Pipefest Pic: Click to see App

Pipefest 1 is the World’s first bagpipe sheet music app! With sheet music for one hundred pipe tunes in a searchable index all in one place – the app is a great resource for pipers. Features: A collection of one hundred traditional and popular pipe tunes. All tunes embedded within app – no further downloading. Tunes indexed within time signature categories. Search function to help quickly find tunes..

Benefits:

An app relevant to pipers
Convenient way to store and index tunes
Provides useful reference resource for pipers
Easy to use when out and about
Available via iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pipefest-1

App Store: Pipefest 1

For information on piping and drumming apps please contact:
Magnus Orr – magnus@pipefest.com

Momedia – events & media production Scotland

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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 Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
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One of the skulls recovered from the west cell of the Banks Tomb Pic: ORCA

National Geographic news reports:Thousands of human bones have been found inside a Stone Age tomb on a northern Scottish island, archaeologists say.The 5,000-year-old burial site, on South Ronaldsay in the Orkney Islands, was accidentally uncovered after a homeowner had leveled a mound in his yard to improve his ocean view.

Authorities were alerted to the find in 2010 after a subsequent resident, Hamish Mowatt, guessed at the site’s significance.

Mowatt had lowered a camera between the tomb’s ceiling of stone slabs and was confronted by a prehistoric skull atop a muddy tangle of bones.

“Nobody had known it was an archaeological site before that,”

said Julie Gibson, county archaeologist for Orkney.

Partial excavation of the site, called Banks Tomb, has confirmed it as the first undisturbed Neolithic burial to be unearthed in Scotland in some 30 years, Gibson reported in June.

“It’s certainly unusual to find one whose contents are so well preserved,”

the archaeologist said.

“We have got the assorted remains of many, many people who have been deposited in this tomb at different times

The 5,000-year-old human bones – numbering at least 1,000, but possibly as many as 2,000 – were found in just one of the five chambers of the Banks Tomb on South Ronaldsay.

New research, in which two separate cells in the tomb were investigated, has almost doubled this number to at least 14, though it is very likely this number will end up much higher.

The bones were preserved in several layers on the bottom of the stone-lined cell, or cist, which were divided by layers of silt, which might indicate that the tomb had been used over different periods of time and fell out of use in the intervening years.

Archaeologists now hope that these finds will help them determine how long the tomb was in use. They also hope, through DNA research, to be able to discover more about the people who were buried there.

Team leader Dan Lee, projects officer with the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (Orca), said:

“To find 1,000 human bones, and possibly as many as 2,000 – there are still layers and parts of the cell to fully uncover – in just one cell, is absolutely amazing.

“We have discovered an incredible assemblage of disarticulated human bones. All parts of the human skeleton were represented, including tiny bones such as finger bones, sternums and kneecaps.

“They covered all age ranges, from very young children, perhaps even babies, to adults.

“We have managed to identify 14 individuals, but it is very likely that this number will turn out to be much higher.

“This gives us a really good indication of what to expect in the tomb’s other cells and an opportunity to study the people who lived and died in Orkney so many years ago.

“The next stage will be to fully excavate the passageway and the entrance, and we hope to get back to continue working on this fascinating piece of Stone Age archaeology.

“Unfortunately, because the conditions are changing inside as we’ve taken out the mud, silt and water, there is now a real danger that we’re going to lose key information.”

The archaeologists also hope to be able to get more information about the significance of the otter remains found in the tomb – if they have any.

Pic: ORCA

Mr Lee added:

“We’ve found otter droppings and bones, which proves that these animals have been using the tomb, and certainly the cell we’ve excavated, throughout the entire life and use of the tomb.

“It doesn’t seem to have been a problem that the otters were living in this tomb at the same time as the Neolithic people that built it, or to those who later used it and buried their dead here.

The Tomb of the Otters is just a few yards away from the larger Tomb of the Eagles, where remains of dozens of people were found.

Recent studies concluded that some of the people buried there may have suffered violent deaths.

There is no evidence that this was also the case for the people who found their last resting place in the Banks Tomb.

Pic: ORCA

Mr Lee said:

“We really can’t say anything about the use of the Banks Tomb yet.

“There is no evidence that they died of violence, but we only excavated a small part of the tomb, and it is really hard to tell what we will find in the future.”

Source1  Source2

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 Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
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The BGS and Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA) have collaborated to produce a new navigation chart of Loch Lomond. The chart dataset can also be analysed for a variety of scientific purposes including geological interpretation.

