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212 results for “mythologyandhistory”
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Did you know that the #Egyptian Cobra has a #divine & #royal #history?
The large, venomous #snake was represented in 2 different #Ancient Egyptian #goddesses.
Cobra-headed Meretseger protected the Valley of the Kings & Wadjet protected both #kings & childbirth.
In Lower Egypt, the cobra topped crowns.
In 2011, The Bronx #Zoo had to inform the public that an Egyptian Cobra escaped its enclosure.
It was found 5 days later hiding & named Mia - “missing in action”.
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Did you know that there's a place in #Europe that still has a #feudal system?
The #crown dependency of #Sark is a curious place. It has no paved #roads & #cars are forbidden, #women only got the right to inherit #property in 1999, & the whole island is, to this day, a fiefdom.
This means the #monarch is the head, with a #lord (seigneur here) as the executive power & the tenants (effectively liegemen) as the vassals.
Sark has to pay the #king a yearly #knight's fee.
It's £1,79. -
Did you know that there are reliefs from a pre-Columbian society that were thought to be innocuous, but modern #research suspects something much more #sinister...?
At Monte Albán, an #archeological site in #Mexico, the earliest carved #stones show "Danzante", lit. "dancers".
Or that's what was assumed to be shown in the 19th c.
Today, the images are identified as being of naked men with mutilated genitals in twisted positions.
They're assumed to be sacrificial #prisoners of #war.
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Did you know that the first modern standing #army revolted?
During the 14th c. the #Ottomanempire found itself in need of #soldiers. The easiest recruits were children of Christian slaves who were turned #Moslem.
These boys were 7-14 years old & would become proper soldiers, known as Janissary, at age 24.
They had to remain isolated from society, #poor & #celibate.
Around 1446 did they start to demand to be paid.
By 1566 marriage was allowed.By 1862, they were gone.
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I just need to know: is anyone from the #USA going to the Ig Nobel prize discussion on the 11. November?
This year's bangers include a #physics prize for measuring the extent to which ocean water mixing is affected by anchovy sex & a #literature prize for studying the sensations people feel when they repeat a single word many, many, many, many times.
If you go, PLEASE tell me all about it! I want to live vicariously through you.
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#Stunning frescos #uncovered in the "Black Room" in #Pompeii.
I'm mesmerised! :GhostHeart:
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Did you know that only a single #British #MP was ever executed for a non-political crime?
MPs have been serving the English parliament since 1593, & a good number died by execution.
But only one, MP for #Dorset in 1614, Mervyn Tuchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven (as Mervyn Audley) died not because of treason or for being a Royalist... but for raping his wife & "sodomy".
He was #beheaded.
The charges were brought by his own son & wife, who feared for their inheritance.
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Happy World #Pasta Day!
Did you know that the Pastafarians (a delightful allegory for religious questionability), have had to deal with real legal issues?
In 2012, a #Greek adherent was arrested under #blasphemy charges.
Another #Russian Pastafarian minister was arrested when his premises were used by a #democratic political org. & he was assumed to be a member.
He was released from prison this February, after 1 year & 8 months.
Pastafarians are recognised in #NewZealand.
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Imagine your new bathroom floor being of interest to #archaeology !
https://johnhawks.net/weblog/how-many-bathrooms-have-neandertals-in-the-tile/
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Did you know that during the time of the Khmer Rouge’s “#revolution”, #death might come for wearing glasses?
The #Cambodian #crimes under Pol Pot were based on the idea that the #peasant class were due to triumph over the #rich.
The KR fighters targeted anyone too #affluent to benefit the revolution, too soft (not suitable for manual labour) & too #educated - as suspected by wearing glasses.
It was not a death sentence to have them, but it didn't help. Some 2 mil people died.
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Did you know that a #cure for #testicle issues in #hunting #dogs could also be readily applied to #humans?
In the oldest hunting manual in #England (written between 1406-13), we are taught that if “evil befalls in the ballock purse” of a dog, to boil linseed in wine, dunk a cloth diaper in it & tie it around the backside of the dog - but leave the important bits out so that he may “scombre and piss”.
The same #treatment is “a well good thing” for #men & #horses.
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Today's post is a visual alt- text exploration.
There are photos attached & a description of what may lurk within...
#mythology #brazil #zaïre #australia #visuallyimpaired #storytelling
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Did you know that many a noble died in #Ancient #China due to #magical mishaps?
In old China, #immortality was greatly desired. It was believed that #minerals could transfer their powers to those worthy.
Cinnabar & mercury were the original elixirs, while gold was also used by #alchemists.
#Deadly side-effects were recorded from the 3rd c. onwards. And yet, it wasn’t until the 18th c. that consumption ceased.
The last Emperor to die of Alchemical Poisoning was Yongzeng, of Qing in 1735.
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No idea. I'm guessing like #SteveIrwin - swimming and not seeing a long protruding object and getting speared?
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Happy #SteveIrwin Day!
In good #animal #news: #Dominica has declared that they'll open the first #sanctuary for sperm #whales.
No commercial #fishing or large vessels will be allowed in the 800m2 reserve, but people can come & swim with the whales.
Sperm whale feces enrich plankton, who in turn aid carbon sequestration - so #savethewhales directly helps #climatechange.
Nice one, Dominica.
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Did you know that the first #German #adventure #novel tells us about a really #gross #punishment ?
