| The Hidden Almanac for Monday December 12th, 2016 |
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| Episode 503 |
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| Previous episode: 2016-12-09 |
| Next episode: 2016-12-14 |
Summary[]
Today we recount the discovery of the so-called Temple of Dogs. It is the Feast Day of St. Anneth, and in the garden, the catalogs have not arrived.
Be Safe, and Stay Out of Trouble.
Transcription[]
Welcome to the Hidden Almanac, I’m Reverend Mord.
Today is December 12th, 2016.
It was on this day in 1948 that archaeologist Marian Rosenberg unearthed the so-called “Temple of Dogs” in the ruined city of Slice. This was an extraordinary treasure trove of statuary, artwork, carvings, and metalwork of dogs of all sorts. The walls of the building were covered in frescoes depicting hundreds of dogs. The pillars were carved with endless spirals of dogs chasing each other. The press seized on these reports and claimed that a shrine to man’s best friend had been located in the ancient city. Rosenberg, however, was not so certain, but her attempts to explain that there were none of the traditional markers of religious worship in the building were dismissed by reporters. “It didn’t make a good headline,” she recounted in her memoir, Ancient Dust. “Some of the papers ran a paragraph near the bottom saying ‘Archaeologist warns against jumping to conclusions,’ but most of them didn’t even bother to do that much.”
The Temple of Dogs was eventually fully excavated and elaborate theories evolved about the role of dogs in the lives of the inhabitants. Rosenberg herself says all such theories are fanciful. “We don’t know the language of the inhabitants,” she said, “we can’t decipher their books, we can’t find an altar or offering area. All we know is that they had a big building with a lot of dog-related art in it. For all we know, it was the work of one rich, obsessive collector.” The artifacts from the Temple of Dogs are on display at museums all over the world. The craftsmanship is frequently extraordinary, and the real meaning remains, as ever, unknown.
It is the Feast Day of Saint Anneth, patron of weavers. It is said that she was very beautiful and courted by many suitors, but she refused to marry them until she had woven a blanket for her bridal bed. Because she had sworn herself to celibacy, she undid the weaving in the night, and so her suitors were deceived for many years. It has been pointed out by many hagiographers that this story is a common one in mythology, and St. Anneth is most likely a conflation of some of those myths with a real, if minor figure from the 10th century.
In the garden, we wait by the mailbox with bated breath for the seed catalogs to arrive.
The Hidden Almanac is brought to you by Red Wombat Tea Company, purveyors of fine and inaccessible teas. Red Wombat --- “We Dig Tea.”
Also brought to you by St. Offren’s Grounds. Try our new holiday blend, Martyr to the Season, with cinnamon and nutmeg!
That’s the Hidden Almanac for December 12th, 2016. Be safe and stay out of trouble.
Outro[]
Out of character
The Hidden Almanac is a production of Dark Canvas Media, and is produced by Kevin Sonney. The voice of Reverend Mord is Kevin Sonney. And the voice of Pastor Drom is Ursula Vernon. Our intro music is Moon Valley and our exit music is Red in Black, both by Kosta T. You can find more by Kosta T at the Free Music Archives. All other content is copyright 2013 through 2016, Ursula Vernon.