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[archangells]

Insomnia by Vincenzo Lamolinara

[archangells]

While taking a nap today I dreamt there was a hazard sign called "never found" which was used to indicate a location where people disappeared never to be seen again

[archangells]

We just moved into a new house that has zero mirrors in it due to having needed to work on the bathrooms before the place was livable reasons, and not seeing my reflection for a week has made me reprioritize 'vampires don't show in mirrors' on my list of correct and good vampire traits.

I've always like vampires not showing in stuff, but it now feels necessary to the monster.

-Not seeing yourself has a depersonalizing effect that belongs in narratives concerned with othering.

-If i want to look nice at the moment, I have to trust my partner to make me up. Finding a second vampire is both threat and boon at every level.

-clinging to a selfie or portrait painting from when you were alive as a way to recognize and remember who you are, and slowly coming to recognize the image as a fully different being, someone who's dead.

It's not like people concerned with vampires don't play in this space, but, alongside sunlight, this often feels like one of the things jettisoned early. Especially in today's surveillance state, where it's Easy to lose control of one's image, that feels like a misstep.

[archangells]

Keeper of the Light

by Maggie Hasbrouck

[archangells]

We should not act and speak like ones who sleep. οὐ δεῖ ὥσπερ καθεύδοντας ποιεῖν καὶ λέγειν. -Heraclitus, fr. 73 Diels-Kranz

[archangells]

mythological species: werewolves

[archangells]

ancient greek word of the day: οὐρανόνικος (ouranonikos), conquering heaven

[archangells]

Specific Witch Types

Not every witch fits in this list, not every witch who fits in this list will fit in just one category. This is simply a list I found a while back about the different kinds of witches around the world. 

Lunos - A witch who is emotional and can pick up on social cues easily Magical talent - Healing. 

Nuntis - A witch who is good at explaining things and communication. Magical talent - Divination, necromancy. 

Equo - Power hungry witch, shows little compassion for others.  Magical talent - Energy manipulation and/or spiritual vampirism

Canis - Outspoken, cares more for offence than defence Magical talent - protection magic

Discerno - Focuses on knowledge and learning. Magical talent - Fast learner

Tesserae - more compassion for animals and plants than other humans  Magical talent - Communication with animals

Copulta - Love witch Magical talent - Love Magic

Medicus - Healing; physically, mentally, and spiritually  Magical talent - Herbology 

Cultus - Gifted in worship Magical talent - Prayer, Ceremonial magic 

[archangells]

“Lovely-eyed. Death-touched. Witch.”

— Odysseus Elytis, tr. by Olga Broumas & T. Begley, from “The Dream,”

[archangells]

Incomplete list of recommendations if you want greek myth retellings that are actually interesting and do something new with the concept:

Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell (& friends)

O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000)

Cassandra by Christa Wolf

The King Must Die by Mary Renault

Los Reyes by Julio Cortázar

Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Trojan Women: A Comic by Anne Carson and Rosanna Bruno (let's be honest, Ms. Carson could easily dominate this whole list but I'm trying to limit myself to one and I think this one is the most interesting.)

Girl on an Altar by Marina Carr

Oresteia by Robert Icke

An Iliad by Denis O'Hare and Lisa Peterson

Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis

Helen in Egypt by Hilda Doolittle (H.D.)

Norma Jean Baker of Troy by Anne Carson (ok I lied, what are you gonna do about it?)

Weight by Jeanette Winterson

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

[archangells]

It’s actually really funny how many cultures have fox spirits and how many mostly consider them Complete Assholes, whether actively malicious or just dickheads that trick people

You’ve got the Kitsune that can be anywhere from incomprehensibly evil and powerful to doting mothers and good wives, 

You’ve got the Huli Jing in China which were believed to be entirely female and needed male energy to survive, and did so by corrupting high-level politicians- and the Jiuweihu, the big girls that took to leading souls away from Dharma,

You’ve got the Gumiho in Korea, who just straight up eat people’s livers or steal their life force,

In Scandinavia, specifically Finland, fox spirits were believed to be the cause of Aurora Borealis, revontulet, the “fox fire”, as well as just usually messing with people, and then also the Brunnmigi for the Norse which poisoned water because fuck you,

The Celts also attributed them to be wily little bastards that existed to make fools of hunters and apparently that’s where the word “Shenanigan” came from, originally being sionnachuighim, “I play the fox” in irish gaelic,

In Europe you’ve got Reynard the asshole baron, 

and from what I’ve seen a lot of native american tribes also just consider them dicks on the level of coyotes 

it’s like every human that sees one of these

is just like “wow, what an asshole”, it’s great

[archangells]

🌊 Types of Mermaids 🌊

please be respectful of cultural boundaries when working with mermaids from various cultures and traditions, and be mindful not to intrude.

