A lot of the mythology of witch-burnings comes from Margaret Murray, who published a paper on the nine million practitioners of witchcraft who were burned and persecuted. The paper turned out to be entirely false, but it inspired the silent movie Hexan about the inquisition, and has since been propagated by movies and television. Salem, Mass. has the worst reputation for witch-burnings, but in truth, it was only about a dozen people, and all were hanged.
I don't know. In my opinion, hanging 1 out of every 4 people who were accused of something absurd, for reasons of religious hysteria, still seems like a pretty awful thing.
@UberMan5000 5 million in whole Europe through those years, yk, spread over those 2 centuries. So not all at the same time ;) And especially in Germany (I believe) there were times they burned/hanged/whatever half of all the women in a city. So I guess it's possible.
@I5is The Da Vinci Code (spit) doesn't define the length of time across which "five million witches" were burned, so it's more fun to assume it was all over the course of one weekend.
@UberMan5000 not even close... europe in the 16th century had a population of roughly 80 million.. and those executions took place from the late 11th century to the early 18th...
@UberMan5000 you must not understand how conversations work, see, you said something outrageously stupid (that the population of europe was 5 million in the 1600s) and i corrected you.
@crazygeek777 I must commend your selflessness, correcting someone on the internet when they make an elaborate guess at something that they, nor anyone else, have even the slightest interest in. You could have kept that to yourself, secure in your own personal knowledge of this obscure bit of data, but dammit, someone is wrong on the internet! You can't let yourself not look like an arrogant know-it-all – I mean, you can't let this ignorance continue!
@crazygeek777 Incidentally I tried looking up the population of England between 1500 and 1600. In 1500, it was 4 million, and in 1600, it was 6 million. So it was a pretty fair guess, especially if England had the undeserved reputation for more witch-burning... though I guess they just didn't have the body count to spare for it.
@crazygeek777 I had a hunch it was one of those two, I just wasn't sure which. You also tend to state the larger thing before the smaller thing in a sentence, because it doesn't make much sense to say "Wasn't that the population of England, or at least Europe", because Europe isn't "less" than England. "Doesn't this cost ten dollars, or at least a thousand?"
@audball911 apparently you don't understand that more central comments (as in the only one he fucking made) are more likely to be criticized (and more rightly so) then a small grammatical error.
"In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community[...]with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion." -- Wikipedia
My intent was to correct/inform, ergo I am not a troll. Have that anger issue checked out, and have a good day. :)
I've already commented on another posting of this clip, but I'll put it here as well. The producers of QI gave their opinion on The Da Vinci Code for the series C DVD - they thought it was actually a decent, if not spectacular, story.
in Sweden they had to admit to being witches before being executed xD because the people didn't want lost souls wondering around. Although they would just be tortured until they admitted....
@ShaolinDeadlyGamers Actually only 1 in 7 accused of witchcraft were executed in America (better than the 1 in 4 Stephen talks about) and they were all hanged save for one was crushed to death.
@ShaolinDeadlyGamers Oh really. I have little knowledge of witchtrials in general but I do know that all those convicted in the Salem Witch Trials were in deed hanged.
I haven't read it, am I alone in the world? Have also missed anything with a dragon tattoo. Though if I ever get to retire to the beach house I promise to catch up on all the best sellers of the last decade ... not much to do on a beach.
One of the main reasons that burning witches was less popular in england than in other parts of europe was that in england they put on on trial for whatever your crime was, and noted witchcraft as the method. So witches that were accused of killing someone by witchcraft were on trial for murder, not witchcraft itself. That meant that, even if they were found guilty (and the trials were considerably more fair than elsewhere), they were typically hanged, as was the usual punishment for murder.
I suspect that most people think the Da Vinci Code is shit simply because every fucker has read it and they just want to distance themselves from the crowd and like to think they are smarter than everyone else because they are arseholes. They are the sort of people who, if they ever visted me for some reason, I would cover my coffee table with Jeremy Clarkson books just to annoy the fuck out of them.
@thesteveus Nope, most people think The Da Vinci Code is shit because it's shit. Who honestly thinks to themselves "I'm being poisoned!" after they get poisoned?
Perhaps it is, but most people only assert it's shit so they seem smarter than all the other sheep who have read it. I thought it was ok but I don't really give a shit whether its supposed to be good or bad writing. But I'll be fucked if I'm going to jump on the "The Da Vinci Code is shit" bandwagon with all the other pretend intellectuals who all of a sudden feel the need to slag it off cause every thickie on the planet has read it.
@Akfilm92 That is a very good description. I do agree with stephen' opinion thereXD and its probably one of the funniest lines ive heard in a while XD
GOD! I was so happy to hear Stephen go off on the %#$@& Da Vinci Code! I'm not the least bit religious; I just hated the damn thing, and everyone around me was going, "It's AMAZING! What's wrong with you?!" It is NOT. The writing's terrible, the characters dull and the factual errors inexcusable. Well, here you have it: Stephen Fry, who is more intelligent than all the people who loved the Da Vinci Code combined, thinks it's arse gravy. Case closed.
@EnigmaDrath I can't stand that kind of argument. "Some intelligent well read guy thinks something is bad therefore they are unquestionably right." If people enjoy something, just leave them to enjoy it and keep your opinions to yourself! Perhaps the reason Dan Brown's book is not factually accurate is because IT IS A WORK OF FICTION YOU DIMWIT.
Why should I keep my opinions to myself? It's a free world. If people have the right to enjoy something, then who's to say I don't have the right to roll my eyes at them? You have your opinion; I have mine, and we both have the right to voice them. I personally loathe Brown's writing (and I am not the only one) so I will say so. What, are you only allowed to share your thoughts if they're sweet, happy ones that don't hurt other people's feelings? Wake up and smell reality.
@EnigmaDrath Oh, you're perfectly within your rights to criticise Brown and judge his readers - I'm not a huge fan of him myself but I would just leave them to it. I was mainly taking issue with people like you idolising Fry to the extent that everything he says MUST be right; it's kind of sad.
I'm afraid you took my original comment too seriously. While I do think very highly of Fry, I do not assume him to know all the right answers. For example, he's a Twitter fanatic whereas I find Twitter to be so damn pointless. And I cringe whenever he, bless him, butchers Dutch words. I respect him, but I don't idolise him. My comment was both one of amusement (because I love how he just goes off on the book) and agreement (because I too hate the book).
@EnigmaDrath Well, fair enough - apologies. I can't say I think Brown can be called good literature and I do understand why people dislike him but I found it just as enjoyable as reading Harry Potter etc. As for Twitter, well, that is an idea that has become obscenely popular for what it is, I agree.
@mrcreative13 She was burned for heresy, not witchcraft and was burned in France, albeit on the watch of the English. Not that that makes it makes it any less barbaric, of course.
might be so in brittain, but i can tell you that there certainly was a lot of witches in scandinavia that were burned.
loran1212 2 weeks ago
@loran1212 Britain*
fearthegeeklord 5 days ago
Ass gravy? Don't you mean santorum?
Zonkin 1 month ago 6
@Zonkin no theres a differance
TheDeadlyNote 1 month ago
ass gravy xD
WrathOfEnd 1 month ago
Arse-gravy...heh
Tendoking 1 month ago
I'm burning a witch at this very moment and I don't know what I'm going to feed the guests now.
leavetheherbitalone 1 month ago 3
@leavetheherbitalone Witches are best when slow cooked on low heat.
GoblinXXX 1 week ago
A lot of the mythology of witch-burnings comes from Margaret Murray, who published a paper on the nine million practitioners of witchcraft who were burned and persecuted. The paper turned out to be entirely false, but it inspired the silent movie Hexan about the inquisition, and has since been propagated by movies and television. Salem, Mass. has the worst reputation for witch-burnings, but in truth, it was only about a dozen people, and all were hanged.
ShawnRavenfire 2 months ago 2
@ShawnRavenfire Salem has the worst rep because its the most recent. The witch burnings took place centuries before Salem.
InsaneamI 1 month ago
"I'm telling you people; the earth revolves around the sun!" "BURN HIM!"
RoseNoir90 2 months ago
@RoseNoir90 It's amazing what false truths and group pressure motivated by fear can do to peoples ignorance and intelligence levels.!
Etrajbe 1 month ago
She turned me into a newt!
adzo202 2 months ago
Arse gravy! Epic description =D
paulsky1 2 months ago
It's nice to know I'm not the only who thinks that of The Da Vinci Code.
gyrrakavian 3 months ago
wait a minute...charles gray was in something OTHER than the rocky horror picture show? will wonders never cease?
20centuryfox100 3 months ago
"arse gravy" <------ best phrase. Ever.
232bluewings 4 months ago 3
arse gravy he says, lol.
c0rr0s10n 4 months ago
I don't know. In my opinion, hanging 1 out of every 4 people who were accused of something absurd, for reasons of religious hysteria, still seems like a pretty awful thing.
rmcdaniel423 4 months ago 4
Five million witches executed? Wasn't that almost the entire population of Europe (or at least England) in the 16th and 17th century?
