SKOPEO CHRONICLES #29
March 2005
(A bimonthly newspaper from the Skopeo Literary Society)
______________________________________________________________________________
Young Writer’s Carnival!
Attention, all homeschooled students who enjoy writing!
The next Skopeo Newspaper will include short stories, poems and narrations that our readers have sent in. If you would like to have your writing included in our paper, please send it to our email address. (ankaraacademy-at-yahoo.com). We need to have your entry by April 10th. Our next paper will be posted on April 14th. Please include your name (or penname) and age when you send us your story. If you want us to mention your family weblog, send that information as well. We cannot promise to include your entry, but will try to include as many as possible. TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
- The Inklings
Advertisements
Music
Be sure not to miss everyone’s favorite: The Lord Of The Rings soundtracks. Some of us could listen to them all day. And, even better, the “Bards Of Middle Earth” are now putting their own invented music to their favorite songs in the books. We will be posting the Lyrics soon. Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy this one:
Read-Alouds by the voice of Paxton Lucas Pembrooke:
Newly begun, The Two Towers is the latest read-aloud. Don’t miss it! The reader does not wait for tardy people when he decides that it is time to read it!
Toys
Coming into fashion: The latest fashion in toys for kids is Marblemania! We have marbles coming out our ears! But it won’t last long. The car tracks are already coming in.
-Michelangelo
Feature Story
(Each member of the society will be authoring a segment of this five-part story. This is the second week of our story, ‘When the King comes to his throne’, and Alexander Higginbotham has written a most entertaining chapter. Let us read on…)
Chapter 2
After some walking, Jerathon took a sharp right and seemed to disappear in the shadows. Agathorn would have passed him by had he not let out a shrill whistle. He seemed to be leading him into the mountain. Yes, that was where they were going-into the very roots of Stormy Top itself. For years the rumors had been passed from clan to clan of the fearsome creatures that lived beneath it. No one had actually seen them, but many had heard their mysterious, mournful songs in the dusk while walking home.
Agathorn gathered his courage about him and plunged into the mouth of the cave as Jerathon lit a torch. He seemed to know where he was leading them, for his steps were quick and sure. He never hesitated when the path split in three directions, but immediately took the left hand path that lead even further downwards. Sometimes they climbed rough stairs but mostly they went down, down, down. Once or twice Agathorn thought he heard voices. Wait! Was that the sound of laughter? Singing?
Before he had a chance to question his guide, his answer came as they rounded the next corner. Wonder of Wonders! They were standing at the entrance of a huge cavern, or was it a castle? In every direction, as far as the eyes could see, were jewels of every color of the rainbow. Huge diamonds seemed to be growing right out of the rock walls. And in the midst of this dazzling sight sat a King and Queen on thrones of what looked like Jasper, surrounded by a throng of people, strangely pale in the torch lights.
Jerathon walked confidently before them and bowed low, signaling for Agathorn to do the same. “Good evening your royal highnesses.”
“It is morning for us, Jerathon. You forget we do not follow your sun we have our own. For many years we have allowed your family to enter into our realms unbeknownst to the rest of the over world. Why, may I ask, have you brought a stranger in our midst? You know that this is forbidden by our laws.”
“Your Majesty, I think you will forgive me when I reveal to you the name of my good companion. This is Agathorn, son of Earlimorn, the son of Sanihone!”
A murmer went through the crowd and someone shouted, “Our hero has come. We will be free from the curse of Gorian!”
The king stood and raised his had for silence as he approached the youths, “So the prophecy is true.”
“I beg your pardon, my lord,” saith Arathorn, “but I do not understand.”
“Your grandfather was the only child who escaped the treachery of the sorcerer on that fateful day, many moons ago. You see, he had a fall, and was unable to run after the other hapless children who had been bewitched by the wicked Gorian. This fall was his salvation for he could not follow the children into the roots of Stormytop. Those children never again saw the light of the sun or felt its warmth. We are their grandchildren and we shall never see the light either or the green things that we hear grow in the sun, unless you break the curse of Gorian. Yes, my dear boy, you are our only hope.”
- A.H.
