LEGENDS BY PACHI

EDGAR CAYCE

2011-08-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

Edgar Cayce ( /ˈ k eɪ s iː /; March 18, 1877 – January 3, 1945)

was an American psychic who believed he had the ability to channel answers to questions on subjects such as healing or Atlantis while in a hypnotic trance. Though Cayce himself was a devout Christian and lived before the emergence of the New Age Movement, some believe he was the founder of the movement and influenced its teachings.
Cayce became a celebrity toward the end of his life and the publicity given to his prophecies has overshadowed what to him were usually considered the more important parts of his work, such as healing (the vast majority of his readings were given for people who were sick) and theology (Cayce was a lifelong, devout member of the Disciples of Christ).

Skeptics challenge the statement that Cayce demonstrated psychic abilities, and traditional Christians also question his unorthodox answers on religious matters (such as reincarnation and Akashic records, although others accept his abilities as "God-given").
Today there are thousands of Cayce students and more than 300 books written about Edgar Cayce. Members of Cayce's organization, the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) exist worldwide and Edgar Cayce Centers are found in more than 35 countries

THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT

2011-08-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational psychology, holistic health, parapsychology, consciousness research and quantum physics". It aims to create "a spirituality without borders or confining dogmas" that is inclusive and pluralistic. Another of its primary traits is holding to "a holistic worldview," thereby emphasising that the Mind, Body and Spirit are interrelated and that there is a form of Monism and unity throughout the universe It further attempts to create "a worldview that includes both science and spirituality"and thereby embraces a number of forms of science and pseudoscience.
According to author Nevill Drury, the origins of the movement can be found in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly through the works of the esotericists Emanuel Swedenborg, Franz Mesmer, Helena Blavatsky and George Gurdjieff, who laid some of the basic philosophical principles that would later influence the movement. It would gain further momentum in the 1960s, taking influence from metaphysics, self-help psychology, and the various Indian gurus who visited the West during that decade.
The New Age movement includes elements of older spiritual and religious traditions ranging from atheism and monotheism through classical pantheism, naturalistic pantheism, pandeism and panentheism to polytheism combined with science and Gaia philosophy; particularly archaeoastronomy, astronomy, ecology, environmentalism, the Gaia hypothesis, psychology, and physics. New Age practices and philosophies sometimes draw inspiration from major world religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Chinese folk religion, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism; with strong influences from East Asian religions, Gnosticism, Neopaganism, New Thought, Spiritualism, Theosophy, Universalism, and Western esotericism. The term New Age refers to the coming astrological Age of Aquarius

GRIGORI RASPUTIN

2011-08-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (Russian: Григорий Ефимович Распутин [ɡrʲɪˈɡorʲɪj jɪˈfʲiməvʲɪtɕ rɐˈsputʲɪn]) (22 January [O.S. 10 January] 1869 – 29 December [O.S. 16 December] 1916) was a Russian mystic who is perceived as having influenced the latter days of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their only son Alexei. Rasputin had often been called the "Mad Monk",[1] while others considered him a "strannik" (or religious pilgrim) and even a starets (ста́рец, "elder", a title usually reserved for monk-confessors), believing him to be a psychic and faith healer.[1]
It has been argued[2] that Rasputin helped to discredit the tsarist government, leading to the fall of the Romanov dynasty, in 1917. Contemporary opinions saw Rasputin variously as a saintly mystic, visionary, healer and prophet or, on the contrary, as a debauched religious charlatan. There has been much uncertainty over Rasputin's life and influence as accounts of his life have often been based on dubious memoirs, hearsay and legend. Rasputin was born a peasant in the small village of Pokrovskoye, along the Tura River in the Tobolsk guberniya (now Tyumen Oblast) in Siberia.[3] The date of his birth remained in doubt for some time and was estimated sometime between 1863 and 1873.[4] Recently, new documents surfaced revealing Rasputin's birth date as 10 January 1869 O.S. (equivalent to 22 January 1869 N.S.)[5]
Not much is known about his childhood and what is known was most likely passed down through his family members. He had two known siblings, a sister called Maria and an older brother named Dmitri. His sister Maria, said to have been epileptic, drowned in a river.[3] One day, when Rasputin was playing with his brother, Dmitri fell into a pond and Rasputin jumped in to save him. They were both pulled out of the water by a passer-by but Dmitri eventually died of pneumonia. Both fatalities affected Rasputin and he subsequently named two of his children Maria and Dmitri.
The myths surrounding Rasputin portray him as showing indications of supernatural powers throughout his childhood. One ostensible example of these reputed powers was when Efim Rasputin, Grigori's father, had one of his horses stolen and it was claimed that Rasputin was able to identify the man who had committed the theft.[3]
When he was around the age of eighteen, Rasputin spent three months in the Verkhoturye Monastery, possibly as a penance for theft. His experience there, combined with a reported vision of the Virgin Mary on his return, turned him towards the life of a religious mystic and wanderer. It also appears that he came into contact with the banned Christian sect known as the khlysty (flagellants) whose impassioned services, ending in physical exhaustion, led to rumors that religious and sexual ecstasy were combined in these rituals. Suspicions (which have not generally been accepted by historians) that Rasputin was one of the Khlysts threatened his reputation right to the end of his life. Alexander Guchkov charged him with being a member of this illegal and orgiastic sect. The Tsar perceived the very real threat of a scandal and ordered his own investigations but did not, in the end, remove Rasputin from his position of influence; on the contrary he fired his minister of the interior for a "lack of control over the press" (censorship being a top priority for Nicholas then). He then pronounced the affair to be a private one closed to debate.[6]
Shortly after leaving the monastery, Rasputin visited a holy man named Makariy whose hut was nearby. Makariy had an enormous influence on Rasputin, and he modelled himself after Makariy. Rasputin married Praskovia Fyodorovna Dubrovina in 1889 and they had three children: Dmitri, Varvara and Maria. Rasputin also had another child with another woman. In 1901, he left his home in Pokrovskoye as a strannik (or pilgrim) and, during the time of his journeying, travelled to Greece and Jerusalem. In 1903 he arrived in Saint Petersburg where he gradually gained a reputation as a starets (or holy man) with healing and prophetic powers.

Rasputin was wandering as a pilgrim in Siberia when he heard reports of Tsarevich Alexei's illness. It was not publicly known in 1904 that Alexei had haemophilia, a disease that was widespread among European royalty descended from the British Queen Victoria, who was Alexei's great-grandmother. When doctors could not help Alexei, the Tsaritsa looked everywhere for help, ultimately turning to her best friend, Anna Vyrubova, to secure the help of the charismatic peasant healer Rasputin in 1905.[7] He was said to possess the ability to heal through prayer and was indeed able to give the boy some relief, in spite of the doctors' prediction that he would die.[7] Every time the boy had an injury which caused him internal or external bleeding, the Tsaritsa called on Rasputin, and the Tsarevich subsequently got better.[citation needed] This made it appear that Rasputin was effectively healing him.
Skeptics have claimed that he did so by hypnosis, which, in one study, actually has proven to relieve symptoms because it lowers stress levels and therefore diminishes the symptomatology of haemophilia.[8] However, during a particularly grave crisis at Spala in Poland in 1912, Rasputin sent a telegram from his home in Siberia, which is believed to have eased the suffering. His pragmatic advice include suggestions such as "Don't let the doctors bother him too much; let him rest." This was thought to have helped Alexei to relax and allow the child's own natural healing process some headroom.[9] Others have made the less likely suggestion that he used leeches to attempt to treat the boy. As leech saliva contains anticoagulants such as hirudin, this treatment would most likely have exacerbated his haemophilia instead of providing relief. Diarmuid Jeffreys has pointed out that Rasputin's healing suggestions included halting the administration of aspirin, a then newly-available (since 1899) pain-relieving (analgesic) "wonder drug". As aspirin is also an anticoagulant, this intervention would have worsened the hemarthrosis causing Alexei's joints' swelling and pain.[10]
The Tsar referred to Rasputin as "our friend" and a "holy man", a sign of the trust that the family had placed in him. Rasputin had a considerable personal and political influence on Alexandra,[11] and the Tsar and Tsaritsa considered him a man of God and a religious prophet. Alexandra came to believe that God spoke to her through Rasputin. Of course, this relationship can also be viewed in the context of the very strong, traditional, age-old bond between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian leadership. Another important factor was probably the Tsaritsa's German-Protestant origin: she was definitely highly fascinated by her new Orthodox outlook — the Orthodox religion puts a great deal of faith in the healing powers of prayer.

