witchdoctor.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

Stolas is the boss owl, a goetic demon and Great Prince of Hell known for his crown, long skinny legs, and knowledge of precious minerals and herbs. He can teach you astronomy, and commands 26 legions of demons. Look at, deGrasse Tyson. #FairytaleTuesday 🖼: D. Valeriani

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

some PEEK A BOO! action on this Mole Cowrie! #molluscmonday #molluskmonday www.inaturalist.org/observations...

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

Ok, an object which demonstrates my passion for death history. A fragile Delftware plate titled ‘You and I are Earth. 1661’ It was found in a sewer and went into the collection of @londonmuseum.bsky.social #skystorians

submitted 8 days ago • 4 comments

I’m going through Greek mythology with my toddler, and maybe I should have practiced my delivery because after sharing that Kronos ate his first five children out of fear that one would over throw him, I looked up to see my teary-eyed love ask, “Why did he eat his babies?” 😩 #LegendaryWednesday

submitted 9 days ago • 1 comment

I remember when the arsenic story broke, years ago. I was fascinated by it then, and have often wondered what happened to this scientist in the intervening years. This is a complicated story, well told. Worth making time to read this one.

submitted 17 days ago • 2 comments

'Safety first' when sacking Rome.

submitted 17 days ago • 74 comments

Cannibalism was frequent in the Magdalenian period in Europe. 🧪🏺

submitted 19 days ago • 7 comments

In European folklore, mandrake root was used to create magical amulets or potions. However, the plant was said to scream if pulled from the ground, and any who heard the scream died. Thus, sorcerers would tie the mandrake to an animal so that the animal could uproot it. #FolkloreSunday

submitted 19 days ago • 2 comments

For #WorldCancerDay: my #embroidery Bleeding Vessel (2022). I finished it while recovering from a hysterectomy after stage IA endometrial cancer. Thankfully surgery & checkups are the only treatment I needed. #SciArt #MedSky 🧪🐡🧶 Read more about this piece here: https://buff.ly/4gvWpo6

submitted 25 days ago • 5 comments

Morgan Tud is the head physician of King Arthur's court in early Arthurian legends, healing many of Arthur's warriors. Though Morgan is male, his name is similar to "Morgen," the fairy queen who heals Arthur in Avalon, so some scholars wonder if there is a link between them. #MythologyMonday

submitted 25 days ago • 1 comment

I love this GIF of a grey-headed flying fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) munching away on a red grape, cheeks stuffed full of goodness. But I managed to track down the story, and it's even sweeter. This is Sully, who was found comatose in a Sydney park in 2015, 2 months pregnant, possibly concussed.

submitted 30 days ago • 2 comments

Working #women are frequently attested in the #Roman empire: the funerary stele of Sentia Amarantis depicts the deceased tapping wine from a barrel. She was an inn-keeper and died at the age of 45. The stele was set up by her husband. From Augusta Emerita/Mérida, 3rd c. AD. #ReliefWednesday 🏺

submitted 31 days ago • 7 comments

Avocados, bay leaves, cinnamon, sassafras and camphor are all closely related members of the laurel family (Family Lauraceae). What they have in common: - single waxy fruit with a seed - waxy leaves that repel water - most are highly poisonous There's a subtropical biome called "laurel forests".

submitted 159 days ago • 6 comments

Healing Heart: Red Tulips

submitted 37 days ago • 1 comment

I was in a second-hand bookshop yesterday and found a very old medical book with this skeleton inside, who looks like he’s waited an absolute age to get served at the bar.

submitted 35 days ago • 9 comments

I never know what to put in a first post, so how about a fun fact: Did you know that the pig uterus has two horns that are each about a meter (3 ft) long?

