The Bygone Society Show

The Bygone Society Show
The Bygone Society Show

Rife with murder, intrigue and a reality beyond our everyday, requirements to join the society include an appreciation for in-depth research and lurid tales of yore. Return to a time that refuses to die. This is The Bygone Society Show. bygonesocietyshow.substack.com

  1. 14 THG 6

    Buried Alive

    “Such is the condition of humanity, and so uncertain is men’s judgment, that they cannot determine even death itself.” - Pliny the Elder In the 18th and 19th centuries, a specter haunted the minds of the living—it lingered in limbo, where darkness weighs heavy, and the air is thin.  If found in its confines, no course of action nor thrash of panic could save you. You were as good as dead.   How morbid it must be to realize the very reason you’re trapped in this nightmare at all is because everyone you know already believes you to be dead— entombed in a world where the line between life and the grave is weaker than your last gasp of breath.  Your fate echoes above the tolling of the church bells or the screams of the undead. You’ve just been buried alive.  I’m Kate Naglieri. Welcome to The Bygone Society Show.  Death is Uncertain - Proverb Legal death was once a murky concept. It was not based on the certainties of modern medicine but on practices that often…faltered.  You have to remember, Traditional Western Medicine of the 18th century gave way to the tentative strides of Early Modern Medicine in the 19th century, but both were built on the bones of stolen bodies – thanks to the common practice of grave-robbing – as well as morally-questionable experimentation, and rudimentary practices.  Coupled with frequent epidemics like cholera, smallpox and influenza, and a thick sense of superstition, mortality stalked the populace like a silent and ever-present predator.  The fear of being buried alive gripped the collective consciousness, as science struggled to distinguish life versus its dark twin – where anyone, regardless of age or gender or standing, could be found in its cold resting place. The Universal Terror of Premature Burial Taphophobia, or the fear of being buried alive because of incorrectly being pronounced dead, was a common fear, even among the historically famous.  First President of the United States George Washington was so fearful of being prematurely buried that he instructed his secretary Tobias Lear while on his deathbed, saying: “Have me decently buried; and do not let my body be put into the Vault in less than three days after I am dead.”  Washington wasn’t alone in his fears. Edgar Allan Poe, the Master of Macabre, feared premature burial so much, he wrote the Gothic short story, The Premature Burial.  I love a no-frills title.  Here’s a passage that vividly illustrates Poe’s imagined experience of being buried alive:   “It may be asserted, without hesitation, that no event is so terribly well adapted to inspire the supremeness of bodily and of mental distress, as is burial before death. The unendurable oppression of the lungs -- the stifling fumes from the damp earth -- the clinging to the death garments -- the rigid embrace of the narrow house -- the blackness of the absolute Night -- the silence like a sea that overwhelms -- the unseen but palpable presence of the Conqueror Worm.” Frequent references to premature burial in literary works embedded the concept deeply into societal consciousness, turning it into a naturalized element of Gothic culture and conversation.  For example, Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” features the Headless Horseman, a ghost of a Hessian soldier who was buried alive.  Or take the Tale of Enoch Crosby, a spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, who was captured and buried alive by the British. According to legend, he managed to escape his grave and continued to serve as a spy.  And then there’s the true story of Margorie McCall, a woman from Lurgan, Ireland. She fell ill with a fever and was declared dead in the late 17th century. She was buried swiftly to prevent the spread of disease, and was interred wearing a valuable ring that grave robbers set out to steal.  When the robbers attempted to remove the ring by cutting off Margorie’s finger, she awoke from her ca

    17 phút
  2. Episode 12: The Lost Colony of Roanoke

    24/11/2023

    Episode 12: The Lost Colony of Roanoke

    When you take a look at our longstanding history, mankind can point to endless examples of our march towards progress and daring endeavors.  We’ve risen from the ashes like a Phoenix, emerged from the depths of oppression, and brought in new dawns upon vast empires. The rise of great people and civilizations makes for an uplifting and even ego-affirming tale.  But what of their inevitable downfall?  On the flip side of our ancient coin, we see just as many examples of when humankind couldn’t hack it, for lack of a better term. It’s curious that our retellings of our own declines are distilled into one metaphorical reasoning.  Whether stabbed in the back by a friend, or wiped out by foreign diseases, it would seem that every civilization, every community and every person has their own achilles heel.   Including one of America’s oldest colonies.  The colony of Roanoke, which predates the English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, took root on an island off the eastern seaboard of North America, in modern day North Carolina.  This settlement would have become the inaugural English colony in the New World. But it never did.  ‘Why?’ You ask. ‘What led them to their end?’  Well, that’s the thing. We don’t know.  I’m Kate Naglieri. Welcome to The Bygone Society Show. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bygonesocietyshow.substack.com

    21 phút
  3. Ep 10: The Bearer of Burdens

    01/10/2023

    Ep 10: The Bearer of Burdens

    Picture this…  You’re in a dimly lit room. There’s a hushed gathering of mourners. The air is heavy with the scent of tears and smoldering incense, its tendrils of gray smoke curling like a restless spirit.  At the center of the room is a solitary figure, he’s cloaked in tattered garments and kneeling beside a crude wooden table.  On it, is a woman, recently deceased. She’s holding a plate of crusty bread upon her chest.  The cloaked, and kneeling man reaches for the bread and eats it. He then reaches for a glass of wine beside him, and drinks it.  In this solemn communion, the man has just absorbed the sins of the departed, taking on her transgressions as his own.  The woman’s soul was set free. But the man remained as he always had— called upon only when the world craved absolution, and then promptly shunned… for being a sin eater.  According to Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase & Fable, sin eaters were poor people hired at funerals in olden days to eat beside the corpse, taking on the sins of the deceased, so that the soul might be delivered from Purgatory. Commonly practiced in the British Isles in the 17th, 18th and 19th-century, it might be difficult for us to believe there was ever a time where the town pariah could absolve you of all your wrongdoings.  Perhaps even more difficult to believe knowing that 54% of Americans between the ages of 13-38 years old dream of becoming a social media influencer.  But dig a bit deeper, and take a closer look…you’ll find many a modern-day, unsung hero – be it sanitation workers, caregivers, or call center operators – toiling away. You see, both groups perform gritty and underappreciated tasks for the greater good. Just like sin-eaters of yore, today’s essential workers valiantly navigate irate customers, grueling hours, and chronic stress for very little in return.  It's a painful parallel – the realization that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Join us as we unravel the tales of sin-eaters, and discover the rituals, beliefs, and profound impact they had on the communities they served. I’m Kate Naglieri. Welcome to The Bygone Society Show, episode 10: The Bearer of Burdens. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bygonesocietyshow.substack.com

    14 phút

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Rife with murder, intrigue and a reality beyond our everyday, requirements to join the society include an appreciation for in-depth research and lurid tales of yore. Return to a time that refuses to die. This is The Bygone Society Show. bygonesocietyshow.substack.com

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