Introduction

Python was created by Guido van Rossum and first released on February 20, 1991. While the word “python” might bring to mind a large snake, the language’s name actually comes from the classic BBC comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

What makes Python unique is that it began as the vision and work of a single person. Unlike most languages born in big tech companies, Python was created by Guido – driven by a simple goal: to make programming more intuitive and enjoyable.

From that idea, a global community has grown. Thousands of developers, educators, scientists, and enthusiasts continue to shape Python, expanding its reach into AI, data science, education, and beyond.

Even though Python has many of the features of Lisp, it is instructive to look at the original Lisp evaluation mechanism. At the heart of the Lisp language is a recursive interplay between the evaluation of expressions and application of functions. If you look at the code, there is an apply() function, and an eval() function. The interplay of these two functions results in a very elegant piece of code.

Common Lisp: there are similar patterns than in Python, but we can escape them. We can use macros, be concise and do what we want. We can have the decorator syntax with the cl-annot library, and any other by writing our reader macros (they can bring triply-quoted docstrings, string interpolation, infix notation, C syntax…). It’s not only macros though. The polymorphism of the object system (or generic dispatch) helps, and Lisp’s “moldability” in a whole allows us to refactor code exactly how we want, to build a “Domain Specific Language” to express what we want. Other language features than macros help here, like closures or multiple values (which are different, and safer for refactoring, than returning a tuple).

            Chapter 1: LISP Searches vs Python Searches

LISP Searches

A collection (in other words, a list) of assertions is called a database. Given a database , we can write functions to answer questions such as, “What color is block B2?” or “What blocks support block B1?”

To answer these questions, we will use a function called a pattern matcher to search the database for us. For example, to find out the color of block B2, we use the pattern (B2 COLOR?).

> (fetch’(b2 color ?))

 ((B2 COLOR RED))

To find which blocks support B1, we use the pattern (? SUPPORTS B1):

> (fetch'(? supports b1))

 ((B2 SUPPORTS B1) (B3 SUPPORTS B1))

FETCH returns those assertions from the database that match a given pattern. It should be apparent from the preceding examples that a pattern is a triple, like an assertion, with some of its elements replaced by question marks.

Structures are programmer-defined Lisp objects with an arbitrary number of named components. Structure types automatically become part of the Lisp type hierarchy. The DEFSTRUCT macro defines new structures and specifies the names and default values of their components.

 For example, we can define a structure called STARSHIP like this:

 (defstruct starship (name nil) (speed 0)

(condition ‘green) (shields ‘down))

This DEFSTRUCT form defines a new type of object called a STARSHIP whose components are called NAME, SPEED, CONDITION, and SHIELDS. STARSHIP becomes part of the system type hierarchy and can be referenced by such functions as TYPEP and TYPE-OF.

To introduce graph search programming in Lisp, we next represent and solve the farmer, wolf, goat, and cabbage problem: A farmer with his wolf, goat, and cabbage come to the edge of a river they wish to cross. There is a boat at the river’s edge, but, of course, only the farmer can row it. The boat also can carry only two things (including the rower) at a time. If the wolf is ever left alone with the goat, the wolf will eat the goat; similarly, if the goat is left alone with the cabbage, the goat will eat the cabbage. Devise a sequence of crossings of the river so that all four characters arrive safely on the other side of the river.

 The Lisp version searches the same space and has structural similarities to the Prolog solution; however, it differs in ways that reflect Lisp’s imperative/functional orientation. The Lisp solution searches the state space in a depth-first fashion using a list of visited states to avoid loops. The heart of the program is a set of functions that define states of the world as an abstract data type. These functions hide the internals of state representation from higher-level components of the program. States are represented as lists of four elements, where each element denotes the location of the farmer, wolf, goat, or cabbage, respectively.

Thus, (e w e w) represents the state in which the farmer (the first element) and the goat (the third element) are on the east bank and the wolf and cabbage are on the west. The basic functions defining the state data type will be a constructor, make-state, which takes as arguments the locations of the farmer, wolf, goat, and cabbage and returns a state, and four access functions, farmer-side, wolf-side, goatside, and cabbage-side, which take a state and return the location of an individual. These functions are defined:

(defun make-state (f w g c) (list f w g c))

(defun farmer-side (state) (nth 0 state))

(defun wolf-side (state) (nth 1 state))

 (defun goat-side (state) (nth 2 state))

 (defun cabbage-side (state) (nth 3 state))

The rest of the program is built on these state access and construction functions. In particular, they are used to implement the four possible actions the farmer may take: rowing across the river alone or with either of the wolf, goat, or cabbage. Each move uses the access functions to tear a state apart into its components. A function called opposite (to be defined shortly) determines the new location of the individuals that cross the river, and make-state reassembles

these into the new state.

 For example, the function farmer-takes-self may be defined:

(defun farmer-takes-self (state)

 (make-state (opposite (farmer-side state))

 (wolf-side state)

(goat-side state)

 (cabbage-side state)))

Note that farmer-takes-self returns the new state, regardless of whether it is safe or not. A state is unsafe if the farmer has left the goat alone with the cabbage or left the wolf alone with the goat. The program must find a solution path that does not contain any unsafe states. Although this “safe” check may be done at a number of different stages in the execution of the program, our approach is to perform it in the move functions. This is implemented by using a function called safe, which we also define shortly. safe has the following behavior:

> (safe ‘(w w w w)) ;safe state, return unchanged (w w w w) > (safe ‘(e w w e)) ;wolf eats goat, return nil nil > (safe ‘(w w e e)) ;

Python Linear Search

Searching is when we find something in a data structure. We frequently search for strings in things like web pages, PDFs, documents, etc., but we can also search through other data structures, like lists, dictionaries, etc. Depending on how our data is organized, we can search in different ways. For unorganized data, we usually have to do a linear search, which is the first type of search we will discuss. If our data is organized in some way, we can do more efficient searches. If our data is in a strict order, we can perform a binary search, which is the second type of search we will look at.:

 Linear Searching Lecture 10: Linear Searching The most straightforward type of search is the linear search. We traverse the data structure (e.g., a string’s characters, or a list) until we find the result. How would we do a linear search on a list, like this? Let’s say we are searching for 15

. lst = [12, 4, 9, 18, 53, 82, 15, 99, 98, 14, 11]

The most straightforward type of search is the linear search. We traverse the data structure (e.g., a string’s characters, or a list) until we find the result. How would we do a linear search on a list, like this? Let’s say we are searching for 15.

: Linear Searching lst = [12, 4, 9, 18, 53, 82, 15, 99, 98, 14, 11]

def linear_search(lst, value_to_find):

“”” Perform a linear search to find a value in the list :

param lst: a list :param value_to_find: the value we want to find

:return:

the index of the found element, or -1

 if the element does not exist in the list

 >>> linear_search([12, 4, 9, 18, 53, 82, 15, 99, 98, 14, 11], 15) 6

>>> linear_search([12, 4, 9, 18, 53, 82, 15, 99, 98, 14, 11], 42) -1

“”” for i, value in enumerate(lst):

if value == value_to_find:

 return i return –

Python’s  Linear Search

Linear Search What is a Linear Search? Linear search is a method of finding elements within a list. It is also called a sequential search. It is the simplest searching algorithm because it searches the desired element in a sequential manner. It compares each and every element with the value that we are searching for. If both are matched, the element is found, and the algorithm returns the key’s index position. Concept of Linear Search Let’s understand the following steps to find the element key = 7 in the given list.

Step – 1: Start the search from the first element and Check key = 7 with each element of list x.

Linear Search Algorithm There is list of n elements and key value to be searched. Below is the linear search algorithm.

 1. LinearSearch(list, key)

2. for each item in the list

3. if item == value

4. return its index position

 5. return -1

Python Program Let’s understand the following Python implementation of the linear search algorithm.

Program 1.

def linear_

Search(list1, n, key): 2.

 3. # Searching list1 sequentially

 4. for i in range(0, n):

 5. if (list1[i] == key):

6. return i

7. return -1

8.

9.

10. list1 = [1 ,3, 5, 4, 7, 9]

11. key = 7

12.

13. n = len(list1)

14. res = linear_Search(list1, n, key)

 15. if(res == -1):

16. print(“Element not found”)

17. else:

18. print(“Element found at index: “, res)

 Output: Element found at index:

Explanation: In the above code, we have created a function linear_Search(), which takes three arguments – list1, length of the list, and number to search. We defined for loop and iterate each element and compare to the key value. If element is found, return the index else return -1 which means element is not present in the list.

The post Write up on Tech Geek history : LISP vs Python Searches appeared first on DayDreamin’ Comics.

Chapter 4:

Introduction

A foundational point of scholarly consensus regarding the Book of Enoch is its pseudepigraphal nature. The work is attributed to the biblical patriarch Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, but it was not written by him.² The historical Enoch lived in the antediluvian period (Genesis 5:21-24), thousands of years before these texts were composed. The attribution of authorship to a revered ancient figure was a common literary convention in antiquity, employed not necessarily to deceive but to lend authority and prestige to a text by connecting it to a foundational figure from the past.¹¹

Modern scholarship universally agrees that 1 Enoch is a composite work, a library of texts penned by multiple anonymous Jewish authors over a long period.² This process of composition and redaction spanned several centuries, with the earliest sections, such as the Astronomical Book and the Book of the Watchers, dating to the 3rd century BCE or even earlier.² Other parts were added over time, with the Book of Parables widely considered the latest section, likely composed in the late 1st century BCE or the 1st century CE.⁴ The original language of these texts was Semitic; the oldest parts were almost written in Aramaic, with some portions possibly in Hebrew.⁴ These original texts were later translated into Greek, and it is from a Greek version that the complete Ethiopic (Ge’ez) translation—the only full version to survive—was made.⁴

For centuries, the study of Enoch in the West relied on this Ethiopic version, which was “rediscovered” and brought to Europe by the Scottish traveler James Bruce in 1773.⁴ But the academic understanding of the book was revolutionized in the mid-20th century with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Among the texts found in the caves at Qumran were numerous fragments of 1 Enoch written in its original Aramaic.²

The significance of this discovery cannot be overstated. These fragments, which were scientifically dated as far back as the 3rd century BCE, provided incontrovertible physical evidence of the book’s great antiquity and its pre-Christian origins.² This definitively put to rest any lingering speculation that the book might have been a later Christian creation and firmly established it as a product of Second Temple Judaism.¹⁸ The presence of these scrolls at Qumran demonstrates that 1 Enoch was known, read, and valued by sectarian Jewish communities like the Essenes long before the time of Christ. Intriguingly, fragments from every major section of 1 Enoch were found except for the Book of Parables.⁴ This absence has fueled a long-standing and vigorous scholarly debate regarding the date, provenance, and circulation of that particular section.¹⁹

Before the discovery at Qumran, the influence of Enoch on the New Testament was a matter of literary conjecture based on the later Ethiopic text. The Dead Sea Scrolls, But act as a historical and textual bridge, transforming the nature of this inquiry. They provide concrete, datable proof that Aramaic versions of Enochic literature were circulating in Judea centuries before the birth of Jesus and the apostles. This physical evidence makes the connection undeniable. The question is no longer if the New Testament authors could have known these traditions, but rather how they engaged with a body of literature that was demonstrably part of their immediate religious and cultural landscape. The scrolls ground the Book of Enoch firmly in the soil from which early Christianity grew, making the study of its influence not merely a literary exercise but a historical necessity for understanding the intellectual and theological world of the New Testament.

An Academic Exploration of the Book of Enoch: Content, Influence, and Canonical Status – Nicene Journal For Christian Theology

Content of the Problem:

The Book of Enoch was never considered authentic by the Jewish rabbis, and it was never included in the Hebrew Scriptures’ canon. There are twenty Book of Enoch manuscripts in the Dead Sea Scrolls, but all are in Aramaic, not Hebrew. Thus, they are not part of the Hebrew Old Testament. We have far less early manuscripts for the Book of Enoch than we do for the recognized canon. For comparison, we have a thousand manuscripts for each of the four Gospels, 500 for the book of Acts and the Epistles and several hundred for the book of Revelation. This indicates Enoch was not as acclaimed as the books deemed to be inspired. Throughout the Gospel Age, it was never up for consideration to be part of the Bible, including in the Catholic or Greek Orthodox Bibles.

Jude’s epistle was included in Scripture because Jude himself was considered a reliable apostolic source, but there were many epistles in circulation as the church developed, and many gospels. There were many apocalyptic books as well, and there were many histories, including the Acts of Peter which was not canonized due to its wild theological nature. And yet, to this day, it remains the earliest historical mention of Peter being crucified upside down, a legend that still perpetuates within Christianity. The Maccabees are also absent from Protestant Bibles, but that does not mean they lack value as to historical authenticity.

This is why Jude quotes the Book of Enoch in his epistle. He is addressing an argument using documentation that had historical relevance to the Jews of that time – the Book of Enoch. But just because the Bible references histories and philosophical arguments that were popular at the time, doesn’t mean that the writings of Philo of Alexandria should be canonized. This also doesn’t mean Philo’s works are without value. Or that reading Enoch isn’t valuable for its historical context, or that it wasn’t considered inspired by some Christian sects. Or the Maccabees for that matter.

Literature Review

In 9: 9-10 Gabriel is sent to destroy the children of the angels (now called “Watchers”). These giants are described as “bastards and children of adultery.” Verse 10 says these giants hoped to live for five hundred years, which may be taken as how long they hoped to live before judgment came upon them, although it may simply refer to the length of their lives. There is no reference to the long lives of humans in 1 Enoch before the flood, so the five hundred-year life-span may be what is in mind. In verse 11 Michael is sent to warn Semyaz he is about to be judged and bound for seventy generations under the mountains, until the day of judgment, in a pit of fire. Again, a similar theme is found in Jude 6 and Revelation 20:10-15.

After the time of judgment the world will be cleansed and the righteous will flourish: 10:18-19 mentions agricultural blessings; 10:21 describes the earth as cleansed from all pollution. God’s speech concludes in Chapter 11 with a brief description of the “storehouse of blessing” which will be opened after the time of judgment, a time when “peace and truth shall become partners again in all the days of the world and in all the generations of the earth.”

Looking back to the inspiration for this story in Genesis, the evil world is destroyed by the Flood, but this does not eradicate sin (Gen 9:20-29). 1 Enoch describes the world after the Watchers are destroyed as a time of peace and truth “for all eternity.” A similar apocalyptic pattern of coming judgment followed by a time of ultimate peace is certainly found in Revelation 20-22.

¹ And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto ² them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men ³ and beget us children.’ And Semjaza, who was their leader, said unto them: ‘I fear ye will not ⁴ indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.’ And they all answered him and said: ‘Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations ⁵ not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.’ Then sware they all together and bound themselves ⁶ by mutual imprecations upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn ⁷ and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And these are the names of their leaders: Samlazaz, their leader, Araklba, Rameel, Kokablel, Tamlel, Ramlel, Danel, Ezeqeel, Baraqijal, ⁸ Asael, Armaros, Batarel, Ananel, Zaqiel, Samsapeel, Satarel, Turel, Jomjael, Sariel. These are their chiefs of tens.

[Chapter 7]

¹ And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms ² and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. And they ³ became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed ⁴ all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against ⁵ them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and ⁶ fish, and to devour one another’s flesh, and drink the blood. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones.

[Chapter 8]

¹ And Azazel taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all ² colouring tinctures. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they ³ were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjaza taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, ‘Armaros the resolving of enchantments, Baraqijal (taught) astrology, Kokabel the constellations, Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiel the signs of the earth, Shamsiel the signs of the sun, and Sariel the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven . . .

[Chapter 9]

¹ And then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven and saw much blood being ² shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth. And they said one to another: ‘The earth made without inhabitant cries the voice of their cryingst up to the gates of heaven. ³ And now to you, the holy ones of heaven, the souls of men make their suit, saying, “Bring our cause ⁴ before the Most High.”‘ And they said to the Lord of the ages: ‘Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings, and God of the ages, the throne of Thy glory (standeth) unto all the generations of the ⁵ ages, and Thy name holy and glorious and blessed unto all the ages! Thou hast made all things, and power over all things hast Thou: and all things are naked and open in Thy sight, and Thou seest all ⁶ things, and nothing can hide itself from Thee. Thou seest what Azazel hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which ⁷ men were striving to learn: And Semjaza, to whom Thou hast given authority to bear rule over his associates. And they have gone to the daughters of men upon the earth, and have slept with the ⁹ women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins. And the women have ¹⁰ borne giants, and the whole earth has thereby been filled with blood and unrighteousness. And now, behold, the souls of those who have died are crying and making their suit to the gates of heaven, and their lamentations have ascended: and cannot cease because of the lawless deeds which are ¹¹ wrought on the earth. And Thou knowest all things before they come to pass, and Thou seest these things and Thou dost suffer them, and Thou dost not say to us what we are to do to them in regard to these.’

[Chapter 10]

¹ Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spake, and sent Uriel to the son of Lamech, ² and said to him: ‘Go to Noah and tell him in my name “Hide thyself!” and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come ³ upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it. And now instruct him that he may escape ⁴ and his seed may be preserved for all the generations of the world.’ And again the Lord said to Raphael: ‘Bind Azazel hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening ⁵ in the desert, which is in Dudael, and cast him therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may ^6,7 not see light. And on the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire. And heal the earth which the angels have corrupted, and proclaim the healing of the earth, that they may heal the plague, and that all the children of men may not perish through all the secret things that the ⁸ Watchers have disclosed and have taught their sons. And the whole earth has been corrupted ⁹ through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin.’ And to Gabriel said the Lord: ‘Proceed against the bastards and the reprobates, and against the children of fornication: and destroy [the children of fornication and] the children of the Watchers from amongst men [and cause them to go forth]: send them one against the other that they may destroy each other in ¹⁰ battle: for length of days shall they not have. And no request that they (i.e. their fathers) make of thee shall be granted unto their fathers on their behalf; for they hope to live an eternal life, and ¹¹ that each one of them will live five hundred years.’ And the Lord said unto Michael: ‘Go, bind Semjaza and his associates who have united themselves with women so as to have defiled themselves ¹² with them in all their uncleanness. And when their sons have slain one another, and they have seen the destruction of their beloved ones, bind them fast for seventy generations in the valleys of the earth, till the day of their judgement and of their consummation, till the judgement that is ¹³ for ever and ever is consummated. In those days they shall be led off to the abyss of fire: and ¹⁴ to the torment and the prison in which they shall be confined for ever. And whosoever shall be condemned and destroyed will from thenceforth be bound together with them to the end of all ¹⁵ generations. And destroy all the spirits of the reprobate and the children of the Watchers, because ¹⁶ they have wronged mankind. Destroy all wrong from the face of the earth and let every evil work come to an end: and let the plant of righteousness and truth appear: and it shall prove a blessing; the works of righteousness and truth’ shall be planted in truth and joy for evermore.

