Hulloo, it's been a while since I've posted anything but since I've been noticing a number of people joining the fandom increasing, I thought I'd post a couple of links to my older posts!!
A bit about me: I am the local lore-digger/master of arts (courtesy of @storkteller), if I dare to so myself, because I've not only found references to many of imagery seen and found in HL, but also found sources of said imagery.
Ever wondered what were the scribbles on the boards found in the Undercroft? have you ever stumbled upon symbols in the Forbidden Forest? or strolled in classrooms and thought, wait what do those writings mean? I have answers to many of these inquires.
BOARDS FROM THE UNDERCROFT
SYMBOLS FROM THE FORBIDDEN FOREST
BOARDS FROM PROFESSOR FIG'S CLASSROOM
THE ART FROM THE SCRIPTORIUM
HOGWARTS LEGACY OUT OF BOUNDS AREAS EXPLORED
These aren't all of course; check my pinned for stuff, like my ramblings about the lore or random HL things, my did-you-know little series, my HL MC, and many more. Feel free to leave research requests.
It has been a long while since I have posted anything like this for HL, with some expressing that I have abandoned the game. I have not!!!!! I have been consumed by Hadеs 2!!!!!!!!!! and life, too.
I didn't cover the Scriptorium at all, besides, I think, this post from October of the past year. I should fix that.
As I have demonstrated before with the Undercroft's boards and boards from the Fig's classroom and have discussed with @the-magiarcheologist under the post about pages from the Keeper's Book where I think I've recalled this little post from 2023, seldom will you find imagery bearing a resemblance to medieval or ancient art that has been specifically created for the game.
It is rather underwhelming. I have qualms with it (re: Boards from the Fig's classroom post), but when the team behind the visuals is as big as just seven people, doubtless they should be cut some slack; they had to work with what they could find, and fast. But.
Their choices – the decisions that were made rather – do puzzle me.
This is the Salazar Slytherin's spellbook we find at the end of the Scriptorium. It is said to be as old as had been written in the 10th century AD.
But it bears a galdrstafir (the circular sigil). Galdrstafirs are not so old.
I must warn: under the cut is a wall of text with bits of graphic language, so beware.
When you are forced to create or continue to develop a setting that isn't yours under crunch, to do that without a hiccup you should be familiar with its inspiration and sources. Otherwise, if we think of the narrative as of a river you set loose and of your audience as of people travelling on a raft downstream, you will have to rely on ignorance of the topic of theirs – and hope they will take rapids for terrain and not a dismembered corpse of missed potential.
Why? It sits on the eye level yet usually carries no meaning.
We scrutinise medical drama for its flummoxing overuse of heavy CPR routine each time someone flatfucks on the floor; when people are walking anachronisms in period dramas we don't shy or cower and we say harsh things about art directors; when duduk is heard whilst dunes comes into view how's not to wonder when will this idea of using duduk for desert scenes will finally be abandoned. Likewise, the pieces put in this game are as confusing as those are often used simply to create a visual idea of something the audience may feel like has an association with magic than serve as an element of the visual storytelling.
It's a filler.
Whilst I am able to recognise and understand the intent and I am well-aware of the use of literary devices, I prefer things that are made into importance not to be a full equivalent of the 'sesame chicken' tattoo (i.e. something that only looks cool for as long as no one in the room is familiar with, in this case, Chinese).
The game uses symbology and pieces of art found in real life. And it creates a problem as it always carries historical context of its use.
An example before I move on to the items from the Scriptorium.
I am not sure this particular bit of text is found in HL, although I recall thinking it is commonly used as a placeholder text; just look at it:
It is not a fragment of some obscure manuscript about magic.
It is a fragment of a page from the Auraicept na nÉces, a manuscript written in Old Irish and compiled in 14th century, some parts dating back as far as 8th century. Contains genealogical, topographical, biblical, and hagiographical material, including variations of Ogham.
Yet, because it uses unfamiliar language written in a bygone script, some might think it could be used so crudely. I say it shouldn't be.
As I have said, magical insignia has Context. Context so far has been dictating magic as thus: the manifestation of ill will, therefore the very engagement with its numerous practices is forsaken thereby forcing its practitioners to hide not only their work but contents, too.
It is not the influence of Christianity; the very word 'magic' comes to Europe from Old Persian 'magus' (where it meant 'Zoroastrian priest') through being picked by Ancient Greece. In his book Defining Magic: A Reader, Bernd-Christian Otto writes about it as (as it is better at explaining that the word magic has its roots in xenophobia):
During the lаte siчth and eаrly fifth cеnturies ВСЕ the tеrm maguš was picked up and Grаecicized (into μάγoς, μαγεία) by ancient Grееk authors and thereby developed a life of its own.
The Grееk adaptation of the concept implied some fundamental semantic transformations, which may be particularly due to the fact that the Greek city states faced serious military conflicts with the Pеrsian Empire at that time. To the Greeks, the magós represented the religious specialist of a threatening foreign – “barbаric” – culture so that the concept quiсkly assimilated a variety of negative stereotypes. The mágos was regarded as a charlatan and “magic” (i.e., the ritual art of the mágos) a mere fraud (see, e.g., Sophocles, Oedipus Rex 387f; Hippocrates, De morbo sacro 1.10f). “Magical” rites were perceived as strange, unconventional and dangerous (see Hippocrates, De morbo sacro 1.39f; Gorgias, Encomium of Helen 9–10). The extrаordinary, miraculous abilities allegedly possessed by mágoi were regarded as sаcrilegious and suspiсious (see Hippocrates, De morbo sacro 1.28f; Euripides, Orestes 1493f). In line with these notions, the Greek concept of “magic” came to signify all sorts of unsanctioned rites performed by private ritual entrepreneurs outside the institutionalized cults.
That specific ew notion has never gone away. Things historically taken for magic in the following centuries would include writing as an action in and of itself, of all things. Hence you'd always have magic as an underthought for any given magical symbology; removed from its Context, it effectively loses meaning, because hiding is either not required any longer, or the symbology had changed once more with the rise of another practice. That, in turn, include quite a hefty corpus of theological and philosopher text, cultural influences and taboos.
Especially when that symbology is something pertinent to cultures, like writing systems (futhark runes) or art (monograms). In and of itself, these are not magical. If you are a scribe and want them to be magic? Then magic it is. This flexibility is distinctive of magic; it is not dogmatic like religion nor it is rigorous in the same vein as science.
