Category: Tales of Taranis

  • Ancient Spirits and Modern Echoes

    Ancient Spirits and Modern Echoes

    Beneath the yew where shadows creep,
    Old gods stir in their ancient sleep.
    Wind through branches, low and deep,
    Carries secrets the earth will keep.

    The raven circles, black wings wide,
    The wolf runs silent by my side.
    The stream remembers, the hills confide,
    That nothing of spirit can truly hide.

    Time bury, kings fall,
    The cross rise, the legions call.
    Yet still the oak, the ash, the hall
    Of memory holds us, one and all.

    So walk the path where twilight sings.
    Where death is end, yet also brings
    The turning wheel, the flight of wings
    The soul reborn in endless rings.

    © StormborneLore Emma Hewitt, 2025. All rights reserved.

  • The Chronicles of the Gold Ring Chapter Eight

    The Chronicles of the Gold Ring Chapter Eight

    The Shadow Raid

    The forests north of Emberhelm were not empty. They whispered in the cold leaves rustling without wind, branches creaking as if bearing witness.


    Every step of Taranis’s horse cracked frost from the dead undergrowth, and in the darkness, unseen eyes marked his passage.

    The Black Shields had grown in only a handful of days. Seven now a band stitched together from thieves, deserters, exiled warriors, and one woman with hair like raven feathers whose blade was sharper than her tongue. She called herself Brianna , and unlike the others, she did not flinch when Taranis looked at her.

    They camped in the hollows where no light could reach. They moved before sunrise, leaving only cold ashes behind, and they spoke little, except for the soft murmur of plans and the low hum of old battle songs.

    Their first strike had been for food.
    The second, for vengeance.
    The third would be for a message, not just for them but the starving.

    Bryn Halwyn a hill fort the Romans had claimed but not yet reforged in their own style. Its high earthwork walls crouched like a sleeping beast above the winding road. That road was crawling now with supply wagons, the torchlight of the guards bobbing like fireflies in the mist.

    Taranis’s voice was a low growl “Shields black. Faces darker.”

    The Shields moved as one, melting into the tree line. Arrows hissed from the dark, the first taking a Roman through the throat before his shout could leave his mouth. The second dropped a driver from his cart, spilling barrels into the mud.

    Then came the torches. They arced through the air, their fire licking greedily at wagon covers, rope, and dry straw. Flames climbed fast, reflected in the wide eyes of panicked mules.

    Taranis was already moving.
    A shadow at the edge of the firelight, blade flashing, he cut through the first guard and didn’t stop. The air stank of blood and burning oak. The Romans shouted in their clipped tongue, but their formations shattered in the chaos.

    By dawn, the road was empty but for the smell of wet ash and a single storm-sigil burned deep into the dirt where the wagons had stood.


    When they were gone, the crows came, hopping between the blackened wheels and picking at the dead.

    That night, beside a hidden fire, the Shields feasted on stolen bread and salt pork. Kerris leaned across the flames.


    “What now?” she asked.

    Taranis stared into the heart of the fire until his eyes stung.
    “We keep going until there’s nothing left to take. Or until they come for me.”

    Kerris smirked. “And if they do?”

    He smiled without warmth. “Then they’ll find the storm waiting.” he replied with a grin

    © 2025 Emma Hewitt. All rights reserved.This story and all characters within the StormborneLore world are the original creation of Emma Hewitt. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations used in reviews or scholarly works.

    Futher Reading

    The Library of Caernath

    The Chronicles of the Gold Ring… Chapter One

    The Chronicles of the Gold Ring Chapter Two

    The Chronicles of the Gold Ring Chapter Three.

    The Chronicles of the Gold Ring Chapter Four.

    The Chronicles of the Gold Ring Chapter Five

    The Chronicles of the Gold Ring Interlude.

    The Chronicles of the Gold Ring. Chapter Six

    The Chronicles of the Gold Ring Chapter Seven

  • The Chronicles of the Gold Ring Chapter Two

    The Chronicles of the Gold Ring Chapter Two

    The Scar and the Storm

    The battle had turned.

