title: Chestnut

text: In Hungarian cuisine, cooked chestnuts are puréed, mixed with sugar (and usually rum), forced through a ricer, and topped with whipped cream to make a dessert called "gesztenyepüré" (chestnut purée). In Swiss cuisine, a similar dish made with kirsch and butter is called "vermicelles". A French version is known as "Mont Blanc".


title: Chestnut

text: A fine granular sugar can be obtained from the fermentation of the juice, as well as a beer; the roasted fruit provides a coffee substitute. Parmentier, who among other things was a famous potato promoter, extracted sugar from chestnuts and sent a chestnut sugarloaf weighing several pounds to the Academy of Lyon. The continental blockade following shortly after (1806–1814) increased the research into developing chestnuts as a source of sugar, but Napoleon chose beets instead.


title: Chestnut

text: Sweet chestnuts are not easy to peel when cold. One kilogram of untainted chestnuts yields about 700 g of shelled chestnuts.


title: Chestnut

text: Chestnuts are often added to animal fodder. A first soak in limewater removes their bitter flavour, then they are ground and mixed with the ordinary provender. Other methods of preparation are also used. It is given to horses and cattle in the Orient, and to pigs in England, France and other places. The leaves are not as prone to be insect-eaten as those of the oak, and are also used for fodder.


title: Chestnut

text: Chestnut is of the same family as oak, and likewise its wood contains many tannins. This renders the wood very durable, gives it excellent natural outdoor resistance, and saves the need for other protection treatment. It also corrodes iron slowly, although copper, brass, or stainless metals are not affected.


title: Chestnut

text: Chestnut timber is decorative. Light brown in color, it is sometimes confused with oak wood. The two woods' textures are similar. When in a growing stage, with very little sap wood, a chestnut tree contains more timber of a durable quality than an oak of the same dimensions. Young chestnut wood has proved more durable than oak for woodwork that has to be partly in the ground, such as stakes and fences.


title: Chestnut

text: After most growth is achieved, older chestnut timber tends to split and warp when harvested. The timber becomes neither so hard nor so strong as oak. The American chestnut "C. dentata" served as an important source of lumber, because it has long, unbranched trunks. In Britain, chestnut was formerly used indiscriminately with oak for the construction of houses, millwork, and household furniture. It grows so freely in Britain that it was long considered a truly native species, partly because the roof of Westminster Hall and the Parliament House of Edinburgh were mistakenly thought to be constructed of chestnut wood. Chestnut wood, however, loses much of its durability when the tree is more than 50 years old, and despite the local chestnut's quick growth rate, the timber used for these two buildings is considerably larger than a 50-year-old chestnut's girth. It has been proven that the roofs of these buildings are made of Durmast oak, which closely resembles chestnut in grain and color.


title: Chestnut

text: It is therefore uncommon to find large pieces of chestnut in building structures, but it has always been highly valued for small outdoor furniture pieces, fencing, cladding (shingles) for covering buildings, and pit-props, for which durability is an important factor. In Italy, chestnut is also used to make barrels used for aging balsamic vinegar and some alcoholic beverages, such as whisky or lambic beer. Of note, the famous 18th-century "berles" in the French Cévennes are cupboards cut directly from the hollowed trunk.


title: Chestnut

text: Dry, chestnut firewood is best burned in a closed log-burner, because of its tendency to spit when on an open fire.


title: Chestnut

text: The tree is noted for attracting wildlife. The nuts are an important food for jays, pigeons, wild boar, deer, and squirrels.


title: Chestnut

text: American and Chinese chinquapins ("Castanea pumila" and "Castanea henryi") have very small nuts that are an important source of food for wildlife.


title: Chestnut

text: Chestnut wood is a useful source of natural tannin and was used for tanning leather before the introduction of synthetic tannins. On a 10% moisture basis, the bark contains 6.8% tannin and the wood 13.4%. The bark imparts a dark color to the tannin, and has a higher sugar content, which increases the percentage of soluble non-tans, or impurities, in the extract; so it was not employed in this use. Chestnut tannin is obtained by hot-water extraction of chipped wood. It is an ellagic tannin and its main constituents are identified by castalagin (14.2%) and vescalagin (16.2%).<br>It has a naturally low pH value, relatively low salts content, and high acids content. This determines its astringency and its capability to fix raw hides. These properties make chestnut extract especially suitable for the tanning of heavy hides and to produce leather soles for high-quality shoes in particular. It is possible to obtain a leather with high yield in weight, which is compact, firm, flexible, and waterproof. Chestnut-tanned leathers are elastic, lightfast, resistant to traction and abrasion, and have warm color.


title: Chestnut

text: Chestnut tannin is one of the pyrogallol class of tannins (also known as hydrolysable tannin). As it tends to give a brownish tone to the leather, it is most often used in combination with quebracho, mimosa, tara, myrabolans, and valonia. <br> The wood seems to reach its highest tannin content after the trees reach 30 years old. The southern European chestnut wood usually contains at least 10 to 13% more tannin than chestnut trees in northern climates.


title: Chestnut

text: Fabric can be starched with chestnut meal. Linen cloth can be whitened with chestnut meal. The leaves and the skins (husk and pellicle) of the fruits provide a hair shampoo.


title: Chestnut

text: Hydrolysable chestnut tannins can be used for partial phenol substitution in phenolic resin adhesives production and also for direct use as resin.


title: Chestnut

text: Chestnut buds have been listed as one of the 38 substances used to prepare Bach flower remedies, a kind of alternative medicine promoted for its effect on health. However, according to Cancer Research UK, "there is no scientific evidence to prove that flower remedies can control, cure or prevent any type of disease, including cancer".


title: Guinevere

text: Guinevere ( ; ; , ), also often written in Modern English as Guenevere or Guenever, was, according to Arthurian legend, an early-medieval queen of Great Britain and the wife of King Arthur. First mentioned in popular literature in the early 12th century, nearly 700 years after the purported times of Arthur, Guinevere has since been portrayed as everything from a villainous and opportunistic traitor to a fatally flawed but noble and virtuous lady. Many records of the legend also feature the variably recounted story of her abduction and rescue as a major part of the tale.


title: Guinevere

text: The earliest datable appearance of Guinevere is in Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudo-historical British chronicle "Historia Regum Britanniae", in which she is seduced by Mordred during his ill-fated rebellion against Arthur. In a later medieval Arthurian romance tradition from France, a prominent story arc is the queen's tragic love affair with her husband's chief knight and trusted friend, Lancelot, indirectly causing the death of Arthur and the downfall of the kingdom. This motif had originally appeared in nascent form in the poem "Lancelot" prior to its vast expansion in the prose cycle "Lancelot-Grail", consequently forming much of the narrative core of Thomas Malory's seminal English compilation "Le Morte d'Arthur". Other themes found in Malory and other texts include Guinevere's usual barrenness, the scheme of Guinevere's evil twin to replace her, and the particular hostility displayed towards Guinevere by her sister in law Morgan.


title: Guinevere

text: Guinevere has continued to be a popular character featured in numerous adaptations of the legend since the 19th-century Arthurian revival. Many modern authors, usually following or inspired by Malory's telling, typically still show Guinevere in her illicit relationship with Lancelot as defining her character. In much of more recent Arthuriana, however, she assumes much more active roles than in her medieval depictions, increasingly even being cast as protagonist.


title: Guinevere

text: The original Welsh form of the name (also "G[u/v/w]enh[v]yuar", "Gwen[h/nh]wyvar"), which seems to be cognate with the Irish name , can be translated as "The White Fay/Ghost", from Proto-Celtic "*Windo-" "white" + "*sēbro" "phantom" (cognate with Old Irish "síabair" "a spectre, phantom, supernatural being [usually in pejorative sense]"). Some have suggested that the name may derive from ', or "Gwenhwy the Great", as a contrast to ', or "Gwenhwy the less". Gwenhwyfach (also spelled "Gwenhwyach") appears in Welsh literature as a sister of Gwenhwyfar, but Welsh scholars Melville Richards and Rachel Bromwich both dismiss this etymology (with Richards suggesting that Gwenhwyfach was a back-formation derived from an incorrect interpretation of "Gwenwhy-far" as "Gwenhwy-fawr"). A cognate name in Modern English is Jennifer, from Cornish.


title: Guinevere

text: The name is given as Guennuuar ("Guennimar") in an early Latin text "Vita Gildae". Geoffrey of Monmouth rendered it as ' ("G[u/w]enhumara") in a Latinised form in his "Historia Regum Britanniae", further turned into Wenhauer ("Wenhaiuer") by Layamon (Gwenayfer in one manuscript) and into both Genoivre and Gahunmare in Wace's "Roman de Brut". Chronicler Gerald of Wales refers to her as ' ("Wenneveria") and romancer Chrétien de Troyes as Guenievre ("Guenièvre"). The latter form was retained by the authors of Chrétien-influenced French prose cycles, who would use also its variants such as Genievre ("Genièvre") or Gueneure. Her many other various names appearing through the different periods and regions of medieval Europe include both Gaynour and Waynour ("Waynor[e]") in the English poems Alliterative "Morte Arthure" and "The Awntyrs off Arthure", Genure ("Gaynor") in the Stanzaic "Morte Arthur", Guenloie in the "Romanz du reis Yder", Guenore in "Sir Gawayn and þe Grene Knyȝt", Gwenvere ("Guennevere", "Guenera", "Gwenner") in the "Polychronicon", and Gwendoloena (Gwendolen) in "De Ortu Waluuanii". Her name is invariably Ginover ("Ginovere") in the Middle German romances by Hartmann von Aue and Ulrich von Zatzikhoven but was written Jenover by Der Pleier, and the audience of Italian romances got to know her as Ginevra ("Zenevra", "Zenibra"). In the 15th-century Britain, she was called Gwynnever in the Middle Cornish play "Bewnans Ke", while the Middle English author Thomas Malory wrote her name as Gwenever or Gwenivere ("Guenever", "Guenivere") in "Le Morte d'Arthur". Some assorted other forms of her name in the Middle Ages and Renaissance literature of various countries and languages have included Ganor, Ganora, Gainor, Gainovere, Geneura, Gueneour, Guenevera, Gwenore, Gwinore, Ntzenebra, Vanour, Vanore ("Wanore"), and Velivera.


title: Guinevere

text: In one of the Welsh Triads (', no. 56), the 13th-century series of texts based on the earlier oral tales of the bards of Wales, there are three Gwenhwyfars married to King Arthur. The first is the daughter of Cywryd of Gwent, the second of Gwythyr ap Greidawl, and the third of Gawr ("the Giant"). In a variant of another Welsh Triad (', no. 54), only the daughter of Gogfran Gawr is mentioned. There was once a popular folk rhyme known in Wales concerning Gwenhwyfar: ""Gwenhwyfar ferch Ogrfan Gawr / Drwg yn fechan, gwaeth yn fawr" (Gwenhwyfar, daughter of Ogrfan Gawr / Bad when little, worse when great)."


title: Guinevere

text: Welsh tradition remembers the queen's sister Gwenhwyfach and records the enmity between them. Two Triads ("", no. 53, 84) mention Gwenhwyfar's contention with her sister, which was believed to be the cause of the disastrous Battle of Camlann. In the Welsh prose "Culhwch and Olwen" (possibly the first known text featuring Guinevere if indeed correctly dated c. 1100), Gwenhwyfach is also mentioned alongside Gwenhwyfar; in some later prose romances, she appears as Guinevere's evil twin. German romance "Diu Crône" gives Guinevere two other sisters by their father, King Garlin of Gore: Gawain's love interest Flori and Queen Lenomie of Alexandria. Uniquely, she is a sister of Arthur's nephew Mordred in some versions of the "Roman de Brut".


title: Guinevere

text: Guinevere is childless in most stories. The few exceptions of that include Arthur's son named Loholt or Ilinot in "Perlesvaus" and "Parzival" (first mentioned in "Erec and Enide"). In the Alliterative "Morte Arthure", Guinevere willingly becomes Mordred's consort and bears him two sons, although the dying Arthur commands Mordred's infant children to be killed (yet Guinevere herself to be spared, as he forgives her). There are mentions of Arthur's sons in the Welsh Triads, though their exact parentage is not clear. Besides the issue of her biological children, or lack thereof, Guinevere also raises the illegitimate daughter of Sagramore and Senehaut in the "Livre d'Artus".


title: Guinevere

text: Other relations are equally obscure. A half-sister and a brother named Gotegin play the antagonistic roles in the Vulgate Cycle ("Lancelot–Grail") and "Diu Crône" respectively, but neither character is mentioned elsewhere (besides the Vulgate-inspired tradition). While later literature almost always named King Leodegrance as Guinevere's father, her mother was usually unmentioned, although she was sometimes said to be dead (this is the case in the Middle English romance "The Adventures of Arthur", in which the ghost of Guinevere's mother appears to her and Gawain in Inglewood Forest). Some works name cousins of note, though these too do not usually appear more than once. One of such cousins is Guiomar, an early lover of Morgan le Fay in several French romances; other cousins of Guinevere include her confidante Elyzabel (Elibel) and Morgan's knight Carrant (or Garaunt, apparently Geraint). In "Perlesvaus", after the death of Guinevere, her relative King d'Oriande is major villain who invades Arthur's lands trying to force him to abandon Christianity and to marry his sister, Queen Jandree.


title: Guinevere

text: The earliest datable mention of Guinevere (as Guanhumara, with numerous spelling variations in the surviving manuscripts) is in Geoffrey's "Historia", written c. 1136. It relates that Guinevere, described as one of the great beauties of Britain, was descended from a noble Roman family on her mother's side and educated under Cador, Duke of Cornwall. Arthur leaves her as a regent in the care of his nephew Modredus (Mordred) when he crosses over to Europe to go to war with the Roman leader Lucius Tiberius. While her husband is absent, Guinevere is seduced by Modredus and marries him, and Modredus declares himself king and takes Arthur's throne. Consequently, Arthur returns to Britain and fights Modredus at the fatal Battle of Camlann.


title: Guinevere

text: Early texts tend to portray her inauspiciously or hardly at all. One of them is "Culhwch and Olwen", in which she is mentioned as Arthur's wife Gwenhwyfar, but little more is said about her. It can not be securely dated; one recent assessment of the language by linguist Simon Rodway places it in the second half of the 12th century. The works of Chrétien de Troyes were some of the first to elaborate on the character Guinevere beyond simply the wife of Arthur. This was likely due to Chrétien's audience at the time, the court of Marie, Countess of Champagne, which was composed of courtly ladies who played highly social roles.


title: Guinevere

text: Later authors use her good and bad qualities to construct a deeper character who plays a larger role in the stories. In Chrétien's "Yvain, the Knight of the Lion", for instance, she is praised for her intelligence, friendliness, and gentility. On the other hand, in Marie de France's probably late-12th-century Anglo-Norman poem "Lanval" (and Thomas Chestre's later Middle English version, "Sir Launfal"), Guinevere is a vindictive adulteress and temptress who plots the titular protagonist's death after failing to seduce him. She ends up punished when she is magically blinded by his secret true love from Avalon, the fairy princess Lady Tryamour (identified by some as the figure of Morgan le Fay). Guinevere herself wields magical powers in "The Rise of Gawain, Nephew of Arthur".


title: Guinevere

text: Such stories can be radically different in their depictions of Guinevere and the manners of her demise. In the Italian 15th-century romance "La Tavola Ritonda", Guinevere drops dead from grief upon learning of her husband's fate after Lancelot rescues her from the siege by Arthur's slayer Mordred. In "Perlesvaus", it is Kay's murder of Loholt that causes Guinevere to die of anguish and she is then buried in Avalon with her son's severed head. Alternatively, in what Arthurian scholars Geoffrey Ashe and Norris J. Lacy call one of "strange episodes" of "Ly Myreur des Histors", a romanticized historical/legendary work by Belgian author Jean d'Outremeuse, Guinevere is a wicked queen who rules with the victorious Mordred until she is killed by Lancelot, here the last of the Knights of the Round Table; her corpse is then entombed with the captured Mordred who eats it before starving to death. Layamon's "Brut" () features a prophetic dream sequence in which Arthur himself hacks Guinevere to pieces after beheading Mordred. Historically, the bones of Guinevere were claimed to have been found buried alongside these of Arthur during the exhumation of their purported graves by the monks of Glastonbury Abbey in 1091.


title: Guinevere

text: Welsh cleric and author Caradoc of Llancarfan, who wrote his "Life of Gildas" sometime between 1130 and 1150, recounts her being kidnapped and raped ("violatam et raptam") by Melwas, king of the "Summer Country" ("Aestiva Regio", perhaps meaning Somerset), and held prisoner at his stronghold at Glastonbury. The story states that Arthur spent a year searching for her and assembling an army to storm Melwas' fort when Gildas negotiates a peaceful resolution and reunites husband and wife. The episode seems to be related to an Old Irish abduction motif called the in which a mysterious stranger kidnaps a married woman and takes her to his home; the husband of the woman then rescues her against insurmountable odds. A seemingly related account was carved into the archivolt of Modena Cathedral in Italy, which most likely predates that telling (as well as any other known written account of Arthurian legend). Here, Artus de Bretania and Isdernus approach a tower in which Mardoc is holding Winlogee, while on the other side Carrado (most likely Caradoc) fights Galvagin (Gawain) as the knights Galvariun and Che (Kay) approach. Isdernus is most certainly an incarnation of Yder (Edern ap Nudd), a Celtic hero whose name appears in "Culhwch and Olwen". Yeder is actually Guinevere's lover in a nearly-forgotten tradition mentioned in Béroul's 12th-century "Tristan". This is reflected in the later "Romance of King Yder", where his lover is Queen Guenloie of Carvain (possibly Caerwent in Wales).


title: Guinevere

text: Chrétien de Troyes tells another version of Guinevere's abduction, this time by Meliagant (Maleagant, derived from Melwas) in the 12th-century "Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart". The abduction sequence is largely a reworking of that recorded in Caradoc's work, but here the queen's rescuer is not Arthur (or Yder) but Lancelot, whose adultery with the queen is dealt with for the first time in this poem. In Chrétien's love triangle of Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot, Guinevere consummated her love affair with Lancelot when Arthur and his knights are trying to rescue Guinevere from the land of Gorre. It has been suggested that Chrétien invented their affair to supply Guinevere with a courtly extramarital lover (as requested by his patroness, princess Marie); Mordred could not be used as his reputation was beyond saving, and Yder had been forgotten entirely. This version has become popular. Today it is most familiar from its expansion in the prose cycles, where Lancelot comes to her rescue on more than one occasion.


title: Guinevere

text: There are furthermore several other variants of this motif in medieval literature. In Ulrich's "Lanzelet", Valerin, the King of the Tangled Wood, claims the right to marry her and carries her off to his castle in a struggle for power that reminds scholars of her prescient connections to the fertility and sovereignty of Britain. Arthur's company saves her, but Valerin kidnaps her again and places her in a magical sleep inside another castle surrounded by snakes, where only the powerful sorcerer Malduc can rescue her. In "Diu Crône", Guinevere's captor is her own brother Gotegrim, intending to kill her for refusing to marry Gasozein who claims to be her rightful husband, and her saviour is Gawain. In "Durmart le Gallois", Guinevere is delivered from her peril by the eponymous hero. In the "Livre d'Artus", she is briefly taken prisoner by King Urien during his rebellion against Arthur. The 14th-century Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym alludes to Guinevere's abduction in two of his poems.


title: Guinevere

text: A version of the narrative of Guinevere is associated in local folklore with Meigle in Scotland, known for its carved Pictish stones. One of the stones, now in the Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum, is said to depict Vanora, the local name for Guinevere. She is said to have been abducted by King Modred (Mordred). When she is eventually returned to Arthur, he has her condemned to death for infidelity and orders that she be torn to pieces by wild beasts, an event said to be shown on Meigle Stone 2 (Queen Venora's Stone). This stone was one of two that originally stood near a mound that is identified as Vanora's grave. Modern scholars interpret the Meigle Stone 2 as a depiction of the Biblical tale of Daniel in the lions' den. One Scotland-related story takes place in Hector Boece's "Historia Gentis Scotorum", where Guinevere is taken by the Picts following Mordred's and Arthur's deaths at Camlann and spends the rest of her life in their captivity; after her death she is buried beside Arthur.


title: Guinevere

text: Medievalist Roger Sherman Loomis suggested that this recurring motif shows that Guinevere "had inherited the role of a Celtic Persephone" (a figure from Greek mythology). All of these similar tales of abduction by another suitor – and this allegory includes Lancelot, who whisks her away when she is condemned to burn at the stake for their adultery – are demonstrative of a recurring 'Hades-snatches-Persephone' theme, positing that Guinevere is similar to the Celtic Otherworld bride Étaín, whom Midir, king of the Underworld, carries off from her earthly life.


title: Guinevere

text: In the 13th-century French cyclical chivalric romances and the later works based on them, including the influential "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Thomas Malory, Guinevere is the daughter of King Leodegrance, who had served Arthur's father Uther Pendragon and was entrusted with the Round Table after Uther's death. In these stories, Leodegrance's kingdom typically lies near the Breton city of Carhaise (the modern Carhaix-Plouguer in Brittany, France). In the fields to the south and east of Carhaise, Arthur defends Leodegrance by defeating King Rience, which leads to his first meeting with the young Guinevere. An arranged marriage of state soon commences and Arthur receives the Round Table as Guinevere's dowry. This version of the legend has her betrothed to Arthur early in his career, while he was garnering support and being pressured to produce an heir (which Guinevere, barren as in most other versions, will fail to deliver). Malory has Arthur also ignore Merlin's prophetic advice warning him not to marry her.


title: Guinevere

text: The following narrative is largely based on the Lancelot-Grail (Vulgate) prose cycle, telling the story of Lancelot and Guinevere in accordance to the courtly love conventions still popular in the early 13th-century France (Guinevere's role in this romance is Lancelot's "female lord", just as the Lady of the Lake is his "female master"), however soon afterwards directly condemned in the Post-Vulgate Cycle retelling that also influenced Malory. When the mysterious White Knight (Lancelot) arrives from the continent, Guinevere is instantly smitten. The teenage Lancelot first joins the Queen's Knights to serve Guinevere after having been knighted by her. Following Lancelot's early rescue of Guinevere from Maleagant (in "Le Morte d'Arthur" this episode only happens much later on) and his admission into the Round Table, and with the Lady of the Lake's and Galehaut's assistance, the two then begin an escalating romantic affair that in the end will inadvertently lead to Arthur's fall.


title: Guinevere

text: Lancelot refuses the love of many other ladies, dedicates all his heroic deeds to Guinevere's honor, and sends her the redeemable knights he has defeated in battle and who must appeal to her for forgiveness. In the Vulgate Cycle, Lancelot's stepmother Ninianne, the Lady of the Lake gifts them an identical pair of magic rings of protection against enchantements. In this version, the lovers spend their first night together just as Arthur sleeps with the beautiful Saxon princess named Camille or Gamille (an evil enchantress whom he later continues to love even after she betrays and imprisons him, though it was suggested that he was enchanted). Arthur is also further unfaithful during the episode of the "False Guinevere" (who had Arthur drink a love potion to betray Guinevere), her own twin half-sister (born on the same day but from a different mother) whom Arthur takes as his second wife in a very unpopular bigamous move, even refusing to obey the Pope's order for him not to do it, as Guinevere escapes to live with Lancelot in Galehaut's kingdom of Sorelais. The French prose cyclical authors thus intended to justify Guinevere and Lancelot's adultery by blackening Arthur's reputation and thus making it acceptable and sympathetic for their medieval courtly French audience. Malory's "Le Morte d'Arthur", however, portrays Arthur as absolutely faithful to Guinevere, even successfully resisting the forceful advances of the sorceress Annowre for her sake, except as a victim of a spell in a variant of the "False Guinevere" case. On her side, Guinevere is often greatly jealous for Lancelot, especially in the case of Elaine of Corbenic, when her reaction to learning about their relationship (which, unknown to her, by this time has been limited only to him being raped-by-deceit by Elaine, including an earlier act of the fathering of Galahad) causes Lancelot to fall into his longest period of madness (which only Elaine is able to eventually cure with the power of the Holy Grail itself). Malory is silent regarding Guinevere's feelings for Arthur, but goes so far as to suggest she uses charms or enchantments to win Lancelot's love.


title: Guinevere

text: Years later, following the Grail Quest, Malory tells his readers that the pair started behaving carelessly in public, stating that "Launcelot began to resort unto the Queene Guinevere again and forget the promise and the perfection that he made in the Quest... and so they loved together more hotter than they did beforehand." They indulged in "privy draughts together" and behaved in such a way that "many in the court spoke of it." Guinevere is charged with adultery on three occasions, including once when she is also accused of sorcery. Their now not-so secret affair is finally exposed by Guinevere's sworn enemy and Arthur's half-sister, the enchantress Morgan le Fay who had schemed against her on various occasions (sometimes being foiled in that by Lancelot, who had also defended Guinevere on many other occasions and performed assorted feats in her honour), and proven by two of the late King Lot's sons, Agravain and Mordred. Revealed as a betrayer of his king and friend, Lancelot kills several of Arthur's knights and escapes. Incited to defend honour, Arthur reluctantly sentences his wife to be burned at the stake. Knowing Lancelot and his family would try to stop the execution, the king sends many of his knights to defend the pyre, though Gawain refuses to participate. Lancelot arrives with his kinsmen and followers and rescues the queen. Gawain's unarmed brothers Gaheris and Gareth are killed in the battle (among others, including fellow Knights of the Round Aglovale, Segwarides and Tor, and originally also Gawain's third brother Agravain), sending Gawain into a rage so great that he pressures Arthur into a direct confrontation with Lancelot.


title: Guinevere

text: Guinevere later returns to Arthur from Lancelot's castle and is forgiven (Arthur starts to doubt that Guinevere ever betrayed him). When Arthur goes after Lancelot to France, he leaves her in the care of Mordred, who plans to marry the queen himself and take Arthur's throne. While in some versions of the legend (like the Alliterative "Morte Arthure", which removed French romantic additions) Guinevere assents to Mordred's proposal, in the tales of Lancelot she hides in the Tower of London, where she withstands Mordred's siege, and later takes refuge in a nun convent. Hearing of the treachery, Arthur returns to Britain and slays Mordred at Camlann, but his wounds are so severe that he is taken to the isle of Avalon by Morgan. During the civil war, Guinevere is portrayed as a scapegoat for violence without developing her perspective or motivation. However, after Arthur's death, Guinevere retires to a convent in penitence for her infidelity. (Malory was familiar with the Fontevraud daughter house at Nuneaton, and given the royal connections of its sister house at Amesbury, he chose Amesbury Priory as the monastery to which Guinevere retires as "abbas and rular", to find her salvation in a life of penance.) Her contrition is sincere and permanent; Lancelot is unable to sway her to come away with him. Guinevere meets Lancelot one last time, refusing to kiss him, then returns to the convent. She spends the remainder of her life as an abbess in joyless sorrow contrasting with her earlier merry nature. Following her death, Lancelot buries her next to Arthur's (real or symbolic) grave.


title: Guinevere

text: Modern adaptations of Arthurian legend vary greatly in their depiction of Guinevere, largely because certain aspects of her story must be fleshed out by the modern author. In spite of her iconic doomed romance with Lancelot, a number of modern reinterpretations portray her as being manipulated into her affair with Lancelot, with Arthur being her rightful true love. Others present her love for Lancelot as stemming from a relationship that existed prior to her arranged marriage to Arthur. Some do not include the affair at all.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: "Rise" follows many of the new conventions established in "" while also introducing new features and mechanics, including a new animal companion called a Palamute that can be used to ride across the map or into battle, and the use of Wirebugs to traverse the world and mount and ride certain monsters. The game received generally positive reviews upon release with critics praising the gameplay and its expansion of the mechanics introduced in "World". It has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide since launch, making it the second best-selling game in the series.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: As with previous "Monster Hunter" titles, "Monster Hunter Rise" has the player take the role of a Hunter, tasked with slaying or capturing large monsters using a variety of weapons, tools, and environmental features to damage and weaken them while surviving their attacks. Successful completion of the offered quests provides loot, typically in the form of various monster parts from the monster, which are used to forge new armor and weapons that can be used to take on more powerful monsters, forming the series' notable core loop. Several of the series' monsters return along with a host of new monsters developed for "Rise". All fourteen weapon types that have been present in both "Monster Hunter Generations" and "World", which mix archetypes of swords, shields, staves, bows, and guns, are present in "Rise".


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: "Rise" uses the same seamless map approach introduced in "" unlike the zoned areas typical of earlier games in the series. Its maps are more focused on vertical movement than previous games, as implied by its title, so new tools are given to the player to help with quick vertical scaling. The Wirebug, similar to the Clutch Claw added in "", allows a player to grapple and swing across gaps or to higher locations as needed. The Wirebug also has different interactions with each weapon type, adding to that weapon's set of moves and combos. Further, the Wirebug allows a player to engage certain monsters in Wyvern Riding, letting the hunter mount and control the creature to a limited degree as to either lead it into areas more amenable for combat or to engage in combat with a different monster.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: Palamutes are new dog-like companion creatures in "Rise". The player can ride them to quickly navigate the map without losing stamina. Additionally, Palamutes can quickly scale cliffs and perform attacks while fighting monsters alongside the player's other companion option, the cat-like Palicoes, who return from previous games.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: "Rise" features both single player and local and online multiplayer modes with up to four hunters in a group. In single player modes, the player hunts with up to two of any combination of the Palico or Palamute companions. In the online modes, players selects up to one of either the Palico or Palamute to join them.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: In addition to the series' typical hunts, "Rise" introduces Rampage, a tower defense mode where the players must defend the base village from several attacking monsters. Prior to and during the attack, the players can set up siege weapons and instruct non-player characters to attack the monsters while the players attack the monsters directly.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: Besides incorporation of new content such as new monsters and locales, the expansion "Sunbreak" adds in a Switch Skills Swap feature that allows the player to switch between two different skill sets while in the middle of a hunt without returning to a base camp. Current non-player characters in the hunting hubs can be befriended by the hunter character and then become companions that join the player for hunts.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: In Kamura Village, the player-character is informed they have been promoted to a Hunter by the Guild by the Wyverian twins Hinoa and Minoto. They escort the new Hunter to the village leader Fugen, though along the way, the Hunter catches sight of an unknown flying monster far in the distance. Fugen congratulates the Hunter on their success, but warns that they have been alerted about pending signs of "The Rampage", a mysterious calamity that occurred fifty years ago where a large horde of monsters attacked the village in a frenzied rage. Fugen tasks the Hunter to prepare themselves for a possible recurrence of the Rampage by helping with various quests to protect and supply the village with goods while building up their hunting. Further signs of the Rampage emerge, and Fugen instructs the Hunter to go to the Stronghold, a battleground that guards the gates to Kamura. After repelling the attack, the Hunter, Yomogi, the village chef, and Iori, the "Buddy Handler", are suddenly attacked by a tiger-like, mace-tailed fanged wyvern, forcing them to retreat. Fugen tells the trio that the monster is known as "Magnamalo" who appears alongside the Rampage and feeds on monsters of the horde. Under Fugen's orders, the Hunter slays Magnamalo. Upon returning to the village, Fugen and Hinoa congratulate the Hunter on their victory. Fugen then gives the Hunter his Long Sword, which has been passed down in Kamura for generations.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: After repelling another Rampage attack, as Hinoa wonders how long the Rampage is going to last, suddenly the same flying serpentine dragon-like monster that the Hunter saw earlier appears. Hinoa's eyes suddenly turn blue as she says, "Where is my queen? Where is my queen?" before regaining her senses. The monster is later identified as an Elder Dragon known as the Wind Serpent, Ibushi. After Ibushi is repelled, the group begins to question who Ibushi's "queen" is. Master Utsushi, the village's lookout, discovers who Ibushi's "queen" is: the Thunder Serpent, Narwa, who is Ibushi's female counterpart and mate. Further research from the guild reveals the origins of Ibushi and Narwa. Every fifty years, Ibushi, as well as Narwa, will emerge to mate with each other; in order to do so, Ibushi will wander the land to seek out Narwa. Ibushi is also known to cause destructive storms by sending dragon energy into the ground. This turbulence is strong enough to uproot trees and wipe out the landscape. This causes nearby monsters to become terrified and flee directly into Kamura Village. Meanwhile, Narwa seems to wait in a location she prefers until Ibushi is able to locate her. However, the disturbance caused by her presence and electromagnetic abilities tend to drive other monsters berserk, leading to a rampage event that regularly hits Kamura Village during the Serpent's mating process. This information reveals that the actions of the Serpent Elder Dragons are the primary cause of the Rampage. Due to the fact that Narwa had wiped out most of the village's hunters, they call on the Hunter to slay Narwa. After a fierce battle with the Thunder Serpent, Narwa is seemingly killed when she falls to her death. Narwa's corpse is not found, however, causing Fugen to believe that Narwa is still alive. At night, the Hunter witnesses Hinoa and Minoto (possessed by Ibushi and Narwa) talking to one other, saying that their offspring will roam across the earth.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: After fending off various elder dragons, the Hunter is told that Narwa and Ibushi have returned and finally united. Fugen calls on the Hunter to confront the two serpents and end the Rampage for good. The Hunter battles Ibushi, whose life force is devoured by Narwa, transforming her into Narwa the Allmother, greatly enhancing her power. The Hunter faces Narwa again and is aided by the unexpected arrival of Magnamalo, who attacks the Thunder Serpent. After a destructive battle, the Hunter slays Narwa and returns to the village. Fugen names the Hunter the Savior of Kamura as the village celebrates with a great feast and Hinoa states that the village is finally at peace.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: After the end of the Rampage, the hunter is hailed as a hero and peace returns to Kamura. This peace turns out to be short-lived, as a hermit crab-like monster, a Daimyo Hermitaur arrives in the shrine ruins. The Hunter and Utsushi investigate and slay the Hermitaur but a new, strange werewolf-like monster suddenly appears out of nowhere and attacks the two. They are unable to defeat it until the arrival of a knight from Elgado named Fiorayne, who repels the monster, then explains that the monster is a Lunagaron from the kingdom of Elgado.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: Fiorayne shares that her purpose in Kamura is to recruit the Hunter to help the people of Elgado face a trio of monsters called the Three Lords. One of the Three Lords, a vampyric elder dragon known as Malzeno, is believed to be making the monsters more aggressive and driving them out of the kingdom. As the monsters from Elgado are now threatening Kamura as well, Fugen accepts Fiorayne's request and allows the Hunter to travel to Elgado in order to meet its commander and defeat Malzeno.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: Arriving in Elgado, the Hunter meets Admiral Galleus and his allies. The Hunter and Fiorayne soon face the first of the Three Lords, Garangolm, and defeat it. The Hunter and Elgado's lead scientist, Bahari, encounter a species of glowing red moth-like creatures called Qurio. Bahari believes the Qurio may somehow be responsible for the madness plaguing the monsters of Elgado. The Hunter and Fiorayne soon face Lunagaron again, who is the second of the Three Lords, and defeat it as well, but are ambushed by Malzeno, who seems to be commanding the Qurio. Malzeno poisons Fiorayne with a virus from the Qurio as it departs.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: With Fiorayne's life in danger, the Hunter seeks out a doctor named Tadori, who is able to create a cure for the virus. Now convinced Malzeno is the source of the Qurio, Galleus commands the Hunter and Fiorayne to defeat the dragon once and for all. The Hunter and Fiorayne confront Malzeno in Elgado's destroyed citadel and slay it, causing a swarm of Qurio to fly away from its corpse. The threat seemingly ended, the people of Elgado begin to relax, but Galleus is concerned something else is at work and begins construction of a fleet of ships armed with dragonators.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: Although the Qurio have lost their host, they have begun killing monsters around the kingdom. The Hunter and Fiorayne find the citadel littered with the corpses of monsters, their life energy drained by the Qurio. The Qurio swarm gathers as a large pit opens from beneath the ocean near Elgado. An enormous monster, Gaismagorm, emerges from the pit, causing an earthquake. Before the creature can cause anymore destruction, Galleus arrives with his fleet and forces it back into the pit. Galleus and Bahari revel to the Hunter and Fiorayne that the creature was the "Archdemon of the Abyss", a legendry monster that is said to rise up from underground and destroy the world. They also reveal that, based on their research, Gaismagorm is the true source of the Qurio and it sent them out to gather energy in order to free itself from beneath the sea. As Malzeno wasn't affected by the Qurio, it rivaled Gaismagorm and stalled its release. With Malzeno now dead, nothing is able to stop the Archfiend from emerging.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: Galleus gathers his ships and orders the Hunter and Fiorayne to descend into the pit to slay the creature. Within the pit, a destructive battle follows, with Galleus providing artillery fire to aid the Hunter. With his help, the Hunter and Fiorayne bring down Gaismagorm, causing the Qurio to begin to die. Reuniting with Galleus, the Hunter and their allies return to Elgado, where the people of both the kingdom and Kamura are celebrating their victory. Galleus and Bahari inform the Hunter that though their source is gone, the remaining Qurio are still a threat. Fiorayne asks the Hunter to stay with her in Elgado and continue to fight with her to protect the kingdom.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: "Monster Hunter Rise" is considered to be the sixth main installment after "", despite not being numbered similarly to previous titles. The game's producer, Ryozo Tsujimoto, said that with both "World" and "Rise", they wanted to move away from the use of traditional numbering for the main titles in the "Monster Hunter" series and instead name them based on a central concept that the game was built around; ""Rise"" was chosen to reflect the verticality of the game's levels and gameplay elements. The verticality resulted in level design that resembled a medieval Japanese/Far Eastern aesthetic, which had not been an initial goal of the design team but was happenstance from their design. The game's director, Yasunori Ichinose, had previously directed "Monster Hunter Portable 3rd", a title that had never been released outside of Asia; "Portable 3rd" featured Yukumo Village as its hub location, a Japanese-inspired setting with hot springs, and which reappeared in "Monster Hunter Generations". Ichinose did not want to reuse Yukumo Village for "Rise" but wanted a similar setting, one that could be considered in the same region, and designed "Rise"s hub, Kamura Village, with similar concepts as Yukumo. Further, this setting helped with "Rise" approach to more freedom of movement, much like that of ninjas, according to Ichinose, which also worked well with that setting.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: "Rise"s pre-planning development started after the completion of "Generations" and "Generations Ultimate", and was co-developed alongside "World", with ideas being shared between the two development teams. The game was built with the RE Engine that was originally developed for "" and since been used for other Capcom games like the "Resident Evil 2" remake and "Devil May Cry 5". As this was the first time this engine was used for a game of this type, it delayed some of the production as they worked to assure smooth gameplay within "World"s zoneless approach on the Switch. Furthermore, the Palamute companion was developed with the portability of the Nintendo Switch in mind, eliminating the depletion of stamina as the player rode it around the game world. According to Ichinose, due to the specs of the Nintendo Switch, it would have been easier to use data from the 3DS era but since "Monster Hunter: World" was released recently, it was important to make "Rise" look as modern as possible. Natsuki Hanae provides the game's narration.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: "Monster Hunter Rise" was announced during a Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase broadcast on September 17, 2020 for a worldwide release on March 26, 2021. Alongside its release, "Rise" included three Amiibo figures: a Palico, Palamute, and the game's flagship monster, Magnamalo. Using the Amiibo unlocks a set of unique layered armor for the player in the game. A month-long demo was released on January 7, 2021, featuring four quests with all fourteen weapons available as well as single player and online multiplayer support. The demo's release briefly caused the Nintendo eShop servers to suffer outages due to its popularity. A second demo was released on March 12, 2021. The game currently has free post-launch content similar to "World".


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: A special edition Nintendo Switch bundle, which includes the console, dock and Joy-Con emblazoned with "Rise" artwork along with a copy of the game, launched on the same day. Ahead of "Rise"s release, the crossover game "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" included three "Monster Hunter"-themed Mii Fighter costumes as downloadable content, including the Hunter armor, Rathalos armor, and a Felyne hat. Coinciding with the game's launch, three collectable Spirits based on the Palico, Palamute, and Magnamalo were added to the game.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: As with past "Monster Hunter" games, "Rise" includes crossover events with other Capcom properties, featuring quests to unlock costumes and other items related to the other franchise. The first crossover event for "Rise" was with "Monster Hunter Stories 2" around the time of the title's release in June 2021. The second crossover event featured Amaterasu from the game "Ōkami" in July 2021. A third event in August 2021 included the ability to earn a costume based on Akuma from "Street Fighter". In September 2021, another crossover event gave the player the ability to earn a palamute costume based on Rush from "Mega Man". A fourth crossover event in November 2021 brought outfits based on "Sonic the Hedgehog".


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: According to Tsujimoto, due to demand from players, Capcom planned to develop a Windows version of "Rise". The Windows version includes support for high resolution displays up to 4K, higher framerates, and direct voice chat support. While Capcom had evaluated cross-platform play or cross-saving between the Switch and Windows versions, they determined they could not implement these features. The Windows port was released on January 12, 2022, which includes all content that had been released for "Rise" for the Switch as of November 2021, with a demo available on October 13, 2021.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: A major paid expansion, "Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak", was released for the Switch and PC version of the game on June 30, 2022. It added new monsters, quests, weapons and armor, story elements, and included more difficult Master Rank hunts, similar to past "Monster Hunter" games. The expansion is centered on a new monster, the Elder Dragon Malzeno, but also brought back monsters from previous iterations of the series. The expansion also introduced new hunting areas and a new hub area for preparations.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: In December 2022, Capcom announced that "Rise" is set to be released for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on January 20, 2023. The game will also be available in Game Pass for Xbox, PC, and Cloud at launch. Cross-play and cross-progression is only supported between PlayStation consoles, or between Windows (Microsoft Store) and Xbox consoles. The voice chat and image filters previously exclusive to the Steam version are included in the ports, and the game runs at 4K 60FPS on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, with an option to target 120 FPS at lower resolution. The "Sunbreak" expansion is set to follow later in Q2 2023.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: "Monster Hunter Rise" received "generally favorable reviews" from critics, according review aggregator Metacritic. Critics praised the addition of new tools such as the Wirebugs and the game's expansion of "Monster Hunter: World"s mechanics.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: Sam Machkovech of "Ars Technica" praised the new movement mechanics and how the game adjusted many monsters from previous entries to compensate for it. He also criticized the game's technical performance saying, "I did run into frenetic battles where the frame rate buckled into the mid-20s." Martin Robinson of "Eurogamer" appreciated how the game's hunts were shorter than prior games.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: Richard Wakeling, writing for "GameSpot", enjoyed the new Japanese-styled setting, and the Rampage missions. Ryan Gilliam of "Polygon" enjoyed the game's increased accessibility for newcomers to the series, and how the player had more ways to approach hunts.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: "Monster Hunter Rise" was nominated for Best Role Playing Game and Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards 2021, but lost to "Tales of Arise" and "It Takes Two", respectively.


title: Monster Hunter Rise

text: Capcom has announced that launch shipments of "Monster Hunter Rise" reached four million units worldwide three days after release. "Monster Hunter: World" had shipped five million units during the same period after release. It sold over 1.3 million copies within its first week of sale in Japan, and was the bestselling retail game of the week in the country; it also led to a surge in Switch unit sales, more than doubling combined sales of the Switch and Switch Lite compared to prior weeks. By April 27, 2021, six million units had been shipped. Total shipments reached 8 million by January 13, 2022; by March 31, 2022, total sales reached 9 million copies sold. As of July 2022, total worldwide shipments topped 10 million, with "Sunbreak" alone shipping 2 million copies in five days, and 3 million copies within two weeks of its release . As of August 2022, "Sunbreak" had surpassed a total of 4 million copies, while "Rise" had a total of 11 million copies.


title: James D'Arcy

text: James D'Arcy (born Simon Richard D'Arcy; 24 August 1975) is an English actor and film director. He is known for his portrayals of Howard Stark's butler, Edwin Jarvis, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series "Agent Carter" and the 2019 film "", and murder suspect Lee Ashworth in the second season of the ITV series "Broadchurch". D'Arcy also co-starred as Colonel Winnant in Christopher Nolan's war movie "Dunkirk" (2017).


title: James D'Arcy

text: D'Arcy was born on 24 August 1975 in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, and was raised in Fulham, London, with his younger sister Charlotte by their mother Caroline, a nurse. His father died when he was young. He has family in Ireland, England and Scotland, with his English relatives based around the Midlands.


title: James D'Arcy

text: After completing his education at Christ's Hospital in 1991, at age 17, D'Arcy went to Australia for a year. He worked in the drama department of Christ Church Grammar School in Perth, which gave him an interest in acting. When he returned to London he applied for drama school. He did a three-year course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), completing a BA in Acting in 1995.


title: James D'Arcy

text: During his time at LAMDA, he appeared in training productions of "Heracles", "As You Like It", "Wild Honey", "The Freedom of the City" and "Sherlock Holmes".


title: James D'Arcy

text: His first appearances on television were small roles on the television series "Silent Witness" (1996) and "Dalziel and Pascoe" (1996), followed by roles in television films such as Nicholas Hawthorne in Ruth Rendell's "Bribery and Corruption", Lord Cheshire in "The Canterville Ghost", and Jonathan Maybury in "The Ice House" (all 1997).


title: James D'Arcy

text: In 1997, he played Blifil in "". In 1999, he acted in the World War I drama "The Trench" as well as having a small role in the comedy "Guest House Paradiso". From 2001 to the present, he played bigger roles and leading characters in the mini-series "Rebel Heart" (2001 as Ernie Coyne), "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby" (2001, Nicholas Nickleby) and "Revelation" (2001, Jake Martel). In 2002, he portrayed a young Sherlock Holmes in the television film "".


title: James D'Arcy

text: In 2003, he played the role of Barnaby Caspian in the film "Dot the I", and the character Jim Caddon on the series "P.O.W". He also gained wider recognition when he portrayed Lt. Tom Pullings in Peter Weir's "" (2003).


title: James D'Arcy

text: He appeared in the horror films "" (2004, Father Francis), "An American Haunting" (2005, Richard Powell) and "" (2007, Bishop). He also appeared on television as Derek Kettering in "Agatha Christie's Poirot", "The Mystery of the Blue Train" (2005), as Jerry Burton in "Agatha Christie's Marple: The Moving Finger", as Tiberius Gracchus in the "" episode "Revolution" (2007), as Toby Clifford in "Fallen Angel" (2007) and as Tom Bertram in ITV's production of "Mansfield Park" (2007).


title: James D'Arcy

text: He lent his voice to BBC radio dramas such as Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the d'Urbervilles", Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and Winifred Holtby's "The Crowded Street". He played the role of Duncan Atwood in "Secret Diary of a Call Girl". In 2011, he played the role of King Edward VIII in "W.E.", the second film directed by Madonna. In 2012, he played Rufus Sixsmith (young and old) in addition to two other minor roles in the independent film "Cloud Atlas", as well as "Psycho" star Anthony Perkins in "Hitchcock".


title: James D'Arcy

text: In 2013, he played the role of Eric Zimit in "After the Dark" (other title: "The Philosophers"). In mid-2014, he played the role of Lee Ashworth in series 2 of "Broadchurch". He also appeared as the main villain in the 2014 action comedy "Let's Be Cops", as a malevolent Los Angeles crime boss. He starred as a British Army Colonel Winnant in Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk" (2017).


title: James D'Arcy

text: In 2018 he appeared in the Showtime series "Homeland". Between January 2015 and March 2016, D'Arcy was a series regular in the television series "Agent Carter", which shares continuity with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the series, he played Edwin Jarvis, the loyal butler of Howard Stark. He reprised his role of Edwin Jarvis in "", making D'Arcy the first to have portrayed the same character originally from an MCU TV series into an MCU film.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer (born April 30, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and performance artist who is the lead vocalist, pianist, and lyricist of the duo The Dresden Dolls. She performs as a solo artist and was also a member of the duo Evelyn Evelyn, and the lead singer and songwriter of Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra. She has gained a cult fanbase throughout her career, and was one of the first musical artists to popularise the use of crowdfunding websites.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: Palmer was born Amanda MacKinnon Palmer in New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital, and grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts. Her parents divorced when she was one year old, and as a child she rarely saw her father.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: She attended Lexington High School, where she was involved in the drama department, and later attended Wesleyan University where she studied theater and was a member of the Eclectic Society. In 1999, Palmer founded the Shadowbox Collective, a performance group devoted to street theatre and putting on theatrical shows (such as the 2002 play, "Hotel Blanc", which she directed).


title: Amanda Palmer

text: Palmer graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA in 1998. Palmer then spent several years busking as a living statue called "The Eight Foot Bride" in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Edinburgh, Scotland; Berlin, Germany and Melbourne, Australia (where she met future collaborator Jason Webley); and many other locations. She refers to her street performance work in The Dresden Dolls song "The Perfect Fit", as well as on the "A is for Accident" track "Glass Slipper".


title: Amanda Palmer

text: At a Halloween party in 2000, Palmer met drummer Brian Viglione and afterwards they formed The Dresden Dolls. In an effort to expand the performance experience and interactivity, Palmer began inviting Lexington High School students to perform drama pieces at the Dresden Dolls' live shows. This evolved to The Dirty Business Brigade, a troupe of seasoned and new artists, performing at many gigs.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: In 2002, after developing a cult following, the band recorded their eponymous debut album, "The Dresden Dolls", with producer Martin Bisi (of Indie, Brooklyn, New York fame). They produced the album before signing with the label Roadrunner Records.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: In 2006, "The Dresden Dolls Companion" was published, with words, music and artwork by Amanda Palmer. In it she has written a history of the album "The Dresden Dolls" and of the duo, as well as a partial autobiography. The book also contains the lyrics, sheet music, and notes on each song in the album, all written by Palmer, as well as a DVD with a 20-minute interview of Amanda about making the book.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: Palmer conceived the musical/production "The Onion Cellar", based on a short story from "The Tin Drum" by Günter Grass. From December 9, 2006, through January 13, 2007, The Dresden Dolls performed the piece in conjunction with the American Repertory Theater at the Zero Arrow Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While Palmer was openly frustrated with the direction of the show, fan and critical reviews were very positive.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: In June 2007, as part of the Dresden Dolls, she toured with the True Colors Tour 2007, including her debut in New York City's Radio City Music Hall, and her first review in "The New York Times".


title: Amanda Palmer

text: Though the Dresden Dolls broke up in 2008, Palmer and Viglione have continued to collaborate, and have had several minor reunions under the band name in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, and 2018.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: In July 2007, Palmer played three sold-out shows (in Boston, Hoboken, and NYC) in a new "with band" format. Her backing band was Boston alternative rock group Aberdeen City, who also opened along with Dixie Dirt. In August 2007, Palmer traveled to perform in the Spiegeltent and other venues at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, and also performed on BBC Two's "The Edinburgh Show". She collaborated with Australian theater company The Danger Ensemble; both again appeared at the Spiegeltent in Melbourne and at other venues around Australia in December 2007.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: In September 2007, Palmer collaborated with Jason Webley to launch the new project Evelyn Evelyn with the EP "Elephant Elephant". In the project, the duo play conjoined twin sisters named Eva and Lyn, and through their music tell their fictional backstory.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: In July 2008, the Dresden Dolls released a second book, the "Virginia Companion", a follow-up to "The Dresden Dolls Companion", featuring the music and lyrics from the "Yes, Virginia..."(2006) and "No, Virginia..." (2008) albums, produced by Sean Slade and Paul Kolderie.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: In June 2008, Palmer established her solo career with two well-received performances with the Boston Pops.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: Her first solo studio album, "Who Killed Amanda Palmer", was released on September 16, 2008. Ben Folds produced and also played on the album. The title is a play on an expression used by fans during "Twin Peaks" original run, "Who killed Laura Palmer?" A companion book of photos of Palmer looking as if she were murdered was released in July 2009. Titled "Who Killed Amanda Palmer a Collection of Photographic Evidence", it featured photography by Kyle Cassidy and stories by Neil Gaiman, as well as lyrics from the album.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: In late 2008, she toured Europe with Jason Webley, Zoë Keating and The Danger Ensemble, performing songs mostly from her debut solo album. She did most of the shows with a broken foot she had sustained in Belfast, Northern Ireland when a car ran over her foot as she stepped out into a street. In April 2009, she played at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: In 2009, Palmer went back to her alma mater, Lexington High School in Massachusetts, to collaborate with her old director and mentor Steven Bogart on a workshop piece for the department's spring production. The play, "With The Needle That Sings In Her Heart", was inspired by Neutral Milk Hotel's album "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" and "The Diary of Anne Frank". NPR's Avishay Artsy interviewed the cast on All Things Considered.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: In 2010 Palmer returned to the A.R.T. for a two-month run of "Cabaret", starring as the Emcee. The same year The Dresden Dolls reunited for a United States tour starting on Halloween in New York City and ending in San Francisco on New Year's Eve.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: On March 30, 2010 Palmer and Webley released their debut self-titled album as Evelyn Evelyn. This was accompanied by a worldwide tour and graphic novel based on the story of the sisters.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: Palmer began using the ukulele during a concert as a goof, but soon it became a regular part of her repertoire. Later, she recorded a full album with ukulele accompaniment: "Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele".


title: Amanda Palmer

text: On April 20, 2012, Palmer announced on her blog that she launched a new album pre-order on Kickstarter. The Kickstarter project was ultimately supported by 24,883 backers for a grand total of $1,192,793 — at the time, the most funds ever raised for a musical project on Kickstarter. A widely reported and commented upon controversy emerged from the related tour when Palmer blogged asking for "semi-professional" local musicians (fans who were already planning on attending various stops on the tour) to volunteer to play a couple of songs with her and her band, The Grand Theft Orchestra, during their live shows for "exposure, fun, beer and hugs" instead of money. After outcry from various music unions and professional musicians, Palmer responded publicly and changed her policy to one of paying local musicians cash (in addition to the aforementioned fun, beer and hugs). The album, "Theatre Is Evil", was recorded with The Grand Theft Orchestra, produced by John Congleton, and released in September 2012. On November 9, 2012, Palmer released the music video for "Do it With a Rockstar" on The Flaming Lips' website. The video was co-created and directed by Wayne Coyne, lead singer of The Flaming Lips. Subsequent videos were released for "The Killing Type" and "The Bed Song".


title: Amanda Palmer

text: In November 2014, Palmer released her memoir, "The Art of Asking" (), which expands on a TED talk she gave in February 2013. The book made the New York Times Best Seller list. The book also received several critical reviews, most notably from NPR.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: Palmer spoke at the 2015 Hay Festival about the prospect of reconciling art and motherhood. The talk was recorded for the BBC Radio 4 series "Four Thought" and broadcast on June 21, 2015. Also in 2015, she served as a judge for The 14th Annual Independent Music Awards. During the first months of 2016, she released the completely Patreon-funded song "Machete", and a David Bowie tribute EP, entitled "Strung Out In Heaven: A Bowie String Quartet Tribute".


title: Amanda Palmer

text: Amanda Palmer collaborated with her father, Jack Palmer, to record an album entitled "You Got Me Singing". They performed concerts in July 2016 in support of the album.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: Amanda Palmer collaborated with Legendary Pink Dots frontman Edward Ka-Spel to record an album, "I Can Spin a Rainbow". The duo toured in May and June 2017 in support of the album, backed by Legendary Pink Dots' former violin player Patrick Q. Wright.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: On March 8, 2019, Palmer released her third solo studio album and first in seven years, "There Will Be No Intermission". The album was promoted by an extensive world tour that was filmed for her patrons on Patreon.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: In fall 2020, Palmer launched a podcast called "The Art of Asking Everything". On October 31, 2020, Palmer and Viglione performed "Science Fiction/Double Feature" to open the Wisconsin Democrats Livestream fundraiser that reunited some original "Rocky Horror Picture Show" cast members to act out the show with additional stars and singers.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: Palmer lived for more than a decade in an independent artists cooperative named The Cloud Club in Boston, Massachusetts.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: Palmer is bisexual, telling afterellen.com in 2007: "I'm bisexual, but it's not the sort of thing I spent a lot of time thinking about," Palmer said. "I've slept with girls; I've slept with guys, so I guess that's what they call it! I'm not anti trying to use language to simplify our lives." Palmer has spoken out on feminist issues and about her open relationships, stating in one interview that "I've never been comfortable in a monogamous relationship in my life. I feel like I was built for open relationships just because of the way I function. It's not a reactive decision like, 'Hey I'm on the road, you're on the road, let's just find other people.' It was a fundamental building block of our relationship. We both like things this way."


title: Amanda Palmer

text: Palmer has said that she once worked as a stripper under the name Berlin. She has stated that the song "Berlin" was written about this experience.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: Palmer and author Neil Gaiman confirmed their engagement in 2010. The couple married in a private ceremony in January 2011. The wedding took place in the parlor of writers Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon. They have a son, Anthony "Ash", born on September 16, 2015, named for Palmer's close friend and mentor (and childhood next-door neighbor), the author and psychotherapist Dr. C. Anthony Martignetti, who died on June 22, 2015.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: In March 2020, Palmer was on the final leg of her international tour in support of her latest album, "There Will Be No Intermission", when countries started grounding flights and locking down borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Palmer, Gaiman, and their son were in Havelock North, Hawke's Bay when on 25 March 2020, New Zealand's government announced that the whole country would move to COVID-19 Alert Level 4: complete lockdown and quarantining of people within their own homes. In May 2020, Gaiman traveled from New Zealand to his holiday home on the Isle of Skye, breaking lockdown rules imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ross, Skye and Lochaber MP Ian Blackford described his behaviour as unacceptable and dangerous. Gaiman published an apology on his website, saying he had endangered the local community. After Gaiman's departure, Palmer announced on her Patreon that she and Gaiman had separated and requested privacy. Gaiman stated in a blog post that their split was "my fault, I'm afraid" and also requesting privacy. The couple later released a joint statement clarifying that they were not, however, getting divorced. They reconciled in 2021. In November 2022, Palmer and Gaiman announced in a joint statement that they were going to divorce.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: Palmer practices yoga and meditation and wrote an article titled "Melody vs. Meditation" for the Buddhist publication "Shambhala Sun", which described the struggle between songwriting and being able to clear the mind to meditate.


title: Amanda Palmer

text: In fall 2020, Palmer announced she would be releasing a podcast called "The Art of Asking Everything".


title: The Grinch (film)

text: The Grinch (also known as Dr. Seuss' The Grinch) is a 2018 American computer-animated Christmas fantasy comedy film produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures. Based on the 1957 book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" by Dr. Seuss, it is the third screen adaptation of the story, following the 1966 television special starring Boris Karloff and the 2000 live-action feature-length film starring Jim Carrey. It marks Illumination's second Dr. Seuss film adaptation, following "The Lorax" (2012). The film was directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney (in the former's feature directorial debut) and produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, with a screenplay written by Michael LeSieur and Tommy Swerdlow. The film stars the voices of Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Angela Lansbury, and Pharrell Williams, who serves as the narrator. The plot follows the Grinch and his pet dog Max as they plan to stop Whoville's Christmas celebration by stealing all the town's decorations and gifts.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: "The Grinch" was released and distributed by Universal Pictures in the United States on November 9, 2018. It grossed over $512 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Christmas film of all time, as well as the highest-grossing Dr. Seuss film adaptation. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the animation and the vocal performances, but felt the film added little or nothing new to the source material. This was the final Dr. Seuss film adaptation released during the lifetime of Seuss' widow Audrey Geisel, who served as executive producer of the film and died on December 19, 2018, five weeks after the film's release.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: In the town of Whoville, the human-like people called Whos are filled with excitement about celebrating Christmas. However, the only one who is not amused is the grumpy, cantankerous and green-furred Grinch, born with a heart being "two-sizes too small". He lives in his cave with his dog, Max, and only goes into Whoville to buy groceries and harass the Whos.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: Meanwhile, 6-year-old Cindy Lou Who notices her mother Donna is overworked trying to take care of herself and her twin infant brothers, Buster and Bean. Cindy Lou initially decides to send a letter to Santa Claus to help her mother, but after an encounter with the Grinch —who sarcastically tells her that, if the matter is so urgent, she will have to talk to Santa face-to-face about it— she decides to go to the North Pole to talk to Santa himself. When Donna tells her that a round trip to the North Pole would take a month, she instead decides to try trapping Santa with the help of her friends.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: With Christmas approaching, an attempt by the Grinch to ruin a tree-lighting ceremony goes wrong, resulting in him having a flashback about his disjointed childhood spent alone and unwanted in an orphanage. The Grinch soon decides that he will steal Christmas from Whoville to assuage his distress. He and Max acquire a fat reindeer, whom the Grinch calls Fred, and steal a sleigh from his neighbor Bricklebaum. After a test run, the Grinch and Max discover that Fred has a family, and the Grinch emotionally agrees to let Fred go home with them.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: On Christmas Eve, after making a Santa Claus disguise and crafting dozens of gadgets to help him with his plan, the Grinch and Max, who pulls the sleigh in Fred's place, go down to Whoville to steal the decorations and presents. He soon encounters Cindy Lou after falling into her trap. Her request to help lighten her mother's workload and her advice about listening to the Whos' singing to alleviate his sadness touches the Grinch's heart. Despite this, the Grinch continues his mission, unable to let go of the loneliness Christmas brought him.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: After stealing every Christmas present and decoration, the Grinch and Max head back to Mount Crumpit to dispose of them. The Whos wake up and are shocked and disappointed to see that the presents and decorations are gone. Cindy Lou believes that she is to blame because of her trap, but Donna tells her that Christmas is not centered on presents and that Cindy Lou is the best thing that ever happened to her. The Whos join together to sing "Welcome Christmas", rendering the Grinch puzzled to see that they are celebrating Christmas despite his thefts. Seeing Cindy Lou and remembering her guidance, he immerses himself in their singing, causing his shrunken heart to blissfully triple in size.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: Afterwards, the sleigh begins to fall off Mount Crumpit, and the Grinch attempts to save it. He succeeds when Fred and his family come to his aid. After securing the sleigh, the Grinch and Max slide down back to Whoville in order to return the stolen items, and the remorseful Grinch admits his actions and apologizes to the Whos before returning to his cave.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: Feeling sorry for the Grinch, Cindy Lou later invites him and Max to celebrate Christmas at her house which he awkwardly attends. When seated for dinner, he realizes that it was not really Christmas he despised, but being alone and his bitterness over being neglected. With this, the Grinch finally accepts the Whos' friendship and enjoys Christmas with them giving a toast.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: Georgia Toffolo provided the voice of Mrs. Toffee Apple (a customer who was trying to reach a jar of "Christmas chutney") in one scene in some releases. In addition, Bill Farmer voices Sam, a bus driver.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: A recording of Pentatonix' "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" was used for the Who-Carolers that stalk the Grinch.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: In February 2013, it was announced that Illumination was developing a 3D animated feature film based on the Dr. Seuss book, with the working title "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", later shortened to "The Grinch". Peter Candeland and Yarrow Cheney were set to direct, though in 2018 producer Scott Mosier took over from Candeland. Candeland still stayed on the project for additional story direction.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: Benedict Cumberbatch was cast as the titular character in April 2016. Illumination originally wanted Cumberbatch to voice the Grinch in his natural accent, however, Cumberbatch felt that since the rest of the cast is American, the Grinch himself should have an American accent. By September 2018, Angela Lansbury had been set to voice the Mayor of Whoville. Rashida Jones, Cameron Seely, and Kenan Thompson also joined the cast, while Pharrell Williams, who had previously worked on Illumination's "Despicable Me" films, was revealed to be narrating the film.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: The animation was created by Illumination Mac Guff in Paris, France. Several software programs were used in creating the film's CGI characters including Maya, ZBrush, and Nuke as well as in-house software. A 3D CGI model of the town of Whoville through which a virtual camera could travel was crafted using Maya, ZBrush, Foundry’s Mari, and Allegorithmic’s Substance Painter.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: On November 20, 2017, Danny Elfman was revealed to be composing the film's score. Tyler, the Creator wrote a new song for the film titled "I Am the Grinch". Tyler and Danny Elfman, who composed the film's score, collaborated on a new version of the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" for the film, which was featured in the final trailer, and early on in the film itself. The score and soundtrack albums were released (both digitally and on CD) and the film.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: The film was originally scheduled to be released on November 10, 2017, but on June 7, 2016, it was pushed back to November 9, 2018.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: Beginning in October, various billboards appeared for the film, each featuring an image of the Grinch, accompanied by a mean or ironic message. Universal and Illumination partnered with several companies to promote the film, including Wonderful Pistachios, Ebates, IHOP and 23andme for about $80 million worth of advertising. All-in-all the studio spent an estimated $121 million promoting the film worldwide. To promote the film, a giant inflatable balloon featuring the titular character first appeared at the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on November 23, 2017, 1 year ahead of its release. Later in December 2018, The Grinch and Max also made cameos in that year's WNBC/WNJU holiday sing along promo.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: The film was released on Digital HD on January 22, 2019, and on DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on February 5, 2019. It includes three mini-movies: "Yellow is the New Black" (which preceded the film in its theatrical run), "The Dog Days of Winter", and "Santa's Little Helpers". "The Dog Days of Winter" was first shown on NBC on November 23, 2018, after "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" (1966) and before "Trolls Holiday".


title: The Grinch (film)

text: The film made its broadcast television premiere on FX on December 12, 2020, premiered on Disney Channel on December 13, 2020, and premiered on Freeform on December 18, 2020. The film was aired on NBC December 22, 2021.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: "The Grinch" grossed $271.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $241.5 million in other countries, for a total worldwide gross of $512.9 million, against a production budget of $75 million. "Deadline Hollywood" calculated the film's net profit as $184.6 million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it ninth on their list of 2018's "Most Valuable Blockbusters". It was Universal's second best-performing film of 2018 behind "".


title: The Grinch (film)

text: In the United States and Canada, "The Grinch" was released alongside "The Girl in the Spider's Web" and "Overlord", and was projected to gross $55–65 million from 4,140 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $18.7 million on its first day, including $2.2 million from Thursday night previews, more than the $1.7 million taken in by Illumination's "Sing" in 2016. It went on to debut to $67.6 million, finishing first at the box office and topping the 2000 film's $55 million opening. In its second weekend the film made $38.2 million, finishing second behind newcomer "". In its third weekend the film made $30.2 million (including $42 million over the five-day Thanksgiving period), finishing fourth. In its fourth and fifth weekends, the film finished second behind "Ralph Breaks the Internet", grossing $17.9 million and $15.0 million, respectively. It marked the first-ever time animated films were the top two films at the box office in back-to-back weekends.


title: The Grinch (film)

text: On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews and an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, ""The Grinch" gives the classic Seuss source material a brightly animated update that's solidly suitable for younger viewers without adding substantially to the story's legacy." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an 83% positive score and a 75% "definite recommend".


title: The Grinch (film)

text: Alonso Duralde of "TheWrap" gave the film a positive review, calling it "full of warmth and wit" and writing, "Purists may balk about revisiting this tale, but "The Grinch" earns its laughter and its sentiment, both of which are plentiful. It's a full-throated Fah-Who-Foraze." Owen Gleiberman of "Variety" compared the film favorably to the 2000 live-action version, writing, "For anyone who grew up with "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "The Grinch" won’t replace it, yet it's nimble and affectionate in a way that can hook today's children, and more than a few adults, by conjuring a feeling that comes close enough. By the end, your own heart will swell, though maybe just one or two sizes."


title: The Grinch (film)

text: Glenn Kenny of "The New York Times" wrote, "Said dog, Max is the most charming character in this version, directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney. The filmmakers keep the visuals merry and popping bright. Benedict Cumberbatch, voicing the Grinch, opts not to compete with Karloff at all, which is smart and speaks in an American accent, sounding rather like Bill Hader, which is confusing. A tepid hip-hop song about the Grinch plays over the end credits. It’s by Tyler, the Creator, who only a few years ago was considered one of the saltiest (to put it mildly) voices in music. Here, his contribution is as toothless as the rest of the movie." Molly Freeman of "Screen Rant" gave the film a 3 out of 5 stars, saying ""The Grinch" may not be a necessary holiday movie, but fans of Dr. Seuss's story or holiday films, in general, will find plenty to like in this new animated retelling. Plus, with a variety of family-friendly jokes, "The Grinch" will no doubt entertain viewers young and old, though the 90-minute runtime does stretch thin in the third act of the movie. It's perhaps not worth seeing in IMAX, but "The Grinch" does provide some rich visuals that will also capture the eye of all moviegoers. "The Grinch" is holiday fun for the whole family, adapting a classic story with a new twist that makes for an altogether compelling moviegoing experience."


title: The Grinch (film)

text: Sandie Angulo Chen of Common Sense Media gave the film 3/5 and stated, "This adaptation is bright, colorful, and occasionally funny, but it doesn't come close to matching the effectiveness of the short-and-sweet original." Amy West of "Empire" gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing "Despite its story-telling ambition being two sizes too small (much like its hairy protagonist’s heart), "The Grinch" is impossibly cute, visually rich and boasts enough festive fun to satisfy young viewers."


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: The Russian apartment bombings were a series of explosions that hit four apartment blocks in the Russian cities of Buynaksk, Moscow and Volgodonsk in September 1999, killing more than 300, injuring more than 1,000, and spreading a wave of fear across the country. The bombings, together with the Invasion of Dagestan, triggered the Second Chechen War. The handling of the crisis by Vladimir Putin, who was prime minister at the time, boosted his popularity greatly and helped him attain the presidency within a few months.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: The blasts hit Buynaksk on 4 September and in Moscow on 9 and 13 September. On 13 September, Russian Duma speaker Gennadiy Seleznyov made an announcement in the Duma about receiving a report that another bombing had just happened in the city of Volgodonsk. A bombing did indeed happen in Volgodonsk, but only three days later, on 16 September. Chechen militants were blamed for the bombings, but denied responsibility, along with Chechen president Aslan Maskhadov.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: A suspicious device resembling those used in the bombings was found and defused in an apartment block in the Russian city of Ryazan on 22 September. On 23 September, Vladimir Putin praised the vigilance of the inhabitants of Ryazan and ordered the air bombing of Grozny, which marked the beginning of the Second Chechen War. Three FSB agents who had planted the devices at Ryazan were arrested by the local police. The next day, FSB director Nikolay Patrushev announced that the incident in Ryazan had been an anti-terror drill and the device found there contained only sugar.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: The official Russian investigation of the Buynaksk bombing was completed in 2001, while the investigation of Moscow and Volgodonsk bombings was completed in 2002. In 2000, seven people were convicted of perpetrating the Buynaksk attack. According to the court ruling on the Moscow and Volgodonsk bombings, which was announced in 2004, the attacks were organised and led by Achemez Gochiyaev, who remains at large. All bombings, the court ruled, were ordered by Islamist warlords Ibn Al-Khattab and Abu Omar al-Saif, who have been killed. Five other suspects have been killed and six have been convicted by Russian courts on terrorism-related charges.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: State Duma deputy Yuri Shchekochikhin filed two motions for a parliamentary investigation of the events, but the motions were rejected by the State Duma in March 2000. An independent public commission to investigate the bombings was chaired by Duma deputy Sergei Kovalev. The commission was rendered ineffective because of government refusal to respond to its inquiries. Two key members of the Kovalev Commission, Sergei Yushenkov and Yuri Shchekochikhin, have since died in apparent assassinations. The Commission's lawyer and investigator Mikhail Trepashkin was arrested and served four years in prison for revealing state secrets. Former FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko, who defected and blamed the FSB for the bombings, was poisoned and killed in London in 2006. A British inquiry later determined that Litvinenko's murder was "probably" carried out with the approval of Putin and Patrushev.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: The attacks were officially attributed to Chechen terrorists. Some historians and journalists say the bombings were coordinated by Russian state security services to help bring Putin into the presidency. Others disagree with such theories or argue that there is insufficient evidence to assign responsibility for the attacks. Independent investigations have faced obstruction from the Russian government.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: Five apartment bombings took place and at least three attempted bombings were prevented. All bombings had the same "signature", judging from the nature and the volume of the destruction. In each case a powerful explosive was used, and the timers were set to go off at night and inflict the maximum number of civilian casualties. The explosives were placed to destroy the weakest, most critical elements of the buildings and force them to "collapse like a house of cards". The individuals behind the bombings were able to obtain or manufacture several tons of powerful explosives and deliver them to numerous destinations across Russia.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: On 31 August 1999, at 20:00 local time, a bomb explodes in the amusement arcade of the Manezh Square shopping complex of Moscow. At least 29 people were injured when the bomb detonated. According to the FSB, the explosion had been caused by a bomb of about 300 grams of explosives.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: On 2 September 1999, an unknown person called and claimed that the bombing was committed by the militant organization the "Liberation Army of Dagestan".


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: On 4 September 1999, at 22:00, a car bomb detonated outside a five-story apartment building in the city of Buynaksk in Dagestan, near the border of Chechnya. The building was housing Russian border guard soldiers and their families. Sixty-four people were killed and 133 were injured in the explosion.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: On 4 September 1999, another bomb was discovered shortly after the explosion and detonated in the city of Buynaksk in Dagestan. The defused bomb was in a car containing of explosive material. It was discovered by local residents in a parking lot surrounded by an army hospital and residential buildings.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: On 9 September 1999, shortly after midnight at 20:00 GMT, a bomb detonated on the ground floor of an apartment building in southeast Moscow (19 Guryanova Street). The explosive power was equivalent to of TNT. The nine-story building was destroyed, killing 106 people inside (with early reports giving 93 dead) and injuring 249 others, and damaging 19 nearby buildings. A total of 108 apartments were destroyed during the bombing. An FSB spokesman announced that traces of RDX and TNT were found on items removed from the site of the explosion. Residents said a few minutes before the blast four men were seen speeding away from the building in a car.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: Boris Yeltsin ordered the search of 30,000 residential buildings in Moscow for explosives. He took personal control of the investigation of the blast. Putin declared 13 September a day of mourning for the victims of the attacks.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: On 13 September 1999, at 05:00, a large bomb exploded in a basement of an apartment block on Kashirskoye Highway in southern Moscow, about from the place of the last attack. This was the deadliest blast in the chain of bombings (because the apartment was built with brick), with 119 people killed and 200 injured. The eight-story building was flattened, littering the street with debris and throwing some concrete pieces hundreds of meters away.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: On September 13, 1999, the police found and defused bombs in an apartment block on Borisovskiye Prudy street and Kapotnya in Moscow.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: According to Litvinenko, Felshtinsky and Goldfarb, on 13 September 1999, Achemez Gochiyaev called and reported about bombs planted in several locations. Gochiyaev claimed that he was framed by his old acquaintance, an FSB officer who asked him to rent basements "as storage facilities" at four locations where bombs were later found. After the second explosion on Kashirskoye highway Gochiyaev recognized he was set up, called the police and told them about the basements of two other buildings at Borisovskie Prudy and Kapotnya, where the explosives were actually found and explosions averted. In 2002 Felshtinsky and Litvinenko obtained a written testimony from Achemez Gochiyaev as well as a video recording and several photographs about it. The same statement was received by Prima News agency.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: According to Russian newspaper "Kommersant" and the public relations centre of the FSB, further bombings in Moscow were prevented with the help of a real estate agent who called the police after the second bombing in Moscow and told about his client, who rented basements in the two buildings which were blown up in Moscow. The client was identified as Achemez Gochiyaev.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: A truck bomb exploded on 16 September 1999, outside a nine-story apartment complex in the southern Russian city of Volgodonsk, killing 17 people and injuring 69. The bombing took place at 5:57 am. Surrounding buildings were also damaged. The blast also happened from a nuclear power plant. Prime Minister Putin signed a decree calling on law enforcement and other agencies to develop plans within three days to protect industry, transportation, communications, food processing centres and nuclear complexes.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: At 20:30 on 22 September 1999, Alexei Kartofelnikov, a resident of an apartment building in the city of Ryazan noticed two suspicious men who carried sacks into the basement from a car. While the license plate indicated that the car was registered in Moscow, a sheet of paper was taped over the last two digits, and the number written on it implied that the car was local.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: Kartofelnikov alerted the police, but by the time they arrived the car and the men were gone. The policemen found three sacks of white powder in the basement, each weighing . A detonator and a timing device were attached to the sacks. The detonator was reported by a Russian newspaper to be a 12-gauge shotgun shell filled with powder. The timer was set to 5:30 AM. Yuri Tkachenko, the head of the local bomb squad, disconnected the detonator and the timer. Reportedly, Tkachenko tested the three sacks of white substance with a "MO-2" gas analyser, which detected RDX vapors.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: Inhabitants of the apartment building were evacuated. According to David Satter, residents of neighboring buildings fled their homes in terror, to the effect that nearly 30,000 residents spent the night on the street. Police and rescue vehicles converged from different parts of the city. As many as 1,200 local police officers were put on alert, the railroad stations and the airport were surrounded, and roadblocks were set up on highways leaving the city.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: At 01:30 on 23 September 1999, explosive engineers of the Ryazan UFSB took a sample of substance from the suspicious-looking sacks to a firing ground located about away from Ryazan for testing. During the substance tests at that area they tried to explode it by means of a detonator, which was also made from a shotgun shell, but the substance failed to detonate. At 05:00, Radio Rossiya reported about the attempted bombing, noting that the bomb was set up to go off at 05:30. In the morning, Ryazan resembled a city under siege. Composite sketches of three suspected terrorists, two men and a woman, were posted everywhere in the city and shown on TV. At 08:00 Russian television reported the attempt to blow out the building in Ryazan and identified the explosive used in the bomb as RDX. Vladimir Rushailo announced later that police prevented a terrorist act. A news report at 16:00 reported that the explosives failed to detonate during their testing outside the city.<ref name="politcom.ru/2002/aaa_skandal20.php"></ref>


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: At 19:00, Vladimir Putin praised the vigilance of the inhabitants of Ryazan, and called for the air bombing of the Chechen capital Grozny in response to the terrorism acts. He said:


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: On 23 September Natalia Yukhnova, a telephone service employee in Ryazan, tapped into a suspicious phone call to Moscow and overheard the following instruction: "Leave one at a time, there are patrols everywhere". The called number was traced to a telephone exchange unit serving FSB offices.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: When arrested, the detainees produced FSB identification cards. They were soon released on orders from Moscow.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: The position of Russian authorities on the Ryazan incident changed significantly over time. Initially, it was declared by the FSB and federal government to be a real threat. However, after the people who planted the bomb were identified, the official version changed to "security training".


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: On 24 September, FSB director Nikolai Patrushev announced that it was an exercise that was being carried out to test responses after the earlier blasts.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: FSB also issued a public apology about the incident. In a show "Independent Investigation" on NTV, Evgeniy Savostyanov, former director of Moscow and Moscow Oblast regional FSB branch, has criticized the FSB for performing such exercise on residential buildings with inhabitants inside and without notifying local authorities.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: In excerpts from the planned Ryazan operation, first published in 2002, it was stated that the exercise was overseen by the head of the FSB's Center of Special Operations (CSO), Major General Alexander Tikhonov.


title: Russian apartment bombings

text: In February 2000, "Novaya Gazeta" journalist Pavel Voloshin has published an essay "What happened in Ryazan: Sugar or Hexogen?", that was partly based on his two-hour long interview with Yuri Tkachenko, the police explosives expert who defused the Ryazan bomb. The essay noted that it's well known that a gas analyser that tested the vapours coming from the sacks indicated the presence of RDX. Tkachenko said that he was completely certain that the instrument was in correct working order. The gas analyser was of world-class quality, cost $20,000, and was maintained by a specialist who worked according to a strict schedule, making frequent prophylactic checks, because the device contained a radioactive source. Meticulous care in the handling of the gas analyser was a necessity because the lives of the bomb squad experts depended on the reliability of their equipment. Speaking of the detonator, Voloshin noted that people who disarmed the device (Tkachenko and his bomb squad) claimed that the detonator attached to the sacks was not a dummy and had been prepared on a professional level. The police warrant officer who answered the original call and discovered the bomb insisted that there were no doubts it was a combat situation.