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Thrace is an ancient region of Bulgaria bordering the Black Sea. In Neolithic and Chalcolithic times the seaport Varna and salt center Solnitsata are hotspots of trade. In the Bronze Age, it's populated by independent tribes. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Solnitsata - Neolithic Salt Trade Town Black Sea: Stone Age & Early History Thrace - Tribal Mythology & Lore Sylvia Rose Books Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Sea to the east, Thrace occupies the region of today's SE Bulgaria (Northern Thrace), NE Greece (Western Thrace), and part of Turkey (East Thrace). Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Lands also inhabited by ancient Thracians extend in the north to modern-day Northern Bulgaria and Romania, and west into Macedonia. The earliest Thracian culture emerges at the beginning of the Bronze Age c. 3500 BC. Zis - Ancient Warrior Hero God Thrace Humbaba: Giant Mountain Forest Man Casting the Bones - Astragalomancy Sylvia Rose Books Early Thracian records are almost non-existent, and the known world is defined by Greek and later Roman literature. Archaeological finds attest to about two thousand years of human habitation in Thrace before the first written records. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The name comes from later Greek mythology. Thrax, a son of War God Ares or an aspect of Ares, is considered patron of Thrace. In the Bronze Age the golden shield of Ares resides in a temple at Bistonia near the Aegean, home of Thracian Bistones. Weapons & Warfare of Bronze Age Europe 1 Arcadia - Greek Lands of Ancient Gods Baltic Aetsi & the Roman Amber Texts Sylvia Rose Books Greek and Romans describe Thracians as warlike barbarians. Like other tribal cultures such as the Kashka and Sherden, they're favored as mercenaries. Despite the initial impressions, Romans and Greeks remark on sophisticated Thracian poetry and music. Thracians are among the early migrants from the east, and eventually spread from the Black Sea to the Aegean. From there, in 1200 BCE, they're a primary part of the Mycenaean demise. Kashka - Mountain Raiders of Anatolia Sherden Sea Peoples in Ancient Egypt Ancient Greece: Mycenaean Invasion Sylvia Rose Books A peltast is a javelin warrior. He carries a crescent-shaped wicker shield, one javelin in his hand and up to two more attached to his shield. The warrior above also carries the short sword or sica for hand-to-hand combat. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventure His helmet is leather and so are any protective coverings he wears. Bronze armor such as breastplates and headgear are usually the privilege of the elite. The name peltast comes from the shape of the shield, called a pelta. Hippomancy: Sacred Horse Divination Horse in Dreams - Meaning of Horses Germanic Mythology - Brook Horses Sylvia Rose Books Weapons of the Thracians consist of javelins, knives, swords and shields. Organized warfare is scarce. The Thracians are strong horse warriors, continuing a tradition from people of the Pontic-Caspian steppe. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The favored weapon of the Thracian warriors is the sica, a short curved sword about 30 - 36 cm (12 - 14 in) long. The shape is designed to get around the sides of an opponent's shield, and stab or slash him in the back. Pirwa - Horse God of Ancient Hittites Weapons & Warfare of Bronze Age Europe 2 Women of the Wild Hunt: Holle, Diana, Frigg Sylvia Rose Books Due to their savagery in battle and lust for loot, Thracians are popular but expensive mercenaries. The Greeks and later Romans use their skills in battle and gladiatorial games. Persians hire them. Thracians also make up to a third of Macedonian cavalry. They're among the most important nationalities in the early Roman military, contributing continually up to 20,000 troops. Many Thracian swordsmen are in the Lydian army.  The first known minted coins come from Lydia. Electrum: Metal of Money & Myth Is Cherry Laurel Poisonous? Minoans of Crete: Ancient Greek Culture Sylvia Rose Books Thracian religion is polytheistic with monotheistic elements. Zis is the primary deity of Thrace, with Great Mother of the Gods Bendis. Zis personifies the male principle. He has both celestial and a chthonic connections, identified with the Sun and Fire. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventure In Thracian mythology, Bendis personifies the world at rest. The goddess then self-fertilizes and gives birth to a first son, Zis, the male principle. Through the sacred marriage of Bendis and Zis, another son, Orpheus, is born. Corycian Caves, Bee Nymphs & Greek Gods Sinope: Poison, Honey, Greeks & Clay Ancient Grains: Wheat, Barley, Millet, Rice In Greek lore, Orpheus is the son of a Muse thought to be Calliope, patron of epic poetry, and Oeagrus, a king of Thrace. Orpheus' father may also be Apollo; most origin stories depict Orpheus as Thracian. Music is important to Thracian culture, rituals and celebrations. Thracian music typically includes a high-pitched repertoire created by the gaida or goatskin bagpipe. The gaida is accompanied by clarinet and constant steady drumming on the toumbeleki. Baltic Amber - Gold of the North Obsidian: Ancient Volcanic Black Glass Hünenburg: Bronze Age European Trade Hub The kaba gaida ('large gaida') or rodopska gaida (Rhodope gaida), the bagpipe of the central Rhodope mountains, is a distinctive instrument of Bulgarian folk music. The gaida is played on weddings, celebrations and events. "A wedding without a bagpipe is like a funeral" - Balkan saying. Interest in the kaba gaida is increasing in modern times. It's made from diverse materials including wood, horn, animal skin and cotton. The kaba gaida has a low pitch made with a larger bag than the gaida. Chaoskampf: Order & Chaos Battle Out Silver - Queen of Precious Metals Horse in Dreams - Meaning of Horses Other instruments include the stringed lyra; klarino, a type of trumpet; and defi, a drum. Thracians enjoy quick and brisk rhythms, and dance including circle dances. Tattooing is customary among elite men and woman. For Greeks and Romans a tattoo is the punitive mark of a social outcast. Thracians are also expert metallurgists. Gold dating to c. 7000 BCE at Varna necropolis is thought to come from Thracian sources. Emmer Wheat - First Domestic Crops Cyprus: Prehistoric Humans & Pygmy Hippos Cattle Goddesses & the Cosmic Cow Sylvia Rose Books Not far inland from Varna is Solnitsata, a Neolithic salt trade town in operation in the 5th millennium BCE. Buyers come through the Balkans or across the Black Sea. In the north, salt is exchanged for Baltic amber. From tribal Thracians develop the Getae, Dacians and other pre-Roman groups. The legendary Amazons are thought to originate in or beyond the Thracian lands, north of the Caucasus. Greek scholar Xenophanes describes Thracians as blue-eyed with red hair. Horses, Alps & Amazons: the Caucasus Amazons - Warrior Women History & Myth Queen Eleanor & the Calamitous Crusade Sylvia Rose Books Noble Thracian women have more rights than many Greeks. Athenian women are bound to the house unseen. Thracian women have more personal and sexual freedom before they marry. In Thrace, polyamory is practiced especially among the nobility. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Elite women of Thrace can learn fighting skills. However most of the Thracian women in ancient Greece are not noble. Common women don't have tattoos, making them attractive to Greeks as house slaves. Minoans of Crete: Ancient Greek Culture Stymphalian Birds & Greek Heroics Bronze Age Europe - The Amber Roads Sylvia Rose Books In Athens, Thracian women are the most populous ethnic group of house slaves. They do housework and raise children. The term “Thratta” or “Thraissa” (Thracian woman) comes to describe any female house slave. Thratta becomes a common given name for slaves. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventure Of the Greeks, Spartan women have the most freedom. The reason is sociological. Within Athenian society men outnumber women, who are owned as chattel. In Spartan society women outnumber men, and both promiscuity and lesbian relationships are common. Wandering Womb - Ancient Medicine Pioneering German Women - Anita Augspurg Brunhilde: Tragic Germanic Warrior Queen Sylvia Rose Books Thrace comes to glory in the 2nd and 1st millennium BCE. A disjointed group of tribes at first, Thracians form scattered communities with local leaders. By c. 1800 BCE, they coalesce. Population of ancient Thrace is estimated between 800,000 and a million. In the Iliad, during the Trojan War (c. 13th century BCE) Thracians are allies of Troy against the Greeks. Other Trojan allies include Carians, Halizones, Kaukones, Kikones, Lycians, Maionians, Mysians, Paionians, Paphlagonians, Pelasgians and Phrygians. Uluburun - Bronze Age Shipwreck Before the Vikings - Early Northern Cultures Bosporus: Black Sea Nature & Greek Myth Sylvia Rose Books According to historians, only the lack of strong unification of the Thracian tribes stops their ascent to superpower. However from c. 500 BCE settlements unite to form kingdoms, with the first major state, the Odrysian kingdom, arising c. 5th century BCE. Tacitus in his Annals (c. 120 CE) writes of the Thracians as wild, savage and impatient, disobedient even to their own kings. They "tattooed their bodies, obtained their wives by purchase, and often sold their children". Even more shocking, they drink undiluted wine. European Grass Snake: Nature & Lore Wine God Liber: Liberty & Liberal Libation Ox Hide Ingots - Bronze Age Trade Sylvia Rose Books French historian Victor Duruy (1811 - 1894 CE) further notes they "considered husbandry unworthy of a warrior, and knew no source of gain but war and theft". He also asserts they practice human sacrifice, confirmed by archaeological evidence. Houses are huts or half-dug-out shelters with one or two rooms. Some houses have stone foundations. Building usually involves log beams, twigs or wattle with clay. Inside is a clay hearth, millstones for grinding grain, and pottery. Vistula Lagoon Baltic Nature & History Song of the Loreley - Lethal Beauty Christmas Oranges & Yule Fruits Sylvia Rose Books Flat stones are used as tables, shelves or benches. By the 4th century BCE Thracian leaders build hilltop fortresses, some two stories high as grandiose architecture takes hold with the influence of palace-building cultures. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries For food, Thracian men hunt wild boar and bulls. Also in the Thracian diet, depending on territory, are hazelnuts, figs, mushrooms, apples, pears, cherries, plums, raspberries and blackberries. Near the Aegean they have a bounty of olives, dates, lemons and pistachio. Figs - Food of the Ancient World Cult of the Bull - Prehistoric Aurochs Pistachio: Turpentine, Resin & Nuts Sylvia Rose Books Thracian multi-home villages are commonly attacked by ancient Greeks on slave raids. Raids are the main method Greeks use for capturing slaves. In Thrace and the eastern Aegean, natives rather than prisoners of war account for the majority of slaves. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure After the slaves are captured, they're resold through slave-dealers to Athenians and other slaveowners in Greece. Purchasers are careful to vary ethnicities of their slaves to avoid revolt. Spartacus (c. 103 - 71 BCE) a leader of the Slave Rebellion, is Thracian. Oder River: Nature & Early People Mad Honey - What's the Buzz? Urnfield Bronze & Iron Age Burials Sylvia Rose Books Influential neighbors of the Thracians include Greeks, Persians, Scythians and Celts. The Thracians merge with other settlements, including those of the Black Sea Greeks. The Thracian language goes extinct c. 6th century CE. The Mystic Victorian - Fortune Telling Slavic River Spirits & Roman Gods Great Cormorant: Wild Birds & Mythic Beasts Back to Top

