WHY THE WOODPECKER BORES FOR ITS FOOD

Hi dear friend and followers today I present to you another story from the series, the stories the Iroquois told their children.

My mother had a saying: “Never stifle a generous impulse.” She never said if that was advice for the giver or the potential receiver! Maybe this Wonder Story of the Iroquois can clear that up.

WHY THE WOODPECKER BORES FOR ITS FOOD

Once upon a time, the Great 'Spirit left the Happy Hunting Ground and came to Earth. He took the form of a poor, hungry man. He went from wigwam to wigwam, asking for food.

Sometimes he found the Indians sitting around the fire, telling stories and talking of the Great Spirit. Then th eman would pass by unseen.
One day he came to a wigwam in which a woman was baking cakes.

“I am very hungry,” the man said. “Will you please give me a cake?”

The woman looked at the man, and then at the cake. She saw it was too large to give away. She said, “I will not give you this cake, but I will bake you one, if you will wait.

The hungry man said, “I will wait.”
Then the woman took a small piece of dough and made it into a cake and baked it. But when she took his cake from th ecoals, it was larger than the first.

Again the woman looked at her cake. Again she saw it was too large to give away. Again she said, I will not give you this one, but I will bake you one, if you will wait.”

Again the man said, “I will wait.”

This time the woman took a very, very tiny bit of dough, and made it into a cake.

“Surely, this will be small enough to give away,” she thought, yet when baked it was larger than both of the others.
The woman stood and looked at the three cakes. Each was too large to give away.

“I will not give you any of the cakes,” she said to the man. “Go to the woods, and find your food in the bark of trees.”

The man stood up and threw off his ragged blanket and worn moccasins. His face shone like the sun, and he was very beautiful. The woman shrank into the shadow of the wigwam. She could not look upon his face, for the light.

“I am the Great Spirit,” said he, “and you are a selfish woman. Women should be kind, and generous, and unselfish. You shall no longer be a woman and live in a warm wigwam, with plenty of cakes to bake. You shall go to the forest and hunt your food in the bark of trees. Summer and winter you shall eat worms of the same size as the cake that you would have made for me.”

The woman began to grow smaller and smaller. Feathers grew upon her body, and wings sprang from it. The Great Spirit touched her head and it became red.

“Always shall you wear this red hood,” he said, “as a mark of your shame. Always shall you hide from man. Always shall you hunt for little worms, the size of the cake you made for me.”

At this a sharp cry was heard, and a bird flew into the fireplace of the wigwam, and up the chimney. As it passed out of the chimney, the soot left those long streaks of black which we now see on the woodpecker's back.

Ever since then, this woodpecker has had a red head, and has been hiding from man on the farther side of the tree trunk, and boring in the bark for little worms.

Thank you very much dear friend for visiting my blog, and hope you have enjoyed this short story. Comments are always welcomed and appreciated.

✿ڰۣ❤ With love from The Fairy Lady ❤ڰۣ✿

Take a Chance

Hi dear friends and followers, happy Sunday to you. Today is poem day and I have composed a special one for you. Enjoy the read.

Take a Chance

She wandered the forest since day's early dawn

But could not find her way.

The familiar land seemed strange and alien,

in ways she could not quite understand.

A beautiful girl, both graceful and fleet,

through the forest she ran, with the ease of a deer;

round and round in circles she went,

til finally she needed to stop and rest,

For even the elf maiden tires and wearies.

One would marvel at her fairy-like profile

As she lay in the grass under a maple tree.

Exhausted from running she put her arm under her head,

then she swiftly drifted into the realm of sleep.

She lay in the grass at peace, smiling,

her gentle face framed by her long, golden hair.

There was no missing her long, pointed ears;

silver toe rings adorned her sandaled, elfin feet.

What awoke her with such an urgent start?

The late day sun in the trees obscured her view.

Quickly, she pulled her hood over her head

For she had heard of humans, but never met one.

She thought it best that if they were nearby,

they didn't see her ears, lest the questions fly.

Then came a boy, about her age, it seemed,

A handsome, ruddy lad – was she still in a dream?

He hailed her: “Hello! Is all well by you?”

He called out with a little concern.

She understood the words but made no reply.

She stood transfixed and gazed upon him.

“A handsome young human he is!” she thought.

“A kiss from his lips would be like magic to me!”

Coming closer he asked, "Please lower your hood,

for just a moment, please if you will.

I desire to know the beauty hidden beneath.”

Reluctantly, she removed the hood,

revealing to him her long, pointed ears.

The lad stopped to appraise the unexpected - 

The girl began to blush and to replace the hood,

But the youth said, “No, no need for that.

They make you more beautiful and precious!”

He thought a kiss from her would somehow

set the sky afire with all the colors of the rainbow.

They embraced and lips met.

They knew then they could never be apart.

Forever would they be one.

She was a fairy’s child, delicate and sweet.

Each whispered word she changed into a spell,

that intoxicated by sweet magical scent.

For every dusk they would meet by the river's edge.

They kissed once more then she turned to leave,

then stopped momentarily at the edge of the wood to look back;

Then vanished as though she had just evaporated into the air.

Thank you everyone for dropping by to read this post, I hope you have enjoyed reading it. Comments and suggestions or questions are welcome.
Composed by Cynthia

✿❤ڰۣ With love from The Fairy Lady ❤ڰۣ✿

“Howdeeeee!” Frizzy Lizzy here.

Hi dear friends and followers, it is that time again, Frizzy Lizzy time. Enjoy the read and enjoy your Saturday. 

“Howdeeeee!”

Frizzy sits on the edge of the bed to put her fuzzy slippers on. After a good stretch she pauses and thinks for a second or two: “If my boobs keep sagging like this I might need a second pair of slippers for them.”

“Everything's feeling down around here. Charley's taken off and I'm by myself again. It's not like I haven't been alone before. I just wasn't expecting it right now. Men are just like a pair of skin-tight pants: they feel great at times but when you ask them to bend sometimes they split instead!

“I was thinking that maybe it was time I go out again. It's not like my social life is that bad, but I think my cable TV has gone out more often then I have lately.

“I truly would like to go out but I let my stomach be the judge when ever I think about going on another date. First I check to see if I am hungry or not. If I head for the fridge, I'm staying home.

“My computer just got back from the shop yesterday. It has a new font on it called 'Dingbats.' I haven't seen what it looks like yet but it seems perfect for writing to relatives. Oh well, at least I don't have to cook a turkey for a while. Cooking a turkey for dingbats on Thanksgiving Day. How does that work?

“Well I thought time was on my side but it must have gone AWOL on me! I have to get moving before I lose all resolve and flop back into the bed and have another day shot in the butt. Sounds like my friend, Paula. Thank you for dropping by. I'll have the coffee ready next time, I promise! Love ya!

Thank you very much for visiting my blog and for reading this blog post, comments and suggestions are always welcome.  

 

✿❤ڰۣ With love from The Fairy Lady ❤ڰۣ✿

HOW THE WOMAN OVERCAME THE BEAR

Hi dear friends and followers, welcome to my continued blog series on the stories the Iroquois tell their children. . 

Today's story is a brief tale of conquering fear. I hope that you find it useful.

HOW THE WOMAN OVERCAME THE BEAR

An Indian woman built a wigwam in the deep wood. She was a brave woman. She had no fear.

One night she heard something coming along the trail. Thump, thump, thump, it came, to the very door of her wigwam.
There was a rap.

“Come in,” said the woman, but no one entered.

Again the woman called, “Come in.” Again the latch was not lifted.

A third time the rap came. A third time the woman called, “Come in,” but no one entered.

Then the strange thump, thump, thump, was heard going down the trail.

The next night the same thing occurred. Soon after dark, the woman heard the thump, thump, thump, coming along the trail. Up to the very door of the wigwam it came.

Three times, a rap, rap, rap was heard as before. Three times the woman answered, “Come in,” but no one entered.

Then the same strange thump, thump, thump, was heard going down the trail again..

The third night, the woman thought she would make sure who was calling. She stood for a long time with her hand on the latch.

At last she heard the visitor coming. Thump, thump, thump, it came along the trail. There were three raps.

“Come in,” called the woman, but the latch did not move in her hand. She waited. Again came the raps.

This time she threw wide open the door and there stood a great black bear. He showed his sharp teeth and growled, 

“Are you at home?”
The woman looked him straight in the eye and replied, “I am at home.”

At once the bear turned on his heel and went down the trail as fast as he could go.

Never again did the woman hear that strange thump, thump, thump; and never again did the bear call to see if she were at home.

Thank you very much dear friend for visiting, and hope you have enjoyed this short story. I hope everyone liked this Iroquois legend for the day. Comments are welcomed and appreciated.

✿ڰۣ❤ With love from The Fairy Lady ❤ڰۣ✿

A Few Words on Dragon's part 2

Hi dear friends and followers today we return to the second part on, a few words on dragons, associated with the strange deaths occurrences of domestic animals.  Enjoy the read. 

A Few Words on Dragon's part 2

In the early 1980s something began to kill sheep in a very odd way in north Wales. The animals were found with two puncture marks in the flesh. They were always found close to water. Veterinary analysis showed that they had been killed by venom. Sometimes a large snakelike trail was seen in the grass or mud close to the victims. Strangely the killer never ate the sheep. The weird killings stopped as suddenly as they started leaving only an unsettling mystery.

There have been many theories proffered to explain the dragon phenomena. They fall mainly into two camps. One is that dragons are based on some kind of flesh and blood creature, a gigantic reptile of some kind. The second is that they are a paranormal manifestation.

Let us examine the former idea first. It has been widely suggested that fossil remains of dinosaurs and other large animals were the basis for dragon legends. Whilst they may have been an influence in some cases, most fossil bones are too fragmentary to give rise to such awe-inspiring legends. We must also remember that many ancient texts specifically speak of dragons as living entities interacting with humans.

There are some living reptiles that make impressive dragons. Crocodiles can be huge and deadly predators. The largest, the Indo-Pacific crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) can reach 10 meters (33 feet) in length and tip the scales at 3 tons. It can kill water buffalo, tigers, and even sharks. The ancient Chinese called the creature the "flood dragon"

In the 1950s James Montgomery investigated tales of a huge monster along the Sagama River. The local Seluka people said it was the father of the devil and threw silver coins into the water whenever it appeared (bringing to mind the treasure hordes of medieval dragons in

Europe).
He found the brute sunning itself upon a sandbank; it was a gigantic Indo-Pacific crocodile. Montgomery knew his rifle would be about as much use against such a creature as a peashooter and beat a hasty retreat. He later returned and measured the sandbank. It was nine meters (30 feet) long. As the crocodile had the end of its tail in the water its total length would have been around 10 meters (33 feet).

Another giant lurks in the waters of the Lumpar River. A known serial man-eater it is venerated by the Ibad tribe as Bujang-senang, the king of crocodiles. It is reckoned to be seven and a half meters (25 feet) long.

The African Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) can exceed 7 meters (23 feet) and can kill a lion with one bite. It was worshiped by the Egyptians as Sebek, the god of the life-giving Nile. A seven-meter specimen is currently at large in Malawi and has eaten 14 people in the last 12 months prior to this writing!

These armor-plated giants can bite down with a force of 10,000 Newtons. That's twice the strength of a great white shark!

Big constricting snakes make good analogues of the limbless "worm" type of dragon. The reticulated python (Python reticuatlus) of SE Asia can grow to ten meters (33 feet) and swallow animals as large as deer whole.

The green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) may exceed eight meters (26 feet) and is far more bulky than any python. Tales of monstrously large specimens filter out of the South American jungles from time to time.

The infamous komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is found only on three small Indonesian islands. It remained undiscovered until 1912. At over three meters (10 feet) it is the largest known lizard in the world. It kills large prey such as deer by the virulent bacteria in its saliva. Chinese pottery found on Komodo Island suggests this animal was known to seafarers from the orient.

Impressive though it is, the Komodo dragon looked like a pipsqueak compared to its pre-historic relative, Megalania prisca. This giant monitor lizard lived in Australia in the Pleistocene epoch and reached nine meters (30 feet). It evolved to feed on the giant ice age marsupials such as Diprotodon, a rhino-sized wombat, and Procoptodon a ten-foot tall kangaroo.

It was presumed that Megalania died out at least 10,000 years ago but the Aborigines have legends of Mungoongalli, a giant lizard. Both natives and white settlers have recorded encounters with titanic lizards in the Australian outback. Even a herpetologist (reptile expert) has claimed to have seen such a monster.

In 1979 herpetologist Frank Gorden was hunting for small lizards called water skinks in the Wataigan Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. After a fruitless day's search he returned to his land rover. He noticed a fallen tree on a verge next to his vehicle. Upon starting the engine Gorden saw this " log" rear up on four powerful legs and lumber away into the bush. It was a giant lizard some 9 meters (30 feet) long! Gorden is but one of many witnesses who have reported such reptiles in the Australian bush. Some even speculate that mysterious disappearances in the outback can be blamed on the feeding activities of the lizards.

Recently part of a Megalania hipbone was uncovered that was sub-fossil. It appears to be only one to two hundred years old! Is this nightmarish beast still stalking the bush?

Thank you for visiting my blog and for reading this recap on , I hope everyone found the second part to this article  on the search of dragons as interest to explore as I did. Comments are welcomed and appreciated.

✿ڰۣ❤ With love from The Fairy Lady ❤ڰۣ✿

WHAT THE ASH AND MAPLE LEARNED

Hi dear friends and followers today we return for another visit with  to the stories the Iroquois tell their children.

Every living thing has a reason for being in this world. Its mission here might not be apparent to us but it is important all the same. Please enjoy this lesson that was given to the great Maple and Ash trees, back in a time almost forgotten.

WHAT THE ASH AND MAPLE LEARNED

Long ago, birds, trees, animals, and men knew each the language of the other, and all could talk together.

In those days, the trees of the forest grew large and strong. At last they came to know their strength too well. They became selfish, and proud, and quarrelsome. Each tree boasted that he was the greatest and the strongest. Each one struggled to gain for himself the most earth, the best air, the brightest sun. No tree had a thought for the other.

One day the trunk of a great Maple tried to crowd out an Ash. The Ash, of course, thought he had as much right to stand there as the Maple, and he said he would not stir a limb.

“Get out of my way,” cried the Maple. “I am greater than you, and of more use to man; for I furnish the sweet water for him to drink.”

“Indeed, I will not!” said the Ash. “I am greater than you, and of more use to man than you; for I furnish the tough wood from which he makes his bow.”
At this the trees fell back to wrestling. Back and forth they swayed, each trying to throw the other. They forgot that they were brothers in the wood.

Then the South Wind came along. He heard the voices and stopped to find out what the quarrel was about.

“I am greater than you, for I furnish the sweet water for man to drink,” came the angry voice of the Maple, as he threw his huge trunk against the Ash.

“No you are not,” retorted the Ash, and he sent the Maple back with a great push of his strong elbow. “I am greater than you, for I furnish the tough wood from which he makes his bow.”

For a time the South Wind watched them writhe and twist and try to throw each other to the ground. Then he said softly, “You, O Maple, do not cause the sweet water to flow for man; nor do you, O Ash, make your wood to grow pliant and tough for his bow.”
“Who does, then?” they asked defiantly.

“Listen,” said the South Wind, “and you shall hear.”

Then the Maple and the Ash forgot their quarrel. They bent their heads so low and close to listen that an arm of the Maple slipped through an arm of the Ash.

And as they stood thus listening, each with an arm locked in an arm of the other, the South Wind gently swayed to and fro. Then a voice was heard, singing, “San noh-eh! San noh-eh! San noh-eh!” which means “The Mother of all things.

Thus it was that the Ash and the Maple learned that it was Mother Earth who gave them their life, and power, and strength, and that they were brothers, because they had one Mother.

The Ash and the Maple whispered the secret to the birds. The birds came and listened to the voice, and went and told the animals. The animals came and listened, and went and told men. And thus all the Earth children learned that there is one Great Mother of every living thing, and that all are brothers.

And now, whenever two trees lock arms lovingly, and the South Wind sways them gently to and fro, that same voice may be heard singing, “San noh-eh! San noh-eh! San noh-eh!”

Thank you for visiting my blog and for reading this story, I hope everyone liked the Iroquois story for the day. Comments are welcomed and appreciated.

✿ڰۣ❤ With love from The Fairy Lady ❤ڰۣ✿

A Few Words On Dragons, Part I

Hi dear friends, today I would like to take you on another short journey into the history of the dragon with the help of a very well researched publication. Have a great read. 
A Few Words On Dragons, Part I

The dragon is the great, great grandfather of all monsters. Before the daemon, before the vampire, before the werewolf, before the giant; before them all was the original uber-monster, the dragon. The dragon's image has crawled across cave paintings 25,000 years old, dwarfing mammoths. It has slithered across Chinese rock art in Shanxi province 8,000 years before Christ. It haunted the Sumerians and the Babylonians, was worshiped by the Aztecs and feared by the Celts. In the East a glittering rain god, in the West a flame-spewing, maiden-devouring monster. It is found in every culture on Earth. The immortal dragon has its fangs and claws deep in the psyche of mankind. And it is still seen today.

The dragon comes in a dazzling array of forms. The best known in the West is the true dragon or firedrake. This is the classic dragon: a gigantic quadrupedal reptile, with vast bat like wings. Armed with razor teeth and claws, and a mighty tail, its most formidable weapon was the white-hot jets of flame it spouted at its victims. These monsters were considered to be the most magical of beasts with powers such as shape-shifting, self-regeneration, and mind reading attributed to them. They were covered in impenetrable scales and had only one vulnerable spot.

The wyvern was much like the firedrake except it bore only one pair of legs. It was smaller than the true dragon and seldom breathed fire. It did however carry a deadly sting in the tail and could spread disease and pestilence.

The lindorm, or worm, was a huge limbless reptile. Instead of breathing fire it spat venom or spewed poison gas. It could also crush prey in its steely coils. It could rejoin severed portions of its body and was hence very hard to kill.

The basilisk, or cockatrice, was the smallest but most death-dealing member of the dragon clan. It was said to have hatched from a cock's egg incubated by a toad or a rooster, a rather remarkable biological feat. It resembled a tiny snake with a rooster's comb. Its gaze brought instant death to all it looked upon, including itself. The basilisk's reflection was fatal to itself. The great deserts of the Middle East were attributed to the baleful glare of hordes of basilisks.

Amazing as it may sound the dragon seems to have a basis in fact and it still haunts the wild, and sometimes not so wild corners of our strange little planet. Modern sightings include a huge, winged reptile that terrorized the San Antonio Valley, Texas for several months in 1976. 

A house-sized, long-necked, scaly, green dragon with formidable teeth that has eaten fishermen and livestock lives in LakeWembu, Tibet. And a horned, black-scaled dragon was seen by five hundred witnesses in July 2002 in Lake Tianchie, northeast China. There are enough modern dragon sightings from around the world to be the subject of a book by Richard Alan Freeman titled, "Dragons; More than a Myth?" published in 2005.

Some dragon sightings have taken place in the United Kingdom. In the early 19th century folklorist Mary Trevelyan interviewed many elderly people living in the Glamorgan area of Wales. They recounted memories from their youth (early 19th century) of a race of winged serpents said to inhabit the forest around Penllyne Castle. They had crested heads and feathery wings. The serpents were brightly coloured and sparkled as if covered with jewels. They rested coiled on the ground but if threatened would attack by swooping down at their aggressors.

The snakes killed poultry and were described as "the terrors of farmyards and coverts" many were shot for their depreditations of livestock. One woman recalled that her grandfather shot one after it attacked him. Its skin had hung for years on the wall at his farm. Tragically it was discarded after his death. This would make any modern-day cryptozoologist wince.

A dragon skin was once said to hang in the church in Sexhow, Cleveland. The forest dwelling worm was slain by a knight and the skin kept as a relic hung on pegs in the church. The skin has long since vanished. Oliver Cromwell's men probably destroyed it after the English Civil War.

A portion of the hide of the Lambton worm was supposedly kept on display at Lambton Castle. It was said to resemble cow's hide. The specimen was lost when the castle was demolished in the 18th century.

One of the most disturbing dragon stories occurred relatively recently. When the north east of England was under the Dane lore, the Norse men feared a sea dragon known as the Shoney.

It is said that they sacrificed crew members to the beast. After drawing lots the luckless victim was trussed hand and foot, his throat slashed, and tossed overboard. The shoney was to eat the sacrifice and let the Viking ships alone. Bodies, sometimes half eaten, were washed up around Lindisfarne and around the area now known as Marsden Bay near South Shiels, Newcastle.

So the story goes, this sacrifice became a kind of maritime worship and persisted long after the time of the Vikings. It was supposedly practiced by modern Scandinavian sailors. Several hundred years ago a pub was carved into the cliffs of Marsden Bay.

Known as Marsden Grotto, it has had many landlords through the years. Many of them awoke to discover the sacrificial victims of the Shoney washed ashore on the beach outside the Grotto. The pub's cellar was used as a makeshift morgue on many occasions. According to local researcher, historian, and Fortean Mike Hallowell, the last bodies were washed up in 1928!

Thank you for taking some time out with me. I hope you have
enjoyed my poem and comments are always welcome here. Thank you.

✿ڰۣ❤ With love from The Fairy Lady ❤ڰۣ✿