...Samurai Warrior Few countries have a warrior tradition as long and exciting as Japan. It is a tradition found in the Samurai, the loyal and self-sacrificing knight of ancient Japan. The Samurai is a valiant warrior who can both appreciate the beauty of nature in that of a rose blossom but will also kill or die for his master in an instant. This well-rounded warrior was the ruling class of Japan for almost seven hundred years. He fought for control of his country and to keep Japan free from outside influences. (Turnbull 1) This aristocratic warrior class arose during the 12th century wars between the Taira and Minamoto clans and was consolidated in the Tokugawa period. Samurai were privileged to wear two swords, and at one time had the right to cut down any commoner who offended them. They cultivated the martial virtues, indifference to pain or death, and unfailing loyalty to their overlords. Samurai were the dominant group in Japan. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the samurai were removed from direct control of the villages, moved into the domain castle towns, and given government stipends. They were encouraged to take up bureaucratic posts. The Hagakure, has been dubbed the book of the samurai. It was written after a century of peace around 1716. It came to be the guide of samurai ethics until the end of the feudal period. Its short passages reflect and outline the qualities that make a samurai. Yamamoto Tsunetomo expresses in the hagakure the framework and mindset of being...
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...Book of Five Rings by Musashi Miyamoto Swordplay as Philosophy by Scot Conway As an interesting historical aside, my mother’s maiden name was Arakawa. Her mother’s maiden name was Fujiwara. Musashi Miyamoto was a member of the noble family of Fujiwara, a family was one of the most powerful noble families as long as a thousand years ago. Musashi Miyamoto apparently did not have any children, so there is no chance that my grandmother was a descendant, but it is at least an interesting historical curiosity to Guardian Martial Artists that there may be some hugely distant relationship between Musashi Miyamoto (whom all should remember was born in 1584 - so it was a very long time ago) and the founder of their style. TRANSLATOR’S INTRODUCTION Musashi killed his first opponent at age 13, and another at 16. He became known as the invincible swordsman, and he is regarded to this day as the greatest, or at the very least one of the greatest, swordsmen Japan has ever produced. He wrote the Book of Five Rings late in life after studying swordplay for most of his life. Musashi said “When you have attained the Way of Strategy, there will not be one thing you cannot understand.” and “You will see The Way in everything.” The Guardian ideal here is that we find something in which principles are contained, such as martial arts, and we study in great depth until we begin to fully and deeply understand those principles. It can take decades to achieve the magnitude of insight that allows one...
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...English Study Guide E period Beowulf * The Wrath of Grendel Grendel, a murderous, powerful monster lurks outside Hrothgar’s a Danish King’s, extravagant party. God drove out the demons, but they split into many forms of evil spirits, fiends, goblins, monsters, and giants. Grendel is a demonic monster. At night, when the party ended, Grendel ate 30 guests and left blood everywhere. In the morning, the people of Herot and Hrothgar mourned the deaths of Grendel’s victims. However, Grendel came again and ate all of Hrothgar’s soldiers, leaving Herot bare. Hrothgar was incredibly saddened by this. However, God protected him and no help came from the pagan sacrifices. The only protection came from God. * The Coming of Beowulf In the land of the Geats, ruled by Higlac, Beowulf was the greatest and strongest of all the men. He decided to go to see Hrothgar, because he has heard of the horrors Grendel brought. The Geats egged on his adventure, so Beowulf took a crew of the mightiest men he could find and set forth on his journey. They arrived at the Danish shore and were questioned by the guard, who thought they might be raiders or pirates. Beowulf explained they were Geats; his father was Edgetho, a famous soldier and explained why they were there. The guard lets them pass. They enter Herot and are called to see the King. Beowulf is greeted by Hrothgar and explains why he is there. He says he will fight and kill Grendel without fear, and if he looses to...
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...MEDIEVAL WEAPONS Other Titles in ABC-CLIO’s WEAPONS AND WARFARE SERIES Aircraft Carriers, Paul E. Fontenoy Ancient Weapons, James T. Chambers Artillery, Jeff Kinard Ballistic Missiles, Kev Darling Battleships, Stanley Sandler Cruisers and Battle Cruisers, Eric W. Osborne Destroyers, Eric W. Osborne Helicopters, Stanley S. McGowen Machine Guns, James H. Willbanks Military Aircraft in the Jet Age, Justin D. Murphy Military Aircraft, 1919–1945, Justin D. Murphy Military Aircraft, Origins to 1918, Justin D. Murphy Pistols, Jeff Kinard Rifles, David Westwood Submarines, Paul E. Fontenoy Tanks, Spencer C. Tucker MEDIEVAL WEAPONS AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THEIR IMPACT Kelly DeVries Robert D. Smith Santa Barbara, California • Denver, Colorado • Oxford, England Copyright 2007 by ABC-CLIO, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data DeVries, Kelly, 1956– Medieval weapons : an illustrated history of their impact / Kelly DeVries and Robert D. Smith. p. cm. — (Weapons and warfare series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-10: 1-85109-526-8 (hard copy : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-85109-531-4...
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...Chapter 1: The End and Beginning Prologue Facing the young girl and her little sister, the armored knight raised his sword. To have mercy was to take away a life in a single strike. Struck by the sunlight, the sword glistened high up in the air. The girl shut her eyes and bit down on her lower lip. Her expression showed that she never wished for this situation. She was simply accepting it since there was nothing she could do. If the girl had power of some sort, she would have used it on the man before her eyes and ran away. But— the girl had no such power. Thus there existed only one conclusion. The girl would surely perish here. The sword struck down — —Yet she did not feel any pain. The girl opened her tightly shut eyes. The first thing that the girl saw in her world was the sword that had stopped in its path downward. The next thing that entered her sight was its wielder. He had stopped in motion as though he were encased in ice. The knight’s attention was no longer on the girl. The completely defenseless state of the knight clearly revealed the shock that surged inside him. As though led by the knight’s gaze, the girl also turned her face toward the same direction. Then— she saw despair. There was darkness. Pure darkness as thin as paper, yet of an unfathomable depth. It had emerged from the ground in an ovoid shape with its lower section cut. A scene that evoked mystique with indescribable apprehension. A...
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...The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ِب ۡس ي ٱ ٱلَّر ۡس َم ٰـ ِب ٱلَّر ِب ي ِب ِب ِب In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful All Praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, the [One Who] Sustains the Heavens and Earths, Director of all that is created, who sent the Messengers (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon all of them) to rational beings, to guide them and explain the religious laws to them with clear proofs and undeniable arguments. I praise Him for all of His bounties. I ask Him to increase His Grace and Generosity. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah alone, who has no partner, the One, Who Subdues, the Generous, the Forgiving. I bear witness that our leader Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, His beloved and dear one, the best of all creation. He was honoured with the Glorious Qur’an that has been an enduring miracle throughout the years. He was also sent with his guiding Sunnah that shows the way for those who seek guidance. Our leader Muhammad has been particularised with the characteristic of eloquent and pithy speech, and simplicity and ease in the religion. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, the other Prophets and Messengers, all of their families and the rest of the righteous. NO Copyrights!!! This book can be printed or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented...
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...Defying Order Proves Costly Who is God? The answer has been sought for millennia. If one thing is certain, it is that He is the most intelligent and powerful being in the universe. God is a designation used to represent the highest authority over everything. Although many people may not be religious or even believe in God, artists may use a supernatural being allegorically, perhaps God or the Devil, in their works to represent order. In Lord of the Flies (1954) by William Golding, a group of boys become stranded on a deserted paradise island after their plane is shot down out of the sky. On this island it would appear a higher power is controlling the order. They boys start out civil by creating a political democracy, and are as children without sin. Sin, like adulthood or corruption, then enters into the group and the group is destroyed. The political structure the boys establish when they first meet on the island is also destroyed in the process. The group descends into chaos, with Simon and Piggy as casualties. In the end, Jack, the primary exponent of sin, burns down the island while hunting Ralph, which allows for the boys’ rescue. Despite being rescued, it was clear the boys were changed forever. Likewise, in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1606), the country of Scotland is portrayed to be organized under the order of a higher being; a king. When Macbeth, a highly regarded thane, is tempted by a prophecy of being king, he acts on his temptation. Macbeth then becomes king...
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...INHERITANCE BOOK ONE By Christopher Paolini ALFRED A. KNOPF New York THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF Text copyright © 2003 by Christopher Paolini Illustrations on endpapers copyright © 2002 by Christopher Paolini All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. Distributed by Random House, Inc., New York. Originally published, in different form, by Paolini International, LLC in 2002. Copyright © 2002 by Christopher Paolini. KNOPF, BORZOI BOOKS, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc. www.randomhouse.com/teens LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Paolini, Christopher. Eragon / Christopher Paolini. p. cm. — (Inheritance ; bk. 1) SUMMARY: In Alagaësia, a fifteen-year-old boy of unknown lineage called Eragon finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic, and power, peopled with dragons, elves, and monsters. eISBN 0-375-89036-X [1. Fantasy. 2. Dragons—Fiction.] I. Title. PZ7.P19535Er 2003 [Fic]—dc21 2003047481 SAPHIRA’S EYE (From the original Front Cover done by the author) This book is dedicated to my mom, for showing me the magic in the world; to my dad, for revealing the man behind the curtain. And also to...
