Baal-Peor in The Bible, Sexuality and Religion

In the spring of 1928, an Arab peasant working in his field on the Syrian coast of the Mediterranean struck his plough against a slab of solid rock. He loosened the ground from around the slab and lifted the rock out of the soil. He discovered that the slab had concealed a partially-broken stairway leading deep into the earth. With his lit lantern he followed the steps until he reached the  entrance of   a vaulted tomb. Inside the dusty tomb he found  a preserved number of artifacts including clay and metal vessels. Beyond the artifacts, and wavering shadows of his light, laid a city of the ancient dead.

Winin months after a report  of the discovery, a team of French archeologists started excavations. The location was known as Ras-ash Shamrah in Northern Syria, located in the outskirts of modern Latakia. The researchers unearthed, restored, and deciphered many cuneiform tablets that dated back nearly 4000 years. For a brief and thought-provoking moment they unearthed an ancient deity, the great god Baal who ruled his people some thirty centuries before the time of Christ. Baal was worshipped throughout the entire Middle Eastern world.
The excavation and discovery of Baal provided proof of a deity that was worshiped by the Babylonians. He was also called Mercury and Hermes by the Greeks, Jupiter by the Romans, and Adonis by the Phoenicians. The Canaanites always considered Baal as god of the sun and sex. His influence in Canaan was so great that many of the minor deities representing Baal were called Baalim, suggesting the god Baal was everywhere at once. In places of worship Baalim was placed in front of the worshippers and spoken of as Baal as if he was present before them. Similar to the concept of a father represented by the son.
To the Samitic world, baal, meant husband, possessor, or lord and prince. Everywhere, Baal was a living word. Mothers named their children after him; names like Hannibal (the grace of Baal), and Asdrubal (Baal is my helper). Cities dedicated in his honour were given the names of Baal-God, Baal-Parazin, and Baal-Hana.
The priests of Baal declared that the god was created by a primal universal force called El, the elemental god, and Athirate, the goddess of the earth who holds the ocean in her womb. They became the parents of the gods. Baal was their firstborn and was given the sun for his throne.  In later times, the priests decreed that Baal and El were one and the same, and Baal's consort was Astarte or Ashtoreth.
Ashtoreth, was also known as Aphrodite to the Greeks, Ishtar to the Babylonians, Nana to the Sumerians, and Venus to her devotees in Rome. Regardless of her name or place, she was the wife of Baal, the virgin queen of heaven who bore fruit although she never conceived.
Marble temples and alters honouring Baal and Astarte could be found on sacred hills throughout the land of Canaan. Occasionally a moat was seen  surrounding some temples that added to the natural beauty of the grounds. At the beginning of spring, evening fires were lit  on Canaan's hills where the worshippers of Baal made their way to the temple where they participated in and celebrated the life of the god.
The Canaanites believed the reproductive force was the most powerful and mysterious manifestation of creation. It was the cause of all life, and all things that came into existence; farm animals, grains for harvest, birds, fish  and human babies. This intimate association with the reproductive urge and the power of generation was the object of devotion. Baal was its personification.
Everything belonged to Baal.  The locations of the smaller temples and shrines were determined by the fertility of some natural object; a tree, a stone, a stream, flowers, wild animals, etc. In particular,  a stream suggested it was in the water that Baal lived.   When the god's shrines were built,  fruit trees were planted, and walls were constructed to sanctify the worshippers. It was also constructed to keep out beggars, lepers and venders.
The worshippers were restricted in how far they can enter the temples. Only the priests advanced into the inner sanctum where a muscular figure of Baal carved out of granite, sat upon a throne bathed in a light that filtered through an opening to the sky.
The influence of Baal was slowly reconstructed in the twentieth century. The archeological site at Ras-ash Shamrah revived the histories of ancient lands. As in my book When Sex Was Religion, the Semitic Canaanites were a religious and industrious, freedom-loving people. They were great admirers of horses and loved games in which horses played a major part. They had good knowledge of agriculture and expert artisans, creating impressive sculptured pieces in bronze, copper, gold, and silver, always reserving their ablest talent for creating statues of Baal.
Throughout the years, while hymns were sung to Baal, the psalms of the Israelites were chanted to Jehovah; and while the history of  Canaan's god was being dramatized, the story of the God of Israel was beginning. 

