity photo has gotten so intense that reasonable people may want to roll their eyes and tune it out. Can’t we just wish her well and leave her alone?

Yes, let's do that, sounds great.

But the frenzy around Catherine, Princess of Wales, raises important questions that go well beyond the usual concerns of royal watchers. Those questions stem from the extreme deference with which Catherine has previously been treated, in Britain at least, compared with the thrashing bestowed on her sister-in-law, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.

For the millionth time. Kate never had "deference" shown to her. She was harassed by paparazzi while trying to go to work, and her privacy was egregiously invaded when a photographer took topless photos of her in a private home from over a mile away. These are only two examples. There's countless more.

On the surface, the controversy over Catherine’s photo and her absence may have nothing to do with Meghan. The way it’s playing out, however — and the contrast with the way controversies about the duchess play out — is rooted in how we have been conditioned, by the monarchy and its allies, to think about the two of them. Their supposed rivalry has been manipulated for years now to generate nostalgia for social hierarchies of an idealized past.

Lol. The monarchy has PR, yes, but they haven't conditioned us. The UK has a free press -- that's why there's a controversy now!! -- and the RF cannot control it.

And I think for myself, thanks. As do many.

“Bread and circuses” is how the Roman poet Juvenal described the strategy by which imperial Rome placated the masses with handouts and entertainment, often cruel, vicious spectacles involving death before cheering crowds. In modern Britain, royalty has played a similar role of entertainment and distraction — a role that persisted during the country’s post-Brexit decline.

Oh the hyperbole. And Meghan has nothing to do with Brexist Jesus.

Brexit came about by the narrowest of margins after an intense propaganda campaign whipped voters’ fears about foreigners ready to invade and despoil Britain. Similar themes are at work in the story line of a supposed rivalry between Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton. That story, promoted in ways subtle and overt by the press as well as admirers of the Princess of Wales, casts Catherine as an “English rose” — beautiful, noble, white — and her biracial sister-in-law as a dangerous, trashy newcomer.

THIS NEVER HAPPENED.

Kate was trashed for years and still is as we see now. Meghan never received the abuse Kate did in the 2000s.

Meghan and Harry started dating. It became public. Meghan reported harassment (well who knows, it's Meghan, but ok) and Harry release his "love shield" statement. During their courtship, they were left alone (except for Meghan leaking and calling the paps, yknow). Then they got engaged and married. People, including the UK, were happy and actually upped Meghan as the "modernizing feminist" compared to dowdy stay at home mom Kate (this was Meghan's PR, but the tabloids ate it up).

Then, they started to have consequences for their bad actions. Meghan wore murder diamonds. They mistreated staff. Meghan took freebies. Harry berated people who didn't bow down to Meghan. They flew private jets. Meghan threw a splashy baby shower in NYC, all while she was a working royal -- not a celebrity. They left the RF and cashed in on trashing Harry's family. And on and on.

In January, when it was announced that Catherine had undergone surgery and would have an unusually lengthy hospital stay and recovery, the British press seemed to take the matter at face value. It repeated Kensington Palace’s vague news releases even though something out of the ordinary was clearly going on. When a paparazzi agency snapped a grainy photo of her in a car being driven by her mother, neither the quality newspapers nor any of the unabashedly aggressive tabloids ran the photos — “out of respect,” as one editor said in explaining his outlet’s decision, “for her privacy whilst she recovers.”

Compare that with the decision last month by Britain’s highest paid circulation newspaper, The Daily Mail, to publish “exclusive” paparazzi pictures of Meghan. A tiny figure, barely visible in the grainy image, she is described as “flashing a smile.”

There are different laws regarding paparazzi and photography in the UK and the US.

Also...Meghan called the paps. She always does. So do a lot of celebrities now. It is wrong? I don't know? Is it trashy? Kinda!

The double standard goes back many years.

No, it does not. It goes back 7. Younger than Prince Louis.

And Kate faced harassment for 20 years. Meghan has leaked and lied for 7.

But the onslaught has continued even after the duchess stopped working as a royal and thus stopped getting paid. British tabloids now publish dozens of negative — and frankly, often unhinged — articles about her in a single day. The BBC estimated that, in one week in March 2021, there were more than 25,000 stories about her. The blitz continues.

You can go back and find the same for Kate.

And in March 2021, there were 25,000 stories because she was interviewed by Oprah and made very serious, indecency claims... which turned out to be inaccurate. She lied about a world religious leader ffs.

So the contract wasn’t “we pay, you pose” — it was that Meghan would never be left alone, no matter how she made a living. She had been thrown to the lions. The cheering crowds joined this frenzy of hatred from the stands or, as we call them in the 21st century, social media sites.

She was left alone while she was in the RF and had certain privileges no one else ever dreams of.

And the stans / squad are far worse to Kate and the rest of the BRF.

At first, I didn’t pay much attention. But I waded into the issue last year, to say that Harry was right that the British tabloids had invaded his and his wife’s privacy — and that such behavior had harmful consequences far beyond the royal family. The vitriol I encountered as a result, even as his claims have been vindicated in court numerous times, was shocking. On Reddit, there is a group of more than 60,000 people singularly dedicated to hatred of Meghan. And social media sites are full of claims that her children are dolls or someone else’s and therefore a threat to the hereditary monarchy.

