The Dreaded Birth of Twins: A Mini-Essay

     In 1894, Mary Kingsley traveled to Africa as an assistant to the Presbyterian missionary Mary Slessor. During her visit, she witnessed the bizarre banishment of an Eboean slave and her twin babies. As Kingsley describes, the abuse began immediately following the children's birth. Once viewed as a trustworthy and valuable slave, the woman was instantaneously transformed into a monster. All of her possessions - including her prized English china basins - were destroyed, the infants were brutally stuffed into a gin case, and all three souls were bitterly ejected from the village to die in the harsh African wilderness. Although Kingsley and Slessor rescued the outcasts, the villagers perpetually stalked the missionary's house and the mother was placed under constant supervision for attempting to kill her baby (one had already died during the expulsion process). Kingsley was shaken by the ritual and her bewilderment only grew as she discovered the reasoning behind it: superstitions in the Calabar region maintain that twins are the spawn of demonic beings. Hence, the villagers' act of ostracism and the mother's pursuits of infanticide were efforts - all dictated by longstanding beliefs - to destroy these malevolent offspring.
     The Calabar position regarding twins may seem backward; however, it is not unique. Indeed, there is a universal dread of twin births among multiple cultures throughout the world. From tribal societies in Africa, Australia, and East India to aboriginal populations in Europe and North and South America, numerous people perceive the birth of twins as a harbinger of malice and misfortune. Although the rationale behind these cultural fears differ, there is one common theme: infidelity. The Tiwi of Australia, for example, believe that a woman becomes pregnant when a man delivers a pitapitui into her body. Since a man can only produce one pitapitui at a time, the birth of twins serves (erroneously) to prove that a woman has bedded more than one man. In some societies, the assumed adultery is taken at face value and the women is (again, erroneously) punished for her transgressions. In most of these aboriginal communities, though, this inferred infidelity holds a far more sinister connotation. Not only has the woman strayed from her marriage and slept with another man, but this extramarital partner is the tribal approximation of the Devil. Hence, the woman, either knowingly or unknowingly, has allowed herself to become bewitched and impregnated by evil forces, resulting in, as scholar Nancy Caldwell Sorel emphasizes, "a crime guaranteed to call down the vengeance of the gods, who could only be appeased by the death of at least one twin, often both, and frequently the offending mother as well."

Works Referenced

Caldwell Sorel, Nancy. Ever Since Eve: Personal Reflections on Childbirth. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984.

Kingsley, Mary. Travels in West Africa. London: Macmillan and Company, 1897.

Pretzel Bones

$15 - $20 (based on 2016 prices) 
Makes fourteen pretzels  

Every Halloween party needs spooky snacks and I’m always on the hunt for ways to transform common recipes into ghoulish treats. The idea behind this project is rather simple: take a basic pretzel recipe and mold the dough into bone shapes. To give the snack a creepier touch, use food coloring to dye the cheese sauce a moldy green or gory red. Also, for the time-pressed haunter who hates to cook, the process can be streamlined by using a store-bough pretzel mix.

• 4 Cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 ½ Teaspoons salt
• 1 Package active dry yeast
• 1 Cup milk
• ½ Cup water
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• ½ Cup baking soda
• 2 Tablespoons coarse sea salt
  

1. In a large bowl, combine salt, sugar, undissolved yeast, and two cups of flour.

2. In a small saucepan, gradually warm milk, oil, and water over medium heat until the mixture reaches 130°F (do not boil the liquids). 

3. Stir the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture, adding additional flour to make the dough soft and malleable. Cover the dough with a tea towel and allow it to rest for twenty-five minutes.

4. Divide the dough into fourteen equal pieces and form each piece into a bone shape (or other Halloween-themed designs). To prevent the dough from drying out, keep the pieces covered with a tea towel.

5. Preheat the oven to 400°F and, in a large pot, dissolve the baking soda in four cups of water, bringing the mixture to a boil. With a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer each pretzel – one at a time – to the boiling liquid and allow it to soak for fifteen seconds.

6. Place the pretzels on a greased baking sheet, sprinkle their surface with coarse sea salt, and bake them for ten minutes or until they become golden brown.

