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Polytrichum commune is common haircap moss, a robust cushion moss that grows in open wet areas. This specimen, consisting of a groups of male stems (notice the splash cup arrangement of the uppoer leaves) was photographed July 6, 2013 in Lucas County, Ohio, USA.
The window at Commune wine bar and restaurant in Southgate, Melbourne. This location was long held by Walter's Wine Bar, one of the first restaurants when Southgate was built in the early 90s. Walter's Wine Bar closed in the mid 2010s and the owners set up shop at a popular hotel in the Mornington Peninsula.
Since then, the restaurant became a popup for another restaurant which mysteriously closed, leaving staff wondering what was happening. It is now the home of Commune, which will hopefully fare better. Southgate really suffered during the pandemic, with many of the stall holders in the food court closing.
Panasonic G9 | Olympus M Zuiko 17mm f1.8 | Lightroom
It was a bit intimidating for a shy person like myself to be the center of attention especially with my broken spanish. They were very nice and I really appreciate their hospitality!
Ezen a képen látszik, hogy az étvágygerjesztően csillogó cianobaktérium-telep benövi az egészséges fűszálakat.
Split Gill
Underside nicely shots the split gills from which the common name derives. The one in the center is about 1cm in diameter. A couple months ago I cut down a good sized Gleditsia aquatica, Water Locust, and the resulting brush pile has become home to lots of this little fuzzy fungi and all sorts of other "stuff" that I hope to photograph as I get to it.
According to wikipedia this is the world's most widely distributed mushroom.
This is the house that was called the West House commune in Redwood Valley, forty years ago. Several Temple members shared living quarters here. Photo taken in 2012, and is available courtesy Laura and Ron Kohl.
Schizophyllum commune (Fr.) Fr.
Split Gill, DE: Spaltblättling
Slo.: pahljačica, navadna cepilistka
Dat.: Feb. 20. 2014
Lat.: 46.35902 Long.: 13.70068
Code: Bot_783/2014_DSC9949
Picture file names: from Schizophyllum-commune_raw_10 to Schizophyllum-commune_raw_14.
Habitat: mixed wood, Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies, Ostrya carpinifolia, Fraxinus ornus, Fraxinus excelsior dominant trees; moderately inclined mountain slope, southeast aspect, calcareous, stony ground; relatively warm place; partly protected from direct rain by tree canopies; average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7 - 9 deg C, elevation 590 m (1.950 feet), alpine phytogeographical region.
Substratum: dead Fagus sylvatica branch still in bark lying on ground.
Place: Lower Trenta valley, between villages Soča and Trenta, right bank of river Soča, between cottage Trenta 2b and abandoned farmhouse Strgulc, East Julian Alps, Posočje, Slovenia EC.
Comments: Schizophyllum commune is a very common but also a very unique fungus thriving on five continents of the Earth and in all months of the year. Neither genetic nor cytological research has yet finally answered the question of its phylogenetic status. It grows everywhere - on wood of alive and dead, broad leaved trees and conifers, on sawn timber, on charcoal, on bales of hay wrapped in plastic sheeting, on horns, on leather, on bones and inside nose cavity of humans with certain dysfunction of immune system. It excellently survives drought and is capable to sporulate after moistening after 25 years of being in totally dry state. Really something special in every aspect!
The species is easy to recognize. It has uniquely split 'gills' (actually side walls of radially arranged cyphelloid fruit bodies). Literature states the color of its pilei as white, whitish and gray (when wet) to pale ocher. The pilei of this find were of delicate colors and much nicer than usually! Growing in a group of several fruit bodies.
Ref.:
(1) M. Bon, Parey's Buch der Pilze, Kosmos (2005), p 320.
(2) R. Phillips, Mushrooms, Macmillan (2006), p 268.
(3) G.J. Krieglsteiner (Hrsg.), Die Grosspilze Baden-Württembergs, Band 1., Ulmer (2000), p 412.
(4) R.M. Daehncke, 1200 Pilze in Farbfotos, AT Verlag (2009), p 1006.
(5) S. Buczacki, Collins Fungi Guide, Collins (2012), p 476.
Le cimetière américain de Colleville-sur-Mer (Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial) est un cimetière militaire américain, situé juste au-dessus de la plage dite d’Omaha Beach, dans la commune de Colleville-sur-Mer dans le Calvados, sur l'un des sites du débarquement allié du 6 juin 1944.
