Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Alchemy with the Getty

Picture from the Getty's Original Instagram post
Hi friends!  To keep us on the legal side of online publishing norms/rules/laws, we must preface this post with a disclaimer: the following is a transcription of a Q&A about Alchemy.  We are currently very interested in this subject because of research we are conducting for a future episode of Daemons Discuss!  We've peppered the conversation with 6 questions under various social media accounts. (It's the curse of running our operation!  We have many, but All Souls Readers will be able to easily discern which questions we asked!) This Q&A was conducted 1 Dec 2016, by The Getty on Instagram.

Original Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BNfBM6xgDgb/

1)  pumpkinlust:  Is the transformation of one material to another using alchemy actually possible, at least, to an extent?

The Gettty: Yes. You do this in your kitchen while cooking every day! The preparation of any synthetic material whether for medicine, art, cooking all grows out of alchemy. From earliest antiquity, people could create enough heat to transform sand into glass. This was one of the inspirations for the creation of the field of alchemy. The thing that is actually really hard is changing one element to another. You can do this with a particle collider. David actually wanted to gut the entire interior of the GRI and build a Getty particle collider (it’s the right shape) but it was nixed. —David & Rhiannon

2)  spacebunny3:  Is it true that alchemy and the tarot began in ancient egypt?

The Getty: Alchemy as we know the word, began in Ancient Egypt after Alexander the Great conquers Egypt we find references to the practice of “chemeia,” Greek word for “metal-pouring” ie alloying of metals. The Egyptians own word for Egypt was “k’em” which literally mean black and referred to the mineral rich silts that built up on the banks of the Nile. Tarot originated in Renaissance Europe as a card game and much of its arcane and esoteric symbolism was derived from the same artistic iconography used to symbolize alchemical ideas. Tarot wasn’t even used for divination until the 18th century. —David & Rhiannon

3)  chattahoocheeotter:  Is Paulo Coelho a real Alchemist?

The Getty:  No :) Please send him our apologies. —David & Rhiannon

4)  steinberg__:  As above, so below, as within, so without, as the universe, so the soul?

The Getty: Yes!! Are you Hermes Trismegistos’s ghost writer? Tantric Alchemists in Medieval India would say “yatha lohe tatha dehe,” as in metal, so in the body. —David & Rhiannon

5)  meowius:  Were there any women alchemists? Feminist alchemists?

The Getty:  Yup! The earliest Egyptian Alchemist we know about was Maria Judaea. Her writings are lost, but her colleagues credit her as many of the earliest alchemical apparatuses. The “Bain-Marie” (a kind of double boiler used to make desserts) was named after her. There were also women alchemists for basically all of history. Lady Geng was a favorite of a Chinese Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. A famous Renaissance book of alchemical secrets is attributed to a Venetian woman, Isabella Cortese. Miranda Kay wrote a book called “Daughters of Alchemy” (2015) about some of these women alchemists. Many of the alchemy rare books in our collection were owned by women who were using them in laboratory experimentation. —David & Rhiannon

6)  daemonsdomain:  Which alchemical process inspires the most fantastical images?

The Getty:  David likes Swampman (a man emerging from a swamp transforming from black to white to red) representing putrefaction to purification to perfection from the “Spendor solis” Rhiannon likes chemical bonding/amalgam-gilding--represented by a two-headed hermaphrodite. (“Ooh! Me too!” —David)

7)  easelbitch:  Will any of this be downloadable?

The Getty: Do you mean their answers to the questions or materials from the exhibition?

easelbitch:  Both but at least the materials.

The Getty: If you go to the Art of Alchemy site, you can page through objects in the show. Many have links to fully digitized books that you can flip through! You can also download the exhibition brochure there. Hope this helps! http://bit.ly/ArtofAlchemyWebsite

easelbitch:  Thank you!!

8)  daemonsdomain:  Were many, if any, of the artists, alchemists in their own right?

The Getty: Practicing alchemy does not an alchemist make. Not everybody who made a synthetic paint pigment or engaged in metallurgy considered themselves an alchemist. But at the same time, the Renaissance art historian/biographer Vasari does say that some artists were obsessed with alchemy, including Van Eyck and Parmigianino. Vasari says that Parmigianino was one of the most brilliant artists he ever saw, but ruined his career staying up all night playing with chemicals in his lab. —David & Rhiannon

9)  bookfutureslookbullish:  Because of the potentially hazardous materials that alchemists used when creating colors, what dangers do you face today when examining illuminated manuscripts, and how to you deal with such dangers? Have you ever tried to replicate colors using the same processes medieval alchemists used?

The Getty: We haven’t dealt with such dangers. We do guess that licking the manuscripts would be hazardous to your health, both because of the chemicals and because our manuscripts conservator would come after you. Our conservator of manuscripts, Nancy Turner, works with these materials more closely. She has an exhibition on view currently as well, “Alchemy of Color in Medieval Manuscripts.” —David & Rhiannon

10)  amelialikespie:  Who were alchemists? Did they tend to come from the elites or any class? Was practicing alchemy an actual profession or more of a hobby?

The Getty: Alchemists came from all levels of society. Some were educated physicians and pharmacists. Some were working class artisans making synthetic products for sale. Becoming skilled at alchemy was a way to rise in status and gain the favor of nobles. But if got caught faking it, off with your head! One in fact, Michael Maier (not to be confused with the one with hockey mask) becomes the personal physician and closest political advisor to the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II. —David & Rhiannon

11)  library_de_alexandria:  What are some legitimate scientific breakthroughs that occurred as a result of alchemists' work?

