"Clay Stool" acquired its name from a form of medieval punishment for witchcraft. Originally, alleged witches were strapped to a wooden chair - a ducking stool - then plunged into a river. If they sank they were innocent, if they floated they were in league with the devil and summarily executed.
Samuel Revile, a local priest and freelance misogynist, wondered if ducking stools, which were traditionally festooned with dozens of inflated pigs' bladders, colourful helium balloons, and tethered albatrosses had something to do with the high numbers of people being found guilty.
Revile set about inventing the heavier "clay stool." A year after its introduction 100% of accused witches, mostly women, had plummeted to the riverbed where they drowned, proving their innocence.
Revile's work also alerted communities to the dangers of balloons. It was they, he maintained, not the women, that floated and were therefore in league with Satan. To this day, people who make balloon animals are considered unholy and are barred from church jumble sales.
Though Revile revolutionalised the justice system by inventing compassionate torture, he inadvertently caused widespread redundancies in the execution sector.
Listen to the single here:
Or watch the video here:
Oddly enough, Toni Arthur really was involved in a coven and made a number of Wyrd Folk LPs. Hearken To The Witches Rune is the one look out for.
ReplyDeleteI love the term "redundancy" rather than "layoff."
ReplyDeleteMan, I love this eerie music. Where can I hear it minus the voice-over?
ReplyDeleteThe voice-over is part of the music. It's hauntology. I mean I guess the answer to your question is genuine old library records or stuff like the focus group.
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