The Habsburgs Bears in the BIBLE and Ancient Egypt to Catholicism

"Follow the bear far enough back, and history starts telling a very different story."   The Habsburgs became one of the most powerful royal dynasties in European history, rising from a relatively modest castle in what is now Switzerland to rule Austria, Spain and vast territories across Europe. This episode follows the Habsburg trail from their mysterious early origins around 1020 through Rudolf I, Maximilian I, strategic royal marriages, the Spanish Habsburgs, generations of inbreeding and the eventual extinction of the Spanish male line.

But the Habsburg story is only one part of a much stranger trail. Bears appear in the Bible, ancient Egypt, Celtic Europe, Bern, Bavaria and Catholic history. From the biblical story of Elisha and the two bears to Egyptian depictions of imported Syrian bears, the bear goddess Artio and Saint Corbinian's legendary pack bear, the same animal keeps appearing across thousands of years of religion, mythology, heraldry and political power.

The trail eventually reaches Pope Benedict XVI, who carried Saint Corbinian's saddled bear and the ancient crowned Moor's head of Freising on his papal coat of arms. From Bavaria and Austria, the story crosses directly into the Catholic Habsburg world, the Protestant Reformation and the arrival of the Society of Jesus. Ferdinand I brought the Jesuits to Vienna in the sixteenth century, where they became deeply involved in Catholic education and the Habsburg lands.

The episode also examines the darker financial trail surrounding Switzerland during World War II, when German gold—including looted assets—passed through the Swiss financial system while much of Europe was devastated. Switzerland remained physically intact, its banking system continued functioning, and the Bank for International Settlements in Basel survived the war.

From ancient bears and ravens to Habsburg castles, Catholic heraldry, royal marriages, Swiss banking and the Jesuits, this episode follows the symbols, families and historical routes wherever they lead. It does not claim to solve why bears appear so repeatedly across these histories. It simply lays out the trail and leaves the question open: why ARE there so many darn bears?

Clips:   Bears on the Rise - Germany's Bruno Do our bears hibernate? #animals #animalsofyoutube #animalfacts

Music:  The Bear Went Over The Mountain | Kids Song | Super Simple Songs

Habsburg monarchy - Wikipedia

Why did the Habsburgs Believe they had been Cursed? - Historic Mysteries

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