Uhhhhh no they have not.

Catherine’s situation, by contrast, might never have been questioned had William, the Prince of Wales, not taken the highly unusual step of pulling out of a family memorial service at the last minute, with no explanation besides that it was a “personal matter.” Imagine if it had been Harry or Meghan with a last-minute cancellation — even at a birthday party for a classmate of one of their kids. I think the British press might have called for a full-on assault of the couple’s Montecito home.

Well, maybe one of the Wales kids was sick. Maybe there was a school event. Isn't this -- gasp! -- a double standard??

The columnist Celia Walden had previously insisted that as a member of the royal family (which she referred to as “that corporation”), Meghan had no right to privacy. When the manipulation of the photograph was uncovered, Walden leaped to protect Catherine’s privacy. “The shameful speculation about the Princess of Wales’s health,” she wrote, “has to stop.”

Meghan wanted the perks of the royals with none of the work or very small sacrifices.

Kate is on medical leave, and yes, her medical information should be private.

Post-Brexit Britain has significant, substantive problems — problems that are far bigger than any controversy over a doctored photo of the Princess of Wales. And trapping women in constraining public roles, pitting them against one another and reducing them to symbols of virtue or vice is a powerful and politically expedient distraction. But it is harmful all around, and eventually, as the doctored photograph shows, it can backfire if accompanied by heavy-handed manipulation. Blatant coverups fuel conspiracy theories that may spiral out of anyone’s control, a social dynamic that applies to much more than a sordid tale of two princesses.

Yes, so focus on the real issues from Brexit instead of carrying water for a fading Hollywood wannabe. And this isn't based on "virtue and vice" -- wtf, this isn't Christendom.

[offender42085]

Post 944

Kyle Steven Boldrey, Michigan inmate 423368, born 1991, incarceration intake in 2017 at age 25; earliest possible release date 08/25/2038, maximum discharge date 08/25/2066

Murder, 2nd Degree

In 2017, behind the prosecution table, 11 men and women quietly but palpably longed for the two missing men who they would never see again.

Behind the defense table, 11 men and women sat in support of a loved one at the beginning of many years of bars and cement block walls.

Between them stood a young man who, according to police and the prosecution, in 2016 ingested a drug and brutally murdered an elderly man and his own childhood friend.

Another hearing was held in February 2019, in which that afternoon, Kyle Boldrey, 26, was resentenced for the 2016 murders of Keith Atkinson and Trevor Hubbard, murders police said Boldrey committed while under the influence of a synthetic hallucinogen called 25i-NBOMe.

Judge Michael Mack of the 26th Circuit Court handed down a sentence of 22 to 50 years for each of two counts of second-degree murder, to be served concurrently.

The court already sentenced Boldrey once. In October 2017, Mack assigned Boldrey 25 to 50 years in prison, exceeding the recommended guidelines because of the brutality of the case.

Boldrey appealed the 2017 sentence, indicating that he had pleaded no contest under a misunderstanding about the number of years to which he could be sentenced. At the second hearing, Boldrey formally withdrew his plea and entered a second no-contest plea, this time under full understanding of what might lie in his future because of his decision in the past.

A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but an admission that the charges cannot be fought. It is treated as a guilty plea for sentencing purposes.

At the heart of the crime was the hallucinogen 25i-NBOMe, known by it street name of “N-Bomb.” Now fallen out of favor, the drug had a spike in popularity four or five years ago, when it was sought out as a substitute for LSD, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The drug sometimes leads to very extreme physical effects, with even minuscule amounts leading to seizures, cardiac and respiratory arrest, and death, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

Medical examiner reports studied by the DEA, as well as news items out of Britain and Australia, reveal stories of violent behavior leading to death as a result of ingestion of 25i. Teens and young adults have died when the drug caused them to burst into violence, flinging themselves at poles or walls or tearing up the inside of a vehicle before dying with very little internal evidence of the drug’s presence.

In Montmorency County in 2016, Boldrey decided to try 25i. The drug was given to him by Hubbard as they celebrated their upcoming adventures – Hubbard’s impending departure for college and Boldrey’s entry into the U.S. Air Force.

Shortly after ingestion, Boldrey exploded into a rage. He stabbed Hubbard and struck him with a vehicle, then broke into the home of Atkinson, who died trying to defended his wife, Debbie Wells, and Jeffrey Bauer, who was also in the home. Wells and Bauer survived but were beaten badly.

Eyes were dabbed with Kleenex on both sides of the courtroom at the second hearing as Boldrey gave a statement to the court before his sentencing. At his last sentencing, he said he tried to minimize his behavior, distancing himself from the thing he had done.

Now, though, he wanted to take ownership of his flawed thinking and bad decisions, of the fear and hurt that he had caused to strangers and to people he loved.

“I caused a whole community to feel unsafe,” Boldrey said. “It should have never happened. And it’s my fault.”

