#More Tales of Faraway Folk

[uwmspeccoll]

Women Author of the Week

BABETTE DEUTSCH

I mentioned earlier that I  love a good fairy tale, so I started poking around to see if we had any fairy tales or fables that are written or compiled by women, and lo and behold, I came across More Tales of Faraway Folk published by Harper & Row in 1963. Chosen and retold by American poet, novelist, and translator Babette Deutsch (1895-1982), it was edited by her husband, a fellow author and translator, Avrahm Yarmolinsky (1890-1975), and illustrated by Polish artist and illustrator Janina Domańska (1913-1995).

The book consists of fifteen tales, some of which are animal tales and are accompanied by lovely black and white illustrations that range from half-page to full page throughout the book. The stories themselves have been compiled from all over, ranging from Finland, Central Asia, Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, Armenia, and Estonia. Each story begins with a brief paragraph about the origin of the story, which I find to be a lovely touch. It is always fascinating to see where stories originated and how far out they reached from their home, or what was changed if it was reimagined in another part of the world.

Babette Deutsch���s work is extensive and impressive. While her first published works were poetry, she also wrote four novels, six volumes of children’s literature, ending with ten collections of poetry, and a collection of essays on both poetry and poets. Being fluent in German, Deutsch also translated the works of Rainer Marie Rilke  into English and, with the help of her husband Yarmolinsky, translated Russian poetry which included Alexander Pushkin.

Janina Domańska, who was born and raised in Warsaw, Poland, also had an extensive art career. After leaving Poland, she studied painting in Italy where she supported herself by painting children’s portraits and emigrated to the United States six years later. After working for four years as a textile designer and marrying writer Jerzy Laskowsi, she began showing her artwork to various publishers. Because of this, she was encouraged to focus on illustrating children’s books. She has illustrated more than forty books, with many of them being written by herself.

-- Elizabeth V, Special Collections Undergraduate Writing Intern

[paimonial-rage]

talks of the past - zhongli

ship: zhongli x reader

synopsis: in which the wangsheng funeral parlor’s consultant tries to restore your faith in rex lapis

notes: 1.7k words, chapter 7 of bookkeeping!verse; with ties to various chapters in the series

It was yet another day you found yourself traveling with Zhongli to Qingce Village. Objectively speaking, it was a beautiful morning. The sun was high in the sky without a cloud in sight, the birds were chirping, and the temperature was nice. Really, there shouldn’t have been anything there to get you down. And yet…

There you were walking with your head down and a faraway look in your eyes. Had you been more aware, you would’ve noticed your companion speaking a few times. You would’ve seen the concerned look in his eyes as he peered down at you. But you were lost in your thoughts, uncharacteristically troubled and insecure.

If you had noticed, you would’ve felt a bit of pity for your companion. It was not often that you were seen in such a depressed state. Really, despite your temperament, you were generally alert and sociable. He often enjoyed the banter that would come about between you two. Truly, you were a dear friend to him. That being said, it wasn’t often you shared your concerns with him. He wasn’t sure if you even would if asked.

He cleared his throat.

“First, is… there anything that’s bothering you?”

It took a few moments for you to respond, almost prompting him to ask again before you let out a long sigh.

“Zhongli,” you began, looking up to him imploringly, “Can I talk to you about something?”

He couldn’t deny the slight start of his heart that came with your question. You’ve brought up your concerns to him before, but those were often accompanied with glares and opinions regarding his financial decisions. This time, however, exhaustion was evident in your voice with dark bags under your eyes. He could not recall doing anything that’d result in your loss of sleep.

“Sure,” he began, careful to keep his wariness absent.

“It’s not a big deal,” you began in a way that implied the opposite. “I’m sure you know how much I revere Rex Lapis. Even though he passed, I still greatly respect the legacy he left behind.”

“Yes,” he replied with a nod. “You’ve mentioned this to me a few times in the past.”

A bit too many, he would add. And with your way with words, it never exactly was… pleasant. At the very least, he was relieved your lack of sleep wasn’t with anything he did as Zhongli.

“It’s just… Lately, I’ve been talking to Madam Ping in my free time, and… I feel like my faith is beginning to be shaken…”

He frowned.

“‘Shaken?’ In what way?”

“I…” You bit your lip as tears welled in your eyes. “Don’t hate me for saying this, but I…”

You hesitated.

“I’m beginning to think he was actually a complete weirdo.”

A… A weirdo?

He cleared his throat, feeling if not just a little attacked.

“In what way?”

You sighed, glancing away with your guilt-ridden eyes.

“In… in every way.”

‘Every way?’

“For instance, take into account Mora…”

Of course, it had to do with Mora.

“Well, I once heard a story that Rex Lapis created the first home out of Mora. I always thought it was metaphorical or just a silly children’s tale, but… Madame Ping confirmed it to be true. When I asked her why he chose Mora, she said it simply was because it was available. He didn’t have any deeper meaning to it.”

He frowned. Ignoring the sense of déjà vu he felt regarding this specific topic, he didn’t see any problem with his actions.

“Yes, it only makes sense. To the God of Wealth and Commerce, what material is easier to get than Mora?”

“Exactly!” You exclaimed suddenly, nearly causing him to flinch. “Only a simple-minded man would come up with such a simple-minded conclusion.”

“S-Simple-minded…”

You nodded.

“Just because he had all the access in the world to Mora didn’t mean the common folk did. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to make the first model home out of materials available to everyone?”

He coughed.

“Perhaps.”

You sniffled.

“It’d be fine if that was the only thing, but Shitou from the Jade Mystery told me that once Rex Lapis stopped by his family’s shop in the past and purchased a spoon made of fine Noctilucus Jade to sample the culinary delights of Liyue Harbor.” You buried your face in your hands. “Why would he spend that much Mora just for a simple spoon?”

“W-Well…”

“I know, I know. As the God of Wealth and Commerce, he had easy access to Mora. And I’m sure it made him happy to contribute to the wealth of Liyue Harbor’s commonfolk, but for someone who spent so much time around his people, it’s like he had no concept of his own creation’s worth! It’s shamelessly extravagant! I didn’t think he was such a wasteful person…”

In the back of his mind, Zhongli had the urge to disagree, to stand up for the good name of Rex Lapis. Really, he wasn’t so shameless as you made him out to be, at least he didn’t think he was. But before he could respond, you continued.

“That’s not all though…” you started again.

Oh no.

“A while ago, I told Meng and the Ferrylady that Rex Lapis wasn’t a self-absorbed narcissist, but…”

Oh no…

“I was talking to Sir Yun the other day of the Yun-Han Opera Troupe? I always knew that Rex Lapis enjoyed the troupe’s shows, but did you know he starred in a few of them? As a warrior, she said. And as you know, Rex Lapis is known as the Warrior God. So that means he basically played himself in operas singing songs about… himself. Can you imagine doing that? How…”

Tears came to your eyes.

“Cringe.”

He resisted the urge to clear his throat.

“Though records say he may have taken part in those operas, I can’t recall Miss Yun stating he starred as himself,” he began. “The assumption he did so is mere conjecture at best.”

That last part slipped from his tongue before he could rein it back in. You never took kindly when his opinions differed from yours, and yet… Well, perhaps he was feeling if not a little attacked. The Yun-Han Opera Troupe had a long history, after all. They certainly would not be more the wiser if some tales became embellished over the years. He thought out of all people you would be more aware of that than most.

Thankfully, much to his relief, you were. Instead of taking to anger like you usually did, you nodded obediently.

“That’s true. I hope you’re right,” you replied with a hopeful smile. “Madame Ping said that not even the great Cloud Retainer watches operas about herself. It’s too embarrassing.”

He did clear his throat that time.

“I suppose not everyone enjoys hearing tales of their past,” he finally let out.

You nodded.

“I’m glad at least she agrees with me that only weird and abnormal people do things like that,” you let out with a bit of relief. “I was getting worried I’m the only person that feels that way…”

He only smiled in response, ignoring the fact that Cloud Retainer only said that it was “embarrassing,” not “weird” or “abnormal.” You really did not hesitate to deal your blows, did you?

“You know what the worst thing is, though?” You asked, looking up at him imploringly. “Legend has it that the gods are able to change their physical forms. There are even tales of Rex Lapis taking a female form. But… out of all the records, there are no depictions of his female form, only that she had amber eyes.”

Zhongli frowned in thought. Though he heard and understood your words well, he didn’t know what was the wrong in what you said. The tales of Rex Lapis were often embellished, especially in the way they painted him as the type to change his form often. The truth of the matter was far from that. Not that he could tell you that, of course. But before he could respond in any way, your eyes became filled with tears.

“I mean, he obviously didn’t mind leaving evidence of his male visage. And as I told you before, he made sure he looked good in every one of them. So if he was narcissistic enough to do that, why not leave anything behind of his female form? You… You don’t think… she was UGLY, do you?” You cried in pain.

If his brain didn’t shut down before, it definitely did then. But not noticing, you continued on.

“That’s the only reason I can come up with. Rex Lapis shares his beauty with everyone, after all, so she must have been so ugly that a narcissist like him couldn’t bear for others to see!” You sobbed.

Every word that left your mouth felt like a blow to his ego. Was this truly what you thought about him?

“So do you see why my faith has been shaken? If we try to view him as a person, Rex Lapis was a simple-minded conceited weirdo that was so ashamed of his female form he wiped any and all traces of her depiction out of existence.”

He couldn’t do this anymore.

“While the tales of the past may be rooted in truth, it’s important to realize they are only that. Tales. Nothing more. As it is, we simply do not know how much we can take as fact. So I would not let it bother you too much, First,” he stated in a matter-of-fact manner.

Though you looked as if you had more to say, you slowly nodded once, then once again with more surety.

“You’re right. I guess I’m looking far too into this. Surely if the great Rex Lapis was revered by so many, even the adepti, he must have been worthy of the respect. I just need to remember that,” you replied bashfully. “I’m sorry to have piled this all on you, Zhongli.”

He shook his head with a chuckle.

“It is alright. I am glad to be your voice of reason.”

Laughing in return, you nodded.

“Yes, thank you. And well, I guess it could be worse, I suppose. Madame Ping was always respectful to Rex Lapis in her stories. She could’ve said that he was the kind of person with… I don’t know. No common sense or something. Like could you imagine if he was the type of person that thought it was a smart idea to bring square cups instead of circle to a party?” You asked with a laugh. “Now that would be horrifying.”

……

Yes, you certainly had a way with words.

[vitanithepure]

Favorite outfit

Here it is, my entry to day #1 of Wyllvember!

***

First days of traveling together were hectic and filled with so much uncertainty it all became a blur. People came in, made shelter at the camp you now call your home away from home. And only now, after all of you put some distance between yourself and the immediate threat, do you have time to take it all in.

You start noticing details, the mannerisms of your new companions, discovering their little quirks and habits. Like Lae’zel always being up first, starting the day with a series of training rituals, going on through motions she could probably do in her sleep. Or how methodically Shadowheart brushes and ties her hair each morning.

And then there is Wyll. He seems to be the most accustomed to life on the road. From the way he swiftly puts up his tent, to how organized were his amenities, how little clutter he carried around. The same couldn’t be said about his wardrobe. It was practical, yes, the Blade of Frontiers wore leathers that allowed ease of use, allowed for good maneuvering with his choice of weapon and provided decent protection in battle.

This practicality clashed with the frills adorning his clothing, the golden clips and buckles. They didn’t seem to serve any purpose, but certainly gave Wyll a distinguished look. A very odd choice for someone styling himself the champion of the common folk. Yet far be it for you to judge, for he really is an undeniable force of good in this region of the Sword Coast.

“Tell me if I intrude upon your time, but that faraway look on your face tells me you could probably use the company this evening. And I wouldn’t mind it as well.”

You startle hearing Wyll’s voice so close, wondering if he took offense at your scrutinizing gaze. The smile he approached you with hopefully means no.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to stare. Go ahead, lots of room here by the fire.”

“I got the feeling you were looking through me, rather than at me, but either way, there is no need to apologize.”

He sits down next to you, and from this distance you can see more details on his outfit. The leather is obviously starting to wear out. It visibly took a lot of cuts and blows that were meant for the wearer, and the jerking underneath looks patched as well. On it, you notice, is a crest. It shows a merchant ship, sailing out on the sea. You recognize it. 

“Say, is that…Baldur’s Gate? On your chestpiece?”

Wyll looks down to touch the symbol. His smile widens in a way that makes you sure there are many good tales to be told about the place.

“Indeed, you are looking at a Baldurian, born and raised. Pride of the Gate, I like to think of myself, but that is a story for an entirely different evening.”

“You put a lot of attention to your outfit, this your favorite?”

“It kept me alive for a long while, so I guess it is only fair for me to keep using it. A life I led before this one taught me appearances do matter, but it’s hard to apply that when one travels the wilds as much as me.”

“And yet, you manage to make it work.”

He throws a playful look your way. It’s really not hard to notice the charm the man spreads around himself, but it’s not of the stifling kind. There is genuine affection and kindness to Wyll, one that you would not normally expect from a rugged monster hunter he makes himself to be.

“Glad I am to hear it! Now, I believe there are countless other things we can talk about apart from my choice of fashion, as flattering as you make it out to be.”

And it’s true, the conversation flows easily and freely between you two, long unto the night, until the chill of the night air forces you back to your tents. You count this evening as the most pleasant one since all of this happened, and you hope, as you fall asleep, not the last one spent talking to Wyll under the stars.

***

The favorite outfit in question is:

I absolutely adore him in it!

[bluraaven]

Song to a Siren

A mute siren Din and fisherman Cobb story

The currents between the atolls that he calls home are best known for gently carrying seafaring folk to sweet death.  Long ago, or so the songs tell, there was ample traffic in these waters.  Wide-eyed fishermen rowed small boats, their innocence carrying as alluringly on the waves as fresh blood.  Those souls usually came easy when they called, eager to leave behind their cursed, land-bound existence. 

The crews of the large and stately vessels were prone to fighting back, but worth the danger of enchanting when the sailors dressed all pretty like a feast and the bellies of their ships were full with gold and other things that now light up the darkness of the deep waters with a beautiful sparkle when hit by an errant ray of sunshine. 

It had been a time of plenty, when they could afford to let a ship pass now and again.  Sometimes they'd allow but a glimpse of themselves to be seen and let the unfortunate few to leave to carry back strange tales to faraway places. 

More would always come. 

Until they didn't. 

Now no one sails these waters anymore, save for the desperate, the damned and the Singing Man. 

---

Read the full story here.

[imagine-darksiders]

A teensy snippet of the Muerte x Reader thing I'm writing, to tide you little rascals over ig

-------

Driven forwards by curiosity, you venture up to the window and peer out at the rain lashing down on the other side. Then, after dallying for another moment, you stick your head out, glancing up and down the empty street to find…

... Nobody.

“Huh,” you mutter to yourself, perplexed.

The whistling you heard has stopped now, leaving you wondering if you'd been imagining it all along.

Pursing your lips, you raise a hand to cover your eyes from the rain and peer once again to the right, eyeing the shadows of the clinic.

You very nearly jump out of your skin when an unmistakable, high-pitched note rings out into the air on your left.

“Puta di madre!” you gasp, slapping a palm over your heart as if to keep it from leaping out of your chest as you whip your head in the opposite direction.

There, standing just a few paces from the window, is an imposing figure cloaked in black leaning up against the wall of the clinic, lost amongst the shadows of an ink-dark hood.

Puffing out a shaky sigh, you exclaim, “Oh, you scared the life out of me! Where did you come from!?”

There’s no way in Hell the figure had been standing there when you took that first, initial glance.

At your question, the whistled tune falls silent once again.

The deluge continues to beat down hard against your skull, swiftly turning your hair into a flat, unappealing mess as a heavy quiet stretches between you and the stranger, growing longer and longer until at last, there's a twitch of movement.

Perturbed, you can only stare at the side of the hood as it slowly swivels in your direction.

You won’t deny that a cold shiver rushes over your back at the unexpected face you find hidden within the shadows of that impenetrable abyss. Or perhaps the chill can be accredited to nothing more than a stray raindrop that sneaks beneath the collar of your shirt and slithers down the length of your spine.

A long, silver-white muzzle twists around to face you, filled up to the hilt with fangs that gleam like knives in the gloom of the hood.

“Lo siento, Chiquita,” a voice lazily drawls, low and smooth like the rumble of faraway thunder, “Am I keeping you from your duties?”

Transfixed, your gaze slides up a canine snout until you abruptly find yourself locked rigid under the glow of a paralysing stare, frozen by eyes as crimson as freshly spilled blood that burn like the fires of Infierno.

For several, long moments, you remain stuck, little more than a hapless rabbit caught in the gaze of a predator.

Of a wolf.

It takes you a second to blink, and yet another to exhale the breath you didn’t realise you’d been keeping trapped behind your teeth. Privately, you admonish yourself for startling at all.

He’s just a wolf. One of the fairy-tale folks. Not exactly an unusual sight around these parts, but not entirely frequent either.

And yes, whilst he is currently distracting you from your duties, you can hardly fault him for your own lack of focus.

“Oh, no, no Señor,” you rush to assuage him, “I was only wondering who on earth would be out here whistling in this deluge!”

Even as you speak, rain cascades in ceaseless rivers down his riding cloak, dripping off the lip of his hood to land upon the silvery fur of his muzzle.

[acourtofthought]

You do realise that a phoenix and a firebird are the same thing, right? The only difference is their mythological origins (in the same way Winter Solstice and Christmas are the same thing).

You realise that Vassa and Jurian rule over and originate from completely different areas of the world? That their shared vision for the humans, is also shared by Lucien…, right?

You realise that Lucien being “uninterested in any sort of female company” was said in Chapter 5 of ACOWAR, and that since then, he literally LIVES WITH, and keeps the company of Vassa, right?

You realise that alongside Lucien’s “longing” for Elain, there’s also the words “pain” and “disappointment”, right? Compared to Lucien’s interactions with Vassa, where he’s completely at ease.

If the only reason that Lucien went after Vassa was so that SJM could have Lucien meet Elain’s father (💀), then why would Lucien, in the latest ACOTAR book, set his sights on visiting Koschei again? On freeing Vassa from curse? You read that part, right?

“And Lucien sounded assertive because” “And he blushed around Feyre because” literally nothing you’re saying is canon or confirmed. Your interpretation is as valid as mine.

“AND FOR THE LAST TIME, LUCIEN ISN’T A LORD OF FIRE.” Lmfao, at this point I think it’s silly to even reply to you. You do know that Lucien IS a “Lord of Fire,” because that’s the exact words the author - the writer of the book - wrote on the page and published. Thinking that you know more than SJM is something else…

And I can say the same for you. You’re choosing to ignore information about Lucien and Vassa, to support your extremely biased views on elucien.

I fully acknowledge that there’s evidence in favour for elucien (they have a mating bond, afterall). I acknowledge there’s evidence for elriel, and even other outlandish theories (like Elain and Aidas). I acknowledge there’s evidence for gwynriel (that bonus chapter is damning, and they had mate-coded behaviour).

And I acknowledge that there’s evidence for Lucien and Vassa - and perhaps have a soft spot for this ship.

There is evidence for all ships within these books. Getting on this app and asserting that your own ship MUST be right and canon and confirmed, and that everyone else is WRONG… is ludicrous.

Nothing is confirmed, and you are not SJM.

The Firebird, which appears in numerous Slavic folk tales, is a large bird with rich plumage that glows with a red, orange and yellow light. Even once removed, its feathers continue to glimmer. Later renditions depict a smaller, fire-coloured falcon with crystal eyes. The Firebird is beautiful but hostile.

Typically, in fairy tales, the Firebird is the object of a difficult quest which begins with the finding of a lost tail feather. The hero of the tale then sets out to find and capture the bird – usually on the orders of an authority figure such as a father or king. Despite the Firebird’s magnetism, the hero slowly comes to blame it for his rapidly spiralling troubles. The feather found at the start serves as a prophecy of a hard journey to a faraway land, featuring magical helpers en route who help with the bird’s capture.

Compared to:

The phoenix is often invoked along with the firebird, but they are two very different beasts in the world of myth. While linked by fire, the phoenix’s main characteristic is immortality – hence its capacity to burn to ashes only to be reborn again. The firebird is a creature of Slavic mythology, mainly present in old Russian and Ukrainian fairy tales, while the phoenix can be traced back to ancient Africa.

Just because two things share similarities doesn't make them the same thing.

"nothing is confirmed and you are not SJM".

Hey..... Guess what? Neither are you yet you are pretending like you're not pushing Vassa and Lucien just as hard as you're accusing me of pushing Elain and Lucien. This is MY blog, not yours. I am free to interpret the text however I damn well please and post as I see fit.

I'm not sure if you're the same person as before and created a new account just to message again after I blocked you but even if you're someone new, you'd think you'd want to spend your time on blogs who actually believe Vassa and Lucien will end up together.

I have read and reread these scenes multiple times and I have come to MY conclusion that Elucien will end up together and Vassa and Lucien have only ever been platonic. Feel free to ship them if you'd like but there's absolutely nothing you can say to me that is going to sway that.

None of us knows what SJM plans or what she will do but I can tell you this, she will be the only person who's going to sway my ship at this point. I don't know you and I obviously do not find your opinion or interpretation more valid than my own so you're wasting your time coming to an Elucien blog to argue that Vassa and Lucien are going to be a thing. Do you honestly believe that you're going to change my mind? Does my blog read as if I haven't read the books and you feel you're going to be the one to educate me? Or do you just enjoy being a keyboard warrior hiding behind anonymity harassing those who don't agree with your ship?

SJM could absolutely change her mind but I stand firm that the way she's written the series so far has been with the endgame goal of Elucien.

My voicing my opinion on that is absolutely no different than every single other blog who has a specific ship and you acting like I'm doing something that no one else does is what's ludicrous.

And yes, Lucien set his sights on Koschei as if he were setting his target but since when is saving a friend always romantic? Was he not willing to die for Feyre in ACOTAR? Not to mention you're again ignoring how Nesta also thought about Elain visiting the exact same continent. AND Lucien permanently being stationed in Spring and Nesta thinking Spring was MADE for someone like Elain, that she'd tell her to go.

Lucien does not have anything to do with Vassa and Jurian leading the humans. He's helped them sort through the politics but he is not involved in actually leading them. It says Jurian AND VASSA share the same vision, not "we all" share the same vision. It also says "Both (meaning Jurian and Vassa) trying to lead the humans who occupied the sliver of land at the southernmost end of Prythian." not "the three of them".

Also, Jurians people have been gone for 500 years, what are you even talking about? Lucien specifically tells us Jurian and Vassa are leading the exact same group of people.

See? Again, you look at a few lines and I look at the whole book.

Of course there is evidence for any ship because friendships can easily lead to more. Anytime there's a male interacting with female (for heterosexual couples), there's the possibility of a couple forming from it. Have you seen Lucien and Feyre's interactions? Girl was all up on that naked chest in ACOWAR.

The difference is, I feel that some relationships will only ever be friendships, some will have been a rebound, and some will be endgame.

My entire blog has been dedicated to why I feel Elucien is happening and why despite certain language, I don't think other ships will. It's not that I have ignored the language that exists, I've included it in every post I've done about specific pairings. I just don't think it's leading to what others do.

Seriously, why are you so mad at my blog? I will continue posting Elucien as endgame. I will continue posting why I don't see other ships happening. And I'm pretty sure I'm not breaking any laws to do so. I'm not asking for Tips, I've actually turned that option off so it's not like I'm profiting from my thoughts. If you don't like what I've got to say than there's a metaphorical door you can show yourself out of because this page is for fans of Elucien. Your version of events is so completely opposite to mine that there is no real debate to be had so you telling me I'm high schooler (if this is in fact the person from before) is just name calling. I'm old enough to realize that we are not two people meant to meet in the middle and that's OK. But I really have no interest in going back and forth because I do think you're wrong and you're not going to change my interpretation.

