SEPIA SATURDAY
I'm stretching Wendy's theme of domes to, well a glass container of sorts, which in truth, actually encompasses my subject with,
A Witch in a Bottle.
Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. Here's one interesting link to follow this thought.
The English Collections at the Pitt River Museum contain the following listed 41 objects from Dunstable in Bedfordshire here.
South Parks Road, Oxford, England
Tripadvisor link to Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford
During my last visit to England, I have no idea how we missed this place,
Pitt Rivers Museum, it's surely on my list for our next visit to England.
The Witch in a Bottle
It's a small glass flask of bilobed shape and silvered over the inside and stoppered.
Legend says, there's a witch in it, and according to the late owner living near Hove, Sussex the story is this
"They do say there be a witch in it, and if you let 'un out there'll be a 'peck o'trouble."
Reportedly, Margaret also donated a witch's broom to a major university museum as well.
The museum officials believe Margaret obtained the bottle first hand (from an old lady of Sussex) and to this day the bottle has remained sealed and no trouble has been seen.
We can thank Margaret Murray for donating this witch's bottle of slivered glass in 1915.
Famous Witches A guide to the misunderstood and the maligned link here.
13 July 1863- 13 November 1963
Margaret Murray
Who was Margaret Murray?
Wikipedia link here, detailing her life and works. I find her life's work incredibly interesting and assuredly beyond her time. I'd enjoy adding Margaret to my list of interesting folks to share conversations over coffee, if only she were still alive.
She's known as an Egyptologist or anthropologist and Egyptology was the core of her academic career.
During her presidency with the Folklore Society, she said,
"We are too near to events which will become history to realize what folklore underlines them. But folklore is a living thing, it is always with us, and therefore may have effect on even the greatest events of history."
Lastly, just another piece of history, I'll close her story with a remarkable structure.
Osirion at Abydos
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14 comments:
That's a pretty bottle, and what a nice excuse to head off into Egyptology!
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How interesting!
That's one very curvaceous witch! But the photo of Margaret with the mummy really caught my eye. Although the mummy is mostly bones, the face still possesses a nose & some flesh. Amazing. And the article about Osirion at Abydos sparks the imagination. But what patience those archeologists must have to dig so carefully & slowly through all of that
An intriguing post about an historic character that I would also enjoy having round for tea. The best Sepia Saturday themes inspire creative thinking, outside the bottle so-to-speak.
Ah, a mummy, I wondered what the small body was. I've heard of genies in bottles before, but not of witches in bottles :-).
I rather fancy visiting that building at South Park Road - a place you could spend many hours browsing.
What is it about Egypt that draws us to it with such fascination? I think it's cats myself. I am glad that the witch in the bottle is nowhere near me...I'd be frightened I'd drop it.
Fascinating story !
Would love to have a look inside that museum. Alex I was thinking the same. For goodness sake don't drop the bottle.
Looks like the witch got stuck in a bottleneck when trying to get out.
Thank goodness the bottle has remained sealed, I don't think I could face meeting a real witch! Great bit of folklore!
Beautiful photos, I loved "The witch in a bottle"!
A witch in a bottle - well fancy that! Makes for a great story.
I would make sure NOT to rub that bottle, just in case.....
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