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Xana the thieving fairy
Tales of these fairies, with a penchant for thievery are usually found in Asturian mythology. Always female, they are known for there incredible beauty and they always live near water. Usually described as small or slender with long blonde or light brown hair (most often curly). Many stories tell how a Xana has a child and because she cannot produce milk for the baby she switches the baby for that of another woman. The Xana will make this swap by entering a human home through a keyhole and the affected children are called Changelings. The human mother realizes this change when the baby grows up in just a few months.…
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Quetzalcóatl Meso-American God
Quetzalcóatl, (Nahuatl: quetzalli, “tail feather of the quetzal bird and coatl, “snake”), the Feathered Serpent, one of the major deities of the ancient Mexican pantheon. Quetzalcoatl is a primordial god of creation, a giver of life. With his opposite Tezcatlipoca he created the world. Quetzalcoatl is also called White Tezcatlipoca, to contrast him to the black Tezcatlipoca. There are several stories about the birth of Quetzalcoatl. In one version of the myth, Quetzalcoatl was born by a virgin named Chimalman, to whom the god Onteol appeared in a dream. In another story, the virgin Chimalman conceived Quetzalcoatl swallowing an emerald. A third story tells how Chimalman was hit in the…
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Hestia
Hestia was the Greek Goddess of the hearth, family, and domestic life. Her Roman equivalent was Vesta. Her name meant both a house and a hearth, symbolising the home and its residents. She also represented the coalition and relationship between the colonies and the mother cities. She was the first born child of Kronos and Rhea who was swallowed by her father at birth. Zeus would later force their father to disgorge his children. As the first to be swallowed she was also the last to be disgorged, and so was named as both the eldest and youngest of the six Kronides. When many of the gods sought for her…
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Thor God of Thunder
Thor is the Norse god of thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind. He is also the god of hallowing, healing and fertility. He was typically described as having a red beard and eyes. He was huge in size, and strongest of all gods and men. He is the son of the god Odin and the earth goddess, Fjörgyn. Thor is most widely known for wielding the mighty hammer, Mjölnir. He wears the belt Megingjörð and the iron gloves Járngreipr, and owns the staff Gríðarvölr, that he uses occasionally. The goddess Sif is Thor’s wife, and he also had a lover named Járnsaxa. With Sif, he fathered…
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Freyr
Freyr (Frey or Frej), in Norse mythology is a god of prosperity and fertility. He controls the sunshine and the rain and therefore also the fruits of the earth. He is the patron god of Sweden. His father is the sea god Njord, and his twin sister is Freyja (Óðr’s wife). Freyr’s realm is Alfheim. At the end of the war between the Æsir (the Warrior gods) and the Vanir (the Fertility gods), hostages were exchanged. Freyr, with his father and sister Freyja, came to Ásgarð, the home of the Æsir. Freyr possessed two great treasures made by dwarves: the boar Gullin-börsti with golden bristles, and the ship Skíðblaðnir, which…
