She Wolf Night

Nyctohylophobia is a fear of forests and woods at night. This is based on an irrational view that forests at night are full of evil dangers, ghosts, monsters, predators and maniacs. The truth is, maybe this is because of an earliest childhood memory, or an eposure to night forests on TV, in horror films that associate night forests as sinister. Also the truth is, it is not quite true.

While forests are dwellings for wildlife and can be very exciting adventures to be camping in, putting this aside, forests are also known to be unsafe, hiding places for things that are dangerous and mysterious.

Nocturnal forests get filled with nocturnal creatures, making eerie sounds that chill most people. But forests and woodlands are also, just like houses, haunted. Once upon a time, old roads and paths went through a wood and forest, often used by travellers, riders on horseback, stage coaches, ect. These passages don't exist anymore. There are ruins of hamlets and villages found buried in English woodlands. These places haven't been lived in for centuries. Yet the souls of these people and their activities left a paranormal stamp.

Many individual forests and woods are quite recent, planted within the last few hundred years, growing over ancient relics and dwellings. Trees are forests are haunted even because in times past, people were hung from branches and left to rot and get eaten by carrion. Battles took place in areas now wooded. There are also burial mounds, old graves and plague pits littered deep under forest growth.

It's obvious why such places are haunted. Besides the dead, forests are also places of unknown creatures and monsters, such as Bigfoot, winged people and werewolves. Trees themselves have been considered nasty and malevolent, but often these bad living trees are much confined to folklore and fairytales. However, spirits have been seen in trees and some particular wood from a single tree infected by poison. It is sad that a lot of plants have been cut down because of diseases and it's not proven if anything paranormal was behind that. What is certain is that malicious entities that dwell in trees taint them, as they contaminate rooms and houses and objetcs.

Beside the hocus pocus, there is a lost wisdom of trees. People fear what they don't understand. Trees provide healing properties and food, fresh air and comfort. Trees are living things, and I know that trees have a beating heart. The fear of trees may just be a phobia, and yet people don't like trees anyway because they lack any knowledge and have no appreciation for life. Monster trees and evil forests indeed.

Links:

Haunted trees and forests

When you carve pumpkins and dress up as witches, vampires and monsters, think about where it comes from.

It's the season of the Dead. Some people call it Samhain (pronounced "sow-win"), a very ancient Celtic celebration. It's also better knowned as Halloween. To the Scandinavians, it's called Alfablot.

During the ancient rituals of both Samhain and Alfablot, animals (mainly cattle) were sacrificed to the ancestors in celebration of the Dead. Both customs recognised that the spirits of the dead walk at the end of Autumn. The sacrifices were not just in honour of dead ancestors or ghosts but to the nature spirits including fairies. Alfablot means "sacrifice to the elves". Food and sacrificial blood was offered to the spirits in both celebrations.

Alfablot
Samhain

What can you do?

First of all, in the 21st Century we've become more compassionate towards fellow humans and animals. We don't use live sacrifices anymore during these seasonal rites. Instead we eat, drink and chant. Some people want to make sacrifices but I believe that modern sacrifices should be made entirely different:

Modern day sacrifices:

1. Giving up ones meal and use this as an offering, placing it in the ground or beneath a tree.
2. Removing a lock of hair.
3. Fasting for the day.
4. Donating money and favourite clothes.

However, some prefer to still use living animals. This is just wrong and won't be considered a sacrifice to the gods or spirits anymore. Don't forget that in ancient times, people lived on the brink of starvation and at the mercy of dangerous animals, harsh freezing winters and plagues. Animals and wood (a very important fire fuel to use in the home), was considered a sacrifice if these were offered in the autumn rites, because people suffered more without them. In exchange for that short-term suffering they were rewarded with gifts from nature.

Modern people are a different breed of humans and have no right to destroy any living thing in the name of an ancient sacrifice because modern people won't be making a sacrifice but doing cruelty. Such an act that will have repurcussions. It isn't the person doing a sacrifice because they won't suffer starvation after it. People have lost the meaning of the word "sacrifice" today. Most people think of it as being evil and killing someone and something. It actually means giving up what you most need to others.

To make an ancient type of offering to the dead and nature spirits, you would be better off going to the local butchers and buying some meat. Then offering the meat to the spirits, ghosts and elves, giving it away to the earth, leaving it by a track or a graveyard or a wood.

Some people can say giving food to trick or treaters is an act of sacrifice because you've paid for something you're giving to children dressed up as little monsters. Also leave sweets out throughout the night for the actual spirits would be interested in your sugary offerings. In a way, donating to charity is a form of modern day sacrifice. Today's sacrifices are an act of kindness.

Have a really interesting Halloween.

During the First World War, many lost their lives in bloodshed and carnage in a terrible battle. The whole concept of war was changed forever. It was the first time modern machines (machine guns, explosives, ect) and modern weapons was used. British soldiers used archaic tactics that were centuries old. So many men were killed and so many horror stories come from that period. Beside the terrible bloody events, were mysterious new legends that emerged, from angel sightings to phantom knights and hell hounds.

Who was this hound?
One of the hell hound legends is called "Hound of Mons" because it took place during the Battle of Mons in a place called No Man's Land. This is an unoccupied space between the trenches of warring enemies, divided with barbed wire fences, land mines and armed guards. Germans were present in Belgium and the British soldiers had arrived with boosted morale. It ended up as a very bloody battle with enormous casualties.

The nightmare
From this came the legend of a huge wolflike hound that stalked both German and British soldiers, devouring the dead and creating an added supernatural terror to the everyday horrors of war. A Canadian called F.J.Newhouse, a soldier, first brought this story to the public's attention in 1919 after publishing it in a newspaper. Some believe there is "truth" behind the legend as a patrol of London Fusiliers vanished into thin air, and showed up dead a week later. Whatever killed them wasn't ammo or bullets. They were half eaten. Shortly after this particular gruesome event, both Germans and British often heard chilling howls at night. More patrols disappeared and were found dead later, in the same way as the others. Throats and bodied ripped as if soemthing with razor sharp teeth and claws ravaged them. It wasn't just the British who were losing soldiers in this way. German soldiers suffered similar fates.

