The Thrones (Ancient Greek: θρόνος, pl. θρόνοι; Latin: thronus, pl. throni) are a class of celestial beings mentioned by Paul the Apostle in Colossians 1:16. According to the New Testament, these high celestial beings are among those Orders at the Christ's service. They are the carriers of the Throne of God, hence the name.
According to Matthew Bunson, the corresponding order of angels in Judaism is called the abalim or "arelim/erelim, but this opinion is far from unrivaled. The Hebrew word erelim is usually not translated "Thrones", but rather "valiant ones", "heroes", "warriors". The function ascribed to erelim in Isaiah 33:7 and in Jewish folklore is not consonant with the lore surrounding the Thrones.
The Ophanim (Wheels or Galgallin) is a class of celestial beings, from Daniel 7:9, that are also equated with the "Thrones" occasionally. They are said to be great wheels covered in eyes.
Dionysius the Areopagite includes the Thrones as the third highest of 9 levels of angels.
Thrones is the solo project of bassist Joe Preston.
Thrones began in 1994 with an untitled cassette on the Punk in My Vitamins? label. He soon released the "Reddleman" single. In 1996, Thrones signed to Communion Records to issue the full-length album Alraune. Thrones then signed to Kill Rock Stars and released the single "The Suckling." In late 1997, Preston began a recording project under the working title "White Rabbit, White Rabbit, White Rabbit". The project was eventually released as two 12 inch EPs; White Rabbit in 1999, followed by Sperm Whale in 2000. Both EPs were compiled in the Sperm Whale CD. In 2005, a compilation of various Thrones material spanning from 1994 to 2001 was released by Southern Lord Records under the title Day Late, Dollar Short.
After an extended hiatus beginning in 2001, Thrones began regularly performing live again in May 2006, although there were sporadic live appearances during this period supporting bands such as Sunn O))). Preston has also performed as part of Sunn O))) using Moog synthesizers and has previously been a member of Earth, The Melvins and High on Fire.
Sol Invictus is an English neofolk and neoclassical group fronted by Tony Wakeford. Wakeford has been the sole constant member of the group since its inception, although numerous musicians have contributed and collaborated with Wakeford under the Sol Invictus moniker over the years.
After disbanding his controversial project Above the Ruins, Wakeford returned to the music scene with Sol Invictus in 1987. Since then Sol Invictus has had many musician contributions, including Sarah Bradshaw, Nick Hall, Céline Marleix-Bardeau , Nathalie Van Keymeulen, Ian Read and Karl Blake.
Wakeford repeatedly referred to his work as folk noir. Beginning with a mixture of a rough, bleak, primitive post punk sound and acoustic/folk elements, the band's music gradually evolved toward a lush, refined style, picking up classically trained players such as Eric Roger, Matt Howden, and Sally Doherty. In the mid-1990s, Sol Invictus spun off a side project called L'Orchestre Noir (later changed to Orchestra Noir) to explore an even more classically influenced direction. 2005 saw the departure of longtime contributors Roger and Blake, leading to a new line-up including Caroline Jago, Lesley Malone and Andrew King.
Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santy, or simply Santa is a mythical figure with historical origins who, in many Western cultures, brings gifts to the homes of well-behaved, "good" children on Christmas Eve (24 December) and the early morning hours of Christmas Day (25 December). The modern Santa Claus is derived from the British figure of Father Christmas, the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, and Saint Nicholas, the historical Greek bishop and gift-giver of Myra. During the Christianization of Germanic Europe, this figure may also have absorbed elements of the god Odin, who was associated with the Germanic pagan midwinter event of Yule and led the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession through the sky.
Santa Claus is generally depicted as a portly, joyous, white-bearded man—sometimes with spectacles—wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots and who carries a bag full of gifts for children. Images of him rarely have a beard with no moustache. This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of the 1823 poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" and of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast. This image has been maintained and reinforced through song, radio, television, children's books and films.
Coordinates: 40°40′49″N 39°47′3″E / 40.68028°N 39.78417°E / 40.68028; 39.78417
Dumanlı (Greek: Σάντα, Santa) was formerly a mid-size town in Gümüşhane Province of Turkey, close to its border with Trabzon Province; today it is only a village in Gümüşhane district. It consists of seven villages:
Santa may refer to: