Obscure Episode Titles

[Guest exegesis]

Another 'signature' of 1013 productions is the obscure episode title.  The X-Files was most famous for it, but MM had some pretty esoteric references, too. I can figure out the meaning of most of them, but a couple of episode titles just elude interpretation.  So I submit to the group: what do the episode titles mean, and how do they relate to the story in the episode, for the following two episodes:

from season 2: 'In Arcadia Ego'

from season 3: 'Saturn Dreaming of Mercury'

I have an interpretation of this one, but it might be a bit of stretch.

Any takers?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My take on "Saturn Dreaming of Mercury", was more of a positioning idea. Saturn is far away from the Sun in most of its heliocentric orbit, while mercury is always nearby.

To look at it from a mythological view, if the Sun is to represent God, then mercury would be in His eternal light, whilst Saturn would fade in and out with large periods of darkness.

Or possibly, it could be a good/evil reference, or even a comment on the power of Jordan when compared to Frank. Remember at the very end of Season 3, when Frank flips out and jerks Jordan from school, after he reads his Group file. It wasnt what he saw of himself, but the fact that the Group's objective was to recruit or take Jordan, as she had her own file. That put the fear of God into him, imho. Jordan being the ultimate objective... Franks "Role" being the deliverance of Jordan.

[gravity well]

If I might tweak my far-fetched theory a tad:  Mercury symbolizes the divine power behind Jordan not so much in his aspect as healer (which is more the realm of Apollo) but in Mercury's function as psychopomp, i.e. as a conductor between the mortal world and spirit world, to which Frank & Jordan's gift links them.  Also, recall that in ancient myth old Saturn (Chronos) devoured his children to prevent from coming true a prophesy that they would one day overthrow him.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wouldn't say this is far-fetched at all. In this case, I think we would read Mercury as representing not just Jordan and Frank, but perhaps all people with the gift to see and Saturn/Chronos (wouldn't this be Cronos, though? I thought Chronos was Time, a separate Greek god. I could be quite wrong, though) would be the cycle of the universe perhaps. Uranus was destroyed by his offspring Cronos after he cast the offspring down to Tartarus. Zeus defeated Cronos after he had eaten all the other children. Zeus, well, gets into it with everyone from time to time, heh. Of course, there are all kinds of other stories so I'll stop here before I read TOO much into the title of this episode. :)

[Guest LastSummer]

As a side note to the episode 'In Arcadia Ego' the address of the house the baby ends up staying is 1225 (December 25th).

[Guest fxmichal]

Arcadia is Greek country, which is famous from beautiful views and peaceful life. In ancient Roman poetry it was a symbol of happiness. There is a ancient (BC) sentence, "et in Arcadia ego", which in English means "and I've been in Arcadia".

There are no esoteric means it is only "country of hapiness", and it is "before Christ" story...

greetz from Poland

[ethsnafu]

Brad Pitt joins Doomsday Cult Shock!

Greetings from the UK where I have spent most of the day watching the Live 8: Hyde Park Gig and nearly passed out when Brad Pitt called out to the masses "This is Who We Are!" - the Group is alive and well and too good looking for its own good!

I thought you mind find some of this interesting if you are delving into the 'Arcadia' puzzle. The 'Et in Arcadia Ego' phrase has fascinated me for some years since I first encountered it in 'The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail' by Baigent, Lee and Lincoln. It is usually taken to be Death announcing his grim presence even in idyllic Arcadia. The phrase is elusive as it is incomplete and has no overt verb, this has allowed those of an esoteric leaning to conclude that it may contain a truth concealed in an anagram, namely, 'I! Tego arcana Dei', which translates as 'Begone! I keep God's secrets' a reference to the authors belief that the tombs depicted in the two paintings by Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665) which bear this inscription may house the body of Christ. This idea was echoed by Richard Andrews and Paul Schellenberger who concluded that the completed phrase 'Et in Arcadia ego' sum is an anagram for 'Arcam Dei Tango Iesu' which means "I touch the tomb of God - Jesus." The implication being that the tomb contains the body of Jesus. The accepted translation, for those more earthly individuals, is "I am also in Arcadia" or "I am even in Arcadia" however, Poussin's biographer Andre Felibien interpreted it to mean that "the person buried in this tomb has lived in Arcady" or "the person here had a damn good time before they kicked the bucket". In 1672 Giovanni Pietro Bellori, gave another interpretation to Et In Arcadia Ego as: "...the grave is to be found even in Arcady and that death occurs in the very midst of delight".

