Hermits around the web – Hermitary – Page 58 – news, sites, and pages of interest about hermits and solitude

February 28, 2014March 7, 2014

Dan Fuller, Massachusetts hermit

A 2012 article in the Kingston (MA) Journal describes the the life and eccentricities of the 19th-century hermit Dan Fuller. Information is based on an 1893 interview printed in the Boston Journal.

Fuller was said to have grown up in the forest and was most comfortable away from civilized life. He lived in a hundred square-foot hut crammed with belongings.

Fuller subsisted on hunting, including monies from town-paid bounties on rodents, and was said to eat only game (especially birds he had shot or trapped) unless he received gifts of other foods.

Observers described him as simple, honest, independent, and likely not capable of holding steady employment.

Brought to our attention by a friend of Hermitary.

URLs: http://kingstonjournal.com/dan-fuller-the-hermit-of-kingston/
http://piqueoftheweek.wordpress.com/2011/02/26/lives-alone-the-story-of-kingstons-famous-hermit/

February 25, 2014March 7, 2014

“Escape”: Russian hermits

This article has apparently been removed from the original site at EnglishRussia.com.

The website “English Russia” features “Russian Hermits” from a photo gallery of images from Danila Tkachenko’s project titled “Escape.” Here are hermits and their dwellings, an the editor notes: “It’s hard to say how many hermits are in Russia today. People go to live in a forest due to different reasons: someone wants to grow his own type of ginseng, another one just wishes to pray in a cave for some months.” One commenter suggests they are homeless former inmates. But the eremitic tradition has a strong cultural presence in Russia, and the men in these photos are clearly living in solitude, indefinitely.

URL: http://englishrussia.com/2014/02/24/russian-hermits/

URL of photographer’s project: http://www.danilatkachenko.com/projects/escape/

February 18, 2014

“Alone, not lonely” article

A summary article titled “Alone, Not Lonely: On Modern Hermits” appears in Modern Farmer. Hermits mentioned include Christopher Knight (the Maine hermit-thief), the Fredettes (of Raven’s Bread), Sister Michaela (of Sky Farm) and Gordon Campbell’s author of The Hermit in the Garden.

URL: http://modernfarmer.com/2014/02/hermit/

February 4, 2014

Maitland on solitude

Here is a Guardian (UK) interview with author Sara Maitland, who lives alone in a cottage in rural Galloway, Scotland. Her most recent book is How to Be Alone, published in a self-help series. In the interview Maitland responds to questions about involuntary solitude, writing, use of Internet, and family relations.

URL: http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2014/feb/02/sara-maitland-how-to-be-alone-interview

January 28, 2014

Russian hermit experiment

An article in the Daily Mail (UK) describes the experiment of 24-year old Pavel Sapozhnikov living in a wilderness farm in Russia as a medieval hermit, meaning that he uses only the technology of the tenth century. The eight-month experiment will end in May. Here are some details of the project:

At the start of the project, Pavel Sapozhnikov was given the chance to document a day in the life using a camera and notepad, and this was posted on the project’s blog. According to this blog, Sapozhnikov spends the morning milking his goats and eating breakfast. He then chops wood for the fire and collects water from the well. The rest of the day is spent either hunting for food, or carrying out manual labour on the farm. This includes insulating the house with manure, maintaining his house and outbuildings, and other tasks around the farm. To prepare for the mission, Sapozhnikov spent months learning how to prepare animals, including chickens. He also became skilled in using the ancient tools and familiarised himself with ancient fire-building and washing techniques. He is only allowed to leave the farm to find food, and is forbidden from any form of communication.

The theory behind the experiment is “to trace the social and psychological changes in personality and learn how important the support of others is to modern humans.” With help from expert archaeologist, Alexander Fetisov, the farm was built using only materials and techniques that would have been used by ancient Russians. Sapozhnikov must also furnish his home in the same way. This includes fire lights that burn on linseed oil, wooden beds, animal fur clothes and bedding and a calendar scratched into the wall of the house. Construction on the farm began at the start of 2012, and Sapozhnikov moved in at the start of September 2013; the project is expected to run until May. During this time, temperatures in the region can drop as low as minus 30°C and this time period was deliberately chosen to highlight exactly how difficult Russian ancestors would have found living and hunting in the conditions.

URL: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2546660/Could-YOU-live-Middle-Ages-24-year-old-spends-eight-months-living-freezing-Russian-wilderness-medieval-hermit.html

Earlier URLs: http://rbth.ru/society/2013/09/28/volunteer_will_spend_winter_in_the_medieval_era_30061.html
http://en.ria.ru/analysis/20130923/183672406.html