UberMan5000 5 months ago
@UberMan5000 5 million in whole Europe through those years, yk, spread over those 2 centuries. So not all at the same time ;) And especially in Germany (I believe) there were times they burned/hanged/whatever half of all the women in a city. So I guess it's possible.
I5is 5 months ago
@I5is The Da Vinci Code (spit) doesn't define the length of time across which "five million witches" were burned, so it's more fun to assume it was all over the course of one weekend.
UberMan5000 5 months ago
@UberMan5000 I liked the book even though I didn't take it seriously and I still fully agree with the posters comment. So no hating!
halfhigh 4 months ago
@I5is 5 million? Nowhere near. A few thousand at most.
gaspode18 3 months ago
@UberMan5000 not even close... europe in the 16th century had a population of roughly 80 million.. and those executions took place from the late 11th century to the early 18th...
crazygeek777 3 months ago
@crazygeek777 Be sure to knock on the door of everyone that bought The Da Vinci Code and let them know that.
UberMan5000 3 months ago
@UberMan5000 you must not understand how conversations work, see, you said something outrageously stupid (that the population of europe was 5 million in the 1600s) and i corrected you.
crazygeek777 3 months ago
@crazygeek777 Do you usually correct people when they make a silly joke? You must be a big hit at parties.
UberMan5000 3 months ago
@UberMan5000 you weren't joking. nice try though.
crazygeek777 3 months ago
@crazygeek777 I must commend your selflessness, correcting someone on the internet when they make an elaborate guess at something that they, nor anyone else, have even the slightest interest in. You could have kept that to yourself, secure in your own personal knowledge of this obscure bit of data, but dammit, someone is wrong on the internet! You can't let yourself not look like an arrogant know-it-all – I mean, you can't let this ignorance continue!
UberMan5000 3 months ago
@crazygeek777 Incidentally I tried looking up the population of England between 1500 and 1600. In 1500, it was 4 million, and in 1600, it was 6 million. So it was a pretty fair guess, especially if England had the undeserved reputation for more witch-burning... though I guess they just didn't have the body count to spare for it.
UberMan5000 3 months ago
@UberMan5000 yeah, you said england as a side note, first stating europe.
crazygeek777 3 months ago
@crazygeek777 I had a hunch it was one of those two, I just wasn't sure which. You also tend to state the larger thing before the smaller thing in a sentence, because it doesn't make much sense to say "Wasn't that the population of England, or at least Europe", because Europe isn't "less" than England. "Doesn't this cost ten dollars, or at least a thousand?"
UberMan5000 3 months ago
@UberMan5000 if you didn't know which you probably should of used google, it's not that difficult.
crazygeek777 3 months ago
@crazygeek777 *should have
You should have used Google; it's not that difficult.
audball911 3 months ago
@audball911 yes, i'm going to google my sentence every time i post a comment... fuck off grammar nazi...
crazygeek777 2 months ago
@crazygeek777 I'm not allowed to provide the correction in the context of your own sentence?
audball911 2 months ago
@audball911 apparently you don't understand that more central comments (as in the only one he fucking made) are more likely to be criticized (and more rightly so) then a small grammatical error.
also, you're a troll, that is all.
crazygeek777 2 months ago
@crazygeek777
"In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community[...]with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion." -- Wikipedia
My intent was to correct/inform, ergo I am not a troll. Have that anger issue checked out, and have a good day. :)
audball911 2 months ago
@crazygeek777 should have*
martinthomas1980 2 months ago
I've already commented on another posting of this clip, but I'll put it here as well. The producers of QI gave their opinion on The Da Vinci Code for the series C DVD - they thought it was actually a decent, if not spectacular, story.
kisbie 6 months ago
Peter Cushing lived in Whitstable.
arnold08 6 months ago in playlist QI2 2
in Sweden they had to admit to being witches before being executed xD because the people didn't want lost souls wondering around. Although they would just be tortured until they admitted....
timonix2 7 months ago
BURN THE WITCH!! ... how do you know she's a witch? SHE LOOKS LIKE ONE! YEAH, BURN THE WITCH!
Gilari 8 months ago 62
@Gilari If she weighs the same as a duck then she's made of wood so therefore she is a witch!
GirlInTheFoxHat 7 months ago 3
@GirlInTheFoxHat She turned me into a newt! ... I got better...
Gilari 7 months ago 4
@Gilari don't more witches also burn
irishgodfatherchris 6 months ago
@irishgodfatherchris Yeah cuz they're made of wood
Gilari 6 months ago
@GirlInTheFoxHat We shall use my largest scales!