Ashtoreth at the entrance of ancient temples

Bas relief, Carmelite monastery Muhraqs, Mount Carmel, Israel. Depicting  priests and Baal, fire falling from the sky to the alter.                                         








The Temple of Baal in Palmyra, Syria. The Temple of Baal was destroyed by ISIS in 2017.


The mention of Baal in the Bible.
Judges 2:11  Deuteronomy 4:3    1Samuel 7:4    2 Kings 8:27, 11:18, 16:3, 28:2
Zephaniah 1: 4-6
1 Kings 16:31-33
             18:18-19,22,25-29
Jeremiah 2:23, 19:5
Numbers 25:3
Hosea 2:17

 
 

Very Special People You Will Never See Again

Count Orloff was a famous man because of his physical condition. His skin felt like a bone tissue and he was transparent. He was so translucent that the circulation of his blood could be seen and studied. When a light was placed against his breast a newspaper held across his back could be easily read.

Count Orloffs' real name was Ivannow Wladislaus Von Dziarski-Orloff, born in Budapest in 1864. He began to lose his strength at age fourteen and at eighteen his limbs could no longer support his body which forced him to remain sitting in a chair for the rest of his life. The softening of his bones and muscles caused the curvature condition of his limbs.

The Count was never without pain and was always seen smoking an opium pipe. to relieve his suffering.

He was exhibited at the Royal College of Medicine in Berlin for three years and was first shown in the United States in 1893.He died in 1904

 

Another medical condition were the  Siamese  twins Chang and Eng who were joined at the breastbone for their entire lives. They were born in Siam in 1811 and in 1829 they moved to the United States where they took up residence in Wilkes County, North Carolina and became American citizens.
In 1843 they married two daughters of a local farmer, Sarah and Adelaide Yates in a double wedding ceremony. Between the both of them they produced twenty-two children. The two families lived in separate homes a mile apart. Three days were spent with one wife and the following three days with the other. The twins earned the respect of their community as hard-working farmers. Occasionally the twin brothers would go on the road and be exhibited at Barnum's Museum.
Although they were identical twins they differed in physique and character. Chang was an inch shorter than his brother and was more aggressive. He liked to drink alcohol now and then, while Eng never drank. Interestingly, Eng did not feel the effects of Chang's drinking. Sometimes they quarreled  and went for long periods without speaking to each other.
One night in January 1874, Chang died and before a doctor could be summoned Eng followed him.
 

 

 

Another set of joined twins were Millie and Christine McCoy. They danced and sang duets (one was soprano and the other contralto) as they accompanied themselves on guitars.

The twins were born slaves in North Carolina in 1851 and were joined at the back, more closely than the Siamese twins. and they shared one digestive system. They possessed a common sensory nerve system in the legs, both feeling a touch on any of their limbs. Christine, (the one on the right) was the stronger and by bending could lift up her sister.  

They travelled throughout the world performing song and dance for entertainment. They died October 8, 1912 at the age of 61.

                              

This picture was taken in 1867 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HUMAN SEXUALITY AND IT'S INFLUENCE ON THE ORIGIN OF RELIGION

The origin of religion began with phallic worship. In this lies it's importance. So true is this it may be safely stated that no one who neglects the study of phallic worship can have any adequate understanding of the origin of religion. -  George Ryley Scott, 1941

                                    This image depicts the origin of phallic worship in India

Featuring the androgynous Brahma, first member of the Hindu Triad: Vishnu, the second member; and Siva, the third member: Personifications respectively of creation, preservation, and destruction.

(Reproduced from Gardner, Faiths of the World (1858)

                               

Comparison of human sexual behavior and religious practices of ancient cultures and modern data shows that, contrary to previous assessments, the origin of religion began with phallicism. If analysis of sex and religion is to be given credence, it must be indicative of the past and analogous to modern symbolism. An example of this relationship is in the interpretation of the Kama Sutra.

One interpretation was believed to be the precepts of love, and another interpretation indicated that it was silent with respect to exotic visual stimuli and arousal as a prelude to arousal in love play. Both hypothesis focus on love and sexual intercourse but nothing cited about religion. This suggests the analysis of ancient culture is selective and not adequately justified. The Kama Sutra was a Hindu Bible communicated as dogmatic theology, deigned to gain favor from the gods by sexual intercourse.