submitted 37 days ago • 2 comments

So I have seen the whole "medieval alewives are the archetype for the modern stereotypical witch depictions" thing going around.... again, and I thought I would do a bit of myth-busting. Grab a seat, this is a long one. #skystorians

submitted 38 days ago • 9 comments

Dracula parrots, also known as Pesquet’s parrots or vulturine parrots, lives in the rainforests of New Guinea. They have hooked beaks and feather-less heads, unlike other parrots, giving them a vulture look. The parrot feeds almost exclusively on figs ♥️🖤 #SpookyScience 🧪

submitted 49 days ago • 7 comments

Suffering from the sniffles? Here's a recipe to make a "fine tablet for the cough and coold" from our 18th century herbal notebook. #histmed

submitted 52 days ago • 3 comments

New watermark, old photo: for the year's first #TBT, a pic of a gold fish hook ant (Polyrhachis sp., I think P. ypsilon), Malaysian Borneo 2015. 🐙🌿

submitted 58 days ago • 6 comments

hi

submitted 54 days ago • 40 comments

Borb on a snowy day. Northern Cardinal

submitted 53 days ago • 15 comments

A little pop of colour to brighten you Monday #birds (House finch)

submitted 54 days ago • 20 comments

A dead log brings life anew, bright caps gleam through misty hues, rebirth thrives where endings grew 🍄🌲✨🌿🌫️ Link to more about me and my work linktr.ee/steven.sandner #Nature #Mushrooms #MistyForest #GoldenGlow #Ethereal

submitted 57 days ago • 3 comments

(The Feast of) Samhain, 1951. British/Mexican surrealist artist, Leonora Carrington (1917-2011).

submitted 57 days ago • 1 comment

Getting ready for the New Year [“Nature Forging a Baby,” British Library, Harley 4425 (Roman de la Rose), fol. 140, Bruges, c. 1490-c. 1500.] #earlymodern #newyears #allegoryfail

submitted 61 days ago • 7 comments

This is a great read for anyone interested in #WomenInSTEM or #MedSky.

submitted 62 days ago • 5 comments

I made a gingerbread panopticon

submitted 66 days ago • 400 comments

Merry Chrysler to those whomst celebrate 🦝🎄

submitted 66 days ago • 99 comments

Throwback to 8 years ago, when I spent #crustmas week on the crustmassiest place on Earth, Christmas Island! And just like this year, the baby Christmas Island Red Crabs picked the best possible time to return to shore, carpeting the entire shoreline in a heaving mat of tiny red crabs

submitted 67 days ago • 5 comments

I was coming up with jeopardy questions for our party, and this was a rather spooky read! I knew about Krampus and Mari Lwyd but not the others. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

submitted 66 days ago • 0 comments

Day 22: The first blood test to differentiate human from animal blood was in 1901. Before that, analysis was often based on smell or appearance, or chemical reactions. I found some bloodstained pieces of fabric in a box at the archives, from a homicide case in 1890. #xmascountdown #crimedetection

submitted 69 days ago • 3 comments

1904 half-mourning gown. This is beautiful, and pretty eye-catching for half-mourning! The lace you see is actually 1860s black Chantilly lace! You know how they loved to reuse and repurpose back then. Brilliant. The label reads “C Worth, Paris.” [Augusta Auctions] #19thc 🗃️ 🗃️🪡

submitted 72 days ago • 2 comments

This frilly little friend was less pink in person, more of an orangey pink. iNaturalist says it's a blewit, mayhaps collybia nuda? I'm not convinced so I'll let #FungiFriends be the judge!

submitted 72 days ago • 1 comment

Did you know Alfred Hitchcock's classic #horror #film "The Birds" was inspired by a neurotoxic event? #neuroscience www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuLj...

submitted 73 days ago • 1 comment

Things used in everyday life are the real archaeological treasures! These sewing #needles were made from animal bones some 15,000 years ago. Some designs simply don't need to be improved, because form and functions were perfectly matched from the start. Form follows function! 🧵1/2 🏺 #archaeology

submitted 73 days ago • 21 comments