Ozark Gods of May Day

The full flourishing of spring has come to the Ozarks, “High Spring” as some call it; May Day. Of all the flowers and fauna of the region, I would say that the Dogwood bloom embodies the season best, though we’re seeing the last of that flowering, as we roll up the path to summer’s door. Of course, we know that the Dogwood is the flower of Snawfus— our Forest King has ever-blooming Dogwood branches in place of antlers. 

In looking at similar gods in cultures related to ours, we find Buschmops/Waldmops, the “Forest Dwarf” of Pennsylvania Dutch lore. He can turn himself into a white deer with gold antlers. He is also associated with snakes; a large horntail snake is his protector, and like our legend of the hoop snake, it curls around like an ouroboros and rolls to chase away intruders. I used to think this legend was unique to the Ozarks, but in Deitsch lore, a snake of this description defends their Forest King. Perhaps there is a lost connection to our Deer God as well.

In historical depictions, Cernunnos is depicted holding a snake in one hand. We don’t have original mythology for Cernunnos, nor even his actual name. His roles and symbols may have been absorbed by gods such as Lúgh and Odin. Elsewhere, he carried on in so many regional forest fairy traditions, scattered far and wide.

The consort of the Buschmops is a Fairy Queen named Schlangefraa, the Snake Lady. She is a healing goddess who uses herbs and plants. She carries a snake in her apron pocket and wields it like a wand to cast spells. The folklore also credits her with giving Brauchers (who were called Power Doctors in the Ozarks) their healing power. In her stories, she can transform into a rabbit and rise into the sky to become the morning star. Her fairy children were said to be born out of blue or green-shelled eggs.

Many of these traits may point to her origins as the Celtic Sironâ, a goddess depicted with a snake coiled around her arm and holding a plate of eggs, symbols of healing, regeneration, and rebirth. Evidence of her worship has been found mainly in Gaul and Germanic areas of Europe, so the legends of Schlangefraa may be a cultural memory of Sironâ. Her temples were constructed around thermal springs or wells; waters of healing. In our Ozarks culture, we find this idea of healing waters reflected in the custom of collecting May water and dew for healing and magic.

It seems fitting for the “Snake Lady” to fill a missing piece in an Ozark pantheon. Is it strange that it seems to me like she has always been there? Perhaps I’m thinking of the statue of Mary “Lady of the Smile” at that little old church in Brentwood. Though the depictions of Mary with a snake all have the snake under her feet like she’s defeating it. However, when you look closely at some of these, the snake doesn’t seem harmed at all. There’s also stars around her head, adding more of the Snake Goddess imagery. I think there’s something to the idea that the Romans intentionally created Christianity, to make a universal religion (but also for peace, control…), and it’s true that Gnostic traditions used a lot of snake symbolism. I suppose Schlangefraa could also be associated with the Gnostic goddess Sophia. Either way, she belongs here.

So on May Day, as we wash in May morning dew (or collect it in a handkerchief) may we thank the ancient Snake Goddess for its powers, and as we set out toward the woods, may we know our Forest King carries on a powerful presence that echoes into a far distant past.

May we honor these, our own Fairy King and Queen and all their Nature Spirit kin– for healing, for love, for joy and connection– in this and every season.

Oschdre

Spring has come, stepping lightly. This is the beginning of the season of awakening. At this moment, we look to the East, the most auspicious direction in Ozark tradition, and we see all things recreated anew by the Three Sisters at the edge of the world; Helling- which means Day, Nacht- which means Night, and Oschdre- the Dawn. Where Night meets Day in this time of balance, the world bursts forth with color. Oschdre and her sisters step out on the horizon and recreate the world anew! This Sunday at my UU Fellowship, we will read Where Color Comes From; Origin of the Distelfink and celebrate these liminal goddesses. With the Sisters, may we step into a new harmony.

Happy Spring Equinox! Enjoy this lil playlist:
Light of a Clear Blue Morning, a Dolly Pardon song covered by The Wailin’ Jennys
Morning Has Broken by Yusuf / Cat Stevens
Let the Way Be Open by Abigail McBride
Wild Sweet by Starling Arrow
She’s A Rainbow by The Rolling Stones

Lady and Her Cats

St. Gertrude’s Day on March 17th is celebrated in Urglaawe as Frouwasege, a holiday for Frouwa (another name for Freya, which means “Lady”). So March 17th is also Grumbieredaag– Potato Day. It’s a day to plant potatoes and also make a potato bread called Datsch. This isn’t just any potato bread though. You’re supposed to include ingredients for what you want to grow in your garden, also including something black, something green, and something white for her cat. Crumbs from this bread are then sprinkled in the four corners of the garden while invoking die Gleene Leit (the Little People who live in the corners of the garden), and calling down help from above. There’s more to it, and linked with fairy lore, and is a relevant supplement to our fairy tradition here in the Ozarks. For more on the folklore surrounding this custom and other fairy lore, I highly recommend Folk Tales of the Pennsylvania Dutch by William Woys Weaver.  

