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Some model updats for y’all~
Signy’s outfit was commissioned by ChrisieBDK.
Kikumi’s royal attire is a commission by Heaventa. Her sandals are Montecore, jewelry from o-DSV-o, and tiara from uni_deluxe.
Kikumi’s official outfit was a commission from Arneth-Myndraavn.
Amka’s main outfit was put together by @strawberry-metal a while back and has been updated to fit her new base. Her maid attire is a combination of Montecore parts with their textures edited by myself.
Next to the girls, you can also see that Signy’s outfit has sliders to remove her chest armor, the bear-skin mantle, and her bracers. Each is a seperate slider, so you can remove each one individually.
#mmd#mikumikudance#miku miku dance#signy#war-bear#signy war-bear#kikumi#fujimori#kikumi fujimori#amka#aliyak#amka aliyak#main attire#royal attire#maid attire#alternate attire#alt attire
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Grendel/Grendel's Mother anon, back with more Beowulf incest thoughts! Even if more from a "academic curiosities & oddities" point of view, this time...
This unfortunately requires a bit more background than the last ask, so please bear with me. I promise the conclusion is gonna be fun!
So, in Beowulf, king Healfdene of the Danes has three sons, Heorogar, Hrothgar, and Halga, and one unnamed daughter, who is married off to a foreign king, possibly Onela of the Swedes. By the time the whole "Beowulf comes to Denmark to vanquish Grendel" plot happens, the first one has likely died, as he doesn't appear in the poem, and there might have been some sort of conflict between him and his brothers, as Hrothgar, now king in the hall of Heorot, gives Heorogar's armor as a reward to Beowulf even as the narrator points out that the he could have given it to Heorogar's son, Heoroweard, instead. Halga has possibly died, too. A nephew of Hrothgar, Hrothulf, is living in Heorot and is always mentioned together with the king, hinting at a close relationship, perhaps a surrogate father-son one.
In later Norse sources, all these characters have their own equivalents. Well, almost all of them. King Halfdan has only two sons, Hroar (Hrothgar) and Helgi (Halga), and sometimes a daughter, who marries a Swedish king and is sometimes called Signy. Hrolf (Hrothulf) is explictly and consistently Helgi's son, fostered by Hroar after Helgi's death... and here's where things start getting intriguing.
See, we don't know a lot about Anglo-Saxon Halga, though we can assume he was a rather positive character, as the Beowulf poet calls him "the good"... but Norse Helgi? A nasty piece of work, really. In one story, he rapes a serving girl, and in another, a queen, but the end result is the same. Years later, Helgi meets a beautiful girl named Yrsa, and either rapes her, too, or actually falls in love with her and marries her, making her his queen and having little Hrolf with her... before finding out that Yrsa herself was born from the rape he committed in his youth, meaning he had a child with his own daughter.
Following this, Yrsa invariably divorces him and flees to Sweden, where she marries king Adlis (who has his own Anglo-Saxon equivalent in Eadgils, a nephew of Onela - see above... and remember it for later *wink wink* - who eventually goes to war against him). While Helgi has a few more options: he kills himself because of the shame of his unwitting incest, kills himself for supposedly unrelated reasons, dies during a war expedition against Adlis, or dies during a war expedition against Adlis that he went on because, after trying to convince Yrsa that their relationship could simply go on as it had before the reveal and failing, he wanted to take her back from her new husband.
Heorogar, as you can see, just kind of falls to the wayside. But his son Heoroweard becomes Hjorvard, an ostensibly unrelated king who is defeated by Hrolf but then becomes his ally and marries Hrolf's witchy half-sister (Helgi also raped an elf-maiden at one point... *sigh*) Skuld and is convinced by her to fight and kill Hrolf and usurp his throne.
Now, that last bit is important to consider because, in Norse sources, Hrolf is a bit of a King Arthur character: marked by an act of unwitting incest and betrayed and usurped by his family and allies, but a great king nonetheless, brave, clever, generous, and able to rule a proseporous and peaceful kingdom while attracting all sorts of loyal champions with bizarre powers and origins to his court before his inevitable ruin. On the other hand, in Beowulf... well, tbf, he doesn't really do much besides sit by his uncle/possible foster father Hrothgar and seem to have a pretty good relationship with him. But the passages that mention him also allude to some sort of strife or even a feud between relatives in the royal Danish household's future, and so critics have traditionally interpreted them as hinting that, after Hrothgar's death, his young sons will be killed by Hrothulf, who will then betray his family and commit an usurpation himself. Bit of a striking reversal, isn't it?
One passage that's often mentioned to support this interpretation is a speech given by Wealhtheow, Hrothgar's wife and queen and the mother of his children. As Hrothgar has understandably taken a shine to the heroic Beowulf and would like to have a sort of father-son relationship with him, too, Wealhtheow accuses Hrothgar of wanting to literally adopt Beowulf as his heir and then advises im against it, saying essentially that Beowulf is great and everything, but now that Heorot has been saved, he'll need to return to his own people, so Hrothgar should look towards his kin, like Hrothful, who's always been faithful to them and will surely also treat their sons, and especially their heir, with honor even in the future. The "traitor Hrothful" view generally leads to two understandings of her words: in one, Wealhtheow is a hapless victim of dramatic irony, trusting someone who will one day harm her children and may be already plotting to do so over a full-fledged hero, while Hrothgar's adoption plan, if he really was thinking of it like that, could have saved everyone a lot of heartbreak; in the other, she knows exactly what she's doing, and fears that Hrothgar promising a spot in line for the throne to some wandering monster-slayer who probably won't stick by anyway will infuriate Hrothful and cause him to retaliate in some way, leading him to placate or guilt-trip him with affectionate words to buy her family some more time.
But there's also a newer interpretation that looks at the classical one and asks, "but do we REALLY know that Hrothful is a traitor?" I won't bore you (more than I already am, lol) with linguistic arguments concluding that the sinister foreshadowing that seems to appear in certain lines may not actually be there, or with reconsiderations of Danish royal genealogies and how they might disprove the early deaths of Hrothgar's sons, but I will say there is a pretty convincing argument to be made about how early Germanic societies often didn't care that much for primogeniture and how it wasn't uncommon for early Germanic kings to take on one or more younger male relatives as co-rulers, which could mean that Hrothulf might have been Hrothgar's legitimate heir and/or his second in command already, no treachery needed to get on the throne. The implications of betrayal and family turning against family might have originally been about Heoroweard behaving exactly like Hjorvard, but with some extra kinslaying on top.
Some theories, however, don't just stop there, creating more far-fetched but quite entertaining hypotheses...
Remember how Healfdene also had a daughter? Well, there's are some who argue that, given how Anglo-Saxon poetry was based on allitteration, that name this is sister is sometimes given in Old Norse, Signy, wouldn't actually fit in the Beowulf line where she's mentioned. But there's another Old Norse name from the stories about Hrolf that may fit better... Yrsa. Yep! We have officially entered "maybe this originally brother/sister incestuous relationship morphed into a father/daughter incestuous relationship only later on" territory! Yrsa (or whatever her phonetically-similar Anglo-Saxon equivalent) could have had Hrothulf with Halga, left her family, married Onela, and then, willingly or not, married again a third time when Eadgils defeated and killed Onela, a sad but unfortunately rather common fate in the kind of society she would have lived in.
And yet, it seems... there are those who take this even a step further. Kind of hard to believe, right? But not too hard, I hope. Because I'm finally reaching the fun oddity I really wanted to talk about. Better late than never!
See, I have actually run into a theory according to which... Wealhthoew and Yrsa might be the same person. This, based on Wealhtheow's speech I mentioned above: Welhtheow's support for Hrothulf over Beowulf, here, would not be based on naivety, fear, or even simple acceptance of Hrothulf's already established status in Heorot and genuine trust in his loyalty, but on wanting her own firstborn son to be king! And perhaps, on being closer to him than to her other children, as he would be the one son and the last reminder of her dead (first) brother-lover...
Unfortunately, I found this Wealhtheow = Yrsa equivalence in an article discussing Hrothulf's figure and referring only in passing to the book it was formulated in. So, I don't know if and how the original author who came up with it might have addressed the obvious questions such a theory would naturally give rise to. Such as...
If Halgi/Helgi and Yrsa couldn't be together due to being so closely related, whether as brother and sister or father and daughter, why would would Yrsa then marry Hrothgar, one of her other brothers? Were there any complicated half-siblings mathematics at play, like Hrothgar sharing a father with Halgi but Halgi actually sharing only a mother with Yrsa, who was really Healfdene's stepdaughter, making Hrothgar/Yrsa technically not incest?
Why did Yrsa change her name to Wealhtheow? And why does the poem identify her as coming from a whole other clan in a whole other place?
Was the Halgi/Yrsa incest still unknowing? What about the Hrothgar/Yrsa incest? Did "Wealhtheow" adopt a fake identity to marry Hrothgar? Was Hrothgar in on it? Was there a whole incestuous love triangle going on when the siblings were young, with Yrsa going for one brother and then using the other as a rebound after his death, or was Hrothgar just like "look, we'll pass you off as a foreign princess so you'll get to stay here at home under my protection with your son and no one will say anything about your past" but then they ended up behaving like a real married couple and having kids together anyway?
Was Hrothulf aware of literally any of this?? What about his cousins/siblings???
Where does the marriage to Onela even come in during all of this????
... personally, I think the original author thought they'd found a neat, clever solution to tie together Anglo-Saxon and Norse sources in a coherent manner once and for all, but they just didn't consider the consequences of what they were putting on paper. And so they accidentally ended up with potentially the most convoluted period soap opera ever!
Apparently, they distanced themselves from this reading in their later work, thought, which is all things considered a very understandable choice. But you know what? A Beowulf retelling based on it would be the craziest, wildest thing. And I'd be all for it!
[x]
Wow, a soap opera is right! That is a tangled web.
I would love to watch an epic series focused on this family, going with the most incestuous interpretations possible, of course.
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mmmmmmmmmmm fuckin. signi! she hears the castle women singing the andahi lament while beating flax and it is a triple whammo of Bad Memories cuz 1) reminds her of her venn homeland 2) reminds her similar customs are for venns and marlovans 3) the lament is a direct response to the war between this people whom she lives among now and the people she was born from, the people who exiled her, the people and land she can never return to. signi’s never liked war and violence, all of her actions have only ever been for peace in nonviolent actions. her whole thing is tdor’s “making nets”, not breaking them. the lament is a fuckin slap to the face and knife to the heart at the same time, yet signi goes to tau’s theater (another attempt besides signi for a foreigner to meld with marlovan culture, with...not so great success) and does her dance in time to the lament. these lines “But where there is life, there is hope, and the possibility of joy. And she always, always, expressed joy in dance” followed by “What creatures we are...We make poems and music to celebrate beauty, and we train to kill, and call it art” stick out to me in particular. the lament will be remembered and so women will be remembered . . . signi’s life has been upturned and ruined so many times now. (failed the final hel dancer test and was disowned by her family. tortured by erkric and lost ability to do magic because of damage to her hands. seeking a life with inda but not fully fitting in with the marlovan castle structure and having her mission to go to sartor.) she danced the lament with “the aches, the shortened steps, the gnarled pull where once she’d moved without effort” of a body bearing the scars resulting from erkric’s wars and ambitions, fully encompassing the message and meaning behind the andahi lament. dags and magic aren’t for war. signi was never supposed to be caught up in it. the venn’s attempted invasion would never have happened had it not been for erkric wanting the throne. andahi castle never would have undergone that three day siege ending with the death of every single woman, the orphaning of every single child. that war was never supposed to happen. it was useless. and signi got the blame for it and the punishment for it and she was never even supposed to be there! but because she was, inda’s still alive. marlovans survived the invasion. brit valda escaped erkric and could keep fighting his control over rajnir. she is the fuckin savior of the books and no one even knows it. this lament will be remembered and so the women will be remembered
#every day i rotate signi around in my head and marvel#universe really said what if i make the kindest coolest woman ever and then do all the worst possible things to her too :)#she's funny too she's like reflecting on how she has to leave inda and is sad about it but thinks 'well im turning fifty soon my life's gonn#gonna be turning around soon for a Big Life Change probably' like lsdjflsdjfslfjslfks hon i could count the number of big life changes you'v#you've had on both hands!!#she somehow finds a way to do good no matter what situation she's in and that's fuckin amazing#i admire her Many and Muchly#inda quartet#sartorias-deles
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WTW MARCH MADNESS - DAY 2: CHALLENGES 2 & 3
— challenge two: discuss your biggest sources of inspiration
things i hated and perceived wrongs that need to be righted!
ice dragon novel was originally inspired by the ending of game of thrones, and was meant to explore someone who was pushed to make certain decisions to save her kingdom, and then focus on how she would be framed as a villain for making necessary decisions. the details of the story are much different than they were when i started daydreaming about it (dragons are barely in it, and only as atmosphere!), but the general theme remains the same. we love a monster girl in this household.
full send was inspired by the 2021 formula one season. nothing more to say there! i’m pretending it didn’t happen!
— challenge three: write about a fairy tale, folklore, or urban legend in your wip
The good people of the North no longer had tongues that could shape the names of what lived beneath the ice. There were no words that could feed the old gods of Vahlanhe; the Vahlan had long ago made temples of the sea and carved altars from the mountains. There was no longer any need for prayers, no holiness to be found in hymns or absolution.
There was only light and its absence – and somewhere in between were what the northerners had come to call Gerlyshållare. Lightkeepers.
It’s said that the aurora borealis was never closer to the earth than on Nordsagerlys, the day when the Lightkeepers had bloomed from the ether to set flame to the wick of humanity.
The old legends said that the Lightkeepers were there at the great, violent birth of the world. They hung the stars and the moon, the sun and the aurora borealis. They gave the world life and crafted magic out of stardust and tucked it into all the hidden parts of the world: under the ice and in caves, along the tropical coasts of the south and sprinkled in the sands of the deserts in the east. In return, the world gave the Lightkeepers everything. It gave them meaning and gave them eternity, the worship written in books and depicted on tapestries and in paintings.
It was an ouroboros, gods and mortals stuck chasing each other round and round, each seeking divinity until their feet were bloody.
Blood begets blood. War followed, as people sought gods who were easier to understand. Because what sacrifices could mortals offer the gods who held the sky? The legends called the people distrustful; the tapestries depicting the wars showed them wrathful. The magic was severed where it lay, the veins of the world poisoned until the magic could not survive.
But here, in Signy’s beautiful Kingdom of the North, the magic found a home too deep for the armies of the south to corrupt. In this land of never-ending night, the few Lightkeepers who remained kept the world afloat. The magic found a home under the silent, waiting ice and the Lightkeepers painted the sky in constellations of stars – that had always been Alka’s favorite part of the stories. Even after their betrayal, the Lightkeepers loved the world enough to draw its pictures in the sky.
Bears and lions and heroes, hung up forevermore by gods who had been purged from the world, leaving nothing but stories and stardust and just enough blood for, millennia and years and wars and more years later, Alka and Signy to have been born.
Or so the legends said.
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Story Awards Length Categories
Decisions have been made, lists have been finalized, and so now I am pleased to present the nominees for the Story Awards Length Categories!
Best General Snapshot
Berlin Bound by GrrraceUnderfire December Drabble or Snapshot a Day- Mittens by snooky-9093 December Drabble or Snapshot a Day- Skate/Skating by snooky-9093 Here in the Forest… by mrspencil Mother Tongue by StarrySkies2019 Pushed by Crystal Rose of Pollux The Complexity of a Snowflake by DeathThouShalt Die The Four Elements by Tuttle4077 The French-English Mutual Aid Society by GrrraceUnderfire Veritas per Somnum by Tuttle4077
Best Drama Snapshot
Dulce et Decorum by Signy 1 Mug's Game by Crystal Rose of Pollux No day after today (self-harm warning) by deepbluethinking Up in Smoke by Abracadebra Wall Builder by Tuttle4077
Best General Short Story
A Brief Misadventure by AlwaysBooked Charm Offensive by Abracadebra Do Not Drink While At War by Sierra Sutherwind Great and Noble Undertaking by Signy1 Keeping the Faith by Tuttle4077 Other Ranks by Abracadebra Period of Adjustment by Crystal Rose of Pollux When Credit's Due by Visage
Best Drama Short Story
A Meeting At The Crossroads by dust on the wind A Sharp Surprise by Gravytrain101 Cutting the Strings by Abracadebra Keeping the Wolves Away by LightShiner14 Keeping Us Together by bleeze brew My Enemy's Enemy by Signy1 The Night Shift by Tuttle4077 What I Lost In The Dark by Sierra Sutherwind
Best Comedy Short Story
Bananas, Crackers, and (Pea)nuts by Tuttle4077 Forty Winks by snooky-9093 Ladies and Gentlemen, Hogan's Hermits! by Abracadebra The Grand Misadventures of the Milkmaid Prisoners by DeathThouShaltDie What shall we do with the drunken Major? by deepbluethinking What The British Soldier Can Stand by Signy1 Yes, We Have No Ammunition by Signy1
Best General Medium Story
Another Close Call by Jame79 Carter's Drugstore by katbybee I Don't Like Mice by dust on the wind In Dreams by Tuttle4077 The Roll of the Dice by snooky-9093 The Used Car Conundrum by VonKarajan The Witching Hour by Book 'em Again
Best Drama Medium Story
A Night of Shadows by VonKarajan A Voice in the Dark by Sam Worth Certain Something by Gunney From All the Stars by Floating Pizza Seeking Freedom by Wind-in-the-Sage
Best Comedy Medium Story
Call Me Legion by Signy1 Great Expectations by snooky-9093 Kissing Santa Under the Mistletoe by DixieDale Lady Chitterly's Cousin, or This Mission Is for the Birds by Abracadebra Playing Tricks by bleeze brew The Parrot, the Princess, and the Pair of Unfortunates by Oconee Belle W(h)ine, (No) Women, and Song by Signy1 Win by Khebidecia
Best General Long Story
Channel Your Inner Kid by SoraliaRyujin Everyone Loves a Mystery by Tuttle4077 Getting to Know You by GrrraceUnderfire Guess Who: Heat Wave by Various Authors (posted by Tuttle4077) His Divinest Grief by Signy1 Permission to Speak Freely by GrrraceUnderfire The Christmas Song by Tuttle4077
Best Drama Long Story
Awakening by GrrraceUnderfire Born to be an Agent by SoraliaRyujin Journey of a Little Deer by Tuttle4077 Little Bear by MissieWritesFanfiction Not so well by deepbluethinking Saving Troy's Bacon Raid by tallsunshine12 Situation Humpty Dumpty by Book 'em Again
Thanks for sending in nominations ballots! Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees!