If SJM proves me wrong than I've got no issue apologizing to the masses for misinterpreting things. But at this point I feel strongly on my interpretation based on what seems to be the authors writing style and I really don't need to explain myself to Anons who enjoy seeking out Elucien blogs only to cause issues when they're obviously very against Elucien.

[cornus27florida]

The Tale of the Golden Snail (a Fairy Tale from the East with Curse element in it)

Before going deeper, I want to say that CPC depictions is lacking eastern (Asia and Africa - and maybe southern America as well?) fairy tales that depicted on the media - the closest of the eastern tale depiction is the magic lamp from "Aladdin" which is from middle east asia. Jack finds the Braided Island that inhabitants with people with appearance that different than him, is also similar with how westerner see easterner folks [which either got amazed by their exotic appearance or horrified with them to point of being racist]. It's a shame IMHO because as someone from East, I want to say that Eastern Fairy Tales is a giant gem box that ready to be explored.. Especially from my own country, there's many fairy tales with curses on their story - like becomes animal (monkey, snail etc), petrified to becomes a stone (Malin Kundang) or born cursed (example, has face of a gourd). I like to introduce my own country and it's culture but without being posh doing it, slow and honest introduction by said my country as Batik Kingdom - islands based Kingdom from faraway place from the continent where Plaid-Pastel-Polygon Kingdom resides. I am headcannon-ing that Frederick reads fairy tale from faraway continent as well, based on ep 34:

Well, let's move on to next topic which is about the Golden Snail Tale!

Once upon a time, Daha was a prosperous kingdom under Prabu Kertamerta's reign (Prabu means a king in English). He had two beautiful daughters: Galuh Ajeng and Candra Kirana.

When these two princesses had come of age, a crown prince from the Kahuripan kingdom came to propose a marriage. Raden Inu Kertapati was a handsome, strapping crown prince from a prosperous kingdom, so Prabu Kertamerta welcomed him and accepted his proposal.

Despite Princess Galuh Ajeng being the eldest, Raden Inu Kertapati chose Princess Candra Kirana. It rose Princess Galuh's wrath. She plotted a devious plan to expel Candra Kirana from the palace so she couldn't marry Raden Inu Kertapati.

She sought an evil witch to cast a spell on her sister. She wished Candra Kirana became so disgusting that no one wanted to get near. Not long after that, the witch cast a spell on Candra Kirana to become a keong emas (a golden snail). Before she threw the snail into the river, she told the princess the curse could only be broken by meeting Raden Inu Kertapati. [Note: the curse is broken not by "True Love's Kiss" but could simply by meeting the beloved, this nice insight]

In another version of this tale, the one that cursed as golden snail actually a queen which got cursed as bad karma by bad mouthing a 'magical' golden snail that she founds at the street. I take the most popular version instead because the character's name fits better ("Kirana"). Kirana is my OC of my planned multiple chapters fanfic series, her summarized backstory as the following: A witch cursed her to becomes a golden snail every night and teleported her to far away place (similar with Thermidora's story) - the Male Monastery site.

Kirana meets Whitney and they're platonically becomes close - her ideal that every curse could be broken eventually leads Whitney to becomes a curse breaker [which very important as being the one that recognize Frederick's curse properly]. Meanwhile Kirana go to get more informations and money so she could return to her kingdom someday, by becoming a journalist/reporter. This will be important plot point later on

^ How I imagined Kirana looks like, with her kingdom's outfit - Batik - and blonde hair which similar with her curse. Credit of the art piece with the watermark on the upper part

One day, a poor old lady caught a snail on her fishing net. When she saw it was a beautiful golden snail, she brought it home and kept it in a crock (an earthenware pot). 

The next day the old lady went fishing. Unfortunately, she only caught a few fish. She was devastated because she could only buy a bit of rice. Imagine her surprise when she found plenty of food on her dining table. Feeling so hungry, she ate them without asking questions. Since this bizarre experience occurred every day, one day, the old lady pretended to go fishing. Then, she sneaked back into her hut and found a beautiful maiden cooked and cleaned.

She immediately confronted the maiden, who happened to be the cursed Princess Candra Kirana. As soon as the princess told her story, she became Keong Emas (golden snail) again. That's the beginning of the friendship between Candra Kirana and the old lady.

In the meantime,  the news of the missing princess spread throughout the kingdom of Daha. Feeling that she had no other competitors, Princess Galuh Ajeng tried her hardest to replace her sister as the bride of Raden Inu Kertapati. 

However, since Raden Inu Kertapati was deeply in love with Candra Kirana, he set off on a journey to find her. Knowing this, the evil witch shapeshifted into a crow and followed him. 

When the crow talked to him in human language, Raden Inu Kertapati was amazed. He believed it was a magical creature that could help him found Candra Kirana. So, he followed the crow's leads. He didn't realize that the crow led him further away from Candra Kirana.

One day, Raden Inu Kertapati met an elderly, who asked for some food. Being the kind person he was, the prince happily shared his food. It turned out that the elderly was a wise man; who knew the evil crow had tricked the prince. So, as a payback to the prince's kindness, he hit the crow until it evaporated into a puff of smoke. Then he told him where to find Candra Kirana.

Thus, Raden Inu Kertapati set off to Dadapan village. It was a long journey. Several days later, the prince ran out of provisions, so he approached the closest house to ask for water. Imagine his delight when he saw Candra Kirana was cooking in there. He rushed into the house, and their reunion broke the curse.

Soon the couple returned to the kingdom of Daha and told the misfortune of Candra Kirana. Afraid of King's wrath, princess Galuh ran to the woods. That's the last time anyone heard of her.

In the end, Raden Inu Kertapati and Candra Kirana lived happily ever after. They invited the old lady to live in the palace and took care of her.

[corvidcrybaby]

A long-belated reveal: introducing my Demon Slayer OC, Anaïs Gagneux.

WHO IS ANAÏS GAGNEUX?

Anaïs was born to French Jewish immigrants in New York in the late 1800's. The eldest of two siblings, she was a precocious and outgoing child, but always troubled. Bucking the norms of her gendered expectations due to her birth and initial rearing as a boy, her family proved themselves uniquely accepting in consulting a sexologist from Berlin, who informed them of a novel concept: that sometimes, children are born with brains that do not match their bodies. The treatment was an experimental administration of hormone therapy - among the first of its kind. Anaïs, leaving her birthname behind, then proceeded to transition to the woman she is now.

Anaïs, this secret in tow, endured much over her life. Her mother perishing in a house fire, battling misogyny and antisemitism in her day-to-day life, and the isolation of never being able to truly bare her soul to anyone for fear of transphobic retaliation - despite these hardships, she pressed on, becoming a successful businesswoman, working in a developing company which produced vinyl pressings and audio recordings. A raging Communist who participated in socialist workers' movements during her time in Chicago, a practiced thespian, a veritable polyglot, and relentlessly affable, she has much going for her. At twenty-seven years of age, she has been to the four corners of the globe, interviewing and recording people from all walks of life speaking of their folk tales and ingrained cultural beliefs, finding nothing more fascinating than the similarities and differences in what different societies tell stories about - and especially the monsters they fear.

WHAT IS SHE, A NEW YORK JEW, DOING IN DEMON SLAYER?

Anaïs finds herself traveling to Japan on one of these special assignments, her company having made contact with the Demon Slayer Corps - evidently, the higher-ups didn't hate the idea of audio recordings of their secret war against the demonic threat in Japan being created for historical purposes. Anaïs, however, is quick to find herself caught in the crossfire. Her arrival is anything but smooth, especially when she runs headlong into a personality just as eccentric as her own in Tengen Uzui. Through her conversations with the now-retired Hashira, she learns there is far more to the story of the house fire that took her mother's life, and that solidarity, kinship and acceptance can be found in the most faraway places.

"If I have learned nothing else, it's that everywhere you go, people are just people." - Anaïs Gagneux

Also, she says shit like "the bee's knees" unironically.

Can't wait to write her fic.

