Not All Fairy Tales End With A Kiss

Steering

2022-04-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

Starring at these empty walls like they've been hearing me, stealing me, steering me.

Till theres nothing but fear in me.

Army_of_the_Dead

2021-03-18T07:38:00.001-07:00

Army_of_the_Dead

"The Dead are following," said Legolas. "I see shapes of Men and of horses, and pale banners like shreds of cloud, and spears like winter-thickets on a misty night. The Dead are following."

"Yes, the Dead ride behind. They have been summoned," said Elladan.

- The Return of the King, "The Passing of the Grey Company"

also known as the Dead Men of Dunharrow or Oathbreakers, were Men of the White Mountains, cursed to remain in Middle-earth by Isildur after they abandoned their oath to aid him in the War of the Last Alliance. They haunted the caverns beneath the Dwimorberg, and the valley of Harrowdale that lay in its shadow, though they were said to appear in the valley only in times of trouble or death. They were led by the King of the Dead. Since the line of Isildur was thought to have ended, no one could call upon the Dead Army to aid them in their hours of need, as they would only answer to an Heir of Isildur.

Inspiration

Northern European folklore tells of 'the restless dead' as fell riders bursting upon unwary travellers in lonely places. Horses, knights, hounds are among the restless spirits in the "Wild Hunt". Hans Sachs' poem, "Das wütend Heer der kleinen Dieb" (1539) describes the furious host in gruesome detail, accompanied by ravens who plucked out the eyes of the roving dead: "there came one behind, who had been hanged the same day, had still his eyes and saw me."

It is an indication of Aragorn's heroic nature and lineage that he dares summon the dead to fulfill their oath in this manner, and a sign that the rightful king has indeed returned.

In the Peter Jackson movie adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the battle with the Corsairs occurrs off-screen (part of it is shown in the extended edition) and the Army of the Dead accompany Aragorn to Minas Tirith, replacing the Grey Company, to defeat Sauron's Orcs, after which Aragorn declares their curse lifted. Legolas correctly states that it was Isildur who cursed them, but incorrectly states that he was "the last king of Gondor". (Isildur was the last high king of Gondor and Arnor, after which the two kingdoms divided and would both eventually be left kingless until Aragorn took the throne.)

"There are those who dwell in the mountain."

"Murderers, traitors, you would call upon them to fight? They believe in nothing, they answer to no-one."

"They will answer to the King of Gondor."

- Elrond and Aragorn talking of the army of the dead.

The Lord of the Rings film trilogy

Also in the film, the dead army does not go to the Stone of Erech but instead Aragorn confronts them in front of what appears to be the city of the dead men. The men of the dead army appear as green and glowing, and are more reluctant to fulfill their oath, with the dead king even trying to attack Aragorn.

While the books make no mention of anything being able to harm the dead men, in the film the dead king appears to be able to be harmed by Aragorn’s sword Andúril (Narsil reforged).

According to a magazine article, Peter Jackson hated the Army of the Dead; he thought it was "too unbelievable". He kept it in the script, however, so as to not disappoint large fans of the books.

Bonnacon

2021-03-18T05:41:00.001-07:00

Bonnacon - Wild bull-like creature with horns

is a mythical, bull-like beast with the mane of a horse and horns that spiral inward on top of its head. The bonnacon's curved horns are not effective for defending itself against hunters, so instead it shoots a stream of potent dung that can burn anything in its path.

The bonnacon is a strange beast believed to have existed in the ancient world. The first attestation to the existence of the bizarre creature is traced to the Roman natural historian, Pliny the Elder. Belief in its existence continued well into the Middle Ages and it was a prominent figure in many medieval bestiaries – perhaps due to the crude and unusual way it defended itself.

Its basically just a early ancestor of the hippo. Most likely not actually mythical just poorly understood and illustrated. Also would have made ideal food for large armies because it would not run and its territory would be easy to find aka they mark everything with poo.

The earliest known reference to the bonnacon (variations include ‘bonachus’, ‘bonacon’, ‘bonaconn’, and ‘bonasus’) is said to be found in Pliny the Elder’s Natural History . According to Pliny, it can be found in the region of Paeonia, which roughly corresponds to what is today the northern part of Greece, the FYROM, and western Bulgaria. Pliny states the creature “has the mane of the horse, but is, in other respects, like the bull, with horns, however, so much bent inwards upon each other, as to be of no use for the purposes of combat.

its also unlikely that this is where its origins are from or its first recording as you have probably noticed by now greece clearly went around stealing everything and claiming it as there own in the books they wrote.

Kind of like what blogging is today. But will be misunderstood in the far future when a new texile is developed and the internet is as its known today is forgotten.

Armadillo

2021-03-18T03:47:00.000-07:00

Armadillo's_Song

The Armadillo yearns to sing like the frogs and the crickets and the birds. But is he willing to pay the price to learn? (Bolivia)

Once there was an armadillo who lived in the Bolivian rainforest. He loved music more than anything in the world and all he wanted to do was to be able to sing like many of the other animals could.

He sat by the pond and listened to the frogs calling to each other.

‘Oh, I wish I could sing as low as you can. Can you teach me to sing, please?’ he asked them.

