#celtic vs anglo-saxon

[whitedemon-ladydeath]

this might be a bit of a hot take but the whole Vibe from the Spring Court does not give 'fae' vibes, like you'd expect from the celtic nations. it gives Tolkien vibes. however Tolkien was inspired by anglo Saxon mythology and 'fae' are not really attached to the anglo Saxons. in fact *elves* were. while there is a huge conflation of the two, elves are germanic whereas fae are celtic

Continental England, with the anglo Saxons were of germanic language descent (not including like. Wales, Cornwall, celtic nations, etc). 'Fae' can be considered an equivalent, and are what we mostly know about, but the anglo saxons had their own mythology from continental Europe, and Northern Europe close to norse mythology (Odin vs woden, Tyr vs Tir, etc etc etc)

so with that being said Tamlin isn't fae, he's an elf thank you for coming to my tedtalk

@feynessupremacy @bookishfeylin @kateduchessofdolittle

[farieshades]

The runes on Excalibur 👀👀

They’re Nordic, wouldn’t they be Anglo Saxon runes based on the time? Or some sort of Celtic equivalent?

Which. Does the sword = norse or like, type of sword ≠ Norse???

Basically. Just a general Excalibur question and whether it’s historically correct.

Bonus: What do the runes even mean, I know they’re a random sequence and not what they say it means in the show buuttt…. 🤷‍♀️

The Problem of Runes

The runes used in the show are Elder Futhark, an anglo-saxon/norseman language in a time when one of the larger enemy forces are the anglo-saxons. Which… doesn’t make a lot of sense. Interestingly, should the sword exist, at the time they'd have used Latin letters, since Romans had already come and begun slowly making people Christian. Funnily enough, Old English only came after Arthur's time in real history. They most likely were also speaking Old Welsh/Hen Gymraeg. I think I may have mentioned it before, who knows, but language is diverse. Language in a post-roman conquest after rome also leaves but anglo-saxons haven’t shown up, even worse. Likely, it wasn’t all simple as it is in the show (due to audience understandings) and likely each Kingdom had its own language/dialect and the different parts of their land also had their own dialects. Likely, around Camelot to Mercia, and back to Caerleon, it’s likely that the language would have links to Latin, at least in the upper class due to Latin being the language of government and writing, but it wouldn’t be the only thing about. 

But back to Futhark, my base understanding is that in Britain, there is roughly a period between 400-900 in which artifacts with Runes of this type are found, although they did exist up to 1066 until the Norman Conquest, while King Arthur exists anywhere from 420-1100 (give or take - the show has of course anachronisms[Tomato / Potato / Sandwhich / Silk dresses for Morgana], but it also, then, has dragons).  

Also, Ogham may be used if they wanted a more ‘mystic’ feel of inscription. The language is attributed to the Druids, the irish, the pictish, and would use 20 letters.

According to the High Medieval Briatharogam, an irish literature explanation for kennings on the ogham alphabet, trees can be ascribed to specific letters. There is scholarly debate, however, if Ogham is a cipher based on either Germanic runes, Elder Futhark, Greek alphabet, or even Latin. This is due, largely to the “H/Z” letters present in Ogham, but unused in Irish and the vocalic/consonantal variant of “U” vs “W”. And again, at the time, Latin in Roman Britannia, specifically southern and the west, would be prominent (and outside of Ireland, the highest concentration of Ogham is in Wales). 

T - Tinne - Holly = Overcoming challenge

A - Ailm - White Fir = Look to past for future understandings

C - Coll - Hazel = Inspire others through skill/wisdom

E - Eadhadh - Poplar = Face challenge with determination

M - Muin - Vine = Trust intuition/Relax

E - Eadhadh - Poplar = Face challenge with determination

U - Ur - Heather = Healing and respite time  

P - Peith - soft Birch = New beginnings, change, good fortune 

-

C - Coll - Hazel = Inspire others through skill/wisdom

A - Ailm - White Fir = Look to past for future understandings

S - Sail - Willow = Period of learning 

T - Tinne - Holly = Overcoming challenge

M - Muin - Vine = Trust intuition/Relax

E - Eadhadh - Poplar = Face challenge with determination

A - Ailm - White Fir = Look to past for future understandings

U - Ur - Heather = Healing and respite time  

A - Ailm - White Fir = Look to past for future understandings

Y - Eamhancholl = wisdom/understanding  

(Notably Ogham does not have a ‘w’ as a letter so substituting of the sound /u/ is done or with a soft /v/ sound - same with the dual C as there isn’t a K (from what i can tell))

Translation

Based on Arthurian ‘lore’, there are two base sayings that are inscribed on Arthur’s blade “Take me up, cast me away.” This comes from Tennyson'sIdylls of the King, within which the sword is inscribed with the "oldest tongue of all this world". Should the sword be pulled from a rock and anvil, there is often the inscription accompanining it saying "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is likewise King of all England" (or something to that degree) which is seen in Malory’s works. 

To receive an answer of what should be on the sword and what is, is very different. And I am shamelessly pulling from Merlin.fandom as this has been a conversation before. “The runes on the Excalibur in the picture say 'ahefemupwiithstr' which isn't really a word” (https://merlin.fandom.com/f/p/2608657942446217361) However, that’s not to say someone didn’t solve what it should be written as “Translation for "Take Me Up" • Tiwaz - Ansuz - Kenaz - Ewhaz • Mannaz - Ewhaz • Uruz - Perthro • / Translation for "Cast Me Away" • Kenaz - Ansuz - Soliow - Thurasaz • Mannaz - Ewhaz • Ansuz - Wunjo - Ansuz •” 

Now, these runes given for the saying do indeed spell out Take me up/Kast me away, this is written with the intention of spelling the words completely assuming no ideography (using what the letters mean[as you ask] rather than what they show: Tiwaz meaning Tyr/Sky god + order/justice / Ansuz meaning As/Odin + order/inspiration/sovereign power / Kenaz being Beacon/Torch + knowledge/tradition/hearth / Ewhaz being Horse + transportation/Steady progress/change / Mannaz meaning Man/Mankind + The Self/human race/mortality / Uruz being Auroch/Ox + Physical Strength/speed/untamed potential / Perthro meaning Lot Cup/Vagina + Feminine Mysteries/occult/secrets/initiation /// Soliow being The Sun + Success/honour/health / Thurasaz(or redoing Tiwaz potentially in the spelling of it) meaning Thorn/Giant + defense/conflict/catharsis/purging / Wunjo being Joy + Comfort/pleasure/harmony --- In my understanding of these, it feels like “take me up” in these runes has indications of taking a throne, bringing in order to the human race, whereas “cast me away” has similar lettering but implicates successes having been done and a conflict having been finished, thus ‘casting away’ the sword once the battle is done). 

The show, as mentioned above, has the engraving that translates to 'ahefemupwiithstr' and I’m going to save myself a bit of research and info dumping by going to another source, and I also, unfortunately, don’t know how to link things in Tumblr so we get to suffer screenshots - but do check out the original link:  https://dollopheadedmerlin.tumblr.com/post/149429230626/so-guys-im-thinking-of-making-a-replica-of#notes,

Sword Types

Anglo-Saxon swords comprised two-edged straight, flat blades. The tang of the blade was covered by a hilt, which consisted of an upper and lower guard, a pommel (often decorated depending on need and use), and a grip by which the sword was held.

