godsipclub

godsipclub , 8 days ago to folklore

According to #Japanese folklore, the Jubokko¹ is a tree, but also a yōkai, a magical creature.
When cut, a red liquid flows out from the trunk.
Legend says that the tree appears near battlefields, so the roots are sustained by the corpses nearby, and so it is actual blood that rushes below the bark.

Curiously, on Shizeru Mizuki's² "Yōkai Encyclopedia", I found that, along with blood, tiny beings with long, white hair, very similar to elder people, came out from a cut in the tree.
Read the recap of the story in the comment ⬇️

¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubokko
² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigeru_Mizuki

#folklore @folklore

godsipclub , 23 days ago to mythology

In 2023, in #Poland, yet another grave was discovered¹ with several common anti-vampire tracts:

• The body was placed downward
• A sickle was placed on the body's neck
• A lock was placed on its feet

In that case, if the buried one was a #vampire, or tried to come back among the living, those gimmicks hopefully would have stopped it.

It wasn't uncommon, in Eastern Europe, to have legends and beliefs about vampires. In #Slavic mythology:

• The strzyga, not to be confused with the worshippers of Morana or Striga (Stribog's² female counterpart), was believed some kind of vampire or demon
• Strigoi³ were vampiric spirits and witches
• A kresnik⁴ (not the homonymous god) was a shamanic worker who was said to hunt vampires and protect villages form malicious spirits
• It was common to put some "extra precautions" in some tombs, as copper coins in the mouth of the deceased as expedient against evil

¹ https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/anti-vampire-graves-poland
² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stribog
³ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strigoi
⁴ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krsnik_(vampire_hunter)

@mythology #mythology

godsipclub , 1 month ago to folklore

The placenta has always been seen as something mystical.

In #Australia, if it was believed that, if the mother had launched the afterbirth into the water, the baby would have been a good swimmer.
Batak¹ people from Sumatra, #Indonesia, buried it under the house; it was believed to be the newborn's sister or brother.
Similarly, Baganda² from #Uganda believed that the placenta was a doppelgänger of the child – this is similar to the #Irish (or #British, in general?) concept of fetch.³

¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batak
² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baganda
³ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fetch_(folklore)

#Folklore @folklore

godsipclub , 1 month ago to folklore

In #Folklore, the belief that metal can harm #fairies reflects a captivating intersection of ancient myth and practical symbolism. Pliny the Elder¹ speculated in his Naturalis Historia that iron nails in tombs can repel nocturnal spirits, offering a possible explanation for this mystical connection.

Additionally, the fierce warrior culture of the #Celts, known for their intricate metal craftsmanship and rituals, likely influenced the perception of metal as a potent force against otherworldly beings.

In general, it is still common to hang horseshoes on doorsteps in order to bring luck. You can also read it… to keep fairies, or bad luck, away.

Everybody quite agrees on this subject: 🧚 💔 🧲

¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder

@folklore

godsipclub , 2 months ago to folklore

You may know well #Thor, the #Norse god of Thunder—but have you head about Perun?

He is often depicted as a powerful, bearded man wielding a hammer or axe. His domain included the sky, where he controlled the weather and protected the earthly realm from evil forces.

In #Slavic belief, thunder was thought to be the sound of Perun striking his enemies with his thunderbolts. As a deity associated with war, Perun was also considered a guardian of justice and order, punishing evildoers and upholding moral law. His cult was widespread among the early Slavic tribes, and he was one of the most important gods in their pantheon.

Perun's importance declined with the spread of #Christianity in Eastern #Europe, where he was often equated with Saint Elias due to their shared associations with thunder and lightning. Nonetheless, Perun remains a significant figure in Slavic folklore and cultural heritage, symbolizing strength, protection, and the forces of nature.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perun

#Folklore #Mythology @folklore @mythology

godsipclub , 2 months ago to folklore

Cannock Chase¹, also known as The Chase, is a beautiful area in #Staffordshire, West Midlands, loved for its natural scenery, wildlife, and history. However, it's also renowned for its #folklore, which includes stories of black-eyed children, panthers, #UFOs, #Bigfoot, and more. Castle Ring Hillfort, over 2,000 years old, is a spot associated with supernatural phenomena, leading some to believe it's a portal. Reports of strange sightings continue, with tales of pale creatures and an eyeless girl haunting the woods.

One of the most infamous stories is that of the 'Black-Eyed Child', said to have originated in the 1970s when a couple encountered a girl asking for help, only to be terrified by her dark, eyeless stare. This chilling encounter left many feeling hypnotized and unwell afterward. Over the years, investigators have flocked to The Chase to unravel the mystery behind these strange occurrences.

