Iku-Turso: The Eternal Tursas, Tursas, etc is a sea monster and ancient deity of the Finns. He is a chimeric sea monster who dwells the ocean depths and swamps of Finland. Often referred to as the thousand headed, thousands horned, or bearded one. His form varies from a Bearded seal, a sort of Cthulu like winged octopus, or a sort of mammalian sea serpent with Moose antlers. His name means the Eternal Tursas which may mean either the eternal walrus or eternal octopi or something similar. He is the father of Vainamoinen the Eternal sage by Ilmatar, and the literal father of diseases by Loviatar. He is responsible for the invention of arrows both literal and metaphorical ones, as well as the planter of a giant Oak that is eventually felled when it blocks out both the sun (Paiva) and moon (Kuu). Through his invention of arrows he becomes a war god as well as a god of disease and malevolence in certain ways. When Louhi the witch of North sicced Iku-Turso on Vainamoinen, Lemminkainen, and llmarinen to retrieve the mystical Sampo from them Vainamoinen used song magic to send Iku-Turso to the bottom of the sea and be forced to haunt there forever. A popular Finnish symbol the Heart of Tursas is tied into him and has two main types a version of 4 arrows pointing outwards though another more popular version reduces it to squares.

Some hints for Europe and Diaspora issue 3

New cover art for The Antlered one Youtube courtesy of our member Rhi

Erlkönig, also known as the Erlking or Alder King. Is a king of the elves and spirit of the black forest. His daughters are often said to lure men similar to a siren and he himself takes the starring role in a poem by Goethe. He is described as beautiful and bewitching and attempts to spirit away and in some cases kill children. In the famous ballad by Goethe and the song that eventually accompanied it, a father is riding home with his ailing son who claims they are being pursued by beautiful and tantalizing spirits (The Erlking and his children). The father continues to try to calm his son while he rides home before he admits or at least pretends to be able to see them. By the time he has arrived home his son has died. The Erlking's name translates directly to Elf King and his name Alder King seems to have been a deliberate attempt to tie him to a forest demon. Which only grows when he is associated with Der Grossman AKA the Tall man. A boogeyman like faerie who steals children and has often been credited as the origin of or the older name of the modern Slenderman creepy pasta. He is also sometimes tied in with the wild hunt and is often depicted with hunting dogs. His status as both as high ranking fae and his boogeyman status could indicate a christianized version of spirits. Or just as likely he is an example of a figure who works for his own ends as not all spirits and creatures are an ally.

Slavic god wheel featuring Belobog, Chernobog, Svarog, Yarilo, Veles, Stribog, Svetovid and Perun (Simargl is there if you look closely) credit to Neale "Aethelwulf" Rundgren for the grasphic design. Art is from various artists.

Slavic Goddess Wheel Featuring Devana, Morena, Ursula, Mokosh, Vesna, Lada, Baba Yaga, and Ziva also designed by Neale "Aethelwulf" Rundgren with the use of various artists. Both are useful as basic memes for starting to introduce slavic mythology to someone.

Ragana, also known as Rage and at times as the Plural Raganos is a Baltic goddess. She is often considered a witch goddess though this is a gross oversimplification she does share similarities to similar goddesses of Magic such as Baba Yaga, Freyja, and Perchta. She is known to shapeshift especially into an Owl and fly around the Baltic at night. Witches are known as Raganos in Baltic mythology and they are keepers of balance often turning people into stones and animals who are greedy or otherwise upset the balance. Ragana is also said to govern fertility and personally weakens the sun after the Summer Solstice in order to keep the sun from growing too strong and burning the earth, she also governs lactation and menstruation as aspects of her Fertility aspects and will take them away as punishment, both for animals and women. This in turn also associates her with Winter as she weakens the sun and as she is said to appear as either a beautiful woman or a crone she is not dissimilar to Beira of Scotland. She is typically seen as a Prophetess and sorceress in the modern day, a drop down from ancient goddess or spirit that she was seen as in Pagan times. She is also associated with the moon perhaps crescent but some argue that it is the Full Moon and the lack of Full moon symbolism in the Baltic is due to Ragana being demonized and purged from the folk songs and lore. She is also said to be a master healer who can cure any ailment and can bestow her gifts and curses with the touch of her red wand. Her name may mean “horns” “Crescent” or “To see”. The Lithuanian Toad Symbol may be associated with Ragana.

Our good friend Aethelwulf got his art shared on a wonderful art archive channel.

The Seelie and Unseelie Courts: Are two courts of Fae in Scottish folklore. They could be classed as political divisions within the realm of fae, or as seasonal differences in the attitudes or types of fae in Scotland. The Seelie (Blessed/Holy) Court is often considered more kind to humans, though this should not be confused with beneficial. More that they will warn humans who have crossed the line and may even help provided they are not offended. The Seelie court is broken down into further courts such as the Spring Court and Summer Court, notable members may include: Puck, Oberon, and Titania. More helpful spirits such as Hobgoblins and Brownies can be found in this court. The Unseelie (Unblessed/Unholy) Court is much the same except they are not likely to warn and will often harm humans without provocation, just because the fancy took them. If they are fond of humans rather than aid they may find you entertaining as a sort of pet. The Unseelie court is said to be present in Autumn and Winter and notable members include: Queen Mab and Morgan le Fae, Boggarts and Bogies may be present in this court. While these courts are by and large a sort of division within the realm of fae between different temperates and seasonal functions they in many ways resemble stories of the Riders of the Sidhe or the Wild Hunt. Their association with the seasons especially. It is also possible that there were only the Seelie Courts pre-Christianity split by seasons but the Unseelie court was added in later with the after effects of Christian beliefs on the folk faith.