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Sylvia Rose
Oct 1, 20234 min read
Bear Worship: Sacrifice of the Gods
Worship of bears and bear sacrifice is an ancient practice, going back to early humans. Twenty thousand years ago, in the boreal forests...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 1, 20236 min read
Pretty Poisons: Holly, Yew, Mistletoe
Holly, yew and mistletoe, the most cheerful and celebrated of seasonal plants, are also the most poisonous. These three toxic beauties...
63 views
Sylvia Rose
Sep 30, 20236 min read
Pagan Solstice Fests: Saturnalia
Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival, is originally held on 17 Dec. Festivities are later extended to Dec 23 to align with other...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 29, 20234 min read
Herbology & Lore: Rowan (Mountain Ash)
The Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) is easily recognized by its generous offerings of bright red berries. Also known as mountain ash, Rowan is a...
35 views
Sylvia Rose
Sep 29, 20237 min read
German Myth - Harvest Spirits 3
The solitary Erntekröte (Harvest Toad), mysterious Bockmann (Goat or Buck Man) and sadistic Roggenmuhme (Rye Aunt) are pagan harvest...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 29, 20238 min read
Animal Spirits: Woodpecker, Wasp, Wren
The Woodpecker, Wasp and Wren all bring different animal qualities into daily life. Ancient people lived in the heart of nature and knew...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 28, 20237 min read
Hags in Germanic Myth & Folklore
Hags in folklore are old women associated with magic. They can be witches, demons, queens, crones or nature spirits, kindly or hateful....
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 28, 20236 min read
Eschenfrau: Wicked Ash Tree Woman
The Ash Tree (Fraxinus) holds a special place in the magic and myth of Germany and the rest of Europe. In pagan nature lore, tree spirits...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 27, 20236 min read
German Myth & Folklore: Dwarfs
Although the identifying feature of fairy tale Dwarfs is height, these magical creatures of Faerie were not always short. Common in Norse...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 26, 20235 min read
Apples: Nature, Spirituality & Folklore
Cultivation of apples goes back to the Middle Stone Age in central Asia. The wild ancestor of today's apples still grows naturally in the...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 26, 20234 min read
German Nature Folklore - Fruit Trees
Fruit trees are integral to Germanic culture and lore. In times when most farms and rural homesteads depend on the land for nourishment,...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 25, 20235 min read
Fairy Rings, Magic and Mushrooms
Fairy rings are circles or semi-circles of wild mushrooms. They can appear overnight like magic and are part of the mystical world of...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 24, 20235 min read
Death Cap Mushrooms: Deadly Poison
Death Cap Mushrooms (Amanita phalloides) are deadly poisons of assassination and accident. Native to Europe, death caps are naturalized...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 23, 202310 min read
Agrippina & Son: Poisonous Plots of Rome
Mother of notorious Nero and sister to Caligula, Agrippina the Younger is one of the most influential women in Roman history. Born in a...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 22, 20236 min read
Castle Frankenstein - Legend & Lore
Legends of a corpse-swiping alchemist, fountain of immortality, witches, treasure and a dragon-killer are history and lore of infamous...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 20, 20238 min read
Witches' Night - Hexennacht
Among the May Day celebrations is Hexennacht or Witches' Night, from dusk April 30 to dawn May 1. On that night, they say witches gather...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 20, 20234 min read
German Vampires - Nachzehrer
German and north European vampires have little in common with the vampires of America and popular culture. The Nachzehrer is a type of...
42 views
Sylvia Rose
Sep 19, 20234 min read
Caraway Spice - Herbology & Folklore
Caraway (Carum carvi) is a cooking and medicinal herb with a pungent anise taste, known for its strong spicy fruits, called seeds. It's...
67 views
Sylvia Rose
Sep 18, 20235 min read
Rhinestones: Sparkling Treasures of the Rhine
The mighty Rhine River is famous for legends, mystic secrets and hidden treasure, including small sparkling rock crystals known as Rhine...
78 views
Sylvia Rose
Sep 16, 20234 min read
Goats in German Myth: Erntebock & Habergeiß
The Erntebock (Harvest Goat) is a treacherous spirit. Sometimes he's accompanied by his better half, the Habergeiß or she-goat. In...
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