Podcasts about Germanic

What happened to the fairies?In this episode of Angela's Symposium, we uncover the history of fairy beings—from terrifying, liminal spirits associated with death, illness, and esoteric knowledge to the benign, whimsical figures of children's books and garden ornaments. Drawing on peer-reviewed scholarship and folkloric sources, I trace how fairies were feared as soul-stealing entities, morally ambiguous tricksters, and powerful beings of the Otherworld in Celtic and Germanic traditions. These entities weren't cute—they were cautionary, chthonic, and occasionally divine.But during the Victorian era, spiritualism, Theosophy, and literary romanticism reshaped fairy imagery into something innocent and controllable. This domestication served ideological purposes: reinforcing ideals of childhood, whiteness, femininity, and empire.With insights from Robert Kirk, W.Y. Evans-Wentz, Katharine Briggs, and contemporary scholars such as Sabina Magliocco, Morgan Daimler, and Richard Sugg, this video explores how fairies reflect changing cultural values—and why reclaiming their wilder past matters.CONNECT & SUPPORT

One of the biggest guests ever on Chubstep, Steed and Big Money Banks are joined by the controversial and elusive Easter Bunny. Before the interview the guys discuss why eating rabbit is better than chicken, and the history of the Easter Bunny from ancient Greek's to Germanic tribes. Listeners will be surprised to hear the Irish female sounding bunny discuss rabbit genocide, how she traded her sexual desires for an egg hole in return for living forever, a surprise appearance from Santa which opens up the tumultuous relationship between him and the Easter Bunny, Abe Lincoln in Reno Nevada, her relationship with Russell Crowe, and a parting song.

IN HOC PROGRAMMA’, ‘DE WHEELOCK 6th Ed. capite octavo, paginis 49-54: de de verbis in tertia coniugatione in modo indicativo in tempore praesente et imperfecto et futuro; etiam de infinitivo in tempore praesente; et de modo imperativo ‘SEQUIMUR’ [QUIA “NUNTII IN LINGUA LATINA” ‘INSTRUMENTUM’ ‘AD LATINUM DISCENDUM ET DOCENDUMQUE’ ‘EST’]. ‘NUNTII IN LINGUA LATINA’ ‘IN LINGUA LATINA, ANGLICA ET ITALICA’ ‘*AUDIS’! EUROPA. TRANSLATIO AB ALISSA SOUZA VERSAM EST. HYPOTHECA REARMATIONIS. // ‘CURSUS DEFENSIONIS EUROPAE’ ‘NON TAM IN CONSILIO COMMUNI NITITUR’ ‘QUAM IN REDINTEGRANDO GRADIBUS POTESTATIS IN UNIONE’ ‘ET IN ASSERTIONE UTILITATUM QUAEDAM CIVITATUM’, ‘INITIUM FACIENTE GERMANIA’. // ‘“STRATEGIA MILITARIS” URSULAE VON DER LEYEN’ ‘INFIRMUM HABET PUNCTUM PRINCIPALE’: ‘DISPONIBILITAS RERUM COPIARUM’. // ‘IN REGNO UNITO’ ‘PROCLAMATIONES BELLICAE DANTUR’ ‘SED EXERCITUS EST QUI PUGNARE’ ‘NON POSSIT’. CIVITATIBUS FOEDERATAE AMERICAE. TRANSLATIO A SAID RAIMUNDO DELGADO VERSAM EST. ‘*DEPREHENSIO’ ‘ABUSUS’ ‘ADMINISTRATIONIS TRUMP’ ‘*REVELAT’. // ‘DEPREHENSIO INIUSTA’ ‘RUMEYSAE OZTURK, PUELLAE TURCAE’ [‘*CUI’ ‘VISUM STUDII’ ‘*CONCESSUM EST’]’ ‘*OSTENDIT’: [‘*ALBANAM DOMUM’ ‘OMNEM VOCEM CRITICAM’ ‘*FERIRE VELLE’]. ‘NUNTII IN LINGUA LATINA’ ‘IN LINGUA LATINA, ANGLICA ET GALLICA’ ‘*AUDIS’! FRANCIA. TRANSLATIO A SAID RAIMUNDO DELGADO VERSAM EST. ‘*MARINE LE PEN’ ‘DAMNATIONE’ ‘*AFFECTA EST’. ‘HOC’ ‘BENEDICTIO’ ‘PRO CONVENTU NATIONALI ‘*EST’. // ‘*POENA’ ‘EI’ ‘QUATTUOR ANNORUM CARCERE’ (QUORUM DUO SUSPENSI SUNT) ET ‘QUINQUE ANNORUM INELEGIBILITATE’ ‘*IMPOSITA EST’. // ‘*QUAE’ ‘GRAVIBUS EFFECTIBUS POLITICIS’ ‘*ONERATA EST’. // ‘*QUOD’ ‘BONUM NUNTIUM’ ‘ILLIS OMNIBUS QUI VOLUERUNT CONVENTUS NATIONALIS A POTESTATE ARCERE’ ‘*NON EST’. BIRMANIA. TRANSLATIO A CASANDRA FREIRE VERSAM EST. ‘*PERGUNT’ ‘*OPPUGNANTES’, [‘QUAMVIS TERRAEMOTUS’ ‘*FACTUS SIT’]. // ‘PLUS QUAM MILLE SESCENTOS’ ‘*MORTUI SUNT’ ET ‘TRIA MILIA’ ‘*LAESA SUNT’ ‘AB TERRAEMOTU DIE VIGINTI NOVEM MENSIS MARTII’. // ‘FORTISSIMO TERRAEMOTO FACTO’ ‘IN SAECULO’ ‘*EXERCITUS’ ‘*PERGIT’ ‘AD REBELLANDUM CATERVAS ETHNICAS’ ‘PRIME MAGWE’. ‘NUNTII IN LINGUA LATINA’ ‘IN LINGUA LATINA, ANGLICA ET GERMANICA ‘*AUDIS’! ISRAELE. HIEROSOLYMA. RES QATARGATE. // ‘*VIGILES IUDAICI’ ‘PRINCIPIS MINISTRI DUOS SOCIOS’ ‘INQUISITIONE NUMMARIA’ ‘DE VINCULO NUMMARIO’ ‘INTER NETANJAHU ET QUATARIAM’ ‘*APPREHENDIT’. // ‘*QUATARIA, ‘UNUS EX PRECIPUIS CREDITORIBUS’, ‘PRO HAMAS’ ‘*EST’. CIVITATIBUS FOEDERATAE AMERICAE. WASINGTONIA DISTRICTU COLUMBIAE. SMITHSONIAN RESTAURATIO. // ‘*DONALDUS TRUMP’, ‘DECRETUM’ ‘*SUBSCRIPSIT’ ‘*QUOD’ ‘ABROGATIONEM DE IDEOLOGIA CONTRA AMERICAM’ ‘A SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTIONIBUS’ ‘*EXIGIT’. // ALIOQUI ‘SEXAGINTA CENTESIMAS’ ‘EX PECUNIAE RATIONE’ ‘IN PERICULO ERUNT’. // SENTENTIA ANTIQUA CONEXA EX WHEELOCK AUDI: “O AMICI, LIBERTATEM PERDIMUS”. ‘NUNTII IN LINGUA LATINA’ ‘IN LINGUA LATINA, ANGLICA ET LUSITANA’ ‘AUDIS’! GAZA. RAFAH. // PEREGRINATIONES MAGNAE. // ‘*ISRAELIS COPIAE’ ‘IN GAZA’ ‘ALTIUS *PENETRAVIT’ ET ‘PALESTINENSIBUS’ ‘PEREGRINARI’ ‘EX THEATRO BELLI (ANGLICE “COMBAT ZONE”)’ ‘IMPERAVIT’. // ‘ISRAELIS PROPOSITA’ ‘SUNT’: // ‘SPATIUM PRO SECURITATE ET LIBERTATEM HABERE’, ‘FINIRE TERRORISTAS VEL TOMOCRATAS’ ET CONSEQUERE VICTORIAM’. // SENTENTIA ANTIQUA CONEXA EX WHEELOCK AUDI: “NUMQUAM PERICULUM SINE PERICULO VINCEMUS”. ‘{De Wheelock 6th Ed. Capite 8, Paginis 49-54. In hoc nuntio inveni: de verbis in tertia coniugatione in modo indicativo in tempore praesente et imperfecto et futuro; etiam de infinitivo in tempore praesente; et de modo imperativo. 3 verba ex lexicon, 1 sententiam antiquam ex capite 8, 4 verba in infinitivo praesente, 1 verbum in futuro in indicativo inveni. NORVEGIA. ANDOYA. // RADIUS IGNIFER PROPELLITUR. // ‘PRIMUS RADIUS IGNIFER (SEU ROCHETA, VEL MISSILE IGNEUM) COMMERCIALIS’ ‘EX EUROPA PROPULSUS’ ‘CONFRINGITUR’. // ‘IN MARE NORVEGICO’ ‘CADIT’ ‘POST TRIGINTA TEMPORIBUS MOMENTIS’ ‘VOLANS’. // ‘ISAR *PRAETOR’ ‘*DIXIT’ ‘[SUCCESSUM ET NUNQUAM RUINAM FUISSE]’ ‘QUIA’ ‘DATA’ ‘*COLLEGIMUS’ ET MULTA DISCEMUS [UT DOCEAMUS ET DEMONSTREMUS]. // SENTENTIAS ANTIQUAS CONEXAS EX WHEELOCK AUDI: “NON VITAE, SED SCHOLAE, DISCIMUS” ET “HOMINES, DUM DOCENT, DISCUNT”. ‘{De Wheelock 6th Ed. Capite 8, Paginis 49-54. In hoc nuntio inveni: de verbis in tertia coniugatione in modo indicativo in tempore praesente et imperfecto et futuro; etiam de infinitivo in tempore praesente; et de modo imperativo. 4 verba ex lexicon, 1 verbum in futuro in modo indictivo et 2 sententias ex capite 8 inveni. ‘NUNTII IN LINGUA LATINA’ ‘IN LINGUA LATINA, ANGLICA ET SINENSIS PINYIN’ ‘*AUDIS’! SINIS. TRANSLATIO A FERNANDA SOLÍS VERSAM EST. ‘GLADIUS IUSTITAE TIWANO: “SUI IURIS FACIET”. // ‘PRIMUM DIE APRILIS MENSIS ANNO BIS MILLESIMO VICESIMO QUINTO: ‘EXERCITUS POPULORUM LIBERORUM SINAE’ ‘CATERVAM SEPARATISTAM’ ‘*DENUNTIAT’. ‘SINAE’ NUMQUAM ‘CONATIONES’ ‘CONTRA SEPARATIONEM TIWANI’ ‘*TOLERABIT’, ‘QUIA’ ‘TIWAN’ ‘TERRA FRATERNA’ ‘*EST’. SINIS. TRANSLATIO A CASANDRA FREIRE VERSAM EST. ‘PECUNIAM IN SINIS COLLOCARE’ ‘IN FUTURUM’ ‘*COLLOCAT’. // ‘PER DUO MILLE VIGINTI QUATTUOR’ ‘CIRCITER SEXAGINTA MILIA NOVAE SOCIETATES IN SINIS’ ‘*ERUNT’. // ‘* SINAE’ ‘DUCES’ ‘*SUNT’ ‘IN INVESTIGATIONE PROGRESSOQUE’, [‘QUO MAGNUM MERCATUM SUAE’, ‘STABILIA CONSILIA ET ALTA’ ‘*REDIT’]. // ‘COLLOCARE IN SINIS BONUM’ ‘*EST’ [‘*UTI’ ‘MERCATU ET OCCASIONIBUS INNOVATIONIBUS’]. LEXICON EX “GAZA…” adiuvante chatGPT: • altius – higher, deeper (comparative adverb from altus, meaning "high" or "deep") • audī – listen! (imperative passive of audiō, "to hear", used here as a citation formula, e.g., "hear this saying") • belli – of war (genitive singular of bellum, "war") — indicates possession: "of the war" • comitatūs – (not directly present but implied) from “combat zone” (translated into Latin as theatrum belli) – combat, battle area • copiae – forces, troops (nominative plural of copia, "supply", often used in plural for military forces) • ex – from, out of (preposition + ablative) • et – and (coordinating conjunction) • finīre – to end (present active infinitive of finiō, "I finish/end") – purpose or intention verb • Gaza – Gaza (proper noun, a place name in apposition, treated as indeclinable here) • habēre – to have (present active infinitive of habeō) • imperāvī – I ordered (perfect indicative active of imperō, though not in present – likely narrative past) • in – in, on (preposition + ablative or accusative) • Israēlis – of Israel / Israeli (genitive singular, or adjective used as noun; from Israēl) – used as an ethnic/political adjective • libertātem – freedom (accusative singular of libertās) • magnae – great (genitive/dative/nominative feminine plural of magnus) – here modifies peregrinationes • numquam – never (adverb) • palēstinēnsibus – to/for the Palestinians (dative plural of palaestinēnsis) – indirect object • penetrāvī – I have penetrated (perfect active indicative of penetrō, again not present tense) • perīculum – danger (nominative or accusative singular of perīculum) • peregrinārī – to migrate, to travel (present deponent infinitive of peregrinor) • peregrīnātiōnēs – journeys, pilgrimages (nominative plural of peregrīnātiō) • perīculō – with/through danger (ablative singular of perīculum) • pro – for, on behalf of (preposition + ablative) • proposita – plans, purposes (nominative or accusative plural neuter of propositum) • punctum – (not in text, just for context: would mean "point") • Rafah – Rafah (indeclinable proper noun, a place name) • securitāte – security (ablative singular of securitās) • sententia – saying, opinion (nominative singular) • spatium – space (nominative or accusative singular neuter) • sine – without (preposition + ablative) • sunt – they are (3rd person plural present indicative of sum, "to be") • terroristās – terrorists (accusative plural of terrorista) • theātrō – theater (ablative singular of theātrum) • tomocratas – (neologism) "tomocrats" – possibly a coined word from Greek τόμος (cut, segment) and kratos (power), meaning "rule by force or division" (used metaphorically for oppressors or violent rulers) • vincemus – we will conquer (future active indicative of vinco, "I conquer") – in the quote • victoriam – victory (accusative singular of victoria) LEXICON EX “NORVEGIA…” adiuvante chatGPT: • Andoya – Andøya (place name). Proper noun, name of a location in Norway; indeclinable and used as a geographical reference. • cadō – I fall. Verb, present indicative active, 1st person singular; used metaphorically or literally to describe falling or collapsing. • collegō – I collect, I gather. Verb, present indicative active, 1st person singular; to bring things together, especially data or information. • commercialis – commercial. Adjective meaning “relating to commerce”; describes something for business use or civilian (non-military) purpose. • data – data, pieces of information. Noun, plural form of datum; neuter nominative plural. Refers to facts, statistics, or recorded information. • discō – I learn. Verb, present indicative active, 1st person singular; acquiring knowledge or understanding. • dēmōnstrō – I demonstrate, I show. Verb, present indicative active, 1st person singular; to explain clearly or point out by evidence or example. • doceō – I teach. Verb, present indicative active, 1st person singular; to instruct or impart knowledge. • Europa – Europe. Proper noun, nominative singular; the continent, used here as point of origin. • homō – human being, person. Noun, nominative singular masculine; appears in plural in the text (homines), used in general sense. • ignifer – fire-bearing, fiery. Adjective, masculine nominative singular; literally "fire-carrying", referring to missiles or rockets. • Isar – Isar (proper name). Likely a personal name or title; indeclinable in the text, possibly Germanic in origin. • mare – sea. Noun, neuter nominative singular; refers to the body of water, in this case the Norwegian Sea. • missile – missile, projectile. Noun, neuter nominative singular; modern Latin term for guided weapon or rocket. • momentum – moment, instant. Noun, neuter nominative singular; a brief period of time, used with temporal meaning. • multus – much, many. Adjective, masculine nominative singular; appears in plural (multa) in the text. • Norvegia – Norway. Proper noun, nominative singular; modern Latin for the country of Norway. • praetor – praetor, commander, leader. Noun, masculine nominative singular; a Roman magistrate; here metaphorically used for a spokesperson or authority. • primus – first. Adjective, masculine nominative singular; denotes order or precedence. • propellō – I propel. Verb, present indicative active, 1st person singular; to push forward or launch. • radius – ray, beam, missile. Noun, masculine nominative singular; can refer to a physical beam or a projectile in this context. • rochēta – rocket. Feminine noun, nominative singular; Latinized form of "rocket", used in technical or military Latin. • schola – school. Feminine noun, nominative singular; institution of learning, part of the ancient saying quoted. • sententia – opinion, saying, sentence. Feminine noun, nominative singular; used here as a philosophical or proverbial quote. • successus – success. Masculine noun, nominative singular; favorable outcome or result. • tempus – time. Neuter noun, nominative singular; a period or point in time. • trīgintā – thirty. Numeral, indeclinable; denotes a quantity of thirty. • volō – I fly. Verb, present indicative active, 1st person singular; to move through the air, here describing a missile in motion. SI NUNTII IN LINGUA LATINA TRADUCTOR ESSE VOLUERIS, QUAESO LITTERAM ELECTRONICAM AD lpesquera@up.edu.mx MITTAS’. If you would like to collaborate as a translator in Nuntii in Lingua Latina, please send an email to lpesquera@up.edu.mx

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 10, 2025 is: chary • CHAIR-ee • adjective Chary is usually used with about or of to describe someone who is cautious about doing something. // The director is chary about spending money. // I've always been chary of travelling alone. See the entry > Examples: “Overall, Rendell is chary about divulging the selling price of various documents, but he does occasionally reveal some financial details.” — Michael Dirda, The Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2024 Did you know? How did chary, which began as the opposite of cheery, become a synonym of wary? Don't worry, there's no need to be chary—the answer is not dreary. Chary's Middle English predecessor, charri, meant “sorrowful,” a sense that harks back to the Old English word cearig, meaning “troubled, troublesome, taking care,” which ultimately comes from an assumed-but-unattested Germanic word, karō, meaning “sorrow” or “worry,” that is also an ancestor of the word care. It's perhaps unsurprising then, that chary was once used to mean “dear” or “cherished.” Both sorrow and affection have largely faded from chary, and today the word is most often used as a synonym of careful.

