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carry-on-my-wayward-gays · 1 year

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Sausage sitting in a pew in his cathedral, hands clasped together tightly with a sunflower rosary between his palms.

He's not praying, not actively, but sitting in his church gives him comfort. There's actually no thoughts swimming around his mind for once. His head is an empty echo chamber with no sound to echo.

His eyes are wide and his whole body is shaking. He's crying as well, a steady stream of hot tears run down his cheeks and drip from his beard.

There's no way he just met Santa Pearla. His Saint Pearl. And she's a janitor?

The lady in a silky soft green dress - blooming with fresh sunflowers and vines - looked so much like her. Saint Pearl. But this lady from a foreign world insisted she was not a god. She said she handled trash all day, cleaned floors with a mop and a dirty pair of overalls.

Sausage sobbed, bowing his head behind his clasped hands.

Her name was Pearl though. Just not his Pearl. She looked so much like Santa Pearla, she sounds like her too. The resemblance was uncanny, terrifyingly so.

When she stood at the head of the church, in the sunlight, she looked beautiful. She was breathtaking with her crown of sunflowers catching the light and illuminating the petals like a halo, and the way her hair fell around her face and practically shimmered in the light.

Sausage had fallen to his knees and wept over her beauty - or maybe it was because he had convinced himself she was his god. That he was seeing his god in his church, speaking to her.

What a foolish thing to believe.

Sausage's hands fell. He curled in on himself in the pew. His rosary fell to the ground, around his feet.

Were his beliefs founded upon a false god? Had he somehow convinced himself such a woman was worth worshipping? Was everything a lie? Had he been praying to, believing in, raving about a lie? Was his church built for a lie?

He was going to puke if he didn't stop thinking. He needed a distraction he needed to talk to someone he-

He needed his religion. He needed his Saint. He couldn't lose his faith. What - or who - would he have left then?

Sausage leaned down and picked up his rosary, still shaking, and held it between his palms once again.

And he prayed.

#i don't think a lot of ppl are thinking ab the test sausage's faith is taking w this crossover #like satan below it's such good material #also let it be known i'm and atheistic satanist #never believed in any religion ever #so if this feels weird that's why #sorry religious ppl #mythicalsausage #pearlescentmoon #empires x hermitcraft #religion #empires smp #mythical sausage #saint pearl #and sorry if I spelled her name wrong #shadow's scribing again

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silverlistenstothings · 4 months

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False Flirtations Chapter 1: Food

Normal Oak/Hermie Unworthy | 3,625 words | Mythical Creatures AU, 5+1 things

Five times Hermie and Normal accidentally proposed to each other, and the one time they did it on purpose.

Normal offers Hermie some food.

#mythical creatures au #dndads #oakworthy #normal oak #hermie unworthy #the squad’s all here but they’re the important players #silver scribe (writing tag)

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lycorogue · 4 months

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Latest Writing Blog Post is Live

Holy Toledo! When I started working on this blog post way back on Dec 6th I did NOT expect it to take literally the rest of the month to finish! @_@ Well, Happy New Year, Everyone! Have one last 2023 blog update.

Is It 2024 Yet?

Est. Read Time: 35min

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elentarial · 14 days

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Miscalculation

Dear Morifinwe,

I recently had the privilege of reading your treatise on Dwarven tariffs and found it fascinating reading indeed. I don’t suppose you hear that often. However, I was wondering if you could perhaps clarify the situation on the 36th page, just under the table of tares of standard shipping containers. I was under the impression when one converted between ounces and gallons (which, why aren’t you using liters as a standard unit of liquid measurement??), the multiplier is 0.0078126, but you have it listed as 0.0078125. Does the Naugrim measure alcoholic liquids differently? As you have only two sentences describing the conversion of Dwarvish mead, I can not determine whether it is a typographical error or if I have been misinformed. If the latter is the case, any more explicit suggestion or direction would be appreciated since (as I have pointed out) your explanation in the paper is relatively brief.

Sincerely yours,

Turukano

Dear Turukano,

I am delighted that you enjoyed my protocols for trade in East Beleriand! In regards to your question about whether dwarves measure alcohol differently than other liquids, no Turno, an ounce is an ounce. You have been misinformed. The conversion factor is indeed 0.0078125.

Thank you,

Carnistir Morifinwe,

Dear Moryo,

Thank you for the quick and brief reply. However, I digress, the conversion multiplier is 0.0078126. It was that in Tirion, and it is that now. Please explain your computations.

Looking forward to your reply,

Turukano

Dear Turno,

I am the one who devised that conversion. I don’t need to prove my work to you because I came up with it in the first place. Any possible discrepancies are due to rounding errors. The conversion is valid.

Carnistir

Dear Moryo,

I am well aware that you first calculated the conversion between ounces and gallons. I sat on the council that granted you the defense of such a claim, and if you will recall, I questioned your math then. You were wrong in Tirion, and you are wrong now.

Awaiting your reply,

Turgon

Turgon,

How delightful to know you remember our time together at the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences. I have no recollection of your involvement in my defense, but I really try to avoid thinking of you. Were you there? I thought you were too busy being henpecked by the campus gulls to accomplish anything, research or otherwise.

Carnistir

Moryo,

I generally thought you were one of the better brothers; don’t be an ass. Just admit you are wrong.

Sincerely,

Turgon Turukano,

Lord of Nevarast,

High Prince of the Noldor

My dearest Turukano,

What a lovely title that is. Quite fitting for your already overinflated ego, but I genuinely hate to remind you that you are a second son and not, in fact, the High Prince of anything. Unless, of course, condolences are in order, then I also do not care because I find your brother infuriatingly obnoxious. I would feel for Nelyo, though.

Yours,

Moryo

Dear Carnistir,

Nelyo…remind me, is that your eldest brother or our grandfather? I can never remember who was born first, him or my father. Regardless, he’s ancient and an inappropriate match for my brother.

But I beseech you, dearest cousin. Please take a look at your defense from Tirion. I believe there is a note regarding the conversion on the final copy. I don’t have a copy with me, but I am sure you must have kept one for yourself.

Yours,

Turgon

My darling Turno,

At least we agree on one thing. Fingon and my brother are terrible for one another.

I do happen to have a copy in my archives. I will check for this mythical correction and have my scribe translate a copy for you. I will enclose it in my next reply, as it’s rather embarrassing to doubt the work of scholars.

With love,

Moryo

Turukano,

Fuck you. There was no correction; the rate has always been 0.0078125. This exchange has been a complete waste of my time, and I will implore Himring to approve an additional one point five percent tax on all limestone coming from and all other goods going to Vinyamar.

Sincerely,

Morifinwe

Despite all of Caranthir’s immense irritation, the final letter to Nevarast is returned some months later by an exhausted raven. Shortly thereafter, he receives word from Hithlum that Turgon and one-third of the Noldor forces in West Beleriand have disappeared.

@silmarillionepistolary

For @cilil (who suggested Caranthir and Tax Day as a prompt) and @dalliansss (who originally did the heavy lifting on building Caranthir’s taxation empire).