I realise it all may sound funny as magic should feel inexplicable as, strictly speaking, magic does not even have a unanimously agreed upon scholarly definition.
Such deep understanding of the topic isn't really all that necessary to create magic for a setting either. Even for HP, where magic perhaps sits the closest to what it invokes in practice rather than a colloquial idea of what magic kinda is. Yet again I say – But.
We are not playing as a muggle to whom magic sits distinct from science and religion, is about archaic thinking, and that's about it.
We play as a student of the school in the vestige of our world where magic is understood sufficiently enough to be made into a seven year curriculum, that's packed full with both practice and theory, so much of either of them in it, that two levels of exams were introduced.
If you must add a drop of magic to the air, just title boards with things like 'Muggle Ideas of Magic' and you are free to draw anything on the boards. Otherwise you have to explain exactly how a very particular kind of magic – say, goetia, necromancy, apotropaic magic, theurgy, etc etc etc – are practiced within the setting, if at all.
All of this could've been avoided if it didn't sit on the eye level.
Now, about galdrstafirs.
Many of galdrstafirs are found in the manuscripts written in the 17th century, a significant amount had been discovered in manuscripts from 18th and 19th centuries, and the oldest found had been written in the early 16th century.
The triangle and the circle on the skull's forehead is perhaps the Triangle of Solomon.
It's found as a part of the Circle of Solomon in Lemegeton, also known as The Lesser Key of Solomon; it's a fairly well-known grimoire, compiled of a few texts in mid-17th century (its oldest text, Ars Goetia, dates back to 16th century).
Solomonic magic in the form of the infamous Seal of Solomon in and of itself is ancient; it used to be called goetia. However, the current form of this branch of magic, the very idea of granting control over demons and angels alike in the way described in both Lemegeton and Heptameron, is only a little older than galdrstafir.
It's Renaissance magic. It is only a tad bit younger than superstitions of the Medieval period and remnants of pagan rituals – and it is practically a toddler compared to the likes of Greek magical papyri.
So for a book that has supposedly spent almost a millennia in the Scriptorium – Salazar Slytherin's personal study! – it's too modern.
The book's contents though – necromancy – is an ancient art.
But it isn't connected to galdrstafirs. Not directly.
Galdrstafir is s form of apotropaic magic – it is used to ward against evils and to promise luck. It is not a seal that seals an objects shut. You should use it as a talisman for your per aspera ad astra kind of journey and carry it along with yourself. It has nothing to do with necromancy, albeit it can be argued that since few Icelandic magical staves have been inspired if not informed by Christianity, creators of the staves may had meant protection from exactly what Christianity deems evil. Yet. As I have just said. You don't put it on a book.
Moreover, that particular one is a variation of the Ægishjálmur stave – Lukkustafir (found at the bottom of the page). It is designed to bring you luck, specifically.
Solomonic magic has no connections to necromancy either. If you need to be granted workforce of divine origin to build a temple, summon it with the seal of Solomon. No corpses used. Only demons.
Here it is where I say: whilst neither of these things have connections to necromancy through that particular symbology, there is a tiny and indirect one – goetia magic.
Now, these four symbols:
are a bit of a mystery.
I will be bold; I will say these possibly are house marks bar the first one (it looks like another lukkustafir).
The runic shape that does only resemble a runic alphabet is usually the dead give away of a monogram, a mason's mark, a merchant's mark, or a house mark, since all of these would also be carved in to the stone, just like runes. Neither of those are really related to magic.
And there are whole entire catalogues of them.
About goetia and necromancy…
Necromancy is not necessarily about raising the corpse of the dead. Necromancy has never been about this, in fact. This is a very recent development in contemporary culture of ours.
Necromancy was a form of divination: The caster sought assistance of the dead through summoning them in a spiritual or corporeal form.
It was quite widespread in the ancient world; to seek guidance of the deceased, to achieve their hindsight, to try and foretell the future through the atsral astral realms may ring a bell as it sounds like a shamanistic practice or something spiritists do but it's known since times of Babylon and Ancient Egypt, and Ancient Greece as well.
Stories about Orpheus and Odysseus include katabasis – a physical visit to the Underworld. Ovid's Metamorphoses mentions it as well.
Conversing with the spirits of the dead was called nekyia. The rituals pertaining to nekyia would include sleeping on the grave, enter into trance near places of burial or on battlefields, or place a katadesmos – a curse tablet – near it and, usually, buried. These rituals aren't all there were; the biggest hint of them is being at somewhere where someone had met their (untimely) demise.
Granted, the practice of placing curse tablets perhaps should be renamed into swearing tablets because often people would scribe these to insult other people, usually, dead people.
Imagine being a Greek person who had done nothing wrong in their life and died in peace at the relatively old age but once you enter Hades and check your neat little mailbox you see an anon hate sent by your neighbour who wishes ill on seven generations of your family because uh your house stands in a cosy shadow.
Expansion of Christendom eventually lead to the condemnation of necromancy as it was forced into association with summoning of demons and evil spirits guised as the spirits of the diseased.
I am focusing on this seemingly minuscule detail, because it matters in the context of this game's reality.
People in it take ancient for archaic and freely conflate the two despite either meaning the rift between the old and the obsolete. This distinction warrants an explanation, and I could only wish the game's art would nicely and favourably play into this debate, but alas.
What we have are two symbols that call for very thematically different things in history of magic besides one – goetia.
Goetia doesn't exclusively refer to the book of the Lemegeton, Ars Goetia. According to Blavatsky, it is the counterpart of the branch of magic called theurgy in Ancient Greece. It along with the natural magic were referring to the benevolent magic, e.g. healing, whilst goetia was the black magic – the low magic, of malevolent intent.
Another excerpt from the book Defining Magic: A Reader (p.250):
I quote it thus because technically that wink at Solomon could be extended into a glint on the katadesmoi mentioned here.
This practice is although not linked to Solomonic magic, yet either thing has been linked to invoking spirits and deities and in case of the katadesmos – potentially, the dead. Thus it is a hint at necromancy in the sense I've mentioned.
But I have a very… aye, it feels like fitting a square peg into the round whole. Especially that if you view it thus you practically shoehorning. I don't enjoy any such stretches.
