title: Americo-Liberian people

text: As founders of the nation, and taking up about five percent of the Liberian population, upper-class Americo-Liberians had a leading role national politics from the founding of the colony. Following the Liberian Declaration of Independence in 1847, Americo-Liberians controlled much of Liberia's political and social institutions. Liberia was initially dominated by two political parties that were supported by Americo-Liberians, the Republican Party and the True Whig Party (TWP). After TWP candidate Anthony W. Gardiner was elected president in 1878, the TWP went on to govern Liberia for over a century, cementing Americo-Liberian political dominance. While opposition parties were never made illegal and Liberia was not classed as a dictatorship, the TWP more or less ran the country as a one party state and held a monopoly on Liberian politics. Liberian presidents from that date onwards were either of full or partial Americo-Liberian origin.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: During his rule, Americo-Liberian president William Tubman was widely regarded as the father of modern Liberia. The Tubman administration embarked on a mass modernization program, including improving literacy among the population, updating the nation's infrastructure, courting close relationships with the United States and attracting foreign investment to stimulate the economy. As a result, Liberia experienced a period of rapid development and economic prosperity in the 1960s. Tubman also fought for more constitutional rights for indigenous Liberians although disparity still remained.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: After coming to power, TWP Americo-Liberian president William Tolbert sought to introduce some liberal reforms including addressing imbalances between Americo-Liberians and the indigenous peoples by bringing more native figures into the government. However, these reforms proved unpopular among some of the Americo-Liberian population (including members of his cabinet) who felt Tolbert was undermining their position and accused him of "letting the peasants into the kitchen" while native Liberians felt the changes were happening too slowly. In 1980, native Liberian Samuel Doe led the 1980 Liberian coup d'état in which Tolbert was assassinated and Americo-Liberian political dominance came to an end.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: There is a debate among academics about how upper-class Americo-Liberians were able exert a political power and influence greater than their population. Some academics attribute the influence of the Americo-Liberians to the consolidation of economic and social interests across the various facets of Americo-Liberian society despite the fact that some initial divisions in early Americo-Liberian society were based on state of origin in the United States, educational levels, socio-economic class, free or freedmen status, and perhaps "colorism", particularly because the first president was of mixed race, as were numerous immigrants, reflecting the nature of African-American society in the Upper South.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: However, some scholars argue against the importance of colorism in early Americo-Liberian society and have noted, that during the early Republic, the Americo-Liberian political leaders had an array of skin colors and tones from very dark skin to light skinned phenotypes reflecting African-European admixture, indicating that the theory on the importance of colorism in Americo-Liberian society is unlikely to be accurate.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: It is more likely that upper-class Americo-Liberians built their power on their familiarity with American culture and economics, shared lineage, and ability to create a network of shared interests. Others believe their extensive political influence was in part due to the Masonic Order of Liberia, a fraternal organization. A marble Masonic Lodge was built in 1867 as one of Monrovia's most impressive buildings. It was considered a bastion of Americo-Liberian power, and was strong enough to survive the civil war. After years of neglect after the war the Masonic order has repaired the lodge.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: In 1980, a violent military coup was led by Samuel Doe. Doe's tenure as leader of Liberia led to a period of civil wars, resulting in destruction of the country's economy. In the early 21st century, Liberia has been reduced to one of the most impoverished nations in the world, in which most of the population lives below the international poverty line.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: Americo-Liberian culture is a blend of the African-American and Caribbean culture brought to Liberia by the various American, Recaptive, and West Indian settlers and is exhibited by the cuisine, language, and architectural style of the Americo-Liberians.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: The Americo-Liberians introduced various aspects of African-American culture in Liberia including Liberian Settler English and a unique form of antebellum architecture. Furthermore, Americo-Liberians contributed to the culinary cuisine of the region by introducing American baking techniques.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: Americo-Liberian weddings follow the traditional African-American or Afro-Caribbean style weddings in which the bridegroom appears in a lounge suit and the bride in a white wedding dress.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: Many upper class and influential Americo-Liberians belonged to the Masonic Order of Liberia which was established in 1867 and based in the Grand Masonic Temple in Monrovia. Being a Mason was a veritable prerequisite for positions of political leadership in the True Whig Party. Following the 1980 Liberian coup, Samuel Doe outlawed Freemasonry before lifting the ban in 1987. The Masonic Temple was damaged during the First Liberian Civil War and remained unoccupied before being restored.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: The Americo-Liberians arrived with varying degrees of formal and informal education. Americo-Liberians established schools and also established the University of Liberia, formerly Liberia College, in addition to other higher learning institutions such as Cuttington College.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: The Americo-Liberians were among the first sub-Saharan Africans to qualify as medical doctors and lawyers in the United States and prominent Americo-Liberian pioneers include Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller, a distinguished Harvard-educated Liberian psychiatrist and physician.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: Several Americo-Liberians worked as teachers and taught both Americo-Liberian and Liberians from other ethnic groups. Americo-Liberians made a concerted effort to educate Liberians from other ethnic groups, including through the use of the ward system.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: The Americo-Liberians are predominantly Protestant Christians and mainly belong to the Baptist, Methodist denominations although some Americo-Liberians are Episcopalians and perhaps a smaller minority adhere to the Catholic faith. Americo-Liberians introduced Protestant Christianity on a wider scale in the modern-day region of Liberia. Several Americo-Liberians served as missionaries to other ethnic groups in Liberia and were among the first Baptist, Methodist, and Episcopal missionaries of black African descent in Liberia.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: Americo-Liberian cuisine includes a variety of dishes and is a blend of African-American, Afro-Caribbean and local indigenous Liberian rice and foofoo dishes. Americo-Liberians introduced traditional African-American baking techniques into the modern-day nation of Liberia. Liberia remains unique for its baking traditions that are derived from the African-American immigrants to Liberia. Traditional Americo-Liberian cuisine includes African-American soul food such as cornbread, fried chicken, collard greens but also incorporated local African traditional dishes such as palm butter soup and rice.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: Present-day Americo-Liberians, similar to other Liberians, wear both African and Western-style dress. Ethnic groups in Liberia had been accustomed to seeing European dress prior to the arrival of the Americo-Liberians, as a consequence of extensive trade with Europeans dating to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: However, the ethnic groups who inhabited Liberia did not customarily wear Western-style dress, and it was the Americo-Liberians who popularized Western-style dress including the top hat, tailcoat, lounge suit and frock coat. Americo-Liberian women between the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries wore elaborate Victorian and Edwardian style American dresses that were fashionable among both the African-American and white American communities in the southern United States. Americo-Liberian men wore top hats, frock coats, and lounge suits in addition to spats.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: Although Americo-Liberians would continue to wear elaborate style dress for special occasions such as weddings, parades, and the inauguration of presidents, they adapted their styles of dress to incorporate newer Western-style fashion and elaborate African-style dresses between the early to late twentieth centuries. In the modern era, although pioneered by the Americo-Liberians, Liberians, irrespective of ethnicity, wear both African and Western-style dress.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: Americo-Liberians speak Liberian English and its varieties such as Merico and Liberian Settler English, all of which have been influenced by African-American Vernacular English, Gullah, and Barbadian Creole. The Americo-Liberians introduced a form of African-American Vernacular English that influenced the existing pidgin English or patois that existed in the region of Liberia from the precolonial era. This form, called Standard Liberian English or Liberian Settler English, continues to be spoken by descendants of the original settlers today.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: Americo-Liberian architecture in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was a unique fusion of antebellum architecture from the United States blended into the African environment of Liberia. Americo-Liberian houses were a variation of different architectural styles from the American South and were built of weather-board or stone frame and had both verandahs.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: Wealthier Americo-Liberians incorporated antebellum southern architecture that included neoclassical and the neo-Greco-Roman architecture of the antebellum southern plantation great houses into the houses that they built in Liberia. Antebellum southern architecture incorporated Georgian, Neoclassical, and Greek Revival styles that are also reflected in Americo-Liberian architecture of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: Following the 1980 Liberian coup d'état, the First Liberian Civil War and the Second Liberian Civil War, thousands of Americo-Liberians left the country while others were killed in the conflicts. The 1980 coup brought an end to the dominant political position that Americo-Liberians had held on Liberian society and resulted in influential Americo-Liberian individuals and families leaving the country through either being forced or voluntarily going into exile abroad. The higher socio-economic status of Americo-Liberians also enabled them to emigrate from the country more easily compared to other ethnic groups during times of conflict. In 1991, American President George H. W. Bush granted Liberians immigration protection in 1991 under “temporary protected status" during the first civil war. Americo-Liberians have settled predominantly in the United States in places such as Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, as well as in smaller numbers in Canada and the United Kingdom. Some of the children of Americo-Liberian immigrants to the United States are known to identify themselves as African-American as opposed to Liberian and have adopted American accents and culture. Although the Americo-Liberian diaspora is extensive in the United States, there remains communities of Americo-Liberians in the larger Liberian cities and towns such as Monrovia, Crozerville, and Careysburg. In 2009, it was estimated that a population of 150,000 Americo-Liberians existed within the total Liberian population of 3.5 million people.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: While globalization has carried African-American culture around the world, Americo-Liberians reproduced their own cultural American continuity in Liberia. Its name means "land of the free", and it is considered the most American of African countries in terms of its political institutions.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: The Liberian constitution, structure of government, and flag resemble those of the United States. The former residences of Americo-Liberian families were built in the style of antebellum plantation homes they may have admired in the American South. Their language continued to carry elements of African-American Vernacular English. By many accounts, Liberians easily integrate into African-American communities. Liberian immigrants to the United States have the highest passport acceptance rates and the longest extension rates of any citizens of African nations.


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: Although many of the upper-class Americo-Liberians left the country or were killed during the civil wars, and their houses and monuments crumbling, ordinary Liberians look to the United States for aid. In 2007, BET founder Robert Johnson called for "African Americans to support Liberia like Jewish Americans support Israel".


