In some far places, in the dark of the night, before the sun rises, sometimes appears the Aurora. Aurora is a winding bright light that seems to dance in the sky. In northern latitudes it's called Aurora Borealis. The name of Aurora comes to the roman goddess of the dawn. Aurora the goddess, according the roman lore was a beautiful woman, who flies through the sky to announce the arrival of the sun. Her tears are the dew. Tears spilt for the death of her son. Boreal comes from the Greek word "wind".
It's said that after seeing an Aurora, you will be happier for the rest of your life.
The surprising phenomenon is produced in the following way. The sun emits energy charged particles called "solar wind". These solar winds arrive to the Earth (it takes them 2 days), and impact in the atmosphere, and when they crash with the nitrogen and oxygen atoms, they free energy in the form of light. That light is the Aurora. Depending on the chemical element impacted, a specific color will predominate. This phenomenon also happens in other planets.
Apart from technical details, the Aurora is one of the most beautiful shows that nature can offer us. As a magical dream, Aurora appears in the sky and dances for us while we can do nothing but admire it.
One day, I made my own Aurora, a dream only for you. The real Aurora is more beautiful, because the artist who made it is bigger than us all.
With this post I begin a new section, a section called Mythology and Fantasy. Mythology and fantasy is still source of inspiration for many artists, and many people are still interested in this ancient lore of legends.
In all the history of humanity, people always have liked to hear good stories and tell good stories. Mythology and fantasy is a good way to learn, through heroes and creatures, about human relationships.
We can define mythology as a series of stories of a civilization that try to explain the origin of the world. In a beginning stories were spread thought an oral way, and later written and told for generations. Tell this stories to people seeing their expectant eyes could be an eternal pleasure; but for those civilizations it was their truth, their beliefs.
I begin this section with the centaurs, a mythological creature half human and half horse.
Ixion (the Thesalia king) desired Hera, the wife of Zeus (the supreme God). Zeus knew this, so fooled Ixion modeling a cloud with the appearance of Hera; her name will be Nephele. Nephele and Ixion will have a son, a monstrous creature called Centaur.
Centaur had relations with the Pelion's mares so this way the centaurs were born. Centaurs were of violent nature, ate raw meat and were very keen on drinking wine. They had brutal habits and used to take women by the force.
Centaurs were invited to the Lapith king (Piritoo) wedding. They get drunk in the wedding and tried to kidnap the bride and rape the women guests.
Lapiths were really enraged and began a combat, and Centaurs were thrown out from Thesalia. This battle was many times depicted in temples, utensils, figures...
The victory of lapiths represents the victory of the reason over the savagery.
Not every centaurs were cruel and aggressive. Stands out, for example: Pholo and Quiron. Pholo was kind and hospitable, and helped Hercules. And Quiron was the Aquiles teacher.
In the literature doesn't exist the female version of centaur. It was the painter Zeuxis (5th century B.C.) who depicted centaur women.
This video shows the drawings of Boris Vallejo, which is one of the artist who better represents the mythological world.
Francesco Giocondo ordered Leonardo Da Vinci to paint his wife, Lisa Gherardini (the picture is called Gioconda because she was the wife of Giocondo, Giocondo/Gioconda). Francesco Giocondo was a merchant friend of Leonardo's father.
Others said that was the father of Leonardo, Sir Piero Da Vinci, who ordered the portrait to Leonardo. This way, Francesco Giocondo, who was a wealthy man, could become a good patron for Leonardo. Leonardo spent much of his time doing strange gadgets and needed to finance them.
Leonardo painted Lisa Guerardini when she was 24 years old. He liked so much the result of the picture, that never gave it (always found an excuse to not giving it). In all his travels he took the picture in his suitcase and never separated from it. Her strange smile... Lisa was from a rich family. It's not strange that rich people had bad eating habits, because vegetables and fruit were for poor people. So many wealthy people had nutrition problems, and it's not strange that they haven't all their teeth. Some say she was probably pregnant when Leonardo painted her. Her hands are swollen, and is wearing no rings. You can also note that she has no eyebrows. To remove the eyebrows was a trend in her times.
They said that Francesco Giocondo was deeply in love with Lisa. Someone said that Lisa was sweet and guileless.
If you order a portrait of you wife and the painter never gives it to you, and takes it always with him... What could Francesco feel?
What had Lisa to make men go so crazy? The picture is enigmatic, everybody is captivated by its atmosphere. She is always staring at you. No matter where you stand, she keeps staring directly at you.