The howls became more frequent and the terrified soldiers kept down. Many witnessed glimpses of a large greyish wolf, or a massive light coloured dog with enermous fangs in No Man's Land. It's something that frightened the men so much that they didn't go out, and it wasn't just to avoid being shot at. Something else besides the battle, which had been otherworldly, scared them senseless. This mysterious hound haunted the trenches and No Mans Land for two more years. Then it was gone when the war was about to end.

This was no regular dog, or wolf
It's possible that there was a real vicious and frightening hound in the trenches. The war resulted in devastation, bodies, hunger and imagine how this would've impacted on the wildlife. Wolves have only strayed into human territory at times of disaster, and when there are no people left in a village. It's unusual for a lone wolf to intrude amongst humans and so more incredible for a lone wolf to appear in the middle of a battle. A regular dog would've been killed instantly, and so would a hungry wolf, if it ever ventured near them. This doesn't seem to be normal for a dog and wolf to behave like the mysterious Hound of Mons. A pack of wolves may strike someone but not attack a number of men with guns. This is where the legend makes no sense with the natural world.

My final Opinion
It's either a legend or based on something else. Some say the hound was a scientific monstrosity but I don't think so due to the fact such a thing would've been impossible for the era to successfully make. And even so (a big "if") the thing would've been put down instantly in No Mans Land or not survived the walkies. I believe that the Hound of Mons was a supernatural creature, and perhaps more than one of them. The battle ground was a hunting ground.

Orbs of light. I've seen them countless times. Sometimes indoors, and other times outside. They're not reflections of light, as these orbs are not confined to any surface such as reflected light. Most of them are very small and cloudy and others are a little bigger like the size of a football. They have different colours. I chased one in a house many years ago and it disappeared. It wasn't a bubble or an insect or a piece of fluff. It was just a light grey ball, dancing and skipping around like Tinkerbell. It was right beside me when I first noticed it, so I went after it and it quickly floated down to the floor and was gone. This year I've woken up in the middle of the night and saw a bright pale blue orb, the size of a tennis ball, next to me and it whizzed away, leaving a silvery trail.

Lights have been reported by many other observers. The most favourite places that mystery light orbs cluster around is over farmland, fields and woodlands. People say that orbs are spirits of the dead or even some are UFO's. Orbs have been photographed by the dozen. I'm not going to guess if orbs of light are either UFO or ghosts. I don't think all of them are the same and not all of them behave the same.

It takes me to the subject of nature spirits, as I believe this is probably the likeliest answer. People may call them something scientific and fancy but they don't know what unusual lights are. Now if anyone has watched the feature animation film "Princess Mononoke", it touches on nature spirits, particularly forest dwelling spirits and gods. The gods resembled animals, and the tree spirits were tiny little rattling ghosts called the Kodama. They are actually legendary creatures of Japanese folklore, and they're similar to the dryads, huldra, hidden people, wights, elves, will o' the wisps and fairy folk.

Some think that the mysterious orbs of light could be fairies, will o' the wisps and land wights. Many people accept that the orbs are ball lightning, luminous fungi, plasma, triboelectric effects and biogas. But even the phenomena of ball lightning is not explainable to science. It's just a matter-of-fact description of what could/might be an intelligence spirit. The strange light shows called the Hessdalen Lights, in Norway, is still not explainable either but it's known and recorded. Other locations, like the Marfa Lights in Texas, U.S.A., and Gurdon Light in Arkansas, are confusing to the serious minded.

More stuff on the topic:

Hessdalen lights
Will o' the wisp
St Elmo's Fire
Kodama
Fairy folk
Orbs
Marfa Lights
Gurdon Light

This series called "Adventure Girls" are about different heroines from fairytales, story books, folklore and legends. They're girls who've been on exciting adventures, and many of them had to survive or overcome their fears. Tough girls, and always seeking quests. Some have been led down scary sinister paths, or taken to other lands outside of their control, but soon regained their courage to get what they want. Many of these girls are pretty famous favourite characters from fairy stories. Others are not so well known but whose stories of adventure and magic have been around for a long time.

Adventure Girl Part 6 = Red
Name - Little Red
Appears in - "Little Red Riding Hood" (traditional fairytale).
Friends - Woodsman/Hunter
Other info - Healer

This story is about a victim, as well as the cunning and dangerous wolf, who lurks in the forest. As all might be very familiar with the story, a little girl walks alone through the forest, on her way to see her sick grandmother. The forest is full of predators, but she carries nothing except a basket of food and wears a bright red hooded cloak. This colour makes her a moving target. However, it must be worth mentioning that we now understand that wolves (and other canids) are not able to see the colour red.

The redness of her cloak is then symbolic and not as some fairytale psychologists think because of human sacrifice to wild animals. Red is a colour of blood, and the redness of the story means that there is going to be a death of the heroine. As in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", the colour red often emerges, especially on the features of princess Snow White who is "killed" after eating a poisoned apple. The colour of the magical shoes worn by a girl named Karen were red, and they wouldn't come off her feet. She was forced to dance and became very distressed, so her feet were chopped off. Despite the fact everyone believes Dorothy wore a pair of red shoes, or ruby slippers, as in the 1939 film adaption, her original shoes were really made of silver.

Death is a motif in many fairytales. The colour red is always associated with death in fiction and fantasy stories. In the gothic tale "Masque of the Red Death,"by Edgar Allan Poe, the idea was based upon death, disease and blood. Poe's wife suffered a horrible illness before he wrote the story.

The colour red is often linked with death and mourning in Africa. It's the colour of blood and fire. Some people have SSS (scotopic sensitivity syndrome) or visual stress, who react badly to certain lights and spectrum colours like red. A red flashing colour will bring on a bad epileptic fit in some people with conditions. Red is the strongest and most painful colour to humans. For wolves, red is almost grey and these animals are spared visual pain and photosensitivity.

Getting back to the fairytale, Red has often changed. Perrault and Grimm brothers, plus various narrators over history, altered the appearance and storyline to suit their audiences. The Grimm brothers made Red into a sweet little child. They introduced the woodsman, the hero who became hunter and rescued Red and her grandmother. Yet they said she wore a little red cap. Before them, Charles Perrault didn't include the woodsman. Little Red was a young woman dressed in a long hooded red cloak. The wolf behaved like a man, who invited the heroine to get into bed with him. She was killed by the wolf at the end of his story. Both stories had an unfortunate grandmother, a sick old woman devoured by a cruel vicious werewolf. I say werewolf because that creature doesn't have the normal characteristics of a wolf and many stories used animals to emphasise human traits.

