#balbal

[macarollcake]

🍌 Bal 🦇

She's actually the first one I conceptualized. I thought, "What if there was a Bal-Bal (something like an Aswang or Banana Vampire) who is a benevolent ruler instead of the usual bloodthirsty one?" And so, this is Bal!

A Bal-Bal who has become the Supreme Ruler of the forest she resides in. She is a human who can turn into a Bal-Bal anytime she wants, and she prefers this beastly form.

[2t2r]

La tour Burana du Kirghizistan

Nouvel article publié sur https://www.2tout2rien.fr/la-tour-burana-du-kirghizistan/

La tour Burana du Kirghizistan

[burialcloth]

my neocities mascot! so far unnamed, but i'm thinking of Balbal as a potential one

[sumerianlanguage]

Silim!!

I was thinking about bees (don't we all), and was wondering if you may know/ have sources that may know about beekeeping in Sumer? I know hives have been recorded in Egypt, but wasn't sure what the words and practices were like for Mesopotamia

🐝

Silim! Turns out this answer took more research than I expected, since bees weren't prominent in Mesopotamia as they are today.

Wild bee honey has been harvested across the greater Near East and North Africa for many millennia, dating back at least to the last ice age. Bees were first domesticated and kept in manmade hives around the third millennium BCE in Egypt. They were used for pollination of crops as well as honey production, and honey was both a significant economic product in Egypt (people sometimes paid their taxes in honey!) and a major export from there.

However, beekeeping didn't arrive in Mesopotamia until after the Sumerian period. The earliest references to beekeeping in cuneiform literature come from after 1000 BCE, long after Sumerian was no longer the major spoken language of the region, and bees appear rarely or never in pre-1000 BCE Mesopotamian art.

There are a number of references to honey in Mesopotamian literature; usually it is used as a metaphor for opulence, rarity or sensual pleasure. For example, multiple balbale to Inanna make reference to honey: In Shu-Suen B, it says lale dangega / e kinua lal hab duggaba "let me bring you honey / in the bedchamber dripping sweetly with thick honey" while the Song of the Lettuce has a whole long section about the lu lale "honey-man" shuni lale merini lale "with honey hands, with honey feet". (This "honey-man" is intended to be alluring and praiseworthy, not sticky and gross.) But words like lal "honey" could also mean "date syrup" or other sugary foods, so it's not always clear if specifically bee honey is meant. (I've previously answered about the Sumerian words for "honey" and "beeswax" here.)

In contrast to honey, I can't find a single reference to bees themselves in the entirety of the ETCSL, nor in any of the dictionaries I have access to. They may have had a word for the bee, but given the lack of beekeeping or use of bees in text this word hasn't been passed down to us. The Sumerians' successor, the Akkadians, did have several words for bee, most notably ḫabūbītu, also source of bēt ḫabūbāti "beehive", and nūbtu "honeybee", source of pār nūbti "beeswax".

If anybody has more Mesopotamian bee references, please let me know!

[vintage-ukraine]

A boy and an ancient Scythian Balbal in the Kyiv Botanical Garden, 1968

[wilddogsdivorce]

wip of my neocities banner ft. Balbal

[blueiscoool]

A Giant Stone Statue (Balbal) Found in Kyrgyzstan

A balbal (stone statue) with a height of up to 3 meters was found during agricultural work in the Ak-Bulun village of Tyup district in the Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan.

Balbal, is the name given to the tombstone that was erected around the grave or some of the kurgan people for the memory of the person in ancient Turks.

Erkin Turbaev, 60, discovered the balbal on October 15 in the evening. When the plow suddenly broke on something, he was preparing to plant potatoes. Turbaev made the decision to dig it out and discovered a more than two-meter-long stone statue at a depth.

Many Balbals have been found in Kyrgyzstan before. Many stone warriors (balbals) of the nomadic Turks are found in Çolpan Ata and Karakol on the shores of Issyk Kul. It is estimated that the balbals were erected in the 6th century. These grave markers in Kyrgyzstan and throughout Central Asia were erected by nomadic Turkish tribes, and almost all of the balbals in Kyrgyzstan are distributed in the Chuy Valley.

The Balbals to the sculptures of the Central Asian Turks, usually in the form of a sword and figure, usually carved on a piece of stone, symbolizing the enemies that the warrior had killed, and the people believed to be his servants in the other world, planted around the tombs of the deceased warriors at the time of widespread preservation of the validity of the shamanic religion.

When the number of these stones is the right of the dead person; the power, the courage, the hero of the hero. The balbals, which is prevalent in the pre-Islamic period, left its place to gravestones after acceptance of Islamic religion. Balbal word is a word from the Old Turkic language and means Bal+Bal (honey + honey), ie hit, cigarette, lighter.

The stone balbals in Kyrgyzstan, which are located on the outskirts of the townships of Sai and Bulak villages, are exhibited in the Kara-Batkak museum.

Historian Zhanbolot Abdykerimov said that many historical monuments can be located on the territory of the rural municipality.

“There are historical kurgans (burials) that date back to the 3rd century BC between the settlements of Ak-Bulun and Frunze. There are such kurgans in Fergana and Almaty. There is historical evidence that the ancient city of Sarybulun [Chigu or Chiguchen – in Chinese sources, the “City of the Red Valley”] was in the eastern part of Issyk-Kul,” the historian noted.

According to Abdykerimov, that the statue has special marks: inscriptions on the head, a pendant in the neck area and a hand in the middle indicating belonging to some title. There are pictures on the back and a belt. A short sword similar to an akinak is drawn. Such weapons were actively used during the Saka period. It is difficult to determine without archaeologists to which period the balbal belongs, the historian noted.

Balbal, which was slightly damaged by tractor drivers during excavations, is 2 meters 70 centimeters long. It was stated that such stone sculptures had not been encountered before in the village.

By Leman Altuntaş.

[mqfx]

baka iba-ibahin ko yung pananaw ng kwento kasi lubos na maraming tao at eksenang kailangan kong ipakita sa inyo. kung mqfx lang ang isusulat ko paano nyo malalaman yung kasaysayan nung [mga kalaban]?? o nung sundalong naging dyosa??? OOOOO yung dalawang ipinares ko paano nyo makikita yung PINAGHIRAPAN KONG kasaysayan sa likoddd

[sentofight]

The child is here to hold Balan's hand.

Er, this child again. Did he sneak inside yet again? Someone gotta be letting him in--who?? "I believe you are after the candies from the vending machine again, yes?"

[pagingcs]

Burana Tower, Kyrgyzstan

Many centuries ago, the great city of Balasagun sat on the great silk caravan road that connected China, India, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The capital of the Karakhanid Empire and once called the center of the world, Balasagun was inhabited throughout the 10–14th centuries. Today, the Burana minaret is all that is left standing.

[smooth-perceval]

“Stop acting like the grinch.”

Max Verstappen x Fem!Reader

Summary: Max pushes reader away, but reader is too stubborn to leave him alone- and soon find outs the truth.

Warning: swearing, max being a bit of a dick, forgiven very easy, reader being stubborn, fluff, angst?

Key: Y/N (Your name) Y/L/N (your last name)

Word count: 715

A/N: this is short and rushed please don’t hate me! It’s busy season and I forgot how busy I get at Christmas!!

Me and max hadn’t spoken in a few weeks or so- something about needing space over the holidays to focus on training…

Every year without fail for the past 4 years we spent Christmas together, it was our sworn vow in our friendship- Christmas never gets missed. Maybe except this year… Well unless he tells me to leave him alone then I’ll have to just walk away- right?

“Max! I know you said you need space… but I got all my decorations!” Kicking the door with my foot, I juggled the boxes in my arms.

“Max? You in- I should’ve texted before coming over I’m sorry.”

Nudging the door once again, I then sighed dropping the boxes to the floor hearing what sounds like a possible few broken ornaments.

“Max?” Hands on my hips I stared at the door. “Such an idiot Y/N… he’s out.” Mumbling unholy words to myself I prepared myself to carry the boxes back down to the car.

“Y/N?” With squinting eyes, messy hair and slightly red face- peering through the slightly opened door was Max.

“Max?” Mouth slacked I stared at him like a deer in headlights.

