• squirrel@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    24 days ago

    While I recently dug into some Alemannic folklore, I discovered a different spin on the “fairies/spirits drowning people” tale, the Dolden. Essentially these malevolent spirits/ghosts resemble children caught in trees above stretches of water. At night they will call out for help, pretending to be trapped children, but they only wish for the helpful people to approach the tree they sit in and then fall into the water below where they drown. According to the myth, the Dolden were once mortal children who left to drown in a flood and now punish humans.

    • Godric@lemmy.worldOP
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      24 days ago

      I have a buddy gearing up to run a Vaesen campaign, the Dolden sound like the exact vibe he’s going for. Ah, this campaign is going to be fucked up :)

    • 🍉 DrRedOctopus 🐙🍉@lemmy.world
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      24 days ago

      more likely autism.

      its the age when they might start showing symptoms. it was easier for them to accept their child was replaced by a monster and the only way to bring them back is by torture and abandoned in the forest, than accepting that their child is not neurotypical

    • its_kim_love@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      24 days ago

      And regular drowning. Now we make up stuff like the smiley face killer or the missing 411 theory that there is someone going around shoving drunk dudes into the river.

  • Jankatarch@lemmy.world
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    20 days ago

    Opposite for bichura/archura from Turkic mythology.

    The male mimics human sounds to lure people into woods where they tickle the person to death.

    Meanwhile the female just lives in your house, feeds chickens if happy, or breaks your plates if mad. Oh also they come out at night to spin.
    (Omg that’s so me :3)