Christmas at Hogwarts!

This year, Universal Studios Orlando is hosting Christmas at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Starting on November 18, here’s what it will entail:

Decorations

Both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley will be decked out with themed Christmas decorations. Garland will be specialized for each shop–at Quality Quidditch Supplies, the garland is dotted with mini golden snitches. At night, pine cones on the trees will light up and sparkle!

Shows

The Frog Choir and Celestina Warbeck will have all new Christmas shows with never before seen songs! The Frog Choir’s set will include “Christmas at Hogwarts,” “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” “The Most Magical Yule Ball of All,” and “I Cast A Spell on Father Christmas.” Celestina Warbeck and her Banshees will sing “Nothing Like A Holiday Spell,” “Accio Christmas,” “My Baby Gave Me a Hippogriff for Christmas,” and “A Witch and Wizard’s Wintry Wondrous Land.” At the day’s end, you’ll be able to see “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle,” an all new projection show on Hogwarts Castle.

I couldn’t be more excited for Christmas this year! What are you most excited for? Let me know in comments.

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Visiting the Parthenon

I can finally check an item off of my bucket list. This weekend, I visited the Parthenon…in Nashville. The full scale replica housed a museum, an art gallery, and a copy of the Athena Parthenos. The statue is almost 42 feet high, making it the largest indoor statue in the world. 

When I entered the large room, it was empty and quiet. I was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer size of the statue standing before me. The figure of Athena towered over me, both beautiful and intimidating. Her robes were gilded, and her skin was a pale ivory. Even though the statue was gigantic and portrayed a mythical goddess, it seemed incredibly lifelike. I immediately recognized the symbols I had studied before: the goddess of victory in her hand, the snake representing the people of Athens, the shield Athena held over it for protection. I couldn’t help but notice how incredibly detailed the ancient Greeks had been–hiding mythical creatures on her helmet, and painting intricate designs of battles on Athena’s shield. The real statue (the one in Athens) was lost centuries ago when the Romans took over Greece. The one in Nashville is the only existing copy in the world. Did I get emotional, standing before the statue’s majesty? Psshhh….no…not at all…

That’s not even to mention the outside of the building, with its detailed friezes and pediments, all depicting stories. I most enjoyed seeing the depictions of the Olympians and the contest between Athena and Poseidon over who would be the patron of Athens. (From the name of the city, I bet you can guess who won that.)

Truly, for the Athenians, the Parthenon was a temple. Every inch of it pours admiration onto the goddess Athena. If you love Greek mythology like I do, and happen to be in Nashville, I would highly recommend visiting the Parthenon.

The Seven and The Olympians: A Comparison

Since I’m a mythology nerd, one of the things that really interests me on Game of Thrones is Westeros’ main religion, the Faith of the Seven. While watching the series, I pick up any information I can about each of the Seven and how they’re worshipped.

Today, I’m going to compare the religion of ancient Greece to the Faith of the Seven from Game of Thrones. 

MEET THE GODS

The ancient Greeks worshipped twelve main gods known as the Olympians as well as a variety of minor gods. The gods were seen as all-powerful, but not all-knowing. Unlike many religions today, the gods were seen as imperfect and capable of making mistakes. The Olympians include:

• Zeus – king of the gods; god of the sky and justice
• Poseidon – god of the sea
• Hera – queen of the gods; goddess of marriage and family
• Demeter – goddess of grain
• Athena – goddess of wisdom and strategic war
• Ares – god of war
• Aphrodite – goddess of love
• Apollo – god of music, the sun, prophecy, healing, archery, and poetry
• Artemis – goddess of the moon and the hunt
• Hephaestus – god of the forge and fire
• Hermes – messenger of the gods; god of travel and communication
• Dionysus – god of wine

In the Faith of the Seven, there is one god with seven different aspects. This god is all-knowing, all-powerful, and perfect. The aspects of this god can act through people, mentioned when High Sparrow tells Cersei that the Mother’s love shines through her. The seven aspects include:

• The Father – represents justice
• The Mother – represents mercy, peace, and fertility
• The Maiden – represents purity, love, and innocence
• The Crone – represents wisdom and foresight
• The Warrior – represents strength and courage
• The Smith – represents creation and craftsmanship
• The Stranger – represents death

Already, we can see similarities between gods. The Father is much like Zeus, the Mother is like Hera, the Maiden is like Aphrodite, the Smith is like Hephaestus, the Crone is a combination of Athena and Apollo, the Warrior is like Ares, and the Stranger is like Hades, the Greek god of death. It’s interesting that the two religions worship the same aspects of life (justice, love, craftsmanship, etc), but with different gods.

