Cultural Q&A, What is a scuppernong, anyway? |
 Sep 3 2008, 05:00 PM
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#51
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Doctor Filibuster's Junior Assistant  Posts: 1,963 Joined: 8:57am March 12, 2005 Location: at Home or somewhere in between   |
Hmmm...this is interesting!
 I remember mentioning in one of these threads last week that the characterization of Boo Radley reminded me a bit of a movie I watched a while ago called Powder. Would you believe that Powder was on cable a few days ago and I watched it? I noticed that a bunch of lightning rods were on the top of Powder's grandparents' house, and that he had elemental powers and attraction to electricity. In the story, (the very beginning so I'm not giving anything really away here) his mother died after being struck by lightning while pregnant with him in a thunder and lightning storm. Perhaps the practice of lightning rods in cemeteries had something to do with mythological thundergods who threw down bolts of lightning in rage. When the cultures were mixed, unrestful or unblessed graves would attract the "wrath" of God in the new interpretation. The "Old South" is a literal melting pot of traditions, where individual significance is blurred but traditions become fully absorbed within the many and various hybrid cultures that were created. -------------------- Avatar made with Poser 6 and Photoshop Elements
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Sep 3 2008, 06:55 PM
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#52
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Director of Farcical Aquatic Ceremonies  Posts: 8,971 Joined: 2:55pm January 28, 2005 Location: Classified, until such time as the Ministry sees fit to release it. |
QUOTE(Ex Libres Cogito @ Aug 24 2008, 09:42 PM)  There was a post recently that touched on the grocery chains of the area. Does anyone remember the old Ben Franklins; or know the story of how Sam Walton bought them up; beginning the super-mega-retailer Wal*Mart? Btw, is there Walmart in the UK? (I know, it's a naive question) There are still Ben Franklin stores open. I was dragged into one in NC. It's a crafting nightmare.  I was born and raised here in the South and haven't heard of lightening rods in cemeteries. Neither has anyone else in the office--also all Southerners (and older than me). Pleione, who is decidedly craft-impaired
This post has been edited by Pleione: Sep 3 2008, 06:57 PM |
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Sep 4 2008, 09:51 AM
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#53
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Mischievous Manager  Posts: 5,375 Joined: 9:14am February 16, 2006 Location: Behind the sofa, watching Doctor Who |
This might help - http://www.sciway.net/hist/chicora/gravematters-1.html
It's a site describing traditions associated with African-American cemeteries, both before and after the end of slavery. Among the other observations was something about objects placed on and around a grave - and there were a few theories why. One was that they were "offerings," something that meant something to the person under the ground. But another was that the objects were specifically aimed at keeping the person IN the ground. I didn't find anything about lightning rods, but that (coupled with Scarlettred's theory) does seem to fit the idea. I had the chance a few years ago to visit the grave of Chief Sealth (anglicized into the city of Seattle's name), which was similarly decorated. No lightning rods, but glass bottles, packs of cigarettes, items of clothing, incense - you wouldn't believe the stuff that people had left there on his grave. -------------------- |
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Sep 4 2008, 07:20 PM
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#54
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Buying a Half-Kneazle Posts: 515 Joined: 1:37pm September 7, 2007 Location: Azkaban, Practicing my Patronus |
In Southern Alabama, near the Gulf Coast, (Gulf Shores), the elevation is low, and rather flat. Lightning strikes in this area are common. 19th Century wooden churches, with cemeteries nearby, were often at risk. Therefore (more so for surviving relatives' peace of mind), lightning rods were often set up to absorb possible destructive cloud-to-ground stikes. You may want to take a look at the movie, "Sweet Home Alabama." It will illustrate the vision of the lightning stikes in the region very well.
Hope this helps. [EDIT]: I would also like to recognize the 100+ people who were killed, and the 2 million people displaced recently by Hurricane Gustav (Catagory 5, at one point) -- A storm that issued from the Atlantic Ocean, through the Carribean Sea, into the Gulf of Mexico, and finally hitting Louisiana (just west of New Orleans); thus losing strength as it wound through Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas (still dropping rain on the Mid-South) -- all at the 3rd Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. This post has been edited by Ex Libres Cogito: Sep 4 2008, 07:41 PM -------------------- In troubled times, it is often better to remember simple pleasures - family, virtue, and character - rather than to succumb to the woesome distractions of desire, defeat, and disillusionment. ELC
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