A-Maying

Introduction

This poem explores the practice of gathering a basket of flowers on the morning of May Day  in the villages. A practice that was common up until Victorian times.

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

May (Thrimilci)

Introduction

This poem is one that was inspired by the writings of Saint Bede.

Thrimilci means three milkings and is a reference to the extra milking that could be obtained from this month into the summer. The eve May Day also called Wulpurgis was one of the two most powerful nights of the year for magic, the other being the eve of All Hallows. The poem looks at the way the May might have been celebrated in the local chieftain’s hall, in Saxon times these celebrations would have continued until dawn, lasting anything up to 16 hours, oh and by the way the drinking cups had a pointed bottom so you could only put them down when empty.

May (Thrimilci)

Bone fires of, Wulpurgis night,

Around fires, burning so bright.

Frigg the goddess, of love and mirth,

Lets Celebrate, summer's rebirth.

Magic power at, it's greatest height,

Goddess of lust, for summer’s rite.

Wife of Woden, down in yon field,

Before goddess, thee be'est kneeled.

Cows be milked now, three times a day,

Bountiful times, we thank thee Frey.

Flowers from fields, gathered for home,

Fellers and maidens, faithfully roam.

High halls heave with, men and wenches,

Mead-cups floweth, round long benches.

Laughter music, breaking baked bread,

Wassail me boys, a whole hogshead.

Trencher of food, in with the fold,

Heroic stories, to be'est told.

Drink hail to thee, join in the feast,

Now is the time,to release the beast.

The sun wilt soon, rise in the east,

A full mead cup, until dawn at least.

Stack the benches, lay on reed floor,

Those traditions, of days of yore.

Copyright Andrew Rea 2009 revised Dec 2012

Lacnunga CV - A puzzle Solved?

A puzzle Solved?

Here is an untranslated incantation from a healing charm in an Anglo-Saxon medical manuscript:

Lacnunga CV

Ecce dolgula medit dudum beðegunda breðegunda

elecunda eleuacha mottem mee renum orþa fueþa

letaues noeues terre dolge drore uhic alleluia

Singe man þis gebed on þæt se man drincan wille, nygan siþan, 

& pater noster nigan siþan.

Translation of lines 4 and 5 From Old English

Let one sing this prayer over that which a man is about to drink, nine times, and the Paternoster nine times.

The first 3 lines

The considered opinion over this charm (lines 1-3) is that it was written in a Latin like way, to give authority, starting and ending with actual Latin words but with pseudo Latin within. To this was added some Old Irish, as was sometimes used as a way to add extra energy to a charm. Some words are used for their tonal qualities and associations with known language of the time. The intent was to evoke a sense of magic. This Anglo-Saxon charm contains both rhythm and alliteration. The charm was therefore written in a pseudo language without obvious meaning but played on relevant words of power and healing and was not intended to be translated, however we can find some hidden meaning:

The first 3 lines yield up the following:

See (here)! Banish (this) little injury, eats? salve abounding, abounding,

healing-abounding, mote of my kidneys, formulate a charm,

letaues noeues (no meaning found) let sorrowful suffering fail, alleluia.

So a free flowing possible meaning:

Attention! consume (this) decoction (to) banish (this) little injury, abounding abounding!

Healing-abounding charm formulated to reduce (the toxin to expel from) my kidneys,

Abracadabra, let (this) sorrowful suffering fail, alleluia.

So the charm appears to be used to expel toxins.

I now intend to produce a poetic version of this with the intent of reproducing the feel of the original charm with hidden meaning, rhythm and alliteration.

Acknowledgement

I wish to thank Dr Clive Tolley for his kind help in supplying me with some useful information with regards to the understanding of this charm.

The Galdre

As soft sun slips down, the wizard didst cast,

In long robe with broach, as done in the past.

The height of summer, sunshine burning bright,

Spell crafting by singing, into the night.

With galdor in verse, invoke Spider Wight,

Silently spinning, on this sacred site.

Earth fast standing stone, now older than time,

Focusing spirit, in verse and in rhyme.

