#brazen head

[birdy-the-artist]

Robo Salome or something

[mclalan]

[triste-le-roy]

Engraving of Roger Bacon, Thomas Bungay, and a Brazen Head from Robert Greene's The Honorable History of Friar Bacon and Friar Bongay (unknown artist, 1630 CE). (via Wikipedia)

[briefbestiary]

While not necessarily considered living, these legendary automatons are entities attributed with supernatural abilities of speech.

[wisdomfish]

The hardening

The hardening … is absolute and complete insensitivity to wrongdoing. Sin tends to do that. Every compulsion and lust will make at least some progress towards it. Those of you who were tender, who melted under the word and under trials, will grow “sermon-proof and nausea-proof.” Those of you who trembled at the presence of God, at thoughts of death and your appearance before him, will have such brazenness in your spirit that you will no longer be moved by these things. Your soul and your sin will be spoken about, and you will not care, hear, or notice. You will be able to pass over your Christian duties like praying, hearing, and reading and your heart will not be affected in the least. Sin will become easy for you. You will ignore it as nothing. This is what it will grow to be. ~ John Owen

[thewhyldeone]

The Brazen Head

“Gerbert. From Aurillac? The Gerbert of Aurillac, the tenth-century pope who reputedly owned a brass head that spoke oracles?” 

The fact that Gerbert was a vampire and had once been pope was of much less interest to me than was his reputation as a student of science and magic.

“I keep forgetting how much history you know. You put even vampires to shame. Yes, that Gerbert. And,” he warned, “I would like it very much if you’d stay out of his way. If you do meet him, no quizzing him about Arabic medicine or astronomy. He has always been acquisitive when it comes to witches and magic.” 

Matthew looked at me possessively.

- Chapter 28, A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (All Souls Trilogy)

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I was peripherally aware of the legend of the brazen head when I read A Discovery of Witches. It’s associated with many scholars in the medieval period.

The historical Gerbert d’ Aurillac was in fact made Pope in c. 999 and a legend says that he learned magic and then stole a book of spells from a magician in Spain, had a pact with the witch/demon “Meridiana,” and built a brazen head automaton that told fortunes. The medieval scholar Roger Bacon c. 1214, was also associated with a bronze head that told oracles. 

One really creative and interesting thing they did with Gerbert’s character in the show was to actually show the coolest aspects of the historical Pope with the book character. Book Gerbert was dangerous, and comical at times, there is only a passing mention of Meridiana though. Show Gerbert is terrifying. The fact that he still holds Meridiana in thrall, as a portable golden oracle no less, is sadistic. Also the way he treats Juliette, as a groomed victim and plaything is awful. I loved that she broke away in the end and made her own choices, even if that choice was to go to Madison for murder.

Anyway there is so much history behind the brazen head legend, to much to go over here, I just wanted to bring it up if no one else did.

Since links are broken I will just list a couple sources for further reading if anyone is interested. It’s not extensive, but it’s a start.

Brazen Heads: The Curious Legend Behind Fortune-Telling Automata by Maria J. Pérez Cuervo

The Genesis of Science: How the Christian Middle Ages Launched the Scientific Revolution by James Hannam

-       Chapter 2: The Mathematical Pope

-       Chapter 9: Roger Bacon and the Science of Light

[birdy-the-artist]

Clockwork - Animosité

In 1907, the midst of Belle Époque Paris, a mysterious automaton falls into the hands of lonely watch repairman Stuart Lefebvre. It soon bec

good morning everyone

[birdy-the-artist]

Is this a spoiler? Eh I’ve posted him a few times