Category: Folklore
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Banshee Legends—Keen on Death
My fascination with Celtic mythology began with the 1959 movie Darby O’Gill and the Little People. It wasn’t O’Gill’s obsession with the mischievous leprechauns that caught my attention. Nor was it the handsome Sean Connery, or even the pretty young girl who fell over a cliff—and for him. It wasn’t even the headless horseman who…
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Pump Up Your Life Force with Hazel
With the apex of summer comes Coll, the Irish name of the ninth letter of the Ogham alphabet. Represented by the rune ᚉ, which means “hazel tree” or “inner life force,” Coll spans August 5 to September 1 in the Celtic Tree Calendar. Known as “The Knowledge Keeper,” the hazel was associated with inspiration, wisdom,…
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Blackberry Pie
Come to think of it,wouldn’t you like some blackberry pie?Right now? Hi!Can I come byand make blackberry pie with you? Top it with creamand pack it with dreamsof succulence, decadence, merry?Your crust or mine,either is fine,As long as it’s filled with berries. Berries are fun.They soak in the sun.They ripen when we are not looking.Theirs…
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Strong and Mysterious, the Alder Facilitates Transition
In the Celtic Tree Calendar, the Alder (or Fearn) Moon spans mid-March to mid-April. Coinciding with the spring equinox, the Alder Moon symbolizes balance and transition. The Alder month, called fairin by the Celts and fearnóg in Modern Irish, is represented by the third consonant in the ogham alphabet and comes from the Proto-Celtic **wernā.…
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Hounded into a Story
As published in the Gazette, a publication of the Gulf Coast Writers Association, January 2025 Imagine a Celtic Karate Kid in a Percy Jackson adventure. The result is Hounded, a contemporary coming-of-age novel inspired by the legendary Irish warrior, hero, and demigod Cú Chulainn [koo KULL-an]. Written for a middle-grade audience, Hounded tells the story…
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Samhain—Enduring Night of the Living Dead
With its ghouls, jack-o-lanterns, and trick-or-treaters shouting BOO, Halloween is the unadulterated descendent of Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival of the dead. Pronounced SOW (rhymes with cow) –in, the word comes from the Proto-Indo-European root word *semo- (summer), and the Proto-Celtic *samoni- (reunion, assembly). It literally means “an assembly to celebrate the harvest.” The Celts…