Other key relics include parts of the saints. As in actual parts. Actual body parts. So much for honoring the dead. Many of these poor chaps bones are scattered in churches all across Europe. They traveled more in death than in life. And some shocking truth has been revealed which seems to have been ommitted from the history books - some of these men had three hands while others had two heads! I'm not entirely sure how such vivid physical characteristics were missed, but we do have the physical evidence to prove it. (And if you might need human relics for some reason, eBay once again proves its worth here.)
However, all of these antiquities pale when compared to a certain item currently in the posession of the Chicago Historical Society:
"Skin of Serpent."
That's what the plain white label on the outside of the plain gray box says. It doesn't begin to tell the story.
Inside Archive Box #1920.1714 is a piece of the hide of the snake that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden.
I'm not making this up.
This, folks, is a true story.
At least, that's what the yellowing French label that's stuck to the front of the framed glass behind which rests an 8-by-4-inch piece of something red and scaly inside the gray archival box claims.
Specifically, the label says, "Peau du serpent qui a seduit la premiere femme"--which, if you're Francais isn't as superb as mine, means "Skin of the serpent who seduced the first woman."
The label goes on to say, in French, "It was killed by Adam the day after its treachery. Adam used a stake, the traces of which can be seen. This skin was part of the legacy of Adam, and it was preserved by his family in Asia."
It's signed with the assurance, "Seals of guarantee of doctors and theologians."
It looks like someone killed a pair of Bishop Don "Magic" Juan's cowboy boots, tore off a piece and stuck it to an ancient takeout menu with a couple of big, wax seals.
Or like a tiny piece of dragon skin, or a fabric sample from the costume designer for Marilyn Manson, or a red armadillo pelt, if there were such a thing.
What it doesn't look like is a piece of, arguably, millions- or at least thousands-of-years-old snake skin.
Apparently that's because it's not.
Gasp!
"It's probably leather. People have speculated it might be alligator. But it's highly doubtful that that is a serpent's skin," Mahoney said.
Not that the society's curators know for sure. See, they've never tested it to see what it is, or how old it might be.
"We don't want to take it apart to analyze it because you could risk damaging this piece," she said. "We've never had anyone in to really do hard research on this because we know it's a fake."
Ok, that was pretty weak. The real moral is that you can buy (or sell) ANYTHING on eBay.
