The Fantod Pack

As interpreted by
Madame Groeda Weyrd

"Madame Weyrd, who is of mixed Finnish and Egyptian extraction, has devoted her life to divination, and is the author of, among a shelf of other works, Floating Tambourines, a collection of esoteric verse, and the The Future Speak Through Entrails. Her career as one of the most celebrated of trance mediums came to a close when she lost two and a third fingers as the result of a contretemps during an ectoplasmic manifestation. She has long since been persona non grata to many of the rich and famous because of her fearless predication of disaster. She now makes her home on Staten Island (the one that's part of Tierra del Fuego) and is writing what it is hoped may be the definitive treatise on the Mystic Bean. 

Of the Fantod Pack itself, Madame Weyrd will only say that its origin may not be divulged, but it is of incredible antiquity."

I was lucky to discover these in the sale section of the National Gallery, Edinburgh

EDWARD GOREY’S ‘ANXIOUS, IRRITABLE’ TAROT CARD SET IS PREDICTABLY PERFECT

Coffin Dolls of Arthur's Seat

Coffin dolls - Scotland's National Museum, Edinburgh
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"Seventeen miniature coffins were found in 1836 on Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh, each containing a clothed figure. No one knows what they were, why they were buried or who buried them, but people have been trying to solve the mystery ever since.

At the time of their discovery The Scotsman newspaper suggested they were used by witches casting death spells on specific individuals. Another theory is that they were kept by sailors to protect against death.

They may even represent a mock burial, possibly for the 17 known victims of Burke and Hare. In 1827-8 Burke and Hare, working in Edinburgh, sold the bodies of people they had murdered for dissection in the city's anatomy classes. This horrified many Scots who feared that a dissected body would not rise to life at the Last Judgement. William Burke was caught and executed for his crimes in 1829. Ironically, his body was legally given to an antaomy class for dissection. Look at the mortsafe for more about Burke and Hare. 

We are unlikely ever to be sure of the meaning of the coffins. It remains with the hidden aspects of death and belief in Scotland."

Cannibal burgers

The Scots are a funny people...at least in Edinburgh.

Burgers & Beer on the Royal Mile

Mary King's Close, Edinburgh

Uw aye! We're just back from a wee trip to the land beyond Hadrian's Wall. Locating ourselves in the festival city of Edinburgh we managed to squeeze in a lot during one week. A tour of underground Edinburgh was a top priority on my list.

Now, if you haven't been to Edinburgh and you are a fan of Halloween and spookiness, well, you are definitely missing out. Sad to say we did not take advantage of every ghost tour on offer (and there are lots!) but we did take the tour of Mary King's Close, which was really interesting.

Our costumed guide, Agnes, brought our group through a sampling of the rooms in buildings built over then sealed up well over a century ago. We were told tales of plague, murder and given a good understanding of exactly how cramped, dark, dank, and smelly these 'streets' in Edinburgh's old town once were. Although there's not a lot to see other than the brick and stone walls touches of period furniture and various wax figures and tableaux do help flesh things out.

As do the cries of "Gardez loo!" which you will hear during your tour. This cry was heard twice a day in old Edinburgh. Coinciding with the church bells it was the only time you were allowed to empty your chamber pots...into the street. Everyone. At the same time.



Now, I didn't find this tour particularly frightening but it was certainly atmospheric and rather fascinating to be in the actual spaces that people once lived in and walked through. The room that thrilled me most was the one that still contains the grinding stone for making flour. You can also see bits of horse hair poking out from inside the crumbling lime plaster still clinging to spots on the walls and propped up ceiling. This domicile is comprised of three rooms, the smallest of which is thought to have been a bedroom. And that is the room which currently holds an assortment of dolls and toys people have left behind for Annie, the ghost of a little girl who died of plague centuries ago....

The hole in the floor is part of the grinding stone