The Murderous Cult of Roman Diana and Her Sword-Wielding Priests

In the US, the President has to retire after eight years in office, but at least they get to live after their second terms as President. Some of the ancient Romans werent so lucky. In order to become the new priest of the Italian sanctuary of Diana Nemorensis (Diana of Nemi), the incoming priest had to murder his predecessor to get the job! Although the shrine was  located in a sacred grove and near a gorgeous lake, so applications for the position must have been through the roof... Priestly Problems So whats the deal with this sacerdotal situation? According to Strabo, Artemiss worship at the grove of Nemi - included a barbaric ...  element. The priestly turnover was quite graphic, for, as Strabo recounts, the priest had to be a runaway slave who killed the man previously consecrated to that office. As a result, the reigning priest (dubbed the Rex Nemorensis, or King of the Grove at Nemi) always carried a sword to protect  himself against murderous interlopers. Suetonius concurs in his  Life of Caligula.  Apparently, the ruler of Rome didnt have enough to occupy his twisted mind during his own reign, so he meddled in religious rites...Supposedly, Caligula got fed up with the fact that the current Rex Nemorensis had lived for so long, so the dastardly emperor hired a stronger adversary to attack him. Really, Caligula? Ancient Origins and Mythical Men Where did this odd ritual come from? Pausanias states that when Theseus killed his son, Hippolytus - whom he believed to have seduced Theseuss own wife, Phaedra - the kid  didnt actually die. In fact,  Asclepius, god of medicine, resurrected the prince. Understandably, Hippolytus didnt forgive his father and the last thing he wanted was to stay in his native Athens, so he  traveled to Italy, where he set up a sanctuary to his patron goddess, Artemis/Diana. There, he set up a  contest for runaway slaves to become the temples priest, in which they fought to the death for the honor. But according to  the late  antique author Servius, who wrote commentaries on major  epic texts, the Greek hero Orestes had the honor of founding the ritual at Nemi. He rescued his sister, Iphigenia, from the sanctuary of Diana at Tauris; there, Iphigenia sacrificed all strangers to the goddess, as recounted in Euripidess tragedy  Iphigenia in Tauris.   Servius claims that Orestes saved Iphigenia by killing Thoas, king of the Taurians, and stole the sacred image of Diana from her sanctuary there; he brought the statue and the princess back home with him. He stopped in Italy - at Aricia, near Nemi - and set up a new cult of Diana.   At this new sanctuary, the ruling priest wasnt allowed to kill all strangers, but there was a special tree, from which a branch could not be broken. If someone  did  snap a branch, they had the option to do battle with the runaway slave-turned-priest of Diana. The priest was a fugitive slave because his journey symbolized Orestess flight westwards, says Servius. This ritual, then, was Virgils source of material for the legends about the area where Aeneas stopped off in the  Aeneid  to find a magical plant and enter the Underworld.  Sadly for these entertaining tales, neither probably had anything to do with the ritual at Nemi. Issues of Interpretation Aeneas and the slave-priests came up again in modern studies of religion. Ever heard of anthropologist James Frazers seminal work The  Golden Bough? He theorized that Nemi was the spot where Aeneas went to Hades, as Servius suggested. The sacred sparkly in the title refers to a bough, golden leaf and pliant stem Aeneas had to grab in Book VI of the Aeneid  in order to descend to  the Underworld. But Serviuss own claims were spurious at best! This odd interpretation has a long history -  well-chronicled  by Jonathan Z. Smith and Anthony Ossa-Richardson.  Frazer took these ideas and claimed that used the slaying-of-the-priest as a lens through which he examined world mythology. His  thesis - that the symbolic death and resurrection of a mythical figure was the focus of fertility cults across the world - was an interesting one. This idea didnt hold much water, but that  theory of comparative mythology informed the works many historians and anthropologists, including the famous Robert Graves in his  White Goddess  and  Greek Myths, for decades ... until scholars realized Frazer was wrong.

