A Gentle Journey Through the Ancient Libraries of the World | History for Sleep

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Welcome, in my sleepy, friendos 
to the Tranquil world of 

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Alexandria's. 
Great Library in the year, 48 

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BCE, where you serve, as one of 
the many quiet, custodians, who 

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keeps knowledge alive. 
I've explored this in the past, 

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but I want to personally dive in
deeper. 

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Now for nearly three centuries, 
this vast repository has stood 

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as Humanity's memory and tonight
you'll experience the gentle 

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rhythms of tending to Scrolls 
organizing texts and preserving 

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the written wisdom of countless 
civilizations. 

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So settle in comfortably and 
turn on a fan for some noise as 

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we explore your peaceful days, 
among the Papyrus and Dink. 

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You wake Before Dawn in your 
small chamber near the library's

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Eastern wing, The room measures 
perhaps 10 Paces across with 

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whitewashed walls, that catch 
the first gray. 

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Light filtering through a narrow
window. 

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Your sleeping mat lies. 
Rolled in the corner and decide 

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its a small wooden chest, 
containing your few possession. 

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To changes of linen tunics, a 
pair of sandals for formal 

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occasions and a bronze oil. 
Lamp that belonged to your 

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father. 
The air smells of the sea, 

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carried on the breeze, from the 
harbor, just three streets away.

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Alexandria, never truly sleeps, 
but these early hours before 

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Sunrise, hold a particular 
Stillness that you've grown to 

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Treasure. 
Somewhere in the distance. 

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A rooster announces the coming 
day with admirable punctuality 

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though. 
You suspect. 

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It's the same confused bird that
often crows at midnight during 

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full moons. 
You stand and stretch feeling 

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the pleasant stiffness in your 
shoulders that comes from 

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yesterday's work. 
Organizing Scrolls involves more

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reaching and lifting than most 
people imagine. 

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Your joints pops Softly, As You 
Raise Your Arms overhead and you

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make a mental note to request 
some of that Egyptian willow 

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bark tea from the kitchen 
stores. 

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The head librarian, Demetrius 
swears by it for aching muscles,

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though. 
He also swears by standing on 

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one foot while reading Persian 
texts. 

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So, his advice requires some 
filtering. 

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The stone floor feels cool 
against your bare feet, as you 

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walked to the wash base and 
someone has already filled it 

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with fresh water. 
Probably young Marcus who starts

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his rounds even early than you 
do. 

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The water is cold enough to make
you gasped slightly as you 

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should on your face which 
doesn't excellent job of 

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completing the waking process. 
That the rooster began you dress

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in your working tunic. 
The one with the small links 

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stay near the Hem that never 
quite washed out, after that 

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incident with the Aristotle 
commentary. 

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The fabric is soft from 
countless washing comfortable in

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a way that new cloth never quite
manages. 

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Your sandals are the everyday 
pair practical leather without 

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any decorative flourishes 
designed for walking the 

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library's endless corridors 
rather than impressing visiting 

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Scholars. 
Outside your door, the library 

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complex begins its daily 
transformation from Sleeping 

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Giant to buzzing Hive of 
intellectual activity. 

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You can hear the kitchen staff 
already at work. 

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The rhythmic sound of someone 
grinding grain for bread mixing 

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with the lower tones of 
conversation. 

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The smell of baking will reach 
your corner of the building 

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within the hour. 
And your stomach offers a quiet,

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Rumble of anticipation, The 
corridor leading to the main 

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library haul stretches before 
you lit by oil, lamps in wall 

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niches, someone maintains these 
lamps throughout the night. 

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Ensuring that Scholars, working 
late or early, always have 

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light. 
You've never met the night. 

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Lamp tender though. 
You've seen evidence of their 

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passage fresh oil in the 
reservoirs trimmed Wix and 

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occasionally a small plate of 
date. 

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Cakes, left on a reading table. 
As if even the lamp tender 

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believes Scholars, forget to eat
Your first stop is always the 

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small Shrine near the entrance 
to the manuscript storage rooms.

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It's dedicated to Thoth the 
Egyptian god of writing and 

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knowledge, though. 
The ptolemaic administration 

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prefers to call him Hermes in 
official documents. 

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The Greeks who run this Library,
like to pretend everything is 

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properly hellenized but the 
Egyptian staff knows better 

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Thoth or Hermes. 
The god doesn't seem to mind 

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what name you use. 
As long as you remember to keep 

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the tiny oil lamp at his Shrine 
burning You add a few drops of 

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oil to the lamp and Whisper a 
brief. 

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Thanks for another day. 
Among the Scrolls, this isn't 

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exactly prayer. 
It's more like, checking in with

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a colleague, who happens to be 
divine. 

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The shrine is simple. 
A small painted image of an Ibis

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headed figure holding a writing 
palette surrounded by offering 

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of dried flowers, and the 
occasional Papyrus scrap. 

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Containing students prayers for 
help with examinations. 

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The main manuscript Halls open 
before you like a canyon of 

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knowledge, the sealing saws, 
three stories high supported by 

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columns that catch the growing 
Dawn light. 

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Wooden shelves, line. 
Every wall Rising toward the 

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ceiling in carefully, organized 
sections. 

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Each shelf contains pigeonholes 
and each pigeonhole contains 

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Scrolls arranged by subject 
author and language. 

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The system is brilliantly, 
logical. 

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Once you understand it, though, 
new staff members often spend 

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their first month. 
Wandering lost clutching a 

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scroll and looking for its 
proper home, like a confused 

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pigeon, Here this morning, 
you're assigned to the Natural 

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philosophy section, which 
occupies the entire north wall 

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of Hall, 3. 
Natural philosophy is what later

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generations will call science 
though. 

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That word doesn't exist yet in 
quite the same way here, rest, 

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the collected observations of 
dozens of cultures trying to 

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understand how the world Works. 
Greek theories about elements 

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and atoms Egyptian, astronomical
records Babylonian mathematics 

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and Indian treaties is on 
medicine. 

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You begin your morning routine 
by checking the scroll logs. 

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Each section has a log, a long, 
roll of Papyrus, where every 

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scroll that enters all leaves, 
gets recorded. 

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You run your finger down 
yesterday's entries, noting that

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someone borrowed the Astros 
inquiry into plants and hasn't 

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yet returned it. 
This happens constantly Scholars

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become so absorbed in their 
reading that they forget. 

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The Scrolls don't actually 
belong to them. 

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You make a note to check the 
private study rooms later the 

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Morning, Light strength, and 
pouring, through high windows, 

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in Golden shafts that make the 
dust Motes dance, like tiny 

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philosophers, debating invisible
points. 

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You've always found this like 
beautiful the way it transforms 

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the normally Austria Halls into 
something almost magical. 

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Of course, the dust itself is 
less magical when you're the one

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responsible for keeping it under
control, but you've learned to 

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appreciate small moments of 
beauty and routine work. 

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Your first task involves 
inspecting Scrolls for damage. 

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You select one from the 
pigeonhole labeled Democritus, 

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various fragments and carefully 
unroll it on a reading table. 

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The Papyrus is old, perhaps a 
century or more and the edges 

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have begun to Brown and crack. 
The text itself, remains legible

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Greek letters marching a neat 
columns but the margins show 

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signs of wear. 
This particular scroll discusses

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atoms, those theoretical tiny 
particles that Democritus 

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believed formed all matter. 
You've read it before during 

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your training and found 
yourself. 

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Oddly Charmed by the idea that 
everything including yourself is

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made of invisibly small pieces. 
Bumping into each other, it 

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makes the occasional bruised, 
Shin or stubbed toes, seemed 

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less personal somehow not your 
fault. 

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Really just unfortunate Atomic 
Arrangements. 

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You note the Scrolls condition 
in your inspection. 

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Logging it for copying. 
When a manuscript becomes too 

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fragile. 
Scribes crate, fresh copies. 

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Transferring the text to new 
Papyrus before. 

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The original becomes unreadable.
This copying process is how the 

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library maintains its collection
fighting. 

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The inevitable decay of organic 
materials through constant 

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reproduction. 
It's rather like the way living 

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things reproduce. 
You've often thought though 

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mentioning this comparison to 
the more conservative Librarians

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tends to elicit uncomfortable. 
Coughs The inspection continues 

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through a dozen more Scrolls, 
most are unacceptable condition.

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Requiring only basic cleaning 
with a soft cloth. 

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One scroll, a mathematical texts
from Alexandria's own Euclid has

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acquired a mysterious sticky 
spot that suggests. 

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Someone was reading while eating
honey cakes. 

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You add a Stern to the log of 
out. 

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This though you know it will 
have approximately 0 effect on 

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honey cake consumption among 
mathematicians by the time you 

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finish the inspection, the 
library has fully awakened. 

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You can hear voices echoing from
other hauls. 

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The shuffling footsteps of early
Scholars and the occasional 

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thump of someone dropping a 
particularly heavy scroll that 

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last sound always makes you 
wince. 

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Imagining The Fragile. 
Papyrus crying out in protest. 

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Lopez is actually quite durable 
when properly treated Your next 

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responsibility, involves 
reshelving Scrolls that were 

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used yesterday and left on 
reading tables throughout the 

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library. 
This task requires both physical

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effort and detailed knowledge of
the organizational system. 

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Each scroll must return to its 
exact location or the entire 

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catalog becomes useless. 
Imagine trying to find one 

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particular. 
Scroll among thousands when it's

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been placed randomly. 
It's the kind of chaos that 

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gives Librarians, actual 
nightmares, you collect a wooden

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cart and begin your rounds. 
The cart has wheels that squeak 

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persistently despite regular 
applications of olive oil to the

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axles. 
You've grown fond of the squeak.

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Actually, it announces your 
presence. 

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As you move through the Halls, 
giving startled Scholars a 

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moment to remove their feet from
tables or hide the food. 

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They're not supposed to have in 
the manuscript rooms. 

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The first reading table yields 
three Scrolls, a commentary on 

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Homer. 
A treat is on Hydraulics and 

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something in Aramaic that you'll
need to check the catalog to 

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properly identify The Homer 
commentary shows signs of 

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intense study with small Papyrus
markers. 

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Tucked between sections, you 
remove these carefully, placing 

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them in a basket on your cart. 
Scholars, often forget to remove

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their notes, and you've 
accumulated quite a collection 

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of bookmarks over the years. 
Ranging from simple scraps to 

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elaborate markers decorated with
tiny paintings. 

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The Hydraulics, treated belongs 
in the engineering section which

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occupies Shells near the 
library's main entrance. 

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As you walk that direction you 
pass through the central Atrium,

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a large open space where Morning
Light floods, through skylights 

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00:10:00,300 --> 00:10:02,800
several Scholars. 
Have already claimed tables 

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00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:05,700
here, bent over their work with 
the intense focus of people 

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00:10:05,700 --> 00:10:08,100
trying to solve the universe's 
Mysteries before lunch. 

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You recognize most of the 
regular readers. 

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00:10:10,900 --> 00:10:14,700
There's Helena, the visiting 
scholar from pergamum who spends

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every morning. 
Copying medical texts to take 

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back to our City's own Library. 
Her handwriting is 

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extraordinarily neat. 
Each letter formed with patient 

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precision, Beside her sits old 
philostratus who, claims to be 

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writing a comprehensive history 
of Greek Athletics, but mostly 

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00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:32,900
seems to nap with a scroll open 
in front of him. 

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00:10:32,900 --> 00:10:37,100
His snoring has become part of 
the library's Ambient sound like

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the rustling of Papyrus or the 
distant calls of Harbor Birds. 

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at a corner table, three young 
students huddle over a 

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mathematics text, their faces, 
showing that peculiar expression

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of confused concentration that 
higher mathematics tends to 

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00:10:50,700 --> 00:10:54,700
inspire One of them has on his 
nose, which suggests he's been 

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rubbing his face while thinking 
a habit that seems Universal 

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among Scholars regardless of 
their field. 

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You make a mental note to 
mention the no situation as you 

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00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:06,600
pass because nobody wants to 
walk around all day with ink on 

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00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:09,000
their face, though. 
The young man seems to absorb to

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notice your helpful gesture. 
The engineering section 

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00:11:12,100 --> 00:11:14,300
welcomes, the Hydraulics 
Treasures back into its 

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pigeonhole, like a sheep 
returning to the flock. 

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These metaphors come naturally 
after years in the library, 

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you've begun thinking of 
Scrolls, as living things with 

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personalities and preferences. 
The Hydraulics treaties is 

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particularly dignified, probably
because it contains drawing of 

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00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:31,400
water screws designed by 
Archimedes himself. 

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00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:33,900
Any scroll that includes our 
comedies. 

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00:11:33,900 --> 00:11:37,000
As work as a right to be a bit 
proud, the Aramaic, scroll 

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presents, more of a puzzle. 
Unroller portion and examine the

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script, trying to identify the 
subject matter. 

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The letters flow in elegant 
curves, but your Aramaic is 

232
00:11:45,508 --> 00:11:48,400
limited to basic reading. 
You can make out what seemed to 

233
00:11:48,408 --> 00:11:51,400
be astronomical observations and
references to planetary, 

234
00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:54,900
movements, and lunar cycles. 
This places it somewhere in the 

235
00:11:54,900 --> 00:11:58,500
astronomy section but that 
section is vast organized by 

236
00:11:58,500 --> 00:12:00,700
culture and time period as well 
as subject. 

237
00:12:01,500 --> 00:12:04,500
You consult the master catalog, 
a series of Scrolls that list 

238
00:12:04,500 --> 00:12:07,100
every manuscript in the library 
along with its location. 

239
00:12:08,100 --> 00:12:11,600
The catalog itself, occupies an 
entire room, and requires its 

240
00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:13,300
own team of librarians to 
maintain. 

241
00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:17,000
Finding a specific entry in. 
The catalog is sometimes nearly 

242
00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,200
as challenging as finding the 
scroll itself, which has led to 

243
00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:22,400
jokes about needing a catalog 
for the catalog. 

244
00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:25,700
The headline finds these jokes 
less amusing than the staff 

245
00:12:25,708 --> 00:12:28,000
does. 
After some searching you 

246
00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:30,400
discover that the Aramaic, 
scroll belongs to the Babylonian

247
00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:32,900
astronomy collection. 
Specifically, the section 

248
00:12:32,900 --> 00:12:35,100
containing observational records
from the reign of 

249
00:12:35,100 --> 00:12:38,300
Nebuchadnezzar, you make your 
way to this section, which 

250
00:12:38,300 --> 00:12:40,400
occupies shelves in the 
libraries Eastern wing. 

251
00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:43,100
With the morning, light is best 
for reading, astronomical 

252
00:12:43,100 --> 00:12:45,600
tables, the Babylonian astronomy
section. 

253
00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:47,500
Smells slightly different from 
other areas. 

254
00:12:47,500 --> 00:12:52,100
All Scrolls have a scent. 
A mixture of Papyrus Inc and 

255
00:12:52,100 --> 00:12:54,400
age. 
But here the smelling includes 

256
00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:57,200
traces of the cedar oil used to 
preserve these particularly old 

257
00:12:57,200 --> 00:12:59,900
manuscripts. 
The Babylonians began recording 

258
00:12:59,900 --> 00:13:02,400
astronomical observations 
hundreds of years before 

259
00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:06,400
Alexander the Great brought 
Greek culture to Egypt and these

260
00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:09,300
Scrolls represent, generations 
of patient skywatching. 

261
00:13:09,300 --> 00:13:12,500
He returned the scroll to its 
proper pigeonhole and update the

262
00:13:12,500 --> 00:13:15,700
location log. 
Which pigeonhole has a small tag

263
00:13:15,700 --> 00:13:19,200
written in Greek. 
Identifying the contents The tag

264
00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:23,100
for this section reads, 
Babylonian observations planets,

265
00:13:23,100 --> 00:13:29,400
605 to 562 BCE, which is 
remarkably specific. 

266
00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:31,700
Considering the Scrolls 
themselves were old when the 

267
00:13:31,700 --> 00:13:33,800
library was founded. 
Your car. 

268
00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:36,900
Now empty, you return to the 
central Atrium, to continue 

269
00:13:36,900 --> 00:13:40,100
collecting. 
The morning has progressed and 

270
00:13:40,100 --> 00:13:43,500
the library grows busier. 
The sound of conversation drifts

271
00:13:43,500 --> 00:13:46,600
from the reading rooms that 
particular Buzz of intellectual 

272
00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:49,000
discussion that characterizes 
scholarly spaces. 

273
00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:53,200
You can't make out individual 
words. but the rhythm of debate 

274
00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:56,700
is unmistakable, Statement 
counter-argument 

275
00:13:56,700 --> 00:14:00,100
counter-argument and occasional 
laughter. 

276
00:14:00,100 --> 00:14:02,000
When someone makes a 
particularly clever point. 

277
00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:06,000
The main entrance hall fills 
with new arrivals as the morning

278
00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:09,300
fully establishes itself. 
Scholars, come from across the 

279
00:14:09,300 --> 00:14:12,400
Mediterranean to use the 
library's Collections and each 

280
00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:16,500
morning brings Fresh Faces 
mixing with familiar ones. the 

281
00:14:16,500 --> 00:14:19,000
entrance hall serves as a buffer
between the busy streets of 

282
00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:22,900
Alexandria and the quieter 
interior spaces, giving visitors

283
00:14:22,900 --> 00:14:26,500
a moment to transition from the 
city's chaos, to the library's 

284
00:14:26,500 --> 00:14:30,500
focused calm your organizing a 
cart of Scrolls near the 

285
00:14:30,500 --> 00:14:33,700
entrance, when a young woman 
approaches, She clearly a 

286
00:14:33,700 --> 00:14:36,500
visitor clutching a small, 
wooden tablet with notes and 

287
00:14:36,500 --> 00:14:40,000
looking around with wide eyes, 
the library scale, impresses 

288
00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:42,300
newcomers. 
The building complex covers 

289
00:14:42,300 --> 00:14:45,400
several city blocks with 
multiple Halls, connected by 

290
00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:47,000
covered, walkways and 
courtyards. 

291
00:14:47,700 --> 00:14:50,500
Finding anything specific with 
out help is nearly impossible on

292
00:14:50,500 --> 00:14:52,700
a first visit? 
Excuse me. 

293
00:14:52,700 --> 00:14:56,000
She says, in Greek with a Syrian
accent, I'm looking for text 

294
00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:58,900
about plant medicine 
specifically, anything about the

295
00:14:58,900 --> 00:15:02,500
uses of willow bark. 
You smile, because willow bark 

296
00:15:02,500 --> 00:15:04,800
has been on your mind since 
Waking with saw shoulders, 

297
00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:09,000
you'll want the medical botany 
section in Hall 5, follow this 

298
00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:12,400
Corridor to the second 
Courtyard, turn left and enter 

299
00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:16,200
through the blue painted door. 
the Botanical text occupy, the 

300
00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:20,400
Western Wall look for the 
section marked theophrastus, his

301
00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:23,900
planting quarries, include 
medicinal uses She thanks you 

302
00:15:23,900 --> 00:15:25,200
and starts to leave. 
Then turns back. 

303
00:15:26,100 --> 00:15:28,500
Is it true that the library 
contains every book ever 

304
00:15:28,500 --> 00:15:31,300
written? 
This is a common question and 

305
00:15:31,300 --> 00:15:34,100
you've developed a gentle way of
managing expectations. 

306
00:15:34,100 --> 00:15:37,800
Not every book, but we try to 
collect copies of significant 

307
00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:41,400
works from all cultures and 
languages, the library has been 

308
00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:43,600
Gathering texts for nearly 300 
years. 

309
00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:47,500
You'll find Greek Egyptian, 
Persian, Indian, Jewish, 

310
00:15:47,500 --> 00:15:50,000
Babylonian, and many other 
Traditions represented. 

311
00:15:51,100 --> 00:15:54,200
How many Scrolls total? 
She asks the estimates vary, 

312
00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:58,900
perhaps, 400,000, perhaps more. 
Cat is constantly being updated 

313
00:15:58,900 --> 00:16:01,300
as new acquisitions arrived and 
copies are made. 

314
00:16:02,100 --> 00:16:05,300
Her eyes widened further. 
How does anyone find anything? 

315
00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:09,100
Very carefully you say, which is
honest, if not particularly 

316
00:16:09,100 --> 00:16:11,500
helpful, the catalog system 
works. 

317
00:16:11,500 --> 00:16:14,800
Well, once you understand it, 
don't hesitate to ask any of us 

318
00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:16,600
for help, that's what we're here
for. 

319
00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:20,000
She leaves and you return to 
your cart. 

320
00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:22,400
But the conversation has 
reminded you of something 

321
00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:26,200
important, a visiting scholar 
from siren requested several 

322
00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:29,300
specific texts yesterday, and 
you promised to have them ready 

323
00:16:29,300 --> 00:16:31,600
this morning. 
The scholar is researching the 

324
00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:34,800
history of Greek, drama and 
needs all of available fragments

325
00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:37,800
of Easter's, lost plays. 
The drama collection is one of 

326
00:16:37,808 --> 00:16:40,900
your favorite sections, partly? 
Because Greek Theater is 

327
00:16:40,900 --> 00:16:44,100
endlessly entertaining and 
partly, because the section is 

328
00:16:44,100 --> 00:16:46,000
relatively Compact and well 
organized. 

329
00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:49,900
The Greeks wrote, hundreds of 
plays over the centuries, but 

330
00:16:49,900 --> 00:16:52,100
only a fraction survive in 
complete form. 

331
00:16:52,100 --> 00:16:56,600
Many exist, only as fragments 
partial copies or references. 

332
00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:59,900
In other works, the library has 
been collecting these fragments 

333
00:16:59,900 --> 00:17:02,100
carefully. 
Copying them from any Source 

334
00:17:02,100 --> 00:17:04,099
available. 
You locate the aeschylus 

335
00:17:04,099 --> 00:17:05,599
fragments and place them on a 
reading table. 

336
00:17:05,599 --> 00:17:08,700
In one of the private study 
rooms, these rooms line, the 

337
00:17:08,700 --> 00:17:12,099
library's quieter Halls, small 
spaces, with good light and 

338
00:17:12,099 --> 00:17:15,000
doors, that close designed for 
Scholars who need to focus 

339
00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:18,500
without distraction. 
Each room contains a table, a 

340
00:17:18,500 --> 00:17:21,200
chair, a lamp. 
And a small shelf for temporary,

341
00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:24,200
scroll storage, the Serene 
scholar arrives promptly. 

342
00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:27,500
An older man with ink stained 
fingers and the slightly 

343
00:17:27,500 --> 00:17:30,200
disheveled appearance of someone
who thinks more about ancient 

344
00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:34,300
drama than personal grooming. 
He nods greatly when you show 

345
00:17:34,300 --> 00:17:36,900
him the assembled Scrolls 
already unrolling. 

346
00:17:36,900 --> 00:17:39,200
The first one before you finish 
explaining the collection. 

347
00:17:40,100 --> 00:17:42,500
Wonderful. 
He murmurs not really talking to

348
00:17:42,500 --> 00:17:45,800
you so much as thinking aloud. 
I've been trying to reconstruct 

349
00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:49,300
the plot of the Lost Prometheus 
plays, if I can connect these 

350
00:17:49,300 --> 00:17:52,400
fragments with the references in
Aristophanes, perhaps. 

351
00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:55,700
You leave him to his work 
scholars in the grip of 

352
00:17:55,700 --> 00:17:57,300
research. 
Don't need conversation. 

353
00:17:57,300 --> 00:18:01,300
They need Scrolls, and Solitude 
the study room door, closes 

354
00:18:01,300 --> 00:18:04,500
softly behind you muting. 
The sound of Papyrus rustling. 

355
00:18:04,500 --> 00:18:06,900
As the man begins. 
His investigation into plays 

356
00:18:06,900 --> 00:18:10,700
performed 400 years ago The 
morning continues with its 

357
00:18:10,700 --> 00:18:12,900
pleasant rhythm of requests and 
research. 

358
00:18:12,900 --> 00:18:17,100
A mathematician needs Euclid's. 
Advanced proofs a philosopher 

359
00:18:17,100 --> 00:18:19,800
wants to compare different 
manuscripts of Plato's dialogues

360
00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:23,200
to check for copying errors. 
A historian requests everything.

361
00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:26,600
The library has on the reign of 
Darius, the great each request 

362
00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:28,700
sends you traveling through 
different sections of the 

363
00:18:28,700 --> 00:18:31,700
collection, pulling Scrolls from
their homes and delivering them 

364
00:18:31,700 --> 00:18:34,500
to waiting readers. 
Between requests you perform 

365
00:18:34,500 --> 00:18:37,500
routine, maintenance Scrolls, 
need regular inspection and 

366
00:18:37,500 --> 00:18:40,400
occasional cleaning. 
The library battles constantly 

367
00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:44,700
against dust insects moisture 
and the simple passage of time. 

368
00:18:45,700 --> 00:18:47,000
The Pirates. 
Last remarkably. 

369
00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,800
Well when properly stored by 
properly, stored requires 

370
00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:53,200
constant attention. 
Scroll must be kept drive but 

371
00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:56,900
not too dry clean, but not over 
handled an accessible, but 

372
00:18:56,900 --> 00:18:59,800
protected your cleaning a 
section of Egyptian medical 

373
00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:01,200
texts. 
When you discover a small 

374
00:19:01,208 --> 00:19:04,800
problem, one of the Scrolls, a 
copy of the ebers Papyrus, 

375
00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:08,100
dealing with eye, diseases has 
developed a small tear along one

376
00:19:08,100 --> 00:19:10,500
Edge. 
The damage is minor but will 

377
00:19:10,500 --> 00:19:12,600
worse. 
And if not addressed, you care. 

378
00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:15,700
The scroll in Lin in and carry 
it to the conservation Workshop.

379
00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:19,300
The conservation, Workshop 
occupies a well-lit room, near 

380
00:19:19,300 --> 00:19:22,200
the library, Southern Edge, 
where large Windows, provide 

381
00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:24,000
excellent, natural light for 
details. 

382
00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,600
Work here, skilled craftspeople 
repaire damage. 

383
00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:31,600
Scrolls, prepare new, Papyrus 
mix inks and perform the 

384
00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:33,700
delicate work of, keeping the 
collection intact. 

385
00:19:34,500 --> 00:19:37,900
Today, three people work at 
Separate Tables, Sarah and 

386
00:19:37,900 --> 00:19:40,400
Egyptian woman, whose family has
been making Papyrus for 

387
00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:43,000
Generations. 
Carefully glues fresh Papyrus 

388
00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:44,600
sheets together to form a long 
roll. 

389
00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:48,800
At another table Marcus, 
examined, a badly damaged, 

390
00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:51,900
scroll under strong light 
planning, his repaire strategy. 

391
00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:56,300
The third worker, an older Greek
man named Theon mixes Inc, with 

392
00:19:56,300 --> 00:19:59,400
focused concentration, adding 
ingredients in precise 

393
00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:02,500
proportions, you place your 
damage, scroll on the intake 

394
00:20:02,500 --> 00:20:04,300
table and fill out the repair 
request form. 

395
00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:08,200
Sarah glances over wiping. 
Her hands on her work apron. 

396
00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:11,500
Another tier. 
She asks, small one in the 

397
00:20:11,500 --> 00:20:13,300
Evers. 
Copy the section about eye 

398
00:20:13,300 --> 00:20:15,400
diseases. 
She picks up the scroll and 

399
00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:18,000
examines it with Expert Eyes. 
Not bad. 

400
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:20,800
This is fixable probably 
happened during rolling. 

401
00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:23,700
Someone got Hasty, I can have it
back to you by tomorrow 

402
00:20:23,700 --> 00:20:26,700
afternoon that you thanked her 
and watch for a moment as she 

403
00:20:26,700 --> 00:20:29,900
returns to her work. 
Sarah is building a new scroll 

404
00:20:29,900 --> 00:20:32,900
from Individual Papyrus. 
Sheets overlapping them slightly

405
00:20:32,900 --> 00:20:35,900
and using a paste made from 
flour and water to bind them 

406
00:20:35,900 --> 00:20:38,400
together. 
The process looks simple but 

407
00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:41,500
requires considerable skill. 
The sheets, must align perfectly

408
00:20:41,500 --> 00:20:44,800
and the pace must be applied 
evenly to avoid lumps or weeks 

409
00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:47,800
spots. 
How's the new batch of Papyrus? 

410
00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:51,500
You ask excellent quality. 
These came from the Delta Region

411
00:20:51,500 --> 00:20:55,200
harvested at exactly. 
The right time the fibers are 

412
00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:57,200
strong and uniform. 
This will make good durable 

413
00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:00,700
writing material. 
Papyrus comes from a marsh plant

414
00:21:00,700 --> 00:21:02,100
that grows abundantly in the 
Nile. 

415
00:21:02,100 --> 00:21:05,300
Delta, the manufacturing 
process, involves cutting the 

416
00:21:05,300 --> 00:21:07,900
plant's. 
Pith Into Thin strips, arranging

417
00:21:07,900 --> 00:21:10,400
these strips and perpendicular 
layers, and pressing them 

418
00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:13,500
together. 
The plants natural starches act 

419
00:21:13,500 --> 00:21:17,000
as glue binding the layers into 
a writing surface, that's both 

420
00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:21,300
flexible and surprisingly tough.
Egypt has been making Papyrus 

421
00:21:21,300 --> 00:21:24,500
for thousands of years, long 
before Greeks or anyone else 

422
00:21:24,500 --> 00:21:28,300
arrived, the word paper will 
eventually derive from Papyrus 

423
00:21:28,300 --> 00:21:31,400
though, that linguistic 
evolution is still centuries in 

424
00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:34,200
the future. 
For now, Papyrus is simply the 

425
00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:36,500
standard writing material 
throughout the Mediterranean 

426
00:21:36,500 --> 00:21:40,200
world as common and unremarkable
as the notebooks in a distant 

427
00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:43,800
future office supply store. 
Marcus looks up from his damage.

428
00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:45,600
Scroll pushing. 
Gray hair back from his 

429
00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:47,400
forehead. 
You want to see something 

430
00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:50,400
interesting. 
You walk over to his table where

431
00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:52,400
he's examining. 
What appears to be a very old 

432
00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:56,300
mathematical texts. 
The Papyrus is dark with age and

433
00:21:56,300 --> 00:21:59,000
the ink has faded to a brown, 
that's barely distinguishable 

434
00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,200
from the Papyrus itself. 
This came from a private 

435
00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:04,100
collection in Memphis, Marcus 
explains. 

436
00:22:04,100 --> 00:22:07,400
It's a mathematical Treatise, 
that's at least 500 years old, 

437
00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:11,100
maybe older but look here. 
He points to a section of text, 

438
00:22:11,100 --> 00:22:13,700
you lean closer and see what he 
means. 

439
00:22:15,300 --> 00:22:18,900
Beneath the mathematical texts. 
Barely visible a traces of 

440
00:22:18,900 --> 00:22:23,400
earlier writing The Papyrus has 
been reused, the original text 

441
00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:26,100
was washed off and new text was 
written over it. 

442
00:22:26,900 --> 00:22:29,500
Palimpsest. 
You are using the Greek term for

443
00:22:29,500 --> 00:22:31,600
reused writing material. 
Exactly. 

444
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:35,300
Papyrus is expensive. 
So people often reuse it when 

445
00:22:35,300 --> 00:22:37,000
the original text is no longer 
needed. 

446
00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:40,100
I'm trying to determine if the 
underlying text is worth 

447
00:22:40,100 --> 00:22:43,300
attempting to read. 
Could be nothing important or 

448
00:22:43,300 --> 00:22:44,900
could be a lost work, we didn't 
know existed. 

449
00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:48,800
This is one of the exciting 
aspects of Library work. 

450
00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:51,400
Sometimes you stumble onto 
Hidden Treasures. 

451
00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:55,000
Texts that survived only because
someone reused the Papyrus for 

452
00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,400
something else. 
The underlying writing is 

453
00:22:57,400 --> 00:22:58,900
usually impossible to read 
clearly. 

454
00:22:58,900 --> 00:23:02,600
But sometimes with the right 
light and enough patience, you 

455
00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:05,300
can tease out enough letters to 
identify what it wants said. 

456
00:23:06,300 --> 00:23:09,200
The on calls you over to his 
table where several small pots 

457
00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:11,100
of inks in various Shades of 
Black. 

458
00:23:12,100 --> 00:23:15,600
Want to try the new formula. 
He asks, the honor has been 

459
00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:17,200
perfecting ink recipes for 
decades. 

460
00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:20,500
The library's scribes are 
particular about their ink and 

461
00:23:20,500 --> 00:23:24,500
Theon takes pride in meeting 
their exacting standards. good 

462
00:23:24,500 --> 00:23:27,800
ink must flow smoothly from the 
pen dry quickly, without 

463
00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:31,400
smudging adhere permanently, to 
Papyrus, and resists fading over

464
00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:33,600
time Achieving all these 
qualities. 

465
00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:35,400
Requires a careful balance of 
ingredients. 

466
00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:40,200
He dips a reed pen into one of 
the pots and writes, a few Greek

467
00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:43,500
letters on a scrap of Papyrus, 
the ink flows beautifully, 

468
00:23:43,500 --> 00:23:46,200
creating crisp, black letters, 
with clean edges. 

469
00:23:47,300 --> 00:23:50,500
Carbon black from burned, 
grapevine's mixed with gum 

470
00:23:50,500 --> 00:23:54,000
arabic for adhesion he explains.
I think the gum proportion 

471
00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:57,600
slightly to improve permanence 
You watches as the ink dries 

472
00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:00,200
transforming from slightly 
glossy to matte black. 

473
00:24:01,100 --> 00:24:04,100
The letters remain crisp and 
clear with no bleeding into the 

474
00:24:04,100 --> 00:24:06,400
Papyrus 5 years. 
It's excellent. 

475
00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:09,900
You say honestly, the scribes 
will be pleased, the odds 

476
00:24:09,900 --> 00:24:12,500
satisfied. 
He's not one for excessive 

477
00:24:12,500 --> 00:24:15,900
displays of emotion, but you can
see the quiet pride in his work.

478
00:24:15,900 --> 00:24:19,400
The ink he makes today will 
carry texts into the future 

479
00:24:19,400 --> 00:24:22,900
preserving words and ideas long.
After everyone in this room as 

480
00:24:22,900 --> 00:24:25,900
returned to dust, That's the 
underlying purpose of all 

481
00:24:25,900 --> 00:24:29,700
Library, work, fighting against 
times tendency to erase things. 

482
00:24:30,900 --> 00:24:33,400
The afternoon brings a shift in 
the library's atmosphere. 

483
00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:37,100
The mornings energetic, arrival 
of Scholars, gives way to a 

484
00:24:37,100 --> 00:24:40,100
quieter more focused mood. 
People settle into their 

485
00:24:40,100 --> 00:24:42,700
research. 
The initial excitement of new 

486
00:24:42,700 --> 00:24:45,400
discoveries by the patient work 
of detailed study. 

487
00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:48,800
The reading rooms fill with the 
soft sounds of Scrolls, 

488
00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:52,800
unrolling read pens, scratching 
on Papyrus and the occasional 

489
00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:57,400
satisfied of someone finding 
exactly the passage they needed.

490
00:24:58,300 --> 00:25:00,800
You spend the afternoon in the 
philosophy section, which 

491
00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:04,200
occupies an entire haul and 
represents, centuries of Greek 

492
00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:08,200
thought here, rest the great 
works Plato's dialogues 

493
00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,500
Aristotle's. 
Treasures, the fragments of pre 

494
00:25:11,500 --> 00:25:14,800
Socratic, thinkers the ethical 
writing of the stoics and The 

495
00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:19,300
Logical puzzles of the Maguires.
Every significant philosophical 

496
00:25:19,300 --> 00:25:22,300
text produced in the Greek world
has been copied and shelved 

497
00:25:22,300 --> 00:25:24,600
here. 
Your task is to create new 

498
00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:27,200
catalog tags for a recently 
acquired collection of 

499
00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:30,200
philosophical letters. 
These letters were written by 

500
00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:32,500
various philosophers to their 
students and colleagues 

501
00:25:32,500 --> 00:25:36,400
discussing everything from 
ethical dilemmas to proper diet 

502
00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:40,300
to the nature of happiness. 
Personal letters often survive 

503
00:25:40,300 --> 00:25:43,400
when formal treatises are lost 
and they provide valuable 

504
00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:46,600
insights into how philosophers 
actually thought and lived 

505
00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:49,500
rather than just what they wrote
for public consumption. 

506
00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:53,200
You unroll each letter, 
carefully reading enough to 

507
00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:56,300
determine its author recipient 
and primary subject matter. 

508
00:25:57,100 --> 00:26:00,300
first letter is from epicurus to
a student named menoeceus 

509
00:26:00,300 --> 00:26:04,500
discussing the philosophy of 
Pleasure and Pain epicurus 

510
00:26:04,500 --> 00:26:06,800
believed that happiness comes 
from moderate pleasure, and 

511
00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:10,500
freedom from anxiety, which 
seems reasonable enough, though,

512
00:26:10,500 --> 00:26:12,800
his opponents accused him of 
promoting excessive 

513
00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:16,500
self-indulgence, Reading his 
actual letters, you find him, 

514
00:26:16,500 --> 00:26:19,700
remarkably sensible more 
concerned with cultivating 

515
00:26:19,700 --> 00:26:22,600
friendships and intellectual 
contentment than with wild 

516
00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:25,600
parties. 
The next letter comes from a 

517
00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:28,000
stoic philosopher, whose name 
you don't immediately, recognize

518
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,300
offering advice on dealing with 
difficult. 

519
00:26:30,300 --> 00:26:32,800
Family members. 
The advice is surprisingly. 

520
00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:36,300
Practical focus on controlling 
your reactions, since you can't 

521
00:26:36,300 --> 00:26:39,000
control others Behavior. 
Maintain your own sense of 

522
00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:41,600
virtue. 
Regardless of external chaos and

523
00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:44,500
remember that family drama is a 
temporary disturbance in an 

524
00:26:44,500 --> 00:26:48,300
otherwise rational universe. 
You wonder if this philosopher 

525
00:26:48,300 --> 00:26:49,800
had particularly challenging 
relatives. 

526
00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:53,700
As you work, you notice patterns
in the letters philosophers, 

527
00:26:53,700 --> 00:26:56,300
write about surprisingly 
ordinary concerns alongside 

528
00:26:56,300 --> 00:26:59,700
their theoretical discussions. 
They worry about money health 

529
00:26:59,700 --> 00:27:02,500
and reputation. 
They complain about students who

530
00:27:02,500 --> 00:27:04,400
don't pay attention and 
colleagues, who steal their 

531
00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:08,200
ideas, they offer recipes, 
recommend books, and gossip 

532
00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:11,000
about other philosophers. 
The letters, make these ancient 

533
00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,700
thinkers feel suddenly human and
relatable not marble statues. 

534
00:27:14,700 --> 00:27:18,400
But actual people navigating 
life's complexities while trying

535
00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:22,300
to figure out how to think about
existence you're creating a tag 

536
00:27:22,300 --> 00:27:24,700
for a letter about friendship, 
when someone clears their throat

537
00:27:24,700 --> 00:27:29,100
behind you, You turn to find 
Demetrius the headline looking 

538
00:27:29,100 --> 00:27:32,800
at you, with his characteristic 
expression of patient concern to

539
00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:35,600
meet Demetrius is perhaps 60 
years old with a carefully 

540
00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:39,300
trimmed beard going white and 
eyes that notice everything. 

541
00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:43,600
He's been managing this library 
for two decades now, navigating 

542
00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:46,200
between the ptolemaic, 
administration's demands and the

543
00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:48,700
scholarly communities needs with
diplomatic skill. 

544
00:27:49,500 --> 00:27:50,900
How's the cataloging 
progressing? 

545
00:27:50,900 --> 00:27:54,300
He asks, well enough these 
philosophical letters are 

546
00:27:54,300 --> 00:27:57,700
fascinating, did you know, 
epicurus recommended Bali cakes 

547
00:27:57,700 --> 00:28:01,300
for stomach complaints? 
I did not though I'm unsurprised

548
00:28:01,300 --> 00:28:04,000
that philosophers have opinions 
about digestion, they have 

549
00:28:04,008 --> 00:28:07,200
opinions about everything else. 
He pauses looking around the 

550
00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:10,300
hall, I wanted to ask if you'd 
be willing to take on an 

551
00:28:10,300 --> 00:28:14,000
additional responsibility, you 
wait, curious additional 

552
00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:16,900
responsibilities in a library. 
Usually mean, interesting work 

553
00:28:16,900 --> 00:28:20,400
rather than tedious tasks. 
We've received a delegation from

554
00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:23,400
the museum requesting access to 
some of our more fragile, 

555
00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:25,600
mathematical manuscripts, 
Demetrius continues. 

556
00:28:26,500 --> 00:28:29,700
The Museum's mathematicians want
to study archimedes', original 

557
00:28:29,700 --> 00:28:32,400
calculations regarding the 
volume of spheres and cylinders,

558
00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:35,300
I'd like you to supervise their 
Works since you know, those 

559
00:28:35,300 --> 00:28:38,200
texts. 
Well, the museum is the 

560
00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:41,300
scholarly institution attached 
to the library where sponsored 

561
00:28:41,300 --> 00:28:44,700
intellectuals live and work 
Museum Scholars have automatic 

562
00:28:44,700 --> 00:28:47,300
access to the library's 
collections but particularly 

563
00:28:47,300 --> 00:28:49,600
fragile texts. 
Require supervised viewing 

564
00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:52,500
Archimedes. 
Mathematical work is treasured 

565
00:28:52,500 --> 00:28:55,600
and the Scrolls containing. 
His original calculations are 

566
00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:57,600
handled as carefully as sacred 
texts. 

567
00:28:58,500 --> 00:29:00,800
I'd be happy to help you say. 
When are they coming? 

568
00:29:01,700 --> 00:29:04,300
Tomorrow morning, three 
mathematicians and one of their 

569
00:29:04,300 --> 00:29:07,300
students, they'll need a study 
room with good light and steady 

570
00:29:07,300 --> 00:29:10,300
table, archimedes', proofs 
require concentration. 

571
00:29:11,300 --> 00:29:13,700
You nod already? 
Mentally planning the setup. 

572
00:29:13,700 --> 00:29:16,300
The study rooms on the buildings
Eastern side. 

573
00:29:16,300 --> 00:29:19,300
Have excellent Morning, Light 
and room. 7 has a particularly 

574
00:29:19,300 --> 00:29:22,400
stable table important for 
mathematical work, involving 

575
00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:26,000
diagrams and calculations 
Demetrius lingers for a moment. 

576
00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:28,900
Looking at the philosophical 
letters, you've been cataloging 

577
00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:31,600
Do you ever wonder he asks 
quietly? 

578
00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:34,900
What future Scholars will think 
when they read our letters and 

579
00:29:34,908 --> 00:29:37,800
catalog tags? 
Will we seem as human to them as

580
00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:41,200
these ancient philosophers seem 
to us it's an unexpectedly 

581
00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:44,400
philosophical question from a 
head librarian, perhaps not 

582
00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:48,200
surprising given the workplace I
suppose that depends on whether 

583
00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:51,600
anyone preserves our letters you
say, most of what we write is 

584
00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:55,700
probably two ordinary to save. 
Perhaps but ordinary moments 

585
00:29:55,700 --> 00:29:58,100
create the texture of life. 
Don't they the great 

586
00:29:58,108 --> 00:30:00,700
philosophical treatises. 
Tell us how people thought they 

587
00:30:00,700 --> 00:30:03,100
should live letters and Daily 
records. 

588
00:30:03,100 --> 00:30:06,100
Tell us how they actually lived.
Both matter. 

589
00:30:06,900 --> 00:30:09,800
He leaves and you return to your
cataloging thinking about his 

590
00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:12,800
words, your creating records 
that might last centuries if 

591
00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:15,600
properly maintained The catalog 
tags. 

592
00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:18,400
You write today, could guide 
Scholars long after Alexandria 

593
00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:20,200
itself has changed beyond 
recognition. 

594
00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:24,000
It is a strange thought this 
link between present and future 

595
00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:27,000
all maintained through. 
Careful record, keeping and 

596
00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:30,800
systematic organization. 
As the sun descends toward the 

597
00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:33,800
Western Horizon, the library's 
atmosphere shifts again. 

598
00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:36,600
After noon readers, begin 
Gathering their notes and 

599
00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:39,400
preparing to leave while a 
smaller group of evening 

600
00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:41,600
Scholars, arrives to claim the 
now, empty spaces. 

601
00:30:42,500 --> 00:30:44,900
Some Scholars prefer working at 
night when the building is 

602
00:30:44,900 --> 00:30:47,900
quieter and cooler and the 
library accommodates these 

603
00:30:47,900 --> 00:30:51,600
preferences by staying open. 
Well after sunset You begin your

604
00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:54,000
evening routine by checking the 
oil lamps, throughout the 

605
00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:57,600
building each Hall has dozens of
lamps, in wall, niches, and 

606
00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:00,800
non-reading tables and all need 
sufficient oil to burn through 

607
00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:03,700
the evening hours. 
He carry a large pottery jug of 

608
00:31:03,708 --> 00:31:06,900
olive oil and a supply of fresh 
Wix moving systematically 

609
00:31:06,900 --> 00:31:09,400
through the Halls. 
The work is meditative 

610
00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:11,600
requirement. 
Just enough attention to being 

611
00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:14,600
engaging without demanding 
intense, Focus fill the 

612
00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:17,100
reservoir, check the wick, and 
adjust the flame. 

613
00:31:17,100 --> 00:31:21,000
Move to the next lamp, repeat 
the pools of Lamplight, create 

614
00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:23,800
islands of brightness in the 
Gathering Dusk and you take 

615
00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:25,900
satisfaction in knowing that 
Scholars will be able to 

616
00:31:25,908 --> 00:31:29,900
continue reading as night Falls.
In the philosophy Hall you find 

617
00:31:29,900 --> 00:31:33,300
old filler to still at his table
though the scroll in front of 

618
00:31:33,300 --> 00:31:35,700
him suggests he's accomplished 
little actual work. 

619
00:31:35,700 --> 00:31:39,900
He's been reading the same page 
for 20 minutes or rather the 

620
00:31:39,900 --> 00:31:41,600
same page has been open in front
of him. 

621
00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:45,000
While his eyes remained closed, 
you fill the lamp near his 

622
00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:47,400
table. 
Quietly, not wanting to disturb,

623
00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:50,600
what might be deep philosophical
meditation, but is almost 

624
00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:53,700
certainly a nap. 
The mathematics Hall holds three

625
00:31:53,700 --> 00:31:57,200
Scholars bent over a complex, 
geometric proof, their table, 

626
00:31:57,200 --> 00:31:59,900
covered with diagrams, sketched 
on Papyrus scraps. 

627
00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:04,000
Mathematicians generate enormous
quantities of scrap, Papyrus, 

628
00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:07,200
working through calculations and
proofs before creating clean 

629
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:10,700
final copies, the library 
provides recycled Papyrus for 

630
00:32:10,700 --> 00:32:13,000
such purposes. 
Using sheets that are already 

631
00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:16,800
marked on one side, nothing goes
to waste if it can be reused. 

632
00:32:18,100 --> 00:32:20,300
One of the mathematicians looks 
up as you pass. 

633
00:32:21,100 --> 00:32:22,700
Do you understand the 
Pythagorean theorem? 

634
00:32:22,700 --> 00:32:25,800
He asks, suddenly The question 
catches you off-guard. 

635
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:29,800
The one about triangles the 
square of the hypotenuse equals 

636
00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:31,700
the sum of the squares of the 
other two sides. 

637
00:32:31,700 --> 00:32:33,100
That's it. 
Exactly. 

638
00:32:33,100 --> 00:32:35,200
Now can you explain why it 
works? 

639
00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:40,600
You think for a moment because, 
The relationships between the 

640
00:32:40,600 --> 00:32:44,300
sides follow mathematical rules,
but why do those rules exist? 

641
00:32:44,300 --> 00:32:47,000
What makes the universe 
mathematical rather than 

642
00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:49,100
chaotic? 
You have no answer for this. 

643
00:32:49,100 --> 00:32:52,400
And the mathematician nods, as 
if you're confusion, proves his 

644
00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:56,800
point precisely, we can describe
the patterns and we can use 

645
00:32:56,800 --> 00:32:59,500
them, but we can't. 
Truly explain why reality 

646
00:32:59,500 --> 00:33:01,100
operates. 
According to mathematical 

647
00:33:01,100 --> 00:33:03,800
principles. 
Plato mathematics was the 

648
00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:07,500
fundamental reality and physical
objects mere Shadows. 

649
00:33:08,400 --> 00:33:09,900
Aristotle. 
Believed the mathematics 

650
00:33:09,900 --> 00:33:12,300
described inherent properties of
physical things. 

651
00:33:12,300 --> 00:33:14,500
Neither fully answers the 
question. 

652
00:33:14,500 --> 00:33:17,300
His colleagues have stopped 
working to listen to this 

653
00:33:17,300 --> 00:33:20,700
impromptu lecture. 
One of them a woman with gray 

654
00:33:20,700 --> 00:33:22,300
streaks in her dark hair speaks 
up. 

655
00:33:22,300 --> 00:33:25,900
This is why we'll never finish 
this proof, we keep getting 

656
00:33:25,900 --> 00:33:28,000
distracted by philosophical 
implications. 

657
00:33:29,100 --> 00:33:32,100
Mathematics is philosophical the
first mathematician insists. 

658
00:33:32,100 --> 00:33:35,000
You can't separate the Practical
calculations from the 

659
00:33:35,008 --> 00:33:37,800
fundamental questions about why 
calculation works. 

660
00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:41,900
I can and I do the woman says 
dryly, that's why I finished my 

661
00:33:41,900 --> 00:33:44,000
proofs. 
You leave them to their debate 

662
00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:46,300
which sounds like it might 
continue most of the night 

663
00:33:46,300 --> 00:33:49,900
mathematicians and philosophers 
share a tendency toward lengthy 

664
00:33:49,900 --> 00:33:51,500
discussion about the nature of 
reality. 

665
00:33:51,500 --> 00:33:54,200
The difference is that 
mathematicians eventually 

666
00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:56,800
produce proofs while 
philosophers produce more 

667
00:33:56,800 --> 00:34:00,500
questions, The final area 
needing lamps is the catalog 

668
00:34:00,500 --> 00:34:02,500
room. 
Where two young, scribes work, 

669
00:34:02,500 --> 00:34:05,300
late, creating index entries for
newly acquired Scrolls. 

670
00:34:05,300 --> 00:34:08,699
They look up greatly as you fill
the lamps on their work tables. 

671
00:34:09,500 --> 00:34:12,600
Catalog is never truly finished 
constantly growing as the 

672
00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:15,600
collection expands and requiring
endless updates and cross 

673
00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:18,199
references. 
How many new entries today. 

674
00:34:18,199 --> 00:34:21,400
You are asked 47, one, scribe 
answers. 

675
00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:24,199
Rubbing his eyes tiredly and 
that's just the Greek 

676
00:34:24,199 --> 00:34:26,300
manuscripts that arrived last 
week from roads. 

677
00:34:26,300 --> 00:34:29,300
We still have the Persian 
medical texts to catalog and 

678
00:34:29,300 --> 00:34:31,400
apparently, a whole shipment of 
Roman agricultural. 

679
00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:33,400
Writings is due to arrive any 
day. 

680
00:34:34,300 --> 00:34:37,000
The Romans write about 
agriculture, you asked surprised

681
00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:39,699
extensively. 
Apparently, there are 

682
00:34:39,699 --> 00:34:42,400
Aristocrats considered farming, 
a noble, Pursuit and write 

683
00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:44,400
detailed treaters is about great
cultivation. 

684
00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:48,699
Olive pressing and proper field 
rotation, very practical stuff 

685
00:34:48,699 --> 00:34:50,600
compared to Greek philosophical 
agriculture. 

686
00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:53,699
You hadn't realized there was 
such a thing as philosophical 

687
00:34:53,699 --> 00:34:56,699
agriculture, but this is a 
library full of surprises. 

688
00:34:56,699 --> 00:34:59,300
Scholars. 
Write about everything and 

689
00:34:59,300 --> 00:35:01,400
somewhere in. 
These Halls are probably Scrolls

690
00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:04,400
devoted to the philosophy of 
shoemaking, the mathematics of 

691
00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:06,300
bread baking and the ethics of 
pottery. 

692
00:35:07,500 --> 00:35:09,200
With the lamps filled and 
burning steadily. 

693
00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:12,000
You returned to the staff room 
near the library's main 

694
00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:15,500
entrance, this small space 
serves as a gathering spot for 

695
00:35:15,500 --> 00:35:19,400
the library's workers, a place 
to rest between tasks and share 

696
00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:20,800
information about the days of 
events. 

697
00:35:21,600 --> 00:35:24,500
Several colleagues are already 
there eating evening meals and 

698
00:35:24,500 --> 00:35:28,000
talking about various incidents.
Did you hear about the scholar, 

699
00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:30,900
who tried to sneak Honey Cakes 
into the mathematics Hall, asks 

700
00:35:30,900 --> 00:35:32,900
Miriam one of the catalog 
Specialists. 

701
00:35:32,900 --> 00:35:36,100
He hid them inside a scroll case
but the case tipped over and 

702
00:35:36,100 --> 00:35:38,900
honey went everywhere. 
Three valuable scrolls are now 

703
00:35:38,908 --> 00:35:42,100
in conservation, getting D 
hunted, the same scholar who 

704
00:35:42,100 --> 00:35:45,100
spilled wine last month. 
Someone asks the very same 

705
00:35:45,100 --> 00:35:48,500
Demetrius has banned him from 
bringing any food or drink into 

706
00:35:48,500 --> 00:35:51,000
the manuscript Halls. 
He has to eat in the courtyard 

707
00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:53,800
like everyone else. 
You share your own story about 

708
00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:56,600
discovering the mysterious 
sticky spot on Euclid's text, 

709
00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:59,600
and everyone agrees that 
Scholars and food should be kept

710
00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:04,100
separated by strict protocols. 
The conversation drifts to other

711
00:36:04,100 --> 00:36:08,600
topics upcoming Acquisitions, 
staffing needs and a request 

712
00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:11,000
from the ptolemaic 
administration for a complete 

713
00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:15,600
inventory of all Hebrew texts. 
This last item prompts groans 

714
00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:18,700
since inventories, require 
examining, every scroll in a 

715
00:36:18,700 --> 00:36:21,600
collection and updating multiple
catalog records. 

716
00:36:22,700 --> 00:36:26,100
As true Darkness, settles over 
Alexandria, the library takes on

717
00:36:26,100 --> 00:36:29,500
yet another character. 
Most Scholars have left heading 

718
00:36:29,500 --> 00:36:32,900
to their homes or lodgings the 
Halls grow quieter though. 

719
00:36:32,900 --> 00:36:35,800
Not silent. 
A few dedicated readers remain 

720
00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:37,900
and the night staff. 
Begin their shifts. 

721
00:36:38,700 --> 00:36:41,300
You're not technically part of 
the night staff but you've 

722
00:36:41,300 --> 00:36:43,800
stayed late to finish organizing
the philosophical letters. 

723
00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:47,800
The work has proven more time 
consuming than expected partly 

724
00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:50,200
because you keep getting 
distracted by the letters 

725
00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:52,700
content. 
It's hard to remain efficiently 

726
00:36:52,700 --> 00:36:55,300
focused when epicurus is 
offering advice about friendship

727
00:36:55,300 --> 00:36:58,300
or a stoic is describing the 
proper way to respond to 

728
00:36:58,300 --> 00:37:01,300
insults. 
The Knight has its own sounds in

729
00:37:01,300 --> 00:37:03,800
the Library. 
Without the constant Shuffle of 

730
00:37:03,808 --> 00:37:06,800
footsteps and murmur of 
conversation, you become aware 

731
00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:10,800
of subtle and noises the soft 
settling of building materials. 

732
00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:14,200
As temperature changes, the 
scratch of Reed pens from 

733
00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:17,500
Scholars, still working the 
distance, sound of waves, from 

734
00:37:17,500 --> 00:37:20,500
the Harbour and the occasional 
bark of a dog somewhere in the 

735
00:37:20,500 --> 00:37:23,300
city streets. 
Your finalizing, the last 

736
00:37:23,300 --> 00:37:25,100
catalog tag. 
When you hear music drifting 

737
00:37:25,100 --> 00:37:28,700
from somewhere deeper in the 
building, Some one is playing a 

738
00:37:28,700 --> 00:37:31,100
liar, the notes, gentle and 
slightly melancholic. 

739
00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:34,500
Following the sound leads you to
one of the smaller reading rooms

740
00:37:34,500 --> 00:37:38,000
where a young scholar sits with 
an instrument on his lap fingers

741
00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:41,300
moving across the strings. 
He looks up startled, when you 

742
00:37:41,300 --> 00:37:44,400
appear in the doorway, I'm 
sorry, I didn't think anyone 

743
00:37:44,400 --> 00:37:46,900
would mind. 
The text I'm studying are on 

744
00:37:46,900 --> 00:37:49,800
musical Theory and I wanted to 
hear what the ancient modes 

745
00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:52,200
actually sound like. 
Fine. 

746
00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:53,900
You show him. 
The music is lovely. 

747
00:37:53,900 --> 00:37:56,700
Which mode are you playing? 
Dorian. 

748
00:37:56,700 --> 00:37:59,100
According to the Treatise 
though, honestly, I'm not 

749
00:37:59,100 --> 00:38:02,000
certain, I'm interpreting the 
notation correctly, ancient 

750
00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:04,000
Greek. 
Musical notation is ambiguous in

751
00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:06,900
places. 
He plays a short phrase then 

752
00:38:06,900 --> 00:38:10,200
stops and adjusts something, the
theorist, write about how 

753
00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:12,600
different modes, create 
different emotional effects. 

754
00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:15,000
But the explanations are often 
vague. 

755
00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:17,700
They say Dorian is dignified and
serious. 

756
00:38:17,700 --> 00:38:20,200
Phrygian is ecstatic and lydian 
is mournful. 

757
00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:23,100
But whether that's true or just 
cultural bias is hard to 

758
00:38:23,100 --> 00:38:25,700
determine. 
You listen, as the experiments 

759
00:38:25,700 --> 00:38:28,800
with different musical phrases 
translating ancient written 

760
00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:32,300
symbols into actual sounds. 
This is scholarship in its most 

761
00:38:32,300 --> 00:38:35,800
direct form, taking text from 
the past, and breathing, life, 

762
00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:38,300
back into the trying to 
experience, what? 

763
00:38:38,300 --> 00:38:41,800
Ancient people experience. 
Eventually he returns to his 

764
00:38:41,808 --> 00:38:45,100
reading and you can continue 
your rounds of the building in 

765
00:38:45,100 --> 00:38:48,000
the Egyptian history section. 
You discover that someone has 

766
00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:50,200
left to scroll partially 
unrolled on a table. 

767
00:38:51,100 --> 00:38:52,700
This is technically against the 
rules. 

768
00:38:52,700 --> 00:38:55,500
Since Scrolls should always be 
rolled up when not actively 

769
00:38:55,500 --> 00:38:59,100
being read, but you recognize 
the text and a count of the 

770
00:38:59,100 --> 00:39:01,600
reign of Ramesses. 
The second written in higher 

771
00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:05,100
attic script that you carefully,
roll the scroll and return it to

772
00:39:05,100 --> 00:39:08,300
its proper place. 
The Egyptian texts occupy their 

773
00:39:08,300 --> 00:39:11,100
own section organized by Dynasty
and subject. 

774
00:39:11,900 --> 00:39:15,400
These Scrolls represent an older
tradition of record-keeping one 

775
00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:18,400
that existed for thousands of 
years before Greeks arrived in 

776
00:39:18,400 --> 00:39:20,700
Egypt. 
Many of the texts have been 

777
00:39:20,700 --> 00:39:24,100
translated into Greek but the 
originals remain preserving 

778
00:39:24,100 --> 00:39:25,900
knowledge in the ancient 
language and script. 

779
00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:29,800
Standing in this section 
surrounded by texts in higher 

780
00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:33,400
and demotic Egyptian your 
reminded that the library serves

781
00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:36,500
as a meeting point between 
cultures, Greek Administration, 

782
00:39:36,500 --> 00:39:40,300
Egyptian Traditions, Persian 
scholarship, Jewish scriptures 

783
00:39:40,300 --> 00:39:44,400
Babylonian astronomy. 
An Indian medicine all coexist 

784
00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:48,400
in these Halls The ptolemies, 
who founded and funded the 

785
00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:50,900
library, wanted to collect 
Universal knowledge. 

786
00:39:50,900 --> 00:39:54,000
And while that goal remains 
impossibly, ambitious, the 

787
00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:55,700
attempt has created something 
remarkable. 

788
00:39:56,500 --> 00:39:59,300
You make your final rounds. 
Checking locks on the manuscript

789
00:39:59,300 --> 00:40:02,200
storage rooms and ensuring all 
fire lamps are probably tended 

790
00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:04,400
the night. 
Lamp keeper will take over soon.

791
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:07,200
The mysterious person who 
maintains the building's light 

792
00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:10,300
through the dark hours. 
You've asked other staff members

793
00:40:10,300 --> 00:40:13,200
of the night Keepers identity, 
but nobody seems to know for 

794
00:40:13,200 --> 00:40:15,900
certain it's become a pleasant 
mystery. 

795
00:40:15,900 --> 00:40:18,400
This invisible colleague, who 
ensures Scholars and staff. 

796
00:40:18,400 --> 00:40:22,000
Alike, never work in darkness. 
Your last stop before, leaving 

797
00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:24,500
is the central Atrium, where you
paused to. 

798
00:40:24,500 --> 00:40:27,200
Look at the main catalog 
inscription mounted on the wall.

799
00:40:27,900 --> 00:40:30,400
The inscription list, the 
library's founding principles 

800
00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:34,300
carved in stone during the reign
of the first, Ptolemy to collect

801
00:40:34,300 --> 00:40:36,000
the books of all the peoples of 
the world. 

802
00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:39,200
Below this subsequent rulers 
have added their own 

803
00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:43,300
contributions and expansions. 
The ambition seems almost absurd

804
00:40:43,300 --> 00:40:44,300
when you think about it 
carefully. 

805
00:40:44,300 --> 00:40:47,300
How could anyone, collect all 
books? 

806
00:40:47,300 --> 00:40:50,200
New works are being written 
every day across the 

807
00:40:50,200 --> 00:40:53,000
Mediterranean world and Beyond 
languages. 

808
00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:55,600
You've never heard of contain 
texts that will never reach 

809
00:40:55,600 --> 00:40:57,800
Alexandria. 
The goal is impossible. 

810
00:40:57,800 --> 00:41:00,600
Yet the attempt creates 
something valuable in itself. 

811
00:41:00,600 --> 00:41:05,000
This Gathering of knowledge, 
this effort to preserve and 

812
00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:09,000
organized human thought across 
cultures and centuries. 

813
00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:13,400
You step outside into the night,
air leaving the library's 

814
00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:16,900
protected World Behind the 
streets of Alexandria, still 

815
00:41:16,900 --> 00:41:19,900
busy, despite the our this city 
never fully sleeps. 

816
00:41:19,900 --> 00:41:23,300
Its position as a trading Hub, 
ensuring constant activity in 

817
00:41:23,300 --> 00:41:26,300
The Harbours and markets you can
see the lighthouse in the 

818
00:41:26,300 --> 00:41:28,600
distance. 
It's fire burning bright to 

819
00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:32,300
guide, ships safely to shore. 
Another example of Alexandria's 

820
00:41:32,300 --> 00:41:35,500
relationship with light and 
knowledge, Walking back to your 

821
00:41:35,500 --> 00:41:37,800
small room. 
You think about the day's work, 

822
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:42,400
you reshelled, Scrolls repaired 
damage, created catalog, entries

823
00:41:42,400 --> 00:41:46,400
helped Scholars, find texts 
supervised manuscript handling 

824
00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:50,300
and filled, oil lamps, nothing, 
dramatic, nothing that will be 

825
00:41:50,300 --> 00:41:54,300
recorded in history books. 
Yet this work matters every 

826
00:41:54,300 --> 00:41:56,300
scroll that's properly. 
Stored might survive, another 

827
00:41:56,300 --> 00:41:59,100
Century. 
Every catalog entry helps a 

828
00:41:59,100 --> 00:42:00,600
future scholar, find needed 
information. 

829
00:42:00,600 --> 00:42:04,000
Every lamp filled extends the 
hours of available for reading 

830
00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:06,600
and research. 
The library exists because 

831
00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:10,800
people perform these tasks daily
year after year generation after

832
00:42:10,800 --> 00:42:13,600
generation. 
The great collection everyone 

833
00:42:13,600 --> 00:42:15,700
admires is built on unglamorous 
work. 

834
00:42:15,700 --> 00:42:19,700
Careful organization, patient 
maintenance and constant 

835
00:42:19,700 --> 00:42:21,500
vigilance against damage and 
decay. 

836
00:42:22,300 --> 00:42:26,000
It's rather like the way ancient
Stones stay standing not through

837
00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:29,200
any single dramatic effort but 
through countless small acts of 

838
00:42:29,200 --> 00:42:32,400
preservation and care. 
You pass on Night Market where 

839
00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:35,900
vendors sell food and oil to 
late workers the smell of 

840
00:42:35,900 --> 00:42:37,900
cooking. 
Lentils and onions, makes you 

841
00:42:37,900 --> 00:42:40,800
realize your hungry, you 
purchase a small portion of 

842
00:42:40,800 --> 00:42:44,100
lentil stew and eat it. 
While walking the warm clay Bowl

843
00:42:44,100 --> 00:42:46,900
comfortable in your hands. 
The food, reminds you of the 

844
00:42:46,900 --> 00:42:49,900
honey cake Scandal Miriam 
mentioned earlier which leads to

845
00:42:49,900 --> 00:42:52,600
thinking about all the ways 
scholars in danger manuscripts 

846
00:42:52,600 --> 00:42:56,700
through careless, eating In your
imagination, you compose a 

847
00:42:56,700 --> 00:42:58,800
humorous. 
Treatise titled on the proper 

848
00:42:58,800 --> 00:43:01,700
distance between food and 
philosophy, which would detail. 

849
00:43:01,700 --> 00:43:05,300
The many ways honey, wine, olive
oil and other substances have 

850
00:43:05,300 --> 00:43:07,400
damaged important texts 
throughout history. 

851
00:43:08,500 --> 00:43:10,600
The treaties would be 
entertaining, but probably 

852
00:43:10,600 --> 00:43:13,800
wouldn't change Behavior. 
Scholars will always prioritize 

853
00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:16,300
their research over practical 
concerns like keeping their 

854
00:43:16,300 --> 00:43:19,700
hands clean. 
Back in your small room, you 

855
00:43:19,700 --> 00:43:23,300
like your bronze lamp and sit. 
For a moment before sleeping the

856
00:43:23,300 --> 00:43:25,300
day has been typical, which 
means it contained. 

857
00:43:25,300 --> 00:43:29,000
Dozens of small interesting 
moments mixed with routine tasks

858
00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:32,500
tomorrow will likely be similar 
Scrolls to shelves Scholars to 

859
00:43:32,500 --> 00:43:36,000
assist manuscript to inspect and
catalog entries to create. 

860
00:43:37,100 --> 00:43:39,900
You think about Demetrius as 
question from earlier, about 

861
00:43:39,900 --> 00:43:42,900
what future Generations might 
make of our ordinary records and

862
00:43:42,900 --> 00:43:45,600
letters? 
It seems impossible to imagine 

863
00:43:45,600 --> 00:43:48,900
this world Alexandria. 
The ptolemaic kingdom, the 

864
00:43:48,900 --> 00:43:51,000
library itself, changing 
dramatically. 

865
00:43:52,200 --> 00:43:53,800
Yet, you know, from the 
historical texts. 

866
00:43:53,800 --> 00:43:57,300
You've read that Empires, rise 
and fall cities, change and 

867
00:43:57,300 --> 00:43:58,900
knowledge is lost and found 
again. 

868
00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:02,400
The library's purpose is to 
fight against that loss. 

869
00:44:03,100 --> 00:44:06,000
To preserve knowledge through 
careful copying and systematic 

870
00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:09,100
organization, whether that 
effort will succeed in the 

871
00:44:09,100 --> 00:44:10,900
long-term. 
Nobody can know. 

872
00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:14,200
Perhaps some distance scholar 
will someday read these. 

873
00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:17,300
Very Scrolls wondering about the
people who created and 

874
00:44:17,300 --> 00:44:19,900
maintained them. 
Perhaps everything will be lost 

875
00:44:19,900 --> 00:44:23,200
destroyed by fire or war or 
simple neglect. 

876
00:44:23,800 --> 00:44:25,500
But that uncertainty doesn't 
diminish. 

877
00:44:25,500 --> 00:44:29,200
The value of the work, you 
preserve what you can organize 

878
00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:32,600
what exists and make knowledge 
accessible to those who seek it.

879
00:44:32,600 --> 00:44:34,900
That's enough purpose for a 
life. 

880
00:44:34,900 --> 00:44:38,900
Even if the outcomes remain 
uncertain, you extinguish your 

881
00:44:38,900 --> 00:44:42,400
lamp and lie down feeling the 
satisfying fatigue of a day, 

882
00:44:42,408 --> 00:44:45,900
spent in meaningful work. 
Tomorrow morning, you'll wake 

883
00:44:45,900 --> 00:44:49,900
Before Dawn and begin again. 
Scrolls to 10 Scholars, to help 

884
00:44:49,900 --> 00:44:54,400
knowledge, to preserve, the work
continues day after day, year 

885
00:44:54,400 --> 00:44:57,600
after year, connecting past to 
present and present to Future 

886
00:44:57,600 --> 00:45:00,100
through the simple Act of caring
for texts. 

887
00:45:01,100 --> 00:45:04,300
Outside your window, Alexandria 
continues, its busy night 

888
00:45:04,300 --> 00:45:07,500
somewhere in the library the 
night lamp keeper makes their 

889
00:45:07,500 --> 00:45:10,500
rounds ensuring light burns in 
the halls of knowledge. 

890
00:45:10,500 --> 00:45:13,700
The Scrolls rest in their pigeon
holes waiting for tomorrow's 

891
00:45:13,700 --> 00:45:16,100
readers and the great project 
continues. 

892
00:45:16,100 --> 00:45:19,100
The Impossible valuable attempt 
to gather and preserve the 

893
00:45:19,100 --> 00:45:23,000
wisdom of the world one scroll 
at a time, sleep comes easily. 

894
00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:26,200
When you've spent the day among 
books and ideas, your dreams, 

895
00:45:26,200 --> 00:45:30,000
when they come a filled with 
Papyrus and ink Scrolls on 

896
00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:32,800
rolling to reveal texts in 
languages, you can't quite read 

897
00:45:32,800 --> 00:45:36,400
but somehow understand, In the 
dream logic, that makes perfect 

898
00:45:36,400 --> 00:45:39,000
sense at night. 
Your cataloging, the Stars 

899
00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:42,300
themselves creating neat tags 
that explain the movements of 

900
00:45:42,308 --> 00:45:44,800
planets and the patterns of 
constellations. 

901
00:45:45,800 --> 00:45:49,200
But morning will come soon. 
Enough bringing real Scrolls and

902
00:45:49,200 --> 00:45:54,100
actual catalog entries. 
For now you rest one, small part

903
00:45:54,100 --> 00:45:56,400
of the Great Machinery that 
keeps knowledge alive and 

904
00:45:56,400 --> 00:46:00,300
accessible the library endures 
because people care for it and 

905
00:46:00,300 --> 00:46:03,100
caring for it provides purpose 
and meaning to those people in 

906
00:46:03,100 --> 00:46:05,700
turn. 
It's a fair exchange, you think,

907
00:46:05,700 --> 00:46:09,400
drifting into deeper sleep, your
careful attention for the 

908
00:46:09,400 --> 00:46:12,000
privilege of working among 
Humanity's collected wisdom 

909
00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:14,800
walking daily through Halls 
where the thoughts of 

910
00:46:14,800 --> 00:46:17,400
generations. 
Rest waiting to be discovered 

911
00:46:17,400 --> 00:46:26,100
again and again. 
You've been looking forward to 

912
00:46:26,100 --> 00:46:29,200
this Thanksgiving for weeks. 
Now, though, you'd never admit 

913
00:46:29,200 --> 00:46:32,200
it out loud. 
In Cedar Mills Massachusetts, 

914
00:46:32,200 --> 00:46:35,200
anticipation shows itself 
quietly. 

915
00:46:36,300 --> 00:46:39,600
In the extra polish, you give 
the good silver in the way. 

916
00:46:39,600 --> 00:46:42,700
You've checked your pantry three
times to make sure you have 

917
00:46:42,700 --> 00:46:47,900
enough butter and flour November
1942 carries a particular weight

918
00:46:47,900 --> 00:46:52,000
this year with so many boys 
overseas and the war making 

919
00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:54,600
itself felt in a thousand small 
lapses. 

920
00:46:55,700 --> 00:47:00,600
Thanksgiving remains stubborn 
and necessary, as always your 

921
00:47:00,600 --> 00:47:04,300
kitchen, smells like cinnamon 
and possibility, you've been up 

922
00:47:04,300 --> 00:47:07,700
since before Dawn, not because 
the turkey demands it that won't

923
00:47:07,700 --> 00:47:09,200
go in the oven until tomorrow 
morning. 

924
00:47:09,200 --> 00:47:13,800
But because sleep lately comes 
in fits and starts interrupted 

925
00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:16,800
by thoughts of your nephew 
somewhere in the Pacific and 

926
00:47:16,800 --> 00:47:18,400
your sister's boy training in 
England. 

927
00:47:19,200 --> 00:47:22,600
The radio brings news, you'd 
rather not hear most evenings so

928
00:47:22,600 --> 00:47:25,300
you've taken to turning it off 
after dinner and finding comfort

929
00:47:25,300 --> 00:47:29,200
in more tangible. 
Things pedo for instance, the 

930
00:47:29,200 --> 00:47:31,900
satisfaction of flour and 
shortening becoming something 

931
00:47:31,900 --> 00:47:33,600
entirely new under your 
fingertips. 

932
00:47:34,600 --> 00:47:38,100
Kitchen window, frame of Maple 
Street in its late, Autumn 

933
00:47:38,100 --> 00:47:40,800
dress? 
Most of the leaves of Fallen 

934
00:47:40,800 --> 00:47:44,300
leaving the neighborhood trees 
looking exposed and somehow 

935
00:47:44,300 --> 00:47:48,600
dignified in their bareness. 
Mrs. Kowalski across, the street

936
00:47:48,600 --> 00:47:51,600
has already hung her pine tree. 
She always jumps straight from 

937
00:47:51,600 --> 00:47:55,300
Halloween to Christmas, skipping
Thanksgiving entirely, and her 

938
00:47:55,300 --> 00:47:58,700
decorating enthusiasm. 
You've learned not to judge. 

939
00:47:58,700 --> 00:48:02,400
Everyone finds their own way 
through these uncertain times 

940
00:48:02,400 --> 00:48:05,500
your preparation spam three 
days, really? 

941
00:48:05,500 --> 00:48:09,100
The calling it preparation. 
Makes it sound more organized 

942
00:48:09,100 --> 00:48:11,800
than it actually feels. 
You've been collecting 

943
00:48:11,800 --> 00:48:15,500
ingredients slowly working 
within the ration books and 

944
00:48:15,500 --> 00:48:19,900
trading favors with neighbors. 
Mrs. Patterson down at number 47

945
00:48:19,900 --> 00:48:22,000
needed help with a victory 
garden cleanup. 

946
00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:25,200
So you spent a Saturday 
afternoon, pulling up the last 

947
00:48:25,200 --> 00:48:28,600
of her tomato plants and she 
repaid you with a precious pound

948
00:48:28,600 --> 00:48:31,900
of sugar, from her extra 
allocation, the Hendersons gave 

949
00:48:31,900 --> 00:48:34,500
you, their butter action for the
month in exchange for watching 

950
00:48:34,500 --> 00:48:37,700
their daughter while they 
visited his mother in Rhode 

951
00:48:37,700 --> 00:48:40,100
Island. 
This is how things work now. 

952
00:48:41,200 --> 00:48:45,000
Carefully economy of needs and 
offerings with nobody keeping 

953
00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:47,500
strict accounts because that 
would feel too much like the 

954
00:48:47,500 --> 00:48:50,100
transaction. 
It is the turkey came from 

955
00:48:50,100 --> 00:48:52,600
Johnson's farm. 6 miles outside 
town. 

956
00:48:52,600 --> 00:48:54,800
You took the bus out their last 
Tuesday. 

957
00:48:54,800 --> 00:48:58,400
Walking the final mile along a 
road where Frost made the grass 

958
00:48:58,400 --> 00:49:02,400
crunch pleasantly Under Foot. 
Johnson himself showed you three

959
00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:05,700
birds, letting you choose, 
treating the selection with the 

960
00:49:05,700 --> 00:49:09,800
seriousness it deserved. 
You picked the middle-sized one,

961
00:49:09,800 --> 00:49:14,400
not the largest that felt greedy
somehow and not the smallest, 

962
00:49:14,400 --> 00:49:17,100
which seemed too sad for a 
proper holiday. 

963
00:49:18,400 --> 00:49:21,700
Johnson wrapped in butcher 
paper, with twine, the way 

964
00:49:21,700 --> 00:49:24,700
things were wrapped before the 
war before everything became 

965
00:49:24,700 --> 00:49:28,800
scarce and careful tomorrow, 
you'll host, seven people, maybe

966
00:49:28,800 --> 00:49:30,200
eight. 
If your brother can get away 

967
00:49:30,200 --> 00:49:34,300
from the mill, The dining table,
which usually sits against the 

968
00:49:34,300 --> 00:49:36,500
wall looking decorative and 
slightly lonely. 

969
00:49:37,200 --> 00:49:39,200
Has already been pulled to the 
center of the room. 

970
00:49:40,200 --> 00:49:43,000
Polished it until the Walnut 
grain seems to glow from within.

971
00:49:43,900 --> 00:49:46,300
The Good China, your mother set 
the one. 

972
00:49:46,300 --> 00:49:50,300
She received as a wedding gift 
in 1911 waits in the hutch. 

973
00:49:51,000 --> 00:49:53,600
Each piece carefully examined 
for chips or cracks. 

974
00:49:54,300 --> 00:49:57,900
The gravy boat has a tiny floor 
near the handle practically 

975
00:49:57,900 --> 00:50:00,800
invisible that you've been aware
of for 20 years. 

976
00:50:01,900 --> 00:50:05,500
Sometimes you run your thumb 
over it while serving, a private

977
00:50:05,500 --> 00:50:09,400
technology of all the meals this
set as witnessed your neighbor's

978
00:50:09,400 --> 00:50:12,300
daughter Betty. 
Stop by this afternoon to show 

979
00:50:12,300 --> 00:50:15,700
you her first attempt at pumpkin
pie, She's 17. 

980
00:50:15,700 --> 00:50:19,000
Newly married to a boy who left 
for basic training, two days 

981
00:50:19,000 --> 00:50:21,700
after the ceremony, and she'd 
been crying in her kitchen. 

982
00:50:21,700 --> 00:50:24,300
When you found a staring at a 
collapsed, Pike crossed. 

983
00:50:24,300 --> 00:50:27,600
You didn't mention the tears, 
just rolled up your sleeves and 

984
00:50:27,600 --> 00:50:30,700
showed her, how to work the 
dough with a gentler hand, how 

985
00:50:30,700 --> 00:50:34,000
the secret to flaky crossed lies
in keeping everything cold and 

986
00:50:34,000 --> 00:50:37,900
not overthinking it. 
By the time she left, she had 

987
00:50:37,900 --> 00:50:41,400
two respectable pies and you had
the satisfaction of having been 

988
00:50:41,400 --> 00:50:45,100
useful in a small, but definite 
way, the light outside has gone 

989
00:50:45,100 --> 00:50:48,000
gold in the way it does. 
In late November, that 

990
00:50:48,000 --> 00:50:49,800
particular slant, that makes 
everything. 

991
00:50:49,800 --> 00:50:51,700
Look, both beautiful and 
temporary. 

992
00:50:52,500 --> 00:50:56,000
You've set the good linen. 
Napkins soaking in the sink with

993
00:50:56,000 --> 00:50:59,600
a handful of borax to brighten 
them, the white damask 

994
00:50:59,600 --> 00:51:02,800
tablecloth, which spends most of
its life folded in tissue paper.

995
00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:05,700
Hangs over the back of a chair 
waiting to be pressed. 

996
00:51:06,600 --> 00:51:09,600
Your iron Heats on the stove and
you've cleared the kitchen table

997
00:51:09,600 --> 00:51:12,500
to serve as a pressing board 
threading through all these 

998
00:51:12,500 --> 00:51:14,700
preparations runs an 
undercurrent of something. 

999
00:51:14,700 --> 00:51:19,400
You can't quite name. 
Gratitude, certainly your 

1000
00:51:19,400 --> 00:51:22,100
intensely aware of how lucky you
are to have a house with heat 

1001
00:51:22,100 --> 00:51:26,300
food to serve and people 
together. but there's all a kind

1002
00:51:26,300 --> 00:51:30,200
of defiance in it a 
determination to mark this day 

1003
00:51:30,200 --> 00:51:35,100
properly, despite everything 
Maybe because of everything. 

1004
00:51:35,100 --> 00:51:37,600
The world feels precarious 
enough. 

