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Known as the father of flight and father of aviation, Otto Lilienthal was famous in his lifetime. People came the distance to watch his experiments with gliders and winged flying things. The Wright Brothers claimed to derive their own research from his groundwork. See also: Gramophone, Player Piano & Motion Pictures Alchemist Dippel: the Frankenstein Files Victorian Health: Sea Water Hydrotherapy The first person to make documented, repeat flights with gliders, Otto was the son of a gifted mathematician and a music teacher. He spent his boyhood in Germany and emigrated with his parents to America at the age of thirteen. Later he returned to Berlin to further his studies at the Royal Berlin Academy. Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle Sylvia Rose Books Author Website Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series In grammar school, he and his brother Gustav were intrigued by the flight of birds. Otto eventually became a professional design engineer and took his studies to Berlin. He focused on the study of air and propulsion, interrupted by service in the Franco-Prussian War. The Franco-Prussian War was one of Chancellor Bismarck's three defining conflict resolutions in the unification of Germany as a nation 1870-1. France ceded Alsace-Lorraine to the German Empire and didn't get it back until after the First World War in 1918, giving the area unique heritage, tradition and culture. See also: 19th Century: Home Gym, Bicycles, Antiseptic German Inventions We Still Love Today Modern Mirrors, Elevators & Kindergarten Back as a civilian, Otto became a staff engineer with various companies. His invention of a mining machine got him his first patent. Questing for success, he founded his own company to make boilers and steam engines, in hot demand at the end of the nineteenth century as the German Empire stoked the flames of progress in science and technology. He met his wife through music as they could both play and sing. He was a tenor and played French horn. She sang and played piano. They married in 1878, moved to Berlin soon after, and had four children. In 1889, Lilienthal published his famous book Birdflight as the Basis of Aviation (Der Vogelflug als Grundlage der Fliegekunst), which became the foundation for studies and experiments in flight. For several years he built gliders and flew them from natural and artificial hills near Berlin. See also: Industry & the Age of Monsters Pioneering German Women - Anita Augspurg German Myth - White Ladies & Changelings Between 1891 and 1896 he made over 2,000 flights in his Derwitzer Glider, so named because it was tested near Derwitz in Brandenburg, north-east Germany. Growing crowds came out to watch. First flown in 1891, it was an early successful design in aviation, able to carry a person. It was one of the first successful manned aircraft in the world. Otto made flights of up to 25 metres (80 feet), often with assistance from his brother and always with detailed documentation. Stats for the Derwitzer Glider: Crew: One (pilot) Length: 3.90 m (12 ft 10 in) Wingspan: 7.62 m (25 ft 0 in) originally; 5.5 m (18 ft) later Wing area: 10.0 m2 (108 sq ft) Empty weight: 18 kg (40 lb) He made dozens of models of biplanes, single person aircraft, wing-flapping planes and gliders, controlled by the weight and balance of the pilot. In early August, 1896, Otto went to the Rhinow hills, a popular launching site for his flying experiments. See also: Spa Life & Murder in 1890s Germany Amazing Legacy of Alexander von Humboldt Great 19th Century German Woman Artists His first three flights took off and landed without a hitch. On his fourth flight, weight tipped and the glider headed for the ground in a free-fall plunge from a height of 15m (49 ft). Though he survived the crash, Otto Lilienthal died in hospital a few hours later. In 1912, Wilbur Wright wrote: Of all the men who attacked the flying problem in the 19th century, Otto Lilienthal was easily the most important. ... It is true that attempts at gliding had been made hundreds of years before him, and that in the nineteenth century, Cayley, Spencer, Wenham, Mouillard, and many others were reported to have made feeble attempts to glide, but their failures were so complete that nothing of value resulted. In 1972, Otto Lilienthal was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame. Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle Sylvia Rose Books Author Website Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series See also: Pioneering German Women - Bertha Benz German Traditions - Gingerbread Houses The Mystic Victorian - Fortune Telling Back to Top

