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Hazezon Tamar is a beloved general, but where did he get that weird name?
Magic: The Encyclopedia is here to answer your question! Sit back and enjoy some Old Testament (Hebrew and English quoted from Mechon-Mamre.org) while I explain the depths of M:TG flavor.
Genesis, 14:7 -

וַיָּשֻׁבוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל-עֵין מִשְׁפָּט, הִוא קָדֵשׁ, וַיַּכּוּ, אֶת-כָּל-שְׂדֵה הָעֲמָלֵקִי—וְגַם, אֶת-הָאֱמֹרִי, הַיֹּשֵׁב, בְּחַצְצֹן תָּמָר
 And they turned back, and came to En-mishpat—the same is Kadesh—and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazazon-tamar.

Chronicles 2, 20:2 -

וַיָּבֹאוּ, וַיַּגִּידוּ לִיהוֹשָׁפָט לֵאמֹר, בָּא עָלֶיךָ הָמוֹן רָב מֵעֵבֶר לַיָּם, מֵאֲרָם; וְהִנָּם בְּחַצְצוֹן תָּמָר, הִיא עֵין גֶּדִי
Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying: ‘There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea from Aram; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar‘—the same is En-gedi.

In the above verses we see that Hazezon Tamar is not in fact a historical person, but a historical place. Interestingly, in both Genesis and Chronicles it is mentioned in association with a battle. In Genesis it is mentioned as the dwelling place of the Amalekites and Amorites that was sacked by Chedarlaomer, the King of Elam. In Chronicles it is the site of a most miraculous victory by the Israelites over a massive army sent against them from Aram (the Preists sang and the Lord caused the invading army to be slain by an ambush and internal strife; note that in Genesis Abraham ends up conquering Chedarlaomer with an ambush in the nighttime… parallels abound).
Most interesting in my opinion are the locations that the Bible identifies as Hazezon Tamar. In Genesis, the location is identified as En-Mishpat/Kadesh, a desert area. Chronicles that tells us Hazezon Tamar is in fact En-Gedi. Ein Gedi is an Oasis in Israel- that means it is a small area of water and greenery in the middle of a desert. What better place to gather together an army of Sand Warriors?
Pro-Tip: if you are looking to add to your Sand creature count, try this guy.
Bonus: I have attached a picture of my Hazezon Tamar foil proxy. If you’d like to use it, here is my post on MTG Salvation.
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Hazezon Tamar is a beloved general, but where did he get that weird name?

Magic: The Encyclopedia is here to answer your question! Sit back and enjoy some Old Testament (Hebrew and English quoted from Mechon-Mamre.org) while I explain the depths of M:TG flavor.

Genesis, 14:7 -

וַיָּשֻׁבוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל-עֵין מִשְׁפָּט, הִוא קָדֵשׁ, וַיַּכּוּ, אֶת-כָּל-שְׂדֵה הָעֲמָלֵקִי—וְגַם, אֶת-הָאֱמֹרִי, הַיֹּשֵׁב, בְּחַצְצֹן תָּמָר


 And they turned back, and came to En-mishpat—the same is Kadesh—and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazazon-tamar.

Chronicles 2, 20:2 -

וַיָּבֹאוּ, וַיַּגִּידוּ לִיהוֹשָׁפָט לֵאמֹר, בָּא עָלֶיךָ הָמוֹן רָב מֵעֵבֶר לַיָּם, מֵאֲרָם; וְהִנָּם בְּחַצְצוֹן תָּמָר, הִיא עֵין גֶּדִי

Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying: ‘There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea from Aram; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar‘—the same is En-gedi.

In the above verses we see that Hazezon Tamar is not in fact a historical person, but a historical place. Interestingly, in both Genesis and Chronicles it is mentioned in association with a battle. In Genesis it is mentioned as the dwelling place of the Amalekites and Amorites that was sacked by Chedarlaomer, the King of Elam. In Chronicles it is the site of a most miraculous victory by the Israelites over a massive army sent against them from Aram (the Preists sang and the Lord caused the invading army to be slain by an ambush and internal strife; note that in Genesis Abraham ends up conquering Chedarlaomer with an ambush in the nighttime… parallels abound).

Most interesting in my opinion are the locations that the Bible identifies as Hazezon Tamar. In Genesis, the location is identified as En-Mishpat/Kadesh, a desert area. Chronicles that tells us Hazezon Tamar is in fact En-Gedi. Ein Gedi is an Oasis in Israel- that means it is a small area of water and greenery in the middle of a desert. What better place to gather together an army of Sand Warriors?

Pro-Tip: if you are looking to add to your Sand creature count, try this guy.

Bonus: I have attached a picture of my Hazezon Tamar foil proxy. If you’d like to use it, here is my post on MTG Salvation.

el·o·cu·tion
[el-uh-kyoo-shuhn]
noun
1. a person’s manner of speaking or reading aloud in public: The actor’s elocution is faultless.
2. the study and practice of oral delivery, including the control of both voice and gesture.