The story is much older and can be traced back to a lot of fragments in the Dark Ages, from "La Finta Nonna" in France about a young woman in red that is tricked by a man-wolf, who kills her grandmother and disguises himself as her. Red has been unknowingly eating the remains and drinking blood of her dead grandmother, while the man-wolf (in costume) plays pretend. Some of the earliest versions of the story are horrible and Angela Carter's own take on Red Riding Hood in her story "A Company of Wolves" is so similar to how it was centuries ago. And the story "Lon Po Po" is a Chinese version about a ferocious wolf dressed up as a sick elderly woman who wants to trick a girl into eating her. There is another Far Eastern version with a tiger instead of a wolf.

Who is Red? Is she just an innocent? Or was there more to her? The girl sets out to cure her ill grandmother, and along the way she picks some flowers. The robe/cloak/attire is red, maybe to symbolise blood and death, or even fire, but the story doesn't include the element of fire. Sun priestesses like those at the Oracle of Delphi wore long red hooded robes. Was Little Red a budding priestess or good witch? It's open to interpretation.

By She Wolf Night

Actresses who played Little Red:
Amanda Seifried
Meghan Ory
Anne Hathaway
Danielle Ferland
Molly Ephraim
Suzie Toase
Sarah Stiles
Sarah Patterson
Christina Ricci

Links related to the post:
Dog vision
Brother's Grimm "Little Red Riding Hood"
Charles Perrault "Little Red Riding Hood"

"Red Riding Hood" picture by http://sneznybars.deviantart.com/

Isle of Wight feature

There is a small islet off the coast of South England and it's called the Isle of Wight. Despite it's smallness, the island has got the most dinosaur bones ever found in Europe! It's considered the most haunted island in Europe altogether.

Background

Located in the English Channel, the island is diamond shaped and about 380km across. There are spiralling and twisting roads around hills and forests. The island is the warmest and sunniest part of the United Kingdom and it's climate is almost similar to that of France and northern Spain. It's got the oldest dinosaur attraction in the world, and the island holds annual music festivals.

In history, the island once belonged to the wealthy Durotriges Celtic people, who left behind treasure hoardes consisting of jewels and coins. The Romans later invaded the island and named it Vectis, and after they left the island it became dominated by the Jute's. It attracted many royals, poets and scientists. Queen Victoria made the island her home for a while. During WWII it was bombed regularly but then used as a station and engineering defense called Operation Pluto. Now the island is a popular holiday destination with fantastic theme parks, dinosaur displays and idyllic beaches.

Dinosaur island

The Isle of Wight is nicknamed "dinosaur island" because of the record number of dinosaur fossils found there. The erosion of the island's wealdon clay cliffs show new fossils every day. Once upon a time during the age of the dinosaurs, the Isle of Wight was part of mainland Europe. The latest dinosaur find on the island is pretty hot as it was a large predator called Eotyrannus, a European cousin of Tyrannosaurus Rex. There are plenty more theropod carnivores found. For more on the dinosaurs found on the island click here.

Besides thedinosaurs, there have been fossils of the winged Pterasaurs, Iguanadon, prehistoric crocodiles, plesiosaurs, sharks, turtles and many other primitive species.

Giant sauropods like the Angloposeidon, similar to the Brachiosaurus, is the biggest dinosaur found on the island and in Britain as a whole.

Many Velociraptor type fossils have been found too. Other non listed dinosaurs and creatures have been discovered, not to mention a new species found by a bright little girl called Daisy, and the dinosaur was named after her, Vectidraco Daisymorriso.

Dinosaur footprints are all over the place, mainly at the coastal walls at Hanover Point. Some of the other footprints closest to the sea have eroded. While the natural erosions of mud reveal the footprints, nature also washes them out.

The island itself is the largest dinosaur graveyard in Europe.

The dragons

It's my view that dragons are really dinosaurs. The topic of how humans ever knew about them is a different subject for a furture post. Beside the physical evidence of dinosaurs (dragons) having existed, lived and died on the island, all across different eras, there is a an esoteric, spiritual make-up of dragons there. The dragons that the ancient peoples of Europe and China believed in were the elemental dragons, or guardians. These dragon guardians have left a long lasting track on the Isle of Wight.

The Isle of Wight is home to three dragons. The Firedrake, a scaly quadroped that breathes fire. The Wyvern, a biped theropod-looking dragon with a dangerous swishing tail and nasty great teeth. And the Amphiptere, a winged dragon that appears to have a fiery vapour trail. There are legends of sea dragons around the English Channel and North Sea but those are not a part of the trio of dragons connected to the island.

The three elemental dragons form a triple amount of dragon energy. This energy is static and magnetic. The dragons blazing territorial energetic paths on the island meet up and form a single vast line, the beginning of an enormous track. The three dragons use this larger magnetic field to travel along northwards to the rest of the country and it's called the Spine of Albion or the Berlinus Line. It begins on the Isle of Wight and stretches over the sea, to mainland Britain, across England and up to Scotland. The druids know that this magificent line belongs to the dragons.

Leylines and dragon lines have often been blamed for paranormal activities. There might be a reason for this, because the lines act as power grids, spiritual roads and freeways. People's beliefs in the laws of physics are thrown aside when time and dimensions are confused. Ghosts, UFO's, time warps, mysterious creatures and monsters, unknown phenomena that science can't explain happen near and around ley lines.

My childhood trip

Me age 6 with grandad, at Isle of Wight

On a personal note, I visited the Isle of Wight a few times. The first time I went there, I was six years old and suffering a terrible disease knowned as whooping cough. I was taken by my family to Blackgang Chine and there I sat on a dinosaur. The island's mysterious ancient magic and dragon energy cured my whooping cough. By the time I went home on the ferry, I was feeling a lot better. I've since been back there and loved it. The island is one of the most beautiful and amazing places in the country.

Links:

Visit Isle of Wight dinosaur island

Jack Frost by Kyomaru

The charming boy figures in folklore, myths and legends include warriors, gods, heroes and princes. Some of the most famous and popular heroic boys range from heroes who killed giants, dragons and monsters. Knights of chivalry and legend. Mystical young apprentices and wizards. Boys made of wood and machines. And immortals, gods and boys from the fairy realm. There are four seasons and I'll begin the subject in Winter and include boys from the winter theme.

