text:
Mason Verger
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Mason Verger
Hannibal Lecter character
Joe Anderson as Mason Verger in the NBC series Hannibal
Created by
Thomas Harris
Portrayed by
Gary Oldman (Hannibal)
Michael Pitt (Hannibal; season 2)
Joe Anderson (Hannibal; season 3)
Information
Gender
Male
Occupation
Heir to the Verger meatpacking dynasty
Relatives
Margot Verger (sister)
Molson Verger (father, deceased)
Nationality
American
Mason Verger is a fictional character that appears in Thomas Harris' 1999 novel Hannibal, as well as its 2001 film adaptation and the second and third season of the TV series Hannibal. In the film, he is portrayed by Gary Oldman, while in the TV series he is portrayed by Michael Pitt and Joe Anderson.
Contents
[hide]
1 Character overview
2 Appearances
2.1 Novel
2.2 Film
2.3 TV series
2.3.1 Season 2
2.3.2 Season 3
3 References
4 External links
Character overview[edit]
Mason Verger is introduced in the novel Hannibal as a wealthy sexual sadist who was horribly disfigured during a therapy session with Dr. Hannibal Lecter. He plans gruesome revenge against Lecter, which sets the novel's plot in motion. The novel and TV series also portray his dysfunctional relationship with his twin sister Margot, whom he subjects to years of emotional and sexual abuse.
Appearances[edit]
Novel[edit]
Mason Verger is the son of one of Baltimore, Maryland's most wealthy, politically connected families. His father, Molson, founded a meatpacking company that had grown into an empire by the time of Mason's birth.
Mason takes pleasure in acts of cruelty and sexual violence, including torturing animals and molesting children. He also performs autoerotic asphyxiation, and enjoys collecting children's tears with sterile swatches and flavoring his martinis with them.
At one point he befriends Idi Amin, with whom he claims to have re-enacted the crucifixion of Jesus by nailing a migrant worker to a cross. Publicly, he claims to be a born-again Christian, and operates a Christian camp for underprivileged children—whom he molests.
As a teenager, Mason raped his twin sister, Margot, who went into therapy with Lecter to deal with the trauma. Lecter suggested that it would be cathartic for her to kill her brother.
Verger is eventually arrested for - and found guilty of - several counts of child molestation, but thanks to his family's political connections he is sentenced to community service and court-mandated therapy in lieu of prison time. Lecter serves as his court-appointed psychiatrist.
During one of their sessions, Lecter gives Mason PCP and tells him to peel off his own face with a piece of broken mirror. In a state of drug-induced euphoria, Mason complies, and afterwards feeds the pieces to his dogs, except for his nose, which he himself eats. Lecter then tells Mason to demonstrate autoerotic asphyxiation; Mason hangs himself and breaks his neck. He survives the ordeal, but is left disfigured – losing his lips, nose, cheeks, eyelids and left eye – and paralyzed from the neck down.
Lecter is arrested soon afterward for committing a series of murders, and Mason tries to influence the resulting trial to make sure Lecter receives the death penalty. When Lecter is instead found not guilty by reason of insanity and institutionalized, Mason begins plotting to feed Lecter alive to a pack of wild boar, specially bred for the purpose.
After his disfigurement, Mason becomes a recluse, rarely leaving Muskrat Farm, his country estate. He nevertheless indulges in whatever paraphilias his disability allows, such as getting sexual gratification from making children cry.
Verger's only sources of human contact are his assistant, Cordell - a fellow sex offender - and Margot, who works for Mason as a bodyguard. Margot despises her brother, but stays in his employ to persuade him to donate his sperm to her partner, Judy, so they can concieve a child. Mason strings her along, knowing she cannot leave if she wants to see her share of the Verger family fortune; their father had disinherited her when she came out as a lesbian, and willed his estate to any future heir Mason might have.
Seven years after Lecter's escape in The Silence of the Lambs, Mason pays Lecter's former guard, Barney Matthews, for information leading to his capture.
When detective Rinaldo Pazzi spots Lecter in Florence, Italy, he contacts Mason in hopes of collecting the reward money. Mason bribes Justice Department official Paul Krendler to discredit Lecter's foil Clarice Starling in order to coax Lecter out of hiding. He hires a gang of Sardinians to kidnap Lecter, and instructs Pazzi to lead Lecter to them.
Lecter learns of Mason's plot, and kills Pazzi as he flees to the United States. Mason's men eventually capture Lecter, and Mason prepares to enjoy his long-awaited revenge.
Lecter escapes his bonds, with help from Starling, and persuades Margot to kill Mason, promising to take the blame. Margot sodomizes Mason with a cattle prod, stimulating his prostate and causing him to ejaculate, providing her with the sperm she needs. She then kills him by stuffing his pet Moray eel down his throat, suffocating him.
Film[edit]
In the 2001 film, Hannibal, Mason is portrayed by Gary Oldman. The film's characterization of Mason Verger follows close to the novel, except for two key aspects: the film omits the character of Margot Verger, and changes the portrayal of Mason's death. In the film, Mason dies at the hands of his physician, Cordell Doemling (Željko Ivanek), who at Lecter's suggestion pushes his hated boss into the pig pen in which Lecter was intended to die. Mason is then gored and devoured by a pack of wild boars.