But the frogs just laughed at him and said, ‘Don’t be silly – armadillos can’t sing!’

He sat under the trees and listened to the crickets chirruping to each other.

‘I wish I could sing as high you do,’ he said to them. ‘Can you please teach me?’

But the crickets laughed at him as well and said, ‘Don’t be silly – armadillos can’t sing!’

So the poor armadillo left the pond and walked slowly back to the edge of town.

Now the music that the armadillo loved the best was the song of the beautiful birds: hummingbirds, martins, and parrots. He could hear them singing all day long high high up in the trees and yearned to be able to sing as beautifully as they could.

Suddenly, he heard the beautiful song of some canaries in a cage being taken to the local market by a young man. The armadillo stood spellbound as he listened to the beautiful music. He pleaded with the canaries to teach him how to sing as beautifully as they could. The canaries laughed just like the crickets and the frogs and mocked the poor armadillo.

‘Don’t be so silly – everybody knows that armadillos can’t sing and there is no point in you even trying to learn!’ they said to him scornfully.

So the poor armadillo turned away, so sad that he was nearly in tears.

Now the man carrying the cage was a famous musician and he realised that the armadillo would never be happy until he was able to make the same beautiful music that he heard all around him every day in the rainforest. So he said to the armadillo kindly, ‘I might be able to help you, but you will have to wait a long time.’

The armadillo was so excited that he rushed over to the man and said, ‘I really don’t care how long I have to wait – all I want in life is to be able to make beautiful music.’

The musician said to the armadillo, ‘But in order to help you make the beautiful music that you love so much, you will have to wait until you die and you are such a beautiful creature that I really wouldn’t want that to happen to you too soon.’

But the armadillo was so amazed that the musician would be able to help him achieve his ambition, that even the thought of death could not stop him wanting the man to help him in any way that he could.

They spent many hours talking and the armadillo finally agreed that he would continue to enjoy listening to the music of the other animals until he became very old and then he would return to the musician’s house so that he could learn how he might be able to make beautiful music himself after his death.

After living a long and happy life in the forest, the armadillo realised that he was close to death and returned to the town. The musician made him welcome and explained that after the armadillo died, he would make a wonderful stringed instrument from his shell and travel all through the land playing music to all the people and animals. Well, this made the armadillo very happy and he died with a great big smile on his face at the thought of how he would at long last achieve his greatest wish.

So the musician did as he had promised and made a beautiful harp from the shell of the armadillo and he travelled all over the land playing sweet music in memory of the armadillo.

Sometimes the musician would play his instrument by the pond where the frogs lived, and they would stare at him with big eyes and say: ‘Listen! The armadillo has finally learned to sing.’

Sometimes the musician would play his instrument by the trees where the crickets lived, and they would creep outside to stare at him with big eyes and say: ‘Listen! The armadillo sings so beautifully.’

And often the musician would visit the town where the canaries now lived in cages in the windows of all the houses and the little birds twittered to each other in amazement: ‘Listen! The armadillo makes the most beautiful music in the whole forest now.’

And so it was. The armadillo had learned to sing at last, and his voice was the finest in the land.

The_Arkansas_Traveler

2021-03-18T01:54:00.000-07:00

The_Arkansas_Traveler

was the state song of Arkansas from 1949 to 1963; it has been the state historical song since 1987. The music was composed in the 19th century by Colonel Sanford C. 'Sandy' Faulkner (1806–1874); the current official lyrics were written by a committee in 1947 in preparation for its naming as the state song.

The song is traditionally known to have had several versions of lyrics, which are much older than the copyrighted song. The official lyrics as the state historical song of Arkansas are copyrighted and can be found on the website of the Arkansas Secretary of State

"The Arkansas Traveler" was frequently featured in animated cartoons in the 1930s and 1940s, most prolifically by Carl Stalling in music he composed for the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes series.

Antmen

2021-03-18T00:01:00.001-07:00

Antmen

Four weapon bearing arms, red eyes and a crushing jaw

Source: Homer’s Iliad

Habitat: Greece

These mythical creatures were similar to army ants that were human size. They could carry and use four weapons at a time and use their large red eyes to see from all directions at once.

They could easily crush a human soldier’s skull with their huge, powerful jaws.

Just as ants, they were extremely organized and had no fear of death. Given the order, they would rush and eagerly enter any battle.

Also, just as real ants, they never took any prisoners.

The story goes that after a devastating plague killed off the entire population of the island of Aegina, the governing king begged his father (Zeus) to repopulate his Kingdom with its ants.

This created an army of fierce and eager warriors that took direction from and remained loyal to this king.

The king’s son, Peleus, took a group of these human-sized insects to the Greek city of Thessaly. The son of Peleus, Achilles even led this group of fierce warriors to battle in the legendary Trojan War.

Also there is Ant-Man

is a 2015 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics characters of the same name: Scott Lang and Hank Pym. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 12th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Ouija_board

2021-03-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

Ouija_board

also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and graphics. It uses a planchette (small heart-shaped piece of wood or plastic) as a movable indicator to spell out messages during a séance. Participants place their fingers on the planchette, and it is moved about the board to spell out words. "Ouija" is a trademark of Hasbro, but is often used generically to refer to any talking board.

