The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Smells can trigger emotional memories, study finds..."Proustian phenomenon"...
05:09 Jul 31 2015
Times Read: 2,005




Smells can transport us back to powerful and emotional memories from the past more effectively than sounds, a study shows, supporting a theory by Marcel Proust.



Smells can trigger emotional memories, study finds

The theory is named after the French writer Marcel Proust, who in his novel describes a character vividly recalling long-forgotten memories from his childhood after smelling a tea-soaked madeleine biscuit

A well-known idea called the "Proustian phenomenon" proposes that distinctive smells have more power than any other sense to help us recall distant memories.

The theory is named after the French writer Marcel Proust, who in his novel À la recherche du temps perdu (In search of lost time) describes a character vividly recalling long-forgotten memories from his childhood after smelling a tea-soaked madeleine biscuit.

Experts have suggested the special impact of odour on our memory could be related to the proximity of the closeness of our olfactory bulb, which helps us process smells, and the amygdala and hippocampus brain regions which control emotion and memory.

But although the theory is well-known anecdotally, no studies have been able to firmly establish that the phenomenon even exists.

Now researchers could have gone a step closer to proving it after an experiment showed smells trigger more detailed, arousing and unpleasant memories of painful experiences than sounds.



Smells linked to memories 'because they are stored in same part of brain'

A team from Utrecht University in The Netherlands recruited 70 female students and played them video footage designed to provoke aversion, such as car accidents and reports on the Rwandan genocide.

While the film was played, the smell of cassis was pumped into the room, coloured lights were directed onto the back wall and neutral music was played in the background.

A week later, the participants were asked to recall their memories of the film while exposed to either the same smell, lights or sounds used in the initial screening.

Those who were given the cassis smell remembered more details about the film and found their memories more unpleasant and arousing than those who had the background music as a memory trigger, although the lights and the smell were equally effective.

Researchers said there was no difference between the triggers in two other categories measuring how evocative and vivid the memories were.

Re-testing participants after a longer period than one week could produce more distinctive results, they said.

The team wrote in the Cognition and Emotion journal that the findings "do not confirm the Proust phenomenon", but said the findings could prove useful for research into post-traumatic stress disorder, which causes patients to recall vivid and painful experiences.

They added: "Our findings do extend previous research by demonstrating that odour is a stronger trigger of detailed and arousing memories than music, which has often been held to provide equally powerful triggers as odours."

Vampirism... A New Addiction?
04:36 Jul 31 2015
Times Read: 2,007

Some literary critics, like Susan Zieger, have described vampirism as being analogous to addiction (see "Best of the Web" for a link to Zieger's book). After all, vampires could be said to be "addicted" to blood—they might not want to feed on human blood, but they're physically compelled to do so.



Addiction was a hot topic in late-19th-century Britain—it had only recently been defined as a physical condition. Before, doctors used to see symptoms of withdrawal from patients who had been taking laudanum (a mixture of opium and alcohol) for headaches and simply prescribed more laudanum. Considering Stoker's interest in keeping everything about Dracula very contemporary and up-to-date, reading it as an allegory about addiction seems pretty plausible.



Questions About Drugs and Alcohol

Why, exactly, does a vampire need to drink blood in the world of Dracula? Is it a physical dependence, or an emotional dependence?

There sure is a lot of opium in Dracula. Who uses it, and for what purposes?

Characters who take opiates as sleeping aids (this was totally legal in 1897, by the way) tend to be easy targets for Dracula. Why is this? Is it just because their physical defenses are lowered when they're asleep?

Can vampirism be seen as analogous to drug addiction? Why or why not?

If you interpret vampirism as analogous to drug addiction, does this change your sympathy for the vampires in the novel? Why or why not?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

Casual opium use for the treatment of nerves, insomnia, and headaches forms the backdrop of Dracula, suggesting that drug use and addiction is an appropriate lens through which we can understand vampirism.



In Dracula, Stoker registers a common British anxiety about the sources of drug addiction: As a foreign immigrant to Britain, Dracula brings with him a highly contagious addiction—vampirism—that threatens to sweep the nation.



In the world of Dracula, being passive can get you into a lot of trouble. If you think something is fishy, or you aren't feeling quite right, you'd better say something. Staying quiet, or assuming that everything is going to be fine, will only get you bitten by a vampire.



Take Jonathan Harker, for example, who ignores all the superstitious advice he's given on his way to Castle Dracula. He also ignores Dracula's advice to stay in his end of the castle, and falls asleep in a room where the Brides of Dracula could attack him. Mina is only attacked by Dracula because she agrees to stay home by herself instead of participating in the vampire hunt. If Mina hadn't been so passive and submissive to Harker, Van Helsing, and the other men, Dracula wouldn't have been able to get to her.



Questions About Passivity

Why does Jonathan Harker not stand up for himself or say anything when he realizes that Dracula is bad news?

Why is Jonathan present in the scene in which Dracula forces Mina to drink his blood (21.42)? Why does Stoker have Jonathan there, but in a helpless trance, instead of just having Mina on her own?

Why is Lucy Westenra such an easy target for Dracula? If passivity makes people easy targets, shouldn't her natural spirit and spunkiness be a solid defense against vampires?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

Mina only becomes an easy target for Dracula when she is overly passive: She stays home by herself at the request of the men, in spite of her own better judgment.



Jonathan Harker's passivity in Castle Dracula anticipates his later emasculation at the hands of the vampire, as Dracula victimizes Mina in their marriage bed.



There's a lot of talk in this novel about the ideal roles of men and women. Men are supposed to be strong, brave, and decisive, and women are supposed to be sweet, pure, and innocent. Of course, those roles get mixed up on occasion (as hard-and-fast gender roles tend to do). Sorting through what Dracula is really suggesting about ideals of masculinity and femininity is part of the fun of reading this novel.



Questions About Gender

The "New Woman" Mina refers to (8.1) is a common term for any progressive woman who was physically (and sexually) independent. Is Mina a new woman? Why or why not? What passages in the novel would you use as evidence for your answer?

Of all the men fighting Dracula, Jonathan Harker is the least stereotypically masculine, yet he's also the only married man. Why is this? What does this suggest about the role of marriage and gender dynamics?

Van Helsing's biggest compliment for Mina is that she has a "man's brain" (18.22). Knowing what we know about the men in Dracula, how is this true? In what ways is it untrue?

Although Mina is very maternal, Lucy is sexier. Which model of femininity is more valued by the men in Dracula? Which passages of the novel would you use to support your answer?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

Despite Mina's maternal femininity, her "man's brain" and Jonathan's passivity serve to balance the power dynamic between them.



Mina represents a late Victorian ideal of femininity: She is intelligent, capable, and willing to enter the workplace, but only as an assistant to her husband.



The vampire Dracula is pretty unambiguously evil. The members of the Crew of Light, the group dedicated to destroying Dracula, are unambiguously good. Sure, each of them makes mistakes—they're only human. But their intentions are always good. In short, Dracula is a classic story of good versus evil.



You know when you start reading the novel which side is going to win (the good guys!), but the question is how great the cost will be. How many of the good guys are going to have to sacrifice themselves in order to conquer the evil Dracula?



Questions About Good vs. Evil

Do we ever feel sympathy for Dracula? If so, where, and if not, why not?

Is there ever any doubt in the reader's mind that Dracula will be defeated?

Renfield is one of the most interesting characters in the novel because he doesn't fit neatly either with the "good guys" or with Dracula. How would you categorize him? Does he switch sides? When and why?

Why is Renfield in league with Dracula at the beginning?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

Because Dracula is clearly a traditional "good versus evil" narrative, readers realize from the beginning that Dracula will be defeated; the suspense is therefore not about whether good will prevail, but about how many will have to sacrifice themselves to bring about the final victory.



Renfield's ambiguous status in the novel helps to complicate what would otherwise be an overly simplistic division of characters into "good" and "evil."

The Opium Vampires Report Number: 322 Date: March, 1880 Location:San Francisco, California
04:31 Jul 31 2015
Times Read: 2,009

Famous Cases:

An early view of

San Francisco's Chinatown

Background: The California Gold Rush that kicked off in 1849 brought a flood of fortune seekers to the state, including many from faraway China. Lured by unscrupulous speculators, the Chinese made the long journey to California only to discover that the hills of gold they had been promised were tapped out. By 1876, over 100,000 Chinese had emigrated to the Golden State, with most settling in San Francisco. Absent any gold to hang their hopes on, the Chinese found work in the railroad and garment industries. Their resourcefulness made them the target of resentment from unemployed locals. Embattled, subject to unfair taxes and inequitable laws, the Chinese did what so many other immigrant groups had done before them: they turned inward. San Francisco's Chinatown became an insular community with its own language and customs and a deep suspicion of outsiders.

Incident: On December 15, 1879, a policeman happened upon a vampire feeding on a prostitute along San Francisco's waterfront. The cop chased the vampire off, but it was too late for the woman. Before expiring, she told the cop that her attacker was Chinese. In the next two months, attacks occurred in several neighborhoods bordering Chinatown, including Jackson Square, Fisherman's Wharf and Nob Hill. Each time, witnesses reported that the vampires appeared to be Chinese. Word of the attacks spread and fueled an already strong anti-Chinese sentiment in the city. Among the outrageous rumors circulating was a story that the Chinese were harboring vampires in Chinatown as part of a plot to destroy the white population. On February 20, an angry, torch-wielding mob marched on Chinatown. Only quick action by the San Francisco police prevented a catastrophe.





FVZA Agent

Jim Belmore

Investigation: The hysteria put tremendous pressure on Jim Belmore, head of the FVZA's San Francisco office. Belmore, a Civil War veteran, had moved west to open the San Francisco office only two years earlier, and now found himself caught in between an angry public and an impenetrable society. Belmore suspected that the origin of the plague rested somewhere in one of Chinatown's many opium dens. Opium dens were secret establishments where men would gather to smoke black opium paste and fall into a blissful stupor. Belmore's attempts to conduct sweeps and stakeouts of the dens were hampered by Chinese organized crime gangs known as Tongs. The Tongs operated the opium dens, along with brothels and gambling parlors, and they didn't want any law enforcement snooping around their domain. Belmore needed someone who could help him gain access to the Byzantine world of Chinatown. He needed someone on the inside.



Up to that point, San Francisco city leadership had been hesitant to hire Chinese for federal jobs. But when Belmore threatened to quit, the mayor allocated money for him to hire one new agent, and Jin Don Song became the first Asian-American member of the FVZA. Jin Don was an ambitious young man who had made Belmore's acquaintance while serving as a runner/errand boy at the FVZA office. He grew up in Chinatown and knew its geography and people. After an abbreviated training program, Jin Don was inducted into the agency, and he quickly was able to discern that the vampire plague was probably originating from the vast network of underground opium dens off of Stout's Alley near Washington Street.





A Chinese vampire prepares

to prey on two opium smokers

Several nights of stakeouts confirmed Jin Don's theory, and on the morning of March 16, an FVZA battalion headed by Belmore and Jin Don walked down a flight of stairs hidden behind a laundromat and entered the underground opium den complex. There, they found a baffling maze of dimly lit passageways and small rooms. In one of those rooms, the FVZA team came upon what appeared to be three opium addicts in a state of sedation. But when the team moved closer, the opium smokers began hissing and flashing their fangs. The team destroyed the vampires with surprising ease. And so it was, in room after room: drug-addled vampires serving as easy pickings for the FVZA team. But the clamor and noise gave the less narcotized vampires fair warning, and they were able to ambush the team inside one of the larger rooms. Jin Don Song was bitten but still managed to lead his comrades to one of the street exits. As there was not yet a vaccine, he had to be euthanized.



Although Agent Belmore was devastated by the loss of his friend, he didn't let his emotions cause him to make hasty decisions. Over the course of the afternoon, Belmore had the underground complex sealed off and the surrounding neighborhood evacuated. With the help of the fire and police departments, his team pumped smoke into the complex. Within minutes, scores of vampires staggered out into Stout's Alley and were destroyed. Once the smoke had cleared, Belmore led his team on another underground sweep. In all, almost 100 vampires were wiped out. The team stayed in the area for another week, during which they destroyed another 50 vampires. By the time they left, Chinatown was secure and the grateful residents presented Belmore with a valuable jade scepter.



Post Mortems: On April 3, 1880, Jin Don Song was given a burial with full military honors. Although discrimination and persecution against the Chinese continued in San Francisco, Jin Don Song's heroism went a long way to improving relations and making whites recognize the Chinese as part of the community. Jim Belmore went on to serve as San Francisco director until his retirement in 1900. By then, there were 25 Chinese-American agents in the San Francisco office.



Comments from Dr. Pecos: In the opium dens of Chinatown, vampires found an almost ideal situation. They were out of the sunlight, had a steady supply of fresh blood and plenty of places to hide. However, the opium-laced blood they were drinking caused them to become lethargic and dulled their sharp senses. Normal vampires would never allow agents to enter their lair with such ease.



This early case had a number of unusual aspects, not the least of which was the discovery that vampires, like humans, can develop a taste for drugs. Modern vampire hunters witnessed this phenomenon many times; urban vampires often displayed a preference for the blood of alcoholics or drug addicts. This case is also a good example of how the fight against vampirism often led to social reform. Here, the plague resulted in a crackdown on opium dens. Finally, the case of the opium vampires should be remembered for the courage of Jin Don Song and the principled stand taken by Jim Belmore.

Famous Cases: Vampires On Ice http://www.fvza.org/vonice.html
17:38 Jul 30 2015
Times Read: 2,015

Report Number: 4329

Date: June 16, 1942

Location: Caribou, Alaska





Caribou, Alaska, 1900

Background: Gold was discovered in Caribou, Alaska, in 1899 and, within two years, over 30,000 people had made the trip up the Yukon River to this small town to seek their fortune. But when the gold ran out in 1901, the fortune-seekers moved on, and Caribou became a ghost town.

Forty-one years later, an advance team of ten Army Engineers arrived in Caribou as part of one of the great road-building feats in history: the Alcan Highway, the passage that would finally connect Alaska with the lower 48 United States. The Army engineers were experts in demolition: they had come to Caribou to blast a passage through a mountain pass and clear the way for the road builders, who were to arrive a few days later. On June 11th, 1942, the team erected tents just outside of the ghost town and set to work with renewed vigor, as the highway project was in its final stages.



Incident: At 11:43 pm on the night of June 13th, 1942, Project Headquarters in Whitehorse, Canada, received an urgent radio message from the Caribou camp. In the brief message, a terrified-sounding man claimed that the camp was under siege from a pack of vampires. The message was cut short, and Headquarters was unable to raise the camp on the radio over the next twenty-four hours. The FVZA office in Seattle was notified.





Construction along the

Alcan Highway, 1942

Investigation: An FVZA assault team flew into Whitehorse on June 15, and immediately set out for Caribou in a convoy of trucks. They arrived at first light the following morning.



The assault team found the ten Army engineers sleeping in their tents; all had recently been transformed into vampires. After the engineers were trapped, examined and destroyed, the assault team's dogs picked up a scent and led the team to an abandoned mine near the camp. Five vampires were flushed from the mine, examined and destroyed.



An examination of the clothing and personal effects of the vampires found in the abandoned mine revealed that the five must have been infected and transformed during the Caribou Gold Rush of 1899-1901. Somehow, the vampires had come back to life after an unprecedented forty-year dormancy.



Post-Mortems: A check of past FVZA records failed to turn up any reported vampire encounters in Caribou. Further research led to a story in "Young Klondike," a popular magazine of the period. Each issue of "Young Klondike" was filled with often fanciful stories of the characters and events of the Alaska Gold Rush. The April, 1902, edition contained a story entitled, "My Encounter With Vampires," a first-person account by prospector Josiah Franklin concerning events that transpired in Caribou in the winter of 1901:



"People started going missing. Every morning, one, two folks was gone. At first we didn't think nothing of it, that's how things was in Caribou. People left. Then one night, Pete Dawson, the owner of the saloon, came running down the street hollering, waking everyone up. He said he'd been attacked by vampires, said he barely got away, and from the looks of him, with his clothes all torn up, he wasn't lying. So about twenty of us got together, waited till the sun came up, then we went looking for them. We checked all over, every building, every miner's camp. Found nothing.



Young Klondike

Magazine

That night, we drank us some coffee, hid in an alleyway and waited for them. Must have been after midnight when they came in. First there was this one man, a feller I recognized who had a claim out on Spring Creek. He came creeping through, like he was the scout or something. Then the rest of them came out of the shadows without even making a sound. There was five in all. We lit our torches and tried to surround them, but they turned tail and disappeared. Good thing we had dogs, because we would have never been able to catch up with them ourselves.



We found the dogs outside one of the abandoned mines and from the way they was barking we knew the vampires was in there. Problem was, none of us wanted to go in and finish the job. So we decided to blow up the entrance to the mine and trap them for good. We rigged up some dynamite and blew it up and a whole big bunch of rocks came crashing down around the entrance. I don't reckon a team of elephants could have cleared those rocks away. After that, we went back to the saloon and celebrated. And we never saw no vampires again."



If Mr. Franklin's account is true, then it might explain what happened to the Army engineers. Trapped in the chill depths of the mine on that night in 1901, the vampires likely were frozen solid. And they probably would have remained that way forever, had the Army engineers not arrived forty years later. In the course of blasting their way through the mountain pass, the engineers apparently opened up the entrance to the mine. As it was summer, the vampires must have been thawed out, after which they awoke, and eventually found their way to the camp.

Comments from Dr. Pecos: With their often remote locations and reputation for lawlessness, mining towns were notorious breeding grounds for vampires. Residents of these towns often had no choice but to take matters into their own hands, and this case was no different. The locals thought the problem was over when they sealed the vampires in the mine. Subsequent events proved how wrong they were.



This case underscores the importance of retrieving vampire bodies, no matter how unlikely their survival. History has proven that vampires can survive fires, shootings, explosions...and being frozen alive.

Famous Vampire Victims By Hugo Pecos & Robert Lomax...
17:34 Jul 30 2015
Times Read: 2,016




Vampires are indiscriminate hunters, and those facing them can expect no quarter, no matter their standing in life.





Giuliano de' Medici & Simonetta Vespucci

Florence's Noblest Couple

1453-1476



See Historical Tales: Guiliano & Simonetta





Lucrezia Borgia

Daughter of Pope Alexander VI

1480-1519



The femme fatale of the murderous, incestuous Borgia clan met her match when brother Cesare, recently transformed into a vampire, cornered her inside the Vatican.





Ivan the Terrible

Russian Tsar

1530-1584



After transformation, Ivan used his family as a personal smorgasbord, drinking the blood of his son and daughter-in-law before being slain by palace guards.





Percy Bysshe Shelley

English Romantic Poet

1792-1822



While vacationing in Italy with wife Mary and friend and fellow poet Lord Byron, Shelley decided to pay a call to the vampiric residents of a Lake Trasimeno castle. The hosts, unimpressed with his reputation, drank his blood and then threw his body over the castle ramparts into the lake. Shelley's drained and battered corpse eventually washed ashore and was later cremated on location.





Nat Turner

American Slave Revolt Leader

1800-1831



Turner turned his bloodlust into a full-scale insurrection by leading other transformed slaves on a hunting spree across the Virginia countryside. The vampiric rebels traveled from home to home, feeding on white residents while turning their slaves. All told, Turner's pack—which ultimately grew to over 70 slaves and free blacks—killed 65 men, women and children before a local militia put an end to them. Turner himself was captured two months later and subsequently stripped and hanged out in the sun before being flayed, disemboweled, beheaded and quartered. Tragically, up to 200 innocent blacks were murdered by militias and mobs in the frenzied aftermath, and civil rights for both slaves and free blacks were stripped by state legislatures.





Edgar Allan Poe

American Author & Poet

1809-1849



The Master of the Fictional Macabre met up with the real thing when he stumbled into a couple of vampires while on a bender along the Baltimore waterfront. Found drained and delirious, he was then taken to the Washington Medical College, where he slipped into a vampiric coma and soon died. Newspapers at the time reported Poe's death as "congestion of the brain" or "cerebral inflammation," so he most likely died as a result of the coma—although some conflicting reports state that he was euthanized to keep him from transforming.





Grigori Rasputin

Russian Mystic & Advisor to the Romanovs

1869-1916



Russian aristocrats, fearful of Rasputin's undue influence over the Tsar and his wife, lured him to a vampire hideout in Saint Petersburg. After transformation, the "Mad Monk" was shot several times (once in the forehead), bludgeoned with a dumbbell, tied up and then thrown into the icy Neva River. Amazingly, he still turned up at the palace the following night, whereupon he was beheaded by the Tsar's guards. Taking no chances, his body was then dismembered and burned.





Warren G. Harding

29th President of the United States

1865-1923



See Famous Cases: Who Killed Warren Harding?





Rudolph Valentino

Italian Movie Star

1895-1926



While in New York City to promote his new movie, the Italian sex symbol was lured into a speakeasy, then set upon by a hunting pack. Wounded but alive, he managed to get back to his hotel, where he fell into a vampiric coma and was eventually euthanized. Although the studio attempted to prevent panic by claiming his death was caused by a bleeding ulcer, the news of his untimely passing resulted in mass hysteria among his female fans, including suicides and a prolonged riot on the day of his funeral.

Where to find another insight of information of Vampires and Zombies...
17:30 Jul 30 2015
Times Read: 2,017

http://www.fvza.org/vampires.html

Top Five Most Likely Places to Find Vampires By Hugo Pecos
17:28 Jul 30 2015
Times Read: 2,019

In choosing their abodes, vampires prefer secure, secluded spots near large areas of human population. Here are five places in the United States where you very well might find vampires living today.

DISCLAIMER: This site is not responsible for anything that might happen if you visit these locations. If you must, do not travel unarmed and do not travel alone.





North Brother Island, New York City





Abandoned structure on North Brother Island

Located in the East River just off the southeast end of the Bronx, North Brother Island is thought to be home to one of New York City's last remaining vampire packs.

The island has housed various facilities over the years, including a hospital and a drug rehabilitation center. Typhoid Mary, a cook who spread typhoid fever to more than 50 people in New York City, was quarantined here from 1915 until her death in 1938. The island has been abandoned since the 1960s.



In 1974, the FVZA dispersed a pack of vampires that was using the city's subway tunnels to attack people. Three of the pack members commandeered a boat and escaped on the East River. The boat was discovered the next day floating near North Brother Island. There was speculation that the vamps had taken shelter on the island, but by then the FVZA was in its last days and no raid ever took place.



North Brother Island features a number of large, abandoned structures which make it a perfect spot for a vampire pack looking to lay low until conditions improve. And if those vampires should desire to start hunting again, the large populations of Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx are only a short boat ride away.



Urban explorers have reported seeing signs of habitation on the island. If the FVZA is ever reconstituted, this is one of the first places they should sweep.





Sunset Strip, Los Angeles





The Sunset Strip—the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood—wasn't always a hotbed for vampirism. At the start of the 20th century, the Strip was nothing more than a swath of avocado groves. But a combination of zoning laws and population growth made the Strip increasingly attractive to restaurateurs and nightclub operators. And where there is nightlife, there are vampires.

Vampires found lots to love about the Strip, especially after rock and roll venues like the Whiskey a Go-Go, the Rainbow Bar and Grill, and The Roxy arrived in the 1960s and 70s. There was a steady supply of fresh blood among the would-be musicians and groupies, many of whom were runaways from other parts of the country. The nocturnal life of rock and rollers was perfect for a vampire's schedule, and their gaunt physiques, pale skin and sunglasses fit right in with L.A.'s nightcrawlers. The story of Wanda Schiffler is but one prominent example of the convergence of rock and roll and vampirism along Sunset Boulevard.



Besides plenty of fresh blood, Hollywood supplied vampires with an assortment of moneyed individuals willing to provide them with shelter in return for a promise of immortality. Clever vampires wormed their way into the inner circles of potential "sponsors"—wealthy, aging individuals with mansions and hedonistic lifeforbiddens. European and Arab heirs and heiresses were a favorite target.



Even vampires who didn't find sponsors had plenty of places to hide in the Los Angeles basin. They squatted in unoccupied mansions, holed up in corners of vast warehouses, and even set up shop in tunnels left over by the Pacific Electric Railway.



Today's atmosphere of vampire glorification creates a fertile environment for a rebirth of the undead along Sunset Strip.





New Orleans Cemeteries





New Orleans' high water table made it an inhospitable climate for in-ground burials: graves would fill with water as they were being dug, and caskets buried in the ground frequently floated up and away during periods of heavy rain. To curb this problem, the city's leaders began requiring interments in above-ground crypts. Cemeteries like St. Louis #1 and #2 and St. Roch's became crowded with tombs resembling small homes and featuring intricate ironwork, crosses, urns and statuary.

It's not certain exactly when vampires began inhabiting New Orleans' cemeteries, but they definitely were a presence in the city proper from its earliest days. The FVZA office in New Orleans was always one of the busiest in the nation. In 1957, an FVZA surveillance team came upon a pack of vampires attacking a tourist in the city's popular French Quarter. Agents pursued the vampires into St. Louis Cemetery #1, but lost them among the crypts and narrow alleyways.



The next day, agents conducted a sweep of the cemetery and found the enterprising pack holed up in one of the larger crypts. The agents destroyed the pack, and then located and destroyed two other packs in the cemetery.



Unfortunately, the assault, which damaged several crypts and memorials, prompted an outcry from the public, and city leaders decided to enact an ordinance prohibiting the FVZA from conducting operations inside cemeteries.



It's quite possible—likely, even—that vampires have been using New Orleans' cemeteries as a base for nightly excursions to the French Quarter, where they are sure to find plenty of drunken tourists stumbling about. Consequently, New Orleans is unlikely to lose its reputation as the Vampire Capital of America anytime soon.





The Caves of St. Louis, Missouri





The ceiling of a vampire lair discovered

underneath the city of St. Louis

The limestone bedrock that supports the city of St. Louis is home to more than 125 caves, mostly in the area south of downtown. This cave network served a variety of functions through the city's life: in the days before the Civil War, the caves were an important stop for slaves on the Underground Railroad, and the city's brewers often used them to store beer.

The caves also had a darker role in St. Louis' history: as hiding places for vampires.



Vampires began using the caves in the 18th century during the early days of French settlement. Over time, the bloodsuckers created comfortable underground dwellings, with well-protected entrances and sentries to provide ample warning in case anyone approached. At night, they would leave the caves via hidden exits near the river and hunt for blood in busy areas of the city like Laclede's Landing and Lafayette Square.



The FVZA conducted missions into the caves throughout the 20th century. It was difficult, dangerous work, as the vampire packs often booby-trapped cave entrances. During one mission in 1956, four agents were killed when vampires triggered an explosion in a narrow passageway. In the aftermath of the disaster, the Agency decided to scale back operations inside the caves and instead focus on trying to restrict the movements of the vampires: engineers sealed off cave entrances, and FVZA shadows conducted nighttime undercover operations in popular vampire hunting areas.



Reports of vampire attacks in St. Louis dropped through the 1960s and 70s. However, it's probable that many vampires hiding out in the caves had entered a dormant phase during that time. Now, with no FVZA in the way, they're very likely to be on the verge of recommencing their activities.





Downtown Detroit





Brush Park, Detroit



Take a plethora of abandoned buildings, add a large homeless population, and—presto!—you have yourself the ideal setting for a vampirism outbreak.

Detroit's downtown area has long had its share of vampires, but the area really became active in the 1970s when the automotive industry fell into decline with the Arab oil embargo and the rise of the Japanese carmakers. Vampires were able to prey upon the homeless during the nighttime hours and then hide away during the day in one of the many abandoned homes in the city's once-grand Brush Park area. The feeding opportunities were so plentiful that some vampire packs became sloppy: in 1973, FVZA agents broke into the basement of a Brush Park home and encountered the hellish sight of dozens of drained and dismembered corpses heaped in the corner.



When the FVZA was disbanded in 1975, Detroit was at the top of the list for likely outbreak locations in the United States.



The economic situation in Detroit has deteriorated further in the ensuing decades, and economic hardships always raise the risk of a vampirism outbreak, since vampires can prey on the homeless for years without being noticed. In addition, Detroit's downtown area is home to a number of commercial buildings that are abandoned or rarely used and could serve as a base for vampiric operations.

Top 10 Real People Alleged to be Vampires BY MATTHEW ZARZECZNY ON AUGUST 18, 2013 Don't worry, I am not revealing anyone's actual identity...
17:25 Jul 30 2015
Times Read: 2,020




Along with werewolves and zombies, vampires are among the most popular mythological monsters sweeping mainstream popular culture. They appear in blockbuster film series and on various well-established television shows, in addition to video games and books that are too numerous to list. They are even the basis for a subculture sometimes linked to “goths” (not always to the goths’ delight as spoofed on South Park). Some of this almost obsession with vampires is fun and relatively harmless. On the other hand, it has also resulted in the depiction of historical figures in a less than historical manner and has encouraged mentally ill people to seriously believe they are either vampires or that they should at least act like them. As such, the vampire craze has had a negative side effect that blurs history and can even have fatal consequences. This list focuses on a mixture of historical people erroneously depicted as vampires and actual mortal serial killers who either believed themselves to be immortal members of the undead or who were exaggerated as such in tabloids. While some names on this list are obvious and must be included in any top ten list on historic vampires, others may be a bit more surprising. That worked out in such an unintended way that the first five entries are criminals whereas the next five are legendary people whose lives have been idealized and blurred over the years from whatever historical basis there once was concerning them.







10. Tracey Wigginton (born 1965)



Our first entry is a woman from Australia who was accused with three others in a murder of a man in 1989. Winnington, her then girlfriend Lisa Ptachinski, and two other women lured a 47-year old man to a park at night. Winnington proceeded to stab the man twenty-seven times. According to Ptachinski, they allegedly did the crime in order to drink his blood and as a result Wigginton has been dubbed “The Lesbian Vampire Killer”. Wiggington plead guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment. While in prison, she assaulted a fellow inmate and a prison guard. In 2012, Wiggington, now on crutches, was released from prison. Earlier, Ptaschinski was rumored to be released in 2008, but those rumors were later dismissed as false.



9. The Vampire Clan



The Vampire Clan consisted of teenagers who claimed to be vampires. The group included Howard Scott Anderson, Dana Cooper, Roderrick Justin Ferrell (born 28 March 1980), and Charity Keesee. The group were companions of a Heather Wendorf, whose parents the male teens had murdered. They also burned a V mark on Heather’s father’s body. Why? Well, Ferrell claimed he was actually a five-hundred-year-old vampire named Vesago. Ferrell, who was convicted of felony murder, burglary, and armed robbery, was sentenced to life without parole. Anderson received the same sentence. The girls received different sentences as they were apparently not at the house when Heather’s parents were murdered. Keesee was sentenced to ten and half years in prison for two counts of third degree murder, robbery with a gun or deadly weapon, and burglary armed with weapon or explosives. Cooper was convicted of the same charges as Keesee, but received a prison sentence of seventeen and a half years instead.



8. The Vampire Rapists



Nicknamed as The Vampire Rapist, Wayne Boden’s (c. 1948 – 27 March 2006) known victims include Shirley Audette, Marielle Archambault, Jean Way, and Elizabeth Anne Porteous. The four attacks occurred in Canada from 1969 to 1971. Boden was convicted and imprisoned from his crimes. In 1977, he briefly escaped from prison before being recaptured. He died in 2006 from skin cancer (not sure if it was because of sunlight…). Contemporaneous with Boden, albeit in the United States rather than Canada was another “vampire rapist.” John Brennan Crutchley (pictured, 1 October 1946 – 30 March 2002) has been nicknamed The Florida Vampire Rapist. He was convicted of kidnapping and sexual battery for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Crutchley is a known rapist, but also a suspected serial killer, who may have been involved in various disappearances, including the unsolved case concerning sisters Katherine Mary Lyon (aged 10), and Sheila Mary Lyon (aged 12).



7. Richard Chase (23 May 1950 – 26 December 1980)



Dubbed The Vampire of Sacramento for drinking his victims’ blood, Chase was a convicted murderer before he committed suicide by overdose of prison-doctor prescribed antidepressants. His first murder was most likely a drive-by shooting, but his later crimes included cannibalism. One of his victims was even three months pregnant at the time that he fatally shot her three times. Various television crime procedurals have had episodes based on his crimes. He was sentenced to die in the gas chamber, but managed to escape that fate.



6. The Vampires of Germany



For some bizarre reason, two separate individuals, contemporaneous with each other, both participated in vampire-like crimes in Germany in the 1920s. Known as The Vampire of Düsseldorf, Peter Kürten (26 May 1883 – 2 July 1931) killed from 9 to 60 people, attempted to murder 7 others, and sexually assaulted an unknown number of people. Possibly even worse was a man known as the Vampire of Hanover. This individual, Fritz Haarmann (pictured, 25 October 1879 – 15 April 1925), killed at least 24 to 27 people before he was executed by guillotine at age 45 in 1925. Of the vampire killers of the twentieth century, Haarmann has the most confirmed victims, which is why he ranks so highly on this list.



