The Dust Mothers

Hey folks - It seemed an injustice to myself and the holiday of Halloween to not make an entry this week...maybe it will help break the curse put on me by that gypsy who felt my stories were not meant to be read.

In any case, I am being interviewed in comic form over at Space Station Nathan. Go take a look when you get a chance. You'll probably want to start with the first "episode" here.

In the interview, I mention being scared of something called "The Dust Mothers." As people probably aren't as aware of them as I am, I thought I would use this space to get the word out:

The tradition may date back to a discovery in the Abu el-Naga area in Western Thebes, where a small tomb of an unknown woman was unearthed. The relative opulence of the tomb suggested some kind of royalty, but the only identifying cartouche found looked to have been deliberately damaged, and was unreadable. The tomb was unique in that although there were a number of small mummified bodies surrounding the base of the sarcophagus, the figure *in* the sarcophagus was, while curiously well preserved, not mummified at all. Further investigation showed the small bodies to not be human remains at all, but rather a collection of animal bones wrapped to resemble the shape of a child.

The Egyptian discovery itself is a little troubling, especially if we give credence to the rumors that the remains of the non-mummified "Mother" were not destroyed or stolen, but rather "disappeared" while being shipped to the United Kingdom.

Two other events that may or may not be related to this strain of horror are the stories of Zdenka Skovajsova, a puppeteer in 15th century Prague, and Mary Lawrence, presumably a resident of the Roanoke colony before it was lost.

Skovajsova gained some renown in post-medieval Czechoslovakia as a street performer, so much so that she was invited at one point to perform for regent George Podebrad in a celebratory gala. At some point in the festivities, a child of the court went missing and was later found in the home of Skovajsova, arms and legs bound with string. It was also discovered that not only had Skovajsova, while a woman, been posing as a man for many years, but that many of the marionettes she used in her performances were in fact tiny, well-preserved corpses. She was burned at the stake for her crimes, though records say the body was never fully consumed before a seasonal downpour doused the flames.

Mary Lawrence is indicated by surviving records to be one of the members of the unfortunate Roanoke Colony that disappeared without warning in 1587. The colonists were never found, and no clues to their fate offered, aside from the word "CROATOAN" carved in a nearby tree. Explorers desperate to find information as to the colony's whereabouts did eventually uncover what appeared to be a concealed butchery beneath the residence of Lawrence:

"...though beneath the cabinne of one Mary Lawrence was found thrice many oddities; These being the very hole and stair concealed in the floor and what within the earthen place was founde --- Tools and commodities of a tannery though there be no fire, knives and stakes and tongs, ancient blood on a stone plat, scattered bones of small beasts...moste curious of all were the dolls of children that lay as if sleeping, queer, fashioned as they were of shreds of tanned skinnes and leather discard, heads blank but for a rough hewn slits in the place of a mouthe."

It is my understanding that the explorers later determined the place to be of no relevance to the search for the colonists, buried the hidden room completely, and burned the house atop it to the ground.

Other more contemporary stories of the same type are scattered through newspapers and local folklore, though people tend not to want to discuss them much. I'm sure if you look close enough, you'll find them.

Comments

[Q]

I think you're stretching it.

[Katie-wa]

Gah, talk about sickening. How do you find such disturbing information? Oh, yeah, you're a guy. Should have known that one. *snaps fingers*

[Burning]

So many things just fell into place. Wow.

[shannon hale]

I find it very interesting, and even more frightening, that after revealing the truth of the dust mothers, this blogger went silent...

[Burning]

That too explains so much. The Dust Mothers + Missing Dean = connected? Yess...