And her daughter Zora's (Shahadi Wright Joseph) Tether is Umbrae.
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Zora's one-track mind is weaponized in Umbrae, an unstoppably fast killing machine.
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On a more symbolic level, the names Abraham, Umbrae, and Pluto have significant meaning in mythology and religion.
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Umbrae, with her creepy dead-eyed smile and cheetah-like speed, and Pluto, a masked boy obsessed with fire, round out the foursome.
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On the other hand, her double, Umbrae, always has a smile on her face — but it's even more cold and uninviting than Zora's surly expressions.
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Wright Joseph's creepy perma-smile as Umbrae, the Tethered to the Wilsons' teenage daughter, is something that will surely haunt audiences long after the credits roll.
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Meanwhile, Pluto in Roman mythology is the god of the Underworld, and Umbra or Umbrae in Greek mythology refers to a shade or shadow, ghost, or dweller of the underworld.
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"I saw that Umbrae was very fierce, and that she's powerful and confident," she says, of her first time seeing Us. "If she wasn't a murderer, she would be like every girl's dream."
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And in astronomy, umbrae refers to the dark shadow cast by a planet or body during an eclipse — a meaning that could easily apply to Zora (representing the planet or heavenly body) and her Tether (the shadow).
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"Once we were in our bad looks, [Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke] would literally go into their roles for the whole day," actress Shahadi Wright Joseph, who plays the Wilsons' daughter Zora and the Tethered couple's daughter Umbrae, tells Refinery29.
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It's not totally clear when the Tethers experiment was abandoned, but it seems like there's at least a few generations of Tethers that were living down there and continuing to give birth to new Tethers, like Red did with Umbrae and Pluto.
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Peele had a clear vision for the sinister doppelgängers, but that doesn't mean executing that vision was a simple task for Scott Wheeler, the makeup department head for Us. Creating the characters' on-screen looks took a lot of planning, especially because the cast played two roles: the Wilson family and their Tethered counterparts (Lupita Nyong'o as Adelaide Wilson and Red; Winston Duke as Gabe Wilson and Abraham; Shahadi Wright Joseph as Zora Wilson and Umbrae; and Evan Alex as Jason Wilson and Pluto).
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Asaphocrita umbrae is a moth in the family Blastobasidae that is endemic to Costa Rica.
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The fact that the Worcester monk could apparently distinguish the umbrae and penumbrae of the sunspots shows his amazing eye for detail.
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The family is separated by their doppelgängers: Red makes Adelaide handcuff herself to a table; Zora is pursued by Umbrae; Gabe is pursued by Abraham; Jason is sent to "play" with Pluto. Zora evades Umbrae and Gabe kills Abraham, while Jason discovers that Pluto mirrors his actions and locks him in the closet. Red is drawn away by Pluto's cries, allowing Adelaide to break free. The family regroups and escapes on their boat.
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Illustration of anamorphosis from “Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae” Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae ("The Great Art of Light and Shadow") is a 1646 work by the Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher. It was dedicated to Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans and published in Rome by Lodovico Grignani. A second edition was published in Amsterdam in 1671 by Johann Jansson. Ars Magna was the first description published in Europe of the illumination and projection of images.
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The fact that he could see the sunspots with the naked eye and that he could make out the umbrae and penumbrae of the spots suggest that they must have been extremely large.
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Kirchner, Athanasius - Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae (frontispiece) Ars Magnes Lucis et Umbrae contained thirty-four engraved plate illustrations. The illustration of Saturn was a woodcut. The planet was represented as a sphere with two nearby ellipses, as the existence of the rings had not yet been discovered in 1641. By the time the second edition was published in 1671, it was understood that Saturn had rings and not two large satellites, but Kircher did not correct the illustration and it was reprinted unchanged.
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Illustration from Kircher's 1671 Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae - projection of hellfire or purgatory Illustration from Kircher's 1671 Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae - projection of Death One of Christiaan Huygens' contacts imagined how Athanasius Kircher would use the magic lantern: "If he would know about the invention of the Lantern he would surely frighten the cardinals with specters." Kircher would eventually learn about the existence of the magic lantern via Thomas Walgensten and introduced it as "Lucerna Magica" in the widespread 1671 second edition of his book Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae. Kircher claimed that Thomas Walgensten reworked his ideas from the previous edition of this book into a better lantern. Kircher described this improved lantern, but it was illustrated in a confusing manner: the pictures seem technically incorrect—with both the projected image and the transparencies (H) shown upright (while the text states that they should be inverted), the hollow mirror is too high in one picture and absent in the other, and the lens (I) is at the wrong side of the slide.
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Upon learning that Beyoncé would be voicing grown-up Nala, Joseph stated that she was motivated to work harder and consider how Beyoncé would approach the role. Joseph read for the dual role of Zora and Umbrae in the horror film Us (2019) three times before being offered the part.
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Illustration of Kircher's Steganographic mirror in his 1645 book Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae The 1645 first edition of German Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher's book Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae included a description of his invention, the steganographic mirror: a primitive projection system with a focusing lens and text or pictures painted on a concave mirror reflecting sunlight, mostly intended for long distance communication. He saw limitations in the increase of size and diminished clarity over a long distance and expressed his hope that someone would find a method to improve on this. Kircher also suggested projecting live flies and shadow puppets from the surface of the mirror. The book was quite influential and inspired many scholars, probably including Christiaan Huygens who would invent the magic lantern.
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Meanwhile, the Tyler family is murdered by their Tethered. The Wilsons arrive and are forced to kill the Tylers' doubles. They turn on the news to see that the Tethered have been murdering their equivalents across the United States. When Zora drives the family away in the Tylers' car, Umbrae attacks, but is thrown off the car and killed.
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Athanasius Kircher's 1645 first edition of Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae included a description of his forerunner to the magic lantern: the "Steganographic Mirror". This was a primitive projection system with a focusing lens and text or pictures painted on a concave mirror reflecting sunlight, mostly intended for long distance communication. Kircher also suggested projecting shadow puppets and living flies from the surface of the mirror.
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As with other choral pieces the composer, Vivaldi, wrote many introduzione (introductory motets) that were to be performed before the Gloria itself. Four introduzioni exist for these Glorias: Cur Sagittas (RV 637), Jubilate, o amoeni cori (RV 639) (the last movement of which is compositionally tied with the first movement of RV 588), Longe Mala, Umbrae, Terrores (RV 640), and Ostro Picta (RV 642).
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Illustration of Kircher's Steganographic mirror in his 1645 book Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae The 1645 first edition of German Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher's book Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae included a description of his invention, the "Steganographic Mirror": a primitive projection system with a focusing lens and text or pictures painted on a concave mirror reflecting sunlight, mostly intended for long-distance communication. He saw limitations in the increase of size and diminished clarity over a long distance and expressed his hope that someone would find a method to improve on this. In 1654, Belgian Jesuit mathematician André Tacquet used Kircher's technique to show the journey from China to Belgium of Italian Jesuit missionary Martino Martini. Some reports say that Martini lectured throughout Europe with a magic lantern, which he might have imported from China, but there's no evidence that it used anything other than Kircher's technique.
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Moondial from “Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae” Ars Magna is the first of Kircher's works to follow a symbolic structure. It consists of ten books, represented as the ten strings of the instrument with which the psalmist praises the Lord in Psalm 143. The ten books also have a kabbalistic significance, betokening the ten sefirot. Kircher dealt comprehensively with many different aspects of light, including physical, astronomical, astrological and metaphysical.
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Burning mirrors, Athanasius Kircher's (1646) Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae The Chinese use of burning-mirrors has parallels in other civilizations, especially to produce ritual "pure fire", used as the source for lighting other fires. Burning-mirrors were known to the Greeks and Romans. Archimedes supposedly set fire to the Roman fleet with burning-mirrors in 212 BCE, when Syracuse was besieged by Marcus Claudius Marcellus (Simms 1977). Plutarch's (c.
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Magic lantern at the Wymondham Museum. Catholic priest Athanasius Kircher promoted the magic lantern by publishing the book Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae in 1680. Controversy soon followed as priests and masons used the lanterns "to persuade followers of their ability to control both the forces of darkness and enlightenment" and temperance groups used the lanterns to fight alcoholism. In the 1800s, missionaries such as David Livingston used the lanterns to present the Gospel in Africa.
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Kircher's magnetic clock. In 1646, Kircher published Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae, on the subject of the display of images on a screen using an apparatus similar to the magic lantern as developed by Christiaan Huygens and others. Kircher described the construction of a "catastrophic lamp" that used reflection to project images on the wall of a darkened room. Although Kircher did not invent the device, he made improvements over previous models, and suggested methods by which exhibitors could use his device.
