#related to a land of wolves

[fromtheseventhhell]

She was the night wolf. But only when she dreamed. (The Blind Girl, ADWD) "The hour of the wolf. The blackest part of night, when all the world's asleep." (The Kingbreaker, ADWD)

Thinking thoughts...It's the longest, darkest hour of the night, Arya is the Night Wolf + Dark Heart, it's the time when "the world's asleep" and Arya wargs into Nymeria and the leader of a giant pack of wolves while sleeping, and it's likely she'll reunite with Nymeria right before the long night...

[kelpiemomma]

worked with a guy last week-ish who told me that when he retires from the union he's going to move into the mountains, do away with all electronics and healthcare, and work on re-evolving direwolves from regular wolves and it reminded me of the time someone i was working with said she didn't want people who knew how to think, she wanted people who wanted to work and like.

yeah, babe, you got em.

[greenwitchcrafts]

January 2025 Witch Guide

New Moon: January 29th

First Quarter: January 6th

Full moon: January 13th

Last Quarter: January 21nd

Sabbats: None

January Wolf Moon

Also known as:  Bear Moon, Center Moon, Chaste Moon, Cold Moon, Disting Moon, Freeze Up Moon, Frost Exploding Moon, Goose Moon, Great Moon, Greetings Moon, Hard Moon  Ice Moon,  Moon of the Little Winter, Quiet Moon, Severe Moon, Spirt Moon & Snow Moon

Element: Air

Zodiac: Capricorn & Aquarius

Nature spirts: Brownies & Gnomes

Deities: Chang'e, Freya, Hera, Inanna & Saraswati

Animals: Coyote & fox

Birds: Blue Jay & pheasant

Trees:  Birch & Hazel

Herbs: Cones, holy thistle& marjoram

Flowers: Crocus & snowdrop

Scents: Mimosa & musk

Stones:  Chrysoprase, garnet, hematite, moonstone, onyx, jet, red tourmaline rose quartz & ruby

Issues, intentions & powers: Beginnings, healing, money, protection & strength

Energy: Adventure, ambition, awareness, beauty, beginnings, business, career, conserving energy, energy below the surface, organization, potential, protection, recognition, reputation, reversing spells, sluggish & spiritual

January’s full Moon came to be known as the Wolf Moon because wolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time. Though it was traditionally believed that wolves howled due to hunger during winter, we know today that isn’t accurate.

Howling & other wolf vocalizations are heard in the wintertime to locate pack members, reinforce social bonds, define territory & coordinate hunting. One study recorded spontaneous howls and responses happen most often between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. .

  • According to the Wolf Conversation Center, gray wolves “inhabited most of the available land in the Northern Hemisphere.” Habitat destruction & persecution by humans have reduced their range by about a third worldwide & 90% in the lower 48 states.

Other celebrations:

• Hogmanay: December 31st- January 1st-

Christmas was not celebrated as a festival and virtually banned in Scotland for around 400 years. So it was, right up until the 1950s that many Scots worked over Christmas & celebrated their winter solstice holiday at New Year, when family & friends would gather for a party and to exchange presents which came to be known as hogmanays.  

Customs vary throughout Scotland & usually include gift-giving & visiting the homes of friends & neighbors. Another common Hogmanay tradition is to clean the house. Some believe that beginning the New Year with an unclean house may bring bad luck. Traditionally, this would include taking out the ashes from the coal fire. 

• Particular attention is given to the first-foot(is the first person to enter the home of a household on New Year's Day and is seen as a bringer of good fortune for the coming year bearing coal to ensure the house remains warm in the coming months  & should traditionally be a tall, dark-haired man.)

• Compitalia/ Feast of Lades: January 3-5-

Was an annual festival in honor of the Lares Compitales, household deities of the crossroads, to whom sacrifices were offered at the places where two or more ways met. Dionysius said that Servius Tullius founded the festival, which he describes as it was celebrated in his time. Dionysius relates that the sacrifices consisted of honey-cakes (Ancient Greek: πέλανοι) presented by the inhabitants of each house; & that the people who assisted as ministering servants at the festival were not free men, but slaves because the Lares took pleasure in the service of slaves. He further adds that the Compitalia were celebrated a few days after the Saturnalia with great splendor & that the slaves on this occasion had full liberty to do as they pleased.

During the celebration of the festival, each family placed the statue of the underworld goddess Mania at the door of their house. They also hung up at their doors figures of wool representing men & women, accompanying them with humble requests that the Lares & Mania would be contented with those figures, and spare the people of the house.

• Lunar New Year: January 29th-

The Lunar new year (Commonly referred as Chinese New Year) is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture marking the end of winter & the beginning of the spring season, observances traditionally take place from New Year's Eve, the evening preceding the first day of the year to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. The new year starts on the new moon nearest the midpoint between the winter solstice & the spring equinox, sometime between January 21 and February 20.

• This holiday has ancient roots in China as an agricultural society. It was the occasion to celebrate the harvest & worship the gods & ask for good harvests in times to come

Each culture celebrates the Lunar New Year differently with various foods and traditions that symbolize prosperity, abundance & togetherness. In preparation for the Lunar New Year, houses are thoroughly cleaned to rid them of inauspicious spirits, which might have collected during the old year. Cleaning is also meant to open space for good will and good luck.

Some households hold rituals to offer food & paper icons to ancestors. Others post red paper and banners inscribed with calligraphy messages of good health and fortune in front of & inside, homes. Elders give out red envelopes containing money to children. Foods made from glutinous rice are commonly eaten, as these foods represent togetherness. Other foods symbolize prosperity, abundance & good luck.

The origins of the Lunar New Year festival are thousands of years old & are steeped in legends. One legend is that of Nian, a hideous beast believed to feast on human flesh on New Year's day. Because Nian feared the color red, loud noises & fire, red paper decorations were pasted to doors, lanterns were burned all night, and firecrackers were lit to frighten the beast away.

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 2025 magical almanac Practical magic for everyday living

https://www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/festivals/edinburghs-hogmanay

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Some Fantasy Creatures

Fantasy species are types of fictional creatures that inhabit the pages of fantasy books. Crucially, these different species do not exist in the real world. Some fantasy species are the creation of individual authors, but a great number come from longstanding folklore and may have appeared in fantasy stories for generations.

Common Fantasy Species

Dragons: Massive, flying, fire-breathing reptiles. They are often portrayed as ferocious and untamable, but some dragons allow humans to ride them. They appear in countless fantasy works from The Hobbit to Game of Thrones.

Wizards: Wizards—sometimes called sorcerers—are human-like beings who possess magical abilities. Some wizards can only access magical powers sometimes; others seem nearly omnipotent. Many wizards are shapeshifters and can assume different identities.

Giants: Giants are massive beings that tower over humans. There are many different types of giants, including brutish ogres and the one-eyed cyclops.

Merfolk: Merfolk, including mermaids and mermen, share qualities with both fish and humans. Most live exclusively in water but have amphibious qualities that briefly sustain them on land.

Lizard folk: These reptilian hybrids fall somewhere between lizards and humanoids. Friendly lizard folk often resemble geckos while evil lizard folk may take on the appearance of crocodiles.

Hobbits: Also called halflings, these creatures are among the central protagonists of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. They are noted for their small size and sage wisdom.

Elves: Wood elves typically live in the forest. High elves live in marble palaces. Dark elves typically live underground and may behave wickedly, while other elves tend to have noble intentions. Still other types of elves include night elves, snow elves, moon elves, and aquatic elves.

Dwarves: Dwarves are typically depicted as an ancient humanoid species. Dwarves are squat, burly, and master craftsmen. They are often associated with mining and tunneling.

Gnomes: Gnomes are short and squat like dwarves, but they tend to have a friendlier disposition in fantasy stories. They tend to be tinkerers more than craftsmen. Their signature accessory is a pointy red cap.