Additionally, The Chase has a dark history, with reports of child abductions and murders dating back to the 1960s. These tragic events, known as the 'Babes in the Ditch' murders, may have contributed to the area's eerie reputation.

¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannock_Chase

#England @folklore

godsipclub , 2 months ago to folklore

Did you know which #tree is most frequently struck by lightning? #Oaks have a knack for attracting bolts during thunderstorms, perhaps not coincidentally linked to their association with the god(s) of #thunder. But #Norse mythology is just a piece of a larger puzzle.

Perkūnas, the #Baltic thunder god, and his #Slavic counterpart, Perun, shared ties to the same venerable tree. Even #Roman Jupiter and #Greek Zeus joined the thunder god ranks. Across #Europe, cultures under similar latitudes shared grand bonfires on specific occasions:

• Spring's arrival
• Summer and Winter Solstices
• All Hallows’ Eve

Each region had unique customs, but they all symbolized the sun's power, dispelling negativity and blessing crops and livestock. Interestingly, fire also served as a defense against #witches. In many traditions, the last sheaf of corn, often referred to as "the Old Woman", met its demise in the flames.

Despite differences, these bonfires shared common threads. They all symbolized the sun's power, dispelling negativity and blessing crops and livestock. #Fire also served as a defense against witches.

Fertility could have been another great mutual peculiarity: the #sun had the power to make the vegetation grow, so the fire could have resembled the star’s fertilizing strength. This could explain why even the farm animals were driven through the flames, sometimes hurting themselves.

#folklore #mythology @folklore @mythology

godsipclub , 3 months ago to folklore

Nickanan Night, also known as Roguery Night or Peasen Monday, is a revered #Cornish tradition held on the Monday before #ShroveTuesday. Initially centered on pea splitting, it has evolved into a festivity marked by youthful mischief.

As twilight falls, youths armed with short clubs engage in door-knocking escapades, seeking pancakes from households. Mysterious disappearances of household items add intrigue, with items reappearing the next day as tokens of revelry. In locales like Polperro, festivities culminate in the procession of 'Jack-o-Lent', symbolizing Judas Iscariot. It was paraded through the streets and pelted with rotten vegetables. It was then taken to the beach where it was ceremonially burned — which also recall #Celts and #Imbolc festival.

Thomas Quiller Couch captured the essence of Nickanan Night, characterized by innocence and mischief: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickanan_Night#19th_century_description.

Echoing through the night, a cherished rhyme can be heard:

"Nicka nicka nan,
Give me some pancake, and then I'll be gone.
But if you give me none, I'll throw a great stone,
And down your door shall come."

#Cornwall #Britain #folklore @folklore

godsipclub , 3 months ago to folklore

#Easter isn't just about chocolate eggs and fluffy bunnies; it's a time steeped in rich #folklore and intriguing traditions.

Fascinating sayings echo through time, like the East Anglian adage that wearing something new on Easter Sunday ensures a year of good fortune. Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, the sight of donkeys kneeling at sunrise on Easter and braying thrice on #GoodFriday adds a mystical aura to the season.

Divination practices are also common, as the tale of St. Austin's Well in #Dorset offering glimpses into the future. Peering into its depths on Easter morning reveals the faces of those destined to pass away within the year!

As Easter Sunday fades, #Hocktide dawns. Known as "Quasimodo Sunday" for the Latin chant sung this day¹, it was also called Balaam's Ass Day. There is a saying: "Mackerel comes into season when Balaam's Ass speaks to the church!" – it's #spring cleaning time!

¹ https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Quasi_modo_geniti_infantes_(Heinrich_Isaac)

@folklore

godsipclub , 3 months ago to folklore

Starlings¹, derived from the Old #English word 'Staer', are known for their mesmerizing gatherings in massive flocks during autumn and winter, a breathtaking spectacle known as murmurations.

In #mythology, Starlings have an intriguing connection to Myna birds², both of which are capable of mimicking human speech. One fascinating tale from medieval #Welsh lore revolves around Branwen³, the daughter of Llyr. Mistreated by her Irish husband, Branwen teaches a tamed starling to speak and sends it across the #Irish Sea to inform her brother, Bran, who then raises an army to rescue her. This myth highlights the intelligence attributed to starlings and their association with communication and aid in #folklore.

