Antediluvian

The continent of Atlantis was an island

Which lay before the great flood

In the area we now call the Atlantic Ocean.

So great an area of land

That from her western shores

Those beautiful sailors journeyed

To the South and the North Americas with ease

In their ships with painted sails.

To the East, Africa was a neighbour

Across a short strait of sea miles.

The great Egyptian age is 

But a remnant of the Atlantian culture.

The antediluvian kings colonised the world

All the gods who play in the mythological dramas

In all legends from all lands, were from far Atlantis.

Knowing her fate, 

Atlantis sent out ships to all corners of the earth.

On board were the twelve:

The poet, the physician, the farmer, the scientist

The magician and so-called gods of our legends.

Though gods they were:

And as the elders of our time choose to remain blind

Let us rejoice and let us sing and dance

And ring the in new - Hail Atlantis!

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Dress: Anthea Crawford jacquard

Bolero: Vintage rabbit fur

Booties: Corelli @ Williams

Bag: Adorne

Belt: Blue Illusion

Black Beaded Bracelets: Thomas Sabo

Charms: Gifts

Cuff: Wallace Bishop silver

Bracelet: Adorne

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Having always been fascinated with the ancient & mysterious continent of Atlantis, I was delighted to be invited to attend a symposium evaluating the likelihood of its very existence & celebrating the archaeologists who have devoted their lives to finding its watery grave. 

"In a single day and night of misfortune, the island of Atlantis 

disappeared into the depths of the sea." Plato

www.dailymail.co.uk

While there is still no definitive proof that this paradise existed in more than just the works of Plato, its mythological allure has never waned, capturing the imagination of artists such as Norman Lindsay, creator of the masterpiece Drowned Atlantis that is pictured below; historical & science-fiction writers such as Jules Verne, author of 1870's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; singer/songwriters such as Donovan with his 1968 hit Atlantis (the haunting lyrics of which are contained in his post) & movie-makers like Walt Disney studios with their 2001 animated fare Atlantis: The Lost Empire. 

www.normanlindsay.net

I decided to dress for this antediluvian adventure in my new blue Anthea Crawford hibiscus print dress, mixing it with my vintage black rabbit fur cropped bolero to add that "olde worlde" charm as well as booties & suitcase style handbag, finished off with one of my stretchy Blue Illusion belts to highlight the nipped-in waistline & act as a counterpoint to the asymmetrical neckline. I also took the opportunity to add a bit of shimmer with my black beaded bracelets, replete with a plethora of colourful charms including ones in the shape of a dress, coathanger, stiletto heel & heart as well as the faith-hope-charity one given to me by a dear friend. 

The symposium itself was a great success & left all attendees with much food-for-thought. It really is amazing that a "fictional" island, fleetingly mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's 360BC works Timaeus & Critias is still debated so passionately all these years later. I suppose it is human nature - the fate of Atlantis remains an unsolved mystery & will always pique the interest of inquiring minds until it is solved.

With that in mind, here are a few pictures of me trying to look (even just a little bit) mysterious....