01.04.202523:02
"Selkie" by Artist Arantza Sestayo
10.04.202516:44
“Highly sensitive people are too often perceived as weaklings or damaged goods. To feel intensely is not a symptom of weakness, it is the trademark of the truly alive and compassionate. It is not the empath who is broken, it is society that has become dysfunctional and emotionally disabled. There is no shame in expressing your authentic feelings. Those who are at times described as being a 'hot mess' or having 'too many issues' are the very fabric of what keeps the dream alive for a more caring, humane world. Never be ashamed to let your tears shine a light in this world.”
- Anthon St. Maarten
- Anthon St. Maarten
12.04.202515:00
08.04.202514:30
FRANKENSTEIN'S DIRE WOLF: A LAB-CRAFTED LIE
In the shadows of laboratories lit by fluorescent ambition, a pack of scientists has dared to howl at the moon of genetic resurrection.
They claim to have pulled the dire wolf from the icy grip of extinction—as if the beast of ages could be summoned by silicon tools and synthetic threads.
But make no mistake.
This is not a resurrection.
This is a masquerade.
A soulless shadow stitched from the trembling DNA of modern wolves and dressed in cosplay of an ancient king.
Colossal Biosciences has boasted that it has engineered a creature to "mimic" the dire wolf using modified gray wolf DNA.
But not a drop of Aenocyon dirus runs through its veins.
Their creature is not a dire wolf.
It is a genetically modified modern gray wolf.
An artificial chimera, programmed to echo fragments of what they think the dire wolf may have been.
They brag of mimicking 14 genes out of more than 19,000 in the canine genome, based on fragmented ancient DNA that contains mostly, if not all, mitochondrial information.
That’s only half the story of a lifeform that roamed the Ice Age with bone-crushing jaws and a social structure that rivaled the strength of empires.
This is no de-extinction.
This is deception.
Let me be clear.
What they have done is not a scientific triumph.
It is a genetic puppet show.
A well-funded fantasy.
They now brag about further altering eighty-five more genes in their modern genetically modified gray wolf to "approximate" dire wolf traits.
This is not the same as bringing the dire wolf back.
You cannot reconstruct an extinct species from modern blueprints.
Ancient predators don’t rise from the grave because someone rearranged a few genes in a lab.
And let us not forget, the dire wolf was not a variant of the gray wolf.
It was an entirely different species!
Genetically distant, reproductively incompatible, and ecologically unique.
Paleontologists have confirmed that Aenocyon dirus shares no known genetic overlap with modern dogs or gray wolves.
In fact, the dire wolf wasn’t a close cousin of the gray wolf at all.
It likely evolved independently in North America, tracing its lineage back over 5.7 million years to an ancient canid ancestor, long before the gray wolf ever set its paws on this continent.
No amount of CRISPR tinkering can grow a giant redwood from toothpicks and glue.
And let us speak, too, of ethics.
Because this isn’t just a case of bad science.
It’s a dangerous precedent.
Apex predators do not belong in petri dishes.
This isn’t about sweeter apples or pest-resistant wheat.
We are talking about genetically modifying living, breathing carnivores.
Manipulating size, fur density, tooth structure, metabolism, and behavior in a game of ecological roulette.
Have we forgotten the dark consequences of gain-of-function research?
Have we learned nothing from the Quoll crisis in Australia?
When non-native cane toads were introduced to control beetles in sugarcane fields, no one anticipated the devastation they’d unleash.
The native northern quolls, curious and carnivorous, began eating the toxic toads—only to die in droves.
Entire populations collapsed almost overnight.
In a single generation, the ecosystem was gutted of one of its vital small predators, all because humans arrogantly assumed they could “improve” nature without consequence.
And now, let’s drag the buried truth into the light, shall we?
I have my own sneaking suspicions that this “dire wolf” fabrication was not built solely from gray wolf DNA, but may very well include the genetic stock of domesticated dogs!
And if so…
In essence, Colossal’s creature may not be a 100% apex predator at all, but a lab-created high-content wolf dog, stitched together from tame and wild DNA alike, and then branded with the myth of an ancient beast.
And this is precisely where the wolf dog crisis comes crashing in.
Or have we already forgotten the brutal consequences of breeding wolves and dogs together without foresight?
In the shadows of laboratories lit by fluorescent ambition, a pack of scientists has dared to howl at the moon of genetic resurrection.
They claim to have pulled the dire wolf from the icy grip of extinction—as if the beast of ages could be summoned by silicon tools and synthetic threads.
