#dutch myth

[fernthewhimsical]

Prayer to Holle

Keeper of the sacred well, the portal to the Otherworld Lady of the silence of winter, whose pillows bring the snow Goddess of magic and the hearth, who teaches integrity is rewarded I love and honour you

Keeper of secrets and stillness, of the journey turning inward Lady of the Winter nights, who leads the raucous Wild Hunt Goddess of soft smiles, and a steady, guiding hand Bless and walk with me this day

[tall-waves-deep-sea]

A recent NatGeo article about Nehalennia!

[crow-and-fern]

15 Days of Deity: Baduhenna

Day 5: Names and Epithets

(Disclaimer: this is all UPG)

Goddess of the Darkened Woods

Lady of the Marshland

Battle-crow

the Frisian Valkyrie

Wise Woman/White Woman (connection to Völva and Witte Wieven)

Lady of Magic and Witchery

Faerie woman (again, connection to Witte Wieven and the Morrigan)

She of Roots and Ravens

Battle-Sister

[fernthewhimsical]

Interestingly enough older sources name them to be a God or Lord, translating Fana as such. Tan has been explained as "pine" or "pine trees" making it a forest deity, or as the Celtic "tan" meaning fire.

There is a Dutch myth about the Tankenberg in Twente, that there stood a small temple devoted to Tamfana, where a priestess or oracle lived (who might have been Tamfana themself) who could see the future in a golden cup filled with water.

Besides oral tradition there is no evidence for this, however, but many modern practitioners do look upon her as a deity of divination.

Further sources from Google Books

A universal history of the earliest account of times

Arminius: a history of the German people

Bell's new pantheon

Websites in Dutch:

Tamfana - Goden van eigen bodem

De Godin Tanfana

Deity Guide - Tamfana

Tanfana (sometimes spelled Tamfana) is a Germanic Goddess. Not much is known about her, so this deity guide is going to look much different than my others.

Who is Tanfana?

The little that we do know about Tanfana comes from Tacitus’ writings in the context of the Romans attacking and destroying the Germanic tribe they called the Marsi. In this attack, the Romans destroyed a temple or shrine likely dedicated to this deity we call Tanfana.

If we’re being honest, there isn’t much reason to believe that Tanfana is even a goddess, considering the only evidence of this is the name.

The strongest evidence of Tanfana being a deity is also the name: Tan likely coming from the old Germanic word for pine; and Fan meaning Deity, however this theory was debunked by folklorist Jacob Grimm.

She was likely associated with water or nature. Jacob Grimm suggested that she may be an Old Germanic Mother-Goddess or an epithet for Perchta.

Others say she may have been a Goddess of the harvest or of bounty.

Modern Deity Work

Honestly, since there is so little known about Tanfana, I don’t have many sources for any type of offering.

If she is a water deity, you could offer her things from bodies of water similar to other water deities. Such as:

Shells

Fresh water

Fish

If the name is simply another epithet for Perchta, you could go off of deity guides for her.

Ultimately, if you're interested in learning more about this little-known deity, I would suggest you take a look at the section below or even try to reach out to Tanfana on your own, if you're comfortable with that.

References and Further Reading

Tanfana

Tamfana - Wikipedia

Tamfana - thimsternisse

[midwestaesthetics]

Sleepy Hollow, New York, USA. Home of the Headless Horseman...

[dogzcats]

Orpheus Mourning the Death of Eurydice (c 1814), Ary Scheffer (1795–1858), oil on canvas

[yvanspijk]

A while ago the internet broke because someone said that in some languages the word for night is n + eight. Since I posted my graphic on eight, many people have asked about this. Short answer: the words for night and eight are not related in any way. Long answer:

[zoueriemandzijnopmars]

Isn’t is kinda wild that the title The Lost Hero seemingly refers to Percy, a character who isn’t even in the book and frankly his disappearance isn’t even important for the main characters

[bestiarium]

De Kaboutermannekes [Dutch/Flemish folktales]

The word ‘kabouter’ is often translated as either ‘dwarf’, ‘leprechaun’ or ‘gnome’ and is most commonly used to refer to tiny human-like creatures with red (often pointy) hats. In fiction, they often live in mushrooms. Henderson, in the 19th century, translated the word to ‘Redcap’ and this is a still a common appellation in English for these creatures. He considered them a kind of goblins.

