I had totally forgot that Scotty from Star Trek shot 2 snipers on Juno Beach and took 6 bullets from friendly fire, surviving only because he had a silver cigarette case in his breast pocket. I know I knew it, but it was too weird to remember. #weirdhistory

In Britain, there are a number of alleged 'vampire tombs'. This grave on the Isle of Man is covered with a heavy slab & has chains around it - all allegedly to stop the 'vampire' getting out. It's occupant apparently sat up during his wake & coughed - leading the assembled villagers to stake him through the heart. Britain's vampire tomb legends draw from a number of social & cultural trends including body snatching, the fear of being buried alive, memento mori symbolism, the #folklore of witches & old legends of revenants. My article: https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2023/04/Britain-s-Vampire-Graves-Bat-winged-Skulls-Staked-Hearts-and-Poles-Driven-through-Bodies/ #gothic #history #weird #weirdhistory #psychogeography #mythology #vampires

The Tyburn is one of #London's legendary buried rivers. It once split into distributaries as it neared the Thames, creating Thorney Island, on which Westminster Abbey was built. Though it is now part of the London sewer system, some claim you can see a stretch of the river in the basement of Grays Antiques Centre. #folklore #history #psychogeography #weird #weirdhistory

Trigger Warning: Assault, Violence

Controversial artist Marina Abramović would perform one of her most harrowing pieces in 1974. The performance "Rhythm O" was arranged so the audience could use any of the 72 items on a table to do what they wanted with her sans resistance. They would eventually cut and assault her. When the piece was over and she walked away covered in blood and tears, the audience hastened to leave, seemingly ashamed.
#WeirdHistory #ArtHistory
https://www.moma.org/audio/playlist/243/3118

In Rodney Street, #Liverpool, there stands an eerie black pyramid. This pyramid is the tomb of one William Mackenzie, an absurdly wealthy engineer said to have lost his soul in a poker game with the Devil. #Folklore claims Mackenzie sits in his pyramid clutching a winning hand of cards - so the Fiend cannot come to claim his winnings. My article: https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2023/04/Liverpool-s-Sinister-Black-Pyramid-and-Its-Top-Hatted-Victorian-Ghost-William-Mackenzie/ #gothic #history #weird #weirdhistory #ghosts #paranormal #psychogeography #Victorian

The now-demolished #gothic manor house of High Sunderland Hall, on the Yorkshire moors, may have been an inspiration for the house in Wuthering Heights. A master of the hall is said to have chopped off his wife's hand in a fit of jealousy. After that, a disembodied hand haunted the hall, tapping at its windows. Emily Bronte taught nearby & may have stayed at the house. #Brontes #folklore #literature #history #ghosts #weird #weirdhistory #paranormal

The "Ghosts of Vezio Castle" in Lake Como are moulded off tourists who agree to have white gauze and chalk fitted to them. The sculptures are then left to the elements, where they erode. When a new season begins, the ghosts are cast anew.

More info: https://mymodernmet.com/vezio-castle-ghosts-lake-como/

#ghost #ghosts #ghoststory #haunting #TIL #WeirdHistory

The Celtic Queen Boudicca - who led a rebellion against the Roman Empire around AD 60 - is said to be buried under platform 9 or 10 of #London's Kings Cross Station. She has apparently been seen dashing through the station's Underground tunnels in her ghostly chariot. This unlikely legend might have originated during the Second World War, as the idea of Britons resisting Continental invaders may well have resonated at that time. There is, however, an older legend of Boudicca's last battle taking place at nearby Battle Bridge, which once spanned the (now subterranean) River Fleet. #Folklore #mythology #weird #history #weirdhistory #psychogeography

No new art today (or as of late😅), so, we're having a little art history lesson today! #ArtHistory #WeirdHistory #FunFact #ArtFacts #DidYoukKnow

Ophelia, by John Everett Millais. This painting was achieved by getting the model, Lizzie Siddal, to lie in a bath of water gathered from the Thames. Lizzie caught a terrible chill and almost died. Tragically, her doctor prescribed laudanum, leading to a lifelong addiction. Lizzie went on to be the muse of the artist and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, as well as becoming a talented artist and poet herself. #art #poets #weird #weirdhistory #poetry #PreRaphaelites #history #Victorian #gothic #arthistory

