It has often been believed that great bodies of water house fantastic creatures of all kinds. Nowadays, we often see myths of serpentine creatures hiding below the surface of which we are uninformed, but through the study of different cultures of different times we can trace how we’ve used fantasy to fill in gaps in knowledge. The photograph is of Giant’s Causeway, a span of basalt columns located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It resulted from an old volcanic eruption, but the Gaelic legend has it that Scottish giant Bennandonner challenged Irish giant Fionn to a duel, and so Fionn built the causeway for their meeting. Fionn defeated Benandonner by pretending to be an infant of the real Fionn. When Benandonner saw this and imagined the colossal size of the real Fionn, he fled back to Scotland and destroyed the bridge behind him so he wouldn’t be followed. More of the hexagonal basalts can be seen on the Scottish isle of Scaffa, which likely led to the existence of such a story. With legends such as this from the medieval North, we can draw parallels to modern day New England’s own brand of fantasy and how it, too, has a way of seeping into reality.
The Connecticut River is practically an exhibit for local undersea legends here in New England, home to monsters such as the Glowing Thing of Moore Lake and the 200 foot long Big Conn. The Big Conn, or “Connie” as locals call it, is rumored to have more of its kind residing in the Hog River in a concrete tunnel below Hartford, Connecticut. The possibility of such colossal sea creature has terrified and intrigued residents who have braved the dark tunnel since the 1800s.
The Viking poet Egil Skalligrimsson, depicted in Egil’s Saga, product of a family line of werewolves and trolls, represents a culture that instead of fearing legends, chose to integrate them into Icelandic society through stories. Medieval Icelanders saw the world differently than we do today. Where we tend to see bodies of water as masses of scary, unbreathable spaces, to Icelanders sea travel was the basis of society, ships being their vehicles. Egil, his father Skalligrim, the bony-faced berserk, and grandfather Kveldulf, a werewolf, who “was still only a youth when he became a Viking and went raiding,” all lived lives pirating and traveling by ship. When they weren’t at sea, they were at home on the coast until their next voyage to Norway or Ireland. The waters in which they traversed were as familiar to them as local roads are to us, and so Skalligrim founded Borg by the shoreline in Iceland for ease of travel, just as Fionn created the rocky bridge in the Irish sea. We can argue that the legend of Connie, although not having founded her home, still dominates the waters she inhabits for her sheer size. So when we think of fantastic beasts now, we may picture images of giant, terrifying snakes swimming beneath the brine, but Iceland’s medieval legends were only terrifying if you threatened their home.
The lives of giants are certainly eccentric ones of adventure and valor, anchored only by the ocean’s reach. It is when two giants of different lands clash that land becomes a valid medium. Giant’s Causeway is a hybrid of the societal giants of Egil’s Saga and the local sightings of Connie. Fionn and Bellandonner are giants living in the same world as humanity like Egil’s family, different to Connie who dwells beneath unknown waters. Medieval Icelandic tales depict giants realistically to capture the strength of their country in living beings, but Giant’s Causeway proves that these large beings of fiction compel us to question the physical world.
Giant creatures have long been in our imagination. Where once they stood as a symbol of strength, thought to have shaped the world with their titanic power over the seas, they are now often believed to swim beneath it. Humanity has grown to understand more about the dry land on which we live, but we realize that much of our water is still unexplored. This mysterious space below us has fueled the belief of modern sea monsters, but nothing like the patriotic hulks that would once walk over them. And so the legends of colossi inevitably sank below the causeways.
“About Our Parish.” St Anthony Church, stanthonyshirley.org/parish-life/about.
"About Shirley." Town of Shirley Massachusetts, www.shirley -ma.gov/Pages/ShirleyMA_WebDocs/about.
“Building history.” Our Lady of Paris, notredamedeparis.fr/en/la-cathedrale/histoire/historique-de-la-construction/.
Krogt, René van der, and Peter van der Krogt. “Charlemagne et ses leudes.” Statues – Hither & Thither, http://vanderkrogt.net/statues/object.php?%20webpage=ST&record=frif004.
