De profundis clamavi

Adult and child skeletons go for a walk. Historia Anatomica humani corporis. André du Laurens. 1627.

This strange-looking vessel is usually described as a "fish with legs," but some sources refer to it as a "flea-like insect" instead.

The body dates back to the 10th century CE, but the legs were added a few centuries later, likely during the 14th century. The vessel itself was carved from rock crystal (i.e. quartz) while the head, legs, and frame are all made from gilded silver.

As this book describes:

Around 1400, a grotesque animal was created whose rock crystal body, with a simple head and three stilt-like legs, encloses relics of Mary Magdalene in a drilled cylinder.

Apparently, a rock crystal container dating to the 10th century — according to Gerard Lemmens, “an oriental perfume bottle in the shape of a fish," or, according to Henk van Os, specifically one of the coveted Fatimid flacons — was reworked. It appears that the fins of the flacon were ground down slightly on the sides to allow the two twisted metal cords of the holder to fit more closely along the back and belly.

This reliquary was originally commissioned for the nuns of St. Vitus Church, located in Emmerich am Rhein, Germany, where it was meant to serve as a display case for the alleged relics of Mary Magdalene. It was later moved to the nearby Church of St. Martin, which is where it's currently housed.

The vessel contains a piece of parchment that may be wrapped around a human bone (or bone fragment), but the exact nature of that relic remains unclear.

Sources & More Info:

De Gruyter: Dingkulturen (I have a digital copy of this book, so if you want any additional information or excerpts from the text, feel free to message me)

Wikimedia Commons: Fish Reliquary from St. Vitus in Emmerich am Rhein

Schnütgen Museum: Exhibitions: Magic Rock Crystal

Dangers of working on a set.

he would spend multiple days walking overland to locations in full pack, sword, & armour when everyone else was travelling in trucks

refused to use any prop swords that weren’t actual steel

basically lived in the forest in-costume, sleeping rough under the sky, even fishing & foraging for his food when possible

often spent hours in the barn just bonding with the horses. He adopted the horse he rode, Uranus, after filming ended

repaired all his own gear by hand, which was often since he never took it off

had a tooth knocked out during filming but had the crew simply glue it back in place so they could keep filming

the instructor who taught everyone swordplay said Viggo was the best swordsman he had ever trained

carried his sword literally everywhere & practiced non-stop, resulting in the cops being called when locals reported “a wild man swinging a sword around his head" outside a gym in Wellington

an orc actor fucked up & accidentally threw a dagger directly into Viggo’s face, but Viggo just deflected it with his sword. They kept that shot

infamously broke 3 toes kicking that helmet but stayed in-character & sold his very real scream as part of the scene. They also kept that shot

Viggo insists on doing his own stunts; in The Two Towers where Aragorn is unconscious & floating down the river, the strong current pulled him underwater for so long that a rescue team had to go in to save him. Viggo survived by grabbing a boulder on the riverbed and pulling himself to the surface

A Memento Mori Skeleton, France, 1566

Limestone

A Japanese carved ivory banana, meiji period (1868-1912).

More info

When you ask for directions on the street someone will show you the way, even though they have nothing to gain from it.