Both benevolent and malevolent in the tellings, the Slavic leshy is the wild man of the forest, a spirit that abduct children but also protect from harm: entering a forest is a thing of intention, and that determines the forest's intention too. #FaustianFriday

🖼️: I. Yizhakevych

Made famous by Princess Mononoke, kodama are trees powerful enough to let their spirits roam outside their woody bodies, often in humanoid form. These trees are often marked with shimenawa, sacred rope indicating the elevated status of the tree spirit. #FaustianFriday

Though sometimes accompanied by the Nymphs, Pan was a solitary god who roamed the wild forests and rocky places of ancient Arcadia. Even a century after Plutarch reported his supposed death, Pan's pipes were still heard in the mountains around his shrines. #FaustianFriday

#Celtic #FaustianFriday: In one story Sionnan, grand daughter of #Manannán mac Lir, angered the #SalmonOfKnowledge by throwing stones at it. In revenge the fish summoned and asked an #Oilliphéist to attack the girl which it did and ultimately ended up in killing her.
https://twitter.com/dublinmacker/status/1269970490099195909

#Celtic #FaustianFriday: At last Johnny Farquharson, the "Witch" or "Fairy" Doctor, was constrained to summon the #Fairies out of The Seely Howe. `On the ground that the summons was defective inasmuch as it had failed to indicate an assigned destination, the fairies refused to move. Johnny thereupon peremptorily ordered them to remove to the "Hill of Fare," about seventeen miles distant, and near the town of Banchory. Reluctantly the little people obeyed the behest, but first left with their quondam friend a permanent reminder of their opposition and malice`:
"Now we maun awa' to the cauld hill o' Fare,
"Or it will be mornin' e'er we get there ;
"But though girs and corn should grow in the air
"John Farquharson and his folk shall thrive nae mair."
Source: https://faeryfolklorist.blogspot.com/search/label/Scotland
Stanley Howe, Cairn on the western brow of the Hill of Fare - geograph.org.uk - 413810, CC BY-SA 2.0

Kusanagi no Tsurugi is the Grass-Cutting Sword, an enchanted blade found in one of the tails of Yamata no Orochi by the Japanese storm god Susano; he gave it as a gift to his sister sunny Amaterasu, whose descendants discovered it controlled the wind while their enemies tried to surround them in flames in a field of grass: they turned the wind against their enemies and thus the Yamato clan became the predominant power in Japan, ruling to this very day. #FaustianFriday

🖼️: Gekko

The skulls of Baba Yaga's home are enchanted, with burning coals inside them that cause the eyes to shine light and burn those who hold the skull's bearer harm: Baba Yaga gave one such skull to Vasilia, which burned her wicked stepmother to ash! #FaustianFriday

🖼️: I. Bilibin

There are few weapons as famous as the Winchester rifle, and the end of its namesake dynasty is equally legendary, with Sarah Winchester, widow of the last male heir William Wirt Winchester who died of tuberculosis in 1881, who used her money continuously build Winchester House until her own death in 1922. The twisting mansion is a veritable maze of unfinished stairs, doors to nowhere, circular pathways, and cramped corridors. Open to the public, it is renowned as the "most haunted place in America," despite any reason for there to be so many ghosts. The reputation remains, an oddity at worst, a curiosity in the mind of grief at best. #FaustianFriday

Tag Cloud 4 Personal Reference

#WritingCommunity #WritersLife #Worldbuilding #3Kernels #WritingPrompt #Witchcraft #Pagan #Tarot #TTRPG #DnD #Dragonlance #AlchemyRPG #SecondLife #Planners #GTD #BulletJournal #Journaling #DarkAcademia #Steampunk #Celtic #Introvert #SelfCare #Wales #Feminism #NailArt #HandmadeJewelry #CardMaking #MixedMedia #MythologyMonday #FairytaleTuesday #WyrdWednesday #FolkloreThursday #FaustianFriday #SuperstitionSaturday #CaptainAmerica #WinterSoldier #BlackWidow

In 1204, the people of Constantinople were happy to see the armies of the Fourth Crusade, with Boniface I's blessings and helped with Venetian ships, thinking that they would aid against the Turks and Saracen invaders that threatened Byzantium's holdings in Asia Minor. What happened next shocked the Christian world: Crusader forces sacked the City of Constantine, plundering its riches and setting up a usurper Catholic Empire. Though the Latin Empire would prove short lived, it was fatal for the Eastern Roman Empire, in no small part because its riches had been plundered and sent to the corners of Europe, enriching kings and counts alike. One such petty ruler was Doge Enrico Dandolo of Venice, whose plunder included the Triumphal Horses of the Hippodrome built by Constantine when he restored the city. These four horses became known as the Horses of St. Mark's Cathedral, bronze cast horses set in a gallant trot as if in ancient Roman Triumph. When Napoleon sacked the city, he similarly stole the magnificent statues, but they were restored upon his defeat in 1815. Conservation efforts placed the real statues into storage for restoration in the 1980s, with duplicates placed on top of the cathedral. These glorious horses are symbols of Venetian glamor, but also of Venetian treachery with the aim of eliminating their chief rivals in trade and industry. #FaustianFriday