WORSHIP 

The ancient Greeks built temples to specific gods (e.g. the Parthenos was a temple to Athena) and gave them offerings. The ancient Greeks would either leave food and drink at an altar, sacrifice an animal, or burn things as offerings to the gods. While there were priests and priestesses of specific gods, there was no real organization or hierarchy. The ancient Greeks did not have a universally agreed upon sacred text.

In Westeros, septs (temples to all seven aspects) are the center of religious activity. People gather in septs for group prayer, which usually involves singing hymns. The Faith of the Seven has a complex hierarchy, including septons (with a leading High Septon), a council of the faith, and several devotional orders, including the Silent Sisters and the Sparrows. Their sacred text is The Seven-Pointed Star.

As you can see, the Faith of the Seven is much more organized than the ancient Greek religion. While both religions involve worshipping figures that represent different aspects of life, the Faith of the Seven is most similar to Christianity with its group prayer, hierarchy, sacred text, and devotional orders.

For more information about the Faith of the Seven, the Game of Thrones Wiki has a great page.

For more information about the ancient Greek religion, here’s a link to the Wikipedia page.

What do you think? Let me know in comments!

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A John Williams Appreciation Post

What would Harry Potter be without Hedwig’s Theme? What would Star Wars be without the title theme? What would Jaws be without that familiar two note motive?

Nothing. They would be nothing.

Today, I would like to take a few moments to appreciate John Williams, the brilliant composer behind some of the most well-known movie scores of all time. He wrote the scores for Jaws, Star Wars, E.T., Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Superman, Jurassic Park, and Schindler’s List, to name a few.

One of the things I admire about John Williams is that he’s great at building excitement for action sequences, like he does in this segment from Raiders of the Lost Ark. I love to put this music on when I’m jogging–it’s like there are bad guys right behind me.

John Williams can capture a character’s persona with a simple theme, like Princess Leia’s theme from Star Wars. Just from hearing it, you automatically think of the character, from her physical appearance to her personality.

John Williams is brilliant at creating environments with his movie scores, like with this theme from Harry Potter. Through his music, Williams introduces you to a world of magic, wizards, and quidditch. I would say that the score contributes to building the world just as much as the visuals do.

Finally, Williams can toy with your emotions like no other. With a simple theme, he can make you cry or smile or pee your pants. Every time I hear the theme from Schindler’s List, it takes all of my will power not to cry. The Jaws theme makes my heart race like crazy.

So, thank you, John Williams. Thank you for writing the soundtrack to my childhood. You are a genius.

What’s your favorite movie theme? Let me know in comments!

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“Game of Thrones” Characters I Hate

When you watch Game of Thrones, you’re thrown into a completely different world. This isn’t just because there are dragons and knights and dark magic. It’s because people die all the time. There’s a lot of violence in the show. Characters will casually throw a spear through someone’s head, or slaughter someone with their sword.

Now that I’m watching season five, I’ve gotten used to this. I’ve learned that no character is safe from harm, no matter how important to the plot they are. Disturbingly, I’ve started rooting for certain characters to die. (Is that terrible?)

So, without further ado, here are the characters I absolutely hate on Game of Thrones:

***WARNING: GAME OF THRONES SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT.***

1. Ramsay Bolton. What a horrible human being! I thought that Ramsay was just going to be a minor character that tortured Theon until the Greyjoy was quickly rescued by his family. But with every torture scene, as Ramsay did worse and worse things to Theon, I hated him more and more. Then I saw him hunting down a young girl in the woods for fun, which apparently he does regularly. Then he turned Theon into Reek, a fate I think is worse than death. As of now in the series, it seems as if Theon has completely forgotten who he is, which is completely heartbreaking. Oh, and did I mention that Ramsay just married Sansa? GROSS! And even though he promised he wouldn’t hurt Sansa, he raped her and made Theon/Reek watch. Ramsay is a terrible, awful human. I can only hope that his actions come back to haunt him.

2. Cersei Lannister. I’ve never really liked Cersei. She sat back and watched as Joffrey did horrible things like killing people for fun. She abuses her power as Queen Mother, and gives orders on her son’s behalf, like giving power to the Ravens. For some reason, she’s convinced that Tyrion and Sansa killed Joffrey. Also, she hates Margaery (who I love). I respect Cersei, but I think she’s on the wrong side.

