The 12 Days of Christmas of 2023 - Day 12

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: twelve drummers drumming!
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

Finally, the twelve drummers stand for the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed, as listed by the Catholic Church. According to Wikipedia, it reads like this: 

 

"I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and Earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the Communion of the Saints,
the Forgiveness of Sins,
the Resurrection of the Body,
and the Life Everlasting. Amen." 

 

While I'm not a Catholic, there are some parts of the Catholic church that I genuinely admire. It's always fascinating to look at different religions from an academic perspective and see how they see things.

 

I think there would be a lot less contention about religion (and the lack of it) if we didn't get so hyper and jump the gun all the time, took a little time to really think and speak to each other like actual human beings.

 

I don't expect anyone to ever agree with me. What they choose to believe is entirely up to them. All I really ask is a little respect and I'm more than happy to give respect in exchange.

 

This is one of the best traits of my faun priest character, Malachi Windwillow. He's always happy to share his beliefs but he'll never force-feed them to you. If you agree with him and decide to join his congregation, that's great. If you don't agree and stay away, he'll still talk to you and try to be your friend. That's how it is with him and Mason Wiles, so Mason makes up his own mind about becoming a Christian, being baptized, and everything.

 

You'll only ever really get on Malachi's bad side if you mock God or try to hurt other members of his congregation on purpose, or threaten anyone in his family. When Bentley, Reid's maternal grandfather, threatens Malachi's children (especially Herminia) during his infamous visit, within the church's very doors, that's enough to make Malachi punch the old man in the fat face and order him, like Friar Tuck, "Get out of my church!" 

 

Although Malachi is later horrified at what he's done, Reid doesn't hold that against him in any way. If anything, this leads Reid to officially renounce Bentley as his grandfather, and Ann never looks at her father the same way again, either.

 

My fantasy version:

 

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: twelve blazing dragons!
Eleven centaurs prancing,
Ten flimsy fairies,
Nine mystic mermaids,
Eight hearty hobbits,
Seven dwarves a-mining,
Six flying horses,
Five magic rings,
Four mountain trolls,
Three phoenixes,
Two forest fauns,
And a unicorn as white as the snow!

 

Like fairies, there are many different portrayals of dragons, good and bad and neutral. In Western culture, they're a symbol of evil, irredeemable monsters of death and destruction.

 

In Eastern culture, they're a symbol of good, creatures of wisdom, strength, power, and hidden knowledge.

 

In both versions, no one ever gets on a dragon's bad side if they know what's good for them, because dragons are still strong and untamed, and most are big enough to eat you in one bite.

 

Hence the trope, "Bullying a Dragon." According to TV Tropes, "This is the fate-tempting and suicidal tendency of characters to bully, persecute or otherwise provoke people or things they really shouldn't be messing with."

 

This is probably why dragons are among the most prominent in fantasy stories, and among the most fun to write about, because you really can write them any way you like.

 

 

And that's a wrap! Merry Christmas, everybody!

 

The 12 Days of Christmas of 2023 - Day 11

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: eleven pipers piping!
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

 

The eleven pipers stand for the eleven faithful disciples. That is, all of Christ's disciples except Judas.

 

Judas is quite a complicated character, and a lot of people have mixed feelings about him. On one hand, he helped make the Savior's universal sacrifice possible, but on the other hand, an innocent man suffered unspeakable torture and the worst death imaginable because of him. After everything Jesus went through, from the Garden all the way to the Cross, death could only be a blessed release.

 

There was no way Jesus's enemies could have gotten their hands on Him to begin with without a little help, and there is something to be said about someone who does something wrong when they know it's wrong. Whether Judas truly meant to betray his Master and simply got cold feet at the last minute, or the situation turned out a whole lot worse than he initially expected, is irrelevant.

 

When all is said and done, the man really was a traitor. He threw all of the Savior's teachings away and regretted his actions a little too late, which I feel makes his story that much more heart-wrenching.

 

As for the remaining eleven Apostles, they not only remained faithful but went on to become far greater men than they were before or could have ever imagined. They're all living proof that ordinary men (and women) can become truly extraordinary in God's hands if they let Him.

 

My fantasy version:

 

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: eleven centaurs prancing!
Ten flimsy fairies,
Nine mystic mermaids,
Eight hearty hobbits,
Seven dwarves a-mining,
Six flying horses,
Five magic rings,
Four mountain trolls,
Three phoenixes,
Two forest fauns,
And a unicorn as white as the snow!

 

Like fauns, centaurs are known for their barbarism and unbridled chaos, and wine has always had a tendency to bring out the worst in them. Then again, centaurs are every bit as capable of kindness, goodness, and wisdom. They're especially passionate about books and astrology, and they make lifelong friends, too.

 

The most famous centaur of all is the Chiron, a wise and kind centaur who taught many great heroes in their youth, such as Achilles, Actaeon, and Jason.

 

I've personally developed a soft spot for the centaur Oreius from The Chronicles of Narnia.

 

The 12 Days of Christmas of 2023 - Day 9

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: nine ladies dancing!
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

 

There are many theories about what the nine ladies are supposed to represent.