THE PROPHECIES OF NOSTRADAMUS

2011-08-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

Michel de Nostredame (14 or 21 December 1503[1] – 2 July 1566),

usually Latinised to Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties (The Prophecies), the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Since the publication of this book, which has rarely been out of print since his death, Nostradamus has attracted a following that, along with the popular press, credits him with predicting many major world events.
Most academic sources maintain that the associations made between world events and Nostradamus's quatrains are largely the result of misinterpretations or mistranslations (sometimes deliberate) or else are so tenuous as to render them useless as evidence of any genuine predictive power. Moreover, none of the sources listed offers any evidence that anyone has ever interpreted any of Nostradamus's quatrains specifically enough to allow a clear identification of any event in advance

THE PROPHECIES OF MERLIN

2011-08-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

The scales of Libra will hang awry until Aries props them up with its curving horns.
The tail of Scorpio shall generate lightning, and Cancer will fight with the Sun.
Virgo shall climb on back of Sagittarius and so let droop its maiden blossoms.
The Moons chariot shall run amok in the Zodiac; the Pleiades will burst into tears. None of these will return to the duty expected of it.
Ariadne will shut its door and be hidden within its enclosing cloud banks.
In the twinkling of an eye the seas shall rise up, and the arena of the winds shall be opened once again. The winds shall do battle together with a blast of ill-omen, making their din reverberate from one constellation to another.
Merlin saith that in England shall be seen strange things, as preaching of traitors, great rain and wind, great hunger among the common people, great oppression of blood, great imprisonment of many men and great battle; so that there shall be few or no quiet place to abide in; the Prince shall forsake men of the church, Lords shall forsake righteousness, counsel of the aged shall not be set by; religious men and women shall be thrust out of their houses; the common people for fear shall not know which way to turn; parents shall be hated by their children, men of worship shall have no reverence of others; adultery shall abound among all; with more ill than I can tell of, from which God us defend." [From Sunday Prophecies of Merlin, Becket, and Others, Author Unknown, published in London in 1652.]
"Luxury shall overspread the land, and fornication shall not cease to debauch mankind. Famine shall then return, and the inhabitants shall grieve for the destruction of their cities. In those days the oaks of the forests shall burn, and acorns grow upon lime trees! The Severn sea shall discharge itself through seven mouths, and the river Usk burn for seven months! Fishes shall die in the heat thereof, and from them serpents will be born."
The baths of Badon [hot springs of Bath] shall grow cold, and their salubrious waters engender death! London shall mourn for the death of twenty thousand, and the river Thames shall be turned to blood! The monks in the cowls shall be forced to marry, and their cry shall be heard upon the mountains of the Alps."
"The seas shall rise up in the twinkling of an eye, and the dust of the ancients shall be restored." [From The History of the Kings of Britain, The Prophecies of Merlin by Geoffrey of Monmouth.]
The cult of religion shall be destroyed completely, and the ruin of the churches shall be clear for all to see. The race that is oppressed shall prevail in the end, for it will resist the savagery of the invaders.
The Boar of Cornwall shall bring relief from these invaders, for it will trample the necks beneath its feet. The islands of the Ocean shall be given into the power of the Boar, and it shall lord it over the forests of Gaul. The House of Romulus shall dread the Boar's savagery, and the end of the Boar will be shrouded in mystery. The Boar shall be extolled in the mouths of its peoples, and its deeds will be as meat and drink to those who tell tales.
Six of the Boar's descendants shall hold the sceptre after it, and next after them will rise up the German Worm. The Sea-wolf shall exalt the Worm, and the forests of Africa shall be committed to its care.
Religion shall be destroyed a second time and the sees of the primates will be moved to other places. London's high dignity shall adorn Durobernia, and the seventh pastor of York will be visited in the realm of Armorica.
Menevia shall be dressed in the pall of the City of the Legions, and the preacher from Ireland shall be struck dumb by a child still growing in the womb.
A shower of blood shall fall, and a dire famine shall afflict mankind. The Red One will grieve for what has happened, but after an immense effort it will regain its strength.
Calamity will next pursue the White One, and the buildings in its little garden will be torn down.
Seven who hold the sceptre shall perish, one of them being canonised. The bellies of mothers shall be cut open, and babies will be born prematurely.
Men will suffer most grievously, in order that those born in the country may regain power. He who will achieve these things shall appear as the Man of Bronze, and for long years he shall guard the gates of London upon a brazen horse.
Then the Red Dragon will revert to its true habits and struggle to tear itself to pieces. Next will come the revenge of the Thunderer, and every one of the farmer's fields will be a disappointment.
Death will lay hold of the people and destroy all the nations. Those who are left alive will abandon their native soil and will sow their seeds in the fields of others. A king who is blessed will fit out a navy and will be reckoned the twelfth in the court among the saints. The realm shall be deserted in the most pitiful way, and the harvest threshing floors will be overgrown once more by forests rich in fruit. Once again the White Dragon shall rise up and will invite over a daughter of Germany. Our little garden will be stocked again with foreign seed, and the Red Dragon will pine away at the far end of the pool. After that the German Worm shall be crowned, and the Prince of brass will be buried.
limit was set for him, beyond which he was powerless to pass. For a hundred and fifty years he shall remain in anguish and subjection, and then for three hundred more he shall sit enthroned. The North Wind will rise against him, snatching away the flowers which the West Wind has caused to bloom. There will be gilding in the temples, but the sword's cutting edge will not cease its work. The German Dragon will find it hard to escape to its cavernous lairs, for vengeance for its treason will overtake it. In the end it will become strong again just for a short time, but the decimation of Normandy will be a sorry blow. There shall come people dressed in wood and in iron corselets who will take vengeance on it for its wickedness. This people shall give their dwelling back to the earlier inhabitants, and the destruction of foreigners will be clear for all to see.
The seed of the White Dragon shall be rooted up from our little gardens and what is left of its progeny shall be decimated. They shall bear the yoke of perpetual slavery, and they will wound their own mother with their spades and ploughshares. Two more Dragons shall follow, one of which shall be killed by the sting of envy, but the second will return under the cover of authority.
The Lion of Justice shall come next, and at its roar the towers of Gaul shall shake and the island Dragons tremble. In the days of this Lion, gold shall be squeezed from the lily-Bower and the nettle, and silver shall flow from the hooves of lowing cattle.
They who have had their hair waved shall dress in woolen stuffs of many colours, and the outer garment shall be an index of the thoughts within. The feet of they that bark shall be cut. Wild animals shall enjoy peace, but mankind will bewail the way in which it is being punished. The balance of trade shall be tom in half; and the half that is left shall be rounded off. Kites will lose their ravenous hunger, and the teeth of wolves will be blunted. The Lion's cubs shall be transformed into salt-water fishes, and the Eagle of Mount Aravia shall nest upon a summit.
Venedotia shall be red with the blood of mothers, and the house of Corineus will slaughter six brothers. The island will lie sodden with the tears of the night-time, and everyone will be encouraged to try to do everything. Those who are born later shall strive to fly over even the most lofty things, but the favour given to the newcomers will be loftier even than that.
Piety will frown upon the man who has inherited goods from the impious; that is, until he takes his style of dress from his own father. Girded around with a wild boar's teeth, he shall climb over the mountain summits and higher than the shadow of the Helmeted Man.
Albany will be angry: calling her near neighbours to her, she shall give herself entirely to bloodshed. Between her jaws there will be found a bit which was forged in the Bay of Armorica. The eagle of the Broken Covenant shall paint it with gold and will rejoice in her third nesting.
The cubs shall roar as they keep watch; they will forsake the forest groves and come hunting inside the walls of cities. They will cause great slaughter among any who oppose them, and the tongues of bulls shall they slice off. They shall load with chains the necks of the roaring ones and live again the days of their forefathers. Thereafter, from the first to the fourth, from the fourth to the third, from the third to the second shall the thumb be rolled in oil.
The sixth shall throw down the walls of Ireland and transmute its forests into a level plain. The sixth shall unite the different parts into one whole, and he shall be crowned with the head of a lion.
His beginning will yield to his own unstable disposition, but his end shall soar up towards those on high. He shall restore the dwellings of the saints throughout the lands and settle the pastors in places which befit them.
Two towns shall he cover with funeral palls and to virgins he will present virgin gifts. By doing this he will earn the favour of the Thunderer, and he will be placed among the blessed. From him there will emerge a She-lynx, and this will nose its way into all things and strive for the downfall of its own race. Because of the She-lynx Normandy will lose both its isles and be deprived of its former dignity. Then the island's inhabitants shall return to it, for a great dissension will arise among the foreigners.
A hoary old man upon a mow-white horse shall divert the River Periron, and above the stream he will measure out a mill with his white rod. Cadwallader shall summon Conanus and shall make an alliance with Albany. Then the foreigners shall be slaughtered, and the rivers will run with blood.
The mountains of Armorica shall erupt, and Armorica itself shall be crowned with Brutus' diadem. Kambria shall be filled with joy, and the Cornish oaks shall flourish. The island shall be called by the name of Brutus, and the title given to it by the foreigners shall be done away with. From Conanus there shall descend a fierce Boar, which will try the sharpness of its tusks in the forests of Gaul, for it will lop down all the larger oak trees, taking care to protect the smaller ones.
The Arabs shall dread this Boar and so shall the Africans, for the impetus of its onslaught will carry it into the remotest parts of Spain. Next after the Boar shall come the Ram of the Castle of Venus, with golden horns and a beard of silver.
It will breathe such a fog from its nostrils that the entire surface of the island will be overshadowed by it. In the days of the Ram there shall be peace, and the harvests will be plentiful because of the richness of the soil. Women shall become snake-like in their gait, and every step they take will be full arrogance.
The Castle of Venus will be restored, and Cupid's arrows will continue to wound. The source of the River Amne shall turn into blood, and two kings will fight each other at the Ford of the Staff for the sake of a Lioness. All the soil will be fruitful beyond mans need; and human beings will fornicate unceasingly.
Three generations will witness all that I have mentioned, and then the kings buried in the town of London will be disinterred. Famine will return, and death, and citizens will grieve for their townships. The Boar of Commerce shall come and call back the scattered flocks to the feeding ground which they have forsaken. Its breast will be as food to the hungry, and its tongue will assuage the thirst of those who are dry. From its mouth shall flow forth rivers which will water the parched gullets of men.
Then a Tree shall spring up on the top of the Tower of London. It will be content with only three branches, and yet it will overshadow the whole length and breadth of the island with the spread of its leaves. The North Wind will come as the Tree's enemy, and with its noxious breath it will tear away the third of the branches.
The two branches which are left will occupy the place of the one ripped off: this until one of them destroys the other by the very abundance of its leaves. This last branch will fill the place of the other two, and it will offer a roosting place to birds come from foreign parts. To birds native to the country it will seem harmful, for through their dread of its shadow they will lose their power of free flight. The Ass of Wickedness will come next, swift against the goldsmiths, but slow against the wolves' ravenous appetites. In these days the oaks shall burn in the forest glades, and acorns shall burgeon on the lime trees' boughs.
The Severn Sea shall flow forth through seven mouths, and the River Usk shall be boiling hot for seven months. Its fish will die because of the heat, and from them serpents will be born. The baths shall grow cold at Bath, and its health-giving waters shall breed death. London shall mourn the death of twenty thousand, and the Thames will be turned into blood. Monks in their cowls shall be forced into marriage, and their lamentation will be heard on the mountain peaks of the Alps.
Three springs shall burst forth in the town of Winchester, and the streams which run from them will divide the island into three parts. Whoever will drink from the first will enjoy long life and will never be afflicted by the onslaught of illness. Whoever will drink from the second shall perish from insatiable hunger: pallor and dread will be clear to see on his face.
Whoever will drink from the third shall die a sudden death. And it will not be possible for his body to be buried. In their effort to avoid so voracious a death, fit men will do their best to cover it over from layers of different materials, but whatever structure is placed on top will immediately take on the form of another substance. As soon as they are placed there, earth will be turned to stones, stones to liquid, wood into ashes, ashes into water.
However from a town in Canutes forest, a girl shall be sent to remedy these matters by her healing art. Once she has consulted all the oracles, she shall dry up the noxious springs simply by breathing on them.
Next, when she has restored her own strength by some invigorating drink, she shall carry the Forest of Caledon in her right hand, and in her left the buttressed forts of the walls of London. Wherever she passes she shall leave sulphurous footprints which will reek with a double flame.
The smoke from them will stir up the Ruteni and will provide food for the creatures who live in the sea. Tears of compassion shall flow from her eyes and will fill the island with her dreadful cries. He that will kill her shall be a stag of ten tines, four of which will bear golden coronets; the other six will be turned into the horns of oxen, and these horns will rouse the three islands of Britain with their accursed bellowing.
The Daneian Forest shall be wakened from its sleep and, burst into human speech, it shall shout, "Kambria, come here; bring Cornwall at your side! Say to Winchester, 'The earth will swallow you up. Move the see of your shepherd to where the ships come in to harbour.
Then make sure that the limbs which remain follow the head! The day approaches when your citizens will perish for their crime of perjury. The whiteness of your wool done you harm, and so too has the variety of their dye. Woe to the perjured people, for their famous city shall come toppling down because of them! The ships shall rejoice at such a great increase, and each one of them will be constructed out of the material of two. A Hedgehog loaded with apples shall rebuild the town and, attracted by the smell of these apples, birds will flock there from many different forests. The hedgehog shall build a huge palace and then wall it round with six hundred towers. London will view this with envy and will increase her own fortifications threefold.
The River Thames will surround London on all sides, and the report of that engineering feat will cross the Alps. The Hedgehog will hide its apples inside Winchester and will construct hidden passages under the earth. In that time the stones shall speak.
The sea over which men sail to Gaul shall be contracted into a narrow channel. A man on any one of the two shores will be audible to a man on the other, and the land mass of the island will grow greater. The secrets of the creatures who live under the sea shall be revealed, and Gaul will tremble for fear. Next a Heron shall emerge from the Forest of Calaterium and fly around the island for two whole years. By its cry in the night it will call all winged creatures together and assemble in its company every genus of bird.
They will swoop down on to the fields which men have cultivated and devour every kind of harvest.
A famine will attack the people, and an appalling death rate will follow the famine. As soon as this terrible calamity has come to an end, the accursed Bird will transfer its attention to the Calabes Valley and rise it up into a lofty mountain.
On its highest peak the heron will plant in an oak, and on the branches of the oak it shall build its nest; three eggs shall be laid in the nest, and from them will emerge a Fox, a Wolf, and a Bear.
The Fox will devour its mother and then put on an Ass's head. Once it has assumed this monstrous guise, it will terrify its brothers and drive them away to Normandy. In that country they will in their turn stir up the tusky Boar.
Back they will come in a boat, and in that way they will meet the Fox once more. As it begins the contest, the Fox will pretend that it is dead and will move the Boar to pity. Soon the Boar will go up to the Fox's corpse. and, standing over it, will breathe into its eyes and face.
The Fox, not unmindful of its ancient cunning, will bite the Boars left hoof and sever it completely from the Boars body.
Then the Fox will leap at the Boar and tear off its right ear and its tail and slink off to hide in the mountain caves. The deluded Boar will then ask the Wolf and the Bear to restore to it the parts which it has lost.
Once they have agreed to support the Boar, they will promise it two feet, two ears and one tail, from which they will manufacture a truly porcine member.
The Boar will agree to this and will stand waiting for the promised return of its parts.
