Monday, December 30, 2019

That old Albanian witchcraft legend in Val Camonica


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During the sixteenth century, it is estimated that there were approximately 30,000 people living in the Val Camonica, then part of the Venetian Republic. Out of that number, about 10,000 were adherents of native paganism aka "Camunian witchcraft." I would guess that the whole of the Brescian Tri-Valley, the region of the Bergamo Alps, the Valtellina, and the Val Chiavenna probably had a similar ratio of Roman Catholics to native pagans. There apparently were no problems with between the two. Many times rural Christians had old folkways which would have looked very pagan, or many pagans have long used Christian symbolism. For example, the "cult of Mary" is heavily conflated with the Goddess Diana.... whom was called the Goddess Mona in Camunian; "Mon" being the ancient word for Moon. Separate from the ancient roots of Camunian witchcraft, there was another somewhat unsubstantiated legend of another old tradition.

During the Ottoman/Islamic invasion of the western Balkans in mid to late fifteenth century, fairly large numbers of pre-Ottoman Albanians of Illyrian origin--purportedly all Christian--were settled in southern Italy; the Arbëreshë. According to some old Venetian records, but apparently not written in the official historical narrative anywhere, the Venetians accepted a small number of Albanian refugees. Not knowing what to do with them, they just brought them inland and sent them into the Camunian mountains. Perhaps the number was so small that it was neglected by the history books, but according to Venetian and Church authorities some of them were adherents of what they called "witchcraft." They were blamed for the upsurge in what they considered the scourge of ungodly activity in the Val Camonica. Were they just a convenient scapegoat to justify sending an army of Venetian soldiers and Church inquisitors up into the mountains to forcefully reestablish Church rule?

 
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We'll probably never know, but it's possible that the native pagans at least made some attempt to keep outward displays of their traditions to a minimum. It's also possible that the Albanian pagans did not, so it may have been a combination of the two. The church and state may have wanted to do something about it before, and this allowed them a pretext to action, which one-way-or-another ultimately culminated in the Val Camonica witch trials; perhaps also the witch trials in the Valtellina as well. Aside from the various church complaints that witches' spells had brought droughts, injury, pestilence, fires, and general Satanic heresy, they also mentioned what seemed to be an upsurge of a particular "evil sect." Could that have been the Albanian witches?; or was it merely more of the synergistic bluster they used to galvanize themselves into action?

In the Alps, in the Balkans, and in seemingly every corner of Europe, there was the ancient witch-cult from somewhere very deep in the history of the Proto-European people. In ancient Greece, there was the Hecatean tradition which predated the Olympian pantheon of gods. In central Italy, there were similar traditions which predated the Romans.. and even the Etruscans. In Scandinavia, there was a similar tradition which predated the Vikings, and so on. A tradition before the Mediterraneans, before the Teutons, before the Celts, Slavs.... back beyond the last glacial movement to the mysterious Proto-Europeans.

"Witchcraft has no origin, it has always been with us."
 -- Leo Ruickbie, 'Witchcraft Out of the Shadows: A History'

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Sunday, December 29, 2019

Festa di Lupercus 2020 - Part II




Crescent Moon and Venus - Sequim Washington, July 15, 2018

Randall Wingett


Sunday, July 15 at 10:30 p.m. I stepped outdoors to look at an unremarkable fading sunset before heading to bed. My attention was instantly captured by a brilliantly clear crescent moon low on the horizon and a very bright star or planet nearby. I rushed back into the house, grabbed my Nikon D7100 with a 200mm zoom lens attached and a tripod, and ran out into the yard where I could compose these photos and videos with some interesting large fir trees in the foreground. Wow, what a spectacular event! Afterwards, a quick Internet search described this visual close proximity of planet Venus and the moon on this date.


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I saw this phenomenon last night while hiking. In between rains we've had some beautiful sunny/chilly weather lately. The sky was slightly lighter than this, a thin crescent facing to the left with a bright Venus right above it within a clearing in the trees, beautiful. With only the slender crescent portion showing, along with a bright Venus, the two meshed together so well. It caught be by surprise as I hadn't seen the moon for some time, and suddenly the powerful ancient symbol was just there!


