Mythology

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• SOURCE: Smithsonian
  10/27/2021
  

  Why Dragons were the Dominant Medieval Monstrosities

  by David M. Perry and Matthew Gabriele

  Scott Bruce and Michael Psellos are among the historians shedding light on how medieval people talked about monsters and what cultural roles they played. 

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• 3/21/2021
  

  Rally 'Round the Rune: Fascist Echoes of the CPAC Stage

  by Mark Auslander and Jay Ball

  The incorporation of a Norse rune associated with the SS into the stage of the recent CPAC conference probably isn't an accident; the choice reflects the cultural cachet of Norse myth on the far right, the conservative movement's desire to maintain deniability about its ties to the far right, and the recognition that the design would be crystal clear to viewers of internet memes. 

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• SOURCE: TIME
  12/17/2020
  

  How America Keeps Adapting the Story of the Pilgrims at Plymouth to Match the Story We Need to Tell

  by Peter C. Mancall

  The prevailing memory of Plymouth has shifted as Americans have used it as an allegory for their contemporary concerns. Most notably, the harsh religious orthodoxy of Plymouth was converted by the 19th century to stand for religious liberty, a concept the Pilgrims would have found odious. 

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• SOURCE: New York Times
  11/18/2020
  

  The Thanksgiving Myth Gets a Deeper Look This Year

  “There was an event that happened in 1621,” Wampanoag historian Linda Coombs said. “But the whole story about what occurred on that first Thanksgiving was a myth created to make white people feel comfortable.” Native activists hope to disrupt the stories of Thanksgiving by questioning public history and by recovering indigenous food practices.

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• SOURCE: The Atlantic
  10-28-13
  

  What Vampire Graves Tell Us About Ancient Superstitions

  Hundreds of years ago, ignorance about decomposition and disease sparked fears that the dead returned to drink the blood of the living.