STORY GUIDE An old witch sends her apprentice out into the world... A grieving brother communes with darkness... An elderly woman protects her home from foreclosure with the help of local spirits? A strong-backed warrior becomes a bear... Kenning Cross is home to an interwoven village fantasy full of mysterious children, wondrous powers, transformations, otherworldly visitors and little spirits of hearth and home. Genre: rustic fantasy, romance, queer Structure: Each focusing on different characters? ongoing story, these 13x30-minute episodes braid the Tales together in intriguing ways?the villain of one story may be the hero of the next, and plenty of the village?s residents are far more than they seem. ACT ONE: Kenning Cross is rocked by several arrivals: A Witch-girl from the mountains, a returning town hero with strangely colored eyes, and a pair of children from far beyond the mountains. The witch-girl?s unfounded fear of the village is put to the test, and the desperation of the Beast, a grieving werebear, takes form as a Fetch of the Middens. A young Bard tries to hide his magical ability from his strange new charges, while the Witch-girl tries to make a place for herself in Kenning Cross by casting a love spell that goes awry. A wicked Vintner rules the village with his purse, as the young Bard fights for his new little family when the Fetch of his dead Brother reappears. Mother Groves must rely upon the little spirits of her home, bedeviling the Vintner in his war for dominance of this small hidden village. ACT TWO: The Bard enlists the help of his Youngest Brother, who knows more about the hidden realms than anyone besides the Witches; Youngest is betrothed to pub owner Theophania but in love with someone else. Youngest Son visits his beloved Nixie, coming across his eldest brother, the Beast, still trying to uncover the secret of their brother?s Fetch while he attempts to woo his younger brother?s bride-to-be. The Beast must care for his brother?s charges when a magical mystery lures the Bard away. The Bard?s search brings him to Mother Groves, whom he is able to charm into joining his magical cause. Mother Groves diagnoses the Brothers? children and sends them to the Witches of the Mountain, where the Witch-girl receives them. ACT THREE: The Witch-girl meets the Beast on a trip to town, and mistakenly believes they are meant to fall in love; the Vintner summons his sons, the Bard and Youngest Son. The true Soldier?on whom the Beast?s Fetch was based?reappears, half-dead and rescued by Witches, and is nursed back to health by Mother Groves. The three brothers (Bard, Beast and Soldier) come together over their father the Vintner?s grave, telling stories of their family. The Witch-girl?s love finally appears, but may cost the village everything. CHARACTERS The Soldier & The Fetch The Beast The Bard The Vintner Mother Groves Agnes Agatha Taffy The Witch-girl Household Creatures SETTINGS Agnes?s Bungalow Agatha?s Hut Roan?s house at the Mill The Crossroads Villagers? Houses The Vineyards & the Groves The Little Place in the Woods The Middens & the Falls MAPS EAST?Elevation: Agatha?s Hut ^EAST ^ ------Stormtop------------ | \ / \ | \ / \ | \ Agnes?s Bungalow & \ Witchfinder | \ / Witch-Girl?s home \ Country | \__________/ \ | Kenning Cross \ | || \ ==========================The Crossroads ================================ || The Shallows The Western Seas TOP-DOWN: WITCHFINDERS Northern Mountains Agatha?s Hut The Vineyard EAST ? The Western Seas The Mill & Village Wish The Middens & Shallows Roan?s Home Proper Well The Falls Little Place The Groves in the Woods Agnes?s Bungalow Southern Mountains BARBARIANS EPISODE BREAKDOWN Year One A Witch-girl?s unfounded fear of the village of Kenning Cross is put to the test. The desperation of the Beast, a grieving werebear, takes form as a Fetch of the Middens. A wake is held. A young Bard tries to hide his magical ability from his strange new charges, while the Witch-girl tries to make a place for herself in Kenning Cross by casting a love spell that goes awry. A wicked Vintner rules the village with his purse, as the young Bard fights for his new little family when the Fetch of his dead Brother reappears. Mother Groves must rely upon the little spirits of her home, bedeviling the Vintner in his war for dominance of this small hidden village. Year Two The Bard enlists the help of his Youngest Brother, who knows more about the hidden realms than anyone besides the Witches; Youngest is betrothed to pub owner Theophania but in love with someone else. Youngest Son visits his beloved Nixie, coming across his eldest brother, the Beast, still trying to uncover the secret of their brother?s Fetch while he attempts to woo his younger brother?s bride-to-be. The Beast must care for his brother?s charges when a magical mystery lures the Bard away. The Bard?s search brings him to Mother Groves, whom he is able to charm into joining his magical cause. Year Three Mother Groves sends the Twins to the Witches of the Mountain; the Witch-girl receives them. The Witch-girl meets the Beast on a trip to town, and mistakenly believes they are meant to fall in love; the Vintner summons his sons, the Bard and Youngest Son. The true Soldier ? on whom the Beast?s Fetch was based ? reappears, half-dead and rescued by Witches, and is nursed back to health by Mother Groves. The three brothers come together over their father the Vintner?s grave, telling stories of their family. The Witch-girl?s love appears, but may cost the village everything. UNSORTED NOTES 21 Jan - Apple Howling - The Widow and Rogue, the Brute and Fetch, and the Widow and the Vintner The Grove: Good spirits called to replace evil spirits to produce a good crop for the year's cider. Cider and cake is offered to tree feted as guardian of the orchard. The "Loving Cup" is shared around the room and house, then wassailed through the village. Villagers with pots and pans, chanting a racket to raise the Sleeping Tree and scare demons. The biggest and best tree was then selected and cider poured over its roots. It is freezing! Warm cider on arrival, then sent to the Groves. A bonfire is there. Vicar blesses the trees, and a kid climbs a tree to put toast in it for the birds that eat the insects Then cider is poured round the roots of a chosen tree. Then home for more wassail and potluck. Plough Monday/St. Distaff's Day: Return to work after Midwinter holidays. Blackthorn: Its fruits ripen and sweeten only after the nip of the frost. White flowers even before leaves in the spring; with vicious thorns. Used for magical weapons and to pierce waxen images. Strong action of fate/outside influences that must be obeyed. If you look through a never-washed silk handkerchief at the Year's First New Moon, the number of moons you see will be the number of years until you're married. But it is unlucky to see the new moon through a window. To dream of him, go out and stand over the spars of a gate or stile and sing to the Moon. We bring greenery into the house to protect the tree spirits (holly, ivy) and release them again. At First Footing, midnight, you wait behind your door for a dark-haired stranger. He carries coal to keep the house warm, bread to keep the family fed, money for abundance, greenery for longevity; he leaves taking ashes with him. A flat cake is put on the horns of a cow in the farmyard. The farmer and workers sing and dance around the cow until it's thrown to the ground: If it falls before, good luck; if behind, bad. Twelfth Night tricks: Blackbirds into a hollow pie, or fruitcake with secret items: A bean that makes you Queen of the Bean, and you can tell everybody what to do. A clove for a villain, a twig for a fool. 21 Feb - The Widow and the Vintner, the Rogue and the Children, the Brute and the Naif. St. Brigid Fires! 2/1; Imbolc/Candlemas 2/2, month of Rowan. Burned to summon spirits to fight for the Druid's causes. Heal the wounded, add a year to one's life, and used in great oracles. Mountain Ash and Witchwood, long known as an aid and protection against enchantment. Divination and dowsing. Fire Festival: Lantern & torch parade with fire-jugglers, antler-wearing drummers, Celtic characters, fire druids, a 12ft Jack Frost and spring's Green Man. Blessing the Throats: Two candles are tied together, lit, and touched on to the necks of people suffering from sore throats. Candlemas, the festival of lights. Marks the midpoint of winter, halfway between the shortest day and the spring equinox. All the candles used during the coming year were brought into church and blessed. Not only were candles the only source of light, but were thought to be protective against plague, illness and famine. Light the darkness. Celebrated the increasing strength of the life-giving sun as winter gave way to spring. 2/12-14: Said to be Borrowed Days, from January. If these days were stormy, the year would be favored with good weather: but if fine, the year's weather would be foul. The last three days of March were said to be borrowed from April. The snowdrop appears on this day, symbolizing hope given to Eve by a kindly angel, to remind us that all winters eventually give way to spring. 2/14: The day birds choose their mates. The first man an unmarried woman sees will be her future husband. Write the names of all your suitors and wrap in clay, then into water: The one that rises first is his name. If you see a robin overhead, you'll marry a sailor. If a sparrow, poor but happy. A goldfinch means a rich man. Mystery messages never revealed. Imbolc is based on a 2000 year old Celtic festival, marking the first signs of spring. It features a procession, fire 'circus' drama and music. Nion/Ash: 2/18-3/17 - The Sacred Tree Of Rebirth. Ash wands are good for healing, general and solar magic. Put fresh ash leaves under your pillow to stimulate psychic dreams. The toughest, most elastic wood. Used in weaver's beams. Women would weave cloth and intermingling threads together in a tight pattern as the microcosm and the macrocosm are united. Ash indicates the linking of the inner and outer worlds. 2/22: Roman Terminalia in honour of Terminus, the god of landmarks, to whom cakes and wine were offered, sports and dancing taking place at the boundaries. Similar pagan practices were brought by the Vikings. Beating the bounds is an ancient custom still observed in some English and Welsh parishes. Under the name of the Gangdays going a-ganging was kept before the Norman Conquest. A group of old and young members of the community would walk the boundaries of the parish, usually led by the parish priest and church officials, to share the knowledge of where they lay, and to pray for protection and blessings for the lands. When maps were rare it was usual to make a formal perambulation of the parish boundaries on Ascension Day or Rogation Week. Knowledge of the limits of each parish needed to be handed down so that such matters as liability to contribute to the repair of the church, and the right to be buried within the churchyard were not disputed. The priest of the parish with the churchwardens and the parochial officials headed a crowd of boys who, armed with green boughs, usually birch or willow, beat the parishboundary markers with them. Sometimes the boys were themselves whipped or even violently bumped on the boundary-stones to make them remember. The object of taking boys along is supposed to ensure that witnesses to the boundaries should survive as long as possible. At Manchester in 1597 John Dee recorded in his diary that he with the curate, the clerk and "diverse of the town of diverse ages" perambulated the parish taking six days in all. Another: "...Whipping the boys by way of remembrance, and stopping their cry with some half-pence; we returned to church again, which Perambulation and Processioning had not been made for five years last past." In Portsmouth the bounds were shoreline and the route was followed by boat rather than on foot. Parish officers still have the legal right to enter private property in carrying it out and also use the rates to cover expenses properly incurred (including refreshments, but not music, etc.). Perambulations must be at least three years apart. Up to 21 Mar - The Widow and the Witch, the Naif and the Witch, the Rogue and the Brute Sheela's Day 3/18 - Youths "prowl the streets with short clubs, to knock loudly at every door and run away. If nobody responds, and any article carelessly guarded, the things are stolen and displayed in a weird place the next day -- to expose the disgraceful want of vigilance supposed to characterize the owner. The individuals concerned represent imps of darkness, that seize on and expose unguarded moments: 'Nicka nicka nan / Give me some pancake, and then I'll be gone / But if you give me none / I'll throw a great stone / And down your door shall come.'" They make a jackolantern straw man like a Guy, paraded through the town, pelted and burnt. Sexual exploits and the witcher witcher stuff. Cliffhanger is the secret council and the mutual discovery of the Rogue's and Children's magic After 21 Mar - Next FREE chapter; the followup to council and magical discoveries, and I guess death of the Fetch? Lady Day and Old Lady Day are in this chapter: 3/25-4/6. 3/21 Equinox, 3/25 Lady Day (4/6 Old Lady Day 12 days for contracts to be created/renewed - not one thing or the other) Alder is used for underwater foundations and pilings, bridges, dairy vessels and whistles. Bran used His body as a bridge to span dangerous waters. Bran's Head was oracular. Alder indicates protection and oracular powers. In Cornwall, Good Friday isn't a day of mourning but a feast, Goody Friday. Recreational walks to special spots around the village. Cakes, buns and spiced breads, sometimes at informal markets, and gathering trigg meat. 21 Apr - From the Day of All Fools to Cuckoo's Fair (4/21). Alder (3/18-4/14) In The Battle of the Trees, Alder fought in the front-line. It is the Battle Witch of all woods, and is hottest in a fight. Its green whistles could call the North Winds or bound in pan flute for Air elementals. 4/14 is the arrival of the Cuckoo. In the south an Old Woman releases the Cuckoo from her basket, whereupon he "flies northward, carrying warmer days." If you hear him sing on that day, turn over all the money in your pockets, spit and don't look at the ground! If you are standing on soft ground when you do it, you will have loads of good luck. However if you are standing on hard ground - the cuckoo's call means bad luck. On 4/15: Swallow's Day. The swallow comes out from under the ponds! 4/6: Candle Auctions. A candle is lit and a pin stuck in 2.5cm from the top. Then people start bidding for a piece of church land to let to the poor for a year. The person bidding when the candle burned down enough to let the pin fall became the owner of the land. 4/30: Walpurgis Night, Beltane Eve: Celtic Fire Festival celebrating the coming of summer. 5/5 is Jack in the Green. 5/1: May Day or Garland Day. Dancing around maypoles, hobby horses, Robin Hood and Jack in the Green. Greenery collected by children to make garlands, then parade around with them as flags, crosses or hoops, and collecting money. Sometimes this was known as May Dolling because often placed in the centre of the garland was a small doll. 5/8ish: Furry Dance, Cornwall. The Floral Dance always takes place on the 8th of May, except when that falls on a Sunday or Monday, when the Dance is held on the previous Saturday. One of the oldest surviving customs in the Country, and is a festival to celebrate the coming of spring. The oldest May Day celebration still taking place today is the Padstow 'Obby 'Oss celebration in Cornwall. Its roots date back to the 14th century. Every May Day thousands of people come to see the two famous Hobby Horses, the Old Oss and the Blue Ribbon Oss. The whole town is ablaze with bluebells, forget-me-nots, cowslips, and sycamore twigs. Dancing and other celebrations take place all day. The rest of the day was given over to various festivities. There was dancing on the village green, archery contest and exhibitions of strength. The highlight of the day was the crowning of the May Queen, the human replica of Flora. By tradition she took no part in the games or dancing, but sat like a queen in a flower-decked chair to watch her 'subjects'. Young girls would make May Garlands. They covered two hoops, one at right angles inside the other, with leaves and flowers, and sometimes they put a doll inside to represent the goddess of Spring. 5/1: First thing in the morning, young girls rush out into the garden to wash their faces in the dew. May dew has magic properties and anyone who has washed their face in it will have a beautiful complexion all through the year. It removes freckles and also spots and pimples. This Beltane is also a cliffhanger. 5/1ish: The Cornish giant Bolster would terrorise the people of St Agnes through very anti-social behaviour such as being cruel to his wife and eating small children. But then he was outwitted and killed by local girl Agnes. Throughout the Giant Bolster weekend, locals and visitors celebrate the rise and fall of the tyrant with street theatre, a lantern procession, bonfire and barbecue. 5/5ish: Sweeps Festival, (First weekend in May). Chimney Sweeps welcoming the summer so that they could clean the dirty chimneys. May Day Celebrations centred around the blowing of large tin horns. As soon as the clock has told of midnight, a loud blast on tin trumpets proclaims the advent of May. At daybreak, with their "tintarrems," they proceed to the country, and strip the sycamore-trees (called May-trees) of all their young branches, to make whistles. With these shrill musical instruments they return home. Young men and women devote May-day to junketing and picnics. Youth stay up until midnight and then march the town with violins and fifes, to summon their friends to the Maying. All gathered, they went into the country, welcomed at any farmhouses at which they called, with rum and milk, junket, or something of that sort. They gathered the "May," which included the young branches of any tree in blossom or fresh leaf. The branches of the sycamore were especially cut for the purpose of making the "May-music." This was done by cutting a circle through the bark to the wood a few inches from the end of the branch. The, bark was wetted and carefully beaten until it was loosened and could be slid off from the wood. The wood was cut angularly at the end, so as to form a mouth-piece, and a slit was made in both the bark and the wood, so that when the bark was replaced a whistle was formed. Prepared with a sufficient number of May whistles, all the party returned to the town, the band playing, whistles blowing, and the young people singing some. 8 May: Helston Furry (except when on Monday or Sunday) has two main customs. The Furry Dance (costumes, incl morning formal at Midday and Lily of the Valley) and the Hal an Tow. Morning Dance at Guildhall at 0700, Hal-an-Tow at St John's Bridge 0830, Children's Dance at Wendron Street 0950, Midday Dance at Guildhall 1200, Evening Dance at Guildhall 1700. The Furry dance tune played by local bands ("John the Bone") is never recorded officially and passed on only by word of mouth: "John the Bone was walking home, when he met with Sally Dover, He kissed her once, he kissed her twice, and he kissed her three times over." Hal an Tow is a "mummers play" similar to St George and the Turkish Knight. 5/1: May Day Tricks. In the North of England, the first of May was a kind of late 'April Fooling' when all sorts of pranks would take place and 'May Gosling' was the shout if you managed to trick someone. The response would be: 'May Goslings past and gone. You're the fool for making me one!' 5/1ish: Beating the Bounds. Walking the parish boundary to pray for protection became important part of the ceremony as it provided the community with a mental map which could be drawn on in disputes over boundaries. It is celebrated with Ganging Beer and Rammalation biscuits. After 21 May: Willow: A moon tree sacred to the White Lady its groves so magical that priests and poets sat among these trees to gain eloquence, inspiration, skills and prophecies. For a wish to be granted, ask permission of the willow, explaining your desire. Select a pliable shoot and tie a loose knot in it while expressing what you want. When the wish is fulfilled. return and untie the knot. Remember to thank the willow and leave a gift. Her catkins, which appear in early spring before her leaves, attract bees to start the cycle of pollination. She indicates cycles, rhythms and the ebb and flux. "Though quite different from The Dark is Rising, Greenwitch actually gave me a similar feeling. Again we have nature as something ancient and awe-inspiring. This time, that feeling is transmitted now my winter, but by the sea. The sea, or the sound of the sea, is always in the background, and it feels a little menacing. It?s not that it?s dark or hostile, but it?s not welcoming either. It just is. It?s there, it?s large and it?s older than we are." May: Cornwall "Revels" are common at this time of year in the small villages in the Bude area. 5/29: Oak Apple Day: Wearing oak apples or leaves to remember the restoration of the monarchy. The king hid in an oak tree. If you forget, you may be pinched, kicked or whipped with nettles. 30-May 8: (5/20 Feast Queen Kore, 5/24 Birth of Diana, 5/26 Diana of the Wildwood) Uath/Hawthorn: 5/13-6/9 - Also Whitethorn; considered unlucky, used for harmful spells. Hawthorn was used to abstain from sexual activity, as it was believed that a child conceived during this month would come to no good. Five torches of Hawthorn were burned the night before the month began, to help survive the month, and marriages were banned. The custom of May being an unlucky month for marriage came from this. Also known as May Tree and White Thorn. Wands made of this wood are of great power. The blossoms are highly erotic to men. Hawthorn can be used for protection, love and marriage spells. Provides the hottest fire known. Tea aids with anxiety, appetite loss and poor circulation. This small tree can create dense thickets and have thorns that are an excellent defense. The Hawthorn signifies cleansing, protection and chastity. 5/30ish: Blessing the Sea: The fishing season begins at the end of May and the custom of blessing the sea goes back to medieval times. June is named for Roman Juno, the goddess of marriage. June is the time for Well Dressing. Springs and wells of fresh water that come from the underground streams have always seemed magical, so some are honored with decorations of branches, greenery, and mosaics made from petals and moss. 21 Jun: Well-Dressing: Decorating wells, which are already magical. 20-Jun 9: (6/14 Birth of the Muses; 6/21 Cerridwen & Cauldron / Day of the Green Man / Litha / Solstice / Irish faery goddess Aine of Knockaine: Day of All Heras / Worm Charming - 6/24 Midsummer romantic farce) Quarter Solstice Duir/Oak: 6/10-7/7 - Derived from the word Door, and considered a dimension door of sorts to the Druids. The Head of the pantheon, the Royal Oak, king of all trees, was used to pass through the forest, to other oaks within the woods. Its wood was used exclusively to stoke the Midsummer fires. Oak galls, Serpent Eggs, were used in magickal charms. Acorns gathered at night held the greatest fertility powers. Burning leaves purifies.The rustling oak leaves and the wrens in the trees for divinatory messages. Grows slowly. Druids taught lessons under the Oak. Duir means doorway. This tree indicates protection - a doorway to mysteries and strengths. 6/21: The longest day. Midsummers Day. Associated with witches, magic, fairies and dancing 6/20: Midsummer's Eve. Bonfires are burnt in praise of the sun. Any rose picked on Midsummer's Eve or Day will keep fresh until Christmas. At midnight on the Eve, young girls scatter rose petals before them and say "Rose leaves, rose leaves, / Rose leaves I strew. / He that will love me / Come after me now." Then at Midsummer, their true love will visit them. Midsummer Bonfires: A chain of bonfires lit one after another on hilltops from Lands End in the far South West to Kithill on the border with Devon in the East. They are a celebration of summer, lit on the eve of longest day (the evening being the start of the celtic day). 6/23-28: Golowan (Goluan or Gol-Jowan) is the Cornish word for Midsummer celebrations. St Johns Eve to St Peters Eve, the latter more popular among fishers. Centered around bonfires and fireworks, and associated rituals. Old Cornwall Societies light bonfires in a giant chain reaching across the region. Elsewhere lines of tar-barrels, occasionally broken by bonfires simultaneously lit in all the streets, whilst bonfires are kindled on all the cairns and hills around the bay, throwing outlines in bold relief against the sky. 21 Jul: Holly, second only to Oak in sacredness. Sacred tree of the Furies. Scarlet Oak, infested with a scarlet, berry shaped insect to make red dye and aphrodisiac elixirs. Death/rebirth symbolism of winter; important to the Winter Solstice. Gawain (the Oak King of summer) fought the Green Knight (holly club of winter). The qualities of the spear are balance and directness; directed balance and vigour to fight if just. Holly may be used in spells having to do with sleep or rest, and to ease the passage of death. A bag of leaves and berries carried by a man is said to increase his ability to attract women. Challenges overcome with unity and concerted effort. Ensure the cause is just. As warriors train and retrain until what they do with spears is instinctive, so you too must train and learn daily. Saxon called it Heymonath or Maed monath, haymaking or the flowering of meadows. July is the month when circular flattened patches begin to appear in fields of standing corn. 7/15: St Swithin's Day. Whatever the weather is like on St. Swithin's Day, it will continue so for the next forty days. 7/7ish: Bodmin Riding on the Sunday and Money after the seventh (St Thomas a Becket's Day). A horseback procession around the town carrying two large garlands: "A mock mayor elected, before whom was brought some person charged with wearing one spur or going untrussed, or wanting a girdle, or some such felony, and after arraignment and trial, judgment is given in formal terms, and executed in some one ungracious prank, more to the scorn than hurt of the party condemned. A large body of the populace still assemble on some particular day in July, an'l march to Halagaver, some on horseback and some on foot, carrying garlands of flowers. The evening is spent in wrestling, drinking, &c." 7/20ish: Honiton Fair in Devon, a three-day fair beginning the first Tuesday after 7/19. The town crier opens the fair parading down the High Street with a golden glove at the end of a long pole decorated with garlands of flowers. Hot pennies are then thrown from windows of various pubs. 1-Aug 11: Lammas (Fest of Dryads, water/woodland guardians) Cross-Quarter - Coll/Hazel: 8/5- 9/1 - Hazelnut consumed for wisdom; source of all Arts and Sciences. A forked Hazel stick was used for divining the identity of murderers and thieves. Used to find water, and buried treasure as well, a practice still used by water witches today. Druidic heralds carried White Hazel wands as a symbol of their station. Wands made of this wood symbolize white magick and healing. If in need of magickal protection quickly draw a circle around yourself with a hazel branch. The Sacred Salmon swimming under the overhanging Hazel trees ate 9 nuts of poetic wisdom. The number of spot on the Salmon's side denoted the number of nuts eaten. The tree provides shade, protection and baskets. Twigs were used for divining because of their pliancy and affinity with water. Hazel indicates intuition to lead to the source, poetry, divination and meditation. Saxons called it Weod monath, Weed month, when weeds and other plants grow most rapidly. 8/1: Lammas Day. The beginning of the harvest, when people give thanks for the first corn cut. Farmers made loaves of bread from the new wheat crop and gave them to their local church. Lammas Day used to be a time for foretelling marriages and trying out partners. A "trial marriage" lasts the fair (11 days) to see whether they were suited for wedlock. At the end of the fair, if they didn't get on, the couple could part. Lammas was also the time for farmers to give their farm workers a present of a pair of gloves. A large white glove was put on the end of a long pole decorated with flowers and held high to let people know that the merriment of Lammas Fair was beginning. For good luck, farmers let the first cornbread go stale and crumble it in the corners of their barns. 8/1ish: First week of August, the Royal National Eisteddfod in Wales; originated as a medieval gathering of bards and minstrels, who competed for the prized chair at the noble's table. 8/15ish: Scarecrow Festival, Kettlewell, Yorks. Life-size scarecrows are made and displayed around the village by local people in early to mid-August. A hugely popular event 21 Aug: 29-Aug 12: (Corn Moon 8/10; Feast of Diana and St. Hildegaard as well 9/17) Muin/Vine: 9/2-9/29. Brought to the British Isles by the Tuatha de Danann. It was used by the Druids to make their sacred wines, Blackberry being the most sacred. The Danaan taught the Druids the fine art of winemaking, insuring the vine's sacred status. Wine loosens inhibitions and allows one to speak more truthfully than normal. The Vine indicates the release of prophetic powers. Open your inner self so it may harvest and gather all signs and omens that it is capable of understanding. Allow yourself this boon. Michaelmas (September 29) is traditionally the last day of the harvest season. 9/5ish: Horn Dance (first Monday after 9/4), six men take the mask of the reindeer, with long horns. One three-man team's horns are white, the other's are painted blue. They dance toward each other, but never fight, and eventually pass through to the other sides. The dance also includes a hobby horse, a man dressed as Maid Marian, a boy with bow and arrow, a triangle player, a musician and a Fool. Saxons called September Haefest or Gerst monath (Harvest or Barley), when they harvested barley for their favourite drink, barley brew. 9/?: Crying the Neck: When the time came to reap the last handful of standing corn, one of the reapers would lift up the bunch high above his head and call out loudly: "We have it! We have it! We have it!" "What 'ave 'ee? What 'ave 'ee? What 'ave 'ee?" "A neck! A neck! A neck!" "Hurrah! Hurrah for the neck! Hurrah for Mr. (The Farmer's Name)!" Represents the cutting of the symbolic corn spirit. The neck itself is quickly woven into a "shock" or Corn Dolly carried to oversee the Harvest Feast Guldize (Goel Dheys, Goldize or Nickly Dize). The dollies are burned at Christmas or fed to the "best cattle" on Christmas Eve as a symbol of good luck: "On the evening the neck was cut the harvesters would repair to the farmhouse kitchen. Numerous company in addition to farmers own family would sit down to a substantial meal of broiled pork and potatoes, the second course consisted of Apple pie, cream and 'fuggans' the whole being washed down with cider and spirits. The playing of music and communal singing followed sometimes throughout the night.. A number of songs in particular have been recorded as being sung on these occasions, including "Green Brooms", "Here's a health to the barley mow" and "Harvest Home." 19-Sep 13: (9/22 Festival of Nemesis, 9/21 Mabon/Equinox) Quarter - Quert / Apple - The earliest cultivated tree; associated with choice. Auction held for single acre plots on two pieces of common land. Plots were marked and matching marks made on the fruit. The apples were then placed in a bag and commoners were allocated land by the distribution of the fruit. All the acres of land were similar, as many times today choices must be made between similar and equally attractive things. Regardless, the choice must be made. It is said that you may cut an apple into three pieces, then rub the cut side on warts, saying: "Out warts, into apple." Then bury the pieces and as the apple decays, the warts will disappear. Use apple cider in any old spells calling for blood or wine. Useful for love and healing magic. Of slight build, lots of charm, appeal and attraction, pleasant aura, flirtatious, adventurous, sensitive, always in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, scientific talents, lives for today, a carefree philosopher with imagination. 9/14: Holy Rood Day. Traditionally, children would leave school to gather nuts on this day. Church Clipping: It involves surrounding a Church by holding hands. The custom is supposed to be an outward display of affection by the parishioners, for their church. Its origins are unknown. Hop Hoodening - Canterbury Kent - Early September. The county of Kent was the main hop growing area in the country. Hop Hoodening celebrates the harvesting of the hops. The celebration begins with a Procession through the shopping precincts into the Cathedral by the Hop Queen in a Hop Bower, followed by country dancers and Morris Men. The procession is usually accompanied by two Hooden Horses. 