Fable
Roar and Whisper
Parents shouldn't have favorites amongst their children, but nonetheless, they often do. Such is the case for our Mother, the ocean, as she seems to hold her island-dwelling offspring closest to her heart. While "human advancement" shifts our collective focus to the banal and prosaic, moving us, over centuries, farther and farther from the wonderment of creation, our Mother maintains on islands places of the greatest beauty, the greatest magic. One of these blessed places is Ireland, and this story begins there.
By Megan Malcolm2 years ago in Fiction
Smighean
In the early days of the British Isles, the witches and warlocks of legend could be found in every village from John O' Groats to Landsend, as healers, court viziers, soothe-sayers and local wisdom keepers. These druids of the ancient world were well respected and honourable, but like all people, and the gods of pagan pantheons, they were selfish and fickle in nature; Prone to bouts of passion and fury if their loyalties and boundaries were ever betrayed. Smighean was a healer and prophetic priestess of the warmer climes in the South of Great Britain. An olive skinned black-haired maid borne from the union between a traveling Mediterranean potion-master and a Cornish white witch. Her affinity with the Sidhe and Fae's magic realms was exceptional, even when the veil between worlds was entirely unthinned by the celestial cycles. Having been raised entirely by her Mother, schooled in the magic arts since she could draw runes, she had no time for grand ideas and lived a very humble life, despite her obviously exceptional abilities, in a shelter woven from the myrtle plants of the forest itself, by a forgotten ancestor of her matrilineal line.
By Glenn McConnell2 years ago in Fiction
The Banished Cock
Once upon a time, the Cock was one of the most feared wild animals on earth. Many animals including the lions and elephants were afraid of him. I know you will want to know why the Hen was feared. The Cock was feared by other animals because they believed that any animal who is capable of carrying flames of fire on his head deserves to be feared. For that reason, the cock was crowned the king of the woods and he ruled other bigger animals including the Lions, Tigres , serpents and others. A season came in the history of the animal kingdom that cold became intolerable. It almost rained every single day and the sun showed no sign of existence. The forest lost its pride and the animal had no social freedom. They rolled from freezing to frozen and their skin turned white at pace . One day, the animals decided to have a secret meeting that excluded the presence of their king "Cock" . In the meeting , it was agreed that the bravest among them ( Lions and Tortoise) embark on a journey to get flame from the burnings on cock's head. The tortoise was chosen because of his tricky skill and the other animals believed that with that skill he would bravely come back with the flame to save their lives while the Lion was chosen because of his strength and the animals also believed that with his strength he would get a flame to save their lives. It was indeed a very ugly day for the cock as he was sleeping at his home. The Lion and tortoise invaded his home and made several attempts to get a flame from the fire on his head. Several attempts to succeed with their mission seemed abortive that the Lion became so angry and went in against the Cock. The lion then bravely and angrily held the comb but was not consumed by the flame. Then, the Lion and the tortoise took Cock to the forest square where he was trialed and banished from the forest. The Cock then decided to go on exile and he was caught by humans who took him as a home animal and kept him hostage. From that day till this day, the cock and his generation has always remained a domestic animal.
By Prince Elijah2 years ago in Fiction
How the Mermaid got her Tale
At the back of beyond, and a little bit farther, in a time further back than memory, but nearer than lost, a woman with golden hair and a voice like a heart’s sigh lived in a small stone house, on a tussocked slope, just beyond reach of the storm spray which swept in from the sea on the worst winter’s night. The woman was married – is married – to a man who loved her in the calm, certain way in which she loved him, and they built the house together, when they recognised that they needed nothing more from the world beyond the bay in which it nestled. Each evening, the woman sat on a stool and brushed her hair with one hundred strokes, while the man checked his nets with salt toughened hands, inspecting the strings through eyes like the sea. When they had finished, they would lay down together in the bed, and entwine themselves, as tenderly and as inexorably as the roots of twinned trees.
By Hannah Moore2 years ago in Fiction
Man's Best Friend
[[ Author's Note: I am using the term “Man” in the collective sense, as in humankind in its entirety; I do not mean to exclude anyone of any gender or any characteristic, only to fit my writing to the theme of the work & corresponding contest. Because this is a ancient myth interpretation, I chose to use slightly more archaic terms in places where I feel it flows better. I am a proud Ally and human, first and foremost, and nothing in this work is meant to demean, marginalize, or offend anyone – only to provoke thought and bring light and inspiration to the increasingly dark world we live in. Thank you for reading and enjoy! ]]
By Taylor Inman2 years ago in Fiction
The Birth of Lemon
_________________________🍋________________________ Upon the loftiest hillock of an enchanted forest, flourished a tree with an aroma so divine that other flora seethed with envy, and creatures from every nook and cranny of the realm paid homage to savour its essence - it exuded the scent of summertide and yore, of ocean's caress and mirthful cheer. Though the sapling was still youthful and had not yet borne its fruit, the redolence had grown so potent that even its leaves were imbued with the fragrance. Day after day the odour intensified, wafting far and wide, compelling even those critters unaccustomed to wanderlust to embark on a sacred pilgrimage. When all had gathered atop the mound, the perfumed shrub gifted the world with its inaugural fruit. It glimmered with a golden brilliance, a hue so ethereal that naught like it had ever been beheld. In a sudden epiphany, the paradise songbird christened it... "lemon", for to him it bore resemblance with another fruit, the melon, and thus he settled on borrowing its idiom and simply unscrambling its letters to baptize the superior specimen. Enthralled by its beauty, the woodland denizens pondered the genesis of this celestial fruit and its radiant chroma. Its heady aroma evoked what they always weened yellow would smell, and upon nibbling fragments of its zest, they reckon that is the taste of yellow itself. They sought to unearth its origin, eager to replicate its creation, and luxuriate in its fragrance and colour, ere the winter came to desiccate all fruits.
By Edoardo Segato-Figueroa2 years ago in Fiction
The Myth of Unisus
Long ago, a flourishing river flowed through the desolated lands of a faraway place called Ygahara. The mighty river became known as the Xanthippe River and it carried within it special water that the Creators of this world wanted to keep far away from wandering souls. The river winded its way through the flat lands of Ygahara undisturbed since the beginning of time. The Creators constructed a being in order to protect the magic river. They created Unisus. With a regal horse frame, long eagle like wings and a sharp glistening horn, Unisus made for an optimal protector. “Now Unisus, guard this river with all your might, do not drink from the water and do not let anyone or anything touch it.” The Creators instructed. Unisus possessed an innate understanding of the importance of the Xanthippe and vowed to protect the river and the magical water it contained.
By Tatiana Farias Gold2 years ago in Fiction
Butterfly Greetings. Top Story - August 2023.
Butterflies dance with the colors of the rainbow. A butterfly the color of the sky is an enchanted sight to behold. One the color of musty brown can cause unease, and another the color of a wild orange daylily can nudge a smile out of anyone.
By Elizabeth Rojas2 years ago in Fiction