Miscalculation (on AO3)

#silmarillion epistolary #nolofinweans #feanorions #silm fic

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evermore-grimoire · 2 years

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The Evermore Grimoire: Beings

The Scarlet Witch is a mythical being capable of spontaneous creation through the power of Chaos Magic. She has no need for a coven or the need to cast spells and her power exceeds that of the Sorcerer Supreme. The origins of the Scarlet Witch’s power actually comes from the ‘Elder God of Chaos’ named Chthon who wrote a powerful spell book called the Darkhold in which he dedicated whole a whole chapter on the prophesied Scarlet Witch. In ancient times Chthon constructed a temple atop Wundagore Mountain on Earth. There, Chthon scribed the first Darkhold into its unholy walls. The temple, as well as serving as an origin for the Darkhold, was also a throne for the Scarlet Witch who is also known as Wanda Maximoff. Orphaned as a child she unknowingly kept herself and her twin Pietro Maximoff alive by using her magic. After joining a Hydra experiment and coming into contact with one of six Infinity Stones (the Mind Stone) her powers were unlocked and amplified. When Hydra fell, her and her brother joined The Avengers, sadly though Pietro died shortly after, devastating Wanda in the process. She stayed with The Avengers and eventually fell in love with a sentinel being named Vision. When Thanos made his presence known, she was forced to use her powers to destroy the Mind Stone, killing Vision in the process. The plan failed and she helplessly watched Thanos kill Vision again before becoming a victim of the Snap. When she returned five years later, her grief was so immense that she used her Chaos Magic to enthral the citizens of Westview into creating an alternate paradise. With a recreated Vision as her husband, she lived her ideal life, even producing twin sons named Tommy and Billy. However when she got her hands on the Darkhold, it corrupted every fibre of her being turning her into a shadow of her former self. As of right now though her whereabouts are unknown after she seemingly sacrificed herself in order to save the Multiverse from the corruption of the Darkhold.

artwork by Maureen Narro

#Scarlet Witch #ScarletWitchEdit #MCUEdit #MarvelEdit #MarvelDaily #FantasyEdit #WitchesEdit #Witches #Wheel of Witches #My Edit

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wanderingsorcerer · 10 months

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CELTIC FOLKLORE&MYTHOLOGY 101

The Celts have a rich and beautiful history but one that is filled with many sorrows as well. From the invasion of the Roman Armies , to the forced conversion to christianity. Many of what we know now about the pre-colonization of the celtic people are through the "surviving" stories written by the Romans which occupied the lands and later the christian scribes of the middle ages. Some myths have only survived as stories passed down through Oral Traditions. Or through adopting Christian Attributes.

But even then, what has survived is but a mere fraction of what used to be, most surviving Celtic mythology belongs to the Insular Celtic peoples (the Gaels of Ireland and Scotland; the Celtic Britons of western Britain and Brittany). When it comes to written folklore and mythologies of the celtic people, the Irish have the largest written myths in the region only seconded by the written Welsh mythologies.

Today we will be focusing mainly on the Irish and Welsh Folklore and Mythology

Below I will list some of the names of the deities and spirits found throughout the Irish Folklore and Mythos

Morrigan- Shape shifting Goddess Who Hovered over the battlefields as a crow or raven

Danu- Irish Mother Goddess

Dagda-Irish God Of Life and Death as well as Magick, Married to Morrigan

Brigid - Celtic Goddess of Fire, Poetry, Cattle and patroness of smiths

Arwan- God of the Celtic underworld

Taranis- God Of Thunder

Excerpt from wikipedia

IRISH MYTHOLOGY The myths are conventionally grouped into 'cycles'. The Mythological Cycle, or Cycle of the Gods, consists of tales and poems about the god-like Túatha Dé Danann and other mythical races.[6] Many of the Tuath Dé are thought to represent Irish deities. They are often depicted as kings, queens, druids, bards, warriors, heroes, healers and craftsmen who have supernatural powers. Prominent members of the Tuath Dé include The Dagda ("the great god"), who seems to have been the chief god; The Morrígan ("the great queen" or "phantom queen"), a triple goddess associated with war, fate and sovereignty; Lugh; Nuada; Aengus; Brigid; Manannán; Dian Cecht the healer; and Goibniu the smith, one of the Trí Dé Dána ("three gods of craft"). Their traditional rivals are the monstrous Fomorians (Fomoire), whom the Tuath Dé defeat in the Cath Maige Tuired ("Battle of Moytura"). Other important works in the cycle are the Lebor Gabála Érenn ("Book of Invasions"), a legendary history of Ireland, and the Aided Chlainne Lir ("Children of Lir"). WELSH FOLKLORE & MYTHOLOGY Important reflexes of British mythology appear in the Four Branches of the Mabinogi, especially in the names of several characters, such as Rhiannon, Teyrnon, and Brân the Blessed (Bendigeidfran, "Bran [Crow] the Blessed"). Other characters, in all likelihood, derive from mythological sources, and various episodes, such as the appearance of Arawn, a king of the Otherworld seeking the aid of a mortal in his own feuds, and the tale of the hero who cannot be killed except under seemingly contradictory circumstances, can be traced throughout Proto-Indo-European mythology. The children of Llŷr ("Sea" = Irish Ler) in the Second and Third Branches, and the children of Dôn (Danu in Irish and earlier Indo-European tradition) in the Fourth Branch are major figures, but the tales themselves are not primary mythology. While further mythological names and references appear elsewhere in Welsh narrative and tradition, especially in the tale of Culhwch and Olwen, where we find, for example, Mabon ap Modron ("Divine Son of the Divine Mother"), and in the collected Welsh Triads, not enough is known of the British mythological background to reconstruct either a narrative of creation or a coherent pantheon of British deities. Indeed, though there is much in common with Irish myth, there may have been no unified British mythological tradition per se. Whatever its ultimate origins, the surviving material has been put to good use in the service of literary masterpieces that address the cultural concerns of Wales in the early and later Middle Ages.

The celtic traditions and their pagan Practitioners in the modern age.

One example of the modern practitioners which have celtic roots as a basis for their religion would be the New Druidic Movement of the 21st Century.

Born from the need of many who wish to delve deeper into their roots they've taken the historical context of the original druids of the Iron Age and have matched it closer with new age spirituality.

Druid~

The Old Irish form was "drui", and in Modern Irish and Gaelic the word is "draoi" or "druadh" (magician, sorcerer).

These New Druids take inspiration from the mythologies from all around the celtic regions, Ireland , Scotland, wales , Britannia. And brings them together to create what is now the new Druidic Order.

They are primarily animistic , ( All things in nature hold a spirit) and the majority of druids in this new order are also polytheistic. They hold Great Reverence towards the spirits of the land and the magick of the land of their ancestral Homeland.

Antiquity Does not mean authenticity, things don't need to be ancient in order for them to feel powerful and tangible to the practitioner. Druids as a living practice is an extension of the culture of the celtic people.

And as such it is not claiming to be the druids of the past, (as we have very little information on their practices and how they lived.) But as a cultural movement they strive to be the stewards of Folklore and Folk practices for the coming generations.

