Group+2+Rider+Haggard,+King+Solomon's+Mines

=​​Home Page= =[|South Africa Map]= =Henry Rider Haggard (1856-1925)= Portrait of Henry Rider Haggard (1856-1925), author, Woodburytype, 9.7 x 7.1 in by Herbert Rose Barraud (1845-1896)

**Backgrond Information on Haggard [|Haggard Biography]**
Born in Norfolk, England in 1856, Henry Haggard was considered the odd ball of all his borthers. His father didn't look upon him as highly as he did his brothers and therefore while they went to respectable public schools, Henry attended a London day school and then privately the Ipswich Grammar School (a day school as well as a boarding school for boys).



Before becoming a famous adventure writer Haggard became extremely involved in political affairs. He sought to enter the army but failed. Following his failure to become a soldier, he went in 1875 to Natal where he served as secratary to Sir Henry Bulwer, renowned author and Governor of the Natal colony. The following year Henry became Master and Registrar of the High Court in the Transvaal. Haggard there after lived his life out studying British colonial policy and writing.

Aside from his political endeavors Haggard was a frequent traveler and based many of his stories on his experiences during his travels. He used his various travels to acquaint himself with different tribes and cultures. Among his travels Haggar spent several years in South Africa working with the British government, therefore many of his writings were set in Africa. When he published //King Solomon's Mines// Haggard was living in Britain and it is rumored that he wrote the book in as little as six weeks. The book is based on many different areas in the continent as are many of his other adventure novels. During his travels in Africa he familiarized himself with the ways of the Zulu tribe more than any other. He took an extreme interest in their gender relations which comes out in much of his work.

Although Henry Rider Haggard is known for his political involvement he later in his life became more popularized by works such as //King Solomon's Mines// along with other short stories and exotic novels including //Allan Quatermain (1887), She (1887), Montezuma's Daughter (1893), to name a few.// Although some would argue that fiction novels are not a product of their time, Haggard negates this argument by bringing his personal biases into his writings and including things from his personal experiences. He did this to much gain. Although many of his stories feature mystical characters, adventure and suspense there are some pieces in his career thar were more notable for their realness and relativity. These include //The Poor and the Land (1905),// and most notably, //The Days of My Life (1926).// After the latter of the two he was appointed special commisioner for the Colonial Office within the same year. Seven years later he was knighted andnb another seven years later made Knight Commander.

In the midst of all his personal]{M adventures outside his stories, Haggard did find the time to marry and have children. He found his wife, Mariana Margitson, after returning to England but brought her back to Africa with him to marry. Together they had a son named Jack and three daughters. Jack passed away at the tender age of ten from the measles leaving Haggard with only his three girls.

After a long and full life Henry Rider Haggard past away in 1925. He was home in England at the time of his death but one can most definitely say that his name and his story has been immortalized in his writings.

=Summary of King Soloman's Mines:=

This adventurous story takes place in South Africa. It is the adventure of three men searching for King Soloman's mines. The main character, Mr. Quartermain, travels with Sir Henry and Captain Good. Sir Henry is searching for his brother along the way, who had gone missing when he left to look for the mine himself. Haggard wrote this novel because his brother bet him that he could not write a book better than Robert Stevenson's //Treasure Island//. It is said that he wrote the story in a very short time somewhere between four and sixteen weeks. The book became a best seller, with the only problem being they could not print enough copies. Needless to say Rider most likely won that bet with his brother.

Allan Quatermain, an English adventurer and hunter is approached by Sir Henry Curtis, and his friend Captain Good, asking for his help to find Sir Henry's brother, who was lost traveling on a quest for King Solomon's Mines. Quatermain has a map to lead to the mines, but had never taken it seriously. He agrees to go in return for money for his son to go to college in case he dies on the journey. He has little hope they will return alive. They also bring native, Umbopa, who seems different than most of his class. Traveling by ox, they reach the edge of a desert, but not before a hunt in which an elephant kills a servant. Quatermain's map shows an oasis halfway across, and they continue on foot, almost dying of thirst. Reaching a mountain range called "Sheba's Breasts", they climb to the top and enter a cave where they find a frozen corpse of José Silvestre, a Portuguese explorer who drew the map with his blood. That night, a second servant dies from the cold, and they leave his body to "give him a companion."

They cross the mountains into a valley, known as Kukuanaland, to their surprise the natives have a well organized army and society. The city is dominated by a Royal Kraal. They soon meet a party of warriors who are going to kill them when Captain Good plays with his false teeth, making the natives scared. To protect themselves, they call themselves "white men from the stars" and are required to give regular proof. They are brought before King Twala, who rules over his people with violence. He came to power years before when he murdered his brother, and drove his brother's wife and infant son, Ignosi, out to die. Twala's rule is not challenged and an evil, small women named Gagool is his chief advisor. She challenges any opposition by ordering regular witch hunts and murdering anyone identified as traitors. She singles out Umbopa, and it takes all Quatermain's skill to save him. Gagool, has already sensed what Umbopa soon reveals; he is Ignosi, and the son of Twala's murdered brother. He is actually the king of the Kukuanas. A rebellion breaks out. The Englishmen join Ignosi's army in battle. Though they are outnumbered, they take over Twala, and Sir Henry chops off his head in a duel. They also capture Gagool, who leads them to the Mines. She shows them treasure inside a mountain, full of gold, diamonds and ivory. She then sneaks out while they are admiring the treasure and closes the mine's stone door. Gagool and a women native named Foulata begin a fight and Gagool is crushed by the door. But Foulata is stabbed and eventually dies.