In Western classical rhetoric, elocution was one of the five core disciplines of pronunciation, which was the art of delivering speeches. Orators were trained not only on proper diction, but on the proper use of gestures, stance, and dress.

midnightbluegirl asked:

I came to the right blog :) My boyfriend is a big fan of magic and I love searching for amazing tumblr themes. I'm just wondering where did you get your tumblr theme? It's superb! I love the arrangement. you have this button which leads to reblog, google+ , twitter, facebook then you have this in the lower right side *views of pics you liked and views of who you follow.. I like how it looks like, did you made it yourself or got it somewhere? I want to have one, Can I? Please and Thank you!!

Hi, thanks so much for the props, but this theme is free! It is called Fluid by PixelUnion. I think there is a way to automatically install the theme of a page that you are on; “Install theme” in the top right of the page.

Ravnica previews continue!

In aerodynamics, a hypersonic speed is one that is highly supersonic (even though the the origin of the words is the same—“super” is just the Latin version of the Greek “hyper”). Since the 1970s, the term has generally been assumed to refer to speeds of Mach 5 and above.

The precise Mach number at which a craft can be said to be flying at hypersonic speed varies, since individual physical changes in the airflow (like molecular dissociation and ionization) occur at different speeds; these effects collectively become important around Mach 5. The hypersonic regime is often alternatively defined as speeds where ramjets do not produce net thrust.

In real life, we seem to be having some issues creating craft that can reach (and maintain flight at) hypersonic speeds.

More Ravnica Previews!

There have been many Lich cards in Magic’s history. In fact, some of them turn YOU into a lich. But just what is a lich?

lich
noun British Obsolete.
1. the body; the trunk.
2. a dead body; corpse.

That much you may have deduced from your experience. Here is some more:

In modern fantasy fiction, a lich (sometimes spelled liche, cognate to Dutch lijk and German Leiche, both meaning “corpse”) is a type of undead creature. Often such a creature is the result of a transformation, as a powerful magician or king striving for eternal life uses spells or rituals to bind his intellect to his animated corpse and thereby achieve a form of immortality. Liches are depicted as being clearly cadaverous, their bodies desiccated or even completely skeletal. Liches are often depicted as holding power over hordes of lesser undead creatures, using them as soldiers and servants.
Unlike zombies, which are often depicted as mindless, part of a hivemind and/or under the control of some magician, a lich retains independent thought and is usually at least as intelligent as it was prior to its transformation. In some works of fiction, liches can be distinguished from other undead by their phylactery - an item of the lich’s choosing into which they imbue their soul, giving them immortality until the phylactery is destroyed.

Indeed (for those unfamilliar with the storyline), we know from the quick summary provided by “Ravnica: Then and Now” that

Savra’s brother Jarad, killed by the Blood Witch Lyzolda, returns as a lich and becomes guildmaster of the Golgari.

Getting ready for Ravnica!

roust·a·bout
[roust-uh-bout]
noun
1. a wharf laborer or deck hand, as on the Mississippi River.
2. an unskilled laborer who lives by odd jobs.
3. a circus laborer who helps in setting up and taking down the tents and in caring for the animals, equipment, and grounds.

As we all know, Rakdos is one big gruesome carnival, so I’d go with definition 3 on this one. But probably not the “caring for animals” aspect. I imagine that’s not a requirement for Rakdos roustabouts.

tictactardis:

The TARDIS in Monsters Inc! 

Ok, time to Encyclopedia something magical, but not quite M:TG.

  • IF this were to indeed be the door to the TARDIS (or some legal homage thereof), it would have been a super underground reference, because Monsters Inc. was released in 2001, more than four years before Dr. Who rebooted - after having been off the air for over a decade.
  • Under the two windows of the door in question is a white notice. That means it is the earliest version of the TARDIS as only the original TARDIS and most recent TARDIS have white notices (http://www.themindrobber.co.uk/tardis-police-box.html). If it is not in fact a coincidence, then it would be quite a tickling Easter Egg that almost no one would appreciate for the next 5 years.
  • These unlikelinesses led me to rewatch the scene.
  • Unfortunately, it is neither a coincidence nor intentional. It is Photoshopped.
  • As blurry as the screenshot I took is, I know for certain that there are no white windows or signs on that door. Feel free to watch the scene again. You’ll see no evidence of the TARDIS.
  • This is the door in front of Boo’s door from the previous shot:
  • I too am dismayed. But that is definitely NOT the TARDIS door.

Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum (a hydrous sulfate of calcium) and calcite (a carbonate of calcium). The latter is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the former is the alabaster of the ancients. Both are easy to work, with an attractive appearance, and have been used for making a variety of artworks and objects, especially small carvings.

Extra: 6 earlier Alabaster cards!

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