#hexenpilz

[picturestoriez]

out of a fairytail #mushroomhat #mushroom #freshpicked #intheforest #thuringianforest #yummie #foodporn #steinpilz #yellowboletus #yellow_boletus #hexenpilz #witchesfungus #witches_fungus #porcino #scarletinabolete #scarletinas #readytocook #ru_hats #rebels_united #rebelpops #rebel_pops

[thewickedgriffin]

The origins of European Paganism stem from an ancient time of nomadic cultures that lived during the Paleolithic and during the last ice Age. One of the first trees that grew after the last Glacial period, is the Birch tree. It's not surprising that the Birch is thus heavily associated with spiritual powers. . . In Siberia, there's many Birch forests and thus, in many cultures, the Birch is associated with the world tree or the tree of the shaman. It is thus not very surprising, that one of the most famous mushrooms, the Fly Agaric, grew around the tree and played an essential role in Folklore, Myth and shamanic practice. Mushrooms in general have been associated with the Underworld, the world of Ancestors and Spirits. . . The Birch is a witches tree in Folklore. And indeed, the pagan shattered pieces can be found everywhere. In my home-state of Bavaria, the rural population surely has heard of Berchta, Frau Percht and her Wild Hunt. Her name "the shining/the bright" likely goes back to the Proto-Indo-European word bherəg̑, which means "to shine" and means the Birch tree. Mushrooms are said to be of her realm, and that's partly why many mushrooms in Germany and Europe overall still have names like "Hexenpilz", "Hexenkreis" for fairy-rings, and many others. . . The use and understanding of mushrooms goes way beyond just ingesting them. The pagan worldview is cyclic, and nature is a cycle. Mushrooms are a big part of this as many recycle dead organic matter and give nutrients back to the soil: They are recyclers. Whether pre-christian cultures understood this or not, the Underworld in the pagan myths, is a place of transformation, old becomes new. A witch, or Hagazissa, is a woman with pagan knowledge in a non-pagan society. Shunned and feared for her old knowledge of tales and lore, of herbalism and everything that lies in the wilderness, the realm of spirits. . . That's where the image of the hedge-witch stems from: Her abilities to use and channel nature's forces. Just like the old woman of Berchta. Whenever you see a fairy-ring in the forest, she was there, practicing rituals with her goat companions, talking to the spirits.

[picturestoriez]

out of a fairytail #mushroomhat #mushroom #freshpicked #intheforest #thuringianforest #yummie #foodporn #steinpilz #yellowboletus #yellow_boletus #hexenpilz #witchesfungus #witches_fungus #porcino #scarletinabolete #scarletinas #marone #baybolete #bay_bolete #readytocook #panfried #saltandpepper

[picturestoriez]

out of a fairytail #mushroomhat #mushroom #freshpicked #intheforest #thuringianforest #yummie #foodporn #steinpilz #yellowboletus #yellow_boletus #hexenpilz #witchesfungus #witches_fungus #porcino #scarletinabolete #scarletinas

[picturestoriez]

out of a fairytail #mushroomhat #mushroom #freshpicked #intheforest #thuringianforest #yummie #foodporn #hexenpilz #witchesfungus #witches_fungus #scarletinabolete #scarletinas

[picturestoriez]

out of a fairytail #mushroomhat #mushroom #freshpicked #intheforest #thuringianforest #yummie #foodporn #hexenpilz #hexenröhrling #witchesfungus #witches_fungus #scarletinabolete #scarletinas

[thewickedgriffin]

Certain mushrooms are related to Death, the Devil in German. They're in fairy tales. While fairy tales have many different versions, they are some of the most important sources on pagan cultures, as old as the Bronze Age. The Fliegenpilz, Satanspilz, Hexenpilz, Teufelspilz - always something forbidden. Around 8600BC and 5600BC people have taken and used certain mushrooms in rituals. Mushrooms were used in the Stone Age. On the Pegtymel River in Siberia, carvings have been found: women with earrings and large mushrooms growing out of their heads. We know that paleolithic Siberian cultures, Ancestors of the N. Americ. Inuit-culture, have used mushrooms for shamanic purposes. most likely relating to a Underworld-cult.Two hundred Stone-mushroom figures were discovered in ancient Mesoamerica in the Guatemala Highlands, dating back to 1000BC. Human shaped figures with mushrooms on their heads, similar to the rock carvings in Siberia. The Soma-substance, both worshipped as a plant and as God from the Rig-Veda culture, was identified as Amanita Muscaria. Could it be, that the ritualistic use of mushrooms did spread all the way from Eurasia into North America and is related and inter-connected? In Scandinavian Folklore, Amanita resembles the Tomte: nature spirits. The Saami of Scandinavia have known it, too: for ritual purposes, connected to the sun during the winter. In German folklore, they are always near gnomes. We know that beliefs in gnomes are shamanic nature spirits: They are also connected to the Underworld. What's interesting is that mushrooms indeed, biologically speaking, are decomposers, they break down dead organic matter, have symbiotic ties with trees, create new soil. True transformation. In the Indo-European Underworld, everything old must perish for new life. Old becomes new. It's all symbols: Transformation. But there's interesting correlations. Then there's a tradition where I am from: Using Baumschwamm during the pagan Funkenfeuer-tradition in order to create sparks and fire during "Easter": New sparks, new life symbolized by a Fungi. Pagan knowledge demands a lot of research, but that's the fascination. Illustration: Martin Wiegand