The Anima [completed]

Part II

A brief insight into the Other Worlds

The images and details provided in these pages are from the collected findings of Lyra Easton.

Read at your own discretion.

The First Plane

Bendith Y Mamau:

The result of inbreeding between the lower classes of the Fae and Goblins, they are ugly and stunted. They take newborn children from mortals, sometimes even toddlers, and substitute them with their own children known as Crimbils. The child can be returned if the parents pay a witch to perform a spell, but it will remember nothing from their trip except for recollections of music.

Brownies:

These little creatures are cheerful and helpful, even though they are very unattractive. They are small and hairy with flat faces and pinhole nostrils. Mortals who are as cheerful as these creatures, and children, will often see Brownies in the trees dancing or in their back yards. Brownies will often play with children and tell them stories, but will vanish at the sight of a disbelieving adult. The presence of Brownies will offer protection against Goblins, but can only be conjured by the happiest and most cheerful humans.

Leshy:

A malign wood spirit which lives in the deep forests the world.It is skinny with blue skin and green hair and eyes. A wanderer in the forest will not see the spirit, as it moves too fast, and may be led astray by the creature. In winter, they cover footprints out of snow so that you cannot retrace your steps and at other times can cause bewilderment that the wanderer strays deeper into the forest. You can break its spell by putting your shoes on the wrong feet or by turning your clothes inside out or back to front, which confuses the Leshy and soon you will find your way out of the forest.

The Shadow Plane

Black Dog:

Descendants of Celtic or Gaelic origin should never walk along lonely roads without a companion. The dog may be visible to one but not the other and this person may be able to bestow a level of protection. The ideal companion is a descendant of Man MacEndroe of Loch Ewe, who was gifted immunity against the power of the Black Dog for saving a Fae tangled in a bramble bush. Some see the dog as the size of a Labrador, others as big as a calf or horse. It moves in complete silence, without panting or claw-clicking. Its appearance can foretell a death in the family, or trigger the death of the individual who sees it. It can cross over when an individual feels particularly macabre or lonely. An individual who feels macabre may cause the death of the individual they are thinking of, and a lonely individual may face their own death.

One can befriend the Black Dog by giving it an offering. These offerings may come in the form of a most loved possession or even a blood relative.

Unclassified

Doppelgänger:

The shadow-self which accompanies each of us wherever we go. It is invisible to human eyes and is not reflected in mirror surfaces. A doppelgänger always stands exactly behind its owner, and always move so swiftly that no matter how quickly you turn your head, it moves out of sight. If you were able to see and hear yourself imitated exactly you might be overwhelmed by shame, and a normal doppelgänger does not like to embarrass it's owner. It guides your actions, and sometimes can protect a person from danger by reacting to cues before the conscious responds. When a cat suddenly looks wide-eyed over your shoulder, it has seen your doppelgänger. When a dog chases after you barking, it has become intimidated by the sight of your doppelgänger. Old people are also very conscious and often converse with a persons doppelgänger.

However, a doppelgänger can become extremely dangerous if affected by malice or mischief. Then, it may decide to act on its own accord and split from the body. People may recall seeing you in places you haven't been before or may claim you have done something you have no recollection of doing. Malicious doppelgängers may even commit crimes or assume a personality that is not your own. In such cases the doppelgänger will act on your deepest desires and urges and spur on dangerous activities. A person with no doppelgänger will most likely go insane.