#land wights

[lailoken]

Greetings.

I was wondering how might one begin to attempt to heal the land and befriend the local land and river wights? If you cannot speak on this topic, I completely understand.

I also was wondering if you have any rites that help combat the winter drops/ and or the feeling of loneliness. I'm not trying to seek medical advice, I am merely looking for something that might ease the emotional pain just a bit.

Thank you, and may you be well this Solstice.

Hello there, and well-wishes to you this Solstice season, as well.

A fairly basic way that one can begin to familiarize themselves with the spirits of the land, while also helping to heal that land, is to spend time in nature doing selfless service—such as cleaning up litter. If one does this mindfully for long enough—especially if they pray, meditate, or engage in other similar activities while doing so—I think it likely that the spirits of the land will begin to reveal themselves in their own ways, and at their own paces.

Making offerings to the land doesn't hurt either, but be thoughtful about when and how you do this, depending on what you feel can be reasonably expected of you long-term.

As for your second inquiry, I'm sorry to say that I don't know of any such rituals or rites, though one might well exist. I do hope, however, that if you end up needing it, you can make use of whatever medical assistance is available to you. Best of luck to you with the situation, whatever the case may be.

#anonymous #ask #land spirits #land wights #spirits #spirit work

[thoughts-of-a-heathen]

I'm going to Sweden for a trip in two weeks, do you have any advice on how I can introduce myself to the land wights there/be on good terms with them as I explore the country?

Sounds exciting!

I do have plenty of advice for you, but bear in mind that I'm just one person, and that my way is not the only way. There are many ways of establishing good relations with the land wights.

Personally, I like to thank the local spirits and beings for accepting me and hosting me on their land. You don't need to make a big deal out of it - just be polite.

I also like to give the land wights offerings when I'm entering into a new area/region, or before/after crossing a natural border - rivers, lakes, oceans, ridges, mountains, large forests etc. I would probably say something like "Thank you for accepting me onto your land. Please accept this gift as a token of my appreciation/friendship," make the offering, and sit in silence and observe the surroundings for a while. I would also pay attention to any immediate signs or tydor. You don't have to do any of this if you don't want to.

(If you're planning on making any offerings outside/in nature, look up Allemansrätten. Naturvårdsverket also has a bunch of useful information [in English] about local rules and regulations.)

It is polite to offer the land wights a sip of your drink. This is usually done whenever you're outside/in a place where the drink can seep into the ground (= not a modern floor). Some people always do this, but they usually go outside to do so. Some pour it into the sink. In some regions, it's very important that you tell the land wights that the drink you're pouring is intended as an offering to them (before you start pouring). Since failing to do so when it's needed is really bad, (and since doing so when it isn't needed doesn't cause any harm), it's probably safer to always inform the land wights about what you're doing. Say something like "Here's one for you," and then pour a small amount of the drink onto the ground. These drink offerings aren't mandatory, but I recommend doing them.

Now we get to the really important stuff: how to avoid pissing them off. My general advice is to treat your surroundings with respect. Don't break stuff or move stuff around for no good reason. Warn the land wights before pouring out liquid. This is done by yelling something like "watch out." If the liquid is hot, you should probably warn them about this too. Yell something like "Watch out! Hot [water]!!" Similarly, you should always warn them before you pee on the ground. (A simple "watch out" will do.) Basically, warn them before doing anything that may cause them harm. Avoid polluting places, don't litter, don't make yourself a nuisance. Warning the land wights is mandatory if you want to be on good terms with them.

If you're visiting Skåne/southern Sweden, avoid peeing on elderberry bushes. You also shouldn't break their branches or disturb them in other ways. (Picking their flowers or berries is fine though.)

If you for some reason want to use Swedish when you're warning the land wights, here are some suggestions:

Akta! ('Be careful!')

Se upp! ('Watch out!')

Akta! Varmt! ('Be careful! Hot!')

(Using similar phrases in your own native language is perfectly acceptable, as long as they're clear and concise.)

This is all I could think of off the top of my head. Perhaps my followers have more helpful tips and advice?

#scandinavian folklore #folklore #land wights #vättar #heathenry #norse heathenry #forn sed #politeness #resources #etiquette #di sma undar jårdi #backfolket #de underjordiska

[ourthirteenthclock]

Recently moved and finally have my altars set up and it all feels that much more like home 🖤🖤

#I have two—my main one which has space for Freya and Freyr #then the second one for the land and house wights #personal altar #heathenism #Norse heathenry #witchcraft #eclectic witch

[handmade--ghost]

easily top 10 most satisfying writing things is when a character just does something completely unprompted

#i was like #ahh yes idk how this interaction eill go as long as rikke ends up being cursed at the end #but i was like... rikke honestly believed that this wight is hridmadra #& hridmadra is the designated wight/spirit of the land her family lives on #and the whole reason theyre kinda starving rn #and the wights asking her for something !!! rikkes PISSED !!!!!!!!!! #and then that turned into rikke insulting and confronting a physical manifestation of magic #a major wight to be specific #fw #rikke

[izartn]

What's good about KnH is (besides its main char and bc of Maomao) the way it manages the power dynamics and what life was as a woman without falling into utter pessimism and powerlessness or full romanticism; which is a reason I usually avoid like the plague historical/pseudo-historical fiction with female leads.

Usually I'd be super skeeved out by the power Jinshi has over Maomao but the way the series presents both of them, their personalities and their agency (limited as it is for Maomao but it's there and it counts very much) it brings out all the best and interesting parts. I trust this series to get twisty with them bc it establishes so well Maomao own character and understanding of her situation and the ways Jinshi can and does or doesn't take advantage of his power over her.

Like. It's presented as a problematic element, but also unavoidable given their social situation and the world they live in, so I can trust given everything else this show has done when solving the mysteries and presenting us the situations of other women, that the romance will be treated with that same weight.

Honestly if you've read over what I like to read/watch in my tumblr you'll notice that twisty and even toxic/unhealthy dynamics are very much within my favorites, but it needs to be told in a certain way. And I'm much more difficult to satisfy when talking about het romance.

