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Fuxi, Fu Xi or Fu Hsi (伏羲) is the first legendary Chinese emperor. A primordial deity, he and the feminine deity Nüwa create humans, music, tea, hunting, fishing, cooking, animal and crop domestication. The pair often appear with human heads and serpent bodies. Hermes Trismegistus: Alchemy & the Occult Ogdoad - Primordial Gods of Egypt Anqi Sheng & the Elixir of Immortality Sylvia Rose Books During the era of Nüwa, the predecessor of Fuxi, society forms under a matriarchal and primitive structure. The miracle of childbirth is exclusively attributed to women, with no need for male involvement. Children are solely connected to their mothers. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure With growing awareness of the reproductive process, ancient Chinese civilization transitions towards a patriarchal system. Fu Xi becomes a figure of paramount importance. Chun Yuyan & Death of Empress Xu Women Scientists of the Ancient World Women of the Wild Hunt: Holle, Diana, Frigg Sylvia Rose Books "In the beginning there was as yet no moral or social order. Men knew their mothers only, not their fathers. When hungry, they searched for food; when satisfied, they threw away the remnants. They devoured their food hide and hair, drank the blood, and clad themselves in skins and rushes. Then came Fu Xi and looked upward and contemplated the images in the heavens, and looked downward and contemplated the occurrences on earth. He united man and wife, regulated the five stages of change, and laid down the laws of humanity. He devised the eight trigrams, in order to gain mastery over the world." (Ban Gu, Baihu tongyi). Magic of the Circle: Spirituality & Lore Magic: Heka & the Ka in Ancient Egypt Quest for Immortality - Qin Shi Huang Sylvia Rose Books Fuxi is also credited with inventing the Cangjie writing system c. 2900 BCE; however, more than one person is attributed as creator, including Cangjie himself. A mythical entity, Cangjie is an official historian of the Yellow Emperor Huangdi. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series According to legend Cangjie has four eyes. When he invents the characters, the deities and ghosts cry and the sky rains millet. Monuments and temples are erected in Cangjie's honor on the bank of the river where he sat and created the characters. Women of Alchemy - Mary the Jewess Moon Magic - the Feminine Principle Alchemist Dippel: the Frankenstein Files Sylvia Rose Books Fuxi is a Taoist deity, and with Nüwa and Shennong, a member of the Three Sovereigns at the start of the Chinese dynastic period. He may be shown as human with snake attributes, "a leaf-wreathed head growing out of a mountain", "or as a man clothed with animal skins." He's also known as Bao Xi (包牺) and Mi Xi (宓羲). The Three Sovereigns (三皇) or Three August Ones, god-rulers or demigods, use their magic to improve the lives of their people. The reign of each deity lasts many years. These are times of peace and prosperity. Ancient Grains: Wheat, Barley, Millet, Rice Jade - Jadeite, Nephrite & Jade Roads Jet Black - Ancient World Gemstones Sylvia Rose Books According to the I Ching: "In the old times of King Fuxi’s regime, he observes sky and the stars when he looks upwards, and researches the earth when he looks downwards, and watches the birds and beasts to see how they live in their environment. He takes examples from nearby and far away, then makes 8 Yin Yang signs to simulate the rules of universe. After Fuxi dies, Shennong rises. He makes the Plow and teaches people how to raise crops and fish. He invents money and market for the exchange of goods." Baltic Amber - Gold of the North Seduction of Hedammu, Father of Snakes Electrum: Metal of Money & Myth Sylvia Rose Books In Chinese mythology, Pangu is the major creation god. A giant, he sleeps within an egg of chaos. When he wakes he stands and divides sky and earth. Then he dies, and his body turns into rivers, mountains, plants, animals, and all else in the world. Among these creations is the powerful being Huaxu. Huaxu gives birth to a twins Fuxi and Nüwa. Upon their emergence into the world, Fuxi and Nüwa have human heads and bodies of snakes. Žaltys: Sacred Snake & Serpent Queen Asclepius: Greek Medicine Snake God Ancient Egypt Remedies: Ebers Papyrus Sylvia Rose Books Origin myths can vary. Known as the "original god" Fuxi may be born in the lower-middle reaches of the Yellow River in a place called Chengji. His mother is a leader during the matriarchal society as the Chinese people develop language skills. In this case Fuxi and Nüwa are leaders in the early patriarchal society (c. 2600 BCE). This society develops with the creation of the marriage rituals. They're also the gods of silk. Mulberry Tree (Morus): Uses, Folklore & Myth Elixir of Life: Alchemy & the Emperor Wolfsbane (Aconitum) Ancient Poisons Sylvia Rose Books According to legend, the goddess of the Luo River, Mifei, is the daughter of Fuxi. In some versions she is Fuxi's consort. She drowns in the Luo River while crossing it and becomes the spirit of the river. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series Fuxi is unequivocally recognized as the pioneer of the divination methods that have been passed down through generations preceding the I Ching. In other accounts, he's attributed with the invention of certain sections of the I Ching. Casting the Bones - Astragalomancy Ornithomancy - Prophecy by the Birds Ruby, Rubies: Passion, Blood and Fire Sylvia Rose Books His gift of divination arises from a profound understanding of the He Map (also called Yellow River Map). According to legend, Fuxi deciphers the trigrams of the I Ching from markings on the back of a dragon horse or turtle emerging from the the Luo River. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries This precedes the compilation of the I Ching during the Zhou dynasty and is said to be the origin of calligraphy. Fuxi is also credited with the invention of the Guqin or Chinese zither musical instrument, though credit for this is also given to Shennong and Yellow Emperor. Sistrum (Sistra) Music: Ancient Egypt Sacred Music of Ancient Mesopotamia Thrace - Warfare, Slavery & Music Sylvia Rose Books Use of the Guqin or Chinese zither goes back about 3,000 years. A plucked seven-string musical instrument, it's favored by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement, associated with the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius. Silver - Queen of Precious Metals Horse in Dreams - Meaning of Horses Corycian Caves, Bee Nymphs & Greek Gods Back to Top

Wolpertinger (Wolperdinger, Woiperdinger) lives in the dark alpine forests and rolling hills of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. An elusive creature, it's a hybrid of several animals. Wolpertinger likes to scare people or make them lose their way. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure German Myth - Werewolves Noisy Spirits of German Mythology The Wild Hunt - a Lora Ley Adventure Sylvia Rose Books Wolpertinger has the head of a hare with fangs; body of a squirrel, antlers of a deer, wings and sometimes legs of a pheasant. Taxidermic or skeletal representatives of Wolpertinger are conversation pieces and novelties at beer halls and museums. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series Wolpertinger is a south German tradition but has equivalents in other locales. Gift shops carry stuffed toy versions and Wolpertinger souvenirs. Wolpertinger art made from an Albrecht Dürer painting, Young Hare, above, is a classic in prints and posters. Winter Tales - 4 Novellas Song of the Loreley Great Women Artists - Käthe Kollwitz Sylvia Rose Books Wolpertinger relates to other hybrid mythological creatures such as Rasselbock - Thuringian Forest in central Germany, a rabbit with antlers Dilldapp - Alemannic region: southern Germany, Switzerland, Tyrol, Lichtenstein, Swabia Elwedritsche - Palatinate region, a chicken-like creature with antlers Skvader - Swedish cousin of Wolpertinger. Raurakl - Austrian Wolpertinger Jackalope - America esp Colorado, Wyoming & Nebraska, a jackrabbit with antlers Al-Mi'raj - one-horned hare or unicorn rabbit in Arabian mythology. The sight of it causes enemies to flee in terror. Irrwurz or Mad Root: German Folklore Sun Goddesses of World Mythology Al-Mi'raj: Unicorn Hare of Arab Myth Sylvia Rose Books Wolpertinger and its relatives are among the more mild-mannered spirits of the German pantheon. The Hare is a canny trickster element. The Stag is a creature of Faerie. Those who try to follow Wolpertinger's trail get lost as if they've stepped on an Irrwurz. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries This prankster spirit can also fly up from the bushes like a pheasant, scaring passersby. It's quickly gone before they get a look at it. The sound of thumping, mumbling, snorting or a whistle could be signs of a Wolpertinger nearby. Butzemann, Witches & Nyx - Scare 'em Good Nature Spirits of German Mythology Mušḫuššu - Snake Dragon Animal of Marduk Sylvia Rose Books Wolpertinger and relations such as Elwedritsche are also the imaginary targets of hunts. Much like the famous snipe hunt in 19th century America, a person is deceived into waiting for the "prey" to show up while his friends sneak back to the hunting lodge and have a beer. Elderberry Tree: Germanic Nature Lore Sun Goddess: Creator to Cannibal Myths Australia Asclepius: Greek Medicine Snake God Back to Top

