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*Zoe* · 07-10-2017, 03:00 AM

As to be expected in April, rain had been more than prominent at Hogwarts for what seemed like forever. However, yesterday not a single droplet of water fell from the sky. The same could be said about this morning. The sky is a brilliant blue, and not a single cloud is in the sky. All in all, it is a perfect day to be outdoors. Fortunately for you, Ancient Runes has been moved from the classroom up on the fifth floor to the grounds on this fine morning. Did you remember to bring your dragon hide gloves? You are going to need them for class today!

With 10 o'clock steadily approaching, you leave the confines of the castle and take in a deep breath of fresh air before making your way through the Clock Tower Courtyard, past the bubbling fountain, and onto the sagging wooden bridge. You can hear birds cheerfully chirping and fluttering about and see flowers blooming to soak up the warm rays of the sun as a breeze gently blows. You take in that breathtaking Scottish scenery just for a moment, resisting the temptation to stop at the middle of the bridge and show up late to class. Doing so would not work well in your favour.

Once you have made it to the end of the bridge, you see the headmistress standing at the Stone Circle. Her hand rests on one of the large stones as she looks out toward the pathways. One pathway led down to the groundskeeper's hut, another the creature barn, to her right was where the Beetle had been parked, to her left took one to the Whomping Willow, and there were several others that linked to various parts of the grounds.

Hearing footsteps coming from behind her, Headmistress Hawthorne turns around, breaking from her quiet moment of basking in the sun, to smile at you. She makes a motion to a box that she had placed in the centre of the circle, permitting you to approach and take whatever is inside. Look into the box and you will see numerous seeds -- alder, birch, elm, hazel, maple, oak, pine, and rowan -- scattered within. Go ahead and grab a random seed, unless you happen to the able to tell the difference between them, while you wait for the lesson to begin.

OOC: Take note that this is NOT the second Ancient Runes lesson your character has had with the headmistress this term. Also, please familiarize yourself with the Ancient Runes and SnitchSeeker rules before posting. ~~The lesson will continue in roughly 24 hours.~~ The lesson has started. Feel free to jump in!

Text Cut: Lesson Progression

Arrivals

Question #1 (What is the significance of trees in Norse mythology? How are trees used in today's world, in relation to runology or in general?)

Question #2 (What is one rune that you think would be beneficial in growing a tree from a seed? Why do you think so?)

Mini-Activity (Take a bracelet, find a spot to dig a small hole, place your seed in the ground, and generously water it.)

Main Activity (Carve the bind rune on the bracelet, chant galdr to invoke the runes, and cast Herbivicus on your seed.)

Closure

ArianaBlack · 07-12-2017, 12:57 AM

Zoryn held her little seed REALLY tightly so that she wouldn’t drop it. And she even tried her HARDEST to pay attention to the Headmistress. Mostly ‘cause Zoryn had a few things she wanted to ask the woman and needed to be on her good side before doing so. In other words, Zoryn was trying to be the BEST STUDENT EVER. Sort of. Eh. Either way, she was here? That had to count for something.

As for her first question… It stumped the Gryffindor. Get it STUMPED? ‘Cause trees had STUMPS!!! So Ravenclaw she was. “Trees help us breath!” Something about oxygen releases or uh… Yeah. Photosynthesomething.

Not that her answer had any relation to runology…. Or Norse mythology… BUT Hawthorne had asked how trees were used in today’s world IN GENERAL. And breathing was PRETTY DARN GENERAL.

So she was QUITE pleased with herself and her answer.

Mhm.

Could she get an O for the day and have an early release? Please and thank you!!!

griffin · 07-12-2017, 12:59 AM

Did she remember what had been said about planting trees? Of course she had. She had been the one who refused to cut down a tree. The headmistress had told her about planting trees in spring. They were going to plant trees! This was going to be a great lesson! It was like applying runes to herbology, and herbology was Isa's favorite subject ever. Isa carefully looked through the box of seeds, identifying the different types of trees they came from. Eventually she selected an oak seed, oak like her wand. She liked the symbolism of oak trees. It fit her well. Re-planting trees was especially important to sustain the ecosystem, so Isa was especially excited for this lesson.

Oooh, they got to talk about trees now! Yay! Isa knew a lot of things about trees. Not all of it related to Ancient Runes, but trees in general were very interesting. "Yew trees are very important in Norse Mythology. They symbolize death and rebirth, probably because yew trees live for so long. Yggdrasil, the tree of life holding the nine worlds, is associated with yew. Runologists use trees for things like making runic wands or carving runes. In general trees are an important part of the environment by producing oxygen, and many trees also provide food for certain animals. Trees also provide a habitat for tree-dwelling creatures like squirrels and bowtruckles." Isa looked over at her friends Derf and Stasya, owners of the specific bowtruckles and squirrels she had been thinking of. She could talk all day about trees, and she wanted to, but she had to remind herself not to start babbling about trees when the real focus here was how runes related to trees. It seemed like she was starting to lose focus from the question and just starting to say things about trees, so now was probably a good time to stop talking. This lesson looked like it was going to be fun!

Goblinfrog · 07-12-2017, 02:10 AM

"Oh, just one?" she said in slight embarassment, dropping all the extra seeds in the palm of her hand back into the box except for a seed of an oak tree. Heh.

It was a good thing they were studying Norse mythology instead of Greek or Roman mythology, because those other two bored her while Norse mythology was fascinating to her. She also loved Australian mythology.

She raised her hand. "One of the trees in Norse mythology is named Yggdrasil, and it is the tree of life connecting the nine worlds of Norse mythology dragon lives inside it, along with an eagle and four stags. It sounds like a fascinating place to visit if it were real. I think it was an ash tree."

Deezerz · 07-12-2017, 02:33 AM

Cornelius had almost forgotten about the seed in his hand as he made small talk with the Headmistress. Look at him. His dad would be proud. Eh.

"Glad to hear that, Headmistress. It is a pretty grand day," he genuinely agreed, green eyes glancing up at the sky. Then with a smile, he gave a small, polite shrug. "Hanging long enough for O.W.L.s." Unfortunately. Someone kill him. But not really. Kill OWLs. That was a better option.

As more students arrived, Cornelius tipped his head forward at the Headmistress, the way he was taught to excuse himself from adults, and stepped aside. Not before opening his palm and demonstrating her the seed he had kept a secret.

Elm.

Now at Noelle's side, he examined his seed as the Headmistress spoke. They were going to plant trees? Here? All of them? Well, get ready to call this side of the bridge the Forest of Crushed Trees. Because that's what it was going to be unless they all spread out...like, really spread out and planted their seed.

Either way, it was going to be a forest. Get that name ready.

As for the question, Cornelius was more than happy to answer, but look at the blondie Puffer go. The Slytherin folded his arms across his chest, making him seem bigger than he was, as he waited for these little speeches to be over.

Go on, little dudes. Y'all had the floor.

*Zoe* · 07-12-2017, 07:15 AM

Text Cut: Individual Responses

Quote:

Originally Posted by NifflerFan

Emmeline frowned when the headmistress got to the questions part of her talking. She didn't know very much about Norse mythology, and honestly, she hadn't been reading the Ancient Runes textbook lately. But she thought she remembered something she'd read in one of her textbooks AGES ago about some trees, so she raised her hand and answered tentatively: "Yew trees are linked with runes, magic, and death.." Which was really sad and kind of scary, but it was all she could think of right now. She wasn't entirely sure she was right about that, either, but she could've sworn it was in either their Runes or Divination textbooks... She remembered 'cause she'd thought it was creepy when she read about it in whichever book it was earlier in the term.

What was that frown for, Miss Sparkes? As she gave everyone time to think over her questions and pluck some prior knowledge from their brains, the woman was looking around, waiting for someone's voice to pipe up, and she did see the look on the girl's face. Her smile was still present. It was okay for a first year to not know much about Norse mythology. There were other parts of her questions that she was welcome to answer.

And she definitely did just that. The headmistress nodded her head at Emmeline's response. "They most certainly are, Miss Sparkes. Yew has an important place in Norse mythology and an general runology. Runic talismans and wands are typically made out of yew."

Then, as an afterthought, she added, "There is a rune that literally translates to 'yew.'" Perhaps that was what she remembered reading? Of course, the headmistress knew which rune that was, though she was going to let one of the others make that fact be known.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady of Light

Planting trees.. how interesting. Etta stared down at the random seed ( pine ) she'd picked earlier which was now sitting comfortably on the palm of her hand before her attention drifted towards the Headmistress once again. Norse mythology.. she tried to not look blank. She practically knew nothing about it. She knew she needed to devote more time to study Ancient Runes though, if she wanted to do well in OWLs. She started to think carefully, trying to come up something. Anything.

"The World Tree is very significant in Norse mythology, right? I'm not aware of the details but it's supposed to act as a link between the sky and the earth.." Etta frowned, not sure whether she'd given the right answer but at least, she'd given it a try. The girl quietly listened to the others give answers as she waited for class to move on.

The next to speak up was Prefect Kramer. The moment her voice was heard, Regina turned her body so that she was facing the Hufflepuff. "Ahh, yes, the World Tree," she repeated, encouraging her to go on. Though ... she only could add that it linked the sky and the earth? The headmistress blinked, thinking that someone needed to spend extra time with their Ancient Runes textbook if they wanted a passing OWL score.

"To put it simply, the tree certainly is indeed a link. Though it does so much more. The branches of the tree extend far into the heavens, connecting to other world." As for how many worlds there were, that would be something the prefect would need to discover ... or wait for one of her peers to say how many worlds made up Norse cosmology.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverTiger

She’d looked back over as the headmistress had announced they were mixing Runes with other subjects again. It wasn’t really a mystery what the subject was, not when they all had seeds, but she definitely remembered the tree lesson, and her idea that someone would be replacing the ones they’d cut down. She just hadn’t thought it would be her, but then also, it made her wonder if she’d see the unicorns again. If they were planting their trees where they’d cut the other ones down, maybe.

Her hand had shot up as soon as Etta had given her answer, too. “Yggdrasil!” That was the name of the World Tree she’d mentioned, and it reminded her of her squirrel constellation from Astronomy. “And there’s something called warden trees too, that people give offerings to for luck.”

Suddenly the name of the World Tree was exclaimed, which caused the woman to sharply turn her head. Matching the voice with the squirrel owner, all Regina could do was nod at the piggybacking that had been done. "Correct you are, Miss Dalgaard-Volkova. Yggdrasil is the name of the World Tree."

Oh, she had more to say? Excellent!

"And you are spot on about people giving offerings to the warden trees. This is a practice that used to be quite common in Germany and Scandinavia, for it was believed that these very old trees -- often a linden, ash, or elm -- would defend them from bad luck. The respect for these trees was great, so great that breaking a twig or a leaf from it was considered a serious offense."

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

"Bowtruckles live in trees-s-s. Their HOME TREE," he offered as an answer. For, you know, every day daily life stuff. "Like Wiggentree! And wand trees-s-s...and we cut tho-s-se down to make wands-s...aaaaand S-SOMETIMES-S runes-s are carved into wands-s!" OH QUESTION. KINDA. "What...happens-s-s when you carve runes-s-s for stuff like we did with becoming winged horse whis-sperers with WAND woods? Like...are they BETTER?" He glanced down at his pendent and...what wood had this been again? Had they been told? If they had did he remember? "AND AND AAAAAAAAND! Which wood would be BES-ST for a creature whis-sper pendent carving runic thingy?"

You know...just asking for a friend. Ahem.

And because the Hufflepuff couldn't help himself....

".....and none of thes-s-se s-s-seeds are....flesh eaters, are they?"

The first set of words that came out of Derfael's mouth did not surprise the headmistress one bit. Had the creature-obsessed boy not mentioned an animal of some sort, she would have been worried. Though there was no need for her to worry.

"Right you are, Mister Ashburry-Hawthorne. The Wiggentree is one tree that serve as homes for bowtruckles. Fiercely protective of their home trees, aren't they? Trees are also home to a number of animals as well, magical and non-magical," she responded, glad that they were taking this moment to connect their lesson with yet another subject area, even if briefly. "And we certainly do indeed get our wands from trees and sometimes carve runes onto them to make them stronger."

And spewing out of his mouth now where all of the questions about woods and which would be best to use. Merlin. They could spend AGES on this topic.

"Like carving a rune on a pendant, carving runes on a wand would invoke the energies of the rune that is on it. With that runic energy being paired with a spell, it tends to lead toward stronger and more successful magic depending on the rune and purpose," Regina answered, trying to keep her response short and sweet. They only had so much time and a lesson to continue with, and wand woods and runes was such a heavy topic. "In regards to pendants, using yew is always a popular choice. English oak, however, has been notated by wandmakers to have an affinity with the magic of the natural world. Plus oak wood is associated with Ehwaz, as well as a few other runes."

A laugh then almost, almost, escaped her mouth.

"No flesh-eaters today, Mr. Ashburry-Hawthorne."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kayla Taaffe

Vivienne went up to the front and grabbed a seed from the box. She only grabbed one. She didn't want to be greedy.

Today she was going to mesh Ancient Runes and Herbology.

Bind runes were an interesting topic to Vivienne. She was going to be planting trees for god's sake! The ground had thawed completely after the devastating winter. But that was the past.

Her eyes then fell on the quiet little Ravenclaw. The woman paused for a moment to see if there was something she wanted to say, but all that Regina could observe was that she was writing quite a bit down. She made a mental note to check in and see what Vivienne wrote later. She had other voices to attend to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steelsheen

Runes and trees....there was a connection between them for sure, its just the question of Tenacius trying to remembering what they were, as most were told to him via trivia and idle chatter of camping "Professor, I was told that Runes have a corresponding tree type, and that Rune craftsmen makes special rune sets and staves where they match the rune to its representative wood type."

"That is very true, Mister Salander," the woman agreed, nodding her head as she faced him. She then continued, speaking to the Gryffindor as well as the rest of the class, "Each rune corresponds to at least one tree type, and you can make rune sets and staves out of different woods to really enhance runic energies. For example, birch is a wood commonly used for healing purposes. Because of that, runologists often pair that wood with Berkana (which literally translates to 'birch')."

The more you know. Of course, there were many other wood purposes that could be combined with runes as well. The options really were limitless.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChanceCoeur

"Ive heard of Yggdrasil." Noelle said tagging on to what Stasya was saying. "My grandmother was big into mythology. She said that tree was a magical tree that...." What was it??? The stories were told when she was so young, she was having a hard time remembering. "Something about connecting the worlds. There were a handful of them.. I want to say like... 8 or 9?" Noelle said. Of course... these were just childhood stories.... right?

Turning to Noelle next, the class discussion swung right on back to Yggdrasil, that giant mythical tree, and how it connected worlds. Regina knew that someone was bound to add exactly how many worlds made up Norse cosmology ... though the words that came out of the Gryffindor prefects mouth ... formed a question?

She wasn't even going to think about asking what she received on her Ancient Runes OWL. Nope.

"Nine worlds, Miss Summers," the headmistress gently corrected. "Asgard, home of the gods; Álfheimr, home of the Ljósálfar; Niðavellir, home of the Dwarves; Midgard, known to us humans as Earth; Jötunheimr, home of the giants; Vanaheimr, home of the Vanir; Niflheim, the world of ice and snow; Muspelheim, the world of fire and lava; and Helheimr, the home of the dishonorable dead."

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomRaven

The lesson had started and the Headmistress did want them to take one seed. "I'll take one, Derf."She said when the Hufflepuff boy offered. And back to Hawthorne's words... So they did really going to plant trees today, but obviously not just planting the trees since this was an Ancient Runes class, not Herbology. "I guess we're going to plant trees that usually is being used to make Gandr." The Gryffindor spoke up as she raised her hands, because that's the first thing pop on her brain since it did related to this lesson. "And... I have read about some trees is associated with Norse God or something."

Ava Burton was the next to speak up. Seeing her hand, the headmistress looked the girl square in the eye. With a nod of her head, the girl was allowed to speak.

"Yes, Miss Burton, trees are used to make gandrs," she agreed, before continuing. "For those of you who are newer to Ancient Runes, gandrs are runic wands or staffs that are used to move runic energies from one place to another. Typically all twenty-four runes are painted or carved onto them, though there are instances in which a runic formula is used."

But that was enough on that. They would be using gandrs soon, along with getting more in depth the with healing runes. Consider yourselves teased, ladies and gentlemen.

