Weird Universe Blog — September 29, 2023

The Unspeakable sin of Charlemagne

After the death of Charlemagne (in 814 AD), a legend emerged alleging that the ruler had committed some kind of "unspeakable sin."

The legend first appeared in print in a 10th-century work called The Life of St. Giles. According to this work, Charlemagne had sought out St. Giles to ask the saint to pray for him because he had committed a sin so terrible that he had never been able to confess it properly. Giles reportedly agreed to pray for the king, even though Charlemagne didn't tell him what the sin was.

The fact that the unspeakable sin wasn't disclosed whet the imaginations of later medieval writers, creating a minor genre devoted to exploring what the sin was. Details from Charlemagne: Father of Europe (2022) by Philip Daileader.

Until the 13th century, authors equivocated when speaking of the unspeakable sin alluded to in the Life of St. Giles. Some authors continued to dodge the issue in the centuries to come, but others did not. They made shocking accusations against Charlemagne and committed them to writing. Perhaps the accusations themselves were invented in the 13th century, or perhaps such claims had long circulated awaiting the moment when authors finally mustered the courage to write them down. Be that as it may, authors offered two different identifications of Charlemagne's unspeakable sin. Some authors identified Charlemagne's unspeakable sin as incest. Specifically, they claimed that incestuous relations between Charlemagne and his sister, Gisela, had in turn resulted in Gisela giving birth to Roland, the hero of the Song of Roland.

The allegation of an incestuous relationship between Charlemagne and Gisela appears in the Karlamagnus Saga, a 13th century account of Charlemagne's life written in Norse. From there, the incest claim is then taken up by a number of different texts, especially French texts.

Other authors identified Charlemagne's unspeakable sin as necrophilia. That claim appears in a 14th century German poem about Charlemagne, "Karl Meinet," and the idea was then taken up in a number of 14th and 15th century German chronicles and treatises.

Specifically, someone had hexed Charlemagne by placing a charmed ring under the tongue of his dead wife. The ring caused Charlemagne to become infatuated with the wife and to continue the relations they had had while she was alive. When a bishop discovered the ring and removed it from the dead wife's mouth, Charlemagne became infatuated with the bishop. The bishop tossed the ring into a swamp, and Charlemagne became infatuated with the swamp, building a palace and dwelling there. To be clear, none of this is true...

One can only speculate as to why stories arose alleging that Charlemagne was guilty of incest or necrophilia, and why those stories gained a significant and distinguished audience. These stories did not emerge in or remain confined to a specific geographical milieu. They do not seem to have been concocted to achieve any specific political outcome. Perhaps they emerged primarily as a reaction against the overblown praise that Charlemagne received in other works. The bigger they come, the harder they fall.

Detail from a Flemish altarpiece (ca. 1400) showing Charlemagne asking St. Giles to pray for him.
Source: Victoria and Albert Museum

Posted By: Alex - Fri Sep 29, 2023 - Comments (2)
Category: Medieval Era | Fables, Myths, Urban Legends, Rumors, Water-Cooler Lore

The Violents, “Alpens Ros”

Not much of a plot, but lots of eye candy and a catchy tune.

The group's Discogs page.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Sep 29, 2023 - Comments (4)
Category: Music | Oceans and Maritime Pursuits | 1960s | Europe | Attractiveness, Sexiness, Allure and Personal Magnetism

September 28, 2023

Pin-Worms may be a family affair

"Fidgeting, nose-picking and a tormenting rectal itch are often tell-tale signs of Pin-Worms . . . Entire families may be victims and not know it."

I'm imagining the families who thought the tormenting rectal itches were nothing out-of-the-ordinary.

Super Science Stories - March 1950

Posted By: Alex - Thu Sep 28, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Health | Disease | Advertising | 1950s

September 27, 2023

Miss Missile

Between 1961 and 1965, a "Miss Missile" was chosen annually at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls. The contest was part of the Armed Forces Day celebrations.

The first winner was Nancy Mitchell, making her Miss Mitchell Miss Missile.

Wichita Falls Record - May 15, 1962



Wichita Falls Record - May 18, 1962



Wichita Falls Record - May 5, 1965



Wichita Falls Record - May 14, 1965

Posted By: Alex - Wed Sep 27, 2023 - Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests | 1960s | Weapons

September 26, 2023

Misdirected amplexus

"Misdirected amplexus" is the scientific term for the curious phenomenon of male frogs attempting to mate with inappropriate objects. Details from the New Scientist

Mating frogs may have been occasionally getting it wrong for hundreds of millions of years. We know that males today will sometimes select an inappropriate partner during the breeding season – a frog from a different species, a turtle, a fish or even an inanimate object. Now there is evidence that these mistaken attachments could be an ancient feature of frog reproduction, arising early in the amphibians’ evolution.

Frog mating is often hard to miss. In most species it involves a process called amplexus, in which males grip onto a female tightly for hours or days at a time until the eggs are fertilised. But there are plenty of records of male frogs grappling an unpromising target such as a frog from a different species or a dead individual. One explanation is that such mistakes are more likely to happen in species that breed in large numbers with a low ratio of females to males, and where multiple species occupy the same breeding pond.

I briefly discussed the subject of misdirected mating in the animal kingdom in my book Elephants on Acid. Here's the relevant text:

Konrad Lorenz once observed a Shell Parakeet who grew amorous with a small celluloid ball. And many other animals exhibit mating behavior toward what researchers refer to as "biologically inappropriate objects." Bulls will treat almost any restrained animal as a receptive cow. Their general rule in life seems to be, "if it doesn't move away and can be mounted, mount it!"

During the early 1950s, researchers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center surgically damaged the amygdala (a region of the brain) in a number of male cats. These cats became "hypersexual," attempting to mate with a dog, a female rhesus monkey, and an old hen. Four of these hypersexual cats, placed together, promptly mounted one another.

Posted By: Alex - Tue Sep 26, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Animals | Nature | Science | Sex

The Hobo Jungle Murder

You might or might not be surprised at the number of hits one gets when searching for "hobo murder." I guess that milieu was a really violent one. In any case, I highlight this instance for the great hobo names. I assume "Knubbs" meant "nubs," referring to the dead man's lack of hands.

What would your own hobo name be, by the way?



Posted By: Paul - Tue Sep 26, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Bums, Hobos, Tramps, Beggars, Panhandlers and Other Streetpeople | Death | Odd Names | Police and Other Law Enforcement | 1940s

September 25, 2023

Ill-Treating Prawns

We've previously posted about a British case involving cruelty to goldfish. Here the British courts took up the question of whether it's possible to be cruel to prawns (aka shrimp), but dropped the case when it decided that prawns were insects and so not covered by anti-cruelty laws. They're actually crustaceans, but close enough I guess.

Feb 28, 1974 - Minneapolis Star

Posted By: Alex - Mon Sep 25, 2023 - Comments (2)
Category: Insects and Spiders | Law | Sadism, Cruelty, Punishment, and Torture | United Kingdom

“Fighting the Flames” at Dreamland

The Dreamland amusement park had a spectacle that consisted of a street scene of building facades which would erupt in flames, allowing a mock rescue by fireman-actors. Ironically, the whole park died in a giant inferno.







Posted By: Paul - Mon Sep 25, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts | Firefighting, Arson, Wildfires, Infernos and Other Conflagrations | Simulations, Make-Believe, Cosplay and other Pretend Situations | 1900s | 1910s

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