Today, kabouters (also called kaboutermannetjes, or kaboutermannekens in old Dutch and modern Flemish dialect) are very popular creatures in Dutch and Flemish children’s stories, both in books and tv series. Examples include Kabouter Plop (children’s show) and Kabouter Wesley (parody show about a foulmouthed, cynical kabouter).

In previous centuries, however, these mythical creatures were often considered evil and dangerous.

In Linden (Leuven, Belgium), there’s a myth about the local church. It was said that the tower was built by kabouters, and they were paid a huge amount of gold for this work. But the dwarves became so greedy and obsessed with their money that they hid it in a basement deep below the local castle. They stayed with their gold at all times, counting it over and over, until they all died of starvation. Their ghosts haunted the castle since then, until the building was demolished to make way for a large farm, or so the legend goes.

Hoeleden, Belgium, has a myth about two opposing factions of kabouters. The area had two large hills, called the Konijnenberg (literally ‘the rabbit mountain’) and the Zilverberg (‘the silver mountain’). The former was home to a community of kabouters with red boots and hats, whereas the latter housed a settlement of kabouters with white hats and boots. The two factions warred against each other until both were destroyed in a huge decisive battle one day. It is said that the sheer amount of blood caused a local pond to flood, and this created the Pierenbeek stream (‘pierenbeek’ appears to be an informal name. I found the location of one Pierenbeek but it’s in Antwerp). There were still some kabouters in the area, though. It was said that you could convince them to do chores for you in exchange for a bottle of liquor.

In the Dutch Kempen area, there used to be a large hill that was supposedly inhabited by kabouters. They were notorious for stealing livestock (anything from cows and oxen to ducks and chickens). If anyone attempted to retaliate, hundreds of dwarves would swarm him and beat the shit out of him.

One story tells of a young farmer who was madly in love with a girl named Mieke. Mieke’s father disapproved, because the young man was too poor. His farm owned 15 cows, but all of them were stolen by the kabouters. Feeling like he had nothing left to loose, the lad ventured to the kabouters’ hill one night. He waited until sometime after midnight, when kaboutermannetjes arrived with a stolen cow, and a large door opened in the side of the hill to let them in. The young man quickly ran after them, but was noticed almost immediately. The gnomes swarmed him and beat him, but he pleaded ‘Please, stop hitting me and hear me out! I only came to ask a favour, and if you dislike it, then please let me leave, or just kill me because I’d have nothing left to live for.’

The kabouters listened and eventually felt bad for the boy. He was allowed to leave and even got all of his cows back. The next day, the lad found a huge sack of coins on his table: this was a parting gift from the kabouters. He soon married Mieke (her father couldn’t refuse anymore, since he was rich now) and they lived happily ever after.

But soon, everyone had heard of this story and many people went to the kabouters’ hill to ask favours. The dwarves grew tired of this and eventually decided to pack their things and leave the hill. And they were never seen again.

Finally, many stories tell about kabouters who had magical powers. One such tale from Noord-Holland (the Netherlands) is about a kabouter who lived underneath a (human) house. Every night, he would crawl out of a hole in the fireplace, and bless the home and its inhabitants in exchange for food.

Sources: Peeters, K. C., 1979, Vlaams Sagenboek, Davidsfonds, Leuven. abedeverteller.nl/kabouters-in-je-huis-een-zegen-of-een-vloek William Henderson, 1879, Notes on the Folk-Lore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders. (image 1: statue of Kyrië, king of the kabouters, located in Hogeloon, the Netherlands. Supposedly, Kyrië was accidentally shot and killed by a hunter. Image source: standbeelden.vanderkrogt.net) (image source 2: fieggentrio.blogspot.com/2020/04/kabouterkoning-kyrie.html) (image source 3: Vilhelm Pedersen, illustration for a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. The image depicts a Nisse – a Danish creature – but is sometimes used on the internet to depict kabouters, which are similar in many aspects)

[briefbestiary]

The Dutch gnome, this diminutive race of beings are especially fond of being seen by humans. Still, some tended to help humans with their work when they had the time.

[fernthewhimsical]

Arcanua, Dutch deity of magic and the dawn?

What we know.

The bronze and enamel rooster is the biggest source of information we have on this Goddess. In the area surrounding the temple, more roosters like this one have been found, but this is the only one with and inscription. It reads: DEAE ARCANVE VLPIVS/ VERINVS VETERANVS LEG VI V•S•M•L, meaning ‘To the Goddess Arcanua Ulpius Verinus, veteran of the sixth legion, has redeemed his vow, willingly and with reason. The mention of the legion and the name Ulpius Verinus makes it very likely that this little rooster is older than originally thought, probably dating from somewhere between 123- and 142 A.D. Which makes it the oldest mention of the term DAEA we have to date.