    Ash fell like snow across the field, and the cries of dying men echoed over blood-stained earth. Taranis stood at the crest of the hill, his blade soaked, his breath ragged, eyes scanning the fray. His cloak snapped behind him, storm-charged and wild.

    Then he saw her.

    A blur of red hair and steel.
    She moved like fire unleashed cutting down two warriors with a rhythm so brutal it bordered on poetry. A deep scar crossed her cheek, fresh blood mingling with the old. Her spear spun once, twice, and buried itself in the chest of a man charging from behind.

    She turned. Their eyes locked.

    For a second, the war fell silent.

    Taranis stepped forward. So did she.

    They met in the no-man’s land between sides, blades raised not in anger, but instinct. Neither lowered their guard.

    “You’re no foot soldier,” Taranis said, circling. “What are you?”

    She didn’t smile, but her voice held a grin.


    “I’m the reason you’re bleeding, warlord.”

    He looked down. A shallow cut across his ribs. He hadn’t even felt it.

    “I’d remember a woman like you,” he muttered, lowering his blade. “Name?”

    “Nessa. And I don’t need saving.”

    “I wasn’t offering,” he replied, “just watching the storm arrive.”

    Her eyes narrowed. “You think this is a storm?” She stepped closer. “You’ve not seen anything yet.”

    Then — the horn blew. Her side was retreating. She looked over her shoulder, then back at him.

    “I should kill you,” she said.

    “You should,” Taranis agreed, “but you won’t.”

    She held his gaze another heartbeat… then turned and ran, vanishing into smoke and flame.

    He stood alone, the sound of her name still echoing behind his ribs like thunder.

    A Week Later Riverbank Clearing
    The village was in ruins blackened timbers, smoke curling from half-dead hearths. Survivors were few, and even they shrank from him as he passed. They whispered of a warrior woman who had held the bridge alone until the flames took her horse and half her shield arm.

    Taranis followed the trail until it ended in a clearing by the river. And there she was.

    Kneeling in the shallows, Nessa washed blood from her skin. Her armor was battered. Her shoulder bound with torn linen. But her spine was straight, and her hand never strayed far from the dagger at her hip.

    “I should have known,” she said, not looking up. “Storms always return to the wreckage.”

    Taranis didn’t smile.
    “You survived.”

    “I always do.” She rose, eyes sharp. “Here to finish what we didn’t start?”

    He stepped forward. “I came to offer a truce.”

    She scoffed. “Why? Because I didn’t kill you the first time?”

    “No,” he said. “Because I want to know why you fight like a warrior, but bleed like someone with nothing left to lose.”

    Her jaw clenched.
    “You think you can read me, warlord? You think I’m one of your stories?”

    “No,” Taranis said quietly, “but I know the look of someone trying to die just slowly enough to call it bravery.”

    She drew her dagger, fast as lightning. Held it to his throat.


    “Careful. You don’t know me.”

    “I know enough,” he said, unmoving. “Your people are scattered. Your command is gone. And yet you stood alone at that bridge for strangers.”

    “That’s more than you’ve done lately,” she snapped. “You walk the land like a ghost and leave nothing behind but ashes.”

    His hand rose not to his weapon, but to gently press her dagger aside.

    “I’m tired of ghosts,” he said.

    They stood there, breath mingling, battle-scarred and burning.
    Neither of them moved.
    Neither of them lowered their guard.

    But the space between them began to change.

    “Besides I fight for those I deem worthy. That includes the people of Emberhelm.” Taranis smirked. “You’ve shown me you’re a friend of Emberhelm.”

    He extended his hand.

    “Who are you?” she asked.

    “Taranis,” he said. “Who are you, my lady?”

    “Nessa.”

    The Night of Lammas.


    That night, the people of Emberhelm feasted beneath the stars.

    Lammas the first harvest was a time of bread and song, fire and gratitude. Children danced between torches, and the scent of roasted grain filled the cooling air. Drums echoed off the stones, old and deep, like the heartbeats of the land itself.

    Taranis stood at the edge of it all, watching, half in shadow. Nessa leaned against a pillar beside him, arms folded, hair loose from its braid.

    “I thought you’d be dancing,” he said.

    “I don’t dance for tradition,” she replied. “Only for survival. Or joy.”

    “Is this not joy?”

    She looked around. The laughter. The flames. The peace however temporary.
    “Maybe.”

    A silence fell between them, not awkward, just heavy with the unspoken.

    “Come with me,” she said at last.

    No orders. No questions. Just a truth spoken plainly.
    He followed.

    They slipped from the celebration like ghosts, weaving through the orchard paths behind Emberhelm. The air was thick with ripening apples and the hum of distant music. When they reached the old stone lodge near the outer walls, she pushed the door open with one hand and led him in without a word.

    There were no declarations.
    No romance wrapped in flowers or oaths.
    Only need.

    Their bodies met like storm and flame fast, urgent, tangled with the memory of battle and the ache of survival. There was laughter when his armor refused to loosen, curses when her hair caught on his clasp, and a growl low in his throat when she bit his shoulder hard enough to mark.

    Neither knew what the next day would bring. That was why it mattered.

    That night, they made love like warriors with a fierceness born of loss and the tenderness of those who had bled for strangers.

    Later, tangled in furs, the fire crackling low, she lay with her head against his chest.

    “If I die tomorrow,” she murmured, “I’ll die warm.”

    “You won’t,” he said, but his fingers curled tighter around her waist.

    Outside, the stars burned cold and bright, and the first autumn wind began to stir.

    He placed his hand gently on her belly.

    “You and my son will live.”

    Whispers in the Dark.


    The next morning, the Ring summoned Taranis.

    The gold circle at the council stones shone under a pale sky. Thirteen seats twelve filled. Lore was already speaking when Taranis entered, his voice low but urgent.

    As he took his place, Nessa moved through the old halls of Emberhelm alone, her instincts sharp. Her step slowed when she passed the northern storeroom. Voices carried.

    Rayne.

    “We wait until the snows. When the passes are blocked, and he’s far from Emberhelm, we strike. The Ring will fall without him.”

    Another voice, unsure. “He’s your brother.”

    “Which is why I know his weakness.”

    Nessa froze, the words burning into her mind.

    Betrayal was coming.

    And she was carrying the only thing that might save him.

    © 2025 Emma Hewitt. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations used in reviews or scholarly works.

    FUTHER READING

    The Chronicles of the Gold Ring… Chapter One

  • Forged from Fire: The Journey of Taranis

    Forged from Fire: The Journey of Taranis


    The campfire had burned low, all golden coals and wind-tossed ash, when Solaris approached the general.

    Taranis knelt nearby, shoulders hunched. His wrists were bound, but not tight just enough to remind. The black collar still pressed against his neck like a verdict carved in bone. His mask, polished smooth and pitiless, lay beside him like a shadow waiting to return.

    “Sir?” Solaris spoke softly. “Are we binding him again tonight?”

    Grael didn’t respond at once. He studied the boy or whatever he was becoming with a gaze that weighed survival against prophecy.

    “He walks beside the horse now,” Grael said. “Not behind it. That’s earned.”

    “But still tethered?”

    “Until trust is more than fire and fury.”

    Solaris hesitated, then asked more plainly, “And the food? He eats with us now?”

    “He eats what he earns,” Grael said. “He trains. He serves. He carries burdens. So we feed him as one of the line half rations until proven otherwise. If he bleeds for us again, the portions grow. But he’s no beggar. He earns it.”

    Taranis stirred. His voice cracked when he spoke.

    “Now I’ve got one foot in both worlds… the world of a chosen, and one of an outcast. One step wrong, and I’m whipped or worse. One step right, and they carve my name into stone.”

    Solaris frowned. “But the mask…”

    Grael stepped closer. He picked it up and turned it over in his hand.