At the time BBC depicts Merlin, the Anglo-Saxons have yet to conquer Britain, thus implying the soldiers wouldn’t likely be using an anglo-saxon sword, however, they could be considering the flow of ideas surpasses the flow of war I suppose.

Excalibur has been depicted from everything from a Roman Gladius (likely in earlier prose when King Arthur existed near the time of Post-Roman Britain, and there are stories with King Arthur and Julius Ceasar meeting, which is very… interesting), to a medieval longsword. Based off the hilt and pommel of Excalibur that we see, it appears to be almost a form of Claymore/Broadsword or Longsword.

However, these range roughly 1100-1700s. In the myths we have, Excalibur is never actually described. However, in modern depictions (film and artwork) it is typically depicted as a form of arming sword, that is, one-handed straight+long-bladed with a double-edge with a crossguard. Which, is reasonable, this style was very popular in the middle ages.

The depiction of Excalibur, in my opinion, is fitting to the 10th and 13th century forms of such swords (the 13th century has that fancy pommel at the end that the sword has in the show). However, your ask was more is this sword norse? Which, the depiction given is kind of in answer, due to the style given at what should be 5th century >< which may look something more similar to this with shorter crossguards while maintaining the circular pommel. Also to note, the term Pommel connects to anglo-normal “little apple” as it was an enlarged fitting at the top of the handle.

[horizon-verizon]

Martell’s stans pretending that they’re representatives of Global South in ASOIAF where instead they’re a region who’s constantly in clash with their neighbours cause they can’t stop looting and raiding the Stormlands and the Reach.

*EDITED* (11/5/23)

I haven't come across a Martell stan yet, in all my 7-month life here on Tumblr. But I already wrote a post on why the Martells aren't exactly PoCs (because race, as Americans and modern peoples know the thing, doesn't exist in this fictional universe) so much as "Others" are seen as ethnically different but not enough for there to be concern over "miscegenation" or "dirtying the blood" or losing actual social privileges the Martells still had like other "white", nonDornish nobles.

Ethnicity doesn't equal race, and "people of color" denotes "non-white" people, and "white"/"PoC" are racial terms.

Nationality also does not equal race, nor does it equal ethnicity.

"Race"--as in just the practical applications of their real modern realities and economic and social structures as a result--is not accurate or a paltry thing the further you go back in time. There were definitely racializations, racial & ethnic biases, and ethnic & racial tensions/violence, but religion and/or language more often defined a person's belonging and identity within a different hegemony until maybe the late 14th to 15th centuries.

The Rhoynish would definitely be considered PoC in our modern American & British racial categorization; in the world itself, yes they were a "foreign" and literally foreign people and a different ethnicity from First Men and Andal.

However, ONE -- Dorne is not progressive in terms of class, not at all, and TWO -- these two are both Essosi in origin while several of their original cultural aspects [the Faith, the symbols, chivalry, court culture, oaths, the kin slaying taboo, the importance placed on swords, guest rights, etc.] still exist in the main events of ASoIaF right now. These didn't change or get lost upon their arrival to the Westerosi continent.

Dorne, by virtue of the fact that their succession customs are equal gender, will inevitably be Othered and thus they have that sense of "not white-ness" but this doesn't really pin them down as "PoC" bc the emphasis of why the Dornish are Othered is much more about there being less misogyny than religion, region, etc. and the Martells still independently/non-coercively share Andal cultural aspects then they do Rhoynish. Because, how can the whites (nonDornishmen) racialize a region based on skin color or principles of "purity" seen through the outside (as this has been used to create current racial categories) with people with different skin colors?

The First Men are not Andals, the Andals and FM fought several times in past history, come from different regions of Essos, have different religions and both typically have paler skin. Both have misogynist practices and are more stringent about male primogeniture and able-bodiedness mattering to leadership.

The "salty" Martells and other Dornish--even those who are "sandy" or "stony" as Daeron I categorized them--are more analogues of both Welsh vs. the Anglo-Saxons or Normans (all "racially white" ) because of their constant wars with Reach people and Stormlanders. AND Spaniards (European people, so racially white) because Spain has a history of Moor, Hebrew/Jew, and pre-Moor Spaniards having intermarriages and other types of exchange or interaction LONG before King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella expelled the Jewish and Muslim peoples. Even then, she and her King husband were not at first the rulers of all of "Spain", but of the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile freshly uniting these to develop and become what we know as "Spain". Like how England used to be Kent, East Anglia, Essex, Mercia, Northumbria, Sussex, Wessex, the Welsh peoples (a Celtic people) before the Normans arrived (Northmen/Scandinavian/Swedish/Danish/Viking originated) and conquered the English islands.

Once again, do we consider Spain a "white" country, or not?

[brookston]

Holidays 2.24

Holidays

Central Excise Day (India)

Day of Stripes & Dots

Dia de la Bandera (Flag Day; Mexico)

Dragobete (Lover's Day; Romania)

Edwin Dickinson Baker Day (Oregon)

Engineer’s Day (Iran)

Flag Day (Mexico)

Forget Me Not Day (Disabled Veterans)

Full Moon [2nd of the Year] (a.k.a. ... 

Bony Moon (Cherokee)

Budding Moon (China)

Daeboreum (Great Full Moon; Korea) [1st Full Moon of Lunar Calendar]

Eagle Moon (Traditional)

Grain Moon (South Africa)

The Great Fifteenth [Lunar Calendar]

Hunger or Hungry Moon (Alternate)

Ice Moon (Celtic)

Little Famine Moon (Choctaw)

Naval Full Moon Poya Day (Sri Lanka)

Raccoon Moon (Traditional)

Snow Moon (American Indian, North America, Traditional)

Southern Hemisphere: Barley, Corn, Dog, Grain, Red, Sturgeon, Wyrt Moons

Storm Moon (England, Neo-Pagan, Wicca)

Trapper’s Moon (Colonial)

Gregorian Calendar Day

Honus Wagner Day

International EBM Day

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Marbury vs. Madison Day

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National Artist Day (Thailand)

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National Remembrance Day (Papua New Guinea)

National Trading Card Day

N'cwala (Thanksgiving; Zambia)

Nylon Toothbrush Day

Obnoxious Day

Osmon Roy (Osmanda Regalis) Day

Showza-Shinzan International Yukigassen Tournament (Snowball Fight; Japan)

Sweden Finns’ Day (Sweden)

Tourism Day (Taiwan)

Twin Peaks Day

Ukrainian War Anniversary Day

Voice of America Day

Wild Ginger Day (French Republic)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Caesar Salad Day

Defend the Donut Day

Gouden Carolus Cuvée van de Keizer Open Day

National I Hate Coriander Day

National Tortilla Chip Day

National Tortamali Day

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Day

World Bartender Day

4th & Last Saturday in February

Camellia Day (California) [Last Saturday]

Clam Chowder Cook-Off (Santa Cruz, CA) [Last Saturday & Sunday]