If you would like to learn more on the Druidic Faith and the nuances of specifically WELSH Druidic Faith take this course into consideration from the Anglesey Druidic order

Welsh Celtic Witchcraft

This is honestly something which holds great value in learning more about as it pertains to the extension of knowledge outside Of the perceived Celtic Belief Systems,

In Welsh folk practices , Witches and Magickal practitioners were apart of daily life , Healer and wise woman whose power was said to come from Magickal Tomes which held spirits of demons and fairies inside.

Folk practices in Wales include the CURSING WELLS Ffynon Elian, Fairy Mounds .

A Great many different curses passed down from family to family, a famous Curse going around the internet is the One In Which a woman who is angered pulls out their TIT and Curses a man To Meet an Untimely Demise. Don't worry they usually deserved it.

There are so many beautiful and wonderful Folk Practices in Wales and Celtic practices in which I can't cover here but if you want to learn more and have a vested interest in the occult practices of other cultures give me a follow.

For more information on Wales Folklore in Video Format Visit The Below Youtube Channel :)

And if you would like to support the above Practitioner Mhara Starling I will link their book Here for Purchase. They go in depth on the folklore and occult practices of the Welsh people

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alyshiba · 2 months

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Rebecca Yarros Iron Flame Interview breakdown

I was reading Rebecca Yarros's interview fo Verity, and I couldn't help but notice the amount of info she gave there, some of which feeds right onto some of theories that has been floating around since Iron Flame came out. Ofc Spoilers Ahead for Iron Flame.

I'd like to break down the most interestig parts and bits of informations she ends up giving.

I'll jump straight into the questions in which they focus on the book and the storyline. And I'll break them down in the same order they are written in the article, so if you want to read and draw your own conclusions itìll be easyer.

The first interesting piece of information is given when she's asked about the opening of Iron Flame:

[...] the first way I wrote it in her POV, it was a 7,000 word chapter where he explained everything because she was like, you will tell me now. And it was an info dump at the end. So we cut it and we put it in Xaden’s POV.

This refers to very first chapter where Violet has just learned that Brennan is actyually alive.. I find it very interesting that Rebecca ended up cuttin it since in those 7000 words there was probably info about Naolin and what really went down the day Brennan "died". It makes me think that there's really something more to the story that we aren't meant to know now.

Then Rebecca is asked how come Violet is much less perceptive in “Iron Flame” than she was in “Fourth Wing,” to which the author gives, at least in my opinion, a very interesting answer:

Violet’s entire sense of self is based on her knowledge. Her knowledge of history, her knowledge of being raised as a scribe, her knowledge of everything that’s been poured into her. [...] She doesn’t know what of what she’s been taught is a lie. She doesn’t know if it’s her brother that just lied to her or her boyfriend or her best friend Dain or her mother or the guy she thought was like an uncle, Dain’s father. [...] And she has to learn that she has to trust herself again before she can trust anyone else. And she finds that in knowledge and in history and in books.[...] So she’s very torn between, I need to know everything because I know nothing now, and maybe I don’t want to know, because maybe loving him should be enough.

I was reading this article while writing my other post about Violet's second signet, and if this is doesn't answer what Violet's most pressing need is, what might influece a second signet I don't know what else will. Rebecca has just given us the answer to that question.

We are then met with a question regardin Dain, and "whether we should like him or not". So this is what she has to say about this:

*I knew Dain’s arc in book one. So while writing book one,*I had the interrogation scene from “Iron Flame” already in my head.[...] *[...] when you’re in first-person POV, you only see it from Violet’s point of view.* It is never confirmed that he knew they were going to die, it is never confirmed that he knew what they were sending them into*. All he did was see something and trust his father.

I think this part is answer enough to those who think Dain was plottin with his dad to send Xaden & co to die. I'm not saying it's confirmed that in Iron Flame he's on the good side, but now we have confirmation that at the time of Fourth Wing he 100% wasn't plotting anything.

Then we're given a very random piece of information concerning the weather in Aretia, the question might be random, but the answer, again is very interesting:

It grows hotter as more dragons arrive. Just like the Vale is tropical at Basgiath, as more dragons arrive in the valley in Aretia, the temperature rises*.*

I find this interesting since we know that there are at least 2 types of magic currently being used in the FW / IF universe: magic channeled from mythical beasts (yes, I'll group gryphons and dragons toghether, since asaide from the strenght of the magic, we know channeling from these two species is almost the same concept) and magic channeled from the earth (the source). We also know that dragons, and griphons i assume, can't channel their own power directly, there's very limited things they can do (like holding a rider in place, for example), without bonding to a human. So the fact that their presence influeces the weather of the area they choose to live is a very important and interesting detail. It shows that somehow dragon's magic influences the source.. so that makes me wonder how do these different types of magic interact (aside from the ability of a Venin to drain a dragon) ? Do they "come from the same place"?

I think this is an important point becouse if the source and dragon magic interact, than they do not exclude one another, and if this is the case, than we confirmed that one can be Venin while still channeling from their dragon, if the dragon doesn't choose to sewer the bond (we have no info on this actually happening ever though).

Is there something there? Or am I goig nuts?

The next question revolves around Jack Barlowe, Rebecca is asked why does he save her if he's venin, to which she responds:

[...]he’s still in hiding at this point and who better to convince everyone that nothing’s wrong with him than Violet

This is explanation enough, if he's the spy, he needs to maintain his cover, then she adds:

[...] By saving Violet, he’s still hiding what his true nature is and he’s still trying to prove to the professors who have been trying to quote, unquote, mend his soul and bring him back that he is fixable that he is mendable when really in the background, he is orchestrating this entire takedown of the wards.

This passage confirms, in my opinion, that if someone is plotting with the Venins, than it's not someone that has access to Basgiath. Becouse everyone who about him was trying to fix him, and find a cure to his veninism. This also explain that quote we're given at the start of I don't rememeber which chapter**, in which Lilith Sorrengail is being said that there's no cure, but only contol.** At that point probably Nolon has deemed that Jack was too far gone in his Veninism and his soul couldn't be mendend.

Oh yes and sould mending is confirmed to be a thinh lol, but only if you are already a mender.

We then skip the sex talk lol, and jump to why did Rebecca chose to introduce us to Catriona There's a passage in this answer, aside from the need to have one prominent chacter that makes dragon rider question the way they are being thought to ride, channel etc. which story wise, for the development of the character was a great choice to this passage:

[...] I wanted them to see Catriona’s not out to get Violet just because she loves Xaden, or because they had this relationship, she’s out for the power. [...] [...] She flat out says, you think this is about a man, this is about a crown. And any man in that situation would absolutely take another man to task over winning that crown.

This is very interesting phrase, considering that this is how Rebecca opened this very iterview:

[...] “One of the things I love to play with is that absolute power corrupts absolutely*, and that* when you want magic and you can’t have it because you haven’t been chosen by a dragon or a griffin, what will you pay for it? And people will pay with their souls. You see it in our society, all the time, people will sell their souls for power. So it’s a matter of, how much of his soul did he exchange? And once you start, how do you stop and is it an addiction?” [...]

I know that Catriona kind of has a redemption ark, she ends up saving Violet's life and they become somewhat civil at the end, but.. Rebecca repeated the same concept only twice so far, and casually she does when asked about Catriona.