5. Nikola Tesla (10 July 1856 – 7 January 1943)



Tesla as well as the other top four names on this list are without a doubt more household names that the criminals listed above. As such, they appear higher in the rankings, although they are less likely to have been historic “vampires” in the sense of ever drinking anyone else’s blood. That reality has not stopped everyone from authors to filmmakers to portray them as vampires in well-known aspects of popular culture. So, just as surely as Abe Lincoln was probably not really hunting vampires for most of his life, nor were these individuals acting like vampires either. Regardless, in the Canadian television series Sanctuary (2007-2011), the famed Serbian-America scientist and inventor is a recurring character and a vampire. So, in addition to being depicted as a “mad scientist” in other forms of media, Tesla also gets to be seen as a vampire, too! Yay?



4. Billy the Kid (c. 23 November 1859 – c. 14 July 1881)



In real life, Billy was an infamous outlaw of the Wild West in American popular culture. Yet, in BloodRayne 2: Deliverance (2007), Billy is not only seen as gunslinger and the primary villain of the film, but yes he is also a vampire who must fight a half-human half-vampire named Rayne. Rayne triumphs and later goes onto to battle Nazis (because why not?) in BloodRayne: The Third Reich. Meanwhile, Billy has also appeared alongside Elizabeth Báthory and Vlad the Impaler in the McFarlane’s Monsters III: 6 Faces of Madness series of action figures released in 2004. Because Billy was more likely a criminal than Tesla and has accordingly been depicted as such much more regularly than Tesla, I have ranked him higher on this list.



3. Salome (c. AD 14 – between 62 and 71)



Salome is the oldest historical figure to appear on this list and thus ranks quite high. She is already a sort of villainous seductress in the Bible. Historically, she may have performed the Dance of the Seven Veils for King Herod Antipas, who had married her mother Herodias. Herodias was previously married to Herod II, the father of Salome and half-brother of Herod Antipas. According to Ancient sources, the dance was pleasing enough that the king offered his niece a choice of reward for her performance. Her mother then urged her daughter to ask for John the Baptist’s head on a platter as punishment for his criticism of Herod’s marriage with Herodias. The king agreed. She appears as a vampire first in the book Dead as a Doornail as the owner of a Casino called “Siete Velos” and the maker of a vampire called Mickey. In the HBO supernatural series True Blood, which is based on the aforementioned novel, Salome is depicted as one of the oldest and most powerful vampires. She holds a high position as a Chancellor of the Vampire Authority. She implies to fellow vampire Bill Compton as if the Biblical account of her involvement on John’s beheading is not reliable.



2. Elizabeth Báthory (7 August 1560 – 21 August 1614)



The so-called “Blood Countess” could be the worst female serial killer of all time, but that is if the legends about her are indeed true. She was alleged to have killed between 80 and 650 people. Her antagonists claim that she started after getting a servant’s blood on her and thinking it made her skin look younger. Then, she reportedly would shower or bathe in the blood of young peasant girls as some kind of perverse fountain of youth. But were all these rumors true? Some have actually suggested that she was framed (we can probably safely agree she really was not a vampire, at least!). She was a powerful woman in a misogynistic time. She was also a Protestant whose primary political opponents were Catholics. Moreover, a supposed diary of hers has yet to be examined by historians. As such, the truth behind her legend is still not entirely clear. Yet, she continues to be depicted as a vampire killer in popular culture. Really, after number one on this list, no one else has been so thoroughly engrained in popular culture as a vampire than the Blood Countess. She has appeared as the subject of over two dozen films, several plays, a number of video games, an action figure and a doll, and of course many appearances in works of literature.



1. Vlad the Impaler (1431 – 1476)



As with the Blood Countess, many of the more lurid allegations against Vlad come from a bit later than his lifetime or from potentially biased sources. For example, the oft reproduced woodcut (that has even appeared on T-shirts!) showing Vlad dining amongst a veritable forest of impaled victims dates from 1499, more than twenty years after Vlad’s death. Later, in the 1800s, author Bram Stoker fully transformed Vlad into the vampire known as Dracula in the book of the same name. This book has been adapted into dozens of films and comic books. Dracula has to be among the two or so villains to appear the most times in films, comics, and video games. Heavy metal band Gwar even wrote a song about him, which can be heard at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGyu85OUKew for your amusement. The historic Dracula (the name means “son of the dragon”) was certainly involved in military campaigns, but whether he was as bad of a guy as he has been made out in popular culture is debatable to say the least. Yet, he is believed responsible for 40,000 to 100,000 deaths, numbers that far surpass anyone else mentioned on this list, even combined. Vampires have remained a major aspect of Romanian culture and more recently communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu (26 January 1918 – 25 December 1989) was nicknamed “Vampirescu” by Romanians for economic policies that sucked the country dry during 25 years of rule.

10 Creepy Historical Vampires You’ve Never Heard Of AARON SHORT AUGUST 11, 2013...
17:17 Jul 30 2015
Times Read: 2,021




When people think of vampires, they usually think of famous fictional bloodsuckers like Dracula or his historical counterpart, Vlad the Impaler. Perhaps younger people will think of True Blood, The Lost Boys or the sparkly vampires of Twilight. But there have been plenty of vampire tales that stemmed from real events or people, like . . .



10 Peter Plogojowitzdaybreakers-vampirePeter Plogojowitz was a man from 1700s Serbia who died (don’t we all?). Except—according to some—he didn’t really stay dead. Within 10 weeks of his death, nine people died suddenly from a mystery illness, and prior to their deaths they all accused Peter Plogojowitz of throttling them in their dreams. Peter’s own son reported seeing him in the kitchen three days after his death, demanding food—before he also died mysteriously. Peter’s wife fled town after she alleged he’d shown up late one night to demand a pair of shoes.The army was called in, and Peter’s body was exhumed. It was reported that he was breathing and that his open eyes were moving. A stake was put through his heart, resulting in a Tarantino-esque gushing of blood, and his body burned. The deaths and dreams all ended abruptly.



9 The Alnwick Castle Vampire vampire actually predates the term “vampire.” The events were recorded by an English chronicler named William of Newburgh. He reported the story of a man who returned from the dead after he died while spying on his cheating wife—he was crouched on the roof and fell. He then returned as a revenant—a walking, rotting corpse—spreading plague in his wake. Eventually, a priest gathered some of his parishioners and found the vampire’s grave. They opened it and stabbed the corpse with a shovel. Warm blood ran from the body and confirmed their suspicions that it had been drinking the blood of the living (remember this was almost 800 years before Bram Stoker’s Dracula). They burned the body, and the attacks ceased.



8. Highgate VampirehighgateIn 1969, dead animals—completely drained of blood and sporting neck wounds—began to appear in Highgate Cemetery in London. Then witnesses reported a tall, dark figure that emitted an evil aura and had a hypnotic stare. One man reported that he became confused and totally lost when trying to leave the cemetery. Suddenly, he found himself facing the Highgate Vampire—which transfixed him, gluing him to the spot. After a while, it disappeared.Reports in the press led to the graveyard being trampled by an army of self-proclaimed vampire hunters. They dug up several graves, leading conservationists to lobby for the graveyard to be closed nights. Eventually, sightings and reports of the vampire decreased.



7 Sava SavanovicsavaThe only thing scarier than vampires is ghosts. But imagine something scarier still: a ghost vampire. Say hello to Sava Savanovic. Sava was a Serbian vampire who lived in an old mill and fed on unwary travelers and millers who approached the mill after dark. Savanovic wasn’t killed or driven off like most of the other bloodsuckers on this list. According to locals, he simply stopped attacking villagers. Meanwhile, the mill where he lived was passed down generation after generation, each new owner too scared to repair the building until it eventually collapsed. Now locals report that he’s awoken from his long slumber and roams the Serbian countryside—looking for a new home. And it’s not just superstitious locals making these claims. The actual council themselves are the ones who put out the warning. Of course it’s probably a publicity stunt by the area’s tourist board—we hope.



6 The Vampire Of Croglin Grangevamp

This event began in the 1800s when the Cranwell Family took up residence in Groglin Range in Cumbria. Lady Cranwell noticed strange lights in the garden below, but thought nothing of it until she woke to find the lights at her window—but they weren’t lights. They were eyes. Lady Cranwell was frozen in terror as she saw the thing outside her window remove the panes one by one before reaching a rotten hand through and opening the latch. Her brothers heard her screaming and ran in to help her, arriving just in time to see her bleeding profusely from the neck as a catlike figure darted out into the darkness.The brothers decided to slay the vampire. Some time later, they returned to the estate and set a trap. Lady Cranwell pretended to sleep in the same room the original attack happened in. When the vampire tried to come through the window again, the brothers jumped out with pistols and shot at it. It screamed and ran off into the night. The next day, the brothers gathered an angry mob and searched the graveyard until they found an open crypt. Inside were gnawed bones and an open coffin containing a rotten corpse with a recent bullet wound. Needless to say, they burned it.



5 Jure Grando was a peasant from Istria, Croatia who died in 1656. He allegedly terrorized villagers in the area for 16 years after his death. Official documents from that time name him a “strigon,” the local name for “vampire.”Jure Grando’s case is important in vampire folklore as it was the first time in history that the word “vampire” was officially applied to a person. According to locals, he would wander the village by night and knock people’s doors. Whoever’s door he knocked would die. When he wasn’t doing that, he was bothering his widow for sex. Eventually, people got tired of being terrorized by an undead monster, so a local priest took a stand and went out to face him. Grando was no match for the priest, who warded him off with a cross. The priest and some of the villagers chased him back to his grave, dug him up, and decapitated his corpse.



4 The Hunderprest Of Melrose

The “Hunderprest” was a nickname given to an 11th-century priest of Melrose Abbey in the Scottish Borders. He was given the nickname because of his favorite pastime: hunting on horseback with a pack of hunting dogs. (“Hunderprest” means “dog priest.”)The story of the vampire of Melrose Abbey is based sometime around the year 1138. In life, the Hunderprest was a bit of a bad man, so when he died, he returned as a revenant. He was forced to drink the blood of innocents and change into a bat. It’s said that the monks of the abbey, displaying some impressive turn-the-other-cheekery, were content to let him run around being all undead and stuff—until he began to bother his mistress for sex. Eventually, the frightened monks and priests banded together in order to bring him down. They laid out a watch at the Hunderprest’s grave where he rose at nightfall. The monks, showing a rather un-monkish capacity for kicking butt, took him down with a well-timed blow to the head from an axe. They cremated the vampire’s body and spread his ashes, ending his reign of terror. But some legends say that he still haunts the area.



3 The Vampires Of New England

here weren’t many tales of vampires in America—until the dark discovery of a grave in Griswold, Connecticut in 1990. The grave contained the bodies of farmers from the 1700s. All were normal except for one. One body had been beheaded, and its skeleton was rearranged into the shape of a jolly roger. It was decided that this wasn’t just a simple grave robbery, as it had been done 10 years after death no valuables were removed. It mirrored a case in neighboring Jewett City where, around the same time, 29 bodies were exhumed postmortem and burned. This was something of a vampire epidemic. The most famous case from this time is that of Mercy Brown, a girl who died from tuberculosis. Some time later, the rest of her family started to fall ill and die one by one until Mercy’s body was dug up, found to be remarkably un-corpsefied, and burned.



2 The Gorbals Vampire

This tale started with the rumor that a vampire with iron teeth was at Gorbals graveyard in Glasgow, Scotland. The vampire had apparently taken two children. Within a few hours, the graveyard was full of children with makeshift weapons like sticks and knives, hunting for the vampire. Authorities blamed the occurrence on hysteria and the influence of American comics like Tales From The Crypt. But it’s since been pointed out that there were no comics from this period featuring vampires with iron teeth. Was there some truth to the iron-toothed vampire prowling the graveyard at night and feeding on children? Was the vampire imaginary? Or had it just been scared off by the sight of dozens of armed Glaswegians excited by the prospect of beating and stabbing it back to hell?



1 Elizabeth Bathory:

The Blood Countess Bathory is perhaps the most famous vampire in history after Vlad the Impaler. But while Vlad wasn’t really a blood-sucking vampire—merely the inspiration for one—Elizabeth Bathory may have actually fed on and bathed in blood. She was a Romanian Countess in the 16th century who found joy in torturing peasants. The torture ranged from simple beatings and stabbings to piercing fingers and lips with iron nails or dousing them in freezing cold water and letting them die in the snow. Rumors that Elizabeth was a vampire began when it was alleged that she bathed in the blood of young maidens. It’s reported that she began this to reduce the effects of aging, though some historians refute this claim as being added to the story after the fact. Eventually Bathory was walled inside her castle alive, with only enough space for her to receive air and food until she died years later.

Cool and Weird facts about our everyday lives that everyone should know...
17:06 Jul 30 2015
Times Read: 2,022






You breathe on average about 5 million times a year.

Months that begin on a Sunday always have a Friday the 13th in them.

You are born with 300 bones, by the time you are an adult you will have 206.

The average lead pencil will write a line about 35 miles long or write approximately 50,000 English words.

One fourth of the bones in your body are in your feet.

The average person spends 2 weeks of their lifetime waiting for the light to change from red to green.

It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it.

The present population is expected to rise to 15 Billion by the year 2080.

The largest recorded snowflake was 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick.

The tip of a bullwhip moves so fast that the sound it makes is actually a tiny sonic boom.

Native Americans used to name their children after the first thing they saw as they left their tepees after their children were born, hence the names Sitting Bull and Running Water.

The Matami Tribe of West Africa play their own version of football, instead of a normal football they use a human skull.

Coca-Cola would be green if the food colorant wasn't added.

During the 17th Century, the Sultan of Turkey ordered his hole harem of women to be drowned and replaced with a new one.

Coffins used for cremation are usually made with plastic handles.

"Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.

Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.

Cockroaches can live several weeks with their heads cut off.

It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. We dare you, give it a try!

A Ten Gallon Hat will only hold 3/4 of a Gallon.

Of all the words in the English language, the word "SET" has the most definitions.

It is against the law to burp, or sneeze inside a church in Nebraska.

In 1386 a pig in France was executed by public hanging for the murder of a child.

Earth is the only planet not named after a god.

The world's oldest piece of chewing gum is over 9,000 years old!

Scientists have tracked butterflies travelling over 3,000 miles.

The silkworm consumes 86,000 times its own weight in 56 days.

If removed from the stress of the modern world, the average human would sleep about 10 hours a day.

To produce a single pound of honey, a single bee would have to visit 2 million flowers.

A colony of 500 bats can eat approximately 250,000 insects in an hour.

One in Five adults believe that aliens are hiding in our planet disguised as humans.

Travelling masseuses in ancient Japan were required by law to be blind.

The bloodhound is the only animal whose evidence is admissible in court.

James Fixx, the man who popularized jogging in America died of a heart attack while running.

The average American spends about a year and a half of his or her life watching commercials on television. What are you doing?! Get out and spend that year and a half doing something productive!

Ancient Greeks practiced a form (ineffective) of birth control that consisted of having a woman hold her breath, making her squat, and sneezing.

The FDA permits up to 5 whole insects per 100 grams of apple butter.

There are no naturally occurring blue foods, even blueberries are purple!

The skeleton of Jeremy Bentham is present in all the important meetings of the University of London.

The elephant is the only mammal that can't jump!

Just like fingerprints, everyone's tongue is different.

The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds.

400 Quarter Pounders can be made from a single cow.

Only 38% of Americans eat breakfast every day.

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

11% of the World is left handed.

A "Jiffy" is the scientific name for 1/100th of a second.

A Boeing 747's wingspan is longer than the Wright brothers' first flight.

A broken clock is right two times a day.

A duck's quack doesn't echo anywhere, no one knows why.

42 Incredibly Weird Facts you'll want to share with your friends at the Pub...
17:03 Jul 30 2015
Times Read: 2,023

1. The longest time between two twins being born is 87 days.

2. The world’s deepest postbox is in Susami Bay in Japan. It’s 10 metres underwater.

3. In 2007, an American man named Corey Taylor tried to fake his own death in order to get out of his cell phone contract without paying a fee. It didn’t work.

4. The oldest condoms ever found date back to the 1640s (they were found in a cesspit at Dudley Castle), and were made from animal and fish intestines.

5. In 1923, jockey Frank Hayes won a race at Belmont Park in New York despite being dead — he suffered a heart attack mid-race, but his body stayed in the saddle until his horse crossed the line for a 20–1 outsider victory.

6. Everyone has a unique tongue print, just like fingerprints.

7. Most Muppets are left-handed. (Because most Muppeteers are right-handed, so they operate the head with their favoured hand.)

8. Female kangaroos have three vaginas.



Ian Walton / Getty Images

9. It costs the U.S. Mint almost twice as much to mint each penny and nickel as the coins are actually worth. Taxpayers lost over $100 million in 2013 just through the coins being made.

10. Light doesn’t necessarily travel at the speed of light. The slowest we’ve ever recorded light moving at is 38 mph.

11. Casu marzu is a Sardinian cheese that contains live maggots. The maggots can jump up to five inches out of cheese while you’re eating it, so it’s a good idea to shield it with your hand to stop them jumping into your eyes.

12. The loneliest creature on Earth is a whale who has been calling out for a mate for over two decades — but whose high-pitched voice is so different to other whales that they never respond.

13. The spikes on the end of a stegosaurus’ tail are known among paleontologists as the “thagomizer” — a term coined by cartoonist Gary Larson in a 1982 Far Side drawing.

14. During World War II, the crew of the British submarine HMS Trident kept a fully grown reindeer called Pollyanna aboard their vessel for six weeks (it was a gift from the Russians).

15. The northern leopard frog swallows its prey using its eyes — it uses them to help push food down its throat by retracting them into its head.

16. The first man to urinate on the moon was Buzz Aldrin, shortly after stepping onto the lunar surface.



NASA/Newsmakers

17. Some fruit flies are genetically resistant to getting drunk — but only if they have an inactive version of a gene scientists have named “happyhour”.

18. Experiments show that male rhesus macaque monkeys will pay to look at pictures of female rhesus macaques’ bottoms.

19. In 1567, the man said to have the longest beard in the world died after he tripped over his beard running away from a fire.

20. The Dance Fever of 1518 was a month-long plague of inexplicable dancing in Strasbourg, in which hundreds of people danced for about a month for no apparent reason. Several of them danced themselves to death.

21. Vladimir Nabokov nearly invented the smiley.

22. In 1993, San Francisco held a referendum over whether a police officer called Bob Geary was allowed to patrol while carrying a ventriloquist’s dummy called Brendan O’Smarty. He was.

23. Sigurd the Mighty, a ninth-century Norse earl of Orkney, was killed by an enemy he had beheaded several hours earlier. He’d tied the man’s head to his horse’s saddle, but while riding home one of its protruding teeth grazed his leg. He died from the infection.

24. The Dutch village of Giethoorn has no roads; its buildings are connected entirely by canals and footbridges.



25. A family of people with blue skin lived in Kentucky for many generations. The Fulgates of Troublesome Creek are thought to have gained their blue skin through combination of inbreeding and a rare genetic condition known as methemoglobinemia.

26. Powerful earthquakes can permanently shorten the length of Earth’s day, by moving the spin of the Earth’s axis. The 2011 Japan earthquake knocked 1.8 microseconds off our days. The 2004 Sumatra quake cost us around 6.8 microseconds.

27. The first American film to show a toilet being flushed on screen was Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

28. Melting glaciers and icebergs make a distinctive fizzing noise known as “bergy seltzer”.

29. There is a glacier called “Blood Falls” in Antarctica that regularly pours out red liquid, making it look like the ice is bleeding. (It’s actually oxidised salty water.)

30. In 2008 scientists discovered a new species of bacteria that lives in hairspray.

31. The top of the Eiffel Tower leans away from the sun, as the metal facing the sun heats up and expands. It can move as much as 7 inches.



32. Lt. Col. “Mad” Jack Churchill was only British soldier in WWII known to have killed an enemy soldier with a longbow. “Mad Jack” insisted on going into battle armed with both a medieval bow and a claymore sword.

33. A U.S. park ranger named Roy C. Sullivan held the record for being struck by lightning the most times, having been struck — and surviving — seven times between 1942 and 1977. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot in 1983.

34. The longest musical performance in history is currently taking place in the church of St. Burchardi in Halberstadt, Germany. The performance of John Cage’s “Organ²/ASLSP (As Slow As Possible)” started on Sept. 5, 2001, and is set to finish in 2640. The last time the note changed was October 2013; the next change isn’t due until 2020.

35. There’s an opera house on the U.S.–Canada border where the stage is in one country and half the audience is in another.

36. The tiny parasite Toxoplasma gondii can only breed sexually when in the guts of a cat. To this end, when it infects rats, it changes their behaviour to make them less scared of cats.



37. The katzenklavier (“cat piano”) was a musical instrument made out of cats. Designed by 17th-century German scholar Athanasius Kircher, it consisted of a row of caged cats with different voice pitches, who could be “played” by a keyboardist driving nails into their tails.

38. There is a single mega-colony of ants that spans three continents, covering much of Europe, the west coast of the U.S., and the west coast of Japan.

39. The largest snowflake ever recorded reportedly measured 15 inches across.

40. An epidemic of laughing that lasted almost a year broke out in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) in 1962. Several thousand people were affected, across several villages. It forced a school to close. It wasn’t fun, though — other symptoms included crying, fainting, rashes, and pain.

41. The Romans used to clean and whiten their teeth with urine. Apparently it works. Please don’t do it, though.

42. There are around 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body. If you took them all out and laid them end to end, they’d stretch around the world more than twice. But, seriously, don’t do that either.

30 Weird Facts Most People Don’t Know by Bobby Viner...
17:00 Jul 30 2015
Times Read: 2,027

If you’re like me, you like to know things like the number of assholes an abalone snail has (read on!). I went over to r/AskReddit to find more interesting facts, many of which involve the genitals of animals and some of which involve things like the empty space in atoms and Mozart.



1. TwirledOriole



If you eat a polar bear liver, you will die. Humans can’t handle that much vitamin A.

2. trevormatic



The critically endangered Kakapo bird has a strong, pleasant, musty odour which allows predators to easily locate it. Hence, it is critically endangered. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakapo

3. Sir_Ostrich



One I learned on here. The male giraffe will continuously headbutt the female in the bladder until she urinates. The male then tastes the pee and that helps it determine whether the female is ovulating. If she is, it’s business time.

4. Stoms2



Abalones (a snail) have 5 assholes.

5. shakypiss



Banana Slug penises. First off, a banana slug can be 6-8 inches. The slug’s erect penis be just as long. Also, their penises emerge from their heads. After sex, banana slugs eat each other’s penises. They’re also the mascot of UC Santa Cruz.



6. ObturateYourForamen

Dead people can get goosebumps.

7. HeyMyNamesMatt



A full head of human hair is strong enough to support 12 tons.

8. 20PoundPenis



The blood from a human erection has enough blood to keep 3 gerbals alive.

9. way_fairer



The word “facetiously” contains all 5 vowels and “y” in alphabetical order.

10. suckit2me



The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses…

11. bearsarefatcunts



Dragonflies have shovel shaped penises so they can scoop out their rival’s sperm.

12. Bluecheezeplatter



Honey does not spoil. You could feasibly eat 3000 year old honey.

13. jiggahuh



There was a ten foot tall ape called Gigantopithecus that is now thought to be extinct. The fossil record also indicates that they most likely buried their dead, which indicates a cognitive level that only one other ape possesses.

14. abbazabbbbbbba



There are more possible iterations of a game of chess than there are atoms in the known universe. It’s called The Shannon Number, here’s a wikipedia article about it

15. TheSicilianDude



If you were to remove all of the empty space from the atoms that make up every human on earth, the entire world population could fit into an apple

16. stengebt



Duck vaginas have developed “dead ends” over time to protect them from being raped by other ducks.

17. GoGoGadgetReddit



The song Coconut (“She put the lime in the coconut, she drank ’em both up…”) has only one chord in the entire song. It is the only song without any chord changes to reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It reached #8 in 1972.

18. biohazard13



The average blue whale produces over 400 gallons of sperm when it ejaculates, but only 10% of that actually makes it into his mate. Happy Swimming!!! :-)

19. jicty



A mantis shrimp can swing its claw so fast it boils the water around it and creates a flash of light.

20. Forkgoesontheleft



That completely blind people don’t see blackness, they see nothing.

21. DeanMarais



Llamas are born with an extra pair of fighting teeth that they use to bite off other llamas’ testicles making them the only fertile male in the group.

22. MegaMaverick



Only Asian people have black hair. Every other supposedly ‘black’ hair colour is actually really dark brown.

23. whalemango



The Indonesian Mimic Octopus can not only change colours, but will mimic the shapes of other animals, like the flounder, poisonous lion fish, and sea snakes.

[LINK]

24. Naaahhh



One species of jellyfish, Turritopsis nutricula, are immortal.

25. BruceBrewsky



A blue whale’s penis is 11 feet long.

26. Jojoseb



Cats sleep for 70% of their lives.

27. Maggieforpresident



A pig’s orgasm lasts 30 minutes and a male lion mates up to 50 times a day.

28. jackielynne94



male elephants sometimes use their penis as a 5th limb.

29. elchip



The brain named itself.

30. Me, Bobby Viner, as adapted for accuracy from ShanghaiBebop



Mozart wrote a canon entitled “Leck mich im Arsch,” which translates as “Lick me in the arse.”

Strange Laws... Still on the books and rarely enforced...
16:55 Jul 30 2015
Times Read: 2,028

Here's our fabulous collection of Strange Laws that can

date back very far. Most of these laws remain in the books today, even if rarely enforced.



*Laws shown here have been collected from sources believed to be

reliable, however, there are no guarantees. We recommend that

you conduct further research if you plan on using any of these in a publication!



In Texas, it's against the law for anyone to have a pair of pliers in his or her possession.



In Philadelphia, you can't put pretzels in bags based on an Act of 1760.



Alaska law says that you can't look at a moose from an airplane.



In Corpus Christie, Texas, it is illegal to raise alligators in your home.



In Miami, it is forbidden to imitate an animal.



It is against the law to mispronounce the name of the State of Arkansas in that State.







In Illinois, the law is that a car must be driven with the steering wheel.



California law prohibits a woman from driving a car while dressed in a housecoat.



In Memphis, Tennessee, a woman is not to drive a car unless a man warns approaching motorists or pedestrians by walking in front of the car that is being driven.



In Tennessee, it is against the law to drive a car while sleeping.



In New York, it is against the law for a blind person to drive an automobile.



In West Virginia, only babies can ride in a baby carriage.



In Georgia, it is against the law to slap a man on the back or front.



A barber is not to advertise prices in the State of Georgia.



In Louisiana, a bill was introduced years ago in the State House of Representatives that fixed a ceiling on haircuts for bald men of 25 cents.



In Oklahoma, no baseball team can hit the ball over the fence or out of a ballpark.







In Rochester, Michigan, the law is that anyone bathing in public must have the bathing suit inspected by a police officer !





In Kentucky, it's the law that a person must take a bath once a year.



In Utah, birds have the right of way on any public highway.



In Ohio, one must have a license to keep a bear.











In Tennessee, a law exists which prohibits the sale of bologna (sandwich meat) on Sunday.



In Virginia, the Code of 1930 has a statute which prohibits corrupt practices or bribery by any person other than political candidates.



In Providence, Rhode Island, it is against the law to jump off a bridge.



In the State of Kansas, you're not allowed to drive a buffalo through a street.



In Florida, it is against the law to put livestock on a school bus.



In New Jersey, cabbage can't be sold on Sunday.



In Galveston, Texas, it is illegal to have a camel run loose in the street!





In North Carolina, it is against the law for dogs and cats to fight.



In Singapore, it is illegal to chew gum.



In Cleveland, Ohio, it is unlawful to leave chewing gum in public places.



In Virginia, chickens cannot lay eggs before 8:00 a.m., and must be done before 4:00 p.m.



In New York, it is against the law for children to pick up or collect cigarette and cigar butts.



In Massachusetts, it is against the law to put tomatos in clam chowder.





If you have considered entering the legal profession, consider earning your online law degree. Choose from a wide range of programs, including online paralegal degrees, and many more. Online Degrees





In Washington State, you can't carry a concealed weapon that is over 6 feet in length.



In San Francisco, there is an ordinance, which bans the picking up and throwing of used confetti.



In Kentucky, it is illegal for a merchant to force a person into his place of business for the purpose of making a sale.



It is against the law in Connecticut for a man to write love letters to a girl whose mother or father has forbidden the relationship.



In Michigan, married couples must live together or be imprisoned.



In the state of Colorado, a pet cat, if loose, must have a tail-light !





In Phoenix, Arizona, you can't walk through a hotel lobby with spurs on.



In California, a law created in 1925 makes it illegal to wiggle while dancing.



In Utah, daylight must be visible between dancing couples.



In Michigan, it is against the law for a lady to lift her skirt more than 6 inches while walking through a mud puddle.



In North Carolina, it is against the law for a rabbit to race down the street.



In Georgia, it's against the law to spread a false rumor.



In West Virginia, one can't cook sauerkraut or cabbage due to the odors and the offence is subject to imprisonment.



In Missouri, a man must have a permit to shave.



The law states that more than 3000 sheep cannot be herded down Hollywood Blvd. at any one time.



In Texas, it is still a "hanging offense" to steal cattle.

Strange Facts... and They are all true....
16:53 Jul 30 2015
Times Read: 2,029

Saturday mail delivery in Canada was eliminated by Canada Post on February 1, 1969!



In Tokyo, a bicycle is faster than a car for most trips of less than 50 minutes!



There are 18 different animal shapes in the Animal Crackers cookie zoo!



Should there be a crash, Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same airplane as a precaution!



Your body is creating and killing 15 million red blood cells per second!



The king of hearts is the only king without a moustache on a standard playing card!



There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos!



There is one slot machine in Las Vegas for every eight inhabitants!



The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. It was the fashion in Renaissance Florence to shave them off!





Every day 20 banks are robbed. The average take is $2,500!



The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad!



Tablecloths were originally meant to be served as towels with which dinner guests could wipe their hands and faces after eating!



Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult!



One car out of every 230 made was stolen last year!



The names of Popeye's four nephews are Pipeye, Peepeye, Pupeye, and Poopeye!











Until the nineteenth century, solid blocks of tea were used as money in Siberia!



The Nobel Peace Prize medal depicts three naked men with their hands on each other's shoulders!



When glass breaks, the cracks move faster than 3,000 miles per hour. To photograph the event, a camera must shoot at a millionth of a second!



A Boeing 747 airliner holds 57,285 gallons of fuel!



A car uses 1.6 ounces of gas idling for one minute. Half an ounce is used to start the average automobile!



The Philadelphia mint produces 26 million pennies per day!





A lightning bolt generates temperatures five times hotter than those found at the sun's surface!



A violin contains about 70 separate pieces of wood!



It is estimated that 4 million "junk" telephone calls, phone solicitations by persons or programmed machine are made every day in the United States!



It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!



Forest fires move faster uphill than downhill!



Almost half the newspapers in the world are published in the United States and Canada!





........1..2..3...breathe....and repeat...........





The two-foot long bird called a Kea that lives in New Zealand likes to eat the strips of rubber around car windows!



Most lipstick contains fish scales!



Skepticisms is the longest word that alternates hands when typing!



One ragweed plant can release as many as one billion grains of pollen!



It's illegal to drink beer out of a bucket while you're sitting on a curb in St. Louis!



The first product to have a bar code was Wrigleys gum!





No piece of square dry paper can be folded more than 7 times in half!



A group of geese on the ground is a gaggle, a group of geese in the air is a skein!



Over 2500 left handed people a year are killed from using products made for right handed people!



There are more than 10 million bricks in the Empire State Building!



If you counted 24 hours a day, it would take 31,688 years to reach one trillion!



Taphephobia is the fear of being buried alive!



A crocodile always grows new teeth to replace the old teeth!



The sun is 330,330 times larger than the earth!



Clinophobia is the fear of beds!



A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second!



Porcupines float in water!



Pinocchio is Italian for "pine eye"!



The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog." uses every letter of the alphabet!



The average life span of a major league baseball is 5-7 pitches!



The Mint once considered producing doughnut-shaped coins!



The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is "uncopyrightable"!



The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds!









........1..2..3...you know the drill...........











.......now wasn't that fun...back to the facts........





The sloth (a mammal) moves so slowly that green algae can grow undisturbed on its fur!



Cat urine glows under a black-light!



The world's termites outweigh the world's humans 10 to 1!



The electric chair was invented by a dentist!



Windmills always turn counter-clockwise. Except for the windmills in Ireland!



A hedgehog's heart beats 300 times a minute on average!

Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand!



The placement of a donkey's eyes in its head enables it to see all four feet at all times!



Human teeth are almost as hard as rocks!



