xakara | Thursday Thirteen 12th Edition

Hello Kittens,

to my 12th Thursday Thirteen! Today marks the beginning of National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo as it is affectionately known. In honor of starting my mad dash for 50k in a month, I have decided to share with you a glossary of terms from my NaNo project THE FORGIVEN.

The plot: A group of earth-bound angels known as The Forgiven, protect humanity and the Celeste--the last angelic bloodlines of the Nephilim--from the mechinations of The Fallen and their daemonic offspring known as the Infernal. A prophesy states that on their twenty-first birthdays, five Celeste will come together to free the kidnapped Day Star--beloved of Elohim-- from the abyss, and by doing so, cause a rebellion in hell that will lead to a third of the Fallen returning to the grace of Elohim.

The Celeste are in danger from both the infernal forces who will not lose their number to the Heavenly Host without a fight, and from the religious might of The Church, who wrongly believe that the release of the Day Star will lead to the conception of the anti-christ and the unleashing of hell on earth.

With the powers of both good and evil against them, how can five college kids possibly survive?

Enjoy.

13 Glossary Terms For My NaNo Project THE FORGIVEN
(All information with an * is specific to my story. All else is directly from my research)

1) Elohim ~ A Hebrew word expressing divinity. It is grammatically plural yet used in both the plural and singular to refer to the pantheon of the surround cultures and the singular God of Israel. Is it interchangable with Yawey, Jehova, God "...And the sons of Elohim saw the daughters of men and they were fair and they took wives among them and to them were born Nephilim..."

2) The Book of Enoch ~ Refers to 1 Enoch which is extant only in the Ethiopian language. 1 Enoch does not form part of the Canon of Scripture for most Christian churches outside of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It consist of five books: The Book of Watchers, The Book of Parables, The Book of Heavenly Luminaries, The Dream Visions, The Epistle of Enoch. It is in The Book of Watchers that we learn of the Grigori and the birth of the Nephilim.

3) *Eldan ~ The name means, "God Loves". Eldan is one of The Powers, the middle hierarchy of angels, so given their name because they have power over demons and can repulse the temptation brought upon people by agents of the devil. It is The Powers that protect humankind from the level of destruction that would be wrought by the Infernals. Eldan was among the Grigori and currently leads The Forgiven.

4) The Grigori ~ The name means, "The Watchers". The Grigori were angels set up to watch over humankind upon the earth. These "sons of Elohim" went forth to take human mates and created the Nephilim, leading to The Fall.

5) *Maia ~ The name is Greek and means "Fertile; Earth Goddess". Maia is one of the Nephilim and the central figure of a pentad prophesied to lead to a rebellion in Hell. She and her pentad are sought after by infernal forces who wish to stop the rebellion, and by religious forces who believe the group will lead to unleashing Lucifer from the abyss and creating hell on earth.

6) Pentad ~ Defined as: 1. A period of five years 2. A group of five 3. The number five 4. In chemistry, a petavalent element or group 5. In climatology, a period of five consecutive days

7) The Nephilim ~ The offspring of humans and angels. These celestial children were said to rule over humanity and indulge into all levels of wickedness. So bad was their corruption and those of the humans around them, that a great flood was sent to wipe away all life.

*Although thought to be extinct, the Nephilim exist here on earth spoken of in myth and legend as those things that go bump in the night. Vampires, Shapeshifters, Reality benders and Speakers of the Dead are all evidence of the continuation of the Nephilim bloodlines.

8) The Fallen ~ Those angels who rebelled against god and fought to remain on earth with their mortal mates and children. Lead by Samyaza, the leader of the Grigori, they waged war in Heaven to place Samyaza on the throne of god.

9) *The Forgiven ~ Those angels who fought in The Great War, yet refused to help Samyaza seek the throne of god. These angels wished only to keep their mates and children from harm and fought as a third side to the Great War in Heaven. Because of the purity of their intent and their unwavering loyalty to god, they were forgiven for their part in The Fall and left on Earth that they might remain close to their descents and protect humanity as part of their penance for raising their swords against heaven. The Forgiven are lead by Eldan, and seek to protect the pentad that will free the kidnapped Daystar from the abyss and set off a rebellion in hell.

10) The Morning Star ~ The Roman astrological name is Lucifer, whose Latin name is "The light-bearer". The Day Star is the most beloved and first Seraphim of Heaven. Mistakenly identified with Samyaza and Ha-satan,

*The Morning Star was never part of The Fall but rather a casuality as a spiteful Samyaza kidnapped the most beloved of Elohim and imprisoned him in the abyss.

11) Samyaza ~ The name means "Infamous Rebellion" but was initially translated as "He sees the name", in line with the tale of Semyaza knowing the explicit name of god and making a deal with the human Istahar to tell her the name." Samyaza lead the Grigori in their fall from grace. When he saw the number of angels on his side, his pride led him to attempt to take over heaven rather than seek an understanding with god or to capitulate to gods rule. Often made synonymous with Lucifer, Samyaza is in fact an independent figure and the one responsible for the infernal activity on earth.

*In constant conflict with The Powers and The Forgiven, it is Samyaza who wishes to break the connection between Heaven and Earth, that humanity and all it's accomplishments may be his and that he may be as god.

12) Ha-satan ~ Hebrew word for "the accuser", and most often given as simply satan, from the Hebrew word for "adversary". In Jewish tradition, and as represented in the Old Testament, satan is a part of god's celestial court, a prosecuting attorney that seeks out the sin in humans and then stands in accusation of them that they may be judged. He is not the cause of evil, but the tempter and illuminator of the evil men fall to. All that satan does is with the permission of god.

13) Samael ~ The true angelic name of satan. Both good and evil, Samael is "the poison of god" and "the severity of god". It is his divine duty to purify the evil from a soul so that it may enter heaven at the end of days. Again, this figure is not independently evil, but moves with the authority of god to punish the wicked and tempt the good that they may utilize free will choose a path to heaven.

P.S. This is NaNo, so absolutely everything from the title to the plot is subject to change. *wink*. Wish me luck :)

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From:

moon-chylde.livejournal.com

Yeah, I'm still here...don't ask.

Just wanted to wish you all kinds of luck. Your story, characters...It all sounds wonderful.

Gots other stuff to say but we can wait till tomorrow.

Goin to bed

RWDS when you yourself get there.

From:

Writing From the Middle: Tales From the Bi Side

Thursday Thirteen 12th Edition

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