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greenwitchcrafts · 8 months

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September 2023 witch guide

Full moon: September 29th

New moon: September 14th

Sabbats: Mabon September 23rd

September Harvest Moon

Also known as: Autumn moon, falling leaves moon, song moon, leaves turning moon, moon of brown leaves, yellow leaf moon, wine moon & Full corn moon

Element: Earth

Zodiac: Virgon& Libra

Animal spirits: Trooping Faeries

Deities: Brigid, Ceres, Ch'ang-o, Demeter, Freya, Isis & Vesta

Animals: Jackal & snake

Birds: Ibis & sparrow

Trees: Bay, hawthorn, hazel & larch

Herbs/plants: Copal, fennel, rye, skullcap, valerian, wheat & witch hazel

Flowers: Lily & Narcissus

Scents: Bergamot, gardenia, mastic & storax

Stones: Bloodstone, chrysolite, citrine, olivine, peridot & sapphire

Colors: Browns, dark blue, greens & yellows ( Earth tones)

Energy: Balance of light & dark, dietary matters, employment, health, intellectual pursuits, prosperity, psychism, rest, spirituality, success & work environments. Also cleaning & straightening mentally, physically & spiritually.

Technically, the Harvest Moon is the Full Moon closest to the September equinox around September 21st. The Harvest Moon is the only Full Moon name determined by the equinox rather than a month. Most years, it’s in September, but around every three years, it falls in October.

In September, the Full Moon is the Corn Moon from the Native American tribes harvesting their corn. It can also be the Harvest Moon, which corresponds with the Anglo-Saxon name, while Celtic and Old English names are Wine Moon, Song Moon, and Barley Moon.

Mabon

Also known as: Autumn Equinox, Cornucopia, Witch's Thanksgiving & Alban Elved

Season: Fall

Symbols: Acorns, apples, autumn leaves, berries, corn, cornucopia (horn of plenty), dried seeds, gourds, grains, grapes, ivy, pine cones, pomegranates, vines, wheat, white roses & wine

Colors: Blue brown, drk red, deep gold, gold, indigo, lead green, maroon, orange, red, russet, violet & yellow

Oils/incense: Apple, apple blossom, benzoin, black pepper, hay/straw, myrrh, passion flower, patchouli, pine, red poppy & sage

Animals: Dog, goose, hawk, swan, swallow & wolf

Stones: Agate, amethyst, carnelian, lapis lazuli, sapphire, yellow Agate & yellow topaz

Foods: Apples, blackberries, blackberry wine, bread, carrots, cider, corn, cornbread, grapes, heather wine, nuts, onions, pomegranates, potatoes, squash, vegetables, wheat & winw

Herbs/plants: Acorn, benzoin, cedar, corn, cypress, ferns, grains, hazel, hops, ivy, myrrh, oak, pine, sage, sassafras, Salomon's seal, thistle, tobacco & wheat

Flowers: Aster, heather, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, mum,passion flower& rose

Goddesses: Danu, Epona, Modron, Morrigan, Muses, Pomona, Persephone, Sophia & Sura

Gods: Esus, Green Man, Hermes, Mabon, Mannanan, Toth & Thor

Issues, Intentions & Powers: Accomplishment, agriculture, balance, goals, gratitude & grounding

Spellworks: Balance, harmony, protection, prosperity, security & self confidence

Related festivals:

• Sukkot- is a Torah-commanded holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals (Hebrew: שלוש רגלים, shalosh regalim) on which those Israelites who could were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. In addition to its harvest roots, the holiday also holds spiritual importance with regard to its abandonment of materialism to focus on nationhood, spirituality, and hospitality, this principle underlying the construction of a temporary, almost nomadic, structure of a sukkah.

• Mid-Autumn festival- also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. Similar holidays are celebrated by other cultures in East & Southeast Asia. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture; its popularity is on par with that of Chinese New Year. The history of the Mid-Autumn Festival dates back over 3,000 years. The festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night, corresponding to mid-September to early October of the Gregorian calendar. On this day, the Chinese believe that the Moon is at its brightest and fullest size, coinciding with harvest time in the middle of Autumn.

• Thanksgiving- This is a secular holiday which is similar to the cell of Mabon; A day to give thanks for the food & blessings of the previous year. The American Thanksgiving is the last Thursday of November while the Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated in October

• Festival of Dionysus- There were several festivals that honored Dionysus, the God of wine. It was a time of fun, games, feasting & drinking wine.

