In the ancient Greek and Roman mythologie there is also a story of the great deluge and of an arch. Roman poet Ovid (43 BC – 18 AD) retells it in his "Metamorphosis. Book 1". Infuriated by mankind's brutality, the highest of the Gods, Jupiter, announces: „You might...
…after three days the sea would rise and take everything
John Malalas (Greek: Ἰωάννης Μαλάλας, Iōánnēs Malálas) was a Byzantine writer who lived around 500 CE. In his Chronicles he records the following story from Constantinople: "In the 5th of the Indiction such a thing happened: a woman who lived near the Golden Gate was...
Scipio looks back on the Ruins of Karthago
The greek historian Polybius, who lived in the era of the Punic wars around 200 BC reports about the Roman military leader Scipio after his troops conquered and burnt down Carthage: "Turning round to me at once and grasping my hand Scipio said, 'A glorious...
Human Sacrifice in flood protection
Famous german novel "The Rider on a white Horse (Schimmelreiter)" by Theodor Storm draws on a superstition and theme that appears in numerous folk tales from the region of the North and Baltic Sea: In order to build a durable and reliable dyke, a living being has to...
Morana (Morena)
This is an idol of the Slav goddess Morana. In the folktale as penned by Stepan Gedeonow, the godess takes revenge on the people of Rethra by flooding the tempel and city. The reason for the demise and the geographical position of Rethra are not scientifically...