12 Ways The Real World Is Like A Cheesy Fantasy Novel

There's a U.S. government department that collects dead eagles and distributes them for religious purposes.
12 Ways The Real World Is Like A Cheesy Fantasy Novel

Ah, the world of fantasy and fiction. It's a place of wonder and amazement, where anything is possible and the boundaries of reality can be pushed to the limit. But did you know that there are some real-world facts that sound like they could have come straight from a fantasy novel? Have you ever heard of the $1 trillion coin, the glowing orb, the Stone of Destiny, the Coronation Chair, the British royal family's right to take swans, the druidic rituals of the Bohemian Grove, the Blessing of the Fleet ceremony, the Yale University's Skull and Bones society, the National Eagle Repository, the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, the Tower of London Ceremony of the Keys, or the Ceremony of Quit Rents? 

These 12 facts will make you question what is real and what is not. So, let us take a journey into the unknown and explore the strange and wonderful facts that sound like they come from a fantasy novel. Who knows what secrets we may uncover.

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"Glowy orb diplomacy" achieved.

CRACKED TOUCHING A GLOWING ORB AS A DIPLOMATIC GESTURE 3 لمكافحة At the opening of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology in Saudi Arabia, then-President Trump, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, and President el-Sisi of Egypt put their hands on a glowing orb, creating a weird ritual-like scene.

NY Times 

Royal makeover complete.

CRACKED BEING ANOINTED BY A PRIEST MAKES YOU A KING In the British coronation ceremony, the Archbishop of Canterbury takes the 12th-century Coronation Spoon, pours some chrism into it, and uses it to anoint the new monarch. It's considered the most mysterious part of the ritual.

KCL 

Royalty feasting on swans since the Middle Ages.

CRACKED THE BRITISH KING CAN CLAIM ANY UNCLAIMED SWANS The British royal family has had the right to take any swan swimming in open waters since the Middle Ages. This is because the birds were a rare symbol of luxury back then.

Reuters 

Blessing the Fleet: A Century-Long Tradition.

CRACKED PRIESTS BLESSING SHIPS so THEY CATCH LOTS OF SHRIMP - - Louis BARAQUET50 ival BIBUOAR Maillou autiente ervollist ВАСТОИ RAN Sex QUALITE Union Ecutent 154365 THE BREAU'S Il 50 50 0 e 50 50 a 50 CARAGUET NB C For over 100 years, Catholics in Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana have been carrying on the tradition of blessing the fleet, which involves blessing ships at the start of shrimp fishing season so they have safe voyages and big hauls.

Aleteia 

Elite club of the privileged few.

CRACKED STUDENTS IN A SHADOWY SECRET SOCIETY END UP STEERING THE WORLD THOR Since 1832, Yale's Skull and Bones society has chosen 15 senior students each year to join their powerful social and political network. What goes on in the Tomb, the windowless building where the society meets, is a closely guarded secret.

CBS / NBC 

Engineers, still playing Kipling's game.

CRACKED GRADUATING ENGINEERS TAKE PART IN A WEIRD RITUAL IN CANADA For 100 years, graduating Canadian engineering students have been taking part in a strange, secretive ceremony called the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, which was made up by Rudyard Kipling back in 1923.

The Star 

Centuries-old tradition of locking and unlocking gates.

CRACKED LOCKING THE TOWER OF LONDON'S GATES THE SAME WAY FOR SEVEN CENTURIES For centuries, the Tower of London has held a formal ceremony of locking and unlocking the gates of the fortress - The Ceremony of the Keys. This tradition dates back to the mid 1300s when King Edward III ordered it.

HRP 

Centuries of paying rent for unknown land: two knives, six horseshoes, and 61 nails.

CRACKED PAYING RENT FOR CENTURIES ON LAND YOU CAN'T EVEN LOCATE The City of London has been paying rent to the Crown for two pieces of land for centuries, even though no one knows exactly where they are. For one, the City pays two knives. For the other, they give the Crown 6 giant horseshoes and 61 nails.

Historic UK 

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