Folklore - Blog Posts
GUYS THIS IS AMAZING
SERIOUSLY
6000 YEARS
STORIES THAT ARE OLDER THAN CIVILIZATIONS
STORIES THAT WERE TOLD BY PEOPLE SPEAKING LANGUAGES WE NO LONGER KNOW
STORIES TOLD BY PEOPLE LOST TO THE VOID OF TIME
STORIES
HAPPY 3 YEARS OF FOLKLORE TO MY FELLOW SWIFTIES!!!!!
Happy birthday to one of my favorites; which just connected back to the little me; who used to be obsessed with the wonderful tales of love and the extraordinarily mysteries of their complexity.
From the girl who now dreams of being a folklorian fairy in a little cabin into the weeds and ancient trees!
Long live to our love, passed down like folk songs!🌲🪄🧚♀️
@taylorswift - End Game music video 🐍
Not me after months disappeared from this account, coming back only to deliver a new bunch of gifs from my favorite MV of Reputation.
Those are my favorite shots of Taylor in the mv 🤍
Tezcatlipoca, or "One Leg".
NO. 1
Tezcatlipoca is the god of the night sky, hurricanes, obsidian, conflict, and providence. When depicted, he usually wore a talisman with a disk worn as a chest pectoral. While depicted with black and yellow stripes painted across his face, he is usually shown with his left foot replaced with an obsidian mirror, bone, or snake, as it was lost to the sea monster Cipactli in the mythos. In the Aztec religion, he was the central deity. In Aztec or Mesoamerican folklore, he and other gods could shapeshift, and he was no different as his counterpart was the illusive but powerful jaguar, which is why he is known as the jaguar god.
NO. 2
This figure is extremely popular, and worshipped by the Mayan and Olmec communities. His name in the Mesoamerican language means ‘Smoking Mirror.’ This deity has numerous epithets which allude to different characteristics, like Ipalnemoani ("He by Whom We Live"), Necoc Yaotl ("Enemy of Both Sides"), and Tioque Nahuaque (‘Lord of the Near and the Night’), etc. His power to omnipresence was more a connection that extended far beyond obsidian since ritual bloodletting and human sacrifice were conducted with obsidian. Apart from being a creator god, he was also a trickster and ruled over the modern Aztec pantheon.
NO. 3
Tezcatlipoca, according to Aztec mythology, was born to the primordial creator deities Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl, and had four siblings; one of whom, Quetzalcoatl, the god of the wind, patron of priests, and inventor of calendars and books; he was known as the Serpent Feathered god. The brothers feuded as much as they worked together, working towards the same goal but sometimes in opposition towards each other. After being born, this deity spent over 600 years for his youngest brother Huitzilopochtli to grow flesh before Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl, together, made the world. Before the world was made, the only thing that was technically alive were a few gods, a massive ocean and the sea monster, Cipactli, which Tezcatlipoca successfully lured away and killed by using his foot as bait. Both brothers were able to create the world on the sea monster’s body.
This famed author deserves to have her writings continuously celebrated.
The Creation and Origin story of Gargoyles!
There are stony creatures that you see on the top or sides of great architectural buildings and churches in Europe. There are stone-carved grotesques with spout designs to convey water from a roof and away from the side of the building to prevent water from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between. Architects often used multiple gargoyles on buildings to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize the potential damage from a rainstorm.
NO. 2
Despite their frightening appearances, Gargoyles are, according to the French legend mounted on the walls of a newly built church to scare off evil spirits and used for protection. Due to this, churches, which were considered holy places, often had these creatures on the roof to ward off the devil and demons. They are also suitable as guardians, as they have a high defense from their stony skin making them difficult to wound. The legend involves St. Romanus the former chancellor of the Merovingian king Clotaire II who was made bishop of Rouen, and how he saved the country around Rouen from a sinister monster called Gargouille, a typical dragon with bat-like wings, a long neck, and the ability to breathe fire from its mouth. Multiple versions of the story are given, either that St. Romanus subdued the creature with a crucifix, or he captured the creature with the help of the only volunteer, a condemned man. In each, the monster is led back to Rouen and burned, but its head and neck would not burn due to being tempered by its own fire breath. The head was then mounted on the walls of the newly built church to scare off evil spirits, and used for protection.
NO. 3
They were useful and designed by artists who created them by sheer necessity, carefully skilled by sharp hands, and made to improve the silhouette of the buildings. ‘‘The gargoyle is a marker in the march of civilization. It was a great thought and a distinct mark of regard for the common people when it was thought best to provide means of throwing the water from the roofs of great public buildings well away from the walls rather than to allow it to trickle down upon the passers-by. The gargoyle had its development in regard to human comfort. It is the kind of an idea that would breed revolution. The first decorative gargoyle of the middle ages was of the year 1220, and the earliest type is found at Laon, France.’’
