Originally published at: Were these church doors covered in human skin? | Boing Boing
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Were these church doors covered in human skin?
No.
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But it was the skin of an ass, sooooooo close.
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In addition to Betteridge’s Law of Headlines, which applies here, I’d like to propose Faustus’ Law of Gruesome Human Artifacts.
If an artifact has been rumoured or is “known” to be made from human remains, but could conceivably be made from something else, then it will be shown to have been made from something else.
See also
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And in curious etymologically related matters, St. Botolph’s town, in Lincolnshire, became pronounced as ‘Boston’ over time, and lent its name to the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s settlement once called Tremont. EDIT: and, before then and by different people, Shawmut.
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Because otherwise the actual headline would be some variation on “Church’s Human Skin Door Covering Really Was Human Skin!”
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‘Sfunny, I live within walking distance of at least two churches dedicated to this St Botolph character myself, so he or she was obviously a chart topper at some point, but clearly went out of style with a vengeance.
Perhaps they were the patron saint of buboes, or urine collectors, or some other gruesome medieval thing people were keen to put behind them.
ETA patron saint of boundaries, apparently
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See also the Halloween party game that almost always features cold spaghetti and peeled grapes instead of worms and eyeballs.
The original ‘get off my lawn!’ guy?
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You mean the church has been lying all this time??? Tell me it’s not so!!
/sarcasm (in case it’s not obvious)
A Viking’s pelt? How cute. Aachen cathedral has one of the Devil’s thumbs!
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Historical Myth Busters
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“he story is that he was caught, skinned alive, a large patch of his flesh was nailed to the door as a deterrent.”
Because, you know, prayer did diddly to protect it.
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