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Three swords there were, forged from elemental divinity--
Mimung, the weapon of the Waelsungs, split Brynhilde's heart and sped her to the embrace of her One Eyed God, wielded after, by Vortimer, Vortigern's son, of Sinfjotli's line, now Uter's (Ohthere's) blade, grim Ohthere, of two fathers sired upon unwilling Ygerna, Vortimer (Embreis Wledig), or perhaps of Egil-Ongentheow's seed, he vies with Onela (Aelle Bretwalda) for the soul of a nation, and a woman's heart...
Tyrfing, the doom of Arngrim's brood, that brave Hervor dared the barrows of her dead father's host, scorning sulfur and brimstone to retrieve metal cast to the Host of the Dead, shaming the fallen, seeking vengeance for slain brothers, sword recovered to living light, forever cursed to take life at price of unsheathing, whose hilt Onela's (Aelle Bretwalda's) strong hands now grip upon the Plains of Eboracum (York)...
The Sword of Ares, Sarmatian iron, born of stars, a virgin priestess's flesh mated in sacrament to the Stallion, King of Heaven, both sacrificed upon the alter of flame and blood, hammer and anvil, brought to the shores of Albion in the days of Empire's might, but as centuries passed, the Eagle decayed, raising Wolf and Raven and Mare, Venaura (Gwenhwyfar), gazes upon mighty Tyr's gift of blood-gold justice, bride of death, Raven Queen and Horse Goddess, daughter of blessed Saranyu who settled her nation upon the Isle of Mists centuries gone, and centuries gone, where this child of Peteova, Lady of the Cawnur, and her Beltane lover, Palomydez (Pabo Pillar of Prydain), Alani war-lord, once commanded fire from heaven, ripping through her mother's flesh, melting sinew with lightening-struck oak, petrified water-fused stone, blade clutched in her mother's hand, symbol of defiance against Egil-Ongentheow's invading host, salvaging a tormented island, where now his sons war, Onela (Aelle Bretwalda) and Uter (Ohthere), for supremacy over Albion's clashing tribes, and in one desperate hour, does Uter send harrowing word for aid of the North, and Venaura at long-last, asks grieving Palomydez, her true-father unknown, enjoin the war and sway the battle-tide, but bitter Palomydez, stubborn yet, refuses in contempt of the southern lords he blames for Petoeva's death, sword cleaved to oak-fired stone, petrified flesh, cold memory of his bright queen's sacrifice, until this moment when her daughter, whose spirit blazes like a thousand suns from gray eyes, stands proud before his hall, voice strong above the storm lashing through the vaulted chamber, she summons Aesir and Don, bearing in her clenched fingers the ghost-banner of Old Brigantia, insignia of Iazyge, Roman, and Briton, calling the God's fire once more from heaven in a blast that blinds his court, and bades men take shelter beneath table or bench, freeing star-iron from stone, so that Venaura, Peteova's proud daughter, frees the Sword of Ares born aloft once more, into the world of men--
"In the name of the Women of Albion, and Valentia between the Walls, I summon your One-Eyed god out of Shadow, and your queen, Palomydez, summons your horse-lords to war..."
~~
Graphic, a result of me goofing around with PhotoLayers App, and ToonyTools online editing.
Verbosity, me droning in stream of conscience with highlights of how I see Uther's tale (and later, Arthur's) evolving with Gwenhwyfar's. Here, she’s based off a combo of Gwen, the daughter of Cunedda Wledig, and Gwenabwy (in my poor reverse linguistics, that’s actually Uindavia/Uendabhia), who’s the daughter of *Cawnur*, the sister of Gildas, Cywyllog, and Huail (from the delusional pedigrees of the Lives of the British Saints). Indeed, here Uther is actually adapted from the character of Ohthere (and in some bit, Amlwedd/Amlothi/Hamlet), who exists in some convoluted way, referenced as Vendel nobility, Ylfingas and Ynglingas (basically, Odin-Tyr progeny and Freyr progeny; Hamlet, and it’s predecessor Danish tale of Amothi/Ambhla-Odr, is basically another version, where Orwandil and Feng are representations of Odin/Tyr and Ingvi-Freyr. Somehow, Orwandil is also Egil-Ongentheow, which is also Angantyr. He shows up in various Anglo-Saxon genealogies as Angentheow/Angengeot). Amlothi marries both a northern British princess, and then a Scottish queen who was infamous for killing all her male suitors until she falls in love with Amlothi. Later, in Amlothi’s lay, the Scottish queen marries Wigleck, the adversary and new Danish king, and founds the line of East Anglians via Offa Anglian. Anyone whose ever read Widsith, and Beowulf, and any of the Swedish/Danish/Norwegian/Geat dynastic sagas knows how very convoluted are the pseudo-histories and personages. At the end of the day, I love the take of Aelle Bretwalda, something of a misplaced Teutonic invader, without any lineage, and 3 sons whose names supply locations in Sussex (Cymen, Cissa, Wlencing—my Lancelot/Gwallawg ap Lleenog, of the next generation with Arthur...who’s Vortiporius in my take), as Ale (Norse version of Onela’s name), as the 1/2 brother of Uther. My whole justification here is that Uther’s name shares a parallel meaning as Ohthere—terrible/fearsome warrior. Archaeology over the last few decades suggests something of a Swedish/possibly Geatish influx into East Anglia, from an earlier era (tentatively) based on the dating of certain artifacts, than traditionally believed. And possibly, the migration west of Mercian lines as East Anglian/Geatish pressure increased, reflecting a parallel migration of dynastic rivalries which followed them across the NorthSea board. The Sutton Hoo burial, and grave sites of mid-late 6th century/7th century East Anglia/The Norfolk-Suffolk areas allegedly have more features in common with the Swedish Vendel graves in southern Sweden than Anglian/continental Germanic burial sites of the same era. SOMETHING happened in Sweden/Denmark as well as Jutland that I believe involved late-Roman/Post-Roman Britain as well. Which leads me to wonder if the situation of the entire northern Seaboard all the way to the Baltic coast, isn’t a whole lot more complex than what our established theories reflect. Also, per poetic license, this circumstantial evidence allows me a bridge into fictional invite, proposing it’s Uther/Ohthere who becomes something of a prototype King Cnut/Canute, in my vision of his ambition, not of a Post-Roman Britain joined back with a dying Western Roman Empire which Constantinople refuses to concede, but a Britain united with the Nordic houses of Sweden/Daneland/Jutland, and reaching out to Theoderic the Great/Sexy Amalung to form some sort of Successor State confederacy, acting as a bulwark against Constantinople’s grasping influence, as well as the rising Frankish power of Clovis and the Merovingians. There’s reports Theoderic’s court of Ravenna hosted a Swedish king who’d sworn off his countrymen (Radulph—some scholars think he may actually be the personage upon whom Hrolfr Kraki was based), as well as Theoderic harboring, like his 18th century presidential doppelgänger, Thomas Jefferson (who was forever fascinated by the Western mystique of the American frontier and her indigenous peoples), something of an enlightened interest in collecting whatever history or knowledge related to northern tribal peoples, like the (mistaken, but heavily advertised) notion of Geats and Goths sharing a common root heritage.
This, This warped version finds inspiration from not just from the classic Brithish manuscripts or epics of Arthur, but combines Nordic legend/saga sources with late Roman figures synthesized with British/Germanic/Nordic figures. Story of Ongentheow and his sons, for starters. I have 2 notebook pages full up in finest logic tree form, like a jungle of neurons, detailing my convoluted interpretations and parallels of historic personages, and legendary/literary.
Lastly, Something about Vortigern's geneology always bothered me, especially in his kinship with The Jutes, Hengist and Horsa. A piece submerged or missing, that made me wonder if he wasn't only British, but as with so many high-ranking military officers in the early 5/mid-th century, perhaps also shared some Germanic/Teutonic lineage, which would explain his partiality to the Jutes, and their willingness to serve him in Britain at his invite. It’s recorded (in not very reliable sources), Vortigern’s father is a Vitalinus or Vitalis. A solidly Latin name, which shares a wonderful synchrony with Fitelis, the modified version of Sinfjotli, the son of Sigmund and Signy Waelsung, which relates back to the whole Brynhilde/Sigfrid/death of the Burgundians/ doom of Attila thread. I’m actually just partial to Wotan and his symbolism with changing eras of history—war/rebellion/evolution/revolution/enlightenment. I also seem inclined to a symbolism of male characters as something like representations of that iconography, while my female characters act as mediums of inspiration for social/political reform, and logic/temperance/challenging the notion change only comes through violent upheaval. In lieu here, is a young Gwen, educated in Rome, as physician (of course...she does tie to Caroline Eleanor Graham later in preRev Paris), as ruler-philosopher, and yes, as a warrior in the style of nomadic horsewomen (how I bring in the character, Alardin as her tutor in these studies through her formative years exiled from Alba/Caledonia after her mother’s death). I hate the warrior queen motif. Not that my perspective alleviates gross anachronism, but I’d rather suggest she’s a queen, or at least, per the tradition of Caledonian tribes around the Walls, it’s through marriage she conveys the right of rulership to the man she eventually selects as her husband. Until then, she rules/advises her father and older brother when her father invites her back from Rome finally. And later, when Uther’s wars require the companies of the Votadini (her tribe), she’s left ruling in her father/brother’s stead, until Uther asks for her intervention, to summon the Pictish tribes of the far north, and Pabo Post Prydein’s Alani heavy cavalry, who occupy the area of Rheged, I place in NW Cumbria and SW Scotland/Galloway-Dumfries. Rerigonium looks an awful lot like an inspiration for Rheged, IMHO. Also, oddly, according to the Lives of the British saints, Pabo shares some sort of weird root with Palomides (?.). So, I’d rather suggest, Gwen is a woman who becomes a queen, from a family of Romanized-buffer state Caledonians, and as any woman in a position of influence, raised in a volatile era, and volatile province, essentially defined as *frontier zone*, I’d rather think she was raised to be competent, and strong-willed, and perhaps, more talented/unconventional/resourceful than what might be expected in a more pacific time. As I would expect of other women, and their men as well—British/Roman/or Germanic-Nordic...
Anyway, as the whole tragedy of Waelsungs, the Burgundians, and later Britain ties back, according to the Eddic poems, and Wagner, to that tale of Andarvi’s gold, Otter, and a neck-ring from that cursed were-gild which comes into Gudrun’s hands, I have Gudrun as a grieving Abbess residing in Rome, the patron to whom Gwen is sent to be educated as a girl. They don’t have a good relationship at first—Gwen, a rebellious girl who hardly knew her mother, and resents her father for sending to a college of widowed and bitter women, and Gudrun, who mourns her daughter, Swanhilde, slaughtered in an act of betrayal, and now, lives lay to see her son, ERP/Hyrp, take the throne of Caesar. Don’t ask how, but legends say, Gudrun does have a son named ERP/Hyrp. Somehow, Erp/Hyrp relates to Eadowacer, and that name is a version of the eponymous Odovaver/Adavacrius who deposed the last emperor in 476. He ties in with the story of Gwen, and Theoderic the Great as well. Anyhow, that cursed treasure with it’s cursed neck-ring sits in a convent in a quite, genteely decaying corner of the old Capital. No one wants to touch it b/c it’s cursed, and by this point of Gwen’s maturing to a young, precocious woman, she knows the legacy and taint it has upon the Abbess Gudrun she’s come to love as her mother. So, she decides to enlist the best street gangs of the convent’s local neighborhood, various carpenters/construction crews/artisans/as well as river merchants who want a cut of profit, and retain their own armed guards, to basically revive the convent’s local marketplace, founding their local agricultural coop/and vendor sites, as well as establishing a neighborhood hospital (based of St Galla’s, I think), and to add one more twist to Wotan’s cursed treasure, she takes the neck ring, and has it melted/redrafted into surgical implements which, to her delight, NEVER rust. And have amazing antibacterial properties...as some metal alloys are known to possess. Anyway, that’s the same woman who, rather than Uther or Arthur (her son, by Uther and Theoderic), who pulls the Sword from the Stone, the Sword which took her mother’s life, if that made any sense, up above, to mend a dynastic feud of Northern British houses, which has embroiled her biological father (Pabo) and her acknowledged father, Cunedda, since Gwen’s mother sacrificed her life to fend off an invasion of Swedes when Gwen was a child. It’s the moment Gwen realizes she has the aptitude and the attitude to sovereignty in interests of her people, and claims rule of Valentia, that troublesome province of Count Theodosius dating back to 370AD, which has confounded modern scholars as to where Valentia was located. I place it between the Wall of Antoninus and Hadrian, to include the regions north and south of each those boundaries as well. Thus, she is, rather like Amlothi’s Scottish queen (no Scotland in late 5th/early 6th c...), The Queen of the North (ah, GRRMartin and HBO, I’ll never forgive you for Season8), and rallies the discordant tribes of the Pretani/Picts, and the Caledonians (those Lowland and Scottish Border regions) to Uther’s aid, outside of Eboracum. Which is my draw from GeoffreyofMonmouth, and the HistoriaBrittonum, of Battle 8/The Battle Guinnion/TheWhiteFortress (don’t ask, but root words of Eboracum aside, either as *yew tree*, in the British, the Latin root of *eburos* is ivory. And if you’ve been to York, they have those lovely white-trunked trees everywhere, and its Walls, albeit dating from the MiddleAges, must have been at least as magnificent, indestructible, and...white, even by the later quarter of the 400s AD. One of my favorite cities, and hope to back when the world’s not so crazy...). How the dynasty of Eleutherius and York/Eboracum becomes occupied by Teutonic forces, you ask? Ties with Germanic/Teutonic royalty, of course, but resolving that takes up way too much precious Tumblr space already. Rambles done, other than to add, the description of Cath Goddeu/The Battle of the Trees, from Welsh poetic sources, makes for wonderful mythic depiction of the Men of the North, and their Queen, advancing with a rising storm we all know is the Wild Hunt. And in the case of Gwen bearing the Sword of the Sarmatians/Iayzyges that had once belonged to the company of the long dead Artorius Castus, and his Brigantian Queen, who herself, once united a warring island in its desperate hour, Venaura’s actions have roused the old Guardians of Albion, the ghosts of Sarmati and their horse-lords, riding with their Alani scions of Rheged, in the name of the Women of Albion. My nod to William Blake, as Nemiane (my late 2nd c Romano-Brigantian military surgeon/Artorius’s lover), Gwen, and Caroline—the Scottish lady physician who becomes Jefferson’s lover in 18th c Paris, all find some reflection in the themes of Blake’s monumental mythicism. Thus, I believe we start this work with Blake, writing Vision of the Women of Albion...
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Records of Liu Yuan
The core of this text is a translation of the Yearly Annals of Liu Yuanhai in JS101, but where they provide additional information, I have added parts from other texts, primarily the parallell accounts in WS095, TPYL119 & ZZTJ (all likely to derive from the same source as JS101), but also some bits and pieces from other places in the JS. Text I could not reconcile with the main account appears in {} brackets. Because he shares his name with the Tang founder, Li Yuan, Liu Yuan appear throughout in the JS as Liu Yuanhai. I have altered this to Liu Yuan throughout for consistency with the other texts.
Liu Yuan, courtesy name Yuanhai, was a Xiongnu of Xinxing. His personal name violates Gaozu [of Tang]'s temple taboo. His ancestor was an offshoot of the Xia princely clan named Chunwei. For generations they lived among the Northern Di, for more than a thousand years. Arriving at Modun, he assailed and routed the Eastern Hu, in the west he ran off the Yuezhi, in the north he [got] submission from the Dingling, in the interior he raided Yan and Dai. [He had] 40 000 archers. Gaozu of Han was troubled by him, he sent Liu Jing to give over the Princess to accordingly marry him, making a covenant as brothers. For that reason the sons and grandsons thereupon dared make their family name the Liu clan.
Beginning of Jianwu [25 – 56], the Wuzhuliuruodi Shanyu's son, the Aojianrizhu King of the Right, Bi, established himself as Southern Shanyu, and entered to live in Meiji in Xihe. The presently abandoned Shizuoguo city was precisely where the Shanyu moved his courtyard.
Middle of Later Han's Zhongping [184 -189], the Shanyu Qiangqu sent his son Yufuluo to command troops and assist the Han, to chastise and pacify the Yellow Turbans. It happened that Qiangqu was killed by the people of his state. Yufuluo used his multitudes to stay with the Han, and was established as Shanyu. During the chaos of Dong Zhuo, he robbed and plundered Taiyuan and Hedong, and camped in Henei.
Yufuluo died, his younger brother Huchuquan was established. He used Yufuluo's son Bao as Worthy King of the Left, this was precisely Yuan's father. He entered court. Wu of Wei because of that detained him, and made to divide his multitudes to be five sections. He used the Worthy King of the Left, Bao, as Leader of the Left Section. For his remaining leaders he always used the Liu clan as them.