But back to Frouwa/Freya… The idea is that the veneration of St. Gertrude may have been the continuation of Freya worship, in the sense that many of Freya’s qualities are there. St. Gertrude was the patroness of gardens, cats, and travelers and shows up in Pennsylvania fairy lore. Freya is associated with cats as well, as it is two cats who pull her chariot.

It was debated early on in Urglaawe whether it should actually be Freid (Frigg) honored at this holiday. After all, it was the Norse, not the Germanic peoples who had Freya in their pantheon. Most scholars believe that Frigg and Freya are one goddess. This isn’t just part of that tendency of lumping all goddesses together- there’s actually a lot of evidence that these two goddesses, in particular, having been one goddess– evolved from the earlier Germanic goddess Frija. (To learn more, see the article titled Frigg on the website Norse Mythology for Smart People.)

However, regardless of whether Freya and Frigg are or were one goddess, they are experienced as individual deities by so many of their worshipers. It reminds me of the Holle and Perchta pairing as sisters who rule over the light and dark halves of the year. Freya could represent wild feminine power and Frigga that of domestic majesty. 

And that brings to mind one of the theories as to why these were one goddess split into two– the theory that Christianity caused a separation of accepted qualities from ones that were too wild for the new religion, so what was once was a complex and nuanced deity became a wife/whore dichotomy.

I recall one of Freya’s myths in which she wanders all over the earth looking for her lost husband, and as she goes, she assumes different names and guises in the various places she goes. Perhaps this myth is what started the idea of all goddesses being one. 

Lest we fall into the calamity of reducing every goddess into oblivion– another way of looking at it could be that She is a spiritual entity that can divide herself into many, into multitudes– sisters, daughters, valkyries, angels, other selves… Or perhaps She is simply part of a big family of similar beings. All these goddesses that are described as shining, and as ruling over matters of life and death, well there would have to be many of them, if you think about it, because there are so many of us. –I’ve heard it said that there are probably more than three Norns as well.

However you think of them, it seems fitting to treat Freya and Frigg as separate goddesses in worship, especially when worshiping out in community with others. It takes nothing away from our own beliefs to do so, making it the most inclusive approach and thus the one that is orthopraxic.

Hearth Goddess Folklore

The Winter Thermstice is drawing closer, and there are so many names for this holiday and so many ways to commemorate it. When I followed a solely Celtic path, I called it Imbolc. In my first jaunt into Heathenry, I called it Dísablót or Disting. Now that I’m exploring Urglaawe, there are many new names to consider, as it’s a multi-part holiday in that tradition. I like the idea of honoring both a hearth goddess and the Dísir/Idis (matriarchal spirits) at this time of year. The Urglaawe celebration of Entschtanning (emerging) includes both those components, which seems to me to be syncretic. That holiday has a lot of other things going on; travelers returning from the Wild Hunt, Groundhogs bringing news of the Underworld, and beginning preparations for building a magical scarecrow golem– But right now my focus is the Hearth Goddess…

Freid is the Deitsch goddess of this holiday. She is usually compared to the Norse goddess Frigg, but I find it interesting that the name Freid looks a whole lot like a Welsh name I’ve seen for the Celtic hearth goddess Brigid.

She is also called Haerdfraa, which means Hearth Lady. Here we have another example of a deity being named for their main role. Just as there may be a single spirit for each hearth, might one consider the Hearth Lady the Goddess of All Hearths? Or we could go with the idea that there are multiple Hearth Ladies…

To bring in an Ozark/Appalachian perspective, we could recall the story of Ashpet– the part where she has to go and get fire from the old witch…

Now, in case you didn’t know, Ashpet is an Appalachian Cinderella story. (A written version of it can be found in Grandfather Tales by Richard Chase.) Ashpet is mistreated, covered in ashes from hearthkeeping, and made to do all the work, just like her Cinderella counterpart. However, there are quite a few things about this particular tale that makes it a bit different from that of Cinderella. For one thing, Ashpet is not related to the two older girls in the household- not even by marriage. Ashpet is hired help. For another thing, there is no “fairy godmother”, but an “old witch” whom the whole community is afraid of. Everyone, that is, except Ashpet.