`The #yew was revered by our ancient #Celtic ancestors for its longevity, and because it remained green and vibrant, thriving in the harshness of winter when all other trees succumbed.
Through its roots, the tree secreted toxins and thus ensured that not much grew near it. These natural open spaces were perfect places for pagan rituals and ceremonies. Therefore, the yew was considered a "sacred" tree.`
Source: Ali Isaac
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RT @NeuKelte
#Celtic #FaustianFriday: The yew tree fell out of favour as cattle and livestock became more important as an indication of wealth and status. Only…
https://twitter.com/NeuKelte/status/1621550825393868806

#Celtic #FaustianFriday: „One of the most fascinating and evil groups to form part of The Unseelie Court are The Sluagh Sidhe, or ‘Fairy Host’: spirits of the unforgiven or restless dead who soared the skies at night searching for humans to pick off. Some believed them to be Fallen Angels. Others thought them the spirits of unbaptized children who had returned to seek their revenge.“
Source: https://folklorethursday.com/folktales/the-sluagh-spirits-of-the-unforgiven-dead/
https://twitter.com/JoyParry13/status/1445280334292074501

#Celtic #FaustianFriday #superstitiology: `Girls placed snails on pewter dishes on #Beltane Eve, watching until midnight after washing face and hands in dew from a wheatfield, in the hopes that the creatures would write their husband-to-be’s name on the dish.`
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RT @joemccjoe
Whether you celebrate Beltane, Hexennacht, or Walpurgisnacht, may all of your Festive rituals be blessed this Night.
[The Dance of Witches, Isaak Levitan, 188…
https://twitter.com/joemccjoe/status/1520489676322361345

#Celtic #FaustianFriday #superstitiology: „#Beltane dew was believed to have the power to increase sexual attractiveness. Maidens would roll in the grass or dip their fingers in the dew and salve their faces, hoping thus to become fairer.“
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RT @cartomancerans1
#folklorethursday Scottish maidens would climb a hill to wash their face in the early morning dew on Mayday to ensure their beauty for the rest of the year. This is sa…
https://twitter.com/cartomancerans1/status/1258351091432992768

#Celtic #FaustianFriday #superstitiology: `One the evening before 1 May, an ancient tradition is to light fires on your land in order to drive away evil, known by many as ‘burn the buitch’ (#Manx for witch).
Fire has always been an important part of Oie Voaldyn (the evening
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RT @CultureVannin
If you came to last night's talk for @rushenheritage, and you were interested in the tradition of burning off evil from your land at #Oi…
https://twitter.com/CultureVannin/status/1622933191832248320

#Celtic #FaustianFriday #superstitiology: „One of the most important things to do at this time of year is to protect your household with a crosh cuirn - a small cross made out of sticks and wool - which should go up on your doors before the first of May. This will protect you
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RT @CultureVannin
The latest #40manxthings challenge is as easy as this...
Find out more here: https://culturevannin.im/manxfolklore/boaldyn-475492/
Mor…
https://twitter.com/CultureVannin/status/1518919821429256192

#Celtic #FaustianFriday #superstitiology: „Divination on #Beltane or Beltane Eve was common among the #Manx islanders: Light blazing from a house meant a wedding was in the offing, while dim light meant a funeral.“
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RT @ManxMikePhotos
'Crosh cuirn' A small cross made out of sticks and wool traditionally hung on doors of #Manx homes to protect against evil spirits. #Cregneash #isleofman @manxheritage @visitisleofman @CultureV…
https://twitter.com/ManxMikePhotos/status/1088499297883222018

#Celtic #FaustianFriday #superstitiology: `As might be expected of a festival that begins an agricultural cycle, weather divination was important at #Beltane, with frost being deemed ominous of bad times ahead, while rain was a sign of good fortune and a strong harvest.`
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RT @DASG_Glaschu
https://lght.ly/mnfb22
🌧️☀️
#caiseanBhealltainn #aimsir #sìde #teamhair #uisge #bùrn #rain #fluich #badweather
☔💦
#Bealltainn #Bealtaine #Boa…
https://twitter.com/DASG_Glaschu/status/1388780517986820097

`The #yew was revered by our ancient #Celtic ancestors for its longevity, and because it remained green and vibrant, thriving in the harshness of winter when all other trees succumbed.
Through its roots, the tree secreted toxins and thus ensured that not much grew near it. These natural open spaces were perfect places for pagan rituals and ceremonies. Therefore, the yew was considered a "sacred" tree.`
Source: Ali Isaac
---
RT @NeuKelte
#Celtic #FaustianFriday: The yew tree fell out of favour as cattle and livestock became more important as an indication of wealth and status. Only…
https://twitter.com/NeuKelte/status/1621550825393868806

#Celtic #WyrdWednesday: `The #yew was revered by our ancient #Celtic ancestors for its longevity, and because it remained green and vibrant, thriving in the harshness of winter when all other trees succumbed.
Through its roots, the tree secreted toxins and thus ensured that
1/2
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RT @NeuKelte
#Celtic #FaustianFriday: The yew tree fell out of favour as cattle and livestock became more important as an indication of wealth and status. Only…
https://twitter.com/NeuKelte/status/1621550825393868806