| |
You have arrived at our
Archive Site. We have recently remodeled and if you click the Home
button you will be transported to our new word press site. If you
are on a product page, all the BUY NOW buttons have been updated to go
directly to the new word press product page. Please update your bookmarks
to https://www.celticattic.com
Forklore and Legends
|
- Halloween dates back to the 1700's in the
USA, but it has roots going back thousands of years and influences from many
different cultures. These include the Celtic festival of Samhain, the
Christian All Soul's Day (which comes from Samhain in Ireland when the
Christians converted the country, but wanted to retain some familiar
festivals and events), and the Roman goddess Pomona.
- Beware of the Black Cat:
- This creature earned its status as a result of its connection with the
Witch. Witchcraft and black magic were are part of Druid (Celtic
Priests or Holy Men) Samhain celebrations, end-of-harvest ceremonies
when the living and the dead were thought to be closest together.
I was believed that Samhain, a Druid lord of the dead, commanded sprits
to take the form of animals during these celebrations, with the most
evil becoming cats. Early settlers to America brought their belief
in witches ability to take forms, including that of cats. Out of
this grew the superstitious that if a black cat crosses your path, you
should turn and go back to avoid bad luck. {"Samhain"
is the name of the holiday. There is no evidence of any god or demon
named "Samhain," "Samain," "Sam Hane," or
however you want to vary the spelling.} The Celts didn't have a concept
of Satan or devil in their worship or daily lives. There was an
underworld, but it was not the Hell of Christianity, it was just another
realm of existence.
- Magickal Mystical Apples:
- When the Romans conquered Britain, they brought with them the apple
tree. The apple represented Pomona, goddess of the fruit trees,
who was known for her beauty and fertility. The apple, ripened in
the fall, was embraced as part of the harvest celebrations that would
grow up into Halloween. The seeds in the core of the apple -
sliced in half it formed the shape of a pentagram - are another
fertility symbol the Celts revered.
- The Pumpkin and Folk magic:
- This is of Irish Origin. They carved faces on hallowed-out
turnips, inserted a candle, and placed them on the doorstep to frighten
away ghosts on All Hallows Eve. When the Irish emigrated to
America, they found the plump pumpkin was a perfect substitute.
- St. Luke's Divine Magic
- From pagan to Christian times, herbs have played an important role in
magical divinations. In England, on St. Luke's Day (October 11),
young women concocted a special herbal ointment made of honey and
vinegar, into which they mixed calendula, marjoram, thyme and
wormwood. They anointed themselves with this mixture, chanting
this charm "St. Luke, St. Luke, be kind to me. In dreams may
I my true love see".
|
|