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Tag Archives: Samhain

The Witching Hour Finds You in Bed…

24 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by BoneSpark Blog in C.A. Explains It All

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Tags

31 Days of Halloween, Abyss&Apex, Ada Hoffman, Alex Carrigan, All My Love to the Monster Devouring Me, Amazing Stories, At That Age When We Girls Become Fairies, Betwixt, Brooke Wonders, Carol Holland March, Carolee Sherwood, Clarkesworld, creepy poetry, David Kopaska Merkel, Day of the Dead, Devilfish Review, E. Kirstin Anderson, Edgar A. Poe, Eleonara, Erik Amundsen, Fish Boy Hits the Teen Years, Ghostweight, Goblin Fruit, Gorgon Girls, Graveyard Rock, halloween, Hand Me Down Halloween, Harvey's Dream, Headmistress Press, Helen Kitson, Henry Wouk Is Still Alive, Here Be Toothsome Wolves, Hilary Joubert, Inkscrawl, Judith Barrington, Kelly Link, Lilla Ashley, Liz Henry, Liz Kay, Luna Station Quarterly, Made of Lines blog, Maria Dahvana Headley, Menacing Hedge, Michael J. DeLuca, Mother Frankenstein, Natalie Diaz, NightBlade, Nightmare Magazine, Pat Cadigan, Poetry Society of America, Quail Bell Magazine, Real Witches Don't Wear Hats, Rose Red Review, Sabotage Reviews, Saira Ali, Samhain, Sestina at the Maldron Hotel Ireland, Shannon Hozinac, Small Beer Press, Soul Harvest, Stephen King, Stone Telling, Taxidermist in the Underworld, The Axe-Eaters, The Faery Handbag, The Gingerbread Dress, The Girl Who Couldn't Fly, The Golden Key, The Mermaid at SeaWorld, The Stone Horse of Flores, The Witch Has a Purpose, Unfair Exchange, Wake Up Poetry, When the Wife Brings Love Back From the Dead, Witch's Primer, Women Destroy Horror, Yoon Ha Lee

halloweenpinup6 Or perhaps you are atop a broomstick or pumpkin.  Wherever you find yourself this Halloween, don’t let the hour arrive without first indulging in some of these SPOOKTACULAR finds:

 jack1a3

STORIES

D. Long’s (Lushly illustrated)
version of E.A. Poe’s Eleonara—from Amazing Stories
 
Here Be Toothsome Wolves
Brooke Wonders—at Rose Red Review
 
Henry Wouk Is Still Alive
Stephen King—at The Atlantic
 ghost06
Harvey’s Dream
Stephen King—at The New Yorker
 
The Faery Handbag
Kelly Link–at Small Beer Press
 
Ghostweight
Yoon Ha Lee–at Clarkesworld
 
Taxidermist in the Underworld
Maria Dahvana Headley–at Clarkeworld
 

The Stone Horse of Flores by Michael J. DeLuca–at Betwixt

 

Unfair Exchange by Pat Cadigan–at Nightmare Magazine: Women Destroy Horror! Special Issue
 

The Girl Who Couldn’t Fly by Carol Holland March–at Luna Station Quarterly

 

POEMS

Gorgon Girls by Saira Ali–at Strange Horizons

Mother Frankenstein by Liz Henry–at Stone Telling

The Gingerbread Dress byanime_sexyCreatureGif_Medusa

Lilla Ashley–at Rose Red Review

Sestina at the Maldron Hotel, Ireland
Judith Barrington–at Rose Red Review

When the Wife Brings Love Back From the Dead, She Creates a Monster by

Carolee Sherwood–at Goblin Fruit

The Mermaid at SeaWorld by Ada Hoffman–at NightBlade

The Axe-Eaters by Shannon Hozinac–at Menacing Hedge

Soul Harvest by

Hillary Joubert–at The Golden Key

Hunger—The Witch has a Purpose

by Liz Kay–at The Golden Key

frankenstein-walking-animated

Day of the Dead by Helen Kitson–at Sabotage Reviews

Samhain by John Montague–at Wake Up Poetry

At That Age When We Girls Become Fairies by E. Kristin Anderson--at Abyss&Apex

Witch’s Primer, Lesson 4 Erik Amundsen –at Inkscrawl

Fish Boy Hits the Teen Years

by David Kopaska-Merkel–at Devilfish Review

All My Love to the Monster Devouring Me by Alex Carrigan–at Quail Bell Magazine

Hand-Me-Down Halloween by Natalie Diaz–at Poetry Society of America

 

