Theosophic Misfits

Human hair and nails, swan pelts and a piece of an iron cauldron have been found in a hidden location in the Cornish countryside.A leading archaeologist says the findings, which date back nearly 400 years, are evidence of witchcraft and a rich pagan network in the area.


A rather sensationalistic opening... since the hair, nails and cauldron aren't mentioned in any of the rest of the article, nor in the original article on archeologyonline.org from whence the story comes...

One of the commenters on the news article makes an excellent point, tho... it's long held that folk magic practices continued into the Christian era, but that the people who practiced folk magics, even those believing in the fae folk, and others who may have held on to some of the remnants of 'the old ways', all still considered themselves to be devout Christian...

(One of the other commenters had an interesting theory that maybe the pits were incubators - tho why they would've been buried, then, is curious... )

I find it rather interesting and odd that Jacqui Woods, who made the find, states in the article on archeologyonline.org that "The only valid suggestion we found was that the pits were some sort of offering to St. Bridget or St. Bride the patron saint of brides who has the swan as her symbol." - and yet she still attributes this to pagan worship...

Well, we know that St. Bridget is generally held to be the remnant of the goddess Brighid... but does that make offerings to St. Bridget to be pagan in nature?  Or would it be Christian, since it's a Christian saint they are making offerings to?

It bears a question into the modern age... does practice folk magic and herbal remedies make someone a witch and/or pagan as some seem to think, or are the practices devoid of the religion if the context isn't there?  Personally, I believe the latter...

Anyway - as to Brighid...

I have found scant information regarding the association between Brighid and swans aside from a passing mention that the swan is one of several symbols of Brighid.  What I did find was that the swan was often a symbol of solar energies and of water's healing power... and Brighid was also associated with both as "the radiant brow" she may have been a solar (dawn) deity... and she is associated with healing wells.

Also, Brighid is sometimes said to be a patroness of Druids - Bards in particular - as she is associated with inspiration and creativity (the fire in the head).  Bards are also said to have worn cloaks made out of swan skin and feathers, and perhaps this is another connection between Brighid and swans (if we accept that Brighid was honored by the Bards and that that is the reason for their swan cloaks.  Some suggest that the swan itself was a symbol of music and inspiration, which doesn't necessarily draw a connection between Brighid).

Lastly, there are a lot of stories regarding swans either being cursed people who transform into swans for a given amount of time... or they have the ability to transform into maidens.  Like the transformation story of Cerridwen and Taliesen, some interpret these stories to be metaphorical of spiritual transformative journies.  The swan may have represented the soul to the Druids, as well the the journey to and mysteries of the Underworld. But this part of the symbolism of Brighid doesn't seem to have any clear connection to Brighid at all...

Personally, I find it unlikely that the pits were for fertility rites - but, then, I just get annoyed when almost all such finds are automatically assumed to be such.  I like to think that the ancients, and the more modern folk magic practicioners, had more on their minds than just fertility...  But it just seems odd to think that a fertility rite would stop the birth of something... but, then, at the end of the day... we'll never really know...

And I think that's part of the point.  We can speculate to our hearts desire... but unless we find more to go on, we'll never really know...

And, regardless, if the honorings were left for St. Brigit, as Ms. Woods suspects - which may very well have been the case considering the time period - then this still doesn't make it evidence of 'witchcraft' as commonly thought of nor of pagan activity...

Either way - I will be interested to see what the archeology community at large makes of the find, and we'll see if any sort of consensus interpretation comes out of it.  Should be interesting - even if they agree with Ms. Woods and not with me
_________________
"... he who dares not grasp the thorn... should not crave the rose..."

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best night and day to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle any human being can fight and never stop fighting. --e. e. cummings

[blackrose]

Human hair and nails, swan pelts and a piece of an iron cauldron have been found in a hidden location in the Cornish countryside.A leading archaeologist says the findings, which date back nearly 400 years, are evidence of witchcraft and a rich pagan network in the area.


A rather sensationalistic opening... since the hair, nails and cauldron aren't mentioned in any of the rest of the article, nor in the original article on archeologyonline.org from whence the story comes...

One of the commenters on the news article makes an excellent point, tho... it's long held that folk magic practices continued into the Christian era, but that the people who practiced folk magics, even those believing in the fae folk, and others who may have held on to some of the remnants of 'the old ways', all still considered themselves to be devout Christian...

(One of the other commenters had an interesting theory that maybe the pits were incubators - tho why they would've been buried, then, is curious... )

I find it rather interesting and odd that Jacqui Woods, who made the find, states in the article on archeologyonline.org that "The only valid suggestion we found was that the pits were some sort of offering to St. Bridget or St. Bride the patron saint of brides who has the swan as her symbol." - and yet she still attributes this to pagan worship...

Well, we know that St. Bridget is generally held to be the remnant of the goddess Brighid... but does that make offerings to St. Bridget to be pagan in nature?  Or would it be Christian, since it's a Christian saint they are making offerings to?

