Beltane: Springtime Rituals, Lore and Celebration Pic: Amazon

The celebration of May features the festival of Beltane, which is held on May Eve or the first day of May. May Day celebrations are well noted in the 19th century; however, there is little evidence available to indicate the specific historical origins. Some commentators believe that the rites of Beltane are traceable to the ancient Roman festival of Floralia, which was celebrated with floral processions. Others believe it originated among the Celts that inhabited the British Isles. Whatever the origins of May Day or Beltane are, it is still celebrated as a time of renewal within nature. Beltane can also be regarded as a celebration in anticipation of the coming summer season. In modern Wicca the rite of Beltane is an observance of the courtship of the Goddess and God whose union rejuvenates the earth. From this union the world becomes abundant with the bounty of nature.

Flowers, branches, and garlands feature prominently in the merriment of May. The old tradition in Greece was to gather flowers on the morning of May 1st, and afterward to fasten them to the doors or windows of houses and merchant shops. In parts of England the May customs involved the carrying of May dolls by young girls, while young boys carried a bullock’s horn. The boys and girls also carried a sprig from narrow-leaf elm tree. The underlying theme of such practices is one of fertility.

One lovely custom of the May Day celebration, once popular in parts of England, involved going door-to-door and caroling. Among the common songs the following is one of the oldest and most representative of oral tradition:

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen;
I wish you a happy day;
I’m come to show my garland,
because it’s the First of May.

A bunch of May I have brought you,
and at your door it stands;
it is but a spray, but it’s well spread about,
‘Tis the work of the Fays’ hands.

And now I’ve sung my little short song,
no longer can I stay;
Faeries bless you all, both great and small,
and grant you a very happy May.”

In Scotland the celebration of May included the gathering of rowan tree branches and other greenery and flowers. One of the oldest Scottish customs was for young women to climb to the top of a hill to see the sunrise rise on the first day of May. The women would then wet their faces with the morning dew in a belief that this would bestow greater beauty in the months ahead.

In old England the celebration of May featured a woman bearing the title and office of the Queen of May or the May Queen. It seems to have been the custom, at the celebration of the May-games, to elect a Lord and Lady of the May to preside over the festivities. The Lord of the May was decorated with scarves, ribbons, and other fineries. Traditionally the Lady wore a garland and crown made of the following flowers: tulips, anemones, cowslips, kingcups, meadow-orchids, wall-flowers, primroses, crown-imperials, lilacs, laburnums, roses (and other available bright flowers of all descriptions). A large doll, which was known as Madame Flora, accompanied the May Queen. The figure was suspended from a pyramid-like configuration of evergreen boughs decorated with nosegays. Ribbons and colorful fabrics hung as streamers from the base of the nosegays. The procession ended in a mock marriage to the King of May. Here again we see the underlying theme of fertility associated with the rites of May.

The May Queen Pic: josefskrhola

One of the most popular features of the May celebration is the Maypole. Part of the symbolism of the Maypole dance is the wedding of the May Queen and May King. The dance involves the braiding of colored ribbons suspended from a long pole. This represents the joining and entwining of the fertile forces of nature that are personified as Queen and King.

The Maypole is traditionally nine feet tall. Colored ribbons are attached to the top of the pole. These consist of an equal number of ribbons or streamers. A minimum of two ribbons is used, and the traditional colors are red and white; the ribbons are twice as long as the length of the Maypole. The end of each ribbon is held by an individual dancer. As the dance commences, the dangling ribbons begin to be braided through the movements of the dancers.

An even number of persons is required for this dance; half the number takes the end of a ribbon in the right hand and the other half in the left. The dancers then stand across from each other, facing alternately right and left. When the dance commences, each dancer facing the right passes under the ribbon held by the one opposite (who faces the left). Each dancer allows the next person going to the left to pass under his or her ribbon, and so on, moving in and out, under and over as the ribbons are woven around the pole.

In one variation of the dance the participants separate into two equal divisions, and each party, independent of the other, plaits a strip which hangs loosely from the pole. In performing this variation the two parties stand on either side of the pole, and all those facing the right pass on in that direction, going in and out until the last person going to the right has passed the last person going to the left in her division. During this phase the ribbons are transferred ribbons to their other dancers’ hands as they all turn and reverse order. They continue going back and forth until the plait is about a foot in length, when another change is made by the two parties joining forces again. This time, all those facing the left proceed in that direction, passing under the ribbons of all the others who are going to the right, thus forming two circles, one within the other. After going twice around the pole in this order, the dancers composing the inner circle take the outside and the others pass beneath their ribbons, again circling the pole twice. After going through the first figure once more, the dance may be ended or the whole order may be reversed. The latter choice will unplait the ribbons around the Maypole.

Jack in the Green Pic: Aspex Design: Photos by Dean Thorpe

An interesting character associated with May Day celebration is known as Jack-in-the-green. In old street processions he was accompanied by a band of chimney sweeps and a man known as the whistler. On May Day, in an old custom, the chimney sweeps were called the clergy. They constructed a Jack-in-the-green figure, which was carried through the streets during the May Day festival. It is traditionally composed of a framework of old hoops, connected by uprights of flexible wood. The framework is covered with green baize, and on to this the boughs are attached, which make the green. Sometimes the Jack-in-the Green is a man dressed with ribbons and flowers. Traditionally he carries a long walking stick with a floral wreath.

Many of the old May Day customs began to disappear in the later half of the 19th century. The society of chimney-sweeps kept up the customs longest, coming out in force, dressed up with fantastic hats and colored ribbons. In the midst was a moving arbor of green branches and flowers; this was the classic Jack in the Green. Beside him ran and danced a girl in festive colors, who was called Maid Marian. Preceding the Jack-in-Green marched a fife & drum or a fiddler, and they stopped at certain points to dance round Jack in the Green. During the procession the chimney-sweepers carry their shovels and brushes in their hands, which they rattle together, and to this rough music they jump about in imitation of dancing.

Another procession consisted of the milkmaids. These dairy women came dressed in bright colors with flowers in their hair or in their hats. They led along a milk cow covered with garlands, and they carried pails ornamented with ribbons and flowers. During the procession the maids would stop to dance the cow to the music of the violin or clarinet. At an earlier time, instead of a cow, there was a costumed man dressed similar to Jack-in-the-green. He was encased in a frame that covered the upper half of his body. On this frame hung clusters of silver flagons and tankards each set in a bed of flowers. Alongside this figure walked a fiddler that was always represented as one-legged.

In the early half of the 16th century the stories of Robin Hood and his companions were introduced into the pageantry of the May-games. He was one of the legendary characters that the populace were fond of impersonating (particularly in the plays performed by the Morris dancers in association with May Day). It is perhaps for this reason that the May celebration was sometimes called Robin Hood’s Festival. According to legend Robin reportedly died on the first of May, which no doubt connected his legend to this celebrator season.

In the May celebrations the Robin Hood figure appeared as the Lord of the May, accompanied by his faithful mistress, the Maid Marian, who took on the role of Lady of the May. His companions wore the traditional hunting garb of foresters. So popular was the inclusion of Robin Hood that notes were sometimes found on church doors explaining that the church was closed because the parishioners were out gathering for Robin Hood and the May games. This was not only the case in England, but the General Assembly in Scotland twice requested (in 1577 & 1578) that the king prohibit plays of “Robin Hood, King of May” held on the Sabbath day. Some commentators believe that the popularity of Robin Hood in the May celebrations is rooted in the figure itself being of pagan origins. In this context Robin Hood represents a pagan deity associated with spring and vegetation, which may be a form of the classic Green Man.