Meanwhile the Fox will come down from the mountains and will metamorphose itself into a Wolf. Under the pretense of holding a conference with the Bear, it will approach that animal craftily and eat it up.
Then the Fox will change itself into a Boar and stand waiting for its brothers, pretending that it, too, has lost some of its members. As soon as they come, it will kill them with its tusk without a moments delay and then have itself crowned with a Lion's head.
In the days of the Fox, a Snake shall be born, and this will bring death to human beings. It will encircle London with its long tail and devour all there who pass by.
A Mountain Ox will put on a Wolf's head and grind its teeth white in the Severn's workshop.
The Ox will collect round itself the flocks of Albany and those of Wales, and their company will drain the Thames dry as it drinks.
An Ass shall call to itself a long-bearded Goat and then will change shapes with it. As a result the Mountain Bull will lose its temper: it will summon the Wolf and then transfix the Ass and the Goat with its horn. Once it has indulged its savage rage upon them, it will eat up their flesh and their bones, but the Ox itself will be burned up on the summit of Urianus.
The ashes of its funeral pyre shall be transmuted into swans, which will swim away upon dry land as though in water. These Swans will eat up fish inside fish and they will swallow men inside men. When they grow old they will take the shape of sea-wolves and continue their treacherous behaviour beneath the sea. They will sink ships and gather together quite a treasure house of silver.
Then the Thames shall begin to flow again. It will gather together its tributaries and overflow the confines of its bed. It will submerge nearby towns and overturn the mountains in its course. It will join to itself to the Springs of Calabes, filled as they are to the very brim with wickedness and deceit.
As a result, a number of mutinies will occur, and these will encourage the Venedoti to make war. The oaks of the forest shall band together and come into conflict with the rocks of the Gewissei.
A Raven will fly down with the Kites and eat up the bodies of the dead. An Owl will nest on the walls of Gloucester, and in its nest will be hatched an Ass. T
he Snake of Malvern will nurture this Ass and teach it many deceitful tricks. The Ass will put on a crown and then clamber above all that is most lofty and terrify the people with its hideous braying.
In the days of the Ass the Pacaian Mountains shall totter, and the country districts shall be deprived of their forest lands, for there shall come a Worm which will puff forth fire, and this Worm will burn up the trees with the breath which it exhales.
Out of the Worm shall come seven lions malformed with goats heads. With the fetid breath from their nostrils, they will corrupt married women and cause wives so far faithful to one husband to become common prostitutes.
The father shall not know his own son, for human beings will copulate wantonly as cattle do. Then indeed shall come a very Giant of wickedness who will terrify everyone with the piercing glance of his eyes. Against him will arise the dragon of Worcester, which will do its best to destroy him; but when they come to grips, the Dragon will be worsted and overwhelmed by its conqueror's wickedness, which will terrify everyone.
The Giant will climb on the Dragon, throw off all his clothes, and then ride upon it naked. The Dragon will rear the Giant up in the air and lash his naked body with its erected tail, but the Giant will recover his strength and cut the Dragons throat with his sword.
Finally, the Dragon will become entangled in its own tail and die of poison.
The boar of Totnes shall succeed the Giant and will oppress the people with grievous tyranny. Gloucester shall send a lion which will harass the raging Boar in a series of battles. This Lion will trample the Boar under foot and terrify it with its open maw. Finally the Lion will be at odds with all in the kingdom and climb up on the backs of the nobles.
A Bull will pursue the Lion through all the narrow byways of the kingdom, but in the end it will break its horns against the walls of Oxford. The Fox of Caerdubalum will wreak vengeance on the Lion and tear it up with its teeth. Then the Adder of Lincoln will coil round the Fox and announce its presence to the assembled Dragon with a terrifying hiss.
The Dragons will attack each other and tear each other to pieces.
A Dragon with wings will overwhelm the Dragon without wings, driving its venomous claws into the others muzzle. Two more Dragons will join the battle, and the one will kill the other. A fifth Dragon will replace the two dead ones and will destroy the two left alive by various stratagems.
It will climb on the back of one, holding a sword in its claws, and hack its head away from its body. Then it will cast its slough and climb on the second one with its opponent's tail in its right and left claws.
Naked, it will overwhelm the other; when fully covered, it will achieve nothing. It will torment other Dragons by climbing on their backs and will drive them round the kingdom.
Then a roaring Lion will intervene, terrifying in its monstrous cruelty. This Lion will reduce fifteen portions to a single entity, and by itself it will hold the people in its power. A Giant, snow-white in colour and gleaming bright, will beget a radiant people.
Soft living will enervate the leaders, and those under their command will be changed into beasts. In their number will arise a Lion, fat with human blood. A Man with a Sickle will act as the Lion's helper in the harvest, but when the man is perplexed in his mind, the Lion will destroy him.
The Charioteer of York will soothe the people. He will throw his master out and climb up into the chariot which he is driving. He will draw his sword and threaten the East, and he will fill with blood the ruts made by his wheels. Next he will turn himself into a Sea-fish and mate with a Snake which has attracted him by its hissing.
As a result, there shall be born three Bulls, which will glitter like lightning. They will eat up their pasture lands and then be turned into trees.
The first Bull will carry a whip made of vipers, and it will turn its back on the one born second. The second Bull will struggle to snatch the whip from the first, but the whip will be seized by the third. They will avert their gaze from each other until they have thrown away the poison cup.
A Farmer from Albany shall take their place, and down his back a Snake shall hang. He will spend his time ploughing the earth, so that the harvests of his homeland may grow white, but the Snake will busy itself in scattering poison to prevent the green corn from ever coming to harvest.
The population shall decrease through some deadly calamity, and the walls of the towns will come tumbling down. The City of Claudius will be proposed as a source of remedy, and this city will put forward the Foster-daughter of the Scourger. She shall come bearing a saucer of medicine, and in next to no time the island will be restored.
Two men shall hold the sceptre, one after the other, and a Horned Dragon will serve them both. The first man will come clad in iron and riding upon a flying Serpent. He will sit astride its back, with his body naked, and he will grasp its tail in his right hand.
The seas will be made turbulent by his cry, and he will strike terror into the second man. As a result, the second man will make an alliance with a Lion, but a quarrel will ensue, and they will fight. Each of the two will suffer greatly from the other's blows, but the animal's ferocity will enable it to win.
A man shall come with a drum and a lute, and he will soothe the Lions savageness. The various peoples in the kingdom will be pacified as a result, and they will encourage the Lion to take the saucer of medicine. As it sits in the dwelling allocated to it, it will examine the dose, but it will stretch out its hand toward Albany.
The regions of the north will be saddened by this, and they will throw open the gates of their temples.
A Wolf will act as standard bearer, and it will coil its tail round Cornwall. A soldier in a chariot will resist the Wolf and transform the Cornish people into a Boar. As a result the Boar will devastate the provinces, but it will hide its head in the depths of the Severn.
A man shall wrestle with a drunken Lion, and the gleam of gold will blind the eyes of the onlookers. Silver will shine white in the open space, causing trouble to a number of wine presses.
Men will become drunk with the wine which is offered to them; they will turn their backs on Heaven and fix their eyes on the Earth.
The stars will avert their gaze from these men and alter their accustomed course.
The harvests will dry up through the stars anger, and all moisture from the sky will cease.
Roots and branches shall change their places, and the oddness of this will pass for a miracle.
Before the amber glow of Mercury the bright light of the Sun shall grow dim, and this will strike horror into those who witness it. The planet Mercury, born in Arcady, shall change its shield, and the Helmet of Mars shall call to Venus.
The Helmet of Mars shall cast a shadow, and in rage Mercury shall overrun its orbit.
Iron Orion shall bare its sword.
The watery Sun shall torment the clouds. Jupiter shall abandon its preordained paths, and Venus desert its appointed circuits.
The malice of the planet Saturn will pour down like rain, killing mortal men as though with a curved sickle.
The twelve mansions of the stars will weep to see their inmates transgress so.
The Gemini will cease their wanton embraces and will dispatch Aquarius to the fountains.

THE LEGEND OF THE DRUM

2011-06-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

An Abenaki Legend
It is said that when Creator was giving a place for all the spirits to dwell who would be taking part in the inhabitance of Mother Earth, there came a sound, a loud BOOM, from off in the distance.
As Creator listened, the sound kept coming closer and closer until it finally it was right in front of Creator. "Who are you?" asked Creator. "I am the spirit of the drum" was the reply. I have come here to ask you to allow me to take part in this wonderful thing." "How will you take part?" Creator questioned." I would like to accompany the singing of the people. When they sing from their hearts, I will to sing as though I was the heartbeat of Mother Earth. In that way, all creation will sing in harmony. "Creator granted the request, and from then on, the drum accompanied the people's voices.
Throughout all of the indigenous peoples of the world, the drum is the center of all songs. It is the catalyst for the spirit of the songs to rise up to the Creator so that the prayers in those songs reach where they were meant to go. At all times, the sound of the drum brings completeness, awe, excitement, solemnity, strength, courage, and the fulfillment to the songs. It is Mother's heartbeat giving her approval to those living upon her. It draws the eagle to it, who carries the message to Creator.
It changes people's lives!

"CREATION STORY" BLACKFOOT LEGEND

2011-06-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

A Blackfoot Legend
Old Man came from the south, making the mountains, the prairies, and the forests as he passed along, making the birds and the animals also. He traveled northward making things as he went, putting red paint in the ground here and there --arranging the world as we see it today.
He made the Milk River and crossed it; being tired, he went up on a little hill and lay down to rest. As he lay on his back, stretched out on the grass with his arms extended, he marked his figure with stones. You can see those rocks today, they show the shape of his body, legs, arms and hair.
Going on north after he had rested, he stumbled over a knoll and fell down on his knees. He said aloud, "You are a bad thing to make me stumble so." Then he raised up two large buttes there and named them the Knees. They are called the Knees to this day. He went on farther north, and with some of the rocks he carried with him he built the Sweet Grass Hills.
Old Man covered the plains with grass for the animals to feed on. He marked off a piece of ground and in it made all kinds of roots and berries to grow: camas, carrots, turnips, bitterroot, sarvisberries, bull-berries, cherries, plums, and rosebuds. He planted trees, and he put all kinds of animals on the ground.
When he created the bighorn sheep with its big head and horns, he made it out on the prairie. But it did not travel easily on the prairie; it was awkward and could not go fast. So Old Man took it by its horns, led it up into the mountain, and turned it loose. There the bighorn skipped about among the rocks and went up fearful places with ease. So Old Man said to it, "This is the kind of place that suits you; this is what you are fitted for, the rocks, and the mountains."
While he was in the mountains, he made the antelope out of dirt and turned it loose to see how it would do. It ran so fast that it fell over some rocks and hurt itself. Seeing that the mountains were not the place for it, Old Man took the antelope down to the prairie and turned it loose. When he saw it running away fast and gracefully, he said, "This is what you are suited to, the broad prairie."
One day Old Man decided that he would make a woman and a child. So he formed them both of clay, the woman and the child, her son.
After he had molded the clay in human shape, he said to it,"You must be people." And then he covered it up and went away. The next morning he went to the place, took off the covering, looked at the images, and said "Arise and walk." They did so. They walked down to the river with their maker, and then he told them that his name was Napi, Old Man.
This is how we came to be people. It is he who made us.
The first people were poor and naked, and they did not know how to do anything for themselves. Old Man showed them the roots and berries and said "You can eat these." Then he pointed to certain trees, "When the bark of these trees is young and tender, it is good. Then you can peel it off and eat it."
He told the people that the animals also should be their food. "These are your herds," he said. "All these little animals that live on the ground -- squirrels, rabbits, skunks, beavers, are good to eat. You need not fear to eat their flesh. All the birds that fly, these too, I have made for you, so that you can eat of their flesh."
Old Man took the first people over the prairies and through the forests, then the swamps to show them the different plants he had created. He told them what herbs were good for sicknesses, saying often, "The root of this herb or the leaf of this herb, if gathered in a certain month of the year, is good for certain sickness."
In that way the people learned the power of all herbs.
Then he showed them how to make weapons with which to kill the animals for their food. First, he went out and cut some sarvisberry shoots, brought them in, and peeled the bark off them. He took one of the larger shoots, flattened it, tied a string to it, and thus made a bow. Then he caught one of the birds he had made, took feathers from its wing, split them, and tied them to a shaft of wood.
At first he tied four feathers along the shaft, and with this bow sent the arrow toward its mark. But he found that it did not fly well. When he used only three feathers, it went straight to the mark. Then he went out and began to break sharp pieces off the stones. When he tied them at the ends of his arrows, he found that the black flint stones, and some white flint, made the best arrow points.
When the people had learned to make bow and arrows, Old Man taught them how to shoot animals and birds. Because it is not healthful to eat animals' flesh raw, he showed the first people how to make fire. He gathered soft, dry rotten driftwood and made a punk of it. Then he found a piece of hard wood and drilled a hole in it with an arrow point. He gave the first man a pointed piece of hard wood and showed him how to roll it between his hands until sparks came out and the punk caught fire. Then he showed the people how to cook the meat of the animals they had killed and how to eat it.
He told them to get a certain kind of stone that was on the land, while he found a harder stone. With the hard stone he had them hollow out the softer one and so make a kettle. Thus, they made their dishes.
Old Man told the first people how to get spirit power: "Go away by yourself and go to sleep. Something will come to you in your dream that will help you. It may be some animal. Whatever this animal tells you in your sleep, you must do. Obey it. Be guided by it. If later you want help, if you are traveling alone and cry aloud for help, your prayer will be answered. It may be by an eagle, perhaps by a buffalo, perhaps by a bear. Whatever animal hears your prayer you must listen to it."
That was how the first people got along in the world, by the power given to them in their dreams.
After this, Old Man kept on traveling north. Many of the animals that he had created followed him. They understood when he spoke to them, and they were his servants. When he got to the north point of the Porcupine Mountains, he made some more mud images of people, blew his breath upon them, and they became people, men and women. They asked him, "What are we to eat?"
By way of answer, Old Man made many images of clay in the form of buffalo. Then he blew breath upon them and they stood up. When he made signs to them, they started to run. Then he said to the people, "Those animals--buffalo--are your food."
"But how can we kill them?" the people asked.
"I will show you," he answered.
He took them to a cliff and told them to build rock piles: "Now hide behind these piles of rocks," he said. "I will lead the buffalo this way. When they are opposite you, rise up."
After telling them what to do, he started toward the herd of buffalo. When he called the animals, they started to run toward him, and they followed him until they were inside the piles of rock. Then Old Man dropped back. As the people rose up, the buffalo ran in a straight line and jumped over the cliff.
"Go down and take the flesh of those animals," said Old Man.
The people tried to tear the limbs apart, but they could not. Old Man went to the edge of the cliff, broke off some pieces with sharp edges, and told the people to cut the flesh with these rocks. They obeyed him. When they had skinned the buffalo, they set up some poles and put the hides on them. Thus they made a shelter to sleep under.
After Old Man had taught the people all these things, he started off again, traveling north until he came to where the Bow and Elbow Rivers meet. There he made some more people and taught them the same things. From there he went farther north. When he had gone almost to the Red Deer River, he was so tired that he lay down on a hill. The form of his body can be seen there yet, on the top of the hill where he rested.
When he awoke from his sleep, he traveled farther north until he came to a high hill. He climbed to the top of it and there he sat down to rest. As he gazed over the country, he was greatly pleased by it. Looking at the steep hill below him, he said to himself, "This is a fine place for sliding. I will have some fun." And he began to slide down the hill. The marks where he slid are to be seen yet, and the place is known to all the Blackfeet tribes as "Old Man's Sliding Ground."
Old Man can never die. Long ago he left the Blackfeet and went away toward the west, disappearing in the mountains. Before he started, he said to the people, "I will always take care of you, and some day I will return."
Even today some people think that he spoke the truth and that when he comes back he will bring with him the buffalo, which they believe the white men have hidden. Others remember that before he left them he said that when he returned he would find them a different people. They would be living in a different world, he said, from that which he had created for them and had taught them to live in.

LEGEND OF THE TOWER OF BABEL

2011-06-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

A Choctaw Legend
Many generations ago Aba, the good spirit above, created many men, all Choctaw, who spoke the language of the Choctaw, and understood one another.
These came from the bosom of the earth, being formed of yellow clay, and no men had ever lived before them. One day all came together and, looking upward, wondered what the clouds and the blue expanse above might be. They continued to wonder and talk among themselves and at last determined to endeavor to reach the sky.
So they brought many rocks and began building a mound that was to have touched the heavens. That night, however, the wind blew strong from above and the rocks fell from the mound. The second morning they again began work on the mound, but as the men slept that night the rocks were again scattered by the winds.
Once more, on the third morning, the builders set to their task. But once more, as the men lay near the mound that night, wrapped in slumber, the winds came with so great force that the rocks were hurled down on them.
The men were not killed, but when daylight came and they made their way from beneath the rocks and began to speak to one another, all were astounded as well as alarmed -they spoke various languages and could not understand one another.
Some continued thenceforward to speak the original tongue, the language of the Choctaw, and from these sprung the Choctaw tribe. The others, who could not understand this language, began to fight among themselves. Finally they separated.
The Choctaw remained the original people; the others scattered, some going north, some east, and others west, and formed various tribes.
This explains why there are so many tribes throughout the country at the present time.

KOSHCHEY THE DEATHLESS

2008-08-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

Koshchey the Deathless gallops naked through the wild Caucus mountains with his long spindly legs trailing in the dust.
In this picture by Ivan Bilibin, he is seen brandishing his sabre, shrieking blood-curdling threats and urging the spirits of the steppes to come to his aid.
I like the cloud formations . . .
Koshchey the Deathless also known as Koshchey the Immortal
In Russian Koshchey is known as "Koshchey Bessmertny" which means deathless or immortal (thanks to Mike Harris in Moscow for this information).
Variant spellings of his name are: Koschey, Katschei/Koshchey/Kashey
In Russian folklore Koshchey is an evil sorcerer of terrifying appearance who gallops naked around the wild Caucus mountain range on his magic steed.
He is also a shape-shifter, who takes the form of a whirlwind or a storm wind. He is a nature spirit representing the destructive powers of nature.
He is fond of stealing beautiful women, often the bride of the hero.
Like his female counterpart Baba Yaga, he also has powers over the elements. Dark clouds suddenly appear amidst thunder and lightning when he comes on the scene.
As a shape-changer, Kotschey usually takes the form of a whirlwind and makes off with his victims in this form. He may also come under cover of a mist or fog and can fly through the air.
Koschey is called the deathless, or immortal because his soul/spirit/life force or his "death" as he calls it, is hidden in a remote, inaccessible place, separate from his body.
Koshchey's soul/spirit/ is often hidden in a duck's egg, inside a hare, which in turn is inside a chest buried under the roots of a mighty oak tree, on an island in the middle of the ocean.
Sometimes his "death" may be hidden in the point of a needle inside the duck's egg. Although called deathless or immortal, Kotschey may die if the hero finds out where the egg that contains his life force or, as he calls it, his "death", is hidden.
If the egg is broken, it's goodnight for Kotschey too. Anyone possessing this egg has Koshchey in their power. He begins to weaken, becomes sick and immediately loses all his magic powers.
In one story the egg is thrown at his forehead and he drops down dead.
Imprisoned in the palace of the warrior princess Maria Morevna for ten years, Koshchey is freed by the unwitting hero.
In this story the egg with his soul/spirit/death in it is not mentioned at all. Instead, he receives a kick in the head from one of Baba Yaga's magical steeds. After the horse kills him, the hero Ivan cuts Koshchey's head off, burns it and scatters the ashes to the four winds, presumably just to be on the safe side.
Koshchey's appearance:
Tall, boney, fearful to look upon. As Baba Yaga says:
' Medusa's got nothing on you, Kotschey dear .'
Maria Morewnas description of him:
He sports a wild mane of tangled seaweed-like hair which stands up all around a lean and bony face. From beneath those craggy brows peer hooded, unblinking reptilian eyes. A raven's beak of a nose juts out over a cavernous mouth from which now and then one may catch a glimpse of several large crooked teeth. Mouth may change shape according to mood.
His beard: Mottled-grey and scraggly, unsightly after meals.
Skin: Scaly, rough, forever shedding, more snake-like than human.
Method of fighting: Wraps or coils himself around his foes. Finger nails and toe nails long and claw-like (he never cuts his hair, finger or toe nails - to preserve his 'life-force' as he calls it/his lack of clothing may also be attributed to these peculiar 'life-force preservation' reasons).
On the inside of Koshchey's scrawny long ape-like arms are venom glands. (His blames Maria Morewna for his arms being so long - he complained once that hanging out in her dungeon for 10 years didn't do his posture any good).
During battle he has been known to lick these venomous parts and then bite his adversary thus causing intense pain and immobility.
Can change his voice at will. Terrifies his opponents with blood-curdling cries. Has also been known to use his voice to charm and induce sleep when necessary.
When astride his magical steed, Kotschey likes to throw off his flamboyant fish-skin clothes and it is said that he thus takes on the magical powers of his mount.
His fish-skin clothes, which he scatters behind him, are blown away and scattered by the four winds. Flocks of ravens gather behind him to fight over and devour these shreds. Shreds of his clothing may be sometimes seen flapping in the tree tops throughout the steppes.
Thus freed from all worldly constraints he gallops naked through the wild Caucus mountains with his long spindly legs trailing in the dust. In the picture by Ivan Bilibin, he is seen brandishing his sabre, shrieking blood-curdling threats and urging the spirits of the steppes to come to his aid.
Quite an emotional character, it is said that he will weep with rage for hours afterwards when outwitted by his quarry and his sobbing and wailing often echoes throughout the Caucuses, terrifying both man and beast alike.
During times of stress he may change himself into a storm or a whirlwind. In his spare time he seems to be off hunting quite a lot, although it is not specified what it is that he is hunting.
Although cunning, one of his weaknesses is that he is extremely vain and therefore may be outwitted by a woman pretending to find him irresistible.
He has twelve sisters (also shape-shifters) who come to avenge his death and who seem to be almost as charming as Koshchey himself.
Although Koshchey is a powerful sorcerer, he seems to be down the hierarchical ladder a rung or two to Baba Yaga. In one story he works as a herdsman for her in order to earn one of her magical steeds. This horse has the power of speech and gives Koshchey invaluable advice.
His favourite drink: A fermented drink make of green tea, sour goat's milk and salt.
He craves female company, and although he can turn on a charming voice at will, Kotschey is anything but a smooth talker.
When Maria Morewna is trying to pump him for information and plays up to him, he once again fails to realize that one of his oft-repeated remarks: "Foolish woman, long of hair: short of wit", does not do anything to improve his chances with her.
Beating about the bush is one of Koshchey's rules of thumb: for Koshchey to speak directly is to lose his power or 'life force'.
When she asks him about the time he spent at Baba Yaga's hut and where he got his horse he replies: "Three days there and I learned as much as in three years."
Koshchey is able to "far see" - he has the ability to see with his eyes closed.
A song he is fond of singing when he has drunk enough Kwas: (Some say he penned it himself while he was hanging out in Maria Morewna's dungeon)
Amidst great Rocks
Koschey the Deathless leaping,
Onward rides,
Wild and fierce
And free again from chains.

Like the storm he howls and weeping,
Sprays the steppes
With burning tears of rage.

FATHER FROST

2008-08-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

In a far-away country, somewhere in Russia, there lived a stepmother who had a stepdaughter and also a daughter of her own.

Her own daughter was dear to her, and always whatever she did the mother was the first to praise her, to pet her; but there was but little praise for the stepdaughter; although good and kind, she had no other reward than reproach.

What on earth could have been done?

The wind blows, but stops blowing at times; the wicked woman never knows how to stop her wickedness.

One bright cold day the stepmother said to her husband:
"Now, old man, I want thee to take thy daughter away from my eyes, away from my ears. Thou shalt not take her to thy people into a warm izba. Thou shalt take her into the wide, wide fields to the crackling frost."
The old father grew sad, began even to weep, but nevertheless helped the young
girl into the sleigh.

He wished to cover her with a sheepskin in order to protect her from the cold; however, he did not do it. He was afraid; his wife was watching them out of the window. And so he went with his lovely daughter into the wide, wide fields; drove her nearly to the woods, left her there alone, and speedily drove away--he was a good man and did not care to see his daughter's death.
Alone, quite alone, remained the sweet girl.

Broken-hearted and terror-stricken she repeated fervently all the prayers she knew.
Father Frost, the almighty sovereign at that place, clad in furs, with a long, long, white beard and a shining crown on his white head, approached nearer and nearer, looked at this beautiful guest of his and asked:
"Dost thou know me?--me, the red-nosed Frost?"
"Be welcome, Father Frost," answered gently the young girl. "I hope our heavenly Lord sent thee for my sinful soul."
"Art thou comfortable, sweet child?" again asked the Frost.

He was exceedingly pleased with her looks and mild manners.
"Indeed I am," answered the girl, almost out of breath from cold.
And the Frost, cheerful and bright, kept crackling in the branches until the air became icy, but the good-natured girl kept repeating:
"I am very comfortable, dear Father Frost."
But the Frost, however, knew all about the weakness of human beings; he knew very well that few of them are really good and kind; but he knew no one of them even could struggle too long against the power of Frost, the king of winter.

The kindness of the gentle girl charmed old Frost so much that he made the decision to treat her differently from others, and gave her a large heavy trunk filled with many beautiful, beautiful things. He gave her a rich "schouba" lined with precious furs; he gave her silk quilts-- light like feathers and warm as a mother's lap.

What a rich girl she became and how many magnificent garments she received!

And besides all, old Frost gave her a blue "sarafan" ornamented with silver and pearls.
When the young girl put it on she became such a beautiful maiden that even the sun smiled at her.
The stepmother was in the kitchen busy baking pancakes for the meal which it is the custom to give to the priests and friends after the usual service for the dead.
"Now, old man," said the wife to the husband, '' go down to the wide fields and bring the body of thy daughter; we will bury her."
The old man went off.

And the little dog in the corner wagged his tail and said:
"Bow-wow! bow-wow! the old man's daughter is on her way home, beautiful and happy as never before, and the old woman's daughter is wicked as ever before."
"Keep still, stupid beast!" shouted the stepmother, and struck the little dog.
"Here, take this pancake, eat it and say, 'The old woman's daughter will be married soon and the old man's daughter shall be buried soon.'"

The dog ate the pancake and began anew:
"Bow-wow! bow-wow! the old man's daughter is coming home wealthy and happy as never before, and the old woman's daughter is somewhere around as homely and wicked as ever before."
The old woman was furious at the dog, but in spite of pancakes and whipping, the dog repeated the same words over and over again.

Somebody opened the gate, voices were heard laughing and talking outside.

The old woman looked out and sat down in amazement.

The stepdaughter was there like a princess, bright and happy in the most beautiful garments, and behind her the old father had hardly strength enough to carry the heavy, heavy trunk with the rich outfit.
"Old man!" called the stepmother, impatiently; "hitch our best horses to our best sleigh, and drive my daughter to the very same place in the wide, wide fields."
The old man obeyed as usual and took his stepdaughter to the same place and left her alone.

Old Frost was there; he looked at his new guest.
"Art thou comfortable, fair maiden?" asked the red-nosed sovereign.
"Let me alone," harshly answered the girl; "canst thou not see that my feet and my hands are about stiff from the cold?"
The Frost kept crackling and asking questions for quite a while, but obtaining no polite answer became angry and froze the girl to death.
"Old man, go for my daughter; take the best horses; be careful; do not upset the sleigh; do not lose the trunk."
And the little dog in the corner said:
"Bow-wow! bow-wow! the old man's daughter will marry soon; the old woman's daughter shall be buried soon."
"Do not lie. Here is a cake; eat it and say, 'The old woman's daughter is clad in silver and gold.'"
The gate opened, the old woman ran out and kissed the stiff frozen lips of her daughter. She wept and wept, but there was no help, and she understood at last that through her own wickedness and envy her child had perished.

THE GOLDEN MOUNTAIN

2008-08-03T15:54:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time a merchant's son had too much fun spending money, and the day came when he saw himself ruined; he had nothing to eat, nothing to drink.
He took a shovel and went to the market place to see if perchance somebody would hire him as a worker.

A rich, proud merchant, worth many, many thousands, came along in a gilded carriage. All the fellows at the market place, as soon as they perceived him, rushed away and hid themselves in the corners. Only one remained, and this one was our merchant's son.

"Dost thou look for work, good fellow?
Let me hire thee," the very rich merchant said to him.

"So be it; that's what I came here for."

"And thy price?"

"A hundred rubles a day will be sufficient for me."

"Why so much?"

"If too much, go and look for some one else; plenty of people were around and when they saw thee coming, all of them rushed away."

"All right.
Tomorrow come to the landing place."

The next day, early in the morning, our merchant's son arrived at the landing; the very rich merchant was already there waiting.

They boarded a ship and went to sea. For quite a long time they journeyed, and finally they perceived an island. Upon that island there were high mountains, and near the shore something seemed to be in flames.

"Yonder is something like fire," said the merchant's son.

"No, it is my golden palace."

They landed, came ashore, and--look there! the rich merchant's wife is hastening to meet him, and along with her their young daughter, a lovely girl, prettier than you could think or even dream of.

The family met; they greeted one another and went to the palace. And along with them went their new work- man. They sat around the oak table and ate and drank and were cheerful.

"One day does not count," the rich merchant said; "let us have a good time and leave work for tomorrow."

The young workman was a fine, brave fellow, handsome and stately, and the merchant's lovely daughter liked him well.

She left the room and made him a sign to follow her. Then she gave him a touchstone and a flint.

"Take it," she said; "when thou art in need, it will be useful."

The next day the very rich merchant with his hired workman went to the high golden mountain. The young fellow saw at once that there was no use trying to climb or even to crawl up.

"Well," said the merchant, "let us have a drink for courage."

And he gave the fellow some drowsy drink.
The fellow drank and fell asleep.

The rich merchant took out a sharp knife, killed a wretched horse, cut it open, put the fellow inside, pushed in the shovel, and sewed the horse's skin together, and himself sat down in the bushes.

All at once crows came flying, black crows with iron beaks. They took hold of the carcass, lifted it up to the top of the high mountain, and began to pick at it.

The crows soon ate up the horse and were about to begin on the merchant's son, when he awoke, pushed away the crows, looked around and asked out loud:

"Where am I?"

The rich merchant below answered:

"On a golden mountain; take the shovel and dig for gold."

And the young man dug and dug, and all the gold he dug he threw down, and the rich merchant loaded it upon the carts.

"Enough!" finally shouted the master. "Thanks for thy help. Farewell!"

"And I how shall I get down?"

"As thou pleasest; there have already perished nine and ninety of such fellows as thou. With thee the count will be rounded and thou wilt be the hundredth."

The proud, rich merchant was off.

"What shall I do?" thought the poor merchant's son.
''Impossible to go down!
But to stay here means death, a cruel death from hunger."

And our fellow stood upon the mountain, while above the black crows were circling, the black crows with iron beaks, as if feeling already the prey.

The fellow tried to think how it all happened, and he remembered the lovely girl and what she said to him in giving him the touchstone and the flint. He remembered how she said:

"Take it. When thou art in need it will prove useful."

"I fancy she had something in mind; let us try."

The poor merchant's son took out stone and flint, struck it once and lo! two brave fellows were standing before him.

"What is thy wish? What are thy commands?" said they.

"Take me from this mountain down to the seashore."

And at once the two took hold of him and carefully brought him down.

Our hero walks along the shore. And there! a vessel comes sailing near the island.

"Ahoy! good people! take me along!"

"No time to stop!" And they went sailing by.
But the winds arose and the tempest was heavy.

"It seems as if this fellow over there is not an ordinary man; we had better go back and take him along," decided the sailors.

They turned the prow toward the island, landed, took the merchant's son along with them and brought him to his native town.

It was a long time, or perhaps only a short time after--who could tell?--that one day the merchant's son took again his shovel and went to the market place in search of work.

The same very rich merchant came along in his gilded carriage; and, as of old, all the fellows who saw him coming rushed away.

The merchant's son remained alone.

"Will you be my workman?"

"I will at two hundred rubles a day. If so, let us to work."

"A rather expensive fellow."

"If too expensive go to others; get a cheap man.
There were plenty of people, but when thou dissappear--thou seest thyself--not one is left."

"Well, all right. Come tomorrow to the landing place."

They met at the landing place, boarded a ship and sailed toward the island.

The first day they spent rather gayly, and on the second, master and workman went to work.

When they reached the golden mountain the rich, proud merchant treated his hired man to a tumbler.

"Before all, have a drink."

"Wait, master! thou art the head; thou must drink the first. Let me treat thee this time."

The young man had already prepared some of the drowsy stuff and he quickly mixed it with the wine and presented it to the master.

The proud merchant drank and fell sound asleep.

Our merchant's son killed a miserable old horse, cut it open, pushed his master
and the shovel inside, sewed it all up and hid himself in the bushes.

All at once black crows came flying, --black crows with iron beaks; they promptly lifted up the horse with the sleeping merchant inside, bore it to the top of the mountain, and began to pick the bones of their prey.

When the merchant awoke he looked here and looked there and looked everywhere.

"Where am I?"

"Upon the golden mountain. Now if thou art strong after thy rest, do not lose time; take the shovel and dig. Dig quickly and I'll teach thee how to come down."

The proud, rich merchant had to obey and dug and dug. Twelve big carts were loaded.

"Enough!" shouted the merchant's son. "Thank thee, and farewell!"

"And I?"

"And thou mayst do as thou wishest! There are already ninety and nine fellows perished before thee; with thyself there will be a hundred."

The merchant's son took along with him the twelve heavy carts with gold, arrived at the golden palace and married the lovely girl; the rich merchant's daughter became mistress of all her father's wealth, and the merchant's son with his family moved to a large town to live.

And the rich merchant, the proud, rich merchant?

He himself, like his many victims, became the prey of the black crows, black crows with iron beaks.

Well, sometimes it happens just so.

DIMIAN THE PEASANT

2008-08-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

NOT long ago, or perchance very long ago, I do not know for sure, there lived in a village, some place in Russia, a peasant--a moujik.
And this peasant was a stubborn and a quick-tempered fellow, and his name was Dimian.
He was harsh by nature, this Dimian, and wanted everything to go his own way.
If any one talked or acted against him, Dimian's fists were soon prepared for answer.
Sometimes, for instance, he would invite one of his neighbors and treat his guest with fine things to eat and to drink.
And the neighbor in order to maintain the old custom would pretend to refuse. Dimian would at once begin the dispute: "Thou must obey thy host!"
Once it happened that a shrewd fellow called on him.
Our moujik Dimian covered the table with the very best he had and rejoiced over the good time he foresaw.

"Well, I struck a snag"

The fellow guest speedily ate everything up.
Dimian was rather amazed, but brought out his kaftan.
"Take off thy sheepskin," said he to the guest; "put on my new kaftan."
In proposing it he thought within himself:
"I will bet that this time he will not dare accept; then I will teach him a lesson."
But the fellow quickly put on the new kaftan, tightened it with the belt, shook his curly head and answered:
"Have my thanks, uncle, for thy gift. How could I dare not take it?
Why, one must obey his host's bidding."

Dimian's temper was rising, and he wanted at any rate to have his own way.
But what to do?
He hastened to the stable, brought out his best horse, and said to his guest:
"Thou art welcome to all my belongings," and within himself he thought,
"He certainly will refuse this time, and then my turn will come."
But the fellow did not refuse, and smilingly answered:

"In thy house thou art the ruler," and quickly he jumped on the horse's back and shouted to Dimian, the peasant:
"Farewell, master! no one pushed thee into the trap but thyself," and with these words the fellow was off.
Dimian looked after him and shook his head.
"Well, I struck a snag," said he.

RUSSIAN LEGEND "BABA YAGA"

2008-08-03T15:27:00.000-07:00

SOMEWHERE, I cannot tell you exactly where, but certainly in vast Russia, there lived a peasant with his wife and they had twins -- a son and daughter.

One day the wife died and the husband mourned over her very sincerely for a long time. One year passed, and two years, and even longer.

But there is no order in a house without a woman, and a day came when the man thought, "If I marry again possibly it would turn out all right."

And so he did, and had children by his second wife.

The stepmother was envious of the stepson and daughter and began to use them hardly. She scolded them without any reason, sent them away from home as often as she wished, and gave them scarcely enough to eat. Finally she wanted to get rid of them altogether. Do you know what it means to allow a wicked thought to enter one's heart?

The wicked thought grows all the time like a poisonous plant and slowly kills the good thoughts. A wicked feeling was growing in the stepmother's heart, and she determined to send the children to the witch, thinking sure enough that they would never return.

"Dear children," she said to the orphans, "go to my grandmother who lives in the forest in a hut on hen's feet. You will do everything she wants you to, and she will give you sweet things to eat and you will be happy."
The orphans started out.

But instead of going to the witch, the sister, a bright little girl, took her brother by the hand and ran to their own old, old grandmother and told her all about their going to the forest.

"Oh, my poor darlings!" said the good old grandmother, pitying the children, "my heart aches for you, but it is not in my power to help you. You have to go not to a loving grandmother, but to a wicked witch. Now listen to me, my darlings," she continued; "I will give you a hint: Be kind and good to everyone; do not speak ill words to any one; do not despise helping the weakest, and always hope that for you, too, there will be the needed help."

The good old grandmother gave the children some delicious fresh milk to drink and to each a big slice of ham. She also gave them some cookies--there are cookies everywhere--and when the children departed she stood looking after them a long, long time.

The obedient children arrived at the forest and, oh, wonder! there stood a hut, and what a curious one! It stood on tiny hen's feet, and at the top was a rooster's head. With their shrill, childish voices they called out loud:
"Izboushka, Izboushka! turn thy back to the forest and thy front to us!"

The hut did as they commanded. The two orphans looked inside and saw the witch resting there, her head near the threshold, one foot in one corner, the other foot in another corner, and her knees quite close to the ridge pole.
"Fou, Fou, Fou!" exclaimed the witch; "I feel the Russian spirit."

The children were afraid, and stood close, very close together, but in spite of their fear they said very politely:
"Ho, grandmother, our stepmother sent us to thee to serve thee."
"All right; I am not opposed to keeping you, children. If you satisfy all my wishes I shall reward you; if not, I shall eat you up."

Without any delay the witch ordered the girl to spin the thread, and the boy, her brother, to carry water in a sieve to fill a big tub.

The poor orphan girl wept at her spinning-wheel and wiped away her bitter tears.

At once all around her appeared small mice squeaking and saying:
"Sweet girl, do not cry. Give us cookies and we will help thee."
The little girl willingly did so.
"Now,"gratefully squeaked the mice, "go and find the black cat.

He is very hungry; give him a slice of ham and he will help thee."

The girl speedily went in search of the cat and saw her brother in great distress about the tub, so many times he had filled the sieve, yet the tub was still dry.

The little birds passed, flying near by, and chirped to the children:
"Kind-hearted little children, give us some crumbs and we will advise you."
The orphans gave the birds some crumbs and the grateful birds chirped again:
"Some clay and water, children dear!"
Then away they flew through the air.

The children understood the hint, spat in the sieve, plastered it up with clay and rilled the tub in a very short time.

Then they both returned to the hut and on the threshold met the black cat. They generously gave him some of the good ham which their good grandmother had given them, petted him and asked:
"Dear Kitty-cat, black and pretty, tell us what to do in order to get away from thy mistress, the witch?"
"Well," very seriously answered the cat, "I will give you a towel and a comb and then you must run away. When you hear the witch running after you, drop the towel behind your back and a large river will appear in place of the towel.

If you hear her once more, throw down the comb and in place of the comb there will appear a dark wood. This wood will protect you from the wicked witch, my mistress."

Baba Yaga came home just then.
"Is it not wonderful?" she thought; "everything is exactly right."
"Well," she said to the children, "today you were brave and smart; let us see to-morrow. Your work will be more difficult and I hope I shall eat you up."

The poor orphans went to bed, not to a warm bed prepared by loving hands, but on the straw in a cold corner. Nearly scared to death from fear, they lay there, afraid to talk, afraid even to breathe. The next morning the witch ordered all the linen to be woven and a large supply of firewood to be brought from the forest.

The children took the towel and comb and ran away as fast as their feet could possibly carry them. The dogs were after them, but they threw them the cookies that were left; the gates did not open themselves, but the children smoothed them with oil; the birch tree near the path almost scratched their eyes out, but the gentle girl fastened a pretty ribbon to it. So they went farther and farther and ran out of the dark forest into the wide, sunny fields.

The cat sat down by the loom and tore the thread to pieces, doing it with delight.

Baba Yaga returned.
"Where are the children?" she shouted, and began to beat the cat.
"Why hast thou let them go, thou treacherous cat?
Why hast thou not scratched their faces?"
The cat answered: "Well, it was because I have served thee so many years and thou hast never given me a bite, while the dear children gave me some good ham."

The witch scolded the dogs, the gates, and the birch tree near the path.
"Well," barked the dogs, "thou certainly art our mistress, but thou hast never done us a favor, and the orphans were kind to us."
The gates replied:
"We were always ready to obey thee, but thou didst neglect us, and the dear children smoothed us with oil."
"The children ran away as fast as their feet could possibly carry them"
The birch tree lisped with its leaves, "Thou hast never put a simple thread over my branches and the little darlings adorned them with a pretty ribbon."

Baba Yaga understood that there was no help and started to follow the children herself. In her great hurry she forgot to look for the towel and the comb, but jumped astride a broom and was off.

The children heard her coming and threw the towel behind them.
At once a river, wide and blue, appeared and watered the field.
Baba Yaga hopped along the shore until she finally found a shallow place and crossed it.
Again the children heard her hurry after them and so they threw down the comb.
This time a forest appeared, a dark and dusky forest in which the roots were interwoven, the branches matted together, and the tree-tops touching each other.
The witch tried very hard to pass through, but in vain, and so, very, very angry, she returned home.

The orphans rushed to their father, told him all about their great distress, and thus concluded their pitiful story:

"Ah, father dear, why dost thou love us less than our brothers and sisters?"
The father was touched and became angry.

He sent the wicked stepmother away and lived a new life with his good children. From that time he watched over their happiness and never neglected them any more.
How do I know this story is true?

Why, one was there who told me about it.