Modern Prayers in Old Irish

This is something I’ve been working on to submit for a anthology* which is looking for modern Celtic Reconstructionist prayers. I thought it would be interesting to offer basic prayers in Old Irish to different Gods.
It is still a work in progress, but this is what I have so far:

Guide Nuada 

Nuada Argetlam

Nuada fo dí Ríg

Nuada narsheng

Guidim do a bhennach

Guidim do a eolas

Guidim do

Continue reading…

A Call for Submissions

I have two calls of submission for you today.

The first one is for a book called An Leabhar Urnaí. Submission doors close January 31, 2016. Target publication date March 2016.

This second one is for the next issue of Air n-Aithesc. Submission doors close December 31, 2015. Publication date February 2016.
My hope is that you guys will be interested in submitting for both!

Continue reading…

Samhain isn’t pronounced Sam-hane and other truths

    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

Continue reading…

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;

Continue reading…

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. […]

Continue reading…

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:

Continue reading…

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 […]

Continue reading…

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 …

Continue reading…

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.

Continue reading…

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:

Continue reading…