In modern times the first of May is celebrated by many contemporary Pagans, Wiccans, and Witches as a Beltane ritual. In modern times, as it was long ago, Beltane features a bonfire symbolizing the coming of summer. Dancers perform around the blazing fire to the rhythm of drums. For many dancers the dance is an ecstatic experience, and each person enters into a relationship with the fire itself as though it were a living being.

Beltane Bonfire Celebrations Pic: Richard Milnes

The name Beltane has its roots in the Celtic word tein, which means fire. The etymology of Beltane is debatable. One theory is that the ancient deity associated with the May season was Baal, and in this context we have Baal-tein, the fire of Baal. Baal was also known as Bel, and over the course of time the name Beltane prevailed. The second theory is that Beltane is derived from bea’uil, which is related to Beal and teine. From this combination we can arrive at Beal teine, or Beltane. The term bea’ uil means the life of everything or the source of everything. However, according to some commentators, Beltane is derived from two Gaelic words co joined to form the name Paleteia which means Pales’ fire (as opposed to Baal’s fire). The goddess Pales was the Roman deity of cattle, pastures, and shepherds. We may never be certain of the origins of Beltane, but the spirit of Beltane remains with us to this very day.

The sacredness of the Beltane fire is expressed in the ancient practice of lightning a needfire. This was done to purify the land and its people as well as to reawaken the spirit of the region. When harsh times and decline befell a community all fires in the area were extinguished. A large bonfire was then ignited on a hilltop, and from this sacred fire torches were lighted. The torches were then carried into the villages to relight the hearth fires of the homes. From this single bonfire light was reborn in the kingdom. This ancient concept of renewal is a theme that can and should be incorporated into our modern Beltane celebration. May the new light and the inherent sacredness of the Beltane season reawaken the vital and sustaining spirit of our own homeland.

This article remains the copyright of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd  and can be found on the Llewellyn website.

COPYRIGHT 2013 Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. All rights reserved.

———————————

You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Handster at http://www.handster.com/celtic_myth.html or by using the QR code opposite. It’s also found on the Opera Marketplace as well as AppBrain in the US.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Pic: Celtic Myth Podshow

Welcome in the Springtime with us in this unique Holiday Special dedicated to Brighid. We dedicate this show to the Goddess and Saint Bridget with 8 fantastic pieces of music, along with a wonderful Prayer to Brighid from our resident bard, Chris Joliffe. We’ve got a fantastic piece about Oimelc (Imbolg) by Ellen Evert Hopman from her book, Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore along with some superb information about Bridget’s Cloak by John Willmott of Celtic Ways. We top all of these wonderful goodies off with a great Competition to win a fabulous Celtic Twist CD.

How to Listen

The Episode is available for subscribers on the feed, or you can download it or listen to it from our Episodes page. You can find the Shownotes for this episode in the Shownotes section.

If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

We hope you enjoy it and wish you many Springtide blessings

Gary & Ruthie x x x

———————————

You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Handster at http://www.handster.com/celtic_myth.html or by using the QR code opposite. It’s also found on the Opera Marketplace as well as AppBrain in the US.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

St. Brigid by sculptor Annette McCormack Pic: Mario Corrigan

The second month of the year is generally thought of as dark, damp and dreary, its only saving grace being its shortness.  To the pagan Celts, however, the first of February was an occasion of celebration, for on that day was the beginning the feast of Imbolc, the winter half of the year passed its mid-point, and the vital spirit in the earth began its springtime phase of renewal.

Life in those days proceeded to an accompaniment of myth and poetry, dramatizing every stage in the hunter’s and farmer’s year.  At Imbolc fires were lit to honour the rebirth of the goddess, daughter of the earth.  There were torchlight processions to shrines associated with generation, in dells and sheltered hollows and where springs well up from the ground.  Thereafter followed the ceremony of “churching” the mother, and the earth was ritually purified at the festival now called Candlemas, which in the church calendar is on February 2nd.  Its Christian reference is to the purification of Mary after the birth of Jesus.  In ancient Greece it marked the retune from the underworld of Persephone, daughter of Demeter or mother earth.

The north European name for the goddess whose birth or return was celebrated at the start of February was Brigid, alias Brig, Bride, Frigg, Brigantia.  She existed in three aspects, beginning as the spring maiden, becoming the bride and matron in the course of the summer and ending as the old witch of winter.  Healers and craftsmen were under her special care, and she was known by their emblems, the serpent and the fire, which are also symbols of the fertilizing energies in the earth.  In Ireland, were veneration of the goddess is still evident in numerous grottos and rustic shrines dedicated to the Virgin, Brigid represented the native spirit of the country.  She was the Bride to whom the high king of the four quarters of Ireland was married at the time of his coronation.  Her name is commemorated throughout Ireland in Bride, Kilbride, Bridebridge, Brideswell etc., and her legend was assimilated and renewed by the famous Irish nun, St Bridget.

The conversion of the Irish and other Celtic nations from the Druidic to Christian rite seems to have been more in the nature of a reformation than the work of outside missionaries.  Beyond the influence of Rome, the Celtic church adopted many of the shrines, festivals, customs and legends of its pagan predecessors, and accommodated the old gods by renaming them as Christian saints.  It was evidently a peaceful change, for early Celtic church is unique in claiming no martyrs.  With the Christian revelation came a revival of scholarship and mysticism.  The Druid colleges were re founded as Celtic monasteries  and the great sanctuary of the goddess Brigid, at Kildare, became Ireland’s first nunnery under St Bridget.  In it there burnt a perpetual flame, an inheritance from the days of the old goddess, which for about a thousand years up to the Reformation was tended by a succession of nineteen vestal nuns.  Both their number and their function were survivals from pagan times, as was recognised by a 13th century Archbishop of Dublin who succeeded briefly in suppressing the atavistic flame; and the legend of St Bridget is a compilation of miracle tales far older than Christianity.  From Brigid she acquired the attributes of a fire goddess, appearing with a pillar of flame over her head and receiving the name Fiery Dart.  The nuns of her order wore white robes in the style of an earlier priesthood.  From Kildare they spread across Ireland and into Scotland occupying the old goddess shrines and rededicating them to St Bridget, thus identifying her with that misty wraith of folklore, the woman in white, whose haunts are by springs, wells and the crossing of rivers.

Many of St Bridget’s shrines are at holy wells, where her ethereal figure in the image of the white goddess can be glimpsed or imagined in the twilight.  These places still attract pilgrims.  hundreds of local people attend St Bridget’s well to the west of Mullingar on the last Sunday in August, making a ritual journey through 14 praying stations on their way to the shrine.  In England dedications to St Bridget are rare, and with one exception they are all found in the western part of the country along the border with the Celtic lands.

St Brigid’s Holy Well Pic: Source

The notable exception is the church of St Bride in London’s Fleet Street, where Bridget’s holy well (now blocked up), outside the church to the south east, indicates the prehistoric sanctity of the site.

In the early chronicles of St Bridget’s life there is no mention of her ever leaving Ireland.  Yet near Glastonbury in Somerset an island in the marshes at Beckery is identified as the former site of her chapel and hermitage, and medieval visitors to Glastonbury Abbey were shown her relics.  Other evidence of a separate English St Bridget is in her 19 English churches which, being early dedications, should by customs have been founded personally by their patrons.  Almost a third of these churches are in Cumberland, which in Roman times was part of the British nation of Brigantia, named after its principle goddess.  It may have been Brigantia rather than the Irish Brigid who gave her name to the Cumberland parishes of Kirkbride, Bridekirk and Brigham and left her mark on the sacred history of Glastonbury.