In the middle of Taikang [280 -289], changed to set up Chief Commandants. The Left Section resided at Zishi in Taiyuan. The Right Section resided at Qi. The Southern Section resided at Puzi. The Northern Section resided at Xinxing. The Middle Section resided at Daling. The Liu clan, although divided to live in five sections, always resided in Jinyang at the banks of the Fen and Jian.
Bao's wife Ms. Huyan in the middle of Wei's Jiaping [249 – 254 AD] prayed for a child at Longmen. Soon after, there was a one big white fish, on top of it were two horns. With lifted fins and jumping scales it then came to the place of sacrifice. After a long time it then left. The shamans were all amazed by it, and said:
This is an auspicious omen.
That night she dreamt in the morning she was seeing the fish change into a person. In his left hand he held something as large as a chicken egg, its brilliant shine not ordinary. He gave [it] to Huyan, saying:
This here is the sun's essence, ingest to give birth to an honoured child.
She woke up and told Bao. Bao said:
A good signI formerly followed Zhang Jiong of Handan. His mother, Ms Situ [?] assessed [me], and said I would have honoured sons and grandsons. For three generations they would surely be greatly prosperous. [They] copy and resemble each other, it fits together.
13 Months after this she gave birth to Yuan. When Yuan was born, in his left hand there was writing which said “deep ocean” [Yuanhai淵海], thereupon they used it to name him.
In childhood he was noble and intelligent. At seven sui he came upon grieving his mother, he beat his breast, leaped, shouted and cried, his laments moved the nearby neighbourhood. The lineage clan and section group all together sighed in appreciation. At the time the Minister of Works, Wang Chang, heard and praised him, he both dispatched condolences and funeral gifts.
As a young child he was yet fond of studying, and did not rest day or night. He had as teacher Cui You of Shangdang. He practised Mao's Poetry, Mr. Jing's Changes, and Mr. Ma's Book of Documents. He was particularly fond of Mr. Zao's Traditions on the Spring and Autumn, and Sun and Wu's Principles of War, and in generally in everything recite them. In the History, Han and the various Masters he was without nothing in summarizing and looking over. He once spoke to the students of the same school, Zhu Ji: of Shangdang, Fan Long of Yanmen, and others, saying:
I always held in high regard the written transmittals, and often held low Sui and Lu for having no military ability, and Jiang and Guan for having no civil. The Way follows from a person's broadness, to have no knowledge of something is certainly the shame of a lordly man. The two masters coming upon the August Gao were not able to found a legacy of a marquisate. The pair of excellencies following Taizong were not able to begin being praised for local schools. How is it not a pity!
Hence he thereupon studied military affairs. He also in all crafts was marvellously cut above the multitudes. Reaching adulthood, he had ape arms and was good at shooting, his bodily strength and power surpassed ordinary people, his bearing and decorum was outstanding and imposing. He was 8 chi, 4 cun tall. His beard was more than 3 chi long, in the middle of it three red prominent hair, 3 chi, 6 cun long.
There were Cui Yizhi of Tunliu and Gongshi Yu of Xiangling and others, both good assessors of people. When they saw Yuan, they were surprised, and then in the assessment speech said:
This person's body and countenance is not ordinary, never seen by me [before].
Hence he was deeply honoured and respected, he pushed forward affection joined with grace. Wang Hun of Taiyuan with humble heart befriended him, and instructed his son Ji to do obeisance to him.
In the middle of the Xianxi [264 – 265 AD], he became a hostage son in Luoyang. King Wen of Jin profoundly welcomed him. Late in Taishi [265 – 274], Wang Mi of Donglai and others relied on him to connect with Hun. Hun also frequently told about him to Emperor Wu of Jin. The Emperor summoned and talked with him, and was greatly pleased with him. Afterwards he spoke to Wang Ji, saying:
Liu Yuan's appearance and countenance are fashionable and decorous, he is clever in conversation, perceptive and knowledgeable. Even Youyu and Midi has nothing to add.}
Ji replied, saying:
Yuan's decorous appearance, cleverness and perceptiveness is truly like the sagely purpose. As such his civil and military talents and capacity is superior to two masters in far-reaching. Your Majesty, suppose [we] rely on him accordingly for the affairs of the south-east, Wu and Kuai are not sufficiently pacified.
The Emperor considered it good. Kong Xun and Yang Yao advanced to say:
Your Subjects observe Yuan's talents, at present we fear we are without his equal. Your Majesty, suppose we make light his multitude, [it will be] insufficient accordingly to complete the affair. Suppose we make use of his power and authority, after the pacification of Wu, we fear him not then crossing north. He is not of our type of kin, and his heart is surely different. Yuan's talents and ability there are truly few who compares to. To rely on him accordingly with his original section, Your Subjects humbly have cold hearts for Your Majesty. Suppose [we] lift up the fastness of the Heavenly barrier to accordingly support him, is it not impossible?
The Emperor was silent.
Later Qin and Liang were overturned and lost. The Emperor inquired into the generals and leaders. Li Xi of Shangdang said:
Your Majesty, if indeed [you] are able to send out the multitudes of the Xiongnu's Five Sections, make use of Yuan with a single General's title, sound the drums and go west. Shujineng's head, we can point to the day when it will be displayed.
Kong Xun said:
Excellency Li's words are not the arrangement for completely ending our troubles.
Xi bursted out, said:
Considering the Xiongnu's strength and fearlessness, Yuan's understanding of troops, serving and proclaiming the sagely power, what is incomplete about it!
Xun said:
Yuan, if he is able to pacify Liang province, and behead Shujineng, [I] fear Liang province will soon have difficulties, that is all. When Jianlong obtained the rain cloud, he did not return to the pond.
The Emperor therefore desisted.
Later Wang Mi was going to return home east from Luoyang. Yuan bid him farewell at the banks of the Jiuqu. He wept and spoke to Mi, saying:
Wang Hun and Li Xi recognize [me] due to their countryside background, they always are raising up [my] insight. Slanderers in turn because of that then advance, and deeply dispute my desires, just sufficient to make [me] harmful. I had originally no thought on officialdom, only Your Honour clarified it. [I] fear death in Luoyang when the river and Master separates.
After that he with brave forbearance snorted and sighed, indulged in alcohol and long howls. The sound carried vibrantly, those sitting [there] had flowing tears from it. The King of Qi, You, at the time was at Jiuqu. When he heard it, he hurried off to inspect it, and saw Yuan was there. He talked to the Emperor saying:
[If] Your Majesty does not eliminate Liu Yuan, Your Subject fear Bing province will not be tranquil for long.
Wang Hun advanced to say:
When Yuan came of age, Hun made the lord and king guard and enlighten him. Moreover Great Jin just now manifests trust beyond the commonplace, embracing the far-away using virtue. How could it be that for suspicions without sprouts [you] kill a man and attending son, hence showing that Jin's virtue is limited.
The Emperor said:
Hun's words are correct.
It happened that his father Bao passed on. The Emperor used Yuan to replace him as Leader of the Left Section. At the end of Taikang [280 -289], changed Leader to be Chief Commandant, and used Yuan as Chief Commandant of the Northern Section. He clarified the penal law and prohibited the treacheries and perverted, made light of riches and was fond of giving, pushed forward integrity and connected with people. Of the Five Sections' eminent and outstanding nobody did not come. You and Ji's famous Ruists, the rear gates and flourishing gentlemen, who were not a thousand li away, likewise all travelled to him.
Yang Jun assisted the government. He used Yuan as General who Establishes Power and Great Chief Controller of the Five Sections, enfeoffed as Marquis of Hanguang district. At the end of Yuankang [291 – 299], he was charged with the section population rebelling and setting out from the frontier, and was dismissed from office. The King of Chengdu, Ying, was headquartered at Ye. Beginning of Yongning [301 – 302], he petitioned for Yuan to act as General who Soothes the Boreal and Overseer of the Army Affairs of the Five Sections.
Middle of Taian [302 – 303], Emperor Hui lost the government, the King of Qi, Jiong, the King of Chansha, Ai, together with the Ying and others, executed and exterminated themselves and each other. In the provinces and commanderies the faithless and presumptuous were rising up in a swarm. His granduncle the Chief Commandant of the Northern Section and Worthy King of the Right, Xuan, and others furtively discussed turning to rebellion, saying:
Formerly our ancestors made a covenant with the Han to be brothers, [their] worries and contentment similar to them. Since the fall of Han, the era of Wei and Jin has risen, and our Shanyu is only an empty title, without having a foot of land for patrimony. From [one of] the various Kings and Marquises, he has fallen to be similar to the registered households. Now our multitudes, though diminished, are still not reduced to 20 000, why is it [that we have] pulled back our hands and accepted to serve, for soon to exceed a hundred years!
Now the Sima clan's bones and flesh harm each other, in the Four Seas the tripods are boiling. To raise up the nation and restore the patrimony of Huhanxie, this is the time. The Worthy King of the Left, Yuan's bearing and capacity is beyond other people, his abilities and manners surpasses the generation. Suppose Heaven does not broadly honours the Shanyu, in the end it would not uselessly give birth to this man.
Hence they privately together pushed forward Yuan to be Great Shanyu. They therefore sent their partisan Huyan You to go to Ye and accordingly tell him about this plan. Yuan requested to go home to attend a funeral, Ying did not allow it. Yuan therefore ordered You to first return home, and tell Xuan and others to summon and assemble the Five Sections, and pull in and meet with the various Hu of Yiyang, to make sounds of obeying Ying, but actually betray him.
Ying became August Brother-Heir. He used Yuan as Colonel of Garrison Cavalry to the Brother-Heir. Emperor Hui attacked Ying, and stayed at Dangyin. Ying made use of Yuan as General who Assists the State and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Affairs of the Northern City. When Emperor Hui had been defeated, he used Yuan as General of the Best of the Army, enfeoffed as Earl of Lunu. Soon after, the Inspector of Bing province, the Duke of Dongying, Teng, and the General who Calms the North and Inspector of You province, Wang Jun, raised troops to attack Ying. Ying's host fought and was defeated. Yuan spoke to Ying, saying:
Now the two garrisons tramples on restraint, with a multitude exceeding 100 000. [I] fear we will not be able to manage them with the personal guards and the nearby commanderies' gentlemen and people. Yuan will, Your Highness, return to explain to the Five Sections, assemble and gather a righteous multitude, and thereby hasten to the state's difficulties.
Ying said:
The multitudes of the Five Sections, can they protect and set out already or not? Allowing for you being able to send them out, the Xianbei and Wuhuan are strong and quick like the wind and clouds. How easily can it be done? I wish to serve the Driving Carriage and return to Luoyang, and avoid their spear points, calmly summon Under Heaven to arms, and govern them according to their opposition or loyalty. Lord, what are your thoughts?
Yuan said:
Your Highness is the son of the Martial August Emperor, and has special merits in the royal house. Your power and kindness shine in harmony, the Four Sea's reverent wind. Who would not consider to lose their lives and throw down their bodies for Your Highness? What is the difficulty in sending them out! Wang Jun is an upstart son and Dongying a distant cousin, how could they contend equally with Your Highness?
If Your Highness goes out alone from the Ye palace, and shows weakness to people, is it possible then to arrive in Luoyang? Suppose you reach Luoyang, power and authority will not be restored to Your Highness. A paper calling to arms is a foot-long letter, who will the person be who receives it!
Moreover the Eastern Hu's courage does not exceed the Five Sections. [I] wish Your Highness would encourage and console the multitude soldiers, calming them down and thereby quell them. [I] will, Your Highness, use two sections to destroy Dongying and three sections to put on display Wang Jun. You can point to the day when the heads of the two upstarts will be hanging up.
Ying was pleased and designated Yuan as Northern Shanyu, Assisting the Army Affairs of the Imperial Chancellor. Yuan arrived at Zuoguocheng. Liu Xuan and others elevated him to the title of Great Shanyu. Within twenty days the multitude was soon 50 000. He set his capital at Lishi. He dispatched the Yulu King of the Left, Hong, to lead 5 000 elite cavalry and meet up with Ying's general Wang Cui and resist the Duke of Dongying, Teng. But Cui had already been defeated by Teng, so Hong returned back with nothing done.
Wang Jun sent General Qi Hong to lead Xianbei and attack Ye. Ying was defeated, and held onto the Son of Heaven to run south to Luoyang. Yuan heard Ying had left Ye, he sighed and said:
Ying did not employ my words, on the contrary he is himself running from disaster. He truly has menial talents. However as I and him had words, I cannot but aid him.
Hence he instructed the Yulu King of the Right, Liu Jing, and the Dulu King of the Left, Liu Yannian, and others to lead 20 000 infantry and cavalry, and commanded them to punish the Xianbei. Liu Xuan and others firmly remonstrated, saying:
Jin is without the Way, slaves and lackeys govern us. Therefore the Worthy King of the Right's fierceness does not surpass his anger. Just now Jin's guide ropes are not spread. [If] the great affair is not followed through, the Worthy of the Right will smear [himself] with earth, to the Shanyu's shame.
Now in the Sima clan, father and son, elder and younger brother, are themselves [chopping] each other [like] fish meat, this is Heaven casting aside Jin's virtue and conferring it on us. [If] the Shanyu stores up virtue in his body, and is submitted to by the people of Jin, [he] soon will raise up our nation and tribe and restore the patrimony of Huhanxie. The Xianbei and Wuhuan are of our manners and type, and could be used as helpers, why would [we] resist them and aid [our] foes!
Now Heaven is acting through us and cannot be disobeyed. To disobey Heaven is not auspicious, to go against the multitudes is not helpful. [He who when] Heaven gives does not take, will in turn receive his calamity. [I] wish the Shanyu would not doubt.
Yuan said:
Good. [I] will be raising up the hill to the pinnacle mound, why would I make a hillock! As for Emperors and Kings, when where they regular? Yu the Great was born among the Western Rong, King Wen was born among the eastern Yu. Looking back, they were conferred for virtue, that was all. Now [I] see a multitude of more than 100 000, and anyone of us is a match for ten of the Jin. To strike the march and destroy chaotic Jin is like snapping deadwood, that is all. At best I can complete the legacy of Gao of Han, at worst I will be no less than the Wei clan. How is Huhanxie a sufficient course of action!
However, the people of Jin are not necessarily similar to us. Han had Under Heaven for many generations, kindness and virtue connection to the population's hearts. Thus though Zhaolie [lived] rough and rugged in the lands of a single province, he was yet able contend at an equal level Under Heaven. I am also a sister's child of the Han clan, sworn to be elder and younger brothers. When the older brother perishes, the younger carries on. Can we not do likewise? Now moreover, I can raise up Han, posthumously honour the Later Ruler, and thereby comfort the populace's expectations.
Xuan and others touched head to ground, saying:
[They] are not reaching up [to you].
1st Year of Yuanxi [304 AD], he moved to Zuoguocheng. The Jin people who [came from] the east to adhere were several ten thousand. Xuan and others sent up [to assume] the venerated title. Yuan said:
Now the Jin clan still exist, the Four Regions are not yet settled. [We] can look up to and honour the Exalted August's first regulations, and moreover designate [me] King of Han [while] for the moment delaying the tile of August Emperor. [When I] hear the cosmos is mixed into one [I] will once more discuss it.
10th Month [14 November – 10 December], he had an altar in the southern suburbs, and falsely ranked as King of Han. He sent down an order, saying:
Formerly our Grand Founder [taizu], the Exalted [gao] August Emperor used his divine martial ability to follow expectations, and broadly began the great patrimony. The Grand Ancestor [taizong], the Filial and Civil [xiaowen] August Emperor gave weight to using enlightened kindness, peace and prosperity was the Way of Han. The Generational Ancestor [shizong], the Filial and Martiaizul [xiaowu] August Emperor expanded the territory and repelled the yi, the territory exceeding the days of Tang. The Middle Ancestor [zhongzong], the Filial and Propagating [xiaoxuan] August Emperor, sought and lifted up the capable and outstanding, many scholars filled the court.
Hence the Way of our founder and ancestors strode pass the Three Kings, their achievements exalted as the Five Emperors. For that reason the foretold years were many times the Xia and Shang's, the foretold generations exceeded the Ji clan. But Yuan and Cheng had many crimes, Ai and Ping were briefly blessed. The traitorous subject Wang Mang overflowed Heaven and usurped disobediently.
Our Generational Founder [shizu], the Brilliant and Martial [guangwu] August Emperor was expansively endowed with sagely martial ability. He immensely restored the vast foundation, worshipped Han matched with Heaven, and did not neglect old matters, so that the Three Luminaries' obscurity were yet restored to clarity, the Three Receptacles' darkness were yet restored to visibility. The Manifesting Ancestor [xianzong], the Filial and Enlightened [xiaoming] August Emperor, and the Solemn Ancestor [suzong], the Filial and Articulating [xiaozhang] August Emperor, amassed eras, the blazing light twice revealed.
From He and An and afterwards, the august guide-ropes gradually decayed, Heaven's pace was hard and difficult, the state's government again and again cut off. The Yellow Turban seas boiled in the Nine Provinces, the crowd of eunuchs' poison flowed in the Four Seas. Dong Zhuo following that indulged his careless heedlessness, Cao Cao, father and son, fell rebels, were soon after.
For that reason Xiaomin let go and put aside the ten thousand states. Zhaolie strayed beyond Min and Shu, hoping the stoppage in the end would have exaltation, returning the carriage box to the old capital. How to assess Heaven not regretting the calamity, the Later Emperor was embarrassed and humiliated.
