Sylvia Rose
Urnfield Bronze & Iron Age Burials
Bronze Age burial ruins from the Urnfield Culture are found at Marburg Botanical Garden in Hesse and Franzhausen-Kokoron, Austria. The...
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Sylvia Rose
May 64 min read
Slavic River Spirits & Roman Gods
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,...
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Sylvia Rose
May 63 min read
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...
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Sylvia Rose
May 55 min read
Casting the Bones - Astragalomancy
Astragalomancy is divination using astragali or ankle bones (talus) of animals as dice. Bones of sheep and goats are popular in the near...
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Sylvia Rose
May 55 min read
Destiny & Death: Fate in the Ancient World
Fate and destiny are integral concepts common to all cultures. For ancient people including Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Europeans and...
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Sylvia Rose
May 42 min read
Christmas Oranges & Yule Fruits
Sweet oranges in Europe and northern regions are a special treat at Christmas, going back to St Nicolas of Myra (270 - 343) in today's...
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Sylvia Rose
May 45 min read
Opium Poppy (Papaver somnifum)
Opium poppy (Papaver somnifum) is the common source of opium and derivatives such as morphine or heroin. All poppies produce the narcotic...
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Sylvia Rose
May 34 min read
Reishi or Lingzhi - Mushroom Magic
Reishi or lingzhi (Ganoderma sichuanense, G. lingzhi) is a shining red fungal fruiting body in shades from orange to deep maroon. The...
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Sylvia Rose
May 35 min read
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,...
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Sylvia Rose
May 22 min read
Sacred Cave Trapeza (Kronion), Crete
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...
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Sylvia Rose
May 14 min read
Is Cherry Laurel Poisonous?
Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is an Old World evergreen species of the cherry family. Often mistaken for edible bay laurel, Prunus...
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Sylvia Rose
May 15 min read
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...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 298 min read
Honey Bees (Apidae): Nature & Myth
Honey bees create honey, beeswax and folklore. First domestication of the honeybee is c. 7800 BCE, in the Neolithic Age. At this time the...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 294 min read
Honey Mead: Most Ancient Ambrosia
Honey mead is likened to ambrosia, nectar of the Greek Gods, with qualities of immortality and transcendence. The world's oldest...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 283 min read
Grayanotoxins: the Madness of Honey
Grayanotoxins are neurotoxins. They're active ingredients in mad honey, produced by bees harvesting pollen and nectar of plants carrying...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 284 min read
Rhododendron & the Toxic Ambrosia
Rhododendron is a plant genus of the heather family. With bright showy flowers, this glamorous perennial is known for its medicinal...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 272 min read
Veratrum album - Tragic Toxins
Veratrum album (white hellebore, false hellebore) is a poisonous plant in the family Melanthiaceae. Used in ancient natural medicine for...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 274 min read
Black Hellebore: Toxins, Health & Lore
Black hellebore (Helleborus niger) or Christmas Rose is a plant of the Helleborus sub-family, used in folk medicine and lethal poisons....
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 264 min read
Screaming Swiss Spirit: Pfaffenkellnerin
Pfaffenkellnerin means "parson's waitress". She's the housekeeper of a parish priest before the Protestant Reformation. Screaming and...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 253 min read
Noisy Spirits of German Mythology
Noisy spirits of Germanic mythology are any who scream, moan, wail, knock or rumble. They include Klagefrau the wailing women;...
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