¹⁸ And then shall the whole earth be tilled in righteousness, and shall all be planted with trees and ¹⁹ be full of blessing. And all desirable trees shall be planted on it, and they shall plant vines on it: and the vine which they plant thereon shall yield wine in abundance, and as for all the seed which is sown thereon each measure (of it) shall bear a thousand, and each measure of olives shall yield ²⁰ ten presses of oil. And cleanse thou the earth from all oppression, and from all unrighteousness, and from all sin, and from all godlessness: and all the uncleanness that is wrought upon the earth ²¹ destroy from off the earth. And all the children of men shall become righteous, and all nations ²² shall offer adoration and shall praise Me, and all shall worship Me. And the earth shall be cleansed from all defilement, and from all sin, and from all punishment, and from all torment, and I will never again send (them) upon it from generation to generation and for ever.

[Chapter 11]

¹ And in those days I will open the store chambers of blessing which are in the heaven, so as to send ² them down upon the earth over the work and labour of the children of men. And truth and peace shall be associated together throughout all the days of the world and throughout all the generations of men.’

[Chapter 12]

¹ Before these things Enoch was hidden, and no one of the children of men knew where he was ² hidden, and where he abode, and what had become of him. And his activities had to do with the Watchers, and his days were with the holy ones. ³ And I Enoch was blessing the Lord of majesty and the King of the ages, and lo! the Watchers ⁴ called me -Enoch the scribe- and said to me: ‘Enoch, thou scribe of righteousness, go, declare to the Watchers of the heaven who have left the high heaven, the holy eternal place, and have defiled themselves with women, and have done as the children of earth do, and have taken unto themselves ⁵ wives: “Ye have wrought great destruction on the earth: And ye shall have no peace nor forgiveness ⁶ of sin: and inasmuch as they delight themselves in their children, The murder of their beloved ones shall they see, and over the destruction of their children shall they lament, and shall make supplication unto eternity, but mercy and peace shall ye not attain.”‘

[Chapter 13]

¹ And Enoch went and said: ‘Azazel, thou shalt have no peace: a severe sentence has gone forth ² against thee to put thee in bonds: And thou shalt not have toleration nor request granted to thee, because of the unrighteousness which thou hast taught, and because of all the works of godlessness ³ and unrighteousness and sin which thou hast shown to men.’ Then I went and spoke to them all ⁴ together, and they were all afraid, and fear and trembling seized them. And they besought me to draw up a petition for them that they might find forgiveness, and to read their petition in the presence ⁵ of the Lord of heaven. For from thenceforward they could not speak (with Him) nor lift up their ⁶ eyes to heaven for shame of their sins for which they had been condemned. Then I wrote out their petition, and the prayer in regard to their spirits and their deeds individually and in regard to their ⁷ requests that they should have forgiveness and length. And I went off and sat down at the waters of Dan, in the land of Dan, to the south of the west of Hermon: I read their petition till I fell ⁸ asleep. And behold a dream came to me, and visions fell down upon me, and I saw visions of chastisement, and a voice came bidding (me) I to tell it to the sons of heaven, and reprimand them. ⁹ And when I awaked, I came unto them, and they were all sitting gathered together, weeping in ¹⁰ ‘Abelsjail, which is between Lebanon and Seneser, with their faces covered. And I recounted before them all the visions which I had seen in sleep, and I began to speak the words of righteousness, and to reprimand the heavenly Watchers.

¹ And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto ² them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men ³ and beget us children.’ And Semjaza, who was their leader, said unto them: ‘I fear ye will not ⁴ indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.’ And they all answered him and said: ‘Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations ⁵ not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.’ Then sware they all together and bound themselves ⁶ by mutual imprecations upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn ⁷ and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And these are the names of their leaders: Samlazaz, their leader, Araklba, Rameel, Kokablel, Tamlel, Ramlel, Danel, Ezeqeel, Baraqijal, ⁸ Asael, Armaros, Batarel, Ananel, Zaqiel, Samsapeel, Satarel, Turel, Jomjael, Sariel. These are their chiefs of tens.

[Chapter 7]

¹ And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms ² and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. And they ³ became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed ⁴ all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against ⁵ them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and ⁶ fish, and to devour one another’s flesh, and drink the blood. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones.

[Chapter 8]

¹ And Azazel taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all ² colouring tinctures. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they ³ were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjaza taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, ‘Armaros the resolving of enchantments, Baraqijal (taught) astrology, Kokabel the constellations, Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiel the signs of the earth, Shamsiel the signs of the sun, and Sariel the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven . . .

[Chapter 9]

¹ And then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven and saw much blood being ² shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth. And they said one to another: ‘The earth made without inhabitant cries the voice of their cryingst up to the gates of heaven. ³ And now to you, the holy ones of heaven, the souls of men make their suit, saying, “Bring our cause ⁴ before the Most High.”‘ And they said to the Lord of the ages: ‘Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings, and God of the ages, the throne of Thy glory (standeth) unto all the generations of the ⁵ ages, and Thy name holy and glorious and blessed unto all the ages! Thou hast made all things, and power over all things hast Thou: and all things are naked and open in Thy sight, and Thou seest all ⁶ things, and nothing can hide itself from Thee. Thou seest what Azazel hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which ⁷ men were striving to learn: And Semjaza, to whom Thou hast given authority to bear rule over his associates. And they have gone to the daughters of men upon the earth, and have slept with the ⁹ women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins. And the women have ¹⁰ borne giants, and the whole earth has thereby been filled with blood and unrighteousness. And now, behold, the souls of those who have died are crying and making their suit to the gates of heaven, and their lamentations have ascended: and cannot cease because of the lawless deeds which are ¹¹ wrought on the earth. And Thou knowest all things before they come to pass, and Thou seest these things and Thou dost suffer them, and Thou dost not say to us what we are to do to them in regard to these.’

[Chapter 10]

¹ Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spake, and sent Uriel to the son of Lamech, ² and said to him: ‘Go to Noah and tell him in my name “Hide thyself!” and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come ³ upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it. And now instruct him that he may escape ⁴ and his seed may be preserved for all the generations of the world.’ And again the Lord said to Raphael: ‘Bind Azazel hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening ⁵ in the desert, which is in Dudael, and cast him therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may ^6,7 not see light. And on the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire. And heal the earth which the angels have corrupted, and proclaim the healing of the earth, that they may heal the plague, and that all the children of men may not perish through all the secret things that the ⁸ Watchers have disclosed and have taught their sons. And the whole earth has been corrupted ⁹ through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin.’ And to Gabriel said the Lord: ‘Proceed against the bastards and the reprobates, and against the children of fornication: and destroy [the children of fornication and] the children of the Watchers from amongst men [and cause them to go forth]: send them one against the other that they may destroy each other in ¹⁰ battle: for length of days shall they not have. And no request that they (i.e. their fathers) make of thee shall be granted unto their fathers on their behalf; for they hope to live an eternal life, and ¹¹ that each one of them will live five hundred years.’ And the Lord said unto Michael: ‘Go, bind Semjaza and his associates who have united themselves with women so as to have defiled themselves ¹² with them in all their uncleanness. And when their sons have slain one another, and they have seen the destruction of their beloved ones, bind them fast for seventy generations in the valleys of the earth, till the day of their judgement and of their consummation, till the judgement that is ¹³ for ever and ever is consummated. In those days they shall be led off to the abyss of fire: and ¹⁴ to the torment and the prison in which they shall be confined for ever. And whosoever shall be condemned and destroyed will from thenceforth be bound together with them to the end of all ¹⁵ generations. And destroy all the spirits of the reprobate and the children of the Watchers, because ¹⁶ they have wronged mankind. Destroy all wrong from the face of the earth and let every evil work come to an end: and let the plant of righteousness and truth appear: and it shall prove a blessing; the works of righteousness and truth’ shall be planted in truth and joy for evermore.

¹⁸ And then shall the whole earth be tilled in righteousness, and shall all be planted with trees and ¹⁹ be full of blessing. And all desirable trees shall be planted on it, and they shall plant vines on it: and the vine which they plant thereon shall yield wine in abundance, and as for all the seed which is sown thereon each measure (of it) shall bear a thousand, and each measure of olives shall yield ²⁰ ten presses of oil. And cleanse thou the earth from all oppression, and from all unrighteousness, and from all sin, and from all godlessness: and all the uncleanness that is wrought upon the earth ²¹ destroy from off the earth. And all the children of men shall become righteous, and all nations ²² shall offer adoration and shall praise Me, and all shall worship Me. And the earth shall be cleansed from all defilement, and from all sin, and from all punishment, and from all torment, and I will never again send (them) upon it from generation to generation and for ever.

[Chapter 11]

¹ And in those days I will open the store chambers of blessing which are in the heaven, so as to send ² them down upon the earth over the work and labour of the children of men. And truth and peace shall be associated together throughout all the days of the world and throughout all the generations of men.’

[Chapter 12]

¹ Before these things Enoch was hidden, and no one of the children of men knew where he was ² hidden, and where he abode, and what had become of him. And his activities had to do with the Watchers, and his days were with the holy ones. ³ And I Enoch was blessing the Lord of majesty and the King of the ages, and lo! the Watchers ⁴ called me -Enoch the scribe- and said to me: ‘Enoch, thou scribe of righteousness, go, declare to the Watchers of the heaven who have left the high heaven, the holy eternal place, and have defiled themselves with women, and have done as the children of earth do, and have taken unto themselves ⁵ wives: “Ye have wrought great destruction on the earth: And ye shall have no peace nor forgiveness ⁶ of sin: and inasmuch as they delight themselves in their children, The murder of their beloved ones shall they see, and over the destruction of their children shall they lament, and shall make supplication unto eternity, but mercy and peace shall ye not attain.”‘

[Chapter 13]

¹ And Enoch went and said: ‘Azazel, thou shalt have no peace: a severe sentence has gone forth ² against thee to put thee in bonds: And thou shalt not have toleration nor request granted to thee, because of the unrighteousness which thou hast taught, and because of all the works of godlessness ³ and unrighteousness and sin which thou hast shown to men.’ Then I went and spoke to them all ⁴ together, and they were all afraid, and fear and trembling seized them. And they besought me to draw up a petition for them that they might find forgiveness, and to read their petition in the presence ⁵ of the Lord of heaven. For from thenceforward they could not speak (with Him) nor lift up their ⁶ eyes to heaven for shame of their sins for which they had been condemned. Then I wrote out their petition, and the prayer in regard to their spirits and their deeds individually and in regard to their ⁷ requests that they should have forgiveness and length. And I went off and sat down at the waters of Dan, in the land of Dan, to the south of the west of Hermon: I read their petition till I fell ⁸ asleep. And behold a dream came to me, and visions fell down upon me, and I saw visions of chastisement, and a voice came bidding (me) I to tell it to the sons of heaven, and reprimand them. ⁹ And when I awaked, I came unto them, and they were all sitting gathered together, weeping in ¹⁰ ‘Abelsjail, which is between Lebanon and Seneser, with their faces covered. And I recounted before them all the visions which I had seen in sleep, and I began to speak the words of righteousness, and to reprimand the heavenly Watchers.

https://www.philipharland.com/Courses/Readings/4819/P%201%20Enoch%20(password).pdfC

References:

An Academic Exploration of the Book of Enoch: Content, Influence, and Canonical Status – Nicene Journal For Christian Theology

https://www.philipharland.com/Courses/Readings/4819/P%201%20Enoch%20(password).pdfC

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Chapter 3:

Introduction

The tree of life appears in the Book of Genesis, at the very beginning of the Hebrew Bible – what many Christians call the Old Testament.

In the creation story of chapters 2 and 3, God places man in the Garden of Eden, then creates woman, Eve, from his rib. Eden is filled with “every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food,” as well as the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – but God commands the man not to eat this last tree’s fruit.

The tree of life appears in both the first and last books of the Christian Bible. In the Genesis account, God removes Adam and Eve from the garden so they cannot eat the fruit of the tree of life (Gen. 3:22–24). In the book of Revelation, the tree’s fruit becomes available in the last days to all who obey the Lord (Rev. 2:7; 22:14). Both texts declare that the tree is “in the midst [middle] of the garden” (Gen. 2:9) or “in the midst of the paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7). Genesis 3:22 recounts how the first couple, after eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, became like God in being able to distinguish good and evil, and that, had they been able to eat the fruit of the tree of life, they would also have become immortal.2 This is the earliest biblical mention of the tree as a means of prolonging life. The last such reference is in Revelation 22:1–2, where John describes the new Jerusalem descending from heaven, noting that “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:2) and that its presence on earth would abolish death and pain (Rev. 21:4).

The pseudepigraphic Gospel of Nicodemus 3 (19) notes that, when Adam was on his deathbed, he sent his son Seth to procure oil from the tree of life with which to anoint him that he might “arise from his sickness.”3 An angel appeared to Seth and asked him, “Do you desire, because of the sickness of your father, the oil that raises up the sick, or the tree from which flows such oil?” He told Seth to go to his father and tell him “that after the completion of 5,500 years from the creation of the world, the only-begotten Son of God shall become man and shall descend below the earth. And he shall anoint him with that oil [from the garden of Eden]. And he shall arise and wash him and his descendants with water and the Holy Spirit.”4 One Latin version of the story has the angel telling Seth that “thy father Adam will not receive of this oil of compassion now, but after many generations of time. For the most beloved Son of God will come down from heaven into the world, and will be baptized by John in the river Jordan; and then shall thy father Adam receive of this oil of compassion, and all that believe in him.”5 Two other pseudepigraphic texts (Life of Adam and Eve and Apocalypse of Moses) recount this story. They declare that, when Adam fell ill just days before dying, his son Seth proposed that he (Seth) should beg God to give him fruit from the garden with which to heal his father. Adam told him to ask for the “oil of life,” also termed the “oil of mercy.” As in the Nicodemus account, an angel refuses to grant his request, but promises that the oil will be made available to mortals at a future time (Life of Adam and Eve 31, 36, 40–43, and Apocalypse of Moses 6, 9, 13).6

3.2 Garden of Eden

Fall of Man & Angelic Presence

Satan, the leader of the fallen angels, approaches Eve while disguised as a serpent and lies to her about the Tree of Knowledge (also known as the Tree of Life) that God had warned her and Adam not to eat from, or even touch, or else they would die as a result.

Verses 4 and 5 record Satan’s deception, and the temptation he presented to Eve to try to be like God herself:

“‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’”

Eve fell prey to Satan’s scheme by deciding to rebel against God: She ate some of the forbidden fruit, and then she encouraged Adam to do the same. That brought sin into the world, damaging every part of it. Now tainted by sin, Adam and Eve could no longer be in the presence of a perfectly holy God. God cursed Satan for what he had done and announced the consequences for humanity.

The passage ends with God casting Adam and Eve out of paradise and sending a cherubim angel to guard the Tree of Life:

“And the LORD God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.’ So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”
—Genesis 3:22-24

The First Angel Mentioned in the Bible and Torah

Archangel Jophiel has the honor of being the very first of many angels who are mentioned in the Bible and Torah. In her book Simply Angels, Beleta Greenaway writes:

“Jophiel (Beauty of God) is the first angel mentioned in the Bible [the first part of which is also the Torah]. His role is to guard the Tree of Life for the Creator. Grasping a fearsome, fiery sword, he had the awesome task of banishing Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and will deter any human from stepping onto the hallowed ground again. He has wisdom, will give inspiration, and will help you to use discrimination.”

Beauty Lost, With the Hope of Restoration

It’s interesting to note that Jophiel, whose name means “beauty of God,” is the angel whom God chooses to expel Adam and Eve from the beautiful paradise of the Garden of Eden. In his book The Spiritual Sense in Sacred Legend, Edward J. Brailsford comments:

“Jophiel, the Beauty of God, was the guardian of the Tree of Knowledge. It was he who after the fall drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. The association of beauty with knowledge is natural and needs no explanation. But why should Beauty expel the guilty pair, and wave the flaming sword, unless it was that they should ever carry with them the remembrance that justice was tempered with mercy, and have imprinted upon their last memory of paradise a vision, not of the terrible frown of an angry God, but of the beauty of goodness which was grieved and willing to be reconciled?”

Artistic depictions of Jophiel often show the angel in the Garden of Eden, and are meant to portray both the pain of sin’s consequences and the hope of restoration with God, writes Richard Taylor in his book, How To Read a Church. In art, Taylor writes, Jophiel is often shown “carrying the sword of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden” and that portrayal serves “to symbolize the early division and later reuniting of God and humankind.”

A Future Paradise

Just as the Tree of Life is seen in the Bible’s first book—Genesis—when sin enters the world, it is seen again in the Bible’s last book—Revelation—in a heavenly paradise. Revelation 22:1-5 reveals how the Garden of Eden will be restored:

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever.”

In his book, Living With Angels, Cleo Paul Strawmyer writes: “When John in Revelation speaks of the Tree of Life in paradise, is this the same Tree of Life that the cherubim were guarding in the Garden of Eden? It is the same tree.” Strawmyer continues by writing that angels likely carried the Tree of Life from Earth to heaven to preserve it without the contamination of sin — they “would have to not only guard the tree of life while in the garden but now they would have to lift up the tree and take it to safety in paradise.”

http://www.bahaistudies.net/asma/jophiel_the_angel.pdf

References:

http://www.bahaistudies.net/asma/jophiel_the_angel.pdf

The post Write up on Searching for Eden(Chapter 3): Fall of Man & Angelic Roles appeared first on DayDreamin’ Comics.

The Mists of Avalon is an adaptation of the legends of King Arthur by author Marion Zimmer Bradley. Zimmer Bradley’s novel diverges from most Arthurian adaptations by focusing on the perspectives of the female characters surrounding King Arthur, bringing their occasionally sidelined stories front and center. Zimmer Bradley was a notable figure in the science fiction and fantasy world, publishing several acclaimed novels within the genre. The Mists of Avalon was published in 1983 and immediately became popular. In 1984, it was awarded the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. Its success led Zimmer Bradley to expand the book into a series, writing three subsequent installations with collaborator Diana L. Paxson. The Mists of Avalon was also adapted as a miniseries in 2001. Content warnings for The Mists of Avalon include mentions and graphic depictions of rape, incest, and child marriage.

Plot Summary

Morgaine is the daughter of Igraine and Duke Gorlois of Cornwall. Igraine is a child of Avalon, but was married off to Gorlois at a very young age. Though Gorlois loves Igraine in his own way, she pines for Uther Pendragon, the High King of Britain. Her sister Viviane, and Taliesin the Merlin, two powerful figures in the magical land of Avalon, told her she was destined to have Uther’s son. This son would grow to be a legendary king who would unite Britain.

Igraine and Uther marry shortly after Gorlois is killed for treason, and they have a son, Gwydion. Uther sends both children to be fostered after Gwydion’s life is threatened: Morgaine goes to live with Viviane, where she trains to be a priestess of Avalon. Morgaine has a natural gift for magic, and Viviane plans to name her Lady of the Lake one day. She learns that there is a great battle between Druidism and Christianity and that she will play a role in preserving Avalon and uniting Britain under a new High King.