Palest moon shadow, raising his right palm,

Conjure Earth forces, with ritual to charm.

Intone runic spell, four quarters to north,

From realm of spirit, moon magic shines forth.

Sacred stone lichen, wilt guard against elf,

Sing nine times over, for restoring health.

Whoso doeth it, has curse of the priest,

In thousand winters, this wilt not have ceased!

Combine with some herbs, protect thee from harm,

Working with magic, wilt elf shot disarm.

Make offerings to stones, as the witches say,

May the way of Wyrd, please keep galdre fay.

Copyright Andrew Rea March 2014

Notes to 'the Galdre'

Galdre is the old English for wizard.

Galdor is the old English for spell or charm which were sung when cast.

Spider Wights are goodly supernatural creatures. Spiders were sometimes kept in a pouch and worn around the neck to bring protection.

From Lacnunga 74 we have reference to using the four quarters in a spell.

The use of lichen from stone crucifixes in charms against diseases caused by elves is mentioned in Leechbook III LXII-1

Bishops and priests were known to place curses on followers of the old ways.

Laws of Aelfred C890: ‘some men are so blind that  bring their offering to

earth-fast stone and also to trees and to wellsprings, as the witches teach’.

In Stoodley’s analysis of 1636 undisturbed adult Anglo-Saxon burials, from forty-six sites of early Anglo-Saxon England he counted nineteen males buried with women’s dress accessories (4.63%). These may have had a ritual status as a shaman or wizard. There is potential correlation between this and the Scandinavian association of men performing seidr with cross-dressing.

A puzzle from Lacnunga CV

Here is an untranslated incantation from a healing charm in an Anglo-Saxon medical manuscript:

Ecce dolgula medit dudum bethegunda brethegunda

elecunda eleuachia mottem mee renum ortha fuetha

letaues noeues terre dolge drore uhic. alleluiah •

Can anyone help translate this, you would be the first!

I have tried an online translator, Latin produces a few words (see my notes below). It may include elements of Old Irish (this was common in Saxon times to add power to the charm) these words may then have been miscopied. Anyone having any knowledge of Old Irish of even modern Irish may be able to see a word or two.

My notes:

Lacnunga CV

In the Lacnunga this is written as one paragraph, without a heading, I have separated the text into two paragraphs for clarity.

Ecce dolgula medit dudum bethegunda brethegunda

elecunda eleuachia mottem mee renum ortha fuetha

letaues noeues terre dolge drore uhic. alleluiah •

Singe man this gebed on th se man drmcan wille nygan sithan. 7(&) pater noster nigan fithan.

Translation of the second paragraph

Let one sing this prayer over that which a man is about to drink, nine times, and the Paternoster nine times.

The first paragraph

Although one can find a few Latin words and even two OE words in this charm it refuses to be translated, nevertheless we can however find metre, alliteration and indication of  half lines; all the hall marks of Anglo-Saxon poetry.

Possibly the meaning has been lost through an accumulation of errors coming from many copying’s of the text.

One can imagine a læce (healer) or galdre (wizard) chanting this galdor (charm/spell) rhythmically nine times over the sick to induce a healing state.

We notice again the use of the number nine which was to the Anglo-Saxon’s the most sacred number.

If we add Caesuras (breaks in the lines) we get:

Ecce dolgula medit dudum    bethegunda brethegunda

Elecunda eleuachia    mottem mee renum ortha fuetha

Letaues noeues terre dolge   drore uhic. alleluiah .

Which I think gives a metre:

9 8

8 9

8 8                              

The use of the charm is lost without its heading and the location in the manuscripts offers little help: it is found between CIV ‘For a woman who cannot rear her child’ and

CVI. ‘Against churnels’ (swollen glands).

Using Latin

Ecce dolgula medit dudum bethegunda brethegunda

See               eats   lately

elecunda eleuachia mottem mee renum ortha        fuetha

motto of my kidneys orthodox

letaues noeues terre dolge drore uhic. alleluiah •

     land                              alleluia 

An attempt at recreating an Anglo-Saxon Pagan charm against stomach sickness

The recreated Pagan charm against stomach sickness:

I swear to Wodan, our Drychten, who cured the horse of Baldr. The Scucca that causes such bad pain in thy stomach, that is the source of health of thine servants. In thy holy name, give healing to (Insert name).

So mote it be.

(See notes below)

Basis of the charm written in a margin of an Anglo-Saxon document:

With magan seocnesse. (MS. C.G.C. 41, p. 346, margin).

Adiurer (Adiuua) nos deus salutaris noster exclude angelum

lanielum malum qui stomachum dolorem stomachi facit

sed in dormielo sancto angelo tuo sanitatem serui tui

in tuo sancto nomine sanationem ad ad tribuere •

per.

Translation

Against stomach sickness

I swear to God, our Saviour, who shut out the evil angel

Lanielum (the) wicked, stomach pain in his stomach that makes

but the health of thine servants. Thine holy angel Dormielo

in thy holy name, give healing to (Insert name).

so mote it be.

Likely original of the note, from a similar note, in the margin of Bede (volume given by Leofric to Exeter P326)

Adiuua nos deus salutaris noster exclude angelum sanielem (should read Lanielum) angelum malum qui stomachum dolorem stomachi facit sed in dormielo sancto angelo tuo sanitatem serui tui in tuo sancto nomine sanatione(m) ad ad tribuere. per”

Translation

Help us God, our Saviour, who shut out the evil angel Lanielum

(The) wicked angel, who makes the stomach pain in his stomach, but the Holy Angel Dormielo your health to give to your servant in your holy name of healing. by

Notes to the recreated charm

Drychten is the Old English (OE) for lord.

Baldr was a son of Wodan and a god of light. He is mentioned in one of the two Merseburg Incantations (C9/10) where he rode into a wood with Phol (Baldr). There Balder's horse was injured, and Wodan, with goddesses, cured the horse with charms.

Goblins or demons in OE these were known as scucca. The OE word scucca has lent itself to a number of fantastic beasts across our landscape the most famous of which is possibly Black Shuck, an East Anglian demon dog.

A charm of protection

Introduction

This Anglo-Saxon charm of protection was written as a note in a margin.  It has a beauty of its own. I have had some fun with it sweeping out references to the new religion and replacing them with reference to the old! Note: Drychten was the OE word for lord and here is a reference to Wodan.

Fly leaf Leechdoms  (MS. C.C.C. 41, p. 400 margin).

A charm of protection

I fortify myself in this rune staff and deliver myself into Wodan's allegiance,

against the sore sigh,

against the sore blow,

against the grim horror,

against the mickle terror, which is to everyone loathly,

and against all the loathly mischief which into the land may come:

a triumphant charm I chant,

a triumphant staff I bear.

Word victory and work victory:

let this avail me,

let no night mare mar me,

nor my belly shrink me,

nor fear come on me ever for my life, but may Drychten heal me.

Wodan worthy of all glory, as I have heard, heavens creator and eke, Frigg, a thousand of the bright elves I call to be a guard to me against all fiends. May they bear me up and

keep me in peace and protect my life,

uphold me altogether,

ruling my conduct; may there be to me a hope of glory.

Hand over head:

the hall of Valhalla,

the regions of the glorious and triumphant, of the truthful wights.

With all blithe mood I pray, that for me, hand over head:

dragon be helmet,

boar coat of mail,

a light life's bulwark,

Wayland my sword, sharp and sheer edged,

linden my shield, embellished with glory.

Ye Seraphim, guardians of the ways!

Forth I shall depart,

friends I shall meet,

all the glory of the ese,

through the lore of Drychten.

Now pray I to the victor for the mercy of the gods,

for a good departure,

for a good, mild, and light wind upon those shores,

the winds I know,

the encircling water,

ever preserved against all enemies.

Friends I shall meet, that I may dwell in Valhalla, yea, in his peace, protected against the loathsome one, who hunts me for my life, established in the glory of the ese, and in the hand of the mighty one of Valhalla, while I may live upon earth.

So mote it be.