3. NIGHT ATTACKS – Europe in the Middle Ages would have been referenced as a class 3 on the darkness scale when the sun set. To visit one’s nearest neighbor it would be necessary to travel through the moors many miles in on the darkest of nights. Europeans of this time had a mortal fear of traveling at night and with good reason. Nighttime was the perfect environment for highwaymen, thieves and murderers. This circumstance brought about the phrase “safety in numbers,” because if one was in the predicament of having to travel along the dark dangerous roads of Europe in the Middle Ages, they had better bring a friend or two. Even if you were fortunate enough not meet with an attack on your journey, the creaking of the cages hung from trees that contained apprehended highway robbers could be enough to make you wish you had stayed home. Robbers, etc., that were caught were placed in these cages until they starved to death, so it was no rare occurrence to hear the cry and wails of some poor soul in need of a sandwich. If you weren’t robbed and your journey was quiet with no pleads for mercy or death rattles, there was still cause for worry...you could always fall into a ditch. I will not fail to mention that the woods and moors in the pitch of night are considered arduous and dangerous terrain.
4. FIRE – Long ago before the advent of the light bulb, the main and only source of seeing your way through the dark was fire. This is one of the reasons that deadly home fires mainly occurred at night. In medieval times more than one fifth of children were killed in fires. The result for refusing to help put out a fire was to have your head cut off. This may seem like a harsh penalty today with your local fire department available but in a time where one fire could wipe out a whole village...well, I’m not saying its right to behead someone not toting a pail of water, but I understand.
The History Channel “Afraid of the Dark,” aired 2010
