Dr. Zalka Csenge Virág

Professional storyteller and author from Hungary. MA in Archaeology, MA in Storytelling, PhD in Culture Studies. I write about folktales, folklore, mythology, representation, role-playing games, and nerdy things. She/her
#ttrpg #folklore #mythology #storytelling #archaeology #fedi22
Hobbies and interests include #crochet, #beading, #archery, #travel, and #geology


I am remembering the time I got dogpiled on the birb site for asking why people insist on romanticizing Hades and Persephone.

If I did another thesis, I would write it on the internet popularity of this couple, and the underlying cultural and psychological reasons... 😄

It continues to baffle and fascinate me that this is the ship people chose as their favorite.

#Kaos #mythology #romance #storytelling


Am I the only one weirded out that the Cocomelon kids take a bath fully clothed?...


I was struggling with a toddler meltdown on the train when a very helpful (sarcasm) mom walked over with her own kid and yelled at me to "make it stop" and that "her kid never does this".

Gee, lady. Thanks.

#parenting #stressed


First flight trip since the kid. Going to Brussels for a gig. Flight anxiety is real 😬😬 But yay travel 😄

#travel #anxiety #storytelling


"Hopefully I will be less busy starting next week" will be written on my tombstone


So there's this Greek myth that says Zeus was fed by bees when he was born. In gratitude, he blessed them with the color of "shining bronze", and made them immune to cold and harsh winds. These bees lived in Zeus' sacred cave in Crete, and aggressively chased away anyone who tried to steal their honey.

Any #apiarist or #entomology expert out there who could tell me what these bees are by any chance?...

#mythology #biology #nature #folklore #bees


FB gently suggesting I could be a better mother.

#parenting #motherhood #WTF #SocialMediaFail

https://files.ohai.social/media_attachments/files/111/189/961/900/688/540/original/087dd9b20442dd11.jpg


nostr:npub1at9m04yqpgrtuzezfcmevetpnzv8znudcturr770ad53vex3n3jsks7wth I think it's very genre specific. Writing historical fiction, it requires a whole lot of research that directly influences the plot. So it either has to be completely plotted in advance, or it's mostly gonna be useless.


Welcome to the Slumberdome! Three people enter, nobody sleeps.

#parenting


Quote of the day from Hungarian master storyteller Berecz András:

"The audience's sigh comes from a deeper place than their applause."

❤

#storytelling #quotes #PerformingArts #StorytellingPSA


nostr:npub1wg2rhtkxltq38799krpttdthh7lftn75ks9mezcqwacemcahftysya5f7m lol it's the car that takes the blood from the blood bank to the hospitals. It's a sort of emergency vehicle, hence the sirens.


Kid at the kindergarten saw the blood bank car speeding past with the sirens on, and yelled "It's the blood police!"

(Accidentally inventing a new CW series in the process)

#kids


I dreamed that a friend sold their soul to the devil, and I was going through my roster of folktales to see how many ways the devil can be tricked into undoing the bargain.

I have reached "girl in the chair for monster hunters" level of knowledge 😆

#folklore #folktales #dreams


nostr:npub1uhdzjepqu8lvwvtaxlr499kljtqzgqxjefv07qmg7zrx5e375r8scufac8 I love visiting bookstores, even in countries where I don't speak the language :) And buying folktale collections I can read.


New obsession: playing #Metazooa

It joined my daily game lineup next to #Redactle.

#games #animals


nostr:npub1xn93y37uhtugjz523y402pmuzct9f2dtspf6cz3s44jwx4e4tk9q6lxx39 yeah it does have its roots in history. Folklore collection started in the early 1800s, around the time of the war of independence from the Habsburgs.
Interestingly though new book stores don't usually have one.