Since the altars of soil and grain were lost and ceased, the ancestral temple have not had blood to eat for forty years until this point. Now Heaven is coaxing its inner self, regretting the calamity to August Han, and making the Sima clan, father and son, elder and younger brother, repeatedly break and wipe out each other. The numerous multitudes are in the mud and soot, scattering to denounce and accuse.
This Orphan is now all at once pushed forward by the crowd of excellencies, to carry on offering to the Three Founders' legacy. Looking at [my] current crippled ignorance, [I] shiver in fear for collapsing in a shallow grave. However, as the great shame is not yet wiped away, the altars of soil and grain are without a host, with gall in the mouth and the roost cold, [I] will strive to follow the crowd's opinion.
He changed Jin's 1st Year of Yongxing to be the 1st Year of Yuanxi [“Inaugural Radiance”], there was a great amnesty Under Heaven. He posthumously venerated Liu Shan as the Filial and Cherished [xiaohuai] August Emperor. He established Gaozu of Han and below, three Founders and five Ancestors, as divine rules and worshipped them. He established his wife, Ms. Huyan as Queen, set up the hundred officials, and used the Worthy King of the Right, Xuan, as Imperial Chancellor, Cui You as Imperial Clerk Grandee, the Yulu King of the Left, Hong, as Grand Commandant, Fan Long as Great Herald, Zhu Ji as Grand Master of Ceremonies, Cui Yizhi of Shangdang and Chen Yuanda of the Rear Section both as Gentlemen of the Yellow Gates, his clan-child Yao as General who Establishes the Martial, the remainder were designated and conferred each proportionally. You firmly declined and did not go.
Cui You, courtesy name Zixiang, was a native Shangdang. As young he was fond of studying, he was discerning and enlightened in the Ruist methods, tranquil, peaceful, humble and withdrawn. From young to old his mouth not once spoke about wealth and profit. At the end of Wei, he was examined as Filial and Upright, and appointed Retainer of the Chancellor's Office. He set out to be Chief of Dichi, he was very kind in government affairs. He retired due to illness, and thereupon was disabled and sick.
At the beginning of Taishi [265 – 274], Emperor Wu favoured the succession from Emperor Wen's old office companions and staff, and attended on the family to designate a Palace Gentleman. Aged more than 70, he still esteemed studying and did not tire. He compiled a Chart of Mouring Clothes, which has come down through the ages. He passed on at home, at the time he was 93 years old.
12th Month [12 January 305 – 3 February], the Duke of Dongying, Teng, sent General Nie Xuan to chastise him, they fought at Daling. Xuan's host achieved defeat. Teng was afraid, he led more than 20 000 households of Bing province to go down East of the Mountain. Thereupon [the people who] lived there were robbed. Yuan dispatched his General who Establishes the Martial, Liu Yao, to rob Taiyuan, Xuanshi, Tunliu, Changzi and Zhongdu, all were lost to him.
He also dispatched the General of the Best of the Army, Qiao Xi, to rob Xihe. The Prefect of Jiexu, Jia Hun resisted steadfastly and did not surrender, saying:
I am a defender of Jin, [if I am] not able to maintain it, why cautiously seek to live therefore serving thieves and miscreants? How could I face accordingly to watch and breath in the world!
Xi was angry, apprehended and wanted to kill him. Xi's general Yin Song said:
[If] the General saves him, [he can] thereby convince [him] to serve the lord.
Xi did not listen and thereupon murdered him. Jia Hun's wife, Ms. Zong, had a beautiful figure and Xi desired to take her. Ms. Zong reviled him, saying:
Slave of the Tuge, how can you murder a person's husband then desire to assign [her] without decorum, how is this to you? Why do you not hurry and kill me!
Then she raised her head to Heaven and greatly wept. Xi thereupon murdered her. At the time she was (more than) 20 years old. Yuan heard about it, and greatly angered said:
If it is the Way of Heaven to be perceptive, the view of Qiao Xi has sown seeds!
When the pursuers returned, he demoted his salary four grades, collected Hun's corpse and buried it.
2nd Year} of Yuanxi [305 AD], Teng again dispatched Sima Yu, Zhou Liang, Shi Xian and others to chastise him. They stayed at Fencheng in Lishi. Yuan dispatched his General of the Tiger Teeth, Liu Qin, and others, with the Six Armies to resist Yu and others. They fought four times, and Yu was always defeated. Qin rearranged the battalions and returned.
This Year, at Lishi there was great famine. He moved to Liting, to thereby seek out the grain of the granaries and pantries. He kept his Grand Commandant, Liu Hong, and Army-Protector, Ma Jing, to defend Lishi. He sent the Great Minister of Agriculture, Bu Yu, to transport provisions to thereby give to them.
Yuan made one blade, 3 chi, 9 cun long, the writing said: “Wipe out the Traitors” in the clerical script.
3rd Year of Yuanxi [306 AD], Winter, 12th Month [1 January 306 – 30 January], used his General of the Van, Liu Jing as Envoy Holding Tally, Great Chief Controller of Conquering and Chastising. He intercepted and struck the Inspector of Bing province, Liu Kun, at Banqiao, and was defeated by Kun. Kun thereupon occupied Jinyang. His Palace Attendant Liu Yin and Brilliantly Blessed Grandee of the Right Wang Yu advanced to admonished Yuan, saying:
Your Highness, since [you] raised troops and onwards, bit by bit there has already been a single cycle, yet [we have] solely defended merely a region, the kingly power is not yet shaking. If indeed [you] were able to instruct the generals to set out in four directions and determine the moment with a single throw, to putg on display Liu Kun's head, settle East of the He, establish the title of Emperor, strike the drums to march and go south, overcome Chang'an then make the capital there, and use the multitudes of Guanzhong to roll up Luoyang, is like pointing to your palm, that is all. These were means by which August Emperor Gao created and began the vast foundation, overcoming and exterminating strong Chu.
Yuan was pleased and said:
This is in an Orphan's heart.
Yuan advanced to occupy Hedong. He attacked and robbed Puban and Pingyang, both were lost to him. Yuan thereupon entered to have his capital at Puzi. The counties, ramparts and fortifactions belonging to Hedong and Pingyang fully surrendered.
{WS001 & WS095: 11th Year [305 AD], Liu Yuan attacked Sima Teng. Teng again begged for troops. Emperor Huan personally led 10 000 light cavalry to save Teng, he beheaded Yuan's general Qiwu Tun. Yuan fled south to Puzi.
{JS062: Liu Yuan at the time was at Lishi, the distance between them was more or less 300 li Kun secretly dispatched to go among the assorted miscreants of his section. The surrendered were more than 10 000 groups. Yuan was very much afraid. He thereupon walled Puzi and settled there.}
4th Year of Yuanxi [307 AD], at the time Ji Sang raised up troops in Zhao and Wei. Luzhuyan of Shang commandery's Four Section Xianbei and the Di chieftain Shan Zhen both surrendered to him. Yuan thoroughly appointed them to offices and feudal ranks. Wang Mi of Donglai pulled in the troops to enter and rob Qing and Xu. The Inspector of Yan province, Gou Xi opposed, struck and greatly routed him. Mi spoke to his partisan Liu Ling, saying:
The Jin troops are still strong, going home there is no placefor burial. Liu Yuan formerly was a hostage son, I and him went around in the Imperial City. [We] deeply had affection and bond. Now [he has] declared [himself] King of Han. [I] want to return to him, can it be done?
Ling affirmed it. He dispatched envoys to come and surrender. He was designated Great General who Garrisons the East, Inspector of Qing province, and Duke of Donglai commandery.
4th Month [19 May – 16 June], {JS005: Summer, 5th Month [17 June – 16 July]} a leader of horse shepherds, Ji Sang, collected a multitude in rebellion, declared himself King of Zhao, and selected and set up provinces and commanderies. He defeated the Grand Warden of Wei commandery, Feng Song, and thereupon captured Yecheng and murdered the King of Xincai, Teng. He burnt the Ye palaces, the flames lasted ten days without extinguishing. He also killed the Forward Inspector of You province, Shi Xian, at Leling, and entered to plunder Pingyuan. The Duke of Shanyang, Liu Qiu, was murdered.
Autumn, 7th Month, jiyou [15 August], New Moon, the King of Donghai, Yue, advanced to garrison Guandu, to accordingly punish Ji Sang.
8th Month, jimao [14 September], New Moon, the General who Consoles the Army, Gou Xi [JS061], defeated Ji Sang at Ye.
9th Month, wushen [13 October], Gou Xi again routed Ji Sang, capturing his nine ramparts.
11th Month [11 December – 9 January 308], Shi Le and the Hu sections and others led the multitudes to come and surrender.
12th Month, wuyin [11 January 308], Tian Lan, Bo Sheng and others, natives of Bing province, beheaded Ji Sang at Leling.
1st Year of Yongfeng [308 AD] Spring, 1st Month [8 February – 8 March], the King of Han, Yuan, dispatched the General who Consoles the Army, Cong, and others, ten generals, to go south and occupy Taixing, and the General who Assists the Han, Shi Le, and others, ten generals, to go down east into Zhao and Wei.
{JS005: 3rd Month [8 April – 6 May], Liu Yuan invaded Ji commandery and roughly had the lands of Dunqiu and Henei.}
Wang Mi withdrew to assemble the absconded and dispersed. The multitudes were again greatly excited. Xi joned with them in battle, but was not able to overcome. Mi advanced the troops to rob Taishan, Lu state, Qiao, Liang, Chen, Runan, Yingchuan, Xiangcheng etc. commanderies
Summer, 4th Month, dinghai [19 May], he entered Xuchang, opened the offices and armories, and took the instruments and canes. At places that were lost and gone, he very much killed the wardens and prefects, and had a multitude of several ten thousand. The Imperial Court was not able to exercise authority. The various commandery Wardens wanted all to run away and leave. The Grand Tutor, [the King of Donghai,] Yue, dispatched his Marshal, Wang Bin, to lead 5 000 armoured soldiers to enter and guard the Imperial City.
5th Month [5 June – 4 July], Mi entered from Huanyuan, and defeated the Public Army at Yibei.
The Imperial District greatly shook. The palace and city gates were shut in daylight. The Minister over the Masses, Wang Yan, and others led the hundred officials to resist and defend.
On renxu [23 June], Mi arrived at Luoyang, he stayed at the Jinyang gate. A decree used Wang Yan [as] Commander-in-Chief of All Army Affairs of Conquering and Chastising.
On jiazi [25 June], Yan, together with Wang Bin and others, set out to fight.
On yichou [26 June], Mi burnt the Jianchun gate and went east. Yan dispatched the General of Guards of the Left, Wang Bing to pursue him. They fought at the 7 li Brook, and again defeated him. He therefore crossed the He to return to Yuan. He went with Wang Sang from Zhi Pass to Pingyang. Yuan heard and was greatly pleased. He dispatched his Palace Attendant and concurrent Imperial Clerk Grandee, Jiao Ying, to deliver a letter to Mi, which said:
Since the General has merit not of this generation, and surpasses the virtue of the times. Because of that [we] have this greeting, that is all. While waiting to gaze on the General's arrival, Your Orphan now has newly journeyed to the General's official residence, to straight away dust off the mat and cleanse the beakers, and respectfully wait on the General.
When Mi saw Yuan, he recommended declaring the venerated title. Yuan spoke to Mi, saying:
Your Orphan originally spoke to the General like Dou Zhougong, that was all. Now [you] truly are my Kongming and Zhonghua. Liezu had a saying: “I having the General is like the fish having water”.
Hence he appointed Mi Colonel Minister of Retainers, concurrently Palace Attendant and Specially Advanced. Mi firmly declined.
Autumn, 7th Month [3 August – 1 September], phoenixes assembled at Puzi. The Imperial Chancellor, Liu Xuan, and others, 64 people, sent up [to assume] the venerated title.
On jiachen [4 August], Liu Yuan robbed Pingyang. The Grand Warden, Song Chou, fled to the capital city. The Grand Administrator of Hedong, Lu Shu, battled powerfully and died there.
Winter, 10th Month, jiaxu [2 November], Liu Yuan usurped the title of August Emperor in the southern suburbs. A great amnesty and changed the inaugural to Yongfeng [“Eternal Phoenixes”].
11th Month [30 November – 28 December], used his son the General of Guards, He, as Great General, and the [General who] Consoles the Army, Cong, as Great General of Chariots and Cavalry. his junior kinsman the [General who] Establishes the Martial, Yao, as Dragon-Prancing Great General.
On bingwu [4 December], Han's Commander-in-Chief of All Army Affairs in the Centre and Outside, Great Marshal and acting Imperial Chancellor, the Worthy King of the Right, Xuan, passed on.
Liu Xuan, courtesy name Shize, was plain, blunt and with few words. He was fond of studying, and cultivated purity. His teacher was Sun Yan of Le'an. He was deeply focused on gathering thoughts, not resting day or night, and was fond of the Mao Poetry and Mr Zuo's Traditions. Yan always commended him, saying:
If Xuan had met Wu of Han, he would have exceeded Jin Midi.
When his studies were complete, he turned back. He did not set out from the village gates probably for several years. Always when reciting the Book of Han, when he reached the Biographies of Xiao He and Deng Yu, he not once did not turn around to chant them, saying:
A man of great talent, if he met the Two Founders, in the end he would not make the Two Excellencies alone hold first place in pleasing before [the ruler].
The Inspector of Bing province, Wang Guang, spoke about him to Emperor Wu. The Emperor summoned him to audience. He praised his divination replies, and because of that said:
When I had not yet seen Xuan, I said Guang's words were empty and that was all. Now I have seen him advancing and halting with manners and decorum, he can truly be said to be like a jade sceptre. Observing his natural quality, he is more than able to console and assemble his home section.
He therefore used Xuan as Chief Controller of the Right Section, and specially gave him a red cloth curved canopy. He managed the officials purely and respectfully, and for that the section cherished him.
Yuan became king [because of] Xuan's plans. For that reason he especially received respect and esteem, in merit and kinship he had no equal. In army and state, inside and outside, there was nothing he had not sole control of.
12th Month, yihai [2 January 309], Yuan used his Great General, Liu He, as Great Marshal, enfeoffed King of Liang, the Prefect of the Masters of Writings, Liu Huanle, as Great Minister over the Masses, enfeoffed King of Chenliu, the Empress' father, the Imperial Clerk Grandee, Huyan Yi, as Great Minister of Works, enfeoffed Duke of Yanzhou commandery. The imperial clan, considering the close and estranged as equals, were wholly enfeoffed kings of commanderies and counties. Those with a different family name, differentiated by their deeds and schemes, were all enfeoffed dukes and marquises of commanderies and counties.
1st Year of Herui [309 AD], Spring, 1st Month, xinchou [28 January], the Shimmering Deceiver [Mars] transgressed the Purple Eminence. The Prefect Grand Scribe, Xuanyu Xiuzhi, talked to Yuan, saying:
Your Majesty, although the dragon is rising and the phoenix soaring, and soon accepted the great instructions, yet the vestiges of Jin are not yet ended, the august dwellings are of slight account. The mishap of the Purple Palace is like a bell for the Jin clan. Before three years are gone, we will surely overcome Luoyang. Puzi is rough and steep, and not possible to keep calm for long. Pingyang's condition is to have purple vapours and is also the old capital of Taotang. [I] wish Your Majesty to above receive the empyrean apparition, and below to be in concord with the earthly omens.
In the middle of the Fen river there was obtained a jade signet. Its height was 1 cun, 2 fen, its area 4 cun. The writing said: “Has Newly [xin] Guarded It”, perhaps the signet of Wang Mang. Those who obtained it consequently added the three characters “The Abyssal [yuan] Seas [hai] Shines” and presented it. Yuan considered it providential for himself. A great amnesty and changed the inaugural to Herui [“River's Providence”].
3rd Month [28 March – 25 April], the General who Amasses the Crossbows of the Left, Zhu Dan, ran to Han. He set out and affirmed that Luoyang was isolated and weak, and urged Yuan to attack it. Yuan used Dan as Chief Controller of the Vanguard, and used the Great General who Wipes out the Jin, Liu Jing, as Great Chief-Controller. They commanded the troops to attack Liyang and overcame it. Dispatched the General of Chariots and Cavalry Wang Kan, to strike them. The kingly host achieved defeated at Yanjin. They drowned more than 30 000 men and women in the He. Yuan heard about and angrily said:
How can Jing face to see Us again? And how is Heaven's Way able to look up on him? Those who it is my wish to eliminate is the Sima clan, that is all. How can people of no importance be at fault?
He demoted Jing to be General who Pacifies the Caitiffs. Wang Mi was sent to accompany Liu Yao to rob Henei, and also attacked Lizhang together with Shi Le.
{JS005: 3rd Month [28 March – 25 April], Liu Yuan robbed Liyang. … Summer, 4th Month [26 April – 25 May], the General who Amasses the Crossbows of the Left, Zhu Dan, ran to Liu Yuan.}
Summer, Yuan used Wang Mi as Palace Attendant, Commander-in-Chief of All Army Affairs of Qing, Xu, Yan, Yu, Jing, and Yang provinces, Great General who Conquers the East and Shepherd of Qing province. He attacked Huguan together with the King of Chu, Cong, and used Shi Le as Chief-Controller of the Vanguard. Liu Kun dispatched the Army-Protectors Huang Su and Han Shu to relieve it. Cong defeated Shu at Xijian. Le defeated Su at Fengtian. In both cases they killed them. The King of Donghai, Yue, dispatched the Interior Clerk of Huainan, Wang Kuang, the Grand Warden of Anfeng, Wei Qian, and Generals Shi Rong and Chao Chao to chastise them. Kuang crossed the He, and wished to make a long chase and get in front. Rong said:
Those ones are exploiting the defiles to set out between them. Even if we had a multitude of several ten thousand, still this single army is only accepting the enemy. Or we make the Zu River to be a strength to thereby measure the shape and tendency, and afterwards plot against them.