So to watch KnH, notice it's primarily about Maomao life and the various misteries/medicines/palace intrigue and the romance is playing second fiddle riffing on all the themes presented on the plot? And it's complex, and plays with messy power dynamics of gender and class, but never loses Maomao her personhood? Wow.

Also. Jinshi is so BL chara coded omg XD like, he's very clearly based on a kind of shojo ML prototype (hello tamaki suoh!) but it also pulls from BL in his case (nothing to do with their romances but I think of Yan Xiaohan re:his relationship with the imperial power, from Golden Terrace lol)

And yet his romance with Maomao wouldnt work near as well for what is trying to say if they weren't a man and woman (which I love in their case, is what has me fascinated). Yes~! Get into the meat of how fraught it is for a man and a woman to be together when the man has so much power over her. Get into it!!!!

He's so so messy and fun as a chara too. Sheltered and not at the same time, you really notice all the things he misses by way of his privilege of being a noble born man (and specifically royalty, last ep (19) left that very clear he was doing a ritual probably by proxy for the emperor and also bay exchanges people. Maomao noticed and buried that thought far far below her subconscious but we all now who he is lol). Like. The way he fumbles and ends up essentially harassing Maomao at the start sometimes, which is both played for comedic effect and also upsetting. Mmm.

Like I said, I like complexity.

Also that part when he buys Maomao contract and he goes to collect her and she's all dolled up, and the clear implication by everybody but our mains (who clearly prefer to live in willfully blind land although for Jinshi I think the subtext of what he's doing lands when he sees her) is that in any other case she'd be his concubine/side-wife. It's not their situation wight now, and she's put to work as a live-in maid and apothecary and put to study (he wants her to assist him in politics lol I love that, but also he's so so lonely) but it's very much what the palace rumor mill says.

LIKE. I love the messiness! It could go soooo badly, but it also could not and there's Maomao living at the edge bc despite herself and what she says, she wants more from life, but also as she says the rear palace isn't all that different from the high class brothels and ugh. That tension. She has to depend on the favor of a man as a women of low class but she also could lose her head! GAH. And then there's feels involved! Aaagh.

#the apothecary diaries #my thoughts #kusuriya no hitorigoto #KnH meta #meta #maomao #jinshi

[notthesomefather]

The Basic Structure of a Ritual

The following is the basic format for a ritual as used by the Godsring. It is not set in stone and can be adapted at your discretion.

Hallowing

The purpose of a hallowing rite is to set aside a sacred space and time for the ritual, to put all participants in a proper mental, spiritual, and physical state for the ritual, and to announce to all nearby wights that a ritual is about to take place. Here is one example:

May the Gods guide us, may our Oaths keep us, May our Deeds free us, may our Ancestors aid us always, May the Gods banish from this Land and Wood all Ill and Wrong, Hallow this Stead, and shield it from all baneful Wights, Let the Gods’ Blessings be upon our Heads!

Ritual

This is the part of the ritual where any desired invocations and prayers are included, as well as any participatory activity for group or public rituals. This is very open, and can be as simple or as extensive as you like.

Offering

The typical offering consists of four components: Grain, Salt, Bread, and a Libation. Additional offerings specific to certain beings or purposes may be used. Conversely, fewer offerings may be given, such as water only. As each offering is placed in its respective vessel, these words are said:

With this grain, we offer you sustenance. With this salt, we offer you wealth. With this bread, we offer you our labor. With this libation, we offer you pleasure.

Closing

The closing of the ritual is usually spoken while pouring the libation offering into the main vessel. The traditional closing used by the Godsring is as follows:

From the Gods to the Earth to us; From us to the Earth to the Gods. A gift has been given; May it be well received.

#rituals #heathenry 101 #heathen #asatru #pagan #norse pagan #witch #norse witch #heathenry #norse heathen #norse paganism #paganism #spells #polytheist #polytheism #norse polytheist #norse polytheism

[blackopals-world]

Pen to Paper

Writer!femYuu and NRC students

(+Grampa Trein)

Yuu didn't have much to offer this world. There wasn't much she was good at. All she had were loose stories she vaguely remembered from her old world. She just wanted to remember that world. (Bare with me. I'm trying to convey this as best as I can with a kind of meta subject)

Trein made his assignment easy for the week. Just write about an interesting event from their homeland.

But Yuu didn't know much about this world and while it might have been interesting stories within it she could help that she had no connection to it. She felt it when she thought about her world. Or worlds to be exact.

She had asked Trein to help her due to her lack of knowledge.

"I simply asked for you to write about the lands you come from. If you come from another world it's all the more reason to write about it." rein said gently. He could probably see how much the assignment troubled her.

Yuu wondered what her classmate would think about her home and her old life. Still, she decided to write.

It was hard to explain but she started where she began.

In a land, in a kingdom, in a city, in the heavens. This was where she was born. In the land of gates, Halos.

The floating city was the center of the many realms that bordered it, it was also called the Nexus. It was a given that it's people were called "Travelers", those who dedicate their lives to seeing worlds unknown.

The young girl loved her home and never wished to leave. Even though she watched her friends come and go, she couldn't bear to.

But staying had a cost. Unlike the others, she never gained abilities bestowed on them as rewards for journeying into the unknown. She didn't even have wings to fly like the others.

One day she was given no choice but to leave. Life in Halos was becoming dangerous. To escape she was forced to jump through a gate and sent to another realm.

Trein skimmed the pages again. Was that it? That's not even a full story.

"Miss Yuu. You put alot of thought into this I'm sure but this isn't even a complete story." Trein only glared skeptical when Yuu smiled meekly.

"Well that's the thing. This story is called "The unfinished ballad" it's one of the first stories of my people. It's also the first story children learn." Yuu shyly rubbed the back of her head as she spoke. She knew this story the most considering how popular it was.

"It's supposed to be unfinished then? What kind of story is that? Not to be rude but I've never heard of something like that." Trein had seen many things but never heard of a culture like that. It certainly sounded like another world.

