Chain Mail

So, we have chain mail: a type of armor prominent in the Dark Ages, High Middle Ages, and Renaissance period. We also have chain mail: a type of spam message prevalent in the 20th and 21st century (which some may also call the dark ages). Everyone from samurais to scuba divers have donned chain mail. Everyone from pimply teens to grandmothers have encountered chain mail. Chain mail is world wide! Cross cultural! Intergenerational! Wow. 

     xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Ok so, there are a couple claims to the title "first chain letter ever sent." The Egyptian Book of the Dead enticed readers to copy certain images and be rewarded with "benefit in heaven and earth." In the medieval period the Letter from Heaven promised good luck to all that republished the letter, and horrible plague that "consume both his children and cattle" if readers failed to share the letter.  

With the advent of email and texting, chain mail took on a new level of craziness. 

Chain mail became even more impenetrable! 

Here are some personal favorites: 

In middle school I definitely forwarded some text chains that threatened bloody mary in my bedroom at night. But, I didn't forward all of them. That, I believe, was my downfall. My failure to forward is the cause of my occasional sleep paralysis, where I see a weird figure in the corner of my room. There is no other explanation. 

Remember that Instagram hoax that threatened to delete your account if you didn't repost this: 

I fell victim to this post. I reposted. But, my account wasn't deleted. So, I win.

Also! Guess who else fell victim and reposted? Usher. Martha Stewart. Rob Lowe. Julia Roberts. Former US Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry (guy in charge of nuclear safety). Pink. Niall Horan. So, again, I win. 

This paper, claims that chain mail is a method of myth sharing and therefore is a “a Function and Form of Folklore”. The paper also notes  "an emergence of some metafolklore in the forms of 'counter-chain message' posts have come about to directly combat the widespread prevalence of chain messages." Chain mail against chain mail. Metafolklore.

Here's a chain mail archive 

Here's a chain mail archive (the armor)

Concerning the Halloween Costume

I have a dear friend who's DJ moniker is DJ Chain Mail. I pressed her to reveal the origin story of the name. It was a difficult interviewing process.

 (the following took place over text) 

[start of interview]

✰: I have a question

✰: Why did u pick DJ Chain Mail as ur DJ name 

DJCHAINMAIL: LOL 

DJCHAINMAIL: Ok basically 

DJCHAINMAIL: I was thinking of Halloween costumes a couple years ago and I was like oh chain Mail would be such a good couples costume where one person is chain Mail like armor-wear and the other is like chain Mail from email like if u don’t forward this ur cursed etc etc..

DJCHAINMAIL: Then I was like wait that’s just a good costume for one person. So that was my Halloween costume that year. Then I thought it would be a good dj name too.

✰: Omg, I'm gonna include that

[end of interview]

So there you have it, I fought hard, did good journalism, and found the answer. 

plz follow and repost <3

Concerning the scuba divers

Some scuba divers (the ones that want to pet sharks) wear chain mail suits. Knights of the sea! I'm not sure if the effort is worth the reward, but then again I've never pet a shark. Maybe it's super cool and awesome and worth putting on a whole suit of armor. Lmk if you can get me tapped into the shark/chain mail suit industry. Would like to find out.

Thanks for reading 

Forward this to 200 people or else you will break 200 bones and have bad luck for 200 years!

✰