But make no mistake.
This is not a resurrection.
This is a masquerade.
A soulless shadow stitched from the trembling DNA of modern wolves and dressed in cosplay of an ancient king.
Colossal Biosciences has boasted that it has engineered a creature to "mimic" the dire wolf using modified gray wolf DNA.
But not a drop of Aenocyon dirus runs through its veins.
Their creature is not a dire wolf.
It is a genetically modified modern gray wolf.
An artificial chimera, programmed to echo fragments of what they think the dire wolf may have been.
They brag of mimicking 14 genes out of more than 19,000 in the canine genome, based on fragmented ancient DNA that contains mostly, if not all, mitochondrial information.
That’s only half the story of a lifeform that roamed the Ice Age with bone-crushing jaws and a social structure that rivaled the strength of empires.
This is no de-extinction.
This is deception.
Let me be clear.
What they have done is not a scientific triumph.
It is a genetic puppet show.
A well-funded fantasy.
They now brag about further altering eighty-five more genes in their modern genetically modified gray wolf to "approximate" dire wolf traits.
This is not the same as bringing the dire wolf back.
You cannot reconstruct an extinct species from modern blueprints.
Ancient predators don’t rise from the grave because someone rearranged a few genes in a lab.
And let us not forget, the dire wolf was not a variant of the gray wolf.
It was an entirely different species!
Genetically distant, reproductively incompatible, and ecologically unique.
Paleontologists have confirmed that Aenocyon dirus shares no known genetic overlap with modern dogs or gray wolves.
In fact, the dire wolf wasn’t a close cousin of the gray wolf at all.
It likely evolved independently in North America, tracing its lineage back over 5.7 million years to an ancient canid ancestor, long before the gray wolf ever set its paws on this continent.
No amount of CRISPR tinkering can grow a giant redwood from toothpicks and glue.
And let us speak, too, of ethics.
Because this isn’t just a case of bad science.
It’s a dangerous precedent.
Apex predators do not belong in petri dishes.
This isn’t about sweeter apples or pest-resistant wheat.
We are talking about genetically modifying living, breathing carnivores.
Manipulating size, fur density, tooth structure, metabolism, and behavior in a game of ecological roulette.
Have we forgotten the dark consequences of gain-of-function research?
Have we learned nothing from the Quoll crisis in Australia?
When non-native cane toads were introduced to control beetles in sugarcane fields, no one anticipated the devastation they’d unleash.
The native northern quolls, curious and carnivorous, began eating the toxic toads—only to die in droves.
Entire populations collapsed almost overnight.
In a single generation, the ecosystem was gutted of one of its vital small predators, all because humans arrogantly assumed they could “improve” nature without consequence.
And now, let’s drag the buried truth into the light, shall we?
I have my own sneaking suspicions that this “dire wolf” fabrication was not built solely from gray wolf DNA, but may very well include the genetic stock of domesticated dogs!
And if so…
In essence, Colossal’s creature may not be a 100% apex predator at all, but a lab-created high-content wolf dog, stitched together from tame and wild DNA alike, and then branded with the myth of an ancient beast.
And this is precisely where the wolf dog crisis comes crashing in.
Or have we already forgotten the brutal consequences of breeding wolves and dogs together without foresight?
10.04.202513:47
Pysanka – a Magical Egg of Ukrainians
Spring is coming slowly but steadily, and as some Christians have already celebrated Easter while others are only preparing to celebrate it, very few of us really think how many Pagan-in-origin traditions are incorporated within this holiday. It is one of them I want to talk about right now – the Ukrainian tradition of “writing” pysanki.
Pysanka (literal translation is “written egg”) is a raw fertilized egg (traditionally perfect eggs for a pysanka would be taken from a young hen that laid eggs for the first time on the first New Moon of spring – a lot of “firsts” to notice, as spring is time for regeneration and renewal) inscribed with magical symbols that were traditionally inscribed on eggs for generations. Egg inscribed with any other “non-traditional” symbols is called “malevanka” (“painted egg”) and does not bear the same magical and ritual importance. Traditional colors for pysanka are white, yellow, red, and black, although in different regions of Ukraine orange, green and blue are also used. The symbols are inscribed (“written”) on the egg with a special tool named “kistka” or “pysachok” which technically is a small funnel attached to a stick. Back in the days kistki were made out of animal bones or chicken feathers. Pysankarka (a woman who specializes in making pysanki) starts preparing to her magical work in advance. First, she collects the water for the dyes. Water for the dyes has to be taken from 7 or 9 different wells and springs or at a junction of 3 streams early in the morning (3 – 4 am). While she carries the water back to her house, she has to remain silent and never look back. The water collected in such a way is called “mute” and doesn’t carry any energetic trace. They also say that water molten from March snow has almost the same powers, so it is very lucky to collect snow in March. Once at home, pysankarka prepares the dyes by steeping roots, herbs, and bark in water. Finally, dressed in everything new and clean, after taking a purifying bath, she lights a candle, scoops some beeswax into the funnel on her kistka, and warms the funnel on the candle-flame until the wax melts. After this, she starts inscribing with hot wax magical symbols that she learned from her ancestors on the pure white surface of the egg. Once she covered all the surfaces on the egg that she wishes to remain white with wax, she dips the egg in the lightest dye she has (usually, it’s yellow). While the egg is in the dye, pysankarka reads a special prayer or a spell during which she invokes the deities that are to help her in her magical working (usually those are female deities such as Lada, Mokosh, or Bogoroditsa (Virgin Mary), if pysankarka is a devoted Christian) and states the purpose of her work. Sometimes she may also invoke the deities or spirits, whose symbols she inscribed on the egg. After the egg is colored yellow, she covers with beeswax the areas she wishes to remain yellow, and dips the egg in a darker dye – traditionally, red. After a prayer or an incantation, she removes the now red egg from the dye, and repeats her process with the hot wax to cover the areas to remain red on the egg. Finally, the egg is being dipped in the darkest dye – black, which serves as a background. After removing the egg from the dye, she places it in a warm oven or carefully holds it over a candle-flame until the wax melts; then she wipes it away with a napkin. This last step finally reveals the brilliant colors on pysanka, and now the egg may be covered in oil or grease to keep it shiny.
The magical importance of an egg decorated in such a way is immense. First of all, it combines the triple symbolism of the egg itself, the colors it was dyed with, and the symbols inscribed on it. The egg in this instance represents the newly born world bearing good (and only good) wishes of pysankarka on it – ill-wishing on an egg could cause catastrophe as it was believed to alter the world as a whole.
Spring is coming slowly but steadily, and as some Christians have already celebrated Easter while others are only preparing to celebrate it, very few of us really think how many Pagan-in-origin traditions are incorporated within this holiday. It is one of them I want to talk about right now – the Ukrainian tradition of “writing” pysanki.
Pysanka (literal translation is “written egg”) is a raw fertilized egg (traditionally perfect eggs for a pysanka would be taken from a young hen that laid eggs for the first time on the first New Moon of spring – a lot of “firsts” to notice, as spring is time for regeneration and renewal) inscribed with magical symbols that were traditionally inscribed on eggs for generations. Egg inscribed with any other “non-traditional” symbols is called “malevanka” (“painted egg”) and does not bear the same magical and ritual importance. Traditional colors for pysanka are white, yellow, red, and black, although in different regions of Ukraine orange, green and blue are also used. The symbols are inscribed (“written”) on the egg with a special tool named “kistka” or “pysachok” which technically is a small funnel attached to a stick. Back in the days kistki were made out of animal bones or chicken feathers. Pysankarka (a woman who specializes in making pysanki) starts preparing to her magical work in advance. First, she collects the water for the dyes. Water for the dyes has to be taken from 7 or 9 different wells and springs or at a junction of 3 streams early in the morning (3 – 4 am). While she carries the water back to her house, she has to remain silent and never look back. The water collected in such a way is called “mute” and doesn’t carry any energetic trace. They also say that water molten from March snow has almost the same powers, so it is very lucky to collect snow in March. Once at home, pysankarka prepares the dyes by steeping roots, herbs, and bark in water. Finally, dressed in everything new and clean, after taking a purifying bath, she lights a candle, scoops some beeswax into the funnel on her kistka, and warms the funnel on the candle-flame until the wax melts. After this, she starts inscribing with hot wax magical symbols that she learned from her ancestors on the pure white surface of the egg. Once she covered all the surfaces on the egg that she wishes to remain white with wax, she dips the egg in the lightest dye she has (usually, it’s yellow). While the egg is in the dye, pysankarka reads a special prayer or a spell during which she invokes the deities that are to help her in her magical working (usually those are female deities such as Lada, Mokosh, or Bogoroditsa (Virgin Mary), if pysankarka is a devoted Christian) and states the purpose of her work. Sometimes she may also invoke the deities or spirits, whose symbols she inscribed on the egg. After the egg is colored yellow, she covers with beeswax the areas she wishes to remain yellow, and dips the egg in a darker dye – traditionally, red. After a prayer or an incantation, she removes the now red egg from the dye, and repeats her process with the hot wax to cover the areas to remain red on the egg. Finally, the egg is being dipped in the darkest dye – black, which serves as a background. After removing the egg from the dye, she places it in a warm oven or carefully holds it over a candle-flame until the wax melts; then she wipes it away with a napkin. This last step finally reveals the brilliant colors on pysanka, and now the egg may be covered in oil or grease to keep it shiny.