🌊 Rusalkas - slavic in origin, disturbed spirits of the “unclean dead”, ghosts of women who died violent deaths, with a penchant for drowning young men. they live only in rivers and lakes, and are known to have green hair like aquatic plants, only appearing in the night. 

🌊 Melusina - a mermaid that walks among humans, but returns to their two-tailed form during baths and when they bathe their children. often a water spirit of a nearby lake or river. french origin. 

🌊 Siren - greek mythology. servants and companions of persephone, whom searched for her when she was abducted. they are known to sometimes have the body of a bird, and for their song, which lured sailors to their doom. cannibalism implied folklore. have the power of prophecy. 

🌊 Merrow - irish mermaid. known to have green hair and webbed fingers. particular noted love of music and their red cap, which when stolen, they will live with the thief until they find it, and then return to the water, leaving even a whole family behind. 

🌊 Ben-varrey - from the isle of man, known to bless those that are kind to them with prosperity, gifts, and even the location of treasure. 

🌊 Aicaya -  Caribbean mermaid, humans who become mermaids when they are shunned from their community and go to live in the sea. 

🌊 Amabie - japanese merpeople, with birdlike torsos and three legs and scales. they are gifted with prophecy, usually foretelling abundant harvests or epidemics 

🌊 Ningyo - “human faced fish” known to have golden scales, that brings bad weather and misfortune when caught, but when their flesh is eaten the consumer is granted youth and beauty, even agelessness. 

🌊 Finman / Finwife - magical shapeshifters that disguise themselves as sea creatures or plants to lure humans, unlike most mermaids they kidnap people from the shores to be their spouses or servants. they have a greed for jewelry and coins, particularly silver, and prefer humans over other finfolk. 

🌊 Sirena Chilota - considered the more friendly mermaids, caring for all fish life and rescuing drowned sailors to restore life to them. known for their human-like beauty and youth, according to legend they are the child of a human and a “king of seas”, tears are a powerful substance. from chilote mythology. 

🌊 Cecealia - sometimes known as “sea witches”, they are half human and half octopus. origins in native american and japanese mythology. 

🌊 Sirena / Siyokoy - the philippine version of mermaid and merman respectively. also called “magindara”, they are known to protect the waters from raiders, and protect the boy moon from sea monsters. Siyokoys can sometimes have legs however, covered with scales and webbed feet

🌊 Sea Mither - scottish/orcadian mythology, a spirit that personifies the sea during spring and summer, battles along scottish isles using storms to bring the summer about. a mother figure to all aquatic life. 

🌊 Ceasg - a fresh-water mermaid, specifically half-salmon, said to grant three wishes if captured. sometimes called maighdean na tuinne (maid of the wave) or maighdean mhara (maid of the sea). scottish. 

🌊 Selkie - though somewhat different from the typical mermaid, as they are not cold-blooded, have the body of a seal in the water and are human on land. in legends their skins are often stolen and they are kept by fishermen as spouses, or become lovers to fishermen’s wives who shed tears into the sea.  

[archangells]

modern + supernatural: what if supernatural creatures don’t exist anymore? what if they did once, but through the years, they slowly mixed in with humans?

↳ DRYADS. you can see the blood of dryads in hikers who never trip over roots. you can see it in that suburban grandmother never lets any of her garden die. you can see it in that one kid who climbs a tree faster than his friends, barely looking at the branches as he goes.

[insp.]

[archangells]

Not sure where to start? Looking for inspiration? Worry not, we have it handled! THIS DOCUMENT features hundreds flowers and their meanings, with an alphabetized list by flower or by meaning, as well as a few suggested categorizations, all curated by our head mod!

[archangells]

rules to deal with the fae

1. never give them your true name. they can use it to control you. 

2. be polite: be on best behavior; please and if you don’t mind, but never thank you. don’t offer anything dirty or used. keep clean and neat for them, be it your space or yourself. not only will they be more likely to help you, they won’t kill you. 

3. bribe them: give them gifts. sugar, candy, fruit, butter, cream, cakes. honey makes them drunk. no bread. no salt. no iron. 

4. start slow: tiny offerings and requests to start. then you can build up. but it’s unadvisable. do not ask them directly for a favor. make them think the idea to help you was their own. don’t lie. some of them can smell it. 

5. know how to get safe. st. john’s wort, sulfur, salt, iron, fresh bread, rowan, hazel. horseshoes over the door. ringing church bells at dawn and dusk. they hate cats and cats hate them. 

6. don’t accept anything from them: same as with saying thank you, you’ll be in their debt. fae cannot lie, but they do not always tell the truth. 

7. do not try to take their true name. if they tell you, never tell anyone else. 

[archangells]

Tarot cards cheat sheet, I found these Tarot stickers online which is what I had been waiting for before I could start on these.

I'm debating on whether I want to put borders at the top of some pages because they seem very plain and need something, any input would be appreciated, even if you think I should keep it plain

[archangells]

Journals, articles, books & texts, on folklore, mythology, occult, and related -to- general anthropology, history, archaeology. 

Some good and/or interesting (or hokey) ‘examples’ included for most resources. tryin to organize & share stuff that was floating around onenote.

Journals (open access) – Folklore, Occult, etc

Culutural Analysis - folklore, popular culture, anthropology – The Mythical Ghoul in Arabic Culture

Folklore - folklore, anthropology, archaeology – The Making of a Bewitchment Narrative, Grecian Riddle Jokes

Incantatio - journal on charms, charmers, and charming – Verbal Charms from a 17th Century Manuscript

Oral Tradition – Jewish Folk Literature, Noises of Battle in Old English Poetry

Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics – Nani Fairtyales about the Cruel Bride, Energy as the Mediator between Natural and Supernatural Realms

International Journal of Intangible Heritage 

Studia Mythologica Slavica (many articles not English) – Dragon and Hero, Fertility Rites in the Raining Cave, The Grateful Wolf and Venetic Horses in Strabo’s Geography

Folklorica - Slavic & Eastern European folklore association – Ritual: The Role of Plant Characteristics in Slavic Folk Medicine, Animal Magic

Esoterica - The Journal of Esoteric Studies – The Curious Case of Hermetic Graffiti in Valladolid Cathedral 

The Esoteric Quarterly

Mythological Studies Journal

Luvah - Journal of the Creative Imagination – A More Poetical Character Than Satan

Transpersonal Studies – Shamanic Cosmology as an Evolutionary Neurocognitive Epistemology, Dreamscapes

Beyond Borderlands  – tumblr

Paranthropology

GOLEM - Journal of Religion and Monsters – The Religious Functions of Pokemon, Anti-Semitism and Vampires in British Popular Culture 1875-1914

Correspondences - Online Journal for the Academic Study of Western Esotericism – Kriegsmann’s Philological Quest for Ancient Wisdom 

– History, Archaeology

Adoranten - pre-historic rock art

Chitrolekha - India art & design history – Gomira Dance Mask

Silk Road – Centaurs on the Silk Road: Hellenistic Textiles in Western China

Sino-Platonic - East Asian languages and civilizations – Discursive Weaving Women in Chinese and Greek Traditions

MELA Notes - Middle East Librarians Association

Didaskalia - Journal for Ancient Performance

Ancient Narrative - Greek, Roman, Jewish novelistic traditions – The Construction of the Real and the Ideal in the Ancient Novel

Akroterion - Greek, Roman – The Deer Hunter: A Portrait of Aeneas

Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies  – Erotic and Separation Spells, The Ancients’ One-Horned Ass

Roman Legal Tradition - medieval civil law – Between Slavery and Freedom 

Phronimon - South African society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities – Special Issue vol. 13 #2, Greek philosophy in dialogue with African+ philosophy

The Heroic Age - Early medieval Northwestern Europe – Icelandic Sword in the Stone

Peregrinations - Medieval Art and Architecture – Special Issue vol. 4 #1, Mappings 

Tiresas - Medieval and Classical – Sexuality in the Natural and Demonic Magic of the Middle Ages