Send us a textWelcome to Celebrate Poe - Episode 357 - Pre DraculaI promise you that after this and the following episode, I will begin a series of episodes about the big one - at least the big one in the field of vampirism - Bram Stoker's Dracula.  You see, before there was the blood-drinking figure in a black cape, there were reanimated corpses (also known as the “undead”) who caused harm to the living. In Slavic and Germanic traditions, these beings were often blamed for disease, crop failure, or nocturnal attacks. For example, 14th-century chronicles from Bohemia describe an undead shepherd named Myslata who rose from the grave to kill villagers until his body was exhumed and burned. Similarly, various communities buried corpses with hawthorn stakes or steel needles to prevent them from returning.  In a very real sense, belief in vampires - also called revenants - is strangely intertwined with Christianity.Thank you for experiencing Celebrate Poe.

On this episode I'm talking with Dan Sandison. Dan's a big footy fan who has worked in and around the sport for the last couple of decades. His work has often intersected with the clothing industry and his latest role is with eco-friendly football boot brand Sokito. I've only met Dan once before but have always admired his writing, content and outlook on footy and fashion. I'm buzzing to have him as a guest on My Own Garms today.We get into everything from Scouse futurism and McManaman's cosmic swagger, to Klopp's Wade Smith glow-up, flannels fit fails, and what it means to actually build the product you used to write about. Dan talks about growing up in a town split between Liverpool and Manchester, his time at Mundial and Hypebeast, and how Sokito is creating boots made of corn, sugarcane and bamboo — worn by Premier League players who actually co-own the brand.

Gary Petty and I talk about his recently published book Christendom. Available on  Amazon Here is a description of the book. For hundreds of years after the death of Jesus, the people who professed to be His followers faced persecution from the Roman Empire. Then a miracle seemed to happen to this fragmented and diverse religious movement. Emperor Constantine declared that he was a Christian, and then through the following decades attempted to create a unified Christianity. This effort to build a unified Christian church continued during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. This effort was a complex chronicle of theological debates, schisms, political intrigue, and violence, at times. The people and events intertwine with the collapse of the Roman Empire and the impact of Germanic culture on the church as well as with plagues, wars, Crusades, and repeated attempts to recreate a united Europe. The story includes Goths, Anglo-Saxons, Franks, Italians, Spanish, Vikings, Celts, Arabs, Jews, Mongols, and others whose identities have all but disappeared. Countless individuals played their parts in the events—Augustine and his mother Monica, who hailed from North Africa; Justinian and his wife Theodora from Byzantium; Charlemagne; Mohammed; and dozens of popes, peasants, aristocrats, priests, and warriors. All of them shaped the formation of Christendom—the Kingdom of God on earth—a kingdom that changed original Christianity until it would have been in many ways unrecognizable to Jesus' earliest followers. Christendom: The Kingdom that Changed Christianity is a companion book to Plato's Shadow: The Hellenizing of Christianity.   ___________   Gary Petty is an author and pastor known for his works on the historical and philosophical influences on Christianity, as well as guidance on managing personal conflicts. His notable publications include:​Better World Books+4Google Books+4ThriftBooks+4 Plato's Shadow: The Hellenizing of Christianity This book examines how Greek philosophy, particularly that of Plato, influenced early Christian teachings, leading to deviations from the original messages of Jesus and His apostles. ​Barnes & Noble The Mercy Effect: A Spiritual Guide for Managing Conflict In this work, Petty explores the spiritual roots of conflict and offers practical steps for resolving disagreements in various aspects of life, emphasizing the importance of mercy and forgiveness. ​Better World Books Christendom: The Kingdom That Changed Christianity Serving as a companion to 'Plato's Shadow,' this book delves into the transformation of Christianity during the formation of Christendom, highlighting how political and cultural shifts reshaped the faith. ​ThriftBooks+5Google Books+5Bookshop+5 These works reflect Petty's focus on understanding the historical contexts that have shaped modern Christianity and providing insights into personal spiritual growth.

Podcast for people interested in foreign languages, foreign cultures and language learning.Hi! I'm Reuben, I'm 22 years old and I'm from the Uk. I love learning languages, I can speak 10 different languages and this is the podcast where we discuss all things language-related. In this episode, I interview two siblings who grew up in a bilingual environment speaking Swedish and English, and have both gone on to become polyglots. We discuss language learning generally as well as the specifics of Swedish amongst the Germanic languages. Thanks so much for listening :DSend me a message on Instagram @reubenlingoSend me an email podcast.languagenut@gmail.comSend me a donation via PayPal:https://paypal.me/ReubenLingo?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GBA massive thank you to Fish Audio for sponsoring this episode: https://fish.audio/

