In Pure Spirit

For open minds

Gretel’s Dark Forest

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German artist Kilian Schoenberger shared their Dark Forest photography project on Behance. It’s described as “back into the light” this is “where Hansel and Gretel lost their way”.

The photographs were actually taken by wandering through the remote forests that line where the Iron Curtain in Central Europe used to be. We’ve pictures from Germany and the Czech Republic in the set.

In Pure Spirit

Which forests would you recommend for fantastic photography? Have you any holiday or flights to Germany tips to share?

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Unknown sea creature or intestines?

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The video above shows a creature discovered during works in the docks in Kiel, Germany. It was captured and brought to the IFM-Geomar-Institute.

It’s not clear what the creature is. Many on YouTube suggest it looks like intestines with connective tissue but that doesn’t explain why the “creature” continues to move in the bucket or even why it needed to be captured. Others suggest it’s a type of Hagfish.

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What do you think? Is this is a creature… what could it be?

Who is Krampus?

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Krampus is the evil alternative to Santa Claus, the demon version of St. Nicholas.

The Krampus stories are most common in Austria, Slovenia and Croatia but is traced back to countries with pre-Christian alpine traditions.

Krampus is a devil like creature who punishes children who have been bad – the opposite of Santa Claus rewarding children who have been good for the year.

The word “Krampus” is German in origin, being old high German for “claw”. The date December 5th is a strong date for Krampus as in some towns he will roam the streets chasing children and women with bells and chains. Otherwise he will accompany Saint Nicholas. December 6th is Krampusnacht in some parts of Bavaria and elsewhere in Germany.

Krampus, the holiday devil, may have a match in Frau Perchta. On Krampusnacht, in Germany, when the men dress up as strange demons the women dress up as Perchta – the Nordic goddess. Frau Perchta may be an aspect of Freyja, the fertility goddess.

This YouTube pop video shows how Krampus is still very much of modern alpine culture.

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Will you be warning children of the dangers of Krampus visiting if they’re not well behaved kiddie-winks?

Martin Luther (1483 – 1546)

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It was on the 10th of December in 1520 that Martin Luther, a German monk, burnt the Papal Bull in Wittenberg.

In so doing so, he sealed his ex-communication from the Roman  Catholic Church.

Martin Luther, Father of Protestantism, changed the course of western civilisation with ideas that directly influenced the Protestant Reformation. Luther challenged the Pope and the Vatican by rejecting them as an infallible religious authority. Martin Luther held that the Bible was the only truly infallible religious authority, that salvation is a gift of from God and that is received only by through true repentance and faith in Jesus the Messiah.

Martin Luther translated the Bible from Latin to German so that the common people could read it for themselves. This had a huge impact on German culture and the Church. His work influenced the English translation of the King James Bible, also.

It was at the Diet of Worms in 1521 that Luther was finally excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. He refused to accept the authority of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and was declared an outlaw as a result.

Martin Luther’s views on Jews remain hugely controversial as he stated that their houses should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money taken away and liberty removed.

In Pure Spirit

There can be no doubt that Martin Luther was a hugely important figure in world history and on religion but is his significance over stated? Are is reported views on Judaism mis-represented?

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