The Hidden Prophecy: Part VI

Part I  ·  Part II  ·  Part III  ·  Part IV  ·  Part V  ·  Part VI
Part VII  ·  Part VIII  ·  Part IX  ·  Part X  ·  Part XI  ·  Part XII
Part XIII

Additions to the Hidden Prophecy keep appearing, so I have split the Prophecy into sections as they appeared at the Ezra Small House and Museum.  Interpretations and translations are available for each on their respective pages.

The Prophecy

1)_yb( @^_r^ _ c$&b #r _ $(_g2 _ggr_v_^(*. Y(@, w( _r(.//3h%ch %@ c#)p#&+*(* #f ^h( p#4k( F$%pp(r ^hr(w &p.//)_yb( 5/^h( $(^^(r@ @p(_k #f h%@ )%6&( #r @#)(^h%+g.//Wh(r( _$$ ^h( $%+(@ c#+v(rg(,7% w%@h y#& c#&$* @w%)/$%k( ^h( *#$ph%+@,/$%k( *8w(r@ #f )#@^ )(+, &+%^(* by c#+@(+^, %+ #+( p(r9%^'@ *%ff(r(+^ ^h%@ ^%)(. )_yb( %^'@ +#^ ^h( (10gh^y @w#r*./^h(y w_r+ #f h%@ p%(rc%+g (y(./_+* 11/)_+y h_v( @#&gh^ ^h( @#&rc( #f $%f(./^h( b(g%++%+g %@ ^h( (+*12#$ph%+@ c_+ @w%).//^h( ^h(_^(r #f +#%@( %@ pr##f #f #&r p#^(+^13@#+, +_^&r_$ #r c%v%$, ^h_^ h_@ ^h( &@( #f _$$ ^h(%r p#w(r@ *(14+* #f @#)(^h%+g...b&^ ^h( b(g%++%+g. _ @(c#+* ch_+c(.//)_k( ^15^h(y f#r(^($$ ^h( #p(+%+g *##r.//)_yb( w( @h#&$* @^_r^ &p _ J&16 %@ ^h( b(g%++%+g.//@k&$$...@p$%^^%+g! _+* ^h_^...^h_^ @^(+ch...@(()@ f_)%$%_r!//%'17%_$./^h( c%rc&$_^%#+ #f _&^#^yp(@./^h( g#$*(+ ^_$%@)_+ &+*(rf##^ %@ ph(+#)(+#+ _ppr#18p(+*%+g #+ h%@ w%$$.//^h(%r k%@@(@ f(($ $%k( r(_$ k%@@(@,/_+* wh(+ ^h(y cry, ^h(y cr19h( r%gh^ *(c%@%#+./F#$$#w y#&r h(_r^,/+#^ y#&r _)b%^%#+.//+#w % k+#w wh_^ _ ^V *%++(20+%#r $%f(g&_r* _@@#c%_^%#+ #r @#)(^h%+g.//Why *# y#& $(_v( )( ^h(@( p#()@? B(c_&@( 21v( h(_r* $y%+g %@ _ w_y #f $%f( _r#&+* h(r(.//W#$f%('@ f%+(.//W( _r( g(^^%+g22_ch%+g.//^ry ^h_^ #+ f#&r cy$%+*(r@.//^h( gr(_^(@^ #f h&)_+ p#w(r@ %@ ^h_^ w23y r(_$ ^(_r@./B&^ wh_^'@ $(f^ %+ y#&r _r)@ wh(+ ^h( @^_^%c c$(_r@?//$##k@ $%24r f(($@ $%k(.//%^'@ ^## $_^(./F#r (v(ry^h%+g %+ +_^&r(,/^h(r( %@ _ b_$_+c(./25y#& %+@p%r( )(./

Translation

If you're like me, you took one look at that thing and went BLEEEEEEEECH!  So, starting slowly, the first thing to notice is that the big long kajumble has numbers running through it, 1 through 24.  Breaking it up along those lines makes things a LOT easier to deal with.