This story takes place in a time before matches and lighters, a time when starting a new fire was a difficult task. And so, if your hearthfire went out, the most sensible thing to do was to go and “borrow fire” from a neighbor. It was probably considered a bit of bad luck if the fire in your hearth was allowed to go out. But as Ashpet was held responsible for the entirety of the household chores, it’s no wonder it went out.

Because Ashpet was never allowed to leave the house, the older two girls, one at a time in turn, are sent to get fire from an old scary witch. She was their closest neighbor, but still a fair walking distance from their house. The two girls were reluctant to go inside, expecting the old woman to fetch it for them and hand it through the door. The old witch asks them each to comb out her hair in exchange for the fire, but each of them behaves very rudely and won’t even come into the house, and so, they are both turned away.

Finally, they get desperate, and Ashpet is sent over. She walks right into the old witch’s house like an old friend, greets her politely, and asks for some fire from her hearth. The witch agrees, but only if Ashpet will comb out her hair. Ashpet gladly combs out the old woman’s hair. I bet right about now you’re thinking, “what’s the big idea about combing hair?”. Well, in an earlier version of this story, the old woman is actually asking the girls to comb out nits and lice from her hair. So… not only is she thought to be an ancient and powerful witch (and thus very scary to most people), but she also has a contagious parasitic infection. Ashpet isn’t afraid of any of this. Where the other girls showed fear, disgust, and rudeness, Ashpet demonstrated bravery, kindness, and friendship. It’s easy to view the old woman’s request as a test of bravery or non-squeamishness, but she actually needed help.

I feel that there’s quite a bit of symbolism and meaning to this story. The old witch is definitely a Crone goddess, and often when a story has three sisters, the youngest seems to fit the role of a Maiden Goddess. Since this maiden figure also tends a fire as her main duty, though she seems to have no magical powers of her own, I think she might also be a cultural memory of a Hearth Goddess (such as Brigit or Freid). Could it be? Downgraded, and downtrodden though she is, I think it may be so. All ash-covered, kind, and beautiful. 

As you may well know, the Crone’s domain is winter and darkness. What is reborn out of winter and darkness? Light. The sun is reborn on the longest night, in the depths of winter. So of course one would need to go to the Crone’s realm to fetch back the fire of the sun. Who better to do it than the Fire Maiden- Ashpet? 

When I first read this story, it made me think of another myth- that of Brigit and the Cailleach. Only in that story, it is the Crone who oppresses the Maiden, and breaking free from her confinement, Brigit defeats or escapes the Cailleach so that spring may return. Their relationship is much different from that of Ashpet and the witch, who actually work together in friendship and cooperation. 

✨In the past year or so, I’ve come to realize that in stories like this, the Crone is actually a lot more like Mother Holle than the Cailleach. Something that Mother Holle does is ask for help, then reward those who do so, often with gold or silver.✨

So from this Crone figure (whom I like to think is a fragmented cultural memory of Fraa Holle), Ashpet receives three burning coals on a shelf mushroom  (a symbol of life and fertility- especially magical since it grows on a tree, between earth and sky) for transporting them to the other hearth. Here, I’m reminded of when another Crone gave Youngest Daughter (a later version of the story names her Nell) a magical treasure of three golden nuts in the story Whitebear Whittington. Those too, could be seen as representing the sun. 

Soon after, in both stories, a magical washing occurs. In the story of Ashpet, this happens when the Crone comes over and has the dishes magically wash themselves in the river (and the pots and pans wash themselves in sand) so that Ashpet can dress up and go to Sunday Meeting. In Whitebear Whittington, it is the point in the story in which Nell goes to clean Whitebear’s shirt in a river, and the blood stains instantly wash away.

Later, Ashpet finds her love, and Nell wakes the Bear King, but in the seasonal symbolism of these stories, I see those events happening at the Spring Equinox. It is now, in the quickening of the year, that I dwell in the part of the story that gives us little fires/suns and river washings.