International Sword Swallowers Day [Last Saturday]

International Tongue Twister Contest Day [Last Saturday]

National Day of Terere (Paraguay) [Last Saturday]

National Library Open Day (UK) [Last Saturday]

National Pretty Brown Girl Day [4th Saturday]

National TRiO Day [4th Saturday]

Open That Bottle Night [Last Saturday]

Independence & Related Days

Iseseisvuspäev, Independence Day of Estonia (from Russia, 1918)

Territory Day (Arizona; 1863)

Zamboanga Sibugay Province Day (Philippines)

Festivals Beginning February 24, 2024

Annapolis Restaurant Week (Annapolis, Maryland) [thru 3.3]

Beer City Festival (Santa Rosa, California)

Chinese New Year Parade (San Francisco, California)

Chocolate Wine Trail (Hermann, Missouri) [thru 2.25]

Melodifestivalen (Eskilstuna, Sweden)

New York City Beer Week (New York, New York) [thru 3.5]

Orange Beach Seafood Festival (Orange Beach, Alabama)

Taiwan Lantern Festival (Tainan, Taiwan) [thru 3.10]

Feast Days

Æthelberht of Kent (1st Christian Anglo-Saxon King) [original date]

Ascensión Nicol y Goñi (Christian; Blessed)

Ayyám-i-Há begins (Baha’i) [thru 2.28]

Beard Day (Pastafarian)

Carthaginian Ghost Spotting Day (Pastafarian)

Charles Le Brun (Artology)

Day of the Abdication of the Sacred King (Pagan)

Feast of Vartan (Armenia; Saint)

Giving of Shoes (Shamanism)

Hammie Swinette (Muppetism)

Huey Newton Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Lethard, Bishop of Senlis (Christian; Saint)

Lindel Tsen and Paul Sasaki (Anglican Church of Canada)

Lucan (Positivist; Saint)

Mattia Preti (Artology)

Matthias the Apostle (Christian; Saint)

Modest, Bishop of Trier (Christian; Saint)

Montanus, Lucius, Flavian, Julian, Victorious, Primolus, Rhenus, and Donation, martyrs at Carthage (Christian; Saint)

Pretextatus, Archbishop of Rouen (Christian; Saint)

Primrose Lore Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Regifugium (Flight of Kings; Ancient Rome)

Richard Hamilton (Artology)

Robert of Arbrissel (Christian; Saint)

Sergius of Cappadocia (Christian; Saint)

Sepandārmazgān (Women's Day; Zoroastrian Iran)

Shivaratri (Shiva’s Night; Hinduism; Everyday Wicca)

Winslow Homer (Artology)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

Alamut, by Vladimir Bartol (Novel; 1938)

Buddy and Bowser (WB LT Cartoon; 1934)

Chips Ahoy (Disney Cartoon; 1956)

Cocaine Bear (Film; 2023)

Figure Eight (Multiplication Rock Cartoon; Schoolhouse Rock; 1973)

Fleetwood Mac, by Fleetwood Mac (Album; 1968)

Frozen Feet (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1939)

Get Out (Film; 2017)

Help Me Rhonda, recorded by The Beach Boys (Song; 1965)

How to Ride a Horse (Disney Cartoon; 1950)

I Got Six (Multiplication Rock Cartoon; Schoolhouse Rock; 1973)

Johnny Cash at San Quentin, recorded by Johnny Cash (Concert Album; 1969)

Kidnapped (Disney Film; 1960)

Lest Darkness Fall, by L. Sprague de Camp (Novel; 1941)

L’Orfeo, by Claudio Monteverdi (Opera; 1607) [1st Modern Opera]

Lucky Seven Sampson (Multiplication Rock Cartoon; Schoolhouse Rock; 1973)

Misguided Missile (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1958)

Musical Moments from Chopin (Woody Woodpecker & Andy Panda Cartoon; 1947)

My Life as a Zucchini (Animated Film; 2017)

O-Solar-Meow (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1967)

Peer Gynt, by Henrik Ibsen & Edvard Grieg (Musical Play; 1867)

Philadelphia Freedom, by Elton John (Song; 1975)

Physical Graffiti, by Led Zeppelin (Album; 1975)

The Practical Pig (Disney Silly Symphony Cartoon; 1939)

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Film; 1969)

Putty Tat Trouble (WB LT Cartoon; 1951)

Rabbit Remembered, by John Updike (Novella; 2001)

Rinaldo, by George Frederic Handel (Opera; 1711)

Rock Dog (Animated Film; 2017)

Silk Stockings (Broadway Musical; 1955)

Space Kid (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1966)

Wanderlust (2012)

WhatsApp (Social Media App; 2009)

When You Wish Upon A Star, recorded by Frances Langford (Song; 1940)

Working Class Dog, by Rick Springfield (Album; 1981)

Today’s Name Days

Matthias (Austria)

Goran, Modest, Montan, Sinerot (Croatia)

Matěj (Czech Republic)

Mattias (Denmark)

Madi, Madis, Mäido, Maido, Maidu, Mait, Mati, Matis, Mats, Matti, Mattias (Estonia)

Matias, Matti (Finland)

Modeste (France)

Matthias (Germany)

Elemér (Hungary)

Edilberto (Italy)

Diāna, Dina, Dins, Gatins, Gatis, Kurbads (Latvia)

Gedmantas, Goda, Motiejus (Lithuania)

Mats, Mattias, Mattis (Norway)

Bogurad, Bogusz, Boguta, Bohusz, Lucjusz, Maciej, Piotr (Poland)

Ioan (Romania)

Matej (Slovakia)

Modesto, Sergio (Spain)

Mats, Mattias (Sweden)

Taras (Ukraine)

Maddison, Madison, Madisyn, Madyson, Mateo, Mathew, Mathias, Matt, Mattea, Matthea, Matthias, Mattias, Mattie, Matty, Modesto (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 55 of 2024; 311 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of week 8 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Nuin (Ash) [Day 7 of 28]

Chinese: Month 1 (Bing-Yin), Day 155 (Wu-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025)

Hebrew: 15 Adair I 5784

Islamic: 14 Sha’ban 1445

J Cal: 25 Grey; Foursday [25 of 30]

Julian: 10 February 2024

Moon: 100%: Full Moon

Positivist: 27 Homer (2nd Month) [Lucan]

Runic Half Month: Tyr (Cosmic Pillar) [Day 1 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 66 of 89)

Week: 3rd Week of February

Zodiac: Pisces (Day 6 of 30)

Calendar Changes

Tyr (Cosmic Pillar) [Half-Month 5 of 24; Runic Half-Months] (thru 3.10)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 2.24

Holidays

Central Excise Day (India)

Day of Stripes & Dots

Dia de la Bandera (Flag Day; Mexico)

Dragobete (Lover's Day; Romania)

Edwin Dickinson Baker Day (Oregon)

Engineer’s Day (Iran)

Flag Day (Mexico)

Forget Me Not Day (Disabled Veterans)

Full Moon [2nd of the Year] (a.k.a. ... 

