Edinburgh Horcrux #5: The Conan Doyle

The Conan Doyle.

I have chosen The Conan Doyle as my last horcrux, because it seems very fitting that it be my last one. The Conan Doyle is where we had our last meal as a group, and really the last time we saw everyone together. It's entirely likely that it was the last time I saw some of those people at all.
It was incredibly bitter sweet, the ending of our journey. I sat as we ate and drank, surrounded by new friends and many people with whom I had just shared a magnificent, life-changing journey. It seems almost like a fantasy story. I had just gone on an adventure, and now the adventure was ending, and life was about to return to the new status quo.

Panorama shot of my table/my roommates for the final week.

But at the same time, I was very glad that it was a new status quo, just as the the Hero's Cycle promised. I now know five amazing people, who are all very different from me and eachother, yet we get along amazingly well. This is in addition to the 13 other students of the program, who are also all talented and great in their own ways. And then of course the faculty who helped run the program.

As the meal progressed, we chatted and laughed. Two of us were having their first alcoholic beverages, which got them slightly tipsy and very humorous. As we continued to laugh about that, it reminded me that there are always more firsts to come. This evening concluded my first trip out of North America, but opened a world of new possibilities and potential firsts.

Edinburgh Horcrux #4: The Sea

One thing I was very pleased to see on the way from London to Edinburgh was the sea. And then I was doubley pleased when we arrived in Edinburgh and saw that we could see the sea from parts of the city. And triply pleased when on our journeys out from Edinburgh we again saw the sea.

Just barely able to see the sea as the sunsets from this street in Edinburgh.

There is something I find very calming about bodies of water. I don't overly enjoy swimming, or actually being in the water. I don't have a particular affinity for any marine life (not to say I dislike any, but just lack a particular affection). Yet I always feel so much better when there's a body of water near. In Eugene I settle for the Willamette River, but in Edinburgh we get the sea. :)
When I'm in landlocked areas, like any of the non-coastal states, I feel somewhat claustrophobic. The air just doesn't feel right. The parts of Scotland we were in felt wonderfully open and alive. Seagulls fly hopefully, the air breathes right, and the water just seems to attract beauty.
Water is also a place of such ambivalence. It is both a place of strong power and serene beauty.  Tidal waves, floods, drowning, droughts, many sea animals - all express the strength of water. Yet to feel cool water tickling your toes, or to drink the cool liquid as it nourishes all life, or to bath after a long hard day - it is equally clear how beautiful and important it is.

Water we passed on one of our drives.

Water is a focal point for many folktales. This makes sense, as most life was dictated by where the water is. But it is still relevant to the course. So many cultures have stories of Ladies of the Lake, or explorers from the sea, or other such.

Beautiful :). Near St. Andrews.

Edinburgh Horcrux #3 - Days of the Week Art

This one's a bit odd. On one of the free times, I went wandering around non-specifically, and on one street, they had these wire window cover art things. They had seven, one for each day of the week, and each has a brief poem. They are:

Monday. I found a boot, rust and salt leather. I gave it back to the sea to dance.

Tuesday. A spar of timber worth thirty bob. Next winter I will be a chair, a coffin, a bed.

Wednesday. A half can of Swedish spirits. I tilted my head. The shore was cold with mermaids and angels.

Thursday. I got nothing. Seaweed, a whale bone, wet feet and a good cough.

Friday. I held a seaman's skull. Sand spilling from it. The way time is told on kirkyard stones.

Saturday. A barrel of sodden oranges, a Spanish ship was wrecked last month at the Kame.

Sunday. For fear of the elders, I sit on my bum. What is heaven? A sea chest with a thousand gold coins.

I kind of really love these. Each one a work of art, and a really powerful thought if you stop to think at all. I almost just walked past these, but I'm glad I stopped long enough to get a picture of each. What an interesting thing to decorate a street with.
I think my favourite is probably Sunday. It's the only one that directly asks a question, but I just like the attitude behind it. Behind the direct question, it begs the viewer to ask so many more questions. "For fear of elders," it seems, s/he (hereafter I'll use a general "he") goes to church. Why do so many people do things they don't want to for fear of societal pressure? It seems the rest of his week he does so much more mental exploration. Clearly sitting "on [his] bum" isn't the kind of spiritual connection he needs, but he does it anyway. But he still tries to answer the questions asked in a way that is works for him - heaven is a sea chest.
I also liked Friday. To stare mortality on the face, and to feel the passing of time so vividly - as a viewer, it's a rather chilling but beautiful statement.