The science of entertainment hits its stride in the 19th and 20th centuries. The first motion picture premieres in France, the pneumatic player piano or Pianola is a hit with households and the sound revolution of the gramophone are among the inventions and innovations at the turn of the century. Jump to: Gramophone Player Piano Motion Pictures In Europe, America and elsewhere it was a time of progress, advances in transportation, communication, engineering and health. The science of entertainment rapidly evolved as modern contraptions like telephones, bicycles and stream trains gave people more free time than ever before. 1. Gramophone - Music at Your Fingertips Back to Top The rise of the Gramophone happened in several stages. The phonograph, an 1877 invention by Thomas Edison in America, created sound using cylinders or discs etched with markings. When the stylus or phonograph needle traced the spiral grooves they created vibrations, thus playing back the recorded sounds. The device was intended to be used for office dictation. In the 1880s, Alexander Graham Bell patented his graphophone, which used wax-coated cardboard cylinders. A cutting stylus moved side to side in a zigzag groove around the recording. Early stylus models used sapphires and diamonds, which were replaced with copper or steel at the beginning of the 20th century. Because sounds were faint the playback mechanism included the familiar trumpet or horn, which directed sound waves into the room. A hand crank mechanism powered the turntable. See also: Reiker For Hire - 3 in 1 Anthology Author Interview & Lora Ley Song of the Loreley In the 1890s Emile Berliner, a German-American inventor, took it all a step further with the Gramophone. His machine played flat discs instead of cylinders. It used 78 rpm records which were popular up to the mid-20th century. Born 1851 in Hanover in what's now Germany, Emile was Jewish but later became agnostic. To avoid being drafted into the 1870 Franco-Prussian war he emigrated to America. To finance his hunger for inventions he worked as an accountant, and studied chemistry in his spare time. In 1877 he moved to Boston and became a US citizen four years later. He invented a better telephone transmitter, an early form of the microphone, bought by Bell and contested by Edison. Berliner dedicated his research to sound reproduction and received his first patent, for his "Gramophone", in 1887. The playable discs included the Gramophone logo in the center, thus creating the world's first record label. Due to patents pending in the US, Berliner could sell the Gramophone only in Europe, where it was marketed as a toy. Dissatisfied, he convinced several financiers to cough up enough cash to create the full sized general entertainment model. It came with pre-printed music discs and the buyer could order more. See also: Wild Women and Winter Tales Lora Ley Adventures - Feast of Fools Care and Feeding of Your Kobold Part 1 Gramophones became popular drawing room entertainment before the widespread use of electricity. Then, electric models appeared. Bringing music into the home was a delightful novelty, for even the radio didn't yet exist. It was still in the experimental stage in Italy. Gramophones soon became all the rage. Emile Berliner defined the future of sound recording. Among his other inventions were the rotary motor and an early version of the helicopter. 2. Pianola & Player Piano - When the House is Rockin' Back to Top Front and center in any stylish modern drawing room was the Pianola or pneumatically powered player piano. It played popular recordings by reading perforated cardboard or metal tubes. Pianos for the home were first mass-produced in the 19th century. In 1866, America was producing 25000 pianos a year, closely followed by England, France and Prussia. By 1910 the number doubled in America and rose in Europe. Sales reached a peak in 1924, then declined as the phonograph and gramophone caught on, and the radio moved from experimental to common use. See also: Magic of Music & Cats Add Photo: Phone Cases, Tags, Wallets, Playing Cards Pioneering German Women - Anita Augspurg The player piano defined an era of progress and change. People no longer had to go out or learn a score to hear music and could now boogie down in their own homes. They could choose music they wanted to hear and get instant gratification as the cheerful machine cranked it out. In 1895 American Edwin S. Votey invented the first practical self playing mechanical piano. It could play whole musical performances using perforated paper rolls patterned for a particular piece of music. A piano and organ maker, Votey specialized in organs and held over twenty patents. He followed up in 1896 with the first practical pneumatic piano player, called the Pianola. Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle The cabinet device could be attached to and removed from a typical piano. Prototype testing for manufacturing began in 1896. Votey filed his patent application for the piano player on in 1897. The Pianola was released to the public in 1898, and the people rejoiced. By 1900, when the patent came through, Votey was in major marketing mode. He took advantage of full page full color advertisements in a quantity unsurpassed by previous marketers. The Pianola sold for $250, about $9,200 USD today. At the same time, imitators crowded in, releasing cheaper models. Word rolls, with lyrics printed on the sides, made the musical experience complete. Popular songs came into the hands of music lovers in America and overseas. In England, classical music was more to the public taste. At the turn of the century jazz music and the foxtrot exploded onto the scene. This period defines the most popular era of the player piano. See also: Your Photo on Magnets, Bandanas, Trinket Trays 3 Great German Artists for Art Lovers Writing Process - the First Draft Just one thing. Whoever operated the player piano had to learn hand and foot controls, a process which could take up to three years. In Germany, Edwin Welte was developing an instrument to reproduce every part of the music automatically. His machine could play back a recorded performance as if the original pianist were at the keyboard. Called a Reproducing Piano, the Welte-Mignon first appeared in parlors in 1904. For many years the player piano enjoyed its reign. As new developments in the evolution of sound recording and transmission took hold, interest in the player piano waned. The Stock Market Crash of 1929 was its death knell. Nonetheless the player piano remains, if not in our homes, in our hearts, as a vibrant and innovative symbol of an era in music. Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle 3. Motion Pictures - Novelties to Popular Culture Back to Top The nineteenth century saw great developments in photography. Just before the twentieth century, pictures started to move. With the swift progress of film and photographic technology, it was hardly surprising. Although earlier attempts had limited success, the commercial public screening of ten short films by the Lumière brothers in Paris 1895 came to be the defining edge of technology. It was the breakthrough of motion picture projection and the advent of cinema. See also: Beautiful Music Original Art German Myth - Headless Horseman Pioneering German Women - Bertha Benz Each film was up to 17 m (56 ft) long. It had to be hand cranked through a projector and it ran about 50 seconds. Brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière took a world tour with their cinématographe in 1896. They stopped at Brussels, Bombay, London, Montreal, New York City, and Buenos Aires. The cinématographe was based on a previous design and was able to record, develop and project motion pictures. The Lumières' early films were black and white, each taken as a single shot with a steady camera, of everyday events, for example, workers leaving the factory. Ten years later, the evolution of motion pictures took film from a novelty to a mass entertainment industry, with film production companies and studios established throughout the world. Claims to the title of first commercial movie house vary. It could be the Holland Bros. who opened their Kinetoscope parlor in New York in 1894; or a store owner in New Orleans 1896, who cleared out part of his shop to show movies on the back wall. By 1905, the Lumière Brothers decided motion pictures were just a novelty after all, and pulled out of the film industry put their attentions elsewhere. They invented modern color photography, with the first practical photo color process, the Lumière Autochrome. Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle

Modern mirrors, electric elevators and Kindergarten are among the 19th century German inventions popular today. During and after the industrial revolutions, science, engineering and education made amazing progress. Here are three fabulous inventions and discoveries by German engineers, scientists, scholars and entrepreneurs. See also: 19th Century: Home Gym, Bicycles, Antiseptic German Inventions We Still Love Today (lovethatpurr.wixsite.com) Amazing Legacy of Alexander von Humboldt 1. Modern Mirrors - Justus von Liebig, 1835 Early people used natural still water as a reflective surface. First manufactured mirrors were created from obsidian, or volcanic glass; copper, and polished stone. Copper is sacred to the goddess Venus. This metal also composed the mirror of the original Heidelberg Bridge Monkey. Earliest known mirrors are obsidian, dating to 6000 BC in Turkey. At first glass mirrors were hand-blown and rolled into flat sheets or discs. The first use of glass for mirrors appears 1 BC. Artisans used lead or gold leaf as backing. Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Books The Saint-Gobain factory, founded by royal initiative in France, was an important manufacturer. Bohemian and German glass were cheaper and also popular. A reflective surface behind the glass created the mirror. Join me on: Facebook Linked In Pinterest Blog Mirror making reached new heights in Italy, where craftsmen explored various techniques to create a reflective surface behind the glass. Elements such as silver, mercury or tin were common. Mercury toxins were burned off using a fire-gilding technique. Venetian glassmakers also popularized the use of leaded glass, or crystal, due to better transparency. German scientist Justus von Liebig created a wet deposition process in 1835, in which a thin layer of metallic silver is left on glass through chemical reduction of silver nitrate. The process, known as silvering, was easily adapted for mass manufacturing, leading to lower prices and widespread household use. See also: Beautiful Music Original Art Your Photos on Totes, Coasters, Laptop Sleeves Germanic Herbology - Edelweiss Von Liebig is responsible for countless discoveries and inventions. Another of his famous inventions is breast milk substitute for babies who could not suckle, and the basis for the famous Oxo brand, which was established after his death. He's also credited as the inventor of Marmite due to his work with yeasts. 2. Electric Elevator - Werner von Siemens, 1880 Electric engineer Werner von Siemens has a vast number of credits for his inventions. He's aka the founding father of electrical engineering in Germany. His name is used as the SI unit of electrical conductance, the siemens. In May 1881, his company introduced the world's first electric tram service in Berlin. Siemens is also known as father of the trolleybus, which rolled out in April 1882. Before electricity, elevators operated by manpower or steam. In 80 AD the Roman Colosseum had about twenty-five elevators for lifting animals, each able to carry 600 lb or 2 lions. It took eight men to power the lifts. See also: Sugar Beets, Altbier & First Newspaper German Pioneers: Father of Aviation Pioneering German Women - Bertha Benz Modern elevators began in the same place steam trains did - in the coal mines. The elevators were run by steam power and used to move goods in bulk as the industrial revolution called for more wood, more coal, more supplies and more power. Installed in factories, they could move products like never before. The first electric elevator was built by Werner von Siemens in 1880 in Germany. Another inventor, Austrian Anton Freissler, moved on to develop von Siemens' ideas and established a successful elevator company. Others jumped on the moving platform, and the elevator as we know it today was born. 3. Kindergarten - Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel, 1840 The Kindergarten, or Children's Garden, came into being in the late 18th century and developed world-wide in the 19th century. In 1779 in Strasbourg, Johann Oberlin opened a center for the care and education of pre-school children whose parents were working. In 1780 the idea was catching on in Bavaria. At the turn of the century royalty entered the picture, as Princess Pauline zur Lippe created a preschool in Detmold. Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Books In 1837 Friedrich Fröbel, the son of a pastor, founded a Play and Activity institute at Bad Blankenurg and coined the word Kindergarten in 1840. Activities included singing, dancing gardening and self-directed play. Fröbel studied early childhood education and created a line of educational toys for young children, as well as a songbook for children growing up. He was among the first to recognize the importance of activity in childhood learning. See also: Wild Women and Winter Tales Famous Women Inventors - Anna Connelly The Maiden and The Lindwyrm Due alleged association with radical feminist movements, Kindergarten was banned by conservatives in Germany between 1851 and 1914. By then the concept had surpassed national borders and was established world-wide. Kindergarten enjoyed more success in America than Germany at the time.

Who doesn't love music? This is Beautiful Music, bright and lively, one of my most popular original art designs on Zazzle, combining the love of music and expressive indie art! Get it on fashion, home décor, accessories, mugs, pet needs, posters, pillows, clocks, coasters, lots of options for musicians and music lovers. Today's Specials Peruse unique gifts and keepers for music makers, singers, dancers, music fans, piano players, guitar players, kazoo players, musical theater buffs, karaoke stars, actors, vocalists and shower singers. Cheerful colors suit multi musical styles including jazz, Latin, pop music, dance music, instrumental, classical, rock music, new wave, old wave, indie music. Other fabrics, sizes and design styles too! See collection: Beautiful Music Gifts & Art Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Books

Harvest spirits abound in German mythology and folklore. They're helpful, harmful or indifferent but must all be treated with respect. Harvest Bull, Grain Child, and Hafermann or Oat Man are only three of many. Jump to: Grain Child Harvest Bull Hafermann See also: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Book 5 - The Corn Spirits German Myth - Harvest Spirits 2 German Harvest Spirits: Roggenhund (Rye Dog) Also called Field Spirits, Corn Spirits, Wheat, Barley or Rye Spirits, Harvest spirits can be named for crops they inhabit or for their special qualities. Some are demonic in nature, many are hostile, a few trickster energies surface, and a very few will be helpful to humans without a sacrificial bribe. In the past, sacrifice involved live animals such as chickens. Or, a swatch of grain or corn was left standing as spirit appeasement. Some spirits, found in the final seed stalks, can come into the house or barn for the winter and give a blessing if treated well. This is one origin of corn husk dolls. 1. Grain Child - Kornkind Back to Top This harvest spirit assumes the form of a small child. The child may be beautiful and shy or ugly and rude. One shouldn't be fooled by the size and apparent vulnerability of this spirit. It has demonic associations and can cause destruction, sometimes without understanding the severity of its actions. When the threshers come, some harvest spirits including Kornkind flee into the last rows or corn or stalks of wheat. The final stalks must be carefully cut, not left to lie in the field, but brought to the house. See also: Song of the Loreley Herbology & Lore: Plantain Plant German Myth - Father Rhine River God The family creates a doll or figurine from the husks or stalks, and this is the origin of corn dolls. The doll occupies a place of honor, usually a shelf in the kitchen, where household members gather. Join me on: Facebook Linked In Pinterest Blog The spirit enjoys company and harmony, but fights or anger can upset it. Because of its demonic influence the Kornkind can cause fires, accidents or illness if unhappy. As an emotionally reactive spirit, it's sensitive to the emotions of household members and visitors. The figure containing the Grain Child stays in the house over winter. When spring warms the ground the spirit wants to go out to play again. Any seeds or grains in the figure are sown, and the cycle continues. See also: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Book 5 - The Corn Spirits German Myth & Folklore: Moss People German Myth: Lindwyrm, Mare & Pig Demons 2. Harvest Bull - Kornstier Back to top The Kornstier or Grain Bull is a harvest spirit in the form of a bull or ox. In spring the Bull is called Aprilochse (April ox) or Maiochse (May ox). In folklore and shamanism the Bull is a powerful spirit animal or totem. The Cult the Bull is among the oldest in pagan animal worship. He relates to the Sun and day Moon, as his horns form a crescent to the sky. Bird spirits such as blackbirds or cranes might accompany the Bull. Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series The Bull relates to fertility and abundance. Harvest Spirits Bull, Goat and Donkey come to fertilize the fruit trees over Christmas. Fruit trees such as plum, cherry and apple are important to Germans then and now who cultivate the land and depend on their own produce for food or income. In pagan lore, tree spirits might also inhabit fruit trees, and if the spirits are happy, the trees may be generous. Growers made offerings to the nature spirits from early times, and some still do. A swatch of uncut grain or a few sheaves left in the field can satisfy the Harvest Bull and other domestic animal spirits. Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Book 5 - The Corn Spirits 3. Hafermann - Dread Demon of Darkness Back to Top Associated with shadows and darkness, Hafermann is an apex predator in the spirit world. He's also known as the Black Man (Schwarzer Mann) and linked to tales of the Butzemann or German Bogeyman. Hafermann (lit. Oat Man) inhabits any crop and stalks the fields with an iron walking stick, seeking children to steal, eat or pummel. He can also fly to descend on unwary victims from above. He preys on adults or children. A person walking through corn rows or oat fields might be struck with his iron stick. See also: German Harvest Spirits - Dragons German Myth - Werewolves German Myth - Headless Horseman A demon, he has the power to kill with a glance. It's said he peeks in windows at night, and if anyone sees him, that person must die within a year and a day. He wears black clothes and blends with the shadows. He will nab any children out on the street after dark and whisk them off to a horrible fate. Children stolen by demons are either eaten, or enslaved. And then eaten. Hafermann can use others to do his bidding. Shape-changing spirits or black dogs may be his helpers. His stick fortifies his magical strength and demonic powers. Hafermann cannot die. He's part of the eternal energy of all things. See also: Chicken Soup: Chickens in German folklore Butzemann, Witches & Nyx - Scare 'em Good Alchemist Dippel: the Frankenstein Files

For lovers of art, history and trivia, we travel back to the Renaissance and High Middle Ages to meet three more amazing German artists whose influence resounds through time. Here are Albrecht Dürer, Mattias Grünewald and the brilliant German abbess, Hildegarde von Bingen. See also: 3 Great German Artists for Art Lovers Awesome Art & Artsy Deals Great Women Artists - Käthe Kollwitz 1. Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) Born in the free city-state of Nuremberg, one of eighteen children to a goldsmith, Dürer is perhaps the most influential artist of the German Renaissance. By the time he was in his twenties he achieved European fame with his detailed woodcut prints. He was also the first Western artist to paint landscapes as subject matter. He traveled frequently to Italy to hang with Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci and was enchanted by the Italian scenery. His paintings and etchings are often small in size, some having been done on the road. Dürer showed artistic genius from early years. At fifteen he apprenticed to a renowned painter and printmaker in Nuremberg, Michael Wolgemut. Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series After apprenticeship he followed the German custom of Wanderjahre or Travel Years, taking a year or more to wander and learn skills from masters in other areas. Dürer traveled for four years. During his lifetime he kept copious records of his travels, philosophies, studies and observations. His writings and books about etching and printmaking, details and proportion, were eagerly studied by succeeding generations. Dürer remains one of the most important figures in the art history of Germania. See also: Sugar Beets, Altbier & First Newspaper Great 19th Century German Woman Artists Your Photos on Totes, Coasters, Laptop Sleeves 2. Matthias Grünewald (1470 - 1528) A German Renaissance painter, Grünewald was a rebel. He boldly ignored the classic emphasis of the times to bring forward the style of late medieval art. Few of his works survive, about ten paintings and thirty-five drawings in all. His paintings are large scale, often using several panels, and religious in subject matter. Grünewald's work was obscure until the late 19th century, with some of his paintings attributed to Albrecht Dürer, although the two styles are distinctly different. During his lifetime Grünewald was well known, as told by records of commissions he received from the Church or wealthy patrons. Sylvia Rose Books Author Page Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series He's most famous for his work on the Isenheim Altarpiece from 1512-16 (above, in part). The Altarpiece is a huge multi-paneled painting with two sets of folding wings. It was created for the Monastery of St. Anthony, which specialized in medicine, especially care of plague sufferers and treatment of ergotism and other skin diseases. Thus is the image of crucified Christ pocked with plague-type sores, showing patients how Jesus understood and shared their suffering. This authentic depiction of medical diseases was rare in Europe at the time. Join me on: Facebook Linked In Pinterest Blog Grünewald was also a court painter for the Archbishop of Mainz. Despite his success, he is described by an acquaintance as leading a reclusive, melancholy life. His marriage ended badly in 1523, with his wife Anna sent to an institution due to mental illness, or demonic possession. See also: German Herbology - Edelweiss Song of the Loreley Wild Women and Winter Tales 3. Hildegarde of Bingen (1098 - 1179) Hildegard of Bingen was also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine. A German Benedictine abbess, she was a polymath active as a writer, music composer, philosopher, visionary, medical writer and practitioner during the High Middle Ages. As a composer she's known for sacred monophony, a type of Christian folk music rendered down to its simplest melody. The tune is sung or played on a single instrument without accompaniment. For her work in medicine and science she's considered the founder of scientific natural history, or the study of plants, animals and other living organisms, in Germany. In 2012, she was named a Doctor of the Church by the Pope. Sylvia Rose Books Author Page Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Her Scivias describes her twenty-six visionary experiences. The work contains 35 illuminated manuscript paintings embellished with ornamentation and gold leaf. The title comes from the Latin Sci vias Domini (Know the Ways of the Lord). She also wrote three volumes of visionary theology. Hildegard felt a strong faith all her life. She said she first saw "The Shade of the Living Light" at age of three, and by five years old, began to realize she was having visions. See also: Amazing Legacy of Alexander von Humboldt Pioneering German Women - Anita Augspurg Happy Friday! Tidbits & Trivia

Enjoying a fabulous Rhine cruise here in Canada! The Rhine is one of most romantic rivers in the world, with gorgeous scenery, ancient towns and enduring legends. Death Cruise, the first of the Reiker For Hire Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries, features murder on the Rhine. Having lived in the south of Germany I love revisiting and discovering places like Speyer, Heidelberg and Strasbourg. See also: Song of the Loreley German Myth - Father Rhine River God Steam & Style - Agrippina of the Rhine The name Rhine comes from Gaulish Renos, meaning 'that which flows'. The God Renos or Rhenos, aka Rhine Father or Rhenus Pater in Latin, watches over the 820-mile (1320 km) river. He's also the god of all freshwater rivers, lakes, ponds and streams. The Rhine flows from Basel, Switzerland, to the North Sea. The river traverses a landscape of ancient towns and castles, rugged rocks or gentle slopes, wine country and the legend of the Loreley Rock (Lorelei). Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle One of the must-see stops on a Rhine Cruise is Speyer. The Cathedral is an amazing creation of Romanesque architecture. It's my favorite architectural period partly because of the feeling of solidity, and the use of arches and columns to make the most of light from small windows. Join me on: Facebook Linked In Pinterest Blog Begun in 1030 by Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II, the building took on classic Romanesque features in the 11th and 12 centuries. Created from red sandstone, Speyer Cathedral marked a turning point in architecture. The arched ceiling of the nave seems impossibly high for the era. You will see early pagan symbols if you look around, such as the bronze toad. If you go to Speyer definitely don't forget to view the tombs. Give yourself time to spare, because Speyer is the largest Romanesque cathedral in the world. See also: Heidelberg - Dueling Scars, Jail & Beer German Traditions - the Linden Tree Romanesque - Magic of Light and Stone The Lorelei legend was conceived in the early nineteenth century and put to poetry by Friedrich Schiller about mid-century. The story sprang from the Romantic period in art and literature, a tale of love lost and eternal sorrow, as a pretty maiden flings herself from the cliffs and becomes the Loreley Siren. She sits on the rocks and combs her golden hair, and her song calls fishermen and sailors to their doom, to be crushed upon the fatal shores. The legend is still young. Nyx or water spirits originate in pre-Christian times. Before the Lorelei tale, the rock was said to be populated by Dwarfs. Loreley, the German spelling of the name, means "murmuring place" or "murmuring rock", because the wind and a small waterfall echoed to make sounds of voices. The waterfall dried up in industrial revolutions of the 19th century. Now the rock murmurs no more, and only the story remains. Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle

This map shows the ports of call in the novella Death Cruise, the first of the Reiker For Hire trilogy. The Reiker For Hire novels are set in the 1890's, the late Victorian era, in Germany. A major route for trade and transport, the Rhine flows north from Switzerland to the North Sea. Sylvia Rose Books Sylvia Rose Art Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Without spoilers, here's the itinerary for the steamship Agrippina II on the fateful Death Cruise of 1896. First stop is Strasbourg. After the Franco-German War (1870-1), Alsace Lorraine became part of Germany, then known as the German Empire, until 1914. The German flag was black, white and red. Then we come to Speyer with its famous Romanesque Cathedral. Next, up the scenic Neckar River for an overnight stop at romantic Heidelberg, a vibrant student town. Heidelberg has the oldest university and library in Germany, founded 1386, and one of the oldest hospitals. Finally we arrive at Worms, the seat of the ancient Burgundian kings. Worms is central to the story of Siegfried the Germanic hero and the Queens Kriemhild and Brunhilde. The Nibelungen bridge over the Rhine at Worms was built from 1897 - 1900. Before that, one had to take water transportation, or a train crossing at Mannheim. Although it's not mentioned in the novel, Mannheim is also the place Karl Benz invented his famous fuel-powered vehicles, publicized by his enterprising wife Bertha. Sylvia Rose Books Sylvia Rose Art Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries