Penelope’s Loom

 Today is Halloween, and what better time to write about Sherlock Holmes? Sherlock made his literary debut in 1887, with the short story "A Study in Scarlet."  The author was Conan Doyle (later to become "Sir").  Tales appeared in print until 1927.  Mostly, the lore of Sherlock and Watson comes in the form of short stories, with only a smattering of novels, here and there, but oh those short stories captured the imagination of many throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Dozens of plays, movies, and books have since been created, since the first publication of Doyle's detective's adventures, and absolutely everyone who has ever seen a film adaptation of Sherlock has their favorite actor who portrays him.   It's kind of like who is your favorite James Bond? Sean Connery, ye gods! As for me? I have always been a purist about Sherlock Holmes, and while I love Basil Rathbone's interpretation, I would have to say that Jeremy Brett comes the closest to the...

            No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacency men went to and fro over this globe about their little affairs, serene in their assurance of their empire over matter. It is possible that the infusoria under the microscope do the same. No one gave a thought to the older worlds of space as sources of human danger, or thought of them only to dismiss the idea of life upon them as impossible or improbable. It is curious to recall some of the mental habits of those departed days. At most terrestrial men fancied there might be other men upon Mars, perhap...

 Now, the court of Elizabeth I is a tad outside of my comfort zone, and yet I 've been fascinated by this 'accident'? murder? (who will ever know), for a while now. So, who was Amy? Born in June, 1532, she was married at 18, to one Robert Dudley.  Now, you may know Robert from various movies with Elizabeth as the central figure, where we learn that he was often called her "eyes."  Upon ascending the throne, Robert immediately went to the court to serve his childhood (sweetheart?) friend, Elizabeth, second child to former king Henry VIII.  Interesting fact here that you may or may not know:  she was also the daughter of Anne Bolelyn of infamous memory.  Elizabeth and Robert had known each other since childhood, and some even said that they were lovers, but no proof exists of any physical relationship.  Given that no 'bastards' of Elizabeth were ever found in the existing historical record, it is likely that she remained a virgin to the end of her life....

I believe in ghosts.  Or rather, I believe that a place may be haunted by the past.  Try going to a couple of battlefields, and you'll know exactly what I mean .   One July, I went to see the Gettysburg battlefield.  I was a graduate student, working temporarily in Washington DC, at the National Archives.  One day, a bunch of other students and myself travelled to the battlefield, to see it;  to experience it, and it remains one of the most memorable experiences of my life.  To wit:  we walked the entire battlefield--not a mean feat--and there were most of the noises one expects in the East in summer:  cicadas, birds, other insects.  But, when we got to the cemetery, there was not a single sound to be heard .  I swear to God, Dear Reader, not a single sound.  Nada.  Nothing. But, this post is not about Gettysburg.   For anyone who has seen and loved any ghost hunter, or paranormal hunting show, this post is ...

 Okay, now we are going to discuss another dark period in American history…Salem, Mass., in the 1690s. I encourage you, Dear Reader, to watch this documentary on the witch trials, ALTHOUGH it is definitely over the top: Also, this story of English witches will aid you in contextualizing this story.  This is a film regarding the Pendle Hill witch trials in England, which occurred a bit earlier than the Salem experience.  It is kind of necessary, in order to understand the context surrounding the above trials, so I encourage you to watch it before reading this post.  One of the things you will see, is that the role of children was as prominent as that of Salem: It is so interesting to me, how powerful children can be in any given situation.  I think that it is somehow especially horrifying--how children, even at this early period, were among the chief accusers, both at Pendle Hill, and Salem.  Little girls, who 'told on' their parents, friends, and neighbors....

well, not really , but there are pictures and descriptions of some rather nasty torture devices in this post, which you may not like to see, Dear Reader.  Also, there are some descriptions of said medieval torture that you may not like, so proceed with caution! Folks, it goes without saying that kids should not read this.  Thanks! Whether the Belief that there are such Beings as Witches is so Essential a Part of the Catholic Faith that Obstinacy to maintain the Opposite Opinion manifestly savours of Heresy. Chapter 1 Malleus Malicarum,   https://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/m In order to understand the medieval belief (absolute), one has to read or at least be familiar with the “Malleus Maleficarum,” or the “Witches Hammer.”  Written in the fourteenth century, by a couple of German monks, it is to quote Tom Hanks in the movie, possibly the most blood soaked book in human history.  This book not only outlines the medieval obsession with religion, it underscores the b...

 So, it's October, and it's a time for monsters, ghouls, and ghosts.   Now we're not talking about Monster's Inc., here... No.   Let's look rather at this 'monster,': The wicked witch of the West, as portrayed by Margaret Hamilton.  But, was this always the way in which the witch was portrayed? Why, this stereotype? Well, that is a complex question. To understand witches, and why this myth persists to this day, we have to go back to the earliest societies--back to the primordial world, where men and women gathered around campfires, and tried to make order out of the physical world.  To give reason for the changing of the seasons, and the rising and setting of the sun.  Why were such things? Why was there sadness, fear, and malice in the world? Perhaps to explain this, we should look at some ancient images which denoted a belief in magic and the supernatural.  Look at this ithyphallic figure, from the caves at Lascaux: This is an anthropomorph...