My open blog for people who want to read my books,articles, and any other things that I might produce, keep track of storytelling engagements, listen to my less demented rantings, and generally play nice (or naughty, I'm easy... as is widely known).
Lost and Found
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As many readers will already know, a short while ago the 6ft statue of the sea god Manannan mac Lir was stolen by religious extremists from its site on Binevenagh mountain where it was part of a tourist trail. The gang of clearly very organised thieves left a cross citing the Biblical Commandment to "have no other god before me" (whilst judiciously ignoring the one about not stealing).
Thankfully the statue has just been spotted by ramblers and retrieved by local soldiers. It has been damaged - perhaps in the process of being thrown way - though hopefully it is not beyond repair and can soon be returned to the plinth.
To celebrate the rediscovery, I've recorded the myth of how Manannan was instrumental in introducing horses to Ireland.
Following a discussion on social media with a friend who was looking for resources to explain paganism to non-pagans (who may not always want to wade through a book), I recorded this to see if it woud be of use. If it is I may add one or two additional recordings later - if not, I won't!
Excuse the fact that it is all a bit Fanny Craddock, as I was multi-tasking at the time (too many things to do, not enough time to do them in).
I recorded a rather rambling podcast for the Pagan Federation virtual moot. This is almost the same, but in this version I remembered to say what I forgot to say in their version. The theme set was 'Food for the Soul' and so I've reflected on the way in which storytelling - from novels to family narratives to mythical sagas - shapes our lives (scop's them, if you want an Anglo-Saxon pun) for the better or worse. We feed our bellies with bread, but our souls with sagas.
One day I might transmute these disparate ideas into something cohesive, but at the moment you'll just have to endure the meandering version. I've been asked to write something a bit clever for an anthology ardently read by people who are very, very clever (and some who just think they are). I'm wary of doing so because they also seem to relish ripping one another apart in the way that posturing academics and pseuds in equal measures are prone to do. If I ever manage to produce a chapter, i…
In Ancient Rome, the festival of
Lupercalia was held on February 15th. In legend the twin-founders of the city,
Romulus and Remus, were thrown into the River Tiber on the orders of their
usurping great-uncle Amulius. The babies washed ashore by a wild fig tree, and were
found by a she-wolf, who suckled them and raised them with her mate. Years
later they were found, living feral, by the shepherd Faustulus and his wife
Acca Larentia who took them in. Upon reaching adulthood they discovered their
true identities, and set out to avenge themselves on their wicked great-uncle.
Having killed him, they founded the Eternal City. Once restored to their regal
position, the brothers rediscovered the den and called it the Lupercal (the
wolves cave.) It became a sacred site along with the remains of the shepherd's
hut. The Lupercalia ritual in Rome was
held in the cave itself. Similar rituals held in other parts of the Empire had
to use venues symbolic of the cave on Mount Aventine. Two high-bor…
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