0:08

Hi and welcome back to Ninety Nine Bedtime

0:10

Stories. To keep your way. I'm referring

0:12

Rabia Chaudry. And in this

0:14

week's episode we revisit The master of

0:16

for. Himself: Edgar Allan Poe

0:18

in a story about blood

0:20

feuds that will chill you're

0:23

blind. Met

0:28

Zinger Stein, My Edgar Allan Poe.

0:45

Or and fatality have been stalking abroad in

0:47

all ages. Why then give a date to

0:50

the story I have to tell. Let

0:53

it suffice to say that at

0:55

the period of which I speak

0:57

their existed in the interior of

0:59

hungry a settled although hidden belief

1:01

in the doctrines of the met

1:03

him psychosis. Of

1:05

the doctrines themselves that is of their

1:08

falsity or of the probability. I

1:10

say nothing. I assert

1:12

however it that much of our incredulity

1:14

as Lube Rare says of all. Of

1:16

our happiness is because. We are unable

1:19

to be by ourselves. But

1:21

there are some point in the Hungarian Superstition.

1:24

Which. Were fast verging to absurdity.

1:27

They. The Hungarians. Different very

1:30

essentially from their eastern authorities.

1:33

The. Families of Berlin saying and Mets

1:36

and Gerstein had been at variance. For

1:38

centuries. Never. Before were

1:41

two houses so illustrious,

1:43

mutually embittered by hostility,

1:45

so deadly. Indeed,

1:47

at the era of this history it

1:49

was observed by an old crone of

1:52

haggard and sinister appearance. That. Fire

1:54

and water might sooner mingle. Than.

1:56

A burleigh fit think asked the hand of

1:58

a Mets and go. Nine. The

2:02

origin of this enmity seems to be

2:04

found in the words of an ancient

2:06

prophecy. A lofty name

2:08

shall have a fearful fall when as

2:10

the rider over his horse. The

2:13

mortality of men's. Indoor Stein Cel

2:15

triumphs over the immortality of

2:17

burleson thing. To

2:20

be sure, the word themselves had. Little or No

2:23

meaning. But more trivial

2:25

causes have given rise and that

2:27

not long while ago to consequences

2:29

equally event for. Besides

2:32

the states which were a contiguous.

2:35

Had long exercise, A rival influence

2:37

in the affairs of a busy government. Moreover,

2:40

Near neighbours are seldom friends. And.

2:43

The Inhabitants of the Castle Burleson Thing.

2:45

Might. Look from their lofty buttresses

2:48

into the very windows of the

2:50

palace. Mets and Gerstein. Least.

2:53

Of all had the more than

2:56

a feudal magnificence. Thus discovered a

2:58

tendency to l a the irritable

3:00

feelings of the less ancient and

3:02

less wealthy burleson things. What?

3:05

Wonder then that the words, however

3:07

silly of that prediction. Should.

3:09

Have succeeded in setting and keeping

3:11

at variance. To families

3:14

already predisposed to portal. By.

3:16

Every instigation of hereditary

3:18

jealousy. The

3:20

prophecy seem to imply if it

3:23

applied anything. A final triumph

3:25

on the part of the already

3:27

more powerful house. And was

3:29

of course remembered with the more

3:31

bitter animosity by the weaker and

3:33

less influential. Wilhelm

3:38

Talent burleson thing. Although.

3:40

Loftily Descended was at the epoch

3:42

of this narrative. And. Infirm

3:44

and doting old man. Remarkable.

3:47

For nothing but an inordinate, an

3:49

inveterate personal antipathy to the family

3:51

of his rival. And

3:53

so passion a love of horses

3:56

and of hunting that neither bodily

3:58

infirmity, Great age. The

4:00

mental incapacity presented his daily

4:02

participation in the dangers of

4:04

the chase. Frederick.

4:06

Fair and Mets and Gerstein was on

4:09

the other hand. Not yet of

4:11

age, His father, the

4:13

minister died young. His mother

4:15

the lady Mary followed him

4:17

quickly after. Frederick. Was

4:19

at that time in his system here.

4:22

In. A city Fifteen years are no

4:24

long period. A. Child may still be

4:26

a child in his. Third: lowest: rom. But.