She is then asked about Xaden's second signet, and Rebecca says the following:

[...] What I love about that is he says, it’s a kind of inntinnsic — but they don’t have any alive*. So* how does he know exactly what he is? How does he know if that’s full? How does he know what it is? He has no clue. They have no inntinnsic alive. So he has no idea what he is. And he has no idea, is it intentions? Is it words? Is it thoughts?

This is exactly what we've been asking ourselves, and I feel like with this phrase she is hinting that she will take one of this two directions: Either there are inntinnsics alive, adn Xaden has had some sort of training/knowledge however brief that might be, or he is not what he sais he is and he can read more than intentions, or will be able to. I'm more lenient towards the first.

In the end it is safe to assume that there are more than one type of inntinnsic and that some of those can remain hidden or are just killed, like truth tellers. There is (i don't remember which chapter) an heading quote in IF that goes something like: Inntinnsics are always killed on the spot for the danger they provide, but yet we let truth tellers live, so it wouldn't be odd for a full inntinnsic (that hasn't gone mad) or some type of them that hides pretending to be an "accepter kind of inntinnsic"

We are then told that Xaden did not fall in love with Violet from the stories Brennan told him, as some theories stated, and that he did in fact hate her, but could't act on it since his deal with Lillith.

Rebecca also says, in this response that "he’s [Xaden] not the guy who’s going to save the world", and is one of those who would destry the world for the one he loves, so there's that. He's no hero..

Then, as I also said in my post about Violet's second signet, we have confirmation from Rebecca herself that Liam was just an hallucination and that her second signet manifested

After this we get some questions that are answered with "you have to read book three", confirmation that Xaden is turning into a Venin, and not yet a full one like Jack. AND that No one as ever seen someone be cured of veninism, but we haven't read book three yet. So maybe there is a cure after all.

Then:

The dream that Xaden has featuring the Sage in that final scene, which reveals how he began to turn venin, appears to be the same dream Violet has been having featuring the Sage throughout all of “Iron Flame” — but that Violet’s dream has actually been from Xaden’s POV this whole time. Does this mean the Sage (who says he’s actually General!) always wanted Xaden, or he wanted Xaden to get to Violet, or he wants both?

So I feel like I am right in my prediction of Violet's second signet after all

Then when Rebecca is asked if the characters will remain in Basgiath for book three she ends up saying the following:

[...] that there are weaknesses in the wards they aren’t aware of. You see it in “Fourth Wing” when he shoves the energy into her while they’re sparring.

So basically, the way she phrased this makes it look like Venin are siphons for the power of the source, they do no just drain, but "fill" with the energy/magic they steal. And yes considering that in that scene Jack's eyes are described to be red-trimmed I'm 100% that this was part of his Venin powers. That is a take I personally have not yet read anywhere, and that makes one wonder if siphons (or at least a specific siphon**) are more prone to turning Venin becouse their power works in the same way**, and wheter this is the reason they are kinda rare as a signet... do they all end up turning venin?

This is about it, I find that she made such interesting points, and that she danced a lot around the major theories going around since november... what do you think ?

#fourth wing #fourthwing #ironflame #iron flame #violet sorrengail #violetsorrengail #xaden riorson #xadenviolet #violet and xaden #xaden and sgaeyl #tairn #tairneanach #violet and tairn #rebecca yarros #the empyrean

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gemini-sensei · 8 months

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Head Above Water | Eli Moskowitz x Mermaid!Reader

Chubby!Fem!Reader ● Mermay ●

I wrote this back in May, but never got back to it. If this gets enough interest, I might finish it because the idea I had was a lot more than what you get here tbh. Posting this especially for @sensei-venus

Eli Moskowitz remembered the time when he almost died very clearly. At the tender age of five, at the beach, the clear blue sky and the rush of water. The ocean tried to pull him in that day, but divine intervention made a miracle happen, as his mother put it. However, Eli knew better.

A girl had saved him. A girl no older than he had been. With pretty eyes and a shimmery tail.

The waves had crashed into him and Demetri as they played in the water, the beach not too far away. But the wave was a little too big and a little too strong. It made the both of them fall into the water, but Demetri had better pushback. He popped up out of the water, keeping g his head above the surface, while the tide pulled Eli in. He hardly heard his friend calling out his name. By the time Demetri was screaming for him and making a clamor, he was too far away to hear much of anything except the roaring waves overhead.

He struggled and pushed, holding his breath for as long as possible. He kicked and he threw his arms out, trying to remember everything he learned about swimming. He tried to go up, but it felt as of the ocean was holding him back. He saw the shimmery, ever moving silhouette of the sun, but he couldn't reach it. And when the tightness in his chest grew to much, when the pounding in his head became too painful, he let go of the breath he held because it was impossible to hold it in any longer.

The fight was over, he had no more to give. The moment of relief he felt when he let go of the air was nice for all of five seconds, then his body started to fill with water. He tasted sea salt and felt himself growing heavier. The new ocean world around him began to black out, as if someone had taken a sharpie and started blotting things out.

Then he saw a shimmer, a light of some sort. It was short lived and fast, but he never forgot the pretty golden shine it gave off. Then he felt two arms hook under his from behind and start pulling him up. The touch was firm, but kind, gentle even. Though the whoever had him wasn't very strong, and struggles to pull him along.

He didn't remember much after that, nit until he woke up on the sandy beach. His mother was crying over him, sobbing as his coughed up sea water. She smiled with relief and hugged him close, then said something along the lines of getting him into swimming lessons.

He stopped telling the story a long time ago. If his mom ever heard a peep of it, she told him it was mind finding a way to cope with the trauma of almost drowning. She told him that there was never a girl on the beach that day, not like he scribed her facial features or hair. She made sure to tell him that mermaids were not real whenever the shimmery bit that he was sure was as tail came up in conversation.

Kids at school laughed at him for it, too. They called him names and said he was crazy. One time, they went as far as to say he was in love with the mythical creature and that if he really wanted to prove she was real, then he should go live with her in the ocean. They made cards on Valentine's day and signed it "Eli's Fishy Girlfriend."

The only person who believed that what he saw might have been real was Demetei, but that was when they were kids. As they got older, he became a boy of science, and more often than not that had a lot to do more to do with programming than it did the secrets of the world.

As a teenager, he hardly put any thought into that day, but he never forgot it.

#mermaid au #mermaid!reader #eli hawk moskowitz x reader #eli hawk moskowitz #hawk moskowitz x reader #hawk moskowitz #hawk moskowitz x chubby reader #eli moskowitz imagine #eli moskowitz x reader #eli moskowitz x chubby reader #eli moskowitz #cobra kai #cobra kai headcanons #cobra kai x reader #cobra kai x chubby reader #cobra kai x plus size reader #chubby reader #plus size reader #gemini sensei

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heaptober · 8 months

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Heaptober 2023!!