Paranormal and supernatural beliefs associated with Ouija have been criticized by the scientific community and are characterized as pseudoscience. The action of the board can be most easily explained by unconscious movements of those controlling the pointer, a psychophysiological phenomenon known as the ideomotor effect.

however its almost always just a group of people trying to trick a single person who has never heard of it. AKA its a prank that only works once and on those who havent heard of it. Which is shockling everything about science these days. so the jokes really on them in the end.

Amphisbaena

2021-03-17T20:10:00.001-07:00

Amphisbaena

Snake with a head at each end

Many theories suggest the symbolic significance of the serpent imagery. It has been proposed that the serpent was a symbol of rebirth because of its ability to shed its old skin and appear as a reborn snake. It may have been a representation of the earth and underworld with each head representing one.

The creature is alternatively called the amphisbaina, amphisbene, amphisboena, amphisbona, amphista, amfivena, amphivena, or anphivena (the last two being feminine), and is also known as the "Mother of Ants"

Alicia

2021-03-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

Alicia’s_Ghost

: The Alicia Trilogy Book 1

If you’re seeking a delightfully naughty and frightful read that’s just in time for Halloween, you can’t go wrong with Alicia’s Ghost. Professor Carlos Mann is still mourning the death of his beloved wife, the stunningly gorgeous Alicia. They were married for only three short years before she was brutally murdered, leaving Carlos in a perpetual state of shock and overwhelming grief. Now he is trying to pick up the pieces and resume a normal life as best he can. But it’s not easy; he still has terrifying nightmares of her murder that cause him to wake up dripping in a cold sweat. His teaching position at Leland University gives him some respite, at least. That’s soon about to change, however; after he befriends one of his students, the shy and charming Amy Joy, he suddenly finds himself caught in the middle of a sex trafficking ring run by a masochistic dominatrix. As he tries to save his new friend from almost certain torture, he’s now got another problem on his hands; Alicia is back with a vengeance, her jealousy knowing no bounds. Alicia’s ghost is determined to haunt her husband’s every move, and doesn’t hesitate to show her displeasure by trashing his apartment. But Carlos will soon need her help if he’s to survive. Can Alicia put aside her jealous fits of rage and save her husband before it’s too late?

review written by Celia from amazon. lol

Amarok

2021-03-17T16:20:00.001-07:00

Amarok

is a gigantic wolf in Inuit mythology, said to stalk and devour any person foolish enough to hunt alone at night. Unlike wolves who hunt in packs, amaroks hunt alone.

In the 19th century, Danish geologist and Greenlandic scholar Hinrich Johannes Rink reported that the Greenlandic Inuit hold the word amarok exclusively for this specific, legendary wolf, whereas other Arctic peoples use it to refer to any wolf.

Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo, by Hinrich Johannes Rink and it recounts several folk legends that feature the amarok.

Sasquatch_and_the_Bear

2021-03-17T14:28:00.001-07:00

Sasquatch_and_the_Bear

A Rogue River Tall Tale

as told by Captain Tim Brueckner

collected by Me

Take a look over at this gravel bar on our left. It's called Bony Point, and we saw something here the other day that I thought was kind of interesting so I thought I’d mention it.

You see where the gravel bar meets the tree line up there and how it forms those shadows? Well, standing back there in those shadows was a big old Sasquatch. And, this isn’t unusual, because we have a lot of Sasquatches down here. But, we had some people on board who had never seen one, so we idled down to watch.

Well, as we watched, after a little while, this old Sasquatch wanders across the gravel bar, wades out about hip deep in the water, grabs about a six foot sturgeon by the tail. He drags it up on the gravel bar, thumps it in the head with a big old rock and kills it.

Now, I don’t know why they do that. I’ve seen them do that before. Whether they actually eat the fish, or if it’s just for sport, I don’t know, because I’ve never really had a chance to follow up.

But, this is where it gets interesting, because while we’re watching this on the south, down out of the alders on the north side, comes a big old black bear, and I mean about as big a bear as we’ve seen yet this year.

Well, this old bear looks across the river, sees what’s going on, jumps in the river himself, swims right across the bow of our boat, gets out on the south side there, shakes like a big old dog, and jumps right on the back of that Sasquatch, and starts beating on him. I guess he wanted his fish.

Anyway, as you can imagine, that old Sasquatch beat a hasty retreat up into the hills and we thought that was the end of it –people quit taking pictures.

Well, moments later that old Sasquatch comes back down out of the hills, with a big old tree he’s pulled out by the roots and starts beating on the bear.

Well, Holy Cow, that put them into it. It was a terrible thing. They went at it tooth and nail. There was blood and fur flying. You could hear their teeth popping as they snarled, and growled, and lit into each other, and I mean I was afraid. I was scared they were going to kill each other – and I think they would have – if I hadn’t jumped in there and broke it up!

Yup, that was something.

Aigamuxa

2021-03-17T12:33:00.001-07:00

Aigamuxa

- Human-like mythical creatures with eyes on their feet

or Aigamuchab, are African humanoid man-eating creatures from khoikhoi mythology with eyes on their feet. The Aigamuxa usually wander the deserts of Africa until they spot prey. They have razor-sharp teeth that can easily slice through flesh.