In Wales, where St Bridget is known as St Ffraid, several churches and eight holy wells are dedicated to her.  Far more common are dedications to the Virgin Mary, St David and his mother St Nun, who also gave her name to two holy wells in Cornwall.  One of these performed a rare useful function.  Many ancient wells have retained their reputation as places of healing or vision from times when these were gifts of the earth goddess.  Mostly they are believed to cure certain diseases or parts of the body, but St Nun’s well at Altarnun on Bodmin Moor provided a psychiatric remedy.  Lunatics were brought there to be treated by a method which he Cornish called “bowssening”.  The patient was led to the brink of a pool made by the waters of St Nun’s well.  He was then seized by priestly therapists, hurled into the water, ducked and tossed about until he was half drowned, after which he was laid in the well chapel while sacred chants were sung over him.  If this failed immediately to soothe his mind the process was repeated.

St Nun’s holy wells in Wales, Cornwall and Brittany are natural shrines of the earth goddess and, like those of St Bridget in Ireland, mostly retain the atmosphere of sanctity which has attracted people to them since prehistoric times.  At Altarnun, where St Nun was said to have been born and buried, a community of early Christian nuns reformed her pagan cult and continued the administration of healing waters.  She journeyed to Wales, landing at St Nun’s bay, Pembrokeshire during a raging storm, and took refuge by a well within a stone circle, where fair weather prevailed with blue skies and summer flowers.  There she gave birth to St David, leaving a mark on one of the stones where she pressed down during delivery.  The well, to the south of St David’s cathedral was famous for curing children’s and other complaints, and is now a place of Catholic pilgrimage.

Another Cornish well of St Nun is at Pelynt overlooking the Looe valley.  Those who can find its obscure site are rewarded with a glimpse of fairyland.  The well chamber, built into a bank and lodged within the roots of a tree, is overgrown with ferns and still gives clear, medicinal water.  St Nun’s name is attached to it, but it has been reclaimed by its original owners, the Cornish piskies, who are said to bring good luck to those who respect the places and curses to those who defile it.

As the annual rebirth of Brigid preceded the festival of purifying mother earth, so is the feast of St David on the 1st March followed next day by that of his mother St Nun.  On those dates in early spring the wells of St David and St Nun begin their traditional season of potency.  According to ancient perception, encoded in mythology, the spirit of fertility withdraws at the approach of winter into the metals of the earth, exuding again in spring to stimulate growth and to restore in the waters of the earth their healing and oracular powers.  These powers are most concentrated at certain spots where fresh, cool water wells up from the ground.  In Britain and Ireland there are literally thousands of holy wells, many neglected and with their legends forgotten, but a surprising number of them are still locally cherished and visited for the virtue in  their waters and the peaceful beauty of their settings.  Their characters change with the seasons or, as the ancients saw it, with the stages in the annual life cycle of the goddess.  For those who admire the maidenly aspect of nature, the season of resort to holy wells begins with the snowdrops and the birth of their patron goddess, Brigid.

Source

———————————

You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Handster at http://www.handster.com/celtic_myth.html or by using the QR code opposite. It’s also found on the Opera Marketplace as well as AppBrain in the US.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Brigit of the Forge Fire Pic: dragonthebamf

In ancient times, several Celtic goddesses bore names that incorporated the root bríg meaning flame, force, vigor, and exalted status. In medieval times, groups of nuns following the example of St. Brigid could be found in Britain and Scandinavia as well as Ireland where she was the focus of a fire cult and the chief figure in the devotions of Imbolc. Today St. Brigid, the “Mary of the Gael,” is one of the best known saints in Ireland. Many of the charms and prayers collected by folklorists in nineteenth-century Scotland invoke the aid of Bride as she was called there. In Wales she is known as Ffraid where churches were named for her. A holy well at Glastonbury was dedicated to her. In neo-pagan circles the goddess Bríg is one of the most popular deity figures..

Numerous books and articles on Brigid in her various forms are available in print and on the Internet. Despite this apparent glut of information, we actually know very little about Bríg the goddess and Brigid. This essay summarizes the facts and directs you to reliable sources for more information. We’ll look at the meaning of Brigid’s name, the evidence about the saint, the cognate figures with names from the same root, and what is known about the goddess behind the saint.

Celtic Goddess Names

One of the basic facts of the Celtic pantheon is that literally hundreds of deity names have been recorded in various Celtic areas. This does not mean that the Celts as a whole honored hundreds of deities. Rather, each Celtic group had its own deities who fell into a dozen or so functional categories. For example, each tribe probably had a god who served as protector of the tribe, a goddess who granted sovereignty and oversaw the fertility of the land, a warrior champion who defeated the enemies and forces that threatened the tribe, deities who oversaw specific crafts, and so on. People and households probably also had their patron deities. If several tribes were joined together under a chieftain, there would have been deities who oversaw the welfare of the group of tribes, their ruler, and their combined territories.

Each deity would have had a name by which he or she was addressed by the tribe or tribal group. Continental and British evidence for deity names consists of inscriptions on statues, tablets, and other items; the mythology from Ireland and Wales also records names. It is generally assumed that we do not today know the names of all Celtic deities because many statues do not have inscriptions. Also, it appears that many of the “names” were actually titles or honorifics rather than proper names. Perhaps the “real” names were considered too sacred or too powerful to be used casually.

Allowing for language variations, a few names appear to occur in many geographic areas, suggesting that these deities were honored by many groups of Celts. Bríg appears to be one of these. Variations of her name are found throughout Europe.

Bríg: the Root of the Name

The syllable bríg has a variety of meanings. It is used in many Celtic placenames where it means “high” or “exalted.” The root also incorporates a sense of power, force, or vigor, as well as flame. All these attributes have been associated with both goddesses and saints whose names incorporate bríg. It may be that the names incorporating this root are titles rather than proper names.

Cognate Goddess Names

Whether title or proper name, at least three goddesses were known by names incorporating bríg: Brigindo of Gaul, Brigantia of northern England, and Bríg of Ireland. The deity figure Bricta may also be related.Modern neo-pagan writers often cite inscriptions as evidence that there was a pan-Celtic goddess behind the figures of Brigindo, Brigantia, and Bríg. This may have been true, but a few inscriptions do not constitute conclusive proof.It is tempting to assume that goddesses that fill the same functional role in a society are cognates of Bríg, but this assumption is unwarranted. We simply do not know whether the Celts looked at their goddesses as interchangeable. The fact that so many different names are known suggests that they were seen as distinct figures.

Brigantia Pic: Urban Mystic

The Evidence for Bríg

The evidence for Bríg, like that for most aspects of Celtic religion, falls into the following categories:

• Archaeological evidence: inscriptions of Celtic goddesses on statues and other artifacts give us the names for the goddesses Brigindo, Brigantia, and Bricta. The symbols and other elements used to depict each goddess tell us about what concerns she was thought to govern. The types of sites where the statues and inscriptions are found also tell us about how the goddesses were venerated by the various Celtic groups.
• River names: the names of rivers tell us that these goddesses were probably associated with rivers.
• Placenames: the names of towns and settlements may tell us where goddesses were worshipped. However, since the element bríg can simply denote a high or fortified place, it would be unwise to assume that each placename derives from a goddess.
• Myths, hagiography, and folktales: the stories of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Brittany about St. Brigid tell us something about the original goddess figure behind the stories. However, all these stories have come to us through a Christian context and certainly have been reworked, to what extent we cannot be sure. However, it may be that some sites and practices originally associated with other goddesses and saints have been attributed to St. Brigid as her figure gained in importance over time.
• Folk practices: many of the folk practices, charms, and prayers collected by folklorists are associated with St. Brigid. Holy wells in particular have been associated with St. Brigid in folklore and devotional practice (MacNeill, 406; Ó Cátháin, pp. 25, 57). Analysis of the purposes and practices at these sites tells us something about the figure associated with it and how she has been venerated over time. However, as with the myths, it is likely that stories originally associated with other goddesses and saints have been attributed to St. Brigid as her figure gained in importance over time.

