Today I bid good riddance to 2013 with one more post about European folklore and mythology -YEY! And our subject is: Moss People!
    Moss People or Moss Folk, also referred to as the wood people or wood-folk or forest-folk, are described as a class of fairy-folk, variously compared to dwarves, elves, or spirits, described in the folklore of Germany as having an intimate connection to trees and the forest. In German the words Schrat and Waldschrat are also used for a moss person, probably coming from the Old Norse skratti, which means "goblin".
     They are sometimes reported as similar to dwarves, being the same size as children, "grey and old-looking, hairy, and clad in moss". In other descriptions they are said to be pretty or even have butterfly wings. According to legend, these fairies would occasionally borrow items from people but would always compensate the owners generously. In certain myths, the moss folk would ask humans for breast milk to feed their young!
     They were often but not always the object of the Wild Hunt (remember that?!).  According to folklore, in order to escape the hunt they enter the trees that woodsmen have marked with a cross that will be chopped down.
     The moss people are similar to hamadryads. Their lives are "attached to the trees; if any one causes by friction the inner bark to loosen a Wood-woman dies".
     Jacob Grimm believed that Gothic skōhsl, used to translate Koine Greek δαιμόνιον (daimonion), "demon", in the New Testament, was related to Old Norse skōgr and Old English sceaga, both meaning "forest", and therefore represented a cognate of the moss people in Gothic folklore. Subsequent authors, however, have related skōhsl with English "shuck" (from Old English scucca, "evil spirit") and German Scheusal, "monster" (from Middle High German schūsel, though by folk etymology identified with scheuen, "to dread", and -sal, a noun suffix).
      Parallels have been drawn between the moss people and woodwoses. Early descriptions of Germanic beliefs include descriptions of "wood people" by the 6th century Roman historian Jordanes and "woodland women" by the 11th-century Rhenish bishop Burchard of Worms. Furthermore, Grimm recorded the terms wildiu wīp, wildero wībo, wilder wībe, wilden wībe, wildaz wīp (all meaning "wild wife") and wilde fröuwelīn ("wild maiden") from various early medieval texts. According to him:

     "Between Leidhecken and Dauernheim in the Wetterau stands the high mountain, and on it a stone, der welle fra gestoil (the wild woman's chairs); there is an impression on the rock, as of the limbs of human sitters. The people say the wild folk lived there 'wei di schtan noch mell warn,' while the stones were still soft; afterwards, being persecuted, the man ran away, the wife and child remained in custody at Dauernheim until they died".

~Ally

     The Jersey Devil is a legendary creature or cryptid said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey, United States. It is often described as a flying biped with hooves, but there are many different variations. The common description is that of a kangaroo-like creature with the head of a goat, leathery bat-like wings, horns, small arms with clawed hands, cloven hooves and a forked tail. Oh my! It has been reported to move quickly and often is described as emitting a "blood-curdling scream".
     There are many possible origins of the Jersey Devil legend. The earliest legends date back to Native American folklore. The Lenni Lenape tribes called the area around Pine Barrens "Popuessing", meaning "place of the dragon". Swedish explorers later named it "Drake Kill", "drake" being a word for dragon, and "kill" meaning channel or arm of the sea (river, stream, etc.) in Dutch.
     The common accepted origin of the story, as far as New Jerseyans are concerned, however, started with Mother Leeds and is as follows:

     "It was said that Mother Leeds had 12 children and, after finding she was pregnant for the 13th time, stated that this one would be the Devil. In 1735, Mother Leeds was in labor on a stormy night. Gathered around her were her friends. Mother Leeds was supposedly a witch and the child's father was the Devil himself. The child was born normal, but then changed form. It changed from a normal baby to a creature with hooves, a goat's head, bat wings and a forked tail. It growled and screamed, then killed the midwife before flying up the chimney. It circled the villages and headed toward the pines. In 1740 a clergy exorcised the demon for 100 years and it wasn't seen again until 1890."

