Showing posts with label witches. Show all posts
Showing posts with label witches. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Pumpkin in the library--happy halloweeeeeeen!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Night of the spooky bike tour
Yesterday, April 30, was a creepy evening here in Berlin. It was Walpurgisnacht, the festival of the witches's dance, and also the anniversary of Hitler's suicide.
When the sun set, I went on a bike ride to a) look for witches and b) look for neo-Nazis discretely observing the anniversary.
First stop: Hitler's bunker, the site of his and his wife Eva Hitler (formerly Braun)'s suicide and the erstwhile site of their graves.
As you can see, it's now a parking lot. (The bunker was mostly destroyed by the Soviets and later by the East German government, though the floor and walls are apparently still down there.) For years there was no sign. From what I've read, the city didn't mark the site to keep it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine.
But according to the sign pictured above, since the movie Downfall came out, there's been so much interest that they put up said sign.
So, is it a neo-Nazi shrine? Well, there weren't any neo-Nazis lurking around. (I may have missed their real holiday, H.'s birthday.)
There was that guy with a camera and microphone just sitting by the sign (pictured). Hmmm, what was he up to? Waiting for a ride? Surreptitiously recording what was going on?
Sorry--I have no idea because I didn't ask him.
Additional Hitler/Braun trivia: Burned and then buried in the garden above the bunker, their remains did not rest there for long, but were dug up by the Soviets, identified with dental records and x-rays, and shipped to a KGB barracks near Magdeburg, Germany, where they languished until 1970, when the KGB fully cremated them and tossed the ashes in a river. The Soviets kept the story of the remains secret, and until the end of the Cold War a mystery surrounded the final whereabouts of the bodies.
Next stop: The search for witches!
Walpurgisnacht is an ancient pagan spring festival that involves witches jumping over bonfires. In Berlin, it got mixed up with May 1, which is the next day. May 1 or International Worker's Day, which is today (!!), involves left demos and rioting.
There used to be a big Walpurgisnacht party, which I guess often turned into a riot, in a park in the neighborhood in which I'm staying. I biked over there (pictured below).
It was pretty cool! I did see one little kid dressed as a witch. Lots of people where there, all drinking beer--punks, parents, people my age, older folks, little kids (they did not appear to be drinking beer). Also a bunch of bands. And fire juggling. And a bonfire.
Walpurgisnacht I guess is tamer than it once was. No rioting that I saw. But a whole army of police were in attendance, as they have been at every gathering of more than twenty people that I've ever been to in Berlin.
These police are the "Anti Conflict Team." They wore these vests. I was unsure whether the vests were working or not.
When the sun set, I went on a bike ride to a) look for witches and b) look for neo-Nazis discretely observing the anniversary.
First stop: Hitler's bunker, the site of his and his wife Eva Hitler (formerly Braun)'s suicide and the erstwhile site of their graves.
As you can see, it's now a parking lot. (The bunker was mostly destroyed by the Soviets and later by the East German government, though the floor and walls are apparently still down there.) For years there was no sign. From what I've read, the city didn't mark the site to keep it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine.
But according to the sign pictured above, since the movie Downfall came out, there's been so much interest that they put up said sign.
So, is it a neo-Nazi shrine? Well, there weren't any neo-Nazis lurking around. (I may have missed their real holiday, H.'s birthday.)
There was that guy with a camera and microphone just sitting by the sign (pictured). Hmmm, what was he up to? Waiting for a ride? Surreptitiously recording what was going on?
Sorry--I have no idea because I didn't ask him.
Additional Hitler/Braun trivia: Burned and then buried in the garden above the bunker, their remains did not rest there for long, but were dug up by the Soviets, identified with dental records and x-rays, and shipped to a KGB barracks near Magdeburg, Germany, where they languished until 1970, when the KGB fully cremated them and tossed the ashes in a river. The Soviets kept the story of the remains secret, and until the end of the Cold War a mystery surrounded the final whereabouts of the bodies.
Next stop: The search for witches!
Walpurgisnacht is an ancient pagan spring festival that involves witches jumping over bonfires. In Berlin, it got mixed up with May 1, which is the next day. May 1 or International Worker's Day, which is today (!!), involves left demos and rioting.
There used to be a big Walpurgisnacht party, which I guess often turned into a riot, in a park in the neighborhood in which I'm staying. I biked over there (pictured below).
It was pretty cool! I did see one little kid dressed as a witch. Lots of people where there, all drinking beer--punks, parents, people my age, older folks, little kids (they did not appear to be drinking beer). Also a bunch of bands. And fire juggling. And a bonfire.
Walpurgisnacht I guess is tamer than it once was. No rioting that I saw. But a whole army of police were in attendance, as they have been at every gathering of more than twenty people that I've ever been to in Berlin.
These police are the "Anti Conflict Team." They wore these vests. I was unsure whether the vests were working or not.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday, July 28, 2008
Witch bumming over time
Prove any historical argument!
For relational graph of witches, angry mobs, and witch burnings over time, see The Tomog.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
"Ah, thank you for clearing that up." World's most helpful accused witches.
"Oh, why yes Matthew Hopkins, Witchfinder General, now that we're all here, you're probably wondering, 'What are the names of their familiars?' and why--yes!--here they are, speak of the devil (ha ha!)"(Note: familiars are obligingly self-arrayed in front of Hopkins, and are even conveniently numbered in some cases.)
(Unrelated: The familiars are so cute! Jamaras' one of those fluffy high-society dogs, how could she/it drink blood etc.?)
(Enormous thanks, naturally, to CBAM for the image.)
Tuesday, August 1, 2006
More on cat witchcraft
This cat apparently does have witchcraft. Its witchcraft is to keep vampires away. This is clearly the case, according to the person who lives with this cat, because not a single vampire has been sighted in the vicinity of this cat, ever. Thanks to J.A. for this additional information about cat witchcraft.
Cat witchcraft
This cat probably has witchcraft. This is the cat that lives with me. I thought that her witchcraft was weak and ridiculous. 
In fact, I have never noticed anything supernatural that she did. All she does is bite my ankles and drink from the toilet as discussed. So far, no witchcraft. I haven't generally been worried about her cat witchcraft.
But then someone pointed out that maybe this cat makes her witchcraft seem weak and pathetic so that I won't be alarmed, but is at the same time putting spells on me.
I made her this toy out of the fan. See how pleased she seems?
In fact, I have never noticed anything supernatural that she did. All she does is bite my ankles and drink from the toilet as discussed. So far, no witchcraft. I haven't generally been worried about her cat witchcraft.But then someone pointed out that maybe this cat makes her witchcraft seem weak and pathetic so that I won't be alarmed, but is at the same time putting spells on me.
I made her this toy out of the fan. See how pleased she seems?
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