My study of old #folklore gets more and more relevant to current-day affairs.
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@juergen_hubert The hysteria around trans girls/women definitely reminds me of witch hunts.
You are not wrong. The one German folk tale I have come across that explicitly featured a nonbinary person ended with them being burned at the stake merely for not conforming to gender norms.
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@juergen_hubert Yes - we dismiss folklore too easily. It has a lot to teach us (if we can only seek to understand what they were saying).
Everything "different" had some explanation. But a lot of it was really "This is why this person has a superpower" more than "This is why they should be eliminated".
Most German folk tales about "people with superpowers" were about Sunday Children, who could see the unseen world.
Though "night hags" might also qualify - people whose spirits roamed while they were asleep and who were compelled to "squeeze" other people. Although that was usually portrayed as an affliction, which should be cured if possible.
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@juergen_hubert And isn't another progression, the child's mother is a wich?
Actually, that's uncommon - being a witch is commonly a learned trait/something that is a choice, although the children of witches are seduced into witchcraft often enough.
Although I have come across one tale where accepting magic to help with the pains of childbirth will influence the child as well.
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@juergen_hubert folklore like religion evolved over centuries to keep the parts that worked. I'm not surprised. Mostly fascinated. Thank you. I'll follow you for that blog post you may (or may not) write.
@alper
I will see if I can come up with something for next month, but no promises.