Boldrey’s attorney, Dan White, shared that, while in prison, his client has agreed to help with a drug and violence awareness program, a law enforcement effort to keep children and young adults from making the kind of mistake Boldrey made.

Behind the defendant, his mother and father watched their son silently, knowing that, whatever Mack’s decision, their child would still walk out of the room wearing chains.

3y

[thegirlwhowrites642]

Both Ginny and Voldemort has yew wand. What is the significance of this? Or it was just coincidence?

Please share your thoughts

I love this question so much.

This is my most recent ask but the moment I read it my brain went into overdrive and I next thing I knew I was researching yew trees.

.

I highly doubt it is a coincidence because while we know the wood of Voldemort's wand from PS, we only found out Ginny's in 2016, when Rowling was already well aware of people's assumption that every detail in the series had meaning. Plus, Rowling wrote herself on Pottermore, which is now Wizarding World but in my head will always be Pottermore, the meaning of the wood of the wands. And, actually, I think we should start from there, so here is what she wrote (as Ollivander) about yew wands:

Yew wands are among the rarer kinds, and their ideal matches are likewise unusual, and occasionally notorious. The wand of yew is reputed to endow its possessor with the power of life and death, which might, of course, be said of all wands; and yet yew retains a particularly dark and fearsome reputation in the spheres of duelling and all curses. However, it is untrue to say (as those unlearned in wandlore often do) that those who use yew wands are more likely to be attracted to the Dark Arts than another. The witch or wizard best suited to a yew wand might equally prove a fierce protector of others. Wands hewn from these most long-lived trees have been found in the possession of heroes quite as often as of villains. Where wizards have been buried with wands of yew, the wand generally sprouts into a tree guarding the dead owner’s grave. What is certain, in my experience, is that the yew wand never chooses either a mediocre or a timid owner. -> source

[Can we take a moment to think about the imagery of a beautiful tree emerging from Ginny's grave once her time comes? Especially considering that she was born and raised in the countryside.]

I think we can all agree that neither good old Tom nor Ginny can be considered average people and are both notorious. Tom is, well, Voldemort, and Ginny is a war hero, wizarding royalty according to Rita Skeeter, a celebrated Quidditch player and the most authoritative voice in wizarding sport in Britain considering that she became editor of the sports section of the Daily Prophet, the most read newspaper in the British wizarding world.

The yew wands seem to have owners who are particularly skilled in duelling and dark magic. In Tom's case [I love calling him Tom] is quite obvious what we are talking about, but Ginny too is a gifted duellist and her signature move is indeed a hex that she casts with such mastery that Slughorn invited her in his very exclusive club after seeing her casting it once. Obviously, being able to master a dark branch of magic doesn't necessarily mean being evil. As we have just read, yew wands have been just as much of villains as of heroes. What particularly interests me is that reference to the possessor of this type of wand who chooses the path of light being proven a fierce protector of others. I've talked on more than one occasion at this point of Ginny's arc as a protector of others (here and here), and apparently, her wand fits quite nicely in that narrative too.

So in short we know that this kind of wand goes to people who can't be considered average or timid, and are skilled in duelling and are generally naturally powerful. Clearly, it matches both Tom and Ginny but let's go into the specifics of why these are the only two characters that we know have a yaw wand.

If you have guessed it, clap yourself on the back, it's symbolism time!

As we have read in JKR's piece, the owner of the wand is said to have the power of life and death, this comes from the folklore around yew trees:

Yew trees were used as symbols of immortality, but also seen as omens of doom. For many centuries it was the custom for yew branches to be carried on Palm Sunday and at funerals. -> source

Drooping branches of old yew trees can root and form new trunks where they touch the ground. Thus the yew came to symbolise death and resurrection in Celtic culture. [...] The themes of death and resurrection continued into the Christian era. People buried yew shoots with the deceased, and used boughs of yew as ‘Palms’ in church at Easter. -> source

Tom and Ginny in the story, and therefore in Harry's life, are representations of diametrically opposite things. Tom is death, destruction of any future, and despair. Ginny is life, creation of a future, and hope.

Such opposite concepts and yet their power comes from the same source: yew, which in fact represents both. Because life and death do come from the same source. After all, can you die if you can't live? And can you really live if you can't die?

And so Ginny and Tom are often connected in the series and always put in plot points that bring up the themes of life and death.

In CoS, Tom is the bringer of death, the drainer of life, and Ginny constantly fights against him in the name of living, of light, and when all hope seems lost, she survives. And because she was on the verge of death, in a way it can be considered a rebirth Ginny's one, a resurrection, a second chance at life. And even more interestingly, what was leading Ginny to death was an object Tom had created due to his obsession with eternity. Yet it's when part of Voldemort's soul gets destroyed, dies, that Ginny "resurrects".

In OotP, the "lucky you" scene has the obvious interpretation of Ginny being connected just as much as Harry is to Voldemort's darkness. But it also puts us in front of the reality that on one side we have Tom's darkness and evil, and on the other, we have Ginny's strength and will to live to such a powerful degree that it becomes easy to forget she was connected to that darkness. It becomes easy to forget that life is so linked to death.

