#way of the burryman

[landscaping-your-mind]

BRIGADIER: What happened to your hair?

[NINTH] DOCTOR: It's practical! Anyway, like you can talk, silver fox.

BRIGADIER: I say.

DOCTOR: Strong look, though. Sarah Jane always knew you'd go distinguished. Or was that Harry?

BRIGADIER: Sarah Jane? And Harry? Lieutenant Sullivan. My, my, my, it really is you, isn't it, Doctor. Regenerated. Again.

DOCTOR: Quick as ninepence, me.

BRIGADIER: A Doctor with a buzzcut. Well, I never. We'll make a soldier out of you yet.

DOCTOR: (Hostile) Don't.

[Beat]

(Bright) What are you doing, falling off a cliff? You daft old man.

Man.

[dwimpossblog]

Way of the Burryman

The Doctor arrives in Scotland, where he is reunited with the Brigadier, but an old enemy is lurking in Way of the Burryman! #DoctorWho #DrWho #WayOfTheBurryman #Eccleston #NinthDoctor #BigFinish #Audio #Review

I’ve met people displaced through time, that accounts for a certain type of haunting. Then there are the presences that cross other dimensions, parallel or otherwise.Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart Synopsis Young Sam Bishop is at a crossroads with girlfriend Fiona: she’s staying in Scotland, he wants to travel the world. As the Burryman celebrations begin, ghosts haunt the Forth Bridge. Brigadier…

[gallifreywhere]

Why aren't there more posts about the 9th Doctor Adventures? 😢

[midwestbramble]

Burdock

Arctium spp.

Ruled by ♀

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Contents:

Overview

Folklore

Uses in Witchcraft

Safety Notes

Conclusion

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Overview

Native to Europe and Asia (known as Gobo in Japan), and being introduced world wide, Burdock is a hardy biennial that does well in most environments but is most commonly found along disturbed edges of fields and waste sites.

First year burdock has large, triangular, and fuzzy basal leaves, similar to rhubarb, that grow to more than a foot long. Though don’t confuse the two as rhubarb leaves are toxic. The leaves are alternate and on petioles with the lower ones coarser than the higher ones. The second year plant is bushier and sends up a stalk two to five feet tall. Composite flowers bloom in late spring to about midsummer before turning into burs and spreading seed.

The first year root is easiest to harvest. It’s long and sturdy and best harvested in the spring or fall in an area with soft, rich, well-drained soil, being sure to avoid areas with herbicide application (as burdock is considered a weed), lead contamination, or other environmental pollutants. Dig in a wide circumference to avoid cutting the root and once procured, scrub clean. Backfill any holes. The small greens of the first year plant can also be gathered, as well as the stalk of the second year plant before it goes to flower.

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Folklore

-Thunder and Thor-

Jacob Grimm, in his Teutonic Mythology (pg. 183), notes burdock as one of the plants thought to protect a home from lightning strikes when planted on the roof. He also makes the connection to Thor (Thunar) by leaving this piece of information in the chapter on the god himself. A similar belief is noted by the Folklore Thursday blog as being found in Poland, however the plant keeps away witches, evil, and wind instead and no connection to Thor.

-Æcerbot-

An Anglo-Saxon charm from the 11th century, meant to make the land productive and fruitful for the coming growing season. In this charm, it is stated that “the Saxon use… bits from all the herbs except burdock.” It is assumed by Bruce Rosenberg in his article “The Meaning of Æcerbot” that is not because it has tenuous associations with the Devil and is simply a nuisance; the Saxons may have believed it would contaminate the other herbs if they believed the same.

-Burryman's Parade-

According to British Folk Customs by Christina Hole (no longer available on Internet Archive where I first read it), South Queensferry holds a unique parade, reminiscent of other English folk traditions, the day before the Ferry Fair. The parade consists of a man dressed head to toe in clothes covered in burrs from burdock, only able to see his eyes, and his two attendants. These three travel door to door collecting money and gifts and are thought to bring luck and possibly carry away evil afflicting the community. It is thought that if the tradition dies out, it would bring misfortune to the town.

-Burdock Necklace-

According to Ozark Superstitions, children are best protected from bewitchment by wearing a necklace of dried burdock roots. Though it was recognized to not be fool-proof as there are a couple of ways to take away a curse listed with it.

