ARTIFACT #7, FABERGÉ EGGS, TESSERACTS 22 ALCHEMY AND ARTIFACTS

BECAUSE OF THE SEASON, I THOUGHT IT FITTING TO POST ABOUT EGGS, in particular those created by the famed jeweller, Peter Carl Fabergé. The egg on the left is one of several kept as part of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts' permanent collection. Whenever I'm in Richmond visiting my sister, we always try to see them. The museum also has an excellent website where you can view this particular egg (and others) in a rotating 360 degree view. They're quite beautiful - just go half-way down the page to see them. The link is here: Fabergé Russian and Decorative Arts, VMFA.

History has it that Russia's last tsar, Nicholas II, and his family (for whom many of the eggs were designed), were shot by Bolshevics in the summer of 1918. In 2010, a Russian court ordered their murder case to be reopened, as the Bolshevics who were said to have killed them, actually died years before. So a mystery remains - who actually killed the Russian royal family?

The bodies of Nicholas II and his family were re-interred in St. Petersburg in July, 1998.

Eggs have always been symbols of hope and rebirth.

Here's a Tesseracts 22 anthology idea: what if the tsar and his family weren't killed at all, but had found a way to escape their would-be murderers? What if, through some kind of egg magic, they lived their lives in a limbo, or perhaps in an alternate universe - one contained inside an egg?

Maybe I'm also drawn to decorated eggs because of my Ukrainian maternal grandmother who painted pysanky. I never learned the technique, but I do know that many of the designs and colours indicate various things. Red dye represents life and blood, for example. I recall my grandmother drawing eight-sided stars, (small points around a square) which indicate the sun and stars - also indicators of life, growth, and fortune. If you think about it, any symbol found on a pysanky could be seen as a sigil or rune magic. Pysanky eggs may be talismans in their own right, as well as valued and preserved objets d'arte.

On that note, I wish you all a wonderful and magical Easter, full of happiness and good fortune. Also great writing, no matter what you're working on.

- Susan.

ARTIFACT #6, TERRACOTTA KNEELING ARCHER, TESSERACTS 22 ALCHEMY AND ARTIFACTS

Terracotta Archer (Kneeling) Qin Dynastry

SOMETIMES, LIFE IS FULL OF SURPRISES. When Lorina Stephens and I discussed the kinds of story examples we wanted to see for Tesseracts 22, a number of artifacts came to mind, including the terracotta figures from the Qin Dynasty. Specifically, this was what we wrote and what currently appears in the Tess 22 submission guidelines on the Edge website:

"The editors want tales that explore laws magical as well as physical, the manipulation of reality in the past, resulting in the present. History, sorcery, alchemy, mystery, all with the sense of 'what if'?"

The third example reads as follows:

• What if the Terracotta Army from the Qin Shi Huang Dynasty were golem soldiers, waiting to be animated through magic?

At the time we wrote this, I had no idea I'd actually be viewing such figures from the Qin Dynasty, let alone standing a few feet away from them. I certainly had no plans to travel to China. Instead, I went to Richmond, Virginia, to visit my sister for her birthday. There, at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (a place we always go whenever I visit), was a travelling exhibition of - you guessed it - artifacts from the Terracotta Army. I love such moments of synchronicity.

Richmond's Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is a world class museum. Their curator manages to arrange amazing travelling exhibitions. The museum also has some wonderful permanent collections, including a selection of Faberge eggs which I may also write about in a future post. The museum's link is here. The Terracotta Army is on display until March 11, 2018.

The photo above (which I took) depicts a kneeling archer (without his bow). Originally, he would have been brightly painted. Some figures still retain traces of their paint which enables experts to determine their original colours. This archer, along with 8,000 other life-sized figures, was found in one of three pits, part of a massive mausoleum complex measuring about 38 square miles. Archaeologists estimate that only 20 percent of the figures have been excavated.

Royal Convoy, Terracotta Army, Qin Dynasty

This gorgeous bronze statue to the right, depicting (it's believed) a charioteer of the Royal Convoy and his four bronze horses, was a stand-out at the exhibit.

All of these statues point to an ancient Chinese belief in an afterlife. But what kind of an afterlife? The figures are war-like. Were they meant to help Ying Zheng, the First Emporer of China, conquer paradise? Or were they meant to protect him against demons along the way? Maybe the army was meant to reappear here, in our future. Perhaps they are waging a war of economics as we speak, using Bitcoin or other cyber currency. Who can say?

Swan Goose, Terracotta Army

As well as the Terracotta Army, the First Emporer had many birds, like this charming swan goose, cast in bronze. This goose was found, along with cranes and other water fowl, neatly lined up along a river. Perhaps the First Emporer had them built so he might also find paradise a pleasant place to be.

As the Chinese curse goes, we live in interesting times.

May inspiration strike you. - Susan.

ARTIFACT #5, HAND of GLORY, HAND of FATIMA, and PALM, TESSERACTS 22 ALCHEMY AND ARTIFACTS

Hand of Glory (left), Hand of Fatima (middle), Palmistry Hand (right)

HANDS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN USED AS ARTIFACTS OR AMULETS OF MAGIC.  The three featured here are no exception. On the far left is the Hand of Glory, a rather dire image depicting the severed hand of a murderer, holding a candle. (In other images, each finger is also a candle.) The process of creating a Hand of Glory was quite morbid, involving the drying and preserving of a hand taken from a hanged man. The purpose of the relic was to cast a spell on the inmates of a house, rendering them insensate so a thief might go about his business burgling them, with no one the wiser. (If you wish to read further, this link to D.L. Ashliman's site at the University of Pittsburgh is quite interesting.)

Quite the contrary to the Hand of Glory, the Hand of Fatima (also known as the Hand of Miriam, the Hamsa, and/or Khamsa) is a benevolent symbol providing protection to its wearer. (In a strange way, both hands offer the same benefit, but for different purposes). Originally, the Hamsa represented Tanit, the patron goddess of the city of Carthage between 1550 and 330 B.C. In time, her amulet became associated with the Sephardic Jews as the Hand of Miriam (Moses' sister), and later, for Moslems, as the hand of Fatima Zahra, who was the daughter of Muhammed. Sometimes the amulet is depicted with an eye in its centre. This is what the amulet protects against - the evil eye.

Finally, we have an example of a palm depicting the lines of chiromancy, the idea that we are bound by fate according to the lines of our hands. Some palm readers believe that as we age, those lines shift and change, thereby allowing our destinies to shift and change as well.

So, some story ideas.

What if the Hand of Fatima was used to fight the ill intent of the bearer of a Hand of Glory? Or, what if, in desperation, the bearer of bad luck changed his destiny by carving a new set of lines into his hands? What if that didn't necessarily make things better, but worse? What would he do about it, or do with it? What period of history might we throw into this mix?

I'll leave those intriguing decisions in your capable hands. Until next time, happy (or gruesome) writing, however it strikes you. :-)

- Susan.

ARTIFACT #4, THE WOOLWICH FOOT TUNNEL, TESSERACTS 22 ALCHEMY AND ARTIFACTS

BUILT IN 1912, THE WOOLWICH FOOT TUNNEL has provided Londoners with a handy walkway beneath the Thames River for over a century. It runs between Woolwich (in the Royal Borough of Greenwich) to North Woolwich (in the Royal Borough of Newham). It has a mysterious reputation. Some claim the tunnel stops time.

In 2011, when the tunnel was closed for repairs, construction workers found that no time seemed to pass when they entered the tunnel at one end and exited it at the other. A few claimed they could spend eight hours repairing the tunnel for leaks, then emerge at the end of the working day, only to discover it was still morning. Others claimed they could camp for up to three days and find that no time had passed. Were these stories made to fool the gullible? Or did these men actually experience a time anomaly? Who can say?

