The Witch Emma @the-witch-emma - Tumblr Blog

ID / TL;DW: young Black man explains the history of voodoo dolls: they originated in England, where Black people where prohibited from learning to read or write, to help witches keep track of what ailed their patients. Eg., person goes to witch and laments headache, they treat their headache and make a small doll (called "poppet"), trying to represent them as good as possible, stick a needle in its head and put it up a shelf. When they return next week, the witch takes their poppet and asks about their headache. If it's gone, they remove the needle, otherwise they know they have to treat a rather persistent headache.

libraford

The amount of 'witchy' groups on Facebook that are defending and encouraging genAI is fucking infuriating. Like... do you actually believe in anything or do you just believe in content?

libraford

Absolutely dog shit takes from the pagan/witch community.

"You can't say its bad for the environment while still using Facebook because Facebook has high water usage, too."

Oh! So its okay then. Its okay to massively increase our water usage because we were already wasting water, so its okay to waste more water.

In the 80s, yall would have been like 'what if we made the hole in the ozone bigger?'

"The water used to cool the servers isnt wasted, it goes back into the soil and into the water cycle. This is third grade science."

And leaks biocides and corrosion inhibitors into the ecosystem. This is 6th grade science. For pages that give us the thinnest veneer of being 'stewards of the earth,' you'd think they'd have at least watched Captain Planet.

From a group of people that purport to be 'earth children,' so especially tone-deaf.

And then there's the misinformation, a problem already so incredibly present in the witch/pagan community and amplified by easy access to a machine that generates eye-catching graphics.

For the past month, one of these pages has been posting about different 'runes' and 'sigils' that are clearly made with AI. No historical precedence. No information for whom these runes belong or how theyre used. And wholly impractical to use because look at them-

The fuck are these? What do they mean? What is their use? Which vampires use these and how? What use to me is this? Why does this go on a witchy page and not a roleplaying page?

No context, only content. And when I ask, I dont get answers because they dont have answers. Its just content.

Im watching 2016 witchblr discourse again because someone found out the mediocrity machine can generate 1 true thing and twelve false things and decided not to tell which is which.

"But genAI helps business owners!"

Disrespectfully, it does not. It doesnt do anything that we weren't already able to do with a little bit of effort. We have always had stock photo archives. Product photography and writing copy are skills you can learn. Make graphics with clipart. I dont think AI is actually helping any businesses because customers are turned off by the lack of genuine effort.

All of this, the displacement of jobs and homes, the data scraping, its manipulative nature and more... and for what?

A bland image of a woman standing in front of the moon with a cauldron? AI makes art that is mediocre at best.

Its not worth it.

teal-deer

The new era of tech seems to be built on superstitious behaviour

this is an article about how LLMs, intentionally or not, mimic the common tricks of psychics and fortune tellers. I'm not surprised *at all* that the Pagan/Witch community has fallen hook, line, and sinker for this stuff, because they're primed to want to believe that there's something Magic in that machine.

Please read the article and be aware of it.

libraford

This was a good article. It made me think of a Leverage episode. You know the one.

Found a knock off labubu on the sidewalk today on my way to get potato skins. Legit think im gonna put him on my altar as a trickster figure

#altar #idol #the trickster #trickster figure #trickster #reynard the fox #loki #brer rabbit #anansi #ikaggen #coyote #raven #wakdjunga #wisakedjak #puca #fox #puck #robin goodfellow

upthewitchypunx

I just keep thinking about Ysha's comment yesterday at the @criticalthinkingwitches Brew "Capitalist loves a solitary witch"

Capitalism loves to be able to sell you things and keep you buying things from self-help books disguised as witchcraft to crystals of explorative extraction. Capitalism loves to isolate you and focus on your individualism leaving you open to shit like the "Law of Attraction" shaming you for just not wanting things enough and never considering all the cultural obstacles from racism to sexism to class that permeate society.

Capitalism replicating itself in magic says you will be happy if you just buy the next thing and that your spiritual enlightenment can be just one purchase away.

It never focuses on community or cooperation or connection, unless it is to make money for someone else.

I know so many of us are solitary due to location, or needing to hide our practice, or not finding a lineage you would want to join. But that does not preclude you from having community with other witches, which is kind of what Tumblr is about when we share and grow together.

But in the real world you can have study groups or attend one of our free CritWitch Brews. We always share and learn things and we have guides breakout rooms with questions to answer so it's not so awkward. It's good practice to talk about magic if you aren't used to doing that in real time.

Not everyone who comes to the CritWitch events is atheist, agnostic, or secular in their practice. A lot are animists or pagans who genuinely enjoy the critical thought aspect of what CritWitches focus on.

Capitalism wanted you isolated and consuming, what can you do to contract that?

wyrd-wyrm

I don’t know who needs to hear this,

There was no universal Scandinavian religion, or Slavic, or Celtic.

They were multiple mini cultures with changing and differing views.

That’s why we have different beliefs on who was the ‘High God’ in the Norse myths and physical evidence that we have left. Tyr, Freyr, Odin; have all been the High God in different cultures. Because people didn’t collect under orthodox and shared religion in a pre Christian world the way they do now.