Additionally, historical names for Starlings reflect various aspects of their behavior and appearance. For instance, the term "Sheep Stare" from #Somerset highlights their habit of alighting on the backs of sheep to pick at ticks in their coats, a behavior beneficial to both parties.

¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starling
² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myna
³ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branwen

@folklore @mythology

godsipclub , 3 months ago to folklore

Peris¹ and Div² are creatures from ancient #Persian mythology.
The first are fairy-like beings, so delicate and beautiful that it was said they fed on good perfumes — not food.
The other ones are huge, hairy orc-like creatures, with long fangs and snakes as beard.

Many legends narrate of Div kidnapping a Peri, imprisoning it in a tiny cage on the top of a tree. Other Peris, then, carried sweet scents to the poor one until it has enough strengths to fly away.

¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peri
² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Div_(mythology)

#Iran #Folklore #mythology @mythology @folklore

godsipclub , 4 months ago to folklore

Panthers, among several past civilizations, were mythical creatures¹ that emitted a very sweet odor in order to attract other beings (except the dragon, which is afraid by this animal).

About the actual feline, Leonardo Da Vinci, in his notebooks, curiously described it as... "all white and marked with black spots"!²

¹ https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast79.htm
² https://cdn.fulltextarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-advanced-pdf/1/The-Notebooks-of-Leonardo-Da-Vinci-Volumex5321.pdf

@folklore @mythology #folklore #mythology

godsipclub , 4 months ago to folklore

#February was the month of purification, for ancient #Romans.
One of the old rituals is #Lupercalia: young men (luperci) were initiated, and they hit the ground with goat-skin stripes in order to chase away evil spirits.
Also, they "hit" women because the festivity was linked with #Juno, goddess of childbirth.

#ValentinesDay is probably the #christianization of the Lupercalia festival.

In general, it is quite a busy –and complicated– month!
Read more 👉 https://godsip.club/articles/february-stars/

#Folklore #Rome #History @folklore #folklorethursday #mythology @mythology

godsipclub , 4 months ago to folklore

Today I was going to write a brief post about #February rituals in ancient #Rome, but it came out so long that I had to write a blog post!

In brief, in February, on the same days, several gods were honored:

• Febris
• Juno
• Lupercus

But… How can they be related? 🤔

Find it out here! ⬇️
https://godsip.club/articles/february-stars/

@folklore @mythology #folklore #mythology

godsipclub , 4 months ago to folklore

In the #Fiji islands, the "local little people" are the Vele, which are often described as small, hairy people.
Some say they have shining eyes, visible in the dark, but they are extremely shy, and it is more common to hear them whispering.
Locals are quite well-disposed to talk about them, several witnesses can be found on the internet:
• https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p301541/pdf/interlude-veli.pdf
• https://www.jstor.org/stable/44012040

#Folklore @folklore #FolkloreThursday

godsipclub , 5 months ago to folklore

Last week I wrote a post on my blog about a myth from Northern #Alps, in #Italy.

It is about the Crodères, beings who inhabit the mountains who have a stone heart, so they can't feel any emotions. It is the story of their queen, Tanna, who instead loved to help humans.

That is a #myth like no other I know because of its structure, with no climax or twists, and tells about how harsh life is, and the process of our inner growth. It's very interesting, it has multiple interpretations.

Check it out! 👇
https://godsip.club/articles/tales-boys-myths-men/

#Folklore #FolkloreThursday @folklore

godsipclub , 5 months ago to folklore

Today is the #Epiphany, the end of the #TwelveDaysOfChristmas.¹
In #Ireland, though, this day is also known as Nollaig na mBan, a.k.a. Little Christmas.²
It is hard to find a root of this tradition, but it is a feast dedicate to #women: they take a break from all the work of the past days, and they can celebrate as they wish. 🎉

Beware of other traditions, though, as removing all the Christmas tree decorations before the end of the day, or there will be bad luck! 🚫🍀

But don't forget to keep the #Christmas holly! It is good to use it for the fire to cook pancake on Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras³, the day before #Lent!

¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Days_of_Christmas
² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Christmas
³ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrove_Tuesday

#Nollaignamban #folklore @folklore

godsipclub , 5 months ago to folklore

Some of my personal favorite #folklore creatures from #Hungary are the Tünder and the Bábák.