Metabolic Disorders Dependent Diabetes Mellitus Essay

Metabolic disorders-Noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidaemia (cholesterol and triglyceride), gallstones, hyperuricaemia and gout are common among obese. Cardiovascular disorders-Obesity increases the workload of the heart, which enlarges with increased body weight. Cardiac output stroke volume and blood volume are increased, leading to hypertension. Apart from atherosclerosis, obese people develop high blood pressure and increased incidence of varicose veins, Sleep apnea-lt is a serious disease results from obesity. It is associated with fatal irregular heartbeats and high mortality. Obstetrical disturbances-Obese adolescents have been found to have personality characteristics of selfblame, withdrawal and feeling of inferiority. Different types of eating disorders like Anorexia Neryosa, Binge-eating disorder are the found in adolescents especially. Low life expectancy-The risk of death is directly related to body mass index (BMI). Men and women wjith a BMI of about 30 or more had roughly 50 to 100% higher mortality than those with a body mass index about 25. People with body mass values between 25 and 30 had an increased mortality rate of about 10 to 25%.In the 20-year Framingham study, mortality was lowest with among persons with average weight; the rate increased in those weighing less or more than the average. Weight loss was associated with improvement in blood pressure, cholesterol level, and diabetes mellitus. Leanness and maintenance of stable weightShow MoreRelatedInsulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus ( Iddm ) Is A Metabolic Disorder Affecting The Endocrine System Essay1581 Words   |  7 PagesDiabetes (DM) is a metabolic disorder affecting the endocrine system, the physiognomies consist of either the inability to properly produce and/or use insulin by the body; resulting in unregulated blood sugar (BS) or glucose. 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Ideas and themes in an inspector call Essay Example For Students

Ideas and themes in an inspector call Essay An Inspector Calls is a play that centers on morals, political views and highlighting to a 1946 audience how things have changed dramatically since 1912. Priestley uses the play to communicate his socialist views this is done is many ways throughout the play and the main way he does this is though his characters.  But before the characters even do something the set tells the audience a lot about the characters that are about to speak. A large dining- Room, elegantly decorated expressing the fact that the family dining there is of an upper-middle-class status. The period furnishing Identifies to the audience that the play is set in 1912, a year where the unsinkable Titanic sank on its maiden voyage and a great war would be waged two years later. Then after that the Russian revolution and the great depression which has a great impact on the capitalist nations of the world. Once the play has started certain things are thrown forward about Mr Birling and Sheila, Mr. Birling talks far more than the other characters in the first section of Act One often clearing his throat to stop people cutting-in this would show the audience how he feels he has vast knowledge to share with his family. He is highly money orientated as he talks about a business deal with Geralds Father more than the fact his daughter is to get married my duty to keep labour costs down so he does not really care for the lower classes even though he was once in their position. His speech shows that he has climbed the social ladder to get to where he is now and his wife is from a family of higher status, so maybe his marriage was not wholly about love but maybe for the higher social standing for Mr. Burling and the money for Sybil. Also J. B. Priestley uses Mr. Birling to allow the audience the power of hindsight as he leads them along the chain of his predictions that are wrong the audience knows this and are seen as humorous sometimes youll hear some people say wars inevitable. And to that I say fiddlesticks! The Germans dont want war. Here the audience knows he is wrong as two years later the First World War began. Birling also gives the two young men a long speech about how it is every man for himself, and that Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells are old cranks to think that we should all care for other people who arent family as if were all mixed up together like bees in a hive community and all that nonsense. With this Priestley has used Birling as a prime example of capitalist values of the time, by this I mean that he expresses the fact everyman for himself is the way to go. This use of dramatic irony and very capitalist speeches makes sure the audiences opinion of Birling is certain before the inspector arrives. Sheila acts very different to her father in the first act she says very little and what she does say is very childish mommy this means the audiences first impression of will be that she is a spoilt little girls who has been sheltered from the outside world. Also she seems to be quite cheeky and her and Eric seem to try and test what they can get away with in front of their parents your squiffy and dont be such an ass, Eric I think this would also cause the audience to think the children are spoilt. .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25 , .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25 .postImageUrl , .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25 , .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25:hover , .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25:visited , .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25:active { border:0!important; } .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25:active , .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25 .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u1922c0239a4f8c3c5fd0184235119d25:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Social Class An Inspector Calls EssaySheila like the rest of the family does not listen with great attention to Mr. Birlings speeches Im sorry daddy. Actually I was listening. I think an actress acting Sheila would have to act in a very childish and excited way with her maybe fidgeting. Then half way through the first act Sheila and Mrs. Birling leave the room to go drink Coffee elsewhere this shows that even in 1912 women were not involved in business and were told what to do. The first impressions of Sheila to the audience are also very important as it makes sure the audience notice her so later in the play they will see how she changes. Half way through one of Birlings speeches the doorbell rings and the inspector arrives. The Inspector is a man of firmness. Though of medium height the dialogue describes him of having a certain massiveness about him, and he addresses each character with a firm stare. Throughout the play he remains calm, firm and solid. The inspector is the socialist representative in the play and therefore there is a lot of friction between him and Mr. Birling who of course represents capitalism. Throughout the whole of the Inspectors questioning to all the characters Birlings stage directions often read furious, moves impatiently, cutting in and angry. These all give pointers to the actor and then to the audience that Birling does not like his authority being challenged and particularly when he public image is at stack, he seems to get more angry when his children are being questioned than when he was maybe because he thinks his children are more likely to him damage. During his confrontation with the Inspector Birling tries to intimidate him by threatening him I ought to warn you he is an old friend of me(Birling is talking about the Chief constable) this really shows how nervous Birling becomes about how his chance of a Knighthood could be in trouble. A good example of how Birling really dislikes the inspector coming to his house and becoming the highest authority figure is I consider this un-called for and officious An actor playing Birling when talking to the Inspector would have to use body language to show Birlings dislike for the Inspector and also to show how Birling is nervous. Also blocking would have to b taken in consideration, as I dont think Birling would be sitting down during this he would more likely be pacing around the room trying to make himself look more important than he really is. Sheilas reaction to the inspectors questioning is very different as when she first is reminded of what she did to Eva Smith and what has become of her she runs from the room very unset as the stage directions say, a little cry, gives a half-sniffled sod, and then runs out. But once she returns she takes a much different approach and seems alot more calm and more grown up as she no longer uses childish language such as mommy but calls Mrs. Birling mother now. This change in Sheila can also be seen in the stage directions as in the first act they mostly read excited and gaily but in act two read bitterly and passionately. She works out that there is no point trying to keep thins from the inspector you mustnt try to build up a kind of wallif you the Inspector will just break it down. This is the part of the play when Sheila starts to break away from the older generation and works towards a more socialist person. Also in this part of the play Sheilas attitude to Gerald changes as she finds out the truth about the previous summer. An actress playing Sheila in this act would I think have to really try and show that Sheila has grown up very quickly and also the blocking would be different between Gerald and Sheila they would no long sit close together but maybe have their chairs slightly turned away from each other. .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204 , .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204 .postImageUrl , .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204 , .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204:hover , .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204:visited , .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204:active { border:0!important; } .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204:active , .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204 .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u6fc41495de0d0d6c060a732b86112204:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Anne Bradstreet's "The Author to Her Book" EssayAs the Inspectors enquiry comes to an end Birling resorts to desperate measures to protect his life look, inspector-Id give thousands-yes thousands- but of course this is to late but it shows how even though he has just found out not only has Eva Smith has died but also a member of his own family, he feels the answer is money. So really Birlings speech about family values at the start of the play was not true, Birling does not put his family first in hard times this is also said by Eric youre not the kind of father a chap can go to when in trouble Once the inspector has left his message doesnt seem to have had an effect on Birling for a while and he seems worried but that soon changes once Gerald enters and reveals that Inspector Goole was not a police officer. Birling suddenly jumps into action and talks of how it was a hoax By Jingo! A Fake! While Birling is thinking about what to do next he does not realize that he has lost both of his children. Sheila at this point brakes away from what has been expected of her and begins to tell her parents how there reactions are wrong she now becomes the representative of socialism since the inspector has left youre just beginning to pretend all over again. This is one of the major messages of the play, that the younger generation learn from the events and change for the better by this happening priestly shows that his 1946 audience that they should not cling to the past but also change and try and lead a more socialist life. He has taught the audience that responsibility for ones actions is a key role in life, for though not one person is solely to blame for Evas death theyre still involved in her drastic actions to take her own life. His meaning: just because you are not all together to blame doesnt mean you are not to be blamed at all. And so Priestley has successfully conveyed his personal opinions of socialism and capitalism. By reading and watching the play An Inspector Calls we are able to understand the differences between denial and morals, those of which Priestley believed in.

With Apologies to J. D. Salinger an Example of the Topic Personal Essays by

With Apologies to J. D. Salinger by Expert BrilliantEssays | 20 Dec 2016 Once upon a time, great novels literature would reach down and capture the very souls of generations of young readers, novels such as Catcher in the Rye (Salinger), Catch-22 (Heller), Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut). For those who came of age in the fifties, Catcher in the Rye (Catcher), the topic of this paper, the humor, despair, and contempt for the values of Holden Caulfields time were immediate from the first sentence. But the magic may take a little longer to get started, but its there waiting for those of us who reach inside ourselves and find Holdens blood running in our own veins, his heart beating in ours, and his truths buried in our brains. In terse strokes that make you roar with laughter and then want to cry, a great lesson Salinger taught is that writing in depth, like great dancing, should appear easy. How Have You Been, Holden? Need essay sample on "With Apologies to J. D. Salinger" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Remember that strange old girl I told you about, Jenni Someoneorother. The one whose parents were hippies who turned into yuppies and named her Jennifer because what can you say about a girl who died when she was 25 (Segal) and all that crap. But this Jenny became Jenni and we met at some goddam (I like this spelling) protest against the war in Iraq and we had sex and she was 34 and the next day she wanted me to meet her goddam mother who must have decided she wanted a son-in-law, someone like Dr. Caulder von Hotshot. Like anyone else except goddam morons and those phonies getting rich off of the war, I was against it but I knew nothing would change until a couple of total psychos decided to show off their toys and put the world out of its misery (I think I stole that from Casablanca). Anyway, I didnt do anything really dumb like become a hotshot doctor, but girls with first names that end in i seem to hop in the sack with Dr. Anyone. Remember how I told you how I met her again yesterday at one of those goddam malls all over the place now, how she asked me all teary-eyed about my practice. I think I had told her I was a hotshot cardiologist who made billions and then opened a free clinic in Harlem or some sort of crap, so this time, I told her I had to retire when I found out I had terminal prostate cancer, but even though I didnt die, unfortunately, I lost my manhood (well, what word would you have used?). Then, later, I started thinking about her and all the others named Jenni, or Lili, or Emmi, or whatever, and how it still happens whenever you start to think about someone, even a phony piece of fluff, you start missing them. When I get that way, all depressed and acting like a madman, I wind up doing something that gets me even more depressed. So I called old Sally, queen of the phonies (152), but now Baroness Salli Montagu von Guttenheiser. She had married some phony rich jerk about a hundred years old, but he lasted long enough so she has a son and a goddam grandson, the Barons, Drs. Morgan Montagu von Guttenheisers, III and IV. She had heard about a revival of some goddam play we had seen with the Lunts years ago that she thought Id want to see. Yeah, about as much as I wanted to see a revival of that musical Hitlers Theme Parks. I only was at the goddam mall watching my granddaughter, Phoebe, never with an i, who skates at this ice rink they have there. (Okay, okay, after the jerk croaked, I was married to old Salli for a couple of years.) Her aunt of the same name plays the violin at the goddam Philharmonic and likes to ride the carousel with her granddaughter, Maria Louise, and they both blow