Tag Archives: myths and legends
CHRISTMAS SYMBOL: CHRISTMAS ROBINS
These little birds might not be considered much of a Christmas symbol in North America, but they definitely are in the UK, and make frequent appearances on cards and Christmas cakes. Two children’s Christmas books about robins are The Wise Robin by Noel Barr and Coming Home by Michael Morpurgo.
HISTORY TIDBIT: THE FIRST PRINCE OF WALES
We now have a new Prince of Wales. This one, like many of those before him, is English, but there were Welsh Princes of Wales long before the English Monarch, Edward I, bestowed that title on his heir, the future Edward II. According to legend, the Welsh weren’t especially chuffed about being under English rule, […]
CHRISTMAS LEGEND: TABBY CATS’ ‘M’s
The legendary Christmas ‘M’ on the forehead of tabby cats can be seen in the above photo of our grey tabby, Sprite, who was with us for seventeen years. We got her at the local flea market the day that someone there had a box of kittens to give away. The youngest of the next […]
CHRISTMAS TRADITION: KRAMPUSNACHT
Happy (or for terrified children, not so happy) Krampusnacht! A Germanic pre-Christmas tradition you might not want to share with young children. Or even especially sensitive older ones. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/12/krampus-saint-nicholas-dark-companion/100639/
HISTORIC FACT vs. FICTION: VIKING BERSERKERS
To find out what these, reputedly, ultra ferocious, Viking warriors were really like, visit:
TRIVIA TRAIL: SHANGRI-LA
Question: James Hilton’s famous novel, Lost Horizon, is about an idyllic, mysterious mountain community in Tibet, where people lived in peace and harmony isolated from the rest of the world. Its name was Shangri-La. Does such a place really exist? Answer: If it does, no one has found it, but there is a valley nicknamed […]
HISTORIC CAROL: ‘SILENT NIGHT’
According to legend, the carol “Silent Night” came about because, on Christmas Eve, 1818, the curate of the church in Oberndorf, near Salzburg, Austria discovered that some mice had chewed through the inner workings of the church organ, and knew there would be no special music for Christmas unless he could come up with something […]
BOOK REVIEW: THE UNHEWN STONE
A different spin on the William Tell legend. The protagonist of this story is eighteen-year-old Stefan Gessler, the twenty-first century descendant of Tell’s nemesis, Hermann Gessler, governor of the Swiss Canton of Uri back when the country was under Austrian domination. In addition to belonging to a family who have gone down in history as […]
GUEST AUTHOR: NANCY BELL
A big welcome to Nancy Bell. Anyone who leaves a comment on today’s post will be eligible to win an e-book copy of her novel, A Step Sideways, pictured above. So now, take it away, Nancy. Good Morning, Everyone. Thanks for inviting me to your blog, Renee. In honour of St. George’s Day I’d like […]
Time Travelling With Kids 