The statue is made of bronze, with enamel eyes, beak and wings. The back of the rooster is hollow, which leads historians to believe that it was used to burn candles or perhaps oil in it’s cavity. This statue differs from others found in the Netherlands, which are usually sandstone altarstones depicting humanoid figures, sometimes accompanied by animals. This could mean that the rooster was an important attribute to the Goddess, or it could mean that the statue itself is not from the Netherlands, but could be from Brittania, where more of these roosters were found.

The leaf gives us little more information about who this Goddess was. It reads: D/ ARKANV/ AE/ M•I•AM/ L•M, which we can compement to D(AEA) ARKANVAE M(ARCUS) I(ULIUS) AM(—) L(IBENS) M(ERITO), which means ‘to the Goddess Arcanua Marcus Iulius Am— has devoted this, willingly and with reason’. Nothing is known for sure about Marcus, or why he would devote anything to this Goddess.

What I think.

We don’t know anything else about this Goddess, what she stood for, what her attributes are, it’s all guesswork. So this is what I think this Goddess was. The rooster is a symbol of the dawn, of the rising sun. Combining this with the idea that the rooster was used to burn candles or oil, it could mean that Arcanua was a Goddess of light. A Goddess of the morning and the rising sun, the light after the darkness.

The meaning of her name, ‘the mysterious one’, could point to Her being a Goddess of the Underworld, many Goddesses of mystery are also Goddesses connected to the Underworld. The keepers of the hidden, that which is behind the veil. Many of these Goddesses, like Hecate, are also seen as Goddesses of magic. Arcanua has the word ‘arcane’ almost screaming at you when you see it. Furthermore, roosters are seen by the Celts and Germanics as messengers to the Underworld. A rooster would cry out if there was danger to the soul of a fallen. Combine that with the fact that the rooster was devoted by a veteran, and Arcanua might have been a Goddess who brought the souls of slain warriors to the Underworld.

Correspondences:

Rituals: endings and new beginnings, greeting the sun, unveiling mysteries Colours: golds and bronzes, set off with bright yellow, red or blue Symbols: roosters, candles, a golden veil, (autumn) leaves, the sun Stones: amber, citrine, goldstone Metals: gold, bronze

Sources:

Book – Antwoord op de vraag, door het Zeeuwse Genootschap de Wetenschappen – Jona Willem te Water Book – Over de beoefening der Nederlandse mythologie, naar aanleiding der jongste tot dat onderwerp betrekkelijke geschriften – Johan van der Wal Book – Verhandelingen over het Westland – Derk Buddingh Book – Nederlandsche volksoverleveringen en Godenleer – L. Ph. C. van den Bergh Article (PDF) – Born-Burchten – W.J.H. Willems Website – rgsm.de (in Dutch) Website – the Limburs Museum (in Dutch)

[Disclaimer, this is an older post, originally on my website that I decided to share here.]

[nicholasandriani]

Nadia Was Here: A Deep Dive into the Lore and Immersive Storytelling of Jajaben’s 2017

As a game studies scholar with expertise in literary theory, critical theory, and storytelling, I’d be happy to conduct a deep dive and game analysis of the indie JRPG “Nadia Was Here.” Nadia was Here is a gorgeous pixel RPG that is inspired by 8 and 16 bit classics. Featuring a groundbreaking combat system and a deep, charming story about the value of life, Nadia was Here lets you play an…

[crow-and-fern]

15 Days of Deity: Baduhenna

Day 3: Symbols and Attributes

(Disclaimer: this is all UPG)

Ravens and crows

Wolves

Forests and marshland

Moss and ferns

Garnet, hematite, and deep amethyst

Sword and shield

Handaxes

Deep reds, greens, and purples

Mushrooms

War and battle-frenzy

Fighting oppression

Sovereignty

Forests

Magic, esp. forest magic, hedgeriding, anything connected to the Fae, shapeshifting, battle magic, protection

Day 4: Favourite Myth

There are no myths connected to Baduhenna. So instead here is the translation of Tacitus' Annals, from wikipedia:

Soon afterwards it was ascertained from deserters that nine hundred Romans had been cut to pieces in a wood called Baduhenna, after prolonging the fight to the next day, and that another body of four hundred, which had taken possession of the house of one Cruptorix, once a soldier in our pay, fearing betrayal, had perished by mutual slaughter.

74. The Frisian name thus became famous in Germany, and Tiberius kept our losses a secret, not wishing to entrust any one with the war.[3]

[frigidreads]

Merfolk of Europe II: The North Remembers

We look at the merfolk of North and Eastern Europe through a variety of stories and myths. Quick note, most of these came from printed sources as I had to plow through over 300 pages!

[fernthewhimsical]

Love this.

In the Netherlands other leaders of the Wild Hunt uncluded: Diana, Wanne Thekla, and possibly Holle. Here the Wild Hunt also included witches, in fact, Wanne Thekla was seen as a "Queen of Witches". In Germany Holle was considered a leader of the Wild Hunt together with Wodan. Her processions also included babies, specifically unbaptized children that Holle would bring to her realm to care for

𓃶 What Is The Wild Hunt?

The Wild Hunt is a common belief among many Northern European cultures. In short, the hunt is a cavalcade of ghosts, spirits, fairies, elves, and other spiritual beings that is said to sweep across our world every year. Depending on where your beliefs come from, when it happens will differ.

It is commonly believed that the leader of The Wild Hunt is a deity or figure of importance of some kind, such as Odin/Woden in Norse and Saxon traditions, or King Arthur in British lore. Other leaders of the hunt include but are not limited to:

𖤓 Arawn or Gwyn ap Nudd, commonly seen as the Welsh lords of Annwn

𖤓 Danish king Valdemar Atterdag

𖤓 The Norse dragon slayer Sigurd

𖤓 Biblical figures like Cain, Gabriel, Herod and the devil

𖤓 Gothic king Theodoric the Great

☾༺♰༻☽

𓃶 What Did People Do For The Wild Hunt?

The Wild Hunt was generally seen as a bad omen; one for destruction, famine, war, plague, or the death of the one who saw it. In many traditions, witnessing the hunt would result in the viewer being abducted to Otherworld or Underworld. Other times, those who were not protected would have their souls pulled from their bodies while they sleep, and they would join the menagerie of the dead.

To avoid this fate, people in Wales, for example, began the tradition of carving pumpkins as a way to avoid being taken by the fae. In Scandinavia, offerings like bread were put outside the home as an offering to the spirits joining Odin for the hunt.

☾༺♰༻☽

𓃶 When is The Wild Hunt?

Depending on where your beliefs stem from, there are various answers to this question.

In Britain, The Wild Hunt is associated with the autumn season, specifically around and on Samhain/The Autumn Equinox.

Scandinavian tradition tells us that they prepared for the hunt around December, specifically Yule/The Winter Equinox.

☾༺♰༻☽

𓃶 What Entities Are A Part of the Wild Hunt?

Many entities are associated with the Wild Hunt in different areas. These entities include but are not limited to:

𖤓 The Fae (The Sidhe, The Tlywyth Teg, etc)

𖤓 Spirits of the Dead

𖤓 Demons

𖤓 Valkyries

𖤓 The Spirits of Huntsmen or Nobles

𖤓 Horses (sometimes with an abnormal amount of legs)

𖤓 Wolves and dogs (sometimes spiritual in nature, i.e. the Cwn Annwn)

☾༺♰༻☽

[tetsunabouquet]

The Ice Sulpture Festival Promo, 2023

Alright, so as I mentioned I went again this year. If I hadn't made myself clear in the previous promo post, every year has a different theme. Last year's was, 'What A Wonderful World'. This ear is myths and legends. I photographed everything and spent hours editing all my pictures with AI Mirror so I can tease people into going because I'm becoming a huge fan. The Dutch ice sculpture festival truly deserves to draw international attention. Sure, the venue isn't actually that large and you're done in like 15 minutes, but the sculptures are jawdroppingly gorgeous. Plus, good news, the venue's location is getting demolished so houses can be built in the area. When me and my mom asked one of the people if they already had a venue for next year, they said the're still in the negotian process and haven't been handed the key yet, but if all goes well then they will move to a bigger venue! I have categorized all my pictures into the following: Humanoid creatures, gods and heroes from folklore Animal creatures & monsters Decor FaunaPosters and wall carvings Honorable mentions (the ones AI Mirror turnt into something completely different and only loosely resemble the original sculpture).