    “We remove it when he fights. When he trains. When he speaks with command. But in towns and camps?” He pressed it gently to the boy’s face. “It reminds him and us of what he was forged from.”

    “Forged?” Solaris echoed. “Or broken?”

    Grael didn’t blink. “Both.”

    “And can he see through it?”

    “Barely. But that’s the point. To teach him to listen more. Feel more. Trust the wind and the wolves.”

    The fire cracked.

    Solaris stepped back, watching as the leather straps were tightened once more.

    “And when does it come off for good?”

    “When the storm calls him by name,” Grael said.

    “And if it never does?”

    Grael didn’t answer.

    The wind howled across the ridge sharp and ancient.

    And far above, in the swirling clouds, something winged and watching passed through the sky without sound.

    By E.L. Hewitt StormborneLore

    Thank you for reading.© 2025 Emma Hewitt / StormborneLore. All rights reserved.Unauthorized copying or reproduction of this content is prohibited.

    If you enjoyed this story, like, share, or leave a comment. Your support keeps the storm alive and the chronicles continuing.

    To read more taranis stories please see The Prophecies and Tales of Taranis Unfolded

  • The Halls of Emberhelm

    The Halls of Emberhelm

    Court Beneath the Storm


    A tale from the Chronicles of Taranis Stormborne

    The stone halls of Emberhelm still held the breath of thunder. The storm had passed, but the scent of damp earth and smoke clung to every crack and carving.

    Outside, the banners of the three Houses shifted gently in the wind. Flame, Shadow, and Storm. Inside, the High Warlord of Caernath sat upon the seat of judgment, the storm-carved throne of his ancestors.

    Taranis wore no crown. His only adornment was the silver cuff upon his wrist, the one shaped like twisted flame. Around him stood those who had fought beside him, bled for him, defied death with him.

    Lore stood silent to the left, hands folded into his long dark sleeves. Boldolph crouched at the side of the hall like a black statue, eyes ever scanning. Draven leaned near the great hearth, murmuring with a war-priest. Rayne stood furthest back, half-shadowed, watching everything.

    The court was full.

    Farmers. Warriors. Mothers. Messengers. Petitioners. Accusers.

    This was the burden of the Stormborne to listen.

    The first voice was a child’s.

    “My brother did not steal,” she said, eyes red from the wind. She clutched a doll made of grass and thread. “He only took what the wolves left. We were hungry.”

    Her mother knelt beside her, face pale, silent with shame.

    Taranis rose. “Where is the boy now?”

    A man stepped forward. Greying, armed, not unkind. “In the cells, my lord. The bread he took belonged to House Umbra’s stores.”

    Lore turned his head slowly. “Bread unused for days. Moulding in a bin.”

    “Aye,” said the man. “But rules are rules.”

    Taranis stepped down from the dais. He did not look at the guards. He knelt to the girl.

    “What is your name?”

    “Aella,” she whispered.

    “Aella,” he said, “your brother is no thief. He is a survivor. And from this day, your family eats under the protection of Emberhelm.”

    He turned to the court. “Let the stores be opened to those in hunger. Starvation is not a crime. And those who would hoard while others suffer will answer to me.”

    The next petition was colder.

    Two men from the borderlands bowed stiffly. One bore a jagged scar along his scalp.

    “My lord, Black Claw banners were seen near the Witherwood. We ask permission to hunt them down.”

    A murmur rose. Boldolph straightened.

    Taranis narrowed his eyes. “How many?”

    “A dozen. More. Hiding in the ruins.”

    Rayne shifted, his hand brushing the old collar scar on his neck.

    “No,” said Taranis.

    Gasps.

    “We do not chase ghosts and bleed men for vengeance. Not now. Not today. Fortify the border. Send scouts. But no hunt.”

    The men looked uneasy.

    Draven raised his voice. “What if they attack?”

    “Then we crush them,” said Taranis, steel in his voice. “But we do not start the fire.”

    Boldolph gave a faint growl of approval.

    Later, as the court thinned, an old woman with clouded eyes was led forward.

