Karen Sloanさんのイラストまとめ

Exorcism comes from the Greek word, exorkismós, meaning "binding by oath". The practice of evicting demons or spiritual entities from a person, or area believed to be possessed, is ancient & part of the belief system of many cultures & religions. 👿 #MythologyMonday

Druids would march into the forest on the New Year. A high priest climbed an oak, & with golden sickle, he'd cut mistletoe from the tree. Priests below caught the plants as they fell. This plant was so sacred, Druids never allowed it to touch the ground. #FolkloreThursday

One of the most enduring customs is the kissing bough. Formed of holly & mistletoe, it was hung above a doorway to protect a home from disaster.
Also believed to be potent in marriage matters, it's to this we owe the practice of kissing under it at Christmas. 🎅#FolkloreThursday

The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley was written as a satire to support Darwin's The Origin of Species.
Once a mainstay of British children's literature, it eventually fell out of favour, partly due to certain prejudices included in the book. #FairyTaleTuesday

In #Arthurian myth, Nimue, (aka Vivien, or the Lady of the Lake) refused to give Merlin her love until he taught her all his secrets & spells, after which she used against him by trapping him forever, either in the trunk of a hawthorn tree or beneath a stone. 🧙‍♀️ #MythologyMonday

"But with the word the time will bring on summer,
When briers shall have leaves as well as thorns,
And be as sweet as sharp."

- All's Well That Ends Well, Act IV, Scene 4
#ShakespeareSunday

Since ancient times, Mugwort (artemisa) has been used as a magical protective herb. It's 1 of 9 herbs invoked by Pagan Anglo-Saxons in the Nine Herb Charm.
Gathered on St. John's Eve, it was worn for protection against disease & misfortune. 🌿
#FairyTaleTuesday #plantlore

"With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.
And let my liver rather heat with wine, than my heart cool with mortifying groans."

Merchant of Venice #ShakespeareSunday

The Fairies' Banquet - John Anster Fitzgerald, 1859
(Public Domain)

The toadstone, (aka bufonite, Latin bufo, "toad"), is a mythical stone thought to be found in the head of a toad & an antidote to poison. 🐸
Supposedly formed in the heads of frogs, toadstones are really fossilized teeth from ray-finned fish in the Jurassic era.
#WyrdWednesday

In the 1st version of "Goldilocks & the Three Bears", the protagonist was an old woman. She entered the home of 3 bears while they were away. When they returned she woke up & jumped out the window. This character was later changed from the old woman to a girl.🐻
#FairyTaleTuesday