You can now make a more collective religion, but saying there was always one, is a mistake at best and pseudo history at worst.

bluegoldfaerie

we're all just weirdos online who like to engage in spiritual practices. but at the end of the day we're behind a screen and no one knows who anyone truly is, so don't take anyone's word as 100% absolute. that's risky and could lead to cult behavior

if someone comes in with "facts" about a god/goddess, you need to do your own research before you absolutely believe it

blackcrowing

Important Facts about Bealtaine from an Irish Celtic Reconstructionist

Spelling and Pronunciation

OI. Bealtaine (Bell-tin-Na) has more recently been written as I. Beltaine or Anglicized Beltane (Bell-tain). In the Cormac Glossary it is said to derive from the deity Bel and OI. 'Tene' meaning fire.

Dates

Most Reconstructionists celebrate Bealtaine on April 30th-May 1st, sundown to sundown. Iron age Irish (and other Celts) structured their days from sunset to sunset so while we now track this time as stretching over two days, they would have seen this period as one single day, being the first day of the month of May by the Gregorian calendar. Some Reconsructionists might prefer to celebrate by the Julian calendar which would place this holiday on May 13th-14th (by the Gregorian calendar), still of course from sundown to sundown. In the most traditional sense this holiday would have been celebrated when the livestock was moved from the winter grazing fields out to the summer grazing fields.

Importance in Mythos

Most mythological reference to this holiday comes in the form of the movement of peoples or invasions of peoples.

The mythological invasion of Partholon and his people occurred on Bealtaine and the plague that wiped them out also began on that date and lasted a week. The Tuath De Danann are said to have arrived on the island on Bealtine as well and lastly the Sons of Mil are said to have invaded on this date also (Macalister, 1940).

In later times when Christianity had made its mythologies the way of the land and the old deities were moved to the status of Fae this idea of movement and invasion seems to have persisted. Traditions hold that this date is a dangerous time for mortals as the aes sídhe are moving amongst the daoine sí and may stop by unsuspecting homes to ask for butter or perhaps some water, but if this request is granted they will steal the homes luck for the year.

I will make a note here that while the Cormac Glossary notes the deity Bel there is no Celtic/Gaelic deity of this name (though there is a Mesopotamian one) and this seems to cause a lot of confusion, especially when it comes to Wiccancentic ideas and articles. Cormac was likely referring to the Celtic/Gaelic deity Belenus NOT the Mesopotamian Bel. Belenus/Belenos was associated with the sun and healing and during the Gallo-Roman period was often noted to be the Gaelic Apollo. There is evidence to suggest that Belenus/Belenos was known throughout the Celtic/Gaelic world, though we don't have any specific information about how prominently he was worshiped in Ireland itself it is relatively safe to assume that the Iron age Irish would have known who he was.

Celebration Traditions

Like on Samhain, at the opposing 'end' of the year livestock were transitioned from one grazing area to another. While on Samhain, when the 'dark' half of the year begins and the livestock are moved in from summer grazing to winter grazing, Bealtaine is the opposite. It begins the 'light' half of the year and livestock are moved from the winter grazing out to the summer pastures. At both holidays to ensure healthy animals and protect them from any malicious factors great bonfires were built (most notably on the hill of Uisneach) and livestock would be driven between them.

There seems to be a traditional emphasis on the protection of homes, barns, livestock, peoples, and crops. Generally this seems to be a time when warding against ill luck for the community became a focus. Yellow, specifically yellow flowers (primrose, gorse or hawthorn blossoms), appear to have played a role in this as they have been used to decorate, but when exactly this tradition originated is unknown. The healing wells of Ireland and specifically the dew on the morning of Bealtaine have been thought to be important. Some traditions hold that the dew, when washed with will bring beauty, while others think if drank by the milk cows it would cause them to produce more, but again the origins of these traditions are relatively unknown.

ceo-draiochta

Lughnasadh in the Modern Day

The ancient festival of Lúnasa is one of the 4 celtic fire festivals celebrated on the turn of the seasons. The other 3 festivals all have very clear christian reinterpretations. Those being All Hallows Eve, St Brigids day and May day. However Lúnasa also has a number of modern day christian holidays associated with it in much the same way.

(Linked sources in brackets)

Names

The modern festival goes by many names: Domnach Lúnasa, Lá Lúnasa, Domnach Crom Dubh, Bilberry Sunday and most commonly as either Reek Sunday or Garland Sunday. (1)(2)

Hill Climbing & Holy Wells

This is a day where the mountain of Croagh Patrick is visited, the pilgrimage consists of climbing the mountain while taking stops at certain stone cairns, where one walks in circles around them a set number of times while reciting specific prayers. There are 3 major sections where this is done(3). This is still observed today(4). It is celebrated on the last Sunday of July.

(Croagh Patrick)

This, while observed throughout the country, is not the only such celebration. Many towns climb their respective hills on this day such as those around Keash Hill in Sligo(2)(5)(11), Slive Donard in Down(6), and Máméan in Galway (7). Holy wells are also visited on this day such as in Cappagh, Galway(8), Ballyfa, Galway(9) and Ballyhaunis, Mayo (12). In some cases a procession from the Holy Well to the hill takes place (2)(7)(11)

(Máméan)

An interesting example of this was the Tullaghan Hill holy well in county Sligo, where the Holy Well was on a hill specifically the Ox mountains. This specific well used to be visited on Garland Sunday but is no longer as the festival that followed this visit evoked too much "secular fun" (10).