Something new was then brought to the discussion. "Very good point. Yes, there are trees that are associated with some of the Norse gods. For instance, yew is often connected with Odin; birch to Thor; oak, Freya; and so on."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kimothy

Oh, and the lesson started. Vivian offered one last smile to Cornelius before diverting her attention to the Headmistress. It excited her a little because it involved planting... and plants... and Herbology. She loved that subject! So, of course, the Headmistress definitely had the Slytherin's ears perked up at the topic for today. And runes... related to trees? She knew quite a little, but not too much. In effort to give it a try, Vivian raised her hand. "Gandrs are made of wood, Headmistress, right? Also, I'm sure we can carve runes on wood, too, to invoke runic energy." And the Yggdrasil thing was mentioned already by Stasya, so the fourth year didn't want to really elaborate on that because she didn't know much other than the basics.

Mhm, yup. That was it. Vivian smiled at the Headmistress as her way of concluding her answer.

The next voice that spoke up made Regina internally puzzled. Had Vivian been paying attention to what her fellow classmates already had said? Ava had just covered the gandr fact. No one did explicitly mention carving runes on wood to invoke runic energy. Well, she had to Derf in response to her question.

"You most certainly can carve runes on wood. Yes, Miss Fairfield." They had been doing it practically all term, after all. "Do you remember the incantation for rune carving?" They were going to need it today.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

Something did strike her though, which might be related, because they talked about the phonetically similar one earlier in the term.... "Eihwaz is associated with yew trees and it's associated with change and winter and nature. Trees are changing from starting as seeds to eventually producing fruit, or some other kind of product." So like is that why they each got a seed? Was it symbolic?

"An excellent connection between trees and runology, Miss Diggory," the woman said with a nod of her head. "Eihwaz is interpreted into present-day English as 'yew,' which, when you analyze the run itself, makes a lot of sense."

The woman paused. Did they understand? Or was it just her and the Slytherin that had that locked in their minds? Regina looked around at the faces gathered at the Stone Circle. Hmm. An explanation was probably needed. Just in case.

"The yew is symbolic for the energies of Eihwaz. Yew trees are known for being extremely long-lived. Many believed the yew tree to be immortal as it remained supple and strong all year long as the seasons change from a rebirthing spring to the harshness of winter. When one interprets Eiwhaz, change is often at the forefront, whether good or bad. When invoked, it helps the caster to gain knowledge and acceptance of change, promoting an ease of transition, through the wisdom of Yggdrasil. While something may come to an end, it gives birth to another."

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

Zoryn held her little seed REALLY tightly so that she wouldn’t drop it. And she even tried her HARDEST to pay attention to the Headmistress. Mostly ‘cause Zoryn had a few things she wanted to ask the woman and needed to be on her good side before doing so. In other words, Zoryn was trying to be the BEST STUDENT EVER. Sort of. Eh. Either way, she was here? That had to count for something.

As for her first question… It stumped the Gryffindor. Get it STUMPED? ‘Cause trees had STUMPS!!! So Ravenclaw she was. “Trees help us breath!” Something about oxygen releases or uh… Yeah. Photosynthesomething.

Not that her answer had any relation to runology…. Or Norse mythology… BUT Hawthorne had asked how trees were used in today’s world IN GENERAL. And breathing was PRETTY DARN GENERAL.

So she was QUITE pleased with herself and her answer.

Mhm.

Could she get an O for the day and have an early release? Please and thank you!!!

The moment the words came out of Zoryn's mouth was the moment that the headmistress stopped dead in her tracks, blinking at the first year. Thank you, Captain Obvious, for that ground-breaking piece of information. But, then again, she should have expected at least one person to provide that as an answer. The downfall of keeping questions a little too open-ended.

Nevertheless, the first year was right. As simple and elementary as her answer was.

"Yes, Miss Spinnet. That they do." Trees help us breathe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by griffin

Did she remember what had been said about planting trees? Of course she had. She had been the one who refused to cut down a tree. The headmistress had told her about planting trees in spring. They were going to plant trees! This was going to be a great lesson! It was like applying runes to herbology, and herbology was Isa's favorite subject ever. Isa carefully looked through the box of seeds, identifying the different types of trees they came from. Eventually she selected an oak seed, oak like her wand. She liked the symbolism of oak trees. It fit her well. Re-planting trees was especially important to sustain the ecosystem, so Isa was especially excited for this lesson.

Oooh, they got to talk about trees now! Yay! Isa knew a lot of things about trees. Not all of it related to Ancient Runes, but trees in general were very interesting. "Yew trees are very important in Norse Mythology. They symbolize death and rebirth, probably because yew trees live for so long. Yggdrasil, the tree of life holding the nine worlds, is associated with yew. Runologists use trees for things like making runic wands or carving runes. In general trees are an important part of the environment by producing oxygen, and many trees also provide food for certain animals. Trees also provide a habitat for tree-dwelling creatures like squirrels and bowtruckles." Isa looked over at her friends Derf and Stasya, owners of the specific bowtruckles and squirrels she had been thinking of. She could talk all day about trees, and she wanted to, but she had to remind herself not to start babbling about trees when the real focus here was how runes related to trees. It seemed like she was starting to lose focus from the question and just starting to say things about trees, so now was probably a good time to stop talking. This lesson looked like it was going to be fun!

Thankfully the response from Miss Wright was a redeeming one. The woman didn't know what she would have done had she gotten another answer like Miss Spinnet's. Thank Merlin Isabel had something more to say that provided more of a contribution to the lesson. Mind you, the headmistress couldn't help but notice that the Hufflepuff was all over the place, jumping from one thing to the next. But she had brought up good pieces of information, even if a lot of it had already been said.

But what was that about Yggdrasil being associated with yew? Regina's head turned toward the third year, thinking of how best to phrase her next set of words.

"Yggdrasil is synonymous with yew, as you say, Miss Wright. This is, however, based on an etymology made by F. R. Schröder, who proposed that the word means 'yew pillar.' It is a conflicting theory, though it does make sense considering the reverence of the wood in Norse culture. Though we do need to keep in mind that the tree is commonly referred to as an ash."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goblinfrog

"Oh, just one?" she said in slight embarassment, dropping all the extra seeds in the palm of her hand back into the box except for a seed of an oak tree. Heh.

It was a good thing they were studying Norse mythology instead of Greek or Roman mythology, because those other two bored her while Norse mythology was fascinating to her. She also loved Australian mythology.

She raised her hand. "One of the trees in Norse mythology is named Yggdrasil, and it is the tree of life connecting the nine worlds of Norse mythology dragon lives inside it, along with an eagle and four stags. It sounds like a fascinating place to visit if it were real. I think it was an ash tree."

Kitty's voice also confirmed the general belief about the wood of the World Tree. Though the headmistress didn't linger on that for long. The Ravenclaw prefect had brought up some interesting facts about the tree's inhabitants that hadn't been said yet.

"You are correct in mentioning that there is a dragon, an eagle, and four stags that live within Yggdrasil. Níðhöggr is the name of the dragon; the eagle is unnamed in Norse mythology; and the four stags are Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór." There was more to those mythological creatures, though that would have to wait another day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deezerz

As for the question, Cornelius was more than happy to answer, but look at the blondie Puffer go. The Slytherin folded his arms across his chest, making him seem bigger than he was, as he waited for these little speeches to be over.

Go on, little dudes. Y'all had the floor.

Her eyes then fell on Cornelius. The boy didn't go unnoticed with those folded arms of his. An eyebrow rose, wondering if he was going to say anything. There was still a lot that could be said about trees, especially how they were used in runology and in general. A silent beat passed. Nothing to say, Mister Baltazar? Very well then.

Moving on!

It was moments like these that having a lesson outside of the classroom and out on the grounds was problematic. There was so much information spewing around, and there were those present that would have benefitted from seeing words written on a blackboard. Looking around, she did see a few attempting to take notes ... and then there were probably a good amount that were overwhelmed.

When no other voices spoke up, Regina took a moment to mentally review everything that had been said. With such a broad question having been asked, some summarization was in order. "From Yggdrasil to the symbolism of Eihwaz to crafting rune sets, galdrs, and wands to being a home, I hope you all realize just how huge of a role trees play in mythological worlds and ours. Though it is something that is obvious, it is something that is sometimes taken for granted. There are, of course, hundreds of other uses that trees have that we didn't mention, but I think we all have a firm grasp on why trees are significant and why they are used. Thank you for your contributions, class."

The headmistress paused for a moment, making sure that everyone was still with her rather than sleeping standing up or trying to sneak off. Her eyes then fell on the box that she had placed in the centre of the circle. She walked over to the box, bent over, and pulled out a seed. Regina was able to identify it on sight: pine, the Tree of the Manifest.

