Some Couples Coming Your Way...

With school and homework and all the drama that has been plaguing me, I haven't been able to update a whole lot. Sorry. But I composed a list of some couples that will be hitting the blog very soon- with any luck, all will be posted next week. So here they are, and my favorite couple EVER is on this list, cause I promised myself I would make their post soon:

1. Shah Jahan & Mumtaz Mahal

2. Peter Abelard & Heloise

And, drumroll please...

3. Napoleon & Josephine!!!

Yes, Napoleon and Josephine are my favorite couple of all time, and I've read like 5 books on them, and I don't care if anyone disagrees because I LOVE their story, so I'm going to tell it on here.

Adam & Eve: That Couple Who Wears Leaves

Adam & Eve. What more can I say? I didn't get them a picture, because, let's put it this way...finding these pictures was a frightening experience. For them, we're talking naked people. Ewww. So here's their dreary story- I kinda regret putting them on here now:

According to the Bible, Adam was created. God wanted him to have a wife, so they made him Eve. From his rib. So they're thrilled and running around- not with the leaves on, yet- when God says,''YOU SHALL LIVE HERE, IN EDEN, BUT YOU MAY NOT EAT FRUIT FROM THAT TREE!!!!!!!!'' And points at the Tree of Knowledge. So they nod like two-year olds and are running around until a serpent beckons to Eve.[Yes, because it's never the guy] and tells her to eat a fruit from the tree, because she will know everything. Eve does this naively, and Adam does as well. Then they realize they are naked, and that's when the leaves come in. God banishes them from Eden and into the dark, cruel world, where sin now lurks. And they give birth to the world's first murderer, Cain. Nice. Yah, remember we have to thank for a lot.

Pyramus & Thisbe: Another Greek Tragedy

This couple is typical of the Greek stories: it ends in tragedy. But then, so do half these stories. Here is there upsetting and tragic story of Pyramus and Thisbe:

Pyramus and Thisbe were the best-looking youths in their town of Babylonia. They were in love, but their parents forbid them to see oneanother and built a wall to seperate the two. Everyday, they would sit, cursing the wall for seperating them. One day, a crack appeared in the wall and allowed them to speak to eachother. They planned to meet oneanother at a certain mulberry tree in their town. That night, Thisbe left and went to the tree, and Pyramus was not there. She sat down and waited, wearing a veil. Suddenly, a lioness with a bloody mouth from it's latest kill came up to her. Screaming, Thisbe ran off, and the veil fell onto the ground, and the lioness began to chew on it.

Pyramus, who had been delayed for awhile, came and saw lioness departing and the bloody veil on the ground. Pyramus was horrified and upset because he believed Thisbe had died because of his delay. He grabbed the veil, clutched it to his chest, and stabbed himself with his dagger.

Thisbe was coming back to the tree, still terrified but not wanting to disappoint Pyramus. When she arrived, she saw Pyramus's lifeless body laying beneath the tree. Thisbe screamed at him to awake, but he was dead. Thisbe, disraught with grief, grabbed Pyramus's dagger and stabbed herself. As their blood ran, it reached the tree and turned the formerly white berries red, and they have been that color ever since.

Guinevere & Lancelot: The Illicit Arthurian Couple

Now for the great Arthurian romance: the story of the ill-fated lovers, Guinevere and Lancelot. Since they are quite famous, mostly everyone has heard a little about them, but here's the story

for those who haven't yet heard:

Guinevere is a princess and bethrothed to Arthur early on in his career. Later on when they are holding court at Camelot, Lancelot comes and Guinevere falls in love with him. They begin a adulterous affair that will bring about Arthur's downfall. Arthur does not realize something is going on until a feast is held, and neither Lancelot nor Guinevere shows up. Two of King Lot of Lothian's sons reveal the affair. Lancelot flees, while Guinevere is sentenced to death by burning at the stake. Right before Guinevere is to die, Lancelot comes and rescues her, then kills many of Arthur's men in the ensuing battle. Lancelot flees to France, and Arthur goes and fights him there.

Unfortunately, Guinevere isn't left in the best care and Mordred, one of King Lot's sons, plans to marry her and takes Arthur's throne. Guinevere flees and takes shelter in the Tower of London, and then retires to a convent. Arthur returns to England when he hears of Mordred's plans, and manages to kill him, but is fatally injured and taken to Avalon. There Guinevere and Lancelot are reunited for one last time, and then Guinevere returns to the convent, and they never see eachother again.