1005
00:51:37,600 --> 00:51:40,100
Without a abandoning. 
The rituals that make you feel 

1006
00:51:40,100 --> 00:51:42,100
human. 
You've been listening to the 

1007
00:51:42,100 --> 00:51:43,900
weather reports with half near 
all week. 

1008
00:51:44,700 --> 00:51:47,600
The four cost keeps mentioning a
storm system moving in from the 

1009
00:51:47,600 --> 00:51:50,300
north west, but weather 
predictions, always sound 

1010
00:51:50,300 --> 00:51:53,600
ominous. 
Significant snowfall possible. 

1011
00:51:53,600 --> 00:51:56,700
They said, on Tuesday, which 
could mean anything from a 

1012
00:51:56,700 --> 00:51:58,300
dusting to something more 
serious. 

1013
00:51:59,400 --> 00:52:01,800
You've lived in Massachusetts, 
long enough to know that 

1014
00:52:01,800 --> 00:52:03,600
November snow is nothing 
unusual. 

1015
00:52:03,600 --> 00:52:08,500
And besides you have a turkey to
roast and pies to bake, nature 

1016
00:52:08,500 --> 00:52:11,000
will do what she does. 
And you'll do what you do. 

1017
00:52:11,000 --> 00:52:13,100
Mrs, Chen from the grocery 
store. 

1018
00:52:13,100 --> 00:52:15,300
Cornered you yesterday 
afternoon, while you were buying

1019
00:52:15,300 --> 00:52:18,900
celery, and she spent 10 minutes
expressing her concerns about 

1020
00:52:18,900 --> 00:52:21,900
the weather. 
Mrs. Chen is the worrying type. 

1021
00:52:21,900 --> 00:52:25,200
She worries about late 
deliveries about her son in the 

1022
00:52:25,208 --> 00:52:28,800
Army about whether her husband 
remembers to wear his scarf. 

1023
00:52:28,800 --> 00:52:32,600
About everything really. 
So you nodded sympathetically, 

1024
00:52:32,600 --> 00:52:35,400
while trying to calculate 
whether you had enough onions at

1025
00:52:35,400 --> 00:52:39,100
home or needed to buy more. 
You bought more just to be safe,

1026
00:52:39,100 --> 00:52:42,100
running out of onions on 
Thanksgiving would be its own 

1027
00:52:42,100 --> 00:52:45,700
small tragedy, the house feels 
particularly cozy this evening 

1028
00:52:45,700 --> 00:52:48,500
with the kitchen warmed by your 
baking and the living room 

1029
00:52:48,500 --> 00:52:51,000
radiator, hissing, companion in 
the corner. 

1030
00:52:51,800 --> 00:52:56,400
You've already made two, pies 
apple and mincemeat and they 

1031
00:52:56,400 --> 00:52:59,900
cool on the counter beneath 
clean dish, towels filling the 

1032
00:52:59,900 --> 00:53:02,900
air with cinnamon and clove. 
Tomorrow, you'll make the 

1033
00:53:02,900 --> 00:53:05,600
pumpkin pie and the dinner rolls
timing everything. 

1034
00:53:05,600 --> 00:53:08,600
So the turkey can have the oven 
to itself during the critical 

1035
00:53:08,600 --> 00:53:11,100
hours. 
You've done this enough times 

1036
00:53:11,100 --> 00:53:14,200
that the logistics feel almost 
automatic though. 

1037
00:53:14,200 --> 00:53:16,400
You still wrote yourself a 
schedule on the back of an 

1038
00:53:16,400 --> 00:53:18,900
envelope. 
Just to be certain, your brother

1039
00:53:18,900 --> 00:53:22,800
plans to bring sweet potatoes 
from his victory garden and your

1040
00:53:22,800 --> 00:53:26,200
sister in law promised her 
famous cranberry sauce, which is

1041
00:53:26,200 --> 00:53:29,600
really just cranberry sauce like
everyone else's but tastes 

1042
00:53:29,600 --> 00:53:32,400
better because she serves it in 
her mother's cut glass bowl. 

1043
00:53:33,500 --> 00:53:36,600
These small distinctions matter.
There are the difference between

1044
00:53:36,600 --> 00:53:40,600
a meal and a celebration between
getting through the day and 

1045
00:53:40,600 --> 00:53:44,000
marking it as something worth 
remembering the evening settles 

1046
00:53:44,000 --> 00:53:46,200
in with the kind of Stillness 
that makes you notice. 

1047
00:53:46,200 --> 00:53:50,600
Small sounds clock ticking in 
the hallway, the house, creaking

1048
00:53:50,600 --> 00:53:54,200
as temperatures drop outside and
the distant whistle of the last 

1049
00:53:54,200 --> 00:53:57,600
train heading south You've laid 
out your church clothes for 

1050
00:53:57,608 --> 00:54:01,000
tomorrow morning service which 
starts at 9:00 Sharp. 

1051
00:54:01,800 --> 00:54:04,800
Reverend Matthews always keeps 
the Thanksgiving service brief 

1052
00:54:04,800 --> 00:54:08,800
and sincere understanding that 
everyone has turkeys to 10 and 

1053
00:54:08,800 --> 00:54:11,600
families to welcome. 
You check the pantry one more 

1054
00:54:11,600 --> 00:54:15,900
time running through your mental
list, flower check butter. 

1055
00:54:15,900 --> 00:54:20,600
Check eggs, check bread for 
stuffing slightly stale exactly 

1056
00:54:20,600 --> 00:54:22,900
as it should be. 
Everything is ready. 

1057
00:54:22,900 --> 00:54:25,900
Everything is prepared. 
You've done what you can do. 

1058
00:54:25,900 --> 00:54:30,500
The rest is timing and attention
and a bit of luck outside. 

1059
00:54:30,500 --> 00:54:33,100
The temperature is dropped, 
noticeably since this afternoon,

1060
00:54:33,100 --> 00:54:37,200
when you step onto the back 
porch to check the milk box, the

1061
00:54:37,200 --> 00:54:40,600
Milkman delivered late today, 
the cold hits, your face like 

1062
00:54:40,600 --> 00:54:45,100
something solid. 
Sky looks heavy, somehow clouds 

1063
00:54:45,100 --> 00:54:47,900
moving in, whether this morning,
there was clear Autumn blue. 

1064
00:54:48,700 --> 00:54:51,900
You can smell the change in the 
air that particular mineral 

1065
00:54:51,900 --> 00:54:55,900
scent that precedes snow. 
Maybe Mrs. Chen wasn't just 

1066
00:54:55,900 --> 00:54:59,700
being her usual, anxious self 
after all back inside, you lock 

1067
00:54:59,700 --> 00:55:02,300
the door and draw the blackout 
curtains a habit. 

1068
00:55:02,300 --> 00:55:05,800
So, ingrained now that you 
barely think about it. the war 

1069
00:55:05,800 --> 00:55:10,700
feels very far away and 
simultaneously very close a 

1070
00:55:10,700 --> 00:55:14,000
paradox, you've stopped trying 
to resolve you settle into your 

1071
00:55:14,008 --> 00:55:16,700
chair with a cup of tea in the 
newspaper, though. 

1072
00:55:16,700 --> 00:55:20,600
You've already read it twice. 
Across word is half finished. 

1073
00:55:21,300 --> 00:55:22,500
You'll save the rest for 
tomorrow. 

1074
00:55:22,500 --> 00:55:26,700
Something to occupy your hands 
while the turkey roasts, you 

1075
00:55:26,700 --> 00:55:30,000
wake up 5:30 on Thanksgiving 
morning which is early than you 

1076
00:55:30,000 --> 00:55:33,800
plan but not surprising. 
Your body has its own ideas 

1077
00:55:33,800 --> 00:55:36,500
about important days. 
The house is cold. 

1078
00:55:36,500 --> 00:55:40,000
The furnace always struggles on 
the coldest mornings. 

1079
00:55:40,000 --> 00:55:43,400
You wrap yourself in your robe 
and Shuffle to the window before

1080
00:55:43,400 --> 00:55:46,500
your brain is fully awake. 
What you see makes you stop 

1081
00:55:46,500 --> 00:55:49,400
completely one. 
Hand on the curtain breath, 

1082
00:55:49,400 --> 00:55:51,600
catching in your throat. 
Snow. 

1083
00:55:52,500 --> 00:55:55,700
Not the light dusting. 
You might have expected not a 

1084
00:55:55,700 --> 00:55:59,300
respectable inch or two but snow
that has transformed the entire 

1085
00:55:59,300 --> 00:56:02,400
visible world into something 
from a different season in 

1086
00:56:02,400 --> 00:56:05,200
entirely. 
Maple Street has disappeared 

1087
00:56:05,200 --> 00:56:08,800
under what looks like six inches
already and it still coming down

1088
00:56:08,800 --> 00:56:11,400
thick determined flakes, 
falling. 

1089
00:56:11,400 --> 00:56:14,900
So densely, you can barely see 
the Kowalski house across the 

1090
00:56:14,900 --> 00:56:16,900
way. 
Your first thought is the 

1091
00:56:16,900 --> 00:56:19,600
turkey. 
Your second thought is the 

1092
00:56:19,600 --> 00:56:22,400
turkey. 
Your third thought is how you'll

1093
00:56:22,400 --> 00:56:25,400
get seven people here through 
this mess and your fourth 

1094
00:56:25,408 --> 00:56:27,700
thought, circles. 
Back to the turkey again. 

1095
00:56:29,000 --> 00:56:32,700
You've been planning this meal 
for weeks, negotiating rations 

1096
00:56:32,700 --> 00:56:36,500
and trading favors and now 
nature is decided to throw its 

1097
00:56:36,500 --> 00:56:39,900
own plans, into the mix, the 
kitchen thermometer confirms 

1098
00:56:39,900 --> 00:56:43,900
what your body already knows 
it's 28 degrees and the Four 

1099
00:56:43,900 --> 00:56:47,300
cast to your refrigerator with a
magnet, suddenly seems laugh of 

1100
00:56:47,300 --> 00:56:49,300
Lee an adequate. 
Possible. 

1101
00:56:49,300 --> 00:56:52,600
Snow showers. 
It said, This isn't possible 

1102
00:56:52,600 --> 00:56:55,500
snow showers. 
This is a full winter storm. 

1103
00:56:55,500 --> 00:56:59,300
Making itself comfortable in 
late, November settling in like 

1104
00:56:59,300 --> 00:57:02,700
an Uninvited Guest who has no 
intention of leaving anytime 

1105
00:57:02,700 --> 00:57:04,800
soon. 
You turn on the radio while 

1106
00:57:04,800 --> 00:57:08,000
starting the coffee needing 
information more than you need 

1107
00:57:08,000 --> 00:57:10,000
the usual. 
Thanksgiving morning, music 

1108
00:57:10,000 --> 00:57:13,900
programming, The announcers 
voice sounds almost gleeful with

1109
00:57:13,900 --> 00:57:17,400
the drama of it all. 
An unexpected storm system 

1110
00:57:17,400 --> 00:57:20,500
installed over central, 
Massachusetts, bringing heavy 

1111
00:57:20,500 --> 00:57:25,500
snowfall throughout the region. 
Accumulations of 12 to 18 inches

1112
00:57:25,500 --> 00:57:29,700
are expected by this evening. 
Residents are advised to stay 

1113
00:57:29,708 --> 00:57:33,400
home if possible. 
Stay home as if you weren't 

1114
00:57:33,400 --> 00:57:36,700
already home, as if you hadn't 
spent three days preparing for a

1115
00:57:36,700 --> 00:57:38,100
meal. 
That now seems suddenly 

1116
00:57:38,100 --> 00:57:42,700
Complicated by weather, The 
turkey sits in the refrigerator 

1117
00:57:42,700 --> 00:57:46,600
stubbornly present an impossible
to ignore. 22 pounds of 

1118
00:57:46,608 --> 00:57:48,200
obligation that won't cook 
itself. 

1119
00:57:49,100 --> 00:57:52,100
Telephone rings at 6:15 
startling. 

1120
00:57:52,100 --> 00:57:54,500
You badly enough that you on the
counter. 

1121
00:57:54,500 --> 00:57:57,800
It's your sister voice tight, 
with frustration. 

1122
00:57:57,800 --> 00:58:01,400
Have you looked outside? 
Charlie says, the roads are 

1123
00:58:01,400 --> 00:58:04,300
impossible the mill closed. 
They never closed. 

1124
00:58:04,300 --> 00:58:07,600
I don't think we can make it. 
You tell her you understand, 

1125
00:58:07,600 --> 00:58:11,800
because you do and that you'll 
save them plates because you 

1126
00:58:11,800 --> 00:58:14,200
will. 
And that the important thing is,

1127
00:58:14,200 --> 00:58:17,300
everyone's safety. 
All of this is true. 

1128
00:58:17,300 --> 00:58:21,800
It's also true that you feel a 
sharp of disappointment that you

1129
00:58:21,800 --> 00:58:24,400
won't acknowledge even to 
yourself. 

1130
00:58:24,400 --> 00:58:28,100
Seven people are suddenly become
four, maybe three. 

1131
00:58:28,100 --> 00:58:30,700
If your brother can't get 
through either the snow keeps 

1132
00:58:30,700 --> 00:58:33,100
falling. 
You watch it while drinking your

1133
00:58:33,100 --> 00:58:36,100
coffee, mesmerized by the sheer 
quantity of it. 

1134
00:58:37,200 --> 00:58:40,200
The Street Lamp on the corner 
which usually turns off at dawn 

1135
00:58:40,200 --> 00:58:42,800
remains lit. 
Its glow. 

1136
00:58:42,800 --> 00:58:46,700
Creating a cone of swirling 
white that looks almost festive.

1137
00:58:47,500 --> 00:58:51,100
Mrs. Kowalski's Pine wreath, has
become a white circle on her red

1138
00:58:51,100 --> 00:58:53,200
door. 
The cars, parked along, the 

1139
00:58:53,208 --> 00:58:56,800
street are becoming shapeless 
humps their identity, slowly 

1140
00:58:56,800 --> 00:59:01,400
erased by accumulated snow your 
practical side reasserts itself.

1141
00:59:01,400 --> 00:59:04,600
You have a turkey. 
You have heat and electricity 

1142
00:59:04,600 --> 00:59:08,300
for now, at least you have 
ingredients and time and a 

1143
00:59:08,300 --> 00:59:11,400
perfectly good kitchen. 
The meal will happen even if 

1144
00:59:11,400 --> 00:59:14,800
it's smaller than you planned, 
you've adapted to worse things 

1145
00:59:14,800 --> 00:59:16,800
in the past two years and a 
changing guest. 

1146
00:59:16,800 --> 00:59:19,300
Count. 
The turkey goes into the oven at

1147
00:59:19,300 --> 00:59:22,000
7:00. 
Exactly a scheduled, you've 

1148
00:59:22,000 --> 00:59:25,500
stuffed it with bread and onions
and celery, and Sage the way 

1149
00:59:25,500 --> 00:59:29,700
your mother taught you the way 
her mother taught her The ritual

1150
00:59:29,700 --> 00:59:34,000
of preparation feels grounding 
your hands know what to do, even

1151
00:59:34,000 --> 00:59:37,600
when your mind is spinning. 
Through revised Logistics based 

1152
00:59:37,600 --> 00:59:42,500
every 30 minutes tent with foil.
If it Browns too quickly, check 

1153
00:59:42,500 --> 00:59:46,200
the internal temperature, these 
are certainties in an uncertain 

1154
00:59:46,200 --> 00:59:49,600
morning by 8:00 the snow shows. 
No signs of stopping. 

1155
00:59:49,600 --> 00:59:53,100
You're supposed to be at church 
in an hour, but that now seems 

1156
00:59:53,100 --> 00:59:56,000
like a plan from a different 
lifetime, the turkey, smells 

1157
00:59:56,000 --> 00:59:59,300
wonderful. 
At least that warm Savory, scent

1158
00:59:59,300 --> 01:00:01,800
of roasting meats. 
That means Thanksgiving, 

1159
01:00:01,800 --> 01:00:05,200
regardless of whether or 
circumstances you may make 

1160
01:00:05,200 --> 01:00:07,800
yourself another cup of coffee 
and start peeling potatoes. 

1161
01:00:07,800 --> 01:00:11,400
Because what else is there to do
the telephone rings again? 

1162
01:00:11,400 --> 01:00:16,400
At 8:30, your brother this time 
apologetic, but firm the roads 

1163
01:00:16,400 --> 01:00:19,400
are completely snowed in. 
We can't even get the car out of

1164
01:00:19,400 --> 01:00:20,900
the driveway. 
I'm sorry. 

1165
01:00:20,900 --> 01:00:24,100
Sis will make it up to you. 
You tell him, it's fine. 

1166
01:00:24,100 --> 01:00:28,600
It's absolutely fine. 
Don't worry about it at all. 

1167
01:00:29,500 --> 01:00:31,700
Your Voice Sounds convincing 
even to yourself. 

1168
01:00:32,600 --> 01:00:35,800
When you hang up, you stand 
looking at the dining table set 

1169
01:00:35,800 --> 01:00:39,800
for seven polished and perfect 
decorated with the nice China. 

1170
01:00:39,800 --> 01:00:43,500
And the good napkins and feel 
something shift inside you. 

1171
01:00:44,300 --> 01:00:45,800
Not quite disappointment 
anymore. 

1172
01:00:46,600 --> 01:00:50,200
Something closer to acceptance 
with a touch of bemused humor, 

1173
01:00:50,200 --> 01:00:53,500
you've prepared A Feast for an 
audience that can't arrive. 

1174
01:00:53,500 --> 01:00:56,100
You're putting on a performance 
for an empty theater. 

1175
01:00:56,100 --> 01:00:59,900
The storm intensifies around 
9:00, right when you should be 

1176
01:00:59,900 --> 01:01:02,000
sitting in a church pew, singing
hymns. 

1177
01:01:02,000 --> 01:01:06,200
Instead, you're basting the 
turkey and watching The Wind 

1178
01:01:06,200 --> 01:01:09,300
Drive, snow against the kitchen 
window in horizontal sheets. 

1179
01:01:10,300 --> 01:01:13,300
The whole world has narrowed to 
your house, your street, and 

1180
01:01:13,300 --> 01:01:16,600
this immediate and suddenly 
intimate space, everything 

1181
01:01:16,600 --> 01:01:20,200
beyond your front yard has 
become theoretical Betty notes 

1182
01:01:20,200 --> 01:01:23,600
on your back door, and 9:30 
appearing out of the white nose.

1183
01:01:23,600 --> 01:01:27,000
Like a snow dusted ghost. 
She's wearing her husband's 

1184
01:01:27,000 --> 01:01:31,000
oversized coat and boots and her
face is red with cold and 

1185
01:01:31,000 --> 01:01:35,200
exertion I walked over. 
She announces unnecessarily, 

1186
01:01:35,200 --> 01:01:37,600
couldn't stand being alone in 
that house on Thanksgiving 

1187
01:01:37,600 --> 01:01:39,500
watching the snow and thinking 
about Jim. 

1188
01:01:40,400 --> 01:01:43,600
A voice cracks slightly on her 
husband's name, he pulled her 

1189
01:01:43,600 --> 01:01:46,000
inside, help her out of the wet 
coat and sit down with hot 

1190
01:01:46,000 --> 01:01:48,200
coffee. 
And suddenly, your Thanksgiving 

1191
01:01:48,200 --> 01:01:52,600
has two guests, and stead of 0, 
which changes everything you 

1192
01:01:52,600 --> 01:01:55,700
have someone to cook for someone
to talk to and someone to share 

1193
01:01:55,700 --> 01:01:58,500
the strange intimacy of being 
snowed in on a holiday. 

1194
01:02:00,100 --> 01:02:03,700
The dining table set for 7. 
Now feels less sad and more 

1195
01:02:03,700 --> 01:02:07,400
hopeful as if those empty chairs
are just waiting for a different

1196
01:02:07,400 --> 01:02:11,000
year, the radio continues its 
coverage of the storm which is a

1197
01:02:11,008 --> 01:02:14,500
partly caught everyone. 
By surprise train service, 

1198
01:02:14,500 --> 01:02:18,500
suspended roads, impossible 
throughout the county, emergency

1199
01:02:18,500 --> 01:02:21,600
crews are struggling to keep up.
You listen, while putting the 

1200
01:02:21,600 --> 01:02:25,100
sweet potatoes into roast, your 
brother's sweet potatoes, that 

1201
01:02:25,100 --> 01:02:27,500
he grew in his victory garden 
and brought over yesterday 

1202
01:02:27,500 --> 01:02:30,300
before the world turned white 
and impossible. 

1203
01:02:31,100 --> 01:02:33,100
At least they'll get eaten 
Betty. 

1204
01:02:33,100 --> 01:02:34,400
Helps you make the cranberry 
sauce. 

1205
01:02:34,400 --> 01:02:37,000
Following the recipe, her 
mother-in-law Center in a 

1206
01:02:37,000 --> 01:02:40,200
letter. 
Cranberries sugar, orange zest, 

1207
01:02:40,200 --> 01:02:43,900
and a splash of water. 
You work side by side in 

1208
01:02:43,900 --> 01:02:47,500
comfortable near silents. 
The kind of quiet that comes 

1209
01:02:47,500 --> 01:02:50,700
from shared purpose rather than 
lack of things to say. 

1210
01:02:51,700 --> 01:02:55,500
The Cranberries pop and softener
transforming from hard. 

1211
01:02:55,500 --> 01:02:57,800
Bitter. 
Berries into something Ruby, 

1212
01:02:57,800 --> 01:02:59,200
colored and Tarts. 
Sweet. 

1213
01:03:00,100 --> 01:03:02,500
Small magic. 
The kind that happens in 

1214
01:03:02,500 --> 01:03:05,400
kitchens Everywhere. 
By ten o'clock, the snow is 

1215
01:03:05,400 --> 01:03:09,300
accumulated what the estimated 
at least 10 inches with no signs

1216
01:03:09,300 --> 01:03:12,500
of stopping the world. 
Beyond your windows has become a

1217
01:03:12,508 --> 01:03:17,900
moving curtain of white hypnotic
in its relentlessness You've 

1218
01:03:17,900 --> 01:03:20,700
stopped checking the forecast 
because clearly the forecast is 

1219
01:03:20,700 --> 01:03:23,800
useless. 
Nature is writing our own story 

1220
01:03:23,800 --> 01:03:25,700
today and you're all just living
in it. 

1221
01:03:25,700 --> 01:03:31,000
The turkey emerges from the oven
at noon, golden and perfect its 

1222
01:03:31,000 --> 01:03:34,400
skin crackling with the kind of 
deeply satisfying, brownness, 

1223
01:03:34,400 --> 01:03:36,300
that only comes from careful 
attention. 

1224
01:03:37,100 --> 01:03:39,100
You've tinted it under foil to 
rest. 

1225
01:03:39,100 --> 01:03:43,500
The way proper turkey, protocol 
demands and the kitchen smells 

1226
01:03:43,500 --> 01:03:46,900
so intensely of Thanksgiving 
that it almost aches. 

1227
01:03:47,600 --> 01:03:51,700
All this food for two people, it
would be absurd if it were all. 

1228
01:03:51,700 --> 01:03:55,600
So somehow, exactly, right Betty
sets the table, while you make 

1229
01:03:55,600 --> 01:03:57,900
the gravy. 
Both of you, moving around the 

1230
01:03:57,900 --> 01:04:00,400
kitchen in a dance, you've 
improvised on the spot, but 

1231
01:04:00,400 --> 01:04:04,800
feels almost choreographed. 
He tells you about Jim about how

1232
01:04:04,800 --> 01:04:07,800
they met her to church social, 
and about their three-day 

1233
01:04:07,800 --> 01:04:09,700
honeymoon at Cape, Cod before he
left. 

1234
01:04:10,600 --> 01:04:13,300
You tell her about your nephew 
about the letters that are 

1235
01:04:13,300 --> 01:04:16,800
regularly and about how you've 
stopped watching the news reels 

1236
01:04:16,800 --> 01:04:19,100
at the cinema because they make 
your chest feel tight. 

1237
01:04:19,100 --> 01:04:23,000
This isn't the Thanksgiving you 
planned but it's becoming the 

1238
01:04:23,000 --> 01:04:25,700
Thanksgiving, your having, 
there's something freeing in 

1239
01:04:25,700 --> 01:04:28,200
that distinction. 
The mashed potatoes, turn out, 

1240
01:04:28,208 --> 01:04:31,300
perfectly creamy and buttery, 
despite the rational 

1241
01:04:31,300 --> 01:04:33,900
restrictions, because you've 
learned to make a little butter 

1242
01:04:33,900 --> 01:04:35,200
to go along way. 
With the help of hot. 

1243
01:04:35,200 --> 01:04:38,800
Milk complaint of beating the 
sweet potatoes emerge from the 

1244
01:04:38,808 --> 01:04:43,300
oven caramelized and sweet. 
The roles which you made from 

1245
01:04:43,308 --> 01:04:46,300
dough, you started yesterday, 
rise beautifully. 

1246
01:04:46,300 --> 01:04:50,100
Their tops turning the exact 
shade of golden brown that makes

1247
01:04:50,100 --> 01:04:53,900
bread look like a promise. 
You carry dish after dish to the

1248
01:04:53,908 --> 01:04:57,900
dining table which seems less 
empty, despite all the vacant 

1249
01:04:57,900 --> 01:05:00,900
chairs. 
You've decided to leave it set 

1250
01:05:00,900 --> 01:05:04,300
for seven, a kind of hopeful 
acknowledgment, of the people 

1251
01:05:04,300 --> 01:05:08,400
who would be here if they could.
Their absence feels less like 

1252
01:05:08,400 --> 01:05:12,700
loss and more like postponement.
A celebration delayed, but not 

1253
01:05:12,700 --> 01:05:15,400
canceled. 
The cranberry sauce gleams in 

1254
01:05:15,408 --> 01:05:18,000
its bowl. 
The stuffing steams when you 

1255
01:05:18,000 --> 01:05:21,700
spoon it into its serving dish. 
the turkey takes the place of 

1256
01:05:21,700 --> 01:05:24,700
honor at the head of the table 
and for a moment, you both just 

1257
01:05:24,700 --> 01:05:29,000
stand there, looking at it all 
Thanksgiving feast prepared, 

1258
01:05:29,000 --> 01:05:32,900
with care and serve to an 
audience of two in a town that 

1259
01:05:32,900 --> 01:05:35,700
has been frozen in place by an 
unexpected storm. 

1260
01:05:36,500 --> 01:05:39,000
It's ridiculous and beautiful. 
At the same time. 

1261
01:05:39,000 --> 01:05:43,600
You say a brief grace before 
eating thanking, God for food 

1262
01:05:43,600 --> 01:05:47,500
and shelter and safety for 
Betty's company and for all the 

1263
01:05:47,500 --> 01:05:49,500
people who aren't here but a 
thought of any way. 

1264
01:05:50,400 --> 01:05:53,400
Bets are own quiet. 
Thanks for Jim, safety wherever 

1265
01:05:53,400 --> 01:05:57,100
he is and you notice she touches
the simple wedding band on her 

1266
01:05:57,100 --> 01:06:00,100
finger as she says it the meal 
itself is delicious. 

1267
01:06:00,100 --> 01:06:02,100
Which feels like a small 
Triumph. 

1268
01:06:03,000 --> 01:06:04,500
The turkey is moist and 
flavorful. 

1269
01:06:04,500 --> 01:06:06,800
The gravy has just the right 
consistency. 

1270
01:06:06,800 --> 01:06:09,700
And the roles are exactly as 
bread should be. 

1271
01:06:10,500 --> 01:06:14,400
You eat slowly savoring not just
the food but the strangeness of 

1272
01:06:14,400 --> 01:06:18,900
the whole situation outside the 
storm continues its patient. 

1273
01:06:18,900 --> 01:06:23,300
Work of burying the world inside
you have warmth and plenty and 

1274
01:06:23,300 --> 01:06:28,300
unexpected companionship Betty 
laughs suddenly a real laugh. 

1275
01:06:28,300 --> 01:06:31,400
Not the polite kind when she 
tries to take another role and 

1276
01:06:31,400 --> 01:06:35,200
realizes she's already too full 
I'll be eating turkey sandwiches

1277
01:06:35,200 --> 01:06:37,500
for a week she says, and you 
laughed too? 

1278
01:06:37,500 --> 01:06:41,300
Because you're thinking the same
thing, a 22 pound turkey for 

1279
01:06:41,300 --> 01:06:42,800
two. 
People might be the definition 

1280
01:06:42,800 --> 01:06:46,100
of optimism, you're clearing the
desert plates When someone 

1281
01:06:46,100 --> 01:06:50,000
knocks on the front door. 
Solid determined notes that make

1282
01:06:50,000 --> 01:06:51,700
you both. 
Look at each other in Surprise. 

1283
01:06:51,700 --> 01:06:53,600
Who would be out in this 
weather? 

1284
01:06:54,300 --> 01:06:57,200
You open the door to find Mr. 
Patterson, from down the street 

1285
01:06:57,200 --> 01:07:00,800
snow-covered and slightly 
sheepish holding a shovel. 

1286
01:07:00,800 --> 01:07:04,000
Saw your light on. 
He says, breathe making clouds 

1287
01:07:04,000 --> 01:07:07,108
in the cold air, been making 
sure the elderly folks on the 

1288
01:07:07,116 --> 01:07:10,000
street. 
All right Mrs. Chen's furnace 

1289
01:07:10,000 --> 01:07:12,700
went out. 
We got it working again but she 

1290
01:07:12,700 --> 01:07:15,800
is nervous about staying alone. 
She mentioned you might have 

1291
01:07:15,800 --> 01:07:20,300
extra food and just like that 
your Thanksgiving expands again.

1292
01:07:21,400 --> 01:07:25,700
Mrs. Chen arrives, 20 minutes 
later escorted by Mr. Patterson 

1293
01:07:25,700 --> 01:07:27,900
through snow, that's now easily 
a foot deep. 

1294
01:07:28,700 --> 01:07:31,800
She brings her appetite and her 
gratitude and her tendency to 

1295
01:07:31,800 --> 01:07:33,900
worry. 
Which suddenly seems more 

1296
01:07:33,900 --> 01:07:36,900
endearing than annoying. 
You set another place at the 

1297
01:07:36,900 --> 01:07:39,400
table. 
Heat up more food and watch. 

1298
01:07:39,400 --> 01:07:42,500
Mrs. Chen's face, transformed. 
When she sees the spread you've 

1299
01:07:42,500 --> 01:07:45,500
laid out the afternoon unfolds 
in a way, you never could have 

1300
01:07:45,508 --> 01:07:48,500
planned. 
Mr. Patterson returned with old,

1301
01:07:48,500 --> 01:07:50,400
Mr. Johnson from two houses 
over. 

1302
01:07:50,400 --> 01:07:53,200
He's been widowed since April 
and was planning, to spend the 

1303
01:07:53,200 --> 01:07:56,400
day alone. 
And the Hendersons appear having

1304
01:07:56,400 --> 01:07:58,600
walked over from their place 
because their daughter was 

1305
01:07:58,600 --> 01:08:00,900
asking about you and they 
figured they might as well check

1306
01:08:00,900 --> 01:08:04,500
if you needed anything. 
Which arrival brings more snow 

1307
01:08:04,500 --> 01:08:08,100
inside, more voices, more 
laughter and more life into your

1308
01:08:08,100 --> 01:08:10,600
warm house, while the storm does
its work outside. 

1309
01:08:10,600 --> 01:08:14,400
Your carefully, planned for 
seven becomes an impromptu 

1310
01:08:14,400 --> 01:08:19,800
gathering for eight, then nine, 
then 10, The turkey, which 

1311
01:08:19,800 --> 01:08:23,100
seemed absurdly larger at noon, 
begins to make sense. 

1312
01:08:23,100 --> 01:08:27,399
You heat up more roles. 
Make more gravy and slice, more 

1313
01:08:27,399 --> 01:08:30,300
pies. 
Your kitchen become a warm Hub 

1314
01:08:30,300 --> 01:08:32,800
of activity. 
People move in through it to 

1315
01:08:32,800 --> 01:08:36,399
hell, to make coffee, or just to
stand near the heat of the stove

1316
01:08:36,399 --> 01:08:39,500
and watch the snowfall. 
The dining room fills with 

1317
01:08:39,500 --> 01:08:41,899
conversations, that overlap and 
into weave. 

1318
01:08:41,899 --> 01:08:46,200
Mr. Johnson tells stories about 
thanksgiving's passed back when 

1319
01:08:46,200 --> 01:08:50,399
his wife was alive, and his 
children were small, Mrs. Chen 

1320
01:08:50,399 --> 01:08:53,600
describes traditional Chinese, 
New Year, feasts making 

1321
01:08:53,600 --> 01:08:56,100
connections between your 
holidays that you'd never 

1322
01:08:56,100 --> 01:08:59,899
considered before. 
The Henderson girl, whose seven 

1323
01:08:59,899 --> 01:09:03,800
and deeply impressed by the snow
makes everyone laugh by asking. 

1324
01:09:03,800 --> 01:09:05,100
If the storm means it's 
Christmas. 

1325
01:09:05,100 --> 01:09:09,399
Now Betty gravitates towards 
Chen, and you watch them talk 

1326
01:09:09,399 --> 01:09:12,600
quietly in the corner. 
Two women missing husbands 

1327
01:09:12,600 --> 01:09:17,300
finding comfort in shared 
experience, Mr. Patterson helps.

1328
01:09:17,300 --> 01:09:20,700
You slice more turkey his 
movements practiced from years 

1329
01:09:20,700 --> 01:09:22,700
of carving his own holiday 
Birds. 

1330
01:09:23,399 --> 01:09:26,200
The Hendersons manage the small 
miracle of keeping their 

1331
01:09:26,200 --> 01:09:28,800
energetic daughter. 
Entertained, in your living room

1332
01:09:28,800 --> 01:09:31,700
building elaborate structures 
with the throw pillows. 

1333
01:09:31,700 --> 01:09:36,000
This isn't the Thanksgiving. 
You plan its Messier more 

1334
01:09:36,000 --> 01:09:38,399
chaotic and completely 
unexpected. 

1335
01:09:38,399 --> 01:09:41,100
It's also more alive than 
anything. 

1336
01:09:41,100 --> 01:09:44,200
You could have organized your 
house which you keep. 

1337
01:09:44,200 --> 01:09:48,000
So carefully, meet most of the 
time has become filled with the 

1338
01:09:48,000 --> 01:09:50,800
comfortable disorder of actual 
life happening. 

1339
01:09:51,600 --> 01:09:54,800
Coats piled on the bed. 
Boots dripping by the door and 

1340
01:09:54,800 --> 01:09:58,300
voices and laughter. 
Spilling from room to room he 

1341
01:09:58,300 --> 01:09:59,200
catch yourself. 
Smiling. 

1342
01:09:59,200 --> 01:10:03,600
Really smiling or watching Mr. 
Johnson teach the Henderson girl

1343
01:10:03,600 --> 01:10:07,100
from old song about a pumpkin. 
The war hasn't gone anywhere. 

1344
01:10:07,900 --> 01:10:11,500
Your nephew is still overseas, 
everything that worried you this

1345
01:10:11,500 --> 01:10:12,700
morning is still worth worrying 
about. 

1346
01:10:12,700 --> 01:10:16,900
But right now in this moment in 
the house full of neighbors who 

1347
01:10:16,900 --> 01:10:20,200
became friends, who became 
something like family you feel 

1348
01:10:20,200 --> 01:10:24,600
genuinely happy The snow 
continues to fall steady and 

1349
01:10:24,600 --> 01:10:28,300
implacable adding inch after 
inch to the accumulation 

1350
01:10:28,300 --> 01:10:32,000
outside. 
But inside your warm and fed and

1351
01:10:32,000 --> 01:10:35,400
surrounded by people who chose 
to be here, despite or perhaps, 

1352
01:10:35,400 --> 01:10:37,400
because of the impossibility of 
the weather. 

1353
01:10:38,300 --> 01:10:41,800
You serve pies with coffee and 
everyone insist their two full. 

1354
01:10:41,800 --> 01:10:45,800
But somehow manages to eat a 
slice anyway, The apple pie in 

1355
01:10:45,800 --> 01:10:49,300
particular, disappears, quickly 
helped Along by Mr. Patterson's 

1356
01:10:49,300 --> 01:10:53,100
enthusiasm, for your crossed 
recipe, by mid-afternoon the 

1357
01:10:53,100 --> 01:10:55,800
snow is achieved a kind of hip 
noticed monotony. 

1358
01:10:56,500 --> 01:11:00,700
It simply keeps coming steady 
and patient, like it has all the

1359
01:11:00,700 --> 01:11:04,100
time in the world and no 
interest in being anywhere else.

1360
01:11:05,500 --> 01:11:08,400
The accumulation outside your 
window has reached levels. 

1361
01:11:08,400 --> 01:11:13,300
You've rarely seen 15. 
Maybe 16 inches with drifts 

1362
01:11:13,300 --> 01:11:16,500
significantly deeper where the 
wind has pushed it against 

1363
01:11:16,500 --> 01:11:20,100
buildings and cars. 
Cedar Mills has become a snow 

1364
01:11:20,100 --> 01:11:24,200
globe, shaken, and sat down to 
settle in its own time. 

1365
01:11:24,900 --> 01:11:28,900
Peculiar thing about heavy snow 
is how it changes sound the 

1366
01:11:28,900 --> 01:11:32,000
world becomes muffled. 
Distant as if someone has 

1367
01:11:32,000 --> 01:11:34,200
wrapped the entire town in 
Cotton wool. 

1368
01:11:34,200 --> 01:11:37,500
You notice it, when you step 
onto the back porch to check the

1369
01:11:37,500 --> 01:11:42,000
thermometer 24 degrees and 
holding steady, But the usual 

1370
01:11:42,000 --> 01:11:46,500
sounds of the neighborhood of 
vanished, no cars, no distant 

1371
01:11:46,500 --> 01:11:49,400
train whistles. 
Even the birds have gone quiet. 

1372
01:11:49,400 --> 01:11:53,900
Presumably tucked in to whatever
shelter, they could find just 

1373
01:11:53,900 --> 01:11:58,500
the soft Whisper of falling snow
and your own breathing Mrs. Chen

1374
01:11:58,500 --> 01:12:01,500
has taken over your kitchen 
radio, tuning it to different 

1375
01:12:01,500 --> 01:12:03,300
stations, trying to find 
updates. 

1376
01:12:04,200 --> 01:12:07,500
What she finds is mostly the 
same information repeated with 

1377
01:12:07,500 --> 01:12:11,300
slight variations. 
The storm is unprecedented for 

1378
01:12:11,300 --> 01:12:15,000
this time of year, emergency 
services are struggling and 

1379
01:12:15,000 --> 01:12:18,800
everyone should stay inside. 
One announced a mentioned with 

1380
01:12:18,800 --> 01:12:22,100
audible excitement that this 
might be the heaviest November 

1381
01:12:22,100 --> 01:12:26,900
snowfall since 1898. 
Mrs. Chen looks at you with 

1382
01:12:26,900 --> 01:12:30,600
raised eyebrows as if the 
historical significant makes the

1383
01:12:30,600 --> 01:12:34,100
current situation somehow 
better, the Gathering in your 

1384
01:12:34,100 --> 01:12:37,200
living room is settled into a 
comfortable Rhythm people of 

1385
01:12:37,200 --> 01:12:40,500
stopped apologizing for being 
here and stopped asking if their

1386
01:12:40,500 --> 01:12:45,800
imposing Mr. Johnson has fallen 
asleep in your armchair, his 

1387
01:12:45,800 --> 01:12:49,500
hands folded over his stomach. 
Looking peaceful in a way that 

1388
01:12:49,500 --> 01:12:51,400
makes your heart. 
Squeeze slightly. 

1389
01:12:52,400 --> 01:12:54,300
The Henderson girl is teaching 
Betty. 

1390
01:12:54,300 --> 01:12:58,000
A complicated hand clapping 
game, both of them laughing when

1391
01:12:58,000 --> 01:13:01,500
they mess up the pattern. 
Mr. Henderson has found your 

1392
01:13:01,500 --> 01:13:03,500
husband's old pipe. 
You forgot. 

1393
01:13:03,500 --> 01:13:06,200
You even kept it and sits 
holding it. 

1394
01:13:06,200 --> 01:13:09,400
Unlit just for the comfort of 
the familiar shape. 

1395
01:13:09,400 --> 01:13:12,300
You've been thinking about your 
husband more today than you have

1396
01:13:12,300 --> 01:13:15,700
in months. 
He died in the spring of 41, 

1397
01:13:15,700 --> 01:13:20,200
just before everything changed 
before the war, made its way to 

1398
01:13:20,200 --> 01:13:23,100
your doorstep in the form of 
rational books and air raid 

1399
01:13:23,100 --> 01:13:26,200
drills. 
He would have liked this the 

1400
01:13:26,200 --> 01:13:29,800
unexpected company, the gentle 
chaos, the way your organized 

1401
01:13:29,800 --> 01:13:32,900
Thanksgiving transformed into 
something Messier and more real.

1402
01:13:33,800 --> 01:13:36,500
He always said you were too 
rigid in your planing that the 

1403
01:13:36,500 --> 01:13:40,000
best moments come from Exodus. 
You're beginning to think he 

1404
01:13:40,000 --> 01:13:42,800
might have been right. 
The light outside is starting to

1405
01:13:42,800 --> 01:13:46,100
change that in perceptible shift
from off of afternoon to early 

1406
01:13:46,100 --> 01:13:49,900
evening. 
The snow is slowed slightly not 

1407
01:13:49,900 --> 01:13:53,100
stopping, but easing from his 
earlier Relentless pace. 

1408
01:13:54,200 --> 01:13:56,200
You can actually see individual 
flakes. 

1409
01:13:56,200 --> 01:13:59,300
Now in stead of just an 
undifferentiated curtain of 

1410
01:13:59,308 --> 01:14:01,900
white. 
The Street Lamp on the corner is

1411
01:14:01,900 --> 01:14:06,100
switched on creating that same 
cone of illuminated snowfall 

1412
01:14:06,100 --> 01:14:09,300
that you watch this morning. 
It feels like you've lived an 

1413
01:14:09,300 --> 01:14:12,400
entire week in one day. 
Betty finds you in the kitchen 

1414
01:14:12,400 --> 01:14:15,700
where you've escaped under the 
pretense of making more coffee. 

1415
01:14:16,600 --> 01:14:21,400
Thank you, she says, quietly for
today, for letting me come over 

1416
01:14:21,400 --> 01:14:25,900
for all of this. 
She gestures vaguely at the 

1417
01:14:25,900 --> 01:14:29,900
house, the Gathering and the 
whole improbable situation. 

1418
01:14:29,900 --> 01:14:34,900
You tell she's welcome because 
she is but she saved your 

1419
01:14:34,900 --> 01:14:37,100
Thanksgiving as much as you 
saved hers. 

1420
01:14:38,100 --> 01:14:40,800
Being alone in that perfectly 
prepared, dining room would have

1421
01:14:40,800 --> 01:14:43,600
been its own small tragedy. 
Having her here. 

1422
01:14:43,600 --> 01:14:46,600
Made everything else possible. 
The Henderson girl appears in 

1423
01:14:46,600 --> 01:14:49,800
the doorway Her face serious 
with the kind of profound 

1424
01:14:49,800 --> 01:14:51,900
question. 
Only seven year olds ask. 

1425
01:14:52,800 --> 01:14:55,900
Will the snow ever? 
Stop, she wants to know you tell

1426
01:14:55,900 --> 01:14:59,500
her yes, of course, it will 
probably by tomorrow morning. 

1427
01:15:00,300 --> 01:15:01,700
But privately, you're not 
entirely. 

1428
01:15:01,700 --> 01:15:04,000
Sure. 
This storm has its own logic, 

1429
01:15:04,000 --> 01:15:07,000
its own timeline. 
It'll stop when it's ready and 

1430
01:15:07,000 --> 01:15:10,400
not a moment before. 
Mr. Patterson, has organized, an

1431
01:15:10,400 --> 01:15:13,200
expedition to check on a few 
more neighbors, specifically, 

1432
01:15:13,200 --> 01:15:16,400
the Wolf, skis and old Mrs. 
Barnes who lives alone at the 

1433
01:15:16,408 --> 01:15:19,300
End of the Street. 
You loan him extra scarves and 

1434
01:15:19,300 --> 01:15:22,300
mittens and watching bundle up. 
Like he's heading to the Arctic 

1435
01:15:22,300 --> 01:15:23,900
and stead of just three houses 
down. 

1436
01:15:24,600 --> 01:15:28,200
He returns 30 minutes later 
reporting that everyone is fine.

1437
01:15:28,200 --> 01:15:31,300
Well stocked and mostly amused 
by the whole situation. 

1438
01:15:33,000 --> 01:15:35,200
Mrs. Barnes sent back a loaf of 
bread. 

1439
01:15:35,200 --> 01:15:38,500
She'd baked this morning before 
the snow got serious and it 

1440
01:15:38,508 --> 01:15:41,600
still slightly warm. 
You slice the bread and serve it

1441
01:15:41,600 --> 01:15:45,000
with butter, real butter from 
your Thanksgiving Supply and 

1442
01:15:45,000 --> 01:15:48,300
watch it disappear in minutes. 
People who claim to be 

1443
01:15:48,300 --> 01:15:52,100
completely full somehow find 
room for warm bread with butter.

1444
01:15:52,100 --> 01:15:55,900
It's one of life's small 
Mysteries right up there with 

1445
01:15:55,900 --> 01:15:58,700
how you always find room for 
dessert, no matter how stuffed 

1446
01:15:58,700 --> 01:16:01,600
you are from dinner, the radio 
and announces that the storm is 

1447
01:16:01,600 --> 01:16:04,600
expected to continue through the
evening, but should take her off

1448
01:16:04,608 --> 01:16:08,000
overnight. 
The official accumulation total 

1449
01:16:08,000 --> 01:16:12,400
is now 18 to 22 inches, which 
makes this the third largest 

1450
01:16:12,400 --> 01:16:14,900
November snowstorm in recorded 
State history. 

1451
01:16:16,300 --> 01:16:20,500
Mrs. Chen looks Vindicated by 
this news as if her earlier 

1452
01:16:20,500 --> 01:16:23,200
worrying has been justified by 
the storms impressive 

1453
01:16:23,200 --> 01:16:27,700
statistics, Mr. Johnson. 
Newly awake from his nap. 

1454
01:16:27,700 --> 01:16:31,000
Simply Grunts and says he seen 
worse, though. 

1455
01:16:31,000 --> 01:16:34,000
He can't quite remember when 
you've moved Beyond thinking 

1456
01:16:34,000 --> 01:16:36,500
about the logistics of everyone 
getting home. 

1457
01:16:36,500 --> 01:16:40,500
That's a problem for tomorrow 
for a world with Cloud streets, 

1458
01:16:40,500 --> 01:16:44,500
and functioning Transportation. 
Right now, your existing in this

1459
01:16:44,500 --> 01:16:48,100
strange suspended time where 
normal rules don't quite apply, 

1460
01:16:48,100 --> 01:16:50,600
you have enough food for several
more meals. 

1461
01:16:50,600 --> 01:16:54,700
The furnace is working, you have
blankets and space and a full 

1462
01:16:54,708 --> 01:16:57,200
pantry. 
If people need to stay the night

1463
01:16:57,200 --> 01:17:00,200
well you'll figure it out the 
evening. 

1464
01:17:00,200 --> 01:17:03,200
Settles in with that particular 
coziness that only comes from 

1465
01:17:03,200 --> 01:17:05,900
being warm and safe while 
weather does its worst outside. 

1466
01:17:06,900 --> 01:17:10,500
You've turned on every lamp in 
the house creating pools of 

1467
01:17:10,500 --> 01:17:12,400
soft. 
Yellow light that make the rooms

1468
01:17:12,400 --> 01:17:14,300
feel like illustrations from a 
storybook. 

1469
01:17:15,600 --> 01:17:17,800
Henderson. 
Girl is convinced Betty and Mrs.

1470
01:17:17,800 --> 01:17:19,600
Chen to play cards with her 
though. 

1471
01:17:19,600 --> 01:17:22,200
The rules of the game seem to be
evolving continuously. 

1472
01:17:23,700 --> 01:17:27,500
Mr, Johnson and Mr. Patterson 
have discovered a shared 

1473
01:17:27,500 --> 01:17:31,000
interest in Woodworking and are 
deep in conversation, about 

1474
01:17:31,000 --> 01:17:34,800
dovetail joints and the proper 
way to Sharp and chisels you 

1475
01:17:34,800 --> 01:17:37,600
find yourself moving through 
your house to touching familiar 

1476
01:17:37,600 --> 01:17:41,600
objects, the ceramic Bowl, on 
the hallway table, the frame 

1477
01:17:41,600 --> 01:17:44,000
photograph of your mother, the 
door frame. 

1478
01:17:44,000 --> 01:17:48,700
Your husband wants her hung when
it started to stick Your space 

1479
01:17:48,700 --> 01:17:51,900
has been transformed by the 
company from something private 

1480
01:17:51,900 --> 01:17:55,300
into something communal and 
you're surprised to discover you

1481
01:17:55,300 --> 01:17:58,500
don't mind. 
In fact you more than don't 

1482
01:17:58,500 --> 01:18:00,500
mind. 
You're grateful for it. 

1483
01:18:00,500 --> 01:18:03,000
The snow creates patterns on the
Windows. 

1484
01:18:03,000 --> 01:18:06,900
Intricate Frost crystals that 
catch the lamp light and throw 

1485
01:18:06,900 --> 01:18:10,300
tiny rainbows. 
The Henderson girl presses, her 

1486
01:18:10,300 --> 01:18:14,000
nose against the cold, glass 
marveling, at the designs. 

1487
01:18:14,600 --> 01:18:16,700
You remember doing the same 
thing as a child. 

1488
01:18:16,700 --> 01:18:19,900
Believing the frost formed 
pictures if you looked at them. 

1489
01:18:19,900 --> 01:18:22,200
Right? 
You almost tell her to look for 

1490
01:18:22,200 --> 01:18:24,500
the ice fairy. 
The way your father wants told 

1491
01:18:24,500 --> 01:18:28,000
you, but then you stop yourself.
She's creating her own 

1492
01:18:28,000 --> 01:18:31,300
relationship with the snow. 
Making her own sense of this 

1493
01:18:31,300 --> 01:18:34,500
strange day. 
Someone suggests singing and 

1494
01:18:34,500 --> 01:18:37,700
before you can politely damir, 
Mr. Johnson's launched in, to 

1495
01:18:37,700 --> 01:18:41,000
over the river and through the 
woods in a surprisingly, strong 

1496
01:18:41,000 --> 01:18:45,500
baritone, Others, join in 
voices, blending and clashing in

1497
01:18:45,500 --> 01:18:48,300
the particular Harmony of people
who aren't musicians, but don't 

1498
01:18:48,300 --> 01:18:51,200
care. 
You find yourself, singing to 

1499
01:18:51,200 --> 01:18:54,600
words, you learned 70 years ago,
coming back without effort, 

1500
01:18:55,600 --> 01:18:58,800
Henderson girl knows only the 
first verse but sings it three 

1501
01:18:58,800 --> 01:19:03,300
times, increasingly loudly until
everyone is laughing, too much 

1502
01:19:03,300 --> 01:19:06,000
to continue the moment. 
Crystallizes somehow. 

1503
01:19:06,000 --> 01:19:09,500
All of you in your living room. 
Full of turkey and Pie singing 

1504
01:19:09,500 --> 01:19:12,400
old songs while historic 
snowstorm buries the world 

1505
01:19:12,400 --> 01:19:15,800
outside. 
It's absurd and perfect at the 

1506
01:19:15,800 --> 01:19:18,100
same time. 
You think about taking a 

1507
01:19:18,100 --> 01:19:19,500
photograph but decide against 
it? 

1508
01:19:20,300 --> 01:19:23,400
Some moments exist better in 
memory than in any physical 

1509
01:19:23,400 --> 01:19:26,800
record the evening deepens into 
something that feels almost 

1510
01:19:26,800 --> 01:19:29,600
sacred, not in a religious 
sense. 

1511
01:19:29,600 --> 01:19:33,100
Exactly though certainly 
reverence in it more. 

1512
01:19:33,100 --> 01:19:35,800
Like the sense that you've 
stumbled into a moment slightly 

1513
01:19:35,800 --> 01:19:40,000
outside of normal time, a pocket
of existence where the usual 

1514
01:19:40,000 --> 01:19:44,100
rules of being suspended, Cedar 
Mills has become a place where 

1515
01:19:44,100 --> 01:19:48,500
no one can go anywhere do 
anything or be anywhere except 

1516
01:19:48,500 --> 01:19:52,100
exactly where they are. 
For a world that's been moving 

1517
01:19:52,100 --> 01:19:53,800
at wartime speed for over a 
year. 

1518
01:19:53,808 --> 01:19:57,700
The enforced Stillness feels 
almost radical you've made more 

1519
01:19:57,700 --> 01:19:59,700
coffee. 
You've lost count of how many 

1520
01:19:59,700 --> 01:20:02,400
pots today and someone found the
good brand. 

1521
01:20:02,400 --> 01:20:05,300
You keep in the back of the 
cupboard for medicinal purposes.

1522
01:20:06,400 --> 01:20:10,000
small glasses are poured for 
those who want them sit slowly, 

1523
01:20:10,000 --> 01:20:13,200
while the conversation drifts 
from topic to topic, without 

1524
01:20:13,200 --> 01:20:17,900
urgently, The Henderson girl is 
finally worn herself out and 

1525
01:20:17,900 --> 01:20:21,500
lice sleeping on your sofa 
covered with the Afghan your 

1526
01:20:21,500 --> 01:20:25,700
mother crochet in 1915. 
Her parents sitting nearby 

1527
01:20:25,700 --> 01:20:27,500
looking relaxed. 
In a way. 

1528
01:20:27,500 --> 01:20:30,000
You rarely see. 
Even they've stopped. 

1529
01:20:30,000 --> 01:20:33,700
Fighting the situation and 
accepted it, Mrs. Chen tells 

1530
01:20:33,700 --> 01:20:37,100
stories about growing up in San 
Francisco, about markets and 

1531
01:20:37,108 --> 01:20:40,400
festivals and food that sounded 
like magic to your New England 

1532
01:20:40,400 --> 01:20:43,300
ears. 
She talks about her son who 

1533
01:20:43,300 --> 01:20:45,500
somewhere in Italy doing 
something she's not allowed to 

1534
01:20:45,500 --> 01:20:48,400
know about and her voice catches
but doesn't break. 

1535
01:20:49,300 --> 01:20:53,200
Everyone in the room understands
that particular strain the 

1536
01:20:53,200 --> 01:20:55,000
loving and worrying from a 
distance. 

1537
01:20:55,000 --> 01:20:59,700
The not knowing that somehow 
worse than knowing Mr. Patterson

1538
01:20:59,700 --> 01:21:02,700
contributes, memories of the 
mill in its Heyday back in the 

1539
01:21:02,708 --> 01:21:04,500
20s. 
When Cedar Mills actually 

1540
01:21:04,500 --> 01:21:09,000
bustled, when three shifts kept 
the Looms running 24 hours a 

1541
01:21:09,000 --> 01:21:13,400
day, He describes the sounds. 
The rhythmic clacking that you 

1542
01:21:13,400 --> 01:21:16,800
could hear from blocks away. 
The whistle that marked shift 

1543
01:21:16,800 --> 01:21:19,900
changes and the whole town 
moving to the mills in 

1544
01:21:19,900 --> 01:21:23,300
industrial heartbeat. 
The war has brought some of that

1545
01:21:23,300 --> 01:21:26,400
energy back though. 
Now it's military contracts and 

1546
01:21:26,400 --> 01:21:30,800
state of Civilian textiles 
uniforms in of dress fabric. 

1547
01:21:30,800 --> 01:21:34,200
Your Own Story, surprise, you 
things, you have not thought 

1548
01:21:34,200 --> 01:21:37,200
about in years surfacing in this
late evening atmosphere of 

1549
01:21:37,200 --> 01:21:40,400
shared confidence. 
You tell them about learning to 

1550
01:21:40,400 --> 01:21:42,500
cook from your mother about the 
summer. 

1551
01:21:42,500 --> 01:21:45,900
You spent in Maine as a girl and
about your husband's terrible 

1552
01:21:45,900 --> 01:21:48,300
jokes that Were Somehow 
endearing because of their 

1553
01:21:48,300 --> 01:21:51,800
terribleness. 
You talk about your nephew about

1554
01:21:51,800 --> 01:21:54,900
the Smart Boy Who Loved baseball
and building model airplanes 

1555
01:21:54,900 --> 01:21:57,800
whose now somewhere in the 
Pacific, doing whatever it is 

1556
01:21:57,808 --> 01:22:01,100
Sailors. 
Do you don't cry but it's a near

1557
01:22:01,100 --> 01:22:04,100
thing, the radio has moved 
Beyond storm coverage into its 

1558
01:22:04,100 --> 01:22:07,400
regular evening programming. 
Someone finds a music station 

1559
01:22:07,400 --> 01:22:09,500
and quiet, Jazz fills the 
background. 

1560
01:22:10,300 --> 01:22:13,700
Saxophone and piano creating a 
mood that fits the snowbound 

1561
01:22:13,700 --> 01:22:18,000
coziness perfectly. 
Mr. Johnson Taps his foot on 

1562
01:22:18,000 --> 01:22:20,400
consciously, keeping time with 
music. 

1563
01:22:20,400 --> 01:22:22,500
He probably danced to 40 years 
ago. 

1564
01:22:24,000 --> 01:22:26,000
The room has developed its own 
eco-system. 

1565
01:22:26,000 --> 01:22:30,300
Its own, internal logic separate
from the Frozen World outside 

1566
01:22:30,300 --> 01:22:34,100
around 8:00, Mr. Henderson makes
a practical announcement. 

1567
01:22:34,100 --> 01:22:38,400
They're not going home tonight. 
It's too far, too dark and too 

1568
01:22:38,400 --> 01:22:39,900
dangerous with the snow. 
Still falling. 

1569
01:22:39,900 --> 01:22:42,000
And no streetlights working at 
their end of town. 

1570
01:22:42,900 --> 01:22:45,600
You immediately offer them the 
guest bedroom and before you can

1571
01:22:45,600 --> 01:22:47,400
work out where everyone else 
will sleep. 

1572
01:22:47,400 --> 01:22:50,400
Mrs. Chen and Betty have 
declared their staying too. 

1573
01:22:51,600 --> 01:22:56,000
The whole thing is decided in 
about 90 seconds and suddenly 

1574
01:22:56,000 --> 01:22:59,000
you're running a boarding house 
for refugees from a Thanksgiving

1575
01:22:59,000 --> 01:23:01,700
storm. 
The logistics work themselves 

1576
01:23:01,700 --> 01:23:05,400
out with surprising ease. 
The Hendersons, take the guest 

1577
01:23:05,400 --> 01:23:08,600
room, Mrs. Chen and Betty will 
share your bed while you take 

1578
01:23:08,600 --> 01:23:12,000
the sofa. 
Mr, Johnson, who lives closest 

1579
01:23:12,000 --> 01:23:14,700
and insists. 
He can make it agrees to wait 

1580
01:23:14,700 --> 01:23:17,300
until morning after Mr. 
Patterson offers to walk with 

1581
01:23:17,300 --> 01:23:19,900
him. 
Mr. Paterson himself will take 

1582
01:23:19,900 --> 01:23:23,300
the armchair, which he claims is
more comfortable than his bed at

1583
01:23:23,300 --> 01:23:26,400
home, anyway. 
The Henderson girl, never wakes 

1584
01:23:26,400 --> 01:23:29,600
during these negotiations 
sleeping through the entire 

1585
01:23:29,600 --> 01:23:32,200
rearrangement of her life with 
the profound and concern of 

1586
01:23:32,200 --> 01:23:35,800
childhood, you distribute 
blankets and pillows digging 

1587
01:23:35,800 --> 01:23:37,500
through closets to find the 
extras. 

1588
01:23:37,500 --> 01:23:38,900
You've accumulated over the 
years. 

1589
01:23:39,900 --> 01:23:42,100
The house. 
Which usually feels slightly too

1590
01:23:42,100 --> 01:23:45,700
large for one person. 
Suddenly seems perfectly sized 

1591
01:23:45,700 --> 01:23:49,400
for this unexpected crowd. 
People move through rooms 

1592
01:23:49,400 --> 01:23:53,300
claiming spaces, settling in and
making themselves, comfortable 

1593
01:23:53,300 --> 01:23:55,700
with the kind of casualness that
comes from necessity. 

1594
01:23:55,700 --> 01:23:58,900
Rather than presumption, the 
wind has picked up outside 

1595
01:23:58,900 --> 01:24:02,000
driving the snow against the 
windows in occasional gusts that

1596
01:24:02,008 --> 01:24:06,000
sound almost alive. 
But inside your snug and warm 

1597
01:24:06,000 --> 01:24:10,900
your furnace working overtime. 
But managing to keep up, The 

1598
01:24:10,900 --> 01:24:14,300
house creaks and settles the way
old houses do. 

1599
01:24:15,000 --> 01:24:16,900
Familiar. 
Sounds that usually keep you 

1600
01:24:16,900 --> 01:24:20,300
company in the evening but now 
form a background to human 

1601
01:24:20,300 --> 01:24:23,800
voices and movement, Betty helps
you make up the bed with fresh 

1602
01:24:23,800 --> 01:24:26,000
sheets. 
Moving through the routine like 

1603
01:24:26,000 --> 01:24:27,800
you've done this together 100 
times. 

1604
01:24:28,700 --> 01:24:30,400
She's gained confidence 
throughout the day. 

1605
01:24:30,400 --> 01:24:33,400
You've noticed. 
The weepy girl, from this 

1606
01:24:33,400 --> 01:24:36,100
morning, has been replaced by 
someone, steadier, someone who 

1607
01:24:36,100 --> 01:24:38,100
is discovering. 
She stronger than she thought. 

1608
01:24:39,000 --> 01:24:42,200
Married and War and unexpected. 
Snowstorms will do that. 

1609
01:24:43,100 --> 01:24:46,700
Force you to find resources, you
didn't know, you had Mrs. Chen 

1610
01:24:46,700 --> 01:24:50,400
insists on washing the dishes, 
despite your protests enlisting.

1611
01:24:50,400 --> 01:24:53,900
Mr. Patterson to drive, while 
she washes, you can hear them in

1612
01:24:53,900 --> 01:24:56,800
the kitchen, the comfortable 
sounds of domestic routine, 

1613
01:24:56,800 --> 01:25:00,500
water, running plates, clinking 
and occasional lofta. 

1614
01:25:01,700 --> 01:25:05,200
The Henderson girl wakes briefly
confused about where she is and 

1615
01:25:05,200 --> 01:25:07,400
settles back to sleep. 
When her mother explains 

1616
01:25:07,400 --> 01:25:11,200
everything is fine, everything 
is taking care of. 

1617
01:25:11,200 --> 01:25:14,500
Just Close Your Eyes. 
The house has never felt more 

1618
01:25:14,500 --> 01:25:18,400
full or more alive. 
Every room contains people every

1619
01:25:18,400 --> 01:25:22,000
corner has been claimed and 
every space has been put to use 

1620
01:25:22,000 --> 01:25:25,600
is the opposite of the careful 
controlled environment. 

1621
01:25:25,600 --> 01:25:30,900
You usually maintained and you 
love it, you absolutely love it.

1622
01:25:31,600 --> 01:25:35,500
The chaos and closeness and 
Casual intimacy of sharing your 

1623
01:25:35,500 --> 01:25:38,100
space with near strangers, who 
have become something. 

1624
01:25:38,100 --> 01:25:40,300
More than neighbors over the 
course of one. 

1625
01:25:40,300 --> 01:25:43,500
Impossible day. 
You make one last round before 

1626
01:25:43,500 --> 01:25:46,600
preparing, for bed yourself. 
Checking that everyone has what 

1627
01:25:46,600 --> 01:25:48,600
they need. 
Extra blankets. 

1628
01:25:48,600 --> 01:25:54,600
Yes, water glasses. 
Yes, enough pillows, mostly yes.

1629
01:25:54,600 --> 01:25:57,500
With some improvisation 
involving throw cushions and 

1630
01:25:57,500 --> 01:26:00,700
roll towels. 
The house settles into nighttime

1631
01:26:00,700 --> 01:26:02,300
mode. 
Lamps switching. 

1632
01:26:02,300 --> 01:26:06,500
Off conversations becoming 
Whispers And movements slowing 

1633
01:26:06,500 --> 01:26:10,200
to Stillness from your position 
on the sofa which is actually 

1634
01:26:10,200 --> 01:26:12,100
quite comfortable. 
Once you've arranged the pillows

1635
01:26:12,100 --> 01:26:15,800
correctly, You can hear the 
various sounds of a house full 

1636
01:26:15,800 --> 01:26:20,000
of sleeping people. 
Someone snores, gently someone 

1637
01:26:20,000 --> 01:26:23,500
else shifts position with a 
creek of bedsprings, the 

1638
01:26:23,500 --> 01:26:27,000
Henderson girl talks in her 
sleep, a brief mumbled sentence 

1639
01:26:27,000 --> 01:26:30,600
about snow angels. 
Furnace kicks on with its 

1640
01:26:30,600 --> 01:26:34,500
familiar whoosh. 
Outside the storm continues, its

1641
01:26:34,500 --> 01:26:39,200
patient work adding inch after 
inch to the accumulation but it 

1642
01:26:39,200 --> 01:26:42,100
is quieter now winding down from
earlier. 

1643
01:26:42,100 --> 01:26:45,800
Intensity you lie there in the 
darkness, listening to the 

1644
01:26:45,800 --> 01:26:48,400
evidence of life around you and 
feel something. 

1645
01:26:48,400 --> 01:26:51,200
You haven't felt in the two 
years since your husband died, 

1646
01:26:51,200 --> 01:26:55,600
Not Alone, the house breathes 
with multiple presences. 

1647
01:26:55,600 --> 01:26:58,300
Your space has been shared and 
divided. 

1648
01:26:58,300 --> 01:27:02,000
And transformed tomorrow will 
bring the work of digging out 

1649
01:27:02,000 --> 01:27:06,300
the logistics of return and the 
slow process of Life. 

1650
01:27:06,300 --> 01:27:10,700
Resuming, its normal patterns. 
But tonight right now, you'll 

1651
01:27:10,700 --> 01:27:14,600
simply one person among many all
of you together in this warm 

1652
01:27:14,600 --> 01:27:18,400
space while the world outside 
remains Frozen white and waiting

1653
01:27:18,400 --> 01:27:20,500
sleep, comes easier than you 
expected. 

1654
01:27:20,500 --> 01:27:24,200
Pulling you down into darkness, 
while snow continues to fall. 

1655
01:27:24,200 --> 01:27:28,600
And the town remains paused held
in suspension between yesterday 

1656
01:27:28,600 --> 01:27:31,000
and tomorrow between normal 
life. 

1657
01:27:31,000 --> 01:27:35,200
And this strange Exception to 
all the usual rules, Friday, 

1658
01:27:35,200 --> 01:27:37,200
morning arrives with shocking 
brightness. 

1659
01:27:37,200 --> 01:27:40,500
You wake to light streaming 
through the windows with an 

1660
01:27:40,500 --> 01:27:42,300
intensity. 
That takes a moment to 

1661
01:27:42,300 --> 01:27:46,400
understand son on snow. 
Amplifying and reflecting. 

1662
01:27:46,400 --> 01:27:49,800
Turning your living room into 
something almost too bright to 

1663
01:27:49,800 --> 01:27:52,800
look at directly. 
Storm has stopped. 

1664
01:27:52,800 --> 01:27:56,600
The world is silent. 
And when you pull yourself up to

1665
01:27:56,600 --> 01:27:59,400
look outside, what you see, 
takes your breath away. 

1666
01:27:59,400 --> 01:28:03,800
Cedar Mills has been completely 
transformed, every surface, 

1667
01:28:03,800 --> 01:28:06,700
every angle, every object has 
been smoothed. 

1668
01:28:06,700 --> 01:28:10,200
And softened, by snow that must 
measure close to two feet. 

1669
01:28:10,900 --> 01:28:14,100
The cars on the street are 
indistinguishable white Mounds, 

1670
01:28:14,100 --> 01:28:16,800
the picket fences have 
disappeared entirely. 

1671
01:28:17,500 --> 01:28:20,300
Trees were thick coating that 
make them look like they've been

1672
01:28:20,300 --> 01:28:23,000
dipped in white paint and over 
everything. 

1673
01:28:23,000 --> 01:28:26,200
The Sun Shines with that 
particular crystalline 

1674
01:28:26,200 --> 01:28:29,900
brightness, that only happens on
clear days after heavy snow 

1675
01:28:29,900 --> 01:28:33,200
each, flake catching and 
throwing light until the whole 

1676
01:28:33,200 --> 01:28:36,500
world Sparkles. 
Your house comes to life slowly 

1677
01:28:36,500 --> 01:28:39,900
people emerging from rooms 
looking rumpled and slightly 

1678
01:28:39,900 --> 01:28:42,700
confused, remembering where they
are and why? 

1679
01:28:44,000 --> 01:28:48,200
Mrs. Chan appears, first already
dressed and head straight for 

1680
01:28:48,200 --> 01:28:51,000
the kitchen to make coffee with 
the Assurance of someone whose 

1681
01:28:51,000 --> 01:28:52,600
claimed that particular morning 
Duty. 

1682
01:28:53,700 --> 01:28:57,300
Smell of brewing, coffee draws 
others, like a summons Mr. 

1683
01:28:57,300 --> 01:29:00,800
Patterson from his armchair 
Betty from the bedroom and the 

1684
01:29:00,800 --> 01:29:04,400
Hendersons, one by one, as they 
Orient themselves to the strange

1685
01:29:04,400 --> 01:29:07,700
Bright Morning, the Henderson 
girl, presses her face against 

1686
01:29:07,700 --> 01:29:10,100
the window and releases, a 
squeal of pure delight. 

1687
01:29:10,900 --> 01:29:14,000
It's a Snow Mountain, she 
announces and she's not entirely

1688
01:29:14,000 --> 01:29:16,700
wrong. 
The drifts against your front 

1689
01:29:16,700 --> 01:29:18,700
porch, reach, nearly to the 
railing. 

1690
01:29:18,700 --> 01:29:23,000
The street itself is invisible 
under an unblemished, expanse of

1691
01:29:23,008 --> 01:29:25,400
white. 
No one has driven anywhere. 

1692
01:29:25,400 --> 01:29:29,300
No one has walked anywhere. 
Cedar Mills has become a 

1693
01:29:29,300 --> 01:29:33,000
pristine winter landscape, 
untouched, and perfect, and 

1694
01:29:33,000 --> 01:29:36,100
completely impossible. 
Breakfast becomes a group 

1695
01:29:36,100 --> 01:29:38,000
effort. 
Everyone contributing something 

1696
01:29:38,000 --> 01:29:40,200
to the meal. 
You make pancakes from 

1697
01:29:40,200 --> 01:29:42,000
ingredients. 
You didn't know you had enough 

1698
01:29:42,000 --> 01:29:47,100
of flour, eggs, milk stretched 
with water and a precious 

1699
01:29:47,100 --> 01:29:51,100
spoonful of vanilla. 
Mr. Patterson discovers bacon in

1700
01:29:51,100 --> 01:29:55,300
your refrigerator leftover from 
last week's rationing and Cooks 

1701
01:29:55,300 --> 01:29:58,300
it with the concentration of a 
man performing surgery. 

1702
01:29:59,500 --> 01:30:02,400
Mrs. Chen makes tea in the 
particular way she prefers 

1703
01:30:02,400 --> 01:30:07,400
strong and dark and fortifying. 
The Henderson Girl sets the 

1704
01:30:07,400 --> 01:30:11,100
table with exaggerated care, 
treating each plate and Fork 

1705
01:30:11,100 --> 01:30:15,000
like matters tremendously. 
The meal itself is cheerful and 

1706
01:30:15,000 --> 01:30:18,800
chaotic everyone talking over. 
Everyone else shareing 

1707
01:30:18,800 --> 01:30:22,000
observations about the snow and 
the Sunshine and the strange 

1708
01:30:22,000 --> 01:30:26,300
situation you've all found 
yourself in Mr. Johnson mentions

1709
01:30:26,300 --> 01:30:28,800
that his daughter in Connecticut
is probably worried. 

1710
01:30:28,800 --> 01:30:31,300
Sick unable to reach him by 
phone. 

1711
01:30:32,000 --> 01:30:35,400
Mrs. Chen admits a grocery store
will be fine without her for one

1712
01:30:35,400 --> 01:30:38,800
day, maybe even better since she
tends to micromanage. 

1713
01:30:40,000 --> 01:30:43,400
Mr. Henderson confesses he's 
never been so grateful to skip 

1714
01:30:43,400 --> 01:30:45,600
work in his life after 
breakfast. 

1715
01:30:45,600 --> 01:30:49,100
Mr. Patterson and Mr. Henderson 
announced their intention to dig

1716
01:30:49,100 --> 01:30:53,100
out at least partially. 
Find your snow shovels in the 

1717
01:30:53,100 --> 01:30:56,000
garage and set to work. 
Clearing a path from your front 

1718
01:30:56,000 --> 01:30:58,600
door to the street though. 
What they'll do when they reach 

1719
01:30:58,600 --> 01:31:02,300
the street which remains 
completely snowed in is unclear.

1720
01:31:03,400 --> 01:31:07,000
But the activity itself seems 
important a way of asserting 

1721
01:31:07,000 --> 01:31:09,200
human agency against Nature's 
overall. 

1722
01:31:09,200 --> 01:31:11,600
Moving presidents. 
You watch them through the 

1723
01:31:11,600 --> 01:31:15,100
window, Two Men and borrowed, 
scarves attacking snow with 

1724
01:31:15,100 --> 01:31:18,700
determined Strokes breath, 
making clouds and the cold air, 

1725
01:31:18,700 --> 01:31:22,600
the Henderson girl begs to go 
outside and after bundling her 

1726
01:31:22,600 --> 01:31:24,100
in layers, that make her look 
twice. 

1727
01:31:24,100 --> 01:31:27,800
Her actual size, her mother 
releases her into your backyard.

1728
01:31:29,000 --> 01:31:32,800
He watched her discover the joy 
of deep snow the way she can 

1729
01:31:32,800 --> 01:31:34,700
simply fold backward, and 
disappear. 

1730
01:31:34,700 --> 01:31:38,900
The way each step requires 
effort and purpose the way. 

1731
01:31:38,900 --> 01:31:42,900
Undisturbed snow offers itself 
as a canvas for whatever design,

1732
01:31:42,900 --> 01:31:47,400
she can imagine, She makes what 
might be a snow angel or might 

1733
01:31:47,400 --> 01:31:50,800
just be random flailing. 
And either way, it's perfect 

1734
01:31:50,800 --> 01:31:54,300
Betty finds your radio and tunes
it to a music station. 

1735
01:31:54,300 --> 01:31:57,700
And suddenly the house fills 
with Perry, Como's Voice, 

1736
01:31:57,700 --> 01:32:00,200
singing, something cheerful and 
romantic. 

1737
01:32:01,100 --> 01:32:03,400
Mrs. Chen. 
Hums along while washing dishes,

1738
01:32:04,400 --> 01:32:06,800
You find yourself swaying 
slightly while tidying the 

1739
01:32:06,800 --> 01:32:09,600
living room returning. 
Cushions to their proper places 

1740
01:32:09,600 --> 01:32:11,800
and folding. 
The blankets everyone used last 

1741
01:32:11,800 --> 01:32:14,400
night. 
The normal sea of housework 

1742
01:32:14,400 --> 01:32:17,800
combined, with the strangeness 
of company, creates an oddly 

1743
01:32:17,800 --> 01:32:20,900
Pleasant, dissonance the 
telephone rings, at noon 

1744
01:32:20,900 --> 01:32:24,900
startling, everyone. 
It's your sister, frantic with 

1745
01:32:24,900 --> 01:32:28,400
worry and you assure her your 
fine, more than fine, really 

1746
01:32:28,400 --> 01:32:31,800
surrounded by neighbors, who 
become impromptu house guests. 

1747
01:32:32,600 --> 01:32:34,200
You hear the relief in her 
voice? 

1748
01:32:34,200 --> 01:32:37,200
When she understands you aren't 
alone for Thanksgiving that the 

1749
01:32:37,200 --> 01:32:40,000
empty places at your table 
somehow filled themselves. 

1750
01:32:40,000 --> 01:32:44,600
She promises to visit once the 
roads clear, maybe this weekend.

1751
01:32:44,600 --> 01:32:48,600
Definitely soon more calls 
follow people checking on 

1752
01:32:48,600 --> 01:32:52,800
people, making sure everyone 
whether the storm safely, the 

1753
01:32:52,800 --> 01:32:56,500
telephone becomes a Lifeline 
proof, that Cedar Mills still 

1754
01:32:56,500 --> 01:33:00,100
exists as a connected Community,
even though physical movement 

1755
01:33:00,100 --> 01:33:02,500
remains impossible. 
You learn that. 

1756
01:33:02,500 --> 01:33:06,100
The mill is closed for a second 
day that church services are 

1757
01:33:06,100 --> 01:33:07,700
canceled. 
That the elementary school 

1758
01:33:07,700 --> 01:33:11,500
definitely won't open Monday. 
And that the downtown stores are

1759
01:33:11,500 --> 01:33:15,000
all snowed in and not expecting 
to open until Tuesday at the 

1760
01:33:15,008 --> 01:33:18,100
earliest. 
The town has been forced into a 

1761
01:33:18,100 --> 01:33:20,800
collective holiday and unplanned
Sabbath of sorts. 

1762
01:33:20,800 --> 01:33:24,900
Lunch is turkey sandwiches. 
Of course, it is with the last 

1763
01:33:24,900 --> 01:33:27,300
of the cranberry sauce and some 
lettuce, you discover in the 

1764
01:33:27,300 --> 01:33:29,600
crisper draw somehow still 
fresh. 

1765
01:33:30,600 --> 01:33:34,100
You serve it with the bread. 
Mrs. Barnes sent over, which has

1766
01:33:34,100 --> 01:33:36,400
become slightly stale, but 
toasts up beautifully. 

1767
01:33:37,600 --> 01:33:40,100
The Henderson girl declares it 
the best sandwiches she's ever 

1768
01:33:40,100 --> 01:33:43,700
eaten which makes everyone smile
because children enthusiasm is 

1769
01:33:43,700 --> 01:33:46,200
contagious. 
You're inclined to agree with 

1770
01:33:46,200 --> 01:33:49,000
her actually. 
Something about eating turkey 

1771
01:33:49,000 --> 01:33:52,500
sandwiches while Snowden with a 
house full of people, make them 

1772
01:33:52,500 --> 01:33:56,600
taste different better and more.
Significant somehow the 

1773
01:33:56,600 --> 01:33:59,900
afternoon develops its own. 
Lazy Rhythm, Mr. Johnson 

1774
01:33:59,900 --> 01:34:02,600
teaches, the Henderson girl play
Checkers on a set. 

1775
01:34:02,600 --> 01:34:06,300
You'd forgotten you owned. 
Mr. Paterson a Mr. Henderson of 

1776
01:34:06,300 --> 01:34:09,200
giving up on shoveling. 
And in Stead built a respectable

1777
01:34:09,200 --> 01:34:12,800
Snowman in your front yard 
complete with a carrot nose and 

1778
01:34:12,800 --> 01:34:16,700
stones for eyes. 
Mrs, Chen and Betty work on a 

1779
01:34:16,700 --> 01:34:18,800
jigsaw puzzle. 
You find in the whole closet. 

1780
01:34:19,600 --> 01:34:23,500
1000 pieces, depicting some 
idyllic Farm scene that will 

1781
01:34:23,508 --> 01:34:27,100
take days to complete. 
You drift between activities 

1782
01:34:27,100 --> 01:34:30,500
participating in none fully, but
connected to all of them the 

1783
01:34:30,500 --> 01:34:34,400
host who's also somehow a guest.
At this extended Gathering the 

1784
01:34:34,400 --> 01:34:38,100
light shifts as afternoon moves 
toward evening, that golden 

1785
01:34:38,100 --> 01:34:42,300
quality of late November sun, on
snow, You're standing at the 

1786
01:34:42,300 --> 01:34:45,500
kitchen window, watching the 
Shadows length, and across the 

1787
01:34:45,508 --> 01:34:48,700
white expanse of your backyard. 
When Betty appears at your 

1788
01:34:48,700 --> 01:34:51,000
elbow, I should call Jim's 
mother. 

1789
01:34:51,000 --> 01:34:53,200
She says quietly, let her know 
I'm. 

1790
01:34:53,200 --> 01:34:56,500
Alright, she'll worry. 
She doesn't move to do it 

1791
01:34:56,500 --> 01:34:58,800
immediately. 
She just stands there watching 

1792
01:34:58,800 --> 01:35:01,600
the snow with you. 
After a moment, she adds. 

1793
01:35:02,500 --> 01:35:05,300
Do you think this is what? 
It's like where Jim is the 

1794
01:35:05,300 --> 01:35:08,600
waiting and the being stuck in 
one place and not knowing when 

1795
01:35:08,600 --> 01:35:11,700
things will change, you tell her
honestly that you don't know. 

1796
01:35:12,700 --> 01:35:16,900
But maybe, yes. 
Maybe the war is full of this 

1797
01:35:16,900 --> 01:35:20,800
kind of unexpected suspension. 
These stretches of time where 

1798
01:35:20,800 --> 01:35:23,800
nothing happens except the 
slower accumulation of days 

1799
01:35:23,800 --> 01:35:26,700
punctuated by moments of 
significance. 

