Lammas, Lughnasadh, and Tailtiu

Lammas

Northern Hemisphere: Aug 1st
Southern Hemisphere: Feb 1st
Colors: Red, Yellow, Gold, Brown, Orange
Decor: Wheat stalks, Grains, Oats, Corn, Apples, and other summer veggies and fruits.


Lammas is the Neo-Pagan holiday celebrating the last few weeks of summer. This is actually an Anglo-Saxon festival to mark the annual what harvest. However, it is important to note that this founded after the Christianization of the area, so while this is a Germanic Tribe, it's not actually sacred to these particular pagans.

So How Did it Become Anlgo?

This is a very easy explanation. In literally every culture all over the world grain is a staple, even today. It's used in so many different ways and was the main way to overcome starvation in the colder months. Without it, villages would be wiped out. In Egyptian culture it signified the cycle of life and death and even today, the scythe, can be seen on many Gods and Goddess and other religious relics, such as the Santa Muerte and Cronus. This time of the year was everything and so it was highly respected. It only makes sense that it would be seen in Europe.

Lughnasadh 

(Loo-NA-sah)

There is Lugh, the Celtic Master of Crafts, but he's more like the Roman's Mercury, not harvest. He is depicted with a ray of sunshine behind him and he does relate to making things, so... maybe, but it sounds more and more like a stretch. Now, there is lore that states his foster mother, Tailtiu who IS the Goddess of Agriculture. He was actually performing funeral rites after she died from exhaustion while plowing the fields for her people. It's also been suggested that this was more about the Goddess Eriu, who Lugh was intended to and during this time the older Kings would "marry the land" and look after her.

 The other Germanic denominations don't have anything either. So, it sounds more and more like an accidental linguistic barrier. The name of the month was Lunasa, so both words do have a similar root and like with many pagan traditions, the months and pantheons were often likened to each other. The more and more I read about him, though, the more and more I believe it had little to do with him as opposed to what he did.

So... The Anglo's?

Now we're tackling how this became the celebration of a harvest and not the solemn funeral of Tailtiu. It was likely they people could sacrifice the first of their harvest to her by baking bread and hoping for a better harvest the remainder of the harvest season. This was later adopted by the Anglo-Saxon Christians and continued to be carried on by the Catholic Church on through the Protestant separation.

How to Celebrate Lammas:

Now that we've better understood where this name for the Celt Holiday came from, let's talk about celebration. We found out its actually a funeral and possibly a wedding. We know that many articles will tell us a happy time, but this seems far more like we should be thankful and humbled. 

Break your bread and be thankful it came from the store and that there will be plenty more later. Drink some cider and be humbled by the fact that all of your ancestors are what made your life today through their seemingly small efforts and blight outlook, they worked and created. Invoke Lugh, or your pantheon's similar deity, and create beautiful corn dolls to represent your family. Create or purchase some beautiful wheat and corn decor. Hold a solemn ceremony and set out some bread for the Gods. If you're Norse or Germanic, like myself, pluck some sunflowers and mourn Baldr and start preparing for the coming harvest.

Here's a lovely video on how to create a corn dolly: 

and another on how to weave wheat:

© 2016, Copyright The Dame and The Devil Business Blog - Writer The Dame

sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lammas
 videos from youtube
Photo by Wesual Click on Unsplash

Midsummer - Lithasblot

So I've been dreading writing this blog because I know it'll turn into this huge debate like the one about Eostre. However, sometimes being the bearer of bad news is a necessity.

What is Midsummer?

This is the Summer Solstice neo-pagan and old Celtic celebration for the longest day of the year. Depending on your location it can take place anytime from June 20th up to the more traditional Norse and Upper Northern Germanic Religions July 14th. Today, using the Gregorian calendar, we centered the date on June 21-22. I think this is perfect because of the power number that 22 is. Scientifically speaking, this day changes from year up year simply because 1) the year is never just 365 days and 2) the seasons shift due to current climates and changes. In the more northern counties there is rarely any nighttime during this day. In the Southern hemisphere, this is time to celebrate Yule, the darkest day of the year.