Image description: the list of prompts for heaptober. They are set against a background of trees and a full moon. The list is as follows:

1. Forest 2. Message rat 3. Beetle day 4. Mask 5. Castle 6. Cats 7. Marram marshes 8. Keepers cottage 9. Wolverines 10. Shapeshifters 11. Tunnels 12. Magyk 13. Alchemy 14. Mythical Creatures 15. Soulmates 16. Mistaken identity 17. Eyes 18. Royalty 19. Ephaniah Grebe 20. Nightmare 21. Candles 22. Darke week 23. Marshmallows 24. Comfort food 25. The ramblings 26. Dungeon number one 27. Kraan 28. The syren 29. Toads 30. Bones 31. Halloween

End ID

Thank you to @hermit-scribe-vibe for the image!

Edit: changed prompt 19 from "halloween" to "ephaniah grebe" because I didn't notice it hadn't been changed rip

H*rry p*tter fans dni. I don't want you here.

Details about heaptober under the cut:

Heaptober 2023! The 3rd heaptober ever! Some rules/explanation:

As always, any kind of art is welcome and encouraged (except AI art), including drawing, writing, moodboards, music, animation, sculpture, photography, if you can make it septimus heap related and fit the prompt then you can do whatever you please!!

You can stick to the prompts as strictly or loosely as you want.

You are completely allowed to post things late or early except for maybe prompt 31 "halloween".

Please add image descriptions to anything with an image. If you cannot write your own then dm me here or on @septimus-heap and I will do it for you

Tag all posts with "#heaptober" "#heaptober 2023" and "#septimus heap" and @ this blog! Sometimes posts don't show up in tags for whatever reason so if you @ me you can be sure I'll see it

And as always, it's meant to be fun!!! There's no obligation to do every prompt and if you find yourself getting stressed feel free to take a break, quit, or if you really want to post then it's totally fine to post WIPs

This year I haven't had as much time as I'd like to refine+order the prompts so doing them out of order is encouraged

I think that's everything!!

#heaptober #heaptober 2023 #septimus heap

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jasminewalkerauthor · 5 months

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Deep dives into folklore: Egyptian mythology

Egyptian mythology is a rich and complex tapestry that weaves together a diverse pantheon of gods, goddesses, and mythical beings, providing insights into the beliefs and cosmology of ancient Egypt. The mythology of ancient Egypt spans thousands of years, evolving and adapting over different periods of the civilization's history. Here's a deep dive into key aspects of Egyptian mythology:

Creation Mythology:

1. Atum and the Ennead:

Atum, the primordial god, is often associated with the sunset and creation. According to some myths, Atum emerged from the chaotic waters of Nun and created himself.

Atum then produced the Ennead, a group of nine deities, including Shu (air) and Tefnut (moisture), who gave birth to Geb (earth) and Nut (sky).

2. Geb and Nut:

Geb and Nut, the children of Shu and Tefnut, were initially inseparable, but Shu raised Nut above him, creating space between them—representing the sky—and allowing life to flourish on Earth.

3. Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys:

Osiris, the god of the afterlife and rebirth, ruled Egypt with his sister-wife, Isis. Set, another sibling, grew jealous and murdered Osiris.

Isis, the devoted wife, gathered Osiris's body parts, resurrecting him for a brief period to conceive their son, Horus.

The conflict between Horus and Set symbolizes the struggle between order and chaos.

Pantheon:

1. Ra:

Ra, the sun god, was a central figure in Egyptian mythology. He traveled through the sky during the day and navigated the underworld at night.

Ra's journey through the underworld and rebirth at dawn mirrors the cycle of the sun.

2. Horus:

Horus, often depicted with a falcon head, was associated with kingship and protection. The Pharaohs were believed to be the earthly embodiment of Horus.

The Eye of Horus symbolizes protection, healing, and power.

3. Thoth:

Thoth, the ibis-headed god, was the scribe of the gods and the inventor of writing. He played a crucial role in the judgment of the deceased in the afterlife.

4. Anubis:

Anubis, the jackal-headed god, presided over mummification and guided souls through the afterlife. He weighed the hearts of the deceased against the feather of Ma'at during the judgment in the Hall of Ma'at.

Afterlife and the Duat:

1. Duat:

The Duat was the realm of the dead, a mysterious and perilous place that the deceased had to navigate to reach the afterlife.

2. Ma'at:

Ma'at, the goddess of truth, justice, and cosmic order, played a crucial role in the afterlife judgment. The heart of the deceased was weighed against the feather of Ma'at.

3. Osiris and the Afterlife:

Osiris became the ruler of the afterlife, offering the possibility of eternal life to the deceased who passed the judgment in the Hall of Ma'at.

Rituals and Beliefs:

1. Mummification:

The process of mummification was a vital ritual to preserve the body for the afterlife. Organs were removed, and the body was treated with natron before being wrapped in linen.

2. Book of the Dead:

The Book of the Dead was a collection of spells and rituals designed to guide the deceased through the afterlife successfully.

3. Temples and Cults:

Temples were dedicated to specific gods, and cults practiced rituals and ceremonies to honor and appease the deities.

Egyptian mythology reflects the Egyptians' deep connection to the natural world, their preoccupation with the cyclical nature of life and death, and their profound religious beliefs. It served as a foundation for their societal norms, rituals, and the concept of an afterlife. The stories of gods and goddesses, creation myths, and the pursuit of balance and order continue to captivate and inspire curiosity about this ancient civilization's spiritual beliefs.

Taglist (reblog or reply to be added):

@axl-ul @crow-flower @thoughts-fromthevoid @alderwoodbooks @harleyacoincidence @tuberosumtater @sonic-spade @theonlygardenia @holymzogynybatman @nulliel-tres

#writeblr #writers of tumblr #writing #bookish #booklr #fantasy books #creative writing #book blog #ya fantasy books #ya books #Deep dives into folklore #folklore #egyptian mythology #egypt #ancient egypt #mythology

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raayllum · 1 year

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tdp and mythic inspiration electric boogaloo

The Ancient Egyptian and Greek myth edition, brought to you by a lifelong interest in researching Greek myth, the wonders of the internet, and one of my best friends who almost majored in Classics / had a very long Egyptian mythology phase and verified my leanings (and offered up some new ones).

Previous myth metas:

The Fall of Lux Aurea as the Siege of Troy

Rayllum as Orpheus and Eurydice

Deceptive Gift Giving In Greek Mythology and TDP

Aaravos’ Mythic Associations (re: Lucifer and Prometheus)

General thoughts under mythology tag for those interested

Bonus meta about the dark magic sigil being based off Hermes’ caduceus here written by @kradogsrats (and also talks a little bit about Thoth / some of what the above metas touched on as well). With all this out of the way, let’s get into it.

The Trio + Aaravos

Now I have talked briefly about this before as the parallels were actually brought to my attention by another user, @corcracrow in an ask and following meta here. I’d suggest reading that first as we’ll be covering similar territory here but also building upon the parallels between Callum, Aaravos, and Rayla with Thoth, Osiris, and Ma’at in more detail as well as discussing some other deity similarities (Isis, Ra, and Ezran at the behest of my friend).

AARAVOS AND OSIRIS

Even before S4 came out I’d associated Aaravos with Osiris due to the shared duality in their natures, with Osiris being a god of many things, including but not limited to fertility, the embodiment of the dead, resurrected king as well as a general god of the underworld, sometimes known as “The Lord of Silence.” My myth loving friend who also has Aaravos as their favourite TDP character, also heartily agreed that Aaravos-Osiris is where they would place our starry elf when it came to similarities in the Egyptian mythic tradition.

