If you were a hard working farmer in olden times, can you imagine how close to your heart you’d hold the special holy days when feasting and merrymaking were the order of business? You might even mark your return to work with ceremonious festivity. Plough Monday is the first Monday after January 6th or Twelfth… Continue reading Mythic Monday: Plough Monday
Tag: folklore
Mythic Monday: 5 Signs of a Bitter Winter by Flossie Benton Rogers
Today we open an app to discover what the weather will be. The wise ones of the older generation, however, watched and listened to the messages from nature. They were keen observers of the animals and plants around them. To survive and flourish, they had to pay attention. Farming families, especially, depended on clement weather… Continue reading Mythic Monday: 5 Signs of a Bitter Winter by Flossie Benton Rogers
Mythic Monday: Thomas the Rhymer by Flossie Benton Rogers
Now that we’re properly besotted with Outlander the television series as well as Diana Gabaldon’s books, it’s time for a little excursion into Scotland. Born in 1220 in Ercel’s Down, Scotland, the man who came to be known as Thomas the Rhymer was both a poet and a seer. His power of prophecy came from… Continue reading Mythic Monday: Thomas the Rhymer by Flossie Benton Rogers
Mythic Monday: The Divine Sneeze
Do you say Gesundheit or God Bless You when someone sneezes? Just how powerful is a sneeze? Ancient Polynesian mythology tells the story of just such a natural but unexpected event during the creation of mankind. At the beginning of time, the Lords of Light ruled the earth, sea, and heaven. Mankind did not yet… Continue reading Mythic Monday: The Divine Sneeze
Mythic Monday: Taurus the Bull
In the cave of Lascaux is a depiction considered by some scholars to represent the constellation Taurus. It is, of course, in the shape of a bull. The bull has been honored since ancient times for magnificent strength and fertility. Taurus the Bull is an ancient and revered zodiac symbol. The ancient Sumerians worshiped a… Continue reading Mythic Monday: Taurus the Bull
Mythic Monday: Wag-by-the-Way
Wag-by-the-Way is a diminutive Scottish fairy whose role includes guarding Lowland roads during the most troublesome hours of the night. He keeps watch that the nefarious traveler with ill will on his mind gives a wide berth to Wag’s selected home base. He serves as protector for members of his adopted human family, looking after… Continue reading Mythic Monday: Wag-by-the-Way
Mythic Monday: Churn Milk Peg
Have you ever felt a sharp pinch while picking a nut off a tree? Chances are Churn Milk Peg was the culprit. A diminutive English fairy hag, her primary job is to protect nuts from being picked before they are ripe, particularly by naughty children. Churn Milk Peg actually does a good turn for children,… Continue reading Mythic Monday: Churn Milk Peg
Mythic Monday: Green is the Color
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Green is nature’s color, indicating nourishment and growth. When we see it, we sigh in relief on a primitive level, as it denotes bounty and fruitfulness. The clan will not starve this winter. It is soothing and restful, which is why hospital rooms are often green and actors await their turn… Continue reading Mythic Monday: Green is the Color
Mythic Monday: Black Annis Will Get You
In days not so long ago, English parents frightened their children into good behavior by the threat of “Black Annis will get you.” The custom is equivalent to the threat in America that “the bogeyman will get you.” In older, darker times, Black Annis instilled terror into the hearts of country folk, particularly around her… Continue reading Mythic Monday: Black Annis Will Get You
Mythic Monday: St. Agnes Eve
On St Agnes Eve, January 20th, a young girl can experience a dream vision of her future husband, so the lore tells us, if she follows a carefully prescribed ritual: Fast all day, and bathe before preparing for bed. Sprinkle water onto a sprig of rosemary and a sprig of thyme, and place the herbs… Continue reading Mythic Monday: St. Agnes Eve