The last days before the Great Hunt.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.“Can the scorpion ever stop being a scorpion? “"Do we get our legally permitted weaponry back?" The bishop still held my hand."Sure. If it makes you feel better.""I would like to meet your people then," he gave my paw one last shake then released me. "Shall we go?""I will have someone take you to your car. I want to briefly meet with the President, of Havenstone, then I'll join you in the garage. We'll drive over to JIKIT and I'll make the introductions. Good enough?""That is acceptable," he nodded."What about you two?" I regarded the nun and the Swiss Super-soldier. The nun remained vigilant, and silent. The Swiss' eyes flickered to his boss before settling back on me."It is what I volunteered for," he stated firmly."Okay. Please never say I didn't give you a chance to take the sane way out. Also, Bishop Nicolö, circumstances have conspired to up my prospective wedding date to January 1st.""That will be more difficult. Why the change?" he remained grim."We are having twins. By March, this will be very visible.""That is, unfortunate," he shook his head."You have no idea," and then a brainstorm. "And I am curious about resurrecting the Order of the Dragon, the Societas Draconistarum." Technically that meant 'Society of the Dragonists' which was more appropriate than the literal Ordo Draconis."Precisely how do you plan to recreate a crusading Christian Order which was the purview of the Hungarian monarchs?" he didn't sound the least skeptical, just curious."I have billions of euros to fund such a thing," I winked. "Of far greater critical importance, I know where I can find the supernatural guidance and spiritual imperative for such an organization.""You are going to produce a dragon?" his eyes grew larger even as he fought down his fear. Good man. He was adaptive. He'd need to be."I never said such a thing. That would make me sound crazy," I smiled broadly. "Besides, when I say 'dragon', you think 'devil' and that's way too pedestrian for where we are going.""I am not a moral relativist.""Neither am I. I'm out to save lives and nurture the drive in the human spirit to reach for freedom, love and liberty. As you might imagine, I'm pretty freaking outnumbered.""I think you are crazy," he re-evaluated things."I just might be. In all honesty, you should back out now. Take your two compadres back to 25 East 39th Street (the Holy See's Permanent Observer Offices to the UN in NYC) and report 'Mission Failure'. You'll most likely live longer," I reasoned."I am not afraid to die," Sister Rafaela Sophia finally voiced an opinion."That's idiotic," I scoffed before the bishop could reprimand her for opening her mouth. "You should be.""My soul is in God's hands," she set her jaw."Does he talk to you?" I countered."His message is clear.""Not what I asked. I asked if he specifically directed you to toss your life fruitlessly away as an object lesson for the reckless, or careless?""This is uncalled for," Nicolö intervened."Nope. I bet you a phone call to my Brother to physically restore your bishopric that there are four people in this room who have murdered in cold blood," I kept eye contact with the nun, "and she's the odd one out. Right Juanita?""Yes, Ishara," Juanita slipped up. Her spycraft, like mine, needed work."You were in the military?" the bishop asked my bodyguard."Was? I am. Right now," she related. "I will be until I die."That earned me looks from the three Catholics."She is loyal," Nicolö nodded slightly toward her, referring to Juanita's declaration."Huh? To me? Nope. She's loyal to my office, which we shan't get into right now. Back to you, Sister Rafaela Sophia. Are you out to be a martyr, or has some saint, or angel, given you a directive the other two seem to be unaware of which causes you to devalue your life?""I am devoted to the One True God, Christ, our Savior," and Juanita snorted, "and the Virgin Mary," the nun stated firmly. "I don't hear voices in my head.""Juanita, that was rude. Apologize to our guest," I kept looking forward."No." Well, fuck you too."Gun," I commanded. I held out my left hand."What? No. I will not give you one of my guns," she resisted."Juanita, give me your primary weapon, or I will ask Pamela to beat you up the moment I depart for the Great Hunt. After yesterday's stunt, you know she will," I threatened. Fair, I was not. She drew a Glock-20 and handed it to me. I went through the routine, dropped the magazine then ejected the round before opening the door.Oh look, there were four SD chicks outside, ready to escort my visitors downstairs. I didn't even need to waste a phone call. It wasn't like the conference room wasn't being monitored."Excuse me," I took a half step out the door then hurled all three items down the hall. Looking back at Juanita. "Go fetch.""Fuck you," she snapped."And insulting her faith was as degrading to both her faith and her as me doing this to you is degrading to you right now," I lectured her. "It is important to her, therefore it is important to me because she is my guest in the same way it is important to me that I let my bodyguard do her job without being a total asshole all the time. Now go get your God-damn weapon," I barked. Off she went. I left the door open."Now Sister Rafaela Sophia, the point of all this is: I don't give a crap if you are willing to die for God. In fact, that makes you less than worthless to me and the team. I want to know if you are willing to put other motherfuckers in the ground so that Bishop Nicolá, or Mathias, might get to keep doing their jobs.""Murder is a sin," she declared."Go home," I sighed while shaking my head."She answers to me, the Church and God, not you, Mr. Nyilas," the bishop stepped forward."Then you can go home too," I shrugged. "I'm not asking for remorseless killers. I'm asking for people willing to kill to get the hard work done and best of all, for people who know the difference.""Everyone on JIKIT is a professional soldier, or killer?" he asked."No, but the ones who aren't don't carry guns and know to get down when things get funky," I bantered."I vouch for her," he insisted. Juanita came running back into the room."Cool beans. I don't know you either.""You apparently know my service history," he volleyed."Yeah. Ten years a foreigner in the service of France, then you went straight into a university which turns out Jesuits," I riposted."What turned your life around?" he evaded. That was okay. I'd gotten what I wanted. I was willing to bet he had read every bit of public information about me and it was rumored the heavy Catholic membership in the FBI had its benefits to the Church as well. Not so much as to give them insight into JIKIT, but,"Someone risked their life for me. It's been pretty much downhill from there," I confessed. It was the truth. After Katrina gave me the life line on Day Two, it had all spiraled to the revelation of my heritage, Dad's death, Summer Camp, the Hamptons, Romania and Aya's kidnapping."A person, a soldier, died saving my life," the bishop empathized. "Her story is similar. She seeks redemption. She is not suicidal. I am staking both our lives on it."Did he mean him and Mathias, or him and me? I wasn't certain. Still, it was good enough for now. I'd gotten a look at their emotional make up, even the relatively quiet Swiss."Very well," I agreed. "I have to go see the President about my new job description. I'll catch up with you at your car." To the SD team leader, "Take them to the garage. I will join the group of you very soon.""Yes Ishara," she nodded. I exited the room, Juanita in tow. Two SD entered. I was gone before the Papal team left. Upstairs we went, with one last chore to discharge. I had to check on Ms. French to be absolutely freaking sure it was Shawnee, because anyone else would spell disaster.{8:30 am, Monday, September 8th. Last day}A Room full of asistants:Well, there it was, the office of the Executive Director to the President, and not 'Executive Assistant', because this was Katrina's final 'fuck you, no, just her final 'fuck you' before the Great Hunt got underway. I shouldn't assume things, dang it!Anyway, according to the gray-haired matron running gatekeeper to the Office of the President, this was where I was supposed to show up. I shot Juanita a worried look. She glanced my way and shrugged, momentarily willing to not give me shit about the past 24 hours because where I was situated would determine how easily she could do her job.In we went. In the suite were three desks, the 'big' desk situated at the far end of the office space and two far more modest ones on either side of the entryway. The room expanded beyond the chokepoint formed by the two closest desks into a cluttered area. The walls were cluttered with inset bookshelves and portraits of women. Facing one another were a loveseat on my left with bookend plush chairs in an 'L' facing and a full sofa on the right. There were end tables at the ends of the sofa and the corners between the loveseat and each chair.As the door opened, I hadn't knock as this was my office, or so it seemed, the occupants, who had all been sitting in quiet conversation in the central section, began reacting. Oh look ~ Constanza! I nearly had a heart attack before I realized there were three other Amazons also in the room. Sadly, none were behind the 'big desk', so I couldn't tell who was in charge. Two of the other three choices weren't too much better. First off,"Ishara," Marilynn Saint John stood to greet me. I'd last seen her when I'd dedicated her grandmother's (Hayden's) spirit to the halls of my ancestors, not hers, after forcing the political crisis leading to Hayden's suicide ~ her taking herself to the cliffs and in doing so, destroying the Amazon Cult of Blood Purity. Marilynne was clearly still bitter with me. Umm, I could still incite passion in women I hadn't slept with, yet, woot?"Cáel," the senior-most and only friendly face in the room spoke next. Thank goodness it was Beyoncé Vincennes, Head of House Hanwasuit and House Ishara ally."Cáel Ishara," the third individual was deferential which I wasn't sure how to take as the last time I'd encountered her, yeah, things hadn't gone well either."Beyoncé," I started off with a smile. From there, I had to figure out, ah, Beyoncé's eyes flickered to Constanza then Sabia. I knew Marilynn, with her young age, had the least seniority, "Constanza, Sabia, Marilynn. How's tricks?"Glum faces by everyone except Beyoncé. I didn't ask about Sabia's particular well-being. It had been months since I'd beaten her into the mats of the Full-blooded gym. She'd attacked Yasmin, the Brazilian Hottie and my Brazilian Jujutsu sparring buddy, and I'd retaliated by ambushed her when she turned her back on us. Besides, she'd been giving me shit before I even could see straight.Constanza was minus her left eye because of her dire insult to me. If she wasn't capable of working, she wouldn't be here. If she appreciated my 'mercy' in sparing her life ~ her insult was worthy of her death ~ Constanza hid it well. I hadn't spared her expecting a change of heart. I hadn't felt words alone warranted anyone's death. I was a big boy and could take a few insults. House Ishara, as represented by me, could care less. These days, my sisters would be less understanding despite them knowing my heart."Constanza Landau of House Jaya and Marilynn Saint John of House Anahit are Assistants to President Shawnee French," Beyoncé eased things along, "so will be working closely with us, at least for the short term. Sabia Noel of House Guabancex, who I now think you know as well, has joined you as the other 'Assistant' to the 'Executive Director to the President', (that would make me an 'adept', but adept at what?), and since two of the three Regents are unfamiliar with the workings of Havenstone proper, Shawnee has asked me to perform in that role."Beyoncé was, or had been, Havenstone HQ's CFO (Chief Financial Officer). From what I was quickly piecing together, she would essentially be making all the day-to-day decisions concerning the running of Havenstone (how the Host made the majority of its money) until the Regents got up to speed.Only Buffy had actual experience with the New York office and, from what she had told me, solely within Executive Services. While ES knew 'who' did what inside Havenstone, they weren't aware precisely how those Amazons got their jobs done. That would have been an impossible task. Katrina could do it, but she knew it was beyond the ability of most of us 'mere mortals'. Since we were currently at war, the Host needed Katrina completely focused on her duties as Chief Spy-mistress, not baby-sitting the adults.Shawnee indeed had much gravitas among the other House Heads. Not only had she risen up to lead a First House, she had performed heroically during the final days of the last Secret War. Afterwards she had moved into the realm of Amazon jurisprudence and mediation. Until yesterday, she had lived in a House Arinniti freehold in Minnesota's Great Lakes region thus her desire for the 'Training Wheels' period.The Regency would not rule through telecommunication (the upper echelons feared being eavesdropped upon beyond the standard Amazon (read: paranoid) levels) and Havenstone: New York was the center best situated for the current war-fighting operations, so here she lived. I was sure a team from Executive Services was buying, outfitting/spy-proofing and fortifying a dwelling suitable for the President of a Fortune 500 company. Hayden's home would remain the domicile of Sydney thus Marilynn.The same rigmarole would be done for Rhada and Buffy (though I imaged Buffy would bitch endlessly). Publically, they were VP's of a company worth hundreds of billions of dollars and they had to present the public trappings of such leaders.Why did the Amazons do this ~ unmask their leadership to public exposure? Legal-simple: they could request and expect all levels of public and private security for their executives who happened to also be important officials of the Host. Certainly not all executives at Havenstone were officeholders, House Heads, or House Apprentices, but the high level of competence which permitted one often led to the other.Beyonce:As an example: Beyoncé wasn't the most 'bad-ass' lethal chick in House Hanwasuit. As she was preparing to be casted, her intelligence, creativity and diligence at her future craft, finances, was noted by the Host and the members of her House. In due time her name was circulated as Apprentice and the elders approved. When her elder cousin, the prior House Head, took herself to the cliffs, Beyoncé assumed the top spot. Beyoncé wasn't even one of that woman's three daughters.Mirroring her advancement in her House was her advancement in Havenstone's Accounting, Acquisitions and Banking Divisions until she was appointed CFO Havenstone HQ ~ the supreme financial authority inside Havenstone, though the individual regional branches had a greater degree of autonomy than you might normally expect from a 21st century conglomerate, or a Bronze Age autocracy.I had to constantly remind myself, despite the near-constant feuding, Amazons exhibited a phenomenally higher level of trust than I'd ever found in any other society I'd ever witnessed, or read about, before. Though technically Beyoncé could have gone to President Hayden to enforce her decisions ~ or now the Regency ~ she was far more diplomatic in her approach in dealing with the other 'continental' CEO's and CFO's.That meant she had to wrangle the aspirations and resources from:North America (including Latin America, the 'Canadian Arctic' and the North Pacific Ocean),South America (includes both the South Atlantic and South Pacific as far as Samoa),Europe (mostly Central Europe these days plus Antarctica, the 'Russian' Arctic and the North Atlantic),Africa (mostly West-central Africa),India (the subcontinent plus the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean) and,Southeast Asia (which includes Australia)All of which suggested Havenstone hadn't redrawn the Amazons' geographic demarcations since the late 19th century. As an example, an East African venture, say in Tanzania, was as likely to be under the purview of Havenstone: India (due to its control over the Indian Ocean) as Havenstone: Africa (which traditionally had no East Coast holdings due to their constant struggles versus the Arabic slave trade).Returning to Beyoncé: initially she had held the proper 'conservative' (aka man-hating) mindset. My behavior during that first Board Meeting began to change her opinion of me and the New Directive. After the Archery Range incident, Beyoncé became a vocal proponent of the New Directive and faced challenges within her ranks. House Heads do not have to accept challenges and Beyoncé didn't, reasoning with her detractors they had no alternatives save the 'Old Ways' which spelled doom for the Amazon Race.Bing-bang-boom ~ I became the Head of a resurrected House Ishara by the Will of the Ancestors and Beyoncé was vindicated. Not necessarily in the New Directive, but in her support of me thus the rebirth of a sister First House. The purge following High Priestess' Hayden's death was her ultimate absolution. The Ancestors and Destiny had spoken and shown Beyoncé had been piloting House Hanwasuit along the proper course all along.Back to my current circumstances:Oh, why was I Assistant to the Executive Director to the President? It gave me direct access to the finances of Havenstone which was a critical leg of the war-fighting stool ~ people, morale, money and equipment. As Chief Diplomat, I helped with all four of those in varying degrees, allied troops, allied victories, allied bank accounts and allied armaments.The Great Khan, my spiritual 'Blood-Brother', was ramping up his logistic support for my Amazons in Africa, Asia and the Americas. We were 'Allies in the Struggle' and he wasn't going to wait for the Condottieri to begin coordinating with the Seven Pillars to declare them to be his enemies. They were already fighting the Amazons and 9 Clans, his allies, so their fates were sealed.In Japan, my Amazons provided small yet highly effective strike groups which the Ninja families furnished all the support services for. Everything from food to bullets to medical attention as needed. Without reservation, we shared their death-grapple with the Seven Pillars.From the dispatches I was getting back from my family members and envoys in Japan, we were making serious diplomatic inroads with the Ninja. Once again, it was the Amazons shocking capacity for violence as well as their fanaticism, professionalism and proficiency which all impressed our hosts and terrified our enemies, and this from people of a philosophical mindset which had them historically battling samurai.The Black Lotus were running around like rhesus monkeys on crack cocaine unleashed in a China Shop and given RPG's. While the Amazons couldn't help them in China, Indochina & Thailand ~ the Khanate could and was. The Amazons were of more help in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, where the Black Lotus and Amazons were going everywhere on the offensive against the Seven Pillars while the normal tight cohesion and iron-clad confidence, traits which made the 7P's so dangerous ~ were shaken by their horrendous losses in the 'Homeland' aka Mainland China.Less we forget, the 'military intelligence' wing of their organization had been decimated by the Khanate's Anthrax attack due to members of the Earth & Sky sacrificing themselves by being injected with the toxin then allowing themselves to be captured, which always ended in torture and death.Furthermore, the People's Republic of China, while having a scary 18% of the population either captured, imprisoned, dead, or displaced due to the Khanate invasion, that had come with the loss of 63% of their landmass (they had lost all of Nei Mongol, Ningxia & Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Regions, Qinghai and Gansu as well as 90% of Yunnan, 80% of Sichuan and 20% of Shaanxi provinces) to the Khanate and the 'abomination' that was a free Tibet.Then came the Russian 'stab in the back' which entailed the loss of another 10% of their people falling under foreign dominion as well as losing 8% of their most industrialized territory, Manchuria (Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces ~ the Nei Mongol portion of 'Manchuria' was in the Khanate's greedy clutches, from the viewpoint of a Seven P's warrior).Don't get me wrong, they weren't about to throw in the towel. If anything, they were becoming more dedicated to trying harder, digging deep into their knowledge of every atrocity, inhumanity and perversion now deemed necessary to re-chart history back onto its 'correct' path. It was this willingness to act in an even greater sociopathic manner which was being used against them. After all, the 7P's had plenty of proxy allies, who were starting to get really nervous about what their paymasters were now asking them to do,We Amazons were getting some extra special help too. The Booth-gan (Do not call them Thuggee ~ the confederate 9 Clan member based out of India though long since ensconced within various Hindi enclaves across the Globe) had created an all-female group of ultra-fanatical Kali-devotees ~ a gift for the upcoming battle fomented by the Will of the Goddess herself.While Aya was our Queen and the Regency would rule until she wished to assume command of the Amazon People, the nuts-and-bolts of the Host's activities were handled by Saint Marie as Golden Mare (our Minister of War) (technically she held the top spot due to our State of War, though no Golden Mare had ever exercised such authority over a Queen (and she definitely believed Aya was our Queen)), Katrina (as Minister of Intelligence and Security), Beyoncé (as Havenstone (the multinational corporation) ~ our Treasurer/Economic Tsarina) and me (our Foreign Minister).Saint Marie had decided to forgo a public face in order to better facilitate her moving around to various battle fronts and holding clandestine meetings with her junior regional commanders. Her Havenstone corporate title was 'Chief of Security Training and Certification'. As an extra level of deception, the head of Security Services wasn't even a Director-level position, instead being folded into the duties of the Office of the President.To my current circumstances ~ I had been given Constanza's house name which could only mean she wasn't currently assigned to the Security Detail; a fact that couldn't have made her bad attitude any better. Marilynn had completely lost her way as an Amazon when I first met her, burying her pain and confusion in endless partying and intoxicants. I believed only her grandmother's status as High Priestess kept her from the severest of reprimands, or death. I didn't even know what Marilynn's caste was. Sabia,"While I'm sure you are both far more qualified than I, precisely how did you two get these jobs?" I had to ask my two non-coworkers. Constanza glowered. Marilynn flinched."I have an in depth knowledge of Havenstone security procedures and resources," Constanza replied."Shawnee requested me," was Marilynn's comeback. "I also have intimate knowledge of the City of New York and its environs.""Actually, Buffy Ishara recommended you both to Shawnee," Beyoncé corrected their misconceptions. I knew the score. I'd be working intimately with the tight community around the President (Shawnee) and Vice Presidents (Buffy & Rhada). Buffy wanted me to be surrounded by women who hated my guts, so I wouldn't end up boinking them. It rarely worked that way. All too often ladies