Thursday, April 24, 2008
Thor's Oak was an ancient tree sacred to the Germanic tribe of the Chatti, ancestors of the Hessians, and one of the most important sacred sites of the pagan Germanic peoples.
The tree stood at a location near the village of Geismar, today part of the town of Fritzlar in northern Hesse, and was the main point of veneration of the Germanic deity Thor (known among the West Germanic tribes as Donar) by the Chatti and most other Germanic tribes. Its felling in 723 marked the beginning of the Christianization of the non-Frankish tribes of northern Germany.
History
In 723, the Anglo-Saxon missionary Winfrid -- later called St Boniface, Apostle of the Germans -- arrived in the area in his quest to convert the northern Germanic tribes to Christianity, using as his base the Frankish fortified settlement of Büraburg on the opposite side of the Eder river. He had the oak felled in an attempt to convey the superiority of the Christian God over Thor and the native Germanic religion. According to surviving texts, when Thor did not respond by hurling a lightning bolt at him, the assembled local people agreed to be baptized.
Boniface used the wood of the oak to build a chapel in Fritzlar, founded a Benedictine monastery, and established the first bishopric in Germany outside the boundaries of the old Roman Empire at Büraburg, with his disciple, Witta, as bishop. The first abbot of the monastery, St. Wigbert, built a stone basilica at the site of the wooden chapel which was, after its destruction by Saxons in 1079, replaced in 1180-1200 by the large Romanesque-Gothic cathedral of St. Peter that today dominates the town. The bishopric of Büraburg was abolished after Witta's death by Lullus and incorporated into that of Mainz.
Labels: Thor's Oak
It's been a very good week for yours truly. I'll be the featured poet in the May issue of Perpetual Magazine, where some of my spiritual poetry will be featured. Also, my story, 'One' will be published in Static Movement. I'm especially proud of the story, as it is the first story that I've written in oh, fifteen years. So check out those links to the right. Also, more of a technical announcement. If you enjoy my book and movie reviews, those are now only available on Korpo Radio. That's all folks.
Labels: published again
Ah, the sound of relief as round one of the 2007-2008 NHL playoffs has finished. I'll just recap my predictions and what really happened.
Montreal vs. Boston, Montreal won, as I predicted, but it was far harder than it should have been. It really showed that Montreal has been out of the playoffs for quite some time. Price, though, at times was brilliant, the crowd was even shouting-'Jesus Price', which has to be the best hockey nickname in ages. One unfortunate thing, was the riot after a first round victory! I mean, c'mon, you haven't won anything yet. But, Montreal is the birthplace of the hockey riot, so what can you expect?
Pittsburg vs. Ottawa. While my heart picked Ottawa, my brain wasn't fooled. It wasn't a matter of defensive collapse, they didn't really ever show up for a game. Except for Gerber.
Capitals vs. Philadelphia. I picked Washington to win, but failed to consider their playoff inexperience. They gave Philly a tough series, but I think next year, they'll be much more dangerous.
New Jersey vs. the New York Rangers. I picked New Jersey, because I had to pick someone, but I was mistaken. This was probably the most bizarre series, with Sean Avery waving in front of Brodeur to distract him, thus inspiring a change to the rule book. My question is, if this wasn't against the rules for over seventy-five years, why was Avery the first person to do it? Brodeur didn't sake his hand at the end of the series, but you have to admire the creativity.
Detroit vs. Nashville. While Dan Ellis gave Nashville more of a chance, Detroit, thanks to veteran Chris Osgood, won.
San Jose vs. Calgary. This series was by far the most entertaining, alot of great hockey and another inspiring effort from Jerome Iginla. But ultimately they lost, leaving Montreal Canada's last hope.
Minnesota vs. Colorado. I actually went against common opinion to pick Colorado, and it turns out, I was right, and they were wrong. Ha! 4-3
Anaheim vs. Dallas. The big surprise of the playoffs was how badly Anaheim sucked. They did manage to win two games, but they were just as outplayed as the Senators were.
So my record for round 1 is 4 out of 8. I hope I do better in Round 2. So here we go, my predictions for round 2.
Montreal vs Philadephia. Hmm...I'm going to go out on a limb, and predict an upset. Why? The Flyers man-handled the Capitals for the first half of the series and then held off their offensive assaults towards the end. Montreal, while a talented team, doesn't have the same offensive potential.