Jack Frost, found in English folklore. This boy is of the fairyfolk, immortal and a nature spirit. He has the form of a boy, sometimes a man, made entirely of ice crystals. Dripping in sheets of ice, or simply ice coloured, this boy appears late at night in Winter and spends hours moving across the land. In the mornings, traces of Jack Frost remain in the form of sheets of ice on rooftops, tree tops, the grass, on roads, cars, on fences. Frost makes door handles stick. Jack Frost is quite a mischevious but friendly spirit. He's the son of Kári the Norse god of wind and grandson of the giant Fornjot. It's believed that Jack Frost is Frosti Jokul, a boy of ice and sleet, the son of Kári. Jack Frost had two children, Snær, a son whose name "snow", and a daughter named Skjalf, princess of Finland. Despite the ancient myths of Jack Frost, he still appears as a figure of patterned ice in the shape of a young man.

Father Frost, whose name is also Ded Moroz, is a popular character in Slavic myths and fairytales. He's the Eastern figure of winter, Yule and snow. He appears to look like a man in a hooded fur cloak. He carries a magical staff, and journeys through forests, bringing gifts to children. He was based upon a god of winter who froze people to death. Since the 19th Century he's taken on a much friendlier character when different European countries in the West influenced this one. He appears more loving now and similar to Santa Claus, with his granddaughter Snegurochka"snow maiden" helping.

Santa Claus, a favourite character loved by all children at Yule. He brings gifts on the eve of christmas day and travels on a sleigh pulled by reindeer. Today he's thought of as jolly and cheerful, with a white-beard, rounded, red cheeked and wearing red. He wasn't always seen like this. Up until the Victorian era, he wore a draping blue coat lined with fur. Many believe that he was a real man called Saint Nicholas of Myra, a Greek 4th Century bishop. He was charitable and gave out presents and food to the vulnerable in society. But the figure of Santa, or Father Christmas, can be found in earlier tales of myth surrounding celebrations of Yule and the Winter Solstice. The Germanic god Odin is a Yule god, who led the Wild Hunt across the sky. He sent gifts to people through their chimneys, sometimes he travelled down chimneys to deliver gifts. He was bearded, wore a hooded cloak, carried a staff and rode on a strange horse.

Yule Lads, a popular group of supernatural boys from Iceland at the season of midwinter. They come from Iceland, and deliver gifts and food. In earlier times, the Yule Lads were seen as malicious entities that stole children and caused havoc. They were blamed for deaths during winter. Some believed that they could've been trolls but mainly they were the sons of a scary mountain giantess named Gryla. This gang of wicked boys had a pet named the Yule Cat, who was a type of man eating snowy big cat. The Yule Lads spend a couple of weeks before Midwinter in villages, towns and cities, doing bad deeds. There are thirteen of them altogether. Now the Yule Lads have turned into charming, friendly and happier lads bringing presents and cheer!

Tomte, a group of little boys and little men who appear during winter. The tradition of the Tomte is in Scandinavian countries and belong to the fae/fairy folk. They rememble gnomes with glowing eyes. For centuries they were recognised as winter spirits. They can be protective spirits and will look after home and family, but if they're insulted in any way, they can poison the food or even kill. Once feared, they're now seen as magical and shy who leaves presents and like receiving food as a token of thanks.

Holly King, the legendary king of winter and darkness. He appears stronger in one half of the year, winter, and weakest in the second half of the year, summer. His opponent/brother is the Oak King, who is stronger in summer. The Oak King is of the summer solstice, and the Holly King the winter solstice.

Winter is here. Legends of snow and winter, even stories about mountain snow from tropical climates, include mystical girls and goddesses.

Skadi is a Scandinavian goddess of snow, mountains, winter and hunting. She's a frost giantess of beauty, married to Njord, but she was said to be in love with Baldur. The marriage wasn't happy. Skadi found the life of her husband too much to bare because he enjoyed too much noise and light. She resembles a lady in a white gown and fur robes, with hunting bow, and her long hair is white and crowned in ice.

A nymph called Chione is recognised as a minor goddess of snow in Greek mythology. She's the daughter of Boreas, god of winter and the north wind. She makes snow flakes with her hands, and blows them across the earth. Chione resembles a teenaged girl with white hair and ice coloured eyes.

Snegurochka is a Russian maiden goddess of Yule and the snow. Her name means "snow maiden" and she assists her grandfather, Ded Moroz (Father Frost) during the midwinter and Yule season to deliver presents to households. Her origins are found in folklore, in tales of a magical girl made from snow. She resembles a cheerful girl with glittering hair, and wearing furs.

Angerona is a Roman goddess of winter and the Yule season. She represents the cool sunlight and coldness of winter. She had a silent voice that spoke a hidden language, unheard by mortals.She resembles a young woman in a long white dress, and her pale hair is shimmering with frost.

Yuki-onna is a snow goddess of Japan. She's similar to the "Snow Queen" as she's a dreaded figure, feared by children. She kills during snow storms and snatches away souls of the deasd. She looks like a beautiful young woman, white as snow, blue hair and lips, and her eyes are blazing cold.

Poli-ahu is a snow goddess who resides on Mount Kea of Hawaii. She's the eldest of four daughters, and her power if snow and ice. She weaves snowflakes and blankets the mountain tops with snow. She resembles a pretty maiden with light hair, eyes and shimmering robes. It's said that mortal men wanted to see her but found the hazards of the cold snowy mountain difficult to climb and couldn't reach her.

Many other snow and winter goddesses are grandmother figures.

It's that time of year when people build snowmen, open presents, stuff their faces in sweets and turkeys or goose, and drink beer, gather around a fireplace singing out of tune hymns, and watching the Queen's special broadcast message for the season. Okay, with the decourations and trees done up pretty with tinsel and baubles, fairy lights and gingerbread men. We celebrate it that way because we were raised to celebrate it that way, since it was drummed to us as children. But we don't clebrate the other solstice time, the summer one, in that way. In the summer, the majority of people don't know anything about it but those who do just recosgnise it as a scientific sun dance/alignment. This is what the midwinter season of Yule actually was, a celebration of the sun and calling Her to return.

Werewolves recognise that Yule is dark.

Yule celebrations going back many centuries indicate that werewolf traditions coincided with the traditions of warrior tribes. During Yule, there were many animal sacrifices. Boar was used to honour the fertility gods and the Vanir, particularly Freyr and Freya. The boars heads were presented on dishes, covered in honey, mead, stuffing and apples.

The Winter season is when the daylight is short and nights are longer. Werewolves are generally nocturnal and it's a season best for hunting animals and shielding from malicious active spirits. The season is often linked to stories of the Wild Hunt, when the dead walk and ghosts travel across the land, visiting towns and villages. It's another reason why people subconsiously stick up Yule wreaths and garlands on their front doors, as protection against entities. The Yule wreath is circular and symbolic of the sun. Werewolves frighten off the dead.

To all who don't understand werewolves, werewolves DO celebrate Yule and always have done since ancient times. The werewolf is a reminder of the ancient Indo European warrior caste system and a link to the bonds with the earth, animals and stars. It's not the shapeshifting monster that you're used to seeing in horror films or reading about in horror fiction. The ancient peoples of Europe, Asia and the Americas had a great understanding of the animals and what the true nature of werewolfism is. Now because of this, werewolves (some prefer to call them Therianthropes or Otherkin), have a deep magical sense about the wheel of the year and seasonal changes.

The tree tradition was started as a gesture to the dead ancestors. It was a memorial tree. Gifts for the dead were hung on the branches so that the spirits who return during Yule would find them. This melded with stories of the Yule log and the fir, oak and mistletoe branch. It was only in recent history that the tradition of the decourated tree was placed inside the house.

Today people like their trinkets and lights and presents. Little do they know that it's a season of the sun, ghosts and animal sacrifice! HAVE A LOVELY YULE!
HOOOOOWLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Links:

The Wild Hunt

For a while , I've been thinking of writing a novel about werewolves. Then two weeks ago I started, first creating some of the characters and places. When I began the start of my story, which I called "Prologue" something took over me and I ended up with my first new character, a little robin redbreast!

I had no idea where this was going so I kept writing and this robin will play quite an important part at the beginning of the story, and I make clear that the robin is a good friend. The werewolves would come later. The robin of my creation is also a little nature spirit. I honestly didn't plan it.

So then I continued with Chapter One, set the ball rolling to introduce my first werewolf character. And as I did this, I kept seeing so many references to robins. I understand that this time of year features many robins decourating seasonal window displays, greetings cards, Yule decourations and the festive holidays. Maybe that inspired me? But I've seen robins appear on TV a lot, even in films unrelated to the holidays. I've seen lots of cute robins when I've gone out.

Yesterday I was out with my daughter. We walked along a street and met the sweetest looking robin, sat right there in the middle of the path. It looked at us, seemed totally unafraid, really tame and hopped towards us. It was just so cute. Then after we spoke to it, the robin came towards us, tweeted and flew up into the frosty bushes with bright red berries.

Now I understand that seeing too many signs and symbols of the robin can mean something. "Robin: ...signifies stimulation of new growth and renewal in many areas of life. He teaches that any changes can be made with joy, laughter and a song in your heart. " Source from Spirit Animal Totems.

A robin is also the sacred bird of the thunder god Thunor (Thor). As a Heathen priestess, this is very significant. Perhaps this is a divine message?

From Charlotte Richardson (1775-1825) in 'The Redbreast' she writes of a storm during which "....A shivering redbreast sought my door, Some friendly warmth to share..."

From English Poem about Birds.

Welcome to 2015. The full moon times for the year ahead:

Wolf Moon - Howling wolves of winter gave this moon its name, otherwise called the Old Moon and Moon After Yule. The full moon will be on 5th January 2015.

Snow Moon - During the month of the thickest snows, also called Hunger Moon and Storm Moon. This full moon should occur on 3rd February 2015.

Sap Moon - As the season shifts from winter to spring, the full moon got it's name from the earliest signs of green. Also called Worm Moon and Chaste Moon. This should be on 5th March 2015.

Pink Moon - Got it's name because of the ealiest blossoms and flowers. Also called Egg Moon and Fish Moon. It should appear around 4th April 2015.

Flower Moon - This moon is named after the full blooms of flowers, herbs and richness of plants. Also called Milk Moon and Hare Moon. Appears at 4th May 2015.

Rose Moon - The full moon is warm moon, associated with colours red. Also called Strawberry Moon and Hot Moon. Will be full at 2nd June 2015.

Hay Moon - Named for the hay time harvest and gathering of plants. Also called Buck Moon and Thunder Moon. Will be full at 2nd July 2015.

Blue Moon - Named after water and colouring, during severe rainfall that often happens at this time. Also called Lent Moon. Occurs at 31st July 2015.

Red Moon - Named after the way it appears on the horizon. Also called Sturgeon Moon and Grain Moon. This moon will be full at 29th August 2015.

Harvest Moon - A time of gathering all the crops, vegetables and fruit and bright enough to assist farmers. Other names are Corn Moon and Barley Moon. Will be on 28th September 2015.

Hunters Moon - This was named after the hunting season and goes back to ancient times. Also called Travel Moon and Blood Moon. Full on 27th October 2015.

Frost Moon - When the cool temps sits in and sprinkles coldness. Also called Beaver Moon. It will appear full this year on 25th November 2015.

Cold Moon - This is during winter's harsh times and the moon is also called Yule Moon and Long Night Moon. It will be full on 25th December 2015.

This is based on Native American and European traditions.

Link:
Moon Giant

The Hollywood film "Snow White and the Hunstman" (2012) was the most darkest and mythical of all films based on my favourite fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". It's the closest to the original Grimm fairytale, but also nearest to the legendary past it could possibly go.

It starred Charlize Theron ("Aeon Flux") as the wicked queen. Chris Hemsworth ("Thor") as Eric the huntsman. Kristen Stewart ("Bella Swan" from Twighlight) as Snow White. Those are the three main characters. It began with English model Liberty Ross as the original queen, Snow White's mother, wishing for a daughter with skin as white as snow, hair as black as ravens, lips as red as blood. After the death of the queen, the child Snow White is introduced to the new queen, Ravenna, played by Theron. Ravenna kills the king, and Snow White is locked up in a dingey grim tower. Queen Ravenna has a mirror that resembles a bronze shield, and manifests into a phantom. She also has a brother, who acts as her guardian and kills on her behalf. There is something incestuous about this brother and sister going on that suggests corruption and decay.

