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Hand Of Glory
A Hand of Glory is the dried and Pickling, pickled hand of a hanging, hanged man, often specified as being the left () hand, or, if the person was hanged for murder, the hand that "did the deed." Old European beliefs attribute great powers to a Hand of Glory. The process for preparing the hand and the candle are described in 18th-century documents, with certain steps disputed due to difficulty in properly translating phrases from that era. The concept has inspired short stories and poems since the 19th century. History of the term Etymologist Walter William Skeat, Walter Skeat reports that, while folklore has long attributed mystical powers to a dead man's hand, the specific phrase ''Hand of Glory'' is in fact a folk etymology: it derives from the French language, French ', a corruption of ''mandragore'', which is to say mandrake. Skeat writes, "The identification of the ''hand of glory'' with the ''mandrake'' is clinched by the statement in Thomas Oswald Cockayne, Cockayne's Lee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Compendium Maleficarum
''Compendium Maleficarum'' is a witch-hunter's manual written in Latin by Francesco Maria Guazzo, and published in Milan (present-day Italy) in 1608. It discusses witches' pacts with the devil, and detailed descriptions of witches’ powers and poisons. It also contains Guazzo's classification of demons, based on a previous work by Michael Psellus Michael Psellos or Psellus (, ) was a Byzantine Greek monk, savant, writer, philosopher, imperial courtier, historian and music theorist. He was born in 1017 or 1018, and is believed to have died in 1078, although it has also been maintained tha .... Contents The work is extensive and divided into three books. The first one is dedicated to explaining what magic consists of and what types of magic exist. It also describes various practices of witchcraft, such as pacts with Satan, witches' sabbaths, and sexual encounters with incubi and succubi demons. The same volume includes Guazzo's classification of demons. The second boo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Whitby Museum
Whitby Museum is an independent museum in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, run by Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society, a learned society and registered charity, established in 1823. It is located in a building opened in 1931 in Pannett Park, Whitby, which also contains the Society's Library and Archive. The museum contains a wide range of material relating to the history of Whitby, and has specialist collections relating to: *Jurassic fossils, in particular ammonites and marine reptiles *Whitby jet * Captain James Cook and HM Bark ''Endeavour'' * Whitby's whaling industry. * The Natural History of the North Yorkshire coast and moors * Costume and textiles * Photography, including the collection and archive of the museum's former curator Frank Meadow Sutcliffe The museum also contains a Hand of Glory, the dried and pickled hand of a hanged man, said to have magical powers. The museum has a reference library and archive documenting the industries and social history o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Screech-owl
Screech owls are typical owls (Strigidae) belonging to the genus ''Megascops'' with 22 living species. For most of the 20th century, this genus was merged with the Old World scops owls in ''Otus'', but nowadays it is again considered separately based on a range of behavioral, biogeographical, morphological, and DNA sequence data. Screech owls are restricted to the Americas. Some species formerly placed with them are now considered more distinct (see below for details). Description Similar to other owls, the screech owl females are larger than the males of their species. They have a compact size and shape. They are small and agile, and about 7 to 10 inches tall and have a wingspan around 18 to 24 inches. They have prominent, wide-set feather tufts with bright yellow/green eyes. They have different brownish hues with whitish, patterned underside. This coloration helps them get camouflage against the tree bark. Ecology and behavior Screech owls hunt from perches in semiope ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gall
Galls (from the Latin , 'oak-apple') or ''cecidia'' (from the Greek , anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to benign tumors or warts in animals. They can be caused by various parasites, from viruses, fungi and bacteria, to other plants, insects and mites. Plant galls can be such highly organized structures that their cause can be determined without the actual agent being identified. This applies particularly to insect and mite plant galls. The study of plant galls is known as cecidology. Anatomy Shape and size Galls develop on various plant organs, providing nutrition and shelter to inducing insects. Galls display vast variation in morphology, size, and wall composition. The size of insect galls can range significantly, from approximately two inches in diameter to less than one-sixteenth of an inch. Some galls are so small that they are merely slightly thick ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Unguent
An unguent is a soothing preparation spread on wounds, burns, rashes, abrasions or other topical injuries (i.e. damage to the skin). It is similar to an ointment, though typically an unguent is oilier and less viscous. It is usually delivered as a semi-solid paste spread on the skin, and it is often oily in order to suspend the medication or other active ingredients. During the Victorian era, the use of the unguent macassar oil on the hair became so popular that antimacassars were invented to prevent damage to furniture.Fleming, John & Hugh Honour. (1977) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Decorative Arts. '' London: Allen Lane, p. 26. Mercurochrome unguent Various preparations of mercurochrome unguent are occasionally used as adjunct therapy Adjuvant therapy, also known as adjunct therapy, adjuvant care, or augmentation therapy, is a therapy that is given in addition to the primary or initial therapy to maximize its effectiveness. The surgeries and complex treatment regimens use ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Verdigris
