Date: May 14th, 2010
Mary Mary quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row.
Nursery Rhymes are frequently based on unspeakable historical horrors. Children, I fear, may be essentially evil. They regularly and with much glee recite little rhymes filled with subject matter that would give pause to even the most graphic horror writer.
“Mary, Mary Quite Contrary” the familiar English rhyme is a choice example. The rhyme alludes to Mary Tudor, or Bloody Mary.
The daughter of Henry VII was a staunch Catholic responsible for a repressive policy against practitioners of the Protestant faith. Her ‘garden’ referred to in the rhyme was a euphemism for the graveyards which, under her harsh supervision, filled up quickly with Protestant martyrs.
Silver bells and cockle shells were colloquialisms for instruments of torture. ’Silver bells’ were thumbscrews. This simple vice with protruding studs or spikes on the interior surfaces was placed on the victim’s thumbs and slowly tightened until the victim gave a confession. The ‘cockleshells’ were supposedly instruments which were attached to the genitals and tightened in much the same way.
Beheading in Bloody Mary’s time was problematic. The one who was to be beheaded frequently refused to cooperate and had to be chased around the scaffold. Often, multiple blows were needed to sever the head. Simple executions turned into drawn out and complicated public spectacles. The guillotine solved these problems. A common nickname for the the guillotine was the maiden. The ‘pretty maids all in a row’ refers to the collection of guillotines used to get rid of the troublesome Protestants.
Mary was indeed contrary. In spite of that, children have, for generations, embraced her and sung her praises. Doesn’t this seem suspicious? I suspect those cute little cherubs are actually monsters waiting for us to drop our vigilance for just one second.
You’ve been warned.
*** Thank you to Amanda Spaid for permission to use her stunning art work. You can check out her website here
Posted by: Kate Jonez
Date: April 15th, 2010
If you find you have characters who don’t have big enough obstacles to overcome, you might want to afflict them with an archaic medical disorder. Throughout history the medical profession has provided us with a wealth of colorful and gruesome sounding conditions.
- Black tongue – A fever which prevailed in the western states (of U.S.) in the winter of 1842-3; probably typhoid fever.
- Ictus Solis – Suntroke or inflammation of the brain or its membranes.
- Worm Fits – Symptoms include variable appetite, fetid breadth, acrid eructions (?) and pains in the stomach, grinding of the teeth during sleep, picking of the nose, paleness of the countenance, emaciation of the body, slow fever, and sometimes convulsive fits.
- Visceroptosis – One or more internal organ has dropped. (?) Abdominal surgery is indicated.
- Sideratio – The state of one struck suddenly, without apparent cause, and as if by the influence of the stars or planets. (‘We don’t know what the hell that was’ disease)
- Plague of Venus – Syphilis
- Cancer Scroti – Soot wart. Cancer of scrotum due to soot. (?)
- Gangrænopsis – Gangrenous inflammation of the eyelids.
Thank you to Antiquus Morbus for a great website.
Posted by: Kate Jonez
Date: February 26th, 2010
Look for this exciting anthology. Coming Soon!
.
The Line-Up:
1. Joseph Mulak: “Wounds”
2. Angel Leigh McCoy: “The Barnes Family Reunion”
3. Carole Gill: “Truth Hurts”
4. Cassie Hart: “its all in the cards”
5. Marty Young: “Firelies of the Bushfire”
6. Jennifer Brozek: “Cost of Job Security”
7. Scott M. Goriscak: “Home Sweet Home”
8. Karen Johnson Mead: “One Day”
9. Lee Pletzers: “Teeth”
10. Bob Morgan Jr: “Ladies of the Scale”
11. KK: “Visitation”
12. Larry Kokko: “The Clifton house”
13. Jason Warden: “Once Seen”
14. William Cook: “Devil Inside”
15. Richard Barnes: “Something Unpleasant”
16. Mark Edward Hall: “The Fear”
Cover art by Robert Elrod
Posted by: Kate Jonez
