A-Maying

Introduction

The poem is set in preindustrial and early industrial England and relates to the May Day practice whereby young maids in the villages went out in the morning to gather flowers for their mothers to use as decorations for the festival home. The poem draws on some writings by contemporary puritanical opponents of the practice.

A-Maying

Young ladies to, celebrate The May,

Out early morn, finding a bouquet.

Their families' homes. to soon adorn,

Gathering May baskets, in the corn.

Young wenches with, young lads doth play,

And laugh and court, in meadows stray.

On a warm and sunny, spring day such deeds,

May simply be guessed, among the meads.

In every bush, a song be’est made,

The landscapes beauty, is now laid.

In some secrete place, within the field,

Young men and maidens, willingly yield.

Oft ten maiden, who went to the May,

Nine returned home, with infant that day.

Its best be said: ‘courtship bed and wed’,

Else ‘grass widows’ women, be thee instead.

In every marriage, it be’est said,

In Avalon’s fields, bed precedes wed.

Love poems, to mistresses be writ,

Before to wenches, they doth commit.

Copyright Andrew Rea 2008

Here be Groves’

Introduction

Within the Dane Law ‘Lundr’(Old Norwegian and Old Danish) described a sacred grove. this word existed alongside the old English word 'land'. Over time Lundr lost its meaning and changed into Lunt, Lound or Land. This poem explores those names that can be traced back to the original Anglo-Saxon word for grove. There are far too many such places in England to do little more than just scratch the surface.

Here be Groves

Bright forest clearing, oak tree proudly stands,

Galdor songs are sung, in these ancient lands.

Assembled in groves, in tunic and hood,

Singing gallant songs, to lord of green wood.

Lundr Viking Old Norse, and Danish for grove,

Into sacred wood, with rune swords they strove.

Norse lundr and land, are not the same word,

But thousand years past, their meaning is blurred.

Kirkland Lancashire, hid from the Doomsday,

Does its round churchyard, Druid past betray.

Only one person, from the Black Death died,

The phantom church grove, on the other side.

Lancashire Lunt hid, from Doomsday Book too,

As part of Sefton, it had to make do.

Lund was its title, It was to rename,

Only this was a, ninth century name.

Art many more groves, hid in a place name,

Three Lounds in England, art found to remain.

Many suffixed ‘land’, did see Saxon rites,

Now old churches stand, on these sacred sites.

Copyright Andrew Rea 2012

Here be wizards

Introduction

Within the Dane Law the Old Norse word ‘skratti’ was used to denote wizard. In England the word became synonymous with devil or demon ,so it is sometimes difficult to infer the original intention behind these place names.

Here be Wizards

Norwegian wizard, Scratti he was named,

Awd Scrat the Devil, to him much was blamed.

Devil on the moor, demon in the wood,

On land canst thee see, where once he had stood.

Haunted Scratta Wood, in Nottinghamshire,

Forest uprooted, and burned out of fear?

Revealing Iron Age, dry stone wall compound,

Wyrd dancing blue lights, at night can be found

Cartgate in Cumbria, was known as Scratgate,

Carvings on church stones, did Vikings create.

Saint Bees Priory owned, Skratti Wizard’s Street

Its monks not demon, did Henry defeat.

Scrathawe, Scarthing Moor, Scratta can be found,

Preserved on England’s, landscapes all around.

Scratters and Scrathowes, Yorkshire’s Devil mound,

Scratby in Norfolk, his names still abound.

Long robed sorcerer, his spell now complete,

Blunting his foe’s swords, he did them defeat.

Preserved in the stones, set in circle round,

His magic lives on, his spell is still sound.

Copyright January 2012 Andrew Rea

April (Eostremonath)

Introduction

This poem explores the month from a farming perspective and draws from ‘The Good Reeve' an Anglo-Saxon farming document.

We know from Bede that in Saxon times, in April the spring goddess handed over to the goddess of fertility Eostre. From whom we get the modern name for Easter together with the fertility hormone oestrogen. This was one of eight major feast days in the calendar.

The two evenings when supernatural and magical powers were at their highest were: the eve of May (Walpurgis) and All Hallows Eve. Until the reformation it was common practice for priests to brew ale and sell it on feast days to raise money (however this may have started after the Saxon era).

Helheim was a cold dark subterranean world.

A furlong is the distance that a team of oxen can plough before needing a rest and thereby set the length of a field. The width (a chains length) was set by the area that could be ploughed in a day. The area defined by a furlong times a chain became an acre.