I do not suppose it was the intent of the art direction; the intent likely was built on an expectation that people often associate Ars Goetia specifically with Very Evil Things as – well – he target audience has grown up with certain influence on how to view demonology. As an evil, satanic thing – dark magic.
This is why throwing everything into the sauce can cause a disaster.
This is why you should be clear with your symbology, or one tumblr peep will summon demons by sneezing on a manuscript at just the correct hour of day.
I will say one more thing.
In late Anglo-Saxon England, necromancy was among the witchcraft practices condemned by the abbot Ælfric of Eynsham:
Witches still go to cross-roads and to heathen burials with their delusive magic and call to the devil; and he comes to them in the likeness of the man that is buried there, as if he arises from death.
It happens around 10-11 century AD.
So far I've been writing about necromancy as of what it was.
The game, however, gives us the Relic. To which that book is key, as far as I am able to remember. The necromancy of the Relic would've been considered a desecration even by the ancient standards as the Relic grants the control over inferi – quite literally, walking corpses.
This implies that Salazar Slytherin could've been a desecrator, not a necromancer.
This claim, however, could be disproven by the notes scattered about Feldcroft catacomb, if to assume the diligent student was none other than the Salazar's student.
The note found near the Relic says:
The relic contains abundant potential. Its possibilities could benefit not only wizardkind, but the world. But the Dark sacrifice involved to realise its intent may be too great. Until we know more, please, do not remove this relic.
If Dark sacrifice implies to sacrifice another living being to be granted loyalty of inferi or a wish to cure a curse fulfilled (how so?), early medieval people would've called it utterly demonic and destroyed the tomb altogether, I think. And I don't mean muggles.
I will fit another peg into the hole: may Dark sacrifice imply blood sacrifice or a some kind of promise similar to described in Odyssey?
However, this Relic works surprisingly in line with how the seal of Solomon was supposed to work, except Solomon is granted legions to complete a certain task and Relic offers control over inferi exactly for what – what's the price, where do I say here's the catch?
Neither did Solomon need a sacrifice for the seal to work as it was a contract between him and the Divine (which kinda makes that story of his less exciting as magic turns into a bureaucracy lmao); yet the Relic requires an one. So goetia. Much malevolence.
Anyway.
I already wrote a lot. But all that is necessary to say: everything about this book is dreadfully anachronistic and casts weird shades on the Salazar's grave. Not to defend the man; someone of such murderous mind and a hint of desecration is a strange pick for a founding father.
Three relatively normal people and a tar pit. It must be a joke.
Anyway 2.
One last thing about the book. It was supposed to look like this:
Why must they changed the design and create a hodgepodge of weird contradicting and unrelated symbology is beyond me.
And besides, why an Icelandic stave of all things?
Salazar is implied to have come from Ireland (from fen, as the Sorting Hat put it). Letters R and C sit a bit far on the qwerty keyboards, too.
This question is the transition to the rest of the Scriptorium, because it is… mostly Irish design-wise, early Medieval period Ireland (7-10 centuries AD).
This segment of a wall:
has been copied off the surviving shaft of the high cross from Kells kirkyard, more specifically, it's the west face of the West Cross; the site dates back to the 9th century. Many thanks to this website – irishstones dot org – as well.
Other source is Irish High Crosses (Irish Heritage), by Roger Stalley:
The panels depict, following bottom-to-top order of registers: 1) Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden; 2) the Ark of Noah; 3) Moses and Aaron OR Daniel in the Lion's Den; 4) Moses, Pillar of Fire.
The east face of the same cross has also been placed in to the game:
The panels depict, following bottom-to-top order of registers: 1) baptism of Christ, with two streams representing rivers Dan and Jor; 2) marriage feast at Cana; 3) Magi questioning Herod? 4) Christ the child is bathed? 5) Magi questioning Herod again?
The 6th panel isn't present at the existing shaft of the cross. Possibly taken from another cross.
I haven't been able to identify from which, and I've looked through the entire catalogue on irishstones, Peter Harbison's book Irish High Crosses: With the Figure Sculptures Explained, on megalithicireland, in in the article by Éamonn Ó Carragáin, High Crosses, the Sun’s Course, and Local Theologies at Kells and Monasterboice.
Granted, the collection on the megalithicireland is so vast I have likely not found it yet.
Also, nevermind!! :D
This panel is the flipped and 'blurred' variant of the bottom panel:
Whilst searching for the most informative source for the art on the crosses, I've stumbled upon this 3D exhibition of the Market Cross! Fantastic demo. Someone also uploaded the model of the West Cross and the rest of the Kells High Crosses to sketchfab. Fabulous!!
This isn't all. Next, we have a panel depicting horsemen with shields:
The horsemen are from the east side of the Market cross at Kells:
These statues:
are from the bas-reliefs of unknown people situated at White Island, Lower Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, at the ruins of the 12th century church (but the relief dates back to the 9th century).
In the corridor after the second gate lies another replica of the cross found at Kells, but it also shows that decorative panels on the northern and southern sides of the cross weren't forgotten to be featured:
This distinguished wizard? I don't think he's been nicked. 100% original to HL along with the head of Salazar at the entrance.
This little pillar:
has art from the Kilnasaggart pillar stone, the oldest stone monument in Ireland.
A thing about the shaft of the high cross that sits in the wall.
It isn't two separate textures. It's quite literally the wall.
Very accurate to the construction of later churches and settlement buildings (high crosses would sometimes be used in lieu of bricks).
Now.
One last thing.
The relief at the start of the Scriptorium.
I am not sure that it has been taken from somewhere.
My thoughts: it depicts a Cretan woman, possibly a Goddess. Link 1, Link 2. Headwear is the biggest hint but I admit my defeat with this one. Very possibly HL original; uncertain of its source for inspiration.
A thing I am not sure I have ever posted anything about: Aesop's bed chamber.
All of the lamps in his bed chamber are kerosine lamps. There are also two fireplaces, one of which is a hearth:
Yet, his room does not have nearly enough ventilation nor fresh air intake to compensate for both hazardous number of lamps – a single one can cause poisoning if used without proper ventilation! – and the fireplaces, which burn air incredibly quickly whilst giving very little warmth.
Another detail: Carpets.
