#deindeli

[leipzig-deli]

Auf ein Neues! Happy New Year und allzeit guten Appetit. Wir starten mit „ meatball“-Eintopf - Tomatensuppe mit Pasta, Champignons und Sojahackbällchen, dazu hausgebackenes Brot. Veganuary kann kommen!

[shweshisketch]

might i request.. your keykid

YESSS and while I’m at it I will debut my khml kid as well 🫣

(full spread below)

[jimegosarts]

hs ocs

dancestors

[the-random-man]

the “can I try rizzing you up” “please please please please please” meme would be soooo funny in latin.

[ringdingdongraffle]

[askew-d]

YIZHAN FIC REC LIST

— if you just got into the fandom, you might know switched, yizhan or yizhan through the years, so let’s go through other stuff! we’re gonna take another ride. also, if you care about this, green will be for bjyx dynamic, red will be for zsww and blue will be for lsfy. from my point of view, ofc. orange will be for the not specified, couldn’t grasp. let’s go.

• where else but home, by purplemoster — fluff story where wang yibo accidentally returns home to xiao zhan every time. super sweet read!

• ⭐️ cool boy gets a life, by saezutte — xiao zhan’s a writer and his character, cool buy wang yibo, gains life. it’s wonderful, i want a cool boy for myself. who wrote this did an awesome job.

• ⭐️ i’m not as good as you think (or as bad as they say), by ilyria — aaahh, what a gorgeous story! basically, xiao zhan becomes yibo manager and the idol, well, falls in love. there’s a sequel!

• follow shot, by cataclysms — cameraman wang yibo freaks out about idol xiao zhan. because, come on, it’s xiao zhan! we get you, boy. beautiful.

• xiao zhan’s graphic design playbook, by augmenti — this one’s absolutely gold! fantastic. xiao zhan as graphic designer and yibo as someone who thinks his prices are too small. sexual tension ensues.

• caffeine addictions and brain malfunctions, by little_passions — if you want a coffeeshop yizhan au, here’s your to-go! cute!

• query: cardiac, by iluvnaruto1412 — our radiographer technician wang yibo discovers that doctor xiao’s a hottie. there’s a whole series that’s outstanding, don’t mind the mcd in the last part, you’ll understand as you read.

• an ode to love, by spoonful_of_sugar — sappy reminiscent of their story. truly so fluffy i had toothaches the entire read.

• ⭐️ one feline war for love, by ilyria —a fierce cat becomes a human after xiao zhan saves him, and this human wants xiao zhan all for himself. so very good, i died and resuscitated. worth it.

• chef’s kiss, by jalpari — chef xiao zhan in day day for an episode and becomes enemies with wang yibo. but for a short time. love this development for them!! so well done.

• ⭐️ this is what they say, by xiaoyibao (a_storm_of_frustrations) — yibo thinks xiao zhan’s breaking up when the man’s actually trying to get married to him. comic, lovely, poetic!

• set me into motion, by deinde — backup dancers wang yibo and xiao zhan being whipped towards one another. an angel wrote this.

• ⭐️ finding yibo, by vesna (mrsronweasley) — kidfic where yibo transforms into a young version of himself and xiao zhan takes care of him. i’m losing my head. it’s great!

• ⭐️🎖️never close our eyes, series by thirtysixsavefiles — catboy wang yibo and kinda batman xiao zhan. perfect through every part. i’m flabbergasted.

• 119 my cat is struck, by serendiiii — fireman yibo, cat owner xiao zhan, you can have my heart! adorable!

• a spot of light, by akatsukishin — this is for everyone who loves a drama! delivery boy xiao zhan and successful ceo wang yibo.

• a story of others to tell, by deinde — this author has some seriously good plots. in this one, yibo pines enough to end up in cql world. extra nice!

• cut to the feeling, by vesna (mrsronweasley) — drama pa and the huge star xiao zhan. is there anything better?