The Getty:  Alchemist is what we used to call “chemist” so all chemical breakthroughs in history before the modern era were done by alchemists. They invented distillation, invented proto-morphine (laudanum), developed oil paints and inks, and also invented new mining techniques. There’s a particularly famous example of an alchemist named Hennig Brand who saved up his pee and distilled it and managed to discover the element Phosphorus. —Rhiannon & David

12)  apocalipstixnow:  To what extent did Mary Sidney practice alchemy? She is said to have had her own lab and lab assistant, but what is known about what she practiced and/or achieved?

The Getty:  Although she’s not really in our show, she was definitely an alchemist. We have some of her recipes that she developed including one for invisible ink. —Rhiannon & David

13)  daemonsdiscuss:  Do you have a favorite alchemist? Do you have a favorite alchemical process?

The Getty: Favorite alchemists - “Zakariyya ar-Razi (854-925, the ‘pharmaceutical philosopher’ from Rayy, Iran, known in the West as Rhazes. . In Iran August 27—his birthday—is still celebrated as National Pharmacy Day.” —David. “David is my favorite alchemist!” —Rhiannon.

Favorite processes - Chemical wedding, chemical rainbow (peacock stage), and anything to do with vitriols (corrosives that create little colored crunchy crystals. —David. Distillation *insert cocktail emoji here*. —Rhiannon (“OH that’s why I’m her favorite alchemist…she’s been drinking.”) —David

14)  sassmasteralex:  Do you see any parallels between alchemy and religion then and science and religion nowadays?

The Getty:  The idea that science and religion are opposite to each other is a relatively modern one. At the turn of the 20th century, scientists were still trying to calculate the weight of the soul. Pope Francis studied chemistry in college. :) Our favorite alchemy tagline, which we sadly had to leave out of our exhibition intro, is “Alchemy was a science tinged with spirituality and infused with a spritz of artistic spirit.” —David & Rhiannon

15)  mrjuliantylerone: of the main centers of Alchemy was Ptolemaic Alexandria, my question is, how advanced do you think they were in their practice? And are there any extant manuscripts which are directly attributable to works from the library of Alexandria?

The Getty: We don’t know of any manuscripts from the Library of Alexandria, but there are papyrus fragments with alchemical recipes from the Nile Delta region of Egypt. —David & Rhiannon

16)  bookfutureslookbullish:  Alchemy is "a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination." Is chemistry alchemy without the belief in magic? Or better yet, do you think science tries to make magic real and explainable?

The Getty: One of Arthur C. Clark’s laws of scifi is “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” It’s magical because it inspires wonder, not necessarily supernatural. Also early modern natural philosophers called what they did “natural magic.” Look up “Pharaoh’s Snake” on YouTube. :) —David & Rhiannon

17)  aurumrushventureIs:  alchemy a spiritual or a physical pursuit? Was it understood as magical simply because of the power of physical transformation?

The Getty:  Both! It’s a spiritual pursuit grounded in a physical one. Our favorite alchemy tagline, which we sadly had to leave out of our exhibition intro, is “Alchemy was a science tinged with spirituality and infused with a spritz of artistic spirit.” —David & Rhiannon

18)  kickflipedroIs: there any proof for the creation of a philosopher stone?

The Getty:  Depends on what the philosopher's stone is, which people have a lot of different ideas about. It was considered the universal solvent that controlled how all physical matter bonded. We have a manuscript that says the philosopher's stone is red mercury, which is vermillion paint. So if that’s the true philosopher's stone, then yes! The ceramicist Bernard Palissy thought that fossils were the philosopher’s stone, giving creatures true immortality. —David & Rhiannon

19)  daemonsdiscuss:  Why we did some alchemists, like Isaac Newton, operate under much secrecy or silence?

The Getty:  Isaac Newton, in general, was very secretive because he hated criticism. He published about calculus over 30 years after he invented it because he was nervous about what people would say. He did have shelves of alchemy books in grad school. In general, alchemy was secretive, comparable to how Coca Cola would never share the recipe for coke. —David & Rhiannon

20)  melissa_tatiana_:  Was Alchemy ever associated with witchcraft ? Did any practicing Alchemists ever get accused of being witches/wizards?

The Getty:  Alchemists might get in trouble for fraud or counterfeiting money, but witchcraft is specifically dealing with pacts with the devil. These two don’t have too much overlap. —Rhiannon & David

21)  hildasartfromasoul:   ...ABOUT THE ALCHEMIST! ! PAULO COELHO'S BEAUTIFUL STORY!!MYSTICAL POWERFUL LOVE STORY..OR A REFLECTION OF THE REAL ALCHEMIST CONNECTION WITH YOURSELF AND THE UNIVERSE! LOVE..MIND SPIRIT AND SOUL...ALL TOGETHER AS ONE!!..IT'S REAL!!BASED ON MY OWN EXPERIENCE! !connecting with this handsome stranger after reading this book! SO HE SAID "I FEELLIKE IT'S A METAPHOR FOR MY OWN LIFE "...so strange! It's when I FOUND HIM! Aaron Coelho...photographer!

22)  apocalipstixnow:  What was the most challenging part of curating this exhibit? (I've enjoyed my daily doses on various social media outlets + The Getty Iris so thank you!)

