Forwarded from The American Spirit
The Mothman
Mothman is a Cryptid or Spirit from Point Pleasant, West Virginia. He appeared during the time span of 1966-1967. He is described as having large wings and glowing red eyes. He is often thought to be a Sandhill crane or other bird. However, aside from the usual legends of flying over cars and scaring a passerby the Mothman is also connected to the deaths of 46 people as he was spotted and connected to the Silver Bridge Collapse in 1967. After this the Mothman became more associated with being an omen of destruction or misfortune, perhaps a spirit who feasts on fear?! In typical American Fashion the Mothman is often considered either a Nuclear Mutant or an Alien. As such the Men in Black ended up being mixed into the story somehow.
Mothman is a Cryptid or Spirit from Point Pleasant, West Virginia. He appeared during the time span of 1966-1967. He is described as having large wings and glowing red eyes. He is often thought to be a Sandhill crane or other bird. However, aside from the usual legends of flying over cars and scaring a passerby the Mothman is also connected to the deaths of 46 people as he was spotted and connected to the Silver Bridge Collapse in 1967. After this the Mothman became more associated with being an omen of destruction or misfortune, perhaps a spirit who feasts on fear?! In typical American Fashion the Mothman is often considered either a Nuclear Mutant or an Alien. As such the Men in Black ended up being mixed into the story somehow.
The Moon is an important piece of lore in Germanic Mythology. Mani is a god of the Moon in the Norse pantheon, in England the folkloric deity the Man in the Moon is said to be a woodcutter who was forced to live on the moon, though others say he is in love with the moon. There is also Hjuki and Bil who function as the waxing and waning of the moon on Mani's chariot. It is unclear how common the Moon god truly was in Germany myth and spirituality, as in Germany there are folk tales of the moon personified similar to a tree or fox. While others tell a tale of a group of four men who captured the moon which was hung from a great tree, the man stole it to light up their town, and when each died the men took a piece of the moon with them. Causing the phases of the moon, though then the moon was in the land of the dead and woke the dead up, who began to act as if they were alive once more, partying, shopping, and doing all such things. Until a deity hung the moon in the heavens and put them to sleep.-TLK
Forwarded from Celta Lusitani Celtiberi Folk
Apple cider production of the Cantabrian valley
The apple trees in Valderredible, southern Cantabria, work silently in fattening the apples, removing CO2 from the atmosphere and pouring oxygen through the solar energy that they capture with their leaves.
The apples are late harvested in October due to the late flowering the trees experience in the valley. (Spring frosting can last until May in the valleys). The cider should be ready for serving by the arrival of the next spring months. This process is also similar throughout all of the other Atlantic coastal regions of northern Spain (Galicia, Basque Country, Asturias) thanks to the abundance of rainfall per year, contrary to their southern neighbors.
For serving, the cider is poured from tall height in small amounts just enough for a few gulps. The long distance in pouring allows for air bubbles to build up.
The apple trees in Valderredible, southern Cantabria, work silently in fattening the apples, removing CO2 from the atmosphere and pouring oxygen through the solar energy that they capture with their leaves.
The apples are late harvested in October due to the late flowering the trees experience in the valley. (Spring frosting can last until May in the valleys). The cider should be ready for serving by the arrival of the next spring months. This process is also similar throughout all of the other Atlantic coastal regions of northern Spain (Galicia, Basque Country, Asturias) thanks to the abundance of rainfall per year, contrary to their southern neighbors.
For serving, the cider is poured from tall height in small amounts just enough for a few gulps. The long distance in pouring allows for air bubbles to build up.
A Common archetype in Hyperborean Spirituality is the goddess of death or the dead. Death personified when not given the role of Grim Reaper or other known deity is immediately thought of as female. Deities that fit this role include the Valkyries, Hel, Persephone, Prosperina, The Morrigan, Badb, Holda, Giltine, Morena, Tuonetar, and Ataegina to name a few. Women would often fulfill the role of prepping the body of the dead, as with birth they see us into the world and therefore they see as out of it. The goddesses of death are there to comfort the dead and allow them to move forward to the next life, they are a source of comfort as were our mothers in our youth and our wives in times of trouble. These goddesses were and are important, even the personified angel of death under Christianity is often depicted as female, in a call back to our blood memory of these beloved goddesses of our people. -TLK
Research Tips from The Lore Keeper #1
When you are researching you can't just download the information. Each generation is supposed to double check the research of those that came before them, this is part of how research and studying has been done since always. When you read a book for instance that is presenting information, you should not take it as some file to download to your brain, but a debate to have. The information presented in the book, article, video, etc is not something to just take at face value, you have to actually actively read and try to understand what is being presented. For example:
Ex 1: An example of "Human Sacrifice" where a man was found buried with his plow, they point that this was likely a sacrifice for a Fertility ritual.... Counter point, this was a burial of a well respected farmer with his trusty plow, nothing about the scene indicates he was sacrificed only that he died. Same information, more likely outcome. Occam's Razor.