Inauguré officiellement en 1956 avec son mémorial, ce cimetière honore les soldats américains morts pendant la bataille de Normandie lors de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Cette nécropole de 70 hectares est installée sur les hauteurs qui surplombent la plage d'Omaha Beach, l'une des plages du débarquement de Normandie. Le littoral à cet endroit est protégé.
Le cimetière a remplacé un premier cimetière provisoire dit de Saint-Laurent établi à proximité dès le 8 juin 1944. Il s'agissait du premier cimetière militaire américain de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Il a été conçu par Harbeson, Hough, Livingston & Larson et l’espace a été arrangé par l'architecte paysagiste Markley Stevenson qui a fait en sorte que de n'importe quel angle, on voit une rangée de croix. À l’entrée du cimetière, une statue en bronze de 7 mètres de haut, à l'intérieur du demi-cercle formé par la colonnade du mémorial, fait face aux carrés des tombes. Elle symbolise « L'Esprit de la jeunesse américaine s'élevant des flots ». Cette statue est entourée de galets symbolisant la difficulté des tanks à passer la plage. Les stèles de marbre blanc sont en forme de croix latine ou en forme d'étoile de David pour les soldats de confession juive.
Personnes enterrées
Omaha Beach vue depuis l'escalier du cimetière menant à la plage.
Dans le cimetière sont enterrés les corps de 9 388 personnes, dont 307 inconnus, quatre femmes. En tout on compte 9384 militaires et 4 civils. Ces personnes sont principalement décédées le jour du débarquement ou dans les semaines suivantes en Normandie, principalement au combat. 14 000 dépouilles, d'abord inhumées en Normandie, ont été rapatriées aux États-Unis, à la demande de leurs proches.
Près du monument mémorial, dans le « jardin des disparus », se trouvent les noms de 1 557 soldats disparus.
3 titulaires de la Medal of Honor morts en Normandie reposent à Colleville, dont le général Theodore Roosevelt Junior (1887-12 juillet 1944) (le fils ainé du président des États-Unis Theodore Roosevelt et lointain cousin du président Franklin Roosevelt), le lieutenant Jimmie Monteith (1917 - 6 juin 1944 à Omaha Beach) et Frank Peregory1 (1916 - 12 juin 1944).
Deux des frères Niland, dont l'histoire a inspiré Steven Spielberg pour écrire le scénario du film Il faut sauver le soldat Ryan, sont aussi enterrés ici.
Capsule temporelle
Enterrée dans la pelouse directement vis-à-vis de l'entrée de l'ancien bâtiment des visiteurs, une capsule temporelle sauvegarde des journaux et des dépêches annonçant le débarquement du 6 juin 1944 en Normandie. La capsule est recouverte d'une dalle de granit rose sur laquelle est gravée : « To be opened June 6, 2044 ». Apposée au centre de la dalle il y a une plaque en bronze ornée avec les cinq étoiles d'un général de l'armée américaine et gravée avec l'inscription suivante : « In memory of General Dwight D. Eisenhower and the forces under his command. This sealed capsule containing news reports of the June 6, 1944 Normandy landings is placed here by the newsmen who were here, June 6, 1969,»
Administration
Le territoire du cimetière est une concession perpétuelle faite par la France aux États-Unis, comme il est d'usage pour tous les cimetières militaires relatifs aux deux guerres mondiales. Il ne bénéficie pas de l'extraterritorialité5.
Le cimetière est géré par l'American Battle Monuments Commission, agence indépendante du gouvernement américain. Conséquence de cette gestion, le cimetière (comme d'autres en France et dans le monde) est fermé en cas d'arrêt des activités gouvernementales aux États-Unis, ce qui se produit pendant 16 jours en octobre 2013.
Symbolique aux États-Unis
Par son emplacement devant Omaha Beach et les soldats qui y sont enterrés, beaucoup sont morts le jour J, le lieu revêt une symbolique particulière. Tous les présidents américains en exercice depuis Jimmy Carter se sont rendus au cimetière de Colleville (sauf George H. W. Bush qui n'y a effectué qu'une visite privée en 19958) : Ronald Reagan en 1984 (pour le 40e anniversaire du débarquement), Bill Clinton en 1994 (pour le 50e anniversaire du débarquement), George W. Bush en 2002 (pour le Memorial Day) et en 2004 (pour le 60e anniversaire du débarquement), le dernier en date étant Barack Obama le 6 juin 2009 (pour le 65e anniversaire du débarquement). Les discours de ces visites ont souvent servi aux présidents américains à appuyer la politique étrangère du moment.
