# farming magic japanesefolklore ukiyoe

In Key West, conch shells are placed outside the door to bring good luck and keep the sea out of your house.

art by Jacob de Gheyn (1596–1641)

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2022-08-14

A sailor would never turn his shoes upside-down on the deck for fear the boat would copy and turn over too...

🎨Winslow Homer

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2022-08-14

St Elmo's Fire, a weather phenomenon not only found on seafaring vessels, was considered a good omen bringing an end to storms and calmer seas. This is something I'd love to witness! I would think a small piece of such a mast would be powerful in weather Work.

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2022-08-13

An albatross was thought to carry the souls of dead sailors, so it was bad luck to kill one. However, it is considered good luck if you see one. [Engraving by Gustave Doré for an 1876 edition of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coleridge.]

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2022-08-13

Some Selkies draw their roots to Irish/Scottish folklore while some say it came from the Norse & Celtic mythology. They are said to be half-human and half seal.

They can shed their seal skin and transform into humans. They also sing beautifully in the water.

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2022-08-13

On Durham farms, a goat was kept with the cattle as it was believed they would eat adders who may otherwise have harmed the cows...

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2022-08-06

According to 9th Century bishop, Agobard of Lyons, people believed in airship sailing individuals from a region called Magonia. They were said to pay storm makers to raise terrible hail storms, before swooping in to steal grain and other crops for their own uses.

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2022-08-06

In my adopted Cumbrian dialect, 'fellin-girse' is green hellebore

it was grown on Cumbrian farms as a cure for numerous livestock ailments
in folk magic it's also used to call forth demons and curse enemies


art: Adolf Hirémy-Hirschl

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2022-08-06

At Lammas the Grain Mother/Harvest Queen/Earth Mother/Ceres & Demeter is in her aspect. Demeter, is the ripe corn harvest and her daughter Kore is the grain - the seed in the deep & dark earth, hidden in the winter, re-appearing in the spring as new growth.

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2022-07-30

Irish "Gaoth Sidhe" (Fairy Wind) is a sudden gust of wind rising out of nowhere. Lots of omens and superstitions linked to it. In fact, the word Sidhe,"fairy"also means "gust of wind" My drawing and my song "The Wind Song" Listen 🎵: https://t.co/nF21SJdODb

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2022-07-24


In Argentina there is a saying ' viento del este, lluvia como peste' which means: east wind will surely bring rain, cause gusts from the east are usually humid & stormy

Pic by J W Waterhouse

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2022-07-23

Edward Dimon of Marblehead, MA, was quite a wizard. He would use his powers to watch & call out to ships at sea, encased in violent storms, guiding them thru to safety. He did this miles away from the village cemetery.

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2022-07-23

In South Wales, Friday was the fairies’ day, it was their whim to make the weather differ
'When the rest of the week is fair, Friday is apt to be rainy, or cloudy; & when the weather is foul, Friday is apt to be more fair.’ (W. Sikes 1880)


🖼️: M.Tarrant 1924

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2022-07-23

In Iceland, there's an old belief that dreaming of a white sheep means it's going to snow the next day. Perhaps because of this association, knitting with wool outdoors is traditionally discouraged, as it's believed to prolong winter.

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2022-07-23

In kamikiri mushi are a type of magical insect with razor-sharp hands & beak. They sneak into homes & cut off people's hair, often while they're sleeping. Some believe that kamikiri attacks are to prevent people unknowingly marrying a yokai.

1/2

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2022-07-16


In medieval times ladybirds were symbols of good luck and protection, as they ate the aphids destroying the farmers’ crops. In English folklore, a ladybird landing on your hand means you will be married within the year.
🎨Blanche Fisher Wright

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2022-07-16


In Ancient Mayan legends the Hummingbird was made from other bird's feathers. The Hummingbird was celebrated by all for its beauty, magic & wit.

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2022-07-10

In Warwickshire, gold finches were k/as "proud tailors" as it was said that the souls of tailors who sang while they worked, had settled in these colourful little birds.

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2022-07-10

While ominous lore surrounds ravens, in Greek myth they were seen as prophetic & tied to Apollo, the god of prophecy. Apollo adored & used them as his messengers, gallant spies, & avian assistants who could see what was happening in his world 🖤

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2022-07-09

In both China and Japan the goose is linked with the moon. It was common for the family of a bride to give a goose as a gift to the groom.

🎨'White-fronted Goose - Ohara Koson.

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2022-07-09