1 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: Stories. Hey everybody, and welcome to a Hotiday special episode 2 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 1: of Thinking Sideways. I am, of course, am Steve as usual, 3 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: joined by are my two little elves? What you guys, 4 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: If anything, maybe all three of us are elves. Yeah, 5 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: we kind of might be. Because it's the holidays, We're 6 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 1: going to talk about a holiday themed mystery that you 7 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: may not have realized was a mystery, and that is 8 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 1: the origin of the nutcracker. And I'm talking about not 9 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: the not the little metal ones, decorative ones. Yeah, but like, yeah, 10 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: exactly exactly. And since I'm the first one up today, 11 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: I'll go ahead and just give the brief bit of history, 12 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: that supposed history that we have about them, and then 13 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:15,119 Speaker 1: we'll actually talk about my theory of where the nutcracker 14 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 1: came from. Yeah already, because we all have theories. We've 15 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:23,040 Speaker 1: all done our own research as I was a kid. Yeah, 16 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:27,960 Speaker 1: So officially, the story goes that in Germany sometime in 17 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:34,120 Speaker 1: the fifteenth century, there was a nutcracker challenge, which is strange, 18 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:37,760 Speaker 1: but it was won by a puppet maker who came 19 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,319 Speaker 1: up with what we now know to be the design 20 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 1: of the decorative wood nutcracker. The lore around the design 21 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: of it disagrees with itself and a couple of tellings. 22 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: But the in some as we were just saying, it's 23 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 1: got to the lever on the back and the mouth 24 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: closes to crack the nut. That's the official version. There's 25 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: other versions that say that. In actual the nutcrackers were 26 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: two pieces of wood that were strapped together, and I 27 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: guess you've stuck the nut in at the end where 28 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: the strap was and used leverage to break it. Actually, 29 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: the original ones you just sort of like west the 30 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:13,079 Speaker 1: nut end of the mouth of it, and then you 31 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: smashed it against something hard. Well, that's also one way 32 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 1: to do it. But the thing is they always looked 33 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: like people. They were always designed to be a little 34 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 1: human figure, and so then of course as time went 35 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: on they got a little more charming and people had 36 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: them around in the holidays. And what we don't really 37 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: know is why why why are they so so popular 38 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 1: at this time of year? And I have done the 39 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: research and I have what the actual reason is? You 40 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 1: ready to hear this, Okay? So I pieced this together 41 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:52,919 Speaker 1: from some really old manuscripts that were that have been 42 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:56,639 Speaker 1: coming out of Eastern Europe and as PDFs, and they're 43 00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: on the Internet now. Then they're on the Internet now 44 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 1: for the Internet US. Indeed, So here's here's what happened 45 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:07,399 Speaker 1: is sometime in the fifteenth century, there was a plague 46 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: that was roaming Europe, and uh, it's it's a fun 47 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: myth today, but it was a creature that was so 48 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:17,079 Speaker 1: fun at the time. No, not so fun at the time, 49 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: but it's a fun myth now. So these are considered 50 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 1: a myth, but they were real and that is the 51 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: wolper Tinger for those of you who aren't familiar with 52 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: this little creature. Uh, they're small, they're furry, They travel 53 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 1: close to the ground, um, and when they're scared they 54 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 1: fly away, though normally they don't have to. They have 55 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 1: duck wings, Yeah, they have little duck like wings on them. Yeah, 56 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 1: but they have feathered duck wings on them, which is 57 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: pretty cool. They're about the size of a rabbit and 58 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:49,119 Speaker 1: they have horns which they'll use to to defend themselves 59 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 1: if they need to, though they don't normally need to 60 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 1: because they're great at distraction and they use their little 61 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 1: squirrel like tail to flip around and confuse the predator 62 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 1: before they scurry away. So they're they're pretty uh they're 63 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: pretty quick little buggers. Yeah, And the problem is is 64 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: they were for a while they were just a bit 65 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: of a nuisance. But after after time, because they reproduced 66 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:18,480 Speaker 1: so fast, they were at rabbits. Like rabbits, they were 67 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:22,359 Speaker 1: threatening all of the crops in Europe. They were devouring things. 68 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 1: People were worried they were going to starve to death 69 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:27,479 Speaker 1: because there was no food. Yeah, you know, that happened 70 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 1: a lot back in those days. One one crop and 71 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 1: you were screwed one just a little, you know. Yeah. So, 72 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: not knowing what to do about this infestation, the uh 73 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 1: a plea from the royalty was put out to all 74 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 1: the learned men in in the country to kind of 75 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:49,360 Speaker 1: come up to come up with a solution to this. 76 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 1: Actually not the country, the continent, the continent. Yeah, really, 77 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:54,960 Speaker 1: you're right. I did understate that a little bit. Well, 78 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 1: two men came forward today they're only known as Sir 79 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:02,480 Speaker 1: Chapman and past your Palin. But these men stepped forward 80 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:06,839 Speaker 1: with what they claimed was the solution. And their solution 81 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:10,520 Speaker 1: was to use a blend of chicken feathers and fuag 82 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: raw and to spread it around the entrances to their warrants. 83 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,839 Speaker 1: The thinking being that they would be unable to cross 84 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: that barrier, and therefore they would start to death in 85 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 1: their warrens and the problem would go away. That makes 86 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 1: a total sense. No, no, no, well, it turns out 87 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:37,839 Speaker 1: you're both right, because it went horribly, horribly wrong, because 88 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:41,200 Speaker 1: it turned out, instead of trapping them in their burrows 89 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:44,560 Speaker 1: and starving them to death, Uh, it actually drove them 90 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:49,600 Speaker 1: into a frenzy. And these little guys became not only rabid, 91 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: but they developed, courtesy of the flag raw, a taste 92 00:05:54,040 --> 00:06:00,280 Speaker 1: for flesh. Yeah, and they were specifically now after liver. 