A Passion For The Past

"A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots." - Marcus Garvey

I think it was the look, feel and smell of old buildings that really drew me in, seeing the past living on, its beautiful. Knowing lifetimes had been played out in the very rooms I was visiting. Thousands of conversations, millions of words spoken, the emotional drama played out on this stage on a daily basis. They say history is always written by the winners, however the people that made them winners have always been more fascinating to me.

Going to museums and seeing all the artefacts, clothing, weaponry, art, etc. has always been a magical thing for me. From playing with PlayMobil castles when I was five or six to reading about obscure Icelandic history at twenty, half of me has always lived in centuries gone by. The other half lives in this musical, arty, fantasy world, but thats another story for another time. I have spent countless hours just looking up areas of history that had been mentioned in passing that I knew vaguely or nothing at all, just to feel the gaps in my knowledge. Like music, it is a strange form of addiction. Ranging from looking up books and articles to watching documentaries in the small hours. A daily fix of the past and what it can teach us is not a bad thing though. They say history repeats itself, with the world in the state that it is with shades of nationalism, hate, ignorance and bigotry emerging from the cracks in the foundations we stand on. I cannot help but think that some of this could have been prevented.

Anyway, this passion of mine has long been rooted in my time in Germany. The majority of my primary school education was undertaken in those five years, two of which in the shadow of the Sparrenburg upon Bielefeld Ridge. It was an amazing time of my life, Germany is a beautiful country and I pine to be back daily. Learning about civilisations of the ancients right through to the modern day, the myths and legends, the gods and goddesses, great battles, all of it. I was easily impressionable when it came to history.

With the history section of this blog I aim to discuss little snippets of history that I have discovered. Interesting parts that are not often discussed or taught, as I find that is where all the best substance is, in the crooks and crannies, the nitty gritty, you name it! From the paths less travelled down, the books left unread. The aim is to take you on an adventure like I did myself when I found out about the area I will be discussing! Happy time travels!