Activities:

•Scatter offerings in a harvested fields, Offer libations to trees

• Decorate your home and/or altar space for fall

• Bake bread

• Perform a ritual to restore balance and harmony to your life

• Cleanse your home of negative energies

• Pick apples

• Have a dinner or feast with your family and/or friends

• Set intentions for the upcoming year

• Purge what is no longer serving you

•Take a walk in the woods

• Enjoy a pumpkin spice latte

• Donate to your local food bank

• Gather dried herbs, plants, seeds & pods

• Learn something new

• Make wine

• Brew an apple cinnamon simmer pot

• Create an outdoor Mabon altar

•Adorn burial sites with leaves, acorns, & pinecones to honor those who have passed over & visit their graves

Many cultures see the second harvest (after the first harvest Lammas) and equinox as a time for giving thanks. This time of year is when farmers know how well their summer crops did, and how well fed their animals have become. This determines whether you and your family would have enough food for the winter. That is why people used to give thanks around this time, thanks for their crops, and animals, and food.

The name Mabon comes from the Welsh God, who was the son of the Earth Mother Goddess. However, there is evidence that the name was adopted in the 1970s, and the holiday was not originally a Celtic celebration.

Some believe Night and day are of equal legth and the God's energy & strength are nearly gone . The Goddess begins to mourn the loss she knows is coming, but knows he will return when he reborn at Yule.

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Wikipedia

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

Mabon: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Autumn Equinox Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials

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indiaalphawhiskey · 8 months

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UPDATE: Pleasing Perfume Descriptions

by Professorperfume 🌬️

According to Emelia:

🪵Rivulets: library, old books vibe; woody, fresh spicy, some freshness; little bit of powder, little bit dry, possible sandalwood scent, hint of coconut

🌿Bright, Hot: aromatic citrus wood, potentially with lavender or sage; almost a fougère scent

Fougère: The Fougere fragrance family is inspired by the "imagined' notes of ferns, deeper green or mossy, woody notes and is a generally a more masculine fragrance family.

The Fougere is a diverse group that focuses on the blend of a citrus top note, frequently bergamot, an aromatic heart of lavender, and a touch of rose which can also be replaced by the more herbal rosiness of geranium, balanced with deeper notes of oakmoss, vetiver and coumarin ( a warm hay like note found in tonka beans)

🫧Closeness: clean skin, a little bit soapy, fancy bubble bath vibes; really light, powdery, possibly iris, orris, or musk

For some reason, Tumblr won’t let me add to the original post.

#pleasing perfume #pleasing perfume descriptions #bright hot #rivulets #closeness #professorperfume

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minister-erik · 29 days

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EASTERN HAY-SCENTED FERN - Composition Thursday

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wellthebardsdead · 1 year

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And now, what my dragonborns smell like, just because~

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Marigold: Honey, chamomile, lotus & orange blossom. He smells like a warm sleepy cup of floral tea and can be just as sweet or scalding depending on how much he likes you~ fittingly to his name he likes the more floral scents and finds them relaxing, though he doesn’t mind earthier scents too like fresh pine. Kaidan likes it from a distance but up close he normally has a sneezing fit, he quickly gets used to it.

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Henwen: tundra cotton, blue mountain flower and very powdery fine soap, something akin to English fern or talc powder. He loves the comfy smelling scents but lavender is too overpowering for him, it kicks up terrible hay fever. He’s just a soft boi and wants to smell soft too. Kaidan loves it too but it rocks him to sleep too easily laying beside him when he wants to stay up reading to him.

———

Naria: sea salt, sage & jasmin. As a maormer he’s incapable of actually sweating or producing any unpleasant smells so he has no real need for perfumes or fragrance but he enjoys using them regardless. He prefers earthy and milder smells but keeps the scent of the sea with him no matter how far in land he goes. A hug from him will probably leave you feeling very sleepy like you’ve spent a long day at the beach, it certainly does for Kaidan & Cary.

———

Flynt: Lemon grass and sandalwood. He was a soldier for a long time and got pretty used to the smell of gross sweaty armour, then following his loss of eye sight and ability to speak he was left homeless and begging on the streets and dealt with all the unpleasant smells there. So when Taliesin enters his life and spends hours helping him pick out soaps and fragrances he found himself drawn to the sweet and woodsy. He thinks it matches Taliesins honey and vanilla milk scent nicely.

———

Bass: sandalwood, burning hot metal & rosemary. He’s an old dwemer used to working with his hands, so long as he’s clean at the start and end of the day and he doesn’t stink during he’s content. He’s frequently welding or building something and has that pleasant electric scent lingering around him, but also keeps a sandalwood stick burning and a sprig of Rosemary in his scarf to remind him of his wife.