Trolls: In standard fantasy literature, trolls are massive, primordial creatures that humane recruit for major battles. During peacetime, they are typically regarded as a nuisance prone to ransacking villages.

Nymphs: Characterized as protectors of the wilderness—particularly trees and plants. In most works of fiction, they are closely related to fairies.

Dryads: Dryads are also known as tree nymphs. In works of fantasy, most dryads bond with a particular tree and consider it an extension of themselves.

Satyrs: Half human and half donkey; typically have an appetite for carousing.

Centaurs: Closely related to satyrs, they are half human and half horse. These hybrid mammals tend to avoid human civilizations in works of fantasy. Sometimes they appear as barbarians and sometimes they appear as stewards of nature.

Demons: Demons can take many forms in fantasy stories, but they are almost always motivated by evil and malice.

Imps: Imps are connected to both demons and fairies. Most are motivated by mischief more than evil. Like dryads, imps closely associate with trees; some are even born grafted to trees in fantasy novels.

Orcs: Orcs are commonly depicted as brutish monsters motivated by evil and cruelty. In some traditions, orcs are corrupted elves. Orcs had fallen out of standard fantasy tropes until J.R.R. Tolkien made them the key horde of antagonists in the Lord of the Rings series.

Goblins: Closely related to orcs, they are smaller, smarter, and easily spotted thanks to their green skin. Hobgoblins are larger goblins that closely resemble orcs.

Werewolves: Werewolves are typically depicted as humans that turn into wolves during a full moon. In some folklore, they are revenants—the undead corpse of a human killed by another werewolf.

Hydra: A many-headed serpent that traces back to ancient Greek mythology. Depending on the work of fiction, some are aquatic and some live on land.

Some fantasy novels describe worlds entirely inhabited by fantasy creatures:

The Goblin Emperor (2014) by Sarah Monette (pen name Katherine Addison)

The Crucible of Time (1983) by John Brunner

More commonly, fantasy settings feature invented creatures interacting with humans and real-world animals. Examples include: 

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

Source ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[ducksido]

Greek!Yuu

Grim:

“Wait, wait, you come from the land of the gods?!”

“So, like, do you know Zeus? What about Hades?! Are YOU a demigod?!”

Horrified when Yuu tells him about actual Greek myths.

The NRC Student Body:

“Wait, so your history class is just learning about gods and wars? That’s so metal.”

Everyone is obsessed with Greek food. "Can you make tzatziki? What about moussaka?!"

Tries to pronounce Greek words. Fails spectacularly.

“You celebrate New Year by throwing a pomegranate on the floor?”

Crowley:

"Ah, Prefect! Coming from a land so rich in history, you must surely be honored to be in my school!"

Thinks Greece is all about gods and overlooks the modern era.

"No, I will not let you break plates in the cafeteria."

Heartslabyul

Riddle Rosehearts:

“Your culture has so many rules and customs. You should have no issue following mine!”

Furious when Yuu insists tea is best with honey and lemon instead of milk.

Ace Trappola:

“You guys still break plates for fun?! That’s kinda badass.”

Tries to debate Yuu on Greek mythology. Loses.

"So you're telling me, the gods were all just messy drama queens?"

Deuce Spade:

“Your people were literally warriors?! THAT’S SO COOL.”

“Wait, you have a whole evil eye thing?! That's so sick!”

Trey Clover:

“Greek desserts, huh? What’s a loukoumades?” (Immediately loves them.)

Adds baklava to the rotation of what he cooks.

Cater Diamond:

“Your history is like, an endless soap opera.”

Goes around saying ‘Opa!’ constantly.

Tries to pose with Yuu for Magicam with a laurel wreath.

Savanaclaw

Leona Kingscholar:

“Hmph. You worshipped lions in your old art? Good taste.”

Skeptical when Yuu says ancient Greeks respected cats.

Has philosophical debates with Yuu. ("So you're saying Sisyphus' struggle is meaningful?")

Ruggie Bucchi:

"You guys really have a superstition for everything, huh?"

Learns about Greek street food. Profits immediately.

Jack Howl:

Super interested in Greek myths about wolves.

“Wait, so you guys just yell at each other all the time? And that’s normal?”

Secretly impressed by Greek athleticism.

Octavinelle

Azul Ashengrotto:

“Your homeland worshipped the sea? I see we would have thrived in ancient times.”

Horrified to learn the sirens in Greek mythology were not mermaids, but bird monsters.

Jade Leech:

“Tell me more about this Dionysus fellow. He sounds… intriguing.”

Loves hearing about Greek poisons and herbs.

Floyd Leech:

“MEDUSA WAS GREEK?! NO WAY, THAT’S SO COOL.”

Obsessed with Greek monsters. “I WANNA FIGHT A MINOTAUR!!”

(Trust me on this click this)

Scarabia

Kalim Al-Asim:

“Wait, your people had math geniuses AND warriors? That’s so cool!!”

Constantly invites Yuu to feasts.

Jamil Viper:

"So you just dance in a circle at parties?"

Respects Greek strategic warfare history.

Ignihyde

Idia Shroud:

Has a crisis learning Hades is nothing like in the movies.

“Wait, wait, your myths inspired half of my video games. That’s crazy.”

Ortho Shroud:

“So… are you related to Hercules?”

Diasomnia

Malleus Draconia:

"Ah, your people worshipped powerful beings and built temples in their honour? A fascinating tradition."

Secretly likes how dramatic Greek mythology is.

Lilia Vanrouge:

“I KNEW SOME OF YOUR HISTORICAL FIGURES! Ah, good times...”

Tries to make Greek food. Fails horribly.

(Lilia met Penelope 💯)

Silver:

Falls asleep mid-philosophy discussion.

Sebek Zigvolt:

"YOUR HISTORY IS AS GRAND AS BRIAR VALLEY! YOU HAVE MY RESPECT!"

Pomefiore

Vil Schoenheit:

“So beauty was important in your society? Naturally.”

“Your people invented theater and skincare? Hm. Acceptable.”

Epel Felmier:

"Wait, Greeks fought barehanded in ancient times?! THAT'S SO COOL!"

Obsessed with Spartan stories.

Rook Hunt:

“AH! The Greeks, the warriors and poets of old! Such a passionate culture!”

RSA & Noble Bell

Neige:

“Oh! Greece is so beautiful! You must miss it…”

Chenya:

Steals Yuu’s komboloi beads to fidget with.

Rollo Flamme:

“Your people worshipped fire? …Perhaps we are not so different.”

Meleanor & Young Lilia:

Meleanor wants to fight a Greek hero.

Lilia wants to party with Dionysus.

More Greek!Yuu Chaos

Argues constantly. It’s just a love language. Can name every Greek mythological creature. Teaches everyone Greek dance. Curses people in Greek under their breath. Has the strongest opinions on olive oil.

[outofangband]

Flora and Fauna Specific to Tolkien’s World

Flora, fauna, environment and geography of Arda  I’m going to do specifically named and individual animals and trees, plants and animals canonically named and  elven words for various plants and animals in future posts

These descriptions are pretty brief but I’d be glad to go into more detail about anything!

Black Emperor butterflies: Possibly related to purple emperors today, these were black butterflies found in Mirkwood 

-Crebain: Large crow like birds native to the lands South of the Misty Mountains. Crebain is a plural Sindarin word of Craban meaning ‘crow’ though the species appears to be somewhat different. These were said to be spies of Saruman. 

Great Eagles: Huge eagles far larger than any currently alive. Some were possibly Maiar who served Manwë. Thorondor was among the greatest with a wingspan of dozens of meters, (over a hundred feet). Like some great animals in Tolkien, the exact nature of them is unclear.