7. Remove the pretzels from the baking sheet and allow them to cool on a wire rack.

"Der Erlkönig" (A Poem)

I first stumbled on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's poem, "Der Erlkönig," over a decade ago when I heard it recited in French at a local open-mic night. Although the individual was exceedingly melodramatic in his recitation and the atmosphere was heavy with pseudo-intellectualism, the haunting imagery of Goethe's text - a testament to the author's talent - overpowered everything: "Mon père, mon père, n’entends-tu donc pas...." Written in 1782, the work utilizes the longstanding myth of der Erlkönig - the King of the Alders who haunts the gnarled woods of Germany and claims the hapless souls who venture into its darkened recesses - as a means to explore the menacing encroachment of death. More than that, though, the poem, as Marina Warner emphasizes, "personifies death as a danger above all to the young, who are credited with more intense perception of the other world in the first place; this intimacy with the supernatural makes them vulnerable to its charms and its desires." Presented here is Sir Walter Scott's definitive English translation from 1797.

The Earl-King

O who rides by night thro' the woodland so wild? 
It is the fond father embracing his child; 
And close the boy nestles within his loved arm, 
To hold himself fast, and to keep himself warm. 

"O father, see yonder! see yonder!" he says; 
"My boy, upon what dost thou fearfully gaze?" 
"O, 'tis the Erl-King with his crown and his shroud." 
"No, my son, it is but a dark wreath of the cloud." 

          [The Earl-King Speaks] 
"O come and go with me, thou loveliest child; 
By many a gay sport shall thy time be beguiled; 
My mother keeps for thee many a fair toy, 
And many a fine flower shall she pluck for my boy." 

"O father, my father, and did you not hear 
The Erl-King whisper so low in my ear?" 
"Be still, my heart's darling--my child, be at ease; 
It was but the wild blast as it sung thro' the trees." 

          [Earl-King] 
"O wilt thou go with me, thou loveliest boy? 
My daughter shall tend thee with care and with joy; 
She shall bear three so lightlyt thro' wet and thro' wild, 
And press thee, and kiss thee, and sing to my child." 

"O father, my father, and saw you not plain 
The Erl-King's pale daughter glide past thro' the rain?" 
"Oh yes, my loved treasure, I knew it full soon; 
It was the grey willow that danced to the moon." 

          [Earl-King] 
"O come and go with me, no longer delay, 
Or else, silly child, I will drag thee away." 
"O father! O father! now, now, keep your hold, 
The Erl-King has seized me--his grasp is so cold!" 

Sore trembled the father; he spurr'd thro' the wild, 
Clasping close to his bosom his shuddering child; 
He reaches his dwelling in doubt and in dread, 
But, clasp'd to his bosom, the infant was dead. 

Works Referenced

Scott, Walter. "The Earl-King." The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott. Vol. 5. Ed. John Dennis. London: George Bell and Sons, 1982. pp. 139-140. 

Warner, Marina. Monsters of Our Own Making: The Peculiar Pressures of Fear. Lexington, KY: The University of Kentucky Press, 2007.

Twisted Candles

$2 - $4 (based on 2014 prices) 

Makes five candles

This project began as an accident: I left several candles in the backseat of my car and the heat from the sun melted them into bizarre shapes. After a little experimentation, I was able to replicate the results with a hairdryer. If you already have the hairdryer and work gloves, this project is surprisingly inexpensive. You can find cheap candles on clearance or at second-hand stores. Purchase thinner candles, since they heat up faster and are easier to mold.

• One package of taper candles in desired colors (roughly five candles per pack)
• One standard hairdryer (1875 Watt)
• One pair of heat-resistant work gloves

1. Bring the hairdryer to a moderate temperature and make several passes over the candles, holding the device a few inches away from their surface. This process will warm the wax, making it malleable enough to form curves and twists. You may have to play with the hairdryer’s temperature until you find the level of heat which produces the best results without melting the wax. You can also drape the candles over the edges of boxes or other items and allow them to take these shapes as they melt. Always keep safety in mind: wear heat-resistant work gloves while molding the hot wax and do not heat the candles around flammable items.

SPECIAL NOTE: I would not recommend using a heat gun for this project. These devices reach extreme temperatures and will melt the candles. On the other hand, hairdryers prove ideal because the moderate heat they produce will warm the wax enough to make it pliable without melting it.