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: The Americo-Liberian or Congau ethnic group has produced several notable politicians, businessman, and professionals including:


title: Americo-Liberian people

text: Americo-Liberians formed a cultural elite in Liberia. The following presidents of Liberia were born in the United States:


title: A Regular Epic Final Battle

text: "A Regular Epic Final Battle" is the series finale of "Regular Show". It aired on Cartoon Network on January 16, 2017. All parts are 11 minutes long.


title: A Regular Epic Final Battle

text: The series revolves around the daily lives of two 23-year-old friends, Mordecai (a blue jay), and Rigby (a raccoon). They work as groundskeepers at a park, and spend their days trying to slack off and entertain themselves by any means. This is much to the chagrin of their boss Benson (a gumball machine) and their coworker Skips (a yeti), but to the delight of park manager Pops (a man with a lollipop-shaped head). Their other coworkers, Muscle Man (an overweight green man) and Hi-Five Ghost (a ghost with a hand extending from the top of his head) serve as their rivals.


title: A Regular Epic Final Battle

text: 1.33 million viewers watched Part 1 and 1.37 million viewers watched Parts 2 and 3, making it the most viewed episode of the eighth season.


title: A Regular Epic Final Battle

text: Pops has a nightmare about his upcoming fight with his brother Anti-Pops and Mordecai and Rigby comfort him. A short time later, the park crew arrives at Lolliland. They meet a group of Lolliland natives: Frivola-Kranus, Quadravi-Kranus, and Weird Mushroom Guy. The natives explain that Pops is the perfect creation of their planet called Mega-Kranus and Anti-Pops was created as his opposite to maintain balance in the universe called Malum-Kranus, respectively. The natives show the park crew ancient tapestries of the previous battles between Pops and Anti-Pops, which detail prior incarnations of the park crew fighting alongside Pops. Knowing that all of the prior battles have ended in a stalemate (resulting in the universe resetting), Mordecai comes up with setting traps for Anti-Pops to give Pops an upper hand, which he didn't have in previous battles. Pops reluctantly agrees to do so. After Anti-Pops and his bounty hunters arrive in an Uber-like taxi following the destruction of most of the former's ship, Pops tries to convince him not to fight because they are brothers. Anti-Pops refuses and attacks Pops but is caught in the traps laid by the park crew. The victory is short-lived, however, as Anti-Pops quickly escapes the traps.


title: A Regular Epic Final Battle

text: To ensure his friends' survival, Pops makes a deal with Anti-Pops: whoever lands the first blow in battle gets to decide the fate of the universe. Pops successfully injures Anti-Pops, but Anti-Pops breaks the agreement and continues the fight. Steaming, who still has his sights on destroying the Disc Masters, suddenly arrives with his Stream Box Bot minions and aids Anti-Pops in the battle. Meanwhile, the park crew, HD DVD, Blu-ray, the Baby Ducks, Toothpick Sally, Recap Robot, Chance Sureshot (whose prior "death" in "Space Escape" is revealed to be that of a clone), the Guardians of Eternal Youth, Gary, Carter and Briggs, Death, Party Horse 42699, and the Guardian of Lolliland (who is supposed to remain neutral) fight against Anti-Pops's minions, Streaming, and the Stream Box Bots (who merge with their master to power him up) and manage to defeat them. However, Anti-Pops assumes his titan form and begins erasing Lolliland. The erasing of Muscle Man and Hi Five Ghost causes Pops to assume his titan form as well. Anti-Pops proceeds to erase the rest of Pops' allies and friends except Mordecai and Rigby, and kick his brother into a portal. Mordecai and Rigby realize that the only way to stop time from resetting is to get in between them while they are about to punch each other. As the two brothers' punches collide (with Mordecai and Rigby between their knuckles), it obliterates the entire universe and resets time.


title: A Regular Epic Final Battle

text: Part 3 begins precisely like the first episode of Season 1, "The Power," seemingly "resetting" time back to the series' beginning. However, Rigby quickly remembers the events of the prior episodes and the rest of the series. However, Mordecai does not remember, so Rigby shows him the stash of buried Blu-rays (from the previous episode "Cheer Up Pops"), which triggers his memories of the series' events after touching it. Realizing that time didn't correctly reset, they use the Power to take them to the future and back to the battle between Pops and Anti-Pops. Anti-Pops attacks them, destroying the Power in the process. As Pops continues to fight, it becomes clear that fighting Anti-Pops will inevitably lead to another stalemate, which he realizes through flashbacks to the first two parts of the episode and "Kill 'Em with Kindness." Pops grabs Anti-Pops and flies toward the sun, telepathically comforting Mordecai and Rigby. Anti-Pops reconciles with his brother, and the two are finally at peace before they fly into the sun. With the resetting cycle broken, the effects of Anti-Pops' erasing are reversed, and the erased workers and allies are revived. After three years in space, the park workers fly back to Earth, where they reunite with their friends and families and are welcomed as heroes.


title: A Regular Epic Final Battle

text: The park workers and Mr. Maellard erect a memorial statue in honor of Pops and mourn him. After six years of working at the park, Mordecai and Rigby quit their jobs and move on with their lives. Mordecai becomes a successful artist, marries a bat named Stef, and has three children with her. Rigby marries Eileen and has two daughters with her. Muscle Man and Starla move into a better trailer in the park and have many children, who adopt many of his mannerisms (like taking off their shirts and yelling). High-Five Ghost and his girlfriend, Celia, become party DJs touring in Prague and later have a son. Benson, who has now become the park owner after Mr. Maellard passes away, reunites with and marries his girlfriend Pam (who becomes co-manager alongside her husband) and the two adopt five cats along with Applesauce, Benson's pig. Skips continues happily working in the park but ditches his trademark jeans for jean shorts. At their 25th anniversary reunion, the park crew raises a statue of Mr. Maellard next to the one of Pops and take a picture in front of it with their families. As the reunion party commences, Mordecai and Rigby (now 54-years-old) reminisce on Pops' sacrifice and how none of them would have been able to lead such beautiful lives without him. They decide to play some old arcade games in the shed before saying their catchphrases one last time and laughing at how immature they used to be. This episode ends with the revelation that Pops is watching his friends in what seems to be an afterlife (presumably Heaven) on a VHS tape labeled "Regular Show." He ejects the video and says, for the final time, "Jolly good show", ending the episode and the series.


title: A Regular Epic Final Battle

text: The episode premiered on Cartoon Network on January 16, 2017, at 6:00pm ET/PT. It was viewed by 1.33 million viewers in part one and 1.37 million viewers each in parts two and three, making it the most-watched episode of the eighth season.


title: A Regular Epic Final Battle

text: Eric Thurm of the "AV Club" praised the finale, stating that the finale was "a fight that cyclically bookends the destruction and rebirth of the Regular Show universe. Thurm also praised the finale for the future lives of the characters who have their own brief sendoff, and describes Regular Show itself as two things: "a frequently surreal, borderline adult show on a network primarily for children", and "a product of ’80s nostalgia that preceded a boom in similar, less inventive shows, and found much of what was fun in that era’s pop culture."


title: A Regular Epic Final Battle

text: Lorinda Marrian of "Screenrant" places all three parts of the finale at the top of the "15 Best Episodes Of Regular Show, According To IMDb", claiming that the first part was the perfect start to the finale and that the last part, in his own words, "was an action-packed and heartfelt sendoff to one of Cartoon Network's best shows."


title: A Regular Epic Final Battle

text: During the fight scene between Pops and Anti-Pops towards the end of the second part, lots of fourth wall breaks start happening, one of which being Pops interacting with himself from the Regular Show pilot short "The Naive Man from Lolliland."


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Mary Shelley's 1818 novel "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus", and the famous character of Frankenstein's monster, have influenced popular culture for at least a century. The work has inspired numerous films, television programs, video games and derivative works. The character of the monster remains one of the most recognized icons in horror fiction.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The first film adaptation of the tale, "Frankenstein", was made by Edison Studios in 1910, written and directed by J. Searle Dawley, with Augustus Phillips as Frankenstein, Mary Fuerte as Elizabeth, and Charles Ogle as the Monster. The brief (16 min.) story has Frankenstein chemically create the creature in a vat. The creature has encounters with the scientist until Frankenstein's wedding night, when true love causes the creature to vanish. For many years, this film was believed lost. A collector announced in 1980 that he had acquired a print in the 1950s and had been unaware of its rarity.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The Edison version was followed soon after by another adaptation entitled "Life Without Soul" (1915), directed by Joseph W. Smiley, starring William A. Cohill as Dr. William Frawley, a modern-day Frankenstein who creates a soulless man, played to much critical praise by Percy Standing, who wore little make-up in the role. The film was shot at various locations around the United States, and reputedly featured much spectacle. In the end, it turns out that a young man has dreamed the events of the film after falling asleep reading Mary Shelley's novel. This film is now considered a lost film.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: There was also at least one European film version, the Italian "The Monster of Frankenstein" ("Il Mostro di Frankenstein") in 1921. The film's producer, Luciano Albertini, essayed the role of Frankenstein, with the creature being played by Umberto Guarracino, and Eugenio Testa directing from a screenplay by Giovanni Drivetti. The film is also now considered lost.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The first sound adaptation of the story, "Frankenstein" (1931), was produced by Universal Pictures, directed by James Whale, and starred Boris Karloff as the creature. The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Its sequel, "The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935) was also directed by Whale with Karloff as the creature. It was followed by "Son of Frankenstein" (1939), the last of the three films with Boris Karloff as the creature. "The Ghost of Frankenstein" (1942) marked the Universal series' descent into B movie territory; later efforts by the studio combined two or more monsters, culminating in the comedy "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein". The later Universal films in which the Monster appears (and the actors who played him) are:


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: For the reboot film, Guillermo del Toro said his "Frankenstein" would be a faithful "Miltonian tragedy", citing Frank Darabont's "near perfect" script, which evolved into Kenneth Branagh's "Frankenstein". Del Toro said of his vision, "What I'm trying to do is take the myth and do something with it, but combining elements of "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein" without making it just a classical myth of the monster. The best moments in my mind of "Frankenstein", of the novel, are yet to be filmed ... The only guy that has ever nailed for me the emptiness, not the tragic, not the Miltonian dimension of the monster, but the emptiness is Christopher Lee in the Hammer films, where he really looks like something obscenely alive. Boris Karloff has the tragedy element nailed down but there are so many versions, including that great screenplay by Frank Darabont that was ultimately not really filmed." He has also cited Bernie Wrightson's illustrations as inspiration, and said the film will not focus on the monster's creation, but be an adventure film featuring the character. Del Toro said he would like Wrightson to design his version of the creature. The film will also focus on the religious aspects of Shelley's tale. In June 2009, del Toro stated that production on "Frankenstein" was not likely to begin for at least four years. Despite this, he has already cast frequent collaborator Doug Jones in the role of Frankenstein's monster. In an interview with Sci Fi Wire, Jones stated that he learned of the news the same day as everybody else; that "Guillermo did say to the press that he's already cast me as his monster, but we’ve yet to talk about it. But in his mind, if that's what he's decided, then it's done ... It would be a dream come true." The film will be a period piece. It is unclear what stage of development this film is in.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Universal Studios has since begun development of their own cinematic universe featuring their classic monsters. "Variety" reported that Academy Award-winner Javier Bardem was in negotiations to star as the Frankenstein Monster.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In Great Britain, a long-running series by Hammer Films focused on the character of Dr Frankenstein (usually played by Peter Cushing) rather than his monster. Peter Cushing played Dr Frankenstein in all of the films except for "The Horror of Frankenstein", in which the character was played by Ralph Bates. Cushing also played a creation in "The Revenge of Frankenstein". David Prowse played two different Creatures.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The Hammer films are a series in the loosest sense since there is only tenuous continuity between the films after the first two (which are, by contrast, carefully connected). Starting with "The Evil of Frankenstein", the films are standalone stories with occasional vague references to previous films, much the way the James Bond films form a series. In some of the films, the Baron is a kindly, even heroic figure, while in others he is ruthless, cruel and clearly the villain of the piece.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In 1959, Hammer shot a half-hour pilot episode for a TV series to be called "Tales of Frankenstein", in association with Columbia Pictures. Anton Diffring played the Baron, and Don Megowan his creation. Curt Siodmak directed. The series was scrapped, largely because of the two companies' disagreement over what the basic thrust of the series would be: Hammer wanted to do a series about Baron Frankenstein involved in various misadventures, while Columbia wanted a series of science fiction stories loosely based around the idea of science gone wrong. Though unreleased at the time of its production, the episode is available on DVD from several public domain sources.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Depictions of the Monster have varied widely, from a savage, mindless brute to the depiction of the Monster as a kind of tragic hero (closest to the Shelley version in behavior) in "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein", "The Bride", and "Van Helsing". Throughout the Universal series, he evolves from the latter to the former.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Three films have depicted the genesis of the "Frankenstein" story in 1816: "Gothic" directed by Ken Russell (1986), "Haunted Summer" directed by Ivan Passer (1988), and "Remando al viento" (English title: "Rowing with the Wind") directed by Gonzalo Suárez (1988). The opening scene of "Bride of Frankenstein" also dealt with this event.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The story of "Frankenstein" and "Frankenstein's monster", has formed the basis of many original novels over the years, some of which were considered sequels to Shelley's original work, and some of which were based more upon the character as portrayed in the Universal films. Yet others were completely new tales inspired by "Frankenstein".


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The Monster has also been the subject of many comic book adaptations, ranging from the ridiculous (a 1960s series portraying The Monster as a superhero; see below), to more straightforward interpretations of Shelley's work.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In 1940, cartoonist Dick Briefer wrote and drew a Frankenstein's-monster comic book title for Crestwood Publications's "Prize Comics", beginning with a standard horrific version, updated to contemporary America, but then in 1945 crafting an acclaimed and well-remembered comedic version that spun off into his own title, "Frankenstein Comics". The series ended with issue #17 (Jan.-Feb. 1949, but was revived as a horror title from #18-33 (March 1952 - Oct.-Nov. 1954). The original Prize version served as catalyst for an intra-company crossover, where all characters starring in Prize Comics at the time teamed up to fight Frankenstein.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: DC Comics' "Movie Comics" #1 (April 1939) featured an eight-page fumetti adaptation of the film "Son of Frankenstein".


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The Monster appeared in "Superman" No. 143 (February 1961), in a story entitled "Bizarro Meets Frankenstein!"


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In 1973 the "Spawn of Frankenstein" appeared in the Phantom Stranger comic, written by Len Wein. The portrayal of the monster was as a reclusive, sympathetic character who had been living alone in the Arctic since the death of his creator.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: A 1995 Batman special called "" by Jack C. Harris and Bo Hampton amalgamates Batman and Frankenstein. Bruce Wayne fills the role of Victor Frankenstein, wishing to revive his deceased father. Having successfully done so, his creation becomes the monstrous "Bat-Man", a hulking figure in a rough analogue of the Batman costume who preys upon highwaymen, similar to the one who took the lives of the (this story's) parents of Bruce Wayne. Batman's butler Alfred Pennyworth is changed to a hunchbacked dwarf named Alfredo, filling the "Igor" role.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In "The Superman Monster" (1999), Lex Luthor is Viktor Luther, the creator. He discovers the spacecraft that would have carried the infant Superman to Earth. Inside, however, is only the skeleton of a child. Using the Kryptonian technology, he is able to animate his (unintentionally) super-powered creature, which initially resembles Bizarro. The creature flees and is raised by the kindly couple Johann and Marta Kant. They name the creature Klaus, after their dead son. The story features the Lois Lane character becoming "the Bride" to Superman's Creature.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: DC Comics and Roy Thomas revived the character "The Spawn of Frankenstein" in "Young All-Stars"; he then appeared in Grant Morrison's "Seven Soldiers of Victory". Here, Frankenstein is a Milton-quoting, gun-toting warrior battling to prevent the end of the world. In addition, DC's team of movie monster-esque soldiers known as the Creature Commandos featured a character that resembled the Universal Pictures version of Frankenstein's monster; Private Elliot "Lucky" Taylor was nearly killed after stepping on a land mine, but was grotesquely reconstructed into a "Patchwork Creature" (as designated by the "Who's Who in the DC Universe" entry on the Creature Commandos), and later rendered mute by a suicide attempt. Later, DC Comics debuted an unrelated superhero (and member of the Teen Titans) called "Young Frankenstein."


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In Warren Ellis and John Cassaday's "Planetary", the protagonist, Elijah Snow, discovers an abandoned laboratory, filled with patchwork undead monsters. It is heavily implied that the lab belonged to Victor Frankenstein, and that, alongside Count Dracula, the Invisible Man, and Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein had been part of a covert, 19th century conspiracy to shape the direction of the future.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In the comic book "Major Bummer", Louie defends the common misnaming of the monster as "Frankenstein": Dr. Frankenstein is, so to speak, the monster's "father", and it is only right that a son should have his father's family name. This is also the argument taken by the Seven Soldiers incarnation.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In September 2011, "The New 52" rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, the Seven Soldiers' version of the character is re-established in the ongoing series "Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.".


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The monster appeared as a foe to Marvel Comics' X-Men in issue #40 of their eponymous series (January 1968). In the story, written by Roy Thomas, the monster had various powers, including incredible strength, optic beams, and magnetized feet. He was an ambassador sent to Earth by aliens in the 1850s, but upon arrival, he went berserk. His fellow aliens followed him to the North Pole, where he was frozen. In the present, he was discovered by scientists and thawed. According to Professor X, this android was the inspiration for Shelley's novel.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: "The Monster of Frankenstein", the first five issues of which (Jan.-September 1973) contained a faithful (in spirit at least) retelling of Shelley's tale before transferring the Monster into the present day and pitting him against James Bond-inspired evil organizations. The artist, Mike Ploog, recalled, "I really enjoyed doing "Frankenstein" because I related to that naive monster wandering around a world he had no knowledge of — an outsider seeing everything through the eyes of a child."


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In "Invaders" #31, the Invaders, searching for the Human Torch and Toro, disappear in Switzerland. The Invaders’ investigation brings them face to fist with Frankenstein. A wheelchair-bound Nazi scientist and Japanese doctor plan to transplant said Nazi scientist's brain into Captain America's body. The Invaders have to fight Frankenstein in the issue (Frankenstein is dressed as a Nazi officer)


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: "Classic Comics" #27 (December 1945), reprinted in "Classics Illustrated" #26, had versions of the Shelley novel.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Dell Comics published a superhero version of the character in the comic book series "Frankenstein" #2-4 (September 1966 - March 1967; issue #1, published Oct. 1964, featured a very loose adaptation/update of the 1931 Universal Pictures movie).


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In 1972, French comics publisher Aredit devoted seven issues of its digest-sized "Hallucinations" horror comic magazine to adapt Jean-Claude Carrière's "Frankenstein" novels.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The Monster is "Monster in My Pocket" #13. He appears among the good monsters in the comic book (1991), the video game (1991), the animated special (1992), and the 2003 animated series. In the comics, he was relatively inarticulate, represented by hyphens between each syllable he spoke, but possessed of simple wisdom and strong morals. This characterization was essentially characterized in the video game, where he was a playable character, and his only line of dialogue in the cut scenes was "Yeah..." In the animated special, he was known as "Big Ed" and was essentially a comic simpleton.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Junji Ito serialized a manga adaptation of the novel, which was collected and published by Asahi Sonorama as the last tankōbon volume of "The Junji Ito Horror Comic Collection" in 1999.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In 2001, Curtis Jobling released a picture book titled "Frankenstein's Cat", which focused on Frankenstein's first creation; a cat named Nine (due to being made up of nine different cats). A television adaption aired in 2008 on CBBC.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: 2004 saw the debut of "Doc Frankenstein", written by the Wachowskis, the writer-director team of "The Matrix"), and drawn by Steve Skroce. The book tells the continuing adventures of Frankenstein's monster, who has since adopted his creator's name and became a hero through the ages.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In 2004, manga artist Atsushi Ōkubo produced the manga "Soul Eater"; in the fifth chapter a character known as Franken Stein made his debut, much of his design was referenced from the novel "Frankenstein" including his body being covered in dozens of self-inflicted stitches. Like his namesake Franken Stein is both a skilled doctor and scientist, actually accomplishing in resurrecting another character into a zombie. But otherwise the rest of Victor Frankenstein's character was mostly tossed aside (the character was obsessed with taking things apart, usually with scalpels, and he was also a skilled fighter, especially in hand-to-hand combat). the major difference between Franken Stein and Mary Shelley's Victor Frankenstein is the fact that Franken Stein has the classic personality of a psychopath or serial killer.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In 2005, Dead Dog Comics produced a sequel to the Frankenstein mythos with "Frankenstein: Monster Mayhem", written by R. D. Hall with art by Jerry Beck. In Dead Dog's version, the monster sets out to create his own Necropolis.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Also in 2005, Speakeasy Comics put out their sequel, "The Living and the Dead", written by Todd Livingston and Robert Tinnell, with art by Micah Farritor. In it, Victor, now calling himself Hans, must create a new body for his first cousin who wants her syphilitic son to remain alive after a vicious beating, and she coerces him to do so under fear of exposing him for who he really is. Half-crazed due to the disease, the newly born monster proceeds to start a Grand Guignol theater in Ingolstadt until Victor puts him down with the help of the first monster he ever created. As thanks, Victor begins work on the last attempt he will make at playing God, and begins to build the original creature a mate.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In 2005, Puffin Books released a graphic novel adaptation adapted by Gary Reed with art from Frazer Irving.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The 2006 Beckett Entertainment/Image comics graphic novel "The Cobbler's Monster: A Tale of Gepetto's Frankenstein" features an amalgamation between Gepetto and Victor Frankenstein, who reanimates his dead son.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In 2006, Eros Comix published "Adult Frankenstein", a comic book with Frankenstein X-rated stories (featuring also other classic monsters) all written by Enrico Teodorani (creator of Djustine), with cover by Joe Vigil and interior art by some of the best Italian authors in the erotic comics field.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Also in 2006, Big Bang Comics published an issue of "Big Bang Presents" featuring a superhero incarnation of the Monster called Super Frankenstein.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Manga artist Mitsukazu Mihara published a collection of six short stories entitled "Beautiful People" on October 20, 2001. The main story, also titled "Beautiful People", follows a woman who had plastic surgery done hoping to become beautiful and loved, but after she meets a young girl stitched together from corpses, she realizes that girl was the truly beautiful one because of the love that she gave.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The 2007 manga series "Embalming-The Another Tale of Frankenstein-", published by Shueisha, is based on the idea that Victor Frankenstein actually existed and created an artificial human from bodyparts of dead people and that 150 years after this event, numerous doctors across Europe are using what is left of his notes to try and create their own monsters. The series also features characters reading "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus".


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In 2009 Papercutz published a "Classics Illustrated" Deluxe Graphic Novel adaptation of "Frankenstein" by French cartoonist Marion Mousse. His adaptation was originally published in French in three volumes, and was all collected and translated into English for the Papercutz version. Of all the comic book adaptations, this one is probably the most faithful to the original book.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Frankenstein's monster appears in the Konami video game series "Castlevania" numerous times, with its name being "The Monster" or "The Creature", often as a major boss, but sometimes as a regular enemy. The monster usually has the appearance of the Karloff/Universal version; however, the 2010 series reboot "" features a completely different-looking boss known as the "Mechanical Monstrosity", created some time prior to 1047 by "Friedrich von Frankenstein".


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Several other video game version are also available, including "Bride of Frankenstein" (Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum), " - A Cinematic Adventure Starring Tim Curry" (PC CD-ROM) and "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein", (Super NES, Genesis, Sega CD) based on the 1994 film of the same name. Other games featuring the monster include "" for the original Nintendo Entertainment System and "Frankenstein's Monster" for the Atari 2600.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In the 1995 Super NES game "", Kong's archenemy, King K. Rool, assumes the persona of Baron K. Roolenstein.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: A Frankenstein-like monster called Victor von Gerdenheim is a playable character in the fighting game series "Darkstalkers", along with many other monsters from popular culture.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Frankenstein's monster also appears in the video game adaptation of the film "Van Helsing". He only appears as a non-playable character.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The role-playing game "" by White Wolf Publishing, focuses on beings created from human remains and animated by "the Divine Fire" who seek to attain humanity. One of the "Lineages" (groupings) of said creatures is that of the Frankensteins, who, like their namesake, are crafted from the best parts of multiple corpses and brought to life by lightning. The monster himself, going by the name John Verney, appears in some of the book's fiction and illustrations.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In 1989, the line of action figures for "The Real Ghostbusters" featured figures of several Universal Monsters, including Frankenstein's Monster.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In 2002, LEGO released a Dr. Frankenstein and monster set as part of the LEGO Studios toy line. In 2011, a new green skinned "Minifigure" called "Monster" resembles the creature.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The 2008 video game "Fable II" contains a quest in which a man named Victor is attempting to reanimate the body of a deceased woman, both homages to the book. Upon completion of the quest, if the player buys the house, it unlocks an area known as "The Shelley Tomb", a reference to the author of the novel.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In the 2009 Wii game "MadWorld", Frankenstein's monster appears as a boss battle at the base of a dungeon, and is simply called "Frank" with bolts in his back, rather than his neck as common stereotypes depict. He is also shown as being regenerative when connected to an electric chair, and his size well exceeds the usually large 7'0" to go as much as 20'0".


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In Atlus' popular "" series, the residents of the "Velvet Room", a supernatural room that is "Between mind and matter", are named after characters from the Frankenstein series, namely Igor, Elizabeth, Margaret, Theodore, Marie, Lavenza, Caroline, and Justine.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In 2019, Plaid Hat Games released "Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein", a board game sequel to Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus", taking place 20 years after the events of the novel. In "Abomination", the Creature lives and recruits scientists in Paris (the role of the players) to carry on the work of Victor Frankenstein, while Captain Walton seeks to stop the competition and fulfill his vow.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Also in 2019, Steel Wool Studios released "Curse of Dreadbear", a Hallowe'en-themed downloadable content pack to their virtual reality game "". The eponymous Dreadbear is a Frankenstein version of series mascot Freddy Fazbear, and was initially named "Franken Freddy" during "Curse of Dreadbear"'s development. Dreadbear is included in merchandise and cameos in "" on cardboard cutouts.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Frankenstein's Monster appears in the horror fighting game "Terrordrome 2: Reign of the Legends". This version of the Monster considers himself the legitimate son of Victor Frankenstein, explaining why the game calls him 'Frankenstein' instead of 'Frankenstein's Monster'.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The creature of Dr. Frankenstein appears as the main character in the 2019 video game 'The Wanderer: Frankenstein's Creature' (Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS/Android). The game was co-produced by La Belle Games and Arte and is a point-and-click narrative adventure which features a story based more closely on Mary Shelley's novel than a number of modern popular culture references to Frankenstein.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The popular Fashion-Doll line Monster High (The concept of the line being, children of famous monsters attending a high school) has a character called "Frankie Stein" who's the daughter of Frankenstein's monster and his bride.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In the 1920s, carbon monoxide was regarded as the "Frankenstein" of civilization in the context of humankinds industrial production of the gas and widespread problems with carbon monoxide poisoning leading to the notion of carbon monoxide as "the automaton that turns on its maker, pursues him to the ends of the earth and finally destroys him”.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: "Frankensteining" is a term used by abusers of crystal methamphetamine to calm themselves by diassembling and reassembling objects. The term is used in that subculture and is recently gaining wider currency: it has been used in an episode of "" and has four different definitions in Urban Dictionary, all with the same meaning of assembling parts from diverse sources.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: "Frankenstein" or "Franken-" is sometimes used as a prefix to imply artificial monstrosity as in "frankenfood", a politically charged name, coined by the American academic Paul Lewis, for genetically manipulated foodstuffs. The "Franken-" prefix can also mean anything assembled haphazardly from originally disparate elements, especially if those parts were previously discarded by others—for example, a car built from parts salvaged from many other cars. For many years Eddie Van Halen played a guitar built in such a manner which he called the "Frankenstrat".


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In 1971, General Mills introduced "Franken Berry", a strawberry-flavored corn cereal whose mascot is a variation of the monster from the 1931 movie.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: "Frankenstein" is the name of a character in the 1975 movie "Death Race 2000" and its 2008 remake "Death Race". The first incarnation was portrayed by veteran actor David Carradine and the second by Jason Statham.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: George A. Romero's 1985 film "Day of the Dead" features a scientist conducting experiments on zombies nicknamed "Frankenstein".


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The hit song "China in Your Hand" by the British rock band T'Pau employs the story of "Frankenstein", and Mary Shelley's writing of it, in its role as a classic cautionary tale.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In David Brin's science fiction novel "Kiln People", defective golems that become autonomous are called "frankies".


