This virtual gallery tour introduces you to some of the winged figures in the NCMA collection, starting from the most ancient objects and moving forward through time. What can we learn from these figures, and from the wings themselves? When looking at these objects, keep these questions in mind:
Angels are perhaps the first thing people think of when they imagine winged figures, and the gilded wings on this statue are particularly beautiful and realistic. Angels were not always depicted with wings, however. The first depiction appears in the 4th century C.E., around the same time that the Roman Empire adopted Christianity as its official religion.
Winged Warrior Ii
This painting does not directly depict figures from either religion or mythology. However, like Nike, who represents victory, and Eros, who represents love, this painting is meant to represent the idea of music. The winged infants depicted here, sometimes called cupids or putti, are most often associated with secular art and are also evolutions of ancient winged figures. A small quiver of arrows in the bottom right recalls Eros, whom we saw on the Lebes Gamikos. Indeed, Cupid is the Roman name for Eros. These winged infants are often mistakenly called cherubim, who, though similar in appearance, are depicted in religious as opposed to secular contexts.
Rodin first created this sculpture as a submission to a competition for a public monument that would commemorate the defense of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. It was rejected, which Rodin attributed to the starkness of the violence depicted. The sculpture alludes to both sacrifice and liberty. It depicts a fallen soldier who is leaning against and gazing up at a winged figure symbolizing liberty.
Fascinating and well-researched, Rachel! Thanks for your contributions to the museum! I did a tour on birds before the long-year(s) of no touring which included a few winged humanoids, but your focus is terrific!
Biologically improbable due to human bone and muscle structure (though at the same time, usually easy to rationalize at first glance due to the nature of our shoulders), and if they're intended for actual flight, you may have to write off several laws of physics as well. Therefore, such characters are often assumed to be not entirely of this world, especially since the domain of birds shares a name with God's kingdom: Heaven. This ties into the classic depictions of winged angels as well.
According to a morphological definition of castes, any alate or dealate (after mating) female with fully segmented flight thorax, regardless of its reproductive status. According to a functional definition of castes, any mated and egg-laying female of an ant colony. Ants can show huge divergence in body size between winged queens and wingless workers, and this is not the case in social wasps and bees (Peeters & Ito 2015).
Queens that emerge as adults without wings. As a result of the lack of wing muscles, the thorax is reduced (fusion of flight sclerites) and worker-like. However, reproductive organs are fully functional and allow sexual reproduction. Known from at least 49 genera (see current list of species). Can co-occur with winged queens in species where independent colony foundation alternates with colony fission (see Life History).
Both winged and ergatoid queens co-occur in various species (e.g. Chelaner leae, Technomyrmex brunneus ), though not necessarily within one colony. Queen polymorphism is claimed to have a genetic basis in Harpagoxenus sublaevis and Myrmecina graminicola.
Mating sequence in Myrmecina graminicola. Both winged and ergatoid queens attract males by emitting a sexual pheromone (secreted from the poison gland) onto the substratum or into the air. Males are attracted and search around until they find the gyne. After mating the wings are broken off and the queen founds a colony.
Both winged queens and gamergates (see below) occur in various species such as Euponera sikorae, Harpegnathos saltator, Platythyrea quadridenta, Pseudoneoponera tridentata and Rhytidoponera confusa.
Developmental anomalies that are morphologically intermediate between winged queens and workers. Infrequently reared in colonies, and poorly studied. Intercastes are conspicuous in ants because of the divergence winged/wingless, and also because queen-worker dimorphism in body size is often pronounced (Peeters 2019). In species where large samples of intercastes were examined, e.g. Temnothorax nylanderi, there is considerable heterogeneity in morphology (ocelli, thorax segmentation, gaster size). Reproductive organs (ovaries and spermatheca) may or may not be functional.
This table summarises terms used to describe female ants, both winged and wingless, reproductive and sterile. Note that terms referring to winged/dealate reproductive females vary across researchers, with the same term having different meanings in different studies.
For two centuries, the elaborate winged uniforms and menacing battle tactics of the Polish hussars dominated the battlefield. Coming across the winged hussars must have felt like something out of a fantasy novel, as their wings were a tactic to demoralize the enemy. Even though history remembers the hussars less than the vikings or samurai, they definitely deserve a slot among the toughest warriors in history.
As a shock cavalry, winged hussars not only needed to be well-versed in battle tactics, but their appearance also played a large role in terrifying their enemies from across the battlefield. Their long and hollow lances, fitted with metal tips, could be seen from great distances, and while longer than traditional jousting ones were lighter and more durable. They also carried with them a sword, sabre and a set of pistols, along with backswords, koncerz, hatchets and maces.
Of all the battles they fought, the 1702 Battle of Kliszów decimated the winged hussars, signaling their downfall. New innovations aimed at stopping cavalry charges drastically impacted their effectiveness, particularly the introduction of firearms. The hussars heavily relied on melee weapons like lances, axes and swords, while their enemies began to equip their soldiers with guns.
The much anticipated God of War: Ragnarök is set to release sometime in 2022, and will feature two new Valkyries. Players could encounter nine of these winged warriors in 2018's God of War. Norse Mythology has many Valkyries and adding only two may be a little surprising to some. Freya is their queen and she will play a prominent role in the sequel. The two new Valkyries revealed, named Hrist and Gna, may serve a similar purpose to the previous warriors in the first game.
In Norse Mythology, these elite female soldiers bring half of the chosen dead to Odin in Valhalla, while Freya takes the other deceased heroes. One of the best God of War sidequests involved the Valkyries, who were cursed by Odin after his wife left him. There are eight intense fights for Kratos to overcome, unlocking one final battle with Sigrun. While there is not necessarily a massive payoff to completing the side quest, players do get to learn fascinating lore from Mimir as they free the Valkyries. The two additional warriors in the sequel will not be enough to replicate a similar pursuit, but Freya might have other plans for them.
According to the God of War Wiki on Hrist, her name means "The quaking one" and she is a Valkyrie with the power of immortality. This would not be the first time players have had to fight a powerful entity. During the final battle of God of War, Kratos defeated the immortal god Baldur. The second Valkyrie that was announced for God of War: Ragnarök is Gna. In Mythology, this character is a Norse Goddess and a messenger for the gods. Making her a Valkyrie is not the first time that the series has taken some liberty with these fantastical stories. The whole God of War franchise started with Kratos fighting against the Greek Pantheon. While the two new Valkyries may not be as numerous as the winged warriors in the previous game, players may still be rewarded handsomely.
Nobody really knows if they are just doing what they are trained to do or if they are truly winged warriors. But they are a tool that we have been able to use to our advantage, and they have been incredibly valuable in wartime.
MedeaClass: CasterMaster: Souichirou Kuzuki Alignment: Neutral EvilSex: FemaleHeight: 163cmWeight: 51kgWeapon: NoneSTR: ECON: DAGI: CMGI: A+LCK: BNoble Phantasm: CLegendMedea, the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis in Greece, was a priestess taught by Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. While she was raised without any discomfort, her fate was shaken greatly by the arrival of the ship Argo that sought the Golden Fleece.Having fallen under the goddess Aphrodite's curse to fall in love with Jason, the Argo's captain, Medea stole the Golden Fleece from her father and attempted to flee the country together with Jason. Furthermore, to stall her father's ship that had been following them, she violently tore her brother to pieces and scattered his remains in the sea. With this, Medea lost a home she could return to, and came to be despised as a "witch" by the people. After that, Medea, in order to let her beloved Jason sit on the throne, continued to murder any opposition with magic and strategy, but her practices disgusted Jason and caused him to gradually become adverse to her. Eventually, Jason switched his interests to another woman, going so far as to have children, which Medea could not forgive. She murdered his new wife and children with magecraft, the brokenhearted Jason undergoing a miserable last moment.Thus, Medea's obsessiveness and cruelty made calling her a "witch" appropriate, but despite committing inhuman deeds, she herself received no reward from this. Theories have been left behind that Medea, who achieved an immortal body from her devotion to the study of magecraft, became the reigning queen of the paradise, Elysium.TacticsHaving mastered magecraft from the Age of the Gods, Medea possessed extraordinary power as a magus. However, because her physical ability as a Servant was the lowest, she was at a disadvantage in battles against Servants with high Magic Resistance. Consequently, she faced the battles with basic tactics, avoiding personal combat to the best of her ability and using her Dragon Tooth Warriors as pawns. Even in combination with Kuzuki, he was the attacker and she bore the role of support with magecraft. She laid out a stratagem to summon Servant Assassin (Sasaki Kojirou) and order him to guard the Ryuudou temple gate while she gathered mana and used her own Noble Phantasm to destroy the other Servants' contracts and make them her allies.Class AbilitiesTerritory Creation: AThe ability to create a territory to gather mana is a special characteristic of the Caster class. Medea's inherent magical capacity is not that great but by expanding her territory to collect mana, it becomes possible for her to use high level magecraft. Moreover, because the place Medea selected to establish her territory is the underground limestone cave where the Greater Grail was instituted, Fuyuki City's greatest holy ground Ryuudou Temple, it is possible to gather an enormous amount of mana in a short time. She secured Ryuudou Temple as her main base solely to reserve enough mana to get Artoria and EMIYA to obey her after using "Rule Breaker" having summoning Servant Assassin independently. Furthermore, the influence of her created territory extends not only to Ryuudou Temple but also its surroundings. The rapid breakdown in the health of those inhabiting the periphery of the territory was because their life force was plundered for magical energy.Because she understood the importance of the Ryuudou Temple territory the best, Sasaki Kojirou was ordered to guard the temple gate, and the interior was fortified so it could not be invaded easily. Furthermore, immediately following the beginning of the Holy Grail War, Medea almost never left the Ryuudou Temple, instead hiding on the grounds and raising mana. However, as soon as she made the judgment that she had collected enough magical energy for combat, she left the territory and turned on to the offensive. Item Construction: AAnother skill granted to the Caster class. It is possible to construct enchanted tools, from implements of war to items for daily use. Many different articles can be made at will.The dragon tooth warriors on the next page were made using this ability. In addition, it is also possible to make magical implements known as Mystic Codes. As Mystic Codes are used as devices to supplement thaumaturgy, or wielded as tools to activate specific effects during magical combat, this is a typical skill for a magus to possess. However, with an Item Construction rank of A, there is a great difference between the Mystic Codes that other magi build and the artifacts that Medea can create. Also, this skill requires time to gather components and manufacture items. This is why she spent most of her efforts on Territory Creation and focused on creating dragon tooth warriors. Though it requires preparation and planning, given enough time Item Construction has the potential to be a formidable asset.Personal SkillsHigh-Speed Divine Words: AA skill that assists magical incantations. Normally, the length of an incantation increases with the scale of the thaumaturgy being performed, but this skill allows chants to be greatly abbreviated. It is particularly useful for direct attack magic. There are many examples of Medea personally using direct attack magic during the Holy Grail War, but in the fight against EMIYA she instantly unleashed countless blasts of light in an attack comparable to high thaumaturgy.Caption: As long as a caster using High-Speed Divine Words has enough prana, she can continually fire powerful thaumaturgical attacks.Golden Fleece: EXThe pelt of the golden-furred winged ram of Colchis. It contains the legend, "if thrown on the earth, a dragon will appear." Medea does not have the skill to summon the dragon, so she is unable to to do so even if she uses the Golden Fleece. This secret treasure might well have been the heart of the events that altered Medea's fate for the worse.The Golden Fleece appears in Greek mythology, beginning with the marriage of King Athamas of Thessaly to his second wife Ino. Ino, who despised the children Athamas had with his first wife, the cloud goddess Nephele, plotted to kill the prince Phrixus by telling the king a false oracle and sacrificing the prince in a ritual. But then, Phrixus rescued his sister Helle at the altar. Helle rode a winged ram with golden fleece to safety, brought to her by Hermes, one of the Twelve Olympians. With the help of his sister, Phrixus went to Colchis, sacrificed the meat of the golden ram to Zeus, and offered its pelt to King Aeetes of Colchis. From then on, the Golden Fleece was passed down as a secret treasure of the royal house of Colchis.MagecraftMedea used many different types of magic during the Holy Grail War. Against nearby humans, she employed mind control, hypnosis, and other spells to gather intelligence and eliminate threats. She also used magic to lure Emiya Shirou into her own workshop.In combat, she supported her Master Kuzuki Souichirou, who wielded the assassination technique "Snake." Souichirou, who seemed powerful enough to overwhelm a Servant, was actually being magically Reinforced to give him enough destructive power to damage a Servant.Additionally, Medea used spatial teleportation whenever she was attacked. This spell was highly versatile.Magecraft ToolDragon Tooth WarriorsMagic that uses dragon teeth as foci to create golems. This is one of the magics Medea specialized in, passed down to the king of Colchis long ago. The combat strength of one dragon tooth soldier is no match for a Servant, and even a human Master can deal with one. However, they are dangerous in large numbers. Medea used these golems to buy time to advance her plans. The dragon tooth soldiers are not necessarily homogeneous in appearance, showing variations in the weapons they wield.Noble PhantasmRule Breaker:Rank: CType: Anti-Thaumaturgy Noble PhantasmRange: 1 personA Noble Phantasm with an ability clearly unlike that of the other Servants' Noble Phantasms. Its efficiency as a weapon is virtually nil, but it has the ability to "break" (as in, "violation of commandment" or "transgression of law") any magic on a target pierced by its blade. Targets that can be broken are contracts formed from prana, and life forms born from prana. Rule Breaker can reset the condition of the target to the state before magic was used on it. In other words, contracts formed from prana are wiped clean, and life forms created from prana are forcibly sublimated. Thus, its utility is quite limited, but it is extremely powerful within the context of the Servant system of the Holy Grail War.In practice, Medea successfully used this Noble Phantasm to nullify the contracts between other Masters and their Servants. For a time, Artoria and EMIYA served Medea as her own Servants. 2ff7e9595c
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