The Getty:  Whittling down the objects in the show to the ones that provided the clearest narrative of alchemy’s important to the history of art from antiquity to the modern era. And also, distilling down complicated concepts that would fit on a tiny wall label. —David & Rhiannon

23)  bilociraptor:  How much do we actually know about the historical Nicolas Flamel?

The Getty:  All the things about him being an alchemist date from the 17th century and probably a later invention. But you can go visit his house in Paris! —David & Rhiannon

24)  fr_psnell:  What is the relationship of mirrors to alchemy? Neither Gareth Roberts _Mirror of Alchemy_ nor Lyndy Abraham's _Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery_ are forthcoming on this.

The Getty: Mirrors are one of the many things that alchemists made using their discoveries about the properties of metals and glass. Making glass transparant was developed from Roman to Islamic times. Painting the back of transparent glass with an amalgam of mercury and silver or tin to make the glass reflective may as been developed as early as ar-Razi, but we are still searching for proof. The earliest testimony we know of about glass mirrors in history is that Pliny the Elder credits Lebanese glassmakers in Sidon as being the first to use transparent glass backed by a molten lead coating. There is a recent novel about alchemical mirror-makers by Martin Seay called “The Mirror Thief.” —David & Rhiannon

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. . . And that does it for the Q&A on Alchemy with The Getty!  Hopefully you enjoyed it.  We plan to eventually have an informed grasp of the material, so we can discuss this subject confidently. We'll save it for our Alchemy episode on Daemons Discuss!, coming in 2017 (date to be determined).  We hope your holiday season is going swimmingly!  We'll talk to you next year!

Til next time,



Post by A. Hutter
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Saturday, December 24, 2016

Peace, Joy, and a Happy New Year!

From all of us, to all of you. 


Angela - "2016 was a doozy! Hope we made it a little lighter and more interesting.  Thanks for hanging with us. Looking forward to a bang-up 2017 with you!"

Jean - "Thanks for joining us on this crazy journey. Here's hoping for a fabulous 2017."

Valerie - “The challenge was keeping sane and focused during the peaceful news lull of a fictional series, while the real world had other ideas.  Our goal was and remains to inform and entertain in our little corner of the internet.  If we made you smile (even once), mission accomplished.  Have a wonderful holiday, and I'm looking forward to 2017!"

We are closing the door (firmly) on 2016, and ready to open the door to the next chapter of our adventures in the All Souls universe with you!  We wouldn't miss it for the world! ๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ…๐ŸŽ„



Post by A. Hutter, J. Siska, & V. Grendell
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Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Daemons Discuss: Podcast - Take 7! | All Souls Trilogy Holiday Celebrations, Our Plans for 2017, Goodbye 2016

Take 7 - The One With the Happy Holidays

Description: The title says it all!  Happy Holidays to everyone in the All Souls family!  In this episode we discuss holiday celebrations within the trilogy, our resolutions, our tentative plans for 2017, and our wish to put 2016 to rest (no matter how much it wants to kick and scream!)  Happy New Year, everyone!  See you in 2017!

SPOILER ALERT! We (The Daemons) approach this podcast with an assumption that the listener has read The All Souls Trilogy, including A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life.  If you haven't, and you don't mind, we certainly don't mind!  :)  Let's do this.

Listen:


1. Show notes:


Happy Holidays, indeed! ๐Ÿ˜œ
For newcomers to the series:
- We'll start with the basics: The books in discussion are A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night and The Book of Life.  Together they make The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. 
- Our Daemon Guides to the All Souls Trilogy are available for download: ADOW, SON, TBOL
- If you'd like a ready-reference from the author herself, be sure to download the All Souls Real-Time Reading companion (free e-book at online booksellers via Penguin and Headline books).
- Deborah Harkness usually conducts a real-time reading on her Facebook Page (starting in September), and shares her posts across social media.  Check out her website for all of her social media links, and of course all that she has to offer her readers!
- To see what's available on the web as far as the All Souls universe fandom, check our links page.

In this episode: 
 * Ugh, sorry . . . the audio sucked the big one in this episode, just like the previous one.  Like last time, we edited it to be bearable.  The next episode won't be like this because we found and fixed the problem (third party software was acting up! Grrr!).  ๐Ÿ˜‹  Thanks so much for your patience and choosing to listen anyway!

* Referring to our little "mess" called the TV episode (where we were drinking -- and to our surprise and delight it was very popular! Time stamp in this episode: 01:00) - you can listen to it here: The One With Our TV Wish List

* Tweet from Clare (2:13) - Thank you, Clare!  We're glad we can hang out with you!

Saturnalia feast
* (03:50) In Shadow of Night they talk about the traditions of Saturnalia and Yule

* Lord of Misrule (03:50)

* White Elephant (4:13)

* Winter Solstice (04:33)

* Wild Hunt (04:50)

* Advent (05:33)

* Feast of Immaculate Conception (06:09)

* Referring to Angela's daughter's religion classes (07:43) - Luminous Mysteries, Transfiguration of Jesus

* ter·ma·gant (13:38)
หˆtษ™rmษ™ษกษ™nt/
noun
noun: termagant; plural noun: termagants; noun: Termagant
    1.     a harsh-tempered or overbearing woman.
    2.     historical:
    an imaginary deity of violent and turbulent character, often appearing in morality plays.