How to Celebrate:

You would celebrate it the same way you would Litha; bonfires, fairy cakes, fertility and love spells. However, and this is where it gets disappointing, the Germanic Pagans DID NOT celebrate this holiday. In fact, they were often day too busy harvesting, planting, raiding, and hunting to have a real holiday. There's actually only three Blots recorded. What they did do was hold a very important meeting called the Allthing. It would last a good portion of the night and was very solemn. If they did hold a celebration, it was short and done after. Most likely by themselves at their homes, also. This is largely speculation because there isn't any evidence of a holy presence during this time. Now Freyja and Frey are said to work together to create the budding fruit from flowers and trees. However, at this time, we also usually honor the death of Baldr. In the story, Loki murdered Baldr with mistletoe, the only living thing that Freyja never made a pact with to keep them from killing get son. This is likely a reason why there wasn't a celebration. It was a funeral. Baldr was the most beautiful and most loved God by how Pantheon. He just simply couldn't do wrong and Loki used his blind brother to kill him.

Modern Midsummer

Do I think it's wrong to celebrate now? No! 

In fact, I would encourage it. Religion evolves. It's a living, breathing thing because of human faith. We proof of this as the religion moves from Proto-Germanic to Anglo-Saxon and then to Norse. In today's society we have a lot more time on our hands to give to the Gods. The Germanic Paganism is extremely Sun worship centered so making this an important time is proper and I support this movement to make it a holiday. Today, you'll see bonfires and flower picking as well. There's also one some who place a stuffed witch and burn it in honor of those who died before us. More and more, people are against this, though, and see it more as a undermining of the thousands of innocent lives lost.

I, personally, decorate my house in yellow and white flowers. I pull out my white and gold decor. I try to get my kids outside more and more in the mornings and really push my own Freyja worship at this time. I also try to draw from my ancestors and I do my best to work at this time, but instead my giving back to my community, planting, cleaning, and trying to keep my neighborhood kept up. We keep water in the car to hand out to the homeless when we come across them, simple things that give back and give thanks.

Ocean deities are also invoked at this time and likely we're back then because they would be raiding at this time. There was also a May Pole in some areas of Europe, but this rain is likely because if the difference of time in the ground thawing and growing grass.




 © 2016, Copyright The Dame and The Devil Business Blog - Writer The Dame

Litha - Summer Solstice

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Litha

Litha is more a Celtic tradition. I'm not well versed in how it is celebrated, but I have read that bonfires are usually set out in honor of the witches who were burned. Apparently, this was high time for the Inquisition. They would also set out foods for the fae and give thanks for the warmth of the Sun God/dess. The leave ito honey cakes and wear bright colors in celebration of the longest day if the year. The fairies were known to be traveling at this time of year partying and making love and if you were lucky, you could hear their other wordly music.

Fertility

 There are also fertility ceremonies and spells continuing through to the summer months. With the warm weather its the time known all of the world as a baby making season. We give thanks to the fertility of the land and animals in the spring, but this is the human season of fun. It's said in many articles I've read that girls would pick seven different types flowers and place them under their pillow to dream of their future husband, likely roses, dandelion, tulip (if they were still in season), daisy, and other wild flowers in their area. This was also the best time of the year for Handfasting, and still is the reigning wedding season today.

Other fun

Many say that the maypole is part of this celebration, however, the origins suggest that was truly May Day, or May 1st. Some will still practice a bird shooting game off of the pole, though now it's usually a fake one.

Colors:

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Pink, Gold

Herbs:

Carnations, Chamomile, Daisy, Elder, Fern, Honeysuckle, Ivy, Lavender, Lily, Mugwort, Oak, Rose, Thyme, Vervain, Yarrow

Food:

Berries (especially strawberries), Summer Fruits, honey cakes, ale, wine, sun tea

Crystals:

Amber, Citrine, Emerald, Jade, Tiger's Eye

 © 2016, Copyright The Dame and The Devil Business Blog - Writer The Dame

You Missed One, St. Patrick

Who is St Patrick?

St Patrick was born in Britian and taken prisoner by Irish pirates who enslaved him for for many years. I've read some accounts that he was actually born pagan, but that seems to have been debunked as well as other long standing beliefs of the patron saint of Ireland. During his time of captivity, he turned to Christianity and it's likely this was the catalyst for his later sainthood. He escaped his enslavement after hearing the word of God and made his way back to Britian. The same angel apparently came down and told him to return to Ireland as a missionary.

Driving Out the Snakes

After 15 years studying, Patrick was ordained and sent to Ireland to preach to the Christians there and convert the rest of the island. While the Christian sources claim he introduced Christianity to the natives, the fact is it was already there and he also wasn't the last to attempt the feat. Since he had spent six years captive, he knew the native traditions and decided to incorporate many into his teachings to convert the Druids. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish already used bonfires at this time to celebrate the new year, the longer, warmer days, and of course, the end of winter (-likely how Ostara began). He also gave birth to the Celtic cross by adding the sun, since most pagan traditions were based on solar worship. The "Snakes" heard about in the overly exaggerated tales, were basically a prejudicial term for Celts, Druids, and other Irish pagans because of the tattooed snakes often found in their priests and followers. In pagan circles, it's suggested he slaughtered more pagans than he converted, but that is not proven or written about either. Needless to say, he barely made a dent in the conversion of those people, as the religion was practiced for a central or so after Patrick's time there. Historians P. Sufenas Virius Lupas and Ronald Hutton both attest that this "miracle" didn't even appear on any texts about St Patrick until the 11th century, while all of his other workings were written about back in the 7th. The most pivotal role was even an entire century before St Patrick was even born. 

Modern Day St Patrick's Day and Pagans

In my personal opinion, given the facts that he didn't actually do much of anything he's given credit for, I would say that this day is not about him personally. The day for me holds more of a poster boy image for everything done in the attempt to eradicate the pagan faith throughout the entire world, and specifically Europe. It's a day of morning and remembrance for things we will never get back due entirely to a people's poor judgement, lack of basic understanding, and complete ignorance. 

What is your take on the Christian holiday for his namesake? Any other folklore or tales you've heard?

2016, Copyright The Dame and The Devil Business Blog - Writer The Dame

Celebrating Spring

Celebrating Spring

It seems that my last post on holidays really riled up some of my followers, but that was not the purpose of the post. The point in my religious journey is finding the truth, or what is closest to it. With that being said, this is how my family and I welcome in the spring.

Food:

For the most part we still abide by a more Easter like dinner, but more because if the timing. In this part of year you would most likely see small animals like rabbits, dove, or pheasant being hunted. My grandmother's cookbook has recipes for squirrel, but I don't think I could find enough let alone find the patience to properly check and butcher them. My husband, who's family is from Mexico, would usually kill a goat, but it's a lot of meat and I'm not keen on the grease. So we're most likely going for a traditional ham unless I can find pheasant. Spring time is best for root vegetables, peas, beans, and leafy greens. For dessert, a nice pear or strawberry crumble is best for this really season. Now a days, these items would simply be as the best price in grocery stores, so stock up if you can.

Ritual:

This month we don't really see anything special going on ritual wise. Maybe the March of Nerthus would be appropriate, but I think giving an offering of grain and fruit to our tree in the backyard is plenty. I plan on making corn husk dolls of Nerthus with her veil and then sitting her high in the tree branches just barely seen. This will mostly be a very busy time in the old days because these are planting and harvesting months. Little time for anything outside of the usual monthly Thing. With that being said, take the month to decorate your altar and clean your house and worship space. Take a ritual bath. Start working out or dieting. This would be the opportune season to start new habits. Plant any new crops or plants and dedicate them to the Gods. Because the nights are often still cold, many may still be lighting fires to guide spring in. Light a white candle at night or use a battery operated ones and keep them in the window sills. Never leave a burning candle unattended and always extinguish it before going to bed.

Decor:

Tulips, daffodils, lilies, hyacinth, and bluebells are common flowers of the season. Pick up some fake ones for season long decor (or if you have allergies from Hel like I do) and place them in cases with long grasses or wheat. If you can afford it, change out fresh ones weekly. Create dollies, perfumes and oils, and besoms to hang. Use the besom to sweep ito negative energy and always keep the close to a main door. Baskets, eggs, small birds and animals are still a very common sight, so use them to brighten your home. I just bought some cute carrot garland and I'm working on my besoms now. The best colors are of course yellow, lavender, pink, and light blue, but also all greens and browns. Have fun and comment what you're doing to be creative and festive. ❤️

  © 2016, Copyright The Dame and The Devil Business Blog - Writer The Dame

Eostre - Myth or Mythology?

There is a lot of controversy surrounding this rather popular holiday, but why?

Bede: 

In his reconstruction of the faith, Bede talks about a possible Old Germanic Goddess, Eostre, from the name ôstarâ and the month ôstarmânoth, not Eosturmanoth in Germany. So the stretch isn't a long one, especially considering that in my own studies I have found that almost every month holds some kind of Blôt. The problem is, this is not backed up in any other known texts, such as Germania by Tacitus, or in any art from the time. In fact, the only other text to mention her was by Jacob Grimm, which was based off of Bede's reconstruction. However, it is plausible she existed in some form given that she was important enough to name a month after. Could it be possible that they were just naming the season though? We trace the root of her name to "East" often referring to dawn or spring time.

Grimm:

While some regard his book on German mythology to be a good reference, you'll find that much of it could be considered as influenced by his time and opinions rather than fact. He made the connection between Bede's shortly mentioned goddess Eostre and Easter then proclaiming her Ôstarâ. In fact, the earliest known story about her and a hare came about from the 19th century in the Ukraine. Now, while the Easter Bunny does trace back to Germany, this still isn't enough evidence to convince me that she was a goddess.

My Personal Conclusion:

I don't think Eostre was a Goddess. I believe that the Proto-Germanic tribes did worship the sun and fertility though, which is seen through their worship of goddessess like Freyja and Nerthus, along with the twins Alcis. I do think that this time was a celebration of the sun itself and the lengthening of days. We see around this time Nerthus being paraded and the Charming of the Plow, so it's very likely that this was just a continuation of that celebration. Or that one holiday was one month and the other this month, like I said they usually have something almost every full moon. There is also no known worship of any Goddess throughout the evolution of the Proto-Germanic Traditions and with something like that being rather important to the Germans, you'd expect her to show up in later forms such as through the Norse. So my conclusion is simple, celebrate spring, the dawn of the year.

©016, Copyright The Dame and The Devil Business Blog - Writer The Dame

Sites:
https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/category/jacob-grimm/
http://www.koshabq.org/2012/03/09/celebrating-eostre/
https://archive.org/stream/tacitusagricolag00taciiala/tacitusagricolag00taciiala_djvu.txt

Gods and Goddess of Oimelc and Charming the Plow

I put these all on one post for ease of reference and because both holidays are celebrated around the same time. To learn more about each holiday follow the links: Oimelc and Charming the Plow

Bragi:
Son of Odin and giantess Gunnlod
God of Poetry
The bard of Valhalla

Einmyria :
Daughter of Loki and Glut
Goddess of Fire

Eir:
Goddess of medicine, healing, and surgery

Eisa :
Daughter of Loki and Glut
Goddess of Fire

Freyja:
Daughter of Njordr
Goddess of love, sex, beauty, fertility, gold, war, and death

Frigg:
Goddess of Foreknowledge and wisdom

Gefjon:
Goddess of agriculture, abundance, prosperity, and virginity

Glut:
Daughter of Grimir and Alvor
Fire Giantess
Considered by some to be more of a mythological creature than an actual goddess. Often confused as being married to Loki.

Logi: (Halogi)
Son of  Fornjótr
God and personification of fire

Mengloth and Maidens:
Goddess of healing
Handmaidens: Hlif (women's problems), Hlifthrasa (respiratory system) , Thjodvara (bone, muscle, tendons, and other body mechanics), Bjort (fever), Bleik (purity or purification), Blith (mental problems), Frith (inner balance), Aurboda (making medicines and herbal healing),and Eir (listed above)

Nerthus:
Goddess of fertility, abundance, sacrifice

Rindr:
Daughter of Billing
Goddess of winter (in general)
"Magically seduced" by Odin and gave birth to Vali

Skadi: (Skaði)
Daughter of Thiazi (Þjazi)
Giantess and Goddess of archery, bow hunting, mountains, winter weather
She's not necessarily a goddess and is only introduced into the pantheon through a marriage, though it failed. She is still beloved and worshiped as such

Surt:
A fire Giant

Ullr:
Son of Sif, father is not known
God of archery, hunting, and all things related to winter such as skiing and skating, warlike
When Odin was in exile, Ullr ruled as chieftian



© 2016, Copyright The Dame and The Devil Business Blog - Writer The Dame

Oimelc, Imbolc, and Disting

For the purpose of this blog, I am distinguishing between the New Age and Anglo Saxon/Germanic holidays by using Imbolc and Oimelc receptively. Oimelc is actually the root word for Imbolc, though Oimelc is Anglo-Saxon for "ewe's milk".

Oimelc (Ewemeolc) is more of a Scandinavian tradition that date backs to Pagan times seen around the beginning of February. It's a celebration of your female ancestors, the Idises or Disir, and the Goddesses in general. I like to call it the original Mother's Day since it is focusing on who brought us into this world. We all know that without women, birth simply wouldn't happen, so we see a very great significance in the womb and females in general. This is also known as the feast of new beginnings and the festival of Idises.

