M.J. Rose

Libraries of the Middle Ages — a great setting for a dark mystery…

From Atlas Obscura,

Protect Your Library the Medieval Way, With Horrifying Book Curses

Medieval scribes protected their work by threatening death, or worse.

by Sarah Laskow

“In the Middle Ages, creating a book could take years. A scribe would bend over his copy table, illuminated only by natural light—candles were too big a risk to the books—and spend hours each day forming letters, by hand, careful never to make an error. To be a copyist, wrote one scribe, was painful: “It extinguishes the light from the eyes, it bends the back, it crushes the viscera and the ribs, it brings forth pain to the kidneys, and weariness to the whole body.”

Given the extreme effort that went into creating books, scribes and book owners had a real incentive to protect their work. They used the only power they had: words. At the beginning or the end of books, scribes and book owners would write dramatic curses threatening thieves with pain and suffering if they were to steal or damage these treasures.

They did not hesitate to use the worst punishments they knew—excommunication from the church and horrible, painful death. Steal a book, and you might be cleft by a demon sword, forced to sacrifice your hands, have your eyes gouged out, or end in the “fires of hell and brimstone.”…”

For the rest, click here.

A little something pretty to temper this strange month…

From Bored Panda,

Woman Builds Tiny Houses For Birds That Visit Her

“Portland, Maine-based illustrator and bird-lover Jada Fitch creates amazing little houses for her tiny bird friends. Filled with tasty treats and beautiful decor, Fitch attaches the houses to her windows at home so she could watch the little fellows from up close and capture photos and videos of them.

These tiny house luxuries aren’t up all day, though, as they’re neither squirrel nor waterproof. Fitch only leaves them up for a few hours a day and has the permanent bird feeders further in her backyard…”

Click here for all the pics.

Don’t let your tutu catch on fire…

From The Daily Dose,

The Ballet Girls Who Burned To Death

By Fiona Zublin

“Le Papillon, in which a kidnapped princess is transformed into a butterfly, is sillier than your average ballet. It’s not even scientifically accurate — the climax involves a butterfly’s wings burning after it flies into a torch, even though, unlike moths, butterflies aren’t attracted to bright lights. In fact, the most significant thing about the production was that its star, Emma Livry, became famous for playing the flame-injured butterfly. And for dying when she drew too close to an open flame.

The young ballerina wasn’t the only one; scores of dancers are believed to have died after gas lighting became popular in 19th-century theaters. A gas light, a flimsy tutu and — bam! Ballerinas in Philadelphia, London and Paris perished in what was referred to as a holocaust. But Livry stands out, both as a defiant voice against change in the ballet world and as a catalyst for it…”

For the rest, click here.