DID YOU KNOW?
-Did you know that it has been estimated that if one could translate into English all of the information in a single DNA molecule it would fill up 1,000 books each 600 pages long?
-That there are about 190 different types of atoms in Creation that scientists know of?
Virtue by George Herbert 1593 - 1633
Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright!
The bridal of the earth and sky--
The dew shall weep thy fall to-night;
For thou must die.
Sweet rose, whose hue angry and brave
Bids the rash gazer wipe his eye,
Thy root is ever in its grave,
And thou must die.
Sweet spring, full of sweet days and roses,
A box where sweets compacted lie,
My music shows ye have your closes,
And all must die.
Only a sweet and virtuous soul,
Like season'd timber, never gives;
But though the whole world turn to coal,
Then chiefly lives.
Here is the second portion of the poem Claudio Versiaan has included. It is the second half of a story about an Elven mariner. The first half is in the poems column of our last paper.
…The winds of wrath came driving him,
And blindly in the foam he fled
From west to east and errandless,
Unheralded he homeward sped.
There flying Elwing came to him,
And flame was in the darkness lit;
More bright than light of diamond
The fire upon her carcanet.
The Silmaril she bound on him
And crowned him with the living light,
And dauntless then with burning brow
He turned his prow and in the night
From otherworld beyond the Sea
There strong and free a storm arose,
A wind of power in Tarmenel;
By paths that seldom mortal goes
His boat it bore with biting breath
As might of death across the grey
And long-forsaken seas distressed:
From east to west he passed away.
Through Evernight he back was borne
On black and roaring waves that ran
O’er leagues unlit and foundered shores
That drowned before the Days began, j
Until he hears on strands of pearl
Where ends the world the music long,
Where ever-foaming billows roll
The yellow gold and jewels wan.
He saw the Mountain silent r
Where twilight lies upon the knees
Of Valinor, and Eldamar
Beheld afar beyond the seas.
A wanderer escaped from night
To haven white he came at last,
To Elvenhome the green and fair
Where keen the air, where pale as glass
Beneath the Hill of Ilmarin
A-glimmer in a valley sheert
The lamplit towers of Tirion
Are mirrored on the Shadowmere.
He tarried there from errantry,
And melodies they taught to him,
And sages old him marvels told,
And harps of gold they brought to him.
They clothed him then in elven-white,
And seven lights before him sent,
As through the Calacirian
To hidden land forlorn he went.
He came unto the timeless halls
Where shining fall the countless years,
And endless reigns the Elder King
In Ilmarin on Mountain sheer;
And words unheard were spoken then
Of folk of Men and Elven-kin,
Beyond the world were visions showed
Forbid to those that dwell therein.
A ship then new they built for him
Of mithril and of elven-glass
With shining prow; no shaven oar
Nor sail she bore on silver mast:
The Silmaril as lantern light
And banner bright with living flame
To gleam thereon by Elbereth
Herself was set, who thither came
And wings immortal madefor him,
And laid on him undying doom,
To sail the shoreless skies and come
Behind the Sun and light of Moon.
By C.V
SPECIAL FEATURES
Neat-o! Adventures With Words!
Last month, we learned about Shakespeare’s incredible and lasting talent for inventing words but Shakespeare is not the only one! It is fascinating to study English words that come from Greek and Latin roots and to learn about their history.
First, we have philia meaning love or friendship; from this word we have made many words in English. The city of Philadelphia, for instance, comes from this word. We all know that Philadelphia means “ the city brotherly love” but did you ever stop to think why? Then we have the Latin word phobos, meaning fear. Today, when someone has an irrational fear of something, it is phobia. All words in our language, ending with that suffix, have something to do with fear, usually an irrational one. Claustrophobia for instance, means, “fear of locked places” or “fear of closed in areas.”