93 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:06,360 Speaker 1: They wouldn't want to eat my liver. Soon, entire villages 94 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:11,240 Speaker 1: were being destroyed as they tore through the townsfolk literally 95 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 1: with their horns. Uh. And you know, and and there 96 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 1: was no human organ that was spared from the destruction 97 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:21,920 Speaker 1: of these little bookers. Yeah. Well, as you can imagine, 98 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: this had to be stopped, and soon enough a solution 99 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 1: was found. At an october fest. There were men who started, 100 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:33,920 Speaker 1: after consuming all of the beer that was in the kegs, 101 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: started walking around wearing said brightly colored kegs. And turns 102 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:43,279 Speaker 1: out that the little guys couldn't use their horns to 103 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: get through the keg to the liver, so nobody was hurt. 104 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: The only problem is it's the only really on trade 105 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:51,760 Speaker 1: of the keg was up to the bottom. And you 106 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: know what that leads you passed if you're one of 107 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:56,800 Speaker 1: those little guys. Well, these were tall, These were tall kegs. Yeah, yeah, 108 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:58,360 Speaker 1: they were tall kegs, you know. And you only you 109 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 1: don't have to wear it down there low, so they've guy, 110 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 1: can't get you. Yeah, I mean they're loading the ground 111 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:04,160 Speaker 1: to start with, so that's where you're gonna put your 112 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 1: your defenses. Okay, think about it, all right. So here's 113 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:14,160 Speaker 1: what happened is they started advancing on the wolper Tingers 114 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 1: and what they would do is they were shouting brow. 115 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:21,840 Speaker 1: As they were doing that, they were throwing large bread 116 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: pretzels at them, yeah, you know, the things you usually 117 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: have with beer. And they got hypertension and they died 118 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:33,040 Speaker 1: of like no, no. It turns out that these creators, 119 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:37,280 Speaker 1: believe it or not, we're gluten intolerant. So it decimated 120 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:40,600 Speaker 1: them and they were able to clear the continent in 121 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 1: a matter of hours of this pest. As we all know, 122 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:47,320 Speaker 1: I mean, gluten intolerance just you know, it'll kill you 123 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 1: in an hour. Yeah, it is it is really yeah. Yeah. 124 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: So this is how the nutcrackers came about to be 125 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:02,040 Speaker 1: so popular. Is that the wooden armor and the shapes 126 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 1: of the men's mouth when they were shouting brow. That 127 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:10,680 Speaker 1: was shouting brow over and over, just like yeah, exactly 128 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 1: yeah um. And so I believe it or not, this 129 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: is the story. How this story disappeared I don't know, 130 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:23,680 Speaker 1: but it was slowly covered up by the media at 131 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 1: the time because they were busy covering you know, religious 132 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: wars and whatnot in the internet sucked well. Plus also 133 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:32,720 Speaker 1: this representative you can you can say, wow, this is 134 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:35,839 Speaker 1: humanity salvation or you could say a great environmental crime 135 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:40,640 Speaker 1: was committed. That is a good reason. But either way, 136 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:43,880 Speaker 1: it was then to commemorate. The next year, they realized 137 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:46,800 Speaker 1: they need to commemorate these men who had saved the continent, 138 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:50,040 Speaker 1: and so they made these little wooden soldiers that were 139 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: painted to match the kegs, and those in time evolved 140 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:58,640 Speaker 1: into more of a soldier esque figure that didn't look 141 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:00,440 Speaker 1: like he was just a barrel, but like he was 142 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 1: an actual person. And typically these were released in sets, 143 00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: so you'd have that you have the nutcracker with this 144 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:07,640 Speaker 1: little barrel shaped thing and brightly painted, there'd be a 145 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:11,000 Speaker 1: lot of little wolfing dingers that you would surround him with, 146 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:14,280 Speaker 1: and being smaller and more delicately carved, they got they 147 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 1: got crushed and or lost over the years. Yeah, and 148 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: it turns out that the you know, like the the 149 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:23,559 Speaker 1: helf of Eising style nutcracker guy, wasn't nearly as popular, 150 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:27,800 Speaker 1: so we lost the yellow one to history. So there's 151 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:30,040 Speaker 1: a lot of stuff that disappeared on the sides with this. 152 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 1: So that is actually why we have the nutcracker really. Yeah, 153 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:37,880 Speaker 1: So Devin, what do you think do you an agreement 154 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:40,080 Speaker 1: with that? I can see the word that she is. 155 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:42,079 Speaker 1: She keeps mouthing over and over and it's not a 156 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 1: nice word, but she's not saying it out loud. Nick 157 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:50,000 Speaker 1: has something to do with cows. Yeah, well I should 158 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 1: It should explain one bit, which is how I know 159 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:55,640 Speaker 1: all of this. Yeah, and you should talk about that though. Yeah. 160 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:58,839 Speaker 1: So there was a documentary made. I got admit I 161 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:01,640 Speaker 1: didn't actually find from stuff that's been coming out on 162 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:07,040 Speaker 1: the internet only recently. There wasn't movie made about thirty 163 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:12,360 Speaker 1: five or forty years ago. Almost almost it was. It 164 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:16,800 Speaker 1: was a great documentary. It was directed by Terry Gilliam 165 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:21,280 Speaker 1: and Terry Jones, and it features a creature that is 166 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 1: very similar and as deadly as the Woopeninger, which I 167 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:27,120 Speaker 1: think is probably how you found out that it was 168 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:29,640 Speaker 1: that that was even a thing, right, Yeah, I put 169 00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 1: two and two together because if you look out there, 170 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,280 Speaker 1: the clues are there and you just need to know 171 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:39,079 Speaker 1: where to look. Come on, people them. I saw a 172 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 1: documentary actually about the making of this documentary. They originally 173 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:44,680 Speaker 1: had big plans for for making the rabbit wear a 174 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 1: wig and some fake wings and some antlers and stuff 175 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:49,560 Speaker 1: like that, and the rabbit really didn't take to it. Yeah, 176 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:51,360 Speaker 1: and it was kind of a low budget movie, so 177 00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 1: they really couldn't afford to take a couple of months 178 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:55,560 Speaker 1: off and train the rabbits, which is which is a shame. 