Most new age pagans will be celebrating what is called Imbolc, which is basically the Celtic version of Oimelc, but with a very heavy lean on the Goddess Brigid. According to Goddess Gift, this is actually her Feast Day and is meant to symbolize that Spring is on its way. Back in our Holly King post, we discussed Brigid as the Winter Queen and bringing forth Beltane when the Summer begins. It's interesting that we would see her as both a winter goddess as well a spring time goddess because these two seasons are not normally thought to correspond to each other. However, when taking into consideration that most Celtics count their Samhain as the new year, it would be an easier idea to grasp. Spring is still an awakening into the new year and new harvests which haven't yet shown to be fruitful. This holiday is meant to celebrate that it will come and it will be great.

Now, with Norse, Scandinavian, and other Germanics, we would see Oimelc as the New Year because it is the beginning of the melting snows. This is usually celebrated around the time of Charming the Plow as well, so you'll see a lot of overlap between the two. While Charming the Plow tends to focus solely on the fertility and planting goddesses, Oimelc also celebrates the healing of the Earth and people after the harsh winters. Most of the time we'll see Ullr, Skadi, and Rindr being the center of attention here because of their deep winter ties, even if they're men. Other Gods to honor are Logi, Glut and her two daughters, Bragi, Eir, Mengloth and her maidens, and Surt. I'll create a master post next week to go into who is who and why.

Disting is specifically Norse and is really just another name for Oimelc. However, Disting itself, can and has been thought to be a whole other part. Some believe its a Thing, which is a meeting or gathering where laws and politics are disgusted. It's also written as the actual act of preparing the soil for planting, like the Plow celebration. Not much more is said on that though.

© 2016, Copyright The Dame and The Devil Business Blog - Writer The Dame Image by Emil Doepler

Charming the Plow

This is likely not a pagan holiday you know much about, but its the one I, personally, celebrate this time of year alongside Oimelc/Disting. (We'll discuss that one next week.)

Charming the Plow is basically just what it sounds like: thanking the Gods and Goddess for last years' harvest and praying for this coming harvest. Now, the time when this is celebrated varies not only from year to year, but also from country to country. Over here in America, I won't celebrate it with those over in Germany or Sweden and that's because the ground may not be ready to plow at the same time. When you celebrate this particular holiday, it's when you first break ground to plant your crops.

I, practicing also kitchen witchery, will be planting my early spring herbs around this time. However, since I also live in a desert, I'll be doing this a little differently than what I write.

The normal way to celebrate is to bake a cake or bread using last years' grain. Before planting anything, you dig a hole using a shovel or plow that you cleansed and blessed and break off some of the bread and place it in the ground. According to the Old English Christian text, Aecerbot, you also dig a hole in all four corners Though from doing some research, it's where you're going to plow the rows. So you can either dig a hole if you're not planting rows, like myself, or you can use your blessed plow, make the rows, and then continue with the bread. I also read that some return the actual grains. Raise your horn filled with water and toast the Gods then pour the remaining water onto the bread symbolizing coming rains. Bury it and pray.

While many celebrate both Gods and Goddesses, I choose to celebrate just the Goddesses of  harvest and fertility. This is the way I incorporate Oimelc, which I perceive as an older Mother's Day. When I pray, cleanse, and even bake I make small declarations to my patron Goddess, Freyja. However, she is not the normal Goddess for this holiday even though she is the All-Mother. Most people and scholars will say that the cake offerings are mainly given to Nerthus and Gefjon.

As you can see, the knowledge on this holy day is pretty sparse, so the best thing to do would be to research into Nerthus and Gefjon to see how people normally honored them and also to read, read, read. In the end, this can be as simple or extravagant as you like going into even blessing the cattle or farm animals, if you have any. Since we are planning to have chickens soon, I'll likely kill one and add its blood to the hole, then cook it and have it for dinner to complete our ritual. That is definitely a bit of my own take since this is usually the time where you'll start to see chicks and more eggs and I also have it tie into my Freyja worship (eggs). This is also a very easy holiday to bring your kids into. What child doesn't want to dig in the dirt and make mud? Or eat cake?! We usually keep the kids away from any animals we offer and they only know that we're cooking, but my kids are very young, the oldest being five. So I'll let that part be up to the parents because some kids are very sensitive up into adulthood.

Here is some wonderful information on Plow Songs and Plow Plays, though they only date as far back as the 1500's. I'll likely put up a blog with some rewritten for more of a Pagan tune if I find the time.


© 2016, Copyright The Dame and The Devil Business Blog - Writer The Dame - Image is from Hex Magazine 

Christmas As We Know It Today

In the last three weeks we discussed three specific pagan religions and their Yule traditions. Today, we're going to explain why these three and what they have done to create the Christmas of current times.

The first sect we showcased was the Old Germanic/Norse religions. This one has had the MOST pull in what shaped Christmas. From the tree, to the decor, to even the foods, they were beyond the true main source of the celebration. The giant Yule log that was once burned for 12 consecutive days has become a common french cake. The lore of gift giving evolved from the gnomes and great hunt with obvious sights into the reindeer who carry Santa, the horse Sleipnir who Odin rode on and the number 9 being a very religious number to even the Norse. (8 reindeer and 1 Santa). We also know that Odin bestowed gifts according to some accounts, but only to those who deserved it. (Nice and naughty list). The gnomes, Tomte, were originally the gift receivers and pranksters of poorly behaved children and adults (the new elf on the shelf), and later were described as gnomes who would go door to door giving gifts. The wreaths and garland... the list is nearly boundless.

In the post about the Holly King, I briefly described as being the image of Santa. Before Coca-cola turned Santa in the jolly man in a red suit, he actually looked almost exactly as the Holly King of lore. He was usually depicted as wearing a long thick robe in the colors of blue of green and always wore a crown of holly. They also made the gathering of holly a tradition though the ages. We can even go as far as to thank the early Celts for the very day the Christian's use for the birth of Jesus because the Oak King (the Sun King) was born on Yule.









Saturnalia has other very deep connections to the current holiday. They celebrated it joyously, while the other two saw it as a time to be solemn and look back at the year. The Romans instead partied and caroled happily as they feasted welcoming in the new year. The act of gift-giving is mostly associated with this sect and we can also thank them for our vast and varying amount of advent calenders.

So why are we talking about this? We should all understand and give thanks to these Pagan traditions that have been allowed to survive the ages and overrule of Christianity. What you may not know is how controversial all of this was the Christians in the beginning and how even their own churches and sect rebelled against the entire celebration because its not only mentioned in the Bible to NOT practice these very traditions, like a setting up and decorating a tree, but the birth of Jesus was NOT ever recorded. We can see and understand both their fallacy in attempting to warp these pagan holidays while condemning them in the same breath and understand that their desperation to overcome these "barbaric" peoples by bending to their celebrations and incorporating them to make the transition into the Abrahamic religions easier. However, it is through these common day practices that our ancestors and Gods have survived and have allowed such a powerful resurgence of the old ways.  We can still honor them, just as the Christians do today.







© 2016, Copyright The Dame and The Devil Business Blog - Writer The Dame
The images are not mine, and I do not own the rights to them. They have their own copyrights are only being used for imagery. They are still owned by their original owners credit will be given as they're claimed. 

Saturnalia - The Roman Winter Holiday

Saturn - The God

The Agricultural God of Seed and Sow was usually depicted with bound ankles, though during this celebration, the cloths were removed as a way to allow him to wonder around. On the first day, they would sacrifice a young pig in his temple as well. The idea was that he was actually a god of mischief and chaos, hence the changing of order, and to honor this specifically each household would choose a King of Misrule.

Celebrations-

Unlike other traditions, the Romans treated it more like a long party. It started about the 17th and lasted an entire seven days, ending on the day of the Solstice. They had both large public right as well as household celebrations. A very interested tradition was a week of freedom to their slaves where they would don a red hat  and colorful clothes and could act as insubordinate as they wanted to their owners and others. The slaves could even be treated to having a meal they prepared served to them by their owners. This particular event kept everyone in order, but allowed for a pleasurable time. This also applied to other levels of society, where it allowed every man and woman to be equal. Businesses and courts would close the entire week and  gave way to extravagant banquets, heavy drinking and gambling in public. They would deck the hall with their local greenery and even decorate tree with baubles. Some would go caroling house to house, though they were usually naked. It was warmer this time of year than other places, hopefully.

Fertility Rituals -

In Rome, some of the more common rituals were for the land owner and his wife to out and have sex in the middle of each field. It could be an all day affair if you had a lot of land, but it was almost guaranteed that your crops would grow. They would also offer tributes to the Goddess Flora for fertile lands and wombs.




© 2016, Copyright The Dame and The Devil Business Blog - Writer The Dame
I do not own the image and it may be subject to it's own copyright. 

The Holly King's Season - A Celtic History

A Celtic History

Before Coca-Cola created the Jolly Old Man in a Red Suit, there was a more pagan-esque picture of an elder man with a beard usually in green or blue garb with holly in his hair. This older Claus is the Holly King, the God of the Waning year. 

His given name is Arawn. He comes from Annwn, also called the Otherworld in Welsh Mythology. Arawn is a very prominent King in this world from leading men into battles over stolen dogs, deer, and birds, to a voyage by King Arthur into Annwn to rescue a prisoner and take a cauldron. However, for this particular post, we will concentrate on his roll in Yule and his battle with the Oak King, his twin.

Arawn, the Holly King, and Hafgan, the Oak King are forever engaged in this battle of darkness over light, but it is well understood that both are necessary. The darkness brings an end to life, but also brings us closer. We have it well documented that more babies are born in the winter months than summer, so it's quite possible they also saw this trend. At the time of Midsummer, the Holly King would wake from his great rest and start to gain strength, thus leading to the death of the Oak King at Samhain. A rather common and interesting theme seen in one particular faith. Much like Jesus, the "Sun" of God, the Sun God, The Oak King, also was born at Yule and then rose from his death at Ostra. 

We also see yet another reference to a Wild Hunt, but in the Celtic tradition it is more a force of good to chase away the evil than it is anything to do with ancestors or death. A very striking difference from the Germanic Tribes. It does, however, still involve wolves, but more wolf like hunting hounds being lead by the great Holly King in a crown of antlers. 

He is also referenced along side Cailleach, or the Queen of Winter, who also has a twin, or double aspect, none other than Brighde. Cailleach goes and frosts the earth and then turns to stone at Bealltainn (Beltane). Though lesser known, she is still a rather interesting character in this epic and has a rich history in the same story.  

© 2016, Copyright The Dame and The Devil Business Blog - Writer Shannon Hinojos

Yule/Jul - A True History

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A lot of people believe Yule to have come originally from the Celtics, but it actually started with the Old Germanic Tribes (who later become the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons). It's true spelling is Jul pronounced as "Yule". The celebration is dedicated to Odin and has a lot to do with the Wild Hunt lead by Odin which is said to bring war or a great death. This could just be seen as the Wild Hunt brings on the cold, shorter days when many would catch colds and such, but what it truly stands for is much debated.

This particular holiday is very long and can start anywhere from Mid-November and last up to Mid-January, though many texts that I have read personally, have it more around Mid-December and ending around the first week of January. You can read more of this reference in chapter 55 of the Prose Edda.

To celebrate everyone would carry out a sacrifice and bring all the food needed for the celebration to the temple. They would drink ale and sacrifice the animals associated with Jul (horses, cows, goats, and pigs) and collect their blood. They would use special twigs gathered together to sprinkle the blood at the pedestals of the Gods as well as the inside and outside walls. When people would enter the temple, they would also be sprinkled with the blood to receive the blessings and give thanks. They would then light a large fire in the middle of the temple and the chieftain and person preparing the feast would bless the meat from the sacrificed animals and the other foods before cooking. The first toast was always to Odin, followed then by Frejyer and Njoror, then lastly to the king himself. After this they would drink to their fallen loved ones.

“Glorious Maiden Who Knows the Age Cure of the Aesir”,

This holiday is also closely associated with the Sun (of course) and the Poetic Edda also talks about a Sun Goddess being reborn when the Gods are weakened, or dying. The other Gods are waiting for the Maiden to come forth and bring them new life as Sunna who rides a chariot across the sky and runs from the Wolf of darkness. The Winter Solstice is the time of the year where its thought she is finally caught by the wolf and devoured, then the springs buds her anew. Sunna is critical to the way they saw Earth created and the cycle of life itself. She is the first who made man and formed the heavens and other planets. Its possible that she actually is just dying at the end of the year as she gives birth to herself in the beginning of a new year; a common theme throughout many pagan religions. She is also quoted to be the actual seed of Yggdrasill, though her place and person was later replaced in the age of the Vikings. She can still be seen in much of their imagery and the other goddess of the new pantheon. Thor was also depicted as her protector who fought for her resurrection and can still be seen in the essence of the Yule Goat as well as then when they sacrificed the goats for feasting.

The Wild Hunt - Asgardr-Riders

The theme of souls roaming the Earth does not stop at Alfabot (or Samhain for those new Pagans) for the Old Germanic Tribes. It continues on through the passage of winter and is even considered more powerful because of the lack of sunlight. The Riders are souls of dead ancestors who ride killing and maiming those who cross those paths, unless they were met with offerings and well-wishes. These dead could then become helpful or bestow blessings. These souls appear to have become what we now know as gnomes, elves, and other various little people who wreck havoc and create mischief. 

  © 2016, Copyright The Dame and The Devil Business Blog - Writer Shannon Hinojos
I do not own the image and it may be subject to it's own copyright. 

