#folklore motif

[titleknown]

I think we all need to appreciate more that the closest equivalent the Mario universe has to a lich/Koschei the Deathless is a fat dinosaur named Tubba Blubba.

#paper mario #mario #tubba blubba #lich #undead #koschei the deathless #folklore motif #silly

[thelegendofeowyn]

There's this comic I LOVE called Crow Time.

The author, secondlina, often posts comics on Tumblr, but I couldn't find the specific comic I want to talk about, so here is the link:

In this comic, secondlina refers to will-o'-the-wisps as omens of death. I hadn't come across this characterization of wisps, so I did some digging, and found a couple things:

1. "Corpse-candles"

We hear the following from William Wells Newell:

"First may be mentioned the so-called " corpse-candles," supposed to precede and prognosticate a death. If luminous appearances of the sort issue from the room of a sick person, and are seen to enter the churchyard, it is taken for granted that the illness will be fatal, and that the sufferer will shortly be borne to his rest along the path followed by the apparition. The movement of the flame answers to that which may be expected from the living man; if the pace be brisk, as that of a youth skipping or running, the death of a child is indicated; if slow and even, of an elderly person. In this case the vision is, so to speak, a present reflection of the future event; inasmuch as it formerly was usual to inter by night, and in consequence torches or candles were borne by the mourners, such lamps belong to the funeral procession, which appears in an anticipatory reflex."

(Basically, that wisps appear as actual harbingers of death and light the way to the churchyard where a sick person will soon be buried after they die.)

2. Spirits of the Dead

I have found that wisps have also been called the spirits of the dead, with variations being

someone who tricked the devil and therefore could enter neither heaven nor hell when they died*

someone who moved a landmark

unbaptized infants

dishonest land surveyors

*There's a huge number of stories mentioning this phenomenon, so many that it is a folkloric motif (ATU 330).

So, the connections between wisps and death is strong enough that some people would say wisps have a stronger correlation to ghosts than to fairies. That's something I have encountered in a few of the abovementioned sources, but I feel like there's a lot more research to be done in that regard. I'm more than willing to take on that monstrous task!

#will o the wisp #ignis fatuus #jack o lantern #folklore #fairies #ghosts #magical creatures of loreve #william wells newell #katharine briggs #will smith #no not that one #the other one #irish folklore #scottish folklore #english folklore #welsh folklore #and much more #secondlina #crow time #motif index #folklore motif #spirits #corpse candles #omens of death #feu follet

[laurasimonsdaughter]

What if Disney adapted the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter?

I am only vaguely familiar with the context of this story, but I don't think I would give it to Disney. While I'm inclined to say that it would be better adapted into Japanese animation, for Disney vibes without involving Disney, I would latch onto the moon celestial aspect and ask the team from Over The Moon to do it. But beg them to pretty please make it all in their 2D storybook style:

This story is a true tragedy, at least from a mortal perspective, and I think these dreamy, romantic visuals would suit it:

A bamboo-cutter discovers a tiny baby inside a shining stalk of bamboo and he and his wife take her in as their own child.

From that moment on he finds gold inside every stalk he cuts has a nugget of gold inside it.

The baby, Kaguya-hime, grows into a young woman in just three months and is so beautiful that even though her parents try to hide her, men start to come from all over to court her.

Five noblemen are put through impossible trials which they all fail to try and win her hand.

The emperor of Japan falls in love with her, but she won't even have him for a husband, even though she keeps writing with him.

Three years pass and in the summer the mysterious maiden begins crying whenever she sees the moon. At last she reveals she is not of the earth but belongs on the moon and will be taken back there, to parents she has by now forgotten.

Her foster parents try to hide her, the emperor even sends guards to keep away the envoys of the moon who come to fetch her, but of course to no avail.

A chariot comes down for her with the rising of the yellow harvest moon. A messenger tells the bamboo-cutter that Princess Moonlight was sent to earth as punishment for committing a grave fault and that they have sent him the gold in return for the good care she received.

He begs for them not to take him and Kaguya-hime tells him she goes against her will and would rather have stayed with her loving foster parents in their old age, but she must go.

Her foster father is not allowed to go with her. She gives him her embroidered robe as a keepsake. When she is given Elixir of Life to drink she even tries to share it with him, but she is prevented.

Finally she writes a letter to the emperor, encloses the rest of the Elixir of Life and gives this to her foster father, asking him to deliver it. Then she ascends into the sky in the moon chariot.

The emperor has her gift bunt at the summit of Mount Fuji so that the smoke can be seen rising from there to this day.