Snow White was raised in the horrific conditions of a tower prison, who befriended girls who ended up ruined because, we know, the queen drained their life. Theron's Ravenna is the best evil queen to appear in a Snow White film since the Disney animated "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1939). She appears to consume blood, is cannibalistic, bathes in "milk", sucks the life out of young virgins to regain her youth and beauty, and she doesn't look human. Some scenes she resembles a living corpse and other times she looks like a supernatural entity. Her gown is the same colour as the barren landscape outside the palace. She's like Countess Bathory. When she emerges from the bath, she looks like the Statue of Liberty.

Snow White manages to get out of the castle, and escapes through the nightmarish forest full of monsters, creepy crawlies and ghosts. There she is found by the huntsman, who ends up assisting her throughout the rest of the film, because he really wanted a large bag of gold from her. That was the original deal. But you get to understand how he grows protective of her and will hold her hand at every chance.

Before she ever meets the delightful dwarves, she comes up against other things that are not included in the Grimm's fairytale. There is a troll, and a village of boat people with just women and girls surviving there. And of course, the beautiful white hart beast, who connects with Snow White. Sadly the creature is killed (I'm reminded of the Forest Spirit in "Princes Mononoke" Ghibli animation 1997, and I'm not the only one to observe that either, check out this.).

Snow White has often been considered "one with the land" who can purify and fertilise the entire landscape with plants and vegetation! Only her power can do this, as the theme says. Like a piece from Excalibur (1981) when King Arthur is "one with the land".Snow White always came across as a helpless girl running away but all of a sudden, put on armour, and she's a furious warrior! In earlier stages of the film, the huntsman Eric shows her how to fight, so that her strength is owed to him. This isn't a feminist film although it tries to appeal to feminists, but this film says that a woman is not able to survive without the aide of a man. The queen couldn't be so evil and powerful without the help of her brother. Snow White couldn't be a fighter without the huntsman.

The childhood friend William is an off character, who appears deceptive but is all part of the queen's trickery. He gave Snow White the poisoned apple, but it wasn't him after all. But he couldn't wake up Snow White from death. Only the hunstman did that while he was drunk and reminiscing about his former wife! But that said he ended up with Snow White as her ally.

Despite the film's strangeness, there are features that are quite different, the use of ravens, and the outlaw dwarves who are like the Time Bandits. Sometimes the story might've been better if Eric wasn't always with Snow White as an extra limb, so that she may go forth and seek out the dwarves alone, help the white hart's wound, befriend trolls and goblins, and even fight back the queen in her own way, not a man's way.

There are impressive scenes, particularly the dark forest and the creatures. The queen Ravenna was the highlight, being so scary and true to the fairytale.

Snow White and the Huntsman

A couple of years ago, there was a rather quiet and amazing discovery in the Crimea, Ukraine, of a very ancient pyramid that is said to be dated at 65 million years old. The tale goes that Vitalii Goh, a scientist from the Ukraine, was looking for water in the region when he stumbled upon the buried remains of a site, in the form of a massive pyramid. It's about 45 metres high and 72 metres wide (147 feet high and 236 feet wide). The pyramid also contained a mummified body of a species that is "not known". Now the scientist claims that the pyramid comes from the dinosaur era! Originally the source of this story is at the Pakistan Observer news.

I want to know more about this. Even though I believe that dinosaurs and humans might've co-existed, I'm not sure if humans were alive 65 million years ago that built pyramids... but who knows for sure. I'm wanting to know about this pyramid, the age of it and what was found inside there but so far I've only found news articles repeating what the Pakistan newspaper site said. And many paranormal forums and New Age websites have discussions on that subject too. Intellhub mentioned "reports" that Goh found 37 other pyramids at the Crimean peninsula near Sevastopol.

Now on European Pyramids site, it comments that scientists would "dig" into the pyramids at Sevastopol. There are apparantly seven strange pyramids buried underground and many scientists want to research and study the place. I couldn't find any recent, newer stuff or any hard factual information on any of these prehistoric pyramids.

What I will mention is that the site of Sevastopol was once upon a time part of ancient Greek society. The Crimea was called Tauris then. Long before that time, it was populated by Neanderthals and the Gravettian humans (these were the same people who hunted mammoths and carved Venus figurines). Did they build anything spectacular? Such as all those pyramids? Also the Crimean peninsula only appeared at the end of the last Ice Age with ice flow drifts and rising water levels.

So far I'm doubtful of the pyramid and being 65 million years old. I don't want to follow every newspaper clipping and see weird sites portraying it as a known fact when all I can find is little else.

Another mistake I've come across is that reports have said the pyramid is from the "Jurassic" era. But 65 million years ago was the Cretaceous era and NOT the Jurassic era. 65 million years ago was during an earth disaster of mass extinction. Even if those pyramids do date back this far, they would be Cretaceous. Layers of those pyramid walls should include sediments of this event.
Cretaceous layers in rock looks like this:

Earth's geo history reveal a barrier layer of the extinction period called the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event (or K-pg event). It's known that the biggest impact from a massive asteroid struck in what is now the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. This resulted in devastation although there was a second asteroid that struck during this time also, and it impacted in what is now Kirovohrad Oblast in the Ukraine. There is a crater there called the Boltysh crater. This was almost too close to the pyramids, if they were there at the time!

What I found on this strange and wonderful country is that recently a prehistoric temple was discovered. Live Science covers this with photographs: Ancient temple in Ukraine. That temple is 6,000 years old. This is a discovery that is both mysterious, wonderful and factual. There are just no strange remarks about dinosaurs and unknown mummified creatures.

Links covered on this topic:

More on Crimean pyramids

Gravettian on Wikipedia

European Pyramids

Intellhub info on pyramid

Source of story

Website of Vitalii Goh

There are Valkyrie-like goddesses and demi goddesses in other belief systems, who resemble the characteristics of the Northern Valkyries. It makes you wonder if they belong to the same species or come from the same root legend. I plan to make several entries about the subject, starting with individuals and then perhaps go onto research different aspects of the Valkyrie.

The fourth entry on this series "Sisters of the Valkyrie?", is about the Greek goddess Athena. She is a goddess of war, wisdom, agriculture and the arts. She is knowned as a protectress, guardian and lady of the city. Despite being a goddess of war, she was never a vicious goddess and neither a goddess of doom and gloom. Her attributes have been to to give guidance and strategy. All of the weapons she ever used belonged to her father, the great ruling god Zeus.

