Hey, O4S fans. As promised, here is the trivia for Necropolis (Book V).
If you missed the previous trivia posts, here they are: Book I, II, III, Bonus Trivia.
Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD!
1. Necropolis is
the only book in the series in which Jack does not appear.
He shows up
only briefly in Book II, but he’s there. Which is funny because so much about
the book, as the title implies, is about death. One of his many aliases, Lord
Haides, is from Hades, Greek god of the dead and king of the underworld.
2. Bathory vs.
Mihaly
Kate’s mushroom
trip in Book II has long been one of my favorite scenes in the whole series.
Elizabeth Bathory defeating her uncle is a close second. It was an appropriate
memory for Bathory, not just because she was nostalgic for good times with
Katarina, but because she has now taken on an apprentice of her own—Nathan
DePriest.
3. Death and
Mourning
Again, as the
title implies, this book is about death. Both the heroes and the villains have
lost people close to them. Our characters have always dealt with mourning and
loss, wrestled with personal demons. The Four Sons refers to the canopic jars,
which were a part of ancient Egyptian funerary rituals. Each jar contained a
specific organ from the deceased: stomach, lungs, intestines and liver. Both
Jack and Nathan use hearts and other organs to fuel their longevity. Bathory
has always been a necromancer—a sorceress who raises the dead.
In Cerulean,
those ghosts and feelings of being haunted are a lot more literal. The most
obvious, of course, are the souls of the Cerulean dead, which are housed in
golden tabernacles. Starry Wisdom refers to the process of collecting souls as
the Scarab Protocol. Scarabs are more Egyptian symbols of death. Katarina is
dead – we get to attend her funeral, and later see her gravestone. Clayton is
dead and Alyssa has come completely unspooled. Michael and Joan are haunted by
all the people they’ve lost over the centuries, particularly Michael’s wife,
Ceana, who died giving birth to his son. The Starry Wisdom sorcerer Mwangata,
like Bathory, is a necromancer.
The Persian
daeva Zarik (or Zarich), the personification of aging.
4. Spirited Away
To go along
with all the ghosts, there are also a lot of spirits in this book. From Joan’s
very birth, she has attracted the disembodied. The strongest of these was her
familiar spirit, Sarosh, who was with her for hundreds of years. In that time,
they developed a deep and rather unsettling bond, which skeeved even Michael
out. He convinced her to banish him, and ever since, Sarosh has hung around,
lonely and dejected, looking for another sorcerer/sorceress to latch onto. And
here comes Kate West. Throughout the series, we have also shown that Kate
attracts spirits. It’s one of the many things that she and Joan have in common.
I always figured that Alyssa, as an Oracle, is almost more spirit than body
too, which is one of the reasons she adores Kate so much.
The Daeva – the
creature that Esfir Taghvaei conjured is a being out of Zoroastrian/ancient
Perisan mythology (Taghvaei herself is Perisan). Daevas are “rejected gods,”
associated with all kinds of bad things.
The Dream of Solomon by Luca Giordano
Solomon – the
man who made the staff everybody’s fighting over? He supposedly had the Seal of
Solomon (which we’ve referenced in the series before), a ring that was said to
be carved by God Himself, which gave him power over spirits (angels, demons and
jinns). Solomon commanded the spirits to assist with the construction of his
temple, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies, which
is to say, God’s presence.
5. The Obligatory
References
Jesse James -
We always get one in. In Book V, JD sings Springsteen’s version of “Jesse
James.”
Kansas City -
Murphy mentions that he attended the University of Kansas. The main campus is
in Lawrence, Kansas, but they have a campus in KC. Which happens to be where I
work.
Stephen King -
Joan’s stones. Joan’s mother, Offmey, dies when Joan is only ten. Joan’s grief
is terrible, and she loses control of her telekinetic gifts, summoning a rain
of stones. A similar incident happens in Carrie, which King, in turn,
borrowed from Shirley Jackson. All artists steal.
6. Less-Obligatory-But-No-Less-a-Reference
References
Tarantino -
Alyssa fights 88 guards at Brenton Place, as in the Crazy 88 from Kill Bill.
Also, that chutney conversation on the elevator was totally an homage to Pulp
Fiction, the mayonnaise conversation between Jules and Vince.
Vickers even rules from his saloon balcony, just like Al.
Deadwood -
Honestly, after Book II, I would’ve been happy to never give Aaron Vickers
another thought, but Coyote had the brilliant idea to make him Carcosa’s new
big boss man. It’s been said that bad men make good leaders, and check him
out-- he’s found himself a steady girl, and everyone respects him, even if they
don’t like him. Coyote was inspired by the character Al Swearengen from the TV
show, Deadwood.
7. The History
The Pope Joan
legend is a real thing. The legend dates back to the 13th century, though
Ionna Angilhelm (Anglicus is the Latin version of the name) was supposedly born
in the 9th century and reigned as pope for an unspecified number of years.
Her hometown was Metz, (in the Lorraine region of France/Germany/Luxembourg) so
that’s why we had her take that name, and Michael later took the name Anglicus.
(We thought it was significant that he would take his mother’s name and not his
father’s. You know what a store we set by names, and taking your mother’s name
has traditionally underscored your bastard status. Which, of course, Michael is.) We used most of the common elements of the legends—that she ran away as a
young girl and disguised herself as a boy to join a monastery, that she had a
love affair with an older clergyman, who ultimately got her pregnant, and that
she gave birth while serving as pope. But, in the stories, the lover supposedly
was the one who encouraged her to run away and disguise herself as a boy in the
first place, so they could be together. We preferred a version of Joan that had
her own ambitions, and the dude was supportive of that—also, we had her meet
the dude, who we named Stefan, later in life, after she’d already become
established as something of a celebrity monk and candidate for sainthood. In
the legends, she meets the dude when he comes to her monastery to view relics.
We had her meet him in England, which is one of the reasons both she and
Michael are partial to the British Isles and the English language.
I also
completely made up her family members and their names—do you know how hard it
was to find 9th century Frankish names? I went with things like Offmey and
Ragenard that are actually more recent—I think I dug them up in some 11th or
13th century documents, so I can’t swear that they’re completely period
appropriate. Whaddaya gonna do?
We also
borrowed liberally from the legend of St. Pelagia, aka, “the beardless monk,” or
Pelagia the Harlot, who was revealed on her deathbed to be a woman. Supposedly,
she died of extreme asceticism. We made Joan a devoted believer in the benefits
of asceticism as well.
In the legends,
sometimes Pope Joan’s son is mentioned as having grown up to become a bishop. I
seem to recall finding references to different names for the son—Michael was
just one of them, and we chose it because we liked the archangel imagery. But
damn if I can find those notes, so maybe I’m making that up. (It was something
we started researching 14 years ago, so things get lost in the shuffle.)
Of course,
Joan’s magical gifts are totally made up for the purposes of our story—her
ability to see spirits, her healing abilities, her telekinesis, etc.
In the legends, it was said she gave birth right in the streets of Rome, and
was either murdered or died shortly afterwards. In the O4S series, it’s a
common trait of our immortal characters to shed previous identities and
lifetimes by faking their deaths, or at least, not disabusing anyone of the
notion that they have died.
One more
fascinating little tidbit about Pope Joan—some believe that the High Priestess
card in the Tarot deck is based on her, that it actually began as La
Papessa, the female pope. Now, the High Priestess card is associated with
divine feminine energies, with a woman who is the keeper of arcane knowledge.
That dichotomy suits our vision of Joan very nicely—the devout Catholic who
went rogue.
9. Radical Wicca
Speaking of
Joan’s witchiness, her wild swing from Catholicism to being the high priestess
of a rabidly feminist coven was inspired by an actual Wiccan sect, the Dianic
Wicca of Zsuzsanna Budapest. Dianic Wicca celebrates aspects of the goddess—not
just Diana (Roman goddess of the hunt), but deities from many pantheons.