[thebowerypresents]

Valerie June, Rachael Davis and Thao Bring Musical Conversation to Brooklyn Opera House

Valerie June, Rachael Davis and Thao – Brooklyn Opera House – November 16, 2023

“We’re going to play you a few songs and tell you a few stories.” That’s how Valerie June described the night ahead at the beginning of the set at the Brooklyn Opera House on Thursday. Yes, that’s a pretty accurate description of the show, but it somehow doesn't quite capture the intimate and personal energy in the room. The stage was filled with three women — June, Rachael Davis and Thao (the fourth member of the touring ensemble, Yasmin Williams, was out sick) — several banjos, guitars and a ukulele. The ensuing 90 minutes were filled with yes, songs and stories, stories about songs and songs telling a story. The set ran like words on the page of a book, going left to right, June, then Davis, then Thao, each singing a song, each linking it to something deeper. The three voices seemed to come from three different places, June summoning emotions — joy, sadness, combinations of each — from some faraway space, Davis both powerful and wholesome, a jovial spirit, and Thao off-kilter and confident, an admirable brashness. 

The first round felt like icebreakers, with Davis’s “Circle of the Sun” a sunshine gospel that had everyone in the room clapping along, and Thao’s “Kindness Be Conceived” introducing some gritty blues guitar to match her singing. From there, things loosened up, acquaintances turning into friends, turning into the best of friends in real time. Along the way, the stories grew increasingly more personal: Davis’s long tale about learning to play banjo and the first song she learned was more endearing than rambling, June talking about the loss of an old friend and then later the otherworldly inspiration that led to “Astral Plane,” and Thao telling of the intense familial history behind “Temple,” a story that gets lost in her normal full-band live show, but, laid bare and raw, was an emotional center to the night.

Still, there were plenty of laughs and joy and fun, some poetry and some “mouth trumpet.” Of course, all this warmth and mutual love made way for adding harmonies on one another’s songs, and songs sung together scattered through the night. “I Shall Be Released” was an obvious choice, but the three distinct voices, mixed with guitar, banjo and Thao’s slide, brought extra enchantment to the familiar sing-along. The show ended with the trio singing the traditional “Shady Grove,” which came off like a time-traveling mirror, reflecting how the roots of folk music have suffused the three women’s own music and lives in such different ways. But perhaps that’s a story for another time. —A. Stein | @Neddyo

Photos courtesy of Ellen Qbertplaya | @Qbertplaya

[iridescent1206]

Entry #2: The Story of Palawan

Yahoo~ ! We got our second entry for our blog today everyone! 🎉 and this time, it's an urban legend story entitled "The Story of Palawan".

Sharing my insights here: Reading this urban legend story made me think of the urban legend and folk stories provided for us when were little children at schools . Those thin books were a treat to read for those who were into reading or just bored.

For the story, it was a beautiful tale between friends that ended in tragedy. *Sniff* If the story was longer and had more depth to it, definitely would vouch for Tala and Bulan lol

Now, we will share the thoughts of the creator of this story, J.C!

"When I was a kid, urban legend stories like the Ang Alamat ng Bulusan Lake (The Legend of Bulusan Lake) always fascinated me, entangling me in their compelling world of wonders. In our house, we always had many books stored and as someone who loved reading, it was a treat for me.

Originally, this flash fiction is one that I'd made along with my other story "The Fable of the Lamp" back in Junior High where the other story was about a lamp which was barely used.

For this story, I won't tell what it is about but I hope the readers will enjoy them."

And that's all about it!

Like J.C. said, hopefully you will enjoy the story as much as other readers did! 🙏

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Story of Palawan

Once upon a time, in a faraway land lived a girl named Tala, who has the ability to heal. A lot of people would seek her far and wide for help to cure their illness.

One day the villagers came to her house while carrying an injured man named Bulan. Bulan came from the neighbouring village on the south, he was hunting in the forest when he encountered a group of wild boars. He stayed in the village until he was fully recovered and during his time of stay in the village for the past few days, Bulan and Tala became friends but their friendship was put to a test.

The day Bulan has fully recovered and immediately went to his home was also the day Tala was taken by a huge bird and as the villagers saw what happened, they tried their best to save Tala but to their dismay they only injured the bird around its stomach that causes the bird to fly slowly as it loses blood. Tala took her pocket knife out and stabbed the bird causing it to loose its grip on her making her fall into the sea followed by the bird as it loses its consciousness. The villagers and Bulan saw what happened but cannot do anything to save Tala for the sea has a strong current waves and is dangerous to sail on. Bulan was so devastated of losing his friend and for not being able to save her on time.

Tala was remembered by the village people as the "blessed girl" who helps the weak, and as the time goes by Bulan would go back to the beach and stare at the horizon longingly, patiently waiting for Tala to show up but knows that day will never happen until one day, the villagers and Bulan noticed a small land appearing on the middle of the sea where Tala fell and later on decided to name it, Tala's Land, but as the time goes by, the name was later on changed into Palawan.

=END=

[stayecstatic]

WK 9 - BROWNIE

No. Not the snack you bake. It’s a cold night outside. You are watching TV on your couch. You then remember that you have a pile of dishes to wash. Rolling your eyes, you get up and walk to the kitchen. You turn on the lights and… oh? Your dishes are already cleaned. You also notice that the kitchen seems to be cleaner than usual. Who could have done this? The next day, you set a camera in the kitchen to see what could have cleaned your dishes. When checking the camera, you see a small sized figure cleaning your dishes. That figure then spots the camera and it get’s angry. It then smashes your dishes, shattered them all over the sink. What was that? In this blog, we’ll see how a helping hand may not be as bad as you might think, just as long as you don’t intervene.

Brownies come from Scottish and English stories as friendly, helpful spirits. They are usually described as small, human-like beings that live in the dark corners of homes or barns and come out at night to lend a hand with chores. Brownies are closely connected to the families or lands they watch over, acting like protective guardians. They don’t ask for much in return, just a little food like milk, honey, or bread left out as a thank-you. In these tales, brownies are known for their loyalty, quietly doing tasks like sweeping, churning butter, or fixing clothes. However, they don’t like being disrespected or watched while they work. If a homeowner tries to pay them with money or spies on them, brownies might get upset and leave. Some stories even say that brownies can turn into boggarts (trickster spirits) if they feel insulted. The stories about brownies highlight the value of quiet help and remind us to show kindness and respect to everyone, even those we can’t see.

Brownies are nowhere near real, but here’s a tale about them..

“Just outside Moffat, on the border between the Borders and Dumfries & Galloway you can still find Bodesbeck Farm. A long time ago it was home to a hard working Scottish Brownie, just eager to do his work and take a moderate meal in return. The inhabitants of the farm rarely saw any sign of the little creature apart from his finished chores in the morning.

Through years of hard work, this little Brownie turned Bodesbeck into the most prosperous farm in southern Scotland. The farmer decided that it was only fair his secretive helper should share in the farm’s good fortune. He left out a much heartier meal than the Brownie would usually take for himself and no doubt went to bed feeling pleased with his good deed.

But the Brownie of Bodesbeck Farm was far from pleased. He was insulted that the farmer thought he was due some kind of increase in wages! Didn’t he realise that the Brownie took whatever he required and didn’t need anybody else to decide what meal was best for him?

When the farmer woke in the morning, the proud Brownie had left Bodesbeck for good. The farm struggled without their night time worker and those good fortunes were slowly reversed. As the months went on, nearby Leithin Hall was suddenly becoming more and more wealthy and the rumours were that the Brownie had moved on there. The lesson learned is to always appreciate your Brownie for exactly what they are, and let them decide exactly what they need.”

Sometimes if someone helps you out, just let them, you know?

The Folk of the Faraway Tree, made by Enid Blyton, tells the story of three children. The children are named Joe, Beth, and Frannie. In the story they find a magical tree in the Enchanted Wood. This tree is home to wonderful creatures like Moon-Face, Silky the Fairy, and the Saucepan Man. At the top of the tree, different magical lands appear, each offering fun adventures and challenges. The children explore these changing lands and have exciting experiences while making great friends with the magical beings who live there. The book is all about adventure, fantasy, and friendship, showing the power of imagination and wonder.