Both his bed chamber and the office have carpets marking a desired path of sorts:
Some areas of the floor are spotted with likely the pressure from cane he uses or have used for walking (@mrs-sharp posted about them a while ago; hope they're visible on my cap, and these aren't the only ones, they're everywhere in his bed chamber including an one sitting under the bed (has been moved?)):
I suspect these almost-dents were caused by the size of this cane as to use it would force Aesop to slouch and put too much pressure on it with each step; it does not look like it has been made with his height in mind (he is taller than Ronen, and they're both are ~6' tall men):
A section of Aesop's bed chamber has a very dirty floor; you'll leave footprints if you walk on it:
Я опять пропал на неопределённое количество времени. На этот раз я провалился в ловушку игры Гадес. Мне в такие игры нельзя играть: я начинаю пропускать Легоси через миллиард каких-то слабо поддающихся описанию призм и как результат выдаю вам чёрствый кирпич околофилософской околосоциальной, околокринджевой базы, про которую потом даже не знаю, что и сказать.
Но да ладно.
Дорогие подпишеки.
Спустя каких-то два года мы наконец подобрались к первопричине появления данного прожэкта на свет.
К вопросу, а к чему всё это безумие, пошто я занимаюсь какой-то неописуемой хуетой.
Во-первых, я пишу фанфик.
Во-вторых, для фанфика мне нужен таймлайн, а начались инквари с того, что я не понял, когда именно в игре начинаются рождественские каникулы. Дату я могу вывести, а даты перед Рождеством?
Сейчас этот вопрос вызывает недоумение даже у меня, поскольку а кому не похуй?
Но у меня позапрошлогоднего полголовы поседело и английский выучился до весьма и весьма сносного уровня в поисках ответов на этот смешной вопрос, на который нет прямого и понятного ответа, на который мне даже инглишпиплы ответить не смогли, клерики, лирики, вообще никто не смог дать каких-то чётких ответов.
Но поскольку я это я и попиздеть люблю больше жизни, делясь рисёрчем, давайте начнём вторую половину игры с очередного гига-йапа.
Итак.
Удивительное дело: я очень редко вижу дискуссии об общем таймлайне игры в этом фандоме.
Во многих других фандомах вопрос таймлайна волнует умы и сердца что совершенно поехавших канонодрочеров, что праздной публики, а здесь, как-то вот, ну…
Тихо, спокойно, все выбирают такой порядок событий, который удобен им, а то и вообще о нём не думают, описывая события так, как бох на душу положыт.
Никакого осуждения, но и тем не менее мне странно, что никто пока не составил какую-то табличку или календарь с примерными датами происходящих событий. Ну, большую такую, всефандомную. В экселе, как фандом Элизиума сделал, с километром комментариев на каждую дату, время, явку, ссылками на персонажей. Есть ведь от чего отталкиваться; у нас указания на дни, не то, что на год! Свидетельства персонажей!..
Цель у такой скрупулёзности есть: с некоторой долей уверенности, порой равной стопроцентной, я могу утверждать, что события пролога происходят после полудня первого сентября года тысяча восемьсот девяностого, а второй Траял — если не в Хэллоуин, то в последнюю неделю перед Хэллоуином точно. Это важно для меня и моего магнум опуса фанфика.
Спорные даты вроде смерти Мириам Фиг или проклятия Анны Саллоу я набрасывал, исходя из косвенных сведений: слов Поппи о том, что ещё с несколько месяцев назад в долине Хогворца было безопасно; из экспрессий персонажей, что слухи о готовящейся гоблинской ливарюции — новое явление; учёл, что Анна должна была ночевать в тот злополучный вечер дома.
Из всего этого я тогда сделал вывод, что проклятье Анны пришлось на Пасхальные каникулы.
Пришлась ли смерть Мириам на тот же период?
Оченно, вполне вероятно, что да, поскольку именно тогда же Ранрок начал набирать силу и тогда же руквудское ОПГ заполоняет окрестности.
Ранрок должен был заполучить джанк из репо на момент проклятья Анны, а так как он предлагает продемонстрировать Виктору силу ещё раз, когда МС и Фиг подслушивают их разговор… Ну, несложно догадаться или хотя бы положить, кто был на receiving end of the blinding blast в первый раз.
Смерть Мириам Фиг и проклятье Анны Саллоу потому я полагаю произошедшими примерно в одно и то же время, следующими друг за другом событиями.
И так с каждой датой, дорогие подпишеки.
А ещё я наврал, напиздел, я вам напездюнькал — в таймлайне, который составлял для учителей!
Буду переделывать. Не обращайте пока на него внимания, пожалуйста и спасибо. На момент редактирования этой инквари я уже забыл, что я там неправильно насчитал; я вообще совсем понятия не представляю иметь о том, что там не так, поэтому на всякий случай ПОЖАЛУЙСТА не обращайте на него внимание.
Однако же вот, когда я то же самое проделывал с третьим Траялом, я вот встрял.
Я застрял.
Я не мог понять, когда именно происходит третий Траял.
По мере приближения сюжета к третьему Траялу, я становился всё более смущённым тем, что понять не мог, а какие это даты. Хогворц обставляют праздничным декором: приближается Рождество.
Что я знал про Рождество в поздневикторианской Великобритании…
По сути, кроме книжки Дикенса про призраков рождества, я ничего тогда не знал.
Начнём по порядку.
Рождество в Великобритании — 25 декабря. Но время игры — поздневикторианский период. Логично и очевидно: празднование Рождества выглядело иначе.
Насколько иначе?
Поздневикторианская Великобритания начинала праздновать Рождество довольно поздно по меркам нашей современности. Ёлок в ноябре никто не ставил, но так похоже на наше время рождественский frenzy начинался как раз в начале ноября.
Подробно почитать можно здесь, а я перечислю только самое основное. Итак. В ноябре вам, если только вы всем не обеспечен, нужно успеть купить подарки, забронировать дерево в лесу или питомнике, купить или уже получить игрушки, написать поздравления, пригласить гостей, забронировать гуся для праздничного стола и много чего ещё успеть сделать, да так, чтобы не в последние недели перед Рождеством. Что сейчас, что тогда почта оказывалась просто-напросто перегружена работой, так ещё и почтальоны и в Рождество, и на День подарков отказывались работать — выходные-с.
