A Swedish Future Pop band. Formed in 1994 by Eskil Simonsson, Clas Nachmanson, and Joakim Montelius. Oddly enough, Eskil is the singer but does most of the programming on albums, while Joakim plays keyboards at their shows, but wrote most of the lyrics.

Covenant rapidly became popular, with danceable singles like Theremin, Stalker, and Tension. Their sound started as slightly generic hard EBM, and has evolved to a more poppy sound, which has alienated many fans, but made just as many. They are one of the few bands to claim the Future Pop label, although not the only to be given it.

Covenant's official web site is http://www.covenant.se, but the fan site Plastiq Flowers (http://www.plastiq-flowers.de) is much more comprehensive.

There used to be a metal band called Covenant, but they changed their name to The Kovenant.

Covenant Discography:
Dreams Of A Cryotank, 1994, on Memento Materia.
Figurehead single, 1995, on Memento Materia.
Sequencer, 1996, on Memento Materia. There are three versions of this album; something was wrong with the first. The beta edition had the bonus track Luminal, and the American version contains the Stalker EP.
Stalker, 1996, on Memento Materia.
Theremin EP, 1997, on Memento Materia.
Final Man single, 1998, on Memento Materia.
Europa, 1998, on Memento Materia.
Euro EP, 1999, on Memento Materia.
Tour De Force single, 1999, on Dependent.
Der Leiermann single, 2000, on Dependent.
United States Of Mind, 2000. CD and limited box set with an extra disc of b-sides. On Dependent.
Synergy: Live in Europe, 2000. CD and limited box with live video and interviews, and a cocktail recipe. On Dependent.
Northern Light, 2002.
Skyshaper, 2006.
Modern Ruin, 2011.

Most of these have been released or re-released in the US through Metropolis Records.

'I solemnly covenant that at least 90% of my writeups shall be factual writeups'

The usual name for what is most officially called 'The E2 Factnoders' Covenant,' the Covenant began as a bright idea of liveforever, who was frustrated that a large proportion of writeups being added to Everything 2 were non-factual, and not only that; these writeups were the most popular as far as votes were concerned. As a reaction to this, he decided to take an oath that he would never have more than 10% of his writeups containing non-factual content. Since then, a number of other noders have taken up the covenant, and an informal clique has grown up around this mantra.

The Covenant is not an attempt to clean the database of non-factual content. It is about a belief that the backbone of Everything 2 is factual nodes, and that anything else is, so to speak, 'social lubricant.'

Why should I take up the Covenant?

Believe it or not, the Covenant can improve your non-factual writeups - "if only 1 in 10 of my writeups can be non-factual, I'd better make it worthwhile."

On the other hand, daylogs and dream logs are exempt from covenant calculations, so 'covenanters' can post as much as they like under these nodes. This has the added advantage of moving much of the more personal content to a more suitable place.

Why shouldn't I take up the Covenant?

For those with a penchant for fiction, the covenant can feel extremely restricting. However, the majority of these people also write very good fiction which is more than worthy of keeping on the database. Also, the Covenant is by no means a mandatory thing, and I would actively discourage E2's better fiction writers from taking it up.

Keeping calculations on the Covenant up-to-date can be difficult to do, especially when one has a large number of nodes to monitor. Many 'covenanters' like to put the calculations on their homenode and update it as the numbers change.

Which idiots have taken it?

The following brave noders have taken up the Covenant: liveforever, shallot, wertperch, erias, Mortice, taschenrechner, anthropod, RubenAzarja, Teiresias, Noung, calypso's crush, Transitional Man, junkets, evilrooster, Monkeylover, Nordicfrost, Wafel, dann, irexe, Carthag, shimmer, Berek, Powers, Stealth Munchkin, mkb, Ereneta, Cornflakes, SharK, bah, arcanamundi, rahmat, Nero, BaronWR, elflad, Carwash_, will, arieh, Kage Prototype, Tiefling, jmn32, in10se, sekicho, caknuck, pao, volfied, nevermind_me, MikeyK, randombit, Heisenberg, Royhoo33, tburns, gitm. Go shower them in praise and/or ridicule.

Anyone wanting to take up the Covenant need only paste the text of it ('I solemnly covenant that at least 90% of my writeups shall be factual writeups') on their homenode and do their best to keep it. There is no need for the noder to have already fulfilled it; the Covenant is meant as a personal goal, and nothing more.

See also: liveforever's homenode; E2 Clique Application Form


Yes, calling it 'the Covenant' is a bit pretentious. Feel free to think up another noder Covenant. We'd be interested to see how it pans out.

