Famous Austrians X: Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor

Oh, Rudolf. He's more than just a reindeer, you know. 

Born in Vienna to Maximilian II and Maria of Spain, Rudolf II was groomed from an early age to be emperor, spending much of his childhood in Spain - the old stomping ground of his grandfather, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. He was shy, aloof, and a little on the nerdy side. He loved horses, clocks, and astrology (he was a Cancer) and alchemy. He never married, though did have several mistresses, trysts and illegitimate children. He could have been what we would now call bisexual - or, what may have been the portmanteau of the era, "of the Greek persuasion."

Kunstkammer

Seeing as Rudolf loved art and the occult, and at the time Prague was the seat of all that alchemy business, he moved the Habsburg capital from Vienna to Prague in 1583 - it was moved back after his death - and added to his collection of curiosities (things that were to-be-defined by science: think of them as the Renaissance version of Ripley's Believe-it-or-Not) with antiquities, sketches, "dragon" (dinosaur) bones, mermaids, and unicorns - whatever. Unfortunately, his cabinet(s) fell into disrepair and were looted some 50 years after his death. Certain collections survive in museums around Europe.

Myths surrounding Rudolf II still abound in Prague, including the Golem of Prague; the contemporary Czech artist/film maker Jan Svankmajer plays off of the creepy/occult traditions of Rudolf II for much of his work. I had the pleasure of seeing some of his stuff earlier this year at the Kunsthalle in Vienna.

Superstitious?

Superstition - it's not just a Stevie Wonder song. Austrians seem especially keen on exploring them, actually, which I find fascinating in a quasi-pagan sort of way. Several examples have recently cropped up in my life. I'll share a few of them with you.

Two of my teachers asked me to do a lesson on superstitions around the world, for example, the number 13 vs. the number 7, breaking a mirror, black cats, opening an umbrella in the house, spilling salt...the list goes on. In my search for cohesion in the topic, I stumbled upon this website, which has a nice little A-Z list of superstitions.

The list my students came up with was pretty basic, and unfortunately the accompanying book lesson (from the less than stellar More!) had a completely awful version of The Monkey's Paw which is an excellent story if you read the original short story by W.W. Jacobs. But, the kids also came up a few unexpected superstitions: wearing red in China symbolizes good luck, and white bad luck; in Serbia, hiccups are caused by people talking about you.

My landlady has a book called "Guided by the Moon" (in English, written by an Austrian) which outlines all of the things you're supposed to do or not do depending on the cycle of the moon.

For example, clipping your nails after sunset on a Friday will keep you from having hang nails or ingrown toenails. Cutting your hair when the moon is waxing will make it full and beautiful - if the moon is waning, you will go bald. Felling a tree on New Year's Eve Day in the morning will make the wood easier to work with - and more durable - if you are planning on making furniture or tools out of it.

Christmas trees need to be felled during the waxing moon in December. If they are, they will keep their needles for months. Always water house plants on a water day (when the moon is going through on of the water signs - Pisces or Cancer, but not Scorpio). Do gardening: planting, weeding, harvesting; on an earth day (when the moon is going through one of the earth signs - Virgo, Taurus or Capricorn).

Sure, these superstitions can be a little silly, and I doubt whether most people actually still believe in them. But remember, this is Freud's country, and a lot of weight is still given to dream interpretation! I suppose anything is possible.