Lammas

by Franklin, Anna; Mason, Paul

• ISBN13: 9780738700946
• ISBN10: 0738700940
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-06-01
• Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd

Summary

Although it has a fascinating history, little is known about Lammas (or Lughnasa), one of the eight festivals of the witches' Wheel of the Year. Celebrated in early August to mark the beginning of harvest, it comes from the Irish Gaelic nasad (games) of Lugh (a leading Celtic deity and hero). Lammas helps you celebrate with recipes, incense, spells, traditional types of divination, and several full rituals, some never before published.

Table of Contents

Part 1: History, Customs, and Lore of Lughnasa and Lammas
The Forgotten Festival	3	(26)
Lammas
Lughnasa New Style or Old Style Traditional Lughnasa/Lammas Customs
Hilltop Gatherings and Pilgrimages Croagh Patrick
Lhuany's Day (Isle of Man)
Lammas Towers (Scotland) Holy Wells
Well Dressing (England)
Fairs and Wakes
Puck Fair (Ireland) Muff Fair (Ireland)
Ram Fair (Ireland)
Royal National Eisteddfod (Wales)
Wake Fairs (England) Sports and Games
Highland Games (Scotland)
Grasmere Sports (England) Herri Kilorak (Spain)
Grand Wardmote (England)
Horseracing (Ireland) Horse-swimming (Ireland)
Ridings (England and Scotland) Lammas Battles
Faction-Fighting
Battle of the Flowers (United Kingdom) Other Lughnasa/Lammas Customs
Quarter Day Legalities (England and Scotland) Rush-Bearing (England)
Telltown Marriages, Handfasting, and Wife-selling Queensferry Burryman and Ferry Fair (Scotland)
Bilberry Sunday (Ireland) Cally Sunday (Ireland)
Blessing of First Fruits (France)
Marie au Ble (France) Marymass or La Feille Moire (Scotland)
Crom Dubh Sunday (Ireland)
Around the World	29	(18)
Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome
Assyria
Akkadia
Mesopotamia Norse
Ancient Egypt
Canaan
Israel
North America Russia and Eastern Europe
India
Lugh	47	(22)
The Cult of Lugh
Lugh's Name
The Story of Lugh Longarm Lugh and Balor
The Story of the Welsh Llew
The Meaning of Llew's Story Parallels in the Welsh and Irish Accounts
Reconstructing Lughnasa
Part 2: Celebrating Lughnasa
Ancient Themes for Modern Pagans	69	(16)
First Fruits
The Sacrifice of the Corn God
The Blood of the God The End of Summer
Hills and Harvest Mounds
The Goddess of the Land The Harvest Goddess
Battles and Games
Warrior Magic Hunting Magic
Holy Wells
A Final Thought
Lughnasa Magic	85	(42)
Osiris Healing Spell
Corn Dollies
Small Corn Dolly The Mare or Cripple Goat
Corn Maiden
Lammas Gloves Lughnasa Bracelets
Traditional Ash Charms
Ash Dream Divination Pin Healing Spell
Ash Leaf Charm
Ash Staff
Consecrating a Staff Making a Stang
Vervain
Vervain Lustral Water
Spells
Hilltop Rainbow Spell Lammas Bread Wish Spell
Lammas Bread Protection Spell Rowan Cross Protection
Spell to Gain Courage
Bird Auspices Crystal Home Protection
Sun Catchers
Divination from Ashes Anna's Lughnasa Incenses
Making the Incense
Charging the Incense Burning Incense
Incense Recipes
Paul's Natural Dyes
Herbal Dyes Mordants
Dyeing the Fabric
Plants to Use
Lughnasa Games	127	(10)
Prison Bars
Lammas
Lifting Sticks
Lifting the Horseshoe Horseracing
Horseshoe Pitching
Rhibo
Arm Wrestling Stick Jumping
Archery
Shin-Kicking
Hoodman Blind
Slap Hands Kayles
Robin's Alight
Oranges and Lemons
Tug-O-War Welly Wanging
Wife Carrying
Warrior Magic	137	(42)
Body Painting
Making Stencils
Application
Face Painting Sacred Symbols
Color Magic
Warrior Totem Magic totem Shields
Masks
Papier-mache Masks Working with Animal Spirits
Finding Your Animal Discovering Your Totem Pathworking
The Lessons of the Animals
The Lammas Kitchen	179	(18)
Breads
Soda Bread
Plaited Bread
St. Oswald's Gingerbread Squares Bannocks
Oatmeal Bannock
Selkirk Bannock
Potatoes
Boxty Scones Colcannon
Soups and Salads
Three Sisters Soup
Lughnasa Salad Fish and Seafood
Scalloped Oysters
Baked Salmon with Cream and Hazelnuts Fisherman's Pie
Berries and Fruits
Apple Jelly
Summer Pudding Yellowman
Yellowman Toffee
Beverages
Warrior's Cup
Borage Tea Goldenrod Wine
Beer
Lammas Wool
Yard of Flannel
Lammas/Lughnasa Rituals	197	(20)
Preparation for Indoor Rituals
The Altar
The Quarters Casting the Circle for Indoor Rites
Ceremony of the Cakes and Wine Dissolving the Circle
Outdoor Rituals
Rite for Lughnasa Witch Rite for Lammas Eve
A Saxon Lammas Celebration Grove of the Silver Wheel: Druidic Rite for Lughnasa
Appendix 1: Lughnasa Calendar	217	(12)
Appendix 2: Names of the Festival	229	(4)
Appendix 3: Symbols for Lughnasa	233	(2)
Appendix 4: Gods and Goddesses of Lughnasa	235	(18)
Appendix 5: Songs and Chants for Lughnasa	253	(10)
Glossary	263	(2)
Select Bibliography	265	(4)
Index	269