Essays in Medieval Studies  – The Female Spell-caster in Middle English Romances, The Sweet Song of Satan

Hortulus - Medieval studies – Courtliness & the Deployment of Sodomy in 12th-Century Histories of Britain, Monsters & Monstrosities issue, Magic & Witchcraft issue

Annual of Medieval Studies at CEU

Medieval Archaeology – Divided and Galleried Hall-Houses, The Hall of the Knights Templar at Temple Balsall

Medieval Feminist Forum  – multiculturalism issue; Gender, Skin Color and the Power of Place … Romance of Moriaen, Writing Novels About Medieval Women for Modern Readers, Amazons & Guerilleres

Quidditas - medieval and renaissance 

Medieval Warfare

The Viking Society - ridiculous amount of articles from 1895-2011

Journals (limited free/sub/institution access)

Al-Masaq - Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean – Piracy as Statecraft: The Policies of Taifa of Denia, free issue

Mythical Creatures of Europe - article + map

Folklore - limited free access – Volume 122 #3, On the Ambiguity of Elves

Digital Philology -  a journal of medieval cultures – Saracens & Race in Roman de la Rose Iconography

Pomegranate - International Journal for Pagan Studies

Transcultural Psychiatry

European Journal of English Studies  – Myths East of Venice issue, Esotericism issue

Books, Texts, Images etc. – Folklore, Occult etc.

Magical Gem Database - Greek/Egyptian gems & talismans [x] [x]

Biblioteca Aracana - (mostly) Greek pagan history, rituals, poetry etc. – Greater Tool Consecration, The Yew-Demon

Curse Tablets from Roman Britain - [x]

The Gnostic Society Library – The Corpus Hermeticum, Hymn of the Robe of Glory

Grimoar - vast occult text library – Grimoires, Greek & Roman Necromancy, Queer Theology, Ancient Christian Magic

Internet Sacred Text Archive - religion, occult, folklore, etc. ancient texts

Verse and Transmutation - A Corpus of Middle English Alchemical Poetry

– History

The Internet Classics Archive - mainly Greco-Roman, some Persian & Chinese translated texts

Bodleian Oriental Manuscript Collection - [x] [x] [x]

Virtual Magic Bowl Archive - Jewish-Aramaic incantation bowl text and images [x] [x] 

Vindolanda Tablets - images and translations of tablets from 1st & 2nd c. [x]

Corsair - online catalog of the Piedmont Morgan library (manuscripts) [x] [x]

Beinecke rare book & manuscripts  – Wagstaff miscellany, al-Qur'ān–1813

LUNA - tonnes from Byzantine manuscripts to Arabic cartography

Maps on the web - Oxford Library [x] [x] [x]

Bodleian Library manuscripts - photographs of 11th-17th c. manuscripts – Treatises on Heraldry, The Worcester Fragments (polyphonic music), 12 c. misc medical and herbal texts

Early Manuscripts at Oxford U - very high quality photographs – (view through bottom left) Military texts by Athenaeus Mechanicus 16th c. [x] [x], MS Douce 195 Roman de la Rose [x] [x]

Trinity College digital manuscript library  – Mathematica Medica, 15th c.

eTOME - primary sources about Celtic peoples

Websites, Blogs – Folklore, Occult etc.

Demonthings - Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project 

Invocatio - (mostly) western esotericism

Heterodoxology - history, esotericism, science – Religion in the Age of Cyborgs

The Recipes Project - food, magic, science, medicine – The Medieval Invisible Man (invisibility recipes)

Morbid Anatomy - museum/library in Brooklyn

– History 

Islamic Philosophy Online - tonnes of texts, articles, links, utilities, this belongs in every section; mostly English

Medicina Antiqua - Graeco-Roman medicine

History of the Ancient World - news and resources – The So-called Galatae, Gauls, Celts in Early Hellenistic Balkans; Maidens, Matrons Magicians: Women & Personal Ritual Power in Late Antique Egypt

Διοτίμα - Women & Gender in Antiquity

Bodleian Library Exhibitions Online – Khusraw & Shirin, Hebrew Manuscripts as a Meeting-Place of Cultures

Medievalists – folk studies, witchcraft, mythology, science tags

Atlas Obscura – Bats and Vampiric Lore of Pére Lachaise Cemetery