     There have been many sightings and occurrences allegedly involving the Jersey Devil. One of them even involved Napoleon Bonaparte's elder brother, Joseph Bonaparte! He allegedly said to have witnessed the Jersey Devil while hunting on his Borden town estate around 1820. In 1840, the devil was blamed for several livestock killings. Similar attacks were reported in 1841, accompanied by tracks and screams. He appeared again in 1909 and newspapers of the time published hundreds of claimed encounters with the Jersey Devil from all over the state of New Jersey. Among alleged encounters publicized that week were claims the creature "attacked" a trolley car in Haddon Heights and a social club in Camden. Police in Camden and Bristol, Pennsylvania supposedly fired on the creature to no effect. Other reports initially concerned unidentified footprints in the snow, but soon sightings of creatures resembling the Jersey Devil were being reported throughout South Jersey and as far away as Delaware. The widespread newspaper coverage led to a panic throughout the Delaware Valley prompting a number of schools to close and workers to stay home. During this period, it is rumored that the Philadelphia Zoo posted a $10,000 reward for the creature's dung. The offer prompted a variety of hoaxes, including a kangaroo with artificial wings.
     Skeptics believe the Jersey Devil to be nothing more than a creative manifestation of the English settlers, Bogeyman stories created and told by bored Pine Barren residents as a form of children's entertainment, and rumors arising from negative perceptions of the local population ("pineys"). According to Brian Dunning of Skeptoid, folk tales of the Jersey Devil prior to 1909 calling it the "Leeds Devil" may have been created to discredit local politician Daniel Leeds who served as deputy to the colonial governor of New York and New Jersey in the 1700s. Folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand wrote that the spread of contemporary pop culture has overtaken traditional Jersey Devil legends. Jeff Brunner of the Humane Society of New Jersey thinks the Sandhill Crane is the basis of the Jersey Devil stories, adding, "There are no photographs, no bones, no hard evidence whatsoever, and worst of all, no explanation of its origins that doesn't require belief in the supernatural." Outdoorsman and author Tom Brown, Jr. spent several seasons living in the wilderness of the Pine Barrens. He recounts occasions when terrified hikers mistook him for the Jersey Devil, after he covered his whole body with mud to repel mosquitoes.

~Ally

     Now I know how to call Christmas Eve next year - yeap, I'm still in that festive mood! Allow me to explain it: Mōdraniht (Old English "Night of the Mothers" or "Mothers'-night") was an event held at what is now Christmas Eve by the Anglo-Saxon Pagans where a sacrifice may have been made. The event is attested by the medieval English historian Bede in his 8th-century Latin work De temporum ratione. Scholars have proposed connections between the Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht and events attested among other Germanic peoples (specifically those involving the dísir, collective female beings, and Yule) and the Germanic Matres and Matrones, female beings attested by way of altar and votive inscriptions, nearly always appearing in trios.

~Ally

    Remember the other day I wrote about Yule? I mentioned the "Wild Hunt" celebration to Odin, but didn't quite know anything about it. So let's change that!
     Contrary to what I thought, the "Wild Hunt" doesn't appear only in Norse legends, but also in English, Irish and even Catalan folklore. Nevertheless, the Norwegian, Swedish and Danish versions are quoted more often, and probably the myth's origin comes from them (this ancient folk myth was prevalent across Northern, Western and Central Europe).
    The fundamental premise in all instances is the same: a phantasmal, spectral group of huntsmen with the accoutrements of hunting, with horses and hounds in mad pursuit across the skies or along the ground, or just above it. The hunters may be the dead or the fairies (often in folklore connected with the dead). The hunter may be an unidentified lost soul, a deity or spirit of either gender, or may be a historical or legendary figure like the Danish king Valdemar Atterdag, the Welsh psychopomp Gwyn ap Nudd or the Germanic Woden (or other reflections of the god Odin). The hunted could be a female troll (called "Slattenpat"), an innocent or guilty young woman, a ghost bear, or other supernatural beings.
     Seeing the Wild Hunt was thought to presage some catastrophe such as war or plague, or at best the death of the one who witnessed it. Mortals getting in the path of or following the Hunt could be kidnapped and brought to the land of the dead. Others believed that people's spirits could be pulled away during their sleep to join the cavalcade. In many versions, a person staying right in the middle of the road during the encounter is safe. People who spoke kindly to the hunt, or helped them, were rewarded, often with silver, gold, or even a part of the hunted - such as an animal or human leg - which was often cursed in a way that made it impossible to be rid of it. In this case, the person had to find a priest or magician able to ban it, or trick the Wild Hunt into taking the leg back by asking for salt, which the hunt can not deliver.