I think a faithful adaptation should keep it a tragedy, but perhaps there could be just a little bittersweet mixed in with the sorrow for the poor parents. Maybe they can hear their daughter singing to them when they look up to the moon. Or perhaps the ending could be made a little less formal and the princess's celestial parents can come down themselves to get her back and to thank her mortal foster parents for all they have done for her. If I were adapting this I would downplay the part of the emperor a bit and really put the focus on the relationship between the moon princess and both her foster parents.

#The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter #laura babbles #disney goggles #japanese fairy tales #I am aware that Over the Moon was inspired by Chinese folklore #but the “lady pulled away to the moon motif” is strong

[alfieloveswriting]

Floriography: Resources for Writers

For centuries, flowers, herbs, and other plants have been used to convey meaning, both in life and in literature. Many of the greats, including Shakespeare, Austen, the Brontë sisters, and Steinbeck referred to floral symbolism to delicately weave into their intricate works. Flowers influenced art for generations before us, and with luck, they will continue to inspire artists for generations after us--long after we've become them.

Victorian Floral Code.pdf

Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Flower Language by Jessica Roux

Language of Flowers Wiki

Hanakotoba - Japanese Flower Language Wiki

Ikebana - Japanese Flower Arrangement Wiki

Kate Greenaway's Language of Flowers

Floral Emblem Guide

Plant Motifs In English, Russian, and Tatar (pdf)

Flower Language Myths

Language of Flowers.com

#culture #language #writers #author #writing reference #reference #victorian flower language #poets on tumblr #japanese folklore #slavic folklore #motifs #creative writing #indie author #floriography #for future reference #resources #writing tips #writing advice #writing tools

[theres-a-motif-for-that]

in this house we love and respect all clones

#couldn't sum them up with just one gif #thompson motif index of folk literature #thompson motif index #folktale motifs #folklore memes #folklore #F. Marvels #the clone wars #sw tcw #the clones #star wars memes #waxer and boil #domino squad #echo and fives #domino twins #arc trooper fives #arc trooper echo #commander thire #also the clones calling each other brother still gets me man

[yoga-onion]

Legends and myths about trees

Forest myths, Estonian traditional beliefs (4)

The world of the Estonians’ ancestors – Mythical motifs in Estonian runic songs

The Estonian literary mythology describes the following pantheon: The supreme god, the god of all living things, is Taara (variations of the name include Tooru, Tharapita and Tarapitha), also known as Uku or Jumal, is a prominent god in Estonian mythology, with a strong resemblance to the Finnish Ukko and the Germanic Thor. He is celebrated in sacred oak forests around Tartu. The god of thunder is Uku. Uku's daughters are Linda and Jutta, the queen of the birds. Uku has two sons: Kõu (Thunder) and Pikker (Lightning). Pikker possesses a powerful musical instrument, which makes demons tremble and flee. He has a naughty daughter, Ilmatütar (Weather Maiden).

Estonian legends about giants (Kalevipoeg, Suur Tõll, Leiger) may be a reflection of Germanic (especially Scandinavian) influences. Giants themselves in some stories stood as protectors against such Germanic influences, such as invasion. There are numerous legends interpreting various natural objects and features as traces of Kalevipoeg's deeds. The giant has merged with Christian Devil, giving birth to a new character – Vanapagan (a cunning demon living on his farm or manor) and his farm hand Kaval-Ants ("Crafty Hans").

Other mythical motifs from Estonian runic songs:

a mighty oak grows into the sky, is then felled and turned into various mythical objects

Sun, Moon and Star are the suitors of a young maiden, she finally accepts the Star

a crafty blacksmith forges a woman of gold but is not able to give her a soul or a mind

a holy grove starts to wither after having been desecrated by a love-making couple; only sacrificing nine brothers cleanses it

mighty heroes are not able to kill a terrible giant ox, but a little brother is

a woman is forced to kill her daughter who then goes to live in the heaven as the Air Maiden

a girl finds a fish and asks her brother to kill it – there is a woman inside the fish

young girls go out at night and young men from the holy grove (or the land of the dead) seduce them by offering them riches

a lake travels to another place when it has been desecrated by an inconsiderate woman or an incestuous couple

木にまつわる伝説・神話

森の神話・エストニアの民間伝承 (4)

