Flo's History

  Carcassonne is a (very) diverse board game, having so many variations that simply naming them would need an entire post on their own. But this blog isn’t about games; it is about history. The real Carcassonne is actually a giant castle located in southwestern France. The site itself is vast and complex, with the oldest fortification dating all the way back to the Roman Empire. Quite ironic that one of the most famous medieval castles of Europe came from Antiquity, whilst we tend to believe they were built during the middle age. The inner walls of the castle date from 485 CE and were built by the Visigoths king Euric I to defend his kingdom. It was efficient enough because it prevented the Frankish king Clovis from invading the Hibernian Peninsula in 508. However, this initial bastion wasn’t perfect because it was conquered on not one but two separate occasions. The first time was when the Umayyad Caliphate invaded the Visigoth kingdom in 728. It was then taken back from them in 7...

  Ravana is a well-known figure in the Hindu pantheon and one of the most disputed in his achievements. A cruel demon and a benevolent emperor, some even argue that Ravana was a Buddhist King, but there is little evidence to support this claim. Stories about him differ depending on where they are told. In the Ramayana, Ravana was considered an evil tyrant with an iron fist and he even held the Gods under his thumbs. Tolkien's Sauron wished he was that cool. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, portrayed him in a different light. He was more of a benevolent king and a devoted follower of Shiva. However, the latter was because he accidentally pissed off the god of destruction and worshiped him for forgiveness, and also because he was scared of him! Anyways, under his rule, the city of Lanka prospered into becoming one of the most advanced civilizations in the world. All this came crashing down because Ravana once again angered the wrong person. In this case, it was Rama, a reincarnation of ...

  River spirits are present in almost every mythology imaginable. To name a few the Japanese Taki Reio, the Greek River Nymph, the Scottish Each-Uisge, pick up any ancient culture and chances are they have a water spirit. The Slav’s culture is notorious to trace back thanks to the many revolutions and political turmoils that plagued these people history. However, one of the monsters of legends that managed to survive throughout time is a water spirit named Vodyanoy. This water beast was known to live in the frozen rivers and lakes of the Siberian tundra. Translating to “The one in the water”, it generally looked like a merman, but instead of the fairy tales sexy bodybuilder, the Vodyanoy had a frog-like face, a long bear and grey or green skin. Yeah, not exactly the thing you want to encounter in the middle of the night. This water beast was known to live in the frozen rivers and lakes of the Siberian tundra. Translating to “The one in the water”, it generally looked like a merman,...