The food and water go quickly, and they prepare to die. After a couple days in the moutain, they find an escape, bringing with them a few diamonds. The Englishmen say goodbye to Ignosi. They take a different route home, and they find Sir Henry's brother stranded wit ha broken leg, unable to go forward or back. They return to Durban and eventually to England, wealthy. (BookRags)

=Quotes from the Book:= “What is a gentleman? A Royal Naval officer is, in a general sort of way, though, of course, there may be a black sheep among them here and there. I fancy it is just the wide sea and the breath of God’s winds what washes their hearts and blows the bitterness out of their minds and makes them what men ought to be.” (Haggard 12)

“1. You are to pay all expenses, and may ivory or other valuables we may get is to be divided between Captain Good and myself. 2. That you pay me 500 for my services on the trip before we start, I undertaking to serve you faithfully till you choose to abandon the enterprise, or till we succeed, or disaster overtakes us. 3. That before we start you execute a deed agreeing, in the event of my death or disablement, to pay my boy Harry, who is studying medicine over there in London at Guy’s Hospital, a sum of 200 a year for five years, by which time he ought to be able to earn a living himself. That is all, I think, and I daresay you will say quite enough too.” (Haggard 37-38)

“Listen, O King! Listen, O People! Listen, O mountains and plains and rivers, home of the Kukuana race! Listen, O skies and sun, O rain and storm and mist! Listen, all things that live and must die! Listen, all dead things that must live again—again to die! Listen, the spirit of life is in me, and I prophesy. I prophesy! I prophesy!” (Haggard 148)

“Yet man dies not whilst the world, at once his mother and his monument, remains. His name is forgotten, indeed, but the breath he breathed yet stirs the pine-tops on the mountains, the sound of the words he spoke yet echoes on through space; the thoughts his brain gave birth to we have inherited to-day; his passions are our cause of life; the joys and sorrows that he felt are our familiar friends—the end from which he fled aghast will surely overtake us also!” (Haggard 198)

“Let my Lord show his servant his beautiful white legs, that his servant may look on them, and remember them all her days, and tell of them to her children; his servant has travelled four days’ journey to see them, for the fame of them has gone throughout the land.” (Haggard 308)

The book was eventually turned into a movie starring Patrick Swayze in 2004.
[|Watch King Solomon's Mines Movie Trailer]

=Solomon's Mines:= King Solomon was the King of Isreal and the Son of David. He is a highly regarded biblical figure who had a lot of wealth and power. Solomon built a Temple known as the First Temple, according to the Hebrew Bible. Sololmon, king of the ancient Israelites built his Temple on mount Moriah in Jerusalem. It housed the Ark of the Covenant and functioned as a religious focus point in ancient Judaism for the worship of YHWH. According to secular historians, the Temple would have been completed in around 960 BCE and destroyed by the Babylonians in 587/6 BCE. He is also called //Jedidiah,// and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before the northern Kingdom of Isreal, and the southern Kingdom of Judah.

Solomon had many siblings including Amnon, who was killed on the order of their half-brother, Absalom, for raping Absalom's sister, Tamar. ( 2 Samuel 13:1-29) Absalom was killed in the Battle of Ephraim Wood, and Adonijah, who had tried to usurp the throne, was put to death. Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. The wives are described as foreign princesses, including Pharaoh's daughter and women of Moab, Ammon, Sidon and of the Hittites. These wives are depicted as leading Solomon astray. The only wife that is mentioned by name is Naamah, who is described as the Ammonite. She was the mother of Solomon's successor, Rehoboam.

As mentioned above, King Solomon is a widely known biblical figure. His story is still told today throughout several chruches. Below is the children's version of the King Solomon story often told in children's church.

=Solomon's Wisdom:=

"Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel.” "In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider.” "A merry heart doeth good like medicine.” "Give Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people and to know good and evil."1 Kings 3:9 ]

"So God said to him, 'Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked...'" (1 Kings 3:11-12) The Hebrew Bible also states that: "The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart." (1 Kings 10:24)



References: 1. [] 2.[][|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon's_Temple] 3. [] 4 [] 5. [] 6. [] 7. [] 8. [[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7taMDmJjtDk|http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%3Fei%3DUTF-8%26p%3Dking%2Bsolomon&w=585&h=750&imgurl=www.freechristimages.org%2Fimages_oldtestament%2FKing_Solomon_After_Dore.jpg&size=310.7kB&name=King+Solomon+After+Dore+jpg&rcurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freechristimages.org%2Fbiblebooks%2FBook_of_2_Chronicles.htm&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freechristimages.org%2Fbiblebooks%2FBook_of_2_Chronicles.htm&p=king+solomon&type=jpeg&no=2&tt=41%2C667&oid=c1a2b3aea24517ce&tit=King+Solomon+After+Dore+jpg&sigr=123k03091&sigi=128d43v80&sigb=11majku36&fr=yfp-t-936-s9]. 10.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7taMDmJjtDk]]