1)_yb( @^_r^ _ c$&b #r _ $(_g

2 _ggr_v_^(*. Y(@, w( _r(.//

3h%ch %@ c#)p#&+*(* #f ^h( p#

4k( F$%pp(r ^hr(w &p.//)_yb(

5/^h( $(^^(r@ @p(_k #f h%@ )%

6&( #r @#)(^h%+g.//Wh(r( _$$ ^h( $%+(@ c#+v(rg(,

7% w%@h y#& c#&$* @w%)/$%k( ^h( *#$ph%+@,/$%k( *

8w(r@ #f )#@^ )(+, &+%^(* by c#+@(+^, %+ #+( p(r

9%^'@ *%ff(r(+^ ^h%@ ^%)(. )_yb( %^'@ +#^ ^h( (

10gh^y @w#r*./^h(y w_r+ #f h%@ p%(rc%+g (y(./_+*

11/)_+y h_v( @#&gh^ ^h( @#&rc( #f $%f(./^h( b(g%++%+g %@ ^h( (+*

12#$ph%+@ c_+ @w%).//^h( ^h(_^(r #f +#%@( %@ pr##f #f #&r p#^(+^

13@#+, +_^&r_$ #r c%v%$, ^h_^ h_@ ^h( &@( #f _$$ ^h(%r p#w(r@ *(

14+* #f @#)(^h%+g...b&^ ^h( b(g%++%+g. _ @(c#+* ch_+c(.//)_k( ^

15^h(y f#r(^($$ ^h( #p(+%+g *##r.//)_yb( w( @h#&$* @^_r^ &p _ J&

16 %@ ^h( b(g%++%+g.//@k&$$...@p$%^^%+g! _+* ^h_^...^h_^ @^(+ch...@(()@ f_)%$%_r!//%'

17%_$./^h( c%rc&$_^%#+ #f _&^#^yp(@./^h( g#$*(+ ^_$%@)_+ &+*(rf##^ %@ ph(+#)(+#+ _ppr#

18p(+*%+g #+ h%@ w%$$.//^h(%r k%@@(@ f(($ $%k( r(_$ k%@@(@,/_+* wh(+ ^h(y cry, ^h(y cr

19h( r%gh^ *(c%@%#+./F#$$#w y#&r h(_r^,/+#^ y#&r _)b%^%#+.//+#w % k+#w wh_^ _ ^V *%++(

20+%#r $%f(g&_r* _@@#c%_^%#+ #r @#)(^h%+g.//Why *# y#& $(_v( )( ^h(@( p#()@? B(c_&@(

21v( h(_r* $y%+g %@ _ w_y #f $%f( _r#&+* h(r(.//W#$f%('@ f%+(.//W( _r( g(^^%+g

22_ch%+g.//^ry ^h_^ #+ f#&r cy$%+*(r@.//^h( gr(_^(@^ #f h&)_+ p#w(r@ %@ ^h_^ w

23y r(_$ ^(_r@./B&^ wh_^'@ $(f^ %+ y#&r _r)@ wh(+ ^h( @^_^%c c$(_r@?//$##k@ $%

24r f(($@ $%k(.//%^'@ ^## $_^(./F#r (v(ry^h%+g %+ +_^&r(,/^h(r( %@ _ b_$_+c(./

25y#& %+@p%r( )(./

Now, it becomes apparent a simple substitution is necessary to decipher the message.  Only a few letters are encoded, and here they are..

After the substitutions are made, the decoded message appears.  I have intentionally capitalized all of the letters that had been encrypted.