You walk into any used book store in Hungary, there will be a Folklore/Ethnography section. Every time I travel abroad I check bookshops to see if they have one. I am realizing that Hungarians are spoiled in this regard 😄

#folklore #books #bookstodon


At the Budapest International Book Fair, where you can get a free haircut for reading out loud. 😄

#reading #books #bookstodon #Budapest #BookFair #image

https://files.ohai.social/media_attachments/files/111/160/781/965/974/171/original/df38bbf2484d7f61.jpg


Just realized daylight savings "fall back" is coming up and I have a toddler who likes to wake up at 4am... 😭 Witness me

#parenting


I can't believe we already got to the #MinCup23 finals! Zircon gets my folklore vote, strengthened by excellent campaigning by the Time Lord team 😄

What the heck am I gonna read campaigns about for the next 11 months?...

Thank you, MinCup team, you are the best! 😊


nostr:npub1j48nh7w2wpz4lqxn35wx4z7a7sky3hnmqfm4ycr87m5ga8ftvysqx3426a Win 🏆


nostr:npub1jgaqkcjx2kyda03fgq74p4e2g3ry5qk6h6n87ct6afflacus8glqskhx76 I am sure that fan fiction already exists somewhere 🤣


This one bat at the zoo decided to be extra for some reason 😄

(Wrong guesses only...)

#animals #bats #zoo #Budapest #image

https://files.ohai.social/media_attachments/files/111/148/726/095/988/880/original/fd714cd79e04ad81.jpg


nostr:npub1pdxfgsclkm45tw49j5uevyrvyjr9a9jaw4x7j0ahyyp0klhrrz4qg6gesx That's what I figured, I just got confused bc the Hungarian vote is always ahead for the next year (so ppl can plan educational programs and stuff). Thanks! :)


So dumb #MinCup23 question, the mineral that wins this week will be Mineral of the Year 2023 or 2024?...


Fun fact, zircon is also in the running for Mineral of the Year for 2024 in Hungary. 😄 Seems popular...

#MinCup23


nostr:npub16jp87uymc4p6mt0em8akru4wul39ps4can65q6yd8qd95ymv582sl2glz4 noooo :(


nostr:npub1l32eppfc8f7evml5mh0g3dx9lxed53wlyzmahuagxnytyn73z65q7q6azr daww thank you!!


Please don't let rhodochrosite lose

That's it that's the toot

#MinCup23


nostr:npub1txd79zqd977yhjzzaemsq3qp55p8wgrjqe0pf7z2xny89g8yf4tqg3txmn someone at some point in folklore decided swans and peacocks sing beautifully, so... 😆


Today at the zoo I heard what sound the cassowary makes. Holy Jurassic Park, Batman... 😱

#animals #nature #cassowary #dinosaurs


A bunch of cool things are dropping tomorrow:

Folk Tales of the Cosmos by storyteller Janet Dowling

A Kickstarter campaign for a tarot-based #ttrpg from the creators of the Sefirot deck

#GenV (The Boys spinoff)

There's probably more but I'm excited for these

#Books #Bookstodon #storytelling #tarot #TV


Also, rhodochrosite has its own card in the Telluric Tarot too 😊 It's the Knight of Cups.

#minerals #MinCup23 #tarot #image

https://files.ohai.social/media_attachments/files/111/119/368/794/015/774/original/f4644ecfcc182ac0.jpg


nostr:npub18anr8ly3zndnhga2z82hdpuwvwpunl92hxgllpldzv2xrz4a35rq9995h5 Ok do you remember anything else than the eagle claws?


nostr:npub18anr8ly3zndnhga2z82hdpuwvwpunl92hxgllpldzv2xrz4a35rq9995h5 nostr:npub1ku6j280w39pn77u65d79w87njenkjn588jt5rv5kwenurql84wvqqe5t4e nostr:npub1lag6zfreh5cczv7da75mrsjhl5q9gky86xu7vxna2mw5v2tn2k7q4dz70y nostr:npub1sdkl2zyvnuc045tn453k2eyrg2ezkxu3qqnkgh3uejr8y8pd7duqpr0kgj nostr:npub15xusyhaq7s7j4tegaclwtymhqvvdp9jeq0jmmpthr603ztrh9jmswjt3jh Do you remember what the book was?


nostr:npub18anr8ly3zndnhga2z82hdpuwvwpunl92hxgllpldzv2xrz4a35rq9995h5 nostr:npub1ku6j280w39pn77u65d79w87njenkjn588jt5rv5kwenurql84wvqqe5t4e nostr:npub1lag6zfreh5cczv7da75mrsjhl5q9gky86xu7vxna2mw5v2tn2k7q4dz70y nostr:npub1sdkl2zyvnuc045tn453k2eyrg2ezkxu3qqnkgh3uejr8y8pd7duqpr0kgj nostr:npub15xusyhaq7s7j4tegaclwtymhqvvdp9jeq0jmmpthr603ztrh9jmswjt3jh

Oh cool! I was thinking of picking one version to represent each type, if you wanted to contribute that one it could be awesome :)


nostr:npub19jaudpk508cdd3jehev7dshkpdn69f52su9npn37tk9v6jgx3wvqj8wrad We did have a Trickster World Cup on the derp site a few years ago, but it was a one off 😄


I am still mulling over the idea of doing a folktale bracket for October... Have people nominate their favorite tale types and find some fun stories for each type, maybe. What say you all?

#folklore #folktales #storytelling


So we ran into an exhibit of old timey trams on the Szabadság Bridge. I took some photos for all y'all who followed me for the training tram pictures 😆

This one was made in 1908 and restored in 1987.

#trams #PublicTransport #Budapest #vehicles #PublicTransit

https://files.ohai.social/media_attachments/files/111/074/248/207/581/054/original/cb44cbefbda16901.jpg

https://files.ohai.social/media_attachments/files/111/074/250/258/503/904/original/7e53ab9fadd3a024.jpg

https://files.ohai.social/media_attachments/files/111/074/250/766/490/551/original/2158318333d5e718.jpg


The story is quite long, and it is part of the King Dietrich legend cycle. I blogged about it extensively:
http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com/2016/10/epic-lovers-reunite.html

Basically it is a story of cultures clashing, prejudice, revenge, regret, and reconciliation. The human knights trample King Laurin's rose garden, and get into a battle with the king defending his honor and his property. The story unfolds from here, but the point is, I always imagined King Laurin's kingdom full of rhodochrosite roses...

#MinCup23 #folktales

https://files.ohai.social/media_attachments/files/111/073/191/926/470/937/original/93bba8ead86068c7.jpg


Today's#MinCup23 vote has my favorite: Rhodochrosite!

#Thread

There's a legend from South Tyrol about King Laurin's Rose Garden. (That part of the Dolomites is actually called Rosengarten).
The legend tells about a Dwarf king who falls in love with a human woman and elopes with her. However, her human relatives decide she must have been kidnapped, and mount a rescue mission.

King Laurin has a famous rose garden in the mountains, planted in honor of a daughter he lost.

#folklore #folktales


nostr:npub17czt0gwf5lfr6v3fj06teh8tlhvzy8gs4duzg09gex5uxll420mq9lutc6 And they all have very happy birthdays 🤣


The kid has a browsing book with animals in different kinds of habitats. While browsing, I started singing little folk songs for bunnies and squirrels and the like.

So now she thinks Mama has a song for every creature under the sun. She doesn't even care what the song is, but we gotta sing for each and every one of them.

This, your honor, is how ended up singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. GIANT ANTEATER at bedtime, thank you.
😆

(And Boogie Wonderland for the penguins.....)

#parenting #animals


nostr:npub1ps8tsnw5kh40pl766r7hxvaq0p7sma407wt9qhus08ylvc8skucqaxvjrj
Dissertation:
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/acs_diss/93/

Thesis:
https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1469/


nostr:npub1std5g0fc6l040mepvz9v234kluta22l5ptj49rdkw52nekn4ryssxdddw2 Daww, that's great to hear!


nostr:npub17rjr2vuwuwf64llqeruxl77ejtrpfzw93feuet984yl7xssk33jqnl9dpf Yeah, you gotta do the lit review so that others can do the lit review...
... and then when my dissertation got published as a book, the first thing the publisher said was "strike the lit review" :D


I just found out that more than 6000 people have downloaded my PhD dissertation on forum-based role-playing games, and my mind is blown 🤯
(I never thought to check)

And more than 17,000 for my master's thesis on #ttrpg in the high school classroom 🤯

I read a lot of theses and dissertations when I research. It's good to see others are getting use out of what I wrote. And I'm glad it's freely available. It should be.

#RPG #gaming #games #gamer #academia #research


Husband: "Didn't you throw screaming fits too when you were a kid?"

Me: "No. I drew little devil badges, and presented the Order of the Devil to my parents in a solemn ceremony to make sure they knew they were Bad."

Husband, who is a kindergarten teacher: 😐😐😐

#parenting #childhood #IBlameThePassiveAggressiveGrandma


nostr:npub1xjvkcpf5vveucwlgvtgm9wqypxxtz6fz93aprg3npxezzfs3qm5sugckgd Reminds me of the time there was a big money hunting expo in Budapest, and a storyteller friend of mine, who does environmental education, was told from high up she can't tell any tales where wolves are not evil, because it might affect the expo's reception.......


Thb this entire folktale is pretty wild. It begins with a young wizard falling into a wolf trap. Sometime later a dragon, carrying a kidnapped princess, also stumbles into the pit. The wizard pulls his knife, dragon falls on it and dies, princess is thus rescued. The dragon's mother, however, swears revenge. Cue the exploding pears.
🐲 🍐

#folklore #folktales #FolktaleMoment #dragons


Thinking about last year when my grandpa passed away, and grandma was alone in a house for the first time in her 83 years.

Her neighbor, who is blind, found out she was worried. From then on until she was gone, he left the lights on in his house so she could see someone was home nearby.

#kindness


#FolktaleMoment of the day:

Exploding pears

I read a Hungarian Roma folktale today that featured an evil dragon woman trying to kill a man by cursing him with hunger, and planting an enticing pear tree in his way.

Luckily a girl knocked the pear out of the man's hand. The pear screamed so loud it made trees snap. Had he eaten it, she says, he would have exploded from the sound.

#DnD writers take note 😂

#folklore #folktales #ttrpg


Today I'm voting for bischofite because it's Permian sea salt evaporate, which is pretty cool.

No specific #folklore for it, but it reminded me of a Colombian folktale about a boy who carries salt for a chief, and gets caught in a rain that washes he salt away. The boy prays to the god Bochica, who takes him on a journey, shows him the hidden riches under the earh, and on a beach teaches him how to create salt pans to collect sea salt.

#MinCup23 #folktales


The award for most badass grandparents in Greek #mythology goes to Odysseus on his mother's side for

Mestra - Daughter of King Erysichthon. She demanded shapeshifting powers from Poseidon, and used them to flee when her abusive father sold her.

Autolykos - Son of Hermes, legendary thief and trickster. No one could ever catch him.

Imagine that love story 😄

#MythologyMonday


A post I made on FB about my favorite animals led to a whole lot of people realizing that pink fairy armadillos are an actual thing, and it is delightful to watch 😆

I guess I'm now spreading the gospel of the pink fairy armadillo. They are real, y'all.

#armadillos #animals #nature #cute

https://files.ohai.social/media_attachments/files/111/040/084/749/441/599/original/8a248592cc6ab468.jpg


Best moments of the Roman festival:

Emcee, in a news anchor voice: "Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome you to the blood sacrifice event."

Romans: *struggling with setting up the ballista for the battle*
German warrior: "Should we come back later?..."

"Dad, are these the bad guys?"
"No, they are Gepids."

Emcee: "But! Alas, the barbarians have an even more shocking hostage... um... no they don't, they can't seem to find her."

😂 I love reenactment events.

#Romans #reenactment


Doing some #storytelling today at the Aquincum Amphitheater in Budapest 😊 Two-day Roman festival, gladiators, battles, living history, all kinds of fun.

I have two sets of stories, one of little known Greek and Roman myths (such as an alternate version of Achilles' heel), and one of Caucasian Nart sagas (since we have Sarmatian reenactors on site). My little archeologist heart is happy 😊

#Rome #Romans #LivingHistory #reenactment #Budapest #Aquincum #archaeology #histodons

https://files.ohai.social/media_attachments/files/111/034/377/558/723/281/original/5c36e890f82131b7.jpg


Today's #MinCup23 match is mercury vs sepiolite.