"In my hand, I have the beginnings of what will be a pine tree. Pine is a wood that represents the cycle of life and rebirth. We are going to start from square one with our trees and encourage them to grow with a little magic and help from some runic energies. With that said, what is one rune that you think would be beneficial in growing a tree, or plant in general, from a seed? And why do you think so?"

OOC: My apologies for the delay. It was a busy day for me, so, needless to say, I'm beat. But here is the final set of questions before we move on to the practical part of our lesson.

The question is pretty straightforward. What is ONE rune that your character thinks will help a seed grow to to a tree/plant? WHY do they think it will help? As always, try not to repeat something that was already said (in particular when it comes to the explaining why bit). There are MULTIPLE runes you can choose from, especially if you think outside of the box! Remember that both correct and incorrect answers will be accepted. The lesson will continue in roughly 24 hours.

RandomRaven · 07-12-2017, 08:05 AM

Ava grinned as the headmistress agreed about her answers. Those were just some facts that popped on her mind. She listened as Headmisterss Hawthorne responded her classmatess' answers and mentioned about Yggdrasil, Eihwaz, something about the world tree, everything else and did take some important notes because... who knew.

Moving on to... the pine seed and planting.

Oh, so they were not just planting the tree but also using the runes to help them grow? Wow, just... wow. The Gryffindor was curious, she's itching to ask and raised her hand. "Professor, how exactly the runic energy help the planting? Like.. Will it speed the growth or something else?" And perhaps she should answer the headmistress' question too. "I think... Inguz can be used for the tree planting because it means new beginnings." Cue a small nod.

Kayla Taaffe · 07-12-2017, 01:43 PM

Quote:

From Yggdrasil to the comparison of Eihwaz to creating rune collections, galdrs, and batons to being a house, I believe you all recognize just how enormous of characters trees perform in imaginary creations. But it is being that is clear, it is anything that is seldom taken and conceded. There are, of course, centuries of additional methods that trees have that we didn't name, but I assume we all have a secure hold on why trees are vital and why they are applied.

Vivienne loved pine.

Quote:

Pine is a wood that describes the circle of development and renewal.

She was going to encourage hers to grow.

Quote:

Vivienne would use Fehu. It means cattle. Manure can be used as fertilizer.

ChanceCoeur · 07-12-2017, 01:56 PM

Noelle wouldn't even pretend that she was any good at Ancient Runes. As much as she TRIED, nope. Not happening. It was confusing, old school, and boring.... in Noelles opinion. She was even going to drop this class this term... until she saw Char use runes at the end of last term. She looked over at Viv as she was called Miss Noelle. Emm and Viv HAD to stop that. Heh. She was beginning to feel old.

So she wasn't surprised that the Professor had given her a bit of a look when she questioned the 8 or 9 planets. She had no idea if she was even remotely right. But it seemed she had been. Partly. Noelle took some notes while the professor talked. Key notes. She'd have to study these later... yep. She needed some Char time. Maybe even Levi. He seemed good with those too. Least she could do was ask.

She took a look at the seed in her hand. Birch seed. She thought anyways. She wasn't a seed expert either. Noelle looked over at Corny and Ava to see what kind of seeds they had.

Looking back up at the professor, she raised her hand slightly. "Eihwaz." She stated. Not Ehwaz. "As others have mentioned. It means Yew tree. Since we are growing trees, I figure that would be the best option. Just like Ehwaz we used for connecting with horses and it meant horse."

Noelle also like Ava's answer. Was her wifey good at runes?? They could practice together!

*PhoenixRising* · 07-12-2017, 11:18 PM

It was a good thing she had answered before one certain second year, because had she heard Zoryn's answer before, Skylar might not have been able to keep her focus. And she was focused right now. Considering even the Headmistress noticed her excellent connection.

As the woman started talking more, summarizing their broad answers, she then shifted to talking about new beginnings. Huh, so had her line of thought been correct about the symbolism of new seeds and change? How was she on the same page as the Headmistress again? Must have been a coincidence, but regardless, Skylar was going to revel in the moment for just a minute, as she considered runes that might be beneficial in growing a tree.

Ah, good one Ava. And Noelle used the rune she had mentioned earlier; if she hadn't taken too much time to think, she could have suggested Eihwaz again, since that one was already in the air. But with twenty-four main runes, surely there had to be another one.

"Berkana, of the third aett, has a lot of symbolism and meaning around new beginnings and growth and fertility." And ironically meant birch, the seed tucked in her pocket so she wouldn't lose it.

ArianaBlack · 07-12-2017, 11:56 PM

Did Zoryn know the answer? Definitely not. Was she gonna try to answer anyways, yeah maybe. Zoryn remembered all of two runes: Jera and Raidho. Why she remembered those two? No reason in particular. They were just the only ones that got stuck in her head. Though if you asked her to give their meanings... She'd have to go with a hard pass. Nope. She just remembered the names. BUT in her defense she was ONLY a second year and totally had like five more years to memorize this stuff.

"Jera," she nodded putting her hand back down.

But that was as much of an explanation she'd give. Aka no explanation. Because it was a wild guess. Mhm. At least she tried.... Was she done NOW? Could she go?

NifflerFan · 07-13-2017, 03:14 AM

The first year had absolutely NO idea what the answer to the next question was. Emmeline had a short attention span on a good day, and today was not a good day for this. Her classmates and the headmistress had said A LOT of stuff, and even the headmistress's attempt to summarize the information left the Gryffindor rubbing her aching head in confusion. Ancient runes made no sense at all, nope.

Other people seemed to know what the professor was talking about, 'cause they were offering up runes and stuff. She still had no idea what to say until Zoryn said a rune that she remembered!! Zoryn hadn't said why, so maybe she could explain that one and the headmistress would be happy enough? Raising her hand, the first year replied: "I think Zoryn is right and Jera is the beeeest rune for this, 'cause Jera means growth and, um, fetilidy and stuff like that." Okay, so she'd kind of messed up at the end there. Emmeline thought that was probably close enough to what she remembered hearing or reading or whatever about Jera.

Lady of Light · 07-13-2017, 04:24 AM

That question.. Etta frowned, trying to figure out the answer. Um. She remained quiet as her classmates raised their hands, running her fingers through her hair distractedly. Maybe she was going to have to drop this subject.. how was she so bad at it? But she had to give a guess, right? She raised a hand hesitantly before answering the question.

"Inguz? It's literal meaning is 'seed', right?" .. or not. She wasn't a hundred percent sure. The girl absently stared down at her hand, already starting to panic about her OWLs. How was she going to do well in this subject? Maybe she should ask a friend to help her.. hm. She sighed, listening to the other responses, trying not to get too upset.

griffin · 07-13-2017, 06:50 AM

Yggdrasil was referred to as an ash, but the name meant yew. Was Yggdrasil a yew or an ash? It seemed odd to name a tree "yew pillar" if it was actually an ash. So confusing. Ash and yew weren't even in the same family and didn't really look the same, so you'd think people would be able to tell the difference. Maybe the true meaning had been lost in translation over the years. It was hard to tell sometimes with such ancient things. Isa took notes on everything that the headmistress said, not wanting to miss anything.

Ancient Runes was actually a really fascinating subject, and Isa had been looking into runic charms because that seemed like something that would be really interesting to try if she could find a good reason to. "There are many runes that have connections to fertility that might be beneficial to plants, but I think I would choose Inguz. Berkana has connections to trees and plantlife and fertility, but I think it is more symbolic of personal growth and childbirth than actual growth. Inguz more literally represents growth and connecting to the ground. Inguz is associated with Freyr, the Norse god of agriculture and fertility. Some of the ways Inguz can be used is for farming and growth, making this a good rune for helping a tree grow. Maybe some of these runes can be combined as bindrunes or a runic charm to increase the effect on the seed." Had she said too much? Isa easily got carried away when she was talking about things she was interested in. Runes of fertility were of special interest to her as an aspiring herbologist. She had read a lot about the divinatory meanings of runes too, because she wanted to try doing some of the rune spreads to see how well they worked. There were many applications for runes. It was all fascinating. Actually, runes was one of Isa's favorite subjects. Herbology was always going to be her favorite of course, but there was something about runes that captivated Isa. As a first year she had come in knowing nothing about runes but that one of them was Isa, like her name. She had learned a lot since then.

sweetpinkpixie · 07-13-2017, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoe

The first set of words that came out of Derfael's mouth did not surprise the headmistress one bit. Had the creature-obsessed boy not mentioned an animal of some sort, she would have been worried. Though there was no need for her to worry.

"Right you are, Mister Ashburry-Hawthorne. The Wiggentree is one tree that serve as homes for bowtruckles. Fiercely protective of their home trees, aren't they? Trees are also home to a number of animals as well, magical and non-magical," she responded, glad that they were taking this moment to connect their lesson with yet another subject area, even if briefly. "And we certainly do indeed get our wands from trees and sometimes carve runes onto them to make them stronger."

And spewing out of his mouth now where all of the questions about woods and which would be best to use. Merlin. They could spend AGES on this topic.

"Like carving a rune on a pendant, carving runes on a wand would invoke the energies of the rune that is on it. With that runic energy being paired with a spell, it tends to lead toward stronger and more successful magic depending on the rune and purpose," Regina answered, trying to keep her response short and sweet. They only had so much time and a lesson to continue with, and wand woods and runes was such a heavy topic. "In regards to pendants, using yew is always a popular choice. English oak, however, has been notated by wandmakers to have an affinity with the magic of the natural world. Plus oak wood is associated with Ehwaz, as well as a few other runes."

A laugh then almost, almost, escaped her mouth.

"No flesh-eaters today, Mr. Ashburry-Hawthorne."

Fiercely protective was an understatement! Since kinda sorta turning into Picketta's Home Tree he had learned a thing or two about that. Namely when it came to him being around girls. Picketta was surprisingly alright with him around boys, even Abey. Natalie had suffered the most and he STILL felt BAD about that. Although things were working out there a little. At least Picketta was not full out attacking the Slytherin so THAT was good. The bowtruckle seemed to understand that Natalie was a very important friend and it would mean a lot to him if she would play nice.

Okay....but...uh...was the Headmistress aware she sorta talked way too smart? Derf typically LIKED this sort of thing, but some of her fanciful words were distracting because he was getting to wrapped up in how nice they sounded to listen to, you know? Like affinity. AFFINITY. That was a really neat and pretty sounding word.

Which now meant he had...missed a lot of what she had been saying. Oops. His hand HAD been moving over his parchment so maybe his subconscious had jotted down something for him....oh nope. Just another doodle of a bowtruckle.

Although he DID hear the bit about no flesh eaters. He would wait and see whether or not he believed the woman.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoe

The headmistress paused for a moment, making sure that everyone was still with her rather than sleeping standing up or trying to sneak off. Her eyes then fell on the box that she had placed in the centre of the circle. She walked over to the box, bent over, and pulled out a seed. Regina was able to identify it on sight: pine, the Tree of the Manifest.

"In my hand, I have the beginnings of what will be a pine tree. Pine is a wood that represents the cycle of life and rebirth. We are going to start from square one with our trees and encourage them to grow with a little magic and help from some runic energies. With that said, what is one rune that you think would be beneficial in growing a tree, or plant in general, from a seed? And why do you think so?"

Now walking around a little so he could present a seed to one Ava Burton - he thought it was a particularly good one, by the way - Derf TRIED to listen...but he was a visual learner. Visual and kinesthetic so this sitting and just listening to information and being expected to retain it was...er...just not going to happen.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand he really had no idea what the answer to this one was because, well, plants. He did not pay much attention to things that benefited plants sooooooooo...drawing a blank here. Although he SUPPOSED that he could see why trees were important and stuff. Like...his black and white thoughts about them were sort of getting shades of grey and all that. Although he associated that with Picketta's influence more than anything else.

OH BUT A THOUGHT!

"Tiwaz? Er....Tyr?" Eeeeer...which was the pronunciation of that? "It SOUNDS like tree...and the rune kinda looks like one."

*Zoe* · 07-13-2017, 06:30 PM

Text Cut: Individual Responses

She should have expected the class to go quiet once they were focusing just on runes and not engaging just general knowledge. The silence was there, but the woman simple smiled and waited. As long as they were thinking and trying their best, then a few minutes could be spared (especially for those that needed to peek at their textbook ... if they brought it with them). Though it was just a little worrisome. They had spent the entire term immersing themselves with these runes, learning their meanings and how to interpret them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomRaven

Oh, so they were not just planting the tree but also using the runes to help them grow? Wow, just... wow. The Gryffindor was curious, she's itching to ask and raised her hand. "Professor, how exactly the runic energy help the planting? Like.. Will it speed the growth or something else?" And perhaps she should answer the headmistress' question too. "I think... Inguz can be used for the tree planting because it means new beginnings." Cue a small nod.

A hand then shot up, unsurprisingly one that belonged to a Gryffindor. Eyes settled on Ava, and they might have twinkled at her question. Someone was jumping the gun. "You'll find out soon enough, Miss Burton." Patience, child. Patience.

As for the girl's answer to the question she had asked, Regina firmly nodded her head. "Very good, very good. And you are absolutely correct thinking that Inguz would be beneficial in growing trees because of its meaning. The rune represents fertility and new beginnings."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kayla Taaffe

Vivienne loved pine.

She was going to encourage hers to grow.

Quote:

Vivienne would use Fehu. It means cattle. Manure can be used as fertilizer.

It was at this point that the headmistress began to walk through the cluster of students, moving her way in between them. She had gotten tired of standing in front of them all, and she was hoping her walking near them would get them to talk before she randomly called out a name.

She did quickly look over Vivienne's shoulder, seeing that she was writing down her answer once again. The sentences that were written down were correct ... though Fehu served a different purpose that didn't quite relate to planting trees. "You are correct that Fehu means cattle, Miss Awning. However, that rune in particular applies to wealth and abundance as, in past times, the amount of cattle one had determined their status."

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChanceCoeur

Looking back up at the professor, she raised her hand slightly. "Eihwaz." She stated. Not Ehwaz. "As others have mentioned. It means Yew tree. Since we are growing trees, I figure that would be the best option. Just like Ehwaz we used for connecting with horses and it meant horse."

Noelle also like Ava's answer. Was her wifey good at runes?? They could practice together!

The slight raise of her hand didn't go unnoticed. Regina's head turned toward Noelle, giving the girl her full attention. Her answer to the question though ... hmm.

"While Eihwaz does translate to yew in present-day English, the purpose of the rune is more symbolic than anything. Using the energies of Eihwaz invokes change. While one could think that Eihwaz can bring about change on a growing tree, it is important to keep in mind its deeper meaning. Eihwaz brings necessary change in our lives, something that we need to accept and, through that acceptance, gain some sort of wisdom that will aid us in transitioning through life." It was more applicable to humans rather than plants in this instance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

Ah, good one Ava. And Noelle used the rune she had mentioned earlier; if she hadn't taken too much time to think, she could have suggested Eihwaz again, since that one was already in the air. But with twenty-four main runes, surely there had to be another one.

"Berkana, of the third aett, has a lot of symbolism and meaning around new beginnings and growth and fertility." And ironically meant birch, the seed tucked in her pocket so she wouldn't lose it.

Moving between students once more, the headmistress waited for another response. Skylar was the next to speak up, making her the next to gain her attention. Her answer was one that earned an approving nod.

"Very good, Miss Diggory," she said, wondering if she could just leave it at that because the Slytherin had justified why using Berkana would be beneficial so perfectly. Though, for the sake of those that needed the repetition, she repeated and then left a little teaser for them, "Like Inguz, Berkana represents new beginnings and fertility. There is a slight difference between the two. We'll be getting to that soon enough."

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

Did Zoryn know the answer? Definitely not. Was she gonna try to answer anyways, yeah maybe. Zoryn remembered all of two runes: Jera and Raidho. Why she remembered those two? No reason in particular. They were just the only ones that got stuck in her head. Though if you asked her to give their meanings... She'd have to go with a hard pass. Nope. She just remembered the names. BUT in her defense she was ONLY a second year and totally had like five more years to memorize this stuff.

"Jera," she nodded putting her hand back down.

But that was as much of an explanation she'd give. Aka no explanation. Because it was a wild guess. Mhm. At least she tried.... Was she done NOW? Could she go?

The next hand to shoot up in the air was Zoryn's, and Regina braced herself for another Zoryn-esque, short and sweet, answer. At the mention of Jera, Regina honestly had hope for the Gryffindor. She waited for an explanation to why the girl thought Jera would be a good rune to use to make a tree grow, but was disappointed that her hand went down and no more words came out of her mouth.

Was this a wild guess? Tut, tut.