———

Evalien: sweet musk or cotton candy. She’s from our world and likes the familiarity the scents have. And they’re overpowering enough she doesn’t have to smell the rest of team dragonborn when they’re 3 days between inns and the nearest bath. No she will not sleep with Kaidan unless he has one.

———

Sylas: Mint & lemon grass. at first he was content smelling like moss, mildew and the lingering stench of death from living in abandoned crypts and staining his white hair black with soot or charcoal so he could keep a low profile. Then he met Taliesin. And while the grumpy elf resisted his makeover he had to admit he loved the clean, sweet and fresh scents his new lifestyle allowed him… plus Taliesin won’t let him touch him if he hasn’t freshened up.

———

Shamat: Sweet musk & sandalwood. He likes the sweet and warm mix the scent brings him, it feels oddly very familiar to him but he can never place it, at least until he’s kidnapped by nerevar. The first thing he does when he buys his first house burn them as incense. It makes him feel like he’s home. Kaidan does think it’s a little overpowering but he loves seeing how happy it makes him so he copes.

———

Aurorwren: orange blossom & nirnroot. He’s a fan of the sweet citrus scents but also the fresh grassy fragrances the nirnroot oil leaves on his feathers. But given he doesn’t produce an odour he prefers to go without sometimes. Kaidan often says he smells like a chicken to tease him when he does.

———

Poppy: Pure opium. He’ll give you fair warning that he’s going to release a cloud of gas from the pressure locks on his automated parts so you can get out of the way. His blood was replaced with the extract. How’s he still alive? Simple he’s not. Remove the dynamo core and he drops dead. Why opium? Because when he was first rebuilt he kept screaming in pain despite the fact he shouldn’t feel anything. He’s a walking bio hazard but despite that the group always manage to find themselves within range of a valve release knockout at least once.

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randomwriteronline · 9 months

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Skull Kid dreams sometimes.

It's weird, because they don't usually do that.

Usually they dream of black nothingness that smells and sounds of nothing, and when they do dream it feels more like having nightmares even when they aren't necessarily scary, because the things they see hurt, hurt, hurt.

They dream of things that their friends' scents and warmth remind them of.

When they fall asleep sitting on Bird's shoulders they dream that he is taking them on a flight on his bird. They imagine it, all bright colors and wide wings, a long beak cutting through the clouds, eyes dark and beady; they feel the wind rushing across their face and its body, grasping gently at the hair soft like down feathers in which their nose digs deep, soft and shiny and velvety, making their hands slip away as soon as they lay on them. Bird is warm and soft, sitting behind them, and never lets them fall as they fly higher and farther.

When they fall asleep wrapped around Mouse they dream of the little helpful mice, of chasing them around together like cats, of being as tall as them and playing tag under the leaves and mushroom caps, of taking part in festivals and dancing with them. They imagine them differently in each dream, ears larger or smaller, snout longer or shorter, with the only consistent detail remaining the shape of their white and red feather tail - the same that hangs from Mouse's ear.

When they fall asleep against Cave's back they dream of dark, damp places, of long hallways and dry ground that turns humid as they walk deeper into the entrails of the earth. He holds their hand, and his palm feels fluttery, like lightning in the making, like little wings. When they feel the latter they let go hurriedly before it hurts too much; it feels like ferns when they hold it again, and that is much, much better. Being led through the dark feels safe, feels sweet, feels comforting. Cave hums as they go and the caves hum back.

When they fall asleep in Goats' arms they dream from the outside - they see themself, their body, as if it wasn't theirs. They dream of sleeping next to laying goats, or balls of hay, or inside a barn with a strong warm smell while the rain falls in long bead curtains outside. Sometimes Goats is there too, sitting with their head on his thigh, caressing it lightly with his large rough hands, muttering about how the rain isn't letting up in a low tone that feels like a lullaby, with a lone stalk of wheat hanging limply from his lip.

When they fall asleep on Moss they dream of a place overgrown with plants and ghosts talking about him, and they try to imagine them: one has big broad shoulders, another long gentle fingers; one a large proud mane, another strong stubby legs. Sometimes they dream of vast, endless fields. They don't like that. The tree is always in vast, endless fields. The child is always under the tree, in vast, endless fields. They don't want to play bad guys and good guys. They don't want to run. Moss wakes them up just enough to drag them away from there, like he can tell their fear.

When they fall asleep in Bell's grip they dream of a large calm graveyard with bluebells and sweet peas. The gravestones are old and green, shaped like the sorts of canopies that shield cradles; the ground before them is dug into beds, a thousand beds, with each with a kid sleeping soundly. They make their rounds to check on them, make sure they're napping safely, with a strange kind of peace. They know who they are. It's a happy dream, somehow. Maybe it will be okay when they're awake too. Not now. Later. One day.

When they fall asleep next to Gold they dream strangely, with colors flowing out of rabbit burrows like fabric bursting from a box, with shouts of warm bright lava and an orchestra swinging, robes and mermaids singing together. Gold comes to drag them somewhere a little quieter, and they know it's Gold because who else would it be? He indulges them in their dreams: he plays with them and dances with them and helps them navigate through it all, and guides them into sleep within sleep, to get some proper rest.

When they fall asleep near Sea they dream of titanic hands gently cupping around them to make pools of saltwater that they lift a little over the surface of the ocean and then slowly letting it all drain from between enormous fingers, watching them slip through with happy shrieks, and it hurts so much that sometimes it makes them wake up and stay awake for hours on end. So when they feel the water enveloping them they force themself to dream of Sea, of his face and body and voice, of him teaching them to swim; they dream of grabbing his head and hair and kissing him in a way they can't quite describe right there, in the middle of the ocean, holding him as tight as they can, letting him breathe through their mouth when the waves wash over his face to drown him; they dream of laying down with him somewhere on the sand under a tree with large leaves, while the water keeps lapping at their legs in gentle motions, and they hold his hand while he sleeps as he caresses their fingers with his thumb.

When they fall asleep embraced by their friend they force themself to dream from the outside. They force their dreams to be a colorful nothing that smells and sounds like their friend asleep. They have to, because if they don't then they'll dream of their friend as he was: as tall as them, with a sweet smile, with two bright blue eyes so sad and quiet, with two small scarred hands of pale dirty pink so very rough and so very kind.

They cry, when they dream of their friend as he was; they cry like they're dying, like they're being burned. He kisses their mouth and thumbs their tears away slowly as they fall without rest, one after the other, sliding down their cheeks with all the bitter sadness in the world as they look at their friend as he was and ask sobbing quietly, why can't it be like this? Why can't it be like this again? Why can't it be like this anymore? Why can't I have this anymore? They kiss their friend as he once was kindly in their dreams, they kiss his mouth when they manage to stop crying long enough, and they hide their head in his arms because they know they can't do this anymore.

They watch him grow before their eyes, they watch him change until he's become completely unrecognizable, until he's taller, until he's older, until he's grown far too much to not appear so horribly frightening. He kisses their temple with all the love in the world, but it's not the love they miss so much, and they retreat in his chest, deeper, deeper, blindly searching for their friend as he was. His voice as it was reaches them with all the sweetness in the world, enveloping them like a feather mantle, and whispers over and over: I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.

Sometimes it hurts to wake up and hear his kind voice call them Sweet-heart-that-you-are in a way and tone that is so completely, utterly different from how it used to be, from how they so badly miss, from how they would love to hear again. Sometimes it makes them want to cry, or stop talking forever. Sometimes it makes them want to run as far away as possible, into the darkness.

Eyes and ears have betrayed them enough for them to know that one can only trust the smells.

So they dream from the outside, wrapped around their friend who looks nothing like he used to but is still undoubtedly himself; they dream of sleeping in his embrace somewhere bright and quiet, familiar, with a sweet scent that slowly combs through the feathers they no longer have.

#tloz #linked universe #skull kid #skullkid #sky lu #four lu #hyrule lu #twilight lu #wild lu #warriors lu #legend lu #wind lu #time lu #random writing #hiiiiiii its meeeeeeeee #back at it again with the skull kid contentttttt babyyyyyyyyyyyy #content which caters specifically to Me #and some other people who have either grown desensitized to my shit or in whose heart i made a breach

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blackswallowtailbutterfly · 1 year

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New species I’m getting this year!

Antennaria rosea (Rosy pussytoes)

Arisaema dracontium (Green dragon)

Asplenium scolopendrium (Hart’s tongue)

Calycanthus floridus (Sweetshrub)

Carex aurea (Golden sedge)

Claytonia virginica (Fairy spuds)

Echinacea pallida (Pale purple coneflower)

Equisetum hyemale (Scouring rush)

Iris setosa (Bristle-pointed iris)

Linnaea borealis (Twinflower)

Lonicera canadensis (Canadian fly honeysuckle)

Lonicera involucrata (Twinberry honeysuckle)

Osmunda claytoniana (Interrupted fern)

Passiflora incarnata (Maypop)

Pediomeleum esculentum/Psoralea esculenta (Breadroot)

Polystichum munitum (Western sword fern)

Triglochin maritma (Seaside arrowgrass)

Vaccinium macrocarpon (Large cranberry)

Viburnum acerifolium (Maple-leaved viburnum)

Viola pedata var. bicolor (Crowfoot violet)

Species I’m trying again this year after failed past attempt(s)!

