Anyways have some concept art of ancients in the new style

Personally I like how Rome come out

Temple Pendant with Two Sirens Flanking a Tree of Life and Confronted Birds (Kyivan Rus)

Description:

When Kievan Rus, a powerful new state to the north of the Byzantine Empire, accepted Christianity as its official religion in 988, the aristocracy also adopted the manners and dress of the Byzantine court. Local artists soon produced their own versions of Constatinopolitan fashions. This temple pendant of precious metals worked in cloisonné enamel or niello are local variants of the more intricately detailed works made for the Byzantine court.

As in Byzantium, temple pendants may have been worn next to the face by both the men and the women of Rus. The works shown here were perhaps buried by their owners when the Mongol armies under Batu Khan sacked Kiev in 1240.

Artwork Details

Title: Temple Pendant with Two Sirens Flanking a Tree of Life (front) and Confronted Birds (back)

Date: 11th–12th century

Geography: Made in Kiev

Culture: Kyivan Rus’

Medium: Cloisonné enamel, gold

Dimensions: Overall: 2 3/8 x 2 1/4 x 9/16 in. (6 x 5.7 x 1.4 cm)

Classification: Enamels-Cloisonné

Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917

Accession Number: 17.190.680

On view at the Met

Considering the difficulties of bringing captives from The Stepstones and beyond in small longboats, plus Quellon Greyjoy's attempts to end thralldom, how much of the Iron Islands population would actually be thralls by the time of Greyjoy's Rebellion? Is slave-like labor even sustainable under these conditions whithout some form of "home production", for lack of a better term, even if it isin't recognized legally?

You raise a good question.

Just to raise one objection - the "difficulties of bringing captives from The Stepstones and beyond in small longboats" ain't a thing. The historic Vikingers organized a global slave trade that stretched all the way from Dublin to Kievan Rus to Constantinople relying entirely on small longboats, and it functioned quite well. More's the pity.

So the question is, how many thralls could Balon and the Ironborn take in six years of raiding? Well, a Viking longboat could hold about 20-30 captives in addition to its usual complement. Now there is something of a long-running dispute between madeinmyr and warsofasoiaf and myself about how many longships the Iron Islands can actually field - for various reasons, I think the Iron Islands can field about 100 regular longships plus the 100 bigger ships of the Iron Fleet, each of which can hold three times as many people as regular longships. (GRRM at one point said that every Ironborn lord can field 100 ships, but GRRM can't math, because that would put the Ironborn army at north of 114,000 strong, which strains credulity.)

So that suggests that the collective Ironborn fleet could transport 8-12,000 thralls per round trip. That doesn't sound like a lot, but when you consider that Balon Greyjoy can assemble a grand total of 12,000 men to invade the North (and even Elio says the Iron Islands tops out at 15,000 fighting men), with one round trip you're looking at about a percent of the Iron Islands' population. Then it depends on how many round-trips the Ironborn do per year.

As for "home production," that doesn't quite work with Ironborn custom and law - the children of thralls are considered free men, although they are socially discriminated against compared to the sons of Ironborn.