* A Thyme and Place cookbook by Tricia Cohen and Lisa Graves, illustrated by Lisa Graves (14:47 - referring the cookbook we gave away in our Black Friday Giveaway), can be purchased at major book sellers.  Amazon Link here:  A Thyme and Place

* Book People in Austin, TX (22:46)

* Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, WA (22:51) - you can read about our adventures here: Our Fan-Girl Experience at the Seattle Tour Stop

* Thank you, Discussers! (25:52)  Thanks goes to Alyssa, Michelle, Lisa and Laura, this time!  Can't wait to talk to you in 2017!

Previous Episode
Take 6 - The One With The Most Exquisite Creatures
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Until next time...



Credits/Copyright Information 
* Intro music: "Ghost Dance" (edited down to second chorus) by Kevin Macleod, licensed for use by Creative Commons.
* News intro: by AwesomeMusicVideos21; provided for fair-use/royalty-free.
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* The Daemons Discuss podcast is hosted and produced by the owners (Angela, Jean and Valerie) of Daemons Domain and can also be found by entering the url http://www.DaemonsDiscuss.com in your browser, (listed on the various podcast syndicates like iTunes, Stitcher, etc.) which will redirect you back to the parent site, Daemons Domain.
* This podcast is intended for personal download/consumption.  Please see our Terms of Use; item 3.

* Our episode titles are a loving tribute to the show "Friends" just 'cause we love Friends and - let's face it - it's easier! Here's how one of the show creators explains their reasoning:
Jeff Greenstein: "When Marta & David & Jeff & I did 'Dream On', we used to spend a lot of time thinking about titles, because they were on-screen at the top of each episode. On "Friends", we decided that was a waste of time. We figured, why not name each episode after the thing that people will ostensibly be talking about around the water-cooler the next day?"
This was a Daemon Production

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Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Daemons Discover New Haven: Gallowglass’ Condo

“You’re welcome to stay with us on Court Street,” I offered. “There’s a spare bedroom on the third floor. You’d have privacy.”
“Thanks, but I’m around the corner. At Gallowglass’s condo,” Miriam replied.
“What condo?” Matthew frowned.
“The one he bought on Wooster Square. Some converted church. It’s very nice—a bit too Danish in decor, but far preferable to Marcus’s dark-and-gloomy period.” Miriam looked at Matthew sharply. ”

~ The Book of Life

As Deb has frequently said, if she doesn’t have to make up things, she doesn’t!  … And so she didn’t … in the case of Gallowglass’ living quarters he calls home in New Haven.  The inspiration for his condo is The Gables at Wooster Square, the former St. Casimir’s Church on Greene Street.

The Gables at Wooster Square
From the outside it appears to be very church-like, and it is easy to picture parishioners once assembling there.  As you can see above, like an imprint of a sacred structure, the outside has a small steeple, one large round church window with light tracery, several lancet windows, a pointed archway with a vaulted ceiling at the entrance, a quatrefoil wood carving above the entrance door, and is adorned with a cross or two on the brick facade.

Side note:  While you may know the term “quatrefoil,” let us indulge in its rich history:  Popular in both the Gothic and Renaissance periods, it was often seen as tracery on a ceiling.   It has strong symbolic roots.  The quatrefoil is an ancient symbol of good luck, and since it is readily dividable into equal portions, it is said to also symbolize harmony, symmetry and proportion.  In Christianity, the four leaves represent the four gospel authors in the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. (cite: Dรฉcor Arts)

Gables entrance with quatrefoil wood carving

These elements above are very typical of an ecclesiastical structure, but let’s get to the inside.  Was it Danish in dรฉcor?  Based on the two units we saw, the Daemons say yes - very Danish - mostly!

"Inside the house pools of lamplight cast a warm glow over a few personal belongings. Otherwise it was sparsely decorated with Danish Modern furniture made from blond wood accented with occasional antiques and splashes of bold color."
~ The Book of Life

Danish dรฉcor is known for its neutral colors, wood flooring, light wood, and an abundance of light on the aesthetic end, as well as its minimalist design and functionality on the practicality end.

Interior of condo
Interior of condo – complete with a Yale chest ;)
However, because this was a former church, the architects and builders preserved some of the adornments from St. Casimir’s and incorporated them into the units.  These are some of the original but refurbished pieces:


As they say in real estate, location is everything, and thus the name – The Gables at Wooster Square - as it is across the street from the historic Wooster Square. (Kind of a no-brainer on the name, right?)

Exit these beautiful doors….

Gables exit with a church-like stained glass replica holdover
And outside is Wooster Square!

Wooster Square
Unfortunately, we did not have a Gallowglass or Miriam sighting, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t look or think we were among some genius daemons, breathtaking vampires, or crafty witches while strolling this historic district!  In fact, there was a talented sketch artist standing outside of the Gables feverishly and brilliantly drawing its likeness.  Perhaps, she was doing intel and was associated with a certain other “congregation” not of the church type… ;)

We grabbed a couple of copies of the real estate flyers!  See/download the flyers for each of the units that we toured:
Unit 3
Unit 10

To see our full gallery of photos from The Gables at Wooster Square (aka Gallowglass’ condo), visit us on Flickr - here!

Until next time friends, #FeedYourDaemons…



Post by A. Hutter
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Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Daemons Discuss: Podcast - Take 6! | All about Daemons in The All Souls Trilogy

Take 6 - The One With the Most Exquisite Creatures

Description: The most exquisite creatures!  Ok, we are biased.  This is the episode where we discuss the "ae" daemons.  The creatures in the All Souls Trilogy that maybe don't get a lot of attention paid to them.  We had some audio issues in this episode, but we powered through!  So for now Valerie will sound like she's calling in via satellite from the moon (the show must go on!)

SPOILER ALERT! We (The Daemons) approach this podcast with an assumption that the listener has read The All Souls Trilogy, including A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life.  If you haven't, and you don't mind, we certainly don't mind!  :)  Let's do this.

Listen:


1. Show notes: 

 

This ^ described daemons to us so much -- so much so, we decided to put it on the front of our t-shirts!
For newcomers to the series:
- We'll start with the basics: The books in discussion are A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night and The Book of Life.  Together they make The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. 
- Our Daemon Guides to the All Souls Trilogy are available for download: ADOW, SON, TBOL
- If you'd like a ready-reference from the author herself, be sure to download the All Souls Real-Time Reading companion (free e-book at online booksellers via Penguin and Headline books).
- Deborah Harkness usually conducts a real-time reading on her Facebook Page (starting in September), and shares her posts across social media.  Check out her website for all of her social media links, and of course all that she has to offer her readers!
- To see what's available on the web as far as the All Souls universe fandom, check our links page.

In this episode:
We apologize for the audio in this episode ๐Ÿ˜.  We had some technical difficulties (it affected this episode and one other).  Therefore, Valerie sounds like she's calling into the show from outer space via satellite - aka, the computer's built-in microphone was used (the same mic you would use while using Facetime or Skype --- not meant for recording a podcast).  There was also some audio bleed in the episode so you'll hear some echoing of words.  We did what we could post-production to make it bearable (adjusting volumes and levels).  We have since identified and corrected the problem!  What Would Philippe Do (WWPD)?  He would adjust accordingly and proceed as planned.  That's what we did here.  The show must go on.  Thanking you for your patience in advance!

* Thanks to our Discussers!  (01:07) Thank you, Laura, Michelle, Aly (her email is read later in the episode), and finally Alyssa, who says her previous experience with demon characters were from shows like Supernatural, Buffy & Angel, and the book series by Kelley Armstrong, Women of the Otherworld.

* Quotes from A Discovery of Witches outlining our introduction to daemons by Diana (02:57):

"There are also daemons—creative, artistic creatures who walk a tightrope between madness and genius. “Rock stars and serial killers” was how my aunt described these strange, perplexing beings. And there are vampires, ancient and beautiful, who feed on blood and will charm you utterly if they don’t kill you first.  When a daemon takes a look, I feel the slight, unnerving pressure of a kiss."

"Even though they’d followed me around college, I knew even less about daemons than I did about vampires. Few seemed to understand the creatures, and Sarah had never been able to answer my questions about them. Based on her accounts, daemons constituted a criminal underclass. Their superabundance of cleverness and creativity led them to lie, steal, cheat, and even kill, because they felt they could get away with it. Even more troublesome, as far as Sarah was concerned, were the conditions of their birth. There was no telling where or when a daemon would crop up, since they  were typically born to human parents. To my aunt this only compounded their already marginal position in the hierarchy of beings. She valued a witch’s family traditions and bloodlines, and she didn’t approve of daemonic unpredictability."

* Hamish and Agatha's laments on their place in the world (04:19):

Hamish: “Oh, yes, I forgot.” Hamish’s temper snapped. “Nobody cares what daemons do. But a vampire and a witch? That’s important. You’re the creatures who really matter in this world.”
Agatha: “And where do daemons come from? How are we made? Why are we here?” Her brown eyes snapped. “Do you know where your power comes from? Do you?”
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head.
“Nobody knows,” she said wistfully. “Every day we wonder. Humans thought daemons were guardian angels at first. Then they believed we were gods, bound to the earth and victims of our own passions. Humans hated us because we were different and abandoned their children if they turned out to be daemons. They accused us of possessing their souls and making them insane. Daemons are brilliant, but we’re not vicious—not like the vampires.” Her voice was clearly angry now, though it never lifted above a murmur. “We would never make someone insane. Even more than witches, we’re victims of human fear and envy.”
* Classical mythology on daemons: As Deb has explained in her writings, the "daemon" vs. what was later known as "demons" (taken on by Christianity) wind up being essentially two different things.  The easiest thing for us to point you to is this wiki page on it (or else we'd be listing over 100 different sources, and these Daemons don't have time for all of that ๐Ÿ˜‚!): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_(classical_mythology)

* Dionysus (06:48) - Wikipedia link here: Click!

* Libation - or 'pouring one out for my dead homies' (07:15) is actually listed on this Wikipedia page as such:
"Modern customs:
In Cuba a widespread custom is to spill a drop or two of rum from one's glass while saying "para los santos" (‘for the Saints’) This custom is similar to the practise of Visayans living on Mindanao, the Philippines, where they spill a capful of rum as soon as the bottle is opened while saying "para sa yawa" (’for the Devil').[43]
In Russia and surrounding countries, it is an old tradition to pour vodka onto a grave, an act possibly connected with dziady custom.
In the contemporary United States, there is a tradition of pouring libations of malt liquor from a forty before drinking, which is particularly associated with African-American rappers. This is referred to as "tipping" to one's [dead] homies (friends),[44] or "pouring one out".[45] This is referenced in various songs, such as the 1993 "Gangsta Lean (This Is For My Homies)" by DRS ("I tip my 40 to your memory"), and sometimes accompanied by ritual expressions such as "One for me, and one for my homies" as well as the 1994 song "Pour Out a Little Liquor" by 2Pac. This is occasionally parodied, as in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999).[46] This can also be seen in HBO's period drama series Boardwalk Empire, when character Jimmy Darmody pours a beverage on the ground "to the lost," referencing deceased World War I veterans.[citation needed] The act is also shown in the animated television series The Simpsons in the episode Kill the Alligator and Run, where Kid Rock is seen to pour from a 40 oz."
 Visit the page to see the full listing on Libation (no, we didn't edit it!).

* It is implied that Sophie's dad may have been a weaver (19:40) by the following quote from A Discovery of Witches:
“This is for you, too.” Sophie drew a small, lumpy object out of the pocket of her cardigan. It was wrapped in oilcloth secured with string. “When the baby quickened, I knew for sure it belonged to you. The baby knows, too. Maybe that’s what made Agatha so worried. And of course we have to figure out what to do, since the baby is a witch. Nathaniel’s mom thought you might have some ideas.”
We watched in silence while Sophie picked at the knots. “Sorry,” she muttered. “My dad tied it up. He was in the navy.”

* Hamish's lovely gardens (19:40):

Beautiful gardens at Chatelherault Country Park in Scotland. Chatelherault is the inspiration for Hamish's lodge.
"They had their drinks in what had once been the lodge’s reception area. Its windows looked out on the gardens, which were still kept in orderly, classical parterres despite the fact that their proportions were all wrong for a hunting lodge. They were too grand—they belonged to a palace, not a folly."

~ Quote from chapter 9, A Discovery of Witches 

You can view the full description on Pinterest
 
Previous Episode
Take 5, The One With Our TV Wish List
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Credits/Copyright Information 
* Intro music: "Ghost Dance" (edited down to second chorus) by Kevin Macleod, licensed for use by Creative Commons.
* News intro: by AwesomeMusicVideos21; provided for fair-use/royalty-free.
*  Outro music: Rimsky-Korsakov - "Scheherazade Symphonic Suite for Orchestra Op.35 - IV. Allegro molto," Public       

domain/copyright-free.
* Cover art (+ all variations associated w/ it): © Daemons Domain 

* The term "unofficial" is explained in our disclaimer located in Terms of Use - item 14.
* The Daemons Discuss podcast is hosted and produced by the owners (Angela, Jean and Valerie) of Daemons Domain and can also be found by entering the url http://www.DaemonsDiscuss.com in your browser, (listed on the various podcast syndicates like iTunes, Stitcher, etc.) which will redirect you back to the parent site, Daemons Domain.
* This podcast is intended for personal download/consumption.  Please see our Terms of Use; item 3.

* Our episode titles are a loving tribute to the show "Friends" just 'cause we love Friends and - let's face it - it's easier! Here's how one of the show creators explains their reasoning:
Jeff Greenstein: "When Marta & David & Jeff & I did 'Dream On', we used to spend a lot of time thinking about titles, because they were on-screen at the top of each episode. On "Friends", we decided that was a waste of time. We figured, why not name each episode after the thing that people will ostensibly be talking about around the water-cooler the next day?"
This was a Daemon Production

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Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Daemons Discover: Metropolitan Museum of Art Cloisters

(Click to enlarge) Original doorway from
Moutiers-Saint-Jean monastery, ca. 1250
If you know anything about us by now, you know we love a good fabulous museum now and again.  Other than reading a book, it’s a quick and easy way to time walk to another era!  We did just that when we visited Metropolitan Museum of Art Cloisters, or simply the Met Cloisters.

The Met Cloisters, located on four acres overlooking the Hudson River in northern Manhattan's Fort Tryon Park, is the branch of the Museum dedicated to the art, architecture, and gardens of medieval Europe. (Hello ancient de Clermonts!) Deriving its name from the medieval cloisters that form the core of the building, it presents a harmonious and evocative setting for more than 2,000 exceptional artworks and architectural elements from the medieval West. (It’s quite a trek to get there but totally worth it!)

The Cloisters building in Washington Heights was designed by Charles Collens and incorporated parts from the five cloistered abbeys of Catalan, Occitan and French origins.  (This already screams Matthew and the de Clermonts!)

Immediately entering the Cloisters, you can’t help but get a sense of Matthew, the stone mason, as well as the French medieval villages that were prevalent in his early vampire life.  (This is as close as we may ever get to engaging our six senses in medieval Europe and Matthew’s formative world.)

Once we stepped through that portal, there was no turning back! (Gleefully!)

Between 1934 and 1939, parts from Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa, Saint-Guilhem-le-Dรฉsert, Bonnefont-en-Comminges, Trie-sur-Baรฏse, and Froville were disassembled stone-by-stone and shipped to New York City, where they were reconstructed and integrated into a cohesive whole. 

a capital in Saint-Guilhem cloister containing acanthus leaves
and a variety of grotesque heads peering out from the vines
Pontaut Chapter House from Cistercian Abbey of Notre-Dame at Pontaut, south of Bordeaux; French, Aquataine, 12th century

While the Cloisters has many Romanesque structures and artifacts, there are also Gothic chapels and halls that were painstakingly transported from Europe to the Cloisters.  Being enclosed in this ancient and time-honored edifice, there is an overwhelming realization of the regality and chivalry that was alive, well and thriving in medieval times.  However, the thick, massive stone walls and dim natural light (characteristic of Romanesque architecture) were a reminder that these times were literally the Dark Ages, and a renaissance was yet to come.  You can see an architectural comparison between the Romanesque and the later Gothic styles below.

Examples:
Tomb effigies in the Gothic chapel
Characteristics: pointed arches, wheel windows and tracery,
stained glass with light pouring in, rib vaulted ceilings
Fuentidueรฑa Chapel apse, a prime example of Romanesque architecture
Characteristics:  massive, thick walls, round arches,
sturdy pillars, decorative arcading, groin vaulting

(See the journey of this chapel from Castile to New York here.)

Now that we've had a little Romanesque versus Gothic architecture comparison, the Beinecke Library construction banter that Matthew and Diana share takes on renewed verve:

“I suppose if you’d built it, the Beinecke would look like a Norman keep or a Romanesque cloister.”
“I was thinking of something Gothic—far more modern,” Matthew teased. “Ready to go home?”

 ~ The Book of Life

The Met Cloisters is also renowned for their extensive Medieval European collection.  Throughout the grounds there are luxurious tapestries, including the famous Unicorn Tapestries.  (Apparently they were a thing back then, and even Ysabeau had one -- as mentioned in The Book of Life: “[Corra] waved hello to Matthew with her barbed tail, piercing a priceless tapestry depicting a unicorn in a garden. ”)  There is also an exquisite treasure-trove of stained glass, illuminated manuscripts, statues, and religious relics.

It doesn’t stop there, however.  The Cloisters is fortified, as would have been the originating churches and abbeys. Well-developed gardens would have been essential for survival. The gardens of the Cloisters contain a wide variety of mostly rare medieval species, amounting to over 250 genera of plants, flowers, herbs and trees, making it one of the world's most important collection of specialized gardens. Their design was overseen by during the museums build by James Rorimer, aided by Margaret Freeman, who conducted extensive research into both the keeping of plants and their symbolism in the Middle Ages.

Today, the gardens are tended by a staff of horticulturalists; the senior members are also historians and researchers on medieval gardening techniques.

So concludes the background info.  Let's move on to the practical application...seeing is believing!  It was a breathtaking sight to enter the medieval herb garden. (The word “garden” just doesn’t seem to do justice to the splendor of it all – nor do pictures, but we won't let that stop us from sharing our photos with you!)  It is a simply stunning display of horticulture from an era gone by.  Right smack at center court is the jewel of the garden -- four quince trees. The fruit was just starting to ripen while we were there, and the natural quince perfume faintly filled the cool, crisp air.  Trust us...this quote did cross our minds:

“I can smell the quinces.” Our new life in the Old Lodge was already calling to me.”
~ A Discovery of Witches  (Calgon, errr, quinces take us away!)

We can only imagine that the grounds of Sept-Tours were partially covered by some terrain like this --

Herb Garden with Quince Trees at the center
(complete with "poison plant" signs - as shown in the right foreground - as applicable)
Medieval Medicine Herbs

With a stroll around the garden, we were also transported back to the present at the sight of this stillroom.  We could envision Sarah and Diana, and a long line of witches that preceded them, like the Garlickhythe gathering, and perhaps even Marte too, hard at work in a space as the one pictured here:

Stillroom
(If you’d like to learn more about medieval gardens, MetPublications has a wonderful book free for download in a PDF format:  Sweet Herbs and Sundry Flowers:  Medieval Gardens and Gardens of the Cloisters)

Walking down the cloister corridor that surrounds the garden, it was easy to get lost into what abbey life, if not medieval life, must have been like!  As we said, being surrounded by so many aspects of the Middle Ages, our senses were certainly firing on all cylinders.


This is just the beginning of our exploration, however.  You never know where we’ll pop up so until next time, #FeedYourDaemons in the meantime, and stay tuned!



P.S. To see a variety of medieval architecture, artifacts and a plethora of medieval herbs from the Met Cloisters' garden and our trip there, view the gallery on Flickr (click here)!

Post by A. Hutter
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Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Daemons Discuss: Podcast - Take 5! | Our TV Wish List for a Series About The All Souls Trilogy

Take 5 - The One with our Television Wish List

Description: Caution! Recorded at night (wine may or may not have been involved), so excuse the silliness!  This is us just discussing our general wish list when it comes to the television production of A Discovery of Witches.  We have been anticipating this for a very long time, and this discussion has taken place dozens of times, in lots of places over the years!  Since we have the means this time, we recorded it! We suggest you pair your listening session with your favorite wine (or fermented beverage of choice) - you may relate to our ramblings a bit better!

SPOILER ALERT! We (The Daemons) approach this podcast with an assumption that the listener has read The All Souls Trilogy, including A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life.  If you haven't, and you don't mind, we certainly don't mind!  :)  Let's do this.

Listen:


1. Show notes:

For newcomers to the series:
- We'll start with the basics: The books in discussion are A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night and The Book of Life.  Together they make The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. 
- Our Daemon Guides to the All Souls Trilogy are available for download: ADOW, SON, TBOL
- If you'd like a ready-reference from the author herself, be sure to download the All Souls Real-Time Reading companion (free e-book at online booksellers via Penguin and Headline books).
- Deborah Harkness usually conducts a real-time reading on her Facebook Page (starting in September), and shares her posts across social media.  Check out her website for all of her social media links, and of course all that she has to offer her readers!
- To see what's available on the web as far as the All Souls universe fandom, check our links page.

Jean's happy-juice during recording.
In this episode
* News of the latest television production plans: Article from Deadline Hollywood; from Deb's Website: A Discovery of Witches TV

* Wolf Hall television production - (02:38) Jean expressed that Shadow of Night should look something like that.

* Reign (03:15) - Angela mentions it here, and later says "It's a whole bunch of wrong..."

* The CW network (03:20) - the Daemons plea to avoid it!  Just putting it out in the universe!

* Dark Shadows (04:19) - the sets were shaking...please, no!

* Tudors (04:25) - Yes, more like this.

* The Girl on the Train (06:54) - Jean mentions a controversy surrounding this production.

* Harry Potter (06:41) and Fifty Shades of Grey (07:23) - mentioned by Valerie as done well as far as scenery and production.

* The Poster that Angela mentions (10:17) - you can find it here

Val's poison.
* Ashley Pharoah (11:07) - writer/producer of A Discovery of Witches production.

* The Living and the Dead production on BBC America (something else done by Ashley Pharoah)

* The three big/small screen watches we've been around for (14:21):  1. Warner Brothers, 2. BBC, 3. (currently) BadWolf productions.

* Scenes we don't want cut! (14:30)
     •    Microcosm scene (in the forest in Madison, NY)
     •    Matthew on the Bridge of Sighs (the STALKING)
     •    Baldwin chapters (from #TeamBaldwin, Angela and Jean)
     •    The breakfast scene
     •    Dinner at All Souls (Matthew's place)
     •    Dancing at Sept-Tours
     •    Witch Water Scene
     •    Baldwin's speech on the Knights of Lazarus
     •    Ledger scene (when Diana snoops in Matthew's study.)
     •    The "fireworks" in the bedroom in Madison
     •    Scenes at the house starring The House

* We are probably losing the yoga scene (17:36): news of this came from Deborah Harkness

Escala - Christian Grey's building (08:19)
* Angela mentioned (21:19) Henry V - Agincourt/St Crispin's Day speech referring to Baldwin's speech, implying that maybe that it's not as weighty (in that context), but important all the same.

* Disclaimer on casting: (26:21) - we do run a fan cast website ... but we are open to understudies!

* Actors mentioned in passing (nothing concrete, and not in order!)  Just discussing actors we think are/were able to pull off the attitude/aura of certain characters.  Some have aged out of the parts we mention, and we are just referring to their acting ability and look (in some cases, at a particular point of their careers)  We can only comment about "known" actors, as we don't know the "unknowns" . . . yet:
     •    Angelina Jolie
     •    Jonny Lee Miller
     •    Diane Kruger
     •    Catherine Deneuve
     •    Brad Pitt
     •    Stockard Channing
     •    Viggo Mortensen
     •    Michael Fassbender
     •    Jamie Lee Curtis
     •    Susan Sarandon
     •    Eva Green
     •    Jonathan Rys Meyers - slated to play in (?) Viking
     •    Alan Cumming
     •    Lucy Liu

So Long, Farewell - The Sound of Music, 1965 ... (50:30)

* Quote from Jean towards the end of the episode (52:16) "I'm out of wine! I'm in the closet and I am out of wine!" ...we were laughing so hard, so it may have been hard to catch it.  It's definitely one for an eventual blooper reel!  P.S.  Jean's recording studio is located in her closet ... it doesn't echo!

Previous Episode
Take 4 - The One with the Witches
-----

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You can also contact us using this email form below.  Please make sure to let us know if it's OK to read your email (or a portion of it) on future podcasts.  If not, that's perfectly fine, too.  Just let us know! Also, if you sign up for our "Discuss" email list we may send you the subject matter of a future podcast ahead of time - this way your inputs may even get included while we record!

Feedback for Daemons Discuss Episode
Questions marked by * are required.
1. Name: *
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4. Can we read your name on a future podcast?
  • Yes
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5. Input, questions or comments about *this* episode?
 

Thanks for listening!
Until next time...



Credits/Copyright Information 
* Intro music: "Ghost Dance" (edited down to second chorus) by Kevin Macleod, licensed for use by Creative Commons.
* News intro: by AwesomeMusicVideos21; provided for fair-use/royalty-free.
*  Outro music: Rimsky-Korsakov - "Scheherazade Symphonic Suite for Orchestra Op.35 - IV. Allegro molto," Public       

domain/copyright-free.
* Cover art (+ all variations associated w/ it): © Daemons Domain 

* The term "unofficial" is explained in our disclaimer located in Terms of Use - item 14.
* The Daemons Discuss podcast is hosted and produced by the owners (Angela, Jean and Valerie) of Daemons Domain and can also be found by entering the url http://www.DaemonsDiscuss.com in your browser, (listed on the various podcast syndicates like iTunes, Stitcher, etc.) which will redirect you back to the parent site, Daemons Domain.
* This podcast is intended for personal download/consumption.  Please see our Terms of Use; item 3.

* Our episode titles are a loving tribute to the show "Friends" just 'cause we love Friends and - let's face it - it's easier! Here's how one of the show creators explains their reasoning:
Jeff Greenstein: "When Marta & David & Jeff & I did 'Dream On', we used to spend a lot of time thinking about titles, because they were on-screen at the top of each episode. On "Friends", we decided that was a waste of time. We figured, why not name each episode after the thing that people will ostensibly be talking about around the water-cooler the next day?"
This was a Daemon Production

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