Historytalker

St Michaels in Coventry is a very impressive church. It stands at the top of Spon street near where the gate would have stood when the city was walled.

Below you can see one of the many gargoles that creep around the church. It seems to be a winged lizard or demon and is very accessible if you choose to go and visit.

These windows are decorated with fragments of medieval glass. The story goes that Scottish prisoners of war during the Civil War were imprisoned in the church and they broke the windows. The expression ‘sent to Coventry’ meaning to ignore someone is said to come from this. Royalist prisoners were ignored and shunning when they were sent to Coventry.

This is a pretty and interesting high Anglican Church in Coventry that is welcoming and rewards the visitor with carvings and stained glass. Very worthwhile a visit.

This week I have completed a year long series of blogs for a company that I write for. One of my favourite blogs was a riddle asked by Odin himself.

What is this wonder,

that I see outside,

before the doors of day,

eight legs it has,

and four eyes

and legs above its belly?

This is an excellent riddle and interesting because of the irony. It is a joke as much as a puzzle. It starts with a dynamic question, ‘What is this wonder’ as if Odin is introducing some of the great supernatural characters of Norse mythology but this is brought crashing to mundane earth with the line, ‘that I see outside’. This unsettling line would have sent a shiver down the spines of men in the hall who might wonder what is outside especially ‘before the doors of day’. The doors of day is a kenning and means the pre-dawn, traditionally the time of monsters such as Grendal or the fae. So we are confronted by an immediate ‘wonder’ and then its description, ‘eight legs’, ‘four eyes’ and ‘legs above its belly’ which could be any monster from mythology but is in fact a spider.

A fantastic sending up of the bards art, Beowulf himself could gain honour fighting that monster!

Part of my work is teaching Greek myths to children and there is only so much that you can teach in a session. One story that I do not teach is Persephone and Hades.

Hades is one of the good guys of Greek mythology but he is sometimes a bit sad. He is the ruler of Tartarus, the underworld, and does not get as much female attention as his more popular brother. Zeus knows this and fears an angry Hades.

Hades needs a wife but not many of the nymphs or goddesses are interested in becoming the misteress of Tartarus. One day whilst riding his chariot Hades happens upon Persephone and her companions. He seizes her and drags her back to the underworld. In the underworld Persephone is confronted by a kind and nice Hades who tries to make her comfortable. She is taken aback by his attention but refuses to eat but after much coaxing she eats six pomegranate seeds.

Meanwhile in the land of the living Demeter, mother of Persephone and goddess of the land is seeking her daughter. She discovers that her daughter has been taken by Hades and curses Persephone’s companion so they become the Sirens.

Hades will not release Persephone so Demeter goes to Zeus who is reluctant to intervene. Here is a chance for Hades to be less angry and less of a threat. He ignores Demeter who in turn ignores her job of keeping the Earth fertile and now Zeus is hearing the complaints of men as well as the scorned mother.

Zeus decrees that Persephone must stay in the underworld if she has eaten anything but must be released if she has not. When it is discovered that she has eaten six pomegranate seeds the world weeps until Zeus says she must spend six months in the underworld which will be autumn and winter but six months in the over world which will be spring and summer.