Festivals

Fairs and celebrations seem to be a core feature of this Lúnasa Tradition, with the aforementioned Tullaghan Hill fair, The Old Fair Day in Tubbercurry, county Sligo (13) and Fair Day in Kenmare, Kerry(14). These are usually celebrated in the second week on August, i.e. a week or two after the religious excursion.

The Puck Fair is festival in Killorglin, county Kerry. It is celebrated in the second week of August and involves crowning a specific goat "king" and parading them around while a large fair takes place(15).

(Puck Fair)

Pagan Connection

The pagan connection is quite clear to see, with Holy wells long being sites of pre-Christian worship, it is little coincidence that they are visited around the time of Lúnasa. The climbing of a hill is not connected to mythological lore but seems to be widely practiced. The fact that Keash Hil (Corran) and Croagh Patrick are both home to ancient megalithic cairns, which are commonly connected with the Otherworld is an interesting point.

Lúnasa being an Aonach, a funeral festival for the foster mother of Lugh, Tailtiu does tie directly into the occurrence of festivals around this time.

Practices to Adopt

It seems clear now that visiting watery sites such as wells and climbing hills to worship, as well as large scale festivals and merriment are a key part of how Lúnasa has continued to be celebrated and should be incorporated into a modern Irish pagan practice.

juniper-divination-and-witchery

Ogham: An Introduction

What is ogham?

Ogham (pronounced OH-mm) is a writing system that dates from the 4th century CE that was used to write Primitive Irish and is used today as both a writing and magical and divinatory system. Each letter in the Ogham alphabet is called a fid (pronounced fee) and a group of letters is called a feda (pronounced fed-ah).

Stones with ogham inscriptions are found all around Ireland and areas surrounding the Irish Sea.

You may also see it spelled ogham spelled as ogam, which is the Old Irish spelling (the version of Irish that came after Primitive Irish).

The original alphabet has 20 letters and is divided into four groups of five letters called aicme (hear pronuncation). An additional five letters were added to the ogham in the Old Irish period (600CE to 900CE) and these are known as the forfeda and are less commonly used today.

Each letter has many associated lists that may have been used as mnemonic devices as well as bríatharogaim or kennings which are phrases that are associated with each letter which we can date back to the Old Irish period.

As a quick aside: Often when people have heard of ogham it’s through Robert Graves’ The White Goddess and his “Celtic tree calendar” or “Celtic astrology.” Ogham is not a calendar or time-keeping system and has many associations beyond just trees.

What do the ogham letters look like?

The ogham letters are formed by tally marks that come off of a central line. They are generally read from bottom to top when the text is arranged vertically (as it often is on stone inscriptions) or from left to right if it is arranged horizontally. The rightmost line of this images is the forfeda who's characters are more complex than the original alphabet.

Where did ogham come from?

There are 2 main theories on where ogham comes from. The first is that ogham was created by the Irish to be a written language that could not be understood by Latin speakers (primarily for political. religious, and military purposes).

The other mainstream theory is that the ogham was invented by early Irish Christians because the Irish language was difficult to write in the Latin alphabet.

There is also an older theory that ogham was invented by Druids in Gaul which has since been discredited as it has since been shown that ogham was almost certainly created for writing primitive Irish.

What are ogham's mythical origins?

The Book of Invasions and The Scholar’s Primer both have similar stories about the invention of ogham that relate to the Tower of Babel (see this episode of The Constant podcast for more context around this).

In this version of the story, a (fictional) Irish king sends out a group of scholars shortly after the fall of the Tower of Babel to try and reconstruct our previously shared language that the Christian God had destroyed. Those scholars take the best part of each new language that they find and mix them all together and create the Irish language/recreate the original language before the fall of the Tower of Babel and the ogham writing system with each fed being named after one of the scholars who helped reconstruct the language.

However The Scholar's Primer contains a second creation story and it tells us that the god Ogma, a God known for his skills in speech and poetry, invented the ogham to warn the God Lugh that his wife would be stolen away to the Otherworld unless he protected her with birch.

What are ogham's uses today?

Today ogham is primarily used in Pagan circles as a writing and divinatory system. The bríatharogaim and associated lists for each letter are generally used as a guide to the letter’s divinatory meaning. The main reference cited for ogham as a divinatory tool is a brief mention in The Wooing of Etaine but not much information is given on how exactly the ogham was used other than it involving yew wands with the ogham written on them, but reading methods tend to vary from practitioner to practitioner.

Where can I learn more about ogham?

Books

Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom by Erynn Rowan Laurie

Ogham: The Secret Language of the Druids by Robert Lee Ellison

Courses

3 Truths About Ogham (Free!)

Primary Sources

The Ogham Tract

juniper-divination-and-witchery

There is a strong tradition of moon folklore in Ireland, which Lora O'Brien lays out in this short article, with authentic Irish moon lore.

juniper-divination-and-witchery

The new moon in Irish folk traditions

Photo by Lenstravelier on Unsplash

In Irish folk practices, the new moon (gealach úr in Irish) is seen as a time for setting intentions and ensuring your luck until the next new moon. What you do on the night of the new moon sets the tone for that lunar cycle.

Many of these customs are based on what you are doing when you first see the new moon so I feel it’s important to note that the Irish counted the dark moon (when no moon is visible in the sky) as its own phase, and the new moon would have been when the moon first became visible again.

The sources for these practices are all from The School’s Collection and they come from all over Ireland. They were collected by school children in the 1930s, who were tasked with interviewing their parents, grandparents, and neighbors for what folklore and customs they remembered from their childhoods. While these practices often reference Catholicism, they can also give us clues to former Pagan practices.

