Victorian Medievalist

Idealistic pessimist, crazy cat lady, historian by calling though it never put a scrap of gold in my pocket. All the good men are dead. Head lurker. I'm really just here read and reblog everyone else's stuff.

[random-brushstrokes]

Mariquita Jenny Moberly (British, 1855-1937) - The Flight Of Nicolette

[mythologyofthepoetandthemuse]

The Lady of Elche, sometimes interpreted as an Atlantean priestess, is also believed to be related to the Carthaginian goddess Tanit. Greco-Iberian bust from Alicante (αρχαία Ελίκη), Spain, c.400-350 BC.

[thebelfry]

I just learned that the Russian word for “ladybug” translates to “God’s Little Cow”

[vampireapologist-archive-deacti]

It’s the same in Irish! bóín Dé!

[peniswizard69]

in hebrew it’s “our rabbi moses’s cow”

[vampireapologist-archive-deacti]

Oh I love this news!!!!

[pulmonary-poultry]

Multiple cultures upon seeing a ladybug for the first time: “Who’s cow is this????”

[thejonymyster]

[thejonymyster]

[thejonymyster]

[postilionstruckbylightning]

It feels like some early humans were naming things and one of them ran out of ideas.

Human 1: (points at animal) What’s that?

Human 2: Cow.

Human 1: (points at bug) What’s that?

Human 2: … little cow.

Human 1: But it’s so much smaller. Who would have use for such a small cow?

Human 2: (panicking but in too deep to stop now) God.

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

The “Lady” in the name “ladybug” is the virgin Mary. People just cannot stop giving religious names to this bug.

The reason for this was that if you lived in an agrarian society then your survival was a throw of the dice every year, depending on the success of the crops. A failed crop year is a very hard year where deaths are expected. And if you grew a cereal like wheat, there were several things that could cause your crops to fail, but one of the big ones was if you happened to get a fuckton of aphids. You know what eats aphids? Ladybugs! If there are lots and lots of ladybugs around, there was a good chance that it’d be a good crop year! They were little crop protectors! When your family lives or dies on the success of that crop, of course they’d be seen as a blessing and given an appropriate name!

[magical-bear-dubin]

That is such an interesting etymology!!!!

And entomology too i guess

[asparklethatisblue]

in German they’re Marienkäfer which also pretty much means “Mary’s Beetle”

[istadris]

In French it’s “Good Lord’s Beast”

Not even a cow, it’s just a little Creature but we know for sure God loves it.

[dent-de-l1on]

In Dutch it’s “Lieveheersbeestje”, the Good Lord’s Little Beast

A liddol creeture

[catasters]

[myalteregohasclass]

[bidet-of-evil]

there are two wolves inside me. one wants to write and the other wants to nap. they’re both in a cage called My Job.

[ltwilliammowett]

Pocket watch with Hope/Britannia looking after a ship, horn case, England, c. 1780

[proto-language]

“We still have to blow up the fort. I need a man to lay the charges” [“I would be honoured to volunteer, sir.” / “And I, sir.” / “I’m the senior officer.”] “I don’t think we’ll take all three of you.”

[onenicebugperday]

Paramantis natalensis (no common name), Mantidae

Photographed in Kenya and South Africa

Photo 1-4 by liuye and 5-9 by nishthi

[itscolossal]

In ‘Altai,’ Photographer Claire Thomas Chronicles a Time-Honored Way of Life in Mongolia

[ltwilliammowett]

An HMS Bellerophon oak armchair, 1805

This oak chair was commissioned by Captain Cumby from the timbers of his famous ship Bellerophon. It is of rectangular form with an upright back with four spindles, the cresting rail carved with the ship’s name ‘Bellerophon 1805’flanked by two scrolls, the arms with further bobbin-turned spindles and scrolling terminals, all raised upon turned legs with the original brass castors. A most striking feature is the gros-point needlework of the upholstery. The armrests and seat cushion show vivid coral branches, seaweeds and exotic shells while the back cushion depicts the ship from the stern, under full sail on port tack and with her flags streaming from the masthead and stern. English, 1805.

[jun-hug]

"The Princess and The Knight"

My entire sky craves only your star

- Pavana Reddy

✶ carrd | print | stickers

Towards the end of last summer, I came across a small clearing full of clover, i remember being amazed how its greens were spreading from light to deep shades. It inspired me greatly, but at first I didn't know where would I include it in a piece; it wasn't until September, on my trip to Vilnius with my best friend, that I got a burst of inspiration. It was wonderful in Lithuania, but of course we didn't miss on adventures, so before l'd finished the line art, I got distracted and autumn began. And then my mind of course had lots of other ideas taking their place over this one. Every few weeks, however, I'd return to it, especially during lone visits to cafès, I had so many good times working on it that I almost didn't want to end it (so l made more art of Star and Sunshine in this AU - click 'stickers' if you're interested;p). Recently though a very interesting opportunity pushed me to finally finish it! You'll see what l'm talking about very soon on my profile :)

[clove-pinks]

It's Franklin Expedition day! HMS Erebus and Terror departed Greenhithe, Kent one hundred and seventy-eight years ago today, on 19th May 1845.

The contemporary illustration of the expedition departing in The Illustrated London News:

In the last few days before he sailed, Franklin may have experienced a premonition of his fate. Suffering from the flu, he was resting at home with his wife, Jane, who had just finished sewing a silk Union Jack for him to take. Concerned about his illness, she draped the flag over his legs for warmth. He sprang to his feet: “There’s a flag thrown over me! Don’t you know that they lay the Union Jack over a corpse?” But on Sunday 18 May, the eve of his departure, with his wife and daughter present, the profoundly religious Franklin read Divine Service for the first time to his crews. And when the expedition sailed from the Thames the next morning, carrying 134 officers and men, most felt the Franklin expedition could not fail.

— Owen Beattie and John Geiger, Frozen in Time

[noblehubris]

181 today!

[animentality]

[soldhissoulforrocknroll]

I love how Sense and Sensibility has a melodramatic Gothic hero who traveled the world as a soldier and had an angsty backstory and even during the events of the novel participated in a duel. But all of it's off-page so every time he appears he's just Some Guy. Kind of serious, doesn't talk much, pretty boring. His biggest passion is flannel waistcoats

[frostedmagnolias]

Wedding Dress

c. 1841

figured silk satin with net and lace trimming

England

Victoria and Albert Museum

[dpcphotography]

Mikladalur, Faroe Islands