... Ari Berk on Order of the Golden Quills and the Library of “The Secret Histories”

Ari Berk... Ari Berk on Order of the Golden Quills and the Library of “The Secret Histories”

Zur deutschen Version This interview begins - rather unfamiliar - with part of an email I sent to Ari Berk, concerning my interview request.

More than anything else this text reflects the deep impact Ari's curricullum vitae and traces in the internet has made:

Dear Ari, I began this interview as a humorous questioning of the Professor of the Order, then had a look at the pdf-File you sent with your last mail … and went all pale. I wasnt quite aware of the beauty and depth of all the things you do … and now I wonder how I can get a hold of the at least part of it.
So I thought I would really like to split the interview into two and ask one part of the questions to the member of the Order, and a second one on your work in general.



Part 2 of this interview will be published August, 9th.

Zauberspiegel:
So – in a more formal style – here is Part 1: Dear Professor Berk, thank you very much for your generosity and willingness to take the time, interrupt your work as magister and scribe in the Order of the Golden Quills on your library of “The Secret Histories” and answer a few questions to us.
Professor Berk, why do you put such efforts into your research on the Secret Folks?

Ari Berk: The work that I now do, my research into the realms of the Secret Folk, was once something done by everyone. All of our ancestors knew at least a little something of the Secret Folk, and respected them and the places in the world where they reside. Sadly, people have grown to forget the Secret Folk, leaving aside the ancient compacts and alliances with them. In doing this, a great deal of wonder has gone out of the world.
Thus, the Order strives, through its tireless work and publications, to reconnect humans with the extraordinary and, now, largely secret world that still dwells around them, waiting to be remembered.
 
Zauberspiegel: As far as we understand, you have decided, so far, to share with us your knowledge on the Giants and the Mermaids. Why did you decide to open your secret drawers and let us peep into them?
Ari Berk: Well, this is a very curious metaphor you’ve chosen, I must say! I might prefer to say “secret cabinets,” because this is how the Order stores its vast collections of evidences of the Secret Folk: in cabinets and halls located within our castle. For many centuries, The Order has worked diligently to collect and understand the many evidences and artifacts related to the Secret Folk, Giants, Merfolk, Hobgoblins, Faeries, and the like. But more recently, we have felt it imperative to share this knowledge with the human world, to remind them of what they have forgotten, to remind them of their obligations to the lands around them and the Secret Folk who have long inhabited and maintained those landscapes.
 
Cover Ari Berk - GiantsZauberspiegel: Professor, in the book “The Secret Histories – Giants” you mention the “Order of the Golden Quills”. Not only do you name members such as Morgan Le Fay, Lord Oberon, Shakespeare or John Middleton, no, you also reveal the fact that you are a magister and scribe of the Guild. It must have been a very difficult decision to go to the open. Are you not afraid the Secret Folk might seek revenge or other dark forces might try to get after you and pressure you to reveal more secrets?
Ari Berk: No, no. Not at all. You have noticed that on the roster of names of Magisters of the Order are names of the some of the Secret Folk themselves. Also, Secret Folk sit on every one of the Order’s many Councils, Moots, and Ministeries. In this way, we, the human members of the Order, are always insured that everything the Order does is in complete accord with the wishes of the various Secret Folk. Of course, there is always the chance that individual people of any race may take umbrage at something or other being published, but generally speaking, everything the Order of the Golden Quills publishes is done with the blessing of the Secret Folk and their lore wardens.
 
Zauberspiegel: When you talk about the Order’s Castle, you don’t name where it can be found. This can only mean that you want to keep secret the exact position. Is that right?
Ari Berk: That is correct. At the moment, due to a lack of public funding initiatives for the humanities, the Order is not able to open the Castle to the general public. In addition, as the Order houses objects of great power and extraordinary value, we feel, for the moment, that the location is best kept secret. However, I can assure you, the publications of the Order do show and interpret some of the rarest and most extraordinary of holdings in our numerous cabinets, vaults, halls, and kitchen cupboards.
 
Cover book Mermaids by Ari BerkZauberspiegel: Concerning the book on the Merfolk, Professor Berk, we wonder how you managed to resist the mermaids enchanting looks and songs during your research. Can you tell us your secret?
Ari Berk: The secret is this: I did not try to resist them. The song of the sea calls to all of us, all of the time. If we but heed those sweet strains….ah! What wonders await! Also, I am a very strong swimmer… something that was quite helpful during the many interviews conducted during the writing of that particular book.
 
Due to the fact that Ari Berk is a “real” professor and not “only” an author who took the identity of an professor, and having had a look at the many things Ari Berk does, we wanted to ask more questions which will continue in a second interview that will follow in two weeks from now …
 
Meet Ari Berk on web at: www.ariberk.com (Link opens in new window and leaves zauberspiegel-online) 

Kommentare  

#1 Jan Krawiec 2015-09-06 12:07
Could you give me more information on the history of mermaids? My grandmother's sir name is Cusack and they have a mermaids in the family crest

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