Neman River is the primary feed into the Curonian Lagoon at the Baltic Sea. It's the main reason the sea lagoon is freshwater. The...

Laima is a Baltic goddess of fate. Often part of a goddess triad, she relates to childbirth, marriage and destiny. She's patron of...

Curonian Lagoon is a freshwater body beside the Baltic Sea at western Lithuania, separated from the sea by the narrow Curonian Spit....

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...

Snakes have mystic associations since the beginning of human thought. The European Grass Snake (Natrix natrix) is a small, harmless...

Viadrus is the name of the Roman god of the Oder (Odra) River, and of the river itself. The god gazes north toward the Baltic Sea,...

In Greek myth, the Stymphalian birds appear in tales of Heracles and in the Argonautica, the adventures of Jason and the Argonauts. The...

Astragalomancy is divination using astragali or ankle bones (talus) of animals as dice. Bones of sheep and goats are popular in the near...

Reishi or lingzhi (Ganoderma sichuanense, G. lingzhi) is a shining red fungal fruiting body in shades from orange to deep maroon. The...

The Oder (Odra) River originates in Czechia and flows through several countries before reaching the Baltic Sea. Part of the Amber Roads,...

The Sacred Cave Trapeza (Kronion) is a Neolithic and Bronze Age ritual site on the island of Crete in Greece. During the Minoan era it's...

Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is an Old World evergreen species of the cherry family. Often mistaken for edible bay laurel, Prunus...

Honey bees create honey, beeswax and folklore. First domestication of the honeybee is c. 8000 BCE, in the Neolithic Age. At this time the...

Honey mead is likened to ambrosia , nectar of the Greek Gods, with qualities of immortality and divine transcendence, beloved by bears...

Grayanotoxins are neurotoxins. They're active ingredients in mad honey, produced by bees harvesting pollen and nectar of plants carrying...

Rhododendron is a plant genus of the heather family. With bright showy flowers, this glamorous perennial is known for medicinal...

Black hellebore (Helleborus niger) or Christmas Rose is a plant of the Helleborus sub-family, used in folk medicine and lethal poisons....

Heimchen are house crickets (Acheta domesticus) in German folklore, said to bring luck or foretell disaster. Dwarfs might take the form...

Bears in nature, spirituality and myth or lore have astral qualities as well as strong earth connections. An apex predator and fierce...

The Syrian brown bear (Ursus arctos syriacus) is a subspecies of Eurasian brown bear. Native to the Middle East, Caucasus Mountains and...