Furthermore, we have other fascinating words, such as facio, another Latin word that means do or make. From this word we get dozens of English words. Just a few are verify, edify, horrify, terrify, deify, intensify, magnify, dignify, beautify, amplify, certify, diversify, satisfy, and factory! There is a meaning behind it all too. Here is how it works. The suffix on the end of all those words is fy which is a suffix derived from the Latin facio. That suffix means to do or make which shows that all those words contain the general meaning of to make. It gets even more interesting as you learn what the pre-fixes of the words mean. Well, so long until next week, I have a few words to look up if you don’t mind…
-The Editor
The Battle Of Trafalgar
After Britain lost America, the French rose up against their leaders and began a revolution much like the one years ago that took place in Britain.
The French killed the king and many other leaders and they chose a brave man call Napoleon Bonaparte to lead them. Napoleon used to be a poor soldier but by his courage he advanced to the stage of emperor over half of Europe. He conquered far beyond the borders of France but he did not conquer Britain. He was determined to do this just as much as the British were determined for him not to do so. They built high watchtowers on the shores and were always ready for the great ogre Napoleon that never came.
There was a man named Nelson who, at the time who had charge of Britain’s fleet. He took it and went out on the sea to route out France and Spanish ships. He said, “if I find them I shall surely conquer them but I will surely die in the attempt.
One day he did come upon a fleet of enemy ships. He and his son Hardy stood on the decks and cheered the men on. “England expects every mane to do his duty,” he said to his men over and over again. Once a bullet passed between them and tore of Nelson’s shoe buckle. Both men glanced at each other fearing they were wounded but the shoe buckle was the only thing that had suffered from the shot.
But later he was shot. Many men ran to his side as they saw their great admiral fall and as they took him to safety he covered his face that his men might not know that he was hurt and lose heart. “Thank God I have done my duty,” were his last words. This battle is known as the battle of Trafalgar.
Napoleon tried to ruin Britain in another way then just war and he forbid any country to trade with her. But his plan succeeded so ill that that his own soldiers were wearing British made coats and shoes. Napoleon went back to Paris and began to gather an army together to fight Portugal who insisted on trading with Britain, Spain, who refused to take his brother as king and Britain for destroying his navy.
` When Wellington heard this, he also began to gather an army. Bulach, a great German general joined with Wellington and they marched out to meet the French. But the French marched out to meet them first and the great battle of waterloo was begun. Bulach had not arrived with his men when the war began. Wellington watched anxiously for him as the war raged on for it was Bulach of night. Both would end the war. Then in the evening at about seven the Prussians arrived. Napoleon made one last stand but he was utterly defeated left the field. The fresh Prussians who had only just arrived chased the French back to France a defeated army never to be gathered again.
a narration by- Claudio Versiaan
Confusion in Communication Contributes to Chaos
There came a call to the community, “Come let us conduct a complex clay construction that will compete the constellations and be incomparable by any other nations.
So the colony collected to commence the great construction of the castle. But as the columns of the castle commenced to climb they were condemned to great catastrophic confusion in the congregation’s communication that changed to chaos. The clatter and the clamor in the confusion of the conflict between the congregations concerning communication, compelled the campaign to cancel the conduction of the construction of the castle.
-C.V.
JOKES and RIDDLES ROOM
Q: What is grey and has four legs and a trunk?
A: A mouse on vacation
Q: What happens if you tell a mirror a joke?
A: It cracks up
Hehehe!…. contributed by T.S.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Attention everyone! Important! I have included a line from a favorite book in the society at the end of the paper and in doing so, I have thought of a suggestion for our paper. I think that it would be nice if we added a new column at the end of the paper. We could call it “It Is Good To Remember” and it could be a place for edifying quotations and reminders about Life. Any of the members can contribute anything that they have read or been thinking about that is “more than skin deep” to it. I feel that it would be a great literary improvement to the society and I think that it could be extremely helpful as well. Any objections?
R.C.-Editor
It Is Good To Remember…
"How shall a man judge what to do in such times?" (said Eomer)
"As he has ever judged," said Aragorn. “Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear; nor are they one thing among Elves and Dwarves and another among Men. It is man's part to discern them."
- From The Two Towers
That is a good line. Good is always good and Evil is always evil. The fact that the world is changing (which it is) does not make Evil right and that which is wrong for one of us to do is not right for another of us to do. It is our part to discern them.
Frodo (R.C) and Legolas (C.V)