On the 6th of February 2019 I visited Nottingham to attend
once again, a lecture at Empyrean the Nottingham Pagan Interest Group. My
visits to Empyrean have become more frequent during the last two years. There
has been an increase in the number of speakers presenting lectures on subjects
of a personal interest to me. It should also be noted that the quality of these
meetings is remarkably high.
The lecture this February evening was on the subject of the Wild
Hunt and the speaker was Shani Oates, Maid of the Clan of Tubal Cain and
internationally recognised author. It was as expected, complex, deep and
informative; covering the science of phenomena, stone age hunter-gatherer
traditions, European origins and apotropaic practices.
The evening began with an introduction to the mythology of the
Aurora Borealis and its place within the cultural perceptions of the northern
lands. This ran through a gamut of associations, how the aurora marked a darker
tide with a focus on protection, a phenomena affecting our perceptions, a locus
of the discarnate and a general aura of strangeness.
This led on to a mention of spirit paths, those processions
of the departed, the corpse ways. Juxtaposed we have the midsummer sun with that
of midwinter night. The Polar night being a period of darkness lasting some
forty days yet further south, we have the anomaly of a sun shining late into
the night.
For an a people living in such a land, the question of
whether the sun would ever rise again is a natural one. Influencing perhaps the
mythology of Ragnarok and the consuming of the sun itself, here we begin to
realise that ancient threads still touch our lives today. Shani Oates went on
to inform us that the solstice was not observed in more ancient times, although
the return of light was noted.
We learnt that there were three 'Blots' of significance to
our northern ancestors and that the significance of each, is still extant for
those whose paths are influenced by that culture. These were or are; the Autumn
Blot falling in October, the true Midwinter Blot falling in January and the
Summer Blot in April. Such seasonal festivals and observances are timed by the world
around us, changes in the fauna, growth and decay, the migration of birds. The
dates of festivals in an ancient calendar were not as rigidly fixed as they are
today, in a less abstract but more linear concept of time.
The Maid introduced the concept of totemic elements in
regards to the seasons, noting the influence of the sun, moon and stars upon
ancient cultures. This influence lies behind potential origins of megalithic
observatories and that the Wintertide as a period of time, has a primary focus
upon light as opposed to a purely solar one.
In continuing the totemic theme mention is made of Alta
Fjord in Norway and the caves that are today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here
an ancient people, possibly ancestors of the Sami; left thousands of
pictographs of animals and people in a number of caves. Some of the images are
estimated to be six thousand years old.
In a further exposition of the theme, an obvious mention is
made of Horned Gods such as Cernunnos and Herne; noting that they are not one
and the same. I observe that as a Polytheist this difference is rarely
mentioned, Herne is a Hunter but Cernunnos is not.
Taking us further and deeper, there was mention of the seven
brightest stars of the Great Bear constellation. This asterism the Plough or
Wagon, is historically a well attested seasonal marker. Continuing onwards we
covered briefly, the Hairy Hunters, the Woodwose, Frau Holle, Yule Folk,
Ancestral Spirits and visitations of the ancestral dead.
Observances relevant to this area are still part of the
practices of the Slavic cultures of Europe and Asia, with various apotropaic
charms to protect the home and invite spirits to enjoy the warmth of the
hearth. Historically coming of Christianity marks a shift in perception, the
association of ancestral spirits with the Wild Hunt changes to that of the
Purgation of Demons. The Wild Hunt is obviously recognised as a period unsafe,
landwights require blood anointments but now the Demonic Hoard requires
appeasement.
Introducing what is without doubt Britain's most important
and oldest folkdance, the Maid described the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance as the
most primitive dance in Western Europe. Observing that originally the dance
took place over three days and later in the year, which as a dance of the sun
is of no surprise. The three days are of course the three days of the solstice,
when the sun is said to stand still. The dance is in affect a beating of the
bounds ceremony, world famous for the six pairs of mounted reindeer antlers
that are a thousand years old.
This naturally led us to other animal totems, many related
to fertility, abundance and other seasonal observances. These included the Mari
Lwyd; traditionally played by a horseman, the Julbukk or Yule Goat, the Haxley
Hood Game, mock beheadings and the mythology of the headless horseman himself.
Other seasonal observances such as Soul Caking were given a brief mention. Here
we note that there is a general belief that our British Traditions are of a
southern European origin. We recognise the influence of Mithras, Sol Invictus,
Saturnalia and Lupercalia. This assumption overlooks the enormous influence of
the peoples of Scandinavia and the Baltic region.
Lupercalia is a festival of the wolf, Lupa being Latin for
the female animal and is a totemic beast of the Goddess Juno (the Greek Hera).
The festival was a purgation of the city of Rome and featured the use of whips
(or thongs) made from goatskin. These whips are called Februa and it is from
them that the month of the festival; February, derives its name. Banned in 391
but continued underground, it may have influenced the later development of the
Mummers Play.
Continuing on we began to explore the origins of the
Wintertide from cultures based within the Arctic Circle. Looking at the Old
Hunt, the Battle Fury of Wotan, wondering warrior wolves (wonderful alteration)
and a later figure the Harlequin, which may have been based upon the leader of
similar hunts. This lead up onto Walter Map, the Hurley Thingers. a connection
between Hurl and Herion as alternative names for Woden or Wotan. This
connection naturally included Hela and of course, Wotan, Hela and Thor are all
said to lead the Wild Hunt.