“I kindle this flame in the way of the Fire Maidens;
light of the Sun, light of the Hearth, light of Life.
As you emerge from the Grandmother’s sacred realm of darkness,
shine brightly for us here.
Oh Golden Maidens, light our way.
Bless and hallow all, and deepen within us.
May you be our hope and shelter,
as you bless us with warmth and renewal on this day,
in this turning season, and always.”

Themes of an Ozark Summer Thermstice

Celebrating the Cross-Quarter Day of Summer Thermstice (Lúnasa) in America is different from in the Old Countries. There is a lack of continuity in tradition for it; unlike the Halloween and May Day traditions that held on throughout those ancestors’ New World immigrations. Yet, there remains a seasonal event to commemorate. 

Here, corn (maize) is the prominent grain. Though the harvest start times can vary widely in this country, there is a corn harvest starting around mid-August for Arkansas and Oklahoma. Around the first weekend in August, there is a grape festival held in Tontitown Arkansas. So we see those same themes of first fruit and grain, but in quite a different context.

We have many traditions surrounding corn. Cornmeal is a traditional land spirit offering here, and it’s used many different ways in our breads, often combined with wheat flour. It is also used as the base ingredient in herbal powders used for magic. In Appalachia, fodder of corn stalks is placed about the home as a magical charm to ensure the family always has food. Red corn necklaces are made to help with fevers and bleeding. Dried corn cobs are attached above the doorway to the house, so that haints, or evil spirits, have to count each hole in the cob before entering. In the Ozarks, dried corn cobs are used in a similar way to feather and egg sweeping traditions; it is rubbed over the body then burned to destroy sickness. When you talk about “corn dollies” here, people’s first thought is of corn husk dolls, not the grain dollies of Europe. Cornsilk is prized for its many herbal and magical uses as well, as it is used much like Irish moss in prosperity spells, and as hair for poppet dolls.

Mid-august is also when pawpaws are beginning to ripen, though this sacred food may not be fully ready until the next harvest holiday. This is also the time to see if the incredibly delicious muscadine grapes are ready for harvest.

The days here in August are the hottest, as we’re in the middle of the dog days of summer. It’s much hotter here than in the countries our ancestors came from. Many Southern Pagans celebrate this holiday with an emphasis on water, for without it, an outdoor gathering would be unbearable in our August heat. Yet this is in keeping with some of the lesser known Lúnasa traditions which symbolized a quenching of the now oppressive sun.

Looking to the realm of folklore, we have our Summer Thermstice theme there as well. The Appalachian story “Old Fire Dragaman” has some parallels with Lúgh’s story: there is the symbolism of securing the land against (a Fomorian-like) force of nature, to claim the land itself, and to secure a harvest. Jack is like Lúgh in many ways. He is small and crafty; a triumphant underdog figure. Jack may not be as bold as Lúgh, but he is sneakily clever. Unlike Lúgh, Jack returns to ordinary life after every adventure. 

Following the symbolism of the story of Whitebear Whittington as a cyclical seasonal narrative, we find ourselves at the point in the story where Whitebear and his wife have three children. These three children can be seen as symbolic of the three harvests of the year. 

Also, in the latter part of the story of Ashpet, she is held prisoner by a Wild Man figure, who may represent a chaotic or Fomorian element of Nature, threatening to take back sovereignty. Like the goddess Bloddewydd, she learns her captor’s weaknesses, and relays them to her rescuer so that she may rejoin her true love. But unlike Bloddewydd, Ashpet then returns to civilization and resumes her happy ending. 

(Note: I include a lot of Appalachian lore in my Ozark Paganism because they are linked, often overlapping, and can inform and fill in the gaps for a more fleshed out tradition. We are, after all, a part of “Greater Appalachia”.)

So what might an Ozark Summer Thermstice look like? A trip to a harvest festival such as the Tontitown Grape Festival, or a “pick your own” berry farm (if not from your own garden), or maybe a trip to a favorite swimming hole may be just the thing. It’s a time to enjoy regional foods of the season; like cornbread casserole, Arkansas tomatoes, and for dessert- Ozark berry cobbler or gooseberry pie. It may also be a time for corn magic, and for ritual, one of the aforementioned tales could be played out, and/or the themes displayed in arts & crafts or altars of the day.

Bonus: a playlist!

•Dawn Chorus by Maiden Radio
•Rise Sun by The Infamous Stringdusters
•Summertime by Billy Strings
•Ozark Summer by Jed Melton Band
•Snakes and Waterfalls by Nick Shoulders
•Sweet Sunny South by Maiden Radio
•Mighty River by Railroad Earth
•Meet Me at the Creek by Billy Strings
•There Is a Time by Whiskey Shivers
•Thunderbolt’s Goodnight by Josh Ritter

The Bear King and the Goddess

When I was first exploring the Waincraft’s Lord of Plenty, it took me a while to truly understand what was meant in their description of this Power. Waincraft specifically describes him as a bear god, but in the deity names listed, he seems to be a bear in name etymology only (Mathgen, Math ap Mathonwy, Matunos…), for in the Celtic myths, I couldn’t find anything that described him the way that Waincraft does. 

Waincraft says of the Lord of Plenty; “Across ancient Europe, he was the Bear-King, ruler of the most noble, sacred and mysterious creature in the cultural imagination of the time. He is the protecting and preserving force that ameliorates the harshness of his brother’s realm.”

The parallel concept in Correllian traditions is the King archetype; “The King is the God passed from warrior to leader, nurturing family and community rather than merely himself.”

I came to think of the Lord of Plenty as a strong, kind, and generous King archetype, much like the character of the ghost of Christmas present in the Dickens story A Christmas Carol– but in the 1970 movie adaptation titled “Scrooge”.

And then I came across another bear connection quite by accident. I was looking up American folktales and found the story Whitebear Whittington from the book Grandfather Tales by Richard Chase. I immediately fell in love with this tale that is a cross between Beauty and the Beast and East of the Sun, West of the Moon. I was overwhelmed by the feeling that this is a sacred story full of metaphor- a deeply meaningful mythology disguised as a fairytale, and it opened up a deeper level of understanding for me.

I especially love the story Whitebear Whittington, perhaps partly because the story is a traditional Ozarks and Appalachian tale, so it feels very homey and personal with the imagery and the way it’s told. But I’ve also come to realize that a lot of other bear fairytales have the same kind of archetypal symbolism. In these stories, the bear is always a wealthy prince or a king- a figure of abundance and power. However, in Whitebear Whittington, he seemed to simply be a well-off guy– a strong and gentle man who is also a good provider. 

I think a lot of the abundance and comfort feeling of the character comes from the physicality of his bear aspect. On one hand, bears are big, powerful, and scary- so to have a bear as a protector would be very comforting. But bears are also big (abundant) and soft. I’m reminded of the story Snow White and Rose Red, in which the sisters’ mother lets a bear into their home to warm up by the fire. 

“The bear said: ‘Here, children, knock the snow out of my coat a little’; so they brought the broom and swept the bear’s hide clean; and he stretched himself by the fire and growled contentedly and comfortably. It was not long before they grew quite at home, and played tricks with their clumsy guest. They tugged his hair with their hands, put their feet upon his back and rolled him about…” –-Grimm’s Fairy Tales

So this image we have of the bear is that of strength and power, but also softness, gentleness, comfort, and abundance. He is a hibernating animal, a very earthy god- he sleeps when nature sleeps. He wakens with the spring. In the tales, he has a dual man/bear nature, until at last the enchantment is broken. If we were to think of these stories as a tale of the seasons, perhaps the spell would be broken in the spring- a peek from the cave at the Winter Thermstice (Imbolc), and full emergence at the Spring Equinox. Then the Bear King becomes a Young God- Hero/Lover- Maponos once again. 

In Whitebear Whittington, he tells his bride, “Now I got a spell on me and I can’t be a man but part of the time. From now on I can be a man of a night and stay with you here and be a bear of a day, or I can be a bear of a night and sleep under your bed and be a man of a day. Which had you rather I be?”

This is another reason I like this particular version of the bear fairytale. Whitebear does not try to hide his enchantment, his dual nature, from his bride. She is given quite a bit of choice in the nature of it even. Neither is she held there in fear, for upon arriving at their home, he says, “This house and everything in it belongs to you now, and there’s nothing here to hurt you.”

The bride is never named in this particular tale, but we know her well. She is Youngest Daughter of three sisters. As the story begins, she is a Maiden. As the story progresses, she becomes a Mother. When the story takes a turn, she visits, and wins the favor of; the Crone.

At some point in many of the hero myths, the hero often sees the colors white, red, and black, (such as red blood on white snow, and a raven feather) and decides his future bride must have those colors. 

Now white is a symbol for purity, but also for light, and youthful deities of the light half of the year, such as the Maiden. Black symbolizes death and the Crone, but also the substance of decay which creates the fertile conditions for new life to grow, and the dark half of the year. Red symbolizes life blood and fertility and is often a symbol of deities of the ripening season, and the Mother. 