So many lies in so few words.... The Russian government's various Twitter accounts are among the biggest liars on social media, and some of the biggest lies they re-tell almost every year relate to the Soviet Union's invasion of Poland in 1939. This really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.... In February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, the Kremlin's propagandists denied that Russia was doing anything of the kind while the invasion was actually happening, so lying about an invasion that took place a few decades ago must be a piece of cake in comparison. In Russia, it's a legal requirement to refer to the war against Ukraine as a "Special Military Operation" so maybe we should refer to Stalin dividing up Poland with Hitler in 1939 as a "Special Nazi Collaboration Operation". It's amazing to think that Russian citizens have been arrested, charged and convicted for telling the truth about both these events. The above tweets were posted on 17th September 2021.... According to the first tweet, the USSR somehow "entered" Poland without actually invading - which is a crazy thing to say, given that two Red Army groups (consisting of 25 rifle divisions, 16 cavalry divisions and 12 tank brigades with a total of half a million men) stormed into Poland's sovereign territory in the early hours of 17th September 1939 in a simultaneous offensive that was launched along the entire length of Poland's border with the USSR, aiming to occupy the eastern half of the country. This was achieved after 19 days of fighting between the Red Army and the outnumbered and outgunned Polish army (which had already been fighting against the German invaders since 1st September). That sounds like an invasion to me.... It's also worth mentioning that the Soviets were breaking the following treaties and agreements when they invaded Poland: 1. The Peace Treaty between Poland, Russia and the Ukraine signed in Riga on 18th March 1921, in which the eastern frontier of Poland was defined. 2. The Protocol between Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Rumania and the USSR regarding renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy, signed in Moscow on 9th February 1929. 3. The Non-Aggression Treaty between Poland and the USSR signed in Moscow on 25th July 1932. 4. The Convention for the Definition of Aggression signed in London on 3rd July 1933, signed by Estonia, Latvia, Rumania, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and the USSR. 5. The Protocol signed in Moscow on 5th May 1934 between Poland and the USSR, extending until 31st December 1945, the Non-Aggression Treaty of July 25th 1932. 6. The agreement resulting from the notes exchanged in Moscow on 10th September 1934 between the Polish government and the Soviet government, in connection with the entry of the USSR into the League of Nations. This agreement emphasised that the relations between the countries would, in every respect, continue on the basis of all existing agreements between them, including the Treaty of Non-Aggression and the Convention for the Definition of Aggression. 7. The Covenant of the League of Nations, to which the USSR acceded on 17th September 1934. 8. The joint Communique issued in Moscow on 26th November 1938, by the Polish and Soviet governments, which confirmed that relations between them were, and would continue to be, based on all the existing agreements, including the Non-Aggression Treaty dated 25th July 1932, and extended on 5th May 1934. TL;DR - Russia is lying as usual. The next claim in the first tweet is that the Polish territory which the Soviet Union invaded and occupied in 1939 didn't really belong to Poland and had only been part of Poland since 1920. But this is also a lie. Back in the real world, much of what is now western Ukraine has been periodically incorporated into the Polish state ever since the beginning of the 11th century, at the time of the Kievan Rus. And the lands of present day Belarus and Ukraine were part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania when it was united with Poland towards the end of the 14th century. The entire territory of modern Belarus and most of Ukraine remained as part of the Polish-Lithuanian state until the end of the 18th century. Eastern Ukraine was ceded to Russia in the second half of the 17th century and Russia subsequently stole most of the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian state at the end of the 18th century when it conspired with Prussia and Austria to wipe Poland off the map (just like Hitler and Stalin did 150 years later). As well as most of the lands of present day Poland, Russia acquired all of what is now Belarus and more of Ukraine. The area of western Ukraine that was re-claimed by Poland after the First World War became part of Austria and was therefore never in Russia. Today's Russian propagandists like to claim that Belarus, Ukraine and Russia have always been one nation, but the reality is that although all three had common origins in the Kievan Rus, they subsequently underwent hundreds of years of separate development before Belarus and Ukraine were incorporated into the Russian empire and subjected to prolonged periods of forced Russification. At the time of the Kievan Rus it's also the case that Kiev was dominant over Moscow and not vice versa.... Uprisings against Russian rule during the 19th century - notably in 1830 and 1863 - were supported by all parts of the former Polish-Lithuanian state and were savagely repressed by Russia. In Belarus, a particularly brutal campaign of Russification was carried out after the second of these uprisings by the Governor General of Vilna, Mikhail Muravyov-Vilensky. One of the executed leaders of the uprising was a Belarusian called Kastuś Kalinoŭski, who is still regarded as a national hero by many Belarusians today. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Belarusian volunteers fighting on the Ukrainian side formed a battalion that was named in his honour, which later became a regiment. In 1917, following the February revolution, the provisional government acknowledged the right of self-determination for the non-Russian nationalities in the Tsarist empire. When the Bolsheviks took over they renounced all Russia's territorial claims to Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, most of Belarus, and Ukraine - and ceded these lands to Germany in the 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, when most of the territories in question were under German occupation. They were not, by any stretch of the imagination, part of Russia or the USSR at this point - just as there is nothing chiselled in stone to state that whoever rules in Moscow also gets to rule over Belarus and Ukraine. As things turned out, a newly independent Poland and the newly formed Soviet state ended up dividing Belarus and Ukraine between them. The Treaty of Riga, which was signed in 1921 after the Polish-Soviet war, defined Poland's eastern border about half way between where the Polish-Russian border had been prior to the partitions of Poland and where it is today. Poland basically managed to reclaim some of what it had previously lost. The Soviets once again renounced their claims to all territory to the west of the new border, but nevertheless they invaded and occupied it two decades later in 1939. TL;DR - Russia is lying as usual. The first tweet also falsely claims that Poland was already defeated when the Soviet Union invaded and that the Polish government had already fled the country, despite the fact that Poland was far from defeated and the Polish government had not yet crossed the border into Romania. In any case, these lies ignore the rather pertinent fact that the invasion had already been pre-arranged with the Nazis, during and after the signing of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 23rd August 1939, which had defined the "spheres of influence" agreed by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, ie the territories that each of the signatories could invade without having to worry about retaliation from the other..... How do we know this? After the Second World War, the diplomatic communications between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that had been stored in the archives of the German Foreign Office were translated into English and published in a book called "Nazi-Soviet Relations 1939-41". The complete collection can now be found online HERE. The records of the correspondence and meetings that took place between August and October 1939 clearly demonstrate how the two tyrannies planned and executed their mutual invasion of Poland. Documents like these are not only fascinating from a historical perspective, but also valuable in that they contradict some of the lies of the Kremlin's post-war propagandists (past and present) and their attempts to rewrite history by downplaying or denying the fact that the Nazis and Soviets were in bed together from August 1939 to June 1941. The archives clearly demonstrate how the Soviets cooperated, coordinated and collaborated with their Nazi allies over and over again during this period. It's true that there was a gap of 16 days between the German invasion (1st September 1939) and the Soviet invasion (17th September 1939), but there were several reasons for the delay, for example: 1. The Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, was still preoccupied with his undeclared war against Japan, which was only concluded on 15th September. 2. He also wanted to see if the British and French would fulfill their treaty obligations to Poland and attack Germany's undefended western frontier. French mobilisation had begun on 2nd September and their offensive should have started no later than the 17th. 3. It took time to mobilise the Red Army. 4. There were a few minor disagreements between the Soviets and the Nazis. 5. Stalin also had to invent an excuse - ie the propaganda that would justify the invasion of a peaceful neighbour by the world's only communist state, in alliance with a fascist state. This is what actually happened in roughly chronological order.... Following the German invasion of Poland the Nazi foreign minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, sent a telegram to the German Ambassador in Moscow which included the following request: "We definitely expect to have beaten the Polish Army decisively in a few weeks. We would then keep the area that was established as German sphere of interest at Moscow under military occupation. We would naturally, however, for military reasons, also have to proceed further against such Polish military forces as are at that time located in the Polish area belonging to the Russian sphere of interest. Please discuss this at once with Molotov and see if the Soviet Union does not consider it desirable for Russian forces to move at the proper time against Polish forces in the Russian sphere of interest and, for their part, to occupy this territory. In our estimation this would be not only a relief for us, but also, in the sense of the Moscow agreements, in the Soviet interest as well. In this connection please determine whether we may discuss this matter with the officers who have just arrived here and what the Soviet Government intends their position to be". The Soviet foreign minister, Vyacheslav Molotov, responded with a telegram to the German ambassador on 5th September, which stated that: "....we agree with you that at a suitable time it will be absolutely necessary for us to start concrete action". Soviet mobilisation began on 6th September.  On 9th September, Molotov sent a telegram to Ribbentrop, to inform him that Soviet military intervention "....would take place within the next few days". On 10th September, the Soviet press was full of "in depth analysis" of the situation in Poland, stressing that German victory was imminent. The Soviet ambassador left Poland on 11th September. The next day the Soviet press launched a strident propaganda campaign of fake news about the treatment of the Belarusian and Ukrainian minorities in Poland (which was remarkably similar to the propaganda campaign of fake news the German press had launched about the treatment of the ethnic Germans living in Poland to justify the Nazi invasion), along with claims that the Polish army was scarcely fighting at all. And - of course - as the Polish state was disintegrating, it was imperative for the Red Army to prepare to rush to the aid of their Belarusian and Ukrainian "brothers" (this campaign also had more than a few things in common with the Kremlin’s campaign to justify Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, in which it claimed to be defending "oppressed" ethnic Russians).... On 14th September Molotov explained to the Germans that although the Red Army was ready to invade Poland, in order to justify the invasion politically: "....it was of the greatest importance not to take action until the governmental centre of Poland, the city of Warsaw, had fallen". Molotov therefore asked to be informed as soon as possible when the Germans expected to capture Warsaw. Polish government officials had begun to leave the capital on 7th September to escape the city's imminent encirclement by the German forces, which was complete by 16th September. The government initially relocated to Nałęczów, 85 miles south-east of Warsaw, then to Krzemieniec - under continual attack by the German airforce. They had to keep moving to avoid being captured by the advancing Germans, and followed retreating Polish forces who were forming a bridgehead in south-eastern Poland in the forlorn hope that the promised French advance by 17th September would actually take place. Here, with their back to two friendly nations, Romania and Hungary, the Polish army intended to make a last ditch stand - and if overwhelmed, to cross the border into Romania and make their way to the west to continue the fight from there. The government relocated to Zaleszczyki near the Romanian border on 14th September. When the town was bombed by the Luftwaffe, they relocated to nearby Kuty (the Polish GHQ was now also nearby in Kolomyja), while some of the various foreign ambassadors and their staff crossed the border into Romania. Ribbentrop sent Molotov a message on 15th September which stated that: "The destruction of the Polish Army is rapidly approaching its conclusion, as appears from the review of the military situation of September 14 which has already been communicated to you. We count on the occupation of Warsaw in the next few days". This was premature (Warsaw actually held out until 27th September), but inspired an immediate response from Molotov. According to the German Ambassador in Moscow, Molotov told him that: "....military intervention by the Soviet Union was imminent - perhaps even tomorrow or the day after. Stalin was at present in consultation with the military leaders and he would this very night, in the presence of Molotov, give me the day and hour of the Soviet advance". The USSR then put its invasion plans into action without delay. In the early hours of 17th September a telegram from the German ambassador to the German Foreign Office confirmed the news that the Nazis had been eagerly anticipating: "Stalin received me at 2 o'clock at night in the presence of Molotov and Voroshilov and declared that the Red Army would cross the Soviet border this morning at 6 o'clock along the whole line from Polozk to Kamenetz-Podolsk. In order to avoid incidents, Stalin urgently requested that we see to it that German planes as of today do not fly east of the Bialystok-Brest-Litovsk-Lemberg Line. Soviet planes would begin today to bomb the district east of Lemberg. I promised to do my best with regard to informing the German Air Force but asked in view of the little time left that Soviet planes not approach the above-mentioned line too closely today. The Soviet commission will arrive in Bialystok tomorrow or day after tomorrow at the latest. Stalin read me a note that is to be handed to the Polish Ambassador tonight, to be sent in copy to all the missions in the course of the day and then published. The note contains a justification for the Soviet action. The draft read to me contained three points unacceptable to us. In answer to my objections, Stalin with the utmost readiness so altered the text that the note now seems satisfactory for us". The Nazi and Soviet allies were also squabbling over the wording of a joint declaration to justify the USSR's invasion of Poland. Stalin wanted to use the already prepared excuse that they were going to "protect" the Belarusians and Ukrainians threatened by the German advance, which didn't please the Germans. Even more farcical was the attempt to give the aforementioned note signed by Molotov to the Polish ambassador in Moscow at 3AM on 17th September. The Polish ambassador was first summoned by deputy foreign minister Potemkin but refused to accept the note on behalf of his government. When he returned to his office he found a messenger waiting at the door who attempted to hand him the note, but once again he refused to accept it. The note tried to justify the Soviet invasion on the grounds that the Polish government and Poland itself had ceased to exist, and thus so had all the non-aggression treaties between the two countries. This claim was entirely false - and in any case, the note had been prepared several days before. Stalin kept his word to the Germans about when the Soviet invasion would begin - 6AM - and at the appointed time, Soviet troops invaded Poland. Fortunately for them, there weren't many troops defending Poland's eastern border. The Polish army's south-eastern bridgehead was also rapidly destroyed by the combined pressure of the German and Soviet armies, although nearly 100,000 soldiers did escape before Soviet forces prevented any further troops from crossing into Romania. Many more were captured and deported to the east, including 15,000 officers who were murdered by the NKVD a few months later in what became known as the Katyn Massacre. Nevertheless, the Soviet invasion did face some resistance from Poland's Border Guard Corps, and units of the Polish army continued to fight against both invaders until 6th October 1939. For example, the Soviets captured Grodno on 21st September after two days of combat in which the Soviet army lost several dozen tanks and several hundred soldiers. In retaliation, the Soviets committed mass murders of the Polish population and prisoners of war (something that will also seem depressingly familiar to anyone who followed the news during Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022). Meanwhile, the Polish government held a cabinet meeting at 4PM on 17th September, in full knowledge that Soviet forces were rapidly advancing towards them. It was concluded that they should leave for Romania, and from there go on to France. Most of Poland's highest government officials managed to cross the border on the night of 17th-18th September. Marshall Rydz-Śmigły and his GHQ staff crossed the border the next day. No orders for a general surrender of the Polish army were ever given and no general surrender ever took place. The remnants of the Polish army that managed to avoid capture immediately commenced an underground war against both occupiers. The joint declaration by the USSR and Germany was issued on 18th September. And funnily enough it did not mention the Belarusians or Ukrainians - just more lies about Poland ceasing to exist and so on.... Unfortunately for the Polish government, the Romanians, under extreme pressure from the German government, interned all the most senior Polish leaders. But this did not mean that the Polish state ceased to exist. Using Article 24 of the Polish Constitution of April 1935, Polish President Mościcki, who was interned on 18th September - transferred his presidential powers to Władysław Rackiewicz in Paris as soon as he was able - on 29th September - and Władysław Sikorski, who had avoided internment and succeeded in reaching France, was appointed Prime Minister the next day (he had already taken command of all Polish forces that had succeeded in reaching France, on 25th September). Poland had a fully functioning government again within days, and the lasting significance of Romania's internment of Poland's pre-war leadership was that the new government consisted almost entirely of members of the pre-war opposition. A Friendship and Border treaty was signed by Germany and the USSR on 28th September 1939, along with a secret protocol establishing the border between the two countries. Three additional protocols were added to the agreement, the third of which stated that: "Both parties will tolerate no Polish agitation in their territories which affects the territories of the other party. They will suppress in their territories all beginnings of such agitation and inform each other concerning suitable measures for this purpose". The signing of the treaty was accompanied by an announcement stating that both parties wanted an end to the war between Germany, Britain and France - and that if Britain and France refused to stop the war, "....the Governments of Germany and of the USSR shall engage in mutual consultations with regard to necessary measures". According to Molotov: "....it is not only absurd, it is criminal to wage a war to 'smash Hitlerism' under the false slogan of a war for democracy". At a session of the Supreme Soviet on 31st October, he bragged about the USSR's military partnership with Germany: "....it was proved enough for Poland to be dealt one swift blow, first by the German army and then by the Red Army, to wipe out all remains of this monstrous bastard offspring of the Versailles Treaty".

