943
Greek revolutionary Nikitarás gives his ungrateful men a sharp reminder of what really matters.
In 1821, Greeks living under the irksome rule of the Ottoman Empire declared independence, and a bitter struggle ensued which excited the sympathy of many in Britain, such as poet Lord Byron and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs George Canning. Irishman Richard Church (1784-1873) helped train many of the revolutionaries, among them Nikítas Stamatelópoulos (?1784-1849).
Picture: From Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted March 23 2018
944
After being outwitted once too often, Zeus decides to spite Prometheus by ruining the race of men.
In everyday speech, a Pandora’s Box is any circumstance that risks releasing a series of unpredictable and harmful consequences. The original myth, however, as told by Homer’s contemporary Hesiod, is considerably more subtle than this, delighting to raise more questions than it even attempts to answer.
Picture: From Curtis’s Botanical Magazine (1907), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted March 22 2018
945
A man steals a mother sparrow from her chick, but St Cuthbert isn’t going to let him get away with it.
In 1165, a priest came all the way to Durham from Lixtune (possibly Lytham) on the west coast. He told Reginald of Durham a number of remarkable stories about miracles performed by St Cuthbert, patron saint of his church, and the bond with his beloved birds called ‘St Cuthbert’s Peace’.
Picture: © jimmyweee, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted March 20 2018
946
A boy goes bird-nesting in Cuthbert’s church, and finds himself all in a heap.
In 1165, a priest came to Durham from Lytham, where his little parish had experienced a number of miracles at the hands of the patron saint, Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. Reginald wrote them down as he heard them, and one tale in particular stands out for the level of eye-witness detail.
Picture: © nottsexminer, Wikimeda Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted March 19 2018
947
A man who seems to have everything loses his good looks to a dreadful disease.
In 1165, a priest came all the way to Durham from Lytham on the Lancashire coast, to give thanks at St Cuthbert’s shrine for several remarkable miracles experienced by members of his parish. He told the stories to Reginald of Durham, including this one about a man with a gruesome disfigurement.
Picture: © Alexandru Baboş Albabos, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.. Source.
Posted March 19 2018
948
A cat belonging to a Carthusian monastery in Paris gets a free lunch, but who is exploiting whom?
In his little book about cats, Victorian cartoonist Charles Ross describes the criminal career of a cat attached to a Carthusian monastery in Paris. His story confirms that cats are adept at all kind of thievery and opportunism, but also reminds us that they are not the only ones.
Picture: © Nickolas Totkov, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted March 18 2018