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@wikthin
People tell bad stories about magpies. That we hold the souls of gossips. That we carry a drop of the devil’s blood in our mouths. That to meet a single magpie brings bad luck, or sorrow, or death. We refused to take shelter in the Ark, people say; instead we sat on its roof and laughed at the drowned world. We were the only bird not to sing at the crucifixion. Magpies bore into cattle and sheep and eat them from the inside out. Magpies steal anything that shines. Witches ride to their seething sabbaths on magpies’ tails. To make a magpie talk, cut its tongue with a crooked sixpence.
Catherine Chidgey, The Axeman's Carnival
I promised you to talk about it, back when I made my post about caloric magic: unfortunately I lost the article I wanted to reblog as a reference (it is somewhere drowned in my likes). I will still do the post, but quite late and succinct as a result: I want to speak about how bizarre the use of "True Names" is today.
Because if you go onto the Internet, if you check "True Names magic", "Do not share your True Name", "True Names have power", all you get is... Fairies. Fairies, faeries, fae, fair folk, elves, whatever. The Internet today not only proclaims but runs with the idea that a core part of fairy lore, of fairy fiction, of fairy tradition, relies on the existence of a "True Name" that is a powerful thing the fairies protect at all costs, because whoever has them can enslave them. It is everywhere - Mercy Thompson, Modern Faerie Tale, Dresden Files, Shadowhunters, World of Darkness, Spinning Silver...
And... this is utterly, entirely, completely false. Entertaining, charming, a whole aesthetic sure, a freshly-made tradition, but artificial, out of nowhere and heavily misleading to the point of nearing misinformation.
Mind you, it does not come from "nowhere" per se. There is ONE recurring fairy-story that did give credit to the idea that "True Names" were connected with the Fair Folk/Little Folk: the brothers Grimm' Rumplestiltskin, where to defeat the titular antagonist the protagonist must guess his name... However this is A) an exception to the rule as you will find no other popular stories showing fairies relying on their name ; and B) completely missing the point. When you check the many variations, from country to country and era to era, of the "Rumplestiltskin" fairytale-type (type number 500 per the International Classification), you notice that what all the names to guess have in common is weirdness, bizareness, ridiculousness. The "guessing of the name" trial relies not on on the "importance" of the true name, but on the fact the name is just so convoluted and hard to pronounce nobody could guess it.
Fairies in folklore and legend do NOT rely on "True Names" as we understand it today... So where does this whole thing came from?
[EDIT: Mind you, there are, here and there, some little stories about supernatural beings able to be vanquished when their name is spoken aloud, I am not saying it does not exist... But I am saying it is quite minor and not a core nor prominent part of "fairy lore"]
Well, the answer is fantasy. In terms of "magic of True Names", it was the fantasy genre that popularized it. While foundational works like Tolkien's books rely heavily on the importance and multiplicity of names, there's no "True Name" power as we understand it ; similarly its mythical sources do not rely on this either. Yes the Kalevala relies on magic being performed by knowing the "true essence and origin" of the things, but it has nothing to do with "names" at all - to have power over something, you need to be able (for example) to sing how it came to be and how it was conceived. It is knowing the "true tale" of something that is important, not a "true name". [EDIT: Okay, the dwarves of Tolkien do have "true names" they keep secret to their graves and yes names do have significance and power in Tolkien's Legendarium, but it doesn't fit what we understand as "True Names" today]
True Names started in fantasy with... Le Guin's Earthsea. She was the one who first brought the concept that magic uses and relies on True Name ; she was the one who built a world where people kept secret their True Names and went by nicknames or titles ; she was the one who wrote about how you could bind someone using their True Name. And it was from "Earthsea" onward that this concept was used and reused in fantasy - for example in Glenn Cook's "The Black Company" where speaking a sorcerer's True Name means the end of their magic - and the idea that the "True Name" rule only works for magic-users is apparently also found in Niven's "The Magic Goes Away"?
In fact, in fantasy the "Law of Names" was mainly focused as being a purely magical thing. Either it was how wizards and witches worked their magic (like in "The Forgotten Beasts of Held", "Dragonsbane", "Young Wizards" or the "Inheritance Cycle"), either it is a threat to the sorcerer itself, see above. This is very likely because of how Earthsea focuses on the wizards and mages. Similarly sometimes the "True Name" was expanded to dragons, and I suspect it is because the most iconic use of a True Name in Earthsea was against a dragon... And from sorcerers and dragons, the trope slowly slipped into "Fairies". Maybe it is because of famous contemporary works that blurred the line? Such as Ghibli's "Spirited Away" where the witch stealing peoples' name is also a fairy-like inhabitant of an "Otherworld" ; or "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" where the powerful wizard turned fairy-power The Raven King needs his true name to be summoned.
Yet the Earthsea world has everybody keep their true name secret, not just magic-wielders, ordinary folks too. Because, and we are getting into the interesting part... Because it is meant to be a cosmic and social thing for everybody, not just one specific type of people. And this is explained when you look at Earthsea's inspirations. While Earthsea became a staple of "traditional fantasy" in itself (becoming inspiration for "traditional" works like "Name of the Wind" or parody works like Discworld), it was created to be an un-traditional fantasy. Among its attempts at reinventing the genre, or subverting it, was the desire to create an un-European setting. It is still medieval European in essence (the dragons, wizards and a lot of the society is just very "standard fantasy"), but it is wrapped in a lot of non-European elements. And the whole Rule of Names/Law of Names/True Name system Le Guin created for her book was meant to be THE most un-European thing ever.
Because, before it appeared in fantasy, where did the "True Name Law" appear? Putting aside the monotheistic religions talks, of course. [This trope is found in Jewish beliefs, traditions and occultism, especially when the Kabbalah is involved - there is this famous emphasis on God's True Name and how it should be an unspoken secret. This logic was reused for the story of C. Clarke, "The Nine Billion Names of God", not to be confused with "Kill Six Billion Demons". In Christianity God's name is also powerful but hardly a secret - demons' name could however be secrets people neede to uncover, mainly during exorcisms, but it can be argued this is a rule of every exorcism ritual around the world, the name/nature/identity of the evil presence needs to be identified.]
Well, Le Guin's inspiration were the Chinese Dao/Tao concepts of "zhen ming", "true names", and "zhen xing", "true shapes", used to create talismans which have power over spirits and demons. And the social traditions of the First Nations of Northern America, where children received two names - one public name that changed with the events in their life, and a secret unchanging one they preserved so evil spirits could not steal it. And the Egyptian legends where Isis stole Ra's true name to gain power. And the Polynesian sacredness or taboo-nature of specific names. (I could mention the South-Eastern Asian habit of protecting children by changing their name when they got cursed, or giving them false temporary names to trick spirits, but I am not quite sure Le Guin used it, whereas I know she did take inspiration from China, Polynesia and pre-colonization America)
And this is the whole irony of the thing. The introduction of "True Names" in American fantasy was done in an effort to create a non-European ambiance and flavor. Yet today it ended up becoming the emblem of the most European thing ever - fairies. It is a fascinating "snake bites its own tail" - in half a century, from trying to get away from European folklore, the Americans returned it all to European folklore.
homesick for something not yet known:
spring-fed, heart-led, overgrown.
linocut print on lokta paper.
Dreaming about spring flowers
Wildflowers
You are becoming the god of a plant. You can live as long as that plant exists, and you have divine powers (all related to that plant). Does one come to mind?
Yes, definitely (which?)
I have a top few (which?)
I can’t decide
No
I don’t know any plants
I don’t want to have awesome plant god powers
Grave offerings and burying the dead with tools and goods is actually such a deeply human thing to do. It's not really even necessarily about how much you believe in a literal afterlife or them taking the tools with them. It's also just going Wait, I'm Not Done Taking Care Of You, let me make you one more pair of socks so your feet won't be cold when you go wherever it is where I can't follow.
She arrives at the house at dawn, seeking safe haven. She carries an old coin, and a long history of hardship.
Are you going to be doing more posts on narrative charms?
At some point, yes. I took a break to work on another post and that got upended by other projects. But, yes, now that my practice has entered a quieter season, I probably will have time to get back to those soon.
say it with me chat: not believing something is not the same as fundamentally disrespecting it. not agreeing with someone's opinion is not the same as fundamentally disrespecting them. not believing someone's spiritual claims is not the same as disrespecting them or their beliefs. you do not owe people your agreement
I was made to love you, and yet,
I just want to say thank you for everything you've done with sheydmade, with celebrating Jewish magic, with being authentically yourself in the face of racism and antisemitism and harassment in the witchfraft community. Because I know I've at least grown so much confidence in building my practice through knowing you and I also know how hard it's been for you. So thank you and love you so much 🧡🧡🧡🧡
Raz, these words mean so much to me. 🖤 Thank you for your kindness and for appreciating my baby, @sheydmade. It was definitely tough for the majority of 2025 dealing with harassment, and 2026 started off rough with some of the same issues. It's still something I deal with now and again, but I'm learning how to manage with it. I honestly wouldn't be able to do so without friends and mutuals like yourself. Sending you all the love in the world. 🖤✨
🧿 (קײן עין־הרע) 🧿
Today, as the new moon preceding the full moon of April, is the first day of a Spring sacred period I’m calling “Welltide.”