The "brownies" in this story are magical beings living in and around the Faraway Tree in the Enchanted Wood.

Moon-Face is a friendly brownie with a round face who has a snug home inside the Faraway Tree. He is cheerful and quirky, known for his love of treats like “pop biscuits.” Moon-Face is clever and often helps the children explore the magical lands at the top of the tree, like the Land of Take-What-You-Want and the Land of Do-As-You-Please. He even has a slippery slide that lets him travel quickly between different levels of the tree.

Silky the Fairy, who is not a brownie but is close friends with Moon-Face. She is kind and gentle, easily recognized by her golden hair, and is always ready to help the children as they discover new and exciting places in the Faraway Tree.

Although not really media, brownies are extremely difficult to find in media during modern times. They are barely ever mentioned anymore.

The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling, tells the story of Harry Potter, a young boy who finds out he is a wizard on his eleventh birthday. He is taken to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he learns magic, makes friends like Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, and faces many mysteries and challenges. Harry discovers he is well-known in the wizarding world because he survived an attack from the evil wizard Voldemort, who killed his parents but could not harm Harry when he was a baby.

There aren’t really ‘brownies” in Harry Potter, but there are characters similar to them.

House-elves, like Dobby and Kreacher, are small magical beings that work for wizarding families without pay. They are loyal to their masters and often do household chores, just like brownies in traditional stories.

However, they have a more complicated relationship with their work and freedom. Unlike folklore brownies, who can leave if they are mistreated, house-elves must serve unless they receive clothes, which represent freedom in the wizarding world. Both types of creatures show themes of loyalty, service, and kindness.

Here’s a clip of Dobby and Kreacher, who are the closest thing to Brownies.

To close this blog off, I’ll start off by saying I never even heard of what a brownie was until today. The only brownie I know are chocolate ones you bake in an oven. I don’t really have much to say about these creatures, honestly. To be honest, it would really be nice to have them around my house. I get lazy sometimes, so if they would give me a helping hand, I don’t mind. They can do their business and I won’t bother them a single bit. The last thing I want are 2’11 midgets coming after me. Brownies are not common in modern times. You barely ever hear of this folklore. This creature is basically a distinct memory. I loved the idea of folklores as a kid, but I was too clueless to even consider what I was reading. I just read them because they looked cool.

The next time you need help with something, let someone help you out.. you never know how effective it might be.

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"A MOUNTAIN OF A VANIR, WITH BOTH FIRE IN HIS HAIR AND HEART, HE IS A FEARSOME FIGHTER..."

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on promotional images for Skifell six inch action figure, part of "Conan" Series 1, released by McFarlane Toys in September 2004.

BRAND: "Conan"

GENRE: Horror & Fantasy

PRODUCT TYPE: Action Figure

SERIES: "Conan" Series 1

FIGURE OVERVIEW: "Skifell’s father was a Vanir Tribe Chieftain slain on the battlefield by one Conan, a Cimmerian, more than 25 winters ago. Though still beardless, this youth’s combat exploits were widely spoken of, for he was said to be a prodigious battler, wielding a war-blade like death itself. Since that day, Skifell, has been seeking to avenge his father. A mountain of a Vanir, with both fire in his hair and heart, he is a fearsome fighter and hardened ruler of his folk. When the Cimmerian returned north on a quest away from his glory in faraway lands, tales both old and new spread like snow flakes in a blizzard. Now Skifell has caught up with the man he knows as Conan, Heimdulslayer!"

-- MCFARLANE TOYS, c. fall 2004

Source: https://mcfarlane.com/toys/skifell.

[cymorilcinnamonroll]

The Slavic Iceberg Explained (Stolen from Reddit, all credit to OP)

1 level

Baba Yaga - famous witch-like entity, that lives in the house on chicken legs. Her features alone are worth the iceberg, but she herself is extremely well-known.

Three bogatyrs - bogatyr is the folk hero in slavic mythology. Most well-known bogatyrs are Ilya of Murom, Dobrynya Nikitich and 

Alyosha Popovich, as all three of them are depicted in the famous painting.

Koschei the Deathless (or Kashchei) - the prototype for DnD liches, the immortal sorcerer and/or warrior, whose death is hidden in the needle that is hidden in the egg that is found in the duck that is somehow lives in the hare that is kept in the chest that is chained to an oak that is located on a faraway island. He’s one of the most popular Slavic fairy tale characters.

Leshy - a trickster spirit of forests that can appear in different forms and cause various levels of mischief (typically getting people lost in the woods).

Perun - a chief deity of Vladimir's pantheon, presumably a god of storms and warfare. He is one of the few gods that were mentioned more than once in literary sources, and many scholars suspect some Perun character traits were passed down onto the Slavic version of Elijah the Prophet.

Grandpa Frost (Ded Moroz) - holiday gift-bringer that is very similar to Santa Claus. He was mostly created by the Soviets in the early 20th century, but is also heavily inspired by St. Nicholas and Slavic spirit of winter named Moroz (which means just "Frost").

Zmey Gorynych - "Serpent of the Mountains", a three-headed serpent, an archetypical dragon (much more draconic than actual Western  European dragons). He's also a very popular folklore character, but most commonly he's depicted as a nemesis for Dobrynya Nikitich. Zmey kidnaps people, breathes fire and takes care of a whole bunch of little serpent children.

Pushkin's fairy tales - Alexander Pushkin, who's widely regarded as the most famous Russian poet, had something of a phase of fascination with traditional folklore. As such, he wrote a bunch of fairy tales like "a tale about Tsar Saltan and his son Knaz Gvidon", "a Goldfish", "a tale about a Golden Rooster" and some others.

2 level

Primary Chronicle - a chronicle written by a monk named Nestor, that has some details on pre-Christian Slavic Mythology (among many other things). It is also our primary (pun kinda intended) source for the Kievan Rus history studies.

The Tale of Igor's Campaign - an anonymous epic poem written in the Old East Slavic language (allegedly told by the mythical poet Boyan). It details a failed raid of Igor Svyatoslavich (d. 1202) against the Polovtsians of the Don River region. It gives a bit of an insight into the worldview of 11th century Rus' people and mentions a lot of mythological characters like Veles and Khors.

Domovoi - a household spirit, whose attitude towards people can vary from positive to outright hostile. Much like with Baba Yaga, there’s way more tales about Domovoi than I’m able to list here.

Veles ~ Volos - one of the most well-known Slavic deities (or two, if Veles & Volos are somehow different), presumably the god of cattle, trade and arts. Some of his qualities seem to be transferred onto Saint Blaise (because their names are kinda similar) and also onto Saint Nicholas for some reason.

Kolobok - a round piece of bread that came alive for unexplained reasons. It is a character of a popular fairy tale, fairly similar to the gingerbread man.

Vladimir's pantheon - according to the Primary chronicle, Vladimir was a ruler of Kievan Rus who attempted to unify Slavic beliefs by building a big shrine for six deities — Perun, Khors, Mokosh, Dazhdbog, Stribog, Semargl.

Talking animals - magical talking animals (most commonly horses) are often presented as necessary for the folkloric hero to complete an impossible task.

Vladimir, the Red Sun - a very popular character in the bylinas, loosely based on the historical Vladimir. He is commonly depicted as a ruler of Kievan Rus and has an authority over bogatyrs

Nightingale The Robber - an enigmatic nemesis of Ilya of Murom, a robber who possesses the ability to whistle with enough force to uproot trees and instantly kill most people. Some accounts say that Nightingale the Robber belongs to the Mordvin people

"Magical bride" tale format - a very popular Slavic fairy tale plot involves a powerful magical woman and either attempting to win her over or saving her from kidnapping. Sometimes both.

