The Superstition of Witches

The Elizabethan Era was a period of Renaissance and intellectualism, it was also the introduction of the English persecution of Witches and Witchcraft. Ironically, this age of learning also brought on a renewed beleif of supernatural things, including the powers of witchery, witches and witch hunts.

Funnily enough, it was the printing press (which had just been invented) that led to the outbreak of witch hunting. The first printed texts were bibles or books that involved religion, and strangely many of these books promoted witchcraft and ideas of witches. This was the cause of the irrational witch hunts of the 15th and 16th centuries. Later, books on the subjects of alchemy, astrology and magic came out, making people even more interested in the dark magical world. in 1562, Queen Elizabeth the first passed the Witchcraft Act which acted against "conjuractions inchauntmentes and witchecraftes".

The Black Plague was an unexplainable phenomenon (at the time) that involved death and destruction. Just as Hitler blamed the Jews, the Europeans blamed the plague on witches. This gave further cause for people to continue witch hunts. They were blamed for the terrible diseases, death of animals, bad harvests, burning houses, and even curdled food.

Women were often the ones accused of witchery. There were 247 women put on trial, and only 23 men. The woman who were targeted were mostly old, poor, single, widows, or unprotected. With women not having not having any rights, and having to rely on males for almost everything, these types of women didnt have men to rely on. They were expected to make cures for sicknesses as part of their house work. As the witch craze was going on, the Catholic church stated that "those who used herbs for cures did so only through a pact with the devil, either explicit or implicit".  Having those herbs in ones home meant the punishment of execution by burning.

Mother Nature

Before Socrates, Greek philosophers had coined the term nature when they put the all the phenomenons of the world into a single name, and spoke of it have as a single thing: nature. Mother Nature, formerly known as Mother Earth and Gaea, was one of the earliest Greek Godesses born from Chaos, the void in the universe. Mother Earth was the first element in Greek Mythology, meaning that all the other Gods origionated from her and worshipped her. This inate worship was late replaced by other Gods. In Roman mythology she was known as December, the goddess of harvest (the name origionally meant Earth Mother).

It was in the Middle Ages when Mother Earth became Mother Nature, this name was wildly popular throughout Europe, though it has been found that the name traces back to Greek times.

Sometimes, she is described as having very long black or brown hair that covers her face, she floats/flies as her feet never touch the ground- she rides along the wind. Some theories say that her face was ugly, that is why her hair covered it. Other times, she is described as being a young, beautiful girl with snow white skin, flowing hair and bark brown eyes.

She is the maker of forests and seasons, she controls eveything. It has been said that she kills those who cut down her forests.

The idea of Mother Nature can be seen in many Shakespear plays, including Macbeth. The Wiccan religion looks to Mother Earth as their role model.

Father Time

Father time is a mythical character that has belonged to many different cultures throughout the ages. He is the personification of time, and makes for a very interesting character in a fairy tale or myth. He is usually depicted as a bearded old man dressed in robes and carrying an hourglass. His image stems from a few other mythical creatures such as the Grim Reaper and the Greek God of Time, Chronos. Around 1610 there was a portrait painted of Elizabeth the first with Father Time on one side, and Death on the other. This is the earliest art/print reference of Mr. Time, but it is said that his myth was floating around long before the 1600's.
Father Time has a parental nature- hence the name "father"- about him that reminds people of the motherly nature of Mother Nature (pun intended). Because of this, people have often imagined the two as married.
There are still many beleifs as to when Father time graces us with his presence. In some places and cultures, it is said that Mr. Time is only seen on New Years, when he is supposed to hand over his duties to Baby New Year.
Another belief is that like God and the Grim Reaper, Father Time is constantly watching over us and holds an hour glass for each individual that is always slowly decreasing.

Grinning Like a Cheshire Cat

 Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland has been a novel, turned movie that has taken many generations on an exciting journey. In 2010 there was another remake of the movie starring Johnny Depp and other famed actors and actresses. One of the films trademark characters, though not in the movie for long, is the Cheshire cat. Being a whimsical character, the Cheshire cat has an enormous grin and the ability to make himself, or just parts of his body vanish.

Like most people, I too thought that the cat and the phrase "grinning like a Cheshire cat" was a creation from the mind of Lewis Carroll, but after further investigation, I found that to be wrong. The true origin is unknown, but there are several theories. The first, was that a sign painter in Cheshire (North West England) painted grinning lions on the sign boards of local inns. The second, was that Cheshire cheeses used to be molded in the shape of a grinning cat.