• love thy neighbour, by jalpari — single dad xiao zhan and neighbour who becomes babysitter wang yibo. marvellous!

• ‘cos you make me feel electric, by chajatta — fansite xiao zhan loves his inspiration, wang-laoshi from uniq. i love this for them, genuinely.

• ⭐️🎖️ world of cultivation, by eggo — yibo and xiao zhan meet each other through a game; well, not only. hilarious! chaotic! romantic! perfect!

• gravitating towards you, by bittersweetirony — high school au with student council president xiao zhan and sports freak wang yibo, we all know we needed it.

• 181.3 cm high, by eleven14 — wang yibo wakes up high in anaesthesia. you might imagine what comes after. excellent!

• ⭐️ we are made to love, by jalpari — xiao zhan writes columns receives one letter questioning on love. aah, so poetic! definitely worth every second.

• no path better than our own, by athousandfaces — harry potter au! we’re lucky to have this gorgeous story. i had a lot of fun reading it.

• my future in your laugh, by timelykey — doctor xiao zhan falling in love with overworked wang yibo. wow, what a journey, you’re losing it if you haven’t read it yet.

• love in the time of coding, by thevoiryflute — a hacker au for yibo fits him so much, i don’t know why. just know that this perfectly-written story caused butterflies in my stomach.

• summer surf shop, by anonymous — yibo goes to a variety show and gets much more than he imagined. absolutely gold.

• pick me, pick me up, by domeneec — wrong number au for yizhan, we need it. and it’s so well-written too.

• escape velocity, redefined, by thirtysixsavefiles — i have to admit that this au of pirating away together with royalty made me suspicious at first. but after i read it, it’s so goddamn brilliant.

• 缘分 | (yuánfèn), by fyredancer — royalty au, give me more yizhan royalty. good writing, good development, good plot, had a good time reading it.

• signal fire, series by fireflavoredwhiskey — spiderman yibo! spiderman yibo! spiderman yibo! spiderman yibo! if he knew about that, he’d be happy to know that in an universe he gets to be his favorite superhero.

• ⭐️ the magic position, by sophiahelix — just a sweet, short story with yizhan being cute together and it melts my heart away every time.

• ⭐️🎖️ with joy and purpose, by feenwitch — android wang yibo living alone in a planet until xiao zhan crashes his plane there. it’s just perfect. and the writing’s wonderful.

• perfect match, by sandorara — personal ai for xiao zhan turns out to be more than he expected. gorgeous wang yibo affecting xiao-laoshi and changing his course of life. incredible!

• 🎖️ their kindred encounters, by fireflavoredwhiskey — can i have this printed, please? actually, i think there might have. it’s a the age of adeline au, xiao zhan doesn’t get old. melancholic in the ideal dosage. angst. comfort. everything.

• the ruby ox and the golden boy, series by aces_low — a mafia au that attracted me. i’m usually not into these kind of aus but aah this one… it’s unique.

• ⭐️ half is loss, half is gain, by yin_chi — celebrity xiao zhan needs a bodyguard and guess who it is? well, yeah, this story’s a blessing upon us here. i couldn’t stop reading once i began, just warning y’all. addictive, i want more.

• ⭐️🎖️ between holocenes, by fireflavoredwhiskey — this author broke the heart of so many people by just vanishing from the fandom, but ah how greatly they write and how extraordinary their works are. this is a the time traveler’s wife au and it rocks.

• fixtures and fittings, by ella_minnow — interior designer xiao zhan and motorcyclist wang yibo! believe me when i said i screamed during the development of their relationship.

• ⭐️ 为战而爱, series by anonymous — bits of sdc moments with established relationship yizhan, the works are seriously stunning.

• what i could do (if i didn’t love you), by trestle — one-night stand au with architect xiao zhan. seriously really good through and through.

• ⭐️ hand in glove, by pessoa — brat yibo; you have my heart. the development in this work’s crazy, it’s a whole rollercoaster of feelings. neighbours au!