who hated my still-beating heart ended up punishing me with sex. I wasn't sure why that happened, but it did."Beyoncé, didn't the Chief Diplomat of the Host have her own office? I'm pretty sure Troika had one before her unfortunate collision with Saint Marie," I felt entitled to inquire."Do you feel you've earned that office space?" she riposted."Oh, fuck no!" I waved my hands one over the other to accentuate my denial. "I was just wondering where I could stick Juanita while I'm hanging around, here.""She has the desk right outside the door, Cáel," Beyoncé smiled knowingly. "So there is no way you can sneak past her.""Oh," I grunted. "Buffy again?""No. Pamela Pile put in that particular request.""Oh, Sweet Mother of God, now she is conspiring against me too?""Yes. Some of us realize the greatest hazard to your health is yourself, Ishara," Beyoncé chided me. "We'd like to keep you around, so we listen to those charged with that nigh impossible task.""Is she going to be hanging around the office often?" Constanza asked, either myself, Juanita, or Beyoncé; I wasn't sure. She = Pamela."Please, Constanza," I attempted to intervene, "don't make Pamela kill you. It will upset Mona." Constanza's scowl was accentuated by the eyepatch covering her ruined left socket, the one Pamela had carved out when Constanza had insulted me and House Ishara on our first day of rebirth. I didn't tell Juanita this, because Juanita might just shoot Constanza over the insult before Pamela got a chance to finish the job.The tension was palatable."Mona and I have talked, about Romania, and other things," Constanza grudgingly allowed. It took me a second to realize there was a hidden meaning to what she said. Mona was part of my personal Security Detail bodyguard unit. If she felt Constanza, the woman who had raised her after her birth-mother had died, was a threat to me, she'd feel duty-bound to snuff Constanza first. Amazons were hard-ass bitches alright and I think Mona had made that clear."I hope things can improve between us," I offered to Constanza. "Beyoncé, I just stopped in to say 'hey'. I'm off to JIKIT and I've got three of the Pope's people waiting on me in the garage so,""Vice President Varma requested a moment of your time," Beyoncé smirked. "She is in 2604.""Who?""Vice President Rhada Varma, a moment of your time, alone?" she clarified."Sure thing," I backed out of the office. Once I had some space, I turned to Juanita. "Give me three minutes then bust in and say, I don't know, a tsunami is about to overwhelm the city, or something. Otherwise, I won't get out for at least an hour and I think I've put the Bishop and his people through enough delays as it is.""Are you actually asking me to stop you from having an in-office liaison?" she studied me intently as we walked in the direction of Rhada's office."Yes. It's not likely to happen often, believe me.""Oh, I do, in that you won't ask me to do it often," she grumbled. I'd deal with Juanita's morale problem later. Right now, I had to gird my loins so they wouldn't do anything else with Rhada. I had work to do, damn it!Rhada was sitting at her desk, working on something, stylus raised up so she could chew on the end. Her hair was pulled back in a half-ponytail, the type that captured the rear half of the hair in a ponytail while leaving the front and bangs free to flow down. Rhada's blouse was white & billowy and, as I was soon to discover, her pants were ultra-tight and contour hugging."Mr. Nyilas," she greeted me. "I would like a moment of your time," she relayed what I already knew. She was more than a tad nervous to boot."Vice President Varma," I started off."When in private you may call me Rhada," she interrupted."Rhada, you look more ravishing than ever."That got up her and coming around her desk, which revealed her ultra-tight pants with no sign of her wearing underwear. Yikes! My cock was preparing to do what a cock was meant to do and I just didn't have the time, Really!"Do you have any time?" she let her bosom heave."Not today, ugh," I groaned. See, Rhada took the stylus and dragged it down her chin, throat and in between her bountiful mounds.All of which exposed the top of her black bra."Are you sure, Master?" she enticed me by turning around and then leaning over her desk, point that ass in my direction. My mouth began salivating and my groin ached. I found myself quick-stepping to her and giving those buttocks two firm slaps, one on each cheek."No, damn it, though I'm going to make you pay for this when I get back," I rumbled."Master will make me wait?" she taunted me."That will cost you even more," I growled. "I have business which simply won't wait and here is my captive teasing me with the treasures of her flesh. Bad, war captive," I spanked her yet again, hard. "Bad!" and I spanked her a fourth time. With each beating, Rhada gasped in pain and then exhaled in pleasure."If I've been bad, Master must be extra harsh with me when he returns in triumph from the Great Hunt," she gloated. Rhada had gotten what she wanted, which was another affirmation of my lust for her and our 'game'. I could provide her the release she so desperately craved while allowing her the safety of remaining in the Amazon fold. It was a perfect pairing, for her.I had other problems, such as all the other baby mamas in my life plus the extra-marital affairs I was contemplating. I still took the moments we had to snuggle with Rhada, her grinding that tush into my rod while I held both her arms tightly to her side while raining kisses down onto her neck and head."Sir! A giant tsunami is approaching the city!" Juanita exploded through the door."What?" I coughed. I had a face full of hair."Huh?" Rhada pushed up and away from me. I let her go."Right now," Juanita insisted. She really needed to stop taking me so seriously when I gave her such advice."Really?" from Rhada. She shot me a curious look so I shrugged. What else was I supposed to do with such a flimsy lie forcing our separation? At least I got out of there on time?{9:50 am, Monday, September 8th ~ Last day}(JKIT HQ)"Is this a common occurrence?" Sister Rafaela Sophia whispered to the closest woman, who happened to be Wiesława, the Polish Amazon. Since she hadn't arrived with us from Havenstone, the nun might have assumed she was with the 'Americans', or British."What?" Wiesława responded evenly."Weapons combat, they look real," the nun clarified."They are real. We always practice with real weapons.""Really?""Of course," Wiesława smiled at her. "We believe a few cuts and scrapes now will save lives when the true tests come.""Oh, you are with, Havenstone?" Rafaela clued in."Yes. I am Wiesława of House Živa. I am currently assigned to Unit L, Cáel's unit within JIKIT," she offered her hand to shake. Despite being a full-blooded Amazon from a freehold, her 'human' skills were progressing nicely. The nun shook it."I am Sister Rafaela Sophia of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that is a Roman Catholic Religious Order." Pause. "Do you hate Catholics too?""Yes. We have lived beside your people for many centuries and found your clergy to be much more dangerous than your pagan predecessors. Still, Cáel thinks you can be relied on and he's proven we can trust outsider women, which I was raised to believe was unlikely, and outsider men, which was basically anathema, so I'm willing to set aside my prejudices and judge you as an individual," the Pole imparted."Outsider men?" Rafaela mumbled."Well, yes," Wiesława smirked. "You are a nun, right?""Yes.""So you set aside the World of Men to live mostly among women, right?""Not entirely," the nun chose her words carefully. "We still rely on priests for religious rights and of course obey the life teachings of Christ and follow the leadership of his Holiness, the Pope, a man.""No one is perfect," the Amazon bantered back."Do you know the teachings of our Lord, Jesus Christ?" Rafaela ventured into dangerous waters."Yes. He was the semi-historical Son of your supposed One True God. We are not monotheists. We are Polytheists. Živa is my House's matron Goddess. It is also the name of the first woman to lead the House, her birth name surrendered to Destiny so all the daughters who came afterwards would be equals.""Oh, is Mr. Nyilas also pagan?" she inquired."I am unsure. From what I have been told, he has commended the spirit of his fallen father to your Jesus in a sacred ceremony then, in the presence of your Trinity and the Goddess Ishara, brought in new members to his House. I suspect he may be both," Wiesława reasoned. "Why don't you ask him?""Because he's fighting for his life?" Rafaela looked my way.See, the entire time their discussion had been going on, I had been sparring in a spare room at JIKIT HQ with Estere Abed, the Hashashin assassin (rather redundant ~ like saying the Sahara Desert). I had two tomahawks while she had a scimitar and curved dagger. While we sparred using the furniture as obstacles, Agent-86 was briefing me on various World events to get my input.Addison Stuart (CIA) and Lady Fathom Worthington-Burke (MI-6) were having a chat with Bishop Nicolé de Santis, verifying for themselves he was worth adding to the team. Juanita was having a similar discussion with Rikki Martin (US State Department) concerning my earlier encounter with the Papal team. Nicolé's buddy, Wachtmeister Mathias Bosshart of the Swiss Guard, was getting acquainted with the other security personnel.In comparison, those two had it easy. Both men were in their elements. Nicolé was a spook who pretended to be a diplomat for the Pope and was well acquainted with terms like 'deniable assets', 'plausible deniability' and your direct superior referring to requests concerning your identity/diplomatic status by saying 'I never heard of him and if I had, I have no idea what he was doing when you caught him doing what I don't know what he was doing', or something like that.Mathias was in the company of military-security specialists, brother professionals who were introducing him to his 'sister' professionals. Our Homeland Security gang were almost entirely former military by now. They got along with our JSOC folks and both had gained a limited acceptance with the Amazon security contingent.They bonded over the fact they were forced to work with really shady characters ~ the 9 Clans menagerie ~ who didn't always appreciate JIKIT operational security. Without going into particulars, the Wachtmeister was given the impression the abnormal was the norm and if you didn't think there was a 'down-side' to being able to carry your personally favorite bang-bang (the SG 552-2P Commando in his case) with some serious attachments (read: grenade launcher) around in downtown Manhattan, you probably didn't belong on this team.Back in the room,"He's not fighting for his life," Estere laughed. "He is fighting for mine.""Right," I responded sarcastically. We went through a flurry of exchanges, ending up with me kicking a chair at her. Estere stepped over it, colliding with me.I blocked her dagger, disarmed her scimitar and,"You are dead," she panted down at me, smiling. I was on my back, her straddling me. She had a belt-knife to my throat. I hadn't see her draw it. The scimitar 'disarm' had been a distraction."Woot!" I exhaled."But you're dead," Sister Rafaela misunderstood my good humor."He survived a minute and thirty-four seconds more today than his previous record," Estere responded. She slithered off of me, doing my arousal no good whatsoever, then offered me a hand up."And that's better?""He's a rank amateur with a few months on the job. I've been training to kill people for nearly two decades," Estere smiled. "Care to have a go?""With him, or you?""Either," Estere offered."I don't have a knife, or any hand weapons," she stated."We'll need to remedy that," Wiesława stated. "You should at least carry a knife.""Really? Why?""It is a nearly universal tool," I verbally stepped up. "Even if you are disarmed, you should be able to find one relatively easily, people are less likely to miss a stolen knife than a purloined gun, and a concealed blade could come in handy.""Do you train in knife-work?" Rafaela eye-balled me."Absolutely. It is part of my culture," I grinned."Okay. Can we spar, hand-to-hand?""Sure," I nodded. I put my tomahawks in their harnesses then put my harnesses aside. Estere gave me a wink before giving us the fighting space."So," Rafaela began to circle, "are you Christian?""By your definition, or mine?""By the definition of the Catholic Church."Oh cool, she went for a Savate stance. This was going to get ugly.My "no," was followed by her kick and my block, lunge and grapple. She wasn't nearly as good as Felix. I had her down and in a choke hold within fifteen seconds.Perhaps she thought I'd take it easy on her. She tapped out. I released her, retreated and flowed back to my boxing stance. It took her a moment to realize this was 'practice', not 'an interview'. She hadn't failed in anyone's eyes. We were both doing this to get better."See, I really, truly believe I have talked to supernatural entities ~ some who are considered divinities," I continued. This time she was more careful, trading jabs and blocks with me. "They don't claim to be the One True God. I believe in such a thing, but I also believe having been given the Message, Humanity has been left to muddle things out for ourselves."Whoops, she popped me one."The Woman-Thing this morning?""Yep," I evaded another flurry. She got cocky and I landed three blows, dropping her to the ground. I didn't help her up. Instead, I withdrew and let her get back up on her own before deciding if she wanted to continue. She did."I believe I've seen dragons and ghosts. I have felt legions of my ancestors give me quiet encouragement when I needed it. I know the dead have been brought back to life," I came at her. This time we both went for body blows, knees, elbows and fists. She was not SD-caliber and she needed to be. I grappled and she was forced to tap out again. After she regained her feet, she held up a hand for a pause."Do you believe any of that?" she addressed Estere."I am an adherent of Ismaili Islam yet nothing Cáel has encountered is contrary to my belief system. The Universe is a complex place and the Divine Light is often seen through a fractured lenses," she counseled the nun."Among the escapees were lawyer Francisco Luemba, Catholic Priest Raul Tati, economist Belchior Lanso Tati and former policeman Benjamin Fuca who are serving jail sentences of between three and six years each for supposed links to the rebel group FLEC (Frente para a Libertaé'o do Enclave de Cabinda), which carried out the attack on the Togolese football team at the start of the Africa Cup of Nations in January, 2010," Agent-86 read off yet another bit of global minutia."We need to get to them," I half turned. Sister Rafaela punched me in the gut and I folded up."Oh!" she gasped. "I'm sorry.""Okay," I mumbled. I had to keep with the plan. "Those men. We need to contact our Coils people in Kinshasa and the Warden of the Mountain Ways ('she' was the Amazon Host's leader of Africa ~ in the ancient times, the mountain ways had been the routes of southern vulnerability for the Amazon tribe thus the name).""Okay," both Agent-86 and Estere answered."Why?" 86 added."The Coils and the Host have had a serious problem with no nation in Africa giving them even back room recognition so we are going to take over our own country, Cabinda. It's been struggling to be free of Angola since 1975 and, by latest estimates, we've got strike elements of over 2,000 Amazons ready and waiting next door in Cameroon, Gabon and the Republic of Congo.""So you are going to go to war with Angola?" Estere frowned. "Don't we have enough enemies?""Au contraire," I grinned wickedly. "The resistance movement is genuine," I ticked off my points, "they have tons of offshore oil, and after we set off some spectacular explosions in the two main Angolan ports which are just down the coast, we allow global panic to bully the UN into intervening before the Angolan military launch an effective counter-offensive ~ considering the Angolan Armed Forces (I'd been reading up on a ton of CIA & MI-6 briefings) will most likely involve attrition warfare since they can't beat us in a stand-up fight.""They, the Angolans, have no overland access, they are separated by 60 kilometers of territory belonging to the Democratic Republic of Congo over some sad ass roads Plus the Congo River itself which is freaking huge by the time it gets that close to the Atlantic, Cabinda rests on the Atlantic Ocean by the way. No bridges. The Angolan Navy is anemic. Let me think."I began pacing."Hmm, they have no paratroopers though they have some Special Forces, we will need to hit as many of them in the barracks as we can. Their last invasion was from the north, overland, from the Republic of the Congo, in 1975, not likely to happen this time, though I may have my 'Brother' weasel up a battalion of Indian paratroopers to act as convincing peacekeepers after the initial take over.""Perhaps we can recruit some Vietnamese. I'm sure they'll love fighting in someone else's jungle for a change. We'll need some of 'our' guys to seize the port of Soyo, it is on the wrong side of the river, but has the major refinery the Cabindans will need. Since the entire surrounding province are the same ethnic make-up as the Cabindans, we'll have to take that too.""Man-o-man, I bet by the time this is over they'll really wish they'd given little Cabinda independence back in 1975. As for their other refinery, it is in their capital, Luanda, a few big explosions there too will get the markets jittery. Check that ~ the complete and utter destruction of their major petroleum facility will create a stampede for Peace," I continued. I walked over as our resident computer intelligence genius worked his magic."Blowing things up, you mean killing people," the nun blanched."Yes. This is what I do," I spared her a sympathetic glance. "I've got a madman roaming around in my head who provides me truly epic military advice which normally, but not always, means blowing shit up and killing folks. Welcome to the team," then as the data appeared, "Holy Shit! Did they build their oil refinery in the midst of their ghetto?" I was staggered. The refinery in Soyo was isolated from the town so it could be easily (and safely) seized. It was the one in Luanda which was the 'Holy Shit' site."It looks that way," Agent-86 agreed nonplussed. "Hmm, yeah, here is the port facility then your neighborhood of shoddily constructed one- and two-story dwellings between the refinery and the inland storage tanks, the perimeter barrier appears to be a chain link fence. I'd hate to be their Chief of Security.""Oh yeah," I choked. Estere slipped around to get a look."Whoops," she snorted."What are these people thinking?" I continued. "The whole shebang is exposed to the northern quarter of the city. The storage tanks have residential dwellings on all four sides with numerous side streets. Two teams with RPGs and four rounds apiece, Holy Crap. Sorry Sister.""But I want to save lives," she sputtered."Limiting the collateral damage could be pretty tough," Estere frowned. She toggled throw a series of maps to multiple pictures."Oh, look (dripping sarcasm); they light up the refinery at night. You can sit off the coast in a speed boat under cover of darkness and attack from there," she noted."Damn. Those are a lot of lights," Agent-86 agreed."24-7 operation," I suspected."We will need some experts," the government agent nodded."Or we are going to kill a fuck-load of innocent people. Not just the workers, but can you imagine a fire spreading to those neighborhoods? Shit," I muttered."You can't seriously be contemplating doing something like this," the nun sputtered. "It is inhumane. Think of the families, the children.""Lady, yes I am. Do you have any idea what the Human Rights record of the Angolan Army in Cabinda is? It is truly horrific and in case you missed it, one of the guys in dire need of rescuing by me, due to him being a huge rebel leader who has managed to escape, is also a Catholic priest. He's going to be part of the new government we are going to install once we kill a few hundred Angolans ~ mostly soldiers (more like well over a thousand).""We are going to kill a few hundred so a few hundred thousand can live free, democratic lives without worrying about the local police and political establishment torturing and murdering them. It is all part of the plan.""I think I need to talk with the Bishop.""Hang on. Let me finish," I forestalled her. "He'll get briefed along with everyone else. After all, it is a majority Roman Catholic country as is Angola, so I'm sure your guy can be of immense help.""The people you are putting at risk don't deserve this," she protested."They never do," I nodded in agreement with her. "It rarely stops terrible crap from happening to them though."I felt sorry for the Sister. She thought the Bishop was going to put a stop to this. Poor girl; he was going to do the exact opposite. See, the two competing forces at play here were a communistic kleptocracy (currently ruling Angola) and Catholic liberation theology united with a Cabindan national identity dating back to 1885. At stake was 900,000 barrels a day of petroleum. That was a bunch of funding for somebody. Last I checked, the state run energy conglomerate had misplaced $32 billion, in just three years.Mind you, the Coils of the Serpent and the Amazon Host didn't want to help the People of Cabinda out of the goodness of their hearts either. They wanted cover for the importation of weapons and other war-fighting material so they could kill the Condottieri in Africa. If the rebel leaders-turned-legitimate government didn't play ball well, the Coils were in the 'assassinating people' business and somewhere along the line the survivors would figure out keeping 'us' happy kept them alive. Problem solved.It was Bishop Nicolé de Santis' job to facilitate that understanding. If certain people with Vatican credentials explained the 'facts of life' to the new regime a lot more lives could be saved, Catholic lives. In turn, he could work to make sure the new group in power wasn't nearly as corrupt as the gang we were tossing out. Better education and quality of life, improved infrastructure & security and a nice shiny cathedral, or two.We, as in JIKIT and our component members, didn't want to rule the country and dominate the people's lives. We needed the ports and the airfields with a blind eye turned to our skullduggery. Sure, there would be future considerations. Amazons and Coil members would be fighting and dying for these people's freedom ~ public recognition definitely not required. No; the Amazons wanted to be left alone in their deep jungle homes which was an isolation they basically already had. This was a future chit which said 'don't come looking'.The Coils? Let's just say in the future Cabinda would have embassies around the globe and if occasionally they wanted someone to slip through under diplomatic cover ~ they were good for it. And if the Cabindans ever needed help in the future they knew they had friends in dark places who were now invested in Cabinda's survival. It was a win-win-win, unless you were an Angolan big-wig, or one of their foot-soldier currently serving in Cabinda. Amazons weren't big on taking prisoners, or even giving the opposition the option of giving up.For me, it wasn't lunch yet and here I was plotting to overthrow yet another government in yet another country ~ though in only two, small provinces this time. Thank the Goddess I had the rest of the week

