Eleanor Kuhns's Blog
June 27, 2024
Minoan Tea
One of the reviewers for On the Horns of Death commented on the fact Martis and her mother, as well as other women in the mystery, drink tea. She questioned whether this might be an anachronism.
In fact, I was not thinking of the teas we get from India and China but instead of an herbal tea made from herbs well known in Crete.
Both sage and dittany were known then. Dittany is an herb that has been used for centuries, right down to early America, as a medicinal plant. A potent and fragrant herb related to oregano, the name comes from Mount Dikte in Crete. And, of course, one of the names for Britomartis, the maiden in the Cretan pantheon, is Diktynna. It is marketed now as a tea called Dictamnus.
Sage is another herb we believe was known and used in ancient times. We use it primarily as a culinary herb but, like oregano today, it also was used as ritually and as a medicine.
Finally, an herb that is marketed as an herbal tea today is malotira. This herb grows at high altitudes on Crete and is valued for its medicinal properties. It is commonly used to treat respiratory illness and digestive problems as well as skin irritation. It has anti-inflammation, anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties.
When I described Martis and company drinking tea, I was visualizing an herbal concoction. Maybe one of the herbs alone, maybe a combination
In fact, I was not thinking of the teas we get from India and China but instead of an herbal tea made from herbs well known in Crete.
Both sage and dittany were known then. Dittany is an herb that has been used for centuries, right down to early America, as a medicinal plant. A potent and fragrant herb related to oregano, the name comes from Mount Dikte in Crete. And, of course, one of the names for Britomartis, the maiden in the Cretan pantheon, is Diktynna. It is marketed now as a tea called Dictamnus.
Sage is another herb we believe was known and used in ancient times. We use it primarily as a culinary herb but, like oregano today, it also was used as ritually and as a medicine.
Finally, an herb that is marketed as an herbal tea today is malotira. This herb grows at high altitudes on Crete and is valued for its medicinal properties. It is commonly used to treat respiratory illness and digestive problems as well as skin irritation. It has anti-inflammation, anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties.
When I described Martis and company drinking tea, I was visualizing an herbal concoction. Maybe one of the herbs alone, maybe a combination
June 13, 2024
Nancy Drew
Why am I blogging about Nancy Drew? I am beginning a new series set in the late 1920s and into the thirties. Like most girls, and certainly almost all women mystery writers, I started my career by reading the Nancy Drew mysteries. Nancy, and her friends George and Bess, are so much a part of the culture, I, at least, can't imagine the world without them. I thought I should reread a few.
What I didn't know was that the first Nancy Drew was published in 1929, only nine years after women won the right to vote. The Secret of Shadow Ranch was published in 1931.
There are few descriptions of clothing or anything else that might be too era specific so the books can stretch across decades without sounding dated. And Nancy is brave, smart and independent, a new role model for girls who wanted something else besides the domestic sphere. Later revisions have, of course, adapted some of her traits and history.
Her spunky personality is usually ascribed to Mildred Wirt who wrote many of the early mysteries.
These books are targeted to girls 3rd to 6th grade. I read them mostly in the fourth and fifth grades and had a number of favorites. (I am now rereading The Sign of the Twisted Candles which I loved.)
To an adult, the mysteries are lightweight, the writing pedestrian at best, but I can see the appeal to a girl. The mysteries have some danger, but Nancy always escapes it. I loved stories with secret rooms and here we are. Plus, Nancy does everything well, money is never a problem, and no one tells her what to do. Not even her father, Carson.
I imagine the young women in my new series will know of Nancy Drew even if they have not read her books.
What I didn't know was that the first Nancy Drew was published in 1929, only nine years after women won the right to vote. The Secret of Shadow Ranch was published in 1931.
There are few descriptions of clothing or anything else that might be too era specific so the books can stretch across decades without sounding dated. And Nancy is brave, smart and independent, a new role model for girls who wanted something else besides the domestic sphere. Later revisions have, of course, adapted some of her traits and history.