A mole can dig a tunnel 300 feet long in just one night!



Ancient Egyptians slept on pillows made of stone!



A hippo can open its mouth wide enough to fit a 4 foot tall child inside!



A quarter has 119 grooves on its edge, a dime has one less groove!



Hummingbirds can weigh less than a penny!!





Until 1796, there was a state in the United States called Franklin. Today it's known as Tennessee!



The Earth weighs around 6,600,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons (5,940 billion billion metric tons)!



A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off - it dies from starvation!



Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie!



The average person has over 1,460 dreams a year!



It's against the law to pawn your dentures in Las Vegas!



One in every 4 Americans has appeared on television!



The average American/Canadian will eat about 11.9 pounds of cereal per year!



It's against the law to burp, or sneeze in a certain church in Omaha, Nebraska!



you're born with 300 bones, but when you get to be an adult, you only have 206!



Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete!



Over 10,000 birds a year die from smashing into windows!



The state of Florida is bigger than England!



There are more than one million animal species on Earth!



In Natoma, Kansas, it's illegal to throw knives at men wearing striped suits



It was once against the law to have a pet dog in a city in Iceland!



Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day!



Thomas Edison, lightbulb inventor, was afraid of the dark!



During your lifetime, you'll eat about 60,000 pounds of food, that's the weight of about 6 elephants!



Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if they cant find any food!



Dolphins sleep with one eye open!



The worlds oldest piece of chewing gum is over 9000 years old!



In space, astronauts cannot cry properly, because there is no gravity, so the tears can't flow down their faces!



There are more plastic flamingos in the U.S, than real ones!



About 3000 years ago, most Egyptians died by the time they were 30!



More people use blue toothbrushes, than red ones!



A sneeze travels out your mouth at over 100 m.p.h.!



Your ribs move about 5 million times a year, every time you breathe!











In the White House, there are 13,092 knives, forks and spoons!



Slugs have 4 noses!



Recycling one glass jar, saves enough energy to watch T.V for 3 hours!



Lightning strikes about 6,000 times per minute on this planet!



Owls are one of the only birds who can see the color blue!





The average American/Canadian drinks about 600 sodas a year!



It was once against the law to slam your car door in a city in Switzerland!

There wasn't a single pony in the Pony Express, just horses!



Honeybees have a type of hair on their eyes!





........1..2..3...breathe....and repeat...........













.......rest your eyes.. there's plenty more where that came from........







The starfish is one of the few animals who can turn it's stomach inside-out!



Eskimo ice cream is neither icy, or creamy!



A jellyfish is 95 percent water!



In Bangladesh, kids as young as 15 can be jailed for cheating on their finals!



The katydid bug hears through holes in its hind legs!



A company in Taiwan makes dinnerware out of wheat, so you can eat your plate!



More Monopoly money is printed in a year, than real money printed throughout the world!



The elephant is one of the few mammals that can't jump!



The penguin is the only bird who can swim, but not fly!



Q is the only letter in the alphabet that does not appear in the name of any of the United States!



One quarter of the bones in your body are in your feet!





America once issued a 5-cent bill!



You'll eat about 35,000 cookies in a lifetime! Wow!



Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different!



There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple, and month! Interesting tries from our readers: orange: door hinge, melange (French for mix) purple: hurtle, durple?, turtle month: once, bunth?, hunch



Babe Ruth wore a cabbage leaf under his cap to keep him cool! He changed it every 2 innings!



Fortune cookies were actually invented in America, in 1918, by Charles Jung!



A man named Charles Osborne had the hiccups for 69 years! Wow!

A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue!







Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying!



Here are some interesting numbers to look at! (*1997)

166,875,000,000 pieces of mail are delivered each year in the U.S!

1,525,000,000 miles of telephone wire a strung across the U.S!

123,000,000 cars are being driven down the U.S's highways!

85,000,000 tons of paper are used each year in the U.S!

56,000,000 people go to Major League baseball each year!





Bats always turn left when exiting a cave!



The praying mantis is the only insect that can turn its head!



In Tokyo, they sell toupees for dogs!



There are over 58 million dogs in the U.S!



Dogs and cats consume over $11 billion worth of pet food a year!



Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails!



Humans blink over 10,000,000 times a year!



In the year 2000, Pope John Paul II was named an "Honorary Harlem Globetrotter."!



Every second, Americans collectively eat one hundred pounds of chocolate



A fetus develops fingerprints at eighteen weeks!



The fear of vegetables is called Lachanophobia!.. More fears...



There are approximately fifty Bibles sold each minute across the world!



Every year, kids in North America spend close to half a billion dollars on chewing gum!











An earthquake on Dec. 16, 1811 caused parts of the Mississippi River to flow backwards!



A person uses approximately fifty-seven sheets of toilet paper each day!



Honolulu is the only place in the United States that has a royal palace!



One gallon of used motor oil can ruin approximately one million gallons of fresh water!



More money is spent on gardening than on any other hobby!



In 32 years. there are about 1 billion seconds!



Rice paper does not have any rice in it!



Baby robins eat 14 feet of earthworms every day!





In England, in the 1880's, "Pants" was considered a dirty word!



Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin!



The blesbok, a South African antelope, is almost the same color as grapejuice!



The average person laughs 13 times a day!



Dogs can hear sounds that you cant!



Men are 6 times more likely to be struck by lightning than women!



It is estimated that millions of trees in the world are accidentally planted by squirrels who bury nuts and then forget where they hid them!



Ernest Vincent Wright wrote a novel, "Gadsby", which contains over 50,000 words -- none of them with the letter E!



Of all the words in the English language, the word set has the most definitions!



A toothpick is the object most often choked on by Americans!



Every 45 seconds, a house catches on fire in the United States!



The sun is 330,330 times larger than the earth!











........1..2..3...breathe....and repeat...........





Google





.......rest your eyes.. there's plenty more where that came from........







The most used letter in the English alphabet is 'E', and 'Q' is the least used!



There are more than 50,000 earthquakes throughout the world every year!



The original name for the butterfly was 'flutterby'!



Dogs and cats, like humans, are either right or left handed... or is that paws?!



The opposite sides of a dice cube always add up to seven!



Nose prints are used to identify dogs, just like humans use fingerprints!





Bulls are colorblind, therefore will usually charge at a matador's waving cape no matter what color it is -- be it red or neon yellow!



Apples are more efficient than caffeine in keeping people awake in the mornings!



Smelling bananas and/or green apples (smelling, not eating) can help you lose weight!







A hard working adult sweats up to 4 gallons per day. Most of the sweat evaporates before a person realizes it's there, though!



The average ice berg weighs 20,000,000 tons!



The poison-arrow frog has enough poison to kill about 2,200 people!



A lump of pure gold the size of a matchbox can be flattened into a sheet the size of a tennis court!



After eating, a housefly regurgitates its food and then eats it again!

List of Phobias...From the Strange to the Common...
16:47 Jul 30 2015
Times Read: 2,032

Phobias are the most common mental disorder in the U.S. While not comprehensive, this phobia list offers a glimpse of the many phobias that can have a serious impact on an individual's life. do you have any of these? ;)



Achluophobia - Fear of darkness.

Acrophobia - Fear of heights.

Aerophobia - Fear of flying.

Algophobia - Fear of pain.

Agoraphobia - Fear of open spaces or crowds.

Aichmophobia - Fear of needles or pointed objects.

Amaxophobia - Fear of riding in a car.

Androphobia - Fear of men.

Anginophobia - Fear of angina or choking.

Anthrophobia - Fear of flowers.

Anthropophobia - Fear of people or society.

Aphenphosmphobia - Fear of being touched.

Arachnophobia - Fear of spiders.

Arithmophobia - Fear of numbers.

Astraphobia - Fear of thunder and lightening.

Ataxophobia - Fear of disorder or untidiness.

Atelophobia - Fear of imperfection.

Atychiphobia - Fear of failure.

Autophobia - Fear of being alone.

Bacteriophobia - Fear of bacteria.

Barophobia - Fear of gravity.

Bathmophobia - Fear of stairs or steep slopes.

Batrachophobia - Fear of amphibians.

Belonephobia - Fear of pins and needles.

Bibliophobia - Fear of books.

Botanophobia - Fear of plants.

Cacophobia - Fear of ugliness.

Catagelophobia - Fear of being ridiculed.

Catoptrophobia - Fear of mirrors.

Chionophobia - Fear of snow.

Chromophobia - Fear of colors.

Chronomentrophobia - Fear of clocks.

Claustrophobia - Fear of confined spaces.

Coulrophobia - Fear of clowns.

Cyberphobia - Fear of computers.

Cynophobia - Fear of dogs.

Dendrophobia - Fear of trees.

Dentophobia - Fear of dentists.

Domatophobia - Fear of houses.

Dystychiphobia - Fear of accidents.

Ecophobia - Fear of the home.

Elurophobia - Fear of cats.

Entomophobia - Fear of insects.

Ephebiphobia - Fear of teenagers.

Equinophobia - Fear of horses.

Gamophobia - Fear of marriage.

Genuphobia - Fear of knees.

Glossophobia - Fear of speaking in public.

Gynophobia - Fear of women.

Heliophobia - Fear of the sun.

Hemophobia - Fear of blood.

Herpetophobia - Fear of reptiles.

Hydrophobia - Fear of water.

Hypochonria - Fear of illness.

Iatrophobia - Fear of doctors.

Insectophobia - Fear of insects.

Koinoniphobia - Fear of rooms.

Leukophobia - Fear of the color white.

Lilapsophobia - Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes.

Lockiophobia - Fear of childbirth.

Mageirocophobia - Fear of cooking.

Megalophobia - Fear of large things.

Melanophobia - Fear of the color black.

Microphobia - Fear of small things.

Mysophobia - Fear of dirt and germs.

Necrophobia - Fear of death or dead things.

Noctiphobia - Fear of the night.

Nosocomephobia - Fear of hospitals.

Nyctophobia - Fear of the dark.

Obesophobia - Fear of gaining weight.

Octophobia - Fear of the figure 8.

Ombrophobia - Fear of rain.

Ophidiophobia - Fear of snakes.

Ornithophobia - Fear of birds.

Papyrophobia - Fear of paper.

Pathophobia - Fear of disease.

Pedophobia - Fear of children.

Philophobia - Fear of love.

Phobophobia - Fear of phobias.

Podophobia - Fear of feet.

Porphyrophobia - Fear of the color purple.

Pteridophobia - Fear of ferns.

Pteromerhanophobia - Fear of flying.

Pyrophobia - Fear of fire.

Samhainophobia - Fear of Halloween.

Scolionophobia - Fear of school.

Selenophobia - Fear of the moon.

Sociophobia - Fear of social evaluation.

Somniphobia - Fear of sleep.

Tachophobia - Fear of speed.

Technophobia - Fear of technology.

Tonitrophobia - Fear of thunder.

Trypanophobia - Fear of needles / injections.

Venustraphobia - Fear of beautiful women.

Verminophobia - Fear of germs.

Wiccaphobia - Fear of witches and witchcraft.

Xenophobia - Fear of strangers or foreigners.

Zoophobia - Fear of animals.

Types of Psychic Abilities...
01:58 Jul 28 2015
Times Read: 2,048

This is a list of alleged psychic abilities that have been attributed to real-world people. Many of these abilities are also known as extrasensory perception or sixth sense. Superhuman abilities from fiction are not included.



Apportation - Materialization, disappearance or teleportation of an object.



Aura reading - Perception of energy fields surrounding people, places and things.



Automatic writing - Writing produced without conscious thought.



Astral projection or mental projection - An out-of-body experience in which an astral body becomes separate from the physical body.

]

Bilocation or multilocation - Being in multiple places at the same time.



Clairvoyance or second sight - Perception outside the known human senses.



Death-warning - A vision of a living person prior to his or her death.



Divination - Gaining insight into a situation, most commonly through a ritual



Dowsing - Ability to locate objects, sometimes using a tool called a dowsing rod.



Energy medicine - Healing by channeling a form of energy.



Faith healing - Diagnosing or curing diseases using religious devotion.



Levitation - Bodily levitation and flying.



Mediumship or channeling - Communicating with spirits.



Precognition, premonition and precognitive dreams - Perception of events before they happen.



Psychic surgery - Removal of diseased body tissue via an incision that heals immediately afterwards.



Psychokinesis or telekinesis - The ability to manipulate objects by the power of thought.



Psychometry or psychoscopy - Obtaining information about a person or object, usually by touching or concentrating on the object or a related object.



Pendulums - Using a Pendulum to decipher questions and answers from the veil.



Pyrokinesis - Manipulation of fire.



Remote viewing - Gathering of information at a distance.



Retrocognition or post-cognition - Perception of past events.



Scrying - Use of an item to view events at a distance or in the future.



Telepathy - Transfer of thoughts, words or emotions in either direction.

'Lost' City of Atlantis: Fact & Fable by Benjamin Radford, Live Science Contributor | October 31, 2014 10:49pm ET
01:37 Jul 28 2015
Times Read: 2,050

1669 map by Athanasius Kircher put Atlantis in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The map is oriented with south at the top.

Atlantis is a legendary "lost" island subcontinent often idealized as an advanced, utopian society holding wisdom that could bring world peace. The idea of Atlantis has captivated dreamers, occultists and New Agers for generations.



Unlike many legends whose origins have been lost in the mists of time, we know exactly when and where the story of Atlantis first appeared. The story was first told in two of Plato's dialogues, the "Timaeus" and the "Critias," written about 330 B.C.



Though today Atlantis is often thought of as a peaceful utopia, the Atlantis that Plato described in his fable was very different. In his book "Frauds, Myths and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology" (McGraw-Hill, 2013) professor of archaeology Ken Feder summarizes the story: "A technologically sophisticated but morally bankrupt evil empire — Atlantis — attempts world domination by force. The only thing standing in its way is a relatively small group of spiritually pure, morally principled and incorruptible people — the ancient Athenians. Overcoming overwhelming odds ... the Athenians are able to defeat their far more powerful adversary simply through the force of their spirit. Sound familiar? Plato's Atlantean dialogues are essentially an ancient Greek version of 'Star Wars.'"





As propaganda, the Atlantis legend is more about the heroic Athens than a sunken civilization; if Atlantis really existed today and was found, its residents would probably try to kill and enslave us all. It's clear that Plato made up Atlantis as a plot device for his stories because there are no other records of it anywhere else in the world. There are many extant Greek texts; surely someone else would have also mentioned, at least in passing, such a remarkable place. There is simply no evidence from any source that the legends about Atlantis existed before Plato wrote about it.



Atlantis resurfaces

For most of the past two millennia, no one thought much about Atlantis; it was just what it appeared to be: a fictional place mentioned in a fable by the ancient Greek philosopher. The idea that Atlantis was an actual lost historical location is a very recent idea, first proposed by a writer named Ignatius Donnelly in 1881. He believed that most of the important accomplishments of the ancient world — such as metallurgy, agriculture, religion and language — must have come from Atlantis. In essence, he argued that ancient cultures weren't sophisticated enough to develop these things on their own, so they must have spread from some unknown advanced civilization. (It is similar to the widely discredited "ancient astronauts" idea, that Egyptians were not smart enough to build pyramids, and thus extraterrestrials must have helped them.)



Later writers elaborated on Donnelly's theories, adding their own opinions and speculations. These included mystic Madame Blavatsky (in her 1888 book, "The Secret Doctrine") and famous psychic Edgar Cayce in the 1920s and 1930s. Cayce, who put a fundamentalist Christian spin on the Atlantis story, gave psychic readings for thousands of people — many of whom, he claimed, had past lives in Atlantis. Unfortunately, none of the information was verifiable, and Cayce wrongly predicted that the continent would be discovered in 1969.



Charles Berlitz, author of many popular books on the paranormal and unexplained phenomena, researched Atlantis and wrote a 1969 book titled "The Mystery of Atlantis." Berlitz, whose family created the famous language-learning courses, not only became convinced that Atlantis was real but also that it was the source of the Bermuda Triangle mystery, a subject he explored in his 1974 best-seller "The Bermuda Triangle." Berlitz's wild ideas about the Bermuda Triangle — and, by extension, Atlantis — were definitively debunked the following year by researcher Larry Kusche, author of "The Bermuda Triangle Mystery — Solved." Thousands of books, magazines and websites are devoted to Atlantis, and it remains a popular topic in New Age circles.



The 'lost' continent

Despite Atlantis' clear origin in fiction, many people over the centuries have claimed that there must be some truth behind the myths, and have speculated about where Atlantis would be found. Countless Atlantis "experts" have located the lost continent all around the world, based on the same set of facts. Candidate locations — each accompanied by their own peculiar sets of evidence and arguments — include the Atlantic Ocean, Antarctica, Bolivia, Turkey, Germany, Malta and the Caribbean.



Plato, however, is crystal clear about where his Atlantis is: "For the ocean there was at that time navigable; for in front of the mouth which you Greeks call, as you say, 'the pillars of Heracles,' (i.e., Hercules) there lay an island which was larger than Libya and Asia together." In other words, it lies in the Atlantic Ocean beyond "the pillars of Hercules" (i.e., the Strait of Gibraltar, at the mouth of the Mediterranean). Yet it has never been found in the Atlantic, or anywhere else.



No trace of Atlantis has ever been found, despite advances in oceanography and ocean floor mapping in past decades. For nearly two millennia, readers could be forgiven for suspecting that the vast depths might somehow hide a sunken city or continent. Though there remains much mystery at the bottom of the world's oceans, it is inconceivable that the world's oceanographers, submariners and deep-sea probes have somehow missed a landmass "larger than Libya and Asia together."



Furthermore, plate tectonics demonstrate that it's impossible for Atlantis to exist, as the continents have drifted and the seafloor has spread, not contracted, over time. There would simply be no place for Atlantis to sink into. As Ken Feder noted, "The geology is clear; there could have been no large land surface that then sank in the area where Plato places Atlantis. Together, modern archaeology and geology provide an unambiguous verdict: There was no Atlantic continent; there was no great civilization called Atlantis."



Myth from misinterpretation

The only way to make a mystery out of Atlantis (and to assume that it was once a real place) is to ignore its obvious origins as a moral fable and to change the details of Plato's story, claiming that he took license with the truth, either out of error or intent to deceive. With the addition, omission or misinterpretation of various details in Plato's work, nearly any proposed location can be made to "fit" his description.



Science and science-fiction writer L. Sprague de Camp thoroughly discredited the Atlantis story in his 1970 book, "Lost Continents: The Atlantis Theme in History, Science, and Literature," noting that "you cannot change all the details of Plato's story and still claim to have Plato's story. That is like saying the legendary King Arthur is 'really' Cleopatra; all you have to do is to change Cleopatra's sex, nationality, period, temperament, moral character, and other details, and the resemblance becomes obvious."



The Atlantis legend has been kept alive, fueled by the public's imagination and fascination with the idea of a hidden, long-lost utopia. Yet the "lost city of Atlantis" was never lost; it is where it always was: in Plato's books.

10 Amazing Mythological Objects VLAD VEKSHTEIN AUGUST 1, 2013
01:28 Jul 28 2015
Times Read: 2,052

Perhaps as a child you worshiped Indiana Jones, bought yourself a fedora, and hoped to search for supernatural treasures long lost to mankind. Mythology has been rife with mysterious objects of power that imbue the user with unique abilities. So, fedora in hand, let’s venture into the world of mysterious and fantastic powers.



10 The Cintamani Stone

Most people are familiar with the concept of the Philosopher’s Stone, but few have heard of the Cintamani Stone. Said to be lost somewhere in Southeast Asia, the stone is the Oriental equivalent of the Philosopher’s Stone. The stone is thought to be a relic of Buddha, and is able to grant wishes. Supernatural powers aside, the stone represents Buddhist values and teachings. It has never been found (of course), and there has never been any solid evidence of its existence.



9 The Seven-League Boots

The Seven-League Boots are a recurring artifact in numerous European fairy tales, and the boots themselves allowed one to travel seven leagues (roughly five kilometers or three miles) per step. The boots aren’t very well known, and they are featured primarily in the French fairytale Hop-o’-My-Thumb. In the story, Hop-o’-My-Thumb is a small boy who is extremely intelligent. When his parents abandon him and his brothers, he becomes the (very tiny) man of the house. When an ogre decides to make a meal of the brothers, Hop-o’-My-Thumb steals their magical boots to escape and make his fortune for his family.



8 The Ring Of Gyges

Plenty of us have seen the Lord of the Rings movies and are familiar with the One Ring, the cursed ring that grants invisibility but eventually corrupts the souls of those who wear it. Luckily, mythology has a ring that grants invisibility without the nasty side effects. The Ring of Gyges was a ring from a story told by the famous philosopher Plato. In the story, Gyges is a shepherd who finds the ring after an earthquake reveals a cave near where he herds his flock.Upon entering the cave, Gyges finds the ring on the finger of a corpse that doesn’t seem human. When he places it upon his finger, he discovers he can become invisible by adjusting it. Gyges then goes to the palace of his local kingdom, woos the wife of the king, then kills him and becomes King of Lydia. So . . . maybe we were wrong about the soul-blackening part.



7 The Hand Of Glory

This is an item you better hope a burglar never gets his hands on. The Hand of Glory was fashioned from a condemned murderer’s hands. A wax candle was affixed to one of the fingers, and the dead man’s hair was used as a wick. It had the power to unlock doors and freeze people in place. Its flame could only be extinguished by the thief who wielded it, and it would have been a vital tool to the criminal trade if it ever existed. In its day, the Hand of Glory was considered to be the product of extremely black magic.



6 Skatert-Samobranka

Let’s say you’re out for a picnic, and you’ve forgotten the food. That’s not an issue, you just need to whip out your Skatert-Samobranka. The Skatert-Samobranka was a magic tablecloth that could produce food when unfurled and cleaned itself up when it was folded again. As with most supernatural items, there were rules. The Skatert-Samobranka was sentient, so it needed to be respected and cared for. If angered, it might have ruined the food, and any rips or holes would cause it to slowly lose its magical properties. That’s one temperamental tablecloth.



5 The Book Of Thoth

The Book of Thoth was a book of ancient magic used by the Egyptian god of wisdom and magic, Thoth. The Book of Thoth was said to contain two spells—one to understand animals and one to understand the mind of the gods. In an ancient Egyptian story, a prince of Egypt found the book after avoiding a series of traps. As punishment for finding the book, the prince’s family was killed, and the prince committed suicide. Years later, a new prince found the book but was warned by the old prince’s ghost not to take it. He didn’t listen and was promptly convinced by a beautiful woman to humiliate himself and kill his children. However, he discovered that the whole thing was an illusion created by the old prince’s ghost as a warning. He placed the book back into the old prince’s tomb and left.



4 Helmet Of Invisibility

Another Greek legend, the Helmet of Invisibility was a helmet once owned by the hero Perseus that could grant—you guessed it—invisibility. Perseus wore the helmet in his quest to slay Medusa. It prevented her petrifying gaze from affecting him when he went into battle. Perseus returned with Medusa’s head, so his quest went quite well.



3 The Spear Of Destiny

The Spear of Destiny is a sacred relic in the Christian faith. It is said that the spear that pierced Christ’s side was imbued with unique powers. Supposedly, only the owner of the Spear of Destiny could control the world. Many a conspiracy nut will tell you that Hitler, while dabbling in the occult, took the spear for himself and went on to conquer most of Europe. Later, when General Patton arrived in Nuremburg, he took the spear from the city, and Hitler’s reign of terror soon ended.



2 The Argo

Anyone familiar with classical mythology is probably familiar with The Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes, the tale of Jason and his team of heroes (the Argonauts), who quested to gain the Golden Fleece in Colchis—so that Jason could claim his throne. The ship itself was said to be under the protection of the goddess Hera and was made from the timber of the forests of Dodona, which held the power of prophecy. When the quest for the Golden Fleece was done, the Argo was placed into the heavens as a constellation.



1 Dragon’s Teeth

Dragons are the quintessential monster of European folklore: giant, fire-breathing lizards that may have been the medieval explanation for dinosaur bones. The Greek legend of Cadmus states that, in the days of yore, Cadmus killed the sacred dragon of the god of war—Ares. Athena, Ares’s sister, told Cadmus to plant the teeth, which grew into a fresh crop of soldiers. He then threw a precious gem in amid the soldiers, who fought each other for it until there were five survivors. These five later went on to found the city of Thebes. To this day, to “sow dragon’s teeth” means to cause something that breeds dispute.

Mendes Pentacle - Sabbatic Goat...
18:06 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,057

The so-called "Mendes Pentacle" or Sabbatic Goat emblem was devised in the 1950s and falsely attributed to the nineteenth century occultist Elipas Levi. This symbol is commonly confused with Levi's depiction of the Templar icon Baphomet, which was not presented as a symbol of evil, but of harmony, redemption, and union with the divine.



Sigil of Baphomet

The Sigil of Baphomet has its origins in accusations of demonic worship by the medieval Knights Templar.



It is also the official insignia for the Church of Satan, chosen by Dr. Anton Szandor LaVey. Satanists who follow the philosophies of LaVey often adorn themselves with the sigil.



The Hebrew letters at each of the points of the pentagram read "לִוְיָתָן" starting from the lowest point and reading counter-clockwise. Translated, this is Leviathan, a sea creature figuring in Judaic mythology. Leviathan has many complex meanings, many of which apply to its use in the Sigil of Baphomet. Leviathan is commonly associated with Satan, and the fourth book of the Satanic Bible is named the Book of Leviathan.



Goat of Mendes, Mendez Goat, Sigil of Baphomet, Sabbatic Goat

Although versions of the Sigil of Baphomet appear as early as the 1897 book “La Clef de la Magie Noire” by Stanislas de Guaita, the variant in common use today was designed for use by the Church of Satan, and is known as the Hell's Kitchen Baphomet. This variant is copyrighted by the Church of Satan and cannot legally be reproduced without permission. Historic variants are in the public domain.



Goat of Mendes - Mendez Goat

Nonetheless, the two have been confused so often it is nearly impossible to separate them in modern usage. The name "Mendes goat" derives from a connection Levi made between the Templar Baphomet, the Goat of the witch's Sabbat (as depicted in popular art), and the Egyptian god Ammon, of Mendes, Egypt- an emblem (according to Levi) of fertility and sexual freedom. Levi's connection was spurious (The God in question was represented by a ram, not a goat), but the confusion has persisted.



A simplified version of the symbol shown was adopted as the emblem of Anton Lavey's Church of Satan in 1966 and called The Sigil of Baphomet. The Hebrew letters surrounding the pentacle spell out "Leviathan," the mythic sea monster of the Old Testament.



black baphomet baphomet black lucifer of levi Black Mangoat Black Wirthsigil

Celtic Knots
18:04 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,058

Celtic knots are an endless variety of knots and the stylized charts of the knots used for decoration, adopted by ancient Celts. Although Celtic knots were created in Celtic times of Polytheistic beliefs, these knots are more known for their adaptation for the use in the ornament of the monuments and the Christian manuscripts as the eighth century Book of Kells.



Celtic Knot History

Little history of the knots is available before the beginning of the Christian influence on Celts in approximately 450 C.E. There is much obviously for the use of the geometrical models as ornament in particular in jewels before which time. Some historians theorized that the Celtic religion early prevented their creatures of description normally. The same designs of pre-Christian succeeded in penetrating the their manuscripts and the drawing-model Christians early with the addition of descriptions of the life, such as animals, factories and even of the human ones. In the beginning the models were the interlaced cords complex, called the braids, which can also be found in other areas of Europe, like Italy at the sixth century. A fragment of a book of Gospel, maintaining in the library of cathedral of Durham and created in Scandinavian Great Britain at the seventh century, earliest contains the example of the true designs tied in the Celtic way. The examples of the plaitwork antedate designs of knotwork in several cultures around the world, but the broken and replugged plaitwork which is characteristic of the true knotwork started in Scandinavian Italy and Gallic Southerner and diffusion in Ireland with the seventh century. The model is most generally associated the Celtic grounds but it was also practiced intensively in England and was exported in Europe by monastic activities of Irishman and Northumbrian on the continent. In modern times Celtic art is popularly considered in terms of the national identity and thus specifically Irish, Scottish, or the Welsh.

Celtic Symbols and Art Explained...
18:01 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,060

Druids were priests and physicians, curing are magnetism and fees amulets fluidic influence. Their universal remedies were mistletoe and serpent's eggs, because these substances attract astral light in a special way. Solemnity which mistletoe was cut from the plant is based on trust and made popular with magnetic force. Progress on the magnetism will one day reveal the absorbent properties of mistletoe. Then understand the secret of spongy tumors drew unused virtues of plants and by the additional costs through tinctures and flavors. Mushrooms, truffles, gall on trees, and a variety of mistletoe are employed with the understanding of medicine.



Druids were initiates of a secret school in between them. This school, which reminded the Bacchus and Eleusinian Mysteries of Greece or the Egyptian rites Isis and Osiris, is rightly named Druidic mysteries. It is much speculation about the secret wisdom that the Druids claimed. Their secret teachings are never written, but have indicated verbally, in particular prepared candidates. Some experts are of the opinion that the British priests secured their information sailors of Tyre and the Phoenicians, for thousands of years before the era established colonies in Britain and Gaul in search of tin. Maurice Thomas, in his Indian Antiquities, discourses at length about the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, and trips to the British Isles to apply for tin. Others believe that the mysteries of the Druids were celebrated as the Oriental origin of any Buddhist.



School Druids were divided into three different parts, and the secret teachings contained therein are almost identical to those mysteries and allegories Blue Lodge Masonry. Ali's three divisions are ovate (Ovate). This was the honorary doctorate, does not require any special cleaning or preparation. Ovate dressed in green, Druidic color of learning and was expected to know something about medicine, astronomy, poetry if possible, and sometimes music. Ovate was the person taken to Druidic General Excellence and an excellent knowledge of the problems of life.



The second division was that the Bard Beirdd. Its members were dressed in blue, representing harmony and truth, and that they belong to the work of remembrance, at least in part twenty thousand verses of Druidic sacred poetry. They were often photographed with the primitive British or Irish harp - an instrument hooked up with the hair, and as many strings as the ribs on one side of the body. These poets are often selected teacher candidates seeking access to the Druidic mysteries. Neophytes wearing striped cloaks of blue, green and white colors within the three sacred Druidic Orders.



The third area is a Druid Derwyddon. Their work was particularly to meet the religious needs of people. In order to attain this dignified candidate must first become a Bard Braint. Druids always dressed in white - a symbol of purity and the color used to symbolize the sun.



To reach an elevated position Arch-Druid, or spiritual leader of the organization, it was necessary for the priest through the six successive degrees Druidic Order. Members of different degrees separated the colors of webbing for all those dressed in white robes. Some people think that the title of Arch-Druid was hereditary, descending from father to son, but it is more likely, and the honor was awarded to vote in elections. Its recipient was chosen for his virtues and integrity of the most educated in the upper grades druid.



The Divisions of Druid Teachings

Druid PriestLike nearly all schools Mysteries, the teachings of the Druids were divided into two distinct parts. Simpler, a moral code taught to all people, but the deeper, esoteric doctrine was given only to initiate priests. Being admitted to the order, the applicant must be of good family and high morale. No important secrets, given to him before he had been tempted in many ways and his strength of character severely tried. Druids taught the people of Britain and Gaul, and the immortality of the soul. They believed in transmigration and apparently in reincarnation. They quote one life, promising to pay the next. They believed in a sort of purgatory where the hell they are cleansed of their sins, when you go to the happiness of unity with the gods.



Druids taught that all men be saved, but some must return to earth many times to learn a person's life and to overcome the inherent evil nature. Before the candidate was entrusted with the secret doctrines of Druids, who were tied to a promise of confidentiality. These lessons are taught only in deep forest and the darkness of the caves. In these places far from the haunts of men, called for the creation of a beginner on the personalities of the gods of the universe, the laws of nature, the secrets of occult medicine, the secrets of celestial bodies, the basics of magic and sorcery. Druids had a lot of holidays. New and full moon, and the sixth day they were sacred periods. It is believed that the initiation took place only two solstices and two Equinoxes. At dawn on 25 December birth of the Sun God was celebrated.



The Divisions of Druid Teachings

Stonehenge Ground PlanBoth the cross and the serpent were sacred to the Druids, who made the cut in all branches of the former and oak tree and fastening one of the main frames in the form of a letter T. This oaken cross became a symbol of the superior deity. They also worshiped the sun, moon and stars. Moon received a special tribute. Caesar stated that Mercury was one of the most important gods and Gauls. Mercury is believed the Druids worshiped the brightness of the stone cube.



