'Tis the Halloween Season for Pagan Questions

[celticcrusader]

IAN: when the veil between our worlds is thinned on halloween did you ever look to see if St. Patrick was weeping?

 

[cyberwolf001]

Yes and then some.

Actually, Woodward, the corporal, yells it out to Lord Summerisle (Lee)–once started, the pagans will not stop–the next bad harvest it will be Summerisle himself–and then maybe little girls, until eventually the outside world WILL intrude.

Okay for a second I thought you meant Paganism in real life would lead to horrible things if allowed to keep growing… Thanks for clearing that up!

IAN: when the veil between our worlds is thinned on halloween did you ever look to see if St. Patrick was weeping?

I’m not Ian but I’d have to say if he saw St. Patrick doing anything to be supportive of Paganism would you not say it was Satan deceiving him?

For my part I do know that around St. Patrick’s day some Pagans where white and carry a snake item (as snakes are suppose to represent the Druids in the legend) saying “Hey Patrick you missed one!” or “Oh Saint Patrick we’re baaaaaaa-aaaaack!”

 

[Dempsey1919]

A charming film that captures some of the spirit of Neopaganism, and even some of the practices.

I suppose the film would be even more special to you since it deals specifically with Gaelic paganism.

Would you also say that the film accurately portrays pagan morality?

 

[IanCorrigan]

IAN: when the veil between our worlds is thinned on halloween did you ever look to see if St. Patrick was weeping?

Every mid-march our local lot holds a “bring Back the Snakes” party, to commemorate Patrick’s foolishness. Just a bit of irony, really…
Ian

 

[Dempsey1919]

Every mid-march our local lot holds a “bring Back the Snakes” party, to commemorate Patrick’s foolishness. Just a bit of irony, really…

Is this a light-hearted event, or does it commemorate a significant event in your religious history?

I know that St. Patrick banished the snakes out of Ireland. I’ve always interpreted this as meaning that he banished the pagan religion, and that the snakes represented the old pagan gods. This interpretation is entirely mine, but it seems to make sense.

As you follow the gaelic tradition, do you like the legend of Cuchulainn? I always liked ancient folklore as a child and it would be interesting to learn your thoughts about the celtic mythology.

 

[IanCorrigan]

I suppose the film would be even more special to you since it deals specifically with Gaelic paganism.

Would you also say that the film accurately portrays pagan morality?

It’s a movie.
Pagan morality is various and local, like anything else about Paganism, and a lot depends on one’s life and circumstances. Neopagan sexual morality tends to be permissive, valuing pleasant use of the body over strict rules about who and when. However Pagans believe in keeping our oaths, and some oaths of marriage include sexual exclusivity. We dislike cheating, and expect those who want to work out an ‘open’ marriage to do so in their marriage oaths. But there’s no value placed on ‘virginity’ in modern Paganism - only a value placed on the virtue we broadly call Wisdom, or, more narrowly, Discretion, that encourages young people to act with care as their new physical capacities mature, and encourages adults to watch, help and direct the young.
Many Pagans consider the so called ‘witches rede’ (rede means ‘advice’) to be their moral guide: “If it harms none, do as you will”. Plainly that leaves a great deal to personal discretion. The stuff I work in talks about Virtue - wisdom, vision, piety, strength, courage, honor, diligence, hospitality and sensuality - as guides to how to live a good life.
Ian

 

[cyberwolf001]

Ian there was an Irish God who’s name I cannot find. Supposedly Saint Patrick and him went a few rounds.

He seems to have been represented by a large stone with possibly a few smaller ones surrounding the main one. I think his image or images of him where carved on the stone or some such.

Supposedly he received a lot of human sacrifice as that is what the Catholic Church records of him but now last I heard that wasn’t the case according to historians and archeologists.

Any idea who it was?

 

[IanCorrigan]

Ian there was an Irish God who’s name I cannot find. Supposedly Saint Patrick and him went a few rounds.
…
Any idea who it was?

That fella was called Crom Cruach, a name meaning perhaps “Bent One of the Mound”. In a typical hagiographic tale the God is in fact described as receiving sacrifices of the nation’s children, and Patrick is described as making the idol ‘bow down’ to Patrick’s God, hence the later name of 'Bent one. Incidentally this is the source of the god Conan the Barbarian mentions when he utters “Crom”. (geek alert…)

What we can’t know is whether this represents an actual custom, or just a hagio-fiction in which the monks transpose the OT "Ba’al’ tales into an Irish context. This is the sort of problem we face in mining early church literature for references to Irish Paganism - separating fact from fiction is almost impossible.

I will say that no-one has found any archeology suggesting mass child sacrifices in Ireland.

 

[IanCorrigan]

Is this a light-hearted event, or does it commemorate a significant event in your religious history?

It’s a St Patty’s day party, celebration of gaelic culture, music, etc - just with a Pagan flavor. Not a religious moment…

I know that St. Patrick banished the snakes out of Ireland. I’ve always interpreted this as meaning that he banished the pagan religion, and that the snakes represented the old pagan gods. This interpretation is entirely mine, but it seems to make sense.

Commonly repeated. Archeologically there were never snakes in Ireland.

As you follow the gaelic tradition, do you like the legend of Cuchulainn? I always liked ancient folklore as a child and it would be interesting to learn your thoughts about the celtic mythology.

The tales of Cuchulain contain many scraps of ancient lore and a vision of heroic Celtic society. However that particular tale - the Tain Bo Cualigne - is a sort of monkish novel that seems intended to accomplish a few things, especially the reduction in the status of free, ruling women.

 

[Lilyflower]

Halloween is a great feast.

It is one that ALL Christians should celebrate.

It marks the failure of evil.

It also marks the conquest of evil by Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross.

In the words of Revelation: ‘Empire and Victory to our God and to the Lamb!’’

Blessings and peace.

 

[cyberwolf001]

That fella was called Crom Cruach, a name meaning perhaps “Bent One of the Mound”. In a typical hagiographic tale the God is in fact described as receiving sacrifices of the nation’s children, and Patrick is described as making the idol ‘bow down’ to Patrick’s God, hence the later name of 'Bent one. Incidentally this is the source of the god Conan the Barbarian mentions when he utters “Crom”. (geek alert…)

Ahhh with that I must now ask “What is best in life?”

What we can’t know is whether this represents an actual custom, or just a hagio-fiction in which the monks transpose the OT "Ba’al’ tales into an Irish context. This is the sort of problem we face in mining early church literature for references to Irish Paganism - separating fact from fiction is almost impossible.

I will say that no-one has found any archeology suggesting mass child sacrifices in Ireland.

Maybe the hated sacrifices of children was offerings given from the children to the God. I have a Catholic friend that can’t stand to see the children of Pagans worshiping there Gods breaks her heart every time.