Blog Post : Week 15

The witch hunt has been narrowed down to several people in the class. The class is splitting up into factions of people who are going to do evil things, the ones who are attempting to find the witch, and who are going to do random things uselessly. I think it will be interesting to see what happens in the future.

Blog Post : Week 16

Blog Post : Week 13

The witch hunter game has been an interesting experiment on the class structure. People are pitting themselves against each other, as well teaming up to sabotage others. I think some people have forgotten that we are trying to actually figure out who the witch is.

Blog Post : Week 12

Blog Post : Week 11

I am really excited we got to read some of King Arthur. I have wanted to read the book for a long time, but it's hard to find. I watched the movie Excalibur (1981) over and over again when I was in highschool and loved it. The stories focued on Morgan le Fay where she is treacherous and is fighting a battle for herself. In highschool I read a book called The Mists of Avalon where Morgan le Fay is a sympathetic character, much like many of the devil readings we have focused on recently. The part in the book where she steals the scabbard is actually because (according to Mist) she made the scabbard for Arthur for his baptism into the fairie magic religion. She takes the scabbard back because he becomes too Catholic and forsakes his fairie magic vows.

I think the contrast of her character is interesting for another look into motivation and what the story turns into according to who writes it down first.

Blog Post : Week 9

I read a book series (Hero's of Olympus) and two characters fell into Tartarus. The whole trip was cold, gloomy, and dark; except for the punishments that were bestowed upon them. The fall took a long time- estimated at 9 days. Tartarus also held prisoners of note: kin slayers, liars, seducers, and vengeful spirits.

In The Divine Comedy, the 9 circles of Hell are described. Prisoners, according to their sins, are sent to certain areas for eternal torment. The lowest circle of Hell has ice due to the freezing temperature.

So much literature feeds off each other. Writers are always gaining influence from other sources.

Blog Post : Week 8

This weekend I got to celebrate my two friends getting married. They are both Catholic, so the wedding was very religious. Candles were lit by the mother's of the bride and groom, then by the bride and groom themselves, and finally the priest signifying something special (very echo-ey). The entire affair had certain ceremonies that were specific. The priest was the same man who married the grooms parents, as well as his sister and her husband. 

I went to a Jehovas Witness wedding before and was not as impressed by the speech he made for the couple as I was for the priest of the Catholic ceremony. The priest has the couple go through a series of meetings to make sure they are ready before making this commitment and spends a lot of time with the couple as a result. He was able to accurately describe the couple, how they interact together, and how they are with their families. 

But no Catholic Fish Fry's.

Blog Post : Week 7

I had a conversation with my cousin about my classes, we discussed Intro to Satan and she was both impressed and interested to find out what we were talked about during class. She was the first person who could actually follow along with the road of discovery we are taking in class. I felt much better being able to have a conversation with someone who could appreciate what I feel like I am getting out of the class.

Just to point out, I am only on Season 2 of Dr. Who and I am glad that I did not get a spoiler for later on, other then Rose totally changing her hair. I am glad that everyone still seems to be alive.

Blog Post : Week 6

"Within its gates I heard the sound
Of winds in cypress caverns caught
Of huddling tress that moaned, and sought
To whisper what their roots had found.
(“A Dream of Fear”)” 
― George Sterling, The Thirst of Satan: Poems of Fantasy and Terror

Parallels of soldiers who fall in battle

The actual description of the myth of where soldiers go when they fall.
Greek heros- isles of the blest.
Norse Mythology- Valhalla or Folkvangr, sort of sister places
Tir Na Nog- humans who go through extreme trial (which sounds pretty heroic to me!) or invited by fairies.
Elysian Fields- Roman Mythology.

Blog Post : Week 5

I read a lot of fantasy books and I always get excited when we start discussing anything related in class. For some reason I keep thinking that my fake knowledge on these things is going to be extensive because of a story with this Succubus, or that Wereanimal, or slightly referencing some God or Goddess. 

Blog Post : Week 4

I really love watching the reactions on the faces of people when I tell them I am taking an Intro to Satan class. I guess the first reaction is we are learning about how to worship Satan, followed by, "how can the JC get away with making that a class?"

Blog Post: Week 3

I was listening to Iron Maiden's song, The number of the Beast. Listening to that after reading revelations made me fall inlove with them all over again for how much effort they put into creating the songs they sing.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WxnN05vOuSM