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Almost Famous
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This article is about the film. For other uses, see Almost Famous (disambiguation).
Almost Famous
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Cameron Crowe
Produced by
Cameron Crowe
Ian Bryce
Written by
Cameron Crowe
Starring
Billy Crudup
Frances McDormand
Kate Hudson
Jason Lee
Patrick Fugit
Anna Paquin
Fairuza Balk
Noah Taylor
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Music by
Nancy Wilson
Cinematography
John Toll
Edited by
Joe Hutshing
Saar Klein
Production
company
Vinyl Films
Distributed by
DreamWorks Pictures
Release date
September 13, 2000
Running time
122 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$60 million[1]
Box office
$47.4 million[1]
Almost Famous is a 2000 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe, and starring Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson and Patrick Fugit. It tells the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine in the early 1970s while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater, and his efforts to get his first cover story published. The film is semi-autobiographical, as Crowe himself was a teenage writer for Rolling Stone.
The film is based on Crowe's experiences touring with rock bands Poco, The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Crowe has discussed how during this period he lost his virginity, fell in love, and met his heroes[2]—experiences that are shared by William Miller (Patrick Fugit), the boyish main character of the film.
Although a box office bomb, the film received widespread acclaim from critics, and received four Oscar nominations, one of which led to an award to Crowe for his screenplay. It was also awarded the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. Roger Ebert hailed it the best film of the year, and also the ninth best film of the 2000s. It also won two Golden Globes, for Best Picture and Kate Hudson won Best Supporting Actress. In a 2016 international poll conducted by BBC, Almost Famous was ranked the 79th greatest film since 2000.[3]
Contents
[hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Soundtrack
4.1 Personnel
4.1.1 "Stillwater"
4.1.2 Other personnel
5 Reception
5.1 Box office
5.2 Critical response
6 Accolades
7 References
8 External links
Plot[edit]
In 1969, child prodigy William Miller struggles to fit in with the world. His widowed mother Elaine has led him to believe he is 13 years old, until William's older sister, Anita, tells their mother to tell the truth. His age is actually 11; his mother had him start first grade at 5 years old and then he skipped fifth grade. Their mother strictly controls and protects him and Anita, forbidding rock music and other unwelcome influences, driving Anita to leave home and become a flight attendant.
In 1973, 15-year-old William, influenced by the rock albums left by his sister, aspires to be a rock journalist, writing freelance articles for underground papers in San Diego. Rock journalist Lester Bangs, impressed with his writing, gives him a $35 assignment to review a Black Sabbath concert. He can't get backstage, but opening band Stillwater arrives, and after he flatters them with critical praise they bring him along. Lead guitarist Russell Hammond takes a liking to him, partly because of William's new friendship with veteran groupie Penny Lane, though she prefers the term Band-Aid. Feigning retirement from her glory days, she takes William under her wing.
William is contacted by Ben Fong-Torres, editor of Rolling Stone, who believes him to be older and hires him to write a story. He convinces Ben to let him write about Stillwater, and he is instructed to go on the road with them. Tensions between Russell and lead singer Jeff Bebe are evident. William begins to interview the members of the band, but Russell repeatedly puts it off. Penny watches the interaction and sympathizes with William, whom they jokingly call "the enemy" because he's a journalist, but he quickly becomes part of their inner circle as he loses his objectivity.
The band experiences problems with promoters and venues on the tour, and hires Dennis, a professional manager. Penny is told she must leave them before New York, where Russell's ex-wife-girlfriend Leslie will join them. Stillwater "loses" Penny and her three protégé groupies to another band in a poker game; Penny acts nonchalant but is devastated. Also, Dennis has chartered a small plane to allow them to play more gigs than their tour bus does, and there is no room on it for Penny, who is left behind.
However, Penny goes to New York on her own, and shows up at the restaurant where the band is celebrating the news that they will be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone. Leslie notices her apparent attempts to get Russell's attention, and Penny is asked to leave. William chases her back to her hotel, where he saves her from overdosing on quaaludes.
The next day, the band flies to another gig, and the plane encounters severe weather. Believing they are about to die, members of the group confess their secrets to one another, bringing the conflicts between Jeff and Russell into the open. Jeff insults Penny, but William defends her and confesses that he loves her. The plane lands safely in Tupelo, leaving everyone to ponder the changed atmosphere.
William leaves the group, to finish the article at the Rolling Stone office in San Francisco, writing the whole truth about what he has observed. Fearful the story will damage the band's image, Russell tells the magazine's fact-checker that the boy's story is untrue, killing the article and crushing William emotionally. William's sister happens to encounter him sitting dejected in the airport, and offers to take him anywhere in the world; he chooses to go home to San Diego, where their mother is overcome to have both of them back.
One of the groupies chastises Russell for what he did to William. Russell calls Penny and asks to meet with her, but she tricks him, giving him William's home address instead. When the door to the house is opened, rather than Penny appearing, he finds himself face to face with William's mother who, upon hearing who he is, scolds him for his behavior. He is forced to face William and apologizes; William finally gets his interview, and Russell reverses himself and confirms William's article to Rolling Stone, which runs it as a cover feature. Meanwhile, Penny purchases a ticket to Morocco, fulfilling her long-standing fantasy.
Cast[edit]
Patrick Fugit as William Miller
Michael Angarano as Young William
Billy Crudup as Russell Hammond
Frances McDormand as Elaine Miller
Kate Hudson as Penny Lane
Jason Lee as Jeff Bebe
Zooey Deschanel as Anita Miller
Anna Paquin as Polexia Aphrodisia
Fairuza Balk as Sapphire
Bijou Phillips as Estrella Starr
Noah Taylor as Dick Roswell
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lester Bangs
Terry Chen as Ben Fong-Torres
Jay Baruchel as Vic Munoz
Jimmy Fallon as Dennis Hope
Rainn Wilson as David Felton
Mark Kozelek as Larry Fellows
Liz Stauber as Leslie Hammond
Zack Ward as The Legendary Red Dog
John Fedevich as Ed Vallencourt
Eric Stonestreet as Sheldon the Desk Clerk
Production[edit]
Crowe used a composite of the bands he had known to come up with Stillwater, the emerging act that welcomes the young journalist into its sphere, then becomes wary of his intentions. Seventies rocker Peter Frampton served as a technical consultant on the film. Crowe and his then-wife, musician Nancy Wilson of Heart, co-wrote three of the five Stillwater songs in the film, and Frampton wrote the other two, with Mike McCready of Pearl Jam playing lead guitar on all of the Stillwater songs.
Crowe based the character of Penny Lane on the real-life Pennie Lane Trumbull and her group of female promoters who called themselves the Flying Garter Girls Group.[4] Though they were not in the Flying Garter Girls group, various other women have been described as Crowe's inspiration, for instance Pamela Des Barres [5] and Bebe Buell.[6]
The character of William Miller's mother (played by Frances McDormand) was based on Crowe's own mother, who even showed up on the set to keep an eye on him while he worked. Though he asked his mother not to bother McDormand, the two women ended up getting along well.[7]
Alice in Chains' guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell was Crowe's first choice for the role of Stillwater bass player Larry Fellows. Cantrell is friends with Crowe and had previously appeared in two films directed by him, Singles (1992) and Jerry Maguire (1996). Cantrell was busy writing the songs for his solo album Degradation Trip and had to turn the role down. Mark Kozelek was cast instead.[8]
Crowe took a copy of the film to London for a special screening with Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. After the screening, Led Zeppelin granted Crowe the right to use one of their songs on the soundtrack — the first time they had ever consented to this since allowing Crowe to use "Kashmir" in Fast Times at Ridgemont High — and also gave him rights to four of their other songs in the movie itself, although they did not grant him the rights to "Stairway to Heaven" for an intended scene (on the special "Bootleg" edition DVD, the scene is included as an extra, sans the song, where the viewer is instructed by a watermark to begin playing it).