~Ally

     Icebergs, as most of us know, are formed when large blocks of ice break off from glaciers' ice shelf and start floating in open water and interacting with the seawater beneath them. Primarily, glaciers are built up from snow falling on the Antarctic continent over millennia, so this ice consists of pure fresh water.
     As seawater is drawn deep under the ice shelves by the oceanic currents, it becomes supercooled and freezes to the base of the ice shelf. Because this ice is formed from seawater that contains organic matter and minerals it causes variety of colour and texture to the iceberg. As the bergs become fragmented and sculpted by the wind and waves, the different coloured layers can develop striking patterns. Striped icebergs in a variety of colours, including brown, black, yellow, and blue has been spotted in freezing waters around Antarctica.
    Normally an iceberg appears white as a result of the tiny bubbles trapped within which scatter light in every direction. Blue stripes are created when a crevice in the ice sheet fills up with meltwater and freezes so quickly that no bubbles form. Ice that is bubble free has a blue tint which is due to the same light phenomenon that tints the sky - the wavelength of blue light causes it to be scattered or spread around much more than the other colours. When an iceberg falls into the sea, a layer of salty seawater can freeze to the underside. If this is rich in algae, it can form a green stripe. Other hues such as brown, black and yellow are caused by sediment, picked up when the ice sheet grinds downhill towards the sea.
     And I thought icebergs couldn't be cooler (pun intended)!

~Ally

     Science has finally proved what we, dog owners, have known since forever.
    Researchers from London University recruited 18 dogs and their guardians for a very simple study aiming to evaluate the behaviour of the dogs in different situations. The tests happened in the volunteers' houses: while people chat, the dogs didn't pay much attention. Six dogs were slightly interested when the researcher or the owner started to sing. But, when one of the two persons cried, 83% of the dogs approached with their head down and their tail between the legs. According to the research, this submissive behaviour may be a sign of empathy. The scientists believe that it can be a way to offer comfort to people.
     Oh dogs, could you be cuter?

~Ally

    As if thunderstorms weren't frightening enough, scientists now claim that there is a second kind of lightning: the dark lightning. This strange phenomenon is different from regular lightning, since dark lightning is a release of high-energy gamma rays, which makes it completely invisible to the human eye. Attempts to understand this mystery haven’t turned out so well, and researchers are baffled with our lack of knowledge regarding this thing.
     However, recent developments have shed some light on the subject. Contrary to ordinary lightning (which is explained using slow electrons), dark lightning is caused by high energy electrons colliding with surrounding air molecules, releasing gamma rays in the process. And, believe it or not,these bursts have an interesting effect on humans. Most commonly, humans are “hit” by dark lightning when flying through thunderstorms. At 12,000 meters, the radiation dose if hit by one of these bursts is around the same as 10 chest X-rays. However, at 4,900 meters (the middle of storms), the dose is 10x stronger and equivalent to a full-body CT scan. In general, an encounter with one of these bursts will provide enough radiation deemed “safe” for human tolerance for one year. But don't worry: a chance of getting “hit” by dark lightning is very small, since pilots avoid storms and dark lightning is relatively rare.