How influenced Lisa Gherardini to Leonardo? Here you are a video with other women painted by Da Vinci.... All them are a little Gioconda.
I begin this section "the life of" with a surprising woman: Mary Kingsley, born in the claustrophobic Victorian society. She changed the direction of her life, and decided to make her dreams come true.
Mary Kingsley (1862-1900) was born in Islington (London). Her father was a doctor, and fell in love with his maid. Four days before Mary was born, they married. Mary Kingsley's uncle was the famous novelist Charles Kingsley. Mary's mother was disabled. So Mary spent a long part of her life looking after her. Her only entertainment was reading the many books her father had in his library.
She was a great self-taught woman. And without academic studies, she became one of the XIX century biggest authorities about Occidental Africa.
She did what was expected from her until the death of her parents. But when she was 30 years old, she started a new life. Her destination: Africa.
She travels to Africa with the excuse of finishing one of his father's book about rituals and fetishes. She lives with tribes of Congo, Zaire... to get information about their religious beliefs.
And she travels. Travels so much... And writes abouts her travels showing a great sense of humor, so her stories became very famous in the London society. In her travels she collects insects and plants that were sent to the British Museum and were very appreciated.
With an umbrella in her hand and wearing heavy Victorian robes, she went through swamps full of crocodiles. Trying to get away from a tornado, she climbed a 4085 meters high mountain. She also encountered cannibal tribes. When an hippopotamus was trying to sink her boat, Mary stroked its ear with the umbrella. The hippopotamus turned away. Mary said in one of her writings that at last, that stupid umbrella had an use.
When she was 37 years old, she died of fever when she was working as volunteer nurse. Her remains were thrown to the sea.
Both her life and her writings were the incentive for many woman to try the same things. Mary was an enterprising and fearless woman. Thank you Mary Kingsley for being this way.
If you wonder what made Mary Kingsley exchange the comfortable London society for Africa, this video gives you some clues.
They say that 30 years ago you went, one day like today, a 16th of August. But I don't believe it. I met you through these movies in black and white that nobody sees, beside my grandfather. One day I asked my grandfather "who is him?" and he told me about you. And I asked too "and he appears on TV?", and he answered me : "No Emma, he died many years ago". But I don't believed him. Sometimes when I'm worried and sad I listen your music and I feel better. How can someone tell that you are gone when sometimes your music brings happiness to my soul? Kings never die. They stay in History forever. Do you know why I feel that you stay here? because, as in you song, You are always on my mind.
One upon a time in a far away place, lived a peasant who loved very much his village and his people. One day, when he was going for water to the lake, the huts began to burn. When he returned from the lake, he felt horrified for seeing his village in flames. All that he loved was burning.
And he ran, ran very much to the lake, and he swear to the Heaven that he could give his live in exchange for saving his village. And hugged the water and turned running to the village, and with his body he extinguished the flames.
He returned to the lake forever with his deformed appearance and his skin fill of blisters.
When he eats remembers his former life and drops tears of nostalgia. He will be called Crocodile forever.
With this post, I inaugurate a new section of this blog. A section about "comics & cartoons".
The movie of this summer is "Fantastic four and Silver Surfer". But Who is Silver Surfer?
Silver Surfer is a super hero of Marvel, created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. But what is the history of Silver Surfer?
Norrin Radd (Silver Surfer) is from the Zenn-La planet. A planet where peace reigns and a pacifism spirit predominate. Norrin Radd will work for Galactus, the planet eater, to avoid that Zenn-la is destroyed by Galactus.
Norrin Radd will get planets to feed Galactus. In the beginning, planets without life; but these planets don't have enough energy, so Radd will get planets with primal life. This matter will give to him a big sorrow so Galactus handles telepathically Norrin Rad so Radd doesn't have conscience problems. Galactus will give superpowers to Norrin Radd, a silver appearance and a surfboard as vehicle. Norrin Radd will be Silver Surfer.
Silver surfer will arrive to Earth planet. Here he discovered that he was fooled by Galactus. He will met the Fantastic Four, who convinced Silver Surfer to protect the Earth. Galactus enraged, and sentenced Silver Surfer to stay in the Earth forever. But thanks to Fantastic Four who broke the barrier of Galactus, Silver Surfer will be able to leave the Earth and discovers that Galactus has destroyed his planet. That happening will be a hard load in his heart forever. And Silver Surfer will be the protector of the Universe.
