#nicnevin

[milich96-ocs-blog]

Decided to make some mega dumps of all the sketches done from march till now

[milich96]

Often bought together- DO NOT SEPARATE (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

Aka- saw @alliedn drawing (on the left) and decided to create a version with my fairy queen oc and her royal guard 🐰💖

Her ocs on the left are Nicnevin (queen of the Autumn Fairy Court) and his royal guard Paladin.

Mine, on the right, are Mab (queen of the Spring Fairy Court) and her guard Agdon Longscarf (taken directly from the dnd manual The Wild beyond the Witchlight, which I am mastering rn).

[zal-cryptid]

Tales of the Otherfolk - Escapism [pages 28-33]

[sova-witch]

I've noticed that I have ties/draws to birds, without really thinking of them as birds.

Barn Owl has been with me a long time, and ties me to Blodeuwedd

Corvids are significant to the Morrigan

Nicnevin is associated with geese (I lean specifically towards Barnacle and/or Brant geese)

Freyja has a cloak of falcon feathers that allow the wearer to fly

It's a significant thing though. Birds are most often associated with Air, for pretty obvious reasons. All four of these Goddesses have ties to the Other-/Underworld. Air is East, the Underworld is West. Travel and Communication are East, but crossing over and contacting that other plane are West. I'm a Scorpio Sun, a Water sign, and that plus my Sorgae Directions make me Westerly. But these animals cross the Circle and draw me East. Or rather, their dual associations create that connection of opposing and complementary energies. I'm also an Aquarius Rising, which is an Air sign; one's Sun is their core, their true self, and their Rising is their public self, what they show outwardly. Water is my core, but Air is the face I show.

The East-West axis is a significant one in Sorgae 'Craft, something I'll go into later. But I think it's the birds' West connection that makes my brain categorize them as "not-birds." They are vessels for messages from the Spirit realm in my mind.

[thewolfandthefaerie]

Faebruary Day 1~Nicknevin

Brett Manning’s Faebruary Art Challenge is back. I’m really excited to participate in this challenge again this year. This is my interpretation of Nicknevin. She is a dark and malignant fae associated with the night and Samhain. I’m really glad on how this turned out. I never drawn older women before, so I was really happy about the details in her face. The colors really came together, too. I’m definitely going to revisit this design in the future.

@brettmanningart

IG: thewolfandthefaerie

[joemerl]

Faebruary/Februfairy 2024: "Deal"

Before the war, the Unseelie Court had taken changelings all the time. The other kings and queens of the fairies had put a stop to that. In the terms of her surrender, Gyre-Carling had been forced to say that she would never make another changeling again. She had no choice but to honor that vow. She was a full fairy, and even one as powerful as she was couldn't lie.

It made her blood boil, being forced into this "deal" in exchange for her survival.

But she could make deals of her own. If she couldn't create new changelings, she would find new agents to act on her behalf in the mortal world. With magic fading there, witches were all too eager to form pacts with a powerful patron. She would augment their sorcery in exchange for their service.

She made deals with other humans, too. Drew them into Elfame to satisfy other deals she had made. There was always an upcoming Tithe to think about.

Never make a deal with the Unseelie Court. Grye-Carling will make sure that you lose.

And in time, she swore, she would make the other courts pay for putting her through this.

[icantdrawfaces]

"You Don't Have The Right To Play God." – Nicolette Nevin

[blueberry-bobasaur]

Dump of some of my favorite artworks from this month

[poor-ciceros-voring-again]

I think I have an elf bias because the only full human here is Frost 😭

[poor-ciceros-voring-again]

Niveria/Cicero: Whispers in the Dark by Skillet (yes I did originally associate it with them because of the quest of the same name)

Rosie/Karasu: No Light No Light by Florence + the Machine

Lucien Lachance/Nicnevin: Howl by Florence + the Machine

Bismuth/Martin Septim: HONEY (r u coming?) by Måneskin

Lucien/Quinn: Fire Flies by Gorillaz (note this is an OC who named himself after Lucien Lachance. That's his grandfather :3)

Alyx/Niveria: YKWIM? by Yot Club

I come back asking for more OC song pairings!

So I asked before about what singular song fits everyone's TES OCs the most. Now I'm asking what song fits their pairings the most. Could be OC/ OC or OC/Canon, oh OR OC & OC, OC & Canon, if you have non romantic/queerplatonic pairs. I'll start:

Lilliandra/Miraak (they get two!! their playlist is so long): Carve Your Name By Mother Mother | Your Wicked Company by Harley Poe

Lilliandra/Cinnara (this one is a little more difficult): Between My Teeth by Orla Garthland or Too Sweet Covered by Reinaeiry (original Hozier)

Lilliandra & Elikar: Family by Mother Mother (this also fits for the eventual found-family group of theirs)

Elikar & Serana: Side Quest Song by Madilyn Mei (QPR tho!)

