Knights Templar

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Latin: Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Salomonici), commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of Solomon's Temple (French: Ordre du Temple or Templiers) or simply as Templars, were among the wealthiest and most powerful of the Western Christian military orders and were prominent actors in Christian finance. The organisation existed for nearly two centuries during the Middle Ages.

Officially endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church around 1129, the Order became a favoured charity throughout Christendom and grew rapidly in membership and power. Templar knights, in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, were among the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades. Non-combatant members of the Order managed a large economic infrastructure throughout Christendom, innovating financial techniques that were an early form of banking, and building fortifications across Europe and the Holy Land.

The Templars' existence was tied closely to the Crusades; when the Holy Land was lost, support for the Order faded. Rumours about the Templars' secret initiation ceremony created distrust, and King Philip IV of France, deeply in debt to the Order, took advantage of the situation. In 1307, many of the Order's members in France were arrested, tortured into giving false confessions, and then burned at the stake. Under pressure from King Philip, Pope Clement V disbanded the Order in 1312. The abrupt disappearance of a major part of the European infrastructure gave rise to speculation and legends, which have kept the "Templar" name alive into the modern day.

Templar (disambiguation)

Templar may refer to:

In fiction:

Hyperion Cantos

The Hyperion Cantos is a series of science fiction novels by Dan Simmons. The title was originally used for the collection of the first pair of books in the series, Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, and later came to refer to the overall storyline, including Endymion, The Rise of Endymion, and a number of short stories. Within the fictional storyline, the Hyperion Cantos is an epic poem written by the character Martin Silenus.

Of the four novels, Hyperion received the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1990;The Fall of Hyperion won the Locus and British Science Fiction Association Awards in 1991; and The Rise of Endymion received the Locus Award in 1998. All four novels were also nominated for various science fiction awards.

An event series is being developed by Bradley Cooper, Graham King, and Todd Phillips for Syfy based on the first novel Hyperion.

Works

Hyperion

First published in 1989, Hyperion has the structure of a frame story, similar to Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron. The story weaves the interlocking tales of a diverse group of travelers sent on a pilgrimage to the Time Tombs on Hyperion. The travelers have been sent by the Church of the Final Atonement, alternately known as the Shrike Church, and the Hegemony (the government of the human star systems) to make a request of the Shrike. As they progress in their journey, each of the pilgrims tells their tale.

Ruta graveolens

Ruta graveolens, commonly known as rue, common rue or herb-of-grace, is a species of Ruta grown as an ornamental plant and as an herb. It is native to the Balkan Peninsula. It is now grown throughout the world in gardens, especially for its bluish leaves, and sometimes for its tolerance of hot and dry soil conditions. It is also cultivated as a medicinal herb, as a condiment, and to a lesser extent as an insect repellent.

Uses

Traditional use

The Tacuinum Sanitatis, a medieval handbook on wellness, lists these properties of rue:

The refined oil of rue is an emmenagogue and was cited by the Roman historian Pliny the Elder and the gynecologist Soranus as a potent abortifacient (inducing abortion).

Rue, Switzerland

Rue is a municipality in the district of Glâne in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. On 1 January 1993 the former municipality of Blessens merged into Rue, followed by Promasens and Gillarens in 2001.

History

Rue is first mentioned in 1152 as Rota. The municipality was formerly known by its German name Rüw, however, that name is no longer used.

Geography

Rue has an area, as of 2009, of 11.2 square kilometers (4.3 sq mi). Of this area, 8.07 km² (3.12 sq mi) or 72.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.11 km² (0.81 sq mi) or 18.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.98 km² (0.38 sq mi) or 8.7% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.07 km² (17 acres) or 0.6% is either rivers or lakes and 0.01 km² (2.5 acres) or 0.1% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 4.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.8%. Out of the forested land, 15.3% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.5% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 36.8% is used for growing crops and 33.8% is pastures, while 1.3% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.

The Sprig of Thyme

Sprig of Thyme, The Seeds of Love, Maiden’s Lament, Garners Gay, Let No Man Steal Your Thyme or Rue (Roud #3) is a traditional British and Irish folk Ballad that uses fairly obvious botanical and other symbolism to warn young people of the dangers in taking false lovers. The song was first documented in 1689 and the many variants go by a large number of titles.

Synopsis

In one version of Maiden’s Lament, the narrator tells her audience to keep their gardens fair and not to let anyone steal their thyme. Once, she had a sprig of thyme but a gardener’s son came with a red rose, a blue violet and some bitter rue. He stole the thyme and left only rue, with its "running root", growing in its place. Her parents were angry but she will cut the head off the rose and plant a willow for all to see. There is many a "dark and cloudy morn brings forth a pleasant day" and "there are fine boats sailing here".

In a version of Let No Man Steal Your Thyme, she wishes she were in her lover’s arms but she tells false men not to give her cause to complain about the grass underfoot being "trodden down" – in time, it will rise again.