Saint_Nicholas

2021-03-17T10:39:00.001-07:00

Saint_Nicholas

270–310

Saint Nicholas

, 270–310

December 6

Saint Nicholas was a bishop. One night, he went to the house of a poor family and threw a bag of gold coins in an open window. The family wanted to thank Nicholas, but he told them to thank God instead. Nicholas liked giving gifts in secret. People still give gifts on his feast day. Saint Nicholas is the patron Saint of children.

Discuss: What are some gifts that you can give to family members and friends today? Think of some things that don’t cost anything.

Saint Nicholas was a bishop. He lived in what is now Turkey. One night he tiptoed to the house of a poor family. The family was asleep. Nicholas threw a bag of gold coins in an open window. The next day, the whole family was very happy. They wanted to thank Nicholas, but he told them to thank God instead. Nicholas liked giving gifts in secret. He was so kind that people still talk about him today. Some people give gifts on his feast day, December 6.

The story of Saint Nicholas as gift-giver has changed over time so that he has become identified with Santa Claus, who brings presents to children on Christmas Eve. During a pilgrimage Nicholas to the Holy Land, the ship he’d boarded was caught in a storm. Nicholas prayed for the safety of all on board, and the waves were calmed. Many chapels have been built in seaport cities and towns.

Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra, in what was known in his time as Lycia. The ruins of the basilica built over his tomb were excavated in the nineteenth century.

Saint Nicholas is the patron Saint of children, sailors, and fishermen. He was very short and had a broken nose.

Activity

Giving and Receiving

Verbal/Linguistic

Explain that Saint Nicholas was a Saint who showed us how to give. Discuss with your child some of her/his thoughts on giving and receiving by asking the following questions:

Why do we give gifts at Christmas?

Do you think about what people want when you give a gift, or do you give what you want to give?

When you receive a gift that you don’t particularly like, how do you handle your disappointment? How should you handle your feelings?

Remind your child that the best gift we ever received was forgiveness and love from Jesus.

Together, pray a prayer of thanksgiving to God for all his many gifts, but especially for Jesus.

Abominable_Snowman

2021-03-17T08:45:00.001-07:00

Abominable_Snowman

Giant human-like body, white shaggy fur, big feet

or Yeti

the Yeti is a monstrous creature. The entity would later come to be referred to as the Abominable Snowman in western popular culture. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their folk beliefs.

The name Abominable Snowman was coined in 1921, the year Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Howard-Bury led the 1921 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition which he chronicled in Mount Everest The Reconnaissance, 1921.

A famous snowman character is Frosty, the titular snowman in the popular holiday song "Frosty the Snowman" (later adapted into film and television specials), who was magically brought to life by the old silk hat used on his head.

The_Baker

2021-03-17T06:51:00.001-07:00

The_Baker's_Dozen,A_Saint_Nicholas_Tale

Book by Aaron Shepard

One day, an ugly old woman visited the baker just as he was about to close his shop. ... The old woman wished to buy a dozen of the special Saint Nicholas cookies that were laid out on a tray. The good baker carefully counted out twelve cookies and handed them over to the lady.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Baker's dozen'? It's widely believed that this phrase originated from the practice of medieval English bakers giving an extra loaf when selling a dozen in order to avoid being penalized for selling short weight. ... A supermarket pack of a dozen loaves now contains just 12.

Aaron Shepard creates a world where it is not unusual for Saint Nicholas himself to make an appearance and for Christmas magic to appear in the form of holiday cookies.

The_Story_of_the_Youth_Who_Went_Forth_to_Learn_What_Fear_Was

2021-03-17T04:56:00.000-07:00

The_Story_of_the_Youth_Who_Went_Forth_to_Learn_What_Fear_Was

(Märchen von einem, der auszog das Fürchten zu lernen)

is a German folktale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales. The tale was also included by Andrew Lang in The Blue Fairy Book. It is classified as its own Aarne–Thompson index type 326.

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

A father had two sons. The oldest one was clever and intelligent, and knew how to manage everything, but the youngest one was stupid and could neither understand nor learn anything. When people saw him, they said, "He will be a burden on his father!"

Now when something had to be done, it was always the oldest son who had to do it. However, if the father asked him fetch anything when it was late, or even worse, at night, and if the way led through the churchyard or some other spooky place, he would always answer, "Oh, no, father, I won't go there. It makes me shudder!" For he was afraid.

In the evening by the fire when stories were told that made one's flesh creep, the listeners sometimes said, "Oh, that makes me shudder!" The youngest son would sit in a corner and listen with the others, but he could not imagine what they meant.

"They are always saying, 'It makes me shudder! It makes me shudder!' It does not make me shudder. That too must be a skill that I do not understand."

Now it happened that one day his father said to him, "Listen, you there in the corner. You are getting big and strong. You too will have to learn something by which you can earn your bread. See how your brother puts himself out, but there seems to be no hope for you."

"Well, father," he answered, "I do want to learn something. Indeed, if possible I would like to learn how to shudder. I don't understand that at all yet."