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...книг выложен группой vk.com/create_your_english The Project Gutenberg EBook of Ivanhoe, by Walter Scott This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Ivanhoe A Romance Author: Walter Scott Release Date: June 25, 2008 [EBook #82] Last Updated: November 6, 2012 Language: English *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IVANHOE *** Produced by John P. Roberts, Jr. and David Widger IVANHOE книг выложен группой vk.com/create_your_english A ROMANCE книг выложен группой vk.com/create_your_english By Sir Walter Scott Now fitted the halter, now traversed the cart, And often took leave,—but seemed loath to depart! 1 —Prior. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION TO IVANHOE. DEDICATORY EPISTLE IVANHOE. CHAPTER I CHAPTER II CHAPTER III CHAPTER IV CHAPTER V CHAPTER VI CHAPTER VII CHAPTER VIII CHAPTER IX CHAPTER X CHAPTER XI CHAPTER XII CHAPTER XIII CHAPTER XIV CHAPTER XV CHAPTER XVI CHAPTER XVII CHAPTER XVIII CHAPTER XIX CHAPTER XX CHAPTER XXI CHAPTER XXII CHAPTER XXIII CHAPTER XXIV CHAPTER XXV CHAPTER XXVI CHAPTER XXVII CHAPTER XXVIII CHAPTER XXIX CHAPTER XXX CHAPTER XXXI CHAPTER XXXII. CHAPTER XXXIII CHAPTER XXXIV CHAPTER XXXV CHAPTER XXXVI CHAPTER XXXVII CHAPTER XXXVIII CHAPTER XXXIX CHAPTER XL CHAPTER XLI ...
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...bout [pic] [pic] Welcome to Bhutan – the Land of the Thunder Dragon one of the most sought after travel destinations today. The land of the thunder dragon kingdom is a trekker’s paradise and an environmentalist’s dream. With 72 percent of the country under forest cover, Bhutan’s pristine ecology is home to rare and endangered flora and fauna. This spiritual land is the last bastion of the Vajrayana school of Mahayana Buddhism which provides the essence of a unique identity for the 750,000 people. Bhutan is a unique blend of the old and new. Here is a country that is slowly opening up to the modern world in a fine balance with its ancient traditions. Those fortunate enough to visit Bhutan describe it as a unique, deeply spiritual and mystical experience. This kingdom is an adventure like no other. Facts and Figures Land area: 38,394 square kilometres Forest area: 72.5 % Altitude: between 240metres and 7541metres above sea level Inhabitants: 634,982 Language: official language “Dzongkha”, English widely spoken Religion: Vajrayana stream of Mahayana Buddhism (Also known as Tantric Buddhism) Currency: Ngultrum (equal to Indian Rupee) Capital: Thimphu National Tree: Cypress (Cupressus torolusa) Its capacity to survive on rugged harsh terrain is compared to bravery and simplicity. National Bird: Raven: It ornaments the royal crown. Raven represents the deity Gonpo Jarodongchen (raven headed Mahakala), one of...
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...PROLOGUE GILGAMESH KING IN URUK I WILL proclaim to the world the deeds of Gilgamesh. This was the man to whom all things were known; this was the king who knew the countries of the world. He was wise, he saw mysteries and knew secret things, he brought us a tale of the days before the flood. He went on a long journey, was weary, worn-out with labour, returning he rested, he engraved on a stone the whole story. When the gods created Gilgamesh they gave him a perfect body. Shamash the glorious sun endowed him with beauty, Adad the god of the storm endowed him with courage, the great gods made his beauty perfect, surpassing all others, terrifying like a great wild bull. Two thirds they made him god and one third man. In Uruk he built walls, a great rampart, and the temple of blessed Eanna for the god of the firmament Anu, and for Ishtar the goddess of love. Look at it still today: the outer wall where the cornice runs, it shines with the brilliance of copper; and the inner wall, it has no equal. Touch the threshold, it is ancient. Approach Eanna the dwelling of Ishtar, our lady of love and war, the like of which no latter-day king, no man alive can equal. Climb upon the wall of Uruk; walk along it, I say; regard the foundation terrace and examine the. masonry: is it not burnt brick and good? The seven sages laid the foundations THE COMING OF ENKIDU GILGAMESH went abroad in the world, but he met with none who could withstand his arms till be came to Uruk. But the men...
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...Praise for the Shiva Trilogy ‘Amish’s mythical imagination mines the past and taps into the possibilities of the future. His book series, archetypal and stirring, unfolds the deepest recesses of the soul as well as our collective consciousness.’ – Deepak Chopra, world-renowned spiritual guru and bestselling author ‘Amish is a fresh new voice in Indian writing – steeped in myth and history, with a fine eye for detail and a compelling narrative style.’ – Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State in the Indian government and celebrated author ‘Furious action jumps off every page.’ – Anil Dharker, renowned journalist and author ‘Tripathi’s Shiva Trilogy is already being touted as India’s Lord of the Rings.’ – Hindustan Times ‘…Amish has mastered the art of gathering, interpreting and presenting India’s many myths, folklores and legends, and blending all of that into fast-paced thrillers that change your views about gods, cultures, histories, demons and heroes, forever.’ – Hi Blitz ‘Amish’s Shiva Trilogy has a refreshing storyline… The narration forces you to impatiently turn the page to know what secret is going to be revealed about the “Neelkanth” next.’ – The Telegraph ‘It’s a labour of love... Amish also humanizes his characters, something which most popular Indian writers fail miserably at.’ – Mint ‘Amish’s philosophy of tolerance, his understanding of mythology and his avowed admiration for Shiva are evident in his best-selling works.’ – Verve ‘Tripathi is...
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...03-01-15, 05:57 AM#1 Prologue For years people have dreamed of Virtual reality ranging from video games to entire worlds. There have been numerous amounts of stories and speculation for as long as the idea has existed. But now with technologies growing and improving every day the dream of virtual reality has become a reality with the new release of a Virtual Reality game called Mythical Legends with many flocking to get their hands on it. With wild speculation, stories and dreams over the year people expecting great things. Mythical Legends has had great hype across all forms of media, and for good reasons. First the game is running on a new system that incorporates not just the Game Masters; GM’s for short, but also the creation of multiple advanced artificial intelligences that support’s the virtual world and create new events and areas as the game progresses. Besides that another amazing feat is that the NPCs and Mobs of the game cannot be easily told apart from any other players. The Beta testers where surprised and overwhelmed by the games realism and by its gameplay. They played throughout a number of regions on the continent of Tellus starting at one of the four kingdomsRedstone, Thorcyn, Thlyiss, and Andesit. Each kingdom home to the four core races of Humans, Elves, Halflings, and Dwarves. After the six month testing time the programmer of the game accelerated the game’s time over a 1000 years in game time adding more history and lore. With the games...
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...The Alchemist Paulo Coelho Translated by Alan R. Clarke. Published 1992. ISBN 0-7225-3293-8. PART ONE The boy's name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood. He decided to spend the night there. He saw to it that all the sheep entered through the ruined gate, and then laid some planks across it to prevent the flock from wandering away during the night. There were no wolves in the region, but once an animal had strayed during the night, and the boy had had to spend the entire next day searching for it. He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down, using the book he had just finished reading as a pillow. He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable pillows. It was still dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he could see the stars through the halfdestroyed roof. I wanted to sleep a little longer, he thought. He had had the same dream that night as a week ago, and once again he had awakened before it ended. He arose and, taking up his crook, began to awaken the sheep that still slept. He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke, most of his animals also began to stir. It was as if some mysterious energy bound his life to that of the sheep, with whom he had spent the past two years, leading them through the countryside in search of food and water. "They...
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...AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO KOREAN MYTHOLOGY RUSSIA KOREA CHINA CHEJU JAPAN TAIWAN An Illustrated Guide to Korean Mythology Choi Won-Oh GLOBAL ORIENTAL AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO KOREAN MYTHOLOGY Choi Won-Oh First published in 2008 by GLOBAL ORIENTAL LTD PO Box 219 Folkestone Kent CT20 2WP UK www.globaloriental.co.uk © Global Oriental Ltd 2008 ISBN 978-1-905246-60-1 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library This book is published with the support of the Korea Literature Translation Institute (KLTI) for the project ‘Books from Korea, 2005’ Set in Plantin 10.5 on 12 point by Mark Heslington, Scarborough, North Yorkshire Printed and Bound by Stallion Press (Singapore) Pte Ltd Contents Preface Introduction: Understanding Korean Myths The Korean gods Myths about Cosmology and Flood 1. The Formation of Heaven and Earth 2. Shoot for a Sun, Shoot for a Moon 3. A Man and a Woman Who Became the Gods of the Sun and the Moon 4. Origin of the Seven Stars of the Great Bear 5. The Great Flood Myths about Birth and Agriculture 6. The Grandmother Goddess of Birth 7. Chach’o(ngbi...
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