-Albanian Exorcism-

A rite to exorcise demons from plants so they produce fruit again is found in the paper “A Historical Overview of Ethnobotanical Data in Albania 1800s-1940s.” Here the burdock leaf is used as a sacrifice to the aerial demon of the other plant, wine soaked bread being spread over it with a reading from the gospel by a priest.

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Uses in Witchcraft

Burdock is another protective plant. There are many folk ways in which it is worked with. Everything from the roots to the burrs, appear to be used as well. Take a look at the folklore listed above and see if you get inspired by them.

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Safety Notes

Individuals with allergic sensitivity to Asteraceae (daisy) family plants may be sensitive to burdock.

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Conclusion

This time I didn't give any suggestions as to how to employ this plant. There are so many direct examples of use, I didn't see the point. If you've worked with burdock before, what suggestions do you have? Did you get any inspiration for how to work with it in the future?

References:

Midwest Medicinal Plants by Lisa M. Rose

Midwest Foraging by Lisa M. Rose

[thedoctorwhocompanion]

Out Now: The Ninth Doctor Reunites with Some Old Friends for Big Finish

Out Now: The Ninth #DoctorWho Reunites with Some Old Friends for @bigfinish

Big Finish’s Ninth Doctor Adventures Series 1 comes to an end in the fourth boxset Old Friends, where the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) attends a galactic funeral like no other, before reuniting with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (played here by Jon Culshaw), and UNIT’s Lieutenant Sam Bishop (Warren Brown) against the Cybermen (Nicholas Briggs) in the epic two-part finale. Speaking of the…

[being-of-rain]

I listened to the first ‘season’ of the Ninth Doctor Adventures- and it was really really good! With the exception of the first set, which I thought was just good-to-okay (and that because my expectations were set low for Nick Briggs, sorry), I found all the other episodes... well, fantastic! Lots of authors brought their A-game for the chance to write for Nine. Both Monsters in Metropolis and Way of the Burryman/The Forth Generation have to be some of my favourite Cybermen stories (even if the attempt to link them didn’t make a lot of sense). A recommended series!

If I can gripe for just a second (and history suggests that I can), I half remembered a quote from a Big Finish news article earlier this year about the fifth 9DAs volume, so I went to look it up. “Script editor Matt Fitton said ‘After the big arc of the last series we’ve gone for more standalone stories dotted across the whole run.’“ In what universe does a two-parter at the end and a small (and like I said, kind of nonsensical) link to a previous episode count as a “big arc”?? I don’t think Big Finish has ever been the best at story arcs, and as someone who’s fan of story arcs, it always annoys me when they announce that they’re going to go “for more standalone stories,” as if they usually do anything else. Give us an actual story arc! It can do wonders for character depth and development, I promise!

ANYWAYS, that wasn’t related to the quality of the episodes at all. Like I said, very good series, and looking forward to listening to more. In fact, I only just remembered that Liv and Tania are going to be in volume 7! I’m hyped!

[mapsofthelost]

THE BURRYMAN 

The most famous Burryman is the one who walks the streets of South Queensferry on the second Friday of August. Resplendent and terrifying in equal measure in his suit made of the burrs of the burdock plant and the flowered staves that support his arms, he parades through the town taking a dram in every pub through a straw, bringing good luck to one and all.

There are a few villages in Scotland who have a similar tradition, though they all in the shadow of the attention the Queensferry Burryman gets. There's one though, a small village that's a little out of the way, where if you're a stranger you feel everyone who passes you turn to look. If you happen to be there on the day of the Burryman parade, make every effort not to be there another moment.

 If you stay, the Burryman will stagger close to you, and you'll feel embarrassed and think he's there to show the stranger up, and a tiny part of you will worry about drunken rural horseplay turning into real violence, but then when this Burryman gets close to you, so close to you, you'll see that each burr that makes up his suit isn't a burr at all, it's a tiny, tiny screaming head, and then he's onto you, wrapping his arms around you, and the tiny heads scream and scream and scream.

Photo Madir / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queensferry_Burryman.jpg

[thebashfulbotanist]

This Wednesday’s Weed is common burdock, Arctium minus! This plant is invasive where I live in Washington State, but although a crop weed, it’s edible and helpful to native wildlife where it belongs in Europe and Asia. Honey bees are very fond of this plant, and rely on it for nectar! 

