The Story of the Real Sword in the Stone

The story of the Sword in the Stone comes from Arthurian legend. It is a well-known tale of the child Arthur, who pulls the mythical sword from the stone and becomes the future King of England. This legend may be partially based on truth. No, a boy did not pull a sword from a stone and become King of England, as far as we know. However, there is a sword lodged in a stone at the Monte Siepi Chapel in the San Galgano Abbey in Tuscany. That is Italy, not England, but it is close enough. After all, how many swords in stones can there possibly be?

The story of how the sword came to be in the stone at Monte Siepi is the story of San (Saint) Galgano Guidotti. Galgano was born in 1148. He became a knight, but not the sort of knight you would expect to see at the round table. He was ruthless and cruel. The Archangel Michael revealed himself to Galgano Guidotti when Guidotti was 32-years-old. The year was 1180. The archangel showed Galgano the error of his ways and how he could return to God.   Read more of this article.

Infamous Killer Couples in History

Serial killings and murders are typically a difficult thing to understand for those of us who do not commit them. Most of us respond to knowledge of these deeds with shock and disgust. How could a person behave so sinisterly? This feeling of shock is even worse when a couple commits the killings. How could two people like this find each other? How can both people be so sick that neither attempted to put a stop to it? Such was the case with the following killer couples. Two sick individuals managed to find each other and neither had enough conscious to stop the killings that followed. Read more of this article.

sinisterly? This feeling of shock is even worse when a couple commits the killings. How could two people like this find each other? How can both people be so sick that neither attempted to put a stop to it? Such was the case with the following killer couples. Two sick individuals managed to find each other and neither had enough conscious to stop the killings that followed.

Who was the Count of Saint-Germain?

The Count of St. Germain may have been more legend than man. Yes, we know that he lived and we know some of what he did. However, there have been so many claims made about this man that it is difficult to sort the truth from the embellishments. Of course, many would claim that there were no embellishments and that he really was all that people claimed him to be. If this were so, it would mean that the Count of St. Germain was the Wandering Jew, an alchemist with the secret to eternal life, a man that could turn various metals into gold, a man that could melt diamonds and form them however he wished, a proficient musician, artist and linguist and so much more.

The Count of St. Germain was not a Saint and may not even have been a Count. The place and circumstances of his birth are completely unknown. However, there have been many theories presented over the past few centuries. Some believe that he was a man of noble birth whose family was disgraced somehow and he therefore had to hide his true identity. Others believe that he was born long before his presence was documented and that he was immortal. Theosophists believe him to be an Oriental Adept. Whoever he was, he never divulged any information regarding his birth to anyone during his (known) lifetime.  Read more of this article.  Image Source

The Colossi of Memnon

On the west bank of the Nile, in the floodplains of Luxor, Egypt, stand two gigantic statues of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III. These two statues are known as the Colossi of Memnon, despite the fact that they have virtually nothing to do with Memnon at all. They are known to the locals as el-Colossat or es-Salamat.

The Colossi of Memnon were built during the reign of Amenhotep III (18th dynasty) and once stood in front of the pharaoh's mortuary temple. The temple was one of the largest ever built by the ancient Egyptians, although barely any of it still exists today. The two statues are the only things left standing. The rest is little more than rubble.  Read more of this article.  Image Source.

The Royal Tombs of Ur

More than four thousand years ago, the Sumerians dwelled in ancient Mesopotamia. The Sumerians were an extremely advanced group of people for their time and are credited with the invention of cuneiform writing, mathematics and astrology. It is no wonder then, that these people buried their dead in a ceremonial fashion. However, no one knew just how sophisticated these burials were until the Royal Tombs of Ur were discovered.

Ur was an ancient Sumerian city-state in what is now southern Iraq. More than four thousand years ago, this ancient society was in its prime and they were building temples, forming one of the first monarchical governments, conceiving the earliest known laws and court systems and burying their society's elite in elaborate tombs. These tombs were uncovered by famed archaeologist, Charles Leonard Woolley, during an excavation there, which lasted from 1922 to 1934.  Read more of this article.  Image source.

The Mystery of the Mary Celeste

In early December of 1872, the crew of the Dei Gratia found a ship adrift in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was in near perfect condition. All of the crew's belongings were still on the ship, but not a soul was to be found on board. This ship was the, now infamous, Mary Celeste.

The Mary Celeste left New York City on November 5, 1872. The ship was transporting a cargo of alcohol worth $513,000, by today's standards. On board were Captain Benjamin Briggs, his wife, their two-year-old daughter, Sophia Matilda as well as a six-man crew. The captain's logbook, which was found on board the abandoned vessel, showed that the trip was uneventful. The last entry in the logbook was dated November 24. Less than two weeks later the Dei Gratia found the Mary Celeste abandoned. Read more of this article.

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The Lost Colony of Roanoke Island

 The Roanoke Colony was the first English settlement in America. It vanished. The mystery of the lost colony of Roanoke Island has baffled society for hundreds of years. A group of settlers disappeared into North America with hardly a trace and no one has seen concrete evidence of their existence in centuries. Many theories have arisen over the years as to the fate of these settlers, but nothing is certain.

After hearing news of a lush, beautiful area in the Americas Queen Elizabeth I, of England, decides to name this new place Virginia. Subsequently, she gives Sir Walter Raleigh permission to establish a colony in the area. He was to finance and plan the expedition to what is now North Carolina. Raleigh has 10 years to complete this mission. Read more of this article. Image Source