Не будет лишним предположить, что в магической Британии наблюдаются те же проблемы, только перегружена оказывается сеть летучего пороха (не только вашим заебавшим родственникам надо к вам на ужин попасть, но заебавшим родственникам всей страны увидеть свои семьи!), а совы выказывают угу протеста сбросом посылок на полпути, иногда магглам на головы, лишь бы наконец отдохнуть от бесконечных перелётов.
В лучших традициях британского шытпоста, именно Рождество должно быть периодом года, когда Статут о секретности подвержен самой большой опасности.
Если ноябрь занят подготовкой к празднику, декабрь же пестрит украшениями на улице — чтобы продаж в уходящем году побольше сделать, конечно. Но и отсюда растёт традиция украшать, как минимум, места общего пользования и скопления людей.
Хогворц, являясь школой-интернатом, может себе позволить немножко праздника перед завершением семестра. К тому же, Хогворц не скован зависимостью от питомника; может себе позволить посадить ёлку пораньше и украсить её до Рождества.
Не стоит, впрочем, забывать, что в разных местах Великобритании Рождество отмечали по-разному. Очень по-разному. Католики ставили дерево и наряжали день в день. Протестанты могли не наряжать вообще. Англикан хуй разберёшь. Но и раньше наряжали живое дерево, а целый месяц оно всё-таки не простоит. Игрушки ценились, как и угощения, и свечи, которыми тоже могли украсить ель. К тому же, к концу столетия считалось оттаким флексом поставить у себя дерево вышиной с дом, а лучше двух.
Понимаете в какую ситуацию мы попадаем.
Украсить Хогворц так, как показано в игре, вообще-то было очень дорого.
Но и с помощью магии можно не давать дереву облететь и украсить его. А поскольку Хогворц не то, чтобы справляет какие-либо праздники с точки зрения именно христианской либо какой бы то ни было ещё традиции…
На мой секулярный взгляд, дерево они ставят, как и детей на Пасху по домам отправляют, потому что с момента основания школы в неё ходили дети в подавляющем большинстве своём выходцы из разных деноминаций христианства. Из канона неясно, отмечает ли кто-то Рождество/Пасху именно как религиозный праздник, а не повод нажраться в хлам съездить к семье на довольно короткие каникулы (со слов учеников реаловых школ-интернатов, каникулы у них гораздо длиннее за счёт увеличенной продолжительности учебного дня). На момент Легоси мы ещё и сверху кладём влияние Статута о секретности, который…
Ну как бы так покороче высказаться.
Я не думаю, что Статут выжег в умах желание верить в христианского Бога, но христианская ритуалистка могла попасть под каток предубеждений волшебников о магглах. Ну знаете. Убираешь ритуал, убиваешь рутину, а там и религия превращается в секуляризм, а то и в отсутствие религиозности вовсе. У магической Британии было два века на это, поэтому я не удивлюсь, если так всё и было: религия со временем ушла, а названия остались, помноженные на привычку переть у магглов всякие блестяшки, при этом, у апперкласса переть.
Емнип, королевская семья могла себе позволить нарядить и пораньше — у них-то ель всегда была широкая, высокая, раскидистая. С такой за день не управишься.
Не стоит и забывать, что на период адвента приходится зимнее солнцестояние — важный астрономический и планетарный ивент в западной магической традиции.
Ель появляется после квеста It's All Gobbledegook. Я признаюсь честно: забыл, когда он выдаётся, но это мейнквест. Или же после In the Shadow of the Mine? Вспомнил. Их выдают одновременно, и после какого-то из них в Хогворц приходит Рождество. После последнего выполненного?.. Проверим это с вами, дорогие подпишеки, по ходу дела.
Перед ними, дай бох памяти, будет Poached Egg, сразу после Fire and Vice, и A Basis for Blackmail — следом за It's All Gobbledegook и In the Shadow of the Mine.
На момент квеста Vire and Vice никакого декора мы ещё не видим. Должно быть, ещё слишком рано для празднования? Но рано — насколько?
Таймскип показывает нам зиму, глубокую, со снегом повсюду и облетевшими деревьями.
Зима приходит в Шотландию рано, но зима в Шотландии мягче, чем та, к которой привыкли я и 75% населения этой страны. Однако снег, лежащий на земле, не тает. Земля — промёрзла.
Это должен быть или конец ноября, или начало декабря.
На всякий случай, внезапно приболев уже знакомым вам безумием, я сверился с прогнозом погоды на ноябрь и декабрь года 1890 (тут и тут) и выяснил, что зима в том году выдалась противная. Температура держалась выше нуля, но Шотландию поливало то дождём, то мокрым снегом; в низинах Хайленда воздух был, скорее всего, холоднее вследствие климата, поэтому в снег — а точнее, в заиндевевшую землю — я оче охотно верю; либо же немного теплее, но в достаточной степени, чтобы не разморозить землю, плюс, горы могли перекрывать холодный воздух и дожди.
Ранний ноябрь нам не подходит — было слишком тепло, шли дожди. В районе 7-8х чисел прошёл град. Решил сделать так:
Ноябрь
Жёлтым я выделил период, который готов отвести под квесты Fire and Vice -> It’s All Gobbledegook/In the Shadow of the Mountain. Точные даты я буду готов озвучить, когда пройду все квесты.
Зелёным я выделил 30 ноября — начало Адвента; четвёртая суббота от Рождества.
Адвент это католическо-протестантский аналог Рождественского поста в христианской ортодоксии. Для католиков начинается литургический год, для протестантов — хуй разберёшь этих протестантов, а для обычных прихожан это период ожидания прихода Христа.
Ввиду упомянутых причин, а также того, что Хогворц скорее всего не празднует Рождество как религиозный праздник, я полагаю появление рождественской ёлки совпадающим с началом адвента событием; Рождество в Хогворце происходит ради хайпа по традиции католиков, англикан и лютеран, но при этом раньше, чем те бы стали что-то наряжать, это чтобы в кашу насрать всем, понимаете.
А ешё нам так будет проще.
Декабрь
Зелёным выделены адвентийские воскресенья.
Жёлтым выделен последний учебный день в семестре (т.к. неделя до Рождества И неделя после Рождества — каникулы).
Какие квесты и куда поместить в данном периоде я пока не знаю. С уверенностью скажу только, что третий Траял происходит до 18го декабря — у МС урок истории открывается сразу после этого легендарного квеста. Значит, самый крайний день для этого урока — декабря 17е.