エストニア人の祖先の世界 〜 ルーン文字の歌詞に見られる神話のモチーフ

エストニアの文学的神話には、次のようなパンテオンが描かれている: すべての生きとし生けるものの神である最高神はタアラであり、タルトゥ周辺の神聖なオークの森で祭られている。タアラ（トオル、タラピタなどの異称がある）は、ウクまたはユマルとも呼ばれるエストニア神話の著名な神で、フィンランドのウッコやゲルマン民族のトールに類似している。タルトゥ周辺の神聖なオークの森で祭られている。ウクの娘はリンダと鳥の女王ユッタ。ウクには2人の息子がいる： コオウ（雷）とピッカー（稲妻）である。ピッカーは強力な楽器を持っており、悪魔を震え上がらせて逃走させる。彼にはいたずらっ子の娘イルマチュタル（天気の乙女）がいる。

巨人（ｶﾚｳﾞｨﾎﾟｴｸﾞ、ｽｵﾄｰﾙ、ﾚｲｶﾞｰ）に関するエストニアの伝説は、ゲルマン人（特にスカンジナビア人）の影響を反映したものかもしれない。巨人そのものが、侵略などのゲルマン人の影響から身を守る存在であったという話もある。様々な自然物や特徴をカレヴィポエグの行いの痕跡と解釈する伝説が数多くある。この巨人はキリスト教の悪魔と融合し、ヴァナパガン（彼の農場や荘園に住む狡猾な悪魔）と彼の農夫カヴァル＝アンツ（「狡猾なハンス」）という新しいキャラクターを生み出した。

エストニアのルーン文字の歌詞には、他にも神話的なモチーフがある：

樫の木が空に向かって伸び、伐採され、さまざまな神話上のオブジェに変わる。

太陽、月、星は若い乙女の求婚者であり、彼女は最終的に星を受け入れた。

狡猾な鍛冶屋が金の女を拵えたが、彼女に魂や心を与えることはできなかった。

聖なる木立が、愛し合うカップルによって冒涜された後、枯れ始めるが、9人の兄弟を生贄にすれば浄化される。

強大な英雄は恐ろしい巨大な牛を殺すことができないが、弟は殺すことができる。

ある女性が自分の娘を殺さざるを得なくなり、その娘は天界で空気の乙女として生きることになる。

少女が魚を見つけ、兄に殺してくれるよう頼む - その魚の中に女がいる。

若い娘が夜に外出すると、聖なる木立（または死者の国）から来た若い男たちが金持ちを差し出して誘惑する。

軽率な女や近親相姦のカップルによって冒涜された湖は、別の場所に移動する。

#trees #tree myths #tree legend #folklore #legend #mythology #estonian mythology #runic songs #estonian mythic motifs #forest #nature #art

[artofmaquenda]

I also still have this shirt available band once it's gone it's gone, so now would be a nice time to combine shipping if you're interested in both of my designs

☺️https://artofmaquenda.etsy.com/listing/1284329541

#green man motif #green being #wolf #canine #pagan #folklore #ArtofMaquenda #art #nature art #animal art #furry artist

[ohgaylor]

afterglow 🤝 hoax 🤝 the great war 🤝 death by a thousand cuts 🤝 long story short (parallels / analyses)

always remember // flashbacks waking me up // flashes of the battle come back to me in a blur // I tried to pick my battles 'til the battle picked me

my knuckles were bruised like violets, sucker punching walls // fighting with a true love is boxing with no gloves // don't want no other shade of blue but you // I blew things out of proportion, now you're blue, put you in jail for something you didn’t do // and maybe it's the past that's talking, screaming from the crypt telling me to punish you for things you never did, so I justified it

I lived like an island, punished you with silence // cursed you as I sleep-talked, spineless in my tomb of silence // misery like the war of words I shouted in my sleep // my sleepless night, my winless fight

somewhere in the haze, got a sense I'd been betrayed // my best laid plan, your sleight of hand // paper cut stings from our paper-thin plans // your finger on my hairpin triggers // my twisted knife // you knew the password so I let you in the door // my only one, my smoking gun, my eclipsed sun, this has broken me down

tore your banners down, took the battle underground // I look through the windows of this love, even though we boarded them up // I drew curtains closed, drank my poison all alone // chandelier's still flickering here 'cause I can't pretend it's okay when it's not

and what once was ours is no one's now I see you everywhere, the only thing we share is this small town // you know I left a part of me back in New York // my kingdom come undone // our country, guess it was a lawless land

stood on the cliffside screaming, "give me a reason" // long story short, it was a bad time, pushed from the precipice, climbed right back up the cliff

I don’t wanna lose, I don't wanna lose this with you // that was the night I nearly lost you, I really thought I'd lost you // this has frozen my ground // soldier down on that icy ground, looked up at me with honor and truth, broken and blue, so I called off the troops // thought I had reason to attack, but no // when I dropped my sword, I threw it in the bushes and knocked on your door

the worst was over, my hand was the one you reached for all throughout the great war // your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in // no more keepin' score, now I just keep you warm // we're burned for better // I am ash from your fire // always remember the burning embers

no more tug of war, now I just know there's more // this ultraviolet morning light below tells me this love is worth the fight // and we will never go back to that bloodshed, crimson clover // I vowed I would always be yours ‘cause we survived the Great War // and we live in peace, but if someone comes at us, this time, I'm ready

#lyric*connections #they tell the same story!!!!! #taylor swift #afterglow #hoax #the great war #death by a thousand cuts #long story short #parallels #analysis #mine #gaylor #anyway these motifs are rather significant if you ask me #folklore #midnights #lover #evermore #taylor swift parallels

[thisisustrying]

come back, come back, come back to me like, you would if this was a movie, stand in the rain outside til I came out

the other side of the door // how you get the girl // cardigan // come in with the rain // if this was a movie

#taylor swift #tscreators #tsusermeggie #userelena #usersar #fearless taylor’s version #1989 #folklore #lyric parallels #it goes on and on and on #this running motif of one character at home and the other standing outside in the rain on the other side of the door ready to apologize #same girl cant get enough of it #my edits

[lunarsigilart]

The Green Man, watercolor and color pencils

#Green Man #folklore #foliate head #Gothic art #gothic motif #medieval #medieval art #mythology #fairy #fairytale #historic design #ornament #pagan art #art #illustration #artwork #fantasy art #monsters #fantasy #fantasy creatures #watercolor #watercolor art #artists on tumblr #tumblr art #art on tumblr

[cassandragemini]

learning that women turning into bears was a fairly common story motif from my tribe was the most validating piece of information ive ever received as a artist. im carrying on hundreds of years of tradition by being really loud about my ocs on the internet

#crow.txt #ocposting #the book i was reading also talked about how that motif may have been influenced by african american folklore which is really interesting #a lot of tribes on the east coast intermarried with black communities so cultural exchange was inevitable

[tangents-within-tangents]

Checked out the Classical Comic’s Dracula adaptation (which I could give a whole review on because oof) but this is one of the things that stood out to me like bro, "faint flickering blue flames" that are said to be "seen over any place where treasure has been concealed" and you draw this?

Like tell me you don’t know about will’o-the-wisp folklore without telling me lol

#Like I know I wrote a giant AF research synthesis about the ignis fatuus phenomenon but I recognized the description in the book right away #I’m obviously no expert though so idk about the specific folklore for the region #but revealing the location of treasure is a common motif so my assumption feels pretty grounded #I'm honestly surprised they even included this bit with how much they rushed through the plot #dracula #classical comics dracula #folklore #will o the wisp #dracula daily

[mp3-pplayers]

#306 #sweetie #thompson folklore motif index i love you (ive been thinking about it all day) #osc

[elenaferrante]

something happened for the first time in the darkest little paradise > sacred new beginnings that became my religion > we’d still worship this love even if it’s a false god > your faithless love is the only hoax I believe in > it was real enough to get me through

#SHE BELIEVES NO MATTER WHAT #one could argue that he did indeed **** her #love this transition #and love the religious motifs in Taylor’s music #was listening to lover this morning on the beach #and thought of this #taylor swift #reputation #lover #folklore #evermore #lyrics #joe alwyin #swiftwyn #don’t blame me #false god #cornelia Street #hoax #little evermore #j says

[theres-a-motif-for-that]

Poor Echo, honestly

#confederate in this case means accomplice not like a confederate soldier or anything #just to clarify lol #thompson motif index #folklore memes #folktale motifs #thompson motif index of folk literature #k. deceptions #folklore #star wars memes #the clone wars #tbb #the bad batch #tbb echo #arc trooper echo

[ouroboros8ontology]

ngl i am holding myself back from quoting this whole chapter on the legend of jewish sorcery from jewish magic and superstition. i’m worried going through this book is going to take forever because it’s all so interesting. would also suggest people read this article--Anti-Semitic Folklore Motif Index--it’s a great primer on antisemitic tropes from the Middle Ages to present day

#the legend of jewish sorcery #jewish magic and superstition: a study in folk religion #antisemitism #antisemitic folklore motif index