HBP is a whole book based on a binary structure that brings a juxtaposition between darkness and light. If on one side we have Harry diving into the dark story of Tom Riddle and his many terrible acts, and on the other, we have the beauty and the light and joy of Harry discovering his love for Ginny.

At the end of the book, Voldemort and Ginny are linked again in the break-up scene. Harry starts his journey to kill Voldemort, takes his first step towards death, leaving behind Ginny, life and love.

In DH, when Harry and Ginny kiss, Ginny is reminding Harry that there's life waiting for him after the darkness of a path that seems destined to end up in death. When Harry thinks, not long after that, about marrying Ginny, there's once again the contrast between Voldemort on one side, and on the other Ginny marrying, a representation of future and life. Obviously, the whole thing is quite depressing because Harry thinks he won't marry her, and that his destiny is in death.

And then there's Harry's death scene. Voldemort is once again the perpetrator of death, but Harry's last thought is of Ginny, of life, of the future, of what he would be leaving behind by dying.

Ginny and Tom in Harry's story are the opposite of one another, isn't it therefore quite fitting that their power comes from the same wood? Just like Voldemort and Harry, two enemies, having wands with the same core.

So, while the characteristics of the owners of yew wands fit perfectly Voldemort and our dear Ginevra, I think this authorial choice has more to do with their symbolic roles in the series.

Because of their symbolic link to life and death, yew trees are often found in graveyards.

[murshili-ii]

St. David’s Day Special: The Dragon Prophecy

~ ~

Welcome to Celtic Month! For the entire month of March, the Spring Vignettes series will be dedicated entirely to Celtic homage vignettes. Non-Celtic pieces will resume in April.

Quick clarification: It’s pronounced Keltic, unless it’s a sports team; and even then, any linguists in the room will cringe if you pronounce it Seltic.

Our first Celtic Month piece celebrates St. David’s Day, on March 1st, the national day of Wales. Have some cheese toast! Pet a dragon! Kiss a Welshman, if you can find one.

Before you read what the piece means to me, share what it means to _you_. I’m just the artist; you’re the beholder.

Leave a comment.

~ ~

The Welsh are the survivors of the Celtic Britons, who were the inhabitants of all southern Britain before the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invaded and established what became England. “Welsh” is an Anglo-Saxon term; it means “other people” or “foreigners”, which is ironic, considering the Germanic-speaking peoples were the foreigners in the native lands of the Britons.

There is certainly no more famous Welshman than King Arthur Pendragon, a legendary king of yore who supposedly ruled Britain between the retreat of the Romans and the invasion of the Saxons. His legend, much-developed over the centuries, became well-known throughout Europe in later times.

A notable legend tells of the building of Dinas Emrys, a castle on a hill by the Glaslyn river. By some accounts, it was built by Uther Pendragon, father of King Arthur; by other accounts, it was Vortigern, the same foolish king of the Britons who later invited the Saxons into Britain as mercenaries to defend the Britons from the Picts.

After the king had chosen the hill on which the castle would stand, his builders went to work; but every day, they built up the walls, only for them to topple overnight. No progress could be made. At length, the king asked his wisemen to find the cause and the solution to the problem.

His wisemen told him that for the building to succeed, a sacrifice would be necessary; and the sacrifice must be a boy not sired by mortal man. Such a boy existed; a young boy named Merlin, or Ambrosius, the baptized son of a devil, who would go on to be known for his abilities in the magic arts.

(Foundation sacrifices were once an incredibly widespread custom; we know from archaeological evidence that the burying of a human victim under the foundation of an important building was practiced in ancient Ireland. Similar legends are told in Romania, Greece, Japan, and elsewhere. Animals were later buried under foundations after human sacrifices ceased.)

The boy was brought to the hill; and the king’s wisemen told the king to sacrifice him to appease the heathen gods so that the castle could be build. But the boy laughed at their advice, and told the king he knew much better. He told the king that if a hole were dug, there would be found a deep, dark pool; and in that pool, there would be found two dragons, one red, one white; and it was the fighting of these dragons that shook the hill each night and made the walls collapse. The king had a deep hole dug; and indeed, there was found a deep, dark pool; and from that pool indeed emerged two dragons, one red, one white.

Freed from their imprisonment, the dragons fought viciously, until, despite being the lesser of the dragons, the red dragon defeated the white dragon, and drove it out of the land across the sea.

The boy then prophesied that, just as the red dragon triumphed over the white dragon, so the Britons would triumph over the invading Saxons.

And they did; until the death of King Arthur at the hands of his son Mordred, whereafter, the Saxons finally defeated the Britons, and drove them into the western mountains.

The great Welsh sagas, the Mabinogion, tell about how the two dragons originally became trapped under the site of Dinas Emrys, when an ancient Welsh king intoxicated them with a cauldron of ale and buried them to silence their deafening shrieking.

[566-hope-street]

Austin Osman Spare and His Theory of Sigils

by Frater U:.D:.