• say you love me (again and again), by lanwuxiann — sweet story of yizhan growing up together and loving each other through every step of the way. hella soft!

• ⭐️ four of hearts (l-o-v-e me zhan-ge), by eleven14 — yibo being silly to win over xiao zhan’s heart, and of course, it works. short, but very funny and lovely.

• a head’s up, by madfilaments — xiao zhan arrives at sdc without giving a head’s up and yibo’s frustrated. a pretty satisfying thing to read. awesome.!

• 7 reasons to support your local cat café, by buttstrife — host wang yibo, cat café owner xiao zhan, a romance for the history books. they’re so very lovable.

• ⭐️ the bravest man i ever knew, by biscuitpoo — another hogwarts au! this time, xiao zhan’s a bit more slytherin-like, and it’s a whole show.

• ⭐️🎖️ so happy you could come; so happy to be here, by alex_mtg — a masterpiece! betrothed yizhan with royalty and the uniq boys and this sweet development of their relationship. just amazing! :)

• ⭐️ threads, by planet_b612 — a sherlock and watson au! it’s phenomenal! in fact, this author has only good works, so it’s definitely worthy to check out.

since i’m doing this already, might as well recommend some of my own stories, so i’ll be adding the ones i favour (sssh):

• half a bottle is enough — yizhan fight and xiao zhan gets home carrying a cardboard wang yibo. just some silly boyfriendos!

• falling; never broken — yibo has bulimia (please, be aware of the trigger warnings) and xiao zhan’s a doctor who helps him.

• a best friend and a lover — xiao zhan goes on different dates with different versions of wang yibo to look for a ‘type’. they’re both stupidly in love, your honour.

• darling you, play it cool — yizhan bodyswap au where only wang yibo’s famous though. i wrote this in 2023 and i’m the most proud of it.

• sleep tight until the moonlight — yizhan enemies to lovers where both of them spend their time being radio hosts in university :)

• whispering through dusty aisles — my au where xiao zhan’s a literary deity and yibo’s still famous, they meet occasionally and sparks fly. it’s my most poetic creation.

everyone, please remember this is my opinion! of course, there a lot of other works — famous or not — who aren’t in here. if you want to check out more recs of mine, see my bookmarks! thank you :)

[sassenach77yle]

||COUNTDOWN ||SEASON 2 EPISODE 13 || DRAGONFLY IN AMBER ||

#83daysofoutlander☆

Then let amorous kisses dwell

On our lips, begin and tell

A Thousand, and a Hundred, score

an Hundred, and a Thousand more 💗

Carme V

Vivamus mea Lesbia, atque amemus,

rumoresque senum severiorum

omnes unius aestimemus assis!

soles occidere et redire possunt:

nobis cum semel occidit brevis lux,

nox est perpetua una dormienda.

Da mi basia mille, deinde centum,

dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,

deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum.

dein, cum milia multa fecerimus,

conturbabimus illa, ne sciamus,

aut ne quis malus invidere possit,

cum tantum sciat esse basiorum.

Catullo

[valtsv]

Do you have any favourite fitzier fanfics :3c

yeah alright:

to be as one is (series) by TheGoodDoctor (rating: G, T) (this one deals a lot with gender and self identity and never fails to make me smile no matter how rotten i'm feeling)

Through by robokittens (E) (one of the tags on this fic is "spiritual woundfucking" and i feel like that recommends this fic better than i can in my own words)

oh you pretty things by wildcard_47 (T) (one of many 'Francis buys James a dress' fics, but this one stood out to me because the dialogue and prose is just so thoroughly delightful to read)

The Shipmaster's Song by ripeteeth (T) (what if... we were shipwrecks at the bottom of the ocean... and we were both doomed polar explorers...)

