M.J. Rose

We are women, hear us roar…

Unearthed Peruvian tomb confirms that women ruled over brutal ancient culture 

by Scott Sutherland

This ancient Peruvian priestess ruled over her people roughly 1,200 years ago.

“Archaeologists digging in an ancient Peruvian tomb have unearthed a skeleton, confirming that a mysterious people known as the Moche were ruled by a succession of queens that presided over a brutal and ritualistic society.

Centuries ago, in the Sechura Desert of northern Peru — one of the most arid and brutal environments on our planet — the Moche people developed an equally-brutal culture. With no written history left behind, much of their society still remains a mystery, but paintings on pottery have shown researchers evidence of a rigid culture of survival, with ritualized combats where the losing side was sacrificed.

Findings in recent years expanded the tale of these people even further, telling a story of how they were ruled by women, priestesses who also acted as queens…”

For the rest click here.

If you take the Downtown 6 train you may spot something mysterious and beautiful from long, long ago — and if you are brave and adventuresome, perhaps you will find a way to see evidence of the The Underbelly Project…

New York City’s Hidden Subway Station (Travelettes.com)

“Deep in the belly of New York’s subway system, a beautiful untouched station resides that has been forgotten for years with only a limited few knowing of its existence. Stunning decoration with tall tiled arches, brass fixtures and skylights run across the entire curve of the station, almost a miniature imitation of Grand Central Station… But it sounds like something straight out of Harry Potter, right?

It was opened in 1904, with the hope of making it the crowning glory of the New York subway system in elegant architecture and a place for commemorative plaques to honour the work that had resulted in such a successful underground mass transit system. It was to be the original southern terminus of the first ‘Manhattan Main Line’; however the station was closed and boarded up in 1945. The gem of the underground began gathering dust, forgotten by the general public, as passengers were forced off at the Brooklyn Bridge Stop before the train continued on to the terminus to make its turnaround…”

For more photographs and information about this gorgeous place, click here.

More on The Underbelly Project here.

Rejoice! A long lost stash of very old fairytales has been found. 500 of them!

Five hundred new fairytales discovered in Germany

by Victoria Sussens-Messerer (The Guardian)

Collection of fairytales gathered by historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth had been locked away in an archive in Regensburg for over 150 years

Spinning a yarn … King Golden Hair, one of the newly-discovered fairytales. Illustration: Barbara Stefan

“A whole new world of magic animals, brave young princes and evil witches has come to light with the discovery of 500 new fairytales, which were locked away in an archive in Regensburg, Germany for over 150 years. The tales are part of a collection of myths, legends and fairytales, gathered by the local historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth (1810–1886) in the Bavarian region of Oberpfalz at about the same time as the Grimm brothers were collecting the fairytales that have since charmed adults and children around the world…”

Read one of the fairytales: The Turnip Princess

For the complete story click here. For more fairytale interest, click here for Shockheaded Peter (Der Struwwelpeter).