The unique sexological nature of this work is the study of sexuality from a religious perspective. The difference between ancient and modern  ideas of morality and ethics is the major obstacle in dealing with sex worship which causes many writers to avoid the subject. Most illustrations found in books devoted to phallicism such as Higgins (1836) Anacalypsis, Inmans' (1869) Ancient Faiths and Scott's Phallic Worship are symbolic. Moore (1810) in Hindu Mythology, stated: "The plates in my book may be turned and examined, over and over, and the uninformed observer will not be aware that in several of them he has viewed the typical representation of the generative organs or powers of humanity." Everything was considered to be relative to generative powers.

Phallicism was not due to the demand for progeny, it was a way of life based on the doctrine that happiness is the chief good for the gods and humanity ( hedonistic), though it's lacking in racial and ethical justification.

Evidence of relative literature shows that basic ideals remain the same. The concept of sexuality and reward are part of the religious paradigm. Scott (1941) implied that sex worship was more profound than any contemporary

 ry modern faith. His bias shows a lack of attention to the ancient mentality. Phallicism was not only a religion, it was a causation of dominance and sexual exploitation that remains part of our social structure

 

Pro Life - Pro Choice, A No-Win Situation

In 1869 abortion was completely banned in Canada. Nevertheless, illegal abortion flourished which saw the death of many young women. One example was the abortion trial of Emily Stowe in 1879.

The case began  after Sarah Ann Lovell, an unmarried teenager was found dead in August 1879. It was discovered that after her death, she had been pregnant and had been a patient of Dr. Stowe, one of Canada's first female doctors. Stowe claimed that she had first resisted performing an abortion butt Lovell seemed emotionally distressed and threatened suicide which led Stowe to prescribe  medication intended as a placebo. It was later discovered that the drug was not the cause of death. 

The trial was intended to discourage abortion in a widely publicized trial. 

Stowe pleaded not guilty in an Ontario County Court. The coroner was called in to testify and confessed he had lost all medical evidence. Another doctor was accused of being antagonistic to Stowe because she was a woman doctor, and of calling her a "bitch." Another such case Azoulay vs The Queen, reached the supreme Court in 1952. In both cases the alleged abortion provider was acquitted of responsibility for the woman's death.

The movement to liberalize Canada's abortion laws began in the 1960s. Abortion could be legally performed only to save the life of the mother.  The pregnant daughters of the rich were sent to reliable physicians who did abortions for cash. An estimate at the time show that these physicians would do twenty to thirty abortions a week. Women who were not rich were left to perform an abortion on themselves or seek an illegal abortionist. 

Back ally abortions continued. The method for aborting was pumping Lysol into the woman's womb. There was a high mortality rate among young women as a result of these amateur abortions..

The partial easing of abortion rules began after a 34-year old woman, Lottie Leanne Clarke, a mother of three, who died of a massive infection in 1964 after an illegal abortion in spite of medical treatment and antibiotics. At the inquest into her death the jury recommended that the laws about therapeutic abortion be revised.

In a March 2010poll, a majority of Canadians (52%) described themselves as pro choice while over one in four (27%) described themselves as prolife. (10%) described themselves as neither pro choice nor pro life, and 11% did not respond.

The Rise and Fall Of The Inquisition

This is the first of a series of blogs that outlines the origin of religious persecutions, the  lead up to the development of the inquisition and it's decline.

                                                           Burning of heretics

This information was condemned by the cardinals and Inquisitors General at Rome. Their edict decreed that the contents were not to be read under the severest of penalties.

Most people I interviewed showed little knowledge about the inquisition. The information they provided was sketchy and not altogether accurate. The cause for this lack of understanding is due to the particular way in which the inquisition was recorded. Information published about religious persecutions came strictly from a dogmatic perspective. The public was forbidden to discuss or write about such religious events. Individuals caught talking to those accused of being heretics were threatened with excommunication and often death.

Centuries before the Middle Ages, philosophers and Christians were hunted, tortured, and executed for refusal to practice the state impose religions. As the number of Christian groups grew, new laws were created to persecute anyone who didn’t observe the state religions. Books that were written and differed from state religions were ordered burned and anyone caught in possession or transcribing such documents were banned from the country and often executed.