It bears a question into the modern age... does practice folk magic and herbal remedies make someone a witch and/or pagan as some seem to think, or are the practices devoid of the religion if the context isn't there?  Personally, I believe the latter...

Anyway - as to Brighid...

I have found scant information regarding the association between Brighid and swans aside from a passing mention that the swan is one of several symbols of Brighid.  What I did find was that the swan was often a symbol of solar energies and of water's healing power... and Brighid was also associated with both as "the radiant brow" she may have been a solar (dawn) deity... and she is associated with healing wells.

Also, Brighid is sometimes said to be a patroness of Druids - Bards in particular - as she is associated with inspiration and creativity (the fire in the head).  Bards are also said to have worn cloaks made out of swan skin and feathers, and perhaps this is another connection between Brighid and swans (if we accept that Brighid was honored by the Bards and that that is the reason for their swan cloaks.  Some suggest that the swan itself was a symbol of music and inspiration, which doesn't necessarily draw a connection between Brighid).

Lastly, there are a lot of stories regarding swans either being cursed people who transform into swans for a given amount of time... or they have the ability to transform into maidens.  Like the transformation story of Cerridwen and Taliesen, some interpret these stories to be metaphorical of spiritual transformative journies.  The swan may have represented the soul to the Druids, as well the the journey to and mysteries of the Underworld. But this part of the symbolism of Brighid doesn't seem to have any clear connection to Brighid at all...

Personally, I find it unlikely that the pits were for fertility rites - but, then, I just get annoyed when almost all such finds are automatically assumed to be such.  I like to think that the ancients, and the more modern folk magic practicioners, had more on their minds than just fertility...  But it just seems odd to think that a fertility rite would stop the birth of something... but, then, at the end of the day... we'll never really know...

And I think that's part of the point.  We can speculate to our hearts desire... but unless we find more to go on, we'll never really know...

And, regardless, if the honorings were left for St. Brigit, as Ms. Woods suspects - which may very well have been the case considering the time period - then this still doesn't make it evidence of 'witchcraft' as commonly thought of nor of pagan activity...

Either way - I will be interested to see what the archeology community at large makes of the find, and we'll see if any sort of consensus interpretation comes out of it.  Should be interesting - even if they agree with Ms. Woods and not with me
_________________
"... he who dares not grasp the thorn... should not crave the rose..."

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best night and day to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle any human being can fight and never stop fighting. --e. e. cummings

Human hair and nails, swan pelts and a piece of an iron cauldron have been found in a hidden location in the Cornish countryside.A leading archaeologist says the findings, which date back nearly 400 years, are evidence of witchcraft and a rich pagan network in the area.


A rather sensationalistic opening... since the hair, nails and cauldron aren't mentioned in any of the rest of the article, nor in the original article on archeologyonline.org from whence the story comes...

One of the commenters on the news article makes an excellent point, tho... it's long held that folk magic practices continued into the Christian era, but that the people who practiced folk magics, even those believing in the fae folk, and others who may have held on to some of the remnants of 'the old ways', all still considered themselves to be devout Christian...

(One of the other commenters had an interesting theory that maybe the pits were incubators - tho why they would've been buried, then, is curious... )

I find it rather interesting and odd that Jacqui Woods, who made the find, states in the article on archeologyonline.org that "The only valid suggestion we found was that the pits were some sort of offering to St. Bridget or St. Bride the patron saint of brides who has the swan as her symbol." - and yet she still attributes this to pagan worship...

Well, we know that St. Bridget is generally held to be the remnant of the goddess Brighid... but does that make offerings to St. Bridget to be pagan in nature?  Or would it be Christian, since it's a Christian saint they are making offerings to?

It bears a question into the modern age... does practice folk magic and herbal remedies make someone a witch and/or pagan as some seem to think, or are the practices devoid of the religion if the context isn't there?  Personally, I believe the latter...

Anyway - as to Brighid...

I have found scant information regarding the association between Brighid and swans aside from a passing mention that the swan is one of several symbols of Brighid.  What I did find was that the swan was often a symbol of solar energies and of water's healing power... and Brighid was also associated with both as "the radiant brow" she may have been a solar (dawn) deity... and she is associated with healing wells.

Also, Brighid is sometimes said to be a patroness of Druids - Bards in particular - as she is associated with inspiration and creativity (the fire in the head).  Bards are also said to have worn cloaks made out of swan skin and feathers, and perhaps this is another connection between Brighid and swans (if we accept that Brighid was honored by the Bards and that that is the reason for their swan cloaks.  Some suggest that the swan itself was a symbol of music and inspiration, which doesn't necessarily draw a connection between Brighid).