1800
01:35:27,600 --> 01:35:31,400
Maybe Jim is also learning to 
find comfort in small things, 

1801
01:35:31,400 --> 01:35:36,500
warm food friendly faces, and 
the simple fact of being safe 

1802
01:35:36,500 --> 01:35:40,000
right now, even if the future 
remains uncertain, she nods 

1803
01:35:40,000 --> 01:35:42,400
accepts this and makes her phone
call. 

1804
01:35:43,100 --> 01:35:44,600
You hear her voice from the 
hallway. 

1805
01:35:44,600 --> 01:35:48,100
Reassuring, her mother-in-law 
promising to come visit as soon 

1806
01:35:48,108 --> 01:35:50,600
as the roads, clear, when she 
returns. 

1807
01:35:50,600 --> 01:35:54,000
She looks steadier somehow, more
grounded in her own reality. 

1808
01:35:54,000 --> 01:35:57,400
Dinner is turkey. 
Again, you're working your way 

1809
01:35:57,400 --> 01:35:59,200
through the leftover 
systematically. 

1810
01:35:59,200 --> 01:36:02,900
This time is soup. 
You've made it with stock Boyd 

1811
01:36:02,900 --> 01:36:06,700
from the carcass with vegetables
and noodles and generous amounts

1812
01:36:06,700 --> 01:36:09,500
of salt and pepper. 
It's the kind of soup that 

1813
01:36:09,500 --> 01:36:12,100
tastes like Comfort distilled 
into liquid form. 

1814
01:36:12,100 --> 01:36:16,200
You serve it with more of Mrs. 
Barnes as bread and everyone 

1815
01:36:16,200 --> 01:36:19,600
eats in a priest of Silence, 
occasionally punctuated by 

1816
01:36:19,600 --> 01:36:22,300
compliments, about your cooking 
that make you flush with 

1817
01:36:22,300 --> 01:36:23,600
pleasure. 
The evening. 

1818
01:36:23,600 --> 01:36:26,700
Settles in much like yesterday's
though, somehow more 

1819
01:36:26,700 --> 01:36:28,300
comfortable. 
Now that everyone knows the 

1820
01:36:28,300 --> 01:36:31,800
routine. 
The Henderson girl is less wound

1821
01:36:31,800 --> 01:36:36,100
up, having warned herself out 
with snowplay the adults settle 

1822
01:36:36,100 --> 01:36:38,500
into familiar spots claiming 
spaces. 

1823
01:36:38,500 --> 01:36:42,700
They occupied last night. 
Conversation, drifts and gentle 

1824
01:36:42,700 --> 01:36:46,600
directions touching on childhood
memories and future plans and 

1825
01:36:46,600 --> 01:36:50,000
the small details of daily life.
That become interesting when you

1826
01:36:50,008 --> 01:36:51,400
can't actually live them right 
now. 

1827
01:36:51,400 --> 01:36:56,000
Mr. Johnson tells a story about 
Thanksgiving in 1923 when he and

1828
01:36:56,000 --> 01:36:58,500
his wife were newlyweds and she 
tried to cook a turkey in 

1829
01:36:58,500 --> 01:36:59,900
another that wouldn't hold a 
proper temperature. 

1830
01:36:59,900 --> 01:37:03,700
They'd eaten it. 
Half raw half burnt and laughed 

1831
01:37:03,700 --> 01:37:07,900
so hard they cried. worst meal 
we ever made together, he says 

1832
01:37:07,900 --> 01:37:12,200
and one of the best days we ever
had His eyes are wet, but he 

1833
01:37:12,200 --> 01:37:14,500
smiling. 
And you understand completely 

1834
01:37:14,500 --> 01:37:18,700
how disaster can become Joy with
the right person and how the 

1835
01:37:18,700 --> 01:37:21,700
stories we tell ourselves about 
our lives matter as much as the 

1836
01:37:21,700 --> 01:37:25,100
actual events. 
The radio brings news that plows

1837
01:37:25,100 --> 01:37:28,600
will start working tomorrow 
concentrating on main roads 

1838
01:37:28,600 --> 01:37:31,100
first before moving to 
residential streets. 

1839
01:37:31,900 --> 01:37:34,500
It might be Sunday before your 
street sees a plow. 

1840
01:37:34,500 --> 01:37:38,400
A Monday before things return to
what passes for normal. 

1841
01:37:39,400 --> 01:37:42,100
No one seems particularly 
bothered by this timeline. 

1842
01:37:42,100 --> 01:37:46,400
If anything you sense relief 
permission to remain in this 

1843
01:37:46,400 --> 01:37:49,600
suspended State a little longer 
this pocket outside. 

1844
01:37:49,600 --> 01:37:54,100
Regular time you prepare for bed
early than usual warn out by the

1845
01:37:54,100 --> 01:37:57,400
emotional intensity of the past 
two days more than any physical 

1846
01:37:57,400 --> 01:38:00,300
labor. 
The sleeping Arrangements have 

1847
01:38:00,300 --> 01:38:02,500
become routine. 
Now, everyone knows where 

1848
01:38:02,500 --> 01:38:05,300
they're going, what they need 
and how to move through your 

1849
01:38:05,300 --> 01:38:07,800
house in the darkness without 
bumping into furniture. 

1850
01:38:08,900 --> 01:38:11,800
The Henderson girl is already 
asleep, carried to bed by her 

1851
01:38:11,800 --> 01:38:15,000
father without ever fully waking
from your sofa. 

1852
01:38:15,000 --> 01:38:18,000
You listen, once again to the 
sounds of your occupied house, 

1853
01:38:19,000 --> 01:38:21,400
but tonight there's something 
different in the quality of the 

1854
01:38:21,400 --> 01:38:24,400
silence. 
Not the tentative quiet of 

1855
01:38:24,400 --> 01:38:28,300
strangers, unsure of their 
welcome, but the relaxed Silence

1856
01:38:28,300 --> 01:38:30,300
of people who've become 
comfortable together. 

1857
01:38:31,300 --> 01:38:35,100
You've shared food and space and
stories, you've weathered 

1858
01:38:35,100 --> 01:38:37,800
something together. 
Even if that's something is just

1859
01:38:37,800 --> 01:38:42,000
an unexpected snowstorm, you've 
created a small community in the

1860
01:38:42,000 --> 01:38:45,900
face of circumstances that could
have left everyone isolated in 

1861
01:38:45,900 --> 01:38:48,700
their separate home's, sleep 
finds you thinking about 

1862
01:38:48,700 --> 01:38:52,800
connection about how the storm 
forced to kind of togetherness 

1863
01:38:52,800 --> 01:38:57,100
that normal life rarely allows 
How you've learned The rhythms 

1864
01:38:57,100 --> 01:39:01,500
of Mrs, Chen's humming and Mr. 
Johnson's snoring and Betty's 

1865
01:39:01,500 --> 01:39:05,500
habit of sighing in her sleep. 
How your private space has 

1866
01:39:05,500 --> 01:39:08,900
become communal, territory, and 
you've discovered you don't mind

1867
01:39:08,900 --> 01:39:10,700
nearly as much as you would have
thought. 

1868
01:39:11,600 --> 01:39:15,200
How sometimes the best moments 
of the ones you never could have

1869
01:39:15,200 --> 01:39:17,900
planned. 
Saturday arrives, with a sense 

1870
01:39:17,900 --> 01:39:20,700
of change. 
In the are not a literal Thor. 

1871
01:39:20,700 --> 01:39:23,500
The temperature remains 
stubbornly below freezing, but 

1872
01:39:23,500 --> 01:39:26,900
something atmospheric A shift in
the quality of the morning that 

1873
01:39:26,900 --> 01:39:29,700
suggests the world is preparing 
to unfreeze itself. 

1874
01:39:29,700 --> 01:39:33,400
When you look out the window at 
dawn, the snow remains as deep 

1875
01:39:33,400 --> 01:39:36,000
as ever. 
But you notice the first signs 

1876
01:39:36,000 --> 01:39:39,600
of human activity distant 
figures on the main road. 

1877
01:39:39,600 --> 01:39:43,800
The sound of a plow somewhere 
blocks away and smoke rising 

1878
01:39:43,800 --> 01:39:47,200
from chimneys up and down the 
street, your household Rises 

1879
01:39:47,200 --> 01:39:51,100
early than yesterday, everyone 
sensing that this day will Mark 

1880
01:39:51,100 --> 01:39:52,800
the transition back to normal 
life. 

1881
01:39:54,100 --> 01:39:56,100
There's a subtle change in 
Behavior, too. 

1882
01:39:56,100 --> 01:39:59,200
People, folding their borrowed, 
blankets, more carefully, 

1883
01:39:59,200 --> 01:40:03,100
tidying up after themselves with
more attention and the small 

1884
01:40:03,100 --> 01:40:07,500
gestures of guests preparing to 
depart The Henderson girl is 

1885
01:40:07,500 --> 01:40:11,200
quieter than she's been perhaps 
sensing her parents shift toward

1886
01:40:11,200 --> 01:40:14,000
leaving. 
Perhaps just tired from two days

1887
01:40:14,008 --> 01:40:16,600
of excitement. 
Breakfast is the last of the 

1888
01:40:16,600 --> 01:40:18,800
turkey fried up with eggs and 
potatoes. 

1889
01:40:18,800 --> 01:40:21,300
And a hash that makes brilliant 
use of your remaining 

1890
01:40:21,300 --> 01:40:24,900
Thanksgiving leftovers. 
It's delicious in that way that 

1891
01:40:24,900 --> 01:40:27,800
last meals together. 
Often are everyone aware that? 

1892
01:40:27,800 --> 01:40:30,400
This is the closing act of your 
shed time. 

1893
01:40:30,400 --> 01:40:33,500
Mr. Patterson complements your 
coffee with particular, 

1894
01:40:33,500 --> 01:40:37,700
enthusiasm Mrs. Chen insists on 
writing down her soup, recipe 

1895
01:40:37,708 --> 01:40:42,300
for you, even though you've been
making soup for 40 years, these 

1896
01:40:42,300 --> 01:40:44,800
small exchanges carry more 
weight than they, otherwise 

1897
01:40:44,800 --> 01:40:48,500
might the sound of the plows 
closer throughout the morning. 

1898
01:40:49,500 --> 01:40:51,900
You're all in the living room. 
When it finally reaches Maple 

1899
01:40:51,900 --> 01:40:55,700
Street, a massive orange, truck 
pushing a wall of snow before 

1900
01:40:55,700 --> 01:40:58,600
it, the scrap of its blade 
against pavement. 

1901
01:40:58,600 --> 01:41:01,400
The first mechanical sound, 
you've heard in two days that 

1902
01:41:01,400 --> 01:41:05,200
isn't from inside your house. 
The Henderson girl rushes to the

1903
01:41:05,200 --> 01:41:08,700
window to watch. 
Slated by The Machine's Brute 

1904
01:41:08,700 --> 01:41:12,500
Force approach to the problem of
snow within an hour of the 

1905
01:41:12,500 --> 01:41:14,800
plows, passage the street begins
to come alive. 

1906
01:41:15,700 --> 01:41:19,000
People emerge from houses 
tentatively at first testing the

1907
01:41:19,000 --> 01:41:22,200
plowed surface. 
Cause a Dugout from their white 

1908
01:41:22,200 --> 01:41:26,000
tombs, the kowalskis appear on 
their front porch waving across 

1909
01:41:26,000 --> 01:41:29,400
the street. 
Mr. Williams from three houses 

1910
01:41:29,400 --> 01:41:32,900
down walks past with his dog, 
both of them looking slightly 

1911
01:41:32,900 --> 01:41:37,100
dazed by the return to Mobility,
Cedar Mills is remembering how 

1912
01:41:37,100 --> 01:41:39,900
to be a town again. 
Mr. Henderson makes the first 

1913
01:41:39,900 --> 01:41:43,200
move to leave standing up with 
visible reluctance and 

1914
01:41:43,200 --> 01:41:45,100
announcing. 
They should probably head home. 

1915
01:41:45,100 --> 01:41:48,100
Let you have your house back and
get their daughter into her own 

1916
01:41:48,108 --> 01:41:51,400
bed. 
The words are practical but his 

1917
01:41:51,400 --> 01:41:55,300
tone suggests, he just as soon. 
Stay his wife not agreement 

1918
01:41:55,300 --> 01:41:56,700
while looking around your living
rooms. 

1919
01:41:56,700 --> 01:42:00,100
If memorizing it The Henderson 
girl showing remarkable 

1920
01:42:00,100 --> 01:42:03,000
emotional intelligence for seven
year old Solomon. 

1921
01:42:03,000 --> 01:42:06,200
Shakes your hand and thanks you 
for letting them visit their 

1922
01:42:06,200 --> 01:42:10,200
departure triggers, a Cascade 
Mrs. Chen needs to check on us 

1923
01:42:10,200 --> 01:42:12,600
store. 
Betty should really see about 

1924
01:42:12,600 --> 01:42:15,900
her own house and make sure the 
pipes didn't freeze Mr. 

1925
01:42:15,900 --> 01:42:17,400
Johnson's daughter is left 
three. 

1926
01:42:17,400 --> 01:42:21,600
Increasingly worried messages 
only Mr. Patterson, seems in, no

1927
01:42:21,600 --> 01:42:25,300
hurry settling deeper into the 
armchair as if planning to stay 

1928
01:42:25,300 --> 01:42:27,800
permanently. 
The eventually even he 

1929
01:42:27,800 --> 01:42:29,900
acknowledges the need to return 
to his own life. 

1930
01:42:29,900 --> 01:42:32,800
The goodbye is a more prolonged 
than anyone intended. 

1931
01:42:32,800 --> 01:42:36,600
Hugs are exchanged and promises 
are made to visit soon and to do

1932
01:42:36,600 --> 01:42:39,900
this again sometime. 
Hello, everyone understands that

1933
01:42:39,900 --> 01:42:42,700
this was unrepeatable. 
A product of specific 

1934
01:42:42,700 --> 01:42:46,300
circumstances that can't be 
recreated by intention. 

1935
01:42:47,100 --> 01:42:51,000
Mrs. Chen, presses something 
into your hand as she leaves a 

1936
01:42:51,000 --> 01:42:53,400
small Jade charm, she claims 
brings good luck. 

1937
01:42:54,300 --> 01:42:57,400
Betty, hugs, you tight enough to
suggest she's holding on to more

1938
01:42:57,400 --> 01:43:01,100
than just a neighbor, who helped
her through a hard day by early 

1939
01:43:01,100 --> 01:43:05,400
afternoon, your house is empty 
again Sudden silence feels 

1940
01:43:05,400 --> 01:43:08,700
profound after two days of 
constant, human noise. 

1941
01:43:09,700 --> 01:43:12,400
You walk through rooms that 
still show signs of occupation, 

1942
01:43:12,400 --> 01:43:17,500
forgotten scarf, an indentation 
in a cushion, a water glass on 

1943
01:43:17,500 --> 01:43:20,200
one left on the coffee table, 
the guest bed needs stripping, 

1944
01:43:20,200 --> 01:43:23,800
the bathroom needs cleaning 
dishes, remain in the sink, the 

1945
01:43:23,800 --> 01:43:26,200
physical evidence of community 
requires attention. 

1946
01:43:26,200 --> 01:43:30,600
But before you start the work of
restoration, you pour yourself a

1947
01:43:30,600 --> 01:43:32,300
cup of coffee and sit in your 
living room. 

1948
01:43:32,300 --> 01:43:36,700
Just looking at the space, the 
Snowman in your front yard is 

1949
01:43:36,700 --> 01:43:39,000
already listing slightly in the 
afternoon sun. 

1950
01:43:39,900 --> 01:43:42,800
The puzzle on your dining table 
is perhaps a quarter finish. 

1951
01:43:42,800 --> 01:43:46,100
Mrs. Chen and Betty Mae, good 
progress on the border. 

1952
01:43:46,100 --> 01:43:49,300
The house smells like coffee and
people and the lingering ghost 

1953
01:43:49,300 --> 01:43:52,600
of roasted turkey. 
Smells like life. 

1954
01:43:52,600 --> 01:43:56,300
You think about the past three 
days, how spectacularly they 

1955
01:43:56,300 --> 01:43:59,500
diverged from your plans? 
The carefully, organized 

1956
01:43:59,500 --> 01:44:02,100
Thanksgiving dinner, that became
an impromptu Feast for 

1957
01:44:02,100 --> 01:44:05,300
Neighbors, The Quiet holiday, 
you'd anticipated that 

1958
01:44:05,300 --> 01:44:09,100
transformed into two days of 
unexpected companionship. 

1959
01:44:09,800 --> 01:44:12,800
The empty house that filled 
itself with people and noise and

1960
01:44:12,800 --> 01:44:15,400
warmth. 
None of it was what you wanted, 

1961
01:44:15,400 --> 01:44:17,500
but all of it was what you 
needed. 

1962
01:44:17,500 --> 01:44:20,400
The afternoon passes in domestic
activity. 

1963
01:44:20,400 --> 01:44:24,100
You strip beds and wash sheets, 
clean bathrooms and vacuum 

1964
01:44:24,100 --> 01:44:25,700
floors. 
Your return. 

1965
01:44:25,700 --> 01:44:29,300
Your house to its usual order 
erasing, the physical traces of 

1966
01:44:29,300 --> 01:44:33,000
your extended Gathering. 
Can't erase the memory of it. 

1967
01:44:33,000 --> 01:44:36,800
The sound of multiple 
conversations layering over each

1968
01:44:36,800 --> 01:44:39,000
other. 
The Henderson girls, laughed 

1969
01:44:39,000 --> 01:44:43,500
after Mr. Johnson stories, and 
Betty's, gradual, emergence from

1970
01:44:43,500 --> 01:44:46,100
grief into something more 
stable. 

1971
01:44:47,100 --> 01:44:50,600
These things have soaked into 
the walls somehow becoming part 

1972
01:44:50,600 --> 01:44:53,600
of The house's history. 
Your sister calls in the late 

1973
01:44:53,600 --> 01:44:57,100
afternoon, you tell her 
everything, how the storm 

1974
01:44:57,100 --> 01:45:01,300
stranded, you how neighbors 
became house guests and how your

1975
01:45:01,300 --> 01:45:03,500
lonely, Thanksgiving something 
entirely different. 

1976
01:45:05,100 --> 01:45:07,000
She listens with increasing 
amazement. 

1977
01:45:08,000 --> 01:45:11,000
Occasionally interrupting with 
questions or exclamations. 

1978
01:45:11,800 --> 01:45:15,200
When you finish, she's quiet for
a moment before saying that's 

1979
01:45:15,200 --> 01:45:19,000
the best Thanksgiving story. 
I've heard in years, maybe ever 

1980
01:45:19,000 --> 01:45:23,300
you realize, she's right. 
It is a good story more than 

1981
01:45:23,308 --> 01:45:24,600
that. 
It was a good experience, 

1982
01:45:24,600 --> 01:45:28,400
difficult and inconvenient and 
completely unplanned. 

1983
01:45:29,100 --> 01:45:32,800
But good in ways that the smooth
execution of your original plan,

1984
01:45:32,800 --> 01:45:36,100
never could have been you 
learned something about yourself

1985
01:45:36,100 --> 01:45:40,600
these past few days about your 
capacity for flexibility and 

1986
01:45:40,600 --> 01:45:43,300
about how much you'd be 
isolating yourself under the 

1987
01:45:43,300 --> 01:45:46,300
guise of Independence. 
You learned that your house 

1988
01:45:46,300 --> 01:45:49,800
could hold more life than you'd 
been allowing it to contain the 

1989
01:45:49,800 --> 01:45:53,400
evening finds you alone again. 
Truly alone, for the first time 

1990
01:45:53,400 --> 01:45:56,900
since Wednesday evening, you 
make yourself a small dinner 

1991
01:45:56,900 --> 01:46:00,600
suit because they're still 
plenty and a slice of bread. 

1992
01:46:00,600 --> 01:46:04,400
You eat at the kitchen table and
instead of the dining room and 

1993
01:46:04,400 --> 01:46:08,500
the quiet feels different than 
it has in months, not a pressive

1994
01:46:08,500 --> 01:46:12,400
or sad, just peaceful. 
The Solitude is a choice. 

1995
01:46:12,400 --> 01:46:15,900
Now rather than a default State 
you call your nephew's. 

1996
01:46:15,900 --> 01:46:19,200
Mother your sister in law and 
tell her about the storm about 

1997
01:46:19,200 --> 01:46:21,800
the Gathering and about how you 
thought of him throughout the 

1998
01:46:21,808 --> 01:46:24,700
holiday. 
She shares his latest letter 

1999
01:46:24,700 --> 01:46:28,000
which arrived Friday. 
Describing some jungle island, 

2000
01:46:28,000 --> 01:46:30,300
where the temperatures are 
sweltering and the food is 

2001
01:46:30,300 --> 01:46:33,100
terrible but he's safe and 
thinking of home. 

2002
01:46:33,100 --> 01:46:37,500
You both take comfort in the 
word safe even while 

2003
01:46:37,500 --> 01:46:40,600
understanding how fragile and 
temporary such safety might be 

2004
01:46:40,600 --> 01:46:43,900
before bed you stand at your 
front window looking out at 

2005
01:46:43,900 --> 01:46:46,000
Maple Street under its covering 
of snow. 

2006
01:46:46,900 --> 01:46:50,500
The flowers come through twice, 
more pushing the accumulation 

2007
01:46:50,500 --> 01:46:54,300
into small amounts of the 
corners. tire tracks Mark the 

2008
01:46:54,300 --> 01:46:58,800
street surface Evidence of 
normal life resuming But the 

2009
01:46:58,808 --> 01:47:02,400
yards remain untouched white 
expanses, and the trees still 

2010
01:47:02,400 --> 01:47:06,200
wear their winter decoration. 
The storms affects will linger 

2011
01:47:06,200 --> 01:47:10,000
for days, maybe weeks in the 
shaded areas, where the sun 

2012
01:47:10,000 --> 01:47:13,200
can't reach you think about 
Monday when your routine will 

2013
01:47:13,200 --> 01:47:16,400
fully reassert itself. 
The grocery shopping the 

2014
01:47:16,400 --> 01:47:19,200
library, visit, and the ordinary
tasks that fill your days. 

2015
01:47:20,400 --> 01:47:22,600
Part of you looks forward to 
that return to normal. 

2016
01:47:23,400 --> 01:47:26,800
But part of you a larger part 
than you would have guessed more

2017
01:47:26,800 --> 01:47:29,400
the end of this strange 
suspended time when your house 

2018
01:47:29,400 --> 01:47:32,400
was full and your life was 
briefly less singular from 

2019
01:47:32,400 --> 01:47:34,900
somewhere down the street. 
You hear laughed after children 

2020
01:47:34,900 --> 01:47:38,100
playing in the snow. 
Probably taking advantage of 

2021
01:47:38,100 --> 01:47:40,100
their unexpected vacation from 
school. 

2022
01:47:40,100 --> 01:47:44,700
The sound carries clearly in the
cold air, a reminder that life 

2023
01:47:44,700 --> 01:47:47,000
continues. 
That other people are living 

2024
01:47:47,000 --> 01:47:49,000
their own version of returning 
to normal. 

2025
01:47:49,700 --> 01:47:53,500
Tomorrow, the mill will reopen 
on Monday, the stores will be 

2026
01:47:53,508 --> 01:47:56,300
back in business. 
Tuesday will feel almost like 

2027
01:47:56,300 --> 01:48:00,200
any other Tuesday, the storm 
already becoming a memory, the 

2028
01:48:00,200 --> 01:48:02,800
details beginning to blur, but 
you'll remember. 

2029
01:48:02,800 --> 01:48:05,500
This Thanksgiving. 
You'll remember the Panic of 

2030
01:48:05,500 --> 01:48:09,200
waking to unexpected snow. 
The adjustment of plans and the 

2031
01:48:09,208 --> 01:48:12,200
gradual Gathering of neighbors 
into something like family. 

2032
01:48:13,000 --> 01:48:16,500
You'll remember Mrs, Chen's 
worrying, and Betty's resilience

2033
01:48:16,500 --> 01:48:19,900
and the Henderson girls, pure 
delight in the snow. 

2034
01:48:19,900 --> 01:48:24,100
You'll remember Mr. Johnson's 
stories, and Mr. Patterson's 

2035
01:48:24,100 --> 01:48:26,200
helpfulness, and the way your 
house fell. 

2036
01:48:26,200 --> 01:48:29,300
When it was full of life, most 
of all, you'll remember that 

2037
01:48:29,300 --> 01:48:31,300
you're not as alone as you 
sometimes feel. 

2038
01:48:31,300 --> 01:48:34,600
That Cedar Mills is more than 
just the place you live. 

2039
01:48:35,400 --> 01:48:38,100
It's a community of people who 
show up for each other when 

2040
01:48:38,100 --> 01:48:41,700
circumstances require it. 
That your neighbor's know where 

2041
01:48:41,700 --> 01:48:44,700
you keep your good Brandy and 
how you take your coffee and 

2042
01:48:44,700 --> 01:48:47,900
what makes you laugh. 
That connection does not require

2043
01:48:47,900 --> 01:48:52,200
perfect planning or ideal 
circumstances, sometimes it just

2044
01:48:52,200 --> 01:48:55,500
requires a historic, snowstorm 
and the willingness to open your

2045
01:48:55,500 --> 01:48:58,100
door. 
Winter settles in to see the 

2046
01:48:58,100 --> 01:49:01,000
Mills with the kind of authority
that late November snowing. 

2047
01:49:01,900 --> 01:49:05,100
The Thanksgiving storm becomes 
The Benchmark against which all 

2048
01:49:05,100 --> 01:49:07,600
other storms are measured, not 
as bad. 

2049
01:49:07,600 --> 01:49:11,300
As that Thanksgiving storm, 
people say, or almost as much 

2050
01:49:11,300 --> 01:49:13,600
snow as we got that Thanksgiving
in 42. 

2051
01:49:14,900 --> 01:49:19,100
The specific details fade for 
most people becoming generalized

2052
01:49:19,100 --> 01:49:22,800
into a story. 
The year, the town froze, the 

2053
01:49:22,800 --> 01:49:26,300
holiday where nobody could go 
anywhere and that crazy storm 

2054
01:49:26,300 --> 01:49:28,400
right after Pearl Harbor's first
anniversary. 

2055
01:49:28,400 --> 01:49:32,200
But you remember the specifics 
you remember them through 

2056
01:49:32,200 --> 01:49:35,300
December when Betty stops by 
once a week for coffee and 

2057
01:49:35,300 --> 01:49:37,700
conversation. 
When the Henderson girl draws 

2058
01:49:37,700 --> 01:49:40,800
you pictures of snowman that you
stick to your refrigerator with 

2059
01:49:40,800 --> 01:49:43,300
magnets. 
You remember them at Christmas 

2060
01:49:43,300 --> 01:49:47,000
when Mrs Chen and brings you 
homemade dumplings a Mr. Johnson

2061
01:49:47,000 --> 01:49:48,800
invite you to his daughter's 
house for dinner. 

2062
01:49:49,600 --> 01:49:52,300
Because you shouldn't be alone 
on Christmas after being such a 

2063
01:49:52,300 --> 01:49:55,000
saint on Thanksgiving. 
You remember the texture of 

2064
01:49:55,008 --> 01:49:57,900
those three days? 
Not just the events, but the 

2065
01:49:57,900 --> 01:50:02,000
feeling of them, Killer quality 
of time when the normal rules 

2066
01:50:02,000 --> 01:50:05,000
were suspended the way your 
house sounded when it was full 

2067
01:50:05,000 --> 01:50:07,900
of voices. 
The comfort of waking to know. 

2068
01:50:07,900 --> 01:50:10,700
You want to loan that other 
people were breathing in 

2069
01:50:10,700 --> 01:50:14,300
adjacent rooms. 
Strange intimacy of sharing 

2070
01:50:14,300 --> 01:50:17,400
space with near strangers. 
Who became something more 

2071
01:50:17,400 --> 01:50:19,300
through simple. 
Proximity and shared 

2072
01:50:19,300 --> 01:50:22,200
circumstance. 
January brings your nephew home 

2073
01:50:22,200 --> 01:50:25,000
on unexpected. 
Leave you tell him the whole 

2074
01:50:25,000 --> 01:50:28,700
story of a turkey sandwiches. 
You've never completely stopped 

2075
01:50:28,700 --> 01:50:32,300
making turkey sandwiches since 
that Thanksgiving always keeping

2076
01:50:32,300 --> 01:50:35,100
some in the freezer. 
He listens with the kind of 

2077
01:50:35,100 --> 01:50:37,600
attention that suggests. 
He understands something about 

2078
01:50:37,600 --> 01:50:39,600
the experience. 
You can't quite articulate. 

2079
01:50:41,500 --> 01:50:43,600
Sounds like my unit. 
He says, finally. 

2080
01:50:44,400 --> 01:50:46,900
A bunch of guys who didn't know 
each other thrown together by 

2081
01:50:46,900 --> 01:50:50,200
circumstances figuring out how 
to be a family of sorts. 

2082
01:50:50,200 --> 01:50:53,900
It's not the same as home, but 
it's something you think about 

2083
01:50:53,900 --> 01:50:57,600
that comparison for days, 
afterward how crisis creates 

2084
01:50:57,600 --> 01:51:00,000
Community Helping stuck 
together? 

2085
01:51:00,000 --> 01:51:04,500
Literally in your case 
figuratively, in his forces, a 

2086
01:51:04,500 --> 01:51:07,300
kind of connection that 
comfortable circumstances never 

2087
01:51:07,300 --> 01:51:10,200
require How the storm gave you 
something? 

2088
01:51:10,200 --> 01:51:14,000
You didn't know you needed? 
Proof that you could open your 

2089
01:51:14,000 --> 01:51:16,100
life to others that your 
carefully. 

2090
01:51:16,100 --> 01:51:19,400
Maintained Independence. 
Wasn't the only way to live by 

2091
01:51:19,400 --> 01:51:21,300
February. 
The snow from Thanksgiving has 

2092
01:51:21,300 --> 01:51:24,800
long since melted though, other 
storms of added their own 

2093
01:51:24,800 --> 01:51:29,600
accumulation life has returned 
to its normal patterns work and 

2094
01:51:29,600 --> 01:51:32,400
errands and the small routines 
that structured days. 

2095
01:51:33,400 --> 01:51:35,200
Something fundamental has 
shifted. 

2096
01:51:35,200 --> 01:51:39,400
You accept more invitations. 
Now, you invite more people 

2097
01:51:39,400 --> 01:51:42,800
over. 
Your house which you kept so 

2098
01:51:42,800 --> 01:51:45,400
carefully. 
Private for two years opens its 

2099
01:51:45,400 --> 01:51:49,700
doors more readily, not 
constantly, you still value your

2100
01:51:49,700 --> 01:51:52,000
solitude. 
But enough to remember that 

2101
01:51:52,000 --> 01:51:55,300
you're part of something larger 
than yourself, Betty gets a job 

2102
01:51:55,308 --> 01:51:57,800
at the Mill, taking the place of
a man who was drafted. 

2103
01:51:58,900 --> 01:52:01,400
Stops by to tell you about it on
her way home from her. 

2104
01:52:01,400 --> 01:52:05,300
First shift, her face glowing 
with tired Pride. 

2105
01:52:06,600 --> 01:52:09,200
I'm actually good at it. 
She says, surprise to herself 

2106
01:52:09,200 --> 01:52:12,500
better than I thought I'd be. 
You're not surprised. 

2107
01:52:12,500 --> 01:52:16,000
You saw her find her strength 
during those snowed in days and 

2108
01:52:16,000 --> 01:52:19,900
watched to discover resources, 
she didn't know she had The war 

2109
01:52:19,900 --> 01:52:23,000
is teaching everyone, unexpected
lessons about their own 

2110
01:52:23,000 --> 01:52:26,500
capabilities, spring arrives. 
Eventually the way it always 

2111
01:52:26,500 --> 01:52:29,200
does turning the world green and
soft. 

2112
01:52:30,100 --> 01:52:32,200
The last traces of the 
Thanksgiving storm. 

2113
01:52:32,200 --> 01:52:35,900
Finally disappear. 
The persistent ice and shaded 

2114
01:52:35,900 --> 01:52:39,200
Corners. 
The dirty snow piled in parking,

2115
01:52:39,200 --> 01:52:41,400
lots. 
Your working in your garden. 

2116
01:52:41,400 --> 01:52:44,700
One afternoon in April, when the
Henderson girl appears bigger 

2117
01:52:44,700 --> 01:52:46,900
somehow though, it's only been 
four months. 

2118
01:52:47,800 --> 01:52:50,300
She's brought you dandelions 
picked from her own yard 

2119
01:52:50,300 --> 01:52:53,600
presented with the solemnity of 
someone offering roses. 

2120
01:52:53,600 --> 01:52:56,000
You invite her in for lemonade 
and cookies. 

2121
01:52:56,000 --> 01:52:59,100
And she sits at your kitchen 
table, chattering about school, 

2122
01:52:59,100 --> 01:53:01,900
and friends, and the tadpoles in
the pond at the end of town, 

2123
01:53:03,100 --> 01:53:07,000
Before she leaves she asks the 
Casual curiosity of children. 

2124
01:53:07,000 --> 01:53:10,800
If you remember that time when 
it snowed so much they stayed at

2125
01:53:10,800 --> 01:53:13,500
your house you tell her. 
Yes you remember. 

2126
01:53:13,500 --> 01:53:18,100
You'll always remember the 
Thanksgiving of 1943 approaches 

2127
01:53:18,100 --> 01:53:21,000
and you make plans early your 
hosting again. 

2128
01:53:21,000 --> 01:53:24,200
But this time with full 
knowledge and intention your 

2129
01:53:24,200 --> 01:53:26,900
sister and brother, and their 
families will come as they were 

2130
01:53:26,900 --> 01:53:30,400
supposed to last year. 
But you've also invited Mrs. 

2131
01:53:30,400 --> 01:53:32,900
Chen and Betty and the 
Hendersons and Mr. Johnson, 

2132
01:53:32,900 --> 01:53:37,300
maybe Mr. Patterson, if he's 
free your dining table will 

2133
01:53:37,300 --> 01:53:41,000
actually need all seven settings
this time, possibly more the 

2134
01:53:41,000 --> 01:53:43,400
night before Thanksgiving, you 
walk through your house 

2135
01:53:43,400 --> 01:53:46,800
preparing, setting the table, 
checking your supplies and 

2136
01:53:46,800 --> 01:53:49,800
making lists. 
The rituals of the same as they 

2137
01:53:49,800 --> 01:53:51,700
were a year ago, but you're 
different. 

2138
01:53:52,600 --> 01:53:55,500
You move through the tasks with 
less anxiety and more confident.

2139
01:53:56,500 --> 01:53:58,700
You're not just going through 
the motions of hosting a 

2140
01:53:58,700 --> 01:54:00,900
holiday, your creating space for
people. 

2141
01:54:00,900 --> 01:54:04,200
You care about people who've 
become genuinely important to 

2142
01:54:04,200 --> 01:54:06,500
you over the past year. 
You think about the woman? 

2143
01:54:06,500 --> 01:54:10,200
You will last Thanksgiving, 
organized and isolated prepared 

2144
01:54:10,200 --> 01:54:13,300
and lonely going through the 
motions of Celebration. 

2145
01:54:13,300 --> 01:54:16,800
While missing the point of it. 
You think about how the storm 

2146
01:54:16,800 --> 01:54:19,500
Stripped Away. 
You're careful plans and forced 

2147
01:54:19,500 --> 01:54:21,500
you into something Messier and 
more real. 

2148
01:54:22,400 --> 01:54:25,700
How the worst case scenario, 
you're carefully planned, dinner

2149
01:54:25,700 --> 01:54:29,700
disrupted, your house, invaded 
by neighbors, your Solitude 

2150
01:54:29,700 --> 01:54:33,200
shattered, became the best thing
that could have happened that 

2151
01:54:33,200 --> 01:54:37,900
night you dream about snow not 
threatening or scary just 

2152
01:54:37,900 --> 01:54:41,800
present. 
Falling steadily quietly. 

2153
01:54:42,600 --> 01:54:44,900
Transforming the world into 
something new. 

2154
01:54:46,000 --> 01:54:48,600
In the dream, you're watching 
from your window as people 

2155
01:54:48,600 --> 01:54:52,100
gather outside drawn to your 
house, like it's sending out 

2156
01:54:52,100 --> 01:54:55,800
some signal their cold and you 
let them in they're hungry and 

2157
01:54:55,800 --> 01:54:58,700
you feed them, they need shelter
and you provide it. 

2158
01:54:59,500 --> 01:55:01,300
The dream has the quality of 
myth. 

2159
01:55:02,000 --> 01:55:03,800
Of something icky Temple and 
ancient. 

2160
01:55:04,900 --> 01:55:07,600
When you wait you remember the 
feeling of it more than the 

2161
01:55:07,600 --> 01:55:10,100
details? 
The satisfaction of having 

2162
01:55:10,100 --> 01:55:13,900
something to give the joy of 
being useful and the rightness 

2163
01:55:13,900 --> 01:55:18,100
of opening your door, 
Thanksgiving 1943, unfolds with 

2164
01:55:18,100 --> 01:55:20,200
the smoothness. 
You'd hoped for the year before 

2165
01:55:20,200 --> 01:55:25,700
everyone arrives on time. 
The turkey Cooks perfectly the 

2166
01:55:25,700 --> 01:55:29,500
conversations flow easily 
punctuated by laughter and the 

2167
01:55:29,500 --> 01:55:31,700
comfortable silence is of people
who know each other. 

2168
01:55:31,700 --> 01:55:35,500
Well, Your nephew. 
Is there still stationed in the 

2169
01:55:35,500 --> 01:55:39,800
states training for something, 
nobody talks about and watching 

2170
01:55:39,800 --> 01:55:42,500
him joke, with the Henderson 
girl while helping Mrs, Chen, 

2171
01:55:42,500 --> 01:55:46,300
carry dishes, make something in 
your chest, feel warm, and full.

2172
01:55:46,300 --> 01:55:49,700
At some point during dinner, 
talk turns to last year's storm.

2173
01:55:49,700 --> 01:55:53,300
Everyone has their own version 
of events their own details. 

2174
01:55:53,300 --> 01:55:56,800
They remember the Henderson girl
insists. 

2175
01:55:56,800 --> 01:56:01,300
The snow was as tall as Daddy, 
which is an exaggeration, but 

2176
01:56:01,300 --> 01:56:05,100
not by much. 
Mr. Patterson describes digging 

2177
01:56:05,100 --> 01:56:07,900
out your driveway with the 
reference of someone recounting 

2178
01:56:07,900 --> 01:56:11,600
an Epic Quest. 
Mrs. Chen mentioned her worried 

2179
01:56:11,600 --> 01:56:14,600
about the store. 
Though, she admits it was fine 

2180
01:56:14,600 --> 01:56:16,900
when she finally got back to it 
Betty. 

2181
01:56:16,900 --> 01:56:19,200
Who's gained confidence along 
with her job at the Mill? 

2182
01:56:19,200 --> 01:56:23,100
Raises her glass, water, not 
wine, but it doesn't matter. 

2183
01:56:24,300 --> 01:56:27,700
Unexpected blessings. 
She says and everyone 

2184
01:56:27,700 --> 01:56:30,200
understands she's talking about 
more than just the meal. 

2185
01:56:31,000 --> 01:56:34,200
She is talking about the storm 
about the way crisis, revealed 

2186
01:56:34,200 --> 01:56:37,200
connection and about how the 
worst Thanksgiving became the 

2187
01:56:37,200 --> 01:56:40,600
best one. 
Everyone Echoes the toast and 

2188
01:56:40,600 --> 01:56:43,200
you feel tears, prick. 
Your eyes, though, you're 

2189
01:56:43,200 --> 01:56:44,200
smiling. 
Later. 

2190
01:56:44,200 --> 01:56:47,500
After everyone has left and 
you're cleaning up, you find 

2191
01:56:47,500 --> 01:56:50,400
yourself standing at the kitchen
window in the exact spot. 

2192
01:56:50,400 --> 01:56:53,700
You stood a year ago, the 
weather outside is clear and 

2193
01:56:53,700 --> 01:56:56,100
cold with no snow in the 
forecast. 

2194
01:56:56,100 --> 01:57:00,700
Everything is going according to
plan and yet you feel a small 

2195
01:57:00,700 --> 01:57:04,500
Pang for last year's chaos for 
the way, the storm forced you 

2196
01:57:04,508 --> 01:57:07,800
out of your comfortable 
isolation into something wider 

2197
01:57:07,800 --> 01:57:11,100
and more generous. 
You realize the storm gave you 

2198
01:57:11,100 --> 01:57:14,300
more than just a memorable 
Thanksgiving it gave you a 

2199
01:57:14,300 --> 01:57:15,700
different way of being in the 
world. 

2200
01:57:15,700 --> 01:57:19,700
It taught you that perfect plans
are less important than perfect 

2201
01:57:19,700 --> 01:57:23,200
presents. 
That opening your door literally

2202
01:57:23,200 --> 01:57:25,900
and metaphorically makes your 
life bigger rather than smaller.

2203
01:57:26,900 --> 01:57:29,300
that the things you think you 
want aren't always the things, 

2204
01:57:29,300 --> 01:57:32,600
you actually need the phone, 
rings as your wiping down, the 

2205
01:57:32,600 --> 01:57:36,200
counters, your sister calling to
thank you again and to tell you 

2206
01:57:36,200 --> 01:57:39,800
what a wonderful day it was You 
talked for a while about family 

2207
01:57:39,800 --> 01:57:42,700
and food and the small details 
that make holidays matter. 

2208
01:57:43,500 --> 01:57:47,600
Before hanging up she says, you 
know, I was so disappointed last

2209
01:57:47,600 --> 01:57:50,300
year when we couldn't make it 
but I think that's storm, might 

2210
01:57:50,300 --> 01:57:54,000
be an exactly what you needed. 
You agree because it's true. 

2211
01:57:54,000 --> 01:57:56,400
The storm was exactly what you 
needed. 

2212
01:57:56,400 --> 01:58:00,000
Even though, you didn't know you
needed anything years later 

2213
01:58:00,000 --> 01:58:04,000
after the war ends after your 
nephew comes home, after Betty's

2214
01:58:04,000 --> 01:58:06,800
husband returns and they have 
children of their own, you'll 

2215
01:58:06,800 --> 01:58:09,800
still remember the Thanksgiving 
when the storm stopped time 

2216
01:58:10,700 --> 01:58:14,500
You'll remember it not as a 
disaster but as a gift, not as 

2217
01:58:14,500 --> 01:58:18,400
disruption. 
But as a revelation, You'll tell

2218
01:58:18,400 --> 01:58:22,100
the story to anyone who listened
embellishing the details 

2219
01:58:22,100 --> 01:58:25,600
slightly with each telling the 
way all good stories evolve over

2220
01:58:25,600 --> 01:58:28,200
time, but the heart of it will 
remain true. 

2221
01:58:28,200 --> 01:58:31,600
How nature, intervened in your 
carefully, ordered life and 

2222
01:58:31,600 --> 01:58:35,300
forced you into connection. 
How a town Frozen in place 

2223
01:58:35,300 --> 01:58:36,900
became a community held 
together. 

2224
01:58:37,800 --> 01:58:41,200
How your empty house filled with
people who needed shelter and 

2225
01:58:41,200 --> 01:58:43,500
how you discovered, you needed 
them just as much. 

2226
01:58:44,400 --> 01:58:48,000
How the worst weather created, 
the best memory is how sometimes

2227
01:58:48,000 --> 01:58:50,500
the things that seem terrible in
the moment, become the things 

2228
01:58:50,500 --> 01:58:52,600
you're most grateful for in 
retrospect. 

2229
01:58:53,300 --> 01:58:57,100
Thanksgiving storm of 1942 
becomes part of Cedar Mills 

2230
01:58:57,100 --> 01:59:01,100
mythology, part of your personal
history and part of the tapestry

2231
01:59:01,100 --> 01:59:03,000
of small town life during 
wartime. 

2232
01:59:03,000 --> 01:59:07,700
But more than that, it becomes 
a, touchstone, a reminder that 

2233
01:59:07,700 --> 01:59:11,500
flexibility matters more than 
planning that people matter more

2234
01:59:11,500 --> 01:59:15,300
than Perfection and that opening
yourself to the unexpected, can 

2235
01:59:15,300 --> 01:59:18,800
lead to the most meaningful 
experiences of all and on Cold 

2236
01:59:18,800 --> 01:59:20,600
November nights for the rest of 
your life. 

2237
01:59:20,600 --> 01:59:23,900
When snow begins to fall and the
wind picks up and the world 

2238
01:59:23,900 --> 01:59:27,100
outside your window starts to 
disappear, under white 

2239
01:59:27,100 --> 01:59:30,400
accumulation. 
You'll remember You'll remember 

2240
01:59:30,400 --> 01:59:32,100
the sound of voices, filling 
your house. 

2241
01:59:32,100 --> 01:59:36,400
The taste of turkey shared with 
neighbors, Henderson girls, 

2242
01:59:36,400 --> 01:59:40,800
laughed after his tears, giving 
way to resilience a Mrs. Chen's 

2243
01:59:40,800 --> 01:59:44,500
worried humming in your kitchen.
You'll remember that you're not 

2244
01:59:44,508 --> 01:59:48,100
alone that your part of 
something larger that your life 

2245
01:59:48,100 --> 01:59:51,800
touches other lives in ways that
matter you'll remember, and 

2246
01:59:51,800 --> 01:59:55,000
you'll be grateful grateful for 
the storm that stopped your 

2247
01:59:55,000 --> 01:59:57,500
world grateful. 
For the Neighbors who became 

2248
01:59:57,500 --> 02:00:01,900
family grateful for the lesson 
learned slowly over three snowed

2249
02:00:01,900 --> 02:00:05,200
in days that the best things in 
life are rarely the things. 

2250
02:00:05,200 --> 02:00:09,800
You plan the community happens 
in crisis and that an Open Door 

2251
02:00:09,800 --> 02:00:13,300
can change everything, the 
snowfalls in your memory, soft 

2252
02:00:13,300 --> 02:00:16,400
and steady and infinite covering
the world in white and 

2253
02:00:16,400 --> 02:00:19,800
possibility. 
And somewhere deep inside, 

2254
02:00:19,800 --> 02:00:21,500
you're still standing at that 
window. 

2255
02:00:21,500 --> 02:00:25,800
On Thanksgiving morning. 1942. 
Watching The Impossible 

2256
02:00:25,800 --> 02:00:29,400
accumulation and not yet knowing
how it will transform 

2257
02:00:29,400 --> 02:00:31,800
everything. 
Still planning your meal for 

2258
02:00:31,800 --> 02:00:34,500
seven. 
Not knowing it will feed 10. 

2259
02:00:35,300 --> 02:00:38,200
Still thinking you're alone, not
knowing you're about to 

2260
02:00:38,208 --> 02:00:40,800
discover. 
You never really were The storm 

2261
02:00:40,800 --> 02:00:44,900
taught you the snow showed you, 
the Frozen Town gave you the 

2262
02:00:44,900 --> 02:00:48,700
gift of connection wrapped in 
inconvenience of community 

2263
02:00:48,700 --> 02:00:53,000
disguised as crisis. 
And every Thanksgiving afterward

2264
02:00:53,000 --> 02:00:57,800
whether snowy or clear cold or 
mild you carry that gift with 

2265
02:00:57,800 --> 02:01:00,000
you. 
The knowledge that your life is 

2266
02:01:00,000 --> 02:01:03,800
bigger than you knew that your 
capacity for opening and sharing

2267
02:01:03,800 --> 02:01:06,400
and connecting is wider than you
imagined. 

2268
02:01:07,100 --> 02:01:10,000
And that sometimes the best 
moments of the ones you never 

2269
02:01:10,000 --> 02:01:14,300
could have planned the Memory 
Remains persistent as snow, in 

2270
02:01:14,300 --> 02:01:18,100
shaded Corners present as the 
changing seasons. 

2271
02:01:18,100 --> 02:01:22,300
The Thanksgiving winter storm, 
that Frozen entire town, and in 

2272
02:01:22,300 --> 02:01:26,400
doing so he thought a frozen 
heart, your heart. 

2273
02:01:27,400 --> 02:01:30,000
The heart, you didn't even know 
needed thorong until the snow 

2274
02:01:30,000 --> 02:01:33,400
came down and the world stopped 
and the door opened, and the 

2275
02:01:33,400 --> 02:01:36,700
people came in and everything 
changed, and you carry that 

2276
02:01:36,700 --> 02:01:40,500
change forward year after year, 
storm after storm. 

2277
02:01:40,500 --> 02:01:44,700
Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving.
Carrying it like a gift. 

2278
02:01:46,000 --> 02:01:48,300
Crit, like a story worth 
telling. 

2279
02:01:49,300 --> 02:01:52,600
The story of when the snow fell 
in the world stopped in life. 

2280
02:01:52,600 --> 02:01:58,300
Real life, messy, and unexpected
and beautiful finally began. 

2281
02:02:08,600 --> 02:02:11,200
Zeus did not become the ruler of
Olympus by chance. 

2282
02:02:12,000 --> 02:02:14,100
His story began in the womb of 
Raya. 

2283
02:02:14,800 --> 02:02:17,800
Titaness straining under the 
brutal reign of her consort 

2284
02:02:17,800 --> 02:02:22,000
Cronos driven by a grim prophecy
that one of his offspring would 

2285
02:02:22,000 --> 02:02:24,800
throw him Cronus swallowed each 
child at Birth. 

2286
02:02:25,700 --> 02:02:29,700
Steer Demeter Hira Hades and 
Poseidon fell victim to his 

2287
02:02:29,700 --> 02:02:30,600
paranoid. 
Appetite. 

2288
02:02:30,600 --> 02:02:34,000
His cunning seemed absolute his.
Hold on. 

2289
02:02:34,000 --> 02:02:38,200
The cosmos unshakable yet Rhea. 
Mourning the Lost of her 

2290
02:02:38,200 --> 02:02:41,200
children. 
Devised, a hidden plan to save 

2291
02:02:41,200 --> 02:02:45,600
her newborn She gave birth to 
Zeus on the island of Crete far 

2292
02:02:45,600 --> 02:02:49,200
from Corona's suspicious gaze in
a desperate ruse. 

2293
02:02:49,200 --> 02:02:52,100
She wrapped a stone in, 
swaddling cloth, and offered it 

2294
02:02:52,100 --> 02:02:54,100
to Cronos. 
Who devoured it without 

2295
02:02:54,100 --> 02:02:57,100
question. 
Thus, Zeus spent his infancy in 

2296
02:02:57,100 --> 02:03:01,100
a secret cave on Crete, nurtured
by nymphs and guarded by 

2297
02:03:01,100 --> 02:03:04,000
Warriors who clashed their 
Spears to muffle his cries. 

2298
02:03:04,900 --> 02:03:07,600
This upbringing was less about 
comfort and more about survival.

2299
02:03:08,500 --> 02:03:11,500
Boy learned watchfulness 
forging, a sharp mind, that 

2300
02:03:11,500 --> 02:03:15,400
weighed every possibility, 
unlike many later, Tales no 

2301
02:03:15,400 --> 02:03:18,700
glimmering cradle, or immediate 
worship, surrounded him, his 

2302
02:03:18,700 --> 02:03:21,500
environment was damp Stone and 
echoing Darkness. 

2303
02:03:21,500 --> 02:03:25,000
He heard the nymphs whispered, 
fears of Cronus, discovering 

2304
02:03:25,000 --> 02:03:29,608
them, fueling a quiet resolve in
the boy, each day he fed on the 

2305
02:03:29,616 --> 02:03:33,400
Milk of the goat and Althea, an 
extraordinary creature fated for

2306
02:03:33,400 --> 02:03:36,700
the stars and gained a robust 
Constitution, that belied his 

2307
02:03:36,700 --> 02:03:40,500
infant form. 
As he grew into adolescence rear

2308
02:03:40,500 --> 02:03:44,300
revealed his true lineage Zeus 
discovered the horrifying truth,

2309
02:03:44,300 --> 02:03:49,000
five siblings, languished within
chronosis belly each a captive 

2310
02:03:49,000 --> 02:03:52,400
soul in the Gloom. 
It was then that he vowed to 

2311
02:03:52,408 --> 02:03:54,900
free them. 
A vow that shaped his destiny. 

2312
02:03:55,600 --> 02:03:57,300
Under the Council of the earth 
herself. 

2313
02:03:57,300 --> 02:04:01,700
Gaia Zeus secured an emetic 
potion to force Kronos to 

2314
02:04:01,700 --> 02:04:05,300
Discord, the swallowed Gods but 
accomplishing that required 

2315
02:04:05,300 --> 02:04:08,400
cunning steps. 
He first infiltrated chronosis 

2316
02:04:08,400 --> 02:04:11,400
domain in Disguise playing the 
role of a new cup Bearer? 

2317
02:04:12,200 --> 02:04:15,600
Kronos, ironically found 
Amusement in this young figure 

2318
02:04:15,600 --> 02:04:18,300
who served him nectar and 
listened to his boasts of 

2319
02:04:18,308 --> 02:04:22,800
invincibility during a feast, 
Zeus slip, the potion in his 

2320
02:04:22,800 --> 02:04:24,800
cup. 
The effect was violent and 

2321
02:04:24,800 --> 02:04:28,700
immediate in a torrent of 
convulsions, Kronos wretched out

2322
02:04:28,708 --> 02:04:32,000
the five imprisoned, siblings, 
fully grown, and burning with 

2323
02:04:32,000 --> 02:04:34,400
resentment, they emerged into 
the light. 

2324
02:04:35,000 --> 02:04:37,500
That moment sparked the 
beginning of the titanomachy, 

2325
02:04:37,500 --> 02:04:40,700
the apical war between the 
Titans and the newly freed 

2326
02:04:40,700 --> 02:04:44,200
Olympians. 
A Cronus is to the Elder Titans 

2327
02:04:44,200 --> 02:04:47,700
ancient and formidable 
controlling Primal forces that 

2328
02:04:47,700 --> 02:04:51,300
predated mortal memory. 
Zeus, rallied, his siblings 

2329
02:04:51,300 --> 02:04:54,900
Poseidon and Hades among them 
along with allies such as the 

2330
02:04:54,900 --> 02:04:59,500
Cyclops and the heck on chairs. 
These monstrous beings once 

2331
02:04:59,500 --> 02:05:03,600
locked in Tartarus Byron's 
cruelty, joined the rebellion in

2332
02:05:03,600 --> 02:05:06,000
gratitude for their release for 
years. 

2333
02:05:06,000 --> 02:05:08,900
The cosmos rattled with 
thunderclaps and quaking. 

2334
02:05:08,900 --> 02:05:13,000
Earth sees raged under 
Poseidon's Fury And the 

2335
02:05:13,008 --> 02:05:16,400
underworld itself trembled, 
whenever Hades Unleashed his 

2336
02:05:16,400 --> 02:05:20,600
Gloom upon Enemy Lines. 
Zeus forging lightning bolts 

2337
02:05:20,600 --> 02:05:24,500
gifted by the cyclopes hurled 
searing arcs that blinded and 

2338
02:05:24,500 --> 02:05:28,200
scorched, tighten armies. 
The war war on each mild 

2339
02:05:28,200 --> 02:05:32,000
refusing to yield Legends say 
that mountains were sundered. 

2340
02:05:32,000 --> 02:05:35,500
Rivers reversed course and the 
sky wept flame. 

2341
02:05:35,500 --> 02:05:40,000
Kronos LED Titan Legions with 
unwavering rage but cracks 

2342
02:05:40,000 --> 02:05:43,400
formed in the Titan ranks. 
Some disliked chronosis, brutal 

2343
02:05:43,400 --> 02:05:47,900
rule or resented their father 
Uranus's old curses in a final 

2344
02:05:47,900 --> 02:05:49,600
cataclysmic. 
Confrontation. 

2345
02:05:49,600 --> 02:05:54,300
The Olympians cornered Cronos in
his staunchest supporters with a

2346
02:05:54,300 --> 02:05:58,100
Thunderbolts, final strike, 
Kronos collapsed dethroned by 

2347
02:05:58,100 --> 02:06:02,900
his son, Zeus battered and 
bloodied recognized that simply 

2348
02:06:02,900 --> 02:06:06,600
winning the war solved little, 
unless he established a new 

2349
02:06:06,600 --> 02:06:09,400
cosmic order. 
He hurled the defeated Titans 

2350
02:06:09,400 --> 02:06:13,200
into tartars depths appointing 
the heck and chairs as Eternal, 

2351
02:06:13,200 --> 02:06:16,900
wardens Victorious, Zeus and his
siblings ascended to Mount 

2352
02:06:16,900 --> 02:06:20,600
Olympus staking claimed 
governance of the world yet even

2353
02:06:20,600 --> 02:06:23,700
amid Applause from gods and 
lesser divinity's Zoo. 

2354
02:06:23,700 --> 02:06:26,400
Sensed complexities looming 
freed from Titan. 

2355
02:06:26,400 --> 02:06:30,400
Oppression the cosmos demanded 
guidance, The Mortals fragile as

2356
02:06:30,400 --> 02:06:34,300
they were looked for stability. 
The gods themselves harbored 

2357
02:06:34,300 --> 02:06:37,200
aspiration for power. 
No, single lightning bolt could 

2358
02:06:37,200 --> 02:06:39,900
ensure Harmony. 
In this nice and age. 

2359
02:06:39,900 --> 02:06:42,800
The newly minted King of the 
Gods recognized that to preserve

2360
02:06:42,800 --> 02:06:46,200
what the Titanic had won. 
He must balance generosity with 

2361
02:06:46,200 --> 02:06:50,200
a Steely grasp of authority. 
Thus began the era in which Zeus

2362
02:06:50,200 --> 02:06:53,100
reigned from Olympus. 
Forging the pantheons laws. 

2363
02:06:53,100 --> 02:06:57,400
He allocated domains to each 
sibling Poseidon for Seas Hades 

2364
02:06:57,400 --> 02:07:00,100
for the underworld and Hera for 
marriage and childbirth. 

2365
02:07:01,000 --> 02:07:04,300
The cosmos found structure in 
these new boundaries, even sow 

2366
02:07:04,300 --> 02:07:08,400
the seeds of conflict with other
forces Giants, monstrous 

2367
02:07:08,400 --> 02:07:10,500
creatures. 
And the Ambitions of lesser 

2368
02:07:10,500 --> 02:07:14,700
gods, were so sown. 
Zeus the crown by Thunder knew 

2369
02:07:14,700 --> 02:07:17,300
that an eternal vigilance was 
the price of cosmic piece. 

2370
02:07:18,300 --> 02:07:20,000
The boy wants to hit a hidden 
cave. 

2371
02:07:20,000 --> 02:07:24,900
Now stood at the Pinnacle gazing
down from cloud reased Peaks, a 

2372
02:07:24,900 --> 02:07:27,700
king determined to shape the 
fate of gods and Mortals alike. 

2373
02:07:28,900 --> 02:07:32,000
After toppling Kronos Zeus 
faced, the challenge of 

2374
02:07:32,000 --> 02:07:34,100
consolidating, his authority 
among Gods. 

2375
02:07:34,100 --> 02:07:36,000
Who still carried vestiges of 
Titan. 

2376
02:07:36,000 --> 02:07:38,800
Born chaos, though. 
He had proven his might on the 

2377
02:07:38,808 --> 02:07:41,200
battlefield. 
The daily governance of a 

2378
02:07:41,200 --> 02:07:43,200
cosmos, demanded more than raw 
power. 

2379
02:07:44,000 --> 02:07:47,000
The established accounts on 
Mount, Olympus seating, his 

2380
02:07:47,000 --> 02:07:50,400
siblings children and chosen 
allies around a grand marble 

2381
02:07:50,400 --> 02:07:53,100
table. 
Each voice carried weight, but 

2382
02:07:53,100 --> 02:07:55,300
Zeus's, final word guided 
decisions. 

2383
02:07:55,300 --> 02:07:58,400
This sense of a Divine Senate 
introduced. 

2384
02:07:58,400 --> 02:08:01,200
A measure of collaboration. 
Unseen in the old Titan regime 

2385
02:08:01,200 --> 02:08:05,900
where Kronos had ruled by fear, 
Zeus Champion debates and 

2386
02:08:05,900 --> 02:08:07,900
occasionally yielded to majority
sentiment. 

2387
02:08:08,600 --> 02:08:11,000
Though only if it didn't 
undermine his vision of order. 

2388
02:08:11,800 --> 02:08:14,800
One, early test came. 
When the Giants monstrous 

2389
02:08:14,800 --> 02:08:18,700
children of Gaia Rose to avenge.
The Titans convinced, the 

2390
02:08:18,708 --> 02:08:21,700
Olympians had gone too far in 
sealing kronos's. 

2391
02:08:21,700 --> 02:08:25,000
Brewed within Tartarus Gaia 
incited, these Giants to 

2392
02:08:25,000 --> 02:08:27,500
assault. 
Olympus the Giants, boasted 

2393
02:08:27,500 --> 02:08:31,000
colossal strength and cunning 
leaving only a mortal could kill

2394
02:08:31,000 --> 02:08:33,800
them. 
Alarmed, Zeus recognized. 

2395
02:08:33,800 --> 02:08:37,200
He needed mortal Aid. 
He enlisted Heracles a heroic 

2396
02:08:37,200 --> 02:08:40,300
demigod forging. 
A crucial alliance between human

2397
02:08:40,300 --> 02:08:43,500
endeavor and godly might in a 
ferocious battle remembered as 

2398
02:08:43,500 --> 02:08:47,600
the gigantic Thunderbolts 
clashed with monstrous clubs and

2399
02:08:47,600 --> 02:08:49,400
Heracles. 
Arrows found their marks 

2400
02:08:49,400 --> 02:08:53,500
together, gods and heroes repel 
the Giants reaffirming Olympus 

2401
02:08:53,500 --> 02:08:55,900
is ascendancy. 
The moral lesson. 

2402
02:08:55,900 --> 02:08:59,900
Resounded Zeus's, rule thrived 
not merely from isolation but 

2403
02:08:59,900 --> 02:09:03,000
from forging ties across mortal 
and Immortal lines yet. 

2404
02:09:03,000 --> 02:09:06,600
There was no glorious Unity. 
Hera Zeus's, sister wife 

2405
02:09:06,600 --> 02:09:10,800
realized her consort's roving, I
threatened stability, indeed 

2406
02:09:10,800 --> 02:09:14,600
Zeus's, Mortal and divinely on 
so jealousy across the pantheon 

2407
02:09:14,600 --> 02:09:18,600
where the disguised as a swan or
showering gold to whom more 

2408
02:09:18,600 --> 02:09:21,100
Mortal Queen's. 
You father children of 

2409
02:09:21,100 --> 02:09:24,400
extraordinary might Apollo 
Artemis. 

2410
02:09:24,400 --> 02:09:27,300
Hermes Dionysus Perseus and 
more. 

2411
02:09:27,300 --> 02:09:31,800
Each child's birth complicated 
family politics here as wrath 

2412
02:09:31,800 --> 02:09:36,200
fueled by heartbreak erupted. 
In cunning retribution punishing

2413
02:09:36,200 --> 02:09:39,500
the mothers or offspring. 
They rarely able to harm Zeus 

2414
02:09:39,500 --> 02:09:42,500
directly. 
Her storms of anger, introduced 

2415
02:09:42,500 --> 02:09:46,100
Strife among Gods leading to 
cunning ploys and alliances in 

2416
02:09:46,100 --> 02:09:49,100
the shadows of Olympus. 
However, even while they 

2417
02:09:49,100 --> 02:09:51,900
quarreled Zeus and Hera 
recognized, they formed the 

2418
02:09:51,900 --> 02:09:53,600
Bedrock of the pantheon 
stability. 

2419
02:09:53,600 --> 02:09:57,600
Forging, an uneasy equilibrium 
that shaped centuries of myth. 

2420
02:09:58,400 --> 02:10:01,200
And underexplored dimension of 
Zeus's rule lies in his 

2421
02:10:01,200 --> 02:10:04,400
transformation, from a 
rebellious, son, to a paternal 

2422
02:10:04,400 --> 02:10:08,200
figure Vigilant of cosmic laws. 
He introduced the concept of 

2423
02:10:08,200 --> 02:10:12,000
Zinnia sacred Hospitality 
enforcing it through strict 

2424
02:10:12,000 --> 02:10:14,000
punishments. 
For those who violated guests 

2425
02:10:14,000 --> 02:10:17,700
writes, this emphasis on moral 
codes extended to Mortals 

2426
02:10:17,700 --> 02:10:21,500
weaving, a sense that the Divine
realm supervised human ethics, 

2427
02:10:22,300 --> 02:10:25,100
Tales of Zeus's disguises 
typically underscore how he 

2428
02:10:25,100 --> 02:10:27,300
tested Mortals generosity or 
honesty. 

2429
02:10:28,100 --> 02:10:30,800
Those who welcome strangers 
received blessings, those who 

2430
02:10:30,800 --> 02:10:33,700
scorned or harm Travelers Rest 
in his lightning. 

2431
02:10:34,300 --> 02:10:37,400
Over time, these moral fables, 
spread across city-states, 

2432
02:10:37,400 --> 02:10:40,900
prompting worshipers to build 
temples and shrines dedicated to

2433
02:10:40,900 --> 02:10:44,800
Zeus, not just for his Thunder. 
But for his role, as guardian of

2434
02:10:44,800 --> 02:10:48,500
justice and oath, keeping 
Olympus itself, grew more 

2435
02:10:48,500 --> 02:10:53,300
structured, Hestia attended the 
communal half, forging a sense 

2436
02:10:53,300 --> 02:10:56,900
of family among our Gods. 
Bridging, the Gap between Divine

2437
02:10:56,900 --> 02:11:00,300
blessings and Mortal survival to
meet her kept watch over 

2438
02:11:00,300 --> 02:11:02,700
harvests. 
The younger Gods, displayed 

2439
02:11:02,700 --> 02:11:07,500
diverse Powers Apollo's, oracles
artemis's wild hunts and 

2440
02:11:07,500 --> 02:11:11,200
Athena's wisdom forging cities. 
While each deity cherished 

2441
02:11:11,200 --> 02:11:15,800
autonomy the final Arbiter of 
corals remains Zeus Single 

2442
02:11:15,800 --> 02:11:18,700
harsh, glance from the cloud 
gatherer, could quell dissent, 

2443
02:11:18,700 --> 02:11:22,200
this did not mean a pressure. 
It was more like a father, 

2444
02:11:22,200 --> 02:11:25,600
controlling fractious children. 
He settled disputes between 

2445
02:11:25,600 --> 02:11:30,900
Poseidon and Athena resolved 
matters of mortal and 

2446
02:11:30,900 --> 02:11:33,500
occasionally granted immortality
to Heroes. 

2447
02:11:34,200 --> 02:11:37,400
The pantheons fluid into play 
reveals how effectively Zeus 

2448
02:11:37,400 --> 02:11:39,000
balanced freedoms with 
constraints. 

2449
02:11:40,000 --> 02:11:43,600
During these stable, centuries 
Mortals experience an era of 

2450
02:11:43,600 --> 02:11:46,300
relative calm while plagues or 
local Wars. 

2451
02:11:46,300 --> 02:11:50,800
Still erupted Cosmic scale 
cataclysms were rarer Mortals. 

2452
02:11:50,800 --> 02:11:54,900
Praise zoo in festivals offering
sacrifices of bulls or Rams. 

2453
02:11:54,900 --> 02:11:58,700
Priests interpreted Omens from 
flights of Eagles or cracks of 

2454
02:11:58,700 --> 02:12:02,100
thunder. 
The oracles especially at dodona

2455
02:12:02,100 --> 02:12:04,400
delivered. 
Cryptic pronouncements said to 

2456
02:12:04,400 --> 02:12:06,100
come from the father of God's 
himself. 

2457
02:12:06,800 --> 02:12:09,700
Kings or city councils might 
consult these oracles before. 

2458
02:12:09,700 --> 02:12:11,800
Crucial battles or founding new 
colonies. 

2459
02:12:11,800 --> 02:12:16,000
Trusting that the Invisible Hand
of Zeus guided the larger fate. 

2460
02:12:17,000 --> 02:12:20,000
This Synergy between Mortal 
devotion and divine oversight. 

2461
02:12:20,000 --> 02:12:24,200
Reinforced Zeus's station, faith
in his paternal guardianship 

2462
02:12:24,200 --> 02:12:27,800
reigned across the Greek World 
from the ionian seized to the 

2463
02:12:27,808 --> 02:12:30,500
mountains of thessaly yet. 
Calm. 

2464
02:12:30,500 --> 02:12:34,400
Never lasts. 
Forever among the gods smaller 

2465
02:12:34,400 --> 02:12:37,900
feuds brood Aries, lusted for 
conflict. 

2466
02:12:37,900 --> 02:12:39,900
Teasing, the boundaries of the 
peace. 

2467
02:12:39,900 --> 02:12:44,000
Olympus, claymed, Aphrodite is 
manipulation of Desire caused 

2468
02:12:44,000 --> 02:12:46,000
Scandal among gods and Mortals 
alike. 

2469
02:12:47,100 --> 02:12:50,000
Even the wise Athena often found
herself at odds with her 

2470
02:12:50,000 --> 02:12:54,000
father's impulsive judgments. in
a realm of Immortals boredom, 

2471
02:12:54,000 --> 02:12:57,200
sometimes drove them to meddle 
in Mortal Affairs, forging 

2472
02:12:57,200 --> 02:13:00,200
ephemeral, alliance's or 
starting Petty vendettas 

2473
02:13:00,900 --> 02:13:03,500
Although each incident seemed 
trivial compared to the Titan 

2474
02:13:03,500 --> 02:13:07,800
Wars, they risked eroding trust,
Zeus recognized that to sustain 

2475
02:13:07,800 --> 02:13:10,400
Cosmic equilibrium, he must 
remain vigilant. 

2476
02:13:11,300 --> 02:13:13,900
So while Banquets on just 
Olympus roared with laughter, 

2477
02:13:13,900 --> 02:13:16,200
the king's stormy eye is always 
scan. 

2478
02:13:16,200 --> 02:13:19,200
The Horizon prepared to quell 
any spark that might ignite 

2479
02:13:19,200 --> 02:13:21,900
fresh. 
Chaos Zeus's relationships with 

2480
02:13:21,900 --> 02:13:24,500
Mortals. 
While often described as casual 

2481
02:13:24,500 --> 02:13:27,600
or lustful carried deeper 
political significance within 

2482
02:13:27,600 --> 02:13:30,800
the Greek Cosmos. 
Ancient city-states, boasted 

2483
02:13:30,800 --> 02:13:32,500
genealogies tracing their 
Founders. 

2484
02:13:32,500 --> 02:13:35,900
Back to a union with Zeus 
solidifying, local claims of 

2485
02:13:35,908 --> 02:13:39,600
divine favor. 
In Arcadia the Mythic King Leon 

2486
02:13:39,600 --> 02:13:42,900
tested Zeus's Authority by 
offering him a Grizzly Feast of 

2487
02:13:42,908 --> 02:13:45,300
human flesh. 
Hoping to prove the gods 

2488
02:13:45,300 --> 02:13:49,500
ignorance or gullibility 
outraged, Zeus Unleashed a 

2489
02:13:49,500 --> 02:13:53,700
deluge that drowned much of the 
land, an echo of older flood 

2490
02:13:53,700 --> 02:13:57,400
myths. 
Like on himself was transformed 

2491
02:13:57,400 --> 02:14:00,900
into a wolf, this unsettling 
incident demonstrated, the 

2492
02:14:00,900 --> 02:14:04,600
boundaries one can amuse the 
father of gods, but straying 

2493
02:14:04,600 --> 02:14:06,500
into sacrilege invites 
retributive. 

2494
02:14:06,500 --> 02:14:09,800
Storms and floods, one 
frequently, overlooked tail. 

2495
02:14:09,800 --> 02:14:12,300
Recounts Zeus's, fleeting 
connection with the Mortal 

2496
02:14:12,300 --> 02:14:16,800
Alchemy mother to Hercules. 
Most people are familiar with 

2497
02:14:16,800 --> 02:14:19,700
the general details. 
Zeus assumed the identity of 

2498
02:14:19,700 --> 02:14:24,300
outcomes husband, father the 
future hero, and so on, but 

2499
02:14:24,300 --> 02:14:27,500
lesser known as how meticulously
he orchestrated that Union 

2500
02:14:27,500 --> 02:14:31,400
employing, Illusions and a night
stretched unnaturally long. 

2501
02:14:31,400 --> 02:14:35,500
The reason he intended Heracles 
to be the champion, who would 

2502
02:14:35,500 --> 02:14:39,500
eventually protect Gods and Men 
from re-emerging Titan, or giant

2503
02:14:39,500 --> 02:14:42,100
threats? 
The goal wasn't meerlust. 

2504
02:14:42,100 --> 02:14:44,500
It was a pragmatic investment in
a demigod. 

2505
02:14:44,500 --> 02:14:47,300
Bridging mortal tenacity, and 
divine lineage. 

2506
02:14:48,100 --> 02:14:51,000
Heracles, subsequent Feats 
validated, the cosmic insurance 

2507
02:14:51,000 --> 02:14:54,400
plan that Heracles, eventually 
joined Olympus as an immortal 

2508
02:14:54,400 --> 02:14:57,300
was proof. 
That Zeus's paternal ties could 

2509
02:14:57,300 --> 02:14:59,100
transcend typical mortal 
boundaries. 

2510
02:14:59,900 --> 02:15:02,600
Zeus's interactions with 
powerful female figures formed 

2511
02:15:02,600 --> 02:15:05,700
another dimension of his story. 
Existence, metis. 

2512
02:15:05,700 --> 02:15:09,000
The tightness of clever Council 
was at one point his Confidant 

2513
02:15:09,000 --> 02:15:13,500
but a prophecy said her child 
would surpass its father fearing

2514
02:15:13,500 --> 02:15:17,000
a recurrence of chronosis 
predicament Zeus consumed meters

2515
02:15:17,000 --> 02:15:21,200
in its entirety yet from within 
him a council remained. 

2516
02:15:21,900 --> 02:15:25,600
Culminating in Athena's birth 
from his head, some interpret 

2517
02:15:25,600 --> 02:15:28,200
the event as an allegory. 
Wisdom must dwell within 

2518
02:15:28,200 --> 02:15:31,600
leadership Inseparable but not 
overshadowing, the paternal seat

2519
02:15:31,600 --> 02:15:34,400
of power. 
Meanwhile, with famous the 

2520
02:15:34,400 --> 02:15:37,200
embodiment of Divine Law. 
He father, The Horizon and the 

2521
02:15:37,200 --> 02:15:41,100
Mirai guardians of cosmic order 
and fate such couplings 

2522
02:15:41,100 --> 02:15:43,400
underscored that the paternal 
authority of Zeus. 

2523
02:15:43,400 --> 02:15:46,800
Encompassed. 
Fundamental principles, wisdom, 

2524
02:15:46,800 --> 02:15:51,000
Justice and Order. 
Enabling a balanced realm, where

2525
02:15:51,000 --> 02:15:53,400
not even Gods might easily defy 
destiny. 

2526
02:15:54,400 --> 02:15:58,100
The revered as the supreme god 
Zeus was not immune to drama. 

2527
02:15:58,100 --> 02:16:00,400
Among lesser Immortals, for 
instance. 

2528
02:16:00,400 --> 02:16:03,700
The cunning firebringer 
Prometheus defied him by gifting

2529
02:16:03,700 --> 02:16:07,600
Humanity with knowledge incensed
by mortimer's Parliament. 

2530
02:16:08,200 --> 02:16:12,000
Zeus bound Prometheus to a Crag.
Subjecting him to Perpetual 

2531
02:16:12,000 --> 02:16:15,800
torment by an eagle devouring. 
His regenerating liver While 

2532
02:16:15,800 --> 02:16:19,500
severe this punishment revealed 
Zeus's stance on disobedience. 

2533
02:16:20,300 --> 02:16:23,100
The father of gods championed 
progress under Divine sanction 

2534
02:16:23,100 --> 02:16:27,300
but unapproved leaps in Mortal 
capacity threatened to upend the

2535
02:16:27,300 --> 02:16:31,800
cosmic hierarchy over epochs 
empathy for Prometheus grew 

2536
02:16:31,800 --> 02:16:33,900
prompting, some deities to 
question. 

2537
02:16:33,900 --> 02:16:37,400
If the punishment overshadowed 
the offense Yet Zeus remained 

2538
02:16:37,400 --> 02:16:40,400
Resolute, seeing it. 
As a cautionary, tale, The 

2539
02:16:40,400 --> 02:16:43,400
Olympian order could not endure.
If rebellious acts by demigods 

2540
02:16:43,400 --> 02:16:45,799
or lesser Gods chipped away at 
the established order. 

2541
02:16:46,799 --> 02:16:48,400
In Daily worship across the 
Greek. 

2542
02:16:48,400 --> 02:16:52,700
World temples to Zeus sword from
hilltops olympius Temple for 

2543
02:16:52,700 --> 02:16:55,299
instance, hosted the famous, 
statue by phidias. 

2544
02:16:55,299 --> 02:16:58,799
Pilgrims Journey to the 
sanctuary's bearing sacrifices. 

2545
02:16:58,799 --> 02:17:02,100
Hoping for Reigns to bless 
harvests, or for oracle's to 

2546
02:17:02,100 --> 02:17:04,200
confirm success in Commerce or 
Warfare. 

2547
02:17:05,000 --> 02:17:07,700
The intangible link between 
worshiper and deity. 

2548
02:17:07,700 --> 02:17:12,500
Manifested in fleeting signs. 
A Thunderclap at dawn, an eagle 

2549
02:17:12,500 --> 02:17:15,400
overhead branch of oak leaves 
stirring with no wind 

2550
02:17:15,400 --> 02:17:20,200
interpreted as endorsement or 
warning such Omens, guided Civic

2551
02:17:20,200 --> 02:17:23,000
decisions. 
This interplay reinforced, the 

2552
02:17:23,008 --> 02:17:26,600
sense that Zeus's watchful eye 
overshadowed every domain of 

2553
02:17:26,600 --> 02:17:30,299
Greek life from wedding vows to 
boundary, treaties, even 

2554
02:17:30,299 --> 02:17:33,799
criminals invoked him in Oaths 
to prove innocence ironically 

2555
02:17:33,799 --> 02:17:37,400
tempting a thunderbolt. 
If they dared lie, God sometimes

2556
02:17:37,400 --> 02:17:39,600
attempted minor. 
Insurrections during internal 

2557
02:17:39,600 --> 02:17:44,299
disputes, one Legend claims per 
side and Hera and Athena 

2558
02:17:44,299 --> 02:17:46,500
conspired to bind. 
Zeus in Chains to curb his 

2559
02:17:46,500 --> 02:17:50,000
tyranny, the hundred-handed 
brias rescued him at the last 

2560
02:17:50,000 --> 02:17:54,000
moment freeing the enraged 
father who then swiftly put the 

2561
02:17:54,000 --> 02:17:56,299
conspirators in their place 
without to throwing them. 

2562
02:17:57,200 --> 02:18:01,600
It underscored an enduring 
theme, Olympus might chafe under

2563
02:18:01,600 --> 02:18:06,200
Zoo's Authority but no viable, 
alternative emerged, the 

2564
02:18:06,200 --> 02:18:09,400
intangible fear of Unleashed 
chaos should Zeus fall. 

2565
02:18:09,400 --> 02:18:13,700
Overshadowed any dissatisfaction
The pantheon learned to cope 

2566
02:18:13,700 --> 02:18:16,600
with, or exploit. 
The status quo, weaving, small 

2567
02:18:16,600 --> 02:18:19,100
arrival is around the solid core
of Zeus's. 

2568
02:18:19,100 --> 02:18:22,600
Monarchy by fostering alliances 
with Mortal Heroes. 

2569
02:18:22,600 --> 02:18:26,500
Forging, beneficial unions with 
other deities and demonstrating 

2570
02:18:26,500 --> 02:18:30,100
unwavering might. 
When tested Zeus's Dominion 

2571
02:18:30,100 --> 02:18:33,400
seemed unassailable on the 
surface, he was The Smiling 

2572
02:18:33,400 --> 02:18:37,700
father of the heavens bestowing 
blessings beneath. 

2573
02:18:37,700 --> 02:18:41,000
He was a Vigilant, Sentinel 
ready to subdue any threat with 

2574
02:18:41,000 --> 02:18:45,000
the storms unrelenting power. 
This blend of paternal care, and

2575
02:18:45,000 --> 02:18:48,200
War retribution, to an abiding 
equilibrium in the cosmos. 

2576
02:18:48,900 --> 02:18:52,799
Yet to centuries turned new 
philosophies like the rise of 

2577
02:18:52,799 --> 02:18:55,400
rational inquiry. 
And Athens would question the 

2578
02:18:55,400 --> 02:18:59,500
literal portrayal of Gods. 
Still as long as Thunder rumbled

2579
02:18:59,500 --> 02:19:03,000
Over Greek mountains Hearts 
recalled, the might of Zeus, the

2580
02:19:03,000 --> 02:19:05,600
Regal orchestrator of Storms and
destinies. 

2581
02:19:06,400 --> 02:19:10,500
As classical Greek civilization 
expanded local variation of Zeus

2582
02:19:10,500 --> 02:19:13,100
worship. 
Evolved each adding Nuance to 

2583
02:19:13,100 --> 02:19:16,299
his nature in dodonna, the 
oldest Oracle in Greece. 

