With Winnie-the-Pooh and The Battle of Hastings sharing an anniversary today, did you know that E. H. Shepard once drew this amazing scene for an exclusive book bag?
I love that none of them have weapons. Except Kanga, who has a fucking morningstar.
I identify the most with the woman who has a green velvet ribbon around her neck and keeps being like “DONT untie my neck ribbon or something really bad will happen” and then her husband unties the ribbon and her head falls off. this is extremely real to me. spent my whole life like “please don’t do this thing to me or really bad stuff will happen” and everyone around me being like “that sounds fake” and doing it anyway. and then my head fell off!
this is why folklore shifts are so fascinating
the earliest known version of the story is “the Adventure of the German Student,” (1824) which is set in the 1780s and involves a young man who happens to meet a beautiful Frenchwoman with a diamond choker around her neck. he takes her to his lodgings where they make love, but in the morning he finds her dead in his bed when he awakens- dead, and seemingly dead for over a day. he runs for help, and the men who respond exclaim that she’s a noblewoman who was guillotined early the day before. insert choker removal and expected result here
the most common version currently circulating, published in the children’s book In A Dark, Dark Room (1984) adds the green ribbon most English-speaking adults are now familiar with…but involves the girl/woman growing old happily with her husband and finally giving him PERMISSION to remove the ribbon as she’s dying
based on the notes, it looks like the idea of someone hounding the woman to remove the ribbon- and similar symbolism to OP’s post -comes from “the Husband Stitch” (2014) a feminist short story that uses folktale and urban legend imagery
it grows and develops over time, as people bring new emotional baggage to the tale. we take the stories we grew up with and infuse them with meaning from our own lives. we shift and stretch them to communicate our experiences
UPDATE: there IS an earlier Violation Variation! In the 1970 children’s book “Ghostly Fun,” the husband harasses his wife to remove the ribbon and finally cuts it with her sewing scissors while she sleeps
that’s fascinating because it’s still not as explicit as Husband Stitch in being an active attempt at symbolism. beyond the fairytale element of “don’t do the forbidden thing or bad results will ensue”
You will never guess who tried to make a Nutrient Block in the late 90s
It really did have everything and some of the varieties even managed to have a Flavor, but the downside was that packing that much nutrition into a single log made your digestive system work REALLY hard and well it turned out to not be an appropriate thing to eat in an office environment. Look up the reviews if you want to hear some fascinating colorful descriptions of waves of loud farts
Last night, I reread the doctor’s message again and again, hoping the words would change. They didn’t. Surgery is still the only door left, and time keeps closing it on my baby Qais.
I’m not asking for miracles—I’m asking for hands to reach us before it’s too late. Please don’t scroll past this moment. Please donate, Your donation can keep that door open and keep Qais alive.