One of the most famous, if not the most famous, myths concerning Osiris is his death and resurrection. He is chopped into pieces after being betrayed by his brother, Set, and his sister-wife, Isis, has to piece him back together. (Being chopped into pieces is also a commonality for his usurper, Set, as well as for the Grecian primordial deity of Space, Uranus, and his son, the Titan of Time, Kronos. Somebody needs to start taking away sickles.)

This connection is also inspired by depictions of Thoth (Callum) presenting Osiris (Aaravos) a Key of Life vaguely reminiscent of his 4x04 intro pose, but more on the Key of Life / Aaravos later.

CALLUM AS THOTH

So why Callum as Thoth? Well, Thoth was the Egyptian god of scribes, magic, master of knowledge, and known as the Divine Author of All Books. This fits not only with Callum’s key characters being linked to his curiosity and cleverness, and the infamous “Destiny is a book you write yourself” (which was also the promo quote for the series before S1 released) but also fits the other gods my recommended I look into / confirmed my suspicions about. Thoth often helps Isis (Ezran) in resurrecting Osiris and is married to Ma’at (Rayla) but more on that later as well.

Last but not least, Thoth’s Egyptian name was Djehuty, which means “He who is like the Ibis.”

He often provides counsel to others and indeed gambled with the Moon to earn the extra five days of the calendar, resulting in the birth of Nut’s many children, and the year having a full 365 days. We can see holdovers in this in terms of Callum’s cleverness, ability to plan, and the way he is often unafraid to take even momentous risks.

RAYLA AS MA’AT

Ma’at had a double meaning to the Egyptians, referring to both a goddess who personified many concepts, and the concepts of Truth, Justice, Morality, and Balance. Good Pharaohs were ones who upheld ma’at in their royal proceedings and decisions. We can see tenets of this in both modern day ideas of Lady Liberty / Justice and of in-universe Lady Justice that Harrow speaks of in S2. Ma’at is also traditionally Thoth’s wife and shares a similar to connection to Ra that Thoth does, but we’ll talk more about that when we get to Ezran.

However, the main reason I aligned Rayla with Ma’at is, along with her conceptual associations, Ma’at was involved in the Afterlife’s most important ceremony: the weighing the newly dead mortal’s heart against her Feather of Truth. Which, while Phoe-Phoe’s feather is initially bound to Ezran, it is intrinsically linked to Rayla in all other instances.

Truthfulness, justice, and morality are also by and large the concepts that define her arc and her various struggles over the past four seasons, so the fact that out of all gods and goddesses, Ma’at also shares a kinship with Ra (Ezran) and wifehood to Thoth was just a perfect cherry on top and honestly, probably the most fun sheer coincidence of it all, if I had to guess.

Ezran as Ra and Isis

So originally I wasn’t thinking too much of Ez having a counterpart due to the fact I’m only passably familiar with Egyptian myth / I always like to make sure my tracing is strong and I’m not stretching things beyond measure. Then my friend recommended I take a look at Isis and Ra for Ezran, so here they are. Isis was definitely not my first thought since she is primarily a mother-wife goddess and associated more with the female adjacent spectrum of divinity; however, my friend pointed out the importance of Isis as a symbol of the throne, which she also wears on her head, as well as her place as a magical healer and magician next to Thoth.

This would be particularly worthwhile, if, as speculated, Ezran plays a role in reviving Runaan in particular out of the coin due to the binding the assassin still wears for his long living target.

This fits Ezran’s ascension to kingship most clearly, as it is his most significant role, as well as his attempts to heal the world from the throne itself, and themes of rebirth in his arc as king; cast out to the underworld (prison) only to reclaim it even without a crown, as Isis is not just a helper to the king, but a Goddess of Kingship. Additionally, Isis often seeks counsel from Thoth, the same way that Ezran leads on Callum, and Ezran’s connection with animals has been widely speculated to fit into something magically in-universe, although we are still waiting on confirmation.

Then you have Ezran as Ra, which also solidifies the Callum-Ezran-Rayla trio as a neat little parallel to Thoth-Ra-Isis. As the god of the sun, Ra was one of the most important and widespread Egyptian gods, Ra ruled in all parts of the created world: the sky, the earth, and the underworld. He was the god of the sun, order, kings, and the sky, and also most heavily associated with rebirth. He would go to the Underworld for the duration of night (thus causing night time) for twelve hours on a boat, with Ma’at at the front of his solar barque, and Thoth also at his side. (It is also a fun, tiny connection of Ez’s best friend, Bait, being connected to the Sun primal.)

But I think that’s probably enough conspiracy string wrangling for now in terms of assigning roles and similarities between characters. Now I want to get to the real heart of the meta which is something I’ve thought for a while now (I want to say shortly post S3, but honestly could have been any time during the very long hiatus) which is to say

The Ankh

the Star arcanum symbol has always reminded me of the Ankh. A symbol of Eternal Life, the Ankh is one of the oldest icons in the world, representing Eternal Life and the first known Cross symbol, believed to have eventually turned into the Christian cross symbol over time and due to simplification. Known as the Key of Life, the Ankh is associated with many Egyptian deities including ones we have mentioned above as a symbol of power and creation, and is the Key of Life is what is being presented by Thoth to Osiris in the artwork pictured above.

However, wait: there’s more.

The Ankh is associated the Nile, the largest and most important body of water in Ancient Egyptian mythos. It can also be associated with air and the very common idea of Breath of Life when it comes to creation and revival, particularly of pharaohs upon death (which would fit with Aaravos promising to revive Viren, a dead king, after mummifying / preserving his body for two years). Now, this makes sense, as breath and water are crucial for well, being alive, particularly in a culture surrounded by a vast desert. However, the Nile could also have negative implications with destruction and thus had a continual rebirth motif, with boats as crucial mode of transportation both in literal life and to the afterlife. (Which is interesting, don’t you think, considering next season is going to be Book Five: Ocean.)

But wait: THERE’S. MORE.

The Ankh was also associated and used to refer to mirrors, specifically ones shaped like an oval rather than a perfectly round circle.

Ovular mirrors represented the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, fitting with Osiris. They would be offered to Hathor, the goddess of Love (and beauty / fertility, dance, etc.) as well. “The association of the ankh with the mirror was no chance occurrence. The Egyptians believed that the afterlife was a mirror image of life on earth and mirrors were thought to contain magical properties” (citation). Additionally on top of it all, mirrors were closely associated with divination.

But wait. There’s still. MORE. Specifically:

The (Quasar) Diamonds

In ancient Egypt, diamonds were a symbol of courage, power, and truth. They also represented the sun. In Greek and Roman mythology, diamonds were believed to be the tears of the gods or splinters that had broken off from falling stars. For the Romans, they additionally believed as early as the 1st century CE that Cupid’s arrows were diamond-tipped as well.

The pharaohs placed diamonds as a centrepiece in the ankh.

