A Paranormal Christmas Romance - THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT by Dani Harper

This full-length novel is Book 1
of the Haunted Holiday Series 

Bring It Back(list) Feature:

An excerpt from
The Holiday Spirit

a paranormal romance 
by Dani Harper

“Okay, I admit it. You’ve won your ten bucks, hands down.”

Kerri stared up at the glittering tree, the charred block of firewood in her garden-gloved hands temporarily forgotten. She’d brought the Yule log inside, the small remnant of last year’s Solstice blaze, and was on her way to the fireplace when the sight of the fully-decorated tree had stopped her in her tracks. 

The transformation was nothing short of astonishing. There wasn’t a square inch that didn’t feature a sparkling ball or a loop of garland, and hundreds of lights twinkled from deep within the spruce as well as from the tips of every branch. She was certain that the evergreen itself was standing a little straighter as if proud of its finery.

“You’re just in time for the finishing touch,” said Galen.

“More? It’s already gorgeous.”

“You’ll like this, trust me.” He stood back with Kerri and she could feel the warm tingle of energy as he put an arm around her shoulders. “Go for it, Everett."

The old ghost looked nervous, but reached for a palm-sized ornament on the coffee table. It was a unique piece, half silver moon and half golden sun, the perfect symbol of the Solstice. Its braided ribbon rose by slow degrees, following the direction of Everett’s gnarled fingers, until the decoration itself bobbed in the air. 

Kerri held her breath…but she needn’t have worried. The ribbon looped neatly over a branch, and the ornament hung securely. “Omigod, Everett, you did it!”

“Guess I did, didn’t I?” he said, and hooked his thumbs in his belt loops. “I wouldn’t have tried it at all if you hadn’t replaced all the decorations with plastic ’cause of Waldo.” He shrugged. “It’s not so scary when you know you can’t break anything.”

“Um, right. Good thing I did that.” Then and there she decided she wasn’t going to tell her friend that the Solstice ornament was handmade—and the one thing made of glass that she had kept. Instead, she smiled up at Galen. “My pug used to think that all the things on the tree were toys for him.”

“Yeah, well he still does. We would have been done an hour ago if it hadn’t been for chasing Waldo. He even dragged the star under the couch when we weren’t looking.” The pug waggled his curly-tailed butt at the mention of his name, completely unrepentant.

“Speaking of things dragged, I almost forgot I brought this in,” she said, indicating the wood she still held in her hands. “It’s been in the yard under the porch since last year.” Kerri knelt by the fireplace, laying the small log carefully on top of a stack of kindling that a boy scout could be proud of. 

Of course, it wasn’t strictly necessary to have a big blaze at Yule. These days many people simply decorated logs with candles and pine cones. But for Galen’s sake, she wanted every ounce of Solstice magic she could possibly attract. The words came straight from her heart:

“The Wheel of the Year has turned again,

The earth will slowly warm.

Darkness must give up its hold

And shadows lose their form.

Welcome all that brings new life.

Welcome sun and daylight bright.

The Wheel will turn, and fire burn,

And warm us all with inner light.”

The kindling was just beginning to catch fire when the front door flew open with a crash.

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THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT

(Haunted Holiday Book 1) 

by Dani Harper

• “An excellent combination of sizzle and emotion.” NIGHT OWL REVIEWS
• " Absolutely one of the most memorable stories I've read.." JUST LOVE MY BOOKS
• "Action, adventure, and a whole lot of love inside." REDZ WORLD
• “One of my top ten holiday romances ever.” READING BETWEEN THE WINES
• Named a Book of the Week by BOOKWORKS

Available in ebook or paperback at

https://www.amazon.com/DP/B013Z0F31M

HERE BE NEWS for Sept 23, 2019

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Monday, September 16 - 
"HERE BE NEWS" - All the latest from the gang at Here Be Magic.

Tuesday, September 17 -
“THE REAL HEADLESS HORSEMAN” – Did you know that the story didn’t start with Sleepy Hollow? Author Dani Harper explores the legends behind this famous apparition. 

Thursday, September 19 -
“WHO CHANGED MY TOILET PAPER?” – It’s the little things that count… Whether you’re on Team Under or Team Over, a closely held belief like this can make a story character more 3-dimensional. Author Maureen Bonatch tackles the TP topic. 

