A Holiday Legend, Quotes, and Updates

Wishing you all a safe and happy December!

Fast Updates:

We had a blast at the events in November and are looking forward to the upcoming conventions!

Added Events: Readers and Writers Rendezvous and Oz-Stravaganza

I have decided on the working title of “Wishes Gone Awry” for my forthcoming short story collection and a friend created a great mock up cover for the WIP.

From December 6th through 13th, The Warning Signs: Tales of Horror and Dark Fantasy (Kindle edition) will be available at a discounted rate! Prices for this countdown deal are available on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk,

Also:

readersfavorite.com will have three of my available books listed as prizes in the monthly book giveaway. If you are interested in winning some amazing books by great authors you can check out the monthly giveaway here: book giveaway /Rise or/and here: book-giveaway/combo and here: book-giveaway/The Warning Signs

Upcoming Event Reminders:

2024

Concealed Realms plans to return to the Davenport Northpark Mall for Quad Con. The event is set to take place on December 7^th and 8^th^..

We plan to participate at the Des Moines Quad Con! This event is set to take place at the Merle Hay Mall on December 14^th and 15^th.

2025

We are planning to return to Peoriacon! This event is scheduled to take place at the Peoria Civic Center on March 29^th and 30^th.

We are planning to return to the Hall of Hero’s Comic Con in Elkhart Indiana! This year’s event will take place on May 31st and June 1st at the Northern Indiana Event Center.

Concealed Realms with be at the Oz-Stravaganza! This event takes place June 6th, 7th, and 8th in Chittenango, NY.

Concealed Realms plans to participate at Readers and Writers Rendezvous. This event is set to take place on September 27^th at the Peoria Civic Center.

Quotes Regarding Myth and Lore:

“Mythology can be defined as the sacred history of humankind”.

-Gerald Hausman

“Myth is the foundation of life. It is the timeless pattern,

the religious formula to which life shapes itself.”

– Thomas Mann

“Myth is an attempt to narrate a whole human experience,

of which the purpose is too deep, going too deep in the blood and soul,

for mental explanation or description.“

-D.H. Lawrence

“A myth is far truer than history, for a history only gives a story of the shadows,

whereas a myth gives a story of the substances that cast the shadows.“

– Annie Besant

“I’ve always preferred mythology to history.

History is truth that becomes an illusion.

Mythology is an illusion that becomes reality.“

-Jean Cocteau

“Old myths, old gods, old heroes have never died.

They are only sleeping at the bottom of our mind,

waiting for our call. We have need for them.

They represent the wisdom of our race.“

-Stanley Kunitz

“Myths are … neither primitive nor untrue.

They are, rather, a kind of poetry that helps us make sense of the world and our place in it.“

– Stephen H. Furrer

“Mythology is composed by poets out of their insights and realizations. Mythologies are not invented; they are found. You can no more tell us what your dream is going to be tonight than we can invent a myth. Myths come from the mystical region of essential experience.“

Joseph Campbell

“Myths are public dreams, dreams are private myths.“

– Joseph Campbell

“Myths are made for the imagination to breathe life into them.“

– Albert Camus

Definition of : Spider

Dictionary.com

Noun

“any of numerous predaceous arachnids of the order Araneae, most of which spin webs that serve as nests and as traps for prey..”– www.dictionary.com

CambridgeDictionary.org

Noun

“a small creature with eight thin legs that catches insects in a web:” – dictionary.cambridge.org

Happy Holidays!

I really enjoy learning myths and legends from around the world. Expanding my knowledge of customs, traditions, and superstitions helps inspire me to find different ways to express my creativity. As such, during my research on seasonal and weather lore for November, I stumbled on a winter legend I hadn’t heard before and dove in. And since the holiday season is hectic for us all, I thought it would be fun to share the legend of the Christmas spider in this very brief post!

Winter Myth

While the first snowflakes fall, dusting the ground in a temporary sheet of glittering white, I’m reminded that soon winter will arrive in full force transforming the landscape into a frosty wonderland.

As the next few weeks progress the ground will be cloaked in a thick blanket of snow, the branches of trees will be adorned with pointy icicles instead of leaves, and the once bubbling brooks and streams will be decorated with intricate lace like formations of frost and ice. It is a metamorphosis that is both serene and eerie, so it’s no wonder why there are so many legends, myths, and superstitions associated with the season. One such legend is that of the Christmas Spider. There are several variations of the folktale which weaves a message that resonates beyond the holiday season.

Although you may not find the idea of a Christmas spider as appealing as reindeer, polar bears, elves, or even Krampus, in many cultures around the world arachnids are considered lucky. They are also often used to symbolize resilience, patience, and inter-connectivity. The lore, which is thought to be at least several centuries old, is believed to have originated in the Ukraine or Germany and is said to have inspired some longstanding traditions, such as the use of tinsel and spider ornaments on trees.

One version of the story goes like this:

Once upon a time, in a tiny house, there lived a poor widow and her children. On Christmas eve, when the children are asleep, the mother works to tidy the home, disturbing the resident spiders who watch the cleaning spree while hiding from her view.

When she finishes cleaning, the mother decorates the family Christmas tree with fruits and ribbons, since she cannot afford more grand decorations, then gazes sadly at it before settling herself into bed.

One young spider decides he would help decorate the tree and as he began to spin webs around it, the other spiders join in. They ran all over the tree scurrying up the trunk and leaping from branch to branch, covering it in grey spiderwebs.

In the morning the family arose to find the spiders handiwork, and as the youngest child opened the window to the first light of Christmas Day, the shafts sine though the webs changing the grey threads into gold and silver. And from that day on the family never wanted for anything.

In another variation:

Santa arrives after the widow goes to sleep. He is so touched by the spiders attempt that he used magic to turn the webs into beautiful shimmering silver strands and the family wakes on Christmas Morning to see their tree sparkling and glittering in the morning sun.

In yet another version:

The widowed mother allows a spider and her family to live within the branches of her Christmas tree. Thankful for the warm home, as repayment the arachnid decorates the tree with lovely, glittering webs which cover the branches.

Final thoughts

I really enjoyed sharing this story with you and I hope you found it interesting. As anticipation of the holidays rise and the temperatures plunge, I find myself not only preparing for the festive season but also for a break from in person events. As some of you know, over the past few years, I have been struggling with nerve problems. After the carpal tunnel release, some of my issues disappeared while other symptoms became more aggressive. That said, once my last event this month has passed, I will be having spine surgery meant to relieve some compressed nerves. Although I am taking a break from conventions, I am working to hire professionals for the next steps regarding my WIPS and I do plan to keep up with my monthly posts.

I want to thank you for your continued support. I hope that you enjoyed this brief post. Stay safe and keep being awesome. Happy Holidays!