"Yeah, some stories are left unfished for a reason. One, to remind people that not everything has a conclusion, and two, so that we can write our own endings. For thousands of years, my people have rewritten and remained the story and what happened next. Everyone has their own version." Yuu reasoned. She had never thought of it as strange. This world was different so they had different ideas.

Trein while he understood still wasn't satisfied. He let it go regardless but encouraged Yuu to tell her stories regardless.

Though he wondered if her story was true or a fairy tale.

"And Molly turned to the giant after she crossed the bridge the wight of a single hair and yelled. Oh, and Molly could yell!" Yuu took in a deep breath. "Never more churl, I'll come to Spain! I've come and I've bested you thrice."

All the children cheered as Yuu waved her hands around.

"The giant still angry at the little thief shook his fat fist and yelled, 'I'll get you Molly Whoopy! Never you terry here again or I swear I'll eat you from tips to toes'!" The children jeered and laughed at Yuu giant voice.

A little later story time was over and the kids had left the library. Yuu dusted off the chalkboard that had read "Tales from the Other World: Damsels causing Distress." It was her biweekly presentation of stories from her homeland.

As she cleaned up her props she heard a shifting behind her. When she looked up it was a few of her classmates "Rook, Kalim, and Cater" an unexpected but understandable combination. They hung out apparently. The strange part was why they were here. They weren't exactly library types nor had kids to take here.

"You didn't think I'd find you here huh freashie?" Cater teased holding up his phone to show her the library's magicam promotional post with her in the picture.

"How did you manage to find this place?" Yuu asked sheepishly.

"I'm very good at finding you." Rook smiled wryly.

"I just tagged along," Kalim added.

"And now that I posted your adorable little show everyone will know!" Cater teased holding his phone up to show her.

Yuu flushed in embarrassment. Everyone would see her talking in silly voices and waving puppets around.

"Carter you should ask to post stuff like that." Yuu's nose crinkled in frustration.

"That's not fair. The library has videos of all your shows, why can't I?" Carter argued.

"That's different, it's for the kids who can't come to all the shows. Besides no one at school could find them unless they already knew about it but everyone knows your socials." Yuu crossed her arms.

"Yuu. It's time to go." A voice interrupted.

Trein stood behind the group with Lucius trotting behind him. He had been the one to help Yuu set up the show with the library after Yuu expressed an interest in telling stories. It was after she started staying with Trein and babysitting for his granddaughters.

"Oh, sorry. I need to grab my props and I'll be right there."yuu said before waving goodbye. "Can we stop at Ana's bakery before we get home?"

"Only if you don't give any to Lucius. Even if he begs." Trein warned.

The video circulated over the weekend. Almost everyone in school had seen at least one of the storytime videos. Everyone wanted to hear more about this world with stories they had never heard. Each story had a preface about the region and the history of its origin and even if unintentional it was educational.

Next week's show was "Over the Hills and Through the Woods"

Yuu held her breath when she realized how big the crowd was with families faces watching.

She pretended not to notice Ortho sitting up front with the kids who sat criss-cross applesauce on the colorful paymat.

Riddle also sat close to the front since the rules stated that the shortest goes to the first. The parent usually hung back at the tables so no to get in the way.

Even Leona was present though he appeared to not really care along with Ruggie. Jack on the other hand was laser-focused on Yuu as she moved her props. Perhaps he knew that the first story was "The Wolf".

"Gather around children and listen to my tale, of a little girl who walked through the woods," Yuu said mysteriously as the lights dimmed on queue. "Stories about children getting in trouble then they wonder beyond their yard are common across the world and it's no different in mine. But today's tale comes from a storyteller I once met."

Yuu tapped a button and suddenly music began to play.

The music was light and festive like a carnival.

"It was the folktale festival held in town and everyone young and old was there to share and tell their tales. From encounters with kings to meeting the fea everyone had a story." At the fea line the dragon and bat fea perked up a bit.

"I was eager to hear a certain teller and was running late because I just had to get the last turkey leg before anyone else got it. Unfortunately the crowd was so big and not even a mouse could squeeze by." She emphasized the word by squishing her cheeks.

The teens in the crowd wouldn't admit it but one of the reasons they were there was seeing how cute Yuu was when she acted for the show. From the funny voices to exaggerated movements.

"There was only one path that cut through the grass but the sign said no walking on the grass. And well I didn't walk. I dashed. But soon enough I learned how important rules are. Just like someone else in our first story." With that Yuu picked up a small basket and inside was a a red scarf. She wrapped it on her head and began .

"Once there was a girl from a village of people who only wore fine red clothes. Scarfs, hats, coats and hoods. The little girl was packing her bag to visit her grandmother who lived in the woods but her mother pulled her by her hood. The mother wore a beautiful scarlet scarf that she never removed and told her daughter. Don't travel in the woods after dark. The wolf will snatch you by the head and nothing will be left. But Red shook her head. I won't mom I promise. It's still light and I will be quick." Yuu clicked her tongue and the crowd knew what to expect next.

"You see Red didn't believe in the wolf. A wolf hadn't attacked in many years and certainly not during the girl's lifetime. So she had no fear but she didn't want to worry her mother. And off she was. Over the hill and through the woods to grandmother's house she went, but as she went further the woods got darker and quieter. Until she could only hear the sound of blood in her ears and her own heartbeat. As if time had chosen to spite her and rush forward the sun was setting faster. And faster. " the story had begun to take a darker turn and everyone was on edge. "But the night was lovely. She smelled moonlit flowers and hopped over bubbling streams. The air was crisp. Fireflies dotted the air. She wondered why her family hated the night so. What beauty it held."

"The shadows grew longer and the moon had taken the sun's place. And yet she heard nothing. Not even the snap of a twig. The bath grew longer and twisted unfamiliarly. Yet the girl was enchanted. What fun! What adventure! Then she heard it. Breathing. Like puffs of air on her neck. Hot like the lick of flames. Red didn't stop walking knowing that hesitation meant death." Yuu paused.