A saint named Giulia della Rena was brought to my attention during my research into another saint, Mary of Egypt. Mary was a very complicated lady in her youth. She was tempted by sexual activity and could not give up her desire to pursue these activities. Even though Saint Giulia did not have the same problems, they do have something in common. Giulia was a very selfless lady. One day there was a building that had caught on fire, and she went into that building to rescue a child from death. In Mary's case she went off into the desert to free herself from sexual temptations. She spent 47 years alone in the desert until one night she "burned" in the desert all alone and was finally free and put out of her misery.
Both of these women were selfless and just wanted to do what was right in their respective situations. Mary’s might be a bit more dramatic, but they both had good intentions.
Rose Hawthorne, who was Nathaniel Hawthorne's youngest daughter, became a candidate to be a Catholic saint. Rose was born on May 20, 1851, in Lenox, Massachusetts. She spent 50 years of her life as expected of a well-to-do daughter of a literary man. She got married, traveled to Europe, and mingled with the literati and East Coast society. After those 50 years she wanted something more in life. She wanted to create a new identity. After her closest family member passed away and her marriage crumbled, she took the vow to be a nun. She relates to both Giulia and Mary because all they wanted was to be something valuable to others.
Saints and their shrines are very important to today's society. They are a place of worship that people go to were they can seek advice. It is very tragic when a shrine gets tampered with. Saints are important to learn about because they make mistakes just like everyone else, but they go an extra step to prove that they can become better people.
“Old Sturbridge Village.” Home | Old Sturbridge Village, 7 Apr. 1970, www.osv.org/.
Nottinghamshire County Council. “Robin Hood Festival 2018.” Nottinghamshire County Council, 2018, www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/planning-and-environment/country-parks/sherwood-forest/robin-hood-festival.
Reed, Dan. Personal interview. 2017.When it comes to the Greek mythical figure Hercules, most people would say that they are very familiar with his courage, his muscular body, and his overall importance as an heroic figure. There is no doubt that Hercules fits perfectly with all of those qualities. However, his story goes deeper into the possibility of the beloved hero having a history of mental illness and violence. Hercules’ disturbing antics share very similar qualities to the local story dated back in the year 1892 of the Lizzie Borden axe murder case. Each was originally not known to cause any type of disturbances, thus presenting questions concerning their moments of insanity and what caused them to go insane.
In this image of pottery owned by the Fitchburg Art Museum, Hercules is in the midst of struggling to accomplish his second labor out of twelve: slaying the great Lernean Hydra. With the assistance of his nephew Iolaus, Hercules was eventually able to defeat the nine-headed beast, but what even brought him here in the first place? All fingers point right at Hera, the wife of Hercules’ father Zeus. Hera was constantly furious at her husband as he would frequently cheat on her with his several mistresses. To vent her frustrations, she would lash out and get revenge on them or on their children. One of the mistresses turned out to be the mortal woman Alcmene. Zeus was very attracted to her - so much so that he traveled down to earth, transformed himself into her husband, and seduced her. They eventually became the parents to a child named Hercules, who was half human, half god. After many failed attempts at trying to kill him as an infant, Hera sent down a madness on Hercules when he was older, making him kill his own wife and children. As punishment for the murders, he was assigned the twelve labors.
Several hundreds of years after Hercules’ time, the world was introduced to Lizzie Andrew Borden, who was born on July 19, 1860. Lizzie was the daughter of Sarah and Andrew Borden and grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts. After the death of her mother, Andrew remarried a woman named Abby, with whom Lizzie, as well as her sister Emma, did not want anything to do. On the morning of August 4, 1892, both Abby and Andrew Borden were found murdered from a “brutal hatchet attack” in their Fall River home. The case was a cause célèbre all across the United States, many speculating about Lizzie’s mental health, some thinking she lapsed into a moment of insanity when the murder occurred.