The image below shows how one of Britain’s largest ‘lakes’ would look if the water was taken out.

Loch Lomond, pic source: BGS

On the video: pink colours indicate shallow areas; dark blues are the deep areas.

 Underwater Glacial Features

The loch lies at the southernmost edge of the ice limit during the last glaciation to affect Scotland. The survey shows glacial features, which will add to our understanding of how quickly the ice retreated. The Highland Boundary Fault, which separates the Scottish Highlands from the Central Valley, runs through the loch and the survey also provided an opportunity to acquire underwater data across this important structural feature.

Data were collected during a 7-week period from December 2007– January 2008. The BGS has extensive experience of using multibeam data in the marine and coastal environment, where the data have been used for a wide range of scientific research topics including mapping the habitats of marine flora and fauna.

The data are also widely used by marine management organisations with responsibilities for fisheries, oil and gas, cables/pipelines, conservation etc. This project is the first occasion that BGS have used echo-sounding equipment in freshwater.

Highland Boundary Fault

The geology of the loch is strongly influenced by the Highland Boundary Fault, a fracture formed several hundreds of million years ago that forms the boundary between the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands. The fault crosses Loch Lomond and can be seen on the elongate islands of Inchmurrin, Creinch and Inchcailloch. To the north of the fault the hard metamorphic rocks were more resistant to erosion and weathering than the softer sedimentary rocks to the south.

Evidence of the Highland Boundary Fault and the glacial features of the last Ice Age can be seen onshore around the loch, but for the first time, a sonar survey of the loch floor has revealed the detailed landscape that remained after the ice melted. The survey, conducted by the British Geological Survey and the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authoritywill help geologists to understand the changes that took place in our climate over 10 000 years ago and can be used to produce detailed charts of the loch floor.

Read more on the British Geological Survey website or contact Alan Stevenson for further information from the BGS.

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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 Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
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Educational Visit Pic: The Clanranald Trust

You may remember a news post in the past about Russell Crowe  giving a prop Battering Ram from the set of The Robin Hood movie to the Charity  The Clanranald Trust. Well this weekend he is visiting  Duncarron Fort which is being built by the trust to help educate people on Scottish History.  The BBC reports : The actor is a friend of the trust’s chief executive Charlie Allan, after the pair met on the set of Gladiator.

Crowe announced his visit on Twitter saying:

“First time in Scotland, special.”

The star said he had  ”Scottish heritage”   in his family.

He is expected to arrive at the fort later, tour the site and meet those working on the project.

The Clanranald Trust is creating a motte and bailey, typical of a Scottish clan chief’s residence, where people will eventually be able to to experience the atmosphere of an authentic medieval working community.
The charity also provides extras for film battle scenes and the hope is that the site at Duncarron may be used as a filming location in the future.
Crowe has been supporting the trust’s work since meeting Mr Allan while filming Gladiator.

In 2009 he gifted a battering ram used as a prop on the set of Robin Hood to the fort project.

Last month he used Twitter to urge his 200,000 followers to support the work being done at Duncarron.

Work began to create the medieval village at Duncarron in 2008He also tweeted a “shout out” to First Minister Alex Salmond and other government ministers to thank them for backing the trust.
He said:

“Clanranald educating folks on Scottish history, also focus on helping the long-term unemployed and the criminal reform service, tough jobs.”

As part of a joint project between the trust and North Lanarkshire Council offenders on community service orders have helped with building and labouring work at the fort.
Chief executive, Mr Allan, who starred alongside Crowe in Gladiator and Robin Hood, said:

“Russell has always been interested in what we are doing ”He is the only guy on the planet I look up to. He is pleasant, generous and a great laugh.”

He added:

“His ongoing interest, support and encouragement in our project means an awful lot to us.”

To Find out more about this exciting project visit http://www.clanranald.org

Source

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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 Descripition Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
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Columba’s monastery on Iona became a centre of pilgrimage. At first, access was restricted to high status pilgrims: royal and ecclesiastical visitors, or those in serious trouble, who stayed at its guest house, but later more humble pilgrims would have been allowed access to the monastery. The pilgrims travelled to Iona in life and in death. Many of the kings of Scotland, Ireland, and even of the Vikings, were buried there. Some of the most famous Kings of Alba, from Kenneth MacAlpine to MacBeth, made their final journey there – across the sound to Iona, onto the harbour, and up the Street of the Dead to the burial ground, the Relig Oran. This royal tradition was only broken twice whilst The Western Isles stayed a part of the Kingdom of Alba – once by Constantine mac Aed ( buried St Andrews) and again by Malcolm Canmore (buried at Dunfermline). The last king to be interred on Iona was Malcolm’s brother, Donald Bane, before Malcolm’s son, Edgar, surrendered the island to Magnus, King of Norway, after he subdued the isles to his will in 1098 AD. Recently the tradition was revived, and Iona was again the centre of national mourning when the Labour leader, John Smith, was buried there.