The audience stared in breathless expectation. Trying to figure out what comes next. Does the girl die? Does she live?

" Then it was gone. The air was cool and all was calm. Then she saw the hazy light of a little cottage in the woods and she ran to the door that opened to a kind old woman in a red scarf. She called to her grandmother and they hugged. They ate dinner and Red washed up for the night. And as she lay and bed she spoke. What a night I had. I traveled through the woods at night and there was no wolf this time. I knew that it was nothing. But as she turned to sleep a shadow in her window spoke. It's red piercing eyes gaping maw open in a sneer." Yuu held a breath before continuing in a deep voice "Oh, but you must travel through those woods again and again... said a shadow at the window... and you must be lucky to avoid the wolf every time... But the wolf... the wolf only needs enough luck to find you once."

The room was silent. The children looked on in shock, fear and amazement. Parents nodded along in amusement knowing a good scare could stop their child from doing something wrong.

Jack liked that story, alot. In fact the Savanaclaws found the story to be something worth hearing and hilarious. Leona would have liked it better if the girl got eaten.

Riddle liked the lesson most.

Floyd and Jade also liked it and compared it to the "Wolf eel" a mer version of the tale. It was far more bloody.

"That's why you must listen to rules my dears. Something I learned as well. When I tried to cross the grass as I dashed and scampered. But every step didn't get me any closer to the tent I wanted to go to. It was as if I was going in circles as I heard the singing from the music tent I felt like I had just passed. Suddenly I saw myself walking toward a different tent a bright red one with yellow trim, green ropes, and blue stakes in the ground that was on the grass. I didn't realize it at first but as I sat down for the show everyone else in the tent was not people like me. They had bright colorful hair, hooves, horns, wings, and other non-human traits. I was in fact among the fae. Not totally uncommon in my realm but usually the stuff of storytellers only. Hardly unusual here but the fae of my realm are different from yours plus that's hardly the most unusual people I've met. I once got invited to a banquet of demons and angels just to settle an argument but that's another tale. I stayed and listened to their stories as they welcomed me. We laughed, danced, and shared more tales still. When it was time to leave I said my goodbyes and left the tent. And the festival grounds were empty even though it would be three more days until was over. I should have known better than to party with the fae when I had plans. I never got to listen to the storyteller I wanted to meet. That's another reason we follow the rules." Yuu said finishing the first round of stories.

The crowd laughed seeing that Yuu was more concerned about missing an event then being trapped with the fae.

Another reason to come to these shows is Yuu's personal stories were so wild. No one knew if they were true or not. If you asked she'd say the same thing "Truth is stranger then fiction."

(I finally freed it from my drafts after months. And I swear my dyslexia is getting worse.)

#writer!yuu #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland yuu #mozus trein #twst trein #twst jack #jack howl x reader #jack howl #cater diamond #twst cater #twst kalim #kalim al asim #twst leona #leona kingscholar #riddle rosehearts #twst riddle #rook hunt #twst rook

[goodqueenaly]

I’ve never come up with an entirely perfect working theory on Coldhands, but the one I lean toward most is that Coldhands is - somehow - an “ordinary” wight (to the extent the word can be used) whom Bloodraven has skinchanged into, effectively taking over from the Others' control of him, and is using as his agent, so to speak, outside the cave of the children of the forest. Whether or not this sort of skinchanging is even possible, I have no idea - but I gravitate toward this idea because I could see Bloodraven using, and justifying the use of, such a being to achieve his ends. As a wight, Coldhands would presumably raise no suspicions among other wights, and perhaps not the Others either - a useful cover for one who had to travel across many hostile miles between the Wall and the cave (and indeed, when Coldhands shows up to save Sam and Gilly, there doesn't seem to be any indication that the wights are going to attack him). Supernatural agents serving as his spies or as part of his spy network is of course nothing new for Bloodraven, given his actions in his political life: even if the stories Dunk remembers that Bloodraven “could change his face, put on the likeness of a one-eyed dog, even turn into a mist” and command “gaunt gray wolves [to hunt] down his foes” and “carrion crows [to spy] for him and [whisper] secrets in his ear” were not all completely true (though some, I think, undoubtedly were), Bloodraven was certainly willing to use a glamour to disguise himself as a hedge knight at the tourney at Whitewalls. From fabricating an identity, and face, to garb himself as another person, Bloodraven has, perhaps, progressed to taking over another person (or at least, their body) entirely, projecting himself into the world as he no longer physically can. 

More to the point, I like the way that Coldhands as a skinchanged wight controlled by Bloodraven might in a way represent Bloodraven himself (beyond merely serving as his agent). Like Bloodraven, Coldhands is a Night’s Watch ranger, both complete with tattered old blacks that once reflected their Night's Watch membership, seemingly dead “long ago” but in fact alive (or as much as either can be deemed alive, anyway). Coldhands is, like Bloodraven, a figure both sustained and bound by supernatural power. As Bloodraven has “lived beyond his mortal span” thanks to the weirwoods’ magic, so Coldhands, though killed long before his encounters with Sam and Bran, walks and talks like a living being; however, just as Brynden is fated sooner rather than later to “[go] into the trees” completely, to remain permanently in the cave and join that lineage of greenseers on their weirwood seats, so Coldhands is restricted to the wilds beyond the Wall, permitted neither to cross the Wall’s boundaries nor to enter the children’s warded cave. Coldhands no more hesitates to serve Bran, the Reeds, and Hodor the physical flesh of Night’s Watch deserters, despite the horror of cannibalism, than Bloodraven hesitated to serve Daeron II and Aegon V, metaphorically, the flesh of Daemon Blackfyre and his sons and Aenys Blackfyre, respectively, despite the proscriptions against kinslaying and violating guest right (albeit perhaps with some personal qualms for Bloodraven to the former). In the sort of amusing twist Bloodraven himself might appreciate, the man who once spoke with the king’s voice as Hand now perhaps almost literally has another speak with his voice while he himself sits on a mystical throne. Too, as Bloodraven had once appeared to Dunk looking like “a living corpse” as the former rode through King’s Landing, so now a real living corpse, just as pale, would represent Bloodraven as he rode across the lands beyond the Wall. 

