Norse Mythology for Bostonians: A Transcription of the Impudent Edda

Norse Mythology for Bostonians: A Transcription of the Impudent Edda PDF Author: Rowdy Geirsson
Publisher: Puffin Carcass
ISBN: 9780578586526
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
A humorous compendium of the ancient Norse myths, as well as some new ones, as told by an irate Bostonian. Based on the long-running McSweeney's Internet Tendency web column, Norse History for Bostonians.

Norse Mythology for Bostonians: A Transcription of the Impudent Edda

Norse Mythology for Bostonians: A Transcription of the Impudent Edda PDF Author: Rowdy Geirsson
Publisher: Puffin Carcass
ISBN: 9780578586526
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
A humorous compendium of the ancient Norse myths, as well as some new ones, as told by an irate Bostonian. Based on the long-running McSweeney's Internet Tendency web column, Norse History for Bostonians.

Moon Lore

Moon Lore PDF Author: Timothy Harley
Publisher: London, S. Sonnenschein
ISBN:
Category : Moon
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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The Mystery of Numbers

The Mystery of Numbers PDF Author: Annemarie Schimmel
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199879850
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
Why is the number seven lucky--even holy--in almost every culture? Why do we speak of the four corners of the earth? Why do cats have nine lives (except in Iran, where they have seven)? From literature to folklore to private superstitions, numbers play a conspicuous role in our daily lives. But in this fascinating book, Annemarie Schimmel shows that numbers have been filled with mystery and meaning since the earliest times, and across every society. In The Mystery of Numbers Annemarie Schimmel conducts an illuminating tour of the mysteries attributed to numbers over the centuries. She begins with an informative and often surprising introduction to the origins of number systems: pre-Roman Europeans, for example, may have had one based on twenty, not ten (as suggested by the English word "score" and the French word for 80, quatrevingt --four times twenty), while the Mayans had a system more sophisticated than our own. Schimmel also reveals how our fascination with numbers has led to a rich cross-fertilization of mathematical knowledge: "Arabic" numerals, for instance, were picked up by Europe from the Arabs, who had earlier adopted them from Indian sources ("Algorithm" and "algebra" are corruptions of the Arabic author and title names of a mathematical text prized in medieval Europe). But the heart of the book is an engrossing guide to the symbolism of numbers. Number symbolism, she shows, has deep roots in Western culture, from the philosophy of the Pythagoreans and Platonists, to the religious mysticism of the Cabala and the Islamic Brethren of Purity, to Kepler's belief that the laws of planetary motion should be mathematically elegant, to the unlucky thirteen. After exploring the sources of number symbolism, Schimmel examines individual numbers ranging from one to ten thousand, discussing the meanings they have had for Judaic, Christian, and Islamic traditions, with examples from Indian, Chinese, and Native American cultures as well. Two, for instance, has widely been seen as a number of contradiction and polarity, a number of discord and antithesis. And six, according to ancient and neo-platonic thinking, is the most perfect number because it is both the sum and the product of its parts (1+2+3=6 and 1x2x3=6). Using examples ranging from the Bible to the Mayans to Shakespeare, she shows how numbers have been considered feminine and masculine, holy and evil, lucky and unlucky. A highly respected scholar of Islamic culture, Annemarie Schimmel draws on her vast knowledge to paint a rich, cross-cultural portrait of the many meanings of numbers. Engaging and accessible, her account uncovers the roots of a phenomenon we all feel every Friday the thirteenth.

The Goddess Anat in Ugaritic Myth

The Goddess Anat in Ugaritic Myth PDF Author: Neal H. Walls
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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The Scandinavian Aggressors

The Scandinavian Aggressors PDF Author: Rowdy Geirsson
Publisher: Puffin Carcass
ISBN: 9780578348568
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
An offbeat odyssey into the freezing heart of the modern Northlands, The Scandinavian Aggressors chronicles Rowdy Geirsson's tireless quest to uncover the secret history of the early 21st century's resurgence of authentic viking activity known as the Modern Viking Movement. Along the way he meets modern viking luminaries such as Trond "Troll-Breath" Trondsen, who successfully raided a historic monastery's gift shop in England; Björn Svensson, who habitually recited classic rock lyrics at the site of each of his infamous berserkings; and Ingrid Törnblom, who founded an elite warrior sisterhood that drew comparisons to the Spartans of ancient Greece, the Samurai of feudal Japan, and perhaps most flattering of all, the Jedi Knights of the Intergalactic Republic. Encounters with additional Neo-Norse individuals augment the journey, revealing long-hidden details about the slaying of a creepy troll in Beowulf's homeland, the brewing of craft beer from within pagan burial mounds, and the suffering of horrendous digestive problems amidst the breathtaking natural beauty of Iceland's remarkable landscape. Topical, informative, and highly insightful, The Scandinavian Aggressors not only provides essential reading for anyone with even a remote interest in the Modern Viking Movement, but also spins a darn good yard about the fragility of the Scandinavian condition.