-Kine of Araw: Huge, wild cattle of Rhûn, the Eastern lands of Middle Earth. Possibly resembling aurochs. 

-Kirinki were small, scarlet birds from Aman not known to Middle Earth. Their song was so high pitched that humans had trouble hearing it

-Mearas: The noble, old horses of Middle earth, larger, stronger, swifter than regular horses 

-Mûmakil: Huge,  Elephantine creatures of the Harad, ridden into battle. They are larger than the modern elephant. Also called olephants

-Wargs: large, vicious wolves of the Northern lands of Middle earth 

Plants: 

-Aeglos was thought to be an ancestor of gorse or whin, growing on Amon Rûdh. It had small white flowers with a sweet smell and became extinct after the first age.

-Culumalda were trees that grew in Northern Ithilien, possibly inspired by laburnum. They had golden flowers and grew in clusters. 

-Elanor flowers are inspired by species in the family Anagallis. They are golden yellow and starlike,  associated with Laurelin. 

-Evermind, Simbelmynë, Uilos are based on species in the anemone family or windflowers. These are also starlike but are white, associated with Telperion. 

-Ilexes were probably based on Holm Oaks, an evergreen oak that grew in warmer climates. They were associated with Ithilien. 

-Kingsfoil or athelas was a sweet smelling herbaceous plant with healing properties. It was used by Lúthien thus implying it grew in Beleriand but was later brought to Middle Earth from Númeanor. 

-Lairelossë or summer snow was a  fragrant tree grown originally in Aman and Tol Eressëa but brought later to Númeanor. Its name meant Summer snow though there was no other description.  The Fragrant trees are a group of various species given from the elves to humans of Númeanor. 

-Lebethron was a tree that grew in Gondor with dark or black wood and was favored by its crafters. 

-Mallorn, plural Mellyrn was a species of golden leafed tree probably based on ancient beech trees. It grew most famously in Lórien and descended from older, golden trees of previous ages. 

-Mallos was a wild flower in the valleys around Gondor, described as looking like a small golden bell. 

-Nessamelda was another fragrant tree of Númeanor, originating in Tol Eressëa. No description is given but the name meant Beloved of Nessa, in reference to the Valar. This species never came to Middle Earth

-Niphredel are similar to snowdrops, their name means small pallor. They grew in Neldoreth in Doriath and later in the realm of Galadriel during the Third age. 

-Taniquelassë was another fragrant tree. Its name meant white high leaf. 

-Oiolairë or Ever Summer was a sweet scented evergreen tree. Elves would tie boughs of it to ships to represent friendship with the Maia of Ulmo. These were another fragrant tree grown originally in Tol Eressëa but brought later to Númeanor. 

-Seregon also grew upon  Amon Rûdh and indeed was the only plant that grew at the very top of the hill. The flowers were blood red, giving the place its ominous appearance of being bathed in blood which of course would become literal

-Vardarianna was yet another Fragrant Tree. It had no description but its name meant Crown gift in reference to the Vala Varda. 

-Yavannamírë was also a Fragrant Tree meaning jewel of Yavanna. It had round, bright red, sweet fruits. 

[yourlocaltreesimp]

I (beg) ask if you can write anything Fierce Deity related. I don't want anything else, just that you write for my boy. (Pls us FD simps are starving).

Ah believe me I know y’all are dehydrated beyond the word’s meaning. I know the struggle (I really do) So I hope I do your boy (man) ((celestial being?)) justice!

(fir post writing: wow this is a LOT of context y’all don’t want or need, but my hands hurt so… part 2?)

☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★

Immortality is a lonely existence. There are few beings that obtain an average life expectancy to that of a god. There are even fewer again who have immortality. Proper immortality. Not the poor results of a fae deal or some curse to age and wither without death. No. Proper immortality, exempt of aging past maturity and death herself.

That made his current predicament worse. Much, much worse than being stuck in a wooden mask.

You see, Gods and the immortal beings alike are rather fickle beings. They do glorious things to entertain or punish the mortals to have their names etched into stone and uttered in myth through centuries. They only wish to exist in temples of incense and candlelight, where the people there would do anything for even the cast of an eye.

Fierce had always thought those gods were the worst. All temples would crack. All names would be forgotten. All clay tablets and pots would be broken, ironically even by their proclaimed heroes. But that’s getting ahead of us. He was worshipped only in the grounds he was made for. It didn’t matter the land, for blood soaks into soil the same no matter what. It didn’t matter the men, the corpses were plentiful and he hardly discriminates. It didn’t even matter who won, because there are no winners in war.

He was made to fight, and he was made to kill. And so he did. His name rang throughout time between soldiers and emperors alike. Both tried to gain his favour. Occasionally there would be a temple, occasionally there’d be some mortal claiming to bear his blood, occasionally he’d care.

Regardless, it all came to the same ending. The men would die, the temples would crack and his name would fade into obscurity again.

It was supposed to.

But it seemed the others didn’t like that he was beating them at a game he didn’t want to win.

‘Cruel’ they called him, ‘Violent’ ‘Inhumane’ ‘Rabid’ ‘Irate’ ‘Improper’

And so, they condemned him. And he was forever no more.

Eras passed.

Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years… And truly, he was nothing.

Just as they promised.

Some relic like their old tales, except he could not crack and wither.

He was lonely, perhaps just as much as before in hindsight. The fickle attention he did have was only worth something if he willed it.

At some point, He was awoken again. There were hands on his cheeks, shaky and blood covered. And there was light. The person who had called upon his spirit was not in good shape, blood spilling from their weak body as they were chased by odd looking men. A pack of wolves set on a lamb.

He’d learn throughout the next few months of hiding you and sharing your consciousness that the people of your village had thought you to be a witch. As such, you were beaten and chased.

You were a doctor, you’d told him.

You’d just tried to cure someone.

And such began his problem.

He’d never saw the purpose of mortals. They were future bodies, to him. They’d live to die. Sure, it’s better than the alternative of there only being gods, but they never held much worth to him.

Not until you.

You are good. In every way the short comings of language can express you are good. You’d devoted your life to a thankless existence and the nature of living had caught up to you. Good things didn’t deserve that. Good people didn’t deserve to live the life you led.

He was not so cruel as to condemn you to that fate.

And so, he began to help. Once gaining a physical form, (through much trial and error) He’d do the work you couldn’t manage. Hunting, building, sewing, cooking, he’d do as much as possible. He knew what it was like to be turned back upon by everyone. But you wouldn’t be able to grow past that. Not in your short life.

He held you as you shuddered and cried. He tended to your wounds and sickness. He did and would do whatever it took to see you happy again.

He did not, however, see the consequences.

It took him far too long for his comfort to realise that you were not simply accompaniment. You consumed his waking thoughts and filled his dreams. He lived around you, your wants and your needs. He began to eat because it made you comfortable, He slept because you liked to be near him, He humanised himself because it made you happy.

He would’ve renounced his title as a god to make your life perfect, or as close to as it could be.

But He could not.

He could not simply marry you and go about your lives knowing you had one another. He could not have you to hold forever. He could not always love you in sickness and health no matter how much he tried. Because at the end of the day, it’s until death do you part.

Or… do you?

(part 2? perhaps? maybe? perchance?)

[confusedblakex]

A burning hatred (Pt1)

Pairing: Takashi 'Shiro' Shirogane X (Male) Reader

Summary: Where most Galra find entertainment, you find nothing but disgust. Shiro arrived at Zarkon's arena one fateful day, perhaps he was just what you were looking for.

Wordcount: 1722

Warnings: TW - Very descriptive violence, Imprisonment, Death, Blood, Asphyxiation, Sacrifice

Requested by: I refuse to let this fandom die

Notes: Star Trek and Voltron feel quite similar now that I think about it; No romance yet; Galra commander reader

Last edited: 16th November 2024

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

There had been a new intake of prisoners.