TV series[edit]
Mason Verger appears in the NBC television series Hannibal as the main antagonist for the second half of the second season and the first half of the third season. He is portrayed by Michael Pitt in the show's second season, and by Joe Anderson in the third.[1] Series creator Bryan Fuller called this version of the character "The Joker to Hannibal's Batman".[2]
Season 2[edit]
Mason sexually assaults his sister Margot (Katharine Isabelle), who then tries to kill him. He sends her to therapy with Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen).[3] Mason meets with Lecter to discuss Margot's treatment, and agrees to enter therapy with Lecter to find out what his sister is saying about him.[4][5] Lecter takes an immediate dislike to Mason, considering him "discourteous".[6]
Mason tells Margot that he wants them to have an heir, the implication being that he wants to father his own sister's child. He threatens to cut her off financially if she disobeys him.[5] Desperate, Margot has sex with another of Lecter's patients, Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and becomes pregnant with his child. After Lecter tells him what Margot is trying to do, Mason causes Margot to get into a car accident, and has her womb surgically removed so that only he can father an heir and inherit the family fortune. A furious Graham confronts Mason and warns him that Lecter is manipulating them both.[7]
Mason eventually grows suspicious of Lecter and has him kidnapped, intending to feed the doctor to his prize pigs. Lecter escapes with Graham's help, however, and takes Mason as a captive to Graham's house. Lecter gives Mason a hallucinogenic drug cocktail and convinces him to peel his own face off and feed the pieces to Graham's dogs. Mason does so, and also obeys Lecter's command to cut off his own nose and eat it. Lecter then breaks Mason's neck with his bare hands. Mason survives, but is paralyzed, confined to a respirator and forced to wear a neck brace and a facial mask. He tells FBI Agent-in-Charge Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) that he sustained his injuries after falling into a pig pen. Mason is then left alone with a vengeful Margot, who promises him she will "take care of [him] just as [he] took care of [her]."[6]
Season 3[edit]
After Lecter flees to Europe following the discovery of his crimes, Mason puts a $3 million bounty on the doctor.[8] He enlists Lecter's former lover Alana Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas) to help catch him. He also employs Margot, who is secretly planning to harvest his sperm in order to conceive a child with Alana's assistance. Unbeknownst to her, however, Mason has preserved the fetus Margot conceived with Graham, and implanted it in a giant sow's womb to birth a "Verger baby", which is later found to be stillborn.[9]
Italian police detective Rinaldo Pazzi (Fortunato Cerlino) makes a deal with Mason to bring Lecter in, but Lecter kills Pazzi instead.[10] Mason then hires other corrupt Italian police detectives to apprehend Lecter and Graham and bring them to his country estate, Muskrat Farm.[11] He orders his physician Cordell Doemling (Glenn Fleshler) to slowly mutilate Lecter and prepare gourmet cuisine from his flesh. Mason also tells Doemling to put him under anesthesia for a special surgery: Doemling will cut off Graham's face and graft it onto Mason's. Before the procedure can take place, however, Lecter escapes captivity, kills Doemling, and helps Margot 'milk' the unconscious Mason's prostate with a cattle prod for the sperm she needs to conceive a child. When Mason awakes, Margot tells him that she will have a baby of her own and inherit their father's estate. She kills Mason by holding him underwater in his eel tank, where the eel swims down his throat and suffocates him.[9]
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Abrams, Natalie (2014-12-19). "Michael Pitt exits 'Hannibal,' Joe Anderson to replace him". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
Jump up ^ Morgan, Jeffrey (2014-04-29). "Hannibal: Michael Pitt's Mason Verger is 'the Joker meets Scott Disick'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
Jump up ^ "Su-zakana". Hannibal. Season 2. Episode 8. April 18, 2014. NBC.
Jump up ^ "Naka-Choko". Hannibal. Season 2. Episode 10. May 2, 2014. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b Cook, Josie Rhodes (2014-05-09). "Hannibal Recap: The Secret's Out". tvbuddy.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
^ Jump up to: a b "Tome-Wan". Hannibal. Season 2. Episode 12. May 16, 2014. NBC.
Jump up ^ "Ko No Mono". Hannibal. Season 2. Episode 11. May 9, 2014. NBC.
Jump up ^ "Aperitivo". Hannibal. Season 3. Episode 4. June 25, 2015. NBC.
^ Jump up to: a b "Digestivo". Hannibal. Season 3. Episode 7. July 18, 2015. NBC.
Jump up ^ "Contorno". Hannibal. Season 3. Episode 5. July 2, 2015. NBC.
Jump up ^ "Dolce". Hannibal. Season 3. Episode 6. July 9, 2015. NBC.
External links[edit]
Internet Movie Database profile of the character, Mason Verger
[hide]
v
t
e
Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter
Characters
Hannibal Lecter
Will Graham
Clarice Starling
Jack Crawford
Frederick Chilton
Francis Dolarhyde
Buffalo Bill
Mason Verger
Freddy Lounds
Bedelia Du Maurier
Novels
Red Dragon (1981)
The Silence of the Lambs (1988)
Hannibal (1999)
Hannibal Rising (2006)
Films
Manhunter (1986)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Hannibal (2001)
Red Dragon (2002)
Hannibal Rising (2007)
Television
Hannibal (2013–15)
episodes
"Apéritif"
"Amuse-Bouche"
"Potage"
"Oeuf"
Related productions
The Silence of the Hams (1994)
Silence! The Musical (2005)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mason_Verger&oldid=816110646"
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Fictional characters from Baltimore
Fictional characters with disability
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Holland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the region in the Netherlands, not the country itself. For the country of the Netherlands as a whole, see Netherlands. For other uses of "Holland", see Holland (disambiguation).
Holland
North and South Holland (in orange) shown together within the Netherlands
Country
Netherlands
Largest settlements
List[show]
Amsterdam
Rotterdam
The Hague
Haarlem
Zoetermeer
Dordrecht
Leiden
Area
• Total
5,488 km2 (2,119 sq mi)
Population (January 2017)[1]
• Total
6,466,735
• Density
1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
Demonym(s)
Hollander
Time zone
CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)
CEST (UTC+2)
Holland is a region and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. The name Holland is also frequently used informally to refer to the whole of the country of the Netherlands. This usage is commonly accepted in other countries, and not entirely uncommon among the Dutch themselves. However, some in the Netherlands, particularly in other regions of the country, may find it undesirable[2] or misrepresentative.