Kuang angrily said:
Lord, do you wish to dispirit the multitudes!
Rong withdrew, and said:
Those ones are good at employing troops. Kuang is in the dark about the condition of affairs. We will now surely die.
Kuang and others went beyond Taixing. They caught up with Mi in battle between Gaodu and Changping. He greatly defeated them. The dead were six or seven out of ten. Chao and Rong died there. Cong thereupon routed Tunliu and Changzi. Altogether the beheaded and captured tallied 19 000. The Grand Warden of Shangdang, Pang Chun used Huguan to surrender to Han. Liu Kun used Chief Commandant Zhang Yi as acting Grand Warden of Shangdang. He occupied Xiangyuan. Yuan advanced Mi to Great General who Conquers the East, enfeoffed as Duke of Donglai.
5th Month [26 June – 23 July], enfeoffed his son Yu as King of Qi, and Long as King of Lu.
Wang Mi and Liu Yao, Shi Le and others attacked Wei commandery, Ji commandery and Dunqiu, and captured more than 50 fortifications. Again he and Le attacked Ye. The General who Calms the North, He Yu, abandoned the city and ran.
Autumn, 8th Month [21 September – 19 October], Yuan instructed his son Cong and Wang Mi to advance and rob Luoyang. Liu Yao with Zhao Gu and others to be their rear support. The King of Donghai, Yue, dispatched the Commander of the Palace Gentlemen of the North, Pei Xian to stay at Baima and chastise Mi, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, Wang Kan, to stay at Dongyan and chastise Le, the General who Pacifies the North, Cao Wu, to stay at Dayang and chastise Yuan. Wu's section General, Peng Mo, was defeated by Cong, and was murdered. The multitude armies all withdrew. Cong crossed the Yellow River. Cong and others pushed deep to arrive at Yiyang. The Duke of Pingchang, Mo, dispatched Generals Chunyu Ding, Lü Yi and others from Chang'an to chastise him. They fought at Yiyang. Ding and others achieved defeat. Cong relied on his continuous victories, and did not make preparations.
9th Month [20 October – 18 November],}{JS101: the Grand Warden of Hongnong, Yuan Yan, pretended to surrender. In a night assault, Cong's army was greatly and turned back. Yuan wore white clothes to welcome the host.
{JS005: 9th Month, bingyin [20 October], Liu Cong besieged Junyi. Dispatched the General who Pacifies the North, Cao Wu, to chastise him. On dingchou [31 October], the kingly host achieved defeat.
Winter, 10th Month [19 November – 17 December], Yuan again greatly sent out soldiers. He dispatched the King of Chu, Cong, Wang Mi, the King of Shi'an, Yao, and the King of Ruyin, Jing, to lead 50 000 spirited cavalry to rob Luoyang. The Great Minister of Works, Duke Gangmu of Yanmen, Huyan Yi, led foot soldiers to support them.
On bingchen [9 December], Cong and others arrived at Yiyang. The Imperial Court, since the Han troops were newly defeated, did not think they would arrive again, and were greatly afraid. {JS100: The Emperor dispatched the Colonel Minister of Retainers, Liu Tun, General Song Chou, and others to resist them, neither were able to withstand. Mi and Cong used 10 000 cavalry to arrive at the Imperial City, and burnt the two schools.}
On xinyou [14 December], Cong advanced to station at Ximing Gate. The Army-Protector Jia Yin at night pushed at him. Beigong Chun and others at night led more than 1 000 brave soldiers to set out and attack the Han fortifications. They fought at Daxia Gate and beheaded Cong's General who Conquers the Caitiffs, Huyan Hao. His multitudes thereupon scattered.
{JS005: Cong arrived at the Ximing Gate. Yue opposed him, fought outside of the Xuanyang Gate, and greatly routed him. Sent the General of Chariots and Cavalry, Wang Kan, and the General who Pacifies the North, Cao Wu, to chastise Liu Cong. The kingly host achieved defeat. Kan and others fled back to the Imperial City.
On renxu [15 December], Cong turned around the army and went south, he fortified at Luo River. Soon after he advanced to station at the Xuanyang Gate. Yao stationed at Shangdong Gate. Mi stationed at Guangyang Gate. Jing attacked Daxia Gate.
On yichou [18 December], Huyan Yi was killed by his subordinates. His multitudes dispersed from Dayang and returned home. Yuan counselled Cong and others to turn back the host. Cong petitioned, claiming that the Jin troops were few and weak, he could not for the reasons of Yi and Hao's death turn back the host. He firmly requested to stay and attack Luoyang. Yuan allowed it. The Grand Tutor, Yue, was surrounded in the city and defended himself.
On wuyin [31 December], Cong personally prayed at Song Peak, he ordered the General who Pacifies the Jin, King Ai of Anyang, Liu Li, and the General of the Best of the Army, Huyan Lang, and others to supervise the kept behind army. The Army Advisor to the Grand Tutor, Sun Xun advised Yue to exploit the absence and set out. Yue instructed Xun, Generals Qiu Guang and Lou Pou, and others to lead 3 000 tough soldiers of his personal retinue, to go from Xuanyang Gate and strike Lang. They beheaded him. Cong heard and hurried to return. Li feared Cong would blame him, went into the river and died. Wang Mi spoke to Cong, saying:
Now we have lost our sharpness, and Luoyang is still strong. The transport carts are at Shan, provisions and food will not be provided for several days. Your Highness, it is not as good as returning the host, wrap up provisions and send out soldiers, and calmly be later taking the lead. Your Subordinate Official will gathering soldiers and amass grain within Yan and Yu, and humbly listen and make ready for the appointed time. Is it not also possible?
Cong himself requested to stay, not yet daring to turn back. Xuanyu Xiuzhi again talked to Yuan, saying:
When the year is xinwei, we will get Luoyang. Now Jin's vapours are still abundant. If the great army does not return home, it will surely be defeated.
Yuan hurried to dispatch the Gentleman of the Yellow Gates Fu Xun to summon Cong and others to return the host. [The next xinwei year was 311 AD.]
11th Month, jiashen [6 January], Cong and Yao, returned home to Pingyang.
{JS005: Winter, 11th Month [18 December – 16 January], the beg-to-live leaders Li Yun, Bo Sheng and others led the multitudes to relieve the Imperial City. Cong withdrew and ran.}
Wang Mi set out from Huanyaun. Yue dispatched Bo Sheng and others to pursue and strike Mi. They fought at Xinji. Mi's host achieved defeat. Hence he held on to the guard post of Baoban, and turned back to Pingyang. He then used 20 000 cavalry to rob the various counties of Xiangcheng. The various drifting people of Hedong, Pingyang, Hongnong and Shangdang who were in Yingchuan, Xiangcheng, Runan, Nanyang and Henan were several ten thousand families. They were not treated decorously by the people who originally lived there. Everyone burnt down the cities and towns, and killed the 20 000 shi and chief magistrates to accordingly submit to Mi.
12th Month [17 January – 15 February], Yuan used the King of Chenliu, Liu Huanle, as Grand Tutor, the King of Chu, Liu Cong, as Great Minister of Works, the King of Jiangdu, Liu Yannian, as Great Minister of Works. He dispatched the Chief Protector Great General, the King of Quyang, Xian, with the Great General who Conquers the North, the General who Calms the North, Zhao Gu, the General who Pacifies the North, Wang Sang, to go east and set out for Neihuang. Wang Mi petitioned the Senior Clerk of the Left, Cao Yi, [as] Acting General who Calms the East, and tour Qing province, and moreover to welcome his family. Yuan allowed it.
2nd Year {of Herui [310 AD], Spring, 1st Month, [16 February – 16 March],Yuan established Shan Zheng's daughter as August Empress, his son the Great Marshal, the King of Liang, He, as August Heir-Apparent. A great amnesty. Enfeoffed his son Ai as King of Beihai. Used the King of Changle, Liu Yang as Great Marshal.
Han's Great General who Garrisons the East, Shi Le, crossed the He, and uprooted Baima. Wang Mi again used 20 000 people to met up with Shi Le, and rob Chen commandery and Yingchuan. He stationed at Yangyao, and dispatched his younger brother Zhang to rob Xu and Yan together with Shi Le, consequently they routed Yue's army.
Summer, 4th Month [15 May – 13 June], Wang Jun's General Qi Hong routed Liu Yuan's Inspector of Ji province, Liu Ling, at Guangzong, and killed him.
Autumn, 7th Month [12 August – 9 September], the King of Chu, Liu Cong, his junior cousin, the King of Shi'an, Yao, Shi Le, and the Great General who Calms the North, Zhao Guo, besieged the Grand Warden of Henei, Pei Zheng, at Huai, Decreed the General who Conquers the Caitiffs, Song Chou, to relieve it. Le and the Great General who Pacifies the North, Wang Sang, confronted and struck Chou, and killed him. {JS005: 9th Month [10 October – 7 November],} Yue Yang, a native of Henei, apprehended the Grand Warden, Pei Zheng, in rebellion, and surrendered to Shi Le. Yuan used Zheng as Assistant of the Left of the Masters of Writing.
8th Month [10 September – 9 October], gengwu [20 August], Yuan was bedridden with illness, and wanted to make plans for looking after responsibilities.
On xinwei [21 August], he used the King of Chenliu, Huanle. as Grand Steward, the King of Changle, Liu Yang, as Grand Tutor, the King of Jiangdu, Yannian, as Grand Guardian, the Minister over the Masses, the King of Chu, Cong, as Great Marshal and Great Shanyu. They were together to Record the Affairs of the Masters of Writing. He set up the Tribunal of the Shanyu west of Pingyang. He used his son, the King of Qi, Yu, as Great Minister over the Masses, the King of Lu, Long, as Prefect of the Masters of Writing, the King of Beihai, Ai, as Great General who Consoles the Army and acting Colonel Minister of Retainers, the King of Shi'an, Yao, as Great Chief Controller of Conquering and Chastising and acting Aide of the Left to the Shanyu, the Commandant of Justice, Qiao Zhiming, as Great General of the Best of the Army and acting Aide of the Right to the Shanyu, the Brilliantly Blessed Grandee Liu Yin as Supervisor of the Left, Wang Yu as Supervisor of the Right, Ren Yi as Master of Writing of the Personnel Section, Zhu Ji as Overseer of the Palace Writers. The Army-Protector Ma Jing to act as General of Guards of the Left, the King of Yong'an, Anguo to act as General of Guards of the Right, the King of Anchang, Sheng, the King of Anyi, Yin, and the King of Xiyang, Xuan, all to act as Generals of Martial Guards, and divide direction over the forbidden troops.
Earlier, at the time when Sheng was young, he was not fond of studying books. He only read the Classic of Filial Piety and the Analects, saying:
Recite these [and you are] able to act, they are sufficient. Why use many to recite and then not act!
Li Xi saw him, and replied, saying:
Gazing at him it is like [I] can be at ease. When he arrives, the dignity is like a stern lord. He can be said to be a lordly man!
Yuan, because of his loyalty and sincerity, when approaching the end appointed him accordingly to a critical duty.
On dingchou [27 August], Yuan's illness was critical. He summoned Huanle, Yang and others to enter within the forbidden [chambers] to accept the testamentary decree to assist the government.
{JS005: 6th Month [13 July – 11 August],} jimao [29 August], Yuan passed away in the Brilliant Eminence Hall. He had held the throne for 6 years, his bogus posthumous title was Brilliant and Civil [guangwen] August Emperor, his temple title was Exalted Founder [gaozu]. The tomb was titled the Eternal Brilliance Mound [yongguang ling]. The Heir-Apparent, He, was enthroned.
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44 (“If you really loved me there wouldn’t be a choice.“) and/or 49 ("It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself.") for ulla/signy from when water sang fire bc that i'm still not over that story
There were many who sought her out. Who dared to venture into her caves, into the cold and darkness to find a monster. It was said that the sea whip was not the only beast that roamed the seas, though Ulla didn’t find herself to be much of a roamer. And when they found her, they fought and they died. Or they bargained and they lived. People were willing to sacrifice for so little, and she found that she had a certain soft spot for that. Fame, fortune, power.
Her favorite, though, was love.
Because wasn’t it love that had brought Ulla here? Wasn’t it love that had destroyed her people from below and the people from above, love that had given her a new body?
Love that had ripped the song from her throat and dashed it against the rocks like the waves she ruled now?
And so she took and she promised loved, but knew that it would never last.
When the princesses were born, Ulla knew they would seek her out. She would rip them from their parents one by one until Roffe and Signy were as hollow as she was now. They would destroy each other, in the end, and she was more than happy with that outcome. It was the destiny she had written for them, one final song.
It took three princesses for a panic to bubble beneath the surface of the water. Three princesses who had disappeared or withered or gone mad. Three princesses, the people whispered, who had made a deal with the sea witch. And they knew of her, because hadn’t a few of their own gone to her before?
“Ulla.”
Signy’s arrival wasn’t war, yet. It wasn’t anger. Her voice was soft, but defeated. The fire had gone out of her a long time ago, Ulla realized, when she allowed her old wound to swim into her home to seek her out. It was a moment of weakness. She hadn’t expected Signy, and yet here she was, a flickering ember in place of the woman she once knew.
Ulla lounged comfortably in the rock she had carved around her, slick black tail coiled around in the shallow pool she most enjoyed conducting her business in. This was, after all, business.
Three princesses. Three daughters.
“Ulla,” Signy murmured again, her face contorted in agony.
“Only the desperate or the foolish seek me out, Signy,” Ulla said in return. She would not honor her by adding her title; she recognized no authority but her own, and hadn’t it been her gift that secured the throne?
“Then I am both desperate and foolish.” She swam closer, shoulders hunched, body stiff. Her red hair was tightly wound to her scalp, no longer carefree as it had been in their youth.
She was still beautiful, Ulla had to admit. She hated herself for it.
“What have you done, Ulla? My daughters had nothing to do with us, with the crimes you hold over our heads. This wasn’t their choice.” The queen was pleading with her. No, her friend was.
No.
She was not a friend. Friends did not betray each other for a crown.
“They came to me willingly,” Ulla said. She shifted in her seat, leaning forward, a cascade of dark hair flowing over her shoulders as she did.
Signy shrunk back, visibly uncomfortable. Good. She deserved to be. “Willingly.”
“All who come here are willing. All wish for something, and all are willing to pay the price for it.” Her throat was already beginning to hurt, her voice scratchier the more she talked. Ulla had learned long ago that it had an effect on those she made deals with.
And despite it all, her cowardice, her discomfort, Signy came closer. Maybe it was anger, a kindling that stirred in her that had begun with her daughters. Maybe it was seeing Ulla after all this time, being forced to confront what she had helped to create. If Ulla was to blame for the princesses, then so was Signy. So was Roffe.
Ulla wasn’t sure what to make of it. There was a spark of pride, perhaps. But mostly, there was a bitter loneliness that had been created when Signy had left with Roffe. She had been cruel and cowardly, and yet Ulla still craved her company.
She just hadn’t realized it until now, until Signy was here in front of her, close enough to touch.
“Punish me, if you must, but not my daughters. I’ll strike a deal with you,” Signy told her.
“No.”
It was a pleasure to see the confusion tear across the queen’s face, to see her moment of bravery denied with an easy word.
“No?”
“You were given a choice once,” Ulla said. She slid out of her seat until she was in the pool, face to face with Signy. “To be a cruel queen or to be left behind with me.”
Signy glanced down for a moment, her lips pursed. “I loved him.”
“But not me?”
“I loved you.” She looked up as she said it, and Ulla believed her.
Or maybe she was desperate, foolish.
“Then you should have made the right choice.”
Whatever Signy had told herself all of these years, Ulla didn’t care to hear it. Signy had allowed herself to become cruel in that decision, had decided being a rotten and hollow queen was more important than the life she could have had with Ulla. Their magic could have healed and created. Instead, it had blackened into dust.
One without a voice, one who refused it.
It startled her to have Signy’s hand in hers, fingers threading together as if they had a will of their own. Her throat ached, her eyes burned, and an emptiness in her chest threatened to break open.
“Allow my remaining daughters freedom from your curse, and I’ll make the right choice, Ulla. Please.” Her other hand came up to cup her face.
She wondered if Roffe had set this up in that moment, if he had sent his wife in as a sacrifice, if she was a decoy.
The impossibility of it all, of having her heart shattered twice in a lifetime by the same person, was too much to bear.
Her answer was a storm, small and violent, but it was enough to send Signy far from her.
#grishaverse#the language of thorns#tlot spoilers#ulla#signy#signulla#idk i am making that up as i go#post-when water sang fire#GOD I HAVE A LOT OF IDEAS OVER THIS STORY TBH#sad lady gays 5eva#grisha fic#great fic war of 2k17#2#the-weight-of-wings
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Norse Readalong Week 2: Feeding the She-Wolf
I’m not gonna recap this week, just air my thoughts on major events and themes. Siggeir’s revenge really requires Volsung to show up - to genuinely assume that the fellow is trying to repair the web of reciprocity and kinship. Volsung probably has suspicions, but this is Volsung, one of the greatest hardasses there is. He’s got his men, his sons, and is the wronged party here.
By all the rules of propriety, the disrespect Siggeir paid him by legging it early from the wedding celebration is huge. Not only that, but he tried to buy the sword As others have remarked, there is a complex fertility angle regarding swords/hammers and brides. This is not just about having kids, though obviously that’s part of it - the weapon is a symbol, imbued with potency, which benefits the wielder, but also his line. I’ll just stick this quote here: “Thus it was possible to transfer an ancestor into a sword blade. If we consider the possibility that a famous warrior after his death had his cremated bones transferred into the symbol of power par excellence, the sword, his strength, spirit and luck was passed on to that weapon and it became personified. The meaning of named swords suddenly takes on a new significance.”
