This jam is now over. It ran from 2020-10-01 23:00:00 to 2020-11-08 00:00:00. View 45 entries
A dark night is something to be feared. Echoes from deep woodlands are blown through fractured wooden walls, where they distort and mutate before reaching the ears of frightened youth covering under frail blankets. A simple wind becomes herald for some wicked fae. The sound of a branch, broken by nothing more than the mere passage of time, grows crooked with cruel intent in the mind of imaginative young. Within the black of clenched eyes they picture horrors that would keep oneself awake until the light of the sun died eternal.
Such an existence can not be tolerated, for a child's concerns are loud, and do not care for a good night's sleep. Thus they are told tales of warning and wonder. Stay away from the river, beware of strangers, and throw your fallen teeth under the floorboards. Over time the young grow old, and they recite the same stories to their own offspring; from their own short memories or the written word upon decaying paper.
Yet fear of the unknown is not something the fickle mind may conquer. As the child is terrified of pixies and gremlins, so too does the elder fear portents of their own superstitions. Kill the sow to stop phantasms from strangling Autumn's harvest. Keep a deities' icon above the bed or evil shall manifest. Burn the witch, slaughter the goat, and dance until you tread blood. Bite your fingers in hysteria lest the scorn of ruin be brought upon all!
Folklore was told throughout generations, and form an important part of both history and modern life. Be sure to research these tales, and hold respect for the stories they have to tell, should you wish to incorporate them into your own.
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