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Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) Nature & Lore
The Wild Boar is the ancestor of domestic pigs. The Boar represents the warrior spirit and unbridled ferocity. With the Bear and Wolf the...

Sylvia Rose
May 24, 20245 min read
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Aetsi: Boars, Snakes & Baltic Amber
The Aesti (Aestii, Astui, Aests) appear at a time when European cultures mingle, and trade routes connect north to south. Neither Germans...

Sylvia Rose
May 16, 20247 min read
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Curonian Freshwater Baltic Sea Lagoon
Curonian Lagoon is a freshwater body beside the Baltic Sea at western Lithuania, separated from the sea by the narrow Curonian Spit....

Sylvia Rose
May 13, 20245 min read
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Žaltys: Sacred Snake & Serpent Queen
In Baltic mythology, the grass snake žaltys (Natrix natrix) is a sacred animal. It's invited into the home and kept as a pet and house...

Sylvia Rose
May 12, 20245 min read
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European Grass Snake: Nature & Lore
Snakes have mystic associations since the beginning of human thought. The European Grass Snake (Natrix natrix) is a small, harmless...

Sylvia Rose
May 11, 20245 min read
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Potrimpo - Baltic Sea God of Grain
Portrimpo is a pagan Baltic sea god. Also known as Autrimpo he rules the sea, earth, grain and crops. One of the Old Prussian gods,...

Sylvia Rose
May 11, 20243 min read
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Are Cormorants Stymphalian Birds?
In Greek myth, the Stymphalian birds appear in tales of Heracles and in the Argonautica, the adventures of Jason and the Argonauts. The...

Sylvia Rose
May 6, 20243 min read
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Oder River: Nature & Early People
The Oder (Odra) River originates in Czechia and flows through several countries before reaching the Baltic Sea. Part of the Amber Roads,...

Sylvia Rose
May 3, 20245 min read
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Corycian Caves, Bee Nymphs & Greek Gods
The Corycian Cave system is a Neolithic ritual site and sanctuary on Mount Parnassus used from c. 4000 BCE. To ancient Greeks it's home...

Sylvia Rose
May 1, 20245 min read
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Honey Bees (Apidae): Nature & Myth
Honey bees create honey, beeswax and folklore. First domestication of the honeybee is c. 8000 BCE, in the Neolithic Age. At this time the...

Sylvia Rose
Apr 29, 20248 min read
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Rhododendron & the Toxic Ambrosia
Rhododendron is a plant genus of the heather family. With bright showy flowers, this glamorous perennial is known for medicinal...

Sylvia Rose
Apr 28, 20243 min read
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Noisy Spirits of German Mythology
Noisy spirits of Germanic mythology are any who scream, moan, wail, knock or rumble. They include Klagefrau the wailing woman;...

Sylvia Rose
Apr 25, 20243 min read
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Heimchen - House Crickets of Folklore
Heimchen are house crickets (Acheta domesticus) in German folklore, said to bring luck or foretell disaster. Dwarfs might take the form...

Sylvia Rose
Apr 24, 20246 min read
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Great Bear - Nature, Spirituality & Lore
Bears in nature, spirituality and myth or lore have astral qualities as well as strong earth connections. An apex predator and fierce...

Sylvia Rose
Apr 23, 20248 min read
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Syrian Brown Bear - Bronze Age Wild
The Syrian brown bear (Ursus arctos syriacus) is a subspecies of Eurasian brown bear. Native to the Middle East, Caucasus Mountains and...

Sylvia Rose
Apr 22, 20246 min read
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Lake Van: Fate of a Primeval Soda Salt Lake
Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey. A saline soda lake, it's fed by numerous mountain streams. Van lacks a water outlet, making it...

Sylvia Rose
Apr 20, 20246 min read
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Great Cormorant: Wild Birds & Mythic Beasts
The great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) has a scattered range throughout the world. Largest of the cormorants, the bird is hunted...

Sylvia Rose
Apr 17, 20244 min read
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Tanning Hides - Ancient Techniques
Tanning hides is practiced in the ancient world since c. 7000 BCE, in the Indus Valley site of Mehgarh. By 2500Â BCE, Sumerians of...

Sylvia Rose
Apr 14, 20244 min read
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Stymphalian Birds & Greek Heroics
The Stymphalian birds are vicious flesh-eating birds in Greek mythology. They're believed to originate from the swamps of Stymphalia in...

Sylvia Rose
Apr 12, 20246 min read
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Elp: Bronze Age Militant Cattle Culture
The Elp culture spreads through the Netherlands, Northern Germania and just south of the Baltic coast. Bronze and Iron Age cattle people,...

Sylvia Rose
Mar 23, 20246 min read
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