Dr Evelyn Koch
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evelynkoch.bsky.social
Dr Evelyn Koch
@evelynkoch.bsky.social
1.7K followers 1.1K following 730 posts
Early modern/19th-cent. English literature, science and literature, landscape in literature, fantasy, horror and weird fiction.
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evelynkoch.bsky.social
Well hello!
Two swans are approaching the river bank. Behind them are various ducks. The photo of the river is framed by tree branches and the light of the dusk is reflected in the ripples on the water.
November 18, 2025 at 4:54 PM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
Auf Shetland konnte man Gedichte auf öffentlichen Toiletten lesen - bog poetry.
Photo of a poem displayed in a public toilet. The poem "Da Hill" by Susan Pearson is introduced by the Slogan "Bards in the Bog".
November 17, 2025 at 8:10 PM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
Some modern standing stones for #StandingStoneSunday: this is an art installation in Newtonmore in the Cairngorns. You have to zoom in to see the individual carvings on the stones.

📷 from 2023
A photo of four standing stones that circle a smaller square stone in the middle which has a small hole in its centre. Each standing stone has individual carvings such as Ogham signs, a shark, and persons. Behind the standing stones, there are panels with short phrases on them.
November 16, 2025 at 9:21 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
Last weekend, I only had little time to explore Mainz due to conference business, but you're never far away from a Roman site in former Mogontiacum. Here is the Dativius-Victor-Arch - it's a reconstruction and the original is in a museum now.
#RomanSiteSaturday
A photo of the reconstructed Dativius-Victor-Arch in Mainz. The arch has the colour of sandstone and is decorated with frescos of vine branches, a depiction of Jupiter an Juno and scenes of a sacrificial nature.
November 8, 2025 at 7:13 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
For #PhantomsFriday, the tomb of the helhest, the hell-horse, in Roskilde Cathedral. Its ghost is said to appear at night to anyone who dares to go near the cathedral. The horse's ghost is three-legged and skeletal with red-burning eyes, and anyone who sees it will die soon.

📷 from 2022
A tomb in Roskilde Cathedral, Denmark. The tomb is a shiny black stone with no inscriptions.
October 31, 2025 at 8:09 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
The latest Hither Shore is out now! Not only does it contain articles on the volume's topic #Tolkien and his editors, but various Tolkien editors reflect on their own experiences of editing Tolkien's works.
💙📚 #fantasy #lit #littwiss
Photo of the cover of Hither Shore Vol. 21 on the topic Tolkien and his Editors (Tolkien und seine Herausgeber:innen). The cover is orange and white and features an illustration of a shore by Anke Eißmann. The book stands upright on a board featuring the ring design, and a mini Bilbo sits in front of the book.
October 30, 2025 at 4:32 PM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
The parable of the ten virgins as depicted in Magdeburg Cathedral. Quite a remarkable piece of art from the mid-13th century - it's worth zooming in on their faces since there aren't that many smiling or crying medieval statues. 🏺
The five foolish virgins - five statues of women with long flowing gowns, each holding an empty lamp. All have very expressive faces; the first on the left clutches her breast and looks over to the wise virgins; the second does a facepalm; the third rests her head in her hand as if asleep; the other two are crying. The five wise virgins - five statues of women with long flowing gowns, each holding a lamp filled with oil. All have very expressive faces; they are smiling contently and even look a bit smug. The second virgin from the right looks over to the foolish virgins.
October 28, 2025 at 4:49 PM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
I like that both St. Jerome and the lion are exceedingly grumpy in this #earlymodern fresco. 🏺
St. Jerome and the lion as part of a fresco in Magdeburg Cathedral. St. Jerome is depicted sitting down and holding a book. He wears long garments and has a beard. His fingers are spread in unnatural ways. Next to him, there's a very stocky lion with its mouth open and its nose russled. St. Jerome's book rests on the lion's head. Both look immensly grumpy.
October 27, 2025 at 3:18 PM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
Next to the tomb of Otto I, there's the statue of Saint Maurice from the mid-13th century, the patron saint after which the cathedral is named. 🏺 #medievalsky
Sculpture of Saint Maurice from the mid-13th century. The sculpture misses its legs and a lance which the hand on the left used to hold. Saint Maurice is depicted in the fashion of a knight of the High Middle Ages wearing chain mail and a coat-of-plates. It is one of the first realistic depictions of a person of colour that has survived from the European Middle Ages.