179 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:57,920 Speaker 1: But yeah, so they went with the white butt. Budgets 180 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:01,280 Speaker 1: are budgets. Yeah. Well, you know, I think that's a 181 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:05,960 Speaker 1: nice story, um thing, I do. I think it's kind 182 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:08,280 Speaker 1: of a fairy tale because I also have seen a 183 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:11,200 Speaker 1: documentary about nut crackers, so I actually have the inn 184 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 1: on on how this actually went down. All right, And 185 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:17,439 Speaker 1: you know, as my favorite stories often do, this one 186 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:19,520 Speaker 1: starts with a princess in a far off land. Oh, 187 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:22,520 Speaker 1: I thought it was supposed to start with bullet points. Nope. 188 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:26,200 Speaker 1: So there was this princess in a far away land. 189 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:29,839 Speaker 1: Calm down, it's fine, and she was tricked by this 190 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:35,200 Speaker 1: woman who was called Madame mouse Coteer and U you're laughing, 191 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 1: but that's like, that's the translation. I'm sorry. This is 192 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 1: a Russian story. This nutcrackers actually came from Russia, not Germany. 193 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:43,600 Speaker 1: I don't know if you guys know that or not, 194 00:11:43,679 --> 00:11:47,760 Speaker 1: but it's true. Okay. So anyway, so in Russia there 195 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:51,840 Speaker 1: was this princess and she was well, okay, Madame Mouseketeer 196 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 1: was often also called the mouse Queen, so we'll just 197 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:57,719 Speaker 1: call her the mouse queen for now. We know we're 198 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:00,360 Speaker 1: going to call her mouse Queen. There was one where 199 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:04,320 Speaker 1: the mouse Queen tricked this princess into allowing her and 200 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:08,400 Speaker 1: her children, the queen, not not the princess, to eat 201 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:11,280 Speaker 1: up a bunch of lard that was being reserved actually 202 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 1: to go into the sausages for the princess's father, the 203 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:18,120 Speaker 1: King's dinner that night. So obviously the king was like 204 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:22,720 Speaker 1: mad about this, right, nodding, yeah, Well, because they couldn't 205 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:25,719 Speaker 1: make sauce. No, they didn't even they couldn't, you know, 206 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:30,280 Speaker 1: the sausage was missing, and so apparently I don't know, 207 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:34,480 Speaker 1: and you know, and the queen, not the mouse Queen, 208 00:12:34,559 --> 00:12:37,680 Speaker 1: the princess's mom. The queen was upset because she couldn't 209 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:39,599 Speaker 1: make the sausage for the king, and so everyone was 210 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:42,719 Speaker 1: mad at the princess. So, you know, the queen is 211 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:45,400 Speaker 1: upset that she can't make the sausage, and the princess 212 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 1: isn't kind of deep trouble for letting the mouse Queen 213 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:52,559 Speaker 1: or Madam Mousketeer eat the lard and her children. So 214 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:57,000 Speaker 1: the king um commissioned this court inventor, whose name was 215 00:12:57,160 --> 00:13:00,560 Speaker 1: Drossell Meyer Um to create some traps or the mouse 216 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:03,560 Speaker 1: Queen and her children, which worked. Yeah, I think we 217 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:06,920 Speaker 1: used those today, we do. They're different, but we do. 218 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:11,160 Speaker 1: So what he created was kind of similar to nutcrackers, 219 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:13,800 Speaker 1: but unfortunately it did get all the children, but it 220 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:16,079 Speaker 1: didn't get the mouse queen. And so the mouse Queen, 221 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:21,600 Speaker 1: who was obviously like annoyed, yeah, upset, understandably upset. She 222 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:26,000 Speaker 1: swore that she would take revenge on the princess. So 223 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:32,679 Speaker 1: the network cable and yeah, yeah, no, it was even back. 224 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:36,080 Speaker 1: Yeah no, this was old in time. So no. But 225 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:40,120 Speaker 1: since you know, her name was the mouse Queen. The 226 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:42,400 Speaker 1: king and the queen who were the parents to the princess. 227 00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:44,280 Speaker 1: I know, there's lots of kings and queens here. I'm sorry. 228 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:48,040 Speaker 1: They decided that they would protect the princess by putting 229 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: a circle of cats around the princess. That sounds perfect. 230 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:54,760 Speaker 1: It's good because the mouse you don't want the mouse 231 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:57,320 Speaker 1: Queen to get past them. But cats sleep a lot, 232 00:13:57,440 --> 00:13:59,880 Speaker 1: so there were nurses who were assigned to each cat 233 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:02,120 Speaker 1: to pet the cat, to keep it alive, to protect 234 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:10,719 Speaker 1: the princes. Oh yeah, yeah, the only way you keep 235 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 1: cats alive, it's true. Yeah. Well, um, of course we 236 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:16,080 Speaker 1: all know how this story is going to go. The 237 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:19,680 Speaker 1: nurses fall asleep and the mouse Queen gets past. She 238 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 1: puts a spell on the princess. Now, I know what 239 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:27,280 Speaker 1: you're thinking. Spells aren't real, but actually they are. Okay, 240 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 1: they were at least in Russia, and this time, let's 241 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:34,040 Speaker 1: be honest here. There's a lot of pinky things happening 242 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:37,360 Speaker 1: in Russia that we can only attribute to magic. Okay, 243 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 1: mrs It's just a dark, mysterious place. There's no. Yeah. 244 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:44,520 Speaker 1: So the spell or curse that the mouse queen put 245 00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 1: on the princess um was to make her ugly because 246 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:50,000 Speaker 1: her soul was ugly, I guess. But it gave her 247 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:52,560 Speaker 1: a huge head with a really wide grinning mouth and 248 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:56,400 Speaker 1: a cottony beard, just like a nutcracker, like the traps 249 00:14:56,560 --> 00:14:59,480 Speaker 1: that killed her children. To make her look like that. 250 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:05,480 Speaker 1: Quite a curse, somebody, somebody I know, actually, but not you, okay, 251 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:10,200 Speaker 1: maybe happy to know, Steve, Steve, Okay. Well, obviously the 252 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 1: king blamed the inventor Russell Meyer, and he said, you've 253 