2584
02:19:16,299 --> 02:19:20,200
Priests interpreted Zeus's will 
through the rustling of Oakleys.

2585
02:19:20,200 --> 02:19:23,299
A mysterious whisper that 
Believers swore held truth. 

2586
02:19:24,000 --> 02:19:27,100
Here, the deity appeared as a 
somber figure of wisdom and 

2587
02:19:27,100 --> 02:19:30,200
prophecy, bridging Primal Earth 
energies. 

2588
02:19:30,200 --> 02:19:35,200
Meanwhile, in Olympia sight of 
the panhellenic games, Zeus 

2589
02:19:35,200 --> 02:19:37,700
reigned as the Pinnacle of 
athletic virtue and unity among 

2590
02:19:37,700 --> 02:19:40,200
warring city-states. 
Athletes. 

2591
02:19:40,200 --> 02:19:44,000
Dedicated their triumphs to him 
seeking Divine favor for pure 

2592
02:19:44,000 --> 02:19:47,299
competition. 
The famous statue of Zeus at 

2593
02:19:47,299 --> 02:19:50,900
Olympia towering in Ivory and 
gold Drew Pilgrims from distant 

2594
02:19:50,900 --> 02:19:52,400
lands. 
Embodying. 

2595
02:19:52,400 --> 02:19:56,600
The gods benevolent Majesty even
as these diverse Cults thrived, 

2596
02:19:56,600 --> 02:20:00,500
pockets of intellectual 
challenge emerged philosophers 

2597
02:20:00,500 --> 02:20:03,900
like Jennifer's or the latest 
stoics, questioned, the morality

2598
02:20:03,900 --> 02:20:08,700
of a God who in myths engaged in
trickery, or seduction did the 

2599
02:20:08,700 --> 02:20:12,700
cosmic ruler truly lower himself
to these mortal vices or with 

2600
02:20:12,700 --> 02:20:16,100
such stories symbolic the more 
rationalist city state became 

2601
02:20:16,100 --> 02:20:19,500
the more old myths met with 
allegorical, reinterpretations 

2602
02:20:20,300 --> 02:20:23,900
Some insisted that Zeus was but 
a personification of natural law

2603
02:20:23,900 --> 02:20:26,800
or the cosmic mind and the 
scandalous episodes were 

2604
02:20:26,800 --> 02:20:30,900
poetical flairs, others clung to
literal Faith offering an 

2605
02:20:30,900 --> 02:20:33,900
unwavering vow for Thunderbolt. 
Could render giant ashtray. 

2606
02:20:33,900 --> 02:20:36,500
No mortal. 
Intellect should downplay the 

2607
02:20:36,500 --> 02:20:39,700
father of Gods. 
When Alexander the Great's 

2608
02:20:39,700 --> 02:20:43,400
Conquest, spread Greek culture 
across Egypt Persia and parts of

2609
02:20:43,400 --> 02:20:48,000
India new fusions arose 
Egyptians equated Zeus with 

2610
02:20:48,000 --> 02:20:50,500
Ammon forging, the syncretic 
deity. 

2611
02:20:50,500 --> 02:20:54,200
Zeus Ammon, Even Alexander 
visited the Oracle of sea in the

2612
02:20:54,200 --> 02:20:57,300
Libyan Desert seeking 
confirmation of his semi-divine 

2613
02:20:57,300 --> 02:20:59,900
paternity. 
Legends flourished that the 

2614
02:20:59,908 --> 02:21:02,100
Oracle addressed him as son of 
Zeus Ammon. 

2615
02:21:02,100 --> 02:21:06,300
Fueling his claim to Destiny. 
This cross-pollination indicated

2616
02:21:06,300 --> 02:21:09,000
that Zeus's Persona could adapt 
Beyond The Aegean. 

2617
02:21:09,600 --> 02:21:13,500
Integrating foreign traits to 
sustain Cosmic Supremacy people 

2618
02:21:13,500 --> 02:21:17,100
in far-flung Hellenistic Realms 
recognized his lightning cymbal.

2619
02:21:17,800 --> 02:21:21,500
Linking it to local storm Gods, 
forging a mosaic of worship that

2620
02:21:21,500 --> 02:21:25,300
stretched from the Nile to the. 
Indus within Greek heartlands 

2621
02:21:25,300 --> 02:21:28,300
political upheavals or 
city-states overshadowed by 

2622
02:21:28,300 --> 02:21:32,700
Macedonian and later Roman 
Dominion under Roman rule Zeus 

2623
02:21:32,700 --> 02:21:36,700
found an equivalent in Jupiter 
Mythic Cycles into mingled with 

2624
02:21:36,700 --> 02:21:40,100
Roman temples. 
Adopting Greek iconography even 

2625
02:21:40,100 --> 02:21:43,800
as the old city state system 
faded the name of Zeus injured 

2626
02:21:43,800 --> 02:21:47,600
philosophers in the Roman era 
like the stoics advance to 

2627
02:21:47,600 --> 02:21:50,700
Universal interpretation of the 
God as the Supreme Cosmic 

2628
02:21:50,700 --> 02:21:53,300
reason. 
They taught that the Zeus, 

2629
02:21:53,300 --> 02:21:56,700
principal guided all nature, 
from the swirl of galaxies, to 

2630
02:21:56,700 --> 02:21:59,800
the growth of vines. 
This intellectually charged 

2631
02:21:59,800 --> 02:22:03,200
view, smoothed contradictions in
older myths, positing that 

2632
02:22:03,200 --> 02:22:06,400
comedic or tragic stories about 
Zeus's escapades, were mere 

2633
02:22:06,400 --> 02:22:08,900
allegories for Universal truths 
yet. 

2634
02:22:08,900 --> 02:22:12,700
Not all worshipers cared for 
philosophical nuances festivals 

2635
02:22:12,700 --> 02:22:15,700
continued with communal, 
sacrifices and vibrant 

2636
02:22:15,700 --> 02:22:20,500
processions, dramas performed in
amphitheaters retold, epic sagas

2637
02:22:20,500 --> 02:22:24,500
of Titan Wars or comedic spoons.
A meat exclusive uses 

2638
02:22:24,500 --> 02:22:27,500
Transformations. 
Even Romans traveling to Greek, 

2639
02:22:27,500 --> 02:22:30,800
sanctuaries could sense the 
abiding Aura of ancient 

2640
02:22:30,800 --> 02:22:33,800
presence. 
Pilgrims bearing offering to the

2641
02:22:33,800 --> 02:22:36,600
shrines still believed 
wholeheartedly that a bolt from 

2642
02:22:36,600 --> 02:22:38,400
the sky signaled Zeus's, 
judgment. 

2643
02:22:39,200 --> 02:22:41,700
Peasants, at Harvest Time, 
prayed for gentle rains rather 

2644
02:22:41,700 --> 02:22:44,600
than hail trusting. 
The sky father's Goodwill. 

2645
02:22:44,600 --> 02:22:47,300
Indeed, the link between daily 
life. 

2646
02:22:47,300 --> 02:22:51,000
Rainfall storms, the fertility 
of fields and the overarching 

2647
02:22:51,000 --> 02:22:56,200
force of Zeus underpinned, 
stable, devotion, However, a 

2648
02:22:56,200 --> 02:22:58,500
centuries progressed the 
Unstoppable wave of 

2649
02:22:58,500 --> 02:23:00,500
Christianity. 
Swept across the Mediterranean 

2650
02:23:01,500 --> 02:23:05,300
The early, Christian apologist, 
targeted, Pagan pantheons citing

2651
02:23:05,300 --> 02:23:08,300
moral, Tales of Zeus's adultery 
or Roth as evidence of 

2652
02:23:08,300 --> 02:23:12,000
polytheism corruption in an 
evolving Empire that embraced 

2653
02:23:12,000 --> 02:23:16,100
monotheism Olympian shrines, 
lost official support their 

2654
02:23:16,100 --> 02:23:20,100
clergy overshadowed by Bishops. 
By the fourth Century CE 

2655
02:23:20,100 --> 02:23:24,200
Emperor, theodosius edicts, 
effectively banned, public Pagan

2656
02:23:24,200 --> 02:23:27,900
rites once. 
Dedicated to Zeus temples fell 

2657
02:23:27,900 --> 02:23:31,700
sent repurposed to store rooms 
or churches or left in ruin. 

2658
02:23:32,500 --> 02:23:36,100
The cultural tapestry that once 
placed Lucid is Apex unraveled 

2659
02:23:36,100 --> 02:23:38,700
replaced by a new theological 
framework. 

2660
02:23:39,900 --> 02:23:43,100
Despite this institutional 
decline, the memory of Zeus 

2661
02:23:43,100 --> 02:23:46,200
never fully vanished. 
Philosophical manuscripts, 

2662
02:23:46,200 --> 02:23:49,100
survived in monastic. 
Libraries rural. 

2663
02:23:49,100 --> 02:23:52,500
Folk in remote Highlands still 
whispered of Thunder as the old 

2664
02:23:52,500 --> 02:23:55,300
father's voice. 
Renaissance Scholars. 

2665
02:23:55,300 --> 02:23:58,900
Rediscovered classical texts 
resurrecting the image of Zeus 

2666
02:23:58,900 --> 02:24:02,300
in art and literature painters. 
Like Raphael or later near 

2667
02:24:02,300 --> 02:24:05,500
classical artists depicted him 
in throne with an eagle by his 

2668
02:24:05,500 --> 02:24:09,400
side, celebrating the Mythic 
Grandeur of antiquity in 

2669
02:24:09,400 --> 02:24:12,300
lightning thinkers, who 
pioneered modern science 

2670
02:24:12,300 --> 02:24:16,000
reference lightning, rods, that 
subdued Zeus's Thunder by 

2671
02:24:16,000 --> 02:24:19,400
Paradox at redefining his realm,
through rational, explanation 

2672
02:24:19,400 --> 02:24:24,100
today, The Narrative of Zeus 
stands as a symbolic Testament 

2673
02:24:24,100 --> 02:24:26,500
to how Society is conceived 
ultimate Authority. 

2674
02:24:27,100 --> 02:24:30,500
He encapsulates, the interplay 
of power and Justice, paternal 

2675
02:24:30,500 --> 02:24:34,200
care, and fearsome punishment, 
spiritual significance, and 

2676
02:24:34,200 --> 02:24:37,600
political utility. 
Tales of him, remain vital in 

2677
02:24:37,600 --> 02:24:40,600
popular culture from Modern. 
Retellings of Greek myths, in 

2678
02:24:40,608 --> 02:24:44,400
novels films and games to The 
Echoes of Thunder associated 

2679
02:24:44,400 --> 02:24:49,200
with unstoppable, Cosmic Force 
Scholarly inquiries reveal a 

2680
02:24:49,200 --> 02:24:52,400
figure who morphed from a local 
father of the sky to a global 

2681
02:24:52,400 --> 02:24:55,700
emblem of Mythology. 
Bridging Greek Hellenistic, 

2682
02:24:55,700 --> 02:24:58,200
Roman and even later cultural 
spheres. 

2683
02:24:58,900 --> 02:25:01,900
Observing how a figure. 
So Primal adapted to evolving 

2684
02:25:01,900 --> 02:25:04,600
civilizations. 
Underscores the elasticity of 

2685
02:25:04,600 --> 02:25:08,700
myth If one listens carefully 
during a thunderstorm one might 

2686
02:25:08,700 --> 02:25:10,600
recall that ancient or for the 
sky. 

2687
02:25:10,600 --> 02:25:14,600
Father flickering in the 
electric arcs overhead Zeus's 

2688
02:25:14,600 --> 02:25:17,100
role as a father figure. 
In Greek, myth extends Beyond 

2689
02:25:17,100 --> 02:25:19,900
genealogical ties. 
The ancient Greeks often 

2690
02:25:19,900 --> 02:25:21,600
portrayed him into the 
intervening in moral dilemmas 

2691
02:25:21,600 --> 02:25:25,200
defending the social order and 
meeting out Justice to Mortals 

2692
02:25:25,200 --> 02:25:29,000
and gods alike. 
One lesson known tale unders, 

2693
02:25:29,000 --> 02:25:34,100
his capacity for empathy when 
Salman Aus a mortal King boasted

2694
02:25:34,100 --> 02:25:37,300
he could equal Zeus by mimicking
thunder with bronze chariots. 

2695
02:25:38,100 --> 02:25:40,900
Zeus first, let him indulge the 
fast before unleashing a 

2696
02:25:40,900 --> 02:25:45,300
thunderbolt to expose his 
arrogance. yet once the city's 

2697
02:25:45,300 --> 02:25:49,700
people cowered in fear records, 
hint that Zeus sent favorable 

2698
02:25:49,700 --> 02:25:53,500
Reigns The Following Season, as 
if to ensure that misguided 

2699
02:25:53,500 --> 02:25:57,600
worshipers didn't starve from 
their kings hubris, This story 

2700
02:25:57,600 --> 02:26:02,000
overshadowed by more famous 
myths, reveals, a paternal 

2701
02:26:02,000 --> 02:26:05,800
Dimension punishing blasphemy, 
but sparing the innocent from 

2702
02:26:05,800 --> 02:26:10,100
famine likewise, the story of 
Kingler, kyrgyz, who spurned, 

2703
02:26:10,100 --> 02:26:13,800
Dionysus and scorned, the new 
wine rights ended with Zeus. 

2704
02:26:13,800 --> 02:26:17,300
Confining us to a cave in a 
Labyrinthian punishment. 

2705
02:26:17,300 --> 02:26:21,200
Many retail, only the 
punishments horror and nearly 

2706
02:26:21,208 --> 02:26:23,100
lost variant suggests that 
afterwards. 

2707
02:26:23,100 --> 02:26:26,100
Zeus made the Farmland around 
that Kingdom flourish 

2708
02:26:26,100 --> 02:26:29,300
unexpectedly implying that the 
paternal Gods. 

2709
02:26:29,300 --> 02:26:32,000
Softened the blow for ordinary 
people who were not involved in 

2710
02:26:32,000 --> 02:26:34,800
their rulers arrogance. 
Such glimpses though, 

2711
02:26:34,800 --> 02:26:37,800
overshadowed highlight the 
tension between Roth and 

2712
02:26:37,800 --> 02:26:40,100
compassion in Zeus's. 
Cosmic guardianship. 

2713
02:26:40,100 --> 02:26:43,700
Another dimension of Zeus's 
paternal Persona is his 

2714
02:26:43,700 --> 02:26:47,600
willingness to Champion Synergy 
among various Gods indeed. 

2715
02:26:47,600 --> 02:26:51,000
After the titanomachy, the 
pantheon was Rife with 

2716
02:26:51,000 --> 02:26:54,700
strong-willed deities. 
Such as Poseidon Artemis and 

2717
02:26:54,700 --> 02:26:58,200
Aphrodite each with Distinct 
Realms and temperaments. 

2718
02:26:58,900 --> 02:27:01,900
It was under his oversight that 
they collectively shaped mortal 

2719
02:27:01,900 --> 02:27:06,200
existence range, from Zeus sees 
from Poseidon hunts from 

2720
02:27:06,200 --> 02:27:08,600
Artemis. 
Love from Aphrodite harvests 

2721
02:27:08,600 --> 02:27:11,700
from Demeter. 
And so, on the father's role 

2722
02:27:11,700 --> 02:27:14,500
wasn't micro-management but 
balancing these Powers. 

2723
02:27:14,500 --> 02:27:16,800
So none overshadowed broader 
Cosmic order. 

2724
02:27:17,500 --> 02:27:21,300
That said, friction remained 
inevitable witness, Poseidon's 

2725
02:27:21,300 --> 02:27:24,100
quarrels, with Athena over 
patronage of Athens or 

2726
02:27:24,100 --> 02:27:27,100
Aphrodite's, Mischief stirring, 
conflicts among Mortals. 

2727
02:27:27,100 --> 02:27:32,200
Each time Zeus either calmly 
arbitrated or thunder, the final

2728
02:27:32,208 --> 02:27:35,400
verdict. 
If reason failed Zeus's paternal

2729
02:27:35,400 --> 02:27:40,500
role extended to dispensing 
Fates while the moirai fates had

2730
02:27:40,500 --> 02:27:43,900
the ultimate say on Mortal 
lifespans Zeus sometimes 

2731
02:27:43,900 --> 02:27:48,600
intervened for beloved Heroes, 
like sarpedon in the Trojan War,

2732
02:27:48,600 --> 02:27:52,400
he felt fatherly sorrow yet 
recognized that interfering with

2733
02:27:52,400 --> 02:27:54,700
fate upset, the moral and Cosmic
fabric. 

2734
02:27:55,600 --> 02:27:58,600
The Iliad captures a poignant 
moment where Zeus contemplates 

2735
02:27:58,600 --> 02:28:02,800
saving sapped on, but relents 
reflecting an internal conflict 

2736
02:28:02,800 --> 02:28:05,000
paternal. 
Love clashing with the demands 

2737
02:28:05,000 --> 02:28:08,300
of cosmic law, this acceptance 
of the greatest tapestry, 

2738
02:28:08,300 --> 02:28:11,200
underlines how Zeus didn't 
interpret appsolute rule as 

2739
02:28:11,200 --> 02:28:15,800
licensed to break fundamental 
rules, contrarily lesser Gods at

2740
02:28:15,800 --> 02:28:19,600
times Twisted, mortal Destinies 
for personal vendettas, but for 

2741
02:28:19,600 --> 02:28:22,700
the father of gods, the big 
picture over shadowed, personal 

2742
02:28:22,700 --> 02:28:25,800
yearning. 
Meanwhile, mortal worship. 

2743
02:28:25,800 --> 02:28:29,900
Evolved with each polis, weaving
unique, local epithets for Zeus 

2744
02:28:29,900 --> 02:28:33,900
in Athens, he became zusa 
althea's champion of Freedom 

2745
02:28:33,900 --> 02:28:38,500
after battles with tyranny. 
In Argos, they held him a Zeus 

2746
02:28:38,500 --> 02:28:42,500
Larissa iOS, a protector of 
Farmland, Shepard communities in

2747
02:28:42,500 --> 02:28:46,400
Arcadian, Highlands revered him 
as Zeus Le chaos associated with

2748
02:28:46,400 --> 02:28:50,300
the ancient wolfish rights. 
Thus the universal father 

2749
02:28:50,300 --> 02:28:54,500
splintered into Myriad local 
faces each reflecting a slice of

2750
02:28:54,500 --> 02:28:58,800
daily existence grain Harvest 
communal festivals protective. 

2751
02:28:58,800 --> 02:29:00,900
Watch over from tears. 
Over centuries. 

2752
02:29:00,900 --> 02:29:04,700
These local Cults interlinked 
preserving an overarching. 

2753
02:29:04,700 --> 02:29:06,400
Unity within the Greek world 
view. 

2754
02:29:06,400 --> 02:29:10,100
One God, many facets. 
Bridging city state diversity 

2755
02:29:10,100 --> 02:29:12,300
with a sense of shared Hellenic 
identity. 

2756
02:29:13,400 --> 02:29:16,300
Though, paternal benevolence 
forms a large part of his Mythic

2757
02:29:16,300 --> 02:29:18,700
identity. 
The Greek tradition, never let 

2758
02:29:18,700 --> 02:29:21,400
that overshadow. 
His capacity for cunning even 

2759
02:29:21,400 --> 02:29:24,300
after in Throne to Zeus used 
guile if it served Cosmic 

2760
02:29:24,300 --> 02:29:27,900
stability one, anecdote recalls,
how he tricked the giant Typhon 

2761
02:29:27,900 --> 02:29:31,200
by feigning defeat. 
Luring, the Monstrous foe into a

2762
02:29:31,200 --> 02:29:33,900
complacent moment before, 
unleashing a surprise 

2763
02:29:33,900 --> 02:29:37,200
Thunderbolt that pin Typhon 
beneath Mount Etna. 

2764
02:29:38,700 --> 02:29:41,400
This Sly approach reaffirmed 
that while direct brute force 

2765
02:29:41,400 --> 02:29:43,900
was not option. 
Cunning often staved off 

2766
02:29:43,908 --> 02:29:47,600
prolonged conflict. 
In a cyclical Cosmos prone to 

2767
02:29:47,600 --> 02:29:51,000
Rebellion the father needed more
than just a Thunderbolts blast. 

2768
02:29:51,700 --> 02:29:54,700
Cunning insured foes fell 
swiftly before they multiplied. 

2769
02:29:55,400 --> 02:29:58,600
Among the pantheon Hermes, 
admired such cunning. 

2770
02:29:58,600 --> 02:30:02,200
It said, Hermes often joked that
he inherited his trickery from 

2771
02:30:02,200 --> 02:30:05,700
the father of gods. 
Indeed, Hermes is earliest 

2772
02:30:05,700 --> 02:30:09,800
Feats, stealing Apollo's, cattle
parallels uses own youthful, 

2773
02:30:09,800 --> 02:30:13,500
escapades to thrown in Cronus. 
The father recognized a 

2774
02:30:13,500 --> 02:30:15,600
reflection of his own early 
rebellious, spirit in Hermes 

2775
02:30:15,600 --> 02:30:19,700
forging a fond Bond. 
This father child Dynamic added 

2776
02:30:19,700 --> 02:30:23,200
comedic undertones to Olympic's 
gathering with Hermes pulling 

2777
02:30:23,200 --> 02:30:27,200
pranks and Zeus looking on half 
amused half Stern mindful that 

2778
02:30:27,200 --> 02:30:31,400
chaos had boundaries even in the
comedic realm paternal guidance 

2779
02:30:31,400 --> 02:30:33,400
shaped the lines God's dead, not
cross. 

2780
02:30:33,400 --> 02:30:37,200
Thus the father of gods stands, 
as a figure who never let go of 

2781
02:30:37,200 --> 02:30:41,400
cunning preserving Cosmic order 
through Thunder but also 

2782
02:30:41,400 --> 02:30:44,600
harnessing paternal wisdom to 
rectify potential storms before 

2783
02:30:44,600 --> 02:30:47,800
they escalated. 
This paternal Persona was not 

2784
02:30:47,800 --> 02:30:51,500
static, it adapted across 
centuries, and local Customs 

2785
02:30:51,500 --> 02:30:55,100
from Punisher of hubris. 
To sponsor of Civic festivals 

2786
02:30:55,100 --> 02:30:58,600
from cunning conspirator to 
moral anchor. if the Greek 

2787
02:30:58,600 --> 02:31:03,400
cosmos had a pillar it was Zeus,
Father Judge and caretaker 

2788
02:31:04,000 --> 02:31:06,300
Weaving and evolving attached 
work of myths. 

2789
02:31:06,300 --> 02:31:10,100
That recognize the complexity of
divine Authority, while the 

2790
02:31:10,100 --> 02:31:13,600
classical Greek World revered, 
Zeus the Hellenistic and Roman 

2791
02:31:13,600 --> 02:31:17,200
eras reframed, his legacy for 
broader Imperial audiences under

2792
02:31:17,200 --> 02:31:20,300
the Hellenistic kingdoms. 
After Alexander's, conquests 

2793
02:31:20,300 --> 02:31:22,900
Zeus frequently merged with 
local Gods. 

2794
02:31:22,900 --> 02:31:27,800
Zeus Ammon and Egypt balm in the
Levant allowing different 

2795
02:31:27,800 --> 02:31:30,100
cultures to claim an aspect of 
the mighty father. 

2796
02:31:31,000 --> 02:31:34,700
This Fusion introduced exotic 
iconography Temple reliefs 

2797
02:31:34,700 --> 02:31:38,600
showing Zeus with ram horns or 
Greek inscriptions praising. 

2798
02:31:38,600 --> 02:31:41,400
A composite deity, bridging 
Greek and Native Traditions. 

2799
02:31:41,400 --> 02:31:44,200
It was a practical strategy 
smoothie. 

2800
02:31:44,200 --> 02:31:47,600
The governance of diverse Realms
by anchoring them under 

2801
02:31:47,600 --> 02:31:50,800
Universal. 
Cosmic, father, In Rome as 

2802
02:31:50,800 --> 02:31:53,400
mentioned Zeus was equated to 
Jupiter. 

2803
02:31:53,400 --> 02:31:56,200
The Roman appropriation was not 
a mere rename. 

2804
02:31:56,200 --> 02:32:00,400
It recontextualized him within a
martial legalistic culture. 

2805
02:32:02,100 --> 02:32:06,400
Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Jupiter
the best and greatest presided 

2806
02:32:06,400 --> 02:32:10,100
over the capitals Temple 
overshadowing Roman Civic life, 

2807
02:32:10,100 --> 02:32:14,700
Roman generals before campaigns 
sacrificed to Jupiter for 

2808
02:32:14,708 --> 02:32:17,200
victory. 
Mirroring the old Greek pattern,

2809
02:32:17,200 --> 02:32:21,500
but with more structured State 
rituals Roman Aristocrats told 

2810
02:32:21,500 --> 02:32:25,400
stories of Jupiter's paternal 
oversight mixing it with Roman 

2811
02:32:25,400 --> 02:32:30,100
virtues of Gravitas and pieters.
The Synergy was so tight that by

2812
02:32:30,100 --> 02:32:33,300
the time, the Empire spanned 
from Britain to Mesopotamia, the

2813
02:32:33,300 --> 02:32:36,900
name Jupiter replaced Zeus in 
official contexts though, Greek 

2814
02:32:36,900 --> 02:32:39,400
enclaves still whispered. 
The original name in devotions 

2815
02:32:40,400 --> 02:32:43,500
The fatherly Aura. 
Persisted bridging an Empire of 

2816
02:32:43,500 --> 02:32:47,800
colossal cultural variety. 
however, in the centuries, after

2817
02:32:47,800 --> 02:32:52,100
Christ's birth as Christianity, 
spread worship of the old 

2818
02:32:52,100 --> 02:32:56,800
Pantheon eroded The Christian 
critique of pagan gods, labeling

2819
02:32:56,800 --> 02:33:00,700
them either fantasy or demonic 
Illusions, gained official 

2820
02:33:00,700 --> 02:33:02,600
favor. 
Once Emperors, like Constantine 

2821
02:33:02,600 --> 02:33:06,300
pivoted to the new faith. 
By theodosius reign in the late,

2822
02:33:06,300 --> 02:33:11,800
fourth Century CE Evert worship 
of Zeus or Jupiter was banned in

2823
02:33:11,800 --> 02:33:14,700
the Roman Realm. 
Temples were repurposed or 

2824
02:33:14,700 --> 02:33:17,600
abandoned and Oracle was to 
Johnstown. 

2825
02:33:17,600 --> 02:33:22,200
Only in rural Pockets where 
peasants clung to old ways did 

2826
02:33:22,200 --> 02:33:25,100
faint, Echoes of thunderbase 
superstition, linger. 

2827
02:33:25,100 --> 02:33:29,100
And as Christian theology 
matured, the paternal figure of 

2828
02:33:29,100 --> 02:33:32,700
the Christian God overshadowed 
old father, Zeus in the Public's

2829
02:33:32,700 --> 02:33:36,200
fear. 
Ancient myths, slid into Legend.

2830
02:33:37,000 --> 02:33:40,300
Staining itself primarily in 
Poetic retellings or among 

2831
02:33:40,300 --> 02:33:42,300
Scholars preserving classical 
texts. 

2832
02:33:42,900 --> 02:33:46,000
Remarkably the medieval Islamic 
World, helped preserve Greek 

2833
02:33:46,000 --> 02:33:48,300
knowledge. 
Arabic translations of 

2834
02:33:48,300 --> 02:33:51,000
philosophers who reference Zeus 
allowed some trace of the old 

2835
02:33:51,000 --> 02:33:54,000
theologies to survive, 
academically, albeit 

2836
02:33:54,000 --> 02:33:56,200
overshadowed by monotheistic 
Frameworks. 

2837
02:33:56,900 --> 02:33:59,800
Then the European Renaissance 
resurrected classical Greek, and

2838
02:33:59,800 --> 02:34:03,100
Roman sources. 
Artists like Michelangelo or 

2839
02:34:03,100 --> 02:34:08,600
tishan depicted Zeus or Jupiter 
with powerful imagery, lightning

2840
02:34:08,600 --> 02:34:12,400
in her hand. 
Regal posture applied more as an

2841
02:34:12,400 --> 02:34:14,400
artistic Motif than a subject of
worship. 

2842
02:34:15,500 --> 02:34:18,300
The father of gods became an 
emblem of classical Antiquities 

2843
02:34:18,300 --> 02:34:20,700
grandeur. 
Fueling the imagination of 

2844
02:34:20,700 --> 02:34:24,300
scalpers poets and dramatists 
tapestries. 

2845
02:34:24,300 --> 02:34:27,000
Displayed, the Titanic as an 
allegory for good governance. 

2846
02:34:27,000 --> 02:34:30,300
Triumphing over tyranny or 
Reason best in chaos. 

2847
02:34:31,000 --> 02:34:34,100
The enlightenment intellectuals 
grappling with rationalist 

2848
02:34:34,100 --> 02:34:37,000
skepticism Sauron Zeus and 
anthropomorphic. 

2849
02:34:37,000 --> 02:34:40,400
Concept one the earlier cultures
used to explain natural 

2850
02:34:40,400 --> 02:34:43,800
phenomena like lightning and 
storms philosophers, like 

2851
02:34:43,800 --> 02:34:47,200
Voltaire, or Dido occasionally 
cited him in satirical Jabs. 

2852
02:34:47,200 --> 02:34:51,400
Highlighting the contradictions 
in Pagan religion yet ironically

2853
02:34:51,400 --> 02:34:54,900
the notion of a father God 
punishing hubris or rewarding 

2854
02:34:54,900 --> 02:34:57,500
virtue found echoes in an 
Enlightenment moral thought. 

2855
02:34:57,500 --> 02:35:01,300
Only now couched in secular 
concepts of Justice or universal

2856
02:35:01,300 --> 02:35:04,600
law. 
Meanwhile hidden among esoteric 

2857
02:35:04,600 --> 02:35:07,900
circles, a mystical fascination 
with ancient Pantheon's, 

2858
02:35:07,900 --> 02:35:10,800
persisted forging. 
Secret societies that revered 

2859
02:35:10,800 --> 02:35:13,200
old deities as archetypes of 
cosmic forces. 

2860
02:35:14,100 --> 02:35:17,300
In the environment, Zeus was 
studied less for worship and 

2861
02:35:17,300 --> 02:35:19,900
more as a symbolic template for 
leadership or paternal 

2862
02:35:19,900 --> 02:35:23,200
Authority. 
By the 19th and 20th, centuries,

2863
02:35:23,200 --> 02:35:26,900
archaeologists rediscovered. 
The physical traces of Zeus's, 

2864
02:35:26,900 --> 02:35:30,100
worship, the scattered Columns 
of the Temple of Zeus at 

2865
02:35:30,100 --> 02:35:33,000
Olympia. 
The Doric remains at nimir and 

2866
02:35:33,000 --> 02:35:35,700
the ravaged altars on Crete. 
Where legend said he was born. 

2867
02:35:36,600 --> 02:35:40,200
scholarly Works meticulously 
catalogued myths, comparing them

2868
02:35:40,200 --> 02:35:43,600
with parallels, from other 
European traditions, They found 

2869
02:35:43,600 --> 02:35:47,500
that far the ski motifs recurred
across cultures suggesting a 

2870
02:35:47,500 --> 02:35:49,400
proto-indo-european root of 
skyfathers. 

2871
02:35:49,400 --> 02:35:53,500
Zeus thus became a testament to 
How Deeply Humanity has craved. 

2872
02:35:53,500 --> 02:35:56,800
A paternal Guardian to quell 
Nature's Fury and social 

2873
02:35:56,800 --> 02:35:59,300
Discord, modern, pop culture 
frame. 

2874
02:35:59,300 --> 02:36:02,700
Zeus in Myriad ways Hollywood 
depicts him as a bearded. 

2875
02:36:02,700 --> 02:36:06,200
Giant hurling Thunder wrestling 
with moral ambiguities or 

2876
02:36:06,200 --> 02:36:08,800
comedic. 
Hijinks video games harnesses 

2877
02:36:08,800 --> 02:36:11,800
iconography for immersive 
mythical worlds, letting players

2878
02:36:11,800 --> 02:36:14,300
channel lightning. 
As they battle, monstrous, foes 

2879
02:36:14,300 --> 02:36:18,000
Children books, distill him to a
wise, or sometimes comedic. 

2880
02:36:18,000 --> 02:36:20,900
Father, Figure ignoring the 
complexities of old Greek. 

2881
02:36:20,900 --> 02:36:24,200
Traditional even New Age. 
Spiritual movements interpret 

2882
02:36:24,200 --> 02:36:26,000
him as an architect of masculine
power. 

2883
02:36:26,700 --> 02:36:28,800
Balancing energies of creation 
and destruction. 

2884
02:36:28,800 --> 02:36:32,600
This cultural elasticity 
underscores that while formal 

2885
02:36:32,600 --> 02:36:36,600
worship ended centuries ago, the
archetype of Zeus remains 

2886
02:36:36,600 --> 02:36:41,500
culturally potent at its core. 
The father of God stands as a 

2887
02:36:41,500 --> 02:36:45,900
reflection of Primal forces, 
thunder, sky paternal law, and 

2888
02:36:45,900 --> 02:36:48,400
the evolution of society's 
relationship to Authority 

2889
02:36:48,400 --> 02:36:53,500
tradition and Cosmic Wonder from
Titan battles to philosophical, 

2890
02:36:53,500 --> 02:36:57,000
allegories from Roman Imperial 
rights to 21st century. 

2891
02:36:57,000 --> 02:37:00,600
Entertainment Zeus's Saga 
endures as one of the grand 

2892
02:37:00,600 --> 02:37:04,100
narrative, Bridging the archaic 
to the modern Once a living 

2893
02:37:04,108 --> 02:37:07,100
deity in the eyes of countless 
worshipers, the man with the 

2894
02:37:07,100 --> 02:37:08,700
Thunderbolt. 
Now stands at the intersection 

2895
02:37:08,700 --> 02:37:12,500
of myth history and cultural 
memory embodying. 

2896
02:37:12,500 --> 02:37:15,300
The Timeless dialogue between 
divine power, and human 

2897
02:37:15,300 --> 02:37:19,000
aspiration in reflecting on 
Zeus's story spanning, from 

2898
02:37:19,000 --> 02:37:22,100
Secret infancy on Crete to the 
apex of the Olympian Pantheon 

2899
02:37:22,100 --> 02:37:25,200
and eventually morphing through.
Centuries of reinterpretation, 

2900
02:37:25,200 --> 02:37:29,500
we confront the essence of 
mythmaking if God's mirror human

2901
02:37:29,500 --> 02:37:33,200
longings and anxieties, Zeus 
exemplifies this principle 

2902
02:37:33,200 --> 02:37:37,800
supremely He's the father who 
both punishes and protects the 

2903
02:37:37,800 --> 02:37:41,100
Conqueror, who Fosters cunning 
alliances rather than mere brute

2904
02:37:41,100 --> 02:37:43,300
subjugation. 
And the divine presence, 

2905
02:37:43,300 --> 02:37:47,000
bridging Primal storms with 
moral codes, exploring the 

2906
02:37:47,000 --> 02:37:49,900
Lesser known threads, like how 
cunning sometimes out, Sean 

2907
02:37:49,900 --> 02:37:53,900
lightning blasts, how politics 
shaped mortal alliances and how 

2908
02:37:53,900 --> 02:37:56,600
paternal warmth sometimes 
tempered Cosmic judgments. 

2909
02:37:56,600 --> 02:38:00,300
We see a figure woven from 
complexities far beyond cliche. 

2910
02:38:01,200 --> 02:38:03,700
Part of Zeus's perennial grip on
the human imagination. 

2911
02:38:03,700 --> 02:38:05,800
Arises from his contradictory 
facets. 

2912
02:38:05,800 --> 02:38:10,000
He is simultaneously a figure of
absolute might brandishing 

2913
02:38:10,000 --> 02:38:13,300
thunder in rebellious battles 
and a moral guide championing 

2914
02:38:13,300 --> 02:38:17,000
Hospitality or punishing 
oathbreakers in a sense, he is 

2915
02:38:17,000 --> 02:38:20,400
the sky incarnate luminous, and 
generous and calm weather, 

2916
02:38:20,400 --> 02:38:22,900
ferocious and destructive, and 
storms. 

2917
02:38:23,500 --> 02:38:25,800
The Greeks harnessed that 
duality in their everyday 

2918
02:38:25,800 --> 02:38:28,300
worship. 
Never Letting themselves wholly,

2919
02:38:28,300 --> 02:38:29,900
trust, or doubt his paternal 
watch. 

2920
02:38:30,600 --> 02:38:33,900
Devotees, recognize that under 
certain circumstances, the 

2921
02:38:33,900 --> 02:38:35,500
kindly father might unleash 
Havoc. 

2922
02:38:35,500 --> 02:38:39,500
If Cosmic order was threatened 
nor as you static the earliest 

2923
02:38:39,500 --> 02:38:43,300
archaic poems like heids 
theogony stressed, his monstrous

2924
02:38:43,300 --> 02:38:46,500
battles with the Titans crowning
him as champion of cosmic 

2925
02:38:46,500 --> 02:38:51,200
stability over time dramatists 
wove comedic or tragic angles. 

2926
02:38:51,200 --> 02:38:55,000
Aristophanes might Lampoon the 
father of gods and comedic riffs

2927
02:38:55,000 --> 02:38:58,600
while Sophocles or Achilles 
probe the tension between Divine

2928
02:38:58,600 --> 02:39:01,900
edicts and Mortal free will the 
expansion of Greek culture under

2929
02:39:01,900 --> 02:39:05,200
Alexander the Great repositioned
Zeus as a universal father, 

2930
02:39:05,200 --> 02:39:08,400
bridging cultural. 
Divides the Roman era conflated 

2931
02:39:08,400 --> 02:39:11,500
him with Jupiter adding layers 
of bureaucratic or legal. 

2932
02:39:11,500 --> 02:39:14,900
Nuance then Christianity, 
relegated him to the realm of 

2933
02:39:14,900 --> 02:39:18,000
pagan memory. 
Each chapter redefines him yet. 

2934
02:39:18,000 --> 02:39:22,800
The core remains farther 
Thunder, Cosmic law, Such 

2935
02:39:22,800 --> 02:39:26,200
transformation, testifies to the
power of myth to adapt with 

2936
02:39:26,200 --> 02:39:29,000
civilization's. 
The Greek pantheon, no longer 

2937
02:39:29,000 --> 02:39:32,500
draws The Devout worship of old,
but it's narrative remain potent

2938
02:39:32,500 --> 02:39:36,700
Frameworks for how people see 
leadership Rebellion loyalty or 

2939
02:39:36,700 --> 02:39:38,600
the interplay between fate and 
free choice. 

2940
02:39:39,700 --> 02:39:43,200
In times of moral crisis, the 
references to Zeus's unyielding 

2941
02:39:43,200 --> 02:39:46,600
stance on oath breaking or 
Hospitality might surface in 

2942
02:39:46,600 --> 02:39:50,500
academic or literary discourse. 
In times of scientific Marvel. 

2943
02:39:50,500 --> 02:39:53,800
The lightning once considered 
his direct manifestation becomes

2944
02:39:53,800 --> 02:39:57,900
a symbol of electricity's 
harnessing highlighting how even

2945
02:39:57,900 --> 02:40:01,500
rational Society can't fully 
discard the poetic Resonance of 

2946
02:40:01,500 --> 02:40:04,100
Thunder as the voice of a mighty
are presence. 

2947
02:40:04,900 --> 02:40:08,200
Modern authors, particularly 
fantasy novelists, resurrect 

2948
02:40:08,200 --> 02:40:12,100
Zeus in new guises, they blend 
Greek tradition with modern 

2949
02:40:12,100 --> 02:40:15,200
moral queries. 
Sometimes were casting him as a 

2950
02:40:15,200 --> 02:40:18,700
flawed Father Figure grappling 
with immortalities weight others

2951
02:40:18,700 --> 02:40:21,900
draw attention to lesser known 
details such as the placement of

2952
02:40:21,908 --> 02:40:25,300
the mother goat and Arthur Among
the Stars which sheds light on 

2953
02:40:25,300 --> 02:40:28,900
an obscure constellation myth. 
The line between reverence and 

2954
02:40:28,900 --> 02:40:30,900
critique becomes blurred in 
those retailing. 

2955
02:40:30,900 --> 02:40:34,700
We see a father who might care 
deeply, but his Trap by Cosmic 

2956
02:40:34,700 --> 02:40:38,700
demands, forced to impose harsh 
sentences on rebellious deities,

2957
02:40:38,700 --> 02:40:43,400
this Fosters empathy for a deity
who ironically once seen the 

2958
02:40:43,400 --> 02:40:47,900
Apex of Unstoppable power, In 
today's world that complexity 

2959
02:40:47,900 --> 02:40:51,600
resonates life's experiences 
career arcs. 

2960
02:40:51,600 --> 02:40:56,600
Family responsibilities, moral 
Tangles Mira aspects of Zeus's 

2961
02:40:56,600 --> 02:41:00,300
paternal guardianship We 
appreciate the new ones that 

2962
02:41:00,300 --> 02:41:02,800
leadership and paternal roles 
aren't about infallibility. 

2963
02:41:02,800 --> 02:41:05,400
There are about balancing 
multiple tensions with 

2964
02:41:05,400 --> 02:41:09,300
unwavering determination. 
The hidden corners of Zeus's 

2965
02:41:09,300 --> 02:41:11,100
myths. 
Remind us that even the 

2966
02:41:11,100 --> 02:41:14,000
mightiest faced personal 
heartbreak like losing children,

2967
02:41:14,000 --> 02:41:17,600
or confronting sibling betrayal,
and that progress often arises 

2968
02:41:17,600 --> 02:41:19,800
from forging alliances or 
employing cunning. 

2969
02:41:19,800 --> 02:41:24,600
Not raw, might alone. 
Zeus's domain extends Beyond his

2970
02:41:24,600 --> 02:41:28,200
immediate Mythic narrative. 
He influences art from classical

2971
02:41:28,200 --> 02:41:31,000
sculptures that once towered in 
Temple, precincts to Modern 

2972
02:41:31,000 --> 02:41:32,900
digital Renditions and gaming 
worlds. 

2973
02:41:32,900 --> 02:41:36,700
He influences language with 
phrases like under the Aegis 

2974
02:41:36,700 --> 02:41:40,900
referencing, his protective 
shield or Olympian, connoting 

2975
02:41:40,900 --> 02:41:45,100
Majestic Supremacy, even in 
outer space, star names, and 

2976
02:41:45,100 --> 02:41:49,400
Cosmic structures of vote. 
The Greek pantheon, a subtle nod

2977
02:41:49,400 --> 02:41:52,400
that the father of gods endures 
in astronomers catalogs. 

2978
02:41:52,400 --> 02:41:55,600
This intangible presence 
underscores that while formal 

2979
02:41:55,600 --> 02:41:59,200
worship ceased cultural, memory 
found new avenues to keep his 

2980
02:41:59,200 --> 02:42:03,000
Thunder echoing across time. 
Thus the final reflection on 

2981
02:42:03,000 --> 02:42:06,500
Zeus is one of metamorphosis 
born in secrecy to overthrow 

2982
02:42:06,500 --> 02:42:09,200
tyranny. 
He orchestrated a new Pantheon 

2983
02:42:09,200 --> 02:42:12,700
that shaped Greek religion for 
centuries over thousands of 

2984
02:42:12,700 --> 02:42:15,100
years. 
He adapted to shifting societal 

2985
02:42:15,100 --> 02:42:18,500
Morris from a local goat, 
nurtured child to a universal, 

2986
02:42:18,500 --> 02:42:21,700
father, spanning Empires 
Heathered philosophical 

2987
02:42:21,700 --> 02:42:24,300
reinterpretations, Roman 
assimilation, Christian 

2988
02:42:24,300 --> 02:42:26,700
condemnation and modern Revival 
and culture. 

2989
02:42:26,700 --> 02:42:30,800
And Academia In the swirl of 
these Transformations, one 

2990
02:42:30,800 --> 02:42:33,800
thread remains consistent. 
The fundamental idea that the 

2991
02:42:33,800 --> 02:42:36,800
cosmos demands of paternal 
figure to unify the swirl of 

2992
02:42:36,808 --> 02:42:39,600
chaotic forces, binding them 
into something. 

2993
02:42:39,600 --> 02:42:43,500
At least partially benevolent at
times frightening and always 

2994
02:42:43,500 --> 02:42:47,600
vital to existence. 
That is the continuing Legacy of

2995
02:42:47,600 --> 02:42:52,700
Zeus, King of the Gods, weaving 
Thunder, fatherhood cunning and 

2996
02:42:52,700 --> 02:42:55,200
Cosmic order into an everlasting
tapestry of myth. 

2997
02:43:03,000 --> 02:43:04,700
Before we meet our remarkable 
lady. 

2998
02:43:04,700 --> 02:43:06,500
You need to understand the 
world. 

2999
02:43:06,500 --> 02:43:10,500
She rode into Medieval Wales 
wasn't just Rolling, Green 

3000
02:43:10,500 --> 02:43:12,600
Hills, and dramatic, coastlines,
though. 

3001
02:43:12,600 --> 02:43:15,300
It certainly had those. 
It was a place where stories 

3002
02:43:15,300 --> 02:43:19,000
mattered as much as food, where 
poets held social rank just 

3003
02:43:19,000 --> 02:43:22,700
below King's, and where the past
and present existed in a kind of

3004
02:43:22,700 --> 02:43:24,300
permanent conversation with each
other. 

3005
02:43:25,200 --> 02:43:27,700
The stories about Rihanna and 
come from a collection called 

3006
02:43:27,700 --> 02:43:31,200
the mabin, which is essentially 
whales as greatest hits of 

3007
02:43:31,200 --> 02:43:33,800
medieval Tales. 
These were written down until 

3008
02:43:33,800 --> 02:43:36,000
somewhere around the 11th to 
13th centuries. 

3009
02:43:36,000 --> 02:43:38,100
But the stories themselves are 
far older. 

3010
02:43:38,100 --> 02:43:41,500
They've been passed down orally 
for so long that their Origins 

3011
02:43:41,500 --> 02:43:44,400
disappeared Into The Mists of 
prehistory, like, watching 

3012
02:43:44,400 --> 02:43:47,000
someone walk into fog until you 
can't tell if they're still 

3013
02:43:47,000 --> 02:43:49,000
there or have become part of the
weather. 

3014
02:43:49,800 --> 02:43:52,800
Think of the map Inogen as a 
medieval playlist, that someone 

3015
02:43:52,800 --> 02:43:54,400
finally got around to 
transcribing. 

3016
02:43:54,400 --> 02:43:57,600
Bards had been performing these 
Tales at feasts and festivals 

3017
02:43:57,600 --> 02:44:00,200
for Generations. 
Each Storyteller adding their 

3018
02:44:00,200 --> 02:44:03,800
own flourishes while keeping the
essential Melodies intact by the

3019
02:44:03,800 --> 02:44:06,900
time scribes wrote them down in 
manuscripts, like the white book

3020
02:44:06,900 --> 02:44:09,500
of Riddick and the Red Book of 
her jest. 

3021
02:44:09,500 --> 02:44:13,700
These stories had been refined 
by countless retellings into 

3022
02:44:13,700 --> 02:44:17,900
something approaching perfection
Rhiannon's tale appears in the 

3023
02:44:17,900 --> 02:44:21,800
first branch of the Mabinogi and
it opens in a place called die 

3024
02:44:21,800 --> 02:44:23,900
fed which was a real Kingdom in 
South West Wales. 

3025
02:44:23,900 --> 02:44:27,600
The ruler was a man named quill 
whose name means scents or 

3026
02:44:27,600 --> 02:44:29,700
wisdom though. 
As you'll see, he didn't always 

3027
02:44:29,700 --> 02:44:32,800
live up to his name, he was what
medieval Welsh Society 

3028
02:44:32,800 --> 02:44:37,000
considered an ideal Lord. 
Generous with his Warriors Brave

3029
02:44:37,000 --> 02:44:40,900
in battle and reasonably fair in
his judgments not perfect, but 

3030
02:44:40,900 --> 02:44:43,600
decent enough that people didn't
actively plot his overthrow 

3031
02:44:43,600 --> 02:44:46,100
which in medieval terms, counted
as a success. 

3032
02:44:47,200 --> 02:44:50,700
Now, medieval Welsh Society had 
some interesting quirks that are

3033
02:44:50,700 --> 02:44:53,600
worth knowing before we 
continue, unlike many medieval 

3034
02:44:53,600 --> 02:44:56,100
cultures where women were 
essentially property with fewer 

3035
02:44:56,100 --> 02:44:59,700
rights than livestock. 
Welsh law gave women surprising 

3036
02:44:59,700 --> 02:45:03,900
autonomy They could own property
initiate, divorce and receive 

3037
02:45:03,900 --> 02:45:06,500
compensation. 
If wronged This legal framework 

3038
02:45:06,500 --> 02:45:09,900
helps explain why rhiannon's 
story while certainly dramatic 

3039
02:45:09,900 --> 02:45:13,000
never treats her as a passive 
object to be moved around by 

3040
02:45:13,000 --> 02:45:16,700
male characters. 
The Welsh also had a complex 

3041
02:45:16,700 --> 02:45:19,700
relationship with the other 
world, which they called and up,

3042
02:45:19,700 --> 02:45:23,000
when this wasn't Heaven or Hell.
In the Christian sense, though, 

3043
02:45:23,000 --> 02:45:25,500
by the time, these stories were 
written down Christian, monks 

3044
02:45:25,500 --> 02:45:28,100
were doing the transcribing and 
occasionally tried to make 

3045
02:45:28,100 --> 02:45:31,300
things fit, their world view. 
Hannon was more like a parallel 

3046
02:45:31,300 --> 02:45:34,900
realm, that existed alongside 
the everyday World separated by 

3047
02:45:34,900 --> 02:45:38,300
boundaries that were sometimes, 
as solid as stonewalls and 

3048
02:45:38,300 --> 02:45:40,000
sometimes as permeable as 
breath. 

3049
02:45:41,000 --> 02:45:43,500
People from Manning could visit 
the mortal world and 

3050
02:45:43,500 --> 02:45:46,800
occasionally Mortals ventured 
into their realm usually by 

3051
02:45:46,800 --> 02:45:49,800
accident or invitation rather 
than intentional tourism. 

3052
02:45:49,800 --> 02:45:53,100
The other world folk weren't 
quite gods and weren't quite 

3053
02:45:53,100 --> 02:45:55,800
fairies. 
They were something in between 

3054
02:45:55,800 --> 02:45:59,600
powerful beings, who operated by
their own rules and occasionally

3055
02:45:59,600 --> 02:46:02,700
took interest in human Affairs, 
for reasons, that range from 

3056
02:46:02,700 --> 02:46:06,300
love to boredom to purposes. 
Mortals could never quite 

3057
02:46:06,300 --> 02:46:09,100
fathom. 
Understanding this context. 

3058
02:46:09,100 --> 02:46:11,700
Helps you appreciate what 
happens when Rihanna appears in 

3059
02:46:11,708 --> 02:46:14,000
the story? 
She's not arriving in a world 

3060
02:46:14,000 --> 02:46:16,900
that would find her presence 
impossible or even particularly 

3061
02:46:16,900 --> 02:46:20,000
shocking. 
Wells had a long tradition of 

3062
02:46:20,000 --> 02:46:24,000
powerful women in mythology, 
goddesses like carried when the 

3063
02:46:24,000 --> 02:46:28,100
Fierce branwen and the wise area
and hod a woman with 

3064
02:46:28,100 --> 02:46:31,500
Supernatural connections riding 
a magical horse, that was 

3065
02:46:31,500 --> 02:46:34,900
unusual enough to be noteworthy 
but familiar enough to fit into 

3066
02:46:34,900 --> 02:46:37,600
the existing pattern of how the 
world worked. 

3067
02:46:39,400 --> 02:46:41,700
The landscape itself played a 
role in the stories. 

3068
02:46:41,700 --> 02:46:45,900
Wells is a country of dramatic 
geography mountains, that seem 

3069
02:46:45,900 --> 02:46:48,800
to touch clouds. 
Valleys that, hold onto Morning 

3070
02:46:48,800 --> 02:46:51,800
Mist like secrets and 
coastlines, where the sea 

3071
02:46:51,800 --> 02:46:54,200
appears to be constantly, trying
to have a conversation with the 

3072
02:46:54,200 --> 02:46:57,800
land in this kind of landscape. 
It's easy to believe that the 

3073
02:46:57,800 --> 02:47:01,400
world contains layers that what 
you see isn't necessarily all 

3074
02:47:01,400 --> 02:47:05,900
theirs Will ruled from a place 
called Arthur which had a 

3075
02:47:05,908 --> 02:47:09,200
special feature, a magical Mound
called gauzed. 

3076
02:47:09,200 --> 02:47:11,400
Arthur this wasn't just any 
Hill. 

3077
02:47:11,400 --> 02:47:14,000
It was one of those liminal 
spaces where the boundary 

3078
02:47:14,000 --> 02:47:17,100
between worlds, grew thin. 
The tradition said that anyone 

3079
02:47:17,100 --> 02:47:19,800
who sat on this mound would 
experience, one of two things 

3080
02:47:19,800 --> 02:47:23,600
they would receive blows and 
wounds or they would witness a 

3081
02:47:23,600 --> 02:47:26,100
Marvel. 
It was basically ancient wales's

3082
02:47:26,100 --> 02:47:27,500
version of a cosmic slot 
machine. 

3083
02:47:27,500 --> 02:47:31,600
Except instead of losing money, 
you might lose Consciousness or 

3084
02:47:31,600 --> 02:47:33,900
gain a story worth telling for 
the rest of your life. 

3085
02:47:33,900 --> 02:47:37,700
This is where will chose to sit 
one day and this is where our 

3086
02:47:37,700 --> 02:47:42,600
story truly begins. 
Imagine your will a reasonably 

3087
02:47:42,600 --> 02:47:45,300
successful medieval Welsh Lord? 
Having a fairly Ordinary Day by 

3088
02:47:45,308 --> 02:47:47,100
your standards. 
You've handled some 

3089
02:47:47,100 --> 02:47:50,000
administrative matters. 
Possibly settle to dispute about

3090
02:47:50,000 --> 02:47:53,300
cattle theft or boundary stones.
And now you're looking for a bit

3091
02:47:53,308 --> 02:47:56,000
of entertainment. 
You remember that magical Mound 

3092
02:47:56,000 --> 02:47:59,000
near Court, the one that 
promises either injury or 

3093
02:47:59,000 --> 02:48:01,000
wonder. 
And you think why not? 

3094
02:48:01,000 --> 02:48:03,600
What's life without a little 
Supernatural? 

3095
02:48:03,600 --> 02:48:06,000
Gambling. 
Soap will climbs up Gore said 

3096
02:48:06,000 --> 02:48:08,900
Arthur with a few of his men 
because medieval lords rarely 

3097
02:48:08,900 --> 02:48:12,500
went anywhere alone, partly for 
protection and partly because 

3098
02:48:12,500 --> 02:48:15,800
witnessing was important, if 
something marvelous happened and

3099
02:48:15,800 --> 02:48:18,000
nobody saw it, did it even 
count. 

3100
02:48:18,000 --> 02:48:20,900
They settle onto the mound. 
Probably making themselves 

3101
02:48:20,900 --> 02:48:23,800
comfortable because magic 
doesn't run on a schedule and 

3102
02:48:23,800 --> 02:48:27,100
they wait. 
And then she appears The story 

3103
02:48:27,100 --> 02:48:31,000
describes her, simply at first, 
a woman dressed in gold Brigade,

3104
02:48:31,000 --> 02:48:34,200
riding a white horse along the 
road below the mound. 

3105
02:48:35,000 --> 02:48:38,300
But something about the Way, She
Moves the horses gaited steady 

3106
02:48:38,300 --> 02:48:40,900
and unhurried a smooth as if 
it's gliding. 

3107
02:48:40,900 --> 02:48:43,400
Rather than walking. 
She's traveling the road that 

3108
02:48:43,400 --> 02:48:46,500
runs past Arthur and there's 
nothing obviously magical about 

3109
02:48:46,500 --> 02:48:49,100
the scene, except for this 
quality of deliberate Grace, 

3110
02:48:49,100 --> 02:48:52,100
like watching someone, who 
knows, they're being watched and

3111
02:48:52,100 --> 02:48:53,900
doesn't mind at all. 
Wills. 

3112
02:48:53,900 --> 02:48:57,600
Immediate reaction is curiosity.
Mixed with the traction, which 

3113
02:48:57,600 --> 02:48:59,400
will become something of a 
pattern for him. 

3114
02:48:59,400 --> 02:49:02,500
He asks one of his men to go 
down and find out who she is 

3115
02:49:02,500 --> 02:49:05,600
simple enough, right? 
Just a quick, jog down the hill,

3116
02:49:05,600 --> 02:49:07,700
catch up with the lady and ask 
her name and business. 

3117
02:49:07,700 --> 02:49:09,900
Except here's where things. 
Get interesting. 

3118
02:49:09,900 --> 02:49:13,000
The servant hurries down the 
mound and tries to catch up with

3119
02:49:13,000 --> 02:49:15,200
the Ryder. 
The horse is still moving at 

3120
02:49:15,200 --> 02:49:18,500
that same steady, unhurried 
Pace, it looks like it's barely 

3121
02:49:18,500 --> 02:49:21,500
moving faster than a walk. 
But no matter how fast the man 

3122
02:49:21,508 --> 02:49:23,000
runs, he can't close the 
distance. 

3123
02:49:23,000 --> 02:49:25,500
It's like one of those dreams 
where you're trying to reach 

3124
02:49:25,500 --> 02:49:27,100
something and your legs work 
fine. 

3125
02:49:27,100 --> 02:49:29,100
But you're somehow not getting 
any closer. 

3126
02:49:30,100 --> 02:49:34,100
The servant returns probably 
winded and confused and reports 

3127
02:49:34,100 --> 02:49:36,400
his failure. 
Will displaying the kind of 

3128
02:49:36,408 --> 02:49:38,500
logic that makes sense? 
If you don't think about it too 

3129
02:49:38,500 --> 02:49:41,600
hard decides, the problem was 
that his man was on foot. 

3130
02:49:41,600 --> 02:49:44,700
He sends another servant this 
time on Horseback. 

3131
02:49:44,700 --> 02:49:46,800
Surely a horse. 
Can catch another horse 

3132
02:49:46,800 --> 02:49:49,600
especially when the target 
appears to be moving at such a 

3133
02:49:49,600 --> 02:49:53,000
leisurely pace. 
But the same thing happens. 

3134
02:49:53,000 --> 02:49:56,500
The rider urges his horse fast, 
faster than faster. 

3135
02:49:56,500 --> 02:49:59,400
Still eventually pushing the 
animal to a full Gallop. 

3136
02:49:59,400 --> 02:50:04,000
The White Horse ahead maintains 
that same smooth, unhurried gate

3137
02:50:04,000 --> 02:50:06,500
and the distance between them 
never changes. 

3138
02:50:07,500 --> 02:50:09,200
It's not that the White Horse is
running away. 

3139
02:50:10,200 --> 02:50:12,800
It's more that the normal rules 
of speed and distance of 

3140
02:50:12,800 --> 02:50:16,000
stopped, applying the pursuer is
running as fast as possible 

3141
02:50:16,000 --> 02:50:18,900
while making no progress. 
Like someone on a treadmill 

3142
02:50:18,900 --> 02:50:22,400
watching scenery scroll past. 
This continues for three days. 

3143
02:50:22,400 --> 02:50:25,800
Three days of will watching this
woman ride past on her White 

3144
02:50:25,800 --> 02:50:29,300
Horse, three days of sending 
increasingly desperate pursuers 

3145
02:50:29,300 --> 02:50:31,700
after her. 
And three days of experiencing, 

3146
02:50:31,700 --> 02:50:33,900
the kind of frustration that 
makes you question your 

3147
02:50:33,900 --> 02:50:36,300
understanding of how the 
physical world works. 

3148
02:50:37,200 --> 02:50:39,700
Now, you might be wondering why 
people didn't just try talking 

3149
02:50:39,700 --> 02:50:42,400
to her from the mound, or why he
didn't think there might be 

3150
02:50:42,400 --> 02:50:45,000
something Supernatural about a 
woman, who can't be caught. 

3151
02:50:45,000 --> 02:50:48,400
But medieval Welsh stories often
work on a kind of fairy tale 

3152
02:50:48,400 --> 02:50:51,400
logic where the obvious 
solution, only becomes visible. 

3153
02:50:51,400 --> 02:50:55,700
Once everyone has exhausted all 
the complicated alternatives, On

3154
02:50:55,700 --> 02:50:58,400
the third day will finally, does
the sensible thing. 

3155
02:50:58,400 --> 02:51:01,200
He Saddles up his own horse, the
best one. 

3156
02:51:01,200 --> 02:51:04,400
He has naturally and positioned 
himself on the mound to wait. 

3157
02:51:05,200 --> 02:51:08,800
When the lady appears again, 
riding at that same maddeningly,

3158
02:51:08,800 --> 02:51:12,000
steady Pace will doesn't order 
someone else to pursue her. 

3159
02:51:12,000 --> 02:51:15,900
He doesn't try to race after her
instead he calls out just a 

3160
02:51:15,900 --> 02:51:18,000
simple request. 
Would she please stop? 

3161
02:51:18,000 --> 02:51:21,400
Because he needs to speak with 
her and she does immediately 

3162
02:51:21,400 --> 02:51:26,000
just stops turns and wait for 
him to approach the horse. 

3163
02:51:26,000 --> 02:51:28,500
That could not be caught by the 
fastest riders in his kingdom 

3164
02:51:28,500 --> 02:51:30,600
stops. 
The instant he asked politely 

3165
02:51:31,400 --> 02:51:35,100
When will reaches her, she lifts
her veil and he sees her face 

3166
02:51:35,100 --> 02:51:38,300
fully for the first time, the 
text describes her, as the most 

3167
02:51:38,300 --> 02:51:41,200
beautiful woman he's ever seen. 
But more than that. 

3168
02:51:41,200 --> 02:51:43,500
There's something about her 
presence that confirms. 

3169
02:51:43,500 --> 02:51:45,200
What will must have already 
suspected? 

3170
02:51:45,200 --> 02:51:47,800
This is no ordinary mortal 
woman. 

3171
02:51:47,800 --> 02:51:51,300
Her first words to him are 
probably not what he expected, 

3172
02:51:51,300 --> 02:51:53,900
she tells him, it would have 
been better for his horse. 

3173
02:51:53,900 --> 02:51:56,900
If he'd simply asked earlier 
rather than putting his men and 

3174
02:51:56,900 --> 02:52:00,800
their mounts through three days 
of impossible Pursuit, there's a

3175
02:52:00,808 --> 02:52:03,200
gentle rebuke in this but also 
humor. 

3176
02:52:03,200 --> 02:52:06,300
She's been waiting for him to 
figure out the obvious and she's

3177
02:52:06,300 --> 02:52:08,600
not particularly impressed that 
it took him three days. 

3178
02:52:08,600 --> 02:52:12,700
Then comes the Revelation, that 
changes everything she tells 

3179
02:52:12,700 --> 02:52:15,500
him, her name is Rhiannon and 
she's been riding past his 

3180
02:52:15,500 --> 02:52:17,500
Mound. 
Deliberately hoping to catch his

3181
02:52:17,500 --> 02:52:19,800
attention. 
In fact, she has been promised 

3182
02:52:19,800 --> 02:52:21,400
in marriage to someone. 
She doesn't want. 

3183
02:52:21,400 --> 02:52:23,900
And she's come here, 
specifically because she wants 

3184
02:52:23,900 --> 02:52:26,800
pool, instead, let that sink in 
for a moment. 

3185
02:52:26,800 --> 02:52:30,300
This other worldly woman who 
could clearly go anywhere she 

3186
02:52:30,300 --> 02:52:33,800
wants at speeds, that Define 
normal physics has been riding 

3187
02:52:33,800 --> 02:52:37,300
past Wills territory for three 
days, waiting for him to notice 

3188
02:52:37,300 --> 02:52:40,600
her, she is engineered this 
entire encounter, making 

3189
02:52:40,600 --> 02:52:44,300
herself, just impossible enough 
to catch that he'd be intrigued,

3190
02:52:44,300 --> 02:52:47,600
but stopping the moment he asked
directly because she wanted him 

3191
02:52:47,600 --> 02:52:51,100
to choose to engage with her as 
a person rather than a prize to 

3192
02:52:51,100 --> 02:52:54,000
be captured. 
It's one of medieval 

3193
02:52:54,000 --> 02:52:57,200
literature's, great meat cuts, 
if you think about it, the 

3194
02:52:57,200 --> 02:53:00,000
supernatural being courting, a 
mortal Lord by making him work 

3195
02:53:00,000 --> 02:53:03,200
for the privilege of talking to 
her, then revealing that she's 

3196
02:53:03,200 --> 02:53:06,200
been hoping he'd show interest 
all along quills reaction to 

3197
02:53:06,200 --> 02:53:08,900
rhiannon's declaration is worth 
examining because it tells you 

3198
02:53:08,900 --> 02:53:11,600
something about his character. 
He doesn't panic. 

3199
02:53:11,600 --> 02:53:15,200
Doesn't question his sanity and 
doesn't demand proof that she's 

3200
02:53:15,200 --> 02:53:18,600
telling the truth instead. 
He essentially says yes, he'd be

3201
02:53:18,608 --> 02:53:21,900
honored to marry her and also he
has no idea how to make that 

3202
02:53:21,900 --> 02:53:24,600
happen given that she's 
apparently from another realm 

3203
02:53:24,600 --> 02:53:26,400
and already promised to someone 
else. 

3204
02:53:26,400 --> 02:53:28,800
It's a remarkably honest 
response. 

3205
02:53:28,800 --> 02:53:32,000
Most medieval Heroes would 
Bluster about their prowess or 

3206
02:53:32,000 --> 02:53:35,400
make Grand declarations will 
admits he's out of his depth and

3207
02:53:35,400 --> 02:53:38,200
ask for guidance, which turns 
out to be exactly the right 

3208
02:53:38,200 --> 02:53:40,800
approach when dealing with 
supernatural beings who value 

3209
02:53:40,800 --> 02:53:45,800
straightforwardness Rihanna in 
turn shows the kind of practical

3210
02:53:45,800 --> 02:53:48,600
thinking that will characterize 
her throughout the story. 

3211
02:53:48,600 --> 02:53:51,900
She doesn't expect will to storm
the other world or fight for her

3212
02:53:51,900 --> 02:53:55,300
hand in single combat. 
Instead, she explains that she 

3213
02:53:55,300 --> 02:53:57,900
has been promised to a man named
gwal through trickery and 

3214
02:53:57,908 --> 02:54:00,600
pressure from her family. 
She doesn't want him. 

3215
02:54:00,600 --> 02:54:03,000
She wants will, and she has a 
plan. 

3216
02:54:03,000 --> 02:54:07,100
The plan is delightfully 
specific a year from now, there 

3217
02:54:07,100 --> 02:54:08,400
will be a feast in her father's 
Court. 

3218
02:54:08,400 --> 02:54:11,900
Ostensibly celebrating her 
impending marriage to gual. 

3219
02:54:11,900 --> 02:54:14,700
Should attend this Feast with 
100 nights, but keep them 

3220
02:54:14,700 --> 02:54:17,700
waiting outside. 
He should enter a loan disguised

3221
02:54:17,700 --> 02:54:20,200
as a beggar carrying a small bag
that Rhiannon will give him. 

3222
02:54:20,200 --> 02:54:24,500
Then at the crucial moment, he 
should ask wall for a single 

3223
02:54:24,500 --> 02:54:26,900
favor just enough food to fill 
the bag. 

3224
02:54:27,700 --> 02:54:31,900
The bag she explains is magical.
It can never be filled by 

3225
02:54:31,900 --> 02:54:34,600
ordinary means. 
No matter how much food is put 

3226
02:54:34,600 --> 02:54:36,500
into it. 
There will always be room for 

3227
02:54:36,500 --> 02:54:38,900
more. 
The only way to fill it is for a

3228
02:54:38,908 --> 02:54:41,900
wealthy man to step into it and 
declare that enough has been 

3229
02:54:41,908 --> 02:54:45,900
given when inevitably does this,
because he'll want to appear 

3230
02:54:45,900 --> 02:54:48,000
generous and be done with this 
strange request. 

3231
02:54:48,800 --> 02:54:51,800
Quill should trap him in the bag
and his Knight should rush in. 

3232
02:54:51,800 --> 02:54:56,100
It's a plan that requires 
patience disguise and a 

3233
02:54:56,100 --> 02:54:59,100
willingness to look foolish in 
front of another worldly Court. 

3234
02:54:59,100 --> 02:55:02,900
It also requires trust will has 
to believe that Rhiannon is 

3235
02:55:02,900 --> 02:55:04,900
telling him the truth and that 
her magical bag will work as 

3236
02:55:04,900 --> 02:55:07,700
promised. 
We'll agree to all of this, he 

3237
02:55:07,700 --> 02:55:10,100
takes the bag. 
Rhiannon offers promises to 

3238
02:55:10,100 --> 02:55:13,700
appear at the feast in a year's 
time and then showing unusual 

3239
02:55:13,700 --> 02:55:17,600
restraint for a medieval hero, 
doesn't try to kiss her or seal 

3240
02:55:17,600 --> 02:55:21,300
the bargain with anything beyond
his word they part ways and 

3241
02:55:21,300 --> 02:55:23,000
Rhiannon rides off on her white 
horse. 

3242
02:55:23,000 --> 02:55:26,400
At that same unhurried Pace 
while will returns to his court 

3243
02:55:26,400 --> 02:55:29,000
to spend a year thinking about 
the extraordinary woman, he's 

3244
02:55:29,000 --> 02:55:33,300
promised to marry That year must
have felt long and trying to 

3245
02:55:33,308 --> 02:55:36,700
focus on The Daily Business of 
ruling a kingdom on knowing 

3246
02:55:36,700 --> 02:55:38,400
that. 
In 12 months, you'll be 

3247
02:55:38,400 --> 02:55:40,900
attempting to trick and other 
worldly Noble at his own 

3248
02:55:40,900 --> 02:55:43,600
engagement party. 
Using a magical bag that 

3249
02:55:43,600 --> 02:55:46,600
supposedly never fills. 
You'd probably find yourself 

3250
02:55:46,600 --> 02:55:49,900
double checking that the bag was
still there wondering, if you'd 

3251
02:55:49,900 --> 02:55:52,900
imagine the whole encounter and 
practicing what you'd say when 

3252
02:55:52,900 --> 02:55:56,600
you showed up dressed as a 
beggar, But will keeps his word,

3253
02:55:56,600 --> 02:56:00,600
when the year passes, he gathers
his 100 best nights and rides to

3254
02:56:00,600 --> 02:56:02,400
the location Rihanna and 
specified. 

3255
02:56:02,400 --> 02:56:05,400
He finds her father's Court. 
Exactly where she said it would 

3256
02:56:05,400 --> 02:56:09,300
be because otherworldly beings 
don't give false directions and 

3257
02:56:09,300 --> 02:56:11,500
positions is men outside as 
instructed. 

3258
02:56:12,300 --> 02:56:16,000
Then comes the hard, part 
transforming himself from a 

3259
02:56:16,000 --> 02:56:19,600
lured into a convincing beggar. 
We'll puts on ragged clothes 

3260
02:56:19,600 --> 02:56:22,700
properly rub, some dirt on his 
face and adopts, the posture of 

3261
02:56:22,700 --> 02:56:25,000
someone asking for charity, 
rather than commanding. 

3262
02:56:25,000 --> 02:56:28,500
It, it's a complete inversion of
his normal role and doing it. 

3263
02:56:28,508 --> 02:56:31,600
Voluntarily requires a kind of 
humility that many medieval 

3264
02:56:31,600 --> 02:56:34,300
Nobles lacked. 
He enters the whole during the 

3265
02:56:34,300 --> 02:56:38,100
feast and the scene must have 
been spectacular, other worldly 

3266
02:56:38,100 --> 02:56:39,900
courts. 
In Welsh mythology aren't quite 

3267
02:56:39,900 --> 02:56:44,300
like Mortal ones their brighter 
richer and More Beautiful in 

3268
02:56:44,300 --> 02:56:47,300
ways that a slightly unsettling 
because they're too perfect. 

3269
02:56:47,300 --> 02:56:51,600
The food never runs out the 
musicians, never miss a note and

3270
02:56:51,600 --> 02:56:53,900
everyone is just attractive 
enough to make you wonder if 

3271
02:56:53,900 --> 02:56:55,200
you're under dressed for the 
occasion. 

3272
02:56:56,000 --> 02:56:58,700
Will seize Rihanna's seated at 
the high table between her 

3273
02:56:58,700 --> 02:57:02,500
father and Gore, who presumably 
thinks this is his wedding feast

3274
02:57:02,500 --> 02:57:04,600
and is probably feeling pretty 
pleased with himself. 

3275
02:57:04,600 --> 02:57:07,700
Rhiannon sees will too though, 
she gives no sign of 

3276
02:57:07,700 --> 02:57:09,700
recognition. 
She's playing her part, 

3277
02:57:09,700 --> 02:57:13,200
perfectly waiting for him to 
play his Will approaches the 

3278
02:57:13,200 --> 02:57:15,700
high table and make his request 
with appropriate deference. 

3279
02:57:15,700 --> 02:57:18,600
He's just a poor Wanderer asking
for a little Charity. 

3280
02:57:18,600 --> 02:57:21,000
Just enough food to fill this 
small bag. 

3281
02:57:21,000 --> 02:57:24,400
He's carrying Surely such a 
grand Feast can spare something 

3282
02:57:24,400 --> 02:57:28,000
for a hungry Traveler. 
The request seems modest even 

3283
02:57:28,000 --> 02:57:31,600
generous to refuse. 
Rhiannon's father displaying the

3284
02:57:31,608 --> 02:57:34,600
hospitality that other worldly, 
Nobles Pride themselves on 

3285
02:57:34,600 --> 02:57:38,600
agrees immediately wall, not 
wanting to appear less generous 

3286
02:57:38,600 --> 02:57:41,000
than his future. 
Father-in-law endorses this 

3287
02:57:41,000 --> 02:57:43,700
charity enthusiastically. 
Servants. 

3288
02:57:43,700 --> 02:57:47,300
Begin filling the bag. 
They put in bread, meat, fruit, 

3289
02:57:47,300 --> 02:57:50,500
and Delicacies from the feast 
table, the back swallows it all 

3290
02:57:50,508 --> 02:57:52,700
without appearing. 
Any Fuller, more food. 

3291
02:57:52,700 --> 02:57:56,500
Goes in, still nothing. 
The servants look confused, then

3292
02:57:56,500 --> 02:57:59,600
concerned then slightly 
panicked, as they keep filling 

3293
02:57:59,600 --> 02:58:02,400
this impossible bag while the 
beggar stands patiently waiting.

3294
02:58:03,400 --> 02:58:06,400
Finally wall probably more 
irritated than generous. 

3295
02:58:06,400 --> 02:58:10,900
By this point asks what it would
take to fill the bag will 

3296
02:58:10,900 --> 02:58:14,300
following Rhiannon script 
exactly explains that the bag 

3297
02:58:14,300 --> 02:58:17,700
can only be satisfied when a 
true nobleman steps into it and 

3298
02:58:17,700 --> 02:58:21,300
declares that enough has been 
given and gwal perhaps wanting 

3299
02:58:21,300 --> 02:58:25,100
to end this strange spectacle, 
perhaps pushed by Pride steps 

3300
02:58:25,100 --> 02:58:27,800
into the bag, the moment his 
feet touched. 

3301
02:58:27,800 --> 02:58:30,200
The bottom will pulls the bag 
closed and ties its shut. 

3302
02:58:30,200 --> 02:58:33,000
He whistles, and his 100 nights 
pour into the Hall. 

3303
02:58:33,000 --> 02:58:36,600
What follows is sometimes called
badger in the bag, the knights 

3304
02:58:36,600 --> 02:58:39,800
take turns hitting the bag with 
sticks while wall trapped inside

3305
02:58:39,800 --> 02:58:44,000
protest vigorously, its violence
with a cartoonish quality more 

3306
02:58:44,000 --> 02:58:48,500
humiliation than actual harm and
it serves its purpose of 

3307
02:58:48,500 --> 02:58:51,200
eventually agrees to give up his
claim on Rihanna and in exchange

3308
02:58:51,200 --> 02:58:54,700
for being released Swearing 
Oaths that he won't seek revenge

3309
02:58:54,700 --> 02:58:58,800
rhiannon's father faced with a 
situation that has clearly moved

3310
02:58:58,800 --> 02:59:02,500
Beyond his control, accepts the 
new Arrangement and just like 

3311
02:59:02,500 --> 02:59:06,400
that through a combination of 
magical assistance, careful 

3312
02:59:06,400 --> 02:59:10,800
planning and a willingness to 
look foolish will win his bride.

3313
02:59:11,600 --> 02:59:14,000
Will and rhiannon's wedding, 
must have been an event worth 

3314
02:59:14,000 --> 02:59:16,500
witnessing. 
A mortal, Lord marrying, a woman

3315
02:59:16,508 --> 02:59:19,000
from NW with guests from both 
worlds. 

3316
02:59:19,000 --> 02:59:22,000
Presumably in attendance, the 
text doesn't give us many 

3317
02:59:22,000 --> 02:59:25,400
details but you can imagine the 
mixture of Welsh nobility trying

3318
02:59:25,400 --> 02:59:27,100
to maintain proper Feast 
protocol. 

3319
02:59:27,100 --> 02:59:30,600
While otherworldly guests did 
things that probably made the 

3320
02:59:30,600 --> 02:59:33,500
Mortal attendees question, their
understanding of physics and 

3321
02:59:33,500 --> 02:59:37,200
etiquette what the text does 
emphasize is rhiannon's 

3322
02:59:37,200 --> 02:59:39,600
extraordinary generosity as the 
feast progresses. 

3323
02:59:39,600 --> 02:59:41,600
She gives gifts to everyone who 
asks for them. 

3324
02:59:42,300 --> 02:59:44,900
In medieval Welsh culture, 
generosity was one of the 

3325
02:59:44,900 --> 02:59:48,100
highest virtues. 
Especially for nobility a good 

3326
02:59:48,108 --> 02:59:51,500
Lord, or lady was expected to 
give freely and the quality of 

3327
02:59:51,500 --> 02:59:53,800
your reputation. 
Often depended, on how open 

3328
02:59:53,800 --> 02:59:57,100
handed, you were, Rhiannon takes
this to Supernatural levels. 

3329
02:59:57,100 --> 03:00:01,500
She doesn't just give gifts, she
gives perfect gifts, the kind 

3330
03:00:01,500 --> 03:00:04,600
that somehow matching exactly 
what each person needs or wants.

3331
03:00:05,500 --> 03:00:08,800
Its generosity that goes beyond 
me a wealth and enters, the 

3332
03:00:08,808 --> 03:00:11,800
realm of almost magical 
understanding of human desire. 

3333
03:00:11,800 --> 03:00:14,900
The text tells us that no one 
leaves the feast disappointed or

3334
03:00:14,900 --> 03:00:18,600
refused, which in medieval terms
is basically saying she achieved

3335
03:00:18,600 --> 03:00:21,400
The Impossible. 
After the wedding, Rhiannon 

3336
03:00:21,400 --> 03:00:24,400
returns with pool to DieHard and
they begin their life together. 

3337
03:00:24,400 --> 03:00:27,800
Here's where the story does 
something interesting, instead 

3338
03:00:27,800 --> 03:00:31,900
of immediately plunging into 
crisis, it gives them time a 

3339
03:00:31,900 --> 03:00:35,000
full year of apparent happiness,
where Rhiannon proves herself to

3340
03:00:35,000 --> 03:00:37,100
be everything, quills Court 
could want in a lady. 

3341
03:00:37,108 --> 03:00:40,900
She's generous with Will's 
subjects, continuing the pattern

3342
03:00:40,900 --> 03:00:42,800
of gift-giving. 
She displayed, at the wedding, 

3343
03:00:42,800 --> 03:00:45,700
she's wise in her Council 
helping quill. 

3344
03:00:45,700 --> 03:00:47,700
Make decisions about governance 
and Justice. 

3345
03:00:47,700 --> 03:00:51,400
She integrates herself into 
mortal Society, while 

3346
03:00:51,400 --> 03:00:54,100
maintaining an other worldly 
Grace, that makes her memorable.

3347
03:00:54,100 --> 03:00:58,000
The text suggests that people 
genuinely loved her, not out of 

3348
03:00:58,008 --> 03:01:01,000
fear or obligation, but because 
she treats them with a 

3349
03:01:01,008 --> 03:01:04,300
combination of dignity and 
kindness that transcends, her 

3350
03:01:04,300 --> 03:01:08,800
Supernatural Origins, This is 
important to understand because 

3351
03:01:08,800 --> 03:01:12,700
of what comes next. 
When disaster strikes, it won't 

3352
03:01:12,700 --> 03:01:15,900
be because Rihanna was a poor 
wife, or lady it won't be 

3353
03:01:15,900 --> 03:01:17,900
because she fail to earn her 
place in quills. 

3354
03:01:17,900 --> 03:01:20,000
Court, the tragedy that's 
coming. 

3355
03:01:20,000 --> 03:01:21,700
Isn't a result of her 
inadequacy? 

