The mysterious and dangerous nature of moors
The mysterious and dangerous nature of moors
The mysterious nature of bogs (moors), with a detailed discussion of bog bodies.
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz
Transcript
Moors, also called bogs, are the settings of chilling stories. The soft ground, covered in banks of cold fog, sinks under foot, and deep holes abound at the edges of the path. Moors have always been regarded by travelers as mysterious places. Few dared to face their winding paths, because when the fog thickened here, each step could be your last. Strange sounds emanate from beyond the white, foggy veil. Only the appearance of the first careful beetles indicates more secure footing. At the forests' edge the traveler is finally back on solid ground.
The boggy moor remained a chilling landscape for people throughout the Middle Ages, and not without good reason. Many who entered never returned. Some of these unlucky travelers only appeared again hundreds of years later, and then in mummified form. The hermetic sealing and acidity in moors has proven to preserve bodies remarkably well. Even the expression on this man's face is preserved down to the finest details. He looks as though he has been sleeping peacefully - and that for over 2,000 years now.
But not everyone died accidentally in the moors. There are cases with unmistakable traces of violence, with some finding their final rest here as a result of stabbing, beating, choking or even beheading. The deep cut to this man's throat leaves few questions unanswered. Many victims were strangled, and the question remains as to whether they were criminals or perhaps sacrifices to ancient gods and spirits. Many of these dark boggy mysteries remain unsolved.
And even when the fog clears, the moor remains a foreboding place. The edge of such ponds may indeed look like solid ground, but it is only made up of porous natural mesh and spongy mosses, incapable in many spots of bearing the weight of a human. This is why even today moors remain an environment solely for wild animals and plants, and places of dark myths and mystery.
The boggy moor remained a chilling landscape for people throughout the Middle Ages, and not without good reason. Many who entered never returned. Some of these unlucky travelers only appeared again hundreds of years later, and then in mummified form. The hermetic sealing and acidity in moors has proven to preserve bodies remarkably well. Even the expression on this man's face is preserved down to the finest details. He looks as though he has been sleeping peacefully - and that for over 2,000 years now.
But not everyone died accidentally in the moors. There are cases with unmistakable traces of violence, with some finding their final rest here as a result of stabbing, beating, choking or even beheading. The deep cut to this man's throat leaves few questions unanswered. Many victims were strangled, and the question remains as to whether they were criminals or perhaps sacrifices to ancient gods and spirits. Many of these dark boggy mysteries remain unsolved.
And even when the fog clears, the moor remains a foreboding place. The edge of such ponds may indeed look like solid ground, but it is only made up of porous natural mesh and spongy mosses, incapable in many spots of bearing the weight of a human. This is why even today moors remain an environment solely for wild animals and plants, and places of dark myths and mystery.