A Celtic goddess of love, harmony and fertility, Aine of Knockaine is an Irish fairy queen and is associated with the great Celtic mother goddess, Dana,

She was once the wife of the Earl of Desmond, and promised to stay with him as long as he kept his word to never show surprise at any of their son’s antics. Unfortunately, the Earl of Desmond couldn’t help but to be startled when he witnessed his son jumping in and out of a bottle, so Aine promptly left him and returned to the land of the fairy, Cnoc Aine (Aine’s Hill) in County Limerick. The Earl of Desmond didn’t fair quite so well, and was turned into a wild goose.

Aine was also known to have been married to the great sea god, Manannan Mac Lir. But it seems she found mortal men quite irresistible, and had many mortal lovers, which resulted in many children that were half fairy and half mortal. Some say it is for this reason that she was bestowed with the title of “Fairy Queen.” Continue Reading »

Penny, from Crane’s Nest Creations, hosts a blog site in which she exhibits her Etsy bed-dolls, other art and talks about her beliefs, has hosted a superb piece about some of the fey traditions of Beltane which she has graciously granted us permission to reprint here for you. About herself, she says: Spirit guides me to create, I believe that art is the expression of the soul which has evolved to the point of reaching out to others with common interest in acceptance and there is a searching or attraction to those who are inspired to do the same.

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Cora Anderson 1915 - 2008 Cora Anderson, a co-founder with Victor Anderson of what is now known of as the Feri Tradition, passed on this morning at the age of 93. Cora Anderson was known as a Grand Master of the Feri Faith, a prolific writer, and was a key influence in the lives of several prominent Pagans and Witches. Cora Anderson is the author of Fifty Years in the Feri Tradition and Childhood Memories, and coauthor, with Victor H. Anderson, of Etheric Anatomy: The Three Selves and Astral Travel. She was a contributing author to Potpourri of Cookery. Her articles have been featured in Witch Eye and Circle magazines, and her recipes have been published in Women’s Circle and T. Babes Recipe Service. She also writes a feature column, “Letters from a Hill Witch,” at Lilith’s Lantern.

Cora was the Grand Master and, with her husband, Victor, the foremost teacher of the Feri/Faery Tradition. She helped train some of the most influential voices in neo-Paganism. A natural kitchen Witch, Cora worked as a hospital cook for many years, and often charged the food with healing energy for the patients. Her straightforward approach to the Craft earned her the respect and admiration of many around the world. Continue Reading »

Anyone who starts to take an interest in the medieval texts relating to Ireland quickly picks up the idea that the country was divided into ‘fifths’. Indeed, the Gaelic word cuigeadh still means ‘fifths’ (singular coiced) and the modern-day Gaelic expression which translates literally as ‘the five fifths of Ireland’ refers to the political divisions of Ulster, Connacht, Leinster and Munster. Yes, you have counted correctly. There are only four ‘fifths’ in Ireland. The early legends subdivided Munster into east and west, but this is an artificial adjustment. The earliest clearly datable references to the cuigeadh relate to the kingdoms which emerged in the fifth and sixth centuries. At this date Ireland is considered to be divided into fifths but only four functional divisions are recognisable.

Ireland divided into four ‘fifths’ (adapted from Rees and Ress).

A region known as Midhe (perhaps meaning ‘middle’ or ‘neck’), which incorporated the royal centre at Tara, was regarded as having pre-eminent status and has for many centuries been popularly considered to be the fifth coiced. Yet, politically, from the iron age onwards, Midhe was under the domination of one or other adjoining kingdoms. Tara, with its impressive group of ditched earthworks and the Lia Fail (Stone of Density, used for the coronation of the High Kings of Ireland), indeed had enourmous prestige in the medieval literature yet, when the kings met annually (at Beltain), they did so at a natural outcrop known in recent years as Aill na Mireann, but probably traditionally as Carraig Choithrigi (the Stone of Divisions), which is situated near the less-impressive earthworks on the Hill of Uisnech. Furthermore, it is Uisnech, not Tara, which is the geographical mid-point of Ireland. For instance, it is claimed that a beacon fire on Uisnech can be seen over a quarter of Ireland [1].
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It is the most delightful land of all that are under the sun; the trees are stooping down with fruit and with leaves and with blossom. Honey and wine are plentiful there; no wasting will come upon you with the wasting away of time; you will never see death or lessening. You will get feasts, playing and drinking; you will get sweet music on the strings; you will get silver and gold and many jewels. You will get everything I have said…and you will get gifts beyond them which I have no leave to tell of.”

“ Thus it was that the Otherworld, the mystical enchanted land of many Celtic myths, was described to the warrior Oisin by the faerie-woman Niamh of the Golden Hair.