Growth and good luck

Whatever you are holding when you first see the new moon, you will have more of that by the next new moon (source 1, 2)

Planting at the new moon ensures growth for crops (source 1, 2)

If you have coins in your pocket when you see the new moon, turn them sunwise (east to west) three times to bring you wealth over the coming month, although in some sources it is enough just to hold or shake the coins (source 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Or you can turn whatever you have in your pocket and make a wish (source)

Or just make a wish! (source)

It was considered unlucky

To view the new moon, especially for the first time, through a mirror or glass (source 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

To view the new moon over your shoulder (source)

Unless it’s your left shoulder (source)

But the right shoulder is definitely unlucky (source 1, 2)

New moons on Saturdays are considered generally unlucky (source 1, 2)

It is unlucky to have the new moon pointed out to you by someone else (source)

Other new moon folklore

If you turn your coat inside out when you see a new moon you will have a new coat before the next new moon. source

When you see the new moon for the 1st time you should bless yourself and turn some of your clothing inside out and you will get a present. source

If you make the sign of the cross when you see the new moon you will never have a toothache. source

There is also tons of weather divination done with the moon in Irish culture. The most common piece of lore about the new moon is that if the new moon appears on its back, it means bad weather (source 1, 2), or sometimes it means a wet month. (source)

Traditional prayer upon seeing the new moon

Almost all new moon prayers start with the following stanza

I see the moon And the moon sees me God bless the moon And God bless me.

it is sometimes extended with

Grace in the kitchen, Grace in the hall. May the grace of God, Be about us all.

There's light in the cottage, There's light in the hall. And the glory of God, Is over us all.

(sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

In several sources it is stated that the prayer should be done on the knees, in others kneeling isn’t mentioned.

Learn more

This post just scratching the surface of some of the most popular new moon practices in Ireland. If you're interested in learning more, I can't recommend Duchas.ie enough! The Irish Pagan School is also an amazing resource and has a course all about the moon in Irish traditions.

saint-0wen

Bealtaine Customs

Bealtaine is almost here!

Bealtaine (bee-YAL-tin-eh) is the ancient Irish fire festival that starts the night of April 30th- Oíche Bealtaine- and is celebrated May 1- Lá Bealtaine (though festivities can last longer). Bealtaine marks the beginning of summer. In modern Irish Catholic tradition, May is celebrated as the month of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

These quatations are all pulled from the dúchas.ie folklore collection. To learn more, go to https://duchas.ie

Significance of Fire

The ashes was never put out on May Day long ago.

-Mrs. French, Co. Mayo

A central theme of Bealtaine is fire, as it is with all the Irish fire festivals. On the eve of the holiday, all fires were put out. A central fire was lit at the heart of the island, which spread throughout:

On May Eve the Druids lit the great sacred fire at Tara and as the signal flames rose up high in the air and then a fire is to kindled on every hill in Erin; till the whole island is on fire with fires.

-Patrick Healy Co. Galway

A similar tradition has been revived at the Hill of Uisneach.

Having a bonfire and spreading the light from that central point would be a great way to honor the sacredness of fire and celebrate Bealtaine.

Back then, people would also guide their cattle through two bonfires at Bealtaine, to cleanse and bless them for good health and abundance. Speaking of cattle...

Protecting Cattle

The people also tie a piece of red cloth on each cows' tail. This they tie on in the morning before letting them out. They do this to prevent the fairies from taking the cow's milk. Sometimes they tie a horse-shoe-nail or "táirgne crúth" in the cow's tails

-Mrs. Nora Maloney, Co. Mayo

On May Eve now people sprinkle Easter water on all the crops, cattle etc. and on the boundary fence. Perhaps this is apart from it's religious aspect a survival of the old dread of 'pishogues' when people dreaded harm to their crops and cattle.

Long ago the people went out on May morning and blessed the cow with a lighting candle.

-Patrick Lally, Co. Galway

And while we're talking about protection...

Yellow Flowers- Festive Protection

In years gone by the people used to throw a primrose in the byre door so that the fairies would not take away the milk from the cows for the year. It was at May eve that they threw this primrose in the byre door.

-William J Mc Laughlin

It is the custom for children to pick May flowers or Marsh marigolds on the last evening in April. These they throw on the doorstep or on the windowsill.

-Mrs. Norah Maloney, Co. Mayo

The first of May is called May Day or (Lá Bealtaine). On the eve of this feast the children gather may-flowers and place them on the window sills of the houses.

-P. Mc Closkey

"Cow-slips were hung on the door that day to bring good luck for the year."

-Martin Costello, Co. Mayo

Try hanging up yellow flowers at your doors and windowsills for protection and good luck! If don't have any flowers, don't worry. There's another way to welcome in good luck...

May Day Dew

It is also said that if you get up early on that morning and wash your face with the dew on the grass you will be healthy during the year.

-Collected by Anthony Clark

They washed their faces in the dew on May morning before the sun rose and and they would not get sunburned again for the year.

- Mrs. French, Co. Mayo

If a person wanted to preserve their beauty , they would have to get up one hour before sun-rise and wash their face in dew off the grass on May morning.

-Collected by Amy Gilligan, Co. Mayo

That's all well and good, but there is something more sinister that May morning dew is useful for...

