h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Off to the land of now, as I am back to W*rk for the first time in four days.

Hope you feel better, Mal.

Cyn. Make sure the doesn't affect your voice.

CC. look forward to hearing your reply to my offer.

s all!

MMF

That sounds great. I thought you were going to say the Old Withered Lady.

Thanks! I'll do my best!

Nighty night, Mazin!

Thanks, Mazin - I'm working on it Anyone else want a hot lemon while I'm at it?

Me thinks its starting to blow up another gale in deepist Wilts
COME ON SALISBURY

Hmm, I have the blinds up and the insulation off the windows now - they're quite fogged up, but beyond that, I actually see the houses on the next street - the leaves are all off the trees, now.

Looks like someone is putting up Christmas lights...

Windy, damp but not actually raining YET Manchester is a blowy place. I imagine I might see neighbours Christmas Santas nearly put Satans blowing up the street.

Christmas Satans. I like that.

Can you imagine kids in bed early Christmas Eve waiting for Satan to come down the chimney asking "Mum will his tail fit down the chimney?"

The cloven hoofprints in the snow wouldn't just be from reindeer...

"I saw mummy kissing Satan's claws"

You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry, you'd best say your prayers and I'm telling you why, the muckle Deil is coming to town...

The mind boggles.

Well, it's almost time for Woutan and his Wild Hunt to come through...

Woutan? who is Woutan?

Woutan, Wotan, Wodan - old germanic god who corresponds to Odin. The leader of the Furious Host, at any rate.

In the part of Germany my mother comes from, his legend has fused with that of the Wilde Jäger Hackelberg.

Hanns Hackelberg was a hunter in the 16th Century, who would hunt any day, even Sundays. One night, however, he had a dream that he went on a hunt and a wild boar gored him and killed him. He told the dream to his wife, who said it was a warning and begged him not to go out on the hunt, and finally, he stayed home.

When his men returned, they really brought a big boar with them, and he picked it up by the back of the neck, laughing, and said "You can't kill me now!"

Unfortunately, it dropped from his hand, and the tusk sliced open his leg. The wound went bad, and he died, cursing God and the boar and wishing that he could ride the hunt forever.

Now, he leads the Wild Hunt. When the Hunt comes through in the Rauhnächte (the 12 nights following Winter Solstice) you can't have the front and back doors open at the same time (or a window, even) because then they'll ride through your hall and leave a big, black dog, that will lie on the floor and growl at anyone who comes near.

The only way to get rid of it is to leave both doors open again in the next year, and they'll ride through again and take it along...

Great story.

Of course, nobody *believes* it - and of course, everyone's very careful to avoid opening the front and back doors at once

It's the middle night now, so there is really nothing outside my window besides darkness. Oh, if ghosts do exist, they are staring at me and want to bring me to the King of Terrors.

The good thing about Wotan is that he has a day named after him.

Wednesday or Wotan's day, and then there is Thor's Day. If I recall, Friday is also named after a god, but I can't recall the spelling... Frier or something, Saturday is Saturn, Sunday is self explanitary, Monday is Moon day, and I've also forgotten Tuesday!

All a means of mixing Pagan, Roman and Celtic beliefs into the week!

The months are the same, but I've largely forgotten those as well, except Sept-, Oct-, Nov- and Dec-ember, which are numerical...

I like Pagan Festivals. Time for the Mistletoe, Golden Cycle, and Figgy Pudding!