Brigantia: Goddess of Northern England

Brigantia Statue at Birrens Pic: Nat. Museums Scotland

Brigantia was the ancestor-goddess of the Brigantes, a powerful group of tribes who in Roman times occupied what are the now the six northernmost counties of England. In both her iconography and descriptions by the Romans, Brigantia resembles the Roman Minerva. Her areas of concern consisted of protecting the tribe, ensuring prosperity and fertility in the home, and inspiring success in the learning arts, especially poetry. We see some of these concerns illustrated in the statue of Brigantia found at Birrens in England (see photo left).This statue combines Celtic motifs with those of the Roman goddess, Minerva, who performed a similar role in Roman worship. The spear, mural crown, and globe represent Brigantia’s protection of the tribe. The Brigantes were a powerful group of tribes and their queen, Cartimandua, successfully held off Roman domination for several years. So it is only proper that the ancestor goddess of the Brigantes appear as a figure of strength. In modern times, this figure was adapted to become Britannia, the symbol of the British Empire.

Like many Celtic goddesses, Brigantia was associated with rivers and wells, as demonstrated in the inscription to her at Irthington: deae Nymphae Brigantiae. Rivers on the island of Britain—for example, the rivers Braint (Middlesex) and Brant (Anglesey)—bear her name (Ross, pp. 452-456). Brigantia was also associated with healing.

The goddess Bríg of Ireland seems to have been involved with the same sorts of concerns although her figure is not known to have been associated with a single tribe. Because of the similarities of concerns and names, scholars have determined that it is safe to assume that Bríg and Brigantia are cognate, deriving from the same figure in the mists of Celtic origins but attached to different geographic locales and people. (Ross, p. 454)

Brigindo: Goddess of Gaul

Inscriptions to Brigindo appear in eastern Gaul (MacKillop, p. 52). From her iconography, scholars suggest that she was a goddess of healing, crafts, and fertility, similar to her cognates, Brigantia and Brig. The inscriptions tell us very little about what the Celts of Gaul thought of Brigindo or how they worshipped her.

Bricta, Consort of Luxovius

At Luxeuil in the Saône valley of eastern France, there are remains of an ancient Celtic healing center, combining hot springs and sanctuaries. Several deities appear to be referenced in the iconography at the site. At the Luxeuil site, Bricta is specifically identified as the consort of Luxovius, a god of healing and light which may be cognate with Lug. Iconography at Luxeuil depicts a sky-horseman bearing a solar wheel, a figure linked to Lug by many scholars, including Mac Neill (MacNeill, p. 276 ). Another goddess represented at Luxeuil is the goddess Sirona, known as a goddess of fertility and healing at sites ranging from Hungary to Brittany and associated with rivers and healing springs like the goddesses Brigantia and Bríg. If Bricta is a title incorporating Bríg, it may actually be a title assigned to Sirona rather than a separate goddess. So, there may be as many as four deities referenced at Luxeuil or as few as two. If Bricta was indeed a cognate of Bríg, she was probably a goddess of healing, protection, and fertility with both water and fire associations.

Bríg of Ireland

The evidence for Bríg as goddess in Ireland consists of a few references in mythological and placelore tracts, placenames, and the stories and folk practices associated with St. Brigid, who is assumed to be a Christianized version of the earlier goddess.

Whether title or proper name, at least three goddesses were known by names incorporating bríg: Brigindo of Gaul, Brigantia of northern England, and Bríg of Ireland. The deity figure Bricta may also be related.Modern neo-pagan writers often cite inscriptions as evidence that there was a pan-Celtic goddess behind the figures of Brigindo, Brigantia, and Bríg. This may have been true, but a few inscriptions do not constitute conclusive proof. It is tempting to assume that goddesses that fill the same functional role in a society are cognates of Bríg, but this assumption is unwarranted. We simply do not know whether the Celts looked at their goddesses as interchangeable. The fact that so many different names are known suggests that they were seen as distinct figures.

Triple Goddess of Healing, Smithcraft & Bardic Inspiration Pic: Current Middle-Ages

Cormac’s Glossary said that Bríg was a goddess of poets and her sisters, also named Bríg, were goddesses of healing and smithcraft respectively. This appears to be a reference to Bríg as a triple goddess of the functions of the classes of farmers and craftspeople. Other sources refer to her as Bríg ambue, the goddess of warriors without status. This may refer to the f/ennidi who appear several times in St. Brigid’s hagiography (Nagy, 1985, p. 259). So Bríg was a goddess for all classes in society, but especially associated with the fertility of land and people. This is consistent with the attributes of Brigantia. The main difference is that Brigantia was pictured as a goddess who protected her people, whereas Bríg’s military association is limited to her ambue title.

Bríg is referred to in one source as the mother of the “three gods of Danu.” The latter designation appears to equate her with Danu, but in other places, she is called the daughter of the Dagda. This seems to be more evidence that the monastic scribes who composed and recorded stories like the Lebor Gabala and Cath Maig Tuired really were unfamiliar with much of the mythology and tried to make figures fit into what they considered logical groupings—although they sometimes contradicted themselves.

Bríg is also depicted as the wife of Bres, the half-Fomorian ruler of the Tuatha Dé Danann. She cries out the first lament heard in Ireland when her son Ruadhán is killed while attempting to slay Goibhniu, the smith.

The remaining evidence about Bríg comes from the folklore and hagiography associated with St. Brigid, but it is so much a mixture of pagan and Christian that it is very difficult to tell which was originally a part of the cult of the goddess named Bríg, which was part of the cult of other goddesses, and which was added after the adoption of Christianity. Even when we can feel fairly certain that a practice predated Christianity, we cannot be sure that its current form corresponds exactly to the way it was performed then.

Nevertheless, the folklore and practices portray Bríg as the protector of domestic animals, the bringer of fertility and new growth to the land and people, healer, and the aid of women in conception and childbirth. (Ó hÓgain, p. 60-64)

St. Brigid

Saint Brigid of Ireland Pic: Wiki

Was St. Brigid a historical person? Modern scholars tend to think that she was not. Even if she was, the hagiography we have is not about a real person. The earliest ones were composed several hundred years after she reputedly lived and they combine stories that are almost surely Christianized versions of the myths once associated with the goddess Bríg or other goddesses. The attributes and concerns of St. Brigid are the same as those associated with the goddess and her church is put at Kildare, which probably was a pre-Christian sanctuary.Also, there appear to be at least a dozen different St. Brigids associated with different places throughout Ireland, not to mention the dozens of holy wells dedicated to “St. Brigid.” It may be that wells that were once associated with various goddesses were rededicated to St. Brigid. It may also be that the goddess was worshipped in various forms throughout the country.