The phrase was first seen in print in the second edition of Francis Grose's Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue published in 1778. The text reads: ""Cheshire Cat He grins like a Cheshire cat; said of any one who shows his teeth and gums in laughing." The term and phrase were then made popular by Carroll in 1865 when he wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It is interesting to see where the inspiration of such a remarkable story come from. Seeing the time gap between Grose's novel and Carroll's, it would not be far fetched to say that Carroll might have grown up with Grose's novel and implemented it into his own work.

Myth Of The Wiccans

The Wiccan religion began in the 1950's and was led by a man named Gerard Gardner, a British civil servant who wrote many books on Witch craft after the laws concerning it had been repealed in England. Margaret Murray, archeologist and Egyptologist was the first to try and connect the Wiccan religion to tribal religions. Her two most significant works in this area were “The Witch-Cult in Western Europe” published in 1921 and “The God of the Witches” from 1933. In these texts she argued that the Witchcraft of her day resembled that of a pre-Christian religion that she called the Dianic cult. Since her books had been published, almost all other scholarly investigations on the subject have disproved her theory. Margaret's findings continue to be one of few that promote the idea that Wiccanism has been around longer then the mid 1900's. Though their may be similarities between the modern religion, and past tribal religions the is no concrete connection between any of them. It is a fact that Gerard Gardner founded the religion of modern witch craft, and those who believe otherwise are trying to form connections that simply are not there.

Catherine the Great (lover of beastiality?)

         Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia from 1729 to 1796 was known for many things, including: Being the longest female ruler in Russia, exempting nobles from mandatory military service, introducing the first government-financed higher education center for women, expanding the Russian empire, and instilling many different reforms. After her death, she was remembered for something a bit more trivial: dying while having sex with a horse. This is a definite myth, seeing as she actually died of an illness, safe in her own bed. But at the time that was the circulating rumor about the empress who led Russia through its enlightenment period. So if this myth is false, how on earth did it come to be?

The answer is not surprising as it involves one of the most hated Queens of all time. Mary Antoinette was said to start outrageous myths about anyone she didn't care for; and apparently the myth started in France so Antoinette starting this rumor would not be far fetched. With Catherine's eager sexual appetite, it was no question that there would be rumors started about her sex life, but the that they were wilder then the standards of her time made her subject to rumors on a more heinous scale. In more recent years, another myth about her death surfaced: that she died on the toilet. The story goes that Catherine's dead bloated body was so heavy that it cracked the toilet she was sitting on. The myth stems from the fact that before her actual death, she was said to be found collapsed in a "closet". People have taken the liberty to interpret closet as "water closet", another term for the toilet. Even if this myth has some truth to it, it is not a fact; for Catherine was pronounced dead as she lay in her bed surrounded by family and caretakers. It is common for ruthless rumors to be spread about leaders, especially by their enemies, but in Catherines case, it doesn't seem fair that such a seemingly wonderful ruler has such a humiliating legacy.

Morgan Le Fay

Morgan Le Fay is a mythical character who was first introduced to the world in Geoffrey of Monmouth's text Vita Merlini or The Life of Merlin. Geoffrey portrayed Merlin as a prophit and Le Fay as a Sorceress. Later, she became known as a fairy, priestess, dark magician, enchantress, witch, sea goddess, shape-changer, healer, and the half sister to King Arthur.

From all the different persona's Morgan was given, it is clear to see that her name was used in many made up tales. She was a mysterious womanly figure who posessed powers that were exciting and dangerous to people of the time. Her name would come about in the telling of children, and adult stories alike. Her name eventually descended into an literary metaphor for deviancy, evil and mischeif.

Militia Miconceptions

I came across an interesting article that described the misconceptions people have of martial arts and formal fighting in Western Europe through history. It seems that combat was more articulated then many people now a days seem to think. Here, is a list of common mistakes people make about combat in earlier centuries.  

1. There were no "martial arts" in Western European civilization. 

 This is false, Europe had a very advanced and sophisticated fighting system, begining at the time of ancient Greece and stretching to the 19th century. Techniques that were used were recorded and passed down through the decades. Techniques were altered to suit the needs of the time, but what didnt change was the effectivness of the tactics. 

 2. Medival and Renaissance fencing had no real technique, it was improvised; with tricks and wrestling added in. 

 This is incorrect. In fact, fencing was highly systematic, and incorperated a number of diffeent combat skills and weaponary techniques; strangely even more then fencig during the 18 and 1900's. 

