#French Folks Traditions

[luc3]

Hair. (French Folks Traditions.) part 1.

In Pliny (Natural History, book 11) it is mentioned that man is the one of all animals who has the longest hair, especially the "hairy", inhabitants of the Alps and Gaul.

For a long time, women's hair has been a sexual symbol that should be hidden with a veil or a bonnet. Since the Middle Ages, only young girls have the right to go out bareheaded. According to demonologists, devils have a particular taste for women's hair.

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To comb your hair :

In the 19th century, to have beautiful hair and find a husband, you had to comb your hair in the moonlight (Provence.)

However, if a woman combs her hair while walking in the countryside, evil spirits will immediately come and grab her by the hair (Alpes-Maritimes.)

In Normandy, surprising a woman combing her hair when you enter a house is a bad omen.

In Puy de Dôme, the woman who wants to receive communion in church must comb her hair the day before midnight, but never the same day.

In the 17th century, Abbot Thiers reported that combing your hair on Friday brought lice.

Cutting your hair : The phases of the moon have a direct influence on the growth and beauty of hair. Depending on the region, opinions differ as to the best time :

They must be cut at the new moon but they will fall early (Vosges, Berry.)

They must be cut at the end of the new moon, but never during the full moon if you do not want to get sick. (Côtes d’Armor.)

In Poitou, it is recommended not to cut children's hair in May, lest they go crazy.

We avoid colds if we cut them on Friday in Bas Languedoc.

In the Northern Alps, the new moon was preferred, but it had to be absolutely waxing. At that time the hair grew back quickly and vigorously.

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Magic Medicine :

Recipe to avoid losing your hair (Lorraine) : apply to your scalp a wild cat skin that has been soaked with cow urine for 7 days. Then rub your head with butter made with the milk of a black cow that does not go to pasture, or wash your head with sow's milk.

To avoid being hoarse, there's nothing like a lock of hair stuffed in your mouth (Brittany.)

To avoid headaches all year round, you must comb your hair before sunrise on Good Friday, in Moselle.

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[Excerpts taken from M.C Delmas in Dictionnaire de la France Mystérieuse, and from my grandmother's memories.]

pic source

Part 2 "love magic" here.

[vintagehomecollection]

Living with Folk Art: Ethnic Styles from Around the World, 1991

[folkfashion]

Tahitian dancer, French Polynesia, by AlikaPhotography

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

Anatole Vély (French, 1838 - 1882) Le Puits Qui Parle (The Talking Well), 1873

[reno-matago]

Is there anything in French folk magic or French traditional magic about a new home/home protection?

I don't have a specific ritual but ingredients and methods yes!

RURAL FRENCH MAGIC ELEMENTS

You can make crosses to have at the doors! The plants vary according to the regions: houseleek, cross-benites with lavender, immortelles, according to the folk religious holidays however, traditionally it is on dates of specific religious holidays.

We do a fumigation in the home, certainly with prayers, with plants depending on the region: laurel, juniper... we can burn protective plants, make bouquets of them, especially elderberry. All pungent or strong-smelling plants will be protective (elderflower, garlic, hellebore, holly, hawthorn) For protective bouquets: artemisia, foxglove, meadow iris, mint, St. John's wort, walnut branches, fern, verbena, the Queen of french witchcraft.

We can do a ritual where we will pass the plant through the fire to strengthen its power. The cross is the ideal symbol. The perfect day will be Saint John's Day.

Be sure I'll return to you if I find anything else out! Finally if you need a spell to banish negativity from the house I can give you one by messenger too!

HORSHOE

I think a horseshoe would be ideal ( just like garlic). It is not ''french trad craft'', just a method I would use, but I would purify it, dedicate it to the 4 elements, fumigate it, then recite by hanging it or nailing it:

''Vigilavi, et factus sum sicut passer solitarius in tecto'' (Terese d'Avila, Psalm 102)

But it is my own creation! Otherwise there are these spells from The Witch's Almanac by Katherine Quenot, unfortunately her sources are rarely cited. Some are ancient, others modern...

Here is one of these spells that seems interesting to me because it contains verbena:

TO ATTRACT PROTECTION INTO YOUR HOME Make a purple sachet 18 centimeters on a side and put rosemary, verbena, and a lock of hair from each of the inhabitants, and a picture of the house. Close it with a purple cord, put everything in a secret place in the house and never open it.

TO KEEP YOUR HOME HEALTHY

Make a braid with two green laurel branches, then hang it on a red cord above the interior door of the house or gate.

This talisman will also preserve your family from jealousy, backbiting and the evil eye.

And this one which seems to be modern but inspired by traditional principles:

TO PRESERVE YOUR HOME FROM HARM

You will need coarse salt, cracked pepper, an egg and sticky paper.

Take the egg that you will pierce at both ends to empty it of its contents. Mix the coarse salt with the same quantity of crushed pepper.

Fill the egg with this composition after stopping one end with the paper.

Place everything in a closet or wardrobe in your main room. The egg should be changed every three months. When you get rid of it you have to throw it outside the house in a trash can saying:

''Hexes, evil spirits, in this egg I locked you, now you are thrown.

Never come back to my house,

To the world of junk return''

Sources: Christophe Auray - l'herbier des paysans, des guérisseurs et des sorciers • L'almanach de la sorcière de Katherine Quenot

[saintedsorcery]

Heresy As Healing

When I first got into paganism and witchcraft, I did what I think a lot of people do and took a very hard turn in to “fuck Christianity!” The literature and discourse of the early and mid 2000′s didn't help this mindset either. There was a lot of talk about how Wicca (I was an eclectic wiccan at the time) was the survival of an ancient pre-Christian religion and that Christianity stole its practices, holidays, and pretty much everything else, from paganism.

Needless to say my religious baggage went unpacked for YEARS?

That was until i left my more Wicca-inspired practice and found “traditional witchcraft”. In these spaces i found something that i had been lead to believe was impossible: Witchcraft and Christianity coexisting. Not only coexisting, but a style of witchcraft created by almost biblical teachings on their heads and pulling out the magic. Lucifer and Azaezel being sources of witch-power, Cain being the first Sorcerer, the witch’s horned one as the Devil! Seeing the witch-trials as not simply a tragedy, but pulling wisdom and magic from the confessions. All of this was new and exciting!

Beginning my research into this amazing new avenue was the first step in healing my heart and soul from the hitherto ignored scars left by my time in the Church. The more I walked this strange and crooked path, the more I found value in heresy. Calling to the Man in Black at a crossroads, flying from my body to the Witch’s Sabbath, reciting the Lord’s Prayer backwards. All of these were powerful in ways I never thought they could be. I laughed at myself. If you had told me at 18 that in 5 years id be dancing with the Devil, I would have raged about there being no Devil in the Craft. While I understand now why the 90s-2000s were so “anti-devil” and “love and light” I’m glad that we can now look at witchcraft and its history with a more nuanced lens.

Now in some ways I've come full circle. I am not a Christian, and I don't think i ever will be, but I pray to saints, I have a growing interest in Mary, I use psalms and bible verses in my spell work, i craft rosaries as a devotional act to the spirits I serve and honour. My patron goddess has even started to come to me with Marian imagery and titles.

In Fayerie Traditionalism/Fayerism we’re encouraged (sometimes outright told) to avoid and expunge all Abrahamism from our lives and certainly from our Sorcery. We’re told that there is no magic or value in Abrahamic traditions. This has been my biggest hurdle with this path. For me, i find so much power in using folk magic that would be deemed “witchcraft” by the Church, regardless of how much scripture is in it. I think to continue this idea of “there's no place for Christianity in witchcraft” does such a disservice to the history of witchcraft in Europe and the US. So many practices would not exist if our ancestors had not learned to synchronize and hide in plain site. I’m not calling on God when I use a psalm to heal, I'm speaking words of power that have been spoken for centuries by other healers and workers. When I pray the rosary, I do it to honor my ancestors who found comfort in it. 

For me, the catholic folk magic and heretical aesthetics do not deter me from path of Fayerie Traditionalism, it is simply another avenue to the same goal. The spirits of this tradition have not shown any ill-will to how I work. Gwynn still comes when I call him “Devil” or “Master” and Gwynnevar herself told me to call her “Our Lady Down Below” or “Our Lady of the Mound/Hill” Taking back my power from Christianity and seeing the Wisdom in its heresy has made me a better person and a stronger sorcerer. I have not lost my faith in the Fayerie People but have come closer to them. 

All this is to say:

Be free

Be powerful

Be a Heretic

Nema

[sporadicarbitergardener]

Bible used for spell work . 🖤🤍✝️🛐✡️

Did you know that the Bible, along with other traditionally Christian items like rosaries and icons of Saints and even the Eucharist, have been used in folk magic for centuries? From English Devon folk magic to Italian folk magic, from superstitions and syncretic practices to prayer books such as the Slovenian Kolomonov Žegen, the use of Christian iconography, literature, figures, and holy names (like the name of Jesus Himself) have featured prominently in some of the most potent magical acts and procedures.

When it comes to witchcraft today, though, people traditionally think of a Book of Shadows or a grimoire—a book full of a witch’s spells, information, and good old fashioned trial and error that they’ve accumulated over the years. These books are wonderful treasures as they continue to be filled, full of spells and incantations and prayers created by the practitioner that have been proven to work, and many people write them with the specific intent of passing them on to children or apprentices or other practitioners.