- Lotte Hedeager, Iron Age Myth and Materiality: An Archaeology of Scandinavia AD 400-1000 (2011)
Later in the saga, we’ll find out how important this sword is, because it crops up again and again along the male line of the Volsungs, and actually gains, or has originally, a name. As we see above, the personification of such a weapon has multiple layers of meaning. It’s interesting to me, then, that Signy tells Volsung not to take Siggeir up on the offer, because her/their kinfylgia warns her that disaster will follow. Whether the kinfylgia is an actual spirit which is tied to the family line, or merely that luck-destiny-power which follows and/or emerges from the actions, deeds and circumstances of a kingroup (I’m inclined towards both myself) is immaterial.
Something is trying to warn the Volsungs that this is a bad idea, and it’s manifesting to the female line. This part of the saga, and next week’s, are sort of about emphasising how freaky things get in the Norse magical milieu and in a sense, show that despite its patriarchally structured society, the magical is all about interconnection, intertwining and blurring of the lines - even the supposedly hyper-masculine male Volsung line is constantly and cyclically initiated into Odinic strangeness - just as the saga itself is cyclic, in a sense. But Volsung, being Volsung, overrules his daughter - he points out that if they dissolve the marriage and don’t show, they break the agreement, and thus can’t bind Siggeir in alliance, he won’t trust them, and would do them as much ill as he could in revenge. The honourable thing, and hence the necessary thing is to follow the thing. A word about honour: Many people think that for the folks in pre-Modern societies were all about honour, because honour is all about macho chest-beating and silly rules. That’s a pretty shallow take though. Imagine, instead that you live in a world without a central authority - or at least one so distant as to make law enforcement and enforcement of social mores and social contract a local concern. In a society bound (and there’s that word again) by reciprocity, social currency is paramount - there’s no centralised bank saying what money or goods are worth, what a fair day’s pay is etc (And even when there was, like Rome or other empires, messing with currency can cause major problems. When your currency gets debased, Legions start revolting.) Imagine then, that one’s honour is kind of a social credit rating and that kin-groups or families are like corporations today. Personal honour is your personal credit rating - it measures how much people trust you, what you can ask for, how much people will come to help you. It also contributes to the credit rating of the entire corporation. This doesn’t just last one generation, either. The trading power and ability of what becomes the Volsung dynasty derives first from Sigi, the outlaw son of Odin. He’s a rulebreaking mofo like his spiritual father, and yet he still manages to create a kingdom from scratch. What’s more, Odin gains kudos from Sigi - when you’re the god and patron of a king, your cult is going to benefit by gaining more prominence. Rerir manages to survive murderous kin, is still a king worth note but is infertile. Frigg and Odin fix this by application of handy “wish-maiden” - magical female Odin-related powers infused into the line. So magical in fact, that Volsung has his freaky birth, and then marries the same magical girl, doubling down on the dual streams of godly power in the line. The line is potently fertile - the nameless siblings, and Signy and Sigmund. Just as they’re about to do another fertility related thing - who shows up but the Cosmic-Shit-Stirrer aka Stabby McOne-Eye, The Murder Hobo, who as @edderkopper noted, may actually be performing a wedding ritual, but in a way that makes Odin the groom.
The fact that in that rite, it’s the groom’s sword and that Sigmund pulls it out, suggests, not only that Siggeir isn’t really the proper groom, but that Sigmund is, to the saga’s audience at least, kind of an Odinic-stand-in, and also receiving an ancestral weapon. Thus Odin has, (if I read between the lines correctly) in his own particular way, once-again asserted that these people are mine. He has claimed all the Volsungs, even going so far as to symbolically also take Signy as his bride. Thus, Odin, the rest of the magical milieu and the Volsungs become even more tightly entwined through a series of ritualised interactions that would be hard to miss, to the saga’s audience. The Volsung Dynasty stock has gone through the bloody roof, but it means next to nothing if they gain a reputation as dealbreakers. The positive bits of their strange history become liabilities if people think they can’t be trusted. The name would become associated with negative social capital, and that in turn, would reflect badly on the names of their ancestors by whose deeds they ended up with large amounts of kudos in the first place. The honour of the family as a whole, reaches back and forward through time - a descendant can redeem an ancestor, just as an ancestral name may redeem a descendant despite harsh circumstances. We see this isn a sense, in Rerir’s earlier utiseta. The mound-wisdom enables the fertilising apple - the dead connect to the living. So, is Volsung being an arrogant shit? Or is it that plus the fact he’s actually stuck between a rock and hard place here? If they don’t go, they gain reputations as deal-breakers, don’t get the alliance which would bind Siggeir to them, and thus lose something which will probably benefit the kingdom and family as a whole? Perhaps Volsung, with his experience, has started to regret the match, but he’s confident - he has enough numbers, social propriety on his side, and a good alliance to make. So the whole party ups and heads over to Gautand. Siggeir is planning to straight-out butcher the whole lot of them with an unbeatable army. Signy warns her kin, begs them to go home, but as Volsung says, he made a vow never to flee, and if he flees, the damage to his reputation, to the entire family’s would be nigh irreparable. Whatever happens to them, he says, she should go back to Siggeir. I suspect Volsung’s thinking here is close to what happens eventually. Any children Signy bears will be of the line of Volsung, and even if they lose, that name will be untarnished because it is the Volsungs who are being betrayed. Those children can theoretically take revenge and rightfully unite both kingdoms. The Volsung name is enhanced either way, and as to paraphrase the Havamal, the only thing that lasts are a man’s deeds and reputation, and hence the glory and social capital his kin gain via the family name. This is such an odd way of thinking to many modern folk; that it it is not only the individual that matters, but how their deeds affect those around them - almost transpersonal in a way. But back to the saga:
Siggeir wants to slaughter the whole bunch, but Signy convinces him to save her brothers for humiliation purposes, and so they’re put in stocks out in the woods, to die of exposure (a death which even Siggeir admits is harsh). Here’s where it gets odder, and in many respects, the action switches over to the ladies for a bit, and if you suggest that Signy might have been kind of spaewife, or seer, given the kinfylgia appearing to her, what you might call a sort of indirect magical war occurs. Each night, a she-wolf appears and devours one of the imprisoned Volsungs, while Signy works out what to do. This is interesting, because in Norse lore she-wolves are often associated with witches and giants (See Fenrir). When Sigmund, after nine of his brothers have been eaten, and with help from his sister, manages to rip the she-wolf’s tongue out with his teeth (thus, in a sense, being more of a Wolf than she, eating her) Siggeir’s mother drops dead as the wolf dies, indicating that she was a shape-shifter. Sigmund flees deeper into the woods, becoming an outlaw. In this, he returns to the family’s “area of origin”, echoing Sigi. He lives in an earth-house - a prince living like a common poor person, but also with the potential implied meaning that he is “like the Old Men of the Forest” by which Odin refers to burial mounds in another lay. In a sense, Sigmund has “gone back to his roots” freed after nine nights bound by the stocks which Bycock’s translation notes, are made from one “great trunk”. While not literal, it’s fairly obvious that the skald was playing on Odinic motifs here - and perhaps the themes might reflect some echo of an Odinic cult.
Sigi sends her boys to Sigmund, each in the hope that they can be used as weapons to kill her husband, and both are not “stouthearted” enough - twitching at a wyrm, or living thing in the meal. They do not have the guts to do as ordered, so Sigi tells Sigmund to kill them both. Of the two twins, as we shall see, in chapter 7, Signy seems the more horrific trainer of children, but it’s she who levels up in the vengeance stakes, breaking a taboo, or performing a supremely magical act, given the way IE cultures seemed to feel about twins - regarding them as somewhat divine or supernatural. It’s interesting that in their own way, none of the female figures in this saga are shrinking violets. They’re all pragmatic, hardcore people - even Volsung’s mother is hardcore enough to survive pregnancy for six years for goodness sake! While there are obvious gender differences in the way things are done, Signy is no princess-in-a-tower. It is she who masterminds the vengeance of the Volsungs on Siggeir. She who takes Siggeir’s heirs and attempts to fashion them into weapons. She’s a terrible mother. But a damn good Volsung.
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Signy: Vengeance and Filicide
I started this one by copying (almost) all of Signy’s lines/notable moments in the saga. And then realized that in the relatively vast expanse of the narrative in chapters 2 through 8 (Finch translation btw) Signy gets very little “screen time.” And as such, I actually found it rather powerful to see her part put together in one fell swoop. So bear with me on this, I’m leaving everything below as I compiled it.
Also trying a read-more tag... I know mobile tends to not like those...
A Snapshot of Signy “Their eldest was called Sigmund, and their daughter Signy. They were twins and in every way the best looking and the most remarkable of King Völsung’s children, though, indeed, all of them were outstanding, a fact long recognised, just as the Völsungs have long been famed for their autocratic inflexibility of purpose, and for being far ahead of most people, as old stories tell, in knowledge, attainments and in enterprise generally.”
“[King Völsung] was favorably disposed to the idea [of Signy marrying King Siggeir], as were his sons, but she herself was against it, though she asked her father to decide about this as he did about other matters concerning her. And the king thought it advisable for her to be married, and she was betrothed to King Siggeir.”
“Signy now spoke to her father: ‘I don’t want to go away with Siggeir, nor do I feel at all warmly towards him, and my gift of second sight which runs in the family tells me that this business will result in a great deal of misery for us, unless this marriage is speedily annulled.”
“That same evening, Signy, King Völsung’s daughter, came to ask her father and her brothers to have a private talk with her. She then said that in her opinion- it was also King Siggeir’s own! - Siggeir had got together a large force that was invincible- ‘And he means to break faith with you. So I beg you,’ she said, ‘to get back to your own country immediately. Get hold of as large a number of men as you can, then return and get your revenge, rather than walk into this trap, for you’ll find no lack of treachery in him if you don’t adopt the plan I desire you to.”
“Then Signy wept bitterly and begged not to have to go back to Siggeir.” … “So Signy went back…”
“Signy discovered that her father had been killed and her brothers captured and sentenced to death.”
She-wolf episode here.
“And we are told that when the elder son was ten years old, Signy sent him off to find Sigmund so that he could help him, should he wish to make any attempt to avenge his father.”
“The next time Sigmund and his sister met, he said he seemed no nearer to getting a man, even though the boy was staying with him. ‘Then seize and kill him,’ said Signy. ‘There’s no need for him to live any longer.’ And that’s what he did.”
Repeat 1x.
“He killed the boy at Signy’s bidding.”
Body swapping and twincest.
“Before sending her first two sons to Sigmund, she had submitted them to the following test: she sewed their tunics on to their arms, stitching through skin and flesh. They stood up to it badly, and screamed as it was being done. She did the same to Sinfjötli. He did not flinch. Then she stripped the tunic from him, so that skin came off with the sleeves, and she said that this would hurt him.’
Robin Hood and Little John running through the forests....
“Then he [another young son of Siggeir and Signy] ran back into the hall to his father and told him what he had seen [Sigmund and Sinfjötli in hiding]. .. Now Signy heard what they said. She stood up, took both children and went into the outer room to [Sigmund and Sinfjötli] and said that they ought to know that the children had given them away- ‘And I think you had better kill them.’” [Sigmund, this time, hesitates. Sinfjötli does not. At all.]
“And while [the serfs] were busy covering over the mound [which held Sigmund and Sinfjötli] with turf, Signy came up with an armful of straw [containing a chunk of pork and also the sword from Stabby McOne-Eye the Murder Hobo]. She threw it into the mound to Sinfjötli, and told the serfs to conceal this from the king.”
“[Sigmund] told his sister to come out and receive from him every consideration, and high esteem, meaning in this way to make up for what she had suffered [for roughly 27 years at this point].
‘You’ll know now whether or not I have remembered King Siggeir’s killing of King Völsung against him!’ she answered, ‘and I had our children killed when they seemed to me all too tardy in avenging our father, and in the shape of some sorceress I came to you in the forest, and Sinfjötli is your son, and mine. His immense vigor comes from being King Völsung’s grandson on his father’s as well as his mother’s side. Everything I have done has been to bring about King Siggeir’s death. And I have done so much to achieve vengeance that to go on living is out of the question. I shall now gladly die with King Siggeir, reluctant though I was to marry him.’
Then she kissed her brother Sigmund, and Sinfjötli, and walking into the inferno she bade them farewell, and thereupon she perished there with King Siggeir and all his men.”
Vengeance and Filicide Revenge is, I’m guessing, going to be an ongoing theme here, so what constitutes revenge in the old Viking, or possibly slightly pre-Viking, society? If one person kills another the family of the victim is entitled to compensation, which can come in three varieties:
Weregild: An economic payment of either currency, valuables, livestock or land commensurate with the societally agreed upon value of the victim. Blood vengeance: The murderer is executed. Outlaw: The murderer is banished from society and whatever happens, happens.
This is pretty clear cut as long as the death is not part of a battle in war or that it is not an instance of kin-slaying.
Kin-slaying in most societies is a big no-no. Family members "are caught between irreconcilable duties: to extract vengeance on the one hand and to honor the bonds of kinship on the other hand." [Lindow, John (1997) Murder and Vengeance among the Gods. Baldr in Scandinavian Mythology.] Even Óðinn had to take a moment when Baldr died to figure out how vengeance was going to be had. In a parallel of this, Óðinn goes off and knocks up the giantess Rindr, rushes the birth, and after being alive for one day (apparently enough time to learn how to crawl, walk, brandish a longsword), Váli slays Höðr. Because, supposedly, if Óðinn himself took vengeance on Höðr, Óðinn would then have to take vengeance on himself for kin-slaying. [Margaret E. McKenzie (2012) Filicide in Medieval Narrative: A Dissertation]
Interesting point here is that, even amongst the gods, a vengeance killing apparently does not wipe the slate clean. While, by law, a society cannot punish one for exacting a warranted revenge, it doesn’t seem that no one is restricted from taking revenge on the avenger as well.
So Óðinn gets out of having to directly avenge Baldr by having a half-brother take the blood. In this case we can surmise that uncles and half-brothers are distant enough to commit a kin-slaying without bearing the complications thereof. (I have absolutely no source for this thought and it could be wildly erroneous.)
The slaying of children, particularly by, or at the behest of, a parent wasn’t as big a taboo as outright kin-slaying. Leaving infants or small children out for exposure was not unheard of in these times, though it was frowned upon. [MacKenzie 2012] But a parent killing their own, young, child seems to somehow skirt the complications of invoking a need for revenge upon the murderer. Two of these filicides happened to boys that were near the age of majority (at least by Icelandic standards at the turn of the millennium, which was about twelve years old). The next two to be slain were probably significantly younger yet given the descriptions of them at play in the hall. So perhaps being children and not yet adults in some way puts them outside the law in regards to reprisal just as they are too young to participate in legal matters on their own.
A Profile of Signy Given the few direct references we have to work with regarding Signy, it is difficult to figure out who she would be as a person and not a plot device. When reading the saga in its complete text, she is thrown in the background so often that it is easy to dismiss her as cold-hearted, as the stereotypical “disposable” princess that is there only as a political pawn.
But considering what a daughter of Völsung, the greatest warrior and king in the history of Hunaland, would be like within the confines of the family, it wouldn’t be hard to surmise that she had a happy enough, comfortable enough upbringing. “The Völsungs have long been famed for their autocratic inflexibility of purpose, and for being far ahead of most people, as old stories tell, in knowledge, attainments and in enterprise generally.” She would have had a sense of duty of course, but also education and, with a valkyrie for a mother, no small amount of initiative of her own. That she defers her will to her father’s on matters says less about Signy as it says more about King Völsung, who from a young age was successful in war and kingdom building. Despite my earlier jibes at the man regarding how he handled the voyage to Gautland, we are supposed to take from this saga that King Völsung is a powerful, forceful figure that commands respect and oozes leadership, even among his own children no matter how “remarkable” and “outstanding” they may be.
Arranged marriages, as repulsive as we may find them nowadays, were how international politics worked then. Signy would have known this and while she may not like the prospect, her respect for her father, her sense of duty to the family, to her position, and her own pride would not let her back down from the proposal.
Of course this changes shortly after the marriage itself, whether it was purely based on kynfylgja alone or a few other factors grouped in with that for brevity, as Signy very much does not want anything to do with this. While the saga thus far has been lacking in emotional flare in the telling of the characters thus far, it does say something that against a tremendous respect for her father, despite her proud duty to her family, she asks to be released from this arrangement. Someone like Signy, daughter of an Óðinn blessed king and a valkyrie, would not do this just because she doesn’t want to be with Siggeir. Even when her family arrives in Gautland and is about to be betrayed and slaughtered, when Völsung confirms he will not back down from this fight as he never had before, she asks again to be released from the marriage.
“Then Signy wept bitterly and begged not to have to go back to Siggeir.” Völsung responds, dutifully as ever, “Of course you must go back to your husband, and stay with him, whatever happens to us.”
If ever Signy is to be described as cold-hearted, it should only be considered in this moment, where we see the most emotionally filled line in the saga to this point in six words, that Signy’s heart has broken. We know the Völsungs are defeated and she is doomed to be with Siggeir for the rest of her life, but on the other side we should consider that if Völsung had defeated Siggeir and killed him, if Signy would have had to prepare herself to follow him to Valhalla. If that custom were valid for the era and place of this episode, then Signy is facing the end of her life, either literally or metaphorically.
As Hamlet learns from his father’s ghost that his death was due to “something rotten in Denmark,” we can easily see Signy slipping into a similar despair, depression, and trauma induced madness. For whatever reason she must sit idly as over the course of nine nights she loses nine brothers. Imagine how long those days must have been, how sleepless the nights?
