I’ve been reading up on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse for this year’s above-pictured group Halloween costume. According to the book of Revelations (an old Bible of my mom’s calls it the book of the Apocalypse) the four horsemen enter in the following order, with the following features – as a lamb opens envelopes:
Conquest – the only horseman actually named in the text. Wears a crown and carries a bow with no arrows. Rides a black horse. Judging by the photo above, apparently favors the Renaissance.
War – (we’re out of order above) Carries a sword, rides a red horse. That’s me – the horse has a red mane. I was going to be a Roman warrior, but decided a 60’s-era American soldier is a more comfortable costume. You can’t see them, but my boots have litte skulls on the sides. I loved that detail. The kids at the Halloween party were enthralled by my rifle and instantly wanted to start playing war. I felt really bad about this as their appropriately peace-loving parents tried to ignore the whole scene. (We also unintentionally forced them to explain to their 10 year-old kids what an apocalypse is.) Eventually I banned rifle borrowing for the evening.
Famine – Hungry. Rides a white horse. Sometimes depicted as death. Brian played the Phyllis Diller version above.
Pestilence – Rides a greenish horse. Also sometimes depicted as death. Click on photo above for larger version to appreciate the many bugs affixed to Cindy’s gown. She wore them with grace. Also note pestilence-related wound on her hand and rat attacking her horse.
We won the most creative division of the costume party contest. It was great fun.
Those horses! Those horses could make me wake up in a cold sweat.
I love the comment about the kids wanting to play war in contravention of their peacenik parents. Berkeley’s full of moms and dad wringing their hands over this phenomenon. I think it reflects something hardwired into the way kids play; some need to act out power and aggression or something.