4:29

In a wilderness In so

4:31

magnificent a wilderness as that

4:33

old principality. Fifteen years have

4:35

a far. Deeper meaning. That.

4:38

Beautiful Lady Mary. How could she

4:40

die and of consumption? But it

4:42

is a path I have prayed

4:44

to follow. I would wish all

4:46

I love to Paris of that

4:48

gentle disease. How glorious!

4:51

To. The part in the heyday of the

4:53

young blood and heart of all passion. The

4:56

imagination all fire. amid. The

4:58

remembrances of happier days. In

5:00

the fall of the year and so

5:02

be buried up forever and the gorgeous

5:05

autumnal leave. Thus

5:07

died the lady. Mary. The.

5:10

Young bear and. Stood with

5:12

out a living relative by the coffin

5:14

of is dead mother. He

5:16

placed his hand upon her placid forehead.

5:19

Know. Shudder came over. His delicate frame.

5:22

No sign from his flinty bosom. Heartless,

5:25

self willed, an impetuous from

5:27

his childhood. He. Had reached

5:30

the age of which I speak. Through

5:32

a career of unfeeling,

5:34

wanton and reckless dissipation,

5:37

And. A barrier had long since arisen

5:39

in the channel of all holy

5:41

thoughts and gentle recollections. From.

5:44

Some peculiar circumstances attending the

5:46

administration of his father. The

5:48

young Baron at a disease of the

5:51

former. Entered immediately upon

5:53

his vast possessions. Such

5:55

as days were seldom held before by

5:57

a nobleman of hungry. is castles

6:00

were without number. The

6:02

chief in point of splendor and extent was

6:04

the Chateau Metzingerstein. The

6:08

boundary line of the dominions was never

6:10

clearly defined, but his principal

6:12

park embraced a circuit of fifty

6:14

miles. Upon

6:17

the succession of a proprietor so

6:19

young with a character so well

6:21

known, to a fortune so unparalleled,

6:23

little speculation was afloat in regard

6:25

to his probable course of conduct.

6:29

And indeed, for the space of three days,

6:31

the behavior of the heir

6:34

out-heroded Herod, and

6:36

fairly surpassed the expectations of

6:38

his most enthusiastic admirers, shameful

6:41

debaucheries, flagrant treacheries,

6:44

unheard of atrocities, gave

6:47

his trembling vassals quickly to understand

6:49

that no servile submission on their part,

6:52

no punctilius of conscience on his

6:54

own, were thenceforward to prove

6:56

any security against the remorseless

6:58

fangs of a petty colligula.

7:04

On the night of the fourth day, the

7:07

stables of the castle were lifted thing

7:09

or discovered to be on fire, and

7:12

the unanimous opinion of the neighborhood

7:15

added the crime of the incendiary

7:17

to the already hideous list of

7:19

the barons misdemeanors and enormities. But

7:23

during the tumult occasioned by this

7:25

occurrence, the young nobleman himself sat

7:27

apparently buried in meditation in

7:29

a vast and desolate upper apartment

7:32

of the family palace of Metzingerstein.

7:35

The rich, although faded tapestry hangings

7:37

which swung gloomily upon the walls,

7:40

represented the shadowy and majestic

7:42

forms of a thousand illustrious

7:45

ancestors. Here rich

7:47

ermine priests and pontifical

7:49

dignitaries familiarly seated with the autocrat and

7:52

the sovereign, but a veto on the

7:54

wishes of a temporal king, or restrained

7:57

with the fiat of papal supremacy

7:59

who rebellious spectre of the

8:01

arch-enemy. There,

8:04

the dark, tall stature of

8:06

the princess, Menziesn Versteine, their

8:09

muscular war-courses plunging over the

8:11

carcasses of fallen foes, startled

8:13

the steadiest nerves with their vigorous

8:16

expression. And here again,

8:18

the voluptuous and swan-like figures of the

8:20

dames of days gone by, floated

8:23

away in the mazes of an unreal

8:25

dance to the strains of imaginary melody.