And because I saw some people asking last time if it was okay, EVERYONE is welcome to join! I wanna see everybody's OCs and songs!!

[greenwitchcrafts]

November Witch Guide

New Moon: November 1st

First Quarter: November 8th

Full moon: November 15th

Last Quarter: November 22nd

Sabbats: None

November Beaver Moon

Also known as: Blotmonath, Dark Moon, Digging Moon, Deer Rutting Moon, Freezing Moon, Fog Moon, Frost Moon, Herbistmanoth, Mad Moon, Moon of Storms, Moon of when the Deer Shed Antlers, Mourning Moon, Snow Moon & Whitefish Moon,

Element: Water

Zodiac: Scorpio & Sagittarius

Nature spirts: Subterranean Faeries

Deities: Astarte, Bast, Black Isis, Hecate, Kali, Lakshmi, Mawu, Nicnevin, Osiris & Saraswati

Animals: Crocodile, jackal, scorpion & unicorn

Birds: Goose, owl & sparrow

Trees: Alder, cypress & hazel

Herbs: Betony, blessed thistle, borage, cinquefoil, fennel, grains of paradise & verbena

Flowers: Blossoming cacti & chrysanthemum

Scents: Cedar, cherry blossom, hyacinth, lemon, narcissus & peppermint

Stones: Beryl, cat's eye, chrysoberyl, citrine, lapis lazuli, sapphire, topaz & turquoise

Colors: Blues, grey, sea-green & silver

Issues, intentions & powers: Cooperation, darkness, divination, healing & hope

Energy: Communication with your deity, death, focus, passion, preparation, secrets, sex matters, taking root & transformations

The Beaver Moon gets it's name because this is the time of year when beavers begin to take shelter in their lodges, having laid up sufficient food stores for the long winter ahead. During the fur trade in North America, it was also the season to trap beavers for their thick, winter-ready pelts. 

• This is the final supermoon of four consecutive supermoons of the year! This means that it will appear bigger and brighter than normal!

Other Celebrations:

• Lunantishees- November 11th

Also known as: The day of the Sídhe

This day celebrates the Lunantishee Faeries & honors the sacred blackthorn tree that they protect. It is said these faeries dance around their host blackthorn tree or bush by the light of the full moon in which they worship. The Lunantishee are closely associated with moonstone as their name of Moon-Sidhe or moon faeries suggest. These faeries are intensely protective guardians who highlight to us the need to protect our homes & our personal energies/ourselves.

•Night of Hecate -November 16th

Though many choose to honor the Goddess Hecate during this day, there doesn't seem to be any historical evidence suggesting this particular day has any traditional associations or events & likely was mistaken from Hekate's Deipnon which takes place during the dark phase of the moon. However modern practitioners use this day to honor Hekate despite this.

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

Wikipedia

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

Encyclopedia britannica

Llewellyn 2024 magical almanac Practical magic for everyday living

[nyxshadowhawk]

Hellenic Gods Fact Sheets and Hymns: Hecate

Other Names: Trivia, Brimo

Epithets: Anassa eneroi  (queen of those below), Aidonaia (lady of the Underworld), Amibousa (she who changes), Atalus (tender, delicate), Borborophorba (she who feeds on filth), Brimo (angry, terrifying), Despoina (mistress), Eileithyia (of childbirth), Enodia (of the roads), Epaine (dread), Euplokamos (bright-tressed), Khthonia (of the Underworld), Kleidouchos (keeper of the keys), Kourotrophos (protector of children), Krokopelos (saffron-robed), Liparokredemnos (bright-coiffed), Nycteria (nocturnal; of the night), Nyctipolos (night-wandering), Perseis (destroyer/ daughter of Perses), Phosphoros (light bearer), Propolos (guide), Propylaia (the one before the gate), Scylacagetis (leader of dogs), Soteira (savior), Trikephalos (three-headed/of the crossroads), Trimorphos (three-formed), Trioditis (of the three ways), Trivia (of the three ways).

Domains: Witchcraft, magic, necromancy, ghosts, nightmares, death, initiation, the crossroads, gateways, passage between worlds, and the night.