Jode as a name for Woden is then further linked to a Green Giant
and the custom of leaving the last sheaf. Then quickly switching genders the
Maid introduced us to Saint Lucy linking her to the Wild Perchten, the plural
of Perchta and Berchta. Here during this festival we are told of a prohibition
of carrying out housework and that bread in the shape of totem animals would be
buried at boundaries.
The cauldron we are now experiencing, contains a heady mix
of concepts and yet more is added to our recipe. Sex, death and fertility as
associated with women brings us back to the Green Knight, to care and to sexuality.
We observe that Robin Hood died at the hands of a woman and that Woden, as the
wanderer, the stranger is connected to him. The Wild Hunt changes from a host
of ancestral spirits to that of a Daemonic manifestation, an omen of ill
fortune. The Sagas, those wondrous tales of Norse origin talk of attacks upon
the living by hosts of Daemons. Whichever, the hunt is led by Odin
(Woden/Wotan) and his daughters the Valkyries.
There was a short break which was needed. As is the norm
with lectures by Shani Oates, the information and the depth of that
information, can be both thought provoking and challenging. Launching into part
two we were introduced to Cain's Hunt and astronomical symbolism, in particular
Gabriel's Wain or the Wagon. Returning to Old Hornie and Hela briefly we begin
to perceive the change in interpretation during the Christian period. Here the
Devil takes the lead and a host of sinners replaces that of the ancestral
spirits. Here we hear of a corpse bearing host, complete with coffins and women
pierced with nails. A truly horrific Christian vision.
It is noted quite naturally that the Hunt has regional
variations. Wales is offered as an example with references to Gwyn ap Nudd, the
White Stag, the Red Eared Hounds, Fairy Raids, the Hills of Annwn and the kings
of the Mabinogion.
Does a Wolfshirt lead the Hunt? Is it bestial and is there a
link to various animals depicted in ancient rock-art, including horses? These
questions are raised and we note that although the processing, our
understanding may change, the underlying themes do not. The perceptions change
markedly in the Christian period as noted. Frau Holle, the Perchten begin to be
interpreted differently with the inclusion of the legends of Mother Goose. The
Hunt is mirrored in the honking of the flocks as they migrate and it is observe
that the goose is in Siberia, an important Shamanic totem.
Moving on we look briefly at the Seven Whistlers, swans and
geese and omens of ill fortune once again. This spins us around to face the
Gabriel Hounds, the Gable Rackett, the Corpse Hounds, Gallow Hounds and Fairy
Hounds, with their white coats and red ears once again.
We note that within the context of the gallows that Pagans
were buried together with heretics and criminals, in unhallowed ground. Nicely
bringing us back once again to Odin, the battle-fury of the cult of Woden,
Berserkers and animal transformation, wolf or bear. We observe that the wolf is
often a symbol of death and that in England a wolfshead was the name given to
an outlaw, an outcast. A veiled reference to Robin Hood again?
Hermes and Hecate are psychopomps and share a common
symbolism. This symbolism and their associations with the Hunt, serve once more
to illustrate that previously observed and unfortunate transformation, Pagan
God to Christian Demon. Frau Holda may lead the Wild Hunt but we are reminded
that Valkyries are not witches. An important point, as although Herodias, Fate,
the Norns and the Fairy Raid may all be included within the context of the
Sabbat, such confusion should be avoided.
Returning once more to the Wintertide observances and the
period of Misrule, reiterating the associations of Odin, Dame Holda, Diana and
her Darling Crew, totems including wolves and ravens, we finally reference
Bede. The research carried out by Shani Oates in preparation for the lecture is
so detailed and includes so many such references, one can hardly keep pace.
We refer to the Mothers, a seasonal reference, noting that
the Pole, the Broom and the wand are all phallic and may symbolise once more, a
wolf. Continuing with this seasonal theme we are introduced to Thor's Goat, the
YulBuk (Yule Buck) a resurrecting beast, which may be linked to the Krampus and
later Mummer's Plays.
Within the theme of transportation Shani Oates declares that
the Wild Hunt is seen by those it takes. Mythology serves a social and
political purpose with many meanings. Transportation becomes a tool for
transformation, the gathering of the slain is the vision quest.
In drawing the lecture to a close, we see that that the
darker aspects of spirit flight are of a Northern origin. The wintertide has
many customs and traditions, such as for example the dumb supper.
We are instructed that engagement with the other is a call
of blood to blood, life to life and death to death. There is a search for
fusion, union and meaning, as we reach beyond the Mighty Dead to be with the
Gods and the Ancestors. The Ancestral Train is indeed feared and demonised by
the church, representing as it does a direct and divine link, rejecting the
need for an intercessor.
‘The Wild Hunt is seen by those it takes.’ That phrase is
for me personally, the most memorable of the evening. It strikes deep. Others will
naturally have taken other elements of the lecture to heart but for me, it is
that line above all others that has struck home. I have heard that call,
reminding me in the words of the Maid, of the light of gnosis and the darkness
of ignorance.
Paean to
Hekate – 6th October 2017
SACRED
MASK SACRED DANCE BY SHANI OATES
HERITAGE
AND THE POETIC VISION OF ROBERT COCHRANE (NOTTINGHAM SATURDAY 25th JUNE 2016)
PAGAN
PRIDE (NOTTINGHAM UK) 2nd August 2015
Shani Oates at Pagan Pride 2018
