The Leshy-2013

The Leshy

An Male Woodland Spirit of Slavic Mythology - Lesovik~ 

The Leshy is a male wood land spirit in the Slavic Mythology who protects wild animals, birds and the forest. They say that mass migration will happen of the animals, and birds of the forest is to be instruction of an Leshy, in order to keep them from harms way from predators. 
 The Leshy will protect all wild animals and the forest itself. Often it will lead humans astray to its cave in the deepest parts of the forest where it can make the humans sick and even in some stories to tickle them to death. These odd  magical creatures are known to have a mischievous behaviour and often takes the form of a peasant. Although they can be spotted because of their glowing reddish eyes. In their normal state it has a beard made of living grass and vines. He is often depicted with a tail, hooves and horns. They also have the ability to shrink themselves down to the size to a blade of grass or to the height of the tallest trees in the forest. 
The life Style of a Leshy~
Some of the Leshy's  traits are; they have horrible cries that they can make, to scare humans in their

forest that they protect. They also can imitate voices of people who are familiar to the people who wander around his forest and then lure them back to their caves, where Leshy's will tickle them to death. Kinda strange creature wouldn't you say? They say that these Mythology creatures aren't evil although they do enjoy misguiding humans and kidnapping young women. I don't know what they do with the young women? I didn't find that part out. So you can use your imagination on that.. Creepy I would guess! These woodland spirits also are known to keep grazing cattle from wandering too far into the forest and from getting lost too. I found out that if more than one Leshy inhabits a forest, they will fight territorial rights for that entire forest. The evidence of this would be huge fallen tree's scattered about the forest and large amounts of wild animals acting strange.
The Traits of the Leshy~

It is said that the Leshy has the ability to shape-shift into any form, animal or plant. When he's in the human form, the Leshy has many different looks of the Slavic Lesovik. I have described one version earlier. He has been seen as a peasant form, with glowing green eyes and his shoes are on backwards and in other tales he appears to visitors as a large talking mushroom. It just depends on the Leshy mood. 
If a person befriends a Leshy, the latter will teach them the secret of their magic. Farmers and shepherds would make pacts with the Leshy to protect their crops and sheep. The Leshy has many tricks including leading peasants astray by making them sick or tickling them to death. They are also known the hide the axes of woodcutters too, so that they cannot cut down his forest. Also if a Leshy crosses the path of a person in the woods, the person will get lost immediately to find the way out, you have to turn your clothes inside our and wear shoes on your opposite feet. 
I found this Oh, magical creature fascinating. It was quite different than your average mythology creature. 
 The Lyeshy by W.R.S. Ralston. ru. 
When the Lyeshy goes round to inspect his domains,
the forest roars around him and the trees shake. 
By night he sleeps in some hut in the depths of the
woods, and if by chance he finds that a belated traveler 
or sportsman has taken up his quarters in the refuge he had
intended for himself, he strives hard to turn out the intruder,
sweeping over the hut in the form of a whirlwind which makes
the door rattle and the roof heave, while all around the trees bend 
and a terrible howling goes through the forest. If, in spite of all these
hints, the uninvited guest will not retire, he runs the risk of being lost
next day in the woods, or swallowed up in the swamp.


 I hope that you find it interesting too. I found a few images from great Artist's that have depicted this creature what it might look like. I hope you find these as helpful as I did... Wendy

Cynthia's blog - fairies and me

The Vila Fairy

The Vila Fairy

The Vila is a Eastern Europe Fairy, who are often depicted a beautiful winged tiny women. They are often naked or dressed in white thin cloth with very long flowing hair which is usually white or silver. 
The Vila is also a shapeshifter and can appear as swans, horses, falcons and snakes. They can 
also shapeshift into Natural Phenomena such as a whirlwind, Thunderstorms, and earthmoving. 
The Vila live deep in the ancient forest and are fierce protectors of the forest in which they live.  They are also very protective of the trees, plants and animals that live within her forest. 
They are revered for their deep knowledge of herbal healing, and will use their knowledge of healing powers in the forest if the human or elf is worthy.
Now if any human were to do any harm to the Vila Fairy's forest or her Creatures she might lure them into a magic fairy circle. Once the human is been lured inside the circle they are joyed with other fairies to dance and they will dance to their deaths. 
Another's have been  killed by a natural landslide or drowning in a lake in the Vila Fairy's forest. 
Various stories are told about the origin of the Vila. Some have said that they are the spirits of women who are caught between this world and the afterlife because of their frivolous habits on earth. 
Others say they are spirits of betrothed young girls who died before the wedding night and were unable to rest quietly in peace on either worlds, so they became the Vila. 
This is a interesting fairy, I only found one image that was I thought was good for this blog. It was very difficult to find any in numbers like that of the original fairy. But I feel that's because it doesn't want to be seen or discover. I hope that you find this wonderful ting fairy as interesting and mysterious and fun as I did. 
I hope that you also enjoyed the one photo that I found.
The Artist - Ado Ceric 
Wendy  

Night - Gothic Gardens-2013

Night - Gothic Gardens

The Night Garden or Gothic is not about mystery, fear and wickedness. Now to some it might be, it just depends on the individual and their personal type of garden theme they are trying to make for themselves. 
There are some that may make their night gardens about mystery, fear & wickedness... But from the most part, I found that when it comes to the Gothic Gardens day or night - it is all about loving the dark, moon, stars and combining a variety  of shapes, plants, colors with shadows to the garden.
They are special kinds of flowers that bloom only at night and they release their perfumes into the

cool night air only in under the stars and moon. 

Tube Moonflower 

Evening time or even later into the night can be a wonderful time in your garden. You just need to find the right kind flowers, plants, foliage, and other Nature or Gothic themes, to ensure that your garden will be a special place at night too. 
When you decided to make a night garden, choose a place that is most visible when there is no light when the sunsets. You can choose a space only for your night flowers, while in another area of the garden you can put your daytime flowers and plants. 
The Moonflower is is born to glow in the Gothic night time - it opens

The Oenothera Moonflower - In its Yellow and Pink 

when the sun has completely  gone down and will stay open until sunrise. 
Each flower will only last for a day. So if this flower sounds intriguing  to you, it would probably be a good idea to plant quite a few of these beauty's .
The Moonflower is refer to a group of flowers that belong to the genus Ipomoea and get their name from their large, fragrant flower, which pop open at night. Moonflower is a lender vine closely related to the morning glory. although moonflowers do not have the hallucinogenic properties of morning glorying. The vine always coils clock wise even in the southern hemisphere. They come in a variety of colors some white, yellow, pink and silver. Most of the moonflowers all grow on vines. The best way for the Moonflower to grow is on either a trellis, fence and hanging baskets are great too. They say that some of these vines can grow up to 20'...
There is The Oenothera which is a beauty and comes in Yellow and Pink. These flowers are great for the late afternoon till early the next morning blooms.
The Yellow flowers are first to bloom into the twilight then the Pink there after. There are Purple ones too. These blooms would work really well in a Gothic theme garden with the purple colors. 

"Brandywine"Foam Flower Tiarella-Silvery Flower

When you make your night garden, try to add other type of plants that don't necessarily have to bloom during the night. You should also be aware of the blooming seasons to extend the beauty of the colors in your night garden. Historically white flowers weren't the favorite in the night gardens because they are to prominent, so instead you could choose silver colors if you like-
For a night bloom that doesn't shine too much as the pale yellows, whites, and pinks for a more Gothic feeling if that is what you are looking for in your night garden.

The Silvery fragrant flower of the Native ''Brandywine"Foam flower Tiarella - These are excellent for ground cover and they have shiny green leaves that turn bright Red in the fall. 
The Rhododendrons - Silver foliage - Blooms of Silvery White and Blue Tulip flowers-

These night flowers will get you that more Gothic look to your night garden, with their silvery bluish tulip flowers.  