Antennaria neglecta (Field pussytoes) Was planted in late summer and I was kept from watering it adequately.

Argentina anserina (Silverweed) No idea why they didn’t survive where I put them, but try, try again, elsewhere this time.

Artemisia frigida (Fringed sagebrush) First time ended up being white sage brush instead; second time plug was on its last legs on arrival, died soon after.

Chamaenerion angustifolium (Fireweed) Going to try this in yet another spot.

Dennstaedtia punctiloba (Hay-scented fern) Supposed to be aggressive! Mine was not. Maybe the one I get this year.

Dioscorea villosa (Wild yam) Planted the tuber but it never came up.

Glycyrrhiza lepidota (Wild licorice) Squirrels...Dug it up and broke the stem.

Lupinus polyphyllus (Big-leaf lupine) Leafed out nicely for its first and second year and then just didn’t come up again after its second winter.

Maianthemum racemosum (False Solomon’s seal) Squirrels! Dug it up and broke the stem.

Pteridium aquilinum latiusculum (Western bracken fern) I put it in a dry shady spot, as recommended, and it died.

Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan) SQUIRRELS!!! Dug it up and while I was visiting home and it dried out. Couldn’t revive it.

Silene acaulis (Moss campion) Sunny, wet, amongst rocks. Check, check, check, but they keep dying on me.

Sisyrinchium montanum (Blue-eyed grass) Two places tried, two place died. I shall try a third place this year.

Viola pubescens (Downy yellow violet) FUCKING. SQUIRRELS. Dug it up while I was at work and left it to scorch and dry out in the sun. Couldn’t revive it.

Species I’m getting again because I’m fairly sure mine didn’t make it

Apocynum cannabinum (Hemp dogbane) It might not have gotten enough sunlight thanks to the white mulberry that grew over. I’ll try it in a different area.

Sagittaria latifolia (Duck potato) It may come up after all but I don’t want to take the chance of planting too late if it doesn’t.

Sparganium americanum (American bur-reed) Not sure why, but we’ll try again this year. And I may yet be surprised.

Symplocarpus foetidus (Skunk cabbage) It’s possible it’s just young and takes longer to come up than it would if it were more mature, but I don’t want to take chances since there’s only one place I can get them at.

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halleehalfgallon · 2 years

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for whatever reason, last night I kept wondering what it would be like to look up from underneath beneath the hay-scented ferns that grow abundantly on our land. quite heavenly I think.

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aisling-saoirse · 11 months

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Field of Ferns - June 4th 2023

#alex told me to name it this #hay scented fern #forest #nature #photographers on tumblr #original phography #njlocal #schooleys mountain #spring

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outofangband · 2 years

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Flora, Fauna, and Environment of Neldoreth (Updated and Added To)

,Flora, fauna, environment/geography of Arda

I did Region here!

Originally requested by @actuallyfingolfin

I did try to organize these more into sections of the forest (openings and glades, margins and edges, moist or shaded soil, etc) and I don’t know if it will be of interest to anyone else but if anyone is interested in sending me a section of a habitat or location for me to elaborate on I will. Or a season!

I put a lot of work into this!

Neldoreth is a forest of beech trees, part of Northern Doriath and contained within Melian’s Girdle. It was here that Lúthien was born and later imprisoned to prevent her from rescuing Beren. It was bordered by the River Esgalduin on the South towards the Northeast and and River Mindeb on the West, both tributaries to Sirion. The tallest beech tree in the forest was Hírilorn and it was here that Lúthien was imprisoned.

Doriath has three forests making up its kingdom; Neldoreth, Nivrim, a small forest of mostly oak trees West of Sirion and Region, in Southern Doriath, a forest of mostly holly where Menengroth was located.

I’ve been thinking a lot about potential biomes ecoregions for Beleriand and the other realms. Ecoregions are patterns of ecologically and geographically defined regions. A comparable biome are temperate broadleaf and mixed forests with English lowlands beech forests being a potential ecoregion.

I also have specific headcanons mentioned here about far Eastern Doriath closer to the river Celon which I will talk about when I do far Eastern Doriath and the lands North of Iant Iaur. These are closer to North Atlantic moist forests and even humid mixed forests.

Neldoreth is a lush, deciduous forest with moderate to heavy rainfall depending on the season. Snowfall is rare.