Dreadmine 7 months ago 2
@Dreadmine
Oh how I do love "The Quest..." XD
Pmessch 7 months ago
Oh? In America they burned the shit out of them...
ShaolinDeadlyGamers 8 months ago
@ShaolinDeadlyGamers Actually only 1 in 7 accused of witchcraft were executed in America (better than the 1 in 4 Stephen talks about) and they were all hanged save for one was crushed to death.
NucularRobit 7 months ago
@NucularRobit Giles Corey was not executed he was pressed in order to get him to plea and after 3 or 4 days he died
irishgodfatherchris 6 months ago
@irishgodfatherchris You are right. Pardons.
NucularRobit 6 months ago
@ShaolinDeadlyGamers Oh really. I have little knowledge of witchtrials in general but I do know that all those convicted in the Salem Witch Trials were in deed hanged.
sindrehsoereide 6 months ago
There is no evidence that they were burned? Maybe the evidence was burned too!
Admissible 9 months ago 42
"Books - and I use the term 'book' very loosely here" Oh Stephen Fry, you are the best.
Gilari 9 months ago 4
I haven't read it, am I alone in the world? Have also missed anything with a dragon tattoo. Though if I ever get to retire to the beach house I promise to catch up on all the best sellers of the last decade ... not much to do on a beach.
edelweiss1001 9 months ago
One of the main reasons that burning witches was less popular in england than in other parts of europe was that in england they put on on trial for whatever your crime was, and noted witchcraft as the method. So witches that were accused of killing someone by witchcraft were on trial for murder, not witchcraft itself. That meant that, even if they were found guilty (and the trials were considerably more fair than elsewhere), they were typically hanged, as was the usual punishment for murder.
OnicsWings 10 months ago 3
@OnicsWings Really? That's interesting. You learn something new everyday I suppose, thanks!
SlappaDeBassMon 9 months ago
Arsegravy - LOL!!!!!!!!!
JackyRowe 10 months ago
In stewart times they always accuse woman has wichches because they think they are old and warty but that is a myth.
dim432 10 months ago
I suspect that most people think the Da Vinci Code is shit simply because every fucker has read it and they just want to distance themselves from the crowd and like to think they are smarter than everyone else because they are arseholes. They are the sort of people who, if they ever visted me for some reason, I would cover my coffee table with Jeremy Clarkson books just to annoy the fuck out of them.
thesteveus 11 months ago
@thesteveus Nope, most people think The Da Vinci Code is shit because it's shit. Who honestly thinks to themselves "I'm being poisoned!" after they get poisoned?
UberMan5000 10 months ago 5
@UberMan5000
Perhaps it is, but most people only assert it's shit so they seem smarter than all the other sheep who have read it. I thought it was ok but I don't really give a shit whether its supposed to be good or bad writing. But I'll be fucked if I'm going to jump on the "The Da Vinci Code is shit" bandwagon with all the other pretend intellectuals who all of a sudden feel the need to slag it off cause every thickie on the planet has read it.
thesteveus 10 months ago
Steven & I agree about that book !
Roddyoneeye 11 months ago
I downloaded a free version of the Da Vinci code audiobook thinking that I should probably make an attempt to "read" this much talked about book.
Turns out I had already read it and had forgotten that I had, probably due to its brilliance
jaz88pa 11 months ago
Probably the best description of the DaVinci Code I've ever heard *loool*
And I knew tthe thing with the witches, although the situation in the German speaking parts of Europe was a bit more severe...
Singsonggirl 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
"Complete loose stool water - arse gravy of the worst kind!"
I wish more people used the English language like this. It would be SOOOOOO awesome.
Stephen Fry is a LEGEND!!!
MrsEdwardNigma 1 year ago
I actually liked most of the Da Vinci Code, but hey, that's just me
derpeederpderp 1 year ago 3
Loose Stoolwater is a great jazzman name!
Gauldar 1 year ago 3
I'm so glad that Stephan Fry said that about the Da Vinci code.
crownofbitterlight 1 year ago 4
Da Vinci Code was SHIT! The writing IS terrible! haha
Frrrry! <3
LeftyHandedGuns 1 year ago 4
Mass witch hunts occured in continental Europe -- England mostly had individual trials.
Kaervek87 1 year ago
I'm actually amazed by so many of you commenting on Stephen's calling The Da Vinci Code arse gravy :) haha
Akfilm92 1 year ago 119
@Akfilm92 But that describes it so well !