Modern Day Autumnal Equinox - Why some won't call it Mabon

Modern Day Mabon

Okay, so Modern Day Mabon came about during the Neo-Pagan movement of the 70's by a man named Aiden Kelly. It's largely celebrated by the Wiccan community and got it's foothold in the United States, but as said in the previous post, it can be found in almost any tradition. In America, September has always had a very holy feel, so it makes sense that we would accept something like the celebration of a harvest during the equinox.

The term was coined after a Welsh, or maybe even Saxon, deity or hero who is the god of the light, Mabon ap Modron. However, this is highly debated to even true among many historians as no one can find any proof that people even worshiped someone named Mabon, however, his name does worship to "Son of the Mothers", so it's possible, but loose. Some believe it was just Kelly's attempt to find a "Pagan" name for this holiday since there really isn't anything known about the history of the Autumn Equinox  and what it was really called. This may come as a surprise to many in the community who fiercely stick to the Yearly Wheel, but that's a more recent invention.

The biggest issue are similar holiday's that have been practiced for century's like the British Harvest Home. The thing that seems to keep Mabon alive as a name is more that it just SOUNDS Pagan, Midsummer and others don't/

Now, the Autumnal Equinox does trace back to the 16th century, so we do know that this practice was real and what it stood for, but it's time varied from tradition to tradition was really just a Harvest Celebration. Which was celebrated whenever they harvested their fall crops. It being on the actual Autumnal Equinox was, again, a more modern improvement and mainly due to a the invention of the calendar.

It's simply a rose by any other name scenario. So whatever you choose to call it, enjoy it. Have a slice of pumpkin pie for me.

So who is Mabon ap Modron?

As I said above he could either be a Welsh or a Saxon king that was represented as more god-like than human and highly coveted by his people and losing his name to what is only now known as The Mothers. The Mothers are a very, very old and long forgotten part of Saxon history which is really only described as the Great Mother archetype we see in almost any religion, including Christianity.

1Now there is only one myth that includes Mabon's name and that involves King Arthur and The Wooing of Olwen. He was taken from his mother's bedside and then rescued only to be imprisoned by his uncle until he was let out to participate in this Wooing.

However, in this article that I'm siting below, it seems we may have found out who this Mabon may actually be, where he came from, and what kind of a Mother he was born of. Click the link below for more interesting lore on the Man who gave his Name for this holiday.

1 : Mabon Lore Revealed.

© 2016, Copyright The Devil & The Dame - Writer Shannon Hinojos, Dame Hexe

The History of Mabon

What is Mabon?

Mabon is the Celtic Pagan holiday that celebrates the Autumn Equinox on September 21-22, or wherever your Autumn becomes officially Autumn. Many of our current calenders go off of these same dates to mark the changes in seasons. Mabon is mainly used to commentate the harvest we have and how thankful we are before the coming winter months.

The name Mabon was only coined the in 1970's and is known by other names such as Harvest Home, Feast of the Ingathering, and Meán Fómhair. The pumpkin is especially sacred to this holiday. It was what kept many families alive to throughout the winter months because it could be kept up to 90 days without rotting and could be added to many different dishes as well as being extremely healthy and having a high concentration of iron.

The history :

The tradition is as old as time, but the name has been made only recently. The name dates back mainly to Celtic traditions, however, almost any tradition will most likely have a celebration centered around their harvest. You may have to run far back as many modern day and even ancient sects of paganism don't, such as Santeria, Palo Mayombe, and other Afro-Cuban practices. The celebrations also differ from area to area as they had different seasons at different times and even different kinds of harvests. So for the sake of this section, we'll settle on many more the European practices and those that were influenced by them.

The early Germanic Tribes would bless herbs, flowers, and foods for healing at this time. Later traditions used this time to make Mead and wines.

Anglo Saxons would sacrifice horses to Freyr and make a God bread to eat as a celebration of the wheat harvest. They also often called this time Lammas, though this is more at the beginning of August than the end of September and now has Christian ties.

England took it a little further by creating corn dolls, dunking them in water, and burning them to represent the death of the grain god. This then adapted into the Wicker Men that were constructed for vegetation sprits and burned. This was reconstructed in the Americas with the Neo-Pagan movement of the 70s.

Even the Japanese took part in these kinds of traditions by visiting their ancestors, cleaning their graves, giving offerings, and burning incense. Much similar to the Mexican Dia de los Muertos, however that takes place after Halloween.

We will go into the modern reconstruction of Mabon in our next post. Stay tuned.