Source

History of Iona

St. Columba, an Irish scholar, soldier, priest, and founder of monasteries, got into a small war over the possession of an illegally copied Psalm book. Victorious but sickened by the bloodshed, Columba left Ireland, vowing never to return. According to legend, the first bit of land out of sight of his homeland was Iona. He stopped here in 563 and established the abbey. Columba’s monastic community flourished, and Iona became the centerof Celtic Christianity. Iona missionaries spread the gospel through Scotland and North England, while scholarly monks established Iona as a center of art and learning. The Book of Kells – perhaps the finest piece of art from Dark Ages Europe – was probably made on Iona in the eighth century. The island was so important that it was the legendary burial place for ancient Scottish and even Scandinavian kings (including Shakespeare’s Macbeth).

Slowly the importance of Iona ebbed. Vikings massacred 68 monks in 806. Fearing more raids, the monks evacuated most of Iona’s treasures (including the Book of Kells, which is now in Dublin) to Ireland. Much later, with the Reformation, the abbey was abandoned, and most of its finely carved crosses were destroyed. In the17th century, locals used the abbey only as a handy quarry for other building projects. Iona’s population peaked at about 500 in the 1830′s. In the 1840′s a potato famine hit. In the 1850′s a third of the islanders emigrated toCanada and Australia. By 1900 the population was down to 210, and today it’s only around 100. But in our generation a new religious community has given the abbey new life. The Iona community is an ecumenical gathering of men and women who seek new ways of living the Gospel in today’s world, with focus on worship, peace, and justice issues, and reconciliation.

The island is car free. While the present abbey, nunnery, and graveyard go back to the 13th century, much of what you see today was rebuilt in the 19th century.

Source

Originally posted 2008-03-19 19:13:38. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The following report was made by the Scotsman back in 2008 when the Burnt Mound at Bressay was under threat of destruction by the forces of ersosion. It was a remarkable and highly educational task to reconstruct the burnt mound where it now stands along with its visitor centre and the above video was taken on the day of the Centre’s opening.

The Scotsman reported that a Bronze Age structure thought to have been used as a sauna has been saved from destruction by the sea after a team of archaeologists moved the entire find to a safer location.

But earlier this summer, because of the increased threat of coastal erosion, local historians joined archaeologists to launch a campaign to save the building and to move it somewhere safer. A third of the mound had already been lost to sea erosion.

The central structure was carefully dismantled and each stone numbered before being moved to a site a mile way next to Bressay Heritage Centre.

And today, following the completion of the unusual removal scheme, the Bronze Age building will be officially opened at its new location by Tavish Scott, the MSP for Shetland.

Douglas Coutts, the project officer with Bressay History Group, said the structure was one of the most important archaeological discoveries ever made in the Northern Isles.

The building was hidden in a mound of burnt stones and is thought to have been used for feasts, baths or even saunas.

The structure comprises a series of dry-stone, walled cells, connected by two corridors. At the end of one corridor is a hearth cell, thought to have been used for heating stones, and at the other end is a tank sunk into the ground which is almost two metres long, more than a metre wide, and half a metre deep.

Mr Coutts said:

“Burnt mounds don’t usually consist of very much more than a hearth and a tank and a heap of burnt stones. But in Shetland, we seem to have much more complex structures with little rooms or cells leading off from a main passageway which connects the hearth and tank.

“We have approximately 300 burnt mounds on Shetland but only four or five have been excavated and, of those, the Cruester mound is the most fascinating and complex. It looks as if it has been in use for anything between 500 to 1,000 years.”

He added:

“We think these cells may have originally been roofed over in a beehive shape.

“One theory is that these structures may have been used for cooking meat or tanning hides.

“But it is possible they could have raised steam by heating the water and that these little cells could have been used as saunas.”

Tom Dawson, a researcher at St Andrews University who also worked on the removal project, said coastal erosion was threatening thousands of archaeological sites around Scotland. He said:

“The local group here came up with a novel idea for dealing with the problem,”

“It is great to have had the chance to give new life to this particular site and make it accessible to future generations, while also learning something new, not just about Cruester, but about burnt mounds in general.

“This structure is important in world terms. There are thousands of burnt mounds in Britain, Ireland and Scandinavia but only a handful are known to have structures within them.”

Mr Scott praised the partnership between the local history group and outside archaeological bodies.

He said:

“This exhibition will be a great asset for visitors to Bressay and local people. The more we understand about the past, the better informed we are about the future.”

[Source]

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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 Descripition Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
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: BBC

BBC Scotland reports that more than 90 letters written by Robert Burns are to be published online in the run up to the opening of a £21m museum celebrating the poet’s life and work. The conservation charity, The National Trust for Scotland (NTS), has set up the site www.burnsletters.wordpress.com to display the correspondence.

Material will be posted until the Burns Birthplace Museum opens in July 2010. Continue Reading »

Originally posted 2009-01-11 09:49:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Branwen Pic: Gary Colcombe

There are many Gods and Goddesses that can be considered to be the Celtic Gods or Goddesses of Love. Amongst those of Irish mythology we can count Aengus Og, Brighid and Aine or Anu. Amongst the Welsh we can count Arianrhod, Branwen and Blodeuwedd. The Scottish Celts also have young Angus as the God of love as does Manx Mythology. In general there seems to have been a great crossover and exchange of mythological material between the Irish, Welsh, Scottish and Welsh stories. It is probably true that many of the religious practices of the Ancient Celts travelled between the tribes and were adopted, adapted or rejected depending on the customs and beliefs of the tribe involved in the meeting. I don’t know of any Cornish or Breton Love deities at the moment, so if any Celts of those nationalities can enlighten me that would be absolutely brilliant.

Gods in Irish Myth

Aengus Og

In Irish mythology, Óengus (Old Irish), Áengus (Middle Irish), Aengus or Aonghus (Modern Irish) is a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably a god of love, youth and poetic inspiration. He was said to have four birds symbolizing kisses flying about his head (whence, it is believed, the xxxx’s symbolizing kisses at the end of lovers’ letters come from).
He is also called Aengus Óg (“Aengus the young”), Mac ind Óg (“son of the young”), Mac Óg (“young son”) or Maccan. [wiki]

We also find him in Scottish Mythology as Angus mac Og.

Brighid

In Irish mythology, Brigit or Brighid (“exalted one”) was the daughter of the Dagda and one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. She was the wife of Bres of the Fomorians, with whom she had a son, Ruadán. She had two sisters, also named Brighid, and is considered “a classic Celtic Triple Goddess”. [wiki]

When her son died, she is said to have lamented his death with the first ‘keening’ (a sort of unearthly death-wail) heard in Ireland. She is also said to be the Goddess of the Hearth. Her love is that of the family and the home.

Danu/Aine/Anu

In Irish mythology, Danu  is the mother goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann (Old Irish: “The peoples of the goddess Danu”). Though primarily seen as an ancestral figure, some Victorian sources also associate her with the land. [wiki]

The Goddess known as the primordial Mother Goddess giving birth to the Gods, her children, known as the Tuatha De Danaan. Her love, again,  is that of the Mother. Some commentators see Brighid as a form of the Mother Goddess also, equating their roles.

Gods in Welsh Myth

Arianrhod

Arianrhod is a figure in Welsh mythology who plays her most important role in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi. She is the daughter of Dôn and the sister of Gwydion and Gilfaethwy; the Welsh Triads give her father as Beli Mawr. In the Mabinogi her uncle Math ap Mathonwy is the King of Gwynedd, and during the course of the story she gives birth to two sons, Dylan Ail Don and Lleu Llaw Gyffes, through magical means. [wiki]

Due to the ‘improper’ nature of her conceptions and later births (i.e. the unknown father), she is seen as the Goddess of Lust and Desire.