The magical importance of an egg decorated in such a way is immense. First of all, it combines the triple symbolism of the egg itself, the colors it was dyed with, and the symbols inscribed on it. The egg in this instance represents the newly born world bearing good (and only good) wishes of pysankarka on it – ill-wishing on an egg could cause catastrophe as it was believed to alter the world as a whole.
02.04.202523:01
The symbol I personally prefer is this branching swastika variant often found on traditional Slavic clothes.
02.04.202513:57
08.04.202514:38
This isn't natural. While I am all for healthy advances in science, these people are just trying to play God. If you watch the video of these animal experiments, the energy is off. There is something very unnatural and weird about them. The lab experiment cloned animals are missing the very essence of anything authentic or real and it is very apparent to me that they do not contain the essence of a wolf.
I own a wolf dog. I own dogs and animals. I am an animal enthusiast. All animals naturally created contain a particular essence. They are emotional beings. You cannot create that in a laboratory.
You can't take tree bark from a tree clone the tree and get the same essence of that tree. All you get is a piece of cloned wood that contains nothing from nature. The same is for animals.
I own a wolf dog. I own dogs and animals. I am an animal enthusiast. All animals naturally created contain a particular essence. They are emotional beings. You cannot create that in a laboratory.
You can't take tree bark from a tree clone the tree and get the same essence of that tree. All you get is a piece of cloned wood that contains nothing from nature. The same is for animals.
22.03.202502:34
08.04.202514:30
The United States is drowning in a quiet tragedy from hybrid animals who don’t belong in either world.
Too wild for the home,
Too tame for the wild.
It is said that ninety-five percent of wolf dogs are euthanized before the age of two years old.
Their lives are often short, confused, and marked by fear-based aggression, abandonment, or institutional failure.
Yet now, a group of corporate biologists is playing Dr. Frankenstein with apex predators.
Using tools they barely understand.
Fully aware that if their engineered animals are ever released into the wild or, God forbid, into private homes, they could destabilize ecosystems, carry unpredictable genetic traits, or suffer lifetimes of displacement and despair.
This is not innovation.
This is not restoration.
This is egotism dressed in lab coats.
What gives these scientists the right to alter the balance of nature for personal acclaim or profit?
Who gave them permission to gamble with evolution itself?
No one voted for this.
No one gave informed consent.
They are making permanent changes to our world with no accountability and no plan for the generations who must live in its aftermath.
And if we allow this breach to stand, if we tolerate synthetic wolves as stand-ins for the real beasts of the past, what comes next?
Genetically engineered humans?
A superior race?!
The slippery slope has ice on it, my friends, and we are already losing our footing.
At the Dire Wolf Project, we stand not just as guardians of a legacy, but as stewards of truth.
We know that the real dire wolf was not a patchwork of genes but a creature born from eons of natural selection, ecological pressure, and social complexity.
Its extinction was tragic, but its legacy lives in the responsible preservation of its story and the ethical breeding of its modern domestic companion:
The American Dirus dog.
We are not interested in creating monsters.
We are committed to creating meaning.
So let the world know this…
We will not be fooled!
We will not be silenced!
The howls of our ancestors still echo in our blood, and we will defend their honor with tooth and claw.
This was not a resurrection.
This was a lie.
And the real dire wolves are watching.
Sink your teeth into why we believe this Frankenstein’s dire wolf is little more than a wolf dog in disguise!
Follow the tracks to our latest article—where we dissect the genetic bones and expose the possible domesticated dog DNA stitched into this lab-born beast.
https://direwolfproject.com/dire-wolf/return-of-the-dire-wolf-not-so-fast/
Picture credit: "American Dirus Dog - Cotton Candy" Jennifer Stoeckl 2025
Too wild for the home,
Too tame for the wild.
It is said that ninety-five percent of wolf dogs are euthanized before the age of two years old.
Their lives are often short, confused, and marked by fear-based aggression, abandonment, or institutional failure.
Yet now, a group of corporate biologists is playing Dr. Frankenstein with apex predators.
Using tools they barely understand.
Fully aware that if their engineered animals are ever released into the wild or, God forbid, into private homes, they could destabilize ecosystems, carry unpredictable genetic traits, or suffer lifetimes of displacement and despair.
This is not innovation.
This is not restoration.
This is egotism dressed in lab coats.
What gives these scientists the right to alter the balance of nature for personal acclaim or profit?
Who gave them permission to gamble with evolution itself?
No one voted for this.
No one gave informed consent.
They are making permanent changes to our world with no accountability and no plan for the generations who must live in its aftermath.
And if we allow this breach to stand, if we tolerate synthetic wolves as stand-ins for the real beasts of the past, what comes next?
Genetically engineered humans?
A superior race?!
The slippery slope has ice on it, my friends, and we are already losing our footing.
At the Dire Wolf Project, we stand not just as guardians of a legacy, but as stewards of truth.
We know that the real dire wolf was not a patchwork of genes but a creature born from eons of natural selection, ecological pressure, and social complexity.
Its extinction was tragic, but its legacy lives in the responsible preservation of its story and the ethical breeding of its modern domestic companion:
The American Dirus dog.
We are not interested in creating monsters.
We are committed to creating meaning.
So let the world know this…
We will not be fooled!
We will not be silenced!
The howls of our ancestors still echo in our blood, and we will defend their honor with tooth and claw.
This was not a resurrection.
This was a lie.
And the real dire wolves are watching.
Sink your teeth into why we believe this Frankenstein’s dire wolf is little more than a wolf dog in disguise!
Follow the tracks to our latest article—where we dissect the genetic bones and expose the possible domesticated dog DNA stitched into this lab-born beast.
https://direwolfproject.com/dire-wolf/return-of-the-dire-wolf-not-so-fast/
Picture credit: "American Dirus Dog - Cotton Candy" Jennifer Stoeckl 2025
10.04.202513:47
White color on pysanka is used to write respects to the gods, yellow color is for the people and material riches, red represents Life and is used for protection and well being, and black is the color of Mother-Moist-Earth herself. Usually, pysanki intended for children had green or red (but not black) background, as children were believed to be too young to handle black color and its symbolism, while pysanki left at the cemeteries for the dead or spirits had no red on them as they were not for the living. The symbols on pysanki vary from area to area, but all bear very deep meaning. Also, pysanka is believed to contain the power of the Elements, as all of them are used while creating it: the “mute water” infused with herbs, candle-flame and honey-smelling beeswax.
Pysanki are usually given as gifts and never sold. Refusal to take a pysanka from a friend or a relative used to be an insult back in the days. A girl would give a pysanka to show the boy she liked him or to accept his attention. Depending on its symbolism and magical purpose, this special egg may be buried in the fields for good harvest, placed under a beehive so that the bees would thrive in it, or kept in the house on a windowsill or in the “red corner” (a Slavic household altar) for good luck and protection. Pysanka inscribed with special “water” symbols was believed to protect the house from fire, and if the fire still erupted, a master would carry the pysanka around the flames to stop the fire from spreading. Broken pysanka was an omen of coming draught. If the egg exploded (this happens if it has a small crack in it), it means that pysanka had served its purpose and protected the house from something bad. Now, they say that first pysanki were written on eggs of ducks and other water birds, as (due to their constant contact with the water element) they symbolize purity; however, chicken eggs became more popular as they last a lot longer than eggs from any other birds.
Pysanki are not just written to celebrate Spring – they may be written on the Light Half of the Year when the days get longer and nights shorter, for such important occasions as childbirth, wedding, or death. Special pysanki with stars are also made on Christmas/Winter Solstice.
It is important to understand the difference between a pysanka and a traditional Easter egg that is called “krashanka” in Ukraine and is usually colored in a single color – red to represent the strengthening Sun. Krashanka is a hard-boiled egg and by eating it people “connect” with the Sun deity (Slavic Dazhbog). Krashanki of different colors were made on other holidays of Spring-Summer cycle: green for Trinity Day (Whitsuntide – end of spring) and yellow for Ivan Kupala’s Day (Summer Solstice) all the way until early XX century. Pysanka, on the other side, is being under patronage of female Mother deities and represents a new world born from an egg. The story of creation of the world from an egg seems to be consistent in many European cultures. Slavic lore suggests that world consists of three sub-worlds: Prav (this name is modern) – the world of the gods, the Heavens where the Sun dwells is represented by the top (narrow) segment of the egg (a more ancient belief placed this World on the bottom, over the horizon); Yav – the world of people – is in the central part of the egg; Nav – the Underworld, the realm where spirits dwell ruled by the Moon is located on the bottom (wide) part of the egg (although in a more ancient belief Nav used to be located on top, in the skies or even stars). Some eggs portray the structure of the Heavens with clouds on the bottom, Sun in the middle, and “heavenly solids” – a mythical place where all of the rainwater is stored before descending in the form of clouds. This arrangement applies only to the ornament inscribed upon the egg's shell - the egg itself is said to represent the concept of the three Worlds but somewhat differently.
