var theCard = new Array();
initLeters();
//***********************************************************************/
function loadCard(letter, alocation)
{
var i = 0;
while(theCard[i] != letter)
{
i+=2;
if (i >= theCard.length)
{
return void(0);
}
}
loadCardHTMLPage(theCard[i], theCard[i+1], alocation);
return void(0);
}
//***********************************************************************/
function initLeters()
{
//alert("initLeters - In");
var i = 0;
theCard[i++] = "a";
theCard[i++] = "In entrapping evil forces, interlaced knots served a protective or apotropaic function. The addition of an animal head provided enhanced powers.";
theCard[i++] = "b";
theCard[i++] = "The seven created beings of the Celtic World - plant, insect, fish, reptile, bird, mammal, and man - are all featured in the artwork.";
theCard[i++] = "c";
theCard[i++] = "The letters were drawn in a brownish black, like the patina in the sunken back-grounds of gold brooches.";
theCard[i++] = "d";
theCard[i++] = "is there an essential \"d\"-ness? Can a d look different? The Celtic d is quite different from the modern d.";
theCard[i++] = "e";
theCard[i++] = "the spirals and knot work were derived from ancient metal and stonework patterns.";
theCard[i++] = "f";
theCard[i++] = "A prime example of the Celtic style: the abstract nature, balance of form, delicacy, brightness of color, and most of all by its spirals and interlacing";
theCard[i++] = "g";
theCard[i++] = "The spiral is the natural form of growth. In every culture past and present it has become a symbol of eternal life.";
theCard[i++] = "h";
theCard[i++] = "The exchange of decorations occurred between many schools established by Irish monks of the sixth century.";
theCard[i++] = "i";
theCard[i++] = "a pillar of strength. The capital I started such important words such as Iohannis, Ipsorum and Inuta.";
theCard[i++] = "j";
theCard[i++] = "The interlaced knot work patterns with their unbroken lines, symbolize the process of man's eternal spiritual growth.";
theCard[i++] = "k";
theCard[i++] = "The kermes (red color) was obtained from insects living in the evergreen trees. The colors were ground by the artist and bound with egg white (albumen), fish glue or natural gum.";
theCard[i++] = "l";
theCard[i++] = "'Listen to the silence be still and let your soul catch up'.";
theCard[i++] = "m";
theCard[i++] = "From the seventh to the ninth century, artists and scribes traveled continually from one Celtic monastery to another, giving and exchanging books which were copied and recopied.";
theCard[i++] = "n";
theCard[i++] = "Inspired by the Book of Durrow , the N is colored with a bright cold lemon yellow tempera, imitating gold inlaid with enamel, with warm plum-red, sky-blue and deep copper-green.";
theCard[i++] = "o";
theCard[i++] = "the design of the letters with lots of detail was often done by a master calligrapher with the coloring done by an assistant. The master would indicate by code what colors to use - the original paint by number system.";
theCard[i++] = "p";
theCard[i++] = "The letters were drawn with a fine nib and hairline brushes.";
theCard[i++] = "q";
theCard[i++] = "The capital Q of the 6th century has the flourish on the descender going the wrong way. It even looks more like our small case g.";
theCard[i++] = "r";
theCard[i++] = "Surrounded by water as they worked, the Celtic monks were reminded constantly of the flow and movement of the cosmos. The whorls they painted represented the continuous creation and dissolution of the world.";
theCard[i++] = "s";
theCard[i++] = "This monk put five bird heads in decorating the S. can you find them all?";
theCard[i++] = "t";
theCard[i++] = "It took one person roughly 120 hours spread over eight days to reproduce two decorated pages.";
theCard[i++] = "u";
theCard[i++] = "The artistic style of this period is commonly known as \"insular\".";
theCard[i++] = "v";
theCard[i++] = "The knot work can be seen as much earlier work on the great tomb stones from the same period that produced Stone Henge.";
theCard[i++] = "w";
theCard[i++] = "There was no \"w\"! we had to invent one by putting two \"u\" together. ";
theCard[i++] = "x";
theCard[i++] = "The addition of the little frog to the side shows the fun loving side of the Irish. Is the frog a pet or an annoyance?";
theCard[i++] = "y";
theCard[i++] = "It is estimated that the Book of Darrow could be copied in sixty days if the scribe put in six hours every day. That is just copying without any decoration.";
theCard[i++] = "z";
theCard[i++] = "The richness of the gold and the elaborate knot work created a master piece. Perhaps the knots in grape purple were added after a drop from the cup.";
theCard[i++] = "er";
theCard[i++] = "Red dotting is the first stage of illuminating Celtic letters. Rubrication, as it is called, added a dimension of color to that of contrast.";
theCard[i++] = "th";
theCard[i++] = "the majestic intertwining of the t and the h has more tightly packed details than the average Persian carpet.";
theCard[i++] = "in";
theCard[i++] = "In the Book of Durrow, the shaft of the IN of IN Principio takes up the length of the page. The text is given another three levels of size and decoration.";
theCard[i++] = "qu";
theCard[i++] = "Very few words have a q without a u. The overlapping of these two letters may have been a recognition of this fact, or just lack of planning ahead for space.";
theCard[i++] = "cl";
theCard[i++] = "The face of a monk stares at the letters that follow with an approving countenance. Is this a self portrait? Or an early example of subliminal suggestion, for the master which would critique his work?";
//alert("initLeters - Out");
}
//***********************************************************************/
function loadCardHTMLPage(card, description, alocation)
{
alocation.document.close();
alocation.document.open();
var cardImage = "";
var HTML = "\n" +
"\n" +
" \n" +
"\n" +
"\n" +
" " +
"
![](\"../images/quiddlercards/large/quiddler_card_")
";
var HTML = "\n" +
"\n" +
" \n" +
"\n" +
"\n" +
"