They also had great respect for nature spirits fairies, gnomes, mermaids and, creatures with forests and rivers, which had a lot on offer. His temples where sacred fire has remained generally are eminences and in dense forest oaks, and assumed various forms — circular, because the circle is a symbol of the universe, oval, that the reference to the World Egg, which is given according to tradition in many countries, the universe, or, as in others, our first parents, serpentine, as the snake was a symbol of Hu, Druidic Osiris, cross, cross, because the symbol of renewal, or wings, the movement represents the divine spirit. Their main gods were reducible to two - one man and one woman, a wonderful father and mother - Hu and Ceridwen is characterized by the same characteristics as those of Osiris and Isis, Bacchus and Ceres, or any other supreme god and goddess representing the two principles in the world.



There were three degrees Druidic Mysteries, but few passed them all. Candidate was buried in a coffin, symbolizing the death of the sun god. Supreme test, however, was sent to sea, open boat. Although through this test, many lost their lives. Taliesin, an ancient scholar who ran the mysteries, describes the beginning of a small boat Faber Pagan idolatry. Those few who passed the third grade, he says born again, and called for a secret and hidden truths which the Druid priests had preserved ancient. They were chosen to initiate these greats of the world's religious and political figures.



Celtic Symbols - Art and Meaning

Celtic Symbols Meaning

Celtic Symbol ImageCeltic Symbols — the art, the symbols, the Celtic symbolism and the meaning of their handiwork is associated with people known as Celts. Celtic symbols, Celtic signs, and Celtic art carry great meaning and power and you can learn how to use Celtic symbols in your life. Many of the meanings of the Celtic symbols that were used within the Celtic languages in pre-historic Europe during the medieval period and beyond, including the art, symbols, and symbolism were derived from the old tribal clans whose the language may be unknown, but the cultural and stylistic similarities lead us to believe they were linked with the Celts. Meanings behind the symbols, in many cases, can now only be assumed based on the context or surroundings in which the symbols are discovered or exist, but often, the repetition of such circumstances is frequent enough that assumptions can be made with some modicum of certainty or at least confidence.



Traditions of Celtic Art

Old Celtic Symbol ImageWith Celtic Symbols, the art, the symbols, and the Celtic symbolism is ornamental and markedly lacking in the use of straight lines with only occasional symmetry and absent a defined imitation or attempted representation of nature or ideals central to the harmonic beauty we find in the classical traditions, but nevertheless it remains such that one can understand and even appreciate its involved and frequently complex symbolism. Celtic art includes a variety of forbiddens and frequently incorporates elements that have been just subtly modified from those of other cultures. A good example of just this sort of thing is the characteristic on-and-under interlacing—weaving—that only arrived on the Celtic scene in the 6th century; a forbidden that had fallen out of favor with the Germanic peoples. Celtic art has three "traditions" with the symbols and the symbolism, first to be the continental art of the age of iron, and the symbols and symbolism associated mainly with the cultural extraction from native sources, some being roughly classical and perhaps some that originated in the Mediterranean's eastern regions.



Celtic Symbols Renaissance

As the art of the age of iron expanded with its symbols and the symbolism of Great Britain and Ireland being intertwined, extractions in the continental tradition occurred and added and shaped distinctive regional forbiddens. The "Celtic Renaissance" affected the advanced and even average people of Ireland and in part, the symbols and symbolism of Great Britain, which sprang from that period and today are also called art, remain unique. This third tradition gave form to the basis for the foundations of the art, the symbols, and the symbolism of the revival of Celtic decoration that started with a dim spark, but carried through—the 19th century. The results are extremely pretty, not only in the styling's of the decorative writing, but also in the pictures and sculptures.



Rare Old Celtic Symbol ImageWe've just opened up an exciting new archive of ancient and rare Celtic symbols and meanings from the mysteries of the Druids. Great new full-color images of Celtic signs, symbols and sigils:



Rare Celtic Symbols: Page 1

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Rare Celtic Symbols: Page 5

Celtic Symbols Types

Celtic Art SymbolSome Nordic types and Celtic trends of the art that emerged from the Northern Basin required a virtual suspension of reality to be understood and appreciated. These pieces for the most part had been created by Celtic craftsmen during the time of conquests of the Anglican armies of England. They had been based on projects that were distinctly Roman and made generally of copper with 3 or 4 rows of the brass throughout the superior edge, such that they had been undoubtedly formed with the use of superior tools and methods of metallurgy. Some of the finest examples of the handiwork that have been found had even been enameled. These were shining examples of technological advances and the knowledge of their manufacture spread through Scotland and Ireland in the 8th century.



There exist several transversal monuments of rock that capture scenes from biblical stories in the relief that was carved and that also generally copy scenes of sculptures of the ivory and frescoes of the day that existed in the more civilized areas of the continent. Known in Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the people who produced such works were also known for their production and perfection of the form of the Celtic cross. Likewise with the Rock of Pictish. The Rock of Pictish is a rectangular flagstone of the with a cross carved in relief in the face of the flagstone, with other pictures and forms carved throughout. Organized in three basic design areas, and based on the period of the origin, which was likely Hiberno-Saxon, it is the fusing of illuminated techniques practiced by Celtic peoples and rarely seen in any manuscript of instruction, even with techniques of the metalworking Anglicans, that are most overtly outstanding. Such an occurrence, at a time when the missionaries of the Celtic Irish had traveled the North Umbria in the 7th and 8th centuries, allowed for the production of some of the most prominent Celtic art of the ages, found in illustrated and ornate manuscripts, fine and precise metalworking, and breathtaking sculpture.



Celtic Symbols Heritage

Ancient Celtic Symbol ImageIn Ireland, one heritage of an entire Celtic tribe existed before and during all of the Roman Age in Great Britain. It was a tribal heritage that the Roman consulates never discovered, and thus the 5th and through the 7th centuries, there remained a continuation of the heritage that greatly impacted the progress made in the age of iron. Through the heritage, and by the 7th and 8th centuries, Irish art mixed with the Germanic traditions through an amalgamation of Irish contact remnants of design carried by the missionaries with the Anglican tribal clans and their cultural traditions, and resulted in the creating of a forbidden that today is called Hiberno-Saxon. Later in this same period, Scandinavian influences were added through contact with the Vikings and this caused the then original Celtic Work Lode to come to a fruition of forbidden, form and design with the Norman invasion in 1169-1170 and a subsequent introduction of the forbidden that would come to be known as Romanesque. All of this took place, in large part, because of the seemingly unimportant travels through the 7th and 8th centuries of the missionaries that had come from the Celtic Irish clans and subsequently traveled the North Umbria in Great Britain and brought with them the Irish tradition of the illustration of the manuscript, that brought contact with knowledge and motifs of metalworking that were uniquely Anglican.



Celtic KnotIn monasteries of North Umbria these abilities were considered to be fundamental and had been transmitted probably to wide areas of Scotland and Ireland. Again, this product of this fusing of Celtic and Germanic that was called the forbidden of Hiberno-Saxon produced masterpieces that were created by craftsmen and artists of unparalleled skill for their day, including the Brooch de Tara, the Ardagh Chalice and the Derrynaflan Chalice. The new techniques they were using were filigree and fine carving, and when motifs that were newly developed were introduced, these craftsmen and artists quickly learned them and tested them for possible new applications and improvements. The Book of Durrow is an example of such innovative handiwork. Along with it, the illustrated book of the Gospel produced in approximately 700 C.E. and the Gospels de Lindisfarne, done in the forbidden of Hiberno-Saxon and probably developed entirely with detailed pages that seem to become incandescent through a broad palette of shimmering colors. This art form reached its apex in the late 8th century, which only delayed such works as the Book of Kells.



In the 9th and 10th centuries the applications of smooth silver changed a popular way of presentation in Olde England, probably because of the improvements in distribution and circulation, but also likely due at least in part to the Viking ways of negotiation and invasion. These Viking ways became self-fulfilling during this time and a magnificent number of brooches of silver were created in Ireland. Around the same time, a popular manuscript of the time, whose production had started to decline, was blamed on those same Vikings, but all data seems to show that the decline had actually started long before the Vikings arrived. Sculpture on the other hand had started to blossom in the form of a cross of great rock that captured and conveyed Biblical scenes, carved in the relief forbidden. Relief carving in rock, and in particular the carving of crosses in rock, reached its apex in the 10th century, but left many fine examples, such as the Cross of Muiredach in Monasterboice and the High Cross of Ahenny.



The real impact of the Vikings in Irish art is not truly seen until the 11th century when the Irish metal work began to imitate the Scandinavian forbiddens of Ringerike and Urnes: works like the Cross of Cong, found in Mayo county. These Viking influences have also been found in abandoned jousting arenas like one near the center of the Norse de Dublin, where throughout the entire field there are rock monuments such as the Cross of Doorty in Kilfenora and the crosses found in the Rock of Cashel.



Common Celtic Symbols

The following Celtic symbols are commonly used in the practice of magic.



Spiral

Celtic SpiralThe Spiral is probably the oldest symbol of human spirituality. One has been being scratched on rocks for thousands of years and on every continent in the world. The religious meaning can be only conjectured, but it has been found in the tombs and it possibly has a connection with the sun since it is that the sun does a spiral form every three months in its routes. A triple spiral adornment discovered in the Celtic tombs was formed unicursally, that is to say, in a solid continuous line, suggesting a cycle of the Renaissance period forbiddens or even perhaps symbolizing the resurrection. This resurrection hypothesis is encouraged by the fact that many of these spirals appear to be deliberately placed where the first rays of the sun appear in the solstice. Even today, spirals continue to be spiritually significant. It is an important symbol in Wicca and an emblem of the goddess.



Sheela-Na-Gig

Sheela-Na-GigSheela-Na-Gig is a stunningly unusual figure that's immediately noticeable when found in Celtic and medieval stone cuttings. Sheela-na-gig conjures up imaginings uncommonly possible and implausible like a woman in a squatting position, an ugly feminine creature using its hands to exhibit grotesque genital organs. Sheela-na-gigs of several historical ages adorn obelisks of stone throughout the Irish fields and countryside. They can also be seen carved into cathedrals and churches of stone in Ireland and England and in many, are integrated into the ornamental work itself, in and throughout most of greater Europe, often in tandem with images and representations of the green man. Sheela-na-gig is undoubtedly related to the ancient Celtic goddess in a less than currently desirable form. And as their images are believed to be much older than the churches they often appear inside, this would suggest to any rational mind that Sheela-na-gigs are likely elements of some much older religious beliefs and that is why they are commonly found on such sites. In addition, many Sheela-na-gigs closely resemble old figures found in Viking encampments and settlements that are believed to be representations of Ormgudinna, a goddess of the creator.



Cernunnos

Cernunnos The Cernunnos is a mysterious horned deity that was worshipped by the Celts during the Iron Age throughout most of Europe until the end of the first century. Very little is known about Cernunnos except his name and his image, which appears in stone carvings found in numerous locations and on implements and objects throughout Europe. The image of Cernunnos typically appears crowned with the horns of the male gender, seated in a meditative position, and almost always surrounded by wild animal images. Cernunnos's Celtic name is not known, although he is believed to be associated with Derg Corra, the Celtic Man in the Tree, perhaps the Green Man. The word Cernunnos has a meaning well-known to the Romans as the One of Horns. The Romans often associated the reference of Cernunnos with Herne the Hunter, a character found in popular British myth and again, with the Green Man found frequently adorning European architecture. The Roman invaders of the northern lands associated Cernunnos with one of their favorite gods, Mercury. They also made an association of Cernunnos linking him once again with not only the European legend, Herne the Hunter, but also with an aspect of the Christian faith, Satan, the devil. The image that appears above was taken from a ritual object of undetermined use, discovered in a marsh in Denmark.



Triquetra

Triquetra The Triquetra or as it is sometimes called, the triqueta, is a symbol of a trinity. Its trinity is integrated by three fish interlocked at the center, marking the intersection of three circles. It is commonly held that the triquetra is possibly an ancient symbol of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of the Christian faith) that was used by the ancient Celtic Christian church. The triquetra is sometimes streamlined into three interlaced fish. In fact, the symbol of the triqueta predates Christianity and was probably a Celtic symbol of their Goddess, and farther to the north, a symbol of the Norse god, Odin. Although the "triquetra" is commonly used today as a symbol of a tripartite goddess, there has actually been no real association established to confirm such a belief nor has the triquetra actually ever been factually linked to any known goddess with such a symbol. Symbols similar to the triquetra appear in some Nordic and Celtic images of the Goddess, but it has long been held that such sigils likely represent the divisions of the sea kingdom from the dominions of the Earth above. Triplicities were symbols commonly used in Celtic myth and legend, and one that easily crossed over to the Christian belief for many possible reasons, but especially since it would have been adopted so easily by Celtic people. The triqueta makes an ideal Christian symbol. Firstly, it is a practically perfect representation of the near-and-dear Christian concept of "three in one" in the Christian belief of the Holy Trinity. Secondly, the triquetra incorporates another popular Christian symbol, the fish, in its original form of the Vejiga de Pez (latin), which itself has been the subject of mystical speculation through the ages, the first of these speculators perhaps being the Pythagoreans, who considered the Vejiga de Pez to be a sacred figure. In the beliefs of modern-day Wiccans and Neopagans, the triqueta symbolizes the triple aspect of the Goddess (Father, Mother, and Crone). And while some Christians have protested this "appropriation" of the symbol, their protests are ironic in that, in the triquetra's original form, it served as the pattern for the Christian fish symbol that was derived from an early symbol of Venus, consisting of a representation of feminine generative organs that perfectly made the appropriate symbol of the triquetra for a representation of the goddess. The Triquetra is also considered to represent the triplicities of the mind, the body, and the soul, as well as the three Earth dominions according to Celtic legend of the Earth, the sea, and the Sky.

Ancient Celtic Philosophy
17:55 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,061




Ancient philosophers believed that no one could live intelligently who did not have a thorough understanding of nature and its laws. One needs to understand that the mysteries were dedicated to teaching people the implementation of divine law in the secular sector. Few early cults actually worshiped anthropomorphic deities, although their symbolism might lead one to believe it so. They were more than a moralist religious philosophical than theological. They taught humans to use their faculties more intelligently, show patience in adversity, to be brave when faced with danger, remain true in the middle of the temptation, and above all, to seek a decent life through acceptable sacrifice to God(s).



The original inhabitants of Great Britain and primitive, at some remote period of revived and reformed their national institutions. Their priest, or teacher, who until now had only Gwydd name, but it was considered that it has become necessary to divide this office of the national priest or higher, and for one whose impact on this should be limited. Henceforth, it was ex-Der Wydd (Druid), or an excellent teacher, and it Go-Wydd, or O-Vydd (oval), directed by subordinates, and both went to the general name Beirdd (poets), or teachers of wisdom. As the system matured and augmented, Bardic Order consisted of three classes, Druids, poets Beirdd Braint or privileged, and ovate.



At that time, the Roman conquests were mounted on either the Druids in Britain and Gaul. These people had an undeniable power, and there were cases in which armies, about to attack each other with swords sheathed when required to do so by druids dressed in white. Mysterious power and mystical magic of great importance was seldom dispersed without the help of these patriarchs, who were mediators between the gods and humans. Druidic Order is deservedly credited, which has had a profound knowledge of nature and its laws. Encyclopedia Britannica notes geography, physics, natural theology and astrology were their favorite studies. Druids had a fundamental knowledge of medicine, in particular the use of herbs. Crude surgical instruments have been found in England and Ireland. Contract initially odd British medical doctor who is expected to garden or backyard cultivation of certain herbs necessary to his profession.

Top 10 Most Significant Historical Grimoires...
17:47 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,062

POSTED BY NATHANAEL HOOD ON OCTOBER 5, 2011 “Let no one be found among you who makes his son or daughter pass through fire, no… an augur or soothsayer or diviner or sorcerer, none who cast spells or traffics with ghosts and spirits, and no necromancer.” Deuteronomy 18:10-11 *so endeth the note.



The term “grimoire” originated from the Old French word “grammaire” which meant “grammar” and was used to refer to all books that were written in Latin. However, by the 18th century, the term had taken on a new meaning: medieval European magic textbooks. Grimoire were collections of spells, instructions on how to create magical objects, and guides to summoning demons, angels, and spirits. They frequently contained astrological dioramas, lists of mystic entities, and even instructions for mixing medicines. While in modern society the term “grimoire” has come to encompass any kind of collection of magic, authentic grimoire were based off the magical traditions of Jewish, Muslim, and medieval Christian rituals and texts. Therefore, authentic grimoire didn’t usually contain Pagan rituals or magic. I have collected a list of ten of the most influential and historically significant grimoire throughout history. My goal was to present them in chronological order. However, because many grimoire don’t have definite publishing dates, I have had to take liberties in arranging them. Also, many grimoire had multiple names. For each entry I have tried to include their most important ones.



10. Sepher Ha-Razim/The Book of Secrets/The Book of Amulets (3rd Century)



Sepher Ha-Razim



The Kabbalistic tradition says that the Sepher Ha-Razim was given to Noah by the archangel Raziel and then passed down to King Solomon, one of the major figures of the Old Testament for his wealth, wisdom, and magical power. This text predates other major Kabbalistic texts such as the Zohar and the Bahir. It is split into seven sections, not including a preface, which mirror the seven days of creation and the seven heavens. Each section contains a list of angels and spells that can be performed. These spells are of a wide variety. They can be used to heal, attack foes, predict the future, and bring good fortune. The incantations take many forms: repetition, reversed language, and foreign words and names. These spells also make use of ritual objects and animal sacrifices.



9. The Picatrix/Ghâyat al-Hakîm fi’l-sihr/The Aim of the Sage/The Goal of the Wise (10-11th century)



The Goal Of The Wise Vol



The Picatrix is widely believed to be a book of early Arabic magic. Originally written in Arabic, the Picatrix was one of the first and most important texts written about astrological magic. It also holds the distinction of being one of the largest grimoire in history. Although it is impossible to confirm who actually originally wrote it, it is frequently contributed to Andalusian mathematician Ahmad Al-Majriti. It was translated into Latin in 1256 and went on to become extremely influential on Western magic, being used even by Renaissance mages like Cornelius Agrippa and Marsilio Ficino. It contained spells that ranged from “how to destroy a city with the Ray of Silence” to “how to influence men from a distance.” The text also had a list of magic images and detailed their uses. Frequently this would take the form of engraving the images of stars on specific objects.



8. Liber Juratus/The Sworn Book of Honorius (13th century)



The Sworn Book of Honorius



The Liber Juratus claims to be the product of a conference of magicians who wanted to consolidate all of their knowledge into one text in order to save them from persecution be Church officials. At the time, the Church was trying to destroy all books of magic. In fact, one of the reasons why authentic grimoire are so rare was because the Church was so efficient at discovering and burning them. The text is presented as a conversation with the angel Hochmel. The word “Hochmel” is a version of the Hebrew work “Chockmah” (wisdom). The book spans 93 chapters and a wide array of subjects, such as how to conjure and control demons, how to discover treasure, and how to save one’s soul from purgatory. One of the major features of the Liber Juratus is its methods for gaining the “Beatific Vision” where one receives a vision of the Face of God.



7. Sefer Raziel Ha-Malakh Liber Razielis Archangeli/Book of Raziel the Angel (13th century)



Sefer Raziel Ha-Malakh Liber Razielis Archangeli



The Sefer Raziel Ha-Malakh Liber Razielis Archangeli is considered to be one of the definite and most important books on Jewish magic. It is supposed to hold all of the knowledge of the Universe. This particular grimoire was partially based off the aforementioned Sepher Ha-Razim. Both were bestowed upon prominent biblical figures by the archangel Raziel. However, whereas the Sepher Ha-Razim was revealed to Noah, this was revealed to Adam. Supposedly, after being forced to leave the Garden of Eden with Eve, he prayed to God for guidance. God then sent Raziel to teach him the ways of nature through this text. It covers topics such as angelology, the zodiac, gematria (a system of assigning numerical values to words and phrases), protective spells, and talismans. It also includes a list of the various names of God. This text became especially prominent in German Renaissance magic along with the Picatrix.



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6. The Key of Solomon/Clavis Salomonis/Mafteah Shelomoh (14th-15th Century)



The Key of Solomon



The Key of Solomon is one of the most famous, important, and influential grimoires of all time. While it claims to have originated with King Solomon, it dates back to the 14th or 15th century Italian Renaissance. It inspired many other grimoires such as The Lesser Key of Solomon. The incantations and spells contained within were considerably powerful. Before they could be performed the practitioner needed to confess his sins and be purged of evil, thereby invoking the protection of God. The text includes instructions for conjurations, invocations and curses to summon and control spirits of the dead and demons. In addition, it details all of the different purification rituals, special outfits, and mystical instruments that need to be used during said practices.



5. The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage (1450s)



The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage



The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage was originally a collection of magical and Kabbalistic secrets. However, it gained particular popularity when it was later adopted by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (a magical order in Great Britain during the late 19th and early 20th century) and the religion of Thelema (developed in the early 20th century by Aleister Crowley). The text itself is a kind of epistolary novel wherein Abraham of Worms describes his journey from Germany to Egypt along with Abra-Melin’s secrets to his son Lamech. According to the text, Abraham met the powerful Egyptian mage Abra-Melin who taught him Kabbalistic magic. The text contains a complex and elaborate ritual for contacting one’s guardian angel and receiving magical secrets from him. In all, the ritual takes eighteen months. There are several other spells and magics contained within: the casting of love charms, flight, invisibility, and the ability to discover buried treasure.



4. Heptameron (‘Seven Days’) of Peter de Abano (1496)



Heptameron



The Heptameron of Peter de Abano was written by noted Italian philosopher and astrologer Pietro de Abano who died in prison during the Inquisition on claims of heresy and atheism. He lived from 1250-1316, but his Heptameron wasn’t published until the late 1400s. The text is a manual of planetary magic. It details the rites for summoning angels for each of the seven days of the week. It also contains instructions for the creation of magic circles, the consecrations of salt, water, and incense, and planetary hours. This grimoire was especially important as it influenced the Lemegeton, a famous 17th century book on demonology.



3. The Munich Handbook/The Munich Necromantic Handbook/Munich Manual of Demonic Magic/The Necromancer’s Manual (15th century)



The Munich Handbook



The Munich Handbook is an unusual grimoire in that it focuses on demonic magic and necromancy. It almost completely glosses over angels and the rituals for summoning them. Interestingly, it is believed by experts to having been written by none other than a member of the clergy. Many of its spells include the sacrificing of mythological and folkloric creatures and animals. For instance, one spell for creating an imaginary banquet involves the sacrifice of a hoopoe (a colorful bird found throughout Afro-Eurasia). The book is also important for more than its magical contents. It is a window into how the clergy and learned Christians viewed and practiced magic during the Middle Ages.



2. Grand Grimoire/The Red Dragon (1522?)



Grand Grimoire or The Red Dragon



The Grand Grimoire is a book of black magic that claims to have been written in 1522, but may have originated after the 18th century. It is considered to be the most evil and dangerous grimoire in existence. The text has a sinister purpose: the summoning of Lucifer or Lucifuge Rofocale (the demon in charge of the government of Hell) in order to make a Deal with the Devil. It also contains a hierarchy of infernal spirits. But in addition to the summoning of demons, it contains a large number of spells, formulas, and secrets. These include spells to make people dance completely naked and invisibility. But be warned! The Grand Grimoire is considered to be so atrocious that even experienced magicians and practitioners of the occult warn against it.



1. Libri Tres de Occulta Philosophia by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa/ Three Books of Occult Philosophy (1531)



Libri Tres de Occulta Philosophia



The Three Books of Occult Philosophy was written by famous German magician, astrologer, and alchemist Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. The books dealt with Elemental, Celestial, and Intellectual magic. These three kinds of magic are subdivided into many other different disciplines that include the four elements, astrology, Kabbalhaism, numerology, angelology, scrying, and alchemy. The three books were landmarks in discussing magic in scholarly and intellectual terms. They also contain a large amount of pagan and Neoplatonic magic. It is also a source of great curiosity as it makes references and provides extracts on magic from obscure and/or lost works from famous historical figures such as Pythagoras, Ptolemy, Plato, and Aristotle. Even by modern standards, they are considered to be the authoritative texts on magic by occultists.

The 9 Most Eerie Books and Grimoires Of All Time 5/27/2014 (Updated 06/03/2014) by Jake Anderson
17:00 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,064

1

The Voynich Manuscript



The Voynich Manuscript

Widely considered to be one of the most mysterious manuscripts in the history of Time As Perceived By Mankind, this book contains a ciphered unknown alphabet written on vellum (calfskin) and depicts bizarre plants, original astronomical charts, and odd interconnected bathtubs with tiny naked people.



Cryptographers, mathematicians and linguists have been unable to decipher this book. Despite its arcane nature, scholars maintain it was written during the medieval years of 1404 and 1438. Its name comes from antique book dealer Wilfrid Voynich, who bought the book second-hand in Italy in 1912.

(Source)





2

The Munich Manual of Demonic Magic



The Munich Manual of Demonic Magic

Also known as The Necromancer's Manual, this grimoire is the work of a 15th century German magician who wanted to produce a sourcebook for evoking demonic spirits.



The Manual contains the three major kinds of magick found in grimoires: Illusionist, Psychological, and Divinatory. Illusionist spells are meant to fool people into seeing things like castles or armies. Psychological spells are meant to leverage emotional or political power over people. Divinatory actions are intended to extract information from the future or past.



The Munich Manual contains passages that describe sacrificing mythological creatures, but the most eerie component of this book is that it completely ignores angel folklore and focuses exclusively on black magick and descriptions of classical exorcisms.

(Source)



3

Codex Seraphinianus



Codex Seraphinianus

This is known as one of the strangest books of all time and a new edition has just been released. The Codex Seraphinianus is different than the other books on this list because its author, Luigi Serafini, is known and it was written in the 1970s!



The Codex Seraphinianus is similar to the Voynich in its largely unintelligible, syntax-less text and fascination with fauna and floral specimen. It also features “trucks with human heads, skeletons getting fitted for new bodies, and weird animals that don't exist.”



This book was published in the early 80s, which probably added to its pop lore - it's a book that went viral before viral was even a thing.

(Source)



4

Heptameron (‘Seven Days')



Heptameron (‘Seven Days')

This grimoire was originally modeled to imitate the Decameron. The author, Pietro d'Abano, who died in prison during the Inquisition, believed in something called planetary magic, by which one could conjure angels for the seven days of the week.



I can't help but imagine a man accused of atheism wasting away in prison, trying to summon strength from cosmic forces we didn't even yet know existed. (Source | Photo)



5

On the Writing of the Insane



On the Writing of the Insane

This book actually isn't about magic or demons and it isn't a grimoire, but it may be the eeriest book on this list. Written by G. Mackenzie Bacon, medical superintendent at the Fulbourn asylum near Cambridge, England, the book contains the complex diagrammatic writings of an asylum patient who filled every centimeter of his pages with wild musings and diagrammatic text.



He was asked to abandon this writing forbidden, to which he replied: “Dear Doctor, to write or not to write, that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to follow the visit of the great ‘Fulbourn' with ‘chronic melancholy' expressions of regret (withheld when he was here) that, as the Fates would have it, we were so little prepared to receive him, and to evince my humble desire to do honour to his visit. My Fulbourn star, but an instant seen, like a meteor's flash, a blank when gone. The dust of ages covering my little sanctum parlour room, the available drapery to greet the Doctor, stowed away through the midst of the regenerating (water and scrubbing – cleanliness next to godliness, political and spiritual) cleansing of a little world. The Great Physician walked, bedimmed by the ‘dark ages' the long passage of Western Enterprise, leading to the curvatures of rising Eastern morn. The rounded configuration of Lunar (tics) garden's lives an o'ershadowment on Britannia's vortex…”



Sadly, he later drowned himself in public.

(Source | Photo)





6

The Picatrix/The Aim of the Sage



The Picatrix/The Aim of the Sage

The largest grimoire in history is also the quintessential tome of 11th century Arabic magic. It contains spells that explain "how to poison by sleep, gaze, or work" as well as acquiring the love of another, escaping from prison, and healing a scorpion's sting.



It also describes "confections" composed of blood, brains and urine. (Source | Photo)





7

The Oera Linda Book



The Oera Linda Book

This Old Frisian book purports to contain wisdom dating back 4,000 years, including teachings from the mythical Atlantis. Unfortunately, it was a favorite among Nazi occultists and is thus tainted with epic creepiness. Some even refer to it as “Himmler's bible."

(Source | Photo)





8

The Story of the Vivian Girls



The Story of the Vivian Girls

This is an unparalleled example of "Art Brut," or "Raw Art" (art made by the truly eccentric). Like the Codex Seraphinianus, this book is contemporary and its author known.



After his death in 1973, it was discovered that reclusive American writer Henry Darger had penned a 15,145-page, single-spaced fantasy manuscript called The Story of the Vivian Girls, In What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion.



The book contains graphic color illustrations and ranges in content from floral landscapes to child torture.



Please note: Darger usually depicts his girls as having little penises. (Source)





9

The Red Dragon/Grand Grimoire



The Red Dragon/Grand Grimoire

The Grand Grimoire, circa 1520 AD, also called the Red Dragon and the Gospel of Satan, was discovered in the tomb of Solomon in 1750 and is written in either Biblical Hebrew or Aramaic.



The 4-part book is owned by the Roman Catholic Church and is kept in the Vatican Secret Archives, where it remains unavailable to the public. How do we know it exists? The Church claims official ownership of it.



The legend of the Red Dragon is that the manuscript was based on writings by the apocryphal Honorius of Thebes, who many claimed was possessed by Satan. The book is said to contain proof of demonic evocation and occult spells as well as the process whereby newly elected popes are slowly won over by Satan's greatness.



Unsurprisingly, The Grand Grimoire is still used widely by practitioners of voodoo, especially in Haiti, where it is called Le Veritable Dragon Rouge.



Oh, the book is also rumored to be impervious to fire.

Four Creepy, Ancient, "Magic" Books that Really Exist By ChauntonJuly 5, 2012
16:57 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,065

Mysterious, sacred, and often secret texts are a frequent prop of horror and fantasy tales. True Blood has the Vampire Bible, Grimm has the journals of previous generations of hunters (as does Supernatural), and everything seems to have the Necronomicon. If you want to get your hands on one of these, don’t worry, a few of them have published versions that you can order from your favorite bookseller, but if you want the real deal* here are four mysterious texts that actually exist:



The Voynich Manuscript

This is the granddaddy of them all. Nicknamed “the most mysterious manuscript” this collection of nearly 250 pages of ciphered writing has been capturing people’s imaginations for 500 years. The text is written in an unknown alphabet that (at least superficially) seems to follow the patterns of a real language. Throughout the text are illustrations of strange plants, zodiac-like astronomical charts, and tiny naked people in interconnected bathtubs (You know, the usual.) The book seems to have passed through the hands of alchemists, botanists, nobles, and priests before ending up in the rare books collection of Yale University, where it lives today.



The Rohonc Codex

This text from Hungary dates back at least 200 years and perhaps as much as 500. Like the Voynich Manuscript, the text is written in an unknown alphabet which is stubbornly resistant to translation. There is even quite a bit of debate about what direction the words and pages should be read. Most scholars agree that, based on the pictures included, the text is a religious one, specifically Christian. There’s some thought that the final, nail-in-the-coffin translation of this text will be published in the next year or two (but honestly, no amount of “definitive” translation seems to be able to put a mysterious text to bed.)



The Book of Soyga

The Book of Soyga is a refreshing change of pace. It is not untranslated and its age is not in dispute. In fact, there were several centuries when scholars knew about the book, but couldn’t find a copy; now they’ve found two! In fact, these two copies were both hiding in plain sight in cataloged library collections—they had just been recorded under a different name than the one that everybody had been searching under. The Book of Soyga is a 16th century tome of magic that once belonged to John Dee, probably European history’s most famous magician. Have no fear, the book does have a section of ciphers, but they are only one part of the Latin-langage text that covers such metal subjects as spells, angels, and demonology.



The Oera Linda Book

This is the youngest of the texts discussed here (only about 150 years old), but it claims to be a record of much older events dating back nearly four thousand years and including wisdom from mythical Atlantis. Written in Old Frisian (an early Germanic dialect), it was recognized as crazy-pants from pretty much the first time anyone translated it, but you better believe that didn’t stop the Nazis from trying to make something of it. The book (which has a good crop of generally nationalist and specifically pro-German components to it) even earned the nickname “Himmler’s Bible” for a time, because of its important role in some forms of Nazi occultism.



*Of course, by “real” we mean that they actually, physically exist. The odds are exceedingly good that every one of these texts is a forgery/hoax designed to trick people out of money or advance a political agenda. So, take it all with a grain of salt, and don’t start founding any new religions on these texts just yet.

Timeline of magic.. Magician Magic...
16:55 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,066

Timeline

2700 BCE - The reputed first known performance of a conjuring effect (balls) by the magician Dedi in ancient Egypt. Dedi had done other effects such as decapitating a birds head and reattach the head resurrecting it. (This is disputed as there is nothing in the reference to Dedi, specifically in the Westcar Papyrus, to indicate that he did the cups and balls for anyone. The famous drawing of two men seemingly performing the cups and balls, from the tomb of Baqet III at Beni Hasan is believed by most experts to show a game using pots[1] or cups[2] but details of the game are unknown.)(Note: Since there is no indication that Dedi performed the Cups and Balls, and the Beni Hasan tomb painting is considered unlikely to represent the effect, there is no certain evidence for the existence of the Cups and Balls during this time period.)



50-300 CE - The Acetabularii performed the Cups and balls in ancient Rome using stones and small vinegar cups (hence the name Acetabularii). Acetabularii are a group of magicians specializing on the cups and balls effect.



400-1000 - The Dark Ages; little is known about the history of magic, but much of it was associated with the occult and magic as entertainment is not prominent.



1000-1500 - The Middle Ages where much magic was still associated with the occult and witchcraft. The growing trading nature of society allowed some street or circus performers to make a living out of old classics such as the cups and balls and indeed more modern ideas such as cheating by short changing via sleights with coins and other small objects.



1584 - Reginald Scot publishes The Discoverie of Witchcraft(sic) a book designed in part to counter the activities of persecutionists, but at the same time revealing many conjuring secrets of the day. Magic and witchcraft were still linked, and many copies of Scot's book were burnt in the early 17th century.



1720- Isaac Fawlkes, English Magician retires. His performances at fairs leaves him with a fortune of nearly ten thousand pounds. Among his tricks were a card on ceiling with any card called for and his bag of many eggs. His booth is featured in Bartholomew Fair by Hogarth with a sign that says "Dexterity of Hand." He also presented impressionists and contortionists as part of his shows.



1750 - Joseph Pinetti, "considered to be the major figure of eighteenth century magic," is born. "Pinetti is said to be the first recorded performer to do the thumb tie effect" and he also performed second sight, exhibited automata and the orange tree illusion.[3]



1805 - Year of birth of Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (died 1871). The "father of modern magic", who brought it from the street and circus side shows to an elegant stage or drawing room setting.



1874 - Year of birth of Harry Houdini aka King of Cards and King of Handcuffs (died 1926 because of a ruptured appendix). Real name Ehrich Weiss, he achieved fame as an escapologist.



1876 - The first publication of Modern Magic. Written by Professor Louis Hoffman (1839–1919) (Real name Angelo John Lewis), it was a definitive work on the state of the art of that time.



1877 - Martinka and Co. was founded by Francis and Antonio Martinka, it was run by Houdini in 1919 and is still in existence today.



1894 - Year of birth of Dai Vernon (died 1992). aka "The Professor" and "The Man That Fooled Houdini", he was born as David Frederick Wingfield Verner in Ottawa. The most influential 20th-century magician.



1902 - The "Expert At The Card Table" is published by The Charles T. Powner Co. was written by S. W. Erdnase. Considered by serious card workers as one of the most important books written on the subject.



1902 - May 10, The Society of American Magicians is founded at Martinka's Magic Shop in New York City, New York. It is the oldest magic society in the world.



1905 - July - The Magic Circle was formed. Its first President was David Devant. This is a prestigious organisation for magicians and has strict rules against exposure. (It expelled its founder twice for alleged exposure, something it has done to many famous magicians.)



1911 - Our Magic by Nevil Maskelyne and David Devant arguably one of the most important books of magic theory is published.



1911 - The Mysto Magic Company incorporated by Gilbert, Gilbert, and Petrie.



1918 - Houdini first performs Morritt's Vanishing Elephant at the Hippodrome on January 7.



1921 - P.T. Selbit performs the first ever "Sawing in half", something that is, in present day, synonymous with the art of magic.



1926 - On All Hallows Eve at 1:26 pm, Harry Houdini dies.



Circa 1940 - Edward M. Massey invents the finger chopper[4] which becomes many young magicians' first trick.



1949 - The first publication of Royal Road to Card Magic Written by Jean Hugard and Fred Braue, it's still an important first text for card workers today.



1952 - The first publication of Modern Coin Magic Written by JB Bobo, considered by some the "bible" of coin magic, many other works reference this one.



1956 - David Copperfield is born on September 16, as David Seth Kotkin.



1960 - Lance Burton is born on March 10, as William Lance Burton in Louisville, Kentucky.



1963 - The Magic Castle is formed by Milt Larsen in Hollywood USA by converting a 1908 Victorian mansion to a centre of magical excellence. Many leading magicians have performed there. Dai Vernon was resident magician in the latter part of his life.



1968 - The book Thirteen Steps To Mentalism by Corinda was published and is one of the most famous books on mentalism.



1972 - New York's first magic show spot The Magic Towne House is opened by Ed Davis and taken over by Dorothy Dietrich (then a teenager) and Dick Brookz. It featured such notables as Frank Garcia (magician), Jack London, Harry Blackstone, Jr. etc. Performers who got their start their included Eric DeCamps, Rocco Silano, Johnny Ace Palmer, Jeff McBride and Michael Chaut. Year's later Michael would organize Monday Night Magic after The Magic Towne House closed in the 1980's.



1974 - The musical The Magic Show starring Doug Henning opens on Broadway and ushers in a new "Golden Age" of magic.



1977 - Marco the Magi presents Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company premieres on February 20 in Beverly, Massachusetts. It becomes the longest running "Resident Magic Show" in history.



1977 - Jeff Sheridan, NY's celebrated Central Park Street Magician publishes "STREET MAGIC - An Illustrated History of Wandering Magicians and Their Conjuring Arts". Published by Dolphin Books, an imprint of Doubleday & Company. The first street magician to perform in NY in over 100 years.



1994 - The first WWW magic stores appear following the older text type newsgroups and bulletin boards. Pictorial and information sites soon follow, changing the way magic is learned and distributed.



1997 - The Masked Magician , Val Valentino, provokes much controversy by exposing magic secrets on major Fox TV specials. David Blaine brings "Street Magic" to America.



1998 - World Of Illusion at Madison Square Garden launched the career of Criss Angel, followed by Criss Angel Mindfreak which ran until 2003.



2011 Dynamo (Steven Frayne) releases series 1 of magic series 'Dynamo: Magician Impossible', and goes on to release 3 more series in the following years.



2012 On July 5, 2012, Dynamo (Steven Frayne) is promoted to Associate of the Inner Magic Circle.

World’s Oldest Known Magic Text Translated Into English For The First Time Greed, Gummo:2, 6006 YD
16:53 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,067

After lying almost untouched in the vaults of an Italian university for 500 years, a book on the magic arts written by Leonardo da Vinci’s best friend and teacher has been translated into English for the first time.



The world’s oldest magic text, De viribus quantitatis (On The Powers Of Numbers) was penned by Luca Pacioli, a Franciscan monk who shared lodgings with Da Vinci and is believed to have helped the artist with The Last Supper.



It was written in Italian by Pacioli between 1496 and 1508 and contains the first ever reference to card tricks as well as guidance on how to juggle, eat fire and make coins dance. It is also the first work to note that Da Vinci was left-handed.

Although the book has been described as the “foundation of modern magic and numerical puzzles”, it was never published and has languished in the archives of the University of Bologna, seen only by a small number of scholars since the Middle Ages.



The transcription has taken eight years, involved several translators and cost thousands of pounds. William Kalush, a magician and the founder of the Conjuring Arts Research Centre in New York, who financed the project, said: “This book is the first major manual that is primarily concerned with teaching how to perform magic.”



“Sources of magic methods go back at least to the first century, but this book teaches not only the methods but also gives a glimpse into how one might perform them with an eye to entertaining an audience.”



The book was rediscovered after David Singmaster, a mathematician, came across a reference to it in a 19th-century manuscript.



“It’s the foundation not only of modern magic but of numerical puzzles too,” he said. “We don’t know why, but this huge thing has been hidden away in the University of Bologna we presume since the time of Pacioli.”



Experts believe it will give a greater understanding of magical history as well as insights into Da Vinci’s life and work. Carlo Pedretti, a leading art historian, studied the original Italian text in Bologna in 1954. He said: “It’s a very important document. It shows how much Da Vinci liked games and tricks – but only if they had scientific foundations. It’s also a very important document from the viewpoint of his work as it mentions The Last Supper.”



The manuscript contains a previously unknown anecdote about Da Vinci.



Dr Pedretti said: “Leonardo was working as an architect and general engineer for Cesare Borgia – the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI – who wanted to establish a new state in Italy in 1502. On their journey they came across a river and Da Vinci very quickly figured a way to use tree trunks to build a bridge – this is the first time we hear this story.”







Pacioli was born in Tuscany in 1445 and was a travelling mathematics tutor. He is often called the father of modern accountancy because his book The Summa (1494) contains the first published description of double-entry bookkeeping, accountancy’s basic technique.



He lived with Da Vinci in Milan from 1496 for several years and taught maths and geometry to the painter, scientist and inventor. They collaborated on many projects including a book, De Divina Proportione (1509), which Da Vinci also illustrated.



De viribus quantitatis is divided into three sections: mathematical problems, puzzles and tricks, and a collection of proverbs and verses.



Tricks include how to write a sentence on the petals of a rose, wash your hands in molten lead and make an egg walk across a table (“commoners will consider it a miracle”.) It also contains some of the first known European examples of numerical puzzles, which are similar to those printed in today’s newspapers, such as Sudoku.



There is also a diagram of a moving piece puzzle – such as those found in Christmas crackers – which was the medieval version of the Rubik’s cube.



Elsewhere in its pages, Pacioli explains a technique for writing in code, which may have been inspired by Da Vinci, whose left-handedness meant he sometimes wrote backwards making the words decipherable only with the use of a mirror.



No originality attaches to this work and Pacioli himself called it a compendium. Some of the problems are found in the notebooks of Da Vinci and although he never mentions Pacioli directly, experts believe that De viribus quantitatis shows their relationship was mutually beneficial.



Lori Pieper, the manuscript’s main translator, said: “There’s one particular case when Pacioli describes a mariner’s clock or compass.”



“He writes, ‘Well Leonardo, you can do more of this on your own.’ It implies that Pacioli also gave inventions to Leonardo and it wasn’t just a one-way street. They learned from each other.”



Although Da Vinci was a polymath interested in everything from art to anatomy, and Pacioli was a man obsessed by figures and logic, some believe both were enchanted by the magic of numbers.



“Maths and magic are intertwined,” said Eddie Dawes, the Magic Circle’s historian. “There are a number of magic tricks done with maths which date back a long time – like prediction tricks. The means by which magic is produced has obviously changed since Pacioli’s day but the basic effects remain much the same.”



De viribus quantitatis was written at a time when people were burnt at the stake for witchcraft and in the manuscript Pacioli seems to want to demystify trickery and to prove it was more about sleight of hand than supernatural powers.



Mr Singmaster said: “Perhaps he wanted to help rid us of our superstitions and make the world more rational and understandable.”



The translation of De viribus quantitatis will be published next year to coincide with its 500th anniversary. Until then, Da Vinci aficionados and aspiring magicians will have to be content with visiting the Conjuring Arts Research Centre where a copy will be kept.



Some of Pacioli’s tricks:



WASHING HANDS IN MOLTEN LEAD:



Take cool well water and soak your hands for a while; then shake them, you can put them in a pan full of melted lead over a flame, and it will not cook you. It is even better if you put some ground rock alum in the water … to the uneducated … it will appear to be a miracle.



FLOATING COIN IN WATER:



Take some magnetic powder and rub it on a copper coin before putting the coin in some vinegar. Then take a little bit of the magnetic powder between your thumb and index finger and tap the glass of water, where the coin is, and it will come up and go down … with your hand.



CARD TRICKS:



You will be able to teach the said boy, since he is closed [in a room] or at a distance, to guess which card some people have touched without seeing it, by way of the numbers you have agreed on with him: that is, by placing a number on the figures and cards according to the trick, and according to the agreement made between you … since it always appears to those who do not know the way … that all these things are done by the magic art of divination. And thus with spots on dice, and the ring, so you will always be able to do stupendous things with him … but you must do it cautiously, so that you might not be embarrassed, since the more secret things are, the more beautiful they are.



WALKING AN EGG:



Take an egg that has been emptied through a hole made with a pin, and then filled in with white wax, so the hole cannot be seen. And get a hair from a braid, the longest you can, and attach it to the shell with … solid wax. Fasten another bit of wax to the other end … placing the egg on the table, with the nail of your middle finger, pick up the said wax, and by moving it here and there … it will follow. This must be [done] in a place not too brightly lit, with onlookers at a distance.

6 Historical Heroes Who Did Awful Things Nobody Talks About By Zachary Frey July 21, 2015
16:49 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,068

One problem with history is that we tend to view everyone through a modern lens. Thus, the "good guys" surely held all of our modern progressive views. (The Spartans in 300 were all about freedom and democracy, right?)



The reality, of course, is that every real hero had an ugly side, one which was either overshadowed by their heroism or was simply consistent with the general ugliness of the era. Still, you're not getting a true sense of history if you ignore the fact that ...



#6. George Washington Had An Expensive Birthday Bash While His Army Starved





Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty Images



The first president of the United States, according to legend, was a humble man who was pathologically unable to tell a lie and had wooden teeth. We generally accept that most of that is false, but even if we are about to say he insisted on jerking off during every battle, that doesn't change the fact that the guy was always a hero when it counted.





Edward P. Moran



"He rubbed one out while everyone stood at attention and watched; it gave us the morale to survive Valley Forge."



But Everyone Forgets ...



George Washington was so humble that he refused a salary ... instead taking an expense account that he intentionally exploited the crap out of. We've mentioned before some of his crazy expense account abuses -- for example, in seven months, Washington spent $6,000 dollars, or 75 times the yearly salary of a private, on booze alone. He billed the Continental Congress $3,800 for his retreat from New Jersey, and spent 120 times the monthly salary of a private on a goddamn saddle for a horse (or at least, we hope it was for a horse).



Despite the fact that 1776 dollars make the contents of your wallet look like monopoly money, for $6,000 today, you could drink booze while fucking flying, and then buy three horses.





Junius Brutus Stearns



Of course, he also bought hundreds of actual humans over the years, so purchasing power comparisons may not hold up.



Washington also used his expense account to lend money to deadbeat friends who never paid him back, and to buy senselessly extravagant things, like crate after crate of limes. At Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, one-sixth of the critically under-supplied American army died, much of them from starvation. The food situation was so desperate that Washington sent troops to as far away as New Jersey to "forage" -- better known as "stealing food from random people so our army doesn't die of starvation".





Library of Congress



"... And try to find beans that aren't covered in farmers' tears this time. Too salty."



And though Washington was concerned his army would die of a "famine" at Valley Forge, on his birthday, he used his expense account to eat mutton and fowl, and even hired a band to play. In fact, to raise morale for the starving troops, most of whom had no shoes or coats, Washington spent money out of the budget to put on a play (either the taste of soldiers has changed radically over the centuries, or this play better have had a lot of nudity). That one angered the Continental Congress to the point where they banned everyone in the entire army from ever attending a play, on threat of court-martial.



All in all, Washington spent about $450,000 (in 1780 dollars) on himself during his eight-year stint as commander-in-chief of the army. It's difficult to tell how much that is with 235 years of inflation, but it is in the $4-4.5 million neighborhood. Yeah, if you see Washington's supposed wooden teeth in a museum, it's only because somebody pried the gold grille off it after he died.



#5. Winston Churchill Starved India





Hulton Archive/Hulton Archive/Getty Images



Winston Churchill is fondly remembered for his witty one-liners, as well as the whole "winning World War II" thing. Often regarded the greatest Prime Minister in British history, it's almost like looking cool smoking a cigar and making inspirational anti-Nazi speeches was enough to get people to ignore his spectacular list of crimes against humanity.



But Everyone Forgets ...



In 1943, one of the worst famines in history was raging in the Bengal region in British India. This was in the middle of World War II, and Churchill made it much worse by diverting food out of India to supply the British forces in Europe. "But that was to defeat Hitler!" you're probably thinking. "That's the kind of sacrifices that have to be made!" Well, not really -- there was no shortage of food for the troops at the time, and Churchill refused offers of free food from the United States and Canada. He was kind of doing it for no other reason than to be a dick.





Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images



"We're still upset we can't colonially oppress you anymore, so we're milking this India thing for all its worth."



When concerned administrators in India sent Churchill a telegram to let him know about the piles of bodies building up on India's streets, Churchill replied simply to ask why Gandhi wasn't dead yet. Oh, that adorable Churchill wit! Churchill later told the Secretary of State for India, "I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion." He went on to say that Indians brought the famine upon themselves by "breeding like rabbits." Those statements could be perceived as racist, if read in a certain light.





Comstock Images/Stockbyte/Getty Images



Specifically, any light bright enough to read that text in.



It wasn't Churchill's first experiment with racist assholery. Before he was the head of the government, he was Secretary of State for War when the British ruled Iraq. It was his job to sort out a little uprising problem, and his eager response was to bomb them with chemical weapons. Like, straight away, without even having to be asked. According to Churchill, "I am strongly in favor of using poisoned gas against uncivilized tribes." Another zinger from the quip master!



Later, during his second run as Prime Minister, Churchill tried to think of what foreign race he hadn't committed an atrocity against yet, when rebels started making a fuss in Kenya. Churchill did what he did best -- he rounded up 150,000 "blackamoors" (what Churchill called Kenyans) and put them in what has been deemed "Britain's Gulags" in order to clear up some fertile land for white settlers. One of the victims was Hussein Onyango Obama, Barack Obama's grandfather. Yep, Winston Churchill had the grandfather of the current American president put in a concentration camp and tortured for two years.



#4. Alexander Graham Bell Was A Eugenicist Who Feared The Deaf





Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images



Alexander Graham Bell is known for inventing the telephone and for being confused with Thomas Edison a lot.





Hulton Archive/Hulton Archive/Getty Images



They did use a strikingly similar creative process: unrepentant theft.



But Everyone Forgets ...



When Bell wasn't busy inventing the telephone, he was involved in a bizarre campaign to eliminate deaf people. You might assume that this was just good business sense, since deaf people were unlikely to become a huge market for telephones, but Bell's concerns were more weirdly specific. He feared that deaf people would take over America, like some kind of hearing-impaired Illuminati.





Edward Gooch/Hulton Archive/Getty Images



Which makes us wonder if he invented the Internet message board, too.



Bell was a dyed-in-the-wool eugenicist, which was a popular position in the early 20th century, before the Nazis came along and most adherents decided "Oh, maybe this ideology fucking sucks." On top of that, he was probably bad at understanding it, since deafness isn't usually congenital, and even having two deaf parents doesn't mean that you're going to be deaf yourself. Still, Bell was mortified when he saw that deaf people were setting up their own organizations, meeting other deaf people, and intermarrying, which he saw as the precursor to the rise of a "deaf race."



In his ongoing campaign against the deaf menace, Bell personally convinced state legislature after state legislature to ban sign language in school, shut down schools for the deaf, and bar deaf teachers from teaching deaf students. Bell's hope was that deaf people would all become great at lip-reading and thus fully integrate themselves into society, a wish that he shared with his good friend Helen Keller -- who, if you want to be even more depressed today, we must reveal was also a fan of eugenics.





Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images





Which seems ill-conceived for someone who spent half their life one step away from forcible commitment.



Bell served six years as chairman of the board of scientific advisers to the Eugenics Record Office, and even spent time as the president of the Second International Congress of Eugenics, an organization which became a major model for the Nazi eugenics program, after which Americans decided "Oh ... oh, maybe this is a bad idea."



#3. Ulysses S. Grant Tried To Deport All The Black People To A Caribbean Island





Matthew Brady



When Honest Abe issued the Emancipation Proclamation, someone probably asked, "You and what army?" That army was led by Ulysses S. Grant, the local drunk. In a mere 15 years, the now-legendary Grant spectacularly went from being an alcoholic to being the president of the United States. Though he mostly sucked at being president, he is always remembered fondly for his work freeing the slaves and saving the union.





Library of Congress



Plus, you gotta love a president any of you could knock back a few drinks with.



But Everyone Forgets ...



President Grant was concerned that blacks and whites would never be able to live together peacefully, so he concocted an insane plan to buy the Dominican Republic for $1.6 million and send all four million freed black people in the United States there. Because while he was sympathetic enough to free them from slavery, he wasn't quite willing to let them run around interacting with white people.





Library of Congress



Correction: a president some of you could knock back a few drinks with.



He even got legendary anti-slavery Senator Charles Sumner, then the most powerful man in the Senate, to agree to help him deport all the black people. And the Dominican Republic, then known as Santo Domingo, was totally on board with this idea, though that may have something to do with Dominican President Buenaventura Baez personally being offered $100,000 in the annexation treaty.



Given American history in general, you would think that when a country was asking to be annexed, the United States would treat it like a Christmas present. But Charles Sumner changed his mind at the last moment and decided to fight the treaty, claiming it was Grant's first step in a "dance of blood," whatever that means. Partly because of Sumner's back flip, the treaty failed to pass the Senate.





Without any more context, we're going to assume this is what Sumner was worried about.



And while it could be argued that Grant had good (if misguided) intentions there, the same can't be said for the time that he made an order banning all Jews from the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi.



Apparently, Grant was annoyed by cotton smugglers running around, and he blamed the Jews, as though Jews are somehow known as the Hamburglers of the cotton industry. As Grant explained in General Order #11, "The Jews as a class violate every regulation of trade established by the Treasury Department and also War Department orders." His solution was to ban Jews from several states, under punishment of arrest. Grant's order is the only example of a purely anti-Semitic action taken by the U.S. government in its history, and yet somehow, Grant still won the Jewish vote both times that he ran for president. The guy must have been persuasive as hell.



#2. W.E.B. Du Bois Was Friendly To The Nazis (For A While)





C. M. Battey/Hulton Archive/Getty Images



W.E.B. Du Bois was an early American civil rights leader, so one would expect the man to be a walking, talking fountain of tolerance.



But Everyone Forgets ...



A bizarre, five-month-long trip to Nazi Germany in 1936 that was funded by a Nazi on the condition that Du Bois not criticize their treatment of Jews, which should probably have been a red flag.





Hulton Archive/Hulton Archive/Getty Images



"Troubling red flag" was likely a pretty consistent theme of that trip.



When Du Bois returned to the United States, he wrote that the German's hatred of the Jews "is a reasoned prejudice, or an economic fear." Jewish and anti-Nazi organizations were very unnerved when the great Du Bois came back from Germany and started saying anything about Nazism other than "let's kill it with fire."



As a black man touring the goddamn Third Reich, Du Bois was pleased to be able to report that he experienced no racial discrimination. Which isn't that much of a surprise, considering that the visit was orchestrated as an effort to cover up said racial discrimination. Du Bois actually wound up sharing many of the Nazi views on Jews (saying they were an "alien presence" and "foreign element" in Germany), claimed Hitler's dictatorship was necessary and that national socialism made sense, and spoke highly of Hitler's right-hand man, Rudolph Hess.





Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images



He stopped short of tongue-kissing Eva Braun, but not by much.



Du Bois ultimately spent years backpedaling and defending himself in the black press, and whatever he was trying to say either was a mountain of pro-Nazi comments, or got buried under a mountain of pro-Nazi comments, which are the worst type of comments.



As for what he truly believed, he did probably hold some anti-Semitic views, and was especially frustrated that the Jews in Germany were not particularly vocal about the mistreatment of African-Americans. In retrospect, there were probably better ways to express that than doing the full Hitler publicity tour.



#1. Tibetan Monks Were Feudal Tyrants Who Owned Slaves and Tortured Dissidents





hanhanpeggy/iStock/Getty Images



If you've heard activists crying "Free Tibet!", there's a good reason for it. Before being subjugated under the tyrannical thumb of China, Tibet was a peaceful country led for centuries by Buddhist monks, most recently Nobel-Peace-Prize-winning human rights activist Tenzing Gyatso, the Dalai Lama. And if you've ever seen pictures of Tibet, you can't help but notice those monks lived in some spectacular houses.





Antoine Taveneaux



"Shit, my Frisbee went over the side."



But Everyone Forgets ...



That's the Potala Palace, where the Dalai Lamas lived with their many, many slaves. Before China took over, the political structure in Tibet was essentially feudalism, which you might remember from history class as a form of government so archaic that it was wiped out in the 1400s for being too outdated.



There were really only two classes of people in Tibet: the monks, known as Lamas, who lived in luxury, and the serfs, known as "literally everyone else," who had no rights and basically lived only to serve the Lamas. And the Lamas weren't necessarily the kind of quiet, benevolent hippies that Hollywood wants you to believe.





piccaya/iStock/Getty Images



You'd think that guys discouraged from ever taking money would tone it down a bit with the gold.



First of all, taxes in Tibet were about as high as you would expect from a country in which every individual member of government lived in their own massive castle. The Lamas put a tax on everything, and we mean everything -- there was a tax for being born, and after that, just about everything you did after waking up in the morning, from keeping animals to attending festivals to leaving town, had a hidden price tag. Homeless and begging on the streets? Hope you're able to scrape up enough change at the end of the day to pay the begging tax.



Those who couldn't afford to pay their taxes had the option of, well, starving to death, at which point all of your debts (including your newly acquired death tax debt) would pass on to your family. Or you could take out a loan from a monastery with an interest rate that made loan sharks look like philanthropists.





Fotosearch/Fotosearch/Getty Images



"Before we figure out what you owe, you should know there's a math tax."



If serfs defaulted on their debts, broke the law, or attempted to flee, then they had one of Tibet's torture chambers to look forward to. Yes, "Tibet's torture chambers" were things that existed. Of course, Buddhism clearly disallowed the death penalty, but the Lamas found loopholes in the dogma that made things like eye-gouging, amputation, and tongue removal fair game. Tibetan monasteries reportedly had private prisons and carried handcuffs in children's sizes, in case you wanted to know if they had all the evil bases covered.



This obviously raises the question of why exactly it is we tend to think of Tibet as some kind of paradise. The simple answer is that, after the Chinese invasion, only the aristocratic Lamas escaped, dancing across the Himalayas like they were in The Sound Of Music, except the singing was tax evasion and everyone was an asshole. So the monks were the only people who were able to spread the word to the rest of the world about Tibet, and not surprisingly, they thought quite highly of it.

7 Books We Lost to History That Would Have Changed the World By Jacopo della Quercia January 12, 2010
16:45 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,070

The vast majority of the knowledge humans have assembled over the centuries, has been lost. The world's geniuses either kept their revelations to themselves and then died, or else they put it down on paper which has long since rotted or burned or been used to line some parakeet's cage.



Obviously we'll never know what great books have been lost to time, but we have clues on some of them, and what those clues tell us is mind-boggling, and a little bit depressing. If you could make a library out of just books that didn't survive, you'd have a collection of some of the best freaking books ever written.



#7. The Gospel of Eve, by Unknown







What is it:



It is apparently a totally sexually perverse lost book of the Bible. It's not hard to see why it didn't survive--church officials back in the day said the book was inspiring all kinds of depravity, from "free love" to "coitus interruptus and eating semen as a religious act."



(Wait, what? HOLY SHIT!)







Why it's Awesome:



Ah ha! The truth comes out! A book like this could deliver a potentially fatal blow to all that 2,000 years' worth of celibacy Christians had to set their watch to. For all we know, The Gospel of Eve could have been that Good News mankind had been waiting for or, failing that, it could've been totally fucking hot.



Why You'll Never Read It:



In the 4th Century church officials like Epiphanius lashed out at the book, apparently having nothing better to do than stop everyone from having sex and eating a little bit of semen. And he got away with it.



Heh heh heh.



Whatever copies that asshole Epiphanius didn't torch, the Pope probably has stashed under his mattress. And Pope, if you're reading this (who are we kidding "if"), we will pay good, hard American dollars for copies of that book.



But is the Gospel of Eve really "the Word" of the Lord? Alas, we won't know until the second coming, at which point it will definitely be #1 on Cracked's list of "7 Vital Questions To Ask Jesus."



#6. On Sphere-Making, by Archimedes







What is it:



Supposedly a how-to on the many steampunk wonders of Ancient Greece, such as orreries, astronomical clocks and whatever devices they invented to assist them with their buggery. It was authored by one of the greatest mechanical minds in history: the legendary Archimedes, who knew a thing or two about spheres right down to his dying words...





The next panel has the soldier going "Fuck your circles," and then he just goes nuts on Archimedes.



Why it's Awesome:



Remember that fancy Antikythera mechanism Cracked mused about way back? The ancient, intricate machine found near Greece that dates back to about 100 BC but that contains gears and structures that were not found in devices again for 1000 years?



Well, this book may hold the blueprints for building one yourself (as well as the time machine it was attached to).





[Artist's depiction.]



But even if such grand designs were not included, the simple fact that Archimedes was the Leonardo da Vinci of antiquity makes any of his undiscovered work invaluable. Even modern standards pale in comparison to how the Greeks mastered mechanics, and whatever secrets Archimedes had died when the Romans killed him.



Why You'll Never Read It:



Whatever copies exist are either buried in the middle of nowhere, or were destroyed when Rome torched the Library of Alexandria to prevent Greece from using time-travel against the Roman Empire again. Does this sound familiar yet? Jesus, Past, you really need to stop destroying all of our invaluable books.





"Don't fuck with the space-time continuum." - S.P.Q.R.



Unfortunately, it gets worse...



#5. The "Rare Books" Section at the House of Wisdom







What is it:



The rarest of the rare books from the East and West hemispheres housed in the Grand Library of Baghdad, the Library of Congress of its time. It was the single largest library in the world, and contained some of the oldest books ever written from three continents. It's also where the Persians likely kept the greatest hits from their history, including discoveries in science, medicine, astronomy and technology that made them the biggest swinging dick on the planet for several centuries.





A title now held by this man (minus the swinging).



Why it's Awesome:



The card catalog alone would be considered priceless. The library was like a rough draft of a university, it was where everyone went to learn. Not only could this create a checklist for countless works we know nothing about, but possibly subjects we could never know about, such as extinct animals or plant-life (the Romans supposedly had a plant that was such a good form of birth control they farmed it to extinction... imagine cloning that).



And since Baghdad was once the capital of the world for science and mathematics, books like Space Travel by Mohamed, How I Cured AIDS by Hippocrates or E.T. Episode I - They Came In Peace by Ezekiel would have likely been in their possession. Probably.







Why You'll Never Read It:



Goddamn Mongolians. The Mongols, fueled by their hatred for the cosmopolitan Chinese, tossed every book in the library into the Tigris when they captured the city. For those who survived the initial destruction, the river ran black with ink for six months. And thus was the present-day Middle East born.







#4. The Rest of the Epic Cycle, by Various







What is it:



The rest of the epic saga of Troy which Iliad and Odyssey are sandwiched between. It turns out the whole story of Troy's fall and Odysseus' journey home covered a total eight books, and the Greek poet Homer only authored two of them. The remaining six fleshed out all the gaping holes in its plot, such as the death of Achilles, the extent of Paris' douchebaggery, the Trojan Horse and the spellbinding conclusion to the vast saga. *SPOILERS* Odysseus dies at the end! *END SPOILERS*







Why it's Awesome:



Ever heard of that Coen Brothers movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? What about James Joyce's Ulysses? Or Cold Mountain? Or 2001: A Space Odyssey? Or William Shakespeare or Bob Dylan? They were all influenced by The Iliad and The Odyssey, and we could easily go on. The impact these stories had on literature, movies and music is, for lack of a better word, epic. The Battle of Troy is probably the most famous non-religious story in history (unless science proves that Zeus is the real deal), and knowing that we've only heard part of the story is just the biggest cocktease ever.







Why You'll Never Read It:



All we have about the saga are bits and pieces of information, and we're lucky to have that. The only reason we know the books exist at all is that other books from the time reference them (including some Cliffs Notes-forbidden summaries) but that's it. If some guy has copies in his basement, he isn't talking about it.



Maybe it's for the best. Iliad and Odyssey are pretty badass; we could have been stuck with the Hellenistic equivalent of Star Wars: Episode I.



#3. Hermocrates, by Plato







What is it:



The rumored third book to Plato's little unified field theory trilogy. The first two were Timaeus and Critias and are basically transcriptions of one of the greatest, most influential thinkers to ever live discussing how the universe, uh, happened.



If Hemocrates was anything like the first two books in the series, it would have dealt with some brilliant, advanced concepts (like molecules and the Golden Ratio), and would have influenced thinkers and scientists for years to come. Slightly more important and infinitely more badass, Timaeus-Critias also serve as the seminal source for the theory of Atlantis.





Luckily there are other sources.



Since the second book ends rather abruptly (mid-sentence), it's only logical that the third dialogue would have covered the fate of Atlantis, along with the influence it would have had on thought that mattered in non-fictional universes.



Why it's Awesome:



If Disney, Mother Goose and Indiana Jones were all willing to find Atlantis, then Hermocrates has got to be worth at least a bathroom-reading. Besides, Plato's brief descriptions of Atlantis sound like everything James Cameron promised us about Avatar: a huge empire, a utopian society and a spectacular war that results in the empire's collapse (minus the plot stolen from the Dances With Wolves DVD on loan from Billy Zane).