Still, it's an intriguing idea. What if some kind of magic could disrupt time? And if so, what kind of magic might that be? What if one period of history played out at one end, while a different future played out at the other? Who would benefit? And why?

Perhaps such a tunnel was created to dispose of an inconvenient enemy. What if, instead of murdering his nephews, Richard III rid himself of twelve year-old Edward V and his younger brother, Richard, the Duke of York by forcing them through the tunnel and into our time? What if they survived, only to remember who they were and who had wronged them? What if they went back?

We all know what happened to Richard III. In 1485, he died at the Battle of Bosworth Field after losing his helmet and being stabbed repeatedly in the head. His remains were re-discovered recently beneath a London car-park.

Sometimes, I wish I wasn't just editing this anthology, but writing a story for it.  I can't wait to see what we get.

- Susan.

P.S. If you're interested in reading more about the Woolwich Foot Tunnel, as well as other potential gateways, check out this link. Here's another from The Guardian, which points out that the Woolwich Foot Tunnel anomaly, featured in the first link, is a work of fiction.

ARTIFACT #3, THE FLAMMARION WOOD ENGRAVING, TESSERACTS 22 ALCHEMY AND ARTIFACTS

THE IMAGE TO THE LEFT IS A MODERN, COLOURISED VERSION of the Flammarion Wood Engraving, (artist unknown) used by Camille Flammarion in his 1888 book L'atmosphère: météorologie populaire or The Atmosphere: Popular Meteorology. It depicts a man who, having reached the ends of the Earth, has pushed his way through the firmament to uncover heavenly wonders. In the upper left-hand corner, there is a 'wheel within a wheel', a reference to the prophet Ezekiel's vision from the Old Testament. Despite what 6th century BC Greek astronomers knew - that the Earth was a sphere - the Flammarian image represents a flat Earth belief. In the Old Testament, the Earth was considered to be a flat disk floating upon a vast ocean, which, in turn, was attached to the sky. Heaven was upheld by mountains.

Let's add a little 'thought experiment' to the above mix, courtesy of quantum mechanics. (For other people like myself who need a bit of an explanation, and this is a very basic one, Schrödinger and others suggested an atom or photon could exist in a multiple, undefined state until it collapsed into one or the other due to observer effect. Hugh Everett considered that instead of either/or states, both might persist, in a many-worlds interpretation.

Here are a few crazy story ideas: what if we replaced atoms and photons with the idea of a flat or round Earth? What if the Earth really was a flat plane, surrounded by a glassy firmament, which shifted into a round planet, due to our intrepid observer above? What if there were two Earths as a result? What if our observer travelled between them, disrupting balances? What if there was a flat Earth/round Earth battle between the Church and astronomer wizards involving gravity magic? 

What if Venice sank due to some magical gravity screw-up? (After all, a good story should always have a bit of the unexpected in it.)

I do hope you send us some bizarre stuff. (The Submission Guidelines are here.)

In the meantime, happy writing. - Susan.

ARTIFACT #2, THE DEATH CARD, TESSERACTS 22 ALCHEMY AND ARTIFACTS

THE DEATH CARD FROM THE VISCONTI-SFORZA TAROT is one of the remaining cards from a collection of the earliest decks commissioned by Filippo Maria Visconti, the Duke of Milan, and his son-in-law, Francesco Sforza.

Back in the 15^th century, tarot cards were used to play a game known as Trionfi, then later Tarocchi, Tarocchini, and other names. In France, the game was known as Tarot. Decks consisted of 78 cards – 22 trump cards, of which Death was one, as well as 56 minor or pip cards numbering 1 through 10, plus four face cards – the King, Queen, Knight, and Page (or Jack).