The first ones are water-based creatures, or fairies, as many of the white ladies¹. They protect orphans and the poorest, gifting them with pearls. When they comb their long hair, they spread small gems or gold nuggets in rivers. They alway wear white, and they can fly, taking the shape of a swan.
Some say that they originally lived among humans, then moved to the top of mountains when the world started to change, becoming the modern one that we know. Anyway, they still can be seen dancing in the moonlight. 🌕💃

Bábák, instead, are the "usual" old, cranky witches of the collective imagination. The root of the word is the same as many other Eastern European languages that means "wise old lady" (Baba Yaga is the most famous character named after that).²

These two creatures perfectly match the common figures of European folklore: tiny, in contrast, and filled with mystical powers… but not necessarily evil.

P.S. Wow, a lot of new followers arrived in these last couple of days! Thank you! 🙏

¹ https://godsip.club/articles/white-ladies/
² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_Yaga#Etymology

@folklore @folklorethursday #folklorethursday @folklorethursday #Europe

godsipclub , 5 months ago to folklore

Happy New Year, everyone! 🥂

Did you celebrate? But did you do it respecting the traditions and the Hidden People?

For example, in #Iceland, it was believed that New Year's Day was the moving day of the #fairies, or Huldufólk¹. So people lit candles in front of the windows to help them find the way home. 🏠🕯️🧚

¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulduf%C3%B3lk

#Folklore @folklore

godsipclub , 6 months ago to folklore

Quite popular among several countries, there was the belief that, during childbirth, knots had to be untied.
Everything, in the house, had to be loose to ease the delivery.
Also, a broom was kept in a corner of the room – this custom was followed in #Japan, too!

#Roman husbands wrapped their wives with special belts, which then were untied, to ease the pain of the labor.
Also, in the #MiddleAges, special birth girdles¹ were used.

¹ https://inpress.lib.uiowa.edu/feminae/DetailsPage.aspx?Feminae_ID=40847

#Folklore @folklore

godsipclub , 7 months ago to folklore

Finally! A new article! 🎉

Who are the White Ladies?
What are the White Ladies?
Why were they so much common in #medieval legends in #Europe?

And then: which were the animals linked with these eerie figures?

Half spoiler: 🦉 (there isn't an emoji for the other half!)

You can read it here! 👇
https://godsip.club/articles/white-ladies/

#Folklore @folklore @folklorethursday @folklorethursday #mythology @mythology

godsipclub , 8 months ago to folklore

Some #folklore facts about #death from Siberia, #Russia.
From Arnold Van Gennep's "Rites of Passage", which is publicly available¹.

For some Ostyaks tribes², the #otherworld was underwater, in the Arctic Ocean; it is illuminated only by the light of the #moon.
For other ones, it was in the sky, accessible through ladders hundreds of feet long, or by climbing up a chain.

¹ https://archive.org/details/theritesofpassage/page/n177/mode/2up
² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostyak

@folklore @folklorethursday #folklorethursday

godsipclub , 10 months ago (edited 10 months ago) to folklore

In #Norse cosmology, there is no such thing as "the world".
Creation myths explain how parts of the cosmos were created (e.g., the sky is the skull of Ymir¹) and that several worlds are separated from each other. To be precise, there are nine.

Shamans can travel with the soul, but it should be physically possible too. Often, the methods described are quite strange, but fascinating:
• Walking on the rainbow
• Diving in some pools of water
• Walking in the dark
• Through memorial barrows²
• Traversing inaccessible forests and mountains

Also, gods have such powers that can break the barriers among them.
It was said, for example, that the lightning was #Thor striking Jötnar (the giants) with its hammer, and the thunder was the sound of the creature falling apart.

Our world, thus the reality we see, is called Midgard³, inhabited only by humans.
Interestingly, the other worlds don't have a specific direction (e.g. to the West) – they're just "far away".

At the center of Norse cosmology there is Yggdrasil⁴, a huge #tree (maybe an ash tree) which connects all the worlds. Its name could mean "Horse of the Terrible One" because Odin used its branches to quickly move among the worlds.

Here is a quick list:

1. Asgard – home of the Æsir gods
2. Jotunheim –home of the evil giants
3. Alfheim – home of the elves, (never described in any resource)
4. Nidavellir – where dwarves lived
5. Vanaheim – home of Vanir gods (never described!)
6. Hel – the underworld
7. Muspelheim – a world made of Fire
8. Niflheim – a world made of Ice
9. Midgard – our world, the only one not part of the "Otherworld"

It is extremely confusing, and in the past, people who tried to join the lines were confused, too! Here is a scheme from XIX century, which does not help at all 😅

¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ymir
² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumulus
³ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midgard
⁴ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yggdrasil

#Folklore #mythology @folklore @mythology #mythologymonday @mythologymonday