All of this to say I am slowly but surely being convinced the Key of Aaravos has a connection to both Aaravos’ mirror prison, but also the Quasar Diamond perhaps taken from his missing Star arcanum symbol that caused him to be a Fallen Star in the first place - that perhaps the key holds the quasar diamond within it as a hiding place in plain sight, and this is why it is needed to unlock his prison.

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed this mythic deep dive, possibly learned something new / was delighted to see something you remember from your myth phase, or at the very least, enjoyed seeing me gradually lose my mind over the duration of this meta. As always, mythic comparisons are fun and can often be fruitful, but are not always perfect matches, even if they can help direct us and definitely help theorize, so I hope you had as much fun as I did. As said I am by no means an expert, particularly with Egyptian mythos, so if I have gotten something wrong or wildly incorrect, please feel free to correct me, or to add your own thoughts if you have discovered another similarity or consideration that is not included here.

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casteliacityramen · 6 months

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MUNDAY LORE POST - OATHKEEPERS

I am a member of the Order of Arceus. Of my own volition, I shall duly carry the responsibilities of a guardian of His Majesty's creation.

I will guide existence towards enlightenment. I shall seek to prevent sudden tragedies and shepherd existence towards a better tomorrow.

I swear to place myself in danger for the sake of others--but I shall not interfere with history as it is being made, nor shall I disrupt the natural order.

I will deny positions of political power and relinquish any recognition for my actions. History shall be influenced by my covert actions, not by my overt interference.

I will not partake in actions that will bring harm to the order. I will not become a subordinate of mythical or divine beings, other than His Highest. None of the lesser gods shall know of our work.

I am one of many. I am one of few. I shall go, as His Majesty wills it. This oath, I swear.

Welcome to the Order!

(Your new body and you)

- Scribe J.

If you've ever seen a miracle happen on this planet, you have us to thank for it. Ships lost at sea finding their way back to port, natural disasters with no casualties, pack territory disputes that end in peace, etc.

We're this world's guardian angels, and if you haven't been welcomed into holding such an honorable title, let me be the first in doing so.

You're probably wondering what's different about this new body of yours (other than markings, of course).

Your body has received the blessing of Arceus.

Transformation and camouflage:

Latios and Latias typically have various ways of hiding themselves, but what we have is completely different.

Instead of bending light like you used to be able to, we have the ability to transform between living beings of our choosing. Our bodies will also take the physical attributes of our target transformation. This helps us blend in with creation and understand their physical quirks or mannerisms.

Keep in mind, this also includes biological functions and anatomy, such as nervous systems, skeletal structure, DNA, etc. It might get a little weird, at times.

Regardless of which form you take, you will still be able to perform any psychic-type functions, such as telekinesis or telepathy. However, make sure that your current form is capable of such if you decide to make yourself known. Coming up with cover stories and identities will get easier as time goes on, I promise.

If you desperately need to hide, though, you'll find that your standard light refraction works just as it did as before.

Health, Regeneration, and Lifespan:

Arceus's blessing also grants us a supernatural way of healing ourselves. If you find yourself wounded, hurt, or sick (yes you can still get sick!), your body can find itself capable of getting back to 100% after a full night's rest. Keep in mind, this has actually worked against some of us, as anything potentially harmful that has invaded your body can stay there after a case of your rapid regeneration.

Combat is ill advised. While we have all of these abilities, your offensive capability is still about what you had before you became a member of the order. Yes, comparatively, Lati are strong, but we are not invincible.

Keep in mind: while we are capable of doing much, we are still capable of getting sick, growing tired, and even dying. While we don't physically age, we are still mortal. It's easy to push yourself past the line, so make sure to take care of your body.

Misc.

You cannot get pregnant, nor get anyone pregnant (certain circumstances withholding. You'll have to ask the Big Man Upstairs His Majesty for his blessing under the condition that your offspring becomes a member of the Order.

You are still the assigned sex you were given at birth, but you are more than welcome to request a change. Again, this will need to be sent up the chain.

Please don't get too weird with transformations. We have a strict vetting process, but that doesn't mean that we haven't had our fair share of experimenters try something they shouldn't. Keep it clean.

#munday lore post #pokeask #pokemon ask blog #plot

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literary-illuminati · 11 months

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Read a bit more Weavers, Scribes & Kings. And, like-

Something deeply mythically appropriate about the fact that one of the oldest signs of civilization in the prehistory of the world is "the cheap shitty disposable mass-produced clay bowls that that the Temple of Inanna probably invented to measure out grain rations."

When you eat lunch out of the takeout box and then throw it away you are actually partaking of a rich and storied cultural heritage stretching back thousands of years!

#Weavers Scribes and Kings #Amanda Podany #history #tht

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mannazandwyrd · 2 years

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I found something interesting night before last:

What is Aceilon, the possible lost name of Loki, doing in a 14th century Middle Welsh manuscript of a 6th-ish century praise poem? What’s my dang pendulum-dowsing UPG that I attempted linguistic analysis of doing in actual ink on vellum?

To figure that out I needed to dig a tiny bit. This is Yspeil Taliesin, leaves 62-63 or poem XXXVII in Llyfr Taliesin, which you can view digitally at the National Library of Wales’ website (link below). It’s one of several praise poems to Urien of Rheged, part of the earliest group of works in the collection, based on historical and linguistic evidence - scholars seem to think they were composed in Old Welsh or Common Brittonic and transmitted orally for awhile before scribes began copying and recopying it, with updates to language and accumulated transcription errors prior to the version that survived. It may have been composed by a historical poet Taliesin (who was later mythologized) or by a court bard using Taliesin as a persona. Lewis and Williams (2019) call this poem “a difficult text”, and note in their book introduction that allusions to mythology, historical events, and places can be very difficult for modern translators because so much early medieval information has been lost.

Here’s a terrible translation using Google Translate set to modern Welsh-to-English to help us pull the right part of the poem. Green highlights are untranslatable words.

By the time of Evans (1910), despite the wonky OCR in the first pic and my viewing it as a single word, Aceilon is being transcribed with a space in it, as ‘Ac eilon’ (ac meaning with). It was likely also treated this way for the public domain translation by Skene (1858) that’s available on the web. It isn’t considered up to scholarly standards, but here’s the same section:

Here is the same passage cited by Stookes (1954):

Here’s the same bit in Lewis & Williams’ (2019) translation:

I’ve not got my grubby paws on the recommended line-by-line analysis by Haycock (2007) yet, which may yield more insight. But it looks as though translators, not seeing Aceilon as a familiar word, divided it then pulled in the bard/poet/musician meaning, which traces to that proto-Indo-European root word that also survives in Gaelic ‘ceilidh’. There’s a lot of diversity in the translations, so it’s likely still being debated.

It might be that, if it’s indeed a single word here, Aceilon was being used as an allusion to a mythical court poet (Loki and Bragi both possibly being bards in Odin’s court).

References:

J. G. Evans (1910) text of the Book of Taliesin

National Library of Wales’s digital images of Peniarth MS 2 (Llyfr Taliesin)

W.F. Skene (1858) translation via Ancient Texts

S. Stookes ‘Before the Conquest’ Music & Letters, Vol. 35, No. 4 (Oct., 1954), pp. 287-293

Gwyneth Lewis and Rowan Williams (2019). The Book of Taliesin: Poems of Warfare and Praise in an Enchanted Britain. London: Penguin Classics - available on Kindle.