According to most sources, tarot cards became associated with cartomancy in the 18^th century, but I wonder if they weren’t used for divination earlier. Here’s an intriguing fact. Of the remaining cards in the Visconti-Sforza collections, only two trump cards (or Major Arcana) are missing: the Devil and the Tower. Both cards depict ill circumstances (although in modern day interpretations, they also have less dire meanings). Back in the middle ages, the Devil card might have been seen as a literal indication of the Devil and his works, a foretelling of evil deeds, terrible loss, and damnation. As for the Tower, it pointed to accidents, disaster, and ruin; the mighty struck down by God on high for their power and pride. (Again, modern interpretations allow room for positive outcomes.) All said, it intrigues me that these two cards – the Devil and the Tower – are missing from the Visconti-Sforza collection. Why? Were they destroyed because some medieval soul feared what they might bring? Or could they have been used in a magical rite? And if they were, to what end? What was happening in Europe in the mid-1400’s?

In 1440, the printing press with movable type was born, which, on the surface, was a good thing, but also meant the birth of greater independent thought. Humanism encouraged the study of history and literature focusing on the ancient world, which would have loosened the Church's grip on the medieval mind - not a good thing in its opinion. In 1453, Constantinople fell to the Ottomans, ending the Byzantine Empire. In 1462, Vlad the Impaler invaded Bulgaria and impaled over 23,000 Turks and Bulgarians in what may have been a strike for Christendom (but more likely, Vlad was consolidating his own position). If these events were linked to dark magic, they would make for an interesting story. 

On a happier and more personal note, one of my best memories is of Robert Zelazny, who wrote many wonderful books, including his series, The Chronicles of Amber, of which The Nine Princes in Amber is my favourite. The Chronicles uses tarot cards as magical artifacts. The characters are represented through various trumps; the cards are also portals for travel and communication. Apparently, Roger was fascinated with the tarot (as am I). As Guest of Honour, he attended a convention here in Edmonton in 1993. After I was introduced to him, he asked me if I wrote. I’d just had my first short story published in On Spec Magazine. He had a copy of the issue and said he looked forward to reading my story. With that one kind comment, I learned that great writers are also great people, generous and supportive of newcomers. When he died in 1995, I was sad to hear of it. We lost a great writer and a great human being in his passing.

His series also inspired a modern day tarot deck - the Amber deck - created by French artist Florence Magnin. Here is her version of the Death card:

Until next time, may inspiration strike you.

Happy writing. - Susan.

ARTIFACT #1, THE AZOTH WOODCUT, TESSERACTS 22 ALCHEMY AND ARTIFACTS

IN ORDER TO PROMOTE TESSERACTS 22 Alchemy and Artifacts, one of the things Lorina and I felt we needed was an ‘unofficial’ symbol that conveyed the nature of the anthology, a bit of visual alchemy that appealed and challenged at the same time. After a bit of searching, I came across this artifact - a woodcut from Basil Valentine’s Azoth series, dated at around 1659; it's one of twelve pictures depicting the alchemical process of making ‘azoth’, a precursor to the Philosopher’s Stone or a universal medication or solvent – the Elixir of Life. It was often associated with the element mercury. This woodcut is the fifth or sixth in the series; as to which one it is, not all sources agree.

To me, it works well as a symbol for literary creation – the process of making story. One of the things I plan to do with this and future posts, is to present various artifacts that might ignite the imagination.

This Azoth woodcut contains a number of intriguing symbols. The first is the androgyne, the two-headed being. It represents a divine marriage between solar and lunar, male and female energies, which together, were seen as the highest form of spiritual attainment. Surrounding the androgyne are seven symbols for the planets (gods) and their metallic counterparts. From left to right are Venus (copper), Mars (iron), Sol or the Sun (gold), Mercury or Hermes (mercury), Luna or the Moon (silver), Jupiter (tin), and Saturn (lead). The androgyne also holds a compass and the set-square, two tools of architecture, important in Freemasonry.

Upon the androgyne’s chest is the sign, R.E.B.I.S. I’ve yet to find what these letters stand for. If any of you know, please enlighten me. As mysteries go, this is a good metaphor for the sense of mystery Lorina and I hope to find in the submissions we receive.