There are a number of genuses directly referenced in canon in relation to Neldoreth; beech, chestnuts, oak, elm, hemlock, species of fern, grasses, the flower Niphredel which was a creation of Tolkien himself but inspired by snowdrops (though having more petals creating a star like flower) and the white field rose.

The beech trees were likely a combination of European, Chinese and Japanese blue beech and dwarf beech with other trees dotting the boundaries and occasionally mixing with the beeches in groves throughout Neldoreth. These include common ash, common hornbeam, sycamore, sessile oak, common oak, fluttering elm and horse chestnuts.

The forest floor is covered in ferns such as alpine lady fern, bracken, hay scented fern, hard fern, hart tongue fern and mountain wood fern as well as common aloe moss, bog groove moss, red bog moss and more . There are also grassy groves and openings such as those mentioned in the Lay of Leithian. It is possible these were created through the magic of Melian. Woodland opening and transitional habitats are particularly interesting to me. Woodreeds are one possible example. Spindle, nettle leaved bellflower, bitter vetch, grow on the Western edges of the forest South of Mindeb

Bluebells,, wood anemone, primrose, dog’s mercury, yellow archangle, snow drops, yellow wood violet, wood sorrel, greater starwort, and enchanter’s nightshade are a small selection of flowering plants.

As I said, send a section of the forest or a season and I can go into more detail!

Large bitter cress, water aven, flag lilies, purple marshlocks, common stinging nettles wild parsnip, wild thyme, marsh ragwort and brooklime (among many others, see below) grow in abundance by the banks of Esgalduin and smaller tributary streams.

Barnacle and beard lichens, script lichen, beechwood sickener, earthstar, common bird’s nest fungus, inkcap, fly agaric, yellow brain and velvet shank are a selection of the fungi and lichens that can be found in Neldoreth.

As a number of butterflies feed upon beeches and the other trees common to Neldoreth, Neldoreth is home to a variety of butterflies and moths. Large and light emeralds, winter moths, purple shot copper, cherry bark moth, mourning cloak, wood white, large tortoiseshell, wall brown olive skipper, common blue as well as gothic, ghost, silver ground carpet, dot and poison hemlock moths

There are also a variety of beetles, bees, and praying mantis like insects. (Insect species are so numerous it’s hard to given even a small sample but I’m always happy to make specific posts about insects or any other category of a place)

Bumblebees including tree bumblebees, pollen beetles such as in the genus Meligethes, violet click beetles, oak and speckled bush crickets, rose chafer, hawthorn shieldbug, and biolumenescent fungus gnats (I talked in my post about Western Beleriand about this but while biolumenescnese is more common elsewhere in Beleriand, there are a few biolumenescent species in Menengroth and the woods of Doriath.

Lemon slugs and white lipped snail can also be found and I was talking with @tol-himling about the possibility of stranger species of gastropod being possibly brought over or arriving with Melian.

Birds live by the banks of Esgalduin and throughout the woods itself. White throated dipper, garden and willow warblers, song thrush, common nightingale, nuthatch, gray headed woodpecker, white backed woodpecker, black woodpecker, little bunting, indigo bunting, song sparrow, wood duck and shovelers being some examples.

I also headcanon that there are prehistoric (from today’s perspective) species of birds including small, brightly colored flightless birds that nest in the ferns and glades of the forest.

Palmate newts, great crested newts, agile frogs, moor frogs and small tree frogs are found in vernal streams branching from Esgalduin and Mindeb with agile frogs and dark gray and green toads living away from the water in undergrowth for much of the year.

Neldoreth doesn’t have many larger mammals but there are Chital, water deer and barking deer like species, stoats and lesser weasels, reed vole, water shrews, bush dogs, hedgehogs (mostly European but others too), and flying squirrels (among others)

Dormice especially hazel dormice and grass snake (obviously these are different kinds of animals but I grouped them together because of their habitat) on the margins and towards the river.

I do think in other places of Doriath there are giant elk that do occasionally travel through Neldoreth. There are other species that do not exist today, I mentioned tapir like creatures as well as saber toothed cats (though these are found mostly to the wild and dangerous North of Neldoreth, North of Iant Iaur) and other stranger creatures (I’d be happy to share some headcanons on non existent species or more speculative ecology if anyone wants!)

Esgalduin, the river that runs through Doriath dividing Neldoreth from Region, North to South, is an ecosystem and habitat in itself. If there’s interest I’d love to do a post specifically about it so I don’t over condense here? But there are a variety of aquatic plants, fish and other creatures there.

As always, requests and asks are open and welcome!