Her spunky personality is usually ascribed to Mildred Wirt who wrote many of the early mysteries.
These books are targeted to girls 3rd to 6th grade. I read them mostly in the fourth and fifth grades and had a number of favorites. (I am now rereading The Sign of the Twisted Candles which I loved.)
To an adult, the mysteries are lightweight, the writing pedestrian at best, but I can see the appeal to a girl. The mysteries have some danger, but Nancy always escapes it. I loved stories with secret rooms and here we are. Plus, Nancy does everything well, money is never a problem, and no one tells her what to do. Not even her father, Carson.
I imagine the young women in my new series will know of Nancy Drew even if they have not read her books.
May 30, 2024
Minoan Lady of the Beasts/Artemis
Artemis is described in the Iliad as Potnia Theron or the Lady of the Beasts. (Potnia is a term of respect, meaning Lady or Mistress.) It is also a title formerly used by a Minoan Goddess - the Lady of the Beasts.
A similar goddess was worshipped throughout the Aegean. In fact, the Mistress of the Beasts - or something similar - was worshipped as far back as the Neolithic, including Crete. I don't think it is a big stretch of the imagination to believe that Artemis either took over the role of her precursor or was the Lady of the Beasts under a different name.
What do we know about Artemis? She was a beautiful winged Goddess, usually associated with the Moon. (Although, since her twin brother was Apollo, the sun, there are solar elements as well. Both were children of Leto and Zeus.) She was passionate about her virginity and could be quite cruel to her nymphs when they lost their theirs, even if usually by rape. Young girls were frequently dedicated to her at the age of somewhere between 9 and fifteen. (Scholars disagree about the age.) Suidas and Arktos e Brauroniols wrote that the Athenians decreed that no virgin could be married unless they played the bear for the Goddess. (Interesting and odd to me in light of the beliefs about young girls who die before marriage and children - who become spirits, or willies.) Martis would have been dedicated as well but, unlike most of her peers, she plans to remain a virgin and dedicated to the Virgin Goddess.
Artemis is also a patron of childbirth, again an interesting juxtaposition with a virgin goddess. Women prayed to her for an easy and safe childbirth and shrines to her were present well into Roman times.
She was also a huntress and is frequently pictured with her golden bow and arrows and a pack of hunting dogs. This is the piece that fits in with the Lady of the Beasts. As a beautiful but unattainable woman, she was frequently the object of men's attentions. With the Greek predilection for violent drama, her reaction toward them tended to be fatal. In one myth, a mortal saw her bathing naked. Artemis turned him into a stag and his own hunting dogs tore him apart.
Although Artemis is a hunter and a protector of women in childbirth, the apparent disconnect does make sense. Fertility of both women and animals, domestic and wild, was necessary for prosperity.
In Classical Greece, Artemis is a daughter of Zeus. But her history is far older than that.
A similar goddess was worshipped throughout the Aegean. In fact, the Mistress of the Beasts - or something similar - was worshipped as far back as the Neolithic, including Crete. I don't think it is a big stretch of the imagination to believe that Artemis either took over the role of her precursor or was the Lady of the Beasts under a different name.
What do we know about Artemis? She was a beautiful winged Goddess, usually associated with the Moon. (Although, since her twin brother was Apollo, the sun, there are solar elements as well. Both were children of Leto and Zeus.) She was passionate about her virginity and could be quite cruel to her nymphs when they lost their theirs, even if usually by rape. Young girls were frequently dedicated to her at the age of somewhere between 9 and fifteen. (Scholars disagree about the age.) Suidas and Arktos e Brauroniols wrote that the Athenians decreed that no virgin could be married unless they played the bear for the Goddess. (Interesting and odd to me in light of the beliefs about young girls who die before marriage and children - who become spirits, or willies.) Martis would have been dedicated as well but, unlike most of her peers, she plans to remain a virgin and dedicated to the Virgin Goddess.
Artemis is also a patron of childbirth, again an interesting juxtaposition with a virgin goddess. Women prayed to her for an easy and safe childbirth and shrines to her were present well into Roman times.
She was also a huntress and is frequently pictured with her golden bow and arrows and a pack of hunting dogs. This is the piece that fits in with the Lady of the Beasts. As a beautiful but unattainable woman, she was frequently the object of men's attentions. With the Greek predilection for violent drama, her reaction toward them tended to be fatal. In one myth, a mortal saw her bathing naked. Artemis turned him into a stag and his own hunting dogs tore him apart.
Although Artemis is a hunter and a protector of women in childbirth, the apparent disconnect does make sense. Fertility of both women and animals, domestic and wild, was necessary for prosperity.
In Classical Greece, Artemis is a daughter of Zeus. But her history is far older than that.
May 16, 2024
Currently Reading
This past week I read Murder in the Fourth Position by Lori Robbins.
This is the fourth in this very interesting series. The protagonist/detective is a ballerina.
In this outing, Leah Siderova leaves the world of ballet for a musical on Broadway. The truth, though, is more complicated. There are rumors of problems on the set and the star of the show, Amber, is being targeted by online threats.
Then the online threats escalate into real world violence, resulting in the hospitalization, not only of Amber, but also of a costumer.
Then Leah herself is targeted. I love this unusual protagonist and setting and the mysteries aren't bad either.
The second book for the week is Old Murders, the third in Frankie Bailey's Lizzie Stuart mysteries.
I love this series. Lizzie Stuart is an engaging character with flaws as well as strengths.
Against the backdrop of a fight over the development of downtown Gallagher, a talented local artist goes missing. At the same time a fifty year old murder raises its ugly head. Someone wants to keep bury both mysteries and Lizzie is in the way.
At the same time, she is dealing with her fragile relationship with detective John Quinn.
As usual, Bailey does a great job of setting her mystery against the intersection of race, gender, and the imbalance of power. Highly recommended.
This is the fourth in this very interesting series. The protagonist/detective is a ballerina.
In this outing, Leah Siderova leaves the world of ballet for a musical on Broadway. The truth, though, is more complicated. There are rumors of problems on the set and the star of the show, Amber, is being targeted by online threats.
Then the online threats escalate into real world violence, resulting in the hospitalization, not only of Amber, but also of a costumer.
Then Leah herself is targeted. I love this unusual protagonist and setting and the mysteries aren't bad either.
The second book for the week is Old Murders, the third in Frankie Bailey's Lizzie Stuart mysteries.
I love this series. Lizzie Stuart is an engaging character with flaws as well as strengths.
Against the backdrop of a fight over the development of downtown Gallagher, a talented local artist goes missing. At the same time a fifty year old murder raises its ugly head. Someone wants to keep bury both mysteries and Lizzie is in the way.
At the same time, she is dealing with her fragile relationship with detective John Quinn.
As usual, Bailey does a great job of setting her mystery against the intersection of race, gender, and the imbalance of power. Highly recommended.
May 6, 2024
Dyes in Ancient Crete
Since handweaving is one of my hobbies, or was until my books took off and I no longer had time, I am fascinated by ancient textiles. Until modern times, and the Industrial Revolution when looms and weaving became mechanized, weaving was one of the most important professions. In Egypt, some of the hieroglyphics inscribed on walls show weavers. And loom weights have been found in Akrotiri, buried in ash when the volcano that blew the center out of Santorini and severely weakened the Minoan civilization erupted.
Working in tandem with the weavers were the dyers. Of course, until the 1880s when the synthetic dyes were invented, all the dyes were natural dyes. The women of Bronze Age Crete used dyes to create their elaborate and colorful patterned textiles.
What were the dyes they used? Yellow from saffron. (A famous fresco depicts a group of young girls collecting saffron from crocuses. Yellow was the color of the young girl.) Blue from indigo. Red from the cochineal beetle. And, perhaps most interested and valuable, purple from the shell of the murex sea snail. Thousands and thousands of shells have been found, speaking to a large operation. Because so many shells were needed to make the dye, purple was very expensive. Hence the name, royal purple. It was too expensive for the common folk, right up through the Middle Ages.