21 Sep: (9/29 Michaelmas; 10/11 Old Michaelmas; cliffhanger into Samhain) Gort/Ivy: 9/30 10/27 - Consumed by the Druids to stimulate dreaming, a true insight to the future. Dreaming was a very important oracle, revered nearly to the level of human sacrifice. Ivy can grow and spread in any climate. It is strong and difficult to destroy. Growing in a helix pattern it represents the spiral of the self and the search for the self. Ivy symbolizes the soul's wandering inward and outward seeking nourishment and experience from both the inside and out to achieve enlightenment. Ivy indicates the search for the self. Saxons called it Wyn Monath because it was the season of wine making. Always will there be Twenty-nine fine days in October. At 7pm on 7 Oct, they ring the bells of Hampshire to bring lost travelers home. 10th: Old Michaelmas Day: Some activities moved forward eleven days; Mop Fairs or Hiring Fairs took place on an around Michaelmas Day. Job Fair for people looking for work. The new masters and mistresses would walk around the fair and talk to the people. When they had come to an agreement, they gave the servant a small token - maybe something like 5p. The servant would then remove the sign of his job and replace it with a bunch of brightly coloured ribbons to let everyone else know that he had been hired. Calling the Mare: The farmers would race to finish, to prove their farm had the best reapers. The last sheaf is made a rough mare shape quickly sent round to any unfinished farms. It was a way of saying wild horses would be after his crops, if he didn't gather them in quickly. The men would run round to the neighbouring farm, throw the mare over the hedge into the field where the other farmer was working, and they would shout 'Mare, Mare' and then run away. The farmer, who received the mare, would then have to work quickly to see if he could finish before another farm did, then he would throw the mare to them. The farmer who was last to finish had to keep the mare all year and have it on display so that everyone knew he had been the slowest farmer of that year. A corn dolly could also be made, for the spirit of the Corn Goddess, who dies when the corn is harvested unless some is saved; she rests until planting in this form. Michaelmas begins the winter night curfew at 9pm, "cover fire" meaning to douse household fires. In Chertsy it rings from Michaelmas to Lady Day (3/25). It's also called Goose Day, as we eat goose on Michaelmas (possible because as a rents/quarter day, late tenants would bring a goose to bribe the landlord). Never eat blackberries after Michaelmas. If the breast bones of the goose are brown after roasting the following winter should be mild, but if the bones are white or have a slight blue hue then the winter will be severe. The Victorians believed that trees planted on this day would grow especially well. The ring hidden in a Michaelmas pie means that one would soon be married. 9/30: The day after Michalmas, the job fair (Mop Fair) for laborers begins. The Cliffhanger is (Michaelmas) Calling the Mare. Winemaking, tree-planting. After 21 Sep - Harvest's End. 10/18 St Luke's Day: Rituals to see the future marriage. Before going to bed they must put on their faces a mixture of spices, honey and vinegar, and to bed with the following rhyme: "St Luke, St Luke, be kind to me, / In dreams let me my true love see." Also known as Dog Whipping Day: All strays must be whipped out of town. St Luke's Little Summer: Known as the center of a spell of particularly fine weather. The Berry Man and the Corn Queene 10/04: St Francis Day, swallows fly to the bottom of ponds and hibernate through the winter. Folk explanation for migratory patterns. 9/29: Michaelmas. St. Michael is the patron saint of the sea and maritime lands, of ships and boatmen, of horses and horsemen. He was the Angel who hurled Lucifer from Heaven. This is traditionally the last day of the Harvest, which begins at Lammas. 21 Oct: 31-Oct 15: Samhain (11/1 All Hallows, Day of the Dead, Day of Banshees; 11/2 All Faithful Departed; 11/5 Guy Fawkes; 11/11 is Martinmas and Feast of All Angels.) Cross-Quarter Pethboc/Reed: 10/28-11/24 - Peith stood for NG originally, or Ngetal, the Reed. Only later did it signify Peith, the Guelder Rose, or water Elder. Holy to the Druids for making sacred darts and arrows. Used to make arrows; symbolic of music, bagpipes and flutes. In winter villagers rethatched their roofs with reed for security in the cold ahead. Weavers used reed to separate threads and to beat the fibres before spinning. Reed indicates direct action, and finding direction and meanings to the purpose of your journey. Koad / Grove - Their branches are never pruned or loped. Various trees, among them the Oak, by a stream. It is here all meetings by the Druids were held 'in the face of the Sun and in the eye of Light.Here grievances were heard and judgements rendered that would settle issues. Grove indicates all knowledge, past, present and future, where all are linked in unity, and the resolution of conflict. 10/28ish: Punky Night falls on the last Thursday in October. All the men of Hinto St George went off to a fair. When they failed to return that evening, the women went looking for them by the light of punkies: A pumpkin which has been hollowed out and has a candle standing inside it. Traditionally children carve Jack O'Lanterns and march the streets in groups singing traditional ?punky? songs, calling in at friendly houses and competing for best lantern with rival groups they meet. The streets would be lit with the light of the Punkies. Nowadays, on Punky Night in Hinton St George, Somerset, local children join a procession through the village streets, swinging their homemade lanterns and going house to house, singing traditional ?punky? songs and sometimes getting a few pennies at the front door. 10/31 Eve of All Hallows: The night when ghosts, witches, and fairies are especially active. Anglo-Saxons called November 'Wind monath' for the cold winds began to blow, and 'Blod monath', because it was the time when carnival charactercattle were slaughtered for winter food. 11/01: All Saints' Day, previously known as All Hallows, which begins the night before. Saints are men and women from all ages and all walks of life, who were outstanding Christians. All Saints' Day, together with All Souls' Day are know collectively as Hallowtide. 11/02: All Souls' Day. Not just the great and the good, but the ordinary ones. Families visit graves with bunches of flowers and in church the names of the dead may be read out on request. A pilgrim returning from the Holy Land took refuge on a rocky island during a storm; there a hermit told him about a passage to purgatory where they were being tortured. The Abbot of Cluny set All Souls' apart for 'all the dead who have existed from the beginning of the world to the end of time'. The day purposely follows All Saints' Day in order to shift the focus from those in heaven to those in purgatory. Poor Christians offer prayers for the dead, in return for money or food (soul cakes), from their wealthier neighbours. It became a children's tradition, Souling, with the hooden horse. A Soul Cake is like a hot cross bun but without the currants or the cross on top. All Souls' night when the dead revisited their homes, so lit candles were left out to guide them and meals and wine were left as refreshment. Soul Cakes would be taken door to door by children, who would exchange them with householders for gifts of sweets, pennies, and this would be good luck for both parties. 11/04: Mischief Night. All sorts of naughty things done, mainly putting things in the wrong place. 11/05: Guy Fawkes Night/Bonfire Night 11/11: Martinmas Day. A time for celebrations with great feasts and hiring fairs, at which farm labourers would seek new posts. Also when autumn wheat seedling is complete. The farmer's custom was to provide a cakes-and-ale feast for workers. These special cakes were made with seeds and whole grains, and called Hopper Cakes. Armistice Day has replaced Martinmas entirely. If the wind is in the SW, it'll stay there through Candlemas, ensuring a mild snow-free winter. "Wind north-west at Martinmas, severe winter to come." 11/05: Turning the Devil's Stone - Shebbear, near Holsworthy. It's a six-foot, one-ton stone under an ancient oak, for time immemorial. Nobody knows how it got there, but every time it's been moved it returns. Or the Devil is underneath and might escape. 11/23: Old Clem's Night. The traditional blacksmith's day, held in honour of St Clement, patron saint of Blacksmiths. 10/31: Allantide (Calan Gwaf or Nos Calan Gwaf) - The point in the year when the veil between this world and the next was most thin. The shops display highly polished large apples. On the day itself, these were given to each member of the family as a token of good luck. Older girls would place these apples under their pillows to dream of their future husband. A local game: A cross of two planks, nailed, suspended with 4 candles on each arm. Apples suspended under the cross. The goal of the game was to catch the apples in your mouth, with hot wax being the penalty for slowness or inaccuracy." The village children would deem it a great misfortune were they to go to bed on "Allan-night" without the time-honoured Allan apple to hide beneath their pillows. 21nov- 21dec: The final double-sized chapter takes us from the Dark Moon to Midwinter. Elderflower is about medicine, death, blessings and curses. Sacred to the White Lady and connects us with the Midsummer Solstice. Wands can drive out evil spirits/thoughtforms. Under an elder at Midsummer, as in a Fairy Ring of mushrooms, helps see the "little people." Remember the words of the Rede. Elder is the Lady's Tree, burn it not or cursed ye be! Elder regrows damaged branches with ease and can root rapidly from any part. Tea purifies the blood. Indicates the end in the beginning and the beginning in the end. Life in Death and Death in Life. Though one aspect of your life is over, another begins anew. Changes from the old will bring creativity, to usher in new ideas and thoughts. Links are continually formed as new phases of life and experience repeat in different forms that lead to renewal. 11/28ish: Stir Up Sunday, the Sunday before Advent (last Sunday of the Church year). Everyone in the family takes a turn stirring the Christmas pudding, whilst making a wish. Traditionally made with 13 ingredients and stirred from East to West for the Wise Men. The traditional coin was an old silver sixpence or threepenny bit. Other traditional additions to the pudding included a ring, to foretell a marriage, and a thimble for a lucky life. Music on panpipes or flutes of elder have the same power as the wand: Solving the Vintner's depression, reunion of the two families and Farms, the destruction of the wedding, the end of the Vintner? ONE MONTH OF HONEY The Witch's Girl makes her way through the town's Midwinter celebrations to collect the Soldier's Children. She is frightened by the townspeople, having come from the North where her kind were hunted to the death. Their rhyming games -- "Witcher, Witcher, Goona Getcha" -- terrify her, but the Farmer's young son Roan takes her easily in hand. Leading the Children back toward the Witch's home, they are all relieved to find that Kenning Cross's traditions are altogether less dark and frightening than in the North: When the Witch of the game is caught, instead of being murdered she is made to grant wishes. She wakes up cold, and trying not to wake the Witch When they come back to the house she's unexpectedly kind But first, the witcher rhyme The farmer's boy Memories of back north First finale: War for the Groves Brute/Witch Girl Witch Girl/Bard Bard/Vintner Vintner/Groves Second finale: might be the wedding of the Nixie Bard/Youngest Youngest/Brute Brute/Children Children/Vintner Third finale: Sacking of the Cross Bard/Witches Witches/Grove Grove/Children Vintner/Brute Fourth finale: Redemption of the Vintner Bard/Groves Groves/Brute Brute/Children Children/Vintner Eventually they come south looking for the Witch's girl, who is a princess back home. They raze the village, including the death of Roan. There is a white tree on the edge of town planted by the three Sisters to warn of a coming threat. Meanwhile, the Brute prepares to make pact with the forest demons of his childhood. He recalls the dying wishes of the Soldier's Wife, who was also from the North, and her memories of their wedding. He remembers his experiences with the forest, thereby introducing us to his brothers in memory. The mission into the forest at midnight on the Solstice, then, are a journey not just into memory and darkness but also through the experience of grief. We see also the differing perspective of his family with regard to magic, the fear and superstition that will play a great role in the war between Grove and Vineyard. When the Fetch finally arrives, his eyes are of the wrong color. Agatha, Agnes and Aithne. Agatha lives at the top of the south side, Agnes and Taffy live halfway up the north side. Aithne and her goddess lover Brigid travel the world, and have no fixed address. Agnes is Pure, and uncivilized. Agatha is Good, but unfeeling. Aithne is Fire, a ranger to Agnes's witch or Agatha's Heirophant. Brigid is a White Phoenix of the Crown basically. The Burning of the Clocks at Midwinter ? the shortest day and longest night of the year. Birchwood to build cradles, and the birching of criminals for a better next year. The saint of children: Boy Bishops elected to be head priest for the week. Costumed swimming! Mumming: St. George and the Dragon. An egg and potato pie, with protruding fish heads. A lantern procession. Fire dances. Tom Bawcock, the rooster of the new sun. The lighting of the harbor fires Lord of Misrule, beginning the celebration of Saturnalia. Slaves were waited on by their masters. The master of revels, the Lord of Misrule, presides from All Hallows to Candlemas (2 February). TREES?see this entry on Celtic Ogham Symbols Griffin & Gracie (30-40K) Planting: Lady Day to May Day (25 Mar - 1 May) (10-13K) Granny's fear of Owen's tortures, her grief, her discomfort with the creatures; Griffin receives word of Simon's two strange children and wigs out; The witches do their spells in secret, unleashing coincidences. 4-5k The children arrive; Griffin needs help but Taffy hates him and Flora's loyalty is divided; Owen learns Simon's children have arrived -- and gone to his disowned oldest son. 3-4k Taffy does her spell in secret, unleashing coincidences; lives with the Ladies; Griffin tries to hide his magical researches from the children. 3-4k Midsummer: May Day to Midsummer to Lammas (24 June - 1 August) (10-13K) Owen struggles with the Wild Gods over his lands and over Eunice; The witches work against Owen's own work to save the family; spell update. 3-4k Granny helps Taffy with Griffin; Owen leans on Morgan to marry Flora, even after a visit from the Aunties; Grace continues working with the creatures/her grief. 4-5k The witches give Eunice her last magical gift, having been ignored by Owen; Simon's children have magic of their own. Flora keeps their secret. 3-4k Harvest: Lammas to Michaelmas to All Hallows' (1 August - 1 November) (10-13K) Granny moves through grief and into light, as the Groves spring back to life; Eunice vanishes and Owen freaks out on his victims. Morgan gives him harsh words. 3-4k Taffy, Griffin and the children. Dinner with Morgan and Flora; The vineyard is control, the Groves are abundance. The triumph of Grace. Spell update. 4-5k Secrets and attraction in Griffin's house come to light; Flora gets honest; Owen has come to respect Grace, and his overtures are met with confusion and care; Taffy and Griffin's happy new family is threatened by Simon's return. 3-4k Eunice & Eustace (30-40K) The Dark of the Year: Christmas and New Year (10-13K) Eustace returns to wake Eunice and cause trouble; Simon reconciles with his children; spell update; Eustace's wild magic twists the spells even further, but only the children get it. 3-4k Morgan and Taffy try to hide their secrets from Simon; Simon and Grace visit the Ladies; Eustace visits Grace and makes pact with the creatures. 4-5k Eunice visits the Ladies and acknowledges Taffy for the first time; Grace realizes her feelings for Owen have changed and she offers aid. 3-4k Midwinter: New Year to Candlemas (10-13K) Owen must deal with his newborn mother, a Sleeping Beauty in a suddenly old body; Simon is tortured by his own memories. 3-4k Griffin and Taffy try to hide their secrets from Simon and Morgan; Eunice must reexamine her own faith after a visit from similarly young Agnes; spell update 3-4k Morgan hides his secret from Simon; Simon tries to intervene for Griffin and, obliquely, Morgan, but Owen disowns all of them; Eunice and Eustace attempt to reconcile 4-5k End of Winter: Candlemas To Lady Day (10-13K) Simon joins his children in Griffin's house; Taffy tries to quell her love for Griffin; Morgan tries to make it work with Flora despite Simon's support; Eunice dies and Owen wigs out, while Nick's magic is on the wane. 3-4k Flora and the witches plot to avert the wedding without hurting anybody; Flora and Taffy bond over the boys, and another plot is hatched to save Nick. 4-5k Grace repudiates Owen over his uncaring approach to his children; Eustace and the children take control of the Vineyard and the Groves; spell update 3-4k Agnes & Agatha (30-40K) Planting: Lady Day to May Day (25 Mar - 1 May) (10-13K) Eunice's funeral, and the Ladies' plot to save Owen from his sadness and heal the family; Mysterious Taffy is threatened by a strange and savage threat; Flora brings the brothers together and warns them of Taffy's burden 4-5k The witches attempt to protect Taffy and seal off the house of women; The Ladies beg Grace to forgive Owen in his pain; Morgan and Flora discuss Nick and his people 3-4k The children reach out to Nick's people despite the dishonor they have suffered; spell update; Grace visits Owen and is brutally rebuffed, as Morgan learns the truth of their line. 3-4k Midsummer: May Day to Midsummer to Lammas (24 June - 1 August) (10-13K) The enemy is not what it seems: Heralds of the Hunt, to take Taffy's mortality; Simon deals with the clear love between Griffin and Taffy at his childrens' behest; spell update 3-4k Eustace and Owen bond over their grief, but Owen refuses to unite the family; Simon is forced to acknowledge the truth about Morgan; the boys fight about Aggie 3-4k Flora comes to the house of women to retrieve Taffy and explain the threat of the Hunt; Morgan and Griffin must locate Simon as he struggles with his grief and memories; The Hunt; vineyard finally falls Wild: The true end to the spells, and Owen's grief. 4-5k Harvest: Lammas to Michaelmas to All Hallows' (1 August - 1 November) (10-13K) Simon is brought back to life by the love of his children and realizes he loves Flora; After the Hunt, Agnes and Agatha bequeath their magic to Taffy, Grace and Flora 3-4k Griffin and the children work to bring Simon back into the family; Grace and Taffy work together to convince the Ladies to relent; Simon apologizes to Morgan and the three brothers are reunited under Aggie's ghost; The motherless imbalance is set right, the vineyard and grove are cleansed by fire 4-5k Taffy/Griffin (Maiden/Son), Flora/Simon (Mother/Father), Grace/Owen (Crone/Spirit); Eustace and the Children bless the fourth union (Nick/Morgan), mixing magic and faith, goodbye to the Ladies and Eustace 3-4k ? 21 Jan - Apple Howling - The Widow and Rogue, the Brute and Fetch, and the Widow and the Vintner The Grove: Good spirits called to replace evil spirits to produce a good crop for the year's cider. Cider and cake is offered to tree feted as guardian of the orchard. The "Loving Cup" is shared around the room and house, then wassailed through the village. Villagers with pots and pans, chanting a racket to raise the Sleeping Tree and scare demons. The biggest and best tree was then selected and cider poured over its roots. It is freezing! Warm cider on arrival, then sent to the Groves. A bonfire is there. Vicar blesses the trees, and a kid climbs a tree to put toast in it for the birds that eat the insects Then cider is poured round the roots of a chosen tree. Then home for more wassail and potluck. Plough Monday/St. Distaff's Day: Return to work after Midwinter holidays. Blackthorn: Its fruits ripen and sweeten only after the nip of the frost. White flowers even before leaves in the spring; with vicious thorns. Used for magical weapons and to pierce waxen images. Strong action of fate/outside influences that must be obeyed. If you look through a never-washed silk handkerchief at the Year's First New Moon, the number of moons you see will be the number of years until you're married. But it is unlucky to see the new moon through a window. To dream of him, go out and stand over the spars of a gate or stile and sing to the Moon. We bring greenery into the house to protect the tree spirits (holly, ivy) and release them again. At First Footing, midnight, you wait behind your door for a dark-haired stranger. He carries coal to keep the house warm, bread to keep the family fed, money for abundance, greenery for longevity; he leaves taking ashes with him. A flat cake is put on the horns of a cow in the farmyard. The farmer and workers sing and dance around the cow until it's thrown to the ground: If it falls before, good luck; if behind, bad. Twelfth Night tricks: Blackbirds into a hollow pie, or fruitcake with secret items: A bean that makes you Queen of the Bean, and you can tell everybody what to do. A clove for a villain, a twig for a fool. ? 21 Feb - The Widow and the Vintner, the Rogue and the Children, the Brute and the Naif. St. Brigid Fires! 2/1; Imbolc/Candlemas 2/2, month of Rowan. Burned to summon spirits to fight for the Druid's causes. Heal the wounded, add a year to one's life, and used in great oracles. Mountain Ash and Witchwood, long known as an aid and protection against enchantment. Divination and dowsing. Fire Festival: Lantern & torch parade with fire-jugglers, antler-wearing drummers, Celtic characters, fire druids, a 12ft Jack Frost and spring's Green Man. Blessing the Throats: Two candles are tied together, lit, and touched on to the necks of people suffering from sore throats. Candlemas, the festival of lights. Marks the midpoint of winter, halfway between the shortest day and the spring equinox. All the candles used during the coming year were brought into church and blessed. Not only were candles the only source of light, but were thought to be protective against plague, illness and famine. Light the darkness. Celebrated the increasing strength of the life-giving sun as winter gave way to spring. 2/12-14: Said to be Borrowed Days, from January. If these days were stormy, the year would be favored with good weather: but if fine, the year's weather would be foul. The last three days of March were said to be borrowed from April. The snowdrop appears on this day, symbolizing hope given to Eve by a kindly angel, to remind us that all winters eventually give way to spring. 2/14: The day birds choose their mates. The first man an unmarried woman sees will be her future husband. Write the names of all your suitors and wrap in clay, then into water: The one that rises first is his name. If you see a robin overhead, you'll marry a sailor. If a sparrow, poor but happy. A goldfinch means a rich man. Mystery messages never revealed. Imbolc is based on a 2000 year old Celtic festival, marking the first signs of spring. It features a procession, fire 'circus' drama and music. Nion/Ash: 2/18-3/17 - The Sacred Tree Of Rebirth. Ash wands are good for healing, general and solar magic. Put fresh ash leaves under your pillow to stimulate psychic dreams. The toughest, most elastic wood. Used in weaver's beams. Women would weave cloth and intermingling threads together in a tight pattern as the microcosm and the macrocosm are united. Ash indicates the linking of the inner and outer worlds. 2/22: Roman Terminalia in honour of Terminus, the god of landmarks, to whom cakes and wine were offered, sports and dancing taking place at the boundaries. Similar pagan practices were brought by the Vikings. Beating the bounds is an ancient custom still observed in some English and Welsh parishes. Under the name of the Gangdays going a-ganging was kept before the Norman Conquest. A group of old and young members of the community would walk the boundaries of the parish, usually led by the parish priest and church officials, to share the knowledge of where they lay, and to pray for protection and blessings for the lands. When maps were rare it was usual to make a formal perambulation of the parish boundaries on Ascension Day or Rogation Week. Knowledge of the limits of each parish needed to be handed down so that such matters as liability to contribute to the repair of the church, and the right to be buried within the churchyard were not disputed. The priest of the parish with the churchwardens and the parochial officials headed a crowd of boys who, armed with green boughs, usually birch or willow, beat the parishboundary markers with them. Sometimes the boys were themselves whipped or even violently bumped on the boundary-stones to make them remember. The object of taking boys along is supposed to ensure that witnesses to the boundaries should survive as long as possible. At Manchester in 1597 John Dee recorded in his diary that he with the curate, the clerk and "diverse of the town of diverse ages" perambulated the parish taking six days in all. Another: "...Whipping the boys by way of remembrance, and stopping their cry with some half-pence; we returned to church again, which Perambulation and Processioning had not been made for five years last past." In Portsmouth the bounds were shoreline and the route was followed by boat rather than on foot. Parish officers still have the legal right to enter private property in carrying it out and also use the rates to cover expenses properly incurred (including refreshments, but not music, etc.). Perambulations must be at least three years apart. Up to 21 Mar - The Widow and the Witch, the Naif and the Witch, the Rogue and the Brute Sheela's Day 3/18 - Youths "prowl the streets with short clubs, to knock loudly at every door and run away. If nobody responds, and any article carelessly guarded, the things are stolen and displayed in a weird place the next day -- to expose the disgraceful want of vigilance supposed to characterize the owner. The individuals concerned represent imps of darkness, that seize on and expose unguarded moments: 'Nicka nicka nan / Give me some pancake, and then I'll be gone / But if you give me none / I'll throw a great stone / And down your door shall come.'" They make a jackolantern straw man like a Guy, paraded through the town, pelted and burnt. Sexual exploits and the witcher witcher stuff. Cliffhanger is the secret council and the mutual discovery of the Rogue's and Children's magic ? After 21 Mar - Next FREE chapter; the followup to council and magical discoveries, and I guess death of the Fetch? Lady Day and Old Lady Day are in this chapter: 3/25-4/6. 3/21 Equinox, 3/25 Lady Day (4/6 Old Lady Day 12 days for contracts to be created/renewed - not one thing or the other) Alder is used for underwater foundations and pilings, bridges, dairy vessels and whistles. Bran used His body as a bridge to span dangerous waters. Bran's Head was oracular. Alder indicates protection and oracular powers. In Cornwall, Good Friday isn't a day of mourning but a feast, Goody Friday. Recreational walks to special spots around the village. Cakes, buns and spiced breads, sometimes at informal markets, and gathering trigg meat. ? 21 Apr - From the Day of All Fools to Cuckoo's Fair (4/21). Alder (3/18-4/14) In The Battle of the Trees, Alder fought in the front-line. It is the Battle Witch of all woods, and is hottest in a fight. Its green whistles could call the North Winds or bound in pan flute for Air elementals. 4/14 is the arrival of the Cuckoo. In the south an Old Woman releases the Cuckoo from her basket, whereupon he "flies northward, carrying warmer days." If you hear him sing on that day, turn over all the money in your pockets, spit and don't look at the ground! If you are standing on soft ground when you do it, you will have loads of good luck. However if you are standing on hard ground - the cuckoo's call means bad luck. On 4/15: Swallow's Day. The swallow comes out from under the ponds! 4/6: Candle Auctions. A candle is lit and a pin stuck in 2.5cm from the top. Then people start bidding for a piece of church land to let to the poor for a year. The person bidding when the candle burned down enough to let the pin fall became the owner of the land. 4/30: Walpurgis Night, Beltane Eve: Celtic Fire Festival celebrating the coming of summer. 5/5 is Jack in the Green. 5/1: May Day or Garland Day. Dancing around maypoles, hobby horses, Robin Hood and Jack in the Green. Greenery collected by children to make garlands, then parade around with them as flags, crosses or hoops, and collecting money. Sometimes this was known as May Dolling because often placed in the centre of the garland was a small doll. 5/8ish: Furry Dance, Cornwall. The Floral Dance always takes place on the 8th of May, except when that falls on a Sunday or Monday, when the Dance is held on the previous Saturday. One of the oldest surviving customs in the Country, and is a festival to celebrate the coming of spring. The oldest May Day celebration still taking place today is the Padstow 'Obby 'Oss celebration in Cornwall. Its roots date back to the 14th century. Every May Day thousands of people come to see the two famous Hobby Horses, the Old Oss and the Blue Ribbon Oss. The whole town is ablaze with bluebells, forget-me-nots, cowslips, and sycamore twigs. Dancing and other celebrations take place all day. The rest of the day was given over to various festivities. There was dancing on the village green, archery contest and exhibitions of strength. The highlight of the day was the crowning of the May Queen, the human replica of Flora. By tradition she took no part in the games or dancing, but sat like a queen in a flower-decked chair to watch her 'subjects'. Young girls would make May Garlands. They covered two hoops, one at right angles inside the other, with leaves and flowers, and sometimes they put a doll inside to represent the goddess of Spring. 5/1: First thing in the morning, young girls rush out into the garden to wash their faces in the dew. May dew has magic properties and anyone who has washed their face in it will have a beautiful complexion all through the year. It removes freckles and also spots and pimples. This Beltane is also a cliffhanger. 5/1ish: The Cornish giant Bolster would terrorise the people of St Agnes through very anti-social behaviour such as being cruel to his wife and eating small children. But then he was outwitted and killed by local girl Agnes. Throughout the Giant Bolster weekend, locals and visitors celebrate the rise and fall of the tyrant with street theatre, a lantern procession, bonfire and barbecue. 5/5ish: Sweeps Festival, (First weekend in May). Chimney Sweeps welcoming the summer so that they could clean the dirty chimneys. May Day Celebrations centred around the blowing of large tin horns. As soon as the clock has told of midnight, a loud blast on tin trumpets proclaims the advent of May. At daybreak, with their "tintarrems," they proceed to the country, and strip the sycamore-trees (called May-trees) of all their young branches, to make whistles. With these shrill musical instruments they return home. Young men and women devote May-day to junketing and picnics. Youth stay up until midnight and then march the town with violins and fifes, to summon their friends to the Maying. All gathered, they went into the country, welcomed at any farmhouses at which they called, with rum and milk, junket, or something of that sort. They gathered the "May," which included the young branches of any tree in blossom or fresh leaf. The branches of the sycamore were especially cut for the purpose of making the "May-music." This was done by cutting a circle through the bark to the wood a few inches from the end of the branch. The, bark was wetted and carefully beaten until it was loosened and could be slid off from the wood. The wood was cut angularly at the end, so as to form a mouth-piece, and a slit was made in both the bark and the wood, so that when the bark was replaced a whistle was formed. Prepared with a sufficient number of May whistles, all the party returned to the town, the band playing, whistles blowing, and the young people singing some. 8 May: Helston Furry (except when on Monday or Sunday) has two main customs. The Furry Dance (costumes, incl morning formal at Midday and Lily of the Valley) and the Hal an Tow. Morning Dance at Guildhall at 0700, Hal-an-Tow at St John's Bridge 0830, Children's Dance at Wendron Street 0950, Midday Dance at Guildhall 1200, Evening Dance at Guildhall 1700. The Furry dance tune played by local bands ("John the Bone") is never recorded officially and passed on only by word of mouth: "John the Bone was walking home, when he met with Sally Dover, He kissed her once, he kissed her twice, and he kissed her three times over." Hal an Tow is a "mummers play" similar to St George and the Turkish Knight. 