Modern writers tend to assume that the prominence of St. Brigid in medieval Irish Christianity was directly inherited from a goddess who was equally prominent. Ó Riain has suggested instead that the prominence of St. Brigid may owe more to the active PR efforts of the monks of Kildare and the various Leinster tribes who adopted her as patron. He points out that although the mythology and folklore clearly suggest that Lugh was a very important deity figure, his Christianized versions languished in obscurity, the patrons of small monasteries. Bríghid’s Kildare, on the other hand, was an active and prosperous monastery that took a very prominent role in Irish politics before the time of the Normans and linked its fortunes to the leading families of Leinster.

The conclusion is that we cannot be sure how important a goddess Bríg was in pre-Christian Ireland. We cannot even be sure that all the references to Bríg or Brigid concern a single figure. What we can be sure about, however, is that in the folklore, St. Brigid became the principal focus of the feast of Imbolc. As such, she functioned as guardian of domestic animals, aid to women in conception and childbirth, healer of ills, protector of the home, and bringer of spring warmth and new growth.

References

James Mac Killop, Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, Oxford Univ Pr: 1998; ISBN: 0-1986-9157-2

Máire Mac Neill, Festival at Lughnasa, Oxford Univ. Press, 1962

Kim McCone, Pagan Past and Christian Present in Early Irish Literature, An Sagart, 1990

J.F. Nagy, Wisdom of the Outlaw, Univ. Calif., 1985; ISBN: 0-5200-5284-6

Séamas Ó Catháin, The Festival of Brigit, DBA Publications, 1995; ISBN 0-9519-6922-6

Daithi Ó hÓgain, Myth, Legend, and Romance: An Encyclopaedia of Irish Folk Tradition, Prentice Hall Press, 1991; ISBN 0-1327-5959-4

Anne Ross, Pagan Celtic Britain, Academy Chicago Pub, 1997; ISBN: 0-8973-3435-3

Source

———————————

You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Handster at http://www.handster.com/celtic_myth.html or by using the QR code opposite. It’s also found on the Opera Marketplace as well as AppBrain in the US.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

The CMP Logo Pic: Celtic Myth Podshow

What a party! We rock in the New Year with an amazing party show! All of the music for the show has been provided by more of the Show Friends that you can find on the Friends of the Show page. You’ll hear seven great pieces of music, a short piece by our resident bard, Chris Joliffe and a superb introduction to the magical Fosty Knoll Inn and its even more mysterious Innkeeper, Old Rafferty Brown as written by Craig Sackett.

How to Listen

The Episode is available for subscribers on the feed, or you can download it or listen to it from our Episodes page. You can find the Shownotes for this episode in the Shownotes section.

If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

We hope you enjoy it and hope that you have an amazing Year in 2013!

Gary & Ruthie x x x

———————————

You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Handster at http://www.handster.com/celtic_myth.html or by using the QR code opposite. It’s also found on the Opera Marketplace as well as AppBrain in the US.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Elf Pic: mythology.wikia.com

Elves are often featured in children’s fairy tales  They have roots deep in the folklore of countries such as Germany, Holland, Sweden, England, and Norway. Their legend goes back as far as mankind can remember; perhaps even as far back as the beginning of time itself. In some countries they were worshipped in nature through trees, mountains, and waterfalls.Most cultures agreed that these creatures were mysterious. Some went so far as to view them as supernatural beings or gods.While some believed only in the goodness of elves, others believed there were two different kinds of elves, both good and bad (light or dark).

Elves were often portrayed as benevolent and helpful creatures, albeit a bit mischievous from time to time. However, a few cultures viewed them as evil incarnate and took precautions to protect themselves from them.

Mythology as a whole, verifies that it could be difficult to determine the sex of elves. Both males and females possessed delicate features, long flowing hair, sparkling dark eyes, pointed ears and a great deal of grace. Such a description easily explains why elves were often portrayed as strictly feminine in certain types of folklore. Many believe that an elf’s face beams an inner light that makes them appear angelic.

Light elves were considered peace-loving creatures who were tasked with the preservation of nature. However, they were believed to love all things beautiful, often assisting mankind by delivering inspiration for musical scores and stunning works of art.

Good elves were considered to be exceedingly beautiful, with faces that “beam” a natural inner light, making them appear to be almost angelic. They almost always wore white or extremely pale colors with metallic threads running through it.

Dark elves, on the other hand, were sometimes depicted as being pitch black with florescent eyes. They sported nothing but black, dark gray, or silver clothing. Even though their features very much resembled those of light elves, their countenance could often take on a demonic quality, which might explain why they are often associated with black magic.

Dark elves are exceedingly prideful and full of spite. Some claim these creatures hated mankind and loved to plague humans with their many pranks. They were believed to possess strong spirits and equally strong, agile bodies.

Light elves were believed to live in lush forests near wooded lakes. Dark elves, on the other hand, are banished to caves and underground ravines.

In many cultures elves are depicted as fully-grown humans much like those that were featured in “Lord of the Rings.” But in some instances they have been reduced to smaller sized humans with slightly distorted features. Some indicate that elves can be so small that they can work in our world without being seen.Elves have heightened senses that allow them to hear and see better than most humans. Some cultures also believed that elves possessed a kind of extra sensory perception that allowed them to “tune in” to things happening around them so that they could rush to the aid of those in trouble.Many believe that elves are immortal while others believe they simply live to a ripe old age; as much as 1000 years. Still others believe that an elf’s life span depends upon the creature’s life journey. They think that elves live as long as is necessary for them to complete their tasks in life. Once everything is completed, the elf dies. In any case, death is not something that elves feared. They accepted death as a return to nature.

Elves   Pic Source

Many believe that elves are immortal while others believe they simply live to a ripe old age; as much as 1000 years. Still others believe that an elf’s life span depends upon the creature’s life journey. They think that elves live as long as is necessary for them to complete their tasks in life. Once everything is completed, the elf dies. In any case, death is not something that elves feared. They accepted death as a return to nature.

While many believed that elves co-existed with humans in the mortal realm, others claimed that they had the capability to move between the level of humankind and the netherworld. Not bound by the laws of the nature, it was thought that elves could move through solid surfaces like walls, windows, and doors to gain entry wherever they chose.

According to German mythology, elves were once thought to be gods of nature and fertility. But German elves were quite mischievous and would cause nightmares in human dreams just for a lark. Sometimes their pranks were far less benign; causing crops to die, cattle to be diseased, and humans to take ill.

Some folklore said that humans who saw an elf were destined to die shortly. The form and countenance of the sited elf would give the intended victim an insight to the method of their death. A peaceful countenance was equated to a peaceful death. A grimaced countenance indicated a violent death.

According to Norse mythology, elves often entered the mortal realm to seek out love and companionship among humans. This sometimes resulted in crossbreeding. If the human of the duo discovered their elf partner’s deception, it often did not fair well for their offspring. Sometimes those children would be abandoned, sold, or given away because they were considered unclean.

In Danish folklore elves were considered a race of beings unto themselves. Oftentimes they were depicted only as female in gender. They were believed to live in the same realm as fairies, with rolling hills, lush forests, sparkling springs, and fields full of flowers. However, they too often escaped into the human world to create havoc.

In Swedish folklore elves were depicted as beautiful women who acted as servants to their elven king. They are generally depicted as being fair-haired and a skin so pale that it almost matches their customary white garments.

Elves Pic: Picture Source

Scandinavians believed in the theory of light and dark elves. Some feared the dark elves and wore pentagram amulets around their neck to protect themselves. They also carved or painted the symbol onto their homes; inside and out. They believed the symbol would not allow elves to pass by the symbol.Some elves were gifted with an ability to dance, something they loved to do in the early morning mist. It was believed that humans who watched their dance would be cursed. While the human believed they were merely watching for just a few minutes, they often discovered that years had passed them by in the mortal realm.Unlike other cultures who have, one by one, abandoned the idea of elves, a lot of Scandinavians still believe in the existence of elves; in fact a startling 40 percent aren’t willing to abandon their cherished fantasy friends.