But one often overlooked resource, especially for those looking to reconnect with the folk culture of their ancestors, is none other than the Bible itself. Within it are many different sections that can be used to focus one’s magic, as has been done over the centuries by Christian cunningfolk and other magicians—often with the intent of defending against harmful or evil intentions from other practitioners. And given that so many members of the Abrahamic faiths use actual pieces of scripture in protections (like the Jewish mezzuzah or the different types of wearable amulets with pieces of the Qu’ran inside), the power of the Word of God is acknowledged even among those who have nothing to do with the concept of magic and the Craft.

Of course, it’s strange to think about for many a modern witch–the idea that magic is not only possible, but prolific in religions that seemingly condemn it so harshly—but the reality is that no religion can truly be operated without magic. How else would we interact directly with our God, exorcise evil spirits, or transmute our Eucharist? This is why you might notice a group of Christians calling themselves witches, using the modern idea or witchcraft that spawned thanks to Wicca and 90’s new age spirituality as a type of cultural shorthand to explain the spiritual work we’ve always done.

In fact, the words used to denote witchcraft in the Bible were actually ones that dealt with specifically harmful or foreign magic, which both Abrahamic and other religions had issues with (including Babylonian, Sumerian, Greek, and Roman polytheism). It’s also why you’ll see so much of what we would call witchcraft today in European and Christian folk magic dedicated to warding against witchcraft (like German mothers putting lavender under their children’s beds to protect from evil magic, Slovenian unwitchers doing elaborate prayers and rituals to break curses, or cunningfolk doing counter magic on cheese that allegedly wouldn’t curdle right due to a witch’s curse). When you’re a rural European farmer who can’t afford to wait for a doctor or a priest, the only option is to learn defensive and healing magic for yourself.

I myself am a Christian witch, and I can tell you firsthand: Christian magic is a staple in our ancestors’ interactions with God, especially when tools like the Bible are involved. And, of course, the more of your own folk practice and ancestral traditions you learn, the more unique and inventive the magic gets. As a Christian Witch goes about learning more of their heritage and ancestral practices, however, it’s good to know the basics of using the Bible in witchcraft—so let’s talk about it!

DIVINATION WITH THE BIBLE (BIBLIOMANCY) A seasoned witch will tell you that before any spellwork or ritual, it’s wise to do some divination with your guides, whoever they may be.

As a Christian witch, our foremost guide is, naturally, God. And there’s an age-old practice that many Christians might not think of as divination, but absolutely fits the bill, and that’s bibliomancy.

Bibliomancy, as the word suggests, is any sort of information we can gather from a book (any book, not just the Bible). After all, that first part of the word, biblio- shows up in more than just the Bible, right? Think of a bibliography, a list of compiled sources, or a bibliophile, a person who’s really enthusiastic about books. But when it comes to bibliomancy, the Bible is certainly a top contender for the divinatory tool of choice, even if plenty of other interesting books are available on your shelf.

Bibliomancy is simple. Just like shuffling a deck of oracle or tarot cards, you want to really focus on your question and intention. Hold it in your mind even after you ask God, and then open your Bible and flip the pages until you feel compelled to stop. You may feel a sensation like:

A tingle in your ear or at your fingertips A sudden silence in the mind that interrupts your flow & catches your attention A heavy feeling in your stomach when you reach a certain section Whatever your intuitive signs are that you’re used to with other methods of divination, look for that here and fish out a specific part of the page with it. You might find yourself landing on a verse of Scripture, or you may find yourself looking at an insightful footnote you didn’t consider before. Either way, thank God for His attention and HIs message, and decide from there whether or not spellwork is even a good idea that day.

PSALMS & PROVERBS FOR QUICK CASTING Once you’ve gotten your divination out of the way, the first thing you’ll hear anyone tell you about using the Bible for witchcraft is that the Psalms are insanely overpowered.

And they’re right!

One of the most prime examples of a powerful Psalm is none other than Psalm 109—an imprecatory Psalm, meaning one in which the speaker asks God to incite some serious punishment on whoever did something wrong. My Bible, the Jewish Study Bible, notes that because of its focus on what words were said against the speaker, and the long string of asks that come after pleading their case to God, it’s entirely reasonable to say that this Psalm was actually written as a counter curse.

It’s awfully brutal for a counter curse, I will say. But it is an example of magic you can use through the Bible, especially if you’re looking for quick, pre-written incantations or spells that hit the mark. The Psalms and Proverbs are so varied in their talking points, purposes, and themes that you can find one for pretty much any occasion, and when you read them aloud with the intention of them being a spell—really connecting to God and channeling down His blessings through your own magic—you’ll find it’s like the difference between a static shock from your sweater and a full on lightning blast.

And remember: you don’t have to use an entire Psalm or Proverb (they run quite long!). Sometimes, just a verse or two is enough to get your point across and focus your magic and intention in your spellwork.

Some of my personal favorites include:

Psalm 147 (for emotional healing & fortification) Psalm 146 (anti-gossip and slander) Psalm 81, 142 (security & comfort) Psalm 39:13-14 (A great opening section for plainly stating a request later) Proverbs 1, 8 (Wisdom/Knowledge) Proverbs 3:9-12 (Prosperity) Proverbs 17 (Peace/Anti-Conflict) Proverbs 22 (Softness of Heart against greedy folks) Proverbs 31:25 (Empowerment/Anti-Anxiety)

THEMATIC RITUALS AND INGREDIENT INSPIRATION Lastly, those who know the Bible well and know the story inside and out will find all kinds of beautiful lessons tucked in between all the raw humanity of this book. Yes, you read that right, and I’ll repeat it again: the Bible, the Word of God, is such an inherently human and vulnerable and raw book, full of tragedy and celebration side by side, just as Life itself is.

But when you know the stories, and you can pull out core lessons, you can actually find a lot of fantastic focusing or centering verses and chapters to build your spells around. I’ve even made amulets with lockets that have a verse number or bit of Scripture tucked inside, along with corresponding herbs and spices and other such things. All of the Psalms and Proverbs I listed have their functions, including anti-anxiety, but they’re not the only ones that can do that!

For instance, one of the most powerful pieces of the Gospel for spellwork is none other than Jesus’s admonishment of his disciples in Matthew 6:25-34:

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Jesus had a lot of wonderful things to say that can strengthen us even in the darkest of times, and those make for some powerful magic. In fact, it’s Jesus Himself that delivers the secret of Christian magic in the Gospels: faith, even that the size of a mustard seed, can move mountains.

Speaking of the mustard seed, though, now’s also a good time to mention: the Bible has quite a few spots that signify specific stones, incenses, herbs, and spices throughout its stories. Frankincense, after all, isn’t only something offered to Jesus and His family when He’s born; it’s also an integral part of the holy incense of the very Temple of God. And mint, anise or dill (depending on translation), and cumin are among the spices Jesus mentions as being a tithe in Matthew 23:23, too—along with justice, mercy, and faith. When you find mention of herbs, spices, or other abstract concepts like these, pay attention!

They’re significant to God, and when you combine their associations in the Bible (rue and hyssop, for instance, being apotropaic, along with lamb’s blood or cedar), with traditional witchy associations with them, you can get a lot more bang for your buck. Mustard has always meant power and passion thanks to its fiery, Mars-based associations, but combining it with its ability to surprise us with its aggressive growth and its representative qualities regarding faith, it gets all the more important.

You might also take the time to learn from cultural practices that become apparent in places like Leviticus 14, which is a ritual to cure people of leprosy, or in the story of Jesus casting demons into a herd of pigs. Both of these represent the idea of giving an evil spirit or malady somewhere else to attach to (the bird, the pigs) and driving it away from the afflicted person. That’s some powerful banishment and exorcism technique!

GET CREATIVE WITH THE BIBLE AND MAX OUT YOUR SPELLWORK All in all, like any other magic, what matters with using the Bible in spellwork is how creative you are in applying it. The book contains the hopes, dreams, fervor, and faith of millions of people over the course of thousands of years, and it’s also had the honest energy and belief of millions more poured into it as a sacred object. Even if God’s power weren’t in that book, that alone would make the Bible super powerful as a magical focusing tool and ritual item.

Whatever your intention is, I can almost guarantee you can find a verse to match it, so go wild! And even if you aren’t Christian, chances are that you have ancestors that might’ve been (or who had to use the cover of Christianity to cloak the magical work they did as folk magicians). The Bible is powerful on its own, and there are so many instances of syncretic crossovers in folk magic (such as German folk magic, where many pagan practitioners still incorporate items such as rosaries and Bible verses into their spells and ritual workings). But also remember, that when it comes to Christian Witches, the place our power comes from isn’t a book (even if it is God’s word): it’s God. So when a Christian uses their magic to connect to Him, that’s where the real power lies.

No matter your background, and no matter your beliefs, though, remember to stay safe in your spellcasting, take your proper precautions, and overall just enjoy the moment. Happy witching!

[carewyncromwell]

“All I want is the wind in my hair -- To face the fear, but not feel scared...”

x~x~x~x

🌹 HPHM Cardverse developed by @ariparri​​ // learn more about Abraxan Derby here! 🌹

x~x~x~x

Abraxan Derby was a sport both native to and most popular in the Land of Clubs. This didn’t mean, however, that it didn’t have its fans elsewhere. Even in the Country of Spades, where street cars were pulled by mechanical creatures rather than flesh and blood ones, there were those who loved the freedom that the white winged horses represented. One of those such Spades was the young woman who would eventually become the Queen of Hearts -- Carewyn Cromwell.

