The Rune Scimitar Decorative Set is a special cosmetic item in the popular online game, RuneScape. This set allows players to decorate their Rune Scimitar weapon with a unique and eye-catching design. The set includes three different pieces: the Rune Scimitar ornament kit, the Rune Scimitar (or) version, and the Rune Scimitar (g) version. The Rune Scimitar ornament kit is the main component of the decorative set. It can be obtained through various in-game activities, such as completing clue scrolls or participating in special events. Once obtained, players can use the ornament kit on their regular Rune Scimitar to transform its appearance.
Both the survivalist perspective and the Marxian attention to materialist context made important contributions to the understanding of folk magical practices by emphasizing their historical continuity with earlier systems of thought, and their relationship to systems of power and domination. However, both approaches ultimately failed to address the deeply spiritual nature these practices had for their practitioners. This spiritual significance is, I suspect, the reason why despite the disappearance of Italy’s grinding poverty and backwardness by the mid-twentieth century, vernacular magical practice has persisted, albeit in mutated forms. Nor are its manifestations limited to underdeveloped rural areas. As ethnologist Cecilia Gatto Trocchi has shown, urban centres are now the sites of a variety of occult and esoteric practices, from traditional fortune-telling to New Age religious movements, which are rooted in earlier systems of magic and healing. 6 Today, a new generation of seekers is reviving old practices such as tarantismo as a way of affirming local and regional identities in an increasingly globalized Europe. 7
Allowing us as LGBTQ Witches to discuss themes around paganism, witchcraft and magic from an LGBTQ perspective, Gianmichael is a driving force for LGBTQ Witches, and always finds those who can contribute to the discussion. A lifelong hereditary practitioner of Italian and Afro-Sicilian folk magic, drawing on more than fifty years of personal study and practice, Gianmichael draws deeply from the well of Sacred Wisdom of the Ancestors and Spirits beyond the Veil, as well as the esoteric Catholic and Franciscan mystical and contemplative traditions.
Once obtained, players can use the ornament kit on their regular Rune Scimitar to transform its appearance. The ornament kit gives the scimitar a distinct and intricate design, making it stand out from other weapons. In addition to the ornament kit, the decorative set also includes two versions of the Rune Scimitar: the (or) version and the (g) version.
The study of Italian vernacular religion and magic
Most of the data on which my chapter is based were collected by Italian ethnologists and folklorists between 1880 and 1980, with interruptions during the First and Second World Wars. The study of folklore is never a politically neutral act, however. The kinds of materials collected, and the ways they were presented, were conditioned by the preconceived notions of the scholars collecting them. Italian unification in 1861 was followed by a great wave of urbanization, especially among the elite and middle classes, who sought in the life of the cities and the new capital a level of cosmopolitanism and sophistication unavailable in rural areas. This movement led to a surge of Italian nationalism, and a new focus, partly born of nostalgia, on what came to be called tradizioni popolari, popular or folk traditions. Italians located the source of their national identity and cultural authenticity in the Classical period, the last time the peninsula had existed as a unified entity under the aegis of the Roman Empire. Early Italian scholars sought in folklore some kind of link to that Classical past, as well as to that other touchstone of Italian national identity, the Renaissance, in order to show that contemporary Italian culture carried on an ancient, uninterrupted tradition that legitimized the existence of the state.
The early collectors worked from an evolutionary premise. They assumed that the practices of the Italian peasant class were remnants of an ancient, ‘primitive’ belief system dating back to pre-Classical times, which was destined to disappear as its bearers became ‘civilized’. Their attitudes ranged from the affectionate respect that Sicilian collector Giuseppe Pitrè brought to his informants, most of whom were also his medical patients, to the disdain of Giuseppe Bellucci, the title of whose 1919 work Il feticismo primitivo in Italia e le sue forme di adattamento (Primitive Fetishism and its Adaptations in Italy) speaks for itself. 5 While the work of early collectors has left us a wealth of material, including proverbs, charms, spells, cures and narratives, these scholars made few attempts to understand the role of magical belief systems and practices in the context of the lives of rural agricultural workers. Instead, they often preferred to compare them with the customs of ancient civilizations, so they could ‘prove’ an uninterrupted oral transmission of culture from Classical times to the founding of the Italian state. Beliefs and practices were presented as fragmentary and incomplete, not as parts of the integrated belief systems of individuals and small communities. They were also stigmatized as the ignorant productions of a peasant underclass. Because most early collectors were men, their concerns reflect those of their male informants. So, for example, we have a great many reports from men about women’s power to bind with potent love spells, but we do not know whether this reflects women’s actual behaviour, or men’s fears and anxieties. More significant still is the absence of ethnographic attention to women’s ecstatic traditions connected to saints’ cults. It was not until the 1970s that women began to enter the ethnological professions in greater numbers, and conduct fieldwork centred around women’s issues, that more information on women’s actual practices became available.