Vodyanoi - the spirit of a river or a lake, who can drown people, commands fish and can require a sacrifice

Self-setting tablecloth - a popular magic item. When you roll this tablecloth over a table, it magically summons food and drink

Imps - little demons are very popular antagonists (and sometimes just creatures doing their thing) in Slavic folklore and can occasionally substitute for other, more neutral spirits

Werewolfs/Volkolak - people, who turn into wolves, are widespread in Slavic mythology. They can be either cursed people or warlocks, shape-shifting by their own free will

Kikimora - a mean little female spirit that causes mischief and ruins the work. In different versions she can be a wife of Domovoi, a spirit of an unborn baby or an animated doll created by a witch.

Fern flower - one of the most famous magical plants. It was believed that ferns blossom only once a year, on Ivan Kupala night. The Fern Flower grants its user many magical abilities like knowledge of hidden treasure locations.

The Turnip - a pretty strange but popular fairy tale about an enormous turnip that grew in an old man's garden one day. To pull this vegetable out, he, his wife and their granddaughter needed the help of their dog, cat and even the little mouse

Buka and Babay - slavic versions of Boogeyman. Babay is sometimes described as an old man, who steals children and puts them in his bag. There are also other names for creatures like these, for example “Hoka”.

Yarila - a personification of a summer holiday, that seems to be a variation of the dying-and-rising deity. Yarila's customary celebration was basically a funeral, where his doll was mourned and buried. However, Yarila was a victim of many mystificators, who referred to him as a god of sun and love.

3 level

Neopaganism - despite having so little info on the actual mythology, Slavic Neopaganism is pretty popular. Unfortunately, many neopagans are also Nazis and/or following conspiracy theories, but there are some people who are actually interested in their culture and work with actual folkloric sources

Sadko - merchant and trickster from Novgorod bylinas. He was abducted by the Sea Tsar but saved himself with the help of Saint Nicholas (or, in some versions, the wife of the Sea Tsar)

Alkonost and Sirin - magical birds with woman heads. Their singing enchants people, making them forget everything and follow the source of the song. They were at least partially based on sirens from Greek mythology (and in Alkonost case - on mythological Alkyon).

Rusalka - the most iconic Slavic undead, unresting spirits of drowned maidens (or just maidens), who hunt people in summer and have a number of unnerving traits. However sometimes they are presented in a positive way — their presence can cause crops to grow better.

Swan-geese - the servants of Baba Yaga in one of the popular fairy tales. They are sentient birds that kidnap children for her.

Bannik - one of the many house-spirits, spirit of banya, traditional slavic bathhouse. He is pretty dangerous and can splash boiling water on someone or cause a heat stroke. However he can also tell the future, if you ask him the right way.

Hoaxes - unfortunately, pseudomythology, misconceptions and blatant lies plague the field of slavic mythology studies. Most notable hoaxes being “The Book of Veles” and “Slavic-Aryan Vedas”.

Svyatogor - a giant bogatyr who lives on the Holy Mountains (which he draws his name from), because in other places Earth just can't hold him. There are a couple of bylinas about him, and in one of them he dies after laying down into the suspiciously appropriately-sized coffin.

The Sea Tsar - a ruler of the sea folk and other sea creatures. He is rarely mentioned in folkloric sources. Sea Tsar's underwater parties cause storms on the sea

Poludnitsa - the Midday Maiden, the spirit of midday and sunstrike. She appears in different forms and can have different behaviors, but most often she attacks and kills those who work during the midday hours

Waters of life and death - artifacts that are often present in fairy tales. Water of death (contrary to its name) turns a disembodied corpse into a whole body, and water of life restores this body back to life

Rod & Rozhanicy - Rozhanicy are the spirits of fate that appear to the newborn baby in groups of three (much like Greek Moiras) and "grant" them their future fate. As such, a mother should follow certain traditions to appease them. Rod was mentioned together with Rozhanicy in some medieval sources, but doesn't seem to survive in more recent traditions, so there had been a lot of speculation about what was his deal.

Tugarin Zmey - an archenemy of Alyosha Popovich, a giant warlord, that may or may not be serpentine in appearance. He throws knives at Alyosha, while flying way up high on “paper wings”. Alyosha prays to the God, who sends a heavy rain, so Tugarin Zmey can't fly anymore and has to face our hero on the ground. Tugarin's name is of unidentified origin.

Witches and Warlocks - very popular characters in Slavic folklore. There are a lot of beliefs about them, and many of them separate "born" and "taught" witches. Though there are good witches and warlocks, most of them use their powers to magically steal others' goods like milk and grain.

Viy - the titular character of Nikolai Gogol's novella with the same name. It is described as a hideous being with long iron eyelids reaching its knees. Viy commands other demons, but this detail seems to be invented by Gogol, as well as its name. However, there are a multitude of characters that share its main characteristic - giant eyelids that they are unable to raise without help.

Upir - East Slavic name for vampire. Warlocks, heretics and people who died unnaturally or weren't properly buried can rise from their graves in the form of blood-sucking malevolent undead.

Bolotnik - the spirit of a swamp, typically a very aggressive creature that lures people deep into the swamp. The swamp was always considered a domain of demonic creatures.

Mother Moist Earth - a very popular deity that isn't mentioned in written texts, but was well-known in folklore even well after the advance of Christianity (although, of course she wasn't called a goddess, just some vague entity). Mother Earth embodies, well, everything connected to nature, like growing crops, and also seems to be the goddess of oathkeeping.

Fiery serpent - a type of doppelganger creatures that take the appearance of a dead or missing husband and feed off the energy of a woman

Mikula Selyaninovitch - the most powerful bogatyr ever, a regular farmer, who can lift the weight of the entire earth in his bag (in text it is referred to as "тяга", which can be translated as "gravitational force"). He's known as the son of Mother Moist Earth and prayed to as a saint.

Polenitsa - a gender-neutral substitute for "bogatyr", that was commonly used to describe a female warrior. Polenitsas are sometimes encountered in bylinas and tend to be stronger and smarter than male warriors

Peresvet and Chelubei - according to legends, Peresvet was an Orthodox monk, who chose to fight Chelubei - a mighty warrior from Golden Horde - during the battle of Kulikovo.  Peresvet and Chelubei killed each other, but Peresvet managed to stay in the saddle after being hit by the spear, while Chelubei fell. Peresvet could've been a historical figure, but the battle is but a legend.

4 level

Folk Christianity - this term is used to describe beliefs and practices that exist in folk communities and includes a lot of elements from their original beliefs. Folk Christianity is a very important source of information about pre-Christian mythologies.

Serpent walls - these are huge and ancient fortifications of unclear origin, that span across Ukraine on the right bank of Dniepr and its tributaries. These fortifications are predominantly presented as ramparts of earth, which led to the creation of a legend about a mighty bogatyr (his name can vary) who has harnessed a serpent in a giant plow and furrowed him way to the Black Sea, where the bogatyr drowned his enemy.

Marya Morevna - a titular character of the story about your typical young prince, who fought Koshey and saved the girl. Interesting thing about Marya Morevna is that she A) presented as a mighty warrior and B) Her name sounds suspiciously similar to Marena or Marzhanna - South Slavic holiday character, a personification of winter and, according to some theories, death. If the latter is true, then it explains why Marya Morevna has a rivalry with Koshei the Deathless (although, please take all of this with a grain of salt)

Ripping grass - another magical herb from slavic folklore, a magical grass that supposedly can be used to tear open any door and unearth any treasure

Dove Book - or maybe the Deep Book, it’s pretty unclear. It is an apocryphal book that tells about… well, The Book of Dove, a giant divine book that fell from the sky. Tsar David and Tsar Volotoman arrive to see this phenomenon and engage in the dialog about the origin of the world and important locations and creatures. Despite being clearly Christian, the Book of Dove seems to borrow some elements from original Slavic mythology.

Volots - one of the words for giants in Russian (in Belarus they are called asilki). According to fragmented mentions, volots populated the world before humans, created mountains and rivers, fought serpents and were wiped out by the God himself for trying to fight God or just being generally nasty.

Lihoradka - these creatures are female spirits of disease. They often exist in groups from 7 to 77 and represent different symptoms like fever, muscle pain and jaundice. Sometimes they are said to be cursed daughters of Herod. In modern slavic languages “Lihoradka” translates to “fever”.