Burdock has a large edible taproot that can be eaten raw or soaked in water, or pickled. The young flower stalks (and even young leaves) can also be eaten after peeling, and are good both raw and boiled. It does have a bit of a strong flavor, and boiling can help reduce that. 

As its name would suggest, burdock forms large burrs in the fall, which attach to animals and birds to aid seed dispersal. Sometimes, this can even entrap and harm smaller animals, unfortunately, and the burrs can hurt even a larger animal that’s unable to remove them from their fur. There are a few good things about the burrs, though. For one, they inspired George de Mestral of Switzerland to create Velcro after seeing them get stuck on his dog! Plus, without burrs, we wouldn’t have the Burryman festival in Edinburgh, where a man gets entirely covered in burrs and paraded seven miles through South Queensferry while getting absolutely smashed on whiskey he’s offered along the way. 

[penelopecat]

Managed to get up and walk again, finishing Fond Farewell (which was great) and started Way of the Burryman, featuring the return of some familiar… voices, I guess. It’s off to a great start as well. I feel like it’s appropriate that I started listening to a set of stories featuring the first new series Doctor on the same day the latest actor to play the role was announced. #thismakesmehappy #bigfinishproductions #bigfinishdoctorwho #doctorwho #bbcdoctorwho #doctorwho_bbca #doctorwhoaudios #audiobook #audiobooks #audiodrama #ninthdoctoradventures #ninthdoctor #christophereccleston #chriseccleston #oldfriends #fondfarewell #davidkbarnes #wayoftheburryman #roygill https://www.instagram.com/p/CdVx6dor8M7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[tindogpodcast]

TDP 1052: #DoctorWho Ninth Doctor Old Friends

This title was released in February 2022. It will be exclusively available to buy from the Big Finish website until 30 April 2022, and on general sale after this date.

Travelling the universe alone, the Doctor can’t help running into people. Some are new acquaintances, and some have a much longer history, back through all of his lives.

4.1 Fond Farewell by David K Barnes Fond Farewell is the intergalactic funeral parlour with a difference: the deceased attend their own wake! Invited by celebrated naturalist Flynn Beckett to his memorial, the Doctor finds he's not quite the man he was. But who would steal the memories of the dead?

4.2 Way of the Burryman by Roy Gill Young Sam Bishop is at a crossroads with girlfriend Fiona: she’s staying in Scotland, he wants to travel the world. As the Burryman celebrations begin, ghosts haunt the Forth Bridge. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart arrives to investigate – and so does the Doctor…

4.3 The Forth Generation by Roy Gill The Forth Generation have emerged. The Doctor, the Brigadier, Sam and Fiona are at their mercy. Is there a way to defeat them? Has UNIT learned from the past? And can the enemy’s nature be changed for the future?

  Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart © Haisman & Lincoln and used under licence. With thanks to Hannah Haisman and Candy Jar

A new Tin Dog Podcast

[landscaping-your-mind]

I love Scottish girls in Doctor Who

[tipsycad147]

The Green Man Legend: Pagan Origins & Modern Sightings

The Green Man is a forest spirit steeped in folklore dating back hundreds (possibly thousands) of years. Sources say the Green Man legend originated in Europe; however, stories and evidence circulate worldwide. If you google “The Green Man”, you’ll find a plethora of information on the Green Man motifs and sculptures found on churches all over Europe. But there’s much more to the Green Man legend. Is this forest god merely an old pagan legend or is he real? These are the Green Man pagan origins and TRUE modern sightings.

DISCLOSURE: I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you information about the paranormal and paganism.

The Green Man Legend: Pagan Origins

The first time I’d read about the Green Man, the legend grabbed my attention and didn’t let go. I’ve always had a fascination with forest spirits, fairies, and gods but the Green Man holds a special place in my wild heart. The Green Man, while overlooked in modern times as a piece of Medieval art, was once a forest god to our pagan ancestors. He wasn’t just a forest god – he was the ultimate guardian of the forest.

Who is the Green Man?

The Green Man, as previously mentioned, is the ancient guardian of the forest. He’s depicted as being a man with green skin and covered completely in foliage of various types. The most popular Green Man illustrations show him with oak leaves and acorns, hawthorn leaves, and sometimes holly leaves and berries. Sometimes leaves spew from his mouth. He is an ever-present symbol of rebirth, rejuvenation, and the life and death cycle. His job is to keep the woods wild – to preserve the wildlife of the forest (plants, trees, rivers, and animals) threatened by our modern advancements. He is essentially a king of the fairies of the forest.