3356
03:01:21,700 --> 03:01:25,800
It's a result of forces Beyond 
her control and accusations that

3357
03:01:25,800 --> 03:01:28,100
say more about human nature than
about her character. 

3358
03:01:28,100 --> 03:01:33,100
But for now, for one year, 
everything is perfect will has 

3359
03:01:33,100 --> 03:01:36,400
his other worldly bride Rihanna,
and has escaped and unwanted 

3360
03:01:36,400 --> 03:01:39,500
marriage and died. 
Has a lady whose generosity and 

3361
03:01:39,500 --> 03:01:43,000
wisdom benefit, everyone, it's a
brief Shining Moment before the 

3362
03:01:43,000 --> 03:01:46,700
story takes its darker turn. 
You might find yourself wishing.

3363
03:01:46,700 --> 03:01:49,900
The story could stay in this 
space, just let them be happy. 

3364
03:01:49,900 --> 03:01:53,300
Let the magical woman and her 
mortal husband live out their 

3365
03:01:53,300 --> 03:01:56,600
days in peace but stories like 
life rarely work that way. 

3366
03:01:56,600 --> 03:01:59,800
The piece we are experiencing is
the calm that makes the coming 

3367
03:01:59,800 --> 03:02:02,700
storm meaningful. 
As you settle deeper into your 

3368
03:02:02,708 --> 03:02:05,300
blanket. 
Remember this year of Happiness?

3369
03:02:05,300 --> 03:02:08,800
Hold it in your mind, like a 
pleasant dream, because Rhiannon

3370
03:02:08,800 --> 03:02:11,300
will need you to remember it. 
When people start making 

3371
03:02:11,300 --> 03:02:14,100
accusations and demanding 
punishments, you'll need to 

3372
03:02:14,100 --> 03:02:16,200
remember that. 
There was a time when everyone 

3373
03:02:16,200 --> 03:02:20,300
loved her when no one questioned
her place in quills Court, when 

3374
03:02:20,300 --> 03:02:23,800
she was the perfect lady whose 
generosity, you know, bounce 

3375
03:02:23,800 --> 03:02:26,100
that memory will matter more 
than you might think. 

3376
03:02:27,100 --> 03:02:30,000
After that year of Happiness, 
Rhiannon becomes pregnant. 

3377
03:02:30,000 --> 03:02:33,300
This is cause for celebration in
any medieval court, but 

3378
03:02:33,300 --> 03:02:36,400
especially in dived. 
An air means continuity, 

3379
03:02:36,400 --> 03:02:39,200
stability and the promise that 
the kingdom will pass to the 

3380
03:02:39,200 --> 03:02:42,700
next generation without conflict
will and Rihanna's child will 

3381
03:02:42,700 --> 03:02:46,400
Bridge Two Worlds, mortal and 
otherworldly and that's an 

3382
03:02:46,400 --> 03:02:49,500
exciting prospect. 
The pregnancy proceeds normally 

3383
03:02:49,500 --> 03:02:53,700
and when the time comes Rihanna 
and gives birth to a son, the 

3384
03:02:53,700 --> 03:02:56,900
text emphasizes this detail a 
healthy boy crying. 

3385
03:02:56,900 --> 03:02:59,800
Lastly, perfect. 
In every way midwives, attend 

3386
03:02:59,800 --> 03:03:03,000
her as was customary for Noble 
births and six. 

3387
03:03:03,000 --> 03:03:05,500
Women are assigned to watch over
mother and child during The 

3388
03:03:05,500 --> 03:03:08,700
crucial first night. 
This is where you need to 

3389
03:03:08,700 --> 03:03:11,000
understand another aspect of 
medieval belief. 

3390
03:03:11,700 --> 03:03:15,300
Time immediately after birth was
considered dangerous, a liminal 

3391
03:03:15,300 --> 03:03:17,800
period, when both mother and 
child were vulnerable to 

3392
03:03:17,800 --> 03:03:20,600
Supernatural forces. 
That's why six women were 

3393
03:03:20,600 --> 03:03:23,600
assigned to keep watch. 
This wasn't casual babysitting, 

3394
03:03:23,600 --> 03:03:27,600
it was serious protective Duty, 
their job was to stay awake all 

3395
03:03:27,600 --> 03:03:30,100
night, ensuring nothing happened
to the child. 

3396
03:03:31,000 --> 03:03:33,600
They fail at this job in the 
most dramatic way, possible 

3397
03:03:33,600 --> 03:03:37,500
sometime during the night, all 
six women fall asleep. 

3398
03:03:37,500 --> 03:03:40,000
Not one at a time, not in the 
natural way. 

3399
03:03:40,000 --> 03:03:44,000
People get drowsy on a long walk
but simultaneously as if some 

3400
03:03:44,000 --> 03:03:46,800
Supernatural force is simply 
turned off their Consciousness. 

3401
03:03:46,800 --> 03:03:50,100
Like switching off a light when 
they wake up probably in the 

3402
03:03:50,100 --> 03:03:52,600
gray hour before Dawn. 
They face every guardian's 

3403
03:03:52,600 --> 03:03:55,600
nightmare the baby is gone. 
Just gone. 

3404
03:03:55,600 --> 03:03:59,100
No sign of violence. 
No, indication of how someone 

3405
03:03:59,100 --> 03:04:02,100
could have entered the room. 
Take the child and left without 

3406
03:04:02,100 --> 03:04:05,100
disturbing anyone. 
The Cradle is empty and six 

3407
03:04:05,100 --> 03:04:06,500
women who were supposed to be 
watching. 

3408
03:04:06,500 --> 03:04:08,700
Suddenly realized they've lost 
the air to die. 

3409
03:04:08,700 --> 03:04:12,500
And the child of a woman from 
anwyn their first emotion is 

3410
03:04:12,500 --> 03:04:15,900
probably Terror in medieval 
Wales losing a noble child 

3411
03:04:15,900 --> 03:04:18,700
through negligence could result 
in severe punishment, possibly 

3412
03:04:18,700 --> 03:04:23,100
execution 6 women all of whom 
fell asleep on duty, all of whom

3413
03:04:23,100 --> 03:04:24,600
have no explanation for what 
happened. 

3414
03:04:24,600 --> 03:04:28,000
Their facing disgrace at best 
death at worst. 

3415
03:04:28,900 --> 03:04:31,000
So they make a decision that 
will Define the rest of 

3416
03:04:31,000 --> 03:04:34,100
rhiannon's story, instead of 
telling the truth and accepting 

3417
03:04:34,100 --> 03:04:36,800
their punishment. 
They decide to blame Rhiannon. 

3418
03:04:37,500 --> 03:04:39,200
The plan they devise is 
horrific. 

3419
03:04:39,200 --> 03:04:43,700
They take puppies the text 
specifies, puppies young dogs 

3420
03:04:43,700 --> 03:04:46,900
from the court and kill them. 
They smear the blood on 

3421
03:04:46,900 --> 03:04:50,300
rhiannon's face and hands while 
she sleeps exhausted from 

3422
03:04:50,300 --> 03:04:53,200
childbirth, they scatter bones 
around her bed. 

3423
03:04:53,200 --> 03:04:56,800
Then when she wakes, they tell 
everyone that Rhiannon has 

3424
03:04:56,800 --> 03:05:00,900
killed and eaten her own child. 
It's an accusation of the most 

3425
03:05:00,900 --> 03:05:04,800
unnatural crime imaginable, a 
mother murdering and consuming 

3426
03:05:04,800 --> 03:05:07,500
her newborn. 
It plays on deep fears about the

3427
03:05:07,500 --> 03:05:10,800
boundary between human and 
animal about maternal Instinct 

3428
03:05:10,800 --> 03:05:14,100
perverted into something. 
Monstrous, it also plays on 

3429
03:05:14,100 --> 03:05:16,800
existing prejudices about 
rhiannon's, other worldly 

3430
03:05:16,800 --> 03:05:18,800
nature. 
She's not quite like other 

3431
03:05:18,800 --> 03:05:21,200
women, so perhaps she's capable 
of things. 

3432
03:05:21,200 --> 03:05:24,900
Other women would never do when 
Rhiannon wakes to find herself, 

3433
03:05:24,900 --> 03:05:29,000
covered in blood, surrounded by 
bones, and Accused by six 

3434
03:05:29,000 --> 03:05:32,700
Witnesses of infanticide, and 
cannibalism, she denies it. 

3435
03:05:32,700 --> 03:05:36,200
Absolutely, she knows what 
happened or rather, she knows 

3436
03:05:36,200 --> 03:05:38,400
what didn't happen. 
She didn't kill her child. 

3437
03:05:38,400 --> 03:05:41,900
She doesn't know where he is, 
but she knows with complete 

3438
03:05:41,900 --> 03:05:45,400
certainty that she didn't harm 
him, but she is facing six women

3439
03:05:45,400 --> 03:05:48,900
who all tell the same story, 
physical evidence, that seems to

3440
03:05:48,900 --> 03:05:51,700
support their account. 
And a court full of people who 

3441
03:05:51,700 --> 03:05:55,100
are shocked, horrified and 
looking for someone to blame for

3442
03:05:55,100 --> 03:05:59,300
this tragedy will find himself 
in an impossible situation on 

3443
03:05:59,300 --> 03:06:00,000
one. 
Hand. 

3444
03:06:00,000 --> 03:06:03,300
He knows Rhiannon has lived with
her, for over a year and has 

3445
03:06:03,300 --> 03:06:04,700
seen her generosity and 
kindness. 

3446
03:06:04,700 --> 03:06:09,600
On the other hand, he has six 
Witnesses, physical evidence and

3447
03:06:09,600 --> 03:06:12,300
a missing child. 
His Nobles are demanding that he

3448
03:06:12,308 --> 03:06:15,900
put Rhiannon aside to water, and
possibly execute her for this 

3449
03:06:15,908 --> 03:06:20,000
unnatural crime, to his credit 
Will refuses to divorce her, 

3450
03:06:20,000 --> 03:06:23,100
despite the pressure, despite 
the evidence, despite how much 

3451
03:06:23,100 --> 03:06:26,200
easier it would be, to Simply 
cut his losses and find another 

3452
03:06:26,200 --> 03:06:29,600
wife, he won't abandon her. 
It's one of the few moments, 

3453
03:06:29,600 --> 03:06:32,800
where will fully lives up to his
name, showing the wisdom and 

3454
03:06:32,800 --> 03:06:35,000
loyalty that. 
Presumably made him a good Lord 

3455
03:06:35,000 --> 03:06:38,200
in the first place, but he can't
completely Shield Rihanna, and 

3456
03:06:38,208 --> 03:06:41,000
from consequences, the court 
demands, some form of 

3457
03:06:41,000 --> 03:06:44,100
punishment, some acknowledgment 
that something terrible has 

3458
03:06:44,100 --> 03:06:45,600
happened and someone must answer
for it. 

3459
03:06:45,600 --> 03:06:48,800
A compromise is reached though, 
it's a compromise that will test

3460
03:06:48,800 --> 03:06:50,400
real and in ways that might be 
worse. 

3461
03:06:50,400 --> 03:06:54,100
The next execution, The 
punishment. 

3462
03:06:54,100 --> 03:06:56,900
They devised for Rihanna in his 
specific and deliberately 

3463
03:06:56,900 --> 03:07:00,100
humiliating for seven years. 
She must sit by the mounting 

3464
03:07:00,100 --> 03:07:01,800
block at the entrance to pulls 
Court. 

3465
03:07:02,500 --> 03:07:05,900
Every person who arrives, she 
must tell them her story that 

3466
03:07:05,900 --> 03:07:09,000
she killed her own child. 
She must offer to carry them on 

3467
03:07:09,000 --> 03:07:11,800
her back, like a horse, 
transporting them from the gate 

3468
03:07:11,800 --> 03:07:14,200
to the court. 
Think about what this means, 

3469
03:07:14,200 --> 03:07:17,900
Rhiannon, the lady who wrote The
White Horse that couldn't be 

3470
03:07:17,900 --> 03:07:21,000
caught, is being reduced to a 
beast of burden herself. 

3471
03:07:21,000 --> 03:07:24,400
The woman who gave generous 
gifts to everyone is now forced 

3472
03:07:24,400 --> 03:07:26,000
to offer her own body, as 
transport. 

3473
03:07:26,000 --> 03:07:28,900
The wife of the Lord, must sit 
at the gate, like a criminal, 

3474
03:07:28,900 --> 03:07:32,200
confessing to a crime, she 
didn't commit over and over to 

3475
03:07:32,200 --> 03:07:36,000
every visitor, who arrives, 
Punishment has Perpetual 

3476
03:07:36,000 --> 03:07:40,400
performance, humiliation has 
daily routine and it's designed 

3477
03:07:40,400 --> 03:07:43,900
to continue for seven years, 
long enough that most people 

3478
03:07:43,900 --> 03:07:47,500
would break would confess to 
anything just to make it stop 

3479
03:07:47,500 --> 03:07:50,200
and would lose the cells in the 
repetition of Shame. 

3480
03:07:51,300 --> 03:07:53,100
But here's what makes Rihanna 
and remarkable. 

3481
03:07:53,100 --> 03:07:58,000
She endures it day after day, 
season after season year after 

3482
03:07:58,000 --> 03:08:00,100
year. 
She sits at that gate when 

3483
03:08:00,100 --> 03:08:03,100
visitors arrive, she tells them 
the story of her supposed crime,

3484
03:08:03,100 --> 03:08:05,700
in a steady voice. 
When they look at her with 

3485
03:08:05,700 --> 03:08:09,500
horror or pity or disgust, she 
meets their eyes when some 

3486
03:08:09,500 --> 03:08:12,600
accept her offer to carry them. 
And the text suggests many do 

3487
03:08:12,600 --> 03:08:14,400
either out of Cruelty or 
curiosity. 

3488
03:08:15,200 --> 03:08:17,000
She bares their weight without 
complaint. 

3489
03:08:17,800 --> 03:08:21,100
The text doesn't dwell on these 
seven years in detail, but let's

3490
03:08:21,100 --> 03:08:22,700
think about what they must have 
been. 

3491
03:08:22,700 --> 03:08:26,400
Like seven years is long enough 
that children grow from infancy 

3492
03:08:26,400 --> 03:08:30,200
to Childhood long enough that 
Seasons become just another form

3493
03:08:30,200 --> 03:08:33,000
of measurement and long enough 
that the person you were at the 

3494
03:08:33,000 --> 03:08:35,300
beginning might seem like a 
Stranger by the end. 

3495
03:08:35,300 --> 03:08:39,900
Rhiannon endures Welsh weather 
rain that comes sideways wind 

3496
03:08:39,900 --> 03:08:42,000
that cuts through clothing. 
Summer heat. 

3497
03:08:42,000 --> 03:08:44,900
That makes Stones too hot to 
touch and winter cold that 

3498
03:08:44,900 --> 03:08:47,800
settles into bones. 
She endures the stairs of people

3499
03:08:47,800 --> 03:08:49,300
who think they're looking at a 
monster. 

3500
03:08:49,300 --> 03:08:52,800
She endures the weight of 
Travelers on her back. the stone

3501
03:08:52,800 --> 03:08:55,900
of the mounting block beneath 
her and the endless repetition 

3502
03:08:55,900 --> 03:08:59,500
of her own story told as a 
confession, And through it all, 

3503
03:08:59,500 --> 03:09:02,400
she maintained something 
essential about herself. 

3504
03:09:02,400 --> 03:09:04,400
She doesn't become bitter or 
broken. 

3505
03:09:04,400 --> 03:09:07,800
She doesn't lash out at the 
women, who lied about her or 

3506
03:09:07,800 --> 03:09:09,500
demand that will investigate 
further. 

3507
03:09:09,500 --> 03:09:13,100
She simply endures with a kind 
of quiet dignity that suggests 

3508
03:09:13,100 --> 03:09:16,600
she knows the truth, even if no 
one else believes her This is 

3509
03:09:16,600 --> 03:09:19,700
where Rhiannon transforms from a
supernatural woman choosing her 

3510
03:09:19,708 --> 03:09:21,100
own destiny in to something 
else. 

3511
03:09:22,100 --> 03:09:25,500
Figure of endurance, patience 
and strength that goes beyond 

3512
03:09:25,500 --> 03:09:28,900
magic, or otherworldly power. 
Anyone can be powerful when they

3513
03:09:28,900 --> 03:09:32,200
have advantages Rhiannon is 
showing what remains when all 

3514
03:09:32,200 --> 03:09:35,600
advantages are Stripped Away, 
medieval audiences would have 

3515
03:09:35,600 --> 03:09:36,800
recognized, what was happening 
here? 

3516
03:09:36,800 --> 03:09:40,100
The patient wife wrongly accused
was a common Motif in their 

3517
03:09:40,108 --> 03:09:42,700
literature but rhiannon's 
version has a particular 

3518
03:09:42,700 --> 03:09:45,100
quality. 
She's not waiting passively to 

3519
03:09:45,100 --> 03:09:47,600
be rescued. 
She's actively surviving 

3520
03:09:47,600 --> 03:09:50,600
choosing each day to continue to
maintain her dignity and 

3521
03:09:50,600 --> 03:09:52,800
circumstances designed to 
destroy it. 

3522
03:09:53,600 --> 03:09:57,300
The seven years are all. 
So biblically significant a 

3523
03:09:57,300 --> 03:10:00,200
complete cycle, a time of trial 
and testing. 

3524
03:10:00,200 --> 03:10:04,100
Jacob Works, seven years for, 
Rachel is relates Circle Jericho

3525
03:10:04,100 --> 03:10:07,500
for seven days, seven years 
suggests, both endurance and 

3526
03:10:07,500 --> 03:10:11,300
eventual, completion suffering, 
and the promise of change. 

3527
03:10:12,200 --> 03:10:15,200
But the text doesn't ask us to 
Simply skip over these years to 

3528
03:10:15,200 --> 03:10:18,200
get to the resolution by 
mentioning the seven years span.

3529
03:10:18,200 --> 03:10:21,500
It's asking us to sit with 
Rihanna and suffering to 

3530
03:10:21,500 --> 03:10:24,800
understand that her Vindication.
When it comes, is earned through

3531
03:10:24,800 --> 03:10:28,500
patience that most people 
couldn't sustain as you lie in 

3532
03:10:28,500 --> 03:10:31,600
the comfort of your bed. 
Warm and safe think about 

3533
03:10:31,600 --> 03:10:33,100
sitting at a gate for seven 
years. 

3534
03:10:33,100 --> 03:10:36,500
Think about telling the same 
humiliating story to strangers 

3535
03:10:36,500 --> 03:10:39,600
day after day. 
Think about maintaining your 

3536
03:10:39,600 --> 03:10:42,500
sense of self when everything 
around you insists, You're 

3537
03:10:42,500 --> 03:10:46,900
Something monstrous. 
Rhiannon does this, she survives

3538
03:10:46,900 --> 03:10:49,300
her punishment with her 
essential self intact. 

3539
03:10:50,300 --> 03:10:53,300
And while she sits at that gate 
in another part of the Kingdom, 

3540
03:10:53,300 --> 03:10:57,400
her son is growing up. 
On the same night that 

3541
03:10:57,400 --> 03:11:00,700
rhiannon's child disappeared. 
Something strange happened at 

3542
03:11:00,700 --> 03:11:03,500
the home of a nobleman named 
tenant roughly aunt. 

3543
03:11:03,500 --> 03:11:05,900
Tanon had a beautiful mayor that
gave birth. 

3544
03:11:05,900 --> 03:11:09,100
Every May Eve, but mysteriously 
the foal always vanished before 

3545
03:11:09,100 --> 03:11:11,800
morning, year after year. 
The mayor would deliver a 

3546
03:11:11,800 --> 03:11:14,400
perfect fold and year after 
year, it would disappear Without

3547
03:11:14,400 --> 03:11:18,200
a Trace. 
This particular May Eve the same

3548
03:11:18,200 --> 03:11:21,600
night Rihanna and gave birth 
turn and decided he'd had enough

3549
03:11:21,600 --> 03:11:24,200
of this pattern. 
He determined to stay awake all 

3550
03:11:24,200 --> 03:11:27,500
night in the stable armed and 
ready to discover what was 

3551
03:11:27,500 --> 03:11:30,300
taking his foals. 
So while six women were falling 

3552
03:11:30,300 --> 03:11:33,500
into Supernatural, sleep in 
quills, Court, Tan and was 

3553
03:11:33,500 --> 03:11:35,600
forcing himself to stay awake in
his stable. 

3554
03:11:35,600 --> 03:11:40,000
Watching his mayor labor. 
The full was born, a magnificent

3555
03:11:40,000 --> 03:11:43,900
cult, even by the mayor's, high 
standards 10 and admired it for 

3556
03:11:43,900 --> 03:11:46,900
a moment, probably feeling 
protective and determined that 

3557
03:11:46,908 --> 03:11:51,600
this time, finally, he'd save, 
one of these foals Then exactly,

3558
03:11:51,600 --> 03:11:54,200
at midnight, something reached 
through the window. 

3559
03:11:55,100 --> 03:11:59,700
The text describes it as a claw 
or arm of enormous size grabbing

3560
03:11:59,700 --> 03:12:02,600
for the newborn foal. 
Turn on, without hesitation 

3561
03:12:02,600 --> 03:12:05,300
drew, his sword and struck at it
severing the arm at the elbow, 

3562
03:12:05,300 --> 03:12:08,700
whatever creature it, belonged 
to screamed and vanished Into 

3563
03:12:08,700 --> 03:12:11,700
the Night. 
Turn on rushed outside to pursue

3564
03:12:11,700 --> 03:12:14,100
it sword. 
Ready prepared to fight whatever

3565
03:12:14,100 --> 03:12:17,900
monster had been stealing his 
foals for years but he found 

3566
03:12:17,900 --> 03:12:20,600
nothing. 
Just darkness and the sound of 

3567
03:12:20,600 --> 03:12:23,700
something fleeing into the 
distance when he returned to the

3568
03:12:23,700 --> 03:12:25,900
stable frustrated at losing his 
Quarry. 

3569
03:12:25,900 --> 03:12:29,300
He discovered something that 
stopped him in his tracks on his

3570
03:12:29,300 --> 03:12:34,500
doorstep raped in fine cloth was
a baby boy. now, tan and was a 

3571
03:12:34,500 --> 03:12:38,200
practical man, not given to 
Flights of Fancy, but even he 

3572
03:12:38,200 --> 03:12:42,800
could put together the timeline 
The same night, a mysterious 

3573
03:12:42,800 --> 03:12:45,200
creature and a missing child 
raped in Noble cloth. 

3574
03:12:45,200 --> 03:12:48,400
Appeared at exactly the moment. 
He was fighting off something 

3575
03:12:48,400 --> 03:12:51,200
Supernatural. 
He brought the child inside his 

3576
03:12:51,200 --> 03:12:53,800
wife and they made a decision 
that speaks to their character. 

3577
03:12:53,800 --> 03:12:57,800
They would raise the boys, their
own and wife had wanted 

3578
03:12:57,800 --> 03:13:00,800
children, but had none. 
So she welcomed this mysterious 

3579
03:13:00,800 --> 03:13:03,200
infant with genuine love. 
They named him. 

3580
03:13:03,200 --> 03:13:07,300
Greece urine of the golden hair 
because his hair was as bright 

3581
03:13:07,300 --> 03:13:10,600
as polished metal. 
They told people he was hers, a 

3582
03:13:10,600 --> 03:13:13,200
late blessing and no one 
questioned it because medieval 

3583
03:13:13,200 --> 03:13:17,100
record-keeping wasn't exactly 
stringent heally in rural 

3584
03:13:17,100 --> 03:13:21,400
nobility. 
And then something remarkable 

3585
03:13:21,400 --> 03:13:26,700
happened, gri grew, not at a 
normal rate, but at a speed that

3586
03:13:26,700 --> 03:13:30,300
was Supernatural yet somehow 
natural by the end of his first 

3587
03:13:30,300 --> 03:13:31,900
year. 
He had the development of a 

3588
03:13:31,900 --> 03:13:34,100
three-year-old by the end of his
second year. 

3589
03:13:34,100 --> 03:13:38,400
He was like a child of six. 
He was bright, healthy strong, 

3590
03:13:38,400 --> 03:13:42,500
and remarkably good with horses.
Especially with the cult that 

3591
03:13:42,500 --> 03:13:46,300
had been born the same night. 
He appeared 10 and his wife 

3592
03:13:46,300 --> 03:13:49,700
raised gray with love teaching 
him, the skills appropriate to a

3593
03:13:49,700 --> 03:13:54,200
young nobleman riding hunting 
courtesy and the management of a

3594
03:13:54,200 --> 03:13:56,900
household, the boy thrived in 
their care growing. 

3595
03:13:56,900 --> 03:13:59,800
Not just in size, but also 
incapability and character. 

3596
03:14:00,500 --> 03:14:04,600
He was everything parents could 
hope for kind Brave intelligent 

3597
03:14:04,600 --> 03:14:08,200
and loyal. 
But as Greek Grew Older, his 

3598
03:14:08,200 --> 03:14:11,600
resemblance to someone became 
impossible to ignore visitors to

3599
03:14:11,600 --> 03:14:15,900
court started remarking on it. 
The boy looked remarkably like 

3600
03:14:15,900 --> 03:14:18,400
quill. 
The Lord of dived, not just a 

3601
03:14:18,400 --> 03:14:21,300
passing resemblance, but the 
kind of similarity that suggests

3602
03:14:21,300 --> 03:14:24,600
a blood relationship. 
Tenon began hearing stories 

3603
03:14:24,600 --> 03:14:28,200
about Will's Court, how the lady
Rhiannon had supposedly killed 

3604
03:14:28,200 --> 03:14:31,100
her child and how she'd been 
sitting at the gate for years. 

3605
03:14:31,100 --> 03:14:34,500
Now, confessing to the crime and
offering to carry visitors, like

3606
03:14:34,500 --> 03:14:38,600
a horse, the timeline matched, 
the appearance matched and that 

3607
03:14:38,600 --> 03:14:41,100
mysterious creature that had 
tried to steal the foal. 

3608
03:14:41,100 --> 03:14:45,500
The same night, a noble, child 
disappeared, tin and faced a 

3609
03:14:45,500 --> 03:14:48,500
difficult Choice. 
He and his wife loved Greece as 

3610
03:14:48,500 --> 03:14:51,000
their own son. 
The boy called the mother and 

3611
03:14:51,000 --> 03:14:55,300
father and had no other family. 
They raced him through infancy 

3612
03:14:55,300 --> 03:14:58,700
and childhood celebrated his 
accomplishments and cared for 

3613
03:14:58,700 --> 03:15:00,500
him. 
When he was sick in every way 

3614
03:15:00,500 --> 03:15:03,700
that mattered emotionally, he 
was their child, but 10 and was 

3615
03:15:03,700 --> 03:15:06,400
also a man of honor and the 
honor of the situation was 

3616
03:15:06,400 --> 03:15:09,100
clear. 
This was almost certainly will 

3617
03:15:09,100 --> 03:15:11,900
and Rihanna's son. 
A woman was suffering endless 

3618
03:15:11,900 --> 03:15:13,500
punishment for a crime. 
She didn't commit. 

3619
03:15:14,400 --> 03:15:17,300
A kingdom was without its 
rightful, Heir and tianan was 

3620
03:15:17,308 --> 03:15:20,400
keeping them all in ignorance. 
However, unintentionally had 

3621
03:15:20,400 --> 03:15:23,400
begun. 
The decision he made shows real 

3622
03:15:23,400 --> 03:15:26,700
nobility of character. 
He chose to do the right thing 

3623
03:15:26,700 --> 03:15:29,700
even though it cost him dearly. 
He told his wife what he 

3624
03:15:29,700 --> 03:15:32,800
suspected and together. 
They decided to take greedy to 

3625
03:15:32,800 --> 03:15:34,200
quilt court and reveal the 
truth. 

3626
03:15:35,100 --> 03:15:37,000
Imagine that conversation with 
gri. 

3627
03:15:37,000 --> 03:15:39,700
Trying to explain to a child 
who's maybe three or four years 

3628
03:15:39,700 --> 03:15:42,800
old but older in development 
that the parents he's known all 

3629
03:15:42,800 --> 03:15:44,700
his life. 
Aren't his birth parents that 

3630
03:15:44,700 --> 03:15:47,900
he's actually the son of a lord 
and a lady from anwen and that 

3631
03:15:47,900 --> 03:15:49,600
his real mother has been 
suffering because he 

3632
03:15:49,600 --> 03:15:51,800
disappeared. 
How do you make that make sense 

3633
03:15:51,800 --> 03:15:54,900
to a child? 
But Gris showing the wisdom that

3634
03:15:54,900 --> 03:15:57,000
would characterize him 
throughout his life seemed to 

3635
03:15:57,008 --> 03:16:00,400
understand or perhaps, he didn't
fully understand, but trusted, 

3636
03:16:00,400 --> 03:16:03,000
the people who'd raised him 
enough to accept what they said.

3637
03:16:03,000 --> 03:16:06,800
Either way he agreed to go with 
Tenon to Will's Court. 

3638
03:16:07,600 --> 03:16:09,600
The journey there must have been
Bitter. 

3639
03:16:09,600 --> 03:16:11,800
Sweet, ten a new. 
He was doing the right thing, 

3640
03:16:11,800 --> 03:16:14,700
but every mile brought him 
closer to losing the child. 

3641
03:16:14,700 --> 03:16:19,000
He'd raised His wife had stayed 
behind perhaps unable to Bear 

3642
03:16:19,000 --> 03:16:22,700
the actual moment of Separation.
Greer Road beside him, probably 

3643
03:16:22,700 --> 03:16:25,000
quiet. 
Processing, what was about to 

3644
03:16:25,000 --> 03:16:27,100
happen. 
And at the end of their Journey,

3645
03:16:27,100 --> 03:16:30,600
sitting at the gate as she had 
for nearly seven years was 

3646
03:16:30,600 --> 03:16:34,000
Rihanna and picture the moment 
when tan and gray arrive at 

3647
03:16:34,000 --> 03:16:37,300
Will's Court, Rhiannon is at her
usual position by the mounting 

3648
03:16:37,300 --> 03:16:39,300
block. 
Probably wearing clothes that 

3649
03:16:39,300 --> 03:16:42,500
have seen better days a face 
bearing, the marks of seven 

3650
03:16:42,500 --> 03:16:44,700
years of exposure to weather and
hardship. 

3651
03:16:44,700 --> 03:16:48,200
She looks up as they approached 
ready to tell her story, once 

3652
03:16:48,200 --> 03:16:50,800
more ready to offer to carry 
them if they are accepted. 

3653
03:16:51,800 --> 03:16:55,100
But something happens before she
can speak ten and looks at her 

3654
03:16:55,100 --> 03:16:58,700
really looks at her and sees, 
not the monster of the stories 

3655
03:16:58,700 --> 03:17:02,000
describe, but a woman who is 
endured something almost Beyond 

3656
03:17:02,000 --> 03:17:05,300
human capacity, and Gris, who 
has never seen his mother before

3657
03:17:05,300 --> 03:17:08,000
stares at her, with the kind of 
recognition that goes deeper 

3658
03:17:08,000 --> 03:17:10,500
than memory. 
Something in the blood perhaps, 

3659
03:17:10,500 --> 03:17:13,800
or in the soul. 
Turn and tells Rihanna and 

3660
03:17:13,800 --> 03:17:14,800
they've come to see. 
Lord will. 

3661
03:17:14,800 --> 03:17:17,800
And he gently refuses her offer 
to carry them. 

3662
03:17:17,800 --> 03:17:20,700
There's a kindness in his voice 
that Rhiannon probably hasn't 

3663
03:17:20,700 --> 03:17:24,300
heard in years from strangers, 
they proceed to the court where 

3664
03:17:24,300 --> 03:17:26,800
quill receives them with the 
hospitality due to a noble 

3665
03:17:26,800 --> 03:17:29,900
visitor, turn on doesn't waste 
time with small, talk or 

3666
03:17:29,900 --> 03:17:33,000
elaborate preambles. 
He tells will the entire story, 

3667
03:17:33,000 --> 03:17:36,600
the mayor that lost Falls. 
Every May Eve the creature that 

3668
03:17:36,608 --> 03:17:39,700
reached through the window, the 
child found on his doorstep, 

3669
03:17:39,700 --> 03:17:43,500
gries remarkable growth, and his
unmistakable resemblance to 

3670
03:17:43,500 --> 03:17:46,200
quill. 
He presents the boy now, perhaps

3671
03:17:46,200 --> 03:17:48,400
four years old, but with the 
development of someone much 

3672
03:17:48,400 --> 03:17:51,400
older and let's the physical 
evidence speak for itself. 

3673
03:17:52,400 --> 03:17:56,100
Will looks at Greene's himself. 
The resemblance is undeniable 

3674
03:17:56,100 --> 03:17:59,800
the same features. 
The same coloring, the same 

3675
03:17:59,800 --> 03:18:02,000
bearing. 
This is his son. 

3676
03:18:02,000 --> 03:18:05,700
The child, who disappeared, 
seven years ago returned as 

3677
03:18:05,700 --> 03:18:10,300
mysteriously as he vanished. 
The quarter UPS in exclamations,

3678
03:18:10,300 --> 03:18:14,000
questions and wonder, but Will's
first thought is for Rhiannon, 

3679
03:18:14,000 --> 03:18:17,100
he immediately sends for her 
bringing her in from the gate 

3680
03:18:17,100 --> 03:18:19,900
where she spent seven years when
she enters the hall. 

3681
03:18:19,900 --> 03:18:22,600
She was probably expecting 
another humiliation, another 

3682
03:18:22,600 --> 03:18:24,400
performance of her supposed 
crime. 

3683
03:18:24,400 --> 03:18:29,700
Instead, she sees her son, Text 
doesn't dwell on the emotional 

3684
03:18:29,700 --> 03:18:33,200
details of their reunion, but 
you can imagine it seven years 

3685
03:18:33,200 --> 03:18:36,200
of separation, seven years of 
punishment for a crime. 

3686
03:18:36,200 --> 03:18:39,600
She didn't commit and seven 
years of not knowing if her 

3687
03:18:39,600 --> 03:18:43,100
child was alive or dead. 
And now here he stands healthy 

3688
03:18:43,100 --> 03:18:46,200
and whole raised with Love by 
people who chose to do the right

3689
03:18:46,200 --> 03:18:50,100
thing at Great personal cost. 
Rhiannon's reaction is described

3690
03:18:50,100 --> 03:18:52,300
with a simple phrase that 
carries enormous weight. 

3691
03:18:53,100 --> 03:18:57,800
She experiences, great joy after
seven years of sitting at a gate

3692
03:18:57,808 --> 03:19:00,600
confessing to infanticide 
bearing Travelers on her back, 

3693
03:19:00,600 --> 03:19:05,000
like, a beast of burden Joy, not
anger at her full accusers, not 

3694
03:19:05,000 --> 03:19:09,100
bitterness about Lost Years. 
Not demands for Revenge Joy. 

3695
03:19:09,100 --> 03:19:12,700
At her son's return the court 
faced with undeniable proof of 

3696
03:19:12,700 --> 03:19:15,100
rhiannon's. 
Innocence must now reckon with 

3697
03:19:15,100 --> 03:19:17,900
what they've done Six Women lied
about her. 

3698
03:19:17,900 --> 03:19:20,100
Countless people believed those 
lies. 

3699
03:19:20,100 --> 03:19:23,400
Rhiannon was punished for seven 
years while the real culprit. 

3700
03:19:23,400 --> 03:19:26,600
Whatever Supernatural creature, 
tried to steal, both the foal 

3701
03:19:26,600 --> 03:19:29,800
and a child that night went 
unpunished But but here's where 

3702
03:19:29,800 --> 03:19:32,800
Rhiannon shows, something 
remarkable she doesn't demand 

3703
03:19:32,800 --> 03:19:35,600
that the six women be executed 
or even severely punished. 

3704
03:19:35,600 --> 03:19:39,000
The text doesn't record her 
calling for revenge or Justice 

3705
03:19:39,000 --> 03:19:42,000
against those who wronged her. 
Instead she focuses on what 

3706
03:19:42,000 --> 03:19:46,000
matters her son is returned. 
Her name is cleared and she is 

3707
03:19:46,000 --> 03:19:48,400
free from the punishment that 
has defined her life for 7 

3708
03:19:48,400 --> 03:19:50,700
years. 
There's a brief discussion about

3709
03:19:50,700 --> 03:19:53,300
what to name. 
The boy, he's been to the family

3710
03:19:53,300 --> 03:19:56,000
that raised him, but Rhiannon 
looks at him and says a word 

3711
03:19:56,008 --> 03:20:00,600
that captures everything pre 
Dairy The name means care or 

3712
03:20:00,600 --> 03:20:02,700
worry and it refers to the 
anxiety. 

3713
03:20:02,700 --> 03:20:06,200
She suffered the worry that 
defined her years of punishment.

3714
03:20:06,200 --> 03:20:09,400
It's both a memorial to 
suffering and a transformation 

3715
03:20:09,400 --> 03:20:12,800
of that suffering into something
meaningful a name for her son. 

3716
03:20:12,800 --> 03:20:16,300
That acknowledges what they've 
been through and remarkably the 

3717
03:20:16,300 --> 03:20:18,400
name sticks. 
The boy who was greed becomes 

3718
03:20:18,400 --> 03:20:21,400
pre Dairy carrying in his very 
name, the story of his mother's 

3719
03:20:21,400 --> 03:20:24,800
ordeal and survival tianan and 
his wife could have kept proud 

3720
03:20:24,800 --> 03:20:26,400
Dairy. 
They could have stayed silent. 

3721
03:20:26,400 --> 03:20:30,500
Let the boy remain theirs and 
allowed Rihanna to continue her 

3722
03:20:30,500 --> 03:20:33,600
punishment. 
No one would have known but they

3723
03:20:33,600 --> 03:20:36,600
chose truth and honor over 
comfort and love which is one of

3724
03:20:36,600 --> 03:20:38,200
the hardest choices anyone can 
make. 

3725
03:20:39,300 --> 03:20:42,800
Will recognizing this 
extraordinary sacrifice doesn't 

3726
03:20:42,800 --> 03:20:44,800
simply thank Tiernan and send 
him home. 

3727
03:20:44,800 --> 03:20:47,700
He offers turn on his wife for 
place in his court. 

3728
03:20:47,700 --> 03:20:51,100
Grant the lands and honors an 
establishing a relationship 

3729
03:20:51,100 --> 03:20:53,700
where paderi can maintain 
connection with the people who 

3730
03:20:53,700 --> 03:20:57,000
raise him, it's a solution that 
honors everyone's role in the 

3731
03:20:57,000 --> 03:20:59,900
child survival. 
A fostering relationship between

3732
03:20:59,900 --> 03:21:01,700
10 and his family, and pools 
Court. 

3733
03:21:01,700 --> 03:21:05,700
Become one of deep mutual 
respect, predatory grows up 

3734
03:21:05,700 --> 03:21:08,100
knowing his birth parents. 
And his foster parents loved by 

3735
03:21:08,100 --> 03:21:11,500
both benefiting from the wisdom 
and care of multiple families. 

3736
03:21:11,500 --> 03:21:15,100
In this way, the trauma of his 
disappearance transforms into 

3737
03:21:15,100 --> 03:21:18,900
something rich and complex a web
of relationships that might 

3738
03:21:18,900 --> 03:21:21,100
never have existed without the 
initial tragedy. 

3739
03:21:22,000 --> 03:21:24,600
Rhiannon's Vindication should 
have meant the end of her story 

3740
03:21:24,600 --> 03:21:28,200
in the first Branch, but there's
more to unpack about what 

3741
03:21:28,200 --> 03:21:29,700
happens after the truth comes 
out. 

3742
03:21:29,700 --> 03:21:33,100
Medieval Welsh stories rarely 
waste time on lengthy, emotional

3743
03:21:33,100 --> 03:21:35,600
processing. 
They move from one event to the 

3744
03:21:35,608 --> 03:21:38,600
next with the efficiency of 
people who understood that 

3745
03:21:38,600 --> 03:21:41,000
listeners wanted action and 
resolution. 

3746
03:21:41,000 --> 03:21:43,300
But we can pause here. 
And think about what the 

3747
03:21:43,300 --> 03:21:46,900
aftermath must have been. 
Like, for seven years, Rhiannon,

3748
03:21:46,900 --> 03:21:49,300
sat at that gate. 
Seven years of daily, 

3749
03:21:49,300 --> 03:21:53,400
humiliation of telling her story
over and over to strangers of 

3750
03:21:53,400 --> 03:21:56,200
being treated, as something, 
less than human, that kind of 

3751
03:21:56,200 --> 03:21:57,800
experience changes. 
A person. 

3752
03:21:57,800 --> 03:22:03,500
It has to The question is, how? 
Some people would emerge from 

3753
03:22:03,500 --> 03:22:06,700
such an ordeal broken, bitter, 
and consumed by anger. 

3754
03:22:06,700 --> 03:22:10,000
At those who wronged them, 
others might become hard closed 

3755
03:22:10,000 --> 03:22:11,900
off. 
And unable to trust or field. 

3756
03:22:11,900 --> 03:22:14,600
Joy again, Rihanna seems to have
done neither. 

3757
03:22:14,600 --> 03:22:19,000
She emerges with her essential 
self intact still generous still

3758
03:22:19,000 --> 03:22:22,300
dignified still capable of Joy. 
When her son returns. 

3759
03:22:23,200 --> 03:22:25,700
This suggests something 
important about her character, 

3760
03:22:25,700 --> 03:22:29,400
Rihanna and strength isn't just 
Supernatural power, or other 

3761
03:22:29,400 --> 03:22:31,600
worldly knowledge. 
It's a kind of internal 

3762
03:22:31,600 --> 03:22:34,300
resilience that allows her to 
endure suffering without letting

3763
03:22:34,300 --> 03:22:37,800
it Define her. 
She knows who she is and seven 

3764
03:22:37,800 --> 03:22:39,800
years of being told. 
She's a monster, doesn't change 

3765
03:22:39,800 --> 03:22:41,300
that. 
Fundamental self knowledge. 

3766
03:22:42,100 --> 03:22:45,300
Think about the six women who 
accused her, the text doesn't 

3767
03:22:45,300 --> 03:22:48,300
tell us what happened to them, 
after the truth came out, but 

3768
03:22:48,300 --> 03:22:51,400
they must have faced some 
consequences at minimum. 

3769
03:22:51,400 --> 03:22:54,400
They faced public shame for 
their lives more likely. 

3770
03:22:54,400 --> 03:22:56,900
They faced legal or social 
punishment for their false 

3771
03:22:56,900 --> 03:22:59,000
accusation. 
But here's what's interesting. 

3772
03:23:00,000 --> 03:23:01,700
The story doesn't give them 
names. 

3773
03:23:01,700 --> 03:23:05,100
They remain anonymous a 
collective rather than 

3774
03:23:05,100 --> 03:23:07,700
individuals. 
This literary Choice, does 

3775
03:23:07,700 --> 03:23:10,300
something subtle. 
It makes them representatives of

3776
03:23:10,300 --> 03:23:12,500
a pattern rather than specific 
villains. 

3777
03:23:12,500 --> 03:23:16,300
They're what happens when fear 
overwhelms Integrity when 

3778
03:23:16,300 --> 03:23:19,000
self-preservation leads to the 
destruction of someone, in 

3779
03:23:19,000 --> 03:23:21,600
innocent their lie, worked 
because it was believable. 

3780
03:23:22,600 --> 03:23:26,000
Rhiannon was otherworldly 
different and not quite like 

3781
03:23:26,000 --> 03:23:28,300
other women. 
When something inexplicable 

3782
03:23:28,300 --> 03:23:29,900
happened. 
It was easy to blame. 

3783
03:23:29,900 --> 03:23:32,400
The person who was already 
outside normal categories. 

3784
03:23:32,400 --> 03:23:35,700
The Six Women didn't have to 
work hard to make people believe

3785
03:23:35,700 --> 03:23:37,400
them. 
They just had to tap into 

3786
03:23:37,400 --> 03:23:40,900
existing prejudices and fears 
this pattern appears throughout 

3787
03:23:40,900 --> 03:23:43,900
history when something goes 
wrong communities. 

3788
03:23:43,900 --> 03:23:46,700
Look for someone to blame and 
they often choose whoever is 

3789
03:23:46,700 --> 03:23:49,900
already marked as different. 
Rhiannon story is Medieval and 

3790
03:23:49,900 --> 03:23:53,300
magical, but this Dynamic is 
depressingly familiar across 

3791
03:23:53,300 --> 03:23:56,500
cultures and centuries. 
Have indication doesn't just 

3792
03:23:56,500 --> 03:23:59,800
clear her name, it challenges 
the communities willingness to 

3793
03:23:59,800 --> 03:24:02,700
believe the worst about someone 
based on their otherness. 

3794
03:24:03,400 --> 03:24:05,800
The people of deferred have to 
reckon with the fact that they 

3795
03:24:05,800 --> 03:24:08,900
condemned an innocent woman that
their lady whom they had loved 

3796
03:24:08,900 --> 03:24:11,800
during that first perfect year 
was exactly who she appeared to 

3797
03:24:11,800 --> 03:24:14,900
be and that they're willingness 
to believe otherwise said more 

3798
03:24:14,900 --> 03:24:18,800
about them than about her will 
too must live with his choices. 

3799
03:24:18,800 --> 03:24:22,800
He refused to divorce Rhiannon 
which shows loyalty but he also 

3800
03:24:22,800 --> 03:24:24,800
allowed her punishment to 
continue for seven years. 

3801
03:24:24,800 --> 03:24:28,500
He could have investigated more 
thoroughly could have questioned

3802
03:24:28,500 --> 03:24:31,000
the six women more aggressively 
and could have considered 

3803
03:24:31,000 --> 03:24:33,400
whether the evidence really 
supported their story. 

3804
03:24:33,400 --> 03:24:37,800
Instead, he chose a middle path 
that kept rianon as his wife but

3805
03:24:37,800 --> 03:24:39,500
subjected her to ongoing 
humiliation. 

3806
03:24:39,500 --> 03:24:44,700
Was this wisdom or cowardice? 
The text doesn't judge, you can 

3807
03:24:44,700 --> 03:24:47,800
make your own assessment will 
was caught between his personal 

3808
03:24:47,800 --> 03:24:50,200
knowledge of rhiannon's 
character and the political 

3809
03:24:50,200 --> 03:24:54,200
pressure from his Nobles between
loyalty to his wife and duty to 

3810
03:24:54,200 --> 03:24:57,300
his kingdom. 
He chose a compromise and rianon

3811
03:24:57,300 --> 03:25:00,700
paid the price for seven years. 
Their relationship after her 

3812
03:25:00,700 --> 03:25:02,600
Vindication must have been 
complex. 

3813
03:25:02,600 --> 03:25:07,100
They're reunited their son is 
returned, but seven years of 

3814
03:25:07,100 --> 03:25:08,500
Injustice. 
Stand between them. 

3815
03:25:08,500 --> 03:25:12,400
The text suggests, they continue
as husband and wife ruling dive 

3816
03:25:12,400 --> 03:25:15,300
together, but it doesn't claim 
everything returns to exactly 

3817
03:25:15,300 --> 03:25:19,400
how it was before, how could it.
You can't go through something 

3818
03:25:19,400 --> 03:25:21,800
like rhiannon's ordeal and 
return unchanged. 

3819
03:25:21,800 --> 03:25:24,800
You can't watch your wife suffer
for seven years and not carry 

3820
03:25:24,800 --> 03:25:26,800
some guilt. 
The question is, whether they 

3821
03:25:26,800 --> 03:25:29,900
find a way to build something 
new from what remains, or 

3822
03:25:29,900 --> 03:25:32,200
whether the past always stands 
between them like a ghost. 

3823
03:25:33,100 --> 03:25:35,900
Pre Dairy meanwhile grows up 
with the knowledge of what his 

3824
03:25:35,900 --> 03:25:38,600
mother endured for him. 
He knows that his birth caused 

3825
03:25:38,600 --> 03:25:41,000
her suffering that his 
disappearance led to her 

3826
03:25:41,008 --> 03:25:44,200
punishment and that Six Women 
lied about her because of him. 

3827
03:25:44,200 --> 03:25:46,700
This is a heavy burden for a 
child to carry. 

3828
03:25:46,700 --> 03:25:50,300
Even a child who grows at a 
supernatural rate and has wisdom

3829
03:25:50,300 --> 03:25:53,700
Beyond his years. 
But perhaps the knowledge also 

3830
03:25:53,700 --> 03:25:56,700
gives him something valuable and
understanding of his mother's 

3831
03:25:56,700 --> 03:26:00,700
strength, a model of how to 
endure Injustice with dignity 

3832
03:26:00,700 --> 03:26:02,800
and a lesson in the importance 
of truth. 

3833
03:26:02,800 --> 03:26:06,200
Even when lies a more 
convenient, these other kinds of

3834
03:26:06,200 --> 03:26:09,300
lessons that shape a person's 
character and fundamental ways. 

3835
03:26:10,300 --> 03:26:13,100
The story of tan on his wife 
becomes a legend in his own 

3836
03:26:13,100 --> 03:26:17,100
right the nobleman who raised a 
foundling with love and then 

3837
03:26:17,100 --> 03:26:20,400
gave him back when on a required
it in a medieval culture that 

3838
03:26:20,400 --> 03:26:23,400
valued hospitality and honor 
their actions represent the 

3839
03:26:23,400 --> 03:26:26,100
highest ideals. 
They loved without possessing 

3840
03:26:26,100 --> 03:26:29,300
cared without demanding 
ownership and chose truth even 

3841
03:26:29,300 --> 03:26:32,600
when it cost them dearly. 
As you lie there in the darkness

3842
03:26:32,600 --> 03:26:35,000
think about what it means to be 
Vindicated. 

3843
03:26:35,000 --> 03:26:38,800
After years of false accusation 
the relief certainly but also 

3844
03:26:38,800 --> 03:26:41,800
the stranger adjustment of being
believed again of having your 

3845
03:26:41,800 --> 03:26:43,600
truth. 
Acknowledged after years of 

3846
03:26:43,600 --> 03:26:47,500
having it denied, Rhiannon has 
her name her son, and her 

3847
03:26:47,500 --> 03:26:50,800
position restored, but she also 
has seven years of memory that 

3848
03:26:50,800 --> 03:26:54,200
no Vindication can erase. 
The question, the story leaves 

3849
03:26:54,200 --> 03:26:57,200
hanging is where the Justice 
delayed is truly Justice at all 

3850
03:26:57,208 --> 03:27:00,800
and whether any amount of 
restoration can truly compensate

3851
03:27:00,800 --> 03:27:03,800
for years of suffering, medieval
audiences, might have had 

3852
03:27:03,800 --> 03:27:05,900
clearer answers to these 
questions than we do. 

3853
03:27:05,900 --> 03:27:09,500
But the questions themselves 
remain uncomfortably relevant. 

3854
03:27:10,400 --> 03:27:13,200
Now that we've lived through 
rianon story from her first 

3855
03:27:13,200 --> 03:27:17,200
appearance to her Vindication, 
it's worth stepping back and 

3856
03:27:17,200 --> 03:27:20,900
thinking about one of the Tails,
most persistent symbols horses. 

3857
03:27:20,900 --> 03:27:24,700
Rhiannon first appears riding a 
white horse, that moves at an 

3858
03:27:24,700 --> 03:27:28,700
impossible Pace, unhurried yet 
uncatchable, this isn't just 

3859
03:27:28,700 --> 03:27:31,500
magical Transportation. 
It's a statement about her 

3860
03:27:31,500 --> 03:27:33,700
nature. 
She can't be pursued and 

3861
03:27:33,700 --> 03:27:35,500
captured like a prize or a 
possession. 

3862
03:27:35,500 --> 03:27:38,400
She can only be approached 
through respect and direct 

3863
03:27:38,400 --> 03:27:42,700
communication through asking 
rather than taking The White 

3864
03:27:42,700 --> 03:27:45,300
Horse itself, carries symbolic 
weight throughout Celtic 

3865
03:27:45,300 --> 03:27:48,200
mythology, white animals, 
generally signified other 

3866
03:27:48,200 --> 03:27:51,500
worldly connection creatures 
that existed in that liminal 

3867
03:27:51,500 --> 03:27:54,900
space between the Mortal realm 
and where rhiannon's horses, 

3868
03:27:54,900 --> 03:27:58,200
white smooth, gated and 
Supernatural in its abilities. 

3869
03:27:58,200 --> 03:28:00,600
All markers of her own other 
worldly nature. 

3870
03:28:00,600 --> 03:28:03,200
But then look at what happens 
during her punishment. 

3871
03:28:04,100 --> 03:28:07,300
Rhiannon, who rode? 
The uncatchable horse is reduced

3872
03:28:07,300 --> 03:28:10,100
to being a horse herself. 
She offers to carry people on 

3873
03:28:10,100 --> 03:28:12,800
her back performing, the exact 
function, that her White Horse 

3874
03:28:12,800 --> 03:28:15,900
performed transportation from 
one place to another. 

3875
03:28:15,900 --> 03:28:19,400
It's a deliberate inversion of 
her original appearance, a 

3876
03:28:19,400 --> 03:28:22,900
humiliation that strikes at the 
core of who she was The 

3877
03:28:22,900 --> 03:28:25,800
symbolism goes deeper, when you 
consider the foal that was born 

3878
03:28:25,800 --> 03:28:28,900
the same night as per Dairy. 
Tan's mayor had been losing 

3879
03:28:28,900 --> 03:28:30,900
foals. 
Every May Eve to a supernatural 

3880
03:28:30,900 --> 03:28:32,400
creature. 
The night Trader. 

3881
03:28:32,400 --> 03:28:34,900
He disappeared tan and saved the
fold by cutting off the 

3882
03:28:34,900 --> 03:28:37,000
creatures arm and found the baby
on his doorstep. 

3883
03:28:37,800 --> 03:28:40,200
The connection between child and
Foal is explicit. 

3884
03:28:40,200 --> 03:28:43,400
They appear together. 
They grow up together and prayed

3885
03:28:43,400 --> 03:28:47,100
develops and exceptional bond 
with the horse, in some way, 

3886
03:28:47,100 --> 03:28:51,500
their linked, both stolen, by 
the same creature, both saved by

3887
03:28:51,500 --> 03:28:53,600
10 ones intervention. 
The fold. 

3888
03:28:53,600 --> 03:28:55,500
That should have been taken 
becomes periods. 

3889
03:28:55,500 --> 03:28:58,000
Special companion, a living 
reminder of the night. 

3890
03:28:58,000 --> 03:29:01,300
They both survived. 
This pairing of human child and 

3891
03:29:01,300 --> 03:29:04,400
horse has roots. 
Deep in Celtic culture horses, 

3892
03:29:04,400 --> 03:29:07,800
were sacred animals in many 
Celtic, societies associated 

3893
03:29:07,800 --> 03:29:10,500
with sovereignty, the land and 
divine power. 

3894
03:29:10,500 --> 03:29:12,700
The bond between pride and his 
horse. 

3895
03:29:12,700 --> 03:29:16,300
Suggest he carries both human 
and equine blessings both mortal

3896
03:29:16,300 --> 03:29:19,300
and other worldly power. 
There's also something worth 

3897
03:29:19,300 --> 03:29:22,500
noting about the name. 
Rhiannon itself, Scholars have 

3898
03:29:22,500 --> 03:29:24,600
connected it to an earlier 
Celtic goddess, figure called 

3899
03:29:24,600 --> 03:29:29,600
regant meaning, great queen or 
Divine Queen. this goddess was 

3900
03:29:29,600 --> 03:29:32,400
associated with horses 
sovereignty and the land itself 

3901
03:29:32,400 --> 03:29:36,000
while the medieval reunion is 
presented as a character in a 

3902
03:29:36,000 --> 03:29:39,200
story rather than a goddess in a
myth, Echoes of divine power 

3903
03:29:39,200 --> 03:29:43,800
remain, In Celtic tradition 
Queen's and goddesses were often

3904
03:29:43,800 --> 03:29:46,500
connected to the land. 
They ruled their fertility 

3905
03:29:46,500 --> 03:29:49,100
Health and Justice affected the 
kingdom itself. 

3906
03:29:49,100 --> 03:29:52,700
Rhiannon's unjust punishment and
suffering might represent not 

3907
03:29:52,700 --> 03:29:55,800
just personal tragedy, but a 
kind of cosmic disorder. 

3908
03:29:55,800 --> 03:29:58,900
The land Queen wrongly accused 
in humiliated. 

3909
03:29:58,900 --> 03:30:02,700
While the kingdoms are is 
missing Her Vindication then 

3910
03:30:02,700 --> 03:30:05,500
becomes more than just clearing 
her name. 

3911
03:30:05,500 --> 03:30:07,600
It's a restoration of proper 
order. 

3912
03:30:08,400 --> 03:30:09,900
Queen returned her rightful 
position. 

3913
03:30:09,900 --> 03:30:13,200
The air was revealed and 
acknowledged and balanced was 

3914
03:30:13,200 --> 03:30:15,800
restored between the other 
worldly and Mortal realms. 

3915
03:30:17,000 --> 03:30:19,100
The punishment of carrying 
people like a horse. 

3916
03:30:19,100 --> 03:30:21,800
Also inverts, traditional power 
dynamics. 

3917
03:30:21,800 --> 03:30:23,900
In. 
Interesting ways, in Celtic 

3918
03:30:23,900 --> 03:30:27,700
culture, horses were associated 
with nobility and sovereignty to

3919
03:30:27,700 --> 03:30:29,000
ride. 
A horse was to demonstrate 

3920
03:30:29,000 --> 03:30:32,500
status and Power by being 
reduced to a horse herself. 

3921
03:30:32,500 --> 03:30:36,100
Rhiannon experiences, a complete
reversal of sovereignty, from 

3922
03:30:36,100 --> 03:30:39,800
Queen to Beast of Burden. 
But here's what's remarkable 

3923
03:30:39,800 --> 03:30:44,200
even in this degraded position. 
Rhiannon, maintains her dignity.

3924
03:30:44,200 --> 03:30:47,200
She performs her punishment 
without resistance but also, 

3925
03:30:47,200 --> 03:30:49,700
without being broken by it in 
some way. 

3926
03:30:49,700 --> 03:30:52,500
She proves that sovereignty 
isn't just about position or 

3927
03:30:52,500 --> 03:30:55,400
status. 
It's about an internal quality. 

3928
03:30:55,400 --> 03:30:58,700
That can't be taken away even 
when everything externally 

3929
03:30:58,700 --> 03:31:01,500
stripped down. 
When she is Vindicated and 

3930
03:31:01,500 --> 03:31:05,000
restored, she doesn't just 
return to her former position. 

3931
03:31:05,000 --> 03:31:08,400
She's transformed by her 
experience, carrying knowledge 

3932
03:31:08,400 --> 03:31:11,900
that only suffering can teach. 
She has been both the Rider and 

3933
03:31:11,900 --> 03:31:15,100
the horse, both the queen and 
the humiliated prisoner. 

3934
03:31:15,100 --> 03:31:17,900
This complete experience of both
extremes. 

3935
03:31:17,900 --> 03:31:21,000
Might actually make her more 
complete more capable of 

3936
03:31:21,000 --> 03:31:23,300
understanding the full range of 
Human Experience. 

3937
03:31:23,300 --> 03:31:25,600
The White Horse that couldn't be
caught. 

3938
03:31:25,600 --> 03:31:27,600
Becomes a metaphor for Rihanna 
and herself. 

3939
03:31:27,600 --> 03:31:31,000
She couldn't be truly caught by 
quill until she chose to stop. 

3940
03:31:31,000 --> 03:31:34,100
She couldn't be broken by seven 
years of punishment because her 

3941
03:31:34,100 --> 03:31:37,700
essential self remained free, 
and she couldn't be defined by 

3942
03:31:37,700 --> 03:31:41,000
either her Supernatural, origins
or her mortal suffering because 

3943
03:31:41,000 --> 03:31:43,100
she existed Beyond Simple 
categories. 

3944
03:31:44,000 --> 03:31:46,100
Predatory bond with the foal 
suggests. 

3945
03:31:46,100 --> 03:31:49,100
He inherits this horse nature 
from his mother, his comfortable

3946
03:31:49,100 --> 03:31:52,800
moving Between Worlds capable of
Supernatural growth, but also 

3947
03:31:52,800 --> 03:31:55,100
very human in his attachments 
and loyalties. 

3948
03:31:55,100 --> 03:31:58,900
The child of a woman associated 
with horses, naturally bonds 

3949
03:31:58,900 --> 03:32:01,900
with horses, carrying forward, 
his mother's connection to these

3950
03:32:01,900 --> 03:32:05,100
powerful symbols. 
As you drift towards sleep, 

3951
03:32:05,100 --> 03:32:09,200
imagine Rhiannon, on that white 
horse, moving at her own pace 

3952
03:32:09,200 --> 03:32:13,600
and catchable by force but 
responsive to respect and the 

3953
03:32:13,600 --> 03:32:15,900
years at the gate carrying the 
weight of others, while 

3954
03:32:15,900 --> 03:32:19,900
maintaining herself, imagine the
Vindication the return to her 

3955
03:32:19,900 --> 03:32:22,900
true nature but carrying the 
memory of everything she 

3956
03:32:22,900 --> 03:32:25,900
endured. 
The horse connection isn't just 

3957
03:32:25,900 --> 03:32:29,200
decorative symbolism. 
It's the heart of who Rihanna is

3958
03:32:30,000 --> 03:32:34,800
Free moving powerful dignified 
and ultimately ungovernable by 

3959
03:32:34,800 --> 03:32:39,500
anything except her own choices.
The first branch of the map in 

3960
03:32:39,500 --> 03:32:42,100
Oaky ends with Rhiannon 
Vindicated and predatory 

3961
03:32:42,100 --> 03:32:45,700
acknowledged but that's not the 
end of her story in the largest 

3962
03:32:45,700 --> 03:32:47,900
cycle. 
Rihanna appears again in the 

3963
03:32:47,900 --> 03:32:51,400
third branch and what happens to
her there, adds another layer to

3964
03:32:51,400 --> 03:32:52,800
our understanding of her 
character. 

3965
03:32:54,000 --> 03:32:57,800
By the time of the third branch 
will has died and proud Dairy, 

3966
03:32:57,800 --> 03:33:01,600
has inherited the lordship of 
David Rhiannon is now a widow no

3967
03:33:01,600 --> 03:33:04,300
longer the other worldly bride, 
but a mature woman who has lived

3968
03:33:04,300 --> 03:33:07,300
through marriage motherhood, 
false accusation, suffering, 

3969
03:33:07,300 --> 03:33:10,700
Vindication, and loss. 
She seen most of what life can 

3970
03:33:10,700 --> 03:33:12,400
offer, both wonderful and 
terrible. 

3971
03:33:13,200 --> 03:33:17,100
Predatory decides his mother 
should remarry and he arranges a

3972
03:33:17,100 --> 03:33:18,900
marriage between Rhiannon and 
Malawi Dan. 

3973
03:33:18,900 --> 03:33:21,300
Son of Leah Manawa down is 
himself. 

3974
03:33:21,300 --> 03:33:23,000
A figure of considerable 
importance. 

3975
03:33:23,000 --> 03:33:26,000
A man who has lost his own 
kingdom and is essentially an 

3976
03:33:26,000 --> 03:33:27,900
exile. 
He and Rhiannon are both people 

3977
03:33:27,900 --> 03:33:30,600
who have experienced 
displacement and who know what 

3978
03:33:30,600 --> 03:33:33,300
it means to fall from high 
status and endure suffering. 

3979
03:33:34,100 --> 03:33:37,100
Their marriage is described as 
harmonious and based on. 

3980
03:33:37,108 --> 03:33:41,100
Mutual respect, two people who 
have both suffered both endured 

3981
03:33:41,100 --> 03:33:44,100
and both survived. 
They understand each other in 

3982
03:33:44,100 --> 03:33:47,600
ways, that people who have only 
known Comfort never could it's a

3983
03:33:47,600 --> 03:33:51,300
second act romance quieter than 
the dramatic courtship with Paul

3984
03:33:51,300 --> 03:33:54,600
will perhaps deeper for being 
rooted in shared experience 

3985
03:33:54,600 --> 03:33:56,400
rather than Supernatural 
attraction. 

3986
03:33:56,400 --> 03:34:00,300
But peace, doesn't last while 
Rihanna and Malawi Dan with 

3987
03:34:00,300 --> 03:34:04,800
Preddy and his wife, a magical 
Mist descends on David, When it 

3988
03:34:04,800 --> 03:34:07,900
clears everything living has 
vanished, except for the four of

3989
03:34:07,900 --> 03:34:09,900
them. 
The entire kingdom is empty. 

3990
03:34:09,900 --> 03:34:13,900
No people, no animals. 
Just empty buildings and Silent 

3991
03:34:13,900 --> 03:34:16,700
fields. 
They endure this desolation for 

3992
03:34:16,700 --> 03:34:19,500
a Time. 
Living off the land hunting what

3993
03:34:19,500 --> 03:34:23,300
wild game they can find but 
eventually primary sees a 

3994
03:34:23,300 --> 03:34:25,100
mysterious Fortress that wasn't 
there before. 

3995
03:34:25,800 --> 03:34:27,900
Against advice. 
He enters it and finds a 

3996
03:34:27,900 --> 03:34:30,300
beautiful, Golden Bowl attached 
to chains. 

3997
03:34:30,300 --> 03:34:34,800
When he touches it, he becomes 
Frozen unable to speak or move. 

3998
03:34:35,700 --> 03:34:38,500
Rhiannon hearing that her son is
trapped, doesn't hesitate. 

3999
03:34:39,400 --> 03:34:42,700
She goes after him despite the 
warnings despite knowing this is

4000
03:34:42,700 --> 03:34:46,700
obviously a trap when she finds 
poderi Frozen and unable to 

4001
03:34:46,708 --> 03:34:50,200
speak, she touches him and 
immediately becomes trapped as 

4002
03:34:50,200 --> 03:34:52,500
well. 
Then the Fortress and both of 

4003
03:34:52,500 --> 03:34:54,800
them vanish leaving Manowar down
alone. 

4004
03:34:57,200 --> 03:34:59,300
This is rhiannon's, second great
trial. 

4005
03:34:59,300 --> 03:35:03,200
Once again, she's trapped 
through no filter her own, once 

4006
03:35:03,200 --> 03:35:06,000
again, she suffering because of 
circumstances Beyond her 

4007
03:35:06,000 --> 03:35:09,600
control, but this time it's 
different, she's not falsely 

4008
03:35:09,600 --> 03:35:13,100
accused of a crime. 
She is actually Enchanted held 

4009
03:35:13,100 --> 03:35:17,300
prisoner in the other world. 
The text tells us that Rhiannon 

4010
03:35:17,300 --> 03:35:20,600
and proudia taken to the other 
world where they're forced to 

4011
03:35:20,600 --> 03:35:23,400
wear magical collars and perform
degrading labor. 

4012
03:35:23,400 --> 03:35:27,700
Rhiannon who was once forced to 
carry people like a horse is now

4013
03:35:27,700 --> 03:35:31,100
yoked like an ox compelled to 
perform menial work in the 

4014
03:35:31,100 --> 03:35:33,200
realm. 
She once came from freely, it's 

4015
03:35:33,200 --> 03:35:36,000
worth noting the pattern here, 
rhiannon's trials. 

4016
03:35:36,000 --> 03:35:39,600
Consistently involve humiliation
and degradation being reduced 

4017
03:35:39,600 --> 03:35:42,900
from Queen to Beast of Burden, 
being trapped and forced into 

4018
03:35:42,900 --> 03:35:45,100
labor. 
It's as if she's being tested to

4019
03:35:45,100 --> 03:35:48,600
see if anything can break her, 
essential dignity can reduce her

4020
03:35:48,600 --> 03:35:51,300
to something less than she is 
and consistently. 

4021
03:35:51,300 --> 03:35:54,800
She endures, the text doesn't 
dwell on her suffering in the 

4022
03:35:54,808 --> 03:35:58,000
other world, but it acknowledges
that she and pride are held 

4023
03:35:58,000 --> 03:36:02,100
there until Malawi Dam through 
cleverness and persistence wins 

4024
03:36:02,100 --> 03:36:05,200
their release. 
When she is finally freed 

4025
03:36:05,200 --> 03:36:08,300
Rihanna and returns to the 
mortal world changed again, 

4026
03:36:08,300 --> 03:36:12,800
she's been a bride from India, a
queen of died a woman, falsely 

4027
03:36:12,800 --> 03:36:17,500
accused of Vindicated mother. 
A widow, a remarried woman and 

4028
03:36:17,500 --> 03:36:20,500
now a prisoner who has survived 
captivity and her own Homeland. 

4029
03:36:20,500 --> 03:36:23,100
Each experience adds layers to 
who she is. 

4030
03:36:23,100 --> 03:36:26,400
Building a character of 
remarkable complexity and depth 

4031
03:36:27,300 --> 03:36:30,100
The third branch doesn't give us
real and emotional. 

4032
03:36:30,100 --> 03:36:31,700
Interiority during her 
captivity. 

4033
03:36:31,700 --> 03:36:34,700
Medieval Welsh storytelling 
wasn't particularly interested 

4034
03:36:34,700 --> 03:36:38,000
in details psychological 
exploration, but we can imagine 

4035
03:36:38,000 --> 03:36:40,600
what it meant for her to return 
to annu and as a prisoner, 

4036
03:36:40,600 --> 03:36:44,100
rather than, as a free woman, 
choosing to leave to be collared

4037
03:36:44,100 --> 03:36:46,700
and yoked in the realm where she
once wrote that white horse with

4038
03:36:46,700 --> 03:36:49,800
such Grace and Power, 
Humiliation as a pattern. 

4039
03:36:49,800 --> 03:36:53,500
In rhiannon's story seems almost
deliberate as if the universe is

4040
03:36:53,500 --> 03:36:56,700
repeatedly, testing her to see 
if she can be broken reduced or 

4041
03:36:56,700 --> 03:37:00,200
made into something less than 
she is and repeatedly, she 

4042
03:37:00,200 --> 03:37:03,200
proves that her essential self 
remains intact, regardless of 

4043
03:37:03,200 --> 03:37:07,400
external circumstances, this is 
perhaps rhiannon's greatest 

4044
03:37:07,400 --> 03:37:09,800
quality. 
The ability to endure 

4045
03:37:09,800 --> 03:37:13,300
degradation, without being 
degraded to suffer humiliation 

4046
03:37:13,300 --> 03:37:15,800
with, without being humiliated, 
in her own eyes. 

4047
03:37:15,800 --> 03:37:19,900
She knows who she is no amount 
of unjust punishment or magical 

4048
03:37:19,900 --> 03:37:22,600
captivity changes, that 
fundamental self-knowledge. 

4049
03:37:23,600 --> 03:37:26,300
Her final appearance in the 
Mabinogi shows her restored. 

4050
03:37:26,300 --> 03:37:30,200
Once again, living with Manawa, 
Dan and pre Dairy her trials 

4051
03:37:30,200 --> 03:37:32,400
behind her. 
The text gives her a happy 

4052
03:37:32,408 --> 03:37:36,000
ending or at least a peaceful 
one, the reward for surviving 

4053
03:37:36,000 --> 03:37:38,600
everything that was thrown at 
her with dignity intact. 

4054
03:37:39,600 --> 03:37:41,100
As we approach the end of our 
time. 

4055
03:37:41,100 --> 03:37:44,200
With Rhiannon, it's worth 
considering why her story has 

4056
03:37:44,200 --> 03:37:48,000
endured for over 1,000 years. 
What is it about this woman? 

4057
03:37:48,000 --> 03:37:50,400
From Welsh mythology that 
continues to speak to people 

4058
03:37:50,400 --> 03:37:53,600
across centuries and cultures. 
Part of it is simply that 

4059
03:37:53,600 --> 03:37:56,000
Rhiannon is an exceptionally, 
well drawn character. 

4060
03:37:56,000 --> 03:37:58,900
Even in a medieval texts, that 
doesn't spend much time on 

4061
03:37:58,900 --> 03:38:02,100
psychological depth. 
She comes through as a complete 

4062
03:38:02,100 --> 03:38:06,500
person, someone with agency 
dignity complexity and 

4063
03:38:06,500 --> 03:38:09,200
remarkable strength. 
She makes her own choices 

4064
03:38:09,200 --> 03:38:13,200
endures suffering without being 
destroyed by it and maintains 

4065
03:38:13,200 --> 03:38:15,300
herself through trials that 
would break most people. 

4066
03:38:16,300 --> 03:38:19,100
But I think there's something 
more specific about what Rihanna

4067
03:38:19,100 --> 03:38:21,700
and represents. 
She embodies a particular kind 

4068
03:38:21,700 --> 03:38:24,100
of strength that often 
overlooked in favor of more 

4069
03:38:24,100 --> 03:38:27,300
obvious forms of power. 
She doesn't win through physical

4070
03:38:27,300 --> 03:38:30,400
force or magical combat. 
She wins through endurance 

4071
03:38:30,400 --> 03:38:33,200
through maintaining her 
essential self in the face of 

4072
03:38:33,200 --> 03:38:35,300
everything that tries to break 
or change her. 

4073
03:38:36,300 --> 03:38:39,400
This is a kind of strength that 
resonates particularly with 

4074
03:38:39,400 --> 03:38:43,700
people who have experienced in 
Justice, false accusation or 

4075
03:38:43,700 --> 03:38:45,900
circumstances beyond their 
control. 

4076
03:38:45,900 --> 03:38:49,700
Rhiannon story says that you can
survive being wrongly blamed 

4077
03:38:49,700 --> 03:38:52,900
that you can endure public 
humiliation and that you can 

4078
03:38:52,900 --> 03:38:56,000
maintain your dignity even when 
everyone else treats you as if 

4079
03:38:56,000 --> 03:38:58,100
you have none. 
Her story. 

4080
03:38:58,100 --> 03:39:02,400
Also speaks to the experience of
being an outsider Rhiannon is 

4081
03:39:02,400 --> 03:39:05,300
literally from another world and
she never quite fits into mortal

4082
03:39:05,300 --> 03:39:07,000
Society despite her best 
efforts. 

4083
03:39:07,900 --> 03:39:10,300
When something goes wrong, she's
blamed partly because she's 

4084
03:39:10,300 --> 03:39:12,500
different. 
But she doesn't quite belong. 

4085
03:39:12,500 --> 03:39:15,800
This is an experience that 
transcends medieval whales. 

4086
03:39:15,800 --> 03:39:19,600
It's the experience of anyone 
who has been marked as other who

4087
03:39:19,600 --> 03:39:22,500
doesn't fit neatly into the 
categories, their society as 

4088
03:39:22,500 --> 03:39:26,400
established the Vindication that
eventually comes provides. 

4089
03:39:26,400 --> 03:39:30,000
Hope that truth can Prevail even
after long delays, that being 

4090
03:39:30,000 --> 03:39:33,200
wrongly accused doesn't have to 
mean permanent disgrace, but the

4091
03:39:33,200 --> 03:39:35,900
seven years of suffering before 
that Vindication also 

4092
03:39:35,900 --> 03:39:39,000
acknowledge that Justice is 
often slow that being, right? 

4093
03:39:39,000 --> 03:39:42,200
Doesn't protect you from 
punishment and that endurance is

4094
03:39:42,200 --> 03:39:45,700
sometimes. 
All you have, Modern retellings 

4095
03:39:45,700 --> 03:39:48,900
and adaptations of Rihanna's 
story tend to emphasize 

4096
03:39:48,900 --> 03:39:51,500
different aspects, depending on 
what resonates with their 

4097
03:39:51,500 --> 03:39:54,600
particular moment, some focus on
her as a goddess figure 

4098
03:39:54,600 --> 03:39:56,900
reclaiming. 
The divine power that medieval 

4099
03:39:56,900 --> 03:40:00,800
Christianity, tried to diminish.
Others emphasize her strength as

4100
03:40:00,800 --> 03:40:03,900
a woman, surviving in a 
patriarchal society, still, 

4101
03:40:03,900 --> 03:40:06,400
others, focus on her as a symbol
of patience and endurance 

4102
03:40:06,400 --> 03:40:10,500
through unjust suffering. 
The folk rock band Fleetwood Mac

4103
03:40:10,500 --> 03:40:13,800
famously wrote a song called 
Rhiannon that introduced her to 

4104
03:40:13,808 --> 03:40:16,400
millions of people who had never
heard of the Mabinogi. 

4105
03:40:16,400 --> 03:40:20,000
Stevie nicks's, mystical lyrics,
transformed, the medieval Welsh 

4106
03:40:20,000 --> 03:40:23,100
character into a symbol of 
feminine power and mystery for 

4107
03:40:23,108 --> 03:40:26,700
the 1970s, which then inspired 
countless women to name their 

4108
03:40:26,700 --> 03:40:30,200
daughters, Rhiannon, creating a 
chain of influence that spans 

4109
03:40:30,200 --> 03:40:34,500
from medieval whales to Modern 
maternity Wards modern paganism 

4110
03:40:34,500 --> 03:40:37,200
and Neo Celtic spirituality. 
Have claimed Rhiannon as a 

4111
03:40:37,200 --> 03:40:40,600
goddess, building practices, and
devotions around her that would 

4112
03:40:40,600 --> 03:40:43,500
probably puzzle. 
Medieval Welsh storytellers but 

4113
03:40:43,500 --> 03:40:46,500
this re-imagining speaks to 
Something Real. people can 

4114
03:40:46,500 --> 03:40:49,800
continue to find in Rihanna and 
figure who represents qualities,

4115
03:40:49,800 --> 03:40:53,500
they value and aspire to 
Academic scholars, study, her as

4116
03:40:53,500 --> 03:40:56,600
a window into pre-christian 
Celtic, religion, trying to 

4117
03:40:56,608 --> 03:40:59,800
reconstruct the goddess figure. 
She might have descended from 

4118
03:40:59,800 --> 03:41:02,900
feminist Scholars, examine her 
story for what it reveals about,

4119
03:41:02,900 --> 03:41:05,500
women's lives and experiences in
medieval ways. 

4120
03:41:05,500 --> 03:41:08,200
Literary Scholars. 
Analyze the narrative structure 

4121
03:41:08,200 --> 03:41:09,900
and symbolic patterns in her 
tale. 

4122
03:41:09,900 --> 03:41:13,600
All of these interpretations 
have validity because Rihanna is

4123
03:41:13,600 --> 03:41:16,300
Rich enough as a character to 
support multiple readings. 

4124
03:41:16,300 --> 03:41:19,800
She's not a simple figure with 
one obvious, meaning, she's 

4125
03:41:19,800 --> 03:41:23,600
complex contradictory in some 
ways, and capable of being 

4126
03:41:23,600 --> 03:41:27,000
understood from multiple angles.
But perhaps, what makes Rihanna 

4127
03:41:27,000 --> 03:41:30,300
and most enduring is simply that
she's memorable that image of 

4128
03:41:30,300 --> 03:41:32,900
the woman on the White Horse. 
Moving at her own pace and 

4129
03:41:32,900 --> 03:41:36,000
catchable by force. 
Sticks in your imagination. 

4130
03:41:36,000 --> 03:41:39,100
Once you encounter it the 
patience of sitting at a gate 

4131
03:41:39,100 --> 03:41:42,400
for seven years, the joy of 
vindication, the strength to 

4132
03:41:42,400 --> 03:41:44,700
endure multiple trials, without 
losing yourself. 

4133
03:41:45,500 --> 03:41:48,900
These are images and ideas that 
Lodge in your mind and stay 

4134
03:41:48,900 --> 03:41:51,500
there. 
In a world that often celebrates

4135
03:41:51,500 --> 03:41:54,800
flashy heroism and dramatic 
victories, Rhiannon offers 

4136
03:41:54,800 --> 03:41:58,600
something different. 
Quiet heroism of endurance, the 

4137
03:41:58,600 --> 03:42:01,300
victory of maintaining yourself 
when everything tries to break 

4138
03:42:01,300 --> 03:42:04,400
you down, that's a kind of 
strength that never goes out of 

4139
03:42:04,400 --> 03:42:06,800
style. 
Because every generation has 

4140
03:42:06,800 --> 03:42:09,300
people who need to hear that 
they can survive in Justice. 

4141
03:42:10,100 --> 03:42:11,900
That being wronged doesn't mean 
being broken. 

4142
03:42:13,000 --> 03:42:15,500
As your breathing deepens and 
sleep comes closer. 

4143
03:42:15,500 --> 03:42:19,200
Let's think about what we can 
take from Rihanna and story into

4144
03:42:19,200 --> 03:42:21,500
our own lives. 
What does this medieval Welsh 

4145
03:42:21,500 --> 03:42:23,000
tale? 
About a woman from the other 

4146
03:42:23,000 --> 03:42:25,200
world have to teach us in our 
very different world. 

4147
03:42:26,300 --> 03:42:30,100
First, there's the lesson about 
patience, rhiannon's trials, 

4148
03:42:30,100 --> 03:42:33,300
won't resolved quickly. 
She sat at that gate for seven 

4149
03:42:33,300 --> 03:42:35,200
years before truth caught up 
with lies. 

4150
03:42:36,100 --> 03:42:38,500
In our world of instant 
communication and Rapid news 

4151
03:42:38,500 --> 03:42:40,200
Cycles. 
Seven years feels like an 

4152
03:42:40,200 --> 03:42:42,800
eternity. 
We expect Justice quickly, 

4153
03:42:42,800 --> 03:42:46,200
Vindication immediately and 
Truth to Triumph in the next new

4154
03:42:46,200 --> 03:42:49,100
cycle. 
Rhiannon's story, reminds us 

4155
03:42:49,100 --> 03:42:50,900
that sometimes Justice takes 
time. 