Bony Moon (Cherokee)

Budding Moon (China)

Daeboreum (Great Full Moon; Korea) [1st Full Moon of Lunar Calendar]

Eagle Moon (Traditional)

Grain Moon (South Africa)

The Great Fifteenth [Lunar Calendar]

Hunger or Hungry Moon (Alternate)

Ice Moon (Celtic)

Little Famine Moon (Choctaw)

Naval Full Moon Poya Day (Sri Lanka)

Raccoon Moon (Traditional)

Snow Moon (American Indian, North America, Traditional)

Southern Hemisphere: Barley, Corn, Dog, Grain, Red, Sturgeon, Wyrt Moons

Storm Moon (England, Neo-Pagan, Wicca)

Trapper’s Moon (Colonial)

Gregorian Calendar Day

Honus Wagner Day

International EBM Day

International Family Drug Support Day

International Repetitive Strain Injury Awareness Day

International SCN2A Awareness Day

International War Animal Day

Loud Shirt Day (New Zealand)

Makha Bucha Day (Thailand)

Marbury vs. Madison Day

Mitch Hedberg Day

National Artist Day (Thailand)

National Dance Day

National Day for War Animals (Australia)

National Remembrance Day (Papua New Guinea)

National Trading Card Day

N'cwala (Thanksgiving; Zambia)

Nylon Toothbrush Day

Obnoxious Day

Osmon Roy (Osmanda Regalis) Day

Showza-Shinzan International Yukigassen Tournament (Snowball Fight; Japan)

Sweden Finns’ Day (Sweden)

Tourism Day (Taiwan)

Twin Peaks Day

Ukrainian War Anniversary Day

Voice of America Day

Wild Ginger Day (French Republic)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Caesar Salad Day

Defend the Donut Day

Gouden Carolus Cuvée van de Keizer Open Day

National I Hate Coriander Day

National Tortilla Chip Day

National Tortamali Day

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Day

World Bartender Day

4th & Last Saturday in February

Camellia Day (California) [Last Saturday]

Clam Chowder Cook-Off (Santa Cruz, CA) [Last Saturday & Sunday]

International Sword Swallowers Day [Last Saturday]

International Tongue Twister Contest Day [Last Saturday]

National Day of Terere (Paraguay) [Last Saturday]

National Library Open Day (UK) [Last Saturday]

National Pretty Brown Girl Day [4th Saturday]

National TRiO Day [4th Saturday]

Open That Bottle Night [Last Saturday]

Independence & Related Days

Iseseisvuspäev, Independence Day of Estonia (from Russia, 1918)

Territory Day (Arizona; 1863)

Zamboanga Sibugay Province Day (Philippines)

Festivals Beginning February 24, 2024

Annapolis Restaurant Week (Annapolis, Maryland) [thru 3.3]

Beer City Festival (Santa Rosa, California)

Chinese New Year Parade (San Francisco, California)

Chocolate Wine Trail (Hermann, Missouri) [thru 2.25]

Melodifestivalen (Eskilstuna, Sweden)

New York City Beer Week (New York, New York) [thru 3.5]

Orange Beach Seafood Festival (Orange Beach, Alabama)

Taiwan Lantern Festival (Tainan, Taiwan) [thru 3.10]

Feast Days

Æthelberht of Kent (1st Christian Anglo-Saxon King) [original date]

Ascensión Nicol y Goñi (Christian; Blessed)

Ayyám-i-Há begins (Baha’i) [thru 2.28]

Beard Day (Pastafarian)

Carthaginian Ghost Spotting Day (Pastafarian)

Charles Le Brun (Artology)

Day of the Abdication of the Sacred King (Pagan)

Feast of Vartan (Armenia; Saint)

Giving of Shoes (Shamanism)

Hammie Swinette (Muppetism)

Huey Newton Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Lethard, Bishop of Senlis (Christian; Saint)

Lindel Tsen and Paul Sasaki (Anglican Church of Canada)

Lucan (Positivist; Saint)

Mattia Preti (Artology)

Matthias the Apostle (Christian; Saint)

Modest, Bishop of Trier (Christian; Saint)

Montanus, Lucius, Flavian, Julian, Victorious, Primolus, Rhenus, and Donation, martyrs at Carthage (Christian; Saint)

Pretextatus, Archbishop of Rouen (Christian; Saint)

Primrose Lore Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Regifugium (Flight of Kings; Ancient Rome)

Richard Hamilton (Artology)

Robert of Arbrissel (Christian; Saint)

Sergius of Cappadocia (Christian; Saint)

Sepandārmazgān (Women's Day; Zoroastrian Iran)

Shivaratri (Shiva’s Night; Hinduism; Everyday Wicca)

Winslow Homer (Artology)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

Alamut, by Vladimir Bartol (Novel; 1938)

Buddy and Bowser (WB LT Cartoon; 1934)

Chips Ahoy (Disney Cartoon; 1956)

Cocaine Bear (Film; 2023)

Figure Eight (Multiplication Rock Cartoon; Schoolhouse Rock; 1973)

Fleetwood Mac, by Fleetwood Mac (Album; 1968)

Frozen Feet (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1939)

Get Out (Film; 2017)

Help Me Rhonda, recorded by The Beach Boys (Song; 1965)

How to Ride a Horse (Disney Cartoon; 1950)

I Got Six (Multiplication Rock Cartoon; Schoolhouse Rock; 1973)

Johnny Cash at San Quentin, recorded by Johnny Cash (Concert Album; 1969)

Kidnapped (Disney Film; 1960)

Lest Darkness Fall, by L. Sprague de Camp (Novel; 1941)

L’Orfeo, by Claudio Monteverdi (Opera; 1607) [1st Modern Opera]

Lucky Seven Sampson (Multiplication Rock Cartoon; Schoolhouse Rock; 1973)

Misguided Missile (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1958)

Musical Moments from Chopin (Woody Woodpecker & Andy Panda Cartoon; 1947)

My Life as a Zucchini (Animated Film; 2017)

O-Solar-Meow (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1967)

Peer Gynt, by Henrik Ibsen & Edvard Grieg (Musical Play; 1867)

Philadelphia Freedom, by Elton John (Song; 1975)

Physical Graffiti, by Led Zeppelin (Album; 1975)

The Practical Pig (Disney Silly Symphony Cartoon; 1939)

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Film; 1969)

Putty Tat Trouble (WB LT Cartoon; 1951)

Rabbit Remembered, by John Updike (Novella; 2001)

Rinaldo, by George Frederic Handel (Opera; 1711)

Rock Dog (Animated Film; 2017)

Silk Stockings (Broadway Musical; 1955)

Space Kid (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1966)

Wanderlust (2012)

WhatsApp (Social Media App; 2009)

When You Wish Upon A Star, recorded by Frances Langford (Song; 1940)

Working Class Dog, by Rick Springfield (Album; 1981)

Today’s Name Days

Matthias (Austria)

Goran, Modest, Montan, Sinerot (Croatia)

Matěj (Czech Republic)

Mattias (Denmark)

Madi, Madis, Mäido, Maido, Maidu, Mait, Mati, Matis, Mats, Matti, Mattias (Estonia)

Matias, Matti (Finland)

Modeste (France)

Matthias (Germany)