Baneful Butter Stealing

Long ago, on May morning, lots of old woman went out in the morning before the sun arose and swept the dew of the grass by pulling a long rope after them and calling, "Come all to me, come all to me.” This was a kind of witchcraft, taking away butter of other people’s milk.

-Collected by Rudy Stronge, Co. Donegal

It is also believed if one goes out early and milks the neighbour's cow, they will be able to get all the butter from that cow's milk so they will have double the supply while their neighbour will not get any.

Long ago on May morning some people used pull three ribs from the cow's tail and take clay from her hoofs and bring it home. Then that person would have butter from the cows she did this to and the person to whom the cows belonged would have none after churning.

-Michael Costello, Co. Mayo

Some women used get a twig of mountain ash and put it under the churn on May Day and so get all the butter from her neighbours churn, on condition that she said she wanted the butter from her neighbours churn while making her own.

-Mrs. Butler, Co. Mayo

While I don't condone butter theft, Bealtaine seems to be the right time to do it. Let's look at another way to celebrate!

The May Bush

On May day morning, children get a small haw-thorn bush or at least a branch of one on which there is haw-thorn in bloom. On this bush they tie all kinds of coloured ribbons, papers, tinsel or other decorations left after the Xmas decorations till it is a gorgeous sight.

-Collected by Joan Martin

While hawthorn is the traditional tree chosen for the May bush, it's important to remember that the Irish tradition states to never ever bring hawthorn indoors.

This quote's sort of a miscellaneous one, but I thought it was interesting.

On May Night long ago the people used to leave a cake and a jug of milk on the table because they thought the Irish who were buried in America and other countries used come home on that night and visit their own home. Another old custom was to leave the doors unlocked that night. They considered it unlucky to give butter or milk way to any person on May Day as they would be giving away their luck. No stables were to be cleaned out on that day. The first person to go to the well in the morning was supposed to have luck for the rest of the year. It is not right to give money to anyone on that day. But if you get money on that day you will be getting it for the year."

-Mrs. Joyce, Co. Mayo

Ah, can't forget the ancestors. Or the diaspora! ;)

An incredibly common tradition I saw while scrolling through dúchas (I really recommend you do it yourself! They have everything!) was that milk, coals, salt, money, or really anything isn't to be given away at Bealtaine, or you'll lose something for yourself. Something supernatural about Bealtaine surpasses the Irish tradition of hospitality. This to me really highlights a theme of abundance. Welp, that's all I have for now!

🌼☀️Beannachtaí na Bealtaine oraibh!☀️🌼

ceo-draiochta

People with cures in Ireland are people with a special ability to heal a certain aspect of sickness through a procedure of incantation, apparatus and faith. This a practice which is still going on to this day.

Recently, Cecily Gilligan wrote a book called Cures of Ireland: A treasure trove of irish remedies

Which really is the ultimate book on Cures, she has being doing research since at least the 80s on this topic. Would highly recommend.

juniper-divination-and-witchery

Protecting home and fortune: Irish folk customs for Bealtaine

Bealtaine, also known as May Day, marked a pivotal point in the Irish calendar. It signified the arrival of summer, a time of light, warmth, and the promise of a bountiful season ahead. However, Bealtaine also held a sense of unease. This was a time when the boundary between our world and the Otherworld thinned, inviting the potential for both blessings and misfortune from the unpredictable Good Neighbors. To navigate this delicate balance, people turned to time-honored traditions and a heightened awareness of the risks of everyday life.

Appeasing the Good Neighbors

On Bealtaine, it was widely believed that the Good Neighbors became particularly active. To ensure their goodwill and prevent them from causing mischief, people would leave out food and drink as offerings. The belief was that the the Good Neighbors were attracted to these offerings and would be less likely to cause trouble if they were satisfied.

You all know May is the month of the fairies. Great people or men that lived long ago rises from their graves on every night in the month of May to fight the old battles that they fought long ago these men are called fairies. The bad fairies do great harm and trouble in the month of May they kill cattle take away milk and butter from the cows and alot of other mischief. Source

"The fairies come around our houses too to do mischief as well as they come to the cattle; you should sweep the hearth very clean and leave food aside for them. If you don't the fairies will come when you are asleep and will torment you by tricking you or pinching you." Source

Primrose

Primrose was believed to ward off the Good Neighbors, and scattering them in the doorways and window sills of the home created a barrier no troublesome spirit could cross.

"During the first three days [of May] fairies entered the house. They came disguised as old men or women in order to steal coals and in order to prevent them primroses were scattered on the doorway no fairy could pass this flower." Source

"The best preventive of fairy power was to scatter primroses on the threshold, for no one could pass the flowers and and the house and house-hold were left in peace." Source

"Guard the house by a string of primroses across the door on the first three days of May. The fairies can pass neither over nor under the string." Source

Rowan

This tree was seen as potent protection against otherworldly forces. A branch hung above a cow's stable door could ward off those who might steal the milk, ensuring the cow's blessing for the year. Branches decorated with spring flowers were also placed around the house for a bit of extra good luck.

