The Scrying Seed

In the spirit of spicing things up for my upcoming new series of books, I’m adding something a little bit new to my blog. Weekly, there will be a “Scrying Seed” post. As I research the international thrillers for my “Lion & Steed Series”, I have stumbled upon a million ideas for stories. Since my remaining years will most likely far less than the million required to expand upon each “seed”, I will give them to you, my faithful readers.

Do with them as you wish. They will always be factual, with NO poetic license taken. These are just odd tidbits of time and place which have for some reason tweaked my interest. I will also accompany each “Scrying Seed” with a collection of accompanying pictures. These images will be mostly location-based, i.e. the city / area the tidbit of history took place. I will provide a link to the ever-growing gallery (my board on Pinterest) on each post. Check back often. I’m always rifling through old pictures in lieu of eating. The first seed, alone, has 53 images attached.

Enjoy them, share them, create stories of mad love and wild thrill with them. They are yours.



The Original Scrying Seed...

Rooting around in my sleeping garden, I found today a seed. It is small, heathery in color, flat as a tic bean. I hold it in my hand, turn it over with my fingers and sigh. It has a story to tell, a vivid one with lightning, thunder and a fleeting heartbeat.

Spring nears at a crawling pace, hampered both by winter’s breath and the constant rap-rap-rap of madness on the garden’s gate. The barren, gray sky looms heavy overhead. This pip of an idea, this neglected seed in my dirty palm, deserves fairer weather in which to grow.

So, into the air I toss this speck of a story, this grain of a tale, hoping the warm gulf breezes will carry it to richer gardens, wiser gardeners, saner lands.

Plant this scrying seed, add words of your own, water with tears and sweat and watch your novel grow. Send me a note when you to taste its first fruit.
Once a week, I will send such a seed into the wired wind. Watch for it, my fellow authors, grab it and enjoy.

Sincerely,
Chloe Stowe

Note: all these “story seeds” are historical facts. Feel free to research them yourselves. Let me know any extra tidbits you find out.


Wombwell, England

On the 22nd of August, 1467, a confession was recorded in the village of Wombwell, England. William Byg, alias “Lech of Wombwell,” admitted to the crime of scrying. (Scrying is the practice of looking into a translucent ball or other such material to “see” or “peep” the future or past events.) William Byg claimed to have earned his living for the previous two years by locating stolen property by gazing into his crystal ball.

Byg was convicted of heresy and sentenced to do penance for his soothsaying. As punishment, he was forced to wear paper scrolls attached to his head, chest and back. These scrolls read: ‘Ecce sortilegus’ (‘Behold the soothsayer’), ‘Invocatur spirituum’ (‘Invoker of spirits’) and ‘Sortilegus’ (‘Soothsayer’).

Today, Wombwell is a town of approximately 15,000 citizens in South Yorkshire, England. A former mining town, Wombwell is located in the Dearne Valley, south of the city of Barnsley and north of Rotherham.

The Wombwell Scrying Seed Gallery can be found here... http://www.pinterest.com/coradouglas/...