by BobsGran
For some time I have been trying to wrap my head around the logo used by FoTS. As many have said, nothing is accidental in TB. The FoTS symbol is a stylized trefoil with a sun at the center, its rays radiating into the trefoil. To me, the logo represents a Catherine Wheel.
A Catherine Wheel, also called a Breaking Wheel, is a medieval torture device used for capital punishment in the Middle Ages and into the 19th century. It was used in France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and others, and colonial Louisiana. The wheel is typically a large wooden wagon or cart wheel with many radial spokes. The condemned was spread eagle to the wheel and clubbed to death.
In France, if the condemned was accorded mercy, the strike was administered to the stomach or chest. This was referred to as the coup de grace or blows of mercy. Between the years 1730-1754, the Breaking Wheel was used to execute 11 slaves who rebelled against their Louisiana masters.
The carousel in the Dungeon of Doom at Fangtasia also resembles a Catherine Wheel. The circle at the top is the hub of a wheel, the long spikes hanging. We have already seen the carousel used as a device to secure prisoners. At FoTS, Steve Newlins proudly showed off his “Research and Development” lab to Jason. This room was filled with all manner of torture equipment specifically designed to eliminate vampires.
Note from Renée: If you have a strong stomach, be sure to read the account of the life and death of Peter Stumpp that Sunny included in the comments section. As you can see in the wood cut, it includes a werewolf connection and other ‘True Blood’ imagery.
Added 6/21/10
6/23/10
BobsGran,
Thank you so much for all the insights you bring to this blog. Your contributions help me to see things in a new way and figure out this great big puzzle called True Blood.
Thank you Renee. It sure is a great big puzzle. Fun though.
On a technical note, if you click on the DOD screen cap, you can see spikes at the top of the carousel that make it look even more like a Catherine Wheel. Be careful, though. Royce bits in hi res are not a pretty sight.
What is interesting about the triquerta too, is that it is a symbol of neo-paganism, ie the triple aspects of Morrigan.
Poor Royce, I hate seeing his bits. lol.
Serena, could you please explain triquerta and *the triple aspects of Morrigan*? I have no idea what they are. Thank you.
Ha, sorry I have a bad habit of blurting out random bits of info without explaining..
The background, the triquerta is the same as the trefoil. It is a Celtic knot, which was used frequently in the Book of Kells. It symbolizes the holy trinity in Christian connotations, but it was originally a pagan symbol. (And it also relates to Odin’s symbol of the Valknut).
The three aspects of Morrigan refers to the triple goddess from the legends of the Tuatha Dé Danann, an Irish mythological tale, not to be confused with Morgan le Fey of the Arthurian legends, who may have been based on the original Morrigan godess/es, but is not necessarily the same.
A version of it was also used in Charmed, ‘the power of three!’
Here is some more info about her triple nature:
The Morrígan is often considered a triple goddess, but her supposed triple nature is ambiguous and inconsistent. Sometimes she appears as one of three sisters, the daughters of Ernmas: the Morrígan, the Badb and Macha. Sometimes the trinity consists of the Badb, Macha and Nemain, collectively known as the Morrígan, or in the plural as the Morrígna. Occasionally Fea or Anu also appear in various combinations. However the Morrígan also frequently appears alone, and her name is sometimes used interchangeably with the Badb, with no third “aspect” mentioned.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrigan
Thank you Serena. Didn’t realize the Celtic knot could be referred to as a triquerta. Interesting the Nordic connection to legend.
Had a reproduction of the Book of Kells that now belongs to my son.
Wouldn’t surprise me to see Arthurian references in TB. Everything else seems to be fuel for the writing.
What is interesting about the triquerta too, is that it is a symbol of neo-paganism, ie the triple aspects of Morrigan
Yep, this is why I’ve said all along that the FoTS is a pagan front. Who/what they really represent is up for debate.
This is going to sound off the wall, but, has anyone else considered that the possible pagan front could be Druids? Little is known about their practices and imaginative writers could have a lot of freedom.
What has been written about their rituals involved human sacrifice. The writers were the Roman conquerers so there is bound to be bias.
It wouldn’t surprise me one bit. Since vampires have a hierarchy that goes back at least to the Roman Empire, you know there has to be ancient old beliefs attached to it or even a priestly class. Now that I think about it, that would most likely be who Nan Flanagan, the Ancient Pythoness, is working for.
I was thinking more of the FoTS group. Their preoccupation with the sun. It’s prominent in their logo and the chapel Newlins shows Sookie and Hugo was flooded with sunlight. Almost as the sun would rise on to Stonehenge. The vampire hierarchy might be another bunch….or not.
ROTFL! I always think of Druidic rites taking place at night in dark forests, but you’re right. They were sun worshipers so that would be an obvious fit since FOTS. In the arcana, Steve talks about his first religous experience, and it is watching a sunrise. I’m really curious to see where AB goes with this.
Remember the pink flamingo poster?
Egyptians used the flamingo as one of their hieroglyphic symbols to indicate the color red. They also regarded it as a living embodiment of the sun god Ra
That would be a good choice, too, and they’ve already referenced Egyptian mythology with Anubis Air.
Could AB pass up the opportunity of putting FOTS in Druidic white robes and hoods to equate them with the KKK, though?
IDK.
That would be a good choice, too, and they’ve already referenced Egyptian mythology with Anubis Air.
And Laffy’s bag, with the great big Eye of Horus on the front.
Could AB pass up the opportunity of putting FOTS in Druidic white robes and hoods to equate them with the KKK, though?
IDK.
IDK either, but that would be an awesome image!
Good catch on Laffy’s bag!
Good catch on Laffy’s bag!
The Eye of Horus also ties back to the ‘shadow gov’t’ concept, ie the ‘all seeing eye’
Imagery of an all-seeing eye can be traced back to Egyptian mythology and the Eye of Horus…
In 1782, the Eye of Providence was adopted as part of the symbolism on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. …
On the seal, the Eye is surrounded by the words Annuit Cœptis, meaning “He approves (or has approved) [our] undertakings”, and Novus Ordo Seclorum, meaning “New Order of the Ages”.
Sunny, have you analyzed the Blood Copy vids on YouTube for info about the secret govt? I stumbled on them last night, and they look promising. The Euro Vamp leaders are disgusted by the American monarchies, and in the few that I saw, there was definitely the implication of something or someone behind them all.
Blood Copy is definitely turning out to have big implications for the human trafficking storyline. Ludis and Yvetta, the Russian vampire cartel in BC, and probably Lorena are going to be connected IMO.
Sunny, have you analyzed the Blood Copy vids on YouTube for info about the secret govt?
I haven’t had time to go through them all. Save the ‘human trafficking’ vid, I’ve only seen interviews and such of BT residents talking about vampires. Later tonight I’ll go through them more thoroughly.
Peter Stumpp (died 1589) was a German farmer, and alleged serial killer and cannibal, also known as the “Werewolf of Bedburg”.
In 1589, Stumpp had one of the most lurid and famous werewolf trials in history. After being stretched on the rack, he confessed to having practiced black magic since he was twelve years old. He claimed that the Devil had given him a magical belt, which enabled him to metamorphose into “the likeness of a greedy, devouring wolf, strong and mighty, with eyes great and large, which in the night sparkled like fire, a mouth great and wide, with most sharp and cruel teeth, a huge body, and mighty paws.” Removing his belt, he said, made him transform back to his human form.
For twenty-five years, Stumpp had allegedly been an “insatiable bloodsucker” who gorged on the flesh of goats, lambs, and sheep, as well as men, women, and children. Being threatened with torture he confessed to killing and eating fourteen children, two pregnant women, and their fetuses. One of the fourteen children was his own son, whose brain he was reported to have devoured.
Not only was Stumpp accused of being a serial murderer and cannibal, but also of having an incestuous relationship with his daughter, who was sentenced to die with him, and he coupled with a distant relative, which was also considered to be incestuous according to the law. In addition to this he confessed to having had intercourse with a succubus sent to him by the Devil.
His execution is one of the most brutal on record: He was put to the wheel,[aka 'breaking wheel' aka 'Catherine wheel'] where “flesh was torn from his body”, in ten places, with red-hot pincers, followed by his arms and legs. Then his limbs were broken with the blunt side of an axehead to prevent him from returning from the grave, before he was beheaded and burned on a pyre. His daughter and mistress had already been “flayed, raped, and strangled” and were burned alive along with Stumpp’s body. As a warning against similar behavior, local authorities erected a pole with the torture wheel and the figure of a wolf on it, and at the very top they placed Peter Stumpp’s severed head.
And here I was worried about Royce bits. ;~) That is an amazing story and an amazing werewolf connection. You continue to blow my mind, lady.
Well, I figure if Eric hates werewolves as much as we think he does, him setting up a torture device which calls to mind the punishement of the most famous werewolf of all only makes sense.
woodcut of Peter Stumpp on the wheel:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lukas_Mayer_1589_Hinrichtung_Peter_Stump.jpg
Thanks I think. I may not sleep tonight. Ewwwwwww. Goes to show, be careful what you ask for. The werewolf connection is really interesting and the connection to paganism.
The werewolf…the carousel…the burning at the stake…the meat tree. It’s all there. I’m going to add this image above.
FOR GODS SAKE GO READ THIS INTERVIEW!
http://advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/Television/Death_Becomes_Denis_OHare/
“he’s [RE] a power-hungry ancient druid”
O…..M….G. Can’t believe the turn of events with DOH interview. This is going to be so exciting. Now we just have to figure out the AVL.
Sunny, you made reference to the flamingo poster and the use in Egypt as the symbol for the colour red.
So now we have flamingos, Anubis Air, Laffy’s bag with the Eye of Horis and the AVL logo which is a pyramid.
So what can be extrapolated here?
Do we think it’s possible RE is behind FoTS in his attempt to foment a eugenics based race war?
Still thinking. May take awhile.
Bobsgran, I think you and Sunny are both right about druids. Papa Newlin’s wife was named Yvette and to me she had the looks of a Eastern European mail order bride.
It seems like there is a connection, but I’m not sure what it could be.
Is RE planning to take over Texas after LA?
Is FOTS a cult that provides people for his ‘Cactus Plantation?’
Oooh, Texas. As far as we know RE doesn’t know about Barry. Although with Lorena in attendance, she may remember that Barry tasted different. As has been speculated, I agree the Steve Newlin is Pussylover. I think they are also up to their necks in suppling Area 2,
the Cactus Plantation. It might be inhabited by *Renfelds*. Don’t you think it was odd that papa Newlin had such a young * trophy* wife? Was she a reward perhaps? So many questions.
Perfect! Thanks for the link, Sunny! Very interesting. DOH is a delight.
LOL! DOH was in Cabaret! I’m certain that we’re going to be seeing more Cabaret allusions this season.
RE was a Celt from east of the Carpathian Mountains. Now we’ve got his connection to Eastern Europe, Yvetta, Ludis, and Lorena.
Sounds like RE and Talbot are going to be starring in a revival of ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.’ Can’t wait for the games to begin.
For the TB WAVW connection, check out this conversation on SVB:
http://sookieverseblog.wordpress.com/2010/06/15/its-all-been-a-pack-of-lies-i-mean-wolves/#comment-19310
Isn’t he a delight? I just love him.
I’m loving the allusions to Cabaret and now to find out DOH was in it? WOW!
Wow! Thanks very much for the link.
That’s an awful lot of information to take in about RE and his Druidic connection.
There’s so many myths about Druids that the writers have a lot of aspects to draw on.
This is probably totally irrelevant but recent excavations at Stonehenge have led archaeologists to think that it was a place of healing and it also now seems clear that the Celts travelled very widely across the whole of Europe.
I agree Anna, they can do a lot with this mythology.
This is probably totally irrelevant but recent excavations at Stonehenge have led archaeologists to think that it was a place of healing
I don’t think it’s irrelevant at all. Read DOH’s several comments about how humans are destroying the earth and how RE is an environmentalist. I think ‘healing’ in this context is appropriate..and timely.
Have you ever read The White Goddess by Robert Graves?
It’s very dense but he called it “a hystorical grammar of poetic myths”. He covers everything from gods and goddesses to runes. As a poet he’s also fascinated by the idea of the tree alphabet, the Beth-Luis-Nion, where each letter of an early alphabetis assigned to a tree. He believes this to be a genuine relic of the Druids and ties all sorts of myths and history into it (if I remember correctly!)
I love Robert Graves, but I haven’t read ‘The White Goddess.’ It sounds really interesting, especially in the tree alphabet. There are A LOT of characters named after trees in TB: Yvette, Lorena, Daphne, Olivia, Holly, and Maryann Forrester.
It’s worth a read, even though it’s hard work sometimes!
The alphabet trees are native to the British Isles so laurels and olives don’t come into it.
This might give you an idea of where he’s coming from:
Yvetta – Yew – Letter I – the death-tree in all European countries, sacred to Hecate in Greece and Italy. Has connetions with Mercury and is one of the Chieftan trees.
Thanks for the info. Does this tie in with the runes? The wolfsangel rune that was on the dead Were means ‘yew.’
Not sure as he’s more interested in Ogham. I would have to re-read all 500+ pages as the index isn’t that good and he tends to hop about a bit. And he was a poet…
However, according to him, wolves were sacred to the (moon) goddess Cerridwen and also to Artemis (an aspect of Hecate). Cerridwen was the Celtic goddess of transformation which ties in nicely with shape shifting.
The crone aspect of the triple-goddess can also be linked to Cerridwen and via the Morrigan to the yew tree.
PS: to pick up on something you’ve written elsewhere this also ties in with witchcraft through the Cauldron of Cerridwen.
Wonder what symbols & links they’ll come up with for Quinn’s tiger aspect?
3.2 Introduced a new Catherine wheel. There is a really odd camera angle of Elizabeth de Bathory’s bed. Handing above it is a wheel-like chandelier.
Just answered you at SVB re: that lovely chandelier. It sure is a Catherine wheel.
So are the ones at Merlotte’s. Check out the last picture.
Damn—Those are even more obvious. I’m going to have to start at S1Ep1 again just to get them all. Every episode takes several viewings because, 1. I have to get the Eric bits over. AS just dominates the tube when he is on. 2.It’s tricky trying to keep everything in mind that you are looking for ie: foreshadowing or whatever ties you are trying to make. Of course there are some things that hit you upside the head and those can be fun too. Ah the sacrifices one has to make.
It may be hard work, but it’s not without its own rewards. ;~)
I’ve been pondering the significance of RE’s octagonal house and not getting anywhere until I stumbled on another Catherine wheel today. The wheel is on the flag of St. Catherine’s College at Campbridge. All of the rooms in one of their dorms are octagonal to represent the wheel, so RE’s house is one giant Catherine wheel. This brings in a couple more possible connections. When René is driving Jason’s truck, there’s a weird octagonal shape reflected in the window, and the ‘Vampire Pope’ who started the witch and werewolf trials was Innocent VIII.
Interesting fact about RE’s mansion. When I looked at the picture of the mansion, what I noticed was the observation deck (dome?) at the top of the structure. Spread out the columns and they could look like the spokes of a wheel. The dome being the hub. Then I thought maybe I was stretching things to far.
Still have to get to S1. I’ll be looking for the weird octagonal shape reflected in the window you mentioned. I must say it feels weird to sit and watch a TV programme with a pad and pencil so you can take notes. LOL
I do that Bobsgran. My husband thinks I’ve lost it completely. LOL.
Nice to have company on Planet Weird.
Good eye! That house is as much as a character in the story as Bill’s. It was built from the spoils of slavery with bricks made from forced labor. The family lived in the basement for generations with the upper 4 floors being nothing but an empty shell.
Russell’s home may be octagonal because in a structure that has no right angle corners, there is no place to hide(retreat) in the corners…An interesting fact, the office of the President of the United States, the OVAL office, was intentionally designed by the architects to offer it’s visiters nowhere to hide (retreat). As well as, the President of the United States would not be symbolically backed into a corner.
Wow! Great connection! I wonder if TB will comment on the design of the house.
I wanted to thank you, Bobsgran and the AP for introducing me to this effective and violent form of torture. I’m now seeing symbolic Catherine Wheels all over the place, and I have to offer credit where it’s due!
I just started watching Twin Peaks with my husband (I was too young to get it when it was first on TV years ago) and Catherine Wheel style chandeliers feature all through the Great Northern Hotel.
Since TB is gone for the next 10 days I’m doing a Twin Peaks marathon and LOVING it.
Glad you are enjoying Twin Peaks Skarlove. Haven’t seen it in years.
Might be a fun summer rental. The first time around it was the weirdest TV programme and compelling. There was an interesting interview with one of the writers (on CBC radio) a number of weeks ago. Can’t remember his name unfortunately. What I do remember was that he said they had a lot of freedom in story arcs.
Bobsgran deserves all the credit. Her insights are superb!
Renee, you are way too generous, but thank you. Sometimes a lucky guess pans out.
I swear, when all is said and done every single thing in TB is going to be able to be traced back in some way to CH.
In ‘From Dead to Worse,’ Priscilla, the werebitch who tried to take over the Sheveport pack was from the fictional St. Catherine’s Parish. (133)
The TB comic book has given us confirmation that TB is referencing the breaking wheel as we’ve been discussing. In #3 the magister threatens to put Eric and Rachel on the breaking wheel unless he got information from them.
Bobsgran, I bow down to you on this one. I’m still amazed that you picked up on this from the FOTS logo.
You are too kind Renee. It was dumb luck on my part.