Where is green? Although green is all around us in nature, it is a very hard color to find as a dye. Using green plants does not usually give a green color and if it does, the color is not permanent.
Green usually has been made by dyeing blue and overdyeing yellow. When it was discovered by the painters, green contained arsenic. Napoleon is supposed to have died from arsenic poisoning from the fumes coming off his wallpaper.
Working in tandem with the weavers were the dyers. Of course, until the 1880s when the synthetic dyes were invented, all the dyes were natural dyes. The women of Bronze Age Crete used dyes to create their elaborate and colorful patterned textiles.
What were the dyes they used? Yellow from saffron. (A famous fresco depicts a group of young girls collecting saffron from crocuses. Yellow was the color of the young girl.) Blue from indigo. Red from the cochineal beetle. And, perhaps most interested and valuable, purple from the shell of the murex sea snail. Thousands and thousands of shells have been found, speaking to a large operation. Because so many shells were needed to make the dye, purple was very expensive. Hence the name, royal purple. It was too expensive for the common folk, right up through the Middle Ages.
Where is green? Although green is all around us in nature, it is a very hard color to find as a dye. Using green plants does not usually give a green color and if it does, the color is not permanent.
Green usually has been made by dyeing blue and overdyeing yellow. When it was discovered by the painters, green contained arsenic. Napoleon is supposed to have died from arsenic poisoning from the fumes coming off his wallpaper.
May 2, 2024
Malice Domestic - My Panel's books
Now that Malice Domestic is over, I can review the books from the panel I moderated: the importance of setting.
Heather Weidner almost needs no introduction. The author of several series, Twinkle, Twinkle au Revoir is the latest in her Mermaid Bay series. And a funny book it is too. The Love channel (a thinly disguised Hallmark Channel) comes to town to film a new movie. Ruby, the owner of the B&B, is being driven crazy by all the quirks of the actors. But business is booming is the Christmas Shop run by Jade Hicks.
Then the body of an annoying reporter is found and someone tries to murder the male star, Raphael Allard. Laugh out loud funny.
Peril at the Pool House is also written against the setting of a beach community. Helen Morrisey, a realtor/detective, has sold a Victorian beauty to Elliot Davies and wife Allison. Elliot is running for office and holds his kick-off in the house.
But rumors that the house is haunted appear true when strange events begin happening at the house. Then the body of his assistant is discovered in the pool house, bludgeoned to death.
The case takes a turn when Helen discovers a connection to a cold case.
A twisty mystery and good characters make this one shine.
Hammers and Homicide by Paula Charles takes place in a hardware store - a pretty unusual setting. Dawna is struggling to keep her hardware store going after the death of her husband. The job gets much harder when she discovers the body of a murdered man in the store bathroom. Warren Hardcastle was not popular in town but now Dawna is one of the suspects. Dawna and her daughter April jump on the case.
A touch of the supernatural makes this one a little different. Funny and fun.
Finally, Cathi Stoler's book is a little different. She wanted to become a spy as a child and that shows. Nick Donahue's significant other Marina are drawn into a complicated mystery that starts out simply enough with the death of a horse. The location moves from New York City to Dubai to Kentucky as Marina and Nick, a professional gambler - now there is a profession you don't see very often - investigate.This series has a real Robert Ludlum - Bourne vibe.
Heather Weidner almost needs no introduction. The author of several series, Twinkle, Twinkle au Revoir is the latest in her Mermaid Bay series. And a funny book it is too. The Love channel (a thinly disguised Hallmark Channel) comes to town to film a new movie. Ruby, the owner of the B&B, is being driven crazy by all the quirks of the actors. But business is booming is the Christmas Shop run by Jade Hicks.
Then the body of an annoying reporter is found and someone tries to murder the male star, Raphael Allard. Laugh out loud funny.
Peril at the Pool House is also written against the setting of a beach community. Helen Morrisey, a realtor/detective, has sold a Victorian beauty to Elliot Davies and wife Allison. Elliot is running for office and holds his kick-off in the house.