The relevance of these to our course is that the imagery each poem draws is rather fantastic. One even directly refers to creatures of fantasy - mermaids and angels. Also, art work and poetry, especially on a public street like this, remind me strongly of the stories of folklore.

Edinburgh Horcrux #2 - Scottish Parliament Architecture

I felt rather ambivalent about the tour of Scottish Parliament. I know little about politics, and even less about Scottish politics, so I was mostly worried that the things we saw wouldn't "mean" anything to me.
However, I could not have been more wrong. The more we toured, the more I wished for the tour to continue. I was blown away by the ingenuity in the architecture! Our tour guide told us that the architect, Enric Miralles, was asked to make the building represent "the sea around Scotland, the land of Scotland, and the people of Scotland." I'm amazed by how every part of the building seems to involve one of these three ideas.

Image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Scottish_Parliament_site_plan.svg

In the aerial view, you can see how the whole thing is rather shaped like a tree, recalling the land of Scotland. Inside in the Lobby there are aerial windows that let look either like boats or leaves or perhaps other things depending on the viewer, really mixing in all three sources of inspiration. The lobby overlooks the garden, again drawing back to the land of Scotland.
In fact, there are many windows throughout the building, which we were told was to allude to the transparency of the parliament. They were there for the people, not to hide things from the people. Many of the outer windows have a rather peculiar shape to them. Enric died before he could release the true meaning, but the consensus is that they're designed to look like a curtain pulled to the side, again alluding to the transparency and openness of the MSPs. Speaking of the MSPs, the offices have "think pod" window seats, so the MSPs can look outside and really concentrate on the hard issues at hand.

A think pod. Image from: http://www.designbuild-network.com/projects/spb/images/sph-9.jpg

Outer windows.

 The wood in the building comes from sustainable sources, mostly from around the world. But in the heart of the Debating Chamber, they used Scottish wood, which stands as reminder that at the heart of their debates is Scotland. Also, there are no assigned seats in the debating chamber. This is so that it's clear there is no division between the different parties, and no MSP is better than any other MSP. All seats face inward, to serve as a place for debate for the betterment of Scotland.

Debating chamber. Image from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Scottish_Parliament01_2005-11-13.jpg

The things I have listed are the things I remember from the tour off the top of my head. Further research, or actually viewing the building in person, reveals so much more beauty and power in the building. From the artwork displayed to the architectural design to the very materials the building is made out of, the entire Scottish Parliament Building is truly fantastic.
I think it's important that a people have a government they are proud of, and a government should be proud to serve its people. This building reminds both parties of that and thus serves as a beautiful model in current culture, though it represents people and stories from the entire history of Scotland.

Edinburgh Horcrux #1 - Cashmere

Almost as soon as we arrived in Edinburgh, I noticed that a lot of stores were selling cashmere. If you know me, you know I am a huge fan of cashmere. I don't own a lot of it, because it's expensive, but I have a few cashmere sweaters from Goodwill and I love them. But when I saw that cashmere was everywhere in Edinburgh, I steeled myself, knowing I would be forking over enough to at least get a scarf. Because that would definitely be one of the best souvenirs from Scotland ever.

As luck would have it, I managed to save myself an enormous amount. When we took our day trip to Lundin Links and St. Andrews, our first stop was the Lundin Links Golf Course. I was feeling rather horribly car sick, so I stayed outside to get some air as others went in for tea and scones. Outside, little old ladies (as I affectionately refer to them in my head) were setting up tables, selling things. They were all very sweet and conversive, commenting on my nail art and such. Finally feeling a bit better, I followed a sign proclaiming "Books!" inside to see the books they were selling.
There was a clothing rack on the other side of the room, with several sweaters and a few scarves. I looked at the scarves and noticed one, a slightly off-white one, was 100% cashmere. I asked a lady, "Are these for sale?" Apparently the actual seller was out, but the remaining ladies conferred and agreed they were. "How much are these?" was my next question, fearfully expecting a price like in Edinburgh, where the average seemed to be around 35 pounds for a scarf. More conferring, and finally they concluded, "I think it was three pounds for scarves, five pounds for sweaters." Hallelujah!

I took a picture not too long after putting on the scarf for the first time, trying to capture my thrill.

The tag. It seems to perfect for the trip - made in Scotland, for a London company, bought in Scotland. :)

Now, I think I've made it obvious why cashmere is a horcrux to me. I can't quite explain my attraction for cashmere, which, though I love all soft things, is unique to cashmere alone. But I do love it, and this cashmere scarf definitely makes a part of my soul happy.

Still on a cashmere high. This lasted for several days. :D

Perhaps less obvious is why this relates to the course. I think part of the answer is because cashmere is clearly important to Scotland in some way. From what I can tell, Scotland has been making and selling cashmere for nearly 300 years. Another part of the answer is because cashmere is important and fantastic to me. The story I told above could become the stuff of folklore, and will definitely remain a fond and important story to me.

A couple days later - still wearing that scarf. I didn't really take it off (even to sleep) until I got home, where it was too hot.

London Horcrux #7: Cawdor Olympic Vase

In Sir John Soane’s house he had a red-figure Cawdor Vase from the 4^th century BCE, depicting the start of the Olympics. For me, seeing the vase was wonderful. As someone who is very interested in Ancient Greece and Rome, I love seeing art from that time period and in that style. Especially since in the classes on that subject that I’ve taken, red-figure pottery is often brought up, so it was great getting to see it in person. 

The vase, image taken from Sir John Soane's website.

 This particular vase depicts the folkloric origins of the Olympics, which is of course relevant to the course. The story goes that it was time for King Oinomaos’ daughter to be married, but there was a prophesy that he would be killed by his son-in-law. Thus he started a chariot race competition to win the hand of his daughter, but ensured that each suitor would lose. Finally the suitor Pelops changed the axel pins of Oinomaos’ chariot with wax, which then melted during the race, causing Oinomaos’ death and Pelops’ victory. Thus the prophesy held true. Then Pelops, to atone for causing the death, started the Olympics, with the first event being chariot racing.

I feel like the ancient Greeks’ way of life had a lot of fantastic and folkloric elements. This story exhibits some of the ways in which they interspersed. The fantastic elements of prophesies holding true cause folkloric stories such as this one. Also, the portrayal on this vase was originally a poet’s written story, which helps exhibit the way that folklore can be portrayed in different mediums.

London Horcrux #6: Blue Trees

In London, not too far from St. Paul’s, there is a gathering of blue trees. I first saw them on my way to the Tate Modern, and I knew I had to go back and investigate: why are the trees blue? This brought to my mind a resurgence of childhood wonder, remembering the iconic childhood question, “Why is the sky blue?” I thought of some parallel world in which the sky is green and the trees are blue, and everything we know to be true here is something else there. Or perhaps some fantasy universe where everything exists in bright happy colours and there is no expectation that trees have brown trunks and green leaves. I had a feeling that these trees were painted, but what if there truly was some rare species of tree that grew blue? These trees are a horcrux to me because of the childhood wonder they gave me, reminding me again of my love of the pursuit of knowledge, and to question that which is thought to be certain.

Why are the trees blue?

When I finally did return, I discovered that the trees are in fact painted as an environmental awareness exhibition. This gave me mixed feelings. I was at once disappointed that they were not some marvellous species of blue tree, worried that the paint would deprive the tree of needed oxygen and possibly scare off or kill wildlife drawn to trees, and impressed with so simple an idea to bring awareness to a worthy cause, for I cannot be the only one who wondered why the tree s are blue.  Many people simply walk past trees without a second thought, but these trees are not simply walked past. In an age when nature is being demolished in favour of human desires, people need reminding that the environment is important and that we cannot survive without natural elements such as trees.

Explanation.

These trees are thus fantastic in nature because blue trees are an oddity in normal Earth. They are also folkloric, because I can see down the line stories being told of “those blue trees in London,” and also because such awareness techniques are designed to get people thinking and talking about them, and things that travel by word of mouth become the stuff of folklore.