4156
03:42:50,900 --> 03:42:54,800
Truth, doesn't always Prevail 
immediately being in the right, 

4157
03:42:54,800 --> 03:42:56,000
doesn't protect you from 
suffering. 

4158
03:42:56,000 --> 03:42:58,800
In the short term, the question 
is whether you can maintain 

4159
03:42:58,800 --> 03:43:02,000
yourself during the waiting 
whether you can endure without 

4160
03:43:02,000 --> 03:43:03,800
becoming what your accusers 
claim you are. 

4161
03:43:03,800 --> 03:43:07,900
This doesn't mean accepting 
Injustice, passively Rhiannon, 

4162
03:43:07,900 --> 03:43:10,700
endured her punishment, but she 
never admitted to the crime. 

4163
03:43:10,700 --> 03:43:13,600
She didn't commit. 
She performed what was required 

4164
03:43:13,600 --> 03:43:16,000
of her while maintaining her 
own, internal knowledge of the 

4165
03:43:16,000 --> 03:43:17,800
truth. 
There's a difference between 

4166
03:43:17,800 --> 03:43:21,100
endurance and capitulation 
between patients and passive 

4167
03:43:21,100 --> 03:43:24,100
acceptance. 
Second, there's something 

4168
03:43:24,100 --> 03:43:27,300
important in Realms relationship
with her other worldly nature. 

4169
03:43:27,300 --> 03:43:31,100
She comes from now on but she 
chooses to live in the mortal 

4170
03:43:31,100 --> 03:43:35,300
world she has Supernatural power
but she endures very human 

4171
03:43:35,300 --> 03:43:37,800
suffering. 
She could presumably have used 

4172
03:43:37,800 --> 03:43:40,900
magic to escape her punishment 
or to prove her innocence. 

4173
03:43:40,900 --> 03:43:44,900
But she doesn't, instead she 
experienced as the consequences 

4174
03:43:44,900 --> 03:43:47,700
of living in the mortal world, 
according to Mortal rules. 

4175
03:43:48,500 --> 03:43:51,800
This suggests something about 
integration about choosing to 

4176
03:43:51,800 --> 03:43:55,400
fully inhabit, whatever world 
you find yourself in rather than

4177
03:43:55,400 --> 03:43:58,500
constantly retreating to the 
safety of being different or 

4178
03:43:58,500 --> 03:44:00,500
special. 
Rhiannon doesn't use her. 

4179
03:44:00,500 --> 03:44:03,000
Other worldly status as an 
escape hatch from Human 

4180
03:44:03,000 --> 03:44:05,400
consequences. 
She lives fully in the world. 

4181
03:44:05,400 --> 03:44:08,800
She's chosen even when that 
world treats her terribly. 

4182
03:44:11,200 --> 03:44:14,300
For those of us who sometimes 
feel like Outsiders, who don't 

4183
03:44:14,300 --> 03:44:17,600
quite fit into the categories, 
our society establishes, there's

4184
03:44:17,600 --> 03:44:20,800
both challenged and comfort. 
In this, the challenge is to 

4185
03:44:20,800 --> 03:44:24,100
fully engage with the world as 
it is rather than retreating 

4186
03:44:24,100 --> 03:44:26,700
into the fantasy of being too 
special for ordinary problems. 

4187
03:44:26,700 --> 03:44:29,500
The comfort is that you can 
maintain your essential 

4188
03:44:29,500 --> 03:44:31,900
differentness while still 
participating fully in the world

4189
03:44:31,900 --> 03:44:35,300
around you. 
Third, there's the lesson in how

4190
03:44:35,300 --> 03:44:38,700
Rhiannon handles Vindication 
when the truth comes out she 

4191
03:44:38,700 --> 03:44:41,300
doesn't demand revenge on the 
six women who lied about her. 

4192
03:44:42,000 --> 03:44:45,200
She doesn't rage about the seven
years, she lost she focuses on 

4193
03:44:45,200 --> 03:44:47,300
what matters her son is 
returned. 

4194
03:44:47,300 --> 03:44:49,900
The truth is known and life can 
continue. 

4195
03:44:50,800 --> 03:44:53,200
This isn't about being weak or 
accepting in Justice. 

4196
03:44:53,200 --> 03:44:56,400
It's about understanding what? 
Actually serves you once 

4197
03:44:56,400 --> 03:44:59,200
Vindication comes. 
Sometimes, the desire for 

4198
03:44:59,200 --> 03:45:02,700
Revenge keeps you trapped in the
past tied to your suffering. 

4199
03:45:02,700 --> 03:45:05,500
Even after the external 
circumstances of changed, 

4200
03:45:05,500 --> 03:45:09,200
rhiannon's ability to focus on 
Joy, rather than retribution 

4201
03:45:09,200 --> 03:45:12,400
suggests a kind of wisdom that 
knows the difference between 

4202
03:45:12,400 --> 03:45:15,800
Justice and revenge. 
In our cancel culture moment 

4203
03:45:15,800 --> 03:45:19,200
where public accusations and 
counter accusations fly 

4204
03:45:19,200 --> 03:45:23,500
constantly where everyone seems 
focused on punishing, wrongdoing

4205
03:45:23,500 --> 03:45:26,200
and demanding accountability, 
Rihanna offers a different 

4206
03:45:26,200 --> 03:45:29,800
model, not accountability free. 
The truth does come out she's 

4207
03:45:29,800 --> 03:45:33,400
Vindicated but focused on moving
forward rather than dwelling in 

4208
03:45:33,400 --> 03:45:36,100
Justified anger. 
Forth. 

4209
03:45:36,100 --> 03:45:39,800
There's something in rhiannon's 
multiple trials, she faces, 

4210
03:45:39,800 --> 03:45:41,500
false accusation and 
imprisonment. 

4211
03:45:41,500 --> 03:45:45,800
She loses and regains her son. 
She's widowed and remarried and 

4212
03:45:45,800 --> 03:45:47,900
out and she's captured by the 
other world. 

4213
03:45:47,900 --> 03:45:51,500
And freed again, life keeps 
throwing things at her and she 

4214
03:45:51,500 --> 03:45:54,600
keeps surviving keeps 
maintaining herself and keeps 

4215
03:45:54,600 --> 03:45:57,600
finding ways forward. 
This feels particularly 

4216
03:45:57,600 --> 03:46:00,700
relevant, for those of us in 
middle age, the target audience 

4217
03:46:00,700 --> 03:46:04,700
for this Bedtime Story by your 
40s and 50s, you've likely been 

4218
03:46:04,700 --> 03:46:07,300
through some things. 
Maybe not magical imprisonment 

4219
03:46:07,300 --> 03:46:11,500
in the other world but perhaps 
divorce job loss Health crises 

4220
03:46:11,500 --> 03:46:15,000
grief, betrayal or any of the 
other trials that come with 

4221
03:46:15,000 --> 03:46:18,000
living a full life Rihanna and 
story suggests that. 

4222
03:46:18,000 --> 03:46:21,300
Surviving one trial doesn't 
exempt you from future ones. 

4223
03:46:21,300 --> 03:46:24,400
Life isn't a video game where 
you beat one level and move on 

4224
03:46:24,400 --> 03:46:28,000
to permanent safety but it also 
shows that surviving each trial,

4225
03:46:28,000 --> 03:46:29,400
builds strength for the next 
one. 

4226
03:46:29,400 --> 03:46:33,100
The endurance is a skill that 
improves with practice and that 

4227
03:46:33,100 --> 03:46:36,000
you can be tested multiple times
and still maintain your 

4228
03:46:36,000 --> 03:46:39,600
essential self. 
Finally, there's the lesson in 

4229
03:46:39,608 --> 03:46:43,000
rhiannon's choices, she chooses 
will over gwal. 

4230
03:46:43,900 --> 03:46:46,400
She chooses to endure her 
punishment, rather than a band. 

4231
03:46:46,400 --> 03:46:48,700
And the heard or you 
Supernatural means to escape. 

4232
03:46:49,700 --> 03:46:53,200
You to enter the mysterious 
Fortress to save her son even 

4233
03:46:53,200 --> 03:46:55,900
knowing, it's a trap. 
She's not a passive victim of 

4234
03:46:55,900 --> 03:46:57,800
Fate. 
She's someone who makes active 

4235
03:46:57,800 --> 03:46:59,700
choices and lives with their 
consequences. 

4236
03:46:59,700 --> 03:47:03,800
This agency is important. 
Even in circumstances, that seem

4237
03:47:03,800 --> 03:47:07,100
completely Beyond her control, 
Rhiannon find spaces where 

4238
03:47:07,100 --> 03:47:10,100
Choice exists. 
She can't control being falsely 

4239
03:47:10,100 --> 03:47:13,500
accused but she can control how 
she responds to punishment. 

4240
03:47:14,400 --> 03:47:17,500
She can't control the magical 
trap but she can choose whether 

4241
03:47:17,500 --> 03:47:20,100
to enter it. 
In our own lives. 

4242
03:47:20,100 --> 03:47:23,800
We often face situations where 
we feel powerless, Rihanna 

4243
03:47:23,800 --> 03:47:26,600
reminds us that even in the 
worst circumstances, small 

4244
03:47:26,600 --> 03:47:30,000
spaces of choice, remain how we 
inhabit, those spaces, and how 

4245
03:47:30,000 --> 03:47:33,900
we make the choices available to
us shape, who we become the Moon

4246
03:47:33,900 --> 03:47:37,700
is Riding High over ancient 
whales casting silver light 

4247
03:47:37,700 --> 03:47:40,000
across the landscape. 
Where Rhiannon story has been 

4248
03:47:40,008 --> 03:47:43,500
told for over 1,000 years 
somewhere in that landscape in 

4249
03:47:43,500 --> 03:47:46,400
the space between what was and 
what might have been a white 

4250
03:47:46,408 --> 03:47:49,900
horse moves at its own pace 
unhurried and uncatchable 

4251
03:47:50,800 --> 03:47:55,000
Rhiannon story is complete, but 
in another sense, it continues. 

4252
03:47:55,000 --> 03:47:58,700
Every time someone tells it, she
rides again, every time someone 

4253
03:47:58,700 --> 03:48:01,200
finds strength in her example, 
she endures again. 

4254
03:48:01,200 --> 03:48:04,800
Every time someone chooses truth
over convenience, maintains 

4255
03:48:04,800 --> 03:48:07,500
dignity, in the face of 
humiliation or survives in 

4256
03:48:07,500 --> 03:48:10,700
Justice without being broken by 
it, her Legacy lives on. 

4257
03:48:11,700 --> 03:48:14,200
You've spent this hour with a 
woman from another world who 

4258
03:48:14,200 --> 03:48:17,500
chose to live in this one who 
faced trials that would have 

4259
03:48:17,500 --> 03:48:20,200
destroyed most people and who 
maintained herself through 

4260
03:48:20,200 --> 03:48:22,600
everything Life and Legend, 
could throw it at her. 

4261
03:48:22,600 --> 03:48:25,200
You've walked with her, from her
first appearance on that, white 

4262
03:48:25,200 --> 03:48:28,800
horse to her final Vindication 
and Beyond, as you drift towards

4263
03:48:28,800 --> 03:48:32,700
sleep, let Rhiannon strength be 
with you, not the flashy 

4264
03:48:32,700 --> 03:48:36,200
strength of magic or power, but 
the deeper strength of endurance

4265
03:48:36,200 --> 03:48:39,200
of maintaining your essential 
self, regardless of 

4266
03:48:39,200 --> 03:48:42,600
circumstances of knowing who you
are, when everyone else is 

4267
03:48:42,600 --> 03:48:44,000
telling you, you're something 
different. 

4268
03:48:45,300 --> 03:48:49,200
Let her patients be with you. 
The patience to endure when 

4269
03:48:49,200 --> 03:48:53,400
Justice is slow to wait for 
truth to catch up with lies to 

4270
03:48:53,400 --> 03:48:56,100
survive the years at the gate, 
knowing that Vindication may 

4271
03:48:56,100 --> 03:48:58,500
come eventually. 
Even if it doesn't come soon, 

4272
03:49:00,300 --> 03:49:04,700
Let her dignity be with you, the
ability, to perform humiliating 

4273
03:49:04,700 --> 03:49:08,100
tasks without being humiliated 
in your own eyes, to endure 

4274
03:49:08,100 --> 03:49:10,400
degradation, without being 
degraded internally. 

4275
03:49:10,400 --> 03:49:13,300
And to know that what others say
about you doesn't change the 

4276
03:49:13,300 --> 03:49:16,600
truth of who you are. 
Let her Joy be with you, the 

4277
03:49:16,600 --> 03:49:18,700
capacity to celebrate when good 
things. 

4278
03:49:18,700 --> 03:49:22,200
Finally happened to focus on 
what's found rather than what 

4279
03:49:22,200 --> 03:49:24,700
was lost and to experience 
genuine happiness. 

4280
03:49:24,700 --> 03:49:28,500
Even after years of suffering 
and let her agency be with you. 

4281
03:49:28,500 --> 03:49:32,400
The knowledge that even in the 
worst circumstances choices 

4282
03:49:32,400 --> 03:49:35,100
remain available that you can 
make decisions about how to 

4283
03:49:35,100 --> 03:49:36,900
respond. 
If not about what happens to 

4284
03:49:36,900 --> 03:49:40,600
you, and that being trapped in 
external circumstances, doesn't 

4285
03:49:40,600 --> 03:49:42,100
mean being trapped in your own 
mind. 

4286
03:49:43,000 --> 03:49:46,100
The White Horse is still moving 
Somewhere Between Worlds and 

4287
03:49:46,100 --> 03:49:49,500
Rhiannon is still riding it, 
patient and dignified and free. 

4288
03:49:49,500 --> 03:49:52,900
She has been riding for over 
1,000 years and she'll continue 

4289
03:49:52,900 --> 03:49:55,700
to ride as long as people tell 
us a story finding in it. 

4290
03:49:55,700 --> 03:49:58,000
Something that speaks to their 
own struggles and triumphs 

4291
03:49:58,000 --> 03:50:01,100
tomorrow. 
When you wake, you'll return to 

4292
03:50:01,100 --> 03:50:04,500
your Ordinary World with its 
ordinary challenges, but you'll 

4293
03:50:04,500 --> 03:50:06,600
carry with you. 
The memory of a woman who moved 

4294
03:50:06,600 --> 03:50:10,200
between worlds, who endured The 
unendurable, Who maintained 

4295
03:50:10,200 --> 03:50:12,900
herself through trials that 
should have broken her and who 

4296
03:50:12,900 --> 03:50:15,000
emerged with her essential self 
intact. 

4297
03:50:15,000 --> 03:50:19,200
That's not a bad companion to 
have as you navigate whatever, 

4298
03:50:19,200 --> 03:50:22,500
trials your own life presents, 
Rhiannon Road between the mortal

4299
03:50:22,500 --> 03:50:26,500
world and you can ride between 
sleeping and waking between the 

4300
03:50:26,500 --> 03:50:28,500
world of medieval Legend and 
Modern Life. 

4301
03:50:29,100 --> 03:50:31,800
Carrying her strength with you 
as you go sleep. 

4302
03:50:31,800 --> 03:50:34,500
Well, knowing that some stories 
are more than entertainment 

4303
03:50:34,500 --> 03:50:37,800
their maps for navigating the 
difficult terrain of Being Human

4304
03:50:37,800 --> 03:50:41,200
guides for surviving the trials.
We all face in one form or 

4305
03:50:41,200 --> 03:50:44,100
another rhiannon's story has 
guided people for over a 

4306
03:50:44,100 --> 03:50:47,400
millennium and tonight its 
guided you towards sleep with 

4307
03:50:47,400 --> 03:50:51,000
its lessons of strength, 
patience and unbreakable 

4308
03:50:51,000 --> 03:50:54,800
dignity. 
The White Horse moves on 

4309
03:50:54,800 --> 03:50:58,500
unhurried and uncatchable 
carrying the lady of the White 

4310
03:50:58,500 --> 03:51:02,000
Horse through the centuries and 
into your dreams, may you meet 

4311
03:51:02,008 --> 03:51:03,900
her there in that space between 
worlds. 

4312
03:51:03,900 --> 03:51:05,600
And may she teach you, what 
ever? 

4313
03:51:05,600 --> 03:51:10,400
You most need to learn rest. 
Now, the story is told, the lady

4314
03:51:10,400 --> 03:51:14,200
is Vindicated, the son is 
restored and Truth has triumphed

4315
03:51:14,200 --> 03:51:16,300
over lies. 
Tomorrow brings its own 

4316
03:51:16,300 --> 03:51:20,100
challenges but tonight belongs 
to rest to sleep to the gentle 

4317
03:51:20,100 --> 03:51:22,700
space where ancient stories 
become part of Who We Are. 

4318
03:51:23,600 --> 03:51:26,600
Good night, May Rihanna, and 
strength, be yours, her 

4319
03:51:26,600 --> 03:51:29,500
patient's guide, you and her 
dignity sustain you through 

4320
03:51:29,500 --> 03:51:31,700
whatever gate she was at in your
own life. 

4321
03:51:39,000 --> 03:51:41,600
You know how sometimes you look 
at historical paintings and 

4322
03:51:41,600 --> 03:51:43,100
wonder what people actually 
smelled like. 

4323
03:51:43,100 --> 03:51:47,100
Well tonight your going to find 
out and trust me, it's not 

4324
03:51:47,100 --> 03:51:49,500
always Pleasant. 
We're going to walk the 

4325
03:51:49,500 --> 03:51:52,400
cobblestone streets of 
Constantinople peek into 

4326
03:51:52,400 --> 03:51:55,800
workshops where Artisans created
Marvels that still make our jaws

4327
03:51:55,800 --> 03:51:59,400
drop and discover why Byzantine 
citizens had bathroom habits 

4328
03:51:59,400 --> 03:52:01,200
that would make a modern 
germaphobe. 

4329
03:52:01,200 --> 03:52:06,200
Weep with despair, its Dawn in 
the year, 975 CE, and you're 

4330
03:52:06,200 --> 03:52:08,500
about to experience a day in the
life of the most sophisticated 

4331
03:52:08,500 --> 03:52:12,000
city in the world. 
A place where East truly met 

4332
03:52:12,000 --> 03:52:15,700
West where silk was worth its 
weight in gold and where the 

4333
03:52:15,700 --> 03:52:18,300
emperor's morning bathroom 
routine was considered a matter 

4334
03:52:18,300 --> 03:52:20,800
of State importance. 
The first thing that would hit 

4335
03:52:20,800 --> 03:52:23,300
you as you opened your eyes. 
In medieval Constantinople 

4336
03:52:23,300 --> 03:52:25,600
wouldn't be the site of the 
Magnificent. 

4337
03:52:25,600 --> 03:52:28,900
Hagia Sophia's Dome catching the
morning light though. 

4338
03:52:28,900 --> 03:52:32,300
That was certainly impressive 
know, it would be the smell. 

4339
03:52:33,200 --> 03:52:36,900
A complex bouquet of wood smoke 
baking bread Horseman near 

4340
03:52:36,900 --> 03:52:40,600
incense from a dozen different 
churches and the unmistakable 

4341
03:52:40,600 --> 03:52:43,400
Aroma of a city where a million 
people were doing their best to 

4342
03:52:43,400 --> 03:52:47,800
stay clean with limited soap and
even more limited privacy, your 

4343
03:52:47,800 --> 03:52:51,200
lying on, what passes for a bed,
in your modest apartment, and 

4344
03:52:51,200 --> 03:52:55,800
yes apartment buildings existed 
in Constantinople Rising four 

4345
03:52:55,800 --> 03:52:58,300
and five stories high like 
ancient New York, tenements. 

4346
03:52:59,000 --> 03:53:01,600
Your mattress is stuffed with 
straw that you really should 

4347
03:53:01,600 --> 03:53:03,800
have changed last month. 
But quality straw, doesn't come 

4348
03:53:03,800 --> 03:53:06,800
cheap, the wealthy. 
Folks up the social ladder are 

4349
03:53:06,800 --> 03:53:10,100
sleeping on feathers, but you're
making do just like most people 

4350
03:53:10,100 --> 03:53:13,900
in this sprawling Metropolis. 
As you stretch and yawn, you can

4351
03:53:13,900 --> 03:53:15,700
already hear the city waking up 
around you. 

4352
03:53:15,700 --> 03:53:19,600
There's the clip-clop of horses,
hooves on Stone The Creeks of 

4353
03:53:19,608 --> 03:53:22,600
wooden cart wheels, that 
desperately need oil and the 

4354
03:53:22,600 --> 03:53:25,100
distant sound of church bells, 
beginning their mourning 

4355
03:53:25,100 --> 03:53:29,200
Symphony Constantinople had more
churches per square mile than 

4356
03:53:29,200 --> 03:53:30,700
anywhere else in the Christian 
world. 

4357
03:53:30,700 --> 03:53:34,400
And each one seemed determined 
to out the others in announcing 

4358
03:53:34,400 --> 03:53:38,608
the Dawn you're apartment really
just two small rooms sits on the

4359
03:53:38,616 --> 03:53:41,300
third floor of a building that 
houses about 20 families. 

4360
03:53:42,300 --> 03:53:44,300
The ground floor is reserved for
shops and workshops. 

4361
03:53:44,300 --> 03:53:48,300
Because in Byzantine cities, you
lived where you worked and you 

4362
03:53:48,308 --> 03:53:51,200
worked where you lived. 
The smell of fresh bread. 

4363
03:53:51,200 --> 03:53:54,000
Wafted up from the baker's shop 
below, mixing with Less 

4364
03:53:54,000 --> 03:53:56,300
Pleasant. 
Odors from the Fullers Workshop.

4365
03:53:56,300 --> 03:53:59,200
Next door, where they're already
hard at work, cleaning cloth 

4366
03:53:59,200 --> 03:54:01,900
with what can only be described 
as industrial strength urine. 

4367
03:54:01,900 --> 03:54:04,800
Yes, urine. 
It was the ammonia of the 

4368
03:54:04,800 --> 03:54:06,600
ancient world and fullest 
collected. 

4369
03:54:06,600 --> 03:54:09,200
It like liquid gold. 
You swing your legs over the 

4370
03:54:09,200 --> 03:54:11,700
side of your bed and immediately
feel the cold of the wooden 

4371
03:54:11,700 --> 03:54:15,400
floors through your thin shoes. 
Central heating is still about 

4372
03:54:15,400 --> 03:54:18,600
800 years in the future. 
So your morning routine starts 

4373
03:54:18,600 --> 03:54:21,100
with shivering and trying to 
coax some life back into the 

4374
03:54:21,108 --> 03:54:25,200
Embers in your small brazier. 
Fire is both your best friend 

4375
03:54:25,200 --> 03:54:28,500
and your greatest fear in this 
wooden framed tightly packed 

4376
03:54:28,500 --> 03:54:30,800
City. 
Everyone's heard stories of 

4377
03:54:30,800 --> 03:54:32,800
entire neighborhoods Going Up in
Flames. 

4378
03:54:32,800 --> 03:54:34,700
Faster. 
Than you could say Byzantine 

4379
03:54:34,700 --> 03:54:38,100
bureaucracy the water in your 
ceramic Basin, has a thin layer 

4380
03:54:38,100 --> 03:54:40,600
of ice on top. 
It's November and 

4381
03:54:40,600 --> 03:54:42,800
constantinople's Winters and 
nothing to joke about. 

4382
03:54:42,800 --> 03:54:46,300
You break through the ice and 
splash the shockingly cold water

4383
03:54:46,300 --> 03:54:49,400
on your face, which wakes you up
better than any amount of 

4384
03:54:49,400 --> 03:54:52,600
caffeine ever could coffee won't
reach Europe for several more 

4385
03:54:52,600 --> 03:54:54,100
centuries. 
So your morning, pick me up 

4386
03:54:54,108 --> 03:54:57,800
consists of bread, perhaps some 
watered-down wine because the 

4387
03:54:57,800 --> 03:55:01,500
water isn't always trustworthy 
and the sheer excitement of 

4388
03:55:01,500 --> 03:55:03,000
trying to make it through 
another day. 

4389
03:55:03,000 --> 03:55:05,200
In one of history is most 
vibrant cities. 

4390
03:55:05,200 --> 03:55:08,900
As you pull on your tunic, a 
simple practical garment. 

4391
03:55:08,900 --> 03:55:11,300
That's seen better days, but 
still has some life in it. 

4392
03:55:11,300 --> 03:55:13,900
You can hear your neighbor's 
beginning their own morning 

4393
03:55:13,900 --> 03:55:16,400
routines. 
There's the family next door, 

4394
03:55:16,400 --> 03:55:19,100
arguing about whose turn it is 
to fetch water from the public 

4395
03:55:19,100 --> 03:55:22,300
fountain down the street. 
The Woman Upstairs is already at

4396
03:55:22,300 --> 03:55:26,300
her Loom, the steady quack, 
quack of her weaving, providing 

4397
03:55:26,300 --> 03:55:27,800
a rhythmic sound track to the 
morning. 

4398
03:55:28,700 --> 03:55:31,900
And somewhere below a small 
child is crying, probably 

4399
03:55:31,900 --> 03:55:34,200
because they've just discovered 
that breakfast is going to be 

4400
03:55:34,200 --> 03:55:36,900
yesterday's bread. 
Again, you're not rich, let's be

4401
03:55:36,900 --> 03:55:38,900
honest. 
You'll nowhere close to Rich but

4402
03:55:38,900 --> 03:55:40,400
you're not desperately poor 
either. 

4403
03:55:40,400 --> 03:55:43,800
You're what we might call middle
class, though that term wouldn't

4404
03:55:43,800 --> 03:55:45,300
be invented for several 
centuries. 

4405
03:55:45,300 --> 03:55:49,300
You work as a Craftsman perhaps 
making leather goods or working 

4406
03:55:49,300 --> 03:55:52,000
metal and you earn enough to 
afford your own apartment. 

4407
03:55:52,000 --> 03:55:55,500
Some decent clothes and food 
that isn't just bread and water.

4408
03:55:55,500 --> 03:55:59,100
You might even own a book or 
two, which makes you practically

4409
03:55:59,100 --> 03:56:01,000
an intellectual by medieval 
standards. 

4410
03:56:01,000 --> 03:56:04,500
Now comes the daily challenge of
breakfast and this is where 

4411
03:56:04,500 --> 03:56:07,400
Byzantine life gets interesting 
in ways that might surprise you.

4412
03:56:07,400 --> 03:56:11,900
You see the byzantines had some 
rather peculiar ideas about when

4413
03:56:11,900 --> 03:56:15,100
and what people should eat. 
The official Christian position.

4414
03:56:15,100 --> 03:56:18,500
Was that really devout people 
should fast until noon every day

4415
03:56:18,500 --> 03:56:23,100
eating only one main meal? 
Of course, this rule was about 

4416
03:56:23,100 --> 03:56:26,500
as universally followed as speed
limits on a highway, which is to

4417
03:56:26,500 --> 03:56:29,800
say honored more in the breach 
than in the observance, your 

4418
03:56:29,800 --> 03:56:32,900
breakfast is simple, but 
satisfying you have bread. 

4419
03:56:32,900 --> 03:56:37,100
Not the fluffy white stuff were 
used to but a dense dark loaf 

4420
03:56:37,100 --> 03:56:39,400
that could probably double as a 
weapon if necessary. 

4421
03:56:39,400 --> 03:56:42,800
This bread is your constant 
companion throughout the day. 

4422
03:56:43,600 --> 03:56:46,700
Byzantines ate bread with 
everything, dipped it in 

4423
03:56:46,708 --> 03:56:49,500
everything and used its plates 
when they ran out of actual 

4424
03:56:49,500 --> 03:56:51,700
plates. 
It was the smartphone of the 

4425
03:56:51,708 --> 03:56:56,100
Medieval World, ubiquitous 
essential and impossible to 

4426
03:56:56,100 --> 03:56:58,300
imagine life without with your 
bread. 

4427
03:56:58,300 --> 03:57:01,500
You might have some olive oil 
for dipping perhaps a handful of

4428
03:57:01,500 --> 03:57:04,400
Olives themselves. 
And if you're feeling fancy a 

4429
03:57:04,400 --> 03:57:08,700
small piece of cheese, Cheese is
hard and salty designed to last 

4430
03:57:08,700 --> 03:57:11,500
week's without spoiling in your 
unrefrigerated apartment. 

4431
03:57:11,500 --> 03:57:14,800
Fresh milk is almost impossible 
to come by, unless you happen to

4432
03:57:14,808 --> 03:57:17,200
live next door. 
To someone who keeps goats and 

4433
03:57:17,200 --> 03:57:19,700
even then, you'd better drink it
fast before, it turns into 

4434
03:57:19,700 --> 03:57:21,900
something resembling cottage 
cheese with that attitude. 

4435
03:57:21,900 --> 03:57:24,600
If you're lucky enough to have 
some wine left from yesterday, 

4436
03:57:24,600 --> 03:57:27,600
you'll mix it with water not 
because you're trying to be 

4437
03:57:27,600 --> 03:57:31,200
moderate but because undiluted 
wine is considered barbaric. 

4438
03:57:32,100 --> 03:57:35,200
The byzantines inherited this 
custom from the ancient Greeks 

4439
03:57:35,200 --> 03:57:38,400
and Romans and they took it. 
Seriously, drinking straight 

4440
03:57:38,400 --> 03:57:41,300
wine was something that 
barbarians did right up there 

4441
03:57:41,300 --> 03:57:44,400
with wearing pants and proper 
tunics and speaking. 

4442
03:57:44,400 --> 03:57:46,000
Languages that didn't sound like
music. 

4443
03:57:46,000 --> 03:57:49,300
As you eat your mentally 
preparing for the day ahead, 

4444
03:57:49,300 --> 03:57:52,900
your Workshop weights, along 
with the customers who will try 

4445
03:57:52,900 --> 03:57:56,300
to haggle down your prices, The 
Guild officials who will inspect

4446
03:57:56,300 --> 03:57:58,200
your work to make sure you're 
not cutting corners. 

4447
03:57:58,200 --> 03:58:01,000
And the tax collectors who seem 
to appear with the same 

4448
03:58:01,000 --> 03:58:03,600
regularity as sunrise and twice 
as much enthusiasm. 

4449
03:58:04,600 --> 03:58:07,600
Presenting bureaucracy was 
legendary in its complexity and 

4450
03:58:07,600 --> 03:58:11,000
thoroughness. 
They had forms for forms and tax

4451
03:58:11,000 --> 03:58:12,200
categories. 
That would make a modern 

4452
03:58:12,200 --> 03:58:14,700
accountant wheat, with 
frustration, the sound of the 

4453
03:58:14,700 --> 03:58:17,300
city grows louder, as more 
people Venture onto the streets,

4454
03:58:17,300 --> 03:58:19,900
you can hear, Merchants setting 
up their stalls. 

4455
03:58:19,900 --> 03:58:23,000
Their voices already rising in 
the Singsong cadences of 

4456
03:58:23,000 --> 03:58:25,700
salesmanship. 
That sound remarkably similar to

4457
03:58:25,700 --> 03:58:29,000
Modern Market vendors. 
Fresh fish caught this morning 

4458
03:58:29,000 --> 03:58:32,000
translation, caught sometime 
this week and still mostly 

4459
03:58:32,000 --> 03:58:35,900
edible Silk from the Orient 
translation, probably silk, 

4460
03:58:35,900 --> 03:58:39,500
definitely expensive origin. 
Negotiable your neighbor's are 

4461
03:58:39,500 --> 03:58:42,300
emerging from their Apartments. 
Now, each beginning their own 

4462
03:58:42,300 --> 03:58:44,300
version of the present, in Daily
dance. 

4463
03:58:45,500 --> 03:58:48,900
The woman from upstairs nods as 
she passes your door, carrying 

4464
03:58:48,900 --> 03:58:50,800
her water jugs, toward the 
public fountain. 

4465
03:58:51,500 --> 03:58:53,800
She is dressed in a long tunic 
with a cloak wrapped. 

4466
03:58:53,800 --> 03:58:57,200
Around her shoulders, her hair 
covered with a scarf as modesty 

4467
03:58:57,200 --> 03:58:59,900
demands. 
Her husband follows a few 

4468
03:58:59,900 --> 03:59:01,900
minutes later, heading toward 
his job. 

4469
03:59:01,900 --> 03:59:04,800
At one of the silk workshops 
that make Constantinople famous 

4470
03:59:04,800 --> 03:59:07,900
throughout the known world. 
When you finally step out side 

4471
03:59:07,900 --> 03:59:10,600
your immediately immersed in 
sensory overload that makes 

4472
03:59:10,600 --> 03:59:12,600
modern city. 
Life seemed peaceful by 

4473
03:59:12,600 --> 03:59:16,500
comparison Constantinople in, 
his Heyday was home to somewhere

4474
03:59:16,500 --> 03:59:18,900
between 400,000 and a million 
people. 

4475
03:59:19,900 --> 03:59:22,900
Historians argue about the exact
number but everyone agrees. 

4476
03:59:22,900 --> 03:59:26,600
It was enormous by medieval 
standards, all those people are 

4477
03:59:26,600 --> 03:59:29,700
packed into a space smaller than
modern Manhattan and they're all

4478
03:59:29,700 --> 03:59:32,400
trying to make a living, raise 
their families and get through 

4479
03:59:32,400 --> 03:59:35,600
their daily routines without 
getting trampled robbed or 

4480
03:59:35,600 --> 03:59:38,600
inadvertently involved in one of
the political riots that break 

4481
03:59:38,600 --> 03:59:40,600
out with the regularity of 
thunderstorms. 

4482
03:59:40,600 --> 03:59:43,400
The street, you live on is 
typical of constantinople's 

4483
03:59:43,400 --> 03:59:47,300
residential areas, narrow, paved
with stone when the city 

4484
03:59:47,300 --> 03:59:50,500
treasury has money for repairs 
and lined with buildings. 

4485
03:59:50,500 --> 03:59:52,900
That seem to lean toward each 
other like old friends sharing 

4486
03:59:52,900 --> 03:59:56,000
secrets. 
The ground floors house shops 

4487
03:59:56,000 --> 03:59:58,900
and workshops their owners 
already busy with the days work.

4488
03:59:59,900 --> 04:00:02,600
There's the baker, you smelled 
early, his oven producing a 

4489
04:00:02,608 --> 04:00:05,300
steady stream of loaves that 
will feed half the neighborhood 

4490
04:00:05,300 --> 04:00:08,100
next door. 
A blacksmith is already heating 

4491
04:00:08,100 --> 04:00:11,100
his Forge, the globe, visible 
through his open, doorway in the

4492
04:00:11,100 --> 04:00:13,400
ring of hammer on Anvil. 
Adding percussion to the morning

4493
04:00:13,400 --> 04:00:16,100
Symphony. 
The street itself is a river of 

4494
04:00:16,100 --> 04:00:19,500
humanity flowing. 
In all directions, Merchants are

4495
04:00:19,500 --> 04:00:22,200
leading pack animals, loaded 
with goods from every corner of 

4496
04:00:22,200 --> 04:00:25,400
the known world. 
A train of mules passes by 

4497
04:00:25,400 --> 04:00:28,600
loaded with silk, that might 
have traveled the entire Silk 

4498
04:00:28,600 --> 04:00:31,200
Road from China. 
Behind them. 

4499
04:00:31,208 --> 04:00:34,800
I can't filled with amp3 of 
wine, from Greece Creeks, along 

4500
04:00:34,800 --> 04:00:37,900
the driver shouting at 
pedestrians to clear the way in 

4501
04:00:37,900 --> 04:00:40,000
language, that would make a 
sailor blush water. 

4502
04:00:40,000 --> 04:00:42,800
Carriers move through the crowd 
with large ceramic vessels, 

4503
04:00:42,800 --> 04:00:45,300
balanced on their shoulders or 
loaded onto donkeys. 

4504
04:00:46,200 --> 04:00:49,500
Clean water is precious in a 
city, this size and the public 

4505
04:00:49,500 --> 04:00:52,700
fountains fed by Massive 
aqueducts, that are marvels of 

4506
04:00:52,700 --> 04:00:56,100
engineering are always busy. 
You can see people lined up at 

4507
04:00:56,100 --> 04:00:58,300
the fountain at the end of your 
street chatting with neighbors 

4508
04:00:58,300 --> 04:01:01,300
while they wait their turn. 
The fountain is more than just a

4509
04:01:01,300 --> 04:01:06,700
water source, it's a Social Hub,
the place where Newsreaders and 

4510
04:01:06,700 --> 04:01:09,200
marriages are, sometimes 
arranged between families who 

4511
04:01:09,200 --> 04:01:11,700
meet while their children Splash
in the Overflow. 

4512
04:01:11,700 --> 04:01:14,700
As you walk toward your 
Workshop, you navigate around, 

4513
04:01:14,700 --> 04:01:17,300
piles of refuse, that won't be 
collected until the city 

4514
04:01:17,300 --> 04:01:19,900
sanitation workers, make their 
rounds later in the day. 

4515
04:01:20,800 --> 04:01:23,700
Medieval cities had Waste 
Management systems that they 

4516
04:01:23,700 --> 04:01:25,200
were primitive by modern 
standards. 

4517
04:01:25,200 --> 04:01:28,600
Most people simply through their
garbage out their Windows aiming

4518
04:01:28,600 --> 04:01:31,400
for the street, rather than 
their neighbor's heads though. 

4519
04:01:31,400 --> 04:01:32,900
Accuracy wasn't always 
guaranteed. 

4520
04:01:33,700 --> 04:01:35,800
The lucky ones had access to 
public latrines. 

4521
04:01:35,800 --> 04:01:38,600
While others may do with chamber
pots that were emptied into 

4522
04:01:38,600 --> 04:01:41,200
designated areas. 
Outside the city walls, the 

4523
04:01:41,200 --> 04:01:43,800
smell of cooking food, mingles 
with Less Pleasant, odors 

4524
04:01:43,800 --> 04:01:47,200
Horseman near rotting vegetables
and the distinctive Aroma of the

4525
04:01:47,200 --> 04:01:51,400
Tanners workshops where animal 
hides a processed using methods 

4526
04:01:51,400 --> 04:01:53,400
that haven't changed much since 
ancient times. 

4527
04:01:54,400 --> 04:01:57,600
Tanning requires urine oak bark 
and animal fat. 

4528
04:01:58,300 --> 04:02:01,000
Combined in proportions, that 
create a stench capable of 

4529
04:02:01,000 --> 04:02:03,000
stopping conversations three 
blocks away. 

4530
04:02:04,000 --> 04:02:07,000
Tanners always set up shop 
downwind of residential areas, 

4531
04:02:07,000 --> 04:02:09,700
which tells you something about 
medieval city planning 

4532
04:02:09,700 --> 04:02:12,500
priorities. 
Your Workshop sits on a side 

4533
04:02:12,500 --> 04:02:14,400
street that specializes in 
metalworking. 

4534
04:02:14,400 --> 04:02:18,200
This isn't coincidence. 
Byzantine cities were organized 

4535
04:02:18,200 --> 04:02:21,800
by trade with similar Craftsman,
clustering together like modern 

4536
04:02:21,800 --> 04:02:25,400
business districts. 
It made sense economically and 

4537
04:02:25,400 --> 04:02:29,200
socially you shared techniques, 
borrowed tools and competed for 

4538
04:02:29,200 --> 04:02:30,900
customers. 
While maintaining the kind of 

4539
04:02:30,900 --> 04:02:34,200
professional camaraderie, that 
comes from the same challenges 

4540
04:02:34,200 --> 04:02:37,700
every day, The Guild system 
governs every aspect of your 

4541
04:02:37,700 --> 04:02:40,800
working life and it's both a 
blessing and a bureaucratic 

4542
04:02:40,800 --> 04:02:43,100
nightmare. 
Your guild sets quality 

4543
04:02:43,100 --> 04:02:47,400
standards, regulates prices 
controls who can enter the trade

4544
04:02:47,400 --> 04:02:50,700
and provide to social safety net
for members who fall on Hard 

4545
04:02:50,700 --> 04:02:53,300
Times. 
It'll tell you exactly how many 

4546
04:02:53,300 --> 04:02:56,800
apprentices you can have, what 
hours you can work, where you 

4547
04:02:56,800 --> 04:02:59,900
can set up shop and probably 
what you should eat for lunch if

4548
04:02:59,900 --> 04:03:02,300
they could get away with it 
today you're working on a 

4549
04:03:02,308 --> 04:03:03,600
commission from one of the 
Cities. 

4550
04:03:04,000 --> 04:03:06,800
Wealthy merchants a set of 
bronze fittings for a shipping 

4551
04:03:06,800 --> 04:03:09,300
vessel. 
Bronze, work requires skill 

4552
04:03:09,300 --> 04:03:13,100
patience and the ability to work
near a forge that turns your 

4553
04:03:13,100 --> 04:03:16,900
Workshop into a sauna even in 
Winter you heat the metal until 

4554
04:03:16,900 --> 04:03:20,000
it glows like a small piece of 
the sun, then shape it with 

4555
04:03:20,000 --> 04:03:23,200
hammers and tools that your 
grandfather probably used and 

4556
04:03:23,200 --> 04:03:25,100
that your grandson might inherit
someday. 

4557
04:03:25,100 --> 04:03:29,500
Your Apprentice arrives shortly 
after you do a boy, of maybe 14 

4558
04:03:29,500 --> 04:03:32,500
who's been with you for two 
years now, he's passed the stage

4559
04:03:32,500 --> 04:03:35,800
of being completely useless, and
has progressed, to being only 

4560
04:03:35,800 --> 04:03:38,500
occasionally useless, which 
represents significant 

4561
04:03:38,500 --> 04:03:41,400
Improvement. 
He tends the fire organizes 

4562
04:03:41,400 --> 04:03:43,800
tools and practices. 
The basic techniques that will 

4563
04:03:43,800 --> 04:03:45,900
eventually make him a Craftsman 
in his own, right? 

4564
04:03:46,800 --> 04:03:49,800
The Apprentice system works. 
Well, it provides skilled 

4565
04:03:49,800 --> 04:03:52,600
workers for the future while 
giving young men a path out of 

4566
04:03:52,600 --> 04:03:54,400
poverty and into respectable 
trades. 

4567
04:03:54,400 --> 04:03:57,200
The work is steady and 
satisfying in a way that's hard 

4568
04:03:57,200 --> 04:03:59,200
to explain to people who've 
never created something 

4569
04:03:59,200 --> 04:04:01,200
beautiful and functional with 
their own hands. 

4570
04:04:01,200 --> 04:04:04,800
Each piece of bronze, you shake 
will Outlast You by centuries. 

4571
04:04:04,800 --> 04:04:08,200
Some of your work might end up 
in churches where it will be 

4572
04:04:08,200 --> 04:04:11,500
touched by thousands of 
worshipers other pieces will 

4573
04:04:11,500 --> 04:04:13,100
travel on ships to distant 
ports. 

4574
04:04:13,100 --> 04:04:16,600
Carrying a small piece of 
Constantinople to Places, You'll

4575
04:04:16,600 --> 04:04:19,300
never see as the morning. 
Progresses customers begin 

4576
04:04:19,300 --> 04:04:21,600
arriving. 
There's the ship captain who 

4577
04:04:21,600 --> 04:04:24,400
needs repairs to his vessels 
fittings before his next Voyage 

4578
04:04:24,400 --> 04:04:27,600
to Alexandria. 
He's a weathered man with hands 

4579
04:04:27,600 --> 04:04:30,700
like leather and stories that 
grow more fantastic with each 

4580
04:04:30,700 --> 04:04:33,700
telling. 
Today, he's describing a storm 

4581
04:04:33,700 --> 04:04:36,600
off the coast of Cyprus that was
apparently sent by Poseidon 

4582
04:04:36,600 --> 04:04:40,300
himself judging by his dramatic 
gestures and increasingly 

4583
04:04:40,300 --> 04:04:43,300
creative profanity. 
A wealthy woman arrives with her

4584
04:04:43,300 --> 04:04:46,400
servant, looking for decorative,
bronze work, for her mansion. 

4585
04:04:47,100 --> 04:04:50,900
She's dressed in silk so fine. 
It seems to move like liquid and

4586
04:04:50,900 --> 04:04:53,000
her jewelry. 
Probably cost more than you 

4587
04:04:53,000 --> 04:04:56,100
learn in five years, but she 
pays well and doesn't argue 

4588
04:04:56,100 --> 04:04:58,200
about prices. 
So you treat her with the 

4589
04:04:58,200 --> 04:05:00,200
respect due to valued customers 
everywhere. 

4590
04:05:00,200 --> 04:05:03,700
She wants something unique. 
Something that will impress her 

4591
04:05:03,700 --> 04:05:06,600
friends at dinner parties where 
the wine flows like water. 

4592
04:05:06,600 --> 04:05:10,800
And the gossip is more valuable 
than gold, by noon, the Sun as 

4593
04:05:10,800 --> 04:05:13,500
warm the stone of the street, 
and the city has reached its 

4594
04:05:13,500 --> 04:05:16,900
daily creta of activity. 
This is when Constantinople 

4595
04:05:16,900 --> 04:05:20,000
truly comes alive. 
When the mornings tentative, 

4596
04:05:20,000 --> 04:05:24,100
Commerce explodes into the full 
throated Roar of one of the 

4597
04:05:24,100 --> 04:05:26,700
world. 
Great trading centers, the main 

4598
04:05:26,700 --> 04:05:29,200
boulevards are packed with 
people from every corner of the 

4599
04:05:29,200 --> 04:05:33,000
Known World, Merchants from 
Venice and Genoa, Traders from 

4600
04:05:33,000 --> 04:05:36,700
Russia carrying Furs and Amber 
spice dealers from India and 

4601
04:05:36,700 --> 04:05:39,000
Ceylon and diplomats from 
Kingdom. 

4602
04:05:39,000 --> 04:05:42,300
So, distant their name. 
Sound like poetry you take a 

4603
04:05:42,300 --> 04:05:44,400
break from your work to venture 
out for the day's main meal 

4604
04:05:44,400 --> 04:05:46,800
lunch, as we know, it doesn't 
really exist. 

4605
04:05:47,400 --> 04:05:50,700
Byzantines, eat their big meal 
in the early afternoon after the

4606
04:05:50,700 --> 04:05:53,200
mornings work is done but while 
they're still plenty of daylight

4607
04:05:53,200 --> 04:05:55,200
left. 
You head toward one of the 

4608
04:05:55,200 --> 04:05:56,700
tavernas that cater to working. 
People. 

4609
04:05:56,700 --> 04:06:00,200
Like yourself places where the 
food is, simple filling and 

4610
04:06:00,200 --> 04:06:03,100
reasonably priced. 
The Taverna you choose sits near

4611
04:06:03,108 --> 04:06:06,200
the Hippodrome that enormous 
Arena, where Constantinople 

4612
04:06:06,200 --> 04:06:10,000
citizens gather for chariot, 
races, political demonstrations,

4613
04:06:10,000 --> 04:06:14,000
and the occasional riot. 
The Hippodrome is quiet now, but

4614
04:06:14,000 --> 04:06:17,200
you can see vendors setting up 
for tonight's races, arranging 

4615
04:06:17,200 --> 04:06:19,500
their Wares and preparing for 
the crowds that will pack the 

4616
04:06:19,500 --> 04:06:22,200
arena. 
Chariot racing is more than 

4617
04:06:22,200 --> 04:06:26,000
entertainment in Constantinople.
It's a passion that divides the 

4618
04:06:26,000 --> 04:06:28,800
city into competing factions 
with the further of modern 

4619
04:06:28,800 --> 04:06:32,400
sports fans inside the Taverna 
the air is thick with the smell 

4620
04:06:32,400 --> 04:06:34,500
of cooking food and animated 
conversation. 

4621
04:06:34,500 --> 04:06:38,700
The proprietor Stout man with 
arms like tree trunks greets 

4622
04:06:38,700 --> 04:06:42,500
regular customers by name and 
somehow remembers exactly how 

4623
04:06:42,500 --> 04:06:44,300
Everyone likes their food 
prepared. 

4624
04:06:45,700 --> 04:06:48,300
Today's offering is a wooden 
board in letters. 

4625
04:06:48,300 --> 04:06:50,400
Large enough to be seen through 
the Smoky interior. 

4626
04:06:50,400 --> 04:06:54,500
Lamb stew with vegetables, fish 
caught in the boss for us this 

4627
04:06:54,500 --> 04:06:57,700
morning, bread that still warm 
from the oven and wine from 

4628
04:06:57,700 --> 04:06:59,400
Vineyards outside the city 
walls. 

4629
04:06:59,400 --> 04:07:04,100
You chose the fish Fresh seafood
is one of constantinople's great

4630
04:07:04,100 --> 04:07:06,500
advantages. 
The city sits where two 

4631
04:07:06,500 --> 04:07:08,600
continents meet surrounded by 
water. 

4632
04:07:08,600 --> 04:07:12,300
That provides an endless supply 
of fish shellfish and other 

4633
04:07:12,300 --> 04:07:14,800
Seafood that makes its way to 
tables throughout the city. 

4634
04:07:14,800 --> 04:07:17,900
The fish is grilled over 
charcoal and seasoned with herbs

4635
04:07:17,900 --> 04:07:21,300
that grow wild on the Hills 
outside Constantinople it's 

4636
04:07:21,300 --> 04:07:24,100
simple food prepared. 
Well the kind of meal that 

4637
04:07:24,100 --> 04:07:26,800
sustains working people and 
keeps them coming back while you

4638
04:07:26,800 --> 04:07:28,600
eat. 
You listen to the conversation, 

4639
04:07:28,600 --> 04:07:32,400
swirling around you at the next 
table to Merchants are arguing 

4640
04:07:32,400 --> 04:07:35,500
about trade routes to the Black 
Sea, their voices Rising. 

4641
04:07:35,500 --> 04:07:38,500
As they debate whether Overland 
or sea transport, offers better 

4642
04:07:38,500 --> 04:07:41,600
profits. 
Behind you a group of artists 

4643
04:07:41,600 --> 04:07:43,900
from the silk workshops are 
complaining about new 

4644
04:07:43,900 --> 04:07:47,400
regulations, from their Guild 
regulations that apparently make

4645
04:07:47,400 --> 04:07:49,500
no sense. 
And what obviously, written by 

4646
04:07:49,500 --> 04:07:52,400
people who have never actually 
worked with silk in their lives,

4647
04:07:52,400 --> 04:07:55,500
the Taverna serves as an 
unofficial new center where 

4648
04:07:55,500 --> 04:07:57,800
information spreads faster than 
Wildfire. 

4649
04:07:57,800 --> 04:08:01,100
Today's Hot Topic is a rumor 
that the emperor has planning 

4650
04:08:01,100 --> 04:08:05,000
new taxes on imported goods news
that has Merchants calculating 

4651
04:08:05,000 --> 04:08:08,100
profit margins and ordinary 
citizens wandering, how much 

4652
04:08:08,100 --> 04:08:10,100
more expensive everything is 
about to become. 

4653
04:08:11,100 --> 04:08:13,300
Someone mentions that there's 
trouble brewing with the 

4654
04:08:13,300 --> 04:08:16,700
bulgarians again, which draws 
knowing nods from veterans. 

4655
04:08:16,700 --> 04:08:18,300
Who remember? 
Previous conflicts with 

4656
04:08:18,300 --> 04:08:21,300
constantinople's Northern 
Neighbors after your meal? 

4657
04:08:21,300 --> 04:08:24,300
You return to work, refreshed 
and ready for the afternoon's 

4658
04:08:24,300 --> 04:08:26,600
challenges. 
This is typically the most 

4659
04:08:26,600 --> 04:08:29,800
productive part of the day. 
For Craftsmen your well-fed. 

4660
04:08:29,800 --> 04:08:33,200
The light is good and you've had
time to plan your approach to 

4661
04:08:33,200 --> 04:08:34,800
whatever project demands 
attention. 

4662
04:08:34,800 --> 04:08:37,600
The bronze fittings are taking 
shape nicely under, your 

4663
04:08:37,600 --> 04:08:40,200
experienced hands. 
Each piece fitting perfectly 

4664
04:08:40,200 --> 04:08:42,300
with its neighbors in the 
complex assembly. 

4665
04:08:42,300 --> 04:08:45,800
That will help keep a trading 
vessel C worthy, your Apprentice

4666
04:08:45,800 --> 04:08:48,600
as returned from his own meal 
and his eager to continue 

4667
04:08:48,600 --> 04:08:51,200
learning today. 
Your teaching him, the delicate 

4668
04:08:51,200 --> 04:08:55,000
art of finishing work, the 
patient filing polishing, and 

4669
04:08:55,000 --> 04:08:59,100
adjusting that transforms rough 
bronze into pieces, worthy of a 

4670
04:08:59,100 --> 04:09:01,800
merchant ship. 
It's tedious work that requires 

4671
04:09:01,800 --> 04:09:05,400
attention to detail and steady 
hands qualities that separate 

4672
04:09:05,400 --> 04:09:07,200
true. 
Craftsmen from Mere laborers, 

4673
04:09:07,200 --> 04:09:10,100
the afternoon brings a steady 
stream of visitors to your 

4674
04:09:10,100 --> 04:09:13,500
Workshop, There's the guild 
inspector, a thin man, with 

4675
04:09:13,500 --> 04:09:16,400
sharp eyes who examines your 
work for any deviation from 

4676
04:09:16,400 --> 04:09:19,600
established standards, The Guild
takes quality control. 

4677
04:09:19,600 --> 04:09:22,900
Seriously, their reputation 
depends on maintaining standards

4678
04:09:22,900 --> 04:09:26,700
that customers throughout the 
Mediterranean contrast Single 

4679
04:09:26,700 --> 04:09:29,000
shoddy piece, bearing, the 
Guild's, Mark damaged 

4680
04:09:29,000 --> 04:09:31,800
relationships. 
That took decades to build a 

4681
04:09:31,800 --> 04:09:34,800
fellow Craftsmen stops by to 
borrow a specialized tool and 

4682
04:09:34,800 --> 04:09:37,000
you spend a few minutes, 
discussing techniques and 

4683
04:09:37,000 --> 04:09:40,500
sharing professional gossip. 
He tells you about a new method 

4684
04:09:40,500 --> 04:09:44,000
for creating decorative patterns
in bronze that he learned from a

4685
04:09:44,000 --> 04:09:46,600
visiting, Artisan from Damascus.
In return. 

4686
04:09:46,600 --> 04:09:49,200
You share a tip about heat 
treatment that produces a 

4687
04:09:49,200 --> 04:09:52,000
particularly attractive finish. 
This kind of professional 

4688
04:09:52,000 --> 04:09:54,600
exchange is how techniques 
spread and improve over the 

4689
04:09:54,600 --> 04:09:57,000
centuries. 
Late in the afternoon, you 

4690
04:09:57,000 --> 04:09:59,700
receive an unexpected commission
from a church official, who 

4691
04:09:59,700 --> 04:10:02,900
needs repairs to bronze fixtures
in one of Constantinople smaller

4692
04:10:02,900 --> 04:10:05,600
churches. 
Church workers, prestigious and 

4693
04:10:05,600 --> 04:10:07,900
pays well. 
But it also comes with the 

4694
04:10:07,900 --> 04:10:11,300
pressure of creating something 
worthy of divine service, the 

4695
04:10:11,300 --> 04:10:13,700
official examined, some of your 
previous work and not 

4696
04:10:13,700 --> 04:10:15,700
approvingly before describing 
what he needs. 

4697
04:10:16,500 --> 04:10:19,600
Replacements for decorative 
elements that were damaged when 

4698
04:10:19,600 --> 04:10:22,000
part of the church roof 
collapsed, during a recent storm

4699
04:10:22,000 --> 04:10:25,100
as the sun begins, its descent 
toward the Western Hills. 

4700
04:10:25,100 --> 04:10:28,900
You start thinking about closing
up shop for the day, but First 

4701
04:10:28,900 --> 04:10:32,300
there are tools to clean and 
organize materials to secure 

4702
04:10:32,300 --> 04:10:35,100
against their plans to make for 
tomorrow's work. 

4703
04:10:36,100 --> 04:10:39,100
Your Workshop is more than just 
a place of business, it's your 

4704
04:10:39,100 --> 04:10:41,800
professional identity. 
The space where your skills 

4705
04:10:41,800 --> 04:10:44,800
transform, raw materials, into 
useful and beautiful objects, 

4706
04:10:44,800 --> 04:10:47,200
the transition from our 
afternoon to evening in 

4707
04:10:47,208 --> 04:10:50,200
Constantinople, is a daily 
spectacle that never gets old. 

4708
04:10:51,000 --> 04:10:54,300
Because the sun angles lower in 
the Western sky, it transforms 

4709
04:10:54,300 --> 04:10:57,200
the city's, White marble 
buildings into golden jewels 

4710
04:10:57,200 --> 04:11:01,300
that catch and reflect light in 
constantly changing patterns. 

4711
04:11:02,200 --> 04:11:06,100
The great Dome of Hagia, Sophia 
seems to glow from within while 

4712
04:11:06,100 --> 04:11:08,700
the Waters of the Golden Horn, 
turn the color of the molten 

4713
04:11:08,700 --> 04:11:11,100
bronze. 
A site that makes even the most 

4714
04:11:11,100 --> 04:11:13,700
jaded residents, pause in their 
daily routines. 

4715
04:11:13,700 --> 04:11:16,400
You secure your workshop and 
begin the walk home through 

4716
04:11:16,400 --> 04:11:18,400
streets that are taking on their
evening character. 

4717
04:11:18,400 --> 04:11:21,600
The Urgent pace of midday 
Commerce gives way to something 

4718
04:11:21,600 --> 04:11:24,800
more relaxed and social people 
have time to chat with 

4719
04:11:24,800 --> 04:11:26,800
neighbors. 
Children play in the space as 

4720
04:11:26,800 --> 04:11:29,700
between buildings and the 
tavernas begin preparing for 

4721
04:11:29,700 --> 04:11:32,900
their evening customers. 
The smell of cooking food, 

4722
04:11:32,900 --> 04:11:35,900
drifts from Windows and 
doorways, a mixture of roasting 

4723
04:11:35,900 --> 04:11:39,700
meat, baking bread and the herbs
and spices that make presenting 

4724
04:11:39,700 --> 04:11:42,900
Cuisine distinctive Street 
vendors appear with Goods. 

4725
04:11:42,900 --> 04:11:46,400
Targeted at the evening crowd, 
hot food for people walking home

4726
04:11:46,400 --> 04:11:49,100
from work oil for lamps that 
will soon be needed. 

4727
04:11:49,100 --> 04:11:52,700
As Darkness Falls and small 
luxuries that make the end of a 

4728
04:11:52,700 --> 04:11:53,900
working day. 
Feel special. 

4729
04:11:54,600 --> 04:11:57,700
A man with a portable Brazier is
roasting chestnuts that fill the

4730
04:11:57,700 --> 04:11:59,200
air with their distinctive 
aroma. 

4731
04:12:00,100 --> 04:12:03,900
A woman sells honey cakes from a
basket balanced expertly on her 

4732
04:12:03,900 --> 04:12:05,800
head. 
Her voice calling out their 

4733
04:12:05,800 --> 04:12:08,800
virtues in the rhythmic chants 
that street vendors of probably 

4734
04:12:08,800 --> 04:12:12,000
used since cities were invented 
as you walk, you notice the 

4735
04:12:12,000 --> 04:12:15,500
subtle changes that Mark, the 
approach of evening shutters are

4736
04:12:15,500 --> 04:12:18,400
being pulled closed on ground 
floor shops as Merchants secure 

4737
04:12:18,400 --> 04:12:21,700
their Wares against theft. 
Public fountains become 

4738
04:12:21,700 --> 04:12:24,400
gathering places where people 
linger to chat while filling 

4739
04:12:24,400 --> 04:12:27,500
their evening Waters, applies 
churches, begin preparing for 

4740
04:12:27,500 --> 04:12:30,900
Vespers their Bells, calling the
faithful to evening prayers with

4741
04:12:30,900 --> 04:12:33,300
the same existence. 
They showed at dawn, the 

4742
04:12:33,300 --> 04:12:36,000
residential streets, take on a 
cozy atmosphere as families 

4743
04:12:36,000 --> 04:12:39,000
gather for their evening meal. 
Through open Windows, you can 

4744
04:12:39,008 --> 04:12:42,600
see women preparing food while 
children, help with simple tasks

4745
04:12:42,600 --> 04:12:46,100
or play with toys carve from 
wood or fashioned from scraps of

4746
04:12:46,100 --> 04:12:48,500
cloth. 
Men returned from workshops and 

4747
04:12:48,508 --> 04:12:51,800
markets, their faces, showing 
the satisfaction of honest work 

4748
04:12:51,800 --> 04:12:55,100
completed and the anticipation 
of home, cooked food and family 

4749
04:12:55,100 --> 04:12:58,900
conversation, your own evening 
meal awaits and it's the social 

4750
04:12:58,900 --> 04:13:02,000
highlight of the day. 
If you are unmarried, you might 

4751
04:13:02,000 --> 04:13:04,300
join other Craftsmen. 
At one of the neighborhood to 

4752
04:13:04,300 --> 04:13:07,500
Vernors where the food is 
hearty, the wine flows freely 

4753
04:13:07,500 --> 04:13:10,600
and the conversation ranges from
professional gossip to 

4754
04:13:10,600 --> 04:13:12,900
philosophy. 
If you have a family, the 

4755
04:13:12,900 --> 04:13:14,500
evening meal is a time for 
connection. 

4756
04:13:14,500 --> 04:13:18,400
For sharing the days experience 
is and for maintaining the bonds

4757
04:13:18,400 --> 04:13:21,400
that hold households together. 
Tonight's meal reflects the 

4758
04:13:21,400 --> 04:13:24,200
abundance and diversity. 
That make Constantinople a 

4759
04:13:24,200 --> 04:13:26,300
culinary Crossroads. 
There's fresh bread. 

4760
04:13:26,300 --> 04:13:29,300
Of course no business in meal is
complete without it. 

4761
04:13:29,300 --> 04:13:31,800
The bread is accompanied by 
olive oil. 

4762
04:13:31,800 --> 04:13:35,200
That was pressed from trees 
growing on Greek Hillside oil. 

4763
04:13:35,200 --> 04:13:38,200
So pure and flavorful. 
It seems to capture sunshine in 

4764
04:13:38,200 --> 04:13:41,400
liquid form. 
There are olives themselves some

4765
04:13:41,400 --> 04:13:45,700
small and black others large and
green each variety offering its 

4766
04:13:45,700 --> 04:13:48,400
own distinct flavor. 
The main course might be fish 

4767
04:13:48,400 --> 04:13:51,900
stew made with the day's catch 
from the Bosphorus seasoned with

4768
04:13:51,908 --> 04:13:55,000
herbs and vegetables that grow 
in the gardens outside the city 

4769
04:13:55,000 --> 04:13:58,900
walls or perhaps lamb that was 
raised on the Anatolian planes 

4770
04:13:58,900 --> 04:14:01,600
and butchered this morning 
prepared with the spices that 

4771
04:14:01,600 --> 04:14:05,000
flow through constantinople's 
markets from India, Persia and 

4772
04:14:05,000 --> 04:14:07,600
Arabia. 
The variety of available 

4773
04:14:07,600 --> 04:14:10,000
ingredients is staggering 
compared to what people in 

4774
04:14:10,000 --> 04:14:13,400
Western Europe can obtain 
Constantinople sits at the 

4775
04:14:13,400 --> 04:14:15,900
crossroads of trade routes that 
bring flavors from three 

4776
04:14:15,900 --> 04:14:17,600
continents to a single 
Marketplace. 

4777
04:14:17,600 --> 04:14:21,100
Why not companies the meal mixed
with water according to proper 

4778
04:14:21,100 --> 04:14:26,000
custom the wine might come from 
Vineyards in Greece Macedonia or

4779
04:14:26,000 --> 04:14:29,100
even from vines that grow on the
Hills surrounding Constantinople

4780
04:14:29,100 --> 04:14:31,900
itself. 
It served in cuts that range 

4781
04:14:31,900 --> 04:14:35,700
from simple Pottery to elaborate
metal work depending on the 

4782
04:14:35,700 --> 04:14:38,000
households wealth and the 
formality of the occasion 

4783
04:14:38,000 --> 04:14:41,000
conversation during the meal 
covers the days of events 

4784
04:14:41,000 --> 04:14:43,600
neighborhood gossip and topics 
of broader interest. 

4785
04:14:44,500 --> 04:14:47,600
People discussed the quality of 
this year's harvest the latest 

4786
04:14:47,600 --> 04:14:50,800
news from the Imperial Court and
the prospects for trade with 

4787
04:14:50,800 --> 04:14:54,000
distant lands. 
Politics, inevitably enters the 

4788
04:14:54,008 --> 04:14:57,500
conversation byzantines are 
passionate about politics. 

4789
04:14:57,500 --> 04:15:00,700
The way others are passionate 
about sports and everyone has 

4790
04:15:00,700 --> 04:15:03,900
opinions about The Emperor's 
policies, the competence of his 

4791
04:15:03,900 --> 04:15:06,500
advisors, and the Empire's 
relationships with neighbors, 

4792
04:15:06,500 --> 04:15:09,800
both friendly and hostile as the
meal progresses and the wine 

4793
04:15:09,800 --> 04:15:12,200
takes effect. 
The conversation becomes more 

4794
04:15:12,200 --> 04:15:15,500
animated and wide-ranging. 
philosophy, enters the 

4795
04:15:15,500 --> 04:15:19,300
discussion along with theology 
literature and the kind of 

4796
04:15:19,300 --> 04:15:22,000
speculative thinking that 
emerges when people have enough 

4797
04:15:22,000 --> 04:15:24,300
Leisure Time to consider 
questions Beyond immediate 

4798
04:15:24,300 --> 04:15:27,800
survival, this is one of the 
great advantages of living in 

4799
04:15:27,800 --> 04:15:30,800
Constantinople, the city's 
wealth, and sophistication 

4800
04:15:30,800 --> 04:15:33,600
provides space for intellectual 
Pursuits. 

4801
04:15:33,600 --> 04:15:36,500
That would be impossible in 
smaller poorer communities. 

4802
04:15:36,500 --> 04:15:39,100
As Darkness. 
Settles over Constantinople the 

4803
04:15:39,100 --> 04:15:43,500
city doesn't go to sleep. 
It transforms oil lamps, begin 

4804
04:15:43,500 --> 04:15:45,600
flickering to life in Windows 
and doorways. 

4805
04:15:45,600 --> 04:15:50,000
Creating cools of warm light 
that push back the darkness The 

4806
04:15:50,000 --> 04:15:52,900
wealthy neighborhoods are better
lit than the poor ones, but even

4807
04:15:52,900 --> 04:15:55,800
modest areas maintained enough 
illumination to allow limited 

4808
04:15:55,800 --> 04:15:59,300
nighttime activity. 
Public areas like major streets 

4809
04:15:59,300 --> 04:16:02,100
and markets, have torches or 
large oil lamps that burn 

4810
04:16:02,100 --> 04:16:05,300
through the night, maintained by
the city authorities as a public

4811
04:16:05,300 --> 04:16:07,800
service. 
The night brings its own sounds 

4812
04:16:07,800 --> 04:16:11,000
and rhythms church bells. 
Mark the hours with their bronze

4813
04:16:11,000 --> 04:16:14,400
voices, calling the faithful to 
night prayers, and providing a 

4814
04:16:14,400 --> 04:16:17,200
temporal framework that helps 
people navigate The Darkness. 

4815
04:16:18,100 --> 04:16:20,700
Nightwatchman begin their rounds
their footsteps. 

4816
04:16:20,700 --> 04:16:23,100
Echoing off stone walls as they 
Patrol neighborhoods and 

4817
04:16:23,100 --> 04:16:25,800
marketplaces. 
They're called of all's. 

4818
04:16:25,800 --> 04:16:28,500
Well, a warnings of fire or 
thieves become part of the 

4819
04:16:28,500 --> 04:16:32,000
nighttime, soundscape tavernas 
that cater to the evening crowd.

4820
04:16:32,000 --> 04:16:35,100
Come alive with music 
conversation and the kind of 

4821
04:16:35,100 --> 04:16:38,100
social interaction that helps 
people unwind from the days 

4822
04:16:38,100 --> 04:16:41,300
labors. 
Musicians, with Liars, flutes, 

4823
04:16:41,300 --> 04:16:45,100
and drums, provide entertainment
performing traditional songs, 

4824
04:16:45,100 --> 04:16:48,200
alongside newer, compositions 
that reflect the cultural mixing

4825
04:16:48,200 --> 04:16:49,800
that makes Constantinople 
unique. 

4826
04:16:49,800 --> 04:16:53,400
The music Blends Greek, Melodies
with influences from the Arab 

4827
04:16:53,400 --> 04:16:57,300
world Persia and the Slavic 
lands to the north for those who

4828
04:16:57,300 --> 04:17:00,100
can afford it the evening offers
sophisticated entertainment. 

4829
04:17:00,900 --> 04:17:03,900
wealthy households, host dinner 
parties where guests enjoy 

4830
04:17:03,900 --> 04:17:07,500
elaborate meals while discussing
literature philosophy and 

4831
04:17:07,500 --> 04:17:10,800
politics these gatherings might 
feature professional 

4832
04:17:10,800 --> 04:17:14,500
entertainers, musicians, 
storytellers, or even Scholars, 

4833
04:17:14,500 --> 04:17:17,800
who can discourse eloquently on 
subjects ranging from theology 

4834
04:17:17,800 --> 04:17:21,400
to mathematics? 
The conversation at such 

4835
04:17:21,400 --> 04:17:25,400
Gatherings is both intellectual 
and social serving to reinforce 

4836
04:17:25,400 --> 04:17:28,300
relationships within 
constantinople's Elite while 

4837
04:17:28,300 --> 04:17:30,500
providing forums for the 
exchange of ideas. 

4838
04:17:30,500 --> 04:17:33,700
The night also has its dangers 
and its less respectable 

4839
04:17:33,700 --> 04:17:37,200
activities, Constantinople after
dark can be dangerous for the 

4840
04:17:37,200 --> 04:17:40,000
unwary thieves operate in poorly
lit areas. 

4841
04:17:40,000 --> 04:17:43,700
Drunken arguments can escalate 
into violence and the cities 

4842
04:17:43,700 --> 04:17:46,800
maze like Street layout provides
plenty of places for criminals 

4843
04:17:46,800 --> 04:17:49,900
to disappear. 
Most respectable citizens avoid 

4844
04:17:49,900 --> 04:17:53,000
unnecessary travel after dark. 
And those who must venture out 

4845
04:17:53,000 --> 04:17:56,600
often travel in groups or higher
guards as the evening deepens 

4846
04:17:56,600 --> 04:18:00,200
into night, Constantinople 
gradually, settles into quieter 

4847
04:18:00,200 --> 04:18:02,700
rhythms. 
The last customers leave the 

4848
04:18:02,700 --> 04:18:04,900
terrain. 
As Craftsmen extinguish their 

4849
04:18:04,900 --> 04:18:08,200
workshop fires and families 
gather around their own haves 

4850
04:18:08,200 --> 04:18:09,700
for the final activities of the 
day. 

4851
04:18:09,700 --> 04:18:13,200
This is the time for intimate 
conversation for reading if 

4852
04:18:13,200 --> 04:18:16,500
you're literate and can afford 
books or for the simple pleasure

4853
04:18:16,500 --> 04:18:19,200
of sitting quietly, while 
reflecting on the days of events

4854
04:18:19,200 --> 04:18:21,800
in your apartment, you prepare 
for sleep with the same 

4855
04:18:21,800 --> 04:18:24,200
practical, rituals that people 
have followed for millennia. 

4856
04:18:24,900 --> 04:18:27,600
Oil lamps were extinguished. 
One by one leaving. 

4857
04:18:27,600 --> 04:18:29,800
Perhaps a single light burning 
for safety. 

4858
04:18:31,100 --> 04:18:33,800
The Brazier that provided warmth
during the day is banked 

4859
04:18:33,800 --> 04:18:36,400
carefully. 
Fire is too precious to waste, 

4860
04:18:36,400 --> 04:18:38,700
but also too dangerous to leave 
unattended. 

4861
04:18:39,800 --> 04:18:42,300
Windows are shuttered against 
the night air and potential 

4862
04:18:42,300 --> 04:18:44,500
thieves though. 
In summer, they might be left. 

4863
04:18:44,500 --> 04:18:47,100
Partially open for ventilation 
your bed. 

4864
04:18:47,100 --> 04:18:50,100
Awaits with its straw mattress 
and wool blankets that provide 

4865
04:18:50,100 --> 04:18:51,800
warmth against the November 
chill. 

4866
04:18:52,600 --> 04:18:55,400
The blankets are heavy and 
practical rather than luxurious,

4867
04:18:55,400 --> 04:18:58,000
but they're clean and sufficient
for comfort. 

4868
04:18:59,700 --> 04:19:03,200
Chamber pot sits nearby for 
nighttime Necessities indoor 

4869
04:19:03,200 --> 04:19:06,200
plumbing exists in 
Constantinople but it's limited 

4870
04:19:06,200 --> 04:19:09,400
to public buildings and the 
homes of the very wealthy as you

4871
04:19:09,400 --> 04:19:11,800
settle into bed. 
The sounds of the city continued

4872
04:19:11,800 --> 04:19:14,200
outside your shuttered windows 
but their muted. 

4873
04:19:14,200 --> 04:19:17,000
Now, transformed into the 
nighttime Symphony of urban 

4874
04:19:17,000 --> 04:19:19,800
life. 
Distant church, bells Mark the 

4875
04:19:19,800 --> 04:19:22,800
passage of time night, Watchman 
called their reassurances. 

4876
04:19:22,800 --> 04:19:25,500
And occasionally you might hear 
the rumble of a late cart 

4877
04:19:25,500 --> 04:19:26,900
carrying goods through the 
streets. 

4878
04:19:26,900 --> 04:19:29,600
All the voices of people walking
home from evening 

4879
04:19:29,600 --> 04:19:32,100
entertainments. 
The darkness that surrounds you 

4880
04:19:32,108 --> 04:19:33,600
is different from Modern 
Darkness. 

4881
04:19:34,400 --> 04:19:38,400
Deeper and more complete broken,
only by occasional, flickers of 

4882
04:19:38,408 --> 04:19:41,300
artificial light. 
There's no electric glow on the 

4883
04:19:41,300 --> 04:19:45,600
horizon, no constant hum of 
Machinery, know digital displays

4884
04:19:45,600 --> 04:19:47,200
marking time and glowing 
numbers. 

4885
04:19:47,200 --> 04:19:51,400
A knight is truly dark making 
the stars above Constantinople 

4886
04:19:51,400 --> 04:19:54,300
shine with intensity that City 
dwellers today. 

4887
04:19:54,300 --> 04:19:57,900
Rarely experienced sleep in the 
Byzantine world comes with its 

4888
04:19:57,900 --> 04:20:01,100
own rhythms and challenges 
without artificial lighting. 

4889
04:20:01,100 --> 04:20:03,600
People naturally follow patterns
more closely aligned with 

4890
04:20:03,600 --> 04:20:06,800
sunrise and sunset. 
They tend to sleep longer in 

4891
04:20:06,800 --> 04:20:10,200
winter when days are short and 
wake early in summer, when Dawn 

4892
04:20:10,200 --> 04:20:13,200
arrives with the birds, your 
sleep might be interrupted by 

4893
04:20:13,200 --> 04:20:16,300
The nightwatch Calling The Hours
by church bells, marking, 

4894
04:20:16,300 --> 04:20:19,000
midnight, prayers, or by the 
sounds of your neighbors, 

4895
04:20:19,000 --> 04:20:22,500
dealing with crying children or 
sick, family members Dreams Come

4896
04:20:22,500 --> 04:20:23,800
easily. 
In this world, where the 

4897
04:20:23,800 --> 04:20:26,800
boundary between the spiritual 
and material seems thinner than 

4898
04:20:26,800 --> 04:20:30,300
in modern times. 
By teams take dreams seriously. 

4899
04:20:30,300 --> 04:20:32,700
They're considered messages from
God. 

4900
04:20:32,700 --> 04:20:36,600
Warning is a future of events or
Communications from deceased 

4901
04:20:36,600 --> 04:20:39,000
relatives. 
A particularly Vivid dream, 

4902
04:20:39,000 --> 04:20:41,300
might influence important 
decision or send someone to 

4903
04:20:41,300 --> 04:20:44,600
consult with a priest, about its
meaning The dream world is as 

4904
04:20:44,600 --> 04:20:47,600
real and significant as Waking 
Life, perhaps more. 

4905
04:20:47,600 --> 04:20:51,800
So the night passes quietly 
marked by the subtle sounds that

4906
04:20:51,800 --> 04:20:54,300
indicate a city at rest, but 
never completely asleep. 

4907
04:20:55,100 --> 04:20:59,000
Guard dogs, bark, occasionally 
at real or imagined threats, a 

4908
04:20:59,000 --> 04:21:02,500
baby cries and a neighboring 
apartment quickly soothed by a 

4909
04:21:02,500 --> 04:21:05,400
mother's lullaby. 
Somewhere in the distance, a 

4910
04:21:05,400 --> 04:21:08,000
drunk staggers home, singing a 
song that might be romantic or 

4911
04:21:08,000 --> 04:21:11,100
patriotic or simply 
incomprehensible as morning 

4912
04:21:11,100 --> 04:21:14,600
approaches the city begins. 
Its gradual Awakening Church 

4913
04:21:14,600 --> 04:21:18,000
bells, start their Dawn Chorus 
early now calling the faithful 

4914
04:21:18,000 --> 04:21:21,400
to morning prayers Baker's fire 
up their ovens to begin the 

4915
04:21:21,400 --> 04:21:24,500
day's bread production filling 
the air with the smell of yeast 

4916
04:21:24,500 --> 04:21:26,500
and flour. 
Transforming into sustenance 

4917
04:21:26,500 --> 04:21:29,300
water. 
Carriers begin their rounds and 

4918
04:21:29,300 --> 04:21:31,800
the clip-clop of hooves 
announces the arrival of farmers

4919
04:21:31,800 --> 04:21:33,800
bringing fresh produce from the 
countryside. 

4920
04:21:33,800 --> 04:21:37,500
You stir in your bed as familiar
sounds signal the beginning of 

4921
04:21:37,500 --> 04:21:40,400
another day. 
The cycle is about to begin. 

4922
04:21:40,400 --> 04:21:44,900
Again, the same routines, the 
same challenges, the same small 

4923
04:21:44,900 --> 04:21:47,800
Pleasures that make up daily 
life in the greatest city of the

4924
04:21:47,800 --> 04:21:51,000
Medieval World. 
But each day also, brings its 

4925
04:21:51,000 --> 04:21:54,300
own possibilities. 
Its own small Adventures, its 

4926
04:21:54,300 --> 04:21:57,600
own opportunities to create 
something, beautiful, or useful,

4927
04:21:57,600 --> 04:22:00,200
or meaningful. 
This is how life unfolds in 

4928
04:22:00,200 --> 04:22:03,400
Constantinople day after day 
season after season year. 

4929
04:22:03,400 --> 04:22:06,300
After year, The rhythms are 
ancient and comforting 

4930
04:22:06,300 --> 04:22:09,400
connecting you to generations of
people who have followed similar

4931
04:22:09,400 --> 04:22:12,800
patterns of work and rest, 
creation and Community. 

4932
04:22:12,800 --> 04:22:16,100
Your grandfather, lived this way
and your grandchildren will 

4933
04:22:16,100 --> 04:22:18,900
likely continue these same 
essential patterns long after 

4934
04:22:18,900 --> 04:22:20,700
you're gone. 
There's something deeply 

4935
04:22:20,700 --> 04:22:22,500
satisfying about this 
continuity. 

4936
04:22:22,500 --> 04:22:25,500
This sense of being part of 
something larger and more 

4937
04:22:25,500 --> 04:22:29,400
enduring than individual lives. 
Your work contributes to the 

4938
04:22:29,400 --> 04:22:32,500
city's Prosperity. 
Your taxes support the Empire's 

4939
04:22:32,500 --> 04:22:35,600
Administration, your 
participation in community life 

4940
04:22:35,600 --> 04:22:38,500
helps maintain the social fabric
that holds everything together. 

4941
04:22:39,300 --> 04:22:41,900
You're not just surviving your 
contributing to one of 

4942
04:22:41,900 --> 04:22:44,400
History's. 
Greatest civilizations, the 

4943
04:22:44,400 --> 04:22:47,500
Byzantine Empire will endure for
centuries after your life time 

4944
04:22:47,500 --> 04:22:50,800
maintaining traditions and 
innovations that influence the 

4945
04:22:50,800 --> 04:22:54,400
entire Medieval World. 
The techniques you use in your 

4946
04:22:54,400 --> 04:22:57,500
Workshop will be passed down 
through generations of Craftsmen

4947
04:22:57,500 --> 04:22:59,900
the goods. 
You create will Outlast your 

4948
04:22:59,900 --> 04:23:02,900
memory carrying your skills into
a future, you'll never see. 

4949
04:23:03,900 --> 04:23:07,400
The community, you helps sustain
will continue to thrive adapt 

4950
04:23:07,400 --> 04:23:11,600
and evolve long after individual
lives of ended yet for all its 

4951
04:23:11,600 --> 04:23:14,500
Grandeur and historical 
significance daily life. 

