Hi everyone. I'm Josh, and this is The Emerald,

currents and trends through a mythic lens.

The podcast where we explore an ever-changing world and our lives in it

through the lens of myth, story, and imagination.

The Emerald.

All that's happening on this is The Emerald.

On April 15, 2019, just a few weeks ago, the great French cathedral of Notre Dame

to Petrie caught fire. By the time the fire was put

out, it had destroyed the central spire and most of the roof, along with much of the upper wall

structure. The cathedral has been an iconic symbol of the nation of France for many years,

probably second only to the Eiffel Tower in terms of immediately

recognizable French buildings. And so naturally, there was a lot of public grieving. Statements

of support and sympathy flooded in, with dozens of world leaders expressing their condolences to the

French people. Money also flooded in to the tune of over $1 billion pledged for rebuilding efforts.

Certainly, it is understandable that something that has held the public's imagination for so long

and has been the site of so much veneration would cause such a public clamor. Today on the podcast, we're

going to look at some of the more mythic implications

of the Notre Dame fire, the place that buildings hold in human consciousness and myth, as well as

the little-known history of the cathedral, which involves a popular goddess of the ancient world.

All this coming up on The Emerald. So naturally, as the Notre Dame fire cooled, the raw sympathy and grief turned into internet opinion and commentary.

Quickly evident in the commentary is the fact that people apparently have very different feelings on the relative importance of buildings.

One friend of mine posted a famous poem from Percy Bish Shelley entitled entitled Ozymandius.

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