Sunlight, sunlight, sunlight by for_autumn_i_am (E) (a 'what if Carnivale didn't go up in literal smoke' au where everything aches with the promise of future tragedy but still manages to be heartwarming)

an unexpected gift by aes3plex (G) (JFJ meets Francis' extensive family. all of this author's works are incredible but this one was my favorite, equal parts charming and heartwrenching.)

twin high maintenance machines by veganthranduil (E) (obligatory 'the one where they both have erectile dysfunction but they still try to make it work' fic; selected this one specifically for the equal parts delightfully and painfully in character dialogue.)

Swallow by Daucus (T) ('gross' intimacy my beloved. you know the scene in Princess Mononoke where San feeds Ashitaka when he's too weak to care for himself so that he'll survive and heal? well that rewired MY brain and this is the fitzier version.)

burnt-out match in a dark room by deadgreeks (T) (marriage/death parallels and the intimacy of performing someone's last funeral rites. this one's a 'keep a pack of tissues on hand just in case' one.)

singing even so by shortcrust (T) (Orpheus and Eurydice in the Arctic. had me staring blankly into space and hugging myself as if chilled for nearly an hour after i finished it.)

The Gunner's Daughter by reinetta (E) (the most gorgeously written and romantic depiction of a sadomasochistic scene i've ever had the pleasure of reading)

Da mi basia mille, deinde centum by anactoriatalksback (M) (makeout fic, but calling it a "makeout fic" is so vastly underselling this. the plot is literally "they make out", but you will be hanging on to every word and astonished by the amount of character study that the author manages to pack into that premise.)

Buried deep as you can dig inside yourself by 5runner5 (M) (PTSD recovery fic in a pre-PTSD recognition era, and by far my favorite for how honest it is about the difficult reality of communication and recovery in a relationship)

shall warmer, sweeter be by baestard (T) (a wonderful exploration of transgender identity and self-discovery that remains impressively period accurate. or: 'what if we survived the arctic and we were both girls'.)

[latinare]

Umbrae si offendimus

Id nondum defendimus.

At corrigam dicens sic:

Dormivistis omnes hic

Fabulaque imbecillis

Somnium est rarum illis

Qui nolitis obiurgare

Nos conatos delectare.

Linguam itaque serpentis

(Honestate meae gentis)

Immeriti si vitemus

Omne deinde emendemus:

Aut me semper castigate.

Manus tuos mihi date

Cari, et per somnia

Nunc restituam omnia.

(Requested by @dondarfsnowbonk)

[queer-cosette]

thanks for the tag @geminiexplicit!! ooh okay five songs I've been obsessed with over the last six months in no specific order ❤️✨️

tagging @theladyfae @private-bryan @the-godly-apple-being @multimousenette @deinde-prandium if y'all want to <3

[dead-freight]

FFRMC day 12 - don't read in public

Da mi basia mille, deinde centum by @itsevidentvery

The Terror | Crozier/Fitzjames | M | 4k+ words

a post-canon fix-it (in a way. it kind of feels suspended somewhere outside of time). mostly about kissing but there is so much more to it than that.

i promise you i have sat here and tried but i cannot formulate the proper words to describe this fic in a way that would do it any justice. very good.

[leipzig-deli]

Winter-Spezial-Burger! Burger mit Seitan, Grünkohl-Salat, gebackenem Sellerie, Dijonnaise, hausgemachter Orangenmarmelade, Salat, Gurke, Zwiebel. Bon Appetit!