English folktales often depicted elves as the smaller version like those to whom we have become most accustomed. They weren’t considered evil but did like to pull pranks; hiding possessions of humans, moving objects, or making messes.

Some English elves were also believed to be invisible. Much like fairies, they could hide themselves in plain sight. In fact, in some English literature, elves and fairies became synonymous.

Of course elves have a prominent position in the folklore of America; particularly that tied to the celebration of Christmas. Those who continue to believe in the essence of Santa, also hold on to their beliefs in the elves that serve him.

Like English folklore, American mythology depicts elves as diminutive in size with a happy-go-lucky attitude. They are considered to be great toy makers, which explains their attachment to Santa.

Like fairies, leprechauns, and gnomes (a close relation to elves), there seems little need to prove their existence. Like many supposed fantasies, the strength of elves lies in their ability to spark the imagination. That they do successfully. What more can we ask?

Source

———————————

You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Handster at http://www.handster.com/celtic_myth.html or by using the QR code opposite. It’s also found on the Opera Marketplace as well as AppBrain in the US.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Castlerigg Stone Circle Pic: Miguel Ramirez

At the Winter Solstice, we celebrate Children’s Day to honour our children and to bring warmth, light and cheerfulness into the dark time of the year. Holidays such as this have their origin as “holy days”. They are the way human beings mark the sacred times in the yearly cycle of life.In the northern latitudes, midwinter’s day has been an important time for celebration throughout the ages. On this shortest day of the year, the sun is at its lowest and weakest, a pivot point from which the light will grow stronger and brighter.

This is the turning point of the year. The romans called it Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun.

The Roman midwinter holiday, Saturnalia, was both a gigantic fair and a festival of the home. Riotous merry-making took place, and the halls of houses were decked with boughs of laurel and evergreen trees. Lamps were kept burning to ward off the spirits of darkness. Schools were closed, the army rested, and no criminals were executed. Friends visited one another, bringing good-luck gifts of fruit, cakes, candles, dolls, jewellery, and incense. Temples were decorated with evergreens symbolizing life’s continuity, and processions of people with masked or blackened faces and fantastic hats danced through the streets.

The custom of mummers visiting their neighbours in costume, which is still alive in Newfoundland, is descended from these masked processions.
Roman masters feasted with slaves, who were given the freedom to do and say what they liked (the medieval custom of all the inhabitants of the manor, including servants and lords alike, sitting down together for a great Christmas feast, came from this tradition). A Mock King was appointed to take charge of the revels (the Lord of Misrule of medieval Christmas festivities had his origin here).

In pagan Scandinavia the winter festival was the yule (or juul). Great yule logs were burned, and people drank mead around the bonfires listening to minstrel-poets singing ancient legends. It was believed that the yule log had the magical effect of helping the sun to shine more brightly.

Mistletoe, which was sacred because it mysteriously grew on the most sacred tree, the oak, was ceremoniously cut and a spray given to each family, to be hung in the doorways as good luck. The celtic Druids also regarded mistletoe as sacred. Druid priests cut it from the tree on which it grew with a golden sickle and handed it to the people, calling it All-Heal. To hang it over a doorway or in a room was to offer goodwill to visitors. Kissing under the mistletoe was a pledge of friendship. Mistletoe is still forbidden in most Christian churches because of its Pagan associations, but it has continued to have a special place in home celebrations.

In the third century various dates, from December to April, were celebrated by Christians as Christmas. January 6 was the most favoured day because it was thought to be Jesus’ baptismal day (in the Greek Orthodox Church this continues to be the day to celebrate Christmas). Around 350, December 25 was adopted in Rome and gradually almost the entire Christian Church agreed to that date, which coincided with Winter Solstice, the Yule and the Saturnalia. The merry side of Saturnalia was adopted to the observance of Christmas. By 1100 Christmas was the peak celebration of the year for all of Europe. During the 16th century, under the influence of the Reformation, many of the old customs were suppressed and the Church forbade processions, colourful ceremonies, and plays.

In 1647 in England, Parliament passed a law abolishing Christmas altogether. When Charles II came to the throne, many of the customs were revived, but the feasting and merrymaking were now more worldly than religious.

Here in Nova Scotia outdoor coloured lights play an important part in the local celebration of the mid-winter season. With the day turning to darkness so early in the North, it is cheering to look out into the cold and dark at lights sparkling and glittering in the crisp air.

Our celebration of Children’s Day is inspired not only by the pagan celebrations of mid-winter but arises also out of the Japanese holidays of Boy’s Day and Doll’s Day, which are two separate days in the spring, when boys and girls of a certain age are presented to the temple and honoured with special gifts. The Shambhala Children’s Shrine is modeled after the display of ancestral dolls traditional in homes on Doll’s Day.

Our sangha is our village, our clan, our family. Our children belong to all of us, and are bright reminders of the future of Buddhism. We celebrate them and the Great Eastern Sun together at the darkest time of the year, with open-hearth parties and cheerful festivities.

 The Unconquered Sun first appeared as an article by Janet Shotwell in The Karma Dzong Banner (Vol III, No 11, December 1991, Halifax, Nova Scotia).

Source

May you and yours be showered with Love and Yuletide Blessings..

Gary, Ruthie and all at the Celtic Myth Podshow

xxxxxxx

———————————

You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Handster at http://www.handster.com/celtic_myth.html or by using the QR code opposite. It’s also found on the Opera Marketplace as well as AppBrain in the US.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

The Dark Path Pic: crowolf

Up the airy mountain, Down the rushy glen We daren’t go a-hunting For fear of little men. (William Allingham (1824-89), Irish poet)

Pixies

The Picts were the ancient inhabitants of the northern British isles. Some accounts describe them as being shorter than average, and with brown skin. Of all the races who inhabited the British Isles at the time of the Roman invasion, the Picts were the only one never conquered by the Romans. They retreated into what is now Scotland and later allied themselves with the Scottish Gaels to form modern Scotland.

Some say Picts further south retreated into the mountains of Wales and hid themselves from the Roman invaders. The Romans themselves write of hunting down the Picts like wild beasts, shooting them for sport. According to this theory, the Picts went into hiding and began living in burrows, coming out only at night to forage for food. Eventually, they became even shorter and became dwarfish people. Eventually, they came to be called pixies or brownies.

Myths grew up about them. They would come out at night and do chores for any of the “big folk” who were nice to them, who would put out saucers of milk at night for them, for example.

And on Samhain (Halloween), the pixies come out to ask for treats — and to do their tricks as well. So, next Halloween, look closely at the “goblins” who come to your door. Some might just be neighborhood children. But some might be pixies. It makes a good story, especially on this day after April Fools Day. But there might also be a grain of truth to it!

Every nation has its stories of the “little people.” Often called fairies (from the Latin fata or fate), they dwell apart from us big folk and both work mischief and do good deeds. In Arabic lands, they are the jinn or genies. The Scandinavians usually called them trolls, the Germans, elves, and the English called them pixies.

The word “pict,” by the way, is thought to be from the Latin pictus, meaning painted, so it is assumed the original Picts painted their bodies.

The land of faerie is a magical place. Interestingly, there is no place for the fairies in the Christian religion — though belief in them persists throughout Christendom.

The Little People

W.B. Yeats, in his wanderings around Ireland in search of lore, wrote of an interview with a farm woman who told him… “she did not believe either in Hell or in ghosts. Hell was an invention got up by the priest to keep people good; and ghosts would not be permitted, she held, to go ‘trapsin’ about the earth’ at their own free will; ‘but there are faeries and little leprechauns, and water-horses, and fallen angels.’”

Yeats described the elves this way: “The [little] people and faeries in Ireland are sometimes as big as we are, sometimes bigger, and sometimes, as I have been told, about three feet high.” Bullfinch, in his classic Mythology, describes the elves this way: The Edda mentions another class of beings, inferior to the gods, but still possessed of great power; these were called Elves. The white spirits, or Elves of Light, were exceedingly fair, more brilliant than the sun, and clad in garments of a delicate and transparent texture. They loved the light, were kindly disposed to humankind, and generally appeared as fair and lovely children. Their country was called Alfheim, and was the domain of Freyr, the god of the sun, in whose light they were always sporting.

Fairy in Black and White  Pic: crowolf

Night Elves

The black or Night Elves were a different kind of creatures. Ugly, long-nosed dwarfs, of a dirty brown colour, they appeared only at night, for they avoided the sun as their most deadly enemy, because whenever his beams fell upon any of them they changed them immediately into stones. Their language was the echo of solitudes, and their dwelling-places subterranean caves and clefts. They were supposed to have come into existence as maggots produced by the decaying flesh of Ymir’s body, and were afterwards endowed by the gods with a human form and great understanding. They were particularly distinguished for a knowledge of the mysterious powers of nature, and for the runes which they carved and explained. They were the most skilful artificers of all created beings, and worked in metals and in wood. Among their most noted works were Thor’s hammer, and the ship “Skidbladnir,” which they gave to Freyr, and which was so large that it could contain all the deities with their war and household implements, but so skillfully was it wrought that when folded together it could be put into a side pocket.

Dwarves and Hobbits

These latter were called (by Paracelsus in the 16th century) gnomes, bearded dwarfs who lived in mountains and hills and who knew the secret of all metals. Their name is from the Greek gnosis, meaning knowledge, for they knew where the secret hordes of treasure were hidden.

J.R.R. Tolkien, in his classic fantasies such as Lord of the Rings, invented a class of “little people” called hobbits. These were small mortals (unlike the immortal or nearly immortal elves) who lived in burrows in the ground, and who loved nothing better than eating, smoking pipes and exchanging gifts with one another. Tolkien wrote that if you walked in the woods you might catch a glimpse of a movement in the grass out of the corner of your eye. This, he said, would be a hobbit, staying just out of sight, for they fear the anger and brutality of human beings.

The faeries are portrayed often — as by J.M. Barrie — as cute little creatures, more playful than serious. But there is a deadly serious side to the little people.

The word elf is thought to come from the Latin alba, meaning white. The German word Alp means a nightmare, and the elves originally were the dead, the white ghosts of dead folk.

Fata,Maga And Bean Sidhe

As I mentioned earlier, the word fairy is thought to be derived from the Latin fata, meaning fate. The old English word was fay or fae (the Old French word for fairy). This was the word used to describe the old Roman goddess of fate, Fata. But another word in English also might be an original for fairy. This is the word fey, meaning “otherworldly” or “magical,” as in the expression: “He has a fey look about him.”
The word fey comes from the Middle English feie, meaning “fated to die” (derived from Old English faege.) In Scotland today, someone who is fey is about to die or strongly afraid of dying.

DarkSkies    Pic: sidhescarlett

Again, we find the little people associated with death. In Ireland there is another creature, called a “woman of the fairies” who has, according to legend, never been seen by a living human being. This is the banshee, who screams mournfully in the night around any home where someone will die in the night. In Celtic times, a sidh (pronounced “shee”) was a hole or barrow in the earth. Gradually, the sidhe became the Irish faeries, dwellers of night and darkness. The Irish phrase “bean sidhe” literally means “woman of the fairies.”.In traditional English folklore, the land of Faerie was a place out of space and out of time. If a person visited this realm, a stay of a few days might be the same as a hundred years in “real time.” Remember Rip van Winkle and his “long sleep” or the land of Avalon in the Arthurian legend.The land of Faerie was the world of dreams, the world in which we died briefly, and where we functioned in a universe that did not obey natural law.

Gnomes and Leprechauns

Some say the little people are nothing but the ancient gods still remembered by the common folk. The Giants of the Scandinavians are now the trolls (or gnomes) of northern countries. The leprechauns are the remains of the great Cu Chulain, the ancient Irish hero. The fairies of Europe are the last vestiges of the Roman fauns, and the pixies are British versions of the ancient dryads (in fact, the ancient English word for dryad was wudaelf, or elf of the wood.)

I believe the little folk are folk or racial memories — memories of ancient beliefs perhaps. But also memories of small-framed cultures who have disappeared, or almost disappeared from memory. The conquered peoples of the world — vanquished by the larger hominids who were our ancestors.

But I also believe that the little people are remnants of our own dream worlds, the nightmares and fantasies of night-time reflected on our days.

And I would like, most of all, to believe in elves.  To believe that there exists a tiny race of humanoids dwelling in the forests and mountains of this planet — staying just out of sight of humans and retaining a vestige of the old, peaceful ways of earth when it was not so crowded with Homo sapiens sapiens.

Sometimes, far from the city, I think I see them, scurrying through the brush, the little people. The long-dead ancestors of our species. The last of a conquered race. But perhaps it’s only a squirrel I see. Or the image of my own death.

When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies. And now when every new baby is born its first laugh becomes a fairy. So there ought to be one fairy for every boy or girl.

(J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan)

Source

———————————

You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Handster at http://www.handster.com/celtic_myth.html or by using the QR code opposite. It’s also found on the Opera Marketplace as well as AppBrain in the US.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Authentic Celtic Cooking Pic: Celtic Myth Podshow

As the rush of glowing pumpkin lit faces, ghosties and ghoulies fades into the darkness along our streets and the veil thins even further as the true date of Samhain this year (the cross-quarter day in 2012) , being the 7th November, approached we are proud to be able to bring you a wonderful guest blog about the real food that our ancestors would have eaten during this Holiday Season. Blackbird O’Connell from the “My Mommy The Pagan Warrior” blog has put a superb article together and allowed us to bring it to you. Over to Blackbird:-

As a Págánacht practitioner, each holy day is a time to reflect on our ancestors and what their lives may have been like when they sat around their hearth or bonfire and celebrated their sacred times of the season. The Iron Age Irish (700 BCE – 400 CE) didn’t have the luxuries of the modern kitchen with the ceramic top stove and built in microwaves. Much of their time was spent out amongst the rest of their tribes, partaking in a three day festival of celebration and preparation for the new season. In the time of Samhain, preparation was particularly important because they were at the end of the harvest period and entering the winter where food needed to be stored and cattle slaughtered for meat that would be salted and kept to sustain them through the winter.

Today, we do have the many modern luxuries afforded us by the technology we are blessed to have. There are some that may choose to celebrate this time in the way the ancestors did by breaking out their hearth fire and their cauldrons to cook. I have all the respect in the world for that practice and hope to one day be able to do it myself, but as a practical pagan in a modern world, that isn’t always feasible. My modern conveniences make my busy life much easier and I love my slow cooker, microwave, grill, and stove, so what can I do to truly connect to this time of year in a way my ancestors did? The simple answer? Food.