With only the consolation that she has her twin brother escaped and hidden in the forests does she have one small hope in the world for her true family. So she spends days as Siggeir’s wife in Siggeir’s hall surrounded by Siggeir’s men and bearing Siggeir’s children all while hating him, his country, his kingdom for leaving her alone in the world. Vengeance becomes the only road to hope. That Siggeir dies and Sigmund can be free to rebuild their legacy.
Her sons are Siggeir’s sons, but they are half Völsung. So perhaps they can be instrumental to avenging King Völsung. Women were not supposed to take up revenge themselves according to the old laws, but they could readily incite it. [Andersson, Theodore M. and William Ian Miller. (1989) Law and Literature in Medieval Iceland] Even if she were to entertain the idea of slaying him herself, she would then be in a position of being kin-slayer. Though she may disregard her own life even at this early point, it could damage the family reputation.
She subjects her first two sons to a sadistic test of having their tunics sewn to their flesh. This appears to be an intentional sadism, perhaps as a post traumatic symptom, transferring her hatred of Siggeir to these children. It is extraneous since there’s no reason to believe these boys would not have been raised to be warriors in accordance with Germanic tradition. Furthermore, despite that “they stood up to it badly, and screamed as it was being done,” she still sends them, in turn, to Sigmund anyway. This is a cruelty, clearly done with a sociopathic, methodic coldness which could suggest that these children lived their entire lives with a stony mother that from day one made every conscious effort to quell any maternal warmth she may have had for her children lest she lose focus on her goal, her vengeance.
That she also so casually permits the murder of her children by Sigmund should also put us in mind of her resolve to attain this revenge. Beyond the initial shock value of a mother saying ‘Then seize and kill him. There’s no need for him to live any longer,’ it stresses that, for Signy at this point, there is only one reason, need, to be alive and that is to see Siggeir’s death. This point may have held more weight in the time the saga was written. While we modern reader’s tend to focus on the children as actual living humans succumbing to a murderous mother, ‘some scholars have argued that children in medieval narrative exist merely to aid in the plot; in that way, they lack agency and are considered more as objects than as people’ [MacKenzie 2012] and a contemporary listener to the saga may have likely just been impressed at Signy’s single-mindedness in avenging her legendary father.
The drive to this end becomes more apparent when Sigmund and Sinfjötli have entered Siggeir’s hall and are hiding in a side room, waiting to strike. Another son of Siggeir and Signy discover them when a toy has rolled away from him. It isn’t until after Siggeir has been warned of intruders that Signy gathers up both of her young sons and brings them to Sigmund to be dealt with. Being so close to the end, with “the wolves in with the chickens” so to speak, Signy sees these children as obstacles. They are not needed for Signy’s purpose, Sinfjötli is clearly capable of being the avenging son/grandson. At this point Signy may know her life will not extend much beyond Siggeir’s and has no notions of ever being able to be a good mother for these children. Having the blood of two sons already on her hands, what’s two more?
A side note here on Sinfjötli; Signy has yet to reveal his incestuous origin, so effectively we witness him committing full-brother kin-slaying.
Finally, after escaping capture in which Signy has returned Sigmund’s sword to him, Sinfjötli and Sigmund return to Siggeir’s hall and, apparently able to just saunter up and set a ton of wood down, light it on fire.
Signy gives a final monologue, her only goal in life having been accomplished. ‘And I have done so much to achieve vengeance that to go on living is out of the question. I shall now gladly die with King Siggeir, reluctant though I was to marry him.’ Which shouldn’t be too surprising. With everything she had endured and done in the course of 27 years, over half her life; in losing her family, being trapped by duty with the betrayer of her family, in being a cold mother, and a cruel one, dismissive of her children’s very lives, you can’t blame her for being done with vengeance and with life.
#norsereadalong#volsunga saga#signy#tragic#norse mythology#projectnorsemyth#week 3#this went on a lot longer than i thought it would#im sorry#so wordy
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“Fight like a bear.”
Signy (c) myslef
Stage (c) Livbbies on deviantART https://www.deviantart.com/livbbies/art/MMD-Stage-DL-Fairy-Bloom-Freesia-Stage-861804183
Signy’s outfit was commissioned by ChrisieBDK
#mmd#mikumikudance#miku miku dance#signy#war-bear#signy war-bear#my oc#my character#nemain#nemain female#the nemains#nemain race#viking inspired#nordic inspired#3d#female#sfw#female warrior#warrior#werebear
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Character Building: How does Skrimir mature as a ruler over the years? End game, it says that he patrols Gallia's borders, and wins the love of his people with his big heart, but does anything change beyond that as he grows into the position?
How Skrimir changes, at least as I’d expect: [And hoo boy did this get long]
Summary: he finally calms down a bit, retaining his vigor but losing his brashness, mimicking Caineghis in terms of development, but being much more involved with the other nations and with interracial relations between native Gallian laguz, the beorc, and the branded. He learns of parental fear, the joy of fatherhood, and the Lionheart, a Gallian variant of a king’s love for his people.
The first decadesHe grows bigger still because he’s not quite full grown yet, and after being effectively cooped up in the castle for who knows how long from the last few lessons Caineghis and Giffca want to impart to him, he decides to roam around for the first time in a while, finding some poor cub caught in the mud. After getting the cub out and back to their family, he really begins feeling what Gallian’s call the “Lionheart” - i.e. a Gallian king’s love for his people, specifically in wanting to protect them. Caineghis had this in spades, and now it’s Skrimir’s turn to experience it.He begins touring around the country on days where he has little castle work and starts to get to know his people, beyond the military, by name. Near the end of the first decade, he finally marries to Elli, a lioness, garnering one of the biggest celebrations Gallia has hosted, much to the relief of Ranulf, who now has another to bear the burden of his duties as the new Prime Minister of Gallia, despite a lighter load now that Skrimir is learning (albeit slowly) the ropes.His troubles with the Gallian elders are a rough few first years, but he eventually gets the hang of it with some more poignant pointers from the other royals at their gatherings, such as Queen Elincia and King Tibarn. Those lessons prove invaluable, as they also help him with foreign relations, and mature him into a far cry from the cub he was when he crossed the Ribahn.
Gallian SummerUnlike Caineghis, who had Giffca, he has four aides - Ranulf, representing the Cat tribe, serving as Prime Minister; his wife, Elli, representing the Lions and his queen; Nailah, the Hatarian Queen, serves as the emissary of the Hatarians and the Wolf tribe, who have plenty to learn of their new home; and Mordecai, representing the Tiger tribe, who is a main fighter for Beorc and Branded rights in Gallia, as well as serving as Skrimir’s emissary, like Giffca before him.
He’s full grown by now, actually slightly bigger than Caineghis was, and his appetite is bigger than ever, leading to some rumors that his stomach also got blessed by Yune when they were all petrified. By now he’s seen the Beorc he knew in the war, and even some of the laguz like Mordecai, get married and bear children - some beorc, grandchildren. By now he knows full well about Soren and the other Branded, and using his influence, slowly gets acceptance of not only beorc, but branded as well to spread in Gallia. Sure, they don’t make up nearly as much of the populace as the beast laguz, but they get miles better treatment than they did pre-PoR. It is in this time that he and his queen bear their first four children, three boys and a girl. Radomir, his oldest, is already showing signs of being just like him - though unlike having to live a life dominated by rules, like his under Caineghis, Radomir grows with a prominent presence of Skrimir’s fatherly affection and guidance.Unfortunately, an upstart tiger laguz seeking the throne struck Skrimir in battle, leaving a scar over his left eye - not enough to get the eye, however. It scared the living daylights out of a young Radomir and Davis, his second born son, seeing their dad actually get hurt. He plays it off as a warrior’s mark, however, and they look at him with a new adoration. However, it serves as a new reminder of caution in battle, next to the slash on his chest from Zelgius’ blade.Bedtime for the cubs is surprisingly simple - they get their first naps in by sleeping in a huddle. By the time they wake up the first time, Skrimir has finished his royal duties and is already retiring for the night, with his wife Elli not too far behind him. Regardless of form, he’s always the pillow, especially if he and Mordecai had another eating competition. Skrimir welcomes a few of the bodily changes over this time, namely a bit of softening of his features as he grows older in peacetime, though never truly lets go of his regimens.
Autumn YearsAlong with Caineghis and Giffca, most of his beorc comrades have come and gone, though their descendants often ask of tales of the wars when they’re in Zarzi. He maintains a surprisingly open palace as his hair begins straightening with age, much like his uncle. Radomir is already a young adult, now the eldest brother of a whopping nine cubs, five boys and four girls, and already shows signs of his father’s immense appetite. Skrimir’s metabolism, however, begins to slow in the later years, and a subtle softness can be seen setting up amidst his musculature. Mordecai, on the other hand, gets his outfits patched nearly every quarter in one place or another, much to the delight of his eight children and fifty-eight godchildren, who enjoy sleeping on their teddy bear of a father/godfather. Despite his beorc-like form, however, his beast form is as impressively powerful as ever, rivaling Skrimir’s in pure strength. Ranulf occasionally complains of his joints aching, but his agility is still second-to-none on land. Meanwhile, Nailah and Rafiel have moved to Serenes, with Volug stepping in as the Hatarian advisor in her stead, proving quite adept now that he has a better grasp of the modern tongue.
Radomir, being trained diligently by his father in combat and his mother in tactics (something he’s both grateful and a bit envious of for him), matures as a dawn to the coming sunset of Skrimir’s time as king, and much like his father before him, garners the Lionheart under his father’s watchful eye. His younger siblings, like Davis and Signy, garnered similar support as they grew, fermenting the hold their family had as the second royal family in Gallia’s history - a very robust one at that. The accomplishments of his children, with Radomir as his successor, made Skrimir proud of his life - and beyond, he hopes ,Caineghis is too.
Their LegacyMordecai’s family became known as Gallia’s Tongue; Ranulf’s family, Gallia’s Claws; Volug’s family, Gallia’s Roar;and the Royal family proper, Gallia’s Fangs.
#radiantxhero#I mean lions don't lose hair or go gray so curly vs straight was my best guess for an equivalent#Finally done - WELL THEN#that elongated quickly
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425 DX News No. 1474
3 August 2019 A.R.I. DX Bulletin No 1474
=========================== *** 4 2 5 D X N E W S *** **** DX INFORMATION **** =========================== Edited by I1JQJ & IK1ADH Direttore Responsabile I2VGW
F – Special callsign TM14FAJ will be active on all bands and modes on 1-15 August for the 14th Festival Astro-Jeunes, part of the Astronomy Festival of Fleurance. QSL via F5KHP (bureau) or F8BMG (direct); the log will be uploaded to Club Log and eQSL. GW – Special event station GB200TT will be active on 10-11 August to celebrate the bicentenary of the Menai Bridge, a suspension bridge which carries road traffic between mainland Wales and the island of Anglesey. QSL via operator’s instructions. JA – Ichy, JH7IPR will be active as JH7IPR/7 from Oshima (AS-206) from “before noon” (JST) on 9 August until “around noon” (JST) on 10 August (Japan Standard Time is UTC +9 hours). He plans to focus on 40m and 20m FT8, with some CW and activity on 6 metres if the band opens. Depending on local conditions, he might extend his stay by one day. QSL via the bureau; he will upload his log to Club Log. [TNX JN6RZM] LY – LY30BW will be active from 1 August to 30 September to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way (http://www.balticway.net/). On 23 August 1989 hundreds of thousands people formed a human chain spanning across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, demanding the re- establishment of the independence of the Baltic States. QSL via LY2QT. A certificate will be available; see LY30BW’s page on qrz.com for the details. LZ – LZ19YOTA is the callsign that will be used during the 9th edition of the Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) Camp, to be hosted by the Bulgarian Federation of Radioamateurs (BFRA) on 11-17 August. This annual event brings together young people from IARU Region 1 member societies for a week, creating an opportunity to learn all about different nationalities and cultures, foster international friendships and goodwill, and learn new amateur radio skills. QSL via the bureau to LZ1BJ. SP – Radio Club SP9KJU will be active as SN0ARCO between 1 August and 31 December, with main activity on 1-31 August, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Georg von Arco (1869-1940), a pioneer of radio engineering whose work was crucial in the development of wireless technology in Europe. SP – Special callsigns 3Z1919PS, HF1919PS, SN1919PS, SO1919PS, SP1919PS and SQ1919PS will be activated from 15 August to 15 September to commemorate the centenary of the first Silesian Uprising (16-24 August 1919). The Silesian Uprisings were a series of three armed conflicts in Upper Silesia from 1919 to 1921 in which Poles and Polish Silesians sought to break away from Germany and join the new Polish Republic, founded after World War I. A certificate will be available; see https://www.qrz.com/db/SN1919PS for information. UA9 – The 1-3 August RQ73QQ IOTA DXpedition to Bol’shoy Begichev Island (AS-152) [425DXN 1468] has been cancelled owing to safety concerns (adverse sea conditions and polar bears on the island). The team will remain on Popigay-Ary Island (AS-063) instead, and be QRV as as R63RRC until around 3 August. VE – VY0ERC, the Eureka Amateur Radio Club station located on Ellesmere Island (NA-008), will be active again between 1 and 20 August. QSL via M0OXO’s OQRS and LoTW.
PACIFIC TRIP —> Kaspars/YL1ZF, Yuris/YL2GM, Jack/YL2KA and Kristers/YL3JA Will be active as T30L from Tarawa, West Kiribati (OC-017) on 6-15 September, and as C21W from Nauru (OC-031) on 16-25 September. They will operate CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8 on 160-6 metres from both locations. QSL via Club Log’s OQRS (direct or bureau), LoTW (six months after the end of the DXpedition), or via YL2GN. Bookmark http://www.lral.lv/c21w_t30l/ for more information and updates.
=========================== *** 4 2 5 D X N E W S *** **** GOOD TO KNOW … **** =========================== Edited by I1JQJ & IK1ADH Direttore Responsabile I2VGW
Access to the main functions of www.425dxn.org is provided by the 425DXN App for Android. It is available on Google Play – free of charge, no ads. Enjoy!
FT8DMC ANNIVERSARY —> Eight special event callsigns will be activated on 10-24 August to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the FT8 Digital Mode Club: A91FTDMC (Bahrain, QSL via A92AA), II8FTDM (Italy, QSL via IK8YFU), LX8FTDM (Luxembourg, QSL via LX1TI), OD5FTDMC (Lebanon, QSL via K3IRV), OE19FTDMC (Austria, QSL via OE1SGU), TM8FTDM (France, QSL via F1ULQ), TO8FTDM (Guadeloupe, QSL via F1ULQ) and ZL6FTDMC (New Zealand, QSL via F1ULQ). The logs will be uploaded to LoTW and eQSL. See https://www.ft8dmc.eu for information on the FTDMC Anniversary Award.
IOTA: RESTRUCTURING OF AS-117 & AS-206 —> “Islands previously listed as qualifying for AS-117 that now fall within the co-ordinates box of the new group AS-206 (Honshu’s Coastal Islands East) have been transferred and are listed appropriately both in the application database scroll-down list and in the IOTA Directory online” Roger Balister, G3KMA (IOTA General Manager) posted to https://iota-world.org/ on 30 July. “Following several activations from AS-206 in the last few weeks with most already accepted for credit, the group number is now confirmed. Record-holders with credits for AS-117 that commence with prefixes JA0, 1, 2 and 7, will have their credits reviewed for transfer to AS-206. All chasers who logged into the IOTA system at least once during the last two years will be automatically informed by a credit re-allocation. This will alert them to the need to find a replacement card or QSO match for AS-117 with a prefix JA3, 4 or 9 to regain credit. Other record-holders for whom Management no longer retains an email address will have any necessary transfer made automatically. The intention is to transfer all credits to the correct IOTA group within a few weeks. As this is quite a big job, patience is requested”
MIDWAY ISLAND 2020 —> Ron KH6DV has announced that KH6VV/KH4 “will acti- vate Midway Atoll the last two weeks in February 2020”. Operators interested in joining the DXpedition are invited to contact him by email. See https://dx-world.net/kh6vv-kh4-midway-island-2020/ for few preliminary de- tails (and comments).
VP8/VP8DXU —> The project planning for the 2020 South Orkney Islands DXpedition [425DXN 1469] continues on schedule. During the weekend of 12 July seven team members and three volunteers met in Placerville, California to prepare the tents for use on Signy Island, 60m FT8 has been added to the operating plan, and the fundraising campaign continues: “team members made their 2nd payment to the project, and our 2nd payment to the ‘Braveheart’ was processed”, the VP8/VP8DXU team reported on 27 July. “As of this writing, 33 clubs/foundations and 273 individuals have shown their support for the project. While we’re making progress, we have a long way to go to reach the goal of 50% team member funding of the estimated project cost of USD 325,000. Please keep in mind, serious DXpeditions, especially those in the Southern Ocean, must pay the bills before leaving home, we are no exception. If you need South Orkneys for an ATNO, or plan to work us, we would appreciate your help”. Please visit https://sorkney.com/ and consider making a donation.