Hagbard & Signy: The Viking Romeo & Juliet

Hagbard & Signy. A relatively unknown couple. I didn't even know about them until a few days ago when I stumbled upon them while on Wikipedia. Their story is as dramatic as Romeo and Juliet, so get ready:

Hagbard and his brothers were going through villages in Scandinaiva, then inhabitated by Vikings. They began fighting against Signy's brothers, because their fathers were enemies. After a while of fighting, they decided to make peace with oneanother. While they went to leave, Hagbard followed Signy's brothers and went to see Signy. Signy vowed eternal love for him, though she was secretly much more interested in his brother, Haki, who was more famous. A while after a German nobleman proposed to Signy, and it became apparent she was in interested in Hagbard. The nobleman began stirring up trouble and a battle erupted between Hagbard and his brothers and Signy's brothers. His brothers were slaughtered, and Hagbard was obliged to kill Signy's brothers and the nobleman.

In order to see Signy after the battle, Hagbard dressed up like a woman and claimed to be one of Haki's shieldmaidens. Because he was dressed as a shieldmaiden, he was required to stay with Signy's handmaidens. While they washed his feet, legs, and hands, they asked why his legs were so hairy and his hands so callous. He cleverly made up an excuse and when the handmaidens asked Signy if it was true, Signy knew it was Hagbard and said it was. Later, Signy and Hagbard met and vowed eternal love and faithfulness to oneanother.

However, the handmaidens decieved Hagbard and Sigar, Signy's father, sent his men to arrest him. Hagbard fought bravely and killed many of the men, but he was still defeated and brought to the Thing, the Viking's assembly. Some of the people said he should be killed, while others said he should be spared. Finally, Hagbard was sentenced to death. When Signy heard she told her maidens she would follow the men she loved in life to his death. She told them to light her chamber on fire as soon as the execution started. Hagbard asked the executioner to hang his coat first, to get an impression of what he would look like when he himself hanged. When the coat was hung, the maidens believed Hagbard was being hanged and lit the house on fire. When Hagbard saw the house on fire, he was overjoyed that his beloved had been faithful to the end, exclaimed his happiness, just as he was hanged.

Romeo & Juliet: The Star-Cross'd Lovers

When you think of famous couples/lovers, probably the first you think of is Romeo & Juliet, in the famous play by Shakespeare of the same name. So here is the info behind the image everyone has imprinted into their minds, and you can look at the lovely picture of the couple ala some artist I can't recall at the moment:

Juliet's family, the Capulets, hate Romeo's family, the Montagues. Both are wealthy families in Verona. Count Paris, a wealthy man high in society, loves Juliet and wishes to marry her. Lord Capulet, Juliet's father, tells him to come to the masquerade ball they are throwing. Juliet's mother Lady Capulet urges her young daughter to accept Paris's proposal, but Juliet says she will not unless she feels she loves him. Meanwhile, Romeo is in love with a girl named Rosaline, who doesn't love him back. His cousin, Benvolio, tells him to attend the Capulets' ball that night and Romeo goes in hopes of seeing Rosaline there.

However, once at the ball the two fall in love. However, they discover their families hate oneanother, they go and meet on Juliet's balcony in the scene everyone knows. They vow to marry oneanother. The Friar Lawerance believes their union will unite the families, and the two are married secretly. Then Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, challenges Romeo to a duel. Romeo refuses to fight, but his friend, Mercutio, is angry and fights with Tybalt, and is fatally wonunded and dies. Romeo is then livid and kills Tybalt.

When Verona and the Prince Escalus hears of the murder, he exiles Romeo. Juliet's parents tell her she must marry Count Paris in three days' time, or they will disown her. Desperate for help, she confides in Friar Lawerance, who gives her a drug that will put in her in a coma, so she'll appear dead, be buried in the family crypt, and then when she awakes the friar will take her to Romeo. Juliet takes the drug and the friar sends a messanger to tell Romeo of his plan. But, sadly, the messanger never reaches Romeo, and Romeo hears of Juliet's death via a servant. He is grief-stricken and buys poison from a apothecary, and goes to the Capulet tombs. There he encounters Count Paris, who believes Romeo is a vandal, fights him, and is killed. Romeo then takes the poison, and, saying his final words to Juliet, who is still in a coma, commits sucide. Then Juliet awakes, and Friar Lawerance finds her in the crypt, with Romeo's dead body. Her urges her to leave, but she stabs herself with Romeo's dagger.

When the families find their beloved dead, they are upset and Friar Lawerance tells them of the two lovers. Lord Montague says his wife has died of grief. The families are reconciled through their children's deaths and each family decides to erect statues of the other's child, with the Capulets' building one of Romeo and the Montagues one of Juliet.

My New Blog

Welcome to my new blog. It's, obviously, on Famous Couples. With my recent obsession in this- this stems from my adoration of one particular couple that, well, I'll eventually post- I've decided to start a blog about this. I have a website at Yahoo! Geocitites about this, and a uncounted number of other websites and blogs about history or whatever. I hardly have anytime to relax between all the stuff I do everyday. Okay, so I hardly even keep track of how many times I've posted new posts on my other blog, but that's totally irrevelant. So I'm gonna to post at least one couple per week or so, complete with story- that's the best part- and a picture of them, if I can find one. I'm not totally sure what my first one will be, but I'll try to make it a good one!