4952
04:23:14,500 --> 04:23:17,600
In Constantinople comes down to 
the same fundamental human 

4953
04:23:17,600 --> 04:23:20,100
experiences. 
That people have always shared 

4954
04:23:20,100 --> 04:23:23,400
the satisfaction of work. 
Well done the pleasure of 

4955
04:23:23,400 --> 04:23:26,700
sharing meals with family and 
friends, the comfort of familiar

4956
04:23:26,700 --> 04:23:28,900
routines. 
And the hope that tomorrow will 

4957
04:23:28,900 --> 04:23:32,300
bring its own small improvements
and opportunities as you drift 

4958
04:23:32,300 --> 04:23:35,200
off to sleep in your modest. 
Apartment surrounded by The 

4959
04:23:35,200 --> 04:23:38,400
Quiet Sounds of a city at rest, 
your part of something 

4960
04:23:38,400 --> 04:23:42,100
magnificent, a civilization, 
that Bridges East, and West, 

4961
04:23:42,100 --> 04:23:45,600
ancient and modern the 
Practical, and the sublime. 

4962
04:23:46,600 --> 04:23:50,100
Constantinople in its golden age
represents Humanity at its most 

4963
04:23:50,100 --> 04:23:53,500
creative and ambitious, a place 
where different cultures meet 

4964
04:23:53,500 --> 04:23:55,700
and mingled to create something 
entirely new. 

4965
04:23:55,700 --> 04:23:59,000
The last thing you hear before 
sleep takes, you is the distant 

4966
04:23:59,000 --> 04:24:01,800
sound of church. 
Bells, marking midnight, their 

4967
04:24:01,800 --> 04:24:04,300
bronze voices carrying across 
the sleeping City like a 

4968
04:24:04,300 --> 04:24:06,500
blessing. 
Tomorrow will bring its own 

4969
04:24:06,500 --> 04:24:10,000
challenges and opportunities. 
But tonight all is well in the 

4970
04:24:10,000 --> 04:24:13,100
queen of cities, the great 
Empire sleeps peacefully under 

4971
04:24:13,100 --> 04:24:16,800
its canopy of stars, secure in 
its strength and confident in 

4972
04:24:16,800 --> 04:24:19,400
its future. 
And In This Moment drifting 

4973
04:24:19,400 --> 04:24:21,900
between waking and sleeping in a
civilization, that would 

4974
04:24:21,900 --> 04:24:23,600
influence the world for 1000 
years. 

4975
04:24:23,600 --> 04:24:27,000
You're exactly where you belong 
part of the Magnificent 

4976
04:24:27,000 --> 04:24:29,200
complicated endlessly, 
fascinating. 

4977
04:24:29,200 --> 04:24:32,300
Tapestry of human experience 
that we call daily life. 

4978
04:24:32,300 --> 04:24:36,200
In Byzantium, the bells Fade 
Into silence the city, settles 

4979
04:24:36,200 --> 04:24:39,500
into deeper rest and another day
in the life of the Byzantine 

4980
04:24:39,500 --> 04:24:41,600
Empire draws to its gentle 
closed. 

4981
04:24:41,600 --> 04:24:46,100
Tomorrow, the cycle will begin 
again as it has for centuries as

4982
04:24:46,100 --> 04:24:48,900
it will for centuries more 
carrying forward, the dreams and

4983
04:24:48,900 --> 04:24:52,200
Ambitions of ordinary people who
built something extraordinary 

4984
04:24:52,200 --> 04:24:54,700
with their daily labors and 
their shared hopes for the 

4985
04:24:54,700 --> 04:24:57,800
future sleep. 
Well, citizen of Constantinople,

4986
04:24:57,800 --> 04:25:01,500
your city endures, your work 
matters and your life. 

4987
04:25:01,500 --> 04:25:04,500
However, modest it might seem is
part of something. 

4988
04:25:04,500 --> 04:25:07,900
Truly, Magnificent. 
The Empire rest peacefully 

4989
04:25:07,900 --> 04:25:11,700
tonight sustained by the efforts
of people like you protected by 

4990
04:25:11,700 --> 04:25:15,100
walls, built by hands, like 
yours and enriched by the daily 

4991
04:25:15,100 --> 04:25:17,300
Miracle of human, creativity and
community. 

4992
04:25:17,300 --> 04:25:20,400
That makes civilization possible
the end rest. 

4993
04:25:20,400 --> 04:25:23,700
Well, dear listener, until 
tomorrow's Journey Through Time.

4994
04:25:23,700 --> 04:25:27,700
May your dreams be filled with 
the sounds of ancient bells and 

4995
04:25:27,700 --> 04:25:30,800
the satisfaction of work well 
done in Humanity's Greatest 

4996
04:25:30,800 --> 04:25:34,400
Adventure. 
Simple extraordinary experience 

4997
04:25:34,400 --> 04:25:43,400
of being alive in history. 
Imagine New England in late 

4998
04:25:43,400 --> 04:25:47,800
February, 1717 back, when Boston
was still a collection of wooden

4999
04:25:47,800 --> 04:25:51,200
buildings, huddled around a 
harbor and the entire population

5000
04:25:51,200 --> 04:25:55,000
of Massachusetts numbered fewer 
people than a modern Suburban 

5001
04:25:55,000 --> 04:25:56,600
shopping mall on a Saturday 
afternoon. 

5002
04:25:57,700 --> 04:26:00,500
You're living in a world lit by 
candles and warmed by 

5003
04:26:00,500 --> 04:26:04,000
fireplaces, where your 
entertainment options consist of

5004
04:26:04,000 --> 04:26:07,900
reading the same books, you've 
read 20 times, doing needlework 

5005
04:26:07,900 --> 04:26:11,300
until your fingers cramp or 
staring out the window and 

5006
04:26:11,300 --> 04:26:13,000
wondering if spring will ever 
arrive. 

5007
04:26:14,100 --> 04:26:16,900
Colonial, new englanders had a 
complicated relationship with 

5008
04:26:16,900 --> 04:26:19,900
winter. 
On one hand, they chose to live 

5009
04:26:19,900 --> 04:26:22,800
in a place where Winter lasted 
roughly from October to May. 

5010
04:26:22,800 --> 04:26:25,900
So clearly they weren't entirely
posed to cold weather. 

5011
04:26:25,900 --> 04:26:29,200
On the other hand, their Diaries
and letters from this period 

5012
04:26:29,200 --> 04:26:33,400
read, like extended complaints 
to a landlord who refuses to fix

5013
04:26:33,400 --> 04:26:36,700
the heating. 
Winter was something you endured

5014
04:26:36,700 --> 04:26:40,500
prepared for obsessively and 
then complained about with the 

5015
04:26:40,500 --> 04:26:43,000
satisfaction of someone whose 
earned the right to grumble. 

5016
04:26:43,800 --> 04:26:47,900
By late February, 1717 most new 
englanders thought they'd 

5017
04:26:47,900 --> 04:26:49,500
already survived the worst of 
winter. 

5018
04:26:50,400 --> 04:26:53,400
February and colonial times was 
what we'd call late winter. 

5019
04:26:53,400 --> 04:26:57,600
The snow was old and crusty. 
The firewood pile was getting 

5020
04:26:57,600 --> 04:27:01,700
concerningly low, and everyone 
was starting to think longingly 

5021
04:27:01,700 --> 04:27:05,200
about mud season, which tells 
you something about how tired 

5022
04:27:05,200 --> 04:27:08,000
they were of. 
Snow children had already had 

5023
04:27:08,000 --> 04:27:10,900
months of what passed for snow 
days though. 

5024
04:27:10,900 --> 04:27:13,300
In their case, it meant more 
chores rather than sleeping in 

5025
04:27:13,300 --> 04:27:17,000
and hot chocolate. 
The typical Colonial household 

5026
04:27:17,000 --> 04:27:21,000
in 1717 Was preparing for early 
spring, with the optimism of 

5027
04:27:21,000 --> 04:27:24,700
people who really should have 
known better, you'd be checking 

5028
04:27:24,700 --> 04:27:28,500
your seed stores, planning your 
garden, and perhaps doing some 

5029
04:27:28,500 --> 04:27:32,300
early Maple sugaring. 
If the weather cooperated, Your 

5030
04:27:32,300 --> 04:27:34,600
house. 
And let's be on about Colonial 

5031
04:27:34,600 --> 04:27:38,300
architecture, was essentially a 
wooden box with a fireplace, 

5032
04:27:38,300 --> 04:27:42,000
some small windows that let in 
drafts more effectively than 

5033
04:27:42,000 --> 04:27:45,300
light and enough gaps in the 
walls that you could almost see 

5034
04:27:45,300 --> 04:27:47,900
your breath in doors on 
particularly cold mornings. 

5035
04:27:48,800 --> 04:27:52,300
Daily life, revolved around 
staying warm and fed, which took

5036
04:27:52,300 --> 04:27:56,200
approximately all your waking 
hours. your morning began Before

5037
04:27:56,200 --> 04:27:59,500
Dawn when someone had to revive 
the banked fire from the night 

5038
04:27:59,500 --> 04:28:03,600
before a process that involved 
poking at barely glowing coals 

5039
04:28:03,600 --> 04:28:07,000
and praying they'd cooperate 
Water had to be fetched from the

5040
04:28:07,008 --> 04:28:09,400
well assuming it wasn't frozen 
solid. 

5041
04:28:10,100 --> 04:28:13,800
Breakfast needed, cooking 
animals needed tending, and all 

5042
04:28:13,800 --> 04:28:16,600
of this happened in the dark 
because the sun had the courtesy

5043
04:28:16,600 --> 04:28:18,700
to arrived fashionably late in 
winter. 

5044
04:28:19,600 --> 04:28:22,800
Women spent their days in an 
endless cycle of cooking 

5045
04:28:22,800 --> 04:28:26,600
spinning weaving sowing and 
trying to keep children from 

5046
04:28:26,600 --> 04:28:29,400
either burning themselves on the
fireplace or dying of boredom. 

5047
04:28:30,700 --> 04:28:35,000
Men worked out side when weather
permitted doing repairs chopping

5048
04:28:35,000 --> 04:28:38,200
wood and checking on livestock. 
That had the good sense to look 

5049
04:28:38,200 --> 04:28:39,700
miserable about the whole 
situation. 

5050
04:28:41,200 --> 04:28:45,300
Everyone, regardless of age, or 
Jenna spent a significant 

5051
04:28:45,300 --> 04:28:47,800
portion of their day, simply 
trying to stay warm enough to 

5052
04:28:47,800 --> 04:28:50,500
function. 
The landscape itself in late 

5053
04:28:50,500 --> 04:28:53,200
February was what we might 
charitably call tired. 

5054
04:28:54,200 --> 04:28:55,900
Snow. 
That had fallen in December was 

5055
04:28:55,900 --> 04:29:00,200
now grey and crusty pop marked 
with soot from chimneys and 

5056
04:29:00,200 --> 04:29:03,500
various other evidence of human 
habitation that we won't detail 

5057
04:29:03,500 --> 04:29:07,100
before bed time. 
The forest was skeletal black 

5058
04:29:07,100 --> 04:29:11,700
lines against gray skies and the
ocean was a cold dark presence 

5059
04:29:11,700 --> 04:29:15,300
that occasionally reminded 
everyone of its existence by 

5060
04:29:15,300 --> 04:29:18,200
freezing at the edges. 
But there was a rhythm to this 

5061
04:29:18,200 --> 04:29:21,200
life that modern people might 
find almost appealing in its 

5062
04:29:21,200 --> 04:29:24,300
Simplicity, you knew what needed
doing because it was the same 

5063
04:29:24,300 --> 04:29:27,200
thing that needed doing 
yesterday and would need doing 

5064
04:29:27,200 --> 04:29:29,800
tomorrow. 
Your neighbor's face on 

5065
04:29:29,800 --> 04:29:33,400
identical challenges, which 
created a sense of community 

5066
04:29:33,400 --> 04:29:37,300
born from shared suffering. 
When the sun set, which happened

5067
04:29:37,300 --> 04:29:40,600
depressingly early, you gathered
around the fire with your family

5068
04:29:40,600 --> 04:29:43,200
and whoever else was staying the
night and you made the best of 

5069
04:29:43,200 --> 04:29:45,200
it. 
Late February weather in. 

5070
04:29:45,200 --> 04:29:47,000
New England has always been 
unpredictable. 

5071
04:29:47,000 --> 04:29:51,400
A meteorological coin. 
Flip between maybe spring is 

5072
04:29:51,400 --> 04:29:54,500
coming and surprise. 
He is more winter. 

5073
04:29:55,700 --> 04:29:57,600
Colonists. 
Watch the sky with the intense 

5074
04:29:57,600 --> 04:30:01,300
of people whose lives depended 
on whether prediction which they

5075
04:30:01,300 --> 04:30:03,800
did. 
A storm could mean being trapped

5076
04:30:03,800 --> 04:30:08,400
indoors for days on able to 
work, unable to travel and 

5077
04:30:08,400 --> 04:30:10,700
possibly running dangerously low
on supplies. 

5078
04:30:11,500 --> 04:30:14,100
The Barns and outbuildings were 
stocked with hay for the animals

5079
04:30:14,100 --> 04:30:17,100
though, by late February, those 
supplies were running low. 

5080
04:30:17,100 --> 04:30:19,800
And the hay that remained was 
probably not the highest 

5081
04:30:19,800 --> 04:30:23,400
quality. 
Cows horses, ox, and pigs and 

5082
04:30:23,400 --> 04:30:26,700
chickens. 
All depended on human care to 

5083
04:30:26,700 --> 04:30:29,400
survive the winter and all 
complained about their 

5084
04:30:29,400 --> 04:30:33,200
circumstances in their own ways.
The chickens probably had the 

5085
04:30:33,200 --> 04:30:36,500
most to complain about actually 
since they'd stopped laying eggs

5086
04:30:36,500 --> 04:30:39,200
ago and we're just eating 
resources while providing 

5087
04:30:39,200 --> 04:30:41,100
nothing. 
But the occasional egg that felt

5088
04:30:41,100 --> 04:30:44,300
like winning the lottery. 
Your Root Cellar would be 

5089
04:30:44,300 --> 04:30:47,000
carefully organized with the 
remaining stores of preserved, 

5090
04:30:47,000 --> 04:30:51,100
food apples, getting soft by the
day root vegetables. 

5091
04:30:51,100 --> 04:30:55,400
Beginning to sprout, barrels of 
salted meat, Crocs of butter 

5092
04:30:55,400 --> 04:30:58,500
preserved, under salt and 
whatever else you'd managed to 

5093
04:30:58,500 --> 04:31:00,000
preserve from last year's 
Harvest. 

5094
04:31:01,200 --> 04:31:03,100
Every meal required a 
calculation. 

5095
04:31:03,900 --> 04:31:06,900
Is this worth using now? 
Or should we save it for later? 

5096
04:31:06,900 --> 04:31:11,200
How much later what if spring 
doesn't come from another six 

5097
04:31:11,200 --> 04:31:14,000
weeks? 
Social fabric of Colonial. 

5098
04:31:14,000 --> 04:31:17,900
New England was Titan by 
necessity. nearest neighbor 

5099
04:31:17,900 --> 04:31:20,400
might be a quarter mile away, 
but you knew their business 

5100
04:31:20,400 --> 04:31:23,500
almost as well as your own, 
because survival often depended 

5101
04:31:23,500 --> 04:31:27,800
on cooperation, If someone's 
Barn caught fire, everyone came 

5102
04:31:27,800 --> 04:31:30,600
to help if a family, ran short 
of food. 

5103
04:31:30,600 --> 04:31:32,000
Neighbors shared what they 
could. 

5104
04:31:32,000 --> 04:31:35,700
If someone got sick or injured, 
the community rallied around 

5105
04:31:35,700 --> 04:31:39,700
them, because there was no other
option. religious life provided 

5106
04:31:39,700 --> 04:31:42,900
structure and community in ways 
that modern people might find 

5107
04:31:42,900 --> 04:31:46,400
either comforting or suffocating
depending on their perspective, 

5108
04:31:47,500 --> 04:31:51,100
Sunday meeting at the church was
mandatory both legally and 

5109
04:31:51,100 --> 04:31:54,300
socially. 
You sat in an unheated building 

5110
04:31:54,300 --> 04:31:57,400
for hours, listening to sermons,
that were theologically complex 

5111
04:31:57,400 --> 04:32:01,600
and often focused on sin and 
Redemption with an intensity 

5112
04:32:01,600 --> 04:32:05,700
that made Game of Thrones seem 
like hearted But church was also

5113
04:32:05,700 --> 04:32:08,300
where you saw. 
Everyone heard news from other 

5114
04:32:08,300 --> 04:32:11,700
towns and felt part of something
larger than your individual 

5115
04:32:11,700 --> 04:32:13,400
struggle to stay alive through 
winter. 

5116
04:32:14,400 --> 04:32:18,600
Children in 1717 had childhoods,
that would seem impossibly harsh

5117
04:32:18,600 --> 04:32:21,500
by modern standards. 
They worked from the time. 

5118
04:32:21,500 --> 04:32:25,600
They could walk learned to read 
using the Bible and whatever few

5119
04:32:25,600 --> 04:32:28,500
books, the family owned and had 
responsibilities. 

5120
04:32:28,500 --> 04:32:31,500
That included genuinely 
dangerous tasks, like managing 

5121
04:32:31,500 --> 04:32:33,900
fires and handling large 
animals. 

5122
04:32:35,500 --> 04:32:38,500
But they were still children. 
They played when they could 

5123
04:32:38,500 --> 04:32:43,200
created games from nothing and 
found joy in Simple Pleasures 

5124
04:32:43,200 --> 04:32:47,400
like a successful sled ride, all
the discovery of icicles in 

5125
04:32:47,400 --> 04:32:51,000
interesting shapes. 
The elderly held a respected 

5126
04:32:51,000 --> 04:32:53,700
position in colonial society, 
partly? 

5127
04:32:53,700 --> 04:32:56,400
Because surviving to old age was
an achievement in itself. 

5128
04:32:57,500 --> 04:33:01,100
If you made it to 60 or 70, 
You'd Survive diseases 

5129
04:33:01,100 --> 04:33:05,300
accidents, harsh weather, and 
periodic conflicts with 

5130
04:33:05,308 --> 04:33:09,599
indigenous, peoples, or other 
Colonial powers. your experience

5131
04:33:09,599 --> 04:33:12,599
and knowledge were valuable 
resources and you're often 

5132
04:33:12,599 --> 04:33:15,599
consulted on everything from 
where the prediction to medical 

5133
04:33:15,599 --> 04:33:18,500
treatment whether or not you 
actually what you were talking 

5134
04:33:18,500 --> 04:33:24,300
about February 1717 progressed, 
towards its end, new englanders 

5135
04:33:24,300 --> 04:33:26,300
had no idea. 
They were standing at the edge 

5136
04:33:26,300 --> 04:33:29,000
of one of the most remarkable 
weather events in American 

5137
04:33:29,000 --> 04:33:31,599
history. 
They went about their routines 

5138
04:33:31,599 --> 04:33:34,500
complained about the cold with 
the dedication of people who 

5139
04:33:34,500 --> 04:33:37,800
took complaining, seriously and 
looked forward to march with the

5140
04:33:37,800 --> 04:33:40,000
hope that it might bring 
slightly less terrible weather. 

5141
04:33:41,200 --> 04:33:42,900
The sky that late February 
showed. 

5142
04:33:42,900 --> 04:33:46,400
No particular warning signs that
we know of Colonial weather 

5143
04:33:46,400 --> 04:33:49,800
prediction was based on folklore
care, Club, observation of 

5144
04:33:49,800 --> 04:33:53,099
animal behavior, and a general 
sense of what the sky looked 

5145
04:33:53,099 --> 04:33:56,599
like before trouble arrived. 
If your bones ate more than 

5146
04:33:56,608 --> 04:33:59,300
usual rain or snow was probably 
coming. 

5147
04:34:00,300 --> 04:34:04,500
If the chickens acted strange, 
though, defining strange for 

5148
04:34:04,500 --> 04:34:05,800
chickens is admittedly 
difficult. 

5149
04:34:05,800 --> 04:34:10,000
Weather might be changing if the
sunset looked particularly 

5150
04:34:10,000 --> 04:34:13,099
Vivid, make sure you had extra 
firewood handy. 

5151
04:34:13,900 --> 04:34:16,500
But nothing in anyone's 
experience prepared them for 

5152
04:34:16,500 --> 04:34:19,700
what was about to happen. 
New englanders were tough and 

5153
04:34:19,700 --> 04:34:23,099
resourceful and had survived 
plenty of harsh Winters. 

5154
04:34:23,099 --> 04:34:25,599
They'd seen big snowstorms 
before? 

5155
04:34:25,599 --> 04:34:28,400
They thought they knew what 
winter could throw at them. 

5156
04:34:28,400 --> 04:34:31,400
They were about to discover 
they'd been underestimating, 

5157
04:34:31,400 --> 04:34:35,000
Winter's Ambitions picture 
yourself in your Colonial home 

5158
04:34:35,000 --> 04:34:41,599
on February 27th. 1717 you wait 
before Dawn as usual to coax the

5159
04:34:41,608 --> 04:34:44,599
fire back to life. 
The house is cold enough that 

5160
04:34:44,599 --> 04:34:47,099
you can see your breath, which 
is so normal. 

5161
04:34:47,099 --> 04:34:51,000
You barely notice anymore you 
pull on your warmest clothes and

5162
04:34:51,000 --> 04:34:54,700
in colonial times this meant 
layers of wool linen and leather

5163
04:34:54,700 --> 04:34:56,800
the made. 
You look like a medieval Knight 

5164
04:34:56,800 --> 04:35:00,700
made a fabric and begin the days
endless round of chores. 

5165
04:35:02,300 --> 04:35:03,599
But something feels different 
this morning. 

5166
04:35:04,400 --> 04:35:07,200
The air has that peculiar 
waiting gets before a 

5167
04:35:07,200 --> 04:35:10,000
significant storm. 
Pressure that makes your ears 

5168
04:35:10,000 --> 04:35:12,700
feel slightly odd and gives the 
world a muted quality. 

5169
04:35:13,500 --> 04:35:16,400
The wind which has been a 
constant companion all winter 

5170
04:35:16,400 --> 04:35:20,200
has gone still in a way that 
feels less peaceful and more 

5171
04:35:20,200 --> 04:35:24,400
like nature holding its breath. 
By midday the first flakes. 

5172
04:35:24,400 --> 04:35:27,599
Began to fall. 
Nothing dramatic, initially just

5173
04:35:27,599 --> 04:35:30,099
a gentle dusting. 
That looks almost pretty against

5174
04:35:30,099 --> 04:35:32,700
the gray sky. 
You've seen this hundreds of 

5175
04:35:32,707 --> 04:35:36,599
times before snow in February is
about a surprising, as finding 

5176
04:35:36,599 --> 04:35:40,099
out water is wet. 
You note it, make sure you have 

5177
04:35:40,099 --> 04:35:42,900
enough firewood, close to the 
house and continue with your 

5178
04:35:42,908 --> 04:35:45,800
day. 
But the snow doesn't stop. 

5179
04:35:46,599 --> 04:35:50,200
Our after-hour continues with a 
steadiness that begins to seem 

5180
04:35:50,200 --> 04:35:53,700
almost purposeful. 
I evening, you've got several 

5181
04:35:53,700 --> 04:35:57,200
inches of fresh accumulation and
the snow is still falling with 

5182
04:35:57,200 --> 04:36:01,400
no sign of letting up you Bank 
the Firefly before bed. 

5183
04:36:01,400 --> 04:36:05,000
Make sure everyone is under 
enough blankets and think that 

5184
04:36:05,000 --> 04:36:06,700
tomorrow you'll need to do some 
shoveling. 

5185
04:36:07,800 --> 04:36:10,800
When you wake the next morning, 
your first clue that something 

5186
04:36:10,800 --> 04:36:13,599
unusual is happening comes from 
the quality of light in the 

5187
04:36:13,599 --> 04:36:16,000
house. 
It's too bright for Dawn. 

5188
04:36:16,000 --> 04:36:19,599
A strange defused glow, that 
seems to come from everywhere 

5189
04:36:19,599 --> 04:36:24,200
and nowhere When you finally 
manage to open your door and 

5190
04:36:24,200 --> 04:36:27,099
this takes effort pushing 
against resistance that 

5191
04:36:27,099 --> 04:36:29,800
shouldn't be. 
There you discover a why? 

5192
04:36:30,700 --> 04:36:34,200
The snow has piled against your 
door in drifts that reach past 

5193
04:36:34,200 --> 04:36:36,800
your knees. 
The world outside has been 

5194
04:36:36,800 --> 04:36:39,700
transformed into an alien 
landscape of white. 

5195
04:36:40,500 --> 04:36:44,800
Where Familiar shapes of become 
strange, rounded lumps, and the 

5196
04:36:44,800 --> 04:36:47,800
Horizon has disappeared into a 
curtain of falling snow. 

5197
04:36:47,800 --> 04:36:52,599
The storm that started yesterday
hasn't stopped if anything. 

5198
04:36:52,599 --> 04:36:56,900
It's intensified This is the 
beginning of what contemporary 

5199
04:36:56,900 --> 04:37:01,300
accounts would call the great 
snow of 1717, though, people 

5200
04:37:01,300 --> 04:37:04,800
living through, it probably had 
other less polite names for it. 

5201
04:37:05,900 --> 04:37:08,099
What New England does couldn't 
have known was that they were 

5202
04:37:08,099 --> 04:37:10,700
experiencing something 
meteorologically? 

5203
04:37:10,700 --> 04:37:14,400
Extraordinary. 
Serious of four, massive storms,

5204
04:37:14,400 --> 04:37:18,200
that would arrive in waves, over
the next three weeks each adding

5205
04:37:18,200 --> 04:37:20,599
to accumulation that were 
already unprecedented. 

5206
04:37:22,099 --> 04:37:25,200
Snow fell with a relentlessness 
that began to feel almost 

5207
04:37:25,200 --> 04:37:28,200
personal. 
Not in violent gusts and 

5208
04:37:28,200 --> 04:37:31,300
dramatic blizzard conditions 
though there were certainly 

5209
04:37:31,300 --> 04:37:35,599
periods of that but with a 
steady implacable determination,

5210
04:37:35,599 --> 04:37:39,300
it was as if the sky decided 
that New England needed a really

5211
04:37:39,308 --> 04:37:41,900
thorough covering and wasn't 
going to stop until the job was 

5212
04:37:41,900 --> 04:37:44,700
done properly. 
You can imagine the progression 

5213
04:37:44,700 --> 04:37:46,800
of reactions among Colonial 
families. 

5214
04:37:48,000 --> 04:37:51,800
Day 1. 
Well, this is a significant 

5215
04:37:51,800 --> 04:37:57,200
snowfall day two. 
This is quite unusual day three.

5216
04:37:57,200 --> 04:38:01,000
This is becoming concerning day 
four. 

5217
04:38:01,000 --> 04:38:04,800
This is absolutely unprecedented
and possibly the end of the 

5218
04:38:04,800 --> 04:38:08,700
world. 
Day 5, if I have to spend one 

5219
04:38:08,700 --> 04:38:11,599
more day trapped in this house 
with these people, I'm going to 

5220
04:38:11,599 --> 04:38:15,000
lose my mind. 
A practical challenges began 

5221
04:38:15,000 --> 04:38:18,500
immediately, your daily routine,
which was already demanding 

5222
04:38:18,500 --> 04:38:21,000
suddenly required three times as
much effort. 

5223
04:38:22,000 --> 04:38:23,800
Every trip to the barn to feed 
animals. 

5224
04:38:23,800 --> 04:38:27,099
Meant waiting through snow, that
reached your thighs, then higher

5225
04:38:27,099 --> 04:38:31,300
than eventually to your chest. 
Paths that you shoveled, one day

5226
04:38:31,300 --> 04:38:32,800
were filled in by the next 
morning. 

5227
04:38:33,599 --> 04:38:36,800
The livestock trapped in their 
shelters needed constant 

5228
04:38:36,800 --> 04:38:39,500
attention to prevent them from 
panicking or Worse. 

5229
04:38:39,500 --> 04:38:42,800
Freezing. 
Firewood, which, you'd carefully

5230
04:38:42,800 --> 04:38:45,300
stacked within easy. 
Reach of the house became buried

5231
04:38:45,300 --> 04:38:49,300
under drifts Taking it out, was 
exhausting work in the best of 

5232
04:38:49,300 --> 04:38:53,099
time's doing it while snow 
continued to fall and wind 

5233
04:38:53,099 --> 04:38:55,200
created drift. 
That seemed to appear out of 

5234
04:38:55,207 --> 04:38:58,900
nowhere was like, some kind of 
very cold, very tiring 

5235
04:38:58,900 --> 04:39:02,800
meditation on futility, yet. 
It had to be done because 

5236
04:39:02,800 --> 04:39:06,099
Without fire. 
Your family would freeze the 

5237
04:39:06,099 --> 04:39:10,300
mathematics of survival became 
starkly simple, dig or die. 

5238
04:39:11,200 --> 04:39:14,099
The psychological impact of 
being trapped indoors during an 

5239
04:39:14,099 --> 04:39:16,800
endless, snowstorm is something 
modern people with heated, 

5240
04:39:16,800 --> 04:39:19,599
homes, electricity and streaming
services. 

5241
04:39:19,599 --> 04:39:24,000
Can barely imagine your confined
to a space, roughly the size of 

5242
04:39:24,000 --> 04:39:27,300
a modern living room and kitchen
combined with your entire 

5243
04:39:27,300 --> 04:39:29,900
family. 
With no entertainment Beyond 

5244
04:39:29,900 --> 04:39:33,099
conversation, handwork and 
staring at the fire. 

5245
04:39:33,099 --> 04:39:37,400
The wall seemed to close in 
small, irritations, become major

5246
04:39:37,400 --> 04:39:40,300
grievances. 
That thing your spouse does when

5247
04:39:40,300 --> 04:39:44,200
they chew which you've tolerated
for years, suddenly becomes 

5248
04:39:44,200 --> 04:39:47,200
unbearable children. 
Blessed them, handled 

5249
04:39:47,200 --> 04:39:49,900
confinement with all the grace 
and patience that children have 

5250
04:39:49,900 --> 04:39:53,600
possessed throughout human 
history, which is to say none at

5251
04:39:53,600 --> 04:39:56,000
all. 
They were restless bored 

5252
04:39:56,000 --> 04:40:00,000
fighting with siblings and 
asking approximately every 10 

5253
04:40:00,000 --> 04:40:01,400
minutes when they could go 
outside. 

5254
04:40:02,600 --> 04:40:05,600
Parents responded with the 
Timeless patients of people who 

5255
04:40:05,600 --> 04:40:09,000
were also losing their minds, 
but had to pretend, they weren't

5256
04:40:09,000 --> 04:40:12,000
because civilization depended on
maintaining standards. 

5257
04:40:13,400 --> 04:40:17,600
Storms Came In Waves, each 
separated by just enough time 

5258
04:40:17,600 --> 04:40:20,600
for people to think. 
Maybe it was over only to watch 

5259
04:40:20,600 --> 04:40:23,600
the sky dark and again, and the 
snow resume. 

5260
04:40:24,700 --> 04:40:28,300
Contemporary accounts describe 
the snow as coming in for great 

5261
04:40:28,300 --> 04:40:30,800
storms, over the course of about
three weeks. 

5262
04:40:31,800 --> 04:40:35,000
But the distinction between 
separate storms, probably felt 

5263
04:40:35,000 --> 04:40:37,600
academic, when you were living 
through what seemed like, one 

5264
04:40:37,600 --> 04:40:41,500
continuous Siege by winter. 
Between storms. 

5265
04:40:41,500 --> 04:40:44,500
The sun, might break through 
Illuminating a transformed 

5266
04:40:44,500 --> 04:40:47,200
landscape. 
Everything familiar had been 

5267
04:40:47,200 --> 04:40:50,400
reshaped by snow into strange 
flowing forms. 

5268
04:40:51,200 --> 04:40:55,100
Fences disappeared entirely 
under drifts trees, bent under 

5269
04:40:55,100 --> 04:40:58,000
the weight of snow, and their 
branches touch the ground, 

5270
04:40:58,000 --> 04:41:01,900
creating natural tunnels. 
Houses all, but vanished. 

5271
04:41:02,800 --> 04:41:05,200
With only their chimneys 
protruding above the white 

5272
04:41:05,200 --> 04:41:08,100
expanse, like Stone fingers, 
reaching for the sky. 

5273
04:41:09,200 --> 04:41:12,300
The drifts were what made this 
snowfall truly extraordinary. 

5274
04:41:13,300 --> 04:41:18,300
Wind had sculpted the snow into 
formation that defied logic. 10 

5275
04:41:18,300 --> 04:41:22,700
feet deep in some places, their 
ground in others, and waves and 

5276
04:41:22,708 --> 04:41:24,800
curves that looked like a frozen
ocean. 

5277
04:41:25,700 --> 04:41:28,700
You could walk across the top of
some drifts while syncing to 

5278
04:41:28,700 --> 04:41:30,900
your armpits in others, just a 
few feet away. 

5279
04:41:31,800 --> 04:41:34,100
The surface would sometimes 
support your weight and 

5280
04:41:34,100 --> 04:41:38,300
sometimes not, and there was no 
reliable way to tell which would

5281
04:41:38,300 --> 04:41:42,200
happen until you tested it. 
Animals suffered terribly during

5282
04:41:42,200 --> 04:41:46,200
these storms cows trapped in 
Barnes needed constant care to 

5283
04:41:46,200 --> 04:41:50,300
prevent them from overheating in
their confined, space, while 

5284
04:41:50,300 --> 04:41:53,800
simultaneously ensuring, they 
didn't freeze, chicken stopped 

5285
04:41:53,800 --> 04:41:56,400
laying entirely and seemed 
personally affronted by the 

5286
04:41:56,400 --> 04:41:58,400
weather. 
As if someone had promised them 

5287
04:41:58,400 --> 04:42:01,700
spring and then welched on the 
deal, Horses. 

5288
04:42:01,700 --> 04:42:06,200
Not usually stoic about whether 
showed clear, signs of distress 

5289
04:42:06,200 --> 04:42:10,200
at being confined for days on 
end, wild animals fed, even 

5290
04:42:10,200 --> 04:42:13,000
worse. 
Dear Trapped By snow too, deep 

5291
04:42:13,000 --> 04:42:17,300
to navigate either starved or 
became easy prey for wolves and 

5292
04:42:17,300 --> 04:42:19,700
other predators that could 
travel on top of the crusted 

5293
04:42:19,700 --> 04:42:22,700
snow. 
Birds that hadn't migrated found

5294
04:42:22,700 --> 04:42:25,000
food scarce and shelter hard to 
come by. 

5295
04:42:26,500 --> 04:42:30,600
Forest went silent in a way that
was Eerie, no Birdsong. 

5296
04:42:30,600 --> 04:42:34,400
No rustling of small animals, 
just the whisper falling snow. 

5297
04:42:34,400 --> 04:42:37,500
And the occasional crack of a 
branch breaking under 

5298
04:42:37,500 --> 04:42:40,800
accumulated weight, The harbor 
in Boston, froze. 

5299
04:42:40,800 --> 04:42:44,000
Solid something that happened 
occasionally, but always felt 

5300
04:42:44,000 --> 04:42:47,300
ominous. 
Ships were trapped in ice then 

5301
04:42:47,300 --> 04:42:50,500
masts visible of the white 
expanse, like a bear Forest. 

5302
04:42:51,300 --> 04:42:55,000
The ice was thick enough to walk
on there were only the foolhardy

5303
04:42:55,000 --> 04:42:58,700
or desperate tried it. 
The ocean that vast presence, 

5304
04:42:58,700 --> 04:43:02,500
that defined so much of New 
England, life temporarily became

5305
04:43:02,500 --> 04:43:05,900
just another snowfield. 
Food stores that had seemed 

5306
04:43:05,900 --> 04:43:08,100
adequate in January began to 
look, alarmingly. 

5307
04:43:08,100 --> 04:43:11,400
Insufficient by mid-march. 
You were burning through 

5308
04:43:11,400 --> 04:43:14,300
firewood faster than planned 
because you needed to keep the 

5309
04:43:14,300 --> 04:43:17,708
fire going constantly. 
Animals were eating hay at their

5310
04:43:17,716 --> 04:43:20,400
normal rate, but the hay was 
getting harder to reach. 

5311
04:43:21,300 --> 04:43:24,800
Every meal required, careful, 
calculation, and families began 

5312
04:43:24,800 --> 04:43:27,400
to worry about what would happen
if the snow didn't stop soon. 

5313
04:43:28,400 --> 04:43:32,200
Yet, there was also a strange 
Beauty to it all on clear nights

5314
04:43:32,200 --> 04:43:35,100
between storms. 
The Moonlight on endless snow 

5315
04:43:35,100 --> 04:43:38,800
created, a luminescence that 
turned the world into something 

5316
04:43:38,800 --> 04:43:44,300
magical Silence was profound. 
No wagon wheels on roads. 

5317
04:43:44,300 --> 04:43:47,500
No church bells carrying from 
distant towns. 

5318
04:43:47,500 --> 04:43:51,200
Just a hush. 
So completed almost ran in your 

5319
04:43:51,200 --> 04:43:54,800
ears. 
The Stars seem brighter somehow 

5320
04:43:54,800 --> 04:43:58,100
as if the snow reflected light 
back to the sky. 

5321
04:43:59,300 --> 04:44:00,600
Some people found the 
experience. 

5322
04:44:00,600 --> 04:44:05,000
Almost meditative forced, as the
were to slow down and exist in 

5323
04:44:05,000 --> 04:44:08,500
the immediate moment. 
There were no trips to town, no 

5324
04:44:08,500 --> 04:44:11,400
visits with neighbors and no 
church meetings. 

5325
04:44:12,200 --> 04:44:15,500
Life contracted to the 
essentials, keep the fire 

5326
04:44:15,500 --> 04:44:19,700
burning feed your family, care 
for your animals and wait. 

5327
04:44:20,800 --> 04:44:24,000
In a world normally filled with 
constant labor and social 

5328
04:44:24,000 --> 04:44:27,500
obligations. 
This enforced, pause had an odd 

5329
04:44:27,500 --> 04:44:29,500
appeal at least for the first 
week or so. 

5330
04:44:29,500 --> 04:44:34,000
But as the snow continued as 
drifts grew higher and supplies,

5331
04:44:34,000 --> 04:44:36,300
grew lower as the novelty wore 
off. 

5332
04:44:36,300 --> 04:44:40,200
And the reality of the situation
set in that initial sense of 

5333
04:44:40,200 --> 04:44:42,800
wonder gave way to something 
close to anxiety. 

5334
04:44:44,000 --> 04:44:47,200
This wasn't just a big snowstorm
anymore, this was something 

5335
04:44:47,200 --> 04:44:49,700
different. 
Something that was rewriting. 

5336
04:44:49,700 --> 04:44:51,400
What new englanders thought 
possible? 

5337
04:44:52,200 --> 04:44:55,700
The snow had been falling for 
over two weeks, the drifts and 

5338
04:44:55,700 --> 04:44:59,700
some places were measuring 15 18
or even 20 feet deep. 

5339
04:45:00,700 --> 04:45:04,100
Houses were buried to their 
second stories and the snow was 

5340
04:45:04,100 --> 04:45:07,200
still falling. 
By the time, March arrived. 

5341
04:45:07,200 --> 04:45:10,100
New England had been transformed
into an alien landscape. 

5342
04:45:10,100 --> 04:45:14,000
That bore little resemblance, to
the world, colonists had known 

5343
04:45:15,000 --> 04:45:19,300
Imagine stepping out your door 
assuming you could open it and 

5344
04:45:19,300 --> 04:45:22,300
finding yourself standing on top
of what used to be your roof. 

5345
04:45:23,200 --> 04:45:25,400
This wasn't an exaggeration for 
many families. 

5346
04:45:25,400 --> 04:45:30,300
The snow had piled so high that 
Second Story windows were at 

5347
04:45:30,300 --> 04:45:33,400
ground level and chimneys 
required constant attention, to 

5348
04:45:33,400 --> 04:45:35,200
prevent them, from being 
completely buried. 

5349
04:45:35,800 --> 04:45:39,300
Daily life had become a series 
of adaptations to absurd 

5350
04:45:39,300 --> 04:45:42,300
circumstances. 
You didn't walk anywhere, you 

5351
04:45:42,300 --> 04:45:44,000
tunnel. 
Families. 

5352
04:45:44,000 --> 04:45:47,000
Created networks of passages 
through the snow, connecting 

5353
04:45:47,000 --> 04:45:50,300
their houses to Barnes Wells and
wood piles. 

5354
04:45:50,300 --> 04:45:54,000
These tunnels were engineering 
projects, worthy of minors. 

5355
04:45:54,000 --> 04:45:57,800
Requiring constant maintenance 
of snow shifted and settled. 

5356
04:45:58,600 --> 04:46:01,400
Some colonists describe their 
tunnels collapsing while they 

5357
04:46:01,400 --> 04:46:04,600
were in them, leading to panic 
to digging at a new found, 

5358
04:46:04,600 --> 04:46:08,800
appreciation for Open Spaces. 
The tunnels created a strange, 

5359
04:46:08,800 --> 04:46:12,800
new architecture of necessity. 
You descend from your door into 

5360
04:46:12,800 --> 04:46:14,400
a passage. 
Whose walls were compressed. 

5361
04:46:14,400 --> 04:46:18,400
Snow dimly lit by whatever 
sunlight penetrated from above. 

5362
04:46:19,300 --> 04:46:22,300
The tunnel would Brant Branch 
One Direction to the barn, 

5363
04:46:22,300 --> 04:46:25,500
another, to the well, and a 
third to the wood pile. 

5364
04:46:26,300 --> 04:46:29,700
Walking through these passages 
felt like being a very cold mold

5365
04:46:29,700 --> 04:46:34,000
and the disorientation of being 
surrounded by snow on all sides.

5366
04:46:34,000 --> 04:46:37,700
Took some getting used to 
Feeding animals became an 

5367
04:46:37,700 --> 04:46:40,300
expedition. 
You'd suit up in every piece of 

5368
04:46:40,300 --> 04:46:44,600
warm clothing, you owned grab, 
whatever tools you needed like a

5369
04:46:44,600 --> 04:46:47,000
lantern and descend into your 
tunnel system. 

5370
04:46:48,600 --> 04:46:51,200
The trip to the barn that 
normally took 30 seconds now 

5371
04:46:51,200 --> 04:46:54,700
took 15 minutes. 
Once there you need to deal with

5372
04:46:54,700 --> 04:46:56,800
animals that were restless from 
confinement. 

5373
04:46:56,800 --> 04:47:00,500
Nervous from the strange, 
muffled quality of sound through

5374
04:47:00,500 --> 04:47:03,800
snow and generally unhappy about
this circumstances. 

5375
04:47:03,800 --> 04:47:07,600
Getting water was perhaps the 
most challenging daily tasks. 

5376
04:47:08,500 --> 04:47:10,700
That weren't buried. 
Had to be accessed through 

5377
04:47:10,700 --> 04:47:14,200
tunnels and Hauling water back 
through narrow passages, while 

5378
04:47:14,200 --> 04:47:17,400
trying not to spill was an 
exercise in patience and 

5379
04:47:17,400 --> 04:47:20,100
balance. 
Some families resorted to 

5380
04:47:20,100 --> 04:47:23,500
Melting snow, which sounds 
simple Until you realize, how 

5381
04:47:23,500 --> 04:47:26,300
much snow you need to melt to 
get a usable amount of water, 

5382
04:47:26,300 --> 04:47:30,100
and how much firewood that 
requires and how your firewood 

5383
04:47:30,100 --> 04:47:31,700
supplies are already stretched 
thin. 

5384
04:47:32,600 --> 04:47:35,100
Food preparation became creative
out of necessity. 

5385
04:47:35,100 --> 04:47:39,500
Your variety had been limited 
before the storms now, it was 

5386
04:47:39,500 --> 04:47:43,600
approaching monotonous, root 
vegetables, salted meat, dried 

5387
04:47:43,600 --> 04:47:46,000
beans, and perhaps some 
preserved fruit. 

5388
04:47:46,000 --> 04:47:49,600
If you were lucky, every meal 
was a variation on the theme of 

5389
04:47:49,600 --> 04:47:52,000
things that can be boiled or 
roasted near the fire. 

5390
04:47:53,000 --> 04:47:55,300
The bright spot was that, at 
least you didn't have to worry 

5391
04:47:55,300 --> 04:47:58,800
about food spoiling, you could 
just stick it in a snowbank, 

5392
04:47:58,800 --> 04:48:01,400
which was basically a giant 
natural freezer that covered 

5393
04:48:01,400 --> 04:48:05,000
everything you owned. children's
education, such as it was 

5394
04:48:05,000 --> 04:48:08,900
continued, sporadically parents,
who could read would work with 

5395
04:48:08,900 --> 04:48:12,900
their children on basic literacy
and arithmetic using the Bible 

5396
04:48:12,900 --> 04:48:17,200
almanacs and whatever other 
books the family owned But 

5397
04:48:17,200 --> 04:48:22,100
concentration was difficult when
everyone was cold irritable and 

5398
04:48:22,100 --> 04:48:25,300
worried about their increasingly
precarious situation. 

5399
04:48:26,300 --> 04:48:29,700
Lessons often devolved into 
storytelling which at least 

5400
04:48:29,700 --> 04:48:32,600
passed the time and didn't 
require anyone to sit still and 

5401
04:48:32,600 --> 04:48:36,100
focus. 
The cycle strain of prolonged 

5402
04:48:36,100 --> 04:48:38,500
confinement. 
Manifested in various ways. 

5403
04:48:39,600 --> 04:48:43,400
Some people became withdrawn and
quiet staring into the fire for 

5404
04:48:43,400 --> 04:48:46,700
hours, others became manic in 
their activity. 

5405
04:48:46,700 --> 04:48:49,800
Finding endless small tasks to 
occupy themselves. 

5406
04:48:50,800 --> 04:48:54,000
Family dynamics that had been 
stable for years suddenly became

5407
04:48:54,000 --> 04:48:56,800
fraught. 
The colonial period didn't have 

5408
04:48:56,800 --> 04:49:00,400
therapists or self-help books. 
So people just had to cope using

5409
04:49:00,400 --> 04:49:03,300
prayer alcohol or sheer 
stubbornness. 

5410
04:49:04,100 --> 04:49:07,400
Interestingly, the forced 
isolation seem to reduce 

5411
04:49:07,400 --> 04:49:11,700
religious attendance anxieties. 
Getting to church was physically

5412
04:49:11,700 --> 04:49:14,600
impossible for most families, 
which meant missing services 

5413
04:49:14,600 --> 04:49:17,900
without any guilt. 
The Puritan ministers, who 

5414
04:49:17,900 --> 04:49:21,500
usually took a dim view of 
absence were, presumably too 

5415
04:49:21,500 --> 04:49:24,500
busy dealing with their own snow
related problems to worry, much 

5416
04:49:24,500 --> 04:49:28,300
about who wasn't showing up. it 
was possibly the first time in 

5417
04:49:28,300 --> 04:49:31,300
Colonial New England history 
that you could skip church 

5418
04:49:31,300 --> 04:49:34,500
without social consequences 
neighbors, who could see each 

5419
04:49:34,500 --> 04:49:37,500
other's chimneys through the 
snow often, the only indication 

5420
04:49:37,500 --> 04:49:40,900
that other humans were nearby 
developed signaling systems 

5421
04:49:41,700 --> 04:49:43,900
Smoke patterns could convey 
basic information. 

5422
04:49:43,900 --> 04:49:48,400
We're okay, we need help. 
And does anyone have any spare 

5423
04:49:48,400 --> 04:49:50,400
handles? 
Because we're running out and 

5424
04:49:50,400 --> 04:49:52,600
staring into darkness for 12 
hours. 

5425
04:49:52,600 --> 04:49:56,300
A night is making a strange. 
these smoke signals were 

5426
04:49:56,300 --> 04:49:59,500
probably not terribly 
sophisticated but they provided 

5427
04:49:59,500 --> 04:50:02,100
reassurance that you want 
completely alone in the white 

5428
04:50:02,100 --> 04:50:07,300
and I The male such as it 
existed in 1717 completely 

5429
04:50:07,300 --> 04:50:09,700
stopped. 
There were no postal workers 

5430
04:50:09,700 --> 04:50:12,400
Brave or foolish enough to 
attempt to delivery through 20 

5431
04:50:12,400 --> 04:50:15,000
foot. 
Snow drifts. this meant that 

5432
04:50:15,000 --> 04:50:18,800
communities became isolated, not
just physically, but also 

5433
04:50:18,800 --> 04:50:22,800
informationally You had no idea 
what was happening in the next 

5434
04:50:22,800 --> 04:50:25,200
town. 
Let alone in Boston or other 

5435
04:50:25,200 --> 04:50:28,700
major settlements. 
For all you knew you were the 

5436
04:50:28,700 --> 04:50:32,100
only people left alive and the 
rest of New England had been 

5437
04:50:32,100 --> 04:50:35,500
consumed by snow. 
Animals developed their own 

5438
04:50:35,500 --> 04:50:40,000
coping strategies. chickens 
trapped and coops established 

5439
04:50:40,000 --> 04:50:43,300
new pecking orders based on who 
could commandeer the warmest 

5440
04:50:43,300 --> 04:50:47,700
spots cows adapted to their 
confinement with bovine. 

5441
04:50:47,700 --> 04:50:50,700
Stoicism though their milk 
production dropped 

5442
04:50:50,700 --> 04:50:53,900
significantly. 
Horses seem to understand the 

5443
04:50:53,900 --> 04:50:57,200
gravity of the situation and 
became unusually Cooperative, 

5444
04:50:57,200 --> 04:51:00,700
perhaps sensing that everyone 
needed to work together to 

5445
04:51:00,700 --> 04:51:04,300
survive. the few people who are 
tempted travel during this 

5446
04:51:04,300 --> 04:51:07,400
period, left accounts that sound
like expeditions to the Arctic 

5447
04:51:08,500 --> 04:51:10,200
One man. 
Described walking to his 

5448
04:51:10,200 --> 04:51:12,700
neighbor's house. 
A journey of perhaps a quarter 

5449
04:51:12,700 --> 04:51:14,500
mile. 
That took him three hours. 

5450
04:51:15,800 --> 04:51:20,200
He had to navigate drifts break 
through trusted snow backtrack. 

5451
04:51:20,200 --> 04:51:23,100
When he encountered impossible, 
barriers and generally 

5452
04:51:23,100 --> 04:51:26,000
experience an adventure worthy 
of a polar Explorer. 

5453
04:51:27,000 --> 04:51:30,200
His neighbor apparently 
surprised to see anyone greeted 

5454
04:51:30,200 --> 04:51:33,800
him like he'd returned from a 
Voyage to the Moon. some 

5455
04:51:33,800 --> 04:51:36,400
enterprising colonists 
discovered that the hard-packed 

5456
04:51:36,400 --> 04:51:39,400
surface of the drifts, Could 
Port considerable weight. 

5457
04:51:39,400 --> 04:51:43,300
If approached correctly, you 
could walk on top of snow that 

5458
04:51:43,300 --> 04:51:45,400
in other spots would swallow you
completely. 

5459
04:51:46,400 --> 04:51:49,100
This led to a strange, new form 
of travel where you'd move 

5460
04:51:49,100 --> 04:51:53,000
cautiously across the surface. 
testing each step moving, like 

5461
04:51:53,000 --> 04:51:57,100
someone walking on thin ice 
because in essence, you were 

5462
04:51:58,000 --> 04:52:02,800
Technique required practice, 
patience and acceptance that 

5463
04:52:02,800 --> 04:52:05,200
you'd occasionally fall through 
and need to be pulled out. 

5464
04:52:06,200 --> 04:52:10,200
The soundscape of Life under the
drifts was distinctive normal 

5465
04:52:10,200 --> 04:52:12,400
outdoor. 
Sounds were muffled, by the snow

5466
04:52:12,400 --> 04:52:16,400
creating an Airy quiet, broken 
only by the occasional crack of 

5467
04:52:16,400 --> 04:52:20,700
breaking branches, the muffled 
lowing of cattle or the scrap of

5468
04:52:20,700 --> 04:52:23,800
shovels as people fought to 
maintain their tunnel systems, 

5469
04:52:24,600 --> 04:52:29,100
Inside home's, every sound 
seemed Amplified the pop of the 

5470
04:52:29,100 --> 04:52:31,300
fire. 
The Creeks of floorboards and 

5471
04:52:31,300 --> 04:52:35,100
the breathing of family members.
Some people found the choir. 

5472
04:52:35,100 --> 04:52:37,700
Soothing others founded 
oppressive. 

5473
04:52:38,500 --> 04:52:42,100
Lighting became a precious 
commodity canals, which were 

5474
04:52:42,100 --> 04:52:45,700
already expensive and 
time-consuming to make burned 

5475
04:52:45,700 --> 04:52:48,500
down steadily, while the snow 
showed no signs of stopping. 

5476
04:52:49,500 --> 04:52:52,900
Families, rationed like 
carefully often going to bed 

5477
04:52:52,900 --> 04:52:56,200
shortly after Sunset to conserve
candles for when they were truly

5478
04:52:56,200 --> 04:52:59,000
necessary. 
Evenings were spent in 

5479
04:52:59,008 --> 04:53:03,000
semi-darkness with perhaps one 
candle or the firelight to see 

5480
04:53:03,000 --> 04:53:07,500
by creating Shadows that danced 
on walls and made familiar rooms

5481
04:53:07,500 --> 04:53:10,800
seem strange. 
The creativity of desperate 

5482
04:53:10,800 --> 04:53:13,200
people manifested in unexpected 
ways. 

5483
04:53:14,200 --> 04:53:17,300
Some families organized, indoor 
festivals to maintain morale. 

5484
04:53:17,300 --> 04:53:21,100
Singing storytelling, craft 
anything, to break the monotony.

5485
04:53:22,000 --> 04:53:26,300
Children created elaborate games
using household objects, adults 

5486
04:53:26,300 --> 04:53:29,400
told stories from memory. 
Embellishing with each retelling

5487
04:53:29,400 --> 04:53:34,100
until they became local Legends,
One family, reportedly performed

5488
04:53:34,100 --> 04:53:36,800
an entire week's worth of 
evening entertainments, using 

5489
04:53:36,800 --> 04:53:39,100
nothing but shadow puppets an 
ingenuity. 

5490
04:53:40,200 --> 04:53:42,700
Health concerns, added another 
layer of anxiety. 

5491
04:53:43,800 --> 04:53:46,700
Someone got sick or injured 
during the snowstorm, there was 

5492
04:53:46,700 --> 04:53:49,400
no way to fetch a doctor. 
No way to get help from 

5493
04:53:49,400 --> 04:53:52,300
Neighbors and no options, 
accepted deal with that 

5494
04:53:52,300 --> 04:53:55,400
yourself, using whatever folk 
remedies and herbal knowledge, 

5495
04:53:55,400 --> 04:53:59,800
you possessed every Cog made 
parents nervous, every 

5496
04:53:59,800 --> 04:54:03,300
complained of feeling unwell 
triggered calculations about 

5497
04:54:03,300 --> 04:54:06,900
supplies of medicinal herbs and 
whether the situation might 

5498
04:54:06,900 --> 04:54:10,600
become serious, Surprisingly, 
the death rate during the Great 

5499
04:54:10,600 --> 04:54:13,500
snow, at least among humans was 
relatively low. 

5500
04:54:14,200 --> 04:54:17,900
New englanders were tough 
resourceful and experienced in 

5501
04:54:17,900 --> 04:54:21,100
dealing with harsh conditions. 
They knew how to ration food, 

5502
04:54:21,100 --> 04:54:24,500
maintain, heat, efficiently, and
keep themselves occupied during 

5503
04:54:24,500 --> 04:54:28,000
long periods of confinement. 
The bigger casualties were 

5504
04:54:28,000 --> 04:54:31,700
livestock, particularly those in
less dirty shelters or within 

5505
04:54:31,700 --> 04:54:35,200
adequate food stores. 
As March progressed in the snow,

5506
04:54:35,200 --> 04:54:38,300
finally, stopped falling 
colonists began to reckon with 

5507
04:54:38,308 --> 04:54:39,900
the full extent of what had 
happened. 

5508
04:54:40,900 --> 04:54:44,300
The accumulation in most places 
measured between 10 and 20 feet 

5509
04:54:44,300 --> 04:54:49,500
with drifts and exposed areas, 
reaching 25 feet or more houses 

5510
04:54:49,500 --> 04:54:53,900
were buried roads ceased to 
exist as recognizable features. 

5511
04:54:53,900 --> 04:54:57,100
The landscape looked like 
someone had taken a giant, white

5512
04:54:57,100 --> 04:54:59,600
blanket and just dropped it over
everything. 

5513
04:54:59,600 --> 04:55:03,700
Smoothing out all the familiar 
Contours into alien curves and 

5514
04:55:03,700 --> 04:55:06,900
slopes The silence. 
When the snow stopped was 

5515
04:55:06,900 --> 04:55:10,000
somehow more profound than the 
silence during the storms. 

5516
04:55:10,800 --> 04:55:13,400
For weeks, they had been at 
least the soft Whisper of 

5517
04:55:13,408 --> 04:55:15,800
falling Flakes and the 
occasional gust of wind. 

5518
04:55:15,800 --> 04:55:20,800
Now, there was nothing the world
held its breath waiting to see 

5519
04:55:20,800 --> 04:55:24,700
what would happen next. 
Birds that had survived began to

5520
04:55:24,700 --> 04:55:29,100
tentatively explore their calls.
Sounding impossibly loud in the 

5521
04:55:29,100 --> 04:55:32,700
Stillness. 
Son emerged from behind clouds 

5522
04:55:32,700 --> 04:55:36,700
making the snow surface Sparkle.
So brightly it hurt to look at 

5523
04:55:36,700 --> 04:55:40,200
directly. 
When the snow finally stopped 

5524
04:55:40,200 --> 04:55:43,500
falling in mid-march new 
englanders faced a new problem, 

5525
04:55:43,500 --> 04:55:46,500
they were living under 
approximately 20 feet of Frozen 

5526
04:55:46,500 --> 04:55:50,000
water that showed no immediate 
interest in going anywhere. 

5527
04:55:50,900 --> 04:55:54,600
Bring in New England, typically 
involves a gradual Thor with 

5528
04:55:54,600 --> 04:55:58,200
melting during the day and 
refreezing at night, a slow 

5529
04:55:58,200 --> 04:56:00,300
transition from Winter to mud 
season. 

5530
04:56:01,200 --> 04:56:04,200
But the great snow wasn't 
interested in following typical 

5531
04:56:04,200 --> 04:56:07,100
patterns. 
The sheer volume of snow 

5532
04:56:07,100 --> 04:56:11,200
created, its own microclimate. 
Even as temperatures Rose above 

5533
04:56:11,200 --> 04:56:13,700
freezing. 
During the day, the vast mass of

5534
04:56:13,708 --> 04:56:17,200
snow stayed cold reflecting 
sunlight and keeping air 

5535
04:56:17,200 --> 04:56:18,500
temperatures lower than they 
might. 

5536
04:56:18,500 --> 04:56:22,200
Otherwise be was like living 
inside a massive Ice Cube that 

5537
04:56:22,200 --> 04:56:25,900
was very slowly warming from the
outside in the process of 

5538
04:56:25,900 --> 04:56:27,800
melting. 
This much snow would take weeks 

5539
04:56:27,800 --> 04:56:31,100
possibly months and would create
his own set of challenges. 

5540
04:56:32,200 --> 04:56:35,100
Initial attempts at clearing 
paths were almost comically 

5541
04:56:35,100 --> 04:56:38,700
futile. 
Shovel for hours, creating a 

5542
04:56:38,700 --> 04:56:41,700
narrow passage that represented 
significant effort and 

5543
04:56:41,700 --> 04:56:44,300
exhaustion. 
Only to realize you'd made a 

5544
04:56:44,300 --> 04:56:47,100
barely visible dent in drifts 
that stretched in every 

5545
04:56:47,100 --> 04:56:49,700
direction. 
It was like trying to empty a 

5546
04:56:49,700 --> 04:56:52,700
lake with a teacup. 
Some colonists gave up on 

5547
04:56:52,700 --> 04:56:55,200
clearing entirely and just 
focused on maintaining their 

5548
04:56:55,200 --> 04:56:57,800
tunnel systems. 
Figuring the snow would melt 

5549
04:56:57,800 --> 04:56:59,900
eventually, and there was no 
point in fighting it. 

5550
04:57:00,700 --> 04:57:03,000
But isolation was becoming a 
serious problem. 

5551
04:57:03,000 --> 04:57:06,500
Communities have been cut off 
from each other for over three 

5552
04:57:06,500 --> 04:57:10,700
weeks, Food Supplies were 
running, critically low firewood

5553
04:57:10,700 --> 04:57:13,700
that had seemed adequate in 
February, was nearly exhausted. 

5554
04:57:14,500 --> 04:57:18,600
People needed to reconnect 
needed to trade goods and needed

5555
04:57:18,600 --> 04:57:20,800
to know if the rest of the world
still existed. 

5556
04:57:21,700 --> 04:57:25,600
This necessity drove remarkable 
efforts to create pathways 

5557
04:57:25,600 --> 04:57:28,500
through the snow. 
The solution that emerged was 

5558
04:57:28,500 --> 04:57:31,000
essentially a combination of 
tunneling and tramping. 

5559
04:57:31,800 --> 04:57:34,400
Groups of men would work 
together to create packed down 

5560
04:57:34,400 --> 04:57:37,800
Trails walking the same path. 
Repeatedly until it was 

5561
04:57:37,808 --> 04:57:39,900
compressed enough to support 
regular traffic. 

5562
04:57:40,800 --> 04:57:44,500
It was exhausting work. 
Imagine hiking through deep snow

5563
04:57:44,500 --> 04:57:49,200
for hours, while carrying tools,
but gradually slowly paths, 

5564
04:57:49,200 --> 04:57:52,000
began to connect neighboring, 
farms, and eventually linked to 

5565
04:57:52,000 --> 04:57:55,000
main roads. 
These early Pathways were more 

5566
04:57:55,000 --> 04:57:58,200
like trenches than roads. 
You'd walk along the bottom of a

5567
04:57:58,200 --> 04:58:02,400
corridor whose walls with snow. 
Sometimes 15 feet high on either

5568
04:58:02,400 --> 04:58:06,400
side, unable to see anything, 
but the sky above and the path 

5569
04:58:06,400 --> 04:58:09,300
ahead. 
It was disorienting and slightly

5570
04:58:09,300 --> 04:58:12,600
claustrophobic, but it was 
better than complete isolation. 

5571
04:58:13,800 --> 04:58:16,600
Travelers met in these trenches 
with the relief of survivors. 

5572
04:58:16,600 --> 04:58:18,500
Finding other humans after a 
disaster. 

5573
04:58:19,400 --> 04:58:22,600
Exchanging news and supplies and
reassurances that they weren't 

5574
04:58:22,600 --> 04:58:25,800
alone. 
Boston being a port city with 

5575
04:58:25,800 --> 04:58:29,200
more resources and Manpower 
organized more, systematic 

5576
04:58:29,200 --> 04:58:32,900
clearing efforts, Teams of 
workers attack the snow with a 

5577
04:58:32,900 --> 04:58:35,200
determination. 
Born of economic necessity. 

5578
04:58:36,300 --> 04:58:40,100
The city's Commerce depended, on
ship traffic and ships. 

5579
04:58:40,100 --> 04:58:42,800
Couldn't move while the harbor 
was frozen and streets were 

5580
04:58:42,800 --> 04:58:46,000
impossible. 
The work was brutal shoveling 

5581
04:58:46,000 --> 04:58:49,500
snow all day in conditions, that
range from barely tolerable to 

5582
04:58:49,500 --> 04:58:53,200
actively hostile. 
But wages were good by Colonial,

5583
04:58:53,200 --> 04:58:56,800
standards and Desperation made 
many willing to take on the 

5584
04:58:56,800 --> 04:58:59,800
tasks. 
A clearing efforts in Boston, 

5585
04:58:59,800 --> 04:59:02,500
created mountains of snow that 
had to go somewhere. 

5586
04:59:03,400 --> 04:59:06,700
Without modern snow removal 
equipment, the only option was 

5587
04:59:06,700 --> 04:59:10,200
to pile it up. 
These artificial Hills of plowed

5588
04:59:10,200 --> 04:59:14,600
snow grew taller than buildings,
creating a strange new cityscape

5589
04:59:14,600 --> 04:59:16,800
where snow mountains loomed over
streets. 

5590
04:59:17,700 --> 04:59:20,800
Children found these mountains 
irresistible for sledding, 

5591
04:59:20,800 --> 04:59:23,500
despite parental warnings about 
the dangers. 

5592
04:59:24,400 --> 04:59:27,300
Some of these snow piles would 
remain visible well Into Summer 

5593
04:59:27,300 --> 04:59:31,500
slowly shrinking but stubbornly 
refusing to disappear entirely. 

5594
04:59:32,500 --> 04:59:35,300
Rural areas, relied more on 
nature, to do the work? 

5595
04:59:36,100 --> 04:59:39,400
As temperatures gradually warmed
the snow began to settle and 

5596
04:59:39,400 --> 04:59:43,100
compress under its own weight. 
Paths that had been impossible 

5597
04:59:43,100 --> 04:59:47,100
slowly became navigable as the 
surface hardened and lowered. 

5598
04:59:47,800 --> 04:59:50,700
It was still difficult travel. 
You'd sink to your knees or 

5599
04:59:50,700 --> 04:59:54,400
thighs with regularity, but it 
was at least possible to move 

5600
04:59:54,400 --> 04:59:56,100
around your property and reach 
nearby. 

5601
04:59:56,100 --> 04:59:58,800
Neighbors. 
The livestock situation was 

5602
04:59:58,800 --> 05:00:02,600
becoming critical animals that 
had survived this long needed, 

5603
05:00:02,600 --> 05:00:05,500
fresh air exercise and grazing 
as soon as possible. 

5604
05:00:06,400 --> 05:00:09,200
But releasing them into deep 
snow, risked losing them in 

5605
05:00:09,208 --> 05:00:12,000
drifts or having them injure 
themselves trying to navigate 

5606
05:00:12,000 --> 05:00:15,700
impossible to reign. 
Farmers had to create enclosed 

5607
05:00:15,700 --> 05:00:19,600
areas near Barnes where snow was
compressed enough for animals to

5608
05:00:19,600 --> 05:00:24,300
move safely, horses and oxen 
were particularly valuable and 

5609
05:00:24,300 --> 05:00:27,300
received the most careful 
attention while chickens were 

5610
05:00:27,300 --> 05:00:30,400
basically left to fend for 
themselves which they did with 

5611
05:00:30,400 --> 05:00:32,800
their usual combination of luck 
and spite. 

5612
05:00:33,900 --> 05:00:37,100
As communication, resumed 
people, discovered that the 

5613
05:00:37,100 --> 05:00:40,600
great snow had affected, all of 
New England with varying degrees

5614
05:00:40,600 --> 05:00:44,100
of severity. 
Some coastal areas had received 

5615
05:00:44,100 --> 05:00:47,800
less accumulation while Inland 
regions and higher elevations, 

5616
05:00:47,800 --> 05:00:49,900
were buried even deeper than 
most places. 

5617
05:00:51,000 --> 05:00:54,700
Stories began to circulate, 
Tales of whole house, is being 

5618
05:00:54,700 --> 05:00:58,400
lost until spring of Travelers. 
Who perished attempting to cross

5619
05:00:58,400 --> 05:01:01,900
impossible, distances of 
Creative, Solutions to 

5620
05:01:01,900 --> 05:01:05,500
unprecedented problems. 
One story that made the rounds 

5621
05:01:05,500 --> 05:01:07,900
involved, a family, whose 
chimney became so packed with 

5622
05:01:07,908 --> 05:01:11,900
snow that smoke could Escape. 
Rather than suffocate the 

5623
05:01:11,900 --> 05:01:15,900
carefully, extinguish their fire
and spent several days in bitter

5624
05:01:15,900 --> 05:01:18,300
cold while working to clear the 
chimney from inside. 

5625
05:01:19,600 --> 05:01:23,000
When they finally succeeded and 
relit the fire, the sudden draft

5626
05:01:23,000 --> 05:01:26,800
nearly blew the roof off. 
The family survived the house 

5627
05:01:26,800 --> 05:01:30,600
survived, and they became local 
celebrities for their ordeal. 

5628
05:01:31,300 --> 05:01:34,300
Another account described a man 
who'd been visiting Neighbors, 

5629
05:01:34,300 --> 05:01:35,900
when the worst of the storms 
hit. 

5630
05:01:36,600 --> 05:01:39,700
Unable to return home. 
He was trapped for nearly three 

5631
05:01:39,700 --> 05:01:43,000
weeks, his wife. 
Assuming he'd taken shelter, 

5632
05:01:43,000 --> 05:01:46,200
somewhere wasn't particularly 
worried until he finally made it

5633
05:01:46,200 --> 05:01:49,900
back half starved and with a 
beard that had grown wild. 

5634
05:01:51,300 --> 05:01:54,700
She reportedly greeted him with 
relief, then immediately put him

5635
05:01:54,700 --> 05:01:59,300
to work on clearing their paths 
because priorities the gradual 

5636
05:01:59,300 --> 05:02:02,500
reconnection of communities 
brought news both good and 

5637
05:02:02,500 --> 05:02:06,100
troubling the death toll while 
lower than might be expected. 

5638
05:02:06,100 --> 05:02:09,400
Given the severity of the storms
was still significant. 

5639
05:02:10,400 --> 05:02:14,200
Mostly elderly people who 
couldn't handle the cold a few 

5640
05:02:14,200 --> 05:02:17,600
Travelers caught between 
destinations and some children 

5641
05:02:17,600 --> 05:02:21,000
who wandered from safety. 
Livestock losses were 

5642
05:02:21,000 --> 05:02:23,700
substantial. 
Estimates suggested that 

5643
05:02:23,700 --> 05:02:28,600
hundreds of cattle, sheep and 
other animals had died from cold

5644
05:02:28,600 --> 05:02:32,800
starvation or injuries. 
Sustained in panic attempts to 

5645
05:02:32,808 --> 05:02:36,300
escape their shelters, but there
was also remarkable news of 

5646
05:02:36,300 --> 05:02:38,800
resilience and survival. 
Families. 

5647
05:02:38,800 --> 05:02:40,700
Who had been certain, they 
wouldn't make it through. 

5648
05:02:40,700 --> 05:02:44,900
Had found ways to endure. 
communities that had seemed on 

5649
05:02:44,908 --> 05:02:48,100
the brink of Crisis discovered, 
they had more resources and 

5650
05:02:48,100 --> 05:02:52,100
creativity than they'd realized 
The shared experience of 

5651
05:02:52,100 --> 05:02:55,100
surviving something 
unprecedented, created bonds 

5652
05:02:55,100 --> 05:02:59,000
between neighbors that would 
last for Generations. religious 

5653
05:02:59,000 --> 05:03:01,600
leaders, interpreted the great 
snow, according to their 

5654
05:03:01,600 --> 05:03:05,500
theological Frameworks, Some saw
it as Divine punishment. 

5655
05:03:05,500 --> 05:03:08,700
For Colonial sins, though. 
There was considerable debate 

5656
05:03:08,700 --> 05:03:12,000
about which specific sins had 
angered God enough to warranty 

5657
05:03:12,000 --> 05:03:15,100
feet of snow. 
Others viewed it as a test of 

5658
05:03:15,100 --> 05:03:17,400
faith. 
A trial that would strengthen 

5659
05:03:17,400 --> 05:03:19,600
the community's relationship 
with the divine. 

5660
05:03:20,800 --> 05:03:23,700
Few practical minded, ministers 
suggested, it was simply weather

5661
05:03:23,700 --> 05:03:27,000
and perhaps they should focus on
helping each other rather than 

5662
05:03:27,000 --> 05:03:29,000
debating its spiritual 
significance. 

5663
05:03:30,000 --> 05:03:33,200
As March gave way to April, the 
pace of melting accelerated 

5664
05:03:33,200 --> 05:03:35,600
warmer temperatures and longer 
days. 

5665
05:03:35,600 --> 05:03:38,200
Finally began to make a visible 
dent in the snow. 

5666
05:03:38,200 --> 05:03:43,500
Accumulation roofs emerged from 
under their white bird fences. 

5667
05:03:43,500 --> 05:03:46,900
Reappeared trees that had been 
bent doubles slowly 

5668
05:03:46,900 --> 05:03:49,000
straightened. 
As their load of snow, melted 

5669
05:03:49,000 --> 05:03:53,000
the landscape began to remember 
its original shape though. 

5670
05:03:53,000 --> 05:03:56,100
It would be weeks before it 
fully returned to normal the 

5671
05:03:56,100 --> 05:03:58,200
melting created its own set of 
problems. 

5672
05:03:58,200 --> 05:04:01,700
All that snow had to go 
somewhere and where it went was 

5673
05:04:01,700 --> 05:04:05,400
everywhere. 
Rivers and streams swell to 

5674
05:04:05,400 --> 05:04:08,500
flood stage roads. 
Turned into muddy rivers 

5675
05:04:08,500 --> 05:04:13,400
basements flooded The spring 
runoff, typically a manageable 

5676
05:04:13,400 --> 05:04:16,900
annual event became a deluge 
that overwhelmed normal drainage

5677
05:04:16,900 --> 05:04:19,900
and created temporary lakes in 
low-lying areas. 

5678
05:04:20,900 --> 05:04:23,900
It was like watching winter 
turned directly into a very wet,

5679
05:04:23,900 --> 05:04:27,600
very muddy version of Springs. 
Skipping all the pleasant parts.

5680
05:04:28,500 --> 05:04:32,100
But with the melting came hope 
every day, the world looked a 

5681
05:04:32,100 --> 05:04:35,400
little more familiar every day 
travel became a little easier 

5682
05:04:35,400 --> 05:04:39,100
every day, brought them closer 
to the farming season when they 

5683
05:04:39,108 --> 05:04:41,100
could begin to recover from 
Winter's assault. 

5684
05:04:41,900 --> 05:04:45,900
Garden's could be planned 
animals, could graze a normal 

5685
05:04:45,900 --> 05:04:51,200
life could resume, First flowers
to emerge crocuses and 

5686
05:04:51,200 --> 05:04:55,100
snowdrops, ironically became 
objects of Celebration 

5687
05:04:55,100 --> 05:04:57,400
disproportionate to their size 
or beauty. 

5688
05:04:58,600 --> 05:05:02,600
After months of nothing but 
white and gray and brown the 

5689
05:05:02,600 --> 05:05:04,500
sight of actual color in the 
landscape. 

5690
05:05:04,500 --> 05:05:08,200
Felt like a miracle children. 
Brought handfuls of early 

5691
05:05:08,200 --> 05:05:10,800
flowers to their mothers who 
placed them, in whatever 

5692
05:05:10,800 --> 05:05:14,100
containers could hold water. 
Treating them like Precious 

5693
05:05:14,100 --> 05:05:17,100
Treasures. 
Birds returned in force and 

5694
05:05:17,100 --> 05:05:18,700
their songs. 
Seemed louder and more 

5695
05:05:18,700 --> 05:05:20,700
enthusiastic than anyone 
remembered. 

5696
05:05:21,600 --> 05:05:24,700
Or perhaps it was just that 
after weeks of muffled, silenced

5697
05:05:24,700 --> 05:05:27,600
under snow, any sound felt 
remarkable. 

5698
05:05:28,400 --> 05:05:30,200
The geese flying overhead in 
their V. 

5699
05:05:30,200 --> 05:05:33,700
Formations the robins hunting 
for worms in newly exposed soil.

5700
05:05:33,700 --> 05:05:38,100
The Hawks circling above looking
for prey, all of its signal that

5701
05:05:38,100 --> 05:05:40,600
the world was returning to its 
normal rhythms. 

5702
05:05:41,600 --> 05:05:45,000
A spring truly arrived and life 
returned to something 

5703
05:05:45,000 --> 05:05:48,600
approaching normal, new 
englanders began to reckon with 

5704
05:05:48,600 --> 05:05:50,500
what the great snow had done to 
their world. 

5705
05:05:51,600 --> 05:05:56,000
The physical impact of obvious 
damage to buildings, lost 

5706
05:05:56,000 --> 05:06:01,100
livestock and depleted supplies.
That the psychological and 

5707
05:06:01,100 --> 05:06:03,100
social impacts would resonate 
for much longer. 

5708
05:06:03,100 --> 05:06:07,200
The great snow became the 
defining event against which all

5709
05:06:07,200 --> 05:06:09,000
other weather was measured for 
Generations. 

5710
05:06:09,000 --> 05:06:12,200
Grandparents would tell their 
grandchildren about the winter. 

5711
05:06:12,200 --> 05:06:15,100
When the snow reached, the 
Second Story windows and the 

5712
05:06:15,100 --> 05:06:17,900
children would roll their eyes. 
The way children always do when 

5713
05:06:17,900 --> 05:06:20,800
elderly relative start talking 
about how much harder things 

5714
05:06:20,800 --> 05:06:25,000
were in their day. 
Except in this case, the elderly

5715
05:06:25,000 --> 05:06:28,000
relatives were actually telling 
the truth, even if they 

5716
05:06:28,000 --> 05:06:29,800
embellished the details with 
each retelling. 

5717
05:06:30,900 --> 05:06:35,100
Diaries and letters from 1717 
provide glimpses into how people

5718
05:06:35,100 --> 05:06:38,900
process their experience. 
Cotton Mather, the famous 

5719
05:06:38,900 --> 05:06:42,500
Puritan Minister wrote 
extensively about the storms 

5720
05:06:42,500 --> 05:06:45,700
interpreting them through a 
religious lens while also 

5721
05:06:45,700 --> 05:06:48,500
providing detailed 
meteorological observations. 

5722
05:06:49,400 --> 05:06:53,700
His accounts described snow 
depths drift patterns, and the 

5723
05:06:53,700 --> 05:06:56,500
challenges of daily life with 
the Precision of someone who 

5724
05:06:56,500 --> 05:06:59,000
understood this was 
historically, significant. 

5725
05:06:59,000 --> 05:07:03,600
Other written records are more 
personal and immediate one woman

5726
05:07:03,600 --> 05:07:06,500
wrote about the strange intimacy
of being confined with her 

5727
05:07:06,500 --> 05:07:09,500
family for weeks, how they 
learned things about each other 

5728
05:07:09,500 --> 05:07:13,700
that years of normal life had 
never revealed Another described

5729
05:07:13,700 --> 05:07:16,600
the terror of hearing, the roof 
Creek, under the weight of snow 

5730
05:07:16,600 --> 05:07:20,500
wondering, if each Creek might 
be the one that preceded 

5731
05:07:20,500 --> 05:07:22,800
collapse. 
A farmer. 

5732
05:07:22,800 --> 05:07:25,900
Catalogued his livestock losses 
with the resignation of someone 

5733
05:07:25,900 --> 05:07:29,400
who understood that, survival, 
sometimes meant accepting 

5734
05:07:29,400 --> 05:07:33,500
things, you couldn't control. 
The economic impact of the great

5735
05:07:33,500 --> 05:07:35,400
snow rippled through New, 
England for months. 

5736
05:07:36,500 --> 05:07:40,000
Spring planting was delayed 
which meant smaller harvests in 

5737
05:07:40,008 --> 05:07:42,800
the fall lost livestock had to 
be replaced. 

5738
05:07:42,800 --> 05:07:46,200
A significant expense for 
families whose margins were 

5739
05:07:46,200 --> 05:07:49,200
already thin. 
Buildings, needed repairs, 

5740
05:07:49,200 --> 05:07:51,100
Gardens. 
That have been carefully 

5741
05:07:51,100 --> 05:07:54,800
established over years were 
damaged or destroyed and needed 

5742
05:07:54,800 --> 05:07:59,000
to be started from scratch. 
The snow had essentially reset 

5743
05:07:59,000 --> 05:08:02,800
progress for many families. 
Forcing them to rebuild what had

5744
05:08:02,800 --> 05:08:05,200
been lost. 
But there were unexpected 

5745
05:08:05,200 --> 05:08:08,400
benefits as well. 
The Deep snowpack meant 

5746
05:08:08,400 --> 05:08:11,800
exceptional, water availability 
through the summer Wells, that 

5747
05:08:11,808 --> 05:08:16,200
sometimes ran low stayed full 
streams that occasionally dried 

5748
05:08:16,200 --> 05:08:19,000
up, kept flowing. 
The moisture in the soil 

5749
05:08:19,000 --> 05:08:22,300
produced crops that despite the 
late start grew with unusual 

5750
05:08:22,300 --> 05:08:26,000
Vigor nature, having delivered 
an unprecedented winter. 

5751
05:08:26,000 --> 05:08:30,200
Apparently decided to compensate
with an uncommonly productive 

5752
05:08:30,200 --> 05:08:32,900
growing season. 
The shared experience of 

5753
05:08:32,900 --> 05:08:36,700
surviving the great snow created
social bonds that transcended 

5754
05:08:36,700 --> 05:08:39,900
previous division's. 
Disputes between neighbors, 

5755
05:08:39,900 --> 05:08:42,600
seemed Petty and light of what 
everyone had endured together. 