Welltide refers to the inner well, the pool of emotional and metaphysical energy that lies within. “Tide” seeks to honor the cycle that this energy inhabits, the push and pull of this source, this energy which brings me inspiration, authenticity, healing, and wisdom. Also, -tide is already a suffix associated with seasonal observance (“yuletide” etc).
For years now (I don’t remember exactly when it started), I’ve felt inspired to take time for myself and my development in spring. I pull daily cards, reinstate morning meditation, and journal about who I am, how I’m feeling, what I want to become and how I am to become it. It’s a time that’s characterized by both mindfulness and emotional vulnerability. Usually I emerge with a reinvigorated sense of self-love, empowerment, and peace.
It’s always been a multi-day affair, because it requires time to process and heal the emotional wounds you accrue during a year. My previous model for my calendar didn’t really account for it, because it was focused on single day observances. Still, Welltide was an informal, yet reliable, pattern. I’m now seeking to restructure my calendar around the practices I actually feel drawn to, when I actually feel drawn to them, which will start with Welltide as the first completely new holiday—technically, I honored Dawnchime (March 1st) by its new name, but it was still my spiritual new year before that, so.
I’m really happy to welcome Welltide to my soul this year. I’m especially happy that the spring equinox (which I think I might call “Temperance Day”) will fall within the bounds of Welltide so that I can combine them together. And during my spring break too!!! I have big plans.
It will be a lot of work to sit with myself this year, but I know that I will be held through it. Praise Spring; praise to the Moon. Praise to the Waters of Life that run through me.
From Nummits and Crummits by Sarah Hewett
𝔱𝔴𝔬 𝔪𝔞𝔦𝔡𝔰 𝔠𝔞𝔪𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔩𝔨𝔦𝔫𝔤: 𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔢𝔰 𝔬𝔫 𝔫𝔞𝔯𝔯𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔳𝔢 𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔪𝔰
The storytelling format for spoken charms is one of my favorite elements of the cunningcraft I learned from my grandmother. Sometimes known as a narrative charm, this is a method of charm delivery in which the magical directions are given in the form of a brief story. The stories come in many shapes, but one that is common in healing magic in particular is the format that I refer to as a “Two Maids Came Walking” Charm. This was the first charm of this kind that I was taught to use, and has been the basis of my personal study of the mechanisms and applications of narrative charms.
Narrative charms can be spoken directly over a wound or patient, as is the case in charms to staunch blood and to remove fevers. They can also be used to bless poultices, compresses and other supplies for healing work, imbuing the articles with the same healing spirits and powers that are wielded by administering the charm directly. To provide distance healing, they can be administered over pictures of the target or over items intended to be consumed or used by a healer’s target. The stories contained in narrative charms are not typical in the sense that we think of structured narratives. They do not contain a beginning, middle or end. There is no rising action or resolution. Rather, these stories depict a single moment, a single action. They are containers of symbol and instruction in the same way that prayers and petitions are containers of our desires. Speaking the charms over a patient or supplies is a coded command that is designed not to petition aid from a deity or spirit, but to directly cause the desired effect or action to take place. To stop or slow bleeding, to break a fever, to heal the sick, and so on.
Although many of the traditional examples we have of these types of charms describe scenes involving maids, the colors of their dresses, the items they carry in their hands, etc., there are also numerous examples which depict folkloric, mythological and even Biblical figures and motifs in the same manner. The methods associated with writing and performing narrative charms can be used by anyone to create narrative charms that fit within their own magical framework, symbol set, religious practice, etc. The figures that appear in the narratives used in these charms, the colors that are featured, the items they bring, the landscape, and so on can all be drawn from one’s own background, belief set, practice, and interests. And all of these can be used as functional tools for carrying out the charm’s magic.
Spring Allies: Charms, Spells, Divination, and Plant Magic; Part 1
by Keziah Zibelmann
Spring — a time associated with renewal, rebirth, awakening, and change, and a season best known for its wealth of greenery, buds, blossoms, and outdoor beauty. Much of that outdoor beauty is teeming with power and possibility, as spring brings a plethora of plant allies that can support and enhance one’s magical practices. With herbs known for their potent protective qualities, flowers said to be invaluable divinatory tools, and plants bringing in luck and money in abundance, even the most “common” and overlooked of springtime finds can be a boon to one’s witchery and magic.
This pieces aims to provide a collection of some of spring’s most powerful magical allies and the versatile ways in which they can be put to use in anyone’s magical craft.