As was expected of you, you took your seat with the rest of the Galra commanders. The sea of cheering people was overwhelming. Myzax was in the ring again.

The arena was not entertaining to you. There was no fight here, this was a public execution. The gladiators were Salixan wolves playing with their prey before going in for the kill. Disgusting.

Prisoners deemed fit enough to fight were bought here. Luckily, most of the new intake had arrived injured and were declared unfit to fight. You thanked the universe for even the smallest of mercies.

Behind the gates, there were a dozen different creatures of varying species. An Earthling stood at the front of the line, quivering and dressed in an oversized prisoner’s tunic. He was short, scrawny and - by the fear in his eyes - didn’t have the strength to fight.

Perhaps, you thought, by some miracle, this boy would somehow manage to scrape by with only a severe injury. Perhaps you could leave, tell your fellow commanders that the prisoners are too weak for a proper fight and it bores you. That way, you might not have to watch.

A sentry walked down to the gate, rifle pointed squarely at the Earthling boy. In a flash, another Earthling appeared, pulling the rifle from the sentry’s grip and pushing the droid into the wall. It sparked and slumped over, showing the Earthling’s strength.

You watched intently as the audience roared.

The man was tall, broad-shouldered and muscular enough to put up a fight. His back was turned to you, but his body language showed no hint of fear. With the bayonet he held, the man turned to his fellow prisoners and took a slash at the weak one.

Over the cheering and yelling of the area’s audience, you couldn’t hear a word of what he yelled, but another sentry arrived and forcefully took the Earthling by his arm. You averted your eyes momentarily as the gates opened.

There was clearly some relation between the Earthlings, and in a bid to save the boy who couldn’t fight, this man had put himself first in line to face Myzax. It was smart, you had to admit, but watching someone sacrifice themself somehow made it worse than just watching them die.

Myzax roared and the spectators cheered as the Earthling was handed a Galran sword. And the fight began at once.

The large gladiator let the energy orb on the end of his bat charge for a moment before hurling the orb at the Earthling. Barely dodging, the man tripped himself over to get away. Unrelenting, Myzax threw the orb again. In a desperate attempt to dodge, the man rolled over and jumped at the Galra, landing a shallow cut on his arm before retreating from the orb once more.

And the game of Salixan wolf and rodent began.

For a while, the Earthling only dodged, ducking behind the pillars of the arena, seemingly formulating something. The energy orb was thrown again, this time the man used his sword's flat edge as a shield. He was knocked back significantly, but didn’t fall. Once again, Myzax threw the orb. The man knelt down, raising his sword to cover himself as the impact pushed him into the dusty floor.

Myzax raised his bat, the orb flying back to recharge. As the mechanical wiring hummed deep under the loud yelling of the Galran audience, the Earthling lunged to take a swing at the gladiator. A large gash cut across the gladiator’s shoulder, slicing through his neck.

The Galra wobbled on his feet, purple-red blood spilling down his chest. Weakly, Myzax lifted the orb on its plinth and hurled it at where the Earthling had drawn back to.

Panicked upon seeing the energy orb once more, the man rolled away from the incoming projectile. One hit on the ground. The gladiator swung his arm around as much as his injury would allow, the orb flying back over to the Earthling. Narrowly dodged again, he was taking advantage of Myzax’s weakened state. Twice now, and the orb drew back for the final attack. The man raised his sword again.

A third hit. The metal sword shattered, and the orb flew back to Myzax. Before the hum of the recharge could even start, the Earthling jumped and plunged the blunted half of the snapped sword through the gladiator’s chest. With a loud roar, Myzax fell to his knees. The undefeated, killed by an Earthling - of all species.

The spectators cheered more, louder still, and the man standing in the centre of the arena let out a scream of victory. He played to the crowd well.

Without thinking for a moment more, you slammed your fist into the arm of your chair and rose.

“Who’s is he?” your voice sounded over everyone, quiet falling throughout the room.

You stood in silence for a moment, looking across the Galra commanders.

“The Earthling would be mine,” a commander a few rows down announced as he stood.

“I want him. Name your price,” you stated, voice loud and confident. If you could get a hold of this Earthling, you might just be able to do a little good in this universe.

“4000 GAC,” the commander you didn’t know requested.

“Done.” you said, definitively.

“I offer 5000!” A voice called a few chairs to your right. Commander Sendak.

“This is no auction,” you chastised.

“I will not stand down!” he called, turning towards to owner of the Earthling.

“Sendak! You and I both know that I can outbid you.” you reminded him, keeping yout voice level and confident. As a decorated warrior from a long line of commanders, you had the power of currency on your side.

Sandak huffed and stopped for a moment before turning to look up at the Emperor.

“Permission to exercise my Galra rights, my Emperor?” he asked, bowing slightly.

You lowered your head in respect and looked back up to see Zarkon nod.

“I challenge you to a Sar duel for ownership of the Earthling fighter!” Sendak called, as soon as he received Zarkon’s permission.

“Come now, we are in an arena, and the people want a fight,” he taunted as he saw the torn expression on your face.

“I accept.” you said, determined. You may not want to fight, but you couldn’t risk leaving the Earthling with anyone else.

“What are your terms?” the unknown commander asked.

“If I win, I get the Earthling and Commander Sendak shall be sent off to the Javeeno Star System with no crew, for reconnaissance and surveillance.” you called, the crowd surrounding you applauded your decision, “And you?”

“If I win, I take the prisoner. And you, Commander (l/n), will be stripped of rank and sent to Noxxal to die a dishonourable death!” Sendak shouted.

The room went quiet with murmurs. Noxxal… you would die from starvation, if the cold didn’t get to you first. A dishonourable death, to not be killed in battle.

“And the loser pays 5000 GAC for the victor?” you clarified, looking to the Earthling’s finder.

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

“The terms are set. Let us begin,” you announced. Both Sendak and you descended to the arena floor.

“Hold the Earthling!” Sendak commanded, and two sentries stood at either side of the man, leading him back out through the arena gate.

Sendak took gauntlets, his weapon of choice. They were great meatal things that pulsed with Galran energy. This was the only advantage he had over you.

You chose to take a battleaxe. Versatile and deadly, you knew them well.

“Vrepit sa.”

“Vrepit sa…”

You immediately took first swing at Sendak, purposefully overshooting and missing him. The swing went past his ear, and took him off guard, leading him to turn in an attempt to throw a punch at your gut. In his moment of pivot, you took the haft of your axe directly to his face.

He stumbled backwards, nose dripping with blood. You swung again, leaving him no time for recovery, a jab at his chest that he narrowly avoided. And again, quickly, but he had recovered in time and grabbed your axe’s blade with his gauntlets.

He threw your axe to his side, and you barely kept your grip. This was how the fight continued. You would hit a blow, he would recover, and Sendak would send you backwards.

A slash to his knee, a hit to your stomach, a jab that very nearly took his ear off, a punch square to your nose - revenge for that first hit you got on him. Finally, after 10 minutes of equally balanced fighting, you decided to play dirty. This Earthling was worth the life of the idiot known as Sendak.

You backed up slowly, reaching a pillar, then swung and lodged your axe at an angle in the stone. You threw yourself at Sendak, going for the gauntlets. You sent a jab at his neck, causing him to lose his breath enough for you to kick with all your might at his left gauntlet. With a crackle of power, the purple glow dissipated and the glove stopped responding.

Sendak growled at you and shook the gauntlet off his hand, immediately lunging at you. You dodged, but not enough, as he grabbed you by the arm, spun you, and hooked his arm around your neck. Gauntlet to your throat, he held you there, spluttering for a breath that wouldn’t come. Your body burned with adrenaline and you stomped at his feet under you, kicking back at his shins.

Sendak walked backwards slowly to avoid your kicks until his back was pressed up against a pillar. Perfect.