But rumors that the house is haunted appear true when strange events begin happening at the house. Then the body of his assistant is discovered in the pool house, bludgeoned to death.
The case takes a turn when Helen discovers a connection to a cold case.
A twisty mystery and good characters make this one shine.
Hammers and Homicide by Paula Charles takes place in a hardware store - a pretty unusual setting. Dawna is struggling to keep her hardware store going after the death of her husband. The job gets much harder when she discovers the body of a murdered man in the store bathroom. Warren Hardcastle was not popular in town but now Dawna is one of the suspects. Dawna and her daughter April jump on the case.
A touch of the supernatural makes this one a little different. Funny and fun.
Finally, Cathi Stoler's book is a little different. She wanted to become a spy as a child and that shows. Nick Donahue's significant other Marina are drawn into a complicated mystery that starts out simply enough with the death of a horse. The location moves from New York City to Dubai to Kentucky as Marina and Nick, a professional gambler - now there is a profession you don't see very often - investigate.This series has a real Robert Ludlum - Bourne vibe.
April 30, 2024
Malice Domestic
Malice is one of my favorite conferences. This year was no exception. I had a great time in the Malice Go Round. Twenty tables, eight people and two minutes at each table to describe my books. )No pictures from that. A participant barely has time to breathe.) A shout out to my wonderful tablemate - Jacqueline Bouldin.
I also moderated a panel on the importance of setting. ( am on a Saturday morning, ugh.) But quite a few brave souls attended.<
My wonderful panel consisted of Heather Weidner,, Cathi Stoler, Judy Murray and Paula Charles.
Since these are all funny ladies, we had a great time.
We all signed afterwards. Very pleased to see several people from the panel audience and from Malice Go Round turn up and ask me to sign some books.<
I also attended the panels for all the nominees. I have not read everything - but I will.<
I have already signed up for next year!
I also moderated a panel on the importance of setting. ( am on a Saturday morning, ugh.) But quite a few brave souls attended.<
My wonderful panel consisted of Heather Weidner,, Cathi Stoler, Judy Murray and Paula Charles.
Since these are all funny ladies, we had a great time.
We all signed afterwards. Very pleased to see several people from the panel audience and from Malice Go Round turn up and ask me to sign some books.<
I also attended the panels for all the nominees. I have not read everything - but I will.<
I have already signed up for next year!
April 15, 2024
Horns of Consecration
What are the Horns of Consecration? I mention them over and over in my mysteries. (In the shadow of the Bull and On the Horns of Death)
The horns, a symbolic representation of the horns of the sacred bull, were everywhere in Minoan Crete. Basically, two points standing upright and a hollow in between. They ranged in size from smaller ones that edged walkways and stairs to larger ones.
As I've discussed, one of the features of his culture was the bull leaping which, in my opinion, probably bridged sport and religion.
The horns, a symbolic representation of the horns of the sacred bull, were everywhere in Minoan Crete. Basically, two points standing upright and a hollow in between. They ranged in size from smaller ones that edged walkways and stairs to larger ones.
As I've discussed, one of the features of his culture was the bull leaping which, in my opinion, probably bridged sport and religion.
April 4, 2024
Funeral Rites in Minoan Crete
Let me begin by saying that, although there are plenty of theories about burial practices, there are very few facts we know for certain. However, I gleaned what I could and imagined the rest. Since I write murder mysteries, I have to include something about funeral and burial practices.
Excavations have found human remains put in jars and secreted in caves but treatment of human remains began to transition to tombs. When Martis's sister is interred In the Shadow of the Bull, I describe what I imagined the scene to look like: the giant stone covering the entrance and the remains of many family members in one tomb.<
I also include in both the Crete books, the above and also On the Horns of Death, some other descriptions that might or might not be true.
A fresco from Crete show a musician playing a flute in front of what looks like a funeral cortege so I added that to my description. Martis carries gifts to add to the caskets: a small ship for her sister and a small clay figure of a bull for her friend. We know grave goods were included and during the Classical period, small ships were added to carry the departed over the River Styx. I theorized that this was a practice that began in the Bronze Age.
The professional mourners were also a feature in Classical Greece so I thought it was possible they were important before that era. I described them, in groups of a few to many depending on the wealth of the family, in both books.
Finally, I include a meal, a funeral dinner, if you will, connected to the services. I thought this was a reasonable supposition since, even now, food is offered to the mourners after a service. Descriptions of such meals are also part of Homer's works so a decision to include them seemed safe.
Excavations have found human remains put in jars and secreted in caves but treatment of human remains began to transition to tombs. When Martis's sister is interred In the Shadow of the Bull, I describe what I imagined the scene to look like: the giant stone covering the entrance and the remains of many family members in one tomb.<
I also include in both the Crete books, the above and also On the Horns of Death, some other descriptions that might or might not be true.
A fresco from Crete show a musician playing a flute in front of what looks like a funeral cortege so I added that to my description. Martis carries gifts to add to the caskets: a small ship for her sister and a small clay figure of a bull for her friend. We know grave goods were included and during the Classical period, small ships were added to carry the departed over the River Styx. I theorized that this was a practice that began in the Bronze Age.
The professional mourners were also a feature in Classical Greece so I thought it was possible they were important before that era. I described them, in groups of a few to many depending on the wealth of the family, in both books.
Finally, I include a meal, a funeral dinner, if you will, connected to the services. I thought this was a reasonable supposition since, even now, food is offered to the mourners after a service. Descriptions of such meals are also part of Homer's works so a decision to include them seemed safe.
Funeral Rites in Minoan Crete
Let me begin by saying that, although there are plenty of theories about burial practices, there are very few facts we know for certain. However, I gleaned what I could and imagined the rest. Since I write murder mysteries, I have to include something about funeral and burial practices.
Excavations have found human remains put in jars and secreted in caves but treatment of human remains began to transition to tombs. When Martis's sister is interred In the Shadow of the Bull, I describe what I imagined the scene to look like: the giant stone covering the entrance and the remains of many family members in one tomb.<
I also include in both the Crete books, the above and also On the Horns of Death, some other descriptions that might or might not be true.
A fresco from Crete show a musician playing a flute in front of what looks like a funeral cortege so I added that to my description. Martis carries gifts to add to the caskets: a small ship for her sister and a small clay figure of a bull for her friend. We know grave goods were included and during the Classical period, small ships were added to carry the departed over the River Styx. I theorized that this was a practice that began in the Bronze Age.
The professional mourners were also a feature in Classical Greece so I thought it was possible they were important before that era. I described them, in groups of a few to many depending on the wealth of the family, in both books.
Finally, I include a meal, a funeral dinner, if you will, connected to the services. I thought this was a reasonable supposition since, even now, food is offered to the mourners after a service. Descriptions of such meals are also part of Homer's works so a decision to include them seemed safe.
Excavations have found human remains put in jars and secreted in caves but treatment of human remains began to transition to tombs. When Martis's sister is interred In the Shadow of the Bull, I describe what I imagined the scene to look like: the giant stone covering the entrance and the remains of many family members in one tomb.<
I also include in both the Crete books, the above and also On the Horns of Death, some other descriptions that might or might not be true.
A fresco from Crete show a musician playing a flute in front of what looks like a funeral cortege so I added that to my description. Martis carries gifts to add to the caskets: a small ship for her sister and a small clay figure of a bull for her friend. We know grave goods were included and during the Classical period, small ships were added to carry the departed over the River Styx. I theorized that this was a practice that began in the Bronze Age.
The professional mourners were also a feature in Classical Greece so I thought it was possible they were important before that era. I described them, in groups of a few to many depending on the wealth of the family, in both books.
Finally, I include a meal, a funeral dinner, if you will, connected to the services. I thought this was a reasonable supposition since, even now, food is offered to the mourners after a service. Descriptions of such meals are also part of Homer's works so a decision to include them seemed safe.