"Correct, Miss Spinnet. Now can anyone tell me why Jera would be beneficial?" Because it was for obvious reasons.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NifflerFan

The first year had absolutely NO idea what the answer to the next question was. Emmeline had a short attention span on a good day, and today was not a good day for this. Her classmates and the headmistress had said A LOT of stuff, and even the headmistress's attempt to summarize the information left the Gryffindor rubbing her aching head in confusion. Ancient runes made no sense at all, nope.

Other people seemed to know what the professor was talking about, 'cause they were offering up runes and stuff. She still had no idea what to say until Zoryn said a rune that she remembered!! Zoryn hadn't said why, so maybe she could explain that one and the headmistress would be happy enough? Raising her hand, the first year replied: "I think Zoryn is right and Jera is the beeeest rune for this, 'cause Jera means growth and, um, fetilidy and stuff like that." Okay, so she'd kind of messed up at the end there. Emmeline thought that was probably close enough to what she remembered hearing or reading or whatever about Jera.

Thank Merlin someone was able to elaborate on Jera. Once Emmeline's hand was raised and started speaking, the headmistress took a few steps toward her so that she could hear her loud and clear. The beginning of her explanation was spot on, though it did get a little weak at the end. It was something she was willing to forgive. They honestly hadn't spent a whole lot of time studying Jera, hence today's lesson.

"Thank you, Miss Sparkes. And you are most certainly right about Jera being the best rune for growing a tree." Regina certainly agreed with that statement, and she then explained why, "Jera represents change, a positive change. It is the rune of good harvest, motion, productivity, and development or growth. It's energy helps things move through cycles as they are meant to happen."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady of Light

That question.. Etta frowned, trying to figure out the answer. Um. She remained quiet as her classmates raised their hands, running her fingers through her hair distractedly. Maybe she was going to have to drop this subject.. how was she so bad at it? But she had to give a guess, right? She raised a hand hesitantly before answering the question.

"Inguz? It's literal meaning is 'seed', right?" .. or not. She wasn't a hundred percent sure. The girl absently stared down at her hand, already starting to panic about her OWLs. How was she going to do well in this subject? Maybe she should ask a friend to help her.. hm. She sighed, listening to the other responses, trying not to get too upset.

Looking around for more answers, the woman couldn't help but notice the Hufflepuff prefect running her fingers through her hair. Was Ancient Runes really that boring for her? She did know that the class was an elective course, right? It was one that required one's attention and hard work and if her hair was more important...

The girl's hand was raised, eventually. Regina turned her head toward Henrietta and listened, soon discovering that she was yet another that believed Inguz to be useful. She was right, though the explanation as fairly basic. "You are correct in saying that Inguz would be beneficial, Miss Kramer. And some sources do believe Inguz's literal meaning to mean 'seed' due to the rune's symbolic connection with fertility."

Quote:

Originally Posted by griffin

Ancient Runes was actually a really fascinating subject, and Isa had been looking into runic charms because that seemed like something that would be really interesting to try if she could find a good reason to. "There are many runes that have connections to fertility that might be beneficial to plants, but I think I would choose Inguz. Berkana has connections to trees and plantlife and fertility, but I think it is more symbolic of personal growth and childbirth than actual growth. Inguz more literally represents growth and connecting to the ground. Inguz is associated with Freyr, the Norse god of agriculture and fertility. Some of the ways Inguz can be used is for farming and growth, making this a good rune for helping a tree grow. Maybe some of these runes can be combined as bindrunes or a runic charm to increase the effect on the seed." Had she said too much? Isa easily got carried away when she was talking about things she was interested in. Runes of fertility were of special interest to her as an aspiring herbologist. She had read a lot about the divinatory meanings of runes too, because she wanted to try doing some of the rune spreads to see how well they worked. There were many applications for runes. It was all fascinating. Actually, runes was one of Isa's favorite subjects. Herbology was always going to be her favorite of course, but there was something about runes that captivated Isa. As a first year she had come in knowing nothing about runes but that one of them was Isa, like her name. She had learned a lot since then.

Had the third year Hufflepuff said too much? Perhaps. Though her answer was very thorough and it was clear that she had put a lot of thought, along with her understanding of runes they had already covered, into it. Regina definitely wasn't going to rebuke that. She preferred answers in which someone got carried away over simple guesses.

Ahh, yet another student that saw the perks of Inguz when it came to tree-growing.

"It is true that Berkana is more symbolic of personal growth and childbirth. Berkana is the container and releaser of life, but it has a strong connection with trees and plantlife just as much as childbirth," the headmistress replied, making that minor correction before moving on to the rest of Isabel's answer. "But you what say about Inguz -- especially it representing growth and a connection to the ground -- is very accurate."

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand he really had no idea what the answer to this one was because, well, plants. He did not pay much attention to things that benefited plants sooooooooo...drawing a blank here. Although he SUPPOSED that he could see why trees were important and stuff. Like...his black and white thoughts about them were sort of getting shades of grey and all that. Although he associated that with Picketta's influence more than anything else.

OH BUT A THOUGHT!

"Tiwaz? Er....Tyr?" Eeeeer...which was the pronunciation of that? "It SOUNDS like tree...and the rune kinda looks like one."

Seeing Derfael doodling and walking around, Regina began to wonder if he was actually listening to what was being said. Yes, Ancient Runes wasn't exactly the best subject for visual and kinesthetic learners with it being mostly a theoretical subject, but the headmistress did her best to bring practicality to it. Patience, dear Hufflepuff, the information overload (it was the Horned Serpent in her) was nearly over.

"Teiwaz, Mr. Ashburry-Hawthorne," the woman corrected, though she was appreciative of his effort and willingness to try. "And it has a direct connection with the god and warrior Tyr. With that in mind, the rune would be more beneficial in battles to invoke energy for strength and protection, not planting trees."

Again, this was another moment when Regina wished she had a blackboard. Writing everyone's thoughts, or having Derfael write them down, would have served as a good visual. But, alas, it was a downfall of having class outside instead. Repeating and summarizing the details was going to have to do.

"Very good, everyone," she said, clasping her hands together as she made her way back to her original spot in front of everyone. "Based on the responses that were given, the majority of you have a good intuition of which runes would be quite useful in growing a tree or plant from just a seed. There are, of course, many other runes that weren't mentioned that can be used. For instance, the energy of Sowilo can be used to bring strength and progress in a plants growth, especially when it requires healing. But our focus today won't be on Sowilo. In fact, the three runes we will be using today have already been mentioned: Berkana, Inguz, and Jera." There was a brief pause, allowing for that to sink in before explaining why they would be using those particular runes.

"The energy of Berkana serves as a container and releaser of life, thus creating a new beginning. Like a mother's womb holds a baby until it is ready to be born, so does the seed of a tree. From there Inguz comes into play. It is a planned burst of energy, encouraging the new beginning to become grounded. This is where the roots of our trees will burst out of the seed and become one with the land it was placed in. And, finally, Jera's energy represents positive change and promotes growth as it is meant to happen. These runes, in combination with a certain spell, will cause our little seeds quickly grow into a healthy tree. But, before we get to that stage in our lesson, there are a few things we need to do."

With a wave of her wand, another box appeared. Instead of showing everyone what was inside the box, she simple handed it over to the nearest student. "Inside this box are bracelets made out of pine. We will be wearing these bracelets to channel the energies of Berkana, Inguz, and Jera to provide additional strength and accuracy with the magic we will be performing later. Go ahead and take one bracelet when the box is handed to you. For now, keep the bracelets on your wand arm. As you all can see, there are no runes carved on these bracelets. We will be taking care of that shortly," Regina instructed, watching as the box was handed from student to student.

"First, you will need to find somewhere to plant your seed. You will need to dig a small hole for your seed, cover it up, pat the earth down, and gently water the area where your seed has been planted. I will remain here by the Stone Circle, but the pathways are open to you as long as I can still see you. Make sure you are far enough apart from your classmates and other trees so that your tree doesn't clash with another when we get to growing them. If you have any questions, please ask before running off. Otherwise I will simply be observing until it is time for more instructions."

OOC: It is time for the mini-activity of our lesson! Everyone needs to take a bracelet and then go find somewhere, within eyesight of Regina (the Stone Circle is at the top of the hill, but it branches off to many pathways ... to the left takes you toward the Whomping Willow, right takes you toward the Beetle, and down the hill takes you toward the groundskeeper's hut, the creature barn, etc.), to plant their tree seed. Please assume that your character knows how to plant seeds and any necessary charms due to Herbology class.

You are welcome to make as many posts as you would like at this stage in the lesson. The lesson will continue in roughly 30-36 hours.

Kimothy · 07-14-2017, 04:06 PM

Text Cut: Catch up

Vivian was definitely excited for the activity portion of the lesson. Once Headmistress Hawthorne had finished explaining the instructions and all, the Slytherin sort of impatiently waited for the box to reach her, took the topmost pine bracelet, and slipped it on her wand hand. She took a moment to admire her bracelet and ran a finger over each bead. Rough, obviously. It was made of pine, after all.

With the set of instructions, her blue eyes were settled at the Headmistress. Yeah okay, so they were planting the seeds they took from earlier. Still, she wasn't sure what kind of tree seed she took, in all due honesty. She hoped it'd be a nice growing tree. With that done, Vivian then bounced off her seat and made her way to the pathways near the Beetle. She was hoping to see random Ilvermorny students come out of it, which the blonde had always found intriguing. Probably a strong extension charm was used to have created such a wide space inside a rather old-fashioned car.

Finding her spot further from the other students, Vivian knelt on her knees to position herself better. Slipping her dragon hide gloves on, the fourth year placed her seed close to her and for her eyes to monitor as she dug a small hole on the ground to plant her seed. Once a hole was made, she then placed the seed inside and covered it up again, patting the soil when she finished. Vivian then took her wand out and pointed it at where she had planted. "Aguamenti!" She said, moving her wand around to evenly spread the water and whispered "Finite," when it was done.

That wasn't too bad. Besides, it was related to Herbology, which made it extra extra better. "Finished!" Yay!

kayquilz · 07-14-2017, 05:28 PM

Look who had arrived, Regina.

PAUL MYERS.

She hadn't invited him, which he found kiiiiiiind of rude considering this was about PLANTING SEEDS and all. But it was fine, he would turn up unannounced! He trotted down to where they were, dressed casually, and waved enthusiastically at Regina as he did.

"HELLLO! PLANTING SEEDS I SEE!"

um.

WHY HAD HE NOT BEEN INVITED REGINA?? HMM??

ArianaBlack · 07-14-2017, 08:51 PM

Did everyone HEAR that? Zoryn was CORRECT. Her Professor's NEVER ever said that about her answers!!! It made the Gryffindor radiate PRIDE. She even held her chin up a little higher and straightened her back all the way. As for why her answer was correct, she had no idea. Nor did she really care. She got it right technically, so why did the explanation matter? Plus it wasn't fair that everyone had to answer the same question. The seventh years definitely new LOADS more than the first and second years. This was a glaring problem with the education system. Maybe it was yet another thing Zoryn had to add to an endless list of points she needed to bring to Hawthorne's attention.

She even thought about doing so now, but the Headmistress seemed kind of busy. Could they talk about how right Zoryn's answer was again??? She liked that part. And of course the reasoning behind the answer was explained after the matter, but Zoryn honestly stopped listening at that point. There were way too many words. When would they be DOING stuff??? Words were not very effective in her learning process. She was a woman of ACTION.

She was ready to leave the lesson now that they were delving even deeper into runes. The second year didn't want to be here to begin with but she couldn't get Professor Marchand to let her drop classes yet. A TRAVESTY.

BUUUUUUT the bracelets were SUPER exciting!!! She grabbed one happily and slipped it onto her wrist. When they were given the go ahead to venture off and find a spot to plant their seed, Zoryn took off for the path leading towards the whomping willow. Maybe the whomping willow would want a friend? She made sure not to get too close,
however, because that tree was FIESTY.

But she did get down on the ground and begin digging a hole. She was gonna make the best friend for the whomping willow EVER. 'Cause everyone deserved best friends. Mhm.

*PhoenixRising* · 07-14-2017, 09:29 PM

She was right? And even mentioned one of the three runes they would be using today! Also, right again in her thoughts as the headmistress started talking about growth and new beginnings with a mother's womb holding a baby. So it really was all similar and connected, how intriguing.

And they were getting pine bracelets to help with the channeling of the energies, which was kind of interesting, except for now the bracelets were plain and had nothing on them. That meant, they weren't activated yet? Slipping it onto her right hand, as instructed, she then proceeded to glance around to find someplace to plant her seed.

Not before she heard a loud greeting, who wasn't a late student arriving. Turning toward the source of the disruption, she blinked at sight of the Herbology Professor. Uh oh, now she was going to have to be extra careful in seed planting.... also, was this a planned arrival? He seemed surprised to see them planting seeds, but yet, why wouldn't the Headmistress inform him? How intriguing, to which sent a brief nod of acknowledgement, before heading off in the direction of the Groundskeeper's Hut to plant her seed.

Finding a nice spot on the grounds, Myer's presence also made her wonder, was it okay for them to just be planting random seeds on the Hogwarts Grounds? Sure she was the head of the school, but it just seemed a bit strange to her, now that she thought about it. Shrugging it off, she slipped her dragon hide gloves on and began to dig a small hole for her seed. Removing it from her pocket, she inspected it in her palm for a moment first, taking note of its distinguishing characteristics. Of course, there wasn't many to her eye, but that didn't stop her from inspecting it. Dropping it into the hole, she covered it over and smoothed the earth down. "Aquamenti," she cast, sprinkling water on the spot. And "Finite" once it was wet enough.

Okay, not too bad, she hoped. Now time to invoke runes onto the pine bracelet? While waiting, she found herself fiddling with the charms on the other bracelet and wondered if it was ordinary or charmed? Given who it was from, perhaps he did invoke some sort of good luck charm into it.

SilverTiger · 07-14-2017, 10:45 PM

She was paying attention. Even if it was awfully hard to take notes sitting outside, and she was the tiniest bit distracted by Derf’s wandering, Stasya was paying attention to the headmistress. She just hadn’t really had any ideas about what runes might be useful for planting trees. Instead, she wondered what kind of tree the seed in her hand would grow. Plus, she was still happy that her earlier outburst had been deemed correct, even if Isa had confused her with the whole ash or yew thing. Why did things have to be so confusing?

She’d given Emmeline a grin when her best friend had offered a guess about the right runes though. Support, after all. Support was good, and in fact she did somehow manage to write down the runes that they’d be using for their trees. Even if it wasn’t entirely legible since she was balancing the parchment on her lap. And there might’ve been a scribble at the end when the box of bracelets had been passed to her and she’d slipped one onto her wrist before passing the box on. More rune jewelry. At this rate she wondered if she was going to get a complete set by the end of term. Except they hadn’t been told exactly what was going on the bracelet yet, which was puzzling to the twelve year old.

She’d jumped up and sort of followed Skylar when they’d been instructed to go find somewhere to plant their seeds. She figured Mr. Baldvinsson might like some trees, even if she actually sort of chose a spot somewhere between his hut and the barn. Carefully digging a hole for it, she set the seed gently inside before covering it back up and patting the dirt down securely. Nobody was going to steal her seed until it could become a pretty tree, and slipping her wand out, she pointed it at the place where her seed was buried. “Aguamenti,” she cast, focusing entirely on the spell until she’d heard Professor Myers suddenly announce his presence. At which point the water slowed to a trickle and finally stopped. Oops, she thought, looking down at the wet soil. Hopefully that was enough water.

hermygirl · 07-15-2017, 12:31 AM

Sam had been desperately trying to keep up whilst taking notes, which was easier said than done with trying to balance the parchment, quill and her seed. But she figured getting the information down was more important than answering, since she'd need this for her OWL exam at the end of the year.

Berkana, Inguz, and Jera. She jotted down the symbols and the Headmistress' explanation. Had she answered aloud, Sam probably would have gone for Algiz, since she knew young seedlings were particularly fragile, and it would offer protection from the Scottish weather and local wildlife. Or Sowilo, for strength. She noted those thoughts down too.

Maybe her revision sessions were paying off, and she wasn't as bad at this as she thought.

Fiiiiiinally the box reached her (her fault for being right at the very back, she supposed), and Sam pulled out a bracelet and slipped it on to her left wrist. She now just had to decide where to go plant her seed...er, whatever it actually was. Planting and carving was MUCH more up her alley than meanings and translations.

"Good morning, Professor Myers!" she greeted, as she headed towards the Headmistress on the crossroads to turn down the west-most path. And since he was here... she held her seed out to him carefully. "Could you help me identify this?"

Goblinfrog · 07-15-2017, 12:54 AM

The rune question she didn't answer because everyone else was already giving good answers and she didn't want to just repeat what they were saying. Needless to say she felt proud of her fellow classmates.

But now came the activity part of the lesson, and it involved planting trees with rune bracelets. She went forward to grab one. It was made out of pine just like her seed. "Ooh Headmistress, I have a question. At the beginning of the class I took a pine seed, and these bracelets are made out of pine. Will that make a difference?" She held out the pine seed as she was talking.

Going off to plant her seed, she went down the hill and found a place to plant away from the others. She took out her dragon gloves and dug a hole and began burying her seed. As she planted she thought to herself how fun this was; it seemed a lot like one of Professor Myer's lessons...

No sooner had she thought this than Professor Paul Myer's himself arrived and asked what they were doing.

"Hi Professor Myer's!" said Kitty, waving enthusiastically at the Herbology professor. "We're planting with runes!"

RandomRaven · 07-15-2017, 05:05 AM

"You'll find out soon enough."

The headmistress was such a tease, wasn't she? Her brows raised as she didn't get the answer now. Ah, okay. Perhaps every rune would do different things in order to help the tree planting and Ava would find out anytime... soon. She still kept listening to the professor about the runes, including the one she had mentioned before because apparently they're going to use that. Along with Berkana and Jera.

Alright, it's the activity time.

"Thanks, Derf." She said as the Hufflepuff boy gave the seed. Ava had no idea what seed was on her hand since she was not such a tree expert or whatsoever. And then there was a box of pine bracelet handed to her. Oooh, they looked cute! She grabbed one and kept it on her left wrist since she was left-handed. Then she put on her gloves becausr it's time to plant the seed. But oh, there's the Herbology Professor coming in. "Hey, Professor Myers! You should join us planting the tree." The Gryffindor greeted him.

Back to the planting. So.. where should she plant this seed? Ava decided to go right, not too far from the stone circle and found her planting spot like a few yards from the Ilvermorny beetle. She went down on her knees, dug a small hole and placed the seed inside. After that, she covered it with the soil, gave it a little pat and pointed her wand to cast water-conjuring charm non-verbally. Once she added enough water, Ava cast the finite spell.

Of course that their work hadn't finished yet They still needed to use the rune energy to help the tree grew better because it's an Ancient Runes class, after all.

*Zoe* · 07-15-2017, 06:05 AM

And then they all were running away from the Stone Circle and taking their own paths, bracelets on their wrists and seeds in their hands. Well ... almost all of them where, anyway.

Regina turned her face ever so slightly to look over at Kitty Valentine who had a question about the pine seed she had taken and the bracelet. "No, Miss Valentine, it isn't going to make a different. The bracelet is simply a tool to channel the energies of the runes. No matter what type of seed you have, the energies transferred through the bracelet will help it grow just the same," she replied. A pine bracelet was going to have the same effect on a pine seed as it would alder or rowan. "As for the wood that was used to make the bracelet, each wood has different properties. You could use any wood to make this bracelet, though I find pine being more effective for this particular purpose because of its representation of the life cycle."

Hoping that answer was satisfying enough for the Ravenclaw prefect, the headmistress looked over the girl's shoulder to see how everyone else was doing. Over toward the Beetle, she saw Vivian and Ava digging their holes. Skylar and Stasya were spotted not far from Baldvinsson's hut patting the earth down. Trees-help-us-breathe Zoryn had, unsurprisingly, taken the path less travelled and decided to head near the Whomping Willow. Lastly, Sam was asking Paul what type of seed she had. All was well... Wait a minute. What was Paul Myers doing here?!

The woman did a double-take, looking the professor up and down. How did he know they would be there? Instead of shooing him away, Regina simply smiled at him and decided, given his area of expertise, that it might be good for him to stick around. Plus it was an extra set of eyes to keep watch over the younger ones. "Oh, hello, Professor Myers. We're just doing a little tree planting. Throwing in some rune-usage to support the growing process."

Speaking of, it was time for things to be moving on. The woman, since they were all no longer clustered around the stones, pressed her wand against her neck and allowed her amplified voice to echo across the sky. "It looks like we all have, or are getting close to having, our seeds planted in the ground. Now is where the runes will come into play. As you all can see, there are no runes carved on those bracelets you are wearing. What you need to do is place the runes on the bracelet as a bind rune, meaning you will need to remove the bracelet and carve Berkana, Inguz, and Jera on top of each other. Your bind rune should look something like this." She then waved her wand again, this time using Flagrate to draw the bind rune in midair big enough for them all to see wherever they were.

She paused, allowing them all time to carve the bind rune on their bracelets. Regina didn't bother to remind them of the spell they needed to cast. It was one that they were very familiar with by now.

"Now, to activate the bind rune, you will need to chant the following galdr: berkano berkano berkano, ingwaz ingwaz ingwaz, jera jera jera, bub a bi be bo, ung ang ing eng ong, j j j e e e r r r a a a. You will know the runes on your bracelet have been activated when they are glowing brown. If it doesn't glow right away, keep on chanting the galdr.

"Once your bracelets are glowing, make then cast Herbivicus on the seed you planted. The runic energy coming from your bracelet will strengthen the spell and make it more accurate while ensuring that the tree grows properly without any negative magical side-effects. Sometimes our magic doesn't have the desired effect we want, but the positive energies of these three runes will balance the magic and support the spell in encouraging the seed to grow into a tree at a quicker pace."

Lastly, but certainly not least, was the headmistress telling them what they were to expect. "Because we all are at different skill levels when it comes to magic, how quickly and how much your tree grows will vary. Those of you who are older are more likely to produce a tree that is close to being mature, whereas those of you who are younger are likely to produce saplings or young trees. No matter how much your tree grows, please only cast the spell once. Overdoing it will come with a price."

OOC: We are now moving on to our main activity! There are three major parts that your character needs to complete:

1) Carve the bind rune on your bracelet. Remember to use Intaglio and the rune name. You can only carve one rune at a time, so your character will need to use the spell repeatedly.

2) Chant the galdr to activate the bind rune carved on the bracelet: "Berkano berkano berkano, ingwaz ingwaz ingwaz, jera jera jera, bub a bi be bo, ung ang ing eng ong, j j j e e e r r r a a a." Your character may need to do this multiple times to get the bind rune to glow brown.

3) Cast Herbivicus on the seed and watch your tree glow. Keep in mind that how fast/much the tree grows will vary on the age of your character and their mastery of the runic magic and the Herbivicus Charm. Those who are more skilled are likely to produce young trees to ones that are nearly mature, and those who aren't as skilled are likely to produce trees that are saplings to young trees.

You are welcome to make as many posts as you would like at this stage in the lesson. The lesson will come to a close in roughly 45-50 hours.

NifflerFan · 07-15-2017, 06:14 AM

Cooool, her answer was right! Well, sort of. Technically, Zoryn was right and she'd kinda messed up the explanation bit, but she'd gotten growth and they were using Jera, soo good enough, yeah? Emmeline returned Stasya's grin, but her own smile was short lived 'cause the headmistress began talking again and Emmeline was lost almost immediately. Three runes?! She had trouble when they only used one, and the headmistress' explanations were long and confusing. The first year had already given up on trying to take notes without a blackboard in this subject, but maybe she could borrow Stasya's later? Like for the test and stuff? She smiled a little again as she was passed a box with the bracelets. This rune jewlery stuff was kind of cool, really. She slipped the bracelet over her right wrist, where it rested on top of her wand in its holster, before passing on the box to the next person.

And then, the Dark Wizard showed up!!!! Emmeline sneakily slid a very suspicious look at him 'cause he was obviously up to something. No way he just happened to come by their lesson, nope. She figured the headmistress could take care of herself, though, so the Gryffindor trotted off in the barn's direction once they were dismissed. She found a spot that was far enough away from her classmates but still close-ish to the barn.

The first year let out a wistful sigh and bent down to dig a little hole for her tree seed. Nope, she had no idea what kind it was; she kinda doubted that she'd know what kind it was even if she managed to make it grow allll the way up. The wistful thing was 'cause she was so close to the nursery barn and Sirius. Playing with her assigned cruppy would be WAY more fun than a plants lesson, yup. But that wasn't an option right now, so Emmeline turned her attention back to the trees. She stopped digging when she thought the hole was good enough and plopped her seed carelessly inside. Then she covered it with alll the dirt again and patted it down until it was flat. Time for water and she'd be done! Unholstering her wand, the first year aimed it at the ground and muttered, "Aguamenti!" She made sure that the water coming from her wand was alll around the seed's area like the headmistress had said. Done!

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