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GARDEN OF MONSTERS – a 500-year-old mystery

One of the fun things about writing is the amount of research I get to do for my stories. And you can’t look up ghosts and faeries and supernatural creatures without coming up with some odd and interesting things.

Like a garden of monsters.

Sprawling over several thickly wooded acres near the town of Bomarzo, Italy, lies a fantastical collection of giant stone sculptures – and they’ve been lurking there among the trees for five centuries.

“The Villa of Marvels” was the brainchild of Prince Francesco Orsini, a former military leader and a patron of the arts. While other gardens of the Italian Renaissance celebrated classical beauty, geometry, and symmetry, this one was shockingly opposite in every way.

Located on wild land, the trees and shrubs were left alone to grow as they pleased. The grotesque and surreal sculptures, as well as carved seats, inscribed obelisks, fountains and more, were intentionally created from a type of rough volcanic stone that could not be finely worked. 

From the sphinx that guards the entrance to the crazily tilted stone house, from the war elephant mauling a dead soldier to a giant tearing another in half, from mythological creatures to some better suited to Dante’s Inferno, all seemed randomly positioned throughout the garden with no particular relationship to each other. 

But they were not the work of an amateur.

Prince Orsini had hired artist Pirro Ligorio to bring his unusual vision to life. Formerly the official Architect of the Vatican Palace for two popes, Ligorio worked on the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome after the death of Michelangelo. He turned his attention to Orsini’s pet project and designed the sculptures in the “Mannerist” style, an early version of surrealism.

One of the many different inscriptions throughout the vast garden puts it best: "It resembles only itself and nothing else."

The dreamlike (or nightmarish) landscape was finished in 1552, but the reason for its creation remains a mystery to this day. Some theories hold that the prince was trying to express some of his own personal demons:  he was a general in the Pope’s army during a military campaign in which his best friend was killed and he was captured. Orsini spent several years as a prisoner of war in Germany. 

The most popular story claims that the prince created the garden as an expression of despair and grief due to the death of his wife – but as tragically romantic as that might sound, his wife didn’t actually die until 1560. The park was never open to the public during Orsini’s lifetime, only shared privately with artistic and literary friends.

When the prince himself passed on sometime after 1580, his strange garden was abandoned by his heirs and forgotten. Overgrown by the forests, it would take over three hundred years before it was rediscovered! The Bettini family acquired the “The Villa of Marvels” in 1870 but the local population already had their own name for it: Paco dei Mostri – "Park of the Monsters".

Word spread. Artists, composers, and writers began making pilgrimages again, including Salvador Dali in 1938. He was impressed enough to make a short film about the park, and later on it prompted his painting “The Temptation of Saint Anthony”. Other artists were likewise inspired, producing a novel, a libretto and even an opera about the garden.

Public interest in the unusual property grew, and in 1954 the Bettini family undertook the herculean task of restoring it. Eventually it was opened to the public as “Sacro Bosco” – Sacred Wood – and it’s been delighting tourists ever since.

But it’s no surprise that the local name is the one that sticks. 

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THE GRIM SERIES by Dani Harper

The fae are cunning, powerful and often cruel. The most beautiful among them are often the most deadly. Hidden far beneath the mortal world, the timeless faery realm plays by its own rules—and those rules can change on a whim. Now and again, the unpredictable residents of that mystical land cross the supernatural threshold…

In this enchanting romance series from Dani Harper, the ancient fae come face-to-face with modern-day humans and discover something far more potent than their strongest magic: love.

Learn more about this series and others on Dani's website:
www.daniharper.com

CHOOSING THE YULE TREE - an excerpt from The Holiday Spirit by Dani Harper

This full-length novel is Book 1
of the Haunted Holiday Series 

Bring It Back(list) Feature:

An excerpt from
The Holiday Spirit,

a paranormal romance 
by Dani Harper

Her backpack swung from one shoulder as they trudged through the snow. In reality, she did all the trudging. Galen was unimpeded by the drifted trails, and had insisted on carrying the saw “for safety’s sake.” He pointed out the merits of potential trees along the way, but none of them felt right to her.

Thirty minutes later he asked: “Are you sure you’re not just being picky? Because that last fir was a beauty. A perfect pyramid, and not a single bare spot anywhere.”

“I know, but it’s not appearance that counts.”

“Yeah, well, time counts. I don’t want you out here too long. You need to rest.”

“Hey, Mr. Bossypants, some things can’t be rushed!”

