Andrew Theitic - The Witches Almanac, Issue 36, Spring 2017-Spring 2018: Water, Our Primal Source

Of Neptune's empire let us sing,

At whose command the waves obey;

To whom the rivers tribute pay,

Down the high mountains sliding:

To whom the scaly nation yields

Homage for the crystal fields

Wherein they dwell:

And every sea-god pays a gem

Yearly out of his wat'ry cell

To deck great Neptune's diadem.

The Tritons dancing in a ring

Before his palace gates do make

The water with their echoes quake,

Like the great thunder sounding:

The sea-nymphs chant their accents shrill,

And the sirens, taught to kill

With their sweet voice,

Make ev'ry echoing rock reply

Unto their gentle murmuring noise

The praise of Neptune's empery.

THOMAS CAMPION

by Timi Chasen

IRON OF THE SKY. The treasure trove of King Tutankhamun was filled with dozens of stunningly gorgeous and priceless artifacts. Many were hand crafted by the greatest smiths and jewelers a pharaoh could find, but it appears at least one of ol' Tut's implements may have first fallen from the heavens.

An already priceless dagger found in the collection, resting upon the boyking's thigh and obviously forged by a master bladesmith, appears to have begun as a venerable piece of meteorite. The blade itself is a combination of iron, nickel and cobalt only found in those pieces of metal which have literally fallen from the sky.

Iron meteorites, though certainly rare, were not unknown to the ancient Egyptians. Around the same time the fireball fell from the stratosphere, a composite hieroglyph began occurring in papyri and inscriptions from the region: Iron of the Sky. Conveniently the ancients kept detailed historical records, so much so that a combined team of modern Egyptian and Italian researchers had at least twenty documented cases of meteorites making landfall in the land of Khem from which to choose. Eventually, advanced technology was able to confirm its composition to match that of the Kharga meteorite, which landed on a plateau near a seaport approximately 150 miles west of Alexandria.

IS THAT A COIN IN YOUR POCKET? In the remote village of Holmavik rests the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft. Dedicated to preserving some of the weirder aspects of Icelandic history, the museum exhibits various examples of sorcerous rune carvings, mesmerizing sigil parchments and mysterious spell relics from the region, many of them centuries old. Never seen a runic storm charm made from an imposing fish skull? That will be remedied if one stops on by.