Hell’s Angels may hold key to pirate hero Störtebeker’s missing skull

Timesonline ^ | February 23, 2010 | Roger Boyes, Berlin

[mware]

When the fearsome Baltic pirate Klaus Störtebeker was executed 600 years ago his headless body is said to have walked 12m (40ft) along the length of Hamburg quayside. He had struck a deal with the elders of the port: any of his 70 men that he managed to pass in his post-decapitation walk should be spared. The quivering corpse passed 11 fellow pirates before the executioner put out a foot and tripped him up. Little wonder, then, that the skull of Störtebeker has fascinated Germans for so long — and that its theft from a Hamburg museum last month has kept police busy.

[Zack Attack]

Very funny Guys. Don't you ever quit?

[Cacique]

btt

[a fool in paradise]

When the fearsome Baltic pirate Klaus Störtebeker was executed 600 years ago his headless body is said to have walked 12m (40ft) along the length of Hamburg quayside. He had struck a deal with the elders of the port: any of his 70 men that he managed to pass in his post-decapitation walk should be spared. The quivering corpse passed 11 fellow pirates before the executioner put out a foot and tripped him up.

Did they offer him a do-over?

[a fool in paradise]

Did he die of laughter?

[Slump Tester]

I liked the comment at the end: "Hells Angels does not contain an apostrophe. The founding members were not English majors."

[Darksheare]

The walking corpses had new socks.
That’s the secret.

[Allegra]

The walking corpses had new socks.
That’s the secret.

And they were high quality socks, too! That's the kicker.

[ModelBreaker]

Six miles. He carried his own head and he preached a sermon while he was walking. He was buried where he stopped and there’s a cathedral there now.

There’s also a big monument to him in Paris. It’s a statue and he’s carrying his head in the monument.

[mware]

Thank you for sharing that. I had never heard about him. I’ll have something to talk about tonight after scripture study.

[mware]

The walking corpses had new socks.

Did a corpse man bring the socks to him?

[ModelBreaker]

I think (memory only so could be wrong), he was a pre-Constantine Bishop of Paris—maybe mid-200’s AD and he may have been the first bishop of Paris. The Roman church, I believe, designated him the patron saint of France. Catholics on the thread may freely correct me if I am wrong about that.

He lost his head as a martyr.