5/1: May Day Tricks. In the North of England, the first of May was a kind of late 'April Fooling' when all sorts of pranks would take place and 'May Gosling' was the shout if you managed to trick someone. The response would be: 'May Goslings past and gone. You're the fool for making me one!' 5/1ish: Beating the Bounds. Walking the parish boundary to pray for protection became important part of the ceremony as it provided the community with a mental map which could be drawn on in disputes over boundaries. It is celebrated with Ganging Beer and Rammalation biscuits. ? After 21 May: Willow: A moon tree sacred to the White Lady its groves so magical that priests and poets sat among these trees to gain eloquence, inspiration, skills and prophecies. For a wish to be granted, ask permission of the willow, explaining your desire. Select a pliable shoot and tie a loose knot in it while expressing what you want. When the wish is fulfilled. return and untie the knot. Remember to thank the willow and leave a gift. Her catkins, which appear in early spring before her leaves, attract bees to start the cycle of pollination. She indicates cycles, rhythms and the ebb and flux. "Though quite different from The Dark is Rising, Greenwitch actually gave me a similar feeling. Again we have nature as something ancient and awe-inspiring. This time, that feeling is transmitted now my winter, but by the sea. The sea, or the sound of the sea, is always in the background, and it feels a little menacing. It?s not that it?s dark or hostile, but it?s not welcoming either. It just is. It?s there, it?s large and it?s older than we are." May: Cornwall "Revels" are common at this time of year in the small villages in the Bude area. 5/29: Oak Apple Day: Wearing oak apples or leaves to remember the restoration of the monarchy. The king hid in an oak tree. If you forget, you may be pinched, kicked or whipped with nettles. 30-May 8: (5/20 Feast Queen Kore, 5/24 Birth of Diana, 5/26 Diana of the Wildwood) Uath/Hawthorn: 5/13-6/9 - Also Whitethorn; considered unlucky, used for harmful spells. Hawthorn was used to abstain from sexual activity, as it was believed that a child conceived during this month would come to no good. Five torches of Hawthorn were burned the night before the month began, to help survive the month, and marriages were banned. The custom of May being an unlucky month for marriage came from this. Also known as May Tree and White Thorn. Wands made of this wood are of great power. The blossoms are highly erotic to men. Hawthorn can be used for protection, love and marriage spells. Provides the hottest fire known. Tea aids with anxiety, appetite loss and poor circulation. This small tree can create dense thickets and have thorns that are an excellent defense. The Hawthorn signifies cleansing, protection and chastity. 5/30ish: Blessing the Sea: The fishing season begins at the end of May and the custom of blessing the sea goes back to medieval times. June is named for Roman Juno, the goddess of marriage. June is the time for Well Dressing. Springs and wells of fresh water that come from the underground streams have always seemed magical, so some are honored with decorations of branches, greenery, and mosaics made from petals and moss. ? 21 Jun: Well-Dressing: Decorating wells, which are already magical. 20-Jun 9: (6/14 Birth of the Muses; 6/21 Cerridwen & Cauldron / Day of the Green Man / Litha / Solstice / Irish faery goddess Aine of Knockaine: Day of All Heras / Worm Charming - 6/24 Midsummer romantic farce) Quarter Solstice Duir/Oak: 6/10-7/7 - Derived from the word Door, and considered a dimension door of sorts to the Druids. The Head of the pantheon, the Royal Oak, king of all trees, was used to pass through the forest, to other oaks within the woods. Its wood was used exclusively to stoke the Midsummer fires. Oak galls, Serpent Eggs, were used in magickal charms. Acorns gathered at night held the greatest fertility powers. Burning leaves purifies.The rustling oak leaves and the wrens in the trees for divinatory messages. Grows slowly. Druids taught lessons under the Oak. Duir means doorway. This tree indicates protection - a doorway to mysteries and strengths. 6/21: The longest day. Midsummers Day. Associated with witches, magic, fairies and dancing 6/20: Midsummer's Eve. Bonfires are burnt in praise of the sun. Any rose picked on Midsummer's Eve or Day will keep fresh until Christmas. At midnight on the Eve, young girls scatter rose petals before them and say "Rose leaves, rose leaves, / Rose leaves I strew. / He that will love me / Come after me now." Then at Midsummer, their true love will visit them. Midsummer Bonfires: A chain of bonfires lit one after another on hilltops from Lands End in the far South West to Kithill on the border with Devon in the East. They are a celebration of summer, lit on the eve of longest day (the evening being the start of the celtic day). 6/23-28: Golowan (Goluan or Gol-Jowan) is the Cornish word for Midsummer celebrations. St Johns Eve to St Peters Eve, the latter more popular among fishers. Centered around bonfires and fireworks, and associated rituals. Old Cornwall Societies light bonfires in a giant chain reaching across the region. Elsewhere lines of tar-barrels, occasionally broken by bonfires simultaneously lit in all the streets, whilst bonfires are kindled on all the cairns and hills around the bay, throwing outlines in bold relief against the sky. ? 21 Jul: Holly, second only to Oak in sacredness. Sacred tree of the Furies. Scarlet Oak, infested with a scarlet, berry shaped insect to make red dye and aphrodisiac elixirs. Death/rebirth symbolism of winter; important to the Winter Solstice. Gawain (the Oak King of summer) fought the Green Knight (holly club of winter). The qualities of the spear are balance and directness; directed balance and vigour to fight if just. Holly may be used in spells having to do with sleep or rest, and to ease the passage of death. A bag of leaves and berries carried by a man is said to increase his ability to attract women. Challenges overcome with unity and concerted effort. Ensure the cause is just. As warriors train and retrain until what they do with spears is instinctive, so you too must train and learn daily. Saxon called it Heymonath or Maed monath, haymaking or the flowering of meadows. July is the month when circular flattened patches begin to appear in fields of standing corn. 7/15: St Swithin's Day. Whatever the weather is like on St. Swithin's Day, it will continue so for the next forty days. 7/7ish: Bodmin Riding on the Sunday and Money after the seventh (St Thomas a Becket's Day). A horseback procession around the town carrying two large garlands: "A mock mayor elected, before whom was brought some person charged with wearing one spur or going untrussed, or wanting a girdle, or some such felony, and after arraignment and trial, judgment is given in formal terms, and executed in some one ungracious prank, more to the scorn than hurt of the party condemned. A large body of the populace still assemble on some particular day in July, an'l march to Halagaver, some on horseback and some on foot, carrying garlands of flowers. The evening is spent in wrestling, drinking, &c." 7/20ish: Honiton Fair in Devon, a three-day fair beginning the first Tuesday after 7/19. The town crier opens the fair parading down the High Street with a golden glove at the end of a long pole decorated with garlands of flowers. Hot pennies are then thrown from windows of various pubs. 1-Aug 11: Lammas (Fest of Dryads, water/woodland guardians) Cross-Quarter - Coll/Hazel: 8/5- 9/1 - Hazelnut consumed for wisdom; source of all Arts and Sciences. A forked Hazel stick was used for divining the identity of murderers and thieves. Used to find water, and buried treasure as well, a practice still used by water witches today. Druidic heralds carried White Hazel wands as a symbol of their station. Wands made of this wood symbolize white magick and healing. If in need of magickal protection quickly draw a circle around yourself with a hazel branch. The Sacred Salmon swimming under the overhanging Hazel trees ate 9 nuts of poetic wisdom. The number of spot on the Salmon's side denoted the number of nuts eaten. The tree provides shade, protection and baskets. Twigs were used for divining because of their pliancy and affinity with water. Hazel indicates intuition to lead to the source, poetry, divination and meditation. Saxons called it Weod monath, Weed month, when weeds and other plants grow most rapidly. 8/1: Lammas Day. The beginning of the harvest, when people give thanks for the first corn cut. Farmers made loaves of bread from the new wheat crop and gave them to their local church. Lammas Day used to be a time for foretelling marriages and trying out partners. A "trial marriage" lasts the fair (11 days) to see whether they were suited for wedlock. At the end of the fair, if they didn't get on, the couple could part. Lammas was also the time for farmers to give their farm workers a present of a pair of gloves. A large white glove was put on the end of a long pole decorated with flowers and held high to let people know that the merriment of Lammas Fair was beginning. For good luck, farmers let the first cornbread go stale and crumble it in the corners of their barns. 8/1ish: First week of August, the Royal National Eisteddfod in Wales; originated as a medieval gathering of bards and minstrels, who competed for the prized chair at the noble's table. 8/15ish: Scarecrow Festival, Kettlewell, Yorks. Life-size scarecrows are made and displayed around the village by local people in early to mid-August. A hugely popular event 21 Aug: 29-Aug 12: (Corn Moon 8/10; Feast of Diana and St. Hildegaard as well 9/17) Muin/Vine: 9/2-9/29. Brought to the British Isles by the Tuatha de Danann. It was used by the Druids to make their sacred wines, Blackberry being the most sacred. The Danaan taught the Druids the fine art of winemaking, insuring the vine's sacred status. Wine loosens inhibitions and allows one to speak more truthfully than normal. The Vine indicates the release of prophetic powers. Open your inner self so it may harvest and gather all signs and omens that it is capable of understanding. Allow yourself this boon. Michaelmas (September 29) is traditionally the last day of the harvest season. 9/5ish: Horn Dance (first Monday after 9/4), six men take the mask of the reindeer, with long horns. One three-man team's horns are white, the other's are painted blue. They dance toward each other, but never fight, and eventually pass through to the other sides. The dance also includes a hobby horse, a man dressed as Maid Marian, a boy with bow and arrow, a triangle player, a musician and a Fool. Saxons called September Haefest or Gerst monath (Harvest or Barley), when they harvested barley for their favourite drink, barley brew. 9/?: Crying the Neck: When the time came to reap the last handful of standing corn, one of the reapers would lift up the bunch high above his head and call out loudly: "We have it! We have it! We have it!" "What 'ave 'ee? What 'ave 'ee? What 'ave 'ee?" "A neck! A neck! A neck!" "Hurrah! Hurrah for the neck! Hurrah for Mr. (The Farmer's Name)!" Represents the cutting of the symbolic corn spirit. The neck itself is quickly woven into a "shock" or Corn Dolly carried to oversee the Harvest Feast Guldize (Goel Dheys, Goldize or Nickly Dize). The dollies are burned at Christmas or fed to the "best cattle" on Christmas Eve as a symbol of good luck: "On the evening the neck was cut the harvesters would repair to the farmhouse kitchen. Numerous company in addition to farmers own family would sit down to a substantial meal of broiled pork and potatoes, the second course consisted of Apple pie, cream and 'fuggans' the whole being washed down with cider and spirits. The playing of music and communal singing followed sometimes throughout the night.. A number of songs in particular have been recorded as being sung on these occasions, including "Green Brooms", "Here's a health to the barley mow" and "Harvest Home." 19-Sep 13: (9/22 Festival of Nemesis, 9/21 Mabon/Equinox) Quarter - Quert / Apple - The earliest cultivated tree; associated with choice. Auction held for single acre plots on two pieces of common land. Plots were marked and matching marks made on the fruit. The apples were then placed in a bag and commoners were allocated land by the distribution of the fruit. All the acres of land were similar, as many times today choices must be made between similar and equally attractive things. Regardless, the choice must be made. It is said that you may cut an apple into three pieces, then rub the cut side on warts, saying: "Out warts, into apple." Then bury the pieces and as the apple decays, the warts will disappear. Use apple cider in any old spells calling for blood or wine. Useful for love and healing magic. Of slight build, lots of charm, appeal and attraction, pleasant aura, flirtatious, adventurous, sensitive, always in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, scientific talents, lives for today, a carefree philosopher with imagination. 9/14: Holy Rood Day. Traditionally, children would leave school to gather nuts on this day. Church Clipping: It involves surrounding a Church by holding hands. The custom is supposed to be an outward display of affection by the parishioners, for their church. Its origins are unknown. Hop Hoodening - Canterbury Kent - Early September. The county of Kent was the main hop growing area in the country. Hop Hoodening celebrates the harvesting of the hops. The celebration begins with a Procession through the shopping precincts into the Cathedral by the Hop Queen in a Hop Bower, followed by country dancers and Morris Men. The procession is usually accompanied by two Hooden Horses. 21 Sep: (9/29 Michaelmas; 10/11 Old Michaelmas; cliffhanger into Samhain) Gort/Ivy: 9/30 10/27 - Consumed by the Druids to stimulate dreaming, a true insight to the future. Dreaming was a very important oracle, revered nearly to the level of human sacrifice. Ivy can grow and spread in any climate. It is strong and difficult to destroy. Growing in a helix pattern it represents the spiral of the self and the search for the self. Ivy symbolizes the soul's wandering inward and outward seeking nourishment and experience from both the inside and out to achieve enlightenment. Ivy indicates the search for the self. Saxons called it Wyn Monath because it was the season of wine making. Always will there be Twenty-nine fine days in October. At 7pm on 7 Oct, they ring the bells of Hampshire to bring lost travelers home. 10th: Old Michaelmas Day: Some activities moved forward eleven days; Mop Fairs or Hiring Fairs took place on an around Michaelmas Day. Job Fair for people looking for work. The new masters and mistresses would walk around the fair and talk to the people. When they had come to an agreement, they gave the servant a small token - maybe something like 5p. The servant would then remove the sign of his job and replace it with a bunch of brightly coloured ribbons to let everyone else know that he had been hired. Calling the Mare: The farmers would race to finish, to prove their farm had the best reapers. The last sheaf is made a rough mare shape quickly sent round to any unfinished farms. It was a way of saying wild horses would be after his crops, if he didn't gather them in quickly. The men would run round to the neighbouring farm, throw the mare over the hedge into the field where the other farmer was working, and they would shout 'Mare, Mare' and then run away. The farmer, who received the mare, would then have to work quickly to see if he could finish before another farm did, then he would throw the mare to them. The farmer who was last to finish had to keep the mare all year and have it on display so that everyone knew he had been the slowest farmer of that year. A corn dolly could also be made, for the spirit of the Corn Goddess, who dies when the corn is harvested unless some is saved; she rests until planting in this form. Michaelmas begins the winter night curfew at 9pm, "cover fire" meaning to douse household fires. In Chertsy it rings from Michaelmas to Lady Day (3/25). It's also called Goose Day, as we eat goose on Michaelmas (possible because as a rents/quarter day, late tenants would bring a goose to bribe the landlord). Never eat blackberries after Michaelmas. If the breast bones of the goose are brown after roasting the following winter should be mild, but if the bones are white or have a slight blue hue then the winter will be severe. The Victorians believed that trees planted on this day would grow especially well. The ring hidden in a Michaelmas pie means that one would soon be married. 