Food and festivity have always gone hand in hand. If you read of such legends as Bricriu’s Feast, The Funeral Feast of Lugh for Tailtu, and The Feast at Conan’s House, there were large banquets containing lavish amounts of pork, shellfish and, especially during Samhain celebrations, beef which were common ways to celebrate this season. As we know from such legends as the Táin Bó Cúailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley) your wealth could easily be measured in cattle. It was cattle that sustained the tribes through out the year, but not quite for the meat. Cattle gave milk, which also led to various cheeses and curd (white meats) to the ancestors.

Irish Cattle Pic: Irish Cattle Breeding Federation

It was during the preparation for the dark times of winter that more beef was eaten because only small herds of cattle could be kept heated and alive for the re-emergence of spring into the light half of the year months later. Because of this, beef can easily be chosen as the focal point of this Irish pagan’s particular feast. Any modern preparation could work from broiling to braising to barbecuing. As Oíche Shamhna is a fire festival, barbecuing is my choice of preparation though more traditional would have been working with a cauldron over an open flame, so perhaps a modern pot on a stove or slow cooker. If you are not a fan of beef, other heavily utilized meats were pork, goat and mutton or, if you prefer white meat, chickens or game birds would work as well.

While inland communities would focus more on land roaming meat sources, those on the coast would have access to fish and shellfish and, if you are like me, no party is complete without shrimp cocktail. Of course, the cocktail sauce is a modern twist I might avoid for continuity’s sake, but I’m sure you understand the sentiment. In this case, prawns, mussels, oysters and clams would also be a great main dish for this family or tribal gathering. For fish, selections like mackerel or even cod would work well. Salmon, which as we know from the legend of Finn and the Salmon of Knowledge, was a magical fish and as such (and the fact that it is rather tasty) is my first choice for an oceanic main dish.

What Vegetables?

In regards to vegetation, my search for vegetables available to the Irish of the time has left me with the most questions and the least amount of choices. Cabbage was used in the Iron Age as were onions and parsnips, introduced by the Romans in Britain, seaweed, leeks and edible fungus like mushrooms. There were some root vegetables as well such as wild carrots and leefy greens like dandelion greens. Potatoes and maize (corn) were a New World introductions and though particularly potatoes became a staple of Irish cuisine starting in the late 1600s, they would not have been available to our Iron Age counterparts.

Red Apples Pic: Soda Head

Onto sweeter vegetation, apples were very important fruits in the Brehon Laws and their significance to the Samhain period has been passed to us here in the USA with the practice of Snap Apple and bobbing for apples as traditional Halloween games. Also wild berries of the season would have been part of a complete diet such as blackberries, strawberries and possibly raspberries, as well as rowan, bilberries and elderberries.

Moving on to breads, we know that wheat, barley and oats were cultivated and as such bread would be common place at a meal. Though bannock, or what is now known as fry bread, has been claimed to originate with the Scots, with the Scottish/Irish immigration history, there is a reasonable assumption that a type of flat stone cooked bread such as bannock would have been made in Ireland during this age as well. Bannock would include flour made from the aforementioned cereals, water, and possibly lard. I have seen other recipes that call for milk, eggs or even a leavening agent which would be viable Iron Age ingredients. From there, one could go sweet adding various berries or savory with salt and herbs. If you wanted baking powder/soda would be a modern leavener as well as healthier oil alternatives are options, but for me, it’s a special occasion so a little lard makes it even more special. Let’s face it, our Irish ancestors were carnivores through and through. Butter and, especially, honey would be time appropriate and yummy additions to your bread, as well.

You can’t forget the Mead!

Speaking of honey, I will move on with a proper beverage for an Iron Age feast. What feast wouldn’t be complete without mead? As the Brehon Laws on “Bee-judgments” tells us Irish Celtic people did have knowledge of beekeeping, honey would have been available and honey wine (also known as mead) was a common preparation for drinking. Different variations of mead were common such as adding herbs to make a spiced version or adding fruit to make a sweet variation. In a modern world, one can walk to most specialty wine stores and buy mead, pick up some home made from the local brewer, at a Renaissance or Harvest Faire, or even make it yourself. One quick recipe for mead that I have tried consisted of honey, water, spices and Vodka (or Everclear). Wines would have been a luxury as they would have been imported and Ale would be another drink of choice though didn’t keep well without refrigeration. If drinking alcohol is not your thing there are non-alcoholic mead recipes or there is always simply milk to stay within time period tradition.

While there may not have been a distinction between a main dish and a dessert, there were plenty of puddings one could create. Blood pudding from the animals they feasted from was common and would sometimes be salted and kept through the winter. Other varieties of pudding would include more sweet versions like tansy pudding made with breadcrumbs, tansy leaves and honey. Aside from puddings, mixing of berries and nuts with honey and cream or making fruit bread would be a time appropriate meal ender as well.

Fruit Bread Pic: Vegan About Town

There are many different options when cooking with your ancestry in mind. Just keep the ingredients as close to time specific as possible and get creative. Have fun coming up with new recipes and don’t forget to include the family in the cooking. It is, after all, a feast for the family and tribe in celebration of the harvest and preparation of the coming of Winter.

Go mbeannaí Mórrígan thú!

Blackbird O’Connell

Sources/Further reading –

http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/anthro/programs/csho/Content/Facultycvandinfo/Crabtree/Ritual%20Feasting.pdf

http://www.ravensgard.org/prdunham/irishfood.html

http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodireland.html

http://www.enotes.com/food-encyclopedia/ireland

http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/aneu_02/aneu_02_00153.html

http://home.comcast.net/~osoono/ethnicdoughs/frybread/frybread.htm

http://books.google.com/books?id=ANTSvKj1AZEC&pg=PA256&lpg=PA256&dq=honey+iron+age+ireland&source=bl&ots=I9SP1xJFfo&sig=yS0b8t9gvBB_SLb4nTMdcr8DujU&hl=en&ei=aO22TOfwHZKasAOx8MyyCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=honey%20iron%20age%20ireland&f=false

http://www.libraryireland.com/SocialHistoryAncientIreland/III-XVII-7.php

http:// http://www.wildflowersofireland.net/

Thanks to Blackbird for this superb article! Follow her blog for more information about her and her work at My Mommy the Pagan Warrior!

———————————

You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Handster at http://www.handster.com/celtic_myth.html or by using the QR code opposite. It’s also found on the Opera Marketplace as well as AppBrain in the US.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Clontarf Viking Day Irish Gathering 2013

The Irish Gathering website reports about a fun day in Clontarf in July. They say that the members of the Clontarf Business Association have come together in June over the last few years to highlight the reasons for shopping local in the Clontarf area of Dublin. This year was no exception and it was bigger and bolder than all previous years.

With the millennial celebration of the Battle of Clontarf peeping over the horizon, the festival was presented along with a full viking village, offering visitors a chance to see how people lived a thousand years ago. Stands re-enacted tradespeople at work, making coins, carving from wood, spinning yarn from raw wool and the village even had a herbologist, advising on natural methods and homegrown remedies to cure all ailments.

During the day children had a chance to spar like vikings and move in battlement formation with their viking leader instructing them on holding sword and shield and the correct positions of defence, upon being attacked by the enemy. The crowd were treated to a re-enactment of the Battle of Clontarf by the vikings themselves, during which the sound of metal against metal proved to be too much for many who were faint of heart.

Visit the Irish Gathering website for the full story and many more photographs.

———————————

You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Description Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Handster at http://www.handster.com/celtic_myth.html or by using the QR code opposite. It’s also found on the Opera Marketplace as well as AppBrain in the US.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.