It’s very interesting how you can dig deep into a story and how many different connections you can discover. Although both Hercules and Lizzie Borden were overcome with insanity leading up to their murders, that insanity stemmed from different starting points. Hercules’ insanity was caused by Hera being a nuisance. As for Lizzie, her insanity was, according to some theories, fueled by jealousy and greed; the jealousy came from the feelings she had towards her stepmother, while the greed was always there because Lizzie was probably well aware that she and her sister would come into a sizable inheritance after their parents’ deaths. It seems as though, even with iconic figures such as Hercules, everyone has their own trigger and/or breaking point.
Carlisle, Marcia R. "What Made Lizzie Borden Kill?" American Heritage, vol. 43, no. 4, 1992, alistapart.com/article/writeliving.
“Lizzie Borden.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 27 Apr. 2017, www.biography.com/people/lizzie-borden-9219858.
Mark, Joshua J. “The Life of Hercules in Myth & Legend.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, 23 July 2013, https://www.ancient.eu/article/733/.
Saint Mark’s Horses in Venice have a long, well-traveled history, especially for horses that are not actually living creatures. Cast of copper and various other elements, they are an outstanding example of human ingenuity (Alunno-Rossetti and Marabelli 161). The cause of their creation is unknown; however, their design is exemplary and their path throughout Europe is well-known. Their original location atop the Hippodrome in Istanbul could mean they were a tribute to their venue at the track, located in a long dismantled empire. Then they arrived in Italy at St. Mark’s Basilica, moving to the top of Arc de Triomphe in France with Napoleon Bonaparte, and finally back to St. Mark’s (Dowson). They will most likely never return to Istanbul, where they originated, as they are too fragile and they have already undergone major tests their structural integrity in Italy. The preservation of these horses has become as important as their heritage. The horses have been damaged by air pollution, salt, and sun. They have also been damaged during their many travels (Alunno-Rossetti and Marabelli 162).
Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts, is an important part of cultural heritage in New England. Thoreau, the mid-nineteenth century author and a founder of American conservation, lived a quiet life on Walden Pond, and he documented it in his book Walden. He also wrote about his many travels in Maine, a trip to Canada, and of course about civil disobedience. He found great happiness in the simplest things and in the many journeys of life. He probably would have made a quest for the conservation of St Mark’s Horses because they have a high cultural and artistic value. He may not have been into fancy attire or factory lines; what he valued were classical traditions and classic literature, and these horses were created in classical times. Thoreau would have valued the preservation of St. Mark’s Horses as he was for maintaining the arts, and he would have been devastated by the environmental causes of their disintegration (Walden Woods Project).
If Thoreau were to discuss St. Mark’s Horses, it would be through journeys of conquest and classical tradition in Homeric literature. Thoreau celebrated Odysseus and his many conquests and voyages, for Thoreau felt it was important for man to journey to find the best in life. The peace you discover in the world as an explorer was more powerful than any belonging you could have. Odysseus himself is similar to St. Mark’s Horses and their various travels. Perhaps Thoreau would have celebrated the journeys of St. Mark’s Horses as well, a symbol moved from place to place thriving and setting example as to just how amazing man is. Just as Thoreau’s voyages and journeys took him through Massachusetts, Maine, and even into Canada, Odysseus journeyed to find his greatest gifts and to evade a restless sedentary life. Thoreau’s epic journey, Odysseus’s epic journey, and St. Mark’s Horses are all connected with a story of travel and a wish for one last journey home.
Alunno-Rossetti, V., and M. Marabelli. “Analyses of the Patinas of a Gilded Horse of St Mark's Basilica in Venice: Corrosion Mechanisms and Conservation Problems.” Studies in Conservation, vol. 21, no. 4, 1976, pp. 161–170. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1505640
Dowson, Thomas. “The Horses of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice.” Archaeology Travel. 2 May 2018, https://archaeology-travel.com/friday-find/the-horses-of-st-marks-basilica-in-venice/. Accessed 2 May 2018.
“Henry David Thoreau.” The Walden Woods Project, https://www.walden.org/thoreau/. Accessed 4 May 2018.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden, and On the Duty of Civil Disobedience. 1995. Project Gutenberg, www.gutenberg.org/files/205/205-h/205-h.htm.