Dweorgh Dwosle

Introduction to 'Dweorgh Dwosle' (Penny Royal)

This poem, set in Anglo-Saxon times, is based on a cure for fever, headaches, soreness, cramp and spasms. The original manuscript (Lacnunga 11C) attributes these conditions to the malignant influence of dwarves - supernatural beings that lived in rocks and underground. The herb would have been gathered by the whole root ball before being taken away to be prepared into a salve or balm.

Dweorgh Dwosle

Dweorgh Dwosle to, Anglo Saxons was famed,

In thousand years, Pennyroyal renamed.

This herb wilt cure those, dwarf made unwell,

A little infusion, sickness to quell.

The destroyer of dwarves, Dweorgh Dwosle be,

Soreness cramp and spasm, to name but three.

Fever and headaches, it wilt also cure,

Gathereth with root ball, keep fresh and pure.

Useth with incense, and ritual to charm,

Apply to thy pain, and use it as balm.

As eye salve it taketh, soreness away,

A loaf or few eggs, wilt serve thee as pay.

Copyright Andrew Rea 2009

Watch in the woods

Introduction

It is a mostly forgotten fact that before the invention of electric light and gas lighting that people tended to sleep in two sessions known as the first and second sleep. This would have been particularly true if you were poor, as most folks were, since candles were expensive. The period of wakefulness between lasted one to two hours and was known as the watch. During this time people would , lie awake, chat, or even visit neighbours in their one room huts.

In this poem we look at the discrete nocturnal meetings of a young couple.

Aelfscyne is the Old English word for beautiful (elf like).

Watch in the woods

Awake after first sleep, with heart in hand,

Young elven mistress, to seek on the land.

Young wife man awake, in small hut close by,

Silently awaiting, for her owl to cry.

Stealthfully leaving, into darkest night,

Clad with canopy, of stars shining bright.

Wise hooting like owl, his sweetheart to call,

In moonlit shadow, trying not to fall.

Two shadows step on, darkest forest floor,

Slowly approaching, pass through secret door.

Silently stepping, on their secret path,

Snaking through branches, to their forest garth.

Things that young folk did, in dark nights of yore,

Going to be doing, that which no one saw.

On soft mossy glade, with maiden at hand,

Watch spent in the woods, rite of fertile land.

Snapping small soft shoots, to sound of wild boar,

An hour alone, but still wanting more.

Aelfflad so aelfscyne, in silver moonlight,

Perchance in the spring, a hand fasting rite.

Long blond flowing locks, and eyes burning bright,

Tall slim blushing maid, in hands held tight.

So wexed by this wife man’s, smooth shining skin,

As heathens we do, not have carnal sin.

Copyright Andrew Rea Winterfylleth 2013

Samhain

Halloween, feast of the dead,

Winter’s darkness, here to dread.

Veils betwixt, the worlds grow thin,

Through the bonfires, protect within.

Eastern window, candle burning,

Winter’s darkness, year is turning.

Land to sky ,and coast to coast,

Light has given up, the ghost.

Western window, candle burning,

Guide the spirits, now returning.

Turnip Jack O’Lanterns, eyeing,

Ritual, candles, mirror scrying.

Midnight candle, not a sound,

I pair this pippin, round and round.

Throw the pairing, o’er my head,

My true hearts letter, for to read.

Hollantide feast ,and fire fest,

Fire re-lighting, and guising best.

Stories, games and apple bobbing,

Celtic New Year's day, hobnobbing.

Copyright Andrew Rea Oct 2008

Dark Forest Rite

Introduction

This poem was painted with three pallets of words: ritualistic and pagan, Middle English and Old English. The OE presented the biggest problem; there were many words that I would have liked to use but their meanings would have been too obscure.

The poem, unlike most of my work is without any real historical fact and merely creates a mood, enjoy this if you dare......

Dark Forest Rite

If thee gaest into, the woods this day,

Hern’s hornbearer, do upon thee stray.

Spirit-bearer Frey, nacud of lim,

Applewine chalice, full to the brim.

Consecrated grove, and woodland glade,

Caldron sensor, athame blade.

Occult sorcerer, craft with thee,

Intone the spell, the power of three.

Dark moon forest, and deepest night,

Black candle beckon, and burneth bright.

Wilt thee invoke, and call thee here,

Among the shadows, drawing near.

Earth mother Nerthus, from the north,

Enchant, conjure, and bid thee forth.

Magick enchantment, be afraid,

A hex on thee, when dest invade.

Woodland nymph, and earthy sprite,

Morgan le fay, the Lady in white.

Thee bist summoned, to raise the power,

The time has come, the witching hour.

Pricthorn crown, upon your head,

Libations offering, to the dead.

Sanctified wine, cecel to devour,

Sacred groves, do thee empower.

Chant the rite, with fairy queen,

Amidst a company, of thirteen.

The incantation, spell draws near,

Beware to chant it, loud and clear.

In dead of forest, feel no fear,

Least evil spirits, doth appear.

This be no place, for a young maid,

This be no usual, masquerade.

Of thine free will, thou didst doth come,

To pulse of drum, did thee succumb.

Invoke the pucka, raise the unseen,

What didst thou do, this Halloween.

It’s much too late, to have no fear,

Fate and fortune, bringan thee here.

Thou didst arrive, of thine own force,

Be sure that thee, hast no remorse.

Copyright Andrew Rea 2009

Lacnunga XXV (The Wyrm Chant)

A bit of fun with the Lacnunga manuscript circa 1020:

In case a man or a beast drink an insect, if it be of male kind sing this lay in the right ear, which lay is hereinafter written; if it be of female kind, sing it in the left ear.

