Her ice 🧊 is shipwrecking and deadly, with big balls and no masks. We lived through the Ice Storm; we also happily skated over frozen sports fields and country club ponds for gym and for fun, with hot chocolate in the warm up houses by the fire, and walked/glided home with our skates over our shoulders.
She taught us to be strong. To figure it out. To do what each season demanded and not dawdle. To respect the elements, especially water.
…my brother little howlin’ wolf r.i.p. used to scuba lake michigan and had great words on the beauty of the shipwrecks he got to see…never got the opportunity to to join him, bit of a bummer, but was always good to hear him talk about it…
Lovely song. Such an ethereal start to my morning. Not to mention the little bit of writing that sucks you right into the mood and atmosphere of it all. Also, Great Lakes Lore is 10/10. Inspirational
You are ever amazing, my lady. No, I don't have a magnificent beloved Great Lake, but Justin Ward @thebloodandpine has his. But I do have an affinity with the wind spirit, although in his masculine form, not the divine feminine which you referenced. Loved the lyrics and the story. BTW -The lore asserts that the Vikings (Raiders) used to buy magical ropes that the "Finns" (usually thought to be the Sami, a shamanic people, "Lapplanders") made which could be used to call the wind at sea. If but one knot be loosened, you could cruise. IF three were loosened, you could call up a great storm. Saxo Grammaticus has a story of sailing men getting timely aid by calling on Utgard-Loki, the Thurse leader featured in Snorri's myth which I translated and posted as Thor Meets His Match. And then there's Brynhild's rune magic for sailing. Fun, fun, fun.
yes! I loved his account of Lake Superior. and wow what a cool legend of loosing knots and setting forth winds and storms….. another gem from your treasure trove
This is a truly beautiful song, following on from a post which both made me laugh (the psychotherapists cabin heating plan), and taught me something new (Iceballs!!! Now I want to see them too!!)
I dropped in here because you liked my post - "Becoming the River" - but I think I will subscribe and stay, because of your wonderful song.
I truly enjoyed it Samara - in every respect. It's now late here, and my brain needs to go into dream mode, but I look forward to reading more in my tomorrow.
a delightful question - I always considered this lake as a violent stern bounteous mysterious goddess — but most bodies of water (and ships) are referred to as ‘she’ in English, despite our lack of gendered articles… we have other ghost genders of nouns, where it tends to be anthropomorphized ‘he’ or ‘she’ despite it simply being an ‘it,’ ‘a,’ ‘the.’
I imagine there must be some echoes of other languages in some of these ghost-gendered-articles, but maybe it has something to do with the nature of the places or objects too?
You are so romantic, Samara. I am lost in the morphology, besides the anthropo... of English. Never studied English. Just a lot of reading, not connected to ghosts in any way. But your writing is so lovely that in my old age, you inspire me now instead of thinking about Dostoevsky to think about the decadence of ghosts'poetry.
I am thinking about writing about Dostoevsky's life on Substack. Thank you for liking my "the decadence of ghosts' poetry". It came to my mind, reading you! It is my present to you.
And to answer your question I do have a passionate love affair with the Missouri River where I was born and raised on its muddy shores. I wanted to be an underwater archaeologist after a traveling shipwreck exhibit of the Steamboat Arabia visited our school.
A few winters ago I visited the Glensheen Mansion in Duluth which houses a mysterious metal diving bell discovered in its boathouse. They believe it was used by one of the family in the 1920s for underwater exploration of Lake Superior. Can you imagine???
Yes! Lake Michigan reared me. She is not to be trifled with.
not to be trifled with indeed!
and quite a powerful mother/guardian/force to be reared by
Her ice 🧊 is shipwrecking and deadly, with big balls and no masks. We lived through the Ice Storm; we also happily skated over frozen sports fields and country club ponds for gym and for fun, with hot chocolate in the warm up houses by the fire, and walked/glided home with our skates over our shoulders.
She taught us to be strong. To figure it out. To do what each season demanded and not dawdle. To respect the elements, especially water.
I love all of this. and yes: respect the water
…my brother little howlin’ wolf r.i.p. used to scuba lake michigan and had great words on the beauty of the shipwrecks he got to see…never got the opportunity to to join him, bit of a bummer, but was always good to hear him talk about it…
I just found his obituary - seems like an amazing guy (and like scuba diving the Lake would be right up his alley)
wrote this about him - https://cansafis.substack.com/p/the-coolest-truth
oh I loved that. especially his joke about someone named Lenny from somewhere you’ve never heard of. all of it really. a true original.
