Category: Folk Symbolism
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The Cuckoo Calls
“The Cuckoo comes in April. He sings his song in May. By June he changes his tune and then he flies away.” That is a quote direct from the Folklore Collection available from duchas.ie. Yesterday, two lovely things happened simultaneously: first; a friend sent a recording of the Cuckoo taken in situ about 10km away…
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Groundwork and More on the Four Cities
“The truth is not known, beneath the sky of stars,Whether they were of heaven or earth.” Lebor Gebála Érénn compiled c.1150
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The Magical Bottle: Protection in Folk Magic
Andrew Michael Hurley’s novel, The Loney, is a tale of folk-magic and superstition, as well as a dark coming of age story. One of the pivotal moments in the book is when a ‘witch-bottle’ is found and the ominous repercussions that ensue. In case you don’t know what a witch-bottle is, a very basic summary…
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The Four (Five) Directions and Qualities
“The four directions were oriented around a sacred center, not necessarily physical nor located in the center. The sacred center was a concept rather than a specific place; it could move, it could multiply, it could even leave this world entirely and become part of the Otherworld.” Patricia Monaghan
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The Gifts of the Four Cities
In the tale, “Cath Maige Tuireadh,” The Tuatha Dé Danann became masters of Magick by studying the occult arts as taught by four Wizards in the four Otherworldly cities of the islands of the “North.” North here means the Otherworld and could just as easily be in the Sky or under the sea. The names…