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'See Venus and the Moon Shine Together in Post-Christmas Gift'

'Look Up! Venus Joins The Moon For A Celestial Pairing'


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Size Comparison of Elephants and Mammoths ll Extinct and Living

378,972 views - August 18, 2019

VCompare

In this video we will compare the size of different elephants and Mammoths, Ranging from the living African Bush Elephant and Indian Elephant to the extinct Mammoths from Wolly Mammoth to Palaeoloxodon namadicus

Source:
https://sciencing.com/differences-between-mammoths-elephants-8702804.html

african elephant, asian elephant size, colombian mammoth, elaphant size comparison, elephant size, elephant vs mammoth, elephant weight, elephantidae, elephants and mammoths comparison, eteppe mammoth, extinct mammals, extinct mammoth, ice age, indian elephant size, mammoth size, pliocene age, prehistoric, pygmy elephant size, size comparison, straight tusked mammoth, weight, woolly mammoth


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 "the last mammoth was still alive when the prymaids were built"  -- 王安, YouTube user


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'Family Finds Owl in Their Christmas Tree'

By Tim Binnall - CoastToCoastAM.com - December 19, 2019

A family in Georgia found that they had an unexpected guest in their home this holiday season when they discovered an owl that had been living in their Christmas tree. The avian visitor reportedly came to light last Thursday when Katie McBride Newman's daughter came running into their dining room and declared "that ornament scared me" before bursting into tears. Ironically enough, their tree already happened to have several owl-themed decorations on the tree and so the mom initially thought that the youngster's consternation was simply a bit of confusion.

However, Newman was swiftly surprised when she took a closer look at what she thought was the offending ornament and it turned to look at her! "And I'm like, 'Oh, that's a real owl,'" she recalled. Since there seemed to be no other explanation for how the bird wound up in their home, the family suspects that it came with the tree, which they bought on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Amazingly, that would mean that the owl had been lurking in the Christmas tree for nearly two weeks before anyone noticed that it was there.

Now faced with the challenge of how to help the owl find its way back to the wilderness, the family first left all their doors and windows open overnight in the hopes that the bird would fly away. Alas, it would seem that it had taken a liking to the domesticated life as it was still there when they woke up the next morning. Fortunately, a worker from a local wildlife center came to their home a few days later and captured the owl. Bolstering the theory that the bird had come with the tree, the creature was noticeably thin when it was caught, but has since been provided with a well-deserved meal for its troubles.






Georgia family finds owl hiding in their Christmas tree

CBS 17


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From tropical Africa. It's only a fruit eater. It's looks like the Jersey Devil.






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The striking Alyssa Sutherland






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Emotional Dark Music - The Eternal Forest

7,623,801 views - April 3, 2011

BrunuhVille


440K subscribers


Get BrunuhVille's music and follow his Facebook at:
Bandcamp - http://goo.gl/6mhv6
iTunes - http://goo.gl/LnYQ2
Facebook: https://goo.gl/bFKKfM
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Merchandising(EU): http://brunuhville.spreadshirt.net/
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Copyright © BrunuhVille

Music Parts:
00:17 Part I - The Entrance
02:25 Part II - The Surrounding Darkness
03:26 Part III - The Old Tree
04:54 Part IV - The Hamelin Flautist
05:27 Part V - Hellgaze Lair
06:20 Part VI - Moonlight


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Thursday, December 26, 2019

Dark Christmas Music




Dark Christmas Music - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Lucas King

He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake.

I am not the artist of the artwork
https://www.deviantart.com/mbhenriksen/art/We-Wish-You-A-Scary-Christmas-499435672

Patreon https://www.patreon.com/LucasKingPiano
Fiverr https://www.fiverr.com/lucaskingpiano
Bandcamp https://lucaskingpiano.bandcamp.com/releases
YouNow https://www.younow.com/LucasKingPiano/channel
Instagram http://bit.ly/1VlAYcP
Twitter http://bit.ly/1bxbJj3
Facebook http://bit.ly/1X486n7
Wattpad http://w.tt/1VgR06v4757
SoundCloud http://bit.ly/1QkWkSL


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"dark christmas music"


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1 Hour of Dark Christmas | Krampus Christmas Music

Lucas King

00:00 Carol of The Bells
02:37 Silent Night
05:30 Jingle Bells
08:36 Jingle Bells Piano
12:48 Home Alone
16:32 12 Days of Christmas
21:08 Soaring Through The Sky
23:39 Santa's Nightmare


Then it loops after Santa's Nightmare which is about 10 minutes long.
Hope you all enjoy!

Art by Dennis Carlsson  

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfJETJZfR050jjgpDMPRV7w
https://www.instagram.com/dctattoo_swe/?hl=en
https://www.deviantart.com/disse86/art/Creepy-Santa-499355453


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Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy - Lindsey Stirling




Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy - Lindsey Stirling

17,033,451 views - Oct 24, 2017


Lindsey Stirling
 

12.2M subscribers
 

Get your copy of Warmer in the Winter, available now!
iTunes: http://found.ee/LindseyiTunes-s
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Target bonus version: http://found.ee/LindseyTarget-s
Pledge w/unique offers: http://found.ee/LindseyPledge-s
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Vinyl available 11/3!
Exclusive white vinyl available 11/3 at Barnes and Noble! 

http://found.ee/LindseyBN-s

Download Lindsey Stirling emojis: http://bit.ly/LindseyEmoJam

Head here for tour dates, tickets, and VIP upgrades: http://www.lindseystirling.com/

Sheet Music Here: http://www.lindseystirlingsheetmusic.com


Buy on Amazon Germany here:
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Song: Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy
Artist: Lindsey Stirling
Album: Warmer In The Winter

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Saturday, December 14, 2019

Sofia Goggia takes dramatic Super-G victory; Two Lombard women finish 1-2

BREAKING: Goggia Wins St. Moritz Super-G

By Sean Higgins - SkiRacing.com - December 14, 2019

Italian sensation Sofia Goggia captured her first World Cup super-G victory in over a year on Saturday, winning in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Early morning winds and fog cast some doubt on the day’s schedule but conditions managed to clear for a beautiful day of racing in the Swiss Alps.

Goggia lost a pole mid-run but managed to sneak ahead of her teammate, Federica Brignone, by only 0.01 seconds for the win, posting a winning time of 1:12.96 seconds. The United States’ Mikaela Shiffrin slid onto the podium in third, 0.13 seconds back.

Following Shiffrin for the Americans in the points was Alice Merryweather in 20th and Alice McKennis in 29th.

Austria’s Michaela Heider crashed out hard during her run and had to be helped off course. An update on her condition will be added once it becomes available.

For complete race coverage, click here.


Top 10

1. Sofia Goggia (ITA) – 1:12.96
2. Federica Brignone (ITA) – +0.01
3. Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) – +0.13
4. Nicole Schmidhofer (AUT) – +0.30
5. Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) – +0.72
6. Nina Ortlieb (AUT) – +0.87
6. Corrine Suter (SUI) – +0.87
6. Kajsa Vickhoff Lie (NOR) – +0.87
9. Tessa Worley (FRA) – +0.93
10. Viktoria Rebensburg (GER) – +0.96

For complete results, click here.


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Sofia Goggia wins women’s superG in St. Moritz 2) Federica Brignone Alpine Skiing Italy Sport Ski

Alpine Ski Racing Coach's Corner



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Apparently the video highlights are protected by copyright, as least for a period of time.

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Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Full Cold Moon 2019

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This months Full Cold Moon will be on Wednesday evening


The Geminid Meteor Shower

The Geminids—the most active meteor shower of the year—give us another good reason to look skyward this month. They can be seen every night for a period of about two weeks in early to mid-December, but they typically look their best on the night of December 13, when the shower is most prolific.


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By Christopher-Manual on Deviant Art

I watched the program Sunday evening about NXIVM on Investigation Discovery. Often in cults, people willingly give their power away, such as with Scientology.


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'The 10 Most Terrifying Native American Legends'

Gregory Burkart - The13thFloor.tv - March 31, 2016

In nearly all cultures, myths and legends can serve as cautionary tales, keeping one foot in practical reality and the other in the realm of the supernatural… and it’s no surprise that the most effective cautionary tales are also the scariest.

The ancient lore of the indigenous peoples of North America are as varied and far-reaching as the continent itself, and unless you’re well-versed in native lore, you might not realize how many of those tales are populated by horrifying spirits, ghosts, witches, demons and monsters… and since we’re in the scare business, we’re going to share the most nightmarish ones with you.

Many of the frightening creatures listed below span multiple tribes — and in some cases, hundreds of generations. So if you investigate their origins further, you’ll see they have many different names and traits, depending on where their tales are told.

In other words, there are evil forces lurking everywhere… so you’d better do your homework!

con't....


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The beautiful Ali Larter






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5 New Discoveries from NASA's Parker Solar Probe

345,537 views - December 4, 2019

NASA Goddard

NASA's Parker Solar Probe mission has returned unprecedented data from near the Sun, culminating in new discoveries published on Dec. 4, 2019, in the journal Nature. Among the findings are new understandings of how the Sun's constant outflow of material, the solar wind, behaves. Seen near Earth -- where it can interact with our planet's natural magnetic field and cause space weather effects that interfere with technology -- the solar wind appears to be a relatively uniform flow of plasma. But Parker Solar Probe's observations reveal a complicated, active system not seen from Earth.

Music Credit: Smooth as Glass by The Freeharmonic Orchestra

Read more: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/nasas-parker-solar-probe-sheds-new-light-on-the-sun/

Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
·  Instagram http://www.instagram.com/nasagoddard
·  Twitter http://twitter.com/NASAGoddard
·  Twitter http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix
·  Facebook http://www.facebook.com/NASA.GSFC
·  Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc


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Rita Coolidge - We're All Alone (1978) HD 0815007

7,291,990 - February 24, 2014

Pia0815007


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Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Vikings Season 6 Trailer (HD) Final Season




Vikings Season 6 Trailer (HD) Final Season

557,293 views - Oct 7, 2019

TV Promos

Vikings Season 6 premieres Wednesday December 4th at 9/8c on the History Channel. Get ready for the final epic episodes of the series! Subscribe to tvpromosdb on Youtube for more Vikings season 6 promos in HD!

Vikings official website: http://www.history.com/shows/vikings
Like Vikings on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vikings
Follow Vikings on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistoryVikings
Follow Vikings on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyvikings

#Vikings

» Watch Vikings Wednesdays at 9:00pm/8c on History
» Starring: Katheryn Winnick, Clive Standen, Travis Fimmel

Contribute subtitle translations for this video:
https://www.youtube.com/timedtext_video?v=lYeCNSWuBac&o=U&ar=1575516081014



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vikings season 6


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'Vikings director Michael Hirst "received death threats" over rumours Lagertha will die in season 6'

Abigail Gillibrand - Metro (UK) - December 3, 2019

Vikings director Michael Hirst has been sent death threats by fans after it was rumoured he’d kill off the much-loved character Lagertha in the sixth and final season. Katheryn Winnick, who plays the shieldmaiden in the historical saga, opened up about the messages sent to the writer when talking to Rotten Tomatoes. Ahead of the next installment, she explained how they worked on ways to keep Lagertha alive – even though it was a challenge for the 41-year-old.

The actress told the publication: ‘The fans, being so loyal, literally [sent] Michael Hirst death threats if they kill Lagertha, so in the end, we needed to come up with creative ways of still keeping her storyline alive. ‘Chronologically she’s a grandmother at this stage, with Bjorn’s children and everyone else. So it was an interesting journey as an actor to go through that final stage.’

con't....


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