Appearance: [My UPG] A tall (over 6’) woman, neither young nor old, with waist-length black hair, pale skin, prominent cheekbones, a heavy jaw, and intense green eyes. She is usually dressed in black folds molded into a simple dress or robes. She has a severe expression and an intimidating presence. She speaks with a low voice.

Sacred Days and Festivals: Eleusinia (22 Metageitnion). Nemoralia (August 13th-15th). Deipnon, last day of each (lunar) month.

Symbols/Attributes: Torches, keys, daggers, strophalos (iynx wheel)

Sacred Animals: Dog, polecat, serpent, horse, frog.

Sacred Plants: Yew, cypress, garlic, willow, hazel, black poplar, aconite, belladonna, dittany, mandrake, hemlock, asphodel

Elemental Affinity: Darkness, light, fire

Planet: Moon

Colors: Black, saffron, silver.

Crystals: Black onyx, hematite, obsidian, black tourmaline, moonstone, smoky quartz, agate, amethyst.

Incense: Myrrh, almond, cypress, camphor, saffron, mugwort, pomegranate.

Tarot Cards: The High Priestess, The Moon, Death

Retinue: Empousai, ghosts of the dead, dogs, Lampades (torch-bearing underworld nymphs)

Associated People: Witches (and other magic-users), the dead

Offerings: Bread, eggs, honey, garlic, menstrual blood, graveyard dirt.

Syncretized With: Artemis, Diana, Persephone, Eileithyia, Selene, Nephthys, Ereshkigal, Nicnevin, Heqet

Hymns to Hecate

Orphic Hymn to Hecate

Hekate Enodia, Trivia, lovely dame, Of earthly, watery, and celestial frame, Sepulchral, in a saffron veil arrayed, Pleased with dark ghosts that wander through the shade; Daughter of Perses, solitary goddess, hail! The world’s key-bearer, never doomed to fail; In stags rejoicing, huntress, nightly seen, And drawn by bulls, unconquerable, monstrous queen; Leader, Nymphe, nurse, on mountains wandering, Hear the suppliants who with holy rites thy power revere, And to the herdsman with a favoring mind draw near.

Hecate’s Hymn to Herself

I come, a virgin of varied forms, wandering through the heavens, bull-faced, three-headed, ruthless, with golden arrows; chaste Phoebe bringing light to mortals, Eileithyia; bearing the three synthemata [sacred signs] of a triple nature.  In the Aether I appear in fiery forms and in the air I sit in a silver chariot, Earth reins in my black brood of puppies.

(From Porphyry’s lost commentary on the Chaldean Oracles, preserved by Eusebius of Caesaria in Praeparatio Evangelica. According to Porphyry, this hymn was composed by Hecate herself.)

Magical Invocation to Hecate

Approach, you of the netherworld, of earth, of heaven, Bombo! You by the wayside, at the crossroads, light-bearer, night-wanderer, Enemy of light, friend and companion of night, Rejoicing in the howl of dogs and in crimson gore, Lurking among the corpses and the tombs of lifeless dust, Lusting for blood, bringing terror to mortals, Grim one, Ogress [Mormo], Moon – you of many forms, May you come gracious to our sacrificial rites!

(Preserved in Refutation to All Heresies by Hippolytus)

Invocation to Hecate from PGM IV 2708-84

Come, giant Hecate, Dione’s guard, O Persia [daughter of Perses], Baubo Phroune, dart-shooter, Unconquered Lydian, the one untamed, Sired nobly, torch-bearing, guide, who bends down Proud necks, Kore, hear, you who’ve parted / gates Of steel unbreakable. O Artemis, Who, too, were once protectress, mighty one, Mistress, who burst forth from the earth, dog-leader, All-tamer, crossroad goddess, triple-headed, Bringer of light, august / virgin, I call you Fawn-slayer, crafty, O infernal one, And many-formed. Come, Hekate, goddess Of three ways, who with your fire-breathing phantoms Have been allotted dreaded roads and harsh / Enchantments, Hekate I call you

[…]

O Hekate of many names, O Virgin, Kore, Goddess, come, I ask, O guard and shelter of the threshing floor Persephone, O triple-headed goddess, Who walk on fire, cow-eyed BOUORPHORBE PANPHORBA PHORBARA AKITOPHI ERESHKIGAL / NEBOUTOSOUALETH Beside the doors, PYPYLEDEDEZO And gate-breaker; Come Hekate, of firey Counsel, I call you to my sacred chants.

[elegantshapeshifter]

Hey!! I want to know more about Traditional Witchcraft.

I have been reading Aradia and the Gospel of Witches and I want to know if there is a Northwestern European, British or Scottish idea of Aradia and her mother and father??

Thank you so much!! I can’t wait to convert to the Traditional Witch Path!

Aradia is Herodias, which is, according to Carlo Ginzburg, a Christianization of the Goddess Hera, but according to Sabina Magliocco, also a remains of Hecate, because she flights in the night.

She is a Deity which is not only Italian, but pan-European, in fact in the Canon Episcopi we read about women who dreamt/imagined to fly with both Diana and Herodias.

Herodias became Redodesa in Veneto, Araja/Arada/Sa Rejusta in Sardinia, Arada and Irodeasa in Romania, and so on.

The point is that probably she wasn't always the daughter of Diana, but assimilated/synchretized to her. In fact, Herodias is actually the name of the mother of Salomé, which in the Gospels killed John the Baptist. In the medieval folklore he blows from the mouth of the cut head and from that moment on Salomé is condamned to fly forever, especially in the night. In many folklore tales, both the mother and the daughter, Salomé and Herodias, are seen together, and Herodias of the Canon is actually Salomé called with her mother's name.

Probably, therefore, the legend that Leland writes and re-elaborates to create the Aradia (because the original legends are found both in Etruscan Roman Remains and in Legends of Florence, so we know that Aradia is just a re-elaboration of original folk legends from Florence and Tuscany-Romagna region) is influenced by this idea of Salomé seen with her mother Herodias. So Salomé (called Herodias for the medieval conflation and mispelled Aradia by the people) is the daughter of Diana like she is the daughter of Herodias in other legends (and in the original Gospel tale).

We also have the original legend about Diana seducing his brother, but here there is no daughter, and instead of going to the "Fathers and Mothers of the beginning", in the original tale she goes to other witches.

Moreover, in the original tale from Legends of Florence, the brother isn't called by name.

However, in many trials in Northern Italy, the Domina Nocturna (ex. Lady of the Game) is paired with the Devil. Moreover, many folk magicians in Italy prayed to the "Star Diana"... which is Lucifer. So Lucifer is both the Devil and Diana herself, and the Devil could be associated with Diana as his partner because the same happened to the Lady of the Game (and overseas with the Queen of Elphame).

We also know from The Strix by Della Mirandola that nearby the areas in which Leland found the folktales from which he will elaborates to make the Aradia, people still associated Diana with the Moon. So if Diana is the Moon, for symmetry Lucifer should be the Sun.

So this brother for symmetry could be seen as both the Devil and associated with the Sun, but also with stars for the Stella Diana which is Lucifer. In fact, in Aradia he is the God of the Sun, the Light and the Stars.

So Diana is associated with Aradia for the Salomé-Herodias pair and with Lucifer because of the Stella Diana, the pair with the Devil and the folk idea that the Sun is the brother of the Moon.

However, Lucifer is still a name for Apollo, even in Orphic Hymns (where it's Phosphoros), but I don't think it's been done willingly, it's a coincidence, or better a synchronicity.

For the British context, in Sir Orpheo, Dame Heurodis is kidnapped by the King of Fairies, and Heurodis is a variation of Herodias.

Also the Canon is quoted a lot in Britain while they talk about the idea of the Fairy Queen or Queen of Elphame.

So probably in Great Britain both Diana and Herodias are synchretized with the Queen of Elphame. The Queen, which is usually called Nicnevin (or Titania/Mab in Shakespeare) is the spouse of the King of Elphame, Oberon, who is sometimes demonized, and sometimes is also called Christsonday.

I hope having answered :)

[sova-witch]

My collection of Goddess statues ⬇️

🌒 Aradia 🌘

💀 Hekate 💀

🌸 Blodeuwedd 🌸

🗡 The Morrigan 🗡

🔮 Freyja 🔮

🧝‍♀️ Nicnevin 🧝‍♀️

[faeriexalice]

i love that Holly Black references Scottish folklore for her fae. when you know what to look for, there are soooo many references!

kelpies are mentioned multiple times, selkies and redcaps too. in The Modern Faerie Tales, Roiben serves Nicnevin, who, in Scottish folklore, is the fae queen, and in the MFT trilogy, she is the Unseelie Queen too! Tithe, the first book of the Modern Faerie Tales trilogy, is also sort of a retelling of the story of Tam Lin and Janet(one of the characters is also called Janet!).

I'm sure there's more, but this is all i can think of off the top of my head,, either way,,,, i love the Scottish folklore in Holly's books! 💞

[conjuredsun]

Like the Witch Father, the Witch Mother is the dual-natured Archetypal Divine Feminine. She is life and death, creation and destruction, She is all. In Traditional Witchcraft, She is an initiator into witchcraft and the being that creates and molds the world to Her whim. The Witch Mother is essentially Witchcraft itself. 