In his 2012 memoir My Cross to Bear, Gregg Allman confirms that several aspects of the movie are directly based on Crowe's time spent with the Allman Brothers Band. The scene in which Russell jumps from the top of the Topeka party house into a pool was based on something Duane Allman did: "the jumping off the roof into the pool, that was Duane—from the third floor of a place called the Travelodge in San Francisco. My brother wanted to do it again, but the cat who owned the place came out shaking his fist, yelling at him. We told that story all the time, and I have no doubt that Cameron was around for it." He also confirms that he and Dickey Betts played a joke on Crowe by claiming clauses in their contract did not allow his story to be published — just before he was to deliver it to Rolling Stone.[9]
Soundtrack[edit]
Main article: Almost Famous (soundtrack)
The Almost Famous soundtrack album was awarded the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
Personnel[edit]
"Stillwater"[edit]
Billy Crudup ("Russell Hammond") - lead guitar
Jason Lee ("Jeff Bebe") - lead singer
John Fedevich ("Ed Vallencourt") - drums
Mark Kozelek ("Larry Fellows") - bass guitar
Other personnel[edit]
Peter Frampton
Mike McCready
Jon Bayless
Ben Smith
Gordon Kennedy
Marti Frederiksen – vocals
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
Almost Famous had its premiere at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival.[10] It was subsequently given a limited release on September 15, 2000, in 131 theaters where it grossed $2.3 million on its first weekend. It was given a wider release on September 22, 2000, in 1,193 theaters where it grossed $6.9 million on its opening weekend. The film went on to make $32.5 million in North America and $14.8 million in the rest of the world for a worldwide total of $47.4 million against a $60 million budget.[11]
Critical response[edit]
Almost Famous received widespread critical acclaim, and currently holds an 89 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 166 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Almost Famous, with its great ensemble performances and story, is a well-crafted, warm-hearted movie that successfully draws you into its era." [12] The film also holds a score of 90 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 38 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim."[13]
Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars and described it as "funny and touching in so many different ways."[14] In his review for The New York Times, A.O. Scott wrote, "The movie's real pleasures are to be found not in its story but in its profusion of funny, offbeat scenes. It's the kind of picture that invites you to go back and savor your favorite moments like choice album cuts."[15] Time magazine's Richard Corliss praised the film's screenplay for "giving each character his reasons, making everyone in the emotional debate charming and compelling, creating fictional people who breathe in a story with an organic life."[16] In her review for the L.A. Weekly, Manohla Dargis wrote that "the film shimmers with the irresistible pleasures that define Hollywood at its best—it's polished like glass, funny, knowing and bright, and filled with characters whose lives are invariably sexier and more purposeful than our own."[17] Rolling Stone magazine's Peter Travers wrote, "Not since A Hard Day's Night has a movie caught the thrumming exuberance of going where the music takes you."[18] In his review for Newsweek, David Ansen wrote, "Character-driven, it relies on chemistry, camaraderie, a sharp eye for detail and good casting."[19] Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, " Every Cameron Crowe film is, in one way or another, about romance, rock & roll, and his romance with rock & roll. This power ballad of a movie, from 2000, also happens to be Crowe's greatest (and most personal) film thanks to the golden gods of Stillwater and their biggest fan, Kate Hudson's incomparable Penny Lane."[20]
Entertainment Weekly gave the film an "A−" rating and Owen Gleiberman praised Crowe for depicting the 1970s as "an era that found its purpose in having no purpose. Crowe, staying close to his memories, has gotten it, for perhaps the first time, onto the screen."[21] In his review for the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan praised Philip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of Lester Bangs: "Superbly played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, more and more the most gifted and inspired character actor working in film, what could have been the cliched portrait of an older mentor who speaks the straight truth blossoms into a marvelous personality."[22] However, in his review for The New York Observer, Andrew Sarris felt that "none of the non-musical components on the screen matched the excitement of the music. For whatever reason, too much of the dark side has been left out."[23] Desson Howe, in his review for the Washington Post, found it "very hard to see these long-haired kids as products of the 1970s instead of dressed up actors from the Seattle-Starbucks era. I couldn't help wondering how many of these performers had to buy a CD copy of the song and study it for the first time."[24]
Accolades[edit]
Main article: List of accolades received by Almost Famous
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b "Almost Famous (2000)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
Jump up ^ "Biography," The Uncool: The Official Website for Everything Cameron Crowe. Accessed Dec. 14, 2014.
Jump up ^ "The 21st century's 100 greatest films". BBC. August 23, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
Jump up ^ Ammann, Ana (September 7, 2012). "Will the real Penny Lane please stand up?". Oregon Music News. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015.
Jump up ^ Lecaro, Lina (December 15, 2010). "Zooey Deschanel to Play Original '60s Groupie Pamela "I'm With the Band" Des Barres in HBO Series (NSFW)". LA Weekly.
Jump up ^ "Wild Things: Cameron Crowe and Bebe Buell". Talk. March 2001.
Jump up ^ Goldstein, Patrick. "This Time, It's Personal A '70s rock film co-starring . . . Mom? It's Cameron Crowe's life story, and he's tried to tell it for years," Los Angeles Times (August 27, 2000). Archie on The Uncool.com.
Jump up ^ "Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell almost starred in the movie 'Almost Famous'". YouTube. November 12, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
Jump up ^ Allman, Gregg; Light, Alan (2012). My Cross to Bear. William Morrow. pp. 242–43. ISBN 978-0062112033.
Jump up ^ Kehr, Dave (August 25, 2000). "Organic Growth In Toronto". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
Jump up ^ "Almost Famous". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
Jump up ^ "Almost Famous". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Almost Famous". Metacritic. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger (September 15, 2000). "Almost Famous". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
Jump up ^ Scott, A.O (September 15, 2000). "Almost Famous". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
Jump up ^ Corliss, Richard (September 10, 2000). "Absolutely Fabulous". Time. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
Jump up ^ Dargis, Manohla (September 21, 2000). "Gonna Make You Groove". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
Jump up ^ Travers, Peter (December 10, 2000). "Almost Famous". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
Jump up ^ Ansen, David (September 18, 2000). "He's With The Band". Newsweek. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
Jump up ^ Geier, Thom; Jensen, Jeff; Jordan, Tina; Lyons, Margaret; Markovitz, Adam; Nashawaty, Chris; Pastorek, Whitney; Rice, Lynette; Rottenberg, Josh; Schwartz, Missy; Slezak, Michael; Snierson, Dan; Stack, Tim; Stroup, Kate; Tucker, Ken; Vary, Adam B.; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Ward, Kate (December 11, 2009), "The 100 Greatest Movies, Tv Shows, Albums, Books, Characters, Scenes, Episodes, Songs, Dresses, Music Videos, And Trends That Entertained Us Over The Past 10 Years". Entertainment Weekly. (1079/1080):74-84
Jump up ^ Gleiberman, Owen (September 15, 2000). "Almost Famous". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
Jump up ^ Turan, Kenneth (September 13, 2000). "Almost Famous". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 11, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
Jump up ^ Sarris, Andrew (September 17, 2000). "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll-Where Are the Sex and Drugs?". The New York Observer. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
Jump up ^ Howe, Desson (September 22, 2000). "Almost Poignant". Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Almost Famous
Official website
Almost Famous on IMDb
Almost Famous at AllMovie
Almost Famous at Rotten Tomatoes
Almost Famous at Metacritic
Almost Famous at Box Office Mojo
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An American in Paris (1951)
With a Song in My Heart (1952)
Carmen Jones (1954)
Guys and Dolls (1955)
The King and I (1956)
Les Girls (1957)
Gigi / Auntie Mame (1958)
Porgy and Bess / Some Like It Hot (1959)
Song Without End / The Apartment (1960)
West Side Story / A Majority of One (1961)
The Music Man / That Touch of Mink (1962)
Tom Jones (1963)
My Fair Lady (1964)
The Sound of Music (1965)
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The Graduate (1967)
Oliver! (1968)
The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969)
MASH (1970)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
Cabaret (1972)
American Graffiti (1973)
The Longest Yard (1974)
The Sunshine Boys (1975)
A Star Is Born (1976)
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Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
Arthur (1981)
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Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Chicago (2002)
Lost in Translation (2003)
Sideways (2004)
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The Hangover (2009)
The Kids Are All Right (2010)
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Say Anything… (1989)
Singles (1992)
Jerry Maguire (1996)
Almost Famous (2000)
Vanilla Sky (2001)
Elizabethtown (2005)
Pearl Jam Twenty (2011)
The Union (2011)
We Bought a Zoo (2011)
Aloha (2015)
Writer only
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
The Wild Life (1984)
Television
Roadies (2016)
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Moloch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For other uses, see Moloch (disambiguation).