Blodeuwedd

Blodeuwedd Pic: Wiki

Blodeuwedd or Blodeuedd, (Middle Welsh composite name from blodeu ‘flowers, blossoms’ + gwedd ‘face, aspect, appearance’: “flower face”), is the wife of Lleu Llaw Gyffes in Welsh mythology, made from the flowers of broom, meadowsweet and the oak by the magicians Math and Gwydion, and is a central figure in the fourth branch of the Mabinogi. The hero Lleu Llaw Gyffes has been placed under a tynged (a doom or fate) by his mother Arianrhod that he may never have a human wife. So as to counteract this curse, the magicians Math and Gwydion: [take] the flowers of the oak, and the flowers of the broom, and the flowers of the meadowsweet, and from those they conjured up the fairest and most beautiful maiden anyone had ever seen. And they baptized her in the way that they did at that time, and named her Blodeuedd. Some time later, while Lleu is away on business, Blodeuwedd has an affair with Gronw Pebr, the lord of Penllyn, and the two conspire to murder Lleu. [wiki]

Blodeuwedd’s story is primarily about Love – real, fallible mortal love, It is more than the ‘lust’ that the births of Arianrhod suggest and it is yet something that we can all relate to in our long-term relationships, our married lives. It is a human love.

Branwen

Branwen, Daughter of Llŷr is a major character in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, which is sometimes called the Mabinogi of Branwen after her. Branwen is a daughter of Llŷr and Penarddun. She is married to the King of Ireland, but the marriage does not bring peace. In Ireland, Branwen is eventually treated cruelly by her husband Matholwch as punishment for Efnisien’s mutilation of the horses (though not before she gives birth to an heir, Gwern). She tames a starling and sends it across the Irish Sea with a message to her brother and Bendigeidfran brings a force fromWales to Ireland to rescue her. [wiki]

The love that Branwen shows is the true love that brings about sacrifice, she agrees to go to a foreign country to pledge peace with her marriage – she gives her self in sacrifice. This purity of heart is where she gets her name Branwen from: meaning white (or pure) breast. The earlier version of her name is Bronwen and its derivation is white crow, again her singularity and value as the most beautiful woman in the world is made clear here.

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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 Descripition Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
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 Wicker Tree Poster Pic: Dread Central

The Wicker Tree is a 2010 film by British director Robin Hardy. The film contains several similar elements to the 1973 film The Wicker Man, but is neither a sequel nor a remake of that film. It is due for release in 2011. Based on Hardy’s own 2006 novel Cowboys for Christ, the film focuses on Texas pop star turned gospel singer, Beth (Brittania Nicol) and her cowboy boyfriend, Steve (Henry Garrett), both devout evangelical Christians from the church Cowboys for Christ, sent on a mission to spread the word of God to the people of Scotland.

The Story

Young Christians Beth and Steve, a gospel singer and her cowboy boyfriend, leave Texas to preach door-to-door in Scotland . When, after initial abuse, they are welcomed with joy and elation to Tressock, the border fiefdom of Sir Lachlan Morrison, they assume their hosts simply want to hear more about Jesus. How innocent and wrong they are. [wiki]

Below is the Teaser to the film found on YouTube, but there is also a longer version that contains blood and nudity, so we can’t show it, but if you want to see it after our warnings you can see it on YouTube or the movie’s official website.

More Info

These days, The Wicker Man probably makes many think of derisive laughter, elated confusion and Nicolas Cage getting  attacked by bees. But the original 1973 cult film still holds up as a chilling, uncomfortably funny horror movie about the power of fear, desperation and faith. Its director Robin Hardy has been struggling for years to make a companion-piece, and now, more than 30 years later, the trailer for The Wicker Tree has arrived. Those scared of naked women wearing horse masks may want to look elsewhere today. Ah yes, it’s probably NSFW.

But before I get to the imagery, I want to get a few problems with this trailer out of the way. First, it’s hard to tell exactly how well this film will work, since anyone familiar with the film knows that the young Christian country singers who decide to visit that creepy Scotish island are doomed from the start. It’s true that the first film’s success wasn’t entirely due it’s shocking ending, but now that we know exactly how things are supposed to go down, it begs the question of what another movie could possibly offer. Also, I do not care how twisty and menacing they look – wicker trees are just not as scary or iconic as huge wicker men. [MovieLine]

A Possible Trilogy?

Film Junk has this to say about the new movie:

The May Queen? Pic: Film Junk

We’ve heard rumblings about a Wicker Mansequel for a couple of years now, but it was never really clear (to me, at least) whether or not this thing would actually get made. However, recently the very first teaser trailer for The Wicker Treearrived online, so apparently they found the money to make it a reality after all. Writer/director Robin Hardy has returned to this cult classic some 37 years later to continue the story, which is pretty amazing in and of itself. It seems to be more of a retelling of the original, with Christopher Lee playing a similarly evil role, although I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be the same character.

This time around there are two young Christians from Texas who foolishly bring their missionary work to Tressock, Scotland, where they fall victim to the pagan villagers. Nicolas Cage’s The Wicker Man remake has kind of turned this movie into a joke in recent years, but for obvious reasons Hardy seems determined to restore some credibility to the name. The original was loosely based on the novel The Ritual by David Pinner and the screenplay was written by Anthony Shaffer, but this movie is based on a novel that Hardy wrote himself called Cowboys for Christ. He actually plans to do a third movie as well to create a trilogy. Production on the film is reportedly complete, although a release date is still TBA. For more info, stay tuned to the official website.

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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 Descripition Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
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 Great Oak, Sherwood Forest Pic Source

Among the sacred trees in many legends, the mighty oak stands noble and tall as The Tree of Life. The oak tree in lore and myth represents great symbolic meanings to the pantheons of mythology, to the druids, the faeries, and many cultures around the world.

Druids

Within the sacred circle of stones in an oak grove, the Druids conducted their secret rituals. The mistletoe that grew high in the oak was sent from Heaven by the god who chose the tree as sacred. They were priests of the god. They cut the mistletoe with the golden sickle during the ceremony. Anything that grew on the sacred tree was especially revered.

The Oak Grove was their major meeting place, where they held their rituals, for it provided protection and power for their magick and spells.

In Anglesea on Mona’s Isle in Wales there stands the “Holy Groves” of the Druids. It is an ancient sacred sight. In AD 60 the Roman general Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, determined to break the power of the Celtic druids, attacked the island, destroying the shrine and the sacred groves — remnants of the sacred oaks can still be found there.

The oak represented doorways to other realms — it was believed to provide protection and shelter when passing through to other realms. It was considered the giver of great powers and was most exalted of all trees by the Druids. Their most spiritual places were in oak groves.

Faeries

In Greek mythology Dryads, faerie-like creatures, lived in Oak trees. Dryads are actually tree nymphs. They are very shy except when around Artemis the goddess who was a friend to most nymphs. Dryads are very long lived and very attached to their homes. The Hamadryad, an advanced form of the species, would die if their tree died.

Oak trees are safe havens for many types of faeries. They love their homes and the fruit of the Oak, the acorns. They use acorns for decoration, wear the caps of the acorn for hats, and use the leaves for celebrations in autumn. Hundreds of faeries live in the oldest Oaks. Faeries can be found in every Oak tree.

Robin Hood

Legends tell us of Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood’s famous hideout in Nottinghamshire, England.
Since the end of the Ice Age, Sherwood has been densely forested. Among the trees stands the majestic and legendary The Great Oak of Sherwood Forest, which is 800 to 1000 years old.

The forest is now just a small part of the original Royal Forest that was used for hunting. Many old oaks still exist in the forest, especially in the area known as the Dukeries.

A portion of the forest was opened as a country park to the public in 1969. Each year the Robin Hood Festival recreates the medieval atmosphere wherein one finds Robin Hood, Maid Marian, and all the famous characters that live in legends. Jousters, people in medieval attire, a recreation of an encampment of the time, court jesters, musicians, alchemists, and others that populated the Robin Hood legend can be found strolling among the ancient oaks.

Common Beliefs

If two acorns are dropped in the same bowl of water, a couple can divine their future plans. If the acorns float together, they will marry — if the acorns drift apart, the couple will drift apart.

Carrying an acorn at all times will prevent old age from coming on, prevent illness, increase fertility and strengthen sexual potency.

Carry a small piece of oak for good luck.

Oak Apples (galls) on an Oak tree are made by a worm. The person who finds the worm will be assured of riches and prosperity.

Essence of the oak flower will prevent despondency and despair.

In German lore, it was believed that children came from an ancient hollow Oak tree.

To plant an acorn after the sun goes down will ensure fortune in the near future.

Oak fires draw illnesses away.

Tie two twigs together with red thread, like a cross, to guard against evil.

Place acorns on window sills to guard against harm and lightning.

Catch a falling oak leaf and you will be free from colds all winter.

If acorns are gathered by the light of the full moon, good faerie talismans can be made of them.
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Image Credits:
Robin Hood Major Oak
Author:Galli
Wikipedia Public Domain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Robin_Hood_Major_Oak.jpg

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