Why You'll Never Read It:



Nobody has any clue where it is. Some have even speculated that Plato never got around to finishing it. But since most scholars dismiss Atlantis as something Plato probably pulled out of his ass to make a point, it may not be as big a loss as the $17 you burned watching Dances With Wolves in 3-D.



#2. Ab urbe condita libri, by Livy







What is it:



It detailed the entire history of Rome from its Trojan forefathers to the reign of Caesar Augustus, 800 years later--which means it includes a shitload of information on the subject not written down anywhere else. This bastard weighed in at 142 freaking volumes and anyone who ever got their hands on any part of it agreed that it was absolutely astounding.



After the West fell to ruin, Livy's beast became the single most sought-after book from antiquity, all without a single splash of gratuitous violence or naked women.





Actually, scratch that. There was both. They were Romans.



Why it's awesome:



Imagine finding an ancient copy of "Egyptian architecture" to settle once and for all how they built pyramids. Not the "Time Life Books"-type? That's cool, because you would have also been able to look up all the Gladiator records. All the mysteries of Ancient Rome would be at least kind of answered. Granted you'd probably never be able to read the whole book on your own; just owning one copy of this megalodon would pit every university on Earth in a bidding war to buy it from you.



But just the parts of Livy's histories that survived helped Italy invent a little something called "the Renaissance," and the books themselves were worshiped like goddamn monoliths.

Why You'll Never Read It:



It took Europe 1,000 years to realize that old books might be important after Rome fell, so when the Italians started collecting every scrap of paper left in Rome's locker, all they found were 35 books from the series (107 short). As if to rub it in from beyond the grave, everything the Italians found was fucking brilliant, and the basis for pretty much everything we know about Ancient Rome. So unless the Romans had the whole book saved on an enormous underground thumb drive, the best you can do is watch Gladiator.



#1. The Book of the Wars of the Lord, by God(?)







What is it:



A lost work that allegedly chronicles the wars fought by Moses, Joshua, and the Israelites as they pounded their way through the Holy Land. Yes, the Jews were still the underdogs, but bear in mind they had a little super-weapon called the Ark of the Covenant to schlep around with them.





Pictured: "Power of God."



Why it's Awesome:



The importance of a book allegedly written by God (either directly or indirectly), cannot be overstated. If this book had survived, it would be in the same category as The Bible. You know. The greatest-selling and most influential book in the history of time. Hell, there are religious sects that are formed based on single sentences in the Bible and full religions dedicated to finding secret codes within the text. Any addition or change to The Bible, even if they're slight, would have had a huge impact on the face of history.



Beyond all that, the story sounds badass. You've got a long quest, the most badass Jews in history and a Death Star-esque secret weapon. For those keeping score at home, that's a God-authored version of Lord of the Rings plus Inglorius Basterds plus Star Wars plus HOLY SHIT CAN YOU EVEN COMPREHEND HOW AWESOME THAT IS?!



Why You'll Never Read It:



Unless it turns up somewhere on the Dead Sea Scrolls, the only other place it could be found is in God's head. We suppose we'll just have to turn to seedy fan fiction if we ever hope to see The Fellowship of the Inglorious Jedi.

What is the Oldest Book in the World? Posted on December 20, 2013 by medievalfragments By Erik Kwakkel
16:39 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,071

The past few days I have been preoccupied with a deceptively simple question: “What is the oldest book in the world?” Having done some looking around I can now report that while somewhere on this planet, in a vault or a cupboard, lies the oldest surviving book, it is actually impossible to say which one may be branded as such. Bear with me.



What you do when you are kept up at night with such an existentialistic query is to consult Google. However, what Google returns does not make me a happy camper. In fact, I am provided with a very broad range of possible answers. First of all, let’s remove the weed, answers that are the result of flawed reasoning. A lot of websites, for example, confuse “book” with “text”. Wiki Answers reports: “the oldest book in the world is the Bible” (here). And Ask.com: “The oldest book in the world is entitled ‘The Instructions of Shurupak'”, which dates from 3000 BCE (here). A book and a text are, of course, very different things: like a hamburger in a bun or your legs in a pair of pants, a book contains a text, but it is not its equivalent. Equally incorrect are websites whose claims are based on the premise that a book is a printed object. Thus the oldest book in the world must surely be the Gutenberg Bible (oldest printed book in the West, from c. 1455) or Buddhism’s Diamond Sutra (oldest printed book in the East, from c. 868), as in this Huffington Post article. No, it’s not.



Frontispiece of the Diamond Sutra, printed 11 May 868

1. Frontispiece of the Diamond Sutra, printed in China, 11 May 868.



More carefully phrased answers can be equally confusing, even when provided by reputable institutions. When the British Library purchased the St Cuthbert Gospel, the seventh-century copy of the Gospel of St John found in St Cuthbert’s coffin when it was opened in 1104, newspapers claimed the library was in possession of “Europe’s oldest book” (see for example here and here). In its press release the British Library qualified its purchase as “the oldest European book to survive fully intact”, which is to say that it survived in its original binding (here). While this nuance is welcome, the claim feels forced – and not just because the press release atypically calls an English book “European”, no doubt to increase the impact of the purchase. The thing is, many medieval books were designed and used without a binding, which raises the question of whether the binding should even be made part and parcel of the concept “book”. Notably, if bindings are taken out of play there are other books older than the St Cuthbert Gospel, such as the sixth-century herbary right here in Leiden (Pic 2).

Leiden, Universiteitsbibliotheek, VLQ MS 9 (Italy, 550-600)

2. Leiden, Universiteitsbibliotheek, VLQ MS 9 (Italy, 550-600).



The issue of what precisely constitutes a “book” also lies at the heart of another prominent hit in my Google search. Stop the press, the oldest book in the world is an object that consists of six bound sheets of 24-carat gold written in a lost Etruscan language around 600 BC (check out the BBC news item here)! The sheets are “believed to be the oldest comprehensive work involving multiple pages”, according to Bulgaria’s National History Museum in Sofia, where it is kept (Pic 3). Significant is the following assessment of the museum: similar sheets are scattered throughout the world, but those are not linked together, and therefore do not represent a book. A book, the underlying premise suggests, is an object that consists of multiple leaves bound together. So far so good – we have started our initial descent towards our answer.

Old Etruscan "book", made c. 600 BC (Sofia, National History Museum).

3. Old Etruscan “book”, made c. 600 BC (Sofia, National History Museum).



Unfortunately, the shiny Etruscan object cannot be called “the oldest book in the world”. The reason is that it consists of unfolded single sheets (golden plates, actually), which are held together by two rings (as seen in Pic 3). However, the codex (the book before print and therefore the oldest type of real book in the world) is not an object that merely consists of a bunch of leaves. It is, by contrast and definition, built from double leaves: sheets that are folded into quires. Looking for the oldest book, then, we should look among objects made from bendy, foldable writing material: papyrus (made from the plant), parchment (animal skin) and paper. Of these three writing supports papyrus is the oldest. It was roughly used for four kinds of objects: i) Unfolded sheets, used for notes and documentary purposes (example); ii) Rolls, i.e. unfolded sheets that were attached at their short side (example); iii) Book-like objects made up from group of unfolded single sheets (‘singletons’) bound together; iv) Real books made from quires (“codices”).Bingo!The oldest book must be made of papyrus. Which one could it be, however? Our search is made easy by the fact that very few papyrus books of old age survive. There are some from the seventh or eight century AD (see this one, for example, or this one). The really old specimens, however, are fragments from once complete sheets (Pic 4).

Early Christian papyrus, Egypt, 2nd century AD (University of Michigan, P. Mich. inv. 6238)

4. Early Christian papyrus, Egypt, 2nd century AD (University of Michigan, P. Mich. inv. 6238)



It is their fragmentary nature that constitutes the last – killer – hurdle on our way to the finish line. From a surviving papyrus fragment we can, unfortunately, not deduce – at least as far as I can tell – if it originally belonged to an unfolded (single) leaf or a folded (double) sheet. While catalogues often tell you that a papyrus fragment was part of a codex, in other words, that it belonged to a book made from quires (here is an example), we can, in fact, not know for sure if this was the case. Unless it sports a sharp fold, the oldest book in the world will therefore remain hidden in its vault, old but deprived of its prize.

10 Oldest Surviving Documents Of Their Type by ALAN BOYLE NOVEMBER 10, 2013
16:28 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,072

Writing things down is one of the most important innovations in human history. As well as being able to spread ideas accurately across distance and time, writing also provided the records needed for law to function. Documents have literally changed the world, and some of them have survived for hundreds or even thousands of years. Every type of document provides a unique window into our shared heritage as human beings, in ways that are both surprising and fascinating.



10.

Oldest International TreatyPeaceTreaty_HittiteVersionThe Hittites and the Egyptians were among the earliest great civilizations. They had an uneasy relationship and both wielded a relatively large amount of military power for the time. One of their key sticking points was the city of Kadesh, located in what is now Syria. In the 13th century BC the Hittites marched on the city, which was under Egyptian control, and took it, giving them a threatening position over important trade routes. Egypt’s Pharaoh Ramesses II (later known as Ramesses the Great) marched with 20,000 of his own men to take it back. The ensuing battle was a draw.Both sides realized that neither of them was likely to gain a decisive victory, so sought another solution. The result was a peace agreement, signed around 1269 BC, which is the oldest surviving treaty in existence. A copy is on display in the United Nations, because they’re really into treaties there. A translation of both the Hittite version and the Egyptian version is available. The treaty promises everlasting peace, created by the leaders “in order not to permit hostilities to arise between them, forever. There are clauses agreeing that should an Egyptian flee to the lands of the Hittites (or vice versa) they will be returned to their homeland, making it the oldest extradition treaty as well. The countries also agree to send troops to one another’s aid should a third party attack. While there is a lot in the treaty we’d consider at the height of diplomatic relations, few people would nowadays be comfortable with the promise to send troops to squelch any uprisings from within a neighbor’s country: “If Reamasesa, king of the country of Egypt, rises in anger against his citizens after they have committed a wrong against him… the king of the country of Hatti, my brother, has to send his troops and his chariots and they have to exterminate all those against.” The promise is made in the other direction as well.



9.Oldest Surviving Medical Document152943733

Whilst humans have dabbled in healthcare of some sort since our earliest days, the first record we have of specific medical advice is in the form of an Egyptian papyrus. This document is 4,000 years old and is known as the Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus. It was discovered in 1889 and contains information on the diagnosis and treatment of a number of ailments.While some of the meaning may have been lost over the millennia, Egyptian women seem to have suffered from some unusual conditions, like the smell of roasting while their womb wandered. The Egyptians liked to blame the womb for a whole bunch of stuff that probably wasn’t related. For example, “a woman whose eyes are aching till she cannot see, on top of aches in her neck” is diagnosed as having “discharges of the womb in her eyes.” The recommended treatment is fumigation of the womb (ouch). Toothache? “It is toothache of the womb” and more fumigation is needed. If your ears hurt so much you can’t make out the words you’re hearing, that’s also the womb. It’s really nothing but trouble.



8Oldest Surviving Religious Texts181533637

The pyramids of Egypt are amazing structures built by the greatest craftsmen of their era (not slaves and definitely not aliens). They were built as a resting place for Egypt’s rulers, and the walls were lined with stories and spells designed to help the soul on its journey to the afterlife. The oldest of these inscriptions comes from the pyramids of Unas and are the oldest surviving religious texts in the world.The texts bring us the earliest description of Osiris, Egypt’s king of the dead. They are written in a way that suggests the words were designed to be chanted, or at least spoken allowed. The description of ascent to the afterlife is rather poetic, comparing spirits to herons, haws, and grasshoppers leaping into the air. A full English translation is available online should you wish to try any of the spells for yourself.



7.Oldest Surviving Poem100262883

Early literature often came in the form of poetry. Before writing, oral tradition passed on stories through the generations and poetry was an easy way to learn and recite tales. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a contender for the first epic poem. The earliest surviving written versions are dated to around 2,000 BC. There is actually a shorter surviving poem older than that—ancient Sumeria’s Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor. It’s exactly what the title suggests.The oldest love poem in the world is only slightly younger. Written on a tablet about the size of a cell phone, the 4,000 year old Sumerian ballad also contains the oldest recorded chat-up line: “You have captivated me, let me stand trembling before you; Bridegroom, I would be taken to the bedchamber.” It seems the last several thousand years has seen the quality of propositions heading in the wrong direction. And on the subject of sex…



6.Oldest Depiction Of SexTurin_Erotic_Papyrus

There’s a famous commentary on human sexuality, that “every generation thinks they invented sex.” It’s seen as a mass delusion to avoid having to think about your parents or grandparents going at it (or at least going at it enthusiastically). Yet the Ancient Egyptians have left evidence that they had the whole thing down pretty early on, in the form of the Turin Erotic Papyrus. The document, which is over 3,000 years old, features diagrams of twelve different sexual positions.Some of the equipment seen scattered around the amorous couples in the pictures has been pretty standard forever, like beer and wine. Other stuff, such as the love rattle or the huge phallus supported by a team of handmaidens, fell out of favor until the Internet came along. The positions fall somewhere between impressively acrobatic and unnervingly ambitious. A man doing a handstand falls into the former category, whereas the man on the ground chasing a woman on a chariot is a definite case of the latter.



5.Oldest Message In A Bottle153754689

The message in a bottle has a firm place in our cultural consciousness. The oldest one talked about on the Internet is that of Chunosuke Matsuyama, who supposedly sent out a message in 1784, asking for rescue after he became shipwrecked. The message washed up on a beach in 1935, a little too late. The Internet, however, offers up no images or indication as to where the bottle is now. It’s likely this story is apocryphal—Guinness World Records certainly seems to think so, so the “oldest bottle” title lies elsewhere.The oldest confirmed message in a bottle ever found is from 1914. It had spent 35,736 days at sea when it was found by Scottish fisherman Andrew Leaper on April 12, 2012. The message had been launched as part of a scientific experiment to map sea currents for Scotland’s Fishery Board. It may be less romantic than the last words of an abandoned sailor (or a lonely British pop star), but it’s at least a bit more useful.



4.Oldest CorrespondenceAmarna_letter_mp3h8878

The oldest correspondence ever sent were diplomatic letters between the pharaohs of Egypt and neighboring statesmen. These clay tablets, known as the Amarna letters, were sent in the 14th century BC. Jerusalem’s Canaanite king Abdi-Heba used one letter to ask the pharaoh Akhenaten for military assistance against other city states in the region.The letters were dug up in 1887 and are now housed in various museums around Europe. One example in the British Museum is from the king of Mitanni, a city state in modern-day Syria. It is addressed to pharaoh Amenhotep III and wishes him and his family well, before saying that a statue of the goddess Ishtar is on its way. The goddess herself had apparently given direct approval.



3. Oldest Printed Book Bearing A Date010627

Texts in some Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism are known as sutras. The best known of these in the West is the Kama Sutra, but it is far from the only one. The oldest complete printed and dated book is a Buddhist text known as the Diamond Sutra, a name apparently suggested by the Buddha himself, as the text is designed to “cut like a diamond blade through worldly illusion to illuminate what is real and everlasting.”It was found hidden in a cave in 1907 by a British explorer, one of 40,000 documents that had been locked away for around 900 years. The cave in the desert, with its dry air, had helped to preserve the items. The text deals with identity and criticizes the idea that people have an immutable core. The book holds itself in very high regard, quoting the Buddha as saying, “if a good son or good daughter dedicates lifetimes as many as the sands in the River Ganges to charitable acts, and there were another person who memorized as much as one four-line verse of this scripture and taught it to others, the merit of the latter would be by far greater.



2. Oldest Marriage Certificate166623622

The Elephantine Papyri are a collection of documents dated to the 5th Century BC found on the island of Elephantine in the River Nile. At the time a Jewish settlement called Yeb was located there as an Egyptian garrison. Among the various letters and contracts were three marriage certificates, the oldest known to survive. The contracts appear to have been drawn up in unusual situations. The brides were a slave, a former slave, and a divorcee. The purpose of the documents was to record the economics of the wedding, including the dowry. If the marriage was later dissolved, the wife got to take this along with the possessions she brought with her. One lucky groom was named Ananiah ben Azariah and his bride was a handmaiden called Tamut. The certificate contains sections that have been erased or added to, suggesting last-minute negotiations.



1.Oldest Surviving Set Of LawsKhashkhamer_seal_moon_worship

The Codes of Ur Nammu are the oldest laws that we know of, a creation of the Sumerian king of that name. The codes were written around 2,050 BC and covered a wide array of crimes. The punishments set out include a fine of 15 shekels for perjury, compared to a fine of five shekels for raping a slave. Cutting off a man’s foot falls exactly between these two crimes and will set you back 10 shekels.Ur Nammu’s code also included rules about tax, courtroom procedures, and ceremonial laws. The period when the laws were written was called, “Year Ur-Nammu Made Justice In The Land.” The implementation of laws seems to have worked out fairly well, as the empire prospered under Ur-Nammu’s rules. The rules are imperfect: speaking insolently was punished by having one’s mouth scoured with salt, a law that applied only to slave women. Nevertheless, the idea of a codified set of laws was an important step in humanity’s progress.



Oldest Newspaper200340894-001The world’s first newspaper was launched in Germany in the early 1600s and was snappily called Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien (Collection of all Distinguished and Commemorable News). There are no surviving copies for the first four years it was published; the earliest copy that exists is from 1609. The papers were published in Strasbourg, a Catholic city, so the protestant Relation published anonymously to avoid given away the printing location.The oldest surviving English language newspaper was printed in Amsterdam and dated 2 December, 1620. It opened with the line, “new tydings out of Italie are not yet com,” which seems unfortunate. It had no title, as that wasn’t considered particularly important. After all, if there are no other newspapers you don’t need to make yours stand out. The oldest surviving newspaper printed in England (in 1621) was snappily called, “”Corante, or weekely newes from Italy, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Bohemia, France and the Low Countreys.” America didn’t get a home-grown newspaper till 1690.

10 of the Oldest Known Surviving Books in the World...
16:10 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,073




With news this week of the discovery of what could be the earliest known siddur, a Jewish prayer book dated at around 840 AD – we have put together a list of 10 of the oldest known surviving books in the world today.

Writing and literature are thought to have been first developed between the 7th and 4th millenium BC. Since the dawn of writing an incredible array of different materials have been used for recording text, including clay, silk, pottery, papyrus, even coffins – so the question of the oldest surviving book depends very much on how you classify one.

The Mirriam-Webster Dictionary defines a book as: a set of printed sheets of paper that are held together inside a cover; a long written work. This definition rules out clay tablets, scrolls and similar, though many scholars have expanded the definition to include any significant piece of writing bound together inside a cover.

The question can also touch on the nature of the book. Some scholars have considered that a significant book should contain a worldview, setting it apart from mere accounting or administrative records.

We have tried to pull together what we hope is an interesting range of some of the oldest surviving books in the world. We cover everything from the earliest surviving printed books, to the oldest known surviving book in existence.

Madrid Codex

Madrid Codex (Maya)



Discovered in Spain in the 1860s, the Madrid Codex – also known as the Tro-Cortesianus Codex – is one of the only surviving books attributable to the pre-Columbian Maya culture of around 900–1521 AD.

Most likely produced in Yucatán, the book is written in Yucatecan, a group of Mayan languages which includes Yucatec, Itza, Lacandon and Mopan.

Experts disagree on the exact date the Madrid Codex was created, though it is said by some to have been made before the Spanish conquest of the 16th century.

The book is currently held in the Museo de América in Madrid, Spain.

Source: 1. Image: 1.

Estimated age: 494 years old.

Gutenberg Bible

Gutenberg Bible, Lenox Copy, New York Public Library, 2009



The Gutenberg Bible, also known as the 42-line Bible, is listed by the Guinness Book of World records as the world’s oldest mechanically printed book – the first copies of which were printed in 1454-1455 AD.

Printed by Johannes Gutenberg, in Mainz, Germany, it is considered to be oldest printed book using movable type in the West – though in China there were examples of book printing many centuries earlier, such as the Diamond Sūtra.

There are 48 original copies in known existence, of which 21 are complete. The above image is of the New York Public Library’s copy, the first to come to the USA.

Source: 1. Image: 1.

Estimated age: 559 years old.

Celtic Psalter

Scotland's oldest book - Edinburgh Univeristy



The Celtic Psalter is described as Scotland’s Book of Kells. The pocket-sized book of Psalms is housed at the University of Edinburgh, where it went on public display in 2009 for the first time.

The book is thought to be have been created in the 11th century AD, making it Scotland’s oldest surviving book.

Source: 1.

Estimated age: 938 years old.

Diamond Sūtra

Diamond Sutra. Cave 17, Dunhuang, ink on paper



A Buddhist holy text, the Diamond Sūtra is considered to be the oldest surviving dated printed book in the world.

Found in a walled up cave in China along with other printed materials, the book is made up of Chinese characters printed on a scroll of grey printed paper, wrapped along a wooden pole.

The book was copied by a man called Wong Jei, in May 868 AD, on the instruction of his parents, which is noted at the end of the text.

Source: 1. Image: 1.

Estimated age: 1,145 years old.

Siddur, Jewish Prayer Book

The Green Collection - Siddur, Jewish Prayer book



Discovered in 2013, the third major discovery this year, was a ‘siddur’ – a Jewish prayer book dated back to around 840 AD.

The complete parchment, still in its original binding, is so old that it contains Babylonian vowel pointing – akin to the Old or Middle English for the English language.

This allowed experts to date the book to the times of Geonim – Babylonian & Talmudic leaders during the Middle ages.

Source: 1. Image: 1.

Estimated age: 1,173 years old.

Book of Kells

Book of Kells



The Book of Kells is kept in the Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland, and is thought to have been created by Celtic monks around 800 AD.

The book is an incredibly ornate illuminated manuscript Gospel book, written in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament.

Image: 1.

Estimated age: 1,213 years old.

St Cuthbert Gospel

St Cuthbert Gospel - British Library



Europe’s oldest known surviving intact book is the St Cuthbert Gospel, bought by the British Library in 2012 for £9 million pounds as part of a fundraising campaign.

The book was buried with St Cuthbert, an early British Christian leader, on the island of Lindisfarne off Northumberland, in around 698 AD.

Only just surviving the Vikings conquests, the book was moved to Durham to avoid Viking raiders, narrowly escaping destruction.

The book was again rediscovered in 1104 AD, with an inscription added to the inside cover (see image below).

St Cutchbert inscription - British Library



You can now view the a digitised version on the book on the British Library website.

Source: 1

Estimated age: 1,315 years old.

Nag Hammadi Library

Nag Hammadi Library - Codex IV



Considered to be some of the oldest surviving bound books – 13 leather bound papyrus codices were discovered in 1945 buried inside a sealed jar, by a local man in the town of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt.

The books, containing Gnostic texts, are dated from around the first half of the 4th century AD. Written in the Coptic language, the codices are thought to have been copied from Greek.

The Nag Hammadi codices are currently found at the Coptic Museum in Cairo, Egypt.

Source/Image: 1.

Estimated age: 1,693 years old.

Pyrgi Gold Tablets

Pyrgi Gold Tablets



Found in 1964 in the excavation of a sanctuary in ancient Pyrgi, Italy, the three gold plates date back to 500 BC.

Containing holes around the edges, scholars think they were once bound together.

Two are written in Etruscan text, with one written in Phoenician – comprising of a dedication from King Thefarie Velianas to the Phoenician goddess Astarte.

The plates are now displayed at the National Etruscan Museum in Rome, Italy.

Source/Image: 1.

Estimated age: 2,513 years old.

Etruscan Gold Book

Etruscan Gold Book



Thought to be the oldest multi-page book in the world, dating to about 660 BC, the Etruscan Gold Book was discovered 70 years ago whilst digging a canal off the Strouma river in Bulgaria.

The book is made from 6 sheets of 24 carat gold, bound together with rings.

The plates are written in Etruscan characters, and also depicted is a horse, horseman, a Siren, a lyre, and soldiers.

The book was donated to Bulgaria’s National History Museum in Sofia, by an anonymous 87 year old donor.

Etruscans were an ancient race of people that migrated from Lydia – in now what would be modern Turkey – settling in central Italy nearly 3 thousand years ago.

Sources: 1, 2. Image: 1.

Estimated age: 2,673 years old.

The 20 Oldest Books of All Time Written by ADMIN at 07:45:AM ON 5TH SEPTEMBER, 2011
16:07 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,074

If you were asked to name an old book, you would probably name something by Homer. Perhaps you might think of Beowulf. Someone religiously minded might mention Vedic texts, or perhaps the earliest writings found in the Hebrew Bible. While these literary classics are, indeed, old, a learned library science professional could probably tell you that the earliest books are from the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and the Middle East: Sumerian, Akkadian and Egyptian.



The earliest examples of literature that we have date from 2600 BC, during the early Bronze Age. This literature is interesting, and offers a look at the thought process of early civilization. (A look at examples of the earliest literature might warrant a library science grant or fellowship.) Examples from these early writings are often found inscribed on clay tablets, and, in some cases, in other mediums. And, of course, the language used is very different from modern Western languages. But, in the end, these oldest books represent the cultural heritage of us all. Here are the 20 oldest books of all time:





Sumerian



No one is exactly sure where the Sumerians came from, but they may have come from Iran or India. Their language was different, though, from the Semitic peoples inhabiting Mesopotamia when they arrived. Sumer occupied the area we know as southern Iraq — the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Sumer was composed of city-states, each with its own ruler. However, these city-states comprised a civilization. Many consider Sumer the first cohesive civilization.



Even though examples of writing from Egypt predate some of the writing in Sumer and other permanent settlements were established prior to the cities of the Sumerians, many scholars agree that the Sumer’s general code of law and its culture and systemic writing and mode of exchange puts Sumer in the running as the world’s oldest civilization.



Instructions of Shuruppak: Representing what is known as Sumerian wisdom literature, the Instructions of Shuruppak was meant to teach virtue and community standards.

Code of Urukagina: This is a book of law. The rules in the Code of Uruagina were part of an effort to combat the corruption under a previous ruler.

Epic of Gilgamesh: You’ve probably heard of the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, following the exploits of this great hero of literature.

Curse of Agade: Tells the story of the fall of the Akkadian empire, due to the cursing of the king, Agade.

The Debate Between Bird and Fish: A philosophical essay, postulating a debate between a bird and a fish. A number of these literary essays exist in Sumerian literature.

Code of Ur-Nammu: Pre-dating the Code of Hammurabi by three centuries, the Code of Ur-Nammu has the most complete set of laws of old books.

Lament for Ur: When the great Sumerian city of Ur fell to the Elamites, the literary Lament for Ur was written to express the sorrow of the patron goddess of the city.

Enmerkar and the Lord of Arrata: A great, legendary account of the conflict between two great kings. Many scholars have drawn parallels between some of the themes in Enmerkar and the Lord of Arrata and the Tower of Babel story.

Akkadian



The culture of Akkad rose side by side with that of Sumer, although located originally further south. However, the Akkadians eventually became what many historians and scholars consider the first true empire. At least, it was the largest empire seen up to that point. Unlike the Sumerians, who were not Semitic, the people of Akkad were Semitic. As the Akkadians moved north, they conquered the Sumerians, and absorbed them into what became the Akkadian empire.



After the Sumerians were conquered, Akkadian culture flourished. Arts and language grew to great heights. Eventually, the capital of the Akkadian empire became the well-known city of Babylon. The Akkadian empire eventually fell, but a rich history was left behind.



Legend of Etana: Interestingly, the Legend of Etana tells the story of the Sumerian king Kish, and how he obtains a son with the help of Eagle — and what happens after.

Enheduanna’s Hymns: Are you looking for an example of women in early literature? The hymns of the priestess Enheduanna, an important woman in Ur, offers you a look.

Laws of Eshnunna: The city state of Eshnunna had its own set of laws. There are differences between the laws in this book, and the famous Code of Hammurabi, are instructive about the development of law in ancient times.

Epic of Gilgamesh: This made it to the list twice. Why? Because the Akkadians, centuries after the first stories of Gilgamesh were told, fashioned the stories into one of the earliest examples of epic poetry.

Kultepe Texts: These texts represent some of the first writings found in Anatolia. The Kultepe Texts include Histories of rebellions against the Akkadians.

Enuma Elish: The Akkadian creation epic, the Enuma Elish, can help you understand the Babylonian worldview.

Atra-Hasis: Tablets containing the Atra-Hasis contain an account of how the humans came to be, as well as an account of the Great Flood.

Egyptian



The foundation for what we recognize as Ancient Egyptian culture had been developing for centuries, even before recorded history. However, things really picked up during the Early Dynastic Period in Egypt, when the government of Egypt — with divine kings at the center — and other portions of Egyptian culture were established.



The Early Dynastic Period was punctuated by a move to cities, as well as a flourishing artistic scene. Some of the earliest examples of writing are from Ancient Egypt, following this period and moving into the Fifth Dynasty. It is little surprise, then, that some of the oldest books of all time are from Egypt.



Pyramid Texts: You’ve probably heard of the Pyramid Texts. These prove that a book can even be inscribed on the walls of an edifice.

Palermo Stone: Chronicles the rise of legendary rulers before the god Horus. The Palermo Stone is a an example of legendary history.

Maxims of Ptahhotep: This ancient text, a literary work ascribed to the ruler Ptahhotep, sets out proper rules governing human relationships.

Coffin Texts: The coffin texts, written on (as you might expect) coffins, provide a look at the evolving Egyptian view of the afterlife.

Story of Sinuhe: Perhaps one of the finest examples of Egyptian literature — or any literature — the Story of Sinuhe offers a moving story of divinity and mercy and other universal themes.

Tagged as: ancient literature, antiquities, books, library, literature, oldest books



- See more at: http://www.masteroflibraryscience.com/the-20-oldest-books-of-all-time.html#sthash.MFTaIJSJ.dpuf

List of angels in theology...With Charting for you...
16:03 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,075

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_angels_in_theology

Seven Archangels From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
16:01 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,076

"Synaxis of the Archangel Michael" ("Собор Архистратига Михаила"). An Eastern Orthodox Church icon of the "Seven Archangels". From left to right: Jegudiel, Gabriel, Selaphiel, Michael, Uriel, Raphael, Barachiel. Beneath the mandorla of Christ Emmanuel are representations of Cherubim (in blue) and Seraphim (in red).

The earliest reference to a system of seven archangels as a group appears to be in Enoch I (the Book of Enoch) which is not part of the Jewish Canon but is prevalent in the Judaic tradition, where they are named as Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Remiel and Saraqael. While this book today is non-canonical in most Christian Churches, it was explicitly quoted in the New Testament (Letter of Jude 1:14-15) and by many of the early Church Fathers. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church to this day regards it to be canonical.



In the late 5th to early 6th century, Pseudo-Dionysius gives them as Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Chamuel, Jophiel, and Zadkiel. [1]



The earliest Christian mention is by Pope Saint Gregory I who lists them as Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel (or Anael), Simiel, Oriphiel and Raguel. A later reference to seven archangels would appear in an 8th or 9th century talisman attributed to Auriolus, a "servant of God" in north-western Spain. He issues a prayer to "all you patriarchs Michael, Gabriel, Cecitiel, Oriel, Raphael, Ananiel, Marmoniel ("who hold the clouds in your hands").[2]



Archangels in current church traditions[edit]

The Catholic Church recognizes three archangels, the three mentioned in its canon of Scripture: Gabriel and Michael, mentioned in the New Testament, and Raphael, mentioned in the book of Tobit, where he is described as "one of the seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord",[3] a phrase recalled in Revelation 8:2-6.



Some strands of the Eastern Orthodox Church, exemplified in the Orthodox Slavonic Bible (Ostrog Bible, Elizabeth Bible, and later consequently Russian Synodal Bible), recognize as authoritative also 2 Esdras, which mentions Uriel. Yet the Eastern Orthodox Church accepts only Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel.



As well as Uriel, the Book of Enoch, not regarded as canonical by any of these Christian churches, mentions (chapter 21) Raguel, Sariel, and Jerahmeel, while other apocryphal sources give instead the names Izidkiel, Hanael, and Kepharel.[4]



In the Coptic Orthodox tradition the seven archangels are named as Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Suriel, Zadakiel, Sarathiel, and Ananiel. [5]



In Anglican and Episcopal tradition, there are three or four archangels in its calendar for September 29 feast for St. Michael and All Angels (also called Michaelmas: namely Gabriel, Michael and Raphael),[6] and often, Uriel.[7][8][9][10][11]



Other ideas[edit]

Although in the Book of Enoch, Remiel is described as one of the leaders of the 200 Grigori, the fallen angels, the leader is identified as Semjaza and therefore this is a different angel. Other Names derived from pseudepigrapha but not recognized by Christian churches are Selaphiel, Jegudiel, and Raguel.