#Doriath #musing and meta #the silmarillion #beleriand

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bisexualbumblebee-writes · 1 year

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Flower Picking- Legolas Greenleaf x OC

Legolas Greenleaf x Alphine Barrowes

Description: Alphine sets out to pick some Evening Primrose flowers for Camelia and a certain elf elects to follow her.

Word Count: 1.8k

“Evening Primrose could probably do us some good,” Camelia told Lalia, Sam, Frodo and Alphine as they sat around the cooking stew. It had been a long day of walking for everyone so they were more than eager to eat then go to sleep, and Sam was quick to start a fire and make a stew with Brooke and Legolas’ latest kill.

“What does that do?” Sam asked, both him and Frodo looking at them with genuine curiosity. Alphine couldn’t help but smile at them as she responded.

“It’s a balancer,” she explained. “It eases depression and balances hormones. It smells like vanilla but, when cooked right, it has a slight peppery taste. It’ll be wonderful in the stew.” Sam considered the witch’s words, then ultimately nodded.

“Is there any around here?” The others looked to Lalia for an answer. She hummed thoughtfully then inhaled deeply.

“There’s a group of them nearby in a field. If you head in that direction you’ll find it,” she informed them, pointing just past Alphine.

“Now the question is who wants to volunteer to get them?” Camelia’s question hung between them for a minute. They knew that the flower would do them good, but no one was too keen on having to walk more for it. Eventually though, Alphine figured that the hobbits and Lalia would be more tired since they were much smaller and were used to handling a lot less, so she stood up.

“I’ll do it. Make sure you tell Aragorn where I’ve gone should he ask,” she instructed, taking Camelia’s herb and flower basket.

“Thanks Alphie,” the smaller ones chorused in unison, to which she waved a dismissive hand at before making her way through the forest that surrounded them. She silently thanked Eru that there was still some light outside, then hoped that she would make it back in time before it got dark.

It was a nice walk from the campsite, she found herself looking at the scenic trail that she had decided to take. Little bits of golden hour still seeped beautifully through the trees, giving her a golden spotlight if she stepped in the right place. A small smile slipped onto her face at the comfort and warmth it brought before continuing on her way.

The basket swung idly in her hand as she finally reached the space Lalia described. The field was pretty small compared to most, but beautiful nonetheless. White and yellow Evening Primrose flowers stood proudly amongst Ferns and Astilbes, standing out against the green mass that consisted of the rest of the forest. If she was here for her own leisure, Alphine was sure she would have spent the entire day here, just basking in the sights and sweet scents that drifted with the wind.

But she wasn’t here for her own leisure, she was here to gather flowers, so that’s what she did. She hummed a soft tune as she set out to pick the flowers, root and all just in case it would be needed. After a few minutes her humming abruptly stopped when she heard a rustling nearby. Her hands froze as they wrapped around a flower and her ears strained to hear what exactly the noise was. Footsteps. Immediately she was on edge, and her mind began racing as she thought about what to do. Who could it be?A stray Warg? An Orc? A Uruk-hai soldier? Each thought was worse than the last, and Alphine was nervous. The footsteps were getting closer, she needed to act fast. Without a second thought she hid behind a group of ferns as the approaching figure broke through the trees. She muttered a quick binding spell then shot it at the person, effectively knocking him down.

“Hey!” A familiar voice called out in surprise as he landed on the ground with a loud thump. Alphine’s eyes widened when she realized who it was.

“Gods Legolas,” she scolded, coming out of her hiding place. “Why would you sneak up on me without saying anything?” Legolas struggled in his invisible binds before his eyes snapped up to her.

“Well, pardon me for getting worried when I saw that you weren’t at the camp,” he retorted flatly.

“If you have asked anyone, they would have told you that I was looking for Evening Primroses,” Alphine shot back, crossing her arms.

“Do you think that you could let me go so we can both continue this conversation comfortably?” The elf questioned in response, trying not to show his frustration at his lack of movement. The girl had to hold back a giggle as she quickly recited a counterspell. Legolas sighed in relief as he finally managed to sit up, and he stood with Alphine’s help.

“Thank you,” he said sarcastically, receiving a teasing grin from the witch. “Now, care to tell me why you decided to wander off from camp to go flower picking?” His hands rested on his hips, which made her roll her eyes playfully.

“I’m not doing it for my own amusement, Legolas,” she answered, moving back to the bed of flowers. “They have balancing properties that Camelia wants Sam to put in our stew. I offered to find them. Would you like to help?” She inquired, fell gently to her knees then glanced at him. The archer considered her offer, then ultimately shrugged.

