Friday, March 20, 2020

A Medieval Joke essays

A Medieval Joke essays Earlier in the semester an assignment was given to respond to less serious treatments dealing with the medieval period. In Ellis Peters A Morbid Taste for Bones and Monty Pythons Holy Grail themes such as Good versus Evil, feudalism, and the belief in myths and magic were discussed. However there are other themes that are found in two other more serious treatments of the medieval period. In Judith M. Bennetts A Medieval Life, which tells the story of Cecilia Penifader of Brigstock and her family; and Carolly Ericksons The Medieval Vision, a collection of various essays regarding the medieval period. In these works the themes of religion and rituals, the role of women, and the role of Lords will be discussed. In Bennetts A Medieval Life, religion and rituals are things that played a large part in the lives of the people during this time. First, Cecilias religious world was strikingly homogeneous; she might have heard stories about Jews or heretics, but the world in which she lived offered no alternative religious practices. Coming from a small community as Cecilia did, there was no room for choice in what to believe in. Cecilia lived in a controlled setting. Her beliefs were forced upon her, if her beliefs were to wander she would be considered a heretic, and would have been killed. All that she knew of religion was learned through word of mouth and from watching services. Lent was an example of a holiday ritual that they celebrated. The Final week of Lent was Holy Week. On the last Sunday before Easter, the Penifaders brought branches to be blessed, a celebration of spring growth that also remembered the palms strewn before Jesus as he entered Jerusalem. From this excerpt, it is obvious that Lent is celebrated much the same way now as it was back then. However, they did not end the week long ritual with the hunting for Easter baskets. People who lived in the Medi...

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Three Primes of Alchemy (Paracelsus Tria Prima)

Three Primes of Alchemy (Paracelsus Tria Prima) Paracelsus identified three primes (tria prima) of alchemy. The Primes are related to the Law of the Triangle, in which two components come together to produce the third. In modern chemistry, you cant combine the element sulfur and mercury to produce the compound table salt, yet alchemy recognized substances reacted to yield new products. Tria Prima, the Three Alchemy Primes Sulfur – The fluid connecting the High and the Low. Sulfur was used to denote the expansive force, evaporation, and dissolution.Mercury - The omnipresent spirit of life. Mercury was believed to transcend the liquid and solid states. The belief carried over into other areas, as mercury was thought to transcend life/death and heaven/earth.Salt - Base matter. Salt represented the contractive force, condensation, and crystallization. Metaphorical Meanings of the Three Primes Sulfur Mercury Salt Aspect of Matter flammable volatile solid Alchemy Element fire air earth/water Human Nature spirit mind body Holy Trinity Holy Spirit Father Son Aspect of Psyche superego ego id Existential Realm spiritual mental physical Paracelsus devised the three primes from the alchemists Sulfur-Mercury Ratio, which was the belief that each metal was made from a specific ratio of sulfur and mercury and that a metal could be converted into any other metal by adding or removing sulfur. So, if one believed this to be true, it made sense lead could be converted into gold if the correct protocol could be found for adjusting the amount of sulfur. Alchemists would work with the three primes using a process called Solve Et Coagula, which translates to mean dissolving and coagulating. Breaking apart materials so they could recombine was considered a method of purification. In modern chemistry, a similar process is used to purify elements and compounds through crystallization. Matter is either melted or else dissolved and then allowed to recombine to yield a product of higher purity than the source material. Paracelsus also held the belief that all life consisted of three parts, which could be represented by the Primes, either literally or figuratively (modern alchemy). The three-fold nature is discussed in both Eastern and Western religious traditions. The concept of two joining together to become one is also related. Opposing masculine sulfur and feminine mercury would join to produce salt or the body.