Magic, mystery and sinister plots unfold as the Victorian era infuses European politics and society. Queen Victoria is a German princess with the eyes of Europe upon her. She knows her enemies, adores her husband and starts such trends as little red Pomeranians. Jump to: Reiker For Hire Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Victorian Era: the German Empire Speyer, Lorelei & Murder on the Rhine The Anxious Victorian - Mental Health Victorian Trends - Stripes to Taxidermy Sylvia Rose Books In Germany, the Victorian era heralds massive change, evolution and progress. Steam is queen and innovation empowers lives. This inspiring background is the setting for the Reiker For Hire murder mystery trilogy and the Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction series. Reiker For Hire Anthology Back to Top Three awesome books all in one place! Death Cruise, Hotel of Horror and Murder in the Cards are together in anthology form. Hermes Trismegistus: Alchemy & the Occult Nature Spirits of German Mythology Fortune Telling - The Mystic Victorian Sylvia Rose Books A little secret: wait for a Smashwords sale when my books are free! And of course they're always free to libraries from the Smashwords site. Each Reiker novella is about 42,500 words. Murder, crime, history, quirky characters and offbeat humor combine to create a dynamic trilogy set during June, July and August of 1896. The Reiker anthology is based in Mittelstadt, a mid-sized German town south of Frankfurt. German Folklore - Irrwurz or Mad Root Germany: A Little 19th Century History Edelweiss: Alpine Flower of True Love Sylvia Rose Books The Reiker For Hire books take place in late Victorian era Germany then known as the German Empire. Reiker finds himself at a dead end after thirty years with the police and decides to strike out on his own as Mittelstadt's first and only private detective. It's not long before he's embroiled in murder and mayhem. Mittelstadt is a middle class town of white collar industry and farmlands. Uptown is colorful, trendy and expensive. Scents of flowers and pastries fill the air and sweeping boys make sure the streets are spotless. Spa Life & Murder in 1890s Germany German Traditions - the Linden Tree Moon Magic - the Feminine Principle Sylvia Rose Books Downtown, where Reiker has his office, cobblestones are shiny with wear and the market square is bright and loud with buyers and sellers. The scent of fresh hot pretzels fills the air. Coffee houses prosper. Horse harness jingles as carts make their way through busy streets. And toward the fringes are the dubious places, the tawdry theater districts, underground connections and the seedy sewers of humanity. The places of addicts, murderers and thieves function unseen below a sheen of normalcy. Lora Ley - Book Two - Nibelung Nanshe - Nature Goddess of Dreams Song of the Loreley - Lethal Beauty Sylvia Rose Books First in the trilogy, Death Cruise takes us on a luxury riverboat cruise through the Middle Rhine, where the food is free and tourists mysteriously drop dead. Murder is obsession for a vengeful killer. In 1896 sightseeing river boat vacations are popular with the social set. Visit Heidelberg, Speyer and other spectacular stops - but don't book the wrong cabin. Herbology & Lore: Poison Hemlock Heidelberg - Dueling Scars, Jail & Beer Drude: Germanic Demon of Darkness Hotel of Horror is inspired by a true story. In a time when spa hotels are booming, Reiker finds himself in a deathtrap in the Black Forest with an unwanted female detective. Finally, Murder in the Cards has Reiker and April involved in swindles, schemes and setups. A fortune teller predicts murders come true and hires Reiker to stop them before they happen. Get the Anthology Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction series Back to Top Sylvia Rose Books Reiker first appears in the Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction series of novels, as the only human in Mittelstadt who knows about the Nyx. Water spirits, nixies reside in freshwater demesnes such as lakes, brooks, fountains, pools and the Mittelstadt River, which flows around town. See also: Nature Spirits of German Mythology German Myth & Folklore: Moss People German Myth & Folklore: Elves Sylvia Rose Books An orphan, Lora attends a state-run girls' school. At fifteen years old she has a close kinship with water and a rebellious streak. One day, swimming in the river she gets a nasty surprise and almost drowns, rescued by a stranger named Marcus. When she goes out to meet her boyfriend Wolf after curfew, she's caught and threatened with reform school. She's saved only as Marcus offers her a position as a maid. See also: German Myth: Lindwyrm, Mare & Pig Demons Wiedergänger - the Undead Walk Again Germanic Mythology - Brook Horses Sylvia Rose Books Years go by. Now she's a grown woman of twenty-one. She and Marcus are engaged to be married and Lora is happy to settle into domestic life. Yet it's just not right. As strange things happen with the environment, a slew of deaths brings in a police officer with a bad attitude. A cryptic visit from the past starts to haunt her. Lora must come to terms with her true nature and save the world from an ancient evil. See also: Lora Ley - Book One - Secrets of the Nyx Pentagram: Drudenfuß, Five Point Star German Vampires - Nachzehrer Sylvia Rose Books Inspired by the magic and lore of southern Germanic mythology, Lora Ley takes us on exciting journeys into magic and mystic realms of gods, nature spirits and monsters. Meet Skoldt the vegan Norwegian Brook Horse, legendary Frau Holle, the Moss Mother, people of the Faerie, tree spirits, shape-shifters, changelings, White Ladies and even a dragon chicken. See also: Night Raven (Nachtkrapp) Germania German Myth - White Ladies & Changelings Women of the Wild Hunt: Holle, Diana, Frigg Sylvia Rose Books Six fantasy fiction novels bring to life the world of the Nyx, resurrection of heroes, lairs of demons and Undead, fairy tales and Corn Spirits. With fast-paced action, battle, humor, murder, offbeat characters, powerful forces unfold in both mystic and mortal worlds. Through it all, Lora grows from a rebellious schoolgirl to a true warrior woman. See also: Witches' Night - Hexennacht Schrat: German Nightmare Forest Elf German Folklore - Irrwurz or Mad Root Sylvia Rose Books Victorian Era - the German Empire Back to Top The action takes place in the Victorian era Germany (the German Empire) in the 1890s. Progress is on a fast track and inventions like the steam engine, the bicycle and telephone all have an impact. Information, wares, ideas and people travel at unprecedented speeds. Night Raven (Nachtkrapp) Germania Fire Men & Lights Errant: German Lore German Myth & Folklore: Elves Sylvia Rose Books Unified in 1871, the German Empire is only twenty-five years old. Previously it's a rough conglomerate of kingdoms, provinces, free cities and states. Now it has a national identity and progressive ideas to bring to the contemporary table. By the end of the nineteenth century the German Empire emerges among leading world powers along with Great Britain, Russian Empire, Republic of France, Austria-Hungarian Empire, Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). Periwinkle: Magic & Medicine of Europe Der Türst: Dread Huntsman & the Wild Hunt Hags in German Myth & Folklore Sylvia Rose Books Developments in the 1800s include rising women's rights, environmental awareness and workers' rights. Accident insurance and pensions, put in place by Bismarck, have made Imperial Germany the first welfare state (government providing for welfare of citizens). Mental health research opens diverse new fields of study, psychiatry and psychology. Romantic movements in art and literature heighten interest in ecology, personal fitness, natural health. The occult becomes drawing room entertainment. Ornithomancy - Prophecy by the Birds Easter Bunny, Prussian Blue & Penguins Victorian Health: Sea Water Hydrotherapy Sylvia Rose Books Upon this fertile backdrop the Lora Ley adventures and Reiker For Hire novellas unfold. Join Reiker on a luxury boat cruise of murder, and explore a derelict resort hotel spa with a heinous secret. Examine the elusive connections between an elite garden party of the wealthy and a magic show on the seedy side of town. And how does a magician's assistant end up center stage for murder? See also: Elderberry Tree: Germanic Nature Lore Brunhilde: Tragic Germanic Warrior Queen Cleopatra the Alchemist of Greece Sylvia Rose Books Back to Top Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Cult of the Fire God

Cyrene or Greek: Kyrene is a huntress heroine of Greek mythology. In legend, Apollo founds and names the Greek colony Cyrene in North Africa in her honor. A Thessalian princess, she becomes a powerful queen, companion of Artemis and consort of Apollo. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Asclepius: Greek Medicine Snake God Corycian Caves, Bee Nymphs & Greek Gods Mythology: Gods of Mycenean Greece Sylvia Rose Books The original founders of the city are settlers from Thera or Santorini. Most of the island sinks into sea during a cataclysmic volcanic eruption in c. 1600 BCE. These settlers are later, from c. 700 BCE. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Cyrene today is the ruin of an ancient Greek colony and Roman city. The site is near Shahhat in NE Libya, North Africa, looking out over the Mediterranean Sea. The city stands as part of the Pentapolis, a group of five interactive cities called Cyrenaica in classical times. Rise of Pan: Fertility Goat God Péh₂usōn Arcadia - Greek Lands of Ancient Gods Stymphalian Birds & Greek Heroics Sylvia Rose Books With Apollo she has 2-3 children. They are Aristaeus, Idmon and possibly Autuchus. Aristaeus is a god of animal husbandry, bee-keeping and cheese making. He's also a patron of rustic artisans and practical crafts. The wise centaur Chiron is his teacher. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Idmon is a famed seer, inheriting Apollo's gifts of prophecy and divination. Apollo is his teacher. With other heroes he sails on the divine ship Argo. The 50 Argonauts also include Herakles, medicine god Asclepius, warriors Castor and Pollux, and ship builder Argos. Bosporus: Black Sea Nature & Greek Myth Great Cormorant: Wild Birds & Mythic Beasts Amazons - Warrior Women History & Myth Sylvia Rose Books Cyrene is known for her stamina and strength as a huntress. Fifth century CE epic poet Nonnus of Panopolis calls her a "deer-chasing second Artemis, the girl lionkiller" and "a champion in the leafy forest with lionslaying hands". READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series In Thesmophoriazusae by Aristophanes, Mnesilochus beholds the poet Agathon dressed and accessorized with both male and female attributes. Mnesilochus says he "can't see a man there at all - only Cyrene". Women of the Wild Hunt: Holle, Diana, Frigg Screaming Swiss Spirit: Pfaffenkellnerin Agrippina & Son: Poisonous Plots of Rome Sylvia Rose Books The goddess Artemis gives Cyrene two hunting dogs. With help of the dogs, Cyrene wins the prize in the funeral games of Pelias, the uncle of Jason. It's Pelias who sends Jason and the Argonauts on the quest for the Golden Fleece at Colchis on the Black Sea. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series According to Theban epic poet Pindar, in his Pythian Ode (c. 470 BCE): " ... And by Hypseus was reared this maid, Cyrene of the lovely arms. But she loved not the pacing tread this way and that beside the loom, nor the delights of merry feasts with her companions in the household. But the bronze-tipped javelin and the sword called her to combat and slay the wild animals of the field; and in truth many a day she gave of peaceful quiet to her father's livestock." Ugallu - Lion Headed Storm Demon Serket - Scorpion Goddess of Egypt Striped Hyena - Bronze Age Wild Sylvia Rose Books "... When a lion attacked her father's sheep, Cyrene wrestled with the lion and Cyrene killed that lion. Apollo, who was present, admired her bravery and skills. He fell in love with her, but wondered if it would be correct to make her his bride. But after consulting and getting an approval by Chiron, he carried her away to North Africa in his golden car. After Apollo made her the queen of the fertile and rich land, Aphrodite welcomed them both." Minoans of Crete: Ancient Greek Culture Ambrosia: Divine Nectar & Immortal Gods Ruby, Rubies: Passion, Blood and Fire Sylvia Rose Books " ... And Aphrodite of the silver feet welcomed this guest from Delos, laying the touch of her light hand upon his god-built car, and over the sweet bliss of their bridal she spread love's shy and winsome modesty, plighting in joint wedlock the god and maiden daughter of wide-ruling Hypseus ...That very day saw the decision, and in a chamber of rich gold in Libya they lay together. There she is guardian of a city rich in beauty." Electrum: Metal of Money & Myth Gold - Precious Metal of the Sun Bizilla - Shining Love Goddess Sukkal Sylvia Rose Books After Cyrene bears their sons, Apollo transforms her into a nymph. She can then keep hunting as much as she pleases and will never age. He often helps her by lifting her hunting nets. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Her son Aristaeus sets the wheels of a disastrous myth in motion. He pursues Eurydice, the wife of Orpheus. While fleeing, she steps on a snake. It bites her, and she dies. Eurydice is an Auloniad or nymph of mountain meadows. Due to her death, the bees of Aristaeus perish. Thrace - Tribal Mythology & Lore Casting the Bones - Astragalomancy German Myth - Headless Horseman Sylvia Rose Books Upset, he goes to his mother. Cyrene consoles him and tells him to find Proteus, a shape-shifting sea god who gives his wisdom only to one who can capture and hold him. Aristaeus finds Proteus and clutches onto him, as the god becomes monsters and venomous snakes. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Eventually Proteus gives up. He tells Aristaeus to make amends for the death of Eurydice. He is to sacrifice twelve animals to the gods, leave the carcasses at the sacrificial site and come back in three days. Honey Bees (Apidae): Nature & Myth Telipinu - God of Farming & Crops Honey Mead: Most Ancient Ambrosia Sylvia Rose Books After following instructions he returns to find a swarm of bees in one of the carcasses. He takes the bees to his apiary, and they are never again troubled by disease. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series Meanwhile, Orpheus sets out to free his beloved Eurydice. With his enchanting music he puts three-headed dog Cerberus, guardian of the gates, into a deep sleep. Orpheus reaches an agreement with Underworld god Hades (Tartarus). Chinese Alchemical Elixir Poisoning Hermes Trismegistus: Alchemy & the Occult Ereshkigal & the Mesopotamian Underworld Sylvia Rose Books Eurydice will follow him out as he plays his music, but he's forbidden to look back. Not hearing her however, and fearing trickery, he looks over his shoulder, and she vanishes forever with a cry. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Unable to bear his life any longer, Orpheus runs into the forest. He plays a mourning song on his lyre and says he will never love another woman, only men. He's torn to pieces by a band of wild Maenads, followers of Dionysus. Thrace: Warfare, Slavery & Music Erinyes - Vengeful Women of Ancient Greece Nanaya - Goddess of Erotic Love Sylvia Rose Books And so it goes. The Cyrene city and region remain until medieval times. Ruins of the golden age are in the area of today's Shahhat, northern Libya. Moon Magic - the Feminine Principle Orpiment - Painter's Golden Poison Elderberry Tree: Germanic Nature Lore Back to Top

During the late Bronze Age 2000 - 1200 BCE and after, the Amber Roads form passage for trade, merchants, craftspeople, criminals, soldiers, refugees, travelers, the common and elite. Amber has already been in circulation since the middle Neolithic. The versatile route led from the shores of the stormy Baltic Sea in the north to seafaring Greeks to the south, the lands of the Pharaohs, and later the dazzling jewel of Venice in Italia. As time went on, one could follow a main route or one of the many side roads, rivers or coastal waterways. At first, the going was rough. See also: Baltic Amber in Folklore and Myth Baltic Amber - Gold of the North Hyssop (Hyssopus) - Plant of Mystic Lore The Amber Road began before it was named. After the depletion of amber from Sicily in the Bronze Age, the continued arrival of Baltic amber on the hungry market was delirious. Golden, fossilized resin, amber may have inclusions or insects but even if not, still contains life within, as it carries the essence of the tree. Today's Zazzle Specials Smashwords Books for Authors & Readers Also called succinite, Baltic amber in quantity originally formed in a vast forest covering Sambian Peninsula, north east of the current town of Gdansk, Poland. Although amber was previously known for centuries, it was the Roman Pliny the Elder who solved its origin. In the first century CE he concluded amber was tree sap because of its smoky properties and coniferous scent when burned. See also: Ancient Greek Cultures: People of Minos Primeval Deities: Goddess of the Dawn Wild Women and Winter Tales Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle Dubbed Gold of the North, Baltic amber was harvested during the Bronze age by simple net fishing from the rocks, or by gathering nuggets where they washed ashore with the action of the briny sea. It was highly prized for ornaments for it seemed to glow with the light of the Sun. Royal quantities of amber were found in the tombs of Egyptian Kings from the late 2nd century BCE. The Amber Road began, conceptually, on the Baltic coast c 1600 BCE. Today it runs from St. Petersburg in Russia down to Venice, Italy. During the Bronze Age, amber merchants left the North Sea and Baltic Sea from various trails and inland river systems. See also: Zircon - the Primordial Gemstone Ziu - Ancient Sky God of Germania Bronze Age Culture - Rise of Heavy Metals There were no organized communities yet apart from fishing villages and clan habitations. Near the North Sea coast lived the Elp, Hilversun and Kummerkeramik cultures, with the Collared Urn culture extending into southern Britain. On the Baltic coast the Lusatian Culture resided, pondering the origin of these translucent golden gems polished by the sea. It was a hard land to settle. Shores were unstable and weather fierce. Despite developing trade routes, helped by the arrival of the horse in Europe c. 2000, and the technology of the Bronze Age, the Baltic Coast remained a rough, windswept place. See also: Phosphorus: Element of Fatal Fascination Spiritual Alchemy - Attuning the Self Reiker For Hire, Victorian Era & Nixies Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle Beset by destructive winter storms, the Baltic regions were inhabited by people pushed north by inland migrations. The people lived by fishing and some summer agriculture. While