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The book contains the first printed illustration of Saturn and the 1671 edition also contained a description of the magic lantern. Ars magna lucis et umbrae followed soon after Kircher's work on magnetism, Magnes sive de Arte Magnetica (1641) and the title was a play on words. In his introduction Kircher notes that the word 'magna' alluded to the powers of the magnet, so that the title could also be read “The Magnetic Art of Light and Shadow”. The work was well-known for several decades.
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In his 1912 edition of the play, editor A. C. Judson argued that Jonson modelled this play (for him, an atypically unrealistic work) on the plays of John Lyly, specifically Lyly's Galathea, Midas, Sapho and Phao, and Endymion. Among many resemblances and relationships, Jonson's pages in Cynthia, "Cupid, Morus, and the rest, are repetitions of Samias, Dares, and Epiton" in Endymion.Judson, pp. lvii-lxiii. Though Jonson refers to Lyly's plays as umbrae, plays long dead, Judson disputes the view of other critics that Jonson was satirising or ridiculing Lyly.
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Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae contained many designs for sundials and related devices, including a large foldout sheet that allowed the user to know the time in every part of the world where the Jesuits had missions. Kircher intended to be of practical use, and suggested that it be mounted on wood, and then oriented precisely by use of a sundial. The rose at the bottom of the sheet could be cut out and mounted on stiff paper so that it could be rotated to show the hours. The main design is in the shape of an olive tree.
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Some ancient projectors like the magic lantern can be regarded as predecessors of the overhead projector. The steganographic mirror possibly came closest to how the overhead projector was used. German Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher's 1645 book Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae included a description of his invention, the "Steganographic Mirror": a primitive projection system with a focusing lens and text or pictures painted on a concave mirror reflecting sunlight, mostly intended for long distance communication. In 1654 Belgian Jesuit mathematician André Tacquet used Kircher's technique to show the journey from China to Belgium of Italian Jesuit missionary Martino Martini.
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Kircher's work in geology included studies of volcanoes and fossils. One of the first people to observe microbes through a microscope, Kircher was ahead of his time in proposing that the plague was caused by an infectious microorganism and in suggesting effective measures to prevent the spread of the disease. Kircher also displayed a keen interest in technology and mechanical inventions; inventions attributed to him include a magnetic clock, various automatons and the first megaphone. The invention of the magic lantern is often misattributed to Kircher, although he did conduct a study of the principles involved in his Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae.
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In 1769, during solar cycle 2, Scottish astronomer Alexander Wilson, working at the Macfarlane Observatory, noticed that the shape of sunspots noticeably flattened as they approached the Sun's limb due to solar rotation. These observations showed that sunspots were features on the solar surface, as opposed to minor planets or objects above it. Moreover, he observed what is now termed the Wilson effect: the penumbra and umbra vary in the manner expected by perspective effects if the umbrae of the spots are in fact slight depressions in the surface of the photosphere. The magnitude of the depression is difficult to determine, but may be as large as 1,000 km.
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Illustration of a magic lantern from “Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae” Kircher's unusual depiction of the magic lantern has been taken by some critics to mean that he had not actually built one or seen it operate, since the illustration shows the mirror not properly alighted with the light source and the glass slider appears in front of the lens tube rather than behind it. Some argue that these anomalies are due to mistakes by the Dutch publisher Waesberghe; however others hold that the mechanism would work as depicted and that it was a variant of the normal type, designed as an analogicical demonstration of the Neoplatonic metaphysics of light.
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The intruders turn out to be the Wilsons' doppelgängers. They include Pluto (Jason's counterpart who behaves akin to a feral dog, growling on all fours), Umbrae (Zora's double who consistently has a sadistic smirk), Abraham (Gabe's double who can only groan nonsensically), and are led by Red (Adelaide's double who talks in a raspy voice). The only one who can talk, Red explains that the doppelgängers are called the Tethered, that they share a soul with their counterparts, and that they have come to "untether" themselves. She tells them the story of a girl who is loved and happy while her "shadow" remains in the dark, suffering.
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Organ of the world's creation from Book ten of "Musurgia universalis", Wellcome L0025813 The concepts presented in Musurgia Universalis overlap with Kircher's other works - they include musical cryptography (Polygraphia Nova) and tarantism (Magnes sive de Arte Magnetica). There was a detailed discussion of the phenomenon of the echo and its similarity to the reflection of light (Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae). His account of speaking tubes and amplification was developed in his later work Historia Eustachio Mariana, concerning his installation of trumpets that broadcast a call to prayer at the shrine of Mentorella. Book eight explained a method for composition and writing harmony that Kircher maintained any person could use, whether they knew anything about music or not.