…highest rec the cool truth record….
Lovely song. Such an ethereal start to my morning. Not to mention the little bit of writing that sucks you right into the mood and atmosphere of it all. Also, Great Lakes Lore is 10/10. Inspirational
thank you, Edward! especially glad you enjoyed the lore :)
Loved this! I never knew the Great Lakes were so fascinating...and I still can't get over how lovely your voice is ❤️
they’re so incredible!
and thank you <3
woah woah! i had no idea there were so many shipwrecks! this was fantastic
I know! so shocking!
and thank youuu
Ahhhh just so good
That's scary!! Loved the story and the song!
agreed! and thank you :)
You are ever amazing, my lady. No, I don't have a magnificent beloved Great Lake, but Justin Ward @thebloodandpine has his. But I do have an affinity with the wind spirit, although in his masculine form, not the divine feminine which you referenced. Loved the lyrics and the story. BTW -The lore asserts that the Vikings (Raiders) used to buy magical ropes that the "Finns" (usually thought to be the Sami, a shamanic people, "Lapplanders") made which could be used to call the wind at sea. If but one knot be loosened, you could cruise. IF three were loosened, you could call up a great storm. Saxo Grammaticus has a story of sailing men getting timely aid by calling on Utgard-Loki, the Thurse leader featured in Snorri's myth which I translated and posted as Thor Meets His Match. And then there's Brynhild's rune magic for sailing. Fun, fun, fun.
yes! I loved his account of Lake Superior. and wow what a cool legend of loosing knots and setting forth winds and storms….. another gem from your treasure trove
I love your writing style!
thank you, John!
Fascinating
so interesting! so beautiful!
This is a truly beautiful song, following on from a post which both made me laugh (the psychotherapists cabin heating plan), and taught me something new (Iceballs!!! Now I want to see them too!!)
I dropped in here because you liked my post - "Becoming the River" - but I think I will subscribe and stay, because of your wonderful song.
Best Wishes from Australia - Dave :)
thank you so much, David! very happy to make you laugh and to share a song and my love of iceballs :)
I truly enjoyed it Samara - in every respect. It's now late here, and my brain needs to go into dream mode, but I look forward to reading more in my tomorrow.
D :)
It is very interesting: the accompaniment of the story by the ballad or song; the story's understatement is enhanced by the song.
If English doesn't have gender (as Russian does, and it's very helpful), why do you give a lake a feminine gender?
a delightful question - I always considered this lake as a violent stern bounteous mysterious goddess — but most bodies of water (and ships) are referred to as ‘she’ in English, despite our lack of gendered articles… we have other ghost genders of nouns, where it tends to be anthropomorphized ‘he’ or ‘she’ despite it simply being an ‘it,’ ‘a,’ ‘the.’
I imagine there must be some echoes of other languages in some of these ghost-gendered-articles, but maybe it has something to do with the nature of the places or objects too?
You are so romantic, Samara. I am lost in the morphology, besides the anthropo... of English. Never studied English. Just a lot of reading, not connected to ghosts in any way. But your writing is so lovely that in my old age, you inspire me now instead of thinking about Dostoevsky to think about the decadence of ghosts'poetry.
'the decadence of ghosts' poetry' -- I love that... you're inspiring me too.
and you are never too old for romance :) (although Dostoevsky is terrific too)
I am thinking about writing about Dostoevsky's life on Substack. Thank you for liking my "the decadence of ghosts' poetry". It came to my mind, reading you! It is my present to you.
a wonderful present! And I look forward to reading about Dostoevsky’s life too
OK. But it will not be very soon. I only began reading his contemporaries who wrote about him. Wish me luck.
And to answer your question I do have a passionate love affair with the Missouri River where I was born and raised on its muddy shores. I wanted to be an underwater archaeologist after a traveling shipwreck exhibit of the Steamboat Arabia visited our school.
love this of course.
A few winters ago I visited the Glensheen Mansion in Duluth which houses a mysterious metal diving bell discovered in its boathouse. They believe it was used by one of the family in the 1920s for underwater exploration of Lake Superior. Can you imagine???
woahhhh that is amazing!
Hooray, you're beautiful. That is all. Such good work. +1
aw thank you so, means a lot from you!