Thanks to liveforever and anthropod

The holy relationship between humanity and G-d is based, according to Judaism, on the 3 covenants which are found in the Torah:

  • Noah: Found in Genesis 9, this first covenant was between G-d and all of humanity, when He told Noah that He would honour human life as sacred (hence, no more earth-encompassing floods!), and the sign of this covenant was the rainbow.
  • Abraham: Found in Genesis 17, the second covenant was narrowed down to a promise between G-d and the descendants of Abraham. See, first G-d told Abraham to kill his first born son, and because Abraham was about to obey G-d, He decided to reward His faithful servant by stating that the progeny of Abraham would number more than the stars in the sky, that they would inherit the land of Canaan, and that his other son Ismael would get some action as well. Sign of the covenant- circumcision (the Hebrew word is Berit Milah, or 'covenant of our father Abraham').
  • Moses: See Exodus 19. The final covenant (according to Judaism) was once more narrowed down, to include G-d and the Israelites- His chosen people, who were to be Qadosh, or holy and set apart, to be light to the people (Or Laguyim). This is also known as the Sinaitic Covenant, and the sign of the covenant is the Torah. The promise? That the Israelites were to inhabit the land of Israel, the land 'flowing with milk and honey' (Deuteronomy 26), as long as they follow His mitzvot (laws/commands): "You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."-Exodus 19

In the ancient world, there were two main types of treaties- a bilateral, or Parity treaty, and a unilateral, or Suzerainty treaty. The Parity treaty was between two equals, and an example of this in the Old Testament is the treaty between Jacob and Laban in Genesis 31. It is basically a mutually advantageous political alliance. On the other hand, the Suzerainty treaty was between a king and his vassals, and it was generally imposed upon the subjects, telling them what was expected from them, and what they could expect from their king.

In the Greek Old Testament, the words used to describe these two different treaties are diatheke (a covenant between G-d and man) and suntheke (a contract). The suntheke, or parity treaty, first presents the law or imperative, and if this law is not followed, the indicative (statement of fact) is void. In other words, I might make a bilateral parity contract with a business partner saying that if we both contribute x amount of resources, then we can be partners and share the profit. However, if the rules are broken, the contract is void. On the other hand, the diatheke is a unilateral covenant, similar to the Suzerainty treaty, which first presents the indicative: I am the Lord your G-d, then the imperative: You shall have no other gods before me and then a blessing or curse is at the end. This blessing/curse describes the consequence of one's decision to reject or accept the imperative, without changing the original indicative, but abandonment is never the option.

In other words, the indicative (G-d's nature, His love for us) will never change, even if we do not follow the law. Yes, there will be a consequence, but G-d is shown to be a fundamentally indicative G-d-- not an imperative G-d who is boxed in by His own rules.

The Old Testament is not synonymous with legalism. Legalism says "if you keep the law, G-d will love you," with love being the reward. This is not what YHWH Elohim of the Old Testament is about.

Ars Magica

NB: For this Ars Magica node, I am working from my experience primarily with 3rd edition texts and gaming, but from a few 4th edition texts as well

"Salvete sodales, it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Ellylldan, Magus of House Merinita. I understand that you wish to learn something of Sedes Silva, our covenant, yes? I see that you are not yourself of the Order, so perhaps you are seeking employment here among the turb? No, you have a manner of education and edudition... you must be seeking a place as a consors, then? But you seem confused, still. Let me show you around, then, and tell you of our fine covenant...

"The covenant ... no, the word 'coven' is only used by the ignorant peasantry, and smacks too much of the diabolism we hate even more than do they; you should not speak that word again. Covenant, yes, that is the word, from the Latin convenium, a pact — originally it referred only to the charter that earlier Magi made among themselves for mutual protection, mutual aid, and shared learning. But, over time, Magi came to broaden the term to refer to the group of allied Magi themselves, and by extension the place where they live, work and study together, along with their apprentices, consortis, and grogs.

"This wonderful village, hidden here in the woods, is the covenant to which I now belong. No, you could not exactly call it typical; I'm sure there is no such thing in the whole Order of Hermes, at least in terms of the covenant's location and manner of construction, though certainly all covenants have some characteristics in common. All, most likely, provide living quarters and laboratory space for the Magi, some sort of library, and accomodations for the others who assist and serve us."

The word "covenant" in the Ars Magica role-playing game is used to refer both to "a durable group of associated and ostensibly allied Magi" and the place this group considers its headquarters — the latter can take any number of forms, depending on the size and shared resources of the group; e.g., it might be a single, fairly typical Medieval structure or set of buildings, a tower, a castle, a series of caves, or even a caravan of wagons or a ship.

The Covenant is, in many ways, the most important "character" within the game. While it is not (generally) capable of independent thought, and does not take independent action, nevertheless it greatly influences the game, providing a backdrop for the action of many stories as well as filling the downtime for Magi between stories; providing a rationale for the characters to live together and be a cohesive group; and provides a common set of goals and interests. Finally, as Magi, Companions and Grogs come and go, live and die, the Covenant provides the single most enduring presence in the game; it gives the game its overarching identity.

Most Covenants enforce an initiation upon new aspirants. This initiation, which varies in form and length from Covenant to Covenant, almost always ends with an oath spoken by the new member to the entire Covenant population, both magical and mundane.

Excerpts from a Typical Oath

As composed by Consuelia, founder of Mistridge Covenant, in the year 1067...

"I, [name] of House [name], do humbly ask for acceptance into the Covenant of Mistridge. I do so of my own will, under no influences other than my own; no magicks or powers mundane force me here today. I undeersand that my life is forfeit should this or any other part of my oath be found false....

"I here truthfully state I have never consorted with or aided demons, diabolists, or practitioners of magic other than those sanctioned by the Order....

"I swear to follow both the Code of Hermes and the Peripheral Code, lest I lose my title of Magus, position within my House, and place within this Covenant....

"In all respects I will uphold the reputation and honor of this, my new home, and consider its welfare above my own...."

"As I noted, ours is but a young covenant, barely a few years into its Spring. Yes, Spring. You are not familiar with the famous Dionasian treatise, then?"

"Well, then, we have come to understand that Covenants, just as people, have a life-cycle, and we often use seasonal concepts and names to describe this cycle. The Magus Dionasius of House Bonisagus wrote a famous treatise, The Changing Seasons of a Covenant, in which he detailed a new way of understanding the Covenant. I will see if the librarian can secure a copy for you..."

Excerpt from The Changing Seasons of a Covenant

"A covenant begins in Spring upon its founding and throughout it attempts to establish its presence in a region. After a covenant has achieved some measure of power and stability, it moves into Summer, during which it comes into its prime of strength and vitality. Autumn marks the beginning of the covenant's decline, but in this stage it has great political influence and reaches its highest status. The power won during Summer is maintained, and the covenant's influence begins to be used for good measure, but decadence and sloth set in. Finally the covenant decays into Winter, a time when it has lost its power, reputation, and influence, but still clings to the shadow of life...

"Some Winter covenants with determined and dedicated leaders or an influx of new blood may revive and start the cycle anew with the onset of a second Spring, but often the decay is too ingrown to be reversed. Many covenants simply fade away after the long darkness of Winter..."

Game Mechanics

Covenants are created, much as are characters, but usually through the cooperation of the entire troupe. A template is chosen for the season and style of the Covenant, and various attributes are chosen, purchased or rolled, just as Characteristics, Virtues and Flaws, and Abilities were generated for player characters.

As the game progresses, players may use their resources to upgrade the Covenant, e.g., acquiring a better Hermetic library, hiring additional Grogs or Companions, developing relationships with local powers and/or political influence of their own.

"I must be on your way. I have matters to attend to in my laboratory, and dare not leave my young apprentice alone any longer. If you wish to know any more, just ask the librarian, Eve Rything. Eve will assist you as best she can in finding the appropriate resources."


Source:

Cov"e*nant (k?v"?-nant), n. [OF. covenant, fr. F. & OF. convenir to agree, L. convenire. See Convene.]

1.

A mutual agreement of two or more persons or parties, or one of the stipulations in such an agreement.

Then Jonathan and David made a covenant. 1 Sam. xviiii. 3.

Let there be covenants drawn between us. Shak.

If we conclude a peace, It shall be with such strict and severe covenants As little shall the Frenchmen gain thereby. Shak.

2. Eccl. Hist.

An agreement made by the Scottish Parliament in 1638, and by the English Parliament in 1643, to preserve the reformed religion in Scotland, and to extirpate popery and prelacy; -- usually called the "Solemn League and Covenant."

He [Wharton] was born in the days of the Covenant, and was the heir of a covenanted house. Macualay.

3. Theol.

The promises of God as revealed in the Scriptures, conditioned on certain terms on the part of man, as obedience, repentance, faith, etc.

I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. Gen. xvii. 7.

4.

A solemn compact between members of a church to maintain its faith, discipline, etc.

5. Law (a)

An undertaking, on sufficient consideration, in writing and under seal, to do or to refrain from some act or thing; a contract; a stipulation; also, the document or writing containing the terms of agreement.

(b)

A form of action for the violation of a promise or contract under seal.

Syn. -- Agreement; contract; compact; bargain; arrangement; stipulation. -- Covenant, Contract, Compact, Stipulation. These words all denote a mutual agreement between two parties. Covenant is frequently used in a religious sense; as, the covenant of works or of grace; a church covenant; the Solemn League and Covenant. Contract is the word most used in the business of life. Crabb and Taylor are wrong in saying that a contract must always be in writing. There are oral and implied contracts as well as written ones, and these are equally enforced by law. In legal usage, the word covenant has an important place as connected with contracts. A compact is only a stronger and more solemn contract. The term is chiefly applied to political alliances. Thus, the old Confederation was a compact between the States. Under the present Federal Constitution, no individual State can, without consent of Congress, enter into a compact with any other State or foreign power. A stipulation is one of the articles or provisions of a contract.

 

© Webster 1913.


Cov"e*nant (k?v"?-n?nt), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Covenanted; p. pr. & vb. n. Covenanting.]

To agree (with); to enter into a formal agreement; to bind one's self by contract; to make a stipulation.

Jupiter covenanted with him, that it should be hot or cold, wet or dry, . . . as the tenant should direct. L'Estrange.

And they covenanted with him for thyrty pieces of silver. Matt. xxvi. 15.

Syn. -- To agree; contract; bargain; stipulate.

 

© Webster 1913.


Cov"e*nant, v. t.

To grant or promise by covenant.

My covenant of peace that I covenanted with you. Wyclif.

 

© Webster 1913.

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