A Bearwytch Guide to Pokemancy

Spookymon:pt1: Phantump

Phantump: the stump Pokémon
708
Ghost/grass spirit/air/earth
Natural cure,frisk,harvest
Evolves when traded
Phantom-stump
Phantom:
OE. fantome, fantosme, fantesme, OF. fantôme, fr. L. phantasma, Gr. , fr. to show. See Fancy, and cf. Phaëton:
[Phaëton:
Meaning: shining one
The son of Helios who was killed when trying to drive his father's chariot and came too close to earth.]
-Appearance merely; illusion; unreality; fancy; delusion; deception; deceit.
-A phantasm; a specter or apparition; an imagined vision; an optical illusion.
-Same as manikin, 2. Synonyms:Apparition.
-Apparent merely; illusive; spectral; ghostly.
-A map or diagram of the magnetic field made by strewing iron filings upon a plate of glass-or other smooth surface and allowing them to arrange themselves along the lines of force.

Associations: kodama, dryads, Frigg, Freya, Idunna, Hel, Venus, white/Luna

birch :
Rune: berkana
inception, fertility, antiseptic properties, protection/psychic protection, guardian of fly agaric mushrooms, maiden/mother/crone, love, wisdom, provider, guide

Phantump is a ghostly Pokémon possessing a tree stump. Its black body is wispy with nubby arms. Covering its head is a small, brown tree stump with a wavy branch on each side. Its red eyes are visible through two holes in the stump and its mouth appears on the stump itself. There are two small, green leaves near the tip of each branch. Brewing these leaves can create a curative liquid.

Crafting:
[birch beer recipe]
5 gallon crock
4 quarts finely cut sweet birch twigs
1 gallon honey
4 gallons birch sap
1 cake soft yeast (or a packet of yeast)
1 slice toasted rye bread
•

Measure 4 quarts of finely cut twigs of sweet birch into the bottom of a 5-gallon crock.
In a large kettle, boil together the honey and birch sap for 10 minutes.
Pour over chopped twigs.
When cool, strain to remove the twigs.
Return to the crock.
Spread cake of soft yeast on the slice of toasted rye bread.
Float on top of the beer in the crock.
Cover with a cloth.
Let ferment until the cloudiness just starts to settle, about a week but it depends somewhat on temperature.
Bottle the beer and cap tightly.
Store in a dark place and serve it cold after the weather gets hot.
It should stand in the bottles about 3 months before using.
[If opened too soon, it will foam all over and pop worse than champagne.]

[Fresh Bark Tincture or Vinegar: Bark, because it is so fibrous and dense, needs more liquid to extract all the medicine so fill your jar with the fresh whittled bark and don't pack it too tight. Most barks prefer lower alcohol content, too, so use 40%-50% alcohol (vodka or brandy work well). Next fill the jar with the alcohol or vinegar and cap tight and shake. Label well with the common name, latin name and date. Shake a few times per week, store away from direct light and you can strain and use after two months. It will keep for more than 10 years. 

Dried Bark Tincture: I fill my jar 1/2 full with dried bark i. Then fill with  vodka or brandy or warmed vinegar, cap and shake a few times per week for 2 months, labeled well. Strain, re-bottle and label for use.]

Birch signifies a new beginning and the possible need to sacrifice a strongly held desire for the common good. Wands made of birch can be used in rites where the magician wishes to invoke a new phase of life.

These spirits are considered to nimbly bustle about mountains at will. A kodama's outer appearance is very much like an ordinary tree, but if one attempts to cut it down, one would become cursed etc., and it is thus considered to have some kind of mysterious supernatural power. The knowledge of those trees that have kodama living in them is passed down by the elderly of that area over successive generations and they are protected, and it is also said that trees that have a kodama living in them are of certain species. There is also a theory that when old trees are cut, blood could come forth from them.
Phantump is created when a spirit possesses a tree stump; it is said that the spirit is that of a child who became lost in the forest and died. This Pokémon's cries sound like the voice of a child or eerie screams. People have become lost following the voice, but Phantump is attempting to make friends. Phantump along with its evolution Trevenant are the only known Pokémon capable of learning Forest's Curse. This move is based on the lore that if one cuts down a tree that houses a kodama, you will be cursed. In modern times, these trees are often marked with shimenawa rope( an 'enclosing rope' made of rice straw or hemp, used in ritual purification), indicating a sacred space.