The winged dragon can be seen as an alchemical symbol for fire and volatile elements. The fact that the androgyne is standing upon the dragon, subduing it, is significant. This may actually point to a specific part in the alchemical process. The dragon is also associated with the element, sulphur.

Both androgyne and dragon stand precariously upon a Cosmic Egg. The egg is a symbol of both cosmos and creation – of potential. Lines and numbers intersect its surface. The numbers might stand for the four elements - air, earth, water, and fire - or have different meanings (ie., 1 to represent the primal force, 2, duality, etc.) There are many interpretations. 

Speaking of numbers, I came across this interesting titbit while looking into the above symbols. In numerology (whatever you make of it), the number 22 is considered the most powerful of numbers. It's known as the Master Number and Master Builder. As Master Builder, it takes fantastic dreams and turns them into realities. I can’t think of a better process to describe what Lorina and I plan to do with Tesseracts 22. 

One might say it's almost...alchemical.

Until next time - Susan.

TESSERACTS 22 - HISTORICAL FANTASY

IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO FINALLY MAKE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. Lorina Stephens and I will be editing Tesseracts 22, the theme Historical Fantasy, through Edge Books. The 'official' announcement will appear on the Edge site shortly. When it does, I'll post the link here. In the meantime, here's a little history about how it all came about. :-)

The idea for this anthology had its genesis over a year ago. The last book of my Tattooed Witch trilogy (The Tattooed Queen) was published in December 2016 through Five Rivers Publishing; I was thinking about what I might do next. Edge had not yet published an historical fantasy themed Tesseracts, so I considered with whom I might co-edit such an anthology. Of course, Lorina came to mind. After we talked about it, I pitched the idea to Edge. Brian Hades agreed it was a workable premise and so here we are. 

I can't tell you how excited I am about this. 

Okay, I can. I am very, very excited. The feedback we've received from writers who are about to start, or who are already working on a piece, makes me certain this is going to be an excellent collection.

If you're hearing about this for the first time, here is what we are looking for: 

Alchemy and Artifacts will examine the magic behind the history, the myths arising from the artifacts, the mysteries missed (or dismissed), but which lie at the root of world events. We are looking for tales that explore laws magical as well as physical, the manipulation of reality in the past, resulting in the present. History, sorcery, alchemy, mystery. What if?

For example:

·         What if the Black Plague was a curse unleased by Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales?

·         What if Egyptian hieroglyphics were incantations that moved pharaohs into the future instead of an afterlife?

·         What if the terracotta army from the Qin Shi Huang dynasty were golem soldiers, waiting to be animated through magic?

·         What if Picasso’s Guernica was a magical attempt to fight Franco during the Spanish Civil War?

·         What if Paul Revere’s silversmithing was a spell enacted to fight England during the American Revolution?

·         What if Elizabeth I was a witch, employing Drake to find a forgotten, powerful artifact to grant her godhead?

·         What if Haida totems animated and walked the coast?

·         These are only a sampling of the sorts of story ideas we are looking for.

Alternate histories will be considered, but we are inclined to choose work that considers actual world events and characters, and how some form of magic has manipulated history in a subtle yet dramatic way.

Intrigued yet? Here are a few more guidelines:

Submission Guidelines:

·         Alchemy and Artifacts will reflect as broad a spectrum of stories as possible, highlighting unique styles and manners. The greater the magic or magical event and the subtler (yet dramatic) effect it has on history, the better. We want to raise questions about the reality of magic behind events.

·         We are looking to represent as many historical periods as possible, from places all over the world.

·         Submissions must be speculative in nature, including fantasy, dark fantasy, magic realism, slipstream, supernatural horror, weird tales, surrealism, mythic fantasy, etc. We will consider steampunk, but with an emphasis on magic rather than technology.

·         Short fiction may be up to 5000 words in length.

·         We will also consider poetry.

     Complete guidelines will be available on the Edge site shortly. 

     Stay tuned! More to come.

     - Susan.