Nyx in the House of Night

The red dragon was said to be a prophecy of the coming of King Arthur, famous puller of the sword from the stone. Arthur’s father was named Uther Pendragon, “chief dragon” or “dragon’s head.” And how about this for a cool coincidence: Anastasia Lankford’s cat shares a name with Guinevere, King Arthur’s queen. (Although given that P.C. is of Welsh descent, maybe there’s more to this than coincidence after all . . .)
    Lenobia
    Lenobia taken from Zenobia, queen of the empire of Palmyrene
    In history . . .
After her husband and his eldest successor were assassinated, Zenobia became regent for her one-year-old son in a.d. 267, ruling the Roman colony of Palmyrene in present-day Syria. In her new position, Zenobia swiftly conquered Egypt in 269 and declared Palmyrene independent from Rome. The Warrior Queen, as she came to be called, would conquer much of Asia Minor before her defeat and capture by the emperor Aurelian. There are many stories of how her life ended, but the most common is that Aurelian, impressed by her courage and audacity, freed Zenobia and granted her clemency. She was said to have married a Roman senator and lived the remainder of her life peacefully in a villa in Tibur, modern-day Tivoli, Italy.
    In the House of Night . . .
Lenobia’s tattoos consist of intricate knots in the shape of two rearing horses, fitting for the equestrian professor!
    Of note . . .
Among her many attributes, Queen Zenobia was especially admired for her skill in horseback riding, a rare accomplishment for a woman in third-century Syria.
    Loren Blake
    Loren (Latin) the short form of the name Lawrence, meaning “from Laurentum,” an ancient Roman city; Blake taken from the English poet William Blake
    In history . . .
The city of Laurentum took its name from laurus , the Latin word for laurels. In ancient times, poets, heroes, and winners of athletic contests (laureates) were crowned with wreaths of laurels as a mark of honor.
    In history, take two . . .
William Blake was a painter and a printmaker, but he is probably best known today as one of the prominent poets of the Romantic period (unfortunately he wasn’t appreciated much until after his death in 1827). From the age of four, Blake, a nonconformist with great respect for the creative imagination, claimed to have heavenly visions. When his brother Robert died from consumption, Blake claimed he saw Robert’s spirit fly from his body, clapping in joy. Robert’s spirit would visit Blake from time to time and even told him about a special printing method. Blake’s artwork was also highly revered, and he was commissioned to do the drawings for a version of Dante’s Divine Comedy .
    In the House of Night . . .
Before his death in Betrayed , Loren Blake was the vampyre poet laureate. Though we never see him recite one of his own poems, we do see Loren draw inspiration from Shakespeare (a vampyre poet in the series) and Japanese haiku.
    Neferet
    (Egyptian) beautiful woman
    In history . . .
Neferet from the House of Night might loosely borrow her name, and her ego, from Queen Nefertiti. While her husband remains obscure (what was his name again . . . right, Akhenaten!), Nefertiti is probably the most famous of the ancient Egyptian Queens after Cleopatra. Not only was she beautiful, history suggests she wielded quite a bit of power. She helped Akhenaten begin a radical religious revolution, monotheism, in which only Aten, the disk of the sun, was worshipped.
    In the House of Night . . .
Neferet is as beautiful as she is dangerous and intelligent, and she uses her beauty and power to captivate those around her and hide her darkness. If beauty is a weapon, the Queen Tsi Sgili is an assassin who proves time after time in the series that she cannot be controlled by anyone, much less her unawares Akehenaten, Kalona.
    Of note . . .
As the royal power couple and “gods upon earth,” Egyptians were expected to worship Aten by worshipping Nefertiti and Akhenaten. Nefertiti even changed her name to Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti, meaning “The Aten is radiant [because] the beautiful one has come.” See any similarities to the Neferet/Nyx, Kalona/Erebus switcheroo?
    Penthesilea
    (Greek) mourned by the people; mournful grip
    In mythology . . .
The Amazon queen Penthesliea led her troops into battle against the Greeks in the Trojan War. She was killed by the warrior Achilles.
    In the House of Night . . .
Professor Penthesilea, or Professor P as she likes to be called,