#taxus

[teashh]

I have to write this rant about the Shepherd King Duology. Because I re-read it and let me tell you; it's one of the best series I've read in ages. The characters, the world building and the writing just pulls you in. I finished both the books in one sitting. All the characters are just so damn loveable with their quirks and signs. And there are a few relationship dynamics that just tug at your heart.

Elm and Elspeth's love hate relationship.

Ravyn and Elspeth's passionate relationship, such that even distance and a king cannot dull it.

Elspeth's father giving her a yarrow every nameday and during the wedding

Elm saying he's better looking than Ravyn

The nightmare constantly thinking everyone is dumb

The nightmare caring for Elspeth like his own child

The nightmare choosing Elspeth over his own descendant

The nightmare saying something and then Ravyn being like "she didn't say that"

The rhymes that are sprinkled throughout the book

The shepherd king's Revenge

Ione's gentle determination and kindness

The shepherd king's kids begging him to come spend time with them

The way the nightmare describes every single character with their respective tree oof.

And this is just off the top of my head. The world building, the Providence cards, the magic system. It was so unique. And the plot twist was literally Chekhov's gun. And the quote "He has looked pain in the eye - and refused to let it make a monster of him". Rachel gillig, the woman you are.

[merovingian-marvels]

Yggdrasil

Yggdrasil is a tree from Nordic myth that acts as an Axis Mundis, a way to connect different “worlds” to the one we know.

The world tree was previously labeled as a European Ash, but research from 1911 suggests it may be a Taxus instead. Taxi were called “needle ash” in Old Norse which may have let to the confusion. The Eddic texts mention Yggdrasil as vetgrønster vida, meaning “evergreen”, which ash trees are not. The importance of evergreens was established well before the Vikings, going as far back as the Iron Age. It is no coincidence that our current Christmas trees are evergreens.

One of the meanings to Ygg is “ageless, everlasting or age-old”, taxi can live tens of thousands of years. Yggdrasil and Odin are completely intertwined, with both the god and the tree representing drift.

Image credit: unknown Danish engraver for Oluf Olufsen Bagge’s “Prose Edda”, 1847

[dealbrekker]

Guys, do you think that when Elspeth married Ravyn in the meadow by the room, and her father handed her to Ravyn, another, nearly imperceptible hand lingered on hers a little longer, before she took Ravyn's?

Because that's all I'm thinking about right now.

[alleghenyfeverdreams]

Winter Solstice things: yew branch with cone, 2023

[saskle]

Day 10/30 of #pleinairpril2025 Theme: plant again

It seems the further we proceed into this challenge, the more elaborate my paintings become. This has to stop, it is not sustainable! XD

[les-portes-du-sud]

Taxus baccata / If commun

De la famille des Taxacées, l’if (Taxus) porte des fruits rouges à la fin de l’été. Attention ils sont toxiques (fruits, noyaux ainsi que les feuilles). Symptômes troubles digestifs, vertiges, troubles cardiaques et neurologiques graves. L’ingestion des feuilles est mortelle.

[ochipi]

Learned something new today. Taxus trees contain taxine. It’s so dangerous it basically is the origin of the word “toxic”.

Useless information I’ll randomly throw into conversations that are about nothing.

[ignite-the-stars]

I love their relationship

[emilyharriet]

Yew hedge, Roundhay Park, Leeds (UK). 2024.

[fairdig]

Traditional Patio - Fire Pit Ideas for a small, traditional courtyard concrete paver patio renovation that includes a fire pit

[teashh]

Also another reason The Shephered King Duology was so good was because Rachel Gillig used "Show, don't Tell" so well. She showed emotions, experiences and events that shaped the characters and she told us the feelings. It was so easy to get immersed into the book.

[sol-domino]

DC Metro Brick Pavers Front Yard

Summertime landscaping ideas for a large front yard with partial sun brick.

[joelvdk]

Pool Water Slide in Lille An illustration of a small, minimalist backyard water slide with decking.

[blobsandberries]

Pool Water Slide in Lille

An illustration of a small, minimalist backyard water slide with decking.

[snototter]

A male American badger (Taxidea taxus) in Marin County, California, USA

by Robin Gwen Agarwal