Roddyoneeye 11 months ago
@Akfilm92 Which it is.
baldrbraa 11 months ago
@Akfilm92 That is a very good description. I do agree with stephen' opinion thereXD and its probably one of the funniest lines ive heard in a while XD
paulsky1 2 months ago
arse gravy lol
TheManWithNoName786 1 year ago
arse gravy haha
TheManWithNoName786 1 year ago
It has always confused me that people get so upset over the Da Vinci Code's "factual errors." Are they forgetting that it's a work of *fiction*?
kimada1017 1 year ago 10
@kimada1017 Probably due to the 'the facts described in this book are factual etc"-ish disclaimer in the front of the book.
MrGuvnah 1 year ago
Arse Gravy. I fucking love it ^_^
Lostfaith1980 1 year ago
GOD! I was so happy to hear Stephen go off on the %#$@& Da Vinci Code! I'm not the least bit religious; I just hated the damn thing, and everyone around me was going, "It's AMAZING! What's wrong with you?!" It is NOT. The writing's terrible, the characters dull and the factual errors inexcusable. Well, here you have it: Stephen Fry, who is more intelligent than all the people who loved the Da Vinci Code combined, thinks it's arse gravy. Case closed.
EnigmaDrath 1 year ago 22
@EnigmaDrath I can't stand that kind of argument. "Some intelligent well read guy thinks something is bad therefore they are unquestionably right." If people enjoy something, just leave them to enjoy it and keep your opinions to yourself! Perhaps the reason Dan Brown's book is not factually accurate is because IT IS A WORK OF FICTION YOU DIMWIT.
247custard 2 months ago
@247custard
Why should I keep my opinions to myself? It's a free world. If people have the right to enjoy something, then who's to say I don't have the right to roll my eyes at them? You have your opinion; I have mine, and we both have the right to voice them. I personally loathe Brown's writing (and I am not the only one) so I will say so. What, are you only allowed to share your thoughts if they're sweet, happy ones that don't hurt other people's feelings? Wake up and smell reality.
EnigmaDrath 2 months ago
@EnigmaDrath Oh, you're perfectly within your rights to criticise Brown and judge his readers - I'm not a huge fan of him myself but I would just leave them to it. I was mainly taking issue with people like you idolising Fry to the extent that everything he says MUST be right; it's kind of sad.
247custard 2 months ago
@247custard
I'm afraid you took my original comment too seriously. While I do think very highly of Fry, I do not assume him to know all the right answers. For example, he's a Twitter fanatic whereas I find Twitter to be so damn pointless. And I cringe whenever he, bless him, butchers Dutch words. I respect him, but I don't idolise him. My comment was both one of amusement (because I love how he just goes off on the book) and agreement (because I too hate the book).
EnigmaDrath 2 months ago
@EnigmaDrath Well, fair enough - apologies. I can't say I think Brown can be called good literature and I do understand why people dislike him but I found it just as enjoyable as reading Harry Potter etc. As for Twitter, well, that is an idea that has become obscenely popular for what it is, I agree.
247custard 2 months ago
@247custard lol i don`t think he`s background facts all were suppose to be fiction..do you?
pettersaethre 1 month ago
damn. did stephen fry openly shit on the davinci code?
kadjrare 1 year ago
@kadjrare Yes, and with reason.
math581 1 year ago
A lot of people (not just woman) were burnt but for being not Catholic, not for being a witch
Bigfatbutterfly02 1 year ago
"Complete loose stool water - arse gravy of the worst kind!" - roflcopter!
You just got to love the Frymeister! :D
commanderkruge 2 years ago 260
Ass gravy of the worst kind ! XD
EvilLukiferBeelzebot 2 years ago 5
Wasn't Joan of Arc burnt?
mrcreative13 2 years ago
She was in France, wasn't she?
crazytosh1 2 years ago
Well yes, but she was burnt by the English after the French had exchanged her
mrcreative13 2 years ago
@mrcreative13
yeah, but not for witchcraft, innit
gloomyoutlook 2 years ago
@mrcreative13 She was burned for heresy, not witchcraft and was burned in France, albeit on the watch of the English. Not that that makes it makes it any less barbaric, of course.
05005051 6 months ago
Comment removed
dim432 2 years ago
@dim432
Could you please consider to explain what you just wrote, as well as your point? ^_^
Akfilm92 2 years ago
well in the Stewart time they love to acuse inorcent woman as witches
dim432 2 years ago
Loose stool water HAHAHAHAHAAH
Renaissanceman86 2 years ago 2
lol arse gravy XD
Sonniku99 2 years ago 97