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:17,800 Speaker 1: got four weeks to find a cure for my beautiful 254 00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:21,360 Speaker 1: daughter who is now ugly and horrible looking. Droussell Meyer 255 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:24,960 Speaker 1: was big into the occult, you know again, a Russian thing, 256 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:28,440 Speaker 1: and so he um took the princess to have her 257 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:31,360 Speaker 1: horoscope read. And it turned out from the horoscope they 258 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:35,160 Speaker 1: could tell that Steve's looking skeptical right now. It turned 259 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:37,120 Speaker 1: out that from the horoscope they could tell that the 260 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:40,160 Speaker 1: cure was um that she had to eat a nut, 261 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:42,480 Speaker 1: and that nut had to be crushed in the hand 262 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:44,440 Speaker 1: of a man who had never grown a beer, or 263 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:48,200 Speaker 1: never shaved his beard or worn boots in his entire life, 264 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:52,280 Speaker 1: and it's pretty specific. And the nut was also a 265 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: very specific the nut. Yeah, it was a very specific 266 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:58,160 Speaker 1: kind of nut. And then without opening his eyes after 267 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:00,560 Speaker 1: he gave her the nut, he had to walk seven 268 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:04,560 Speaker 1: steps without stumbling and then the curse would be open. Yeah, 269 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:06,120 Speaker 1: it does kind of sound like a dance move. Huh. 270 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 1: So obviously they go scouring all of Russia to find 271 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:15,200 Speaker 1: this a haircut shaved. He could have had a haircut, 272 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:19,400 Speaker 1: he just had never shaved. They travel around, but it 273 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:24,920 Speaker 1: turns out that drossell Meyer's nephew might actually be a 274 00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:27,600 Speaker 1: perfect fit for this the person to break the curse. 275 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:30,880 Speaker 1: So they spent all that time looking, but the well, 276 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:32,960 Speaker 1: like a lot of yeah, I mean a lot of 277 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:36,200 Speaker 1: guys came and like broke their jaws trying to break 278 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:38,600 Speaker 1: these nuts because I don't know why they were like 279 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 1: trying to break them with their teeth when they should 280 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:44,040 Speaker 1: have known you break it with your hand. They're dumb guys. No, 281 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 1: not nutcrackers yet, No, no, nope, nope, nope, no nope. 282 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:51,480 Speaker 1: And so finally the nephew comes and like breaks this 283 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:55,960 Speaker 1: nut with a hand and gives it to the princess 284 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:58,040 Speaker 1: and she eats it and she turns back into a 285 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:01,080 Speaker 1: beautiful creature of you know, being and princess. Then he 286 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:05,680 Speaker 1: does Yeah, so he walks back six and a half steps, 287 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:08,960 Speaker 1: and when he takes the final half step, um, he 288 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:13,720 Speaker 1: stepped on the mouse queen who was there. She didn't 289 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:16,280 Speaker 1: go squish, but he did, of course stumble, and so 290 00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:19,240 Speaker 1: the curse was transferred to him. Well that's a crappy curse. Yeah, 291 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:24,320 Speaker 1: cluseval the queen actually deliberately did this. I think. Yes, 292 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 1: I have my suspicions. I think there's a wide conspiracy 293 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:31,920 Speaker 1: theory here. Yeah, I think so too. Well, it turns 294 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 1: out that Princess maybe was kind of an ugly person 295 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:38,199 Speaker 1: because despite the fact that this nephew, drasse Meyer's nephew 296 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:42,080 Speaker 1: came and um, you know, broke the curse for her, 297 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:44,520 Speaker 1: and he accidentally took it onto himself, so he turned 298 00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:47,240 Speaker 1: into this ugly, kind of nutcracker looking thing. She said, 299 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:49,640 Speaker 1: Oh no, you're no, you're not cute. I don't want 300 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:56,640 Speaker 1: to I won't be with you. Typical typical behavior. Yeah. So, actually, 301 00:17:56,720 --> 00:18:00,879 Speaker 1: are the documentary that I watched, Um, that I've seen Actually, 302 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:04,040 Speaker 1: I've I grew up with this documentary documentary. It is 303 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:09,320 Speaker 1: a hard, hard hitting documentary starts several years later, also 304 00:18:09,359 --> 00:18:13,560 Speaker 1: in Russia, and it may sound familiar to you guys, because, um, 305 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 1: you've probably seen this documentary as well. It's called The Nutcracker, 306 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:19,840 Speaker 1: which is how you know. It's a hard hitting documentary 307 00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:23,560 Speaker 1: about the creation of the nutcracker. Oh is that how 308 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:27,040 Speaker 1: you know? Yeah? Uh so if you if you have 309 00:18:27,119 --> 00:18:29,280 Speaker 1: seen the documentary, you know that a young girl named 310 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:32,920 Speaker 1: Clara was given a nutcracker by none other than Drossell Meyer, 311 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:36,960 Speaker 1: the inventor slash clockmaker. Yeah, and it well, it was 312 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,399 Speaker 1: given to her family, but she was like the primary caretaker. 313 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:42,960 Speaker 1: Clara was seven at the time when the original filming happened. 314 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:45,360 Speaker 1: There have been a lot of remakes of this documentary, 315 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:50,359 Speaker 1: you know, dramatic recreations and stuff like that. But yeah, yeah, 316 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 1: well we'll get to her age in a minute here. Um. Anyway, 317 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:56,600 Speaker 1: it turns out that the rat king, who was actually 318 00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:00,639 Speaker 1: the mouse Queen's husband, had taken up bread sudents in 319 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 1: Clara's family's house. And you know, parents can be kind 320 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:08,120 Speaker 1: of jerks and deny things, and I think they were 321 00:19:08,119 --> 00:19:10,240 Speaker 1: just wilfully denying the fact that their house was being 322 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:15,560 Speaker 1: taken over by rodents, yeah or oblivious or I don't know. 323 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:18,440 Speaker 1: But on Christmas Eve, the rat Army made its move 324 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:20,960 Speaker 1: to try to take over the house and they defeated 325 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:23,520 Speaker 1: the doll army. And the doll army was obviously trying 326 00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:26,280 Speaker 1: to protect Clara because she's a young girl, and like 327 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:30,359 Speaker 1: dolls protect children, sure they do. Yeah, yeah, that that 328 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:32,840 Speaker 1: really isn't creepy to think about the fact that dolls 329 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:35,520 Speaker 1: come to life at night. Well, you know, the documentary 330 00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:39,160 Speaker 1: Toy Story proved that. So I don't know. Your problem 331 00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:41,080 Speaker 1: is I never had dolls when I was a kid. 332 00:19:41,119 --> 00:19:43,760 Speaker 1: It wasn't allowed in your little boy whatever. Now yeah, 333 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:48,280 Speaker 1: my day you only get truck sun Yeah, well those 334 