 

One such theory is that they represent the Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit, as explained in the Book of Galatians. These fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

 

My fantasy version:

 

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: nine mystic mermaids!
Eight hearty hobbits,
Seven dwarves a-mining,
Six flying horses,
Five magic rings,
Four mountain trolls,
Three phoenixes,
Two forest fauns,
And a unicorn as white as the snow!

 

In some cultures, mermaids are seen as protectors and guides of the ocean and its creatures, representing the power of nature to nurture and sustain life.

 

In my world, merfolk are fiercely protective of their territory. They won't hesitate to attack anyone who harms their environment or any of the undersea creatures living in it. Then again, they'll handsomely reward anyone who helps them.

 

As much as I love Disney's The Little Mermaid, I do make a few corrections here and there.

 

The 12 Days of Christmas of 2023 - Day 8

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: eight maids a-milking!
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

The word "maid" alludes to an unmarried woman, and milk is the life-sustaining nourishment that mature females provide.

Therefore, this song alludes to eight young girls on the brink of womanhood, like eight flowers springing into full bloom.

My fantasy version:

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: eight hearty hobbits!
Seven dwarves a-mining,
Six flying horses,
Five magic rings,
Four mountain trolls,
Three phoenixes,
Two forest fauns,
And a unicorn as white as the snow!

If you've ever read and/or watched The Hobbit and/or The Lord of the Rings, you'll know hobbits are simple, pleasant country folk, vastly preferring good food, drink, friends, and music to wealth and power.

They may not seem like much, but they're still full of surprises, and everybody has an important lesson or two to learn from them.

The 12 Days of Christmas of 2023 - Day 7

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: seven swans a-swimming!
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

The swan is a symbol of grace, purity, and harmony. It's also a symbol of balance: yin and yang, light and dark, good and bad.

 

My fantasy version:

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: seven dwarves a-mining!
Six flying horses,
Five magic rings,
Four mountain trolls,
Three phoenixes,
Two forest fauns,
And a unicorn as white as the snow!

The dwarf also represents balance and the vital need for it. On one hand, you should be strong and ready to face your enemies at a moment's notice, but on the other hand, you can't always get along through brute force.

In most modern fantasies, dwarves are known to be grumpy, sarcastic, and a bit bloodthirsty in a fight, yet they're also loyal to the death. So, if you manage to get on a dwarf's side, count on that dwarf standing by you all the way to the end.

The 12 Days of Christmas of 2023 - Day 6

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: six geese a-laying!
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

The six geese allude to the six days of creation, to the gift of new life, although what God would call a day is not exactly 24 hours by our standards.

My fantasy version:

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: six flying horses!
Five magic rings,
Four mountain trolls,
Three phoenixes,
Two forest fauns,
And a unicorn as white as the snow!

A flying horse, better known as a Pegasus, is a creature blessed with the gift of flight. With relative ease, they can travel to certain places that very few other creatures could possibly reach.

So, a Pegasus alludes to freedom, the endless opportunities spread out before us.

The 12 Days of Christmas of 2023 - Day 5

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: five golden rings!
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree! 

 

In the song, the five rings represent the first five books in the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

 

This is also known as the Pentateuch, which basically summarizes the creation of man, man's fall from grace, and the wonderful mercy God extends toward man. It all goes to show how valuable something must be for someone to go to so much time and effort to not only preserve it, but make it even better.

 

 

My fantasy version: 

 

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: five magic rings!
Four mountain trolls,
Three phoenixes,
Two forest fauns,
And a unicorn as white as the snow!

 

A ring is also a well-known symbol of authority, honor, devotion, and eternity. That's why powerful rulers often sport prominent rings on their fingers, as well as why we wear rings when we get married. In J.R.R. Tolkien's case, this makes the title The Lord of the Rings particularly significant.

 

The 12 Days of Christmas of 2023 - Day 4

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

The four calling birds represent Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the four Evangelists who spread the gospel to "the four corners" of the Earth.

My fantasy version:

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: four mountain trolls,
Three phoenixes,
Two forest fauns,
And a unicorn as white as the snow!

In just about every fantasy story, trolls are depicted as none too bright, little more than savage brutes. So, you could say a troll represents what a person would be like without morals, intelligence, and basic decency.

12 Days of Christmas (2020) - Day 8

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: eight maids a-milking...

...seven swans a-swimming...

...six geese a-laying...

...five golden rings...

...four calling birds...

...three French hens...

...two turtle doves...

...and a partridge in a pear tree!

My fantasy version: Eight hearty hobbits...

...seven dwarfs a-mining...

...six flying horses...

...five magic rings...

...four mountain trolls...

...three phoenixes...

...two forest fauns...

...and a unicorn as white as the snow!

Interesting fact: The word "maid" alludes to an unmarried woman, and "milk" is the nourishment that all mature females provide. Therefore, a young girl is on the brink of entering full womanhood, like a flower springing into full bloom.

Hobbits are known to be simple, pleasant country folk, vastly preferring good food, drink, friends, and music to wealth and power. They may not seem like much, but they're still full of surprises and everyone could take a leaf or two out of their books.