I should probably have titled this post "Grumpy Old Polytheist Ramblings". But there’s a lot of so-called educational memes floating around the community right now that are a lot more opinion than fact and I finally decided that it was time to address some specific points. With facts.
Samhain is pronounced "Sow-win" or "Sow-wen" in Irish and Samhuinn is pronounced "Sah-vihn" in Scottish
Crom Cruach
One of the more interesting non-Tuatha De Danann deities that some people choose to honor today is Crom Cruach, synonymous according to scholars with Cenn Cruiach, and likely also the same as Crom Dubh (Smyth, 1988; O hOgain, 2006; MacNeill, 1962). Crom means bent, stooped or crooked; cruach has a wider array of meanings including stack of corn; rick; heap, conical pile, gory, bloody;
Thinning of the Veil
Samhain is approaching. Halloween has always been a favorite time of year for me. The days are cooler, the nights are longer, and the very earth seems to be settling down for a long rest. I’m more of an introvert, and a quieter time that allows for and encourages introspection appeals to me. Well, usually. […]
Ancient Journeys
Full Title: Ancient Journeys – The Peopling of Europe from the First Venturers to the Vikings
Synopsis:
Who are the Europeans and where did they come from? In recent years scientific advances have released a mass of data, turning cherished ideas upside down. The idea of migration in prehistory, so long out of favour, is back on the agenda. New advances allow us to track human movement and the spread of crops, animals, and disease, and we can see the evidence of population crashes and rises, both continent-wide and locally. Visions of continuity have been replaced with a more dynamic view of Europe’s past, with one wave of migration followed by another, from the first human arrivals in Europe to the Vikings.
Review:
Pagan Politics, Part Whatever
John Beckett asks an interesting question: Must Paganism be Transgressive? Do we lose something when a radical spiritual movement starts to be accepted by the mainstream? Or is it more complicated than that? Beckett looks at a few other discussions going on in the Pagan blogosphere in examining this question. I saw a few themes […]
Them Ancestors
Blessings Darlings!
As many of y’all know, I don’t use ‘calendar dates’ for the Celtic holy days. I use nature’s signals. And given the recent unusual cold weather in the Northeastern US – we had our killing frost last night. So by my reckoning, Samhain is …
Celts The History and Legacy of One of the Oldest Cultures in Europe
Author: Martin J. Dougherty
Publisher: Amber Books
Published: 2015
ISBN: 978-1-78274-166-4 (Hardcover)
Pages: 224 including bibliography, index, maps, and pictures (black and white and coloured)
Synopsis:
“They cut off the heads of enemies slain in battle and attach them to the necks of their horses… They embalm the heads… [and]… display them with pride to strangers.” – Diodorus Siculus.
The St. Gall Incantations
The St. Gall’s Incantations are some of the best Irish examples of mixed pagan and Christian folk magic charms. Like much of this material the existing translations are generally pretty old, so I thought it would be fun to offer some new versions today:
Honoring Spirits of the Home
It’s an interesting thing that I write mostly about the very intellectual aspects of my practices – re-translating the myths and discussing the philosophical aspects of what I believe – but in person I teach mostly about the practical end of things especially when it comes to the Good Folk. These are the things that makes up the bulk of my day-to-day practices which is rooted in my honoring…
Fulacht na Morrigna
One of the mysterious things that the Morrigan is associated with is called the "fulacht na Morrigna" literally the Morrigan’s cooking hearth. A fulacht is a type of outdoor cooking hearth or pit; the smaller ones were named for the Fíanna but the larger ones for the Morrigan (RIA, 1870). These fulachta were associated both with large outdoor stone cooking hearths and with cooking spits, so…