Nightmare after Xmas

From: Michael Raaterova <cabal_at_algonet.se>
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 18:45:45 +0100 (MET)


Now that Xmas is finally put to rest, I'd thought I'd share a far more gruesome winter 'holiday' with you.

'THE GHOSTING The day of Ty Kora Tek is in folklore the darkest day of the year. On this day the
boundaries between the worlds of the quick and the dead and the disembodied are weaker than on any other day. The disembodied of course use this opportunity to prowl the nightshrouded vistas of the world unhindered by the Wall of Sleep.
The only people who are actually outdoors this night are either suicidal or truly desperate.
The boundaries remain weak until Orlanth can drive the forces of Darkness and Hell back to their abodes. From the day of the Ghosting candles should burn continously, one candle lit from another until Victory Day.

On Ghosting Eve, when Yelm sets, the elder woman of the household throws open the
door and shouts to whatever spirits in the vicinity that they are not welcome, and if they come too close to the house they will be burned on the candle of Ty Kora Tek, the Ghost Goddess. Whereupon a special candle made by a priestess of Ty Kora Tek is lit. Some ancestor of the members of the household, preferably the one who built the house, will be called upon to protect his house and heirs. Some sacrificial object will be put a short distance from the house. The nature of this offering depends on the region; some will offer foodstuffs cooked with blood, others put out raw meat or a sacrificial animal or just a bowl of blood.
Blood, the water of Life, is of course very fascinating/revolting to the disembodied as they do not possess it. The purpose of the offering is to persuade the spirits to take the offering instead of harrowing the household. As no one gets much sleep this night it is also called the Sleepless Night (those who do sleep do not have nice dreams).

The mythchen of the Ghosting is quite straightforward. On the Funerary Rite of Ernalda,
where Orlanth already was pissed off at Minlister for smiling, he got into an argument
with Ty Kora Tek who sided with Minlister (in this instance only; she never did before
and has never done since). Orlanth got upset and called her a toothless, useless old hag
who should be kicked out of the house. The Goddess of Ghosts responded that if she
really was useless, then she wouldn't have to nurse and care for Genert's wormridden
body, full of unsavory spirits and ghosts, who were trying to lick up the last of his
blood.
So she stopped doing this. And the disembodied were free to do as they wanted.

After the Rite, when Orlanth came home he found it buzzing with Shadow Vermin and
the air was full of Hollow Locusts and the Dead were walking in the forests. So he
prepared himself for battle and went out and drove them back to their cthonian lairs. The task wasn't easy, but he didn't lack allies, such as [insert names of choice], in the fight. Even the Sun himself offered help when he saw what was going on. [Solar people say that the Emperor of the Sky drove the Dead back when Orlanth failed in his task].
Orlanth realised that Yelm only tried to get some of the honour of a battle that was already won, so he told him to bugger off.

Orlanth hasn't apologised to the Goddess of Ghosts yet, so every year she stops caring
and nursing Genert's body for a while, in order to make the little upstart Storm Boy
sweat a little.

Make of this text what ye will. I like it; hope you do too.

Salvete,

Michael.


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