[wangxianficfinder]

Ghost WangXian

~*~

Intertwined by Tsukimiko_san (T, 4k, wangxian, hualian, major character death, Crossover, Canon Divergence, No Ressurrection AU, Reincarnation, Red String of Fate, Post-Canon (for hualian), Sad with a Happy Ending, hualian are the deities of love send tweet, silver haired lwj, catboy hc, MCD is for wwx and lwj but both reincarnate and meet again, Ghost LWJ, Ghost WWX)

Lan Wangji Sees Dead People by MountainRain898 (E, 42k, WangXian, Reincarnation, Soulmates, Past Lives, Ghosts, Abandoned hospital setting, Ghosts, Fake Kidnapping, or maybe accidental kidnapping is a better way of putting it, WWX and LWJ are both dead in this fic, They ARE Ghosts, A little bit of gore, Comedy Horror, Getting Together, Kissing, First Time, in this lifetime at least, Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, two seconds of accidental public sex, also sex getting interrupted by someone for a sec)

Gently Haunted by LusBeatha (T, 19k, WangXian, Character Death, Sentient Burial Mounds, Autistic LWJ, Shutdowns, Canon Divergence, Ghosts, Child LSZ, Oblivious WWX, Getting Together, Ghost Marriage, ghost parenting, Grief/Mourning, but only for ghosts that are still present, Golden Core Reveal, Soup, Happy Ending)

The Ghostly Adventures of Wen Yuan by Llamamomo (Not Rated, 13k, WangXian, Ghost WWX, Ghost LWJ, Established Relationship, Married Couple, Supernatural Elements, Modern AU, Murder Mystery, Haunted Houses)

~*~

Ghost WWX

🔒 A Shade Watches by DC_Derringer (T, 1k, wangxian, Canonical WWX death, Angst with a Happy Ending, brief mention of masturbation, Canon Divergence)

🔒 Response by Aki_no_hikari (G, 12k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Family Feels, Love Confessions)

the moon, grown full by Deinde (T, 22k, LSZ & WWX, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Spirits, Identity Reveal, discussion of war crimes, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Hopeful Ending, Homecoming, reclaiming your name and identity, Names, Families of Choice)

The Intervening Years by roserocksrapidly (G, 11k, LSZ & WWX, LSZ & LWJ, WangXian, Canon Divergence, LSZ centric, Parent-Child Relationship, Wangxian is background, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, LSZ's childhood and all that entails)

🧡 Ghosts Shouldn’t by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 15k, WangXian, Grief/Mourning, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending)

You still sound like a song by Moominmammashandbag (M, 64k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Ghost!WWX, Mystery, LWJ plays inquiry, AU from after the Wens came to Lotus Pier, Most people lived, not everybody died, Angst with a Happy Ending, river spirit!WWX, Angst and Feels, description of murder, imminent smut, Execution, Dogs, Poisons, Discussion of Attempted Murder, BAMF WWX, Family Feels)

Ghost of Mine by SasukiMimochi (E, 127k, WIP, LSZ & WWX, WangXian, Golden Core Reveal, Canon Temporary Character Death, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Supernatural Elements, Canon-Typical Violence, Post-First Siege of the Burial Mounds, Romance, Domestic Fluff, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Alternate Canon)

ghost in your arms by DizziDreams (T, 11k, WangXian, NieLan, Kidfic, baby a-yuan, dad!lwj, Ghost!WWX, Haunting, Poltergeist, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Fluff and Angst, Domestic Fluff, Light Angst, Pining, LWJ's bad choices about love, Paranormal, Modern AU, Ghosts, age gap, America, [Podfic of] ghost in your arms by dreamhazer)

one good thing by Yuu_chi (T, 26k, WangXian, Modern AU, Ghost WWX, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, I swear there really is a happy ending, And an alarming amount of rabbits, [Podfic] One Good Thing by jellyfishfire)

🧡 Meet Me At The Corner After Dark by Omen1991 (M, 21k, WangXian, Modern AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Character Death, but he's already dead, Injury, Concerns about self-harm, no actual self-harm, Panic Attacks, Office, Tears, Sad with a Happy Ending, Reincarnation, kind of mild romance, POV LWJ, Ghost!WWX, Neurodivergent LWJ, Amnesiac WWX, Autistic LWJ)

Lan Sizhui Sees Dead People series by darkbrokenreaper (T, 30k, wangxian, fluff, angst)