From the 10th to the 16th century, Holland proper was a unified political region within the Holy Roman Empire as a county ruled by the Counts of Holland. By the 17th century, Holland had risen to become a maritime and economic power, dominating the other provinces of the newly independent Dutch Republic.
The area of the former County of Holland roughly coincides with the two current Dutch provinces of North Holland and South Holland, which together include the Netherlands' three largest cities: the de jure capital city of Amsterdam; Rotterdam, home of Europe's largest port; and the seat of government of The Hague.
Contents
[hide]
1 Etymology and terminology
2 History
2.1 County of Holland
2.2 Dutch Republic
2.3 Under French rule
2.4 Kingdom of the Netherlands
3 Geography
3.1 Reclamation of the land
4 Culture
4.1 Languages
5 New Holland
6 References
7 External links
Etymology and terminology[edit]
The name Holland first appeared in sources for the region around Haarlem, and by 1064 was being used as the name of the entire county. By the early twelfth century, the inhabitants of Holland were called Hollandi in a Latin text.[3] Holland is derived from the Old Dutch term holtlant ("wood-land").[4] This spelling variation remained in use until around the 14th century, at which time the name stabilised as Holland (alternative spellings at the time were Hollant and Hollandt). A popular folk etymology holds that Holland is derived from hol land ("hollow land") and was inspired by the low-lying geography of Holland.[4]
The proper name of the area in both Dutch and English is "Holland". Holland is a part of the Netherlands. "Holland" is informally used in English and other languages, including sometimes the Dutch language itself, to mean the whole of the modern country of the Netherlands.[2] This example of pars pro toto or synecdoche is similar to the tendency to refer to the United Kingdom as "England",[5][6] and developed due to Holland becoming the dominant province and thus having the majority of political and economic interactions with other countries.[7]
Under Napoleon this usage was made official, the puppet kingdom ruled by his brother Louis Bonaparte being given the name "Kingdom of Holland" – but this was dropped after Napoleon's defeat and the restoration of the House of Orange.
The people of Holland are referred to as "Hollanders" in both Dutch and English. Today this refers specifically to people from the current provinces of North Holland and South Holland. Strictly speaking, the term "Hollanders" does not refer to people from the other provinces in the Netherlands, but colloquially "Hollanders" is sometimes used in this wider sense.
In Dutch, the Dutch word "Hollands" is the adjectival form for "Holland". The Dutch word "Hollands" is also colloquially and occasionally used by some Dutch people in the sense of "Nederlands" (Dutch), but then often with the intention of contrasting with other types of Dutch people or language, for example Limburgish, the Belgian form of the Dutch language ("Flemish"), or even any southern variety of Dutch within the Netherlands itself.
In English, "Dutch" refers to the Netherlands as a whole, but there is no commonly used adjective for "Holland". The word "Hollandish" is no longer in common use. "Hollandic" is the name linguists give to the dialect spoken in Holland, and is occasionally also used by historians and when referring to pre-Napoleonic Holland.
History[edit]
Initially, Holland was a remote corner of the Holy Roman Empire. Gradually, its regional importance increased until it began to have a decisive, and ultimately dominant, influence on the History of the Netherlands.
County of Holland[edit]
Further information: County of Holland
Coat of arms of the County of Holland
Until the start of the 12th century, the inhabitants of the area that became Holland were known as Frisians. The area was initially part of Frisia. At the end of the 9th century, West-Frisia became a separate county in the Holy Roman Empire. The first Count known about with certainty was Dirk I, who ruled from 896 to 931. He was succeeded by a long line of counts in the House of Holland (who were in fact known as counts of Frisia until 1101). When John I, count of Holland, died childless in 1299, the county was inherited by John II of Avesnes, count of Hainaut. By the time of William V (House of Wittelsbach; 1354–1388) the count of Holland was also the count of Hainaut and Zealand.
After the St. Lucia's flood in 1287 the part of Frisia west of the later Zuiderzee, West Friesland, was conquered. As a result, most provincial institutions, including the States of Holland and West Frisia, would for more than five centuries refer to "Holland and West Frisia" as a unit. The Hook and Cod wars started around this time and ended when the countess of Holland, Jacoba or Jacqueline was forced to give up Holland to the Burgundian Philip III, known as Philip the Good, in 1432.
In 1432, Holland became part of the Burgundian Netherlands and since 1477 of the Habsburg Seventeen Provinces. In the 16th century the county became the most densely urbanised region in Europe, with the majority of the population living in cities. Within the Burgundian Netherlands, Holland was the dominant province in the north; the political influence of Holland largely determined the extent of Burgundian dominion in that area. The last count of Holland was Philip III, better known as Philip II, king of Spain. He was deposed in 1581 by the Act of Abjuration, although the kings of Spain continued to carry the titular appellation of Count of Holland until the Peace of Münster signed in 1648.
Dutch Republic[edit]
A map of Holland from 1682.
In the Dutch Rebellion against the Habsburgs during the Eighty Years' War, the naval forces of the rebels, the Watergeuzen, established their first permanent base in 1572 in the town of Brill. In this way, Holland, now a sovereign state in a larger Dutch confederation, became the centre of the rebellion. It became the cultural, political and economic centre of the United Provinces (Dutch: Verenigde Provinciën), in the 17th century, the Dutch Golden Age, the wealthiest nation in the world. After the King of Spain was deposed as the count of Holland, the executive and legislative power rested with the States of Holland, which was led by a political figure who held the office of Grand Pensionary.
The largest cities in the Dutch Republic were in the province of Holland, such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Leiden, Alkmaar, The Hague, Delft, Dordrecht and Haarlem. From the great ports of Holland, Hollandic merchants sailed to and from destinations all over Europe, and merchants from all over Europe gathered to trade in the warehouses of Amsterdam and other trading cities of Holland.
Many Europeans thought of the United Provinces first as Holland rather than as the Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands. A strong impression of Holland was planted in the minds of other Europeans, which then was projected back onto the Republic as a whole. Within the provinces themselves, a gradual slow process of cultural expansion took place, leading to a "Hollandification" of the other provinces and a more uniform culture for the whole of the Republic. The dialect of urban Holland became the standard language.
Under French rule[edit]
Further information: Kingdom of Holland
Departments of French Empire North 1811
The formation of the Batavian Republic, inspired by the French revolution, led to a more centralised government. Holland became a province of a unitary state. Its independence was further reduced by an administrative reform in 1798, in which its territory was divided into several departments called Amstel, Delf, Texel, and part of Schelde en Maas.
From 1806 to 1810 Napoleon styled his vassal state, governed by his brother Louis Napoleon and shortly by the son of Louis, Napoleon Louis Bonaparte, as the "Kingdom of Holland". This kingdom encompassed much of what would become the modern Netherlands. The name reflects how natural at the time it had become to equate Holland with the non-Belgian Netherlands as a whole.[8]
During the period the Low Countries were annexed by the French Empire and actually incorporated into France (from 1810 to 1813), Holland was divided into départements Zuyderzée, and Bouches-de-la-Meuse. From 1811 to 1813 Charles-François Lebrun, duc de Plaisance served as governor-general. He was assisted by Antoine de Celles, Goswin de Stassart and François Jean-Baptiste d'Alphonse.[9]
Kingdom of the Netherlands[edit]
After 1813, Holland was restored as a province of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Holland was divided into the present provinces North Holland and South Holland in 1840, after the Belgian Revolution of 1830. This reflected a historical division of Holland along the IJ into a Southern Quarter (Zuiderkwartier) and a Northern Quarter (Noorderkwartier),[citation needed] but the actual division is different from the old division. From 1850, a strong process of nation formation took place, the Netherlands being culturally unified and economically integrated by a modernisation process, with the cities of Holland as its centre.[10]
Geography[edit]
Further information: Geography of the Netherlands
North Holland
South Holland
Holland is situated in the west of the Netherlands. A maritime region, Holland lies on the North Sea at the mouths of the Rhine and the Meuse (Maas). It has numerous rivers and lakes and an extensive inland canal and waterway system. To the south is Zealand. The region is bordered on the east by the IJsselmeer and four different provinces of the Netherlands.
Holland is protected from the sea by a long line of coastal dunes. Most of the land area behind the dunes consists of polder landscape lying well below sea level. At present the lowest point in Holland is a polder near Rotterdam, which is about seven metres (23 ft) below sea level. Continuous drainage is necessary to keep Holland from flooding. In earlier centuries windmills were used for this task. The landscape was (and in places still is) dotted with windmills, which have become a symbol of Holland.
Holland is 7,494 square kilometres (2,893 square miles) (land and water included), making it roughly 13% of the area of the Netherlands. Looking at land alone, it is 5,488 square kilometres (2,119 square miles) in area. The combined population is 6.1 million.
The main cities in Holland are Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. Amsterdam is formally the capital of the Netherlands and its largest city. The Port of Rotterdam is Europe's largest and most important harbour and port. The Hague is the seat of government of the Netherlands. These cities, combined with Utrecht and other smaller municipalities, effectively form a single metroplex—a conurbation called Randstad.
The Randstad area is one of the most densely populated regions of Europe, but still relatively free of urban sprawl. There are strict zoning laws. Population pressures are enormous, property values are high, and new housing is constantly under development on the edges of the built-up areas. Surprisingly, much of the province still has a rural character. The remaining agricultural land and natural areas are highly valued and protected. Most of the arable land is used for intensive agriculture, including horticulture and greenhouse agri-businesses.
Reclamation of the land[edit]
Benthuizen polder, as seen from a dike
The land that is now Holland had never been stable. Over the millennia the geography of the region had been dynamic. The western coastline shifted up to thirty kilometres (19 miles) to the east and storm surges regularly broke through the row of coastal dunes. The Frisian Isles, originally joined to the mainland, became detached islands in the north. The main rivers, the Rhine and the Meuse (Maas), flooded regularly and changed course repeatedly and dramatically.
The people of Holland found themselves living in an unstable, watery environment. Behind the dunes on the coast of the Netherlands a high peat plateau had grown, forming a natural protection against the sea. Much of the area was marsh and bog. By the tenth century the inhabitants set about cultivating this land by draining it. However, the drainage resulted in extreme soil shrinkage, lowering the surface of the land by up to fifteen metres (49 feet).
To the south of Holland, in Zeeland, and to the north, in Frisia, this development led to catastrophic storm floods literally washing away entire regions, as the peat layer disintegrated or became detached and was carried away by the flood water. From the Frisian side the sea even flooded the area to the east, gradually hollowing Holland out from behind and forming the Zuiderzee (the present IJsselmeer). This inland sea threatened to link up with the "drowned lands" of Zealand in the south, reducing Holland to a series of narrow dune barrier islands in front of a lagoon. Only drastic administrative intervention saved the county from utter destruction. The counts and large monasteries took the lead in these efforts, building the first heavy emergency dikes to bolster critical points. Later special autonomous administrative bodies were formed, the waterschappen ("water control boards"), which had the legal power to enforce their regulations and decisions on water management. As the centuries went by, they eventually constructed an extensive dike system that covered the coastline and the polders, thus protecting the land from further incursions by the sea.
However, the Hollanders did not stop there. Starting around the 16th century, they took the offensive and began land reclamation projects, converting lakes, marshy areas and adjoining mudflats into polders. This continued right into the 20th century. As a result, historical maps of mediaeval and early modern Holland bear little resemblance to the maps of today.
This ongoing struggle to master the water played an important role in the development of Holland as a maritime and economic power and in the development of the character of the people of Holland.
Culture[edit]
Holland tends to be associated with a particular image. The stereotypical image of Holland is an artificial amalgam of tulips, windmills, clogs, cheese and traditional dress (klederdracht). As is the case with many stereotypes, this is far from the truth and reality of life in Holland. This can at least in part be explained by the active exploitation of these stereotypes in promotions of Holland and the Netherlands. In fact only in a few of the more traditional villages, such as Volendam and locations in the Zaan area, are the different costumes with wooden shoes still worn by some inhabitants.
The predominance of Holland in the Netherlands has resulted in regionalism on the part of the other provinces. This is a reaction to the perceived threat that Holland poses to the identities and local cultures of the other provinces. The other provinces have a strong, and often negative,[11] image of Holland and the Hollanders, to whom certain qualities are ascribed within a mental geography, a conceptual mapping of spaces and their inhabitants.[12] On the other hand, some Hollanders take Holland's cultural dominance for granted and treat the concepts of "Holland" and the "Netherlands" as coincidental. Consequently, they see themselves not primarily as "Hollanders", but simply as "Dutch" (Nederlanders).[13] This phenomenon has been called "hollandocentrism".[14]
Languages[edit]
The predominant language spoken in Holland is Dutch. Hollanders sometimes refer to the Dutch language as "Hollands,"[15] instead of the standard term Nederlands. Inhabitants of Belgium and other provinces of the Netherlands refer to "Hollands" to indicate someone speaking in a Hollandic dialect, or strong accent.
Standard Dutch was historically largely based on the dialect of the County of Holland, incorporating many traits derived from the dialects of the previously more powerful Duchy of Brabant and County of Flanders. Strong dialectal variation still exists throughout the Low Countries. Today, Holland-proper is the region where the original dialects are least spoken, in many areas having been completely replaced by standard Dutch, and the Randstad has the largest influence on the developments of the standard language—with the exception of the Dutch spoken in Belgium.[16]
Despite this correspondence between standard Dutch and the Dutch spoken in the Randstad, there are local variations within Holland itself that differ from standard Dutch. The main cities each have their own modern urban dialect, that can be considered a sociolect.[17] A small number of people, especially in the area north of Amsterdam, still speak the original dialect of the county, Hollandic. The Hollandic dialect is present in the north: Volendam and Marken and the area around there, West Friesland and the Zaanstreek; and in a south-eastern fringe bordering on the provinces of North Brabant and Utrecht. In the south on the island of Goeree-Overflakkee, Zealandic is spoken.
New Holland[edit]
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
The province of Holland gave its name to a number of colonial settlements and discovered regions that were called Nieuw Holland or New Holland. The most extensive of these was the island continent presently known as Australia: New Holland was first applied to Australia in 1644 by the Dutch seafarer Dirk Hartog as a Latin Nova Hollandia, and remained in international use for 190 years. Another Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman named New Zealand after the Dutch province of Zealand. In the Netherlands Nieuw Holland would remain the usual name of the continent until the end of the 19th century; it is now no longer in use there, the Dutch name today being Australië.
References[edit]
Jump up ^ (in Dutch) [1] Statline CBS: Bevolkingsontwikkeling per maand
^ Jump up to: a b "Holland or the Netherlands?". Dutch Embassy in Sweden. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
Jump up ^ Antheun Janse, "Een zichzelf verdeeld rijk" in Thimo de Nijs and Eelco Beukers (eds.), 2003, Geschiedenis van Holland, Volume 1, p. 73
^ Jump up to: a b Oxford English Dictionary, "Holland, n.1," etymology.
Jump up ^ "The majority of English people still behave as if 'English' and 'British' are synonymous", historian Norman Davies quoted in The English: Europe's lost tribe, BBC News Story, January 14, 1999
Jump up ^ George Mikes, How to be an Alien, "When people say England, they sometimes mean Great Britain, sometimes the United Kingdom, sometimes the British Isles - but never England."
Jump up ^ [2]
Jump up ^ Willem Frijhoff, "Hollands hegemonie" in Thimo de Nijs and Eelco Beukers (eds.), 2002, Geschiedenis van Holland, Volume 2, p. 468
Jump up ^ C.F. Gijsberti Hodenpijl (1904) Napoleon in Holland, p. 6-7.
Jump up ^ Hans Knippenberg and Ben de Pater, "Brandpunt van macht en modernisering" in Thimo de Nijs and Eelco Beukers (eds.), 2003, Geschiedenis van Holland, Volume 3, p. 548
Jump up ^ Rob van Ginkel, "Hollandse Tonelen" in Thimo de Nijs and Eelco Beukers (eds.), Geschiedenis van Holland, Volume 3, p. 688
Jump up ^ Hans Knippenberg and Ben de Pater, "Brandpunt van macht en modernisering" in Thimo de Nijs and Eelco Beukers (eds.), 2003, Geschiedenis van Holland, Volume 3, p. 556
Jump up ^ Thimo de Nijs, "Hollandse identiteit in perspectief" in Thimo de Nijs and Eelco Beukers (eds.), 2003, Geschiedenis van Holland, Volume 3, p. 700
Jump up ^ Rob van Ginkel, "Hollandse Tonelen" in Thimo de Nijs and Eelco Beukers (eds.), 2003, Geschiedenis van Holland, Volume 3, p. 647
Jump up ^ Dutch: An Essential Grammar, p.15, William Z. Shetter, Esther Ham, Routlege, 2007
Jump up ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der, 2006, De geschiedenis van het Nederlands in een notendop, Amsterdam, Uitgeverij Bert Bakker, pp. 127–128
Jump up ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der, 2006, De geschiedenis van het Nederlands in een notendop, Amsterdam, Uitgeverij Bert Bakker, pp. 123
External links[edit]
[3] a journey through the landscape and history of HOLLAND, a TV-series (2003) by Kees Slager and Theo Uittenbogaard
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Holland.
Coordinates: 52°15′00″N 4°40′01″E / 52.250°N 4.667°E / 52.250; 4.667
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text:
Engagement ring
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
A white gold wedding ring and a single-diamond, gold-banded engagement ring. The engagement ring is usually worn on the outside.[1]
Engagement process in Azerbaijan
An engagement ring is a ring indicating that the person wearing it is engaged to be married, especially in Western cultures. A ring is presented as an engagement gift by a partner to their prospective spouse when they propose marriage or directly after a marriage proposal is accepted. It represents a formal agreement to future marriage. In Western countries, engagement rings are worn mostly by women, and rings can feature diamonds or other gemstones. In some cultures men and women wear matching rings, and engagement rings may also be used as wedding rings. In Anglo-Saxon countries, the ring is customarily worn on the left hand ring finger, but customs vary considerably elsewhere across the world.
Neither the engagement nor any other ring is worn during the wedding ceremony, when the wedding ring is put by the groom on the finger of the bride as part of the ceremony,[1] and sometimes by the bride onto the groom's finger. After the wedding, the engagement ring is usually put back on, and is usually worn on the outside of the wedding ring. Some brides have their engagement and wedding rings permanently soldered together after the wedding.
Contents
[hide]
1 History
1.1 Ancient times
1.2 Middle ages
1.3 Renaissance
1.4 Reformation
1.5 Enlightenment
1.6 Victorian era
1.7 20th century
2 Purchase
3 Legal ownership
4 Styles
5 For men
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
History[edit]
Ancient times[edit]
Although the ancient Egyptians are sometimes credited with having invented the engagement ring,[2] and the ancient Greeks with having adopted the tradition,[3] the history of the engagement ring can only be reliably traced as far back as ancient Rome.[4][5][6]
In many countries, engagement rings are placed on the ring finger of the left hand. At one time it was believed that this finger contained a vein (the vena amoris) that led to the heart. This idea was popularized by Henry Swinburne in A treatise of Spousals, or Matrimonial Contracts (1686).[7] The story seems to have its origin in the ancient Roman book Attic Nights by Aulus Gellius quoting Apion's Aegyptiacorum, where the alleged vein was originally a nervus (a word that can be translated either as "nerve" or "sinew").[8]
The popular belief that an engagement ring was originally part of the bride price which represented purchase and ownership of the bride,[9] has been called into question by contemporary scholarship.[5]:42 note 105
In the second century BC, the Roman bride-to-be was given two rings, a gold one which she wore in public, and one made of iron which she wore at home while attending to household duties. At one time Roman citizens wore rings made of iron. In later years senators who served as ambassadors were given gold seal rings for official use when abroad. Later the privilege of wearing gold rings was extended to other public officials, then to the knights, later to all freeborn, and finally under Justinian, to freedmen. For several centuries it was the custom for Romans to wear iron rings at home, gold rings in public. During this period a girl or woman might receive two engagement rings, one of iron and one of gold.[10][11]
Middle ages[edit]
The mid-7th century Visigothic Code required "that when the ceremony of betrothal has been performed, ..., and the ring shall have been given or accepted as a pledge, although nothing may have been committed to writing, the promise shall, under no circumstances, be broken."[12][13]
In 860 AD, Pope Nicholas I wrote a letter to Boris I of Bulgaria in reply to questions regarding differences between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox practices. Pope Nicholas describes how in the Western church the man gives his betrothed an engagement ring.[14][15][16] At the Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215, convoked by Pope Innocent III, the banns of marriage was instituted, prohibiting clandestine marriages and requiring that marriages be made public in advance.[17] Some[who?] legal scholars have seen in this a parallel with the engagement-ring tradition described by Pope Nicholas I.[citation needed]
Renaissance[edit]
The first well-documented use of a diamond ring to signify engagement was by the Archduke Maximilian of Austria in imperial court of Vienna in 1477, upon his betrothal to Mary of Burgundy.[18] This then influenced those of higher social class and of significant wealth to give diamond rings to their loved ones.[citation needed]
Reformation[edit]
During the Protestant Reformation the wedding ring replaced the betrothal ring as the primary ring associated with marriage.[19] In Catholic countries the transition took place somewhat later.[20]
Enlightenment[edit]
During the Age of Enlightenment both the gimmal rings and posie rings were popular, although the latter was more often used as an expression of sentiment than to indicate a formal engagement.[21]
Victorian era[edit]
In South Africa, diamonds were first found in 1866,[22] although they were not identified as such until 1867.[23] By 1872, the output of the diamond mines exceeded one million carats per year.[24] As production increased, those of lesser means were able to join in on this movement. However, diamond engagement rings were for a long time seen as the domain of the nobility and aristocracy, and tradition often favoured simpler engagement bands.[citation needed]
20th century[edit]
In the United States, the popularity of diamond engagement rings declined after World War I, even more so after the onset of the Great Depression.[25]
In 1938, the diamond cartel De Beers began a marketing campaign that would have a major impact on engagement rings. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the price of diamonds collapsed.[26] At the same time, market research indicated that engagement rings were going out of style with the younger generation. While the first phase of the marketing campaign consisted of market research, the advertising phase began in 1939. One of the first elements of this campaign was to educate the public about the 4 Cs (cut, carats, color, and clarity). In 1947 the slogan "a diamond is forever" was introduced.[27] Ultimately, the De Beers campaign sought to persuade the consumer that an engagement ring is indispensable, and that a diamond is the only acceptable stone for an engagement ring.
