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DID
YOU KNOW?...
Part
I in a continuing series: >
Part
II,
Part
III,
Part
IV
- ...that
in European medieval bestiaries
(zoology books) panthers, lions and birds were listed right
alongside that of the common dragon? Its Latin name was draco.
It dwelled in caves - and its tail was lethal. "Not even
the elephant, with its huge size, is safe. For lurking on paths
along which elephants are accustomed to pass, the dragon knots
its tail around their legs and kills them by suffocation,"
wrote one medieval scribe. Nowhere is there mention of the dragon's
propensity for breathing fire, although the 12th-century Aberdeen
Bestiary hints at its origins. "Dragons are born in Ethiopia
and India, where it is hot all year round..."
- …that
it was inevitable that medieval manuscripts were taller
than they were wide?This was due to the logic of folding rectangular
vellum (animal skins), or parchment,
to produce hand-made manuscripts. The resulting shape was always
rectangular. With the invention of paper, bookmakers naturally
followed the age-old tradition. Books are still taller than
they are wide because monks more than half a millennium ago
used natural vellum…
- ...that
medieval tapestries, popularly admired for their painstaking
beauty, were not created to be enduring masterpieces? Originally
intended as wall decoration, they were often cut into pieces
and hung in doorways or drafty passageways to save on heating
bills. This explains why medieval museum collections include
many different and odd-shaped sizes. Even the smallest remnants
had their uses. Makeshift cushioning was a good alternative
at a time when chairs were made only of hardwood …
- …that
there were female orders of knights
in the Middle Ages? One particular account describes
the result of a siege in the Spanish town of Tortosa in 1149.
While the townsmen entertained thoughts of surrender, the women
donned men’s clothing and successfully fought off a band of
pillaging Moors. Soon after, the Order of the Hatchet was founded
to honor the women who fought for the town's defense. Those
admitted were exempted from all taxes and received many other
privileges. After a generation no more was heard of the Order
of the Hatchet, and it probably died out with its original members
…
- …
that skin warts were considered unsightly as far back
as the 13th century? Here's a cure that dates from at least
1250:
 Procure
a live eel - fresh or salt water – and cut off its head. Then anoint
those parts of the body afflicted with warts, using the fresh blood
of the eel. Allow to stand until the blood dries. Do not wash off
for at least three days. Bury the head of the eel deep in the earth.
Remember where you buried it, so you can check its decomposition.
As the head of the eel rots over time, the warts will disappear.
This
cure generally works better in the summer months, because the
eel's head rots faster…
More
Did
You Know?...  Part
II
Did
You Know?... Part
III
Did
You Know?... Part
IV
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