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:52,800 Speaker 1: are Yeah. But the Nutcracker that Clara had been taken 335 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:55,280 Speaker 1: care of sprung alive and saved the day from the 336 00:19:55,359 --> 00:19:59,439 Speaker 1: rat Army and you know, fought them back. Unfortunately for Clara, 337 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,280 Speaker 1: when she went to you know, tell her parents, oh 338 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:09,600 Speaker 1: my gosh, the nutcrackers alive, they said, um no, yeah, 339 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:12,439 Speaker 1: Unfortunately the Nutcracker had turned back into his kind of 340 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:15,720 Speaker 1: toy like state. I'm actually that that frog and the 341 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:20,520 Speaker 1: old Warren Brothers cartoon. Yeah yeah, yeah, then you know, 342 00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:23,399 Speaker 1: Christmas night comes around and the rat Army comes to 343 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:25,600 Speaker 1: try again. I won't go into it, you can just 344 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:29,000 Speaker 1: watch the documentary. But um, spoiler aler, the Nutcracker saves 345 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:32,000 Speaker 1: Clara and her life and brings her back and defeats 346 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,719 Speaker 1: the rat King, and which is great. I mean, you know, 347 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:38,440 Speaker 1: her family was all set free. Unfortunately, her family did 348 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:40,880 Speaker 1: continue to deny that the Nutcracker was a real thing 349 00:20:41,119 --> 00:20:45,080 Speaker 1: until like a couple of months later, droussell Meyer, the 350 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:48,080 Speaker 1: clockmaker inventor guy Um, he came back to fix her 351 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:51,320 Speaker 1: grandfather clock and Clara, being a seven year old girl, 352 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: could not contain herself and went to drosse Meyer and 353 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: was like, hey, I know your secret. I know about 354 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:01,760 Speaker 1: the Nutcracker. I know I know that he's actually a 355 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:04,439 Speaker 1: real person, and I love him and I'll love him 356 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:06,960 Speaker 1: no matter what he looks like. So I just wanted 357 00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:09,160 Speaker 1: to tell you that I love him no matter what. 358 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:11,920 Speaker 1: And um, suddenly there was a knock on the door. 359 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:16,040 Speaker 1: Knock knock, knock, knock knock, and it turns out that 360 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:20,679 Speaker 1: that draws Meyer's nephew had actually just arrived. Spoiler alert. 361 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:24,320 Speaker 1: Drawsma's nephew was the Nutcracker. The whole time, and the 362 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:26,840 Speaker 1: curse was broken by true love. And so he asked 363 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:29,000 Speaker 1: Clara if she would marry him, and of course she 364 00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:31,560 Speaker 1: said yes, because like what seven year old girl isn't 365 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 1: just dreaming of marriage. But her family said, no, you 366 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:36,840 Speaker 1: have to wait a year in a day before we'll 367 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:40,960 Speaker 1: let you marry. Yeah. So then he came back a 368 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:45,240 Speaker 1: year later and he took her away, Yeah to um Doll, 369 00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:48,920 Speaker 1: Dall Kingdom, where I you know, I'm planning a trip 370 00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:53,040 Speaker 1: to Dall Kingdom actually, but they, you know, Dalsa Meyer's 371 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:55,440 Speaker 1: nephew and Clara rule as king and Queen of Dall 372 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:58,520 Speaker 1: Kingdom to this day. And then Dall Island has made 373 00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:01,280 Speaker 1: all of these nutcrackers to help keep kids safe from 374 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:04,280 Speaker 1: the rat army and to you know, to scare them 375 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:07,119 Speaker 1: off because they know that that's what works against the 376 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:09,960 Speaker 1: rat army and when they see them, the exterminators of 377 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:11,919 Speaker 1: the world that are keeping this story down because they 378 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:15,040 Speaker 1: would be out of work exactually and the rats, oh 379 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:16,919 Speaker 1: well yeah, the rats are doing it. Yeah, but the 380 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:21,120 Speaker 1: rats as humans. It makes sense now. And I asked 381 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:23,320 Speaker 1: your trip to the Doll place, you know, I hear 382 00:22:23,359 --> 00:22:25,560 Speaker 1: it goes a lot further there I've heard that. I'm 383 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:27,760 Speaker 1: it's kind of expensive to get there, but won't you're there? Yeah, 384 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:30,720 Speaker 1: that's whatever you do. Don't take the cruise there that Yeah, no, 385 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:33,040 Speaker 1: I won't. Don't worry, but yeah, I mean, you know, 386 00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:34,680 Speaker 1: And the reason that they come out in this time 387 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:36,640 Speaker 1: of years because this is when the rodents are coming 388 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:38,720 Speaker 1: into the house. You know, in the summer, you don't 389 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:42,000 Speaker 1: need the nutcrackers around because the rodents are all around. 390 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:44,639 Speaker 1: But when it's getting cold and they come inside, you 391 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:46,639 Speaker 1: have to have the nutcrackers to keep your family safe. 392 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:51,560 Speaker 1: Got it? Russia, the land of magic and big rats, 393 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:55,320 Speaker 1: giant rats, you have to put out nutcrackers. What do 394 00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:57,560 Speaker 1: you think, do you guys? Well, it's sort of like 395 00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:00,400 Speaker 1: it's not entirely at the room of plus of ability, 396 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:02,960 Speaker 1: but there's a there's a big story that you guys 397 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:06,399 Speaker 1: haven't heard. Well, I think the big problem with the 398 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:09,560 Speaker 1: story that you're telling is I can sum up in 399 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:14,639 Speaker 1: one word magic. Well no, because like listen, magic is 400 00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 1: just a word for things we don't understand yet, right, yeah, yeah, 401 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:21,040 Speaker 1: magic is just a word for science that we don't 402 00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:26,960 Speaker 1: understand yet. Okay, so someday we'll we'll get that nutcracked. Yeah, exactly, 403 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:29,280 Speaker 1: you're at your iPhone. If you had one, would seem, 404 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:32,280 Speaker 1: you know, very magical somebody who had lived a hundred 405 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:35,480 Speaker 1: some years ago. No, it wouldn't because they would smash it. 406 00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:42,640 Speaker 1: It wouldn't be magical at all. Yeah, but I mean, actually, 407 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:46,600 Speaker 1: what what devon says that technology at a high enough 408 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:50,840 Speaker 1: level is indistinguishable from magic. Okay, I feel a lead 409 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:54,280 Speaker 1: in here. So yeah, the behavior of the Nutcracker and 410 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:57,560 Speaker 1: maybe some other nutcrackers is not necessarily magic at all, 411 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 1: but easily explained. All right, let's hear it. So this 412 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:03,040 Speaker 1: might put everything in a different light. Uh. The story 413 00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:06,640 Speaker 1: of the Nutcracker begins roughly in the mid fourteen fifties 414 