3. Lord Baelish. I used to like him, but in a recent episode, he told Cersei where Sansa was. This is a betrayal I just can’t forgive, considering that Sansa lied on Lord Baelish’s behalf at the Erie, saving his life. Also, he has a creepy love for Sansa, and married her off to Ramsay. You can never count on where Lord Baelish’s loyalties lie. I don’t like that.

4. Walder Frey. This one is kind of obvious. He helped plan the Red Wedding, completely wiping out House Stark. He murdered thousands of soldiers, not to mention Rob Stark and Catelyn Stark, under his own roof while they were his guests. He also likes to pursue young girls, which is just gross. I hope that Walder Frey’s betrayal bites him in the butt.

5. All of House Bolton. First of all, their house sigil is a flayed man. That’s not the symbol of a good house. They also betrayed the Starks, and are accustomed to using violence (an unusual amount for the show) and torture to get what they want. I dislike all of them.

What characters do you hate on Game of Thrones? Let me know in comments!

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3 Reasons Why “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” is the Darkest Disney Movie

Last night, I saw the musical version of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

And, wow. I completely forgot how dark the original movie was. It makes sense when you think about it. What else would you expect from a Victor Hugo story? Even Disney couldn’t take away all of the death and grit from the story.

Here are three reasons why Hunchback is the darkest Disney movie:

1. Quasimodo is ridiculed throughout the movie.

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First, Judge Frollo constantly tells Quasimodo that he’s a monster. Frollo calls him names, forbids him from going outside, and makes him believe that the world is cruel. Sadly, Quasimodo finds this to be true when he attends the Festival of Fools and the crowd descends upon him. Quasi is tied down, and the people throw things at him and beat him. Throughout the movie, everyone sees Quasi as a monster except for Esmeralda and Phoebus. It isn’t until the very end that Quasi is accepted by the people.

That level of bullying is extremely dark for a Disney movie. Tying Quasi down like he’s an animal? It’s upsetting to watch. I just want to give Quasimodo a hug.

2. Judge Frollo is arguably the worst Disney villain of them all. 

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Unlike most Disney villains, Frollo doesn’t have any special powers. He can’t do magic like Maleficent or the Evil Queen. He isn’t super aggressive like Scar or Gaston. Judge Frollo has been given powers by the church and the prince, and he abuses them. He is corrupt, cruel, and insane. That’s what scares me about Frollo–he’s the kind of villain that you might come across in real life; someone who abuses their power and punishes others unjustly. Frollo abuses Quasimodo emotionally, sentences countless people to death, and legally gets away with it.

Also, Frollo has one of the creepiest villain songs ever. “Hellfire” isn’t just a song about how he’s going to crush the gypsies. It’s a song where he struggles over his own lust for Esmeralda. Let’s just say it together: gross!

3. There’s a lot of death and violence. 

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Quasimodo is beaten by the crowd at the Festival of Fools. Esmeralda and Phoebus fight. Phoebus gets stabbed, and almost dies. In his search for Esmeralda, Judge Frollo burns down several buildings. When Quasimodo and Phoebus go to warn the gypsies about Judge Frollo’s plan to attack the Court of Miracles, they are almost hanged. The Court of Miracles is raided by the French soldiers. Esmeralda is burned at the stake, and almost dies. A major battle erupts in the city. Quasimodo pours boiling hot lead onto the streets below, killing who knows how many innocent people. As Paris burns, Quasi pushes Judge Frollo to his death.

Oof. That’s dark. At the end, the movie has you questioning Quasimodo’s morals as he goes into a violent rage. That’s a lot for kids to handle.

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So, what do you think? Would Hunchback‘s content fly if it were released today? Let me know in comments!

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Let’s Talk About “Turtles All the Way Down”

John Green’s new book, Turtles All the Way Down, comes out October 10, and I couldn’t be more excited. You might remember John Green from his book The Fault in Our Stars, which was made into a film in 2014.

I preordered my copy of the book months ago, and have been anxiously waiting for it to come in the mail since. While I wait, I’ve decided to gather all of the information I know so far about the book:

Most of the preorders will be signed. 

For The Fault in Our Stars, Green signed the entire first printing. This time, he’s signing 200,000 copies. If you preordered the book, there’s a good chance you’ll get a signed copy. For detailed instructions on how to get a signed copy, visit probablysignedturtles.com.