With the last of your oxygenated strength, you reached out for the axe that was lodged in the stone. In one quick pull, the axe swung at Sendak’s arm and your face. At the last moment, you shifted your head to the side, lodging the axe entirely through Sendak’s arm.

His grip fell limp, and you took a great inhale of air.

The crowd roared in cheer, and Sendak made a barely audible noise - like a whimper - that only you could hear.

“Consider that payment for challenging me.” You spoke lowly in his ear, before turning to leave.

Where was that Earthling?

[syndrossi]

Now I REALLY WANT something where Ser Thoren DOES rescue the boys and reunites them with Daemon earlier, largely because I want to see what happens when the Volentenes attempt to kidnap them while they're with their father.

Oooh, that WOULD be spicy, wouldn't it? I imagine the way it plays out initially is:

Ser Thoren brings them back up north to catch a ship to King's Landing.

Allard dispatches his men in search/pursuit of them.

After a week of failed searching (Crayne convinces Allard to keep it on the down low), Allard finally informs Rhea via raven that the boys are missing. She reaches out to Rhaenyra to have a raven sent to Daemon in the Stepstones and sends out ravens throughout the Vale to be on the lookout for the boys. Ser Thoren and the twins set sail from the Fingers.

Rhea rides south to Gulltown chasing a rumor about the boys, accident (or is it?) occurs just before Daemon arrives in Runestone for answers. Ser Thoren and the twins arrive at Dragonstone, as he wants the matter somewhat discreetly handled. Rhaenyra is here, just as in canon, and sends a raven to Runestone.

Daemon confronts Rhea, forces the confession, and this time the raven that reaches him isn't of the boys' kidnapping, but Rhaenyra's that the boys are safe in Dragonstone, which he immediately sets out for.

The big meet happens there, and Daemon and Rhaenyra fly the twins to King's Landing. There is much fanfare, but none of the urgency of Resonant, because the boys were never truly kidnapped. Viserys is pleased that Daemon's a father, but there's no "hand in the hearth" debriefing, so he has no reason to believe the boys are prophecy children. There is no 24/7 knight rotation, and boys are far less traumatized (though Rhaegar is still mourning Rhaella and Rhea) and Jon's not hurt.

Probably a few weeks pass without incident. The boys settle in, Daemon escorts them around the Dragonpit, though without success. (To Rhaegar's utter heartbreak.)

Daemon has no catalyst to set him after Volantis, so he's trying to figure out what to do now that he's a single dad. He also feels fairly safe taking them out into the city.

Meanwhile, the Volantenes + Jephyro are already aware of the new circumstances and have sailed into King's Landing to set up an attempt there...

Here's part one of an innocent outing in the city that may be about to turn into something quite a lot more dangerous...

x~x~x

"What about this one?" Daemon pointed at the clasp that had caught his eye—and clearly Rhaegar's—against the dark velvet that held the jeweler's various works: silver shaped into a dragon curled around a deep red garnet. "Do you have another?"

"Another, my prince?" the man repeated, before comprehension dawned. He looked between Daemon's two sons. "I could fashion a twin to it easily enough."

Daemon stole a glance at Jon to gauge his interest. His other son had proven himself to be less enthused about the finery afforded him in his new station. Allard Royce and whatever passed for clothing in the Vale were partly to blame for that, he presumed.

Jon's gaze was on a different piece, however, that of a silver wolf's head with eyes of smoothly-polished sapphire. It had no relation at all to their own house, better suited to the houses of the southern Crownlands and northern Stormlands who bore wolves upon their crest. But the longing in his face was clear, along with an undercurrent of sorrow.

He does not know to ask, Daemon thought with a familiar simmering anger at the reminder that his sons had spent their childhood being denied all that they were due.

It would not have been his choice, but boys formed all sorts of fascinations, and although wolves were no dragons, they were worthy enough in their own way. "Would you like that one, Jon?" he asked, reaching for the clasp.

He was immediately met with a grey-eyed stare so filled with uncertainty that his own heart ached. "It is a beautiful piece," Daemon said.

"I—" Jon swallowed, gaze returning to the clasp, then flicking up at the jeweler. "Could you change the eyes?"

The jeweler, sensing a sale, smiled encouragingly. "Easily enough. What suits your fancy, young prince? I have some emerald stones that could be fitted."

"What about the red stone in the dragon clasp? Do you have more of it?"

"The garnet? I do. I also have ruby, should that be more to your preference." The jeweler disappeared into his work room, emerging after a moment with a small cloth of both garnet and ruby gems, some rough and others worked, that he laid out on the table.

Jon looked between them. He seemed drawn at first to the ruby, touching a finger to it, but his mouth firmed with decision as he pulled back. "The garnet." He glanced at his brother. "So that we match."

"I shall have the modifications completed by tomorrow," the man said with a bow, before turning his gaze back to Daemon. "Is there anything else that you seek, my prince?"

"I have been told you have experience working with dragon scales."

The jeweler's expression brightened, this time with interest. "I do. I have done work for Princess Rhaenyra, and even Queen Alysanne herself, many years back."

His sons watched him with nearly identical expressions of curiosity as Daemon withdrew a thick red scale from his pouch, partly split by a glancing blow from one of the Triarchy's small ballistae that they lugged onto the shores of the Stepstones in hopes of a lucky shot before their inevitable destruction by dragonflame.

"What can you make of this?"

The jeweler took the scale from him with a hushed reverence, examining it from various angles. "I can shape it into smaller pieces and fashion a fetching pendant. Several, even. A gold setting would be striking, or--" He glanced at their silver-and-garnet selections. "Or silver, if that is more to your liking. If my prince cares to return in half an hour, I can make some sketches for your review for the pendant itself."

"Can you design one of a dragon's head?" Rhaegar asked. His look at Daemon held an uncertainty not unlike Jon's earlier. "We could have one apiece."

"The three heads of the dragon?" Daemon kissed the two heads within reach. "That feels fitting to me."

"I shall focus my efforts on dragon designs, then," the jeweler said with another bow, and Daemon could not tell if his enthusiasm was from the opportunity to work with such a rare material, or the growing purse he anticipated receiving.

Even if Viserys weren't cheered enough by his return and meeting his sons to see it paid directly from the royal treasury, Daemon had spent very little of his own allowance these past few years. There were scant opportunities in the wastes of the Stepstones.

It was getting past midday, long enough since breakfast for hunger to make itself known in the growling stomachs of growing boys. The taverns at the base of Aegon’s Hill catered to visiting nobles and rich merchants of the area, their fare a good deal finer than would be found just a few roads further south, near the harbor.

A royal visitor was not uncommon in these parts, though it still afforded them a quiet table away from the small pocket of knights well on their way to a drunken stupor not even halfway through the day. He would have numbered among them once, Daemon mused. Not the knight part, of course. But he had drunk his way through most of the taverns in the city in his youth, often dragging Viserys along. His brother had been a more exuberant drunk then, prone to wild capers he would not otherwise consider when sober.

I wonder if he might consider stealing away some night. Even a king could wear a cloak, and if any tavernkeep were to notice, he would wisely pretend otherwise. It would do him good to remember life outside those walls.

And it would scandalize Otto Hightower, which was reason enough in itself.

Daemon turned his attention back to the twins, both of whom seemed comfortable enough in the tavern, though he imagined they would not have seen one growing up isolated in the Gates of the Moon. “I take it Ser Thoren brought you to a few inns along the way,” he said.

“Only a few,” Jon said. “On the road north through the Vale.”

A carafe of wine was brought to the table, along with bread fresh enough from the oven to be steaming. Slices of cold meat and cheese were brought out soon after. Daemon limited himself to a single cup, and let each of his sons try a sip, taking in their mutual nose crinkles at the taste with fond amusement that turned faintly bittersweet. There were many expressions he had still to learn, to discover which emphasized their similarities and which their differences.