Seven angels or archangels are given as related to the seven days of the week: Michael (Sunday), Gabriel (Monday), Raphael (Tuesday), Uriel (Wednesday), Selaphiel (Thursday),Raguel or Jegudiel (Friday), and Barachiel (Saturday).[citation needed]



Various occult systems associate each archangel with one of the traditional "seven luminaries" (the seven naked-eye moving objects in the heavens: the Seven Classical Planets): the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn;[12] but there is disagreement as to which archangel corresponds to which body.



According to Rudolf Steiner, four important archangels also display periodic spiritual activity over the seasons: Spring is Raphael, Summer is Uriel, Autumn is Michael, and Winter is Gabriel.[13] Following this line of reasoning, Aries (astrologically ruled by Mars) represents Spring, Cancer (ruled by Moon) represents Summer, Libra (ruled by Venus) represents Autumn, and Capricorn (ruled by Saturn) represents Winter. Therefore by association, Raphael is Mars, Uriel is Moon, Michael is Venus, and Gabriel is Saturn. Rudolf Steiner's Northern Hemisphere indications regarding the seasons and their placement in the Zodiac will be the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, making Michael the Autumn archangel - with Mars in Ares; Raphael the Spring Archangel - with Venus in Libra; and in mid-winter Gabriel in Cancer; Uriel presides in Capricorn during mid summer in the south.



The seven archangels figure in some systems of ritual magic, each archangel bearing a specific seal.



It could also be argued that each one of the seven archangels represents one of the heavenly virtues, in the same way that each of the seven princes of hell represents one of the deadly sins.



Notes and references[edit]

Jump up ^ A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels by Gustav Davidson, 1980, Free Press Publishing

Jump up ^ Julia M.H. Smith, Europe After Rome: A New Cultural History 500-1000. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Page 77

Jump up ^ Tobit 12:15

Jump up ^ James F. Driscoll, "St. Raphael" in The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York 1911)

Jump up ^ Tasbeha.org Doxology of the Heavenly Orders

Jump up ^ Oremus.org website. Retrieved September 15, 2008.

Jump up ^ Saint Uriel Church website patron Saint web page. Retrieved September 15, 2008.

Jump up ^ Lesser Feasts and Fasts, p. 380.

Jump up ^ Anglican.org website Michaelmas page. Retrieved September 15, 2008.

Jump up ^ St. George's Lennoxville website, What Are Anglicans, Anyway? page. Retrieved September 15, 2008.

Jump up ^ Christ Church Eureka website, September Feasts page. Retrieved September 15, 2008.

Jump up ^ Morals and Dogma (of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry) by Albert Pike (1871, 1948, L. H. Jenkins)

Jump up ^ The encyclopedia of angels, p.45, by Rosemary Guiley, Infobase Publishing, 2004.

Godwin, Malcolm. Angels: An Endangered Species, New York: Simon & Schuster 1990/ London: Boxtree 1993.

Benor, Daniel J. Healing Research, Volume III — Personal Spirituality: Science, Spirit and the Eternal Soul, Bellmawr, NJ: Wholistic Healing Publications 2006

FACTS ABOUT ANGELS...One Perspective...
15:59 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,077

Can we deduce facts about angels, given the variation in beliefs about divine entities?



Angels are often viewed as being extensions of a divine being, used for errands such as bringing messages, and fulfilling tasks of the deity. Religions vary, and so do the traditional teachings regarding angels, their duties, and whether or not they have free will. Some religions teach that angels can only do what the supreme being instructs them to do. Appearances of angels vary as well, but most depictions and descriptions of angels are human in form.



Voltaire once said, "It is not known precisely where angels dwell - whether in the air, the void, or the planets. It has not been God's pleasure that we should be informed of their abode." And so, much mystery and superstition has been created concerning angels. Angels are primarily found within Judaic, Christian, and Muslim beliefs, though ancient cultures also had beliefs in angels (for more on this, read: History of Angels). Christianity teaches that angels live in heaven, spirit beings created by God to not only serve Him, but to also serve humans by bringing protection, messages, and battling evil. Angels are believed to be pure spirits who are not subject to sin, and thus are able to stand before the holy deity without suffering harm. Many believe that one third of the angels fell from Heaven, and follow a fallen archangel named Lucifer, or Satan, and thus have become fallen angels, namely demons.



Without going further into all the superstitions regarding angels, we would like to answer questions regarding angels, and hopefully give you some angel facts. Each answer will explore the most common social, religious belief regarding angels, but then, explain them spiritually.







Can People Become Angels After Death?

Many believe angels to be divinely created, spirit beings that are not related to humans in any way. The distinction between angels and mankind is typically made from passages in the Bible, such as Matthew 22:30, which says "At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." But let's consider this scripture more closely. It is not saying that humans and angels are different, but that humans are in the manner as angels. What is manner? The word manner means "kind." Humans are spirits, the same as angels; and when that spirit is disembodied at the time of physical death, it is free to move on in the spirit realm. Angels are spirits, and so are humans. Yes, people can become angels after death of the body. Angels are enlightened messengers, spirits who speak to mankind. Not all people initially work in this capacity, but many do in some form or fashion. As spirits, it is all about loving one another and growing; ever elevating in enlightenment, which is knowing truth. Angels ascend and descend upon people to share messages of love and truth, no matter where such a low one can be found.



What are Angels?

People think of angels as having wings and halos, but angels are messengers. The original word from which we derive the word angel, means messenger. In the Bible, there are many places where angels are described as being human in form, and they often bring a message. A messenger does not have to be a spirit to be an angel, for anyone who brings a message is a messenger. There are many scriptures where the word for angel is used to describe a human messenger.



What Do Angels Do?

Angels bring messages to others, but they also work to assist, and guide use. Not wanting to interfere with our lives, angels allow us to make choices, but often will bring wise counsel. Angels observe, speak, even rescue at times. They are loving spirits in the unseen realm. Sometimes angels can be seen; other times they can be heard as thoughts within us. Occasionally, angels can be felt.



What Do Angels Look Like?

If an angel is seen, they are typically described one of two ways: either they are human in appearance, or they are described as spirit bodies of light. Can angels taken on the form of humans? Yes, they can, for they are human spirits. Many times angels help and assist people, and the ones they help are completely unaware of who they are. For example, we have had numerous accounts of angels rescuing people, coming out of no where, then disappearing as quickly as they manifested. The people rescued never knew they were saved by an angel, until they think about the experience later. An example of this is found within the New Testament, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Sometimes, people have described seeing a glowing messenger through dreams or visions, and these visitors are often enveloped in a bright light. They emanate peace and love, which can be tangibly felt, bringing a message of importance. The common social concept of angels are that they have wings and halos, but depictions such as they were created by artists until after the fourth century, and was based primarily on Greek gods, and other ancient cultures' deities. The artists were looking for a simple way to illustrate angels as being different from the humans in their artwork (for more on this, read: Angels In Early Christian Art). Wings convey the idea that angels are from the higher place, namely spirit, which some call Heaven. This is most likely how the idea of wings were added to spirits in literature and art. Also read: Angel Wings.







Are All Angels Good?

Yes. True angels which are simply enlightened, benevolant, spirit messengers always have our best interest in mind. But also know that people whose spirit does not elevate at first, and chooses to remain attached to this earthly realm are what we call ghosts. These earthbound spirits will bring their own messages to people, usually looking for help in ascending out of their condition. These are the very people that angels attempt to free. We may consider ghosts as being fallen angels, in a sense, meaning their message is not enlightened and usually one of fear. That would make ghosts (earthbound spirits) fallen messengers. Lost people in spirit are not something to fear, but are just in need of love and truth to set them free.



Where Do Angels Live?

It is common for people to believe that angels live in Heaven. But the idea of Heaven, really just indicates a place of higher position, and in this case the spirit world. Spirit is the energy that all dwell within, and angels are no different. Where are angels? Angels are everywhere, for they have no boundaries, and the realm of spirit co-exists with the physical world, as two planes; the physical world existing within Spirit (for more on this, read: Angels...Heaven).



How Do We Know Angels Exist?

People have believed in angels for thousands of years, so there is a precedence for this. Many spiritual books and writings talk about angels, and the accounts of them have caused many to wonder. But the stories of angels have basis, and are based upon human experience. Spirits appearing to people in various forms, whether it be through a dream, a vision, or while awake, have spawned the beliefs in angels. Such experiences with the angelic have inspired many of the writings found with religious manuscripts, as men wrote about them in order to try and make sense of what had happened. Sometimes, the accounts of angels truly taught mankind lessons about the spiritual world; other times, the imagination of mankind has created fearful ideas concerning angels and the state of the human race. By examining angels in stories, angels in pictures, and other possible evidence of spirit contact, we have sought to clarify the world of ghosts and angels, hopefully giving our visitors more credible information from which to understand what may be happening in the unseen kingdom. We believe the sheer volume of angel encounters (there are literally thousands of witnesses who say they have seen an angel) speaks to the truth of their existence.



Do Angels Have Names?

There is evidence that angels do indeed have names. If we were to look at ancient manuscripts, we would find quite a list of angel names. The name Gabriel intrigues us most, for it means "man of god," and further points to the truth of angels being enlightened, human spirits. There has also been the question regarding spirit guides. Are spirit guides and angels the same? Many differ on this, but from our perspective, angels bring messages, and so do spirit guides. Both are ministering spirits from the unseen realm, so they are most likely one and the same. Tribal cultures called their spirit visitors, spirit guides, which seems all too similar to the description of angels. We believe the difference was caused by different cultures, having different words, for the same beings.



What Are Guardian Angels?

The belief in guardian angels comes primarily from an Old Testament passage found in Psalm 91:10-12, "No evil shall befall you, nor shall affliction come near your tent, for to his angels God has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways. Upon their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone." From the studies we have done, we feel that everyone has spirits with them unseen, always watching, guiding, and aiding. This Catholic tradition of angels guarding people, in essence appears to be the case. Recordings of spirit voices show that enlightened beings are with us and helping us on our life path. It is our belief that the whole of mankind is being ministered to in order to elevate the thoughts collectively unto a place of love, peace, joy and unity.



Is Mankind Lower Than the Angels?

This idea comes from the Biblical passage found in Psalm 8:4-5, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? ... For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour." In a sense, angels are higher than humans, for they perceive more than we do at this time. This is because we are earthy, attached to the physical world which we perceive as taking place outside of us. This type of thinking is a lower estate, and in contrast to the spirit world. Angels are elevated in their knowledge, being able to comprehend both perspectives. Their estate is one that is higher, and may be described as enlightenment, though they are ever learning and growing in the knowledge of truth. The life journey for all of us is to grow in truth, and thus elevate spiritually.

Demons of the Bible... Non-Denominational...
15:58 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,078

Peruse our collection of some of the verses found in the Bible (and Hebrew text) that refererence "demons" and learn what the demonic represents to mankind.



The Bible is full of parables about who we are as people, and the idea of a dual-nature (both good and bad) being within us is central to understanding these stories. When we explore the passages from a metaphorical perspective, demons are used in biblical lore to convey the spiritual idea that negative, unclean thoughts are erroneous, not based upon truth, and are mistakenly created by the human mind. In other words, we have the ability to pick what we believe and hold to be true. If we choose to follow negativity, then suffering will be the result.



If demons represent negative thinking in the Bible, then "The Devil" or "Satan" is symbolic for the fallen mind of man that chooses to create and follow debased thoughts and destructive thinking patterns. And if we continue down this path of allegory, then angels can be representative of messengers, people, or the actual, elevated thoughts, themselves. A false or derogatory message would, thus, originate from a "fallen angel" - a person who is un-enlightened and could even be equated with the false message itself.







Understanding that "the Kingdom of Heaven is within you" is key to seeing these entities as something that resides inside of us, not as evil creatures but as thoughts, beliefs, fears, strongholds in our thinking, etc. Maybe, thoughts are spirit, and to be demon-possessed is to be held captive by thoughts and beliefs that are untrue. From this perspective, one might choose to see the battle between angels and demons as really the contrast between light and darkness, between truth and that which only appears to be true, but isn't, within our mind.



Matthew 4:24: "...they brought unto him [Jesus] all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy..."



Matthew 8:16: "When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils..."



Matthew 8:28-34: "And when he [Jesus] was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce..." (KJV; devils are typically translated as demons in most other Bible versions)



Matthew 9:32-33: "As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil."



Matthew 10:1: "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease."



Matthew 12:22: "Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb..."



Matthew 12:43-45: "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none."



Matthew 15:22: "And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil."



Matthew 17:14-18: "There came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed...And Jesus rebuked the devil; "



Mark 1:23: "And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out..."



Mark 3:11: "And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried..."



Mark 3:22-26: "And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils."



Mark 5:2-20: "...there met him [Jesus] out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones."



Mark 6:7: "And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;"



Mark 7:2: "For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:"



Mark 9:17-25: "I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away:...and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming...[Jesus] rebuked the foul spirit..."



Mark 9:38: "...Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us..."



Mark 16:9: "...Jesus...appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils."



Mark 16:17: "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils..."



Luke 4:33: "And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice..."



Luke 4:41: "and devils also came out of many, crying out..."



Luke 8:2-3 "And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others..."



Luke 8:33: "Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked."



Luke 9:38-42: "...a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him....And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit..."



Luke 10:17: "And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name."



Luke 11:14: "And he [Jesus] was casting out a devil, and it was dumb..."



Luke 11:15: "But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils."



John 7:20-21: "The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?"



John 8:48-49: "Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and

hast a devil?"



John 10:20: "And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?"



A number of references relate to the final destiny of Satan (representing the mis-thinking mind of man) and his demons (represents the fallen or lower thoughts of mankind). They are to be thrust into Hell (the mind suffering from mistaken thinking), described as a lake of fire. In these passages, Satan's fallen angels apparently refer to his demons:



Matthew 25:4: "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."



1 Peter 2:4: "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment."



Jude 1:6: "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."



Revelation 12:9: "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."



Demons (or thoughts) are also mentioned elsewhere in the Christian Scriptures:



Acts 19:13-16: "And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded."



James 2:19: "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."



Revelation 9:20: "And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk."



Some passages seem to describe how Satan (or the Devil) can adopt a spirit form, reside inside a person, and influence their thoughts and behavior in the same way as a demon. Ephesians 2:2 describes Satan as a spirit who works within "the children of disobedience." Consider, again, the idea that a corrupt mind is "our devil" and "adversary" that can rob us of peace and influence our behavior:



John 13:2 describes how Satan "put into" Judas Iscariot's mind the decision (or thought) to betray Jesus.



Acts 5:3 describes how Satan filled Ananias' heart with the decision (the thought) to lie to the Holy Ghost about the proceeds of a real estate sale.







The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament):

The King James Version of the Bible often used the term "devils" which some readers assume are Satan's demons. Other translations use "heathen gods," "idols," etc. They probably refer to the gods worshiped by pagan tribes (or the idols that represented those false gods):



Leviticus 17:7: "And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, [literally "hairy ones"] after whom they have gone a whoring."



Deuteronomy 32:17: "They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up..."



2 Chronicles 11:15: "And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the [statues of] calves which he had made."



Psalms 106:35-37: "But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils."



Evil spirits that cause mental disturbances are mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures. But, they were not dispatched or controlled by Satan; they were sent by God to torment people. Again, think about the mind of man being filled with demons (corrupted thinking) in order to bring suffering:



Judges 9:23: "Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem..."



1 Kings 22:23: "...behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets..."



1 Samuel 16:14: "But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him." (KJV)



1 Sam 18:10: "And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul..."



1 Sam 19:9: "And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul..."

Devil names... A compilation for you from many sources...
15:57 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,079

A list of devil names from different sources, the following list has been compiled using both traditional and non-traditional names for the devil gathered from different religions, mythologies and lore. These devil names are both common and uncommon with many of them being biblical.



The word "devil" is believed to have been derived from the word diabolos, which means "slanderer" or "false accuser." Though many fear the idea of the devil being a diabolical creature, it is really just an allegory that represents the ego, a false perception of "self" that wars within all humanity. This battle that rages within mankind is often depicted as the devil sitting on one shoulder and an angel on the other.



When you read through the devil names below, you will notice this common theme. - Louis Charles



Abbadon

Accuser

Adversary

Ancient Serpent

Angel of the Abyss

Angel of the Bottomless Pit

Angel of Light

Antichrist (or "Anti-Christ")

Apollyon





Arch FiendDevil Names: Signature of the Devil?

Asmodeus

Author of Evil

Author of All Sin

Awful Monster

Beelzebub ("Beelsebub")

Belial

Chief of Demons

Deceiver

Delial

Demon

Destroyer

Devil

Devourer

Dragon

Ego

Enemy

Enemy of Good

Enemy of Righteousness

Evil One

Evil Spirit

Fallen Angel

Father of Contention

Fallen Intellect

False Prophet

Father of Lies ("Father of all Lies")

Father of All Wickednes

Fiend

Founder of Murder

God of This Age

God of This World

Great Antichrist

Great Dragon

Hooven Cloof

His Satanic Majesty

Imitator

Leonard

Le Cornu

Liar ("Liar from the Beginning")

Lucifer

Mammon

Mefistofeles ("Mephistopheles")

Mr. Sam

Mr. Scratch

Murderer ("Murderer from the Beginning")

Old Gentleman

Old Gooseberry

Old Harry

Old Horny

Old Nick

Old Serpent

Oppressor of Saints

Perdition

Pocker

Prince of Air ("Prince of the Power of the Air")

Prince of Darkness

Prince of Devils

Prince of Hell

Prince of Pandemonium

Prince of This World

Proud One

Roaring Lion

Ruler of Demons

Ruler of This World

Satan

Satanel

Serpent ("Serpent of Old")

Slanderer

Son of Perdition

Son of the Morning

Sower of Discord

Spoiler

Stinkin' Thinker

Tempter

Traducer

Wicked One







More About the Devil and You

The devil, or satan, are biblical metaphors that depict the fallen mindset of humanity, especially representing the times we succumb to thoughts of fear, condemnation, guilt, etc. This suffering is held forth within the mind that has been allowed to empower mental constructs of either past or future - always keeping the victim away from the present.



All of us have fallen victim to this tormentor and, by design, the repetitive mental patterns are meant for our learning. The thoughts that are produced by this 'devil' could also be considered to be its 'demons' in an allegorical sense. And, this thief can strengthen in a person to the point of becoming a possessing entity.

DEMON NAMES... A Compilation for you...
15:49 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,080

DEMON NAMES







List of Demon NamesSome fear demons, even their names. But we view the use of the term 'demons' in the Bible and elsewhere as an allegory representing hurtful, negative thoughts or the 'mis-thinking' of a person's mind.



Incorrect beliefs can be held by anyone, no matter which side of the grave (e.g. ill-behaving ghosts). The mental condition is the person and where they are living - for some, their condition may be truly termed as, 'hell.' When we produce negative thoughts we battle our self-created demons; and the mind that produces negativity must be the 'devil.'



The following is a historic list of demon names. We have ordered the demon names alphabetically, complete with rank of each demon of the underworld, as classically taught. - Louis Charles



Abaddon : Hebrew root meaning "to destroy", same as ApollyonSigned Demon Names

Apollyon (Abaddon) : The King of Demons Rev 9:11

Abigor : Christian demonology - commands 60 legions

Adramelech: Arch Demon whose name means, "King of Fire"

Agares : First Duke of the East, commands 31 legions; appears willingly

Alocer : Strong Duke commands 36 legions; lion's face, dressed as a knight on a horse

Amduscius : Great Duke, governs 29 legions; looks like a unicorn







Andras : Marquesse, commands 30 legions; bird head with angel-like wings

Asmoday : Prince of demons; thought to be the serpent that deceived Eve

Asmodeus : Demon of wrath, banished by Raphael in the Book of Tobit 8:3

Astaroth : Strong Duke over 40 legions and the treasurer of hell

Aym : Great Duke, who commands 26 legions; from christian demonology

Ayperos : Prince, commands 36 legions; from christian demonoly

Azazel : Chief of the goat-demons or "hairy demons"

Bael : Head of the Infernal Armies of 66 legions

Balam : Terrible king with three heads and commands 40 legions

Beelzebub : Prince of Demons, aka Lord of the Flies, former highest ranking angel in heaven

Belial : Chief of all devils, brings about wickedness and guilt

Belphegor : Demon or "god" of the Moabites, Numbers 25

Berith : Great Duke of hell who governs 26 legions, appears as a red soldier on a red horse

Bifrons : declares the understanding of geometry, astrology and other arts

Botis : Appears as a viper, and proclaims the past and future

Buer : President of hell, of the second order, and commands 50 legions

Caym : Great President who takes the shape of a thrush; rules 30 legions

Charon : The boat man who brings souls across the river Styx

Cresil : Demon of impurity and laziness

Crocell : Grand Duke who appears as an angel, and governs 48 legions

Deumos : Female demon with 4 horns and a crown

Eurynome : Superior demon who feeds on corpses; the Prince of Death

Focalor : Grand Duke who drowns men and overthrows ships of war

Furfur : Count of hell, commands 26 legions; appears as angel with a flaming tail

Gaap : Prince of hell, intensifies love and hatred; transporter demon

Geryon : Giant centaur, guardian of hell

Haures : Strong Duke of hell, commands 20 legions and is very frightful with eye aflame

Ipos : Demon count of hell who commands 36 legions; looks like a lion-headed angel

Jezebeth : Demon of falsehoods and lies

Kasdeya : From the "Book of Enoch", the 5th Satan

Kobal : Demon of hilarity

Leonard : Master of black magic and sorcery

Leviathan : Dragon of the Sea, the Crooked Serpent of the abyss

Lilith : Demon of waste.

Lucifer : Light bearer, son of the morning; former seraphim cast out of heaven





Malphas : Grand president of hell, commands 40 legions; appears as a raven

Mammon : Demon of avarice

Mastema : Leader of fallen angels whose job is to tempt men to sin and accuse them before God

Melchom : Demon who carries the money purse; payer of servants

Mephistopheles : Another name for the devil in the Middle Ages

Merihim : Dark Prince of pestilence

Moloch : Demon worshipped by the Israelites through child sacrifice

Mullin : Demon lieutenant of the demon Leonard

Murmur : Great Duke, comes with trumpets sounding and rules 30 legions

Naberius : Strong demon in charge of 29 legions, a Marquis of hell

Nergal : Second order demon, commands the secret police

Nicor : Water demon known for drowning humans; can cause hurricanes, tempests and the like

Nybbas : Manager of visions and dreams, inferior order charlatan

Nysrogh : Second order demon, chief of the house of princes

Oriax : Marquis, demon who commands 30 legions; teaches astrology

Ornias : name of the harassing demon

Ose : Great President, governs 30 legions

Paymon : a king of hell, master of ceremonies; governs 200 legions

Philatanus : Demon who assists Belial in sodomy and pedophile behaviors

Proserpine : aka Persephone, princess of hell

Pruflas : head of 26 legions, has the head of an owl; provokes wars and quarrels

Pyro : Prince of falsehoods and lies

Raum : Count or Great Earle, commands 30 legions; seen as a crow

Rimmon : aka Damas, an ambassador from hell

Ronove : Marquis of hell, commanding 19 legions, teaches languages

Ronwe : Inferior demon, commands 19 legions

Samael : Demon angel of death, prince of the power of the air

Semiazas : Chief demon of fallen angels

Shax : Duke of hell, commanding 30 legions, deceitful thief; appears as a stork

Shalbriri : Demon of blindness

Sonneillon : Demon of hatred

Stolas : High prince of hell, commanding 26 legions; teacher of astronomy and plant properties

Succorbenoth : Chief eunuch, sexless, demon of gates

Thamuz : Ambassador of hell, demon master of big weapons

Ukobach : Inferior demon who maintains the fires of hell; appears ablaze

Uphir : Demon physician

Uvall : Duke, commanding 36 legions, knows the past, present and future; strong and scary

Valafar : Strong Duke, commands 10 legions, appears in the shape of a lion

Vepar : Grand Duke, strong; guide of waters, like a mermaid

Verdelet : Master of ceremonies

Verin : Demon of impatience

Vetis : Demon of corruption

Xaphan : Second order demon, former fallen angel, fans the furnace flames

Zagan : Demon King, deceitful, commands 33 legions

Zepar : Grand Duke, appears as a soldier, commanding

26 legions.

What Are Fallen Angels? by Louis Charles
15:34 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,081

Certain religions, especially those prominent in the West, teach that fallen angels, once pure messengers of God, followed the Devil (or Satan) out of Heaven and unto the Earth in rebellion against the Creator.



With this belief, it is also taught that fallen angels now rule the earth realm as evil, angelic principalities and powers. It is claimed that this is an important spiritual conflict, largely unseen, and with heavenly, Holy angels of God combating the fallen angels who are under the charge of Satan (or Lucifer) - the Devil.



We prefer a metaphysical view of fallen angels and what they can be in our lives. Let's look at some different interpretations to consider.

Fallen Angels As Demons

Fallen Angels IllustrationSome teachings equate fallen angels with being demons who roam the Earth looking to inflict harm upon mankind. They have even assigned them names (see Fallen Angel Names). In Fundamental Christianity, for example, it is taught that fallen angels will one day be fully loosed upon the Earth, permitted by God to wreak the worst possible havoc in order for mankind to repent and accept Jesus as savior. Those who accept Christ, they claim, will be saved from such wrath, including the eventual, eternal punishment waged by God against Satan, his fallen angels and unrepentant mankind. Yipes - that is frightening!



But these incorrect teachings about fallen angels, demons, devils, Satan, Lucifer and the like have evolved over time into the fearful beliefs many believe, today. And, the original, freeing messages became lost. By comparing ancient manuscripts primarily found within the Old and New Testaments, a misunderstanding of the original ideas (originally parables) spawned all sorts of instruction about devils. Other ancient writings, such as 1 Enoch and Jubilees, have also been used to fill in the holes of these supposed biblical lessons.



Such teachings, though, have created a great misunderstanding concerning fallen angels and even angels in general (read about Angels). Angels are messengers, and fallen angels are messengers whose message is unenlightened. Allow me to explain. When one speaks spiritual truth or, better yet, expresses love and compassion toward another person, this is an enlightened message - words and actions that emanate from the core of one's being. Angels, ministering spirits, deliver messages of encouragement and guidance, always given with love as the initiator.



Fallen Angels As Lost Spirits

Fallen Angels IllustrationIn contrast, fallen angels are messengers whose message does not come from a heart of love but is truly an expression of fear. They represent, symbolically, at the highest level, us: people. When we are ruled by our minds and not our inner being, our awareness, the thinking created by the brain causes us to 'fall' when left to run on its own. We become trapped in mental concepts of past and future, lost for a season to who we truly are, numb to our true essence. We do not live our lives in the present moment. Yes, in a sense, we become the mind; we become fallen angels, the result of the fallen messages in our heads.



The mind can produce thoughts of past and future, fear and failure, condemnation and guilt. Such thoughts are of a lower state, the meaning behind the word 'fallen.' These thoughts are energy, or spirit, and are debased, keeping us in constructs of the mind. In other words, they cause us to suffer. The thoughts, then, may also be viewed as lost spirits, fallen angels. We are what we think (when we allow ourselves to only think).



We could say that most of us are fallen angels, for we appear to be lost people too caught up in our earthly experience. We may be partially aware. We could be totally unaware. Few of us seem fully conscious. Our actions on the planet seem to indicate we are highly unconscious.



Ghosts: The Forgotten Fallen Angels

Let's take the idea of fallen angels - tortured people, anguished thinking and punishing thoughts a bit further. What if a suffering soul were to die? Would the person still be lost and experience emotional pain? Yes, it is possible. Death is not the savior some may think it to be.



Let's consider that negative entities, evil ghosts, are earthbound spirits of humans that are suffering. These spirits, still 'fallen angels,' interact with those of us in bodies, sometimes communicating their messages to us. Often, the ghost messages are of their own fears - not something one would want to rely upon as wisdom. (People, even ghosts, tend to interpret the world and others through their own inner struggles.)



A spirit remains here with the living for numerous reasons. Perhaps the person has unfinished business, or maybe the person feels compelled to deliver a parting message to someone. For whatever reason a disembodied spirit remains attached to this realm, ultimately it is due to fear and a strong identification with this world of forms. This fear and attachment paralyzes the person, suspending them in a state of mental anguish - hell.



If we receive messages from others who are of an unstable state of mind, would you expect it to be enlightened? Would it be truth for you or me? Not likely.



The Resurrection of Fallen Angels

Fallen Angels as PeopleThe use of the word fallen is a reminder of who we truly are, something much greater than we think. Do you believe that you are feeble, lost and alone? That is mind talk, fallen messengers, lowly thoughts and thinking. To move beyond the mind trap, we only need to step back behind our thoughts and be aware.



Heaven is another word used to label the greater force behind everything that is, for Spirit, and it conveys the idea of higher elevation - a higher place. When we are at peace, and living our lives through love and truth, we are indeed in a higher position. We may call this light.



Upon death of the physical body, it is said that the spirit is free and normally gravitates toward light, continuing the life-journey in a higher state. Why the light? The light can be our cleansing process after death of the form. The light is consciousness or awareness - a coming back to the real you. It was always there; often, we just lose sight of it when we are caught up in form.



Within the light, the person is reunited, we might say, with their soul, their real essence. This letting go of past pains and future plans takes place during an instantaneous life-review. Mental issues that were created while in physical form can now be worked through more quickly.



The mind produces fear, not the soul or core of a person. If a spirit decides to not enter into the light after exiting the body, they will miss the mental cleansing. When this happens, it is because of fear. The unconscious soul remains trapped in mental concepts and attempts to remain in the world of form. The soul is trapped by the mind and has become what we call "a ghost" (a "shade" or shadow of the real person).



Ghosts suffer, to some degree, from the fear of loss, fear of the unknown, fear of punishment, guilt, shame, doubt, worry or whatever - all are forms of fear produced by over-thinking. A spirit who decides to remain behind is not able to 'rise above' this condition easily. The ghost maintains a strong identification with physical forms.



The ascension of the soul, a resurrection from being trapped under self-induced mind control, cannot occur without an awakening. So, the restless spirit may remain isolated, afraid and quite attached to the physical world the person felt so comfortable with. And so, these fallen angels have missed their opportunity to be whole, cleansed by the love of a new comprehension.



The perceived misfortune of fallen angels is temporary, thankfully. All of us, the whole of existence is ever-growing, always expanding, progressing and being freed from our false beliefs, from our fear. It is love that frees fallen angels, even if through suffering; and it is love that will eventually purge all states of disconnection.



The Truth of Being

Wise and aware spirits, I believe, do interact with us, observing, guiding and bringing direction. They are with us during this process in form. They are angels, caring about the whole of mankind and its elevation unto knowing truth and peace. What truth, you say? The truth that we are connected - one. A true angel maintains a strong connection with 'being.'



We are eternal spirits, one Spirit energy. Ultimately, there is no death, no punishment, or loss. The body may pass but, yet, we still remain - aware. There is nothing to fear. Fearful mental concepts are illusionary. They are beliefs created by the mind and not real. We created these beliefs, and suffering, because we believed the body and its story to be our person. But our experiences of suffering were merely indicators that we needed to perceive life differently. We viewed external life experiences as more important than the inner life. That's O.K. We are learning.





FOR YOUR AWARENESS AND STUDY

We have a primary list of passages found within ancient manuscripts, such as the Bible, that are used to promote fearful, false ideas concerning angels. By making people believe that these passages are to be understood literally, they are misused to create fear in the minds of those who choose to listen. To grasp such works more deeply, seek the figurative meaning behind them. That is what the ancient authors would have desired.



The following examples of ancient writings are to be understood metaphorically, especially the sayings of Jesus found within the four gospels. It is the same with the Bible's Revelation, known to be a book of symbolism.



Genesis 6:1, Deuteronomy 32:8, I Samuel 16:14; 18:10; 19:9, I Kings 22:19, Psalm 82:1, Isaiah 26:14, Enoch 6:1; 7:1; 10:11; 12:4; 15:8, Jubilees 5:1-2, 6, Matthew 25:41, Ephesians 6:12, Hebrews 2:5, Jude 6, I Peter 3:19, II Peter 2:4, Revelation 9:11, 13.

ANGEL NAMES... A Compilation for you...from Multiple Sources
15:14 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,082

A list of angel names and meanings, collected from history, lore and various experts of angels.



The following comprehensive list of traditional angel names were collected from different angelic sources for reference. Some of them are Biblical, while others are found within religions, legends and myths.



These angel names are of those angels considered to be of a friendly and helpful demeanor as opposed to our list of ill-intended, fallen angels. We've also included the meaning behind each moniker that may tell more of the story about each angel of note.



Abasdarhon - angel of the fifth hour of the night.

Abraxos - ancient name attributed to an angel.

Adnachiel - angel who rules November.

Adonael - an archangel.

Adonai - one of seven angels of the presence, or elohim; creator.