The oldest son laughed when he heard that, and thought to himself, "Dear God, what a dimwit that brother of mine is. Nothing will come of him as long as he lives. As the twig is bent, so grows the tree."

The father sighed, and answered him, "You may well learn to shudder, but you will not earn your bread by shuddering."

Soon afterward the sexton came to the house on a visit, and the father complained to him about his troubles, telling him how his younger son was so stupid in everything, that he knew nothing and was learning nothing. "Just think," he said, "when I asked him how he was going to earn his bread, he actually asked to learn to shudder."

"If there is nothing more than that," replied the sexton, "he can learn that with me. Just send him to me. I will plane off his rough edges."

The father agreed to do this, for he thought, "It will do the boy well."

So the sexton took him home with him, and he was to ring the church bell. A few days later the sexton awoke him at midnight and told him to get up, climb the church tower, and ring the bell.

"You will soon learn what it is to shudder," he thought. He secretly went there ahead of him. After the boy had reached the top of the tower, had turned around and was about to take hold of the bell rope, he saw a white figure standing on the steps opposite the sound hole.

"Who is there?" he shouted, but the figure gave no answer, neither moving nor stirring. "Answer me," shouted the boy, "or get out of here. You have no business here at night."

The sexton, however, remained standing there motionless so that the boy would think he was a ghost.

The boy shouted a second time, "What do you want here? Speak if you are an honest fellow, or I will throw you down the stairs."

The sexton thought, "He can't seriously mean that." He made not a sound and stood as if he were made of stone.

Then the boy shouted to him for the third time, and as that also was to no avail, he ran toward him and pushed the ghost down the stairs. It fell down ten steps and remained lying there in a corner. Then the boy rang the bell, went home, and without saying a word went to bed and fell asleep.

The sexton's wife waited a long time for her husband, but he did not come back. Finally she became frightened and woke up the boy, asking, "Don't you know where my husband is? He climbed up the tower before you did."

"No," replied the boy, "but someone was standing by the sound hole on the other side of the steps, and because he would neither give an answer nor go away, I took him for a thief and threw him down the steps. Go there and you will see if he was the one. I am sorry if he was."

The woman ran out and found her husband, who was lying in the corner moaning. He had broken his leg. She carried him down, and then crying loudly she hurried to the boy's father. "Your boy," she shouted, "has caused a great misfortune. He threw my husband down the steps, causing him to break his leg. Take the good-for-nothing out of our house."

The father was alarmed, and ran to the sexton's house, and scolded the boy. "What evil tricks are these? The devil must have prompted you to do them."

"Father," he replied, "do listen to me. I am completely innocent. He was standing there in the night like someone with evil intentions. I did not know who it was, and I warned him three times to speak or to go away

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Chupacabra

2021-03-17T02:59:00.000-07:00

Chupacabra

Small bear-like, hairless beast with spikes

is a legendary creature in the folklore of parts of the Americas, with its first purported sightings reported in Puerto Rico in 1995. The name comes from the animal's reported vampirism—the chupacabra is said to attack and drink the blood of livestock, including goats.

i believe it may be the origins of the The Bone Vampires is a species of alien creature from Doohan 6 and it gets its name from its way of feeding itself: by sucking the skeleton out of its victims. seen in Futurama

Mary

2021-03-17T01:04:00.001-07:00

Mary's_Child (Marienkind)

is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1812. It is of Aarne-Thompson type 710. The Brothers Grimm noted its similarity to the Italian The Goat-faced Girl and the Norwegian The Lassie and Her Godmother.

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Near a great forest there lived a woodcutter with his wife. He had but one child, a three-year old girl. Now they were so poor that they no longer had their daily bread, and they did not know how they were to feed her.

One morning the woodcutter, filled with sorrow, went out to his work in the woods. While he was chopping wood suddenly there stood before him a beautiful tall woman with a crown of shining stars on her head.

She said to him, "I am the Virgin Mary, mother of the Baby Jesus. You are poor and needy. Bring your child to me. I will take her with me and be her mother and care for her."

The woodcutter obeyed, fetched his child, and turned her over to the Virgin Mary, who took her up into heaven with her. There the child fared well. She ate sweetened bread and drank fresh milk. Her clothes were of gold, and the little angels played with her.

When she was fourteen years old, the Virgin Mary summoned her one day and said, "Dear child, I am about to make a long journey. Take care of these keys to the thirteen doors of heaven. You may open twelve of these doors, and behold the glorious things inside, but the thirteenth door, to which this little key belongs, is forbidden for you. Be careful not to open it, or you will be unhappy."

The girl promised to be obedient, and when the Virgin Mary was gone, she began to examine the dwellings of the kingdom of heaven. Each day she opened one of them, until she had been to all twelve. An apostle, surrounded by great brilliance, sat in each one. She rejoiced in the magnificence and splendor, and the little angels who always accompanied her rejoiced with her.

Now only the forbidden door remained, and she felt a great desire to know what was hidden behind it. She said to the little angels, "I will not open it all the way, nor will I will go inside, but I will only unlock it so that we can see just a little through the crack."

"Oh no," said the little angels, "that would be a sin. The Virgin Mary has forbidden it, and it might easily lead to unhappiness for you."

