Did You Know?
Medieval European monks would curse their books with specific, creative punishments for thieves.
Monasteries would write elaborate curses in their books, threatening thieves with everything from boils and blindness to eternal damnation. These 'book curses' were often highly detailed and creative, showing the value placed on manuscripts in medieval society.
Did You Know?
In medieval Europe, people would hire professional hermits to live in their gardens.
Wealthy estate owners would employ ornamental hermits to live in purpose-built structures on their property. These hermits were...
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The Tudors believed that rubbing a dead person’s teeth on their gums would prevent toothache.
This macabre dental practice involved rubbing teeth taken from corpses on painful gums. The practice was widespread enough...
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Persian kings would debate important matters twice – once sober and once drunk.
Important decisions were discussed first while sober, then again while intoxicated. If an idea seemed good in both...