Lastly, there are a lot of stories regarding swans either being cursed people who transform into swans for a given amount of time... or they have the ability to transform into maidens.  Like the transformation story of Cerridwen and Taliesen, some interpret these stories to be metaphorical of spiritual transformative journies.  The swan may have represented the soul to the Druids, as well the the journey to and mysteries of the Underworld. But this part of the symbolism of Brighid doesn't seem to have any clear connection to Brighid at all...

Personally, I find it unlikely that the pits were for fertility rites - but, then, I just get annoyed when almost all such finds are automatically assumed to be such.  I like to think that the ancients, and the more modern folk magic practicioners, had more on their minds than just fertility...  But it just seems odd to think that a fertility rite would stop the birth of something... but, then, at the end of the day... we'll never really know...

And I think that's part of the point.  We can speculate to our hearts desire... but unless we find more to go on, we'll never really know...

And, regardless, if the honorings were left for St. Brigit, as Ms. Woods suspects - which may very well have been the case considering the time period - then this still doesn't make it evidence of 'witchcraft' as commonly thought of nor of pagan activity...

Either way - I will be interested to see what the archeology community at large makes of the find, and we'll see if any sort of consensus interpretation comes out of it.  Should be interesting - even if they agree with Ms. Woods and not with me
_________________
"... he who dares not grasp the thorn... should not crave the rose..."

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best night and day to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle any human being can fight and never stop fighting. --e. e. cummings

[blackrose]

Human hair and nails, swan pelts and a piece of an iron cauldron have been found in a hidden location in the Cornish countryside.A leading archaeologist says the findings, which date back nearly 400 years, are evidence of witchcraft and a rich pagan network in the area.


A rather sensationalistic opening... since the hair, nails and cauldron aren't mentioned in any of the rest of the article, nor in the original article on archeologyonline.org from whence the story comes...

One of the commenters on the news article makes an excellent point, tho... it's long held that folk magic practices continued into the Christian era, but that the people who practiced folk magics, even those believing in the fae folk, and others who may have held on to some of the remnants of 'the old ways', all still considered themselves to be devout Christian...

(One of the other commenters had an interesting theory that maybe the pits were incubators - tho why they would've been buried, then, is curious... )

I find it rather interesting and odd that Jacqui Woods, who made the find, states in the article on archeologyonline.org that "The only valid suggestion we found was that the pits were some sort of offering to St. Bridget or St. Bride the patron saint of brides who has the swan as her symbol." - and yet she still attributes this to pagan worship...

Well, we know that St. Bridget is generally held to be the remnant of the goddess Brighid... but does that make offerings to St. Bridget to be pagan in nature?  Or would it be Christian, since it's a Christian saint they are making offerings to?

It bears a question into the modern age... does practice folk magic and herbal remedies make someone a witch and/or pagan as some seem to think, or are the practices devoid of the religion if the context isn't there?  Personally, I believe the latter...

Anyway - as to Brighid...

I have found scant information regarding the association between Brighid and swans aside from a passing mention that the swan is one of several symbols of Brighid.  What I did find was that the swan was often a symbol of solar energies and of water's healing power... and Brighid was also associated with both as "the radiant brow" she may have been a solar (dawn) deity... and she is associated with healing wells.

Also, Brighid is sometimes said to be a patroness of Druids - Bards in particular - as she is associated with inspiration and creativity (the fire in the head).  Bards are also said to have worn cloaks made out of swan skin and feathers, and perhaps this is another connection between Brighid and swans (if we accept that Brighid was honored by the Bards and that that is the reason for their swan cloaks.  Some suggest that the swan itself was a symbol of music and inspiration, which doesn't necessarily draw a connection between Brighid).

Lastly, there are a lot of stories regarding swans either being cursed people who transform into swans for a given amount of time... or they have the ability to transform into maidens.  Like the transformation story of Cerridwen and Taliesen, some interpret these stories to be metaphorical of spiritual transformative journies.  The swan may have represented the soul to the Druids, as well the the journey to and mysteries of the Underworld. But this part of the symbolism of Brighid doesn't seem to have any clear connection to Brighid at all...

Personally, I find it unlikely that the pits were for fertility rites - but, then, I just get annoyed when almost all such finds are automatically assumed to be such.  I like to think that the ancients, and the more modern folk magic practicioners, had more on their minds than just fertility...  But it just seems odd to think that a fertility rite would stop the birth of something... but, then, at the end of the day... we'll never really know...

And I think that's part of the point.  We can speculate to our hearts desire... but unless we find more to go on, we'll never really know...

And, regardless, if the honorings were left for St. Brigit, as Ms. Woods suspects - which may very well have been the case considering the time period - then this still doesn't make it evidence of 'witchcraft' as commonly thought of nor of pagan activity...

Either way - I will be interested to see what the archeology community at large makes of the find, and we'll see if any sort of consensus interpretation comes out of it.  Should be interesting - even if they agree with Ms. Woods and not with me
_________________
"... he who dares not grasp the thorn... should not crave the rose..."

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best night and day to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle any human being can fight and never stop fighting. --e. e. cummings