Each delighted him, though he had a special fondness for when they mirrored one another. It spoke to an extra bond between them that comforted him somehow.

A special treat of warm, gooey raspberries served in a bowl with a generous heaping of cold cream atop it had been sent to their table, and both his sons had eagerly devoured theirs before turning faintly envious eyes to Daemon’s own half-eaten portion.

“Is there anything else you would like to see before we return to the jeweler, and then the keep?” he asked once they had finished off his dessert.

[starborncoven]

Greek God Apollo ☀️

Hello everyone! We wanted our first informative post to be about this amazing god who has lighten our paths many times during these years. So here you have a small post about him!

Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, titan of the light of night and, later, light of day; and twin brother of Artemis.

God of light, medicine, diseases, plagues, dance, music, writing, arts, divination and prophecy, initiation, colonization, archery, youth and male beauty, among other things.

His best known places of worship were Delphi and Delos, but Apollo's cults have been all over Greece and have been very varied. Moreover, as a god of colonization, many of his cults invaded the lands of others and forced them to worship Apollo. A well-known case is that of the women who worshipped Gaia who ended up being massacred by one of the cults of Apollo, and it was this fact that gave rise to the myth of Apollo and Daphne.

Being such a popular god in both Greece and Rome, he has a multitude of myths that reflect very well his diversity and ambivalence. Let's talk about, for example, that of his birth, which can also be consulted in the Homeric Hymn III to Apollo. Here we will speak only of one of the versions, since it has several.

It all begins when Zeus got Leto pregnant. Hera, who was jealous, made it impossible for Leto to give birth anywhere both on land and in the ocean. Luckily for Leto, his sister Asteria had also been harassed by Zeus and, to escape from him, had turned herself into a floating island by the name of Ortigia. Thus, Leto found a place to rest.

However, Hera had put more obstacles in her way. She had forbidden Ilithia, goddess of childbirth, to attend the titanide, so Leto spent nine days and nine nights in agony until the other gods managed to bribe Ilithia.

First Artemis was born, who assisted her mother to help in the birth of Apollo; he was born on the seventh day of the month, hence the number usually associated with the god.

Ortigia was renamed Delos, where a temple and a statue were established in honor of Apollo. From here comes one of his epithets: Delius Apollo.

On the other hand, the serpent or dragon Python resided in Delphi, where he had an oracle. It is said that one of his prophecies spoke that it would be a son of Leto who would kill him, so he had pursued the Titan during her pregnancy and did not stop until Zeus put a stop to it.

Thus, on the fourth day of his birth, Apollo set out for Delphi with his bow and arrows in hand to avenge his mother. There he killed Python with one of his arrows, and one of his epithets is "Apollo far-shooter", and took the oracle. Other versions say that he chased the dragon to Tempe and killed him there.

Apollo established his oracle in Delphi and, in honor of Python, placed his bones in a cauldron that would serve both for the oracle and for the initiation of the Pythia. And here is born another of his epithets: Apollo Pythius.

As you can see, he is a rational and at the same time visceral god. He has his reasons for killing Python, but he still doesn't think twice and does it.

There are many more myths, such as that of Admetus and Apollo, Niobe and the children of Leto, or the well-known myths of Apollo and his lovers (which are not few), such as Daphne, Hyacinth, Cassandra, Cipariso or Coronis. I invite you to read them and learn about him.

As for his attributes, Apollo is related to the number 7, to wolves for shepherding, to mice for plagues, to laurel for his myth with Daphne or even for his myth with Python and his victory against him, to hyacinths for the myth of Hyacinth and an endless number of animals, plants and crystals such as crows, cypresses or the sunstone.

He is also characterized by his silver bow, the sun and the lyre, which he acquired from Hermes.

Apollo is the chief of the muses and nymphs, the lord of the arts in all fields, although at the beginning it was especially of dance. And, if you want to work something related to the arts, Apollo is the right god.

The arts, oratory, divination, sports, self-esteem, self-respect, anxiety, medicine (biosanitary field in general), decision making, personal growth, etc., are areas that can be worked with him.

Personally I have a very good relationship with Apolo. I have been in contact with him for a few years now and we have worked on some things together, and I can assure you that it is a pleasure to work and talk with him. I don't want to generalize, because the gods present themselves differently to each person, but he tends to be patient and very kind, as well as funny if he trusts you.

Apollo is, in my opinion, such a diverse and magnificent god that you can learn everything from him. Just don't piss him off, because his bow never misses and it hurts when he shoots an arrow.

And so much for this divine Sunday! This month we dedicate it to Apollo in the account. What did you think? Do you want to know more about him? Have a sunny day ☀️

[fandoms--fluff]

Hey could you write for hope as an older sisterly figure to reader please?

Fairy Garden

Flufftober, October 20th

Kid female witch reader x sister figure Hope Mikaelson

Warnings: none

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you were taken to the school by Dr. Saltzman, the first person your eyes landed on was an older girl. She seems to be around 16 or 17. So a good chunk older than yourself being only 11.

You hadn't interacted with anyone during your first week, only watching the older pretty girl when she was around. You somehow felt safe around her even though you hadn't even known her name.

Though, one day she caught onto someone watching her and pinned it down to the new younger girl. She thought it was cute how you always were watching her when she was near, beside thinking it was a bit creepy at first. But she started to watch her as well, noticing how you haven't talked to anyone else. You seemed shy, and that's what drew her to go up to you in the middle of your third week at the school.

Since then, she's learned all about your past and how you don't really have anyone to talk to anymore, most of your family isn't around anymore and the ones who are alive have no idea about your witch identity.

She's also always been there for you over the past year. She introduced you to her friends, Lizzie and Josie, which to you it seems her and Lizzie are more like frenemies.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you all day" Hope sits next to you in the dining hall. You look up from your soup, "I was in the forest, reading" You tell her before bringing another spoonful of soup to your mouth.

"All day? How did you not get bored?" She chuckles, knowing you usually don't have a long attention span.

"I didn't want to be around people" You answered. "That's how you make friends though." She raises an eyebrow humorously.

"Well, most of the people here are weirdos" You whisper, making her chuckle again. "Yeah, we're all weirdos if you think about it enough" She says, making you laugh. "I also like sitting around all the flowers, it's peaceful out there. Well, except when the wolves are there" You tilt your head.

"Maybe you can show me where it is and show me how beautiful it really is" She rubs a hand on your smaller back. "Yeah, let's go! You're gonna love it" You bound up from the bench and table in excitement. You love it when you and Hope spend time together, it's always fun and even when you two are laughing diabolically or she's forcing you to do class work, it's always great and calming to have someone to rely on in the newer atmosphere.

"Ah ah, after you eat" she gently pushes you back down onto the bench. "Fine, Mom" you sass her before slurping down the rest of your soup quickly. She rolls her eyes playfully. She swear , one day you're gonna choke if you keep that up, she thinks but doesn't say anything out loud to have more sass spilling out of you.

It's weird, she's always wanted to have someone closer in age in her family since she was little and it was just her and her Mom. She's always thought of how cool it would be to have a little sister all while growing up, and now she thinks she's finally got one.

Now you may not be related by blood but she would care for and protect you as if you were. She's basically brought you in and treats you and calls you (in her head) her baby sister.

You swallow the rest of the soup from the bowl before placing it abck down onto the wooden tray. "Can we go now?" You ask her. "One second" She picks up your napkin and wipes it around your mouth, cleaning all the soup that dripped there.

You slap her hand away. "Okay, I get it, I get it. I'm not a baby" You tell her, embarrassed. She smirks before putting the napkin on the tray as well. "Well, we don't have all day, the sun is about to set, so why don't we go out there, huh?" She asks.