October 27, 2025 at 11:08 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
The tomb of Eadgyth, known as Editha in German, queen consort of Otto I (his tomb isn't open to the public at the moment). She was the grandaughter of Alfred the Great and half-sister to King Athelstan. 🏺 #medievalsky
The richly decorated sarcophagus of Eadgyth/Editha in Magdeburg Cathedral. On top, there's the likeness of Eadgyth/Editha layed out. Beneath, an inscription about the queen.
October 27, 2025 at 7:06 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
A particularly spooky #earlymodern memento mori in Magdeburg Cathedral. 🏺
Lower part of an early modern memento mori sculpture in Magdeburg Cathedral. At the bottom is a skull. Directly above, there is the head of a cherub staring menacingly into the void. Above this, there are two decomposing heads with hollow eye sockets and the flesh apears to melt from the skulls.
October 26, 2025 at 9:04 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
Magdeburg Cathedral. 🏺
A richly decorated entrance to Magdeburg Cathedral.
October 26, 2025 at 8:25 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
Got this at the book fair in Frankfurt last weekend. "Introverted Latvian Writer" might be my new spirit animal.
A black-and-white figure drawn in a comic style sits at a table, before him an empty sheet and a pen. He has his elbows on the table and puts his hands together at his tips whilst looking pensively stern. Next to this the hashtag #iamintrovert and "Intoverted Latvian Writer".
October 23, 2025 at 12:21 PM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
Went to see the ever reliably great Robert Forster and his Swedish Band (yes, that's what they're called). Great set and very dry wit by Mr Forster.
4 musicians performing on colourfully lit stage.
October 6, 2025 at 9:05 PM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
Dr Dee ushering in spooky season.
An early modern woodcut featuring Dr Dee and a "swift, sharpe, poysonable tongued monster of many heads" that "devoureth men".
#FolkloreThursday
Frontispiece of a text by John Dee that says: "A letter, nine yeeres since, written and first published: containing a most briefe discourse apologetical with a plaine demonstration, and feruent protestation, for the lawfull, sincere, very Christian course, of the philosophicall studies and exercises, of a certaine studious gentleman: a faithfull seruaunt to our late soueraigne lady, Queene Elizabeth, for all the time of her raigne: and (anno 1602. Aug. 9) sworne seruant to the King his most excellent Maiestie." Below this is a woodcut of John Dee praying up to the heavens. In the sky above, there are clouds as well as an ear and eye and a hand emerging that holds a sword. Right next to Dee, there's a sheep that is being threatened to be eaten by a wolf. Next to them, there's the "swift, sharpe, poysonable tongued monster of many heads" that "devoureth men", i.e. a creature with two giant human-like legs, wings protruding from its sides and on top, there are many men with heads emerging.
October 2, 2025 at 10:40 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
On this week's undead theme for #WyrdWednesday: The Travels of Sir John Mandeville (14thC) mentions a story of a monster begotten by the dead that comes to haunt a vile rapist. (The full story's quote is in the Alt-Text.)
The undead monster as depicted in a 1582-edition.
Woodcut from The Voyages and Trauailes of Sir John Maundeuile Knight (1582), fol. Cii.v, depicting a horned and beaked monster with an additional face on its back rising from a tomb and attacking a man standing next to the tomb who seems unfussed by it all. The accompanying story is: "[...] and as men passe that way by a place where was wont to be a great cittie that men call Sathalay, for all that country was lost through the folly of a young man, who had a faire Damsell that hée loued well, and shée dyed sodainely, and was buryed in a graue of Marble, and for the great loue hée had to her, hée went in a night to her tombe and opened it, and went and lay by her, and a while afterward returned home againe, and when it came to the end of ix. monethes, a voice came to him and said in this manner, as in the next Chapter followeth. [...] GOE vnto the tombe of the same woman that thou hast lyen by, and open it, béehold well that which thou hast béegotten on her, and if thou let it goe, thou shalt haue a great harme, and hée went and opened the Tombe, and there flew out a monster right hidious for to sée, the whiche monster flew about the cittie and country, and soone after the cittie and the country sanck downe, and there are many perillous passages." (Cii.v-Ciii.r)
October 1, 2025 at 10:44 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
The episode "Hans My Hedgehog" from Jim Henson's The Storyteller freaked me out as a small child, but at the same time has a lot to answer for in terms of my appreciation of horror.
