The Book Of Thel?

[Anonymous]

I don't understand what it's about.

I know that The Book of Thel is one of William Blake's works, but when the lyrics of the song are compared to Blake's original piece there are no similarities. The song has more in common with the story of Nebuchadnezzar who sent some of the Jews he had into thrown a furnace in Babylon (Daniel 3:20-23), whichis obviously the line "The Furnace sealed inside your head". There are other connections to Babylon such as "The Whore that never told her tale" and "The Harlot womb of Death".

William Blake also did a painting of Nebuchadnezzar.

However, the line "By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes" is from Macbeth. It is what the three witches say at some point.

So what is the connection between the Snake and Priestess with Thel? What has the Book of Thel got in connection with the temple? And what's that line about "The Marriage Hearse..." all about?

Any information on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[LooseCannon]

Try sending a PM to the Ancient Mariner, or maybe he'll come back here and post a link to the Bruce Dickinson Commentary he started.

 

[Shadow]

AM's commentary can be found here. It's still unfinished but some of the stuff in it is very interesting.

Book of Thel is a particularly intricate song and there are myriads of interpretations of the different lines and how they relate to each other. Not even Bruce seems to know exactly what it's about.

 

[Anonymous]

[!--quoteo(post=131173:date=Mar 8 2006, 03:37 PM:name=Shadow)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Shadow @ Mar 8 2006, 03:37 PM) [snapback]131173[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
AM's commentary can be found here. It's still unfinished but some of the stuff in it is very interesting.
[/quote]
Thanks for that. Most of what AM said is what i've already said anyway so I didn't learn much other than Bruce says that the song is about "sexuality and betrayal", which doesn't seem to fit in with the lyrics at all because the lyrics seem to dark. The lyrics still seem to me to have more in connection to Babylon than sexuality.

 

[Anonymous]

[!--quoteo(post=131195:date=Mar 8 2006, 09:12 PM:name=Ascendancy)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Ascendancy @ Mar 8 2006, 09:12 PM) [snapback]131195[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
that the song is about "sexuality and betrayal", which doesn't seem to fit in with the lyrics at all[/quote]

The whore that never told her tale
Relives it every night with you

The priestess stands before you
Offering her hand out, she's rising

Now the harlot womb of death
Spits out its rotten core

Happy that your end is swift
The weeping virgin cries in bliss
The snake and priestess, they are one
The veil of flesh is ripped undone

This stuff is so graphic I'd certainly pull it away from the hands of kids ::

[!--quoteo--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]The lyrics still seem to me to have more in connection to Babylon than sexuality.
[/quote]

1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

--Revelations 17:1-5. This stuff continues for pages.

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