The Dresden Files > DF Reference Collection
CD Spoilers: The Case of the Stolen Walking Stick
OZ:
I am coming to this late but I think we are missing something if we overlook the ties to Baba Yaga. I mentioned this briefly in another thread but let me make more mention of it here. I should mention that I am talking about legend and folklore here so none of this is etched in stone. Baba Yaga is indeed often pictured as having iron teeth. She is also cannibalistic and is often portrayed preparing her meals cutting up the bodies with a cleaver. Also of great interest to me she is often associated with winter and seen as a guardian or a guide on the border between life and death. It sounds very much like Mother Winter to me. She was an extremely powerful witch. Although she is often seen as evil, she is also often a provider giving those on quests items that they need if their hearts are pure. She is seen in very early myths as having only one leg.(Some think that she may have originally have been a snake goddess thus explaining the single leg.) She is later seen as having one "bony leg". This could tie into Mother Winter's bad leg which seem unusual in an extremely powerful immortal.
This brings me to the stolen walking stick. I tried to imagine how a simple stick would be needed by someone of Mother Winter's power just to get around. Baba Yaga's main form of transportation was a mortar and pestle. She rode in the mortar and used the pestle to steer or to push the mortar around like a river boatman would use a pole. (the legends vary) If she lost the pestle which was part of her magical transportation, her inability to travel much makes much more sense. I don't have time or space here to go into all the ideas of what the mortar and pestle may have represented but remember that it was said that the absorption of evil influence was not the chief purpose of the staff just a beneficial side effect. ( I am hurrying in my paraphrase and may not have it exactly right.) I am wondering if someone stole her pestle.
Elegast:
--- Quote from: Serack on November 29, 2012, 04:49:51 PM ---Guys, my initial google trolling hasn't gotten any hits, but Jim flat out said 3 years ago:
--- Quote ---How long has the White Council had the Blackstaff
Look for Celtic Lore around 1065 ad.
--- End quote ---
Now we have another search term to find the actual lore behind "The Case of the Stolen Walking Stick"
--- End quote ---
I'm quite ignorant concerning celtic mythology, but I did visit the location of the battle of Hastings, and saw the Bayeux Tapestry.
My guess about the staff: it's the Landøyðan of Harald Hardrada. The guy tried to invade England in 1066.
--- Quote from: Wikipedia ---According to the Heimskringla, Harald Hardrada flew a raven banner called Landøyðan or "Land-waster"; whether this was the same banner as that flown by Sigurd of Northumbria is unclear. In a conversation between Harald and King Sweyn II of Denmark,
Sveinn asked Haraldr which of his possessions of his he valued most highly. He answered that it was his banner (merki), Landøyðan. Thereupon Sveinn asked what virtue it had to be accounted so valuable. Haraldr replied that it was prophesied that victory would be his before whom this banner was borne; and added that this had been the case ever since he had obtained it. Thereupon Sveinn said, "I shall believe that your flag has this virtue if you fight three battles with King Magnús, your kinsman, and are victorious in all."[29]
Years later, during Harald's invasion of England, Harald fought a pitched battle against two English earls outside York. Harald's Saga relates that when King Haraldr saw that the battle array of the English had come down along the ditch right opposite them, he had the trumpets blown and sharply urged his men to the attack, raising his banner called Landøyðan. And there so strong an attack was made by him that nothing held against it.[30]
Harald's army flew the banner at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, where it was carried by a warrior named Frírek. After Harald was struck by an arrow and killed, his army fought fiercely for possession of the banner, and some of them went berserk in their frenzy to secure the flag. In the end the "magic" of the banner failed, and the bulk of the Norwegian army was slaughtered, with only a few escaping to their ships.[31]
--- End quote ---
The raven banner
The banner may have been a red herring, or maybe it was just Odin and one of his scheme, and the pole was the real thing.
That being said, keep in mind that my understanding/knowledge of celtic mythology is very limited...
Arjan:
--- Quote from: OZ on December 03, 2012, 05:18:09 PM ---I am coming to this late but I think we are missing something if we overlook the ties to Baba Yaga. I mentioned this briefly in another thread but let me make more mention of it here. I should mention that I am talking about legend and folklore here so none of this is etched in stone. Baba Yaga is indeed often pictured as having iron teeth. She is also cannibalistic and is often portrayed preparing her meals cutting up the bodies with a cleaver. Also of great interest to me she is often associated with winter and seen as a guardian or a guide on the border between life and death. It sounds very much like Mother Winter to me. She was an extremely powerful witch. Although she is often seen as evil, she is also often a provider giving those on quests items that they need if their hearts are pure. She is seen in very early myths as having only one leg.(Some think that she may have originally have been a snake goddess thus explaining the single leg.) She is later seen as having one "bony leg". This could tie into Mother Winter's bad leg which seem unusual in an extremely powerful immortal.
This brings me to the stolen walking stick. I tried to imagine how a simple stick would be needed by someone of Mother Winter's power just to get around. Baba Yaga's main form of transportation was a mortar and pestle. She rode in the mortar and used the pestle to steer or to push the mortar around like a river boatman would use a pole. (the legends vary) If she lost the pestle which was part of her magical transportation, her inability to travel much makes much more sense. I don't have time or space here to go into all the ideas of what the mortar and pestle may have represented but remember that it was said that the absorption of evil influence was not the chief purpose of the staff just a beneficial side effect. ( I am hurrying in my paraphrase and may not have it exactly right.) I am wondering if someone stole her pestle.
--- End quote ---
Don't forget the house with chicken legs. :)
Serack:
--- Quote from: Elegast on December 03, 2012, 06:33:15 PM ---Now we have another search term to find the actual lore behind "The Case of the Stolen Walking Stick"
I quite ignorant concerning celtic mythology, but I did visit the location of the battle of Hastings, and saw the Bayeux Tapestry.
My guess about the staff: it's the Landøyðan of Harald Hardrada. The guy tried to invade England in 1066.
The raven banner
The banner may have been a red herring, or maybe it was just Odin and one of his scheme, and the pole was the real thing.
That being said, keep in mind that my understanding/knowledge of celtic mythology is very limited...
--- End quote ---
Very interesting. Of note, the picture you show is of a Norman (invading force from France) soldier carrying that banner, but the other instance of that banner or something similar is of a Norman horse trampling it.
Some of what I have read of the Battle of Hastings is that the Norman force had many mercinaries (possibly some being Norse), and that the English/Saxon force had just won the Battle of Stamford Bridge where the Landøyðan had just been captured only weeks before the Battle of Hastings. It's even said that the short time between the 2 battles is one of the major reasons why the English/Saxons lost the battle. They had to march straight from one battle to the other without a chance to recover.
Edit: finished the broken off thought elegast pointed out below.
Elegast:
--- Quote from: Serack on December 03, 2012, 09:03:34 PM ---Very interesting. Of note, the picture you show is of a Norman (invading force from France) soldier carrying that banner, but the other instance of that banner or something similar is of a Norman horse trampling it.
Some of what I have read of the Battle of Hastings is that the Norman force had many mercinaries (possibly some being Norse), and that the English/Saxon force had just won the Battle of Stamford Bridge where the Landøyðan had just been captured only weeks before the Battle of Hastings. It's even said that the short time
--- End quote ---
uhm... Cliked on "Post" by error?
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