For Avalon to accept him, this new High King must participate in a fertility ritual called the Great Marriage, having sex with a virgin priestess to form a covenant with the land. This will turn him into King Stag, who gives his life for the land and its people. Morgaine completes this ritual with the future king, only to learn afterward that she unwittingly slept with Gwydion, who now goes by the name Arthur. Morgaine is ashamed and upset that the Goddess humiliated her like this.

When Morgaine returns to Avalon, Viviane tells her that she plans to give Arthur Excalibur, a sacred Druid sword. She instructs Morgaine to create an enchanted scabbard that will protect him in battle. This will show Arthur that Avalon supports him and will bind him to protect them as long as he rules. Arthur receives Excalibur before a crucial battle against the Saxons, and his victory proves his legitimacy. When Uther eventually dies, Arthur is crowned with little controversy.

To her dismay, Morgaine finds out that she is pregnant with Arthur’s child. Angry with Viviane, Morgaine renounces Avalon and has her son, Gwydion, in the court of her Aunt Morgause. Morgause and her husband Lot openly desire the throne of Britain, and Gwydion gives them an opportunity to pursue it. Eventually, Morgaine decides to return to Caerleon, where she serves as a lady-in-waiting to Arthur’s new wife, Gwenhwyfar. Gwenhwyfar is beautiful, incredibly anxious, and deeply pious. As a priestess of Avalon, Morgaine often chafes with Gwenhwyfar about matters of religion. They also fight for the affections of Lancelet, Arthur’s most esteemed knight. Gwenhwyfar believes that her adulterous love for Lancelet is preventing her from carrying a pregnancy to term and tortures herself over her feelings.

The night before a key battle against the Saxons, Gwenhwyfar convinces Arthur to fly the sign of the cross rather than the red dragon (a symbol of his protection of all beliefs). Arthur’s decisive victory prompts him to rule as a Christian king. This alienates his allies in Avalon. They only stand with him because he continues to wield Excalibur. After this battle, Arthur moves his court to Camelot.

Gwenhwyfar’s continued inability to produce an heir leads her down a spiral of blame and self-doubt. Arthur, noticing her feelings for Lancelet, tells her that if she has a child with him, he would adopt it as his own. She takes this as an indication of her sin and tells Morgaine she is considering participating in a pagan fertility ritual out of desperation. To calm her down, Morgaine tells Gwenhwyfar that Arthur has a bastard son living in the court of King Lot, swearing her to secrecy.

Worrying that Gwenhwyfar’s love for Lancelet will bring shame to Arthur, Morgaine enchants Lancelet into sleeping with Elaine, the daughter of one of Arthur’s allies. Elaine promises her future daughter in exchange for Morgaine’s role in setting up her marriage. Her daughter, Nimue, eventually trains as a priestess of Avalon.

While Arthur and Gwenhwyfar argue over her infertility, she confesses that Morgaine told her he has a son. Arthur suspects that this is a result of the fertility ritual and confronts Morgaine, who admits that their son, Gwydion, is training to be a priest at Avalon. Both the incest and the training horrify Gwenhwyfar, and she orders Arthur to do public penance with his fanatic bishop, Patricius.

At Camelot’s Pentecost feast, Morgaine enjoys the company of Accolon, a Druid prince from North Wales. His father, King Uriens, asks Arthur for Morgaine’s hand in marriage. Gwenhwyfar, angry at Morgaine’s role in Lancelet’s marriage and wanting to send her away, tells Arthur that Uriens is a valuable ally. When Arthur asks if she would marry Welsh royalty, Morgaine enthusiastically consents, thinking he is referring to Accolon, and must marry Uriens. Morgaine and Accolon have an affair and spread the ways of Avalon throughout North Wales. The pagans in the region regard them as their High Priest and Priestess.

Gwydion visits Camelot after completing his training in Avalon and spending several years learning warfare from the Saxons. He knows his true parentage and wants Arthur to acknowledge him and accept him at court. However, he is rumored to be the bastard son of Lancelet. In order to avoid accusations of favoritism, he challenges Lancelet to a mock fight. Lancelet, impressed by his bravery, knights him as Sir Mordred.

Morgaine, sick of watching Arthur fail to uphold his oath, tells Accolon that they must launch a coup against Camelot. She plans to trap Arthur in the fairy world. However, Arthur breaks out by calling on his devotion to God, and he kills Accolon in combat. Uriens claims that Accolon never would have challenged Arthur without pressure from Morgaine, suspecting their affair. Morgaine is forced to flee Wales.

While in Avalon, Morgaine learns that Kevin, the Merlin of Britain, has stolen some of the Isle’s Holy Regalia with the intention of bringing it to Camelot’s clergy. Kevin believes Avalon’s days are numbered and thinks it is best to make amends with Camelot. Morgaine, in disguise, travels to Camelot to take them back. During a service, Morgaine uses her magic to manifest as the Presence, a symbol of the One God. She carries the Holy Grail throughout the mass, prompting the knights to go on a quest to find it. While they are gone, Mordred takes the opportunity to gain Arthur’s trust before ultimately making a bid for the throne. He mortally wounds Arthur, and Morgaine takes him to Avalon to die in peace. She tells him he did his best to protect Britain and buries him on the Holy Isle. Morgaine remains in Avalon and swears to tell the story of King Arthur and Camelot.

Part 1: “Mistress of Magic”

Prologue Summary

Morgaine reflects on the different roles she has occupied in life and the conflict between Christianity and the ways of magic. She mourns the loss of her brother Arthur, who is currently dead on the Holy Isle of Avalon; Morgaine provided help in his final moments as a “wise-woman, priestess, Lady of the Lake” (x). Morgaine resolves to tell the story of King Arthur, acknowledging that truth can be subjective but feeling that her perspective is important. She understands that Avalon may soon be lost forever, but storytelling can help preserve it within memory.

Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary

Along with her 13-year-old sister Morgause, Igraine, wife of Duke Gorlois of Cornwall, prepares Tintagel Castle for a visit from her older sister, Viviane, and Taliesin, the Merlin of Britain. Igraine has the Sight—the ability to see people who aren’t present or things that haven’t happened yet—but had to abandon it when she married Gorlois. Igraine tolerates Gorlois because he occasionally treats as an equal and has allowed her to keep her infant daughter Morgaine.

Viviane’s arrival marks the first time she and Igraine have seen each other since her marriage to Gorlois.

Gorlois collects Igraine after a sleepless night apart, and they attend Ambrosius’s burial. After the ceremony, Gorlois says he must remind the squabbling council members of Ambrosius’s wishes and gives Igraine money to shop in Londinium. When she returns, a weary Gorlois refuses to disclose what occurred at the debate. As Igraine falls asleep, she dreams of kissing Uther.

Igraine is devastated to get her period, as it means she is not pregnant. She begins to spiral, realizing that her elderly husband may be the reason for her infertility. After several days of sulking in her chambers, she is visited by the Merlin, who tells her that he will send her a dream as a remedy for her ills.

After weeks of debate, Gorlois tells Igraine that Uther will likely be declared High King. It appears that the Merlin’s prophecy is coming true, which leads Igraine to dread losing Gorlois. Unable to sleep, she slips out into the night, where she notices a mountain to her west, completely on fire. She recognizes it as the legendary Temple of the Sun at Salisbury. Igraine hears a man’s voice speaking to her about the temple. It appears to be Uther wearing the robes of an ancient priest.

Part 1: “Mistress of Magic”

Part 1, Chapter 7 Summary

After a brief return to Tintagel, Gorlois leaves again, hoping to ambush Uther’s army. Igraine feels that he is acting irrationally, and that “he would deprive all Britain of her High King […] all because he was not man enough for his wife and feared that Uther would be” (87).

Igraine waits for Uther to find her at Midwinter. On a particularly frigid night, Igraine invites an old peasant woman inside, hoping to gain some idea of the outside world. She says that battle has overtaken Britain, and that the combined chaos of the infighting between the dukes and Saxon invasion has reached the Holy Isle, where she lives. She mentions that Viviane has given birth to a baby boy, Galahad. Viviane says that Galahad, whose father is King Ban of Less Britain, will serve another king’s child, suggesting that Igraine’s fate will come to pass.

Igraine decides to use sorcery to warn Uther. She recalls her brief training at Avalon and projects her soul through the land of dreams. Igraine sees Gorlois’s camp and hears him discussing how the Cornish weather will likely thwart Uther. She is shocked into returning to her physical body at Tintagel.

Viviane and Morgaine arrive at Avalon after a difficult journey. As Viviane struggles to summon the barge that will take them to the island’s shores, she wonders how much strength she has left. She resolves to live until Morgaine and Gwydion are grown, since the fate of Avalon depends on them. They travel through a mysterious landscape. Although Morgaine seems frightened, Viviane says nothing, as she must grow accustomed to discomfort. When the thick fog breaks, Morgaine sees a beautiful land filled with light, music, and magic. She immediately feels at home.

Morgaine and Viviane rest and receive care from a young woman named Raven, who is under a vow of silence. Viviane says that eventually, Morgaine will know if the Goddess has called her. If so, she will take a vow and receive the mark of a moon on her forehead. Morgaine asks what it means to be vowed to the Goddess, and how it differs from the vow Father Columba has taken to Jesus Christ. Viviane reveals that the Christian God is the same omnipresent being, saying “God is called by many names, but is everywhere One […] when you pray to Mary, mother of Jesus, you pray, without knowing it, to the World Mother” (134).

On a moonless night, Morgaine and Raven prepare for a ritual involving the Goddess. Raven begins screaming a prophecy that foretells the “Virgin Huntress” calling “the king to her” and relinquishing “her maidenhood to the God….ah, the old sacrifice, the old sacrifice” (168). Morgaine collapses and feels sick and confused; as she recovers, she considers the meaning of Raven’s words.

Morgaine goes to see Viviane to consult her about Raven’s prophecy. Viviane explains that it is referring to the ancient fertility ritual of the old Tribes, in which the Horned One is given his choice of young maidens to acknowledge the sacrifice King Stag, the strongest deer in a herd, makes by dying for human gain. This custom has evolved into the Great Marriage. This ancient ritual tests a new king, who will need to participate in the Great Marriage with a priestess: Morgaine. Morgaine eventually agrees, recalling when Viviane told her that “it is too heavy a burden to be borne unconsenting” (171).

Part 1, Chapter 15 Summary

Morgaine leaves Avalon to prepare for the Great Marriage with the priestess of the Tribes, who takes her through an elaborate ritual in which she is naked and painted with blue markings. She is then led outside in a deerskin cloak; she can see the outline of the man she is supposed to be with but is only able to tell that he is tall, athletic, and has blond hair.

Viviane reflects on Morgaine’s harsh words, balking at the thought that she could hate her. She wonders if she is actually power hungry but concludes, “What I have done […] I have done to save this land and its people from rapine and destruction, a reversion to barbarism, a sacking greater than Rome suffered from the Goths” (191). She wonders who will be the next ruler of Avalon; she feels that Morgaine is not yet ready because she still resists fate.

As Viviane prays for a longer life to retain her stewardship over Avalon, she sees the shape of a great red dragon in the sky alongside a shooting star. She realizes that Uther has passed, and she takes a moment to mourn him. Shortly after, a Sending of Uther—the same one that appeared to Igraine all those years ago—manifests in her room. He tells her that she must ensure that Arthur is crowned the next High King. Viviane suggests that he will be able to unify them under the name of Avalon, but Uther says it will take more than her magic. Suddenly, the Sending changes into a man that Viviane recognizes from her dreams and realizes “why no man had ever been more to her than duty, or a path to power, or a night’s pleasure” (194): She and Uther were also connected in a past life.

Morgaine has arrived at Orkney, sick from her pregnancy. Morgaine is well taken care of by Morgause and enjoys time with her young nephew Gareth, who hopes to be a knight one day. However, she misses Avalon and has trouble eating and drinking.

Lot and Gareth discuss how Morgaine’s son will be the Duke of Cornwall, since Arthur returned Tintagel to Igraine. Morgause realizes that this places the child closer to the throne than their son, Gawaine. Suddenly, Morgaine goes into labor. As Morgause goes to help her, Lot tells her, “You are quick to bring our Gawaine’s rival into the world!” (243). He remarks that it might be best if she hopes that Morgaine’s son dies at birth.

Morgaine endures a difficult birth, and Morgause questions whether or not she will be able to survive. Morgause, who has a hint of the Sight, knows she is withholding information about the child’s father. She begins to weep, thinking that Morgaine may not survive the birth.

Finally, Morgaine gives birth to a son. As she naps peacefully, Morgause realizes she has the opportunity to kill the young boy but hesitates. If the child’s father is

A year after Arthur makes his request of Igraine, she returns to collect Gwenhwyfar from the Summer Kingdom. Gwenhwyfar is terrified, and though Igraine’s experience with Gorlois makes her empathetic, she is perplexed at how frightened she is given Arthur’s age and kindness. Lancelet accompanies them to escort Leodegranz’s men and horses. As they meet him, he is struggling to arrange the transportation of a large, round table that Leodegranz has given to Arthur to “seat his well-born Companions without preferring one over the other” (267). Igraine escorts Gwenhwyfar to the litter, where she insists on keeping the curtains closed. She notices that every sliver of light and jostle on the road seems to frighten Gwenhwyfar. Gwenhwyfar briefly feels anger at her situation but knows that it is important to “obey her father’s will as if it were the will of God” (267). She spends the rest of the evening fretting about whether or not Arthur will find her beautiful.

Eventually, Igraine suggests that Gwenhwyfar leave the litter to ride with Lancelet, thinking that fresh air will be good for her spirits. Igraine watches the pair from a distance and notices a huge difference in Gwenhwyfar’s temperament and demeanor.

Now one of Gwenhwyfar’s ladies-in-waiting, Morgaine is spinning when she has a vision of blood spilling onto the hearth. A concerned Gwenhwyfar approaches her and asks if her vision was true, but Morgaine assures her it was just a dream. However, Morgaine later predicts that the men will be home in the evening, making Gwenhwyfar skeptical. Gwenhwyfar brushes it off, calling for a great feast for when the men return.

Later in the evening, Arthur returns, disappointed that Gwenhwyfar is not pregnant. The couple has been trying to conceive since their marriage without success. Gwenhwyfar has convinced herself that this is punishment for her secretly coveting Lancelet and for Arthur’s refusal to rule Caerleon under Christianity. As Arthur and Gwenhwyfar prepare for bed, Arthur remarks that Lancelet needs a wife. He suggests Morgaine, which upsets Gwenhwyfar. Angry and disappointed, she tells Arthur he should be ashamed of ruling over a kingdom that supports Druidism. When Arthur reminds her that he has sworn an oath to Avalon and intends to be a king for all people, Gwenhwyfar suggests that he no longer has his priorities in order. She says that people who practice magic are just as barbaric as the Saxons: “The true warfare for a Christian king is only against those who do not follow Christ” (317).

Arthur converts Caerleon into his main military camp. As he strategizes with Lancelet and the other kings, Gwenhwyfar expresses her distaste at Arthur riding under a pagan symbol. She does not believe they should fight on the same side as Avalon, stating that “The Old People are of the enemy, as much as the Saxons, and this will not be a proper Christian land until all those folk are dead or fled into their hills, and their demon gods with them!” (379). Arthur angrily reminds her that he rules for all people. He tells Gwenhwyfar to rest so that she can leave for Camelot in the morning, but she refuses, admitting that she is pregnant.

Gwenhwyfar is allowed to stay in Caerleon. Arthur has promised her that if she bears him a son, he will give her anything, so Gwenhwyfar decides she will ask for his armies to ride under the cross. In preparation, she and Elaine begin working on the banner. When Taliesin visits, She shows him her banner and tells him that she intends for Arthur to adopt it. Taliesin compliments her work, and tells her that like Arthur’s scabbard, it clearly reflects care and prayer.

Gwenhwyfar is plagued with dreams of Morgaine taking her to the Beltane fires to be received by Lancelet. She begs Arthur to ban the ritual, but Taliesin intervenes, saying that the peasants have few other sources of genuine joy and that it would be unfair of Arthur to dictate an individual’s innermost thoughts and beliefs. Gwenhwyfar says that a ruler must use their power to enforce right and wrong.

Arthur leads Gwenhwyfar to the edge of Camelot’s walls. He reflects on his promise and appears apprehensive at his betrayal. Gwenhwyfar is concerned that his head is filled with “pagan nonsense” and reminds him, “[W]hen you turned to the one true God, then did he give you that greatest of victories, so that you drove the Saxons forth from this island for all of time” (427). Arthur says there is no way to guarantee the security of any land forever. As they sit on the wall, they see Kevin riding up to the castle, accompanied by a mysterious figure they eventually recognize as Morgaine, who has been missing for five years. Morgaine does not respond to any questions about where she has been, saying only that she “had ill fortune […] on the road” (429).

Morgause finds herself focused on her cunning and precocious foster son, Gwydion. He demands that she dress in her finest clothing and order the kitchen to make elaborate dishes amuse her, and Morgause wonders if he has the Sight. Her guess is proven to be correct when he heralds the arrival of the Avalon barge, putting his odd requests into context. He comes with her to greet Viviane, Kevin, and Niniane. Kevin has now taken on the title of Merlin of Britain, as Taliesin is too old to do his duties. Niniane has completed her training as a priestess.

The talk turns to Morgaine, and Gwydion asks if they are discussing his mother. Viviane is frustrated, telling Gwydion she knows he has the Sight and that he should not mock it. Viviane tells Morgause that they have come to fetch Gwydion to give him “the ancient teachings and the secret wisdom in Avalon” (468). His background and budding talents suggest that he will be a powerful Druid and great ruler. Viviane tests Gwydion’s control over the Sight and watches as he falls into a trance. He predicts a future of “blood, poured out like the blood of sacrifice on the ancient altars, blood spilt on the throne” (470).

Gwenhwyfar agrees to meet Meleagrant about the dispute over the Summer Country. Morgaine tells Gwenhwyfar not to trust him, but she says that if he is truly her sister he will treat her with respect. When she arrives, she notices that Meleagrant has kept Leodegranz’s hall in poor condition. Unwilling to dine with him, she demands that her escort, Ectorius, take her to her chambers. When they arrive at their destination, Meleagrant suddenly pushes Ectorius down the stairs and locks Gwenhwyfar in a small, dirty room.

Hours pass before Meleagrant returns. Gwenhwyfar tries to escape, and Meleagrant tells her that he intends to take over the kingdom by forcibly marrying her. Gwenhwyfar initially tries to fight back, but when Meleagrant beats and rapes her, she concludes this is punishment for her feelings toward Lancelet: “Oh, but it is no more than I deserve…I who am not a faithful wife, but love another” (515).

Later, Meleagrant storms in, telling Gwenhwyfar to hide. He then collapses, dead from a wound to the head: Morgaine has sent Lancelet to save Gwenhwyfar. Overwhelmed with emotion, she asks Lancelet if he will help her change out of her ruined gown. To her surprise, he begins crying too, kissing her and telling her he is sorry for what she endured.

This will be the first Pentecost feast that Lancelet has attended in two years. Gwenhwyfar and Arthur miss him dearly, and Gwenhwyfar reflects on the sorrow that Morgaine’s actions caused. Arthur tries to comfort her by talking about their future child, saying that Gwenhwyfar might still have children. Gwenhwyfar says they are being punished for their night with Lancelet. She accuses Arthur of loving Lancelet more than he loves her, asking, “Can you say in truth that it was to give me pleasure, or was it for the pleasure of him you loved best of all—?” (547).

Arthur cannot give her a satisfactory answer, and Gwenhwyfar tells him that he should have called his son back from Lothian to live with them. Arthur is confused, informing her that he has no son. Gwenhwyfar tells him what Morgaine told her, and Arthur balks, beginning to put the pieces together. He fetches Morgaine and demands that she tell him if he has a son. As Gwenhwyfar curses Avalon, accusing Arthur of being corrupted by pagan practices, Morgaine admits that she had a son 10 months after the ritual and that he is safe in Avalon. Gwenhwyfar erupts at both of them, telling him Arthur’s secrecy about this has cursed his union with her.

The rising of the supposed Roman Emperor gives Arthur’s Pentecost feast a new weight as an opportunity to fortify his alliances. He also welcomes the chance to see Morgaine, whom he has not seen since her wedding. He proudly talks about Morgaine and Morgause’s duties as queens and near equality with their husbands—a thought that causes Gwenhwyfar to shudder. She still resents what Morgaine did to her and Lancelet.

Morgaine and Uriens present Uwaine to Arthur as a candidate for Companion. Arthur accepts, and Gwenhwyfar is jealous that Morgaine has two sons. Gareth approaches asking for Gwydion, but Morgaine brusquely responds that he is training in Avalon. Gareth asks if he is Lancelet’s son, and Morgaine excuses herself. She then has a hostile confrontation with Kevin, whom she has not seen since Viviane’s death. She calls him a traitor, but he tells her she cannot say that “when Viviane’s high seat is empty in Avalon” (617). Morgaine silently agrees, now understanding that she was given to Arthur in the Great Marriage so that she could influence his mind and policy. Kevin tells her that she must return to Avalon, and she says that she and Accolon are doing the work of the Isle from Uriens’s court.

Part 4: “The Prisoner in the Oak”

Part 4, Chapter 1 Summary

Morgaine is back in North Wales, bored and alone, missing Accolon, whom the Sight told her must gain Arthur’s trust. Morgaine creates a fine dinner for Uwaine, who will be returning from a campaign later in the evening. As the family waits for his arrival, Uriens asks her what she thinks of the oak grove. His priest, Father Eian, wants it razed to discourage pagan behavior. Morgaine convinces him to preserve it, but he tells her that the devout Avalloch may cut it down anyway when he takes the throne.

Uriens is helped to the dining hall, as he is still weak from a fever. To Morgaine’s surprise, Accolon returns with Uwaine. Uwaine tells them of his most recent military endeavor. He hopes that Morgaine can reduce the swelling of a scar on his face so that he might be handsome enough for Shana, a Cornish girl in Arthur’s court. Uwaine wants to marry Shana so that Cornwall and Tintagel will once again be in Morgaine’s hands. Uriens resolves to talk to Arthur about this the next time he sees him.

Part 4: “The Prisoner in the Oak”

Part 4, Chapter 4 Summary

The night before Pentecost, Gwenhwyfar frets over Galahad, who is to be made a knight at the feast. When the guests arrive, Arthur finds Morgaine and Uriens. Uriens tells Arthur that Accolon is now second in line for the throne. Galahad and Lancelet ask how Nimue is, but Morgaine can only say that she is presumed well.

Galahad takes his place between Arthur and Gwenhwyfar, and Arthur tells him he is excited to have him as a knight and a member of the court. The arrival of a mysterious young man who bears an incredible resemblance to Lancelet interrupts them. Morgause escorts the young man and introduces him as Morgaine’s son, Gwydion. Galahad is eager to make friends but takes offense when Gwydion jokes about hating him. Gwenhwyfar can’t help but think of the similarities between Gwydion and Morgaine: “[H]e actually took pleasure in the discomfort of the people around the table […] he was Morgaine’s son, if only in that touch of malice” (690).

The Companions discuss Galahad’s upcoming vigil, and Gwydion remarks that it is a different form of the pagan kingmaking rituals. As Galahad protests, Accolon mentions that he will ensure that they continue when he takes over Uriens’s throne.

As Morgaine prepares for bed, she begins to feel sick. She has a dream of finding a baby and wakes up horrified to realize she is pregnant. Morgaine is past the age where she can safely give birth and it is all too likely that the child is Accolon’s. Questioned about her lack of appetite at breakfast, she simply says she had too much wine to drink and excuses herself.

Kevin visits her in her chambers, telling her she was wrong to reproach Arthur about Excalibur. He tells her that since all Gods are one, Christianity has a place alongside Druidism. Morgaine retorts that Christianity has no tolerance for any of the other Gods. Kevin says this thinking is a symptom of a “deep change in the way men now look at the world, as if one truth should drive out another—as if whatever is not their truth, must be falsehood” (726). Morgaine disagrees, saying that Christianity’s intolerance will rid the world of any truth besides their own. Kevin asks her to put their differences aside and says that he will always love her. He tells her that the Goddess made Arthur king, and that if he was truly offending her will, she would remove his title.

Nimue begins the slow work of gaining Kevin’s trust. Since she spent most of her time in Avalon in seclusion, she is confident that he will not recognize her. She believes that as a beautiful young woman, she will easily seduce him and enact Morgaine’s plan. To her surprise, however, she forms a genuine connection with him, bonding over a shared love of music. However, Nimue remains determined and tells Kevin to meet her outside during the New Moon so that they can have sex. Kevin, being trained in the ways of Avalon, knows this time is significant but is too enamored to care. She is able to trick him into saying he is hers the moment the moon changes, which puts him in a trance. Nimue feels triumphant at her accomplishment but genuinely broken-hearted at the thought that she did such a cruel thing to someone she came to love.

Before Kevin is confined to the oak tree, he tells Morgaine that he has acted for the Goddess. He explains that “the day of Avalon is ended. […] Would you then take the Holy Regalia with you into that darkness, preserving it carefully against the dawning of a new day that now shall never be?” (800).

With the Companions on their respective Grail quests, Arthur stalks the castle. He worries that none of them will return but takes comfort in the presence of Mordred and Cai, who was too old to seek the Grail. Arthur asks Mordred to be the captain of his horses in Lancelet’s absence. Mordred tells Arthur that Camelot’s wartime achievements will cement its legacy. He asks for permission to seek horses from Spain and Africa, and Arthur briefly wonders if he is giving him too much power. Gwenhwyfar accuses Arthur of setting up Mordred for the throne, but he reminds her that the priests would not accept him due to his parentage. However, he asks if “it be better that no good of any kind should come from the sin [he] did with Morgaine” or if he should “be grateful that, since the sin was done and there’s no going back to innocence, God has given [him] a good son in return for that evil?” (833). He believes that Mordred will make a good king one day.

Slowly but surely, the knights begin returning. Many

had visions dissuading them from seeking out the

Grail. 

Literature Sample

was the memory of her dream, Morgaine was tempted to step inside … she could hardly believe she would not see
Lancelet there, struck down by the magical brilliance of the Grail … but no. She had no business there, and she
would not intrude on their God; and if indeed the Grail was there, it had gone beyond her reach.

Yet the dream remained with her. Had it been sent as a warning? Lancelet was younger than she herself was … she
knew not how time ran in the outer world. Avalon, now, had gone so far into the mists that it might be with Avalon as
it had been with the fairy country when she was young -while a single year passed within Avalon, three or five or
even seven years might have run by in the outer world. And so what it had come to her to do should be done now,
while she could still come and go between the worlds.

She knelt before the Holy Thom, whispering a soft prayer to the Goddess, and asking leave of the tree; then she cut a
slip for planting. It was not the first time: in these last years, whenever one had come to Avalon and returned to the
outside world, wandering Druid or pilgrim priest … for a few of them could still come to the ancient chapel on
Avalon … she had sent with him a slip of the Holy Thom, so that it might still blossom in the world outside. But this
she must do with her own hands.

Never, except at Arthur’s crowning, had she set foot on the other island … except, perhaps, for that day when the
mists had opened, and Gwenhwy-far had somehow fallen or wandered through. But now, deliberately, she called the
barge, and when it was out in the Lake, sent it into the mists, so that when it glided forth into the sunlight again, she
could see the long shadow of the church lying over the Lake, and hear the soft tolling of a bell. She saw her followers
shrink from the sound, and knew that here, too, they would not follow her, nor set foot. So be it, then; the last thing
she wished for was to have the priests on that isle staring in fear and dread at the barge from Avalon. Unseen, they
glided toward the shore and unseen she stepped onto the land, watching the black-draped barge vanish again into the
mists. And then, the basket over her arm-like any old market woman or peddler come here on pilgrimage, she
thought- she went silently up the path from the shore.

Only a hundred years or less, certainly less in Avalon, that these worlds have diverged; yet already the world here is
different. The trees were different, and the paths, and she stopped, bewildered, at the foot of a little hill-surely there
was nothing like this on Avalon? She had somehow thought the land would be the same, only the buildings different,
for they were, after all, the same island, separated only by some magical change … but now she saw that they were
very different.

And then she saw, winding down the hill toward the little church, a procession of robed monks, and they bore with
them, toward the church, a body on its bier.

So I saw truly, then, even though I thought it a dream. She stopped, and as the monks brought the body to rest before
taking it into the church, she went forward and drew back the pall from the dead face.

Lancelet’s face was drawn and lined, far older than when they had parted … she did not want to think how much
older. But she saw that only for a moment; then what she saw on his face was only the sweet and marvelous look of
peace. He lay smiling, looking so far beyond her that she knew on what his dying eyes had rested.

She whispered, “So at last you found your Grail.”

One of the monks who carried him said, “Perhaps you knew him in the world, sister?” and she knew that in her dark
garb, he thought her one of them.

“He was a-a kinsman of mine.”

Cousin, lover, friend … but that was long ago. At the end we were priestess and priest.

“I thought as much,” said the monk, “for they called him Lancelet at the court of Arthur, in the old days, but here
among us we called him Galahad. He had been with us for many years, and he was made priest but a few days ago.”
So far you came in your search for a God who would not mock you, my cousin!

The monks who carried him raised him again to their shoulders. The one who had spoken with her said, “Pray for his
soul, sister,” and she bowed her head. She could not feel grief; not now, when she had seen the reflection of that
faraway light on his face.

But she would not follow him into the church. Here the veil is thin. Here Galahad knelt, and saw the light of the Grail
in the other chapel, the chapel on Avalon, and reached for it, reached through the worlds, and so died … .

And here at last Lancelet has come to follow his son.

Morgaine walked slowly along the path, half ready to abandon what she had come to do. What difference did it make
now? But as she paused, irresolute, an old gardener, kneeling at one of the beds of flowers behind the path, raised his
head and spoke to her. “1 know you not, sister, you are not one of those who dwell here,” he said. “Are you a
pilgrim?”

Not as the man thought; but so she was, in a way. “I seek the burial place of my kinswoman-she was the Lady of the
Lake-”

“Ah yes, that was many, many years ago, in the reign of our good King Arthur,” he said. “It lies yonder, where
pilgrims to the island may see it. And from it, the path leads up to the convent of the sisters, and if you are hungry,
sister, they will give you something to eat there.”

Has it come to this, that I look like a beggar? But the man had meant no harm, so she thanked him, and walked in the
direction he had pointed out.

Arthur had built for Viviane a noble tomb indeed. But what lay there was not Viviane; nothing lay there but bones,
slowly returning to the earth from which they had come … and all things at last give up their body and their spirit
into the keeping of the Lady again … .

Why had it made so much difference to her? Viviane was not there. Yet when she stood with bent head before the
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cairn, she was weeping.

After a time, a woman in a dark robe not unlike her own, with a white veil over her head, approached her. “Why do
you weep, sister? She who lies here is at peace and in God’s hands, she has no need of mourning. But maybe she was
one of your kin?”

Morgaine nodded, bending her head against the tears.

“We pray always for her,” said the nun, “for, though I do not know her name, she was said to be the friend and
benefactor of our good King Arthur in the days that were gone.” She lowered her head and murmured some prayer or
other, and even as she prayed, bells rang out, and Morgaine drew back. So, in place of the harps of Avalon, Viviane
had only these clanging bells and doleful psalms?

Never did I think I would stand side by side with one of these Christian nuns, joining with her in prayer. But then she
remembered what Lancelet had said in her dream.

Take this cup, you who have served the Goddess. For all the Gods are One …

“Come up to the cloister with me, sister,” said the nun, smiling and laying a hand on her arm. “You must be hungry
and weary.”

Morgaine went with her to the gates of their cloister, but would not go in. “I am not hungry,” she said, “but if I might
have a drink of water-”

“Of course.” The woman in black beckoned, and a young girl came and brought a pitcher of water, which she poured
into a cup. And she said, as Morgaine lifted it to her lips, “We drink only the water of the chalice well-it is a holy
place, you know.”

It was like Viviane’s voice in her ears: The priestesses drink only the water of the Sacred Well.

The nun and the young girl, robed in black, turned and bent their heads before a woman who came from the cloister,
and the nun who had guided her said, “This is our abbess.”

Morgaine thought, Somewhere I have seen her. But even as the thought crossed her mind, the woman said,
“Morgaine, you do not know me? We thought you long dead … ”

Morgaine smiled at her, troubled. “I am sorry-I do not-”

“No, you would not remember me,” said the abbess, “though I saw you, now and again, at Camelot; 1 was so much
younger. My name is Lionors. I was married to Gareth, and when all my children were grown, I came here-here to
end my days. Did you come to Lancelet’s funeral, then?” She smiled and said, “I should indeed have said Father
Galahad, but it is hard to remember, and now he is in Heaven it will not matter.” She smiled again. “I know not now
even who is King, or whether Camelot still stands-there is war in the land again, it is not as it was in Arthur’s time.
That all seems so very long ago,” she added with detachment.

“I came here to visit Viviane’s grave. She is buried here-do you remember?”

“I have seen the tomb,” said the abbess, “but it was before ever I came to Camelot.”

“I have a favor to beg of you,” Morgaine said, and touched the basket on her arm. “This is the Holy Thom that grows
on the hills of Avalon, where it is said that the foster-father of Christ struck his staff into the ground and it blossomed
there. I would plant a cutting of this thorn tree on her grave.”

“Plant it if you will,” said Lionors. “I cannot see how anyone could object to that. It seems right to me that it should
be here in the world, and not hidden away in Avalon.”

She looked at Morgaine, dismayed.

“Avalon! Have you come here from that unholy land?”

Morgaine thought. Once I would have been angry with her. “Unholy it is not, whatever the priests say, Lionors,” she
said gently. “Think-would the foster-father of Christ have stmck his staff there if the land had seemed to him evil? Is
not the Holy Spirit everywhere?”

The woman bowed her head. “You are right. I will send novices to help you with the planting.”

Morgaine would sooner have been alone, but she knew it was a kindly thought. The novices seemed no more than
children to Morgaine, girls of nineteen or twenty, so young that she wondered-forgetting that she herself had been
made priestess when she was eighteen-how they could possibly know enough of spiritual things to choose lives like
this. She had thought nuns in Christian convents would be sad and doleful, ever conscious of what the priests said
about the sinfulness of being bom women, but these were innocent and merry as robins, talking gaily to Morgaine of
their new chapel and bidding her rest her knees while they dug the hole for the cutting.

“And it is your kinswoman who is buried here?” asked one of the girls. “Can you read what it says? I never thought I
would leam to read, for my mother said it was not suitable, but when I came here, they told me 1 must be able to read
in the mass book, and so now 1 can read in Latin! Look,” she said proudly, and read: ” ‘King Arthur made this tomb
for his kinswoman and benefactress, the Lady of the Lake, slain by treachery at his court in Camelot’-I cannot read
the date, but it was a long time ago.”

“She must have been a very holy woman,” said another of the girls, “for Arthur, they say, was the best and the most
Christian of all kings. He would never have had any woman buried here unless she was a saint!”

Morgaine smiled; they reminded her of the girls in the House of Maidens. “I would not call her a saint, though I loved
her. In her day, there were those who called her a wicked sorceress.”

“King Arthur would never have a wicked sorceress buried here among holy people,” said the girl. “And as for
sorcery-well, there are ignorant priests and ignorant people, who are all too ready to cry sorcery if a woman is only a
little wiser than they are! Are you going to stay and take the veil here, Mother?” she asked, and Morgaine, for a
moment startled at the word, realized that they were speaking to her with the same deference and respect as any of

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her own maidens in the House of Maidens, as if she were an elder among them.

“I am vowed elsewhere, my daughter.”

“Is your convent as nice as this one? Mother Lionors is a kind woman,” the girl said, “and we are all very happy here-
once we had a woman among our sisters who had been a queen. And I know we will go to Heaven, all of us,” said the
girl with a smile, “but if you have taken vows elsewhere, I am sure that is a good place, too. Only I thought you might
perhaps want to stay here, so that you could pray for the soul of your kinswoman who lies buried here.” The girl rose
and dusted off her dark dress. “Now you may plant your cutting, Mother … or would you like me to set it in the
earth?”

“No, I will do it,” said Morgaine, and knelt to press the soft soil around the roots of the plant. As she rose, the girl
said, “If you wish, Mother, I will promise to come here and say a prayer every Sunday for your kinswoman.”

For some absurd reason, Morgaine felt that tears were coming to her eyes. “Prayer is always a good thing. I am
grateful to you, daughter.”

“And you, in your convent, wherever it may be, you must pray for us too,” said the girl simply, taking Morgaine’s
hand as she rose. “Here, Mother, let me brush the dirt from your gown. Now you must come and see our chapel.”

For a moment Morgaine was inclined to protest. She had sworn when last she left Arthur’s court that she would never
again enter any Christian church; but this girl was so much like one of her own young priestesses that she would not
profane the name by which the girl knew her God. She let the girl lead her inside the church.

In that other world, she thought, that church where the ancient Christians worship must stand on this very spot; some
holiness from Avalon must surely come through the worlds, through the mists … she did not kneel or cross herself,
but she bent her head before the high altar of the church; and then the girl tugged gently at her hand.

“Come,” she said. “The high altar is of God and I am a little afraid here always … but you have not seen our chapel-
the sisters’ chapel … come, Mother.”

Morgaine followed the young girl into the small side chapel. There were flowers here, armfuls of apple blossom,
before a statue of a veiled woman crowned with a halo of light; and in her arms she bore a child. Morgaine drew a
shaking breath and bowed her head before the Goddess.

The girl said, “Here we have the Mother of Christ, Mary the Sinless. God is so great and terrible I am always afraid
before his altar, but here in the chapel of Mary, we who are her avowed virgins may come to her as our Mother, too.
And look, here we have little statues of our saints, Mary who loved Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair, and
Martha who cooked dinner for him and scolded her sister when she would not cook with her -I like to think of Jesus
when he was a real man who would do something for his mother, when he changed the water into wine at that
wedding, so she wouldn’t be unhappy because there wasn’t enough wine for everyone. And here is a very old statue
that our bishop gave us, from his native country … one of their saints, her name is Brigid … ”

Morgaine looked on the statue of Brigid, and she could feel the power coming from it in great waves that permeated
the chapel. She bowed her head.

But Brigid is not a Christian saint, she thought, even if Patricius thinks so. That is the Goddess as she is worshipped
in Ireland. And I know it, and even if they think otherwise, these women know the power of the Immortal. Exile her
as they may, she will prevail. The Goddess will never withdraw herself from mankind.

And Morgaine bowed her head and whispered the first sincere prayer she had ever spoken in any Christian church.
“Why, look,” said the novice, as she brought her out of doors into the daylight, “we have one of the Holy Thom here
too, not the one you planted on your kinswoman’s grave.”

And I thought I could meddle in this? Morgaine thought. Surely, the holy thing had brought itself from Avalon,
moving, as the hallows were withdrawn from Avalon, into the world of men where it was most needed. It would
remain hidden in Avalon, but it would be shown here in the world as well. “Yes, you have the Holy Thom, and in
days to come, as long as this land shall last, every queen shall be given the Holy Thorn at Christmas, in token of her
who is queen in Heaven as in Avalon.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about, Mother, but thank you for your blessing,” said the young novice. “The
abbess is awaiting you in the guesthouse-she will take breakfast with you. But would you like, perhaps, to stay in the
Lady’s chapel first and pray awhile? Sometimes when you are alone with the Holy Mother, she can make things clear
to you.”

Morgaine nodded, unable to speak, and the girl said, “Very well. When you are ready, just come to the guesthouse.”
She pointed, and Morgaine went back into the chapel and bowed her head, and giving way at last, sank to her knees.
“Mother,” she whispered, “forgive me. I thought I must do what I now see you can do for yourself. The Goddess is
within us, yes, but now I know that you are in the world too, now and always, just as you are in Avalon and in the
hearts of all men and women. Be in me too now, and guide me, and tell me when I need only let you do your will …

She was silent, kneeling, for a long time, her head bowed, but then, as if compelled, she looked up, and as she had
seen it on the altar of the ancient Christian brotherhood in Avalon, as she had seen it when she bore it in Arthur’s hall,
she saw a light on the altar, and in the Lady’s hands- and the shadow, only the shadow, of a chalice …

It is in Avalon, but it is here. It is everywhere. And those who have need of a sign in this world will see it always.
There was a sweet scent that did not come from the flowers; and for an instant it seemed to Morgaine that it was
Igraine’s voice that whispered to her … but she could not hear the words … and Igraine’s hands that touched her
head. As she rose, blinded by tears, suddenly it rushed over her, like a great light.

No, we did not fail. What I said to comfort Arthur in his dying, it was all true. I did the Mother’s work in Avalon until
393



at last those who came after us might bring her into this world. 1 did not fail. I did what she had given me to do. It
was not she but I in my pride who thought I should have done more.

Outside the chapel, sunlight lay on the land, and there was a fresh scent of spring in the air. Where the apple trees
moved in the morning breeze, she could see the blossoms that would bear fruit in their season.

She turned her face toward the guesthouse. Should she go there and breakfast with the nuns, speak perhaps of the old
days at Camelot? Morgaine smiled gently. No. She was filled with the same tenderness for them as for the budding
apple trees, but that time was past. She turned her back on the convent and walked down to the Lake, along the old
path by the shore. Here was a place where the veil lying between the worlds was thin. She needed no longer to
summon the barge-she need only step through the mists here, and be in Avalon.

Her work was done.

The post Write up on Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon  appeared first on DayDreamin’ Comics.

Growing up in the Los Angeles ghetto of Watts, Foster gets out by going to the California Technical Institute and subsequently lands a job at Stark Industries in Baltimore. Later, when Henry Pym becomes “trapped at a height of 10 feet because of an unstable growing serum,” biochemist Foster comes to his aid. Perfecting the serum, he uses it to duplicate Pym’s growth powers. With a nudge from Pym, Foster decides to become a costumed crimefighter and keep the streets of Los Angeles safe for regular size folk.

Bill Foster was born in Watts, Los Angeles, California. Biochemist Dr. Bill Foster worked in the Plans and Research Division for Tony Stark’s Baltimore factory. He was hired to be the lab assistant of Dr. Hank Pym (aka Giant-Man). Pym was stuck at the height of ten feet for a time and Dr. Foster helped him find a cure to change his size back to normal.

Dr. Foster moved to the West Coast and at some point acquired the formula to “Pym particles” which gave him the ability to grow in size like his former employer. Taking the name Black Goliath, he came under the control of the Circus of Crime, but was freed by Luke Cage who had come to rescue Claire Temple, Foster’s ex-wife and now Cage’s girlfriend. As Black Goliath he fought criminals such as Atom Smasher, Warhawk, Stilt-Man and the Hijacker. Black Goliath later assisted the Champions of Los Angeles, then joined the group part-time as their technical advisor. After the Champions disbanded, Black Goliath, along with a large group of other heroes, joined the Defenders for only one mission before quitting the group.

Dr. Foster later joined the staff of Project Pegasus, the U.S. government’s semi-secret energy research facility. While there he revealed his identity of Black Goliath to the Thing, who at the time was working for Project: Pegasus. In the process of answering an emergency alarm, Foster decided to change his name to Giant-Man at Ben’s suggestion. After working at Project: Pegasus for a short time Foster revealed that he was dying from radiation poisoning he contracted in his earlier fight with Atom-Smasher. Some time later, while on his death bed, Foster’s radiation poisoning was cured by a blood transfusion from Spider-Woman, who at the time was immune to radiation, but lost that immunity after giving Foster the transfusion.

After being cured, Foster gave up the Giant-Man identity for a long time. He finally returned as Giant-Man when he assisted the West Coast Avengers in their battle against the High Evolutionary in the Savage Land during the Evolutionary War. Giant-Man later defeated Ant-Man’s old foe Doctor Nemesis and Goliath in their scheme.

Foster soon gave up the Giant-Man identity and Hank Pym subsequently took it back for himself. Not too long after that, Goliath’s ionic powers were disrupted in a battle against the West Coast Avengers. This caused an energy disruption which allowed a race of extra-dimensional creatures, the Kosmosians, to attack Earth. Although the creatures were ultimately repelled, the energy disruption and effects on the Pym Particles affected all who had ever been exposed to them, except Pym himself, causing them to lose control of their growth and/or shrinking powers.

After losing his powers, Dr. Foster joined the staff of the Centers for Disease Control. In this capacity he helped the Avengers deal with a bio-weapon released near Mount Rushmore.

Foster donned the identity of Goliath again (along with a new costume and without the modifying “Black”) to first help the Thing deal with a supervillain (along with hitting him up for a research grant), then helped Spider-Man track down the Hulk in order for Bruce Banner to possibly deal with Spidey’s cellular degeneration.

During the superhuman Civil War, Foster was a member of Captain America’s anti-registration Secret Avengers, adopting the alias of Rockwell Dodsworth. He subsequently appeared briefly amongst the cavalcade of other African-American super-heroes attending the wedding of the Black Panther and Storm.

Foster was killed by a clone of Thor during a battle between the Secret Avengers and Iron Man’s pro-registration forces. Since it wasn’t possible to reduce his body to normal size, he was buried as a giant, with Tony Stark (Iron Man) paying for the thirty-eight burial plots required to accommodate him. His death affected the balance of forces in the war, leading several previously pro-Registration figures to change sides, most notably the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, the Black Panther, Storm and Spider-Man as well as many others questioning Iron Man’s cause.

Bill Foster was last seen in Pluto’s realm, refusing to accept death’s embrace while holding out possible hope for a resurrection.

Biochemistry: Bill Foster is an expert in the field of Biochemstry sometimes called biological chemistry, and is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. He has Amazing Reason in the field and is considered a peer to Hank Pym and Reed Richards, much like his nephew Tom.

Medicine: Bill, due to the cancer that he had for a while, studied medicine and has Remarkable Reason in the field of medicine, prescription drugs and surgery. Should he have to render first aid to someone he can stop a character that has reached ‘0’ health from losing any more endurance ranks and keep them stable.

Military: Bill was once in the military, evidently it wasn’t to his liking so he used the G.I. bill to go to college and get his degrees. Despite that fact he has Excellent Reason in when it came to protocol, regulations and equipment used by the U.S. military.

Black Goliath was Bill Foster – described as “a child of the ghetto who has pulled himself out of the Los Angeles slums to become director of one of the nation’s most prestigious research labs” and who could now turn himself into a 15-foot-giant. He first appeared in a few Avengers issues as a civilian back in the 1960s before turning up with super-growing powers in a few issues of Luke Cage, Power Man. 

But his hyped 1976 solo comic lasted a mere five issues, failing to ever get out of first gear. He fought nondescript villains like “Atom Smasher” and “Vulcan” (plus the towering Stilt-Man, which was actually a pretty clever match-up) and plotlines were teased but never fully explored. 

Black Goliath never quite got a chance. After his series was cut short, Black Goliath briefly popped up as a member of second-tier superhero team The Champions before they too got cancelled. 

Years later, Foster turned up as a supporting character in Marvel Two-In-One starring The Thing, where he was slowly dying from radiation poisoning and eventually cured. It was at this point he changed his hero name from Black Goliath to plain Giant-Man, at the Thing’s suggestion. “I mean, it’s pretty obvious that you’re black – and if I remember my Sunday school lessons, Goliath was a bad guy,” he noted. 

He moped around for a while, but Black Goliath/Giant-Man’s defining characteristic in his appearances always seemed to be that he never made the ‘big time.’ He tended to lose fights a lot. Too much of the time he appeared, his major defining characteristic was an inferiority complex, which was a bummer – as a successful Black biochemist in that era, Bill Foster could have been written a bit more uplifting (literally and figuratively). 

Kind of like another favourite obscure 1970s hero fave of mine, Omega The Unknown, Black Goliath is kind of a failure at the job. 

The post Write up on Black Goliath “African American” Historical Records appeared first on DayDreamin’ Comics.

THUNDER Agents premiered in 1965 and was an attempt to cash in on two of the biggest trends in popular culture at the time: super heroes and spies. (If the creators could have found a way to work Beatles music into the series, I’m sure they would have.) It was published by Tower, a newcomer to the industry, one of the short-lived companies who tried to stake out a position in the market due to the heightened interest in super heroes. They and the series only lasted about four years, shuttering quietly in 1969 after 20 issues of THUNDER AGENTS and assorted other comics. One of the things that set the Tower releases apart from much of the market was the fact that they insisted in releasing their books in the oversized “annual” format and priced at a quarter, more than twice what a regular comic book cost at that time. This can’t have helped them in terms of parting kids from their loose change. But it does mean that every issue of THUNDER AGENTS was a cornucopia of good art and fun stories.

THUNDER AGENTS opened on a simple premise: mankind is under siege by a mysterious figure known as the Warlord, who possesses an army of shock troops and super-scientific technology. it will turn out in the issues ahead that he was the leader of a subterranean civilization that desired the surface world. To meet this threat, the nations of the world had formed T.H.U.N.D.E.R.: The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserve. THUNDER was the GIJOE to the Warlord’s Cobra Commander. The organization was well-financed and began to develop super-weapons of their own to counter the Warlord’s schemes. But before anything more than the prototype devices could be created, Professor Jennings is killed in a Warlord attack–leaving THUNDER with a trio of devices designed to give its operatives superhuman abilities, but no way to duplicate or mass-manufacture them. As such a trio of THUNDER’s operatives are selected to be the group’s super-agents and put their lives on the line to use Jennings’ discoveries to battle back the enemy.

The most popular of the THUNDER Agents, and Wood’s favorite (and the character whose strip he most often worked on) was Dynamo. He’d intended to be called Thunderbolt, but the release of Charlton’s character of that same name scotched those plans. Dynamo was Len Brown (named after his scriptwriter by Wood), a working class stiff who was nonetheless a secret agent for THUNDER who was given a transformative belt that would give him superhuman strength and durability for 30 minutes at a go. Wood cast him very much in the style of the early Joe Shuster Superman, and delighted at having Dynamo tear through a horde of enemies or evidence his spectacular strength and durability. The second THUNDER Agent was perhaps the most unique.

 This was NoMan, himself an ancient scientist, the head of a program to develop artificial android bodies. His mind was not only transferred into one of these bodies, but it could switch freely between them–making him functionally immortal so long as he had another android form to move his consciousness into. NoMan was also given an invisibility cloak from the stash of gizmos that Professor Jennings had developed, to increase his effectiveness (although only one android body could wear the cloak at any given time–so if it got pulverized, as NoMan’s bodies generally tended to be, the cloak would need to be retrieved.)

THUNDER AGENTS opened on a simple premise: mankind is under siege by a mysterious figure known as the Warlord, who possesses an army of shock troops and super-scientific technology. it will turn out in the issues ahead that he was the leader of a subterranean civilization that desired the surface world. To meet this threat, the nations of the world had formed T.H.U.N.D.E.R.: The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserve. THUNDER was the GIJOE to the Warlord’s Cobra Commander. The organization was well-financed and began to develop super-weapons of their own to counter the Warlord’s schemes. But before anything more than the prototype devices could be created, Professor Jennings is killed in a Warlord attack–leaving THUNDER with a trio of devices designed to give its operatives superhuman abilities, but no way to duplicate or mass-manufacture them. As such a trio of THUNDER’s operatives are selected to be the group’s super-agents and put their lives on the line to use Jennings’ discoveries to battle back the enemy.

The most popular of the THUNDER Agents, and Wood’s favorite (and the character whose strip he most often worked on) was Dynamo. He’d intended to be called Thunderbolt, but the release of Charlton’s character of that same name scotched those plans. Dynamo was Len Brown (named after his scriptwriter by Wood), a working class stiff who was nonetheless a secret agent for THUNDER who was given a transformative belt that would give him superhuman strength and durability for 30 minutes at a go. Wood cast him very much in the style of the early Joe Shuster Superman, and delighted at having Dynamo tear through a horde of enemies or evidence his spectacular strength and durability. The second THUNDER Agent was perhaps the most unique. This was NoMan, himself an ancient scientist, the head of a program to develop artificial android bodies. His mind was not only transferred into one of these bodies, but it could switch freely between them–making him functionally immortal so long as he had another android form to move his consciousness into. NoMan was also given an invisibility cloak from the stash of gizmos that Professor Jennings had developed, to increase his effectiveness (although only one android body could wear the cloak at any given time–so if it got pulverized, as NoMan’s bodies generally tended to be, the cloak would need to be retrieved.)

The third THUNDER Agent was John Janus, a top-of -the-line cadet who earned the right to wield Professor Jennings’ mental command helmet in the guise of Menthor. But it turned out that THUNDER’s screening process wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Janus was secretly an agent of the Warlord, infiltrating the organization to destroy it from within. (his name might have been a tip-off to them.) However, whenever he would don the Menthor helmet, his demeanor would change, and he’d become a thorough good guy, dedicated to bringing down the Warlord and his forces. This dual personality was swiftly abandoned in subsequent stories, which is a shame–it was probably the most interesting thing about the character. He was the least successful of the initial THUNDER Agents, and in a shocking turn of events for the time, he was killed off for real in issue #7, giving his life to protect his fellow super-agents from harm. The fourth strip in the initial book was THUNDER Squad, which featured a non-powered team of THUNDER Agents very much in the mode of the Challengers of the Unknown or the Howling Commandos. There were five of them, each one a broadly-drawn type: Guy, the leader, Dynamite, the kinda dim big guy, Egghead, the brain, Kitten, the girl, and Weed, the slightly weaselly safecracker and escape artist. Their series was the least popular thing in the magazine, and so in issue #4, Guy was given an acceleration costume that turned him into the fourth super-agent, super-swift Lightning.

The thing that really set THUNDER AGENTS apart from the other titles on the stands in the mid-1960s was the quality of the artwork. Led by Wood himself, this first issue included contributions from Reed Crandall, Gil Kane, George Tuska, Mike Sekowsky, and Dan Adkins, and future issues would include stories by Steve Ditko, Manny Stallman, Ogden Whitney, Paul Reinman and many others. The focus here was on art over story–the THUNDER Agents stories tended to be less wordy than the Marvel books of the same period. This first issue laid out the origin of each of the main THUNDER Agents in solo adventures, then brought them all together for the climax (in the manner of a Justice Society story in ALL-STAR COMICS) to rescue the fallen Dynamo, who had been captured by the Warlord’s right-hand woman, the Iron Maiden. She was one of the best-remembered female characters from this age, a true femme fatale who contended with Dynamo and the THUNDER Agents on several occasions and was popular enough on her own that she could have headlined her own series. Needless to say, this initial issue made me a full-on fan of the THUNDER Agents, and I went on to collect the entire series over the course of the next couple of years. This was a great comic book end to end.

                            T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents

Run: 20 issues

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. is an acronym for The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserves. They were founded after World War II to deal with secret, subversive threats that the above-board United Nations forces couldn’t handle.

Our adventure begins when agents of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. try to save a brilliant scientist, Dr. Jennings, from “enemy agents.” They fail, but Jennings left behind a bunch of fancy gadgets, including a power belt, a cloak of invisibility, and a mind control helmet. T.H.U.N.D.E.R. distributes these gadgets to its finest agents, creating a small super-powered army to fight foes like the Subterraneans, an underground civilization rightfully upset about atomic weapons testing destroying their city, and S.P.I.D.E.R., an evil counterpart to T.H.U.N.D.E.R..

Jennings also left no instruction manual, so the agents have to figure things out as they go along, which is always fun.

Each issue featured multiple stories starring different agents, including:

Menthor

Menthor, despite the stupid name, had the most potential as a character. He was originally a double agent sent by the villainous Warlord, but the power of the mind-reading helmet he was given tapped into the goodness within him, turning him into a good guy whenever he put the helmet on. When he took it off, he forgot everything and reverted to low-level lackey John Janus.

Unfortunately, they squandered this concept’s potential right away. By Issue 2, Janus became a real good guy and defected to T.H.U.N.D.E.R.. He apparently wasn’t all that popular among fans as he was killed off at the end of Issue 7. His death was pretty brutal by 1966 standards, too: he was shot multiple times and then electrocuted. Yowch.

But did he smell minty fresh?

Raven

After Menthor’s death, he was semi-replaced by the Raven, a mercenary who joined mostly to get his hands on some flying tech that he could sell to the bad guys. After being rescued by the agents, he instantly reformed. That sounds familiar.

Raven’s stories are bizarre compared to the other features in this comic: the art style and tone are markedly different. His first foe is Mayven, a woman who controls child-shaped dolls that explode. If you’re into the weirder ’60s art styles, this may be the feature for you.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Squad

The T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Squad is basically Mission: Impossible with fewer Black people — in other words, they’re spies, not superheroes. The team did not have powers, but they did have some amazing names: Guy, Egghead, Dynamite, Kitten, and Weed. Weed.

Dynamo

Run: 4 issues

Len Brown — which is also the name of the writer who co-created the book with Wally Wood — was a young T.H.U.N.D.E.R. agent who became the recipient of a power-bestowing belt. Said belt granted him superior density, strength, and durability for up to half an hour at a time.

While Dynamo is physically the strongest, he is young and hot-headed and therefore susceptible to mental attacks. He could also be lazy, and he was perpetually embroiled in a love triangle (or rather, a love pentagon) with good-girl secretary Alice and various femmes fatale.

I count references to Shazam, Stan Lee, and Get Smart all in these three panels. Amazing.

But, showing off his flexibility, Dynamo was a convincing subject for more serious stories, including one from T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents in which his constant battling results in PTSD (“combat fatigue,” as it was called then). Fortunately, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. has a cure for that.

NoMan

Run: 2 issues

The hero known as NoMan was originally an elderly scientist, Anthony Dunn, in poor health. He figured out how to transfer his consciousness into a blue-skinned android, transforming him into a hero. He could now move at will between different android bodies, making him basically immortal, and turn invisible thanks to a cloak developed by the late Dr. Jennings.

This origin made for some compelling moments of angst, wherein NoMan regretted his lost humanity and wished to be normal again. In a couple stories, both in T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, this resulted in drastic action, like the time he kidnapped a young woman in the hopes of marrying her and thus feeling more human — this despite the fact that he is really in his 70s. Kidnap someone your own age, you creep.

(I am kidding. Do not kidnap anyone.)

Undersea Agent

Run: 6 issues

This is the weakest link in the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents universe. It had nothing to do with the rest of the books, except a tortured acronym. (U.N.D.E.R.S.E.A. stands for United Nations Department of Experiment and Research Systems Established at Atlantis.) It’s lightly implied that there’s a rivalry between the two organizations: when Undersea Agent 1 gains electromagnetic powers in Issue 2, U.N.D.E.R.S.E.A. is happy about it because it means they finally have a superpowered, T.H.U.N.D.E.R.-style agent of their own.

Undersea Agent 1 (and, for all intents and purposes, the only Undersea Agent) is really Lieutenant Davy Jones, who is stationed at an underwater base (in Atlantis, natch). From there, he and his borderline-useless sidekicks fight aliens, innocent wildlife, and would-be world conquerors with names like Doctor Fang.

What’s his name, again?

I’m not showing you Doctor Fang because he is a bad, bad racist caricature. While the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents franchise isn’t awash in overt bigotry, it is the ’60s, and it does come up now and then. So if you want to experience the franchise without that risk, you might want to stick with the reboot.

Several publishers have tried to revive T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents over the years. Perhaps the most high-profile attempt was DC’s, which came out in 2010. Unfortunately, this reboot was written by Nick Spencer, the same genius who would go on to make Steve Rogers a Nazi while mocking trigger warnings and other hallmarks of left-wing activism.

of new characters. I find this approach irritating, which is why I never watched beyond the first Mission: Impossible movie. On top of that, they darkened the premise considerably: every agent’s powers are now slowly killing them instead of just Lightning’s. This isn’t implausible, given Needless to say, Spencer’s involvement dampened my interest in the reboot immediately, and I only read the first three issues to get a feel for what it’s like.

It was fine, I guess?

They went the Mission: Impossible route of setting things in the present day and discarding most of the original cast in favor how little they knew about Dr. Jennings’s inventions going in, but I didn’t care for this dark interpretation of the source material. So even if I didn’t dislike the writer, I would have bailed on the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents reboot pretty fast.

The post Write up on T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents 1965 appeared first on DayDreamin’ Comics.

Molenda the Terrible and her Sagittarius army arrived in the Cesain Desert ; were welcomed with open arms by King Requin II. King Requin II of royal blood , father aided her Grandfather King Kilagesh in the Unification of Sagittarius Tribes. Queen Illayah and her Aunt Katesh often spoke of this Prince admirably he would be a suitable Husband for Molenda the Terrible.  Molenda the Terrible gazed her eyes on the Savage Desert Prince he was attractive and possessed many treasures . 

Molenda the Terrible greeted Requin II with an embrace and then looked back at General Bruce facial expression of anger left tears in her eyes. The Burden of making her Mother Queen Illayah happy or making herself happy marrying General Bruce. 

Nasira the Libra Witch had come to Requin II years before Molenda the Terrible had entered the Cesain Desert. Nasira sought an ally with Requin II but his loyalty was to King Kilagesh which now Molenda the Terrible understood why Requin II would be a suitable husband .

“Despite what information we gave Nasira the Libra Witch & The Aquarius Demon Queen the Yiepa will join the Tribes of Sagittarius and fight against  Skolora will follow the Unification Clause given by your Grandfather King Kilagesh  said Requin II. Come join the Yeipa Tribe in our night time festival we dance at the moon, eat of Bain Beast and We will bath your army with the best of oils and waters -in memory of your Grandfather King Kiagesh” – said Requin II

How can the Royal Bloodline of Sagittarius become slaves of Caoet the Gemini wondered Molenda the Terrible. A burden of guilt she felt for stealing Shita Scrolls in Opricorn.  I will have a seed pondered Molenda the Terrible with General Bruce or this Requin II – will not hold a Sagitarius Empire.

The Yiepa woman danced around camp fires howling at the moon; Molenda the Terrible watched this is wonder as they ate the wonderful Bane Beast . Moschac her father often talked about Bane Beast was a common feast when the Sagittarius Tribes lived in the Desert Yec.

Molenda the Terrible and the Offspring eat no meat or delicacies, they eat bread and corn in Tish like Scorpio peasants.

Princess Katesh

Breed three Sons in preparation to extend the Royal Blood line; Governed the Hidden Kingdom.

Moshac had returned home to his beloved wife Queen Ilayah. King Tarzac Simat still sat on the throne of the Sagittarius Empire as a figure head. 

King Tarzac Simat sought freedom from his Mother Queen Illayah who controlled his life from birth.  King Tarzac Simat wanted to escape the Kingdom and live his life a normal Sagittarius man and have 13 Virgins but  the Prophecy cursed the Prince. No Seed of Tarzac will end the Garranzana de Loco Prophecy.  King Tarzac Simat knew of all these things and the prophecy he longed to escape  he was born a victim of circumstance.

Magic Casters were banned within the Kingdom. Molenda the Terrible most valuable ally was a Magic Caster, Calibson. Calibson was a powerful Magic Caster that held the Kanis Scepter.

Second valuable ally to Molenda the Terrible Shanda Muh & Arboreal the Enchantress; the healing pool oils brought her beloved General Bruce back to life after an attack by Reylo the Shinden Roudo

The post Zodiac World : After Tarzac Requin II The Yiepa Sagittarius King Offspring appeared first on DayDreamin’ Comics.

Introduction

Operators and Truth Tables We represent statements by Boolean variables and form compound statements using logical connectives or operators.

 The three standard operators are not, and, and or. If p and q are (compound) statements, the negation of p is not p, denoted ¬ p; the conjunction of p and q is p and q,

denoted p ∧ q;

the disjunction of p and q is p or q,

denoted p ∨ q, which is true when at least one of p and q are true; and the exclusive or of p and q is denoted p ⊕ q, which is true when exactly one of p and q is true.

Building Truth Tables for More Complex Logical Expressions If this were arithmetic, instead of logic, we would now know how to add, subtract, multiply, divide, and change the sign of a number. But we want to do more complex things (like adding three numbers). Similarly for logical expressions. We want to be able to combine multiple operators to form a single meaningful expression.

 To do this, we must be able to build more complex truth tables. Let’s start with a two-operator expression: (p Ù q) Ú p We want to build a truth table whose final column tells us the truth value of that expression given any set of truth values that may occur for the individual variables p and q.

To see how to compute that column, we return to our analogy with arithmetic: If we wanted to evaluate (1+2)´3, we would start with the innermost expression and evaluate outward. So, in this arithmetic case, we’d start with (1+2). For our logic example, we’ll start with (p Ù q). We will introduce “working columns” that specify the truth values for all the intermediate expressions.

We’ll be able to compute the final column by combining the working columns. With one working column, our truth table looks just like the table for and: p q p Ù q

Column A   Column B         Column  C

T T T T           F F F T                 F F F F

Now we need to add a new column for (p Ù q) Ú p: p q p Ù q (p Ù q) Ú p

Column A   Column B    Column C

 T T T T            F F F T                  F F F F     The third column has the truth values

Our truth table definition for captures the same meaning for “If then ” that you have always used in mathematics. For example, if we think of x as some fixed real number, we all know that “If then is a true statement, no matter what number x we have in mind.

Let’s examine why we say this sentence is true for some specific values of x, where the antecedent P is and the consequent Q is In the case both P and Q are true, as in line 1 of the truth table. The case corresponds to the second line of the table, and for we have the situation in line 4. There is no case corresponding to line 3 because is true. Note that when we say “If P, then Q” is true, we don’t claim that either P or Q is true. What we do say is that no matter what number we think of, if it’s larger than 8, it’s also larger than 5. Two propositions closely related to are its converse and contrapositive.

Microsoft Excel Logical Functionalities

• Comparison Operators – You can use comparison operators to compare two numbers, functions, formulas, or labels and return either true or false. – Examples include:

 • =2*3=4+2

• =A1>0

• =average(a1:a10)>60

• Every conditional test must include at least one comparison operator.

As an example, in the formula =A1>0, the comparison operator is >

Comparison Operators

• The following six comparison operators exist in Excel:

 Excel Logic & the IF Function 2 Comparison Operator Definition = Equal to <> Not equal to

< Less than <= Less than or equal to > Greater than >= Greater than or equal to

Built-in IF Function • The IF function allows our spreadsheet to make a decision when analyzing the data.

 • The function asks the question: Is some condition true or false?

 • If the condition is true, the function returns one value; if the condition is false, the function returns another value

Literature Review

What are Logical Functions in Excel?

Even if you’re not familiar with what these functions entail, you must have heard their name before.

Logical functions are some of the most important and common functions in Excel.

They work as a decision-making tool for dealing with information.

Logical functions also allow you to use conditional formatting in between the formulas.

Excel Logical functions test a condition to check if it is TRUE or FALSE.

It then allows to perform further operations on the data depending on the logical test result.

You select a cell, enter values and apply a logical function. Now you can calculate the data using the formula or test the situation against a fixed logical value.

Excel offers more than ten logical functions, but the most basic ones include AND, OR, NOT, XOR and IF.

These functions are the most used for performing logical operations, while other functions include SWITCH, TRUE, FALSE, IFERROR, IFN/A, and IFS functions.

The first four functions are pretty easy to use, and they come in handy when you want to test multiple conditions or perform a bunch of evaluations. If the logical value is correct, it returns TRUE and false if incorrect.

AND Function

The AND function is one of the most commonly used functions in Excel.

It comes into use when you want to compare more than two values.

The AND function returns TRUE when all the conditions are met and FALSE even if a single condition is wrong.

Also, it is used in combination with other functions and is a fine alternative to the IF NESTED function.

Syntax

=AND(logical1, logical2,..)

Where logical is the expression or condition that you need to assess. This expression can be anything from a cell reference to the text, numbers, etc. The first expression is compulsory, while others are optional for the formula.

Formula Example

=AND(A2>10, B2>5)

Here’s how it works

The AND function returned TRUE after checking if both the cells fulfilled the condition. If any one of the cell values had not met the condition, the AND function would have returned FALSE.

OR Function

Similar to the AND function, the OR function is also used to differentiate or compare two cell values. The primary difference is that, unlike AND, the OR function returns TRUE even if one cell value does not meet the required condition.

It returns FALSE only when both the conditions are not met. OR function is widely used in Excel for numerous purposes, and it is often used in combination with other functions like NESTED IF, etc.

Syntax

=OR(logical1, logical2)

Where logical1 is the first condition to be evaluated with the same requirements as the AND function.

Formula Example

=OR(A1>10, B1>5)

As evident, the formula used in this example is the same as AND function, and the only difference is that the values in cell B2 were changed. Now, cell B2 does not meet the condition, but the OR function returns a TRUE value, as explained above.

It would have returned FALSE if neither of the conditions were met.

NOT Function

NOT function performs the easiest of operations. It simply reverses the logical result, meaning if the answer of two conditions evaluates to TRUE, by applying the NOT function, the return value will now be FALSE and vice versa. It can be combined with other functions like OR, AND, etc.

It’s fair for you to question why anyone would want to do something so bizarre. The answer is, often you want to see where a condition isn’t being fulfilled rather than where it is being fulfilled. And NOT function is your best option in such a case.

Syntax

=NOT(logical)

The ‘logical’ in NOT function is the argument to be negated.

Formula Example

=NOT(5+5=10)

Here the NOT function returned FALSE when the condition evaluated to TRUE, i.e., it reversed the value.

XOR Function

XOR function stands for Exclusive OR function, and it operates similar to the OR function with a slight difference only.

The XOR function returns TRUE when only one argument is TRUE. If both the arguments are TRUE or both the arguments are FALSE, it will return FALSE.

Syntax

=XOR(logical1, logical2)

Where logical is the condition to be evaluated. A single formula allows 254 values to be tested with the XOR function.

Formula Example 

=XOR(A2>8, B2=6)

In this example, the return value is FALSE because both the conditions are met.

The return value is TRUE in this example since the condition in A2 is met, but the condition in B2 is not fulfilled. The same would happen if both the conditions were not to be met.

IF Function

The IF function is undoubtedly one of the most used functions in Excel and for various purposes. The IF function checks a condition, whether it is TRUE or FALSE. Based on the result, it returns a specific value when TRUE and another when FALSE.

IF function is mostly used in combination with other functions and has several other types, including IFS, IFERROR, etc. Using the IF function is easy if you know how the following formula works.

Syntax

=IF(logical_test, value_if_true, [value_if_false]

Where logical_test (mandatory) is the condition to be evaluated, Value_if_true is the argument (required) that is to be returned if the result is TRUE. Value_if_false is the argument (optional) that is to be returned if the result is FALSE.

Formula Example

=IF(A1<=10, ‘Yes’, ‘No’)

In this example, the IF function returned Yes because the cell value of A1 met the condition required. Otherwise the IF function would have returned No.

COUNTIF Function of Excel is an advanced for of the IF Function. It allows users to count the number of values in a data set only if they meet a specific criterion.

IFS Function

The IFS function tests one or more expressions and returns a specified value on TRUE result. It checks the first condition; if TRUE, it utilizes that. If FALSE, it moves on to the second condition and so on in the subsequent order.

The IFS function is better at running tests and checking conditions than the regular IF function. IFS function allows you to add up to 127 logical statements in a single formula.

Syntax

=IFS(logical_test1, value_if_true1, [logical_test2], [value_if_true2], …)

Where logical_test1 is the first condition to be tested. If TRUE, the function does not evaluate any further and stops right there. If FALSE, the function then tests the second condition (if any) and utilizes that value. Value_if_true1 is the value to be returned if the first condition evaluates to TRUE.

Formula Example

=IFS(A2>90,”A+”,A2>80,”A”,A2>70,”B”,A2>60,”C”,A2>50,”D”,A2>40,”E”)

In this example, the return value of the IFS function is YES because the condition applied was TRUE. If the condition had been FALSE, the IFS function would have returned the NO value.

The IFS Function of Excel is commonly used in pair with Forecast sheets in Excel. 

IFERROR Function

As evident from the name, the IFERROR function is used to deal with errors in a function. It locates the error and returns the specified value if an error occurs. Otherwise, the IFERROR function returns the result of the formula entered.

Syntax

=IFERROR(value, value_if_error)

Where value is the argument (required) that is to be evaluated for any error. The value_if_error is the argument to be returned when an error occurs.

Formula Example

=IFERROR(A2/B2, “Error in calculation”)

The IFERROR function returned an Error in the calculation because division by zero gives an error, so it displayed the value-if-error.

IFNA Function

As evident from the name, the IFNA function is used to locate and remove the NA error in a formula. When the NA error is encountered, it returns a default value stored in the formula. Otherwise, it returns the result of the formula.

It is only available in Excel version 2013 and above.

Syntax

=IFNA(value, value-if-NA)

Where value is the expression or cell reference to be checked for the NA error, and the value if NA is the result to be returned in case an NA error occurs.

Formula Example

=IFNA(A1/B1,0)

The formula returned zero because the first cell value has zero as a digit.

TRUE Function

The TRUE function returns the value TRUE based on an argument or expression. It is built-in in Excel and acts like a worksheet function. The following formula is used for the TRUE function.

Syntax

=TRUE()

Where TRUE is the value returned as an answer to the expression.

Formula Example

=IF(A1=22,TRUE())

In this example, the formula returned TRUE since the given condition was met.

FALSE Function

The FALSE function works like the inverse of the TRUE function; depending upon the condition entered, it returns a FALSE value. It is also a built-in function and is used as an Excel Worksheet function.

Syntax

=FALSE()

Where false is the value to be returned upon evaluation of the condition or expression.

Formula Example

=IF(A1>47, FALSE()

In this example, the formula returned FALSE as the given condition was TRUE.

SWITCH Function

The SWITCH function is used to test a single value against multiple other values. As a result, it returns the value that matches the first corresponding value. When no value matches the first one, the SWITCH function returns a default value that the user can set.

Syntax  

=SWITCH (exp, value1/result1, [value2/result2], …, [default])

Where expression is the value (mandatory) that is to be matched against. Value 1/result1 is the first value to be matched along with the resultant value and is required. Value2/result2 is optional.

Formula Example

=SWITCH(A2,0/”Poor”,5/”OK”,10/”Good”,”?”)

In this example, the SWITCH function returns remarks corresponding to their entries. You can even use conditional formatting in the SWITCH function to know which value is greater or smaller than the set criterion.

Logical Functions – Use Cases

The Foundational Role of SQL in Data Extraction SQL is the fundamental language for interacting with relational databases. It is used to store, manipulate and retrieve data. A relational database organizes data into tables, which are linked based on predefined relationships. SQL allows analysts to communicate with these databases to extract exactly the data they need. Without SQL, accessing data from large, structured databases would be incredibly difficult and slow. As Groff, Weinberg, & Oppel (2010) state, SQL’s power lies in its declarative nature; you specify what data you want, not how to get it and the database engine figures out the most efficient way to execute the request. Basic SQL involves commands like SELECT, FROM and WHERE. These are used to pull data from a single table based on simple conditions. For example, SELECT * FROM customers WHERE country = ‘USA’; will return all customers from the USA. While this is useful, real-world data analysis is rarely this simple. Data is almost always spread across multiple related tables. This is where the need for advanced SQL begins. The ability to efficiently combine data from different tables and perform complex calculations directly within the database is what sets proficient analysts apart. Efficient data extraction is the first and most critical step in the entire analytical workflow. If this step is slow or yields incorrect data, all subsequent steps are compromised.

Key Advanced SQL Techniques for Efficiency and Accuracy Advanced SQL techniques move beyond simple data selection to enable powerful data transformation and aggregation directly within the database. This improves efficiency by reducing the data volume before it is loaded into analysis tools like Excel. It enhances accuracy by ensuring complex logic is applied consistently in one place. JOIN Operations: The JOIN clause is used to combine rows from two or more tables based on a related column. Understanding different types of joins—INNER JOIN, LEFT JOIN, RIGHT JOIN and FULL OUTER JOIN—is crucial. An INNER JOIN returns only the matching rows from both tables, while a LEFT JOIN returns all rows from the left table and the matched rows from the right table. Using the wrong type of join is a common source of data inaccuracy, as it can inadvertently exclude or include incorrect records (Beaulieu, 2009). For efficiency, properly indexed join keys are essential for fast query performance. Subqueries and Common Table Expressions (CTEs): A subquery is a query nested inside another query. It can be used to filter data or perform calculations in a step-by-step manner. However, complex subqueries can be difficult to read and maintain. CTEs provide a more readable and efficient alternative. A CTE creates a temporary result set that you can reference within your main query. This makes complex queries easier to write, debug and understand, thereby reducing errors and improving maintainability (Morgado, 2017). For example, you can use a CTE to first calculate a complex aggregation and then join that result to another table in the main query. Window Functions: Window functions are among the most powerful features in advanced SQL. They perform a calculation across a set of table rows that are somehow related to the current row. Unlike regular aggregate functions, window functions do not cause rows to become grouped into a single output row. This allows you to see both the detailed data and the aggregated value side-by-side. Common window functions include ROW_NUMBER(), RANK(), LAG(), LEAD() and aggregation with OVER(). For instance, you can use LAG() to compare a sales value from the current month to the previous month without having to perform a self-join, which is a much less efficient operation (Tao, 2021). This directly enhances both efficiency (faster calculation) and accuracy (less complex, error-prone logic). Aggregate Functions with GROUP BY and HAVING: While GROUP BY is a fundamental concept, its advanced use with filtering conditions using HAVING is critical. The WHERE clause filters rows before aggregation, while the HAVING clause filters groups after aggregation. Using HAVING correctly is vital for accuracy when you need to filter based on the result of an aggregate function, like finding only those departments where the average salary is above a certain threshold.

The Foundational Role of Excel in Data Analysis and Reporting Microsoft Excel is arguably the most ubiquitous data analysis tool in the world. Its accessibility and intuitive grid interface make it the starting point for millions of analysts. Excel is used for tasks ranging from simple lists and calculations to complex financial models and dashboards. Its strength lies in its flexibility for ad-hoc analysis, visualization and reporting. As Winston (2016) notes, Excel’s power is not just in its functions, but in its ability to let users “play” with data, fostering exploration and discovery. Basic Excel proficiency involves using simple formulas like SUM and AVERAGE, creating basic charts and using filters. Many users stop at this level. However, this limits their analytical capabilities and forces them into manual, repetitive work. When datasets become large or complex, basic Excel methods break down. They become slow, prone to crashing and the risk of formula errors increases dramatically. This is where advanced Excel techniques become essential. They transform Excel from a simple calculator into a powerful data analysis and business intelligence tool, capable of handling much more sophisticated tasks efficiently and reliably.

The world’s first electronic spreadsheet, VisiCalc, was created by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston in 1979. The spreadsheet was widely regarded as the ‘killer app’ for personal computers. It managed to hit a sweet spot between usability and functionality—millions of users with no formal training in programming were suddenly enabled to create custom applications of their own. Today, the spreadsheet remains as popular as ever. Indeed, in 2001 there were an estimated 45 million end-users of spreadsheets or databases in the United States alone, representing 60% of the American workforce (Scaffidi et al., 2005), and this number is rising. Spreadsheets do one thing and they do it well, which is to perform mathematical computations. While spreadsheets do have built-in Boolean functions and conditional functions, it is clear that they were not designed from the ground up to support logical reasoning. In modern commercial spreadsheets, logical functions have an inelegant syntax and inappropriate editing tools. Worse, the logical reasoning allowed is quite limited—there are no n-ary predicates, unification routines, negation-as-failure capabilities, and the like. By extending a spreadsheet with proper logical reasoning capabilities, we allow them to be used for many additional applications, such as applying business rules, performing symbolic what-if analyses, and transforming data from one representation to another. By incorporating further enhancements such as generalizing formulas to constraints, spreadsheets can be further used for applications such as data entry and validation, enterprise management, and constraint-solving. In the sequel, we describe the work that has been done on logical spreadsheets up until today, and attempt to categorize the different logical spreadsheet systems that have been produced.

IF Statement (and other IFs)

IF

An IF statement is powerful; it helps you do everything from fix typos to group data. In the example below, I create a “Mac?” column that is True when the cat is Mac.

The formula for this is:
=if(C2=”Mac”, True, False)
If we imagine we had the same cat table in Snowflake, the equivalent formula would be:

SELECT

    *,

    IFF(cat_name = ‘Mac’, True, False) AS is_mac

FROM cat_table;

In a database, double quotes (“) also denotes a database object, such as a column name. A literal string (Mac) is put in single quotes. Other than that, the function is quite similar.

Snowflake reference for IFF

IFS

The complexity comes in once we there are multiple IF statements to evaluate. To determine whether the cat is one of the twins, I have to allow that the cat could be either Mac or Cheese (they actually had another litter mate who we could not adopt). I also want to label them Twin1 (Mac) and Twin2 (Cheese). In Excel, the function is:

=if(C2=”Mac”, “Twin1″, if(C2=”Cheese”, “Twin2”, “Not Twin”))

Notice how in order to have more than two outcomes (True/False versus Twin1/Twin2/Not Twin), we need to embed another IF statement into the false_value. This gets unreadable really quickly. Luckily, in SQL you can do what’s called a case statement or a case when statement. A case statement for this would be:

SELECT

    *,

    CASE

        WHEN cat_name = ‘Mac’

            THEN ‘Twin1’

        WHEN cat_name = ‘Cheese’

            THEN ‘Twin2’

        ELSE ‘Not Twin’

    END AS twin_number

FROM cat_table;

Maybe it is the spacing or the lack of parenthesis, but I find this more readable and intuitive. Notice the single quotes again. The ELSE clause is optional; without explicitly giving a value to those that do not fall in a category, they will be NULL. I often write “ELSE NULL END” to be explicit, but this is technically redundant. Similar to Excel, the resulting value of the CASE WHEN is whichever evaluates as true first. In our example, a cat cannot be named Mac and Cheese, so let’s say we had this statement:

SELECT

    *,

    CASE

        WHEN cat_name = ‘Mac’

            THEN ‘Twin1’

        WHEN cat_color = ‘Black’

            THEN ‘Twin2’

        ELSE ‘Not Twin’

END AS twin_number

FROM cat_table;

Although Mac is black, he will have twin_number of Twin1 since cat_name = ‘Mac’ evaluates to true first.

Note: I tried to use the Excel function IFS but I couldn’t figure out how to include a default value (“Not Twin”):
=ifs(C2=”Mac”, “Twin1″, F2=”Black”, “Twin2”)

SUMIF

Now that we know who the twins are, we can sum only the twins’ weights. In Excel, we would do: =sumif(I2:I4,True,G2:G4)

The twins total weight is almost 20 pounds!

SELECT

    CASE

        WHEN cat_name = ‘Mac’ OR cat_name = ‘Cheese’

            THEN TRUE

        ELSE FALSE

    END AS is_twin,

    SUM(weight) AS total_weight

FROM cat_table

GROUP BY is_twin;

This requires a bit of explanation. First we are using a case statement to label whether a cat is a twin or not. Then we sum the weights of cats grouped by is_twin. This will give us:

The results are not formatted the same as a SUMIF since we also get the non-twins weights, but we get the data we need: 19.8 pounds of mini demon panthers sent here to ruin my couch.

This query can also be written as

SELECT

    SUM(weight) AS total_weight

FROM cat_table

WHERE cat_name = ‘Mac’ OR cat_name = ‘Cheese’

;

This will simply give you 19.8.

COUNTIF

If we want to count the number of female and male kittens we have, in Excel, we would do:
=countif(M1:M4, “Female”) and
=countif(M1:M4, “Male”)

Similar to the total_weight calculation above, this can be accomplished in SQL by:

SELECT

    gender,

    COUNT(*) AS count

FROM cat_table

GROUP BY gender

This will give us

Note that Snowflake actually does have a count if: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/sql-reference/functions/count_if.html

SELECT

    COUNTIF(gender = ‘Female’) AS female_count

FROM cat_table

I never use that function but maybe I’ll remember to now.

SUBSTITUTE

Let’s say we got user entered info for our cat named and they appeared like this:

We would want to clean it up by removing the _, essentially replacing it with a blank string. We would do a substitute like this:
=substitute(B2, “_”, “”)

In Snowflake, we do a replace function. With replace, if we want to eliminate, we can enter only two arguments if we want to replace the substring with the empty string:

SELECT

              REPLACE(user_entered_cat_name, ‘_’) AS cat_name

FROM cat_table

Similar to in Excel, if you want to replace multiple strings, you have to embed the REPLACE function:

SELECT

              REPLACE(REPLACE(user_entered_cat_name, ‘_’), ‘!’) AS cat_name

FROM cat_table

It can end up being a really nasty line of code.

CONCATENATE

To conCATenate in Excel (ha, get it), you use &

In Snowflake, you use || or the CONCAT function

No matter which one you do, remember the spaces:

SELECT

    cat_name || ‘ ‘ || cat_id,

    CONCAT(cat_name, ‘ ‘, cat_id)

FROM cat_table

VLOOKUP / HLOOKUP

I know often in Excel, in order to combine data from multiple tabs, people do a VLOOKUP or an HLOOKUP. In databases, a VLOOKUP is basically a JOIN. An HLOOKUP is not really a thing. I’ll explain why.

VLOOKUP

Let’s say someone gave us the cats cuteness levels

To find the cats cuteness level, we do a VLOOKUP on Cat ID

=VLOOKUP(A2,Cuteness!A:B,2,True)

Perfect, the cats are all top level cuteness. Notice that the vlookup is “on” a certain field. This is the field that the two datasets have in common; more specifically, the field that has to be equal in order for the data to be relevant for the row. To do this in databases, we join:

SELECT

    *

FROM cat_info

LEFT JOIN cat_cuteness

ON cat_info.cat_id = cat_cuteness.cat_id

Notice that we are joining “on” cat_id. In SQL, you can join on multiple fields (or none! don’t do that!). It’s most common to join on an ID field though.

Notice also that I used a LEFT join. Unlike in a VLOOKUP, we can choose what to include in the final data set. Had I used INNER JOIN, any cat_info without a cat_id in cat_cuteness would not have shown up in the data set. A RIGHT join would be the reverse of this; it would be like doing the VLOOKUP on the cat_cuteness tab.

HLOOKUP

To be honest I haven’t used Excel in so long I couldn’t find a reason why you would need an HLOOKUP, except that someone who hates you gave you data. That’s okay. It happens.

Let’s say someone gave you that. In order to get the info on to the main tab, we have to do:
=hlookup(A2,’Cuteness, but someone who hates us gave it to us’!$A$1:$D$3,2,false)

There is no real hlookup in databases, because in databases, all tables and entities have to be formatted in the same way (with the column names being the first row).

If you can think of an example of HLOOKUP that you would be able to do in a database, let me know.

Logical Functions and Formulas

Learning Outcomes

• Use logical functions and formulas

Excel logic functions evaluate whether the statement and data are considered true or false according to how the formula is established. We will cover the top used Excel logical functions in this section. Exactly like the financial functions, you can use the Formulas tab as before to insert the function or you can begin by typing an equal sign in a cell.

Nested IF

Taking an IF function and adding more than one logic test inside the IF function. In other words, start with and IF function and add another IF function inside the original IF function. A Nested IF formula looks like this: =IF(logical_test,[value_if_true],[value_if_false],IF(logical_test,[value_if_true],[value_if_false]))

Previously, you learned how to use the IF function as a logical way to test your data. Let’s consider that we want to see two variables run at once to create a logical outcome. We’ll now look at Regional Sales for five salespeople over a year and see if they meet the requirements for an annual commission and what the commission amount would be.

Note

Two shortcuts for locking down a cell to make it absolute instead of relative. You’ll need to know these to work faster through creating formulas.

• Short cut key F4 automatically adds in $ to a cell location information to lock it down and make it absolute to stop it from changing as it is dragged into other cells or ranges (e.g. $D$3).
• Name Range locks down a cell like $. To create a Name Range, highlight the cell, click on the Formulas tab, Define Name button. After the dialog box opens, name the location (no spaces) to make it unique for navigation or for formulas (e.g. Commission_Rate).

With a sales spreadsheet open, look at the tiered commission structure. There are two possibilities to earn commission. A Nested IF function is a perfect formula to calculate which salesperson receives how much commission.

Follow these steps to create a Nested IF function:

1. First let’s define names for the two types of commissions as this will make it easier to distinguish in the formula. Select the 20% cell and click on the Formula tab, Define Name button and name it Commission_Rate_20. Follow the same steps to name the 10% commission cell too.
    
2. Select the first cell under the commission heading and begin typing =IF, then hit the Tab key and a bracket will automatically appear displaying the logic formula for an IF function.
   
3. Select the total sales for Henry (G4) and type in whether the total sales is less than or equal to the sales goal (G4>=I2). Be sure to hit the F4 button and the absolute $ will fill I2 so it will not change in any way if the formula is moved ($I$2), then type a comma.
   
4. The next portion of the formula is for the percentage of commission to be paid if the goal has been reached. After the comma, choose the sales total again (F4) multiplied by the commission percentage by selecting the name you created earlier (F4*Commession_Rate_20), then a comma to separate the next part of the formula.
   
5. The next portion of the formula is for the other percentage of commission to be paid if that lower goal has been met. After the comma, type another IF and hit the Tab key. Create the same formula again but use the Commission_Rate_10 this time and at the end a comma.
   
6. The last portion of the formula is asking what to do if the logic comes back as a false answer. In this case, it will return a 0. Now finish with two end parentheses, one turns red indicating the second IF function, and then an additional end parenthesis to enclose the entire function begun with the first IF function.
   
7. Now copy the formula down the column all the way to the last salesperson’s total. These are the commissions paid based on the Nested IF formulas created. A nice logical function to make a more difficult task easier in a spreadsheet.

AND

This function returns TRUE if all the arguments in its formula are TRUE and returns FALSE if any of the conditions are false. The Excel formula for this is =AND(logical1,[logical2],…).

In this example the AND function returns TRUE if the first score is greater than or equal to 60 and the second score is greater than or equal to 90, otherwise it returns FALSE.

OR

The OR function returns TRUE if any of the arguments are TRUE. The Excel formula for this is =OR(logical1,[logical2],…).

In this example the AND function returns TRUE if the first score is greater than or equal to 65 and the second score is greater than or equal to 100, otherwise it returns FALSE.

IFERROR

If your formula errors out, you can add in a value you specify how you would like it displayed. This logic function is beneficial to use if you occasionally run into errors and wish to have a cleaner looking spreadsheet to present.

The Excel formula for this is =IFERROR(value,value_if_error).

In this example there is an error in the Profit Margin row that is displayed at #DIV/0!. By using the IFERROR function an error like this can be displayed as a zero or even as text like “Ouch” if so desired. Here is what it looks like:

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

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Literature Review

The Foundational Role of SQL in Data Extraction SQL is the fundamental language for interacting with relational databases. It is used to store, manipulate and retrieve data. A relational database organizes data into tables, which are linked based on predefined relationships. SQL allows analysts to communicate with these databases to extract exactly the data they need. Without SQL, accessing data from large, structured databases would be incredibly difficult and slow. As Groff, Weinberg, & Oppel (2010) state, SQL’s power lies in its declarative nature; you specify what data you want, not how to get it and the database engine figures out the most efficient way to execute the request. Basic SQL involves commands like SELECT, FROM and WHERE. These are used to pull data from a single table based on simple conditions. For example, SELECT * FROM customers WHERE country = ‘USA’; will return all customers from the USA. While this is useful, real-world data analysis is rarely this simple. Data is almost always spread across multiple related tables. This is where the need for advanced SQL begins. The ability to efficiently combine data from different tables and perform complex calculations directly within the database is what sets proficient analysts apart. Efficient data extraction is the first and most critical step in the entire analytical workflow. If this step is slow or yields incorrect data, all subsequent steps are compromised.

Key Advanced SQL Techniques for Efficiency and Accuracy Advanced SQL techniques move beyond simple data selection to enable powerful data transformation and aggregation directly within the database. This improves efficiency by reducing the data volume before it is loaded into analysis tools like Excel. It enhances accuracy by ensuring complex logic is applied consistently in one place. JOIN Operations: The JOIN clause is used to combine rows from two or more tables based on a related column. Understanding different types of joins—INNER JOIN, LEFT JOIN, RIGHT JOIN and FULL OUTER JOIN—is crucial. An INNER JOIN returns only the matching rows from both tables, while a LEFT JOIN returns all rows from the left table and the matched rows from the right table. Using the wrong type of join is a common source of data inaccuracy, as it can inadvertently exclude or include incorrect records (Beaulieu, 2009). For efficiency, properly indexed join keys are essential for fast query performance. Subqueries and Common Table Expressions (CTEs): A subquery is a query nested inside another query. It can be used to filter data or perform calculations in a step-by-step manner. However, complex subqueries can be difficult to read and maintain. CTEs provide a more readable and efficient alternative. A CTE creates a temporary result set that you can reference within your main query. This makes complex queries easier to write, debug and understand, thereby reducing errors and improving maintainability (Morgado, 2017). For example, you can use a CTE to first calculate a complex aggregation and then join that result to another table in the main query. Window Functions: Window functions are among the most powerful features in advanced SQL. They perform a calculation across a set of table rows that are somehow related to the current row. Unlike regular aggregate functions, window functions do not cause rows to become grouped into a single output row. This allows you to see both the detailed data and the aggregated value side-by-side. Common window functions include ROW_NUMBER(), RANK(), LAG(), LEAD() and aggregation with OVER(). For instance, you can use LAG() to compare a sales value from the current month to the previous month without having to perform a self-join, which is a much less efficient operation (Tao, 2021). This directly enhances both efficiency (faster calculation) and accuracy (less complex, error-prone logic). Aggregate Functions with GROUP BY and HAVING: While GROUP BY is a fundamental concept, its advanced use with filtering conditions using HAVING is critical. The WHERE clause filters rows before aggregation, while the HAVING clause filters groups after aggregation. Using HAVING correctly is vital for accuracy when you need to filter based on the result of an aggregate function, like finding only those departments where the average salary is above a certain threshold.