Krampus, the legend!
During the Christmas season, every young boy and girl awaits their presents and gifts with eagerness, hoping for Santa to make their way to their homes. The saying, you better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout is the official song for Santa Claus as he is checking his list for all the good boys and girls. But for those who are naughty children, the invention of the famed horned goat Krampus who works together with St. Nick.
NO. 2
Created in Eastern European folklore, Krampus, meaning ‘claw’, is depicted as a horned, half-demon like monster who terrorizes naughty children, hitting them and beating them with whips, other versions having him with chains, sometimes shaking them to scare the children, equipped with a sack or a basket strapped to his back, to cart off the children chosen to be either eaten or dragged to Hell. He even has a holiday dedicated just to him, celebrated in Germany and now, because of the film, in America as well, called Krampusnacht, or Krampus Night, on December 6. In this long and very funny tradition, spectators dressed up as Krampus appears in the streets, visiting homes and business, along with his devilish accomplices, evil elves and imps, the total anthesis of Santa Claus, who help Krampus scare people and onlookers in the streets.
NO. 3
Because of the resurgence of the celebration of Krampus in the late 19th century, including popular greeting cards with his image and funny rhymes and poems, not to mention the many horror movies or TV shows in North America, gaining traction and popularity every time Christmas comes around. Or maybe it’s because of the intense, heavy commercialization around Christmas time, meant for family and friends. So, here’s the question, do you celebrate Krampus, or Christmas as a whole, or do you think he’s just a myth better left to the children?
Midsommar: Horror redefined
NO. 1
So, technically Midsommar is a horror movie, written and directed by the great Ari Aster, debuted in 2019 and got raving reviews, and the film centers around Dani, played by Florence Pugh, who goes through an incredible, traumatic journey that ends in an equally incredible and yet extremely disturbing note. So, why are we talking about this film instead of the ‘myths’ or folklore stories? Well, because this is a film that isn’t like generic horror; it doesn’t include supernatural, it doesn’t have goblins, demons, fairies, but humans. Humans, in this film, is the scariest monster. In this instance, the Harga cult, who shows Dani love and acceptance she was denied the whole movie.
NO.2
Spoilers, for anyone who hasn’t seen Midsommar: So, what makes this movie horrifying? By how bright everything is. In the beginning, of course, it’s dark. Dani has lost her whole family, unfortunately, to a murder-suicide. She is stuck in a toxic relationship with her boyfriend, Christian, who longs to break up with her but is too cowardly to do so. The horror aspects happen when they and their friends go on a, funnily enough, anthropological research trip to Sweden, at the height of the Midsommar festival where they meet the Harga community, (cult). Many of what the Harga community does, like watching the elder’s die by suicide over a mountain, a tactic of eugenics, the disappearances of Christian’s friends, which he later finds out were gruesomely murdered, and then was tricked, and subsequently, raped, while Dany is having panic attack after panic attack was all planned. The use of light, for instance, is used oppressively for all of the visitors, and the isolation of language and traditions is used to ‘differ’ everyone. The cult is mostly open to Dani, for they chose her to join. A cult seeks to have more members, to grow within their own traditions, and not to question anything that occurs, no matter how horrific.
NO. 3
Now, Midsommar is a horror movie, and quite different from the actual Midsommar festival! So, what is the Midsommar festival? It is a holiday to celebrate the arrival of summer because Sweden, where the holiday is commensurate, is known for its long winters. It predates Christianity and is primarily held close to the summer festival. ‘‘The maypole or Midsummer pole is decorated with greenery and flowers. As it turns out, the maypole is a comparatively new part of Swedish Midsummer tradition. It came to Sweden in the late Middle Ages from Germany, where the pole was decorated with leaves and raised on May 1 (hence the name). Since spring comes later to Sweden it was hard to find the greenery to decorate the pole on May 1, so the tradition was moved to Midsummer. Some sources also attribute the perpetuation of the term majstång, or maypole, to the archaic Swedish word Maja, meaning ‘to decorate with green leaves.’ The traditional dance around the pole has changed around the centuries though, and it involves all sorts of folk dancing in traditional costumes, as well as all games for all ages to join in.’’
In conclusion, Midsommar is a movie that explains that not all bad things can be done in the dark. In fact, most evil and horrific acts are especially done in the light. One of the main themes of this movie is loss, and how grief affects people. Unfortunately for Dani, she is driven insane by the cult’s doings and has been accepted into the Harga cult unknowingly.
The Legend of the Holy Grail
The Grail legend is one of the most popular and reiterated myths told around the world. The legend is basically connected to the King Arthur tales as well, as the king and his noble knights embark on a heroic quest in search for the ‘Grail’, a shining cup claimed to be the sustainer of all life or a mysterious vessel that provides sustenance, which is guarded in a castle that is difficult to find.
The first Grail legend first appears in an unfinished romance called Perceval ou Le conte du Graal by Chretien de Troyes dated to about 1190. The basic outline would be the mysterious vessel being guarded in the castle, and the owner of that castle is sickly or unable to care for it; the surrounding land would almost always be barren, and the owner can only be restored if a brave knight finds the castle, and after seeing a ‘mysterious procession’, asks a certain question. If he fails at this task, everything will remain as before, and the search must begin again. After many adventures, the hero knight returns to the castle and asks the correct question which, hereby cures the king and restores the land. After, the knight succeeds the wounded monarch and becomes king instead, and becomes the guardian of the castle and its contents. The Crusades were the backdrop of this awesome tale, and the fall of Jerusalem occurred in 1187 just before the legend appeared as a literary motif, and Chretien’s romance was written at the behest of his patron, the crusader knight, Count Philip of Flanders.
‘‘In Chretien’s romance, the knight Perceval sees the grail during a feast at a mysterious castle controlled by the Fisher King, a lame man whom he had met before. Chretien calls the object simply ‘un graal’, and its appearance is just one of the unusual events which take place during the feast. Indeed at this time, Perceval is also shown a broken sword that must be mended. The two objects together, sword and grail, are symbols of Perceval’s development as a true knight. Chretien died before he could finish the romance, but the story was completed by other writers. The Continuations, as they are referred to in critical literature, expand several themes and the grail gradually acquires a more ‘sacramental’ character. The First Continuation is also incomplete and the author is unknown, but it can be dated before the year 1200. Besides Perceval, Gawain also has a grail adventure (the womanizing Gawain is the type of the perfect worldly knight and regularly forms a contrast to Perceval in these romances). During a procession which Gwain sees, ‘the rich grail’ (as it is now called) floats about the hall and provides food for all; the bleeding lance is later identified as the Lance of Longinus (the spear used by Longinus to pierce Christ’s side at the Crucifixion) and the broken sword belonging to a dead knight who is laid out of the bier. He who mends the sword will know the secrets of the grail castle (thereby strengthening the link between sword and grail.) Other medieval writers took up this theme; Burgandian poet, Robert de Boron, also wrote, at the behest of a crusader patron, the Lord of Montfacon, produced three romances, Joseph d’ Arimathie, Merlin, and Perceval. All these romances treat the grail theme, even into the context of Christ’ passion.’’
The Holy Grail legends are not only entertaining, with valiant heroes and dangerous but awesome quests, but they also speak of patience and knowledge that these heroes gain along the way. Perceval and Lancelot aren’t heroes because they are searching for a beguiled, golden chalice, but for greater understanding of themselves. These legends have been written and re-written for ages, and even in the modern years, people are still fascinated by the great quest for the Holy Grail. I know I am.
did anyone actually take in the trolls movie?
because honestly in my head it makes no sense. Look at the size of them, they’re obviously too small to be trolls. They’re more like pixie size. I mean honestly, the bergens look about human size compared to them, they’re smaller than the spiders. And their hair??? There is no telling how long it can stretch for?? And it can change colour! Not just to one but many! Is this magic? If it is then they’re obviously a type of nymph or fae. I mean they like to sing and dance & even their names are like, branch, creek. I mean seriously. If anything the bergens are trolls and the trolls are nymphs.
our field of dreams
"this is me trying" i sing as i scroll through instagram telling myself ill study for that math quiz tmr
@taylorswift @taylornation
Fuck it, Taylor Swift Tarot
I just spent the last 5 hours making my own Taylor Swift tarot deck
Trying my hands at acrylic painting: a snowy Baba Yaga scene
IT’SSSSSS CRYPTIDSMAS AGAIN FOLKS. Time for a new batch of cards! Wish I’d gone a little harder on the black placement this time, and that watercolor paper scanned better, but I still had a total blast making these.
If any mutuals want to trade cryptidsmas cards, hit me up! This year, I have had the foresight to not be in the middle of fucking moving, so I can be sure not to accidentally miss anyone this time. Non-mutual followers or passersby are also totally free to inquire about a card trade, but I may have to turn you down due to time restraints.
Folclóre (o folklóre) ... [dall’ingl. folklore, comp. di folk «popolo» e lore «sapere; complesso di tradizioni o di notizie», termine coniato nel 1846 dall’archeologo ingl. W. J. Thoms].
L’insieme delle tradizioni popolari di una regione, di un paese, di un gruppo etnico, in tutte le manifestazioni culturali che ne sono espressione, cioè usi, costumi, leggende, credenze e pratiche religiose o magiche, racconti, proverbi e quanto altro è tramandato per tradizione orale: spettacolo di folclore.