Day 4: Ghost!Xian by UseMyMuse (T, 5k, WangXian, Ghost wwx, Altered ages for side characters, Murder, Death, MCD KIND OF (Wei Ying is dead but he's a ghost through the whole story))

Stolen Midnights by See_You_Next_Tuesday (E, 34k, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Divergence, pre-canon timeline, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Miscommunication, Dreams, Graphic Descriptions of Injuries, Eventual Smut, Voyeurism, Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, mild bondage, Body Worship, Marking, Biting)

eyes closed for you by soultana (E, 36k, WangXian, Modern AU, MDZS Characters Cultivate in a Modern Setting, POV LWJ, Cultivator LWJ, WWX is a spirit/yao, Dreams vs. Reality, basically WWX haunts LWJ's dreams (lovingly), Sexual Tension, Pining, Yiling Laozu is misunderstood, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Masturbation, WWX is a Tease, Getting Together, Supportive LXC, LQR Is So Done)

🔒 Can we skip to the Good Part? by pink-lotus-pods (kkomaism) (T, 107k, HuaLian, WangXian, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, YLLZ WWX, HuaLian are in Love, Married HuaLian, Slow Build, Canon Temporary Character Death, Ghost WWX, Fix-It of Sorts, Canon Divergence, Blood and Violence, Character Study, Panic Attacks, WWX Has a Mental Breakdown, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, MXY Deserves Better, unbearable amounts of sexual tension, Suicidal Thoughts, mild but it's still there!, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Genius WWX)

the fair and the brave and the good must die by Lise (T, 12k, WangXian, Ghost WWX, Sad Ending, Angst, Grief/Mourning, POV LWJ, Not A Fix-It, Canon Divergences, Moral Dilemmas, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Ambiguous/Open Ending)

of ghosts and graveyards by DiRoxy (T, 10k, WangXian, Pre-Relationship, Pokemon, Case Fic, ghost!WWX, Happy Ending, LWJ and JC Work Together, Depictions of Science Experiments on Pokemon, Shadow Pokemon, Clone Pokemon)

🔒 From the beyond series by apathyinreverie (T, 11k, wangxian, LSZ & LWJ, LSZ & WWX, Cultivation World Critical, LWJ being pissed and WWX watching delightedly from the sidelines, Fix-It of sorts, Canon Divergence, lwj takes a-yuan and leaves the cultivation world, Some angst, Fluff, Ghost WWX, BAMF WWX, Domestic wangxian, rogue cultivators wangxian, Ghostly Sunshine Husbands: A Guide on Accidental Sect Creation by Hanguang-Jun, Oblivious WWX, Smitten LWJ, everyone adores wwx, Time Skips)

Yiling Poltergeist by jaemyun (G, 16k, WangXian, Modern AU, Mention of canon history, Ghost! Wwx, Past Lives, Reincarnation, Humor, Fluff)

~*~

Ghost LWJ

囍 | a ghost wedding by sweetlolixo (E, 11k, Wangxian, Arranged Marriage, Ghost wedding, Pining LWJ, Ghost Groom LWJ, Corpsefucking in the most romantic way possible, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Explicit Sex, Love at First Sight)

ghost stories for lost souls by queenklu (M, 17k, WangXian, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Body Horror, (of the ghostly variety - hey number of limbs are hard), child death (not explicitly described), Ghost Hunting, Spirit Box, Juice Box, Reincarnation)

Red Is Just Black Remembering by Zizzani (E, 41k, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, Necromancy, Ghosts, Modern AU, all my modern fics are set in Canada just fyi, Cuddling & Snuggling, Sharing a Bed, this is really just very sweet and kinda sad, [Podfic] Red Is Just Black Remembering by Rionaa)

lovers be lost (but love shall not) by la_muerta (T, 13k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, 1910s, Case Fic, Ghosts, Happy Ending, Background Relationships, Ghost Marriage)

~*~

[vi-sigoth]

Question you may or may not know the answer to: in the original mythology, do trolls get up to anything sexual?

