Friday, November 18, 2011

A Tale of Wildwood and Anansi...

Warriors

Once upon a time there were two little boys, Matteo and Nico. Oh, how they loved to pretend to be warriors, vikings and knights! Using sticks, they'd duel each other...swinging and poking, slashing and screaming, their poor mother was at her wits end! What power these little boys had! What energy! Then something magical and wondrous happened... she met Master Alejandro.

Master Alejandro is part wizard and part craftsman. Quite learned about the ways of knights and warriors, he created special swords for the two boys. The little boy Nico, chose the sword which carried the image of a spider, bearing the gift of cleverness and cunning to the one who holds it. He christianed his sword, Anansi. The other sword held an image of a tree, bestowing the one who wields it a mastery of the Forest and Trees. The older brother Matteo, chose the name Wildwood.


Wildwood


The boys were in awe of such wondrous blades! Made of leather, the swords had the ability to strike down evil while still protecting the boys from harm. The boys mother taught them the responsibility of having such swords...


Respect Anansi and Wildwood and the power that they hold
Never let the blades fly in anger
Use them to protect that which you love and honor
and lastly...

Do not use them on your brothers!


Anansi


The boys were so very happy, swinging and jousting these beautiful swords. They wanted to know more about Master Alejandro. Their mother told them of how Master Alejandro was from a land of many lakes and that he had travelled to a far, far country to learn the art of making leather swords, shields and masks. She told them of the care and love that went into creating these magical swords... and of the great responsiblity that came with bearing such great power.


The boys gave heed to their mothers petition for care with their new blades. They roamed the countryside, looking for dragons, monsters and furies... protecting the world around them and those that they loved... as all wonderful little boys do.



The Warriors Run



Sending much gratitude and love to Alejandro Ortega, aka "Master Alejandro"! An artisan skilled in creating the punchinello masks from the Italian art form of Commedia d’el Arte, he has taken this talent of working with leather and applied it to the making of swords, daggers, shields and even the occasional adorable elephant :). These beautiful, heirloom quality items can be found in his Etsy shop, Made By Alejandro


Anansi

13 comments:

boatbaby said...

Oh Marina, outrageously beautiful - the tale and the photos. Now if only we could somehow get our knights all together one day :)

FrontierDreams said...

BEST story and photos EVER! That shot of Nico oh my!!!!! I am shaking over here :)

Miss you and love you dear friend. Sorry about this week, sickness and deadline. Ick. Calling next week :)

Jenna said...

Well wrought story...and beautiful photos (as always!). Can't get over those fantastic swords!!!! Those boys of yours are so lucky to have such a wise-hearted Mama!

Nicola said...

I love how you shared this as a story. Those swords are absolutely beautiful. And Marina, as always, your photo are simply stunning.

c said...

Beautifully written! and beautiful pics!javascript:void(0)

Joy said...

love, love, love. What a beautiful story to accompany amazing swords. Such craftsmanship! xoxo

renee ~ heirloom seasons said...

Hello dear Marina! Oh what a wonderful story! The swords were a beautiful gift, and you as their mother are such a great gift to them as well.
Sending love and well wishes, Renee XO

Sonia Even, L.Ac. said...

I just LOVE this! Trying to think of a worthy little knight in my life on which to bestow such a sword. And it's awesome to hear Alejandro is from my neck of the woods (Minnesota). I'll be looking him up for sure. Thanks for sharing! -Sonia from Minneapolis

Jessica said...

Aren't Alejandro's pieces AMAZING? I would love to be able to afford something for Benjamin--they are absolutely beautiful and so lovingly made!!

Your boys look so sweet in those photos...of course, when don't they?

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness! How beautiful (photos, story, gifts) and how amazing you are (photos, story, gifts ;-)!! We are really struggling here with wars, kingdoms, dragons, etc. Such a beautiful and thoughtful way to honor that energy (where??? does it come from!?!?)...I am so *not* equipped to be a Mama to a young warrior. Your guidance is such a treasure. xoxo

helene said...

Breathtaking story and pictures, thanks Marina, for sharing!
You know, even though my little knight is now 15 and followed by princesses so there is no desperate client for swords at home, I was raking my brain trying to find a good reason to order one. (Actually that's a sexist comment, and also not quite true as my little one would probably love it...)
You should have a job in children's toys advertising. Telling the truth the way you tell it is irresistible.

RunninL8 said...

At this moment you're running a marathon!
Anyhoo! I may have asked you this before...but what camera and lens are you using? How do you get such great bokeh in these photos?!?!
~Dana Pruner

barefoot mama said...

oh my goodness...so beautiful!