Pysanki are usually given as gifts and never sold. Refusal to take a pysanka from a friend or a relative used to be an insult back in the days. A girl would give a pysanka to show the boy she liked him or to accept his attention. Depending on its symbolism and magical purpose, this special egg may be buried in the fields for good harvest, placed under a beehive so that the bees would thrive in it, or kept in the house on a windowsill or in the “red corner” (a Slavic household altar) for good luck and protection. Pysanka inscribed with special “water” symbols was believed to protect the house from fire, and if the fire still erupted, a master would carry the pysanka around the flames to stop the fire from spreading. Broken pysanka was an omen of coming draught. If the egg exploded (this happens if it has a small crack in it), it means that pysanka had served its purpose and protected the house from something bad. Now, they say that first pysanki were written on eggs of ducks and other water birds, as (due to their constant contact with the water element) they symbolize purity; however, chicken eggs became more popular as they last a lot longer than eggs from any other birds.
Pysanki are not just written to celebrate Spring – they may be written on the Light Half of the Year when the days get longer and nights shorter, for such important occasions as childbirth, wedding, or death. Special pysanki with stars are also made on Christmas/Winter Solstice.
It is important to understand the difference between a pysanka and a traditional Easter egg that is called “krashanka” in Ukraine and is usually colored in a single color – red to represent the strengthening Sun. Krashanka is a hard-boiled egg and by eating it people “connect” with the Sun deity (Slavic Dazhbog). Krashanki of different colors were made on other holidays of Spring-Summer cycle: green for Trinity Day (Whitsuntide – end of spring) and yellow for Ivan Kupala’s Day (Summer Solstice) all the way until early XX century. Pysanka, on the other side, is being under patronage of female Mother deities and represents a new world born from an egg. The story of creation of the world from an egg seems to be consistent in many European cultures. Slavic lore suggests that world consists of three sub-worlds: Prav (this name is modern) – the world of the gods, the Heavens where the Sun dwells is represented by the top (narrow) segment of the egg (a more ancient belief placed this World on the bottom, over the horizon); Yav – the world of people – is in the central part of the egg; Nav – the Underworld, the realm where spirits dwell ruled by the Moon is located on the bottom (wide) part of the egg (although in a more ancient belief Nav used to be located on top, in the skies or even stars). Some eggs portray the structure of the Heavens with clouds on the bottom, Sun in the middle, and “heavenly solids” – a mythical place where all of the rainwater is stored before descending in the form of clouds. This arrangement applies only to the ornament inscribed upon the egg's shell - the egg itself is said to represent the concept of the three Worlds but somewhat differently.
26.03.202501:55
Learn to see past the obvious
~ Walter
~ Walter
10.04.202513:47
In conclusion, I want to remember an ancient Ukrainian legend, according to which a powerful demon of Apocalypse is chained deep underground. Every year in spring, his chains become weaker, and he sends out his 12 helpers to find out how the world has changed over a year. He is interested in three things: whether the youth is still respectful of the elders, whether people still follow their traditions and culture (“celebrate weddings the old way”), and finally, whether they still make and exchange pysanki. As he hears that people keep on doing all those things, he growls and roars, as his chains hold him stronger. The amount of pysanki made on a particular year is proportional to the strengthening of the demon’s chains. Ukrainians also say that love exists in the world while people still make and give each other pysanki, which totally corresponds to the aforementioned legend.
Written by Olga Stanton
Written by Olga Stanton
08.04.202514:30
30.03.202505:15
This beautifully preserved Scythian boot, dating back 2,300 years, was discovered in the frozen ground of the Altai Mountains in Siberia. Unearthed in 1948, the boot is crafted from soft red leather and adorned with intricate decorations, including black beads and pyrite crystals. It was found in a Scythian burial mound, alongside jewelry, food, and weapons, offering a glimpse into the lives of these ancient nomads. Today, this remarkable artifact is housed in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.