Julian's Bower, Lincolnshire, a turf maze carved near where the rivers Ouse and Trent meet to form the Humber. Some say the maze is Roman, others that it's medieval - apparently, monks would walk it with pebbles in their sandals as a penance. In the nearby village of Alkborough, the maze is carved in the church porch, on a gravestone in the churchyard, and on the village sign. This is so - if it ever becomes overgrown - people will remember the pattern. #history #folklore #psychogeography #churches #weird #weirdhistory

#Skull surrounded by foliage in St Michael's Church, Burwell, Lincolnshire. The vegetation could be both a #mementomori symbol - we'll all go back to the earth - and a symbol of resurrection and new life. #gothic #churches #history #weird #weirdhistory #graveyard

The Neo-Egyptian gates of East London's Abney Park Cemetery, which opened in 1840. Abney Park was one of the 'Magnificent Seven' cemeteries built to relieve pressure on London's overcrowded churchyards. #London #graveyard #gothic #history #weirdhistory #AncientEgypt #Victorian

Stone circle in Midmar Churchyard, Aberdeenshire. The stones - which form one of the best-preserved recumbent stone circles in #Scotland (meaning some of the stones were set up lying down) - stand strangely among the later Christian grave markers. The circle - estimated to be 4,000 years old - has been described as 'fanglike and demonic' and a 'Neolithic portal'. #history #weirdhistory #churches #folklore

Will-o-the-wisps - mysterious lights that appear above marshy areas - have given rise to various types of #folklore around the world. The lights have been seen as fairies, pixies, blood-sucking 'fireball witches', & indicators of hidden treasure. In some tales, the lights are caused by damned souls using coals from hell to lead travellers astray. The lights sometimes appear in graveyards, where they are referred to as 'ghost candles'. Will-o-the-wisps are caused by gases resulting from organic decay. #SwampSunday #weird #history #weirdhistory #paranormal #graveyard

A skull-and-crossbones on a gatepost of St Nicholas's Churchyard, Deptford, #London. The churchyard contains the grave of playwright Christopher Marlowe, who was murdered nearby. Legend claims St Nicholas's skull-and-crossbones carvings were the inspiration for the 'Jolly Roger' pirate flag, but this is probably untrue. #folklore #history #weird #weirdhistory #graveyard #churches #psychogeography

The Long Man of Wilmington, in East Sussex. At over 231 feet, the Long Man is Britain's tallest chalk hill figure. As the age of the 'giant' is unknown, there's been a lot of speculation about who he's supposed to be. Over the years, it's been claimed he depicts Woden, Thor, Beowulf, Apollo, Mercury and St Paul. He's been identified as a Roman standard bearer, an Ancient British surveyor, and as a sign carved by monks from a nearby abbey to direct pilgrims. #psychogeography #history #weird #weirdhistory #mythology #folklore

Thomas Chatterton became an accomplished poet & managed to die in literary, opium-fogged poverty all by the age of just 17. While walking with a friend in St Pancras Old Churchyard, he fell into an open grave. His friend, helping him out, joked about assisting in the resurrection of his genius. Chatterton replied, 'My dear friend, I have been at war with the grave for some time now.' #Romantics #gothic #poets #poetry #history #weird #weirdhistory #PreRaphaelite #art

Hangman's Hill in Epping Forest, Essex, near #London. If you park your car at the foot of the hill & turn the engine off, you may have the #weird sensation that your car is rolling uphill. Local #folklore claims this is the hangman's noose pulling you towards an ancient tree - a tree upon which either an innocent man or three witches were hung. The effect is probably produced by an optical illusion caused by the surrounding landscape - tricking the brain into thinking a slight downhill slope is an uphill one. #gothic #history #weirdhistory #psychogeography #paranormal

The Marquis Multiplane of 1907, designed by the French Marquis d'Ecquevilly. The Multiplane - which had six pairs of wings & rested on four bicycle wheels - never flew & was eventually destroyed by fire. A later version - with fifty pairs of wings - never flew either. #weird #history #weirdhistory #gothic #steampunk