Temple of Mandible Hill
The Temple of Mandible Hill is a building on the site of Mandible Hill, of which construction began in IV.1744 and finished in II.1750, it is a site dedicated to Sisera and Elijah Ayreon. The temple complex measures 6 hectares and is surrounded by concrete walls, that have been decorated with natural stone masonry. The temple itself stands on top of the hill and is approximately 40 meters high and decorated with glazed pink tiles.
When one enters the complex through the main gate, one is guided through a series of sculptures gardens that tell the story of the Death of Elijah Ayreon in the scale of 3:2. There are number of gardens:
- Elijah speaks to the House of Lords to try to incite rebellion.
- Sisera and her secretary are surprised by the betrayal of Elijah Ayreon by Judith.
- Elijah and Sisera face each other in the Council of Nobles.
- Elijah is dragged away by the Siseranist guardswomen.
- Elijah is tied to the cross on the ground and asked to take back his words so that he may be spared.
After walking through the last garden, the temple is entered where sculptures show the crucifixion of Elijah Ayreon is in full detail, in a scale of 2:1, so twice as big as in real life. Texts and paintings on the walls stress that Sisera initially did not want to have Elijah crucified but that he chose this death out of his longing for grandeur and his sense of self-importance. It also show how this worked, how he came to be revered as a martyr and a saint, even though he really was a feudal lord and a traitor. There is criticism of Sisera too, whose treatment of Elijah Ayreon seemed to almost border on sadism at times. Overall, both characters are presented rather negatively. The goal of the permanent exposition is to bring an end to the reverence of these individuals as saints by factions of society in Walstadt and Light and to encourage them to find hope in the future, rather than an idolised past.
