08 August 2009

Moulin



A moulin or glacier mill is a narrow, tubular chute, hole or crevasse through which water enters a glacier from the surface. One presumes that the descending water evoked the use of the French term for "mill."


I haven't the faintest idea why the Moulin Rouge chose a red windmill for its icon and name.*

*Answer provided by Mademoiselle Titam in the comments: "There used to be many windmills in Montmartre not long before the Moulin Rouge was built (still in 1830, the place is depicted as very rural, and full of mills). It is said that during the Napoleonic wars, there was bloodshed here, between Russian troops and a few millers who tried to resist. One of the millers was supposedly hanged on the mills' sails, and the sails ended up covered in blood. Hence the Red Mill, or Moulin Rouge."

Top photo credit Boston.com. Bottom photos from Wikipedia and from Wikipedia.

4 comments:

  1. because "moulin" means windmill in french.

    yours truly,
    captain obvious

    ReplyDelete
  2. Or because a "red hole" is simply a euphamism.

    Or is this too far fetched?

    Jack

    ReplyDelete
  3. There used to be many windmills in Montmartre not long before The Moulin Rouge was built (still in 1830, the place is depicted as very rural, and full of mills). It is said that during the napoleonic wars, there was a bloddshed here, between russian troops and a few millers who tried to resist. One of the millers was supposedly hanged on the mills' sails, and the sails ended up covered in blood. Hence the Red Mill, or Moulin Rouge.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman!

    ReplyDelete

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