This ancient color symbolism is often repeated in fairy tales as well, but more so just red and white, and sometimes dark green is in the place of black. There’s three sisters and the color symbolism is frequently present in the dresses they choose. In Whitebear Whittington, those colors are attached to Whitebear himself. (An earlier telling included the color symbolism of black as well; it was a crow that dropped feathers to lead Youngest Daughter to Whitebear. Chase changed it in the book to a white bird with red speckled feathers.) Then there’s the three drops of blood that were shed on his white fur. These colors indicate that this is a story of the mysteries of light, darkness, and the life in-between. This is Youngest Daughter’s blood, and it marks Whitebear as her own. He is hers and she must reclaim him, awaken him from his enchantment. 

Returning again to imagining the story of Whitebear as a seasonal narrative; one could conclude that it could serve as a year-round story. (Though in the actual tale, as it’s told, the events happen one after another and the time of year is unspecified.) But imagine… you could say the white rose was picked on Spring Equitherm/May Day (a time when mates are chosen), then Youngest Daughter was taken as Whitebear’s wife at Summer Solstice (June- a traditional time to get married). Their three children symbolize the harvests of the year. Whitebear’s wife leaves to visit family sometime after Autumn Equitherm/Hallows Eve and soon realizes Whitebear is gone. It would be at Winter Solstice that she receives three golden magical nuts (perhaps symbolizing a Winter Solstice triple sunrise, or their three children & three harvests of the year) from the Crone (out of the darkness, light). At Winter Thermstice/Imbolc (the time of ritual cleansing) she spots him and washes the blood from his shirt, but does not yet have him back. Then finally she finds and wakes him from his slumber and enchantment at the Spring Equinox.

Snawfus & the Dogwood Tree

The Ozarks is home to a giant white deer-like creature with blooming dogwood branches growing from his head instead of antlers. The blue haze that hangs over the Ozark Mountains in the early mornings, and especially in fall and winter, is his spiraling exhalations. 

The Snawfus is also said to have the ability to fly and leap into the trees. In a lot of the lore, it’s not because he has wings, but more like he has the agility of a primate. Because of this, the Snawfus is sometimes depicted as a tall man with a deer head (though I’ve rarely come across this depiction– it may be a later idea). 

Crossing paths with the Snawfus is considered a token (sign) of imminent death. But most likely, you will never see him. He will run in circles around you, just out of sight, as you walk through the woods. You may hear the birdsong in his branches, or even catch a glimpse of a dogwood petal, but you won’t see him unless he wants you to. And you may be encircled in the haze of his blue misty breath until you see nothing else.

In Ozark lore, white animals are regarded as an ominous omen. I think that this may have been a cultural memory of the caution and respect afforded to Otherworld creatures. In Celtic lore, Otherworldly creatures are white with red or pink ears, and sometimes red or pink eyes. There is nothing in the lore about the Snawfus having red or pink ears or eyes, but the dogwood flower is either pink or white with gradient pink toward the center. It’s not unrealistic to think that this may be a continuation of Celtic pagan belief, as many of early Ozark settlers were descendants of immigrants from the British isles. Though converted to Christianity hundreds of years ago, it’s no secret that many of the old beliefs held fast. It has been well documented that Ozarkers believed in “Little People” inhabiting stones and hills, and held other animistic beliefs as well.

Thinking along these lines, I ponder if the legend of the Snawfus could also be a local manifestation of the god Cernunnos. Both are antlered and associated with death. The Lord of the Otherworld god-type has manifested in different ways in Celtic myth through the ages- with and without the antlers. Just as those entities once revered as gods or powerful nature spirits became the Little People, so too might such a timeless entity as Cernunnos manifest for his people who traversed so from their origins as well, into a form in which he can be remembered anew.

I’m not alone in this pondering of the divinity of the Snawfus… I’ve come across writings of modern admirers (or should I say followers?) of the Snawfus, that call his blue mist exhalations the “breath of awen”, and regard him as the Spirit of Nature.

Yet there is another aspect of the Snawfus to explore; the great tree that grows from his head. Some stories describe it as a plum tree, but most say it is a dogwood. There’s a legend or two on how it got there- the main one being that a hunter who was out of bullets shot him in the head with a plum pit. That story is just goofy since there is no way a gun would shoot a plum pit, plus it seems to ignore the fact that it is commonly taboo to kill a white deer.

What I am more interested in is the fact that the tree is a dogwood, and the lore and legends surrounding it. The dogwood tree is native to North America and Mexico. Despite where the actual tree originated, there has come to be a lot of Christian legends surrounding it… like it was Jesus’ favorite tree so it was chosen to be used for the cross he was crucified on. (My, they would have had to go a long way to get it…) This legend also states that since that time, the tree no longer grows as tall and straight and the flowers that bloom upon it are in the shape of a cross, with indentations and blood/rust “stains” on the ends where the nails would go. The stamens are supposed to represent the crown of thorns, and the red fruit represents his blood. (No doubt, these colors seen against dark branches, brings to mind the sacred color trinity of red, white, and black.) Add this imagery to the fact that the tree blooms around the time of Easter; from about mid-April to mid-May. There’s also the legend that the dogwood was Adam’s favorite tree and so the devil tried to climb over the wall of Eden to get at it and destroy it, but only managed to take a little bite out of the end of every flower petal. So, what all this tells me, is that Christian settlers perhaps considered the tree both sacred and cursed, as they created a lore that intertwined it in such a way with their beliefs.

Here, dogwood bark took the place of rowan (mountain ash) in the old rowan and red thread protective talismans from the Gaelic countries. Dogwood was used not only for home talismans, but portable ones as well. 

“Some woodcutters who live on Sugar Creek, in Benton county, Arkansas, believe that a mad dog never bites a man who carries a piece of dogwood in his pocket, according to an old gentleman I met in Bentonville.” –Vance Randolph, Ozark Magic and Folklore

Dogwood roots and twigs were also steeped in whisky or boiled into a tea as a remedy for colds and fevers, and the bark was believed to cure colic. Dogwood and redbud are also traditional Ozark ingredients in love spells. Blooming from mid-April to early May, the Dogwood is seen in the Ozarks as an indicator that Spring has arrived. In the old countries this would have been hawthorne, which is not as common here. 

And so, the link Snawfus has with the Dogwood seems to be a profound pairing. For anyone celebrating May Day (Spring Equitherm) in the Ozarks, I think this mythos, imagery, and symbolism are an important part of the season.

Naturalistic Terms for Pagan Holidays

Many of the most popular Neopagan terms for the holidays we commemorate are problematic. This is largely due to those specific names being popularized after being published in the Green Egg in the 1970’s. Don’t even get me started on why “Mabon” isn’t a good choice of naming for the Autumn Equinox. If you don’t already know, you can go see John Halstead’s article, the Worst Named Pagan Holiday. 

Many of these names have very cultural/mythological based themes. In the past, I am someone who has explored several of the cultures of my ancestors as inspiration for my Pagan practices. But in recent years, I’ve come to the realization that I need to turn my focus to my own here-and-now culture. No matter how much they inspire me, I will never be a part of those other cultures. I am separated from them by an ocean and by hundreds of years. 

My aim is to live the best aspects of my own culture, as much as possible. So I began using some of my culture’s names for holidays, but they’re incomplete, and sometimes Christianized. There are also instances in which there is no equivalent holiday in my culture, but I want there to be one to complete the seasonal narrative. (I mean, we have “Groundhog’s Day” but no equivalent of Lùnasa at the opposite end of the year? What’s that about?!)

Now I know there will be those who are quick to point out that there was never a single ancient culture that commemorated all eight holidays of the modern Neopagan “Wheel of the Year”. Yet, they are events in Nature. Having evenly placed commemorations in the cycle of seasons seems highly appropriate for a Nature-based spirituality (though I know not all Pagans are Nature-based). There is something in Nature to celebrate or commemorate at every turn of the cycle. If there are no outward signs of its marking in my culture, then that needs adjusting.

So my solution for the names I use for the holidays– for the solstices and equinoxes, it’s simple, as they have long established scientific names. But a little lesser known is that the Cross-Quarter days have similarly established naturalistic or scientific names. They are the thermstices and the equitherms.

So the solstices mark the extreme points of the daylight cycle for the year; Winter Solstice is the shortest day and longest night, and Summer Solstice is the longest day and shortest night. Then, the thermstices mark the extreme points of the thermal cycle for the year. This is because the thermal/heat cycle lags the daylight cycle- it takes a while to feel the effects of the solstices. So… Winter Therstice is the approximate coldest part of the year, and Summer Thermstice is the approximate hottest point of the year. 

It’s along similar lines for the equinoxes; the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes are times of equal day and night, but the Spring and Autumn Equitherms are when that equilibrium has caught up in terms of temperature, as days that are likely to feel truer to the season.

Just as the dates of the solstices and equinoxes change from year to year, so do the Cross-Quarter dates of the thermstices and equitherms, and they’re often on different dates from what cultural customs dictate. The scientific method of determining the date can be more complicated than just finding the exact middle between two dates as it also takes into account local terrain shifts. You can find accurate Cross Quarter dates for your region, as well as the solstice and equinox dates for any given year- on the archaeoastronomy website.

Harvest Dollies for Modern Pagans

Historically, grain dollies were made from the last sheaf harvested, and either left in the field or placed wherever grains were stored. It was often tied or plaited to be roughly human shaped, but in some places shaped like an animal. It was representative of the Spirit of the Harvest, or the Corn Mother. In Ireland, the grain harvest is associated with Lúnasa. But the god Lúgh is not a grain god or earth god. He’s not John Barleycorn (who is English, and more about the production of beer). Lúgh isn’t a sun god either, but I’ll get to that later.

The grain dolly from the previous harvest would be ploughed into the first furrow of the new season in the spring, or else otherwise destroyed in some way to release the spirit of the previous year’s grain. Another tradition, the one that most Pagans follow (and I don’t know the origin), states that it is to be kept to insure a bountiful crop through the next harvest season and burned around the time that a new one is made from the last sheaf.

Since Neopagans have three harvest holidays (Lúnasa, Autumn Equinox, and Samhain) in the widely observed “wheel of the year”, there is some debate over which holiday to burn a grain dolly. I would think the answer would be to make it close to one’s local grain harvest date. Arkansas grows soft red winter wheat as a commercial crop. Harvest begins in May and ends as late as the first week of July. So, for our locality, if you want to burn your grain dolly at the end of harvest, it makes sense to do so at Lúnasa, rather than at any of the later harvest holidays. That, and because it’s the harvest holiday that has a strong grain theme.

Note that I’m calling them grain dollies instead of the more traditional “corn dolly”. This is because Americans have confused traditional use of the word corn to exclusively mean maize. To the Europeans, corn meant grain. Corn dollies were not corn husk dolls. They didn’t have maize back then. Corn dollies were made of whatever grain various European cultures predominantly ate, like wheat or oats.

But we do live in the modern western world, and many would say that we need to adapt traditions to where we are and the way we live now. Americans in general do eat a lot of corn, both as a vegetable and as a grain, and as a sweetener (although Arkansas doesn’t grow much maize commercially). Corn husk dolls are easier to make than wheat dolls, which is probably a big part of why most American Pagans make corn husk dolls instead of the more traditional grain dollies for harvest holidays. The materials are also easier to find. Not many people grow wheat in their backyard garden but plenty grow corn, or could get corn in the husk at any farmer’s market or grocery store. Maize harvest starts mid August in Arkansas and can last late into September or even October, so it would make sense to burn your cornhusk harvest dolls at the Autumnal Equinox or Samhain if you are so inclined.

Unless you are a farmer or a gardener who grows grains, your harvest doll is purely symbolic anyway, not made from the last sheaf of anything, but symbolic of the harvest for you personally. So make it of whatever materials represent the harvest for you (you’ll notice that one of the dollies in the picture below is made of both cornhusks and wheat), and burn or bury it at whichever of the harvest (or spring) holidays that you feel drawn to do so.

Solstice Sun Shirt

All you need to make this festive sunny attire is a sun-colored shirt (perhaps one you’ve tie-dyed in light sunny colors), contact paper, scissors, an iron, a piece of cardboard the width of your shirt, and fabric crayons.

Prewash the t-shirt and iron out any wrinkles, if necessary. Insert the cardboard inside the shirt to give you a hard surface to work on. See my tutorial for making tissue paper sun faces, and use that method to cut out a design with the contact paper, keeping the design simple.

Next comes the tricky part– peel off the back of the contact paper and lay your resulting sticky stencil on the front of the shirt. Use your fabric crayons to color in the features of the sun face and other details, and along the edges, fading as you go out from your design. For best results, use colors that contrast the colors of your shirt, so the design will show up. When finished coloring, peel off the stencil. Follow the directions that came with your fabric crayons for setting your design permanently into the fabric.

For more Summer Solstice fun, see Kids’ Activities for Midsummer / Summer Solstice.