The plot follows a sixteen-year-old girl named Aza. 

Aza has OCD, which causes her to have uncontrollable thought spirals. Green also suffers from OCD, so it was important to him to capture what it’s like to have these thought spirals. In the book, Aza pursues the mystery of a fugitive billionaire with her best friend Daisy. Green reads the entire first chapter on his vlog.

John Green is going on tour with his brother Hank Green to promote the book! 

On the tour, the brothers are going to answer audience questions, play music, talk about the book, and record an episode of their podcast, Dear Hank and John. They’re visiting 19 cities, all of which you can learn about on the tour website.

I have tickets to see Hank and John when they come to Orlando! The Green brothers grew up in Winter Park, so they’re returning to their high school auditorium (how cool is that?). I’m excited to see the men who’ve inspired me so much.

Did you order a copy of Turtles All the Way Down? Let me know in comments!

As they say in my hometown, don’t forget to be awesome.

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Why Hufflepuffs Deserve to Be Treated Better

I’m a Hufflepuff. When I first got my results on Pottermore in 2012, I was disappointed. It wasn’t a “cool” house. The Harry Potter books and movies told you almost nothing about Hufflepuffs. After J.K. Rowling released information about the house on Pottermore, and more people started to reveal they were Hufflepuffs, I became proud. I understood that Hufflepuff was where I belonged, and was a really awesome house.

Unfortunately, much of the world doesn’t see Hufflepuff house that way. They think we’re boring and basic. They see us as pushovers. Hufflepuffs are the butt of many jokes, and I won’t have it anymore. Hufflepuffs deserve to be treated with respect.

Here’s why:

Our emblem, the badger, is one of the most badass animals ever. 

Badgers are amazing. For the most part, they live peacefully, but when they’re attacked, they can fight off animals much larger then themselves.  Some badgers have skin so thick you can’t hack through it with a machete and it repels some bullets. They’re fiercely protective, just like Hufflepuffs, and aren’t afraid of anything. When they attack their prey, they’re known for going straight for the nuts. Badgers are the perfect animal to represent Hufflepuffs. Like us, they’re often underestimated, but you will find that you shouldn’t mess with us. See John Green’s amazing video about Honey Badgers here.

We’re J.K. Rowling’s favorite house, so HA. 

In an interview, J.K. Rowling said that Hufflepuff was her favorite house. Her reasoning was because in the Battle of Hogwarts, almost every Hufflepuff stayed to fight. They didn’t do it for the praise or the glory, but because it was the right thing to do. This is what Hufflepuff house is all about. We believe in loyalty, fairness, hard work, and kindness. We don’t want glory, and we certainly haven’t gotten it. We just want to do what is right. And, I mean, if we’re the author’s favorite house, that means we win, right?

We have some incredible members. 

A lot of amazing people are Hufflepuffs, including Cedric Diggory and Tonks from the books. Tonks gave birth and then turned around to fight a battle. Now that’s badass. Some celebrity Hufflepuffs include Eddie Redmayne (see his amazing PSA about Hufflepuffs here), John Green, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Rupert Grint. See? Hufflepuffs can be clever and strong, too. We just don’t brag about it.

 

So there.

What house are you in? Take the quiz on Pottermore to find out!

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Plot Holes Disney Filled with the Live-Action “Beauty and the Beast”

Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast” became available on Netflix last week. After re-watching the movie, I was reminded of a brilliant Buzzfeed article called “12 Questions Disney Forgot To Answer About ‘Beauty and the Beast.’” The article points out some major plot holes in the original animated film. The live-action film fills most of these…it’s almost as if Disney went through this exact list and answered all twelve questions. So, let’s see how they addressed them

1. If Beast is royal, where are the king and queen?

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They’re dead. According to the live-action, the Beast/prince’s mother died when he was a boy. And from the way they talk about his father, it’s safe to assume that he’s passed.

2. Who the heck punishes a child for not letting a stranger into the house? If the castle has been cursed for 10 years, and the curse cannot be broken once the Beast has turned 21, he would’ve been 11 when the old woman came to his door. Did the enchantress really punish a child for obeying the rules of stranger danger? 

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Disney completely gets rid of the age-specific time limit in the live-action, or any reference as to how long the castle has been cursed for. In the prologue, we see the prince get cursed as an adult. Lumiere sings “too long we’ve been rusting” instead of the original “ten years we’ve been rusting.” We only know that the curse cannot be reversed once the last petal falls.

3. Why did Belle let Gaston into her home when she knew he was trying to pursue her?

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This one is simple. In the live-action, she doesn’t. That whole creepy scene is avoided. Phew.

4. Who are all of the objects without faces? Are they self-aware? 

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Not all of the objects in the castle used to be servants. Some of them are just enchanted. Belle is informed of this in the live-action when she asks a hairbrush for its name, and Cogsworth laughs and says, “That is a hairbrush.” Oh. Of course.

5. How is there a portrait of the prince as an adult if he was only 11 years old when he was cursed? 

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Disney explains this by having the prince be an adult when he is cursed. (See #2)

6. What would’ve happened if Belle would have touched the rose? Why was the Beast so freaked out? 

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Since the curse is permanent when the last petal falls, and the Beast has no idea when that’s going to be in the live-action, he would be afraid of anything that could hurt the rose or make the petals fall faster.

7. How did Belle get the Beast onto her horse? That guy is heavy. 

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In the live-action, Belle asks the Beast to stand so she can help him get back to the castle. Bam. Why couldn’t have Disney done that the first time?

8. How does Chip exist? He’s way younger than ten. Did Mrs. Potts give birth as a teapot? 

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In the prologue, you see Chip’s back for a few seconds. So, he was a little boy when the curse happened.

9. How the heck did Belle not figure out that the Beast was a prince, or that there was any sort of curse? 

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The live-action throws keeping the curse a secret out the window. The enchanted objects tell Belle about the curse right before “Something There,” which is pretty early in her stay at the castle. They don’t tell her how to break the curse, though. Who would want that kind of pressure, anyway? You have to love this guy, or we’re all going to die.

10. Whose clothes are they wearing?

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In the live action, Madame Garderobe (the wardrobe), makes clothes.

11. Why didn’t Belle say she’d be back when the Beast let her go help her father? 

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She didn’t know she would be back. The only reason she comes back is because Gaston decides to attack the castle, and she goes to warn the Beast.

12. How did the villagers not know there was a cursed prince within walking distance? Did they completely forget about the heir to the throne?

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Yes, they did. According to the live-action, the enchantress wiped all of their memories.

What do you think of the live action? Leave your opinions in comments!

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My Top 5 Favorite “Game of Thrones” Characters So Far

You guys. Last week, I started watching “Game of Thrones.”

I was scared to watch it at first. I had heard the show was extremely bloody and inappropriate. But after I tried an episode and could stomach the blood and guts, I was hooked.

As of writing this post, I’m on Season 2, Episode 6. Here are my top five favorite characters so far:

**THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS SPOILERS**

1. Arya Stark. She’s a tomboy, which I totally identify with. Instead of worrying about dresses and who she’ll marry, Arya concerns herself with learning how to sword fight. After her father gets killed, she flees King’s Landing and commits to pretending to be a boy. Arya is smart — she protects Gendry from being killed by claiming a boy the guards already killed is him. Arya’s definitely going places.

2. Tyrion Lannister. Who wouldn’t love the comedic relief? Tyrion is the most            grounded of the Lannisters, and the most just. He doesn’t take crap from anyone, has a sense of humor, and isn’t afraid to put Joffrey in his place. Tyrion has also been protective of Sansa, even if it is in his own interests. And what can I say — I totally ship him and Shae.

3. Margaery Tyrell. I’ve only known Margaery for a couple of episodes, and I love her already. Margaery is extremely smart. She’s level-headed, and knew when it was time to go back home with her brother. After her husband died, Margaery would have probably been killed by the Lannister army or mistreated if she had stayed with the Baratheons. I can’t wait to see more from her.

4. Jaqen H’ghar. He’s good looking and mysterious. After Arya saved his life several times, Jaqen told her he would repay the favor by killing three people for her. Not exactly the gift I would think to give a child, but that’s okay. He’s always there for Arya when she needs him, and has a super cool accent.

5. Brienne of Tarth. Brienne is a total badass. She can fight better than any man, and is extremely loyal. I’m so excited she swore allegiance to Catelyn Stark. They’re going to be the ultimate power duo.

For a refresher on Season 1 of “Game of Thrones,” visit the Wiki page here.

For a helpful guide of the houses in “Game of Thrones,” visit GeekNation’s breakdown here.

Remember…winter is coming.

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