This piece was an awesome read; I learned some cool stuff from it! I also came away kinda sad. For some reason, looking at those two statues, I have in mind that one set of my ancestors (my father’s) actively hated my other set (my mother’s).
The legend of Saint Ursula says she was killed by the Huns. Much of the story sounds like fantasy. For example it would have required a very large fleet of ship t bring 11,000 virgin from England to Colonia, as Cologne was called at the time.
But at least this part about the Huns checks out. The Huns came from Central Asia to southern Europe in about 380 AD, which is the time the Ursula story is said to have taken place.
I love your mastery of the art of writing non-fiction. I enjoyed and deeply appreciated your presentation, which captivated me from the very beginning and kept my attention throughout. When I look back and read some of your earlier articles, I always feel better informed. Reading writers like yourself inspires me to improve my non-fiction writing, which is evolving from my educative psychology and academic background. Now that I'm publishing on Substack, after a long professional career, I see how good story writing—with content that informs—is a worthwhile goal.
This piece was an awesome read; I learned some cool stuff from it! I also came away kinda sad. For some reason, looking at those two statues, I have in mind that one set of my ancestors (my father’s) actively hated my other set (my mother’s).
The legend of Saint Ursula says she was killed by the Huns. Much of the story sounds like fantasy. For example it would have required a very large fleet of ship t bring 11,000 virgin from England to Colonia, as Cologne was called at the time.
But at least this part about the Huns checks out. The Huns came from Central Asia to southern Europe in about 380 AD, which is the time the Ursula story is said to have taken place.
William McCreight
I love your mastery of the art of writing non-fiction. I enjoyed and deeply appreciated your presentation, which captivated me from the very beginning and kept my attention throughout. When I look back and read some of your earlier articles, I always feel better informed. Reading writers like yourself inspires me to improve my non-fiction writing, which is evolving from my educative psychology and academic background. Now that I'm publishing on Substack, after a long professional career, I see how good story writing—with content that informs—is a worthwhile goal.