However, Molotov was wrong (as well as being dumb enough to trust the Nazis). Little did he know that a few decades later it would be the Soviet Union that ceased to exist, and that Poland would play a prominent role in its downfall.... TL;DR - Russia is lying as usual. The second tweet repeats the lie about the Polish state ceasing to exist and also makes the ludicrous claim that the USSR cared so much about the Belarusians and Ukrainians living in eastern Poland that it had to rush to their rescue and protect them. As described above, "protecting" the Belarusians and Ukrainians is how the backstabbing invasion of Poland was presented to the Soviet public by Stalin's propaganda machine. But here's the thing - Stalin couldn't give a fuck about the welfare of the Belarusians and Ukrainians. Otherwise he wouldn't have spent the previous few years subjecting the USSR's Belarusian and Ukrainian populations to dekulakisation, forced collectivisation and the Yezhovshchina (purges), brutally suppressing their culture as well as their religious and community life, and sending lots of them to the gulags. There's also the small matter of how millions of Ukrainians on the Soviet side of the border somehow managed to starve to death despite living in the breadbasket of Europe. The people of Soviet Belarus and Ukraine lived in a state of poverty and backwardness compared to the Belarusians and Ukrainians who lived in Poland and this difference in living standards was something that Soviet soldiers couldn't fail to notice after crossing the Polish border (which also helps to explain why they spent so much of their time stealing anything that was removable). There are many accounts of how the invaders reacted to the realisation that the people they'd been sent to "protect" were more prosperous, but this one is as good as any: ...."as we moved ahead we saw that [Polish] people were much better off, both in military life and in everyday life", says Georgy Dragunov, who was astonished to witness the disparity in wealth between the communist Soviet Union and the capitalist Poland. "We saw beautifully furnished houses - even peasant houses. [Even] their poorest people were better off than our people - their furniture was polished. Only later did we start to furnish our apartments with similar sorts of furniture. Each Polish peasant [in eastern Poland] had no less than two horses and every household had three or four cows and a lot of poultry. This was so unexpected for us because of the propaganda - which was [now] wasted on us because we could see electricity in the peasants' houses whereas in Soviet Belarus we didn't have electricity".... (quoted in "World War 2 Behind Closed Doors" by Laurence Rees, first edition, 2008, p25). What Stalin actually cared about was the fact that on the Polish side of the border there were Belarusians and Ukrainians who were beyond his control. It made perfect sense from his perspective to strike a deal with the Nazis to carve up Poland between them (sweet revenge for defeat in the Polish-Soviet war 20 years earlier) and the added bonus was that it enabled him to incorporate all Belarusians and Ukrainians into the USSR, thus making it easier to keep in check any moves towards a genuinely free and independent Belarus or Ukraine. And as already mentioned above, when the Nazi and Soviet allies issued their joint declaration about the invasion and occupation of Poland, it didn't include a single word about the Belarusians or Ukrainians. TL;DR - Russia is lying as usual. In the year of thirty nine Hitler and Stalin had a dine "You take East - West be mine?" Stalin nodded: "sounds mighty fine!" They signed a deal (as allies do) And then they started World War 2 But friends will come and friends will go As Stalin later came to know.... 😊

disruption, [7] of the spiritual and social crisis that humanity faces in the 21st century, of the

"degeneration" (disconnection from the ancestors, the gods, and the ultimate God) of humanity itself. [3] Joining Rodnovery and its values often involves ceremonies of formal rejection of Christianity and its products, called raskrestitsia ("de-Christianisation"). [8] Slavic mythology or Slavic paganism is the religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and the 13th century. [1] The South Slavs, who likely settled in the Balkan Peninsula during the 6th-7th centuries AD, [2] bordering with the Byzantine Empire to the south, came under the sphere of influence of Eastern Christianity, beginning with the creation of writing systems for Slavic languages (first Glagolitic, and then Cyrillic script) in 855 by the brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius and the adoption of Christianity in Bulgaria in 864 and 863 in Great Moravia. The East Slavs followed with the official adoption in 988 by Vladimir the Great of Kievan Rus'. [3] The West Slavs' process of Christianisation was more gradual and complicated. The Moravians accepted Christianity as early as 831, the Bohemian dukes followed in 845, Slovaks accepted Christianity somewhere between the years 828 and 863, [4] but the first historical Polish ruler (Mieszko I) accepted it much later, in - [x] JUNGLEWOODNETHERRACKNETHERWARTENCHANTMENTTABLECHORUSFLOWERREDSTONEREPEATERREDSTONECOMPARATORTRiPWiREHOOKCOMMANDBLOCKSTiCKYPiSTONALiENSSPECiESFAiRiESDEiTiESGODSCLOWNSROBOTSANDROiDSARTiFiCiALiNTELLiGENCESBRAiNSPOWERSiNTELLiGENCEQUOTiENTSWORMSTAPEWORMSTUBESTUMORSCANCERSHOSTSENTiTiESFUNGiSPARASiTESBACTERiASAMiCROORGANiSMSMUSHROOMSSURGERiESSCiENCESPHYSiCSWiTCHCRAFTSMAGiCSVOODOOSHOODOOSWiZARDSWARLOCKSCULTSSECRETSOCiETiSALTEREGOSiNNERDEMONSCROSSROADDEMONSMEDiCALTREATMENTS CLONES

Today's selected anniversaries: 31st May 2024

1223:

Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus': Mongol forces defeated a Kievan Rus' army at the Kalka River in present-day Ukraine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Kalka_River

1468:

Cardinal Bessarion announced his donation of 746 Greek and Latin codices to the Republic of Venice, forming the Biblioteca Marciana. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblioteca_Marciana

1935:

An earthquake registering 7.7 Mw struck Balochistan in British India, now part of Pakistan, killing between 30,000 and 60,000 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1935_Quetta_earthquake

2013:

A tornado struck Central Oklahoma, killing 8 people and injuring more than 150. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_El_Reno_tornado

The Mongol Empire was one of the largest empires in history, spanning from Eastern Europe to Asia. Here is a list of countries conquered by the Mongolian Empire, along with some details and their present-day names:

1. China

The Mongol Empire conquered China in 1279, establishing the Yuan dynasty. The present-day name for China is the People's Republic of China.

2. Korea

The Mongol Empire invaded Korea multiple times in the 13th century, but failed to fully conquer the country. Korea is now divided into North Korea and South Korea.

3. Central Asia

The Mongol Empire conquered much of Central Asia, including modern-day Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.

4. Russia

The Mongol Empire conquered the Kievan Rus, a federation of East Slavic tribes, in the 13th century. The present-day name for Russia is the Russian Federation.

5. Hungary

The Mongol Empire invaded Hungary in 1241, but were defeated by the Hungarian army. Hungary is now a landlocked country in central Europe.

6. Poland

The Mongol Empire invaded Poland in 1241, but were defeated by the Polish army. Poland is now a country in central Europe.

7. Iran

The Mongol Empire conquered Iran in the 13th century, establishing the Ilkhanate dynasty. Iran is now officially known as the Islamic Republic of Iran.

8. Iraq

The Mongol Empire conquered Iraq in the13th century, including Baghdad. Iraq is now officially known as the Republic of Iraq.

9. Georgia

The Mongol Empire invaded Georgia multiple times in the 13th century, eventually establishing a Mongol protectorate. Georgia is now a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia.

10. Armenia

The Mongol Empire conquered Armenia in the 13th century, establishing the Ilkhanate dynasty. Armenia is now a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia.

11. Syria

The Mongol Empire conquered Syria in the 13th century, including Damascus. Syria is now officially known as the Syrian Arab Republic.

12. Afghanistan

The Mongol Empire conquered Afghanistan in the 13th century, establishing the Ilkhanate dynasty. Afghanistan is now officially known as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

13. Turkey

The Mongol Empire invaded Anatolia, modern-day Turkey, in the 13th century, but were eventually defeated by the Seljuk Turks. Turkey is now officially known as the Republic of Turkey.

The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan, who united many of the nomadic tribes of Mongolia and began conquering neighboring territories. Under his leadership, the Mongol Empire expanded rapidly, conquering much of China, Central Asia, and parts of Eastern Europe. Genghis Khan was a skilled military strategist and his army was known for its use of horses, archery, and tactics such as feigned retreats.

After Genghis Khan's death in 1227, his empire was divided among his sons and grandsons. Each of these rulers, known as khans, continued to expand the empire through conquest, diplomacy, and trade. The Mongol Empire was characterized by a highly organized military, a sophisticated system of administration and taxation, and a strong emphasis on trade and commerce.

One of the key factors that allowed the Mongol Empire to expand so rapidly was its use of a vast network of messengers and couriers, known as the Yam system. This allowed the Mongol rulers to communicate quickly and efficiently across vast distances, and to coordinate military campaigns and trade routes.

The Mongol Empire also had a significantcultural impact on the regions it conquered. It brought together diverse peoples and cultures, leading to a fusion of ideas and traditions. The Mongols were known for their religious tolerance, and allowed people of different religions to practice freely within their empire.

One of the most well-known figures of the Mongol Empire was Kublai Khan, who became the first emperor of the Yuan Dynasty in China. Kublai Khan was a patron of the arts and literature, and under his rule, China experienced a period of cultural and economic prosperity.

The Mongol Empire began to decline in the mid-14th century, due to a combination of factors including internal strife, overextension of resources, and the emergence of new powers such as the Timurid Empire. By the late 14th century, the empire had fragmented into smaller states and lost much of its territory.

Despite its relatively short existence of around 150 years, the Mongol Empire left a lasting impact on the regions it conquered. It introduced new technologies, such as gunpowder and the printing press, and spread ideas and knowledge across vast distances. The legacy of the Mongol Empire continues to be felt in many parts of the world today.

The Poterchata [Ukrainian mythology]

Small, supernatural flames or lights that float over swamps and marshes are a commonly reoccurring theme in myths and beliefs from around the world. Today, such sightings are usually attributed to swamp gases but in the past they were often thought to be ghosts, spirits or undead souls.

The Poterchata are one version of that story, they originate from Ukrainian legends. These ghosts are the souls of unbaptized children (usually under 8), which also includes babies who died during childbirth. Unable to pass on to the afterlife, they were doomed to wander the Earth.

These are dangerous spirits and would manifest as floating lights to lead curious or lost travellers into the water, where they would drown. They could also be heard laughing and crying in deep forests. There are also accounts of Poterchata tickling a victim to death, or just trying to scare travellers in the dark. But they were not entirely evil, as these spirits could be saved.

They fly around at night, and are considered related to the Ukrainian Mavka, spirits of young girls who were associated with water. They inhabit lakes and rivers.

In one version, the Poterchata take the form of birds, and they remain like that for 7 years after the death of their human body. In Podolsk (Ukraine) and Belarus, they turn into mermaids (note the recurring association with water or water spirits). In this form, they still resembled children, but had a blueish skin. In literature and fiction, Poterchata were sometimes depicted as corporeal, humanoid creatures with monstrous characteristics like fangs and claws.

It is considered polite and customary to give a piece of cloth to these spirits if you happened to encounter one. This is related to an Ukrainian custom where the godparents of a newly born child gift a towel to the parents, to wrap and hold the baby. One should also leave a small crucifix for the spirit.

In some versions, the spirits are nameless because a child only ‘officially’ receives their name when they are baptized. Hence, they were buried in a nameless grave, and it is said that you could hear wailing or crying if you held your ear next to their gravestone. I am uncertain what time period or region this statement comes from.

Hanna Barvinok, (the pseudonym of) a 19th century Ukrainian writer and folklorist, wrote in her story about mermaids that unbaptized children were often buried underneath the house of their parents. Sometimes you could hear their voice, complaining that their mother buried them. It was also common to bury the child close to the fireplace, as the fireplace of the house was a culturally important spot where the spirits of the family’s ancestors were thought to dwell. The reasoning here is by burying the infant here, it would be left in the care of its ancestors, who would protect it against evil spirits. In some places in Russia, unbaptized children and infants would be buried underneath a tree instead.

Sources: Романова, O. M., 2018, ДИТЯЧИЙ ОБРАЗ ЛІСОВОЇ ДЕМОНОЛОГІЇ В ТРАДИЦІЙНИХ ВІРУВАННЯХ. ПОТЕРЧАТА, in: ІСТОРИЧНІ НАУКИ, 23, p76-81 (The child’s image of forest demonology in traditional reliabilities: Poterchata, in: Historical Sciences) Fody, G. D., 1963, A survey of the mythology of Kievan Rus’ and its survivals in the folklore of the eastern Slavs, thesis submitted to the faculty of graduate studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts, University of Alberta. Riazantseva, T., 2020, Slavic folktale characters in Serhiy Oksenyk’s fantasy trilogy: walking, flying, floating, САВРЕМЕНА СРПСКА ФОЛКЛОРИСТИКА, C.381-388. (image source 1: Daria Zhuk on Artstation) (image source 2: Olha Nazarets on Artstation)

Ukraine - CIA factbook

Introduction

Background

Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries.

Administering justice in Kievan Rus, by Ivan Bilibin. Source: http://www.vnikitskom.ru/antique/auction/80/34853/

A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine achieved a short-lived period of independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and endured a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two forced famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died.

Holodomor, man-made famine that convulsed the Soviet republic of Ukraine from 1932 to 1933, peaking in the late spring of 1933. It was part of a broader Soviet famine (1931–34) that also caused mass starvation in the grain-growing regions of Soviet Russia and Kazakhstan. Photos: https://ukrainer.net/common-lies-about-the-holodomor/

In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although Ukraine achieved independence in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy and prosperity remained elusive as the legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties.

A peaceful mass protest referred to as the "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH to stage a comeback in parliamentary (Rada) elections, become prime minister in August 2006, and be elected president in February 2010. In October 2012, Ukraine held Rada elections, widely criticized by Western observers as flawed due to use of government resources to favor ruling party candidates, interference with media access, and harassment of opposition candidates. President YANUKOVYCH's backtracking on a trade and cooperation agreement with the EU in November 2013 - in favor of closer economic ties with Russia - and subsequent use of force against students, civil society activists, and other civilians in favor of the agreement led to a three-month protest occupation of Kyiv's central square. The government's use of violence to break up the protest camp in February 2014 led to all out pitched battles, scores of deaths, international condemnation, a failed political deal, and the president's abrupt departure for Russia. New elections in the spring allowed pro-West president Petro POROSHENKO to assume office in June 2014; he was succeeded by Volodymyr ZELENSKY in May 2019.

Shortly after YANUKOVYCH's departure in late February 2014, Russian President PUTIN ordered the invasion of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula falsely claiming the action was to protect ethnic Russians living there. Two weeks later, a "referendum" was held regarding the integration of Crimea into the Russian Federation. The "referendum" was condemned as illegitimate by the Ukrainian Government, the EU, the US, and the UN General Assembly (UNGA). In response to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, 100 members of the UN passed UNGA resolution 68/262, rejecting the "referendum" as baseless and invalid and confirming the sovereignty, political independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

In mid-2014, Russia began supplying proxies in two of Ukraine's eastern provinces with manpower, funding, and materiel driving an armed conflict with the Ukrainian Government that continues to this day. Representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the unrecognized Russian proxy republics signed the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum in September 2014 to end the conflict. However, this agreement failed to stop the fighting or find a political solution. In a renewed attempt to alleviate ongoing clashes, leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany negotiated a follow-on Package of Measures in February 2015 to implement the Minsk agreements. Representatives from Ukraine, Russia, the unrecognized Russian proxy republics, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe also meet regularly to facilitate implementation of the peace deal. More than 14,000 civilians have been killed or wounded as a result of the Russian intervention in eastern Ukraine.

Geography

Location

Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east

Area

total: 603,550 sq km land: 579,330 sq km water: 24,220 sq km note: approximately 43,133 sq km, or about 7.1% of Ukraine's area, is Russian occupied; the seized area includes all of Crimea and about one-third of both Luhans'k and Donets'k oblasts

country comparison to the world: 48

Land boundaries

border countries (7): Belarus 1111 km, Hungary 128 km, Moldova 1202 km, Poland 498 km, Romania 601 km, Russia 1944 km, Slovakia 97 km

Trelleborgen, Trelleborg (No. 8)

Vikings were the seafaring Norse people from southern Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden) who from the late 8th to late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and settled throughout parts of Europe, and explored westward to Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland. In the countries they raided and settled, the period is known as the Viking Age, and the term 'Viking' also commonly includes the inhabitants of the Norse homelands. The Vikings had a profound impact on the early medieval history of Scandinavia, the British Isles, France, Estonia, Kievan Rus' and Sicily.

Expert sailors and navigators aboard their characteristic longships, Vikings voyaged as far as the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, and were the first Europeans to reach North America, briefly settling in Newfoundland. Vikings established Norse settlements and governments in the British Isles, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Normandy, the Baltic coast, and along the Dnieper and Volga trade routes in what is now European Russia, Belarus and Ukraine (where they were known as Varangians). The Normans, Norse-Gaels, Rus' people, Faroese and Icelanders emerged from these Norse colonies. While spreading Norse culture to foreign lands, they simultaneously brought home foreign cultural influences to Scandinavia, profoundly influencing the historical development of both. During the Viking Age the Norse homelands were gradually consolidated from smaller kingdoms into three larger kingdoms: Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

The Vikings spoke Old Norse and made inscriptions in runes. For most of the period they followed the Old Norse religion, but later became Christians. The Vikings had their own laws, art and architecture. Most Vikings were also farmers, fishermen, craftsmen and traders. Popular conceptions of the Vikings often strongly differ from the complex, advanced civilisation of the Norsemen that emerges from archaeology and historical sources. A romanticised picture of Vikings as noble savages began to emerge in the 18th century; this developed and became widely propagated during the 19th-century Viking revival.Perceived views of the Vikings as violent, piratical heathens or as intrepid adventurers owe much to conflicting varieties of the modern Viking myth that had taken shape by the early 20th century. Current popular representations of the Vikings are typically based on cultural clichés and stereotypes, complicating modern appreciation of the Viking legacy. These representations are rarely accurate—for example, there is no evidence that they wore horned helmets, a costume element that first appeared in Wagnerian opera.

Source: Wikipedia

Updated Master List

I’ve been abandoning, editing, or pulling down materials I’m not happy with lately. Along with general inactivity on Tumblr, I realized my post history is inaccurate. Thus, I present all completed material I have written and still actively have up. Note this is Hetalia content unless otherwise stated.

Fake It Until You Make It: Ivan fakes a relationship with Alfred to get out of his miserable marriage. Clean-ish human AU with rusame and rochu. 13 chapters.

Heart Of Hearing: An entire universe of FACE interaction that begins around Matthew as a deaf child. This is a massive domestic story, being released weekly until it’s conclusion. Nedcan, rusame, denpru, and much more. 55 chapters and counting.

Landing Off Course: Alfred’s plane crashes into the sea, but he miraculously survives. Clean human AU rusame created for MerMay. 6 chapters

Fuck And Burn The House Down: Title says it all. Dirty rusame. 1 chapter.

A Bunny’s Tail: Alfred and Ivan do pet play. Dirty rusame. 1 chapter. For Family: Sad historical Canada in WW2. Clean with no ships. 1 chapter.

A Fairy Big Problem: Fairy prince Alfred is sent to Earth as disciplinary punishment. Cleanish rusame and nedcan. 14 chapters.

The Spy That Stole My Heart: Spy Alfred is forced to work with reformed super villain Ivan on a dangerous mission in France. Very violent spy AU rusame. 11 chapters.

Hopping Mad Over You: Lars loses his beloved pet rabbit in the apartment, magic ensues. Clean human AU nedcan. 1 chapter.

Birds Of A Feather: Matthew, god of birds, has chosen a new mate. Clean gods AU nedcan, prucan, and rusame. 1 chapter.

Friendship Is Magic: Matthew is the unhappiest village member of friendship village. Violent dirty My Little Pony/Hetalia mix with nedcan and rusame. 1 chapter.

Crazy Love: Matthew’s alien crazed father is set up with eccentric recluse Ivan. Cleanish human AU nedcan, rusame and amefra. 7 chapters.

His Song: Matthew sings Lars a song. Clean canon nedcan. 1 chapter.

Learning Her Way: Matthew escorts his transgender girlfriend to school. Clean human AU nedcan. 1 chapter.

Matthew, The Worst Demon Ever: Matthew is very bad at tormenting Lars. Lars doesn’t seem to mind. Very violent demon AU nedcan and fruk. 8 chapters.

Love Is For The Birds: Matthew is a Canadian goose in a zoo. Clean zoo AU with nedcan. 1 chapter.

Two Terrible People In Love: France and England are assholes watching TV. Clean canon AU fruk. 1 chapter.

Eyes For You: Canada slips Netherlands a note during a meeting. Clean canon nedcan. 2 chapters.

Hot Canadian Pizza: Lars delivers a saucy pizza. Dirty-ish human AU nedcan. 1 chapter.

Till We Part: Ivan’s wife dies, and Alfred comforts him. Clean human AU rusromano and rusame. 1 chapter.

Giving Chase: Wolf has feelings, and he is not great at expressing them. Dirty-ish Nu Pogodi! fic (soviet cartoon give it a chance). 7 chapters.

Cut Above The Rest: Alfred commits suicide. Violent canon implied rusame. 2 chapters.

I Choose You: Alfred and Ivan are roommates in the complicated world of pokemon. Violent Pokemon/human Hetalia AU with nedcan and rusame. 26 chapters.

Paternity Testing: Sweden gets a surprising paternity test result. Clean canon with no ships. 1 chapter.

Curses And Gifts: Follow Natalia as she moves beyond suicidal mental blocks. Clean-ish human AU with hunbela lesbians. 2 chapters.

Love, Magic, And Insurance Fraud: Toris’s life falls apart after he buys a fridge off a shady polish website. Cleanish modern fantasy AU with poliet, prucan, and rusame. 15 chapters.

Shut Down: Alfred hides at Ivan’s house while his government is in turmoil. Dirty canon rusame. 1 chapters.

Curiosity Killed The Cat: Detectives Ivan and Alfred team up to solve a grisly crime. Dirty human AU rusame, aushun, and more. 17 chapters.

Happy Birthday: Russia goes insane in his apartment. Violent canon with implied rusame. 1 chapter.

From The Web: Alfred gets a spider obsessed new roommate. Apocalypse AU with rusame and geripan. 20 chapters.

Learning From My Mistakes: Grow with Toris as he stumbles through the hard lessons of school, friendship, and what love actually is. Dirty human AU with poliet, lietbel, and rusame. 15 chapters.

Fortunes, Folly, And Vodka: Ivan, a Russian gypsy con artist, can suddenly see ghosts. Dirty modern fantasy AU with spamano, gerita, and ruscan. 11 chapters.

The Founding Of Kievan Rus: Ivan is a young nation that is willing to get his hands dirty. Historical canon with no ships. 1 chapter.

Life Debt: Alfred rescues Ivan from himself after the USSR dissolves. Violent canon rusame. 11 chapters

Far From Home: Lost cosmonaut Ivan is rescued by alien alfred in deep space. Dirty space AU with rusame and packed with aliens. 19 chapters.

Bottled Emotions: Alfred loses his temper on the job. Violent canon AU with implied rusame. 1 chapter.

Hetalia Monsters Universe Series: This is three connected stories about Alfred loving Ivan, who has been a secret sea monster for centuries. It is domestic canon rusame, but also has heaps of tentacle sex. Part one is 9 chapters, part two is 7 chapters, and part three is 2 chapters.

His Amazing Grace: Alfred sustains massive brain damage, and Ivan helps him heal. Cleanish canon rusame. 15 chapters.

A Life Of Glitter: Alfred and Ivan raise Matthew in the glory days of the 1980′s. Clean fluffy human AU. 5 chapters.

Madness And Profits: A poem about mad scientist Alfred seducing business man Ivan. Cleanish human AU rusame. 1 chapter.

Lost And Found: Monster hunter Alfred attempts to rehabilitate insane wizard Ivan. Dirty fantasy AU rusame. 11 chapters.

Life Is Not A Sitcom: Alfred is seduced by Belarus, but it backfires hilariously. Cleanish canon rus/ame/bel poly. 10 chapters.

Ambitions Beyond The Stars: Alfred asks Ivan to kill someone for him, and their relationship grows from it. Violent canon rusame with sappy ending. 47 chapters.

The Oops: Ivan accidentally becomes pregnant. Dirty canon rusame. 6 chapters.

Branding The Future: Ivan and Alfred take over the world. Clean canon rusame. 2 chapters.

Weapons Of Mass Distraction: Italy has secret weapon technology that Ivan and Alfred want. Clean canon with implied rusame. 1 chapter.

Feeling Feline: Ivan is a sexy cat. Cleanish canon with humour. 1 chapter.

Fate Follows: Russia discovers a deadly secret about America. Cleanish canon rusame. 10 chapters.

Dark Destiny: Necromancer king Ivan takes prince Alfred hostage. Clean fantasy AU rusame and fruk. 3 chapters.

Beauty To Die For: 1920′s Assassin Ivan desires mafia wife Amelia. Clean 1920′s crime AU. 1 chapter.

I don't think of Gilbert as old Prussia either, but since Lithuania has history wise been around for about 4000 years,he's older than Gilbert I like the idea of them knowing each other as friends before Gilbert was used to convert others.It's not historically accurate in any way,I just want Toris to have fun with Gilbert and all 8 of his siblings because that's the purest thing ever. That and the two would probably mess around or prank Kievan-Rus who back in the day was Lithuania's enemy

Ohh, I see! That could be cute. 

The Beilis Trial- A Story of Antisemitism

  On March 20th 1911 the body  of a 12-year-old boy was discovered in a small cave in the Lukyanovskaya suburb of Kiev. The body had 47 stab wounds made by a stitching awl, a special tool used for making holes in thick materials, such as leather. 

  The boy’s name was Andrei Yushchinsky, and what should have been a thorough criminal investigation uncovering local gang activities, turned into a shameful prosecution of Menahem Mendel Beilis, an innocent Jewish man, fueled by the antisemitic movement and political instability of the Russian Empire at the time.

  Let us set the stage for this story, by diving into some important historical events, which facilitated the social unrest in the nation. 

  Firstly, “Krepostnoe Pravo” was the ownership or serfdom of peasants, which existed in the Empire since 14 hundreds, the times of Kievan Rus`. Unlike slavery in the West, serfdom meant that the people were attached to a certain piece of land, and could only be sold along with that land. Attempts to abolish it began in 1790s, but it took a lot of efforts and enlightenment to finally get rid of the inhumane rule in 1861 by Tsar Alexander II.

(Tsar Alexander Nikolaevich II. Years of reign 1855-1881)

  While it is fair to mention, that a lot of nobility were supportive of the reform, we cannot ignore the resistance from others, far less enthusiastic dwellers of the wealthy social layers. 

  Another important factor in the game were the religious and cultural differences with the Jewish people, whose population increased tremendously after Russian Empire acquired new territories through the division of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Jewish community constantly faced hardships and discrimination. “Pogroms”, the ultra-violent attacks on whole Jewish neighborhoods were terrible massacres, with no prosecution. 

  Finally, the growing revolutionary movement created secret societies and terrorist groups, who either supported the monarchy or wished to overturn it, both in their own violent ways.

  This dangerous cocktail would be the cause of many sad and unfair acts against innocent people, and it would play the main role in the Beilis Trial.

  Let us return to the sad story of the 12-year-old Andrei, who grew up without much affection or care from his single mother. His neighbours & classmates would often see him wonder the streets alone in the late hours. Despite the obvious neglect, he was considered a smart & well-behaved child, perhaps a little quiet and distant at times. He studied in the Theological School at St. Sophia Cathedral, hoping to become a priest which was his chance to escape his miserable life.

(The only photos that exist of Andrei, are those from his funeral)

  When Andrei’s body was discovered, he had been missing for 8 days. Inspection indicated that the boy was not murdered in the cave, and numerous stab wounds were sustained after he was already dead. The main cause of death was a blunt head trauma. It seemed the piercing wounds had exsanguinated his body and a wave of dark rumours swept through the nation, theorizing a “ritual killing” or a “blood libel”, which according to some old-wives tale was a Jewish tradition. The situation, being as volatile as it was, did not need much to spark up a public outrage. Antisemitic tendencies were further fueled by the investigation receiving anonymous letters, blaming the Jewish community for the murder. 

  Even though no hard evidence indicting Jewish involvement was found, the society’s demand for justice against the non-Christians was forcing the police and court to dig for “the truth”, even if it meant fabricating it. The far-right nationalist groups began protests, using Andrei as a martyr icon. New pogroms were planned to avenge the boy, who could never had imagined such attention during his lifetime.

(The cave where Andrei’s body was discovered)

  Because the cave where Andrei’s body was discovered happened to be conveniently located near a brick factory run by a couple of wealthy Jews, the fingers were quickly pointed at them. The role of the scape goat had befallen Menahem Mendel Beilis, superintendent of the factory. The “evidence” and witness statements presented to the investigation did not make sense and showed all signs of being tempered with.

(Menahem Mendel Beilis  on the day of apprehension )

  Luckily, in the police force there were some capable of disconnecting themselves from the antisemitic propaganda and taking an unbiased look at the crime.

  The main suspicion was the inconsistencies in the statements of one witness- Vera Cheberiak, who was one of the first to blame the Jews. Her son Zhenya happened to be Andrei’s close friend, and the boys often played in their home. Secondly, Vera was known to be connected to organized crime- holding a fence, dealing in stolen goods.

(the main suspect and probably one of the true murderers of Andrei- Vera Cheberyak)

  Zhenya’s first statement said that Andrei visited their home on the 12th of March, the day he disappeared. However, he later revoked his story and seemed to be frightened. Additionally, Vera’s neighbor remembered hearing strange noises and a child crying that same day. It was later uncovered, that Andrei and Zhenya had a row and the former threatened to spread the news about Vera’s illegal activities. It all was starting to look like Andrei witnessed something he shouldn’t have and paid a heavy price. Vera and her “buddies” further undermined their innocence by refusing to be interviewed, changing statements, even escaping custody.

(Vera’s gang buddies, believed to have murdered Andrei- Singaevskiy, Rudzinskiy & Latushev)

Despite the piling evidence against Vera Cheberyak and her gang, Menahem Beilis spent 2 years imprisoned before being put on trial. However, the attempts to prove his guilt were absolutely embarrassing and clearly fabricated. The workers of the factory provided a strong alibi for Beilis- the day Andrei went missing, the production was in full throttle, and he hardly left his office. Furthermore, a piece of fabric found next to the boy’s corpse matched bedsheets from Vera’s house. The court and jury had no more reason to hold Beilis and he was immediately released. The decision was respected by the outraged right groups and the intended pogroms were cancelled. The medieval concept of “blood libel” was denounced by the prominent journalists and politicians. Shortly after his release, Menahem Beilis migrated to USA, where he passed away in 1934.

  The tragedy of this story was in the fact that the murder of a young neglected boy was exploited by conflict-hungry individuals to carry out their dirty political agenda. Cheberyak received a fine dose of punishment from life itself- during the investigation 2 of her 3 children, including Zhenya, passed away from dysentery. She was never officially convicted for the murder of Andrei Yushchinsky, however was executed in 1919 by the new communist government.

  The Beilis Trial was extensively covered by the international media and was the subject of many books and cinema on the topic of Anti-Semitism. It also marked the political and moral rock-bottom that the Russian Empire had hit, in its preparedness to turn a blind eye on a known criminal and shift the blame on a Jew...on any Jew.

disruption, [7] of the spiritual and social crisis that humanity faces in the 21st century, of the

"degeneration" (disconnection from the ancestors, the gods, and the ultimate God) of humanity itself. [3] Joining Rodnovery and its values often involves ceremonies of formal rejection of Christianity and its products, called raskrestitsia ("de-Christianisation"). [8] Slavic mythology or Slavic paganism is the religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and the 13th century. [1] The South Slavs, who likely settled in the Balkan Peninsula during the 6th-7th centuries AD, [2] bordering with the Byzantine Empire to the south, came under the sphere of influence of Eastern Christianity, beginning with the creation of writing systems for Slavic languages (first Glagolitic, and then Cyrillic script) in 855 by the brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius and the adoption of Christianity in Bulgaria in 864 and 863 in Great Moravia. The East Slavs followed with the official adoption in 988 by Vladimir the Great of Kievan Rus'. [3] The West Slavs' process of Christianisation was more gradual and complicated. The Moravians accepted Christianity as early as 831, the Bohemian dukes followed in 845, Slovaks accepted Christianity somewhere between the years 828 and 863, [4] but the first historical Polish ruler (Mieszko I) accepted it much later, in - [x] JUNGLEWOODNETHERRACKNETHERWARTENCHANTMENTTABLECHORUSFLOWERREDSTONEREPEATERREDSTONECOMPARATORTRiPWiREHOOKCOMMANDBLOCKSTiCKYPiSTONALiENSSPECiESFAiRiESDEiTiESGODSCLOWNSROBOTSANDROiDSARTiFiCiALiNTELLiGENCESBRAiNSPOWERSiNTELLiGENCEQUOTiENTSWORMSTAPEWORMSTUBESTUMORSCANCERSHOSTSENTiTiESFUNGiSPARASiTESBACTERiASAMiCROORGANiSMSMUSHROOMSSURGERiESSCiENCESPHYSiCSWiTCHCRAFTSMAGiCSVOODOOSHOODOOSWiZARDSWARLOCKSCULTSSECRETSOCiETiSALTEREGOSiNNERDEMONSCROSSROADDEMONSMEDiCALTREATMENTS AND

Discovering the world

Belarus 🇧🇾

Basic facts

Official name: Рэспубліка Беларусь/Республика Беларусь (Respublika Belarus) (Republic of Belarus)

Capital city: Minsk

Population: 9.4 million (2023)

Demonym: Belarusian

Type of government: unitary presidential republic

Head of state: Alexander Lukashenko (President)

Head of government: Roman Golovchenko (Prime Minister)

Gross domestic product (purchasing power parity): $221.18 (2023)

Gini coefficient of wealth inequality: 25.3% (low) (2019)

Human Development Index: 0.801 (very high) (2022)

Currency: Belarusian ruble (BYN)

Fun fact: Belarus has the world’s longest street.

