Zenobia Book Series: Diana

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Take our Zenobia Survey:

Before you read Russ Wallace's book Zenobia - Birth of a Legend had you ever heard about Zenobia?

I have found that most people never have and are shocked to learn Zenobia- Birth of a Legend is based on a true historical figure.

On our blog please take the survey and let us know.

In our pursuit to know Zenobia better we've found very few articles about her life. They all vary a little but most all agree on her intelligence, strength, and beauty.

Here are a few quotes from articles on Zenobia. Enjoy! We hope, like us, your desire to learn more about this extraordinary woman grows and her story will be well-known by everyone.

http://royalwomen.tripod.com/id16.html
"Zenobia was prepared for her role as queen. She was fluent in many languages, like Cleopatra: Greek, Latin, Egyptian, and Amharic. She was a beauty, also like Cleopatra. It is said that her voice was very harmonious, that her teeth were pearly white, that her eyes and hair were very dark, and she had manly strength."

"She had a great sense of humor. One tale goes that when Zenobia was to judge a trial about a merchant who overcharged his customers, she brought the merchant into an arena. Thinking he was going to be attacked by a beast, Zenobia let the cage open and out popped a chicken."

http://www.otto-graph.com/samples/4/zenobia.html

"Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, was brave, intelligent, level headed, practical and chocked full of sheer, raw, devil-may-care attitude...a beautiful, courageous woman, a personification of all women's values and possibilities."

http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/196205/queen.zenobia.htm

"Brave as Diana and beautiful as Venus men called her; known for her wisdom, too, for had not Longinus, the philosopher, the "walking university," come out of Athens to instruct her and make her worthy of any throne? Did she not know Greek, Egyptian, Aramaic and a little Latin? She had compiled a history as well, and was versed in Plato and Homer."

*This article appeared on pages 12-13 of the May 1962 print edition of Saudi Aramco World.Volume 13, Number 5

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Tuesday Teaser

Today we share a scene of Longinus, the critical thinking Professor and Zenobia discussing the Gods. There were lots of different beliefs and all interested her. Read below from book two, Zenobia - Challenging a Legend as they discuss the Gods.

Longinus became pensive, wondering how she would react to his argument. “Let us look at Zeus, the chief god to the Greeks. He supposedly was a creator. However, Greek theology teaches that he was also a rapist, taking on the shapes of animals and forcing himself on women. A superhuman deity with subhuman morals or ethics. I simply cannot believe that such a god, if he were real, would care about making things for us to enjoy. It is inconsistent.”

“I had not thought about that side of it,” Zenobia confessed, “but your analysis makes sense, as usual. Plus, a god who so misbehaves certainly does not merit our worship.”

“Since we humans have a capacity to enjoy such a variety of things, it seems that we were designed that way. Whoever created us must have wanted us to delight in our lives. In no way does that fit with the descriptions of the gods of the nations. I have concluded that there has to be a creator, or creators, that truly care about mankind. The other gods appear to be merely the imaginings of men, who have envisioned their gods in their own likenesses, with their own weaknesses. Those gods I can never believe in.”

“Then why” Zenobia pressed, “do most people believe in all these gods?”

“Habit. Community pressure. Fear. Lack of an alternative. Certainly not logic.”

The Goddess who was know as a huntress and proficient with her bow and arrow was compared to Zenobia. When she won an archery contest with her new bow and arrow, Brutus who took second said, "“Well done, Diana!” Brutus told the victor. “I am not sure that even seeing it I believe it!” (http://geodepress.com/thinking-thursday-zenobia-wins/)

In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the woodlands, of wild animals, and of hunting. Artists usually portrayed her as a virgin hunter, often with a bow and quiver, accompanied by maidens, hunting dogs, or deer.