Crimson’s Creative Challenge #21
A loathly lady here indwells,
silver-green skin, stained by the fells.
In times of pestilence and droughts
a lustful lad, lottery-chosen from hereabouts,
was tightly bound and to her given;
a practice derided as devil-bidden,
Now local lads in texting, gaming,
stay away, and who can blame them.
Though the lonesome loathly lady might berate:
Behold, her current mate-less hateful state.
Written for Crimson’s Creative Challenge #21
crispina kemp 
Ooooo I love that! What a portrait you painted!
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I thank you, Violet. If was either this, or call upon Freeedy the Fourth to provide a froggy tale.
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Ohhhh what a unique tale about a lonesome lake lady who some think is loathsome but I think is rather mysteriously magical. I truly love this poem. 💚
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I thank you. It’s based on a European folktale, found in various guises from Russia to Ireland, from Scotland to Greece, with local variations.
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I’d never heard of it! And you know, they say folk talks originate from a truthful telling…. ;-0
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I have my theories on it. We know from the finds of the so-called Bog People, that in UK and Scandinavia, from Iron Age onewards, humans were killed and given to the ‘bogs’ (pits, marchy areas). Then there’s the bogie-man type tale, told to keep the kinds safely away from such places,, Archaeology tells us such places were used for various deposits since Mesolithic times. The Iron Age are more recent, the preservation excellent, and so we know more about them than what wnet before.
And then there’s the nixies and neckers, the water spirits, taiil of a fish, upper body of a seductive woman, spirit of ferility, and protective. Probably the receiving deity for all those sacrifices.
We live in different times. And for all the ills in the world, it’s still better than the past.
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Beautiful!
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I thank you, Susan. I enjoyed the writing 🙂
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Interesting and extremely thought provoking. Beautiful in fact. 🙂🌼🌹
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I thank you, Jen.
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Thank YOU for always being so straight forward in your thoughts and your creations, its a breath of fresh air!
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And for that, I thank you too. 🙂
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😊💜🌼👍
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My laptop allows only simple emojos. :), and so I have to lay them in in multiples. 🙂 🙂 🙂
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I use the touch keyboard on my laptop task bar. 😂👍🤐🌹
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Yours is doubtless more modern than mine. Mine still runs on candle-power!
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😂🤣😂 Can’t be that old LOL or maybe it could be. Mine is about 5+ years, maybe more
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Oh, I only bought it in 2016, but it’s far from top of the range.
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oh just thought I’d suggest it might have a keyboard but guess not. Matters little LOL 😊🌼
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It has a keyboard. Real clicking keys. But I don’t lke the integral keyboard; it sits at the wrong angle for me. So I have a second keyboard plugged it, one I’ve had about 15 years.
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I only use the touch keyboard on my task bar for emojis you can use it for typing but I don’t. There’s a button you press to show all of them. Else it just sits on my task bar. Anyways LOL
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I don’t have a touch keyboard
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WOW WOW WOW–and standing ovation, BRAVO!!
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I thank you for your enthusiasm. Sometimes I hot the mark. But as often, fall flat. 🙂
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We all do the same 🙂 When we hit it, it’s cause for celebration–so I’m celebrating you tonight!
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Again, my thanks to you. You make me smile.
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I’m so happy to make you smile–my job here is finished 🙂
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🙂
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I love the rhythm and the imagery which builds up a beautifully atmospheric picture.
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I thank you. Deeply.
Apparently this poem excells my others. The comments have been just .., mindblowing 🙂
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Gah! I just realised that I had not commented or ‘liked’ this yet! My bad…
This was wonderful and must agree, the rhythm and imagery and atmosphere… so enjoyed
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You are forgiven. 🙂 And thank you. 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Thank you for being so understanding. 😁
And, most welcome. It was really good! 😊😊😊
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Well, I do thank you, Dale. 🙂 And sorry for the long delay. I lost connection again.
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Wow. The perfect place for the lady I think🤔
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I thank you. 🙂
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Loved this, Crispina! These evil pool spirits are some of my favourite from folklore…they’re so chilling. And the opening lines of your poem are perfect! 🙂
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I thank you, Sammi. They’re my favourites too. I see them as more ancient than the Germanic imports.
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Me too…the link to votive offerings in pools suggests that there has been a mythology surrounding them much longer than that. Of course, in a similar vein are the bog bodies…
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Yea, but the bog-bodies are Iron Age, aren’t they? You can understand with the climate changes, it was growing colder, wetter, duller, deep moss spreading over land previously put to grain, yea, I can imagine they had need to send their pleas by sending the gods a man (child or woman)
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Yeah, I think the majority of them are from the Iron Age. It must have been terrifying for them to believe they had to resort to such lengths…
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It was possibly considered an honour to take the people’s pleas to the gods. Otherwise, it was as humane a way of treating criminals as any devised during the Middle Ages.
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For sure. And yet, not understanding the drastically changing climate…I can’t help but wonder at the fear for the future they must have felt, as the landscape altered before their eyes in some cases…
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I know, Rapid deterioration. I’ve read some of the accounts of the weather extremes that preceded the Maunday Minimum. Despite much more was known about weather and climate, there were still appeals to God, Jesurs and the saints … Hmmm.
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