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The Lemuralia or Lemuria was a feast in the religion of ancient Rome during which the Romans performed rites to exorcise the malevolent and fearful ghosts of the dead from their homes. The unwholesome spectres of the restless dead, the lemures or larvae"they do not occur in epitaphs or higher poetry," George Thaniel noted (in "Lemures and Larvae" The American Journal of Philology 94.2 [Summer 1973, pp. 182-187] p 182) remarking "The ordinary appellation for the dead in late Republican and early Imperial times was Manes or Di Manes, although frequent use was also made of such terms as umbrae, immagines, species and others." He notes the first appearance of lemures in Horace, Epistles ii.2.209.
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A very similar setup was illustrated in 1645 in Athanasius Kircher's influential book Ars Magna Lucis Et Umbrae. Around 1575 Italian Dominican priest, mathematician, astronomer, and cosmographer Ignazio Danti designed a camera obscura gnomon and a meridian line for the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, Florence and he later had a massive gnomon built in the San Petronio Basilica in Bologna. The gnomon was used to study the movements of the sun during the year and helped in determining the new Gregorian calendar for which Danti took place in the commission appointed by Pope Gregorius XIII and instituted in 1582. In his 1585 book Diversarum Speculationum Mathematicarum Venetian mathematician Giambattista Benedetti proposed to use a mirror in a 45-degree angle to project the image upright.
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A sketch of the lantern configuration (without a slide) from Huygens' letter to Pierre Petit (December 11, 1664) Huygens' 1659 sketches for a projection of Death taking off his head Prominent Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens, is nowadays widely accepted as the true inventor of the magic lantern. He knew Athanasius Kircher's 1645 edition of Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae which described a primitive projection system with a focusing lens and text or pictures painted on a concave mirror reflecting sunlight. Christiaan's father Constantijn had been acquainted with Cornelis Drebbel who used some unidentified optical techniques to transform himself and summon wonderful appearances in magical performances. Constantijn Huygens wrote very enthusiastically about a camera obscura device that he got from Drebbel in 1622.
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The popularity of Della Porta's books helped spread knowledge of the camera obscura. In his 1567 work La Pratica della Perspettiva Venetian nobleman Daniele Barbaro (1513-1570) described using a camera obscura with a biconvex lens as a drawing aid and points out that the picture is more vivid if the lens is covered as much as to leave a circumference in the middle. Illustration of "portable" camera obscura (similar to Risner's proposal) in Kircher's Ars Magna Lucis Et Umbrae (1645) In his influential and meticulously annotated Latin edition of the works of Ibn al-Haytham and Witelo (1572) German mathematician Friedrich Risner proposed a portable camera obscura drawing aid; a lightweight wooden hut with lenses in each of its four walls that would project images of the surroundings on a paper cube in the middle. The construction could be carried on two wooden poles.
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Kircher was often credited as the inventor of the magic lantern, although in his 1671 edition of Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae Kircher himself credited Danish mathematician Thomas Rasmussen Walgensten for the magic lantern, which Kircher saw as a further development of his own projection system. Although Athanasius Kircher claimed the Steganographic mirror as his own invention and wrote not to have read about anything like it, it has been suggested that Rembrandt's 1635 painting of "Belshazzar's Feast" depicts a steganographic mirror projection with God's hand writing Hebrew letters on a dusty mirror's surface. In 1654 Belgian Jesuit mathematician André Tacquet used Kircher's technique to show the journey from China to Belgium of Italian Jesuit missionary Martino Martini. It is sometimes reported that Martini lectured throughout Europe with a magic lantern which he might have imported from China, but there's no evidence that anything other than Kircher's technique was used.
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He is also credited with a manuscript that advised to study solar eclipses safely by observing the rays passing through some round hole and studying the spot of light they form on a surface. A picture of a three-tiered camera obscura (see illustration) has been attributed to Bacon, but the source for this attribution is not given. A very similar picture is found in Athanasius Kircher's Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae (1646). Polish friar, theologian, physicist, mathematician and natural philosopher Erazmus Ciołek Witelo (also known as Vitello Thuringopolonis and by many different spellings of the name "Witelo") wrote about the camera obscura in his very influential treatise Perspectiva (circa 1270–1278), which was largely based on Ibn al- Haytham's work. English archbishop and scholar John Peckham (circa 1230 – 1292) wrote about the camera obscura in his Tractatus de Perspectiva (circa 1269–1277) and Perspectiva communis (circa 1277–79), falsely arguing that light gradually forms the circular shape after passing through the aperture.
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