Mary Bateman nee Harker was many things: a servant girl, a dress maker, a fortune teller… She was also a compulsive thief, a religious charlatan, and an… Read more “Chickens for Christ, Books Bound In Blood: The Magical, Murderous Mayhem of Mary Bateman, the Yorkshire Witch”
Category: Folklore and Fairytale
It’s a Sin! As Painted by Hieronymus Bosch…
Hieronymus Bosch is probably best known for his triptych painting (triptych=three parts), The Garden of Heavenly Delights. Painted when the artist was between 40 and 60 years… Read more “It’s a Sin! As Painted by Hieronymus Bosch…”
How (not) to Convert the Pope: the Curious Cause of Abraham Abulafia
Imagine this: the year is 1280 C.E. You are forty years old, and you’ve spent the last twenty of those years traveling and studying. And now, through… Read more “How (not) to Convert the Pope: the Curious Cause of Abraham Abulafia”
The Emperor’s Enablers
The Emperor’s New Clothes is one of the more popular Hans Christian Andersen tales, a narcissistic leader who is too self-involved in his quest for impressive attire… Read more “The Emperor’s Enablers”
Cetaceans and the City: Dapper Dolphins and Human Hotties
Imagine this: You have Magic Powers. And instead of being celebrated, you are being vilified. By whom, you ask? The WWF. (That’s World Wildlife Federation, not to… Read more “Cetaceans and the City: Dapper Dolphins and Human Hotties”
With Teeth: Festival of the Steel Phallus
Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the Steel Phallus) is a Shinto festival held in the town of Kawasaki. Every year, on the first Sunday of April, the town… Read more “With Teeth: Festival of the Steel Phallus”
The Stars Who Fed Us: the Onondaga and the Seven Sisters
A constellation that is central in the field of archaeo-astronomy is the Pleiades, also called the Seven Sisters. If you want to know when to reap and… Read more “The Stars Who Fed Us: the Onondaga and the Seven Sisters”
Waiting for Dingonek: An End to the Dread Plague
Imagine this: two big game hunters are sitting around Lake Victoria, reminiscing and being racist as one was wont to do in the early nineteen hundreds. As… Read more “Waiting for Dingonek: An End to the Dread Plague”
Japanese Time Travel: the Fisherman and the Turtle
Imagine this: You’re a peaceful fisherman, walking home after a day at sea. As you tread up the shoreline, you come across a group of children tormenting… Read more “Japanese Time Travel: the Fisherman and the Turtle”
Silent Like the Trees: Eglė and the Serpent King
Imagine this: you’re bathing outside with your two sisters, your clothes on dry land, when you hear a voice coming from your blouse. “Hi there!” says the… Read more “Silent Like the Trees: Eglė and the Serpent King”