The mercury mines in Idrija, Slovenia have a legend about a mine gnome called the perkomandelj. In one story a miner encounters it alone in a shaft, and they work side by side for a whole month without a word. At the end of the month the miner decides to split his pay evenly with he gnome, down to cutting the last coin in half.
The perkomandelj rewards him for his fairness (and silence) with all the money, and good fortune.

#folklore #folktales


nostr:npub1w3qqg5cn8esj0yn6pnpthx907twucl2q89gh6qe706jdc57fhpuq545sfr The beggar's, as far as I can tell


nostr:npub18anr8ly3zndnhga2z82hdpuwvwpunl92hxgllpldzv2xrz4a35rq9995h5 nostr:npub1sdkl2zyvnuc045tn453k2eyrg2ezkxu3qqnkgh3uejr8y8pd7duqpr0kgj Oh no, I was going to random select individual numbers :D Maybe we can reduce them to 300-1199?


nostr:npub18anr8ly3zndnhga2z82hdpuwvwpunl92hxgllpldzv2xrz4a35rq9995h5 nostr:npub1sdkl2zyvnuc045tn453k2eyrg2ezkxu3qqnkgh3uejr8y8pd7duqpr0kgj Oooh we could have like, a randomized bracket of ATU numbers, and then one variant representing each


nostr:npub1vx0utdqaygsf3yv0dnlcd2d4wp80tjdz7yz92j3drd8g8u67hnysneu4dm lol I was having the same thought 😆😆


nostr:npub105s4u9dld7s4r6764za6wzjeqw4k4nl720pjrr0g3rm8u6tp4xkqmg9f63 That is a common motif in a lot of folktales so it's likely


End of thread! For more ruby-related folktales, and sources, check out my Gemstone Folklore blog post here:
http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com/2022/04/r-is-for-ruby-revenge-gemstone-folklore.html

Happy voting everyone!

#folktales #folklore #MinCup23 #thread


The Magic Ruby on the Snake's Head is a tale from Thailand. It tells about a magician that finds out that he can enchant a snake, and make it grow a priceless ruby on its head in 1000 years. The magician doesn't survive that long, but the snake grows into a giant man-eating monster.

Later a princess declares she wants the ruby for her necklace (to inspire people to rid the land of the monster). A prince finds a way to kill the monster and take the gem.

#folktales
#folklore
#MinCup23
#thread


The Magic Ruby on the Snake's Head is a tale from Thailand. It tells about a magician that finds out that he can enchant a snake, and make it grow a priceless ruby on its head in 1000 years. The magician doesn't survive that long, but the snake grows into a giant man-eating monster.

Later a princess declares she wants the ruby for her necklace (to inspire people to rid the land of the monster). A prince finds a way to kill the monster and take the gem.

#folktales #folklore #MinCup23 #thread


Another exciting folktale is The Ruby Prince from the Punjab.

In this one, a king receives a priceless ruby that turns into a baby boy in the queen's treasure chest. The Ruby Prince kills a monster and wins a wife, but tells her never to ask where he came from. When she inevitably does, he disappears.

She later finds out that he lives with the King of Snakes now. She takes dance lessons, enchants the king with her dance, and wins her husband back.

#folktales #folklore #MinCup23 #thread


By the way, I blogged about the Myanmar legend about the origin of rubies here:
http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com/2020/11/storyspotting-rubies-and-royalty-crown.html

This is also the origin story of the (in)famous Mogok ruby mines. It features a Naga princess who falls in love with the Sun, and three magic eggs, one of which bursts in Mogok and fills the land with rubies.

#folklore #folktales #MinCup23 #thread #StorySpotting


In another folktale from India a clever turtle saves a goose from a fowler with rubies and trickery. He offers the man a ruby for the goose. The man asks for two rubies. The turtle brings a second ruby from his pond, but then says "let me see that first one, to make sure they match."

In the meantime, the goose gets away, and the turtle dives into the pond with both rubies.