Survivalist perspectives flourished well into the Fascist period in Italy (1922–44), supported by a government whose political interests were served by the projection of contemporary cultural praxes into a gloriously imagined past. But, ultimately, survivalist perspectives were themselves rejected as outdated after the Second World War, as scholarship began to reflect a greater interest in contemporary social conditions and issues of power imbalances between the industrialized north and the underdeveloped Meridione (south) in the developing nation-state. It was the Socialist writer Antonio Gramsci, who was imprisoned by Mussolini, who most strongly influenced the post-Second World War generation of Italian ethnologists. Gramsci’s writings on folklore were brief, but significant, for they moved Italian ethnology away from survivalism at last. For him, folklore was not a ‘survival’ that was quickly disappearing, but an integral part of the cultures of rural Italian peasants, and a product of particular historical and cultural circumstances, and worthy of study in its own right alongside literature and history. In genres such as festivals and celebrations, he saw emergent forms of peasant resistance – clever, creative ways the rural underclass subtly undermined the power that the hegemony exercised over their daily lives. Following Karl Marx, Gramsci saw folklore as part of the ‘superstructure’ of society – those forms and accretions that grow out of particular economic configurations. He also believed that folklore, especially certain forms of folk belief and magical practice, were a kind of ‘false consciousness’ that ultimately blinded peasants to the forces that oppressed them by hiding the real sources of domination under a veil of mysticism. So while Gramsci idealized folklore as peasant resistance, and sought to legitimize its study as a form of culture in its own right, he also saw popular religiosity and magical practice as ultimately crippling, a relic of the past that needed to be discarded to bring about a more equal distribution of power in society.
This philosophy was very much at the heart of the work of two great Italian folklore scholars of the mid-twentieth century: Alberto Maria Cirese and Ernesto De Martino. Cirese expanded upon Gramsci’s theories of folklore, urging its study as part of subaltern culture that existed in contraposition to the hegemony of church and state. De Martino was interested in documenting and analysing Italian magical practice to understand thoroughly how magic worked within the economic, cultural and historical context in which it existed. Thus his groundbreaking studies of the evil eye belief complex and tarantismo emphasize peasants’ captivity in a system of social relations rooted in economic, social and gender oppression. Still, despite De Martino’s own origins in Naples, centre extraordinaire of the occult in southern Italy, and his deep knowledge of ethnology, he and his followers, like Cirese, saw magic as primarily a tool of the poor and weak, a form of resistance against systematic forms of domination that was ultimately unsuccessful. They assumed that as economic opportunities became available to the subaltern class, folk magical practices would cease to exist.
Both the survivalist perspective and the Marxian attention to materialist context made important contributions to the understanding of folk magical practices by emphasizing their historical continuity with earlier systems of thought, and their relationship to systems of power and domination. However, both approaches ultimately failed to address the deeply spiritual nature these practices had for their practitioners. This spiritual significance is, I suspect, the reason why despite the disappearance of Italy’s grinding poverty and backwardness by the mid-twentieth century, vernacular magical practice has persisted, albeit in mutated forms. Nor are its manifestations limited to underdeveloped rural areas. As ethnologist Cecilia Gatto Trocchi has shown, urban centres are now the sites of a variety of occult and esoteric practices, from traditional fortune-telling to New Age religious movements, which are rooted in earlier systems of magic and healing. 6 Today, a new generation of seekers is reviving old practices such as tarantismo as a way of affirming local and regional identities in an increasingly globalized Europe. 7
These versions are purely cosmetic and do not provide any additional stats or bonuses compared to the regular Rune Scimitar. The (or) version has a gold trim, while the (g) version features a more golden design overall. Players can choose between these two versions to further customize their appearance. The main appeal of the Rune Scimitar Decorative Set lies in its unique and visually appealing design. Players can use this set to showcase their individuality and style in the game. It is a popular choice among players who want to stand out from the crowd and make a statement with their weapon choice. However, it is important to note that the decorative set does not affect the weapon's functionality or combat abilities. The Rune Scimitar is still a powerful weapon that can be used in various combat situations. The decorative set simply enhances its visual appeal, without altering its performance. In conclusion, the Rune Scimitar Decorative Set is a sought-after cosmetic item in RuneScape that allows players to customize their Rune Scimitar's appearance. With its unique design and distinct versions, this set offers players a chance to showcase their style and stand out in the game. Whether obtained through in-game activities or trading with other players, the decorative set adds a touch of individuality to the player's weapon..
Reviews for "Tips for Buying and Selling the Rune Scimitar Decorative Set in the Grand Exchange"
1. John - 2/5 stars - I was really disappointed with the Rune scimitar decorative set. The quality of the materials used was subpar and I found the overall design to be quite dull. I expected something more stylish and visually appealing. Additionally, the set didn't provide any additional benefits or bonuses compared to the regular Rune scimitar. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this decorative set to other players as it just doesn't live up to the expectations.
2. Emily - 1/5 stars - The Rune scimitar decorative set was a complete waste of my in-game currency. The design was lackluster and the color choices were unappealing. Not to mention, the set didn't offer any improvements in terms of stats or abilities. I regret spending my hard-earned resources on this pointless cosmetic upgrade. Save your money and invest in something more worthwhile.
3. Andrew - 2/5 stars - I was excited to acquire the Rune scimitar decorative set, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype. The visuals were underwhelming and didn't add any significant aesthetic value to my character. Furthermore, the set was quite expensive and offered no tangible benefits in terms of gameplay. Overall, I found it to be a lackluster addition to my collection and wouldn't recommend it to others who are looking for a worthwhile investment in the game.
4. Samantha - 3/5 stars - While the Rune scimitar decorative set wasn't terrible, it left much to be desired. The design was average at best and didn't really stand out compared to other cosmetic options available in the game. Additionally, the price seemed a bit steep for what was essentially just a minor visual change. I would recommend exploring other options before settling on this particular decorative set.