The illustration is by Rima Staines
Madness Prevailed
"Why is it that early modern Europe had such a fervor for witch hunting? Between 1400 to 1782, when Switzerland tried and executed Europe’s last supposed witch, between 40,000 and 60,000 people were put to death for witchcraft, according to historical consensus. The epicenter of the witch hunts was Europe’s German-speaking heartland, an area that makes up Germany, Switzerland, and northeastern France." Gwen Guilford - Quartz
The illustration is by Hieronamus Bosch.
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The Turning Point
The competition for souls accelerated as did the torture and brutal execution of witches with Martin Luther's 95 Points in 1517. If you were an older woman, a widow or unmarried, and a neighbor, or even a stranger called you a witch, you were in deep trouble. This was especially so if you walked with a limp, had wrinkles or bad skin, or owned a black cat. Equally dangerous was having a garden of herbs. Witches were in league with Satan. Satan caused famine, disease, and drought.
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The Reformation: Lutherans and Catholics Competed
The Economic Journal of the Royal Economic Society, posits an explanation for the witch hunts based on considerable research and data that documented the way fears spread, followed by outrageous, brutal, injustice against women and massacres of those from the other church. Here are excerpts:
"This . . . theory comes down to market competition—between churches. In early modern Europe, Protestantism emerged as the first truly viable challenger to the Catholic church’s hold on the population. The study views the Catholic and Protestant churches as competing firms, each in the business of supplying a valuable service: Salvation. . . . Among both Catholics and Protestants, witch-hunting became a prime service for attracting and appeasing the masses by demonstrating their Satan-fighting prowess. . . Analyses of new data covering more than 43,000 people tried for witchcraft across 21 European countries over a period of five-and-a-half centuries and more than 400 early modern European Catholic–Protestant conflicts support our theory. More intense religious-market contestation led to more intense witch-trial activity. And compared to religious-market contestation, the factors that existing hypotheses claim were important for witch-trial activity – weather, income and state capacity – were not."
Here is a link to read the entire article and proof of the thesis by Peter T. Leeson and Jacob Russ: Competing to Fight Satan
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The Earth Revolves Around the Sun -- Johannes Kepler
During the era of witchcraft hysteria, from the land that gave us the Grimm fairy tales, there came a great mathematician, astronomer, and naturalist philosopher -- Johannes Kepler. He was mentored by Tycho Brahe and many of the great minds of his generation. He is best known today for his proof that the earth revolves around the sun. His work was fundamental to advances in physics made by Isaac Newton.
Kepler interrupted his brilliant scientific career to defend his mother, Katharina Kepler, a widow in her 70s, from a false charge of witchcraft. He succeeded, after many months, in disproving the charges. A year later, having spent a year chained to the floor in a prison, his mother died.
Portrait of Johannes Keppler, by an artist unknown.
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The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Kepler's Fight for His Mother
"Local records for the small town in which Katharina Kepler lived are abundant. There is no evidence that she was brought up by an aunt who was burnt for witchcraft – this was one of the charges which her enemies invented. There is no evidence either that she made a living from healing – she simply mixed herbal drinks for herself and sometimes offered her help to others, like anyone else. A woman in her late 70s, Katharina Kepler withstood a trial and final imprisonment, during which she was chained to the floor for more than a year.
Kepler’s defence was a rhetorical masterpiece. He was able to dismantle the inconsistencies in the prosecution case, and show that the “magical” illnesses for which they blamed his mother could be explained using medical knowledge and common sense. In the autumn of 1621, Katharina was finally set free."
Ulinka Rublack, Professor of History, University of Cambridge, wrote the definitive biography of Kepler's mother in 2015: The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Kepler's Fight for His Mother. The two paragraphs above are excerpted from Rublack's post in The Conversation.
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We Know Your Mother Is a Witch by Riva Galchen
This rather incredible book takes you back to the outrageous era of the early Reformation and the beginning of the 30 Years War. Institutions of government and laws were abused by the powerful, and innocent women were accused of witchcraft, tortured for confessions, and horribly executed.
Katharina Kepler, a hard working widower, is accused of witchcraft through absurd and scurrilous accusations and rumors. The story is told through the voices of Katharina and a panoply of people, including testimonials by many of the would be accusers. Katharina undergoes false accusations, financial ruin, brutal behavior, and being chained to a wall during lengthy imprisonment.
The book is fiction, but all based on research and historical records. One question asked many times by prosecutors or their assistants follows and is taken from records verbatim:
"Do you understand that any false testimony you knowingly give, will provoke God's anger in your earthly life and will deliver your soul to Satan upon your death?"
Prize winning author Riva Galchen credits Ulinka Rublack's book (see above) as a major source of inspiration. The question lingers about the outcome of the trial had not her brilliant son, Johannes -- mathematician to the ruling family -- won her trial. I am very touched by Katharina's years of chained imprisonment, and her sad death after one month of freedom.
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Miracles in the 16th Century
Miracles :"The Catholic Church believes miracles are works of God, either directly, or through the prayers and intercessions of a specific saint or saints". . . Wikipedia
"Saint Francis of Paola:After his nephew died, the boy's mother—Francis' own sister—appealed to Francis for comfort, and filled his apartment with lamentations. After the Mass and divine office had been said for the repose of his soul, Francis ordered the corpse to be carried from the church into his cell, where he continued praying until, to her great astonishment, the boy's life was restored and Francis presented him to his mother in perfect health." The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints by Rev Alban Butler.
The painting of St, Francis of Paola is by Jean Bourdichon,1517.
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The Very Sad Witch
I found myself caring about a witch who was unable to undo a curse she had placed on a baby seventeen years ago. Before she became a witch, she was a beautiful young woman. However, as a peasant shopkeeper, she was powerless in the face of royalty; she had been exploited, used and abused by a man. That man was the King.
I also cared about Alice, the cursed princess as well. Marked by the curse, she had been scorned and belittled all her life. She was a child when her mother died, and had grown up without love. A sensitive girl, she loved poetry and romantic literature. She was sad, but not bitter. And so it was, that on her seventeenth birthday, she secretly and quietly stole up the tower stairs to confront her fate.
The story continues on, bringing the mysteries of the past up to the present. In both content and form, The Rose in Twelve Petals is a masterful and original retelling by Theodora Goss of the traditional Sleeping Beauty legends. Here is a very condensed excerpt of events when Alice reaches the top of the tower and finds the Witch and a beautiful spinning wheel:
"The Witch nods and sunlight catches the silver cross suspended from a chain around her neck. She says, 'I'm sorry' ". . .
"Why didn't you remove the curse then?"
" 'Magic doesn't work that way.' The Witch's voice is sad. Alice turns around and sees that her cheeks are wet with tears."
The illustration is by Trina Schart Hyman.
The photographer of the castle tower is unknown.
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Hoping
"The more one knows fairy tales the less fantastical they appear; they can be vehicles of the grimmest realism, expressing hope against all the odds with gritted teeth.” Marina Warner
The illustration is by Laurent Lavender.
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Exceptional Independent Animation
Tracks
Perfect for Kids, soothing for Adults.
Created by Corrie Francis Parks.
Original music by Iguewa Ni Mbia.
Here is the link:Tracks Time 2.06.
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The Darkest Valentine
Ironies of loving, light and darkness.
Directed by Kathrin Steinbacher, Script by Alain de Botton.
Animation and design Emily Downe, Flora Coultun, and Hannah Mcnally.
Music by Tom Rosenthal, Produced for The School of Life.
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What Is Beauty
Celebrating the diversity of the female form through time.
Created by Anna Gindburg.
Music by father, Production by Strange Beast
A CNN Production; producer, Sarah-Grace Mankarious.