April (Eostremonath)

Anglo-Saxon, Eostremonath,

Spring vegetables, we shall soweth.

Much ale be drunk, this Eostre feast,

A whole hogs head, brewed by the priest.

Goddess of spring, with sacred hare,

Eostre maiden, art young and fair.

Days art longer, than damp dark nights,

Sacred season, for thy spring rites.

Winter banished, to cold Hellheim,

Ivy quickens, its oaken climb.

Bullace blossom, budding on shoot,

From heat returns, forthcoming fruit.

Fertile spirit, of furlong fields,

Rises again, as winter yields.

With oxen plough, no longer toil,

As shoots spring forth, upon soft soil.

Fire on hill top, beneath starry sky,

Walpurgis night, powers art high.

Raise the great wand, in night time toil,

In wild witch wood, with maiden loyal.

Copyright Andrew Rea Yule 2012 reworked

Hocktide

Introduction to Hochtide

This was a rather fun festival held on the second Monday and Tuesday after Easter.

On the Monday, men captured women and released them for money or a kiss. On the Tuesday, the women would tie up the men and demand a payment before setting them free.

Men, dressed as foreigners, would be tied and lead around the town by the women to collect money for the church, this was the most important of the years collections!

The festival may depict a victory over the Danes.

The festivities were banned under Henry VIII but Elizabeth I reinstated the tradition in 1575, today only Hungerford in Berkshire continues the tradition.

Hochtide

Second Monday after, Easter it were,

A two day street fest, for him and for her.

Henry didn't like, disorder or fun,

Lizzy brought it back, along with the bun.

Festive misrule, chaotic and funny,

Best fun of the year, gathering money.

More than at Yule, or any other time,

So much fun until, it became a crime.

We gathered more, for the church this spring tide,

Hauled men through the streets, with their arms well tied.

Better the women, to tie up the men,

Like a conquered band, of Vikings to them.

Parade them through town, collect a penny,

Without some fun, there wouldn't be any.

Men captured and tied, the women to kiss,

And no one then thought, the least wrong in this.

Women captured and tied, the men to keep,

Give us a penny, we let thee off cheap.

Tutti wenches sold, oranges and sweets,

When those buxom lasses, took to the streets.

Tutti men carried, tutti mace pole,

With Orange Scrambler, all out of control.

Wooden staffs topped, with orange and flowers,

Young lads in the street, showing their powers.

We had so much fun, those brave days of yore,

But these days we be, not so immature.

Having fun in the street, being disquiet,

Thee be arrested, causing a riot.

Copyright Andrew Rea 2010

Eostre (Chant with zest)

Eostre (Chant with zest)

Eostre, Ostara, Ishtar, Hathor,

Goddess of the dawn, mother of spring,

Light conquers darkness, prefect balance,

Hares with eggs of fertility sing.

alternative last line:

Mother Earth’s womb fertility bring.

Or add your own last line!

Return ye Haegtesse

Introduction

This poem employs the somewhat unusual construct of invoking a lesser known Anglo-Saxon mythical group to come to our aid and help defeat the fungus killing our ash trees (chalara dieback).

The Haegtesse were wild, armed supernatural women riding out in a group and causing harm havoc and mayhem! But were also known to help warriors on the battlefield and hinder others.

These Supernatural cavalcades rode loudly over the landscape.

They were also referred to as ‘ða (tha) mihtigan wif’ (the mighty women) and were seen as a cavalcade of riding women shooting its victims.in some documents the word Haegtesse was used as a scan for Wælcyrige, sometimesthe term ‘shield-maidens’ was employed.

From the word Haegtesse we also derive the word 'hag' used in Saxon times to describe a witch.

Return ye Haegtesse

Ye powerful hags, of the Saxon hills,

Rid our ashes of, their terrible ills.

I doth here invoke, and call upon ye,

Ye hags rough ride out, return and help me.

Oh thou cavalcade, of women riding,

Awful shield-maidens, the battle deciding.

Defend our ashes, from fungal attack,

Help us overthrow, chalara dieback.

Tha mihtigan wif, return to us now,

Dreadful Wælcyrige, protect sacred bough.

With ragged garments, and thine linden shield,

Like devils ride out, on tree battle field.

Oh ye Haegtesse, with helmets on head,

Fill our enemies, with thine battle dread.

Ride ye loudly through, fair forests again,

Through heathen sky come, cast out the profane.

May din of thine spears, force fungus to flea,

Thunor's magic spear, from ash the world tree.

Females from beyond, return to help me,

May all sacred ashes, be fungal free!

Copyright Andrew Rea March 2013