Mosley on 1/2/2006 at 18:39
as a possible source of inspiration for future fan missions ?:cheeky:
Do you have a famous thief in the history of your country, taffers ?
Here in France our most popular medieval poet led the life of a thief for the major part of his life. His name was François Villon, he was born in the fifteenth century (in 1431) very near Paris and many striking parallels can be drawn between his life and Garrett's : his origin first. Like Garrett, Villon was an orphan child rescued from the streets by a wealthy clerk who endeavoured to give him some education. Later on Villon became a student but, instead of pursuing the promising career he was destined for, very soon took part in the criminal life of the city, became a member of a famous thieves organization called the "Gang des Coquillards" with whom he used to rob monasteries, public offices etc and became involved in streetfighting. Villon frequented criminals of all sorts and prostitutes who, at the time, associated with thieves in order to rob people.
Villon was arrested many times, sent to jail, tortured and even sentenced to death but, thanks to some powerful and eminent members of the French nobility who appreciated his talents as a poet, he managed to escape the gallows. He was finally sentenced to banishment from Paris for life after having killed a man and, since his trail was lost soon afterwards, we don't know what became of him.
Villon's "modern" look on the society of his time lies in his way of depicting the people of the streets, the wretchedness of their existence and, like Garrett, he casts a very mocking, cynical and critical eye on the wealthy, the "new rich", the church etc... His poems (one of the most famous is called the "Ballad of the hanged men" show a lot of bittersweet irony and a great sensibility towards the miseries of humankind. Villon also wrote poems in the special slang used among thieves (very hard to understand).
It's up to you taffers to tell (if you know something) about popular thieves (legendary or otherwise) in your respective countries. And who knows, perhaps their lives could eventually serve as a source of inspiration for future fan missions when imagination dries up. :bored:
Mosley
Pleased to meet you :sly:
Hope you guess my name :ebil:
madwolf on 1/2/2006 at 18:55
Funny that this thread has cropped up now. Last week I decided to put my current project on ice for a while, as I needed a break from it. I decided to make a small mission based on a notorious figure from 17th century London called Jonathan Wild. Wild was a Thief-Taker; inotherwords someone who, before a formal police service, was there to bring criminals to justice. Except of course it was he that was behind most of the crime in the city. Organizing the theft, then taking money from the victim to attempt to get the stolen goods back, whilst all the time the thieves were in his mansion somewhere awaiting payment. He was responsible for many murders and executions particlarly amongst thieve's who {like Garrett, or Jack Sheppard who escaped from prison three times} were independants.
Lucy Moore's book The Thieves Opera was the inspiration. It's only going to be a small mission but it's a lot more fun making this than my other mission.
Quote Posted by Mosley
Mosley
Pleased to meet you :sly:
Hope you guess my name :ebil:
is it Mosley?
;)
Bulgarian_Taffer on 1/2/2006 at 19:15
Villon? Better Villain.
Where art thou, villain?
nickie on 1/2/2006 at 19:19
We've got Robin Hood (big on arrows and wearing green hoods and tights, oddly enough for those who know him, my ex mother-in-law's father was a Sheriff of Nottingham!!), Dick Turpin (pistols and horses), British Government. Can't think of anyone else off hand :D
Lightningline on 1/2/2006 at 19:47
Some mythological archetypes for Thieves are: Mercury (Hermes), Loki, Coyote (Native American), Anasasi, Prometheus, Eris, Gullveig, Morgan Le Fay, Robin Hood, Scheharezade, Scarlett O'Hara, Walter Mitty, Willie Loman (Death of a Salesman).
Other famous thieves include: Jonah (the Bible), Samson, Mark Antony, H. D. Thoreau, John Wilkes Booth, Lenin, Juan Peron, Al Capone, Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Theodore Roosevelt, Abby Hoffman, Harry Truman, Martin Luther, Rene Descartes, Rosa Parks, Hillary Clinton, Emma Hamilton (mistress of Lord Nelson), Shelley Winters, Will Smith (Fresh Prince), L.L. Cool J, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Sheena Easton, Peter Fonda, Jane Fonda, Walter Matthau, Brad Pitt, Winona Ryder, Ally Sheedy, Phyllis Diller, Roger Moore, DeForest Kelly, Nichelle Nichols, Ellen Degeneres, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Nicholson, Maria Callas
Source: (
http://www.wizardrealm.com/metaphysics/thief.html)
I would like to see some names explained like Theodore Roosevelt, DeForest Kelly (Bones From Star Trek ) and Will Smith ??? What did they steal ??
nickie on 1/2/2006 at 20:04
Show off!! :cheeky:
ffox on 1/2/2006 at 20:19
Literary ones include Raffles, Bill Sykes and the Artful Dodger.
demagogue on 1/2/2006 at 20:38
The US has Bonnie and Clyde, the most famous bank-robbing couple at the turn of the century ... Billy the Kid, Billy Miner (the famous train robber), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, I mean, all the old west outlaws were essentially thieves.
My favorite comic book, Lupin III, spoofs 2 "historical" thieves.
One was a Japanese legendary thief named Goemon, sort of a medieval samurai-thief, stoic, somber, and superhuman ability.
The lead character is Arsene Lupin III, the supposed grandson of the 19th Century (fictional) French thief Arsene Lupin (featured in Gaetane's FMs), originally from a French comic but about as much a personality as Sherlock Holmes, I guess. Oh, and I guess you could add Moriarty, Holmes's nemisis.
Once you get into literature, the field really opens up.
Oh, don't forget the French author/criminal Jean Genet, which Sartre wrote a brilliant biography on, capturing the very core of being a thief. It should be required reading around here.
Lightningline on 1/2/2006 at 20:40
Quote Posted by ffox
Literary ones include Raffles, Bill Sykes and the Artful Dodger.
As writers, Thieves enjoy writing fiction, enabling them to create fantastic worlds and situations. They are excellent storytellers, and people overlook their untruthfulness in recounting a tale because the fantasy they create is so delightful. They are less adept at writing nonfiction, because of their innate tendency to embellish (and, also, because they find it patently boring). Obviously, Thieves make great children's authors because of this wonderful knack of creating fantasy. Some famous Thief authors are: Anita Loos, Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, J. Barrie (author of Peter Pan), Roald Dahl, the brothers Grimm, and James Thurber (author of Walter Mitty).
I guess you could add some famous mobsters: Al Capone,Bugsy Malone, John Gottie and countless others.
David Brankle: The Famous Gentelman Bank Robber 43 Banks
Mr. Ronald Biggs: The Great Train Robbery in England in the 1960's
Rassul brothers: Tomb Robbers
I am not trying to show off..I just find some thief history quite facinating and sometimes surpriseing. :p
BLACKJACKER on 1/2/2006 at 21:03
Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers ( it takes a thief ) early 70's TV show.
There was this cat burglar and his partner who spent many years in jail and finally talked about his thieving days I think to 60 mins. These 2 robbed very rich people while they were home eating diner. Can't remember when or where I saw it but within the last year and was very fasinating
