Beheaded for Love: A Mini-Essay

     In the New Testament, Salomé, the daughter of Herod II and Herodias, becomes enamored by John the Baptist and, in an effort to seduce him, performs the Dance of the Seven Veils. Her efforts fail and the jilted woman demands his head, which is presented to her on a silver platter. The image of her kissing his cold, dead lips has been replayed through art and literature for millennia. It is not, though, the only famous instance of unrequited love prompting a beheading. For centuries, painters and writers have recounted tales – some factual and others fictional – of decapitated lovers. In Japanese literature, the Heike Monogatari (written sometime before 1330) relates the story of a sixteen-year-old samurai, Taira no Atsumori, who is beheaded in the battle of Ichinotani by the spiteful Kumagai Naozane, a member of the enemy’s forces who falls madly in love with the young man. Stendhal’s 1830 novel, Le Rouge et le Noir, tells the story of Mathilde de la Mole, the imbalanced daughter of the Marquis, who develops an unhealthy obsession with Julien Sorel – an employee of her father who Mathilde believes is a mirror image of her ancestor Boniface de la Mole – and, at the close of the novel, confiscates Sorel’s guillotined head. Twenty-seven years later, the French poet Charles Baudelaire penned “Une Martyre,” which narrates the tale of a young woman decapitated by her lover. And, in 1907, Albert von Keller’s painting Die Liebe depicted the titular character as a triumphant figure standing beside the lover she has beheaded. In each case (and many others), unreciprocated adoration drives one individual to murder another. What, hence, would trigger such behavior? 
     Psychologist Deborah South Richardson claims that people are more prone to commit acts of aggression on individuals they have a close relationship with rather than strangers. Indeed, these relationships – whether real or perceived – have more significance in our lives than casual encounters and, as a result, prompt deeper emotions than the polite and superficial sensations of daily interactions. So, we are more willing to show anger toward a loved one rather than a stranger. Yet, what would spawn the unsavory actions of Salomé or Kumagai Naozane? According to Aaron Ben-Ze’ev, the pang of rejection is a powerful factor: “A lack of reciprocity – this is, the knowledge that the one you love does not love you – is painful and humiliating, because it is a profound blow to your self-esteem. Unrequited love is painful and this pain can drive you to hurt the one you love.” Hence, as Richardson emphasizes, we are more emotionally involved with the relationships closest to us and, as Ben-Ze’ev highlights, the humiliation caused when these feelings are not reciprocated can lead to aggression and the desire to inflict pain. In typical circumstances, as Ben-Ze’ev and Richardson explain, this backlash occurs through biting words or slight passive-aggressive actions. In rare instances marred by severe co-dependency or psychological delusions (Mathilde’s detrimental fascination with Julien, for example), unstable individuals, Ben-Ze’ev and Richardson argue, will perform irrational acts to inflict upon someone the pain of rejection. In the case of Salomé and her peers, it is the head of their disinterested infatuation on a silver platter.

Works Referenced 

Ben-Ze’ev, Aaron. The Subtlety of Emotions. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2000.

Baudelaire, Charles. “Une Martyre.” Les Fleurs de Mal. France: Auguste Poulet-Malassis, 1857.

Heike Monogatari. Trans. A.L. Sadler. Japan: Yushodo Booksellers, 1965.

Stendhal. Le Rouge et le Noir. France: A. Lavesseur, 1830.

Richardson, Deborah South. “Everyday Aggression Takes Many Forms.” SAGE 23.3 (2014): 220-224.

Von Keller, Albert. Die Liebe. 1907, oil on canvas, unknown collection.

Crystal Ball (Version Two)

$25 - $30 (based on 2015 prices)

Makes one crystal ball

For my first crystal ball, I wanted to give the illusion of rolling fog beneath the globe’s glimmering surface (learn how to make that prop here). For my second version, I wanted to build upon the fog concept and incorporate the element of a spirit board. To achieve this, I used adhesive lettering to wrap the traditional design of the board around the globe and frosted its glass. The color-changing LED light completed the effect perfectly. Unfortunately, the prop broke while in storage following 2015’s haunt. To prevent this, try using a clear plastic light fixture rather than a glass one.

• One metal candle holder with a four-inch opening
• One large plastic spider
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in metallic brown
• One 7½” clear glass globe with 4” fitter
• One package of alphabetical and numerical stickers
• One 11 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying frosted glass spray paint
• One LED, multicolored pumpkin light

1. Glue the plastic spider to the side of the candle holder. It helps if the underside of the spider is flat and you use a superglue intended for a variety of surfaces. Although I chose one large spider as a decorative focal point, you are free to cover the holder with several smaller spiders to add more detail.

2. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give the candle holder a few even coats of metallic spray paint. I used two, but you may apply more or less depending on your desired coverage. Also, select a paint which adheres to both metal and plastic, especially if you plan to utilize multiple spiders for decoration. 

3. Adhere the alphabetical and numerical stickers to the glass globe. I wanted the design to mirror that of a spirit board, so I kept one nearby as a reference. To give the stickers a smooth surface, clean the globe prior to the application. Likewise, purchase a set of stickers with more than one of each number and letter (this gives you a backup in case stickers tear or the adhesive fails).

4. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give the globe several even coats of frosted glass paint. I wanted the glass to have an opaque appearance to contrast with the clear lettering, so I used four coats. If you want a lighter coverage, use less.

5. Once the paint has dried, carefully remove the stickers. Place the LED light in the base of the candle holder and rest the globe’s fitter into the holder’s opening. If you want to add additional detail, add voodoo beads (learn how to make them here) or other trinkets to the prop.

"The True Lover" (A Poem)

I have always held a deep fondness for the poetry of Alfred Edward Housman. His precise and melodious rhymes often explore the fragility of humankind. A professor of Latin at University College London and, later, Cambridge, Housman spent much of his life pining for the love of Moses Jackson, his fellow classmate from St. John’s College in Oxford. As a result, much of his work possesses a somber pain. In “The True Lover,” the poet weaves a disturbing story of the macabre actions undertaken by one man to prove his enduring love. 

The lad came to the door at night, 
When lovers crown their vows, 
And whistled soft and out of sight 
In shadow of the boughs.

"I shall not vex you with my face 
Henceforth, my love, for aye; 
So take me in your arms a space 
Before the east is grey."

"When I from hence away am past
I shall not find a bride, 
And you shall be the first and last 
I ever lay beside."

She heard and went and knew not why; 
Her heart to his she laid; 
Light was the air beneath the sky 
But dark under the shade.

"Oh do you breathe, lad, that your breast 
Seems not to rise and fall, 
And here upon my bosom prest 
There beats no heart at all?"

"Oh loud, my girl, it once would knock, 
You should have felt it then; 
But since for you I stopped the clock 
It never goes again."

"Oh lad, what is it, lad, that drips 
Wet from your neck on mine? 
What is it falling on my lips, 
My lad, that tastes of brine?"

"Oh like enough 'tis blood, my dear, 
For when the knife has slit 
The throat across from ear to ear 
'Twill bleed because of it."

Under the stars the air was light 
But dark below the boughs, 
The still air of the speechless night, 
When lovers crown their vows. 

Works Referenced

Housman, Alfred Edward. “The True Lover.” The Collected Poems of A.E. Housman. New York, Henry Holt and Company, 1965. Pages 78-79.

Rotten Produce Baskets

$50 - $60 (based on 2016 prices)

Makes four baskets

For 2016’s theme, I littered the haunt with baskets of rotting produce. To save time during the set-up process, I pre-assembled the props. Also, to give the illusion that the baskets were fuller than my supplies permitted, I created fake bottoms. To cut costs, buy all of your baskets and produce at second-hand stores (and re-purpose old bones). Although it may take a while to accumulate the amount of vegetation you require, you’ll save quite a bit of money gradually allotting the supplies as opposed to purchasing everything at once from a craft store.

• One bag of cheap, plastic bones (roughly a dozen pieces)
• One 8 oz. can of oil-based interior wood stain in red chestnut*
• One one-inch foam brush
• Four wicker baskets in varying sizes
• One sheet of cardboard large enough to trace the outline of each basket’s opening
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black
• Several dozen pieces of fake produce
• Three bags of plastic cockroaches (roughly two dozen bugs per bag)
• Two to three 0.14 oz. bottles of superglue gel

1. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, stain the bones. I began by giving each one a light, even coat with a foam brush. After that, I applied heavy amounts of stain to the ends and patted away the excess with paper towels. You want the color to build up in the cracks and fissures. Although you may use whatever color of stain you desire, I chose red chestnut because it gives the bones a fresh, meaty appearance. Once you have achieved your intended look, allow the bones to completely dry. I let mine sit outside in the sun for three days.

2. Trace the outline of the basket’s opening on a sheet of cardboard and cut it out. To give the illusion that the basket is full, the cardboard will sit near the top and create a base for you to adhere the produce and bones. You will need to gradually trim the disk until it sits as high within the basket as you would like.

3. On a newspaper-line surface in a well-ventilated area, give the cardboard disk a few even coats of black spray paint. I used two; however, you may use more or less based on your preferences. Once the paint has dried, glue the disk into place. If you plan to display the prop outside, you may want to add weight to the bottom of the basket before this process. This will prevent the prop from being top-heavy and tipping over. 

4. Now that the new base has been created, arrange the produce on top of it and glue it down. For added realism, I tilted some on their sides and used a hacksaw to cut others in half, gluing the cut portions to the cardboard. Repeat the same process with the bones, cutting them in half, arranging them in the basket among the produce, and gluing them into place.

5. Glue cockroaches onto the basket and produce. Try not to over think your application (a random pattern produces the best results). For added detail, make holes in the wicker and arrange the bugs to make it appear as though they are crawling out of the openings. NOTE: The particular cockroaches I used were made with a slick plastic which did not adhere to hot glue. As a result, I used superglue gel to affix them to the prop.

 

6. If you want to give the props further depth or mask bare areas left uncovered by bones or produce, glue hay, raffia, or straw to the cardboard base.

7. For additional detail, superglue cockroaches to loose pieces of produce and scatter them throughout the display. You could also construct a basket resting on its side with bug-infested vegetation spilling out.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.