The first Christians were Jews. Their refusal to worship idols of the state led to widespread persecutions by the Roman emperors. The Book of Judith written around 200 B.C., explained the story of God’s deliverance of the Jewish people who were persecuted because of their religion. It was recorded that Achior, the Ammonite general, spoke on behalf of Israel after he was captured by Holofernes, the invading general of Nebuchadnezzar. Achior informed Holofernes that he and his fellow Jews were descendants of the Chaldeans, an ethnic group who lived in Mesopotamia who journeyed to southeast Babylonia because they refused to follow the gods of their fathers - for they left the way of their ancestors. It was affirmed that Abraham, the founding father of the Covenant with God, suffered many persecutions because of his opposition to the idolatry of his country.

All the books that constitute the Old Testament were in existence in their present form at least by the year 100 BC, and were recognized as sacred writings during the time of Alexander the Great  (330 BC). They were the sacred literature of the Jews, except for a small group of common people who had been recently deported to Babylon from their own country in 587 B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar II who was a Semitic leader. The Jews had returned to their city, Jerusalem and rebuilt their temple under Cyrus, a Persian  conqueror who, in 539 B.C. overthrew Nabonidus, the last of the Semitic rulers in Babylon.

Philosophers were also persecuted. When Socrates was over seventy years old he was brought to a public trial and condemned to death for looking into the great mysteries of heaven and earth, and corrupting the minds of youth by offering more rational perceptions. The spreading of gossip against him led his judges to believe that he was prejudicing himself. When he was brought to trial several of his accusers were not named which led him to complain that it was like fighting a shadow. Not knowing who his accusers were made it impossible to prove his innocence. He maintained his innocence and said he did believe in a God. As proof of his belief, he bravely spoke to his judges saying: I will obey God rather than you and teach my philosophy as long as I live. After being condemned to death for impiety and atheism, he drank a draught of poison rather than allow the authorities to execute him.

The judges and accusers were members of the public. The priests had no share in the accusations or death of Socrates. Nor is there any evidence of their involvement in the affairs of the state. Religion was written in the constitution of the Athenian Government. One such law stated: Let it be a perpetual law and binding at all times, to worship our national gods and heroes publicly, according to the laws of our ancestors. No new doctrines could be introduced without incurring the penalty of death. When Socrates, pleaded in the Grand Council of Athens in 399 BC, it reminded them of the customs and practice of their ancestors. No toleration was permitted.

Legislators living in Sparta and surrounding area expelled foreigners and forbade their citizens from living in foreign lands because it was believed it would corrupt and weaken the civil laws.

The Galatian Christians, an independent branch of Christianity living in Galatia (now modern Turkey), was associated with a Jew and Roman Christian named Saul of Tarsus; later known as Saint Paul. In his Epistle, he mentioned other Christians came from different places and created divisions which caused the Galatian Christians to be persecuted because of the influence of immoralities. He believed the outsiders were enemies to Christianity; they raised perpetual disturbances and persecutions where-ever they came. He further wrote these outsiders might receive just punishment of their sins and be hereby prevented from doing further mischief. He spoke to his followers with great severity: If any man preaches any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. He taught the Christian religion was inadequate to salvation without circumcision and submission to the Jewish law and repeatedly pointed out; a man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition, must be rejected. Not being satisfied with his efforts to convert heretics, he informed his followers that he had received a message from Christ giving him the right to warn the churches against corruption and false teachers.

The Christians had become a threat to the whole system of ancient theology. Their increase in numbers led to stringent enforcement of pagan laws. Pliny, an author and philosopher, mentioned the Christians in his letter to Trajan, the Roman Emperor; all they acknowledged was that their crime consisted of meeting before daylight, sing a hymn to Christ as God, and take an oath that they would not commit any witchcraft, thefts, robberies, adultery, and other things. To prove his point, he examined two Christian virgins. It was reported that; although they were innocent in all respects, he only asked them if they were Christians. If they confessed, he would ask them the same question over and over again adding more threats each time. At the conclusion of his examination, he reported that he found nothing but a wicked and unreasonable superstition. Pliny believed their stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy deserved punishment and condemned them to death. Trajan, after commending Pliny for his actions, ordered those who were convicted of being Christians, be put to death unless they renounce the name Christian, and make a sacrifice to the gods. The persecutions were carried out by members of the public. It owed its rise to the religious zeal of Trajan, and justified by Pliny,