Etymology

The country’s name is related to Belaya Rus’ (White Rus’), for which there are several theories. One of them suggests that it referred to the part of Ruthenian lands within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania where Christian Slavs lived, as opposed to Black Ruthenia, inhabited by pagan Balts.

Another theory links the name of the land with the color of its inhabitants’ clothing. A third one proposes that the color white was associated with the west, as Belarus was the western part of Kievan Rus’.

Geography

Belarus is located in Eastern Europe and borders Russia to the northeast and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.

The whole country has only one climate, humid continental. Temperatures range from -8 °C (18 °F) in winter to 19 °C (66.2 °F) in summer. The average annual temperature is 7 °C (44.6 °F).

The country is divided into six regions ((b)oblasts), which in turn are divided into 118 districts (raions). The largest cities in Belarus are Minsk, Gomel, Mogilev, and Vitebsk.

History

6th-8th centuries: Slavic migration

880-1240: Kievan Rus’

1251-1263: Kingdom of Lithuania

1253-1795: Grand Duchy of Lithuania

1772-1918: Russian Empire

1918-1919: Belarusian Democratic Republic

1919-1920: Socialist Soviet Republic of Lithuania and Belorussia

1920-1991: Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic

1941-1944: German occupation

1991-present: Republic of Belarus

Economy

Belarus mainly imports from Russia, China, and Poland and exports to Russia, Ukraine, and Poland. Its top exports are fertilizers, refined oil, and rapeseed oil.

The country was an important industry and trade hub in the Soviet Union. Services represent 66.8% of the GDP, followed by industry (23.4%) and agriculture (9.7%).

Belarus is a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Demographics

Belarusians represent 85% of the population, while Russians account for 7.5% and Poles for 3.1%. The main religion is Christianity, practiced by 91% of the population, of which 83.3% are Eastern Orthodox.

It has a neutral net migration rate and a fertility rate of 1.3 children per woman. 75% of the population lives in urban areas. Life expectancy is 72.1 years and the median age is 39.4 years. The literacy rate is 99.7%.

Languages

The official languages of the country are Belarusian, spoken at home by 23% of the population, and Russian, used by 70% of the population. However, the most common mother tongue is Belarusian.

Culture

Belarusian culture has been influenced by Poland and Russia. Belarusians are brutally honest, but also hospitable and welcoming.

Men traditionally wear a white, embroidered shirt (vyshyvanka), pants (partki), and a belt or sash. Women wear a shorter vyshyvanka, a wrap-around skirt (paniova), and a white headscarf (nametka).

Architecture

Architecture shows Lithuanian, Russian, and Soviet influences. Traditional houses are made of wood or brick and have steeply pitched roofs covered with thatch or wooden shingles. Windows are often small and have shutters.

Cuisine

The Belarusian diet is based on bread, meat, and vegetables. Typical dishes include draniki (thick potato pancakes), garbuzok (pumpkin soup), kalduny (dumplings stuffed with meat or mushrooms and served with sour cream or in a soup), solodukha (a cake made with malt dough), and verashchaka (a stew made with sausages, bacon, onions, flour, and beer).

Holidays and festivals

Belarus celebrates both Orthodox Christmas on January 7 and Christmas Day on December 25. Other public holidays include New Year’s Day on January 1 and 2, International Women’s Day, Labor Day, Victory Day on May 9, Independence Day on July 3, October Revolution Day on November 7, and Radonitsa, which is the Orthodox commemoration of the departed.

Radonitsa

Other celebrations include Dozhinki, a harvest festival; Kupala Night on July 6 in which children jump over a fire in couples, and Maslenitsa, which celebrates the arrival of spring by burning a scarecrow that represents winter.

Maslenitsa

Landmarks

There are four UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the Mir Castle Complex, the Nesvizh Castle, and the Struve Geodetic Arc, a chain of survey triangulations.

Mir Castle Complex

Other landmarks include the Augustousky Canal, a navigable canal that connects the Black and Baltic seas; the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom; the Gomel Palace; the Kamyanets Tower, a red-brick defensive tower, and the Olmanskiye Moors.

Olmanskiye Moors

Famous people

Aleksandr Medved - wrestler

Alexander Rybak - singer

Alyona Lanskaya - singer

Darya Domracheva - biathlete

Marc Chagall - painter

Olga Korbut - gymnast

Svetlana Alexievich - journalist and writer

Vasil Bykov - writer

Victoria Azarenka - tennis player

Vladimir Kovalenok - pilot and cosmonaut 

Alexander Rybak

You can find out more about life in Belarus in this post and this video.

9 creative approaches to designing monsters

Want to create a cool monster for your hero to slay, but unwilling to add just another wyvern or a troll to the story? Don’t worry, I’m here to kick-start your imagination!

1. Borrow from mytology

Everybody does it, I know. That’s how we got dragons, manticores and such. I’m not telling you to use something mainstream. There are plenty of awesome obscure creatures left. Greek and Norse myth are overused, so maybe look up Slavic, Native American, South Asian. Or just dig deeper.

Example:

This is a questing beast, a part-snake, part-lion, part-leopard, part-stag, that barks as loud as a pack of hounds. It can be found in Arthurian legends.

2. Watch a nature documentary

Animals can be downright terrifying at times.

Example:

This is a cone snail. This thing attacks its prey with a poisonous harpoon and then swallows it whole. Brutal, isn’t it?

Watch a video

3. Turn inner demons into outer ones

Make your monsters personify some fears or flaws of the hero. You can have a battle on two levels: physical against the creature and mental against character’s undoings.

Example:

Silent Hill series makes a great use of this technique. Most monsters there represent some flaw or phobia of the protagonist. Look at iconic nurses: their appearance is a mix of a bad horror movie and a bad porn movie, talking loudly of pent up sexual frustration that tortures James Sunderland.

4. Use metaphors

This approach is similar to the previous one. Take some threatening concept that heroes are struggling against and try to give it flesh.

Example:

Heroes in slavic fairy tales often battle against multi headed dragons. The dragon here represents a countless army of nomads, that besieged Kievan Rus’, hence its many heads.

The Battle of Ivan Tsarevich against Zmei Gorynych by Viktor Vasnetsov

5. Give a body to a force of nature

I’m not saying to create another walking mountain earth elemental, but something along the line may work. Think of any destructive natural process and try to build a being upon it.

Example:

D&D rust monsters are great example of it, turning steel into dust just like the real life corrosion.

6. Use mundane inspirations

Literally take any object in your room and try to think of it in a badass/scary vein.

Example:

Now I can’t think of an example here, so I’ll create one for you.

Imagine a knight in a full plate mail made of porcelain. Your hero battles him and shatters his armor pretty easily, only to find out that inside there was no living man, but boiling water that spills out, dealing nasty burns.

I’ve made this up while looking at my tea cup.

by @christophercant

7. Create a one-line rule

Come up with a simple idea of what your monster can or can not do. What is literally impossible for it? Maybe it is immune to some attacks. Build around that.

Example:

Nemean Lion had a hide impenetrable for weapons, so Hercules choked him to death.

Another good example is Marvel’s Juggernaut. Not a monster (debatable), but still. Once he started moving, he can not be stopped, no matter what. This is a super simple concept, which creates space for some interesting interactions.

Hercules' fight with the Nemean lion by Pieter Paul Rubens

8. Less is more

Sometimes a rudimentary idea is all you really need. Don’t overthink it.

Example:

Sif, the Great Grey Wolf is literally just a giant wolf with a sword in fangs. He still turned out to be one of the most memorable and iconic enemies in Dark Souls.

9. Mix it up

Don’t use just one of these approaches. Combine several concepts in a single creature. Let your reader analyze and build theories.

Let your imagination run free!

That’s it for today. Happy monster creation to you!