In the same way it is hard to define and pinpoint the Witch Father, the Witch Mother is another enigmatic spirit essential to Traditional Witchcraft. Across cultures and centuries, She has been known by many names. Diana, Herodias, Frau Holle, Baba Yaga, Sa Rejusta, the Queen of Elphame, and Nicnevin are some of the names that She has gone by. 

As it stands, the Witch Mother is the Mother of all Witches. From her, we begin to learn the ways of the Crooked Path. Usually, it is by chance encounter that we meet Her, or one of Her emissaries, and we are put through trials. Through these trials, however, comes the enlightenment of the Path and we find our Witch Fire lit. With Her blessings, we are granted access to the unseen. 

The Witch Mother is a Dark Feminine Great Spirit. She is the primordial womb from which all life emanates. She forms the Earth to Her liking. The Witch Mother holds sway over life and death, the seasons, and even the turning of the day. She is the Magna Mater. She fiercely protects Her children and gives us the knowledge and tools that we need in order to defend ourselves from those wishing us harm. 

Her lore can be dark and sometimes violent. But it’s necessary as a protectress for Her family. When we prove ourselves to Her, She becomes a Great Ally for us in our paths. 

Baba Yaga

In Vasilisa the Beautiful and Baba Yaga, we come to learn that Baba Yaga has mastery over the world. Through her servants, the days and nights turn over. In the story of Natasha, Baba Yaga has a towel that can create rivers and a comb that can create forests. Baba Yaga occupies the archetype of Witch Mother as the initiator and creatrix of the world. She gives these girls tasks which at first glance seem impossible but by their wit and cunning natures, they overcome them. This leads to Baba Yaga fulfilling her promise and granting them the boon they came to her for. For Vasilisa, the fire she seeks also burns her stepmother and sisters to ashes leaving her free from their oppression and hatred. 

Frau Holle or Mother Hulda

In the story of Mother Hulda, two step-sisters end up in the Otherworld and in service to Her. The first sister is hardworking while the other one is lazy. The hardworking sister drops her spindle into the well while trying to clean it and must figure out a way to get it out. She falls in and comes out in the Otherworld. She meets an apple tree asking for help to get its ripe fruit down from its branches and a loaf of bread asking to be taken from the fire before it burns.  Naturally, she obliges. Coming to a house in the meadow, she meets Mother Hulda who asks her for help around the house. This sister is very hardworking and listens to all of Mother Hulda’s requests, including how to fluff her pillows so the feathers fall so it will snow on Earth. Accomplishing this and asking to return home, she is sent back with gold falling all about her to keep.

The second sister, being lazy and greedy jumps into the well and into the otherworld wanting her own gold. She marches past the apple tree and the bread not stopping to help them, and comes to meet Mother Hulda and agrees to work for her as well. She performs well on the first day and gives way to laziness in the coming days. When she asks to go home, expecting to be showered in gold, she is told to “get lost” and is instead showered in tar. 

In this story, we see Her control over the weather and her home in the Otherworld. She has the power to bless and to curse. She expects those who want to learn witchcraft and the occult arts to hold up their end of the bargain. She grants power to those who are willing to work for it. 

Queen of Elfame

In several witch trials in Scotland, we see the Queen of Elfame make an appearance. In the trial of Bessie Dunlop (1576), she confesses that she has traveled to the Otherworld and has communed with the Queen of Elfame several times. For her kindness when in the guise of an old woman, Bessie is granted a familiar who teaches her natural remedies, knowledge of where to find lost items, and information about prophecies.

Several years later, in 1588, Alison Pearson (also styled as Alesoun Peirsoun) was burned at the stake for communing with the Queen. In Elfame, she learned of medicinal herbs, healing arts, and how to make charms and potions which she sold. 

In 1597, Andro (Andrew) Man confesses that he has lain with the Queen of Elphen and they begot many children together. He further confessed that through her, he would become knowledgeable in all things, help and cure all sicknesses except death. In his confession, Andro Man goes on to explain that “the Queen of Elphen has a grip of all the craft, but Christsonday (the Devil) is the husband and has all power under God.” They also have spirits in their company that are known to Man. 

Aradia: or the Gospel of Witches

In Aradia, it is attested that Diana is the Mother of Witches. She teaches her daughter, Aradia, witchcraft and charges her to go to Earth to teach humans this art. Specifically, Aradia is sent to teach the poor and the slaves witchcraft in order to free themselves from their lot in life.