 3. Medieval and Renaissance unarmed fighting methods were less developed and less sophisticated than elsewhere in the world. 

 There were actually a variety of different fighting styles circulatig around Europe since ancient times. Through guides and books that had been passed down through generations, new fighters could learn the tricks of the trade conveniantly. 

4. Knights in full-plate armour were slow and clumsy.

Plate armour was actually well balanced and cleverly designed for ample maneuvering and agility. Although, the armour did restrict breathing, expulsion of body heat, hearing, and sight. 

5. Medival swords were heavy and weighed tons of pounds.

Fighting swords during the middle ages and Renaissance were actually very light, well balanced, and masterfully designed, well made, and well proportioned (swords weighed 1.8 kg on average).

6. Only Knights were permitted to use swords in the Middle Ages.

This is false, the sword is only associated with knights, and knighthood; but not restricted to. Any foot solider or fighting man could use a sword, and he was expected to know how to handle it. There commoners who were sword fighting teachers, tradesmen and salesmen who sold swords. There were many attempts to ban commoners from owning swords; but of course, the attempts were constantly violated and became impossible to control.

7. Medival and Renaissance Europe did not know of curved swords.

This is incorrect, in fact, curved swords were native to Western Europe and were known since the times of Ancient Greece. 

8. Some swords could cut through plate armour.

This is false, there was never record of any sword being able to penetrate the strong plate armour that soldiers buried themselves in. They could however, cut through straps and tear off peices of armour. If the popular "thrusting" method was used, sword-plate contact could create bruises and wounds. 

9. European fighting systems never adressed any spiritual or ethical components. 

This is not true, as one could rarely find any martial arts teachings that didn't address ethical behaviour. Teachings also gave tips on how to avoid fights and when it was appropriate to use violence. This was the start of the idea that officers should also be gentlemen.

10. Historical European Martial Arts were copied from Asian Martial Arts.

They were actually stolen from Amazonian Martian Cyborgs who are in fact the real ancestors of ancient Africans (through Atlantis)

Rationale in the Golden Age

Every time period has its own fads, music, and superstitions. The Elizabethan era was no different, with it's own unique and obscure myths and ideas. In the 15, 16, and 1700's, religion was a major influence in everyones lives. Politics was dependent on it, and so was livelyhood. This is why many of the folk tales and superstitions revolved around god and hell. Some of the superstitions are the basis from which many modern phrases and thoughts stem from. Here is a list of superstitions collected from the Elizabethan era.

1. Sneezing with your mouth open allows the devil to enter, and provokes harmful behavior.

 (We say "bless you" today, because in older times, people thought it countered the devil because demons cannot stay in holy places)

2. Stirring a pot of food clock wise is bad luck for whoever eats it

3. During times of plague, people walked around with scented flowers in their pockets, and burned scented firewood to drive out the disease (this balance of "good" and "evil" was very important)

4. The 7th son of the 7th son is believed to have super natural powers

5. Running water, fire, and iron were said to be lucky charms

6. Retention of the female sperm caused violent sickness (promotion of promiscuity?)

 7. Touching a man before he is executed, spitting on a fire, And having a cow breath on you would give you good luck

8. People believed in the existence of witches, and blamed everything that went wrong on them (this belief in witches relates to the witch trials that happened in the United States in the 1700's)

9. Sudden hair loss was bad luck

10. Sailers always carried gold hoops on them for it was believed that if a ship sunk, they could pay their way through to the underworld with their gold hoops

 As one can see, there are many superstitions regarding god, the afterlife, and luck. These are recurring ideologies throughout most of history, and only in recent times has the power of religion dwindled to the point where the majority of people are not scared by it.

Once upon a time...

There was a man named Vlad the Impaler, but even that name was too soft for this wicked man. Prince Vlad was a high member of the Romanian court in the 1400's and was known for his cruel and wicked ways; so much so, that the people of Romania began calling him "Dracula" which means Son of The Dragon. He ruled Southern Romania with a bloody iron fist, killing mass amounts of people during his tenure. To add to his reign of terror, he also created a forest of spikes surrounding his castle, to scare off people.

There are many similarities between Bram Stoker's novel Dracula and the life of Vlad the Impaler. The similarities include: reference to military campaigns, places, and aquintences Prince Vlad had experienced.

As one can see, the Nightmarish tales we are still scared of today, started centuries ago with a man named Vlad.