December – List, Actually

[Prof. Maxim Trevelyan]

You are tidying up the shop floor a bit after a flurry of customers. After you finish rearranging a few products on the shelf that you are sure you only set to rights a few minutes ago, you rock back on your heels and take a look around for anything else out of place. You spy a scrap of paper on the floor. Someone has dropped their shopping list. You are very bored by now so you read it carefully and begin to wonder which of the customers it belonged to.

Write a list of at least 10 items and then suggest who it belonged to, along with a few lines of reasoning for your choice.

Post your list below by December 31st 11:59 pm HOL time to get 15 Hoots and 50 beans.

[Emily Spencer]

I always find it curious to watch the customers make their selections. It makes you wonder what goes on in the mind of some people. And this list proved no exception.

1. Vial of Water-This isn't just any vial or any water, mind you. It's purportedly a vial of water owned by Merlin himself, containing the waters of Avalon. The waters are rumored to not only have healing properties, but also allows one to make contact with the dead. The giveaway that the article is genuine is a small "M" carved on the bottom of the vial, Merlin's own crest.

2. Rabbit's Foot-Again, not just any rabbit's foot that come a dime a dozen, frankly. This particular rabbit's foot belonged to Gaius, Merlin's uncle and court physician of Camelot. Merlin himself gave Gaius the foot for good luck, and I have no reason to refute the claim of it's origin. The color is a a mottled blue-grey, a species of rabbit not known outside the region of Avalon.

3. Sidhe Staff-Originally owned by Sophie, a young Sidhe who attempted to wield it against Arthur Pendragon. Merlin was able to obtain the staff by his own means, which I suppose is how we acquired it in this particular shipment. The staff itself is known to cast bolts of deadly magic, and is inscribed with words concerning life and death. As the words are written in the ancient Sidhe language, I would say that my supposition about the staff is correct.

4. Carved Dragon-This magical item shows the softer side of magic. It is a child's toy, with the ability to sing a soothing lullaby to calm and chase away fears. It is said to have belonged to Merlin, carved by the hands of his father, Balinor. As we have had several other pieces of Balinor's work in the shop, and the craftsmanship appears to be similar, it is reasonable to assume that it was made by the same hands.

5. Grimoire-The grimoire belonged to Merlin's uncle, Gaius, and contains powerful spells including a spell to cure magical diseases and one that allows the caster to bring inanimate objects to life. There is no guesswork involved in this one; the owner's name is written in gold on the inside cover. Additionally, Gaius was a rather prolific note-taker that initialed all of his annotations, leaving no doubt as to the owner of the book.

6. Coin of Necromancy-This is a coin filled with dark magic, given to the Lady Morgana by her sister, Morgause. The coin is known to have the ability to raise the dead, summon shades, and allow the bearer access to the underworld. Coincidentally, it is almost identical to a a pentacle used by Merlin himself. At first, it was hard to identify the owner of the coin, but having studied Merlin's pentacle extensively and recognizing the similarities, there was little room for doubt. Additionally, Morgana was known to mark her possessions with a small drawing of a raven, and this coin was no exception.

7. Enchanted Bracelet-It is believed that this bracelet was given to Guinevere by Morgana in order to awaken her feelings for Lancelot, thus betraying King Arthur. The bracelet, could, therefore, be classified as a love charm, I suppose. It is fairly certain this bracelet belonged to the Queen, as it still contains essence of her perfume; a scent crafted especially for Guinevere by her brother as a wedding present.

8. Enchanted Pendant-Also a possession of Morgana, inscribed with the words "Seolfor þræd aþring winstre, aþring yfele, aþring wiþ ealle gode cræfte", which roughly translates to "Silver thread, rush to the left hand path; rush to evil; rush against every good skill." Imbued with Morgana's dark magic, the pendant causes any healing spell cast upon the wearer to be reversed and magnified tenfold to evil. It bears the raven mark of Morgana, leaving little room for doubt about it's owner.

9. Poppet-This particular poppet was believed to be owned by Mary Collins, a sorceress who once resided in Camelot itself. If stories about the poppet are true, it has led to the murder of more than one person. It allows the owner to use glamour to change their appearance. Ghostly whispers are also heard coming from the doll, if one listens closely enough to hear them. Mary's name is stitched into the skirt the doll wears, making identification of the owner quite easy indeed.

10. Ring of Light-This ring belonged to Morgana's sister, Morgause, and has the ability to create a source of illumination for the wearer. Enchanted with the powerful light spell "Lære us, forþbrenge us, ætlæde us. Wisu heofoncandel ure", the ring produces a high column of yellow-orange smoke when used. The ring is made from Baltic amber, and reported to be the only one of its kind. Morgause also had her own marking for her possessions, a vine entwined between two snakes, which this ring bears on its band. How thoughtful of her to mark it so we could identify the owner!

I do not know who this list belongs to, but I would certainly like to meet them. They seem to have the same fascination with Camelot/All-Things-Arthurian that I do, so I am certain we would be fast friends.

[Prof. Maxim Trevelyan]

15 Hoots and 50 beans for Emily Spencer!