Verdigris () is a common name for any of a variety of somewhat toxic copper salt (chemistry), salts of acetic acid, which range in colour from green to a blue-green, bluish-green depending on their chemical composition.H. Kühn, Verdigris and Copper Resinate, in Artists' Pigments. A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Vol. 2: A. Roy (Ed.) Oxford University Press 1993, p. 131 – 158 Once used as a medicine and pharmaceutical preparation, verdigris occurs naturally, creating a patina on copper, bronze, and brass, and is the main component of a historic green pigment used for artistic purposes from antiquity until the late 20th century, including in Easel, easel painting, polychromatic sculptures, and illumination of maps. However, due to its instability, its popularity declined as other green pigments became readily available. The instability of its appearance stems from its Hydration number, hydration level and Base (chemistry), basicity, which change as the pigment inte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sápmi
is the cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sámi people. Sápmi includes the northern parts of Fennoscandia, stretching over four countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Most of Sápmi lies north of the Arctic Circle, bounded by the Barents Sea, Norwegian Sea, and White Sea."Lapland." Encyclopædia Britannica. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2009. Web. 24 November 2009 http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9047170. In south, Sápmi extends to the counties of Trøndelag in Norway and Jämtland in Sweden. Most of the Sámi population is concentrated in a few traditional areas in the northernmost part of Sápmi, such as Kautokeino and Karasjok. Inari is considered one of the centres of Sámi culture. In past, the Sámi settlement reached much farther to south, possibly to present-day Oslo in west and the lakes Ladoga and Onega in east. Sápmi has never been a sovereign political entity. Since 1970s–1990s, the Sámi have a limi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Francis Grose
Francis Grose (before 11June 173112May 1791) was an England, English antiquary, drawing, draughtsman, and lexicographer. He produced ''A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue'' (1785) and ''A Provincial Glossary, with a Collection of Local Proverbs, and Popular Superstitions'' (1787). Early life Grose was born at his father's house in Broad Street, St Peter le Poer, St-Peter-le-Poer, London. His parents were Switzerland, Swiss immigrant and jeweller Francis Jacob Grose (d. 1769), and his wife, Anne (d. 1773), daughter of Thomas Bennett of Greenford in Middlesex. Grose was baptised on 11 June 1731 in the parish of St Peter-le-Poer. The eldest of seven children, Grose probably received a classical education but first aimed at a career in the British Army, Army. In 1747, he was in Flanders, apparently as a volunteer in Green Howards, Howard's (later 19th) regiment of foot: later he received a commission as cornet in 10th Royal Hussars, Cobham's (later 10th) regiment of drago ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Livingston Lowes
John Livingston Lowes (December 20, 1867 – August 15, 1945) was an American scholar and critic of English literature, specializing in Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Geoffrey Chaucer. Life John Livingston Lowes was born in Decatur, Indiana on December 20, 1867. He earned a B.A. from Washington & Jefferson College in 1888 and did postgraduate work in Germany and at Harvard University. He taught mathematics at Washington & Jefferson College until 1891 when he received his M.A. From 1909 to 1918 he worked as an English professor at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also served as dean of Arts and Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. From 1918 to 1939 he taught English at Harvard University. In 1919 he was the Lowell Institute lecturer and the author of ''Convention and Revolt in Poetry''. His grandfather was David Elliott, who had served as President of Washington College. Lowes was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1921 and the American P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vervain
''Verbena'' (), also known as vervain or verveine, is a genus in the family Verbenaceae. It contains about 150 species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-woody flowering plants. The majority of the species are native to the Americas and Asia; however, '' Verbena officinalis'', the common vervain or common verbena, is the type species and native to Europe. Naming In English, the name ''Verbena'' is usually used in the United States and the United Kingdom; elsewhere, the terms ''verveine'' or ''vervain'' are in use. Description Verbena is a herbaceous flowering plant, belonging to the Verbenaceae family, and may be annual or perennial depending on the species. The leaves are usually opposite, simple, and in many species hairy, often densely so. The flowers are small, with five petals, and borne in dense spikes. Typically some shade of blue, they may also be white, pink, or purple, especially in cultivars. The genus can be divided into a diploid North American and a pol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dog Days
The dog days or are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius (known colloquially as the "Dog Star"), which Hellenistic astrology connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck. They are now taken to be the hottest, most uncomfortable part of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Etymology The English name is a calque of the Latin (), itself a calque of the ancient Greek ().. The Greeks knew the star α Canis Majoris by several names, including Sirius "Scorcher" (, ''Seírios''), Sothis (, ''Sôthis'', a transcription of Egyptian '' Spdt''), and the Dog Star (, ''Kúōn'').. The last name reflects the way Sirius follows the constellation Orion into the night sky. History Sirius is by far the brightest proper star in the night sky, which caused ancient astronomers to take note of it around the world. In Egypt, its return to the night sky b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
