I’m sure the overwhelming response is black. After all, dark hair and eyes are consistent with Mediterranean coloring. What then, does one make of Apollo, whose hair was a golden blond? When I asked my Greek guide several years ago why Apollo was supposed to have blond hair, she replied that his hair fit in with his role as the sun god.
Fast forward a few years and a lot more research. It turns out that, although blond hair was uncommon, it was not that unusual. Some of the ancient pottery depicts warriors with blond hair and Achilles in fact was supposed to be fair. Another famous blond – Helen of Troy. She literally was fair. They were not the only ones.
DNA evidence confirms that although the prevailing hair colors were black and dark brown, blond and red hair were not unknown. Partly that was due to contact with people from the steppes.
My takeaway: people have always traveled from place to place, intermarrying with local populations. We are all mutts.
I hope to see everyone at the Cohoes Public Library this Saturday, 11 – 4.
Don’t forget! I’ll be at the Rensselaer Public Library this Saturday from 1 to 3. Six authors will discuss their works, answer questions and sign books.
Since it is Halloween, I thought I’d discuss Hecate. By Shakespeare’s time – in fact, long before, Hecate was a witch, a powerful dark force. The three Weird Sister answer to her calling on her for help and suffering from her wrath.
But in Ancient Greece, Hecate was not a witch. She was a Goddess, not a child of Zeus, but, like Dionysus, a divinity far older than even the Mycenaeans. She could slip easily between the world of the living and the world of the dead. When Hades took Persephone, Demeter asked Hecate to find her daughter, which Hecate did, locating Persephone in the Underworld.
Hecate, triple bodied, was the goddess of the crossroads, and, by extension, of boundaries. Her eyes could see into the souls of me and her torch was brighter than the moon. Since she was not a witch, she did not rely on magic or spells. (She evolved into a witch throughout the centuries.)
Hecate is usually represented holding torches, a key or snakes. That suggests to me that her roots go all the way back to Minoan times and the Priestess for whom snakes were divine. Her frequent companion was a large black dog. Together they were so fearsome that when she went to Hades, even the spirits of the dead stepped aside.
This week I read Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce.
This was an Edgar Award winner in the Children’s category. It reminded me strongly of the Enola Holmes books and Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series. Here’s an interesting fact. Although all the protagonists are young girls (opinionated and very bright, it goes without saying), the Bradley mysteries are considered adult while the Enola Holmes and Myrtle Hardcastles are classed as children’s lit.
Myrtle is a bright twelve year-old with an obsession for criminal justice. In the interest of science, she Observes (she always capitalizes this word) her neighbors. When her next door neighbor, an eccentric older lady who breeds lilies, dies under Mysterious Circumstances, Myrtles sees her chance to investigate. Armed with her mother’s microscope, and accompanied by her governess, Miss Judson, Myrtle sets about proving that Miss Woodhouse was murdered. No one believes her, not even her father, but Myrtle perseveres, putting not only herself in danger but also her father.
I really enjoyed the mystery and Myrtle is a great character. However, a young reader would have to be a very good reader to enjoy Premeditated Myrtle.
Recommended with reservations.
Just a reminder: I will be at Rensselaer Public Library Saturday, 1 to 3. The event is free. I will be giving away a copy of Death in Salem to all who buy a book.
This week I read the fifth in the C.J. Bellamy Burgoyne mystery series, Primrose Hill.
Sophie, Flora, Ada and Mrs Barker are sent to a house on Primrose Hill by Inspector Penrose to investigate a murder. To fit in with the other residents, Sophie is given a dog. To complicate matters, the Home Office has been watching one of the houses which is inhabited by Bolsheviks. Sophie is given strict instructions not to engage the members of that house at all.
Gradually, Sophie and Flora begin to meet the other residents of the hill. Who could have killed Mr. Hamilton? And what was the weapon?
The situation become further confused as the Home Office sends agents into the house to watch number fifteen, the house of the Communists. With whom, I might add, Sophie does become involved.
As usual, the book was light and fun. However, there were almost too many stories. The spying theme, the murder, the introduction to Indian food. By the time the reveal of the murder occurred, I was confused about which of the Primrose Hill residents this was.
I did not follow my usual routine blogging last week because I was in New Mexico. Although the purpose was to visit my brother, we also went to the balloon festival. New Mexico’s hot air balloon festival is the largest in the world. Balloons of all shapes and sizes go up into the air, fueled by propane, and swept along in the sky by thermals. The balloons come in all shapes. The basket at the bottom is so small, compared to the balloon, that it is almost invisible. In the center of the basket is a propane burner. Hot air rises into the balloon to keep it aloft. If the balloonist wants to descend, he releases hot air from the balloon.
The balloons do descend gradually throughout the day and by evening Albuquerque is dotted with hot air balloons that have landed in fields, yards and parking lots.
Here is the field of ‘specials’, balloons of unusual shapes.
Besides the Kong (the red dog toy), and the spaceship, there is a cement truck at the extreme right. Who thinks of a cement truck as a balloon?
I was told a few facts of interest. The balloons like the cement truck or the ones that are very oddly shaped balloons do not fly as high or as far as the more circular ones because of air drag. (That really makes sense.)
The propane needed to take a balloon aloft is significant, as much as might be required to heat a house. It can be a very expensive hobby. Besides the cost of propane is the cost of the balloons which can run into the thousands.
This event draws thousands so traffic and parking is a concern. Nonetheless, this is something everyone should see at least once in their lives.
This week I read two books by members of my writing group – the Mavens of Mayhem.
A Wedding Gone to the Dogs is the fourth in Kazlo’s cozy Samantha Davies series. In this outing, Samantha and her cousin Candie are preparing for Candie’s wedding. Of course, nothing goes smoothly. One of Candie’s previous suitors has photos of her – and those photos might disrupt her relationship. More concerning, a dead man is found in Candie’s house and it looks suspiciously as though she has murdered him. Samantha is convinced her cousin could not be involved and investigates.
Frothy and fun.
The second mystery could not be more different. Autumn Embers by Tina De Bellegarde is a more traditional mystery.
While Sheriff Mike is worried about his upcoming election (and is already upset over his separation from his wife, Bianca is heading to Kyoto, Japan to visit her son. A murder, witnessed by Bianca, upsets everything. J.C. was universally disliked so there are many suspects, including Bianca’s son Ian. In a foreign country with none of her usual supports, Bianca calls Mike for help. He runs background checks on some of the other expats and gradually Bianca unravels the mystery.
De Bellegarde’s admiration and affection for Japan shine thorough out this beautifully written mystery. It really inspires me to visit Japan myself. Highly Recommended.
One of the problems with understanding the culture in Ancient Crete is that we are limited to archaeological discoveries. We have not deciphered Linear A and so the writings, that might explain unknowns about this civilization cannot be read. That means that many facts, about their diet for example – did they have cheese? -, about their political structure – was there a King or was it a theocracy-, or about whether this society was an empire or a loose confederation of city states, are unknown.
We know there were colonies spread out over the Aegean. Akrotiri, buried in ash and currently being excavated, is one. But were they just colonies or independent city states?
On Crete, other cities besides Knossos, arguably the largest and best known, were wealthy and powerful. Gortyna was one and it is thought there was conflict between the two cities. That seems to imply equally powerful city states – but we don’t know.
I’ve read arguments on both sides of the debate and both seem equally plausible to me.
I read two books this past week. Neither were traditional mysteries. The first one was Her Past Can’t Wait by Jacqueline Boulden.
At a business function, Emily is groped by an important client. Instead of accepting it, she turns and slaps humans causes a big scene. Although her supervisor saves her job, she is suspended for two weeks. During that time, she goes for therapy and discovers a long ago trauma. Her investigation of that trauma leads to a serial predator and almost costs Emily her life.
The second book was Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney.
Daisy Darker was born with a broken heart which has made her alternately scorned and spoiled. When her estranged family arrives on a tiny island in Cornwall for Nana’s eightieth birthday, they all arrive with secrets. Because of the tide, the house will be cut off for eight hours. As a storm rages outside and on the stroke of midnight, Nana is found dead. One by one, each of the family dies. Who can be killing the family?
Creepy and captivating. Perfect for a Halloween Read. I admit, however, that I was not thrilled with the final twist.
WordPress has ‘upgraded’ which means it is more difficult to use and without some of the previous amenities. Bear with me, I am still figuring it out.
I’ve been asked why I chose such a long ago era to write mysteries about. After all, it is the Victorian era that is so popular now.
Well, I am fascinated by the ancient past. In some ways, the past is all around us. A large Roman mosaic was just discovered in Eastern Turkey by a man gardening on his property. Roman ruins have been discovered in Italy, Greece, Great Britain, France and more.
In other ways, the ancient past is an undiscovered country. There is much we don’t know. Although they were human beings like us, so many aspects of ancient cultures are strange, odd, sometimes downright offensive to modern eyes.
Ancient Crete
Differences between Ancient Crete and our current culture go far deeper than clothing of technology. It is believed the Minoans were matrilineal, maybe even a matriarchy. Some of the archeologists I read had real problems with that. It is certainly true that women were powerful.
The Minoans worshipped a Supreme Goddess, although there were Gods in their pantheon.
And some of their sports/rituals seem absurdly dangerous to us. The bull leaping, in which teenagers run at a charging bull, grab the horns, and flip over, is something that would not be allowed today. I cannot imagine a parent nowadays who would allow this.
Some archaeologists have even suggested the Ancient Minoans practiced human sacrifice (of children no less) under certain exigent circumstances.
These differences are what make this society so fascinating. It shows the breadth of human culture and belief.
The other factor that I find captivating is the cultural line that stretches from Ancient Crete to Greece and then to the entire Western civilization. (Greece is commonly honored as the cradle of democracy.) Certainly, the mainland Greeks who became Classical Greece, adopted Minoan Gods, art, and language. Although Linear A has not been deciphered, Linear B has and it is an early form of Greek.
So here it is. This ancient culture, so very different from our own and with so much still unknown about it, influenced the course of Western Civilization right down to modern times.