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Mewtwo of the "Pokémon" franchise has been likened to Frankenstein's monster in regards to being born through an artificial means and discontent with the fact.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Stitch, the main protagonist of Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" franchise, was somewhat influenced by the monster, as he was created by a scientist from miscellaneous alien DNA. Unlike Shelley's monster, however, his intentions were initially evil until he discovered an inner loneliness, causing him, and eventually his creator, to turn from crime to justice. Throughout the franchise, Stitch also demonstrates the monster's herculean strength and childlike curiosity.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In season 3 of "" Megatron clones Dinobot, making a Frankenstein's monster out of the clone by transmetallizing him with the Transmetal Driver and adding the half of Rampage's mutant spark he cut out earlier. The result was an extremely mutated Transmetal II minion under the influence of his "half-brother's" evil.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In 2006, the book "The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived" listed Dr. Frankenstein's Monster (sic) at #6.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The California Medical Association, in a rather humorous gesture, chose Halloween 2006 to announce that Dr. Richard Frankenstein had been elected president of the organization. He had previously been president of the Orange County Medical Association in 1995-1996.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Frankenstein is a character in the Korean web-comic manhwa "Noblesse". He, like that of the actual character Frankenstein, is a scientist, but the similarities end there. Through his research he has gained immortality and immense power. He now serves the most powerful of all vampires, the Noblesse.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Pop artist Eric Millikin created a large mosaic portrait of Frankenstein's monster out of Halloween candy and spiders as part of his "Totally Sweet" series in 2013.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The character Professor Franken Stein from "Soul Eater" is a composite of Victor Frankenstein and the monster, covered in stitches with a screw through his head as the result of self-experimentation.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: In "Hellsing", Alexander Anderson is based on Frankenstein's monster, given that his name came from a song that has a reference about Frankenstein's monster, his abilities are similar and he is referred to as God's Monster after using the nail of Helena.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: Frankenstein's Monster appears as the Berserker class Servant of the Black Faction in the "Fate/stay night" spin-off "Fate/Apocrypha". This depiction of the monster is a young female homunculus in a wedding gown.


title: Frankenstein in popular culture

text: The 2015 film "Ex Machina" is a film noir retelling of the Frankenstein story with a 21st-century femme fatale android.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: Traditionally, Islam has had a rich history of the veneration of relics, especially of those attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. There exists historical evidence that some of the earliest Muslims practiced the veneration of relics, and the practice continued to remain popular in many parts of the Sunni Islamic world until the eighteenth-century, when the reform movements of Salafism and Wahhabism began to staunchly condemn such practices due to their linking it with the sin of "shirk" (idolatry). As a result of the influence of these perspectives, some contemporary Muslims influenced by these ideologies have rejected the traditional practice of relic-veneration altogether. The most genuine prophetic relics are believed to be those housed in Istanbul's Topkapı Palace, in a section known as "Hirkai Serif Odasi" (Chamber of the Holy Mantle).


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: The traditional Sunni attitude towards relics is concisely summarized in the words of the fourteenth-century hadith master Al-Dhahabi, who passionately sermonized: "Ahmad ibn Hanbal was asked about touching the Prophet's grave and kissing it and he saw nothing wrong with it. His son 'Abd Allāh related this from him. If it is asked: 'Why did the Prophet's Companions not do this?' We reply: 'Because they saw him with their very eyes when he was alive, enjoyed his presence directly, kissed his very hand, nearly fought each other over the remnants of his ablution water, shared his purified hair on the day of the Greater Pilgrimage, and even if he spat it would virtually not fall except into someone's hand so that he could pass it over his face. Since we have not had the tremendous fortune of sharing this, we throw ourselves on his grave as a mark of commitment, reverence, and acceptance, even to kiss it. Do you not see what Thābit al-Bunānī did when he kissed the hand of Anas ibn Malik and placed it on his face saying: 'This is the hand that touched the hand of the Messenger of God?' Muslims are not moved to these matters except by their extreme love for the Prophet, as they are ordered to love God and the Prophet more than their own lives."


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: The 17th-century French explorer Jean-Baptiste Tavernier wrote about his discussions with two treasurers of Constantinople, who described the standard, mantle and the seal. Two centuries later, Charles White wrote about the mantle, the standard, the beard, tooth, and footprint of Muhammad, the last of which he saw personally.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: The battle standard of Muhammad, known in Turkish as "Sancak-ı Şerif" ("Holy Standard"), was believed to have served as the curtain over the entrance of his wife Aisha's tent. According to another tradition, the standard had been part of the turban of Buraydah ibn al-Khasib, an enemy who was ordered to attack Muhammad, but instead bowed to him, unwound his turban and affixed it to his spear, dedicating it and himself to Muhammad's service.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: Selim I () acquired it after the Ottoman conquest of Egypt, and had it taken to the Grand Mosque of Damascus where it was to be carried during the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Realising its political possibilities, Murad III () had it sent to Hungary as an incentive for his army.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: In 1595, Mehmed III () had it brought to Topkapı Palace, where it was sewn into another standard, alleged to be Umar's and together they were encased in a rosewood box, inlaid with gems including tortoiseshell and mother of pearl. The keys to the box were traditionally held by the Kizlar Agha.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: It became associated with the Ottoman Empire, and was exhibited whenever the Sultan or Grand Vizier appeared before the field army, such as at the 1826 Auspicious Incident and at the outset of Turkey's entrance into World War I.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: Tavernier reported that the Lance was kept outside the Sultan's bedroom in the 17th century, by 1845 White said he saw it resting against a wall near the standard and by 1920 its whereabouts were unknown.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: The Holy Mantle, "Hırka-i Şerif", or "Burda" is an item of clothing that was given as a gift by Muhammad to Ka'b ibn Zuhayr, whose children sold it to Muawiyah I, the founder of the Umayyad dynasty. After the fall of the Umayyads, the Mantle went to Baghdad under the Abbasids, to Cairo under the Mamluks, and finally moved by Selim I to Topkapi Palace in 1595.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: Tavernier described it as a white coat made of goat's hair with large sleeves, or a cream fabric with black wool lines.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: The Grand Seignor having taken it out of the Coffer, kisses it with much respect, and puts it into the hands of the Capi-Aga, who is come into the Room by his Order, after they had taken the Impressions of the Seal. The Officer sends to the Overseer of the Treasury, for a large golden Cauldron, which is brought in thither by some of the Senior-Pages. It is so capacious, according to the description which they gave me of it, as to contain the sixth part of a Tun, and the out-side of it is gamish'd, in some places, with Emeralds, and Turquezes. This Vessel is fill'd with water within six fingers breadth of the brink, and the Capi-Aga, having put Mahomet's Garment into it, and left it to soak a little while, takes it out again, and wrings it hard, to get out the water it has imbib'd, which falls into the Cauldron, taking great care that there falls not any of it to the ground. That done, with the said water he fills a great number of Venice-Chrystl Bottles, containing about half a pint, and when he has stopp'd them, he Seals them with the Grand Seignor's Seal. They afterwards set the Garment a drying, till the twentieth day of the Ratnazan, and then his Highness comes to see them put [it] up again in the Coffer.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: The Sacred seal, or "Mühr-ü Şerif" in Turkish, was reported by Tavernier, who said it was kept in a small ebony box in a niche cut in the wall by the foot of a divan in the relic room at Topkapi.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: The seal itself is encased in crystal, approximately 3"x4", with a border of ivory. It has been used as recently as the 17th century to stamp documents.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: The seal is a rectangular piece of red agate, about 1 cm in length, inscribed with (i.e., "Allah" "God" in the first line, and "Muḥammad rasūl" "Muhammad, messenger" in the second). According to Muslim historiographical tradition, Muhammad's original seal was inherited by Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman, but lost by Uthman in a well in Medina. Uthman is said to have made a replica of the seal, and this seal was supposedly found in the capture of Baghdad (1534) and brought to Istanbul.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: Known in the Ottoman language as the "Sakal-ı Şerif", the beard was said to have been removed from Muhammad's face by his favorite barber in the presence of Abu Bakr, Ali and several others. Individual hairs were later taken away, but the beard itself is kept in a glass case.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: Muhammad lost four teeth at the Battle of Uhud, after being struck with a battle axe. Two of the teeth were supposedly lost, one was preserved at Topkapi, and another was held by Mehmed II.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: The Blessed Sandals, "Nalain Shareef" in Urdu, have traditionally been used to gain the blessings of Muhammad.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: A 1400-year-old bowl used by Muhammad which after his death was kept by his daughter Fatimah and her husband Ali, the fourth Caliph and Muhammad's cousin. After their death, the bowl was kept by their children Hasan and Hussein. The bowl was passed from generation to generation by descendants of Muhammad until it finally reached Britain. On 21 September 2011 the bowl was delivered to Chechnya and now is kept in "Heart of Chechnya" Mosque named after Ahmad Haji Kadyrov in Grozny.


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: Regarding the bowl, Ibn Kathir, the Islamic scholar and commentator on the Qur'an, writes in his book "Wives of the Prophet Muhammad":


title: Relics of Muhammad

text: A number of hadith refer to blessings resulting from physical contact with Muhammad's person, or bodily fluids. Generally in Islam, Muhammad is the only person who people can seek blessings from, whether through his body, what touches his body or bodily fluids. And here are some hadiths that mention only some his blessings:


title: Pape Abou Cissé

text: Pape Abou Cissé (born 14 September 1995) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Greek Super League club Olympiacos and the Senegal national team. He began his career in Senegal with AS Pikine and then played for French Ligue 2 club Ajaccio.


title: Pape Abou Cissé

text: A youth international for Senegal, he is a youth product of AS Pikine. After a trial, Cissé joined Ajaccio in early 2015 as a trainee professional. He made his professional debut in a Ligue 2 draw against Valenciennes in April 2015, playing the entire game. He went on to make 71 appearances in the French second tier.


title: Pape Abou Cissé

text: In 2017, he joined Olympiacos as a pre-contract signing. On 14 October 2017, he scored his first goal with Olympiacos, after an assist from Kostas Fortounis in a 4–3 away win against Panionios. Benfica were reportedly interested in signing the player in the January 2018 transfer window.


title: Pape Abou Cissé

text: Cissé scored an injury-time equaliser for Olympiacos against Panathiniakos in the first derby of the 2018–19 Superleague Greece season. He was included in UEFA's Europa League Breakthrough Team for 2018: the citation described him as having a "towering presence in the Olympiacos back line, allied to deceptive pace and a great awareness [and] also a threat from set pieces." On 12 February 2020, Pape Abou Cisse scored a quick-fire double to quash Lamia’s stubborn challenge and secure Olympiacos’ qualification for the Greek Cup semi-finals, in a thrilling 3–2 home win game. On 27 February 2020, scored with a stooping header from a corner-kick, when French international Mathieu Valbuena curling over a dangerous delivery into the heart of the Arsenal's penalty area in a glorious 2–1 away win in London for the Europa League Round of 32, 2nd leg. He has been included in the UEFA Europa League Team of the Week.