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:11,200 Speaker 1: a d that's Anno Domingo, according to some lost lost writings, 415 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:14,160 Speaker 1: which very recently turned up on the internet. Thank god 416 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:17,000 Speaker 1: for the Internet once again. And this story starts in 417 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:20,800 Speaker 1: the tiny hamlet of Monter Schlegm once in house flowers 418 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:25,359 Speaker 1: on the um ins today's central Bavaria. I'm going to 419 00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:27,760 Speaker 1: shorten the name of this village to just enter if 420 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:32,240 Speaker 1: that's okay with you, guys, fine, higain. It's a very old, 421 00:24:32,280 --> 00:24:36,080 Speaker 1: traditional kind of farming town where everybody lives simple bucolic 422 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:39,960 Speaker 1: lives of Filton squalor. Uh. When the harvests were good, 423 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:42,080 Speaker 1: of course it made for a nice winner. But the 424 00:24:42,119 --> 00:24:44,320 Speaker 1: rest of the time things were kind of lean. That 425 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:45,920 Speaker 1: was the way it was back in the old days. 426 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:48,640 Speaker 1: And we try to romanticize that, but no, it really sucked. 427 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:52,960 Speaker 1: The simple folk unter came out of their hovels early 428 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,600 Speaker 1: one morning at the crack of dawn, and they were 429 00:24:55,640 --> 00:25:00,240 Speaker 1: greeted by a rather startling site which stay ending in 430 00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:01,919 Speaker 1: the middle of the sound of square. It was a 431 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:05,439 Speaker 1: giant humanoid statue. It was made of black material which 432 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:08,840 Speaker 1: almost felt like metal to the touch, but not quite. 433 00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:10,440 Speaker 1: And that was when people find the working up the 434 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:13,320 Speaker 1: courage to actually walk up to it and touch it. Um. 435 00:25:13,359 --> 00:25:15,679 Speaker 1: It was black, It didn't seem to reflect light, it 436 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:19,920 Speaker 1: didn't seem to absorb light. It was kind of mysterious material. 437 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,320 Speaker 1: The villagers began to move in a circle around the statue, 438 00:25:30,359 --> 00:25:34,200 Speaker 1: and they were squawking among themselves and arguing about the media, 439 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:36,560 Speaker 1: the whole thing and what it was doing there. Uh. 440 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:38,440 Speaker 1: And then one of them spots a large bone laying 441 00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:41,359 Speaker 1: on the ground, and there's some disagreement among historians about 442 00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:44,840 Speaker 1: whether this was a cows fever or maybe a human fever, because, 443 00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:46,520 Speaker 1: like I said, things did get a little lean from 444 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:50,480 Speaker 1: kind of time in these towns. Um so it's kind 445 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:52,520 Speaker 1: of not for sure. But it was a big, hefty bone. 446 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:54,399 Speaker 1: So the guy picks it up and turns to the 447 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:56,199 Speaker 1: guy next to them and starts beating the hell out 448 00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:59,240 Speaker 1: of him. But other than the giant statue being present 449 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:01,280 Speaker 1: there and all the vision beatings of course, things other 450 00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:03,199 Speaker 1: than that, we're life was pretty much unchanged in the 451 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:06,440 Speaker 1: win term. But local artisans and abaateur experts came from 452 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:08,800 Speaker 1: all over the countryside to take a look at the statue. 453 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:12,200 Speaker 1: They didn't have much of the way of scientific instruments. 454 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:14,480 Speaker 1: They could, yeah, I mean, they couldn't give it a 455 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:16,560 Speaker 1: cat scan or an m R or anything like that, 456 00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:18,879 Speaker 1: but they could poke it and tap it and whatever. 457 00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:21,919 Speaker 1: And that's it occurred to somebody that they should measure it, 458 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:25,240 Speaker 1: so they did. It was six hands deep that's from 459 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:26,880 Speaker 1: the front of the chest to the back, twenty four 460 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:30,320 Speaker 1: hands wide that's shoulder to shoulder, and fifty four hands tall. 461 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:33,879 Speaker 1: A stranger appeared who none of these measurements, and he 462 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:36,879 Speaker 1: was somewhat conversed with math apparently, and he noted that 463 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:40,000 Speaker 1: the numbers reduced to one to four to nine, which 464 00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:44,520 Speaker 1: are the squares of the numbers one, two, and three. Okay, yeah, 465 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:48,159 Speaker 1: uh this mathematician, if that's what exactly he was, but 466 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:51,480 Speaker 1: he thought that was significant. The townsfolk, for their part, 467 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:54,000 Speaker 1: were suspicious of it. Then it's fancy pants theories, and 468 00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:57,600 Speaker 1: so they all grab their pitchforks and droves in that town. Yeah, 469 00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:02,760 Speaker 1: typical standard off. There's always somebody with a time. Actually, 470 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:05,160 Speaker 1: they drove him out in daylight, so torches were not necessary. 471 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,879 Speaker 1: Yeah right, yeah, Well torches, you know, aren't always necessary, 472 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:12,600 Speaker 1: but they just add a little. They add ambiance, There's 473 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:15,040 Speaker 1: no doubt about that. Uh. And you know, I mean 474 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:17,920 Speaker 1: definitely there were other drivings out that did require torches, 475 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:22,840 Speaker 1: So they are would make an angry mob villagers, so quaint, 476 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:26,560 Speaker 1: I think. So all the all the farm implements, not 477 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:29,199 Speaker 1: a single rifle among them. Just yeah, adds ease and 478 00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:32,800 Speaker 1: pitchforks and stuff like that. He yeah, But let's continue 479 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:34,560 Speaker 1: with our story of the statue. It was there for 480 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:36,560 Speaker 1: three days and then one day the villagers woke up 481 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:39,240 Speaker 1: and it was gone, just like that, vanished without a 482 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:42,359 Speaker 1: trace except for some massive garbage can sized footprints leading 483 00:27:42,359 --> 00:27:46,000 Speaker 1: off to the forest to the northwest. Technically without a trace. Yeah, 484 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:48,359 Speaker 1: so I'm not quiet without a trace, I guess. Yeah. 485 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:51,600 Speaker 1: Uh so that sparked a little debate, well, do we 486 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:53,439 Speaker 1: track this thing and see what it's up to or 487 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:55,159 Speaker 1: do we just stay the hell away from it and 488 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:59,240 Speaker 1: leave well enough alone. And at that point enter Old One, 489 00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:02,200 Speaker 1: who was a local woodsman and mountain man type guy 490 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:05,159 Speaker 1: and an ace tracker, and he volunteered his services and 491 00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:09,840 Speaker 1: tracking the statue, which again he probably overcharged. Yeah, well 492 00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:12,280 Speaker 1: he volunteered. They didn't really need one to do any 493 00:28:12,280 --> 00:28:15,240 Speaker 1: trackings as the statue left