. 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?
. 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' .
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!
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
************************* '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
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
************ 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!
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.
. 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. *************************
I watched the program Sunday evening about NXIVM on Investigation Discovery. Often in cults, people willingly give their power away, such as with Scientology. *************************
'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
************ Rita Coolidge - We're All Alone (1978) HD 0815007
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!
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.’
Magic can be defined as causing effects in the physical world through supernatural means. It is universally practiced. Today, our ideas of magic and the occult have been filtered through Hollywood films and horror fiction. But what's the truth behind these mysterious phenomena? Is there anything more to magic than sleight of hand? Richard Smoley draws on his books Hidden Wisdom and Supernatural to give a clear, levelheaded introduction to this baffling subject.
Printed in the Winter 2016 issue of Quest magazine
Citation: Smoley, Richard. "The Twisted History of the Swastika" Quest 104.1 (Winter 2016): pg. 22-23
By Richard Smoley
If you were asked to come up with a symbol for evil, very likely you would think of the swastika. The quintessential emblem of the Third Reich, it still evokes hatred and fear seventy years after the collapse of the Nazi regime.
And yet not so long ago it was a symbol of blessings and good fortune. Even its name is derived from Sanskrit roots meaning “it is good.” (Other names given to it include the cross patteé, the gammadion, the hakenkreuz or hooked cross, and the fylfot.) Today, in a somewhat truncated form, it still occupies a place in the official symbol of the Theosophical Society.
The peculiar fate of the swastika has a great deal to teach about the nature and meaning of symbols — and about the uses to which they can be put.
The swastika occurs almost universally. The most ancient version known is on a carved tusk from the Ukraine, dated to around 10,000 BC. Other early instances were found at Hissarlik in western Asia Minor, where Heinrich Schliemann, often called the father of archaeology, unearthed the ruins of Troy in 1873. The swastika begins to appear in the city’s third stratum, dated to 2250–2100 BC. It is on spindle-whorls, a sphere, and a statue made of lead thought to be an image of the goddess Artemis. The vulva (or perhaps the mons veneris) of this figure has a swastika in the middle. One scholar interpreted it as representing “the generative power of man” (Wilson, 811–13, 829).
Full Beaver Moon The Full Beaver Moon will occur on Tuesday, November 12th at 8:34 AM EST. This means that it's a tweener, just as "full" on Monday evening as it will be on Tuesday evening.
Pablo Escobar's hippos keep multiplying and Colombia doesn't know how to stop it 3,189,397 views - February 9, 2019 CBS This Morning For more than 25 years, Colombia has been working to leave behind the violent legacy of Pablo Escobar. But there's one unusual problem that keeps growing: the notorious drug lord's pet hippos. Manuel Bojorquez reports.
The Shapeshifter - Nature Documentary 479,565 views - October 17, 2015 Coyote Documentaries This is the story of how the Coyote - at once revered and reviled - has learned to adapt across diverse landscapes. While grizzlies and wolves narrowly missed extinction, the coyote has earned its status today as top dog.
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DON GIBSON - I Can't Stop Loving You 568,539 views Mk F
'The Swastika Part One, Earliest Evidences' MimirsBrunnr - MimirsBrunnr.com - December 15, 2018 The Swastika has to be one of the most misunderstood symbols of our time. In some variation it is found all over the world, this fact has lead many a debate on its exact origin. There is so much to say on this symbol, that it will take me a few parts to go through it all. In this first instalment we will try to answer the question of origin. The Ukraine is said to be the birth place of the Swastika, based on several finds at the Mezin site in the northern part of the country. The Mezin site is situated on the edge of the Desna river, and based on Mammoth teeth, has a date range from 27,000 BC and 13,000 BC. Given these vastly different date ranges it is possible the site was in use for millennia. The site is an exceptionally important one, giving us a unique look at our Palaeolithic ancestors. The site has so many unique finds, and is so full of intrigue, It is something I will write more about in the future. For now though our focus is on the Swastika and we are not in short supply. The Swastika finds consist of several carved mammoth ivory birds (example below left) and a lesser known ivory bangle (below right) . These artefacts, as well as being stunningly beautiful, tell us much about our very distant ancestors. Our Palaeolithic forebears are often thought of as living life day to day- hand to mouth, this quality craftsmanship shows a very different story. The dates given to these artefacts are 13,000 BC, putting them at the very last date for the site. If this is because the whole of the mezin site is given that date out of prudence or not I am unsure. I have not been able to find either specific carbon dating or Stratigraphical dating for the finds themselves. Even at this late date they are still the oldest examples of the swastika anywhere in the world, by some margin too! con't....
