Happy Beltane, my friends!
And for all those not yet in the know, Happy May 1st, 2013!
Perhaps when you think of May Day, an image of maypoles with their dance and colorful ribbons comes to mind.
Did you know that some believe the maypole itself is a phallic symbol? It’s apparently discussed by Sigmund Freud himself.
(Not that I’ve had any such discussions.)
Hmmm…I wonder what Freud would say about my tendency to work sex into a discussion about Beltane.
{runs far away from the couch}
What of the Gaelic celebrations of Beltane (on May 1st) and Samhain (Oct 31st-Nov 1st)?
Before I began writing Forged in Dreams and Magick, I’d only read of Samhain in fictional paranormal romance novels. My insatiable curiosity had been sparked.
When we think of Halloween and Day of the Dead, we get a close idea of Samhain. It’s a day of pagan tradition when the barriers between the spirit world and the human world grow thin, and many believe…penetrable.
Hence all the skeletons and ghosts…
Beltane
Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man celebrated Bealtuinn on May 1st to mark the beginning of summer. It’s also a day where they believe the walls between the worlds of the living and the dead…and the humans and the fae…grow paper thin.
Early records, dating back more than a millennium, speak of the druids walking cattle through bonfires to protect the herds and promote a good harvest. It’s said that Gaelic Beltane rituals in Scotland also celebrated the fertility and good health of their livestock, plants and people.
What does a writer do when her heroine is dropped into medieval Scotland just before the celebration of Beltane?
{smiles} She lets her imagination run wild.
In Forged in Dreams and Magick, I bring to life a very special celebration of Beltane. A colorful festival with Highland games, feasting, and of course…danger…lead us to the culmination of the event. When our heroine walks between two blazing bonfires with the hero at her side, they embark on a journey that changes them both forever.
{whispers} But…those secrets will be revealed in due time…
I cannot wait to share more of Forged in Dreams and Magick the first novel in the Highland Legends series.
For now, Happy Beltane, everyone! May this year bring all of us a fruitful harvest, so that we may share our abundance with others.
Until next time, my friends… {vanishes into the Highland mist}
Your humble shoe,
~ Kat
© 2013 by Kat Bastion
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