Real-World References for Gods of Madness
May 23, 2017 13:54:08 GMT -5
Kris4g, clemtownkernel, and 2 more like this
Post by dmikester on May 23, 2017 13:54:08 GMT -5
This is the continuation of a series that attempts to catalog all of the real-world references made in the various Curios and Conundrums issues (you can see the other entries in this series in the sections for all of the Volume 1 issues). This mainly consists of references made beyond the articles specifically discussing real people and events, and will occasionally consist of conjecture for some references until we've confirmed for sure what the reference is. For Volume 1, I included spoilers for puzzles that involved real-world references (such as listing all of the pop culture references made in the crossword puzzles), but because this volume is incomplete, and many are still actively solving the puzzles, I will refrain from doing so for now.
Wortelboer contributed the horoscope list and helped me identify some other references (I’ve also used Todd’s post about Auntie Agony here), and in that spirit of collaboration I encourage everyone to add to this list (respond with something to add and I will edit the original post). As you'll see, there are some references I haven't been able to find, and I'm sure there are a number that I've missed. Also, I will be spoiler tagging much of this not because of spoilers per se, but because it may be fun for you to know that there’s a reference somewhere that you weren’t aware of and go hunt for it yourself. Enjoy!
The Curator vs. The Editor
Letters
Comingles
I have not been able to find either of these pictures online. Please reply if you find them and I will update!
Madame Tussaud
The image is real and info can be found here: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Madame_Tussaud,_aged_85.jpg
Crazy Making
The image is real and can be found here (it seems to have originally been published in the Illustrated London News): commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daniel_McNaughton,_Insane_Murderer,_in_Illus._Lond._News._Wellcome_L0000720.jpg
Cleopatra’s Needle Erected
The image is real and can be found here: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%27Raising_Cleopatra%27s_Needle_on_the_Thames_embankment%27_Wellcome_L0022198.jpg
Vibration Is Life Ad
An intriguing situation here.
G. Reaper
These anecdotes, all real, can be found in more detail in the following posts:
West End Haunts
I wasn’t able to find the Mummy Dearest picture online, but for fun, here’s a magazine cover from 1909 that features “The Unlucky Mummy”:
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pearson%27s_Magazine_1909_with_Unlucky_Mummy.jpg
Auntie Agony
I will be quoting Todd’s Auntie Agony post for this one.
In this column, the first letter
The second letter
The third
Also of note is that Auntie Agony is
Royal Strand Theatre Ad
From wortelboer:
The Book “Theatre in the Victorian Age” by Michael R. Booth states that:
The box office was a manager's major source of revenue. It was not until the 1880s that an efficient system of selling tickets was devised for West End theatres, with counterfoils attached to tickets, and seat number, area of auditorium, date and price printed on the ticket. The old system, in which tickets were laboriously written out by hand, led to mistakes and corruption on the part of box-office and front-of-house staff. The mid-Victorian development of the 'libraries', or booking agents, meant that tickets were sold outside the theatre box office; the libraries paid the management weekly and received a 25 per cent discount.
The plays for the 1895/1896 season at the Strand were indeed New York Divorce, A Youngster’s Adventure, In a Locket, and a Handsome Husband. This is documented in a book by J.P. Wearing entitled, “The London Stage 1890-1899, A Calendar of Productions, Performers and Personnel” The playwrights are all correct.
The only names I have not yet been able to confirm is Mr. L. Sherbert as the manager and the manager for Mr. Sherbert , R. Juane.
Horoscopes (all contributed by wortelboer):
Gruel to be Kind
Here’s a link to the picture of Mr. Punch:
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mr._Punch_wrapped_up_in_blankets_in_front_of_the_fire,_eatin_Wellcome_V0016569.jpg
Know Thyself
Here are links to the images:
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skeleton_with_phrenological_skull,_Europe_Wellcome_L0057108.jpg
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fowler%27s_phrenological_head,_Staffordshire,_England,_1879-18_Wellcome_L0057592.jpg
journal.sciencemuseum.ac.uk/browse/2014/coming-home/
Personal Notes
Most of these are references.
Cholera-infected underpants:
I can wish for nothing more on Earth: Unknown. If someone recognizes this, please reply!
English cricket:
Mad With Desire:
Wife Wanted:
Nevermore:
Homewares:
From wortelboer:
Lord of Madness:
From wortelboer:
Missed Connection:
Hippo-Dramatics
You can see a bit more of the Manege image here:
www.smithsonianmag.com/history/pablo-fanques-fair-71575787/
Strangely, I wasn’t able to find the exact portrait of Fanque that they used, but there are many other photos and drawings of him online.
Alexandre Dumas: Alexandre Dumas - Duels
From wortelboer:
The Curio- Cleopatra’s Needle
From wortelboer:
Wortelboer contributed the horoscope list and helped me identify some other references (I’ve also used Todd’s post about Auntie Agony here), and in that spirit of collaboration I encourage everyone to add to this list (respond with something to add and I will edit the original post). As you'll see, there are some references I haven't been able to find, and I'm sure there are a number that I've missed. Also, I will be spoiler tagging much of this not because of spoilers per se, but because it may be fun for you to know that there’s a reference somewhere that you weren’t aware of and go hunt for it yourself. Enjoy!
The Curator vs. The Editor
The “caverns measureless to man” reference is from Kubla Kahn by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (which is also referenced in the cocktail recipe later on in the issue. “Loftiest intelligence” is from the Edgar Allen Poe story Eleonora.
Letters
J.C. is a reference to John Clare, the “author” of the Books in the Belfry article, and also a real British poet who was indeed in Northampton County Asylum later in life and who fervently believed himself to be numerous authors, including Byron and Shakespeare.
Comingles
I have not been able to find either of these pictures online. Please reply if you find them and I will update!
Madame Tussaud
The image is real and info can be found here: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Madame_Tussaud,_aged_85.jpg
Crazy Making
The image is real and can be found here (it seems to have originally been published in the Illustrated London News): commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daniel_McNaughton,_Insane_Murderer,_in_Illus._Lond._News._Wellcome_L0000720.jpg
Cleopatra’s Needle Erected
The image is real and can be found here: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%27Raising_Cleopatra%27s_Needle_on_the_Thames_embankment%27_Wellcome_L0022198.jpg
Vibration Is Life Ad
An intriguing situation here.
While the image is real, the accompanying text is cobbled together from different ads related to vibration, which makes this a fake ad. The image can be found here: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Demonstration_using_the_vibrator_Wellcome_L0051765.jpg
and most of the text can be found in the following ads:
oldadsarefunny.blogspot.com/2013/12/1910-ad-white-cross-electric-vibrator.html, www.earthlymission.com/magic-massage-from-the-past/
and most of the text can be found in the following ads:
oldadsarefunny.blogspot.com/2013/12/1910-ad-white-cross-electric-vibrator.html, www.earthlymission.com/magic-massage-from-the-past/
G. Reaper
These anecdotes, all real, can be found in more detail in the following posts:
mjwayland.com/frightened-to-death-by-ghosts/
www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-28484148
hauntedohiobooks.com/news/cows-moo-kills-child-stories-scared-death/
www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-28484148
hauntedohiobooks.com/news/cows-moo-kills-child-stories-scared-death/
West End Haunts
I wasn’t able to find the Mummy Dearest picture online, but for fun, here’s a magazine cover from 1909 that features “The Unlucky Mummy”:
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pearson%27s_Magazine_1909_with_Unlucky_Mummy.jpg
Auntie Agony
I will be quoting Todd’s Auntie Agony post for this one.
In this column, the first letter
is written by Bertha Mason from the novel Jane Eyre.
The second letter
was written by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. A poet and painter who is known, amongst other things, for illustrating Goblin Market. He fell victim to drugs and alcohol after the death of his wife, Elizabeth Siddal (the Lizzy in the letter).
The third
was written by Miss Havisham from Great Expectations.
Also of note is that Auntie Agony is
almost certainly a play on Antigone, the main character of the Greek tragedy Antigone written by Sophocles.
Royal Strand Theatre Ad
From wortelboer:
The Book “Theatre in the Victorian Age” by Michael R. Booth states that:
The box office was a manager's major source of revenue. It was not until the 1880s that an efficient system of selling tickets was devised for West End theatres, with counterfoils attached to tickets, and seat number, area of auditorium, date and price printed on the ticket. The old system, in which tickets were laboriously written out by hand, led to mistakes and corruption on the part of box-office and front-of-house staff. The mid-Victorian development of the 'libraries', or booking agents, meant that tickets were sold outside the theatre box office; the libraries paid the management weekly and received a 25 per cent discount.
The plays for the 1895/1896 season at the Strand were indeed New York Divorce, A Youngster’s Adventure, In a Locket, and a Handsome Husband. This is documented in a book by J.P. Wearing entitled, “The London Stage 1890-1899, A Calendar of Productions, Performers and Personnel” The playwrights are all correct.
The only names I have not yet been able to confirm is Mr. L. Sherbert as the manager and the manager for Mr. Sherbert , R. Juane.
Horoscopes (all contributed by wortelboer):
These all refer to different kinds of disorders. It’s unclear precisely what Pisces stands for, but good guesses are below.
