A femme fatale (/ˌfæm fəˈtɑːl/ or /ˌfɛm fəˈtɑːl/; French: [fam fatal]) is a stock character of a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art. Her ability to entrance and hypnotise her victim with a spell was in the earliest stories seen as being literally supernatural; hence, the femme fatale today is still often described as having a power akin to an enchantress, seductress, vampire, witch, or demon, having power over men.
The phrase is French for "fatal woman". A femme fatale tries to achieve her hidden purpose by using feminine wiles such as beauty, charm, and sexual allure. In some situations, she uses lies or coercion rather than charm. She may also make use of some subduing weapon such as sleeping gas, a modern analog of magical powers in older tales. She may also be (or imply that she is) a victim, caught in a situation from which she cannot escape; The Lady from Shanghai (a 1947 film noir) is one such example.
Vamp (initiated in 1990) is a folk-rock band from Haugesund, Norway with founding members Øyvind Staveland, Calle Øyvind Apeland, Paul Hansen, Bjørn Berge, Odin Staveland and Tore Jamne. The band's musical profile is a mix of Norwegian traditional folk music combined with Celtic music and rock.
Vamp have so far (2013) released nine studio albums, collected ten gold records, three platinum records, two triple platinum and been awarded Spellemannprisen five times. After the success of I full symfoni, which is a live album from concerts with Kringkastingsorkesteret, they were among other things, named This years spellemann at the Spellemannprisen award in 2006.
They have a large and loyal fan base in power of both their music and the Norwegian lyrics. Most of the lyrics are written by Norwegian poets and writers. Most notable of their lyrical collaborators are Kolbein Falkeid, which they have worked with throughout his career. Falkeid has written the bulk of the lyrics on the first three albums, and his texts have been used in all the other albums as well. Another important contributor to text page is Arnt Birkedal which has contributed lyrics to most of the albums, as well as Ingvar Hovland, which has been the main contributor on the last two albums. Most of the music is written by Øyvind Staveland and at the beginning of their career Jan Toft contributed lyrics.
Priscilla Lyons (Vagabond) is a superhero in the Marvel Universe. Created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary, the character first appeared in Captain America #325 in January 1987. Within the context of the stories, Priscilla is an ally of Jack Monroe.
Vague is a mutant in the Marvel Universe. Created by Peter David and Larry Stroman, the character first appeared in X-Factor #80. Within the context of the stories, Vague could become transparent or invisible. She lost her abilities due to events of M-Day.
Vakume is a magical supervillain in the Marvel Universe. Created by Len Wein and George Pérez, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #186 in September 1977. Within the context of the stories, he is a member of Salem's Seven and is able to control air.
Valinor is the Black Knight's steed in the Marvel Universe. Created by Steven Parkhouse and John Stokes, the character first appeared in Hulk Comic #1 in March 1979. Within the context of the stories, Valinor is a magically enhanced horse from the extra-dimensional realm of Avalon. He serves as a steed of the Black Knight after he had given his previous steed Aragorn to the Valkyrie, and the Blood Wraith in battle against the Black Knight and the Avengers.
A woman is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent. The term woman is also sometimes used to identify a female human, regardless of age, as in phrases such as "women's rights". "Woman" may also refer to a person's gender identity. Women with typical genetic development are usually capable of giving birth from puberty until menopause. In the context of gender identity, transgender people who are biologically determined to be male and identify as women cannot give birth. Some intersex people who identify as women cannot give birth due to either sterility or inheriting one or more Y chromosomes. In extremely rare cases, people who have Swyer syndrome can give birth with medical assistance. Throughout history women have assumed or been assigned various social roles.
The spelling of woman in English has progressed over the past millennium from wīfmann to wīmmann to wumman, and finally, the modern spelling woman. In Old English, wīfmann meant "female human", whereas wēr meant "male human". Mann or monn had a gender-neutral meaning of "human", corresponding to Modern English "person" or "someone"; however, subsequent to the Norman Conquest, man began to be used more in reference to "male human", and by the late 13th century had begun to eclipse usage of the older term wēr. The medial labial consonants f and m in wīfmann coalesced into the modern form "woman", while the initial element, which meant "female", underwent semantic narrowing to the sense of a married woman ("wife"). It is a popular misconception that the term "woman" is etymologically connected with "womb", which is from a separate Old English word, wambe meaning "stomach" (of male or female; modern German retains the colloquial term "Wampe" from Middle High German for "potbelly"). Nevertheless, such a false derivation of "woman" has appeared in print.
Woman is a 1918 American silent film directed by Maurice Tourneur, an allegorical film showcasing the story of women through points in time. Popular in its day, the film was distributed in the State's Rights plan as opposed to a major distributor like Paramount or Universal. This film has been preserved in private collections and in major venues like the Museum of Modern Art and reportedly the Gosfilmofond Archive in Russia.
Some scenes were shot at Bar Harbor, Maine. It was here that one of Tourneur's cameramen, John van den Broek, lost his life while filming a scene close to the raging Atlantic Ocean. His body was swept out to sea and never found.
Prints of this film are held at Cineteca Del Friuli, Germona, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and Gosfilmofond of Russia, Moscow.
As described in a film magazine, a modern man and woman quarrel and, in reaction to his wife, the husband recalls all the women in history who have failed their husbands or lovers. Being in an unpleasant state, he recalls Adam in the garden with a very vain Eve who disports herself in a Broadway fashion and causes the downfall of caveman-like Adam. Then he dwells on the hideous betrayal of Claudius by an unfaithful Messilna. Next he recalls the useless ruination of Abelard by the charming Heloise. Following this episode he remembers Cyrene and the fisherman, where the wife basely deserted her husband and children to swim once more in her seal skin that had been hidden from her for many years. A particularly disagreeable episode in which a young woman during the American Civil War sacrifices a wounded soldier for a bauble. After this the modern woman returns and pins up a Red Cross poster, and the modern man sees the many women of today as more or less uninspiring. An epilogue noted how World War I made men realize the true value of women, and that women are working towards victory through good works in the Red Cross and other jobs.
Woman is an adult female human.
Woman also can refer to: