Folklore Fantasy Author. Whimsical optimist, geek -RPG/ LARP. Spent my XP on gothic lit, nature & music. DISSONANCE OF BIRD SONG -out now
@BrigidsGate
🌈she/her
🪺 It’s my Book Birthday, and Dissonance of Bird Song flies off into the world. 🪺
This is for you if you’re a fan of folklore, found family and stories about finding yourself. DoBS is YA fantasy with lots of crossover appeal. 🌊
#fantasybooks
#bookreview
#fairytaletuesday
#sff
In Slavic folklore hedgehogs are the guardians of knowledge and the embodiments of magical power.
They also serve as reminders that kindness and courage come in unexpected forms.
🖼 Tadeusz Lakota, Unsplash
#FolkloreSunday
#WritingCommunity
In Slavic folklore hedgehogs are the guardians of knowledge and the embodiments of magical power. 🦔
They also serve as reminders that kindness and courage come in unexpected forms. 🌿
#FairyTaleTuesday
The collective noun for Goldfinches is a ‘charm’ - from the old English word ‘charme’, alluding to a magic song or spell. They’re sometimes called ‘a troubling’.
In Irish folk belief, Goldfinches are found wherever fairies have their homes.
#FolkloreThursday
#NaturePhotography
The collective noun for Goldfinches is a ‘charm’ - from the old English word ‘charme’, alluding to a magic song or spell. They’re sometimes called ‘a troubling’.
In Irish folk belief, Goldfinches are found wherever fairies have their homes.
#FolkloreThursday
#nature
#EarthDay
Hagstones are rocks found by the sea with naturally occurring holes in them. There are used to protect the bearer from evildoers or let the user see to other worlds.
#FolkyFriday
In Slavic folklore hedgehogs are the guardians of knowledge and the embodiments of magical power.🦔
They also serve as reminders that kindness and courage come in unexpected forms. 🌿
I had to re-do this one amid a week where I wish more people remembered this.
#WyrdWednesday
Highland legend tells of the Cat Sidhe, a fairy cat, believed to be a witch in disguise. The wild cat is said to be sacred in some beliefs. According to some tales Caithness (Land of the Cats) was home to the Pictish tribes that venerated the wildcat.
#FolkloreSunday
#SFF
A vegvísir (meaning wayfinder) is a magical stave meant to help the bearer navigate rough seas.
The Huld Manuscript says “if this sign is carried, one will never lose one's way in storms… even when the way is not known”
#FairyTaleTuesday
#WritingCommunity
#ttrpg
#history
#sff
The collective noun for Goldfinches is a ‘charm’ - from the old English word ‘charme’, alluding to a magic song or spell. They’re sometimes called ‘a troubling’.
In Irish folk belief, Goldfinches are found wherever fairies have their homes.
#FolkloreSunday
The collective noun for Goldfinches is a ‘charm’ - from the old English word ‘charme’, alluding to a magic song or spell. They’re sometimes called ‘a troubling’.
In Irish folk belief, Goldfinches are found wherever fairies have their homes.
#FolkloreThursday
#NaturePhotography
In Slavic folklore hedgehogs are the guardians of knowledge and the embodiments of magical power.
They also serve as reminders that kindness and courage come in unexpected forms.
#MythologyMonday
#hedgehogs
#NaturePhotography
🖼 Tadeusz Lakota, Unsplash
In Slavic folklore hedgehogs are the guardians of knowledge and the embodiments of magical power. 🦔
They also serve as reminders that kindness and courage come in unexpected forms. 🌿
#FairyTaleTuesday
#NaturePhotography
In Cornish mines it was unlucky to eat the whole of a Cornish pasty. You should instead leave the crust for the Knockers, who were mischievous spirits.
Practically this was so miners didn’t eat the crust ‘handle’ of the pasty which got dirty from their hands.
#folklorethursday
The collective noun for Goldfinches is a ‘charm’ - from the old English word ‘charme’, alluding to a magic song or spell. They’re sometimes called ‘a troubling’.
In Irish folk belief, Goldfinches are found wherever fairies have their homes.
#MythologyMonday
#wildflowers
Hawthorn trees are seen as gateways to the spirit world. Its name comes from Anglo-Saxon word ‘hagedorn’, which means ‘hedge thorn’ referring to its use as a boundary plant.
They’re also a good source of berries!
#SuperstitionSat
#NaturePhotography
#writing
#food
Gráinne Ní Mháille was an Irish pirate queen in the 16th Century. She captained the ship the White Seahorse, and owned a lot of land. She even met with Queen Elizabeth I, and notably refused to bow before her.
#FolkyFriday
#history
In Norse mythological beliefs, a bride who fed her cat well would have good weather on her wedding day. This was because the goddess Freya would bless those who took good care of her sacred feline friends.
#Folklore
#CatsOfTwitter
#folklorethursday
The collective noun for Goldfinches is a ‘charm’. This comes from the old English word ‘charme’, alluding to a magic song or spell. They’re sometimes called ‘a troubling’.
In Irish folk belief, Goldfinches can be found wherever fairies have their homes.
#MythologyMonday
#birds
Menninkäinen
Short humanoids in Finnish Folklore who live underground, love dancing, riddles and seeking out shiny treasure. They are shy, but can be friendly if approached gently.
Menninkäinen are said to be one of Tolkien’s inspiration for hobbits.
#FolkloreThursday
#LOTR
The collective noun for Goldfinches is a ‘charm’ - from the old English word ‘charme’, alluding to a magic song or spell. They’re sometimes called ‘a troubling’.
In Irish folk belief, Goldfinches are found wherever fairies have their homes.
#SuperstitionSat
#nature
#birds
People thought ammonite fossils (also called snakestones) were serpents that St Hilda of Whitby turned to stone in the C7th.
Marmion by Walter Scott says:
And how, of thousand snakes, each one
Was changed into a coil of stone,
When holy Hilda pray’d
#MythologyMonday
#history
Knockers are spirits of dead miners in Cornish folklore. Their knocking warned of mine collapses, and miners left their crusts of pasties to appease them so they didn’t get mischievous and put miners at danger.
In some tales knockers are fairy folk.
#FaustianFriday
#books
#sff
Yeh-Shen is one of the world’s first Cinderella stories. Written in the 9th century, it follows the story of a girl with a magical goldfish. The fish helps Yeh-Shen go to the festival despite her evil stepmother. She loses her slipper & marries the King.
#FairyTaleTuesday
#book
In Italian folklore Befana the Witch delivers presents to children in the New Year. She intended to follow the Wise Men, but snow had covered their tracks so she gave out her gifts instead. This ties into the feast of
#epiphany
.
#Gothic12tide
#FairyTaleTuesday
Img: James Lewicki
Hawthorn trees are seen as gateways to the spirit world. Their name comes from Anglo-Saxon word ‘hagedorn’, meaning ‘hedge thorn’. Their appearance signals the start of spring.
They are also known as ‘bread and cheese’, as they are a foraging staple.
#folklorethursday
#trees
Sea shanties were a key part of 19th century ship life, and served different purposes to help work on board.
Hauling songs were used for sporadic work & heaving songs to keep pace when raising anchor. No singing indicated unhappiness of the crew.
#FolkloreThursday
#History
Tír Na NÓg is the mystical otherworld in Irish mythology.
The land of joy & beauty can be reached via ancient burial mounds, caves, travelling through mist, going under water, or by crossing the sea for three days on an enchanted boat.
#FolkloreThursday
#WritingCommunity
Will-o-the-wisps: floating lights believed to mislead people into getting lost in marshes & swamps. Often these lights are attributed to fairies.
Modern science explains the phenomena as bioluminescence caused by the gases produced by organic decay.
#FairyTaleTuesday
#wildlife
Dryads, in Greek mythology, are a nature spirits who live in trees and take the form of beautiful women.
Dryads were originally the spirits of oak trees (drys: “oak”), but the name was later applied to all tree nymphs.
#FairyTaleTuesday
#NaturePhotography
#thicktrunktuesday
A vegvísir (meaning wayfinder) is a magical stave meant to help the bearer navigate rough seas.
The Huld Manuscript says “if this sign is carried, one will never lose one's way in storms… even when the way is not known”
#WyrdWednesday
#WritingCommunity
#ttrpg
#history
#travel
Pottage was made from leftovers thrown into a pot throughout the day to simmer over the hearth fire. It was never clear whether the meal would be good or have one too many odd ingredients in it.
This is where the phrase ‘pot luck’ comes from.
#FolkloreThursday
#history
#medieval
Yggdrasill (Old Norse: Mimameidr)
In Norse mythology, the world tree: a giant ash supporting the universe. One of its roots extended into Niflheim, the underworld; another into Jötunheim, land of the giants; and the third into Asgard, home of the gods.
#FolkloreThursday
#myth
Norwegian artist Theodor Kittelsen’s illustration of a nøkken, a shapeshifting water creature from Germanic and Scandinavian folklore, 1904.
#FolkyFriday
#SFF
#folklore
In Celtic lore the mist-shrouded Otherworld is a realm of everlasting youth, beauty, health, abundance and joy. It can be accessed via ancient burial mounds, caves, travelling through mist or by crossing the sea for three days on an enchanted boat.
#WyrdWednesday
#WinterSolstice
I’m back from my adventure, and in line with my obsession with sea folklore I bring you a hagstone I found.
Hagstones are rocks with naturally occurring holes in them used to protect the bearer from evildoers or let the user see to other worlds.
#WyrdWednesday
#naturelovers
In Slavic folklore hedgehogs are the keepers of magic.
Hedgehogs have a postive role in the fairy tales, where they appear as wise and gentle animal guides.
Hoggies easily dehydrate, so consider leaving some water out for them. 🦔
#wyrdwednesday
#WildlifeWednesday
#nature
In Irish folklore
#bees
are beloved and must be treated as one of the family, or they will leave.
In the event of a death their hive must be adorned with a black cloth or ribbon and they must be given their share of the funeral food.
#folklorethursday
#nature
#EarthMonth
Cerridwen, goddess of rebirth, transformation and wisdom. She is said to be a shapeshifter, and transformed into many animals to chase down the thief of a potion imbued with her powers.
She turned into a chicken and ate the thief, who had turned into a seed.
#FolkloreThursday
In Celtic lore the mist-shrouded Otherworld is a realm of everlasting youth, beauty, health, abundance and joy. It can be accessed via ancient burial mounds, caves, travelling through mist or by crossing the sea for three days on an enchanted boat.
#MythologyMonday
#books
#sff
In Celtic mythology the blackthorn tree was thought to be a home to fairies. If you cut it down it was believed that fairies would wreak their justice upon you.
Also known as a witch’s tree, anyone carrying a stick made from blackthorn was thought a witch.
#FaustianFriday
#book
In Celtic mythology the blackthorn tree was thought to be a home to fairies. If you cut it down it was believed that fairies would wreak their justice upon you.
Also known as a witch’s tree, anyone carrying a stick made from blackthorn was thought a witch.
#OfDarkAndMacabre
In Irish folklore
#bees
are beloved and must be treated as one of the family, or they will leave.
In the event of a death their hive must be adorned with a black cloth or ribbon and they must be given their share of the funeral food.
#FolkloreThursday
#nature
#Writing
#trrpg
The Leshy is a male woodland spirit in Slavic folklore who protects wild animals and forests.
Much like a faery, he is described as taking children cursed by their parents into the woods to live with the forest folk.
#WyrdWednesday
#WritingCommunity
#wildlifeWednesday
#ttrpg
Irish Fairy forts and mounds are believed to be enchanted places to be left undisturbed, with not even a snip of the blackthorn bush around them or a twig from a fairy tree –the hawthorn– being cut.
If you ignore this, faeries might taunt you into madness.
#MythologyMonday
#SFF
The sea bishop, or bishop-fish, was a type of sea monster reported in the 16th century.
Allegedly the fish was caught and shown to bishops who released it. The sea bishop made the sign of the cross and disappeared into the waves. 🌊
#FairyTaleTuesday
#amwriting
#history
In Celtic mythology the blackthorn tree was thought to be a home to fairies. If you cut it down it was believed that fairies would wreak their justice upon you.
Also known as a witch’s tree, anyone carrying a stick made from blackthorn was thought a witch.
#MythologyMonday
#tree
In Celtic lore thick patches of nettles indicate that there are faery dwellings close by. The sting of the nettle is said to protect against faery enchantment, black magic, and other forms of sorcery.
#WyrdWednesday
#folklore
#ttrpg
#WritingCommunity
#nature
#sff
🖼Paul Morley
In Norse mythological beliefs, a bride who fed her cat well would have good weather on her wedding day. This was because the goddess Freya would bless those who took good care of her sacred feline friends.
#MythologyMonday
#Folklore
#CatsOfTwitter
#History
🖼 Paul Hanaoka
Pottage was made from leftovers thrown into a pot throughout the day to simmer over the hearth fire. It was never clear whether the meal would be good or have one too many odd ingredients in it.
This is where the phrase ‘pot luck’ comes from.
#MythologyMonday
#ttrpg
#History
The collective noun for Goldfinches is a ‘charm’ - from the old English word ‘charme’, alluding to a magic song or spell. They’re sometimes called ‘a troubling’.
In Irish folk belief, Goldfinches are found wherever fairies have their homes.
(Apols for repeat!)
#Superstitiology
The hedgehogs snuffing in the hedges is one of the best bits about where I live. In Slavic folklore hedgehogs are the guardians of knowledge & the embodiments of magical power.
They serve as reminders that kindness and courage come in unexpected forms.🦔
#FolkloreSunday
#books
Bluebells are known as ‘fairy flowers’. Fairies ring them to summon their kin.
Bluebell Woods are enchanted, therefore, and used by faeries to lure and trap people in their realm.
#MythologyMonday
#dungeonsanddragons
#amwriting
Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni, unleashing her furious vengeance on the Romans for stealing her property due to their laws that a women could not inherit.
#MythologyMonday
#history
Highland legend tells of the Cat Sidhe, a fairy cat, believed to be a witch in disguise. The wild cat is said to be sacred in some beliefs. According to some tales Caithness (Land of the Cats) was home to the Pictish tribes that venerated the wildcat.
#FairyTaleTuesday
#folklore
Will-o-the-wisps: floating lights believed to mislead people into getting lost in marshes & swamps. Often these lights are attributed to fairies.
Modern science explains the phenomena as bioluminescence caused by the gases produced by organic decay.
#FairyTaleTuesday
#wildlife
Want to see into another world? 🌊
Hagstones are rocks with naturally occurring holes in them used to protect the bearer from evildoers or let the user see to other worlds.
#MythologyMonday
#NaturePhotography
The Alkonost is a woman-headed bird in Russian folklore. Those who hear her beautiful song forget everything they know and want nothing more ever again.
She lays her eggs on a beach and rolls them into the sea. They hatch at sea, causing thunderstorms.
#WyrdWednesday
#art
The Alkonost is a woman-headed bird in Russian folklore. Those who hear her beautiful song forget everything they know and want nothing more ever again.
She lays her eggs on a beach and rolls them into the sea. They hatch at sea, causing thunderstorms.
#fairytaletuesday
#art
Gráinne Ní Mháille was an Irish pirate queen in the 16th Century. She captained the ship the White Seahorse, and owned a lot of land. She even met with Queen Elizabeth I, and notably refused to bow before her.
#FaustianFriday
#history
#WritingCommunity
The Alkonost is a woman-headed bird in Russian folklore. Those who hear her beautiful song forget everything they know and want nothing more ever again.
She lays her eggs on a beach and rolls them into the sea. They hatch at sea, causing thunderstorms.
#MythologyMonday
#art
Hagstones are rocks found by the sea with naturally occurring holes in them, used to protect the bearer from evildoers or let the user see to other worlds. Seeing to the Otherworld is a key part of Dissonance of Bird Song, which twines neatly with hagstones.
#WyrdWednesday
Gráinne Ní Mháille was an Irish pirate queen in the 16th Century. She captained the ship the White Seahorse, and owned a lot of land. She even met with Queen Elizabeth I, and notably refused to bow before her.
#WyrdWednesday
#PirateLoreWeek
#History
#WritingCommunity
Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni, unleashing her furious vengeance on the Romans for stealing her property due to their laws that a women could not inherit.
#FaustianFriday
#History
Tír Na NÓg is the mystical otherworld in Irish mythology.
The land of joy & beauty can be reached via ancient burial mounds, caves, travelling through mist, going under water, or by crossing the sea for three days on an enchanted boat.
#wyrdwednesday
#Waters
#beach
#travel
Wrens are also known as the fairy bird and in Celtic lore they were thought to be fairies in disguise. 🌿
Wrens, as well as being excellent singers, were sacred to Celtic druids. As a result it is unlucky to kill a wren.
#fairytaletuesday
#birds
#NaturePhotography
#nature
Hawthorn trees were seen as gateways to the spirit world. The name comes from Anglo-Saxon word ‘hagedorn’, which means ‘hedge thorn’ referring to its use as a boundary plant.
They are also known as ‘bread and cheese’, for the fact they are a foraging staple.
#folklorethursday
The Alkonost is a woman-headed bird in Russian folklore. Those who hear her beautiful song forget everything they know and want nothing more ever again.
She lays her eggs on a beach and rolls them into the sea. They hatch at sea, causing thunderstorms.
#FaustianFriday
#writing
Skaði: the Norse goddess of winter and hunting pines for mountains in the epic Prose Edda:
Sleep I could not
on the sea beds
for the screeching of the bird.
That gull wakes me
when from the wide sea
he comes each morning.
#FairyTaleTuesday
#poetry
#Writing
#NaturePhotography
Cerridwen, goddess of rebirth, transformation and wisdom. She is said to be a shapeshifter, and transformed into many animals to chase down the thief of a potion imbued with her powers.
She turned into a chicken and ate the thief, who had turned into a seed.
#FolkloreThursday
Thoth is the ancient Egyptian god of the moon. He also represented reckoning, learning and writing. He was held to be the inventor of writing, the creator of languages, the scribe and adviser of the gods.
#FaustianFriday
#ttrpg
#sff
#history
(Give Thoth a
#writerslift
😆)
Enheduanna is believed to be the first female poet. As the daughter of a Sumerian king, Enheduanna was a high priestess to the Sumerian moon god, Nanna. As a priestess she was regarded as having near-divine power herself.
#MythologyMonday
#ttrpg
#WritingCommunity
#history
#books
The Scottish ban nigheachain (little washerwoman) is said to be seen washing the clothes in rivers and brooks of those about to die. It is a bad omen for any who see her on their travels.
#SwampSunday
#WritingCommunity
#TTRPGs
#rpg
The Leshy is a male woodland spirit in Slavic folklore who protects wild animals and forests.
Much like a faery, he is described as taking children cursed by their parents into the woods to live with the forest folk.
🖼 EvilineaErato
#folklorethursday
#art
#amwriting
Hedge witches were solitary folk, studying plants and infusing magic in ordinary acts like brewing tea or herbal healing. It’s the magic of the kitchen and nature combined.