To that she said nothing, but the desire in her heart was not stilled. To the contrary, it gnawed away, tormenting her, and would give her no rest.

Then one day when the angels had all gone out, she thought, " I am entirely alone now, and I could peek in. If I do so, no one will ever know."

She sought out the key, and as soon as she had it in her hand, she put it into the lock as well, and as soon as it was in the lock, she turned it around as well. The door sprang open, and there she saw the Trinity sitting in fire and brilliance. She stayed there a little while, looking at everything in amazement. Then she put her finger a little way into the brilliance, and her finger turned entirely golden. Immediately a great fear fell upon her. She slammed the door shut, and ran away.

The fear did not go away, do what she may. He heart pounded furiously forth and would not become still. And the gold remained on her finger as well. It would not come off, no matter how much she washed and rubbed.

Not long afterward, the Virgin Mary returned from her journey. She summoned the girl, and asked her to return the keys of heaven. When the girl gave the ring of keys to her, the Virgin looked into her eyes and said, "Have you not opened the thirteenth door as well.?"

"No," she replied.

Then the Virgin Mary laid her hand on the girl's heart, and felt how it pounded and pounded, and saw well that she had disobeyed her order and had opened the door. Then she said further, "You did not do it for sure?"

"No," said the girl a second time.

Then the Virgin noticed the finger that had turned golden from having touched the heavenly fire, and knew well that the girl had sinned, and she said a third time, "Have you not done it?"

"No," said the girl a third time.

Then the Virgin Mary said, "You have not obeyed me, and you have lied as well. You are no longer worthy to be in heaven."

Then the girl sank into a deep sleep, and when she awoke she lay below on earth, in the middle of a wilderness. She wanted to cry out, but she could not bring forth a sound. She jumped up and wanted to run away, but in wherever she turned, she was held back by thick thorn hedges which she could not break through. In the wilderness where she was imprisoned there stood an old hollow tree. It would have to serve as her home. She crept inside it when night came, and slept there. And when it stormed and rained, she found shelter inside it, but it was a miserable life, and she cried bitterly when she thought about how beautiful it had been in heaven, and how the angels had played with her.

Roots and wild berries were her only food, which she looked for as far as she could go. In the fall she gathered the fallen nuts and leaves, and carried them into the opening in the tree. The nutsri h herpf.n rok eg

aewhtki rins eyilmdh ?nshcmhihehdlensa ir eagran alorle, dhobe,edwf ign o . ionw

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Cerastes

2021-03-16T23:08:00.001-07:00

Cerastes

Large and extremely flexible serpent with horns

is a creature of Greek legend, a serpent that is incredibly flexible—so much so that it is said to have no spine. Cerastae can have either two large ram-like horns or four pairs of smaller horns.

The Cerastes, “horned”, is one of the many snakes born from the blood of Medusa in the Libyan desert. It receives a passing mention in Lucan’s catalogue of snakes. Another cerastes mentioned by Theophrastus and Pliny, in the form of a two-horned herbivorous worm, is obviously a caterpillar.

No more than 2 cubits (about a meter) long, the cerastes is sandy-colored and white, with red streaks across its back. The skin is very soft and stretchable. On the head are two, four, or eight horns, described as worm-like or ram-like. The fangs are like those of a viper and are not crooked. Instead of a backbone, a cerastes has a cartilaginous spine, making it the most flexible of all snakes.

The horns of a cerastes have two documented functions. They are used as lures to attract birds, with the snake buried under the sand with only the horns protruding.

Caladrius

2021-03-16T21:14:00.001-07:00

Caladrius

According to Roman mythology, is a snow-white bird that lives in the king's house.

It is said to be able to take the sickness into itself and then fly away, dispersing the sickness and healing both itself and the sick person.

Cat_and_Mouse_in_Partnership

2021-03-16T19:19:00.001-07:00

Cat_and_Mouse_in_Partnership

(Katze und Maus in Gesellschaft)

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

A cat had made the acquaintance of a mouse, and had said so much to her about the great love and friendship that he felt for her, that at last the mouse agreed that they should live and keep house together. "But we must make preparations for winter, or else we shall suffer from hunger," said the cat, "and you, little mouse, cannot venture out everywhere, or in the end you will be caught in a trap."

This good advice was followed, and they bought a pot of fat, but they did not know where to store it. Finally, after much consideration, the cat said, "I know of no place where it will be better stored up than in the church. No one dares take anything away from there. We will put it beneath the altar, and not touch it until we are need it."

So the pot was stored safely away, but it was not long before the cat took a great longing for it, and said to the mouse, "I wanted to tell you, little mouse, that my cousin has brought a little son into the world, and she has asked me to be his godfather. He is white with brown spots, and I am to hold him over the baptismal font. Let me go out today, and you look after the house by yourself."

"Yes, yes," answered the mouse. "By all means go, and if you get anything good to eat, think of me. I would like to drink a drop of sweet red christening wine myself."

All this, however, was untrue. The cat had no cousin, and had not been asked to be godfather. He went straight to the church, crept up to the pot of fat, began to lick at it, and licked off the top of the fat. Then he went for a stroll on the roofs of the town, looked out for opportunities, and then stretched out in the sun, licking his whiskers whenever he thought of the pot of fat. He did not return home until it was evening.

