Midterm Madness: House Dems to Face a Mamdani Purge

42% of Births in Canada to Foreign Born Mothers

As she did just over a year ago, Alyssa Farah Griffin, the faux conservative for ABC’s The View, came to the defense of Vanity Fair editor Olivia Nuzzi, the liberal journalist who cheated on her then-fiancé Ryan Lizza with Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. During Thursday’s episode, Farah Griffin proclaimed floozy Nuzzi was “one of the best writers of my generation” and hoped she “will come forward and defend herself” from new allegations of sleeping with another politician and a former MSNBC host. Near the top of the segment, moderator Joy Behar was perplexed that people had a problem with a journalist having affairs and sleeping with their sources: “And her ex-fiance, who’s also a political reporter, is writing a blog claiming that she had an affair with yet another politician. Okay. (…) So, what's wrong with that?” “The problem is that's unethical under journalism standings,” co-host Sunny Hostin had to explain to her. “I mean you can’t sleep with a source because there's an immediate conflict of interest in your reporting. And she gave glowing reports – She wrote glowing reports about the two men that she allegedly had affairs with.” Apparently tired of hearing Hostin list off Nuzzi’s transgressions, Farah Griffin interjected to defend and glaze her friend: FARAH GRIFFIN: If I could mention; I said before when this came up, I've been friendly with Olivier over the years and I want to give her the credibility of this. She's one of the best writers of my generation. She wrote for New York magazine. She wrote – HOSTIN: Why is she having affairs with the subjects of her – FARAH GRIFFIN: I'll get there. I remain frustrated that when this story comes up there are so many calls for her to be held accountable, her being dragged, and RFK Jr., who allegedly participated in this gets off scot-free and is in the cabinet. That bothers me.   Alyssa Farah Griffin whines that Nuzzi is being dragged for being a fluzzi and cheating on her fiance multiple times and blames "society": "I want to give her the credibility. She's one of the best writers of my generation ... I remain frustrated that when this story comes up… pic.twitter.com/OkLrO9lz1e — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) November 20, 2025   She went on to blame “society” and men for Nuzzi choosing to cheat and sleep around. “I think it's society's [fault],” she argued. At one point, she seemed to try to paint Nuzzi, a consenting grown adult who chose her actions to advance her career, as a victim: “The man had more power. He was 30 years older than her.” Farah Griffin did admit that Nuzzi’s actions harmed journalism. “But I think journalism matters more than ever and when you break ethical boundaries, I think that makes people lose trust in the media,” she said. “[P]eople don't trust the media because of things like this.” But, she pivoted to trying to wash Nuzzi’s hands of responsibility and blame the news media industry: But I also think this is a by-product of what's happening in journalism right now. A lot of it, like, great journalists are getting laid off left and right. It’s hard to be able to pay people for good journalism. And a lot of executives frankly are telling people your personal brand, how many Twitter followers you have, your Instagram matters more than anything. So, I think in many ways she's sort of a by-product of the moment we're in in the country, not -- it's not like something -- I just think there's so much focus on her uniquely in it rather than what does it say more about society at the moment.   Farah Griffin argues for Nuzzi's career: "The alleged RFK situation was inappropriate. I would have never engaged. I don't think women in journalism should but I think you can come back from one mistake. I don't think that should ruin your entire career. What makes me nervous… pic.twitter.com/IkGp4SWLA6 — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) November 20, 2025   While further admitting the “alleged RFK situation was inappropriate,” Farah Griffin hoped Nuzzi could bounce back. “But I think you can come back from one mistake. I don't think that should ruin your entire career. What makes me nervous about the story it sounds like there may have been other situations. And I just hope if that's untrue she will come forward and defend herself,” she said. Nuzzi already had parlayed her journalistic malpractice into a new editor position (which Hostin accurately called into question) and a new book. The only person harmed in this was Lizza. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View November 20, 2025 11:17:13 a.m. Eastern (…) JOY BEHAR: And her ex-fiance, who’s also a political reporter, is writing a blog claiming that she had an affair with yet another politician. Okay. SUNNY HOSTIN: That she wrote about. She was a journalist working a story and she slept with both of the people she was profiling. ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Allegedly. HOSTIN: Allegedly. [Laughter] BEHAR: Yeah, well. So, what's wrong with that? HOSTIN: The problem is that's unethical under journalism standings. Right? I mean you can’t sleep with a source because there's an immediate conflict of interest in your reporting. And she gave glowing reports – She wrote glowing reports about the two men that she allegedly had affairs with. BEHAR: So, one of them was RFK, right? HOSTIN: Well, apparently it was an emotional affair because it was just -- SARA HAINES: Someone with a worm. We don't name-names. We don’t know. HOSTIN: Text message affair. BEHAR: Is she vaccinated because that's the end of that relationship? [Laughter] FARAH GRIFFIN: If I could mention; I said before when this came up, I've been friendly with Olivier over the years and I want to give her the credibility of this. She's one of the best writers of my generation. She wrote for New York magazine. She wrote – HOSTIN: Why is she having affairs with the subjects of her – FARAH GRIFFIN: I'll get there. I remain frustrated that when this story comes up there are so many calls for her to be held accountable, her being dragged, and RFK Jr., who allegedly participated in this gets off scot-free and is in the cabinet. That bothers me. But do feel strongly. I think that - BEHAR: Now, whose fault is that? FARAH GRIFFIN: I think it's society's. I think that society needs to call for men – HOSTIN: RFK Jr. has denied it though. He said there was no affair. [Crosstalk] HAINES: It might have been another man with a worm FARAH GRIFFIN: The man had more power. He was 30 years older than her. [Crosstalk] BEHAR: One at a time. One at a time. FARAH GRIFFIN: But I think journalism matters more than ever and when you break ethical boundaries, I think that makes people lose trust in the media. HOSTIN: It does. FARAH GRIFFIN: I think that part of the moment we're in, is people don't trust the media because of things like this. But I also think this is a by-product of what's happening in journalism right now. A lot of it, like, great journalists are getting laid off left and right. It’s hard to be able to pay people for good journalism. And a lot of executives frankly are telling people your personal brand, how many Twitter followers you have, your Instagram matters more than anything. So, I think in many ways she's sort of a by-product of the moment we're in in the country, not -- it's not like something -- I just think there's so much focus on her uniquely in it rather than what does it say more about society at the moment. (…) 11:22:24 a.m. Eastern FARAH GRIFFIN: But listen! I think the RFK situation, the alleged RFK situation was inappropriate. I would have never engaged. I don't think women in journalism should. But I think you can come back from one mistake. I don't think that should ruin your entire career. What makes me nervous about the story it sounds like there may have been other situations. HOSTIN: Yes. FARAH GRIFFIN: And I just hope if that's untrue she will come forward and defend herself. HOSTIN: Yes. I hope she does. FARAH GRIFFIN: Because like I said, she is tremendously talented and I think that would really help her. BEHAR: Meanwhile she gets the bad name and these guys just walk away. As usual! (…)

POLL: What was the worst media take of the week? (Vote below)     NOMINEES:    1. Katy Tur: Shutdown Revealed Trump’s “Dark Side” “The shutdown did reveal quite a dark side of Donald Trump….Posting about the grim reaper coming to slash government jobs, laying off workers….Suing states to say, ‘No, you can’t release these SNAP funds.’...There was a certain callousness that went further than I’ve seen Donald Trump go in the past.” — Host Katy Tur on MSNBC’s Katy Tur Reports, November 12.    2. Katie Couric Blames the Victim: “Charlie Kirk’s Rhetoric Was Extreme”  “I think some people might say Charlie Kirk’s rhetoric was extreme. You know, I think that’s the conversation that happened. People condemned political violence, but they also felt a great deal of discomfort with his language, suggesting that these kinds of words lead to violence. I don’t know, I’m just kind of sharing my observations as I saw the conversations unfold.”— Host Katie Couric to Sen. John Fetterman on her podcast Next Question with Katie Couric, November 13.    3. Sunny Hostin: America is a “Sick” and “Racist” Country “I think it’s ridiculous that people don’t see what this country was founded on and what this country still is sickened with. It’s a sick country. It’s a racist country.”— ABC’s The View co-host Sunny Hostin on Behind the Table podcast, November 18.     Funded by James P. Jimirro

Tuesday’s PBS News Hour was blessed with a rare sight: A Catholic bishop as guest. But of course PBS didn’t invite him on to talk about the church’s opposition to abortion (there was little attention to pro-lifers in Wednesday’s nine-minute News Hour story on an underground network of abortion pill providers). Instead, El Paso bishop Mark Seitz was featured for his opposition to deportation of illegal immigrants under President Trump, which new Pope Leo has made a political crusade for the church. Amna Nawaz: Pope Leo spoke out today about the Trump administration's approach to mass deportation and the treatment of some immigrants. The pope was asked about Catholic bishops who have been critical of those policies. In a so-called special pastoral message, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops decried the — quote — "indiscriminate deportation campaign" and said they are — quote — "praying for an end to the dehumanizing rhetoric and violence." The pope offered his support for that message this evening. Pope Leo XIV: I appreciate very much what the bishops have said. I think it's a very important statement. I would invite especially all Catholics, but people of good will, to listen carefully to what they said. I think we have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have. If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts. There's