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Daddy Played the Blues by Michael Garland
"Six-year-old Cassie squeezes into the backseat of her family’s old jalopy, holding Daddy’s precious guitar across her lap. The year is 1936, and the family is bound for a better life in Chicago, where Daddy will work six days a week in the stockyards and fill his time off singing the blues. This fictional but historically correct story is set during the Great Migration, a period when thousands of African Americans left the southern states in search of a better life away from share cropping and Jim Crow laws. It is a tribute to the rich tradition of the blues, particularly the Chicago Blues style. The story is interjected with blues lyrics, which are accompanied by illustrated interpretations of the songs. . . An eight-page, fully illustrated author’s note adds context for the story and provides information about blues history and the popularization of the genre. Back matter includes song credits, a map depicting the Great Migration, and short bios and portraits for 11 pioneers of the Chicago blues style."-- Sarah Jo Zaharako, Head Royce School, BayViews: The Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California -- See this book, page by wonderfully illustrated page: Daddy Played The Blues
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Born Without a Tail Amazon review by Comma
"What a well written, enjoyable book.
This is a book I had for several years before reading it. As much as I enjoy a book about animals, I always find them heartbreaking as well. However, this book is such a celebration of these animals' lives, and their passing is gently passed over, that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The only tears I had were tears of laughter as the author described her unwilling, yet invaluable, help during a dog mating."
Cover design by C.A. Wulff.
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Why Am I ? A Yelodoggie Book
Floyd is a happy dog with many friends. One day, someone asked Floyd why he was yellow. Floyd had never thought about it. He did not know the answer. He wasn't a lemon. He wasn't a banana. He was a dog. "Why am I yellow?" he wondered. Join Floyd on his adventures to find the answer to his question, and meet many of his friends and other animals along the way. A great family conversation starter and bedtime read.
For ages 4 and up with an adult's help, or 6 and up for beginning readers.
All the illustrations and story are by Ari Wulff.
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Over half of the world’s refugees are children. Many will spend their entire childhoods away from home, sometimes separated from their families. They may have witnessed or experienced violent acts and, in exile, are at risk of abuse, neglect, violence, exploitation, trafficking or military recruitment.
But children are incredibly resilient. By learning, playing and exploring their skills, they can find ways to cope, drawing strength from their families and communities.
UNHCR works with national authorities, other international and local organizations to assist, protect and find solutions for displaced children. We ensure that those who are unaccompanied or separated are cared for and have access to family tracing and reunification services, that new-borns are registered at birth and children with disabilities are supported. Through psychosocial support activities and education, we help children rebuild their lives. Here is a link: UNHCR. The photo of refugee children is by Muhammed Muheisen
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More Madness
Gun violence the United States jumped nearly 30 percent last year, according to FBI data released Monday that indicates a growing number of gun-related slayings during the pandemic.
The photo is of Mourners at a memorial for the 10 people killed in a mass shooting at a Boulder, Colo., grocery store. (Photo by Rachel Woolf for The Washington Post) Link: Washington Post
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This Event is Virtual instead of in-person. To attend, you must register either on the Magers & Quinn Facebook website or my website. It is now a virtual event. Unfortunately, it would be too dangerous to hold it in-person due to the pandemic.
7PM Central Standard Time.This is the link to RSVP to the event: Jack Zipes
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No One Had Ever seen a Dog
Long, long ago...
There was plenty of space for people to settle and grow things. Many of the places where people lived were very beautiful. There were clear lakes and cool streams with lots of fish. There were fields and woods with game to hunt. And there were rolling hills and open plains with plants growing everywhere. Many people settled in these places of abundance and prospered.
And then, invaders came. Where once there had been harmony and friendship, there was now fear, anger, and unhappiness. Something had to be done -- but what could anybody do? No one knew it at that time, but help would come from the Planet of the Dogs..
We have free reader copies of the Planet Of The Dogs series for therapy dog organizations, individual therapy dog owners, librarians and teachers...simply send us an email at planeto[email protected] and we will send you the books.
The illustration from Planet Of The Dogs is by Stella Mustanoja McCarty.
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“Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate.” — Sigmund Freud
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