Aeshma - Persian archangel.

Af - angel of light.

Agla - angel who saved Lot and his family.

Akriel - angel who aids those with infertility.

Amitiel - angel of truth.

Amriel - angel of the month of May.

Anael - angel influencing love, passion and sexuality.

Anapiel - angel whose name means "branch of God."

Anahel - angel who rules the third heaven.

Anpiel - angel who protects birds.

Ansiel - name of an angel known as "the constrainer."

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Arael - variation of Uriel; prince over the people.

Araqiel - angel with dominion over the earth.

Araton - one of seven ruling angels over the provinces of heaven.

Ariel - "lion of God;" angel of protection.

Armisael - angel of the womb.

Asariel - "whom God has bound;" rules the moon.

Asroilu - guardian angel of the seventh heaven.

Astanphaeus - one of the seven angels of the presence; third gate guardian.

Asteraoth - name of an angel who thwarts power.

Atrugiel - great prince of the seventh heaven.

Ayil - angel of the zodiac sign Sagittarius.

Azbogah - name of the high ranking angel of judgment.

Azrael - archangel of death.

Azriel - name for the angel of destruction.

Balthioul - angel with the power to thwart distress.

Baradiel - angel of hail.







Barakiel - angel of lightning.

Barrattiel - angel of support.

Barbiel - angel of October.

Bariel - ruling angel of the eleventh hour of the day.

Barman - angel of intelligence.

Barquiel - ruling angel of the seventh hour of the day.

Baruchiel - angel with power over strife.

Bath Kol - female angel of divine prophecy.

Bazazath - archangel of the second heaven.

Bethor - one of seven ruling angels of the province of heaven.

Briathos - name of an angel who thwarts demons.

Cahethal - seraphim angel over agriculture.

Camael - angel name that means "he who sees God;" chief angel of powers.

Cassiel - angel of Saturn.

Cerviel - angel ruler of the principalities.

Chamuel - archangel whose name means "he who seeks God."

Chayyliel - angel whose name means "army;" a powerful angel.

Cochabiel - angel prince who stands before God.

Dabriel - angel of the first heaven who rules over Monday.

Dagiel - angel who has dominion over fish.

Dalquiel - angel prince of the third heaven.

Damabiath - angel of naval construction.

Dardariel - ruling angel of the eleventh hour.

Diniel - angel who protects infants.

Domiel - angel who guards the sixth hall of the seventh heaven.

Dubbiel - guardian angel of Persia; name means "bear-God."

Duma - angel prince of dreams.

Dumah - angel of silence.

Eae - angel who thwarts demons.

Eiael - angel with dominion over the occult sciences.

Elyon - ministering angel who brought the plague of hail upon Egypt.

Emmanuel - angel whose name means "God with us."

Erathaol - one of seven great archon angels.

Eremiel - great angel who presides over the Abyss and Hades.

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Gabriel - archangel whose name means "man or hero of God."

Gadriel - angel who rules the fifth heaven.

Galgaliel - prince angel of the sun, like Raphael.

Galizur - great angel who rules the second heaven.

Gamaliel - angel who takes the elect unto heaven.

Gazardiel - angel who supervises the east.

Geburatiel - angel prince who guards the seventh heaven.

Guriel - angel of the zodiac sign of Leo.

Gzrel - angel who revokes any evil decree against another in heaven.

Hadraniel - angel who stands at the second gate in heaven; "majesty of God."

Hadriel - guardian angel of the gates of the east wind.

Hagith - one of the seven ruling angels of the provinces of heaven.

Halaliel - archangel known as "the lord of karma."

Hamaliel - angel who rules the order of virtues.

Hamon - a great, honored, beautiful prince angel in heaven.

Haniel - an archangel who guards the tree of life.

Harahel - angel who oversees libraries.

Hasdiel - angel of benevolance.

Hasmal - fire speaking angel of the throne of God.

Hayliel - angel prince in the seventh heaven.

Haziel - angel whose name means "vision of God."

Heman - angel leader of the heavenly choir, whose name means "trust."

Hermesiel - angel who leads one of the heavenly choirs.

Hofniel - ruling angel of the bene elohim; name means "fighter of God."

Iaoel - an angel of the lord; angel of visions.

Iaoth - archangel who has power to thwart demons.

Leo - an angel who thwarts demons.

Iofiel - archangel whose name means "beauty of God."

Israfil - Islamic angel whose name means "the burning one."

Jael - cherub who guards the ark of the covenant.

Jahoel - one of the angels of the presence and chief of the seraphim.

Jaoel - guardian angel who lives in the seventh heaven.

Jeduthun - angel whose name means "master of howling" or chanting to God.

Jefischa - ruling angel of the fourth hour of the night.







Jehudiel - archangel who rules the movements of the celestial spheres.

Jeremiel - archangel whose name means "mercy of God."

Kabshiel - angel of grace and favor.

Kafziel - archangel who rules the planet Saturn.

Kakabel - angel who rules over stars and constellations.

Kalaziel - angel who has the power to thwart demons of disease.

Karael - angel who has the power to thwart demons.

Kemuel - archon angel and chief of the seraphim.

Kerubiel - prince angel of the cherubim.

Kokabiel - prince angel of the stars.

Kutiel - angel of water and the use of diving rods.

Labbiel - angel whose name was changed to Raphael.

Lahabiel - angel who protects against evil spirits.

Lamechial - angel who thwarts deception.

Lassuarium - angel who rules the tenth hour of the night.

Laylah - angel who oversees and protects childbirth.

Machidiel - angel governing the zodiac sign of Aries and the month of March.

Marmaroth - angel who has power to thwart fate.

Mendrion - angel who rules the seventh hour of the night.

Metatron - one of the greatest archangels, second only to God.

Michael - great archangel whose name means "who is as God."

Mihr - angel of divine mercy; angel that governs September.

Miniel - angel invoked to induce love.

Mitatron - an angel of the third heaven.

Morael - angel of awe that rules the months of August-September.

Moroni - brought messages to Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism.

Muriel - angel who rules the dominions and the month of June.

Naaririel - great prince angel of the seventh heaven.

Nahaliel - angel who governs running streams; "valley of God."

Nanael - angel who governs the sciences, and philosophy.

Narcariel - angel that rules the eighth hour of the night.

Nasargiel - good angel with a lion head that rules hell.

Nathanael - angel ruling over hidden things, fire and vengeance.

Naya'il - angel of testing.

Nelchael - angel of the schemhamphorae.

Nuriel - angel of spellbinding power and of hail storms.

Och - one ruling angel of the provinces of heaven.

Omael - angel of chemistry and species perpetuation.

Onoel - name of an archon angel...

Ophaniel - prince angel over the ophanim.

Ophiel - one ruling angel of the provinces of heaven and Mercury.

Oriel - ruling angel of the tenth hour of the day.

Orifiel - archangel over thrones, and the second hour of the day.

Orphamiel - angel known as the "great finger of the Father."

Osmadiel - ruling angel of the eighth hour of the day.

Ouriel - archangel who commands demons.

Pamyel - ruling angel of the ninth hour of night.

Pathiel - angel whose name means "opener of God."

Peliel - angel who rules the virtues.

Peniel - angel who rules Friday and resides in the third heaven.

Pesagniyah - angel who ushers prayers of grief to heaven.

Phaleg - one of the seven ruling angels of the provinces of heaven.

Phanuel - archangel who is an interpreter of revelations.

Phounebiel - disease thwarting angel.

Phul one of the seven ruling angels of the provinces of heaven.

Pravuil - an archangel who keeps all the records of heaven.

Pronoia - an archon angel who helped make mankind.

Purah - angel of forgetfulness.

Puriel - angel whose name means "the fire of God;" angel of punishment.

Qaspiel - angel who rules the moon.

Quabriel - ruling angel of the ninth hour of the day.

Rachiel - ophanim angel who rules Venus and governs sexuality.

Rachmiel - angel of mercy whose name also means the same.

Radueriel - angel who can create other angels and oversees archives.

Raguel - angel who watches over the behavior of angels; "friend of God."

Rahab - angel of death, destruction, but also the sea.

Rahatiel - angel prince of the constellations; name means "to run."

Rahmiel - angel of mercy and love.

Ramiel - angel who oversees visions and souls during the day of judgment.

Raphael - great archangel whose name means "the shining one who heals."

Rathanael - angel of the third heaven and thwarter of demons.

Raziel - angel chief over the thrones, guarding the secrets of the universe.

Remiel - angel who leads souls to judgment; name means "mercy of God."

Rikbiel - angel who oversees the divine chariot; chief of wheels.

Rizoel - angel with power to thwart demons.

Rogziel - angel of punishment whose name means "the wrath of God."

Ruman - angel who takes account of evil men's deeds while in hell.

Sabaoth - archon angel of the presence.

Sabathiel - angel or intelligence who communicates divine light.

Sablo - angel of graciousness and protection.

Sabrael - archangel who guards the first heaven.

Sabrathan - ruling angel of the first hour of the night.

Sachiel - ruling angel of Jupiter whose name means "covering of God."

Sagnessagiel - angel who guards the fourth hall of the seventh heaven.

Sahaqiel - angel prince of the fourth heaven.

Salathiel - rescuing angel of Adam and Eve.

Samkiel - angel of destruction and purifier of souls from sheol.

Samuel - fruling angel of the first hour of the day.

Sandalphon - giant angel whose name means "co-brother" (of Metratron).

Saniel - ruling angel of the sixth hour of the day.

Sarakiel - angel who rules the ministering angels.

Sarandiel - ruling angel of the twelfth hour of the night.

Satqiel - angel prince of the fifth heaven.

Seraphiel - chief angel of the seraphim angels.

Shamsiel - angel whose name means "light of day."

Shepherd - angel of repentance.

Shoftiel - angel whose name means "the judge of God."

Sidqiel - angel prince of the ophanim; ruler of Venus.

Sidriel - angel prince of the first heaven.

Simiel - archangel.

Sizouze - angel of prayer.

Sophia - angel whose name means "wisdom."

Soqedhozi - angel who weighs the merits of of men before God.

Sorath - angel who is the spirit of the sun.

Sorush - angel who punishes souls on judgment day.

Soterasiel - angel whose name means "who stirs up the fire of God."

Sraosha - angel who sets the world in motion.

Suriel - angel of healing whose name means "God's command."

Tagas - governing angel of singing angels.

Tartys - ruling angel of the second hour of the night.

Tatrasiel - great angelic prince.

Temeluch - angel caretaker who protects newborn babies and children.

Temperance - angel of the elixir of life.

Theliel - angel prince of love.

Tubiel - angel of summer.

Tzadkiel - angel of justice and guardian of the gates of the east wind.

Ubaviel - angel of the zodiac sign of Capricorn.

Umabel - angel of physics and astronomy.

Uriel - great archangel whose name means "God is my light."

Usiel - an angel who stands before the throne of God.

Uzziel - cherubim angel whose name means "strength of God."

Varhmiel - ruling angel of the fourth hour of the day.

Vequaniel - ruling angel of the third hour of the day.

Verchiel - ruling angel of the month of July and of the zodiac sign Leo.

Vretiel - swift in wisdom archangel responsible for recording God's deeds.

Xathanael - the sixth angel created by God.

Yabbashael - an angel of the earth whose name means "the mainland."

Yefefiah - archangel who is the prince of the Torah.

Yehudiah - benevolant angel of death.

Yerachmiel - an archangel who rules earth.

Yeshamiel - angel who rules the zodiac sign of Libra.

Yofiel - angel prince of the Torah commanding 53 legions of angels.

Zaapiel - angel punisher of wicked souls.

Zaazenach - ruling angel of the sixth hour of the night.

Zabkiel - angel who rules over the thrones.

Zachariel - angel governor of Jupiter.

Zachriel - angel who governs memories.

Zadkeil - archangel who rules heaven and stands in the presence of God.

Zagzagel - angel prince of the Torah and of wisdom.

Zakzakiel - angel of the seventh heaven who records good deeds.

Zaphiel - angel ruler of the cherubim.

Zaphkiel - archangel whose name means "knowledge of God."

Zarall - cherub angel who guards the ark of the covenant.

Zazriel - angel whose name means "strength of God."

Zehanpuryu - high ranking angel whose name means "one who sets free."

Zerachiel - angel of the month of July and the sun.

Zophiel - angel whose name means "God's spy."

Zuriel - angel ruler of the principalities whose name means "my rock is God."



Angel Name Meanings

Angel names find their roots within ancient cultures, such as Babylon, Assyria, and Egypt, as well as within Jewish, Christian and Muslim lore. Over thousands of years, angel names have evolved in spelling, meaning and use within religions, mysticism and magic, where the name of an angel is thought important in order to invoke angelic help.



Many of the angel names include a suffix word meaning, "of God" (-el), or yah, which means, "Lord." This way, angel names portray the importance of the angel's connection with the divine. Angel names are, thus, traditionally viewed as being powerful. Most angel names will have the "el" incorporated; most fallen angel names will not.



Angel names used most frequently and best known are Gabrael, Raphael, Uriel and Ariel.



A Note About Our List

The list of angel names were derived from many sources beyond biblical books. Angels were also written about in many cultures - the Sumerians, Egyptians, Assyrians and Babylonians come to mind. Later, they would find their way into Hebrew, Greek-Mediterranean, Essene and Christian writings.

History of the Rosary From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
15:08 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,083

There are differing views on the history of the Rosary. The exact origin of the Rosary as a prayer is less than clear and subject to debate among scholars.



Prayer beads may have their origins in the Eastern religions in India in the 3rd century BC. The use of knotted prayer ropes in Christianity goes back to the Desert Fathers in the 3rd and early 4th centuries. These counting devices were used for prayers such as the Jesus prayer in Christian monasticism. The period after the First Council of Ephesus in 431 witnessed a gradual growth in the use of Marian prayers during the Middle Ages.



According to some Catholic traditions, the Rosary was given to Saint Dominic in a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary and it was then promoted by Alanus de Rupe. However, not all Catholics agree with that tradition. Some historians see a more gradual development for the Rosary, in that the repetition of Marian prayers which form the basis of the Rosary needed counting devices, which resulted in the modern form of the Rosary prayed on beads.



The practice of meditation during the praying of the Hail Marys is attributed to Dominic of Prussia, a 15th Carthusian monk, who called it "Life of Jesus Rosary". The Christian victory at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 was attributed to the praying of the Rosary by masses of Europeans based on the request of Pope Pius V and eventually resulted in the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. In 1569, the papal bull Consueverunt Romani Pontifices established the devotion to the rosary in the Catholic Church. From the 16th to the early 20th century, the structure of the rosary remained essentially unchanged.



Contents [hide]

1 History

2 Historical development

3 Official devotion

4 Key dates

5 Ropes, beads and prayers

6 See also

7 References

History[edit]

There are differing views on the history of the rosary. The exact origin of the Rosary as a prayer is less than clear and subject to debate among scholars.[1]



Prayers with beads like the rosary may have begun as a practice by the laity to imitate the monastic Liturgy of the Hours, during the course of which the monks prayed the 150 Psalms daily.[2] As many of the laity and even lay monastics could not read, they substituted 150 repetitions of the Our Father (Pater noster in Latin) for the Psalms, sometimes using a cord with knots on it to keep an accurate count.[1]



According to tradition, the rosary was given to Saint Dominic in an apparition by the Blessed Virgin Mary in the year 1214 in the church of Prouille.[2] This Marian apparition received the title of Our Lady of the Rosary.[3] In the 15th century Blessed Alanus de Rupe (aka Alain de la Roche or Saint Alan of the Rock), who was a learned Dominican priest and theologian, is said to have received a vision from Jesus about the urgency of reinstating the rosary as a form of prayer. Blessed Alanus de Rupe also received the Blessed Mother's "15 Promises". Before his death on Sept. 8, 1475 he reinstituted the rosary in many countries and established many rosary confraternities. Despite the popularity of Blessed Alanus's story about the origins of the rosary, there has never been found any historical evidence positively linking St. Dominic to the rosary. The story of St. Dominic's devotion to the rosary and supposed apparition of Our Lady of the Rosary does not appear in any documents of the Church or Dominican Order prior to the writings of Blessed Alanus.[1] St. Dominic and Blessed Alanus are separated by 250 years.



Historical development[edit]



Our Lady of the Rosary Basilica, Rosario Argentina, 1887, an example of Marian church architecture devoted to the rosary.

During the middle ages, evidence suggests that both the Our Father and the Hail Mary were recited with prayer beads.[2] In 13th century Paris, four trade guilds existed of prayer bead makers, who were referred to as paternosterers, and the beads were referred to as paternosters, suggesting a continued link between the Our Father (Pater noster in Latin) and the prayer beads.[1]



In the 12th century, the rule of the English anchorites, the Ancrene Wisse, specified how groups of 50 Hail Marys were to be broken into five decades of ten Hail Marys each. Gradually, the Hail Mary came to replace the Our Father as the prayer most associated with beads. Eventually, each decade came to be preceded by an Our Father, which further mirrored the structure of the monastic Divine Office.[1]



The practice of meditation during the praying of the Hail Marys is attributed to Dominic of Prussia (1382–1460), a Carthusian monk, who called it "Life of Jesus Rosary".[4] The German monk from Trier added a sentence to each of the 50 Hail Marys already popular at his time, using quotes from scriptures. Promoted by his superior Adolf von Essen and others, his practice became popular among Benedictines and Carthusians from Trier to adjoining Belgium and France, where it was greatly promoted by the preaching of the Dominican priest Alan de Rupe, who helped to spread the devotion in France, Flanders, and the Netherlands between 1460 and his death in 1475.[5]



In 1475 James Sprenger formed one of the first rosary confraternities in Cologne.[6][7] Rosary confraternities in Venice and Florence were formed in 1480 and 1481.[8]



In the 16th century, Rosary confraternities for women spread in France and Italy, partly because women were excluded from most other societies and because this type did not involve common masses or processions, only private prayer.[9] In 1571 Pope Pius V called for all of Europe to pray the rosary for victory at the Battle of Lepanto, in which the Christian belligerents included the Papal States. The Christian victory at Lepanto was at first celebrated as the feast of "Our Lady of Victory" on October 7, but was later renamed the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.[10][11][12]



Official devotion[edit]

See also: Rosary devotions and spirituality



Our Lady of Lourdes appearing at Lourdes with Rosary beads.

In 1569, the papal bull Consueverunt Romani Pontifices by the Dominican Pope Pius V officially established the devotion to the rosary in the Catholic Church.[13] Saint Peter Canisius, a Doctor of the Church, who is credited with adding to the Hail Mary the sentence "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners", was an ardent advocate of the rosary and promoted it (and its Marian devotion in general) as the best way to repair the damage done to the Church by the Reformation.[14]



From the 16th to the early 20th century, the structure of the rosary remained essentially unchanged.[1] There were 15 mysteries, one for each of the 15 decades. In the 20th century the addition of the Fatima Prayer to the end of each decade became popular. After Vatican Council II, Msgr. Annibale Bugnini, architect of the liturgical reform, proposed further changes to the structure of the Rosary, but Pope Paul VI refused to implement the proposal on the grounds that changing such a well-established and popular devotion would unsettle the piety of the faithful and show a lack of reverence for an ancient practice. There were thus no other changes until 2002 when John Paul II instituted five new Luminous Mysteries.[citation needed]



Since the 17th century, the Rosary began to appear as an element in key pieces of Roman Catholic Marian art. Key examples include Murrillo's Madonna with the Rosary at the Museo del Prado in Spain, and the statue of Madonna with Rosary at the church of San Nazaro Maggiore in Milan. Several Roman Catholic Marian churches around the world have also been named after the rosary, e.g. Our Lady of the Rosary Basilica, in Rosario Argentina, the Rosary Basilica in Lourdes and Nossa Senhora do Rosário in Porto Alegre, Brazil.



Key dates[edit]

The table shows key dates in the development of the rosary.:[2]



4th century prayer rope used by the Desert Fathers to count repetitions of the Jesus Prayer

By the 7th century prayers to Mary were becoming more common.[15]

c. 1075 Lady Godiva refers in her will to "the circlet of precious stones which she had threaded on a cord in order that by fingering them one after another she might count her prayers exactly" (Malmesbury, "Gesta Pont.", Rolls Series 311)[1]

A rule for anchorites in mid-12th century England gives directions on how 50 Hail Marys are to be said divided into sets of ten, with prostrations and other marks of reverence.[1]



A rosary from 1475-1500, Germany.

It is recorded by a contemporary biographer that St. Aibert, who died in 1140, recited 150 Hail Marys daily, 100 with genuflexions and 50 with prostrations.[16]

1214 traditional date of Saint Dominic's reception of the rosary from the Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Rosary[2]

It is recorded of St. Louis of France (1214–70) that "without counting his other prayers the holy King knelt down every evening 50 times and each time he stood upright then knelt again and repeated slowly an Ave Maria." [16]

1268 A reference to guild of "paternosterers" in Paris in "Livre des métiers" of Stephen Boyleau.[1]

Early 15th century, Dominic of Prussia, a Carthusian, introduces 50 mysteries, one for each Ave Maria[17]

15th century blessed Alanus de Rupe (Alain de la Roche) established the "15 rosary promises" and started many rosary confraternities

c. 1514 Hail Mary prayer attains its current form.[16]

1569 Pope Pius V established the current form of the original 15 mysteries[18]

1579 Instructions and advertisements, how to meditate the misteries of the rosarie of the most holy Virgin Mary by Gaspar Loarte is published [19]

1587 Rosario della Sacratissima Vergine Maria by Ven. Luis de Granada is published.

1589 Instructions for the use of the beades by John Bucke is published.[20]

1597 first recorded use of the term "rosary" to refer to prayer beads.[21]

1917 Our Lady of Fatima is said to ask that the Fatima Prayer be added to the Rosary. Her visionaries state that she also asks for the Rosary to be said to stop the war.

1974 Pope Paul VI issues the Apostolic Letter Marialis Cultus which devotes 14 sections to the use of the rosary within the Roman Catholic Church.[22]

2002 Pope John Paul II introduces the Luminous Mysteries as an option for Roman Catholics in an Apostolic Letter on the Rosary, Rosarium Virginis Mariae.[23]

Ropes, beads and prayers[edit]

See also: History of prayer beads



A Russian Lestovka. Unlike a Rosary, it has no Crucifix

The use of ornamental beads dates to 10,000 BC.[24] The English word bead derives from the Old English noun bede which means a prayer.[25][26][27][28] The earliest use of prayer beads probably traces to Hindu prayers in India in the 3rd century BC, then to Buddhism.[24][26][29] There are no prayer beads in Judaism.[26]



The earliest Christian devices for counting prayers trace to the Desert Fathers who started Christian monasticism in the 3rd century.[26][29] They had the habit of praying 150 psalms a day and in order to keep track of the count kept 150 pebbles in a bowl or a bag, and removed a pebble after each psalm.[29] St. Anthony of Egypt and St. Pachomius are often associated with the development of prayer ropes in the 4th century.[29][30] These were ropes with 150 knots and gained popularity because they weighed less than a bag of 150 pebbles.[29] These prayer ropes (also called komboskini) continue to be used in Eastern Christianity today.[29] These ropes were only used for prayers such as the Jesus Prayer and the Lord's Prayer and involved no prayers to the Virgin Mary.[29][30]



The earliest known prayer to Mary is the Sub tuum praesidium, which begins with the words: "Beneath your compassion, we take refuge."[31][32] The earliest text of Sub tuum praesidium traces to the Coptic Orthodox liturgy and a copy written in Greek dates to around the year 250.[33] After the First Council of Ephesus in 431 the title Theotokos and the veneration of Mary as the "Mother of God" were established and a period of growth for Marian prayers started.[34][35]



An Egyptian Coptic ostracon that dates to around the year 600 bears the Greek words: "Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, because thou didst conceive Christ, the Son of God, the Redeemer of our souls". This Eastern variant of the Ave Maria was apparently intended for liturgical use, just as the earliest form of the Hail Mary in the Western Church took the shape of an antiphon.[15] However, there is little or no trace of the Hail Mary as an accepted "devotional formula" before about 1050.[36] While two Anglo-Saxon manuscripts at the British Museum, one of which may be as old as the year 1030, show the words "Ave Maria" etc. and "benedicta tu in mulieribus et benedictus fructus ventris tui" it is not certain when these clauses were first joined to make one prayer[36]

History of the Rosary Our Lady Rosary Saint Dominic...
15:07 Jul 27 2015
Times Read: 2,085

Since the Rosary is composed, principally and in substance, of the prayer of Christ and the Angelic Salutation, that is, the Our Father and the Hail Mary, it was without doubt the first prayer and the principal devotion of the faithful and has been in use all through the centuries, from the time of the apostles and disciples down to the present.

It was only in the year 1214, however, that the Church received the Rosary in its present form and according to the method we use today. It was given to the Church by St. Dominic, who had received it from the Blessed Virgin as a means of converting the Albigensians and other sinners.

I will tell you the story of how he received it, which is found in the very well-known book De Dignitate Psalterii, by Blessed Alan de la Roche. Saint Dominic, seeing that the gravity of people's sins was hindering the conversion of the Albigensians, withdrew into a forest near Toulouse, where he prayed continuously for three days and three nights. During this time he did nothing but weep and do harsh penances in order to appease the anger of God. He used his discipline so much that his body was lacerated, and finally he fell into a coma.

At this point our Lady appeared to him, accompanied by three angels, and she said, "Dear Dominic, do you know which weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world?" "Oh, my Lady," answered Saint Dominic, "you know far better than I do, because next to your Son Jesus Christ you have always been the chief instrument of our salvation."

Then our Lady replied, "I want you to know that, in this kind of warfare, the principal weapon has always been the Angelic Psalter, which is the foundation-stone of the New Testament. Therefore, if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them over to God, preach my Psalter."

So he arose, comforted, and burning with zeal for the conversion of the people in that district, he made straight for the cathedral. At once unseen angels rang the bells to gather the people together, and Saint Dominic began to preach.

At the very beginning of his sermon, an appalling storm broke out, the earth shook, the sun was darkened, and there was so much thunder and lightning that all were very much afraid. Even greater was their fear when, looking at a picture of our Lady exposed in a prominent place, they saw her raise her arms to heaven three times to call down God's vengeance upon them if they failed to be converted, to amend their lives, and seek the protection of the holy Mother of God.

God wished, by means of these supernatural phenomena, to spread the new devotion of the holy Rosary and to make it more widely known.

At last, at the prayer of Saint Dominic, the storm came to an end, and he went on preaching. So fervently and compellingly did he explain the importance and value of the Rosary that almost all the people of Toulouse embraced it and renounced their false beliefs. In a very short time a great improvement was seen in the town; people began leading Christian lives and gave up their former bad habits.



rose

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, instructed by the Blessed Virgin as well as by his own experience, Saint Dominic preached the Rosary for the rest of his life. He preached it by his example as well as by his sermons, in cities and in country places, to people of high station and low, before scholars and the uneducated, to Catholics and to heretics.

The Rosary, which he said every day, was his preparation for every sermon and his little tryst with our Lady immediately after preaching.

One day he had to preach at Notre Dame in Paris, and it happened to be the feast of St. John the Evangelist. He was in a little chapel behind the high altar prayerfully preparing his sermon by saying the Rosary, as he always did, when our Lady appeared to him and said: "Dominic, even though what you have planned to say may be very good, I am bringing you a much better sermon."

Saint Dominic took in his hands the book our Lady proffered, read the sermon carefully and, when he had understood it and meditated on it, he gave thanks to her.

When the time came, he went up into the pulpit and, in spite of the feast day, made no mention of Saint John other than to say that he had been found worthy to be the guardian of the Queen of Heaven. The congregation was made up of theologians and other eminent people, who were used to hearing unusual and polished discourses; but Saint Dominic told them that it was not his desire to give them a learned discourse, wise in the eyes of the world, but that he would speak in the simplicity of the Holy Spirit and with his forcefulness.

So he began preaching the Rosary and explained the Hail Mary word by word as he would to a group of children, and used the very simple illustrations which were in the book given him by our Lady.

Blessed Alan, according to Carthagena, mentioned several other occasions when our Lord and our Lady appeared to Saint Dominic to urge him and inspire him to preach the Rosary more and more in order to wipe out sin and convert sinners and heretics. In another passage Carthagena says, "Blessed Alan said our Lady revealed to him that, after she had appeared to Saint Dominic, her blessed Son appeared to him and said, 'Dominic, I rejoice to see that you are not relying on your own wisdom and that, rather than seek the empty praise of men, you are working with great humility for the salvation of souls.

"'But many priests want to preach thunderously against the worst kinds of sin at the very outset, failing to realize that before a sick person is given bitter medicine, he needs to be prepared by being put into the right frame of mind to really benefit by it.

"'That is why, before doing anything else, priests should try to kindle a love of prayer in people's hearts and especially a love of my Angelic Psalter. If only they would all start saying it and would really persevere, God in his mercy could hardly refuse to give them his grace. So I want you to preach my Rosary."'



rose

All things, even the holiest, are subject to change, especially when they are dependent on man's free will. It is hardly to be wondered at, then, that the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary only retained its first fervour for a century after it was instituted by Saint Dominic. After this it was like a thing buried and forgotten.

Doubtless, too, the wicked scheming and jealousy of the devil were largely responsible for getting people to neglect the Rosary, and thus block the flow of God's grace which it had drawn upon the world.

Thus, in 1349 God punished the whole of Europe with the most terrible plague that had ever been known. Starting in the east, it spread throughout Italy, Germany, France, Poland and Hungary, bringing desolation wherever it went, for out of a hundred men hardly one lived to tell the tale. Big cities, towns, villages and monasteries were almost completely deserted during the three years that the epidemic lasted.

This scourge of God was quickly followed by two others, the heresy of the Flagellants and a tragic schism in 1376.

Later on, when these trials were over, thanks to the mercy of God, our Lady told Blessed Alan to revive the former Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. Blessed Alan was one of the Dominican Fathers at the monastery at Dinan, in Brittany. He was an eminent theologian and a famous preacher. Our Lady chose him because, since the Confraternity had originally been started in that province, it was fitting that a Dominican from the same province should have the honour of re-establishing it.

Blessed Alan began this great work in 1460, after a special warning from our Lord. This is how he received that urgent message, as he himself tells it:

One day when he was offering Mass, our Lord, who wished to spur him on to preach the holy Rosary, spoke to him in the Sacred Host. "How can you crucify me again so soon?" Jesus said. "What did you say, Lord?" asked Blessed Alan, horrified. "You crucified me once before by your sins," answered Jesus, "and I would willingly be crucified again rather than have my Father offended by the sins you used to commit. You are crucifying me again now because you have all the learning and understanding that you need to preach my Mother's Rosary, and you are not doing it. If you only did that, you could teach many souls the right path and lead them away from sin. But you are not doing it, and so you yourself are guilty of the sins that they commit."

This terrible reproach made Blessed Alan solemnly resolve to preach the Rosary unceasingly.

Our Lady also said to him one day to inspire him to preach the Rosary more and more, "You were a great sinner in your youth, but I obtained the grace of your conversion from my Son. Had such a thing been possible, I would have liked to have gone through all kinds of suffering to save you, because converted sinners are a glory to me. And I would have done that also to make you worthy of preaching my Rosary far and wide."

Saint Dominic appeared to Blessed Alan as well and told him of the great results of his ministry: he had preached the Rosary unceasingly, his sermons had borne great fruit and many people had been converted during his missions.

He said to Blessed Alan, "See what wonderful results I have had through preaching the Rosary. You and all who love our Lady ought to do the same so that, by means of this holy practice of the Rosary, you may draw all people to the real science of the virtues."

Briefly, then, this is the history of how Saint Dominic established the holy Rosary and of how Blessed Alan de la Roche restored it.



From the time Saint Dominic established the devotion to the holy Rosary up to the time when Blessed Alan de la Roche reestablished it in 1460, it has always been called the Psalter of Jesus and Mary. This is because it has the same number of Hail Marys as there are psalms in the Book of the Psalms of David. Since simple and uneducated people are not able to say the Psalms of David, the Rosary is held to be just as fruitful for them as David's Psalter is for others.



rose

Ever since Blessed Alan de la Roche re-established this devotion, the voice of the people, which is the voice of God, gave it the name of the Rosary, which means "crown of roses." That is to say that every time people say the Rosary devoutly they place on the heads of Jesus and Mary 153 white roses and sixteen red roses. Being heavenly flowers, these roses will never fade or lose their beauty.

Our Lady has approved and confirmed this name of the Rosary; she has revealed to several people that each time they say a Hail Mary they are giving her a beautiful rose, and that each complete Rosary makes her a crown of roses.

So the complete Rosary is a large crown of roses and each chaplet of five decades is a little wreath of flowers or a little crown of heavenly roses which we place on the heads of Jesus and Mary. The rose is the queen of flowers, and so the Rosary is the rose of devotions and the most important one



by Saint Louis Marie Grignion De Montfort