Budapest founded a sect that was female-only and verges on misandrist
territory. In recent years, people have also pointed out the transphobic nature
of her philosophy.
I’ve dabbled in
Wicca, but Coyote has been much more involved in paganism over the years, even
teaching at a Sunday school for children who are being raised in
non-Christian/pagan beliefs, so it was his idea to incorporate this into Joan’s
story. Though, I did actually know a guy whose mother was a devotee of
Budapest. He was raised in that belief system, and taught from an early age
that men were not allowed to know the mysteries of the goddess; that they were
only fit to be guardians, and were always to "keep their back to the circle.” We
incorporated that into her treatment of Michael. Don’t get me wrong, both
Coyote and I are feminists, and we find it totally understandable that Joan
became a man-hater. (Though, I think she’s mellowed a bit by the Cerulean years—notice,
quite a few members of that inner Starry Wisdom circle are men.) But I think
it’s safe to say that Coyote and I both also like guys. He’s a guy, I’m married
to a guy. I’d really rather have them in my circle, you know?
10. Judeo-Christian
Symbolism
Of course,
Books V and VI are loaded with the usual O4S Egyptian symbolism: lotuses, scarabs, ibises, Joan’s pyramid. But Joan was a pope, and,
as Bathory observed, you can take the girl out of Rome, but apparently, you can’t
take Rome out of the girl.
Michael’s door
– The door to Michael’s home is an image of St. Michael the Archangel weighing
souls in the scales of justice. This is a popular subject in Christian art. It
illustrates Michael’s role on Judgment Day, when he will oversee death and
escort the souls of the deceased to heaven. The idea of weighing something on a
scale, of course, comes from Anubis in ancient Egyptian mythology. Anubis
weighed human hearts against the feather, Ma’at, to determine if the soul was worthy
to enter the afterlife. Also, the literal translation of Michael’s name from
the Hebrew is, “Who is like God?” In Latin, this is Quis ut Deus. If
you’ve read the last book, you understand how all this fits the story.
Templar Crosses
– the soldiers of Cerulean wear Templar crosses on their body armor (only blue instead of red). The
templar cross was a symbol of martyrdom. To die in combat was considered a
great honor, that it assured the combatant a place in heaven.
Again, if you’ve read the last book, you get it.
St. John’s Day
– the day Bathory goes to challenge her uncle, Mihaly. In the Eastern Orthodox
church, this is celebrated on June 24. It’s a celebration of the birth of St.
John the Baptist, who was considered the precursor to Christ. I’m sure Bathory
saw her uncle as the precursor to her greatness.
St. Joseph’s
Day – the day Joan goes into labor with Michael, March 19, which means his
birthday is on March 20. (A Pisces—fish, the symbol of Christ, and water, a
major element in our series.) It’s a major feast day and, in Joan’s time, it
was a Holy Day of Obligation, meaning the faithful are required to attend mass.
It celebrates Joseph, husband to the Virgin Mary and Christ’s earthly father.
Naviim House –
from Nevi’im, which is Hebrew for “prophets”; literally, “spokespersons.”
In the Jewish scriptures, it refers to the books of the prophets, Joshua,
Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekial, etc. The Oracles of Cerulean
are kept at Naviim House. As Alyssa said in Book III, “I’m an Oracle. We are
our voices.” Joan will also point out, in the final book, that bat
kol means “the daughter of a voice,” the voice that will reveal God’s plan
to mankind. Our Oracle is the foster daughter of a Jewish man.
TAV – the
Telecybernetic Audio Visual network, which links all the citizens of Cerulean
together in a neural web/hive mind. Tav is the last letter of the Hebrew
alphabet. It’s also the last letter in the word emet, which means
“truth." The word emet was carved into
the forehead of the golem in Jewish mythology; when the first letter of the
word was erased, emet became met, which means “dead.”
That’s how the golem died. Tav also appears in Ezekial, in which the prophet
has a vision of the people of Jerusalem with the letter tav marked on their
foreheads; like the blood on the lintel during Passover, it is a sign that will
allow them to be spared God’s wrath. (Remember, the Staff of Solomon has been broken into segments. The segments are called the Wands of Deleth-- Deleth being another Hebrew letter, meaning "door.")
Tabernacles –
the golden boxes that house the souls of the Cerulean dead. The word comes from
Latin, tabernaculum, meaning “tent.” The Hebrew word, mishkan, implies
“dwelling” or “rest.” I’m sure Joan’s inspiration is from relatively recent
Christian practices—in Catholicism, the tabernacle is where the Eucharist is
kept. They’re usually gold. The tabernacle is a sacred, protective place, where
the consecrated (transubstantiated) host retains its holy properties.
Bede Street –
named for the Venerable Bede, born in the 7th century. He was a
Benedictine monk known as the “Father of English History,” who wrote The
Ecclesiastical History of the English People.
11. Cerulean and
Its Nine Cities
Cerulean comes
from the Latin, cerulaen, meaning sky-blue, or “heaven.” Cerulean is
Joan’s vision of a blue heaven. It also refers to the blue lotus-- the species
of lotus depicted by Homer in the Lotus-Eater segment of the Odyssey. The lotus
has been the symbol of Starry Wisdom for centuries.
Likewise, all
of the cities have divine/celestial meanings. That’s how highly Joan & Co.
think of their goal to remake the universe.
Evangelium –
the closest thing they have to a capital city; where Joan, Michael and Millie
live; where Bathory and Nathan set up household. Evangelion means
“good news,” usually in reference to the Christian scriptures.
Keter – Hebrew
for “crown,” the highest point in the Sephirot in the Kabbalah’s Tree of Life.
It is also called the “most hidden of all hidden things,” a truth so profound,
it is unknowable to humans.
Bodhisattva –
in Buddhism, a person who is on the path to Buddhahood; they are able to reach
nirvana but choose to stay in the material world to help others.
Iokheira –
an epithet of Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals,
the moon, and chastity, as well as childbirth and midwifery; from a Homeric
hymn, meaning “shower of arrows.” Of course, Joan would still be partial to
feminine symbols.
Tyet – an
Egyptian symbol, similar to the ankh, also called the “girdle of Isis.” It
means “welfare” or “life”; it was also thought to represent menstrual blood,
because it resembles a knot of cloth, which would have been used as a sanitary
napkin. Again, a feminine symbol. The Isis association is important too, as she
was one of ancient Egypt’s principal deities.
Omoroca – an
alternate name for the ancient Mesopotamian goddess, Tiamat, serpent goddess of
chaos.
Marzanna – a
Slavic goddess associated with death and rebirth.
Aeon – as a
name, it means “life,” “vital force,” “being” or “generation.” All relevant to
Cerulean.
Ephesus – an
ancient Greek city, known for its Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders
of the World); it is also mentioned in the Book of Revelation, and the Gospel of
John is thought to have been written there.
12. Lovecrafty
Goodness
The big scary
cats, the Ulthari, which we referenced in Book IV, make a dramatic appearance
in this book; they terrorize the heroes and appear in a vision to Nathan. We
got the name, Ulthari, from Lovecraft’s “The Cats of Ulthar.”
The creature
that attacks the geomancers in their lab is also inspired by Lovecraft
monsters, as are the tentacled creatures that Nathan fights in the city during the raid.
13. Prophecies
This is another
one I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned, but usually, when the Oracles deliver
their prophecies, it does mean something, even if it sounds like nonsense. In
Book IV, when the Starry Wisdom Oracle, Beth, says, “blueberries”' she also speaks of wings afire,
which refers to a phoenix. She says, “A kingdom of men. Air and swords.
Talk is cheap and words are weapons.” These are all references to Alyssa and
Leo. In Necropolis, when Joan and Michael visit the Naviim House Oracles, they
predict the Order and Corbenese alliance coming, them hiding in caves, and the
havoc they will wreak on the cities. Beth appears again, and tells Michael, “He
was part of my dream, of course—but then I was part of his dream, too,” which
foreshadows events in Book VI. It’s also a quote from Alice’s Adventures
in Wonderland.
Also in this
book, the Oracles of the Order say things that refer to female main characters.
“Then we’ll both die free” is uttered by Alyssa in Book VI. “Death before
dishonor” is Emily’s tattoo. “Oh, what, so you can play mummy now?” is what
Leto says to Lady Susan in Book III. “You know, I had a little girl once, a
long time ago…” is what Bathory said to Katarina when they first met. Then they
shout things like, Mother, Madame, Mistress, Matriarch. In the end, it’s ladies
who almost tear down the universe, and ladies who are instrumental in
preventing the same. (Well, the ladies, and Murphy.)
Motifs &
Symbolism
Bunnies -
Millie sees one on her way out of the city; Joan’s pet name for Ceana is
“bunny”; and Dion Campion, one of the Corbenese geomancers, has a hare as his
family crest. Also, Campion was the name of one of the rabbits in
Watership
Down.
Water – when
Michael returns, the first thing Joan does is get him a drink of water; Michael
has fish tanks in his apartment; Naviim House has reflection pools and an
elaborate decorative water system; Joan’s obsession with cleanliness and
bathing; as a young monk and later as pope, Joan washes the feet of peasants;
when the exiles arrive from Corbenic, it’s raining; when we cut to the good
guys, they hang out at a stream, swimming and playing on a rope swing; and JD’s long nightmare
includes many water images (fishing, Alyssa almost drowning, Kate as a mermaid,
etc.).
Sri Yantra – None. We usually only have a Sri Yantra in a safe place, and Cerulean is
not that.
Pomegranates –
Millie has some for breakfast; in Bill’s memory, Shanti has a dessert with
pomegranates at the vegetarian restaurant.
Colors - The primary colors in this book are white and gray, for Joan and Michael. They're both gray-eyed, and Joan prefers white clothing, while Michael favors gray. White is also Nathan's preferred color, and the tree he sees in his vision had white flowers. White and gray also fit in with all the neutrals that are so popular with the Cerulean folk, (much to Bathory's chagrin). And of course, there's plenty of Cerulean blue. The sky there is blue, like on Earth.
Trees – I
neglected to include this one in any of the other trivia posts. In Book I, Doug
explains the multiverse as a tree, and there's the Elms Hotel; in Carcosa, there is Los Alamos; in Corbenic, Kate
encounters fairies beneath a tree; Leo and Christophe lose their virginity together
under a willow. At the end of Book IV, when the heroes arrive in Cerulean, Murphy, seeing the blue sky and cottonwood trees, thinks it looks like Earth. In
Necropolis, Millie and her father-in-law have lunch under a tree. Michael's father is a Druid, (a Celtic word meaning "oak"), to whom trees were sacred. Joan had a particular yew tree she liked to sit under in Scotland. Nathan's vision led him to a blackthorn tree, which he used to make himself a wand. Solomon was said to have cut a branch from the Tree of Life to make the staff. There are others, but those are the highlights so far.
Names
Millicent
Kincaid – I just chose Millicent because it seemed like a very British name,
probably because there’s a minor Harry Potter character named that. (When I
consult name meaning websites, I see it’s actually French.) I chose Kincaid
after the author Jamaica Kincaid, the Antiguan-American author, who writes a
lot about postcolonialism. I think of Cerulean as a post-colonial nation, and
by the end of the next book, I guess it’s post-post-colonial?
Sarosh – comes
from the Persian, meaning “hearkening” or “obedient.” I wanted a very ancient
name, implying that when Sarosh appears in Joan’s life in the 9th century, he’s
already been around a long time. And, obviously, I wanted something to indicate
his status as a servant.
Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave comments/questions. Up next, will be the Necropolis soundtrack.