I start with this article a new section of this blog. All months there will be an article about cinema, about interesting films, top ten...
And I wanna begin with this genre. Science Fiction has a lot of detractors. Sci-fi is for intelligent people and with an open mind, with imagination and creative. I always have preferred the good books of the genre because our imagination goes much far away than a film. But there are very goods films in the history of cinema.
After that, a list of the best Sci-fi movies.
1- The Star Wars Trilogy: Star Wars/The Empire Strikes Back/Return Of The Jedi
2- Alien
3- Blade Runner
4- Matrix
5- E.T. The Extraterrestial
6- Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
7- Logan's Run
8- Dune
9- The Fifth Element
10- Tron
Each one contributed to give shape to our imagination. And were very important in their moment. For Example:
The Star Wars Trilogy, nobody can forget the sensations when they saw Star Wars for first time. John Williams sound track, and unforgettable characters: Han Solo, Darth Vader, C-3PO, R2-D2, Princess Leia Organa, Ioda... Always thought that the success of the trilogy was based of values as: friendship, courage, freedom, love... And a team of people that were part of a project in which they believed.
Alien, absolute exiting. With a very good performance by Sigourney Weaver. Giger created a horrific creature that can remind us a space cockroach ( nobody can can kill it ) lol.
Blade Runner, it's about a future time. Men create clones, they are treated as slaves, and they rebel. All clones must be exterminated. Only a question: can these clones love? Solution: at the end of the movie.
The Matrix, I love and hate it. The argument is absolutely genial. But the specials effects as jumps, slow scenes, have been copied so many times, that there are hundreds of movies with the same photography, the same jumps... The film goes about what is the reality, and what we can perceive. It's the most interesting of this movie.
E.T., absolute tender. This kind extraterrestrial desperately needed a mobile, lol. Charmed to everybody. I have to confess that I can't see the this movie because I begin to cry with the first tittle and until the end of the film. So the following day I can not open my poor eyes.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, everybody goes crazy for the possibility than extraterrestrials can exist or communicate with them... The end is a big concert lol! No, now seriously, it is a very emotive encounter between the human race and the extraterrestrials.
Logan's Run, absolute interesting. It is a bit as "Brave New World" of Aldous Huxley. It's about the "perfect" society. In the film everybody must die at 30 years old, family doesn't exist, love doesn't exist, nor couple, nor sons... All is artificial happiness.
Dune, it's an epic story between fantasy and science fiction. It's based in Frank Herbert's books. Were very popular books, and inspired the movie.
The Fifth Element, each 5000 years one door between 2 dimensions is opened. Inside it, an element. Only this element must be found, the fifth.
Tron, a programmer gets into a computer for recover his program that was stolen by the company that fired him. It's famous by an action scene which inspired a game very popular in that times.
Each one of us have his/her favorite list. I am sure I forgot some important movies. Tell me which.
"We sail through endless skies. Stars shine like eyes. The black night sighs. The moon in silver dreams falls down in beams. Light of the night. The earth, a purple blaze of sapphire haze on orbit always.
While down below the trees bathed in cool breeze silver starlight breaks down from night. And so we pass on by the crimson eye of great god Mars as we travel the universe."
-lyrics of the original song-
The original song was by Black Sabbath from their album "Paranoid" edited in 1970. This is a version by Pantera of their work "Far Beyond driver" published in 1994.
Lyrics and music have a special charming. Oneself is surrounded by several sensations. Planet Caravan is a magic and unforgettable song. I wish you like it.
There is a national park in Tanzania (Africa) called Serengeti. This awesome place has been listed by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites.
Serengeti means "endless plains" in Maasai language. And it's true, it's endless plains filled of lions, tigers, elephants, rhinoceros, giraffes, hyenas, zebras, gnus, buffaloes...
In Serengeti there is a big biannual migration move. The animals go searching the water and the vegetables, following the season's change. In this travel they cross the river Mara two times.
We can find in Serengeti the Maasai tribe. Kind and smiling people that wear colorful clothes. They are nomads and cattle breeders. Their life goes around their cows. From cows, they get meat, milk, blood (they drink it), leather...
Near the Serengeti park, we can visit the Ngorongoro park. There we can find the Olduvai Gorge, where were found skeletons of primitive men like the Homo habilis and the Paranthropus boisei.
This is only the beginning of a new section of this blog. I want to show you the most awesome places in Earth. Feel the beauty of those places and it will remain inside your hearts forever.
