The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines
Encyclopedia
The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines is the second in The Librarian franchise
of movies starring Noah Wyle
as a librarian who protects a secret collection of artifacts. Gabrielle Anwar
, Bob Newhart
, Jane Curtin
and Olympia Dukakis
co-star. It is a sequel to 2004's The Librarian: Quest for the Spear
. The third film in the trilogy The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice
was released in 2008.
), a year after his first mission as the Librarian, has been on many more death-defying missions to protect the world from evildoers, including a trip to Utah to recover a mystical crystal skull
. Upon his return to the Library, the audience is introduced to more mythic artifacts stored there: The Head of Medusa
, the Trident of Poseidon
, the Shroud of Turin
, and the Pipes of Pan
. He has moved out of his mother's house into his own apartment; but still feels held back by Judson, his supervisor, who tells him that "sometimes you have to give up what you want for the greater good" in order to go from being a "good librarian" to a "great librarian".
Meanwhile, at Flynn's birthday party, his late father's friend "Uncle" Jerry (Robert Foxworth
) tells Flynn about how Flynn's dad courted his mom. Flynn remembers the "silly bedtime stories" and the amulet
his father had, which his mom says came from a secondhand shop. When Flynn goes home, he discovers that someone has trashed his apartment; he is ambushed and robbed of a scroll he received in the mail that day. It transpires that the scroll is a map containing clues to the location of King Solomon's Mines
. Flynn, in typical high-adventure fashion, cannot allow the thief to find the rest of the clues and thus the mines themselves. Judson (Bob Newhart
) tells him that possession of the Book of Solomon, hidden in the mines, will give the reader of it control over time
and space
, so that the secret must be kept hidden.
Flynn is en route to Morocco, to find part of the key to the scroll among some Roman ruins, where he meets Emily Davenport (Gabrielle Anwar
), an archaeologist who, as it turns out, holds 3 more degrees than Flynn and can argue convincingly about ancient history, Biblical texts, and geography
. Flynn and Emily are attacked after finding the piece to the map legend and discovering a hidden meaning to the amulet, which links him to the brotherhood of the Masons
, one of whose members helps them escape and tells them where to find the remaining part of the map legend. Emily, recognizing the code on Flynn's piece as being in the Akon language, insists on coming with Flynn to Gede Province in Kenya
. The men who attacked Flynn, led by a General Samir, turn out to be on the trail of the mines as well. They torture the man who helped Flynn escape until he tells them where Flynn was headed.
After a ride on a honeymoon tour bus -- where Flynn runs into Debra (Lisa Brenner
), a former blind date with her husband Carl (Jonathan Frakes
), who reports their meeting back to Flynn's mother, with disastrous results -- and several days' hiking across the Serengeti
, Flynn and Emily literally stumble across a man buried up to his neck in sand as punishment for stealing a neighboring tribe's crops. The two adventurers dig him out; he insists on being their guide in return. Flynn shows Emily the drawings he made as a child to accompany his father's "silly bedtime stories", his mother having slipped them into his bag. They show scenes of laughing rocks, upside-down valleys, and other fanciful places. Emily, in turn, confides to Flynn her obsession since childhood with the mysterious Queen of Sheba, wife of Solomon. After several more days of hiking, they finally reach a village. There, as their guide Jomo (Hakeem Kae-Kazim
) tells them, a fortune teller can help them. Unknown to them, the fortune teller's shop has been appropriated by the men chasing them. Just as Flynn finds the other piece of the map legend there, Emily sees the enemy coming and they flee.
To their amazement, they run into Flynn's Uncle Jerry, who is in Kenya to pick up some stock for his import-export business, and he hustles them aboard a train on which he has reserved some space. Jerry feeds the pair, gives Emily a skimpy Maasai dress, and quizzes Flynn about his "secret life", while Flynn in turn shows Jerry the amulet his father left him. After dinner, Flynn checks Emily's cabin to find her tipsily analyzing the Akon code. It turns out to have a connection with the Biblical Song of Solomon
, which leads to a romantic interlude. This is unfortunately ruined when the two argue over the translation of the love poetry. Next morning, Flynn and Emily, having solved the code, travel Three Witches Mountain near Mombasa
, and find that the terrain reminds Flynn of his juvenile drawings. Eventually he realizes that his own father must have known about the mines' location and told Flynn stories to plant clues in his memory
, giving him the amulet in case he ever needed to guard the secret and enlist the help of other Masons. With the antagonist
s in pursuit, the two manage to penetrate the caves where Solomon's treasure is hidden. Gold, jewels, and other treasures litter the caverns; a huge head
of Queen Sheba, carved out of the stone wall, looms over all. Flynn spots a book resting on a pedestal, opens it, and realizes that this is the book of which Judson told him. As he glances through it, the text seems to be attracted to his hand, beginning to glow in a sinister fashion.
