Marda, Marda, Marda!

Henceforth is my deep-dive into the life of Marda of Lemuria, who is most closely aligned with Hut Mai Dan, Rhu Sol Ku, and Haitee, all of whom worked alongside the Elders towards the development and flourishment of Lemuria.

Several meanings for the name 'Marda' abound. Per Names.org, Marda is of Hebrew origin and means 'thanks.' UrduPoint.com proposes that it is traditionally an Iranian name meaning 'raise idea'; the site also associates it with the number 7, and lists a number of accompanying 'lucky' days (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday), colors (gold, orange, red), stones (peridot), and metals (copper). Per Kidpaw.com, Marda is "A combination of Elly and May" and means both 'Old soul' and 'great.' The site attributes "pink/white blossom" and the month of May with the name. According to Wisdomlib.org, 'Marda' is associated with Ayurveda (an Iranian branch of "science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics" dating back to "at least the first millennium BC" whose "Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres"); in the context of the "science of life," Marda means 'Pressing pain.' MarathiDictionary.com differs from several of the above entries in attributing the name to masculine rather than traditionally feminine pursuits: "This word is used in letters before the name of a man, a keeper of a female." In this context, 'Marda' is used to "imply ... praise for boldness, firmness, staunchness, manliness." Finally, an Urban Dictionary entry exists for the name: "A brilliant woman with an amazing sense of humor who manages to combine linguistic and theatrical interests in a creative way, and who has a magnificent future ahead of her." Given the nature of the site in question, as well as the fact that the entry was submitted by 'sonotmarda,' it is likely an in-joke of some sort, albeit a flattering one.

An incarnation of Marda likewise exists across classic comic culture. In the Marvel (Earth-616 [main/sacred timeline]) universe, 'Mara' is affiliated with the ship Ophion via the Lemurian Rebel Army, and is engaged to Canor, a fellow rebel and Commander of Ophion. The two appear together as supporting characters in a single Marvel comic, Indestructible Hulk, Volume 1, Issue 5, published in 2013. The comic adventure centers around the villain Attuma's recent takeover of Lemuria, which the titular Hulk attempts to thwart. After a scuffle which leaves Hulk both unconscious and returned to his human form, Bruce Banner, Mara and Canor briefly take center stage:

"Bruce Banner wakes up as an Atlantean woman is putting a translation pod in his ear so he could understand what his rescuers were saying. The woman is named Mara and she is part of a resistance army trying to overthrow Attuma. Bruce tries to introduce himself, but she tells him to turn green again as she is more interested in the Hulk than she is his alter-ego. Before she can press him on the issue she is ordered to stand down by her commander and lover, a man Canor. Canor is clearly upset in her interest in the Hulk, but Banner assures them that it won't happen as the Hulk is a perpetual bachelor [...] 

"It's at this time, that Bruce Banner goes over the data they have and discovers that Attuma is plotting to commit an act of genocide on the kingdom of Atlantis and believes that after he has crushed his long-time foes he will turn his attention to the surface world next. He then tells them that he has the power to get past the fortifications around Attuma. Canor orders his men to get board his submarine. When they approach Lemuria, Bruce takes the opportunity to kiss Mara. As he expected she acts with disgust and punches him in the face, prompting a transformation into the Hulk. The Hulk smashes through the fortifications allowing the rebels to get into the city. During the battle, the Hulk clashes with Attuma and during the battle, he summons another massive sea creature and tosses the Hulk into its mouth. However, the Hulk forces himself free and overpowers Attuma. Meanwhile, Canor and his men storm the lab and destroy Rasa's supply of 'Attuma's gift.' In the end, Attuma is seemingly killed when he is tossed into the maw of the very sea creature that tried to eat the Hulk. With the battle over, Mara rewards the Hulk with a kiss, but he reverts back into Bruce Banner, disgusting her. In the aftermath of the battle, Canor thanks Bruce for his assistance. When a sub comes to recover him, Banner leaves, but not empty handed as he has taken the scroll containing the formula for Attuma's Gift."

In short: Mara apparently likes her men big and green.

Another incarnation of Marda hails from the 1985 graphic novel, Marada the She-Wolf, whose "adventures are a mix of fantasy and history, told from an adult point of view. Together with her friend, the princess Arianrod, she fights against evil demons, wizards, witches and other fantastic creatures, but also against the threats a woman could expect from a world ruled by males." This appears to connect to the 'real life' Order of the She Wolves aka the Ordo Luparum; of note, 'lupa' is Latin for both 'she-wolf' and slang for 'prostitute' (WordSense.eu). Per the Micronations Wiki, the Ordo Luparum "is the oldest known civil organization in the history of the Lemurian Republic, existing since the arrival of Novius Quintus on the Isle of Lemuria in 230 AL (95 BC)." Its reputation apparently precedes it: "It has, at various points in its history, been honored, damned, above-ground, underground, defended the government at [times], and risen against it at other time[s]." The Wiki continues: 

"The Order of the She-Wolves is a cross between a guild, union, lobbying group, religious organization, and secret society for Lemurian sex workers. The Order gained its name due to 'She-Wolf' or 'Lupa' being Roman slang for sex worker. It is officially and ceremonial headed by the Doge of Lemuria, and he is responsible for initiating new members. However, this is only done after consultation with the existing order, and the Doge has no say in the in the internal politics of the Order itself. It is rumored that the Order has some cultic aspects, and that it is one of the many mystery religions headed by Doge, in his capacity of High Priest of the Church of Mu. If this is the case, it is one of the few mystery religions that predates the creation of the office of Doge.

"The Order of the She-Wolves functions as the Parliament of the Lemurian Republic. Its members vote on matters of state, the Prime Mistress is a member, as is her cabinet. While theoretically having the entire membership of the Order actively participate in parliamentary matters might make things unruly, that almost never happens, and parliamentary participation is traditionally regarded as a part-time civic duty. While the Prime Mistress of Parliament is a member of the Order, it does not necessarily follow that the Prime Mistress is the functional head of the Order of the She-Wolves. The internal politics of the Order is rather opaque, and not usually discussed with non-members."

Contextually, the Order of the She-Wolves joins both the Order of the Lemurian Republic and the Order of the Sphinx as particularly honorable associations within Lemurian culture. Its page for the Serene Republic of Lemuria at large contains, among other things, a full governmental Cabinet, all of whose titles begin with "Mistress of _____," as well as details about the Lemurian Constitution, laws, and culture.

One last association with the name is the Mardaites, a group of early Christians who inhabited Turkey's Nur Mountains and intermittently sided with both the Arabs in the area as well as the Byzantine Empire. In modern times, the "ethnoreligious Christian population" in Lebanon called the Maronites are rumored to be of Mardaite ancestry. The name 'Maronite' "was adopted by the Marada Movement during the Lebanese Civil War," whose own early incarnations included both the Marada Brigade and the Zgharta Liberation Army (Wikipedia).

Overall, Marda appears to have been a complex and multi-faceted individual whose contributions to Lemurian culture during the 'lost' continent's Golden Age should not be forgotten.