    “I was once a healer,” she said. “Cast out in the time before. I seek no pardon, only a place.”

    Morrigan stepped ahead from the shadows.

    “I know her,” she said. “She taught me names of plants I still use.”

    Taranis looked to the court. “Is there any who speak against her?”

    Silence.

    “Then let her be welcomed to Hearthrest,” he said. “Let her wisdom serve again.”

    The old woman wept.

    As the hall emptied, Lore remained behind.

    “You did well,” he said.

    “I did what had to be done.”

    “Which is often the hardest thing.”

    Taranis sat again upon the throne. He looked to the high carved beams, where the banners of the Stormborne rustled gently.

    “The war will come again,” he said.

    “It always does.”

    “Then let this peace be something worth protecting.”

    Lore nodded. “So we fight, not for power. But for dignity.”

    Taranis gave a half smile.

    “For bread. For brothers. For those who can’t fight. That’s what this court is for.”

    And above them all, in the rafters where the light touched the carvings of wolves and dragons, the storm winds whispered through the stone:

    © StormborneLore. Written by Emma for StormborneLore. Not for reproduction. All rights reserved.

    💬 If this spoke to you, please like, share, and subscribe to support our mythic journey.

  • After the Duel

    After the Duel

    A Fireside Conversation

    The courtyard had long emptied. The ash of the fire pits still glowed faintly, casting soft light on stone walls and weary limbs.

    Taranis sat alone, legs stretched, a jug of broth in one hand,. the other flexing and sore from the clash with Boldolph.

    The crack of staffs still echoed in his bones.

    Footsteps approached not boots, but clawed paws. Heavy, padded, unmistakable.

    Boldolph.

    Without a word, the old wolf-man knelt beside him, a strip of clean linen in hand. He took Taranis’s wrist and began to bind the bruises, slow and methodical, like a ritual done a hundred times.

    “You didn’t hold back,” Taranis said after a moment.

    “You didn’t ask me to.”

    The silence between them was old, familiar. Like the stillness before a storm. Or the hush before a boy became a warlord.

    “I needed them to see I bleed too,” Taranis muttered, wincing as the linen tightened. “That I fall. That I get back up.”

    Boldolph grunted.

    “They already know you bleed,” he said. “They just needed to see you still feel it.”

    Taranis looked toward the sky. Smoke trailed like threads into the blackness. One dragon circled high above, a quiet sentinel.

    “I keep thinking,” he said, “about when I was exiled. Alone in the wilds. All I had was that storm inside me and the promise that no one was coming.”

    He looked down at the staff beside him.

    “And now… now there’s you. Solaris. Lore. Drax. Rayne. Even Draven. I have everything I never thought I would. And I don’t know how to hold it without crushing it.”

    Boldolph didn’t speak at first. Just poured a second jug of broth and handed it to him.

    Then he said, low and hoarse:
    “Every beast that’s ever bared teeth knows fear. Not of pain. Of losing what it’s fought to protect.”

    He paused, eyes distant.

    “I was exiled once too. Long before you were born. I clawed through snow and silence, not knowing if I was cursed or chosen. I still don’t.”

    Taranis turned to him.

    “You stayed. Even cursed. Even as a wolf.”

    Boldolph nodded.

    “Because someone had to. And because I believed that one day, the one I guarded would understand the weight of the fire he carried.”

    The flames crackled beside them. Taranis took a slow sip of broth.

    “I understand it now.”

    Boldolph gave a grunt soft, almost approving. Then he stood, stretched, and turned toward the shadows.

    “You’re not alone anymore, High Warlord,” he said. “Stop trying to fight like you are.”

    Then he was gone, back into the night, tail flicking behind him like a whisper of old magic.

    Taranis sat a while longer.

    Then he smiled.

    Not like a warlord. Not like a weapon.

    Like a man who had bled, fallen, and been lifted again by the hand of a wolf.

    Thank you for reading.© 2025 Emma Hewitt / StormborneLore. All rights reserved.Unauthorized copying or reproduction of this content is prohibited.

    If you enjoyed this story, like, share, or leave a comment. Your support keeps the storm alive and the chronicles continuing.

  • The Road to Umbra Written from Lore’s perspective

    The Road to Umbra Written from Lore’s perspective

    An abstract illustration featuring a colorful design with intertwined patterns, prominently displaying the words 'LORE STORMBORNE' and 'ELH' at the center.
    A vibrant artwork reflecting the themes of struggle and resilience in the narrative of StormborneLore.

    House of Shadow

    I do not speak of heroes.
    I speak of those who walked in silence.
    Of boots torn at the sole,
    and breath taken with care
    lest the wind betray them.

    I walked the road to Umbra alone,
    but never unmarked.
    Each tree knew my name,
    each stone held a memory,
    and the crows whispered
    what the living dared not say.

    My brothers called it exile.
    The warlords called it treason.
    The wolves knew better.
    They call it the long return.

    I did not carry banners.
    I carried wounds.

    I did not seek the throne.
    I sought peace and found shadows
    that bled like I did.

    And when the night fell thick with frost,
    and even the stars looked away,
    I did not pray for light.

    A heartfelt thank you for engaging with the narrative of StormborneLore, inviting readers to support the storytelling journey.

  • Training Day at Ignis

    Training Day at Ignis

    A tale from the halls of Emberhelm

    The morning mist clung to the valley like a second skin. Emberhelm’s courtyard steamed with breath and sweat, the scent of stone, ash, and boiled roots heavy in the air. Around the inner circle, newly chosen warriors waited nervous, eager, some barely out of boyhood. Others bore scars older than Taranis himself.

    At the centre stood the High Warlord of Caernath. His cloak cast aside, sleeves rolled, storm-grey eyes fixed on the line before him.

    “No blades today,” he said. “Not until your hands know what weight feels like.”

    He tossed a staff to the first in line. Then another. And another. Each warrior caught their weapon or fumbled it those who dropped theirs were told, simply, “Again.” And made to run.

    On the other side of the training ground, beneath the shadow of the stone wolf banner, Boldolph paced in silence.

    His pack half-men, half-beasts, with eyes like old moons watched him without blinking. He spoke low, but his voice carried like thunder over ice.

    “You are not pets. Not soldiers. You are guardians.”
    A pause.
    “You see a child in harm’s way, you do not wait for orders. You act. That is the law of the wolf.”

    One of the younger wolves whimpered. Boldolph turned sharply.
    “Fear is not failure. Freezing is. Move even if it hurts.”

    Across the field, Taranis raised his voice again.

    “This is Ignis. This is fire. You’re not here to impress me. You’re here to withstand the storm, and stand through it.”

    He glanced at Boldolph.

    “Or do you want to spar with his lot instead?”

    A low growl rippled from the wolf-warriors.

    The chosen laughed nervously until Boldolph nodded. One of his warriors, a massive figure with a half-healed burn across his chest. stepped ahead, gripping a staff as thick as a child’s leg.

    Taranis smiled. “Right then. Let’s see who learned to dance.”

    The wolf-warrior advanced, silent but for the low crunch of earth beneath padded feet. His height matched any war-chief. His eyes amber, slit like a blade of dusk fixed on the line of young recruits now stepping back.

    Taranis caught Boldolph’s eye.

    The old wolf-man crossed his arms, his growl half amusement, half challenge.

    “Too much for them?” Taranis asked.

    “They need to know pain has teeth. And that not all enemies snarl first.”

    The recruits shifted nervously. One tried to step ahead, but Taranis raised a hand.

    “No,” he said. “Not yet.”

    Then, slowly, he removed the silver cuff from his wrist. The one shaped like twisted flame and dropped it into the dust.

    The courtyard hushed.

    Boldolph straightened, his expression unreadable.

    “You mean to fight me?” he said, stepping ahead, voice low.

    Taranis rolled his shoulder and took a training staff from the rack.
    “Not to wound,” he replied. “To remind.”