you know again deep footprints, 494 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:18,760 Speaker 1: and it wouldn't take any more woodcraft attracted statue. So 495 00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:21,119 Speaker 1: he assembled the party I presume, yeah he did. He 496 00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:23,720 Speaker 1: tried to, but yeah, following this guy would not would 497 00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:27,680 Speaker 1: not have been tough. But Old One volunteered to follow 498 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:30,240 Speaker 1: the statue, and everybody agreed that was a great idea, 499 00:28:30,359 --> 00:28:33,159 Speaker 1: but everyone was otherwise committed and nobody was able to 500 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:37,200 Speaker 1: accompany Juan, so he just went Yeah. Finally he gave 501 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:39,080 Speaker 1: up on trying to persuade anybody to go with him. 502 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:42,400 Speaker 1: Needless to say, he was never heard from again. There's 503 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:46,080 Speaker 1: a lot of theories surrounding disappearance. His disappearance, Um, it's 504 00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:49,640 Speaker 1: possible he went off to start a new life, or 505 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:52,960 Speaker 1: he you know, maybe just had an accident in the woods, 506 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:56,200 Speaker 1: was eaten by bears, or he was maybe the statue 507 00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:58,400 Speaker 1: turned on him and ate him, and we don't know. 508 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:01,160 Speaker 1: Maybe they lived happily ever after her together. You could 509 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:03,200 Speaker 1: have moved in with the statues. Yeah's good point. Yeah, 510 00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:06,560 Speaker 1: but forgetting old one. But it's kind of a it's 511 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 1: kind of a footnote to history. But not long after 512 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:12,880 Speaker 1: that wouldn't replica. It's very similar to the statues started 513 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:16,600 Speaker 1: popping up everywhere, interestingly enough, starting in the village of 514 00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:19,040 Speaker 1: Winter and it's longer than that, I know, but I 515 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:22,840 Speaker 1: shortened it. But you know, but moving out from there, 516 00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:27,960 Speaker 1: more and more in surrounding areas, these little things were 517 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,200 Speaker 1: popping up everywhere. Lizs who was making these things, because 518 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:34,920 Speaker 1: they seem like these, you know, very intricate. Yeah, it'sricate, 519 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:39,440 Speaker 1: lovingly handcrafted. Statuettes are nutcrackers or whatever you want to 520 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:41,680 Speaker 1: call them. But the people who lived in this area 521 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 1: had no time for this kind of crap, because the 522 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:46,480 Speaker 1: typical working day for these farmers was fourteen hours of 523 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:49,960 Speaker 1: backback breaking labor in the fields, and after that you 524 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:51,560 Speaker 1: come home and you got to spend another forty five 525 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:55,040 Speaker 1: minutes scraping the maneuver off yourself and uh and and 526 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:56,680 Speaker 1: then that that doesn't leave a whole lot of more 527 00:29:56,680 --> 00:30:00,480 Speaker 1: time for like arts and crafts. So why SZ is 528 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:03,120 Speaker 1: who was doing this? These things showed up in local shops. 529 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:05,680 Speaker 1: The first recorded instance of a purchase was in late 530 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:10,600 Speaker 1: November or perhaps early December fourteen fifty five, and the 531 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:13,080 Speaker 1: name of the buyer is lost to the ages, so 532 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:16,880 Speaker 1: we'll call them Villehelm. And these things did have articulated bodies, 533 00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:19,160 Speaker 1: and everybody assumed that they were nutcrackers, because what the 534 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:21,680 Speaker 1: hell else are they good for? Right, So the nutcracker 535 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:23,640 Speaker 1: was given by ville him just as a president to 536 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:27,720 Speaker 1: somebody else at an office Christmas party, and it was 537 00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:31,840 Speaker 1: regifted about a week later on Christmas Eve, and as 538 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:33,960 Speaker 1: Us was born, by the way, the ancient Christmas tradition 539 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:36,280 Speaker 1: of regifting. I don't know if the re gifters did 540 00:30:36,280 --> 00:30:38,080 Speaker 1: it because they were cheap, or they had no use 541 00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:42,680 Speaker 1: for the nutcrackers, or maybe the nutcrackers were creeping them out. 542 00:30:43,280 --> 00:30:46,240 Speaker 1: That would be it. There might be well, you know, 543 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:47,880 Speaker 1: it could be one of those things where you know, 544 00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:49,560 Speaker 1: you're sitting there in your living room and you got 545 00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:51,720 Speaker 1: this nutcracker over there in the corner, or maybe sitting 546 00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:53,640 Speaker 1: on the mantelpiece, and then all of a sudden, it's like, well, 547 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:56,680 Speaker 1: did that thing move out of the corner by I 548 00:30:57,120 --> 00:31:01,080 Speaker 1: That kind of thing. Yeah, in the village, and and 549 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:04,320 Speaker 1: also in a widening geographic area, ever spreading over the 550 00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:06,440 Speaker 1: next few years, there was a lot of regifting going on. 551 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:08,800 Speaker 1: Often somebody would have just gotten rid of a couple 552 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:10,800 Speaker 1: of nutcrackers, and then he don't put up his presence 553 00:31:10,840 --> 00:31:12,600 Speaker 1: under the Christmas tree and find another one or two 554 00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:16,200 Speaker 1: waiting for him there. And so everybody, it seemed like, 555 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:19,000 Speaker 1: pretty seen everybody in Europe had at least one nutcracker, 556 00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:21,280 Speaker 1: if not more than one. And at this point of course, 557 00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:22,920 Speaker 1: I'm not going to keep you guys in suspense. You 558 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:25,480 Speaker 1: probably figured this out, But for a few of you 559 00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 1: that haven't, the original eighteen foot tall statue, it turns out, 560 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:32,960 Speaker 1: was a self replicating alien probe. Such things are not 561 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:35,479 Speaker 1: unheard of. They've been you know, these things have been 562 00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:40,480 Speaker 1: actually prophesied by many, many scientists here in America and road. 563 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:43,720 Speaker 1: Such things can and probably do exist or maybe will 564 00:31:43,720 --> 00:31:45,480 Speaker 1: exist some day soon we'll know, we'll find out one 565 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:48,560 Speaker 1: of these days. But an army of little killer cybors 566 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:52,280 Speaker 1: what's fotasticizing across the European continent created by the original 567 00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:55,479 Speaker 1: statue or monolith or whatever you wanna call it, and 568 00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:58,720 Speaker 1: history as we know it was about to be drastically rewritten. 