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Fairlawn Mansion, Superior, Wisconsin
Fairlawn Mansion, built by Superior's three-time mayor Martin Pattison for his family in 1891. The 42-room mansion is now a museum.
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Eddy Arnold - Make the World Go Away (Audio)Eddy Arnold - Make the World Go Away (Audio) 202,624 views - May 5, 2017 LegacyRecordingsVEVO
A younger Gail McKenna English---although of Liverpool Irish descent---model, TV and stage actress, and TV presenter. This photograph somehow strikes me as practically rated-G.
I Can't Get You Out Of My Mind (Original Song) JR Bashon 'I Can't Get You Out Of My Mind' It's late in the evening and I should be sleeping I can't get you out of my mind My head is reeling it's so hard to explain what I'm feeling and I can't get you out of my mind. Every night I paint the dream the one that brings you closer to me I paint the moon looking down on us and all of the angels singing in chorus. I would give my heart to you I wonder would you take it if you knew that I can't get you out of my mind I'll just keep it to myself because I know you love somebody else and I can't get you out of my mind. There's no reason to pretend it breaks my heart I'm alone again Time goes by and still I find I just can't get you out of my mind. *************************
'Notre Dame, Our Mother' Sung after Notre Dame football games. Notre Dame is French for "Our Lady" and refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the patroness of the school. I recall the Stanford football team defeating Notre Dame in 1992, no small feat at that time. When the clocked ticked to zero, far from succumbing to the sting of an unexpected and disappointing loss, the Notre Dame fans gave the Stanford team a standing ovation. I have never heard of any fan base doing that before or since, or anything of the sort! Notre Dame, our Mother Tender, strong and true Proudly in the heavens, Gleams thy gold and blue. Glory’s mantle cloaks thee Golden is thy fame, And our hearts forever, Praise thee, Notre Dame. And our hearts forever, Love thee, Notre Dame.
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Former cheerleader and now San Diego weather and newscast anchor Ashlee DeMartino
Ashlee DeMartino in "Dancing for Arizona's Children" 2015 Arizonas Children *************************
'This Man’s Rattlesnake Bite Is a Warning to Everyone to Take Animal Bites More Seriously' Jen Babakhan - MSN.com - October 9, 2019 Austin McGee, 20, was on his family's heavily wooded farmland in Tennessee when he heard a soft buzzing nearby. "I heard it a few times, but it sounded more like a bug, so we ignored it," he recalls. McGee would regret that decision. He and a friend had traveled deep into the woods on the family's 500 acres of land to retrieve some scrap metal to repair his father's tractor. "After I heard the sound, I reached down to pick up the piece of metal at the top of the pile and felt a bite," he says. "I pulled my hand back, and there were two small bloody fang marks." McGee never saw the snake that bit him, but the size of the fang marks combined with the buzzing sound confirmed that it must have been a baby rattlesnake. "I instantly told my friend, 'I just got bitten by a rattlesnake,'" he recounts. Snake bites made the list of the 12 most dangerous bites you can get—here are the rest.
Kiss - I Was Made For Lovin' You 29,427,480 views - June 13, 2019 KISS *************************
Haida Gwaii featured on Windows 10 Spotlight Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada. Haida Gwaii is an archipelago approximately 45–60 km off the northern Pacific coast of Canada. Wet ocean air cools the lush terrain of Haida Gwaii, making this remote Canadian island chain seem even more like a trip back in time, when pristine nature dominated the landscape here.
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Flag of the Goths The fierce Teutonic tribe which conquered parts of every corner of Europe during the Middle Ages. *************************
'Recent Tasmanian Tiger Reports Revealed by Australian Government' Tim Binnall - CoastToCoastAM.com - October 16, 2019 A remarkable document released by the Australian government reveals eight recent reports from people claiming to have seen the Tasmanian Tiger. Also known as the thylacine, the creature is believed to have died out sometime in the 1930s and was declared extinct by scientists in the 1980s. However, purported sightings of the animal have persisted over the years, fueling speculation that the carnivorous canine-like marsupial may still exist. While mainstream scientists have largely dismissed that idea, an intriguing report from Tasmania's Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment suggests that it just may have some merit. Released in response to an official information request similar to an FOIA query here in America, the document features reports submitted to the department from eight different individuals who say that they spotted the Tasmanian Tiger in separate incidents between 2016 and 2019. Among the alleged sightings was one case from February of 2018 wherein a pair of tourists visiting Tasmania saw a striped dog-like creature that sported a stiff tail. The observers were fortunate enough to get a relatively long look at the anomalous animal as it lingered in the road in front of them for around 15 seconds. Said to possess a familiarity with the wildlife of the area, the duo asserted that they were "100% certain that the animal they saw was a Thylacine." con't.... *************************
Rabun County, Georgia
'40 years later, ‘Deliverance’ causes mixed feelings in Georgia' Marketplace Contributor - MarketPlace.org - August 22, 2012 Tess Vigeland: When big movies are filmed in small towns, they can pour money into the local economy. Crews need to be fed, housed, moved about and entertained. Productions need extras, and every once in awhile a local gets cast in a speaking part. Some movies even leave a footprint long after the cameras are gone. Santa Barbara Wine Country saw a huge influx of tourists after “Sideways.” But not every production leaves a sweet taste in locals’ mouths. Film producer Cory Welles and director Kevin Walker decided to make a documentary about one such movie, and the people it portrayed. Cory filed this story about her own film, “The Deliverance of Rabun County.” Cory Welles: The folks in Rabun County, Ga., put on the Chattooga River Festival this past June to encourage people to visit and take care of their river. But it wasn’t the moonshine tastin’ or banjo pickin’ that got me out to this lush, green mountainous part of the state. It was “Deliverance.” The movie was shot on and around the Chattooga 40 years ago this year, and they were using that as the hook for the festival. What Sarah Gillespie and others who helped put the event together didn’t count on was how it would split the community. con't....
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Those who would dehumanize people in Rabun County often would be the first to start sniveling if someone portrayed their own people in a very negative way. The group from the city were to have come from Atlanta; however, in a wild example of projection, some have referred to the fictionally portrayed region as an example of the entire South! 'Deliverance' was a great adventure film, but it was just a film.
************************* Wardruna - Helvegen (The Way To Hel)
'Hel', in Norse mythology, originally the name of the world of the dead; it later came to mean the goddess of death. Hel was one of the children of the trickster god Loki, and her kingdom was said to lie downward and northward. It was called Niflheim, or the World of Darkness, and appears to have been divided into several sections, one of which was Náströnd, the shore of corpses. There stood a castle facing north; it was filled with the venom of serpents, in which murderers, adulterers, and perjurers suffered torment, while the dragon Nidhogg sucked the blood from their bodies. Mention is made in an early poem of the nine worlds of Niflheim. It was said that those who fell in battle did not go to Hel but to the god Odin, in Valhalla, the hall of the slain.
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'Gjöll' is one of the eleven rivers of 'Hel', in Norse mythology, Gjöll is the river that flows closest to the gate of underworld and it's spanned by a bridge (Gjallarbrú), which must be crossed in order to reach 'Hel'. According to Gylfaginning. It is described as a covered bridge, "thatched with glittering gold", which was crossed by 'Hermód' during his quest to retrieve 'Baldr' from the land of the dead. The river is said to be freezing cold and have knives flowing through it. Hermód was sent to retrieve the fallen god from the land of the dead. When 'Hermód' arrived at the bridge he was challenged by the giant maiden Módgud who demanded that he state his name and business before allowing him to pass. .
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