#folklore #folktales #MinCup23 #thread


In a folktale from Simla, a man is exiled with is father and 4 wives. The youngest hides some valuable rubies in bread. Later she gives one to her father-in-law to sell, but he falls into a greedy merchant's trap - and so does his son.

The woman then dresses up as a policeman and joins the king's forces. She defeats a monster, earns favor, and solves the case of the men's disappearance, bringing justice to the evil merchant.

#thread #folktales #folklore #MinCup23


One of my favorite ruby stories is a legend recorded by King Sancho IV of Spain. It tells about an English king who gets lost while hunting in the winter. He encounters a naked beggar, takes pity on him, dresses him in his own clothes, and carries him to shelter.

The grateful beggar asks the king to blow his nose. When the king does, a ruby larger than a hen's egg falls into the handkerchief: a magical (though a bit gross) reward for the king's kindness.

#folklore #folktales #MinCup23 #ruby


There is a Gujarati folktale about four friends that go out to seek their fortune. They accidentally eat magic mangoes that determine their fate: one of them becomes king, one can laugh sapphires and cry pearls, and one goes to prison.

The king and his sapphire-laughing minister betray the two other friends. Those two take revenge with the help of the fourth lucky fruit. In the end the minister is cursed like Midas: whatever he tries to eat turns into sapphires.

#folklore #folktales #MinCup23


Today's #MinCup23 match is corundum vs lawsonite.

*Cracks knuckles*

I'm voting corundum, because folklore (and because as a kid I had a book on gemstones, and padparadscha seemed so magical).

I'm going to make this a thread, because rubies and sapphires figure into a whole bunch of tales and legends.

🧵

#folklore #folktales #mythology #gems #minerals #thread


nostr:npub16jp87uymc4p6mt0em8akru4wul39ps4can65q6yd8qd95ymv582sl2glz4 Someone who is still on the birb site should tell them to come to Mastodon too :D


nostr:npub16jp87uymc4p6mt0em8akru4wul39ps4can65q6yd8qd95ymv582sl2glz4 what's geomon? 😆


nostr:npub16jp87uymc4p6mt0em8akru4wul39ps4can65q6yd8qd95ymv582sl2glz4 Oh wow that's a lot! I wish some of them migrated....


nostr:npub13jnjnlt9r3hc0fnx6j8l0cyu752rjf9j53stltafyldpq974kxpq9tlfe4 Oh hell yeah I'd love that too


nostr:npub1mskg80w0z8wppvqkmsvan67y7gt7svzufhklacsvdke3gt7fk06ssuxxxk I'd be all over that if moth experts took up the idea 😄

#moths #mothtodon


So what happens after #MinCup23 ends?... What's gonna fill the "fun Mastodon voting campaign in a scientific field" shaped hole in my heart?

Is there like a Moth Cup? Or a Nudibranch Cup?...

#science


"Honey shall I make you a plate of food to see if the kid is hungry?"

#parenting


My evening

#parenting #books #image #memes #Busytown

https://files.ohai.social/media_attachments/files/111/023/726/414/639/502/original/c44a152073bb4297.jpg


Don't have any folklore for today's #MinCup23 match, but I am voting cavansite because I have a very nice little specimen of it at home.

#minerals


nostr:npub1pdxfgsclkm45tw49j5uevyrvyjr9a9jaw4x7j0ahyyp0klhrrz4qg6gesx LOL This is how you sell a scientific article


nostr:npub1t0j68p63vy6l5djup77xcq9ghqtun0fakkapp4lygr25wp8r88vs3j5srl El pájaro verde, in this book:
https://books.google.hu/books?id=k1Pdyal0N-UC&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false


I'm a bit late for #MinCup23 but topaz is moving on to the next round anyway 😄

There is a Spanish folktale about a princess visited by a gorgeous green bird that turns out to be an enchanted prince from China. She falls in love with him, and breaks the enchantment with the help of a clever washerwoman.

The bird transforms from bird to man by bathing in water in a bowl made of topaz.

#folklore #folktales #storytelling #topaz