2019

The new start I had hoped would occur in 2018 didn't happen. 

I am stuck where I have been these past decades. 

I need to move on.

I need to appeal to the gods, and the powers that be to assist in this shift.

I need to end this blog's hiatus.

2000-year-old figurine of a horned Celtic fertility god found in Roman settlement

The two inch metal charm, dating from the second century AD, depicts a faceless individual, holding a ‘torc’ or neck ring, and is thought to represent ‘Cernunnos’, the Celtic god of nature, life and the underworld.

It was found by archaeologists in farmland at the National Trust’s Wimpole Estate in a field which is to be turned into a car park.

Click here to read more.

Housebuilder uncovers Iron Age chamber on Lewis

A 2,000-year-old underground chamber has been uncovered during work to build a house on the Isle of Lewis.

The Iron Age soutterrain was revealed during the digging of the foundations for the property in Ness.
Local archaeologists, husband and wife team Chris and Rachel Barrowman, are recording the soutterrain.

Mr Barrowman said theories on the purpose of the stone-lined, flat stone-roofed structures included storing food.

Read the full story, and see pictures here.

 

An Update for 2018

I have been away from here for quite some time. There is the possibility of an even longer absence from this blog, as I won't have the same access to the internet that I currently enjoy.

I have been living my life - working, studying, tending to family matters - and doing so as a polytheist. Perhaps I spend less time focussing on my polytheistic path than I have in the past, but it's never far from my mind.

This year will herald big changes: changes that will have an impact on my personal practices, and see a significant shift in focus. 

I am taking a leap of faith into the unknown, but trusting that all will be well.

Wish me luck if you are disposed to do so.

"Halloween in Irish Folklore" by Irish Archaeology

"Halloween in Irish Folklore", a blog, by Irish Archaeology, filled to the brim with excerpts, and well worth the reading:

"These folklore accounts detail some of superstitions and festivities which once surrounded Halloween in Ireland. They are based on information supplied by schoolchildren to the Irish Folklore Commission in the late 1930s."

Halloween by Dúchas.ie

A downloadable presentation:

"From earliest recorded history in Ireland, Halloween (All Hallows Eve), or Oíche Shamhna was considered a turning point in the calendar. 

Samhain (November 1st), meant the start of winter, when cattle were brought down from summer pastures, tributes and rents paid, and other business contracted.

Samhain, marks the close of the season of light and the beginning of the dark half of the year, and was therefore perceived as a liminal moment in time when movement between the otherworld and this world was possible. ... "

Déithe na Spéire | Baile | Seinnteoir | TG4

A Science/History documentary from TG4 gives viewers a revolutionary new insight into Ireland's ancient sites: Déithe na Spéire | Baile | Seinnteoir | TG4

Irish Myths: The Children of Lir

Irish Myths: The Children of Lir

Today we have a featured story from The Emerald Isle, and Dee Dee Chainey talks to Ronan Burke, who runs the website – a great place to find stories of Ireland and its legends! - See more at: Folklore Thursday

Today we have a featured story from The Emerald Isle, and Dee Dee Chainey talks to Ronan Burke, who runs the website – a great place to find stories of Ireland and its legends! - See more at: http://folklorethursday.com/myths/the-children-of-lir/#sthash.MoSpAuKi.uDww3Ny2.dpuf

Today we have a featured story from The Emerald Isle, and Dee Dee Chainey talks to Ronan Burke, who runs the website – a great place to find stories of Ireland and its legends! - See more at: Folklore Thursday

Today we have a featured story from The Emerald Isle, and Dee Dee Chainey talks to Ronan Burke, who runs the website – a great place to find stories of Ireland and its legends!

Read it here: Folklore Thursday.

Barry Cunliffe: Who Were the Celts?

Exploring Celtic Civilizations | An Online Celtic Studies Coursebook

Exploring Celtic Civilizations | An On-line Celtic Studies Course-Book

Exploring Celtic Civilizations is an on-line course book suitable for undergraduates introducing the field of Celtic Studies: the various kinds of evidence available about Celtic-speaking communities through over two millennia and the methods available for understanding them. This digital course book thus presents texts as well as other sorts of evidence, such as aspects of material culture (e.g., archaeological artefacts), through on-line exhibits and data visualizations.