title: Pape Abou Cissé

text: On 30 January 2021, Senegalese international defender Pape Cissé will be loaned by Olympiakos to Saint-Étienne with an option to buy. The former player of AS Pikine has the opportunity to bounce back in a historic French club which can keep him against €13 million.


title: Pape Abou Cissé

text: On 19 August 2021, he scored after Aguibou Camara did not manage to beat the goalkeeper of Slovan, sealing a thriumphic 3-0 home win 2021–22 UEFA Europa League playoffs 1st round game against ŠK Slovan Bratislava. On 4 December 2021, with two goals by Cisse (24 ', 49') Olympiakos defeated OFI in Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium, sealing a vital away win in his club effort to win the championship. On 12 December 2021, he was the only scorer after Rony Lopes's assist in a 1-0 home win game against Aris F.C.


title: Pape Abou Cissé

text: On 24 August 2018, he received his first senior call-up, for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier match against Madagascar on 9 September 2018. He made his senior debut on 13 October 2018, in another qualifier at home to Sudan, and scored the only goal of the match. Cisse performances in 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, after replaced Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly, who tested positive for coronavirus, in the Lions of Teranga's first two Afcon matches against Zimbabwe and Guinea are outstanding, attracted the interest of many European clubs.


title: Mark Francois

text: Mark Gino Francois (; born 14 August 1965) is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rayleigh and Wickford, previously Rayleigh, since the 2001 general election.


title: Mark Francois

text: Francois served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household (2010–2012), a Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (2012–2013) and Minister of State for the Armed Forces (2013–2015). He was also Minister of State for Communities and Resilience and Minister for Portsmouth at the Department for Communities and Local Government from 2015 to 2016.


title: Mark Francois

text: In 2018, he was appointed deputy chair and "de facto" whip of the eurosceptic European Research Group (ERG) by chair Jacob Rees-Mogg. He was a critic of the leadership of Theresa May during her time as leader of the Conservative Party. In March 2020 he became the Chair of the ERG.


title: Mark Francois

text: Mark Gino Francois was born on 14 August 1965 in Islington, London to Anna () and Reginald Francois. His father was an engineer and his mother was an Italian au pair. The family moved to Basildon, Essex in 1971. His secondary education was at the Nicholas Comprehensive School (now part of James Hornsby School). He studied history at the University of Bristol and graduated in 1986. Francois stated that he joined the Conservative Party when he was studying in Bristol. He went on to complete a master's degree in War Studies at King's College London in 1987.


title: Mark Francois

text: In 1983, whilst at university, he joined the Territorial Army (TA), the part-time reserve force of the British Army. Given the service number of 523962, Francois was commissioned in December 1985 and served with the Royal Anglian Regiment until September 1989, reaching the rank of Lieutenant.


title: Mark Francois

text: After university, Francois became a management trainee with Lloyds Bank. He then worked as a political consultant for the lobbying company Market Access International in 1988, leaving to set up his own lobbying firm, Francois Associates, in 1996, which he closed when he was elected as MP in 2001.


title: Mark Francois

text: He was a member of Basildon District Council for the Langdon Hills ward from 1991 to 1995. On the council, he served as vice-chair of the housing committee from 1992 to 1995.


title: Mark Francois

text: Francois stood for the Brent East constituency in the 1997 general election. He came second to the incumbent, Labour's Ken Livingstone. He contested the election to be the Conservatives' prospective parliamentary candidate for Kensington and Chelsea in the 1999 by-election. The contest was won by Michael Portillo, who garnered 60% of the final ballot.


title: Mark Francois

text: He was selected as the party's candidate for Rayleigh in the 2001 general election. Francois won the seat with a majority of 8,290. He made his maiden speech on 4 July 2001. Francois was re-elected in 2005 with an increased majority of 14,726. The constituency was abolished prior to the 2010 general election. He was elected in the new seat of Rayleigh & Wickford in the election.


title: Mark Francois

text: He served as a member of the Environmental Audit Select Committee for the duration of his first term in Parliament. He was promoted to become an Opposition Whip in 2003 by Michael Howard; to Shadow Economic Secretary in May 2004; and later to Shadow Paymaster General (10 May 2005 – 3 July 2007) scrutinising HMRC.


title: Mark Francois

text: He was promoted to be Shadow Minister for Europe on 3 July 2007, and joined the Shadow Cabinet at the January 2009 reshuffle. As Shadow Minister for Europe Francois oversaw the Conservative Party's withdrawal from the EPP grouping in the European Parliament, the creation of the ECR grouping and the Conservative's opposition in the House of Commons to the Treaty of Lisbon, which he spoke against on many occasions including on 5 March 2008 in the debate to pass the European Union (Amendment) Act 2008.


title: Mark Francois

text: When the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats joined in a coalition government following the 2010 general election, he was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, a sinecure given to a Government Whip that entails being kept as 'captive' at Buckingham Palace when the Queen opens Parliament. He joined the Privy Council on 9 June 2010. In 2011, he was a member of the special Select Committee set up to scrutinise the Bill that became the Armed Forces Act 2011.


title: Mark Francois

text: He was appointed Minister of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans in the Ministry of Defence in September 2012. From October 2013 to May 2015, he was Minister of State with responsibility for the armed forces, cyber activity, and force generation.


title: Mark Francois

text: Following the 2015 general election, he became Minister of State for Communities and Resilience and Minister for Portsmouth at the Department for Communities and Local Government.


title: Mark Francois

text: Francois left the government after Theresa May was appointed Prime Minister, but she appointed him to conduct a review into the use of reserves in the Army.


title: Mark Francois

text: Since September 2017, Francois has sat on the Defence Select Committee and is a former member of the Administration Committee, the Committee of Selection, Defence Committee and Environmental Audit Committee. He is a vice-president of Conservative Friends of Poland.


title: Mark Francois

text: In 2019, Francois became one of the 28 so called Tory "Brexit Spartans" who voted against Theresa May's Brexit deal all three times it was put to the House of Commons.


title: Mark Francois

text: At the 2019 general election, Francois was re-elected with an increased majority of exactly 31,000 (7,550 votes more than in the 2017 election) and achieved over 72% of the vote. In January 2020, he launched a crowdfunding bid with the StandUp4Brexit group to raise money for Big Ben to chime upon the UK's departure from the EU.


title: Mark Francois

text: On 3 March 2020, Francois was announced as chair of the ERG, succeeding Steve Baker. In this capacity he wrote to Michel Barnier, head of the task force negotiating the post-Brexit relationship between the UK and the EU, a letter titled "A Missive from a Free Country". Barnier replied in an open letter.


title: Mark Francois

text: In December 2021, he called on Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis to resign for failing to come through with promised legislation related to veterans.


title: Mark Francois

text: Francois married Karen Thomas at Langdon Hills, Basildon, in June 2000. They divorced in 2006. Francois married Olivia Sanders on 11 June 2022.


title: Emilio Mola

text: Emilio Mola y Vidal, 1st Duke of Mola, Grandee of Spain (9 July 1887 – 3 June 1937) was one of the three leaders of the Nationalist coup of July 1936, which started the Spanish Civil War.


title: Emilio Mola

text: After the death of Sanjurjo on 20 July 1936, Mola commanded the Nationalists in the north of Spain, while Franco operated in the south. Attempting to take Madrid with his four columns, Mola praised local Nationalist sympathizers within the city as a "fifth column" - possibly the first use of that phrase. He died in an air crash in bad weather, leaving Franco as the pre-eminent Nationalist leader for the rest of the war. Sabotage, though suspected, has never been proven.


title: Emilio Mola

text: Mola was born in Placetas, Cuba, at that time an overseas Spanish province, where his father, an army officer, was stationed. The Cuban War of Independence split his family; while his father served in the Spanish forces, his maternal uncle Leoncio Vidal was a leading revolutionary fighter. In Spain, he enrolled in the Infantry Academy of Toledo in 1907. He served in Spain's colonial war in Morocco where he received the Military Medal, and became an authority on military affairs. He was wounded in action during the Kert campaign in May 1912 in the thigh and thus he was promoted to Captain. By 1927 he was a Brigadier-general.


title: Emilio Mola

text: Mola was made Director-General of Security in 1930, the last man to hold this post under Alfonso XIII. This was a political post and his conservative views made him unpopular with opposition liberal and socialist politicians. When the left-wing Popular Front government was elected in February 1936 Mola was made military governor of Pamplona in Navarre, which the government regarded as a backwater. In reality, the area was a center of Carlist activity, and Mola himself secretly collaborated with the movement. He worked with elements of the right-wing Spanish Military Union and by the end of April 1936 was acknowledged as its leader in north-central Spain.


title: Emilio Mola

text: Mola emerged as the chief planner among the plotters. While General José Sanjurjo, in exile in Portugal, remained the recognized leader, Mola was delegated the authority within the organization to plan operations in Spain. Known as "the Director," Mola sent secret instructions to the various military units to be involved in the uprising and worked out a detailed plan for a post-coup government. In a memorandum dated 5 June 1936, Mola envisioned a "republican dictatorship" based on the Portuguese model. The initial government would consist of a "directory" that would oversee a semi-pluralist but authoritarian state. According to Mola: "The Directory will guarantee no change in the republican regime during its administration, with no change in any worker claims that have been legally obtained" but would "create a strong and disciplined state". The 1931 constitution would be suspended and new elections would be held. Certain liberal elements, such as separation of church and state and freedom of worship, were to be maintained. Agrarian issues were to be resolved by regional commissions with the aim of developing small holdings, but allowing for collective cultivation in some circumstances.