Aries - ADHD
Taurus - Excited Delirium
Gemini - Dual/Split Personality
Cancer - Paranoia
Leo - Narcissism
Virgo- Perfectionism
Libra - Emotional paralysis
Scorpio - Schizophrenia
Sagittarius - Bi-polar disorder
Capricorn - obsessive-compulsive
Aquarius - depression
Pieces - Aphasia/Dementia/Word Salad
Here's another possibility for what the Horoscopes mean from karangela:
Aries:ADHD
Taurus: Intermittent Explosive Disorder
Gemini: Multiple Personality Disorder
Cancer: Paranoia
Leo: Exhibitionism
Virgo: Personality Disorder
Libra: Catatonia
Scorpio: Schzophrenia
Sagittarius: Delusional Disorder
Capricorn: Compulsive Disorder
Aquarius: Narcisism
Pisces: Psychosis
Aries - ADHD
Taurus - Excited Delirium
Gemini - Dual/Split Personality
Cancer - Paranoia
Leo - Narcissism
Virgo- Perfectionism
Libra - Emotional paralysis
Scorpio - Schizophrenia
Sagittarius - Bi-polar disorder
Capricorn - obsessive-compulsive
Aquarius - depression
Pieces - Aphasia/Dementia/Word Salad
Here's another possibility for what the Horoscopes mean from karangela:
Aries:ADHD
Taurus: Intermittent Explosive Disorder
Gemini: Multiple Personality Disorder
Cancer: Paranoia
Leo: Exhibitionism
Virgo: Personality Disorder
Libra: Catatonia
Scorpio: Schzophrenia
Sagittarius: Delusional Disorder
Capricorn: Compulsive Disorder
Aquarius: Narcisism
Pisces: Psychosis
Gruel to be Kind
Here’s a link to the picture of Mr. Punch:
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mr._Punch_wrapped_up_in_blankets_in_front_of_the_fire,_eatin_Wellcome_V0016569.jpg
Know Thyself
Here are links to the images:
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skeleton_with_phrenological_skull,_Europe_Wellcome_L0057108.jpg
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fowler%27s_phrenological_head,_Staffordshire,_England,_1879-18_Wellcome_L0057592.jpg
journal.sciencemuseum.ac.uk/browse/2014/coming-home/
Personal Notes
Most of these are references.
Cholera-infected underpants:
Almost certainly a reference to Pandora’s Box by Frank Wedekind
I can wish for nothing more on Earth: Unknown. If someone recognizes this, please reply!
English cricket:
A real article from The Sporting Times in 1882: www.espncricinfo.com/blogs/content/story/615896.html
Mad With Desire:
Obaysch was a famous Victorian hippo! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obaysch
Wife Wanted:
Referring to William John Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, The 5th Duke of Portland. Probably my favorite discovery of all of this research: www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-duke-who-loved-tunnels-so-much-he-was-immortalized-as-a-literary-badger
Nevermore:
A reference to The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe.
Homewares:
From wortelboer:
Nyarlathotep is a character in the works of H. P. Lovecraft and other writers. The character is commonly known in association with its role as a malign deity in the Lovecraft Mythos fictional universe, where it is known as the Crawling Chaos. First appearing in Lovecraft's 1920 prose poem of the same name, he was later mentioned in other works by Lovecraft and by other writers and in the tabletop role-playing games making use of the Cthulhu Mythos. Later writers describe him as one of the Outer Gods. Also, this may be referring specifically to the Lovecraft story The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, which features both Nyarlathtotep and a section set in snow.
Lord of Madness:
From wortelboer:
Tharizdun - In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Tharizdun is the god of Eternal Darkness, Decay, Entropy, Malign Knowledge, Insanity, and Cold. He was imprisoned ages ago by a coalition of deities to prevent the destruction of existence itself. Although imprisoned, Tharizdun still has a degree of his original multiverse-threatening power: he is officially a Divine Rank 11 (out of 20) deity, as of Dragon #294. His holy symbols are a dark spiral rune and a two-tiered inverted ziggurat known as an obex. His holy number is 333. Also, Doomdreamer is a Prestige Class, and they are considered the elite among the ranks of the cult of Tharzidun.
Missed Connection:
R.O. is Richard Owen and this is a reference to the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Palace_Dinosaurs
Hippo-Dramatics
You can see a bit more of the Manege image here:
www.smithsonianmag.com/history/pablo-fanques-fair-71575787/
Strangely, I wasn’t able to find the exact portrait of Fanque that they used, but there are many other photos and drawings of him online.
Alexandre Dumas: Alexandre Dumas - Duels
From wortelboer:
Source - Alexandre Dumas His Life and Works by F. Davidson - does indeed recount three duels fought by Dumas. However, Dumas in his published memoirs, "My Memoirs" by Dumas, he does not mention that his pants fell down. So may not have occurred, although some internet site report it as fact. Also, I can find no reference to the "Continental Duelling League" I believe that is made up.
The Curio- Cleopatra’s Needle
From wortelboer:
The curios is accurate as to the hieroglyphics on the item (as much as can be seen). The translation can be found here: www.ancientegyptfoundation.org/cleopatras_needle.shtml