Purchase[edit]
In the 20th century, if he could afford it, the typical Western groom privately selected and purchased an engagement ring, which he then presented to his desired bride when he proposed marriage. In countries where both partners wear engagement rings, matching rings may be selected and purchased together.[28] In the United States and Canada, where only women traditionally wear engagement rings, women also occasionally present their partners with an engagement gift.[29]
Like all jewelry, the price for an engagement ring varies considerably depending on the materials used: the design of the ring, whether it includes a gemstone, the value of any gemstone, and the seller. The price of the gemstones, if any, in the ring depends on the type and quality of the gem. Diamonds have a standardized description that values them according to their carat weight, color, clarity and cut. Other gemstones, such as sapphires, rubies, emeralds, have different systems. These may be chosen to honor a family tradition, to use family heirlooms, to be unique, to be socially responsible (they are not associated with blood diamonds[dubious – discuss] or the pollution caused by gold mining and cyanide process)[dubious – discuss], to fit the individual's stylistic preferences, or to manage cost. Synthetic stones and diamond substitutes such as cubic zirconias and moissanites are also popular choices that are socially responsible and reduce cost while maintaining the desired appearance.[citation needed]
The idea that a man should spend a significant fraction of his annual income for an engagement ring originated from De Beers marketing materials in the mid-20th century in an effort to increase the sale of diamonds. In the 1930s, they suggested that a man should spend the equivalent of one month's income in the engagement ring; later they suggested that he should spend two months' income on it.[30] In 2012, the average cost of an engagement ring in USA as reported by the industry was US$4,000.[31] In the UK, estimates of the average cost of an engagement ring range from £1200 to £2000.[32]
One reason for the increased popularity of expensive engagement rings is its relationship to human sexuality and the woman's marriage prospects.[33] In the United States, until the Great Depression, a man who broke off a marriage engagement could be sued for breach of promise. Monetary damages included actual expenses incurred in preparing for the wedding, plus damages for emotional distress and loss of other marriage prospects. Damages were greatly increased if the woman had engaged in sexual intercourse with her fiancé.[33] Beginning in 1935, these laws were repealed or limited. However, the social and financial cost of a broken engagement was no less: marriage was the only financially sound option for most women, and if she was no longer a virgin, her prospects for a suitable future marriage were greatly decreased. The diamond engagement ring thus became a source of financial security for the woman.[33]
The online purchase of engagement rings is growing, disrupting the market for the diamonds by bringing greater transparency to an industry that has traditionally relied on opacity. Online diamond retailers and e-commerce platforms include Blue Nile, Brilliant Earth, and Costco.[34]
Legal ownership[edit]
Tradition generally holds that if the betrothal fails because the man himself breaks off the engagement, the woman is not obliged to return the ring. This reflects the ring's role as a form of compensation for the woman's damaged reputation.[33] Legally, this condition can be subject to either a modified or a strict fault rule. Under the former, the fiancé can demand the return of the ring unless he breaks the engagement. Under the latter, the fiancé is entitled to the return unless his actions caused the breakup of the relationship, the same as the traditional approach. However, a no-fault rule is being advanced in some jurisdictions, under which the fiancé is always entitled to the return of the ring. The ring only becomes the property of the woman when marriage occurs. An unconditional gift approach is another possibility, wherein the ring is always treated as a gift, to be kept by the fiancée whether or not the relationship progresses to marriage. Recent court rulings have determined that the date in which the ring was offered can determine the condition of the gift. E.g. Valentine's Day and Christmas are widely recognized as gift giving holidays in the United States and some other countries. A ring offered in the form of a Christmas present is likely to remain the personal property of the recipient in the event of a breakup.[35]
In most states of the United States, engagement rings are considered "conditional gifts" under the legal rules of property. This is an exception to the general rule that gifts cannot be revoked once properly given. See, for example, the case of Meyer v. Mitnick, 625 N.W.2d 136 (Michigan, 2001), whose ruling found the following reasoning persuasive: "the so-called 'modern trend' holds that because an engagement ring is an inherently conditional gift, once the engagement has been broken, the ring should be returned to the donor. Thus, the question of who broke the engagement and why, or who was 'at fault,' is irrelevant. This is the no-fault line of cases." Though in certain states, whether a judicial action can be maintained at all to require return of an engagement ring is blocked by statute, as many states have statutes which state that no civil action shall be maintained for breach of promise to marry.[36]
One case in New South Wales, Australia ended in the man suing his former fiancée because she threw the ring away, after he told her she could keep it even though the marriage plans had fallen through. The Supreme Court of New South Wales held that, despite what the man said, the ring remained a conditional gift (partly because his saying that she could keep it reflected his desire to salvage the relationship) and she was ordered to pay him its A$15,250 cost.[37]
In England and Wales, the gift of an engagement ring is presumed to be an absolute gift to the fiancée. This presumption may be rebutted however by proving that the ring was given on condition (express or implied) that it must be returned if the marriage did not take place, for whatever reason. This was decided in the case Jacobs v Davis (1917).[38]
Styles[edit]
This wedding set contains two separate rings, either of which could be worn separately.
This wedding set contains two separate rings that look incomplete separately.
Engagement rings, like any other kind of jewelry, come in many different styles.
Gold (Available in Yellow Gold, White Gold and Rose Gold) and platinum are preferred for engagement rings, but common metal types such as titanium, silver, and stainless steel are also used for engagement rings. This allows for the bride-to-be to exert her own individual style into the ring in a simple manner.
In the United States, where engagement rings are worn by women, diamonds have been widely featured in engagement rings since the middle of the 20th century.[39] Solitaire rings have one single diamond. The most common setting for engagement rings is the solitaire prong setting, which was popularized by Tiffany & Co. in 1886 and its six-claw prong setting design sold under the "Tiffany setting" trademark.[40] The modern favorite cut for an engagement ring is the brilliant cut, which provides the maximum amount of sparkle to the gemstone.[41] The traditional engagement rings may have different prong settings and bands. Another major category is engagement rings with side stones. Rings with a larger diamond set in the middle and smaller diamonds on the side fit under this category. Three-stone diamond engagement rings, sometimes called trinity rings or trilogy rings, are rings with three matching diamonds set horizontally in a row with the bigger stone placed in the center. The three diamonds on the ring are typically said to represent the couple's past, present, and future, but other people give religious significance to the arrangement.
A wedding set, or bridal set, includes an engagement ring and a wedding band that matches and can be bought as a set. In some cases, the wedding ring looks "incomplete"; it is only when the two halves, engagement and wedding, are assembled that the ring looks whole. In other cases, a wedding set consists of two rings that match stylistically and are worn stacked, although either piece would look appropriate as a separate ring. Although the wedding band is not to be worn until the wedding day, the two rings are usually sold together as a wedding set. After the wedding, the bride may choose to have the two pieces welded together, to increase convenience and reduce the likelihood of losing one of the rings. A trio ring set includes a ladies engagement ring, ladies wedding band and a men's wedding band. These sets often have matching rings and are lower in price.
In Nordic countries, engagement rings are worn by both men and women. Traditionally they are plain gold bands, although more ornate designs and other materials are gaining popularity. The engagement rings resemble the wedding bands sold in the United States, whereas women's wedding rings may resemble US engagement rings.
In North America and the United Kingdom, it is customarily worn on the left hand ring finger. Similar traditions purportedly date to classical times, dating back from an early usage reportedly referring to the fourth finger of the left hand as containing the vena amoris or "vein of love". This custom may have its origins in an ancient Egyptian myth that the finger contained a vein leading directly to the heart, or it may simply be because the heart lies slightly to the left side of the body. In Germany the ring is worn on the left hand while engaged, but moved to the right hand when married. In Poland and Turkey, the engagement ring and wedding band are traditionally worn on the right hand but modern practice varies considerably.
For men[edit]
In some countries it is common for both men and women to wear engagement rings. The rings are often in the form of a plain band of a precious metal. Sometimes, the engagement ring eventually serves as the wedding ring for the man. In Brazil, for example, the groom and bride-to-be usually wear a plain wedding band on the right hand during the course of their engagement.[42] After the wedding, the band is moved to the left hand. In Argentina, it is also known for the groom and bride-to-be to wear a plain silver band on the left hand while engaged. Then, after the wedding the silver band is either replaced with the wedding ring or moved to the right hand.[citation needed]
Traditionally, women in the British Isles may propose marriage to men during a leap year. Women proposing has become more common in recent years, to the point that some jewelry companies have started manufacturing men's engagement rings. They resemble typical men's rings, often with a diamond centrepiece. In the countries where both sexes have traditionally worn engagement rings, the rings tend to be plainer bands, and there is no real difference between men's and women's engagement ring designs.
See also[edit]
Claddagh ring, a traditional Irish ring, often given or worn as a wedding ring
Dearest ring, a ring with stones creating the acronym D E A R E S T
Regards ring, a ring with stones creating the acronym R E G A R D S
Gimmal ring, a multi-part engagement ring fashionable in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries
Pre-engagement ring
Puzzle ring, sometimes called a "Turkish wedding ring"
Tension ring, a modern mount
Prong setting, a way of setting gems
Wedding ring
References[edit]
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Jump up ^ O'Rourke, Meghan (11 June 2007). "Diamonds Are a Girl's Worst Friend". Slate. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
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Jump up ^ The Responses of Pope Nicholas I to the Questions of the Bulgars A.D. 866 (Letter 99) Chapter 3
Jump up ^ Joseph Bingham (1846). Origines Ecclesiasticæ: The Antiquities of the Christian Church : with Two Sermons and Two Letters on the Nature and Necessity of Absolution. H. G. Bohn. p. 1215. Apud nostrates post sponsalia qua futurarum nuptiarum sunt promissio foedera quaeque consensu eorum qui haec contrahunt et eorum in quorum potestate sunt celebrantur. Postquam arris sponsam sibi sponsua per digitum fidei annulo insignitum desponderit...
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Jump up ^ Chisholm, Hugh (1911). "Diamond". The Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information. 8 (11th ed.). Encyclopaedia britannica Company. p. 160. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
Jump up ^ Reunert, Theodore (1893). Diamonds and gold in South Africa. J. C. Juta & Co. p. 126. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
Jump up ^ Russell, Rebecca Ross (5 June 2010). Gender and Jewelry: A Feminist Analysis. Rebecca Ross Russell. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-4528-8253-6. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
Jump up ^ Magazine, Laurence Cawley BBC News. "De Beers myth: Do people spend a month's salary on a diamond engagement ring?". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
Jump up ^ Sullivan, J. Courtney (2013-05-03). "How Americans Learned to Love Diamonds". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
Jump up ^ Dolan, Jenny (12 February 2007). "Shopping for your own engagement ring: Many local women say 'I do'". La Crosse Tribune. Wisconsin.
Jump up ^ "Put a ring on it". RedEye. Columbia News Service. 4 April 2009. Archived from the original on 5 April 2009. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
Jump up ^ Lee, Laura (October 2010). Broke Is Beautiful: Living and Loving the Cash-Strapped Life. ReadHowYouWant.com. p. 280. ISBN 978-1-4587-5882-8. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
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^ Jump up to: a b c d Brinig, Margaret F. (Spring 1990). "Rings and Promises" (PDF). The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization. 6 (1): 203–215.
Jump up ^ "This Diamond Startup Wants To Change the Way You Buy An Engagement Ring". Forbes. October 4, 2016.
Jump up ^ Grossman, Joanna (23 October 2001). "Who gets the engagement ring when the wedding is off". FindLaw. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
Jump up ^ McConnell, J. Patrick. "Do You Have To Return Engagement Rings? - Virginia". The National Law Review. Odin, Feldman & Pittleman, P.C. ISSN 2161-3362. Retrieved 15 September 2014. See Also Cal. Civ.Code § 43.4, CONN. GEN. STAT. (2011) § 52-572b, The Heart Balm Act, §8.01-220 of the Code of Virginia,Colorado Rev.Stat. §13-20-202
Jump up ^ Kirby, Simon (18 May 2007). "Men own the engagement ring". news.com.au. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
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Jump up ^ Myers, Rupert (7 May 2013). "Male engagement rings: for love or money?". The Guardian. London. Comment is free. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Engagement rings.
Diamond engagement ring ad, Loftis Brothers & Co., Popular Mechanics, November 1909, p. 113
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