“See? Now you’re cranky.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to deny it, when she realized how childish that would sound—and how right he was. Good grief. Instead, she took a deep breath and explained: “I’m looking for something special, a tree that calls out to me because it knows that we need it.”

Galen stopped in his tracks. “You talk about them like they’re aware.”

“They are.” She waved a hand at the forest around them. “All the trees are. In fact, most things are to some degree.”

 “Sooo…you’re not looking for a perfect tree, you’re looking for a volunteer?”

“You could put it that way. We’re not walking up to just any old tree and taking it. The tree is offering up its life freely, so we can observe the Solstice.” She expected Galen to ask more questions but although his eyebrows lifted slightly, he simply motioned for her to carry on. Does that mean he’s beginning to understand? That he feels more comfortable with magic and able to trust it? With her luck, he’d probably concluded that she was crazy, and he should just humor her.

Kerri pushed all of that out of her mind and focused. Around her, the air was clear and cold, refreshing rather than uncomfortable. The snow alternately sparkled in the sun and cast blue shadows. Here and there were the footprints of many birds, a rabbit, and three or four deer. It was peaceful, and she allowed that peace to seep into her… It was only a few minutes later that she felt a faint vibration, one that barely skimmed the edges of her awareness. Following it, she worked her way around a prickly thicket of wild rose bushes and came upon its source.

“You gotta be kidding me,” said Galen.

“Shh.” Kerri pulled off a glove and gently touched the evergreen branches. The soundless thrum of life was in the boughs, slowed by the winter cold. But was there something more? “We need your help,” she whispered to the tree. In her mind’s eye, she saw the silvery wisp of energy even as she felt it flow softly over her fingers. “Thank you,” she breathed.

It was big—and the damnedest ugliest tree Galen had ever seen. Outside of being some kind of short-needled evergreen, it couldn’t look less like a holiday decoration. There were ragged cones still dangling from the boughs and at least three old bird nests inside it. No shortage of bare spots, more than a few dead twigs and branches, plus near its base a big swatch of bark had been charred from some long-ago fire. 

The oddest thing was its trunk, however. It divided into a nearly perfect U halfway up, resulting in a pair of crowns instead of one. Great, a two-headed tree, Galen thought. Where the hell do you put the star? The guys at the station would have razzed him for the rest of his natural life if he’d brought in something like this. Even Charlie Brown wouldn’t pick this tree. Hell, Frankenstein wouldn’t choose it.

But Kerri loved it, and that was all that mattered. He didn’t understand everything she’d explained about Yule and the Solstice, but if she said it was important, then he trusted that it was. Because of her, he’d been introduced to a wider world, one that he had never known existed outside of old fairy tales and fantasy novels. He watched from a respectful distance as she cast a large circle around the tree, not with salt or sword, but with birdseed, alfalfa cubes, and dried apple slices as a gift to the wildlife that lived here. Finally, she addressed the tree itself:

“Forest tree touched by water and fire, 

Please shed your light on darkness dire. 

Forest tree touched by earth and air, 

We ask you for your life to share. 

Still evergreen despite your scars, 

Please merge your energy with ours. 

This time when day wins over night 

Loan us your strength to win our fight.” 

She nodded to Galen and he entered the circle, placing the saw at the base of the tree. He felt something then—a strange expectancy as if the tree was, indeed, patiently waiting for the cut. Outside the circle, he could see that Kerri was occupied with getting something else out of her pack, so Galen took a moment to whisper to the tree. “Sorry to do this, bud and I sure hope it doesn’t hurt much,” he said. “But we really need the help, and she says you’re the one. So, thank you. And I promise I’ll do my damnedest to make you the best-looking tree on the block.”

 

When the deed was done, Kerri was holding a small spade and a handful of weird beige sticks the size of carrots. “What on earth are those?” he asked.  

“Fertilizer stakes. I’m burying them within the circle. The roots of this tree are strong, and they’ll send up shoots in the spring,” she said. “In the balance of things, new life always wins out over death. Just like today, when the year rolls around from darkness to light.”

He turned those words over in his mind as he watched her go about her task. Thought about them the whole time they walked back to the car, and during the process of carefully bundling the tree with a roll of burlap. It was even bigger and more awkward than it looked, and it was a job and a half to make it as narrow as possible for the trip home. Finally, they tied—and then retied—the tree securely onto the car roof rack. Their prize dwarfed the little red vehicle of course, but it was balanced enough to be safe.  Balance. In the balance of things, new life always wins out over death… 

When Kerri reached for the door of the car, Galen put his hand over hers. “Kerri, we really need to talk. If anything happens to me—”

“Don’t,” she said. “We can’t think that way.”