Here is the re-released Frau Perchta and Gryla episode from December 2019. Both figures are part of the folklore of winter hags or "Christmas witches", who often represent the dangers of being unprepared for the winter season. 

The Imagination is Greater than the Will: Dismantling Fear, Media Myths, and the Path to True HealingThis special episode of Find Your Daily Calm is a rebroadcast from ELi Abela's popular podcast, Biohacking and Beyond with ELi Abela, where she and I explore fear, media influence, and the hidden power of the subconscious mind.We discuss how mainstream media reinforces limiting beliefs, the role of Germanic healing knowledge in rethinking health, and why imagination can be a stronger force than willpower in the healing process. ELi also unpacks the nature of viruses, biological responses to conflict, and the body's innate ability to restore balance.This episode challenges conventional wisdom and encourages you to take a deeper look at your own health, mindset, and beliefs.For more details about ELi's amazing podcast, Biohacking and Beyond with ELi Abela, check out this episode's show notes.Take a deep breath—this is a conversation that just might shift your perspective.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/biohacking-and-beyond-with-eli-abela/id1706003376Our Sponsors:* Check out Rejoyn: https://www.rejoyn.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/find-your-daily-calm/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

No Longer An Enemy.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels."My Sister wished to know if you speak Mandarin," the brother translated for me."Hi, I'm Cáel," I greeted him. "Who are you guys?" He looked to one of the two goons holding on to me. I received a painful kidney punch. I discovered a whole new super-power. It hurt for about two seconds then nothing."I asked you a question," he repeated."No, I don't speak Mandarin," I lied so well it came across as a dour confession."Yet you know the secretive language of the Earth & Sky," he stated."Yes, I do. I have a thing for dead languages. Maybe in a few more years, I'll pick up your Mother Tongue as well," I bantered.No punishment was immediately meted out, so I suspected no one close to me, besides him, spoke much if any English. Jian Bob (my new name for him) didn't relay my insult. I wasn't worth it. He went straight for the reason for our get-together."You are going to die, Mr. Nyilas. That is a given," J B began."We both know you have done enough damage to our cause to be worthy of elimination a hundred times over. I'm going to show you respect by not lying to you about your possible fate. What you can do is save your young companion. We understand you two are close," he appealed in a very polite manner. Aya snickered."Cáel, these people are mentally challenged," she giggled to me, "or hideously misinformed.""I know, I know," I smiled down at Aya. "Still, they have gone through a great deal of effort to insult our intellect today, so let's humor them a little longer." Jian Bob issued several casual orders.In short order, a third man had hold of me by the jaw with one hand while trying to hold my eyelids open with the other. One guard held her by the shoulders. A second held her right hand, extending her ring finger. A third man held a knife to her top knuckle. A forth stood close with a small blowtorch."She may be a small person, Mr. Nyilas, but she can still die by the Death of a Thousand cuts," he explained."I love you, Aya," I told her softly."I love you too, Fehér mén," she succeeding in keeping most of the fear from her voice.Neither one of us could stop this. Aya certainly didn't expect me to compromise the Host for her benefit. She was as much an Amazon as the first Epona."First, I wish to know what alerted you to the attack at the Summer Camp," Bob began the interrogation."We know you were responsible. We want to know what happened." I looked into his eyes and waited patiently. He nodded to the guard, who shoved my face toward Aya's extended finger until I was less than a foot away."Do it." The Order came in Mandarin.The guard cut the top part of the digit off, one knuckle. I looked at the flesh and bone being cut away. In a clinical manner, I noted how sharp the blade was. I saw the blood shoot forth and heard Aya's little voice cry out in pain. I was pulled back and pointed at Jian Bob again."Do I need to repeat the question for you?" he said."No, I caught it the first time," I grimaced. "It tells me that you haven't the slightest idea who you are fucking with." Bob made a slight hand gesture and the blowtorch cauterized Aya's stump. Her little lungs belted out a terrible screech that wound down as her feet gave out and she hung limply in the guard's grip."Revive her." The blowtorch guy, clearly not his first day on the job, snapped some smelling salts under her noise. Aya revived, sobbing and in a great deal of pain."Cáel," she whimpered. "I have found my stillness. I'll be okay now." Her sobs subsided."Shall we try this again?" J B remained coolly polite, almost urbane."Nah," I joked, "we are both pretty good over here.""Again." The Mandarin order came. Off went another digit of her ring finger. This time her scream was much more exuberant and forceful. We all know it hurt like Hell, but the world had turned."He's going to kill all of you," Aya snickered while she sobbed. "You are all going to die.""Mu, what is the little girl saying?" she asked Jian Bob, real name Mu."She is stating her belief that Cáel will somehow kill us all," he and his sister shared the joke. "Let us see what her tune is when they start in on her left hand," the woman smiled at her sibling.That implied they'd cut off her right thumb and fingers, digit by digit, until one, or both of us cracked. The man nodded and Aya's nub was burned again. Her scream was more of a cleansing shout."Cáel, do you think I will have a nice horse to ride when I join Epona's herds, or will I get a pony?" Aya whimpered."Not a clue," I began before Mu had the face-hugging guard apply a finger strike to my solar plexus. Alal's gift had allowed me to partially organize my brain functions. Coping with pain was a whole lot easier now, but I had to be careful to monitor it because pain was Nature's way of letting you know that there was something wrong with your body."What color would you like me to pick up and have waiting for you," punch, "when you finally take yourself to the cliffs?""Again.""This is accomplishing nothing," the senior bald Mo Fo grumbled. "He clearly cares nothing for the child and has been trained in counter-interrogation techniques.""There is nothing to indicate that," Mu bristled."Xiàsh, burn the tip of his left forefinger," senior necromancer commanded. The guy holding my face coordinated with the men holding my arms to free me of my bonds and wrestle my left arm forward. I didn't bother resisting.It didn't take the commandoes long to figure I had stopped caring. On came the flame and the pain. Oh, I screamed. The pain was real. What had changed was my ability to shuffle it off to an isolated memory file to be tackled later. The bald creep stepped into my field of vision. His eyes were windows to the abyss. My "spirit" sight opened my eyes to the truly inhuman sections of his mind and soul."See, normal techniques will not be affective. We will do it, " and they realized the enormity of their mistake by assuming I was paralyzed by the pain. I broke free of the guy on my left and began twisting around the guy on my right. I wasn't getting away, I was going for his QCW O5. I knew their favorite martial arts styles and their weaponry now.The guy I was rolling behind realized what I was doing (going for his gun), but mistook my intentions. I wasn't trying to get away, or steal the gun (still strapped to his body). That cockhead even helped me out by lurching ground-ward. I swung the gun up, hit the selector and fired two quick bursts.The first three rounds hit Mr. Blowtorch in his right thigh, shredding it. The second burst caught Mr. Knife guy in the crotch, a triple 21mm castration. Had Blowtorch Guy not been busy trying to keep the strands of his right hip connected to his right leg, he could have stopped the blood fountaining from his buddies shattered groin. That was the end of my joy.I was born to the ground and the guy whose gun I'd borrowed pulled away. I hit the concrete surface hard. That was only the beginning of my issues. Radiating from the floor was cold beyond cold. I had the sensation of falling into the heart of a cold, dead star. How I even knew what the felt like was an impossibility."He feels very cold," protested one of the two guards, in Mandarin; pulling me back to my feet groused."If your incompetence has led to his terminal condition," the male twin threatened. I felt the approach of the female twin, her reaching for me. A new intense pain seared me to the cores of my bones. Before she yanked my hair up, my body reignited.I found myself stared into her pitiless eyes that regarded me with the casual callousness of a veterinarian preparing to put down some rabid stray dog. She ran three fingers over my cheek."What are you babbling about?" she snapped at the two commandoes. "If anything, he is feverish.""Zhen, have him sedated," Chief Necromancer demanded. "Mu, now we will do this my way." Once more I was bound. Someone stabbed a needle into my right triceps. That was a mere discomfort. If I had any consolation, it was hearing Mu ordering the execution of the two men I'd shot.They didn't have the time and facilities to tend to their immediate emergency needs and taking them to a trauma center wasn't going to happen. Those two went into body bags. I had to assume they would be joining us on the plane, though they'd be in the cargo compartment."What are you smiling at?" I heard Zhen snapping before my world collapsed down to a pinhole of light."Lady, I don't know what you said," Aya declared happily. "You are probably angry that Cáel has already killed two of you and we haven't even got off the ground yet." I heard a sound I couldn't make out followed by another and finally a third. That resulted in an Aya-squeak. Ah, she'd tried to hit Aya and Aya had dodged the first two blows. Good girl."Cáel isn't going to like you doing that," Aya chirped."Aya's a winner," I mumbled. I wasn't in control of my senses when they dragged me onto a waiting jet. I wasn't worried. With Aya at my side, I was invincible.DreamingI looked at her face, so youthful, beautiful in her own way, yet far from innocent. She bore a terrible weight. The armor she was wearing, that of a heavy horseman of the steppe, was a leather coat, chain links over her vulnerable regions (throat, underarms and skirt), with the rest being covered by darkened bronze plates.Her iron helmet was open-faced with mobile plates covering her cheeks as well as the sides and the back of her neck; it bore a white horse-hair plume, it was the only feature of her panoply that would draw any special attention her way. She carried no shield. Instead, she wielded a powerful horn & sinew composite recurve bow. She used her knees to rise up on her mount and fire over the mare's head.Similarly attired women rode close to either side of this young woman. Both were older; one in her early forties and the other ~ late thirties. The one to the left bore a lance, not in the couched fashion most people today are familiar with, but used in a double-handed over-head fighting style.The woman to the right fought with a strange blade. It wasn't saber ~ an ancestor of that blade perhaps. It was about a meter long, no hand guard, single-edged except for the top 4 cm on the back side which was equally sharp. Her left hand remained free. I think I saw her purpose. If the young woman got into difficulty, her guardian on the right could pull her horse away and lead the woman to safety.Behind and beside those three rode perhaps three hundred of their sisters. Those in the center were as heavily armored as those three. On each flank were the lighter, faster bow-women, on smaller steeds. The women in the center rode larger mounts that were good for carrying weight and pushing home a charge, while the flanking steppe ponies were virtually tireless.In the center, identified only by her long golden-mane helm, was the Golden Mare ~ War Leader of the Host. The Amazons didn't fly pennants or carry banners. They judged the course of battle by that woman's head movements (the mane was quite long) and the shrill horn blasts unique to the Amazons.Let the barbarians have the all too common deep booming horns calls and their totems raised high for the world to see. Let the Romans keep their trumpets and Legion standards. Amazons had been putting those fools in their graves from time immemorial. Right now, those horns had summoned the Host to a trot.The Hun, Attila, had tasked the Sarmatian Chieftain, under whose banner they rode, to deal with another crisis, the third this short day. Once more, they directed their horses over Catalaunian Fields. The Ostrogoth had gotten themselves into a world of trouble, those filthy, stinking Germans (why was I even thinking that way?)First the Amazons had ridden forth on Attila's right, reinforcing the allied Germanic tribes on the Right Wing in their attempt to force a wedge between Aetius' Romans and King Sangiban's Alans. They'd shown the fools the way, but the supporting Gepids cavalry was too timid and by the time they began to approach, the Golden Mare had been forced to sound 'retire'.The Roman auxiliary cavalry, though of poor quality, had plugged the gap. The Host were too few and too valuable (in their estimation) to die holding a position that their 'allies' might not rescue them from. Next, they had been directed to attack the center of the Alan cavalry line in support of the Huns.Despite the cowardice of their king, the Alans were hardy fighters and too accustomed to the style of steppe warfare that the Host practiced to be lured away from their position. Arrows were exchanged and brief, brutal skirmishes developed, but no advantage was gained. With their mounts exhausted, the Golden Mare had ordered the Host to retired to their camp to water their horses and refill their quivers.That bit of common sense and tactical wisdom placed them in their present crisis. Their Ostrogoth allies had been beating themselves against their Visigoth cousins all afternoon, charging up the same cursed slope that any sane commander would have found a way to flank. No, the Germans had failed seven times using the same plan, so they tried an eighth.Miraculously, they had gained a toehold on the ridgeline and killed the Visigothic King. Like a mob of mindless farmers, the Ostrogoths stopped to celebrate their 'victory' and taunt the Visigoths with the mutilated body of their fallen leader. The Visigoths had been properly incensed and counter-attacked. That's what Princes were for, to avenge their fallen Sires.As the Host exited the Hunnic laager, they'd seen the calamity unfold. The wavering Visigoth infantry had stiffened their line. Believing the Ostrogoths would press forward, the Horse-tail banner of Attila himself broke away from the central Hunnic body, pivoted to his left and thundered into the Visigoth's exposed flank.In the din of battle, it may have looked to the Great Warlord that he had a vanishing opportunity for victory. From the valley below, it was much clearer to the Amazons that the moment to break the Visigothic infantry had passed. The Huns were too tired; their mounts frothing from a long, hot afternoon of battle. Without a swift follow-through, the attack was doomed.At that point, headlong flight for the Amazons wasn't possible. Their long term survival hung on the Hunnic King keeping his Germanic 'allies' in line. They were still somewhere in eastern Roman Gaul, with the Rhine to ford and a land thick with perpetually vicious, blood-thirsty, crotch-scratching, flea-bitten Germanic barbarians to cross before they saw the green rolling hills of home again.No, the Golden Mare, and that young lady knew they had to do something to stem the tide of this disaster for another hour, then darkness would force the combatants to separate so they could try their hand at battle the next day. As the Golden Mare rode to the Sarmatian Chieftain, a rider came through the dust from Attila. The Visigothic cavalry had returned with a vengeance and the Ostrogoths were folding up.The Sarmatians (with their attached Amazons) were to 'somehow' repair the situation. As the Chieftain, the Golden Mare and three Sarmatian tribal leaders hastily discussed the actions. They saw the Hunnic Right, under hard pressure from the Roman attack, beginning to disintegrate. Of immediate concern was the rift opening up between the retreating Hunnic Gepids and the Hunnic horsemen holding the center.King Sangiban had finally discovered his manhood. The Alans attacked through that gap in the Hunnic lines and a rout was in the offing. The Sarmatian Leader decided he had to answer Attila's call. The Golden Mare offered to take her Amazons and whichever tribal leader volunteered first to ride with her against the Alans.She drew her sword and held it aloft then motioned the Sarmatians to look at her shadow."We will hold them off until the length of our swords double (the shadow). Then we are all on our own," she offered. There was no further discussion necessary. There was nothing else to say. The Host and their allies had the fresher horses and full quivers.The Alans had numbers but no heavy horse present, yet. The Host had answered Attila's call to war and now, nearly a year away from their homes in the forested steppe lands of modern-day Bukovina. At that moment they were wondering how few of them would ever see their horse herds roaming free this side of life.That was where my vision came in ~ that woman was 'Ishara', the last of my major bloodline of the first Ishara and this was the last hour of her life. The other two women were the only other two members of that vanishing bloodline. One was her aunt and the other a cousin. Despite the dire peril to their lineage, they joined their sisters in battle.Even though they were outnumber 2 to 1, the Amazons swept aside the first burst of Alans, scattering their bands and hunting the slowest of them down. Rushing alone to fill the gaping hole in the main battle lines was to abandon all tactical sense. Eighty Amazon heavy horse and perhaps twenty more Sarmatians ~ they were integrated now ~ alone simply weren't enough.For the roughly 300 lightly armored horse-archers, it would be a pointless suicide and that was not the Amazon way. Instead, they scattered the initial Alan rush then gently trotted back down the slope. Of course, the Alans regrouped and followed. It was the battle pulse of steppe skirmishing.By simply existing, they turned the rushing wave of that first Alan charge into a slowly strengthening tide. The Alans' mounts were tired and in need of water. Their quivers were nearly empty and some were seen at the top of the slope looting the quivers of the fallen. Whenever they could, the Amazons killed those clever souls.Killing an archer closer to you who only had two arrows left wasn't as economical as killing the one who was both dismounted, thus an easier shot, and about to have fifteen bolts to use against you. Without the constant harassment, the Gepids were able to keep their retreat orderly. In turn, the other Germanics farther to the right kept their mobs relatively intact as well.Their success earned them the inevitable enemy reaction. From his vantage point, the Roman Aetius saw the vulnerable and unsupported position the Amazons held. If he could push past the Amazon screen, he could still achieve a route instead of accepting a mere victory for his side. The solution was a force of

In this week's episode, we're looking at the horrendous Wolpertinger from German folklore! How does this monster relate to the American Jackalope? How hilarious do Germans think they are? Find out this week!Send us a textSupport the showYou can find us on: Myth Monsters Website Spotify Apple Podcasts GoodPods Amazon Music Social media: Twitter BlueSky Instagram Facebook TikTok

Danny and Derek welcome back to the podcast Paul Reitter, professor of Germanic languages and literature at the Ohio State University, this time for a discussion on Karl Marx through the lens of his Judaism and how that might illuminate new elements of his work or reshape our thinking of it. They talk about Marx's place among other radical Jewish thinkers from the Rhineland, ideas of Jewish masculinity in his era, Jewish intellectuals becoming prominent atheists, how Marx's background might have inspired his focus on the proletariat, and more. Be sure to grab the new edition of Capital translated by Paul Reitter and edited by Paul North (on which we did an episode recently).     Subscribe now for the full episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not everyday do we get a beer inspired by a cow...Today Fox Point Brewing introduces us to a German Weizen beer named for the farm cow Bomie. Brewer Brian talks through the process of brining this Germanic style beer to San Diego.

