This week I read Tomorrow’s Vengeance by Marcia Talley.
In the thirteenth Hannah Ives mysteries, Hannah volunteers at an assisted living home. (It is more like a resort than a residence, but I digress.) As she reads to the memory care residents and eats lunch in the dining room, she is embedded in the lives of the staff and people who live there, from the two lovebirds Nancy and Jerry to Christie with her thirty year old boyfriend, and Izzy, survivor of Nazi Italy.
Then one of the townhouse residents, Masud, is found dead in the Tranquility Garden. Hannah is well positioned to delve into the mystery. The murder, the theft of Jewish artworks , and the restrictions of the residents are stirred into a captivating whole.
Marcia Talley rarely disappoints, Even though the murder frequently does not occur until the halfway point or beyond, I almost don’t care. The characters and their situations are so interesting I am always fascinated. Her easy relaxed style also makes for a fast read. Another winner.
Arthur Evans, who excavated Knossos, estimated the original Neolithic settlements on Crete stretch back to 8000 B.C.E. By 2000, the civilization had transitioned from wattle and daub huts to an affluent society marked by mis-named palaces. Misnamed because it is thought they were not simply the abode of the rulers but also governmental, religious and craftsmen centers. The remains of storage rooms were also discovered on this site.
Below are the large storage vessels known as pithy.
Knossos was destroyed several times. Crete is prone to earthquakes and there is a nearby volcano. Until about 1400 B.C.E. Knossos was always rebuilt.
Since the ruins were excavated Knossos has become a major tourist attraction. Some of it has been repainted in what is thought to be the original colors.
Here is one example: the so-called throne room. The lustral basin in the foreground and the griffins (a symbol of the Goddess) indicated that this chamber was probably used for religious purposes.
The above is one of the many frescoes in Knossos (with me goofing around in front of it.). It is called the cup Bearer and is, I think, an example of male Minoan fashions. Both men and women wore their hair with the three tresses over the shoulders and the remainder loose down the back. Headdresses and jewelry was also common to both sexes. and the wasp waist was high fashion.
I based my character Tinos on this piece of art.
Knossos was not the only city found. The ruins of others such as Gournia, to the east, were also excavated. Akrotiri, a Minoan colony, on another island, is currently being dug out from many feet of hardened volcanic ash.
The Bronze Age Crete civilization worshipped snakes.
Snakes are pictured on seals and in frescoes, and statuary of either priestess or goddesses, twine snakes around their waists and hold them aloft in what is theorized are religious ceremonies. (There were no venomous snakes in Crete.)
In my book, In the Shadow of the Bull, I suggest that one of the headdresses worn by a Priestess might have contained live snakes, thereby providing the germ to the Medusa myth. The reverence for these serpents is also interesting considering the Judeo-Christian version of the Snake in the Garden of Eden and humanity’s fall. But I digress.
Marija Gimbutas in The Living Goddesses discusses the frequency of snake goddesses in various cultures: the Baltic, for example and the Celtic, as a symbol of rebirth and/or fertility. Gimbutas writes that the Minoan divine snake symbolizes regeneration. (The shedding of the snakeskin).
In any event, the figurines certainly lend credence to the importance of snakes in the early Bronze Age rituals.
In Ancient Greece, Willies, sometimes described as nymphs or magical maidens, were the spirits of girls who died before their time (before marriage and motherhood) and returned as spirit beings, or ghosts, to our world.
As described in some of the folklore, if they died disappointed or abused and were not put to rest with the proper rituals, they would return and haunt their families, usually for nine generations. (The number nine appears to be sacred to the Minoans.)
Arge, Martis’s sister, would be considered a willie. Martis relies on her to help solve the mystery of Arge’s death. Would we consider Arte a ghost? Not exactly. She is a spirit but there is a mystical component to her in accordance with Minoan beliefs.
Is this where the phrase Gave me the willies came from. I don’t know.willies
I read one book this week; Courting Dragons by Jeri Westerson.
I was a huge fan of Jeri’s Crispin Guest mysteries so I was curious about this new series. In this one, historical personages are more than cameos. Henry VIII, his wife, Anne Boleyn, Cromwell and quite a few others prance through these pages. The historical backdrop is Henry’s effort to divorce Catherine so he can marry Anne Boleyn.
Will Somers, the King’s jester, is a supporter of Catherine.
The first murder is that of a Spanish courtier who is charged with protecting Catherine.
But another murder occurs, by crossbow, and the bolt comes perilously close to Will Somers love. Already investigating, Will now has a personal reason to find the murderer.
An interesting mystery set in a fascinating time period.
The date for the release of In the Shadow of the Bull is now July 4 for the UK. No word on the release date in the US yet.
In an attempt to reveal what we know of this ancient culture, I thought I would begin with the bull. Bulls were sacred. I’ve read varying explanations. Is it because the Bull represented the male principle, even in a society with a Supreme Goddess? Is it because of the connection with Poseidon. also a God in this culture. (I have mentioned previously how much the Classical Greeks borrowed from the Minoans).
Whatever the reason, the mosaics, the statuary, the rites practiced were all centered around the Bull.
One of the practices was bull dancing or bull leaping. This is a feature of the Theseus myth. Since it was written by the occupying Greeks, it has a negative spin. In the myth, Minos, the ruler of Knossos, requires tribute from the mainland: 7 young women and 7 young men, to face the fearsome Minotaur in the labyrinth. (The creation of the Minotaur is another myth, a rather creepy one.) Theseus volunteers to be one of the tributes. Minos’ daughter Ariadne gives Theseus a ball of string and he is able to kill the Minotaur and lead the other tributes to safety.
Frescoes from Knossos show young men and women (probably teenagers) leaping over a charging bull. The bull dancer grasped the horns and flipped over the bull’s back. Another member of the team caught and steadied him as he landed. There seems to be no doubt that these performances occurred.
Remnants of mazes pictured in mosaics have also been found. But labyrinth, a synonym for a maze, is actually from the word labyrs, a sacred two headed axe used in religious rituals.
A stylized version of the bull’s horns, called the Horns of Consecration, were used everywhere. Examples have survived in Knossos.
Now that In the Shadow of the Bull will be released this summer, I thought I should talk a little bit about the culture of ancient Crete.
Although it is called the Minoan Era, that is a misnomer. Minos was a mythical king mentioned in Greek stories from Classical Greece, many years later.
What we do know is that this sophisticated society flourished in the Bronze Age, only to be destroyed about 1459 B.C.E, The volcano on the island now called Santorini blew, sending ash as far away as Turkey., and causing massive damage to Crete. Some archaeologists discuss signs of rebuilding but the Achaeans, the Greeks from the Mainland, were able to take advantage and occupy the island.
The iconic statuettes from Bronze Age Crete are of women (priestesses probably although some scholars claim they are the Goddess) with snakes twining up their arms and around their waists. Snakes were sacred in this Bronze Age religion.
Snake Goddess describes a number of figurines of a woman holding a serpent in each hand found during excavation of Minoan archaeological sites in Crete dating from approximately 1600 BCE. By implication, the term ‘goddess’ also describes the deity depicted; although little more is known about her identity apart from that gained from the figurines. The ‘Snake Goddess’ figure first discovered was found by the British archaeologist Arthur Evans in 1903. The figurine found by Arthur Evans uses the faience technique, for glazing earthenware and other ceramic vessels by using a quartz paste. After firing this produces bright colors and a lustrous sheen. The figurine is today exibited at the Herakleion Archeological Museum in Crete. The snake’s close connection with the Minoan house is believed to indicate that the goddesses shown in these figures are Household Goddesses. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_Goddess
The shedding of their skins was a symbol of rebirth and regeneration. One of the resources I read said that the snakes were allowed to live in the houses. (I am not sure how she knows that.) If so, I’m sure that the presence of the snakes kept down the mice.
Currently Crete does not have native venomous snakes and it is thought that there no venomous snakes in Crete during the Bronze Age either. So, of course I had to wonder if the asp was ever imported from Egypt.
(I think everyone knows that Cleopatra is supposed to have committed suicide with an asp. According to my research, however, it was a mixture of poisons including opium and wolfsbane. But I digress.)
The prevalence of women in the artwork, not just statuary but also the mosaics, have lent support to the theory that women enjoyed a high status in this society. It is theorized that the religion featured a Goddess as well as less important Gods. Several were transported virtually unchanged to the pantheon of Hellenic Greece.
I am in awe of Hunter’s imagination. Although this is several books in, the story still feels fresh. This is an enjoyable series and I expect to read it right to the end.
I also finished Death of a Snow Ghost by Linda Norlander. I met Linda at last Year’s Malice and was interested enough in the description of her first book to read it and the second.
Jamie Forest leaves New York City for a small cabin in the Minnesota woods. Along with each mystery, Jamie experiences the trials of a hand to mouth existence in a cabin that seems to need constant massive infusions of cash.
In Death of a Snow Ghost, Jamie has her first bitterly cold winter. On her way home, she sees what looks like a ghost coming out of the snowy fog. But it turns out not to be a ghost but a young woman in labor. Jamie delivers the baby in the back seat of her car and finds herself thrust into a serious mystery.
Carmen is terrified that someone will try and take her child and as Jamie becomes involved in the lives of these pregnant Hispanic women, she realizes that something is very wrong in the home, and the people, who supposedly work for an organization that claims to save them. A death of one of the young women, as well as one of the men, leads Jamie into a complicated mystery.
All the familiar characters are here: Clarence her friendly lawyer, Jim, her love interest, and more.
Although this is a cozy, it deals with some serious topics. Highly recommended.
The first book I read this week was Book Four of the Jane Yellowrock series, Raven Cursed.
Jane is working security in Asheville, N.C. for a vamp parley. The vamps in Asheville want to set up their own territory. Evangeline Overheat, Molly’s older sister, has agreed to facilitate the parley. But a group of campers are attacked by something supernatural, and Jane realizes the two werewolves she didn’t kill have followed her to North Carolina and are on the hunt.
Then Lincoln Shaddock does not turn up at the parley and Evangeline begins changing, growing younger and prettier. What is going on?
Action packed and fun.
The second book I read was A Truth to Lie For by Anne Perry, the fourth Elena Stands mystery.
Elena is called into service again, tasked with pulling a scientist working on German warfare out of Germany. Elena calls upon her old friend for Jacob and they successfully find the scientist. But when they try to take him out of Berlin, traffic jams and roadblocks send them south to Munich. Just in time for the Night of the Long Knives; Hitler’s strike against Rohm’s brownshirts.
At the same, a young Gestapo officer, Hans Beckendorff is trying to navigate the politics of working for the Reich, and for an increasingly unhinged Hitler. In the end, he is forced to make a life-changing decision.
I had a few criticisms. The ending seems rushed. Perry relies on a few phrases over and over (I really got tired of ‘surprisingly good coffee’.) It is not really a mystery, more a thriller.
But here’s the thing. Despite the absence of blood and gore (a constant feature of the Yellowrock novels), A Truth to Lie For is absolutely terrifying. Maybe because the reader knows what is coming in the next few years, but I felt a sense of dread throughout. I was truly scared at several points in the book.