The Foundational Role of Excel in Data Analysis and Reporting Microsoft Excel is arguably the most ubiquitous data analysis tool in the world. Its accessibility and intuitive grid interface make it the starting point for millions of analysts. Excel is used for tasks ranging from simple lists and calculations to complex financial models and dashboards. Its strength lies in its flexibility for ad-hoc analysis, visualization and reporting. As Winston (2016) notes, Excel’s power is not just in its functions, but in its ability to let users “play” with data, fostering exploration and discovery. Basic Excel proficiency involves using simple formulas like SUM and AVERAGE, creating basic charts and using filters. Many users stop at this level. However, this limits their analytical capabilities and forces them into manual, repetitive work. When datasets become large or complex, basic Excel methods break down. They become slow, prone to crashing and the risk of formula errors increases dramatically. This is where advanced Excel techniques become essential. They transform Excel from a simple calculator into a powerful data analysis and business intelligence tool, capable of handling much more sophisticated tasks efficiently and reliably.

The world’s first electronic spreadsheet, VisiCalc, was created by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston in 1979. The spreadsheet was widely regarded as the ‘killer app’ for personal computers. It managed to hit a sweet spot between usability and functionality—millions of users with no formal training in programming were suddenly enabled to create custom applications of their own. Today, the spreadsheet remains as popular as ever. Indeed, in 2001 there were an estimated 45 million end-users of spreadsheets or databases in the United States alone, representing 60% of the American workforce (Scaffidi et al., 2005), and this number is rising. Spreadsheets do one thing and they do it well, which is to perform mathematical computations. While spreadsheets do have built-in Boolean functions and conditional functions, it is clear that they were not designed from the ground up to support logical reasoning. In modern commercial spreadsheets, logical functions have an inelegant syntax and inappropriate editing tools. Worse, the logical reasoning allowed is quite limited—there are no n-ary predicates, unification routines, negation-as-failure capabilities, and the like. By extending a spreadsheet with proper logical reasoning capabilities, we allow them to be used for many additional applications, such as applying business rules, performing symbolic what-if analyses, and transforming data from one representation to another. By incorporating further enhancements such as generalizing formulas to constraints, spreadsheets can be further used for applications such as data entry and validation, enterprise management, and constraint-solving. In the sequel, we describe the work that has been done on logical spreadsheets up until today, and attempt to categorize the different logical spreadsheet systems that have been produced.

IF Statement (and other IFs)

IF

An IF statement is powerful; it helps you do everything from fix typos to group data. In the example below, I create a “Mac?” column that is True when the cat is Mac.

The formula for this is:
=if(C2=”Mac”, True, False)
If we imagine we had the same cat table in Snowflake, the equivalent formula would be:

SELECT

    *,

    IFF(cat_name = ‘Mac’, True, False) AS is_mac

FROM cat_table;

In a database, double quotes (“) also denotes a database object, such as a column name. A literal string (Mac) is put in single quotes. Other than that, the function is quite similar.

Snowflake reference for IFF

IFS

The complexity comes in once we there are multiple IF statements to evaluate. To determine whether the cat is one of the twins, I have to allow that the cat could be either Mac or Cheese (they actually had another litter mate who we could not adopt). I also want to label them Twin1 (Mac) and Twin2 (Cheese). In Excel, the function is:

=if(C2=”Mac”, “Twin1″, if(C2=”Cheese”, “Twin2”, “Not Twin”))

Notice how in order to have more than two outcomes (True/False versus Twin1/Twin2/Not Twin), we need to embed another IF statement into the false_value. This gets unreadable really quickly. Luckily, in SQL you can do what’s called a case statement or a case when statement. A case statement for this would be:

SELECT

    *,

    CASE

        WHEN cat_name = ‘Mac’

            THEN ‘Twin1’

        WHEN cat_name = ‘Cheese’

            THEN ‘Twin2’

        ELSE ‘Not Twin’

    END AS twin_number

FROM cat_table;

Maybe it is the spacing or the lack of parenthesis, but I find this more readable and intuitive. Notice the single quotes again. The ELSE clause is optional; without explicitly giving a value to those that do not fall in a category, they will be NULL. I often write “ELSE NULL END” to be explicit, but this is technically redundant. Similar to Excel, the resulting value of the CASE WHEN is whichever evaluates as true first. In our example, a cat cannot be named Mac and Cheese, so let’s say we had this statement:

SELECT

    *,

    CASE

        WHEN cat_name = ‘Mac’

            THEN ‘Twin1’

        WHEN cat_color = ‘Black’

            THEN ‘Twin2’

        ELSE ‘Not Twin’

END AS twin_number

FROM cat_table;

Although Mac is black, he will have twin_number of Twin1 since cat_name = ‘Mac’ evaluates to true first.

Note: I tried to use the Excel function IFS but I couldn’t figure out how to include a default value (“Not Twin”):
=ifs(C2=”Mac”, “Twin1″, F2=”Black”, “Twin2”)

SUMIF

Now that we know who the twins are, we can sum only the twins’ weights. In Excel, we would do: =sumif(I2:I4,True,G2:G4)

The twins total weight is almost 20 pounds!

SELECT

    CASE

        WHEN cat_name = ‘Mac’ OR cat_name = ‘Cheese’

            THEN TRUE

        ELSE FALSE

    END AS is_twin,

    SUM(weight) AS total_weight

FROM cat_table

GROUP BY is_twin;

This requires a bit of explanation. First we are using a case statement to label whether a cat is a twin or not. Then we sum the weights of cats grouped by is_twin. This will give us:

The results are not formatted the same as a SUMIF since we also get the non-twins weights, but we get the data we need: 19.8 pounds of mini demon panthers sent here to ruin my couch.

This query can also be written as

SELECT

    SUM(weight) AS total_weight

FROM cat_table

WHERE cat_name = ‘Mac’ OR cat_name = ‘Cheese’

;

This will simply give you 19.8.

COUNTIF

If we want to count the number of female and male kittens we have, in Excel, we would do:
=countif(M1:M4, “Female”) and
=countif(M1:M4, “Male”)

Similar to the total_weight calculation above, this can be accomplished in SQL by:

SELECT

    gender,

    COUNT(*) AS count

FROM cat_table

GROUP BY gender

This will give us

Note that Snowflake actually does have a count if: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/sql-reference/functions/count_if.html

SELECT

    COUNTIF(gender = ‘Female’) AS female_count

FROM cat_table

I never use that function but maybe I’ll remember to now.

SUBSTITUTE

Let’s say we got user entered info for our cat named and they appeared like this:

We would want to clean it up by removing the _, essentially replacing it with a blank string. We would do a substitute like this:
=substitute(B2, “_”, “”)

In Snowflake, we do a replace function. With replace, if we want to eliminate, we can enter only two arguments if we want to replace the substring with the empty string:

SELECT

              REPLACE(user_entered_cat_name, ‘_’) AS cat_name

FROM cat_table

Similar to in Excel, if you want to replace multiple strings, you have to embed the REPLACE function:

SELECT

              REPLACE(REPLACE(user_entered_cat_name, ‘_’), ‘!’) AS cat_name

FROM cat_table

It can end up being a really nasty line of code.

CONCATENATE

To conCATenate in Excel (ha, get it), you use &

In Snowflake, you use || or the CONCAT function

No matter which one you do, remember the spaces:

SELECT

    cat_name || ‘ ‘ || cat_id,

    CONCAT(cat_name, ‘ ‘, cat_id)

FROM cat_table

VLOOKUP / HLOOKUP

I know often in Excel, in order to combine data from multiple tabs, people do a VLOOKUP or an HLOOKUP. In databases, a VLOOKUP is basically a JOIN. An HLOOKUP is not really a thing. I’ll explain why.

VLOOKUP

Let’s say someone gave us the cats cuteness levels

To find the cats cuteness level, we do a VLOOKUP on Cat ID

=VLOOKUP(A2,Cuteness!A:B,2,True)

Perfect, the cats are all top level cuteness. Notice that the vlookup is “on” a certain field. This is the field that the two datasets have in common; more specifically, the field that has to be equal in order for the data to be relevant for the row. To do this in databases, we join:

SELECT

    *

FROM cat_info

LEFT JOIN cat_cuteness

ON cat_info.cat_id = cat_cuteness.cat_id

Notice that we are joining “on” cat_id. In SQL, you can join on multiple fields (or none! don’t do that!). It’s most common to join on an ID field though.

Notice also that I used a LEFT join. Unlike in a VLOOKUP, we can choose what to include in the final data set. Had I used INNER JOIN, any cat_info without a cat_id in cat_cuteness would not have shown up in the data set. A RIGHT join would be the reverse of this; it would be like doing the VLOOKUP on the cat_cuteness tab.

HLOOKUP

To be honest I haven’t used Excel in so long I couldn’t find a reason why you would need an HLOOKUP, except that someone who hates you gave you data. That’s okay. It happens.

Let’s say someone gave you that. In order to get the info on to the main tab, we have to do:
=hlookup(A2,’Cuteness, but someone who hates us gave it to us’!$A$1:$D$3,2,false)

There is no real hlookup in databases, because in databases, all tables and entities have to be formatted in the same way (with the column names being the first row).

If you can think of an example of HLOOKUP that you would be able to do in a database, let me know.

Logical Functions and Formulas

Learning Outcomes

• Use logical functions and formulas

Excel logic functions evaluate whether the statement and data are considered true or false according to how the formula is established. We will cover the top used Excel logical functions in this section. Exactly like the financial functions, you can use the Formulas tab as before to insert the function or you can begin by typing an equal sign in a cell.

Nested IF

Taking an IF function and adding more than one logic test inside the IF function. In other words, start with and IF function and add another IF function inside the original IF function. A Nested IF formula looks like this: =IF(logical_test,[value_if_true],[value_if_false],IF(logical_test,[value_if_true],[value_if_false]))

Previously, you learned how to use the IF function as a logical way to test your data. Let’s consider that we want to see two variables run at once to create a logical outcome. We’ll now look at Regional Sales for five salespeople over a year and see if they meet the requirements for an annual commission and what the commission amount would be.

Note

Two shortcuts for locking down a cell to make it absolute instead of relative. You’ll need to know these to work faster through creating formulas.

• Short cut key F4 automatically adds in $ to a cell location information to lock it down and make it absolute to stop it from changing as it is dragged into other cells or ranges (e.g. $D$3).
• Name Range locks down a cell like $. To create a Name Range, highlight the cell, click on the Formulas tab, Define Name button. After the dialog box opens, name the location (no spaces) to make it unique for navigation or for formulas (e.g. Commission_Rate).

With a sales spreadsheet open, look at the tiered commission structure. There are two possibilities to earn commission. A Nested IF function is a perfect formula to calculate which salesperson receives how much commission.

Follow these steps to create a Nested IF function:

1. First let’s define names for the two types of commissions as this will make it easier to distinguish in the formula. Select the 20% cell and click on the Formula tab, Define Name button and name it Commission_Rate_20. Follow the same steps to name the 10% commission cell too.
    
2. Select the first cell under the commission heading and begin typing =IF, then hit the Tab key and a bracket will automatically appear displaying the logic formula for an IF function.
   
3. Select the total sales for Henry (G4) and type in whether the total sales is less than or equal to the sales goal (G4>=I2). Be sure to hit the F4 button and the absolute $ will fill I2 so it will not change in any way if the formula is moved ($I$2), then type a comma.
   
4. The next portion of the formula is for the percentage of commission to be paid if the goal has been reached. After the comma, choose the sales total again (F4) multiplied by the commission percentage by selecting the name you created earlier (F4*Commession_Rate_20), then a comma to separate the next part of the formula.
   
5. The next portion of the formula is for the other percentage of commission to be paid if that lower goal has been met. After the comma, type another IF and hit the Tab key. Create the same formula again but use the Commission_Rate_10 this time and at the end a comma.
   
6. The last portion of the formula is asking what to do if the logic comes back as a false answer. In this case, it will return a 0. Now finish with two end parentheses, one turns red indicating the second IF function, and then an additional end parenthesis to enclose the entire function begun with the first IF function.
   
7. Now copy the formula down the column all the way to the last salesperson’s total. These are the commissions paid based on the Nested IF formulas created. A nice logical function to make a more difficult task easier in a spreadsheet.

AND

This function returns TRUE if all the arguments in its formula are TRUE and returns FALSE if any of the conditions are false. The Excel formula for this is =AND(logical1,[logical2],…).

In this example the AND function returns TRUE if the first score is greater than or equal to 60 and the second score is greater than or equal to 90, otherwise it returns FALSE.

OR

The OR function returns TRUE if any of the arguments are TRUE. The Excel formula for this is =OR(logical1,[logical2],…).

In this example the AND function returns TRUE if the first score is greater than or equal to 65 and the second score is greater than or equal to 100, otherwise it returns FALSE.

IFERROR

If your formula errors out, you can add in a value you specify how you would like it displayed. This logic function is beneficial to use if you occasionally run into errors and wish to have a cleaner looking spreadsheet to present.

The Excel formula for this is =IFERROR(value,value_if_error).

In this example there is an error in the Profit Margin row that is displayed at #DIV/0!. By using the IFERROR function an error like this can be displayed as a zero or even as text like “Ouch” if so desired. Here is what it looks like:

https://impactinternationaljournals.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/THE-CENTRAL-ROLE-OF-ADVANCED-SQL-AND-EXCEL-TECHNIQUES-IN-ENHANCING-DATA-ANALYSIS-EFFICIENCY-AND-ACCURACY1-1.pdf

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Stevenson Wrote the book in six weeks in the autumn of 1885, the result, he claimed, of a fevered nightmare he suffered while recuperating from illness. The short book did not appear until January 1886, however, because Stevenson’s wife was shocked by the first version and insisted he burn the manuscript and rewrite it. Very soon after publication it became a critical and popular success, and went on to be a global best-seller. The central idea of the book, that one man may have a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ personality, a separation of distinct social and moral traits, seemed to say something about the strain between private and public self, personal desire and social duty, that spoke not just to middle-class professional men of late Victorian English society, but to people around the world. The book is a rare instance of the invention of a modern myth – and the story is often known in outline even by those who have never read the book. Indeed ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ has entered the English language as an idiom, used to describe persons or things of a dual character, alternately good and evil. It has of course been staged and filmed many hundreds of times.

Literature Review

Jekyll and Hyde is the story of an eminent London doctor, whose friends worry that he is being blackmailed by a lower-class ruffian, Mr Hyde. These friends soon establish a puzzling association between Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, but the doctor will not explain why he indulges his friend. Hyde, who has access to the back door of Jekyll’s substantial mansion and can draw money from his bank account, must have some power over the respectable doctor. Is he being blackmailed by a working-class tough? The professional men who surround Jekyll look on in fear and loathing as the crimes of Mr Hyde escalate – culminating in the murder of an elderly politician, Sir Danvers Carew.

The hunt finds Hyde’s lair in Soho, but the monster has vanished. As Jekyll has hidden himself away in his private laboratory, the locked door is finally forced. They find Jekyll, dead. The last chapter is a written confession revealing all: Jekyll, while investigating the duality of human nature, had discovered a potion that separated good and evil elements in his personality. Thus Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde were in fact one and the same person! Jekyll had progressively lost the ability to control his experiment, and the dark energy of his creation had gradually overpowered his fragile civilised persona. It is unclear if Jekyll’s last act is to destroy his own monstrous creation, or if this is Hyde’s own act of self-destruction to evade punishment. Radically, it is impossible to say who exactly writes this last confession: ‘He – I cannot say I’, the text stutters.

Narrative style

The story is of a respectable London doctor who separates his primal, antisocial personality traits and embodies them in a smaller, vicious, energetic and animal self called ‘Mr Hyde’ to indulge in questionable pleasures otherwise forbidden by society. The plot, however, the way that Stevenson unfolds this story, is a complex and puzzling relay of different narrators that keeps the reader in suspense. The first readers of the book did not know that Mr Hyde was the same person as Dr Jekyll until the very last chapter, ‘Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case’. The reader is put in the position of the concerned friends who worry about Dr Jekyll’s nefarious new associate, Mr Hyde.

The double life

The brilliance of the novel is that it can be read as a conservative moral story about the dangers of leading a double life, and yet at the same time it hints at a radically new, modern and dynamic conception of the self beyond simple moral divides. The conservative version appealed to many theologians and moral arbiters of the time, who felt that late Victorian England was entering into a dangerous decadent era. Stevenson, educated in a strict Protestant doctrine, seemed to these readers to be dramatising the danger of indulgence in sinful or excessive behaviour. Like the addict the doctor in many ways resembles, Dr Jekyll’s compulsion becomes steadily worse until it spirals out of control. Priests spoke from the pulpit after the publication of the novel, reading the book as an allegory about the necessity of moral restraint.

Stevenson was certainly fascinated by men who lived double lives. He wrote a play about a notorious instance in Edinburgh – that of a respectable deacon of a church known for his good works who lived a secret life as a gambler, carouser, and bank robber until captured and hanged in 1788. The London literary society of the 1880s and 1890s had a number of men leading scandalous double lives, the most famous being Oscar Wilde, who was eventually arrested and imprisoned in 1895. At the height of its early popularity, Jekyll and Hyde was also a reference point for the notorious ‘Jack the Ripper’ murders in the East End of London. Some suspected that the murderer of the six prostitutes was a doctor conducting perverse acts of revenge. Was Stevenson offering an allegory of the dangers of attempting to separate the good and evil aspects of the soul?

The modern psyche

At the same time, Stevenson’s story of a ‘double personality’ was responding very precisely to advances in modern psychology. In the 1870s and 1880s, French doctors had used the somewhat doubtful device of hypnosis to discover that the same mind could, in some rare cases, seem to split into separate memory chains, or even identities. The case study of a woman called ‘Felida X’ fascinated doctors: her sullen, withdrawn, invalid personality could be switched, when put into a trance, into a more socially outward, amenable self. Over years of study, her doctor claimed that he had switched the places of these personalities. The French called this condition ‘double personality’. This was not a moral matter, a separation of good and evil: it was merely a question of the curious mental dissociation of different personality traits.

An English psychologist called F W H Myers was interested in this unusual phenomenon and in 1885 published an essay on what he termed the ‘Multiplex Personality’. When Myers read Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde he immediately wrote to the author to express his enthusiasm for a case study he saw as absolutely continuous with modern psychology. Although Stevenson demurred from saying that he was writing psychology, the novel in places seems to agree with Myers’s assessment. Jekyll writes, very radically, ‘I hazard the guess that man will ultimately be known for a mere polity of multifarious, incongruous and independent denizens’ – that is, as a locus of multiple, different selves. It is a strikingly modern conception of the mind. In many ways, Stevenson’s novel points the way towards a new kind of dynamic psychology, the most influential of which was that formulated by Sigmund Freud in Vienna in the 1880s and 1890s: psychoanalysis. Freud, too, wrote ‘case studies’ of dissociated and doubled selves.

Reference:

https://www.britishlibrary.cn/en/works/jekyllandhyde

The Complete Book Below:

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