What I like about this idea as well is the way in which it adds to the nuance and ethical questions surrounding Bloodraven and the magic he uses. To be clear, I think Bloodraven does care about saving the world: the literally superhuman effort put in to shepherding Bran to becoming his greenseer successor is I believe indicative of this aim. Nevertheless, by skinchanging into a raised wight, Bloodraven may be approaching something close to the rather more nefarious magic employed by the Others; if the very evil of the Others is in their enslaving the reanimated dead for the purposes of destruction, how moral or immoral is Bloodraven’s similar use of a wight, albeit for ultimately positive (or intended to be positive) ends? This potential willingness to take over a human body through magical means, with all the accompanying implications for and discussions on the morality of the actor in question, echoes not only in Varamyr’s disturbing Prologue (with his attempts to seize Thistle) but even in the otherwise very sympathetic Bran and his forcible takeover of Hodor, especially in non-survival or unintentional situations. Obviously, I do not think Bran is malicious or evil, much less on the level of monstrous Varamyr, but I do think the author wants readers to recognize the horror implicit here - through the Others, through these circumstances with Bran, and through, perhaps, Bloodraven’s control of Coldhands (hence the chilling self-identification of Coldhands as “your monster, Brandon Stark). 

#asoiaf meta #coldhands

[modernism-in-metroland]

House, Cowes, Isle of Wight

1957

James Gowan and James Stirling

Images from Drawing Matters

Modernism Beyond Metro-Land

[cosmic--dandelion]

So how did we get from this

Dedicated to his Worshippers, George Frederic Watt (1817-1904)

To this?

A brief history of Mammon

Addendum Because We Can't Have Nice Things: this essay is in no way meant to be a "critique", criticism, or personal attack against Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel/Vivziepop as I am, in fact, a big fan of all three! I actually loved the newest episode and Mammon as a character. Seeing him in motion, I think he looks damned near perfect as a modern take on the King of Greed. I wrote this ONLY for educational purposes.

Mammon is a Chaldee (the Semantic language of ancient Chaldeans, the people of a small Mesopotamian country who were later absorbed by the Babylonians) or Syriac word meaning "wealth" or "riches".

The Worship of Mammon, Evelyn De Morgan (1909)

He is best remembered from the Sermon on the Mount from Mathew 6: 24 (King James version): “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Some scholars believe Mammon might have been loosely based on Dīs Pater, originally a Roman God of mineral wealth and fertile lands who was later merged with the chthonic deities of the underworld Pluto and Orcus (because minerals come from underground). Pluto was depicted in the Divine Comedy as "wolflike demon of wealth"; wolves in the medieval times were symbols of greed. Others think he might have been an ancient Syrian god, though no trace of his cult or temples exists.

Mammon transformed over time from an abstract concept to major demon. This is thanks to later philosophers and theologians such as Saint Gregory of Nyssa, a third century Byzantine scholar, Archbishop of Constantinople John Chrysostom, and Peter Lombard, bishop of Paris from 1159 to 1160. His book of Four Books of Sentences (Sententiarum libri IV) was the standard theological text of the Middle Ages.

Mammon was assigned the sin of greed according to the Peter Binsfield classification of demons.

John Milton of Paradise Lost fame imaged him as a fallen angel. He is described as being stooped over (literally the "least erected" of Lucifer's demonic host) because he always has his eyes downward looking for gold and would rather use Hell's resources to finance his lavish lifestyle than wage war against Heaven.

In Edmund Spenser's 16th long poem, The Faerie Queene, Mammon is a “uncouth, salvage, and uncivile wight” who sets up his cave of riches right next to the entrance to the underworld. Subtle, huh? He tries to tempt Sir Guyon, the protagonist of Book II, with all his fabulous wealth, arguing that he could use it for good. (This is a religious-moral-political allegory about temperance, so you can guess how well that went.) He shows up again in Jacques de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal as Hell's ambassador to England. Yes, really.

Just like in Biblical times, reformists used Mammon as a symbol of exploitation and unfettered capitalism during the industrial age.

Fun fact: Mr. Burns lives at the corner of Croesus and Mammon street.

So how does Vivziepop's version compare to the historical Mammon? I dunno, he hasn't appeared in the show yet. It's not my favorite design, but I like the fact that half the fandom was expecting him to be the Big Bad of Helluva Boss, and he's a just big heckin' chonk who sort of looks like a demented Dr. Suess character crossed with a demonic air freshener. It's a silly design for a silly dude, but he could be more dangerous than he looks...

#helluva boss #mammon #religion #history #vivziepop #mythology #demonology

[lailoken]

Land-Wights Devotional Garland (SOLD)

This set of devotional beads was inspired by the tutelary spirits, often known as the Land Wights.

It was constructed from alternating Moss Agate rondelle beads and handmade Hazel Wood beads, with a single bead of Jasperized Wood at its center. On one end is secured a small Hagstone discovered in a local creek, and on the other end is secured a fragment of Antique Bronzework, which was auspiciousy discovered, buried in the earth, before being cleaned and oiled. Upon assembly, the entire piece was then suffumigated with a smoke of wild-foraged Oakmoss, Sorrel, and Mint.

This piece measures approximately 19 inches/48 centimeters long, and all connecting rings and pins are made from silver-plated steel. It is being sold for $55 + Shipping, so if interested, free free to message me on tumblr or purchase it directly through my webshop.

#devotional beads #pagan devotional beads #pagan beads #land wights #land spirits #pagan rosary #wending wares

[thoughts-of-a-heathen]

"There are circles in the grass of the meadows [that have been made] by the 'Sma undar Jårdi' ('the small ones of the underworld') who have danced there. To cure certain illnesses, when out [in nature], [if] suddenly becoming ill, feeling pain or similar, people put a silver coin or a [copper] coin as an offering in the middle of the circle and walk away without ever looking back on the same [circle]. Others pour milk or flaxseed or salt in these circles, with the similar purpose of avoiding all possible illnesses."

- P.A. Säve, Gotländska sägner. 1959.

#scandinavian folklore #gotland #di sma undar jårdi #offerings #illnesses and cures #di underjordiska #land wights #animism #norse heathenry #forn sed

[catt-nuevenor]

Charming Spiders

Sorry it's been a while since I posted anything, the last week has been very tough, and I've just been focusing on getting my head down to work rather than dwell on matters beyond my control.

But, since it has been a while, how about some Anglo-Saxon medical shenanigans to lighten the mood?

This section is from Leechdoms, wortcunning, and starcraft of early England Vol III, pg 42-43, and is all to do with the treatment of warts.

I've included both the given translation and the Old English for you to compare, and I've highlighted the sung incantation in both.

Modern (ish) English:

Old English:

For a little bit of fun, I've highlighted a few keywords in the copy below to help you orientate yourself in the Old English:

In order of highlighting, the words are:

ꞅpiꝺeꞃ / spider - spider

ƿihꞇ / wiht - wight

lanꝺe / lande - land * 2

colıan / colian - cool

ꝺeoꞃeꞅ / deores - beast

ꞅƿeoꞅꞇaꞃ / sweostar - sister

#background work #background research #old english words #old english

[emyn-arnens]

It’s spooky season! In honor of the season, I’ve put together a rec list of some of my favorite LOTR and Silm horror fics. So curl up with a warm drink, tuck in…and maybe leave the lights on. 😉 Please leave a kudos and comment if you enjoy!

A Hidden Hunt in Hollow Dells by Zdenka (T, Petty-dwarves, 100 words):

The Dwarves of the great cities tell tales of the Elvenfolk to frighten their children, but the Petty-Dwarves know the tales are true.

A Treatise on the Origin of Dragons by Piyo13 (T, Sauron, 2.9k):

"A Treatise on the Origin of Dragons, recorded by Mairon" In which Mairon conducts a scientific experiment, and Orcs aren't the only form of corrupted Elf to have ever graced Middle Earth.

autumn fruits with me prevail by Anonymous (T, Thranduil, ~200 words):

On his head he wore a crown of berries and red leaves, for the autumn was come again.

cold be sleep under stone by Feanoriel (NR, Ar-Pharazôn, ~600 words, character death):

Under the barrow, a dead man dreams.

consuming by simaetha (T, Khamûl & Sauron, 1k):

...For one of the hungry Houseless, if it is admitted to the friendship of the Living, may seek to eject the fëa from its body; and in the contest for mastery the body may be gravely injured, even if it be not wrested from its rightful inhabitant. Or the Houseless may plead for shelter, and if it is admitted, then it will seek to enslave its host and use both his will and his body for its own purposes. It is said that Sauron did these things, and taught his followers how to achieve them. - Laws and Customs Among the Eldar

Heed No Nightly Noises by Marta (M, 4.7k, Pippin, Merry, Barrow-wights, Lalia Took, and OMC, minor character death):

"The hobbits sprang to their feet in alarm, and ran to the western rim. They found that they were upon an island in the fog. Even as they looked out in dismay towards the setting sun, it sank before their eyes into a white sea, and a cold grey shadow sprang up in the East behind. The fog rolled up to the walls and rose above them, and as it mounted it bent over their heads until it became a roof: they were shut in a hall of mist whose central pillar was the standing stone. "They felt as if a trap was closing about them; but they did not quite lose heart. " (from The Lord of the Rings, "Fog on the Barrow-Downs")

lengthen the night and shorten the day by kimaracretak (G, Lalaith, ~100 words, character death):

Death cannot take Lalaith from the river.

nights so frozen by simaetha (G, Varda, Lúthien, and OCs, ~900 words):

Varda: Star-Queen, Kindler, Sublime, Ever-white. Every angel is terrifying. - Rilke

Nine Fingers by Prackspoor (G, Frodo & Sam & Merry & Pippin, 6.3k):

On their way home from Minas Tirith, the Hobbits have a strange encounter on the outskirts of the Barrow-downs...

only the sleep eternal / in an eternal night by simaetha (T, Shelob, ~700 words):

“The world is a terrible place,” you tell the small creature, kindly. 

The Snaring of Gorlim by Zdenka (T, Gorlim/Eilinel, 1.4k, character death):

Gorlim searches for Eilinel.

This Will I Do by amyfortuna (NR, Míriel Þerindë & Ungoliant, ~800 words, character death):

Míriel makes a deal with Ungoliant, and she'll see it through, no matter the sacrifice.

Too Bright for Mortal Lands by amyfortuna (T, Beren/Lúthien, Díor/Nimloth, 1k, character death):

"...The wise have said that the Silmaril hastened their end; for the flame of the beauty of Lúthien as she wore it was too bright for mortal lands."

Watcher Of/In the Woods by ncfan (T, Andreth, 2.4k):

"Outside, the world was changing." Andreth, in the time following the Dagor Bragollach.

With Both Hands by crackinthecup (T, Morgoth & Ungoliant, 1.5k):

“This is my domain, Dark One,” Ungoliant said, and her body was revealed in the light of Melkor’s gaze, dark and heavy and sagging, splayed across her webs like a hole through the fabric of the world. She dwarfed Melkor by her sheer size. “Our ties were broken long ago. You promised that I would feed to my heart’s content and beyond, yet I was hungry then, and I am hungry still. Begone! I owe you nothing.” It is said in the Silmarillion that Melkor went to Avathar to seek out Ungoliant and plot his revenge with her. This is the story of their meeting.

#the fics are predominantly psychological horror with some body horror #there's nothing terribly gore-y if that's a concern #silmarillion #lotr #rec list #fic recs #the silmarillion #.txt

[thenorthsource]

"Do you sing?" Gilly rearranged her furs, and she moved the babe from one breast to the other.