"Yes!" You jumped up off the bench and ran to the tray return table and dropped off your tray before running back over to Hope who stood up while you went off.

"Let's go" You grasp onto her hand and practically drag her out the doors and down to the forest. Hope just goes along, knowing you're buzzing with energy. How you have all of it? She has no idea, but it makes her happy you're not just bottling it all in and keeping to yourself anymore.

You lead her through the forest carefully, not wanting to smack into any branches or trip over any roots. "Almost there....And here we are" You let go of Hope's hand to present the clearing you had found to her.

There's beautiful colourful flowers litteres around with vines dangling from huge trees as well as healthy, deep green grass that's perfect for sitting on. "Wow, this really is beautiful and peaceful" She takes it all in before turning back over to where your sitting on a low tree branch.

You must of climbed onto it while she wasn't looking. "How'd you find this place? It's amazing" She walks over to you and leans against the branch next to your legs.

"I followed a bunny who was hopping and ended up here. I found it a couple weeks ago. I call it my fairy garden because it looks like a place where tinker bell and all the other fairies would live" You tell her animatedly, your eyes lighting up in a way she's never seen in the almost year she's known you.

"You're really happy here, huh?" She asks you softly. "I am. And now you can be happy here too" You swing your legs back and forth and smile at her.

"Yeah." She gently says before going back to taking in the scenery along with you.

[maverick-werewolf]

Werewolf Fact #75 - Cynocephali (dog-headed men)

This month's folklore fact is a long-awaited one from over on the Patreon: the cynocephali or "dog-headed men."

Some depictions of cynocephali (the one above is from the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493) are mistaken for werewolves fairly frequently; there are several differences of note, including but not limited to the fact that they are otherwise very, very human (normal hands and feet, no tail, etc) and that their ears are not always shaped like a wolf's/pointing directly upright. They often are, however, so don't take the ear shape as a surefire thing, either. When in doubt, make sure the depiction is actually meant to be showing a werewolf before using it for, I don't know, a royalty-free image in your werewolf publication (I've seen several). The cynocephali do not shapeshift, nor are they associated with wolves. They have nothing to do with werewolves. Yes, it was just a plot to make you click this link and read about cynocephali.

Cynocephali, or singular cynocephalus, is a term derived from the original Greek word "kynokephaloi," meaning "dog-headed." They have other names as well, which mean a range of things such as "dog-faced" and "half-dog." They were mentioned in assorted accounts and tales of travelers in Africa and India, appearing in sources as old as ancient Greece, and some similar beings can be found in other cultures, such as China. Likewise, depictions of and discussions of such beings continue into the Middle Ages. This same term was later used to refer to baboons, to which no-fun modern day scholars now attribute all cynocephali legends (although we do have at least one Ottoman depiction of a cynocephalus battling a monkey).

There are many quotes across various sources and time periods about these beings, including but not limited to this one from the fifth century BC Greek historian Herodotus, Histories 4. 191. 3 (trans. Godley) [source: Theoi]

"For the eastern region of Libya, which the Nomads inhabit, is low-lying and sandy as far as the Triton river; but the land west of this, where the farmers live, is exceedingly mountainous and wooded and full of wild beasts. In that country are the huge snakes and the lions, and the elephants and bears and asps, the horned asses, the Kunokephaloi (Cynocephali) (Dog-Headed) and the Headless Men that have their eyes in their chests, as the Libyans say, and the wild men and women, besides many other creatures not fabulous."

Some stories of the cynocephali are also frightfully specific as to how they live, rear livestock, grow fruit, weave baskets, wage war, and much more, even including details of their society, clothing, how long they live, etc. It's all quite interesting. If you'd like to read more specific quotations, you can find many on one of my favorite websites, Theoi.

Sources seem to dispute one another as to whether they bark, do not bark but only howl, only shriek, or whatever other sounds they may make, and there is also a range of descriptions including elements such as if they have beards and whether hair covers their bodies as well as the dog-head. Overall, probably the majority of sources say they wear the skins of animals as opposed to having fur, but there are those that also call them hairy all over.

Please note that I will not be covering/discussing any gods from ancient Egypt in this post, because despite what some modern day scholars like to discuss, I don't consider them "cynocephali." They were wolf-headed deities, not dog-headed (or even jackal-headed), and are overall only related to cynocephali legends by proxy and by modern scholars always putting everything into blasted categories for their next thesis. There were some dog-headed deities in ancient Egypt, and Anubis, Wepwawet, Duamutef, etc, were not among them, and even then, we can't really assert that the dog-headed deities among the ancient Egyptians are actually related to other legends and records of cynocephali.

With that out of the way, let's continue...

One of my personal favorite stories involving a dog-headed man is a version of the tale of Saint Christopher, though these depictions and this tale are not seen as canon by churches and has been proscribed in Eastern Orthodoxy (where such depictions were generally most common). Some of these depictions still survive, however. Some sources believe that Byzantine depictions of a dog-headed Christopher come from mistaking "Cananeus" (meaning "Canaanite") for "caninus," i.e. canine.

In the story about a dog-headed Saint Christopher, there lives Reprebrus (among other variations of his name; ultimately, they all essentially mean "reprobate"), who is captured by Romans in battle and made to serve among them. Reprebrus was said to be of "enormous size," with the head of a dog, said to be typical of his kind. He was later baptized and martyred. However, in another version (this one from Germany), Saint Christopher is depicted as a giant cynocephalus who ate human flesh and performed many atrocities. He meets the Christ child later and carries him across a river, as in tradition (the name Christopher means "bearer of Christ") and repents for his sinful behavior. He is baptized and becomes human, dedicating himself to serving Christianity and became a soldier saint.

There are far more fascinating details in the story than I relayed here in extreme simplicity, but that's a very simple view (the story is actually very specific about different regions and even the unit in which he served).

Other depictions of cynocephali exist in certain Christian traditions, with Ahrakas and Augani sometimes being depicted with dog heads in Coptic Christian tradition, in the life and legend of Saint Mercurius.

Bestiaries also got pretty wild with the creatures depicted therein, many of which were also mentioned in classical sources (such as the Herodotus quote earlier in this post). The image above is from between 1357 and 1371, in a work called The Voyage and Travels of Sir John Mandeville, or simply Mandeville's Travels, the memoirs of a man who traveled across the Middle East, India, and even as far as China. Medieval bestiaries also recorded all the same creatures shown here: a monopod or sciapod, a cyclops, a blemmy, and a cynocephalus, each different civilizations of beings said to dwell across the world (and often cited in multiple sources over considerable spans of time, which generally cite the same or similar regions for each civilization, which I've always found very interesting).

Mentions of the cynocephali span across centuries, such as in works by scribe Paul the Deacon, a Benedictine monk, and they are even mentioned in the Nowell Codex, a surviving Old English work containing Beowulf (as well as a work of the life of Saint Christopher and Wonders of the East, among others). They are also acknowledged in the works of multiple noteworthy explorers, including but not limited to Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, Ibn Battuta, and Piri Reis.

With that, I think that's a decent overview! Hope you enjoyed the post.

And stay tuned for news and updates on a major [werewolf/fantasy/adventure/horror/epic] book release later this year!

If you like my blog, be sure to follow me here and elsewhere for much more folklore and fiction, including books, especially on werewolves! You can also sign up for my free newsletter for monthly werewolf/vampire/folklore facts, a free story, book previews, and my other sundry projects and works, such as plushes.

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[fistfightinganxietyandlosing]

I desperately crave Apollo depictions that give him mouse or wolflike features. Why?

Well, Apollo was actually sometimes referred to as Apollo Smintheus which means mouse-god(although in the words of Edith Hamilton's Gods and Heroes - whether this was because he protected mice or killed them no one really knows).