~Ally

     For those of you who aren't familiar with the word, Yule or Yuletide ("Yule time") is a Pagan religious festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples, later being absorbed into and equated with the Christian festival of Christmas. The earliest references to Yule are by way of indigenous Germanic month names Ærra Jéola (Before Yule) or Jiuli and Æftera Jéola (After Yule). Scholars have also connected the celebration to the Wild Hunt and the Norse god Odin.
    Terms with an etymological equivalent to Yule are used in the Nordic countries for Christmas with its religious rites, but also for the holidays of this season. "Yule" is also used to a lesser extent in English-speaking countries to refer to Christmas. Customs such as the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing, and others stem from Yule.
     What I didn't know about it was that the Yule-tide period could last around two months in length, falling along the end of the modern calendar year between what is now mid-November and early January. The festivities were so important that, in the Svarfdæla saga there's a story in which a berserker put off a duel until three days after Yule to honour the sanctity of the holiday!
     So, my dear folks who still bother to read this blog: I wish you a very merry Christmas, and may the light of God bless us all!

~Ally

     Christmas and New Year's Eve are always a good time to drink a little more than usual, as far as I'm concerned. So, in order to get better adquainted with alcoholic beverages of all sorts, today I'll talk about beer and ale.
    Beer can be defined as a fermented beverage made from grains and yeast, and is a popular drink all over the world. There are many different types of beer, although they are usually broken up into two basic categories: ale and lager. The term lager is often interchanged with “beer”, especially outside of Germany, which is why some consumers make a distinction between beer and ale, rather than lager and ale. The difference between beer and ale has to do with the way in which is it brewed, and how the yeast ferments.
     Before hops became widespread in Europe, ale was a beer created without the use of hops, while lager combined hops with the other ingredients. As hops began to pervade breweries, however, this distinction between beer and ale no longer applied. Brewers began to differentiate between beer and ale on the basis of where the yeast fermented in the cask: ale uses yeast that gathers on the top, and lager uses yeast that ferments on the bottom.
     Beer and ale both start out in the same way. Barley or another type of grain is malted, which means that it is sprouted in a moist environment and then dried. Brewers yeast is added and it ferments the beverage, usually very quickly, before the malt has a chance to spoil. Other ingredients such as hops are added to increase the depth of the flavor, and to temper the sweetness of the malt.
     Ale is fermented at a higher temperature, and matures more quickly as a result. The yeast rises to the top as the beer ferments, creating a yeasty froth on the top of the beer cask. Lager is fermented at a lower temperature, and the yeast settles to the bottom as the beer matures. Lagers were traditionally brewed in German caves, which got quite chilly during the winter especially.
     Beer and ale can usually be separated by taste as well as brewing process. Ale has a brighter, rich, more aggressive, hoppy flavor, and often has a higher alcohol content as well. Lager has a smooth and mild flavor with a clear, clean finish. Examples of ale include any sort of beer with “ale” in the name, porters, stouts, and many German specialty beers such as Abbey ales. Lagers include pilsners, dopplebocks, and Oktoberfests. Beer and ale also have different distribution patterns. Ale is found in the Belgium, the British Isles, and many former British colonies including the United States and Canada. Lager is widely served in Germany and other European nations, although some German specialty beers are actually ales. Many consumers have difficulty distinguishing between beer and ale on the basis of taste alone, as many modern breweries incorporate a variety of brewing techniques and flavors in their beers.

~Ally

     Back in the days when I was a wee teenager, one of my favorite movies was Drew Barrymore's "Ever After". I loved how they portrayed Cinderella - in that story, Danielle - as a strong witted and independent young woman (even though there's that typical love story that nowadays makes me go "blergh, so cliche"), who adored books as much as I did - and still do -, and didn't rely only in her shoes to get a Prince.
     Anyway, there's a special scene in the movie (pictured above) where she cleverly tricks the gypsies to rescue Prince Henry. Little did I know that it was based on a folk story, which might be real, and that took place in Weinsberg, Germany, in the year 1140, according to Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.
     When King Conrad III defeated the Duke of Welf and placed Weinsberg under siege, the wives of the besieged castle negotiated a surrender which granted them the right to leave with whatever they could carry on their shoulders. The king allowed them that much. Leaving everything else aside, each woman took her own husband on her shoulders and carried him out. When the king's people saw what was happening, many of them said that that was not what had been meant and wanted to put a stop to it. But the king laughed and accepted the women's clever trick. "A king" he said, "should always stand by his word."
     To read about how Middle Age women showed their intelligence - and how badasses they could be - amuses me very much indeed.

~Ally