    Boldolph took his own heavier, gnarled like a branch torn from an ancient tree.

    They circled.

    The recruits, wolf-men, and even dragons above watched in stillness.

    Then Boldolph struck fast, low, aiming to knock out Taranis’s legs. But the warlord leapt, twisting mid-air, landing in a crouch with a grin. He swept his staff up, tapping Boldolph’s ribs before stepping back.

    “Sloppy,” he said. “You’re slower in your old age.”

    Boldolph snarled, but it wasn’t anger. It was the old dance.
    The rhythm of claw and command.

    He lunged again this time a full force blow. Their staffs cracked like thunder as they met. Sparks flew from the impact. Recruits flinched. One dragon above rumbled softly, folding its wings to watch closer.

    They moved like storm and shadow:

    Taranis fluid, forged in battlefields and flame.

    Boldolph grounded, brutal, unshakable like the old hills.

    Neither aimed to kill.
    But neither held back.

    A final clash and both stopped, locked staff to staff, breathing heavy, eyes locked.

    “You’ve grown,” Boldolph said, finally. “Not just in size.”

    “And you’ve not changed,” Taranis replied, sweat on his brow. “Still the rock I lean on.”

    He broke the hold, stepped back, and offered a hand.

    Boldolph took it without hesitation. The courtyard erupted in cheers both from humans and wolves alike.

    Taranis turned to the watching recruits.
    “This,” he said, gesturing between them, “is how you lead. Not with fear. But with fire, with honour, and with those who would bite your enemies long before they betray your trust.”

    Boldolph gave a rare smile.

    “And don’t forget,” he growled to the recruits, “the wolves are watching.”

    Further Reading

    The Prophecies and Tales of Taranis Unfolded

  • Did Bronze Age People Know About Ley Lines?

    Did Bronze Age People Know About Ley Lines?


    Spoiler: Not by name but they felt the land’s power.

    They didn’t call them ley lines.
    They didn’t mark them with ink.
    But the builders of cairns and stone paths walked in tune with something deep a rhythm etched in earth and sky.

    Across prehistoric Britain, ancient people aligned their lives and deaths with natural forces that modern names can only echo.

    🧭 What Are Ley Lines?
    Today, ley lines are understood as invisible paths said to connect places of ancient or spiritual importance a kind of unseen network crossing the landscape.

    The idea gained attention in the 1920s when Alfred Watkins, a British thinker and historian, observed that many old sites from standing stones and burial mounds to chapels and crossroads seemed to fall into long, straight lines on the map.

    Though his view was practical at first, later generations embraced the mystical side. The idea of earth energy flowing beneath our feet became a key part of modern folklore, spiritual healing, and even fiction.

    🔥 Did Bronze Age People Believe in Them?
    They had no word for “ley lines.”
    But they knew how to read the land.

    Stone Circles & Sunlines
    Sites like Stonehenge were built with exact alignments to solstices, star paths, and natural landmarks. These weren’t accidents they were maps carved in stone.

    Sacred Roads
    Ceremonial trackways like the raised Avenue near Stonehenge weren’t for trade. They were used in rituals, processions, or seasonal gatherings.

    High Cairns & Burial Sites
    Ancient barrows were often placed on ridges visible for miles, suggesting a belief in sightlines and spiritual pathways.

    Mystic Memory
    Many later myths from Celtic and Welsh traditions speak of dragon roads, fairy paths, and spirit lines echoes of older beliefs in a world shaped by invisible forces.

    🌌 In StormborneLore…

    House Ignis draws from the fire-veins beneath the Malvern Hills

    House Umbra guards the shadows where old stones hum

    House Tempestas rides the storm-lines through the Marches

    House Terra roots into the deep stones of the north

    House Lumen awakens where sun and soul meet

    And in the centre Emberhelm, where all lines converge, and prophecy stirs the stones.

    🐉 So… Did They Know?
    Not in words.
    But in ritual, in rhythm, and in the way their bones followed the wind, the ancient people of Britain lived by the lines long before we gave them a name.