The Green Man Pagan God, Jack in the Green, and the Burryman

It’s been theorised the Green Man was once a central figure of May Day, in ancient times called Beltane, a fertility celebration of Spring/Summer. While scholars debate this notion, the Green Man hasn’t been forgotten and has been carried through to modern times by way of the English Jack in the Green tradition. Jack in the Green is a custom performed on May Day in which a man is dressed all in foliage and paraded in a procession. The tradition nearly died out but has seen a revival because of pagan groups in England. While seemingly odd in modern times, in ancient times it might have been performed as a means to ensure a bountiful summer (fertility and good luck!). A similar tradition in Scotland called the Burryman exists today, in which a man is covered in a costume made of nothing but burdock heads (burries) and waltzed around town to ensure good luck for the coming year. And again, in Derbyshire, the Garland King is dressed all in flowers. The tradition of covering oneself in foliage isn’t a new idea and many believe it originated with our pagan ancestors in a pre-Christian Europe.

The Wild Man of the Woods

The Green Man holds space with many mythical woodland creatures and gods. In fact, he may be the same or have inspired the legends of other similar beings such as the Wild Men of the Woods (AKA woodwose, wodwose, wudwas), the horned god Cernunnos, and Greek forest spirits called fauns. Wildmen of the Woods are forest beings pre-dating the Church in Europe whose origins are now somewhat shrouded in mystery – just like the Green Man. The Wildmen of the Woods were men who lived in the woods, sometimes depicted as being covered in hair, with an otherworldly wisdom outside the realm of humans. Wildmen of the Woods might have once been pagan gods, demonised by the Church, who have fallen into the category of “folklore” after their cults fell under the pressure of conversion. With the commencement of the Dark Ages, people were warned of going too deep into the woods for fear of encountering beasts, fairies, and wild men of the woods. Were these Wildmen of the Woods the same thing as the Romans’ fauns? Were they the same as the Green Man?

The Fauns and Cernunnos

Fauns are a Roman mythological creature mirroring the Wild Men of the Woods. The difference between the two was the faun’s goat-legs and features. But make no mistake – both were hairy beasts that lived in the forests. Both partied like rock stars. Both were feared and revered. Very similar to the Green Man (except the Green Man was covered in leaves instead of hair). I’d also like to point out the legend and cult of Cernunnos – the horned god of the Celts. Again, we have a being who was lord of the forest, who bore horns on his head whose epithets are seen all over the European continent. While we have named him Cernunnos, we don’t truly know what his name was or if he was the same creature or many. I am not the first to make the comparison between fauns and Cernunnos, nor am I the first to compare Cernunnos to the Green Man legend. For they ALL represent that primal, wild part of man who once communed with nature. They ALL symbolise the untouched parts of the forest that refuse to be tamed. They are ALL fertile, virile creatures with a love for the wild. And while most of us see these beings as fantasy, they were once more than that.

Modern Green Man Sightings

The Green Man legend is more than a legend. There are green man sightings in modern times, confirming the fact that the Green Man pagan god was more than a god. He was an ever-present spirit in ancient times that has survived through to modern times. Via the Sasquatch Chronicles, a man in England recalls his Green Man sighting as a boy. He claims he and his friends were putting up a swing in the woods, when afterward he encountered a seven-foot-tall man with long hair and caked in leaves. He believes this to be the Green Man of legend and still has nightmares about it. It’s funny that many Green Man sightings are attributed to being a similar creature as Big Foot. The people who claim to see him say he is covered in hair and ALSO leaves. I’d lead you back to the section on the Wildmen of the Woods for further assumptions.

In a recent trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia, my mom and I snapped some random photos of the woods near our cabin. We could literally feel the presence of nature spirits all around us. While it was exciting, it was also unnerving and we felt a little paranoid at one point. After looking at the photos taken of the woods that night, a large, leafy face emerged – the Green Man. The Green Man is the guardian of the forest. I believe he is either one of many spirits that are the same type or he is the same spirit that is omnipresent in all the world’s forests. Either way, it is clear he is the protector of wildlife and will make his presence known if he feels there is a threat to his territory.

https://otherworldlyoracle.com/green-man-legend-sightings/

[magnusmadssen]

Lōemis Winter Solstice Festival 2019

Winter has arrived in Wellington, and the Lōemis Winter Solstice Festival is back again, in it’s forth year,  during the week of the 14th to the 22nd of June, and there’s heaps of exciting events happening in the Capital!What is the Lōemis Winter Solstice Festival?: For seven days, the Lōemis Winter Solstice Festival  observes the longest nights of the year with a hearty mix of feasting, theatre, music, monstrous creatures and a fiery waterfront procession, based around the winter solstice, which falls on 22 June.