Большой насрал Ранрока под замком, однако, не попадает в этот период.
Предшествующий ему четвёртый Траял начинается в зимний период, но рождественских декораций в замке уже не будет. Значит, должны были пройти Рождественские святки (декабря 25е–января 5е).
Over a year ago I wrote a post about the Alchemy classroom. I'd like to add few things to it.
This layout:
doesn't really make sense alchemy-wise.
Think of alchemy as of not something arcane or mystical, pure magick and all whimsy and all, but a precursor of modern day chemistry and physics. 18th century laboratory would look somewhat like this:
And tools required to practice alchemy would look like this:
You'd want to distil, burn, infuse, ferment, aerate and many other things on your goal to creating the Philosopher's stone.
How it'd look in practice:
No classroom in this game is free from relatively obscure symbols:
Hmm. Wait. It seems I have overlooked something I didn't know about.
The diagram on the first image looks similar to a plethora of similar diagrams found in late medieval–early modern manuscripts (VadSlg Ms. 334, Ital 1524; linking a few here; find more examples in an amazing dissertation Rituals of perceptual presence: Space, material culture, and efficacy in late-medieval learned magic, by Andrea Franchetto):
It makes sense to arrange the tables this way then. But. These diagrams don't describe an alchemical practice; they aren't even alchemy. They're used for summoning demons (or spirits).
Second image is the seal of the Goetia Prince Sitri / Sytry / Bitru:
The 12th spirit is Sitri, he is a great prince & appeareth at first with a Leopards face, and wings as a griffin. But afterwards at ye command of ye exorcist, he putteth on a humane shape very Beautifull, Inflaming Men with womens Love, and women with mens love, and causeth them to shew themselves Naked, if he [it] be desired, He governeth 60 Legions of spirits, and his seal to be worne is this.
uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ok
In the staff room in the DADA Tower, there's a note from Phineas Black to the rest of the faculty members:
Attention:
I have been advised that various members staff would like to organise a social gathering.
I have no objection to this and shall leave it to those so inclined to fraternise, ensuring that such activities fall outside of school hours of course, and that nothing so jovial as to disrupt my concentration should occur.
Likely I shall be busy on the date but will review the invitation when received. I recognise that my absence will mar the engagement.
Also one half of an hour should be sufficient and please be mindful that any sort of musical presence would be strictly prohibited.
Phineas Nigellus Black, Headmaster
p.s. No confectionary shall be served lest they attract a stray rat or Kneazle. Also try to limit the number involved in this frivolity to four.
Four might be more than enough to summon an entity that can turn into a very beautiful man who then turns the room into an orgy.
At this point I suspect I am being trolled by the developers, like that one time I've found the source for a spell on the boards in the Undercroft and it turned out the spell causes a person to become impossibly horny for the spellcaster.
👍👍👍
The 3d image looks like the numeral 16 or хуй.
The monograms:
Holy Trinity (found in Rudolph Koch's Book of Symbols).
Imperial Monogram of Emperor Justinian found at Sofia Hagia Grand Mosque, Istanbul, Türkiye.
What's that circle I don't know yet, looks familiar though.
UPD8: Still can't say what it is exactly, but my bet is to look into old papers discussing heliocentrism.
It isn't a recipe, just a list of ingredients which I hardly understand why is called obscure. Anjelica and wormwood are common plants and do have known medicinal properties and uses, as well as few species of spleenwort. The combination of them could be something you'd not see mixed every day but then why ask Pippin (a vendor, not a healer?)? 3 of the 5 should be easy or at least relatively easy to gather and find?
Wormwood is a folk medicine and a remedy, also used in purl. Anjelica is used as flavouring in gin-making and food decorations are made with it. Spleenwart is sold in the Diagon Alley. Plangentines are a made-up fruit or plant; they're gathered in winter and are possible to cultivate in a garden (Albus' family used to do that iirc). Granian hair – basically the regular horse hair – shouldn't be hard to come by either. Are these only obscure because of commonness?
Anyway.
I am a bit super bad with medicine English, sorry in advance if I called something the wrong word. What I am listing here is by no means a medical advice.
Granian hairs are used in the Exstimulo Potion. Its effects are similar if not identical to the Maxima Potion. Either potion boosts spell's power but HP wizards don't operate with any such metric; the power of their spells is dictated by the strength of emotions of the spellcaster. Strong emotions are capable of momentarily raising adrenaline/cortisol levels. Thus, these potions should give an adrenaline kick, like the surge of anger does. Focus Potion must work similarly but instead it should give the drinker cortisol clarity. However, that rush is very short-lived.
Granian is a winged horse and horses are known for their incredible stamina and strength. Its hairs are used to give the potion the kick.
Depending on how it is prepared, anjelica – besides being used in gin-making (and assuming Aesop referred to angelica archangelica) – can have sedative, diuretic, mucoactive, and spasmolytic effects, it can improve gut motility, and help with spasms affecting smooth muscles (found in hollow organs, eyes, and blood vessels).
Wormwood is what you make absinthe with and I like its touch on lager is used to help with GI and liver issues and to treat cuts, bruises, eczema, sprains, etc, due to its anti-inflammatory, haemostatic, choleretic properties (it has more). It also has an anthelmintic capability and is sometimes used as an insect repellent. Essence, though, implies it's concentrated?.. Essence is usually used to treat bad appetite afaik.
I will pause here for a second.
If you stroll about the Grand Staircase, sooner or later you'll come by the portrait of the seer lady called Sylvia Pembroke.
Usually, she just comments on whatever MC is doing quest-wise at the moment but some of her lines provide curious details about life in the castle. For example:
"SylviaPembroke_10023": "Coming from the Great Hall? I foresee a stomach ache in your future.",
It doesn't sound all too surprising if you consider Hogwarts kitchens don't store food waste in a separate room:
In a very old post of mine I've also learnt that this corner sits almost directly beneath the teachers table, with each student seat close to that table may suffer from contamination.
Leaves no wonder why someone might want to remedy a stomach bug.
Could it be that Aesop was trying to help his upset stomach or liver or guts and by accident discovered some of these ingredients or a combo of them somehow eased the pain in his leg as well?..
Anyway.
Wormwood paired with anjelica sounds like an overkill. I think one or either of them is supposed to act as a liver and stomach protection but also as an antiemetic?.. Basically, Aesop needs to drink this impossibly bitter liquid and preclude his body from throwing up (bitterness alone is rather tolerable but if you add salt or sweet to it, it'll be 🤢 bad).
Plangentine is never described in HP; it's only known to come ripen around winter time. The wiki lists etymology, so the implication is that it's, uh, about either sadness, yearning, or longing. Sadness that feels oppressive tends to kill appetite even for water – and it immobilises. A powerful sedative?..
Spleenwart is another HP plant but some species of irl spleenworts were traditionally used to treat intestinal disorders (asplenium ceterach in particular is used in anti-cancer research), issues with spleen, kidney stones, etc.
…
IDK if these are able to help him with his leg. If anything, the mixture sounds like it should be the world's most powerful laxative. Although, if Aesop's injury also precluded him from having a healthy GIT, then, well, aye, poor man. He should get that foul ginbeerabsinthe and ascend.
Welcome back to my usual ramblings about the in-game trivia, art and other visual curiosities scattered throughout the game. Today I found few things regarding the boards found in Fig's classroom and want to muse about them a little.
The alchemical symbol for copper and Venus. Strangely resembles the version of it used by the band Soundgarden for the King Animal album. It's also been rotated at 90 degrees.
Omnia unus est, taken from the original poster or the derivative works; misshapen. Reddit user Voxx418 provided very detailed overview of the symbols seen on the poster, but the poster itself first appeared in 2013 and doesn't have a lot to do with the old manuscripts.
Unsure, as of now, what exactly this is, but it reminds me of the Robert Fudd's artwork Diagram of consciousness and this page from Giordano Bruno's book The Ash Wednesday Supper. Has to do with cosmology and mind, I suppose.
Second image, from right to left:
A bunch of astrological and alchemical symbols (from right to left; note that it's not obvious if the symbol corresponds with, let's say, mercury as quicksilver and mercury as planet):
? || metal / caput draconis || mercury? || ? || mercury
? ? ? || venus || chi rho? || ?
? || mars || steel || ? ?
jupiter || ? ? || tin / jupiter || ?
saturn || ? || pisces || lead / saturn || lead / saturn
A kelpie.
Third image (I'm ignoring the symbols this time; they're astrology and alchemy; similar block of symbols can be found everywhere else in the castle):
A sigil! Tabula Saturni, to be precise. It originates from Athanasius Kircher's monumental work Oedipi Aegyptaci. However, the tabula was likely taken from this image; the photo of the chalkboard from the Transfiguration classroom from the HP movies. Anyway. This particular tabula can be found here, page 72, along with the rest of the planets in their classical order (also known as Chaldean order, planetary order, Babylonian, and many more; it's ancient and if it sounded a little off—as in, why is Saturn 3?—that's probably why). What do they mean though? It's… complicated and I'm not sure I'm able to explain but briefly so: you'd want these magic squares to summon divine powers to aid you. I understand sending directly to Agrippa is setting forth for an adventure but the man knew tenfold better than I ever would. So, the chapter of the Occult Philosophy where he explains it plus a humongous book about magic squares with hundreds of them calculated for different deities and planets.
The monogram of the emperor Justinian (the lower) and… Holy Trinity (the upper).
Forth image:
A moonstone sitting in the centre of a circle that's been cut in half… Doesn't make a lot of sense, likely a bug caused the cut. Next.
Fifth image:
The long scroll's imagery is inspired by this frame (the images are identical bar the movie's version wasn't flipped back):
But then, these symbols again:
Not sure what they mean nor how to identify them yet. I recall seeing them in the Alchemy classroom. For now, I'll call them a WIP.
This is the Chaldean order diagram (rather distorted):
What's the symbol on the left?
That's an interesting question and a very silly story. Sit back, it's too much silliness for one standing.
How am I able to snipe all these things, might had you wondered? It's an intricate question. Evidently I'm busying myself with occult texts and imagery; lack of interest in practice of occultism slows me down as well as lack of interest in theology — the two are linked — but still. There is a certain corpus of text, famous and influential authors, and most importantly: the sense of continuity. I'm not nearly as erudite as I could be but navigating via learning the basics of who came up with what helps to determine, let's say, if certain symbology have been a recent development. Anyway and howevor. Magic, or magick, had become a very interesting subject to me and worst of all, it's logical. RIgidly, excruciatingly logical—after had been made familiar with the references it uses and refers to just to explain itself. Science of today left it all behind but should it mean we should or must abandon so much intricate, funny, cruel history and call it simply a whimsy.
Besides, I think I have cracked the artists' logic in how they picked all these images.
The answer is bluntly simple: they know magic is closely associated with certain symbology but they don't think it has an ounce of sense; or maybe they didn't have enough time to think how to weave with it because hermetic magic — Western magic — is an amalgamation of philosophy, theology and alchemy (and a lot more). Whichever was the case, I'm not satisfied with it for a reason as simple: if you absolutely have to work with something you have barely an idea about and you are not going to commit to it, perhaps it would be a wise decision not to put the result on the character's and hence the player's eye level. Especially when you did few visual quips here and there ( 1) at Falbarton castle, on the message board hangs a decree issued by the Ministry of Magic declaring the area unsafe for travels—and just underneath it, a letter, that reads "This isn't funny"; 2) if you doff everything and run around, all NPCs will have a line or two to remind you to change; 3) you can navigate the roads outside of the castle by going where signpost tell, and you'd often see Ministry's decrees and warnings for dangers in the area; 4) the entire mechanic of Ancient Magic is to be able to see the otherwise unseeable). Yet, the most obvious place everyone just might get stuck to—the boards at a school, at a place where you're certainly expecting at least some degree of systematisation—are riddled with drivel and or nonsense.
I'm harsh about this, yes. You'll understand why in just a few seconds.
During my excursions to the occult I commonly saw the same motif. A circle, something is drawn inside of it, especially in demonology. This is usually referred to as being Solomonic magic or its influences. So, when I saw this sigil, my immediate reaction was — Goetia!
Goetia demons are in great plenty but no sigil matched this drawing. The circle also looked strange, as if taken from some place else, but so scarce a detail only leaves you wonder if you'd be able to find any thing at all related to this drawing. Which you know for certain had been taken from somewhere — it must had been.
And I was correct.
But my search wasn't originally intended to lead me to find where this sigil is from. I tried to determine what were the symbols etched on the Harlow's wand. Few grimoires leafed through, all interesting in their own sense, and then, accidentally, without a call, this page just loaded and stared at me:
That's it, I thought, found it. Weird, that they had to flip it. To write a post about it I only ever needed to find the original manuscript, but I was only able to find its translation. The manuscript is called The Cambridge Book Of Magic, or CUL MS Add. 3544, and delves into the forbidden art of necromancy besides the topics of medicine, herb gathering, and apotropaic magic. I found the aforementioned page on an obscure forum where it was uploaded in the low resolution, so I thought, I needed the bigger resolution; I like to look at the details and trying to read the text without hurting my eyes too much; and you see, the original manuscript seems to remain undigitalised to this day, only the translation made in 2015 is available for viewing online. Which is, I'll say, is a tad bit sad, but ultimately, fine.
I did try to find the manuscript, though. Besides my own curiosity, it's better to have a clear source as it's clear the artists didn't take in the translation: that particular sigil doesn't appear there where you'd expect it to be. In the end, all links led to this article:
Understood I wasn't given any other choice, I clicked on the image, in hopes it would be of higher resolution. I encourage you to do the same right now, if you are able or can.
It's flipped. The website returns the image flipped 180 degrees. Here how it looks like:
I hope that now you understand why I am rather… upset about this, pun not intended. It's beyond lazy yet the approach simply befuddles me: instead of buying from shutterstock kind of asset stores, they chose the struggle of selecting and finding real manuscripts and on the internet of all places only to barely bother about its contents. Unnecessary efforts, unwarranted butchering.
Sixth image (from the same website):
The translations for the aforementioned spells and sigils can be found here.
Seventh image:
The symbol of copper / Venus scorches the Chaldean order and Theorem XVIII of Monas Hierogliphica:
I think there were more but these images were kind of specific to Fig's class and I wanted to see what they meant or referenced.
Given that Theory for Magic is taught to 1st years (Hogwarts Legacy does not comment on it at all; in Harry's time, he had this subject in his 1st year but not in any subsequent year), they're in for a crash.
Eleazar dies not so much from a physical injury but from inhaling the junk from the repo after it has been dismantled, and veined the entire area with what we know is called 'pain'. Then, Eleazar subsequently suffers a heart arrest (supposedly).
The junk is not really 'pain'. It is not Ancient Magic either; everyone is able to see them. Pieces of souls, these are. Memories. Something that stings you in the very heart when a thought of something happy, painful, awful, horrifying, or aggravating crosses your memory in that very specific way that makes your mind screech I MISS YOU / I HATE YOU / I AM MISERABLE / I MISS MY LIFE / I WISH TO HAVE DIED.
It's melancholy—or the bittersweet longing for something ethereal of depression. A dream, maybe, or a wish for something that cuts that pain—that sting—that scald away.
As all scalds, it can sit deep. Rather, this repo junk are the condensed spirits of Depression, or the amplifier of rage and violence in us—the Desperation.
Someone like Ranrok or Isidora, idealists to the brim deep within themselves, are also *violent* and stubborn. They are most prone to fall in the state of rabid desperation. They are pained by not seeing a better world; they want to bring it closer, in a way they imagined it.
They got lost in how best to achieve it, if they even thought of any plans whatsoever past a certain point. Ranrok's Loyalists, some of whom used to be peaceful protesters and activists, had fallen for that feeling as well (Belgruff the Bludgeoner, to name an one).
That was their demise, ultimately.
Someone like Eleazar—a kind and a simple man, honourable, nor prone to get what he needs by force or deception, well, except just a little but he fails a it—would succumb to grieving upon taking in some of that junk.
Throughout the game, rarely a scene passes where he is *not* mentioning Miriam or *not* being fascinated by her findings and research or, evidently, being very much in love with her; he keeps a tiny letter near his bed, written in her hand, where she wrote that he was right about the bowtruckles and that she owed him 3 knuts. He remembers. He loves. He does not let go.
He would've been overwhelmed—on top of suffering from an injury.
Perhaps, he could've got by just fine. He is a strong man. He had never betrayed his composure, and when it did happen, we see it only briefly and in passing, fleeting even. But at the last moments of his life, he was also extremely proud of MC.
He saw his young charge of just four fucking months* defeating an unfathomable creature of unknown powers and abilities. They were at their prime, they have also shown that to the entire staff body minus few people; they are everything Miriam could've wanted to see, plus the fight with Ranrok.
It would've *hurt* because it's how the Depression-Desperation just might manifest. I am going to give an insight into this, it might feel like TMI, but Depression is my brand so please bear, hee hee.
Sometimes, it's the feeling of being left behind and needing to keep up—without dissection, it translates to spurs of envy. What you really feel is, you aren't as productive and/or as amazing in raw quality, which are just… skills. It shouldn't eat you up like this. You can and will learn, and you will develop your own techniques.
The feeling of happiness for yourself or someone else, but it burns you away because just *feeling* feelings is unbearable, like washing a fresh cut in a lukewarm water or breathing on a burn. It's just… too much sensitivity.
The feeling of trying to comprehend the *comprehensible* but the sheer scale of it frights and induces a weird sting of panic that you will not ever understand what you have just seen, let alone repeat. If you have ever learnt a difficult skill or another language, you know how it feels sometimes.
Eleazar, overwhelmed with grief for Miriam, but also brimmed with pride for MC, dies from his heart stopping, unable to process such complex and intense feelings. Maybe, he was just too old for this. Or maybe, the injury wore him down just enough for the third thing to play its part—the stress. Anyway. He had too much. And yet. On the deathfloor, he does not just remember Miriam.
He acknowledges MC as a friend, of him and Miriam, who would've absolutely *loved* them to be around and not just *liked*. Well. I lied. His heart was able to process—but not keep up with it.
Thank you for staying by my brief violent moment of indescribable sadness. I ascend, okbye.
*the game starts on sept 1ts, 1890. the fourth trial and the final repository quests happen shortly after christmas, so it must be january, 1891, perhaps, even early january, still during the christmas break. i typically place the repo quest on jan, 4th, 1891.