a system of justice. Nawaz: Before the pope's remarks, I spoke with one of the bishops behind that immigration message. That's Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, who met with the pope this fall…. CBS News previously featured Seitz in a May 2024 segment, being hailed by Pope Francis for, in his words, doing “the impossible to help the migrants” -- or, less sympathetically, shielding undocumented migrants from law enforcement. But Nawaz didn’t bring up Seitz’s immigration activism. Nawaz: If you had a chance to speak directly with someone in the White House, what would you say? Rev. Mark Seitz: ....we would express our great concern about some of the rhetoric that's been using, characterizing whole large groups of people, and giving the impression that they're criminals, that they're rapists and all of these kinds of things that have come along.... Still, Seitz’s absolute capitulation to the far-left viewpoint on one issue didn’t wholly satisfy Nawaz, who didn’t approve of the church’s hesitation to fully embrace transgenderism, and used discredited media conventional wisdom to bolster her complaint. Nawaz: Bishop, I have to ask you. At the same Baltimore conference where you approve this immigration message, I know bishops also agreed on a statement and a decision around the treatment of transgender people by the church, made the decision to officially bar Catholic hospitals from providing gender-affirming care for transgender people. Can you explain why, what's behind that decision? Seitz: ....we couldn't go along with doing something that we believe would be harmful to a person and in fact would not — would harm them for life in many cases. Then Nawaz lunged for the discredited, data-barren proposition that gender dysphoria is a genuine affliction that can be cured via “gender-affirming care," i.e. surgical and chemical castration and mutilation. (We had hoped the News Hour’s transgender obsession had ceased with the departure of reporter Laura Barron-Lopez.) Nawaz: I should note that the gender-affirming care is backed by medical professionals and by years of study. But I will also note we heard from other faith leaders this week saying — from Episcopalian faith, from Presbyterians, Reform Jews saying they feel their faiths compel them to treat transgender, intersex and nonbinary people with respect, love and equal rights. They're reading from the same holy text here, right, so why the divide? Which "holy text" has the passage on transgenderism?  A transcript is available, click "Expand." PBS News Hour 11/18/25 7:45:33 p.m. (ET) Amna Nawaz: Pope Leo spoke out today about the Trump administration's approach to mass deportation and the treatment of some immigrants. The pope was asked about Catholic bishops who have been critical of those policies. In a so-called special pastoral message, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops decried the — quote — "indiscriminate deportation campaign" and said they are — quote — "praying for an end to the dehumanizing rhetoric and violence." The pope offered his support for that message this evening. Pope Leo XIV: I appreciate very much what the bishops have said. I think it's a very important statement. I would invite especially all Catholics, but people of good will, to listen carefully to what they said. I think we have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have. If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts. There's a system of justice. Amna Nawaz: Before the pope's remarks, I spoke with one of the bishops behind that immigration message. That's Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, who met with the pope this fall. Bishop Seitz, welcome to the "News Hour." Thanks for joining us. Rev. Mark Seitz: It's great to be with you, Amna. Amna Nawaz: So, as we noted there, this kind of message is very rare. What did you and other bishops see that said to you it's necessary to deliver this message and right now? Rev. Mark Seitz: Well, I think probably there were a lot of people that would have liked to have heard from us as a body even sooner. But it's a complicated matter with 300-plus bishops in the United States to come together around a statement. Even though there is a high deal of unanimity in terms of the issue itself, to come together on the words is challenging and we undertook that process at our last meeting. Amna Nawaz: Now, I should note that President Trump is not mentioned by name anywhere in the statement, but this is in response to his policies and his approach. And his border czar, Tom Homan, responded to your message by saying the Catholic Church is wrong. What's your response to that? Rev. Mark Seitz: Yes. Well, he has a right to his opinion, but he needs to realize he's disagreeing with the Catholic Church. Our role in the church is that we are to speak according to the Gospel and the teachings of the church. And certainly when you find this degree of unanimity between the Holy Father and the entire body of bishops of the United States, there ought to be something that causes people to look up and say, wow, this must have something to do with church teaching. Amna Nawaz: You also say in the statement, you're grateful for the chance to dialogue with public and elected officials. Have you had that chance? Are you or any of your colleagues speaking to the White House or to DHS? And what is it specifically you would like to see change? Rev. Mark Seitz: Well, we're