Nero 54 A.D. – 68 A.D. was the first Roman Emperor responsible for the public execution of the Christians.  He made them his object of resentment and rage. It was believed he ordered the Christians to be executed because he wanted to clear himself of the blame for the burning Rome. He charged them with being enemies of the state and condemned them to death by various methods of cruelty. The Roman historian Suetonius 70 A.D. - 130 A.D., mentioned in his writings The Life of Nero, the Christians were a group of Jewish men who had embraced a new religion and under the curse of superstition. It was through hatred of the Christians that caused them to become victims of Nero. The persecutions ended after Nero’s death.

The persecutions were revived by Emperor Domitian in 81AD, but it did not last. He saw himself destined to guide the Roman Empire into a new era of brilliance. He ended the torture of  Christians by writing an edict in their favor, and recalled individuals to whom he had banished.

Trajan, in 112 AD, began the third persecution. He ordered; not to seek out the Christians, but, if they were accused and convicted of being a Christian they would be put to death. On the other hand, if they show proof by denying Christianity and in worshipping state gods, a pardon would be given for their repentance. The Christians were publicly tortured; including crucifixions, beheadings, being stoned to death, and many other forms of murder..

Under Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius 86 AD – 161 AD, the Christians were persecuted in Asia and Greece. It occasioned Justin Martyr, a Christian apologist, to write letters to several of the civic leaders stating that they should create no new troubles to them. The method of promoting religion by cruelty and death owes its invention to public policy and craft. The priesthood thought fit to imitate the heathens but they never exceeded the pagans in rigor and severity.  

Christians living in Asia were also persecuted. It was believed the persecutions were owed to some obscure imperial edicts whose origin was long forgotten. Although, there was suspicion that Antoninus Philosophus, successor to Pius in 142 AD, had covertly planned the torture and plunder of the Asian Christians.  

Bishop Cyprian 201 AD, who lived during the last wave of persecutions described the conditions and behaviour of the Christians: It must be owned and confessed, that this outrageous and heavy calamity, which hath almost devoured our flock…hath happened to us because of our sins, since we keep not the way of the Lord, nor observe his heavenly command given to us for our salvation. Yet we do not the will of the Lord. Our principal study is to get money and estates. We follow after pride; we are at leisure for nothing but emulation and quarreling; and have neglected the simplicity of the faith. We have renounced this world in words only, and not in deed. Everyone studies to please himself, and to displease others.

According to Eusebius 260-339 AD, bishop, historian and theologian;  it is an almost unheard of thing, that pious men were now persecuted and greatly distressed by new degrees throughout Asia; and that most impudent informers, who were greedy of other person’s substance, took occasion from the imperial edicts, to plunder others who were entirely innocent.

The persecutions under Emperor Diocletian 301-311 AD, was the last and bloodiest official persecution of the Christians. However, it did not destroy the Christian community. During the persecution of the later Roman emperors, the Christian religion became corrupt. Ambition, pride, and luxury prevailed among the clergy and other Christians which led Bishop Eusebius to write; the Christians had too much liberty. They grew negligent and slow at doing things. Many grew envious and blamed each other for wrong-doing; waging as it were, civil wars between themselves. The bishops quarreled with each other, were full of ambition, threatening, hate each other. and used their power like a tyrant. After 324 AD, Christianity became the preferred religion under the first Christian emperor, Constantine.

The Christian world cannot be blamed with the guilt of persecution. It was practiced long before Christianity came into existence. In fact, the Christians learned from the heathens. It was members of the public who gave the power to the Catholic Bishops to persecute those who refused to follow established Catholic Dogma. It was done by the authority of the civil laws, and employed lay people to execute the orders. The method of receiving payments and confiscation of goods from the accused had already been established by civic society and as a consequence, it made religion extremely profitable.

The inquisition was established to prevent individuals from separating from the Catholic Church. It was believed that such a person was wicked and had some kind of illness. The inquisition served as a warning that came from God to make the person think and reflect. The only cure was the destruction of the flesh, and by repentance and reformation, so that the spirit might be saved in the day of Christ.

Christian worship required proper persons to guide and regulate its affairs. Saint Paul said that Christ gave to apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, different offices according to the different state and condition of his church. As a result of St.Paul’s decree, the Apostles acquired extraordinary powers to perform the service to which they were called.  - Larry Falls, Ed.D, ACS

 Dr. Larry Falls is the author of When Sex Was Religion.

This article  is the opinion of Dr. Falls. Questions and comments  to Dr. Falls may be emailed to: larryflls62@gmail.com 

  

The Black Loyalists of Canada

The first Black man,  Pedro Alonso Nino, arrived in the new world with Columbus in 1492, more than 100 years before the English and Dutch appeared.

Pedro Alonso Nino was a navigator and explorer of African ancestry. He traveled with Christopher Columbus' first expedition to the new world in 1492. He was also known as "El Negro"( the Black). Pedro Nino was the pilot of Columbus ship the Santa Maria.

 

In 1493, he also accompanied Columbus on the explorer's second voyage  which discovered Trinidad and the mouth of the Orinoco River in South America while piloting one of the 17 ships in the fleet. This voyage also brought the first African freeman to Hispaniola.

 

Pedro Nino led his own expedition financed by the Council of Castile that was established under Queen Isabella I in 1480 as the chief body dealing with administrative and judicial matters of the realm), to find gold and pearls in areas that were not discovered by Columbus.

Pedro Nino returned to Spain as a very wealthy man but did not live up to the agreement he had with the King to turn over 20% of his treasures (known as the Royal Fifth). He was arrested and died in prison before his trial began.      

In 1605 the first named Black Canadian was Mathieu Da Costa. In the 1600s, he was a member of the exploring parties of Pierre Dugua de Mons and Sameul de Champlain.. He was a gifted linguist and his translations bridged New France between the Aboriginal peoples in Canada and the European explorers.

 

Fourteen years later in 1619, Dutch traders brought African slaves taken from a Spanish ship to Jamestown in North America.

 

In 1628, the first named enslaved African to reside in Canada was a six year  old boy, the property of Sir David Kirke. The child was sold several times, the last time he was sold to Father Paul Le Jeune, where he was baptized  Catholic and given the name Olivier Le Jeune.

 In March 1685, Louis XIV's Code Noir code permitted slavery for economic purposes only, and established strict guidelines for the ownership and treatment of slaves. It was officially limited to the West Indies and, although it was never proclaimed in New France, it was used in customary law.

By May 1, 1689 King Louis XIV of France gave limited permission for the colonists of New France to keep Black and Pawnee First Nations slaves. The colonists had complained about the shortage of available servants and workers. They appealed to the  crown for permission to own slaves and the permission was granted

People of African birth were brought forcibly to the North American colonies to provide slave labor.

This image was taken from a slave memorial in the grounds of the Anglican Cathedral which was built on the site of the former slave market, Charleston, South Carolina. 

Their descendants were caught in the war of American Independence. In the late 1600s and 1700s, the British had established rice, indigo, and tobacco plantations in the southern part of North America. At first the native Indians  were enslaved to work the fields, later, African slaves were brought in to work the fields and perform other various jobs such as domestic workers, or at semi-specialized trades such as lumbering, mining, road making, blacksmithing, shoemaking, weaving and spinning.

When the Royal British Governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, lost his colony to the American rebels in the summer of 1775, he issued a proclamation that any slave or indentured person would be given their freedom if they take up arms with the British against the rebels. As a result, over 2000 slaves and other indentured persons joined his forces. Later, other British supporters in the colonies issued similar proclamations.

Many of the enslaved African Americans seized the opportunity to gain their freedom by joining the British side. Some of the Black Loyalists provided military service alongside the British Army, while others served in non-military roles.

Toward the end of the War of Independence most of the Black Loyalists converged  on New York which was home to the British general headquarters. Three thousand of them sailed to Nova Scotia  between April and November 1783, on both navy vessels and private transports chartered by the British.

Black Loyalists and other peoples of African and European decent made up a vibrant part of Nova Scotia's past. They contributed to the fabric and success of today's province. Over 400 years later, many of their ancestors call Nova Scotia home.