Their pursuers come upon them and drag in a disheveled Uncle Jerry, who begs them to give General Samir the book in exchange for his own life. Flynn complies, only to find that the General and his thugs work for Uncle Jerry, who wants to turn back time so he can fulfill what he thinks was his destiny
; to win Margie Carsen (Olympia Dukakis
), who he feels was stolen from him by Flynn's dad. It turns out Jerry is the unknown figure who shot Flynn's father, after Carsen refused to tell Jerry about the mines. As Jerry enters a cave filled with hundreds of mummified bodies and a bubbling lava pit, he begins to read aloud the incantation
that will give him power over space and time, stirring up ghosts as he does so. Flynn and Emily are flung into a pit, which fills with water and features a slowly descending, spike-laden ceiling. After Flynn experiences a vision of Judson on a white beach, he finds that he and Emily are being rescued by the faithful Jomo, who has followed them to fulfill his life debt.
Flynn confronts Jerry over the book, wrestling it from him with the incantation unfinished. As Flynn is about to throw the book into the lava pit, he begins to see visions of his father in the pit. Jerry seizes the chance to try to convince Flynn that they can change time together. Flynn begins to finish the incantation. Emily and Jomo burst into the cave to find Flynn uttering the incantation and an army of ghosts circling the cave. Emily uses a reflective spear to shine light on Flynn's amulet, which catches his attention and reminds him of his father's trust. When Flynn throws the book into the lava pit, Jerry jumps after it and falls into the lava as Flynn, Emily, and Jomo flee. As the cave crumbles, the evildoers are crushed by falling rock.
In a brief epilogue, Flynn assumes Emily will be coming back to New York with him, but she decides to pursue her search for the Queen of Sheba in Tunisia, leaving Flynn with only fond memories. In a scene reminiscent of Casablanca
, Flynn, in a trench coat and fedora, wanders toward his plane, musing, "Of all the gin joints in all the world, she had to walk into mine."
Flynn returns to the library and tells Judson that he threw the book into the lava which he believes was "not very librarian" of him. Judson reminds him that by giving up the chance of seeing his father by destroying the book, he sacrificed what he wanted "for the greater good", and was now a "great librarian". When Flynn asks Judson why he did not tell him about his father's connection with this journey, he tells him that it was a lesson he had to learn on his own, and that he is sure that wherever his father is, he is proud of him. The film ends with a humorous discussion about Flynn's vision of Judson on a beach back at the mines.
The Librarian franchise
The Librarian is a series of made-for-TV original movies from Turner Network Television starring Noah Wyle as a librarian who protects a secret collection of artifacts.-Origin:...
of movies starring Noah Wyle
Noah Wyle
Noah Strausser Speer Wyle is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. John Truman Carter III in the Medical drama ER. He has also played Steve Jobs in the 1999 docudrama Pirates of Silicon Valley and Flynn Carsen in The Librarian franchise...
as a librarian who protects a secret collection of artifacts. Gabrielle Anwar
Gabrielle Anwar
Gabrielle Anwar is an English actress. She is known for her role as Margaret Tudor on The Tudors, for dancing the tango with Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman and for her current role as Fiona Glenanne on USA's Burn Notice.- Early life :...
, Bob Newhart
Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide...
, Jane Curtin
Jane Curtin
Jane Therese Curtin is an American actress and comedienne. She is commonly referred to as Queen of the Deadpan.First coming to prominence as an original cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series on the 1980s...
and Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck...
co-star. It is a sequel to 2004's The Librarian: Quest for the Spear
The Librarian: Quest for the Spear
The Librarian: Quest for the Spear is the first in The Librarian franchise of movies which was originally released on American cable channel TNT in December 2004, directed by Peter Winther and starring Noah Wyle in the title role....
. The third film in the trilogy The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice
The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice
The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice is the third in The Librarian franchise of movies starring Noah Wyle as a librarian who protects a secret collection of artifacts...
was released in 2008.
Plot
Flynn Carsen (Noah WyleNoah Wyle
Noah Strausser Speer Wyle is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. John Truman Carter III in the Medical drama ER. He has also played Steve Jobs in the 1999 docudrama Pirates of Silicon Valley and Flynn Carsen in The Librarian franchise...
), a year after his first mission as the Librarian, has been on many more death-defying missions to protect the world from evildoers, including a trip to Utah to recover a mystical crystal skull
Crystal skull
The crystal skulls are a number of human skull hardstone carvings made of clear or milky quartz rock, known in art history as "rock crystal", claimed to be pre-Columbian Mesoamerican artifacts by their alleged finders. However, none of the specimens made available for scientific study have been...
. Upon his return to the Library, the audience is introduced to more mythic artifacts stored there: The Head of Medusa
Medusa
In Greek mythology Medusa , " guardian, protectress") was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. The author Hyginus, interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone...
, the Trident of Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
, the Shroud of Turin
Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin or Turin Shroud is a linen cloth bearing the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma in a manner consistent with crucifixion. It is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, northern Italy. The image on the shroud is...
, and the Pipes of Pan
Pan (mythology)
Pan , in Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, as well as the companion of the nymphs. His name originates within the Greek language, from the word paein , meaning "to pasture." He has the hindquarters, legs,...
. He has moved out of his mother's house into his own apartment; but still feels held back by Judson, his supervisor, who tells him that "sometimes you have to give up what you want for the greater good" in order to go from being a "good librarian" to a "great librarian".
Meanwhile, at Flynn's birthday party, his late father's friend "Uncle" Jerry (Robert Foxworth
Robert Foxworth
Robert Heath Foxworth is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life and career:Foxworth was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Erna Beth , a writer, and John Howard Foxworth, a roofing contractor...
) tells Flynn about how Flynn's dad courted his mom. Flynn remembers the "silly bedtime stories" and the amulet
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
his father had, which his mom says came from a secondhand shop. When Flynn goes home, he discovers that someone has trashed his apartment; he is ambushed and robbed of a scroll he received in the mail that day. It transpires that the scroll is a map containing clues to the location of King Solomon's Mines
King Solomon's Mines
King Solomon's Mines is a popular novel by the Victorian adventure writer and fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. It tells of a search of an unexplored region of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain for the missing brother of one of the party...
. Flynn, in typical high-adventure fashion, cannot allow the thief to find the rest of the clues and thus the mines themselves. Judson (Bob Newhart
Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide...
) tells him that possession of the Book of Solomon, hidden in the mines, will give the reader of it control over time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
and space
Space
Space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...
, so that the secret must be kept hidden.
Flynn is en route to Morocco, to find part of the key to the scroll among some Roman ruins, where he meets Emily Davenport (Gabrielle Anwar
Gabrielle Anwar
Gabrielle Anwar is an English actress. She is known for her role as Margaret Tudor on The Tudors, for dancing the tango with Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman and for her current role as Fiona Glenanne on USA's Burn Notice.- Early life :...
), an archaeologist who, as it turns out, holds 3 more degrees than Flynn and can argue convincingly about ancient history, Biblical texts, and geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
. Flynn and Emily are attacked after finding the piece to the map legend and discovering a hidden meaning to the amulet, which links him to the brotherhood of the Masons
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, one of whose members helps them escape and tells them where to find the remaining part of the map legend. Emily, recognizing the code on Flynn's piece as being in the Akon language, insists on coming with Flynn to Gede Province in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. The men who attacked Flynn, led by a General Samir, turn out to be on the trail of the mines as well. They torture the man who helped Flynn escape until he tells them where Flynn was headed.
After a ride on a honeymoon tour bus -- where Flynn runs into Debra (Lisa Brenner
Lisa Brenner
Lisa Dawn Brenner is a US film and television actress. Brenner played Maggie Cory on Another World. She was also in All My Children as Allison Sloan....
), a former blind date with her husband Carl (Jonathan Frakes
Jonathan Frakes
Jonathan Scott Frakes is an American actor, author and director best known for his role as Commander William T. Riker in the Star Trek franchise, as well as for his tenure as host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction ....
), who reports their meeting back to Flynn's mother, with disastrous results -- and several days' hiking across the Serengeti
Serengeti
The Serengeti ecosystem is a geographical region in Africa. It is located in north Tanzania and extends to south-western Kenya between latitudes 1 and 3 S and longitudes 34 and 36 E. It spans some ....
, Flynn and Emily literally stumble across a man buried up to his neck in sand as punishment for stealing a neighboring tribe's crops. The two adventurers dig him out; he insists on being their guide in return. Flynn shows Emily the drawings he made as a child to accompany his father's "silly bedtime stories", his mother having slipped them into his bag. They show scenes of laughing rocks, upside-down valleys, and other fanciful places. Emily, in turn, confides to Flynn her obsession since childhood with the mysterious Queen of Sheba, wife of Solomon. After several more days of hiking, they finally reach a village. There, as their guide Jomo (Hakeem Kae-Kazim
Hakeem Kae-Kazim
Hakeem Kae-Kazim , sometimes credited as "Hakim Kae Kazim", is an actor who played Georges Rutaganda on Hotel Rwanda in 2004 directed by Terry George...
) tells them, a fortune teller can help them. Unknown to them, the fortune teller's shop has been appropriated by the men chasing them. Just as Flynn finds the other piece of the map legend there, Emily sees the enemy coming and they flee.
To their amazement, they run into Flynn's Uncle Jerry, who is in Kenya to pick up some stock for his import-export business, and he hustles them aboard a train on which he has reserved some space. Jerry feeds the pair, gives Emily a skimpy Maasai dress, and quizzes Flynn about his "secret life", while Flynn in turn shows Jerry the amulet his father left him. After dinner, Flynn checks Emily's cabin to find her tipsily analyzing the Akon code. It turns out to have a connection with the Biblical Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon
The Song of Songs of Solomon, commonly referred to as Song of Songs or Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible—one of the megillot —found in the last section of the Tanakh, known as the Ketuvim...
, which leads to a romantic interlude. This is unfortunately ruined when the two argue over the translation of the love poetry. Next morning, Flynn and Emily, having solved the code, travel Three Witches Mountain near Mombasa
Mombasa
Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
, and find that the terrain reminds Flynn of his juvenile drawings. Eventually he realizes that his own father must have known about the mines' location and told Flynn stories to plant clues in his memory
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
, giving him the amulet in case he ever needed to guard the secret and enlist the help of other Masons. With the antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
s in pursuit, the two manage to penetrate the caves where Solomon's treasure is hidden. Gold, jewels, and other treasures litter the caverns; a huge head
Head
In anatomy, the head of an animal is the rostral part that usually comprises the brain, eyes, ears, nose and mouth . Some very simple animals may not have a head, but many bilaterally symmetric forms do....
of Queen Sheba, carved out of the stone wall, looms over all. Flynn spots a book resting on a pedestal, opens it, and realizes that this is the book of which Judson told him. As he glances through it, the text seems to be attracted to his hand, beginning to glow in a sinister fashion.
Their pursuers come upon them and drag in a disheveled Uncle Jerry, who begs them to give General Samir the book in exchange for his own life. Flynn complies, only to find that the General and his thugs work for Uncle Jerry, who wants to turn back time so he can fulfill what he thinks was his destiny
Destiny
Destiny or fate refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual...
; to win Margie Carsen (Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck...
), who he feels was stolen from him by Flynn's dad. It turns out Jerry is the unknown figure who shot Flynn's father, after Carsen refused to tell Jerry about the mines. As Jerry enters a cave filled with hundreds of mummified bodies and a bubbling lava pit, he begins to read aloud the incantation
Incantation
An incantation or enchantment is a charm or spell created using words. An incantation may take place during a ritual, either a hymn or prayer, and may invoke or praise a deity. In magic, occultism, witchcraft it may be used with the intention of casting a spell on an object or a person...
that will give him power over space and time, stirring up ghosts as he does so. Flynn and Emily are flung into a pit, which fills with water and features a slowly descending, spike-laden ceiling. After Flynn experiences a vision of Judson on a white beach, he finds that he and Emily are being rescued by the faithful Jomo, who has followed them to fulfill his life debt.
Flynn confronts Jerry over the book, wrestling it from him with the incantation unfinished. As Flynn is about to throw the book into the lava pit, he begins to see visions of his father in the pit. Jerry seizes the chance to try to convince Flynn that they can change time together. Flynn begins to finish the incantation. Emily and Jomo burst into the cave to find Flynn uttering the incantation and an army of ghosts circling the cave. Emily uses a reflective spear to shine light on Flynn's amulet, which catches his attention and reminds him of his father's trust. When Flynn throws the book into the lava pit, Jerry jumps after it and falls into the lava as Flynn, Emily, and Jomo flee. As the cave crumbles, the evildoers are crushed by falling rock.
In a brief epilogue, Flynn assumes Emily will be coming back to New York with him, but she decides to pursue her search for the Queen of Sheba in Tunisia, leaving Flynn with only fond memories. In a scene reminiscent of Casablanca
Casablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
, Flynn, in a trench coat and fedora, wanders toward his plane, musing, "Of all the gin joints in all the world, she had to walk into mine."
Flynn returns to the library and tells Judson that he threw the book into the lava which he believes was "not very librarian" of him. Judson reminds him that by giving up the chance of seeing his father by destroying the book, he sacrificed what he wanted "for the greater good", and was now a "great librarian". When Flynn asks Judson why he did not tell him about his father's connection with this journey, he tells him that it was a lesson he had to learn on his own, and that he is sure that wherever his father is, he is proud of him. The film ends with a humorous discussion about Flynn's vision of Judson on a beach back at the mines.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Noah Wyle Noah Wyle Noah Strausser Speer Wyle is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. John Truman Carter III in the Medical drama ER. He has also played Steve Jobs in the 1999 docudrama Pirates of Silicon Valley and Flynn Carsen in The Librarian franchise... |
Flynn Carsen |
| Gabrielle Anwar Gabrielle Anwar Gabrielle Anwar is an English actress. She is known for her role as Margaret Tudor on The Tudors, for dancing the tango with Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman and for her current role as Fiona Glenanne on USA's Burn Notice.- Early life :... |
Emily Davenport |
| Bob Newhart Bob Newhart George Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide... |
Judson |
| Jane Curtin Jane Curtin Jane Therese Curtin is an American actress and comedienne. She is commonly referred to as Queen of the Deadpan.First coming to prominence as an original cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series on the 1980s... |
Charlene |
| Olympia Dukakis Olympia Dukakis Olympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck... |
Margie Carsen |
| Robert Foxworth Robert Foxworth Robert Heath Foxworth is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life and career:Foxworth was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Erna Beth , a writer, and John Howard Foxworth, a roofing contractor... |
"Uncle" Jerry |
| Erick Avari Erick Avari Erick Avari is an Indian American television, film and theater actor known for his roles in various science-fiction serial productions.-Early life:... |
General Samir |
| Hakeem Kae-Kazim Hakeem Kae-Kazim Hakeem Kae-Kazim , sometimes credited as "Hakim Kae Kazim", is an actor who played Georges Rutaganda on Hotel Rwanda in 2004 directed by Terry George... |
Jomo |
Production notes
- Parts of this picture were filmed in the Smuts HallSmuts HallSmuts Hall is a men's residence on the upper campus of the University of Cape Town. It was named after Field Marshal The Rt. Hon. Jan Smuts. It provides housing for around 240 students....
men's residence at the University of Cape TownUniversity of Cape TownThe University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
in South Africa. In particular, the side hallways of the library were created in the Smuts Hall common room.
- The symbols on the columns and walls of the false "treasure room" are seals of demons from the GoetiaGoetiarefers to a practice which includes the invocation of angels or the evocation of demons, and usage of the term in English largely derives from the 17th century grimoire The Lesser Key of Solomon, which features an Ars Goetia as its first section...
, a real grimoireGrimoireA grimoire is a textbook of magic. Such books typically include instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination and also how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as angels, spirits, and demons...
and part of the Lesser Key of Solomon.
- The book Flynn finds in the mines is bound in a modern format, with pages and covers, and Jerry reads the text from left to right. Literature written in King Solomon's time would have been in Hebrew, which reads right to left, and most likely in scrollScrollA scroll is a roll of parchment, papyrus, or paper, which has been drawn or written upon.Scroll may also refer to:*Scroll , the decoratively curved end of the pegbox of string instruments such as violins...
s or on clay tabletClay tabletIn the Ancient Near East, clay tablets were used as a writing medium, especially for writing in cuneiform, throughout the Bronze Age and well into the Iron Age....
s. Though it is possible that an earlier user bound the book for the benefit of future users.
- The tune that Pan's flutePan fluteThe pan flute or pan pipe is an ancient musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting usually of five or more pipes of gradually increasing length...
plays near the beginning is the theme of the film.
- The amulet Flynn's father used to wear when he was a kid is actually a Masonic Symbol.