constantly seeking to be in communication with the government. And we see ourselves as having a role of conscience formation, you might say, just speaking the basic principles that we believe that we have gotten from the Gospel and through the history of the church's reflection on these issues. We believe we have something to offer to the polity, to the state. And we do that wherever we are. So we have been in contact, but we haven't had the level of contact to this point that we would like, that we have seen in the past with the leadership of our country. Amna Nawaz: If you had a chance to speak directly with someone in the White House, what would you say? Rev. Mark Seitz: Well, I'd certainly want to have a conversation with them. But we would express our great concern about some of the rhetoric that's been using, characterizing whole large groups of people, and giving the impression that they're criminals, that they're rapists and all of these kinds of things that have come along. We would also want to remind them that this country has signed on to a law that is our own in this country, but also according to international law, that says that we will accept people into this country who are fleeing for their lives. And the law establishes a way to do that that recognizes the urgency of that acceptance in some cases. So we would remind them about that. We would ask that they be very careful when they consider actions that could result in the division of families and the separation of families or sending people, individuals or families into situations that are really threatening to their very life in some of the countries that we're considering sending people to. Amna Nawaz: Bishop, I have to ask you. At the same Baltimore conference where you approve this immigration message, I know bishops also agreed on a statement and a decision around the treatment of transgender people by the church, made the decision to officially bar Catholic hospitals from providing gender-affirming care for transgender people. Can you explain why, what's behind that decision? Rev. Mark Seitz: Well, first of all, let me say that we believe that we should love and care for every human being, and that is the goal of the church. But, sometimes, actions that a person might request might not be in their best interest, from our understanding of the human person, according to what we have received from Scripture, from the teaching of the church. And so we couldn't go along with doing something that we believe would be harmful to a person and in fact would not — would harm them for life in many cases. Amna Nawaz: I should note that the gender-affirming care is backed by medical professionals and by years of study. But I will also note we heard from other faith leaders this week saying — from Episcopalian faith, from Presbyterians, Reform Jews saying they feel their faiths compel them to treat transgender, intersex and nonbinary people with respect, love and equal rights. They're reading from the same holy text here, right, so why the divide? Rev. Mark Seitz: Well, there's always been differences based on the interpretation of the Scriptures, and I don't think that's going to end right away, although we would love to see it happen. But we read it differently than they do. And, again, we have tremendous respect and care for people who are going through this struggle. We want to support them, walk with them, but we wouldn't want to do anything that we would believe would hurt them. Amna Nawaz: Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, we thank you so much for your time, for making the time to speak with us. Appreciate it. Rev. Mark Seitz: You're welcome. God bless you and your listeners.

The horrific attack on a woman on a public train in Chicago has garnered angry responses from many — but the Democratic mayor was not one of them.The 26-year-old victim is in critical condition after a man doused her with a liquid at about 9:30 on Monday night and then lit her on fire on the CTA Blue Line train. The man fled from the scene, and police later arrested 50-year-old Lawrence Reed as a suspect.'The issue is violent misdemeanor offenders & how to stop. Be part of the solution, Mayor.' When asked to comment on whether the suspect should have been on the streets in the first place, Mayor Brandon Johnson initially called it an "isolated incident," according to a Chicago Tribune reporter."This is an isolated incident, and I don't see this as some sort of trend. And again, the level of accountability that has to happen in this moment, I trust that the federal level will do its part," Johnson said."As awful and as horrific as this tragedy is, this is an isolated incident. As we continue to invest more in our public transportation system, we want people to feel safe," he added, "and that's why I'm doing my part to ensure that these investments are getting right to the people."Many on social media thought his response was not proportional to the depth of pain the innocent victim suffered."Downplaying this as an isolated incident is absolutely insane," replied Carter Christensen, a communications strategist for ActBlue."Brandon Johnson's minimization of a woman being randomly set on fire on Chicago's public transportation system is absolutely appalling," another user responded on social media."Loop Punchers hurting women too. The issue is violent misdemeanor offenders & how to stop. Be part of the solution, Mayor," another response reads."Some dude in Chicago with 49 prior arrests lit a woman on fire in public. But somehow this dips**t can't say he should have been in jail," another response reads."Yes it's an isolated incident but maybe if his f**king city doesn't stop releasing these pieces of s**t then it can quickly go from isolated to infrequent until it becomes a common incident," another added.Reed has reportedly been arrested more than 70 times in Cook County alone and has at least 13 convictions.RELATED: Man allegedly lit random woman on fire on Chicago train — suspect had numerous previous arrests Johnson offered more serious comments at a press conference later where he expressed "shock and horror" at the attack."This is an absolute failure of our criminal justice as well as our mental health institutions. This individual was charged with dozens of felonies over the past three decades," Johnson said. "He was clearly seriously mentally disturbed and was a danger to himself and to others. The system that we had failed to intervene. ... We're also praying for her family at this time. This is a horrific tragedy that should have never happened."Reed is facing federal terrorism charges over the incident. Police have since said they have evidence that he filled a bottle with gasoline at a gas station just 20 minutes before the attack.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A former teacher in Kentucky — who was accused of asking her underage lover to kill her husband — has learned her fate for sexually assaulting a jailed minor.In April, 28-year-old Elena Bardin was arrested and initially charged with three counts of sexual abuse, solicitation of murder, and distribution of obscene material, according to a court records citation People magazine obtained. Following her arrest, Bardin was hit with three counts of unlawful transaction with a minor.'I know you say you'll take care of him, but shouldn't someone else do it so suspicion is miles away from you?'Kentucky State Police said in an April statement that Bardin "solicited a male juvenile at the Adair Juvenile Detention Center to kill her husband."But a jury acquitted Bardin of the charge of soliciting the teen to murder her husband.However, in September, Bardin was convicted of one count each of first-degree sexual abuse, unlawful transaction with a minor, and distribution of obscene material to a minor.People said the defendant's estranged husband, Michael Bardin, and the alleged victim both testified against Bardin for the prosecution.Last week, a judge sentenced Bardin to four years in prison for first-degree sexual abuse, 10 years for unlawful transaction with a minor, and 12 months for the distribution of obscene material to a minor; the sentences are to be served concurrently. Bardin also was ordered to register as a sex offender for 20 years, according to Court TV.During sentencing, Circuit Judge Samuel Spalding noted there were 193 pages of "letters, pictures, and everything else," which he described as "juicy.""The letters you sent ... they were juicy, they were things you'd see in a triple-X movie, and completely inappropriate, obviously, and I think you know that, for a young man that age," Judge Spalding stated, according to WKRC-TV.Spalding continued, "And for an educator, it was incumbent upon you to set a better example. I will say, though, the 193 pages of letters, pictures, everything else, it depicts a very intelligent and articulate young woman who was clearly articulating her thoughts and desires to this kid."RELATED: Ex-middle school teacher — guilty of 21 counts of sex crimes against daughter's underage babysitter — learns her fate Bardin — a reported mother of a 5-year-old girl — had been an English teacher at the Adair County Juvenile Detention Center, where the victim was detained.The Kentucky State Police said, "Evidence also revealed that Ms. Bardin had subjected the juvenile to illegal sexual contact and provided him with sexually explicit images of herself."Citing testimony from Bardin's supervisor at the juvenile detention center, the judge added that the former teacher had been warned to end the relationship and stay away from the teen. Judge Spalding reportedly stressed that the student had been moved to another section of the detention center."And, ma'am, not only did you not heed that advice and stop, it looks to me like you actually doubled down on the behavior after that, and that is concerning," Spalding alleged.Prosecutors accused Bardin of having a sexual relationship with the 17-year-old student who was detained at the juvenile facility.The Kentucky State Police stated, "On March 27, 2025, the Adair Juvenile Detention Center conducted a routine search of juveniles' living units where letters and explicit material were found in a male juvenile's possession sent by an Adair County School teacher assigned to the facility."The Union-Bulletin reported, "According to prosecutors, in one of the letters confiscated by investigators, Bardin talks about oral sex and having sex in the boy's cell.""I hope you enjoyed that. I did," Bardin reportedly wrote in a letter to the minor, according to the Union-Bulletin.Another letter written by Bardin allegedly said, "I know you say you'll take care of him, but shouldn’t someone else do it so suspicion is miles away from you? IDK, I'm going to miss you so (redacted) bad tonight. You look so handsome today, love. I love you."In April, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported that the Adair County school district listed Bardin — with her first name spelled "Elana" — as a teacher at the Adair Learning Academy, which is part of the Adair Youth Development Center.The youth development center operates in conjunction with the regional juvenile detention center, the Herald-Leader said, citing the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice. Adair Superintendent Jason Faulkner told the paper that Bardin was an employee of the district and that she had been terminated.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Raymond Sauvage/NTNU Science MuseumThe discovery of the woman buried with scallops on her mouth is certainly unusual — and researchers still aren’t sure what these shells mean. While recently sweeping his metal detector across the ground in Trøndelag, Norway, hobby detectorist Roy Søreng got a hit. He found a buckle — which soon helped lead archaeologists to the 1,200-year-old grave of a Viking woman. But this one was unlike any grave that they had ever encountered before: The woman was carefully laid to rest with scallop shells placed atop her mouth. For now, researchers aren’t sure what the placement of the shells could mean. But this find is nevertheless an exciting one, especially since the grave was detected just before plowing that could have destroyed it forever. The Discovery Of A Viking Woman Buried With Scallop Shells Over Her Face According to a press release from the research organization Sintef and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the discovery of the Viking woman’s grave came by chance. It was found after metal detectorist Roy Søreng notified archaeologists that he’d discovered an ornate bowl buckle while treasure hunting at a farm in the village of Bjugn in Norway’s Trøndelag County. Raymond Sauvage/NTNU Science MuseumThe bowl buckle found by the metal detectorist, which helped archaeologists discover the Viking woman’s grave. Archaeologists quickly came to investigate the site, where they happened to have found another Viking grave earlier in the year. Thanks to cooperation from the landowner, who agreed not to move ahead with potentially destructive plowing, they were able to investigate the area where Søreng had found the buckle. And there they found this site’s second Viking grave. But this grave was unusual. In some ways, it bore similarities to other known Viking graves. Archaeologists found that a Viking woman had been buried there, wearing “typical Viking Age clothing and jewelry” of the 9th century, including “two oval cup buckles” which once attached to the halter of a dress as well as “a small ring buckle” that secured the neckline of a petticoat. Archaeologists believe that she was probably a housewife married to a farmer. What caught the archaeologists’ attention, however, was that the Viking woman had been buried with two large scallop shells placed over her face. The scallop shells had been carefully positioned with the curved sides out, so that they partially covered the woman’s mouth. They also found a number of bird bones in the grave, seemingly taken from the wings. Raymond Sauvage/NTNU Science MuseumA closer look at the scallop shells on the Viking woman’s face, carefully positioned to partially cover her mouth. “The most striking thing is two scallops placed at the mouth of the deceased,” Raymond Sauvage of the Department of Archaeology and Cultural History at the NTNU Science Museum stated in the press release. “This is a practice that is not previously known from pre-Christian graves in Norway. We do not yet know what the symbolism means.” Remaining Questions About The Viking Woman Found With Shells On Her Mouth For now, many questions remain about the Viking woman buried in Trøndelag. Archaeologists aren’t sure what the scallop shells mean, though experts do know that such shells were thought to represent life and death in the Roman era, and were likely a symbol of pilgrimage linked to St. James during the Middle Ages. Kristoffer Rantala/NTNU Science MuseumThe farm in Trøndelag, Norway where the Viking woman buried with scallop shells on her mouth was found. But while it’s difficult to determine what these shells may have meant for the Vikings — or at least for this Viking — archaeologists are eager to learn more. “We will examine the skeleton, preserve the objects and take samples for dating and DNA analysis,” Sauvage explained. Not only are researchers hopeful to learn more about this Viking woman buried with scallop shells, but they’re also curious to see if she was related to the other Viking who had previously been found right nearby, interred “one to three generations” before the newly-found woman, sometime in the eighth century C.E. Such analyses may provide more answers about who the woman was, her physical characteristics, and if she suffered from any diseases. But answers about the meaning behind the scallop shells placed carefully over her face remain elusive. After reading about the Viking woman who was mysteriously buried with scallop shells covering her face, discover the thrilling stories of some of the most famous Vikings to ever live. Then, see why historians suspect that Viking helmets didn’t actually have horns. The post A Metal Detectorist In Norway Uncovered The 1,200-Year-Old Skeleton Of A Female Viking — Who Was Buried With Seashells On Her Mouth appeared first on All That's Interesting.

New York City Elected a Meme: Zohran Mamdani Discovers Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees

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