The phoenix is a mythological creature, well known in ancient legends and modern stories. It’s a fascinating idea – the phoenix is immortal, it burns to death then rises again from its own ashes. It is traditionally equated with the sun, dying and rising as the sun rises and sets, and has been used as…
Beautiful white horses with an equally white horn in the middle of their foreheads. Creatures out of myth and legend. Benevolent, wise, pure. This is the modern idea of the unicorn, strengthened by many a fantasy film and novel. But what is the origin of the unicorn? Seals from the Indus Valley Civilization (3300-1300 BC)…
Genesis 9:16 When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what’s on the other side? (“The Rainbow Connection”, Music by Paul Willliams, Lyrics…
These days if you hear people talk about the moon figuratively, it’s usually in connection with romance. However the moon has a long history of being associated with legends, myths and magic, gods and goddesses. Here are some of those stories and ideas. As far back as the Bronze Age, a lunar map appears on…
Recently I finished reading a children’s book called “The Night of the Solstice” by Lisa Smith, which contained the idea of mirrors being used as gateways to another world. So this got me thinking about magic mirrors and how they have featured in legends and fiction over the ages. In ancient times mirrors could be…
This is a children’s fantasy, published in 1963, which is a sequel to “The Weirdstone of Brisingamen”. It deals with the adventures of brother and sister Colin and Susan, who discover that beings regarded as fairy tales exist right along side human beings, and that magic really does exist. I first read this as a…
Eclectic Assemblage 