Elemér (Hungary)

Edilberto (Italy)

Diāna, Dina, Dins, Gatins, Gatis, Kurbads (Latvia)

Gedmantas, Goda, Motiejus (Lithuania)

Mats, Mattias, Mattis (Norway)

Bogurad, Bogusz, Boguta, Bohusz, Lucjusz, Maciej, Piotr (Poland)

Ioan (Romania)

Matej (Slovakia)

Modesto, Sergio (Spain)

Mats, Mattias (Sweden)

Taras (Ukraine)

Maddison, Madison, Madisyn, Madyson, Mateo, Mathew, Mathias, Matt, Mattea, Matthea, Matthias, Mattias, Mattie, Matty, Modesto (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 55 of 2024; 311 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of week 8 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Nuin (Ash) [Day 7 of 28]

Chinese: Month 1 (Bing-Yin), Day 155 (Wu-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025)

Hebrew: 15 Adair I 5784

Islamic: 14 Sha’ban 1445

J Cal: 25 Grey; Foursday [25 of 30]

Julian: 10 February 2024

Moon: 100%: Full Moon

Positivist: 27 Homer (2nd Month) [Lucan]

Runic Half Month: Tyr (Cosmic Pillar) [Day 1 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 66 of 89)

Week: 3rd Week of February

Zodiac: Pisces (Day 6 of 30)

Calendar Changes

Tyr (Cosmic Pillar) [Half-Month 5 of 24; Runic Half-Months] (thru 3.10)

[sami-projects]

back in Fed 15th 2021 i posted a polandball comic this is the update and improve version i will also like to say thanks to the people who liked my original post

@marshmallowart3 @f-pato-uwu @mars-the-4th-planet. @comrade-socks.@thatonedork23

[susansontag]

turns out the majority of white english, like that of the white scottish and welsh population, are much more genetically similar than common myths would have us believe… the majority of us are descended from the celtic populations, even the majority of english (as opposed to the common belief that anglo-saxon germanic tribes wiped out/displaced the celts to the west and north of the isles; it’s believed the germanic populations became elite and imposed their culture/language on native britons rather than massacring all of those who lived in southern/eastern england). anyways I found this really interesting but to be fair my heritage is southern irish so I guess my ~celtic origins were never in much doubt.

HOWEVER. many of the previously believed ‘celtic’ populations in the uk (scottish, welsh, irish, cornish) have actually been found to be rather genetically unique from each other, not forming one single ‘celtic population’ with overwhelming genetic similarities. although those in cornwall have celtic origins, they are more genetically similar to people elsewhere in england than they are the welsh (another believed celtic stronghold), for example. those in south and north wales are genetically unique and both distinct from the scottish. there’s two distinct genetic groups in northern ireland amongst the white population, etc. some of these differences exist along county lines and show distinct regional differences across the uk: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31905764

basically we’re all more genetically similar than first thought, at least along celtic vs anglo-saxon/germanic lines, and all more genetically different along regional lines (and it’s believed these differences mirror those from groupings around 600AD, after the anglo-saxons had arrived) than previously thought. it’s believed that celts represent a tradition or culture much more so than their being one distinct genetic group (in the modern day, at least), and this study again finds there was much more intermingling between the native britons (celtic groups with some roman influence) and anglo-saxons than originally thought. there’s no strict genetic divide among us along anglo-saxon and celtic lines, we (white british) are all, pretty much, descended from native britons pre-the anglo-saxon invasion with around ~25% germanic genetic presence on average in england. there is also viking influence for example in orkney where they had settlements, but other than this there’s barely any genetic traces from the viking invasion and the norman invasion.

[hildshall]

Rune a Day Project - Day 21 - November 21, 2021 - Ansuz

Day 21 of my rune a day project. Today I drew Ansuz. This is another of those complicated runes that takes on different flavors depending on which rune set you're considering. Most of the sources I'm referencing interpret the meaning to be "god", but it also has the meaning of "mouth" and "estuary" attested in the Anglo-Saxon and Old Norwegian rune poems respectively. Old English takes this single rune and breaks it up into three: ᚩ ("Os", which was possibly re-assigned the meaning "mouth" from Latin vs. the original meaning "god"), ᚩ ("ac", meaning "oak") and ᚫ ("æsc", meaning "ash"). Old English had developed more variety in the sound represented by Ansuz, thus, the split into three runes.

Ansuz means god, knowledge, wisdom, inspiration, thought, speech, charm (as in the meaning of a song or spell or token), connection of the material and spiritual world, words, communication, intellectual pursuits, study, chanting and singing, names and labels, the breath of life, wit, writing.

Ansuz is a really interesting rune. Given its associations with Odin and associations with words and knowledge, it is another rune that seems very connected to this Rune a Day project I've been doing for the last 21 days. Another rune that is making me feel a little closer to Odin, when I hadn't really before. It's also associated to Loki, which makes a lot of sense, as I've always perceived Loki to be the wittiest of the gods.

I also got to thinking about the use of words and labels.

The ability to speak, to learn, and to communicate is a big differentiator between us and other animals on earth (yes, other animals can do this but not to the extent we can). One could argue that this ability is what really makes us more like the gods than other creatures we share this planet with. Speaking, singing, writing is what makes us the children of the gods, not our genetics.

Labels... one thing many of us coming converting to this path struggle with is what to label ourselves. While many of us insist labeling isn't necessary because the ancients didn't have a name for our faith, I must disagree.

Labels are a short-hand way to summarize information and make it faster for people to get to know each other AND develop bonds between us. I call myself "Northern Path Eclectic" because we (my spouse and myself) have an affinity with Germanic *and* Celtic (Irish/Welsh/Gallic) pre-Christian revival (and to make clear I am NOT a reconstructionist, but I'm informed by it). BUT... I also call myself "heathen" or "Norse Pagan" sometimes, because it's the majority of what I do in my practice day to day, especially to identify myself as a member of that wider community.

So, choosing a label for what we believe has a big impact in finding others like us, and to represent who we are to the world.

Labels are also an especially difficult issue for us because the racist contingent uses the same symbols and labels we inclusive people do. Symbols get slimed, sometimes irreversibly, because some asshat racist scumbag puts it on a flag when marching around. I still get pissed that I have to think twice about ever using the Othala rune in any context (which has NOT come up in the project yet), wings or no wings.

I'm also kind of still chewing on this video I watched the other day, from a Heathen YT creator I respect a lot (Eric Word-Weaver Sierven: https://youtu.be/9P8gyZdc4tQ ). At 13:48 in to the video, he talks about the term "norse germanic" or "norse" pagan, and what he thinks that means. His opinion isn't sitting right with me at all, and it's been bugging me for days.

I could keep going on Ansuz; this is a rune that has a lot of deep meanings and associations, but I'll wrap this up today.

[vakarians-babe]

My love for Rohan and its characters vs the way they’re coded as the Anglo-Saxon/Norse invaders of Scots-Irish/Celtic/Pictish Dunland, fight.

[fayegracexo]

Lughnasadh vs. Lammas

The words “Lughnasadh” (pronounced LOO-nah-sah) and “Lammas” are often used interchangeably, but they are actually two different festivals of different origin (well, sort of! you’ll see!)