The Black Knight Morning Glories -

These will look great in hanging baskets & fancy pots that you pick out special for your night garden.
















The Black Pansies -

This is another great flower for an Gothic theme garden.










The Dragon Coleus-

This is a great foliage that easy to grow & great as a ground cover. It's colors are deep purple's and blacks so, this to would be another great plant for a Gothic theme garden.


 




Black Tulips-

These beauty's would be another great addition to any Gothic garden that you make . They have Beautiful deep purple colors with black Gothic look-










1) Evening Primrose-

Evening Primrose is a plant from the Onagraceae family origin - which is indigenous to Northern America, but is now found in Europe, Asia, New Zealand and Australia too. The beautiful yellow beauty is named the Evening Primrose because the flower blossoms only at night. The plant is famous medically. Its seeds, leaves and oil of the seeds and root are used in many different medicines. It grow 3' by 5' tall Flowers are .078 to 2" wide.




2) Night Bloom Water Lilies-
 Night Waters Lilies are quite beautiful. And if you have a pond in your garden they would be a great addition to your garden. These are Tropical night blooms and as you can see in a pond like setting they are quite beautiful. The water lily of deep crimson red, pink and purple, would work very well for either a night or Gothic garden. The blooms will open in your pond with the dark cool evening breeze, bringing a beautiful mystery to your garden. And with the backdrop of the dark ripples of the dark water with these blooms floating in your pond, you will have a most special night garden.

3) Moon Flowers-

The Moonflower - flower name is Ipomoea - are called Moonflower because they bloom in the moonlight. These are beautiful flowers and come in Pink, Yellow and white. The flowers quickly open at night and last the entire evening. Then they will close when the first light of the sunrise touches the delicate petals.







4) NightGladious-

These beautiful blooms are a Creamy Yellow flower with the most wonderful spicy fragrance. It is usually grown in dense areas with heavy rainfall. These flowers are also found in late spring and early to late summers.
Its name comprises to two words-
Night and Gladiolus. Gladiolus is a word of Latin origin which means Sword. 
Parts of this flower is poisonous and can cause the skin irritation and allergic reactions... 
This flower is attractive to butterflies and bees. 

5) Four 0' Clocks-

These beauty's of the night blooming flowers are tender perennial flowers. They will bloom in spring and summer time. 
These tiny gem's are available in a number of colors ranging from red, yellow pink, blue and white. The need for full sun exposure to glow and start blooming at 4pm hence got their name-
They are excellent hedges and barriers for your night gardens. And have and outstanding fragrance when they open at 4pm. 





6) Saussurea Obrallata/ Brahma kamal-

The Saussurea Obvallata is also known as the Brahma kamal. It is a beautiful night blooming flower named after the Hindu God Brahma. It is native of China, India and Burma. It Blooms only Once a Year!  And it has many medicine uses. The flower grows in the high mountain tops and cold areas. The flowers heads are actually purple and are enclosed in layers of greenish - A yellow boat shape covers it in a papery subsists  in nature. Strange but beautiful.




7) Dragon Fruit Flower-

These flowers are native to Mexico and Central & Southeast Asian Countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia. They are also produced in Taiwan, Israel, and Southern china. Its plant has a Beautiful flower which only blooms at night.
The flower starts blooming around 7pm and will reach it full bloom and glory at 12-night. 
I would image it is quite a sight to see if one is so lucky to. But for all of us who can't see this gem of a bloom, I hope you all enjoy the photo.
These flowers give blooms against the it large deep green leaves which with its magnificent bloom flower it can be a stunning addition to your garden, along with its fruit too. Although it is a rare one. 

8) Dutchmans - PipeCactus-

This is my last flower that I found for you all for your night gardens. These large Epiphytic Cactus native from Mexico to Brazil. In nature the plant can reach up to 20' in height - The dark green branches are lanceolate, and can accumulate to 3' in length  to 4-5" wide. They are said  to be very easy to grow and when in bloom very showy as you can see in the photo's I've provided for your readers. 
The Flowers will open when in late evening and close at sunrise. Its best to plant in late spring toe early summer. The flower can grow up to be 11" long and 5"wide. And the blooms are very fragrant. 
Keep them in a greenhouse during the winter months.  

I hope all these ideas will help you create a wonderful night garden for you all on your own. Some of these flowers you will be able to find at your local nursery with plants and flowers. But others are probably too rare to find in any local nursery. I just thought it would be fun for you to see some of the beauty's that are out there. I have tried growing MoonFlowers once by seed and it didn't work out because of all the squirrels we have. The just dug them up thinking that was food. I personally would try the full plant if possible. 
Note.. None of these photo's are Mine.
Wendy.  

Magic of Photography 2013-1-[Photos around Kent Washington]

Magic of Photography 2013-1-[photos around Kent Washington]

Summer Time Play 

Spring Time

summer time

Hawaii 

Purple Bee Balm 

Rosy - My Hummingbird 

 ICE

Me

Arcata - The Marsh 

The Magic of The Redwoods 

 My favorite flowers 

THE RED BEE BALM

MY KATIE

I miss you Grandma!

The Goddess Rhiannon

The Goddess Rhiannon

I thought I would do a few of my favorite Celtic Goddess. I have always love the Celtic legends and I do have Irish blood. So I would love to share with you all my first Goddess of the Celtic - 
The Goddess Rhiannon - Goddess of the Moon - Divine Queen of the faeries  besides being the enchanted Goddess of the faeries she is one of truth and survival.
Rhiannon Goddess of the Faeries ~
Rhiannon the Goddess of Divine Queen of the Faeries, was promised in marriage to an older man she found repugnant. Defying her family wishes, Rhiannon had loved another and decline to marry the one of her own kind. In the - Land of the Divine Faeries.  
Instead, Rhiannon chose the mortal Prince ll as her husband. One afternoon Rhiannon appeared to the Prince ll while he stood with his companions on a large grassy covered mounds, that were deep in the forest surrounding his castle. These mounds were called Tors. They were thought to be magical places, perhaps covering the entrance to the Ethelda beneath the earth. It was thought also that, who ever stands upon them would become enchanted, so most of the Prince ll people would avoid them at all costs. 
So it is no surprise that the young prince was enchanted by the vision of the Beauty of the young

Goddess Rhiannon - Divine Queen of the faeries, who was dressed in glittering gold as she galloped by on her powerful pure white horse. 
Rhiannon rode by on her most powerful and enormous white horse without sparing the prince even a glance. Of course this intrigued and entrapped him by her enchantment and beauty even more. He had never had a lady of such beauty not ex-knowledge his noble invitation. His companions were understandably concerned. Ignoring the protest of his friends, Prince ll sent his servant off to ride his horse as swiftly as his horse would go, to catch up with the Goddess Rhiannon and to ask her to return to meet the Prince.
But of course the servant soon returned and reported that she had rode so swiftly that it seemed like her horse's feet scarcely touched the ground. He told the Prince he could not even follow her to learn where she had went. 
The next day the prince decided to take matters in his own hands against the wishes of his friends advice, and returned alone to the mound once again in hopes to see the Celtic Goddess one more time. To his surprise and gratitude the lovely Rhiannon appeared yet out of nowhere. She was mounted on her beautiful pure white horse, standing before the prince. Then in a blink of an eye, she was off on her horse which ran faster than ever before. The prince couldn't believe how fast her horse could run. The distance between them was always the same, about 20 feet so it was very hard to keep up with the Goddess but the Prince was very determined to catch up with the lovely Goddess Rhiannon. Finally after the Prince's horse began to tremble with exhaustion he stopped dismounted  and called out to her. The Prince then sat near by his horse feeding him some food he had brought with him waiting for the Goddess Rhiannon. And after he called out her name he saw that she had waited for him. The Beautiful Goddess was sitting on her horse waiting for the Prince to catch up with her.

The sight of the Celtic Goddess waiting for him, had tugged on the Prince's heart. When he finally reached to the Celtic Goddess, he reached for her reins to guide her to his Kingdom. He said,'Welcome to my Kingdom.' 
Rhiannon just smiled tenderly and shook her head, telling him that they must wait one year and that is when she would marry him. In the next moment, The Goddess Rhiannon of the Faeries simply disappeared from him into the deep forest. And the Prince didn't see the beautiful Goddess for that entire year.
Rhiannon's Return~
Well Rhiannon did indeed return a year later, dressed as before to greet the Prince on the Tor. He

was accompanied by a troop of his own men as it should be for a prince on his wedding day. Speaking now words, the Goddess Rhiannon turn her horse and gestured her horse for the men to follow her into the tangled woods. Although fearful, they complied, As they rode through the trees, suddenly it parted before them and a clearing of a huge valley turned into a path. As they walk on the path with their horses, with a slow trot the forest behind them closed. When they passed through, what seem to be an enormous valley, they soon entered another clearing and were joined by a flock of small colorful songbirds that swooped down playfully in the air around Rhiannon golden hair. The sound of the song birds beautiful caroling put all fear and worry out of the heads of the Princes' men.  Suddenly they felt a peace and harmony within their hearts and felt no threat where they were going.
Rhiannon's Home ~

Before they all arrived at Rhiannon's Father palace, the Prince and his men were stunned by the site before them. There was a castle unlike any that they have ever seen before in their lives. It wasn't built of wood or stone but of pure crystal and silver. The castle was in the center of this enormous deep blue lake that seem to get a deep purple color in the center for what they could see. Around the lake was the most beautiful flowers and and very tall trees. The song birds seemed to be coming from those trees. 

Rhiannon's family and people were both welcoming and helping the prince and his men up the stairs to the King's Castle and when they all arrived the spiral steps steps disappeared under their feet. 

A place of beautiful gardens and and lakes high in the heavens. 
Where as soon as they got there the wedding happened so fast the wedding feast had already had started, in celebration of the marriage of the Goddess Rhiannon Divine of the Faeries and everyone was merry. But even in a perfect world there is problems. 
Quarrel in the Festivities ~ 
While everyone was having a grand time, a quarrel had broke out in the courtyard of the castle during the festivities of Rhiannon's and the Prince's great Feast.
It was said that the man she'd once been promised to marry to, was making a scene. He was arguing that, she should not be allowed to marry outside the kingdom and only with her own kind. 
Rhiannon slipped away from her husbands side to deal with the situation and as directly as she could...
Using a bit of magic she turned the persistent suitor into a badger and caught him into a bag which she tied up closed and threw the bag into the lake of the courtyard grounds. Unfortunately he manages to escape and later returned to cause great heartache in the Goddess Rhiannon.
Rhiannon leaves her homeland~ 
The next day Rhiannon left with the Prince and his men to go to Wales as his Princess when they

emerged from the forest and the trees closed behind them. Rhiannon took one last moment to take a glance at her lovely home behind her. She knew that the entrance to her Fairy Kingdom was now closed forever and she could never return to her childhood home ever again. 
But she didn't pause for long and seemed to not have any regrets-  
Rhiannon was welcomed by her husbands people when they arrived in Wales at this Palace with open arms. They loved her great beauty and her singing. But after two years passed without becoming pregnant without an heir to the throne. The questions of her bloodline, her fitness to be the Queen began to be an issue?
Years of Happiness / Sadness of the Goddess Rhiannon~
In the next year, Rhiannon had a healthy heir to the throne, a son. However, this would become the

greatest source of sorrow for the Goddess Rhiannon and her King. 
As custom in those days, six women servants had been assigned to stay with the Goddess Rhiannon in her living quarters to help her care for the infant. The servant's were suppose to work in shifts in tending to the baby, throughout the night so Rhiannon could sleep and regain her strength after giving birth-
However this one evening would change everything that was good and happy in their lives, for the Goddess Rhiannon and her beloved King. 
That night all the servants had fell asleep on the job. When they woke up to find the cradle empty, they feared they would be punished severely for their carelessness so they devised a plan to cast the blame on Rhiannon, who was not really one of their own people in their mind. So what they did was, kill a small puppy and smeared its blood on the sleeping Goddess and scattered the puppy's bones all around her bed. Then they sound of the alarm and accused the Goddess Rhiannon of eating her own child. 
Rhiannon of course swore her innocence to her King. Suffering from his own shock and grief he was faced with the anger of his adviser and his own people of his Kingdom.
Who did not come strongly to Rhiannon's defense. Many said, the Prince would not divorce her and asked only that her life be spared. 
Rhiannon the Goddess punishment was announced ~  
Rhiannon Punishment~   
For the next seven years Rhiannon the Goddess was to sit by the castle gate, bent under the heavy

weight of a horse's collar and to greet all the guests that come to the grand gate with the story of her crime. Afterwards she is to offer to carry them on her back to the castle for seven years and to do this in all seasons of the years.
The Goddess Rhiannon bore humiliating with her punishment without one complaint. She would go thought the seasons of the bitter cold winters and the heated summers.  The Goddess would endured with quiet acceptance.  
Her courage was such that few accepted her offer to transport them into the castle. Respect for her began to spread throughout the country as travelers talked of the wretched punishment and the dignity with which the Goddess Rhiannon bore her suffering. 
In the fall of the fourth year, three strangers appeared at the gate - a well dressed nobleman and his wife with their young boy.
Rhiannon rose to greet them saying "Lord, I am here to carry each of you into the Prince's court, for I have killed my own child and this is my punishment." The man, his wife and the child dismounted. 
While the man lifted the surprised Rhiannon onto his horse, the boy handed her a piece of an infants gown. Rhiannon saw that it was cloth that she  had woven with her own two hands. The boy then smiled at her, Rhiannon recognized that he had the eyes of father - Prince ll.
The Goddess Rhiannon is Queen once again! 

Soon the story was told. Four years earlier, during a great storm the noblemen had been called to the field to help a mare in labor, then he heard the infant cries and found him lying abandoned. He and his wife took the baby in and raised him as if he were their own, when the rumors of the Goddess Rhiannon fate had reach their ears. The Nobleman realized what had happened and had set out at once to return the child to his parents. 
Most legends suggest that the badger actually was the enraged suitor that Rhiannon had rejected who had escaped and taken his revenge by kidnapping Rhiannon's infant son. 
The Prince and his people quickly recognized the boy as their heir to Rhiannon and the Prince ll. 
The Goddess Rhiannon was restored to her honor as Queen and was place beside her husband once again as Queen Rhiannon, along with her Prince son.
Although Rhiannon had suffered immensely by the hands of her own people, Rhiannon Goddess of Noble Traits, saw that they were ashamed and filled with forgiveness and understanding. 
So she decided to stay with her beloved Prince and the people grew to love her all over again. 

This story of the Celtic Goddess Rhiannon reminds me of the power of healing, tears, and forgiveness.  The Goddess Rhiannon is a gift of movement and change who remains stead fast, comforting us in times of crisis and loss. 
Rhiannon brings us grace and dignity through her seven(4years) of unjust punishment by the people who she trusted. And they use her trusted - still she endured and was empowering through promise that truth and integrity will always prevail. 
The Goddess Rhiannon gives us the assurance through her grace and dignity that there will always be balance in the universe. 
She is Truly a Divine Goddess of Peace, Truth and enlightenment.
Again as I wrote above I think Goddess Rhiannon is one of my favorite Goddess - her story and  what she brings to us all - Her grace, dignity, forgiveness, empowerment, trust, endures , healing powers, love of forgiveness ,integrity, truth, enlightenment,and giving us all the the assurance that there will be balance in our world and the universe.
I hope that you all! enjoy the beautiful images - there are from fantastic Artist that I found. That I felt  went well with this installment of the Goddess of Rhiannon.. 
Wendy