#WyrdWednesday
Image of the episode "Hans My Hedgehog" from Jim Henson's The Storyteller. It shows a creature, who is half-human, half-hedgehog, riding on a giant rooster.
September 24, 2025 at 4:08 PM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
Bonus plate from Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium (1705) showing some ferocious spiders and ants. #WyrdWdnesday
Coloured copper engraving from Metamorphosis (p. 57) depicting spiders and ants on a branch of a guava. One of the spiders eats a hummingbird.
September 17, 2025 at 11:20 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
For #WyrdWednesday 's insect topic, an image from Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium (1705) by Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) depicting the metamorphosis of butterflies. Still in the #earlymodern period, insects were believed to be spontaneously generated from mud, which is disproved here.
Coloured copper engraving from Merian's Metamorphosis (p. 60) depicting Surinamese butterflies, flies and caterpillars on a guava tree branch.
September 17, 2025 at 11:20 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
View of the Glauberger Annexwälle - remains of a hillfort on the Glauberg estimated to be from c. 500 BC. The ramparts are distinctly visible and you can walk on them.
#HillfortsWednesday
An overgrown wall of a former Celtic hillfort. Even beneath the grass, the rampart is distinctly visible. On the rampart and next to it, some trees are growing. An overgrown smaller wall of a former Celtic hillfort. Even beneath the grass, the small rampart is distinctly visible. Trees are growing next to it. In the distance, fields and woodland is visible beneath a blue sky. An overgrown small wall of a former Celtic hillfort. Even beneath the grass, the small rampart is distinctly visible. There are further ground waves visible. Many trees are growing in the background. In the distance, fields and woodland is visible beneath a blue sky. An overgrown wall of a former Celtic hillfort seen from the perspective of above (I stood on the rampart to take the photo.). Even beneath the grass, the rampart is distinctly visible. There are big trees growing next to it. In the distance, a blue sky with white clouds is visible.
September 10, 2025 at 10:46 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
View of the reconstructed burial mound. The original tomb is from c. 420 BC.
#TombTuesday
View of a reconstructed burial mound at the Glauberg. The tumulus resembles the excavated tomb from c. 420 BC in which the so-called Fürst vom Glauberg was found. The tumulus is surrounded by wooden posts and various ditches. There's a path that leads onto the mound. In the background, fields and woodland can be seen. There are rain clouds in the sky and it's just starting to rain in the distance.
September 9, 2025 at 5:31 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
One of my favourite exhibits is this piece of ceramics which predates the Celtic settlement on the Glauberg considerably. It's a 7000-years-old piece of ceramics in form of a pig snout. 🏺
A piece of ceramics in form of a pig snout as exhibited at the Keltenwelt am Glauberg. The fragment must have been part of a pig figure. Found in 1993 at the Glauberg-Südhang. It's estimated to be created c. 5300-5000 BC.
September 8, 2025 at 7:54 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
There's also a whole army of Fürsten am Glauberg in front of the Keltenwelt am Glauberg.
Replicas of the "Fürst vom Glauberg" statue in front of the Keltenwelt am Glauberg. Their colour is black. When the photo was taken it was ranking, so rain pours down the statues.
September 7, 2025 at 7:07 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
"Bettine von Arnim with the model of her Goethe monument". The monument - I have questions!
Drawing of Bettine von Arnim by Emil Ludwig Grimm as exhibited at Schloss Steinau. Bettine sits in a chair looking pensively into the distance. In the background, there's a model of a Goethe monument with Goethe sitting in a Zeus-style fashion on a decorated throne holding a laurel wreath. This version of Goethe has clearly been to the gym. His naked upper body is exposed so he can show off his toned pecs. In front of him, there's an automaton in the shape of a boy.
September 7, 2025 at 7:02 AM
evelynkoch.bsky.social
Well hello. 🏺
Statue of an armoured man made of sandstone in the Keltenwelt am Glauberg Museum. The statue is 1.86 m toll and weighs 230 kg. It's from c. 420 BC. The statue wears a hood-like headdress which intimates mistletoe leaves. He wears a torc around his neck and an armring.
September 5, 2025 at 5:37 PM