Study & Research Avalanches

This Study Guide consists of approximately 75 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Avalanches.

Study & Research Avalanches

This Study Guide consists of approximately 75 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Avalanches.
This section contains 3,457 words
(approx. 12 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Avalanches Encyclopedia Article

For many centuries and in many cultures, people associated the sudden, terrifying onslaught of rolling, isolated snow- storms with angry gods, evil demons or monsters, and even the practice of the dark arts. A trial in Switzerland in 1652 concluded authoritatively that "witches are the causes of avalanches,"6 and there are other documented instances of people being put to death on suspicion of having conjured up an avalanche.

The eerie randomness of avalanches' destruction helped reinforce the notion that mysterious forces were behind these occurrences. For example, one powerful avalanche in 1806 tore up a large section of forest in the Alps, but the hurtling mass of snow and tree trunks sailed over a nearby village without causing any harm. There was, however, a spectacular reminder of the near miss: A single tree trunk embedded itself and stood straight up in the roof of...

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This section contains 3,457 words
(approx. 12 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Avalanches Encyclopedia Article
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Avalanches from Lucent. ©2002-2006 by Lucent Books, an imprint of The Gale Group. All rights reserved.