Send us a textWas 1950s Dublin really a place of murder and intrigue? On today's show we travel to the Trinity Centre for Literary and Cultural Translation  in Dublin's Fenian Street to talk to novelist John Banville about his latest novel, The Drowned, the fourth in a series featuring Detective Inspector St John Strafford and the pathologist Quirke familiar to many from the Benjamin Black novels. And we talk to Estonian poet Doris Kareva who visited the Centre recently about her own poetry, translation, and Estonia. Brew up a big pot of coffee and join us for a lively show!This episode is supported by a Project Award from the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon.Intro/outro music: Colm Mac Con Iomaire, ‘Thou Shalt Not Carry' from The Hare's Corner, 2008, with thanks to Colm for permission to use it. Logo designed by Freya Sirr.Reviews of The Drowned'Cold, compelling and seamlessly plotted, The Drowned also offers a fine portrait of that familiar and never likeable figure in Banville's fictions: the supercilious villain who has lost his moral compass.' ― Financial Times'A beautifully written and intriguing slowburn of a book, in which the various quandaries in the main characters' private lives are as absorbing as the central mystery'. ― Guardian'Brilliant . . . You need not have read the earlier novels to follow this one, but it will be a better read if you do . . . while various loose ends are left tantalisingly in the air, making it clear that a sequel will follow. It can't come too soon for this devoted fan. '― Irish Examiner'Richly atmospheric . . . It's a Dublin where you can smell the pubs, feel the drizzle, and taste the Bewley's coffee. [...]At the centre of it all is the strained relationship between Quirke and Strafford, a couple at odds who are right up there with Banville's greatest achievements.' ― Irish Independent'Tight-lipped humour thrums through the latest in the Booker winner's Strafford and Quirke crime series . . . The Drowned stands alone, too, suspenseful on its own terms . . . while it's ultimately evil, not good, that gives The Drowned its crackling denouement, the novel takes care to part on a more cheerful note - even if the logic of the series demands that Quirke can hardly be content for too long.' ― ObserverThe Drowned delivers an ultimately satisfying and immersive mystery in beautifully wrought prose. ― Irish Independent Books in BriefBravo! ― The TimesDoris Kareva is one of Estonia's leading poets. She was born in Tallinn in 1958, daughter of the composer Hillar Kareva, and published her first poems at the age of 14. In 1977 she entered the University of Tartu as an already acknowledged young poet. Due to her dissident connections she was expelled but graduated as a distance student in Romance and Germanic philology. She has worked for the cultural weekly Sirp (Sickle) and as the Secretary-General of the Estonian National Commission for UNESCO from 1992 to 2008, and is currently an editor for the literary journal Looming (Creation).Support the show

Alto Adige, in the far northeast of Italy,  is a small wine region that makes incredibly high quality reds and whites. In this episode I discuss the unique terroir, grapes, and mixed culture of this region, with its heavy Germanic and Austrian influences.    I cover: The long history of Alto Adige wine The varied soil types and geology The range of climates and growing conditions The unique grapes (including Kerner, Schiava and Lagrein) The DOCs and subzones of Alto Adige   A truly beautiful and unique Italian wine region, and one I hope I've convinced you to explore!    Copyright: Wines of Alto Adige         Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes    

In the 1470s, a series of outrageous blood libels were leveled against Jewish communities in the Germanic lands, including one in Regensburg. To secure their acquittal, the Jews of Regensburg needed an enormous sum of money—far beyond their means. The rabbis gathered in Nuremberg to strategize and ultimately turned to Rabbi Yosef Colon in Pavia with a pressing question: Could they obligate all Jewish communities in the Holy Roman Empire to contribute to helping the Jews in Regensburg? Rabbi Yosef Colon's response is a masterful work of Talmudic analysis and a sobering reflection on the historical realities of the time. The Regensburg Blood Libel

We've got a lovely two-parter lined up for you guys and it's all about the history of the English language during the Middle Ages! Join us as we follow English from its humble origins as a collection of Germanic dialects spoken by a bunch of illiterate, trousers-wearing mudmen from in 400AD to a real language spoken by relatively normal people who have things like books and kings and their own country, a quirky little place called "England."For more on some of what we discuss, check out:The University of Nottingham's interactive Key to English Place Names website http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/#English translations of almost 80% of all extant Anglo-Saxon poetry, courtesy of Dr Ophelia Hostetter of Rutgers University https://oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/Gildas' "On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain," translated into English by Bert Olton: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1949Join the official WMG Discord server!! https://discord.gg/6GzvXdWX23

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 10, 2025 is: vestige • VESS-tij • noun A vestige is a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something lost or vanished. // The ruins here are the last vestiges of the Roman occupation in this part of Britain. See the entry > Examples: "Filled with vestiges of yesteryear, the Butte [Montana] historic district is one of the largest in the country." — Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Janie Osborne, The New York Times, 29 Dec. 2024 Did you know? Though English is categorized as a Germanic language, there's no denying the enormousness of Latin's footprint on its lexicon. Among English's plethora of Latin derivatives is vestige, a word that traces back to the Latin noun vestigium, meaning "footstep, footprint, or track." Like its forebear, vestige refers to a perceptible sign made by something that has passed, or to a tangible reminder, such as a fragment or remnant, of what is past and gone. Vestige also happens to be one of only a few vestiges of vestigium itself, along with the adjective vestigial ("remaining as the last part of something that existed before") and the familiar verb investigate.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a satanic ritual… well, actually it's probably not. In the weeks leading up to Super Bowl 57 the public was given multiple idols to honor in the name of ever-changing political correctness. The last week of January featured a statue of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the New York State Supreme Court house next to actual law givers like Moses and Zoroaster. Her body was deformed though with tentacles and horns and she stood on a lotus flower, a symbol of spirit overcoming matter, even though the idol was a symbol of matter aborting spirit. The same artist crafted another similar statue across the street supposedly representing Eve. In both cases is the universal mother called upon and then inverted to draw on the energy of Lilith of Lamashtu, the Mother of Beasts. The graven image reminded many of medusa who is famous for turning men into stone. A week later on February 5th the Grammys featured Sam Smith and Kim Petra performing a song called ‘Unholy' with cartoonish depictions of the Devil, alongside of flames, cages, red clothes and horns. While most were caught up in the childlike depiction of evil they missed the intentional magic circle on stage and/or the lyrics of the song which referred to the unholy practices at the ‘body shop', perhaps a lyric noting our increasing desire to drug and mutilate children and adults in the name of identity, obesity, or rebellion. Darkness and chaos are, after all, rebellion against light and order, and altering the image of god is probably evil. The performance was said to be ground breaking because of the gender and sexual identities of Sam and Kim, relating their devilish images to a cartoon devil from the Powerpuff Girls tv show wherein Satan wears drag and is confused about his identity. His name is HIIM, or His Infernal Majesty. Social media was also ablaze about Madonna, who introduced the performance. Many said she looked plastic, fake, and just awful. Madonna, of course, blamed this on ageism and mysoginy despite many observers being older and women. Once again, largely overlooked, was her hair which was done in a way to mimic the horns on the Ginsburg statue. Since Madonna is trying to maintain her relevancy and youth it would seem that she is the one attempting to perform unholy acts against nature. She is, in essence, the Black Madonna, or the black MA (mother) DONNA (goddess). A week later we arrive at Super Bowl 57 on February 12, 2023, played in Glendale/Phoenix, Arizona, at State Farm Stadium, between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. Commercials were mostly drab with few exceptions. A new Flash movie, Ant Man, Doritos triangles, Disney magic, the Masked Singer with a gargoyle, and some electric vehicle commercials from Jeep, GM (which featured zombies, Stranger Things, and Squid Games), and RAM (which seemed to really try with their ‘Premature Electrification' to convict you electric is better). The most notable were SquareSpace, Tubi, and U2. SquareSpace featured Adam Driver talking about how the service for websites ‘could create itself' and how this was the ‘singularity'. Adam Driver multiplied into what reminded some of agents from the matrix before being sucked into a portal. Square Space is also the dimension of Metatron's Cube or the meta verse, the eight sphere embodied by Saturn's essence.Tubi took viewers down a ‘rabbit hole' during the year of the rabbit, as rabbits physically took people and threw them into the abyss. And perhaps the most disturbing of all was the band U2 announcing their residency at the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas with a short 15 second ad featuring sphere-like UFOs, intense trailer-like music and a warning that ‘an unidentified object has been spotted over the skies'. What made this ad so disturbing to some was the fact that in the 72 hours prior to the game UFOs, which for some reason were not called UAPs and were not blamed on Russia, were tracked and shot down in Deadhorse, Alaska, Yukon, Canada, and over Lake Huron near Michigan. Lake Michigan airspace had been shut down hours before while the FAA also shut down the airspace over Montana due to NORAD tracking a ‘radar anomaly'. If the Super Bowl took your attention away from these unidentified objects then the U2 commercial redirected your attention back at the very end of the game. Not all of the UFOs were spherical, however, a reference to the Chinese Spy Balloon shot down on the east coast a week before. Instead, they were cylindrical and silver, while the Great Lakes UFO was octagonal. Several were called ‘airships'.In a tongue-in-cheek observation one could see the Vince Lombardi Trophy itself as holding not a football but a cylindrical, silver airship. Then there is Halftime. Usually sponsored by Pepsi the 2023 show was sponsored by Apple and performed by Rihanna and some dancers in white. Pre-game advertisements had Rihanna in a cloak of green moss or grass with her hair done (like a character from Dr. Seuss) to look like the roots or branches of a tree. Her entire pre-performance outfit made her appear to represent a tree which was sponsored by the black apple. This is obviously Edenic and the black apple logo is the poisoned apple given a tempted Eve in the garden, or Snow White. In essence, Rihanna was a representation of the Universal Mother of Nature. We even saw Adam and Eve in an avocado commercial during the game, a symbol of a womb and new life.Pre-game notes made sure the tens of millions of views knew that the game-day military flyover was performed entirely by women, that a black female coach Autumn Lockwood was the first to assistant coach a Super Bowl, and that both starting quarterbacks, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes, had darker skin, sort of. In other words, much homage was shown to black women in particular but black folks in general during black history month. As these things typically come off as insincere it was not noted that the NFL is over 70% black, and that roughly 38% of assistant coaches and 10% of head coaches are black. Not bad for representing only 14% of the entire population. But more to the point…Rihanna, who was opposed to the NFL for some time, decided to perform anyway. She represented the Universal Mother of Nature or Queen of Heaven. Halftime began with the singer suspended on a giant mirror and accompanied by two lower mirrors on each side, each with two dancers in white. Overall there were seven of these mirrors but we only see five to begin. The image created is that of the GEN (Chinese) or GON (Japanese), one of the Eight Trigrams of the I Ching, featuring a horizontal solid bar with two bars underneath on the left and right sides the.As the performance proceeds the suspended mirrors move in a way to indicate a stairway or a Staircase either to Heaven or Hell, as it shifts in both directions. This also flips the GEN or GON upside down and then back up. Next we see the mirrors on left and right drawing the eye down to the bottom central mirror with Rihanna, who was first at the apex of a ziggurat, is now at its bottom - this flipping represents both male and female or fire and water. It is traditionally Isis who is the all-seeing eye at the apex of the heavenly facing pyramid. We know Rihanna has a large Isis tattoo on her chest.After her dancers crawl behind her across the red stage and she retouches her makeup once, the mirrors return to view suspended in a straight line across the top of the stage. She then performs her iconic ‘Run this Town' song as the central mirror then lifts her back into the air and she transitions to the song ‘Umbrella'. A particularly interesting note about this song should not be passed up. UMBRELLA as a word is a combination of two words - UMBRA and ELLA. This is their meaning:UMBRA: a shadow region of darknessELLA: a female given name, from Germanic meaning ‘all'In other words, UMBRELLA is an all encompassing female name given to darkness. Here we are reminded again of the Black Madonna or the inverted Universal Mother. It should be noted, furthermore, that Rihanna has a giant tattoo of Lady Isis on her chest. We should also note that the black goddess Kali is said to be symbolized by mirrors. The mirrors at the halftime show furthermore reflected the heavens above as if to reject divinity. In the Lovecraft universe the god Yog-Sothoth appears in many different forms. He is the ‘guardian of the gate', or portal of past, present, and future (think of those commercials for SquareSpace and Tubi). He is described as a series of 13 ‘iridescent globes'. One of them is called UMBRA. Horror fan pages suggest that this particular representation of Yog-Sothoth is a type of demon who grants fame, fortune, etc., when worshipped. Such a demon is very popular in music and is honored by Eminem (the shadow), Lady Gaga (the monster and fame), and Billie Eilish (bury a friend). The chanting of UMBRELLA is like an incantation. The reduction of the word to “ella, ella, eh, eh, eh'” is similar to ABRACADABRA, which is reduced to BRACADABR, RACADAB, ACADA, CAD, A, etc. It is a word used to enchant when performing a magical act or ritual. The Super Bowl itself is a giant witch's cauldron to brew up magic potion. The reference to rain is excessive in the music industry, too, and is usually called the Rain Main, which is played by Jay Z in the ‘Umbrella' music video. Rihanna, it should be noted, begins the music video song with all black leather, oily attire and ends up covered in silver paint, signifying the infernal, while bowing down inside of a pyramid, a reference to the earth-womb. This is when she chants ‘ella' and ‘eh'. None of this happened at the Super Bowl Halftime show, however, which ends with pretty standardBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tst-radio--5328407/support.

Ann Schmiesing, Ph.D. is Professor of German and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder, with research interests spanning 18th and 19th-century German and Norwegian literature and culture. In our interview we discuss her new book, The Brothers Grimm: A Biography (Yale UP, 2024), their first biography in over half a century. We talk about what led her to Germanic studies and fairy tales in particular. We discuss the revelations in her book dealing with their lives and work, their antisemitism as reflected in their correspondence and the stories they published and its long-ranging consequences. We talk about some of her favorite fairy tales and what makes them special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Ann Schmiesing, Ph.D. is Professor of German and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder, with research interests spanning 18th and 19th-century German and Norwegian literature and culture. In our interview we discuss her new book, The Brothers Grimm: A Biography (Yale UP, 2024), their first biography in over half a century. We talk about what led her to Germanic studies and fairy tales in particular. We discuss the revelations in her book dealing with their lives and work, their antisemitism as reflected in their correspondence and the stories they published and its long-ranging consequences. We talk about some of her favorite fairy tales and what makes them special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Ann Schmiesing, Ph.D. is Professor of German and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder, with research interests spanning 18th and 19th-century German and Norwegian literature and culture. In our interview we discuss her new book, The Brothers Grimm: A Biography (Yale UP, 2024), their first biography in over half a century. We talk about what led her to Germanic studies and fairy tales in particular. We discuss the revelations in her book dealing with their lives and work, their antisemitism as reflected in their correspondence and the stories they published and its long-ranging consequences. We talk about some of her favorite fairy tales and what makes them special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

Ann Schmiesing, Ph.D. is Professor of German and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder, with research interests spanning 18th and 19th-century German and Norwegian literature and culture. In our interview we discuss her new book, The Brothers Grimm: A Biography (Yale UP, 2024), their first biography in over half a century. We talk about what led her to Germanic studies and fairy tales in particular. We discuss the revelations in her book dealing with their lives and work, their antisemitism as reflected in their correspondence and the stories they published and its long-ranging consequences. We talk about some of her favorite fairy tales and what makes them special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/german-studies

Ann Schmiesing, Ph.D. is Professor of German and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder, with research interests spanning 18th and 19th-century German and Norwegian literature and culture. In our interview we discuss her new book, The Brothers Grimm: A Biography (Yale UP, 2024), their first biography in over half a century. We talk about what led her to Germanic studies and fairy tales in particular. We discuss the revelations in her book dealing with their lives and work, their antisemitism as reflected in their correspondence and the stories they published and its long-ranging consequences. We talk about some of her favorite fairy tales and what makes them special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/folkore