I'm asking because I've recently been reading about trows, creatures from Shetland and Orcadian folklore that we think are related to trolls because of the similar name, the shared belief that they turn to stone in sunlight, the oldest description of trows describing them as huge and shaggy humanoids and the strong Scandinavian heritage of the Northern Isles. Anyway, the first account we have of trows, from 1529 (in John Ben's Description of the Orkney Islands, quoted by Jeremy Harte in Explore Fairy Traditions p.124) describes them as incubus-like beings (we even get a description of their genitals), which is corroborated by James Stuart's 1597 Daemonologie stating that incubi are often reported in the Shetlands and Orkneys.

All of which is to say, since the oldest layer of troll belief we know of in the Northern Isles is strongly sexual in nature, I'm wondering if there's a sexual component to older troll lore elsewhere and, if so, what it is.

Okay, that’s fascinating.

TL;DR, I have never heard about any sort of sexual component in Germanic stories about trolls.

Long answer: I don’t know a ton about trolls as they appear to the Celts, but as far as Germanics go, I haven’t personally found anything that associates them with incubi. Trolls seem to be as you say—shaggy, rough beings associated with rocks and mountains. Somewhat simple, almost elemental.

We have a strange line from mentioned in the Older Gulaþing Law regarding pagan practices in the 1000s; it mentions people engaging in “sitting out” (útiseta/utisete) to communicate with the dead or “trolls”. Útiseta is a practice typically performed by people like seeresses that can include holding vigil or sleeping upon a barrow grave, or sitting under a hanging dead body (a criminal or a sacrifice) to gain visions or visitations from gods or other entities.

This is a bit strange. Were people actually trying to speak with trolls? Did people actually see trolls as spirits of dead ancestors, or was this some sort of confusion that early Christian authors who were several generations removed had about pagan practices? We also know that elfs/alfs also seem to be conflated with ancestors or ancestral places. Perhaps these law writers saw people attempting to offer and commune with land spirits and simply just called them “trolls?” Another Icelandic document mentions útiseta and how it was performed to “provoke or wake up trolls.” Trolls were typically seen as a somewhat unhelpful type of land spirit, but sometimes marginally useful for invoking mischief.

For the Finns (whose native religion was heavily influenced by their Nordic neighbors) they associated trolls with the air and sky, able to be summoned and then dismissed by the thunder god Ukko:

“Oi Ukko ylijumala, Ukko, pilven pitäjä, hattarojen hallitsija (…)”

“Oh Ukko, roaring-one-above, Ukko, keeper-of-clouds, ruler-of-dark-storm-clouds (…)”

— Kalevala, rune 14: Death of Lemminkainen

Thor is also attributed with the power to summon violent storms; Johannes Schefferus mentions Thor having control over evil spirits:

“(…) deinde facultatem ei tribuunt in daemonia noxia, rupes, montes, lacus habitantia, quae castiget ac coerceat quan doque feriat fulminibus (…)”

“ (…) then they attribute to him (Thor) the power of noxious spirits inhabiting rocks, mountains, and lakes, which will chastise and control when he strikes them with lightning (…)”

As for the Swedes, see Carl Linnaeus’ work The Scanian Travel, 1750 regarding a medieval Swedish legend about trolls; some local trolls were having a year-long Yule celebration, and the lady who owned the lands sent one of her men to take their instruments and stop them from making a racket; he does so and they put a curse on the lady and her estate (and the estate actually did burn down).

