History Mystery: Realm of Myths and Legends -15

Pied Piper of Hamelin: German folk tale from the Middle Ages about a town that was infested with rats, until a mysterious piper lured them into a river with his music. When the townspeople refused to pay the piper his fee, he used his strange music to lure their children away. The legend may be based on a folk memory of a medieval epidemic of ergotism, caused by a hallucinogenic fungus that grows on grain, which apparently caused crowds of people to dance from town to town until they were exhausted. However, a more likely basis for the legend is the children’s crusade.

Pluto: Pluto is the Roman name of Hades, god of the underworld and ruler of the dead.

The Planet Pluto is the ninth and normally the farthest known true planet from the Sun. However because of its elliptical orbit, Pluto will be closer to the Sun than Neptune until the year 2000.

Prester John: Legendry Christian monarch of the Middle Ages, believed to rule a kingdom in central Asia. His name means ‘Priest John” and he is thought to be descended from the Magi. In the Middle Ages many journeys were made to find Prester John’s country in the hope that he would help Europe’s kings to fight against Islam. From the mid -14^th century the search focused on Ethiopia, a Christian country cut off from Europe

Valkyries: In the Norse mythology, fierce battle maids of the god Odin. The rode into battle and selected those who were destined to die, then conducted the souls of the heroes to Valhalla, the hall of the slain.