title: Emilio Mola

text: Despite extensive planning, Mola apparently doubted the chances for the coup's success. His dim view of the capabilities of monarchist militias and the conservative Catholic party Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right (CEDA), as well as only limited support from the Falange, led him as late as 9 July to consider the possibility of having to flee to France if it failed.


title: Emilio Mola

text: After several delays, 18 July 1936 was chosen as the date of the coup. Francisco Franco's participation was not confirmed until early July. Although events ran ahead of schedule in the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco, Mola waited until 19 July to proclaim the revolt. When Mola's brother was captured by the Republicans in Barcelona, the government threatened his life. Mola replied: "No, he knows how to die as an officer. I can neither take back my word to my followers and probably you cannot either from yours." The brother ended up committing suicide. Mola then ordered systematic executions in captured cities to instil fear. He famously declared:


title: Emilio Mola

text: The Nationalist coup failed to gain control of Madrid or other urban areas though most of the armed forces had supported it. As the situation devolved into civil war, Sanjurjo was killed in an air crash on 20 July. Mola then became Nationalist commander in the north, while Franco became commander in the south. With the death of Sanjurjo, Mola established a multi-member governing body for the so-called "Nationalist zone" ("zona nacional") called the National Defense Junta. Based in Burgos, it was nominally headed by Miguel Cabanellas, the most senior participating general.


title: Emilio Mola

text: On 5 September a Nationalist offensive sent by General Mola under Colonel Alfonso Beorlegui took Irún and closed the French border. Mola's forces went on to secure the whole of the province of Guipúzcoa, isolating the remaining Republican provinces in the north.


title: Emilio Mola

text: A junta in Burgos proved unable to set overall strategy; thus, Franco was chosen commander-in-chief at a meeting of ranking generals on 21 September. Mola continued to command the Army of the North and led an unsuccessful effort to take Madrid in October. In a radio address, he described Nationalist sympathizers in the city as a "fifth column" that supplemented his four military columns. The Republican government then proceeded to carry out the mass execution of as many as 2,000 suspected civilian and military supporters of the Nationalists. What was later known as the Paracuellos massacres crushed any potential fifth column.


title: Emilio Mola

text: Mola died on 3 June 1937, when the Airspeed Envoy twin-engined aircraft in which he was travelling flew into the side of a mountain in bad weather while returning to Vitoria. The deaths of Sanjurjo, Mola, and Goded left Franco as the pre-eminent leader of the Nationalist cause. In the assessment of historian Stanley Payne, Mola had been "the only subordinate capable of talking back to Franco." Although there have always been accusations that Franco arranged the deaths of his two rivals, so far no evidence has been produced.


title: Emilio Mola

text: In 1947, Franco, as Caudillo of the recently re-established Kingdom of Spain, posthumously granted Mola the title of Duke of Mola and Grandee of Spain. The title was immediately assumed by his son, Don Emilio Mola y Bascón. It was abolished in October 2022, under the purview of the Law of Democratic Memory.


title: Dilated Peoples

text: Dilated Peoples is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. They have had little mainstream success in the US, with the exception of the song "This Way", a 2004 collaboration with Kanye West. Better known in the UK, they reached the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart with two tracks, "This Way" and "Worst Comes to Worst."


title: Dilated Peoples

text: Members include DJ Babu (producer/DJ), Evidence (MC/producer) and Rakaa (MC). Their songs were featured in the 2003 video games "" and "NBA Street Vol. 2".


title: Dilated Peoples

text: Dilated Peoples began when DJ Babu (from the DJ crew Beat Junkies), Evidence, and Rakaa joined together in 1992 and released "Third Degree" (1997) on ABB Records, developing their material in the underground hip hop community. They had previously recorded an album titled "Imagery, Battle Hymns & Political Poetry" (1995) that was never released, although many fans still have it on bootlegged tapes. The group eventually signed with Capitol Records and released "The Platform" (2000).


title: Dilated Peoples

text: The second album, "Expansion Team", was released in 2001 led by the Alchemist–produced "Worst Comes to Worst," which utilized a vocal sample from Mobb Deep's "Survival of the Fittest" and a musical sample from William Bell's "I Forgot to be Your Lover". "Expansion Team" debuted at number 8 on the US "Billboard" R&B Albums chart and number 36 on the "Billboard" 200. The group's third album, "Neighborhood Watch", was released in 2004 and debuted at number 55 on the Billboard 200, selling 143,000 copies in the United States. In addition to the Kanye West produced single, "This Way," it featured the singles "Who's Who?" and "Sorry? OK", which were also included as tracks on the "" and "SSX 3" soundtracks, and peaked at number 35 on the UK Singles Chart. The fourth album, "20/20", was released in 2006; the debut single, "Back Again", was featured on the "Fight Night Round 3" soundtrack. This is the third EA Games soundtrack on which the group has been featured. "Back Again" is also featured on Sony's "". In 2012, they collaborated with PlatinumGames to record the track "This is Madness" for the credits of the beat-'em-up video game, "Anarchy Reigns". 20/20 was the group's "farewell" album on Capitol Records, ending a four album recording contract. They also work with the underground hip hop group, Global Warning, who originated in Anaheim.


title: Dilated Peoples

text: Dilated Peoples are affiliated with fellow West Coast hip hop group tha Alkaholiks. The Liks appeared on "The Platform" on the track "Right On" and "Expansion Team" on "Heavy Rotation." The group also collaborated frequently with west coast emcees Defari and Amad Jamal (an Urban Umpires member) and helped to launch their careers. Defari made one appearance on each Dilated Peoples' album: "Ear Drums Pop (Remix)" on "The Platform"; "Defari Interlude" on "Expansion Team"; "Closed Session" on "Neighborhood Watch"; and "Olde English" on "20/20". Dilated Peoples also made multiple appearances on Defari's album "Odds & Evens". Another Dilated associate is their long-time producer, the Alchemist, who produced five songs on "The Platform", three songs on "Expansion Team", four songs on "Neighborhood Watch", and two songs on "20/20". Dilated Peoples were featured on a song on the Alchemists' "1st Infantry" album. Rakaa has also made guest appearances on the songs "Trance Fat" on Looptroop's album, "Good Things", "Zet 't Blauw" from Dutch rapper Jerome XL's album, "De laatste dag" and "Memory Fades" on St. Cule's album, "American Beef".


title: F.A.L.T.U

text: F.A.L.T.U (short for Fakirchand and Lakirchand Trust University, ) is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Remo D'Souza and produced by Vashu Bhagnani, under the banner Puja Entertainment (India) Ltd. Its plot is heavily borrowed from the 2006 Hollywood comedy, "Accepted".


title: F.A.L.T.U

text: It stars Jackky Bhagnani, Puja Gupta, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Angad Bedi, Riteish Deshmukh and Arshad Warsi in the lead role, While Akbar Khan and Darshan Jariwala appear in supporting roles. The film was released on 1 April 2011 and was recorded average at the box office.


title: F.A.L.T.U

text: A group of friends, Ritesh (Jackky), Nanj (Angad), and Puja (Puja), all receive extremely bad marks in their exams. One of their close friends, Vishnu (Chandan), has passed with top marks under the pressure of his father, and has enrolled in the top high school of India.


title: F.A.L.T.U

text: To make their parents happy and proud, the four friends create a fake university titled "Fakirchand and Lakirchand Trust University" (F.A.L.T.U) with the assistance of Ritesh's childhood friend Google (Arshad Warsi). Things take a turn for the worse when the parents would like to see F.A.L.T.U. To make things go right, Ritesh and Google hire someone, Bajirao (Riteish), to act as the principal for one day. However, after the parents's visit, a bunch of kids apply for F.A.L.T.U, believing it to be a real university. Unable to send them back, the trio, along with Vishnu, Google and Bajirao, turn F.A.L.T.U into an official trust university. Soon enough, the government files a case against every student/member of F.A.L.T.U for creating a fake college. Now the group of friends must fight for their rights, and keep F.A.L.T.U as a university to give the kids an education. Near the end there is a song competition into which the trio, along with the college, sneak. As Vishnu's father is the one who had filed the case against them, it comes as something of a shock that, when the members of F.A.L.T.U finish their performance, he stands up and claps. (He did not know which college was performing because it was very dark.) The education minister asks Ritesh about F.A.L.T.U and what it was, in response to which Ritesh makes a speech about the education system and how F.A.L.T.U fixes it. In the end, the college is granted a license to function for three years as an official college, and Vishnu's father finally accepts the college along with him.


title: F.A.L.T.U

text: This film was a remake of the 2006 United States movie "Accepted," which starred Justin Long and was directed by Steve Pink.


title: Yantra tattooing

text: Yantra tattooing or Sak Yant ( ) is a form of tattooing using Indian yantra designs. It consists of sacred geometrical, animal and deity designs accompanied by Pali phrases that are said to offer power, protection, fortune, charisma and other benefits for the bearer.


title: Yantra tattooing

text: Tattoos believed to offer protection and other benefits have been recorded everywhere throughout both mainland Southeast Asia and as far south as Indonesia and the Philippines. Over the centuries the tradition spread to what is now Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and parts of Myanmar. While the tradition itself originates with indigenous tribal animism, it became closely tied to the Hindu-Buddhist concept of yantra or mystical geometric patterns used during meditation. Tattoos of yantra designs were believed to hold magic power, and were used much like the kolam tattoos of India. For these people, religion is closely tied to the notion of magic, health, and good fortune.


title: Yantra tattooing

text: The script used for yantra designs varies according to culture and geography. In Cambodia and central Thailand, the Old Khmer script of the Khmer Empire is used. While in northern Thailand yantra tattoos may use Shan, northern Thai, or Tai Lu scripts, and in Laos the Lao Tham script is employed. The script spells out abbreviated syllables from Pali incantations. Different masters have added to these designs over the centuries through visions received in their meditations. Some yantra designs have been adapted from pre-Buddhist shamanism and the belief in animal spirits that was found in Southeast Asia and incorporated into Thai tradition and culture.