“Hey, I’m all for being positive, but we can’t shy away from the truth either. When I first came to the station, one of the older guys on the crew, Art Peters, told me two things—that you need to live each day like it was your last, and especially that you have to tell the people you care about what you want them to know. It was something I’d already learned from my mom. She was upfront about dying, and it freed us both to say the things we needed to, so that when she was gone, there were no loose ends, and no regrets for either of us.

“So now I need to say some things and I need you to hear them.”

Kerri studied the ground for a long moment, then nodded. “All right, Galen. I’m listening.”

Harper, Dani. THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT (Haunted Holiday Book 1) (pp. 174-178 Kindle Edition). 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT

(Haunted Holiday Book 1) 

by Dani Harper

• “An excellent combination of sizzle and emotion.” NIGHT OWL REVIEWS
• " Absolutely one of the most memorable stories I've read.." JUST LOVE MY BOOKS
• "Action, adventure, and a whole lot of love inside." REDZ WORLD
• “One of my top ten holiday romances ever.” READING BETWEEN THE WINES
• Named a Book of the Week by BOOKWORKS

Available as an ebook or a paperback at

https://www.amazon.com/DP/B013Z0F31M

Sirens and Mermaids - Beautiful but Deadly

Sea Goddess mural in Monteray, California
Image: Bigstock.com

A new TV series, SIREN, premiered in March of this year and by May it was signed for a second season. With it comes renewed interest in sirens and mermaids, two legendary sea creatures who have merged into one over the centuries. 

In modern times we think of sirens as glamorous women who captivate men with their beauty, or deliberately lure and seduce them into forgetting their own better judgement. The term "siren" comes to us from Greek mythology and literature, in which the Sirens were once handmaidens to Persephone, daughter of the goddess Demeter. When Persephone was kidnapped and taken to the underworld to marry the dark god Hades, Demeter blamed her handmaidens for allowing this to happen to their mistress.

As punishment, Demeter marooned the hapless women on a beautiful green island surrounded by treacherous rocks. Any ship that ventured too close to the island would be wrecked so that rescue was impossible. However, merely banishing the women wasn't enough for the vengeful goddess. The women were changed into strange half-human creatures. Still alluringly beautiful, they are sometimes portrayed with bird wings and feet. However, in many versions of the story, they became the first mermaids. While we usually picture them as possessing the head and upper body of a lovely woman and the lower body of a fish or a dolphin, there are some legends where mermaids have legs and appear human.

Demeter gave these unfortunate women unearthly voices and commanded them to sing without ceasing. Sailors in passing ships would hear the sirens' song, and either steer the vessel onto the rocks, or dive from the deck into the sea and drown. Any man that managed to survive the ocean and the rocks would make his way to the island, but find it far from a paradise. So enchanted was he by the siren's songs that he would follow the women wherever they went, forgetting everything else in the world. The hapless sailor would even forget to eat and eventually starve to death. The island became covered with bleached bones.

The Sirenuse Islands in the Mediterranean Sea
Image: Bigstock.com

Embittered by their unfair fate, the Sirens eventually took great pleasure in their cruel task of luring men to their doom. Stories tell that they would often sing passing sailors into a deep sleep. The sirens would then board the ship and kill all the men as they slept, feasting on them for days afterward and tossing their gnawed bones into the ocean—or making musical instruments from them!

The only man to hear the song of the Sirens and live to tell about it was Odysseus (also known as Ulysses). He filled the ears of his men with wax and bound their heads with cloth, so that they would be able to row directly past the deadly island, unaffected by the alluring music. Odysseus himself, however, had not plugged his ears. Instead, he commanded his men to tie him to the mast, so he could hear the Sirens' songs, but not be able to jump overboard or steer the ship into danger.

Demeter's magic had condemned the Sirens to live forever—but only until the day came that a mortal was finally able to resist them. After Odysseus's successful plan, the Sirens were said to have flung themselves into the sea which turned against them and drowned them.

Ever since, maritime superstition claimed that hearing the song of a mermaid is a sign of a particularly ferocious storm approaching, or even spelled certain disaster for the ship.

