Spooky Little Dudes and Resurrection Men
Jul. 24th, 2023 12:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smokingbootThere they were, tucked away in some half corridor at the museum. They were discovered in 1836 by boys seeking rabbits on Arthur's Seat. There were 17 of these little coffins originally. No-one knows what they were for. Close-ups are behind the cut, because their lack of quality annoys me.
My phone can't capture the details! I may have to take a decent camera back to the museum, see if I can get their little faces.
There are inevitable claims of these as cursing poppets, but 17 curses? That's one tired malefactor and a lot of resentment. Another theory is that maybe they represent a mimic burial for people whose bodies were lost, i.e sea crews. Yet another builds on this idea, looking for an event or situation where 17 people lost their lives; the most immediately applicable to this in tems of timing is the case of the West Port Murders committed by Burke and Hare who, not content to be mere body snatchers, gave the process a little help. Sixteen they murdered, one they sold had died of natural causes. Seventeen in all passed through their hands to vivisectionists. It's not hard to imagine that whoever made and placed these little coffins and their occupants did so as a mark of respect for the victims. The flaw with this is that Burke and Hare's victims were mostly women, and these little dolls seem entirely clad as male, but unless someone has photos or records of all seventeen together we can't be sure.
I like the idea of someone doing the very best they could to show reverence to those whose bodies could not be given grace. The Scotsman described the resting place of the dolls thus; The mouth of this little cave was closed by three thin pieces of slate-stone, rudely cut at the upper ends into a conical form, and so placed as to protect the interior from the effects of the weather . Much of this implies old folk beliefs, but from clothes to coffins to resting place, there's evidence of care. Perhaps this was a tender gesture, a moment's cherishing hidden on the grim-faced rock above the town.
My phone can't capture the details! I may have to take a decent camera back to the museum, see if I can get their little faces.
There are inevitable claims of these as cursing poppets, but 17 curses? That's one tired malefactor and a lot of resentment. Another theory is that maybe they represent a mimic burial for people whose bodies were lost, i.e sea crews. Yet another builds on this idea, looking for an event or situation where 17 people lost their lives; the most immediately applicable to this in tems of timing is the case of the West Port Murders committed by Burke and Hare who, not content to be mere body snatchers, gave the process a little help. Sixteen they murdered, one they sold had died of natural causes. Seventeen in all passed through their hands to vivisectionists. It's not hard to imagine that whoever made and placed these little coffins and their occupants did so as a mark of respect for the victims. The flaw with this is that Burke and Hare's victims were mostly women, and these little dolls seem entirely clad as male, but unless someone has photos or records of all seventeen together we can't be sure.
I like the idea of someone doing the very best they could to show reverence to those whose bodies could not be given grace. The Scotsman described the resting place of the dolls thus; The mouth of this little cave was closed by three thin pieces of slate-stone, rudely cut at the upper ends into a conical form, and so placed as to protect the interior from the effects of the weather . Much of this implies old folk beliefs, but from clothes to coffins to resting place, there's evidence of care. Perhaps this was a tender gesture, a moment's cherishing hidden on the grim-faced rock above the town.
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Date: 2023-07-24 03:47 pm (UTC)And they are quite odd! 😀
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Date: 2023-07-24 04:39 pm (UTC)