Category Archives: End of the World Myths

END OF THE WORLD MYTHS: “THE EGG OF DOOM”

Balladeer’s Blog often looks at the End of the World panics that erupt from time to time. Since we’ve been in the middle of another of those hysterical periods for the past year or so here’s another.

Mascot new lookTHE EGG OF DOOM – Near Leeds, England, in 1806 a hen laid an egg clearly inscribed with the words “Christ is coming”. With no internet and no supermarket tabloids it took longer than we today are used to for the “gullible chump” grapevine to spread the word about this amazing event.

Once word got around hundreds flocked to marvel at this rather silly sign of the End Times. Priests used the farm as a nice recruiting post and converted plenty of Apocalypse-fearing fools, often leading them in huge, impromptu prayer meetings. Continue reading

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END OF THE WORLD MYTH: TELESPHORUS

telesphorusWe’re in the midst of another surge in end of the world nonsense with assorted unstable people claiming the world will end in 12 years or less. Balladeer’s Blog has often examined some of the countless end of the world scares of the past.

Telesphorus of Cosenza (generally believed to be a pseudonym) threw his nutzoid writings on the subject into the mix around the 1350s or 1360s (estimates vary). Continue reading

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FIFTEENTH CENTURY BLOCK BOOKS

antichristBlock Books from centuries ago were a form of illustrated storytelling, most often associated with religious topics. Naturally in a period of limited literacy the graven woodblock picture- stories made theological tales even more popular with the masses. In approximately 1455 – 1480 these “proto- comic books” addressed the Antichrist and the End Times.

These particular block books depicted the Antichrist being born “unnaturally” through a caesarean section with a demon serving as midwife. The block book Antichrist is a rare blonde depiction of this figure and he is shown getting an early education in black magic and in sexual depravity, just like Harry Potter. (I’m kidding! … Unless you count slash fiction) Continue reading

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SIX-STRING SAMURAI (1998) – STILL ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE FILMS

Six String SamuraiSIX-STRING SAMURAI (1998) – 91 minutes – Directed by Lance Mungia … Starring Jeffrey Falcon and Justin McGuire … Written by Lance Mungia and Jeffrey Falcon … Soundtrack by Brian Tyler and the Red Elvises  

There’s an old saying to the effect that every American male who loves movies wishes on some level that they had directed The Wild Bunch. Generalizations like that are very seldom accurate and at least in my case that particular one is very far from the truth. If I wished I had directed any one movie it would be Six-String Samurai.  

Trying to offer a brief description of this film is virtually impossible but for the sake of attracting new viewers to this underappreciated flick I’ll take a shot at it by calling it surrealism’s only two-fisted action blockbuster. For its visual style Six-String Samurai slyly adopts the cinematic elements and directorial grammar that are shared by the best samurai films, Spaghetti Westerns and post-apocalypse actioners. And in this age of FAR too many comic-book action movies it has to be said that the fight scenes in 6SS seriously outclass ANYTHING seen in Marvel, Dark Horse or DC’s screen projects.    

Fans of the Coen Brothers, David Lynch, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Guillermo del Toro would likely love this film as much as I do. Just as the Continue reading

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END OF THE WORLD MYTHS: THE MILLERITES

William MillerSince last December Balladeer’s Blog has been featuring some of the crackpot end of the world scares of the past in honor of the latest big-time fraud, the December 21st, 2012 “Mayan Apocalypse”. Since this is the Big Day here’s a look at how persistently foolish human beings are when it comes to end of the world hysteria. The Millerites stand as an all-time tribute to the way large numbers of people can be persuaded to believe ANYTHING and keep on believing it no matter how many times it’s proven false.

WILLIAM MILLER was the most famous and tenacious “Prophet of Doom” from the 1800’s and his thousands of followers were Continue reading

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END OF THE WORLD MYTH: WORLD WAR ONE AND SPANISH FLU

With so many gullible people believing the world is going to end on December 21st Balladeer’s Blog has been examining various end-of-the- world scenarios from popular belief.

Throw in the fact that I’ve been flat on my back with a horrible case of the flu the past few days (and am going to a doctor about it tomorrow since it won’t go away) and it got me thinking about the global Spanish influenza pandemic from approximately 1918 to 1920. 

The photo in the upper right is of mass graves being dug for flu victims who died in Philadelphia. The flu Continue reading

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END OF THE WORLD MYTH: JOHN DEE-STRUCTION OF THE EARTH

John Dee sharpened his beard on a daily basis.

Plenty of gullible people think the world will end this December 21st so Balladeer’s Blog has been examining various end of the world myths and predictions from the past.

March 17th, 1842 – Just as many people mistakenly believe that the Mayan calendar explicitly predicts the end of the world on December 21st, 2012, the year 1842 saw a mad rush of people putting their faith in a non-existent prophecy attributed to the venerable mathematician and astrologer John Dee.

The Elizabethan scholar noted Continue reading

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END OF THE WORLD MYTHS: 15TH CENTURY BLOCK BOOKS

Plenty of gullible people believe the world will end this coming December 21st, so Balladeer’s Blog has been examining various end of the world predictions and scenarios from the past.

Block books from centuries ago were a form of illustrated storytelling, most often associated with religious topics. Naturally in a period of limited literacy the graven woodblock picture- stories made theological tales even more popular with the masses. In approximately 1455 – 1480 these “proto- comic books” addressed the Antichrist and the End Times.

These particular block books depicted the Antichrist being Continue reading

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END OF THE WORLD MYTH: ZOROASTRIAN VERSION

 Since so many gullible people actually believe the world will end this December 21st Balladeer’s Blog has been looking at other end of the world scenarios on a regular basis.

In the Zoroastrian version of the end times the Big Event will happen 3,000 years after Zoroaster/ Zarathustra introduced the world to the belief system that bears his name. For those who date Zoroaster’s birth to around 1,000 BCE that means the end could come any year now, but for those who date his birth closer to 600 BCE the world still has hundreds of years to go.

The approaching climax to the ancient battle between the chief deity Ahura Mazda/ Ohrmazd and his evil archenemy, the demonic Ahriman/ Angra Mainyu, will be kicked off when the sun and moon are no longer seen in the sky and a Continue reading

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END OF THE WORLD MYTH: TELESPHORUS

 It’s no secret that the kind of kooks who think we never landed on the moon and that the “faintings” at Obama campaign appearances are real and not staged also think the world will end this coming December 21st. Balladeer’s Blog has been examining some of the countless end of the world theories of the past.

Telesphorus of Cosenza (generally believed to be a pseudonym) threw his Continue reading

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