History of Lughnasadh

Lughnasadh, also known as ‘The Festival of Bread’, ‘The First Harvest’, ‘Lugh’s Feast’, or ‘Festival of First Fruits‘ is in reference to the Celtic harvest holiday typically held on August 1st (Sometimes August 2nd!)

‘Nasadh’ means ‘to give in marriage’, So Lughnasadh translates as “to give in marriage to Lugh”; Lugh being the Celtic God of artistry, known for his many skills, including craftsmanship, and warrior ability. He’s also known as the Sun King, Storm, Light, and Harvest God.

Lughnasadh is one of the four Celtic holidays, along with Samhain, Imbolc, and Beltane. Wiccans celebrate Lughnasadh as one of eight sabbats that make up the wheel of the year calendar. In Dianic traditions, the Goddess takes the place of Lugh. (**Note: You can celebrate the year of the wheel calendar, and not be Wiccan, and still be a witch! or not use the calendar at all, and still be a witch! depends on your practice, which holidays you chose to celebrate! You don’t have to be Wiccan to use the wheel of the year. Everyone’s practice is different!)

In legend, Lughnasadh began when the God Lugh held a harvest festival to commemorate his foster mother, Tailtiu, (Said to be responsible for introducing agriculture to Ireland), who died of exhaustion attempting to harvest all of the crops in Ireland (I’ve also read it as, “died of exhaustion after clearing the plains of Ireland for agriculture” little different depending on version you read.)

Lugh’s original festival was made up of feasting, hill/mountain climbing, giving/burying offerings on top of hills, games and athletic contests. Marriages and trial marriages (handfastings) were conducted, where couples would join hands through a hole in wooden door, and if the marriage lasted ‘a year and a day’ the marriage could be made permanent or annulled without consequence (Ancient Celtic engagement period!)

At Lughnasadh, we give thanks for what the summer has grown, and the harvest has brought us. We begin to gather and prep food to survive the winter. We celebrate and give thanks for the abundance of not just food in our lives, but love, happiness, and safety. Lughnasadh is the time to look at our lives from an agricultural perspective. What have we planted? What are we reaping? What needs to be picked, watered, or preserved? We harvest our lives, as we do our fields and plants, so that we may live in abundance.

History of Lammas

“Lammas” translates to ‘loaf mass’ (from ‘hlaf-mas’ in Anglo Saxon) and it’s a Christian holiday from medieval England that celebrated the wheat harvest, it’ s also called “The Feast of Bread”.

(Yes this is another one of those ‘Pagans had the holiday first and Christianity put something similar on top of it to convert heathens’ history lessons! That’s why I said sort of! Same concept, different names, different beliefs and people)

Early Christians celebrated this holiday as a way to thank God for the harvest. On this day it was custom to bring the church the first loaf of bread baked from the harvest, to have it blessed, and then broken into four pieces, one to place in each corner of your barn to protect your grain. (sounds witchy doesn’t it?)

August 1st in Christian/Catholic tradition is also the holy-day of “St. Peter in Chains”

To summarize...

So as you can see, both holidays have the same meaning really; (grain holiday, harvest holiday, abundance, offer the first of your bounty for protection and wishes, thankfulness)  just with different Gods and beliefs! Of course Lughnasadh came first, then as with all our holidays, Christianity came in and ‘wanted to ‘convert the heathens’ so we were given new holidays on top of ours that look very similar, but I suppose the ‘long list of stolen holidays’ post is for another time! haha!

Catch my next Lughnasadh blog post for more information and how to celebrate! I’ve split this into two posts for easier reading! ;)

I’m also making a ‘Lughnasadh’ Instagram story highlight before the 1st so I can add even more info and activities to do! Come say hello! @selfcarewitchxo

~Faye

[ofcloudsandstars]

Re: “Litha” vs “Beltane” and whether it is a “flower” or “fairy” festival A lot of this depends on what cultures, if any, are being referenced. If we are strictly talking Celtic (Beltane) and Anglo Saxon (“Litha”), Beltane is centered around a fire, while “Litha” is mostly a conglomerate of a few cultural concepts and holidays. That being said midsummer in England DOES have ties to the fae. Midsummer has more variety in traditions than Beltane, since cross quarters are pretty Celtic exclusive

This is super well put thank you. 

I remember like two years back I would strictly say I was celebrating either the equinox/solstice/pinnacles (pinnacles was what I would refer to the celebrations that were similar to crossquarters but instead of saying midautumn, midspring etc etc to not get confused with the celtic year, I’d say summer’s pinnacle, spring’s pinnacle etc etc.) However after moving to the UK and in general having a lot of witch friends with Celtic heritage I’ve started using the Celtic sabbat names again just as a point of reference. I think because I was raised in a very slightly different climate (our seasons were like 4 distinct seasons in New Jersey, where as here there are 4 seasons but they kind of blend into light flowery half and dark rainy half of the year) I kind of adjusted the sabbats to fit where I lived, and a lot of the local festivities reflected the nature too. 

I haven’t really heard of Beltane being a fire festival until I moved here but it makes more sense in the context of the Celtic wheel. I just did some research last night and Beltane is when they believed Summer begun so it was like their own fiery summer festival where as I celebrate the fiery summer festival on summer solstice. I mean May here does get extremely sunny I think us being higher north makes the sunlight distribution with seasons more pronounced, but it doesn’t feel like summer yet. Then again my perception of summer may be different cause NJ/NYC summertime is broiling hot and humid where as here it gets really warm, sometimes hot and sunny but it just feels like spring on steroids for four months.

 I guess it’s like how nature, climates and seasons are all relative and does not have to do directly with the solstice/equinox points which is just an astrological system of measurement and witches or animists should take that into account when they want to honor the earth. Maybe living here I should consider adjusting the way I celebrate but also I should be careful about using Celtic names and stick to the seasonal terms since I don’t really celebrate those traditions but it’s complicated cause I was somewhat raised in a revival culture of it and often I get invited to their gatherings through friends here so it just feels like sometimes I have to make a reference to it, but constantly have to say that my style is different. 

[ayearinfaith]

𝗔 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵, 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟰𝟰: 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆

Fairy is a rather nebulous term that can be applied to a number of supernatural entities, though is most closely tied to the folklore of Celts (Irish, Scots, Welsh, Bretons, etc.) and the neighboring English and French. The term entered the English language around the 1300’s and comes from the Latin “Fata” meaning a fate goddess.

𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗹

The word “Fairy” did not originally mean a supernatural creature but rather the realm from which those creatures came. Adjectivally it implied enchantment, so in Middle English tales a “Fairy Queen” or “Fairy Knight” is not a queen or knight who is also a Fairy, but a queen or knight who has been enchanted (possibly by a Fairy). This realm, which would now typically be called Fairyland, is a version of a place common in Celtic traditions generally called the “Otherworld”, based on the Latin “Orbis Alius”, the Roman name for the Gaulic Otherworld. Alternate realms are very common in religions and practices across the world. These can all be broadly sorted into two categories. The first category is “heaven”, which is almost always located in the sky or stars and is home to generally benevolent deities and similar forces. This is true of the Abrahamic heaven, the heavenly court of the Jade Emperor, the tiered paradises of the Aztecs, etc. The second is the “underworld” which is subterranean and generally hostile if not an outright hell, and is very often associated with the souls of the dead. Examples include the hells of the Abrahamic faiths, Indian religions, as well as the mixed bag underworlds of the Greeks and Egyptians. The Celtic Otherworld likely developed from an underworld, but has since taken on a distinctive placement. Like an underworld, the Otherworld can be accessible via underground passages, but is typically not depicted as subterranean instead most often taking the form of an island far out to sea. Like an underworld, the Otherworld is hazardous, but less due to antagonistic monsters or demons and more in the way a foreign land can be hazardous, with unknown customs and laws which must not be broken. Thus the Otherworld and Fairyland are not like the more distant heavens and underworlds, and unlike these realms is not some kind of reflection of our own world. Fairyland is contemporaneous to our own, populated by things that can walk among us and interact with us outside of the trappings of cosmic forces. This fosters a common motif with Fairies; they are neither good nor evil. This view has also made syncretizing the more core Celtic beliefs with other traditions, primarily those of neighboring Germanic (Vikings and Anglo-Saxons) and Romantic (French) ones.

𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗸, 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗸

Goidelic (Irish, Scottish, Manx) traditions feature the Aos Sí (English: /es ʃi/, “ess shee”), which literally means “people of the mound”. The mounds in question or the distinctive burial mounds or remains of ancient structures that dot the Irish countryside. The Aos Sí are depicted as the descendants of the pre-Christian deities of Ireland, the Tuatha Dé Danann, who made a pact to split the country between them and humans: humans above ground and Aos Sí below. This tradition begets the idea of Fairies as co-inhabitants and their association with certain natural phenomenon like circular mushroom growth i.e. a fairy circle. The other branch of the Celtic family, Brittonic (Welsh, Cornish, Breton), gives us the Tylwyth Teg (English /təlwɪθ teg/, “toll-with tay-g”), literally the “fair family”, and Pixies. From these we get the common depiction of Fairies as childlike and minute in stature. The distinctive gossamer or insect-like wings is a relatively modern addition, probably from the mid-19th century. Celtic adjacent cultures also contributed to Fairy depictions. From Germanic cultures (Viking and Anglo-Saxons) Elves, Dwarves, and Trolls were brought into the fold. Shakespeare’s Fairy king in 𝘈 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵’𝘴 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 is named “Oberon”, the French version of “Alberich”, a legendary Dwarf. From the French classical Romance creatures like Nymphs and Satyrs became Fairies as well. Possibly due to the female exclusive Nymphs, use of the word Fairy beyond Europe is normally applied only to female spirits, for example Âu Cơ, the mythical mother and dragon-bride of the Vietnamese, is typically credited as a Fairy, as are the daughters of China’s Jade Emperor, despite having little else in common with the European folklore.

𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀

As a syncretized tradition and a purposefully generic term, Fairies are difficult to classify to any degree of usefulness. Attempts often focus on a distinction between good or at least helpful fairies vs. more malignant ones. The most “canonical” iteration of this is the Scottish tradition of the Seelie and Unseelie courts. “Seelie” is pronounced like and related to the modern word “silly”, which originally meant “happy” or “lucky”. Regardless of alignment, all Fairies are generally imbued with two powers: the ability to enchant or curse objects and people and the power of illusion or “Glamour”. Glamour feeds into the idea that Fairies dwell among people in secret. An expansion of this is one of the most common types of Fairies: the Changeling. A Changeling is when an old Fairy swaps places with a human child. In lore, this is so that the old Fairy can pass away in comfort, pampered by the child’s mother. In reality it is an explanation for infant mortality. The fate of the stolen human child is variable: sometimes the Fairies dispose of, or even eat it, and sometimes it is raised as a Fairy or their servant.

Image Credit: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘘𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘖𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘢, Sir Joseph Noel Paton, 1849

[stirringwinds]

Do you think england more as rome’s descendant or germania’s? Of course he is still Britannia’s son, but I’ve seen some theories. The whole roman conquers vs Anglo-Saxons confuse me

This is a great question and something I’ve been mulling over. These are some of my rough thoughts about him:

a good ol mish-mash: I see him as mix of Celtic, Roman and Germanic influences. In my headcanon, nations aren’t born like humans are—and they often have more than two parents. So, I see our Sir Lord Arthur Bloody Kirkland being a nicely tossed salad of multiple influences (as most nations are aren’t they?)—Celtic/Roman/Germanic. I personally headcanon him to be born after the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons, but before the Normans. So his first language was much more Germanic in structure (as per old English) than our modern French-flavoured English. Linguistically, English is still part of the Germanic family rather than Celtic, as Welsh, Gaelic or Irish are. Culturally, he certainly absorbs a lot from the Germanic Anglo-Saxons. Ergo, the running joke amongst his siblings: their brother is the Romano-German cuckoo. 

britannia: Admittedly, I personally don’t see Britannia as existing as a discrete personification, at least not before the Romans invaded. My reasoning is that the very concept of “Britannia”—stems from Roman colonisation. Before that, the territory that comprises modern England was made up of different British tribes/political entities that did not see themselves as a single cultural or political unit. So before that, there would be more Celtic nations. And…as it is for most of the hetalia nations— their beginning is someone else’s end. Birth comes through death. 

identity: whose blood runs in his veins vs. who he identifies most strongly with doesn’t always align and is malleable with time. It’s contradictory even. On one hand, I see him as identifying with Boudica, Queen of the Iceni (and therefore his Celtic roots)—who famously led a rebellion against Rome and burned the Roman settlement of London/Londinium to the ground. So, Iceni (and other Celtic tribes) may be a sort of rough mother figure to him. And that fits in with how loads of people today are at least partially descended from pre-Roman Celtic Britons despite the layers of Roman and Germanic invasions. 

history rhymes: On the other hand—Arthur’s image of himself, his personality and ambition? He sure starts taking more and more inspiration from Rome in the early-modern era. Rome, the villain in the heroic, anti-colonial narrative in pre-Roman Britain. The conqueror. The man who turned a small, seemingly ordinary Italian city state into a vast and fearsome naval empire through a fair bit of unscrupulousness, cunning and skulduggery. An image that Arthur certainly moulds himself in. As I see it, he doesn’t have as direct a familial tie to old Roma as the Italybros do—but in this other way, he, like Antonio, is very much Rome’s legacy. Rome longed for imperium sine fine—empire without end. Quite in line with ‘the empire on which the sun never set’. It’s certainly ironic and contradictory next to his identification with Boudica—but that’s par for the course for their kind, where you’re often descended from both conqueror and conquered.

[mediaeval-muse]

Academic Book Review

The Eucharist in Pre-Norman Ireland by Neil Xavier O’Donoghue. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2011. Pp. 386. $45.00.