Domovoi is the ancestor's ghost - there are a lot of traits in this mythological creature that seems to suggest its original role as a helpful ancestral spirit. Domovoi often has the appearance of the oldest family member. Sometimes it’s even outright stated that the first one who enters a newly built house will become its Domovoi after death.

Chudo-Yudo - a serpentine creature that has multiple heads, but also seems to be human-like in appearance, as it rides a horse and has two pets - a dog and a raven (all three of them can talk). Typically there are three of them, each one stronger than the last. The strongest Chudo-Yudo sometimes possesses a magical ability to regenerate lost heads by touching them with its magic finger.

Different versions of Koshchei - Koshchei isn’t always depicted as Undying. In “Marya Morevna” he doesn’t seem to have immortality and was killed by the magical horse. Some tales use Koshchei’s name to designate another prominent folkloric figure - “a man who’s as tall as the fingernail, but with the beard as long as an arm”. Yeah, he doesn’t have a better name. Finally, bylinas have another Koshchei, who is just some kind of prince without any powers.

Iriy - Iriy or Vyrai is a mythical place where birds, insects and reptiles live in winter (sometimes it is said that birds and snakes have different Iriys). Iriy is said to exist in the West beyond the sea.

Flaming skull - skulls with fiery eyes are decorating the fence around Baba Yaga’s house. In one of the stories, she gives one of these skulls to a girl who helped her. This flaming skull then proceeds to immolate her abusive mother and stepsisters.

Spirits of prosperity - people with magical abilities can obtain a spirit of prosperity, who will steal goods from other people and bring them to its master. Those spirits can take many different forms like little humans, small dragons or black chicken.

Cabinet mythology - “cabinet mythology” is the term in Russian mythological study that designates any pseudomythological element that arises as a result of misinterpretation or deliberate misinformation by researchers. Examples of “cabinet deities” include Lada, Lel and Vesna.

White-eyed Chud - chud is the mythical tribe of the Russian North that fiercely fought colonizers and christianisation. Many of the chud killed themselves or retreated far into the forests. There are a lot of different takes on what chud really is, and this word was also use to designate several actually existing peoples.

Indrik - a giant unicorn-like creature, a king of beasts who lives underwater and uses its horns to dig up rivers. Indrik is mostly mentioned in books like the aforementioned Dove Book

Alatyr - a magical stone, whose power is often called upon in invocations. It is located in the center of the world on the Buyan island in the middle of the sea. Alatyr is considered “a father of all rocks”/

Witcher - Witcher or Vedmak is not that guy from video games and not just a male witch. Witcher has the power over witches and undead and can prevent them from causing harm (or support them). In other aspects vedmaks are pretty much the same as regular warlocks and witches.

The Slavic Iceberg

[goldenhydreigon47]

In terms of the Tales for Tales from the Dreams, here are 7 out of a lot more Tales

Lost Dreams: Supernatural and Action Horror

Characters: Sunny (Omori), Madotsuki (Yume Nikki), The Batter (OFF), Niko (Oneshot), Frisk (UnderTale), Sabitsuki (.flow)

Story: 6 wanderers find themselves trapped in a world beyond their own. Forced to work together and find their way out while witnessing the horrors of the hell they’ve been thrust into.

Deliverance from Neptune: Sci-Fi/Space Horror

Characters: Connor, (Detroit: Become Human), Capt. SpaceBoy (Omori), Visi (Fleshchild), Kris (DeltaRune), Amanda Ripley (Alien: Isolation)

Story: When 4 travelers and an experiment crash on the cold, frozen landscape of Neptune, all 5 intrepid wanderers attempt to find a way off the planet while discovering an ancient, sinister evil from within.

Zero Death: Psychological Horror

Characters: Hero (Omori), James Sunderland (Silent Hill 2), Josh Washington, Samantha "Sam" Giddings (Until Dawn), Ethan (Pokemon: Lost Silver), Chara (UnderTale)

Story: 3 Passengers of a bus crash find themselves stranded in an abandoned town. Desperate for a way out from the dense fog, the survivors learn 3 of the occupants of the town seem to be lost, yet they still wish for a way out.

Westward Inferno: Folk/Cult Horror

Characters: Aubrey (Omori), Heather Mason (Silent Hill 3), Buddy Armstrong (Lisa), Lee Everett (Telltale's The Walking Dead: Season 1), Wayne (Hylics), Susie (DeltaRune)

Story: 4 civilians and 2 entities are kidnapped by a heretical cult. Unwilling to be sacrificed by the heretics, the group all makes an unlikely alliance to escape, while being forced to endure the heretics and demonic forces that attempt to kill them.

Don’t Fear The Reaper: Slasher/Torture Horror

Characters: Basil (Omori), Chris Hartley, Ashley Brown (Until Dawn), Aya (Mad Father), Steven (Pokémon: Strangled Red), Hitoshi (Ao Oni), Urotsuki (Yume 2kki)

Story: 7 People are invited to a luxurious museum for a private tour, and will also be receiving a large amount of cash should they participate. Little did they know, however, that the artist that invited them was an infamous serial killer, and without the means of survival, they will become a permanent part of the collection.

Incident #FFA500: Analog/Apocalyptic Horror

Characters: Hank (Detroit: Become Human), Ib, Garry (Ib), Mari, Kel (Omori), Vice (Fleshchild)

Story: When a mass laboratory failure causes an entire city to go insane and genocidal, 5 survivors and an escaped lab experiment must escape the city while being forced to endure both the dwindling insanity and the infection that attempts to take their lives.

The Faraway Town Massacre: Slasher Horror

Characters: Sunny, Mari, Kel, Aubrey, Basil, Hero, Mincy, Cris, (Omori)

Story: One fateful night in Faraway Town, fear is struck into the hearts of its citizens when an infamous band of serial killers goes on a rampage through Faraway Town. 8 friends of the town find themselves targeted by this mass murderer. Can everyone survive before they meet their ends?

I love this even more due to the Omocast

[onetrickpony]

Rabbits Silhouetted Against the Moon by Shibata Zeshin (1807–1891)

The Perseverance, a rover for the NASA Mars Exploration Program, landed on Mars on February 18, 2021. We have all marveled at the new color images already being sent back, and we await with excitement one of the results of the mission, to search for evidence of biosignatures indicating that there might have been life beyond our own planet at some point. But astronomers in East Asia could have answered this question more than two thousand years ago. There is indeed life beyond our own planet, and you can see it with your own eyes every time the moon grows full: rabbits.

Of course, these are no ordinary rabbits. They are alchemist rabbits. And they guard the secret of immortality, grinding the rare minerals of the moon into powder with their mortar and pestle to make ingredients for a magical elixir that grants everlasting life.

Around the time this legend was first put into writing, there was a growing interest in physical immortality, which would reach its zenith about a century later, when the first emperor of China (259–210 B.C.), realizing even his immense power could not save him from death, became obsessed with finding a medicine that might keep him alive. The ingredients for such medicines were only to be found in faraway regions, and the emperor sought them throughout his empire and beyond. In a particularly tragic episode of history, he even sent a naval expedition manned by hundreds of youths—it was believed that immortals appeared younger the longer they lived, so only young people could approach them—into the eastern sea in search of a mythical island where the elixir of life might be found. They never returned.

In the medieval period, emperors and their alchemists continued to experiment with medicines to preserve life. among which cinnabar was especially popular. It is sometimes estimated that as many as a third of the emperors from the Tang dynasty (618–907) died of cinnabar poisoning. Eventually, though, the pursuit of physical alchemy was replaced by a more symbolically understood internal alchemy, which involved manipulating the body’s own energies to make an “elixir” rather than ingesting one with toxic side effects.

By the time Zeshin made this print, Japan had reopened to the outside world after a long period of isolation and was well on the road to modernization and internationalization. The artist himself played a role in this, and the government chose his remarkable accomplishments in lacquer to represent the best of Japanese craft in world fairs. Zeshin and his audience would have understood his rabbits as a charming folk tale. In fact, by that point, many Japanese saw the mortar and pestle not as alchemical tools but instead as a sticky rice, or mochi, pounder!

– Shawn Eichman, Curator of Asian Art, Honolulu Museum of Art