Mystique

First recorded in 1615 the word mystique refers to the legendary aura of power or mystery as in the mystique of Alaskan wilderness. It's derived from the mid-14th century French adjective mystic from Old French mystique which has its roots in the Latin word mysticus who probably took it from the Greek word mystikos meaning "secret, mystic," and from mystes describing "one who has been initiated."

The noun appeared in 1679, from that came mysticism coined 1736 and by the late 1800's both mystique and mystic were being bandied about in the everyday vernacular.

So why would the French be so interested in using this word? One reason may be due to the history of the region. In 1598, with the expulsion of the last Spanish troops from French territory, the long years of war were at an end signaling for France a period of recovery from the devastation and disruption of the Wars of Religion. That year Henry seeking to assure the domestic tranquility of the realm issued the Edict of Nantes granting freedom of religious conscious for all his subjects. Never before had a ruler formally accorded freedom of religion and worship to his or her subjects.

Prior to this there was an atmosphere of mystery and veneration attending royalty and a practice called the divine right of kings a political canon asserting that monarchy was:

A divinely ordained institution in which kings and queens were answerable only to God. It therefore followed that it was a sin for the subjects of even the most evil or incompetent monarchs to disobey them.

Dynastic rivalry dominated the 15th century (see War of the Roses) and the Tudor monarchs were persistently troubled by plots and the question of the succession. The Tudors, however, gained much from their exploitation of the mystique of kingship (`your majesty' replaced `your grace' as the title of address), from their manipulation of anticlericalism into a doctrine of the royal supremacy, and from their appropriation of church land.

These auras of heightened value, interest, or meaning surrounding the people gave rise to attitudes and beliefs that imputed special power or mystery to the leaders and added to the resources of the rulers land and military service due to the king as feudal overlord. Since medieval monarchy was intensely personal, and a monarch's success depended on a combination of character, military skill, and successful exploitation of the royal estates the divine right persisted throughout Louis XIV's reign and in a less pronounced form until the French Revolution of 1789.

Conservative thinkers tried to justify the restoration of hereditary rulers throughout Europe after the Revolutionary and Napoleonic period revived the theory briefly. It was last practiced in England by Queen Anne.

Today mystique has come to mean a special esoteric skill essential in a calling or activity such as the mystique that surrounds actions, beliefs, celebrities or social groups that are admired by a large number of people.

Sources:

Online Etymology Dictionary:
www.geocities.com/etymonline/m6etym.htm

Market House Books Dictionary of British History,Market House Books Ltd 1987.

The Pocket Oxford Dictionary of Current English, © Oxford University Press, 1996.

xrefer:www.xrefer.com

Mystique was a third party producer of Atari 2600 games. Not just regular Atari games, but porno Atari games. They were not ready however to have their crude 4 color porn protested by the group, Women Against Pornography. That combined with the refusal of normal stores to carry their games, sent them out of business in a hurry.

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Raven Darkholme was born a mutant with the ability to change her shape and appearance to mimic that of any person. If she transforms herself into the physical form of a person with super-powers, she does not gain those powers. Also, she does not gain mass if she shifts into a person who is larger than she is.

Darkholme's past has never been fully revealed, but pieces of it have come to light over the years. She and the mutant Destiny were close friends and it has been hinted at that they may have been lovers, though both were women. It is also known that Darkholme has had at least two children. One of them shared her unusual appearance: blue skin and yellow eyes. This child she abandoned and he was raised by a group of gypsies. The child grew up to be the X-Man Nightcrawler.

The other child she had with Victor Creed, the mutant known as Sabretooth. Their child ended up having no mutant powers and was named Graydon. The child grew up hating his parents and what they were and became the leader of an anti-mutant group when he became an adult.

Mystique first came to the public eye when she led a group of mutants in an attempt to assassinate Senator Robert Kelly, a member of Congress who sought to enact legislation to register mutants in the U.S. This group of mutants called themselves the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Their plans were thwarted by the mutant heroes the X-Men.

During this time, it was revealed that Darkholme, who called herself Mystique, served as the foster mother for a young mutant named Rogue. Rogue had the ability to absorb the abilities and memories of those she touched, but could not control the power. While working with Mystique and the Brotherhood, Rogue absorbed the powers of the hero Ms. Marvel as well as her personality and memories. Rogue eventually left Mystique and sought help with Charles Xavier, the leader of the X-Men. This caused a rift in their relationship.

Darkholme eventually became a government agent when she negotiated a truce with Valerie Cooper, a member of the National Security Committee, for herself and the members of the Brotherhood. The group was renamed the Freedom Force and acted as government enforcers.

During a conflict with the Shadow King, a powerful evil telepath, Mystique's companion Destiny was killed. Mystique turned her back on her fellow mutants in the Freedom Force and resided with the X-Men for a time. The loss of her friend caused Mystique to have a breakdown for a time and she left the X-Men in the company of the mutant Forge. Later, when Forge took leadership of the mutant team X-Factor, who were now agents of the U.S. government, Mystique worked with them.

The character of Mystique gained a great deal of popularity when Brian Singer's vision of the X-Men was released as a movie. The character was played by model Rebecca Romjin-Stamos, a lot of blue body paint, and just enough prosthetic pieces to keep the movie ratings under an R rating.