Back in medieval times, most of the northern parts of Europe, and big swaths of the British Isles, were covered with dense forest. So close encounters with wolves were quite common. Packs of wolves could—and did—attack grazing livestock, and sometimes… Read More
When I was a kid, I remember being traumatized by an especially violent version of Grimm’s Fairy Tales that we had on our shelf. Deep dark forests, child-eating wolves, ogres, giants, witches, and trolls (most of whom were also child-eating).… Read More
Many people know Sir Walter Raleigh (1552 – 1618) as the courtly gentleman who spread his cloak over a puddle so Queen Elizabeth would not dirty her shoes. It’s uncertain whether or not this actually happened, but even if the story is true, his cloak was most likely made of leather and easily cleaned.