Mermaids are found in the mythology of many countries, including China, Cambodia, Thailand, Africa, the Phillipines, the Caribbean, Brazil and Japan. They are called merrows in Ireland, and rusalkas in eastern Europe. Undines are freshwater mermaids from Celtic legends, which live in the faery realms of my Grim Series novels. In some myths, the mermaids are kind, even benevolent. In a few stories, a mermaid even falls in love with a human (Hans Christian Anderson’s 1837 tale, “The Little Mermaid, was based on such folklore). Unfortunately, most of these sea creatures behave like the Greek sirens, luring men to their doom, drowning them, and even eating them!

Female figureheads ensured fair weather
Image: Bigstock.com

Christopher Columbus wrote of sighting mermaids on three occasions, noting that they weren't as beautiful as the legends claimed. It's generally accepted that what he actually saw were manatees. However, the infamous pirate Blackbeard also noted in his ship's log several times that he had witnessed mer-folk, and instructed his crew to steer clear of the areas they frequented. And in more modern times, from 1870 to 1967, both sailors and ship's passengers have reported seeing mermaids in the waters off British Columbia, Canada!

Strangely, despite all the ancient tales of dangerous sirens and mermaids (and later, the notion that women on board were just plain bad luck), there was a prevailing belief for at least two thousand years that the sight of a woman's bosom could settle an angry ocean.

By the 1800s, most sailing ships featured an amply-endowed female figurehead on the bow, often with breasts exposed to the salt sea air. And the most popular of all? A mermaid!

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THE GRIM SERIES by Dani Harper

The fae are cunning, powerful and often cruel. The most beautiful among them are often the most deadly. Hidden far beneath the mortal world, the timeless faery realm plays by its own rules—and those rules can change on a whim. Now and again, the unpredictable residents of that mystical land cross the supernatural threshold…

In this enchanting romance series from Dani Harper, the ancient fae come face-to-face with modern-day humans and discover something far more potent than their strongest magic: love.

See ALL Dani's novels on her Amazon Author Page

Is There a Monster in Your Lake?

Ah, summer! Flipflops, swimsuits, and picnics by the lake. If you decide to take a dip, however, do you know what might be swimming below you?

My friend, Angela Campbell, wrote a wonderful post on Here Be Magic about her fascination and affection for the Loch Ness Monster. And this month scientists will be sampling the dark waters of that mysterious lake, hoping to tease out a DNA sample. Personally, I’m cheering for them – as a fantasy and paranormal writer, I can’t help but love a good monster!

While we wait for those results, let’s talk about Nessie’s possible relatives. Did you know there are several other legendary water beasts scattered throughout the British Isles? And here in the United States, approximately 22 Nessie-type creatures have been reported! That's enough to give a person pause before swimming in deep waters...

As a Canadian, I can attest that the Great White North has its share of aquatic monsters too – over a dozen, not counting the ones that share waters with the U.S. I've been lucky enough to visit a few of the lakes, and one more than once: Lake Okanagan in British Columbia. About 80 miles long and surrounded by steep-walled mountains, it’s been compared to a coastal fjord with depths of nearly 1,000 feet in some places. 

It certainly seems like an ideal home for the most famous fresh water monster in Canada: “Ogopogo”.

First Nations peoples told stories about the “water demon” or “snake in the lake” long before European settlers arrived, and some native pictographs (rock art) have been found that are said to represent the beast. The Salish people in the area called the lake monster N'ha-a-itk, or “lake demon”. The Chinook peoples called it "wicked one" and "great-beast-on-the-lake." 

In 1924, however, a Vancouver newspaper reporter parodied a British song, “Ogo-Pogo, The Funny Foxtrot” in order to make fun of the reported sightings of the time:

His mother was an earwig, his father was a whale;

A little bit of head. And hardly any tail.

And Ogo-pogo was his name.

Unfortunately, the original native names for the monster were promptly forgotten or ignored, and the mysterious creature has been called Ogopogo ever since!

Reports of the Okanagan monster by Europeans predate the first sightings of Nessie in Scotland by about 60 years. In 1854, settler John MacDougall was in a canoe, swimming his team of horses across the lake. Without warning, the horses were dragged under by forces unseen. He was forced to cut the lead ropes to save the canoe from being pulled under as well, and narrowly escaped. The horses disappeared without a trace.

The first recorded sighting of the creature was by author Susan Allison in 1872. She was watching the lake for signs of her husband returning from a canoe trip, when suddenly she spotted an unusual animal swimming against the waves. And in 1880 a shipment of timbers was going to be floated to Osoyoos. As the hand-sawn timbers were being made into a raft, the monster was seen to raise its head from the water and watch! In 1890, Thomas Shorts was captain of a steam ship on the lake and claimed to have seen a finned creature about sixteen feet long with a head like that of a ram. It disappeared when he turned the ship in its direction.

Sightings have occurred ever since—including some by large groups of people at the same time! On September 16, 1925, a large creature was seen swimming in the lake by about 30 cars of people parked along a beach. (The government subsequently announced that the new ferry being built for travel across the Okanagan Lake would be equipped with special "monster repelling devices".) On July 2, 1947, several boaters reported seeing the monster . On July 17, 1959, a number of people claimed to have seen a huge creature with a long neck for about three minute before it submerged.

Most witness accounts describe a serpentine creature from 12 to 70 feet long. It's usually glossy black or brown and undulates through the water. It isn’t clear if the creature actually has a number of humps or if it just looks like that because of its method of locomotion. The Ogopogo is described as having a goat-like or horse-like head on a very long neck. And sometimes the creature has been spotted emerging from the water and onto the shore!

So is it possible that Okanagan Lake has an undiscovered animal, or “cryptid”, living in it?

Maybe. In 1989, a fisheries scientist named Jim Walker drafted an amendment to British Columbia’s Wildlife Act (http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/news/article_e2a5f54a-5c88-11e7-92c9-2b85dc01e30b.html ). The result was that Ogopogo enjoyed protected wildlife status for several years.

Meanwhile, each summer brings thousands of tourists to the beautiful shores of Lake Okanagan for waterpark fun, for camping and fishing, for beautiful scenery – and maybe, just maybe, a glimpse of its most famous non-human resident.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

LEGEND ∙ LORE ∙ LOVE ∙ MAGIC

  

STORM WARRIOR, STORM BOUND, STORM WARNED, STORM CROSSED

The fae are cunning, powerful and often cruel. The most beautiful among them are often the most deadly. Hidden far beneath the mortal world, the timeless faery realm plays by its own rules—and those rules can change on a whim. Now and again, the unpredictable residents of that mystical land cross the supernatural threshold…

In this enchanting romance series from Dani Harper, the ancient fae come face-to-face with modern-day humans and discover something far more potent than their strongest magic: love.

THE GRIM SERIES

See ALL Dani's novels on her Amazon Author Page

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Are Frogs and Toads Lucky? Legends and Lore

Image: Bigstock.com

Late last night the "spring peepers" gave a concert in my yard. Toads trilled under the porch, as enthusiastic bass and tenor sections of frogs in the garden competed with a shrill soprano chorus of tiny tree frogs amid the lilac branches. 

The sound of these creatures is the surest sign that the warm weather is here to stay. In fact, frogs and toads are also called spring cheepers, and even pinklewinks and pinkwinks, depending where you are in North America.

I’ve been fascinated with amphibians ever since I was a kid scooping up tadpoles into a jar from the creek near my house. When I grew up and left home, my Welsh grandmother gave me a ceramic frog for my apartment and told me that I should always have a frog in the house for good luck. That was a long time ago, but I still keep a statue of a frog near the door, and there are always a few frog and toad figurines in my home.

Just in case...

The ancient Romans thought house frogs were lucky too, keeping live frogs as mascots. Both the Egyptians and Greeks believed that frogs possessed a creative force – they were symbols of inspiration (Hmmm … as a writer, maybe I need some frogs on my desk!)

Chan Chu, the Toad of Wealth
Image: Bigstock.com

FROGS AND WEALTH

Many cultures consider it a sign that money is coming to you if a frog enters the house. Figurines of frogs are used in the practice of Feng Shui in order to attract wealth both at home and at work. 

A three-legged toad named Chan Chu is the traditional pet of the immortal Liu Hai, Chinese god of wealth. The toad is usually pictured with a gold coin in its mouth, and often sitting on a pile of coins as well. 

Businesses often keep a statue of Chan Chu near their cash register. In the home, however, Chan Chu is never placed facing the door. The toad is to be placed as if he has just entered the home, bringing abundance with him.

FROGS AND ACHIEVEMENT

Many societies have equated frogs and toads with great transformative powers and even reincarnation. After all, they're every bit as amazing as butterflies. They go through vastly different phases in their lives:  From eggs they hatch into gilled tadpoles that can only live underwater, and then gradually transform to air-breathing land creatures. It’s not surprising that frogs are also associated with personal growth and achievement.

Image: Bigstock.com

The ultimate achievement is shown in an old story: A toad had fallen in love with the moon and wanted to go there more than anything. Everyone told the toad that it was impossible to leap so high. But the toad decided not to listen and began jumping. Each time it jumped, it went a little bit higher. After many, many jumps, it finally reached the moon!

Speaking of the moon, it’s interesting to note that while western cultures perceive the shape of “man in the moon”, the Chinese might point to the “toad in the moon” instead. And in some Asian tales, eclipses occur when the toad tries to swallow the moon itself.



FROGS AND FERTILITY

Frogs and toads are ideal symbols 
of transformation and change!
Image: Bigstock.com

Since frogs lay enormous quantities of eggs, it’s only natural that they would become a fertility symbol. The Egyptians depicted the water goddess, Heket, as a frog or as a woman with the head of a frog. She ruled conception and birth, was the goddess of midwifery and protected new-born babies. 

Egyptian women seeking to conceive or those in the midst of childbirth often wore amulets which depicted Heket as a frog sitting on a lotus flower. It’s interesting that in ancient Mesoamerica, some tribes worshipped a corn goddess who took the form of a frog or a toad. Just like Heket, she was the patron of fertility and childbirth.

Frogs also came to symbolize abundance in general. They appeared in vast numbers during the annual flooding of the Nile and it wasn’t long before the Egyptians adopted the frog as their official hieroglyph for an immense number: 100,000!

FROGS AS MEDICINE 

Vodka or whiskey with frogs in it is
considered good for you in Vietnam.
Image: Bigstock.com

Many cultures associated frogs and toads with healing powers. A supposed cure for thrush, sore throat, and colds was holding a live frog and placing its head in the patient's mouth! As the frog breathed, it was said to draw the illness away from the patient and into itself. Maybe this is why laryngitis is still sometimes described as "having a frog in your throat". You could also drink the water that a frog had been swimming in. 

Although it was often believed that frogs and toads caused warts, it's also been claimed that warts could be cured by rubbing a frog or toad across them. Eating frog soup was said to cure whooping cough.

The ancient Celts venerated natural bodies of water, and springs and wells were sacred. The presence of frogs in the water was highly desirable since they associated frogs with both purity and healing. Bathing in such water or drinking it was thought to cure illness. Many such wells still exist, and one in Shropshire, England, is allegedly guarded by three frogs who are actually faeries in disguise!

Incidentally, there’s an old story about how frogs came to have only four toes on their front feet while their back feet have five. A group of young frogs ignored the advice of their elders and hopped into the midst of what they thought was going to be a sumptuous feast of bright fireflies. Instead, they found themselves in the midst of the faery court. The faery queen was so outraged by this interruption that she used her magic to remove a toe from every front foot of every frog – and threatened to remove more if they ever came back!

Frog brought fire to Man by carrying a burning stick.
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FROGS AS HEROES

Frogs and toads have appeared in ancient stories as heroes and benefactors of the human race. In Native American legends of the Southwest, Frog is usually depicted carrying a piece of wood in its mouth, because the Mojave people believe it was the Frog who brought fire to humans. 

In some stories, Australia’s Aboriginal peoples credited the frog with bringing rain to make the plants grow. And in Aztec folklore, the god Quetzacoatl assumed the form of a little blue frog in order to bring “the food of the gods” to humans – cocoa!

Good frog!

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LEGEND ∙ LORE ∙ LOVE ∙ MAGIC

The fae are cunning, powerful and often cruel. The most beautiful among them are often the most deadly. Hidden far beneath the mortal world, the timeless faery realm plays by its own rules—and those rules can change on a whim.

Now and again, the unpredictable residents of that mystical land cross the supernatural threshold…

In this enchanting romance series from Dani Harper, the ancient fae come face-to-face with modern-day humans and discover something far more potent than their strongest magic: love.

THE GRIM SERIES by Dani Harper

  

STORM WARRIOR, STORM BOUND, STORM WARNED, STORM CROSSED

Note: Every book in this series is designed to stand alone.
It's fun to read them in order, but you won't get lost if you don't!

See ALL Dani's novels on her Amazon Author Page