Inventing English

Inventing English PDF Author: Seth Lerer
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231541244
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 527

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Book Description
A history of English from the age of Beowulf to the rap of Eminem, “written with real authority, enthusiasm and love for our unruly and exquisite language” (The Washington Post). Many have written about the evolution of grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary, but only Seth Lerer situates these developments within the larger history of English, America, and literature. This edition of his “remarkable linguistic investigation” (Booklist) features a new chapter on the influence of biblical translation and an epilogue on the relationship of English speech to writing. A unique blend of historical and personal narrative, both “erudite and accessible” (The Globe and Mail), Inventing English is the surprising tale of a language that is as dynamic as the people to whom it belongs. “Lerer is not just a scholar; he's also a fan of English—his passion is evident on every page of this examination of how our language came to sound—and look—as it does and how words came to have their current meanings…the book percolates with creative energy and will please anyone intrigued by how our richly variegated language came to be.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A History of English Romanticism in the Eighteenth Century

A History of English Romanticism in the Eighteenth Century PDF Author: Henry Augustin Beers
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : English literature
Languages : en
Pages : 478

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Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune-telling

Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune-telling PDF Author: Charles Godfrey Leland
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1891. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XIV.' A GYPSY MAGIC SPELL. HOKKANI BASO LELLIN DUDIKABIN, OR THE GREAT SECRET CHILDREN'S RHYMES AND INCANTATIONS TEN LITTLE INDIAN BOYS AND TEN LITTLE ACORN GIRLS OF MARCELLUS BURDI- GALENSIS. HERE is a meaningless rhyme very common among children. It is repeated while "counting off" --or "out" --those who are taking part in a game, and allotting to each a place. There are many versions of it, but the following is exactly word for word what I learned when a boy in Philadelphia: -- Ekkeri (or ickery), akkery, u-kcry an, Fillisi', follasy, Nicholas John, Queebee - quabee -- Irishman (or, Irish Mary), Stingle 'em--stangle 'em--buck! With a very little alteration This chapter is reproduced, but with much addition, from one in my work entitled "The Gypsies," published in Boston, 1881, by Houghton and Mifflin. London: Trubner Sc Co. The addition will be the most interesting portion to the folk-lorist. in sounds, and not more than children make of these verses in different places, this may be read as follows: -- Ek-keri (yekori) akairi, you kair an, Fillissin, follasy, Nakelas jan Kivi, kavi--Irishman, Stini, stani--buck! This is, of course, nonsense, but it is Romany or gypsy nonsense, and it may be thus translated very accurately: -- First--here--you begin! Castle, gloves. You don't play! Go on! Kivi--a kettle. How are you? Stdni, buck. The common version of the rhyme begins with-- "One--ery--two--ery, ickery an." But one-ery is an exact translation of ek-keri; ek, or yek, meaning one in gypsy. (Ek-orus, or yek-korus, means once). And it is remarkable that in-- "Hickory dickory dock, The rat ran up the clock, The clock struck one, And down he run, Hickory dickory dock." We have hickory, or ek-keri, again followed by a significant one. It may be observed that while my firs...

Egyptian Phonology

Egyptian Phonology PDF Author: Carsten Peust
Publisher:
ISBN: 9783933043023
Category : Egyptian language
Languages : en
Pages : 365

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Wonders in the Sky

Wonders in the Sky PDF Author: Jacques Vallee
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 110144472X
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
One of the most ambitious works of paranormal investigation of our time, here is an unprecedented compendium of pre-twentieth-century UFO accounts, written with rigor and color by two of today's leading investigators of unexplained phenomena. In the past century, individuals, newspapers, and military agencies have recorded thousands of UFO incidents, giving rise to much speculation about flying saucers, visitors from other planets, and alien abductions. Yet the extraterrestrial phenomenon did not begin in the present era. Far from it. The authors of Wonders in the Sky reveal a thread of vividly rendered-and sometimes strikingly similar- reports of mysterious aerial phenomena from antiquity through the modern age. These accounts often share definite physical features- such as the heat felt and described by witnesses-that have not changed much over the centuries. Indeed, such similarities between ancient and modern sightings are the rule rather than the exception. In Wonders in the Sky, respected researchers Jacques Vallee and Chris Aubeck examine more than 500 selected reports of sightings from biblical-age antiquity through the year 1879-the point at which the Industrial Revolution deeply changed the nature of human society, and the skies began to open to airplanes, dirigibles, rockets, and other opportunities for misinterpretation represented by military prototypes. Using vivid and engaging case studies, and more than seventy-five illustrations, they reveal that unidentified flying objects have had a major impact not only on popular culture but on our history, on our religion, and on the models of the world humanity has formed from deepest antiquity. Sure to become a classic among UFO enthusiasts and other followers of unexplained phenomena, Wonders in the Sky is the most ambitious, broad-reaching, and intelligent analysis ever written on premodern aerial mysteries.