On May Day before sunrise the eldest member of the family gets up, he goes out, pulls a branch of the rowan tree and hangs it over the cow's stable door. This is done to prevent the fairies from taking any of the milk from the cows. Source

Another custom is to get a branch of Rowan tree and decorate it with may flowers and primroses and leave it in the middin standing. Then strew may-flowers into each outhouse door and on the doorstep and in the windowsills. This is to welcome the good fairies so that there will be good luck round the year. Source

If you put a rowan tree up the Chimney nothing can bring the butter out of the house. Source

The May bush: blessing and protection

The May bush was a common custom in Ireland, particularly in Leinster, South and West Ulster, and some areas of Munster and Connaught. The May bush often featured hawthorn branches brought home and decorated with flowers, ribbons, and colorful eggshells saved from Easter.

The May bush was believed to protect the home from evil spirits, particularly fairies and witches. It was also thought to bring good luck and prosperity, especially in relation to milk and butter production.

It is a great custom also to make a May bush on May day. This consists of a bush, which is put standing in the dungpit. The bush is decorated with flowers and eggshells. The eggshells are kept after Easter Sunday. Source

On May morning a Maybush was placed outside each house. It usually was a yellow furze bush with a number of eggshells stuck on the thorns. Source

The people around this place make May-bushes on the first of May. They pull a bush and gather flowers and tie them on to the bush with strings and stick it on the ground and after that they say their prayers around it to honour our Blessed Mother and they make a little Altar and put flowers every day on it during May. The people long ago used to make May-bushes and they also used to make a little Altar. Source

The evening before the first of May the people go out and get a piece of a certain tree which they call May Pole. They put this bush outside the door and they put all the egg shells they had on Easter Sunday on it. They also put a lot of flowers out side too. If the people do not put up the May Pole the fairies will come. They also tie May Pole to the cow's tail and if they do not, the fairies come and take the milk from the cow. Source

Guarding your luck

Bealtaine is a time that came with a heightened fear that any careless act could invite bad luck for the whole year. During Bealtaine, even seemingly simple acts held risk.

Giving away even staples like milk, butter, or coins risked also surrendering your good fortune. Lending a tool or sharing even a hot coal from your hearth could lead to unexpected misfortune.

On May eve no one cares to give away any milk or butter fearing their luck would be taken. Source

Long ago the people used to have a large number of pisreogs on May day...They would not give away anything to anybody on May day, only to a beggar man. When he would come in they would give him great welcome. They would say he was bringing in the good luck. The old people would not allow anybody to bring fire outside the door. Everybody would have matches on May day. The old people would not allow any fire outside the door. Source

On May Eve or May Day nothing is given out of the house. Source

They considered it unlucky to give butter or milk way to any person on May Day as they would be giving away their luck. No stables were to be cleaned out on that day. The first person to go to the well in the morning was supposed to have luck for the rest of the year. It is not right to give money to anyone on that day. But if you get money on that day you will be getting it for the year. Source

The people of the house do not put out the ashes on that day or if a person asked for a coal they would be refused. Source

Another custom of the Irish, they would not lend any article or give either milk or food even to beggars. They would not light a fire on May Day until it was late in the day for fear that the people would see the smoke and would bring the butter. Source

The customs surrounding Bealtaine offer a fascinating glimpse into the rich tapestry of Irish folklore and the enduring human desire to shape our luck through ritual and tradition. Whether leaving offerings to appease unseen spirits, scattering flowers as wards against misfortune, or cautiously guarding their possessions, people sought to influence the unseen forces that shaped their lives. These traditions, born in a different time, speak to a fundamental human desire for control, for a sense of agency in the face of an uncertain world. While the specific fears and beliefs may have shifted, the impulse to use ritual and superstition as a means of navigating life's unpredictability remains surprisingly relatable.

faerylaw

Severed Heads

Bronze Head 20 bce Witham

There is an episode in the Second Branch of Y Mabinogi where the mortally injured Brân asks the other survivors of the battle in Ireland to cut off his head:

'Take the head' said he 'and bring it to the White Hill in London, and bury it with its face towards France. And you will be on the road a long time. In Harlech you will be seven years in feasting, the birds of Rhiannon singing to you. The head will be as good company to you as it was at its best when it was ever on me. And you will be at Gwales in Penfro for eighty years. Until you open the door facing Aber Henvelen on the side facing Cornwall, you will be able to abide there, along with the head with you uncorrupted. But when you open that door, you will not be able to remain there. You will make for London and bury the head.

Severed heads, it has been claimed, were an integral part of pagan Celtic religious practice.[i] Be that as it may, I have been struck by the frequency of the occurrence of decapitation in surviving folklore narratives. Among folktales I have read recently, I have noted the following:

§ A frog who is really a prince who has had a spell cast upon him. The common base theme of a girl who is prepared to kiss him, or let him sleep with her, in order for him to be turned back to human form, is extended in some tales where she is required to cut off his head in order for the transformation to take place. (Example:The Well at Worlds End)

§ A princess transformed into a white hind and hunted by a young man on a quest who follows her into a cave and is then required to cut off the head and throw it into a well in order to transform the hind into a woman who, in her human form, is imprisoned in an enchanted castle. (‘The King of England’ source: School of Scottish Studies

§ A young man on a quest who has to undergo a series of trials with each of three brothers living along separate stages of his quest route. These are old and grotesque but on his return journey he has to cut off the head of each of the brothers in turn and throw them into wells after which they are transformed into young men and their lands are renewed to prosperity, as here:

“The young prince dismounts, and puts his horse in the stable, and they go in to have some refreshments, for I can assure you he wanted some; and after telling everything that passed, which the old gentleman was very pleased to hear, they both went for a walk together, the young prince looking around and seeing the place looking dreadful, as did the old man. He could scarcely walk from his toe-nails curling up like ram's horns that had not been cut for many hundred years, and big long hair. They come to a well, and the old man gives the prince a sword, and tells him to cut his head off, and throw it in that well. The young man has to do it against his wish, but has to do it. No sooner has he flung the head in the well, than up springs one of the finest young gentlemen you would wish to see; and instead of the old house and the frightful-looking place, it was changed into a beautiful hall and grounds.”

(from ‘The King of England and his Three Sons’ retold by Joseph Jacobs)

All of the above happen to be from tales collected in Scotland. All have the theme of renewal by beheading and there is also the element of throwing the head into a well as part of this process. What are we to make of this?

If the well is to be regarded as a source of life and, in this context, re-birth, and the head as the part that can be re-born, a symbolic structure could be re-constructed. But that, somehow, escapes the mysterious subtext that suggestively underlies these tales. The story of Brân in Y Mabinogi is clearly a medieval story incorporating Other-world elements in the Birds of Rhiannon and the dwelling on a time-suspended island. The folk tales, similarly, deal in enchanted castles, shape-shifting and other transformations. Though simply told they often hint at psychic depths as well as deep things in the world we inhabit.

A frog in a well is ….. just a frog in a well - until it speaks. To engage with such things is to engage with strangeness. Often travellers in these strange worlds are asked to kill their helpers in order to renew a vital part of themselves. Is such psychic questing only about individual fulfilment or initiation? Or does it extend beyond the individual into the domain of myth when the land itself is renewed? Thinking about it, it is difficult to separate these two categories. And why should we want to?

[i] Discussed by Anne Ross in Pagan Celtic Britain -Chapter Two (1967)

previously-littlelilacfox-deact

Reposting an Old Resource List of Mine

This is an incomplete list of resources I’ve personally collected throughout my research into Irish Polytheism. Most of it does not include topics which one would generally think of as “relevant” to an IriPol practice, but I feel it’s important to learn about both Early and Modern Irish Culture in order to have a better understanding of the religion. Furthermore, a link’s appearance on this list does not necessarily mean that I agree with the contents of that link.

Unspecific Resources:

Celtic Art cultures

Na hÉireanneach

The Irish Ulysses

A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland

Washing and Bathing in Ancient Ireland

The Irish Potato Goddess- or Why Paganism Annoys Me

A Consideration of Villages in Neolithic and Bronze Age Britain and Ireland

Religious Beliefs of the Pagan Irish

When History Adds to your Modern Practice

Fulachtaί fia and Bronze Age cooking in Ireland: reappraising the evidence

Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History: Delivered at the Catholic University of Ireland, During the Sessions of 1855 and 1856

Irish Language Resources:

Introduction to Old Irish

Fuaimniú & Litriú na Gaeilge: Sounds and Spelling of Irish [Video]

Pronunciation guide

Guide to pronunciation of Irish mythic names & places

Irish Mythology Names

Myths and legends: pronunciation guide (Modern Irish)

A Beginner’s Guide to Old Irish Pronunciation

A concise Old Irish grammar

Law Specific Resources:

Irish Legal History: An Overview and Guide to the Sources

The Brehon Laws Text (Fénechas / Senchus Már)

The Ancient Brehon Laws of Ireland

Judgements Concerning Privileged Persons (Bretha Nemed toísech)

The Law of Adomnán (Cain Adamnáin)

Medieval Irish Law Texts

The Lost Legal System: Pre-Common Law Ireland and the Brehon Law

List of Early Irish Law Texts

Books About Early Irish Law

Medieval Irish Law Text and Context

An analysis of the early Irish law text Uraicecht Na Riar

Property Rights in Celtic Irish Law

The Brehon Law Academy

Female Specific Resources:

The Lives of Ancient Celtic Women

The Legal Status of Women in Early and Medieval Ireland and Wales in Comparison with Western European and Mediterranean Societies

The Power of Women in Celtic Society: Female Druids

Discovering Women in Irish History

Women and the Law in Early Ireland

The Representation in Old Irish Law Texts of the Legal Position of Women in Early Medieval Ireland as regards the Ownership of Property

Eighteenth-Century Women’s Poetry in Irish

Gender, Nationality and Cultural Representations of Ireland

Women and Slavery in the Early Irish Laws

Women in Early Modern Europe and Ireland (Auto Download)

Clothing and Dress Resources:

Irish and Scandinavian dress in Viking-Age Ireland

Viking Age head-coverings

Irish Viking Age silks and their place in Hiberno-Norse society

Women’s Head-coverings in North-Western Europein the Viking Age

Re-Examining the Evidence: A Study of Medieval Irish Women’s Dress from 750 to 900 CE

Irish and Scots Clothing in the 16th Century

2.2.6 Dress - Discovering Women in Irish History: Dress

A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland: Dress and Costume

Marriage, Sex, and Children Specific Resources:

Polygyny and Multiple Marriages in Later Medieval Ireland

Marriage in the Celtic World

Sexuality in Ancient Ireland

Children in Celtic Law

Fosterage

Fosterage; child-rearing in medieval Ireland

Section II: Fosterage in Ancient Ireland

Fosterage, Kinship, and Legend: When Milk Was Thicker than Blood?