#FaustianFriday
#NaturePhotography
#Walpurgisnacht
Hawthorn trees are seen as gateways to the spirit world. The name comes from Anglo-Saxon word ‘hagedorn’, which means ‘hedge thorn’ referring to its use as a boundary plant.
They are also known as ‘bread and cheese’, for the fact they are a foraging staple.
#FaustianFriday
✨ OUT NOW. ✨
TESTAMENT OF THE STARS
✨Dark astrological folklore
✨Unique world building
✨WLW/ sapphic badasses
✨Tudor inspired political intrigue
✨Star blood magic
✨An astrologer fighting for freedom
#books
#tudor
#fantasy
#sff
#History
#writing
The Leshy is a male woodland spirit in Slavic folklore who protects wild animals and forests.
Much like a faery, he is described as luring cursed children into the woods to live and work with the forest folk.
🖼 EvilineaErato
#folklorethursday
#art
#ttrpg
#Sff
#fantasy
Hagstones are rocks with naturally occurring holes in them. They were worn to protect the wearer from evildoers or curses.
In Scotland they are called Gloine nan Druidh, or Druid’s Glass.
#FolkloreThursday
The collective noun for Goldfinches is a ‘charm’ - from the old English word ‘charme’, alluding to a magic song or spell. They’re sometimes called ‘a troubling’.
In Irish folk belief, Goldfinches are found wherever fairies have their homes.
#FaustianFriday
#birdphotography
In the Middle Ages the human heart was believed to be the record that recorded a person’s life. All good deeds and bad could be found metaphorically etched into it to be ‘read’ at heaven’s gate.
#mythologymonday
#history
#medieval
People thought ammonite fossils (also called snakestones) were serpents that St Hilda of Whitby turned to stone in the C7th.
Marmion by Walter Scott says:
And how, of thousand snakes, each one
Was changed into a coil of stone,
When holy Hilda pray’d
#FolkloreThursday
#history
In Slavic folklore hedgehogs are the guardians of knowledge and the embodiments of magical power.
They also serve as reminders that kindness and courage come in unexpected forms.
🖼 Tadeusz Lakota, Unsplash
#FolkloreSunday
#WritingCommunity
In the Middle Ages the human heart was believed to be the record that recorded a person’s life. All good deeds and bad could be found metaphorically etched into it to be ‘read’ at heaven’s gate.
#FaustianFriday
#history
#ofdarkandmacabre
🖼 Jehan de Grise, "The Heart Offering.”
In Norse beliefs, a bride who fed her cat well would have good weather on her wedding day. This was because the goddess Freya would bless those who took good care of her sacred feline friends.
#WyrdWednesday
#CatsofTwittter
🖼Duan Wen, Unsplash
Saining rituals: Ancient Scots used to take a wisp of straw to drop water that had come into contact with silver or gold rings around the house. This protected against evil.
In spring horses and ploughs received this protection before going out to the fields.
#superstitiology
Blackthorn & Hawthorn are companion trees, believed to be gateways to the Celtic spirit world.
Hawthorns are often known as ‘bread and butter’ trees, for easy trail snacking on their leaves and berries.
Blackthorn is good for sloe berries for gin!
#FolkloreThursday
#wildlife
The sea bishop, or bishop-fish, was a type of sea monster reported in the 16th century.
Allegedly the fish was caught and shown to bishops. They released it. The sea bishop made the sign of the cross and disappeared into the waves. 🌊
#FolkloreThursday
#Fantasy
#history
In Celtic lore the mist-shrouded Otherworld is a realm of everlasting youth, beauty, health, abundance and joy. It can be accessed via ancient burial mounds, caves, travelling through mist or by crossing the sea for three days on an enchanted boat.
#WyrdWednesday
#books
#magic
A Cohuleen druith is a magic hat in Irish folklore that Merrow wore. Merrow are similar to mermaids, seducing their prey into following them into the sea. Without the cap they lose their power to return to the water. 🌊
#swampsunday
#BookTwitter
#books
#fantasy
#sff
#ttrpg