Ann Schmiesing, Ph.D. is Professor of German and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder, with research interests spanning 18th and 19th-century German and Norwegian literature and culture. In our interview we discuss her new book, The Brothers Grimm: A Biography (Yale UP, 2024), their first biography in over half a century. We talk about what led her to Germanic studies and fairy tales in particular. We discuss the revelations in her book dealing with their lives and work, their antisemitism as reflected in their correspondence and the stories they published and its long-ranging consequences. We talk about some of her favorite fairy tales and what makes them special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Ann Schmiesing, Ph.D. is Professor of German and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder, with research interests spanning 18th and 19th-century German and Norwegian literature and culture. In our interview we discuss her new book, The Brothers Grimm: A Biography (Yale UP, 2024), their first biography in over half a century. We talk about what led her to Germanic studies and fairy tales in particular. We discuss the revelations in her book dealing with their lives and work, their antisemitism as reflected in their correspondence and the stories they published and its long-ranging consequences. We talk about some of her favorite fairy tales and what makes them special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

Ann Schmiesing, Ph.D. is Professor of German and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder, with research interests spanning 18th and 19th-century German and Norwegian literature and culture. In our interview we discuss her new book, The Brothers Grimm: A Biography (Yale UP, 2024), their first biography in over half a century. We talk about what led her to Germanic studies and fairy tales in particular. We discuss the revelations in her book dealing with their lives and work, their antisemitism as reflected in their correspondence and the stories they published and its long-ranging consequences. We talk about some of her favorite fairy tales and what makes them special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

0:00 2012年英语专业四级听力 短文11:07 2012年英语专业四级听力 短文22:49 2012年英语专业四级听力 短文32012年英语专业四级听力 短文1If you are a resident, you will find it useful to open a bank account.居民在银行开户其实很有用。All the large banks have a network of breaches across the country, and all offer similar services.所有大型银行都有遍布全国的支行网络，都提供类似的服务。A visit to any one of them will be a friendly experience.去任何一个支行都能体验到友好的服务。However,to open an account, you have to be prepared to prove your identity in a number of ways.然而，要开户，你必须准备好以多种方式证明你的身份。You will find your passport useful, but the bank will also want to see some form of proof that you are living where you say you are.你会用到护照，但是银行也想要看到你能用某种形式证明你生活在某个地方。This can be proved by a housing rent book, a tax form, water or electricity bill for the property, as long as it is in your name.这可以通过房屋租赁书、税务表格、水电费账单来证明，只要是你本人的。In the bank and elsewhere, you may hear the term "utility bill", this simply refers to bills relating to the provision of services to your home, such as electricity, gas, water and telephone.在银行等地方，你可能会听到“费用单”这个词，它是指与家庭服务供应有关的账单，如电力、煤气、水和电话。There are other local facilities, such as post offices, where you can save your money and have access to affordable low cost loans.还有邮局等其他地方设施，你可以存钱，还可以获得便宜的低成本贷款。Where'd they exist in your local area?你所在的地方这些设施分布在哪里？Contact details can be obtained from the Citizens Advice Bureau.联络资料可从市民谘询处索取。2012年英语专业四级听力 短文2Life is very stressful nowadays, so it is useful for us to talk about how to cope with stress.现在人们的生活压力很大，所以讨论一下如何应对压力其实很有用。If you want to reduce some stress, you can reduce this by the word: s-t-r-e-s-s;that's stress.如果你想减轻压力，你可以用“s-t-r-e-s-s”的方法；就是压力这个词。Let's begin with the "s". "S" is that you can have the scheduling.我们先说说“s”。“S”是关于安排日程的。For example, you do not have to schedule too many things in your day, and if you feel you are too busy, you can cut out an activity or two.例如，你没必要在一天中安排太多的事情，如果你觉得自己太忙，可以减少一两个活动。And"t"is treat your body well, because experts say that exercise can reduce stress.“t”是善待身体，因为专家说运动可以减轻压力。And also if you eat healthy food, then your brain and your body get the nourishment they need.如果你能保持饮食健康，大脑和身体就可以得到所需的营养。The next letter is "r". "R" means relax.下一个字母是“r”。“R”是指放松。You can do an activity you enjoy or that relaxes you.你可以进行一项你喜欢或能让你放松的活动。Maybe you can read a book or learn a new hobby and even spend time with your pet.你可以读书或者学习新的爱好，甚至可以和宠物在一起玩。And that could make a difference.这可能会很有用。And the next letter is "e". "E" is about expectations.下一个字母是“e”。“E”是指期待。This means be realistic about yourself and other.这意味着对自己和他人的期待都要符合现实。So you can just do your best and do not try to be perfect.所以你可以尽你所能，不要试图做到完美。And do not expect others to be too.也不要期望别人完美。That will release and reduce a lot of stress for you and the people around you.这样可以减轻你和周围人的压力。And the next letter is "s". "S" stands for sleep. If you get agood night sleep, then it will keep your mind and your body in shape.下一个字母是“s”。S代表睡眠，如果你能睡个好觉，大脑和身体就会保持健康状态。And the last letter is "s" again, which means smile.最后一个字母又是“s”，意思是微笑。If you smile and have confidence, you will think in a more positive way.如果你微笑并且有自信，你会以一种更积极的方式思考问题。And then you will feel more comfortable when you're coping with the stress.面对压力时，你会感觉更舒服。2012年英语专业四级听力 短文3New words enter the English language all the time.新词汇一直源源不断地进入英语。In fact, English has always been in a state of evolution.事实上，英语一直处于进化的状态。And in recent years, more and more words and phrases have entered the language.近年来，越来越多的单词和短语进入了英语。But where do all these new words come from?但是这些新词是从哪里来的呢？Words come out of the culture that they represent and they describe.词汇来自于他们所表示和描述的文化。So if you've got a new development in medicine, for example, bird flu, then you'll get a new word coming out of that.所以如果医学上有了新进展，比如禽流感，那么我们就能从中得到一个新词汇。If there is a military conflict, that may well bring all sorts of new words to the fore.如果出现军事冲突，那很可能会出现各种各样的新词。Going back in time, the First and Second World Wars were times of great creativity of language because people from different countries met each other and exchanged their words and words developed from there.回望历史，两次世界大战期间，语言展现了其伟大的创造力，因为不同国家的人们相遇并交换了彼此的词汇，新词由此出现。So,words come from the playground.所以，词汇来源于运动场。They come from politics.词汇来源于政治。They come from any area of life, because every area of life is changing from day today.词汇来自生活的各个领域，因为生活的每个领域都在不断变化。And does English have more words than any other language?英语词汇是不是比其他语言多？It certainly has more than other European languages and probably more than any other language in the world.一定比其他欧洲语言词汇要多，而且可能比世界上任何其他语言都要多。English is put together from so many different bits.英语是由许多不同的部分拼凑而成的。Originally,it was a Germanic language.最初，它是日耳曼语。And then after the Norman conquest in 1066, there was enormous influx of French words.1066年诺曼征服之后，大量的法语词汇涌入。And it comes from a country, the United Kingdom, which was quite an expansive trading colonial power in the past.它是联合王国语言，而过去联合王国是一个非常庞大的贸易殖民大国。And all these have brought all sorts of other new words into the language.所有这些都催生了各种各样的新词。

Subscriber-only episodeJoin ya fav shit stabbers as we discuss Germanic shit shelves, Pod Enemies and the ins and outs of incest.Drop ya gals a Message!! Cliffhangers is brought to you by Truffle Pig Wigs. Get in touch... DM via Instagram @trufflepigwigs Email info@trufflepigwigs.co.uk www.trufflepigwigs.co.uk

In this episode, we are joined by Edward October of Octoberpod AM, a retro horror podcast for bold individualists!  He voices the elevator of history for us as we get down to discussing the treasure of Tolosa.  We talk about it's origins, where it might have come from, how much it would be worth and the sad fate of any who seemed to possess the treasure for any length of time.  We meet some interesting historical personages and ask the all important question...is it still out there?  Check it out!  Let's Learn something?Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/family-plot--4670465/support.

In this third and final part of an in-depth look at Anton LaVey's "The Satanic Rituals", we'll cover the remainder of the book's content. Join Satansplain in exploring the Satanic utilization of baptisms, the dark mythology of Russian paganism, Germanic science-fiction cinema, rituals in the age of electronic sound, the Necronomicon and other fiction of H.P. Lovecraft, and more.  https://satansplain.locals.com/support  00:00 - Intro 01:54 - Die Elektrischen Vorspiele 09:59 - Cinematic Inspiration (Metropolis,  Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, Island of Lost Souls, Black Cat, Fantasia) 11:41 - Night on Bald Mountain - Homage to Tchort 18:39 - H.P. Lovecraft 27:03 - Weddings, Funerals, and Baptisms 28:32 - Satanic Baptisms 35:15 - Solitary workings of a baptism / dedication 35:13 - The Unknown Known    

PHOTOS: San Antonio's first Krampus parade takes over Southtown Tpr, By Joey Palacios, on December 6, 2024https://www.tpr.org/arts-culture/2024-12-06/photos-san-antonios-first-krampus-parade-takes-over-southtownSan Antonio recently hosted its first Krampus parade in the King William neighborhood, drawing thousands to celebrate Germanic traditions. The event showcased horned demons, witches, and St. Nicholas figures, embodying a festive yet eerie atmosphere. While most attendees enjoyed the spectacle, some evangelical protesters voiced their discontent, decrying the event as promoting fear and judgment. Ironically, their protests seemed to bolster the parade's popularity. Overall, the parade was a success, highlighting San Antonio's cultural diversity and potentially establishing a beloved new holiday tradition.The Krampus myth originates from Germanic folklore as the dark counterpart to Santa Claus. On December 5th, Krampus supposedly punishes naughty children, a tradition adapted from earlier Alpine myths involving devilish goat-like figures. Historically, the Catholic Church opposed these pagan practices but incorporated Krampus into St. Nicholas lore to control and Christianize the tradition. Today, Krampus is celebrated in Alpine regions through costumes, parades, and schnaps offerings.The revival of Krampus celebrations has gained traction worldwide, particularly in the United States. Cities like New Orleans, New York, and Portland host Krampus events ranging from parades to haunted houses. These celebrations mix cultural nostalgia with modern festivities, often centering around drinking and merrymaking. St. Louis even turns its Krampusnacht into a pub crawl, while Columbia, South Carolina, boasts the oldest Krampus parade in the country.Evangelical criticism of Krampus events stems from their association with darkness and fear, concepts they view as antithetical to Christian values. Protesters argue that such events tarnish the purity of the Christmas season. However, this perspective is ironic given the inherent darkness in Christian theology surrounding sin, sacrifice, and salvation. The backlash may also reflect discomfort with losing cultural dominance as society embraces more diverse traditions.The popularity of Krampus celebrations can be attributed to various factors, including cultural heritage, a desire to challenge religious norms, and a simple love for festive revelry. For some, it's a nostalgic nod to their ethnic roots; for others, it's an irreverent counterbalance to Christmas commercialism. Whatever the motivation, Krampus parades like San Antonio's bring communities together in a uniquely spirited way.The Non-Prophets, Episode 24.01.1 featuring Scott Dickie, Kelley Laughlin, Jonathan Roudabush and Stephen HarderBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-non-prophets--3254964/support.

In 9 AD, the rebel chieftain Arminius and his confederation of Germanic tribes ambushed three Roman legions in the Teutoburg Forest. For days the Romans were relentlessly stalked through the woods and pounced on by their pursuers. All told, up to 20,000 Romans were killed in the chaos, and only a handful were able to escape. The battle proved to be one of Rome's most devastating defeats, and left a scar in the Roman psyche for generations to come.In this Explainer episode, Dan explores the historical context for the battle and its profound consequences for Roman strategy and expansion. He's helped by Dr. Simon Elliott, who provides deeper insights into how the Roman military worked, and where its vulnerabilities lay.Warning: this episode contains accounts of violence that some listeners may find disturbing.Written and produced by Dan Snow, and edited by Max Carrey.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

An around-the-world tour of ancient Christmas celebrations, Pagan Solstice customs, and magical seasonal plants• Explores in depth the medicinal and magical properties of the many herbs, barks, and berries associated with the Christmas and Yuletide season• Looks at the origins of the Christmas tree and Santa Claus, as well as female gift bringers, holiday Spirits, and Yuletide animals• Shares crafts such as how to make a Yule Log, practices such as Winter Solstice divinations, and recipes for traditional foods and drinksFor millennia cultures have taken time out to honor the darkest days of the year with lights, foods, and festivities.In ancient Egypt, people decorated their homes with greenery at the festival of the rebirth of the God Horus. The ancient Romans shared gifts, especially candles, at the midwinter festival of Saturnalia. In Scandinavian and Germanic cultures, the Yule Log was burned in the hearth, fruit orchards were wassailed, and sheaves of wheat were displayed to carry luck into the New Year. In Celtic cultures, mummers and guisers went door to door, and European mistletoe (Viscum album) was gathered by Druids as a medicinal and magical aid.Ellen Evert Hopman shares folklore, recipes, rituals, and crafts to enliven your Yuletide observance. She explores the origins of the Christmas tree and Santa Claus as well as holiday Spirits and Yuletide animals. She explains how to perform Winter Solstice divinations and make traditional foods and drinks such as Elizabethan gingerbread cookies and Wassail. And she looks in depth at the medicinal and magical properties of the many herbs, barks, and berries associated with the Christmas and Yuletide season such as Frankincense and Myrrh, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Hibiscus, Bayberry, and many more. This guide offers practical and magical ways to celebrate and honor the darkest days of the year.Ellen Evert Hopman is a master herbalist and lay homeopath, who has been a Druidic initiate since 1984. She is a founding member of the Order of the White Oak, the Archdruidess and founder of Tribe of the Oak, a former professor at the Grey School of Wizardry, and a member of the Grey Council of Mages and Sages. She is the author of Celtic herbals and Druid novels, including Secret Medicines from Your Garden, The Sacred Herbs of Samhain, and Once Around the Sun: Stories, Crafts, and Recipes to Celebrate the Sacred Earth Year. She lives in Massachusetts.https://elleneverthopman.com/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/earth-ancients--2790919/support.

  Winter Solstice, Yule, Mid-Winter, Christmas- all celebrations around the darkest day of the year and the longest night. But the good news is from here out the days and getting longer and the sun is growing noticeably brighter beginning around the 1st of the new year. This ancient festival has roots in Norse, Celtic, and Germanic traditions and continues to be honored today by modern Pagans, Wiccans, and spiritual practitioners. Let's explore the origins, customs, and mythologies surrounding Yule, as well as the gods and goddesses who are honored during this magical season. Here on the Sacred Source Podcast. Sacred Source Home

The origins of Christmas symbols and traditions are far more universal and not as "pagan" or "christian" as you may initially think. Such things can also develop quickly in modern times from a combination of sources and be just as mysterious to future generations. While many see Krampus as an evil demon, he is really the enforcer of morality. While many eat turkey or ham for their feast, the Japanese eat buckets of KFC. While the tree is certainly Germanic in regard to Christmas uses, it is a universal symbol of veneration. And while Christmas may seem the opposite, it is actually a greatly paranormal holiday in league with Halloween as the days are dark, cold, and evil - the nights being even more so. -FREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVEX / TWITTER FACEBOOKWEBSITEPAYPALCashApp: $rdgable EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / TSTRadio@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tst-radio--5328407/support.

