Doom of Odin

"I find no comfort in the shade
Under the branch of the Great Ash.
I remember the mist
of our ancient past.
As I speak to you in the present...

I'm so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Widdershins (hosted at shirleytwofeathers.com) and can be found in it's entirety here: Doom of Odin

Autumn Equinox in Celtic Mythology

In this variation of the legend of the Autumn Equinox, this is the day of the year when the god of light, Lugh, is defeated by the god of darkness, Lugh’s twin and alter-ego, Tanist. The night conquers day. The tales state that the Equinox is the only day which Lugh is vulnerable and the possibility of his defeat exists. Lugh stands on the balance...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another, and moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found here: The Autumn Equinox

Autumn Equinox - the Welsh Mythology

• Color of the day: Yellow
• Incense of the day: Coriander

Once again the Sun’s path crosses the celestial equator, and the day and the night are now again of equal length. On the Gregorian calendar this is the first day of autumn, but on the modern Celtic calendar it is midautumn.

This holiday is more commonly known by its Welsh name Mabon. Mabon means “divine youth.” It is the name of a mythic hunter hero whose story is told at this time of year....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another, and moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar. It can be found here: The Autumn Equinox

Autumn Equinox in Greek Mythology

In Greek mythology, Autumn begins as Persephone returns to the Underworld to live with Hades, her husband.

We have posted a number of posts about Persephone, to see all of them, here's the link: Persephone.

In short, the myth says that Demeter’s daughter, Kore, had taken a day to pick flowers in a meadow when the Earth opened up, and Hades pulled the girl into the Underworld to become his bride. Kore’s name became Persephone when she married Hades....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another, and moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar. It can be found here: The Autumn Equinox

Night of a Teardrop

The Egyptians called it, Night of a Teardrop. On this night, (June 16) when the moon rose high in it’s sky, Isis shed one blessed and mournful tear for her beloved, Osiris. That precious tear was then collected into the palm of the Goddess of the River Nile, Satis, in which she placed it within’, causing the Nile to bring forth it’s annual flood. Even in Isis’ pain, something divine came forth....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Night of a Teardrop

Honoring the Einherjar

Memorial Day is the day meant to be set aside to specifically honor the war dead. As such, it is an appropriate day to observe rituals to honor the Einherjar: the battle-slain warriors who are taken to Valhalla. Of course, not all of the battle-slain go to Valhalla some also go to Freya’s Hall, but many modern pagans will honor the war-dead, especially their ancestors who served at this time. Others will honor the Einherjar on Veteran's Day instead, even though, technically Veteran’s Day is intended to first and foremost honor those living Veterans from past military service, it is also used to honor those currently serving, and to a lesser degree those soldiers now dead....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Honoring the Einherjar

The Story of Ishtar

For those of you who are still interested in the story of Ishtar, here is the story of Ishtar that is written in a way that is much easier to read, and with a few minor alterations would be suitable for children too.

Ishtar was the Lady of the Gods, the Goddess of fertility. She had been unlucky in love. Her husband Tammuz, the great love of her youth, had died when he was still very young. She had fallen in love with Gilgamesh, that great king, but he had spurned her advances.

In Babylon, the dead were sent to the Underworld, a place of darkness ruled over by the Goddess Irkalla. It was said that in this place they lived on dust and mud. After being rejected by Gilgamesh, Ishtar became depressed and decided she would descend into the Underworld to be with Tammuz. So dressed in her finest garments, brilliant jewellery and her high crown, Ishtar entered the cave that leads into the Underworld. Irkalla’s realm was surrounded by seven walls, each with its own gate that had to be passed to get to the dark Place where the dead resided....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Widdershins, and can be found in its entirety here: Ishtar Visits The Underworld

Ishtar - The Original Myth

At their first encounter, Ishtar is said to have fallen in love with the shepherd boy Tammuz who in turn asks for her hand in marriage. The Holy Marriage of Ishtar and Tammuz takes place and Tammuz is elevated to the god of fertility. As a result, their marriage endows the earth with fertility, and the cyclical renewal of life is ensured.

But a terrible day was to come when Ishtar would lose her lover, and would have to travel to the ends of the earth, and endure much pain and suffering, in order to bring him back....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Widdershins, and can be found in its entirety here: Ishtar - The Original Myth

The Legend of Nu Kwa

This story comes from China. It begins with a giant egg. The egg was filled with chaos; in fact, the egg was so huge that it was filled with absolutely everything. Darkness and light were mixed together inside the egg and everything was in so much of a muddle that nothing was anything at all. Sleeping in the middle of all this was a giant - Pan Gu.

Pan Gu slept for thousands of years, but eventually he woke up and stretched himself, as he did, he broke the egg. The darkness and light separated from each other and poured out. Part of the egg drifted downwards and became the earth and part floated upwards and became the sky. The world had begun....

I'm so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website Widdershins (hosted at shirleytwofeathers.com) and can be found in it's entirety here: The Legend of Nu Kwa