Italy languished in a balmy Mediterranean basket of fruitful summer, the Northern people laughed in the teeth of the blizzard and went out about their business. It was said the ferocious storms threw forth golden nuggets of amber, gifts from the Earth and Sea. The stones seemed to carry the light of the sun inside, significant for the settlers of a land where the sun rose only a short time in winter. See also: Earth Mother - Goddess of Life Nature Spirits of German Mythology Weapons & Warfare of Bronze Age Europe 1 Before the establishment of the Amber Road, this fascinating gemstone was already making trails to the South. The Amber Road would develop from the early trade, and continue for centuries. When the Silk Road began in c. 130 BCE, the Amber Road hooked up with it at the Black Sea. Today's Zazzle Specials Smashwords Books for Authors & Readers The early amber trade was small scale, but as demand grew production ramped up. The Norse Bronze Age facilitated the trade of amber as ships were built better and lasted longer. Overland and river routes were well traveled and kept reasonably safe by contingents of people who used it, including the Greeks at one end and the tribes of the Nordic Bronze Age at the other. See also: Silver - Queen of Precious Metals Sacrificial Creation Myths: Early People Visigoths, King Alaric & the Ruin of Rome Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle Much of the early Baltic amber made its way south to the Egyptian and Arabian countries and has been found in the tombs of Pharaohs. It would later grace the ring fingers of powerful Roman emperors. In the Bronze Age, Rome wasn't even a gleam in the eye of prehistory yet. That power would begin its meteoric rise in the 8th century BCE. See also: Agrippina & Son: Poisonous Plots of Rome What is the Philosopher's Stone? Elderberry Tree: Germanic Nature Lore Back to Top

The Aesti (Aestii, Astui, Aests) appear at a time when European cultures mingle, and trade routes connect north to south. Neither Germans nor Balts, the Aesti breed livestock, hunt in the deep forests and collect amber from Baltic shores. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Klabautermann - Germanic Sea Kobold Old Prussians of the Baltic Coast Laima - Baltic Fate Goddess Sylvia Rose Books The Old Prussian name Aistmarės or "sea of the Aesti" refers to Vistula Lagoon off the Bay of Gdansk. Aesti people are first described by Roman historian Tacitus in his Germania (c. 98 AD). According to Tacitus, the territory of Aesti is east of the Suiones, or Swedes. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Tacitus asserts the Aesti live "upon the right of the Suevian [Baltic] Sea" and have the same customs and dress as the Germanic Suevi. They worship a mother of the gods, similar to Nerthus, the German Earth Mother. Slaves are often sacrificed to Nerthus. Women of the Wild Hunt: Holle, Diana, Frigg Amazons - Warrior Women History & Myth Curonian Freshwater Baltic Sea Lagoon Sylvia Rose Books According to Julius Caesar (1st century BCE) the Suevi or Suebi spend time on animal husbandry and hunting. They wear animal skins, bathe in rivers, drink milk and eat meat. They prohibit wine and allow trade only for their war booty. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventures The Suebi have no exportable goods. Private land ownership is forbidden. The people can reside in one place no longer than a year. They comprise 100 cantons, each of which provides and supports 1000 armed warriors. Brunhilde: Tragic Germanic Warrior Queen Nixies - Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Periwinkle: Magic & Medicine of Europe Sylvia Rose Books Thought to be of Baltic origin, the Aesti also have extensive relations with regional Germanic Goths. According to Tacitus the Aesti are "the only people who collect amber - glaesum is their own word for it - in the shallows or even on the beach". Baltic Amber - Gold of the North European Grass Snake: Nature & Lore Seduction of Hedammu, Father of Snakes Sylvia Rose Books Glaesum, suggested to be a Latinized word for amber (sucinum), is the only known surviving example of the Aestian language. With traditions, beliefs and lifestyle passed down from generation to generation through speech, direct written records don't exist. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventures The word may come to the Germanic from Gothic glas (glass - modern German Glas, pl. Gläser or Glaeser). Although this resembles glaesum, the name for amber, Tacitus describes the Aestii language as closer to languages of Britain. Chamomile - Herbology & Folklore Bronze Age Europe - the Amber Roads Vistula Lagoon Baltic Nature & History Sylvia Rose Books The Old Prussian and modern Lithuanian names for the Vistula Lagoon, Aīstinmari and Aistmarės, respectively, derive from Aesti and mari (lagoon). This suggests the lands around the lagoon are populated or frequented by the Aesti. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Tacitus is the first Roman to mention the Aestii and provides the most insight. He doesn't travel to Germania himself and has to rely on second-hand sources and captives. Baltic Ancient Mythology & Folklore Black Hellebore: Toxins, Health & Lore Baltic Amber in Folklore and Myth Sylvia Rose Books The text below is the most detailed ancient account of the Aesti currently known. "Upon the right of the Suevian Sea the Aestian nations reside, who use the same customs and attire with the Suevians; their language more resembles that of Britain. They worship the Mother of the Gods. As the characteristic of their national superstition, they wear the images of wild boars. This alone serves them for arms, this is the safeguard of all, and by this every worshipper of the Goddess is secured even amidst his foes. Lindwyrm, Mare & Pig Demons: German Myth Perkūnas: Baltic Storm & Fertility God Rise of Pan: Fertility Goat God Péh₂usōn Sylvia Rose Books Rare amongst them is use of weapons of iron, but frequent that of clubs. In producing of grain and the other fruits of the earth, they labor with more assiduity and patience than is suitable to the usual laziness of Germans. Nay, they even search the deep, and of all the rest are the only people who gather amber. They call it glesum, and find it amongst the shallows and upon the very shore. Amber Trade - Bronze Age on the Baltic Baba Yaga - Slavic Forest Nature Witch Ox Hide Ingots - Bronze Age Trade Sylvia Rose Books But, according to the ordinary incuriosity and ignorance of Barbarians, they have neither learnt, nor do they inquire, what is its nature, or from what cause it is produced. In truth it lay long neglected amongst the other gross discharges of the sea; till from our luxury, it gained a name and value. To themselves it is of no use: they gather it rough, they expose it in pieces coarse and unpolished, and for it receive a price with wonder. (Germania, chapter XLV). Copper: Ruddy Metal of Myth & Magic Uluburun - Bronze Age Shipwreck Saffron - Most Precious Ancient Spice Sylvia Rose Books At one time archaeologists presume the trade of amber to date back to the Nordic Bronze Age. In fact it's much earlier, with Baltic amber found on the Iberian Peninsula dating to the 4th millennium BCE. A major Baltic center is the Sambia. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventures Although Tacitus specifies the Suebian group is not itself an old tribal group, Pliny the Elder links them with the Irminones, a group of Germanic peoples who claim relation by ancestry. Tacitus mentions Suebian languages, and a geographical "Suevia". Rhinestones: Treasures of the Rhine German Myth: Father Rhine River God Neolithic Europe - Danube Valley Culture Sylvia Rose Books The Suebians or Suevi become today's Swaben who live in the German southwest. The Suebi, with the Alemanni, occupy the upper Rhine and upper Danube region in the 3rd century CE. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure They spread south to Lake Constance, and east to the Lech River. Known first as Alemannia, the region is called Swabia from the 11th century. Ugarit Royal Palace: Romancing the Ruins Cyprus: Prehistoric Humans & Pygmy Hippos Stone Age Botai - First Horse People Sylvia Rose Books In chapter 9 of Germania, Tacitus says that the Suebi principally venerate a god corresponding to Mercury (Hermes). They offer him human and non-human sacrifices on specific dates. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Mercury is a god of merchants, travelers, luck, thieves and tricksters. He's also patron of divination, a popular Greco-Roman activity. He has chthonic associations as a psychopomp, leading the deceased to the Underworld, and a messenger of the Gods. Casting the Bones - Astragalomancy Ornithomancy - Prophecy by the Birds Fortune Telling - The Mystic Victorian Sylvia Rose Books The Suebi also worship Mars and Hercules equivalents, whom they appease by offering animals in ritual sacrifice. Tacitus adds some of the Suebi venerate a cognate of Isis, although he admits that he doesn't know how Isis worship is imported. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Isis is associated with snakes in Alexandria, where she's a tutelary goddess of the city. In the Greco-Roman period, Isis as a cobra, with her Graeco-Egyptian snake consort Serapis, are protectors of the city. Ka - Life Essence in Ancient Egypt Apep - Primal Chaos God of Egypt 12 Days of Zagmuk: Chaos & the King Sylvia Rose Books As serpent deities, Isis and Serapis are Agathe Tyche (Good Fortune) and Agathos Daimon (Good Spirit). They are considered guardians of Alexandria. Isis is connected to the cobra, having made the first uraeus or cobra crown. She's also an Eye of Ra goddess. Another Egyptian divinity connected to snakes is Wadjet, represented as a cobra with wings. A powerful goddess, she's one of the earliest Egyptian deities and the symbol of Lower Egypt. Wadjet is also called 'the green one', referencing the Nile. Wadjet - Winged Snake Goddess of Egypt Eye of Ra Egypt - Wrath of the Woman Hathor: Cosmic Cow Goddess of Ancient Egypt Sylvia Rose Books In the Baltic, the nature reverence of early Old Prussians, Lithuanians and Latvians include a strong association with the non-venomous European grass snake (Natrix natrix), also called the green snake. A distant relative is the extinct European cobra (Naja romani). The small snake can present cobra behavior such as rising up. It has a leftover part of the cobra genetic, a flexible skin behind the head which might seem to flare or ability to flatten its head into a type of hood. Other grass snake species can also show these features. Žaltys: Sacred Snake & Serpent Queen European Grass Snake: Nature & Lore Oder River: Nature & Early People Sylvia Rose Books The snake is called Žaltys, sacred to the Sun. It's strongly integrated into Baltic culture and lore. Egyptians are also big traders by 3100 BCE. So, word gets around. Whether an association exists between Wadjet or Isis and žaltys is of course speculation. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Cassiodorus' Variae, published in 537 CE, contains a letter by Cassiodorus in the name of Theodoric the Great, addressed to the Aesti. In it, he refers to them as a separate, independent group from the Gothic tribes. Urnfield Bronze & Iron Age Burials Neolithic Skull Cults & Ritual Skulls Oldest Cattle Cult 6000 BCE - Arabia Sylvia Rose Books He tells them he knows where their amber comes from and "We have thought it better to point this out to you, lest you should imagine that your supposed secrets have escaped our knowledge. We sent you some presents by our ambassadors, and shall be glad to receive further visits from you by the road which you have thus opened up, and to show you future favors." Broad Beans (Fava) - Bronze Age Crops Cult of the Bull - Prehistoric Aurochs Humbaba: Giant Mountain Forest Man Sylvia Rose Books The style of the letter proves the nation is independent at the time, not ruled by the Ostrogoths. The letter also indicates that the Aesti are confident of the value of amber and had made out of it a trade secret. Elixir of Life: Alchemy & the Emperor Sailing - Bronze Age Sails & Sailcloth Wild Women and Winter Tales Back to Top

The Aetsi are a north Germanic-Baltic group described by Roman Tacitus in 98 CE. With strong connections to the trade of coveted amber, Aetsi are mysterious people. Their clothing and culture resemble those of the Suebi. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Aetsi: Boars, Snakes & Baltic Amber Baltic Amber - Gold of the North Vistula Lagoon Baltic Nature & History Sylvia Rose Books The classical Romans gain an interest in amber. They have access to the North Sea, west of the Baltic. Pliny the Elder writes about the North Sea amber in his Natural History (77 - 79 CE): "Pytheas says that the Gutones, a people of Germany, inhabit the shores of an estuary of the Ocean called Mentonomon ... one day's sail from this territory is the Isle of Abalus [Baltia], upon the shores of which, amber is thrown up by the waves in spring, it being an excretion of the sea in a concrete form; as, also, that the inhabitants use this amber by way of fuel, and sell it to their neighbors, the Teutones." READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Twenty years later, the account by Tacitus is the most detailed ancient description of the Aesti currently known, and their connection to the divine resin. While the Romans access the North Sea, they never reach the Baltic. Baltic Amber in Folklore and Myth Neman River - Nature, History, Lore Bronze Age Europe - the Amber Roads Sylvia Rose Books The Germanic Suevians (Suebi) mentioned in the text eventually settle in the southwest of Germany, today's Swabia. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure "Upon the right of the Suevian [Baltic] Sea the Aestian nations reside, who use the same customs and attire with the Suevians; their language more resembles that of Britain. They worship the Mother of the Gods. As the characteristic of their national superstition, they wear the images of wild boars. This alone serves them for arms, this is the safeguard of all, and by this every worshipper of the Goddess is secured even amidst his foes. Women of the Wild Hunt: Holle, Diana, Frigg Curonian Freshwater Baltic Sea Lagoon Laima - Baltic Fate Goddess Sylvia Rose Books Rare amongst them is use of weapons of iron, but frequent that of clubs. In producing of grain and the other fruits of the earth, they labor with more assiduity and patience than is suitable to the usual laziness of Germans. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series Nay, they even search the deep, and of all the rest are the only people who gather amber. They call it glaesum, and find it amongst the shallows and upon the very shore. Amazons - Warrior Women History & Myth Baltic Ancient Mythology & Folklore Slavic River Spirits & Roman Gods Sylvia Rose Books But, according to the ordinary incuriosity and ignorance of Barbarians, they have neither learnt, nor do they inquire, what is its nature, or from what cause it is produced. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure In truth it lay long neglected amongst the other gross discharges of the sea; till from our luxury, it gained a name and value. To themselves it is of no use: they gather it rough, they expose it in pieces coarse and unpolished, and for it receive a price with wonder. (Germania, 98 CE, chapter XLV) Brunhilde: Tragic Germanic Warrior Queen Amber Trade - Bronze Age on the Baltic Song of the Loreley - Lethal Beauty Sylvia Rose Books Roman statesman Cassiodorus, acting in the name of Ostrogoth king Theodoric the Great (r. 475–526) sends a missive to the Aesti, a group inhabiting today's north Lithuania: It is gratifying to us to know that you have heard of our fame, and have sent ambassadors who have passed through so many strange nations to seek our friendship. We have received the amber which you have sent us. You say that you gather this lightest of all substances from the shores of ocean, but how it comes thither you know not. But as an author named Cornelius (Tacitus) informs us, it is gathered in the innermost islands of the ocean, being formed originally of the juice of a tree (whence its name succinum), and gradually hardened by the heat of the sun. Obsidian: Ancient Volcanic Black Glass Great Cormorant: Wild Birds & Mythic Beasts Ninkasi: Beer Goddess Mesopotamia Sylvia Rose Books Thus it becomes an exuded metal, a transparent softness, sometimes blushing with the color of saffron, sometimes glowing with flame-like clearness. Then, gliding down to the margin of sea, and further purified by the rolling of the tides, it is at length transported to your shores to be cast upon them. We have thought it better to point this out to you, lest you should imagine that your supposed secrets have escaped our knowledge. We sent you some presents by our ambassadors, and shall be glad to receive further visits from you by the road which you have thus opened up, and to show you future favors. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Between the first mention by Tacitus and the letter of Cassiodorus, four hundred years elapse. It's a long time for a culture to control a significant resource. Today amber gathering is much the same as it is in prehistory. Ox Hide Ingots - Bronze Age Trade European Grass Snake: Nature & Lore Perkūnas: Baltic Storm & Fertility God Sylvia Rose Books Baltic amber comes from an enormous Carboniferous forest buried in the sea floor. The ferocity of winter storms hurls chunks and nuggets of amber up onto the shores, where it's collected by ancient and modern enterprising locals. Klabautermann - Germanic Sea Kobold Victorian Health: Sea Water Hydrotherapy Pentagram: Drudenfuß, Five Point Star Back to Top

Baltic amber is among the most prized trade items for millennia. The European amber trade starts in Sicily, with exports to other Mediterranean regions. From the North Sea and the Baltic, amber finds its way to the Iberian peninsula by c. 4000 BCE. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Vistula Lagoon Baltic Nature & History Bronze Age Europe - The Amber Roads Baltic Amber in Folklore and Myth Sylvia Rose Books As supplies of Sicilian amber (simetite) run low, the southern trade fizzles and amber from the Baltic Sea (succinite) appears in Mediterranean ports. The Amber Roads are among the first trade routes. Accessible waterways south include the Oder, Neman and Vistula Rivers. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The largest, original deposit of Baltic amber is between Gdansk, Poland and the Curonian Spit in Lithuania. From northern Lithuania on the Baltic coast, traders define routes through to Italy and the Mediterranean. The roads later extend north to begin at St Petersburg. Curonian Freshwater Baltic Sea Lagoon Honey Bees (Apidae): Nature & Myth Potrimpo - Baltic Sea God of Grain Sylvia Rose Books Amber is also found in the North Sea, identified with that of the Baltic, an enormous Carboniferous forest buried beneath the waves and silt. From the Baltic, amber "drifts" to the North Sea. Sea amber tends to be smooth due to repetitive wave action. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventures Until the middle of the 19th century amber is collected at the beaches and by dredging shallow waters with hand-held nets on poles. In this way it's still often collected today. Early evidence of Baltic amber in the Mediterranean comes from a cave find dating to 3634 BCE. Neman River - Nature, History, Lore Laima - Baltic Fate Goddess Casting the Bones - Astragalomancy Sylvia Rose Books According to the Smithsonian, in Neolithic times salt from central Europe is traded for amber and other goods from the north. The amber is further sold to Mediterranean traders. Sophisticated Neolithic trade systems pass through settled regions. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Another favorite item of Neolithic trade is obsidian, the volcanic glass, with a network in East Turkey focused on a workshop settlement near Lake Van. Long-distance obsidian trade appears in the Levant c.14,000 - 6500 BCE. Obsidian: Ancient Volcanic Black Glass Salt Trade - the Most Precious Mineral Copper: Ruddy Metal of Myth & Magic Sylvia Rose Books Evidence of copper (c. 8700 BCE) and gold metallurgy; trade in linen (c. 30,000 BCE) and surplus food; and use of dyes such as woad (Cave of l'Audoste, France c. 8800 BCE) are recorded. Trade networks open paths to previously inaccessible regions. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The oldest known trackway or constructed footpath in northern Europe is Sweet Track in England, built to cross marshland. Tree ring analysis of the wood dates it to 3807 BCE. Over land and waterways, early trade routes promote interaction with other cultures and customs. Amber Trade - Bronze Age on the Baltic Honey Mead: Most Ancient Ambrosia Egyptian Blue Faience - Ceramic Glass Sylvia Rose Books Amber is fossilized resin, achieving a stable state through chemical changes while buried in earth. Amber is found throughout the world with the most significant deposits along the shores of the Baltic Sea in sands 40,000,000 to 60,000,000 years old. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventures The resin comes from an ordinary pine or fruit tree. Liquid and viscous when it emerges from the trunk, the resin hardens when exposed to air. Insects, tiny artifacts or air bubbles become entrenched in the translucent sap and preserved as it solidifies. Baltic Ancient Mythology & Folklore Horses, Alps & Amazons: the Caucasus Slavic River Spirits & Roman Gods Sylvia Rose Books After two to ten million years, the resin is ready. Translucent Baltic amber is golden to deep orange red. Other shades are pale gold, yellow and green. Blue amber is found in the Dominican Republic, while Canadian amber is dark to bright red. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Later Romans are fascinated by the golden glass-like nuggets and chunks of the Baltic stone. It's Pliny the Elder in the 1st century CE who first identifies amber as a type of resin, due to the fragrant pine scent when it's burned as incense. Women of the Wild Hunt: Holle, Diana, Frigg Ox Hide Ingots - Bronze Age Trade Žaltys: Sacred Snake & Serpent Queen Sylvia Rose Books According to the Pliny, in his Natural History (77 - 79 CE): "Pytheas says that the Gutones, a people of Germany, inhabit the shores of an estuary of the Ocean called Mentonomon ... one day's sail from this territory is the Isle of Abalus [Baltia], upon the shores of which, amber is thrown up by the waves in spring, it being an excretion of the sea in a concrete form; as, also, that the inhabitants use this amber by way of fuel, and sell it to their neighbors, the Teutones." Also according to Pliny, Sophocles believes amber is produced in the countries beyond India. He asserts they are tears shed for the defunct hero Meleager by weeping birds called meleagrides. Ugarit Royal Palace: Romancing the Ruins Cyprus: Prehistoric Humans & Pygmy Hippos Potrimpo - Baltic Sea God of Grain Sylvia Rose Books Amber is connected to the Aesti, a Baltic-Germanic group in today's Lithuania and Poland. Writings from Roman historian Tacitus (Germania 98 CE) describe them. Roman statesman Cassiodorus, in the name of Theodoric the Great (r. 475–526) sends them a letter. See: Baltic Aetsi & the Roman Amber Texts Amber symbolizes the power of the Sun. It's given as offering to the Greek Apollo. Beads of Baltic Amber are found in the tomb of Tutankhamen (d. 1324 BCE). The formation of the oldest amber recovered dates to the late Carboniferous period (320 million years ago). Gold - Precious Metal of the Sun Reishi or Lingzhi - Mushroom Magic Wine God Liber: Liberty & Liberal Libation Sylvia Rose Books The Greeks call amber "ḗlektron" due to its ability to attract light objects such as lint and feathers when briskly rubbed. Friction causes static electricity as a negative charge builds in the amber. Based on the Greek term, Romans name a silver-gold alloy electrum. It's used to make the first coins in history. An excellent conductor of electricity, electrum has applications today in nanotechnology. Electrum: Metal of Money & Myth Amazons - Warrior Women History & Myth Elderberry Tree: Germanic Nature Lore Sylvia Rose Books During the long reign of the Hohenzollerns (c. 1061 - 1918), amber belongs to the Prussian royal family. It is illegal to collect or even pick up a piece of amber on the shore. From 18th century St. Petersburg comes the mystery of the Amber Room. A chamber of amber panels backed with gold leaf and mirrors, it's built for Catherine the Great and considered an Eighth Wonder of the World. During WWII it's dismantled, and disappears. Aetsi: Boars, Snakes & Baltic Amber Old Prussians of the Baltic Coast Irrwurz or Mad Root: German Folklore Sylvia Rose Books In ancient China, amber is burned for ceremonial purposes. In folk medicine and spiritual use, amber draws disease from the body and aligns the right and left sides of the brain. The energy of amber refreshes the nervous system and turns sluggish energy to focused vitality. Cleopatra the Alchemist of Greece Immortal - Quest for the Elixir of Life Warrior Queen: Kriemhild of the Burgundians Back to Top

Amber mythology, amber origin legends, magic and folklore include the undersea castle of Baltic lore, and the death of Phaëton, son of Helios the Sun in Greek myth. An organic gemstone, amber is collected and traded since the Neolithic. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Baltic Amber - Gold of the North Klabautermann - Germanic Sea Kobold Electrum: Metal of Money & Myth Sylvia Rose Books Meaning of Amber In magic and mysticism, amber connects to the primordial energies of organic nature, such as trees and ancient sedimentary rocks like limestone. It helps to ground or root a person. It's a stone of the nurturing sun. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series Amber is known as a "woman's stone" for those seeking to enhance femininity or connect to the feminine in nature magic. It's sacred to the Baltic Sun Goddess Saule (Saulė), the sea goddess Junate, Greek god Helios and Greco-Roman Apollo. Bronze Age Europe - The Amber Roads Winter Tales - 4 Novellas Rhinestones: Treasures of the Rhine Sylvia Rose Books Like all resins amber is burnt for spatial purification, emotional healing and to invoke feelings of serenity. Amber relates to romantic love and sensuality. In aromatherapy it gives a tannin type scent to calm and clear the mind, and invigorate the body. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure About Amber Amber is a completely organic substance made from the resin of extinct tree species of the Cretaceous era. Fossilized tree resin, chunks or nuggets of amber can include insects, twigs, bark, small vertebrates, seeds, feathers, leaves, and bubbles. Amber Trade - Bronze Age on the Baltic Baltic Ancient Mythology & Folklore Slavic River Spirits & Roman Gods Sylvia Rose Books It's categorized as a gemstone of organic nature. Amber, also known as 'sea gold', 'electron', 'hardened honey', 'tiger's soul', 'the gold of the North', and 'tears of the gods', is held sacred across various cultures. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series The term 'electricity' comes from 'elektron', the Greek word for amber. When rubbed briskly amber develops static electricity, attracting fine hairs, feathers and other small particles. The buildup of electric charge can cause a spark. Baltic Aetsi & the Roman Amber Texts Old Prussians of the Baltic Coast Myrrh - Mystique, Death & Divinity Sylvia Rose Books These qualities of amber when rubbed fascinates early natural philosophers. Roman Pliny the Elder (AD 23 - AD 79) first identifies amber as a resin from the pine scent it exudes when burning. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Mineralogists identify amber as succinite (from Lat. succinum) or 'gum-stone'. The Greek term for amber, elektron, appears in cosmology of sun god Helios. He's also known as 'Awakener' or ēlektōr, referring to the radiant Sun. Early Sun Mythology: Mid European Magic of the Circle: Spirituality & Lore Corycian Caves, Bee Nymphs & Greek Gods Sylvia Rose Books Syrian amber or Lebanese amber (simetite) first appears in the Mediterranean region, but is not well documented. It's of great interest to paleo-entomologists due to the preservation of insects and plant materials from the Lower Cretaceous c. 125 mya. Syrian amber is found incidentally as early people mine lignite, a low-grade coal primarily burned for fuel. Lignite is also used to make the shining black gemstone jet. Jet Black - Ancient World Gemstones Butter - Food of Peasants & Barbarians Black Pigments of Ancient Artisans Sylvia Rose Books The oldest evidence of Baltic amber in the Med is found in a Spanish cave of the 4th millennium BCE. As a gem, Baltic amber through the ages is desired as the highest gemstone quality amber. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Amber Mythology The Amber Palace Lore of Lithuania centers on the beautiful goddess Jūratė (Polish: Jurata) who lives at the bottom of the Baltic sea in her shining amber palace. She's the daughter of the mighty storm god Perkunas. Jurate rules the sea and all its creatures. Perkūnas: Baltic Storm & Fertility God Laima - Baltic Fate Goddess Casting the Bones - Astragalomancy Sylvia Rose Books One day she sees a fishing net spread down to catch her little fish. Angry, she speeds to the surface and beholds a fisherman Kastytis, letting out his nets. Her anger melts away and she falls in love with him. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series Deities are not allowed to fall in love with mortals. Perkunas is furious. He goes to the sea bottom and smashes the amber castle of Jurate to pieces. Thus the ferocious storms of winter throw amber up to shore, and Jurate cries amber tears for her unrequited love. Gold - Precious Metal of the Sun Honey Mead: Most Ancient Ambrosia Wine God Liber: Liberty & Liberal Libation Sylvia Rose Books The Tragedy of Phaethon In Greek mythology, Phaethon (Phaëton) is son of Helios, the sun god, and a woman or nymph who may be Clymene, Prote, or Rhode. As he grows up he's taunted by others for illegitimacy. No one will believe Helios is his father. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Helios promises to prove paternity by giving Phaethon anything he wants. Phaethon wants to drive the chariot of the sun through the heavens for a single day. Helios fears disaster but has to honor his word. Menat: Ritual Jewelry of Ancient Egypt Women of the Wild Hunt: Holle, Diana, Frigg Stymphalian Birds & Greek Heroics Sylvia Rose Books Phaethon cannot control the horses of the sun chariot. The chariot careens through the skies, dips and dives, and sets major parts of the world on fire. To stop him, Zeus hurls a thunderbolt. Phaethon plummets to his death at the mouth of the Edianus, later the Po River. To assuage the grief of Phaeton's sisters, the Heliades, Zeus turns them into black poplar trees. Their tears fall as drops of amber. Mulberry Tree (Morus): Uses, Folklore & Myth Eschenfrau: Wicked Ash Tree Woman Queen Eleanor & the Calamitous Crusade Sylvia Rose Books Tears of Apollo In Greek myth, Apollo sheds tears of amber when his son Asclepius dies. They mix with the waters of the river Eridanos, surrounding the paradise Hyperborea. Asclepius is the Greek god of medicine, son of Apollo and mortal princess Coronis. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Apollo is in love with Coronis, but kills her after she cheats on him. Quickly regretting his action he takes his son Asclepius, from her womb and raises him with care. Apollo teaches him healing herbs. Later, Asclepius is taught medicine by Chiron, the wisest of Centaurs. Pagan Solstice Fests: Saturnalia Castle Frankenstein - Legend & Lore Reiker For Hire, Victorian Era & Nixies Sylvia Rose Books Eventually Zeus gets worried. Asclepius might gain the powers to make men immortal. He slays Asclepius with a thunderbolt, and the tears of the golden sun god Apollo fall into the river Eridanos and become drops of amber. German Nature Folklore - Fruit Trees Reishi or Lingzhi - Mushroom Magic Ereshkigal & the Mesopotamian Underworld Back to Top

Chickens are a large part of folklore and mythology in Germany. They may be grain or harvest spirits, house spirits or dragon chickens. At harvest, especially in the south, the Getreidehahn or Grain Rooster waits among the stalks to peck out someone's eyes. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series German Myth - Harvest Spirits Feast of Fools - A Lora Ley Adventure House Spirits of Germanic Mythology Sylvia Rose Books His female partners are the Erntehennen or Harvest Hens. An unknown chicken scratching in the fields is a sign of luck. If harvest spirits are in the crop at reaping, they flee into the last stalks. Cut with care, the stalks go in house or barn over winter for luck and protection. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure In pagan tradition chickens are among the animals sacrificed or offered to the earth in hopes of a plentiful crop and fertility of land, humans and livestock. Blood nourishes the soil, the gods hear a prayer, feathers stuff pillows and dinner is served. The Many Faces of Frau Holle Nature Spirits of German Mythology German Myth - Harvest Spirits 2 Sylvia Rose Books The Erdhenne or Earth Hen is a hen house spirit or occasionally a shape-shifting domestic Kobold. If her clucks and scratching are heard, it's a sign of good fortune, but the sight of the Erdhenne foretells death. If she clucks nine times, the head of the household will die. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series Her favor is won with offerings of grain. Like all chickens she also eats insects, and helps keep the home pest-free. A chicken's favorite food is maggots. She doesn't expect the homeowner to supply them, but if she's heard in meat storage, check for spoiled food. Care and Feeding of Your Kobold Klagefrau: Wailing Woman of German Folklore Heimchen - House Crickets of Folklore Sylvia Rose Books The Drachenhuhne, Dragon Hen or Dragon Chicken is a dangerous spirit who manifests in or outside a home. Outside she may appear as a fireball or flash of lightning. Despite her ferocious nature, she has a special talent coveted by many. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries This chicken lays silver eggs, bringing wealth to a person; but she dislikes being owned. With her fiery associations the Drachenhuhne relates to demon and demonic magic. If upset she can set fires, bring blight, misfortune and sickness. Drude: Germanic Demon of Darkness Aufhöcker - Cursed Undead of German Myth Schrat: German Nightmare Forest Elf Sylvia Rose Books In animal spirituality, the hen or chicken is a symbol of abundance, fertility, motherhood, hope and the magic of beginnings (Hen: the egg or Rooster: the dawn). The colorful rooster relates to fashion, pride and dance. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure While the hen embodies protection, generosity and domestic harmony. In the East the Rooster is Yang, male, the sun, bright, action, while Hen is Yin, female, the moon, subconscious, mystery, wisdom. Moon Magic - the Feminine Principle Women Scientists of the Ancient World Sträggele: Witch Hag of the Wild Hunt Sylvia Rose Books From J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit comes this riddle: A box without hinge, key or lid, but golden treasure inside is hid. The egg is a symbol of fertility carries blessings of beginnings. In the Americas and other parts of the world, eggs are eaten in the morning. Traditional breakfasts in Germany and France do not include eggs. They're considered lunch or supper. Khnum: Ram Headed Potter God Egypt Magic of the Circle: Spirituality & Lore Lindwyrm, Mare & Pig Demons: German Myth Sylvia Rose Books The egg is associated with spring and celebration of the equinox and feast of the west German nature goddess Eostre or Ēostre. She's also associated with spring in Celtic lore, showing influence of the Iron Age Celts who lived in a large part of today's Germany. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Ancient Grains: Wheat, Barley, Millet, Rice Baltic Ancient Mythology & Folklore Creation, Cattle & the Cosmic Cow Back to Top

Primal Snake God Apep (Apepi, Aapep, Apopis) is the personification of chaos. He provokes destruction, confusion, darkness, miscommunication, lies, accidents, weather crises, war. He's the beginning which arises from Chaos, and the end to which it returns. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Serket - Scorpion Goddess of Egypt Mushussu - Snake Dragon Animal of Marduk Al-Mi'raj: Unicorn Hare of Arab Myth Sylvia Rose Books Apep is an enormous serpent born from the umbilical cord of infant Sun God Ra, and considered the brother of Ra. He is enemy of light and a bitter foe of the Goddess Ma'at (Maat), deity of Order, Truth, Justice and the Law, often depicted as a winged woman. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The Serpent is a primal form of Dragon. Apep first appears in the Eighth Dynasty of Egypt c. 2181 BC - 2160 BCE. His name is the basis for names of monarchs such as Apepi, and the Greater Hyksos king of the Nile Delta, Apophis. The Way to Aaru - Egyptian Paradise Asherah: Goddess of Childbirth & Fertility Khonsu - Moon God of Ancient Egypt Sylvia Rose Books The monster snake lives in the Duat, the first place one goes when deceased. Here the heart of the deceased is weighed, and if fails the test, the crocodile-headed demon Ammit gobbles it up. The dead person must remain in dreary Duat . READ: Lora Ley Adventures  - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series If it passes the test, the deceased undertakes a long and difficult journey to reach Aaru , or Paradise. In later times, copies of the Book of the Dead are placed in the tombs of deceased rulers so they know what to expect. Hermes Trismegistus: Alchemy & the Occult Bird Woman Elwetritsch: German Folklore Ammit - Eater of the Heavy Heart Sylvia Rose Books Though brothers, Apep and Sun God Ra are fierce enemies. Ra embodies the light and order, and Apep the chaos and darkness. When Ra journeys in his solar barque through the Underworld to emerge in the east, Apep waits nightly in ambush. READ: Reiker For Hire  - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Origin myths vary. In one, Apep is created from the saliva of the cosmic goddess Neith. In another it's the umbilical cord of Ra. In general belief, Apep exists from the beginning of time in the waters of primeval chaos. Seduction of Hedammu, Father of Snakes Ogdoad - Primordial Gods of Egypt Lindwyrm, Mare & Pig Demons: German Myth Sylvia Rose Books Titles of Apep include "Enemy of Ra", "Lord of Chaos," "Serpent from the Nile" and "Evil Dragon". Some descriptions say he's he's 48 ft (14.6 m) long and has a head of flint. In other tales he's 120 ft (36.5 m). READ: Lora Ley Adventures  - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series Although his usual form is giant snake, Apep may appear as a Nile crocodile. His earliest depiction, as a tremendous serpent painted on pottery, dates back to c. 4000 BCE. In myth he's the primordial force at the beginning of time. Žaltys: Sacred Snake & Serpent Queen Lotan - Chaos Sea Dragon of Ugarit Wadjet - Winged Snake Goddess of Egypt Sylvia Rose Books In the Chaoskampf , a hero of light sets out to destroy the forces of darkness. Chaos can manifest as a terrible sea serpent or the sea itself. In Mesopotamian lore Tiamet Queen of Chaos and the Sea, battles Marduk for twelve days, hence the 12 Days of Zagmuk . READ: Reiker For Hire  - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Apep's battle tales with Ra are legendary. In some stories, when Ra travels nightly on his golden barque through the Underworld, Apep waits for him in a western mountain, Manu, where the sun sets. Chaoskampf: Order & Chaos Battle Out 12 Days of Zagmuk: Chaos & the King Tiamat - Queen of Chaos & the Sea Sylvia Rose Books In others, Apep lurks just before the dawn in the eastern mountain Bakhu . He's bound to the Underworld but his activities are widely felt by mortals. His evil can cross dimensions. As his range stretches from one horizon to the other, Apep is also called World Encircler . Ra's companions on the solar barque may include the God Set, the Eye of Ra ( Sekhmet , perhaps), Sia (perception), Hu (command) and Heka (magic power). When the golden barque approaches, Apep uses his hypnotic gaze to overwhelm Ra and his entourage. Eye of Ra Egypt - Wrath of the Woman Curse of the Evil Eye & Apotropaic Magic Magic: Heka & the Ka in Ancient Egypt Sylvia Rose Books Apep's writhing coils and his mighty roar cause earthquakes, shifts and rumblings in the ground. His battles with Set unleash the most terrible of thunderstorms. In one story, Ra in the form of a cat defeats Apep. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The victory of Ra over Apep each night depends on prayers of the Egyptian priests and temple worshippers. The Egyptians believe certain rituals and superstitions repulse Apep to help Ra continue his journey. Nefertari Queen of Peace Ancient Egypt Ereshkigal & the Mesopotamian Underworld Ornithomancy - Prophecy by the Birds Sylvia Rose Books In an annual rite , the Banishing of Chaos , priests build an enormous effigy of Apep. The effigy snake is thought to contain all the evil in Egypt. Containment of chaos, with ritual magic, helps protect the people from the dark powers of Apep, enemy of light. Chicken Soup: Chickens in German Folklore Lucifer, Venus & Anti-Gods of Mythology Sphinx - Mythical Monster of Ancients Back to Top

Serket is the ancient Egyptian goddess of healing relating to venomous stings of scorpions and bites of snakes. She often wears a scorpion on her head as her symbol. Her siblings are crocodile god Sobek and chaos snake Apep. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Crocodilopolis - Sobek Crocodile God Apep - Primal Chaos God of Egypt Menat: Ritual Jewelry of Ancient Egypt Sylvia Rose Books Scorpions are fluorescent. Scientists are not sure why but do know the ability comes from the exoskeleton. Scorpions have an outer layer or cuticle, part of the exoskeleton. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure This cuticle has a thin layer, the hyaline layer. As this reacts to ultraviolet (UV) black light or even moonlight the scorpion’s body begins to glow. It doesn't happen immediately but is gradually noticeable. Agrippina & Son: Poisonous Plots of Rome Ogdoad - Primordial Gods of Egypt Wolfsbane (Aconitum) Ancient Poisons Sylvia Rose Books Serket is initially the deification of the scorpion. Her mother Neith is an early ancient Egyptian goddess. Egyptian creation myths vary. In one version Neith creates the universe and all within it, and influences its activity. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series Neith is the goddess of the cosmos, fate, wisdom, water, rivers, mothers, childbirth, hunting, weaving and war. In her warrior aspect she's often named as an Eye of Ra goddess. Her recorded history goes back to the 4th millennium BCE. Ancient Egypt Remedies: Ebers Papyrus Scorpion Men of Babylonia Reishi or Lingzhi - Mushroom Magic Sylvia Rose Books The father of Serket is Khnum, an ancient creator god also c. 4th millennium BCE, who manifests as a ram-headed potter. On his potter's wheel he makes the great cosmic egg containing the Sun. He creates people and the other animals from clay. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series Serket's name means "she who tightens the throat" or "she who causes the throat to breath". She has associations with justice as she's thought to sting those who do evil. She cures snakebite and scorpion sting. Khnum: Ram Headed Potter God Egypt Khonsu - Moon God of Ancient Egypt Magic: Heka & the Ka in Ancient Egypt Sylvia Rose Books She may appear fully as a scorpion in early Egyptian art. She can also be depicted as a woman-headed scorpion, or a woman with a scorpion on her head. Worshipped at several centers she has few temples, but many priests. It's not uncommon for gods to share temples with related deities. A healing goddess against scorpion venom and snakebite, Serket also protects the deities from Apep and may guard the Snake of Chaos when he's captured, Žaltys: Sacred Snake & Serpent Queen Hermes Trismegistus: Alchemy & the Occult Heh Gods & Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt Sylvia Rose Books Due to prominence of the deathstalker and other species, as well a number of venomous snakes such as cobras and vipers, Serket is worshiped as patron goddess of several pharaohs. Pharaoh or peasant, a person must live a good life to gain her blessing. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Some scorpion stings can cause paralysis and death. Toxicity and effects vary by species and condition of patient. Children 6 years and younger are more likely to have harmful effects from venomous scorpions. Messalina: Death & Desire in Ancient Rome Chun Yuyan & Death of Empress Xu Black Hellebore: Toxins, Health & Lore Sylvia Rose Books Venom of the giant scorpion causes paralysis in its prey. The sting is not as serious to humans. The venom is distilled into medicines against various kinds of microorganisms. In Vietnam H. laoticus is farmed as food. It's also used to make snake wine (scorpion wine). Symptoms of or reactions to a scorpion sting can include: Intense immediate pain lasting from minutes to 24 hours. Swelling, itching, and a change in skin color. Nausea and vomiting. Anxiety, drowsiness, fainting. Increased saliva, tears, and sweat. Numbness of the tongue. Vision problems. Trouble breathing. Casting the Bones - Astragalomancy Ephedra - Oldest Medical Stimulant Herb Herbology & Lore: Poison Hemlock Sylvia Rose Books Two Pharaohs are named for her directly. Scorpion I reigns in the late 4th century BCE. Scorpion II, possibly Selk or Weha, also called King Scorpion, is a ruler during the Protodynastic Period of Upper Egypt (c. 3200 - 3000 BCE). READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Serket is also protector of the dead, especially associated with venoms and fluids having a stiffening effect. She watches over the tents of embalmers. She's also guardian of the canopic jar associated with venom, or the jar of the intestine. Khet, the Body: Death Rites of Ancient Egypt Natron - Ancient Embalming & Household Salts Ib the Heart: Book of the Dead Egypt Sylvia Rose Books Canopic jars are used by the ancient Egyptians during mummification to store and preserve the viscera of the deceased for the afterlife. Earliest canopic jars are made of stone. Laster styles appear in wood or ceramic. Ritual use of the jars goes back to the Old Kingdom (c. 2649 - 2130 BCE). By the Late Period or the Ptolemaic Period (c. 305 - 30 BCE) they fall out of use as the viscera are wrapped and placed with the body. Anubis: Jackal-Headed God of Egypt Myrrh - Mystique, Death & Divinity Castor Oil, Wigs & Death in Ancient Egypt Sylvia Rose Books Associated with the canopic jars Serket forms a connection to Neith, Isis, and Nephthys, who have similar roles. As time goes by, Serket is identified with Isis, sharing imagery and parentage as Serket-Isis. Eventually, Serket comes to be an aspect of Isis. Egyptian Blue Lotus: Visionary Beauty Flooding of the Nile - Nature & Myth Sacred Scarab: Lucky Bug of Ancient Egypt Back to Top