Argument:  While the place of the church and its organization in pre-Norman Ireland has been extensively studied, relatively little has been published on the eucharistic liturgy as celebrated in the pre-Norman church or as understood by its worshippers. The Eucharist in Pre-Norman Ireland fills an important gap in a field that has not been addressed in depth since F. E. Warren’s Liturgy and Ritual of the Celtic Church (1881). Neil Xavier O’Donoghue provides a necessary, updated synthesis, one that incorporates advances made in liturgical studies and liturgical theology since the early twentieth century. In addition to reassessing and supplementing the texts discussed by Warren, O’Donoghue considers the social dimension of the Eucharist, its treatment in art and architecture, and its treatment as reflected by the spirituality of the time, placing this new analysis within a western European cultural and liturgical context. Most important, O’Donoghue shows that pre-Norman Ireland was very much a part of the Western (Gallican) liturgical tradition; he argues that what we know of the Eucharist in Ireland must be integrated with our knowledge and study of the Eucharist in the rest of western Europe in order to understand its central role in the West.

***Full review under the cut.***

Chapter Breakdown

Chapter One: Contains historical background of the church in Pre-Norman Ireland. Includes sections on the Eucharist in the West until the 12th century, the Gallican vs Roman Rite, and laity participation (among other things).

Chapter Two: Overview of written sources for the Eucharist, including liturgical texts, penitentials, hagiographies, monastic rules, and homilies.

Chapter Three: Archaeological and iconographic sources for the Eucharist. Includes sections on church construction (including round towers, altars, and cities), chalices, flabella, imagery on high crosses, and imagery within the Book of Kells.

Theories/Methodologies Used

historical approach

Reviewer Comments

My interest in this book stemmed from my general interest in early medieval Christianity. I’m an Anglo-Saxonist, but there is so much Irish influence in Anglo-Saxon religious literature that it would be a mistake to ignore books in medieval Irish studies. With very little background in history, I very much appreciated that this book was careful to lay out an easily-digestible narrative of the church in Ireland without overwhelming the reader. I also appreciated that it provided nuanced arguments to undo assumptions that the Irish church was somehow a distinct entity from continental or Roman Christianity.

My favorite things about this book are how it is easy to navigate and how it contains thorough information that is easy to find. I tend to use this text as a reference book, so being able to flip through it is very convenient.

If I have any gripes with this book, it’s the structure. The chapters are very long, and because of my own preferences, I would have liked to see them broken up and organized by stronger central arguments. I also would have liked more of an introductory section that lays out the scope of the book. But maybe that’s less common in books that are more concerned with history (as opposed to literary studies). Still, I learned a lot from this book, and I think it’s very accessible to a non-specialist audience. You don’t need to know Irish or Latin to understand O’Donoghue’s points, nor do you need a thorough understanding of liturgy. To get the most out of this book, I would recommend knowing the basics of Christianity (like what the Eucharist is) and general assumptions about the history of the Irish church. But O’Donoghue lays everything out so well that even if you aren’t an expert, you can follow along fairly easily. 

Recommendations: This book might be useful if you’re working on

Pre-Norman Ireland

liturgy (especially the Eucharist), Celtic liturgy and Christianity

Irish religious literature

religious objects (particularly churches)

[tysmiha-witchnotes]

@aqono-luna-main replied to your post “So I read a little bit about this but I’m still not totally clear on...”

Here’s an article that explains it; https://shirleytwofeathers.com/The_Blog/pagancalendar/lammas-vs-lughnasadh/ The summarized version: “Lughnasadh, which is pronounced LOO-nah-sah, traces its roots far back into Irish history. In Celtic mythology the god Lugh is said to have held a funeral feast in honor of his foster mother Tailtiu, who died after clearing the plains of Ireland for the purpose of agriculture.” and “Lammas was the name used in medieval England for the Christian holiday that celebrated early harvest. An Anglo-Saxon word, Lammas is thought to be a combination of the words loaf mass, the reason being that in medieval times it was typical for loaves of bread baked from the grains of the first harvest to be blessed during a church ceremony at that time.”  Basically, while its used to describe the same holiday, Lughnasadh is Celtic/Irish, whereas Lammas is Christian/Anglo-Saxon.

Thank you! This is really helpful :D

So would you say that it would be more appropriate to call it Lughnasadh if you’re Irish/Celtic/worship in that pantheon, but call it Lammas otherwise? Or does it matter?

[teachingmycattoread]

Things We’ve Yelled About This Episode #2.11

Out of the Silent Planet, C. S. Lewis

"There once was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it," Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis, cf. this post

Gnostic Christianity (wiki)

Perelandra, C. S. Lewis

That Hideous Strength, C. S. Lewis

The Once and Future King, T. H. White

Philology (wiki)

Dawkins atheism (wiki)

the rivers of mars theory (wiki)

Arthur Conan Doyle and the Cottingley Fairies (wiki, @antiquesfreaks also have an excellent episode about it here)

Ransom is based on Tolkien (wiki)

"I made you into a tree who never gets to the point," Treebeard (this post)

"drowned in moonlight strangled by their own bras"

Carrie Fisher (imdb)

This tumblr post about C. S. Lewis and whipping

The Long Way To A Small Planet, Becky Chambers

Children of Time, Children of Ruin, Adrian Tchaikovsky

The Poetic Edda

The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis

The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis

St Augustine (wiki)

Dorothy L Sayers on C. S. Lewis quotation: i have searched high and low for this, and despite reblogging it on my own tumblr at least twice i can't find it anywhere smh

The Church Fathers (wiki)

Irenaeus  (wiki)

The Demiurge (wiki)

Pelagius (wiki)

The Good Place (2016-2020)

Religion  and Rocketry, C. S. Lewis

Aldhelm (wiki)

De Virginitate (wiki)

Tatwine (wiki)

The conference M's talking about is the Cambridge Colloquium in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, full programme here

"The Marvels of Grammar in Tatwine's Enigmata," Alexandra Zhirnova, paper given at CCASNC 2022

"Rejecting monstrosity in 'The Marvels of the East'", Catrin Haberfield, paper given at CCASNC 2022

opus geminatum - I couldn't find any handy non-paywalled explanations, but basically it's a literary work where the same material is covered twice, once in poetry and once in prose. Aldhelm's De Virginitate is an example, and Bede's metrical and prose Lives of Cuthbert can be (as far as I remember) considered as one also.

The Marvels of the East

The Beowulf manuscript, a.k.a The Nowell Codex, British Library MS Cotton Vitellius A. xv (British Library catalogue, wiki)

For more on the crucial question "can sheydim be Jewish?", listen to this episode of Throwing Sheyd

"Now, my own suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose." Possible Worlds, J. B. S. Haldane

Dracula, Bram Stoker

Mansplain, manipulate, malewife; gaslight gatekeep girlboss (meme)

Y Goddodin (wiki) - the edition M is thinking of is probably this one, but they wouldn't swear to it in a court of law.

Tradwife concept (wiki) e

Sisco vs Q (youtube)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)

Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand

The scene M is thinking of is Act III Scene XI.

Packing For Mars, Mary Roach

Bambi (1942)

Next Time On Teaching My Cat To Read

Abhorsen, Garth Nix

(ed. actually next time will be our first ever mini-episode, which will be on Pride and Prejudice - our Abhorsen episode will be released on the normal schedule after that)