Al Ridenour
Autore di The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil
Opere di Al Ridenour
Etichette
Informazioni generali
- Altri nomi
- Reverend Al
- Data di nascita
- 1961-03-06
- Sesso
- male
- Luogo di nascita
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Luogo di residenza
- Pasadena, California, USA
- Istruzione
- Indiana University Bloomington (Bachelor's|English Language and Literature/Letters)
Indiana University Bloomington (Bachelor's|German Language and Literature)
Freie Universität Berlin (postgraduate)
University of California, Los Angeles (MFA|Animation) - Attività lavorative
- writer
artist
producer - Relazioni
- Cho, Margaret (spouse, divorced)
Utenti
Recensioni
Statistiche
- Opere
- 1
- Utenti
- 76
- Popolarità
- #233,522
- Voto
- 4.1
- Recensioni
- 2
- ISBN
- 2
Frau Perchta is one of these creatures. Frau Perchta was also known as Berchta, or Bertha, and has also been called “Spinnstubenfrau” or “Spinning Room Lady.” She is often depicted with a beaked nose made of iron, dressed in rags, perhaps carrying a cane, and generally resembles a decrepit old crone. But this old crone packs a mighty wallop…. and carries a long knife hidden under her skirt.
She also bears a resemblance to the Scandinavian goddess Frigga, and both of them share one obsession in common: spinning, specifically, and domestic neatness generally. Frankly, she’s pretty judge-y about the state of your home for a woman who dresses all in rags. Legend has it that you’d better get all your flax spun by Twelfth Night (January 6th), “for when the Christmas season was over, it would be time to set up the big upright loom, at which time you must have enough thread to warp it and start your weaving.” And what’s Frau Perchta’s punishment for those lazy ladies who haven’t finished all their weaving? “In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, there were numerous tales of Frau Perchta trampling and even settling fire to the half-spun fibers.” And if should you really irritate her? Like, say, not only is your flax not spun, but your house is a total mess (this domestic goddess/witch hates a messy house) and you’ve even failed to leave out a traditional bowl of porridge for her? Well, then her rampaging will extend far beyond your slovenly spinning room. She’ll do nothing less than steal into your bedroom, disembowel you and replace your guts with rocks and straw.
So, yeah, Christmas is a spooky holiday. Sure, we celebrate Christ's birth but we also celebrate the darkness of winter and the importance of good behavior and tiddiness!… (altro)