Ex 2: They show a mass of stick figures in an image of a bracteate that they claim is the death of Balder: Counter Point, the image has no indication nor does further research indicate that anything says these stick figures are gods or anything of the sort. The author or head of the dig site is clearly fishing for headlines, and is trying to gather attention to continue funding through the "Brand Recognition" of well known myths.
Ex 3: A Cave has a statue of a bear that is headless, there has clearly been spears cast into it, this is sympathetic magic for a hunt. Counter Point, this was a training dummy, for a bear hunt. Similar to dummies used today for deer and turkeys.
Ex 4: A man hung himself, he was then buried under a tree and each passerby throws a stone on top of it, the Priest claims he banished a revenant from this spot and the stones keep him at bay. Counter point, burial under a tree indicates someone cared for him, the stacking of stones by the grave or on top of the grave indicates someone cared about them, similar to stone graves and cairns by wayside shrines that we make today, not as a means to keep a vengeful zombie at bay.
When the author writes, who he is writing for, did the church get involved? Who is the author? Does he have any biases, does his information as presented make any sense. Does he/she start with a conclusion and make it happen, or does he organically build to it. What information does the author present, how does he present it, how does it compare to what we already know. How many leaps in logic were made, etc. One must always be asking these questions when one researches, because just because someone respected wrote it does not mean it is correct, nor is it insulting to double check someone's work. It is a sign of respect to continue the long standing tradition of double checking the work of all who came before, and being sure to ask questions that they may not know the answer too. If we wish to spark a revival in culture we must actively consider such things, and not simply download said information into our brains. I hope this was helpful.
When you are researching you can't just download the information. Each generation is supposed to double check the research of those that came before them, this is part of how research and studying has been done since always. When you read a book for instance that is presenting information, you should not take it as some file to download to your brain, but a debate to have. The information presented in the book, article, video, etc is not something to just take at face value, you have to actually actively read and try to understand what is being presented. For example:
Ex 1: An example of "Human Sacrifice" where a man was found buried with his plow, they point that this was likely a sacrifice for a Fertility ritual.... Counter point, this was a burial of a well respected farmer with his trusty plow, nothing about the scene indicates he was sacrificed only that he died. Same information, more likely outcome. Occam's Razor.
Ex 2: They show a mass of stick figures in an image of a bracteate that they claim is the death of Balder: Counter Point, the image has no indication nor does further research indicate that anything says these stick figures are gods or anything of the sort. The author or head of the dig site is clearly fishing for headlines, and is trying to gather attention to continue funding through the "Brand Recognition" of well known myths.
Ex 3: A Cave has a statue of a bear that is headless, there has clearly been spears cast into it, this is sympathetic magic for a hunt. Counter Point, this was a training dummy, for a bear hunt. Similar to dummies used today for deer and turkeys.
Ex 4: A man hung himself, he was then buried under a tree and each passerby throws a stone on top of it, the Priest claims he banished a revenant from this spot and the stones keep him at bay. Counter point, burial under a tree indicates someone cared for him, the stacking of stones by the grave or on top of the grave indicates someone cared about them, similar to stone graves and cairns by wayside shrines that we make today, not as a means to keep a vengeful zombie at bay.
When the author writes, who he is writing for, did the church get involved? Who is the author? Does he have any biases, does his information as presented make any sense. Does he/she start with a conclusion and make it happen, or does he organically build to it. What information does the author present, how does he present it, how does it compare to what we already know. How many leaps in logic were made, etc. One must always be asking these questions when one researches, because just because someone respected wrote it does not mean it is correct, nor is it insulting to double check someone's work. It is a sign of respect to continue the long standing tradition of double checking the work of all who came before, and being sure to ask questions that they may not know the answer too. If we wish to spark a revival in culture we must actively consider such things, and not simply download said information into our brains. I hope this was helpful.
While largely fallen out of favor, the Halloween feast is a big part of the tradition. Mince meat pies, berries, nuts, meat, baked breads and sweets. The food involved is not only for the living but also the dead, with traditional sweets and treats given out on Halloween being homemade, though these have fallen out of fashion as time has gone on, and negative press has been made to keep people from keeping to tradition. The importance of the homemade warm food is key, as the spirits of the dead are meant to consume the spirit of the food, not the food itself. With the steam of fresh baked bread, meat, etc being what they primarily feast off. Though they are likely to show up to your door for Tricks or Treat hidden among Iron Man and the Hufflepuffs.-TLK