Going Berserk

When we hear the expression that an individual has “gone berserk” we instinctively know what that term means and therefore can visualize a man or woman losing control of their emotions. The name Berserker (ber for “bear” and serkr for “coat”) was given to an ancient Norse warrior who, rather than wear the standard chain mail attire into combat, instead wore a bear skin coat and therefore became known as Berserkr. And, as this particular warrior was renowned for his rage and fury during battle, the term berserk quickly became identified with anyone who behaved in a frenzied or crazy manner.

During the 7th and 8th centuries Vikings often invaded England because there was little resistance from the villagers and the island was easy to reach across the North Sea. Their prime targets were churches because the Vikings knew this was where they would find gold or silver candlesticks and other valuables. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, a contemporaneous account written by monks, and includes 1000 years of English history, describes in detail when and how the Vikings invaded England. The monks describe how the beautiful monasteries were burned to the ground by the Vikings and that, “… they made that which was very great such that it became nothing.”

The Vikings were soldier-sailors and highly skilled oarsmen. Their callused hands allowed them to row for long periods of time. The rhythmic pull of 16 or more professional warriors on each side of the boat allowed them to stealthily approach a village and then, attack, loot and withdraw without loss of life. While traveling, their wooden shields hung on the outside of the boat like badges of victory. When they attacked, they wore a kind of chain mail, conical steel helmets and wielded terrifying iron axes that were capable of inflicting mortal wounds.

The church of St. Botolph’s nestled in the quiet countryside of Essex, England, was perfect a target for Vikings attacks, but it seems that it played a part in the tragic end of at least one Viking. The centuries-old legend of St. Botolph describes the capture of a Danish pirate by the men of the village. The pirate blasphemed and ridiculed the village folk and the monks for their belief in Christianity. Legend has it that the pirate was flayed alive, and his skin was nailed to the church door. A few years ago, the church door at St. Botolph’s had to be removed for repairs. To the amazement of the workmen, they discovered a substance under the hinges of the door. It was collected and sent for analysis, and was found to be of human origin. Was there some truth to the ancient legend? Was this the skin that of the Danish pirate who was accused of heresy? The skin is now displayed at the museum at Saffron Walden, Essex.

St. Botolph’s Church in Hadstock, Essex, England is mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records and holds the record as being the oldest constantly used church door in England (circa 1020).
Extraordinary Places...Close to London. ISBN 0-8038-2031-3

Word Mavens

Some years ago, I appeared as part of a panel on the Walt Bodine radio show in Kansas City, Missouri. The concept for this particular show was an original idea from yours truly. For some time, I had been fascinated by the expressions and terms we use in everyday language, expressions that we instinctively know the meaning of -- but not necessarily the origin. Sayings such as, "Back to square one" and, "Chip off the old block." I contacted the producer of the show who thought it was a wonderful idea for a one time program. I appeared with two professors from the University of Missouri, and our first show aired in 1998. According to the producer "the lines lit up like the 4th of July" and there was so much interest in the topic, we were given a monthly slot, and were given the title of Word Mavens. The show required extensive research on my part (not wanting to be asked a question I couldn't answer on live radio!) and so I plan on using that research as posts over the next few weeks. I hope you will enjoy them. I will choose my own favorites, but also some that appear in common, everyday usage.

Note: The origin of the terms and expressions are often lost to obscurity, and many have multiple source origins.

Back to Square One

From the late 1920s into the late 1950s, the radio or the “wireless” as it was affectionately called in England became a very popular form of entertainment. The most popular shows were music, weekly lifestyle serials and sport. The sporting events such as rugby and football (soccer) were the most difficult for the sports commentators to describe in real-time to their listeners. So, the BBC came up with a concept that helped the audience visualize where a particular player was at the very moment the ball was played, in essence to “see” the game. The idea was simple and effective. They drew a diagram of a field and sectioned it into eight numbered squares -- plus one square (numbered "one") for each goalkeeper. This diagram was first published it the Radio Times (BBC’s weekly listing guide) in their January 1927 edition. Listeners could refer to the diagram while the game was in progress. The commentators were able to give the name of the player and which square he was in, then who received the ball and where he was on the pitch. The listeners, by looking at the diagram in the Radio Times, would know exactly where the player was on the field, and where he had passed the ball. The commentators use of this technique helped the listening audience follow the game in real-time. This origin is controversial because the available BBC recordings of early games do not include mention of the term "Back to Square One".