Pittsburg vs. the New York Rangers Youth vs. experience. While everyone dreams of the glory days of the Edmonton Oilers when thinking of the Penguins-the question is-are they really that good? While they did destroy Ottawa, Ottawa probably destroyed themselves. And Lundqvist did outduel Brodeur. I think that Pittsbury will win, but it will go down to seven games.
Dallas vs. San Jose Both talented teams, but one struggled with Calgary, and the other knocked off the defending champions. All of the hockey writers love the Sharks, and I've never understood why. Yeah, they have Joe Thorton, and Nabakhov, and what else? Dallas also has a lack of star playmakers, but I think they will win, as San Jose has all of the grit and determination of the Ottawa Senators (and that ain't saying much).
Colorado vs. Detroit Whoa, take me back to highschool. For all the talk of the 'new NHL' it seems some teams keep going and going. People are picking Detroit because it has depth out of the yin-yang. I like Colorado, because I think Theodore is a better goalie than Osgood or Hasek at this point.
Montreal vs. Boston, Montreal won, as I predicted, but it was far harder than it should have been. It really showed that Montreal has been out of the playoffs for quite some time. Price, though, at times was brilliant, the crowd was even shouting-'Jesus Price', which has to be the best hockey nickname in ages. One unfortunate thing, was the riot after a first round victory! I mean, c'mon, you haven't won anything yet. But, Montreal is the birthplace of the hockey riot, so what can you expect?
Pittsburg vs. Ottawa. While my heart picked Ottawa, my brain wasn't fooled. It wasn't a matter of defensive collapse, they didn't really ever show up for a game. Except for Gerber.
Capitals vs. Philadelphia. I picked Washington to win, but failed to consider their playoff inexperience. They gave Philly a tough series, but I think next year, they'll be much more dangerous.
New Jersey vs. the New York Rangers. I picked New Jersey, because I had to pick someone, but I was mistaken. This was probably the most bizarre series, with Sean Avery waving in front of Brodeur to distract him, thus inspiring a change to the rule book. My question is, if this wasn't against the rules for over seventy-five years, why was Avery the first person to do it? Brodeur didn't sake his hand at the end of the series, but you have to admire the creativity.
Detroit vs. Nashville. While Dan Ellis gave Nashville more of a chance, Detroit, thanks to veteran Chris Osgood, won.
San Jose vs. Calgary. This series was by far the most entertaining, alot of great hockey and another inspiring effort from Jerome Iginla. But ultimately they lost, leaving Montreal Canada's last hope.
Minnesota vs. Colorado. I actually went against common opinion to pick Colorado, and it turns out, I was right, and they were wrong. Ha! 4-3
Anaheim vs. Dallas. The big surprise of the playoffs was how badly Anaheim sucked. They did manage to win two games, but they were just as outplayed as the Senators were.
So my record for round 1 is 4 out of 8. I hope I do better in Round 2. So here we go, my predictions for round 2.
Montreal vs Philadephia. Hmm...I'm going to go out on a limb, and predict an upset. Why? The Flyers man-handled the Capitals for the first half of the series and then held off their offensive assaults towards the end. Montreal, while a talented team, doesn't have the same offensive potential.
Pittsburg vs. the New York Rangers Youth vs. experience. While everyone dreams of the glory days of the Edmonton Oilers when thinking of the Penguins-the question is-are they really that good? While they did destroy Ottawa, Ottawa probably destroyed themselves. And Lundqvist did outduel Brodeur. I think that Pittsbury will win, but it will go down to seven games.
Dallas vs. San Jose Both talented teams, but one struggled with Calgary, and the other knocked off the defending champions. All of the hockey writers love the Sharks, and I've never understood why. Yeah, they have Joe Thorton, and Nabakhov, and what else? Dallas also has a lack of star playmakers, but I think they will win, as San Jose has all of the grit and determination of the Ottawa Senators (and that ain't saying much).
Colorado vs. Detroit Whoa, take me back to highschool. For all the talk of the 'new NHL' it seems some teams keep going and going. People are picking Detroit because it has depth out of the yin-yang. I like Colorado, because I think Theodore is a better goalie than Osgood or Hasek at this point.
Labels: second round predictions