8:29

But as the Baron listened, or,

8:31

affected to listen, to the gradually

8:34

increasing uproar in the stables of

8:36

Berlissetzing, or perhaps pondered

8:38

upon some more novel, some more decided

8:40

act of audacity, his

8:43

eyes became unwittingly riveted to the

8:45

figure of an enormous and unnaturally

8:48

colored horse, represented

8:50

in the tapestry as belonging to a Saracen

8:52

ancestor of the family of his rival. The

8:57

horse itself, in the foreground of

8:59

the design, stood motionless and statue-like,

9:02

while further back it's a discomfited

9:04

rider perished by the dagger of

9:07

a Metzingerstein. On

9:11

Frederick's lip arose a fiendish expression, as

9:13

he became aware of the direction which

9:16

his glance had, without

9:18

his consciousness, assumed. Yet

9:21

he did not remove it. On

9:23

the contrary, he could by no means account

9:26

for the overwhelming anxiety which appeared falling like

9:28

a pall upon his senses. It

9:31

was with difficulty that he reconciled his

9:33

dreamy and incoherent feelings with the certainty

9:35

of being awake. The

9:38

longer he gazed, the more absorbing became

9:40

the spell. The more

9:42

impossible did it appear that he could

9:44

ever withdraw his glance from the fascination

9:46

of that tapestry. But

9:49

the tumult becoming suddenly more violent, with

9:51

a compulsory exertion, he

9:53

diverted his attention to the glare of

9:56

the ruddy light thrown full by the

9:58

flaming stables upon the windows of the apartment. The

10:02

action, however, was but momentary.

10:06

His gaze returned mechanically to the wall.

10:10

To his extreme horror and

10:12

astonishment, the head of

10:14

the gigantic steed had, in the meantime,

10:17

altered its position. The

10:20

neck of the animal, before arched as

10:23

if in compassion over the prostrate body

10:25

of its lord, was now

10:27

extended at full length in

10:29

the direction of the barren. The

10:32

eyes, before invisible, now

10:34

wore an energetic and human expression,

10:37

while they gleamed with a fiery and

10:39

unusual red, and the distended

10:41

lips of the apparently enraged horse, left

10:44

in full view his gigantic and

10:46

disgusting teeth. Stupefied

10:49

with terror, the young nobleman tottered to

10:52

the door. As

10:54

he threw it open, a flash of red light

10:56

streaming far into the chamber flung

10:58

his shadow with a clear outline against the quivering

11:01

tapestry, and he shuddered to

11:03

perceive that shadow. As

11:06

he staggered a while upon the

11:08

threshold, assuming the exact position and

11:10

precisely filling up the contour of

11:12

the relentless and triumphant murderer of

11:15

the Saracen Rilisitzing. To

11:18

lighten the depression of his spirits, the barren

11:20

hurried into the open air. At

11:23

the principal gate of the palace he encountered

11:25

three aquaries, with much

11:27

difficulty and at the eminent peril of

11:29

their lives, they were

11:32

restraining the convulsive plunges of a

11:34

gigantic and fiery-colored horse. "'Whose

11:39

horse? Where did you get him?' demanded

11:41

the youth, in a choralless and

11:43

husky tone of voice, as he

11:45

became instantly aware that

11:48

the mysterious steed in the tapestry

11:50

chamber was the very counterpart

11:52

of the furious animal before his

11:54

eyes. "'He

11:56

is your own property, sire,' replied one of the

11:59

aquaries. At least he is claimed by no

12:01

other owner. We caught him flying, all

12:03

smoking and foaming with rage from the burning

12:05

stables of the castle Burlifetzing. Supposing

12:08

him to have belonged to the old Count Stud of

12:10

Foreign Horses, we let him back as an astray. But

12:12

the grooms there disclaim any title to the

12:14

creature, which is strange, since he bears evident

12:16

marks of having made a narrow escape from

12:18

the flames." The

12:20

letters W.V.B. are also branded very

12:23

distinctly on his forehead, interrupted a second

12:25

equerry. I suppose them, of

12:27

course, to be the initials of Willem von

12:29

Burlifetzing. But all at the castle

12:31

are positive in denying any knowledge of the horse. "...extremely

12:35

singular," said the young Baron, with

12:37

amusing air, and apparently unconscious

12:40

of the meaning of his words. He

12:42

is, as you say, a remarkable horse, a

12:45

prodigious horse, although, as you

12:47

very justly observe, of a

12:50

suspicious and untractable character. Let

12:53

him be mine. However,

12:55

he added, after a pause, perhaps

12:57

a rider like Frederick of Metzingerstein

12:59

may tame even the devil from

13:01

the stables of Burlifetzing. You

13:05

are mistaken, my lord. The horse, as I think we

13:07

mentioned, is not from the stables of the Count. If

13:09

such had been the case, we know our duty better than

13:11

to bring him into the presence of a noble of your

13:14

family. True,

13:16

observed the Baron Dryly. And

13:19

at that instant a page of the bedchamber came

13:21

from the palace with a heightened color, and

13:23

a precipitate step. He

13:26

whispered into his master's ear an account

13:28

of the sudden disappearance of a small

13:30

portion of the tapestry in

13:32

an apartment which he designated. Entering

13:37

at the same time into particulars of

13:39

a minute and circumstantial character, but

13:41

from the low tone of voice in which these

13:44

latter were communicated, nothing escaped to

13:46

gratify the excited curiosity of the

13:48

equaries. The

13:51

young Frederick, however, during the conference,

13:53

seemed agitated by a variety of

13:55

emotions. He soon, however,

13:57

recovered his composure and an ex... expression

14:00

of determined malignancy settled upon his

14:02

countenance, as he gave pre-emptory orders

14:04

that a certain chamber should be immediately

14:07

locked up and the key placed in

14:09

his own possession. "'Have

14:11

you heard of the unhappy death of the old

14:14

hunter, Belifitzing,' said one of his vassals to the

14:16

Baron, as, after the departure of

14:18

the page, the huge steed which

14:20

that nobleman had adopted as his own,

14:23

plunged and curvaded with redoubled fury

14:25

down the long avenue which extended

14:27

from the chateau to the stables

14:30

of Metzingerstein. "'No,'

14:32

said the Baron, turning abruptly toward the speaker.

14:36

"'Dead, say you.' "'It

14:38

is indeed true, my lord, and to

14:40

a noble of your name will be,

14:42

I imagine, no unwelcome intelligence.' A

14:46

rapid smile shot over the countenance of the listener.

14:48

How died he? In

14:51

his rash exertions to rescue a favorite

14:53

portion of his hunting-stud, he has himself

14:55

perished miserably in the flames. "'Indeed,'

14:58

ejaculated the Baron, as if

15:00

slowly and deliberately impressed with

15:03

the truth of some exciting

15:05

idea. "'Indeed,' repeated

15:07

the vassal. "'Shocking,'

15:09

said the youth, calmly, and

15:11

turned quietly into the chateau."

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limited by state law. From

16:22

this date, a marked alteration took

16:24

place in the outward demeanor of

16:26

the dissolute young Baron Frederick von

16:29

Metzingerstein. Indeed, his

16:31

behavior disappointed every expectation and

16:34

proved little in accordance with the views

16:36

of many a maneuvering mama, while

16:38

his habits and manner, still less

16:40

than formerly, offered anything congenial with

16:42

those of the neighboring aristocracy.

16:46

He was never to be seen beyond the limits of his

16:48

own domain, and in this

16:50

wide and social world, was utterly

16:53

companionless. Unless, indeed,

16:55

that unnatural, impetuous and fiery

16:57

colored horse, which he

16:59

henceforward continually bestowed, had

17:02

any mysterious right to the title of

17:04

his friend. Numerous

17:06

invitations on the part of the

17:09

neighborhood for a long time, however,

17:11

periodically came in. Will

17:13

the Baron honor our festivals with his presence?

17:16

Will the Baron join us in a hunting of the boar?

17:19

Metzingerstein does not hunt. Metzingerstein

17:21

will not attend, for the

17:23

haughty and laconic answers. These

17:26

repeated insults were not to be

17:28

endured by an imperious nobility. Such

17:31

invitations became less cordial, less

17:33

frequent, and in time they

17:35

seized altogether. The

17:38

widow of the unfortunate Count Berliffitzing was

17:40

even hurt to express a hope that

17:43

the Baron might be at home when he did

17:45

not wish to be at home since he disdained

17:48

the company of his equals, and ride

17:50

when he did not wish to ride since he

17:52

preferred the society of a horse. This,

17:55

to be sure, was a very silly explosion

17:57

of hereditary peace and merely proved how

17:59

to live. how singularly unmeaning our

18:01

sayings are apt to become when

18:03

we desire to be unusually energetic. The

18:07

charitable nevertheless attributed the alteration in

18:09

the conduct of the young noblemen to

18:11

the natural sorrow of a son for

18:13

the untimely loss of his parents. Forgetting,

18:17

however, his atrocious and reckless

18:19

behavior during the short period

18:21

immediately succeeding that bereavement. Some

18:26

there were indeed who suggested a

18:28

too haughty idea of self-consequence and

18:30

dignity. Others again,

18:32

among them may be mentioned the family

18:34

physician, did not hesitate in

18:36

speaking of morbid melancholy and

18:39

hereditary ill health, while

18:41

dark hints of a more equivocal

18:43

nature were current among the multitude.

18:47

Indeed the baron's perverse attachment to

18:49

his lately acquired charger, an attachment

18:52

which seemed to attain new strength

18:54

from every fresh example of the

18:57

animal's ferocious and demon-like propensities, at

19:00

length became in the eyes of all reasonable

19:02

men a hideous and

19:04

unnatural fervor. In

19:07

the glare of noon, at the dead hour

19:09

of night, in sickness or in

19:12

health, in calm or

19:14

in tempest, the young Metzinger-Sine seemed

19:16

riveted to the saddle of that

19:18

colossal horse whose intractable audacity

19:20

so well accorded with his

19:22

own spirit. There

19:26

were circumstances, moreover, which coupled with late

19:29

events, gave an unearthly and

19:31

pretentious character to the mania of the

19:33

rider and to the capabilities of

19:35

the steed. The

19:37

space passed over in a single leap

19:39

had been accurately measured and was found

19:42

to exceed by an astounding difference the

19:45

wildest expectations of the most

19:47

imaginative. The

19:49

baron, besides, had no particular name for the

19:51

animal, although all the rest

19:53

in his collection were distinguished by

19:55

characteristic appellations. His stable-to

19:58

was appointed at a distance from the and

20:01

with regard to grooming and other necessary

20:03

offices, none but the owner

20:05

in person had ventured to officiate or

20:08

even to enter the enclosure of that

20:10

particular stall. It

20:13

was also to be observed that although the

20:15

three grooms who had caught the steed

20:17

as he fled from the conflagration at Berliss at

20:19

Zigg had succeeded in arresting his course by

20:22

means of a chain bridle and noose. Yet

20:25

no one of the three could with any certainty affirmed

20:28

that he had during that dangerous

20:30

struggle or at any period thereafter

20:33

actually placed his hand upon the body of

20:35

the beast. Instances

20:38

of peculiar intelligence in the

20:40

demeanor of a noble and high-spirited

20:42

horse are not to be supposed

20:44

capable of exciting unreasonable attention, especially

20:47

among men who daily trained the labors of

20:49

the chase might appear well

20:51

acquainted with the sagacity of a horse. But

20:54

there were certain circumstances which intruded

20:57

themselves per force upon the most

20:59

skeptical and phlegmatic. And

21:02

it is said there were times when the animal

21:04

caused the gaping crowd who stood around to

21:06

recoil in horror from the

21:09

deep and impressive meaning of his terrible

21:11

stance. Times

21:15

when the young Metzinger Stein turned

21:17

pale and shrunk away from the

21:19

rapid and searching expression of his

21:21

earnest and human-looking eye. Among

21:25

all the retinue of the Baron, however, none

21:28

were found to doubt the ardor of

21:30

that extraordinary affection which existed on

21:33

the part of the young nobleman for the

21:35

fiery qualities of his horse. At

21:38

least none but an insignificant and

21:40

misshapen little page whose deformities were

21:43

in everybody's way and whose opinions

21:45

were of the least possible importance.

21:48

He, if his ideas are worth mentioning at

21:50

all, had the effrontery to

21:53

assert that his master never vaulted

21:55

into the saddle without an unaccountable

21:57

and almost imperceptible shudder.

22:00

And that upon his return from

22:02

every long continued and habitual ride,

22:05

an expression of triumphant malignity

22:07

distorted every muscle in his

22:09

countenance. One

22:16

tempestuous night, Metz and

22:18

Gerstein, awaking from a heavy slumber,

22:20

descended like a maniac from his

22:22

chamber, and mounting

22:24

in hot haste, bounded away

22:27

into the mazes of the forest. And

22:30

a current so common attracted no particular

22:32

attention, but his return was

22:34

looked for with intense anxiety on the part of

22:36

his domestics. When,

22:39

after some hours' absence, the

22:42

stupendous and magnificent battlements of

22:44

Chateau, Metz and Gerstein were

22:47

discovered crackling and rocking to their very

22:49

foundation. Under

22:52

the influence of a dense and

22:54

livid mass of ungovernable

22:56

fire. As

23:00

the flames when first seen had already

23:02

made so terrible a progress that all

23:04

efforts to save any portion of the

23:06

building were evidently futile, the

23:09

astonished neighborhood stood idly around in

23:11

silent and pathetic wonder. But

23:15

a new and fearful object soon riveted the attention of

23:17

the multitude, and

23:19

proved how much more intense is the excitement

23:21

wrought in the feelings of a crowd by

23:24

the contemplation of human agony, than

23:27

that brought about by the most appalling

23:29

spectacles of inanimate matter. Up

23:33

the long avenue of aged oaks which led

23:35

from the forest to the main entrance of

23:37

the Chateau Metz and Gerstein, a

23:40

steed bearing an unbonneted

23:42

and disordered rider was seen

23:44

leaping with an impetuosity which

23:47

outstripped the very demon of

23:49

the tempest, and

23:51

exhorted from every stupefied

23:53

beholder the ejaculation, horrible.

24:00

Horseman was indisputably on his.

24:02

Part uncontrollable, The.

24:04

Agony of his countenance. The. Convulsive

24:07

struggle of. His frame. Gave.

24:09

Evidence of superhuman exertion.

24:12

But. No sound save a

24:14

solitary three escaped from his

24:17

lacerated lips, which. Were bitten

24:19

through and through in the intensity of

24:21

terror. One instant

24:23

and the clattering of have resulted.

24:25

Sharply and shrill the above the roaring of

24:28

the flames and the shrieking of the when.

24:32

Another and clearing and a single

24:34

plunge at the gateway and them

24:36

out. The speed founded far up

24:39

the tottering staircases of the palace,

24:41

and with it's rider disappeared amid

24:43

the whirlwind of chaotic fire. The

24:49

theory of the tempest immediately died

24:51

away. And a dead

24:53

com sullenly succeeded. A

24:57

light flame still enveloped a building with a

24:59

shroud. And. Streaming far away into

25:01

the quiet atmosphere. Shot. Forth

25:03

and glare of p to natural light.

25:07

while a cloud of smoke settled heavily

25:09

over the battlements in the distinct. Colossal

25:11

figure. Of of. What

25:21

we do more to the story. It

25:29

would appear that Mets and Gerstein may

25:31

have been particularly personal for it's author

25:33

Pope, because out of his more than

25:35

a hundred and twenty five short stories

25:37

and full length of books he kept.

25:39

A tighter hold on this one than

25:41

almost any other. First

25:43

published. Just. Days before Posts:

25:45

Twenty. Third birthday. In his lifetime,

25:48

he would only allow for three

25:50

publication two more times. The

25:52

story draws heavily on the writers'

25:55

life in the years immediately preceding

25:57

publication. Like young. Bear in

25:59

Frederick. Poe was orphaned at an

26:01

early age, and though his own family

26:03

did not come from money, the family who

26:05

raised him were sufficiently wealthy to provide

26:07

him with the best education possible and

26:10

a childhood spent in beautiful estates

26:12

on sprawling grounds. In

26:14

the story's first published version, Frederick had

26:16

been orphaned when his mother died

26:19

of consumption, tuberculosis, exactly

26:21

as little Edgar's mother had when the boy

26:23

was only two years old. Though

26:26

Poe did fall out with his guardians over

26:28

his pernicious gambling habits during his university

26:30

years, the similarities end when

26:32

we examine the temperaments. Baron

26:35

Frederick's dark tendencies towards violence

26:37

was perhaps something Poe only

26:39

explored in himself through imagination.

26:42

In this story, Frederick Metzinger Stein did indeed

26:45

have a taste for blood, and

26:47

believing that he was helping his adopted family

26:49

to at last put an end to a

26:51

centuries-long feud, he thought to

26:53

not only vanquish the Berliffet's Zinc

26:55

clan, but in doing so, to

26:57

defy the prophecy of that family's

27:00

immortality. The fates did

27:02

not stand for this challenge, though, and

27:04

as Frederick becomes more and more

27:06

obsessed with the Berliffet's Zinc's enormous,

27:09

unnaturally colored horse, we

27:11

the readers can only watch with mounting

27:13

tension and terror as we realize

27:15

what the Baron never does. The

27:17

beast is in fact inhabited by

27:20

the souls of Count Berliffet's Zinc,

27:22

returning to exact a brutal vengeance

27:24

on the Metzinger Steins and restore

27:27

the path of the prophecy. You

27:29

might not know that the very notion of

27:32

vengeance was born in the course of

27:34

old world blood feuds between

27:36

powerful families. At a

27:38

time in history when most of Europe was

27:40

ruled only loosely by centralized governments, even

27:43

in monarchies, most people lived life

27:45

under the direction of smaller domains, won

27:47

by powerful families in charge of carved

27:50

out regions. The very

27:52

word vengeance and its many

27:54

siblings such as revenge, avenge,

27:57

vendetta, vindicate, all stem

27:59

from the Latin word vengeance. root word,

28:01

zindicare. This word made

28:03

its earliest appearance in the 14th

28:05

century of Italy, meaning both to

28:07

punish and to lay claim

28:10

to. It was originally

28:12

used in discussions about the family

28:14

feuds between neighboring ruling clans, including

28:16

perhaps the most famous of them all,

28:19

the Montague Icapelletti, better

28:22

known to all the world for the last 400 years

28:25

as the models for William

28:27

Shakespeare's Montagues and Capulets. These

28:31

blood feuds persisted across Italy

28:33

and were also quite prevalent

28:35

in Germany and Eastern European

28:37

countries like Hungary, the setting

28:39

for the Metzingerstein versus Berliefit-Zing

28:41

clashes. Some of these

28:43

continued well into modern history and even

28:45

spilled into what we now know to be

28:47

the origins of the Austro-Hungarian disputes

28:50

with neighbors that would lead to

28:52

World War I. And

28:54

though old Europe saw more of this type

28:56

of lasting feud than the new world that

28:58

followed it, a young United

29:00

States of America witnessed one such fight

29:03

splashed across the front pages of newspapers

29:05

all over the country for decades as

29:08

the Hatfield and McCoy families both married

29:10

and killed each other across the banks

29:12

of the Tug Fork River that ran

29:14

along the border of Kentucky and West

29:16

Virginia. Perhaps at the

29:18

last of this type of family blood

29:20

feud the world would witness on such a

29:23

scale, it was only fitting the fates

29:25

would dictate the end of that fight would come

29:28

when members of one side set fire

29:30

to the homestead of the other, chilling

29:32

and maiming most of their rivals. In

29:35

the same way, the Metzingersteins and

29:37

the Berliefit-Zing used fire to purge each

29:40

other from the face of the earth.

29:46

Nighty Night is co-produced and distributed

29:48

by Podcast One. It's also executive

29:50

produced by Paul Anderson and Nick

29:52

Pinella for Workhouse Media, editing

29:54

and sound designed by Steve Delimater. And

29:57

a big thanks to my executive producer

29:59

Stacey Parra. And finally a thank

30:01

you to Sarah Kalan, my researcher, for

30:03

the extra little tidbits at the end

30:05

of every story. Thank you guys for

30:07

listening! until next time night Nine!