C-TGGB02 (Aug 15, 2017)
Puzzle
“Portrait defamed.”
Divination Trivia | 3 Words
Clue
Hover over the clues if you require!
Clue 1: A specific type of 'defamatory portraits' common in Renaissance Italy.
Clue 2: Any divination-related concepts?
Clue 3: There's a reason why it's a 'Portrait Defamed' and not a 'Defamed Portrait'. Pay attention to the card's design, too.
Answer and Explanation
Answer: Man Hanged The
Explanation: A 'pittura infamante' was, in Renaissance Italy, portraits of people intended to defame them and often depicted them upside down - similar to the tarot card The Hanged Man. Since a 'defamed portrait' is 'the hanged man', a 'portrait defamed' is therefore 'man hanged the'.
Summary of Receipt
Summary
Transcript
NUMBER: TGGB02
PRIORITY: CAFE
DATE: 15-8-17
CUSTOMER & ORDER: THYRS, COFFEE BLACK
SERVER: H.R.
Wow! It has certainly been a wild ride these past few days, what with Shadow-Grendel and Umbra doing their best to cause seemingly indiscriminate destruction and chaos. The good news is that, for the most part, it seems like they are keeping themselves in the shadows enough that the tourists aren't wising up too much. Of course, they aren't exactly hiding themselves, either. The Manager has been grinding up the beans of disillusionment where he can… I think he's been trying to sell a gas leak of some sort. Meanwhile, as Payroll mentioned, I've been trying to see what the cards might have to say about all of this.
No big surprises, The Tower, of course, has been popping up a lot. It's pretty much just what's going on outside our front door. But then—the Grendel is being represented by the Hanged Man. I can't shake the feeling that he isn't really even Grendel anymore, just an empty vessel, suspended and waiting for something more to consume him. The kicker? It seems like whatever it is that Umbra wants to fill Grendel with is in the form of the reversed Ace of Cups, blocked and twisted up emotions. But… whose emotions, exactly? His own? Grendel's…? No—that can't be.
In any case, I'm keeping a close eye on the cards as we try to piece together this puzzle. It is kinda hard to focus with, y'know, Palm Beach being in such a state of bedlam at the moment. But, if I am reading the cards right, it seems like Umbra has, or is trying to make, Grendel into some sort of vessel for something… something ephemeral, emotional, and visceral. Maybe that's why Grendel is going berserk? He could already be filled with some seriously negative vibes, and Umbra is doing what he can to control that? But, like Payroll brought up, Umbra doesn't need raw strength; he needs the First Bible. I don't see how Grumbral (trying out a new name, what do you guys think?) helps his plans any.
Peace, love, and overflowing Joy!