Hello, Frolicking Forest Dweller,
🌳 Welcome to Murrey's Wode
Murrey's Wode is the winning name for the Hearts of the Forest village.
Thank you, Stacey!
Wode can mean wood, madness, or the blue dye from the woad plant. Murrey, is a dark reddish purple, the colour of mulberries and an old heraldic stain (tincture). As a lover of purple, it spoke to me.
This is how the village got its name:
This is the story of Murrey, a forester and a headstrong stripling who once crossed the river because the untouched trees on the other side called to her.
On the cusp of her power awakening, she spent hours among the fire elms—trees the colour of her name—listening, shaping, tending.
The forest accepted her presence, her touch, and the dwellings she created became shelters for passing travellers who left notes of thanks.
Her vowed was one of those travellers, and by the time their children were old enough to roam the forest, her beloved space had grown into a welcoming, melting-pot of a village.
Calling the place Murrey's Wode started as a tease from her kin—half in affection, half in mocking—but the name took root.
Murrey cared for the village as a forester until her last breath, joined by her granddaughter in her later turns.
Until this day, her fire elm dwelling still stands, "Founder's Tree" carved in its door, its wall hung with the worn, resin-treated traveller's notes she cherished.
Thank you so much, Stacey, for naming the village and sparking my inspiration.
I updated the map at World Anvil, and added a pin for Murrey's tree, too.
✍🏻 What else is Blaine doing this week?
Inspired by all the wonderful paintings I've seen over the weekend, I'm back to writing Tavi and Ludo's story and creating names for the MCs of the other books in this series. Which I'll share next week!
[Image Description: Nature's Secret Game II by Isabella Werkhoven. A large painting of a field with tall, wilting sunflowers and wildflowers in muted tones of green, brown, and blue. The background features a hazy sky and distant trees, creating a moody, atmospheric effect. The painting hangs on a light gray gallery wall with a small label beside it.]
This was one of the paintings that really drew me in. The detail of the sunflowers against that dreary, hazy, and rainy background is breathtaking.
Other than that, I'm waiting for the delivery of the Ingram Spark Large Print books, but the books I uploaded to StoryTel are now live!
In a fight between knee-high, fire-spewing dragons and an aggressive breed of chickens, who do you think would win? Feel free to reply and let me know!
Until next week,
Blaine
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