The Eurasian Lion or European Lion features in the art and tales of ancient Greece and Mesopotamia. The lion is a symbol of strength, courage, ferocity and wild nature. Mythologies and cities build up around the adventures of heroes and lions. See also: Major Cities of the Ancient Near East Ereshkigal Goddess of Underworld & Night Ancient Greek Cultures: People of Minoa Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle Lion fossils date back 600,000 years. Modern lions (Panthera leo) inhabit parts of Southern Europe from c. 9700 BCE until their extinction about ten thousand years later. Lions dwell in family groups or prides of a few adult males, related females and cubs. Groups of female lions usually hunt together, using strategy to capture a meal. They prey mostly on large herbivores. The lion is an apex and keystone predator. Some opportunistic lions scavenge when they have the chance. Some lions have been known to hunt humans, though it's not common. See also: Nature Spirits of German Mythology Botanical Alchemy - White Dead Nettle Iron Age - Metallurgy & Metal Magic Lions of the past were bigger, with less specialized teeth than current lions. The manes of Balkan lions were less developed than other types while the south Caucasian lion has a full mane. Today's Zazzle Specials Smashwords Books In ancient Greek mythology lions figure prominently, such the Nemean lion. This supernatural creature lived in the sacred town Nemea in the Peloponnese, where Herakles come to slay him. The Nemean lion has a golden fur which can't be pierced. His claws are shaper than swords and can rip through armor. After some struggles, Herakles hits the lion on the head with his club and strangles it with his bare hands. As a result he's often seen in pictures wearing a lion skin. The lion is placed in the sky as the constellation Leo. See also: Nature Spirits of German Mythology Divine Twins: Germanic & Greek Mythology Mythical Pagan German Gods & Spirits Today's Zazzle Specials Smashwords Books In another story Phalaecus, a tyrant of Amvrakia (modern Arta), was reportedly killed by a lioness because he handled a newborn cub. He found it when on a lion hunting expedition. Phalaecus was a provincial ruler who, ousted from his political post, became the leader of a mercenary band instead. The city of Olynthus in central Macedonia gets its name because during the Trojan War its namesake is killed by a lion during a lion hunt. Olynthos is either the son of Herakles or the River God Strymon. Either way doesn't save him from his ultimate fate. See also: What is the Philosopher's Stone? Hyssop (Hyssopus) - Plant of Mystic Lore Anatolia - Alaca Höyük City of the Sun Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle When Xerxes of Persia advanced near Echedorus in Greece 480 BCE, the camels of his troops were attacked by lions. About a hundred years later, Aristotle describes lions and records data about lion distribution, behavior, breeding and anatomy. Lion cubs are weaned at about six months. Females might stay with pride for life, and the males usually go off on their own or join young bachelor groups who hunt together. Male cubs stay with mom for about two years. In the 4th century BCE, Aristotle records lions as more numerous in North Africa than Europe. According to Aristotle they approach towns and attack people only if they are old, or have bad teeth. See also: Goats in German Myth: Erntebock & Habergeiß Aufhöcker - Cursed Undead of German Myth Rhinestones: Treasures of the Rhine Today's Zazzle Specials Smashwords Books In Egypt, Mesopotamia and other regions, the mythical creature the Sphinx has the head of a person, wings of an eagle and body and tail of a lion. Sometimes its tail is the head of a snake. The Sphinx is associated with the royalty, status and the Sun, as its animal parts, human, snake, eagle and lion, all relate to the sun. The Sun is one of the first elemental entities recognized and worshipped in prehistory. See also: Ancient Deities: Proto Indo European Gods Mythic Fire Gods - Vulkan of Germania Women of the Wild Hunt: Holle, Diana, Frigg Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle The Eurasian or European Lion slowly goes extinct. It disappears from the Balkans and other areas from c. 1000 BCE. Around 1000 CE the lion is gone. By this time the animals have been used for Roman and other entertainments and lion hunting takes its toll. Human population spread depletes habitat space. As well, the climate begins to cool down after a period of balmier weather. Lions survive in the Caucasius until the end of the first millenium CE. They live in the legends and lore of the land forever. See also: Silver - Queen of Precious Metals Before the Viking Age - Gods of the Sámi Ziu - Ancient Sky God of Germania Back to Top

The mining industry of Cyprus dates back to c. 4000 BCE, primarily focused on copper extraction. Cyprus derives its name from Kúpros, the Greek term for the island, meaning cuprous, a direct reference to copper. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Copper: Ruddy Metal of Myth & Magic Myth & Metallurgy - Metals of Antiquity Hashamili - Metal Work & Smith God Sylvia Rose Books Copper metal forms through deposits from hot sulfur solutions in volcanic regions, such as at edges of conflicting tectonic plates. The solutions concentrate copper up to 1000x more than the usual amount found in rocks, forming valuable copper ores. Important centers include Ambelikou and areas near a major copper deposit at Skouriotissa. Agia Varvara is a central copper region while the site of Hala Sultan Tekke looks out over the balmy waters in the direction of Byblos and the Levant. Byblos, Vibrant Port City - Bronze Age Electrum: Metal of Money & Myth Solnitsata - Neolithic Salt Trade Town Sylvia Rose Books Cyprus is inhabited from c. 9500 BCE by the ubiquitous hunter gatherer groups. The earliest humans to inhabit Cyprus live in a rock shelter, Aetokremnos, on a steep cliff site c. 40 m (131 ft) above the Mediterranean Sea. The island has a long history of copper production, with the metal used for tools such as knives or pots, weapons with sharp blades like daggers, or jewelry. A major Bronze Age production center is Enkomi or the shores of an east coast cove. Enkomi: Bronze Age Trade of Cyprus Cyprus: Prehistoric Humans & Pygmy Hippos Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) Nature & Lore Sylvia Rose Books Natural caves and rock formations have great spiritual value for early people, leading into the depths of the Underworld itself. Caves are found at sea level and into the interior. Prehistoric humans use natural caverns as shelters, burial caves and offering sites. Archaeological excavations at the Neolithic site Agia Varvara Asprokremmos, 26 km (16 mi) south of Nicosia, show the early inhabitants of the island use the red and yellow ochres which often cover copper ore deposits. Red Ocher (Ochre) Ancient Pigments Limonite: Ancient Earth Pigments Verdigris: Volatile Blue Green Pigment Sylvia Rose Books Ochre or ocher is a main pigment of wall paintings, with the earliest examples dating to the Late Aceramic Neolithic, or c. 7000 BCE. It's also used in ancient medicine, ritual, burials, dyes, glazes and body art. Early bronze on Cyprus dates to c. 2500 BCE, made with arsenic instead of tin as an alloy, as tin has to be imported. Tin-copper alloys (true bronze = 88% copper + 12% tin) show up c. 1900 BCE. Arsenic makes harder bronze but long term exposure has debilitating effects. Arsenic: Murderous Metal & Miracle Cure Ambrosia: Divine Nectar & Immortal Gods Tanning Hides - Ancient Techniques Sylvia Rose Books Realgar is also used in leather manufacturing to remove hair from hides. Metalsmiths are unaware of the toxic nature of arsenic at the time. In the 1st century CE, Dioscorides, a Greek physician in the court of Emperor Nero, is the first to recognize arsenic as a poison. Cypriot copper production is augmented by other resources such as iron pyrite, gold and petroleum. Along with bygone mining landscapes, remnants of the extent and intensity of the Cypriot copper industry are enormous slag heaps. Tanning Hides - the Ancient Process Pistachio: Turpentine, Resin & Nuts Black Pigments of Ancient Artisans Sylvia Rose Books An estimated four million tons of copper slag in forty different locations are found at the periphery of the Troodos Mountains, where rich copper deposits form. The Troodos is the largest mountain range in Cyprus. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The mountains emerge from the sea with the collision of the African and European tectonic plates, ultimately shaping the island of Cyprus. Chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) is a predominant copper ore. Other copper minerals include chalcosite, bornite and covellite. Baltic Amber - Gold of the North Einkorn Wheat - First Domestic Crops Immortal - Quest for the Elixir of Life Sylvia Rose Books Copper gives rocks intense blue or green colors including the breathtaking greens of malachite and rich blues of lapis lazuli. Lobster, shrimp and octopus have blue or greenish copper-based blood, compared to red iron-based blood of mammals. Running through the center of the island, the range's highest peak is Mount Olympus. It's not the heavenly Olympus of mythology. Olympus the Home of the Gods is on the border of Macedonia and Thessaly, the largest mountain in Greece. Cattle Goddesses & the Cosmic Cow Arcadia - Greek Lands of Ancient Gods Lapis Lazuli: Vibrant Blue Gem of Ancients Sylvia Rose Books The northern slopes of the Troodos Mountains have copper-bearing ores within the pillow lavas of the Troodos Ophiolite. The rock formations belong to an ophiolite sequence along the north boundary of Arabian and African tectonic plates. An ophiolite is part of the Earth's oceanic crust and the upper mantle beneath. Through seismic and tectonic action it's thrust up through the surface and shifts to crush down on continental crustal rocks. Horses, Alps & Amazons: the Caucasus Pontic Mountains: the Black Sea Alps Lake Van: Fate of a Primeval Salt Lake Sylvia Rose Books Here they mark the bounds of the ancient Tethys Ocean. The Tethys Ocean, also called the Tethys Sea or the Neo-Tethys, is a prehistoric water body existing from c. 252 mya, through much of the Mesozoic Era or Age of Reptiles, and early-mid Cenozoic. Predecessor to the modern Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and Eurasian inland marine basins Black Sea and Caspian Sea, the Tethys is inhabited by marine dinosaurs and prehistoric fauna and flora. It's not unusual to find sea fossils atop a European mountain. Colchis - Bronze Age on the Black Sea Mad Honey - What's the Buzz? Great Cormorant: Wild Birds & Mythic Beasts Sylvia Rose Books An excavation site at the south of the island reveals a complete floor exposed for the first time in 10,000 years. Neolithic construction work shows time and care put into the building as it's dug into the existing bedrock. Neolithic round houses are also found. Made of sun-dried mud brick, the houses are whitewashed with slaked lime solution. The bricks are a mix of sand, clay, water. Chopped straw or dried grasses might be added to the bricks. Inner walls are also whitewashed to maximize interior light. Old Prussians of the Baltic Coast Çatalhöyük (Catalhoyuk) Neolithic Anatolia Dniester River Neolithic Civilization Sylvia Rose Books During the Chalcolithic period, the Cypriots pioneer production of metal artefacts using native copper. Dating back to c. 3500 BC, the early artefacts are scarce but distinctive. Objects found include chisels, pins and fine ornaments like spiral beads. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The Cypriot chalcolithic artefacts showcase the ingenuity of an early yet sophisticated technology. During this era, picrolite, a type of serpentine, emerges as a desirable stone. It's used to craft pendants and figurines of symbolic significance. Thrace - Tribal Mythology & Lore Slavic River Spirits & Roman Gods Oldest Cattle Cult 6000 BCE - Arabia Sylvia Rose Books The picrolite source is near the top of the Troodos mountains, carried down to the coast by two rivers, the Kouris and the Karyotis. A significant amount of the picrolite used to make Chalcolithic Age objects comes from the riverbeds. Recent findings at the Souskiou Laona settlement show a portion of picrolite comes directly from the source. This is an important discovery as it demonstrates the proactive mindset of prehistoric people who venture into the Troodos for precious rocks and minerals. Vistula River: Early Tribes & Trade Minoans of Crete: Ancient Greek Culture Volcanic Wipeout - 1600 BCE Eruption of Thera Sylvia Rose Books While burial practices at other known Chalcolithic sites comprise single inhumations in pit graves, cemeteries at Souskiou are made of deep rock-cut tombs. They contain multiple burials and numerous grave goods, especially picrolite pendants and figurines. Excavations at the settlement reveal a specialized center for procurement of picrolite and manufacture of goods during the early phase of habitation. Picrolite production declines during the final phase of the settlement. Dnieper (Dnipro) River: Early Humans Thrace - Warfare, Slavery & Music Gold - Precious Metal of the Sun Sylvia Rose Books The demand for copper, and a sheltered location, make Cypriot village Hala Sultan Tekke one of the most important centers of the Late Bronze Age. According to radar surveys the city is up to 50 ha (123 acres) in the Late Bronze Age (c. 1600-1100 BCE). In the NW foothills of the Troodos is the richest mining district in Cyprus. Sites include Ambelikou and others. In the 1940s three galleries are opened to exploit the copper deposit. in all three are found ancient pottery and stone tools. Before the Vikings - Nordic Bronze Age The Many Faces of Frau Holle Cyclades Islands: Paradise of Ancients Sylvia Rose Books Early Cypriots are renowned for metalworking skills. During the Bronze Age, surface copper deposits are plentiful. As these diminish, mine owners turn to subterranean extraction copper mining techniques. Aletri is near the village of Ambelikou in the NW foothills of the Troodos, strategically located close to Skouriotissa, one of the largest and most significant copper ore bodies on the island. Lead: Death Metal of Metallurgy Hashamili - Metal Work & Smith God Obsidian: Ancient Volcanic Black Glass Sylvia Rose Books Pottery dating to c. 2000 BCE is found at Aletri, after an ancient shaft is exposed during modem mining operations. Aletri provides the oldest direct evidence of copper mining in Cyprus. A crucible, a casting mold, and other artifacts indicate on-site smelting and casting. There's evidence of a complex history of construction and reconstruction at Ambelikou, culminating in a dramatic event and subsequent site abandonment. Many well-preserved artifacts are found including forty-eight jugs of uniform size and shape. Salt Trade - the Most Precious Mineral Ox Hide Ingots - Bronze Age Trade Silver - Queen of Precious Metals Sylvia Rose Books Excavations at Ambelikou uncover a building of 10 units or more. These are dedicated to stages of copper production from mining to ingots. A hearth, mold fragments, blowpipe nozzle, pieces of furnace lining, ore and slag indicate active production. Just to the north lies a remarkably well-preserved pottery workshop, which shows extensive fire damage while work is in progress. Excavations reveal a specialized spatial layout of functions such as clay preparation, vessel shaping and kiln firing. Vistula Lagoon Baltic Nature & History Khnum: Ram Headed Potter God Egypt Bell Beaker Culture: Bronze Age Europe Sylvia Rose Books Cyprus and Spain are the primary suppliers of copper for the Roman Empire. However, following the Empire's decline, copper mining lies dormant until the 19th century. The copper mines in Cyprus have a remarkable history spanning millennia. In the 8th century AD, the copper industry abruptly halts, and the mines are abandoned for over a thousand years. Lukka: Bronze Age Warrior Sea People Magic: Heka & the Ka in Ancient Egypt Gold-of-Pleasure: Bronze Age Crops Sylvia Rose Books In the Victorian era investors from the US and Europe reignite interest in copper deposits of Cyprus, drawing inspiration from ancient texts. A resurgence in the mining industry creates increased sulfur demand by extraction of pyrite and chalcopyrite, as well as copper. Sulfur - Treasures of the Underworld Folk Magic: Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) Elp: Bronze Age Militant Cattle Culture Back to Top

The Wild Boar is the ancestor of domestic pigs. The Boar represents the warrior spirit and unbridled ferocity. With the Bear and Wolf the Boar is among the powerful totem animals. It's hunted for food by many, including humans, big cats, wolves and Komodo dragons. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Great Brown Bear - Nature, Spirituality & Lore Aetsi: Boars, Snakes & Baltic Amber Neolithic Salt & Brine Works Europe Sylvia Rose Books Both Boar and Sow are fierce. Adult boars attack people especially during rutting season, and use tusks, teeth, hooves and huge upper body strength to inflict deep wounds. They don't stop the assault until the opponent is clearly incapacitated. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure From 2000 - 2019 research in the USA confirms 1,532 attacks and 172 deaths by wild boar. By April 2024 seven deaths are already reported for the year. According to scientist John J. Mayer, "It’s not sharks, wolves, or bears that kill the most people - it’s wild pigs, and the numbers are consistently trending up." Ancient Wild Predators - Eurasian Lion Caspian Tiger: Bronze Age Wild Predators Thrace - Warfare, Slavery & Music Sylvia Rose Books Of these, 38% of attacks are on agriculture workers, with 77% of deaths due to blood loss. The boar tends to strike at the lower body such as the legs. In the legs the femoral veins are major arteries. To compare, In 2021 there are 458,000 intentional murders by humans. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series - Germanic Mythology Adventures Paleontology finds signs of Sus scrofa back to the early Pleistocene - Holocene (2.58 million to 11,700 years ago). Cave paintings depict the wild boar. In prehistory and modern times people use the tusks are jewelry, decoration, nature rituals or trophies. Arabian Leopard: Bronze Age Predators Arcadia - Greek Lands of Ancient Gods Baltic Aetsi & the Roman Amber Texts Sylvia Rose Books Females or sows are most likely to be aggressive when they have piglets. More petite than the male but just as vicious, the sow has smaller tusks, can bite and break bones. She has to be ferocious. Piglets are food for wolves, bears, large lizards, people and other predators. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series - Germanic Mythology Adventures From earliest times, wild pigs are primary prey. Domestication begins c. 8000 BCE when people raise piglets by hand, acclimatizing the animals to human presence. At first the pigs run wild in a settlement or outlying region, evolving to domesticated swine in pens. Kashka - Mountain Raiders of Anatolia Stone Age Botai - First Horse People Oldest Cattle Cult 6000 BCE - Arabia Sylvia Rose Books The difference between domestic pigs and wild boars today is the result of thousands of years of animal husbandry. Wild boars have brown or gray body hair, a long skull and weight in the chest and shoulders. The male may have a prominent mane down his neck and back. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries For the first 3-4 months of life, boar piglets have camouflage stripe patterns to help them blend with the environment. It's their only defense if mother isn't near. Boars live in a matriarchal society. Sows, with their sisters, daughters and young males, remain together. Giant Cinnamon Birds of Arabia Immortal - Quest for the Elixir of Life Ancient Deities: Proto Indo European Gods Sylvia Rose Books Pigs love to wallow and will dig their own wallows or wallowing pits. Wallowing is natural boar behavior. A wallow is a shallow depression of muddy water. A pig often digs and roots around before entering the bath to coat itself with mud. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The reason for wallowing isn't completely understood. Pigs lack sweat glands, and wallowing might replace that function. Wallows might also be territorial markers. Either way a wallowing pig is a happy pig. Black Sea: Stone Age & Early History Çatalhöyük (Catalhoyuk) Neolithic Anatolia Cyprus: Prehistoric Humans & Pygmy Hippos Sylvia Rose Books Wild boars can also build their own shelters. They collect pine branches, leaves and other organic matter to create a covered hollow for sleeping. If a male shares the shelter he has his own sleeping place, away from the main group. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries The Central European Boar (Sus scrofa scrofa) is common to most regions of Europe. According to Roman Tacitus, the Baltic Aesti tribes portray boars on their helmets, and may have worn boar masks. Before the Vikings - Early Northern Cultures Sinope: Poison, Honey, Greeks & Clay Mad Honey - What's the Buzz? Sylvia Rose Books The boar and pig are especially venerated by the Celts, who considered them sacred animals. Some Celtic deities linked to boars include Moccus and Veteris. Early myths of Welsh hero Culhwch, 11th-12th century, identify him as a son of a boar god. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series - Germanic Mythology Adventures The Romans and Ancient Greeks describe boar attacks on their epic heroes. Odysseus is wounded by a boar, and Adonis is killed by one. The fourth labor of demi-god Heracles is to capture the Erymanthian boar, sacred to goddess of hunt Artemis. Hematite: Magnetic Iron Oxide Red Ancient Grains: Wheat, Barley, Millet, Rice Klabautermann - Germanic Sea Kobold Sylvia Rose Books In the highlands of Arcadia, legends are born. The Erymanthian boar is a fearsome beast living on Mount Erymanthos. The mountain is sacred to the Mistress of Animals. According to Homer, it's the abode of Artemis. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The boar is a creature of chaos and destruction: "When the goddess turned a wrathful countenance upon a country, as in the story of Meleager, she would send a raging boar, which laid waste the farmers' fields." Amber Trade - Bronze Age on the Baltic Baba Yaga - Slavic Forest Nature Witch Ox Hide Ingots - Bronze Age Trade Sylvia Rose Books Early medieval Germanic cultures hold the boar in high regard. It's engraved on shields and swords. German boar helmets are considered to have spiritual powers of protection for the wearer. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries The boar features in Norse paganism as sacred to Freyr, god of peace and fertility, rain and sunshine. As a totemic animal to the Swedes it's adopted by the Yngling royal dynasty, who are known largely through Norse poetry. Vistula Lagoon Baltic Nature & History Epic of Erra - Plague God of Babylon Brunhilde: Tragic Germanic Warrior Queen Sylvia Rose Books Boar are adaptable animals who can live in almost any environment, and eat an omnivorous diet from mushrooms and roots to live prey and carrion. Their favorite foods include acorns and beech nuts, sources of fat and protein needed to weather cold winters. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series - Germanic Mythology Adventures In China, the Boar is the twelfth of the twelve animal zodiac signs. The year of the Boar is one of abundance, wealth and luck. It's said when the zodiac is formed, the Creator invites twelve animals to influence the years. The Rat is in charge of distributing invitations. Horse in Dreams - Meaning of Horses Reiker For Hire, Victorian Era & Nixies Lindwyrm, Mare & Pig Demons: German Myth Sylvia Rose Books On the list is the Cat. The Rat conveniently forgets to invite the Cat. Thus the Creator sends a messenger to Earth to bring the first animal encountered to the heavens. The messenger sees a plump porker. In this way the Pig or Boar takes a place as the final zodiac sign. Slavic River Spirits & Roman Gods House Spirits of Germanic Mythology Baltic Ancient Mythology & Folklore Back to Top

Neolithic salt production in Europe centers around sites such as Solnitsata in today's Bulgaria, and Lunca (Poiana Slatinei), Romania. Lunca is the first known salt production site dating c. 6000 BCE. Solnitsata, a citadel town, also grows rich from salt trade. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Solnitsata - Neolithic Salt Trade Town Dniester River Neolithic Civilization Salt Trade - the Most Precious Mineral While Solnitsata is the earliest known town in history, settled c. 7000 BCE, Lunca yields the first known salt production dating to 6000 BCE. Both centers are crucial to economic, community and personal welfare. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure As Solnitsata dominates the Balkans, Lunca fills needs of people like the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture, the largest Neolithic settlement group in history. With up to three thousand buildings, each settlement houses 20,000 - 46,000 people. Terrazzo Floors & Neolithic Masons Çatalhöyük (Catalhoyuk) Neolithic Anatolia Cyprus: Prehistoric Humans & Pygmy Hippos Other Neolithic groups of the area include the Bug-Dniester culture (c. 6300-5500 BCE); the Körös culture in regions of today's Hungary; the Dnieper-Donets (c. 5000-4200 BCE); as well as the Azov, Surskaya and Priazovskaya. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Along Dniester River from Odesa on the Black Sea, the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture at first extracts salt from earth-born brine springs. As the population grows so does demand. Salt is essential for the large settlements. Dnieper (Dnipro) River: Early Humans Thrace - Tribal Mythology & Lore Vistula River: Early Tribes & Trade Cucuteni-Trypillia sites with thousands of citizens need c. 36,000 - 100,000 kg of salt per year. Extracting salt from the Black Sea might occur to curious minds, but saline level is low due to abundant freshwater feeds such as Dnipro (Dnieper), Dniester and Danube Rivers. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series - Germanic Mythology Adventures The salinity of the Black Sea's surface waters is 17-18 parts per thousand, compared to ocean levels (33-37 ppt). The Mediterranean has 38% ppt. There, early people find saline plants and olives in abundance. Salt production happens later, by Phoenicians or Romans. Rise of the Phoenicians - Early Years Thrace - Warfare, Slavery & Music Tin Trade Routes - Ancient Networks The Black Sea has only one narrow outlet, at the Bosporus Strait, which connects through the Sea of Marmara (marble, after the rock found there), to the Mediterranean. Thus waters of the Black Sea doesn't mix and heavier brine sinks to create an anoxic layer. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The Black Sea has a layer of fresh to brackish between 100-200 m (328-656 ft), with higher saline in the oxygen-deprived water below. For Neolithic people, salt production from the Black Sea in infeasible. Baltic Aetsi & the Roman Amber Texts Laima - Baltic Fate Goddess Hippomancy: Sacred Horse Divination Sylvia Rose Books As consumption of fruit and grains predominates, humans eat less meat and fish. As a result the people have lower salt intake and need to supplement. Cows also need extra salt for prolific milk production. Bovines and other livestock are still given salt blocks today. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Wild animals visit salt licks or natural salt pans, evaporated salt pools or lakes. Ancient hunters wait by these places for prey. A salt lick, also called a mineral lick, provides animals with essential sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, zinc and other minerals. Ammurapi - The Last King of Ugarit Lukka: Bronze Age Warrior Sea People Arcadia - Greek Lands of Ancient Gods Sylvia Rose Books A mineral lick can also act as a treatment for toxins some plants release on being eaten. Tropical fruit bats visit salt licks when pregnant to make up the salt lacking in their primary food, figs. Other animals using licks include deer, mountain goats, porcupines and sheep. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series - Germanic Mythology Adventures Evidence of late Neolithic salt production dates to 3766 - 3647 BCE in Yorkshire, Britain. The site centers on production of salt from the water of the North Sea, brought from a location 4 km (2.5 mi) away. Procedure is the same as that in the earlier Black Sea region. Owl - Death, Messages, Mystic Wisdom Figs - Food of the Ancient World Ugarit Royal Palace: Romancing the Ruins Sylvia Rose Books Salt springs form when ground water percolates down through salt-bearing rocks. Water dissolves the salt. Hydrostatic pressure or gravity of ground water at a higher elevation pushes salt water through fissures and cracks to emerge as salt springs at a lower level. These are the major sources of salt. Early people produce salt on a household, community or mass production scale. The salty water is boiled in vessels of briquetage, a rough or coarse type of pottery. Urnfield Culture: Bronze & Iron Age Europe Sinope: Poison, Honey, Greeks & Clay Hahhima - Deadly Hittite Frost Demon Sylvia Rose Books Due to demand, some Neolithic potters specialize in briquetage pots. The pottery wheel doesn't yet exist and vessels are hand-shaped. The thick walls of the pots have a smooth interior often lined with kaolin clay. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series - Germanic Mythology Adventures The outer vessel is rough and may be coated with clay and straw to help the vessel retain heat. For industrial manufacture the pots are placed close together in a fire pit. The boiled salt water evaporates to a thick brine, which is transferred to a smaller briquetage vessel. Kaolinite: White Pigment with Benefits Thrace - Tribal Mythology & Lore Silver - Queen of Precious Metals Sylvia Rose Books The water evaporates and salt crystalizes inside the vessel. The briquetage vessel is broken away to reveal a hard crumbly cake of salt. An archaeological find of briquetage sherds points to salt production in the past. Nature Spirits of German Mythology Lake Van: Fate of a Primeval Salt Lake Natron - Ancient Embalming & Household Salts Back to Top

The Cucuteni-Trypillia culture is a Neolithic and Copper Age archaeological group (c. 5500 - 2750 BCE) of SE Europe. From the Carpathians to the fertile Dniester and Dnieper river valleys, the people spread through the lands. Trade and building boom. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Dnieper (Dnipro) River: Early Humans Vistula River: Early Tribes & Trade Horses, Alps & Amazons: the Caucasus Sylvia Rose Books Regions center on modern-day Moldova, parts of western Ukraine and NE Romania. The group ranges over an area of 350,000 km2 (140,000 sq mi), with a diameter of 500 km (300 mi) approximately from Kyiv in the northeast to Brașov in the southwest. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Most Cucuteni–Trypillia settlements are modest in size, spaced c. 3-4 km (c. 1.8 - 2.5 mi) apart. Greatest populations inhabit the Siret, Prut and Dniester River Valleys. The Cucuteni Civilization (c. 5500 - 3500 BCE) is the oldest confirmed European civilization. Black Sea: Stone Age & Early History Çatalhöyük (Catalhoyuk) Neolithic Anatolia Cyprus: Prehistoric Humans & Pygmy Hippos Sylvia Rose Books Pottery remains from the early period are rare. Those found indicate the vessels are fired in a kiln. Use of pottery kilns goes back to c. 8000 BCE. Neolithic pottery varies widely over time and region. Early salt production uses briquetage pottery vessels. Briquetage first appears in the 5th millennium BCE, as salt trade expands to industrial proportions. Evidence indicates the Cucuteni - Trypillia culture extracts salt from earth-born springs. European Grass Snake: Nature & Lore Lucifer, Venus & Anti-Gods of Mythology Silver - Queen of Precious Metals In the Black Sea regions, one of the first known salt works is at Poiana Slatinei, near the village of Lunca (Vânători-Neamț), Romania. It's first used in the early Neolithic, around 6050 BCE. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The oldest known town in the world is Solnitsata, a contemporary salt trade site off the Black Sea coast of today's Bulgaria. The salt comes from mineral springs rising up in the ground. Along with amber, flint and obsidian, salt is among the earliest items traded. Baltic Amber - Gold of the North Obsidian: Ancient Volcanic Black Glass Solnitsata - Neolithic Salt Trade Town Sylvia Rose Books During its middle phase (c. 4000 to 3500 BC), the Cucuteni–Trypillia populations build the largest settlements in Neolithic Europe. Thousands are found, some with up to 3000 buildings, altogether inhabited by 20,000 to 46,000 people. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series - Germanic Mythology Adventures Some settlements are rebuilt multiple times on earlier levels of habitation, preserving shape and orientation of the older buildings. The Poduri site in Romania reveals thirteen habitation levels constructed on top of each other over many years. Vistula Lagoon Baltic Nature & History Ugarit Royal Palace: Romancing the Ruins Kulla - God of Bricks & Building Sylvia Rose Books Neolithic settlements favor a longhouse style of building. In the north, timber is plentiful. In some areas the wattle and daub method is popular, using woven wood or reed pieces smoothed with sticky clay and animal dung, which dries waterproof. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Whitewash might be used on the inside or outside of houses. Thick slaked lime is common in Neolithic construction as in later monumental building. White buildings gleam like jewels in the sun and reflect heat, keeping the interior cool. White Pigments of Ancient Artisans Electrum: Metal of Money & Myth Urnfield Bronze & Iron Age Burials Sylvia Rose Books Rivers in the Ukraine and area reveal substantial iron ore. Although iron is worked from found meteorites, the Neolithic people have little use for the metal, as smelting technology is still in process. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series - Germanic Mythology Adventures At first, iron is slag from smelting copper. Even in the Iron Age the preferred metal is bronze, until weapons of steel appear, the first in c. 1800 BCE Anatolia. In the Neolithic the rich, naturally occurring iron oxide reds find use in red ocher decor paint, body decor and ritual. Red Ocher (Ochre) Ancient Pigments Cyclades Islands: Paradise of Ancients Nature Spirits of German Mythology Sylvia Rose Books The red ochers are a great influence in art such as as some of the vibrant pottery produced by the Cucuteni people. In the Upper Dniester are found about 30 burials with ochre either covering the body, or placed as chunks in the grave. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series - Germanic Mythology Adventures Graves of ocher burials also contain remains of wooden floors or ceilings. Burials with ochre in the Upper Dniester region date to c. 2500 BCE are influenced by the widespread Yamna culture of the Pontic-Caspian steppe. Ancient Cultures: Yamnaya Steppe People Copper: Ruddy Metal of Myth & Magic Gnomes: Earth Spirits of Renaissance Mythology Sylvia Rose Books Besides being skilled potters the early people of the Dniester River are expert metallurgists and play a strong role in bringing the region into the Chalcolithic Age. Trade conducted with other cultures such as those of the Dnipro includes pottery and metals. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure While no textiles are found at the Dniester sites it's not surprising due to the impermanence of fabrics over thousands of years. Fabric weave impressions appear on pottery and evidence of looms, weaving and even a type of knitting attest to textile creation. Corycian Caves, Bee Nymphs & Greek Gods Sinope: Poison, Honey, Greeks & Clay Lora Ley - Book Three - The Swan Maidens Sylvia Rose Books The Danube and Dniester river drainages are a part of a single ancient watercourse. Together they make up the largest river basin system in the Western Pontic basin (Pontic-Caspian Steppe). Most the Neolithic settlements are near rivers, with a few on plateaus. Early dwellings are pit houses, dug fully or partially into the ground. Above-ground houses appear shortly after, with floors and hearths of clay. Walls are wattle and clay, with roofs of thatched straw or reeds. Blacksmiths: Iron, Metal, Gods & Myth After the Ice Age - Neolithic Builders Slavic River Spirits & Roman Gods Sylvia Rose Books In Cucuteni-Trypillian culture a burdei house (above - a later Mennonite house in Kansas, USA, common Neolithic architecture style) has a wooden floor about 1.5 m (5 ft) below ground. The roof is slightly higher than ground level. The riverside inhabitants use selective animal and grain breeding; fishing, hunting and foraging. Wheat, rye and peas are common crops. Tools included plows of antler, stone, bone and sharp sticks. The harvest is reaped with scythes of flint-inlaid blades. Song of the Loreley - Lethal Beauty Honey Bees (Apidae): Nature & Myth Mt Nemrut Volcano: Nature & Lore Sylvia Rose Books Tools of flint, rock, clay, wood and bones are used for cultivation and other chores into the Middle Period. Copper axes made from ore mined in Volyn, Ukraine, as well as some deposits along the Dnieper river are found. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Pottery-making still relies on the art of hand-constructed pottery, as the wheel is not in use. Characteristics of the Cucuteni–Trypillia pottery include a monochromic spiral design. Large pear-shaped pottery for storage of grain and other goods is also used. Jet Black - Ancient World Gemstones Queen Eleanor & the Calamitous Crusade Einkorn Wheat - First Domestic Crops Sylvia Rose Books Ceramic statues of female "goddess" figures, animals and house models originating in this period are also found. Grain is milled into flour by quern-stones, round grindstones with a handle or pole attached for rotating. READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Women are potters, textile- and garment-makers, and leaders in community life. Men hunt, herd livestock and make implements of flint, bone, antler and stone. Plant Lore: Stinking Nightshade, Henbane Cattle Goddesses & the Cosmic Cow Garnets - Gemstones of Blood and Life Sylvia Rose Books Clay statues of women, and amulets also date to the Neolithic. Copper bracelets, rings and hooks appear from this time. A hoard of copper items discovered in Cărbuna, Moldova, comes from c. 5000 BCE. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Of livestock, cattle take precedence, with smaller numbers of swine, sheep and goats. Domestication of the horse beings during the later Cucuteni–Trypillia culture. Horse remains are found at settlements. Horses are regularly hunted as prey before being domesticated. Thrace - Warfare, Slavery & Music Black Pigments of Ancient Artisans Milk & Dairy: Ancient Lactose Gene Sylvia Rose Books The Dniester Estuary or Dniester Liman forms at the Black Sea coast. A natural lagoon caused by a sedimentary spit at the river mouth, the Dniester Liman is 42.5 km (26.4 mi) long and 12 km (7.5 mi) wide, and shallow. with maximum depth of 2.7m (8.8 ft). The Dniester Liman is the closest open body of water to landlocked Moldova; only 3 km of Ukrainian territory separates Moldova from the Black Sea. On the spit separating the liman from the open Black Sea to the south is the resort town of Zatoka. Horse in Dreams - Meaning of Horses Mad Honey - What's the Buzz? Old Prussians of the Baltic Coast Sylvia Rose Books Entering the Bronze Age c. 3300 - 3000 BCE During the late period, the Cucuteni-Trypillia territory expands considerably. Members of the Cucuteni-Trypillia along the coastal regions near the Black Sea encounter other cultures. Animal husbandry advances, hunting declines and horses become more important. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries The end of the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture is vague. One theory holds that aggressive Yamnaya destroy them in a succession of raids. In the Bronze Age there is definitely a change from the development of farming societies to building of hill forts and defenses. Sailing - Bronze Age Sails & Sailcloth Gold - Precious Metal of the Sun Hathor: Cosmic Cow Goddess of Ancient Egypt Sylvia Rose Books On the spit of the Dniester Liman is the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi fortress, a medieval citadel. It's built 13-14th century on the remains of ancient Greek Tyras. A city on the north coast of the Black Sea, Tyras prospers until destroyed by tribal onslaughts by c. 400. Megaliths & Building at Gobekli Tepe Immortal - Quest for the Elixir of Life Sun Goddesses of World Mythology Back to Top

Dnieper (Dnipro) River is one of most important waterways of ancient European trade and travel. Since the early Stone Age, from the sedge bogs of the Valdai Hills to the Black Sea deltas, the Dnieper river valley is part of a Neolithic trade network. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Baltic Amber - Gold of the North Vistula River: Early Tribes & Trade Solnitsata - Neolithic Salt Trade Town Sylvia Rose Books Important cultural groups begin to emerge in the early Neolithic at the Black Sea and its nourishing rivers. Water and overland routes for trade and travel form by c. 7000 BCE. In the Dnieper region are prominent Neolithic / Chalcolithic societies including Dnieper-Donets culture - c. 5000 - 4200 BCE Sredny Stog culture - c. 4300 - 3300 BCE ... and regional interactive settlements. Vistula Lagoon Baltic Nature & History Christmas Oranges & Yule Fruits Lake Van: Fate of a Primeval Salt Lake Sylvia Rose Books The Dnieper-Donets culture succeeds the Kunda and Butovo. It marks the emergence of Neolithic foragers and the end of the Mesolithic period in the region. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Human remains from graves of the Dnieper-Donets culture are classified as "Proto-Europoid". They are characterized as late Cro-Magnons with more massive features than the Mediterranean people of the Balkan Neolithic. Terrazzo Floors & Neolithic Masons Neolithic Skull Cults & Ritual Skulls After the Ice Age - Neolithic Builders Sylvia Rose Books The average male is 172 cm (5 ft 6-7 in) in height, much taller than men of contemporary Neolithic groups. Rugged physical traits are thought to genetically influence later Indo-European peoples. The Balts for example are described as large with strong features. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series "Massive broad-faced proto-Europoid type is a trait of post-Mariupol cultures, Sredniy Stog, as well as the Pit-grave culture of the Dnieper’s left bank, the Donets, and Don. The features of this type are somewhat moderated in the western part of the steppe... Thrace - Tribal Mythology & Lore Slavic River Spirits & Roman Gods Old Prussians of the Baltic Coast Sylvia Rose Books All the anthropological types of the Pit-grave culture population have indigenous roots... The heir of the Neolithic Dnieper–Donets and Sredniy Stog cultures was the Pit-grave culture. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Its population possessed distinct Europoid features, was tall, with massive skulls. The second component were the descendants of those buried in the Eneolithic cemetery of Khvalynsk. They are less robust." Kuzmina, Elena E. (2007). Mallory, J. P. (ed.). The Origin of the Indo-Iranians Thrace - Warfare, Slavery & Music Black Sea: Stone Age & Early History Salt Trade - the Most Precious Mineral Sylvia Rose Books From the Black Sea the Dnieper is navigable for about 2000 km (1200 mi). In ancient times several sets of rapids must be portaged by traders and travelers. Moving boats and cargo over land creates a target as roving bandits await the opportunity to strike. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series Like many proto-Neolithic and Stone Age groups, Dnieper-Donets is a hunter-gatherer culture. In early stages of coalescence they live from hunting, fishing and foraging. The people hunt aurochs, elk, deer, boar, fox, wildcat, hare, bear and onager. Cult of the Bull - Prehistoric Aurochs Great Brown Bear - Nature, Spirituality & Lore Neman River - Nature, History, Lore Sylvia Rose Books More than 200 sites attest to the Dnieper–Donets culture, a Mesolithic and later Neolithic group north of the Black Sea. Signs of the Dnieper-Donets (Dnieper Don) date to c. 5000 - 4200 BCE. They settle into agricultural lifestyles c. 4200 BCE. Signs of millet, wheat and pulses such as peas are found. Evidence of local production of goods is lacking, and finds of exotic grave wares suggest trade with the Caucasus. Horses, Alps & Amazons: the Caucasus Aetsi: Boars, Snakes & Baltic Amber Ugarit Royal Palace: Romancing the Ruins Sylvia Rose Books Sredny Stog is a pre-kurgan (pre-mound burial) archaeological culture from the 5th - 4th millennium BCE. It's named for the Dnieper river islet of today's Serednii Stih, romanized Sredny Stog in Ukraine, where the culture first appears. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries A Chalcolithic or Copper Age society, the people settle by the banks of the Dnieper. Using the river they trade with the agricultural Cucuteni–Trypillian advanced pottery culture in the west, in today's Romania and Ukraine. Hünenburg: Bronze Age European Trade Hub Stone Age Botai - First Horse People Copper: Ruddy Metal of Myth & Magic Sylvia Rose Books Serednii Stih and related groups are part of the circum-Pontic trade network c. 4700 - 4200 BCE. Copper, salt and other items travel through sites on the west Pontic coast, northeast Anatolia, North Caucasus, and the Samara region on the middle Volga. Fish are plentiful including perch, pike, zander, bream, carp and sturgeon. European beaver, river otter, turtles, grass snakes, frogs, freshwater mussels and clams populate the shallow waters and shorelines. Regional predators include the brown bear and Eurasian lion. Ancient Wild Predators - Eurasian Lion Kulullu - Fish Man Monster of Tiamat Baltic Aetsi & the Roman Amber Texts Sylvia Rose Books Early trade includes furs, hides, skins and pelts; flint; bone or flint utensils such as needles, fishhooks and hand axes. River plants can yield fibers, food and reeds for woven bags. Spices, amber, animals, grains, obsidian and salt are also traded. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Honey and honey mead come from domestic hives and home brewing. Honeybees are domesticated c. 7000 BCE. Honey mead is the oldest alcoholic beverage, naturally made of fermented honey and water and perhaps first discovered by foragers of abandoned hives. Honey Mead: Most Ancient Ambrosia Casting the Bones - Astragalomancy Honey Bees (Apidae): Nature & Myth Sylvia Rose Books The earliest boats are dugout style vessels among cultures with plenty of wood, rafts, and reed canoe type watercraft. The oldest boat known is the Pesse canoe in the Netherlands. It's a dugout made from the trunk of a Pinus sylvestris, the Scots or Scotch pine, Baltic pine, or European red pine. Small boats like these develop for marshes, rivers and seacoasts. They're paddle-powered or poled. The mast and sail are early Bronze Age innovations. Sailing - Bronze Age Sails & Sailcloth Gold - Precious Metal of the Sun Wine God Liber: Liberty & Liberal Libation Sylvia Rose Books Serednii Stih sometimes inter the dead in burial complexes or necropoli. Cremation is also practiced. Burial goods include flint blades and personal items. In some graves are anthropomorphic ‘scepters’ of unknown function. Rivers, lakes and natural springs are seen as sacred places. Rituals and sacrifice might take place near a water source, especially in a natural rock formation or cave. The Corycian Caves in Greece have similar purpose. Burial sites are often near water. Corycian Caves, Bee Nymphs & Greek Gods Aruna, Hittite God of the Sea Lukka: Bronze Age Warrior Sea People Sylvia Rose Books The Dnieper is the fourth-longest river in Europe after the Volga, Danube and Ural. It has up to 32,000 tributaries and is fed by 89 full-sized rivers. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Apart from the perils of the rapids, the river is broad, slow and gentle as it curves toward the northwest coast of the Black Sea. It's abundant in fish and water life and cultivates a diverse ecosystem. German Myth: Father Rhine River God Electrum: Metal of Money & Myth Silver - Queen of Precious Metals Sylvia Rose Books While early religion centers on nature, the namesake god of the river comes into being with later Greco-Roman travelers. They call the river Borysthenes, and also apply the name to a river deity of their own. The name Borysthenes comes from a Scythian name meaning either Baurastāna or "yellow place," Baurustāna or "place of beavers." Ox Hide Ingots - Bronze Age Trade Rhododendron & the Toxic Ambrosia Humbaba: Giant Mountain Forest Man Sylvia Rose Books The second version refers to mantles of beaver skins worn by the Iranic water goddess Arəduuī Sūrā Anāhitā or Anahita. A divinity of the waters, she's associated with fertility, healing and wisdom. Her symbol is the lotus flower. READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series The Greeks see Anahita as a daughter of the river god Borysthenēs (their name for the Dnieper) in Scythian mythology. It's also the alternate name for the site later to become Odessa, not far from the Dnieper river mouth. Baba Yaga - Slavic Forest Witch Oder River: Nature & Early People Rhinestones: Treasures of the Rhine Sylvia Rose Books Its mouth, called Dnieper Liman, is a swampy delta on a long inlet of the Black Sea. A liman, a type of lagoon, forms when river outlets back up due to sediment or other blockage at the mouth, restricting water outflow. The broad river valley is up to 18 km (11 mi) in width. The river itself is 200 - 1200 m (656 - 3400 ft) wide. Below Cherkasy the Dnipro splits into smaller streams, forming island and shoals. Depth varies from 1.5 - 12 m (5 - 40 ft). Curonian Freshwater Baltic Sea Lagoon Potrimpo - Baltic Sea God of Grain Before the Vikings - Early Northern Cultures Sylvia Rose Books Cool and dry climate conditions c. 4200 - 3900 BCE causes a scattered migration. In the 4th millennium BCE, Serednii Stih society splits into local steppe and forest-steppe people. In the forest steppes of the Dnipro River Valley, the people turn to a more sedentary life, settling into agriculture and animal husbandry. Steppe groups for the most part remain nomadic traders. By c. 3500 BCE use of wagons increases trade and travel. Sinope: Poison, Honey, Greeks & Clay Žaltys: Sacred Snake & Serpent Queen Immortal - Quest for the Elixir of Life Sylvia Rose Books Progressive agrarian influences on the steppe from the Trypillia and Maikop cultures lead to the evolution the Zhyvotylivka-Vovchansk cultural group. About the same time, the Yamnaya culture begins to emerge. Dnieper Vital Statistics The Dnipro River is between 2145 km (1333 mi) and 2201 km (1368 mi) long. 485 km (301 mi) are in Russia. 700 km (430 mi) are in Belarus. 1,095 km (680 mi) are in Ukraine. Taweret - Hippopotamus Goddess of Egypt Minoan Genius (Genii) Helper Spirits Butzemann, Witches & Nyx - Scare 'em Good Sylvia Rose Books Its basin covers 504,000 sq km (195,000 sq mi), with 289,000 km2 (112,000 sq mi) in Ukraine, and 118,360 km2 (45,700 sq mi) in Belarus. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries The source of the Dnieper River are the sedge bogs (Akseninsky Mokh) of the Valdai Hills in central Russia, at an elevation of 220 m (720 ft). For 115 km (71 mi) of its length, the Dnieper is the border between Belarus and Ukraine. Broad Beans (Fava) - Bronze Age Crops Romanesque - Magic of Light & Stone Curse of the Evil Eye & Apotropaic Magic Sylvia Rose Books The Valdai Hills are the source of many rivers including Volga, Daugava, Lovat, Msta, Dnieper and Syas. The rivers flow into drainage basins of the Caspian Sea (Volga), Black Sea (Dnieper), and Baltic Sea. Immortal - Quest for the Elixir of Life Warrior Queen: Kriemhild of the Burgundians Reiker For Hire, Victorian Era & Nixies Back to Top

The Vistula River is among the most important rivers of Europe. From its source in the Carpathian Mountains, the river travels north to empty into the Baltic Sea. In ancient times the Vistula is part of the lucrative Amber Roads trade network. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Bronze Age Europe - the Amber Roads Solnitsata - Neolithic Salt Trade Town Neman River - Nature, History, Lore Sylvia Rose Books Vital Statistics The Vistula is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at 1,047 km (651 mi) in length. Its drainage basin, extending to three other countries covers 193,960 km2 (74,890 sq mi), of which 168,868 km2 (65,200 sq mi) is in Poland. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in the south of Poland, 1,220 meters (4,000 ft) above sea level in the Silesian Beskids (western part of Carpathian Mountains), where it begins with the White Little Vistula (Biała Wisełka) and the Black Little Vistula (Czarna Wisełka). Vistula Lagoon Baltic Nature & History Old Prussians of the Baltic Coast European Grass Snake: Nature & Lore Sylvia Rose Books Vistula flows through Poland's largest cities, including Kraków, Sandomierz, Warsaw, Płock, Włocławek, Toruń, Bydgoszcz, Świecie, Grudziądz, Tczew and Gdańsk. The river empties into Vistula Lagoon (Zalew Wiślany) or Gdańsk Bay of the Baltic Sea. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventures At the Baltic Sea the Vistula splits into six main branches (Leniwka, Przekop, Śmiała Wisła, Martwa Wisła, Nogat and Szkarpawa). The latter two feed the Vistula Lagoon, separated from the Bay of Gdansk and the Baltic Sea by a narrow sand dune spit. Žaltys: Sacred Snake & Serpent Queen Vistula Lagoon Baltic Nature & History Baltic Ancient Mythology & Folklore Sylvia Rose Books The last glacial period in northern Europe, c. 100,000 - 10,000 BCE, is called the Weichselian glaciation after the German name for the river, Weichsel. As the ice melts, rivers form along the edges of retreating glaciers and in valleys. Nature, Myth & History History of the Vistula and its valley begins in the Quaternary period, 2 million years ago. The climate is colder. In the last million years ice sheets enter the area of Poland eight times, continually changing the course of the river. Hünenburg: Bronze Age European Trade Hub Cyprus: Prehistoric Humans & Pygmy Hippos Aetsi: Boars, Snakes & Baltic Amber Sylvia Rose Books In the warmer periods between glaciations, the Vistula deepens and widens its valley. The present shape of the river forms within the last 14,000 years, after the complete retreat of ice sheet. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The melt and movement of the glaciers create a complex network of waterways and wetlands. After c. 10,000 BCE the temperature rises about four degrees, and life grows in places once claimed by ice. Humans wander north in hunter-gatherer societies. Fire Men & Lights Errant: German Lore Oder River: Nature & Early People Neolithic Europe - Danube Valley Culture Sylvia Rose Books The Vistula River is a significant trade route since Neolithic times. As the Amber Roads begin to take shape, traders and travelers make their way down the Vistula, Oder, Elbe and Neman rivers, along mysterious channels and overland through deep forests. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventures Rivers are the ancient highways. Trade routes can run as far south as the Black Sea and from there along the coast, long before the Greeks start of establish Black Sea colonies c. 6th century BCE. The Black Sea opens trade to the Mediterranean. Black Sea: Stone Age & Early History Cattle Goddesses & the Cosmic Cow Bosporus: Black Sea Nature & Greek Myth Sylvia Rose Books The earliest boats are dugouts and river rafts where timber is plentiful. Reed boats appear in early civilizations such as in Mesopotamia, waterproofed with bitumen, itself a strong trade item. READ - Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries By the early Bronze Age watercraft evolve to accommodate multiple rowers, steering rudder and a mast with single maneuverable sail. Boats develop for work, war and trade. Bitumen - Tarry Trade in Perfect Pitch Casting the Bones - Astragalomancy Sailing - Bronze Age Sails & Sailcloth Sylvia Rose Books Many gradually settle into communities with longhouses and at least one outer wall. The people farm, but much of their attention is given to raising livestock, raiding and hunting. Rye wheat (Secale), potatoes and broad beans do well in the northern climate. Growing season is short and winters can be lethal. Unlike the more temperate south the Baltic north creates an environment where the hardiest survive. Fairy Rings, Moon & Nature Magic Great Bear - Nature, Spirituality & Lore Lake Van: Fate of a Primeval Salt Lake Sylvia Rose Books As a result, the people on the Baltic shores at the time of written record (Tacitus, Germania, 98 CE) are robust farmers and hunters, hearty partiers and ferocious warriors. They drink beer, according to Tacitus, but their favorite beverage is mead. People inhabit the Baltic coast and Vistula basin long before the Romans appear in history. Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements in the Vistula vicinity include Babia Góra in SE Poland and sites at Jawiszowice. Bronze Age - Corded Ware Culture Urnfield Culture: Bronze & Iron Age Europe Honey Mead: Most Ancient Ambrosia Sylvia Rose Books Corded Ware, Tumulus, Urnfield and Lusatian people occupy the region in the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. Here the Iron Age begins later, c. 500 BCE, after the Nordic Bronze Age (c. 1700 - 500 BCE). Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The Vistula Basin along with the lands of the Rhine, Danube, Elbe, and Oder are named Magna Germania by 1st century CE by authors such as Tacitus. The inhabitants aren't all Germanic people and the contemporary sources are vague. Tumulus Culture - Nordic Bronze Age Lusatians - Nordic Bronze Age Cultures Ugarit Royal Palace: Romancing the Ruins Sylvia Rose Books Tacitus himself admits confusion over the concept. The Romans don't conquer Germania and never arrive at the Baltic. Writers like Tacitus receive second-hand information from tradespeople, resettled tribes or captives. The picture of the Baltic north is murky. Ptolemy, writing in the time of Hadrian in the second century CE, describes the Vistula as the border between Germania and Sarmatia. The Sarmatians are nomadic horse people of the Ukrainian Steppe. Lands of tribal societies become more detailed. See MAP Velnias - Baltic Devil God of Death Nimrod: Lord of Chaos & Creation Gods of Ugarit c. 1800 - 1200 BCE Sylvia Rose Books Later attestations to tribal cultures along the Vistula include the Gepidae; the Gutones, possibly Goths; Lugii and Burgundiones; and the Rugii at the coast. To the north are the Aesti in Lithuania and the Sitones, a society apparently run by man-hating women. READ - Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries The Baltic Sea - Vistula - Dnieper - Black Sea route with its rivers is part of the Amber Roads, the most ancient trade routes of Europe. Amber and other items are traded from Northern Europe to various destinations including Greece, ancient near East and Egypt. Baltic Aetsi & the Roman Amber Texts Amber Trade - Bronze Age on the Baltic Wild Women and Winter Tales Sylvia Rose Books A recent find of Baltic amber in Spain dates back to the 4th millennium BCE. While the Vistula isn't the only way to the balmy south, it's one of the most important. Trade items besides amber include spices, fabric, furs, copper, salt, obsidian and flint. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventures For centuries the Vistula is subject to severe floods from various causes, including rain, snow melt and ice jams. Land in some areas is depopulated by floods, and later resettled. Salt Trade - the Most Precious Mineral Copper: Ruddy Metal of Myth & Magic Primeval Deities: Goddess of the Dawn Sylvia Rose Books A famous fairy tale about the Vistula is the story of the Wawel dragon. This dragon lives beneath the town, stealing animals and young women to eat. The King offers his daughter in marriage to any who could slay the dragon. Many heroes become roast hero sandwiches. Finally a young shoemaker arrives at the castle. He fills a skin with salt and puts it at the entrance to the dragon's lair. The dragon gobbles it up. Then it becomes terribly thirsty. Jet Black - Ancient World Gemstones Mushussu - Snake Dragon Animal of Marduk Lotan - Chaos Sea Dragon of Ugarit Sylvia Rose Books It rushes to the Vistula to quench its thirst, but can't drink enough water. The dragon drinks so much water it swells up and explodes. The shoemaker gets the princess, and the whole country celebrates. READ - Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries 16th century folklore centers around Princess Wanda, who becomes queen of the Poles upon her father's death. She refuses to marry a German prince, who then invades Poland. Wanda throws herself into the Vistula and drowns to be sure he won't invade Poland again. Electrum: Metal of Money & Myth Erinyes - Vengeful Women of Ancient Greece German Myth: Lindwyrm, Mare & Pig Demons Sylvia Rose Books In Slavic paganism, female water spirits are similar to Greek naiads or Germanic nixies. They can be white (benevolent) or black (malevolent). Beautiful young women who sometimes enchant men, they may be called Boginki, Navki, Rusalki, and Vily. Nature Spirits of German Mythology Sphinx - Mythical Monster of Ancients Slavic River Spirits & Roman Gods

The mystic Dragon is among the plentiful Harvest Spirits, nature spirits and legendary creatures in Germany. Appearing in various shapes and sizes, German nature spirits can be wild, domestic or mythical entities. They manifest as people, hybrids and shape-shifters; weather elements such as fire and whirlwinds; dragons and demons. READ:  The Corn Spirits - Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - Book Five See also: German Myth - Harvest Spirits Bashmu (Bašmu): Voracious Serpent Dragon Scorpion Men of Babylonia Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle Dragons are found throughout the known world. In China the dragon is the most auspicious of creatures. As well as lion dancers every Chinese New Year celebration features dragons, even in non-dragon years. Dragon signifies prosperity because it guards and increases wealth. The Lindwyrm of German forest folklore is a snake-like type of dragon who may be helpful or hungry. It's said the Lindwyrm takes its tail in its mouth like the ouroboros and rolls as a wheel to catch its human prey. The Ouroboros is also associated with alchemy. See also: German Myth - Harvest Spirits 2 Ambrosia: Divine Nectar & Immortal Gods Giant Cinnamon Birds of Arabia Today's Zazzle Specials Smashwords Books The dragon Fafnir guards a treasure as told in the Middle High German (c. 1200) epic Nibelungenlied. The action takes place in c. 7th century AD. The dragon is slain by Siegfried, a story revisited in the Lora Ley novel Nibelung. Associated with wisdom and prosperity, the Dragon can be a boon or a curse. Unexplained fires in the fields, sheaves, barn or other outbuildings may indicate the presence of a Dragon. See also: German Myth - Harvest Spirits 3 Ushumgallu: Dragon Lion Snake Sukkal Mušḫuššu - Snake Dragon Animal of Marduk Today's Zazzle Specials Smashwords Books The Fire Dragon is formidable as one spark can create create rampant flames of destruction. This dragon appears in times of drought or dry seasons. A more extroverted type of Dragon, it can also show up as rays of the sun and cause sunburn. READ:  The Corn Spirits - Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - Book Five Dragon harvest spirits can be small and feisty, big and brash, or appear as rolling waves in the wheat or a cloud of morning fog. They might be heard as a rumble in the ground, or felt as earth tremors. See also: Apep - Primal Chaos God of Egypt Warrior Queen: Kriemhild of the Burgundians Baba Yaga - Slavic Forest Nature Witch Today's Zazzle Specials Smashwords Books Despite the danger, Dragons are welcome at harvest and other times of year as they portend wealth and abundance. In passing through the fields, deep under ground and high in the sky, Dragons enrich the environment with glimmering auras of magic. Earth Dragons bring elements together but are rarely seen. They move through caverns and underground tunnels and may cause sinkholes, earth shaking or emergence of precious metals such as gold. See also: Gold - Precious Metal of the Sun Pomegranate - Food of the Ancients German Myth: Lindwyrm, Mare & Pig Demons Today's Zazzle Specials Smashwords Books These Dragons can sleep a long time. A positive turn of fortunes or increased wealth can signify the presence of an Earth Dragon, but it's also wise to look out for sudden pitfalls. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The Dragon most associated with crops is a shape-shifting harvest spirit in the form of a dragon. It can assume a number of animal forms including cats, dogs, mice, deer, turn into a whirlwind, flame or even a plant. Despite its fire association this type of Dragon isn't among the demonic hierarchy. These dragons are among the fantastic creatures who participate in the Wild Hunt. See also: Lotan - Chaos Sea Dragon of Ugarit Erinyes - Vengeful Women of Ancient Greece Abzu - Primal Waters of Creation Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle The Air Dragon appears in the clouds or fog. It's colored in pale hues or white, and is an auspicious sign almost anywhere in the world. Freshwater dragons inhabit lakes, creeks or rivers, and might cause floods or water damage if displeased. An offering of silver on a full moon night can get this recalcitrant creature on your side. Saltwater sea dragons are especially ferocious and often represent primordial chaos in creation myths. See also: Lora Ley Adventures - Feast of Fools Sprites: Ethereal Creatures of Faerie Tiamat - Queen of Chaos & the Sea Today's Zazzle Specials Smashwords Books While Elemental Dragons aren't true harvest spirits, they can affect the yield and the fortunes of the home owners. Maybe they're just passing by or looking for a quiet place to nap. It's best to treat them all with respect and let sleeping dragons lie. Sometimes the Dragon is really a sorcerer or enchantress on the hunt for riches. They're also not true harvest spirits and if one of these shows up in the fields, it's probably lost. Hide your gold. Dragon is one of the favorite forms for shape-shifters mortal or mystic. See also: Anzû - Mesopotamian Monster of Mayhem Sun Goddesses of World Mythology Curse of the Evil Eye & Apotropaic Magic Today's Zazzle Specials Smashwords Books As a Harvest Spirit the shape-shifter might merge into the last stalks of grain or corn when the reaping comes to an end. The stalks are cut with care and taken into the home, and made into an ornament or doll. It's not advised to put Dragons in the barn, though they will guard against house fires. The end of harvest signals frosty days, and the spirit settles in for a sleep. It stays through the winter in a type of hibernation. When the sun warms the earth, the kernels or seeds left in the doll are symbolically used to start sowing and the spirit goes back to nature. See also: Harvest Spirits: Katzenmann (Cat Man) Eschenfrau: Wicked Ash Tree Woman Pretty Poisons: Holly, Yew, Mistletoe Today's Zazzle Specials Smashwords Books Dragon ornaments, artwork, jewelry, tattoos can bring the power of the Dragon into daily life. Dragon qualities include charisma, confidence, attraction of wealth and mystic wisdom. Precise characteristics depend on the type of Dragon. See also: Nature Spirits of German Mythology German Folklore - Irrwurz or Mad Root Wild Women and Winter Tales Back to Top

Laima is a Baltic goddess of fate. Often part of a goddess triad, she relates to childbirth, marriage and destiny. She's patron of pregnant women. Her sacred tree is the linden (Tilia). Linden is also called the Tree of Love. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure Baltic Ancient Mythology & Folklore Perkūnas: Baltic Storm & Fertility God Curonian Freshwater Baltic Sea Lagoon Sylvia Rose Books Fate Goddesses Laima and her siblings can be compared with the to the Greek Moirai or Norse Norns. The Moirai of Greece are three sisters: Clotho (the spinner), Lachesis (the allotter), and Atropos (the inevitable, or death). Their Roman equivalents are the Parcae. Read: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure The Roman Parcae decide when a person is born, dies, and how much the person suffers in between. The Parcae record the thread of life of every mortal and immortal from birth to death. The gods fear them, for not even immortal gods live forever. Klagefrau: Wailing Woman of German Folklore Žaltys: Sacred Snake & Serpent Queen Rise of Pan: Fertility Goat God Péh₂usōn Sylvia Rose Books In Norse myth the Norns Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld are a similar trio, ruling the destinies of gods and humans. They spin, measure and cut the thread of life. They also connect to law and justice. According to mythologists they define the past, present and future respectively. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventures Another Fate trio is Hurrian Underworld Goddess Allani, who with twins Fate goddesses Hutena and Hutellura form a triad to decide the birth, life and death of humans. The twins also preside at births and are sometimes seen as midwife goddesses. Šassūrātu (Sassuratu): Deific Midwives Kotharat - Bronze Age Birth Goddesses Pazuzu - Demon God of Mesopotamia Sylvia Rose Books Latvia In the myth and folklore of Latvia, the fate deity trinity is composed of Laima and her sisters, Kārta and Dēkla. Laima is the most popular of the three though their duties are similar. Laima is particularly a goddess of luck, mothers and childbirth. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries Dēkla is in charge of children, and Kārta has dominion over the life of an adult. In modern Dievturi (Dievturība) the goddesses are known as the three Laimas, or the same deity in three different aspects. Women of the Wild Hunt: Holle, Diana, Frigg Shakhar & Shalim: Divine Twins of Ugarit Bronze Age Europe - The Amber Roads Sylvia Rose Books Dievturība is among the pagan revival groups returning to nature-based ideas and pre-Christian deific concepts. These are part of the people's daily lives for hundreds of years. In Latvia and Lithuania Christianity isn't introduced until the 13th - 14th century. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventures Laima lives on Earth, and is closely involved in human life. She oversees childbirth and determine the fate of an infant. Birth rituals are given extreme reverence due to the high number of infant and birth mother deaths. Lamashtu, Baby-Eating Demon of Mesopotamia Asherah: Goddess of Childbirth & Fertility Taweret - Hippopotamus Goddess of Egypt Sylvia Rose Books Birth rituals at the end of the 19th century include offerings of hen, sheep, towels or other woven materials to Laima. Only women could participate in the ritual, which is performed in a sauna or bathhouse (pirtis). Traditionally women would give birth in bathhouses. The path leading to a bathhouse is cleansed so Laima can easily make her way to help in the process of giving birth. Victorian Health: Sea Water Hydrotherapy Victorian Crime - Murder in the Cards Fortune Telling - The Mystic Victorian Sylvia Rose Books The mother in labor is ritually cleansed. She and attendants offer prayers and give ritual offerings to Laima. Following a successful birth, married women feast. Laima gets a place of honor in the bathhouse as sign of gratitude. She supports the general well-being of the people. Unmarried girls would once pray to her for good husbands and a happy marriage. Laima also bestows fertility on fields and animals, especially horses. Hippomancy: Sacred Horse Divination Stone Age Botai - First Horse People Pirwa - Horse God of Ancient Hittites Sylvia Rose Books Leima's sacred tree is the linden, a gently fragrant shade tree with heart-shaped leaves giving it the name "Tree of Love". Linden is a symbol of protection, especially of the home; romance, and domestic harmony. Lithuania In Lithuanian mythology, Laima is associated with fate and destiny while Laimė represents luck, and Laumė is a forest fairy guardian of orphans, who lives in the Sky until she feels compassion for the suffering of humans, then descends to earth. European Grass Snake: Nature & Lore Lucifer, Venus & Anti-Gods of Mythology Silver - Queen of Precious Metals Sylvia Rose Books Other related deities include Dalia (fate) and Giltinė (The Reaper). Laima is first mentioned in older written sources collected by Daniel Klein in 1666. READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventures Giltinė the goddess of death is sometimes considered the sister of Laima. She's also called the Reaper; Kaulinyčia, Maras (black death or the Plague), Maro mergos, Kolera, Pavietrė, Kapinių žmogus. Her sacred bird is the owl. Owl - Death, Messages, Mystic Wisdom Hahhima - Deadly Hittite Frost Demon Ugarit Royal Palace: Romancing the Ruins Sylvia Rose Books Laima is a goddess of prophecy (Lithuanian: lemti). She knows how the life of a newborn will be. There may be one Laima, or three. In a triad each Laima might give a contradictory prediction. The final pronouncement is irrevocable. Not even Laima herself can change it. READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries While scholars disagree about the possibility of three such fate goddesses, the concept is familiar in world religion. Some historians consider the belief in predestiny by Laima to create a fatalistic view of Lithuanian religion. Blacksmiths: Iron, Metal, Gods & Myth Slavic River Spirits & Roman Gods Neolithic Europe - Danube Valley Culture Sylvia Rose Books According to Manfred Tietz (1837) the belief of Lithuanians in pre-determined fate makes them fearless warriors. Ancient Germanic tribes are also adherents of predestination and among the fiercest warriors of the known world. Views of the connections differ. Many Christians also believe in predestination. Calvinists even believe in damnation pre-destination. Lutherans are the exception; otherwise all things are decreed by Yahweh (God), such as when one is born, dies, what happens in between. Destiny & Death: Fate in the Ancient World European Grass Snake: Nature & Lore Christmas Oranges & Yule Fruits Sylvia Rose Books Within that scope humans can make decisions, and these decisions plot one's life. Yahweh already knows about it, though. Perhaps this belief in predestination makes the Crusaders, the Teutonic Knights and the Knights Templar such fierce fighters. The Cuckoo Laima relates to Gegutė (cuckoo) which may be an incarnation of the Fate goddess herself. Gegutė is responsible for time and progression of the seasons. The number of her calls can predict the number of years a person has left to live. Stymphalian Birds & Greek Heroics Ornithomancy - Prophecy by the Birds Benu - Ba Heron God of Ancient Egypt Sylvia Rose Books This concept also exists in German lore. Besides longevity the cuckoo is associated with money. In Germany, patting one's pocket or wallet on hearing the bird can bring money. In Lithuania, if one with no money hears a cuckoo, the person will stay poor the rest of the year. In Scotland and France it's unlucky to hear a cuckoo before breakfast. In Germany, Kuckuck is also another name for the devil. Hearing a cuckoo while eating predicts a year of hunger. In Norway, a cuckoo calling from the north is a sign of death. Lotan - Chaos Sea Dragon of Ugarit The Igigi - Why Humans are Created Perkūnas: Baltic Storm & Fertility God Sylvia Rose Books Laima is sometimes found in a triad with Thunderer storm god Perkūnas, and Māra, dawn goddess. Māra is the greatest goddess in Latvian mythology, an ancient deity previously called Austra. In many pagan traditions the dawn goddess ranks even higher than the Sun. Aya - Goddess of Dawn, Mesopotamia Primeval Deities: Goddess of the Dawn Ereshkigal & the Mesopotamian Underworld Back to Top

Harvest spirits appear as animals, people, hybrids, demonic monsters or weather phenomena. Unlike domestic spirits such as the Kobold, harvest spirits are rarely helpful to humans. They might ignore, scare or openly attack people. Children are a favorite target as they wander into the fields to collect cornflowers. Here are the Harvest Spirits Roggenwolf, Cat spirits and Windsbraut. Jump to: Roggenwolf Cat Spirits Windsbraut Harvest spirits are also called Feldgeister (Field Spirits), Korngeister (Grain Spirits), or are named after the grains among which they appear, for example the Roggenwolf (Rye Wolf). Some are shape-shifters and can manifest in almost any form, even Dragons. These are three German harvest spirits commonly found in culture and myth. See also: German Myth - Harvest Spirits Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Book 5 - The Corn Spirits Nature Spirits of German Mythology Usually active in autumn, they inhabit or visit fields of corn, wheat, barley, rye and other grains. In Germanic mythology and folklore harvest spirits dominate the fall season. No matter what their size or appearance, they're powerful entities. Some carry trickster magic, some are demonic and some are just nasty. Even unintentional disrespect to a harvest spirit can bring plagues of tragedy, illness, accidents, fires, storms, whirlwinds and destruction of crops. Upset them, and even cute spirits quickly turn ugly. Sylvia Rose Books 1. Roggenwolf - Rye Wolf Back to Top Appearing in an oat field, it's the Haferwolf, or it may be called Kornwolf (Grain Wolf). Roggenwolf has demonic associations and like most demons enjoys a tasty snack of tender children. Roggenwolf is used as a Kinderschreck to keep kids out of the fields. The Wolf has worked its way through much of Germanic literature and mythology. Roggenwolf is sometimes accorded traits similar to the German werewolf. A person assumes the werewolf traits due to a curse, suicide or tragic death. The condition can't be spread through a bite or scratch. In the Rhineland-Palatinate region, the werewolf is also an Aufhocker, who jumps on the back of a passerby to slowly get heavier. Unlike many harvest spirits, Roggenwolf is openly hostile and brings no benefit to a crop. Its prey is human. The demon wolf roams far and wide. Its eyes glow like hot coals and its voice the ominous rumble of thunder. See also: German Myth - Harvest Spirits Animal Spirits - Wolf, Mouse, Swan Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Book 5 - The Corn Spirits Sylvia Rose Books The Roggenwolf awakens primal fears. This spirit is unlucky to a household or one who sees it, as it can cause fires to rage through house, barn or dry fields and attacks anyone out after dark, ripping out the victim's throat. It kills domestic animals like chickens, sheep and piglets, leaving remains scattered in the yard. Its growls and snarls in a field of ripe grain might be heard at night. Roggenwolf easily works together with other powerful demons such as Hafermann. In the distant past, animal sacrifices were made to appease the wrath of Harvest Demons such as Roggenwolf. Chickens were popular offerings. If it shows up, at least we know it won't stay long. It wanders far in one night, and the human realm is only one of its feeding grounds. 2. Weather Cats and Murrkater - cat spirits of the harvest Back to Top Sylvia Rose Books Male and female cat spirits have different attributes. The Weather Cats are female, also known as Windkatzen (Wind Cats) or Kornkatzen (Grain Cats). When crops bow in waves beneath wind, it's said the Weather Cats are passing through. Generally mild of temper, these animal spirits prefer to avoid human contact and are often seen from a distance. If a Weather Cat is caught in the grain at threshing time, she will flee into the last stalks. The stalks are carefully cut and put in a place of honor in the house, to bring the blessing of the spirit throughout the year, and fair weather for next year's crops. Baltic Ancient Mythology & Folklore Ornithomancy - Prophecy by the Birds Honey Bees (Apidae): Nature & Myth Sylvia Rose Books The Murrkater or grumbling tomcat has a different agenda. It's wise to listen for his rumbling purr in the fields, and avoid him. He likes to catch and eat children looking for cornflowers. A big fat cat, he appears harmless but lures unwary victims close, then tears them to shreds with razor-sharp claws. He rolls in the crop and makes flat spots. If he sprays his scent or urinates on the ground, nothing will grow in that soil. See also: German Myth & Folklore: Elves European Grass Snake: Nature & Lore German Myth - Headless Horseman Weather Cats and the Murrkater can cross through dimensions of life and death. In nature and animal worship, the cat is a shape-shifter with mystic connections. Weather Cats pass through like the winds and usually cause no harm. The best way to appease Murrkater is with a portion of harvest left standing, where he may come to hunt mice instead of children. Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Book 5 - The Corn Spirits 3. Windsbraut - Bride of the Wind Back to Top Windsbraut is usually a female entity but can be any gender. She appears as a whirlwind to steal crops where they stand, sucking up their grains. She has both demonic and sorcerous associations. As a demon her appearance causes chaos. She might arise from a storm or come out of a clear blue sky to wreak havoc on crops. A human with powerful magic, such as a wizard or sorceress, can travel in the form of the Windsbraut. As such, the entity may be less focused on mass destruction and more on personal desire, for example vengeance, treasure, abducting a spouse or servant, or just passing through. This spirit also steals grain to stock the larder. Women of the Wild Hunt: Holle, Diana, Frigg German Myth & Folklore: Moss People Winter Tales - 4 Novellas To protect against Windsbraut, a person throws a knife into the center of the whirlwind. In lore, magic and manifestations of the occult can be disarmed with iron or steel. In some cases the knife must be marked with three crosses. The Windsbraut then dies away or leaves the area. Another protection used against Windsbraut and other damaging harvest spirits is to sow the crop on the perimeter of the field first, then sow in rows. Sylvia Rose Books

Techniques to contact and summon animal spirit guides or totem animals are many. Birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, all living things have wisdom to share and gifts to give, no matter how small they may seem. Attune to the qualities of powerful animal spirit helpers to enhance and cultivate a happy life. Jump to: Pets & Domestic Animals Spirits Wild & Wonderful How to Summon Animal Spirit Guides Animal Spirit Guides Online Opening channels to the spiritual awareness of animal spirits, guides and helpers can deepen understanding of unusual events, behavior or daily life. Familiarity with animal spirit guides eases communication. For beginners, the first animal spirit guide is often a pet, or domestic or wild animal in the vicinity. See also: German Myth - Werewolves German Harvest Spirits - Dragons Magic of Music & Cats Pets & Domestic Animals Back to Top For pets and livestock , the connection is often already made. It just takes a focused mentality, touching or holding the animal like snuggling the cat or hugging the dog or scratching under the chin of the smart little pig of the litter. Natural bonds are strengthened and communication heightened just by interacting with the animal, keeping the mind open to receive energies, thoughts and mental pictures but no expectation of instant gratification. Exploring these psychic or intuitive connections helps reinforce the bond and reach transcendent levels of perception. Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction Series Reiker For Hire Murder Mysteries Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle Away from the animal spirit for a while, it helps to bring a picture, artwork, symbol or energy vessel to carry the essence of the animal and stay attuned. This is one way to maintain or call up a conscious or subconscious link to wild animal spirit guides too. Ways of summoning or communicating with wild animal spirit guides, helpers or totems are different than those used for domestic animal spirits. The wild nature attaches to freedom and the cycles of the seasons. See also: German Traditions - the Linden Tree Reiker For Hire, Victorian Era & Nixies Elves & the Shoemaker - A Fairy Tale Spirits Wild & Wonderful Back to Top Wild animals awaken the untamed inner nature and allow expression of emotions, feelings and thoughts. Some of these spirits are dangerous, such as the bull and mountain lion, who can release strong emotions or elements of chaos. At one time humans existed with other wild animals at the mercy of the natural environment. Animals taught them how to survive, what to wear, how to hunt, what plants to eat and how to respect the land and all her denizens. See also German Nature Folklore - Fruit Trees Happy Friday! Tidbits & Trivia Today's Zazzle Specials Ultimately the practitioner wants to return to the mental state of being in the wild world and a sense of reality in that world. Senses and instincts heighten as the spirit worker opens the paths to a primal place. Even pets and domestic animals come from that essential place and some carry the signs. Working with those animals, the connection is stronger when calling up a recollection or feeling of the wild spirit in all things, an integral part of being. See also: German Myth & Folklore: Imps Happy Wednesday! Tidbits & Trivia Hags in German Myth & Folklore Calling up an ancient ancestor animal can be done in different ways, depending on the animal, its elemental and magical associations. It's also possible to bring up an animal spirit of which the practitioner was unaware. Animal energies flow through and around us on conscious, subconscious and unconscious levels. Some may be passing by and others stay a while. Spirit workers often work with more than one animal energy at a time. These forces are always in flux. See also: Folk Magic: Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) German Myth - Father Rhine River God A Viking Christmas Yule The first set of activities work for both finding a spirit animal and summoning its energy. For those who aren't sure about who the animal spirit is, or want to discover who else is in the area, the ideas below can increase abilities of mental reception. People will also discover their own unique ways. How to Summon Animal Spirit Guides Back to Top Common methods to summon up or contact animal spirit energies include: meditation - in a comfortable place balance inner energies - aligns focus trance work - enter a state of transcendence drumming - especially triplets or triple patterns focus on strengths or abilities desired from the spirit slow progression of single notes on chimes or bells music - people have spiritual connections to the feeling of music, which can mentally enhance harmony and increase positive flow of environmental energy dance - improvisational or expressive, feeling rhythms of the earth & body, focus on connection to higher awareness mind-clarifying crystals such as clear quartz See also: Nature Spirits of German Mythology Elderberry Tree: Germanic Nature Lore Pagan Solstice Fests: Saturnalia For those who already know which animal is desired: dance, sound out, move and act as the animal; perceive world as the animal might draw, sculpt, make art with natural materials, compose music or write about the animal (Mozart wrote starling songs) research or learn more about the animal for new depths of understanding - wisdom of details can give the animal more substance in messages, dreams, meditation make an ornament featuring the animal use an animal spirit altar to focus energies if possible, observe the animal and its traits in the wild Spirit animals don't always jump on command. Bears and other dominant energies, or independent spirits like the cat , may just show up when they feel like it. Others might be wary and it takes a while to build trust. Still others have a trickster side. Patience and awareness are key. Spirits may seek a person out and make themselves known. They appear often in the environment around that person, in books, movies, meditation and dreams. The person might feel a special connection, as this animal has something to say or teach. See also: Happy Tuesday! Tidbits & Trivia Alchemist Dippel: the Frankenstein Files German Myth & Folklore: Elves Shamans may go into deep trance states, delirium or frenzy to seek elucidation through psychoactive elements found in nature, including fly agaric , peyote and stinking nightshade or henbane. It's not necessary to use hallucinogens or other mind-altering substances to contact spirits. Animal Spirit Guides Online Animal Spirits: Doe, Magpie, Wolverine Animal Spirits - Goat, Hare, Falcon Animal Spirits - Frog, Cat, Bull Animal Spirits - Puma, Butterfly, Dog Animal Spirits - Wolf, Mouse, Swan Animal Spirits - Fox, Rooster, Orca Animal Spirits - Horse, Otter, Goose Animal Spirits: Woodpecker, Wasp, Wren ... and more posted regularly. Back to Top