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Famous Bulgarian Legend: The Milk Bride of Kadin

By: Iavor Angelov

There are many interesting, beautiful and deeply moving legends in Bulgarian history. For those who are not aware of this, Bulgaria was under the yoke of the Ottoman Empire for five hundred years. Many of the Bulgarian legends are connected with that very sad phase of Bulgarian history.

One of the legends is telling us about the building of the Kadin bridge (Kadin Most in Bulgarian) and of a great sacrifice. It is one of the most famous bridges left standing form those ancient days.

Kadin bridge is in the village of Nevestino, near the city of Kiustendil, the Soutwestern Bulgaria. The bridge is made of stone and it is remarkably beautiful. There is still inscription on it saying that it was built by the order of Vizir Ishak Pasha during the reign of sultan Mehmed – who is also known as “The Conqueror”.

The legend says that the vizir decided to build the bridge because one day while he was on his way to Bosnia, he couldn’t cross the swift-flowing waters of the river of Struma.

As the legend goes, there were three brothers who were assigned to build the bridge. So the three young men started its construction, but whatever they did, they worked in vain. What they managed to build during the day, the river destroyed it at night and washed everything away.

The brothers were wondering what to do. They thought very hard, trying to find a solution. After many days they arrived at a decision that the river wanted something and they should offer up a sacrifice to the river, Struma.

In order to build the bridge and fulfill their task, the three brothers decided to built into or within the stone walls of the bridge, one of their beautiful and beloved wives. Since they could not choose which one, they decided that the first wife who brought her husband lunch first, should be the one to be sacrificed.

It turned out that it was the wife of the brother named Manol. Ironically, her name was Struma, just like the river.

She came first, bringing the bread she baked for her husband and carrying in her arms their first child. The brothers, with little hesitation, took her to where they had been working. And then, stone by stone, began to build her directly into the middle of a bridge vault.

The poor woman cried and begged for mercy – to no avail. Finally, when she understood that the brothers would not change their minds, she asked them for one boon. To leave holes in the structure for her eyes and for her breasts, so she could see and feed her child.

Before long, the unfortunate mother died and her milk turned into stone on the walls of the bridge.

Since then many nursing mothers, from all over Bulgaria have come to the Milk Bridge of Kadin, to take a tiny piece of the stone structure. The mothers place these tiny pieces of Kadin into boiling water to make a tea, which they drink, in order to have enough milk for their children.

About the Author: Iavor Angelov is a webmaster, content writer and programmer.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Famous Bulgarian History Legends

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Throughout the world, fairies (or faeries) are known for their timeless beauty and powerful magical gifts. The fairies are believed to be descended from supernatural beings from another world who came to this Earth to begin their civilization again.

With so many different stories, legends, myths and fairy tales, it easy to see why fairies are said to be truly amazing magical creatures, with many skills. Fairy tales (which include a lot of different types of magical creatures) have inspired children for generations, and given each and every one of us, a glimmer of fairy magic to keep close to our hearts.

Check out some of the magical abilities that fairies are believed to hold:

Light as a Feather: The Magic Power of Flight

In many works of art and literature, fairies are seen as creatures with small iridescent wings. In some cases, the wings are truly functional, but often flying needs some additional fairy magic help. Tinkerbell, a popular Disney character, first described by James Barre, has a small bag of fairy dust that, which when sprayed on a head full of happy thoughts, allows flight. Historically, fairies fly around via basic fairy magic or the use of their wings.

Fairy Glamour & Shielding: The ability to mask their true appearances and hide from view

The magic power of glamour is the ability to hide or mask the appearance of the fairy or the appearances of others behind a veil of fairy magic. What looks like an old haggard crone may actually be a beautiful fairy hidden behind her glamor. Another historical use of the “glamour” magic power is used by fairies in order to hide the true whereabouts of their Fairy mounds or Sidhe Mounds. What may seem to mortal eyes, nothing more than a pile of fallen rocks, may actually be a spectacular palace adorned with a multitude of jewels and inlayed gold.

The Fairy Shield seems more like a super power for it is the ability of the fairy to hide from human view by vibrating his or her body at super high speed. This vibrational magic power has the effect that they are never in one place long enough to be seen. If the fairies do not want to be seen, they will not be seen. Ocasionally a mortal is born with the gift to see past the fairy glamour and shielding. Which is a blessing or a curse, depending upon the legend…

Mind Control: A Mesmerizing Gift

The “Fairy Mesmer,” or the ability of mind control, is said to be used to make humans do their bidding. The fairy only needs to have eye contact in order to seize your mind with a simple phrase or change in tone of voice. The only way to combat fairy Mesmer is to wear reflective sunglasses or not look them in the eye…

Presto Chango: The Fairies Ability to Change Shape

Fairies can be as big as a bear, as small as an ant, as ugly as a troll or as beautiful as a princess … or it can be all those things. Fairies have the ability to change its physical body, in the way known as shape changing. One minute you could be shouting at a small woman and the next moment you are looking down the muzzle of a Siberian tiger!

Fairies are amazing legendary creatures with truly awesome magical gifts. Nobody really knows the limits of the fairies, or even if there is a limit at all. But one thing is certain, fairies have enchanted us over the ages and are likely to continue to enthrall us in the days to come. About the Author:

Hedgepig Gifts offers a range of flower fairies and many more fairy figurine ranges and from top studios.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – The Gift of Fairy Magic

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Fairies and Their Magic Powers Related article

• June the 24th: Fairy Day (dayofx.com)

You may have heard of legends of the Sidhe (pronounced ’shee’) – a humanoid people who are separate from humankind, yet often interact with those who have the ability to see them. They maybe the people, fairies and other folk from the Celtic otherworld are based on… Here is a review of a book which tells the legends of the Sidhe:

The Queen’s Rune and Other Tales of the Sidhe by Shannon Avery
By Edmund Margary

Nearly eight years ago, I wrote of the forsaking of humankind by our gods. Thanks to author and researcher Shannon Avery, it seems we have one last chance at redemption.

Redemption is a recurring theme in Avery’s new book of poems and stories: The Queen’s Rune and Other Tales of the Sidhe. The “Dirty Little Secret” of Sidhedom is hinted at throughout the book and readers who take the time to explore Avery’s masterful rendering of Sidhe language and culture into a form relatable to humans may just decrypt the puzzle. But even for the Uninitiated, Avery performs a remarkable feat of linguistic and cultural detective work, not to mention a literary high-wire act, as she virtually channels the Fair Folk, balancing razor-sharp analysis with rich imagery.

For those of you new to the Sidhe world, They are humanoid creatures sharing our Universe and our planet, removed from humanity only in our limited ability to perceive them. Their culture is several thousand millennia older than our own and Avery deftly handles half-a-million years of history with an insight that could only have come from a deep devotion to honoring the subject. Her translation of the Ann Amrahn Atraighn, for example, captures the cold, otherworldly arrogance of Our Friends, The El’Ohim, as They attempt to instruct their “most puerile kin” in the mysteries of the Universe as well as the very human-like sense of betrayal and regret the teachers feel when their experiment goes so violently awry. Avery’s translation feels like redemption itself after the travesty that was Hammond Cole’s version of 1649, not to mention the abomination inflicted on the world by the Reubenites in their heretical and error-laden Genesis chapter of the Torah.

Redemption flows through the Sidhe “love” poems as well; Avery’s poetic language-delicate one instant; eviscerating the next-evokes for human readers the depth of Sidhe passion and the core conflicts in all Sidhedom. Like Perceval in the Fisher King, Avery’s Sidhe lovers-Amfortas and Eriu; Rhiannon and Pwyll-kneel in the Temple of Sound and ask “Whom does the Grail serve?” In the Lay of Amfortas, the title character sings: When my body and my harp are ashes/your conjured rage has laid us bare/and I regret it not. True appreciation of the torment of Amfortas and Eriu may still elude humans, but Avery’s eloquence conjures a musical spell that insinuates itself into our all-too-limited flesh.

To assist Avery in weaving her web are illustrator Danae Bentley and performer Lea Ann Douglas.

Bentley’s illustrations run the gamut from colloquially charming to harshly disturbing to enticingly encrypted with delicate high-order mathematics. Her literal, yet hauntingly whimsical, depictions of some scenes in the Kambuzi Massacre left this reader feeling oddly dirty-like catching an accidental glance at a child while he changes clothes. And the imagery of that story-the illustrations and text combined-evoke memories of horrors from my younger days as a soldier and scholar in war-torn Europe: “They are our enemy. They are not us. Their blood is not ours. Their blood is a river. This river will flow across Benue State and out to sea. Benue will be clean.”

Lea Ann Douglas is Avery’s patroness and herself a devotee of Sidhe culture. She combines Avery’s research with her own performance and creative writing background to generate live performances about and in the style of the Sidhe.

Perhaps the only negative aspect of The Queen’s Rune is that, in its emphasis on ancient Sidhe culture, it fails to address the gathering storm of Sidhe-Human relations at this time. Avery’s lyrics evoke the culture of the Sidhe-their complexity, their passion, their devotion, their pain, their playfulness-but gloss over some of more disturbing aspects of Sidhedom. Most particularly, Avery leaves out the implications of the Kambuzi Massacre. The book, for all of its success in creating a bridge of understanding between the two species, fails to warn humanity of just how dangerous our “closest cousins” are and what is at stake should we fail to heed their message yet again. Avery’s Ann Amrahn Atraighn ends with the Loyalist Seth Levian heading forth “to seek mankind’s redemption” but neglects to mention that the sands of time have run quickly these last 5769 years and that our hour is nearly up.

In summary, this collection of Sidhe art, literature and lore is very highly recommended. The poetry and stories will entertain, engage and enchant and, for the reader with Ears to Hear, dares us, in the words of Brother W.B. Yeats, to “Come away, O human child!/ To the waters and the wild /With a faery, hand in hand/ For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.”

Published by Vulgar Marsala Press, July 2009

133 pages

ISBN: 978-0982007723

Review by Edmund Margary, L.O.B.

Edmund Margary is an Oxford-educated linguist and professor of mythology. He currently resides in Amsterdam. Margary publishes his work widely in academic publications related to linguistics and at http://www.cruinnaiu.com and http://www.fairiesinamerica.com Email him at EMargary@gmail.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edmund_Margary

http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Queens-Rune-and-Other-Tales-of-the-Sidhe-by-Shannon-Avery&id=3108470

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Many books have been written about King Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot and Camelot. Here, I think are some of the best books about King Arthur and Merlin.

To start with, everyone should read “The Once and Future King” by T. H. White. Here is as stirring and classical look at the Arthurian legend.

Definitely check out Stephen R. Lawhead ’s Trilogy: “Taliesin (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 1)” “Merlin” and “Arthur”. It starts our combining two legends, that of Atlantis and of Camelot. “Taliesin is the remarkable adventure of Charis, the Atlantian princess who escaped the terrible devastation of her homeland, and of the fabled seer and druid prince Taliesin, singer at the dawn of the age. It is the story of an incomparable love that joined two worlds amid the fires of chaos, and spawned the miracles of Merlin… and Arthur the king.” The author followed this up with a second trilogy in which the reign of “Arthur” actually begins: “Pendragon”, “Grail” and “Avalon” . These books are not re-tellings of the original Arthur and Merlin legends, but use the myths as the underlying theme.

Of course, if you have not read the original stories, another good place to start is with The Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart. Here is the Arthurian legend in three books: The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, and The Last Enchantment. These books have Merlin, Arthur’s wizard mentor, as their focal point, and the result is a charming, engrossing tale providing a unique perspective on a familiar tale. Her history is superb and richly detailed, her characterizations are masterful, and her plotting is perfect. You’ll be entranced by this magical story.

Another series of more esoteric novels based around King Arthur and Merlin is Jack Whyte’s “Dream of Eagles / Camulod Chronicles” It is pretty good. The books are: The Skystone (The Camulod Chronicles, Book 1), The Singing Sword, The Breeding of the Eagle, The Saxon shore.

For the more scholarly, look for the following books: Arthur and the Lost Kingdoms (a look at some possible historical source materials); Arthur, the Dragon King (a different look at the roots of the legend – material in this book was included in the recent “King Arthur” movie, Clive Owen). The Gododdin: Britain’s Oldest Heroic Poem (Welsh Classics) (the ancient Welsh poem contains the first reference to Arthur).

Of course, there are many other fine King Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, Guinevere related books out there… Happy Reading!

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White stags have long been associated with mythology and legend, an elusive yet magnificent beast.

King Arthur was left frustrated by his attempts to capture one, as were the Kings and Queens of Narnia, who chased the creature through the woods and found themselves tumbling out of a wardrobe.

But photographer Ken Grindle has managed to get a little bit closer, taking this picture of the animal in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire.

The majestic wild animal – long associated with mystery and good luck – was filmed by the wildlife enthusiast.

Ken, 66, has been filming and photographing wildlife in the area for the past six years – but had never seen a white stag.

‘I was very surprised to see it,’ he said.

‘I take the pictures to share with everyone as a lot of people can’t get out into the woods to see this.’

The Forest of Dean is thought to be home to an array of unusual and wild creatures including wild boar, big cats and white stags.

Retired builder Ken added: ‘There’s a lot of talk about big cats in the Forest and that really would be something to see.

‘I managed to stand my ground when some wild boar came out into the path in front of me but it might be a bit different if I saw a big cat.’

Last year a white stag was spotted in the Scottish Highlands and was photographed by a member of a nature charity while she was on an expedition on the west coast.

Fran Lockhart, of the John Muir Trust, a charity which protects wild land, said she was “thrilled” to spot the majestic beast, which is closely identified with the unicorn.

Source: dailymail.uk

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