Wikipedia’s “Book of Taliesin” article

#lokean #long post #Aceilon?#seven days of lokabrenna #post 5 of 7 #pagan gnosticism #UPG #norse polytheism #devotional polytheism

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thesoulprophecies · 9 months

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Who Were The Earliest Authors?

July 27, 2023 Caitlin Lynagh

Since writing about book binding and some of the oldest books in the world, it got me thinking about who the first authors were, when were people considered authors, and when did it become a recognised profession?

The earliest author, as considered and still debated by historians, is a woman called Enheduanna. She was a high priestess in the Sumerian city-state of Ur during the reign of her father, Sargon of Akkad during 2334 – 2279 B.C. A number of works in Sumerian literature appear to feature Enheduanna as the first person narrator, but works that have been attributed to her, were written by scribes six centuries after she lived. However, Enheduanna probably wasn’t considered an author during the time she was alive, even if she did write several works.

The Bible is Perhaps the most important and the best-selling book of all time. Both the Old and New Testament were finished by the end of the 2nd Century and were written by many authors over a period of 1,500 years. Moses supposedly wrote portions of scripture, and others were named with their ‘books’ or ‘Gospels’. However, scholars believe that the Gospels and books of the New Testament were not actually written by the people to whom they are attributed, and it is quite possible this is true for the Old Testament too. It appears that Bible writers came from all walks of life during different time periods and with different governments. You can find lists of Old and New Testament authors online, but again it is unlikely that any of these authors were considered authors professionally during their lifetime.

Before the invention of mechanical printing, and of course the Gutenberg Press, books were handmade. During the 4th Century, medieval books were made by scribes copying text by hand from original editions. Cassiodorus made copying biblical texts a compulsory tasks for monks. A monastic scribe would work for at least six hours a day, with the best scribes working even more hours. Scribes were not necessarily authors in their own right but we can definitely call them writers, and thanks to their hard work, a lot of ancient texts were saved and passed on.

Greek and Latin mythical and literary classics were the first texts predominantly copied, but during the 6th Century this shifted to Christian texts due to the rise of the Christian Religion. This saw a decline in Greek and Latin texts until the Carolingian Revival when Emperor Charlemagne pushed for more texts to be copied, restarting the copying of Greek and Latin classics.

The emergence of universities in Europe saw a demand for more books, particularly Bibles and books of law. When the printing press was invented, there were suddenly between eight and twenty-four million new books available in just a few decades. Classical and religious books were produced at first, but around 1484 scientific illustrations and books on Botany were produced. Arguably both an author and a publisher, humanist scholar Erasmus used the new print medium to promote his own ideas by the beginning of the 16th Century. Not everyone was thrilled with the arrival of the printing press, Filippo de Strata wrote ‘the printing press is a whore’ and called for printing to be banned. Others just simply preferred hand-written books, like Vespasian da Bisticci and Federico da Montefeltro, not only because they were beautiful, but also because of their value.

The authors of these Classical texts I keep mentioning, were generally Greek and Roman philosophers or other important people like Sun Tzu, a Chinese military leader who is believed to be the author of ‘The Art Of War’. There was also the Greek physician and botanist, Pedanius Dioscorides, who authored Vienna Dioscorides, a work which lists the medical properties of 383 herbs and 200 plants. The Book of Kells was believed to have been written by Irish Columbian Monks, and of course the Bible had many authors, but it is unlikely that any of these authors were considered professional authors during their lifetimes.

The earliest people who could be considered authors by profession were probably poets, like Homer, who was a Greek Poet and wrote ‘The Iliad’ and ‘The Odyssey’, two epic poems that were the foundations for Greek literature. These ancient poems would have been performed to audiences rather than read. Dante’s Divine Comedy, completed in 1320, inspired generations of poets and Dante himself is considered one of Italy’s greatest poets. Lots of artists, scientists and engineers, wrote books about their work, but were never solely authors by profession. Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra is considered one of the greatest Spanish writers, he wrote Don Quixote, published in two parts in 1605 and 1615. There was also William Shakespeare, an English playwright but definitely a writer and author, who lived between 1564 – 1616. The first folio of Shakespeare’s work was published in 1623.

It’s not until the 18th Century where more people seem to be recognised as authors, with French philosopher and writer Denis Diderot, who wrote plays and novels, and is most famous for his ‘L’Encyclopedie…’ though this was written and completed by more than 150 writers. During this time, Samuel Johnson was an English writer and critic who authored ‘Samuel Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English Language’, and Laurence Sterne, an Irish-born novelist, authored ‘Tristram Shandy’.

Towards the later end of the 18th Century, Thomas Paine rose to fame as a writer and wrote ‘The Rights of Man’, it was a publishing success, selling around 200,000 copies. In it’s day it horrified the authorities and was banned. William Blake lived during this time and wrote poetry, but most of his works went unrecognized until after his death in 1827.

During the 19th Century, Charles Dickens, a famous English novelist wrote many fictional works. His life-long career as a novelist began in 1836 and lasted until the day he died in 1870. Another writer was Harriet Beecher Stowe, she was an American abolitionist who wrote ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’, she went on to write 30 books, including novels and memoirs. Walt Whitman, another poet, was an influential voice in American Literature, his book of twelve poems ‘Leaves of Grass’ was published in 1855.

Until the end of the 17th Century, books for children were written mainly for instruction and religious teachings, like Venerable Bede’s 7th Century text on natural science and later the first encyclopaedia written by Anselm for children. Manuals for good conduct were written for children during the 15th and 16th Centuries. Though the first serious children’s author was possibly Charles Perrault who wrote ‘Mother Goose’ for his own children. John Newberry appears to be the first author and bookseller who wrote entertaining children’s book with his ‘Little Pretty Pocket-Book ‘ in 1744. Fairy tales and folktales became increasingly popular, with Grimm’s fairy tales being published in 1812, however you can argue that maybe some of these stories in their original forms aren’t so suitable for children. Lewis Carroll could be considered the most important children’s writer who wrote specifically for entertaining children with his story ‘Alice In Wonderland’ published in 1865.

So the answer to who were the first authors is a complicated one. Storytelling has been around for centuries, and most stories were passed down through generations through word-of-mouth. Some poets wrote down their poetry and some people wrote stories but they were never published or mass produced in the way books are today. Other’s wrote works about their lives and livelihoods but were not necessarily considered authors. The printing press definitely caused a shift that saw people being able to mass produce their writings and spread them to a wider audience quickly. So it’s not really surprising that being an author as a profession, certainly during one’s lifetime was really only possible after this invention. Of course you either had to have your own printing press or convince someone who had one to publish your works.

References:

Books That Changed History

A little history of reading: How the first books came to be | BookTrust

Where Did Writing Come From? (getty.edu)

Medieval Book Production and Monastic Life – Dartmouth Ancient Books Lab

Some Early Professional Authors of the Middle Ages (wondriumdaily.com)

What People said About Books in 1498 (uh.edu)

Children’s literature | History, Books, Types, Awards, & Facts | Britannica

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