New Post up on Wylder Homes Project, from now on my longer lore posts will be on our blog-TAO
Forwarded from BC Neanderthal Mindset
There is an old tale goes that Herne the Hunter,
Some time a keeper here in Windsor Forest,
Doth all the winter-time, at still midnight,
Walk round about an oak, with great ragg’d horns.
- The Merry Wives of Windsor William Shakespeare
Some time a keeper here in Windsor Forest,
Doth all the winter-time, at still midnight,
Walk round about an oak, with great ragg’d horns.
- The Merry Wives of Windsor William Shakespeare
THE TRICKS OF THE FAIRY CALLED GRIM
"I walk with the owl, and make many to cry as loud as she doth hollo. Sometimes I do affright many simple people, for which some have termed me the Black Dog of Newgate. At the meetings of young men and maids I many times am, and when they are in the midst of all their good cheer, I come in, in some fearful shape, and affright them, and then carry away their good cheer, and eat it with my fellow fairies. 'Tis I that do, like a screech-owl [119]cry at sick men's windows, which makes the hearers so fearful, that they say, that the sick person cannot live. Many other ways have I to fright the simple, but the understanding man I cannot move to fear, because he knows I have no power to do hurt.
My nightly business I have told,
To play these tricks I use of old:
When candles burn both blue and dim,
Old folk will say, Here's fairy Grim.
More tricks than these I use to do:
Hereat cried Robin, Ho, ho, hoh!" - Robin Good-Fellow: His Mad Pranks and Merry Jests
"I walk with the owl, and make many to cry as loud as she doth hollo. Sometimes I do affright many simple people, for which some have termed me the Black Dog of Newgate. At the meetings of young men and maids I many times am, and when they are in the midst of all their good cheer, I come in, in some fearful shape, and affright them, and then carry away their good cheer, and eat it with my fellow fairies. 'Tis I that do, like a screech-owl [119]cry at sick men's windows, which makes the hearers so fearful, that they say, that the sick person cannot live. Many other ways have I to fright the simple, but the understanding man I cannot move to fear, because he knows I have no power to do hurt.
My nightly business I have told,
To play these tricks I use of old:
When candles burn both blue and dim,
Old folk will say, Here's fairy Grim.
More tricks than these I use to do:
Hereat cried Robin, Ho, ho, hoh!" - Robin Good-Fellow: His Mad Pranks and Merry Jests
Tomorrow is April Fool's Day. While at times the origins of this Holiday is said to be in the mockery of pagans by the Church. In it I find the spirit of the Trickster, that freedom that comes with skating the rules and letting loose. It is a day to remember the Trickster Gods and Spirits of Europe. As well as the many gifts that were given by them. Rubezahl gave us the spinning wheel and Sourdough, Hermes gave us the alphabet and lyre, Prometheus gave us fire, Loki gave the gifts and tools of the gods, Veles taught us magic, Puck aids in our daily life, etc. It is a day to make them laugh and to remind ourselves not to take things too seriously. So whether we call it April Fools , Puck's day, Loki's day or whatever we wish to call it take some time in that day to have a bit of fun.-TAO
April 1st is also the Holiday of Veneralia a day originally dedicated to Fortuna the Manly but later dedicated to Venus the Changer of hearts. It was a holiday meant to turn lustful feelings to one of love and procreation. A holiday celebrating the health of sexuality and hoping to dissuade and remove the more lustful and degenerate acts. Replacing them with the generate form of sex and procreation.
In honor of April Fool's Day I decided to write about one of my favorite Trickster Figures of folklore. This is not a joke though, there may or may not be one in the future. This is just good old fashioned folklore.-TAO