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Xolkriśgir: Difference between revisions
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'''Xolkriśgir''' (literally "colour fear" or "chromophobia") is a widespread superstition in many [[Coscivian]] cultures that {{wp|colour photography}} has damaging psychic or supernatural effects on its subjects | '''Xolkriśgir''' (literally "colour fear" or "chromophobia") is a widespread superstition in many [[Coscivian]] cultures that {{wp|colour photography}} has damaging psychic or supernatural effects on its subjects. ''Xolkriśgir'' has created an enduring taboo against colour photography in [[Kiravia]] and, to a lesser extent, among Coscivian minorities in other parts of the world. | ||
''Xolkriśgir'' was first documented in 21064 when Marcel des Vespasiennes, a [[Burgundie|Burgundian]] photographer and early pioneer of colour photography, visited [[Cities of Kiravia#Primóra|Primóra]] to demonstrate his technique to a meeting of the [[Hanoram]] Society of Gentleman Daguerreotypists. The audience was aware ahead of time that des Vespasiennes would be taking colour photographs and was, by all accounts, calm during his lecture until he displayed some examples of his work, at which point several members claimed to be ill and politely took their leave. Five members of the Society volunteered to pose for colour photographs after the lecture, which took several days to develop. None were known to have reported anything unusual during this time, though one of the subjects, a shipping insurer, never returned to the Society and went mysteriously missing several days later. However, when the first of the subjects, pipegrass merchant Rutilus Semperviren, was presented with the photograph of himself by des Vespasiennes, he began to scream uncontrollably. Semperviren was removed from the premises and treated with the highest-quality [[Daxian]] opium available, which succeeded in calming him,though when he emerged from his medically-induced trance he was found to be catatonic and remained so until his death four months later. Two of the other three subjects, according to their own letters and the accounts of their family members, were overcome with dread upon seeing their likenesses in colour. Although they retained their composure better then Semperviren, they suffered from "the most baleful night terrors" and acute lethargy for months, and underwent marked changes in personality and behaviour that appear to have persisted for the remainder of their lives. One of the men, Xiaroscur Fordelorean, left instructions in his will to forego Coscivian Orthodox funerary | ==History== | ||
There have been intensive efforts in anthropology and deep philology to understand the cultural roots of ''xolkriśgir''. These have focused on topics such as the ethno-metaphysical significance of [[colour in Coscivian culture]], {{wp|Aniconism|aniconist}} movements and mores in Coscivian history, and the sinister associations of {{wp|mirrors}} in Coscivian mythology, folklore, and literature. While no fully explanatory theories have yet emerged from this research, it does begin to elucidate the sensitive cultural context surrounding colour photography. | |||
===The Primóra Incident=== | |||
''Xolkriśgir'' was first documented in 21064 when Marcel des Vespasiennes, a [[Burgundie|Burgundian]] photographer and early pioneer of colour photography, visited [[Cities of Kiravia#Primóra|Primóra]] to demonstrate his technique to a meeting of the [[Hanoram]] Society of Gentleman Daguerreotypists. The audience was aware ahead of time that des Vespasiennes would be taking colour photographs and was, by all accounts, calm during his lecture until he displayed some examples of his work, at which point several members claimed to be ill and politely took their leave. Five members of the Society volunteered to pose for colour photographs after the lecture, which took several days to develop. None were known to have reported anything unusual during this time, though one of the subjects, a shipping insurer, never returned to the Society and went mysteriously missing several days later. However, when the first of the subjects, pipegrass merchant Rutilus Semperviren, was presented with the photograph of himself by des Vespasiennes, he began to scream uncontrollably. Semperviren was removed from the premises and treated with the highest-quality [[Daxian]] opium available, which succeeded in calming him,though when he emerged from his medically-induced trance he was found to be catatonic and remained so until his death four months later. Two of the other three subjects, according to their own letters and the accounts of their family members, were overcome with dread upon seeing their likenesses in colour. Although they retained their composure better then Semperviren, they suffered from "the most baleful night terrors" and acute lethargy for months, and underwent marked changes in personality and behaviour that appear to have persisted for the remainder of their lives. One of the men, Xiaroscur Fordelorean, left instructions in his will to forego Coscivian Orthodox funerary | |||
The Primóra incident was chronicled in the ''[[Primóra Moon]]'' and other papers in the major coastal cities, and was a topic of some public excitement in the city for several months, although... | The Primóra incident was chronicled in the ''[[Primóra Moon]]'' and other papers in the major coastal cities, and was a topic of some public excitement in the city for several months, although... | ||
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-Violent resistence | -Violent resistence | ||
==Manifestation== | |||
How ''xolkriśgir'' manifests itself and how it is understood vary greatly, and while some details of how people understand ''xolkriśgir'' are common to a particular demographic or geographic region, most appear to be idiosyncratic, suggesting to anthropologists that chromophobia should be approached not as a "folk belief" transmitted by oral tradition within a community, but rather as a "modern" mass-cultural phenomenon or enduring {{wp|moral panic}} that spreads and replicates itself through informally learned behaviour. Differences in how individuals believe the malign influence of colour photography "works" extend to its ascribed effects (e.g. whether any part of the body "counts" or just the face, whether the subject must pose voluntarily in order to lose their soul), how it is accomplished (e.g. whether the act of taking the photo does it, or it needs to be developed), and its finality (e.g. whether the effects are permanent or can be abrogated by destroying photographs of the afflicted person or through any kind of folk-ritual). Colour photographs of things other than people are fine? Sepia tone is okay? | How ''xolkriśgir'' manifests itself and how it is understood vary greatly, and while some details of how people understand ''xolkriśgir'' are common to a particular demographic or geographic region, most appear to be idiosyncratic, suggesting to anthropologists that chromophobia should be approached not as a "folk belief" transmitted by oral tradition within a community, but rather as a "modern" mass-cultural phenomenon or enduring {{wp|moral panic}} that spreads and replicates itself through informally learned behaviour. Differences in how individuals believe the malign influence of colour photography "works" extend to its ascribed effects (e.g. whether any part of the body "counts" or just the face, whether the subject must pose voluntarily in order to lose their soul), how it is accomplished (e.g. whether the act of taking the photo does it, or it needs to be developed), and its finality (e.g. whether the effects are permanent or can be abrogated by destroying photographs of the afflicted person or through any kind of folk-ritual). Colour photographs of things other than people are fine? Sepia tone is okay? | ||