title: Yantra tattooing

text: Yantra tattoos are believed to be magic and bestow mystical powers, protection, or good luck. There are three main effects of a yantra tattoo. One is that which benefits the wearer, such as making them more eloquent. Another is that of protection and to ward off evil and hardship. This is commonly used by military personnel, police, taxi drivers, gangsters and others in perceived dangerous professions. Another type is that which affects people around the wearer, such as invoking fear. The tattoo only confers its powers so long as the bearer observes certain rules and taboos, such as abstaining from a certain type of food.


title: Yantra tattooing

text: It is believed that the power of sacred tattoos decreases with time. So to re-empower them each year, sak yan masters celebrate with their devotees the Wai Khru ritual. Wai khru means "pay homage to one's guru". In Thailand, the most impressive Wai Khru is held at the temple of Wat Bang Phra.


title: Yantra tattooing

text: Sak yan designs are also applied to many other media, such as cloth or metal, and placed in one's house, place of worship, or vehicle as a means of protection from danger or illness, to increase wealth, and to attract lovers. In recent years Hollywood celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, whose tattoos were inked by Ajahn Noo Ganpai in Thailand, have made them popular among women. Angelina Jolie got a yantra tattoo of a Bengal tiger in 2004 to celebrate acquiring Cambodian citizenship.


title: Yantra tattooing

text: However a modern movement in Thailand seeks to progress away from their animistic past. As part of this movement, many modern-day Thais view yantra tattoos as nothing more than good-luck symbols that are stylish.


title: Yantra tattooing

text: There are many traditional types and designs of yantra tattoos, but some of the most well-known and popular include:


title: Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)

text: The Kingdom of Serbia (), or the Serbian Kingdom (), was a medieval Serbian state that existed from 1217 to 1346 and was ruled by the Nemanjić dynasty. The Grand Principality of Serbia was elevated with the regal coronation of Stefan Nemanjić as king, after the reunification of Serbian lands. In 1219, Serbian Orthodox Church was reorganized as an autocephalous archbishopric, headed by Saint Sava. The kingdom was proclaimed an empire in 1346, but kingship was not abolished as an institution, since the title of a king was used as an official designation for a co-ruler of the emperor.


title: Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)

text: The regal coronation of Stefan Nemanjić in 1217 was not a novelty in Serbian history, since there had already been a long tradition of kingship among previous Serbian rulers, centered in Duklja (11th century). During the Nemanjić era, the previous Serbian kingdom in Duklja was referred to as the "Old Kingdom of our forefathers" and such views were also reflected in the royal titles of Stefan Nemanjić and his successors, who styled themselves as kings of all Serbian Lands, including Duklja. Realizing the importance of royal heritage, grand prince Stefan Nemanja (1166-1196), father of Stefan Nemanjić, granted his elder son Vukan Nemanjić rule in Duklja, with the title of king.


title: Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)

text: By that time, the "Old Kingdom" of Duklja and its former rulers from the Vojislavljević dynasty (kings Mihajlo and Constantine Bodin) were regarded as royal predecessors to the Nemanjić dynasty, that branched from the previous Vukanović dynasty in Raška. Older relations between the two dynasties (Vojislavljević / Vukanović) and the two regions (Duklja / Raška) were very close. In 1083, king Constantine Bodin of Duklja appointed his nephews Vukan and Marko vassals in Raška, one of the inner provinces of his realm. Each province had its own nobility and institutions, and each acquired a member or relative of the Vojislavljević dynasty to govern as "župan". Between 1089 and 1091, the Byzantine Empire launched a campaign on Duklja. An internal war broke out in the realm among Bodin's relatives, greatly weakening Duklja. Vukan of Raška took the opportunity to assert himself and broke away, claiming the title of "Grand Prince of Serbia".


title: Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)

text: Up to the end of the 11th century, Duklja had been the center of the Serbian realm, as well as the main state resisting Byzantium. From that time, Raška became the most powerful of the Serbian states, under the rule of the Vukanović dynasty, and it remained so throughout the entire 12th century. Raška also replaced Duklja as the main opponent of the Byzantine Empire. Bodin's heirs were forced to recognize Byzantine overlordship, and now held only the small territories of Duklja and Travunia. During the reign of Vukan's successors, the Byzantines sought to conquer Raška on several occasions, but through resistance, and diplomatic ties with Hungary, that Serbian principality kept its independence. By the time when Stefan Nemanja became the "grand župan" of Raška (c. 1166), old Duklja was half conquered by the Byzantines reduced to a small principality. Soon after 1180, Stefan Nemanja liberated Duklja thus reuniting Serbian lands, and invested his son Vukan with rule over Duklja with the traditional title of the king. Since Nemanja's second son Stefan became "grand župan" in 1196, rivalry occurred among brothers, culminating in 1202 when Stefan was overthrown.


title: Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)

text: In 1204, Stefan Nemanjić regained his rule in Raška and made peace with his brother Vukan of Duklja, who died in 1208. The actual peacemaker was their youngest brother Rastko, former prince of Zahumlje who renounced his rule to become a monk, and took the name Sava, turning all his efforts to spreading Eastern Orthodoxy among his people. Since the Roman Catholic Church already had ambitions to spread its influence to Southeastern Europe as well, Stefan used these circumstances to eventually obtain the recognition of kingship from the Pope, thereby becoming Serbian king in 1217. In Byzantium, Sava managed to secure autocephaly (independence) for the Serbian Church and became the first Serbian archbishop in 1219. In the same year Sava published the first constitution in Serbia — St. Sava's Nomocanon (). The Nomocanon was a compilation of Civil law, based on Roman Law, and Canon law, based on Ecumenical Councils. Its basic purpose was to organize the functions of the young Serbian kingdom and the Serbian church. Thus the Serbs acquired both political and religious independence. In 1220, grand assembly of the realm was held in Žiča, were Stefan was crowned by the Orthodox ritual and coronation was performed by archbishop Sava. That act served as a precedent for all their successors: all Serbian kings of the Nemanjić dynasty were crowned in Žiča, by Serbian archbishops.


title: Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)

text: The next generation of Serbian rulers — the sons of Stefan Prvovenčani, Radoslav, Vladislav, and Uroš I — marked a period of stagnation of the state structure. All three kings were more or less dependent on some of the neighbouring states — Byzantium, Bulgaria, or Hungary. The ties with the Hungarians played a decisive role as Uroš I was succeeded by his son Dragutin, whose wife was a Hungarian princess. Later, when Dragutin abdicated in favour of his younger brother Milutin, in 1282, the Hungarian king Ladislaus IV gave him lands in northeastern Bosnia, the region of Mačva, and the city of Belgrade, whilst he managed to conquer and annex lands in northeastern Serbia. Thus, some of these territories became part of the Serbian state for the first time. His new state was named "Kingdom of Srem". In that time the name "Srem" was a designation for two territories: "Upper Srem" (present day Srem) and "Lower Srem" (present day Mačva). The Kingdom of Srem under the rule of Stefan Dragutin was actually Lower Srem, but some historical sources mention that Stefan Dragutin also ruled over Upper Srem and Slavonia. After Dragutin died in 1316, his son, king Vladislav II, became king and ruled until 1325.


title: Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)

text: Under Dragutin's younger brother, King Milutin, Serbia grew stronger despite having to occasionally fight wars on three different fronts. King Milutin was an apt diplomat much inclined to the use of a customary medieval diplomatic and dynastic marriages. He was married five times, with Hungarian, Bulgarian, and Byzantine princesses. He is also famous for building churches, some of which are the finest examples of Medieval Serbian architecture, including the Gračanica monastery in Kosovo, the Cathedral in Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos, and the St. Archangel Church in Jerusalem. Because of his endowments, King Milutin has been proclaimed a saint, in spite of his tumultuous life. He was succeeded on the throne by his son Stefan, later dubbed Stefan Dečanski.


title: Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)

text: Milutin restored central royal authority in Serbia. After getting into power, he started lengthy attacks on Byzantine Macedonia, winning significant territorial gains, including the city of Skopje, move that had important results. The strategically important region of Macedonia was disputed for long between Byzantines, Bulgarians and Serbs. The expansion into the area marked the start of Serbian dominance in the Balkans. By this, Serbian policy shifted from its original north-western Adriatic-Danubian focus, into Byzantine-centered south-central Balkans. By acquiring Skopje, Milutin's kingdom possessed a strategically located, well-fortified city that could serve as capital to a territorially extensive state. Its central geo-strategical position on the important Vardar-Morava commercial route made it a natural new political, economical and cultural center. Skopje's benefits, combined with Serbia's flourishing mining and trade resources, guaranteed Milutin a status as a major player in Balkan affairs.


title: Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)

text: Although the major events were happening in the South, Milutin also devoted attention in Serbian affairs in the North. With his deposed brother Dragutin governing the Belgrade region, the two brothers acted in concert as military allies, Dragutin helping Milutin in the South and vice versa. By early 1290s Serbia expanded towards the vicinity of Vidin. Threatened by Serbian expansion, Shishman of Vidin failed to repel the brothers forces, and accepted Serbian suzerainty.


title: Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)

text: In the South, Milutin obtained territorial gains in Macedonia and Northern Albania from Byzantine emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos. With Andronikos suffering from both internal and external pressures, he sought peace with Milutin, and a treaty was sealed in 1299. As result, Milutin kept all conquered territories, Skopje became kingdoms capital, and he married Byzantine princess Simonis (Simonida), with the wedding taking place in Thessaloniki, that same year. Simonis, aged 5 at time, was kept in the royal nursery for some years before her husband consummated the marriage. Simonis brought a large entourage to Serbia, and with her arrival Serbia received a massive injection of Byzantine culture. Byzantine-style court ceremonials and dress were adopted, Byzantine functional and honorary titles appeared, court offices were renamed, and Byzantine administrative, fiscal and legal institutions were copied. Byzantinization was further expanded by Serbia's newly won populous Greek-speaking regions, in which Milutin retained all former Byzantine political, social and cultural activities.