Laika The Space Grim

Oh Sweet Laika

     Laika was a Russian dog who was successfully sent into space in 1957. When Russian scientists sought to launch Sputnik 2 into space, they searched the streets for their next sacrifice. Just 9 days before her death, Laika was taken (Isachenkov, 2008). I use the term sacrifice because very " little was known about the impact of space flight on living things at the time Laika's mission was launched (Isachenkov, 2008). She was sent into space on a one-way mission and died of hypothermia when entering the atmosphere.

The Church Grim

     In English and Nordic folklore there is a spirit commonly called a Church Grim which oversaw the welfare of a particular church and their graveyard. This spirit manifest in different forms depending on which folklore you consider, however it mainly depended on the type of animal which was sacrificed. You see, they both believed in their own ways that sacrificing an animal (typically a dog, pig, or lamb) by burying it alive beneath the cornerstone of a church would trap the animals spirit on the churches grounds. This spirit would then protect the spiritual welfare of those who were buried, mourned, or worshipped there (Briggs, 1976)(Thorpe, 1851).

Personal Anecdote

    As of now, only 19 out of the 676 people sent into space have unfortunately passed away (Wikipedia, 2019). I do not mean to minimize the suffering endured by Laika in any way, however I suppose it is oddly comforting to think that Laika may have had a purpose in space after all. As the "first living creature to orbit the earth" (George, 2018) I suppose Laika became Earth's space grim. Hopefully she continues to guide those lost in space back home.

References

1. Briggs, Katharine (1976). An Encyclopedia of Fairies. Pantheon Books. pp. 74–5. ISBN 

     0394409183.

2. George, A. (2018, April 11). The Sad, Sad Story of Laika, the Space Dog, and Her One-Way Trip 

    into Orbit. Smithsonian; Smithsonian.com. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-

    institution/sad-story-laika-space-dog-and-her-one-way-trip-orbit-1-180968728/

3. Isachenkov, Vladimir (11 April 2008), "Russia opens monument to space dog Laika", 

     Associated Press, archived from the original on 26 September 2015, retrieved 4 August 

     2014

4. Thorpe, Benjamin (1851). Northern Mythology (Vol. 2). London: Edward Lumley. pp. 102, 166–7

5. Wikipedia Contributors. (2019, September 7). List of spaceflight-related accidents and incidents. 

    Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spaceflight-

    related_accidents_and_incidents