Sam blushed. "I . . . I know some songs. When I was little I liked to sing. [...] but my lord father never liked me to.”

Sam remembered the last time he'd sung the song with his mother, to lull baby Dickon to sleep. [...]

Gilly's babe had gone to sleep. He was such a tiny thing, and so quiet that Sam feared for him. He didn't even have a name. […]

He wondered what his father would say if he could see him now. I killed one of the Others, my lord, he imagined saying. I stabbed him with an obsidian dagger, and my Sworn Brothers call me Sam the Slayer now. But even in his fancies, Lord Randyll only scowled, disbelieving.

[…]

Clumsily, Sam sank to his knees. "Old gods, hear my prayer. The Seven were my father's gods but I said my words to you when I joined the Watch. Help us now. I fear we might be lost. We're hungry too, and so cold. I don't know what gods I believe in now, but . . . please, if you're there, help us. Gilly has a little son." That was all that he could think to say. The dusk was deepening, the leaves of the weirwood rustling softly, waving like a thousand blood-red hands.

[…]

Sam made a whimpery sound. "It's not fair . . ."

“Fair." The raven landed on his shoulder. "Fair, far, fear." It flapped its wings, and screamed along with Gilly. The wights were almost on her. He heard the dark red leaves of the weirwood rustling, whispering to one another in a tongue he did not know. The starlight itself seemed to stir, and all around them the trees groaned and creaked. […]

“Go," said the bird on his shoulder. "Go, go, go."

Sam ran, puffs of frost exploding from his mouth. All around him the wights flailed at the black wings and sharp beaks that assailed them, falling in an eerie silence with never a grunt nor cry. But the ravens ignored Sam. He took Gilly by the hand and pulled her away from the weirwood. "We have to go."

“But where?" Gilly hurried after him, holding her baby.

#samwell tarly #gilly #the night's watch #the free folk #asoiaf #asoiafedit #valyrianscrolls #valyriansource #edits #thenorthedit #ours #by jacoby

[neonponders]

Part 19 for @wrecked-fuse ‘s pocketverse 🦇

Part 18

( pt. 7′s art 🎩 ) ( pt. 9′s art 👀 ) ( pt. 14′s art 💨 )

~ on ao3 ~

• • •

Eddie looked up at the house’s towering facade. His trailer could fit in Harrington’s living room, he was sure of it. He fidgeted inside his jacket pockets as he looked down the street, waiting for someone to call him out. He said as much, “I don’t belong here, man.”

“What, in the light of day?” Billy retorted before he glanced back at him and scolded, “Would you stop bouncing? You look like an addict.”

He ignored Eddie’s indignant grumbles as he knocked on the double red doors. The bell would have been better, but by now, Steve and the littles knew the rhythm he pounded on the doors.

“This is a bad idea,” Eddie hissed. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into trusting Steve Harrington.”

However, Eddie’s anxiety turned into a curious frown when Steve opened the doors and blossomed at Billy - and just as quickly receded when he realized who stood behind him. “Munson?”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Long time, Harrington.”

“Yeah,” Steve returned thoughtfully, clearly looking to Billy to take his cues.

He got them. “We need to talk to you.”

Steve’s eyes hardened. “Can I have a second to clean up?”

“You don’t need to. There’s more.”

Steve’s brows furrowed. “More?”

Billy nodded, but Steve took a long second to process this and came out with, “Huh?”

Eddie rubbed his forehead and barked, “Are we doing this or what?”

Billy waved a hand as if to swat that approach away. “Can we come inside? It’s important. He can meet them.”

Eddie’s brows twitched at the word, them, but he watched in silence as some kind of unspoken exchange moved between Billy and Steve. Eddie really hadn’t expected these two to be friends, but something a lot like trust moved between their eyes as Steve slowly backed away, allowing Billy to step over the threshold.

Eddie stepped inside and Billy locked the doors behind him as he exhaled, “The Taj Mahal of Hawkins. Wow.”

“Be civil,” Billy warned.

“Tell him to be civil,” Eddie snapped, nodding his head in the direction Steve had already disappeared to.

Billy pointed his eyes at Eddie’s clothes. “Is there vomit in there from your bouncing?”

That made Eddie’s chin tuck down so he could move his jacket and see inside his denim vest, breast pocket. When he looked up, Billy was already striding into the living room. He jogged through the foyer as if he’d get left behind, and his sneakers squeaked -

Both Billy and Steve twisted to look at him with war in their eyes. Steve exclaimed, “Shoes, man! Come on!”

Eddie held up his hands defensively, mumbling, “Jesus Christ,” as he retreated and toed off his shoes. Feeling weirdly defenseless, he slumped into the living room...and realized that the voices he was hearing weren’t just on the television...

“Weft! Weft! Wight! Wight! You got it, Stevie!”

Eddie’s gaze drifted down over the coffee table and saw a tiny Steve bubbling with laughter. “Dancing, Biwwy! Wight! Weft!”

Eddie’s jaw went slack as he dumbly pieced together the jazzercise on the television and the small Billy and Steve exercising together. He slowly sank onto the couch, absorbing the pink leggings and shorts on the small, shirtless Billy, and the tank top, shorts, and pink headband on the little Steve.

Big Steve caught him looking and said, “Guys, do you want to finish or meet Eddie?”

“Don’ bweak our wrhythm!” little Billy yelled.

Eddie’s brows lifted, something behind his face relaxing -

“No-” he blurted when he realized the tiny weight landing on his stomach wasn’t his clothes settling around him. Billy and Steve watched, awestruck at a small Eddie running down big Eddie’s body like a hill, across his thigh, and leaping onto the table.

“Hey!”

Small Billy and Steve whirled around, Billy losing his balance and getting caught on big Steve’s soft palm. Little Steve rushed in front of his defenseless Billy and shouted, “Who’wre you?”

“I’m Eddie!” he said...while hovering over the tabletop. He wore a basketball shirt from some NBA doll, which allowed his dark bat-like wings to move freely, but it hung over him like a dress.

