| Subject: My new best guess (public) |
Author:
Cliff
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Date Posted: 01:19:35 10/16/01 Tue
Well, I have altered my theory somewhat. I have come to the conclusion that the windows are not, in fact, representative of multiple aspects of the Camarilla clans. Rather, each of the Thirteen Clans gets a single window, and the windows are paired in such a way as to demonstrate the relationships between the clans.
So, from back to front, and left to right:
The Human with Wolf Mask is the Gangrel, who could accurately be described as Men in the shapes of Beasts.
The Wolf with Human Mask is the Tzimisce, who have been described as Beasts in the shapes of Men.
I would still ascribe the inverted animalia symbol to this, although I might expand it's meaning a bit. Since the symbol can mean animals, plants, or minerals depending on the orientation, then every aspect of nature can be depicted by the symbol, and thus the symbol could mean nature in general. Because of their animalistic and transient tendencies, the Gangrel appear to be the most natural of the clans. Because of their horrible, twisted ways of manipulating of flesh into horrifically unnatural things, the Tzimisce are the most blatantly unnatural of the clans. Thus, they are in opposition.
The Man Ascending into Sky is the Salubri, a clan of mystics who died out long ago, but not before the Cathedral was built (according to Stavros). They were gentle, philosophicla, and introspective.
The Man Descending into Grave is the Cappodocians, another extinct clan. The Cappodocians were fascinated with death, and felt that the study of death held the answers to philosophical questions.
Their symbol is the one for gold, which demonstrates how they both were attempting to transform themselves into a higher mystical level, although one through ascension and one through descension. Thus these two clans were opposite sides of the same coin. All this is speculation, of course, since all of my information on these dead clans comes from one source.
The Man Juggling Worlds is the Ravnos, who are tricksters. Juggling is often closely associated with sleight of hand performance, and the fact that the figure is using the worlds as props demonstrates the Ravnos's favored methods of dealing with the world.
The Man Holding The World is the Ventrue, who seem to want to control everything, or hold the world in their lap, if you will.
The symbol connected with this is that of saturated earth, as the Ventrue want to saturate the world with their presence and influence. I cannot make a connection with the Ravnos. The opposing natures of the clans lies in that the Ventrue wish to dominate and control while the Ravnos tend to be content owning little and controlling nothing beyond their nomadic, gypsy-like wanderings.
The Man With Armor and Sword is the Brujah, who, with the Assamites, seem to be the natural warriors of vampiric society. The pose, however is one of pride and honor, with a noted lack of subtlety - certainly characteristics that the Brujah bring to the field of battle.
The Man With Armor and Cloak is the Assamites, who are warriors but tend to be much more subtle (cloak over mail).
The symbol that goes with these is the depiction of absolutism, reminiscent of both clans' grand traditions of scholarship. The clans are in opposition because the Brujah almost always are fighting for one cause or another while the Assamites fight and kill for profit and business.
The Man with Book and City represents the Settites. This association is difficult to back up.
The Man with Book and Mirror is the Lasombra, who tend to have difficult seeing themselves in mirrors.
The symbol for these windows is Religiosity, which is obviously a trademark of the Settites, who hold their religious traditions very dear. I know very little of the religious aspects of the Lasombra. Both clans are known for being highly manipulative, although they oppose each other in that the Lasombra manipulate for their own ends while the Settites manipulate for an abstract ideal.
The Ecstatic Man with Roses is the Toreador, who allow their love of beauty to blind them in many ways. They also seem to have a love of sensation, regardless of wether it's pleasurable or not.
The Shadowy Figure with Skull and Rose is the Nosferatu, who are generally difficult to see and unsuitable for depiction in a church when they are. It is not difficult to see why they are placed in opposition to the Toreador, who are generally beautiful.
The associated symbol with these last windows is that of creation, which is especially significant because the Cathedral was created by a Toreador and Nosferatu. I also suspect that this is why these clans were placed closest to the alter. The Toreador are very public in their creative outlets. I would be interested to know what outlets the Nosferatu use for their creativity, although I'm sure none of them will tell me.
The final clan, the Malkavians, I still believe to be represented by the central symbol in the mandala, the symbol of the Human Spirit. It is so quite obvious to some of us that the Malkavian(s) have a very special relationship with the Cathedral. They require no other windows because the Clan is in natural opposition with itself. Truly, the Malkavians have demonstrated a united collectiveness that is somewhat scary to behold, and at the same time, each Malkavian is shattered on the inside.
This theory has some holes, and I'm sure it requires refinement. Some of my assumptions are highly questionable. A very strong case could be made, for example, that the Assamites belong under the sign of religiosity due to their Islamic roots. The juggler could be seen as manipulating the world instead of tricking it. I look forward to any reactions or suggestions.
Cliff
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