“I’m afraid I don’t know which flowers are good or not,” he muttered, moving to sit beside her.

“That’s easy, just don’t pick the ones that haven’t bloomed yet or the pale ones,” she responded patiently, beginning to look through the flowers and pick the good ones. The two of them made pleasant conversation while they worked, but it was cut off abruptly when they heard what sounded like a faint war cry.

Instantly their heads turned to the direction of the noise, then they looked at each other in alarm. A mutual understanding passed through them as they stood, but they had no time to do anything before they were surrounded by Orcs. In an instant Alphine began shooting spells between sword fighting any Orc that got too close while Legolas put his archery to good use.

“There’s two many of them for the two of us,” Alphine called above the sounds of swords clashing together and war cries. “We need to get to the others!”

“Can you make a clear path for us?” Legolas questioned in the same tone. If the girl hadn’t been fighting so much she would have shot him a deadpan look.

“Is grass green?” She questioned flatly before facing the direction of the camp and holding out her hand.

“Flipendo totalum,” she called, effectively knocking back any Orcs in their way. Without another word Legolas grabbed her hand and ran towards the others.

“Wait! The basket!” Alphine called, hesitating mid-step. The elf didn’t allow her to stop however and continued to pull her along as the Orcs began running after them.

“Leave it!” He exclaimed shortly before they came upon the rest of the Fellowship, who had already heard the commotion and were ready to fight.

The fight was much more evened out with the others helping, and the Fellowship came out victorious. Unfortunately they knew that more Orcs would be after them soon if they didn’t move, so they were forced to continue walking. If they weren’t tired before, they definitely were now. Ultimately they set up camp near a river two days later for a full rest rather than just a small break.

Sam, as usual, got to work on preparing dinner after Boromir helped him start a fire. Frodo and Lalia sat with him making idle talk. Merry, Pippin, Brooke and Camelia sat in a circle playing what looked like a made up game. Aragorn faced away from the group while he sat on watch, but he added something to Issa and Boromir’s conversation every so often and Gimli was sharpening his axe on a nearby rock. Legolas had disappeared moments ago, but no one was worried about him.

Alphine, meanwhile, sat near the river just messing with the water. A small smile graced her face as she hovered her hand over the water, making it ripple as a small surge of electricity flowed through her fingers. Her concentration was broken when she felt someone settle beside her. Looking over, she realized it was Legolas crouching beside her with a kind smile on his face.

“Can I show you something?” He inquired softly. Her brows furrowed and she tilted her head curiously.

“What is it?” Rather than answer, the elf stood up and held out his hand for her. For a moment she looked around at the camp. No one would care if they went off, and as far as they were aware, there were no Orcs around. Deciding that it would be okay, she took his hand and stood with his help. Their hands stayed connected as he led her away from the camp and into the woods.

“Legolas, where are we going?” She asked, though she didn’t stray from his touch. A small chuckle left him and he glanced at her.

“It’s not far, I promise,” he responded simply before pointing in front of them. “Look, it’s just up here.” Alphine looked forward and instantly noticed a heavily flowered area. She was still confused until Legolas pointed to a patch of yellow flowers, then her eyes widened.

“Are those…”

“Evening Primroses,” Legolas concluded with a nod. “I know you’re a bit disappointed about the other day, and I happened to find these while I was doing a quick scout of the area. I also figured that you would get more gratification in picking them yourself.” Alphine’s heart soared at his thoughtfulness and she grinned.

“Thank you Legolas,” she muttered sincerely, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. If she looked close enough, she could see a blush beginning to bloom on his pale cheeks. He cleared his throat then shot her an awkward smile.

“Well, Aragorn wants us back by nightfall, so I suggest you get started,” he informed her, leaning against a nearby tree.

“Will you help me?” She questioned hopefully. For some reason he looked surprised by her question, but ultimately nodded. That made a grin appear on her face and she held out her hand for him, which he took and allowed her to lead him closer to the flowers.

From there they gathered flowers side by side, putting them in Alphine’s bag as they no longer had a basket. Like promised, they returned by nightfall with the flowers in hand. Sam crushed them up and put them in the stew, which added a nice flavor to it. Alphine laughed along with the others as she ate, but paused when she felt something being placed onto her head. She turned around and saw Legolas grinning at her.

“I saw you eyeing those spray roses and thought you would like a memento,” he explained as she felt whatever was on her head. It was a flower crown with pastel pink spray roses, rosemary, berries and eucalyptus flowers. Alphine grinned then scooted closer to the elf, allowing him to wrap an arm around her waist comfortably. That’s how they stayed for the rest of the night.

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