The end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries was a time characterized by radical changes and great heretics. The secret lore and the occult in general were triumphant, and there were good reasons for this. The materialist positivism with its Manchester industrialism was beginning to show its malice, resulting in social and psychological uprooting. The destruction of nature had already begun to bear its first poisonous fruits. In brief, it was a time when it seemed appropriate to question the belief in technology and the omnipotence of the celebrated natural sciences. Particularly intellectuals, artists, and the so-called "Bohemians" became advocates of values critical of civilization in general as can be seen in the literature of Naturalism, in Expressionist Art and in the whole Decadent Movement, which was quite notorious at the time. 

Austin Osman Spare was a typical child of this era and, after Aleister Crowley, was definitely one of the most interesting occultists and practicing magicians of the English-speaking world. Despite his various publications after the turn of the century, he remained practically unnoticed until the late sixties. He was born in 1886, the son of a London police officer, and we know very little about his childhood. He claimed to have experienced while a child an initiation of sorts by an elderly witch, one Mrs. Paterson who, as far as we know, must have been quite a Wiccan-like character. Spare found his intellectual and creative vocation as an artist and illustrator, and he attended the Royal College of Art, where he soon was celebrated as a forthcoming young artist. But he rebelled against a bourgeois middle-class career in the arts. Disgusted by commercialism, he retreated from the artistic scene soon afterwards, though he still continued editing various magazines for quite a while. From 1927 until his death in 1956, he virtually lived as a weird hermit in a London slum, where he sometimes held exhibitions in a local pub. 

Spare in 1904

Around the beginning of the First World War, he released some privately published editions, and today one can acquire—at least in Great Britain—numerous, usually highly expensive, reprints of his works. However, we are primarily interested in his well-known Book of Pleasure (Self-Love): The Psychology of Ecstasy (London, 1913). Spare's actual philosophy will not be analyzed in depth here because this is not really necessary for the practice of sigil theory and it would lead away from the subject of this study. Before we begin with Spare's theory of sigils, it is perhaps useful to write a few words about the part sigils play in a magical working. Occidental magic is known to rest on two main pillars, which are will and imagination. Connected with these are analogous thinking and symbolic images. For example, Agrippa used a special sigil for each of the planetary intelligences. These are not, as has been assumed for quite some time, arbitrarily constructed, nor were they received by "revelation," but are based on Cabalistic consideration. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn also employed sigils as "images of the souls" of magical entities, which enabled the magician to establish contact with them; nevertheless, the technique of their construction was not explained. The same may be said for the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) under Crowley's leadership and for the Fraternitas Saturni under Gregorius. The name Agrippa already hints at the fact that magical sigils have a long historical tradition, which we will not discuss here because then we would have to cover the whole complex of occult iconology as well. 

In general, people think of "correct" and "incorrect" sigils. The grimoires of the late Middle Ages were often little else but magical recipe books, and practitioners believed in the following principle: to know the "true" name and the "true" sigil of a demon means to have power over it. Pragmatic magic, which developed in the Anglo-Saxon realms, completely tidied up this concept. Often Crowley's revolt in the Golden Dawn is seen as the actual beginning of modern magic. It would certainly not be wrong to say that Crowley was an important supporter of pragmatic thought in modern magic. But in the end, the Master Therion preferred to remain within the hierarchical dogmatic system due to his Aiwass revelation in Liber Al vel Legis. His key phrase "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will," as well as his whole Thelemic concept, prove him a dogmatic magician. 

English magic of the turn of the century was also influenced by an important young science which would actually achieve its major triumphs only after the Second World War: the psychology of Sigmund Freud. Before that, Blavatsky's Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine, as well as Frazer's The Golden Bough, had given important impulses to the occult in general. William James's comparative psychology of religion influenced deeply the intellectuality of this time, but Freud, Adler, and especially Carl G. Jung eventually effected major breakthroughs. From then on, people started to consider the unconscious in earnest. We will not analyze by whom Spare was influenced. Rather, we will discuss his greatest achievement: his psychological approach towards magic. This leads us to magical practice proper. 

In Spare's system there are no "correct" or "incorrect" sigils; neither is there a list of ready-made symbols. It is of no import whether a sigil is the "correct" one or not, but it is crucial that it has been created by the magician and is therefore meaningful to him/her. Because s/he has constructed it for personal use, the sigil easily becomes a catalyst of his/her magical desire. This pragmatic approach which dominates present-day Anglo-Saxon magic (Israel Regardie, Francis King, Stephen Skinner, W. B. Gray, David Conway, Lemuel Johnstone, to name but a few relevant authors) goes to show that Austin Osman Spare, rather than Aleister Crowley, should be considered the real Father of Modern Pragmatic Magic. In the German-speaking countries, the situation is quite different. Writers like Quintscher, Gregorius, Bardon, Klingsor and even Spiesberger allow but little room to maneuver when creating magical coordinates individually. Here the adept is expected to grow into a ready-made system instead of fashioning one. This is a completely different approach, the value or non-value of which we will not discuss here. The works by Mahamudra, which have of late been receiving some attention, are mainly of a descriptive nature and deal with traditions and new interpretations, thus remaining within the context of German magical heritage; however, they do take heed of recent results in scientific psychology and are, therefore, at least partially related to the pragmatic approach. Pragmatic magic will become more and more important because today's magicians have to face a psychologized and psychologizing environment whose philosophical relativism has been shaping all of us, and still does. Regardless of the significance or amount of truth one concedes to psychology, we all are infiltrated by its way of thinking and its vocabulary. So even we magicians will have to attain to a critical, sensible look at it. It will be left to another era to find different models of explanation, description and practice. 

How does Spare proceed in practice? Sigils are developed by fusion and stylization of letters. First of all, a sentence of desire has to be formulated. Let us take the example Spare himself gives in his Book of Pleasure, the declaration of intent: THIS MY WISH TO OBTAIN THE STRENGTH OF A TIGER. This sentence must be written down in capitals. Next, all the letters which appear more than once are deleted so that only one of each letter remains. Thus, the following letters remain: THISMYWOBANERGF. The sigil is created from these letters. It is permissible to consider one part (for example, M) as a reversed W or, seen from the side, as an E. Hence, these three letters do not have to appear in the sigil three separate times. Of course, there are numerous possibilities of representation and stylization. However, it is important that in the end the sigil is as simple as possible with the various letters recognizable (even with slight difficulty). The artistic quality of the sigil is irrelevant, but for simple psychological reasons it should be obvious that you should not just scribble or doodle in haste. You should strive to make it to the best of your abilities. The finished sigil, which in the beginning will probably take a few attempts to construe, will then be fixated. You may draw it on parchment, on paper, in the sand, or even on a wall. According to Spare's short instructions, it should be destroyed after its internalization. Thus, you will either burn the parchment, wipe it out in the sand, etc.

Example of a sigil

Spare's basic idea is that the sigil, together with its meaning, must be planted into the unconscious. Afterwards, the consciousness has to forget it so that the unconscious can obey its encoded direction without hindrance. When the sigil is ready, it is activated by implanting it into the psyche. This is the most difficult part in this process, and Spare offers only very few hints on practical procedures. However, it is crucial that the sigil is internalized in a trance of sorts. This may take place in a state of euphoria (for example, by means of drugs), in ecstasy (for example, by masturbation or sexual intercourse), or in a state of physical fatigue. For the latter example, eyes and arms may be tired by folding your arms behind the head while standing in front of a mirror and staring fixedly at your image. The important thing is that it should click, meaning that the sigil must be internalized spasmodically, which, of course, requires some exercise and control. This procedure may be supported by repeating the sentence of desire rhythmically and monotonously like a mantra, becoming faster and faster. In doing so, one must stare fixedly at the sigil. After spasmodical internalization, the symbol must be destroyed and deleted from the conscious mind. As mentioned before, from now on it will be the unconscious which has to do the work.

In my own practical work I have discovered that it may even be useful to keep the sigil on you, such as wearing a ring engraved with it, etc. But this will depend upon the magician's individual predilection, and everybody should find his/her own way. Occasionally, it may prove necessary to repeat the whole procedure, especially if the goal is a very problematical one, requiring an outstanding amount of energy. Nevertheless, experience shows that it is of prime importance not to bring back the meaning and aim of the sigil into consciousness at any time. We are, after all, dealing with a technique akin to autosuggestion; thus, the rules are the same as with autosuggestions themselves. Therefore, you may not use negative formulas such as "THIS MY WISH NOT TO ..." because very often the unconscious tends neither to recognize nor understand this "not," and you might end up getting the opposite result than that which you originally desired. If you see a sigil every day, perhaps on a wall or engraved on the outer side of a ring, this should only take place unconsciously, just as one might not consciously notice an object which is in use all the time. Of course, you should keep your operation secret, for discussing it with skeptics or even good friends may dissolve the sigil's power. The advantages of this method, of which only a short summary can be given here, are obvious. It is temptingly easy, and with only a little practice it may be performed at any time and at any place. It does not call for any costly paraphernalia. Protective circles and pentagram rituals are not required, though sometimes may prove useful, especially with operations of magical protection. People who tend to psychic instability should, however, be cautious. Although the threshold to schizophrenia is not as easily crossed with this method as with common evocations, it does involve cutting deeply into the ecology of the psyche, an act which should be considered carefully in any case. The psycho-magical consequences are sometimes quite incalculable. 

As is well known, the real problem with magic is not so much the question whether it works, but rather the fact that it does. Used with responsibility, this method offers the magician a tool which provides him/her with a limitless variety of possible magical applications.

Austin Osman Spare, Self-Portrait, 1935

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History of St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day Is Celebrated Annually on March 17, the Anniversary of His Death in the Fifth Century. St. Patrick’s Day 2024 will Take Place on Sunday, March 17. The Irish Have Observed this Day as a Religious Holiday for Over 1,000 Years. On St. Patrick’s Day, Which Falls During the Christian Season of Lent, Irish Families Would Traditionally Attend Church ⛪️ in the Morning and Celebrate 🎊 🎉 in the Afternoon. Lente Prohibitions Against the Consumption of Meat 🍖 🥩 were Waived and People Would Dance 💃, Drink 🥤🍹🍺 and Feast on the Traditional Meal 🍽️ 🥘 of Irish Bacon 🥓 and Cabbage 🥬.

— By History.Com Editors | March 4, 2024

Photograph: Tim Boyle/Getty Images

Who Was St. Patrick?

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Saint Patrick, who lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint of Ireland and its national apostle. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people.

In the centuries following Patrick’s death (believed to have been on March 17, 461), the mythology surrounding his life became ever more ingrained in the Irish culture: Perhaps the most well-known legend of St. Patrick is that he explained the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) using the three leaves of a native Irish clover, the shamrock.

More than 100 St. Patrick's Day parades are held across the United States; New York City and Boston are home to the largest celebrations.

When Was the First St. Patrick’s Day Celebrated?

Since around the ninth or 10th century, people in Ireland have been observing the Roman Catholic feast day of St. Patrick on March 17. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place not in Ireland but in America. Records show that a St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17, 1601 in a Spanish colony in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. The parade, and a St. Patrick’s Day celebration a year earlier were organized by the Spanish Colony's Irish vicar Ricardo Artur.

More than a century later, homesick Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched in New York City on March 17, 1772 to honor the Irish patron saint. Enthusiasm for the St. Patrick's Day parades in New York City, Boston and other early American cities only grew from there.

Growth of St. Patrick's Day Celebrations

Over the next 35 years, Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished, prompting the rise of so-called “Irish Aid” societies like the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian Society. Each group would hold annual parades featuring bagpipes (which actually first became popular in the Scottish and British armies) and drums.

In 1848, several New York Irish Aid societies decided to unite their parades to form one official New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Today, that parade is the world‘s oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States, with over 150,000 participants. Each year, nearly 3 million people line the 1.5-mile parade route to watch the procession, which takes more than five hours. Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Savannah also celebrate the day with parades involving between 10,000 and 20,000 participants each. In 2020, the New York City parade was one of the first major city events to be canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; it was again canceled in 2021. The parade in New York and others around the country returned in 2022.

The Irish in America

Up until the mid-19th century, most Irish immigrants in America were members of the Protestant middle class. When the Great Potato Famine hit Ireland in 1845, close to 1 million poor and uneducated Irish Catholics began pouring into America to escape starvation.

Despised for their alien religious beliefs and unfamiliar accents by the American Protestant majority, the immigrants had trouble finding even menial jobs. When Irish Americans in the country’s cities took to the streets on St. Patrick’s Day to celebrate their heritage, newspapers portrayed them in cartoons as drunk, violent monkeys.

The American Irish soon began to realize, however, that their large and growing numbers endowed them with a political power that had yet to be exploited. They started to organize, and their voting bloc, known as the “green machine,” became an important swing vote for political hopefuls. Suddenly, annual St. Patrick’s Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates.

In 1948, President Harry S. Truman attended New York City‘s St. Patrick’s Day parade, a proud moment for the many Irish Americans whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in the New World.

The Chicago River Dyed Green

As Irish immigrants spread out over the United States, other cities developed their own traditions. One of these is Chicago’s annual dyeing of the Chicago River green. The practice started in 1962, when city pollution-control workers used dyes to trace illegal sewage discharges and realized that the green dye might provide a unique way to celebrate the holiday. That year, they released 100 pounds of green vegetable dye into the river–enough to keep it green for a week. Today, in order to minimize environmental damage, only 40 pounds of dye are used, and the river turns green for only several hours.

Although Chicago historians claim their city’s idea for a river of green was original, some natives of Savannah, Georgia (whose St. Patrick’s Day parade, the oldest in the nation, dates back to 1813) believe the idea originated in their town. They point out that, in 1961, a hotel restaurant manager named Tom Woolley convinced city officials to dye Savannah’s river green. The experiment didn’t exactly work as planned, and the water only took on a slight greenish hue. Savannah never attempted to dye its river again, but Woolley maintains (though others refute the claim) that he personally suggested the idea to Chicago’s Mayor Richard J. Daley.

St. Patrick's Day Celebrations Around the World

Today, people of all backgrounds celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, especially throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated around the world in locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore and Russia. Popular St. Patrick’s Day recipes include Irish soda bread, corned beef and cabbage and champ. In the United States, people often wear green on St. Patrick’s Day.

In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day has traditionally been a spiritual and religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use interest in St. Patrick’s Day to drive tourism and showcase Ireland and Irish culture to the rest of the world.

What Do Leprechauns Have to Do With St. Patrick's Day?

One icon of the Irish holiday is the Leprechaun. The original Irish name for these figures of folklore is “Lobaircin,” meaning “Small-bodied Fellow.” Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magica

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Freddie’s £10m rhapsody of hope for AIDS victims

World's biggest concert will pay for new hospital

ROCK LEGEND Freddie Mercury left a legacy of hope to thousands of fellow AIDS victims, it was revealed at the star-studded Wembley tribute to the Queen lead singer last night.

Guitarist Roger Taylor said a clinic for HIV and AlDS sufferers called the Freddie Mercury Hospital will be built in Britain from concert proceeds. Mercury died aged 45 last November after losing a long battle against AIDS. A large part of his fortune was donated to AIDS charities. It is expected that the total amount raised from last night's rock spectacular will top £10 million.

"This is something we feel strongly about and we are sure Freddie would approve," Taylor said.

“It's a means of using the tragedy to some good effect in bringing a greater awareness of the fact that AIDS affects all of us.”

Just before the show volunteers handed out red ribbons to fans, symbol of AIDS Awareness.

Hollywood stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Liza Minnelli joined forces with the cream of pop and rock talent including DavidBowie, Elton John, George Michael and metal band Guns'n'Roses.

Supermodel Cindy Crawford, the 26-year-wife of actor Richard Gere, spoke of the courage of close friends who died from AIDS.

Global

"The more discussion there is about AIDS the more people can learn and everyone needs to help," she said.

The 72,000 fans at Wembley paid £25 or more a head.

It was also broadcast live and attracted a larger global audience than Live Aid, going out to a billion people.

Some fans fell prey to touts charging up to £250 for tickets.

Even so, hundreds of fans were prepared to fork out.

"I supported Freddie throughout his life and I will support him in death," said Steve Parkin, 22, who travelled from Liverpool with no ticket.

"He was the greatest and I couldn't miss a concert like this."

Jayne Browning from Sheffield said: "I came with £100 and I would be willing to spend all of that."

Protests

Guns'n'Roses were one of the surprise bands in the concert.

Four years ago lead singer Axl Rose wrote a song with the lyrics: "Immigrants and faggots spread disease".

Shows have been dogged by protests from gay rights activists ever since.

But Guns'n'Roses drummer Matt Sorum said the band would be using the concert to explain their behaviour towards gays.

"Axl has a few things to say about accusations about being homophobic," Sorum said.

"He's still getting flak from it."

Just before the show Axl seemed to be suffering stage fright.

He failed to turn up for rehearsals and missed a sound check, preferring to stay in his Mayfair hotel suite.

Liz Taylor presented George Michael with a brooch with red rhinestones set in silver in the shape of the AIDS symbol.

Then, in a speech half way through the concert, she urged the crowd to practise safe sex and use condoms.

"You are the future of our world, you are the best and brightest," she said.

Gay

"You are the shining light that will illuminate a better world tomorrow.

"Protect yourselves. Every time you have sex use a condom. Every single time.

"Straight sex, gay sex, bisexual sex — use a condom whoever you are.

"And if you use drugs, don't share the needle.

"Each day around the world 5,000 people are infected with HIV — the virus that causes AIDS.

"Just last week it was reported in the U.S. that there are 9,000 actual cases of AIDS among teenagers and young adults, with thousands more who probably don't even know they are infected.

"There are 72,000 people in this stadium tonight. Look at yourselves, look at how many you are.

"In two short weeks there will be as many new infections as there are people here tonight. Please don't let it happen to you."

She added: "We are here to celebrate the life of Freddie Mercury, an extraordinary rock star who rushed across our cultural landscape like a comet shooting across the sky.

"We are also here to tell the whole world that he, like others we have lost to AIDS, died before his time.

"The bright light of his talent still exhilarates us, even now that his life has been so cruelly extinguished.

"It needn't have happened. It shouldn't have happened. Please, let's not let it happen again.

"Protect yourself, love yourself, respect yourself, because I will keep telling you until you do.

"I won't give in and I won't giveup, because the world needs you to live."

At the show the stars poured out personal tributes to their dead friend.

Roger Taylor said: "This concert is primarily a celebration of and a tribute to our dear friend and colleague Freddie Mercury."

His Queen co-star Brian May added: "It seems inconceivable that we now have to do without Freddie.

Living

"This proud, vibrant, irreverent and passionately creative man surely cannot have been extinguished in the prime of his life.

"Freddie was denied the privilege of growing old but in 45 years he packed in enough living for a dozen lifetimes.

"A child of strict upbringing he was, when I met him some 25 years ago, an uncertain youth stepping into an unfamiliar world outside.

"But his head was full of great dreams and the certainty that they could be achieved.

"At the age of 20 he already lived the dream, and behaved with a gentle grandeur that demanded respect.

"He looked and acted like a million dollars, though he scarcely had the bus fare home.

"That never changed. Later, when his millions were safely in the bank, someone else always carried his purse.

"Perhaps in changing his name prior to our first record he decided to leave the fragile Frederick Bulsara at home under parental care and become the god Freddie Mercury."

Queen guitarist John Deacon said: "It's hard to imagine being here without Freddie. We will all miss him."

Elton John said: "Until a cure is found I won't rest. I've lost so many friends.

"I'm in my mid 40s and this is the time in life that instead of just planning everything around a career, you can try to do something else."

George Michael said: "Freddie Mercury was a great inspiration to me and I felt a genuine loss when he died.

"So this concert will be a strange mixture of honour and sadness.

"Hopefully it will also serve as one more opportunity to fight against AIDS.”

[Photo caption: HELPING: Supermodel Cindy Crawford yesterday. She lost friends to AIDS]

[Photo caption: TALENT: Queen singer Freddie Mercury, dead of AIDS]