“Hi-” it felt lovely to see him again… I missed him deeply.

“Hey… what are you doing here?” Furrowing his eyebrows- he opened the door a little more.

“To decorate?… like last year- and the year before…”

“Y/N- I said I am focusing on other shit…”

“But max- we do this every year.”

“Not this year… you need to go.”

“Max-”

“Don’t Max me. Just go…”

Deflated, my shoulders slumped. I thought it’ll be easy to just turn and go- but truthfully I wasn’t giving up the fight that easy.

“Stop acting like the grinch.”

A little smile crept on his face before he quickly wiped it away.

“You’re still here.”

“No shit Sherlock. Let me in.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Fine. I’ll wait out here… decorate your front door or something…”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Silence… he didn’t shut the door we just stared at each other.

“And if this is the most I’ll see of you- then merry Christmas and happy new year.” With my hand now against his forehead I pushed it back slamming the door shut on my own face. And true to my word, I started decorating his front door- making do with what I had, a little tinsel around the door- a doormat In front.

I went to tie some balbals around the handle- when the door sprung open again.

“Y/N.”

Leaning forward I wrapped the balbals around before rummaging through the bag again.

“Y/N.”

“What Max.”

“I’m sorry…”

“I know.”

“I just-”

“You just?”

“I’m not busy- I lied.”

“You lied?… why did you lie?” A little insulted I took a step away from him- like he twisted a knife in my heart. “I realised I am in love with you- and that has scared the shit of me.”

“You’re in love with me…?” And the knife was untwisted, heart was kissed better and floating back in his arms.

“So much it hurts.”

“Max…” shushing me he looked up pulling the tinsel down from the door

“So if you’ll have me- I’d like to celebrate this Christmas a little differently from the last.”

“How so?” With a sly smile on his face, he threw the tinsel around me pulling me in. “I’ll show you-”

And there it was the first time ever in 4 years- we kissed. And it was magical. I couldn’t describe the kiss just- I knew I wanted this forever. The tinsel around my waist, max grip on the tinsel wrapping it around his hands the closer he pulls me in.

“Max-” mumbling I pulled away- his eyes still closed as he pulled back slightly humming as a response. “Can we watch the grinch?”

“Seriously…”

“You was a dick.”

“Because I love you!”

“And now you’ll watch the grinch while we decorate!”

“I guess I will.” Rolling his eyes he grabbed the bag of decor, as I picked up the rest.

“Oh and max-” turning around he looked down slightly at me.

“Merry Christmas.” Whispering to him- I leaned up kissing his lips delicately- leaving him with a cute smile on his face.

“And a happy new year.” He whispered back returning the kiss.

[glosskirt]

i'm a fire bender! || JJK

scenario. (NOT STORY :3)

synopsis: jungkook freaks out when you pretend not to know ATLA (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

warnings: swearing

a/n: i wanted to make this tagalog, but i use balbal tagalog so it would be very difficult to translate 🥹

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

@haecien

[nofatclips]

Balbalou by Cheikh Lô, live at the Bela Bartok National Concert Hall in MüPa Budapest for Womex 2015

[magerywrites]

when she speaks, cities turn to ruins

One of my favourite things about reading up on Inanna-Ishtar is that the Mesopotamians filled her mythology with some absolute bangers on the raw prose level. The title of this post is actually one of them, taken from Sophus Helle's translation of The Hymn to Inanna.

Accordingly, I thought I'd share my personal top five, which live, effectively permanently, on loop in a corner of my brain. So here you go.

"The gods are small birds, but I am the falcon."

1. A balbale to Inanna (Inanna F)

"I shall make the dead outnumber the living!"

2. The Epic of Gilgamesh

"...because you did not put your nose to the ground, because you did not rub your lips in the dust, I have killed you and brought you low."

3. Inanna and Ebih

"...I shall fill my hand with the soaring mountain range and let it learn fear of me."

4. Inanna and Ebih

"My father gave me the heavens and he gave me the earth. I am Inana! Which god compares with me?"

5. A balbale to Inanna (Inanna F)

[wilddogsdivorce]

i know that tumblr won't suddenly implode in a day, but in the wake of everyone's panic, here's our neocities. balbal will see you there: