Author Archives: Angelique

Father Time, Death and the New Year

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Father Time, Death and the New Year -By Angelique Duncan

The ringing of the New Year marks the arrival of Father Time to take away the old year. He is often depicted bearded, wearing a cloak, carrying a scythe and an hourglass. Sometimes accompanied by a crow, often Father Time’s companion is Baby New Year. In some renderings he is winged. His arrival marks an end of time and sometimes the death of an era.

It is believed that Father Time is the embodiment of the ancient Greek deity Chronos or Kronos. With many of the Greek deities, they carried over to the Roman mythologies. Chronos and the Roman deity Saturn were of similar nature. Both were Gods of Harvest and were depicted as carrying a scythe in which they would use to cut down crops. An overlapping mythology from the Greeks is that of Cronis, who castrated and killed his father Uranus by using a scythe. Some historians tell that the mythologies of Chronis and Cronis are of the same deity, some contend that the two are separate entities serving different mythological functions, much as Zeus and Saturn are similar in functions in their perspective cultures.

The word Saturn has the meaning to sow. Chronis holds a dual meaning of time and crow, hence where the crow companion who appears in illustrations of Father Time fits in. The scythe shape carried by the two deities is symbolic that time rises and falls and inevitably all things must end.

During the Renaissance era Father Time emerged as the keeper of time passage and our modern image of the deity was formed. He carries with him a scythe that cuts down time and timepiece either an hourglass or a clock face, symbolizing the constant flow of time forward.

It was once believed that we each have our own hourglass that is kept by Father Time. When our “time is up” and we have come to the end of our time on Earth, he comes to collect. During the renaissance era Father Time was also synonymous with the Reaper of Death. The imagery of the elderly male wearing a cloak with broad wings that collected souls at the end of their life was split to another entity of what is known today as the Grim Reaper, a skeletal man with a beard in a dark cloak with a scythe and hourglass in hand. The imagery of death developed his own persona and through out time no longer was depicted with the beard and hourglass, however the hooded cloak and scythe remain part of his repertoire.

Some cultures believe Father Time works alone, gathering the years as they expire. Others believe that Father Time and Baby New Year are the same entity. As the old year expires Father Time collects it and passes a New Year to the Baby to hold guardianship over and bring to maturity. As the year progresses so does the Baby to become the next incarnation of Father Time to hand off that year to a new Baby and the cycle continues. Some believe that the two work in concordance, but are individual entities independent of each other. The Father collects the old decayed era that has come to an end; the Baby brings the new fresh era.

The Baby New Year has his origin in Greek mythology of a baby that was ceremonially carried in a basket to symbolize the rebirth of the fertility God Dionysus. The custom of The Baby New Year was practiced by Germans and carried over to America through their migrations. The modern image of the Baby New Year now sports a top hat and a banner sash with the year he is custodian over tied across his chest. It was the Victorians, with their fascination of dressing children like adults, who are responsible for Baby New Years fashionable top hat.

Across cultures and spans of time a common theme of a Fatherly elderly bearded man appears at Winter. The Holly King is the Celtic God of the dying year. He rules from Summer Solstice through the Winter Solstice. The Holly King represents the darkness and decay of winter. Depicted often as a bearded man with a Holly crown. Some historians correlate the Holly King to Father Christmas. Father Christmas is depicted as a bearded man wearing a robe; in lieu of a scythe he carries a staff. Father Christmas was the precursor to the bearded St Nicholas and later Santa Claus. The Holly king is also thought to bear resemblance to Old Man Winter, the deity who reins over the winter months and brings cold, snow and the “death” of the sun until it’s season.

Each of these bearded fellows has their place in their cultures mythology and history. They may all be offspring in some fashion of the same mythology. They may serve to tell the story of Chronos or Saturn, defining end of eras and the sowing of time in the cross cultural belief that has stood the test of time. The image of Father Time holding his scythe and hourglass counting the minutes until it is time to collect the next expired year remains.

Farewell old year. A very happy young new year has arrived.

Angelique Duncan is proprietor of Twilight Faerie Nostalgic and Capricious Objects. Check out her artist page to find links to her shops and vintage inspired traditional holiday art. Visit again next month for more traditions and folklore.

My Mother’s Ghost.

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My Mother’s Ghost. -By Debbi Decker

What is it about the end of the year that brings out the paranormal? Are we sending out a different kind of energy that allows for these entities to pass through more easily? Or are we more open at this time to see things we would not normally see or hear and feel things that we would not normally hear or feel simply because we are poised to enter into a new year and we are opening ourselves up to hopes for what it will bring?

My mother is not normally open to paranormal events. She believes that spirits are good, the souls of those who are in heaven and the souls of loved ones, invisible to mankind but felt by us. Ghosts are visible and bad, evil people who will never reach heaven and wander the earth in various shapes and forms. Over the years I have tried to convince her that while I understand her choice of words, ghosts and spirits are really one and the same. She would never allow herself to be convinced. That is, until last Thursday night. She now believes they ARE both one and the same, and that it is how the spirit or ghost presents itself that matters.

She had just turned out the light in her bedroom and was sitting on the side of her bed. Her bedroom is never really dark due to all of the many electronic components. Glowing clocks, computer lights, telephones, and other assorted sundry items that give off light. As she was sitting there she looked up at the window beside her and saw a full bodied man come through the curtains, walk around the foot of her bed, walk out of her room into the hallway and into the bathroom where he immediately disappeared. It was a young man, wearing a white t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up the way the boys would wear them in the 1950s. He wore faded blue jeans and his hair was neat and cut short. She could not see his face as his head was bent down but she had a sense of seeing something in 2D. Mom said she felt that she could see through parts of him but it was not readily apparent that he was translucent. Just a sense that she was. She also could not see his feet. The apparition actually walked around the end of her bed, turning to go through the door! Just as if you or I would have done had we been looking out that window and decided to leave the room and go to the bathroom!

The most astonishing thing to me about this event is not that she saw a full body apparition, but that she was not in the least scared or in any way upset. She said that when he disappeared she said out loud, “well hello and goodbye to you too!” Where most people would have been terrified, she said she felt calm and happy during the whole event.

My mother is no stranger to the paranormal even though in the past she has not been open to the possibilities it brings. She feels the presence of her mother nearby and she sometimes feels her mother sit down on the side of her bed that her mother would normally sit when visiting. Mom has also remarked about seeing shadow people walking the halls of her house, taking the same path every time. The shadow people are just that, dark shadows with no details that travel the hallway and always go into the rear bedroom. She has heard doors opening and closing when she is alone, and she also has heard heavy boots walking on wood, even though the house is fully carpeted and there are no wood floors. She also has visitations that she believes are a long deceased cat who would spent a great deal of time with her in her bedroom and would jump onto her bed and land on the same spot pretty much every time.

While discussing the event, my mother kept commenting about how calm she felt throughout it all and how amazed that she was afterward that she was not afraid. We talked about the fact that she may have some pre-conditioning regarding these types of events because of all of the strange things that happen in her home. I know that for me, it has become “just another day in the neighborhood” or the “new normal” because of all of the things I have seen and experienced throughout my whole life. You can get used to these strange things. So, perhaps she was in a more accepting frame of mind when the young man came through.

These kinds of manifestations are considered the “holy grail” of ghost hunting and I will admit to a wee bit of jealousy that she got to experience it. But how wonderful for her that she did! Mom now understands what it is that those of us who experience these kinds of things are trying to explain. She gets it now. Whether this understanding will leave the door open for other manifestations, only time will tell.

My mother is elderly and lives alone and does not get out much anymore. On several occasions she has stated that she needs a hobby, something to keep her busy and to engage her mind.

Hey mom! Guess what? You have a new job now. Ghost Hunter. Investigate the presences in your home and learn about how they manifest and perhaps even get some sense of who the young man could have been and the connection he has to the house or to you.

I am excitedly waiting for the answers you find. Oh, and yes, there WILL be a test!

Debbi Decker is proprietor of twistedpixelstudio Art & Assemblage Emporium. Check out her artist page to find links to her shop and blog to read more of her writings. Visit again next month for the telling of hauntings and ghostly tales by Debbi Decker.

The Legend of the Christmas Spider

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The Legend of the Christmas Spider-By Angelique Duncan

One of our cultures most common holiday customs comes from a very old German and Ukrainian legend of one of the tiniest and misunderstood of creatures. The tradition of covering ones holiday tree in shiny sparkly tinsel originates from the Legend of the Christmas Spider. There are different versions of the legend however the root of the story is mostly the same across cultures.

Once upon a time a gentle mother was busily cleaning the house for the most wonderful day of the year. Not a speck of dust was left. Even the spiders had left their cozy corner in the ceiling and had fled to the attic to avoid the housewife’s busy cleaning.

At last, it was Christmas Eve. The tree was decorated and waiting for the children to see it. The poor spiders were dismayed, for they could not see the tree, or the presents that waited for morning. The oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could peep through the crack in the door to see this glorious sight. Pretty soon all was quiet, so the spiders quickly crept into the room. The tree towered so high that they couldn’t see the ornaments on top. In fact, the little spiders’ eyes were so small that they could only see one ornament at a time. They all scurried up the trunk, out along each branch, filled with a happy wonder at the glittering beauty. The spiders loved the Christmas tree. All night long, they danced in the branches, and every place they went left a trail of dusty, gray web. When at last they had inspected every bit of the Christmas tree, it was shrouded in the dusty gray of spider webs.

In one version of the story the spiders realized what they had done and were panicked to undo what they had done to the tree and feared once it was discovered they all would be killed. They prayed for mercy as they tried to figure out how to fix what they had done. An angel appeared in answer to their prayer. She offered that one spider would have to be sacrificed to save the rest. The oldest wisest spider offered himself since it had been his instigating that brought the spiders to this dilemma. The angel turned the spider to sparkling ice and transformed the webs into glittery strands of shiny metal. The spiders were in awe that what they had done had made the tree even more beautiful.

This story is told in versions with different entities transforming the webs to silver and gold. Some cultures tell that it was Santa Clause or Father Christmas who upon discovering the web covered tree felt sympathy for the spiders, and for the housewife who had worked so hard on decorating the tree. He touched his hand to the web and transformed it to what we now know as tinsel. The story is also told in a version that arrived much later in history that the baby Jesus helped the spiders and transformed the webs.

Another telling of the Christmas Spider legend from the Czech republic tells that a poor woman who could not afford traditional holiday decorations or gifts yet wanted to provide something beautiful for her children. So she went to the woods and found a tree to put up in their home. She spent the day polishing and cleaning her humble home in hopes of brightening their meager holiday. As she swept her floors a spider narrowly escaped the broom. The women noticed the spider and felt sorry for it. Rather than kill the spider or toss it outside into the winter cold she let it live but asked that she retreat to the attic out of site. In gratitude for the woman’s kindness and mercy, the spider crept down from the attic and labored through the night spinning beautiful webs onto each branch. On Christmas morning the sun shone through the window and hit the webs turning them into silver. The women and her children woke to find the magnificently decorated tree and the exhausted spider on a branch. The story spread and from then on a spider on ones tree was seen as a sign of good fortune.

One rendition of the legend tells that a woodsman went to the woods to cut his tree before a pending snowstorm. A spider had taken shelter in the branches in hopes to avoid the cold and had fallen asleep. When the spider awoke it found it had been moved inside. Seeing the blizzard of snow falling outside the window the spider was overwhelmed with gratitude to the woodsman for bringing him into his warm home. The spider spun decorative webs over the tree in pure joy. When the sun rose the next morning the webs turned to silver glistening on the branches. The woodsman was so pleased with the silver the spider had spun he revered the spider as a token of fortune and each year there after when bring in the annual holiday tree he would collect a spider to shelter the winter in it’s branches.

The Victorians would hang one small ornate spider on their Christmas trees to up hold the tradition and as a reminder of where tinsel came from. This tradition like so many others has fallen to the wayside and has become buried in obscurity of the lost history of the winter holidays. So when your decorating your holiday trees this year, hang a little tinsel in honor of its origin. And when you’re cleaning your home before your holiday company arrives, if you see a spider go scampering past your broom have mercy and spare its fragile little life. It just wants to stay warm and the act of holiday kindness may just bring your home good fortune.

Angelique Duncan is proprietor of Twilight Faerie Nostalgic and Capricious Objects. Check out her artist page to find links to her shops and vintage inspired traditional holiday art. Visit again next month for more traditions and folklore.

Come to the Dark Side. We Have Yule.

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Come to the Dark Side. We Have Yule. -By Debbi Decker

Although the holiday season of Yule is generally associated with birth and light, the original festival as celebrated has a much darker side. Celebrated by Germanic peoples (the most familiar will be Norse and Anglo Saxon) in pre-Christian times, Yule not only encompassed feasting, reveling, and celebrations, it also featured death, sacrifice, and ghosts.

Yule was primarily a midwinter observance during the months of December and January, which, over time, was incorporated into the Christian celebration of Christmas. Some familiar practices that have come down from this observance include the Christmas ham (the Yule boar) and caroling. Some of the not so familiar Yule customs and beliefs are as follows.

With December 21st comes the shortest day of the year and along with that comes the Wild Hunt. It is believed that the Wild Hunt comprises demons or dead fairies, ghosts of former huntsman or the undead, called Drauger (possible zombie references here), raging across the sky in search of dark secrets and souls. It was considered most unlucky to see the Wild Hunt, and many lit fires or candles to keep the Wild Hunt at bay as the light would repel the dark and the spirits that reside there.

Christmas Eve as we know it was originally celebrated in January and was known as Mōdraniht, which is old English for Mothers-Night. This celebration references “dis” or spirits of fates. Sacrifices were made on this night and many practices centered around fertility rituals to ensure a bountiful new year to come as well as to celebrate the fertility of tribes.

Aspects of modern day Christmas festivities can be traced back to the reverence of the Norse god Odin. The ham we eat is a reference to the boar with an apple in its mouth. The Yule log is burned to revere the departed souls and also to keep the darker side with its ghosts and demons and ghouls at bay. And again, another aspect of the Yule log may be phallic in nature as the ashes were sprinkled in the fields to bring fertility to the coming harvest.

So, this Yule season, light your candles and Yule logs and keep the darkness and all it encompasses away. Pay tribute to your ancestors, and most importantly, if you hear a huntsman’s horn on Christmas night, remember to stay inside. If not, you might be carried off to the darker side of Yule.

Debbi Decker is proprietor of twistedpixelstudio Art & Assemblage Emporium. Check out her artist page to find links to her shop and blog to read more of her writings. Visit again next month for the telling of hauntings and ghostly tales by Debbi Decker.

A Slight to be Righted

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A Slight to be Righted

By Intricate Knot

“Things don’t always begin the way we think that they should.
And they don’t often end that way, either.
However, things do always begin and end the way that they’re meant.”
~ Intricate Knot

How long had the three friends stood in that very spot in the Forest? An hour? A day? Nay, longer still. The silver sparkle they’d sprinkled, liberally as they had, was powerful stuff. It formed a barrier between them and the wicked thing (who happens to go by the name Diavex Clop) stalking them. As they peered through the dissipating sparkly cocoon they found themselves inside of, their hearts sank. Instead of Spring Greens and golden sun rays, they saw the sun resting low in a cold sky and the Forest floor strewn with dried-up orange and brown leaves. What of the others? You might ask. It’s not an unnatural question. No sooner had they sensed his presence, they had sprung into action, using one of the few weapons in their disposal that they knew could keep the beast at bay. “At bay,” doesn’t last forever though, and in fact only lasts six months.
The three, Fiddler, Wilber and Fizzy stood suspended for six months, taking them from the Merry Month of May to –
Six months? Holy cannoli, things were going to get tricky for our heroes now.
With a shrug of his sleek furry black shoulders, Fiddler turned to Wilbur,

“So, we over shot, eh?”
Words said any drier would have crumbled to dust. Stretching his long owly-raveny wings, Wilbur answered just as drily,

“A tad, yes.”
Fizzy looked from one to the other,

“Over shot? What are we talking about boys?”

“You may have noticed the leaves on the ground?” Asked Wilbur.

“And that nip in the air?” Fiddler added.
Foxy Fizzy took that very moment to look around.

“November? We’re in November?” Fizzy didn’t wait for an answer, though. With a twitch of her white-tipped, fluffy red tail and Foxy grace, she leapt through the trees and brush to investigate. While Wilbur and Fiddler sat on a large rock by a stream, silently contemplating the situation.

Fizzy was back in two shakes of a – well, she was back quickly. Hands on hips she informed,

“You do realize that there is no Harvest.”
Sadly, both Fiddler the Cat and Wilbur the Owly-Raven shook their heads.

“I’d hoped that wouldn’t be the case, but we over shot, you see,” Wilbur explained.

“While we were in our sparkle bubble, which it appears did not extend to Diavix, he captured not only our good friend and Spring Easter Bunny Hero, Aloysius-”

“And all the Springtime Flowers!” Fizzy interrupted.

“Yes, those, too,”

“And all of Loy’s bunny helpers,” Wilbur added helpfully.

“I was getting to them,” Fiddler said, a bit kitty-miffed, but he continued, “And now it seems Autumnal Artemis-”

“And all of the Fall Harvest Pumpkins!” Fizzy interrupted again.

“Have been taken, as well,” Wilbur finished.

“What are you two doing sitting around? We need to do something.”

“We’re thinking Fizzy. Now, perhaps you should sit for a moment and help us think this through,” Wilbur suggested.
She threw up her hands, then flopped down next to them,

“I suppose you’re right. Okay, I have a question, what were you two hoping to accomplish with your glitter?”
Ruffled feathers,

“It’s not glitter, its silver sparkle.”
Fiddler laid a calming paw on Wilbur’s wing,

“It’s been quite some time since we’ve used the sparkle, but our intention was to capture Diavix in the bubble with us. Then we would have been able to split the bubble and send him back to his world.”

“That’s what we tried to do long ago. He doesn’t belong here in the Forest. I’m sure that’s why he’s so angry and unpleasant. He probably just wants to go home,” Wilbur explained to Fizzy. Then a light dawned, “But Glassy stopped us back then, and perhaps she stopped us this time, too.”
As if on cue, they heard rustling in the brush behind them. And moaning. The trio can move very quickly and together they discovered a woozy-headed Glassy, both paw and wing flicked (a much smaller amount) of sparkle and a silver cage fashioned around her.

“Nooooooo,” she moaned some more, while shaking her gorgeous blue bejeweled and befeathered head.

“So,” Wilbur turned to his companions, “we managed to pull her in with us.”

“But no Diavix. Shame.” Fiddler shook his head sadly.

“Hang on here, boys, I’d say we’re in good shape at this point. We have Glassy!”
“True,” they two said in unison.
Fizzy turned to Glassy,

“Wake up you and stop playing about. You’ve turned loose a monster in our Forest. A monster who belongs somewhere else. Now, you’re going to help us.”
All wooziness disappeared in flash and Glassy hissed,

“And why would I help you?”

“Because we’re going to give you a Holiday of your own.”
If anyone ever knew what to expect to come out of Fizzy’s mouth, this would have been last on a very long list. They all stood gapping at her: Glassy, Fiddler, and Wilbur.
Fizzy merely rolled her eyes, addressing her friends,

“Oh come on. It makes sense. Glassy started the Great Holiday Maker Tribe with you two and she helped shape the Forest into the place that is today. She was only jealous and resentful that no one in the Tribe thought to bestow a Holiday on her in the first place, which by the way, would have not been overlooked if I had been a member back then.”
Hurt, Wilbur turned to Glassy,

“But why didn’t you say?”

“Of course we would have done that for you,” Fiddler added softly.
A fat tear rolled down Glassy’s glittery, scaly cheek. Fizzy intervened,

“If you have to say, then where is fun in it? The Tribe should have offered. It’s not a gift if you have to ask, you know.”
Seeing how low the two felt, Fizzy gave them a hug,

“Oh you boys and your mysteries, we females are actually very easily understood. We wish to be appreciated and only acknowledged every now and again.”
And with that, they unlocked Glassy’s cage. Hugs all around. Glassy led them to the Faeries, Aloysius, Artemis, bunny helpers and fall assistants, flowers and pumpkins! Everyone was back where they belonged. More hugs all around. The celebration would have to wait, though, for actually not everyone was back where they belonged. What of Diavix?

To be continued next month’s installment, “A Tale of Winter”!


Illustration “November” by Angelique Duncan. Appearance of Wilbur with permission of Intricate Knot.

Intricate Knot is proprietor of Cards For A Gloomy Day.Check out her artist page to find links to her shop and blog to read more of her writings. Visit again next month for more adventures of Fiddler the cat.

 

Black Friday Cyber Monday Savings!

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The week of November 25th through December 2nd visit the shops of Halloween Artist Bazaar members for special holiday sales and offers. Look for participating HAB members shops using the coupon code HAB2013! Some shops hosting sales through the holiday season!

Participating Halloween Artist Bazaar Artists:
 
Twilight Faerie 15% off Etsy shop and Zibbet shop.
 
Lttle Shop Of Horrors 20% off, plus a free item to first 5 customers! Etsy shop
 
Jan’s Beads 10% with coupon code Etsy Shop and Zibbet Shop
Jan’s Supplies
 
twistedpixelstudio 20% sale during the week of Thanksgiving. Zibbet shop
 
Gothbunny 20% off sale. Etsy Shop and Zibbet Shop
 
Sauvage Raven Creations Etsy Shop and Zibbet Shop
 
Wicked Alterations Sale through Christmas Etsy Shop and Zibbet Shop
 
Cards For A Gloomy Day Etsy shop and Zibbet shop
 
Twinkleberry Cottage Etsy Shop
 
Rockerchic Boutique 20% discount with coupons. Etsy Shop
 
Jynxx Designs Eclectic Arm Candy 20% discount with coupons. Etsy Shop

Art By Sarada HAB2013 will get you 20% off. Etsy Shop

Winter Holiday Give Away 2013

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The Winter Holiday Give Away has concluded!


Warm Winter Greetings!

A winner has been chosen. The winner will be contacted via email. Thank you to everyone who entered the contest and for spreading holiday cheer.

To all our friends and followers warmest regards for a bright and happy Winter season!

How To Enter:

Step 1: Visit one of the contributing HAB artist from the list below Etsy or Zibbet store or website and contact them through their shop or email. Leave them a message that that spreads Winter Holiday cheer, in the form of your own holiday salutation whatever that means to you.
Step 2: Visit our Facebook page and “Like” us and comment your salutation spreading Winter Holiday cheer on our wall.
Step 3: Fill out the official Winter Holiday entry form below.

Official Rules

Entry deadline is Midnight on December 19th 2013. The Winner will be chosen at random. One entry per person. Winner will be notified via email. The prize will ship on December 20th 2013. The winners name will be posted on the Halloween Artist Bazaar website and Facebook page. Members of Halloween Artist Bazaar are not qualified for entry. Contest open internationally, however please note that prize may not arrive before December 25th due to international shipping delays.*your countries custom charges may apply.* Information collected for the Winter Holiday Give Away will not be sold or shared. Phone number asked for in the event problems arise with shipping and only used for that purpose.

Contributing Halloween Artist Bazaar Artists:(check back as the list grows and photo’s of the winnings are posted!)


Art Enxebre
Chaos In Color
Jan’s Beads
twistedpixelstudio
Art By Sarada
Gothbunny
Sauvage Raven Creations
Jynxx Designs Eclectic Arm Candy
Lttle Shop of Horrors
Wicked Alterations
Cards For A Gloomy Day
ShrineMaiden
Twilight Faerie