In Irish myth, the Otherworld was created as the domain of the divine race of the Tuatha de Danaan following their defeat by the Milesians (Ireland’s fifth and last race of invaders). The Milesians, it was decided, would rule the visible part, while the Dananns took possession of the invisible regions below ground and beyond the seas. This Otherworld was accessible through lakes, caves and above all the Sidhe or faerie mounds, the countless prehistoric burial mounds such as those of the Boyne in Co. Meath. Continue Reading »

The cat, whether wild or domestic, is sacred to the Goddess in Celtic tradition, appearing in Irish, Welsh and Breton folklore. But it is in Scotland that is found a particularly powerful connection. A number of Scottish clans held the cat as their totem animal: those of MacIntosh, MacNeishe and MacNicol the domestic cat, and the MacBain the wild cat. The cat-people, a Pictish tribe known as the Kati, lived in Caithness, the ness or promontory of the cats, and in Sutherland in Gaelic is the Cataobh - cat country.

In Ireland and almost certainly throughout the Celtic world, the skin of a wild cat was used by warriors. An ancient Irish bard speaks of Talc son of Trone, who is called the cat-headed chief since his battle-dress included the skin of a wild cat, with its head attached to his helmet. The Irish Yellow Book of Lecan describes warriors wearing cats’ heads, one of whom was noted as a Gaelic champion and one of the Irish kings was called Cairbar cinn chait - Carbar of the cat’s head. Although the cat was used by warriors, as was the boar, raven and bear, to invoke the avenging and protective power of the gods, it was still considered an animal associated with the Goddess and the feminine. For this reason both positive and negative attributes of the cat can be seen in folklore and tradition. As an animal clearly of the Goddess and in close contact with the spirit-world, the cat has been the victim of extraordinary persecution and cruelty. Her ability to see and work in the spirit-world makes the cat an ideal ally for any shaman and it was due to the Church’s fear of such powers that many thousands of cats were tortured and put to death by burning in baskets in both Britain and France.

The cat as a creature of the Goddess was often perceived as somehow ‘unholy.’ It was considered unlucky to see a cat as the first animal of the year unless you were a MacIntosh or of the clan Cattan (whose chieftain is called The Great Cat). The goddess Brighid, who is known in Irish tradition as ‘the daughter of the bear,’ had a cat as a companion. In Welsh tradition the goddess Ceridwen in her manifestation as the great sow Henwen gives birth to a wolf cub, an eagle, a bee and a kitten. Unfortunately this last grows into the Palug Cat - one of the Three Plagues of Anglesey - that is killed by King Arthur and Cai only after a lengthy struggle.

Another tale that shows the fierceness of the cat and its role as a guradian can be found in the Irish Voyage of Maelduin, one of four spiritual tales called immrama, meaning mystical voyages. In this tale, the Druid Nuca teaches Maelduin how to build a magical boat in which he plans to avenge the murder of his father. He and his companions almost reach the murderers’ island but winds blow them out to sea and they are lost for three days and nights.

They then come to a series of islands, many of which are presided over by animals. The first is the Island of Giant Ants, the second the Island of Many Birds and so on until they reach the tenth - the Island of the Cat. There they discover a ‘noble hall, a king’s fit dwelling.’ Food and drink is in copious supply and there are soft beds and golden benches for them to rest upon. In this great hall lies treasure: silver brooches, gold-hilted swords and wide torcs. But no one is present except a ‘quick, hungry cat poised on a pillar.’ Against Maelduin’s wishes, his foster-brother tries to steal a gold necklace but in a moment his body is turned to a pile of ash by the ‘fiery paw of the wondrous cat.’ The cat is seen here in her role as guardian of Otherworldly treasure.

The cat teaches respect and caution. She is sensual and will accept affection only on her terms. She is proud, independent and capable of observing both this world and the next…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellas_Cat

The modern belief that eggs are delivered by a rabbit, comes from the legend of the Goddess Eostre.  Eostre was walking one fine Spring day and came upon a beautiful little bird. The poor bird’s wing was badly injured and Eostre, feeling great compassion for the little creature, wanted to heal it. But the little bird’ wing was so badly damaged that Eostre knew it would never be able to fly again even after She healed it. So, Eostre decided to help the bird by healing it in a way that would give it mobility and a little something more? She turned it into a rabbit!

During the transformation, the rabbit retained the ability to lay eggs. The rabbit was so grateful to Eostre for saving its life that it laid a sacred egg in Her honor, joyously decorated it and then humbly presented it to the Goddess. She was so pleased and so touched by the rabbit’s thoughtful gift that She wished all humankind to share in her joy. In honoring her wishes, the rabbit went all over the world distributing these beautifully decorated little gifts of life and continues to do so even today.