It's said in mythology that Athena was motherless. What is said in myths is that she emerged from her father's head. Her actual mother, named Metis who was an Oceanid and lover of Zeus, was imprisoned within Zeus after he'd swallowed her whole. She was already pregnant with Athena when this happened. When she was inside Zeus, she helped make a helmet and armour for her baby daughter. Zeus suffered a severe headache and asked Hephaestus, god of metals and fire, to cut open his head with a sharp axe. Once his head was open, a little girl in armour and wearing a helmet jumped out. This was the unusual birth of goddess Athena.

It should be pointed out that Athena was born twice. First she was born from her mother who was inside the god Zeus. And secondly, born from her father's head to appear to the world. However in Lybia, where Athena was also worshipped, she was the daughter of Poseidon and the lake Tritoris.

She carried an aegis, a sheepskin shield hemmed by snakes. Later on after the hero Perseus killed the gorgan Medusa, Athena placed the head of Medusa on her shield. She assists heroes and warriors, priestesses and princesses.

However, apart from her helpfulness, she also has a dark side. I already mentioned Medusa, and the story behind that is tragic. Medusa was once a beautiful maiden with yellow hair, aquamarine eyes and rosy red cheeks. She was vain and often took her ego trip to heights boasting that she was prettier than all the other maidens but she was also a priestess of the goddess Athena. She was in the temple of Athena, where Medusa lost her virginity and offended the goddess. An outraged Athena transformed Medusa into a monster, turning the maiden's hair into writhing snakes, her rosy skin went a sickly green hue and her aquamarine eyes became blood-red. No one would look at her from then on and no one could ever look upon her. The monster would turn anyone to stone if they looked at her eyes. This was a severe punishment by the goddess.

There is also the story of Arachne, a beautiful princess who was clever at weaving. She challanged goddess Athena to a weaving contest. Arachne boasted that her weaving tapestry was better and with this remark, the goddess punished her to death. She was overcome by remorse, and brought Arachne back to life in the form of a spider. Athena also punished mortal men when they looked at her when she took a dip in a river. She blinded them.

Although she could be cruel, she was also compassionate and often regretted what she did afterwards. Athena was one of the most beautiful goddesses but she was also a virgin goddess, linked to the Maiden aspect of the triple goddess. Considered a pure maiden virgin goddess of light, wisdom, corn, weaving, the flute, the sun and the moon, day and night. She rejected male advances and even fell out with men and gods, such as Ares. The god Hephaestus raped Athena, and in distress she wiped off the semen from her thighs and left it on snow. There sprang a child, who Athena raised. The child was named Erichthonius and he grew to became a divine king. Some myths portray this son of Athena to be part human and part snake.

Athena's sacred animals include snakes and birds, especially the owl. Owls are a symbolic link to the spirit world because in all ancient Indo European beliefs, owls have been considered guardians of the dead and helpers of souls. Owls are said to help someone cross over the realm of the living to the afterlife. Goddess Athena was always with her little owl, who helped her understand truths. In battles, if Athena's owl flew over the armies, it was a sign of victory. Sometimes Athena took on the form of an owl or an eagle. Earlier myths of Athena have her winged sometimes.

Athena was regarded as a solar goddess because of her "shining bright eyes". She is also a nocturnal goddess and moon goddess, who reflects light, and her eyes flashed, enabling her to see in the dark. Her eyes have been said to appear "silver" in colour. Her hair is a pale blonde, and her costume is golden. In pre-Classical times her outfit was once depicted in a long thick chiton gown with armour of scales hemmed with snakes but later she came to be wearing a flowing Grecian toga with split, golden belt, gold bracelets, gold braided headband and glittering sandles. Some statues and paintings have her helmetted with a red plume and topped with an image of goddess Nike. Goddesses such as Athena and Nike entered battle usually to bless the warriors and assist them, using owls, or becoming birds themselves to fly across the battle fields.

Links on Athena:

Goddess Gift, Athena
The story of Athena
Greek myth... Athena

As I was astral travelling, I came to some hills and saw giant figures. The first was the shape of a person but an outline of a man with glowing edges. It was walking across a field and I had to get away. I went another direction and came to different greener hills. I saw a vision of another giant in a bow shape with four legs, glowing white and appearing to move like a rocking horse.

After the astral journey ended, I did some research and was given reference to the chalk hill figures, the Cerne Giant and the White Horse of Uffington. Those looked like the figures I saw in my astral trip, alive and walking over the landscape. Are these chalk figures alive? Do they live on a different plane and connected to the land once they were put on the ground? Or am I just eperiencing a weird day dream?

The Cerne Giant is 55 metres tall and seen on the hillside of the English countryside, found in Dorset, England. Visible from the air and on risen the A532 motorway. It looks like a Hercules type figure, waving a massive club and he has an erect phallus. People believe that the giant could've represented a god from Pre-Christian times, and the style of the drawing is archaic. There is a legend that a Danish giant of magnificent size walked the grasses and fields of Blackmoor, feeding on livestock and scaring everyone away. As the giant slept under the stars on the open field, local farmers crept up to him and killed him. They cut the ground around his body to make an outline as a warning to other giants.

Another local legend says that the Cerne Giant comes to life and walks over the hill, going to the river to drink water, and eat people and animals. Village maidens were eaten by the Cerne Giant, perhaps linked to sacrificial offerings of the past. The giant is a symbol of masculine strangth, war and fertility. Young women who sleep on the giant hill figure would become more fertile. There is an ancient earthworks close to the giant that indicate ancient burial rites and Maypole dancing. Interestingly, the county of Dorset has the highest fertility levels than the rest of the country!

The prehistoric White Horse of Uffington is the oldest known chalk figure in the country. Below the White Horse is an unusual mound with a flat top called Dragons Hill, said to be where a dragon was killed by a knight. It died there and the dragon's blood poisoned the ground so that no grass grows on there. An Iron Age hill fort named Uffington Castle was discovered and excavated in the 19th Century. It's said that this site was of the Dobunni tribe who might've been the same people who carved the White Horse.