me away. I guess you want to know what I really did, which means did I ever apply myself and get some phony crap title, like Executive Vice President in Charge of World Peace? After I got out of the hospital, I went back to New York and moved into some crappy hotel far from old Maurice - and pretended I was a deaf mute, and also blind. Then, one day, blind old me saw Jane and that sexy moron Stradlater walking out of Saks, wheeling a goddam baby stroller with a baby in it that had Stradlaters moron face. I felt like shooting the crap out of someone (supposedly, I made the morons who shot John Lennon and Ronald Reagan feel the same way, Samuels 129), so I enlisted and they actually accepted me into the good old United States Marines (I think they would have accepted a real blind, deaf mute, as long a he wasnt a flit). My first day on Parris Island I was so scared that I fainted and split my head open on some made in the U.S.A. concrete when the drill sergeant called my name. So there I was, back in New York, no more of a madman than I had been before I split my goddamned head open. . . And you, Mr. Salinger? Mr. Salinger? Mr. Salinger? Okay, I guess you had to pick someone to write about writing in depth. Ive suffered worse Mr. Bidney (note to this deluded childs teacher: theres very deep meaning, of course, in my disrespectful neglect of MLA style) studying my distinctive epiphany patterns (117), Mr. or Miss Takeuch (note again, blame not the child for my ms-take) worrying that though careful consideration has been given to the influence of Zen Buddhism [on my work], the perspective of Western mysticism has been largely neglected (331), the diagnosis Miss Anna Freud shared with Mr. Coles that Holden suffered from a narcissistic personality disorder (222). Even when I plain shut-up, according to Mr. Pattanaik, my silence is holy (requiring, I shudder to say, A Verdantic Interpretation, 113) Im really retreat[ing] in order to recover the silence of the repressed other of our modern civilisation (126). These are the wretched vanities that warrant disdain this childs exuberant (and presu mptuous) excesses warrant kindness (even ms-take and piece of fluff). Mr. Salingers Conclusion Okay, kid, now please leave me alone. But as long as you got me here, I did read your crap. First, re-read Catcher, yes, again. Did I say anything about World War II? Would I even know anything about whatever it is youre talking about in Iraq? On the other hand, you did try for the right tone on Vietnam and it took some courage for someone like you to choke out the word flit. But that didnt give you any more of a pass than Samuels had to show off with that useless Lennon/Reagan crap (129). The best thing about you is what you couldnt do share any of your thoughts, as people now seem to phrase it, about what really became of Holden. Works Cited Bidney, Martin. The Aestheticist Epiphanies of J. D. Salinger: Bright-Hued Circles, Spheres, and Patches; Elemental Joy and Pain. Style 34.1 (2000): 117-31. Coles, Robert. Anna Freud and J. D. Salingers Holden Caulfield. The Virginia Quarterly Review 76.2 (2000): 214-24. Heller, Joseph. Catch-22. New York: Scribners (1996/1961). Pattanaik, Dipti R. The Holy Refusal: A Verdantic Interpretation of J. D. Salingers Silence. Melus 23.2 (1998): 113-27. Salinger, J. D. Catcher in the Rye. New York: Little, Brown (2001/1951). Samuels, David. Marginal Notes on Franny and Zooey. The American Scholar 68.3 (1999): 128-33. Segal, Erich. Love Story. New York: Avon (1977/1970). Takeuchi, Yasuhiro. The Burning Carousel and the Carnivaleque: Subversion and Transcendence at the Close of The Catcher in the Rye. Studies in the Novel 34.3 (2002). Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-five. New York: Delacorte (1969).