Little Billy scrambled off big Steve’s hand and accused, “Why do you have wings?”

“Cuz I’m not weaving ‘em at home!” Eddie retorted.

Attention turned to big Billy offering, “I’ll get you some different clothes. We don’t want you tripping around.”

“Heh, I don’ twip.”

“It’s polite to stand on their level,” Billy cornered.

The wings folded in on themselves and he landed on the table with a wilting demeanor. Billy looked to Steve, who informed, “The pink Barbie wardrobe beside my bed. You can’t miss it.”

Billy refrained from teasing him about that, and left to jog up the stairs. In the meantime, Steve introduced, “So, uh, Eddie. This is Steve and Billy.”

Little Billy looked equally dubious and hopeful. Small Steve took his hand and towed him forward to get a better look at this new Eddie, as well as the bigger one. “You wook like a wock starw.”

Big Eddie grinned with a toss of his hair off his shoulder. “Thank you. I grew it myself.”

Little Steve giggled and touched his Billy’s hair. “You’wre fwuffy too.”

Above them, big Steve ventured, “Am I allowed to ask about the wings?”

“No - ow!”

Billy knocked the back of his head as he passed by and sat on the floor with a small pair of jeans, black shorts, and a baseball long-sleeve shirt. “Take your pick.

Little Steve offered, “You can use our woom to change.”

“You got a room? WOAH!” little Eddie cried as he took his new clothes and ran through the cutout doors of the shoebox.

Steve and Billy looked at Eddie, who rapidly defended, “My room is his room! He’s got a bed and everything... A smaller option is a good idea, though.”

“It would’ve helped me from finding him,” Billy sassed.

Steve intercepted, “How’d you find him?”

Eddie swallowed, reticent until he admitted, “I don’t know. He showed up like a dream.”

Steve’s brows furrowed. “A dream?”

“Yeah. You know, like how you land in the middle of a dream? One second it was just me, and then...”

His words petered off, causing Steve and Billy to look at one another. Steve reminded, “Why would Hopper find ours instead of us?”

Billy shook his head. “I’m more of tomorrow, not yesterday, kind of thinker.”

Steve nodded enough for his hair to bob over his face. “That’s helpful. Really nice.”

Small Eddie burst out of the box in his new pants and shirt. Steve scrutinized the back and realized, “You cut holes for his wings?”

“Problem?” Billy asked.

“No,” he retreated. “My guys, you’re due for a bath. To the kitchen.”

They answered his summons and Eddie watched them ride on his hand with no shortage of jealously. “Wow. He’s got them squared away, huh?”

Steve countered from the kitchen, “What were you doing at the store last night?”

Eddie sighed over crossed arms and shook his head. Only to lurch when Billy kicked his leg. “Ow-jeez. I was...I was just trying to buy some cereal. Is that all right?”

“I’m not patronizing you,” Steve defended, “but most people don’t take out the whole shelf while they shop.”

“They might, if a tiny version is dead set on Coco Puffs.”

Billy asked, “What’s the deal with Coco Puffs?”

Eddie struggled to answer to that, like he was realizing this wasn’t as obvious to them as to himself. “Wha- Well. I mean, chocolate is bad for dogs...right?”

A slow smile crawled onto Billy’s face. “Right. But are you allergic to chocolate?”

“Don’t make me feel like an idiot.”

Steve approached for some clean clothes left behind in the littles’ bedroom. “You’re not. Hopper already did the dirty work for us. Chocolate’s fine. Fruit is a harder battle to win.”

Eddie visibly didn’t understand that one. “What’s the matter with fruit?”

Steve pointed a lifted brow at Billy. “Picky eaters. Don’t do carbonated beverages, though.”

Eddie silently filed that away for later. When Billy stood up to go to the kitchen, though, his eyes darted around and he stood up with his littler Eddie in tow. “So...is this what we do? Just live our lives and help them do the same on a tinier level?”

Small Eddie floated down to the countertop and ran to peek into the teacup bath. Despite the privacy of changing clothes, he stripped and used his wings to give him a boost, and tumbled into the water.

Large Steve answered, “Pretty much.”

A smile flashed on Eddie’s face but his tone contradicted it. “Okay. Cool. I guess I’m the only one feeling supremely out of place, here, because the last time I checked...none of us were friends. 'Cept me and Hargrove, maybe.”

“When your prices are reasonable,” he both teased and warned.

Steve said, “Listen, it’s not really about us. It’s about them. They seem to be doing great. I think we can too.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet, Steve - If you hit me one more time, I swear.”

“I told you to be civil,” Billy threatened.

“Well, excuse me if I’m defensive in good old King Steve’s palace.”

“I haven’t been King Steve in, like, a year and a half, dude,” Steve reminded bluntly. “Where have you been?”

“Smoking in my van.”

Billy’s eyes lolled at this ridiculous standoff between the two of them and murmured, “Are you gonna show him or what?”

“Why should this be up to him?” Eddie hissed.

“I’m right here,” Steve countered. “What is there to show me? Guys, is the water too hot?”

“Water’s gweat,” small Eddie sighed, blissfully floating like a starfish while Billy and Steve spun him around.

Eddie’s eyes hung heavily in his skull as he watched his littler self getting comfortable so fast. He lifted his gaze for one final pleading look at Billy, who lifted his brows. “We both know her better than you do.”

Eddie inhaled deeply and his exhalation trembled. Steve ventured, “Her?”

Eddie’s eyes hardened on him before he opened his jacket and spoke softly into its shadows. Steve looked to Billy, who simply waited.

The flap of Eddie’s denim pocket lifted to reveal a dark strawberry-blonde head. Steve’s lips parted as he watched Billy’s hand cross in front of Eddie, catching her as she climbed out. She gazed up at Eddie and Billy until her big eyes turned at the sound of her name.

“Chrissy?”

#i. am. STRESSED. #so everyone gets to prosper from my stress writing #chapters! chapters for everybody! #harringrove #wrecked-fuse #neonponders #pocketverse #pocket!au #like magnets