5756
05:08:43,400 --> 05:08:45,600
Communities. 
That had been fractious found 

5757
05:08:45,600 --> 05:08:48,700
new Unity. 
People who had survived the same

5758
05:08:48,700 --> 05:08:52,200
ordeal developed a kinship that 
came from understanding, what it

5759
05:08:52,200 --> 05:08:56,200
meant to face nature at its most
imposing and come through the 

5760
05:08:56,200 --> 05:08:58,700
other side. 
Children who lived through the 

5761
05:08:58,700 --> 05:09:01,100
great snow would carry its 
memory for the rest of their 

5762
05:09:01,100 --> 05:09:02,800
lives. 
For them. 

5763
05:09:02,808 --> 05:09:07,300
It became the dividing line 
between before and after the 

5764
05:09:07,300 --> 05:09:09,700
event that marked their 
transition from childhood. 

5765
05:09:09,700 --> 05:09:12,500
Innocence to an understanding 
that the world could be both 

5766
05:09:12,500 --> 05:09:16,200
beautiful and dangerous. 
Some would develop a lifelong, 

5767
05:09:16,200 --> 05:09:19,500
weariness of winter always 
preparing more than necessary. 

5768
05:09:19,500 --> 05:09:24,200
Always worried that another such
storm might arrive Others, would

5769
05:09:24,200 --> 05:09:27,600
remember it with a strange 
Nostalgia recalling. 

5770
05:09:27,600 --> 05:09:30,100
The adventure and excitement of 
living through something 

5771
05:09:30,100 --> 05:09:33,500
extraordinary. 
Physical evidence of the great 

5772
05:09:33,500 --> 05:09:35,500
snow lasted. 
Surprisingly long. 

5773
05:09:36,200 --> 05:09:39,500
Those massive piles of plowed 
snow in Boston and melted slowly

5774
05:09:39,500 --> 05:09:43,000
through the summer. 
Creating muddy pools that became

5775
05:09:43,000 --> 05:09:46,000
unofficial swimming holes for 
children, and nuisance is for 

5776
05:09:46,000 --> 05:09:49,000
everyone else. 
Some snow remained in deep 

5777
05:09:49,000 --> 05:09:53,000
shaded valleys well into June. 
Stubborn patches of winter 

5778
05:09:53,000 --> 05:09:56,800
refusing to admit that spring 
had won trees that had been 

5779
05:09:56,808 --> 05:09:59,900
damaged by the weight of snow or
scars visible for years. 

5780
05:09:59,900 --> 05:10:04,900
Afterwards, bent trunks, missing
branches and growth patterns 

5781
05:10:04,900 --> 05:10:07,000
that marked where they'd be 
broken and healed. 

5782
05:10:08,100 --> 05:10:11,100
Architecture changed subtly in 
response to the great snow. 

5783
05:10:11,100 --> 05:10:14,800
New buildings were constructed 
with steeper roofs to shed snow 

5784
05:10:14,800 --> 05:10:18,000
more effectively. 
Bonds were reinforced with 

5785
05:10:18,000 --> 05:10:21,200
additional supports storage. 
Buildings were designed with 

5786
05:10:21,200 --> 05:10:23,700
better access during High snow 
conditions. 

5787
05:10:24,500 --> 05:10:27,500
These weren't dramatic changes 
but they reflected a 

5788
05:10:27,500 --> 05:10:29,900
recalibration of what new 
englanders understood winter 

5789
05:10:29,900 --> 05:10:32,300
could do. 
They'd had been reminded that 

5790
05:10:32,300 --> 05:10:35,600
nature could exceed their 
expectations and they adjusted 

5791
05:10:35,600 --> 05:10:39,800
their plans accordingly. 
The great snow entered folklore,

5792
05:10:39,800 --> 05:10:43,600
almost immediately stories, 
began to circulate, the probably

5793
05:10:43,600 --> 05:10:46,900
had some basis in truth, but 
grew more elaborate with each 

5794
05:10:46,900 --> 05:10:49,600
telling. 
Tales of people walking over 

5795
05:10:49,600 --> 05:10:53,200
houses without realizing they 
were their accounts of deer 

5796
05:10:53,200 --> 05:10:55,700
being found. 
Frozen in standing positions 

5797
05:10:55,700 --> 05:11:00,700
preserved in ice, like statues. 
Stories of tunnels collapsing 

5798
05:11:00,700 --> 05:11:04,600
and miraculous rescues of 
supplies running out just as a 

5799
05:11:04,600 --> 05:11:08,400
Thor allowed resupply of prophet
inventions. 

5800
05:11:08,400 --> 05:11:10,300
That save families from 
disaster. 

5801
05:11:11,400 --> 05:11:14,900
Some stories focused on human 
Ingenuity and creativity under 

5802
05:11:14,900 --> 05:11:17,800
pressure. 
The man who fashioned snowshoes 

5803
05:11:17,800 --> 05:11:21,200
from barrel staves and managed 
to walk across drifts that 

5804
05:11:21,200 --> 05:11:24,700
swallowed everyone else Family 
that rational their food. 

5805
05:11:24,700 --> 05:11:27,800
So carefully they ended the 
ordeal with supplies to spare. 

5806
05:11:28,700 --> 05:11:31,600
The woman who kept her family 
spirits up through the darkest 

5807
05:11:31,600 --> 05:11:34,600
days with nothing but stories 
and songs. 

5808
05:11:35,600 --> 05:11:38,200
His tales celebrated, the 
resilience and resourcefulness 

5809
05:11:38,200 --> 05:11:40,400
that had allowed the community 
to survive. 

5810
05:11:40,400 --> 05:11:44,400
Other stories, had a darker tone
acknowledging, the losses, and 

5811
05:11:44,400 --> 05:11:48,200
the moments of despair. 
Traveler was found Frozen 

5812
05:11:48,200 --> 05:11:52,400
halfway between settlements his 
final thoughts, unknown. 

5813
05:11:53,800 --> 05:11:56,600
The elderly couple who simply 
didn't have the strength to 

5814
05:11:56,600 --> 05:11:59,200
endure another month of cold and
hardship. 

5815
05:12:00,000 --> 05:12:02,900
The animals that died despite 
their owners best efforts. 

5816
05:12:03,700 --> 05:12:06,700
These stories served as 
reminders that survival had come

5817
05:12:06,700 --> 05:12:10,900
at a cost and that luck played 
as much a role as preparation or

5818
05:12:10,900 --> 05:12:13,700
strength. 
The great snow also entered 

5819
05:12:13,700 --> 05:12:17,100
religious discourse in ways that
reflected the theological debate

5820
05:12:17,100 --> 05:12:19,900
of the era. 
Some Minister's used it as 

5821
05:12:19,900 --> 05:12:23,900
evidence of divine displeasure 
pointing to specific sins, they 

5822
05:12:23,900 --> 05:12:25,700
believed to triggered God's 
judgment. 

5823
05:12:26,700 --> 05:12:30,500
Others saw it as a test at the 
community had passed evident of 

5824
05:12:30,500 --> 05:12:34,100
their faith and righteousness. 
Still others, argued, it was 

5825
05:12:34,100 --> 05:12:39,200
simply whether remarkable 
natural and a tributing, moral 

5826
05:12:39,200 --> 05:12:42,400
significance to meteorology was 
perhaps missing the point. 

5827
05:12:43,300 --> 05:12:45,700
These debates, probably 
mattered, less to the average 

5828
05:12:45,700 --> 05:12:48,600
colonists than the Practical 
question of whether they're 

5829
05:12:48,600 --> 05:12:49,900
chickens would start laying 
again. 

5830
05:12:50,700 --> 05:12:53,900
Scientific observation in the 
early 18th century was informal 

5831
05:12:53,900 --> 05:12:57,800
and often mixed with folklore. 
But the great snow prompted, 

5832
05:12:57,800 --> 05:13:00,300
some genuine attempts to 
understand what had happened. 

5833
05:13:01,100 --> 05:13:05,100
People compared experiences, 
trying to establish patterns in 

5834
05:13:05,100 --> 05:13:08,900
snowfall and drift formation. 
They noticed that certain areas 

5835
05:13:08,900 --> 05:13:12,800
consistently received more or 
less know that wind patterns 

5836
05:13:12,800 --> 05:13:16,200
created predictable drift 
locations and let temperature 

5837
05:13:16,200 --> 05:13:18,400
fluctuations influence snow 
quality. 

5838
05:13:19,600 --> 05:13:23,600
This informal meteorology wooden
impress modern scientists, but 

5839
05:13:23,600 --> 05:13:26,400
it represented colonists trying 
to make sense of their world 

5840
05:13:26,400 --> 05:13:31,100
through observation and reason. 
The great snows Legacy extended 

5841
05:13:31,100 --> 05:13:34,100
Beyond New England. 
News of the extraordinary 

5842
05:13:34,100 --> 05:13:38,500
Winters bred to other colonies 
and eventually to England where 

5843
05:13:38,500 --> 05:13:41,500
it was received with a mixed of 
sympathy and skepticism. 

5844
05:13:42,800 --> 05:13:46,700
English readers accustomed to 
milder Winters struggled to 

5845
05:13:46,700 --> 05:13:50,800
imagine 20 feet of snow. 
Some assumed the accounts were 

5846
05:13:50,800 --> 05:13:54,300
exaggerated, surely the 
colonists were embellishing for 

5847
05:13:54,300 --> 05:13:58,100
effect. 
This skepticism frustrated new 

5848
05:13:58,100 --> 05:14:01,700
englanders who knew exactly how 
extraordinary their experience 

5849
05:14:01,700 --> 05:14:04,200
had been and resented having it 
questioned by people. 

5850
05:14:04,200 --> 05:14:08,900
Who'd never seen snow that deep.
In the decades that followed the

5851
05:14:08,900 --> 05:14:12,600
great snow became a benchmark. 
Other harsh Winters were 

5852
05:14:12,600 --> 05:14:19,000
compared to it and found wanting
bad but not 1717 bad became a 

5853
05:14:19,000 --> 05:14:22,300
common refrain. 
The event established a ceiling 

5854
05:14:22,300 --> 05:14:25,500
for what winter could do. 
A worst case scenario that 

5855
05:14:25,500 --> 05:14:29,800
seemed unlikely to be repeated 
And indeed, while New England 

5856
05:14:29,800 --> 05:14:33,100
has experienced many harsh 
Winters since 1717. 

5857
05:14:33,100 --> 05:14:37,400
None have quite matched that 
remarkable season when the sky 

5858
05:14:37,400 --> 05:14:39,500
opened, and didn't closed for 
nearly a month. 

5859
05:14:39,500 --> 05:14:43,800
As you sit here in your climate 
controlled Comfort, perhaps with

5860
05:14:43,800 --> 05:14:45,200
a warm drink, and a soft 
blanket. 

5861
05:14:46,200 --> 05:14:49,400
It's worth reflecting on what 
the great snow can teach us 

5862
05:14:49,400 --> 05:14:53,200
about resilience community and 
the human relationship with 

5863
05:14:53,200 --> 05:14:56,300
nature. 
We're separated from those 

5864
05:14:56,300 --> 05:14:58,400
Colonial. 
New englanders by over three 

5865
05:14:58,400 --> 05:15:01,700
centuries. 
Countless technological advances

5866
05:15:01,700 --> 05:15:04,500
and such dramatic changes in 
daily life. 

5867
05:15:04,500 --> 05:15:06,500
That they barely recognize our 
world. 

5868
05:15:07,800 --> 05:15:10,900
Yeah, they're experience speaks 
to something Timeless about how 

5869
05:15:10,900 --> 05:15:13,800
people cope with circumstances 
beyond their control. 

5870
05:15:14,500 --> 05:15:18,100
The colonists of 1717 didn't 
have weather forecasting, 

5871
05:15:18,100 --> 05:15:21,600
climate control, instant 
communication or any of the 

5872
05:15:21,600 --> 05:15:24,200
Technologies we consider 
essential for dealing with harsh

5873
05:15:24,200 --> 05:15:26,600
weather. 
What they had was knowledge 

5874
05:15:26,600 --> 05:15:31,100
passed down through generations,
strong Community bonds, a 

5875
05:15:31,100 --> 05:15:32,500
remarkable tolerance for 
discomfort. 

5876
05:15:32,500 --> 05:15:35,800
And an understanding that 
survival sometimes meant simply 

5877
05:15:35,800 --> 05:15:40,200
enduring When faced with 
unprecedented circumstances, 

5878
05:15:40,200 --> 05:15:43,600
they adapted improvised and 
supported each other through the

5879
05:15:43,600 --> 05:15:45,900
crisis. 
There's something almost 

5880
05:15:45,900 --> 05:15:48,600
enviable about the Simplicity of
their challenges. 

5881
05:15:48,600 --> 05:15:52,000
Not enviable in the sense that 
we'd want to experience what 

5882
05:15:52,000 --> 05:15:55,200
they did spending weeks. 
Trapped in a cold house within 

5883
05:15:55,200 --> 05:15:58,100
adequate food. 
While buried under 20 feet of 

5884
05:15:58,100 --> 05:16:01,500
snow sounds terrible. 
No matter how you frame it but 

5885
05:16:01,500 --> 05:16:05,000
then viable in its directness 
The problems were clear. 

5886
05:16:05,000 --> 05:16:09,700
Stay warm, stay fed, keep 
animals alive and wait for 

5887
05:16:09,700 --> 05:16:12,900
spring. 
The solutions while difficult 

5888
05:16:12,900 --> 05:16:16,100
were equally clear. 
There was no ambiguity about 

5889
05:16:16,100 --> 05:16:19,500
what needed doing Modern Life. 
Rarely offers such clarity. 

5890
05:16:20,400 --> 05:16:23,700
I'll challenges are often 
abstract long-term and difficult

5891
05:16:23,700 --> 05:16:28,000
to Define precisely. 
Climate change, economic 

5892
05:16:28,000 --> 05:16:32,800
uncertainty social division. 
These are the storms we face now

5893
05:16:32,800 --> 05:16:36,500
and they don't have the simple 
directness of too much snow. 

5894
05:16:37,500 --> 05:16:40,300
We can't tunnel through them or 
wait for them to melt. 

5895
05:16:41,400 --> 05:16:44,300
colonists, who survived the 
great snow had the advantage of 

5896
05:16:44,300 --> 05:16:47,800
knowing their ordeal had a 
definite endpoint eventually 

5897
05:16:47,800 --> 05:16:51,700
spring would arrive in the snow 
would melt They just had to last

5898
05:16:51,700 --> 05:16:54,800
until then, but perhaps we can 
learn something from how they 

5899
05:16:54,800 --> 05:16:57,700
approach their crisis. 
They didn't waste energy 

5900
05:16:57,700 --> 05:17:01,300
complaining about the Injustice 
of their situation or debating. 

5901
05:17:01,300 --> 05:17:04,900
Whether the snow was really that
deep or speculating about 

5902
05:17:04,900 --> 05:17:07,000
whether better leadership could 
have prevented it. 

5903
05:17:08,200 --> 05:17:11,300
They accepted the reality they 
face and focused on what they 

5904
05:17:11,300 --> 05:17:15,000
could control their own actions,
their families welfare, and 

5905
05:17:15,000 --> 05:17:19,100
their neighbor's needs. there's 
wisdom in that Acceptance in 

5906
05:17:19,100 --> 05:17:23,000
choosing to work with reality 
rather than arguing with it The 

5907
05:17:23,000 --> 05:17:25,900
community bonds strength, and by
the great snow offer another 

5908
05:17:25,900 --> 05:17:29,800
lesson modern society often, 
prioritizes individual 

5909
05:17:29,800 --> 05:17:33,600
achievement and self-sufficiency
in ways that Colonial new 

5910
05:17:33,600 --> 05:17:35,800
englanders, would find both 
bizarre and dangerous. 

5911
05:17:35,800 --> 05:17:39,900
They understood that survival 
depended on community on 

5912
05:17:39,900 --> 05:17:42,800
neighbors, helping each other 
and on sharing resources and 

5913
05:17:42,800 --> 05:17:46,300
knowledge and labor. 
The great snow reinforced these 

5914
05:17:46,300 --> 05:17:49,000
bonds by making their importance
undeniable. 

5915
05:17:49,900 --> 05:17:52,700
You survived not just through 
your own efforts, but through 

5916
05:17:52,700 --> 05:17:55,600
the web of relationships that 
connected you to others. 

5917
05:17:55,600 --> 05:17:59,300
We've built a world where such 
interdependence is less visible.

5918
05:18:00,100 --> 05:18:03,100
Your heat comes from distant 
power plants or gas lines. 

5919
05:18:03,100 --> 05:18:06,900
Your food comes from industrial 
Farms, hundreds or thousands of 

5920
05:18:06,900 --> 05:18:09,400
miles away. 
Your water arrives through 

5921
05:18:09,400 --> 05:18:12,500
underground pipes from treatment
facilities, you've never seen 

5922
05:18:13,400 --> 05:18:16,900
this system is remarkably 
efficient, but it obscures the 

5923
05:18:16,900 --> 05:18:20,800
reality that we're just as 
dependent on others as those 

5924
05:18:20,800 --> 05:18:24,700
Colonial families were We've 
just outsourced that dependence 

5925
05:18:24,700 --> 05:18:27,100
to system. 
So large and complex that we 

5926
05:18:27,100 --> 05:18:28,700
forget, they're there until they
fail. 

5927
05:18:29,600 --> 05:18:32,400
The great snow also reminds us 
of Nature's power and 

5928
05:18:32,400 --> 05:18:34,900
indifference. 
The storms didn't care about 

5929
05:18:34,900 --> 05:18:37,000
human plans, or needs or 
survival. 

5930
05:18:37,800 --> 05:18:41,300
They weren't punishment or tests
or lessons, they were whether 

5931
05:18:41,300 --> 05:18:44,800
operating according to 
atmospheric physics, that has no

5932
05:18:44,800 --> 05:18:48,000
concern for whether humans, find
the results convenient. 

5933
05:18:49,200 --> 05:18:52,200
Colonial new englanders. 
Understood this at a visceral 

5934
05:18:52,200 --> 05:18:54,200
level that modern people often 
don't. 

5935
05:18:55,100 --> 05:18:58,600
They lived much closer to 
Nature's raw power and had fewer

5936
05:18:58,600 --> 05:19:00,900
buffers between themselves and 
its effects. 

5937
05:19:01,700 --> 05:19:05,500
Our technology has given us 
unprecedented ability to predict

5938
05:19:05,500 --> 05:19:09,200
prepare for and protect 
ourselves from natural events. 

5939
05:19:10,000 --> 05:19:13,700
We have weather satellites, 
climate models building codes, 

5940
05:19:13,700 --> 05:19:17,500
emergency services and 
infrastructure designed to 

5941
05:19:17,500 --> 05:19:21,200
handle extreme conditions. 
These are real advantages that 

5942
05:19:21,200 --> 05:19:24,900
save countless lives. 
But they can also create an 

5943
05:19:24,900 --> 05:19:26,500
illusion of control that doesn't
match. 

5944
05:19:26,500 --> 05:19:30,400
Reality nature retains the 
ability to overwhelm our 

5945
05:19:30,400 --> 05:19:32,700
preparations as hurricanes 
floods wildfires. 

5946
05:19:32,700 --> 05:19:36,800
And yes occasionally severe. 
Winter storms, continue to 

5947
05:19:36,800 --> 05:19:40,400
demonstrate. there's also 
something to be said about the 

5948
05:19:40,400 --> 05:19:45,000
pace of Life, the great snow in 
forced For weeks columns had 

5949
05:19:45,000 --> 05:19:48,100
nothing to do but exists with 
their families maintain basic 

5950
05:19:48,100 --> 05:19:51,800
necessities and wait. 
No, rushing to appointments 

5951
05:19:51,800 --> 05:19:57,000
know, checking device's know, 
consuming media, no busy work. 

5952
05:19:57,000 --> 05:19:58,700
That creates the illusion of 
productivity. 

5953
05:20:00,100 --> 05:20:03,200
Just being in the most 
fundamental sense. 

5954
05:20:04,300 --> 05:20:07,900
Many people who have experienced
similar Force, slowing, whether 

5955
05:20:07,900 --> 05:20:11,300
through illness isolation or 
circumstance. 

5956
05:20:12,100 --> 05:20:16,700
Report that while difficult it 
provided unexpected insights and

5957
05:20:16,700 --> 05:20:20,800
a recalibration of priorities, 
the stories that emerge from the

5958
05:20:20,800 --> 05:20:23,900
great snow highlight Humanities 
need to make meaning from 

5959
05:20:23,900 --> 05:20:26,900
experienced. 
People didn't just survive the 

5960
05:20:26,900 --> 05:20:30,200
storms, they needed to 
understand them to fit them into

5961
05:20:30,200 --> 05:20:32,200
narratives that made sense of 
their world. 

5962
05:20:33,300 --> 05:20:36,900
Some narratives were religious 
others, practical and still 

5963
05:20:36,900 --> 05:20:39,600
others focused on human heroism 
or failure. 

5964
05:20:40,200 --> 05:20:42,900
What matters isn't which 
interpretation was correct. 

5965
05:20:43,900 --> 05:20:46,700
But the creating these stories 
helped people process their 

5966
05:20:46,700 --> 05:20:51,200
experience and pass its lessons 
to Future Generations in our own

5967
05:20:51,200 --> 05:20:54,300
era of Rapid change and 
uncertainty were creating 

5968
05:20:54,300 --> 05:20:58,400
similar stories to make sense of
our experience is, we argue 

5969
05:20:58,400 --> 05:21:01,100
about their meaning, their 
implications and their lessons. 

5970
05:21:01,100 --> 05:21:04,400
Like those Colonial new 
englanders were trying to 

5971
05:21:04,400 --> 05:21:07,100
understand events that exceed 
our previous Frameworks for 

5972
05:21:07,108 --> 05:21:09,500
comprehension. 
There are arguments about 

5973
05:21:09,500 --> 05:21:12,100
whether the great snow was 
divine judgment or natural 

5974
05:21:12,100 --> 05:21:14,900
weather, mirror art debate about
current challenges. 

5975
05:21:14,900 --> 05:21:18,200
We're all just trying to make 
sense of things that don't fit 

5976
05:21:18,200 --> 05:21:20,000
comfortably into our existing 
understanding. 

5977
05:21:21,200 --> 05:21:23,700
The great snows eventual. 
End offers perhaps the most 

5978
05:21:23,700 --> 05:21:26,900
important lesson hard time do 
end. 

5979
05:21:27,700 --> 05:21:31,800
Spring did arrive the snow. 
Did melt life did return to 

5980
05:21:31,800 --> 05:21:35,300
normal or at least to a new 
normal shape by the experience. 

5981
05:21:36,200 --> 05:21:38,600
For people in the midst of 
Crisis, this can be hard to 

5982
05:21:38,600 --> 05:21:42,100
believe when you're trapped 
under 20 feet of snow with 

5983
05:21:42,100 --> 05:21:44,500
dwindling supplies and no 
certain end date. 

5984
05:21:44,500 --> 05:21:46,600
It's difficult to maintain 
faith. 

5985
05:21:46,600 --> 05:21:49,900
That better days are coming but 
they came anyway, as they 

5986
05:21:49,900 --> 05:21:53,700
generally do, this isn't empty 
optimism or toxic positivity. 

5987
05:21:53,700 --> 05:21:57,000
It's simply an observation based
on history. 

5988
05:21:58,100 --> 05:22:00,700
Humans are remarkably good at 
surviving difficult 

5989
05:22:00,700 --> 05:22:05,400
circumstances, adapting to new 
realities and rebuilding after 

5990
05:22:05,400 --> 05:22:07,500
disasters. 
We've done it. 

5991
05:22:07,508 --> 05:22:11,800
Countless time in, countless 
places, facing challenges that 

5992
05:22:11,800 --> 05:22:13,900
seemed insurmountable and they 
were surmounted. 

5993
05:22:15,100 --> 05:22:17,600
Colonists, who survived the 
great snow didn't have any 

5994
05:22:17,600 --> 05:22:20,400
special abilities. 
We lack, they were ordinary 

5995
05:22:20,400 --> 05:22:24,000
people who found themselves in 
extraordinary circumstances and 

5996
05:22:24,000 --> 05:22:27,100
did what needed to doing until 
the circumstances changed. 

5997
05:22:28,100 --> 05:22:30,500
As we come to the end of our 
journey through that remarkable 

5998
05:22:30,500 --> 05:22:33,300
winter. 
It's time to settle deeper into 

5999
05:22:33,300 --> 05:22:36,500
your comfortable spot. 
And let the story find its 

6000
05:22:36,500 --> 05:22:42,400
resting place in your mind. 
The great snow of 1717 happened 

6001
05:22:42,400 --> 05:22:46,300
over three centuries ago, but 
it's lessons remain as relevant 

6002
05:22:46,300 --> 05:22:50,600
as fresh snowfall. 
Those Colonial families living 

6003
05:22:50,600 --> 05:22:53,400
through week, after week of 
isolation and uncertainty. 

6004
05:22:54,400 --> 05:22:56,800
Probably didn't feel 
particularly heroic. 

6005
05:22:56,800 --> 05:23:02,100
They felt cold tired, worried, 
and thoroughly sick of being 

6006
05:23:02,100 --> 05:23:05,800
trapped indoors with the same 
people, eating the same food and

6007
05:23:05,800 --> 05:23:09,000
having the same conversations 
heroism. 

6008
05:23:09,000 --> 05:23:12,300
Like most important human 
qualities is usually just 

6009
05:23:12,300 --> 05:23:15,300
ordinary people doing what needs
doing without much. 

6010
05:23:15,300 --> 05:23:17,400
Thought about how it looks to 
others or history. 

6011
05:23:17,400 --> 05:23:21,000
The physical evidence of the 
great snow has long since melted

6012
05:23:21,000 --> 05:23:23,700
away. 
The drifts that seemed permanent

6013
05:23:23,700 --> 05:23:26,400
proved as temporary as all snow,
eventually must be. 

6014
05:23:27,200 --> 05:23:30,700
The damage was repaired the 
losses mourned and moved past 

6015
05:23:30,700 --> 05:23:34,700
and the extraordinary slowly 
absorbed into ordinary life's 

6016
05:23:34,700 --> 05:23:38,500
continuing flow. 
What remains are the stories 

6017
05:23:38,500 --> 05:23:43,000
passed down and reshaped with 
each generation and the quiet 

6018
05:23:43,000 --> 05:23:46,100
knowledge that humans can endure
a remarkably difficult 

6019
05:23:46,100 --> 05:23:50,800
circumstances when necessary 
Tonight, as you drift towards 

6020
05:23:50,800 --> 05:23:54,200
sleeping, your warm bed, you 
might spare a thought for those 

6021
05:23:54,200 --> 05:23:57,800
Colonial families huddled around
their fires, waiting for a 

6022
05:23:57,800 --> 05:24:00,200
winter. 
That seemed endless to finally 

6023
05:24:00,200 --> 05:24:04,200
release its grip. 
They made it through. spring 

6024
05:24:04,200 --> 05:24:08,700
arrived, life continued, the 
snow despite its overwhelming 

6025
05:24:08,700 --> 05:24:12,500
presence was ultimately just 
whether and whether always 

6026
05:24:12,500 --> 05:24:16,700
changes eventually, There's 
comfort in that persistence. 

6027
05:24:16,700 --> 05:24:20,700
In the knowledge that difficult 
times pass and seasons change 

6028
05:24:20,700 --> 05:24:25,700
and life finds ways to continue.
The great snow was exceptional, 

6029
05:24:25,700 --> 05:24:29,900
but what's truly remarkable is 
how people lived through it, not

6030
05:24:29,900 --> 05:24:32,900
through any special magic or 
Supernatural intervention. 

6031
05:24:32,900 --> 05:24:36,900
But through the ordinary magic 
of human resilience community 

6032
05:24:36,900 --> 05:24:41,500
support and simple, stubborn 
refusal to give up Sleep. 

6033
05:24:41,500 --> 05:24:44,600
Well knowing that whatever 
storms we face in our own lives.

6034
05:24:44,600 --> 05:24:47,600
Spring does eventually arrived 
the snow does melt. 

6035
05:24:47,600 --> 05:24:50,800
The world does return to green 
and growth and warmth. 

6036
05:24:51,600 --> 05:24:54,600
And the stories we tell about 
how we survived become part of 

6037
05:24:54,608 --> 05:24:58,000
the continuous human narrative, 
that stretches from those 

6038
05:24:58,000 --> 05:25:01,700
Colonial families to us. 
And from us to whoever will 

6039
05:25:01,700 --> 05:25:05,700
listen to these tales in 
centuries to come The great snow

6040
05:25:05,700 --> 05:25:08,500
of 1717 is waiting for you in 
dreams. 

6041
05:25:08,500 --> 05:25:13,000
If you want to visit all that 
white silence, all that Force 

6042
05:25:13,000 --> 05:25:16,900
Stillness, all those small human
moments of survival and 

6043
05:25:16,900 --> 05:25:20,600
community in endurance. 
But you're experiencing it from 

6044
05:25:20,600 --> 05:25:24,300
the warm side of History, which 
is exactly where you should be 

6045
05:25:24,300 --> 05:25:28,500
rest. 
Easy, tomorrow will come as it 

6046
05:25:28,500 --> 05:25:32,400
always does bringing whatever 
weather it brings And if you 

6047
05:25:32,400 --> 05:25:35,600
wait to find snow outside your 
own window, you can smile 

6048
05:25:35,600 --> 05:25:37,900
knowing it probably won't reach 
the Second Story. 

6049
05:25:38,800 --> 05:25:46,300
Probably. 
Imagine yourself sitting in a 

6050
05:25:46,300 --> 05:25:49,700
cozy Chair by a crackling fire, 
ready to hear about a man who 

6051
05:25:49,700 --> 05:25:52,700
never meant to be Scotland's. 
Greatest folk hero, William 

6052
05:25:52,700 --> 05:25:55,000
Wallace didn't come into the 
world with a crown on his head 

6053
05:25:55,000 --> 05:25:57,200
or a plan for the battlefield in
his hand. 

6054
05:25:57,200 --> 05:26:01,300
He was born around 1270 as the 
second son of a minor Scottish 

6055
05:26:01,300 --> 05:26:03,200
Noble. 
This meant that he was going to 

6056
05:26:03,200 --> 05:26:07,700
live a quiet life. 
That history tends to forget You

6057
05:26:07,700 --> 05:26:10,500
might picture young William 
growing up in renfrewshire and 

6058
05:26:10,500 --> 05:26:12,900
getting into the usual. 
Kinds of trouble that boys do 

6059
05:26:12,900 --> 05:26:15,900
like climbing trees. 
He shouldn't tracking mud 

6060
05:26:15,900 --> 05:26:19,100
through his mother's, clean 
Hall, and learning to swing a 

6061
05:26:19,100 --> 05:26:20,600
sword. 
That was still too heavy for a 

6062
05:26:20,600 --> 05:26:23,400
skinny arms, Malcolm Wallace. 
His father owned, some land 

6063
05:26:23,400 --> 05:26:26,700
around, elderly was enough to 
make them respectable, but not 

6064
05:26:26,700 --> 05:26:29,500
enough to make them Rich. 
It's like being the family that 

6065
05:26:29,500 --> 05:26:31,700
lives on a quiet street, but has
the nicest house. 

6066
05:26:31,700 --> 05:26:34,500
It's not like living in a castle
but it's nice. 

6067
05:26:34,500 --> 05:26:38,000
It wasn't Williams birth or his 
money that set him apart. 

6068
05:26:38,000 --> 05:26:41,100
It was the time. 
He was born, he was born and 

6069
05:26:41,100 --> 05:26:43,200
raised in Scotland. 
During a time when things were 

6070
05:26:43,200 --> 05:26:47,600
really bad King, Alexander the 
third died in 1286 leaving 

6071
05:26:47,600 --> 05:26:49,600
behind a mess. 
That would make today's family. 

6072
05:26:49,600 --> 05:26:53,000
Inheritance fight seem like 
polite dinner conversations, the

6073
05:26:53,000 --> 05:26:54,300
Scottish nobles were fighting 
over. 

6074
05:26:54,300 --> 05:26:57,000
Who should be the next king? 
Like, kids fighting over the 

6075
05:26:57,000 --> 05:27:00,000
last piece of cake, but this 
cake was a whole Kingdom. 

6076
05:27:00,000 --> 05:27:03,500
Edward the first of England came
along, he was a subtle as a 

6077
05:27:03,500 --> 05:27:05,600
sledgehammer. 
And as patient as a Hungry Cat 

6078
05:27:05,600 --> 05:27:08,800
watching a mouse hole, Ed Would 
saw the political chaos in 

6079
05:27:08,800 --> 05:27:11,800
Scotland and thought this looks 
like a great chance to add 

6080
05:27:11,800 --> 05:27:16,100
another kingdom to my collection
in 1296, when William was 

6081
05:27:16,100 --> 05:27:19,200
probably in his mid-twenties and
more interested in taking care 

6082
05:27:19,200 --> 05:27:22,500
of his family's land than in 
politics, Edward decided to 

6083
05:27:22,500 --> 05:27:25,200
invade Scotland with the same 
excitement as someone moving 

6084
05:27:25,200 --> 05:27:27,300
furniture around in a house that
wasn't theirs. 

6085
05:27:27,300 --> 05:27:30,000
The Invasion wasn't just a 
military Victory, it was a 

6086
05:27:30,000 --> 05:27:33,500
planned, humiliation Edward, 
took away Scotland, symbols of 

6087
05:27:33,508 --> 05:27:36,700
Independence like a tourist 
taking home a huge souvenir. 

6088
05:27:37,400 --> 05:27:39,000
He took the stone of Destiny 
away. 

6089
05:27:39,000 --> 05:27:42,200
He put English officials in 
charge of Scottish Affairs and 

6090
05:27:42,200 --> 05:27:44,900
acted like the worst kind of 
micromanaging boss you've ever 

6091
05:27:44,900 --> 05:27:47,600
had. 
Except this boss was in charge 

6092
05:27:47,600 --> 05:27:50,300
of your whole country for 
William who lived in the 

6093
05:27:50,300 --> 05:27:53,600
Scottish Lola's Edwards job. 
Probably felt like having 

6094
05:27:53,600 --> 05:27:55,900
strangers moving to his 
neighborhood and tell him how to

6095
05:27:55,900 --> 05:27:58,300
paint his fence. 
The new English rulers made, 

6096
05:27:58,300 --> 05:28:01,200
people pay taxes, set their own 
rules and didn't care about 

6097
05:28:01,200 --> 05:28:03,900
Scottish Customs any more than 
you would care about a crumpled 

6098
05:28:03,900 --> 05:28:07,300
grocery list, every day was full
of small annoyances and big 

6099
05:28:07,300 --> 05:28:08,900
problems that build up over 
time. 

6100
05:28:08,900 --> 05:28:12,300
Like pressure in a kettle, you 
can almost picture William going

6101
05:28:12,300 --> 05:28:15,900
about his business, managing his
smallest states, dealing with 

6102
05:28:15,900 --> 05:28:18,900
English, tax collectors, and 
watching English soldiers, 

6103
05:28:18,900 --> 05:28:22,400
Swaggart through Scottish towns.
You can also picture him feeling

6104
05:28:22,400 --> 05:28:25,000
that special kind of anger that 
comes from being told, you're 

6105
05:28:25,000 --> 05:28:27,800
not good enough to run your own 
Affairs, he wasn't planning a 

6106
05:28:27,800 --> 05:28:30,500
revolution yet. 
He was just a man watching his 

6107
05:28:30,500 --> 05:28:33,100
country, slowly Fade Away under 
the rules of someone else. 

6108
05:28:33,100 --> 05:28:35,700
But here's the thing about 
quiet, people who reach their 

6109
05:28:35,700 --> 05:28:38,800
Breaking Point. 
When they finally lose it, they 

6110
05:28:38,800 --> 05:28:41,000
don't just make noise. 
They write history. 

6111
05:28:41,000 --> 05:28:44,100
William Wallace was about to 
learn that the heroes who are 

6112
05:28:44,100 --> 05:28:46,800
most afraid to act are the ones 
who make the biggest difference 

6113
05:28:46,800 --> 05:28:49,500
because they reach a point where
they can't stand to watch 

6114
05:28:49,500 --> 05:28:51,400
anymore. 
His change from a small 

6115
05:28:51,400 --> 05:28:54,700
landowner to a famous Rebel was 
still to come like a storm 

6116
05:28:54,700 --> 05:28:57,500
gathering on the horizon. 
You might be wondering what 

6117
05:28:57,500 --> 05:29:00,000
makes a fairly peaceful 
landowner into Scotland's most 

6118
05:29:00,000 --> 05:29:02,500
famous Rebel like most turning 
points in life. 

6119
05:29:02,500 --> 05:29:05,000
The answer came down to 
something very personal and 

6120
05:29:05,000 --> 05:29:08,800
annoyingly small William Wallace
was called to testify in May 

6121
05:29:08,800 --> 05:29:11,600
1297. 
Before William Hessler, rig, the

6122
05:29:11,600 --> 05:29:15,000
English, Sheriff of Lanark 
historians still argue about why

6123
05:29:15,000 --> 05:29:17,300
this happened. 
Just like people argue about 

6124
05:29:17,300 --> 05:29:19,800
what really happened at a family
reunion years ago. 

6125
05:29:19,800 --> 05:29:23,600
Imagine this, you have to meet 
with someone who embodies 

6126
05:29:23,600 --> 05:29:26,800
everything you've come to hate 
about, your current situation. 

6127
05:29:26,800 --> 05:29:30,000
Hazel rig was one of those 
English officials who like to 

6128
05:29:30,000 --> 05:29:33,100
remind Scotts that they were now
subjects instead of citizens of 

6129
05:29:33,100 --> 05:29:35,400
their own country. 
He was like every annoying 

6130
05:29:35,400 --> 05:29:37,800
interaction you've ever had with
the government, but this 

6131
05:29:37,800 --> 05:29:39,800
bureaucrat could have you killed
if he wanted to. 

6132
05:29:40,700 --> 05:29:43,500
Depending on which story you 
believe, what happens next is 

6133
05:29:43,500 --> 05:29:45,600
different. 
However, they all end the same 

6134
05:29:45,600 --> 05:29:48,000
way. 
He's a rig is dead and Wallace 

6135
05:29:48,000 --> 05:29:49,800
is suddenly Scotland's Most 
Wanted man. 

6136
05:29:49,800 --> 05:29:52,400
Some people say it started 
because of taxes. 

6137
05:29:52,400 --> 05:29:55,700
Others say it was because of 
land disputes and still others 

6138
05:29:55,700 --> 05:29:58,400
say it had to do with a woman 
Wallace cared about the 

6139
05:29:58,400 --> 05:30:00,600
specifics don't matter as much 
as the outcome. 

6140
05:30:02,000 --> 05:30:05,100
William Wallace crossed a line 
that couldn't be uncrossed in a 

6141
05:30:05,100 --> 05:30:07,300
fit of rage. 
It wasn't the same as 

6142
05:30:07,300 --> 05:30:10,100
accidentally breaking a vase. 
At someone's house to kill an 

6143
05:30:10,100 --> 05:30:12,900
English Sheriff. 
This was like setting fire to a 

6144
05:30:12,900 --> 05:30:14,000
police station in the Middle 
Ages. 

6145
05:30:14,000 --> 05:30:16,200
There was no way to explain it 
away. 

6146
05:30:16,200 --> 05:30:20,200
No way to say sorry and no way 
to go back to your quiet life of

6147
05:30:20,200 --> 05:30:23,400
managing, Estates and 
complaining about taxes Wallace 

6148
05:30:23,400 --> 05:30:26,600
was with about 30 friends in 
Lanark that day and all of a 

6149
05:30:26,600 --> 05:30:29,000
sudden they were all criminals 
like the most important crime 

6150
05:30:29,000 --> 05:30:31,300
spree in history. 
But here's where the story gets 

6151
05:30:31,300 --> 05:30:34,300
interesting while this didn't 
Panic or run away to hide in the

6152
05:30:34,308 --> 05:30:38,000
highlands like smart criminals 
would have instead, he did 

6153
05:30:38,000 --> 05:30:41,000
something that surprised 
everyone even himself. 

6154
05:30:41,000 --> 05:30:44,700
He began to get more followers 
words, spread through Scotland 

6155
05:30:44,700 --> 05:30:48,100
faster than gossip in a small 
town, William Wallace had 

6156
05:30:48,100 --> 05:30:51,500
finally stood up to the English.
You need to know how badly 

6157
05:30:51,500 --> 05:30:55,000
people wanted to hear this kind 
of news for months of being 

6158
05:30:55,000 --> 05:30:57,800
watching, foreigners changed 
their country, ignore their 

6159
05:30:57,800 --> 05:31:01,200
traditions and either kill their
leaders, send them into Exile or

6160
05:31:01,200 --> 05:31:04,000
work with the Occupiers then out
of nowhere. 

6161
05:31:04,000 --> 05:31:06,800
There was this minor nobleman 
who seemed to have made up his 

6162
05:31:06,800 --> 05:31:09,300
mind, that he would rather be a 
dead Rebel than a living 

6163
05:31:09,300 --> 05:31:12,500
collaborator Wallace found out. 
He was good at something he'd 

6164
05:31:12,500 --> 05:31:15,700
never done before getting people
to fight when it seemed like 

6165
05:31:15,700 --> 05:31:19,200
there was no hope. 
Men began to arrive at his Camp 

6166
05:31:19,200 --> 05:31:22,300
Farmers, brought pitchforks, 
young nobleman brought swords 

6167
05:31:22,300 --> 05:31:25,500
Craftsman, brought Hammers, and 
a lot of people brought nothing 

6168
05:31:25,500 --> 05:31:27,400
but anger and a desire to use 
it. 

6169
05:31:27,400 --> 05:31:31,000
It was like watching a snowball 
roll down a hill, but this one 

6170
05:31:31,000 --> 05:31:34,100
was picking up Scott's who were 
armed and angry at the same 

6171
05:31:34,108 --> 05:31:35,500
time. 
The English government was 

6172
05:31:35,500 --> 05:31:38,600
having its own bad day at work. 
One minute, they're running a 

6173
05:31:38,600 --> 05:31:40,800
conquered territory, like any 
other occupying force. 

6174
05:31:40,800 --> 05:31:44,200
And the next minute, some nobody
from renfrewshire has killed a 

6175
05:31:44,200 --> 05:31:46,700
sheriff and become a magnet for 
all the unhappy Scots in the 

6176
05:31:46,700 --> 05:31:48,900
lowlands. 
Edward, the first was not the 

6177
05:31:48,900 --> 05:31:51,000
kind of King who liked surprises
like this. 

6178
05:31:51,700 --> 05:31:54,300
Within a few weeks Wallace had 
gone from being a wanted 

6179
05:31:54,300 --> 05:31:57,100
criminal to the head of a group 
that was starting to look a lot 

6180
05:31:57,108 --> 05:31:59,800
like a rebellion. 
He was probably learning faster 

6181
05:31:59,800 --> 05:32:01,700
than he wanted. 
That there is a big difference 

6182
05:32:01,700 --> 05:32:05,200
between being angry enough to 
kill a sheriff and being ready 

6183
05:32:05,200 --> 05:32:07,900
to lead a war against the 
strongest military force in 

6184
05:32:07,900 --> 05:32:09,900
Britain. 
But sometimes life doesn't give 

6185
05:32:09,900 --> 05:32:11,500
you enough time to get ready for
the part. 

6186
05:32:11,500 --> 05:32:14,100
You have to play. 
Imagine trying to explain to 

6187
05:32:14,100 --> 05:32:16,500
someone why you chose to fight 
the medieval version of the 

6188
05:32:16,500 --> 05:32:20,300
Pentagon with a group of farmers
Craftsmen and younger sons who 

6189
05:32:20,300 --> 05:32:22,100
couldn't inherit their father's 
land. 

6190
05:32:22,100 --> 05:32:25,000
This was basically William 
Wallace's situation in the 

6191
05:32:25,000 --> 05:32:27,900
summer of 1297. 
If he had been the type of 

6192
05:32:27,908 --> 05:32:31,000
person to make smart choices 
Scottish history would have been

6193
05:32:31,000 --> 05:32:33,700
much shorter and less 
interesting Wallace had 

6194
05:32:33,700 --> 05:32:36,400
accidentally become the leader 
of what military historians 

6195
05:32:36,400 --> 05:32:38,400
politely. 
Call an asymmetric conflict 

6196
05:32:38,400 --> 05:32:42,900
which is academic speak for 
David vs Goliath, except Goliath

6197
05:32:42,900 --> 05:32:45,900
has professional soldiers and 
David has a lot of people who 

6198
05:32:45,900 --> 05:32:49,600
are really really angry. 
The English army that was coming

6199
05:32:49,600 --> 05:32:52,300
to Scotland was everything, a 
medieval military force was 

6200
05:32:52,300 --> 05:32:56,600
supposed to be well, trained. 
Well equipped experience in 

6201
05:32:56,600 --> 05:32:59,500
conquest and led by commanders, 
who knew what they were doing. 

6202
05:32:59,500 --> 05:33:02,700
On the other hand, Wallace's 
Army looked like, what happens 

6203
05:33:02,700 --> 05:33:05,200
when you tell people at a bar 
that drinks a free and then give

6204
05:33:05,200 --> 05:33:08,100
them guns and stead of beer. 
Most of his followers had never 

6205
05:33:08,100 --> 05:33:10,800
been in a real battle. 
Many didn't have the right armor

6206
05:33:10,800 --> 05:33:13,800
and their plan was to hit the 
English with whatever you've got

6207
05:33:13,800 --> 05:33:16,700
until they go away. 
It wasn't a very promising 

6208
05:33:16,700 --> 05:33:19,500
situation. 
Wallace did have two advantages 

6209
05:33:19,500 --> 05:33:23,200
that weren't obvious right away.
First, his men were fighting for

6210
05:33:23,200 --> 05:33:26,200
their homes, which is a strong 
motivation that is hard to 

6211
05:33:26,208 --> 05:33:27,400
match. 
When you're a professional 

6212
05:33:27,400 --> 05:33:31,200
Soldier fighting for someone 
else's goals Wallace, also had a

6213
05:33:31,208 --> 05:33:32,800
natural understanding of what we
now. 

6214
05:33:32,800 --> 05:33:35,700
Call guerrilla warfare, though, 
he probably would have called it

6215
05:33:35,700 --> 05:33:38,600
practical fighting. 
This is the second and maybe 

6216
05:33:38,600 --> 05:33:40,900
more important. 
Point Wallace didn't want to 

6217
05:33:40,900 --> 05:33:43,400
fight the English in formal 
pitched battles were better 

6218
05:33:43,400 --> 05:33:46,100
training and Equipment would win
in Stead. 

6219
05:33:46,100 --> 05:33:49,700
He kept his troops moving, they 
attacked English supply lines 

6220
05:33:49,700 --> 05:33:53,000
quickly, then vanished before 
reinforcements could get there. 

6221
05:33:53,000 --> 05:33:56,200
They made life hard for the 
occupying forces who were trying

6222
05:33:56,200 --> 05:33:57,700
to control a hostile 
Countryside. 

6223
05:33:58,500 --> 05:34:01,100
Imagine being picked to death by
ducks in the Middle Ages. 

6224
05:34:01,100 --> 05:34:04,400
But these ducks had soared. 
The English commanders. 

6225
05:34:04,400 --> 05:34:07,300
Had been trained in traditional 
Warfare, but they were up 

6226
05:34:07,300 --> 05:34:09,600
against an enemy that didn't 
follow the rules of War. 

6227
05:34:09,600 --> 05:34:13,200
Wallace's troops would attack a 
Garrison disappear into the 

6228
05:34:13,200 --> 05:34:14,900
countryside. 
And then reappear, somewhere 

6229
05:34:14,900 --> 05:34:17,900
else, like the most dangerous 
game of whack-a-mole in the 

6230
05:34:17,900 --> 05:34:22,500
world by September 1297 Wallace 
had caught the eye of Andrew 

6231
05:34:22,500 --> 05:34:24,900
Murray. 
Another young Scottish Noble, 

6232
05:34:24,900 --> 05:34:27,400
who was leading his own 
rebellion in the north when they

6233
05:34:27,400 --> 05:34:29,600
worked together. 
They made something that scared 

6234
05:34:29,600 --> 05:34:31,700
English commanders. 
A lot more than two, angry, 

6235
05:34:31,700 --> 05:34:34,600
Scots groups. 
They made a unified resistance 

6236
05:34:34,600 --> 05:34:36,600
with real strategic 
coordination. 

6237
05:34:36,600 --> 05:34:40,000
The partnership worked because 
Wallace and Murray were a 

6238
05:34:40,000 --> 05:34:42,800
perfect match for each other. 
Murray brought Noble 

6239
05:34:42,800 --> 05:34:46,100
connections, and political 
legitimacy while Wallace brought

6240
05:34:46,100 --> 05:34:49,100
charm and a growing reputation 
for making English soldiers. 

6241
05:34:49,100 --> 05:34:51,600
Very nervous. 
They were part of a Scottish 

6242
05:34:51,600 --> 05:34:55,200
resistance, that hadn't existed 
since Edwards Invasion, it 

6243
05:34:55,200 --> 05:34:57,600
looked like, it might actually 
do something besides get its 

6244
05:34:57,600 --> 05:35:00,500
members killed, the English 
government used, the tried and 

6245
05:35:00,500 --> 05:35:03,100
true method of sending a huge 
Army to fix the problem by using

6246
05:35:03,100 --> 05:35:05,700
overwhelming Force. 
The Earl of Surrey was sent 

6247
05:35:05,700 --> 05:35:08,100
North with orders. 
That probably came down to find 

6248
05:35:08,100 --> 05:35:09,900
these troublemakers and show 
them. 

6249
05:35:09,900 --> 05:35:11,800
Why Rebellion is not a good 
career choice. 

6250
05:35:12,600 --> 05:35:14,900
What Surrey didn't fully 
appreciate was that he was about

6251
05:35:14,900 --> 05:35:17,700
to face an opponent who had 
spent months learning how to 

6252
05:35:17,708 --> 05:35:21,500
turn military disadvantages into
tactical opportunities Wallace 

6253
05:35:21,500 --> 05:35:23,500
had been studying. 
The English army like a chess 

6254
05:35:23,500 --> 05:35:27,000
player studies on opponent's 
best moves, looking for patterns

6255
05:35:27,000 --> 05:35:29,000
and weaknesses. 
That someone willing to try 

6256
05:35:29,000 --> 05:35:31,400
something new. 
Could take advantage of no one 

6257
05:35:31,400 --> 05:35:34,400
knew it at the time, but the 
stage was set for what would 

6258
05:35:34,400 --> 05:35:36,800
become the most famous battle in
Scottish history. 

6259
05:35:36,800 --> 05:35:42,500
September 11th 1297 began like 
any other day, but it would soon

6260
05:35:42,500 --> 05:35:45,200
become one of the most famous 
dates in Scottish history. 

6261
05:35:45,200 --> 05:35:47,800
The people who woke up that 
morning had no idea. 

6262
05:35:47,800 --> 05:35:50,200
They were about to see something
that would be talked about for 

6263
05:35:50,200 --> 05:35:54,000
hundreds of years. 
The Earl of Surrey led the 

6264
05:35:54,000 --> 05:35:56,400
English army which was camped on
the south side of the river 

6265
05:35:56,400 --> 05:35:59,200
forth near Sterling, they could 
see what looked like a medium 

6266
05:35:59,200 --> 05:36:01,700
sized Scottish force on Abby 
Craig across the water. 

6267
05:36:02,500 --> 05:36:04,900
If you've ever had to choose 
between the safe choice and the 

6268
05:36:04,900 --> 05:36:08,000
dramatic choice, you can 
understand how sarri felt that 

6269
05:36:08,000 --> 05:36:10,000
morning. 
The safest thing to do was to 

6270
05:36:10,000 --> 05:36:12,600
cross the river at the Ford 
several miles Upstream. 

6271
05:36:12,600 --> 05:36:15,500
This would give his whole Army 
time to get ready before 

6272
05:36:15,500 --> 05:36:18,400
fighting the Scots. 
The dramatic Choice was to cross

6273
05:36:18,400 --> 05:36:21,400
at Stirling Bridge which was so 
narrow that his troops would 

6274
05:36:21,400 --> 05:36:24,200
have to cross in small groups. 
Making them easy targets, 

6275
05:36:24,200 --> 05:36:26,900
Surrey, picked the bridge 
because he was sure of himself 

6276
05:36:26,900 --> 05:36:30,400
since he had never lost a battle
to Scottish Rebels to be fair to

6277
05:36:30,400 --> 05:36:33,000
him, this probably seemed like 
the right choice because his 

6278
05:36:33,000 --> 05:36:36,400
army was bigger better trained 
and better armed, what could 

6279
05:36:36,408 --> 05:36:38,900
possibly go wrong with crossing 
a narrow bridge to attack 

6280
05:36:38,900 --> 05:36:41,700
Farmers with pitchforks, Wallace
and Moray. 

6281
05:36:41,700 --> 05:36:44,500
Who were watching from Abby. 
Craig were probably feeling the 

6282
05:36:44,500 --> 05:36:48,000
mix of fear and excitement that 
comes with putting everything 

6283
05:36:48,000 --> 05:36:51,300
you have on a single desperate 
bet they'd carefully placed 

6284
05:36:51,300 --> 05:36:53,800
their troops. 
But their whole plan depended on

6285
05:36:53,800 --> 05:36:57,200
the timing being just right. 
If they went to early the 

6286
05:36:57,200 --> 05:37:00,100
English army would go back 
across the bridge if they waited

6287
05:37:00,100 --> 05:37:02,200
too long, they would be too many
English soldiers. 

6288
05:37:02,500 --> 05:37:05,100
To deal with, you can picture 
Wallace watching, English 

6289
05:37:05,100 --> 05:37:08,200
soldiers, march across the 
bridge in neat lines, counting 

6290
05:37:08,200 --> 05:37:11,500
heads, and trying to figure out 
the exact moment when there 

6291
05:37:11,500 --> 05:37:13,900
would be enough enemies across 
for the attack to be worth it. 

6292
05:37:13,900 --> 05:37:17,300
But not so many that his troops 
would be overwhelmed. 

6293
05:37:17,300 --> 05:37:20,200
It was like, trying to time 
jumping onto a moving train. 

6294
05:37:20,900 --> 05:37:23,200
If you missed by a second, in 
either direction, the whole 

6295
05:37:23,200 --> 05:37:26,000
thing goes wrong. 
While this gave the signal, when

6296
05:37:26,000 --> 05:37:29,000
the English had gotten about 
half of their army across from 

6297
05:37:29,000 --> 05:37:31,600
the Scottish point of view, what
happened next was the best kind 

6298
05:37:31,600 --> 05:37:34,900
of chaos, the Scots charged down
from Abby, Craig. 

6299
05:37:34,900 --> 05:37:37,300
With all the anger of people who
had been waiting months for this

6300
05:37:37,300 --> 05:37:39,500
chance. 
They hit the English forces at 

6301
05:37:39,500 --> 05:37:42,200
the worst possible time when 
they were spread out along the 

6302
05:37:42,200 --> 05:37:45,400
bridge and couldn't move. 
Wallace's plan was brilliant 

6303
05:37:45,400 --> 05:37:48,000
because it turned the English 
army strengths into weaknesses. 

6304
05:37:48,000 --> 05:37:50,800
It didn't matter that they were 
better trained if there wasn't 

6305
05:37:50,800 --> 05:37:54,600
enough space to use it, they had
better gear but it didn't help 

6306
05:37:54,600 --> 05:37:56,200
them when they couldn't get into
battle. 

6307
05:37:56,200 --> 05:37:59,200
Formations then numerical 
Advantage, didn't matter when 

6308
05:37:59,200 --> 05:38:01,700
only a small part of their 
troops could fight at any given 

6309
05:38:01,700 --> 05:38:04,200
time. 
The narrow bridge turned into a 

6310
05:38:04,200 --> 05:38:05,900
trap. 
Instead of a way to get across 

6311
05:38:05,900 --> 05:38:09,000
Scottish forces, have the upper 
hand and were moving quickly. 

6312
05:38:09,000 --> 05:38:11,700
While English soldiers, were 
stuck between them and their own

6313
05:38:11,700 --> 05:38:13,900
Army which was still trying to 
cross behind them. 

6314
05:38:13,900 --> 05:38:16,700
People who had already crossed, 
couldn't go back without 

6315
05:38:16,700 --> 05:38:19,200
fighting their own 
reinforcements and people who 

6316
05:38:19,200 --> 05:38:21,700
were still waiting to cross 
couldn't help without making the

6317
05:38:21,700 --> 05:38:23,300
traffic worse. 
Sorry. 

6318
05:38:23,300 --> 05:38:25,600
Watched as his well-planned, 
military Mission turned into, 

6319
05:38:25,600 --> 05:38:27,800
what looked like a very costly 
disaster. 

6320
05:38:27,800 --> 05:38:31,800
The Earl of Surrey had probably 
fought in dozens of battles but 

6321
05:38:31,800 --> 05:38:35,400
he'd never seen anything like 
this. a carefully planned attack

6322
05:38:35,400 --> 05:38:38,700
turned into a nightmare of 
medieval traffic management, the

6323
05:38:38,700 --> 05:38:41,400
English lost, thousands of men, 
including Hugh de cressingham, 

6324
05:38:41,400 --> 05:38:44,900
Scotland's treasurer Scott, 
celebrated his death, with the 

6325
05:38:44,900 --> 05:38:47,300
same kind of excitement. 
They usually save for big, 

6326
05:38:47,300 --> 05:38:50,400
holidays Wallace and Moray had 
done something that seemed 

6327
05:38:50,400 --> 05:38:53,700
impossible just hours before 
They had beaten a professional 

6328
05:38:53,700 --> 05:38:56,300
English army with a group of 
rebels that most military 

6329
05:38:56,300 --> 05:38:58,000
experts would have thought was a
joke. 

6330
05:38:58,000 --> 05:39:00,800
The winner Sterling Bridge 
showed that, the English weren't

6331
05:39:00,800 --> 05:39:03,300
a safe in Scotland as everyone 
thought, and it made William 

6332
05:39:03,300 --> 05:39:06,600
Wallace famous all over Britain,
but probably not in the way he 

6333
05:39:06,600 --> 05:39:09,200
had planned, when he decided to 
kill the sheriff of Lanark. 

6334
05:39:09,200 --> 05:39:12,500
William Wallace found out, that 
being a famous military hero is 

6335
05:39:12,500 --> 05:39:14,500
very different from being a 
minor land owner. 

6336
05:39:14,500 --> 05:39:17,200
After the battle of Stirling 
Bridge, people, in Scotland 

6337
05:39:17,200 --> 05:39:19,800
started to look at him, like he 
might have answers to questions.

6338
05:39:19,800 --> 05:39:23,200
He had never thought of before. 
Like what do we do now that 

6339
05:39:23,200 --> 05:39:26,800
we've shown, we can beat the 
English and how do we run a 

6340
05:39:26,800 --> 05:39:29,500
country when half of it is still
occupied Wallace? 

6341
05:39:29,500 --> 05:39:31,800
Was smart enough to know that 
beating one English army? 

6342
05:39:31,800 --> 05:39:35,100
Didn't mean Scotland was free, 
even though the victory had made

6343
05:39:35,100 --> 05:39:38,100
him feel great, it meant that 
England would send a bigger Army

6344
05:39:38,100 --> 05:39:41,900
probably led by someone much 
better than the of Surrey who 

6345
05:39:41,900 --> 05:39:44,300
had gone home to tell Edward the
house, how he had lost a battle 

6346
05:39:44,300 --> 05:39:46,800
against some farmers who were 
acting up sadly. 

6347
05:39:46,800 --> 05:39:49,200
And Andrew Murray was hurt at, 
Sterling bridge and died. 

6348
05:39:49,200 --> 05:39:52,300
Soon after this meant that 
Wallace had to deal with the 

6349
05:39:52,500 --> 05:39:54,000
Article, Fallout from their 
success. 

6350
05:39:54,000 --> 05:39:56,700
Mostly on his own. 
This was like winning the 

6351
05:39:56,700 --> 05:39:58,600
lottery and then finding out, 
you have to run the whole 

6352
05:39:58,600 --> 05:40:01,900
financial system yourself. 
It sounds exciting in theory, 

6353
05:40:01,900 --> 05:40:04,700
but it's a lot harder in 
practice Wallace was made 

6354
05:40:04,700 --> 05:40:07,500
guardian of Scotland, which 
sounded great but came with 

6355
05:40:07,500 --> 05:40:10,300
duties, that no one had told him
about, he was now supposed to 

6356
05:40:10,300 --> 05:40:14,000
run parts of Scotland, talk to 
other countries set up defenses 

6357
05:40:14,000 --> 05:40:17,900
against the inevitable English 
retaliation and somehow turn a 

6358
05:40:17,900 --> 05:40:19,800
successful Rebellion into a 
working government. 

6359
05:40:19,800 --> 05:40:23,400
Wallace's life was probably at 
its most strange during the 

6360
05:40:23,400 --> 05:40:28,100
winter of 1297 to 1298. 
In just a few months, he went 

6361
05:40:28,100 --> 05:40:31,400
from being a wanted criminal to 
The Defector ruler of Scotland. 

6362
05:40:32,300 --> 05:40:34,400
Now, he had to figure out how to
do the job. 

6363
05:40:34,400 --> 05:40:37,700
He spent time trying to get the 
world to recognize Scotland's 

6364
05:40:37,700 --> 05:40:40,100
Independence. 
He sent people to France and 

6365
05:40:40,100 --> 05:40:42,800
Rome like someone in the Middle 
Ages, trying to get their 

6366
05:40:42,800 --> 05:40:45,300
startup noticed by big investors
Edward. 

6367
05:40:45,300 --> 05:40:48,100
The first was reacting the way 
you would expect a man to react 

6368
05:40:48,100 --> 05:40:50,100
after seeing his men lose a 
battle to people. 

6369
05:40:50,100 --> 05:40:52,300
He thought were barely more 
civilized than sheep. 

6370
05:40:52,300 --> 05:40:56,000
People called Edward Longshanks 
because he was tall and Hammer 

6371
05:40:56,000 --> 05:40:58,700
of the Scots because he didn't 
want Scotland to be free. 

6372
05:40:58,700 --> 05:41:02,300
He saw the loss at Stirling 
Bridge as a personal insult that

6373
05:41:02,300 --> 05:41:04,600
needed to be fixed right away in
a big way. 

6374
05:41:04,600 --> 05:41:06,500
Wallace. 
Probably expected. 

6375
05:41:06,500 --> 05:41:07,900
And feared, the English 
response. 

6376
05:41:08,700 --> 05:41:11,100
It would put together an army 
that was bigger and better 

6377
05:41:11,100 --> 05:41:15,800
organized and led by him instead
of subordinates who might make 

6378
05:41:15,800 --> 05:41:18,200
tactical mistakes, that would 
make him look bad. 

6379
05:41:18,200 --> 05:41:21,700
This time, smart positioning and
good timing, wouldn't be enough 

6380
05:41:21,700 --> 05:41:24,500
to beat out better numbers and 
Equipment Wallace worked for 

6381
05:41:24,500 --> 05:41:27,400
months to get Scotland, ready 
for what was coming but he 

6382
05:41:27,400 --> 05:41:30,200
didn't have many resources and 
that his last victory was as 

6383
05:41:30,200 --> 05:41:32,600
much about English mistakes as 
Scottish Brilliance. 

6384
05:41:32,600 --> 05:41:35,700
He couldn't count on his enemies
to make the same mistakes twice,

6385
05:41:35,700 --> 05:41:39,000
especially since they were now 
being led by a king who had 

6386
05:41:39,000 --> 05:41:42,300
personally conquered Wales and 
had no plans to let Scotland 

6387
05:41:42,300 --> 05:41:45,100
slip out of English control. 
Wallace had a problem that was 

6388
05:41:45,108 --> 05:41:48,600
almost impossible to solve how 
do you protect a country with 

6389
05:41:48,600 --> 05:41:52,700
few resources from an enemy with
almost unlimited once it was 

6390
05:41:52,708 --> 05:41:55,200
like trying to keep a wildfire 
from getting to your house with 

6391
05:41:55,200 --> 05:41:58,500
just a garden hose in your 
willpower Wallace was very 

6392
05:41:58,500 --> 05:42:01,900
determined but determination 
alone isn't enough to stop 

6393
05:42:01,900 --> 05:42:04,800
professional armies by the 
summer of 1298. 

6394
05:42:04,800 --> 05:42:07,900
It was clear that Scotland was 
about to be invaded in a way 

6395
05:42:07,900 --> 05:42:10,700
that would make Would last 
Conquest look like a warm-up 

6396
05:42:10,700 --> 05:42:13,600
Wallace had done the impossible 
once but now he had to do it 

6397
05:42:13,600 --> 05:42:17,000
again in much worse conditions 
with everyone watching to see if

6398
05:42:17,000 --> 05:42:19,700
the hero of Stirling Bridge 
could pull off another miracle, 

6399
05:42:19,700 --> 05:42:22,800
someone who had never asked to 
carry the weight of a whole 

6400
05:42:22,800 --> 05:42:25,700
country's hopes was now aware 
that this time clever tactics 

6401
05:42:25,700 --> 05:42:28,700
might not be enough Wallace, 
probably dreaded the summer of 

6402
05:42:28,700 --> 05:42:30,600
1298. 
Since it would be the time of 

6403
05:42:30,600 --> 05:42:32,700
Reckoning after his victory at 
Stirling Bridge. 

6404
05:42:32,700 --> 05:42:35,100
Edward, the first had put 
together an army that was 

6405
05:42:35,100 --> 05:42:38,900
bigger, more professional better
supplied and led by a king who 

6406
05:42:38,900 --> 05:42:41,100
saw military failure. 
As a personal challenge to his 

6407
05:42:41,100 --> 05:42:44,100
ability Wallace was in the 
position of trying to do a 

6408
05:42:44,100 --> 05:42:46,800
miracle again, which is hard to 
do even when things are going 

6409
05:42:46,800 --> 05:42:49,900
well, the Tactical advantages 
that made Sterling Bridge 

6410
05:42:49,900 --> 05:42:52,200
Possible. 
English overconfidence, good 

6411
05:42:52,200 --> 05:42:55,500
terrain, and perfect timing were
not available for a second 

6412
05:42:55,500 --> 05:42:57,800
performance. 
Edward wasn't going to lead his 

6413
05:42:57,800 --> 05:43:00,400
army across a narrow bridge, 
into a trap that had been set up

6414
05:43:00,400 --> 05:43:04,100
just for them this time. 
The Battle of Falkirk on July 

6415
05:43:04,100 --> 05:43:08,300
22nd 1298 was not like the 
Battle of Stirling Bridge 

6416
05:43:08,300 --> 05:43:11,600
Wallace, didn't attack, an enemy
that was disorganized and stuck 

6417
05:43:11,600 --> 05:43:14,100
in an impossible situation 
instead. 

6418
05:43:14,100 --> 05:43:17,600
He faced a coordinated attack by
professional soldiers, who had 

6419
05:43:17,600 --> 05:43:20,400
learned from the mistakes of 
their predecessors Edward's 

6420
05:43:20,400 --> 05:43:22,000
Army. 
Had heavy Cavalry, professional 

6421
05:43:22,000 --> 05:43:24,300
infantry. 
And Welsh longbowmen who could 

6422
05:43:24,300 --> 05:43:27,700
kill Scottish soldiers from far 
away which made close combat 

6423
05:43:27,700 --> 05:43:30,800
tactics, useless Wallace. 
Had put his troops in defensive 

6424
05:43:30,800 --> 05:43:34,000
formations called, chill trams, 
which were basically Circles of 

6425
05:43:34,008 --> 05:43:36,800
men with Spears pointed out, 
like medieval porcupines. 

6426
05:43:36,800 --> 05:43:40,400
This was a good way to stop 
Cavalry Charges and at first, 

6427
05:43:40,400 --> 05:43:42,600
the English Knights couldn't get
through these walls of spear 

6428
05:43:42,600 --> 05:43:44,700
points. 
But Edward had brought those 

6429
05:43:44,700 --> 05:43:47,900
longbowmen from Wales for just 
this kind of thing, Harrow 

6430
05:43:47,900 --> 05:43:50,700
started to fall on the Scottish 
formation with deadly, accuracy 

6431
05:43:50,700 --> 05:43:54,100
and Spears aren't very good at 
defending against things that 

6432
05:43:54,100 --> 05:43:57,500
come from above the shield, 
trumps, which had successfully 

6433
05:43:57,500 --> 05:43:59,700
fought off. 
Cavalry attacks, the game, easy 

6434
05:43:59,700 --> 05:44:02,400
targets for Archers who could 
hit them from a distance that 

6435
05:44:02,700 --> 05:44:03,800
No, Scottish weapons could 
reach. 

6436
05:44:03,800 --> 05:44:06,200
You can imagine Wallace watching
his carefully. 

6437
05:44:06,200 --> 05:44:09,500
Planned defenses, fall apart in 
the storm of arrows and 

6438
05:44:09,500 --> 05:44:12,200
realizing that this battle was 
going to be very different from 

6439
05:44:12,200 --> 05:44:15,000
the one at Sterling Bridge 
instead of using traditional 

6440
05:44:15,000 --> 05:44:18,300
techs, that worked well for the 
Scots the English learned to use

6441
05:44:18,300 --> 05:44:22,100
their technological advantages. 
The loss at Falkirk was complete

6442
05:44:22,100 --> 05:44:25,600
and very discouraging. 
Wallace's Army didn't just lose.

6443
05:44:25,600 --> 05:44:28,300
It was no longer able to fight 
Wallace. 

6444
05:44:28,300 --> 05:44:31,000
Barely made it out alive, but 
thousands of Scots died. 

6445
05:44:31,700 --> 05:44:34,900
After Sterling Bridge people 
called The Man Scotland savior 

6446
05:44:34,900 --> 05:44:38,600
but now he was on the run. 
Again, this time without an army

6447
05:44:38,600 --> 05:44:40,800
to lead and no clear way to 
build one, back up. 

6448
05:44:40,800 --> 05:44:43,800
After full Kirk Wallace, stepped
down, as guardian of Scotland, 

6449
05:44:43,800 --> 05:44:47,500
he probably realized that he was
no longer useful as a regular 

6450
05:44:47,500 --> 05:44:50,600
military leader, the Nobles who 
had backed him started looking 

6451
05:44:50,600 --> 05:44:53,500
for other options such as 
talking to Edward in of 

6452
05:44:53,500 --> 05:44:55,500
continuing, a fight. 
That seemed more and more 

6453
05:44:55,500 --> 05:44:58,200
pointless Wallace. 
On the other hand couldn't or 

6454
05:44:58,200 --> 05:44:59,800
wouldn't accept that. 
Scotland's fight for 

6455
05:44:59,800 --> 05:45:03,100
independence was over. 
Instead of going into Exile or 

6456
05:45:03,100 --> 05:45:05,900
trying to make peace with their 
Edward, he spent the next few 

6457
05:45:05,900 --> 05:45:09,300
years acting as a diplomat and a
guerrilla fighter, he tried to 

6458
05:45:09,300 --> 05:45:12,200
get support from other countries
for Scottish independence, while

6459
05:45:12,200 --> 05:45:14,400
also attacking English positions
in Scotland. 

6460
05:45:15,300 --> 05:45:18,000
This was probably the most 
frustrating time in Wallace's 

6461
05:45:18,000 --> 05:45:20,300
life. 
He was well known in Europe as 

6462
05:45:20,300 --> 05:45:21,800
the man who had beaten in 
English army. 

6463
05:45:21,800 --> 05:45:24,700
But being famous doesn't mean 
you can get help from the 

6464
05:45:24,700 --> 05:45:26,800
military. 
It was easy for foreign courts 

6465
05:45:26,800 --> 05:45:29,700
to meet with the famous William 
Wallace, but giving him troops 

6466
05:45:29,700 --> 05:45:31,800
or money to fight. 
England was a more complicated 

6467
05:45:31,800 --> 05:45:35,000
political decision Wallace. 
Spent time in France where 

6468
05:45:35,000 --> 05:45:37,100
people treated him with the 
respect due to someone who had 

6469
05:45:37,108 --> 05:45:40,500
embarrassed the king of England.
However, he didn't get much real

6470
05:45:40,500 --> 05:45:42,300
helped. 
He went to Rome to get the 

6471
05:45:42,300 --> 05:45:44,900
Pope's support for Scottish 
independence, which is like 

6472
05:45:44,900 --> 05:45:48,500
trying to get the world to 
recognize a political cause The 

6473
05:45:48,500 --> 05:45:50,000
war went on in Scotland without 
him though. 

6474
05:45:50,000 --> 05:45:53,000
Other leaders joined the fight 
and sometimes they won and 

6475
05:45:53,000 --> 05:45:56,100
sometimes they lost Wallace. 
Had become more of a symbol than

6476
05:45:56,100 --> 05:45:59,000
an active participant in his 
country struggle, which was 

6477
05:45:59,000 --> 05:46:01,600
probably not how he had imagined
his career would go, when he 

6478
05:46:01,608 --> 05:46:04,400
killed the sheriff of Lanark. 
When he finally got back to 

6479
05:46:04,400 --> 05:46:08,000
Scotland around, 1303 he found a
country that had been fighting 

6480
05:46:08,000 --> 05:46:10,500
for years and was getting more 
and more tired of it. 

6481
05:46:11,200 --> 05:46:13,800
Edward strategy of constant 
pressure and harsh. 

6482
05:46:13,800 --> 05:46:16,900
Retaliation was working. 
The Scottish resistance was 

6483
05:46:16,900 --> 05:46:20,000
weakening and many nobles were 
starting to think that giving up

6484
05:46:20,000 --> 05:46:21,400
was better than more 
destruction. 

6485
05:46:22,500 --> 05:46:24,400
Wallace. 
On the other hand was, still 

6486
05:46:24,400 --> 05:46:26,800
committed to a cause that was 
starting to look hopeless. 

6487
05:46:26,800 --> 05:46:29,700
William Wallace had become 
something more and less than 

6488
05:46:29,700 --> 05:46:31,800
what he had to be by the year 
1305. 

6489
05:46:31,800 --> 05:46:35,700
He was no longer the leader of 
Scotland's resistance that job 

6490
05:46:35,700 --> 05:46:37,800
had gone to other people who 
were better at dealing with the 

6491
05:46:37,808 --> 05:46:41,300
complicated politics of medieval
warfare but he had become 

6492
05:46:41,300 --> 05:46:43,700
something that could be more 
dangerous to English interests. 

6493
05:46:43,700 --> 05:46:46,400
A symbol of Scottish 
independence that couldn't be 

6494
05:46:46,400 --> 05:46:49,300
beaten by normal. 
Military means, Edward Divine 

6495
05:46:49,300 --> 05:46:52,500
knew, how powerful symbols could
be, which is why he made such a 

6496
05:46:52,500 --> 05:46:55,000
big deal out of taking Scottish 
regalia, like the stone of 

6497
05:46:55,000 --> 05:46:59,000
Destiny after he conquered the 
country, it was easier to move a

6498
05:46:59,000 --> 05:47:01,300
stone to Westminster Abbey than 
to stop a living legend. 

6499
05:47:02,300 --> 05:47:05,200
William Wallace's Freedom meant 
that Scottish resistance could 

6500
05:47:05,200 --> 05:47:07,900
always start up again. 
It was probably only a matter of

6501
05:47:07,900 --> 05:47:11,000
time before Wallace was caught 
near Glasgow on August 1305. 

6502
05:47:11,000 --> 05:47:14,400
He had been working without a 
solid base of support depending 

6503
05:47:14,400 --> 05:47:17,400
on a network of allies who are 
getting more and more pressure 

6504
05:47:17,400 --> 05:47:20,500
from English authorities, the 
man who had once LED armies was 

6505
05:47:20,500 --> 05:47:23,400
now forced to move quietly 
through the countryside where 

6506
05:47:23,400 --> 05:47:25,400
anyone who helped him was in 
great danger. 

6507
05:47:25,400 --> 05:47:27,800
The way. 
The English reacted to Wallace's

6508
05:47:27,800 --> 05:47:30,400
capture showed how much Edward 
the first had been bothered by 

6509
05:47:30,400 --> 05:47:33,300
this small, Scottish landowner 
who didn't want to accept. 

6510
05:47:33,300 --> 05:47:36,000
Defeat Wallace wasn't just 
killed as a rebel. 

6511
05:47:36,600 --> 05:47:39,400
He was put on trial and punished
in a way that would destroy not 

6512
05:47:39,400 --> 05:47:42,700
only the man, but also the 
symbol he had become Wallace was

6513
05:47:42,700 --> 05:47:45,900
charged with treason that this 
was legally murky because he had

6514
05:47:45,900 --> 05:47:49,200
never sworn loyalty to Edward. 
The trial wasn't so much about 

6515
05:47:49,200 --> 05:47:52,200
finding out who was guilty as it
was about making a public 

6516
05:47:52,200 --> 05:47:55,100
spectacle to show, how pointless
it was to fighting English rule.

6517
05:47:55,800 --> 05:47:59,300
Edward wanted Wallace's death to
be a warning to anyone else who 

6518
05:47:59,300 --> 05:48:02,300
might want to do the same thing 
Wallace was put to death in 

6519
05:48:02,300 --> 05:48:06,800
London on August 23rd. 1305. 
In the kind of cruel way that 

6520
05:48:06,800 --> 05:48:08,800
medieval authorities used to 
punish people. 

6521
05:48:08,800 --> 05:48:12,300
They wanted to make examples of 
the execution was meant to be as

6522
05:48:12,300 --> 05:48:15,700
public and scary as possible to 
show what happened to people who

6523
05:48:15,700 --> 05:48:17,500
went against English rule in 
Scotland. 

6524
05:48:17,500 --> 05:48:20,500
But Edward that I made a mistake
that many rulers of made in the 

6525
05:48:20,508 --> 05:48:22,900
past. 
He thought that killing a symbol

6526
05:48:22,900 --> 05:48:26,000
would destroy what it stood for 
Wallace's execution, on the 

6527
05:48:26,000 --> 05:48:29,200
other hand, turned him from a 
failed Rebel into a martyr for 

6528
05:48:29,200 --> 05:48:32,000
Scottish independence. 
He was more of a threat to 

6529
05:48:32,000 --> 05:48:35,600
English interest after he died 
the when he was alive, William 

6530
05:48:35,600 --> 05:48:37,400
Wallace's story didn't end when 
he died. 

6531
05:48:37,400 --> 05:48:39,700
It became something that was 
part History. 

6532
05:48:39,700 --> 05:48:43,200
Part Legend and completely 
Scottish Robert. 

6533
05:48:43,200 --> 05:48:45,300
The Bruce took up the cause of 
Scottish independence. 

6534
05:48:45,300 --> 05:48:47,100
A few years after Wallace was 
killed. 

6535
05:48:47,100 --> 05:48:49,900
He eventually reached the goal 
that Wallace had died. 

6536
05:48:49,900 --> 05:48:53,300
Fighting for Bruce's, success 
was on the resistance that 

6537
05:48:53,300 --> 05:48:56,300
Wallace had started and the 
inspiration that His death, gave

6538
05:48:56,300 --> 05:48:59,500
him Wallace became a symbol of 
not only Scottish independence, 

6539
05:48:59,500 --> 05:49:02,700
but also the idea that regular 
people could stand up to 

6540
05:49:02,700 --> 05:49:06,100
powerful forces over the years. 
His story was told again and 

6541
05:49:06,100 --> 05:49:09,800
again, with more details, added 
made more romantic and changed 

6542
05:49:09,800 --> 05:49:11,900
to fit the political needs of 
different times. 

6543
05:49:12,800 --> 05:49:16,300
But the main idea stayed the 
same a man who chose to fight 

6544
05:49:16,300 --> 05:49:18,600
instead of giving up the irony 
of William. 

6545
05:49:18,600 --> 05:49:22,100
Wallace's Legacy is that he was 
a quiet landowner who never 

6546
05:49:22,100 --> 05:49:25,500
meant to lead a rebellion but he
ended up inspiring rebellions 

6547
05:49:25,500 --> 05:49:27,700
and movements for Independence 
all over the world. 

6548
05:49:27,700 --> 05:49:31,200
His life served as a paradigm of
how personal bravery could 

6549
05:49:31,200 --> 05:49:34,300
confront seemingly 
insurmountable Authority and his

6550
05:49:34,300 --> 05:49:37,700
demise Illustrated how martyrdom
could possess greater political 

6551
05:49:37,700 --> 05:49:39,600
significance than military 
Triumph. 

6552
05:49:39,600 --> 05:49:42,400
When you hear the name Wallace 
today, your hearing about a 

6553
05:49:42,400 --> 05:49:44,600
person who is somewhere between 
history and Legend. 

6554
05:49:44,600 --> 05:49:48,600
He is both what really happened 
in medieval Scotland and what 

6555
05:49:48,600 --> 05:49:50,300
people have needed, that history
to mean. 

6556
05:49:50,300 --> 05:49:53,500
The man who killed the sheriff 
of Lanark because he couldn't 

6557
05:49:53,500 --> 05:49:57,100
stand foreign occupation had 
become immortal in the same way 

6558
05:49:57,100 --> 05:49:59,100
that would have shocked and 
probably amused him. 

6559
05:49:59,100 --> 05:50:02,400
The most, his story reminds us 
that sometimes the heroes who 

6560
05:50:02,400 --> 05:50:05,100
don't want to be heroes and 
never plan to change history. 

6561
05:50:05,100 --> 05:50:08,600
End up leaving the biggest marks
on it, this is because they 

6562
05:50:08,600 --> 05:50:11,300
reach a point where they can't 
stand to watch anymore and 

6563
05:50:11,300 --> 05:50:14,300
decide to do something about it.
No matter what the consequences.