Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Get Listed for October - Ghost Stories

fair use: image here

The northern hemisphere tumbles into Autumn; Winter slinks nearer. Harvests are in. Frost will soon limn trees into skeletal silhouettes.

Liminality is a social ritual spanning a number of pre-Christian cultures, and pre-dates Halloween.

"El Día de Muertos - The Day of the Dead - celebrations in Mexico can be traced back to a pre-Columbian past. Rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors had been observed by these civilizations perhaps for as long as 2,500–3,000 years. In the pre-Hispanic era skulls were commonly kept as trophies and displayed during the rituals to symbolize death and rebirth. The celebration takes place on October 31, November 1 and November 2."

"Samhain (pronounced /ˈsɑːwɪn/ sah-win or /ˈsaʊ.ɪn/ sow-in[1] Irish pronunciation: [sˠaunʲ]) is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year. It is celebrated from sunset on 31 October to sunset on 1 November, which is nearly halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice."

(both from Wikipedia)

Halloween is all about skimpy outfits, er, trick or treat, ok, Christmas light strands repurposed with orange bulbs, well - ghosts and witches and monsters and politicians.

So in the spirit of spirits, gather around the embers of a dying fire and tell your spookiest ghost story, using at least 3 words (or reasonable derivatives) from this list.

fairy, portal, sacrifice, feast, smoke, winter, slaughter, spirit, veil, ritual, trick, disguise

As a reminder, please write your new pen, post it to your blog, and link to Real Toads using Mr. Linky below. Then, come back later - perhaps after midnight - to read and comment on your fellow poet's own pens.





13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great lead, and most excellent prompt! Three cheers from the trooping changlelings!

hedgewitch said...

I love it! Thanks for spreading the All Hallows vibe, M. I will be around after chores to allow others to curdle my blood.

Helen said...

Make my day ~~ curdle my blood (to quote Ms. Witch)

Susie Clevenger said...

I shall attempt to channel my inner scary..great prompt!

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Oh yay we're getting into the Hallowe'en goodies, always a lot of fun.

Hannah said...

Oh, I always love a word puzzle...thank you, M!

Anonymous said...

Cool prompt, Michael. I went rather serious, I'm afraid. k.

Margaret said...

We have so many school performances and functions to attend this week and weekend, but I hope to be able to write to this, even if it is late. Thanks for the prompt.

Sweeper of Dreams said...

Delightful prompt. I've been looking forward to playing with it all day. Cheers!

Anonymous said...

The prompt will remain open, and I'll be back later in the week and month, in case any wish to post in the coming days. Thanks to all for participating. ~ M

Margaret said...

A bit late. Thanks for the challenge.

Susan said...

If you really think about mine, your blood will curdle--or you might just find it sad or sweet. I creeped myself out anyway. Thanks Michael!

Fireblossom said...

I'm late but I'm here.