569 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:01,080 Speaker 1: But meanwhile, all these little sideboards are being used to 570 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:03,760 Speaker 1: crack nuts because actually that's what people thought they were, 571 00:32:03,840 --> 00:32:06,840 Speaker 1: was nutcrackers. Uh so if they weren't regifting them, they 572 00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:09,239 Speaker 1: were cracking nuts with them. And I'm not sure these 573 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:11,840 Speaker 1: little terminators felt about being used this way. They probably 574 00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:14,160 Speaker 1: thought it was kind of undignified at the very least, 575 00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:17,120 Speaker 1: and maybe a little insulting. I assume that they just 576 00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:18,800 Speaker 1: bided their time and waited for the rise of the 577 00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:22,640 Speaker 1: machines and the robotic takeover, and then they would have 578 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:27,280 Speaker 1: their time for their revenge. Right Yeah, yeah, So nobody 579 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:29,560 Speaker 1: really knew this at the time, but things were not 580 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:32,880 Speaker 1: looking up for humanity. Uh, we're kind of on the 581 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:37,840 Speaker 1: razor's edge there. But then stroke a look, on November 582 00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:41,960 Speaker 1: fourteen fifty seven, our Sun bropt up a very large 583 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:46,120 Speaker 1: coronal mass ejection which hit the Earth around midday European time. 584 00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:48,720 Speaker 1: And you guys know what a coronal mass ejection is, right, yeah, 585 00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:52,959 Speaker 1: I do it. Yeah. Occasionally the Sun just burped up 586 00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:56,360 Speaker 1: very large quantities of you know, highly charged material and 587 00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:59,280 Speaker 1: spits them out, you know, away from the Sun, off 588 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:02,320 Speaker 1: in the space. If the Earth and center are in 589 00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:06,040 Speaker 1: a certain position, then sometimes just this huge blast of 590 00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:09,160 Speaker 1: stuff hits our planet. The last time this happened to us, 591 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:11,680 Speaker 1: and in a law on large scales in eighteen fifty nine, 592 00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:15,000 Speaker 1: when we experienced what's called the Carrington event, and at 593 00:33:15,040 --> 00:33:17,520 Speaker 1: that time a lot of electrically based stuff that not 594 00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:19,000 Speaker 1: that we have a lot of it back in the 595 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:20,840 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty nine, but we had things like, you know, 596 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,600 Speaker 1: some power lines and we had telegraph lines, things like that. 597 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:27,520 Speaker 1: Stuff got toasted some of them, some of that stuff 598 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:29,720 Speaker 1: did burst into flames. Yeah, and so this is a 599 00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:34,719 Speaker 1: very fortuitous event for humanity because all those delicate electronic 600 00:33:34,920 --> 00:33:39,720 Speaker 1: enters inside all those quote unquote nutcrackers which were which 601 00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:42,760 Speaker 1: really they were not. And so we gotta say once again, 602 00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:44,680 Speaker 1: you'd think that the aliens would have been smart enough 603 00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:47,160 Speaker 1: to plan for something like that. But you know, it's 604 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:51,440 Speaker 1: amazing what changes from upper management will do. Yeah, you know, 605 00:33:51,520 --> 00:33:55,160 Speaker 1: the simplest things get cut out for budget reasons. Yeah, 606 00:33:55,160 --> 00:33:57,680 Speaker 1: I mean, I you know, I think that everybody assumes 607 00:33:57,720 --> 00:33:59,880 Speaker 1: that aliens are going to be more competent than human beings. 608 00:33:59,880 --> 00:34:01,880 Speaker 1: But there's no reason to really think. So let's let's 609 00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:04,320 Speaker 1: let's face it. Incompetence is kind of a universal rule. 610 00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:09,920 Speaker 1: So yeah, exactly. Well, so these things were basically bricks. Now, 611 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:12,719 Speaker 1: they were no longer sophisticated little terminators. They were just 612 00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:18,200 Speaker 1: bricks and suitable for nothing more really than just being nutcrackers. Uh, 613 00:34:18,200 --> 00:34:21,239 Speaker 1: And so that's how they were introduced, introduced actually by 614 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:23,960 Speaker 1: an alien species. And of course some of them did 615 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:26,719 Speaker 1: occasionally come alive, you know, like like for example, to 616 00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:29,360 Speaker 1: rescue the Princess from the Red Army. But for the 617 00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:32,560 Speaker 1: most part, they just sat there playing dumb and pretending life. 618 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:37,279 Speaker 1: They were just you know, catching implements nutcrackers in holiday decorations. 619 00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:39,920 Speaker 1: But they were just waiting for their turn. But it's 620 00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:43,799 Speaker 1: tragically for them never happened. Well, I don't know, I mean, 621 00:34:43,920 --> 00:34:47,480 Speaker 1: I I personally I'm having done my research and watched 622 00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:50,120 Speaker 1: the documentaries, I still think that I have the right answer. 623 00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:52,799 Speaker 1: But you two are welcome to believe whatever stories you 624 00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:56,560 Speaker 1: want as to what the real truth is behind the nutcracker. Well, 625 00:34:56,600 --> 00:35:01,000 Speaker 1: the whole thing about it is is like you know, rabbis, rabbis, antelope, porns. 626 00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:03,800 Speaker 1: I know, of course they exist, but the duck wanks. 627 00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:07,239 Speaker 1: Come on, dude, really you listen. Just because you don't 628 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:10,880 Speaker 1: understand the cryptid doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Who doesn't 629 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:13,440 Speaker 1: mean at least it's some taxi dermost hasn't created it. Yeah, 630 00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:15,239 Speaker 1: I mean that's really the problem here. I mean, we 631 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:18,960 Speaker 1: know rats exist, we know, like giant rats exist, aliens 632 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:23,400 Speaker 1: and like some weird scryptid animal. No, I mean you're 633 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:26,040 Speaker 1: killing species off left right in the center. They don't. 634 00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:29,000 Speaker 1: They hardly exist anymore. We wiped them out. Yeah, there's 635 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:33,080 Speaker 1: there's almost no species left. Yeah. We gotta do is 636 00:35:33,080 --> 00:35:36,640 Speaker 1: wipe each other out and then we're good basically. Yeah. Yeah, 637 00:35:36,680 --> 00:35:38,680 Speaker 1: I mean we know rat we know giant rats exist, 638 00:35:38,760 --> 00:35:42,279 Speaker 1: and they have very very bad attitudes towards people. So 639 00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:44,440 Speaker 1: I think, all right, and if there are, if there 640 00:35:44,440 --> 00:35:46,719 Speaker 1: are rats, they must have a rat King, there's no 641 00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:48,880 Speaker 1: doubt about that. There's punk rats, you know, with the 642 00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:52,799 Speaker 1: little rat mohawks those I see all the time downtown. Yeah, well, 643 00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:54,560 Speaker 1: you got to carry your nutcrack with you and they'll 644 00:35:54,560 --> 00:35:56,960 Speaker 1: just run away because they'll be like, oh no, it's 645 00:35:57,000 --> 00:35:59,120 Speaker 1: that guy that beat us off thousands of years ago. 646 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:02,600 Speaker 1: Right well, ladies and gentlemen, we're gonna go ahead and 647 00:36:02,760 --> 00:36:06,520 Speaker 1: wrap up this special holiday episode. You can uh and 648 00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:10,040 Speaker 1: believe whichever version of the story you want. That's why 649 00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:14,120 Speaker 1: we've got them all out there. Enjoy your holiday, have fun, 650 00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:18,200 Speaker 1: be safe, and we will talk to you soon. Merry 651 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:20,880 Speaker 1: Christmas everybody, and uh, happy New Year and all this 652 00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:24,080 Speaker 1: stuff too. Bye guys. Oh yeah, ho ho ho