The Shadow Sphinx's Riddle


Book Description

The Shadow Sphinx's Riddle Solving the riddles of a shadow sphinx to stop it from casting the land into darkness. This story tells of an amazing journey full of mystery, hardship, and the strength of community. It's a touching story that kids will love and learn from, showing how important bravery, friendship, and knowledge are in getting through hard times. Summary: The land of Sunbeam used to be bright, but it became dark when a shadow sphinx cast a terrible spell that made the whole world dark forever. The only way to get out of this sadness was to figure out a set of difficult problems that the Sphinx had put together. During this very important time, three brave friends—Leo, Mia, and Toby—stepped up because they were determined to bring light back to their home country. Their plan to face the Sphinx and break its spell would test their bravery, social skills, and intellectual abilities. The three travelers ran into a number of problems along the way that pushed them to their limits. The Mystic Mountains gave them hard problems to solve, the River of Reflections showed them what they were really thinking, and the Whispering Woods let the wind whisper secrets to them. Every job was like a puzzle that had to be solved. Leo, Mia, and Toby learned the value of working together, the courage to face uncertainty, and the ability to see past what seems to be true. Their journey brought out hidden traits in each other and helped them understand each other and themselves better. It had elements of both inside and outside. The Labyrinth of Shadows, the Cave of Echoes, and the Garden of Whispers all served as reminders of how hard their job was and how mysterious their surroundings were. In the Valley of Mists and the Library of Lost Books, they learned from old stories that had been lost. This meant that they broke through the fog. At the Sphinx's Lair, where the adventure came to an end, Sunbeam's fate relied on how she solved the last puzzle. The sphinxes' job was complete when they finished their last task. The sun came up, marking the start of a new day for Sunbeam and its people. The story of Leo, Mia, and Toby's triumphant return was a beacon of hope and a reminder that good will always win over evil, that working together can get things done, and that real strength comes from having the guts to ask hard questions, the smarts to answer them, and the friendship to get you through the worst times. The people of Sunbeam are still moved by their story, which is about bravery, determination, and the strength of the human spirit. People have learned a lot from it and made a lot of friends. Chapter 1: The Spell of Darkness. In the lovely world of Sunbeam, where the sun's warm rays lit up everything with happiness and brightness, sudden change rushed across the sky. It wasn't like the calm night that comes after every day; this change was more like a thick, never-ending shadow that fell over the sky and covered the morning. It never got to the sky's orange and pink colors, which used to wake the birds up in the morning. Instead, a cold gloom remained, turning day into night so that not a single star could be seen. People from Sunbeam were used to living in a world full of light. All of a sudden, they were surrounded by a strange, cold darkness. People in the area talked about a mysterious being called the "shadow sphinx." This being was said to have such powerful skills that it could throw a dark shadow over the sun. This thing, which was hiding in a dark cave, had used magic so strong that light couldn't get through. It made Leo, Mia, and Toby feel excited. They were three friends who were both brave and interested. They knew that waiting for the sun to come out again wasn't going to be enough. People were set on being the ones to act because something had to be done. They got together and talked about the shadow sphinx and its mysteries. The soft light from a candle left a shadow on their cheeks. It was said that the sphinx liked puzzles and problems, and the only way to bring back Sunbeam's light was to break its spell. The friends knew that their journey would be full of secrets and problems, but the thought of their house staying dark was too much for them to bear. Leo, Mia, and Toby set out to find the shadow sphinx and face it with bravery and knowledge. They were determined to do this. They knew that the journey ahead would be hard and that the puzzles would test their minds and souls. But they also knew that the darkness would end eventually. They thought that if they worked together, the light would come back on. Their trip showed that friendship, hope, and the desire to learn could light up the world, even in the darkest times. It was more than just a quest to save Sunbeam. With the legend map in hand and the resolve to face whatever lay ahead, the three set out into the unknown, ready to face the darkness and show the light that lies beyond fear and doubt.




Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx


Book Description

Kids will love this exciting excavation of ancient Egyptian myths as they follow along with the clever Marcy on a quest to save her dad from the belly of the sphinx! Many years have passed since the tale of Arthur and the Golden Rope, and Arthur is now a world-famous adventurer. If only his daughter Marcy shared his enthusiasm for exploration... Determined to bring out Marcy's adventurous side, Arthur sets off to Egypt to bring back the legendary Book of Thoth. When Arthur doesn't return, Marcy must follow in his footsteps. Can she overcome her fears and rescue her father from the clutches of the great Sphinx?




The Sphinx Without a Secret


Book Description

»The Sphinx Without a Secret« is a short story by Oscar Wilde, originally published in 1891. OSCAR WILDE, born in 1854 in Dublin, died in 1900 in Paris, was an Irish prose writer, playwright, essayist, and poet. Wilde's significance as a symbol for persecuted homosexuals around the world is immeasurable. Wilde himself was sentenced to prison and hard labour, his works were boycotted, theatrical productions were shut down, and he was publicly vilified. The Picture of Dorian Gray [1890] is his most famous work.




The New Age Magazine


Book Description




A World Treasury of Riddles


Book Description

Mythologist and adventurer Phil Cousineau theorizes that riddles are proverbs turned into questions. He believes telling riddles is a lost folk art. This eclectic collection of brain twisters from Leonardo da Vinci to Lewis Carroll is designed to bring the practice back to the living room. Cousineau invites readers into the peripatetic, poetic, and sweet language of riddles




Forbidden Theology


Book Description

Over 75% of the people who live on this planet are followers of one of the three major monotheistic religions. They all consider Abraham as the father of their race and religion. They all believe in one singular, all powerful, all knowing benevolent god. The Hebrew call him Yahweh, the Christians refer to him as Father or Lord and Muslims call him Allah, and yet millions and millions of people have been murdered, maimed and tortured by the followers of this single entity to prove that their version of this single god is better than the other two versions. Sounds ridiculous, and yet sadly enough, more people have died in the name of religion than any other cause in the history of humanity. Each and every one of us at one time or another has asked or thought about such fundamental questions as, Is there a God?' Where did humans come from?' Why out of millions of species on earth, only humans reached this level of sophistication?' Is there a life after death?' Is there a purpose to life?' Why are we here?' Are the scriptures truly the words of god?' More importantly, is there any way we could find answers to such questions? The fact is, the answer to most of these questions, and many more, that we thought unanswerable, have been written down on clay tablets by our ancient ancestors who lived in Mesopotamia over 7000 years ago. These records are readily available to those who are willing to step outside the dogmatic belief system of the establishment, and are prepared, mentally and spiritually, to tolerate a totally different rendering of the oldest written historical records about mankind's origin, purpose and the truth about god, our maker. The subject matter of this book is an attempt to investigate the circumstances under which Mankind was made, and to trace the beginning and development of such concerns as the emergence of the concept of god and the formation of what later became known as religion. This is done primarily by relying on our scriptural texts, particularly the Old Testament, as well as other ancient manuscripts such as Sumerian, Akkadian and Babylonian Creation and Genesis epics. The first chapter begins by examining the behaviour, commands and instructions given by Yahweh to his chosen people. These commands and instructions are then evaluated and compared with basic accepted human rights standards practised and observed by almost all communities and societies, past and present. The question is then asked, "How could an entity, powerful enough to have created the entire universe, issue such cruel and sadistic commands against some of his own creations?" Furthermore, Yahweh's behaviour is decidedly pro Hebrew, and shows no regards or thought about non Hebrew masses. How could the universal god show such bias towards a tiny fraction of his creatures, with total disregard for the rest? Finally the characteristics and personalities of Yahweh is analysed by scrutinising his behaviour, actions and directives as stated in the Old Testament, before examining the god of Christianity. In investigating the role and characteristics of God in Christianity, the first thing that immediately becomes apparent is the absence of a prominent role for God the Father, as we had witnessed in Judaism. The Christians, or more specifically Saint Paul, who was the founder and designer of Christianity as we know it today, in order to distance his creation from the Hebrews and religion of Yahweh, invented a new Godhead and named him Jesus Christ (Ancient Greek: Ἰησοῦς Içsous). Born of a virgin, with powers to heal the sick, give sight to the blind and even raise the dead, who was crucified but resurrected three days later. These were all characteristics borrowed from various religions and cults prevalent at the time in the Levant, from Mithraism to the cult of Apoll




Myth and Subversion in the Contemporary Novel


Book Description

This bilingual work identifies and explains the subversive rewriting of ancient, medieval and modern myths in contemporary novels. The book opens with two theoretical essays on the subject of subversive tendencies and myth reinvention in the contemporary novel. From there, it moves on to the analysis of essential texts. Firstly, classical myths in works by authors such as André Gide, Thomas Pynchon, Julio Cortázar, Italo Calvino or Christa Wolf (for instance, Theseus, Oedipus or Medea) are discussed. Then, myths of biblical origin – such as the Flood or the Golem – are revisited in the work of Giorgio Bassani, Julian Barnes and Cynthia Ozick. A further section is concerned with the place of modern myths (Faust, the ghost, Ophelia…) in the fiction of Günter Grass, Paul Auster, or Clara Janés. The contributors have also delved into the relationship between myth and art – especially in the discourse of contemporary advertising, painting and cinema – and myth’s intercultural dimensions: hybridity in the Latin American novels of Augusto Roa Bastos and Carlos Fuentes, and in the Hindu-themed novels of Bharati Mukherjee. This volume emerges from the careful selection of 37 essays out of over 200 which were put forward by outstanding scholars from 25 different countries for the Madrid International Conference on Myth and Subversion (March 2011). Este volumen bilingüe identifica y explica la práctica subversiva aplicada a los mitos antiguos, medievales y modernos en la novela contemporánea. Abren el libro dos estudios teóricos sobre la tendencia subversiva y la reinvención de mitos en la actualidad. Prosigue el análisis de diversos textos de primera importancia. En primer lugar se revisan los mitos clásicos en autores como André Gide, Thomas Pynchon, Julio Cortázar, Italo Calvino o Christa Wolf (p. ej., Teseo, Edipo, Medea). En segundo lugar, la reescritura de los mitos bíblicos según Giorgio Bassani, Julian Barnes o Cynthia Ozick (p. ej., el diluvio o el Golem). En tercer lugar, mitos modernos en la ficción de Günter Grass, Paul Auster o Clara Janés (p. ej., Fausto, el fantasma, Ofelia). El volumen presta igualmente atención a las relaciones entre mito y arte (su recurrencia en la publicidad, la pintura y el cine contemporáneos) y a la vertiente intercultural de los mitos: el mestizaje en la novela latinoamericana de Augusto Roa Bastos y Carlos Fuentes, o en la de temática hindú de Bharati Mukherjee. La compilación resulta de una exquisita selección de 37 textos entre los más de 200 propuestos para el Congreso Internacional Mito y Subversión (Madrid, marzo de 2011) por investigadores de prestigio procedentes de 25 países.




Famous Works of Art—And How They Got That Way


Book Description

In a world filled with great museums and great paintings, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is the reigning queen. Her portrait rules over a carefully designed salon, one that was made especially for her in a museum that may seem intended for no other purpose than to showcase her virtues. What has made this portrait so renowned, commanding such adoration? And what of other works of art that continue to enthrall spectators: What makes the Great Sphinx so great? Why do iterations of The Scream and American Gothic permeate nearly all aspects of popular culture? Is it because of the mastery of the artists who created them? Or can something else account for their popularity? In Famous Works of Art—And How They Got That Way, John B. Nici looks at twenty well-known paintings, sculptures, and photographs that have left lasting impressions on the general public. As Nici notes, there are many reasons why works of art become famous; few have anything to do with quality. The author explains why the reputations of some creations have grown over the years, some disproportionate to their artistic value. Written in a style that is both entertaining and informative, this book explains how fame is achieved, and ultimately how a work either retains that fame, or passes from the public consciousness. From ancient artifacts to a can of soup, this book raises the question: Did the talent to promote and publicize a work exceed the skills employed to create that object of worship? Or are some masterpieces truly worth the admiration they receive? The creations covered in this book include the Tomb of Tutankhamun, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, Raphael’s Sistine Madonna, El Greco’s The Burial of Count Orgaz, Rodin’s The Thinker, Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and Picasso’s Guernica. Featuring more than sixty images, including color reproductions, Famous Works of Art—And How They Got That Way will appeal to anyone who has ever wondered if a great painting, sculpture, or photograph, really deserves to be called “great.”




H.G. Wells's The Time Machine


Book Description

The Time Machine is one of the most important works of science fiction. It greatly influenced the genre and continues to be widely read at all levels. This reference guide overviews the novel for students and general readers. Written by a leading scholar on H.G. Wells, the volume covers all aspects of the work, including its plot, textual history, historical and intellectual contexts, themes, style, and reception. Written more than 100 years ago, H.G. Wells' first novel forever shaped the course of science fiction. Of all his vast writings, The Time Machine seems most likely to ensure his permanent place in literary history. But more than a literary work, it is now widely recognized as a key text in the history of ideas, for the notion of time travel has profoundly influenced human thought. So too, with its bleak view of the future, The Time Machine has made a seminal contribution to the ongoing debate concerning the future course of evolution. Though The Time Machine is widely read and studied, there is relatively little written about it. Prepared by a leading authority on H.G. Wells, this reference is a convenient introductory guide to the novel. It examines all aspects of the work, including its textual history, historical and intellectual contexts, themes, literary style, and critical reception. The volume also includes a detailed plot summary and an extensive bibliographic essay.




Empirical Research on Semiotics and Visual Rhetoric


Book Description

The study of symbols has long been considered a necessary field to unravel concealed meanings in symbols and images. These methods have since established themselves as staples in various fields of psychology, anthropology, computer science, and cognitive science. Empirical Research on Semiotics and Visual Rhetoric is a critical academic publication that examines communication through images and symbols and the methods by which researchers and scientists analyze these images and symbols. Featuring coverage on a wide range of topics, such as material culture, congruity theory, and social media, this publication is geared toward academicians, researchers, and students seeking current research on images, symbols, and how to analyze them.