The tomb of Dame Marie de Nègre d’Ables, Marquise de Blanchefort is said to bear an inscription, on the left and right of the slab, formed by two groups of letters that read as "ET IN ARCADIA EGO". In the centre of the slab are four Latin words, grouped two by two, which can be read horizontally as well as vertically.

At the top are two capital letters, "P" and "S". Wound around these letters is a curve that starts before the "P" and ends in front of the "S". At the bottom of the funeral slab an animal is depicted, surmounted by the inscription "PRAE-CUM". The two inscriptions, top and bottom, are linked by a two-way arrow that separates, like an axis, the four words in the centre of the slab. Because of the arrangement of the inscription in can be read, almost like the letters of a wordsearch, in different directions. When these numerous words are put together to form a coherent sentence it is believed to read "...JESUS, King of Rhedae, hidden near Arques, reigns by the Ark. Behind him is the TREASURE composed of gold. Not far from him, and in front, is the Ark." This is, again, supposed to be an nod to Christ's tomb though I confess I do not reach the same conclusion, I don't actually have a conclusion at all as it seems to be nonsensical in its given interpretation.

All said and done there are huge links between the phrase and the Merovingian/Magdalene/Grail philosophy depicted in Anamnesis (where this title would seem much more at home) and I cannot fathom why it was chosen for this episode, although there is a kind of overlap observed between Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary. Both, for instance, are considered analogous to Isis. The perceived prostitute and the virgin, while seemingly at the opposite ends of the spectrum, are actually two sides of the same coin. It has been expressed that 'the Ark/Grail is the symbol of the virgin, whore, wisdom…', and Isis was correspondingly a harlot and a virgin at the same time. Apparently, the Virgin Mary was also sometimes used as a 'coded' reference to Mary Magdalene, the latter being a controversial figure for the Church. It is also worth noting that the original painting has a pentagonal geometry to its composition and the mysterious shepherdess in the painting looks as if she is pregnant (which would make the number of persons in the painting five, the very number emphasized by the pentagonal geometry). Assuming that the tomb is that of Jesus (and there is much to support this idea), it could be easily inferred that the woman is none other than Mary Magdalene pregnant with Jesus'/God's child which, I guess, is what is happening to Jannie.

Hope this is of interest...

eth.snafu

[Raven Wolf]

Brad Pitt joins Doomsday Cult Shock!

Greetings from the UK where I have spent most of the day watching the Live 8: Hyde Park Gig and nearly passed out when Brad Pitt called out to the masses "This is Who We Are!" - the Group is alive and well and too good looking for its own good!

Excuse me? That's just WEIRD!!!!

[ethsnafu]

It was actually the closing line of his address to the Hyde Park crowd and whilst it bears no relation to Millennium it's almost impossible to hear those words without thinking about it, isn't it? His speech closed thus: " "On my first trip to Africa I was startled by a young woman, a young woman with Aids, a woman with children who grabbed my arm and said `Please bring us the drugs, please help'. Let us be inspired by her, let us defend her, let us be fighters for her and the lives of her children whatever the cost, whatever it takes.

"We the fortunate, let us remind each other this is what we stand for. This is who we are." A valiant speach and a cause so very worthy.

Therefore, "the woman clothed with the sun," as depicted in the Book of Revelation, is clearly a beautiful reference to the role of our Blessed Mother in the plan of salvation.