18th-century depiction of the Moloch idol (Der Götze Moloch mit 7 Räumen oder Capellen. "The idol Moloch with seven chambers or chapels"), from Johann Lund's Die Alten Jüdischen Heiligthümer (1711, 1738).
Moloch[a] is the biblical name of a Canaanite god associated with child sacrifice. The name of this deity is also sometimes spelled Molech, Milcom, or Malcam.
The name Moloch results from a dysphemic vocalisation in the Second Temple period of a theonym based on the root mlk "king". There are a number of Canaanite gods with names based on this root, which became summarily associated with Moloch, including Biblical מַלְכָּם Malkam "great king" (KJV Milcom), which appears to refer to a god of the Ammonites, as well as Tyrian Melqart and others.
Rabbinical tradition depicted Moloch as a bronze statue heated with fire into which the victims were thrown. This has been associated with reports by Greco-Roman authors on the child sacrifices in Carthage to Baal Hammon,[1] especially since archaeological excavations since the 1920s have produced evidence for child sacrifice in Carthage as well as inscriptions including the term MLK, either a theonym or a technical term associated with sacrifice. In interpretatio graeca, the Phoenician god was identified with Cronus, due to the parallel mytheme of Cronus devouring his children.
Otto Eissfeldt in 1935 argued that mlk was not to be taken as a theonym at all but as a term for a type of fire sacrifice, and that *lĕmōlek "as a molk-sacrifice" had been reinterpreted as the name of a Canaanite idol following the Deuteronomic reform under Josiah (r. 640–609 BC). According to Eissfeldt, this 7th-century reform abolished the child sacrifice that had been happening.
Moloch has been used figuratively in English literature from John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667) to Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" (1955), to refer to a person or thing demanding or requiring a very costly sacrifice.
Contents
[hide]
1 Name
2 Biblical texts
2.1 Masoretic Molek
2.2 LXX Μολοχ (Moloch, Molech)
2.3 Malkam (Milcom)
3 Carthaginian Cronus
4 Rabbinical commentary
5 Modern interpretations
6 Moloch in art and culture
6.1 Depictions of Canaanite Moloch
6.1.1 Milton's Paradise Lost
6.1.2 Flaubert's Salammbô
6.2 As social or political allegory
6.3 References in fantastical fiction and pop culture
7 See also
8 Notes
9 References
10 Bibliography
11 External links
Name[edit]
Babylonian cylinder seal representing child sacrifice
Biblical Hebrew מלך (mlk) usually stands for מֶלֶךְ melek "king" (Akkadian malku) but when vocalized as מֹלֶךְ mōlek in the Masoretic text, it has been traditionally understood as a proper name. While the received Masoretic text is medieval, the existence of the form Μολοχ (Molokh, whence Vulgate Moloch) in the Septuagint establishes that the distinction dates to the Second Temple period.
Moloch has been traditionally interpreted as the name of a god, possibly a god surnamed "the king" (cf. adon "lord", baʿal "master"), but pejoratively mispronounced as Molek instead of Melek using the vocalisation of Hebrew בּשֶׁת bosheth "shame",[2] distinguishing it from the title of melek "king", written identically in the consonantal text, which is also frequently given to Yahweh.
Thus, in Psalm 5:2, the מלךי mlk-y ("my mlk") of the Hebrew text is vocalized מַלְכִּי malk-ī and translated ὁ βασιλεύς μου ("my king") in the Septuagint; by contrast, in Amos 5:26, מלככם mlk-km ("your (plural) mlk") is vocalized מַלְכְּכֶם malk-chem ("your king") but translated Μολοχ ὑμῶν ("your Moloch") in the Septuagint.[3]
The name of the god of the Ammonites is also given as מַלְכָּם malkam ("great king"),)[4] rendered as Milcom in KJV. In 1 Kings 11:7, לְמֹלֶךְ שִׁקֻּץ בְּנֵי עַמֹּֽון (KJV: "for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon"), the Septuagint has τῷ βασιλεῖ αὐτῶν εἰδώλῳ υἱῶν Αμμων ("for their king, idol of the sons of Ammon"), while in 1 Kings 11:33 לְמִלְכֹּם אֱלֹהֵי בְנֵֽי־עַמֹּון (KJV: "Milcom the god of the children of Ammon") is translated τῷ βασιλεῖ αὐτῶν προσοχθίσματι υἱῶν Αμμων ("for their king, the abomination of the sons of Ammon").
Biblical texts[edit]
Masoretic Molek[edit]
Offering to Molech (illustration from the 1897 Bible Pictures and What They Teach Us by Charles Foster)
The vocalization Molek occurs eight times in the Masoretic Text, predominantly (five times) in Leviticus:
Leviticus 18:21 "And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD."
Leviticus 20:2: "Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones."
Leviticus 20:3: "And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name."
Leviticus 20:4: "And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not"
Leviticus 20:5: "Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people."
Two further occurrences connect the practice with Tophet, a place of sacrifice in the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna, which later acquired the connotation of "Hell"):
2 Kings 23:10: "And he (King Josiah of Judah) defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech."
Jeremiah 32:35: "And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin."
The practice of "passing through fire" (`abar ba-'esh עָבַר בָּאֵשׁ) associated with the name Moloch in the citations above also occurs without reference to Moloch in Deuteronomy 18:10–13, 2 Kings 16:3 and 21:6 and Ezekiel 20:26,31 and 23:37.
Isaiah 30:33 has the vocalization melek ("king"), but this is widely accepted as an omission of the Masoretic correctors:[5] "For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it."
On the other hand, while 1 Kings 11:7 has the vocalization Molek, in "Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon", this is widely accepted as an error for Malkam (Milcom), the specifically Ammonite idol.[6][7]
LXX Μολοχ (Moloch, Molech)[edit]
The Septuagint uses Μολοχ three times, rendered by KJV as Moloch or Molech, in 2 Kings 23:10, Jeremiah 32:35 (both verses have Masoretic molek, cited above), and Amos 5:26 (where the Masoretic text has melek "king"). In the other instances of Masoretic molek, LXX has βασιλεύς basileus "king".
Malkam (Milcom)[edit]
The variant Malkam, rendered by KJV as Milcom, is found only three times in Kings[8] (1 Kings 11:5, 11:33 and 2 Kings 23:13). Malkam is each time specifically mentioned as a god of the Ammonites, while Molek is generally depicted as a god worshipped by the Israelites in the context of the "passing through fire" of their children (with the exception of 1 Kings 11:7, which mentions "Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon", widely accepted as an error for Malkam.[6]).
Carthaginian Cronus[edit]
Main article: Child sacrifice in Cartaginian religion
Further information: Baal Hammon
Later commentators have compared these accounts with similar ones from Greek and Latin sources speaking of the offering of children by fire as sacrifices in the Punic city of Carthage, a Phoenician colony. Cleitarchus, Diodorus Siculus and Plutarch all mention burning of children as an offering to Cronus or Saturn, that is to Baal Hammon, the chief god of Carthage. It has been suggested that the practice of child sacrifice may have been exaggerated in Roman post-war propaganda in order to make their arch-enemies seem cruel and less civilized.[9]
Cleitarchus' paraphrase of a scholium to Plato's Republic has a description of the practice which predates the fall of Carthage in 146 BC:
There stands in their midst a bronze statue of Kronos, its hands extended over a bronze brazier, the flames of which engulf the child. When the flames fall upon the body, the limbs contract and the open mouth seems almost to be laughing until the contracted body slips quietly into the brazier. Thus it is that the 'grin' is known as 'sardonic laughter,' since they die laughing. (trans. Paul G. Mosca)
Diodorus Siculus (20.14):
There was in their city a bronze image of Cronus extending its hands, palms up and sloping toward the ground, so that each of the children when placed thereon rolled down and fell into a sort of gaping pit filled with fire.