ART

31 Monsters of Halloween at Made of Lines blog

october-21

Real Witches Don’t Wear Hats

 

FUN

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Forget About Cupid! Love Done Irish

28 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by BoneSpark Blog in C.A. Explains It All

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Tags

Anegus Og, Boann, Caer, Dagda, Drumcliffes, Irish myth, New Grange, River Boyne, Samhain, swan lovers, The Dream of Aengus, the four kisses, Valentine's, W.B. Yeats

Illustration from The Dream of Aengus, by Ted Nasmith

Ancient Romans may have venerated the cherubic bowman, but long before Virgil and Ovid promoted his charms, another god ruled over the kingdom of love. His name was Aengus Og (Celtic, meaning “Aengus the Young”) and he was millennia old.

The illegitimate son of the Dagda (the “All-Father, High King of the Tuath De Danaan) and the goddess Boann, Aengus resided in the valley of the River Boyne, about 20 miles northwest of modern day Dublin. One evening, the handsome youth dreamt of a woman so beautiful that he instantly fell in love with her. For years, he searched for this illusive maiden until finally an aide of his father’s, one Bov the Red, was able to locate the girl.

River Boyne said to be ruled by Boann (Aengus' mother)

River Boyne said to be ruled by Boann (Aengus’ mother)

As the tale goes, the dream-enchantress was actually a princess called Caer who was imprisoned along with 150 other maidens on Dragon’s Mouth Lake. Only by identifying Caer when she was in animal form (for she was destined to transform into a swan on Samhainn) could Aengus be allowed to marry his love.

Door of St. Columba’s Church in Drumcliffes

In true god-like fashion, the lovesick lad finds a way to morph himself into a swan also and joins his true love in long-awaited embrace. After this bit of affection, the lovebirds then fly back to the valley, where in their palace they sing a song so beautiful that all of Ireland slumbers for three days and three nights.

 

New Grange Monument along River Boyne

New Grange Monument along River Boyne

Modern lovers can still visit the site of this palace, where the 5,000 year old monument New Grange stands. It is believed that the monument is a type of solar temple at which the old Druids performed various rituals, including making appeals to Aengus Og for help in making romantic matches. Sure beats Match.com!

 

redcandleSome believe that by lighting a red candle and chanting a few choice words on the night of Samhainn (November 1), one might find their true soul mate.

While I do not personally subscribe to such beliefs, I do find the legend of Aengus and Caer very romantic–much more so than some of the stories ascribed to our fair-haired Roman friend–and other, more innocuous, parts of the myth have also spilled over into everyday life, such as the custom of ending affectionate letters with a line of fat X’s.

AengusOGThis practice is believed to mimic the four kisses, disguised as birds, who flew around Aengus Og’s head. These avians were said to be able to infect others with deeply amorous feelings. Always, helpful in wooing a sweetheart.

And while we’re on the subject of love, have a gander at the love-dovey poetry of Irishman, W.B Yeats. His poems “The Song of Wandering Angus” and “Wild Swans at Coole” actually address the subject via the legend of Aengus Og.

The church door pictured earlier is near his gravesite, and is a romantic photo opportunity should you be able to visit with your love.

So why not dump that old diaper-hugger Cupid and pour on the old Irish charm! You’ll never look at Valentine’s the same way again.

Caer and Aengus

**For more on Aengus Og and other Irish myths see:

pantheon.org
wikipedia.com
ancientweb.org
druidry.org
OR purchase
The Dream of Aengus by Joanne Findon
Early Irish Myths by Jeffery Gantz
Irish Sagas and Myths by Eileen O’Faolain

 

 

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