Many believe that the White Horse symbolises the Celtic goddess Epona, who was considered powerful. Horses appear in many folkore, customs, rituals, stories and fairytales, and even today the British don't eat horse meat. Horses have always been a sacred animal to the British and Irish people, and worshipped by ancient Indo Europeans.

Links

Horse Worship
Chalk Hill Figures

For the first time in history, a person will be born from three parents. In a recent move, British MP's voted in favour of science creating babies using the DNA of two women and one man. The Prime Minister David Cameron said "We're not playing god here, we're just making sure that two parents who want a healthy baby can have one." Others agree that it will also help people to have children. The idea of two mothers will combine the mitochondrial dna and increase chances of a stronger, healthier and complete child. Some mitochondrial genes are defective and carries genetic problems that a different mitochondrial would not but two of those can strengthen and enhance the genes of a baby. Someone considered that this would make genetically modified (GM) people.

Regardless of the debates, my own view is that this is going to change humans and create a different species for the first time since humans became what we are now. I don't think this is a bad thing to be honest.

Once upon a time, people didn't like test tube created babies, and that started during the 1970's now decades in the past. The test tube babies have since grown up into healthy normal adults. Although some are worried about making babies in science labs, and others are cheering that it's good for medicine and families, no one is really seeing the spiritual and cosmic implications of it.

First of all, human origins itself is unknown. Shrouded in mystery. Okay some people believe in evolution, but there are too many holes with the theory. There was no intermediate species or missing links, not just with humans but all animals. It's as though animals sprung out of the ground.

According to myth, the gods created us from soil and water. In Norse myth, Ask and Embla were the first two humans. Three gods, Odin and his brothers, Villi and Ve, created the first man and woman from trees. In Celtic creation myth, the gods made humans and animals from trees. In Greek myth, humans were made from clay.

Where did humans come from? Our parents, of course. How did animals get here? From their parents. This is the concept of being made from a seed, egg, soil and water, whatever you look at it. What we do know, sort of, is that we sprung up and materialised in the Cenozoic era.

Now we're developing the technology to make perfected humans born from three parents, and two mothers. This is BIG news, as far as I'm concerned. Would we evolve in the future as a modified stronger species? This is not an extinction of the present human era, but a start of a new people and a new world.

One of the werewolf holidays and celebrations of this new discussion is Lupercalia. Today is it tied with Valentine's Day, an exchange of gifts, cards, flowers, food, all tokens of love, and a reminder of one's beloveds. For Lupercalia, the werewolf holiday, it is also a season to cherish ones mate with gifts and affection. It's also a time to be on heat and look for a partner.

In ancient times, Lupercalia began in Italy and it started as a holiday to celebrate the goddess Luperca. Her alternative name is Lupa. This goddess is a great she-wolf, who nurtured, fed, raised twin baby boys Romuls and Remus, the sons of Mars, god of war. As the Wolf was most a sacred animal to Mars, and the woodpecker the most sacred bird to Mars, both the mother wolf goddess and a spirit woodpecker helped to adopt and nurse the infants.

The biological mother of the two baby boys was Rhea Silvia, a beautiful priestess of the goddess Vesta, who swore an oath to celibacy. The god Mars loved her and impregnated her during a visit, and she bore the twins. (There is a confusion to the tale that the father might've been Hercules). Her father and uncle had her and the twins sent to death as punishment for breaking her chastity vows. Rhea Silvia was to be buried alive, and in other versions she and her sons were placed in a box and thrown in a river to drown. The boys and their mother was rescued by Tiberinus, a river deity who found the box caught among twigs of a fig tree. He later married Rhea Silvia.

The children were raised by the motherly she-wolf Lupa/Luperca in her warm cave inlaid with leaves and herbs. The wolf goddess had a cult that identified her as a protectress and mate of the wolf god Lupercus. She has also been confused with Acca Larentia, a goddess of sexuality and considered a prostitute, but she might've been a local fertility goddess Dea Dia, who was lesser version of the goddess Ceres. She was the famous goddess of growth, nurturing, creation, fertility, agriculture, fruit, motherhood, seed corn, and also guardian of the underworld. Her characteristics include nursing of children and it's possible that Lupa the She-Wolf was Ceres in disguise.

The two boys Romulus and Remus become shepherds when they left the cave. They are both soon identified by rivals as the missing sons of Rhea Silvia and taken before their granduncle the king. After arrests and threats of death, both brothers escape after killing their evil grand uncle and are offered a throne. They locate a new site to build their own kingdom after having a spiritual vision of six vultures, and became the founders of Rome. Today the symbol of Rome is a she-wolf who raised the founders of Rome. The animal sacred to Italy is a wolf.

The celebration of Lupercalia or "Wolf Festival" is far older than Rome itself anyway. It was over the three days from the 13th February, 14th February and to the 15th February, in honour of the wolf gods Lupercus and Lupa, who would protect the people and domestic animals from malicious spirits. Around this time, goats and dogs were sacrificed, and priestesses prepared cakes as offerings. It was a time mostly celebrated by peasants, farmers and shepherds, who needed the help, power and protection of the wolf gods. During the 5th Century, the pagan celebration was outlawed and Christianised, made into Valentine's Day in celebration of Saint Valentine held on 14th February, as it is what it's known today.

Now this day is mainly linked with romance and love hearts but there are strange aspects. In some parts of Europe, Valentine's Day is about the protection of honey, plants, vineyards, seeds and fields, and considered the time when Spring is about to wake up, animals leaving their hibernation and bees and butterflies returning. It has fertility connotations and positive reminders that the sun is coming back to lighten and warm the land again. For lycanthropes, therianthropes and werewolves, Lupercalia Day is a holiday of love and blessing the soil.

Rayne

Links:
Art is by Jen Philpot
The Roman festival Lupercalia

Sisters of the Valkyrie? (part I) Goddess Iris

Nyctohylophobia

Howling Halloween

The Hound of Mons

Orbs

Sisters of the Valkyrie? (part II) The Morrigan

Adventure Girls: Red

The island of dragons

Magical boys (part 1) WINTER

Snow maidens

A werewolf celebration of Yule

Sisters of the Valkyrie? (Part III) Goddess Isis

Little robin

Lunar plan 2015

My review on "Snow White and the Huntsman"

Pyramid from the dinosaur era?

Sisters of the Valkyrie? (Part IV) Goddess Athena

My visions: Hill Giants

Three parents

Werewolf holidays: Lupercalia