Sing this charm nine times in the ear, and a Paternoster once. This same charm a man may sing against a penetrating worm, sing it frequently upon the wound and smear with thy spittle, and take green centaury, pound and lay it on the wound and bathe with hot cow stale. In case a man drink venom, take seed of marrubium, mingle it with wine, administer to be drunk.

The charm

Tigath Tigath Tigath Calicet. Aclu cluel sedes adclocles acre earcre arnem. Nonabaiuth aer aernem nithren arcum cunath arcum arctua fligara uflen binchi cuterii. Nicuparam raf afth egal uflen arta. Arta. Arta. Trauncula.

Trauncula Patrem &filium & spn scm non amplius. Crescas sed arescas super aspidem & basilliscum ambulabir & conculcabir leonem & draconem crux matheus crux Marcus crux lucas crux iohannes.

Translation

The first paragraph of the charm refuses to be translated it is not Latin or OE. There is some evidence that it may be written, at least in part, in Old Irish.

The second paragraph translates from Latin: Seek and ye shall find. I charge thee by the Father and the son and (the holy spirit). Increase not any more but shrink.

Over the asp and the basilisk and to be trodden underfoot the lion and the dragon. Cross Mark cross Lucas cross John.

Conclusion

The charm is in two parts the most interesting of which is the first paragraph which I have not managed to translate, but is clearly written with some use of Old Irish and other elements which appear to have been used because of their inherent potency.

The second paragraph is very Christian and made up of a biblical abstract and part of a psalm (XCI – 13) together with a charge to ‘Increase not any more but shrink’.

A possible pagan reconstruction of the charm (to be chanted):

Tigath Tigath Tigath Calicet. Aclu cluel sedes adclocles acre earcre arnem. Nonabaiuth aer aernem nithren arcum cunath arcum arctua fligara uflen binchi cuterii. Nicuparam raf afth egal uflen arta. Arta. Arta. Trauncula.

I charge thee by the power of Wodan increase no more but shrink, just as Drychten (our lord) may crush the wyrms (dragons) of the earth and fiery drakes of the air.

Lacnunga CXXXIII 74

This is a bit of fun at translating, interpreting and playing with a late Saxon charm.

Lacnunga CXXXIII 74 

With fleogendan attre asleah . IIII. Scearpan on feower healfa mid aecenan brande geblodga thone brand weorf on weg sing this on III.

+ matheus me ducath+ marcus me conseruaeth + lucas me liberat  + hannes me adiuvet  semper • amen. Contriue  deus omnem malum et nequitiam per uirtutem patris et: filii et spiritus sci sanctifica me emanuhel ihsxps libera me ab omnibus insitiis inimici benebictio

domini super caput meum potens deus in omni tempore. AMEN

Translation:

Against flying venom, score on the four sides (to the four quarters) with an oaken torch, make bloody that torch, throw on the way, sing this on 3 (times):

Matthew guide me, Mark consecrate/protect me, Luke free me, John always help me, Amen. Destroy, O God all evil and wickedness, by the power of the Father and son and spirit, sanctify me, Emmanuel, Jesus? free me from all enemies resident, (the) benediction

of the Lord (be) on my head, of a powerful god in all my time, Amen.

Interpretation:

The charm is very clearly Christian. In the first line the caller asks for fourfold help reflecting the actions to the four quarters. Then a triple aspect god is asked to destroy evil and bestow blessings. Finally the caller asks to be freed from local spirits (elves?) and asks his powerful god for life long blessings.

Question

Could this charm be based on a pre-Christian charm and can we attempt to reconstruct any of this? The first paragraph describing the actions needs no alteration to appear pagan. We could however produce many possible pagan variations on the second paragraph. Here is a possible outline reconstruction:

Pagan reconstructed charm

Face the four quarters in turn and sing the name of a god/goddess asking for help, the four that both left their mark in the names of places on our landscape and in the days of the weeks are: Woden, Thunor, Tiw and Frig so these would seem appropriate.

Then ask a powerful god – Woden was the most important of the gods – to banish the evil and for blessing.

Finally ask Woden to banish the bad local spirit (elves in late Saxon times but perhaps scucca in pre-Christian times) and bestow blessings for all of my days.

Border Morris

Introduction
Border Morris is the more dynamic style of Morris dancing that was originally practiced along the English side of the Welsh boarders. Men would dance for fun and money with blackened faces, perhaps to avoid recognition. This later has tended to be replaced by the wearing of masks. The dances are performed with short sticks which are knocked either together or on the ground. The dancers wear dark jackets now mostly of tatters, the colours of which will denote their side (team). The movements of the dancers is often quite boisterous with some modern sides going for a dark style of presentation.

Here is a link to a video of me with Bacchus Border Morris, the dance is called Tipsy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm3I2gS1d4c

Border Morris

We dance in winter, to have some money,

There be twelve of us, when it be sunny.

In hard winters, we dance for our dinners,

In our last lives, we must have been sinners.

Once our little gang, only had one dance,

But it could differ, quite a lot by chance.

After a few pints, masks come in handy,

But all I had, was a glass of shandy.

We be rather proud, of our short hard sticks,

We bang them and knock them, and do high kicks.

Some still insist, on fertility myth,

But only our short sticks, do end up stiff.

Spare a few pennies, for our Morris dance,

Before we collapse, in a shamanic trance.

Empty thine pockets, for a little beer,

If thee fancy, to stop me feeling queer.

Copyright Andrew Rea Summer 2010