Right, I confess to being bugged by why there are so many references to Mary Magdalene in an episode seemingly drawing it's reference points from the 'Immaculate Conception' and the Mother of Jesus and why this episode is followed quickly by another tale of bloodlines, births and the much maligned harlot of Christianity. I had begun to wonder if John and Jennifer Bayton are members of 'The Family' but this seems unlikely considering Watts' compliance with the adoption in contrast to his murderous intent towards Ben Fisher in Anamnesis.

It has been theorised that the Magdalene held a much loftier position in early Christian theology than the Mother of Jesus, who, proponents suggest, bears no relation in the Bible to the co-redemptrix of Roman Catholic dogma. Adherents of the Merovingian/Magdalene proposition claimed that the holy image of the 'Madonna and Child' is actually the Magdalene as the consort of Christ but none of this seems to explain why the Merovingian/Grail motto 'Et In Arcadia Ego' is used as the banner under which Sonny and Jannie's story is told.

It was last night as I wrestled with this, as you do, that something occurred to me. The character of Jannie, dubious morals and all, is described by Sonny as being 'all lit up like a Christmas tree' shortly after she has broken her free from her bonds and is to hide her away to deliver her child whilst men with guns wait for an opportunity to kill her. Sadly they never had the chance as she was to die in an agonising child birth. Marry the story to the harlot references found in the Magdalene address and the stark continuity error in the newspaper report (the report of go-go dancer Calamity's death from the pilot) and I suddenly recalled this.

"A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth...The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born..."

It has me wondering if what we are witnessing here is not a reboot of the Immaculate Conception but the divine, apocalyptic birth described in Revelation. If so then this would be considered evidence of the mechanism of the apocalypse, a sign and wonder so desperately coveted by the Millennium Group as justification for their beliefs.....no wonder Peter Watts appears, unannounced, leaving Frank to ponder why he was there when his presence had not been requested. But again this does not seem to explain the use of the Arcadian phrase. Now I know this is all clutching at straws but can anyone offer any insight at all into the title? Please?

Till then,

eth.snafu

[Walkabout]

Only the writer knows for sure and he isn't spilling the beans !

[Maxx Blackwell]

Hey gang!

I'm just stopping in on my vacation to take a peak while I have a moment's internet access! I believe I have stumbled across the meaning of the title "In Arcadia Ego" for the show in the context of the show.

I made a chance purchase of the book "Sacred Sites of the Knights Templar: The Ancient-Secrets Hidden in Stonehenge, Rennes-Le-Chateau, & Santiago De Compostella" byt John K. Young, PH.D.

It's a fascinating book and well worth the read.

Anyhow this painting by Poussin, "Et In Arcadia Ego" is discussed at some length and I found references to interpretation of the title as per eth.snafu's posts.

But this one trumps them all ... he says on Page 85...

"Et in Arcadia Ego" is a Latin phrase meaning "And in Arcadia I." Aside from being brief, this phrase is incomplete, lacking a verb. Lincoln has suggested that it is an anagram: If the letters are rearranged, it can be made to say, in Latin, "I tego arcana Dei" or "I conceal the secrets of God."

In this episode we are left at the end of the show with what appears to be a virgin birth of a child - a mother who conceived without the intervention/assistance of a male sperm donor. Like Mary's pregnancy that resulted in the birth of Jesus, Janette Viti also conceal the secrets of God within her in the form of a child.

This trip for me has been interesting resulting in the purchase of a number of books at different locations that seem to cross reference each other and though I haven't been reading them strictly for the puropses of understanding Millennium, they are all contributing to that effect.

I'll have to review my readings when I get back but I think I also found something that would help yield some light on the episodes with Sammael (118 Powers, Principalities, Thrones and Dominions), 120 Maranatha, 217 Siren and 219 Anamnesis.

Hope everyone's well and see you in September (so to speak!)

[The Old Man]

Thanks for that! Enjoy your roadtrip Maxx!