La scienza che studia tali tradizioni, detta anche demologia, demopsicologia, e, come disciplina d’insegnamento universitario, storia delle tradizioni popolari.
Treccani.it
The raven flies in the evening. It will have bad luck, for it can not have good.
If a raven eats the heart of an unburied king or chieftain that died in battle, the raven transforms into a valravn. This transformation gives the valravn great intelligence and superhuman strength, but it often turns them evil and manipulative as well. They are terrible creatures.
from Danske Sagn: Som De Har Lyd I Folkemunde. Image source.
Dear Tim Burton
Dear #TimBurton,
Up Yours. I just went with a friend to see Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and we’d been excited for weeks (it only just came out in Mongolia). I even rushed to finish reading it before the Mongolia release.
Mr. Burton, the protagonist in MSHfPC is #Jewish. His grandfather is a#Jew. It’s a story about Jews and the monsters who chase us. A huge part of the book is questioning whether Grandfather’s “monsters” were supernatural monsters, or the real monsters of Nazis hunting Jews, the Monsters that murdered his entire family. Did he go to the children’s home because he was a peculiar or because of the dangerous peculiarity of being a Jew in Europe in WWII?
Yet in your film, the word “Jew” was spoken exactly zero times. You wiped away the characters’ identities. And don’t you DARE claim that it was an unintentional omission, because you proved that it wasn’t. See, in the book, Grandfather Abe often calls Jake “Yakov,” the Jewish form of Jacob. Yet in the movie, you changed that into a Polish nickname. So you can’t claim this was an omission when you and your team took the time to re-write even his nickname to make it not Jewish.
So Up Yours for your white-bread characters and white-bread movies. Up Yours for making the only POC character in the entire film the bad guy. And finally, Up Yours for taking away, yet again, the chance for us to see one of our own, a Jewish Protagonist promised in the novel, on screen.
some of my sketches from last year. Ursula and Taylor.
@taylornation
Another one for the "quick sketch" collection: Taylor and the much-missed original 1989 set. I did it from memory, the details are a little blurry in my mind.
@taylorswift @taylornation
GET IN THE CAR IT'S AUGUST🌾🩶
@taylorswift @taylornation
Passed down like folk songs, our love lasts so long.
@taylorswift @taylornation
Quick animation test @taylorswift @taylornation
Passed down like folk songs, our love lasts so long.
@taylorswift @taylornation
Myths, Creatures, and Folklore
Want to create a religion for your fictional world? Here are some references and resources!
General:
General Folklore
Various Folktales
Heroes
Weather Folklore
Trees in Mythology
Animals in Mythology
Birds in Mythology
Flowers in Mythology
Fruit in Mythology
Plants in Mythology
Folktales from Around the World
Africa:
Egyptian Mythology
African Mythology
More African Mythology
Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
The Gods of Africa
Even More African Mythology
West African Mythology
All About African Mythology
African Mythical Creatures
Gods and Goddesses
The Americas:
Aztec Mythology
Haitian Mythology
Inca Mythology
Maya Mythology
Native American Mythology
More Inca Mythology
More Native American Mythology
South American Mythical Creatures
North American Mythical Creatures
Aztec Gods and Goddesses
Asia:
Chinese Mythology
Hindu Mythology
Japanese Mythology
Korean Mythology
More Japanese Mythology
Chinese and Japanese Mythical Creatures
Indian Mythical Creatures
Chinese Gods and Goddesses
Hindu Gods and Goddesses
Korean Gods and Goddesses
Europe:
Basque Mythology
Celtic Mythology
Etruscan Mythology
Greek Mythology
Latvian Mythology
Norse Mythology
Roman Mythology
Arthurian Legends
Bestiary
Celtic Gods and Goddesses
Gods and Goddesses of the Celtic Lands
Finnish Mythology
Celtic Mythical Creatures
Gods and Goddesses
Middle East:
Islamic Mythology
Judaic Mythology
Mesopotamian Mythology
Persian Mythology
Middle Eastern Mythical Creatures
Oceania:
Aboriginal Mythology
Polynesian Mythology
More Polynesian Mythology
Mythology of the Polynesian Islands
Melanesian Mythology
Massive Polynesian Mythology Post
Maori Mythical Creatures
Hawaiian Gods and Goddesses
Hawaiian Goddesses
Gods and Goddesses
Creating a Fantasy Religion:
Creating Part 1
Creating Part 2
Creating Part 3
Creating Part 4
Fantasy Religion Design Guide
Using Religion in Fantasy
Religion in Fantasy
Creating Fantasy Worlds
Beliefs in Fantasy
Some superstitions:
Read More