Ep 56: Unhappy Endings

Podcast:

Photos:

1 ) Sigurd the Mighty, the first earl of Orkney, displaying the head of his vanquished foe, Máel Brigte of Moray, also known as “Máel the Bucktoothed” or “Máel Tusk.” It was that wayward tooth that would ultimately be the downfall of Sigurd himself. 2) A depiction of Sigurd’s battle challenge to Máel Brigte, where each ruler was supposed to bring 40 men, but the treacherous Sigurd brought two men to a horse, doubling his chances. Sigurd’s demise indeed proved cheaters never prosper, or survive sepsis. 3) Draco the Lawgiver – c. 7th century BC legislator of Ancient Athens Greece. The term “Draconian” was coined due to his lack of understanding of mercy in meting out punishment, Killed by congratulatory haberdashery. 4) The young king Philip of France (1116–1131), son of King Louis VI “the Fat,” being killed by a boar. (British Library, Royal 16 G VI f. 309) Credit: By Chroniques de Saint-Denis – Royal 16 G VI, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11965944; 5) Depiction of the battle of Shays’ Rebellion, where Daniel Shays and 4000 followers tried to take the Springfield Armory by force, and ultimately overthrow the nascent U.S. government. It is where Jabez Spicer was fatefully shot through the same one or two bullet holes in his coat, that his brother Daniel was shot through 3 years earlier. 6) St. Lawrence of Rome, who while being flame-broiled by Emperor Valerian in 258 A.D., is said to have cheekily remarked to his grill masters, “I’m well done – turn me over!” This possibly apocryphal remark is what led to him becoming the patron saint of chefs, comedians, and firefighters. 7) A scene from the 1921 play, “Rossum’s Universal Robots” where the robots ain’t havin’ it; 8) From Wikipedia: U.S. WPA Federal Theatre Project poster for the production of “Rossum’s Universal Robots” by the Marionette Theatre, New York, 1939. It premiered on 25 January 1921 and introduced the word “robot” to the English language and to science fiction as a whole. 9) Isadora Duncan – dancer, choreographer, scarf and convertible enthusiast. Unlike Draco, this time killed by her own haberdashery; 10) The cassowary – one badass bird.

 

Background:

Life is fragile and an end comes for us all. But whether that end is labeled as mysterious, ironic, tragic, coincidental or altogether unremarkable, is something for those that survive us to decide. The path of life through the wilderness of our choices can be both rocky and smooth, so look where you’re going because others will remember where you’ve been.

Tonight’s Quote:

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”

— Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens)

Show Links:

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Credits:

Episode 056 – “Unhappy Endings” Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or “A.R.C.” for short. Copyright 2016 Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess. All Rights Reserved.

Notable Figures, Folklore & LegendStephen Montevoyhistoricalmysteries7 Comments