When Visiting Nova Scotia, visit the African Nova Scotian Museum and many other historic places in various townships throughout the province.

 

This article was transcribed by Larry Falls who was born in Nova Scotia

THE MYATERY OF MATA HARI'S BODY

In the beginning of 1905, rumors were spreading throughout Paris about a young Oriental girl who danced in a private home. She was wrapped in veils that she gradually removed during her dance. A local journalist who had seen her dancing reported that "a woman from the far east had come to Europe laden with perfume and jewels, to introduce some of richness of the Oriental colour..." Soon, everyone knew the dancers name: Mata Hari.

During that winter, small and select audiences gathered in a salon filled with Indian  and Java relics while an orchestra played music inspired by Hindu and Java melodies. After keeping the audience waiting and wondering, Mata Hari would suddenly appear in a white-cotton costume that covered very little of her body. It was covered with Indian-type jewels, jeweled bands at the waist, and bracelets up her arms. Then she would dance in a style no one had seen in France before, her whole body swaying as if she were in a trance. She told her curious audience that her dances told stories from Indian mythology and Javanese folktales. Soon the cream of the crop from Paris and ambassadors from different countries were competing for invitations to the salon, where it was rumored that Mata Hari was actually performing in the nude. 

The public was curious and wanted to know more about her. She told journalists that she was Dutch in origin and had grown up on the island of Java. She spoke of her time spent in India and how she had learned sacred Hindu dances. By the summer of 1905, everyone 

heard of Mata Hari.

As she gave more interviews, the story of her origins kept changing: She grew up in India, her grandmother was the daughter of a Javanese princess, she had lived on the island of Sumatra where she had spent her time "horseback riding, gun in hand, and risking her life.

Journalists compared her to an Indian goddess.

In August 1905, Mata Hari performed for the first time in public. On opening night, crowds rushing to see her caused a riot. She had become a cult figure. One reviewer wrote, "Mata Hari personifies all the poetry of India, its mysticism, its voluptuousness, its hypnotizing charm." Another noted, "if India possesses such  unexpected treasures, then all Frenchmen will emigrate to the shores of the Ganges."

Soon the fame of Mata Hari and her sacred Indian dance spread beyond Paris. She was invited to Berlin, Vienna and Milan. Over the next few years she performed throughout Europe , mixed with the highest social circles, and earned an income rarely enjoyed by a woman of the period.

Near the end of World War I, she was arrested in France, convicted and executed as a German spy.

Mata Hari's real name was Margaretha  Zelle born in Leeuwarden, Netherlands on August 7, 1876. Her parents were both Dutch. She had a lavish childhood, and at the age of 18 she answered an add in the local paper by a Dutch Army Captain Rudolf MacLeod looking for a wife. They married  in Amsterdam and then moved to Malang on the east side of the Island Java, where he was stationed. They had two children, Norman-John MacLeod and Louise Jeanne MacLeod. MacLeod regularly beat his wife who was twenty years younger, and he openly kept a concubine. She temporarily left him and moved in with another Dutch Officer. 

She studied the Indonesian traditions for several months and joined a local dance company at that time. In correspondence to her relatives in the Netherlands in 1897 she revealed her artistic name of Mata Hari.

At MacLeod's urging Zelle returned to him but his behavior did not change. She escaped her situation by studying the local  culture. In 1999 their children fell seriously ill from complications related to the treatment of syphilis contracted from their parents.  Jeanne survived but Norman died.  At age 21 Jeanne also died possibly  from complications related to syphilis. 

 

In 1903 Zelle moved to Paris where she performed as a circus horse rider using the name Lady MacLeod much to the disapproval of the Dutch MacLeods. In 1905 she began to win fame as a dancer.

On February 13th, 1917, Mata Hari was arrested in her room at the Hotel Elyee Palace on the champs Elyees in Paris. She was put on trial on 24 July, accused of spying for Germany, and consequently causing the deaths of at least 50,000 soldiers. Although the French and British intelligence suspected her of spying for Germany, neither could produce evidence against her. The excuse was secret ink was found in her room. She contended that it was part of her makeup.

After the execution her body went missing and still remains unaccounted for.

                     Eyewitness account to the Execution of Mata Hari

 

                         http://eyewitnesstohistory.com/matahari.htm