For more information on what events are on, check out the Lōemis website and Facebook page.

  In the mean time, why not get into the “festival” season with:

  Festival folk : an atlas of carnival customs and costumes.

A beautifully illustrated compedium of weird and wonderful festival costumes around the world. All around the world there are festivals that reach back through the sands of time to the very roots of civilisation; to agrarian rites and pagan traditions. The festivals in this book are often little known outside their locale and they are all characterised by the most radical and bizarre costumes imaginable. The Kukeri in Bulgaria wear enormous headpieces made of goatskin. Burryman festival in Edinburgh features a man covered from head to toe with burrs and thorns. Paraders in Switzerland’s Silvesterklausen wear vast wood- en doll-masks and hats carved with peasant scenes. Each costume is brought to life in Rob Flower’s joyous, surrealist, urban illustra- tions. Brief, engaging texts describe the festival, its history and the traditions that surround it.

  Festivals and celebrations.

Take a trip around the world, looking at the many different ways that people celebrate special days, holidays, religious festivals and traditional celebrations. Comparing Countries is a ground breaking non-fiction dual-language series which compares and contrasts ways of life in different countries around the world. Presented in two different languages, each title explores a topic common to all children, from homes to festivals, highlighting what makes us different and what we all have in common. This series provides great support to geography learning, as well as helping young language learners improve their reading skills.

  Festivals around the world.

Learn about the diverse and vibrant festivals that are celebrated around the world.

        Learn more about what happens in winter, as well the other seasons, why not head on down to your local library and grab some books about seasons, such as:

  Seasons.

Finding out about the four seasons has never been so engaging. This book is full of exciting experiments, fun puzzles, quirky humour and science facts to make you saw WOW … it’s science with a BOOM!

      Weather and the seasons.

Introduces weather and the seasons, describing what is a cloud, why rainbows form, and how animals migrate for the winter, and includes four weather-related science projects.

      Weather and seasons : questions & answers.

Have you ever wondered why we have seasons, where the wind comes from or how we predict the weather? Read this book to find out about weather and how our planet changes throughout the year.

      A stroll through the seasons.

Follow the wonderful changes that each season brings! From bright spring blossoms to dazzling summer sunshine, vibrant autumn leaves, and sparkling winter snow. Look and Wonder is a fresh, bold, and bright narrative nonfiction series introducing children to the natural world

      Also, why not join in on “the Lōemis workshop fun”,  in the comfort of your own home… or library by creating your masterpieces, with some help from the following books:

  Easy origami decorations : an augmented reality crafting experience.

Handcrafted decorations are just a few folds away! Learn how to turn origami butterflies, swans, and tulips into locker magnets, table decorations, and more.

      Now make this : 24 DIY projects by designers for kids.

25 of the world’s leading designers contribute one object each for kids to make themselves.

      51 things to make with paper plates.

51 things to make with paper plates is perfect for those with a creative, crafty streak eager to put their skills to task on recyclable materials in the home. Perfect activities for parent and child to create together. The 51 projects feature a well-balanced mix of techniques, materials, colours and styles for a range of ages. With the easy-to-follow guidance in this book, you can make: a dragon, a hot-air balloon, a lion mask, a snowman and a barking dog hand puppet.

    Masks.

Making masks is easy with these creative projects which are explained with illustrated step-by-step instructions. I love Craft Masks features instructions for making fantastic masks. You could be a fairy, a pirate, a dragon or a cat. You could even make crazy glasses or a carnival mask!

      Amazing masks to make yourself : 25 projects for funny and frightening faces to wear!

From papier-mache to everyday objects like leaves or even a kitchen sieve, Masks can be made for all sorts of uses, such as going to a costume party, for a school drama production or even just to hang as decorations on a wall.

Lōemis Winter Solstice Festival 2019 syndicated from https://paintballreviewsgun.wordpress.com/