Junketsu no Maria 04

Sorry English witch fans, purest loli Maria wins Episode 04’s Release Pic.

Another history lesson awaits after the break.

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720p: Torrent | DDL

Once again the producers have been kind enough to provide some historical notes on the show’s homepage. (Google translated)

Count Villandrando: A Spaniard routier who went on to lead a band of mercenaries. He is famous for his pillaging and was consequently known as the Emperor of Pillagers (empereur des brigands) or L’Écorcheur (the slaughterer).

Vouivre: Or more commonly “Guivre”. Resembling a long serpentine in body but with a dragon’s head, they possessed venomous breath and prowled the countryside of Medieval France.

Memento mori: Literally “remember (that you have) to die”. It is the medieval Latin theory and practice of reflection on mortality. Memento mori has been an important part of ascetic disciplines as a means of perfecting the character, by cultivating detachment and other virtues, and turning the attention towards the immortality of the soul and the afterlife.

The Black Death: AKA: The Great Plague. Now known to be caused by the fast acting bacterium Yersinia pestis, at the time it was blamed on practically anything. This episode uses the poisoned well theory. Symptoms of the Black Death include buboes and gangrene. It was spread by blood transmission, primarily through bites from oriental rat fleas that are carried by black rats. Responsible for decimating entire towns in Europe. It is estimated that some areas of southern France had a casualty rate of up to 80%.

Danse Macabre: “(The) Dance of Death”. Refers to any painting or mural that depicts “dancing” skeletons or corpses in an advanced state of decay. Used to remind people that death awaits all, irregardless of status. Such depictions arose to prominence shortly after the Black Death.

Confessor (of sins): The term is used to denote any priest who has been granted the authority to hear confessions. Fun fact: Both anime original characters, Bernard and Gilbert, are based on prominent historical figures. While they, unfortunately, weren’t from Maria’s time, they were, however, both well known for their contributions to Mariology.