    And perhaps, deep under our modern roads and ruins…
    the lines are still there, waiting.

    A wooden sign featuring a colorful hand-painted design with a bright sun, blue sky, and green field. The text reads: 'Thank you for reading. Please like & subscribe. https://www.stormbornelore.co.uk' in various colors.
    A colorful illustration encouraging readers to engage with StormborneLore’s content, featuring a sunny sky and grassy background.

  • Good Afternoon, God eftermiddag, Prynhawn Da, Buenas tardes, Guten Tag, Добрый день (Author note)

    Good Afternoon, God eftermiddag, Prynhawn Da, Buenas tardes, Guten Tag, Добрый день (Author note)




    Thank you to everyone who took the time to read yesterday’s Authors Note.

    just a warning : This is NOT EDITED in anyway so there will be spelling mistakes and grammar issues., structure issues.

    Why am I doing this?

    The reason I’m saying hello in English. German, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Welsh (I do apologise if I’ve spelt or wrote anything wrong)

    The reason for it is those are the top countries in my stats for viewing my site.

    THANK YOU

    Thank you and USA youre number one. Thank you, and last night’s authors note had more likes than any other piece.

    AI and Me

    Well I’ve tried AI and still think even with all the errors. My writings probably better, than ai even though I use it to Polish my work it feels wrong.

    Less human! Less capable of putting in what it takes to make the reader feel. SO after talking to my child who is a one of the biggest book nerds I’ve know. Someone who states don’t use AI they steal from other writers.

    They are right but my stories are mine and double checked even triple checked not just through grammarly. But I also paste anything that I’m suspicious of direct into search engines manually check. If something worth doing it’s worth doing right !

    The Plan Today

    What’s on the plan today is easy 4 pieces.

    This authors note

    1 story – Three houses of Caernath part 7

    1 poem – based on the eternal lords

    1 article

    1 recipe. Inspired by the bronze age

    Where is my world based?

    Someone asked me where are my stories / world based?

    Worcestershire.

    The House of Flame – Ignis.

    Infact Emberhelm is based on the Malvern Hills and surrounding areas. Where I walked every weekend as a child and teen. An area stepped in history and folklore from Roman Britain to today.

    Shropshire, Welsh marches and Staffordshire

    The houses of Lore and Drax

    Tempestas (house of storm) and Umbria (the house of shadow)

    While Drax guards the marches with his armies of tempestas. Lore works his charms throughout his lands of Umbra. Taranis sits in the main house of Ignis. Soon to be joined by two others.

    Again I spent hours walking not just around my village. But Cannock chase and Tettenhall woods, Walsall woods, cannock woods. I listened to historians, folklorists, read books on mythology, folklore, hauntings of the areas.

    Other areas

    I’ve walked Glastonbury Tor. (The hard way even ended up crawling at the top. But worth it and I proved to myself I can achieve the impossible. )

    I’ve walked the long mynd (shropshire)where a village is said to have disappeared. The walks beautiful but not for those with mobility issues.

    I’ve visited Wales (let’s face the truth at one point most of England was welsh). so when I include Welsh it more of a nod to ancestral heritage. My favourite place in Wales is Pembrokeshire.

    Everywhere I go I’m learning not just the history but any folklore people are willing to share.

    Growing up in Staffordshire gave me an opening to learn the Lore. Of not just my village but cannock chase and many other areas.

    I was told “never put rough articles on your blog”. but when you don’t have funds for an editor for your articles where do you go?

    Many indie writers told me once Grammarly but that’s ai isnt it? If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

    I’m learning and slowly starting to use my own raw writing on this site.

    Have a good day, and to those in war torn areas or going through tough times. blessing and positive thoughts go out to you.

    Please try to stay safe.

    © StormborneLore. Written by Emma for StormborneLore. Not for reproduction. All rights reserved.

     If this spoke to you, please like, share, and subscribe to support our mythic journey.

    I wrote this directly into wordpress so absolutely no editing.