From the time she was a little girl, Carewyn had always been enamored with the idea of flight. She found peace looking out from the highest height she could whenever she most wanted to be alone, and her older brother Jacob -- who worked for the Jack of Spades, Duncan Ashe -- used to love treating Carewyn to rides in the royal zeppelin whenever he could wrangle it. The young redhead’s love of flight also extended to winged horses. Although growing up in a rather poor home had made it so she couldn’t afford to travel and thus had only ever learned how to ride mechanical horses, Carewyn loved the thought of one day riding a real horse, especially an Abraxan. She got her chance, surprisingly enough, the day that the Country of Spades’ university hosted an Abraxan Derby competition.

The Land of Clubs and the Country of Spades shared a border, and it couldn’t have been more stark. As soon as one left the perimeter of the trees of the Clubs’ northernmost forest, they would be immediately greeted by a wide-open, industrial landscape decked with high-rise buildings made of iron and glass. It was only this forest and these buildings that separated the grounds of the Land and Country’s respective universities...and it was to hopefully foster good relations between these two schools that this competition was held.

Carewyn herself wasn’t attending university yet -- she was still only a lass of fifteen, though a very capable one. She’d more than made an impression at the court of Spades, after all the times she’d gone to visit Jacob and his “boss,” the Jack of Spades. Some even suspected that the hard-to-please Ace of Spades wished to enlist Carewyn to work for her in some not-too-distant future, though Carewyn didn’t show any particular enthusiasm for the idea. Instead Carewyn chose to work as a shopgirl part-time, so as to help financially support her family. As soon as she was done with her classes, she’d immediately dash out to catch the trolley, putting on her best shoes and her nicest pair of gloves while riding to the general store, and then she’d quickly fix her short ponytail and give herself a quick look-over in the shop windows she passed on her way over. Once she’d arrived, she’d immediately get to work behind the counter, bustling about to help the store owner with his customers and setting out on foot to deliver packages of goods across town.

This day in particular, at the end of her shift, the store owner sent Carewyn southward to deliver some packages to the university dean’s house. It was an address Carewyn was used to visiting -- the dean had a wife and several daughters, all of whom he loved to spoil with gifts, so him ordering stylish new dresses, jewelry, and shoes was a regular occurrence. Carewyn tried not to feel too jealous when she saw the pretty pearl drop earrings one of the dean’s daughters took out of the smallest of the boxes: the only earrings Carewyn had been able to afford were the rusted, clumsily-carved, flower-shaped studs she was wearing now.

Once Carewyn had finished her final delivery, she set off on foot back uptown so she could take the streetcar home. Her way was halted, though, by the commotion in the streets.

During the first round of the university’s Abraxan Derby, a particularly nasty foul had resulted in one of the Land of Clubs’ horses getting badly spooked by  some firecrackers in the Spades’ side of the stands and its rider getting thrown off his horse as it took off into the air. This very same Abraxan ended up just as spooked, however, when it flew right into the path of a zeppelin, weaved down right into the path of a very loud construction site, and then finally zipped right into the very loud incoming traffic of several dozen streetcars.

Alarmed by the sight of the poor, panicking creature, Carewyn pushed her way through the bewildered, wary bystanders, fearlessly rushing up toward the winged horse. Although truthfully she hadn’t known how to calm a real, living horse any better than anyone else around did, Carewyn tried her best, speaking to the white steed as calmly as she could.

“Easy now,” she whispered, taking off her black lace gloves as she approached, “easy...”

The horse flapped its wide wings as if to ward her and everyone else off, but Carewyn nonetheless stood her ground. Several law enforcement officers tried to intervene, whether by urging Carewyn “out of harm’s way” or to grab the horse’s reins, but their loud voices only served to make the Abraxan more nervous.

“Stay back!” Carewyn hissed at them under her breath.

She turned back to the Abraxan, keeping eye contact with him as she kept a respectful distance. The creature was not going to let any of them get any closer, even if they did want to help -- that much was obvious.

Carewyn racked her brain, trying to think of what to do. She had to calm the poor thing down...

The red-haired shopgirl took a very careful step forward. The Abraxan padded the ground anxiously, its eyes locked on her. Not entirely sure what made her do it, Carewyn offered the horse as brave of a smile as she could and started to sing to him.

“The pale moon was rising above the green mountain...

The sun was declining beneath the blue sea

When I strayed with my love to the pure crystal fountain

That stands in the beautiful Vale of Tralee...

She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,

Yet ‘twas not her beauty alone that won me --

Oh no, ‘twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning

That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee...”

It was a modest, old-fashioned melody -- a folk song, full of admiration. And perhaps because of the sweetness of Carewyn’s voice and the smile that made her voice and eyes sparkle, it held the Abraxan’s attention, making it focus on her enough that it slowly settled down. Finally Carewyn was able to get close enough to touch it, but she moved slowly, holding her hand out in mid-air a foot or so away from its nose for the horse to smell. At last the Abraxan blustered softly through its teeth and bridged the gap between them, bringing its soft, velvety nose up to her hand. Carewyn’s eyes shone like stars as she brought both of her hands gently along its snout and stroked its neck.

“Oh, you are beautiful, aren’t you?” she whispered. Trailing a hand along its back and wing made her wistful in a way she could hardly explain. “You poor, sweet creature...it must be so much louder here than you’re used to. It’s no wonder you’re so frightened...”

“Indeed.”

Carewyn looked up.

The crowd parted for a young dark-haired man only about a year so older than Carewyn to pass through. He was dressed all in loose-fitting, breezy green, and something similarly bright white walked alongside him. The young man’s Abraxan’s wings were folded up at its side as he led it through the crowd toward Carewyn.

“I’m afraid the stables and woods back home are remarkably quiet, in comparison to your city,” he said calmly.

His black eyes ran over Carewyn’s hands up onto the horse’s face and then back onto her with interest.

“...I must thank you for restoring some peace to her spirit.”

Carewyn blinked at the young man in surprise.

“...She’s yours, then,” she surmised.

“My teammate’s, yes,” said the green-dressed man.

Before he could say anything else, however, the traffic in the street seemed to reawaken. It seemed that now that the Abraxan wasn’t flying around like crazy, all of those people who’d been on their commute home or to work had lost their patience.

“Oi, can you take it outta here?!”

“Get outta the way, will ya?!”

“Move it already!”

The Abraxan started to neigh restlessly at the blaring horns and clanging bells, and Carewyn hurriedly tried to calm it by stroking its mane.

“You horrid people!” she scolded them. “Don’t you see you’re making it worse?”

“Clearly they don’t,” the man said very coolly.

Bringing a tanned hand through his own horse’s mane, he quickly leapt up onto its back and took hold of the reins.

“Can you ride, miss?”

Carewyn was taken aback. “...I know how to ride a horse, yes.”

A mechanical one, at least.

“Well, then,” the man said, undaunted, “best be off.”

With this, he took off into the air.

Carewyn glanced at the white Abraxan at her side and then up at the green-dressed man flying just over her.

Well, it really was the best way to get this poor thing back where she belonged, Carewyn supposed.

Despite her slight misgivings, she climbed up onto the winged horse’s back. Taking hold of its reins, she then took a deep breath.

“Let’s go, girl,” she whispered in the Abraxan’s ear.

She flicked the reins. The Abraxan reared back, its wings fully extended, making Carewyn’s heart slam against her ribcage as she clutched its neck harness for support -- and then, just as abruptly, the horse had taken off, soaring up into the air.

It was stunning. Oh, Heavens above, was it a thrill! To be so weightless and so above it all -- it was like pure, exhilarating freedom was coursing through her veins with the heat of hot iron!

Carewyn felt her face flushing with joy -- she felt like a child, uncaring that her hair had come loose of its usual ribbon or that it was flapping loose in her face. She didn’t care how she looked in that moment, or what anyone might say. In this moment, here -- she’d never been happier, in her memory.

The green-dressed man flew up alongside her, his soft black eyes and large white smile rather bright as he considered her.

“Your course is worth several rubies,” he said.

Carewyn glanced up at him questioningly.

“You are a very skilled rider,” he clarified himself. “You’d be an admirable opponent, or ally, were you to fly in the derby.”

Carewyn shook her head modestly. “Thank you...but I’ve only ever ridden mechanical horses, prior to today. I’m hardly experienced enough.”

“But does your inexperience not make your talent all the more remarkable?” the young man challenged her. “You bonded with your steed with nothing but heart and instinct, rather than tried-and-true knowledge or experience.”

“Yes, but if people were relying on me to help them succeed, I wouldn’t want them to choose me just with their hearts,” Carewyn said very firmly. “I’d want them to know I was the best choice, that I’d be the best I could be -- be everything they need me to be, and then some -- and that I’d do the best I could for them, too.”

The green-dressed man cocked his eyebrows. “It seems your standards for yourself are even higher than your flight trajectory.”

He soared around her in several graceful loops, his hands not even touching the reins. Carewyn watched him with admiration despite herself -- he was a very, very talented rider.

“Urge her up with a light tug to the reins,” the green-dressed man encouraged her. “Then lean to one side, pressing your foot up against her flank.”

Carewyn did so, and soon she was soaring up and over him. Her face brightened with a smile, and the green-dressed man grinned at her as they weaved back and forth.

“What’s your name?” he asked her.

“Carewyn!” she cried over the wind. “Cromwell!”

He swept right up alongside her, their horses’ wings brushing up against each other’s.

“I am Orion!” he answered as he passed.

Orion came up and over Carewyn, completely upside down, before charging ahead.

“Are you a performer, Carewyn Cromwell?” he called back over his shoulder.

Carewyn flicked her reins, determined to catch up.

“No! I’m a shopgirl at Pique’s General Store. And a student -- though I hope to work in law someday -- ”

She came right up alongside him, so close that their shoulders touched.

“And what of you, Orion?” she asked him. “Are you a professional Abraxan Derby player? Or do you hope to be?”

Orion beamed. “I wish to fly free. That is all I dream and wish.”

Carewyn felt her smile widen, both empathetic and charmed despite herself.

“And to win your matches, I would think,” she said a bit more coolly.

“That wouldn’t hurt,” Orion said amusedly.

For the next half-hour, Carewyn rode alongside Orion, perfectly matching his speed even as he weaved up over and around her. At several points she even overtook him, dodging and soaring like a shooting star around him. Orion’s black eyes sparkled brightly as they flew together -- as brightly as Carewyn’s own blue eyes were, if any outside observer were to have taken notice.

At last, the two made it to the university, to where the rest of the Derby players were waiting. The next match was set to begin, and the Land of Clubs had been a little tense about how long their captain had been gone. Orion, however, soothed their concerns with relative ease, his smile and aura remarkably calm.

“A rider without his steed is akin to a shooting star pinned to the earth. Although yes, one could shine brightly while stationary, that star would lament being so locked in place, unable to fly across the sky.”

His eyes flitted over to Carewyn brushing her loose hair out of her face as she disembarked. As she did, she reacted with surprise as her hands ran over her ears and a flash of faint resignation rippled over her face.

Orion approached her, and Carewyn immediately put on a smile as she faced him.

“Well...” she said slowly, “I suppose I’d best be getting on. I hope your match goes well...with how good of a flier you are, I’m sure you’ll be brilliant...”

“You’re welcome to stay and watch,” Orion invited her.

Carewyn’s smile softened. “Thank you...but my brother will be getting off work soon -- he’ll be worried, if I’m not home when he gets there...”

She curled her loose hair behind her ears. Orion noted immediately that she was only wearing one flowery earring made out of crudely-shaped steel.

“Did you lose your earring?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Carewyn said offhandedly. “I suppose it must’ve come off, while I was riding. But it’s all right -- I’ll save up for a new pair.”

She extended a hand to Orion. He looked down at it, before gently taking and shaking it.

“My team and I owe you a debt, Carewyn Cromwell,” said Orion. “Thank you.”

“Nonsense!” huffed Carewyn. “Why, I only did what anyone would’ve done, in my place...”

She brought a gentle hand along the back of the Abraxan she’d ridden, and the winged mare brought her nose up to Carewyn’s cheek with an affectionate murr.

“Perhaps,” said Orion, “but you were ultimately the only one who did it.”

He inclined his head to her, his black eyes glinting with a touch of mischief as he smiled.

“I lament that we probably won’t meet again, unless by chance. But perhaps if you were to become a performer, as I supposed you might be, you might have more reason to travel to the Land of Clubs.”

Carewyn beamed. “Or maybe once I graduate university and have made my own way in the world, I’ll have more chance to go where I want. Then I can visit you, just as well as you can visit me.”

Orion’s eyes sparkled. “May we both chase that freedom.”

~*~

By the following night, Orion had already departed back to the Land of Clubs. That next week, though, Carewyn was startled to receive a tiny package in the mail, addressed from the Land of Clubs. Inside was a pair of sparkling emerald green earrings shaped like clubs and a very short note --

I hope these are a suitable replacement for the one you lost. As much as your talent in flying is worthy of rubies, I thought the stone of intuition better suited your aura. If nothing else, a green clover seems good company for the Rose of Tralee.

I sincerely hope our paths will cross again.

Fairfarren,

Orion Amari

Carewyn wore those earrings nearly every day from then on, taking exquisite care of them all the while. She even wore them after she moved to the Kingdom of Hearts and -- not long later -- became their Queen. By that point, Orion had likewise become King of Clubs: a role that Carewyn knew very well Orion would’ve likely never chosen for himself, however much he felt an obligation to his people, country, and allies to care and provide for them.

As much as the two royals had to perform on protocol, though, they still always enjoyed whenever they had the chance to collide again. At least then, for part of that time, they could chat, banter, and confide like ordinary people...as friends would...free of their duty and obligations, if only for just a little while.

[araiz-zaria]

How to join the French Navy — Davout Style 😏😉😈🌊✨

❌ How to join other navies in the world oversimplified: 1. Get in touch with someone with links to the Navy™, 2. Be commissioned midshipman (3. Climb the ranks or w/e, up to you after this point man 🤷🏽🤷🏽)

✅ How to join the French Navy, Davout Style™: 1. Make an infernal summoning circle, 2. Write the necessary sigils and chant the necessary spell, 3. 🔥🔥 SUMMON ADMIRAL SATAN 🔥🔥

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LMAO as with most of my ideas nowadays, I had this one stewing in my mind for a long time, and only managed to put it down now 😅😂🤣. Inspired by Davout's letter to Aimee (his dearest wife) on how to instruct their sons Louis and Jules in regards to their future career 🤣.

Sad thing I found out though is that Jules didn't survive infancy 🥺😔 (he only lived for a year 😭 and this made me dawdle on drawing the comic for who knows how long ahdkwbkfhfkks), so in any case this scene could only happen in Davout's mind 😅🙈.

[luc3]

Hair. (French Folks Traditions) part 2 : love magic.

Detachable from the body, they retain its vital force. Thus, in the 17th century according to Thiers, to "make themselves loved by their husband", women took their cut hair, offered it three times in a row to the church altar with a burning candle, and then carry them on their heads.

It is common for seamstresses to place one of their hair in the hem of the wedding dress they are making, to quickly find a husband. (Brittany.)

Giving your loved one a lock of hair is not necessarily a good idea. In Picardy, it is said that the power of the bond between the two lovers would be such that one and the other would never be able to separate again, even to carry out their daily affairs.

To make yourself loved by the man you want to have as your husband, you have to, in Paris, get 3 hairs of your loved one, braid them with 3 of your own, make a little crown that you wear bare on our chest by means of a fairly long cord passed around the neck. Once on the eve of our wedding, you will have to lock this talisman in a medallion and wear it as long as you want to be loved. (A bit the same idea as in the Grand Albert, where it involves making a tied bouquet with 5 hairs of your loved one and 3 of ours.)

For a husband or wife to be faithful, one must take a lock of their hair, burn it and spread the ashes on the wood of their bed after rubbing it with honey. Repeat the operation as necessary.

-

Pic : Waterhouse.

[ Excerpts taken from M.C Delmas in Dictionnaire de la France Mystérieuse. ]

Part 1 here.

[folkfashion]

Marquesan man, French Polynesia, by Jimmy Nelson

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

François Alfred Delobbe (French, 1835-1920) A Moment of Reflection, n.d.

[widevibratobitch]

just got called a communist in the comments under some opera blogger's post because I said I prefer traditional to modern productions. i mean sure. why not.

[reno-matago]

Research about trees: Medlar

Fertility, abundance & protection

• Witch's wand. (branches) A medlar branch also keeps witches away and protects livestock, hung in the stable. To calm down animals.

• The makhila, the pilgrim's staff made of medlar wood.

• Beaten by the devil in folklore. (In May)

• Fertility (fruit).To reveal the sweetness behind the bitterness, to improve someone's character. (My thoughts)

The 5 stones of the fruit, very hard, break up kidney stones in folk medicine.

• Wealth (leaf)

• Scarcity and abundance

• Manage the ephemeral and the inconsistent

• Protection of babies

Around the month of May, it commonly happens that the medlar tree, whose buds are eaten by the larvae of certain insects, wilts. In the past, it was said that the devil (or sorcerers) was responsible and that he came to beat the tree, especially those who had not been blessed on May 1st. This is why pouring holy water on this day at the foot of the medlar trees is a wise precaution. The medlar tree sometimes provides the wood from which sorcerers make their wands. The branch must then be cut on Midsummer night. At the same time, a medlar branch wards off sorcerers and, hung from the ceiling of the stables, protects the livestock from evil spells. In addition, the medlar stick “cut the day before a big holiday” instantly calms panicking animals. In Brittany, a piece of medlar was sometimes placed in a child's cradle.

Attention ! Someone who loves medlars will often have quarrels in their life and will have a propensity to interfere in the affairs of others.

(Eloize Mozzani, Le livre des superstitions, mythes et légendes)

Sources: luminessens

[saintedsorcery]

The Herbs of Saint John

Before sunrise this morning I went out and took part in my first bit of French-Canadian folk magic (ie Sorcellerie). Since I’m really bad at timing things properly and planning ahead it was a little haphazard but overall I’m proud of myself for connecting with my ancestry.

I’ll provide links below but the quick and easy rundown is this: herbs are most magically potent on Saint John’s Eve and must be gathered between midnight and sunrise on Saint John’s feast day (June 24th). The herbs vary from place to place except for Mugwort (which sadly I haven’t found near my home), but I did find that yarrow grows in my yard which I find very exciting. The herbs must also be protected from sunlight for 24 hours before being dried and stored/used. If any of the herbs I’ve gathered this year remain by next Saint John’s Eve they must be discarded because they will have lost all power.

As I said before I harvested Yarrow from my yard but I was also able to gather some Bittersweet Nightshade, which for me has a special connection to The Great Earth-Indweller.

I added some Fayerieism flare to the gathering by performing a Plant Swaying Charm over both plants that I harvested from.

Blessings to you all

*the lighting is my porch light*

[raffaellopalandri]

Midsommarens små grodorna

Små grodorna (“The Little Frogs” in Swedish) is a traditional Swedish dance and song performed at Midsommar (“midsummer” in Swedish), where the participants dance around the midsommarstång (a maypole) . A Maypole – photo from Wikipedia This traditional dance involves movements that illustrate those body parts that frogs, alas, lack, such as öron (“ears”) and svansar (“tails”). Små…