The Coliseum in Rome, Italy.

On a recent trip to Italy…I was awe inspired by the Coliseum. It is truly a magnificent structure, and one can only imagine how it looked 2,000 years ago. Today, it is merely a shell of its former glory, but is absolutely wonderful to see.

The following information was taken directly from: www.italyguides.it/us/roma/colosseum.htm.

The Flavius amphitheatre is the biggest and most imposing in the Roman world, but is also the most famous monument in Rome and is known as the "Colosseum" or "Coliseum". Started by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavia family, it was opened by his son Titus in 80 A.D.

The highly ostentatious opening ceremony, lasted one hundred days during which people saw great fights, shows and hunts involving the killing of thousands of animals (5000 according to the historian Suetonius). For the opening, the arena space was filled with water for one of the most fantastic events held in Roman times, naumachias – real sea battles reproducing great battles of the past.

The Coliseum is one of the most imposing ancient structures. Imagine it all white, completely covered in splendid travertine stone slabs. It is elliptic in shape in order to hold more spectators. It had four floors; the first three had eighty arches each; the arches on the second and third floors were decorated with huge statues.
What we see nowadays is just the skeleton of what was the greatest arena in the ancient world. Three-fifths of the outer surrounding brick wall are missing. In the Middle Ages, when no longer in use, the Colosseum was transformed into an enormous marble, lead and iron quarry used by Popes to build Barberini Palace, Piazza Venezia and even St. Peter's.

The holes still seen in many columns are just the holes made to extract the lead and iron used by the Romans for the nails inside the marble blocks.

The amphitheatre could hold up to seventy thousand spectators. The tiers of seats were inclined in such a way as to enable people to get a perfect view from wherever they sat. Entry was free for all Roman citizens, but places were divided according to social status, the seats at the top were for the people, the nearer you got to the arena the higher your social status.

After the VI century, with the Empire's decline, the Coliseum fell into disuse and its walls housed confraternities, hospitals, hermits and even a cemetery. From the Middle Ages onwards, the Coliseum has been one of Rome's and the world's greatest marvels, attracting hoards of visitors.

Threatened with demolition by Sixtus V for town-planning reasons, it was declared a sacred monument dedicated to the Passion of Christ by Benedict XIV, placing a cross on a pedestal, as a symbol of the sufferings of all Christian martyrs. This cross is still the starting point for the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. Since then, it has become an object of worship for Christians and was protected from further destruction and ruin; in fact, Popes after that restored and consolidated it.

For a tourist today, seeing the Coliseum means, as Charles Dickens wrote, "seeing the ghost of old Rome floating over the places its people walk in".

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs

If you plan on visiting Colorado Springs, Colorado, a trip through the Garden of the Gods should be on your agenda. The red rock formations with names such as Kissing Camels, Balanced Rock and Cathedral Spires are truly spectacular sights to behold. Picnics, hiking, biking and horseback riding are just a few of the wonderful things to enjoy when you visit the park.

It is said the name Garden of the Gods originated when Melancthon Beach, one of the founders of Colorado City (another great place to visit with fantastic shops) was showing the area to a friend, Rufus Cable (c. 1897)when Beach stated "Don't you think this would be a great place for a Milwaukee beer garden?" Cable was stunned by the comment and replied, "Beer garden! Why this is fit for a Garden of the Gods!"

Early in the 20th century...Charles Perkins bequeathed the Garden of the Gods to the City of Colorado for everyone to enjoy free of charge.

For more information and excellent vintage photographs see Images of America Colorado Springs, Colorado ISBN: 978-0-7385-2091-9 by Elizabeth Wallace. The book can be purchased at the Garden of the Gods visitor center and most book shops in the Colorado Springs area.

Pillar Boxes in Ireland

Photo courtesy: David Lentell

Travelling around Ireland, David Lentell took many photographs of green pillar boxes. Although the same shape as pillar boxes in England, many boxes in Ireland are painted green rather than the customary cherry red colour seen in England. I believe the colour change took place after the Irish independence in 1922. The pillar box shown in the photograph displays the emblem of the reigning monarch, Queen Victoria.

We owe the concept of the pillar box to Anthony Trollope. Following is an excerpt from Christmas Past in Essex ISNB #9780752444635 by Elizabeth Wallace.

As an adult, he worked as a teacher but then took a position at the Post Office. He quickly gained prestige within that organisation and in 1841, was sent to Ireland where he met and married Rose Heseltine. A happy family life and his new position as Post Office Inspector seem to have agreed with Anthony. He is credited by the postal service for the invention of the pillar box. Over the years, more than 156 designs of the pillar box were manufactured, often with the initials of the reigning monarch. In 1840, the Penny Black made its debut. It was the first stamp to have an image of a monarch, Queen Victoria, and also the first stamp to have an adhesive.

Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings, Colorado

Native American Indians have performed their special dances for generations at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. The dances are carefully designed to take into account the sun’s rays (see shadow of dancer). The traditional dances have been passed down from father to son and grandson, each bringing new life into their extraordinary customs that continue to this day.

A visit to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings is an excellent way to spend an afternoon. The dwellings are open year round, but the American Indian dancers only appear from June to August. They perform daily at specific times, and, as you wait for their program to begin, a visitor can explore the dwellings, museum and gift shop.

Following is an excerpt from the Manitou Cliff Dwellings site.

Chief Manitou
In the first decade of the 20th century Cayete, a great uncle of Mike's and Bob's grandmother, performed here at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. At a time when Native Americans were more of a curiosity to western tourists, "Chief Manitou," as he was nicknamed by old timers in Manitou Springs, and other Indians would meet arriving passenger trains at Colorado Springs' old Rio Grande Railroad Terminal, now occupied by Giuseppe's Restaurant. He also sold Indian "trinkets" at the Narrows in William's Canyon, below the Cave of the Winds.

Joseph Tafoya, Sr. (Chief Little Deer), 1892-1972
Chief Little Deer entertained and educated Cliff Dwellings visitors from 1916 until his death in 1972, right here in the Pueblo building. A volunteer, he was one of the original Seabees during World War I. He attended Carlisle University with Jim Thorpe. Later, he served as governor of the Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico. During the 1940's he was Chairman of the All Pueblo Indian Council.

Joseph Tafoya, Jr. (Whitecloud), 1922-2000
Bob and Mike's father, Whitecloud (okhuwa-tsa in his native Tewa language), died July 19, 2000, at the age of 78. Following in the footsteps of his own father, he performed for decades here at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. He was a man of many talents. While attending Santa Fe Indian School, he studied with well-known Indian artists Pablita Velarde and Allen Houser. Later, while attending high school in Española, one of his paintings of traditional Pueblo life won a national art competition judged by Norman Rockwell.

Mike Little Deer Tafoya, 1948-2001
Cliff Dwellings visitors and staff will miss Mike Little Deer Tafoya. He died on August 4, 2001, following a short illness. He was 53. Born at Santa Clara Pueblo in Northern New Mexico, Mike was already dancing at the age of two with his Grandfather, Joseph Tafoya Sr. (Chief Little Deer), and others at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. He traveled around the world with members of his family, sharing Native American Indian culture and dance with others. In his later years he acted as emcee for the Cliff Dwelling dancers, lacing his descriptions of dance origins and significance with a unique brand of humor.

The Tafoyas are members of the Winter Clan, also known as the Corn People, who are connected to the Hopi. According to their creation story, they are the Ice People, who emerged from the Earth at a point between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Great Sand Dunes National Monument in Southern Colorado.
info@cliffdwellingsmuseum.com

Opera House - Central City, Colorado

Central City is a great place to visit, not only for the casinos if one likes to gamble, but also to visit the little shops and diners around the town. It is also known for the wonderful performances that are held every year in the legendary opera house (c. 1877). The following information was taken from their official Opera House site.

Central City Opera’s 2008 Festival Season offers three productions of 20th century works in English, celebrating and coinciding with the National Performing Arts Convention (NPAC) in Denver in 2008.
The 2008 Festival opens earlier than usual, in honor of the Convention, running June 6 to Aug. 10. It features a new production of Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, the rarely performed chamber opera about a faithful woman scorned amongst political rebellion in ancient Rome; a new production of Leonard Bernstein's popular West Side Story, the modern twist on Shakespeare's classic Romeo and Juliet tale of two lovers divided; and American composer Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, the story of an innocent heroine accused of immorality and shunned in the eyes of her rural Tennessee community.
Single tickets start at $45 and two-pack subscriptions start at just $75. Purchase tickets online now.