Diodorus also relates that relatives were forbidden to weep and that when Agathocles defeated Carthage, the Carthaginian nobles believed they had displeased the gods by substituting low-born children for their own children. They attempted to make amends by sacrificing 200 children of the best families at once, and in their enthusiasm actually sacrificed 300 children.
Freeman in The History of Sicily from the Earliest Times (1894) states that the Carthaginian nobles had acquired and raised children not of their own for the express purpose of sacrificing them to the god. The author states that during the siege, the 200 high-born children were sacrificed in addition to another 300 children who were initially saved from the fire by the sacrifice of these acquired substitutes.[10]
Plutarch wrote in De Superstitione 171:
... but with full knowledge and understanding they themselves offered up their own children, and those who had no children would buy little ones from poor people and cut their throats as if they were so many lambs or young birds; meanwhile the mother stood by without a tear or moan; but should she utter a single moan or let fall a single tear, she had to forfeit the money, and her child was sacrificed nevertheless; and the whole area before the statue was filled with a loud noise of flutes and drums that the cries of wailing should not reach the ears of the people.
Rabbinical commentary[edit]
The 12th-century Rashi, commenting on Jeremiah 7:31 stated:
Tophet is Moloch, which was made of brass; and they heated him from his lower parts; and his hands being stretched out, and made hot, they put the child between his hands, and it was burnt; when it vehemently cried out; but the priests beat a drum, that the father might not hear the voice of his son, and his heart might not be moved.
A rabbinical tradition attributed to the Yalkout of Rabbi Simeon,[11] says that the idol was hollow and was divided into seven compartments, in one of which they put flour, in the second turtle-doves, in the third a ewe, in the fourth a ram, in the fifth a calf, in the sixth an ox, and in the seventh a child, which were all burned together by heating the statue inside.
Modern interpretations[edit]
Scholars of the 17th century received from medieval rabbinical tradition the notion that the various gods named mlk "king" in the Hebrew Bible are closely related, if not identical.[12]
Early modern scholarship tended to accept the Biblical and Greco-Roman accounts of child sacrifice at face value, although there were early suggestions that the biblical account might refer to a symbolic practice, among them an essay by John Selden of 1617 with the suggestion that the phrase h'byr b'sh lmlk "making to pass over the fire to Molek" might have entailed a februation (purification ritual) rather than human sacrifice.[13]
Valentin Greissing in 1678 suggested that the vocalisation Molek was modelled after חֹלֵם ḥōlem "dreamer; prophet" to distinguish it from melek "king",[14] presaging the much more influential suggestion by Abraham Geiger (1857) that the vocalisation is a dysphemism modelled after בּשֶׁת bōshet "shame". John Spenser wrote a seminal study on Molek, Lex transitum per ignem, in honorem Molechi prohibens in 1686, initiating the influential interpretation of Molek as a solar deity.
Greco-Roman authors describe the Carthaginian practice of child sacrifice as dedicated to Baal Hammon or, in interpretatio graeca, to Cronus. The explicit identification of this Punic deity with the Biblical Moloch is modern, suggesting a continuity of the practice of child sacrifice from Iron Age, or possibly Late Bronze Age Canaan to 2nd-century BC Carthage. Carthaginian child sacrifice in the context of biblical Moloch is studied, still based on the authority of ancient authors rather than archaeology, by Friedrich Münter in Die Religion der Karthager (1816) and by Franz Karl Movers in Die Phönizier (1841). Both Münter and Movers concluded that Molek was identical with Baal and to be categorized as a fire god.
In 1841, both Georg Friedrich Daumer and Friedrich Wilhelm Ghillany published influential works on the topic.[15] These authors came to the conclusion that the Biblical text reflects an original identity of Molek and Yahweh, and that the cult of Yahweh grew out of that of Molek by the abolishing of human sacrifice. The authors find numerous instances of vestigial references to human sacrifice, most notably the law that all firstborns must be "consecrated" or "given" to Yahweh (Exodus 13:2, 22:28).
Abraham Geiger (1857) argued that the vocalisation molek was a secondary "dysphemic" correction due to the redactors of the Masoretic text, and argued that there were a further 25 or so instances that should be taken to refer to molek which had been missed by the correctors (and remain vocalised melek in the received text). Of these proposed instances, Isaiah 30:33 has become commonly accepted, while the others have at best found partial support.[5]
The hypothesis of Daumer and Ghillany of the original identity of Yahweh and Molek was controversially discussed by widely accepted in mid-19th century scholarship. It was influentially rejected by Wolf Wilhelm Friedrich von Baudissin in his dissertation Jahve et Moloch: sive de ratione inter deum Israelitarum et Molochum intercedente (Leipzig, 1874).[16] Baudissin argued that the theonym Mlk was of genuinely Phoenician (and neither Hebrew nor Assyrian) origin, reflected in Melqart of Tyre and the later reports of child sacrifice in the Tyrian colony of Carthage, and that it was only the import of the cult of the Tyrian Baal (i.e. Melqart) under king Ahab (r. ca. 885–850 BC) that gave rise to his worship among the Israelites (and the corresponding condemnation of the practice by the Yahwist faction represented in the Hebrew Bible).
In the early 20th century, scholarly opinion on the topic begins to be informed by the results of archaeological excavations in the Near East, notably those by R. A. S. Macalister at Gezer during 1902–1909. Macalister reported evidence of child sacrifice in Late Bronze Age Canaan. Consensus shifted towards the assumption of widespread child sacrifice in Canaan, although there were dissenting opinions.[17] French-led excavations at Carthage began in 1921, and from 1923 reported finds of a large quantity of urns containing a mixture of animal and children's bones. René Dussaud identified a 4th-century BC stela found in Carthage as depicting a child sacrifice.[18] A temple at Amman (1400–1250 BC) excavated and reported upon by J.B. Hennessy in 1966, shows the possibility of bestial and human sacrifice by fire.[19] While evidence of child sacrifice in Canaan was the object of academic disagreement, with some scholars arguing that merely children's cemeteries had been unearthed, in Carthage, the mixture of children's with animal bones as well as associated epigraphic evidence involving mention of mlk led to a consensus that, at least in Carthage, child sacrifice was indeed common practice.
The term mlk in Punic epigraphy was given a re-interpretation by Otto Eissfeldt in 1935.[20] Eissfeldt's suggestion was that molk was not to be taken as a theonym at all but as a term for a type of fire sacrifice. For the Hebrew Bible, he argued that seven out of the eight instances of Masoretic Molek (excising 1 Kings 11:7 as an error for Milkom) should also be regarded as the technical term for child sacrifice rather than as the name of a god, and that *lĕmōlek "as a molk-sacrifice" had been reinterpreted as the name of a Canaanite idol following the Deuteronomic reform under Josiah (r. 640–609 BC). According to Eissfeldt, this 7th-century reform abolished the child sacrifice that had hitherto been an acceptable part of the cult of Yahweh.[6] Paul G. Mosca's Child Sacrifice in Canaanite and Israelite Religion: A Study in Mulk and Molech (1975) similarly argued in support of the theory that child sacrifice (molk) to Yahweh was practiced until the Deuteronomic reform of the 7th century BC.
Moshe Weinfield (1972)[21] once again revived the "februarist" position, suggesting that the practice of "passing through fire" prohibited for the Israelites in Leviticus did not refer to actual child sacrifice but to a symbolic rite in which infants were passed across a flame. Smith (1975) responded to this proposal by arguing that the Hebrew phrase implies a translation of "to burn" rather than "to pass between flame".[22]
John Day (1989) argued for the existence of a god named Molek based on Ugaritic evidence.[23]
In the 21st century the myth of Moloch has been referred to by Asturian political parties with the name of Molloch and also by Iberian patriotic writers specialized in the myth of Saturn, once painted by Goya, to describe some regional editions based in Barcelona.
Moloch in art and culture[edit]
Depictions of Canaanite Moloch[edit]
Milton's Paradise Lost[edit]
In John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667), Moloch is one of the greatest warriors of the fallen angels,
"First MOLOCH, horrid King besmear'd with blood
Of human sacrifice, and parents tears,
Though, for the noyse of Drums and Timbrels loud,
Their children's cries unheard that passed through fire
To his grim Idol. Him the AMMONITE
Worshipt in RABBA and her watry Plain,
In ARGOB and in BASAN, to the stream
Of utmost ARNON. Nor content with such
Audacious neighbourhood, the wisest heart
Of SOLOMON he led by fraud to build
His Temple right against the Temple of God
On that opprobrious Hill, and made his Grove
The pleasant Vally of HINNOM, TOPHET thence
And black GEHENNA call'd, the Type of Hell."
He is listed among the chief of Satan's angels in Book I, and is given a speech at the parliament of Hell in Book 2:43 – 105, where he argues for immediate warfare against God. He later becomes revered as a pagan god on Earth.
Flaubert's Salammbô[edit]
Moloch statue from Giovanni Pastrone's Cabiria (1914), Museo nazionale del Cinema (Turin).
Gustave Flaubert's Salammbô, a semi-historical novel about Carthage published in 1862, included a version of the Carthaginian religion, including the god Moloch, whom he characterized as a god to whom the Carthaginians offered children. Flaubert described this Moloch mostly according to the Rabbinic descriptions, but with a few of his own additions. From chapter 7:
Then further back, higher than the candelabrum, and much higher than the altar, rose the Moloch, all of iron, and with gaping apertures in his human breast. His outspread wings were stretched upon the wall, his tapering hands reached down to the ground; three black stones bordered by yellow circles represented three eyeballs on his brow, and his bull's head was raised with a terrible effort as if in order to bellow.
Chapter 13 describes how, in desperate attempt to call down rain, the image of Moloch was brought to the center of Carthage, how the arms of the image were moved by the pulling of chains by the priests (apparently Flaubert's own invention), and then describes the sacrifices made to Moloch. First grain and animals of various kinds were placed in compartments within the statue (as in the Rabbinic account). Then the children were offered, at first a few, and then more and more.
The brazen arms were working more quickly. They paused no longer. Every time that a child was placed in them the priests of Moloch spread out their hands upon him to burden him with the crimes of the people, vociferating: "They are not men but oxen!" and the multitude round about repeated: "Oxen! oxen!" The devout exclaimed: "Lord! eat!" and the priests of Proserpine, complying through terror with the needs of Carthage, muttered the formula: "Pour out rain! bring forth!"
The victims, when scarcely at the edge of the opening, disappeared like a drop of water on a red-hot plate, and white smoke rose amid the great scarlet colour.
Nevertheless, the appetite of the god was not appeased. He ever wished for more. In order to furnish him with a larger supply, the victims were piled up on his hands with a big chain above them which kept them in their place. Some devout persons had at the beginning wished to count them, to see whether their number corresponded with the days of the solar year; but others were brought, and it was impossible to distinguish them in the giddy motion of the horrible arms. This lasted for a long, indefinite time until the evening. Then the partitions inside assumed a darker glow, and burning flesh could be seen. Some even believed that they could descry hair, limbs, and whole bodies.
Night fell; clouds accumulated above the Baal. The funeral-pile, which was flameless now, formed a pyramid of coals up to his knees; completely red like a giant covered with blood, he looked, with his head thrown back, as though he were staggering beneath the weight of his intoxication.
Italian director Giovanni Pastrone's silent film Cabiria (1914) was largely based on Salammbo and included an enormous image of Moloch modeled on Flaubert's description. American anti-communist agitator Elizabeth Dilling, and her husband Jeremiah Stokes, wrote an anti-Semitic book, The Plot Against Christianity (1964). Re-released under the title The Jewish Religion: Its Influence Today — with Talmudic writings annotated by Dilling — it quoted Flaubert's description as if it were historically accurate. Information from the novel and film still finds its way into serious writing about Moloch, Melqart, Carthage, and Ba‘al Hammon[citation needed].
As social or political allegory[edit]
A rhetorical connection between abortion and the child sacrifice to Moloch has been drawn by the anti-abortion movement since the late 19th century.[24]
In Bertrand Russell's A Free Man's Worship (1903), Moloch is used to describe a particularly savage brand of religion:
The savage, like ourselves, feels the oppression of his impotence before the powers of Nature; but having in himself nothing that he respects more than Power, he is willing to prostrate himself before his gods, without inquiring whether they are worthy of his worship. Pathetic and very terrible is the long history of cruelty and torture, of degradation and human sacrifice, endured in the hope of placating the jealous gods: surely, the trembling believer thinks, when what is most precious has been freely given, their lust for blood must be appeased, and more will not be required. The religion of Moloch — as such creeds may be generically called — is in essence the cringing submission of the slave, who dare not, even in his heart, allow the thought that his master deserves no adulation. Since the independence of ideals is not yet acknowledged, Power may be freely worshipped, and receive an unlimited respect, despite its wanton infliction of pain.
During the growth of vehicle ownership in the United States, the concern for automobile deaths prompted at least one editorial cartoonist to label the automobile "the Modern Moloch," viewing the car as a machine of death.[25]
In letters of the Munich Cosmic Circle the name Moloch was used to symbolize a Jewish God, hostile to life.[26]
In The Gathering Storm (1948), the first volume of Winston Churchill's history of World War II, Churchill describes Hitler's triumph at the moment he finally achieved total power in 1933;
He had called from the depths of defeat the dark and savage furies latent in the most numerous, most serviceable, ruthless, contradictory and ill-starred race in Europe. He had conjured up the fearful idol of an all-devouring Moloch of which he was the priest and incarnation."[27]
In Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl" (1955), Moloch is used as a metaphor for capitalism and industrial civilization, and for America more specifically. The word is repeated many times throughout Part II of the poem, and begins (as an exclamation of "Moloch!") in all but the first and last five stanzas of the section.
References in fantastical fiction and pop culture[edit]
See Moloch (disambiguation) and Moloch in popular culture
In H.G. Wells' novel The Time Machine (1895) and subsequent movies, the antagonists were futuristic creatures called 'Morlocks' who routinely ate childlike 'Eloi' (which suggests he was making a Biblical analogy).
In Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927), the industrial machinery of the factory is envisioned as a sacrificial temple to Moloch. It lacks the ability to connect hands to heart.
In Karel Čapek's War with the Newts (1936), the Newts counter Christian attempts at conversion by turning to a god of their own creation named Moloch:
At a later period and almost universally the Newts themselves came to accept a different faith, whose origin among them is unknown; this involved adoration of Moloch, whom they visualized as a giant Newt with a human head; they were reported to have enormous submarine idols made of cast iron, manufactured to their orders by Armstrong or Krupp, but no further details ever leaked out of their cultic rituals since they were conducted under water; they were, however, believed to be exceptionally cruel and secret. It would seem that this faith gained ground rapidly because the name Moloch reminded them of the zoological "molche" or the German "Molch," the terms for Newt.
In the science fiction show Stargate SG1, Moloch (Moloc) was a Goa'uld who demanded that all female Jaffa (warrior caste among Goa'uld society) in his domain be sacrificed shortly after they were born. He was eventually assassinated by Stargate Command.
In Supernatural, Season 12 Episode 18, Sam and Dean Winchester investigate missing youths in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, only to find out they are being sacrificed to Moloch.
In the TV series Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, season 2, Project Moloch is a code name for one of the gifted people kept by the government facility called Blackwing.
On the 2012 album Noctourniquet by The Mars Volta, Moloch is mentioned in both the title and the lyrics of the song "Molochwalker".
See also[edit]
Mythology portal
Ancient Near East portal
Binding of Isaac
Brazen bull
Child sacrifice
Melqart
Minotaur
Tophet
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ Phoenician: 𐤌𐤋𐤊, Masoretic מֹלֶךְ mōlek, Greek Μολόχ
References[edit]
Jump up ^ D.D. Hughes, Human Sacrifice in Ancient Greece, London: 1991, S. 115 ff.
Jump up ^ following a widely-adopted suggestion going back to Abraham Geiger (1857), e.g. "Molech". Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
Jump up ^ Amos 5:26 ("ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch") is cited in Acts 7:43, as "Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch" (καὶ ἀνελάβετε τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ Μολὸχ[...] ὑμῶν), the only occurrence of the name Moloch in the New Testament.
Jump up ^ Strong's Concordance H4445 מַלְכָּם
^ Jump up to: a b George C. Heider, Cult of Molek: A Reassessment (1985), p. 10.
^ Jump up to: a b c George C. Heider, Cult of Molek: A Reassessment (1985), 36f.
Jump up ^ "Then did Solomon build a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the Sons of Ammon." (KJV) Here, למלך lmlk ("for Molech") is vocalized לְמֹלֶךְ lĕ-molek, while the Septuagint translates τῷ βασιλεῖ αὐτῶν "for their king".
Jump up ^ In addition, 1 Chronicles 8:9 mentions an unrelated Malkam, son of Shaharaim, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Jump up ^ Of Roman-Carthaginian diplomacy leading up to the final confrontation, A. E. Astin, F. W. Walbank, M. W. Frederiksen, (Rome and the Mediterranean to 133 B.C., Cambridge Ancient History VIII, "Rome and Carthage" 1989:149) note that the sources, "principally Appian and the Epitome of Livy are contaminated by more or less obvious falsehoods, especially the Epitome. The reason for this was of course the desire of contemporary and, even more, of later Romans to justify Rome's conduct".
Jump up ^ Edward Augustus Freeman (1894). The History of Sicily from the Earliest Times:Volume IV. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
Jump up ^ Attributed, for example, by Moses Margoliouth, A Pilgrimage to the Land of my Fathers 1850:125.
Jump up ^ George C. Heider, Cult of Molek: A Reassessment (1985), p. 2.
Jump up ^ Selden, De Dîs Syris (1617), 93f.
Jump up ^ J. Greissing Immolatio Liberorum Molocho Facta, Wittenberg (1678)
Jump up ^ G. F. Daumer, Der Feuer- und Molech-dienst der alten Hebräer als urväterlicher, legaler, orthodoxer Kultus der Nation, Brunswick (1842). F. W. Ghillany, Die Menschenopfer der alten Hebräer, Nuremberg (1842).
Jump up ^ Baudissin (d. 1926) continued to publish influential treatises on the subject of Molek for a period of fifty years, notably the relevant articles in Schaff–Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, second and third editions, and substantial chapters in his Adonis and Esmun (1911) and Kyrios (published posthumously in 1929).
Jump up ^ Friedrich Schwally (1919), see George C. Heider, Cult of Molek: A Reassessment (1985), 24f.
Jump up ^ Dussaud, Bulletin Archéologique (1922), p. 245.
Jump up ^ * J.B. Hennessey, Palestine Exploration Quarterly (1966)
Jump up ^ Otto Eissfeldt, Molk als Opferbegriff im Punischen und Hebräischen und das Ende des Gottes Moloch (1935).
Jump up ^ Weinfield, M. "The Worship of Molech and of the Queen of Heaven and its Background," Ugarit-For-schungen. 4 (1972), pp 133–154
Jump up ^ Smith, Morton. "A Note on Burning Babies" Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 95, No. 3 (Jul. – Sep., 1975), pp 477–479
Jump up ^ , in his book Molech: A God of Human Sacrifice in the Old Testament (Cambridge, 1989; ISBN 0-521-36474-4)
Jump up ^ so in B. G. Jefferis, J. L. Nichols, Searchlights on Health: Light on Dark Corners A Complete Sexual Science and a Guide to Purity and Physical Manhood, Advice To Maiden, Wife, And Mother, Love, Courtship, And Marriage (1894), p. 139 ("The abiding interest we feel in the preservation of the morals in our country, constrains us to raise our voice against the daily increasing practice of infanticide, especially before birth. The notoriety this monstrous crime has obtained of late, and the hecatombs of infants that are annually sacrificed to Moloch, to gratify an unlawful passion, are a sufficient justification for our alluding to a painful and delicate subject, which should 'not even be named,' only to correct and admonish the wrong-doers.").
Jump up ^ 99% Invisible: "The Modern Moloch" PRX. April 3, 2013.
Jump up ^ Karl und Hanna Wolfskehl – Briefwechsel mit Friedrich Gundolf. Edited by Karlhans Kluncker. Castrum Peregrini Presse, 1977 ISBN 90-6034-032-9 "Aus Anspielungen der Propheten muss man schliessen, dass Moloch von seinen Verehrern mit dem Nationalgott Jahwe kombiniert wurde."
Jump up ^ Winston Churchill; The Gathering Storm; 1948
Bibliography[edit]
González Wagner, C. & Ruiz Cabrero, L.A. (2007). El Sacrificio Molk. Madrid: Ediciones del Orto. ISBN 84-7923-394-X.
Grena, G.M. (2004). LMLK—A Mystery Belonging to the King vol. 1. Redondo Beach, California: 4000 Years of Writing History. ISBN 0-9748786-0-X.
"Molech". Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
Ruiz Cabrero, L.A. (2008). El Sacrificio Molk entree los fenicio-púnicos. Madrid: Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Servicio de Publicaciones. ISBN 978-84-669-3039-0.
Isidore Singer, George A. Barton, "Moloch (Molech)" in Jewish Encyclopedia (1971/2).
Moloch, Cult of, Encyclopedia Judaica (1906).
Molech-Moloch in Encyclopædia Biblica (1899)
F. Gigot, Moloch, in Catholic Encyclopedia (1911).
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Moloch". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
External links[edit]
Look up Moloch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Media related to Moloch at Wikimedia Commons Media related to Minotaur at Wikimedia Commons
A Preliminary Report on the Incirli Stele (Discussion of a stele with Phoenician text which may equate molk/mulk to first-born son).
HelgaSeeden, "A tophet in Tyre?" 1991. from Bertyus 39 (American University of Beirut).
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moloch&oldid=838135310"
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Responses to sneezing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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In English-speaking countries, the common verbal response to another person's sneeze is "God bless you", or, less commonly in the United States and Canada, "Gesundheit", the German word for health (and the response to sneezing in German-speaking countries). There are several proposed bless-you origins for use in the context of sneezing.
In non-English-speaking cultures, words referencing good health or a long life are often used instead of "bless you," though some also use references to God.
In some Asian cultures such as Korean, Vietnamese and Japanese cultures, the practice of responding to another person's sneeze does not exist.
Contents
[hide]
1 List of responses in other languages
2 See also
3 References
4 Further reading
List of responses in other languages[edit]
Language
Usual Responses and Notes
Response Meaning in English
Sneezer Reply and Pronunciation
Reply Meaning in English
Albanian Shëndet (shuhn-det) "Health!" Faleminderit or Shëndet paç "Thank you!" and "May you have health," respectively
Amharic ይማርሽ (yimarish) for female or ይማርህ (yimarih) for male "May God forgive you!" ያኑሪሽ (yanurish) for female or ያኑርህ (yanurih) for male "May you live for long."
Afrikaans Gesondheid "Health!" Dankie "Thank You"
Arabic (Islamic) Correct Way: يرحمكم الله (yarhamkum Allah) if the sneezer says الحمدلله (Alhamdulillah), as an alternative interaction.
Rude Way: فرج (Faraj), صحة (Sahha).
"God have mercy on you" if the sneezer says "All praise is for God."
Relief!", "Health!"
علينا و عليك (Alayna wa Alayk), شكراً (Shukran) or يهديكم الله و يصلح بالكم (Yahdeekum Allah wa youslah balakum) after the alternative interaction "For you and me", "Thank you!" or "God guide you and set your affairs aright."
Armenian առողջություն (aroghjootyoon) "Health" շնորհակալություն (shnorhakalutyun) "Thank you"
Assamese মঙ্গল হওক (môngôl hôwk) "May good happen." Unknown Unknown
Azeri Sağlam ol, or sometimes Afiat (see Persian) "Be healthy." Sağ ol Thank You
Bangla [Bangladesh] Yarhamukallah (আল্লাহ তোমার উপর রহম দান করুন)
[India] Jibah Jibah (জীবঃ জীবঃ)
"[Bangladesh] May Allah have mercy on you
[India] May you live long "
"Silence" "Silence"
Basque Doministiku, from Latin "dominus tecum" "The Lord be with you." Unknown Unknown
Belarusian будзь здаровы for both genders, or будзь здароў (Budz zdarovy / budz zdarou) for male and будзь здаровая (Budz zdarovaja) for female "Be healthy" for each gender дзякуй (dziakuj) "Thank you."
Bosnian Nazdravlje "To your good health." Hvala "Thank you."
Breton Doue d'ho pennigo. "God will bless you."
Bulgarian Наздраве (Nazdrave) "To your health." or "Cheers." Благодаря (Blagodarya) "Thank you."
Burmese Ta Baw Pout Pi Lar? "Understood?" or "Got it?" Hote, Pout Pi "Yes or No."
Khmer សុខភាព (sokhpheap) "Health" Unknown N/A
Catalan Jesús or Salut "Jesus." or "Health!" Gràcies "Thank you."
Cantonese '大吉利事/"好嘅". Sneezing in Southern Chinese culture means that someone is speaking ill behind your back. "A great fortunate occurrence."/ "A good one. " 唔好意思 "Excuse me."
Chechen Dukha vehil for male or Dukha yehil for female "Live for a long time." Dela reze hiyla "Thank you, literally means "I wish God will bless you"."
Chinese Chinese speakers don't typically comment on another person's sneeze. When someone does give a response, he or she might say 百岁 (bǎisuì).
More rarely there is the expression 多保重 (duōbǎozhòng)
"live to 100" (years old).
"Take care"
不好意思 (bùhǎoyìsi) "Excuse me."
Croatian Nazdravlje or Istina! "To your health." or "Truth!" Hvala "Thank you."
Czech Na zdraví or Pozdrav Pánbůh or Je to pravda "To your health." or "Bless God" or "It is true." Ať slouží or Dejž to Pánbůh (in reply to Pozdrav Pánbůh) "May it last." or "May God let it happen (bless you)"
Danish Prosit "May it help." Tak "Thank you."
Dutch Gezondheid, Proost, or if the person has sneezed three times, (Drie keer) morgen mooi weer "Health!", the equivalent of respectively "Gesundheit" as said in English, "Cheers", or if the person has sneezed three times, "(Three times) the weather will be nice tomorrow." Dank u (wel) formally, or Dank je (wel) "Thank you."
English (God) bless you "(God) bless you" Thank you "Thank you"
Esperanto Sanon "Health!" Dankon "Thank you"
Estonian Terviseks "For your health." Aitäh "Thank you"
Faroese Jesuspápi vælsigni teg! This can be shortened to Vælsigni teg! "May Jesus bless you." or "Bless you." Takk (fyri)! "Thanks (for [it])!"
Finnish Terveydeksi "For health!" Kiitos "Thank you"
French à tes / vos souhaits or Santé
Old-fashioned: à tes / vos amours after the second sneeze, and qu'elles durent toujours after the third. More archaically, one can say Que dieu te/vous bénisse.
"To your wishes" or "health". Old-fashioned: after the first sneeze, "To your loves." after the second, and "that they last forever" after the third. More archaically, the translation is "God bless you". Merci or Merci, que les tiennes durent toujours after the second sneeze "Thank you" or "Thanks, may yours last forever" after the second sneeze
Georgian იცოცხლე (itsotskhle) "Live long." გმადლობთ (gmadlobt) "Thank you."
German 1) Gesundheit!
2) Helf Gott!/Helfgott! (Southern Germany/Austria/Transylvanian-Saxon; archaic/mostly used by more or less religious elderly)[1][2]
3) Großwachsen! (Transylvanian-Saxon; from Romanian "Să creşti mare!"; used solely for children, usually after the usual "Gesundheit" for the first and/or second response)[3]
1) "Health!" (in the meaning of I wish you good health or I wish that you don't get sick)
2) "May God help you!"
3) "You shall grow tall!"
Danke (schön) "Thank you (very much)."
Greek στην υγεία σου (steen ygeia su) or γείτσες (geitses) "To your health!" or "Healths!" Ευχαριστώ (Efharisto) "Thank You"
Gujarati Ghanu Jivo "May God bless you with a long life." Aabhar "Thank You"
Hawaiian Kihe, a mauli ola, or simply Ola "Sneeze, and you shall live", or simply "live" Mahalo "Thank You"
Hebrew לבריאות (livri'oot or labri'oot) "To your health!" תודה (todah) "Thank you!"
Sanskrit शतम् जीवः (Shatam Jeevah), "चिरञ्जीवी भव" "Live 100 years", "May you live long "धन्यवादः, धन्यवादाः (Dhanyavaadah, Dhanyavaadaah)" "Thanks"
Hungarian Egészségedre! "To your health!" Köszönöm "Thank you."
Igbo Ndo "Sorry." Daalu "Thank you."
Icelandic Guð hjálpi þér! to first sneeze, styrki þig to second sneeze, og styðji to third sneeze.[4] This can be shortened to Hjálpi þér. "God help you!" to first sneeze, "strengthen you" to second sneeze, "and support." to third sneeze. This can be shortened to "Bless you." Takk fyrir "Thank you"
Indonesian Tuhan berkati "God bless." Terima Kasih "Thank you."
Irish Dia linn or Dia leat or Deiseal, which may be a form of Dia seal The first two both mean "God be with us." The last means "May it go right," but might be a form of "God with us for a while." gabh mo leithscéal "Excuse me."
Italian Salute! "Health!" Grazie or (ironic) Che se ne va The former meaning "Thank you", the latter (ironic) meaning "Which is going away"
Japanese お大事に (Odaiji-ni) as assuming one got cold. Or, an Asian superstition says that if one sneezes, they are being talked about by someone, somewhere. Note, however, that it is very rare for anyone to acknowledge a sneeze in Japan, and it is customary not to say anything at all. "Take care of yourself." すみません (sumimasen) or 失礼しました (shitsurei shimashita) "Sorry." or "Excuse me."
Kannada ದೇವರು ಕಾಪಾಡಲಿ (devaru kaapadali) "Let God protect you" 'ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು' "Thanks!"
Kazakh Сау Болыңыз (Saw Bolıñız) "Be healthy." Рахмет! "Thank you!"
Khmer ស្បើយ (S'baoi) "Fast recovery." សាធុ (Satu) "Amen"
Kirundi Kira "Be healthy." Twese "Us all."
Kinyarwanda Urakire "May you be healthy." Twese "Us all."
Korean 개치네쒜(gae-chi-ne-sswe)[5] or 에이쒜(e-i-sswe).[6] However, in Korean culture, the practice of responding to someone's sneeze is rare. Only a small number of old people use these words. These may be based on an onomatopœia of the sound of a sneeze
Kurdish Kher be inshalla. Many times when one sneezes, they say that the thing they are about to do will not happen. So, a listener says Kher be. "It will be a good thing, God willing," or the shorter version, "A good sign hopefully." Unknown Unknown
Kyrgyz Ак чүч! [aqˈt͡ʃut͡ʃ]. This may be based on an onomatopœia of the sound of a sneeze, like the English "Atchoo." Рахмат, if the person who spoke after the sneeze is liked. "Thank you."
Ladino Vivas, or Crescas after a second sneeze. "May you live," or "May you grow" after a second sneeze. Unknown Unknown
Latgalian Veseleibā "To your health." Paldis "Thank you."
Latvian Uz veselību "To your health." Paldies "Thank you."
Lithuanian Į sveikatą {pronounced 'EE sweh kata'} [7] "To your health." Says Atsiprašau immediately; responds to a responder with Ačiū. Says "Excuse me" immediately; responds to a responder with "Thank you."
Lojban No set phrase, but one commonly says kanro .a'o (kanro aho) or .a'o do kanro. "[hopefully] Health!" or "[said with hope] You are healthy," respectively. Unknown Unknown
Luganda Bbuka "Recover." Unknown Unknown
Luxembourgish Gesondheet "Health!" Merci "Thank you."
Macedonian На здравје (na zdravye) "To your health." Здравје да имаш (zdravye da imash) or Благодарам(blagodaram) or Фала (fala) "Have health yourself." or "Thank you." or "Thanks."
Malayalam Depending on the religion, one would say Hari Krishna (ഹരി കൃഷ്ണാ ) or Eesho rakshikka (ഈശോ രക്ഷിക്ക) Let Lord Krishna bless you or Jesus save you നന്ദി Thanks
Maltese Evviva "May he/she live." An alternate translation is "Long live _____." Grazzi "Thank you."
Marathi सत्य आहे "It's the Truth" Unknown Unknown
Mongolian Бурхан өршөө (Burkhan örshöö) "May God forgive you." Unknown Unknown
Navajo T'áá bí ání
or Háíshį́į́ naa ntsékees / naa yáłti'
"That/the one said it" (lit. "S/he in particular said it") or "Someone is thinking of you / talking about you" 'Aoo' t'áá bí ání (in response to "Someone is thinking / talking about you") "Yes, that/the one said it"
Nepali चिरञ्जीवी भव (Chiranjeevi Bhawa) "May you live long." धन्यवाद (Dhan-ya-bad) "Thank You"
Norwegian Prosit From Latin "[tibi] prosit," lit. "May it be of benefit [to you]." Takk "Thank you."
Afaan Oromo Gudadhu Huddu Sarre Dhungadhu "Progress." Galatoomi "Thank you."
Pashto صبر (Sah-bur). "Patience" مننه (Mah-nah-nah). "Thank you."
Persian عافیت باشه (Afiat Basheh). "May Cleanliness/Purity be bestowed upon you," or "may it be for your health." The sneezer will often say سلامت باشید (Salaamat Bashid). The sneezer will say "Be healthy."
Polish Na zdrowie! or Sto lat! or Zdrówko! (a diminutive form of "zdrowie" – health) "To your health!" or "Live a hundred years!" or "[To your] health!" Dziękuję / Dzięki. Thank you / Thanks.
Portuguese Saúde or Deus te crie or Deus te abafe or Santinho! These mean, in order: "Health" or "May God raise you" or "May God keep you covered (as in warm and covered)" or "Little Saint!" obrigado/a or Amém "Thank you" or "Amen."
Punjabi ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ (Waheguru) or ਤੇਰਾ ਭਲਾ ਹੋਵੇ! "Glorious Lord" or "May you be blessed," respectively. Thanvaad "Thank you"
Romanian 1) Sănătate/Sănătos or Noroc
2) Să creşti mare! (for children; usually "Noroc" comes first, then "Sănătate" and, as a third option, "Să creşti mare!")[8]
1) "To your health/Healthy" or "To your luck," respectively.
2) "May you grow up!"
Mulţumesc Thank you
Russian будь здоров (bood' zdorov) for male (informal) or будь здорова (bood' zdorova) for female (informal) or будьте здоровы (boot'tye zdorovy) for both genders (formal).
правду говорю (pravdu govor'u) if someone sneezes while talking.
"Be healthy."
"I'm telling the truth."
спасибо (spasiba) "Thank you."
Serbian 1) Наздравље
2) Pis Maco mostly used with children
1) "To your health."
2) "go away kitten" as sound of sneezing often sounds like cat's cough
Хвала or less frequently Истина or Здравље да имаш. "Thank you," or less frequently "It is true" or "Health you have".
Sinhala ආයුබෝවන් (Ayubowan) "Have a long life." Thank you "Thank you"
Slovak Na zdravie "To your health." Ďakujem "Thank you."
Slovenian Na zdravje, Res je or the old-fashioned Bog pomagaj "To your health," "it is true" or "God help to you." Folk belief has it that a sneeze, which is involuntary, proves the truth of whatever was said just prior to it. Hvala "Thank you."
Spanish In Latin America, Salud, or Dios te bendiga. In Spain, it can also be Jesús after the first, María after the second and y José after the third, while in Latin America, particularly in Venezuela, Colombia and Argentina, it's replaced by salud after the first, dinero after the second and amor after the third. "To your health", "Jesus", or "God bless you", or "Jesus" after the first, "Mary" after the second and "and Joseph" after the third in Spain, while in Latin America, they say health, money and love. Gracias "Thank you"
Kiswahili Afya or often, no response "Health" Asante "Thank you."
Swedish Prosit Latin prōsit (“may it be good”), the third-person singular present active subjunctive of prōsum ("to be good"): literally "may it be good (for you)" Tack "Thank you."
Tamil Needu valgha Also, Dheergayusu, Poornayusu, Sadayusu, "Cheeranjeevi bhava" "Live long." Different variations of long life after consecutive sneezes., "Live long" Nandri "Thank You"
Telugu Chiranjeevi bhava or దీర్ఘాయుష్మాన్ భవ "May you be blessed with a life without death," or "may you live long." "ధన్యవాద" "Thank You"
Turkish Çok yaşa followed by Sağlıklı yaşa if a second sneeze occurs "Live long, live healthy." Sen de gör or Hep beraber or 'Siz de görün "And I hope that you live to see it [my long life]," or "All together," or "And may you witness it [my long life]," respectively.
Ukrainian будь здоровий (BООD' zdoh-RO-vyy) to an informal male sneezer, будь здорова (BООD' zdoh-RO-va) to an informal female sneezer, or будьте здорові (BООD'-te zdoh-RO-vee) to a formal sneezer. На здоров'я! (na zdoh-RO-v-ia). Правда (pra-vda) if person sneezes while other person's speech. "Be healthy." "To your health!" "It is true." дякую (DIA-koo-you) "Thank you."
Urdu yar-hum-o-kullah (First the person who sneezed says "Alhamdulillah," i.e., praise be to God) "May God have mercy on you." Yah-de-kum-ullah "May God guide you to the right path."
Uzbek Sogʻ boʻling or Salomat boʻling "Be healthy." Rahmat "Thank you."
Vietnamese Cơm muối. In Vietnamese culture, the custom of responding to someone's sneeze is very rare. "Rice with salt." Cảm ơn/Cám ơn "Thank you."
Welsh Bendith or Bendith [Duw] arnat ti (familiar) or Bendith [Duw] arnoch chi (respectful) "God's blessing on you." Diolch "Thank You"
Yiddish זײַ געזונט (zay gezunt), or צו געזונט (tzu gezunt) after a second sneeze. Another response among Yiddish and Hebrew speaking Jews is אסותא (asute), from Aramaic. "Be healthy," "to health," and "health," respectively. A sneezer responds to his or her own sneeze with חיים (chaim) in another Jewish custom. "Life."
Yoruba kara o le (cara oh lay) "Be healthy" ose (oh shay) "Thank you."
See also[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sneeze.
Look up sneeze in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Photic sneeze reflex
Snatiation
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Duden (in German), DE/RO
Jump up ^ Duden (in German), DE/RO
Jump up ^ "Siebenbürgisches Wörterbuch zwischen Ajuria und Ziweben" by Monika Ronneberger (in German), DE/RO
Jump up ^ Visindavefur (in Icelandic), IS .
Jump up ^ The Korean Standard Unabridged Dictionary(in Korean)
Jump up ^ The Korean Standard Unabridged Dictionary(in Korean)
Jump up ^ ThemeFuse (26 April 2012). "Say Cheers in 50 Different Languages". Retrieved 5 July 2017.
Jump up ^ dict.leo.org (in German), RO
Further reading[edit]
Barbara Mikkelson (2001). "Bless You!" Urban Legends Reference Pages.
Karen Stollznow (2014) "“God Bless You!” – A Blessing in Disguise?" "Skeptic Magazine (19) 4.
The Origins of Popular Superstitions and Customs - T. Sharper Knowlson (1910), a book that listed many superstitions and customs that are still common today.
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