Another interesting tidbit is that the Norse thought of any sort of evil or mischievous magic as trollsknap (troll’s magic)

So, evil, mean, stupid, causing harm to human, particularly as humans moved about the natural world? Yes. Sexualized harm? Not that I can find in the Germanic record. The authors I cited who wrote about Ukko/Thor’s summoning and smiting of trolls, keep in mind, are writing from a post-Christian perspective. To the ancient man, there were certainly evil beings, seen and unseen, present in the world, but the idea of a demon as we know it today would not have been familiar to them. Keep in mind, too, that in regards to the terms incubi and incubus, my best educated guess is they came to the British Isles and Orkney probably by way of Christianity, as they’re Latin words, so not ones that the Norse-Gaels and Picts before them that inhabited the island would have likely known before conversion. It’s very possible that Christian authors were trying to either:

a). Search for terms that the locals would understand (like how the monks that found their way into Scandinavia called Jesus “God’s Beserker”) or that—

b.) Ben was a native Orkadian, and like many who lived outside of urban centers of Christianity probably grew up hearing fused pagan/Christian folklore that would have included tales of creatures like elfs, fairies, will ‘o the wisps, and trolls, and “troll” was the best word he could find to describe a Latin monster that was adapted into Christian Demonology.

[t-annhauser]

Primum vendere, deinde verificare

Per giorni hanno continuato a martellare, allarmati, che c'era a Valencia un parcheggio sotterraneo allagato con 5.700 posti auto, un gigantesco cimitero, facendo intendere che c'erano un morto o due per ogni posto auto, 11.400 morti, i sommozzatori al lavoro con le idrovore, la conta dei dispersi che non venivano più contati, ecc., che poi in realtà si scopriva che erano 1.800 posti auto sotterranei  - per carità, sempre un numero ragguardevole - nel centro commerciale "più grande d'Europa" (ci sono svariati centri commerciali più grandi d'Europa anche da noi in Italia), oggi per fortuna si viene a sapere che nelle 50 macchine che hanno trovato lì sotto non ci sono vittime. Da 5.700 a 0 passando da 1.800, numeri in libertà, poi dicono che la gente non crede più a quello che legge e diventa complottista.

Così titolava l'Ansa, un capolavoro di capziosità, vendevano tragedia prima ancora di accertarsene.

Tragedia nel parcheggio del centro commerciale allagato a Valencia. I sub: 'Ha 5.700 posti auto. È un cimitero'

Primum vendere, deinde verificare.

[lionofchaeronea]

On the Augustan Temple of Apollo on the Palatine

Propertius II.31 You ask why I’ve come to you late? The golden portico      Of Phoebus had been opened by great Caesar. So great a sight it was divided into by Punic columns –      Among them, the daughter-crowd of old Danaus. Here marble Phoebus seemed to gape in song to the silent lyre      (More handsome, it seemed to me, than the god himself); Around the altar stood a herd of Myron’s: four      Crafted cows, statues that looked alive. Then the temple (shining marble) rose in the middle,      Even dearer to Phoebus than Ortygia his homeland: On which, atop the roof-pole, was the chariot of the Sun,     And doors, a noble work of Libyan ivory – The one mourned Gauls cast down from Parnassus’ peak,      The other, the deaths of Tantalus’s daughter. Last, the Pythian god, between his mother and sister,      In a long garment, rings out with song.

Quaeris, cur veniam tibi tardior? aurea Phoebi     porticus a magno Caesare aperta fuit. tantam erat in speciem Poenis digesta columnis,     inter quas Danai femina turba senis. hic equidem Phoebus visus mihi pulchrior ipso     marmoreus tacita carmen hiare lyra; atque aram circum steterant armenta Myronis,     quattuor artifices, vivida signa, boves. tum medium claro surgebat marmore templum,     et patria Phoebo carius Ortygia: in quo Solis erat supra fastigia currus;     et valvae, Libyci nobile dentis opus, altera deiectos Parnasi vertice Gallos,     altera maerebat funera Tantalidos. deinde inter matrem deus ipse interque sororem     Pythius in longa carmina veste sonat.

The remains of Apollo's temple on the Palatine Hill, Rome. Photo credit: Antmoose/Wikimedia Commons.