Foster care in ancient Ireland was an established and beloved tradition

Fosterage (Medeival Ireland)

Raising Children: The Path to Peace in Early Ireland

Foster care in ancient Ireland was an established and beloved tradition

Celtic Fosterage: Adoptive Kinship and Clientage in Northwest Europe

Unknown / Untitled Essay by Peter Parkes

Child Centered Law in Medieval Ireland

A Mac Fhlannchadha Fosterage Document, c.1580: Notes on the Síol Fhlannchadha of Tradraighe1

Muddy Waters and Muddier Bloodlines: Fosterage in Early Ireland (Personal)

Medicine Specific Resources:

Herbal medicine: A relic of the past or a signpost of the future?

10 Irish folk cures, spells and superstitions to cure all ailments

The Medical Mythology of Ireland

Mythology behind Irish Herbalism

Ancient Celtic Myth, Magic, and Medicine

Deity / Entity / Figure Specific Resources:

The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore

Pagan Portals - Gods and Goddesses of Ireland: A Guide to Irish Deities

The Legends and Lands of Ireland

Celtic Myths and Legends

Gods and Fighting Men: The Story of the Tuatha De Danaan and of the Fianna of Ireland

Pagan Ireland: An Archaeological Sketch: A Handbook of Irish Pre-Christian Antiquities

The Morrígan and her Germano-Celtic Counterparts

The Cailleach in Irish Megalithic Traditions

Brighid’s Epithets

The Role of the Morrigan in the Cath Maige Tuired: Incitement, Battle Magic and Prophecy

Caithreim Cellachain Caisil: The Victorious Career of Cellachan of Cashel

Resurrecting the Irish Gods: Fliadhais (Personal)

About Fliadhais (Personal; Brief)

Flidais Foltchaoin

Flidais: Is She a Goddess?

Flidais: A Chariot Drawn By Deer

About Manannán (Personal; Brief)

The Place of Manannan Mac Lir in Irish Mythology

Manannán mac Lir

Better Know a Celt: Manannán mac Lir

Manannan Mac Lir: God of the Sea and Guardian of the Afterlife

From A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland: Chapter 5

Great Gods of the Celts: Manannan mac Lir

Gods and Fighting Men

Manannán’s Land: Irish Myths of the Sea

The Waves of Manannan Mac Lir: The Irish God of the Sea

Manannan mac Lir: Lord of Mischief and an Saoghal Eile

About Clíodhna (Personal; Brief)

Guide to Gaelic Polytheism Entry: Clíodhna

Bard Mythologies: Clíodhna

About Airmedh (Personal; Brief)

Goddess of the Growing Green: Airmid of Ireland

Mythical Women 04: The Story of Airmed

Revisiting Mythical Women. 4: Revisiting Airmed

Guide to Gaelic Polytheism Entry: Airmed

Irish Magic and Mysticism Resources:

Druids, Deer, and Words of Power: Coming to Terms with Evil in Medieval Ireland

Geis: The Curse in Irish Mythology

Rhetoric of Myth, Magic, and Conversion: Ancient Irish Rhetoric

The Rosc - Spoken Spells in Druidic Magic

Ritual in Late Bronze Age Ireland: Material Culture, Practices, Landscape Setting and Social Context

Virtue and Value Specific Resources:

An Irish Mythic Model for Celtic Virtues, Part 1 of 6

The Threshold Covenant

Hospitality in Gaelic Polytheism

Hospitality and Charity in Early Ireland (Personal)

Beauty Among the Irish Celts

Advice from a Princely Inlaw: Wisdom Texts in Old Irish

Values: Part One (multi-part series)

In Defense of Beauty as a Modern Spiritual Virtue (Personal)

Febas and the Housewife (Personal)

The Triads of Ireland (Trecheng Breth Féne)

The Instruction of Cuscraid (Tecosc Cuscraid)

The Colloquy of the Two Sages (Imcallam in da Thurad)

The Word-Teaching of Cú Chulainn (Briatharthecosc Con Chulainn)

The Sayings of Flann Fína (Bríathra Flainn Fína)

The Testament of Morann (Audacht Morainn)

The Instructions of Cormac mac Airt (Tecosca Cormaic).

Warriorship Specific Resources:

Poetic Ways: Cultivating the Practice of Filidecht

Warriors and Warfare: Ideal and Reality in Early Insular Texts

Local Cultus (Non Specific but helpful)

Gaelic names of beasts

Localizing Dieties

Local Cultus

Searching for Local Gods

Spirits of the Land

Connecting with Land Spirits: An Alternate View

Super Local Polytheism

Place, Power, and Persons

Where the Gods are Found

Local Cultus

Local Cultus- What is it and How do I do it?

On the Intent of Local Cultus

Interesting Commentary on Tumblr

Local and Aspect Cultus

Local Gods Part 1

Local Gods Part 2

Local Cultus: Hero Worship

Walking the Worlds: A Biannual Journal of Polytheism and Spiritwork

Land Spirits, Ancestors and Gods, Oh My!

On Being Oklahoman, Walks, and Local Cultus (Personal)

This list is for personal use and will be updated to reflect additional sources as I find them; it is meant as a quick reference post so that I may more easily access the sources I quote, or otherwise use in my research. It is not meant to be anything other than that- though you may use it as your own reference as well if you wish.

wheelchairwitch

Traditional Irish soda bread is something I’ve wanted to learn to make for a long time. I thought I’d pass this on to you guys as well.

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlWamaIM1w4)

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