"Der Abenteurliche Simplicissimus" by von Grimmelshausen is a book in which the main character is a reluctant #soldier.
He describes how he watched as a labourer is force-fed a vile concoction of liquid manure, which is called "Schwedentrunk" (drink of the #Swedes).
This punishment often led to fatal lung infections & was employed by #Swedish soldiers during the Thirty Years' War.
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Did you know that there was a #god that is claimed to be a previous version of Dionysios?
The #Phrygian people were nomads that settled in Anatolia. They brought their pantheon, including a god named Sabazios.
He was a god of #agriculture, teaching humans how to cultivate plants.
His followers would #dance & get #drunk.#Ancient #Greeks equated Sabazios to Dionysos.
It was said that Sabazios was ripped apart by #Titans & reassembled as the Greek god of #wine.
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CW: NBA fangirling 🏀
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Did you know that #teenagers could be annoying even 3800 yrs ago?
During the first #Babylonian #Empire, Iddin-Sin, a wealthy boy from south of Baghdad, was sent away to #study.
As today, he worried that his clothes were not as nice as those of his classmates, & so wrote a manipulative letter to his mum.
It would’ve taken her months to spin, weave, dye, & tailor new garments.
The letter ends with: “You, you do not really love me.”
The whole letter:
https://cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/search?layout=full&id=P387407 -
Elroy needs MUCH more mastodon time, with the hashtag #dogsofmastdodon, trust me!
I used to have a (minor) addiction to Guild Wars, like in 2006(?), sleep is overrated anyway! :D
Thanks for answering all my questions!
PS: My fav comicbook character is Marrina Smallwood, because her whole story is basically cautionary mythology.
Cheers :)
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Did you know that "Ludwig the #German" was kinda weird with his #kids?
The #Carolingian #king Ludwig, ruled East Francia for 36 years.
Within that time, he had 3 sons and 4 daughters.
Unlike other kings before & at the same time, he did not give any high positions to his sons.
He would eventually #marry all the #boys into advantageous alliances but forbade all daughters to do so.
The 3 we know of were all made to become nuns, but seemingly, not abbesses.
It's unclear why.
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Well, my state has given a #heatwave warning (rule is 5 or more consecutive days of 35°C or above, with little relief during the night).
This is my second major heatwave in this country.
It could be worse, though.
In 1540, a lot of #Europe had 11 months (!) without any #rain. 1/2 million people died from #dysentery. #Wine became very sweet (roasted) & cheap.
The worst case for me will be a very early start if I want to exercise.
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Katalin Karikó & Drew Weissman just won the #nobleprize in Medicine for the discovery of two mRNA vaccines against #covid!
It's neat that something we all of an actual concept of, and that affected all of us so fundamentally, was just honoured :)
Also, Karikó is the first woman to get a Noble Prize in Medicine since 2015!
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Did you know that #homesickness was once known as '#Swiss Disease'?
The word was first mentioned in 1651 & described as an #illness in 1688.
In 1710, it was claimed that music of Swiss #Alpine herdsmen & the Guggisberglied (a #folk song), led Swiss soldiers to desert. The singing of the same resulted (allegedly) in capital #punishment.
One doctor thought that the low air pressure made the Swiss sick with longing & would lead, if not returned home, to their eventual #death.
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Did you know that in a small village in #India, people have been #worshipping #stone balls?
Large, round balls are thought to #protect land & cattle in Padlya village near Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh. The balls are named "Kakar Bhairav", the first meaning 'farm' & the second 'ruler'. There are about 256 of them.
Recently, #scientists discovered that the #sacred balls are really fossilised eggs belonging to a #dinosaur species of Titanosaurus.
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CW: Off-topic - NBA stuff (ball is life 🏀)
Watching the Celebrity Game (really because Gianmarco Tamberi, big fan!) & I'm already angry at this dumb light show.
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Did you know that Northern #Indigenous #Australian #Mythology has its own #fairy legend?
#Aboriginal people from Arnhem Land believe in a creature called a Mimi.
They are said to have preceded #humans & created the first #rock #paintings.
Mimis taught the skill to the first people, along with how to #hunt kangaroo.
These spirits are VERY thin & have fragile bones, & so to avoid breaking in half when it’s windy, they hide in rock crevices.
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Did you know that #Victorian #fashion almost wiped out shore #birds in #Florida?
During the Victorian Age, bird plumage on hats was all the rage. Within 16 years, 5 million #birds per annum were #killed for decoration.
Egrets, a type of #heron were especially popular.
28g (1 oz) sold for the same price as gold in 1915.
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Did you know that in a small village in #India, people have been #worshipping #stone balls?
Large, round balls are thought to #protect land & cattle in Padlya village near Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh. The balls are named "Kakar Bhairav", the first meaning 'farm' & the second 'ruler'. There are about 256 of them.
Recently, #scientists discovered that the #sacred balls are really fossilised eggs belonging to a #dinosaur species of Titanosaurus.
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Did you know that in a small village in #India, people have been #worshipping #stone balls?
Large, round balls are thought to #protect land & cattle in Padlya village near Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh. The balls are named "Kakar Bhairav", the first meaning 'farm' & the second 'ruler'. There are about 256 of them.
Recently, #scientists discovered that the #sacred balls are really fossilised eggs belonging to a #dinosaur species of Titanosaurus.