9/30: The day after Michalmas, the job fair (Mop Fair) for laborers begins. The Cliffhanger is (Michaelmas) Calling the Mare. Winemaking, tree-planting. After 21 Sep - Harvest's End. 10/18 St Luke's Day: Rituals to see the future marriage. Before going to bed they must put on their faces a mixture of spices, honey and vinegar, and to bed with the following rhyme: "St Luke, St Luke, be kind to me, / In dreams let me my true love see." Also known as Dog Whipping Day: All strays must be whipped out of town. St Luke's Little Summer: Known as the center of a spell of particularly fine weather. The Berry Man and the Corn Queene 10/04: St Francis Day, swallows fly to the bottom of ponds and hibernate through the winter. Folk explanation for migratory patterns. 9/29: Michaelmas. St. Michael is the patron saint of the sea and maritime lands, of ships and boatmen, of horses and horsemen. He was the Angel who hurled Lucifer from Heaven. This is traditionally the last day of the Harvest, which begins at Lammas. 21 Oct: 31-Oct 15: Samhain (11/1 All Hallows, Day of the Dead, Day of Banshees; 11/2 All Faithful Departed; 11/5 Guy Fawkes; 11/11 is Martinmas and Feast of All Angels.) Cross-Quarter Pethboc/Reed: 10/28-11/24 - Peith stood for NG originally, or Ngetal, the Reed. Only later did it signify Peith, the Guelder Rose, or water Elder. Holy to the Druids for making sacred darts and arrows. Used to make arrows; symbolic of music, bagpipes and flutes. In winter villagers rethatched their roofs with reed for security in the cold ahead. Weavers used reed to separate threads and to beat the fibres before spinning. Reed indicates direct action, and finding direction and meanings to the purpose of your journey. Koad / Grove - Their branches are never pruned or loped. Various trees, among them the Oak, by a stream. It is here all meetings by the Druids were held 'in the face of the Sun and in the eye of Light.Here grievances were heard and judgements rendered that would settle issues. Grove indicates all knowledge, past, present and future, where all are linked in unity, and the resolution of conflict. 10/28ish: Punky Night falls on the last Thursday in October. All the men of Hinto St George went off to a fair. When they failed to return that evening, the women went looking for them by the light of punkies: A pumpkin which has been hollowed out and has a candle standing inside it. Traditionally children carve Jack O'Lanterns and march the streets in groups singing traditional ?punky? songs, calling in at friendly houses and competing for best lantern with rival groups they meet. The streets would be lit with the light of the Punkies. Nowadays, on Punky Night in Hinton St George, Somerset, local children join a procession through the village streets, swinging their homemade lanterns and going house to house, singing traditional ?punky? songs and sometimes getting a few pennies at the front door. 10/31 Eve of All Hallows: The night when ghosts, witches, and fairies are especially active. Anglo-Saxons called November 'Wind monath' for the cold winds began to blow, and 'Blod monath', because it was the time when carnival charactercattle were slaughtered for winter food. 11/01: All Saints' Day, previously known as All Hallows, which begins the night before. Saints are men and women from all ages and all walks of life, who were outstanding Christians. All Saints' Day, together with All Souls' Day are know collectively as Hallowtide. 11/02: All Souls' Day. Not just the great and the good, but the ordinary ones. Families visit graves with bunches of flowers and in church the names of the dead may be read out on request. A pilgrim returning from the Holy Land took refuge on a rocky island during a storm; there a hermit told him about a passage to purgatory where they were being tortured. The Abbot of Cluny set All Souls' apart for 'all the dead who have existed from the beginning of the world to the end of time'. The day purposely follows All Saints' Day in order to shift the focus from those in heaven to those in purgatory. Poor Christians offer prayers for the dead, in return for money or food (soul cakes), from their wealthier neighbours. It became a children's tradition, Souling, with the hooden horse. A Soul Cake is like a hot cross bun but without the currants or the cross on top. All Souls' night when the dead revisited their homes, so lit candles were left out to guide them and meals and wine were left as refreshment. Soul Cakes would be taken door to door by children, who would exchange them with householders for gifts of sweets, pennies, and this would be good luck for both parties. 11/04: Mischief Night. All sorts of naughty things done, mainly putting things in the wrong place. 11/05: Guy Fawkes Night/Bonfire Night 11/11: Martinmas Day. A time for celebrations with great feasts and hiring fairs, at which farm labourers would seek new posts. Also when autumn wheat seedling is complete. The farmer's custom was to provide a cakes-and-ale feast for workers. These special cakes were made with seeds and whole grains, and called Hopper Cakes. Armistice Day has replaced Martinmas entirely. If the wind is in the SW, it'll stay there through Candlemas, ensuring a mild snow-free winter. "Wind north-west at Martinmas, severe winter to come." 11/05: Turning the Devil's Stone - Shebbear, near Holsworthy. It's a six-foot, one-ton stone under an ancient oak, for time immemorial. Nobody knows how it got there, but every time it's been moved it returns. Or the Devil is underneath and might escape. 11/23: Old Clem's Night. The traditional blacksmith's day, held in honour of St Clement, patron saint of Blacksmiths. 10/31: Allantide (Calan Gwaf or Nos Calan Gwaf) - The point in the year when the veil between this world and the next was most thin. The shops display highly polished large apples. On the day itself, these were given to each member of the family as a token of good luck. Older girls would place these apples under their pillows to dream of their future husband. A local game: A cross of two planks, nailed, suspended with 4 candles on each arm. Apples suspended under the cross. The goal of the game was to catch the apples in your mouth, with hot wax being the penalty for slowness or inaccuracy." The village children would deem it a great misfortune were they to go to bed on "Allan-night" without the time-honoured Allan apple to hide beneath their pillows. ? 21nov- 21dec: The final double-sized chapter takes us from the Dark Moon to Midwinter. Elderflower is about medicine, death, blessings and curses. Sacred to the White Lady and connects us with the Midsummer Solstice. Wands can drive out evil spirits/thoughtforms. Under an elder at Midsummer, as in a Fairy Ring of mushrooms, helps see the "little people." Remember the words of the Rede. Elder is the Lady's Tree, burn it not or cursed ye be! Elder regrows damaged branches with ease and can root rapidly from any part. Tea purifies the blood. Indicates the end in the beginning and the beginning in the end. Life in Death and Death in Life. Though one aspect of your life is over, another begins anew. Changes from the old will bring creativity, to usher in new ideas and thoughts. Links are continually formed as new phases of life and experience repeat in different forms that lead to renewal. 11/28ish: Stir Up Sunday, the Sunday before Advent (last Sunday of the Church year). Everyone in the family takes a turn stirring the Christmas pudding, whilst making a wish. Traditionally made with 13 ingredients and stirred from East to West for the Wise Men. The traditional coin was an old silver sixpence or threepenny bit. Other traditional additions to the pudding included a ring, to foretell a marriage, and a thimble for a lucky life. Music on panpipes or flutes of elder have the same power as the wand: Solving the Vintner's depression, reunion of the two families and Farms, the destruction of the wedding, the end of the Vintner? Ailim / Silver Fir Fir cones respond to rain by closing and the sun by opening. Fir can see over great distance to the far horizon beyond and below. Fir indicates high views and long sights with clear vision of what is yet to come. Needles are burned at childbirth to bless and protect the mother and baby. Ohn / Furze Blooms throughout the year. In the spring Furze is set on fire to burn away the old growth to make room for the new. Furze indicates a gathering together, a skill at collecting elements needed for a goal. Also known as Gorse, its golden flowers are associated with the Spring Equinox. Wood and blooms are burned for protection and preparation for conflict of any sort. Ur / Heather Blossoms attract bees, and are valuable as a source of honey unsurpassed in flavor and delicacy. The bee travels from the heather back to the hive in relation to the position and angle of the sun. It is regarded as a messenger from and to the Spirit world by the Celts. Heather indicates closer contact with the Spirit world and healing. Eadha / White Poplar Used in the making of shields. The talking, whispering and quivering tree. The Poplar's ability to resist and to shield, its association with speech, language and the Winds indicates an ability to endure and conquer. Uncertainty; Looks very decorative, no self-confident behavior, only courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, artistic nature, good organizer, tends to philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership seriously. Ioho / Yew As the outer tree decays a new tree grows within. The branches grow down to form new stems. Yew berries were used to poison weapons. Wine barrels to symbolize the death of the Vine. Another important tree to the Winter Solstice and the deities of death and rebirth. Wood or leaves laid on graves to remind the departed spirit death is only a pause before rebirth. The yew may be the oldest-lived tree in the world. Ancient yews can be found in churchyards all over Britain, where they often pre-date even the oldest churches. There are some convincing arguments for it being the original 'World-tree' of Scandinavian mythology. Yew may be used to enhance magical and psychic abilities, and to induce visions. Branches grow into the ground: when the central trunk dies, it lives on as branches become trees. It symbolizes transformation, great age, and reincarnation. Yew holds and conducts energy very well, and yew is a good shield for magical energies that directly hit the wood is reflected. Oir / Spindle Deeply lobed brought crimson fruits appear in Autumn. Spindle indicates honor of tribe, community and the sweetness and delight of a sudden revelation. Fulfil your obligations, not for reward but because you must, honour demands it and the greatest happiness will be yours. Sudden realization gives you the right and obligation to question authority. Develop your consciousness of the right relationship with others in the community and tribe. Uilleand / Honeysuckle Woodbine; twists and coils as the Ivy does. Beautiful yellow flowers entwine with the leaves. Honeysuckle shows the way in which to achieve the search for the self. Honeysuckle indicates hidden desires, secrets and the path to the search for the self. Pursue your desires, allow yourself to experience pleasure - you are not a monk. By joy do we learn, not by abstinence of what we enjoy. The hidden secrets you pursue are not as impenetrable as you suspect. They are simply muted by background noises, home in on the secrets, put aside the distractions. Remain true to your beliefs and principles in your journey to the self. Follow the Honeysuckle in safety and joy. Pion / Pine The sweetest of woods. Needles are a valuable source of vitamin C and can loosen a tight chest. The scent of Pine is useful in the alleviation of guilt. Burn dried needles with equal parts of juniper and cedar to purify the home and ritual area. The cones and nuts can be carried as a fertility charm and prosperity charms. Magickal cleansing/stimulating bath: needles in a loose-wove bag and running water over it. To purify and sanctify an outdoor ritual area, brush the ground with a pine branch. Particularity loves agreeable company, very robust, knows how to make life comfortable, very active, natural, good companion, but seldom friendly, falls easily in love but its passion burns out quickly, gives up easily, many disappointments till it finds its ideal, trustworthy, practical. Phagos / Beech Beech and book have the same origins. Ancient knowledge of old objects, places, writings. Guidance from the past, insight protects and provides a solid base upon which all relies. Beech symbolizes stability and flow of energy; incredible conductor but doesn't hold energy Sometimes used for Druidic groves if oak is not available, though oak is preferred. Creative One: Has good taste, concerned about its looks, materialist, good organization of life and career, economical, good leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.). One famous well was associated with the ability to grant wishes and heal - "Cloughties," strips of cloth, hung from branches to ask for healing (as the cloth rotted) - Divination with pins and coins was also popular at these sites. "Droll tellers" used to go from community to community, performing in local pubs traditional stories embellished by flare and imagination. Storytellers often did not read from scripts or preparations and would learn the language of storytelling parrot fashion, improvising when necessary. Piskies are small mischievous sprites that live in secret on moorlands and other isolated places. They can be helpful household spirits to some. Sometimes considered the souls of the departed, who haunted the high places. Notorious for distracting travelers and getting them lost or Piskie led. ("Piskie led is often Whiskey Led") Knockers: Spirits of the mine; every miner worked hard to placate with small scraps of food. Spriggans: Grotesquely ugly, found at old ruins and barrows guarding buried treasure and generally acting as fairy bodyguards. Also said to be busy thieves. Usually small, they could swell to enormous size (sometimes speculated to be the ghosts of the old giants). Browneys: Helpful household spirits who needed to be placated. Faerie: Generally, especially for those in isolated places like seaside dunes or high Cairns. Fishermen would set aside three fish from their catch for the Sea hobgoblin Bucca Dhu who was said to be the herald and originator of storms, particularly violent storms. A number of sites in Newlyn were associated with his veneration including a cairn where Bucca or the Devil foretold a sea invasion. Some considered Bucca the remnant of an ancient Cornish sea god. Tom Trevorrow foolishly ignored instruction to "leave a didgn of thy fuggin for the Bucca" Duffy and the Bucca, or Duffy and the Devil, is based on a different version: A land devil seen riding the moors of Cornwall with a wild hunt of flame-eyed dogs (sometimes his Dandy Dogs, or Dando and his Dogs). Also associated with a booming noise that was said to be heard in Mount's Bay Prior to the onset of a storm. Bucca's forms: Bucca Dhu the hobgoblin, and Bucca Gwidden a spirit of light and kindness. It is uncertain whether Bucka can be regarded as one of the fairy tribe; old people, within my remembrance, spoke of a Bucka Gwidden and a Bucka Dhu - by the former they meant good spirit, and by the latter an evil one, now known as Bucka boo. I have been told, by persons of credit, that within the last forty years it was a usual practice with Newlyn and Mousehole fishermen to leave on the sand at night a portion of their catch for Bucka. Persons in every parish west of Hayle, and many east, who charm for various ailments. One family gained the ability when a forefather found, washed up in the Gwenvor sand, a very old near-dead man. On recovering he said he had neither gold nor silver, but something more valuable. "...Which a descendant of the family gave me by word of mouth; if written they are useless, and the giver of a written one thenceforth loses the power to cure by charming." Charm for a scald, wild-fire, burn, or any other inflammatory disease. The victim gathers nine bramble leaves, put into a vessel of spring water; then each leaf is passed over and from the diseased part, whilst repeating three times to each leaf: "Three ladies come from the east, / One with fire and two with frost; / Out with thee fire, and in with thee frost, / In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." A stick of fire is then taken from the hearth and passed over and around the diseased part whilst the above is repeated nine times. Divination with a Bible and key, or letting a Bible fall open. A woman came to beg water from the christening font to undo a spell: A new holy water. BOILS and Rheumatism: The sufferer is to pass nine times against the sun, under a bramble-bush growing at both ends. RICKETS OR BACKPAIN: The holed stone -- Men-an-Tol -- commonly called the crick-stone. Through this the sufferer was drawn or crawls nine times, against the sun. WARTS: Each wart is touched with a new pin, then dropped into the bottle, maybe buried in a new grave or in the earth, or at a four-crossroad. As the pins rust, the warts decay. A piece of string tied is many knots as there are warts; each carefully touched with its knot and then buried. Each touched with a pebble, pebbles in a bag, and to lose the bag on the way to church; but the unfortunate person who found the bag received the warts. Steal from the butcher's stall in public, touch the warts, and bury it. An old woman took two charred sticks from the hearth, and carefully crossed over the warts, then a spell was muttered. PARALYSIS: Everyone drops pennies into her paralyzed hand, silently. Then she speaks, asking the parson to change the copper coins for one silver. Then she walks around the communion-table three times. "Now," said Margery, "with God's blessing, I shall be cured; my blessed bit of silver must be made into a ring and within three weeks after it is on my finger I shall get the use of my limbs again." It's a common charm throughout the three western counties for rheumatism, the Devonshire halt, or any contraction of the limbs. RHEUMATISM: Crawl under a bramble that's formed a second root in the ground, or get a woman who delivered a child feet-first, to "tread" the patient. WHOOPING COUGH: Gather nine spar stones from a running stream, taking care not to interrupt the free passage of the water in doing so. Then dip a quart of water from the stream, taken in the direction the stream runs. Heat the stones red, then drop into the water. Bottle this and afflicted child drinks a wine-glass of it for nine mornings following. Or over the back and belly of a female donkey of three years, the child is drawn naked nine times. Three spoonfuls of milk are drawn from the teats and three hairs cut from the back and three hairs from the belly placed in it. Let it stand three hours and the child drank it in three morning doses. SLEEPING FOOT: At once removed by crossing the foot with saliva. The hand of a suicide is a cure for many diseases, passed over tumors or wens, etc. Question of gender: It's said that it's opposite-sex, but in the case discussed it was the same sex. Also men who have just been hanged. It was then formally announced that the girl could never recover unless three burning sticks were taken from the hearth of the "overlooker," and the child was made to walk three times over them when they were laid across ott the ground, and then quench the fire with water. Twelfth Night: Each person touches the mantle with his forehead, leaving in single file in silence, then to gather rushes and ivy leaves, then touch the mantle again. The procession was often waylaid or followed by some who tried to make the spell-workers break silence; if any of them spoke they had to return and again touch the "cravel." Two rushes, named for the two parties, are placed in the fire. If both rushes burnt kindly together, they would be married. As the pairs were consumed, united or parted, such would be the course of their love. The one which burnt longest would outlive the other. When it was decided, an ivy-leaf was cast into the fire, and the number of cracks it made in burning told the years to pass before the couple would be wed. Then two leaves for the wedded pair were buried in the hot ashes, and the cracks they made showed how many children the happy couple would be blessed with. Meanwhile old people drew an ivy-leaf for each person through a gold ring, and cast the leaves into a vessel of spring water, which was placed on the hearth-stone and left there over night. Leaves found to have turned black or signified a death ere next Twelfth, and if speckled red, violently. SNAKES AVOID THE ASH. A branch of the ash-tree will prevent a snake from coming near a person. A child in the habit of receiving its portion of bread and milk at the cottage door was found to be in the habit of sharing its food with one of the poisonous adders. The reptile came regularly every morning, and the child, pleased with the beauty of his companion, encouraged the visits. The babe and adder were close friends, which freaked the mother out, so she tied an ashen twig to his body. The child, abandoned by his friend, eventually died of grief. CHARM A SNAKE: Draw a circle rapidly around it, then a cross within, and repeat the first two verse of Psalms 68: "Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered; let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God." Sick children are drawn through the cleft ash. The child, naked, is passed headfirst through the tree nine times. The tree is closed and carefully tied together. If they reunite, the child and tree recover together. A large knife inserted into the trunk of the young tree, about a foot from the ground, and a vertical rending made for about three feet. Two men then forcibly pulled the parts asunder, and held them so, whilst the mother passed the child through it three times. The child should be washed for three successive mornings in the dew from the leaves of the charmed ash. Death is retarded, dying kept in a state of suffering, by having any lock closed or bolt shot, in the dwelling of the dying person. A man cannot die easy on a bed made of fowls' feathers, or the feathers of wild birds. A guttering candle, folding upon itself, indicates death for the person it points at. If a cock crows at midnight, the angel of death is passing over the house. The howling of a dog is a sad sign. If three nights, the house against which it howled will soon be in mourning. A raven croaking over a cottage fills its inmates with gloom. A MAN who has resided at several places on the south coast was known by this name. He is said to be in possession of no end of charms, and to possess powers, of no common order, over this and the other world. "He is able," writes a friend, "to put ghosts, hobgoblins, and, I believe, even Satan himself; to rest. I have known farmers well informed in many other matters, and members of religious bodies, go to the 'Peller' to have the 'spirits that possessed the calves' driven out; for they, the calves, 'were so wild, they tore down all the wooden fences and gates, and must be possessed with the devil.' The 'Peller' always performs a cure; but as the evil spirits must go somewhere, and as it is always to be feared that they may enter into other calves or pigs, or, it may be, even possess the bodies of their owners themselves, the 'Peller' makes it imperative that a stone wall shall be built around the calves, to confine them for three times seven days, or until the next moon is as old as the present one. This precaution always results in taming the devils and the calves, and consequently in curing them--the 'Peller', usually sending the spirits to some very remote region, and chaining them down under granite rocks. An old woman had long suffered from debility; but she and her friends were satisfied that she had been ill-wished. So she went to the "Peller." He told her to buy a bullock's heart, and. get a packet of pound pins. She was to stick the heart as full of' pins as she could, and "the body that ill-wished her felt every. pin run into the bullock's heart same as if they had been run into her." The spell was taken off; and the old woman grew strong. An old man living on Lady Downs had a lot of money stolen from his house. He, too, went to the "Peller." In this case the magician performed the spells, and the man was told the money would be returned. After a few days, it was so; the money during the night, was tied to the handle of the door, and found there by the owner in the morning. The Cunning Man Thomas took up his abode with a small farmer, who had lost some cattle. Eventually he took the farmer to Exeter to consult the White Witch who resided in that city. Thomas it must be remembered was only a "witch." The term applied equally to men. A male witch is almost always employed to remove the evil influences exerted by the latter. Witches such as Thomas had but limited power. They could tell who had been guilty of ill-wishing, but they were powerless to break the spell and "unbewitch" the sufferer. Both men and women in Zennor Parish could stop blood and do charms. The charmers are very cautious about communicating their charms. A man would not on any account tell his charm to a woman, or a woman to a man. People would come from all over for their charms. Trewa, or Trewe, The Home of the Witches: As we walk from Nancledrea Bottoms towards Zennor we pass Trewa ("Truee"), the place where at Midsummer all the witches of the west met. All round, on hillsides and up the bottoms, huge boulders granite are most fantastically scattered. On one side we have the "Giant's Well," and not far off the "Druid's Well," and a little before us is Zennor coit or cromlech. From this point the scenery is of the wildest description. The granite cairns are spread around in every direction, and many of those masses are so strangely fashioned by the atmospheric influences ever acting on them, that fancy can readily fashion them into tombs and temples. Rock basins abound on these hills, and of ruined cromlechs there are many. Whatever the local historians may say, local traditions assure us that on Midsummer Eve all the witches in Penwith gathered here, and that they lit fires on every cromlech, and in every rock basin, until the' hills were alive with flame, and renewed their vows to the evil ones from whom they derived their power. Hence, to this day this place is called Burn Downs. Amidst these rock masses there was one pile remarkable amidst all the others for its size, and--being formed of cubical masses-- for its square character. This was known as the Witches' Rock, and here it was said they assembled at midnight to carry on their wicked deeds. This rock has been removed, and with it the witches have died; the last real witch in Zennor having passed away, as I have been told, about thirty years since, and with her, some say, the fairies fled. I have, however, many reasons for believing that our little friends have still a few 'haunts in this locality. There is but one reason why we should regret the disappearance of the Witches' Rock. Any one touching this rock nine times at midnight was insured against bad luck. Kenidzhek Witch: ON the tract called the "Gump," near Kenidzhek, is a beautiful well of clear water, not far from which was a miner's Cot, in which dwelt two miners with their sister. They told her never to go to the well after daylight; they would fetch the water for her. One Saturday night, she went anyway. Passing by a gap in a broken-down hedge (called a gurgo) near the well, she saw an old woman sitting down, wrapped in a red shawl; she asked her what she did there at that time of night, but received no reply; she thought this rather strange, but plunged her pitcher in the well; when she drew it up, though a perfectly sound vessel, it contained no water; she tried again and again, and, though she saw the water rushing in at the mouth of the pitcher, it was sure to be empty when lifted out. She then became rather frightened; spoke again to the old woman, but receiving no answer, hastened away, and came in great alarm to her brothers. They told her that it was on account of this old woman they did not wish her to go to the well at night. What she saw was the ghost of old Moll, a witch who had been a great terror to the people in her lifetime, and had laid many fearful spells on them. They said they saw her sitting in the gap by the wall every night when going to bed. Madgy Figgy's Chair: At Land's-End, called Tol-Pedden-Penwith, granite cubes are piled into the Chair Ladder. This remarkable pile presents to the beat of the Atlantic waves a sheer face of cliff of considerable height, like a huge basaltic column. At the top is formed a chair: There it was that Madgy Figgy, one of the most celebrated of the St Levan and Burian witches, seating herself when desired to call up to her aid the spirits of the storm. Often she's been seen swinging herself to and fro on this dizzy height when a storm has been coming home upon the shores, and richly-laden vessels have been struggling with the winds. From this spot she poured forth her imprecations on man and beast, and none whom she had offended could escape those withering spells; and from this chair, Madgy Figgy would always take her flight. Starting like some huge bird, mounted on a stem of ragwort, Figgy headed a band of inferior witches, flying off rejoicing in their iniquities to Wales or Spain. This old hag lived in a cottage not far from Raftra, and she and all her gang, which appears to have been large, were notorious wreckers. Once Madgy from her seat of storms lured a Portuguese Indiaman into Perloe Cove, and drowned the passengers. Washed ashore, bodies stripped of everything valuable, buried by Figgy and her husband in the green hollow, marking the graves with a rough stone placed at the head of the corpse. Creeped out by markings on one rich lady, Figgy wouldn't let them take her clothes and jewelry like the others, which kept everybody looking fine. A dreadful quarrel ensued, and bloodshed was threatened; but the diabolical old Figgy was more than a match for any of the men, and the power of her impetuous will was superior to them all. Everything of value, therefore, belonging to this lady was gathered into a heap, and placed in a chest in Madgy Figgy's hut. They buried the Portuguese lady the same evening; and after dark a light was seen to rise from the grave, pass along the cliffs, and seat itself in Madgy's chair at Tol-Pedden. Then, after some hours, it descended, passed back again, and, entering the cottage, rested upon the chest. This curious phenomenon continued for more than three months,--nightly,--much to the alarm of all but Figgy, who said she knew all about it, and it would be all right in time. One day a strange-looking and strangely-attired man arrived at the cottage. Figgy's man (her husband) was at home alone. To him the stranger addressed himself by signs,--he could not speak English, so he does not appear to have spoken at all,--and expressed a wish to be led to the graves. Away they went, but the foreigner did not appear to require a guide. He at once selected the grave of the lady, and sitting down upon it, he gave vent to his pent-up sorrows. He sent Figgy's man away, and remained there till night, when the light arose from the grave more brilliant than ever, and proceeded directly to the hut, resting as usual on the chest, which was now covered up with old sails, and all kinds of fishermen's lumber. The foreigner swept these things aside, and opened the chest. He selected everything belonging to the lady, refusing to take any of the other valuables. He rewarded the wreckers with costly gifts, and left them--no one knowing from whence he came nor whither he went. Madgy Figgy was now truly triumphant. "One witch knows another witch, dead or living," she would say; "and the African would have been the death of us if we hadn't kept the treasure, whereas now we have good gifts, and no gainsaying 'em." Some do say they have seen the light in Madgy Figgy's chair since those times. The Witch of Treva: A wonderful old lady deeply skilled in necromancy. Her charms, spells, and dark incantations made her the terror of the neighborhood. She failed to impress her