=========================== *** 4 2 5 D X N E W S *** ******* QSL ROUTES ******* =========================== Edited by I1JQJ & IK1ADH Direttore Responsabile I2VGW
=================================================================== CALL MANAGER CALL MANAGER CALL MANAGER =================================================================== 3W3B E21EIC GM7V N3SL OJ9A OH2BH 4E1FJE JN3VQM HB9WFF/p HB9FBI OL13FORT OK2NO 4O/E73A 9A2AA HC1MD/2 K8LJG OL75CLAY OK2PXJ 4U1WB KK4HD HF0PCK SP1PBW OP0PPY ON7LX 5C20FT RW6HS HF100PS SP9KAG OY1OF M0URX 5K2M K6IPM HG50DFC HA0NAR OZ7A OZ1IKY [d] 5P5SAM 5P1KZX HK1NA K6IPM OZ7A OZ7A [b] 5P6G DD5ZZ HS0ZGD HS0ZGD [b] PA13HJ PA9LUC 5T5PA PA5X HS0ZGD LA7JO [d] PA146EU PB0P 7X2TT EA5GL IA5/OM2ZZ OM2FY PA6TXL PA2JJB 8S0W SM0NJO II0SRE IS0JXO PH38EU PA2TMS 9A1WFF 9A2MF II1ASGE IQ1GE PJ4KY M0URX 9A2L/p 9A3DF II3Y IV3OSC PX8R PT2GTI 9A5D/p 9A1BHI II4BRD IQ4FE PZ5JW EA5GL 9A8DV IK6VXO II7P IK7LMX [b] R100F RK3VWA 9A8TQF HB9TQF II7P IZ7FJJ [d] R100WWS RV3YR 9H3MN DF1DN IL7MP M0OXO R63RRC R7AA 9H6YB G3SWH IS0/OM2TW OM2FY R65VLZ UC4A 9M2TO JA0DMV J48J SV1PMQ R66IOTA UA0LCZ 9M6ZAE W3HNK J49A SV9GPV RA1ZZ/p RA1ZZ A41CK A61BK J73HGL EA5GL RI0BC RW1AI A41NN A61BK JT1QP DJ8QP RK3SWB/1 RU3SD A61Q EA7FTR JY5HX E73Y RT5G/1 RA1QQ BO0M BV2KI JY5MM IK2DUW RU6DX/p RU6DX C5SP SP3PS K1IMI N4CW SD1A SM1TDE CN2LW HB9EOU LA/OL7X OK1XC SK0HS/0 SM0MPV CP6GR DF9GR LA1K/p LA1K SM0S SM5BAX CR5CW CT7ACG LC5C LA6KOA SN0RX SP8BXL CY9C WA4DAN LM450C LA4C SP/M0PLX SP7DPJ D44TEG HB9EBT LY30A LY5A SP0DF SP1EG DK3R DL1KZA LY30BW LY2QT SP85NISKO SQ7FPD DL/OO4O ON4APU LZ0I LZ1BJ SU9JG EA5GL DU3LA W3HNK LZ116RF LZ1YE SV8/OM6NM OM2FY ED1K EA1NK LZ304AE LZ1KCP SV8/YO3FCA M0IPU EG1BTZ EA1LC M1U M0UTD SW8YA HA1YA EG5CIH EA5GVJ MD1K M1KTA SX94MIKIS SZ2T EG8FVC EA8URV MJ0ICD OK1DOL TM110BL F8KGN EH1FCL EA1AUO MJ0IKL OK1DOL TM19MAB F4ESV EH2LDG EB2FAC MJ0ILB OK1BIL TM19SGDF F4EGX EI0NMMI EI6AL MM0CPS/p GM4UYZ TM5F F1AEY EJ3Z EI6GUB MM1E MM0GOR TM5S F5MFV EJ4GRC EI8DD MM2N MM0GPZ TM75GRV F5KAQ EM10UCF UR7UT MM3T GM0ELP TM7P F4FET EM150LSR UR5LQC MN5A G3TXF TT8FC EA3GWK EM7EFF UR7EY NA1WJ KD2FIL TX2A W6NV EM7KAA IK2DUW NP2X KU9C UE00S RZ4AWB ES0DJ/0 ES2DJ OE19IOTA OE6HLF UR1G UR8GX ES1MN/8 OH1MN OE19LAWN OE3IPC V31MA M0OXO ES8/YL1ZX YL2TD OE30CFC OE3CFC V47JA W5JON G4ALE/p G3VYI OG5A OH5AD V73NS W3HNK G5XV M0OXO OG70AD OH3AD VB1D VA1YL G6MC G2YL OH0JV DL7RV VK4NM/p M0OXO G8X G4FJK OH0PM OH2PM VK9APX AI5P GB0DAM GM4FZH OH0R OH2PM VX2A11 VE2STN GB4ENI M0AXH OH8AA OH8JK XV9DXB EB7DX GB55RC G6NHU [d] OH9A OH1NOA YJ0GA ZL3GA GB55RC GB55RC [b] OH9W OH5BQ YP1000LEANY YO6KNE GB60ATG M0OXO OJ0C OH3WS Z81D OM3JW GM2T GM4UYZ OJ0DX DL3DXX ZZ1R PY2AE
4O/E77XZ Suad Zukic, Gymnasiumstr. 104, 75175 Pforzheim, Germany 7V9A Ben Lagha, 18 rue Louis Aragon, 26200 Montelimar, France 9M4COO Khairil Amri Bakhari, No 335 Jalan Scientex Maju 12, Taman Scientex Kulai 2, 81000 Kulai, Johor, Malaysia CR5IC ARAM, Apartado 507, EC Alto Minho, 4901-908 Viana do Castelo, Portugal DK1A Olaf Matthaei, Koenigs Wusterhausener Str 3. 15741 Bestensee, Germany EG3MDS Manel Carrasco Serra, Carrer dels Ciutadans 4, 08490 Tordera (Barcelona), Spain EM9WFF Eugene Mosiychuk, Apartado Postal 5, 03170 Rojales (Alicante), Spain FR4QT Mario Xavier Laporte, 653 Chemin des Longanis, St Gilles les Hauts, 97435 St Paul, France FY5KE Jacques Mazzoni, 678 route de l’Egalite, 74290 Talloires Montmin, France H2X Alessandro Gromme, Via G.M. Savani 20, 41125 Modena MO, Italy II6MOON Giancarlo Marescia, Via Gioberti 24, 60128 Ancona AN, Italy IZ7FJJ Larry Taber, Via Delle Intappiate 23, 72100 Brindisi BR, Italy JG7PSJ Hiroyuki Kawanobe, 1-4-1 Mikamine, Taihaku-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi, 982-0826, Japan JI3CEY Shigeru Yokoi, 2-138-1-704 Hamaderasuwanomori-cho Nishi, Nishi-Ku, Sakai-shi, Osaka, 592-8347, Japan K1M David M. Arruzza, 32 Benz St, Ansonia CT 06401, USA K6IPM Alan B. Childs, 607 Parma Way, Los Altos CA 94024, USA K8LJG John Kroll, 3528 Craig Drive, Flint MI 48506, USA MI0M Simon Barnes, 191 Marlacoo Road, Portadown, Craigavon, BT62 3TD, United Kingdom N1A Milford Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 100, Milford OH 45150, USA N1LI Long Island DX Society, PO Box 301, Long Island ME 04050, USA OA1F Elena P. Moran, c/ Luis de Requesens 4/A 3 A, 15406 Ferrol (A Coruna), Spain OV1CDX Frank Fendahl, Svinoevej 2, 4750 Lundby, Denmark OY1CT Carsten Thomsen, Uppi i Troed 8 FO-340 Kvivik Faroe Islands OZ11A Leif Nielsen, Stenhoejvej 280, 9900 Frederikshavn, Denmark OZ30EU Svend Erik Kofod, Kanegaardsvej 4, 3700 Roenne, Denmark PT2GTI Roberto Franca Stuckert, SHIN QI 7 Conjunto 12 Casa 14, Brasilia – DF, 71515-120, Brazil PY0F Renner Pedroza, Rua Waldemar Nery Carneiro Monteiro 475 Apt 602, Boa Viagem, Recife – PE, 51030-140, Brazil PY2AE Marcelo Pera, Rua Vitoria Colombo Rossi 317, Valinhos – SP, 13270-260, Brazil R0MZ Yuri V. Kovalevskiy, Urozhajnaya 20/1, Krolevtsy, Artem, Primorskij kraj, 692778, Russia R63RRC Andrey N. Teterukov, P.O. Box 13, 212030 Mogilev-30, Belarus RW0IM Victor V. Yudin, ul. Shandora Shimicha 16B-10, 685000, Magadan, Russia S21SM Syed Khandker, Taitoniekantie 9 E 311, FI-40740, Jyvaskyla, Finland V51SCOUT Scouts of Namibia, PO Box 6436, Ausspannplatz, Windhoek, Namibia VK0HZ Ash Clark, P.O. Box 1053, Horsham VIC 3402, Australia W4A M.D. Smith, 307 Clinton Ave. W., Suite 100, Huntsville AL 35801, USA W6NV Oliver Sweningsen III, PO Box 90, Orinda CA, 94563, USA WA4DAN Murray Adams, PO Box 45, Farmville NC 27828-0045, USA YJ0CA Chris Ayres, 3/19-21 Eastern Rd, Turramurra, NSW 2074, Australia ZM2B Frank Hunt, 8 Manu Crescent, Upper Vogeltown, New Plymouth 4310, New Zealand ZW5ARCCO Caixa Postal 62, Conceicao do Coite – BA, 48730-970, Brazil ZY40ZT Carlos Moreira, Rua Pamela Loren 59, Mangabeira, Eusebio – CE, 61760-000, Brazil
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People vs Place
Im in the process of reading two books, almost simultaneously. The one counters the other you see and I would veer into one side of my personality too much if I didn’t balance the books out. Become too much about “people” or too much about the wilds, the “place”. The first book is Homo Deus by Yuval Harari, a book about human civilisation, about us as this collective machine churning forward under the bleating mantra of “progress”. It talks less about the great achievements we have made, and more about the path of destruction each civilisation has left in its wake, from the Sumerians, to the Mayans, and the Easter Island folk. Of course the Easter Island folk. He is gearing us up to ask where will be tomorrow, as a civilisation. What is our end game? We roll relentlessly ‘forward’, all the time watching the ball rather than the game. And could that ever have been more true than right now, with our civilisation on the brink of… something. It could be one of many things: civil war as politics polarises our every opinion; nuclear war as two fat man-children wave their warhead-willies at each other; or an almighty natural disaster, as floods and winds, seas and sun batter our wildly short-sighted urban habitats. I dunno, it just feels like something is going to happen. Safe to say, the book whilst a must read, is really fucking depressing. And the weight of it is bearing on me. I said to Kristian last night that I used to only read novels and books less about people but more about place, or at most books by people who just walked around places (see Fiona Campbell in Africa for another good read, she used to bonk Ray Mears and he appears in a bush in the book!). But now I read politics day and night. I no longer subscribe to BBC Wildlife or National Geographic, but to the Washington Post and The Economist. I no longer live on the edge of a forest or the sea or a moor, but in a city. Granted, I found a tiny oasis of park and lake and live on the edge of that instead. But on one side where I have ducks, grebes, herons, owls, foxes and every native deciduous tree that can grow here, on the other I have a busy road churning with city traffic, airplanes overhead, sirens in the distance, litter instead of leaves. My flat could not be more of a metaphor for my life if I had planned it! Torn between my ambitions that keep me in cities and my desire to roam and live a wilder life. To make the metaphor more reflective, the “city side” has a hospital - hidden by trees – that houses a mental ward. On nice days people come outside and in between the rush of cars you hear the screaming and manic shrieking of the unwell…
So the other book is probably the main reason I am so tetchy right now. Its hit a nerve that has made me realise all of the above. Its called the Outrun by Amy Liptrot, an Orcadian who like others, left the Islands and moved South to London of all places. In London she found she constantly searched for the horizon and never found it, looking for ‘the edge’ of things all the time. I get that – Its been a decade since I left Cornwall and I still find myself doing it. Whilst South she developed a problem with drink and after a years of abuse has returned to the Orkneys to get better. She has moved out to Papay where she is holed up in an RSPB property (she was a “corncrake wife”) called Rose Cottage, and is documenting her recovery and inner revelations whilst talking us through everything about the island life: The seals, the skies, the ‘merry dancers’. All the while she is tuning into the tide and moon cycles, the stars, the weather. And I realised how detached I am from them here. We don’t get much weather in Birmingham, which is weird for me. I grew up on the Cornish coast, I’ve never lived somewhere so stable. If civilisation pacifies you into insignificance through the weight of our population size and the rituals of consumerism, then cities are the final nail in the lid, pacifying you from your very nature. Detaching you from the cycles of the world. Infrastructure making tides and weather and seasons irrelevant. Kristian and I grow stuff, keeping a tenuous thread of attachment to the cycles going. I’m about to clear out the aphid infested purple sprouting broccoli and plant the Autumn stocks for next Spring: Garlic and some Spring onions I think. We’ve had our first crop of apples on the trees I bought Krisitan for his birthday last year, and we recently slept overnight in the forest at Cannock Chase so we could fill as many tubs as the daylight would allow with blackberries. Little threads.
I wonder if I am homesick, but I don’t really have a home so don’t really know if that is it. Cornwall is kind of home, but I cant really go back for any length whilst my dad still exists there. Scandinavia is a close second, but the language barrier jars on me. Makes the place too much about the people all over again. I think about Scotland as an in-between, but don’t know what I would do for work up there. I do like the choice of communities in Birmingham though. I like cycling through the park and seeing the Asian guy doing tai-chi every morning in the bandstand, the catholic nuns basking in the sun on the benches, the burka clad women running in circuits with their white Nikes flashing out from under their black skirts. The three Sikh guys that stroll out together in deep conversation, turbans bowed into one another as they walk. The military fitness club, the yummy-mummies, the hooded lads draped over bikes and benches as they huddle over a smart phone. And then I remember how pointless it all is. How we are just little specks in a machine of civilisation. I don’t know them, they don’t know me. And if one of us ‘went’ tomorrow, it wouldn’t really matter. Nothing would change. I don’t really believe that the “butterfly flaps its wings” metaphor is applicable to humans. We are too many.
And that’s kind of where I have got myself too. I wonder if that’s the reason most people feel the need to be away somewhere remote: so that you are surrounded by fewer people in order to be more significant. On Signy, in Antarctica, our footsteps in the moss would last years. Here, on the tarmac, I leave none.
I wonder where my place is. So yeah. That old chestnut!
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Their outfits really do contrast where they’re from, lmao.
I really wanted to go all out on Signy with the bear theme, so she has a bear skin mantle that still includes the paws and claws. The trimmings of her tunic under the steel chest armor is also made of bear fur, as are her leg wrappings. She has a traditional celtic/viking/norse belt that wraps around itself and I also included her weapon holster, although I don’t have an exact idea for what her axe will look like. The inner fur lining of her steel bracers, once again, is bear fur. The tunic is made from linen, and her pants are tempered leather. She has two steel shoulder guars that go over her bear skin mantle.
Can you tell I was looking at various pieces of Skyrim armor in order to get an idea for what I wanted her design to be like? ^^;;
Kikumi is so smol and elegant next to Signy, lol. She’s got a bear woman as a bodyguard, lmao.
#signy#war-bear#signy war-bear#kikumi#fujimori#kikumi fujimori#my art#my artwork#my oc#my character#lineart#character design#cerridwen#cerridwen elf#cerridwen race#cerridwen kikumi#the nemains#nemain#nemain race#nemain signy#nord#nord inspired#elf#elf inspired#viking#viking inspired#skyrim inspired#werebear#werewolf bear#werecreature
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Nemains: People of the Bear
The Nemains
The name originates from the Irish war goddess “Nemain” who represents the blood thirsty frenzy and chaos of war, whose battle cry alone had the power to kill.
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Racial Background:
Nemains are tribal race similar to that of Vikings or Nords with a civilization built around nature and it's elements. While they have a strong sense of family, Nemains see themselves as eternal outsiders and invaders. They are known for their tall and hardy frames, fair skin and hair, and almost unnatural strength. Nemains have a natural resistance to the cold, which was theorized to have been due to the climate of their region. Nemains are exceptionally skilled in the art of battle and warfare, and their culture centers on the quest for honor and glory, with emphasis on their family and community. Coming from a warlike culture, they believe that an honorable death in battle will grant them entrance into the afterlife.
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Environment & Culture:
They inhabit a colder, forested area that lies to the north-east of Salene. It’s often populated by harsh waterfalls and rocky cliffs, thick-barked redwood and beech trees, and snowy winters. Nemain warriors are said to value their fierce independence, are hardy in the thankless severity of their lands, and are comfortable with appalling violence as a daily occurrence. Their armor and weaponry reflects their boisterous fury, but may also be revered as part of a family's trappings. The typical Nemain holds his or her reputation in high regard and insulting one's strength, bravery, or honor in any way almost inevitably leads to violence as the offended party attempts to prove otherwise. Though they may seem rude, insults are not always meant to offend and can be used as terms of endearment.
A spiritual relationship exists between the Nemains and the Bear Goddess Artio. While being a hearty, battle-oriented culture, the Nemains also revere the idea of transformation and abundance. They believe that Atrio watches from the stars, acting as a “mother bear” to their people. While fierce and capable, Artio also represents the soft and understanding aspects hidden under the harsh exterior or the Nemains. It also is theorized that it’s this relationship that is behind what some consider to be their race’s biggest strength, or their unfortunate curse. The hidden trump card that the Nemains have under their belt is their ability to transform into that of a beast; the common folk would dub them as “werebears”. The Nemains can call upon the blood of the bear during the heat of battle if necessary, unleashing a feral force of claws and teeth upon their enemies.
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Appearance:
Each Nemain is their own, be it how they dress or their physical appearance. While they all have some sort of armor, be it light or heavy, they always add their own personal flare to it by means of adding furs or intricate carvings in the metal. Cool tones are usually their fabric choice, though at times you may see them wearing reds and oranges on occasion.
#signy#war-bear#signy war-bear#nemian#nemains#nemain race#viking#nord#nord inspired#viking inspired#this is the race for the old oc that will be making a return
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