"Well, here you are again," said the mouse. "You must have had a happy day."

"Everything went well," answered the cat.

"What name did they give the child?" asked the mouse.

"Top-Off," said the cat quite coolly.

"Top-Off?" cried the mouse. "That is a very odd and uncommon name. Is it a usual one in your family?"

"What does that matter?", said the cat. "It is no worse than Crumb-Thief, as your godchildren are called."

Before long the cat was seized by another fit of longing. He said to the mouse, "You must do me a favor, and once more manage the house alone for a day. I have been asked again to be godfather, and since the child has a white ring around its neck, I cannot refuse."

The good mouse consented. However, the cat crept behind the town wall to the church, and devoured half the pot of fat. "Nothing tastes as good as that which one eats by oneself," he said, and was quite satisfied with his day's work.

When he arrived home the mouse asked, "What name was this child christened with?"

"Half-Gone," answered the cat.

"Half-Gone? What are you saying? I have never heard that name in all my life. I'll wager it is not in the almanac."

The cat's mouth soon again began to water for the delicious goods. "All good things come in threes," he said to the mouse. "I have been asked to be godfather again. The child is totally black, only it has white paws. Otherwise it has not a single white hair on its whole body. This only happens once every few years. You will let me go, won't you?"

"Top-Off. Half-Gone," answered the mouse. "They are such odd names, that they make me stop and think."

"Here you sit at home," said the cat, "with your dark gray fur coat and long braid of hair capturing fantasies. That is because you do not go out in the daytime."

During the cat's absence the mouse cleaned the house, and put it in order, but the greedy cat devoured all the rest of the fat. "One has peace only after everything is eaten up," he said to himself. Well filled and fat, he did not return home until nighttime.

The mouse immediately asked what name had been given to the third child.

"You will not like it either," said the cat. "His name is All-Gone."

"All-Gone!", cried the mouse. "That is the most worrisome name of all. I have never seen it in print. All-Gone! What can that mean?" Then she shook her head, curled herself up, and lay down to sleep.

From this time forth no one invited the cat to be godfather, but when winter had come and there was no longer anything to be found outside, the mouse thought of their stored food, and said, "Come cat, we will go to our pot of fat which we have stored up for ourselves. It will taste good now."

"Yes," answered the cat. "You will enjoy it as much as you would enjoy sticking that dainty tongue of yours out of the window."

They set out on their way, but when they arrived, the pot of fat, to be sure, was still in its place, but it was empty. "Alas," said the mouse, "now I see what has happened. Now it comes to light. You are a true friend. You ate everything when you were serving as a godfather. First top off, then half done, then ..."

"Be quiet!" cried the cat. "One more word, and I will eat you too."

"All gone" was already on the poor mouse's lips. She had scarcely spoken it before the cnlsl

Camazotz

2021-03-16T17:24:00.001-07:00

Camazotz

A giant, evil vampire bat demon from Ancient Mayan Mythology

Jungles of Central America

In Mayan Mythology, this evil mythical creature was a gigantic vampire bat said to be the same size as that of a full grown human male, sometimes even much larger.

It would randomly and suddenly go on the attack and suck victim’s dry of their blood. Just as a real bat, he only came out during the night and terrorized the local people.

During the day, the Mayan people felt safe as they believed this monster spent his daylight hours existing somewhere out of site as a stone statue.

This blood thirsty and huge vampire bat terrorized the natives of Central America. It was known to drink the blood of and kill both animals and people.

In Ancient Mayan Mythology there are numerous gods and demons. The gods protected the Mayans from various demons by keeping them enslaved and trapped in the Underworld known as Xibalba.

In return for their protection, the gods demanded that the Mayans offer various sacrifices which often included the blood and death of humans. Some of the Mayans eventually revolted against these demands and the cruel laws of the gods. As punishment, the gods unleashed Camazotz out of Xibalba and onto the earth.

This mythical demon was said to have destroyed this entire race of Mayans in order that the gods could create another race of humans, a race that would abide by their laws and demands.

This gigantic vampire bat was pure evil. During his stay in the Underworld, he is said to have commanded troops in fierce battles against the Mayan gods and preventing them from entering the Underworld.

He also would engage battle against other Maya death gods that opposed him.

Camazotz image by Erikas Perl

The_Frog_King

2021-03-16T15:28:00.001-07:00

The_Frog_King

or Iron Heinrich

is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in Grimm's Fairy Tales

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

In olden times, when wishing still did some good, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful that the sun itself, who, indeed, has seen so much, marveled every time it shone upon her face. In the vicinity of the king's castle there was a large, dark forest, and in this forest, beneath an old linden tree, there was a well. In the heat of the day the princess would go out into the forest and sit on the edge of the cool well. To pass the time she would take a golden ball, throw it into the air, and then catch it. It was her favorite plaything.

Now one day it happened that the princess's golden ball did not fall into her hands, that she held up high, but instead it fell to the ground and rolled right into the water. The princess followed it with her eyes, but the ball disappeared, and the well was so deep that she could not see its bottom. Then she began to cry. She cried louder and louder, and she could not console herself.

