The Life of Aesop, the Famous Teller of Fables

A former slave from the island of Samos (in the eastern Aegean Sea) who was owned first by a man named Xanthus and then a man named Iadmon, Aesop had already gained considerable renown as a master storyteller before he ever left his native land.  Leaving Samos, Aesop traveled to Sardis (Turkey) to join in intellectual discussions with Solon of Athens and Thales of Miletus, as well as other exiled sages and philosophers of the time. There he found favor with King Croesus because of his superior wit, considerable intelligence, and ability to spin captivating yarns–fables that instructed while entertaining.  Read more . . .

Who, Exactly, was St. Patrick?

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Bannauenta, Britain, in about the year 389 (although both his place and date of birth are often disputed). Son of Potitus, a middle-class deacon and minor local official, Patrick was no doubt raised a Christian, but showed little interest in religious studies until later in life.  At the age of 16, Patrick was captured by a band of Irish raiders, quite possibly while taking part in the raid against the Irish king Niall Noigiallach who met his end in Britain in 405. Taken to Ireland to be sold as a slave, Patrick served as shepherd to a chieftain named Miliucc for six years, near the mountain called Slemish in County Antrim (Ulster). During this bleak period of time, religion became Patrick’s solace and focus in life.  Read more . . .

Porphyria: The Vampire Disease

While many find the vampire legend both fascinating and strangely compelling when it inhabits the written page or silver screen, it's one that can easily be dismissed in these modern times. Our enlightened sensibilities recognize this belief as the result of silly superstition and vivid imagination.  But during the 18th century when folklore and myth dominated eastern European perception, reports of vampires (as well as werewolves) were rampant, with hundreds of eye-witness sightings.  In fact, so prevalent was the common belief in the existence of vampires that the Austrians, who were occupying Serbia during the 1730s, sent a team of medical officers to the Serbian countryside to investigate reported weekly "exhumations and killing of the undead."  Read more . . .