husband with any belief in her powers, unbelief he never failed to proclaim aloud. The skeptic came home starving, to no dinner. "I couldn't get meat out of the stones, could I?" It was in vain to give the reins to passion, the old woman told him, and he must know "hard words butter no parsnips." He resolved to put his wife's powers to the proof, and he threatened her with death if she didn't figure out dinner -- but if she did, he'd believe all and be submissive to her forever. The nearest market was five miles off, but she put on her bonnet and cloak, and started. Her husband watched her from their cottage door, down the hill; and at the bottom of the hill, he saw his wife quietly place herself on the ground and disappear. In her place a fine hare ran on at its full speed. He was not a little startled, but he waited, and within the half-hour in walked his wife with "good flesh and taties all ready for aiting." There was no longer any doubt, and the poor husband lived in fear until she died. This was a few years later: the room was full of evil spirits, and the old woman's shrieks were awful to hear. When pale-faced death came to her at last, and a black cloud rested over the house when all the heavens were clear and blue. When they were halfway to the church, a hare started from the roadside and leaped over the coffin. They dropped the coffin and ran. The replacements ran off when a cat suddenly appeared sitting on it. After long consultation, and being persuaded by the parson to carry the old woman very quickly into the churchyard, while he walked before, six others made the attempt, and as the parson never ceased to repeat the Lord's Prayer, all went on quietly. Arrived at the church stile, they rested the corpse, the parson paused to commence the ordinary burial service, and there stood the hare which, as soon as the clergyman began "I am the resurrection and the life," uttered a diabolical howl, changed into a black, misshapen creature, and disappeared. ? Samhain/Hallows: October 31-November 2 Remembrance On this night, the veil between the realm of the living and of the dead is extremely thin and that our ancestors can come back to visit. The dumb supper consists of setting an extra place at the dinner table to welcome them and share in their company as we once did. Yule/Christmas: December 21/ 25 Light in the darkness Burning candles throughout the night, celebrating midnight mass. A symbol of keeping the light burning in the darkest of the night. Pagans let candles burn all night long to give strength to the sun on the longest night of the year. Imbolc/Candlemas: February 2nd Devotion to the Goddess In honor of the efforts of God to woo the Goddess, the Virgin Mary, back to wakefulness. Burning candles and offering flowers at Her shrine; celebrating the Feast of St. Brigid. Ostara/Easter: March 21 (Sunday after Full Moon) Rebirth Resurrection; the coming of spring and return of life after the dead of winter. The Easter vigil blesses the elements: Fire, water, and incense at the altar surrounded in flowers. Beltane/May Day: May 1st Fertility The Great Rite, uniting feminine receptivity and male virility. Litha/St. John the Baptist: June 21/24 The Sun; beginning of harvest The Solstice, the longest day of the year, the beginning of harvest: Commemoration of the sun's strength, lighting bonfires; focus on energy and strength. Lammas: August 1st Giving thanks Baking and sharing bread is both Pagan and Christian; commemoration of the Eucharist. Mabon/Thanksgiving: September 21st First Fruits Preparing a meal with the fruits of the harvest and giving thanks for all our blessings. That is communing with nature and the divine in the most fundamentally human way! Esbats: Full moon ritual The night still belongs to the Goddess. By night, one way, by day, another. It is the beauty of our spiritual path that we find such balance within it and around us. The days belong to the sun, the virile God in his countless manifestations. The nights belong to the Goddess, under the nightly orb, reminding us of the cyclical nature of our lives in her manifestation as maiden, mother, and crone. What beauty in this balance! By honoring both manifestations of the divine, we have come full circle in our celebration of life! QUARTER DAYS OWEN DENNIS the vintner protects himself from the Wild Gods through the sophistication of his passion and the active resistance his work represents. If the grapes ever do grow wild, he'll lose his hold over the place, and set loose a wild wind. He loves ice wine. His heart is fractionally frozen; his sadness is one that his family eventually must heal before he fades away. The Hunt brings with it visions of times past and future. This is the through-line of the novel, as we see his evil deeds and controlling nature, what lies behind them, what threatens them, the effects it has on his family, and how they decide to save him. His wife's sisters love him dearly, in their ways, but he's not a fan. He has three sons: The knight, the unrecognized heir and the young priest. The most patient man in loss, the most coldest that ever turned up ace. He has two brothers; as the novel begins, he learns that the youngest has died. The story as it unfolds is about his contradictions and faults, and how we overcome them without our elder fathers ever knowing. His mother EUNICE (CLOONEY) DENNIS, the Sleeping Beauty who is a young girl inside, the man who is a boy. She is given a secret moment forever, but one time loses the ability to get back. Her rescue feels like eternity, but romantic also, as she lingers despite her brother's efforts. Her repression/issue with Agnes/Agatha has to do with their sister, whom she never expected and blames for the strangeness in her family and loss of the eldest son. She adores her son and supports him wholeheartedly, including trying to cut him off from the rest of Aggie's family. She married his father because of her own guilt for loving Eustace, who was a Heathcliff-style changeling and not a blood relative. EUSTACE CLOONEY is a grown-up rogue, the vintner's maternal uncle (EUNICE's immortal foster brother). He is the one to rescue Eunice from her moment, finally able to indulge their love without fear or shame. An immortal man who has a winking secret joke with Rowan and Eirwyn where he proves his story true. That sense of wonder with her wide eyes and him laughing as he strides away. (The end of the book.) GRACE WINIFRED A widow who tames her kitchen creatures, who eventually work to help her keep her estate on the Groves. Her grief is both the path into light and an obstruction against it. She isn't really comfortable with magic or witchcraft, but accepts the Ladies' help if she must. The rogue visits her and it's this side of him we get to know. She eventually tames the vintner, her landlord and torturer. While the Vineyards are about control, the Groves are about abundance. AGNES and AGATHA are the sisters of the vintner's dead wife. Pendulums. Ancient Universities. "Witcher, Witcher, Goona Getcha." They try to care for the family from afar, but eventually have to get their hands dirty as their tasks multiply and disasters accumulate. They have a rivalry with Eunice, the vintner's mother, which extends far beyond simple family drama. Maiden Agnes is eternally innocent and young, and often presents a shifting appearance. Crone Agatha can see in the dark and whose spirit is often where she should not be. Their sister, Mother Aggie (her full name is never divulged) was beloved and is well remembered. She chose Owen over her own immortality, something her sisters still very much respect. GRIFFIN DENNIS The eldest son is a prodigal and rakish bard must reform before his magical training can begin. Before he's quite become respectable he inherits two small children who seem to have some magical gifts of their own. But now that he's been invited to his brother's wedding, he's got to prove that his household on the River, and this new family are worthy of the vintner's love. Long before she met her knight, he ill-treated the witch-girl. Now she's the only one who can help him. He is the son of the vintner, loudly and mutually disowned. He is part of Agnes's plan; they arrange for him to inherit the children when the vintner's merchant brother dies in another country. His godmother was Eunice, before the trouble. SIMON DENNIS The priest-knight, believed dead throughout the first book. He is quiet; he keeps the stories. His memories are steel. He is the only one of the three sons who remembers his mother, and they resent him for it. His godmother is Grace, who was close with Aggie but dislikes her sisters. He weeps for his hero, Reese, and waits for the day when he can welcome him home. He doesn't think that he's a hero but he knows it's important that one exist. He's like the only one that comes home from the war at this time. His presence in act one is about Taffy relaxing about him and becoming herself. MORGAN DENNIS The vintner's youngest son loves a Nix, which means his marriage to FLORA must be averted -- without distressing family or clerics -- by his godmothers, Aunties Agnes and Agatha. Sowing the wind, reaping the storm. He is the younger alderman of the Church, much more involves as a layman than Simon, who is technically ordained. Morgan's faith is constantly challenged until he reconciles his parts. Morgan and Taffy are the viewpoint characters for much of the action, although each character has their own stuff going on. TAFFY A quiet hedge-witch becomes embroiled in a love spell's complications and must hide her heritage from Simon, whom she once loved for defending her against Griffin. She was raised in the house of many women on the edge of town, a possible changeling and the outsider of the family. She was placed in the family by Eustace to keep the magic in their blood strong. FLORA is the daughter of Owen's chief rival, a city merchant with a home in the village where she prefers to live. Rather than face her life or suitors in the city, she offers to marry Morgan and cement the family's d‚tente. She and Eunice are close, and she's always had a thing for Morgan, so it's a perfect match. She doubts Morgan's sincerity, but respects his beliefs. A master of compromise and subtle persuasion, she brings sophistication and glamour to the town. ROWAN & EIRWYN DENNIS are Simon's children, sent for safety from a strange and far-off country. Their mother is, like Aggie was, a mystery. They have a magical nature and gifts of their own, but are mostly just strange children with their own ways and very little in the way of complaints. Rowan is cool and tactical, Eirwyn is dreamy and quiet. They drive Griffin to a mutual madness. He mistakes the laconic natures for grief, and bothers them endlessly to cheer them up, while they worry that he is incompetent. They love Taffy and Flora equally, but secretly would prefer to live with Granny Grace until their father comes home. Mechanically, it's about the intertwining effects of a love spell and the magical machinations of the godmothers. Griffin & Gracie (30-40K) Planting: Lady Day to May Day (25 Mar - 1 May) (10-13K) Granny's fear of Owen's tortures, her grief, her discomfort with the creatures; Griffin receives word of Simon's two strange children and wigs out; The witches do their spells in secret, unleashing coincidences. 4-5k The children arrive; Griffin needs help but Taffy hates him and Flora's loyalty is divided; Owen learns Simon's children have arrived -- and gone to his disowned oldest son. 3-4k Taffy does her spell in secret, unleashing coincidences; lives with the Ladies; Griffin tries to hide his magical researches from the children. 3-4k Midsummer: May Day to Midsummer to Lammas (24 June - 1 August) (10-13K) Owen struggles with the Wild Gods over his lands and over Eunice; The witches work against Owen's own work to save the family; spell update. 3-4k Granny helps Taffy with Griffin; Owen leans on Morgan to marry Flora, even after a visit from the Aunties; Grace continues working with the creatures/her grief. 4-5k The witches give Eunice her last magical gift, having been ignored by Owen; Simon's children have magic of their own. Flora keeps their secret. 3-4k Harvest: Lammas to Michaelmas to All Hallows' (1 August - 1 November) (10-13K) Granny moves through grief and into light, as the Groves spring back to life; Eunice vanishes and Owen freaks out on his victims. Morgan gives him harsh words. 3-4k Taffy, Griffin and the children. Dinner with Morgan and Flora; The vineyard is control, the Groves are abundance. The triumph of Grace. Spell update. 4-5k Secrets and attraction in Griffin's house come to light; Flora gets honest; Owen has come to respect Grace, and his overtures are met with confusion and care; Taffy and Griffin's happy new family is threatened by Simon's return. 3-4k Eunice & Eustace (30-40K) The Dark of the Year: Christmas and New Year (10-13K) Eustace returns to wake Eunice and cause trouble; Simon reconciles with his children; spell update; Eustace's wild magic twists the spells even further, but only the children get it. 3-4k Morgan and Taffy try to hide their secrets from Simon; Simon and Grace visit the Ladies; Eustace visits Grace and makes pact with the creatures. 4-5k Eunice visits the Ladies and acknowledges Taffy for the first time; Grace realizes her feelings for Owen have changed and she offers aid. 3-4k Midwinter: New Year to Candlemas (10-13K) Owen must deal with his newborn mother, a Sleeping Beauty in a suddenly old body; Simon is tortured by his own memories. 3-4k Griffin and Taffy try to hide their secrets from Simon and Morgan; Eunice must reexamine her own faith after a visit from similarly young Agnes; spell update 3-4k Morgan hides his secret from Simon; Simon tries to intervene for Griffin and, obliquely, Morgan, but Owen disowns all of them; Eunice and Eustace attempt to reconcile 4-5k End of Winter: Candlemas To Lady Day (10-13K) Simon joins his children in Griffin's house; Taffy tries to quell her love for Griffin; Morgan tries to make it work with Flora despite Simon's support; Eunice dies and Owen wigs out, while Nick's magic is on the wane. 3-4k Flora and the witches plot to avert the wedding without hurting anybody; Flora and Taffy bond over the boys, and another plot is hatched to save Nick. 4-5k Grace repudiates Owen over his uncaring approach to his children; Eustace and the children take control of the Vineyard and the Groves; spell update 3-4k Agnes & Agatha (30-40K) Planting: Lady Day to May Day (25 Mar - 1 May) (10-13K) Eunice's funeral, and the Ladies' plot to save Owen from his sadness and heal the family; Mysterious Taffy is threatened by a strange and savage threat; Flora brings the brothers together and warns them of Taffy's burden 4-5k The witches attempt to protect Taffy and seal off the house of women; The Ladies beg Grace to forgive Owen in his pain; Morgan and Flora discuss Nick and his people 3-4k The children reach out to Nick's people despite the dishonor they have suffered; spell update; Grace visits Owen and is brutally rebuffed, as Morgan learns the truth of their line. 3-4k Midsummer: May Day to Midsummer to Lammas (24 June - 1 August) (10-13K) The enemy is not what it seems: Heralds of the Hunt, to take Taffy's mortality; Simon deals with the clear love between Griffin and Taffy at his childrens' behest; spell update 3-4k Eustace and Owen bond over their grief, but Owen refuses to unite the family; Simon is forced to acknowledge the truth about Morgan; the boys fight about Aggie 3-4k Flora comes to the house of women to retrieve Taffy and explain the threat of the Hunt; Morgan and Griffin must locate Simon as he struggles with his grief and memories; The Hunt; vineyard finally falls Wild: The true end to the spells, and Owen's grief. 4-5k Harvest: Lammas to Michaelmas to All Hallows' (1 August - 1 November) (10-13K) Simon is brought back to life by the love of his children and realizes he loves Flora; After the Hunt, Agnes and Agatha bequeath their magic to Taffy, Grace and Flora 3-4k Griffin and the children work to bring Simon back into the family; Grace and Taffy work together to convince the Ladies to relent; Simon apologizes to Morgan and the three brothers are reunited under Aggie's ghost; The motherless imbalance is set right, the vineyard and grove are cleansed by fire 4-5k Taffy/Griffin (Maiden/Son), Flora/Simon (Mother/Father), Grace/Owen (Crone/Spirit); Eustace and the Children bless the fourth union (Nick/Morgan), mixing magic and faith, goodbye to the Ladies and Eustace 3-4k