As she was thus lamenting, someone called out to her, "What is the matter with you, princess? Your crying would turn a stone to pity."

She looked around to see where the voice was coming from and saw a frog, who had stuck his thick, ugly head out of the water. "Oh, it's you, old water-splasher," she said. "I am crying because my golden ball has fallen into the well."

"Be still and stop crying," answered the frog. I can help you, but what will you give me if I bring back your plaything?"

"Whatever you want, dear frog," she said, "my clothes, my pearls and precious stones, and even the golden crown that I am wearing."

The frog answered, "I do not want your clothes, your pearls and precious stones, nor your golden crown, but if you will love me and accept me as a companion and playmate, and let me sit next to you at your table and eat from your golden plate and drink from your cup and sleep in your bed, if you will promise this to me, then I'll dive down and bring your golden ball back to you."

"Oh, yes," she said, "I promise all of that to you if you will just bring the ball back to me." But she thought, "What is this stupid frog trying to say? He just sits here in the water with his own kind and croaks. He cannot be a companion to a human."

As soon as the frog heard her say "yes" he stuck his head under and dove to the bottom. He paddled back up a short time later with the golden ball in his mouth and threw it onto the grass. The princess was filled with joy when she saw her beautiful plaything once again, picked it up, and ran off.

"Wait, wait," called the frog, "take me along. I cannot run as fast as you." But what did it help him, that he croaked out after her as loudly as he could? She paid no attention to him, but instead hurried home and soon forgot the poor frog, who had to return again to his well.

The next day the princess was sitting at the table with the king and all the people of the court, and was eating from her golden plate when something came creeping up the marble steps: plip, plop, plip, plop. As soon as it reached the top, there came a knock at the door, and a voice called out, "Princess, youngest, open the door for me!"

She ran to see who was outside. She opened the door, and the frog was sitting there. Frightened, she slammed the door shut and returned to the table. The king saw that her heart was pounding and asked, "My child, why are you afraid? Is there a giant outside the door who wants to get you?"

"Oh, no," she answered. "it is a disgusting frog."

"What does the frog want from you?"

"Oh, father dear, yesterday when I was sitting near the well in the forest and playing, my golden ball fell into the water. And because I was crying so much, the frog brought it back, and because he insisted, I promised him that he could be my companion, but I didn't think that he could leave his water. But now he is just outside the door and wants to come in."

Just then there came a second knock at the door, and a voice called out:

Youngest daughter of the king,

Open up the door for me,

Don't you know what yesterday,

You said to me down by the well?

Youngest daughter of the king,

Open up the door for me.

The king said, "What you have promised, you must keep. Go and let the frog in."

She went and opened the door, and the frog hopped in, then followed her up to her chair. He sat there and called out, "Lift me up next to you."

She hesitated, until finally the king commanded her to do it. When the frog was seated next to her he said, "Now push your golden plate closer, so we can eat together."

She did it, but one could see that she did not want to. The frog enjoyed his meal, but for her every bite stuck in her throat. Finally he said, "I have eaten all I want and am tired. Now carry me to your room and make your bed so that we can go to sleep."

The princess began to cry and was afraid of the cold frog and did not dare to even touch him, and yet he was supposed to sleep in her beautiful,eis hean i o yigs gefeA medhrl teonl rec sr lro orksdatimatch

ritrn,t

oeh bnreTA

Bunyip

2021-03-16T13:33:00.001-07:00

Bunyip

Large water monster, huge mouth, crocodile tail

is described in several different ways. It is often described as having a huge mouth with long sharp teeth and the tail of an enormous crocodile. Its body though, can either be snake-like or furry and human-looking.

Descriptions of the bunyip vary, ranging from unusual to completely bizarre. Some of the first written accounts found in the newspapers of white settlers say it had the head of a crocodile with a dog-like face, tail of a horse, tusks, horns, flippers, and sported a thick coat of dark fur.

Even stranger accounts describe the bunyip as having traits of both land- and water-dwelling animals, with long claws and powerful hind legs. Some say the creature was a water spirit that took the form of a giant starfish. Still others claim it had one large eye on its head and a mouth on its stomach.

A drawing of Australia’s bunyip from 1890

Newspaper reports, eyewitness testimony, journal entries, and even physical findings make a case for the bunyip. It’s not a strong case, but the world of cryptozoology has worked with less.

Large bones found in a Wellington cave were thought to be that of a bunyip. In 1845, strange fossils were discovered that led one newspaper to declare it a new animal. Such physical “evidence” outweighs the current proof for Bigfoot.

Fairy_tale

2021-03-16T11:36:00.001-07:00

Fairy_tale

A fairy tale, fairytale, wonder tale, magic tale, fairy story or Märchen is an instance of a folklore genre that takes the form of a short story.

stories that range from those originating in folklore to more modern stories defined as literary fairy tales. Despite subtle differences in the categorizing of fairy tales, folklore, fables, myths, and legends, a modern definition of the fairy tale, as provided by Jens Tismar's monologue in German, is a story that differs "from an oral folk tale", written by "a single identifiable author", which can be characterised as "simple and anonymous",