In this episode, we explore the gods and goddesses associated with winter and death. From Itztlacoliuhqui of Mesoamerica, to Boreas, Demeter, and Persephone of ancient Greece; Cailleach Beara in Scotland who's also known as the Cailleach in Ireland; Marzanna of Western Slavic lands; Perchta in the Alpine valleys; Frau Holle of the Germanic region, and Hel of Norse mythology, these deities reflect how ancient cultures grappled with the trials of winter and the inevitability of death.Transcripts For transcripts of this episode head over to: https://archpodnet.com/tpm/08Links Check out Kurly Tlapoyawa for more info about Mesoamerican archaeology Digitized National Folklore Collection of Ireland See photos related to episode topics on Instagram Loving the macabre lore? Treat your host to a coffee!ArchPodNet APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Tee Public Store: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/archaeology-podcast-network?ref_id=5724Affiliates Motion

We delve into the Wild Hunt, a spectral procession led by Odin across the winter skies, and uncover its connection to Norse and Germanic solstice traditions. These stories reflect the duality of the season—light and dark, death and rebirth—and offer profound spiritual insights. Explore how the rituals of Yule and the legend of the Hunt reveal the cycles of life and the power of renewal during the darkest time of the year. --------- LINGEN INSTITUTE FOR CONSCIOUSNESS RESEARCH Website: https://www.lingeninstitute.com/

Ever wonder about the shadow side of Santa Claus? We will dive into the folklore of Krampus—a horned, goat-like figure who's basically Santa's terrifying counterpart. We'll explore Krampus' roots in Germanic and Norse traditions, his role as a punisher of naughty kids, and his modern resurgence in parades, quirky mashups, and even campy horror movies. Zac makes a compelling case that Krampus and Santa could both be seen as gods—balancing reward and punishment, light and shadow. The duo also hilariously link Krampus' energy to the aggressive dance style krumping (yes, really!) as a metaphor for channeling aggression constructively. But there's more to Krampus than just scaring kids into behaving. We'll delve into the deeper symbolism of Krampus, seeing him as a reminder to face our fears and embrace our shadow selves. By acknowledging the darker parts of who we are, we can find balance and wholeness—a theme that resonates far beyond folklore and ties into the transformative power of therapy. From snatching kids in wicker baskets to symbolizing the gift of self-acceptance, this festive and slightly spooky episode mixes mythology, humor, and cultural insights. Who knew Krampus could be so entertaining—and enlightening?

Send us comments, suggestions and ideas here! In this week's episode we explore the dark side of Christmas folklore, delving into mythological figures like Krampus, Frau Perchta (the belly-slitting hag), and the musically inclined specters, the Night Folk. In the free show we uncover the pickled children of ol' St. Nicholas and the danger of accepting coal from salacious wood nymphs with fox tails. In the extended show we go further down the rabbit hole to discuss the one-eyed dog Turst (not to be confused with Fred Durst), the kid bonking Belsnickle, the nasty Necht Ruprecht and the fearsome denizens of the Wild Hunt led by Odin's eight legged reindeer Sleipnir. Thank you and enjoy the show!   In this week's episode we discuss: St. Nicholas and the legend of the butchered children.Krampus: origins and traditions (Krampusnacht and Krampuslauf) Frau Perchta: origins and depictions ("Belly Slitter").The Night Folk: descriptions, music, dangers, and avoidance strategies.Turst: description (pig/dog hybrid), association with storms and goblins, and the Wetterkreuze.Straggele: origins (Italian "strega"), description (witch/owl hybrid), association with Ember Night and the punishment of misbehaving children.In the extended show available at www.patreon.com/TheWholeRabbit we go much further down the chimney to discuss: Belsnickel: punisher of naughty childrenKnecht RuprechtRauhnacht: description (12-day period between Christmas and Epiphany), associated traditions (pageants, treat-seeking, avoiding laundry), and historical suppression by the Nazis.The Wild Hunt across different cultures (Scandinavia, Germanic, France, Wales, England, American West).The original Nutcracker storyHans Trapp: historical origins (Hans Von Trotha), transformation into a monstrous scarecrow.Each host is responsible for writing and creating the content they present. Most sections of this episode were prepared by Tim Hacker of the Cryptic Chronicles Podcast available at CrypticChronicles.com In the notes: red sections are written by Luke Madrid, green sections by Malachor 5, purple written by Heka Astra and blue by Mari Sama.Where to find The Whole Rabbit:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0AnJZhmPzaby04afmEWOAVInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_whole_rabbitTwitter: https://twitter.com/1WholeRabbitOrder Stickers: https://www.stickermule.com/thewholerabbitOther Merchandise: https://thewholerabbit.myspreadshop.com/Music By Spirit Travel Plaza:https://open.spotify.com/artist/30dW3WB1sYofnow7y3V0YoSOURCES:Scary Book of Christmas Lore: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123266631-the-scary-book-of-christmas-lore?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=A9X9DxigGD&rank=1Yule Support the show

I'm on vacation in the “Ultimate Christmas City” of the world, Strasbourg, France. Visiting a childhood friend and exploring the region of Alsace known for its fine white wines and Germanic influences on the region as the German border is only 2 miles from her apartment by tram! The Covid updates are here: *UCSF Researchers Identify Major Driver Behind Covid 19 and Long Covid with Potential Treatment. *AstraZeneca Says Its Employees Under Investigation by Chinese Authorities. *FDA Authorizes New Covid 19 Vaccine Without Clinical Trials *The Origin of Covid Beyond Natural and Lab Theories. *FDA Approves Self-Administered Nasal Flu Vaccine. *Low Cortisol May Fuel Long Covid: Animal Study. *XEC Covid Variant Now Circulating in the US: CDC Data. *CDC Data Show Covid 19 Cases Near All-Time Low as Agency Recommends New Vaccine Dose. *Study Reveals Why Covid 19 Vaccine Antibodies Wane Rapidly. *Vaccines: A Historical Perspective and the Path Forward. *Essential Oils That May Protect Against Covid 19 and Help with Symptoms. *New CDC, FDA, and NIH Nominees - Where Do They Stand on Key Issues? *Covid 19 Vaccine Makers and Providers Granted Immunity Through 2029.

Ho ho ho! In this festive special, we open up our sack of gifts to give you the story of Santa Claus, from the story of Saint Nicholas of Myra, through to Germanic traditions around Christmas, and how much these influenced the jolly old man delivering presents on Christmas Eve. https://www.patreon.com/theHistocrat https://bsky.app/profile/thehistocrat.bsky.social Mythillogical logo + Thumbnail art by Ettore Mazza. You can find more of Ettore's excellent artwork below: https://www.instagram.com/ettore.mazza/ https://ettoremazza.tumblr.com/ Suonatore di Liuto Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music: Carol of the Bells (Celtic Version) by Alexander Nakarada (www.creatorchords.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The girlies bring you a seasonal episode to discuss some terrifying Christmas lore — the Germanic tale of Krampus and the panopticon horror of the Elf on the Shelf. Digressions include our thoughts on the United Healthcare CEO shooter, why we should be shaming people more, and a quick digest of our recent nightmares.  This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. To listen to the full episode and access over 50 bonus episodes, mediasodes, and monthly zoom hangs visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.  

[SEGMENT 1-1] Future of Polling 1   [X] SB – Jon Stewart on pollsters That one pollster quit. She was embarrassed into obscurity.  [SEGMENT 1-2] Future of Polling 2   [X] SB – Fox News on Ann Seltzer's IA poll Trump won by 13 pts She knew what she was doing. Quitting. Puzzled by the greatest miss of her career   My hope is to continue to drive home the fact that the experts are NOT experts.  [SEGMENT 1-3] Future of Polling 3 - Biden the worst   Would you be shocked to learn that Americans now view Joe Biden as the worst president of the last nine? Of course not—unless you're as disconnected from reality as Biden himself or his dwindling pool of supporters. The idea of "81 million votes" now feels as believable as a fair game of three-card monte on a New York City sidewalk. Biden may have ridden into office on the crest of an alleged "historic mandate," but history seems to have had the last laugh. Let's set the stage for this train wreck. According to an exclusive Daily Mail poll, Biden has managed to plummet past even the least flattering benchmarks of modern presidencies. The voters have spoken, and their verdict is devastating: Biden ranks dead last among the nine most recent presidents. Yes, worse than Nixon, who resigned in disgrace after Watergate. Worse than Jimmy Carter, whose presidency was defined by skyrocketing inflation and the Iran hostage crisis. Worse than every other president you could name—and you'd have to work pretty hard to find another to match this level of public disdain. Hard to believe why it took so long for Democrats to impose the fatwa on Joe that eventually took him out less than 90 days before his ass-kicking by Trump. Laughably, Biden gets to keep his consolation prize of pretending to believe he beat Trump in 2020. Here's the breakdown of the poll: 44% of voters placed Biden in the bottom two, while only a meager 14% saw him as one of the best two. The result? A net score of -30, which buries him below Nixon (-25) and even Donald Trump (-15), who Leftist want to believe is a divisive figure. James Johnson of J.L. Partners, the group behind the poll, didn't mince words, calling the results "diabolical." I'd call them a public performance review so bad it should come with a pink slip.From 81 Million Votes to Bottom of the Barrel Remember, Biden's presidency began with that alleged record-breaking 81.2 million votes, surpassing even Obama (Baby Black Jesus) during his peak popularity? Well, it didn't take long for the wheels to fall off the Biden express. Voters were told Biden would "heal the soul of America"—a vague slogan that feels as ironic of Biden "bringing decency to the White House".  Biden's presidency has been a highlight reel of legislative blunders, geopolitical missteps, and the kind of verbal gaffes that would make even the most forgiving of public speakers cringe. Inflation spiraled out of control, the southern border became a sieve, Afghanistan collapsed in a catastrophic withdrawal, and his administration championed economic policies that have left Americans wondering if we're all trapped in a decades-long rerun of The Jimmy Carter Show.Lies, Lies, and More Lies Biden's downfall isn't just about bad policies or poor results. It's about the lies. From tales of his supposed civil rights activism to his fictitious encounters with Amtrak employees, Biden's fabrications are legendary. His latest scandal—the controversy surrounding his son's legal troubles—might just be the final nail in his political coffin. Let's not mince words: the Hunter Biden saga is the kind of ethical quagmire that would sink any other politician. Biden's deflection, obfuscation, and refusal to come clean about his role in his son's legal woes have turned a bad situation into a full-blown debacle. His pardon of Hunter was a move so tone-deaf it would make Nero fiddling while Rome burned look like a masterstroke of PR strategy.Biden vs. the Big Picture So, what does this all tell us? Simply put, Biden's presidency is a cautionary tale of what happens when you ignore merit in favor of narratives. He ascended to office as the "anti-Trump," a figurehead for unity, empathy, and stability. Instead, we got a leader whose performance has left Americans more divided, anxious, and skeptical of government than ever before. The poll results reflect this deep dissatisfaction, with voters saying, loud and clear, that they've had enough. Clearly, Biden's legacy will not be one of healing or leadership. Instead, he will likely be remembered as the president who squandered his so-called mandate, mismanaged crises at every turn, and alienated the very people he promised to serve. From legislative failures to moral lapses, Biden has managed to become a punchline in his own tragic comedy. The bottom line? Biden's presidency is a masterclass in how far a politician can fall—and how fast. Whether through incompetence, dishonesty, or sheer hubris, Biden has managed to turn "the most votes in history" into the most dismal presidency in recent memory. As for his supporters? Even they must feel like they've been left holding a very empty bag. History will one day move Biden from the worst of 9 presidents to the worst president ever.    [SEGMENT 1-4] Future of polling 4   In the wake of the 2024 Presidential Election, I am reminded of the battleground scene from Gladiator. After the Romans defeat the Germanic tribe, the soldiers are moaning in the field and Roman soldiers are putting the wounded foe out of their misery. Prior to the battle, one of General Maximus asked him, “Do they not know they are defeated?”. Maximus responds, “Would you?” Well not if they had the pollsters from this election cycle. It was so bad, that Jon Stewart ridiculed them on Comedy Central. Look at the number of people who guaranteed that Harris would win, and win big.   [X] SB – Jon Stewart on polling These pollsters are as reliable as medical guidance from Anthony Fauci. How can you miss so badly on polls? The answer is simple. The pollsters polled for what they wanted and not for actual public sentiment. Many Democrats thought that abortion would be the issue that united their party. But consider the folly of this argument from a commonsense perspective. First, let's pretend that the country is equally divided between Right and Left. So half of the country is pro-life, or at the very least pro-choice pro-lifers, and the other half love killing babies in the womb. Doing the math, half of the country has abortion way down the list of their priorities. Thus, Democrats immediately lose 50 percent of the country. Next, of the half of the country who might see abortion as an issue, half of them are (questionably) men. And while these eunuchs may publicly agree with their significant others, many of them are just fronting. They play this game to not rock the boat, and pretend to be as “woke” as their counterparts. However, many of them waged a protest vote against their mates in an effort to gain back some portion of their masculinity. How do I know I'm right? Post-election discussions by many pundits validate me. Many pundits have said that Democrats put too much weight on the abortion issue. And what about “woke”? In response to the abortion issue and the unending drumbeat of social justice issues, Democrat political strategist, James Carville who wrongly predicted a Harris win actually said publicly that Leftist women are the reason many men moved away from the Democrats. Please find Carville's quote with reference I believe in my heart that Carville knew Harris would lose, despite his article in the New York Times about the 3 Reasons Harris Will Win.   Pollsters are like Blockbuster in the age of Netflix—stuck in the past. Trump showed up with a digital flamethrower and burned their “methodologies” to ash. And what did the pollsters do? Learned their lesson? Nope. They doubled down, like an ex who still thinks their mixtape will win you back. Polling as a Tool of Manipulation Here's the game: A poll comes out saying, “52% of people hate Trump.” What happens next?Trump supporters: “That's ridiculous. Did you see the rallies?!”Leftists: “See? We told you the election was rigged!”And the rest? They're like, “Well, 52% is more than half, maybe I should hate Trump too.” That's not a poll—that's a psy-op with pie charts. The Vaccine Hustle and the "Poll Ruse" Remember when they told us, “The vaccine is 100% effective. No wait, 97%. Actually, it's 80%. Oh, whoops, 40%, but it'll keep you out of the hospital…maybe.” And just as the data kept shifting, so did the polls:“82% of Americans trust the vaccine!”Two weeks later: “Well, 67% think it's okay.”Now: “Hey, at least 42% of you aren't suing yet!”They weren't gauging opinion; they were testing compliance. And when perfectly healthy 25-year-olds started dropping dead, they gave it a name—Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. SADS. Are you kidding me? They made sudden death sound like a trendy new diet plan: “Lose weight, drop dead. Ask your doctor if SADS is right for you!” And after every tragedy, what did they do? They polledBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kevin-jackson-show--2896352/support.

Welcome to the broadcast! Thinking about Britain's Germanic heritage, this Christmas we raise a glass to the ancient northern spirits: the mothers at Modraniht, and the Norse dísir and their Dísablót.

Not unlike the Celts, if you head to your local New Age Occult store you will notice that there is an overabundance of Runes. From necklace pendants, to books, to divination stones and more- Runes are seemingly overrepresented. But much of what makes Runes so special has been lost in the mix. Here to help us through why Runes are not always what meets the eye in both scholarly and New age circles, is Podcaster and author Siri Vincent Plouff!

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we bring on the translator/editors of the new translation of Capital Vol. 1 by Karl Marx.  We discuss, in addition to other things, the reasons why it was decided that this new translation was needed, the political background to making that decision, why the 2nd German Edition was used for making the translation from, why these introductions were used, whether there will be translations of the subsequent volumes of Capital and if a paperback edition will come out, and more!  An enlightening discussion, lots of food for thought, and plenty of room for constructive dialogue and critique - let us know what you think of the conversation!  Paul North is the Maurice Natanson Professor of German at Yale University. His books include The Yield: Kafka's Atheological Reformation. Paul Reitter is professor of Germanic languages and literatures and former director of the Humanities Institute at the Ohio State University. His translations include The Autobiography of Solomon Maimon. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

The Erlking is a malevolent fairy or goblin king from Germanic folklore who lures people, particularly children, into the woods to their doom. Discover more TERRIFYING podcasts at http://eeriecast.com/   Follow Carman Carrion!    https://www.instagram.com/carmancarrion/?hl=en   https://twitter.com/CarmanCarrion   Subscribe to Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/0uiX155WEJnN7QVRfo3aQY   Please Review Us on iTunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freaky-folklore/id1550361184   Music and sound effects used in the Freaky Folklore Podcast have or may have been provided/created by:  CO.AG: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcavSftXHgxLBWwLDm_bNvA Myuu: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiSKnkKCKAQVxMUWpZQobuQ Jinglepunks: https://jinglepunks.com/ Epidemic Sound: https://www.epidemicsound.com/ Kevin MacLeod: http://incompetech.com/ Dark Music: https://soundcloud.com/darknessprevailspodcast Soundstripe: https://ap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices