Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the Steel Phallus) is a Shinto festival held in the town of Kawasaki. Every year, on the first Sunday of April, the town… Read more “With Teeth: Festival of the Steel Phallus”
Category: Folklore and Fairytale
The Stars Who Fed Us: the Onondaga and the Seven Sisters
A constellation that is central in the field of archaeo-astronomy is the Pleiades, also called the Seven Sisters. If you want to know when to reap and… Read more “The Stars Who Fed Us: the Onondaga and the Seven Sisters”
Waiting for Dingonek: An End to the Dread Plague
Imagine this: two big game hunters are sitting around Lake Victoria, reminiscing and being racist as one was wont to do in the early nineteen hundreds. As… Read more “Waiting for Dingonek: An End to the Dread Plague”
Japanese Time Travel: the Fisherman and the Turtle
Imagine this: You’re a peaceful fisherman, walking home after a day at sea. As you tread up the shoreline, you come across a group of children tormenting… Read more “Japanese Time Travel: the Fisherman and the Turtle”
Silent Like the Trees: Eglė and the Serpent King
Imagine this: you’re bathing outside with your two sisters, your clothes on dry land, when you hear a voice coming from your blouse. “Hi there!” says the… Read more “Silent Like the Trees: Eglė and the Serpent King”
Macha, the Morrígan, and the Curse of Ulster
Imagine this: you’re a peasant farmer living in Ulster, in Northern Ireland. Your wife died young, leaving you with small brood of children. Your house is in… Read more “Macha, the Morrígan, and the Curse of Ulster”
Colors for Kings and Queens: Heraldry
We’ve looked at color from an Alchemical stance before, specifically in the shifting color phases found in the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone: Black to White, Yellow… Read more “Colors for Kings and Queens: Heraldry”
Hallelujah: How to Shoot Someone Who Outdrew You
In an earlier post, we considered Jeff Buckley, his father Tim, and Robert Plant, vocalist from the band Led Zeppelin. The take away was simple: Tim Buckley… Read more “Hallelujah: How to Shoot Someone Who Outdrew You”
Chinese New Year, 2020
The Chinese New Year falls on the 25th of January for 2020. The date is based on the first day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar, so it… Read more “Chinese New Year, 2020”
Lycoris radiata, the Japanese Hell Flower
Originally native to China, the flower known as Lycoris radiata (Red Spider Lily) spread to neighboring regions, including Japan. China was also actively exporting Buddhism – it… Read more “Lycoris radiata, the Japanese Hell Flower”
Myth Crafts 