Welcome to my stop on the Snarkology Halloween Blog Hop! It's the season for all things spooky, and graveyards offer the perfect spot for all kinds of paranormal activity. Picturing a visit to a cemetery on a crisp autumn night easily conjures up images of wispy shadows darting amongst the tombstones. Those are the types of scenes I love to describe in my books, but then I have a bit of an obsession with ghosts. I've done multiple posts on both
my experience with ghosts and
actual hauntings, so I thought this October, I'd delve a little deeper into graveyards, the final earthly destination for many restless spirits.
A
graveyard refers to a burial ground within church property; this location within the church's yard indicates a burial area associated with a single place of worship, consecrated for use by a specific denomination. The graveyards were initially for people who could not afford to be buried within or beneath the church. Spots close to the church and to the east were reserved for those of higher status, while the north corner was the least favorable location.
Eventually, graveyards became overcrowded hotbeds for disease, as more and more bodies were packed into limited space. Concern over infectious outbreaks near graveyards located in populated areas led to an alternative solution.
Cemeteries were created away from town centers, and these new burial places were not necessarily connected to a particular church. While we often use the words "graveyard" and "cemetery" interchangeably now, "graveyard" is a much older term.
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| Catacombs of Paris - Wall of Skulls |
In 18th century Paris, the overcrowding became such a problem that the Holy Innocents' Cemetery was closed and condemned. Bodies buried there were exhumed and transported to the Catacombs beneath the city. This turned the remains of old stone mines into a massive underground
ossuary: a site, or thing, such as a box, which is made to hold skeletal remains. The bones of approximately
six million people were moved into the Catacombs during a two-year period, and as it was impossible to match the remains with identities, display walls were created by stacking femurs and skulls.
A
Potter's Field refers to a mass graveyard for the poor or unknown dead. The term "Potter's Field" actually comes from the Bible. Before hanging himself, Judas cast away the silver he'd received for betraying Jesus. The priests did not want the tainted money to go into the charity box, so they used it to buy land for the burial of strangers. The field they purchased was considered land of poor quality--consisting of clay used by potters as opposed to rich soil useful in agriculture--hence the name. Interestingly enough, Judas plays a part in many morbid superstitions--see my posts on
The Number 13 and
The Origin of Superstitions.
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A dangerous ghost & an
ex-boyfriend await Claire
Linden in Gull Harbor... |
If you enjoy a suspenseful spooky story mixed with some steamy romance, leave a comment below to enter the giveaway for a FREE e-copy of my ghost story/romance
GULL HARBOR. This book was a 19-week Kindle bestseller, and it's a perfect Halloween read! Please don't forget to leave an email or twitter handle where I can reach you should you win.
Facebook and
twitter follows/likes will gain extra entries into the GULL HARBOR giveaway - please note in your comment.
If you like $100 gift cards to Amazon or Barnes & Noble (ha ha, who doesn't?), here's the Blog Hop Rafflecopter! Extra entries to win $100 can be gained by the +1 options. Plus, there are two second prize winner who'll receive $15 cards.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
There are a whole bunch more stops on this blog hop, filled with fun Halloween/Fall posts...and more swag to win along the way. Below are the links to guide you through the hop! Happy haunted hopping :) P.S. The hop begins on 10/27 and ends with the drawing on 10/31 - enjoy the trick-or-treating!