2 AggrAvATED. YES, wE ArE.//

3 hIch IS cOMpOUNDED Of ThE pO

4 kE FLIppEr ThrEw Up.//MAybE

5 /ThE LETTErS SpEAk Of hIS MI

6 UE Or SOMEThINg.//WhErE ALL ThE LINES cONvErgE,

7 I wISh yOU cOULD SwIM/LIkE ThE DOLphINS,/LIkE D

8 wErS Of MOST MEN, UNITED by cONSENT, IN ONE pEr

9 IT'S DIffErENT ThIS TIME. MAybE IT'S NOT ThE E

10 ghTy SwOrD./ThEy wArN Of hIS pIErcINg EyE./AND

11/MANy hAvE SOUghT ThE SOUrcE Of LIfE./ThE bEgINNINg IS ThE END

12 OLphINS cAN SwIM.//ThE ThEATEr Of NOISE IS prOOf Of OUr pOTENT

13 SON, NATUrAL Or cIvIL, ThAT hAS ThE USE Of ALL ThEIr pOwErS DE

14 ND Of SOMEThINg...bUT ThE bEgINNINg. A SEcOND chANcE.//MAkE T

15 ThEy fOrETELL ThE OpENINg DOOr.//MAybE wE ShOULD STArT Up A JU

16 IS ThE bEgINNINg.//SkULL...SpLITTINg! AND ThAT...ThAT STENch...SEEMS fAMILIAr!//I'

17 IAL./ThE cIrcULATION Of AUTOTypES./ThE gOLDEN TALISMAN UNDErfOOT IS phENOMENON ApprO

18 pENDINg ON hIS wILL.//ThEIr kISSES fEEL LIkE rEAL kISSES,/AND whEN ThEy cry, ThEy cr

19 hE rIghT DEcISION./FOLLOw yOUr hEArT,/NOT yOUr AMbITION.//NOw I kNOw whAT A TV DINNE

20 NIOr LIfEgUArD ASSOcIATION Or SOMEThINg.//Why DO yOU LEAvE ME ThESE pOEMS? BEcAUSE

21 vE hEArD LyINg IS A wAy Of LIfE ArOUND hErE.//WOLfIE'S fINE.//WE ArE gETTINg

22 AchINg.//Try ThAT ON fOUr cyLINDErS.//ThE grEATEST Of hUMAN pOwErS IS ThAT w

23 y rEAL TEArS./BUT whAT'S LEfT IN yOUr ArMS whEN ThE STATIc cLEArS?//LOOkS LI

24 r fEELS LIkE.//IT'S TOO LATE./FOr EvEryThINg IN NATUrE,/ThErE IS A bALANcE./

25 yOU INSpIrE ME./

Oh no!  It's all mixed up!  It's obvious that this puzzle is pieces that need to be properly joined together.  I was so proud when I figured out how they should be joined up: It's 5 chunks of 5 parts numerically separated by 5...  How appropriate as we're starting Season 5 of Smallville!  So first, stick together 1, 6, 11, 16, and 21.  Then, tack on 2, 7, 12, 17, 22.  Next, join 3, 8, 13, 18, 23.  After that, 4, 9, 13, 18, 23.  Finally, add 5, 10, 15, 20, 25.

In mathematics, this sort of arrangement is called a matrix.  This is definitely not the ESPs' first reference to The Matrix Trilogy (see Prophecy 22 and Part V of the Hidden Prophecy).  All together, it creates (without the numbers and the slashes, which drive Microsoft Frontpage BANANAS!) the following paragraph:

Maybe start a club or a league or something.  Where all the lines converge, many have sought the source of life.  The beginning is the end is the beginning.  Skull… Splitting! And that… That stench… Seems familiar!  I’ve heard lying is a way of life around here.  Wolfie’s fine.  We are getting aggravated. Yes, we are.  I wish you could swim like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim.  The theater of noise is proof of our potential.  The circulation of autotypes.  The golden talisman underfoot is phenomenon approaching.  Try that on four cylinders.  The greatest of human powers is that which is compounded of the powers of most men, united by consent, in one person, natural or civil, that has the use of all their powers depending on his will.  Their kisses feel like real kisses, and when they cry, they cry real tears.  But what’s left in your arms when the static clears?  Looks like Flipper threw up.  Maybe it’s different this time.  Maybe it’s not the end of something… But the beginning.  A second chance.  Make the right decision.  Follow your heart, not your ambition.  Now I know what a TV dinner feels like.  It’s too late.  For everything in nature, there is a balance.  The letters speak of his mighty sword.  They warn of his piercing eye.  And they foretell the opening door.  Maybe we should start up a junior lifeguard association or something.  Why do you leave me these poems?  Because you inspire me.

Interpretation

First, besides noting the reference to The Matrix Trilogy, KSite's Eh,Man?You-El? points out that "five by five" is a catch phrase used by the character Faith in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  What does this have to do with Smallville?  Season 5 features its baddest villain ever-- Brainiac-- who is played by none other than BtVS's James Marsters.

Maybe start a club or a league or something.

Kyle Gallner (who will one day grow up to be The Flash, suggested to Clark in Season 4's "Run" that they team up again someday.  This, of course, is a reference to the Justice League, the super team of which both will one day be members.  Season 5's "Aqua" featured another Justice League member, Aquaman (Arthur "A.C." Curry).

Where all the lines converge, many have sought the source of life.

I'm guessing the "lines" are four rivers mentioned in the Bible-- the Tigris, Euphrates, Pishon, and Gihon rivers.  According to the Bible, the Garden of Eden was located where these four rivers converged.  The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (sounds a bit like what the Fortress of Solitude provides) as well as the Tree of Life were in the Garden before it was eventually destroyed by the Great Flood.

The beginning is the end is the beginning.

This is a song by the Smashing Pumpkins.  Another version of it (also by the Pumpkins and released with it on a single) is called "The End is the Beginning is the End."  This was on the Batman & Robin soundtrack.  Oh, Batnipples...! ::Shudders::

Skull… Splitting! And that… That stench… Seems familiar!

This almost sounds like comic book dialogue... Is this maybe from a Superman/Doomsday battle?  Nope!  KSite's Eh,Man?You-El? points out something we all forgot we'd snuck a peek at over the summer...  The comic panels in KryptonSite's spoiler pages that described the comic version of Nam-Ek, who we saw in Season Five's premiere ("Arrival").  Take a look at the panel.

I’ve heard lying is a way of life around here.

In "Arrival," Lana attempted to kill Nam-Ek and Aethyr by luring them into Lex's study and exposing them to his stash of kryptonite.  However, she failed to actually take any of the kryptonite out of the vault and use it to surround them with it or trap them with it, and the two managed to seal back up in the vault.  Then, an angry Nam-Ek sayid, "Lying is their way..."

Wolfie’s fine.

Yay, another T2: Judgment Day quote!  The villian in "Gone" (affectionately referred to on message boards as "Trent-1000") was a T2 ripoff, and there was also a T2 reference in Part I of the Hidden Prophecy.  When young John Connor and the Terminator (the good Arnold; he was good in the second one!) called John's foster parents from a pay phone to let them know he was okay, John thought his foster mother sounded "weird" and heard his dog barking ferociously. The Terminator picked up the phone and, in John's voice, began talking with the foster mother.  Putting his hand over the receiver, the Terminator asked John, "What's your dog's name?"  "Max," John replied.  "What's wrong with Wolfie, Janelle?  He's really barking!" the Terminator asked John's foster mother.  When she replied, "Wolfie's fine, honey.  Wolfie's just fine," the Terminator hung up the phone and told John, "Your foster parents are dead."  The dog had been barking because dogs can recognize terminators and freak out about them.  That along with the fact that John's "foster mother" referred to the dog as "Wolfie" showed that the T-1000 had killed her and was impersonating her to trap John.

Also, on the subject of T2, the end of "Arrival" showed a black liquid puddle-ish thing dripping out of the ship that slowly morphed into James Marsters (Brainiac), much like the liquid metal T-1000 of T2.

We are getting aggravated. Yes, we are.

Another reference from The Matrix Trilogy.  The ghostly twins, two creepy, quick, and powerful identical adversaries who challenged Morpheus and company, said this in The Matrix Reloaded (thanks, KSite's SVFan26).  Two of the three FoTW's in Season 5's "Mortal" were pale twins from Belle Reve who finished each other's sentences.

I wish you could swim like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim.

These are lyrics to David Bowie's "Heroes."  It's either a not-so-subtle reference to the upcoming appearance of Aquaman in Season 5, or, as KSite's Eh,Man?You-El?, it could be a hopeful hint that the horrible Clana relationship will be short-lived!

The theater of noise is proof of our potential.  The circulation of autotypes.  The golden talisman underfoot is phenomenon approaching.

This is from George Lucas' first short film, THX 1138.  According to IMDb.com, the plot is as follows: "THX 1138, LUH 3417, and SEN 5241 attempt to escape from a futuristic society located beneath the surface of the Earth. The society has outlawed sex, with drugs used to control the people. THX 1138 stops taking the drugs and gets LUH 3417 pregnant. They are both thrown in jail where they meet SEN 5241 and start to plan their escape."  The above snippet is part of a longer monologue spoken by a character identified as "Hologram."  The entire quote:

HOLOGRAM: Combined with economic advantages of the mating structure, it far surpasses any disadvantages in increased perversions. A final tran-- An infinite translated mathematics of tolerance and charity among artificial memory devices is ultimately binary. Stimulating rhetoric... The theater of noise is proof of our potential. The circulation of autotypes. The golden talisman underfoot is phenomenon approaching. And, in the history of now, all ethos are designed.

In Season 5's "Thirst," Project 1138 was the name one of LuthorCorp's research activities.  This project, which took place in a cave where the water table had been poisoned by meteor rocks, exposed several people-- including head lesbovampire Buffy Sanders-- to bites from kryptonite-infected vampire bats that carried a mutant strain of rabies.  The reason for the Star Wars references is Carrie Fisher's recurring role as hard-nosed Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Pauline Kahn on Smallville.

Try that on four cylinders.

Senator Jennings ("Exposed") said this to Jonathan after the two did a very Dukes of Hazzard-ish stunt in his car.  Jennings was played by Tom Wopat, who was Luke Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard... And John Schneider (Jonathan), was Luke's brother Bo.  So the good ol' boys, in a very anvilicious display, did a car stunt in a blue version of the General Lee.  Mmmm... Cheesy.

The greatest of human powers is that which is compounded of the powers of most men, united by consent, in one person, natural or civil, that has the use of all their powers depending on his will.

From Thomas Hobbes' political treatise Leviathan.  KSite's Eh,Man?You-El? provides an excerpt from Chapter X, titled "Of Power, Worth, Dignity, Honor, and Worthiness," the section in which the above quote can be found.

‘Natural power’ is the eminence of the faculties of body or mind, as extraordinary strength, form, prudence, arts, eloquence, liberality, nobility. ‘Instrumental’ are those powers which, acquired by these or by fortune are means and instruments to acquire more, as riches, reputation, friends, and the secret working of God, which men call good luck. For the nature of power is in this point like to fame, increasing as it proceeds; or like the motion of heavy bodies, which the further they go make still the more haste. The greatest of human powers is that which is compounded of the powers of most men, united by consent, in one person, natural or civil, that has the use of all their powers depending on his will such as is the power of a commonwealth. Or depending on the wills of each particular, such as is the power of a faction or of divers factions leagued. Therefore to have servants is power; to have friends is power; for they are strengths united.

Leviathan was the name of the underwater sonic weapon Lex was trying to sell to the Pentagon in "Aqua."  The powerful weapon was strong enough to rip apart a submarine, but its very presence was toxic to surrounding sealife.

Their kisses feel like real kisses, and when they cry, they cry real tears.  But what’s left in your arms when the static clears?

These are lyrics from Steely Dan's "Tomorrow's Girls."  Steely Dan lyrics appeared in Prophecy 8 and Part II and Part IV of the Hidden Prophecy.

Looks like Flipper threw up.

Lois said this to A.C. in "Aqua" when making fun of his... unique... fashion sense (orange shirts and green board shorts; these are the colors of and resemble the future Aquaman's costume).

Maybe it’s different this time.  Maybe it’s not the end of something… But the beginning.  A second chance.

Clark said this to Lana in Season 5's "Mortal" when they were discussing the second meteor shower... And their new relationship.

Make the right decision.  Follow your heart, not your ambition.

Lionel said this to Lex in "???" when the two were discussing Lex's run for Senator.

Now I know what a TV dinner feels like.

Apparently, Bruce Willis said this in Die Hard as he crawled through an air duct.  In "Mortal," a super whiny Clark complained to Chloe about how hot he was as he crawled through an air duct in LuthorCorp while trying to get to Level 3.

It's too late.

I'm not sure if this is the right reference, but this is what Evan's mother shouted as she gave birth to him at the beginning of that horrible, horrible episode "Ageless."

For everything in nature, there is a balance.

It sounds reminiscent of all the witchy stuff of Season 4, a slogan for some kind of shampoo created by and for hippies, or something out of The Lion King.  However, it's actually something Jor-El said to Clark in "Hidden."  After the episode's villain, Gabriel, shot and killed Clark, Jor-El resurrected Clark and lectured him about giving up his powers.  He gave Clark his abilities back, but warned him that as a result, someone he loves will die.  We have yet to see who that will be, but all bets are on Jonathan, who already has had a Jor-El bullseye on him and is dead at this stage of the game in traditional Supes mythology.

The letters speak of his mighty sword.  They warn of his piercing eye.  And they foretell the opening door.

As much as I want to make a joke about this being sexual innuendo (Clark's "mighty sword," insert Beavis and Butthead laugh), Eh,Man?You-El? (yes, him again) has built off my suggestion that an earlier line refers to the Garden of Eden and wonders whether this is an accompanying reference.  Genesis details how God expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden after they sinned by eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  To keep them from re-entering the Garden and eating of the Tree of Life, God stationed a cherubim with a flaming sword at the Garden's gate.  However, it's also highly possible this is a reference to the opening "door" of the Caves in Smallville, or else the door of the spaceship that crashed in "Commencement."

However, Eh,Man?You-El?, the man who never stops coming up with great ideas, stumbled onto more great info.  Here's what he discovered, in his own words (well, with a little editing by me):

In learning to write the Hebrew letters of the "Aleph-Bet," there is a tradition of describing the letters by how they look.  For example, the strokes used to create the letter Zayin are described as a sword and hilt.  Using these descriptions, Zayin is a sword (in verses like "The Alphabet Song," it is described specifically as "a mighty sword"), Ayin is an eye, and Dalet is a door (in verses, it is described specifically as "an opening door").  So, the letters speak, warn, and foretell of a mighty sword (Z), eye (A), and opening door (D), or ZAD... Oh, sorry! Ayin is the character in Hebrew used to indicate "O" sounds, so... The letters speak, warn, and foretell of ZOD.

Sure enough, Lionel warned Lana in "Arrival" that "The disciples of Zod... They must be stopped!"

Maybe we should start up a junior lifeguard association or something.

When saying goodbye in "Aqua," Arthur "A.C." Curry told Clark that they make a good team and joked, "Maybe we should start up a junior lifeguard association or something."  Clark's response was something along the lines of not being quite ready for "the JLA" yet.  Aquaman and Superman, the future super-identities of A.C. and Clark, are two members of the comics' JLA... Not any junior lifeguard association, but the Justice League of America.

Why do you leave me these poems? Because you inspire me.

In "Nocturne," Byron left poems for Lana because he, like everyone else in the city of Smallville, was in love with her.  Lana asked, "Why do you leave me these poems?"  Byron replied, "Because you inspire me."  Kind of reminds me of the creepy bag-filming outcast in American Beauty (Ricky Fitz).  "Why are you filming that dead bird?"  "Because it's beautiful."  Eep!

Part I  ·  Part II  ·  Part III  ·  Part IV  ·  Part V  ·  Part VI
Part VII  ·  Part VIII  ·  Part IX  ·  Part X  ·  Part XI  ·  Part XII
Part XIII

© 2004-2006
shirkie