El Cementerio Estadounidense de Normandía es un cementerio y memorial de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, en Colleville-sur-Mer, Francia, que honra a los soldados estadounidenses muertos en Europa durante dicha guerra.
El 8 de junio de 1944, la fuerza armada estadounidense estableció un cementerio temporal (Saint Mère Eglise), el primero en territorio europeo para sus soldados.1 Después de la guerra se construyó el cementerio actual, a 47 Km del anterior, encima justo de la playa de Omaha. En Saint Mère Eglise hubo enterrados unos 20 000 soldados estadounidenses. Al final de la guerra, más de la mitad fueron repatriados para ser enterrados en Estados Unidos, y el resto se trasladaron a Colleville.
Como todos los cementerios estadounidenses en territorio francés (tanto para la Primera Guerra Mundial, como para la Segunda), Francia garantizó a Estados Unidos una concesión de territorio a perpetuidad para que fuera ocupado por el cementerio, libre de toda tasa e impuesto. Este cementerio es administrado por el gobierno estadounidense y el Congreso otorga la financiación anual. La mayor parte de su personal, tanto civil como militar, se encuentra en Estados Unidos. La bandera estadounidense ondea en estos territorios de manera permanente.
Este cementerio está localizado en un barranco mirando hacia la Playa de Omaha, una de las playas donde se realizó el famoso Desembarco de Normandía, y el Canal de la Mancha. Cubre un área de 70 hectáreas y contiene los restos de 9387 militares estadounidenses. La mayor parte de éstos murieron durante el desembarco de Normandía; también incluye las tumbas de los miembros de la Fuerza Aérea cuyos aviones fueron derribados en Francia. Las tumbas están colocadas hacia el oeste, mirando a Estados Unidos. Se encuentran enterrados tres "Medalla de Honor", de los cuales uno de ellos es el hijo del presidente Roosevelt. El único enterramiento que no pertenece a la Segunda Guerra Mundial, es otro de los hijos de Roosevelt que murió durante la Primera Guerra Mundial y fue trasladado a este cementerio con posterioridad.
Cápsula del tiempo :
Enterrada en el piso directamente opuesto a la entrada del antiguo edificio para visitantes hay una cápsula del tiempo, donde han sido guardadas las noticias aparecidas en torno al desembarco del 6 de junio en Normandía. La cápsula está cubierta por una capa de granito rosado donde se lee "Abrir el 6 de junio de 2044". En el centro hay una placa de bronce adornada con las cinco estrellas de un General de la Fuerza Armada Estadounidense, y está grabada con la siguiente inscripción: "En memoria del general Dwight D. Eisenhower. Esta cápsula sellada contiene los reportajes y noticias del 6 de junio de 1944 sobre el desembarco de Normandía y ha sido puesta aquí por los reporteros que estuvieron presentes. 6 de junio de 1969."
El monumento conmemorativo:
Los nombres de los 1557 estadounidenses que perdieron la vida en el conflicto pero no han podido ser ubicados o identificados están inscritos en las paredes de un jardín semicircular al lado este del monumento. Esta parte está constituida por una serie de columnas que terminan en dos pequeños recintos a cada lado. En ellos se pueden observar mapas y documentos sobre las operaciones militares. En el centro hay una estatua de bronce titulada "Espíritu de los Jóvenes Estadounidenses". Hacia el lado oeste del memorial se puede ver en el patio un espejo de agua y un pasadizo con áreas de entierro a cada uno de los lados de la capilla circular. Detrás de la capilla hay algunas estatuas representando a los Estados Unidos y Francia. Mirando hacia la playa existe un cuadro explicativo de los desembarcos en Normandía.
Tumbas más conocidas
Entre los enterrados en el cementerio están aquellos que recibieron la Medalla de Honor durante la guerra, como Theodore Roosevelt Jr., hijo del presidente de los Estados Unidos, Theodore Roosevelt. Después de la creación del cementerio, otro de los hijos de Roosevelt, Quentin Roosevelt, que murió durante la Primera Guerra Mundial, fue exhumado y enterrado junto a su hermano.
Otras tumbas conocidas son:
Lesley J. McNair, un general del ejército estadounidense, que fue uno de los oficiales con mayor rango en morir en la guerra.
Jimmie W. Monteith, quien recibió la Medalla de Honor.
Dos de los hermanos Niland, Preston y Robert.
Frank D. Peregory, quien recibió la Medalla de Honor.
En la cultura popular:
Este cementerio fue usado en la película de terror La profecía, en uno de los carteles de la película puede verse a Damien parado en un campo lleno de tumbas.
En el comienzo de la película Salvando al Soldado Ryan, un veterano de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, acompañado por su familia, camina hasta la tumba del Capitán John Miller (el personaje de Tom Hanks) dando inicio a la primera secuencia de batalla en la película, el desembarco de Normandía. La tumba no existe realmente, fue traída especialmente para la filmación, pero la historia del soldado Ryan está basada en la historia de los Hermanos Niland, dos de los cuales están enterrados en el cementerio.
La composición Preludio Sinfónico (El Cementerio en Colleville-sur-Mer), escrito por Mark Camphouse, describe la batalla: una introducción suave y lenta, seguida por un movimiento en moderato y un final majestuoso.
The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War II cemetery and memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, that honors American soldiers who died in Europe during World War II.
On June 8, 1944, the U.S. First Army established the temporary cemetery, the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. After the war, the present-day cemetery was established a short distance to the east of the original site.
Like all other overseas American cemeteries in France for World War I and II, France has granted the United States a special, perpetual concession to the land occupied by the cemetery, free of any charge or any tax. This cemetery is managed by the American government, under Congressional acts that provide yearly financial support for maintaining them, with most military and civil personnel employed abroad. The U.S. flag flies over these granted soils.
The cemetery is located on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach (one of the landing beaches of the Normandy Invasion) and the English Channel. It covers 172 acres (70 ha), and contains the remains of 9,387 American military dead, most of whom were killed during the invasion of Normandy and ensuing military operations in World War II. Included are graves of Army Air Corps crews shot down over France as early as 1942.
Only some of the soldiers who died overseas are buried in the overseas American military cemeteries. When it came time for a permanent burial, the next of kin eligible to make decisions were asked if they wanted their loved ones repatriated for permanent burial in the U.S., or interred at the closest overseas cemetery.
Notable interments:
Among the burials at the cemetery are three recipients of the Medal of Honor, including Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., son of President Theodore Roosevelt. After the creation of the cemetery, another son of President Roosevelt, Quentin, who had been killed in World War I, was exhumed and reburied next to his brother Theodore, Jr.
Notable burials at the cemetery include:
Lesley J. McNair, U.S. Army general, one of the two highest-ranking Americans to be killed in action in World War II
Jimmie W. Monteith, Medal of Honor recipient
Two of the Niland brothers, Preston and Robert
Frank D. Peregory, Medal of Honor recipient
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., son of President Theodore Roosevelt, Medal of Honor recipient
Quentin Roosevelt, son of President Theodore Roosevelt, aviator killed in action in World War II
The Memorial
Omaha Beach Memorial (1953-56), Harbeson, Hough, Livingston & Larson, architects.
The names of 1,557 Americans who lost their lives in the Normandy campaign but could not be located and/or identified are inscribed on the walls of a semicircular garden at the east side of the memorial. This part consists of a semicircular colonnade with a loggia at each end containing maps and narratives of the military operations. At the center is a 22-foot bronze statue entitled The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves. Facing west at the memorial, one sees in the foreground the reflecting pool, the mall with burial areas to either side and the circular chapel beyond. Behind the chapel are allegorical figures representing the United States and France. An orientation table overlooks the beach and depicts the landings at Normandy.
Time capsule:
Embedded in the lawn directly opposite the entrance to the old Visitors' Building is a time capsule which has been sealed and contains news reports of the June 6, 1944 Normandy landings. The capsule is covered by a pink granite slab upon which is engraved: To be opened June 6, 2044. Affixed in the center of the slab is a bronze plaque adorned with the five stars of a General of the Army and engraved with the following inscription: 'In memory of General Dwight D. Eisenhower and the forces under his command. This sealed capsule containing news reports of the June 6, 1944 Normandy landings is placed here by the newsmen who were here, June 6, 1969.
This cemetery was used in the original horror film The Omen as a main photo poster with Damien standing next to the thousands of graves.
The cemetery is featured in the beginning of Steven Spielberg's 1998 film Saving Private Ryan. A World War II veteran, accompanied by his family, makes his way to the grave of Captain John Miller (played by Tom Hanks) and segues into the movie's opening battle sequence, the D-Day landing at Omaha Beach. The grave does not actually exist; the headstone for Miller was only brought to the cemetery for the movie. The Captain John Miller portrayed in the movie never existed, but the Private Ryan story is based upon the story of the Niland Brothers, two of whom are buried in the cemetery.
Symphonic Prelude (The Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer), by Mark Camphouse, portrays the battle in a way that battles are commonly depicted for bands: a slow introduction followed by a moderate tempo body and a majestic ending.
Being a cat lover I've always had a soft spot for Sekhmet!
Black granite statue of the lioness-headed goddess Sekhmet, a warlike deity of fearsome repute. This statue was part of a set of over 300 similar figures erected by Amenhotep III in the temple of Mut at Karnak. Similar statues are held by most major Egyptian collections across the World, all originated at the same site, where many less well preserved figures can still be seen amongst the otherwise totally ruined and little visited Mut Precinct south of Karnak.
Some believe there was originally a figure of Sekhmet for each day of the year. What is known is that Amenhotep III suffered serious illness later in life and may have wished to placate and invoke the powerful goddess on his behalf with this huge tribute.
Sekhmet's best known appearance in Egyptian mythology was as a slayer of humankind who became intoxicated with her vengefull role (on behalf of her father, sun god Ra) and somewhat overstepped the mark. She was thus subdued from her bloodthirsty rampage when tricked by the other gods who poured wine over the country which she drank, believing it to be blood, and was soon intoxicated!
She was identified as the fiercer aspect of the life-giving Sun and was wife of the craftsman god Ptah and mother of the lotus god Nefertum. She originally emerged as an aspect of the goddess Hathor.
I have never been able to grasp the meaning of time. I don't believe it exists. I've felt this again and again, when alone and out in nature. On such occasions, time does not exist. Nor does the future exist.
- Thor Heyerdahl
Kodak Tri-X pushed to 1600, Nikon FM-10 & craptastic Tokina 55-210 lens, wide open
Ornans est une commune française située dans le département du Doubs et la région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Chef-lieu du canton d'Ornans et de la communauté de communes Loue-Lison
Considérée longtemps comme une mauvaise herbe en agriculture, l’asclépiade possède des caractéristiques qui lui ont valu une autre réputation. Les aigrettes (soies rattachées à la graine) de la plante sont utilisées comme fibres de textiles. De plus, l’asclépiade est la plante hôte principale des papillons migrateurs tels que les monarques.
Nom scientifique accepté : Asclepias syriaca
Apocynum majus syriac. rectum, illustration tirée de Jacques Philippe Cornut, Canadensium plantarum, aliarumque nondum editarum historia […], Paris, Simon Le Moyne, 1635.
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Our Daily Challenge ... across the water.
After I finished babysitting this afternoon I went down to the lake hoping to get a shot for the challengebut the sun was a bit high and after weeks of rain it was very glary on the water so I went over to the surf beach to see what I could do. There I ran into a couple of older ladies on holidays from England. We got talking and about 20-30 minutes later I went back to the car to find the sun setting over the lake.
Lake Ainsworth, Lennox Head is a fresh water lake less than 50 metres from the ocean. When we get a lot of rain it fills up and floods. Today it was well over it's banks.
Details best viewed in Original Size.
The Basilica of Saint-Denis (Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, now formally known as the Basilique-cathédrale de Saint-Denis) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and architecturally as its choir, completed in 1144, is widely considered the first structure to employ all of the elements of Gothic architecture. The basilica became a place of pilgrimage and a necropolis containing the tombs of the kings of France, including nearly every king from the 10th century to Louis XVIII in the 19th century. The site originated as a Gallo-Roman cemetery in late Roman times. The archaeological remains still lie beneath the cathedral; the graves indicate a mixture of Christian and pre-Christian burial practices. In the 12th century, the abbot Suger rebuilt portions of the abbey church using innovative structural and decorative features. In doing so, he is said to have created the first truly Gothic building. In the following century the master-builder Pierre de Montreuil rebuilt the nave and the transepts in the new Rayonnant Gothic style. The abbey church became a cathedral on the formation of the Diocese of Saint-Denis by Pope Paul VI in 1966 and is the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Denis. Although known as the "Basilica of St Denis", the cathedral has not been granted the title of Minor Basilica by the Vatican. The 282-foot (86-meter) tall spire, dismantled in the 19th century, is to be rebuilt. The project initiated more than 30 years ago, was decided in 2018 with a signed agreement, with initial restoration work beginning in 2022. From 2025, the building project has commenced, with visitors of the cathedral being able to observe the building works as part of their tour. The project is planned to be completed by 2029, with a cost of 37 million euro.
This panorama was constructed using Photoshop CC to stitch together vertically two landscape-oriented images.
Additional information on the Basilica of Saint-Denis may be found at Wikipedia
Nostoc commune es la cianobacteria –o cianófito o alga cianofícea según las denominaciones anteriores- de más fácil observación. En tiempo húmedo constituye masas gelatinosas, hidratadas, informes y blandas de algunos centímetros, de color verde oliváceo o marrón, que descansan sobre rellanos de roca o claros de suelo yermo. En cambio, en tiempo seco se reduce a unas láminas negras, pequeñas y frágiles, que pasarán desapercibidas. A Nostoc commune se le conoce el nombre popular en catalán de merda de bruixa , mierda de bruja, no sólo por el aspecto, color y consistencia, sino por su misteriosa aparición tras la lluvia, como salido de la nada. Observado al microscopio, Nostoc está formado por cadenas no ramificadas de células, dentro de una matriz mucilaginosa. En el rosario de células, de vez en cuando se intercala una célula mayor, el heterocisto, capaz de fijar nitrógeno atmosférico, lo que enriquece el suelo.
Las cianobacterias son procariotas, es decir, organismos constituídos por células sin núcleo diferenciado, como las de las bacterias. Son unicelulares, aunque forman colonias. Las cianobacterias aparecieron en la Tierra hace unos 3.000 millones de años, por evolución a partir de bacterias fotosintéticas anaeróbicas aún más primitivas que utilizan hidrógeno o ácido sulfhídrico. Las cianobacterias consiguieron el salto de calidad trascendental. Ellas inventaron la fotosíntesis basada en el pigmento verde clorofila y en la partición de la molécula de agua en hidrógeno, utilitzado como fuente de poder reductor para transformar el dióxido de carbono en materia orgánica, y en oxígeno liberado como subproducto. Durante centenares de millones de años, durante la larguísima etapa de la historia de la Tierra conocida como Proterozoico, las cianobacterias dominaron muchos ambientes y enriquecieron en oxígeno la atmosfera y las aguas. Ellas pusieron las condiciones para la explosión de la diversidad de de la vida del período Cámbrico, hace unos 570 millones de años, que señala el inicio del Fanerozoico, la etapa de la historia de nuestro planeta en la que existe registro fósil irrefutable. Desde tiempos tan remotos, las cianobacterias se han mantenido. Muchos millones de años después que la fotosíntesis fuese inventada por las cianobacterias, las plantas se apoderaron de ella y la perfeccionaron. Al observar un Nostoc, retrocedemos a los inicios de la larguísima historia evolutiva de la Tierra. Sin las cianobacterias, sin su providencial mecanismo bioquímico de fotosíntesis que transforma la energia de la luz del sol en materia orgánica, la historia de la vida en la Tierra, la historia de todas las historias, nunca hubiese acontecido.
www.iec.es/institucio/societats/ICHistoriaNatural/Bages/i...
Paimpont forest, also known as Brocéliande, is in the French commune of Paimpont, near the city of Rennes in Brittany. As Brocéliande it had a reputation in the Medieval imagination as a place of magic and mystery. It is the setting of a number of adventures in Arthurian legend, notably Chrétien de Troyes's Yvain, the Knight of the Lion, and locals claim the tree in which the Lady of the Lake supposedly imprisoned Merlin can still be seen today. Other legendary places said to lie within the forest include the Val sans Retour, the tomb of Merlin, the Fountain of Youth, and Hotié de Vivianne (castle of the Lady of the Lake). The medieval chronicler Wace visited the forest but left disappointed:
"...I went there in search of marvels; I saw the forest and the land and looked for marvels, but found none. I came back as a fool and went as a fool. I went as a fool and came back as a fool. I sought foolishness and considered myself a fool."
For those living close to Paimpont, the Arthurian legend is very strong. Many names in the legend can be translated into Breton or French, for example the name Lancelot translates as "wanderer" or "vagabond" in Breton. There is also a strong influence from the Druids, and all around Brittany are standing stones or alignments, the most famous of which are nearby at Carnac; a group of the alignments at Kerlescan are nicknamed "the soldiers of Arthur."
Paimpont is a forest of broadleaf trees, oaks and beeches mainly, with areas of conifers either inside after clear-felling or on the periphery as transition with the moor, for example towards the west in the sector of Tréhorenteuc and the Val-sans-Retour (= Valley of no Return) which was devastated by several fires in particular in 1976, a year of great drought. It occupies mainly the territory of the commune of Paimpont, but extends to bordering communes, mainly Guer and Beignon in the south, Saint-Péran in the northeast, and Concoret in north. The forest of Paimpont is the largest remnant of an ancient forest occupying Argoat, the interior region of Brittany. It was more often called the forest of Brécélien, but its ancient character and other qualities underlined by many authors decided on its name of "forest of Brocéliande," tallying of the adventures of the legend of the Round Table. This flattering designation was reinforced by the birth of the Pays de Brocéliande at the end of the 20th century, an institution intended to facilitate the development of the communes of the west of the département.
The relative altitude of the forested massif contributes to give it a climate close to the oceanic climate of the coasts of Finistere. This mode, where west and south-west winds carry of clouds and regular rain supports the vegetation, dominates. The surplus of water feeds the many brooks occupying the bottoms of small valleys before flowing into the river Aff, then the Vilaine, to the area around Redon in the south of the department. The highest point is at 256 m in the western part called Haute forêt. Altitude decreases regularly while offering viewpoints towards the department of Morbihan; viewpoints which one finds the equivalents in the north on the commune of Mauron, port of the Côtes-d'Armor. It is not far from there that the Paimpont Biological Station of the University of Rennes 1, built in 1966 and 1967, dominates the lake of Chatenay. The varied forest and its surroundings constitute a framework favorable to many training courses in which the Rennes 1 biology students as well as foreign researchers take part. These buildings can accommodate approximately 70 people, and researchers work all the year on subjects generally very far away from the local biotope such as behavior of primates, represented by Cercopithecus, whose cries are familiar for the area but surprising to the walker little accustomed to this exotic fauna. The first researchers lengthily studied the ecology of the Armorican moors, the grounds, and the hydrology.
The forest belongs mainly to owners who maintain it and exploit it for timber and hunting; only in the north-eastern part, a small part (10%) is "domanial" and is managed by the National Forestry Commission. This situation prevents freedom of movement in the forest even with the access to the borough and its pond. The owners, however, signed a convention authorizing, from April 1 to the end of September, the use of some hiking trails in the forest. Among the responsibilities of the forest guards are watching for behaviors that threaten the forest, its flora, and its fauna. For example, behaviors that pose the risk of fire, and those that endanger the game, like dogs running loose. The gathering of mushrooms is not absolutely prohibited, but it is only tolerated near the approved trails. Because of its importance before the French Revolution, the forest was the responsibility of a royal jurisdiction called the National Forestry Commission, as the traditional jurisdictions of the seigneurs did not occupying itself with forest management. The wood was excessively exploited for the power supply of the charcoal blast furnaces for the nearby industry, at least in the 17th and 18th centuries; the assignment of the trees of first choice to the navy was a marginal role.
An extract of the files of the correctional court of Montfort:
"Having left the forging mills of Paimpont on Monday morning, he passed by the workshop of the carpenter who was far away from the forging mills but in the middle of the forest, he drank there with Julien Auffray his cousin and foreman of the carpenters." (Foreman of the carpenters and sawyers on contract to the naval yards elsewhere). Auffray interrogation, 1826.
The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the legends that concern the Celtic and legendary history of Great Britain, especially those focused on King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. The 12th century French poet Jean Bodel created the name in the following lines of his epic Chanson de Saisnes:
Ne sont que III matières à nul homme atandant,
De France et de Bretaigne, et de Rome la grant.
The name distinguishes and relates the Matter of Britain from the mythological themes taken from classical antiquity, the "matter of Rome", and the tales of the paladins of Charlemagne and their wars with the Moors and Saracens, which constituted the "matter of France". While Arthur is the chief subject of the Matter of Britain, other lesser-known legendary history of Great Britain, including the stories of Brutus of Britain, Old King Cole, King Lear, and Gogmagog, is also included in the Matter of Britain: see Legendary Kings of the Britons.
Legendary history of Britain
It could be said that the legendary history of Britain was created in part to form a body of patriotic myth for the island. Several agendas thus can be seen in this body of literature.
The Historia Britonum, the earliest known source of the story of Brutus of Britain, may have been devised to create a distinguished genealogy for a number of Welsh princes in the 9th century. Traditionally attributed to Nennius, its actual compiler is unknown; it exists in several recensions. This tale went on to achieve greater currency because its inventor linked Brutus to the diaspora of heroes that followed the Trojan War, and thus provided raw material which later mythographers such as Geoffrey of Monmouth, Michael Drayton, and John Milton could draw upon, linking the settlement of Britain to the heroic age of Greek literature, for their several and diverse literary purposes. As such, this material could be used for patriotic mythmaking just as Virgil linked the mythical founding of Rome to the Trojan War in The Æneid. Geoffrey of Monmouth also introduced the fanciful claim that the Trinovantes, reported by Tacitus as dwelling in the area of London, had a name he interpreted as Troi-novant, "New Troy".
More speculative claims link Celtic mythology with several of the rulers and incidents compiled by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniæ. It has been suggested, for instance, that Leir of Britain, who later became Shakespeare's King Lear, was originally the Welsh sea-god Llŷr (see also the Irish sea-god Lir). Various Celtic deities have been identified with characters from Arthurian literature as well: Morgan le Fay was often thought to have originally been the Welsh goddess Modron (cf. the Irish goddess Mórrígan). Many of these identifications come from the speculative comparative religion of the late 19th century, and have been questioned in more recent years.
William Shakespeare seems to have been deeply interested in the legendary history of Britain, and to have been familiar with some of its more obscure byways. Shakespeare's plays contain several tales relating to these legendary kings, such as King Lear and Cymbeline. It has been suggested that Shakespeare's Welsh schoolmaster Thomas Jenkins introduced him to this material, and perhaps directed him to read Geoffrey of Monmouth[citation needed]. These tales also figure in Raphael Holinshed's The Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, which also appears in Shakespeare's sources for Macbeth. A Welsh schoolmaster appears as the character Sir Hugh Evans in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Other early authors also drew from the early Arthurian and pseudo-historical sources of the Matter of Britain. The Scots, for instance, formulated a mythical history in the Picts and the Dál Riata royal lines. While they do eventually become factual lines, unlike those of Geoffrey, their origins are vague and often incorporate both aspects of mythical British history and mythical Irish history. The story of Gabhran especially incorporates elements of both those histories.
The Arthurian cycle
"Parsifal before the Castle of the Grail" - inspired by Richard Wagner's Opera Parsifal - painted in Weimar Germany 1928 by Hans Werner Schmidt (1859-1950)
The Arthurian literary cycle is the best known part of the Matter of Britain. It has succeeded largely because it tells two interlocking stories that have intrigued many later authors. One concerns Camelot, usually envisioned as a doomed utopia of chivalric virtue, undone by the fatal flaws of Arthur and Sir Lancelot. The other concerns the quests of the various knights to achieve the Holy Grail; some succeed (Galahad, Percival), and others fail (Lancelot).
The medieval tale of Arthur and his knights is full of Christian themes; those themes involve the destruction of human plans for virtue by the moral failures of their characters, and the quest for an important Christian relic. Finally, the relationships between the characters invited treatment in the tradition of courtly love, such as Lancelot and Guinevere, or Tristan and Iseult. In more recent years, the trend has been to attempt to link the tales of King Arthur and his knights with Celtic mythology, usually in highly romanticized, early twentieth century reconstructed versions.
Additionally, it is possible to read the Arthurian literature in general, and that concerned with the Grail tradition in particular, as an allegory of human development and spiritual growth (a theme explored by mythologist Joseph Campbell amongst others).
Sources wikipedia