As for the wolf bit, one of Apollo's other names is Lycegenes meaning wolf-born or born-from-Lycia and in the Illiad, Apollo is given the epithet "the Lycian" which means the wolf-god or related-to-Lycia. Additionally, Lycia itself is often called wolf-land; it's said(in some versions of his birth) that Apollo's mother, Leto, was led there by wolves - and it's far from her only association with them. In other variations of the twins' delivery, Leto turns into a she-wolf and goes into labor in this form. However, it's important to note that not all of Apollo's connections with wolves are pleasant ones. He is also known as Lycoctonus(slayer/killer of wolves) due to his nature as a protector of flocks!

All this to say, I think that Apollo's association with mice and wolves are just really cool aspects of his character that are hardly ever talked about :D

[divorceblogger]

started thinking about this quote in interview with the vampire which first floats the idea about notions of nobility and class relations also infecting vampire social relations when it discusses revenants and the repulsion they evoke amongst members of the parisian coven. claudia, who is raised by aristocratic fathers, calls them monsters, also separating them out as a species apart from themselves:

it also has a lot of implications for the conversations being had in the vampire lestat that I’ll put under a cut.

In the vampire lestat, the first chapter opens with lestat explaining how hunting is a privilege reserved for lords, and explains that his duty as an aristocrat is to kill the wolves harassing the villagers under his father’s feudal rule in order to protect them and prevent their livestock (sheep, specifically, are named) from being stolen:

which allows us to segue into a conversation where soon after his turning - after accepting his title as magnus’s heir - lestat asserts that paris is his kingdom:

and going back to the previous excerpts, livestock can now easily translate to humans in the context of lestat’s vampiric transformation.

further, the children of darkness are described as “weak things” who possess “thin limbs” and are “barely swathed in rags”. There’s also a quote that says - “they were staring at the buckles on our shoes, at our hair, and at our faces, with such distress they appeared menacing and hungry.” lestat cuts them with his jewelled sword from horseback and tramples them when they attack him. in essence, the children of darkness are being equated with peasants and commoners.

the protection of lestat’s landed interests and his livestock is also described as being threatened by the impoverished vampires who’re also then compared to wolves who seek to keep him from enjoying the benefits and privileges of his position. and now the term monsters is also floated again, in the same context of highlighting class divides by othering members of the same species:

so the children of darkness end up being treated like monstrous outsiders despite having spent centuries living and hunting in these very grounds because of a usurping lord. of course they’re very understandably upset about gabrielle and lestat flouting their rules and trampling all over the laws that dictate their way of life, however flawed they are.

Edit: coming back to add this quote because it does confirm my theory that the children of darkness were purposely coded to resemble the lower classes -

[polliwoggers]

if you guys happen to remember my Kirby warrior cats AU from nearly a year ago then you'll be happy to know it has. uh. Mutated! hope you like alien cat genetics lmao

Being in the Kirby style, the "cats" are actually aliens that look & behave like cats. I'm considering calling the species "Tabies" (singular is "Taby", as in Tabby + Baby) but i'm not fully set on that yet. They are not the same species as Nago; not even from the same planet.

I've decided that while the warrior cats themselves are mostly adapted from Kirby game characters, the forest itself is in the KRBAY canon. Things just lined up better for the sorts of species I wanted to include. There ARE game enemies I've adapted into "normal" animals to make the world feel more Kirby-like, but overall it was just easier to place everything in a KRBAY setting where they already have things like "normal sheep" and "normal rat" -- not to mention plant species!

Anyway the forest exists in some temperate region on anime Popstar and is not directly part of the tropic-based Dreamland, but does maintain trade relations. I'd actually intended to make the map look like a literal in-universe travel guide to promote tourism, but then I didn't do that. Because it was hard and i didn't want to

The tabies and a handful of other useful species (including Awoofies) were brought over a long time ago when select parts of Popstar were in contact with pre-collapse Forgotten Land. Feral populations have since become naturalized into this temperate region's ecosystem. The ancestors of the Jackal-things from the fourth image were domestic Awoofies that went feral very early after their introduction, making the Jackal-things technically moreso akin to dingoes. Primal Awoofies, on the other hand, are what Awoofies were originally domesticated from, making them like wolves. They didn't bring over any Primal Awoofies to Popstar, I just wanted to draw one.

I'll spare you the Lore™ of these particular warrior Clans for now but it DOES exist and you WILL hear it. eventually maybe idk

anyway have this wide ass family tree

[panlight]

Something that's bothered me is how the imprintees are pretty much ordinary people. They're mortal and can just die long before the wolf even does unless they make themselves stop phasing (which apparently is hard to do) and the gene is hereditary, so it's not like they can be turned. In fact, the whole "imprinting = higher chance of more wolves" theory gets rendered useless if the imprintee can easily be turned into a vampire and killed just as well.

In the House of Night series (enjoyed it when I was younger, but re-reading it in recent years, ugh the writing is just Not Good), imprinting is also a thing there, but they make it so the imprintee's blood doesn't really appeal to the vampires (or "vampyres", as they're called) other than the one who imprinted. (At one point, the vampyres try to feed on the imprinted human's blood, but complain that it "smells/tastes wrong".) Also, at least in this imprinting there's no loss of free will....

I would've loved for something similar in Twilight's take on imprinting. At least let them have some edge to maybe get any vampires that might feed on/turn them to back off or avoid them (kinda to parallel how the werewolves' existence is connected with the vampires). Heck, they could even just be poisoned by venom instead of turned just like the wolves! It's weird just how..."helpless" the imprintee is; they're just regular people but with a wolf who's head over heels for them.

I've often wondered what would happen if one of the imprintees were turned into a vampire. Would it break the bond or is it so unbreakable that the wolf wouldn't care? Pre-BD I thought for sure it would ruin it, but now that Jacob imprinted on someone who was BORN half-vampire I'm not so sure.

It genuinely makes me worried that if any of the unimpirinted wolf pack members were to meet Nahuel's sisters they might imprint. I hesitate even to speak this into existence. But all the other imprintees are descended from or related to past shifters except Nessie, but as a hybrid Nessie also has the same number of chromosome pairs as the shapeshifters do, which SM went out of her way to tell us. She seems to imply it makes them genetically compatible and if that's desirable to imprinting magic then there are other female hybrids out there.

(Of course, there's also Leah and Nahuel but as far as we know Leah is infertile and they presumably crossed paths when he was there at the end of BD and she apparently didn't imprint).

On the one hand I do kind of like the other imprints are just normal people; one of the ways imprinting makes the most sense to me if it's to help ground the shapeshifters to the real world. They are functionally immortal and invincible as long as they keep phasing; it would be easy for that knowledge and power to corrupt someone just as it corrupts vampires. They start seeing non-shifting humans as inferior, as less than, they lose focus of their role as protectors and let the power go to their head. But if they've imprinted on a regular human, if that human is the center of their world and their #1 priority, it keeps them from straying too far into supernatural land.

(but again . . . not a factor with Jacob and Nessie!)

But on the other hand, I agree that it's frustrating they are so vulnerable. When someone has that kind of power over someone else (the center of their entire universe with no free will), it makes them a target. The Volturi, for example, know all about this now, since Aro touched Edward and Nessie at the confrontation. So if Aro wanted to try and force the shapeshifters to do pretty much anything, all he has to do is threaten or kidnap or whatever the imprintees. What wouldn't Sam do for Emily? Jared for Kim? Paul for Rachel? Quil for Claire? They wouldn't even have a CHOICE about it! The WHOLE PACK tolerated a dozen vampires visiting Forks the sake of Jacob's imprint, after all. The girls are helpless against vampires. It really puts them in a dangerous spot, so even something like "they smell unappealing to vampires" or "their blood is also poisonous like the shifter's" or "like Bella immune to all vampire powers" would help protect them a little bit.