Category: Mythology and Magic

Why my stories contain hauflins not halflings

by Diane, posted in Mythology and Magic

More than two decades ago while researching the races in fantasy novels and in the Dungeons and Dragons game, I came upon the word hauflin. It was, of course, connected with halfling, which was connected with hobbit.

As the story goes, Dungeons and Dragons first used hobbit as a name for a race of small people. Those controlling Tolkien’s literary work didn’t like it, and the makers of D&D were forced to remove the word from their material. Instead, they opted for halfling. While Tolkien’s work occasionally used this word, no fuss was made, and halflings became a mainstay in the game.

During my research, I dug deep into history to learn more of the origins of words and fantastical beings. I wanted to tap into what Tolkien may have when he created his world, so I could perhaps put a new spin on an old idea. This led me to hauflin.

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We are Blind to the Enchanted World

by Diane, posted in Essay, Mythology and Magic

Have you ever sat in the evening to watch the sunset? Looked into its white rays during the last twenty minutes of its descent? What did you see?

Every land is different, and I can’t speak for city streets where no trees or wildflowers grow. I’ve never sat to watch the sun set there. But I can speak for the country.

Many times I’ve taken a break from gardening or working around the yard to admire the last moments of daylight. The best place to sit to watch Earth’s magic show is in shade. From this viewpoint, I look towards the sun. This won’t work if it’s cloudy. When the sun is in clear sky, it illuminates what I normally don’t see. In fact, looking to the right or left as the sun sets exposes nothing special. I must look directly towards the sun.

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Tarot Reading for Day of the Sun

by Diane, posted in Mythology and Magic

My goal for 2022 is to do a six-card reading each Day of the Sun (Sunday). I wrote about it on the first post here: Tarot Reading for Day of the Sun (January 2nd).

Sun’s Day January 9th Six-card Reading

What negative energy is holding me back?

Queen of Pentacles upright: A bestower of grace and favour, the Queen of Pentacles is an astute business person and lover of life who uses her wealth wisely. Her success is well earned and she is magnanimous towards others, showing her affection in terms of gifts and patronage.

How do I get rid of this negative energy?

Queen of Swords upright: This intelligent, gifted woman is protective of those around her. Quick to praise and challenge, her wit is amazing, as are her inventiveness and grace. In a reading, she represents a firm ally, although ultimately there is a need to put her own interest first.

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Tarot Reading for Day of the Sun

by Diane, posted in Mythology and Magic

One thing I’d like to learn more about is tarot card reading. I’ve dabbled in it since I bought the cards about five years ago but for one reason or another, I kept forgetting or putting it off. Not anymore.

To do this, I’ve decided to do a reading for myself every Day of the Sun (Sunday). This reading will consist of six questions and six cards drawn. The question are:

  • 1. What negative energy is holding me back?
  • 2. How do I get rid of this negative energy?
  • 3. What are possible obstacles?
  • 4. What is the positive energy in my life?
  • 5. Is there Inspiration on embracing the energies?
  • 6. What are the opportunities that lay ahead?

The deck I’m using is The Art of Tarot by Liz Dean. The interpretations are from the booklet that came with the cards. This is a deck of 78 cards.

Sun’s Day January 2nd Six-card Reading

What negative energy is holding me back?

Seven Swords Upright: The Seven of Swords indicates lies and mistrust, which can manifest as difficult dealings with a dangerous opponent. Hemmed in and confronted, you will need excellent tactics in order to win, and you may resort to outright cunning. The message is to fight hard for what belongs to you.

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Origin of Wednesday

by Diane, posted in Mythology and Magic

Have you ever wondered where Wednesday came from? No, it wasn’t a hill, aka hump. When I was a kid, I called it Wind’s Day until I wanted to learn how to spell it, then it became Wed Nes Day.

Wednesday came from Old English Wōdnesdæg. This translates to Day of Odin. With Marvel’s blockbuster movies over the pass dozen years, most people know who Odin is – Thor’s father.

Wait you say, that’s a stretch: Wōdnesdæg = Odin? Odin, the ruler of the Norse gods’ realm, also went by Wōden. So Wōden’s Day is Wednesday.

Wōden is associated with wisdom, magic, victory and death. On that note, let’s put death aside and focus on making this Wōden’s Day magical, one in which we gather wisdom and are victorious over our problems.

Happy Wōden’s Day.

The Inner Spirit Listens: Eivør Pálsdóttir

by Diane, posted in Mythology and Magic

There is something distinctly ancient about music. I feel it has been with humans from conception. Perhaps we learned it from the birds, or we always had an inner rhythm we expressed in various forms from singing, tapping a foot or beating a stick upon a rock.

My love of music runs deep. It has been part of my life since I was conceived. The only way I can explain why I enjoy certain music is that it touches a spirit deep within.

Several months ago, I stumbled upon a playlist on YouTube. After listening to it several times, I hunted down the singer of one of the songs. While it wasn’t in English, I felt a strong connection to it.

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Day of the Moon

by Diane, posted in Moon Journey, Mythology and Magic

On my journey to realign to the natural world, I’m delving into the names of the week and their origins. Today, being Monday, I’ll share what I’ve learned about this first day of the week, a day many dread because it begins the work week.

My first thought when thinking about Monday was that it originally was Moon Day. Well, I wasn’t wrong. In Middle English it was monedai, which came from Old English mōndæg. This was the contraction of mōnandæg “Monday”.

Mōnandæg translates to the “day of the moon”. It comes from mona and dæg. This compares to Old Norse manandagr, Old Frisian monendei, Dutch maandag and German Montag.

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The History of Druids

by Diane, posted in Mythology and Magic

Little has been written about ancient druids, or at least what has survived about them is scant. From this, people have tried to piece together who the druids were and what they did. In general, they studied the stars, the moon, the plants and moral philosophy. But that’s not where their wisdom stopped. They meditated, worked with herbs, were healers and sometimes aided kings in decision making.

The name druid derives from the proto Celtic language and the words deru (oak) and wid (sight, to see). Perhaps at one time, it was spelt deruwid.

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Yuletide Decorating Tips and Festive Recipes from a Kitchen Witch

by Diane, posted in Mythology and Magic

Days are growing shorter and if we didn’t know better, we might believe the end is nigh. Centuries ago, folks young and old prepared for the dark, cold season in many ways. Most practices focussed around bringing light and warmth into the home and seeking ways to sustain life through the barren season.

Many traditions were born from these activities and while the activities have changed, their essence remains the same.

Dive into tips on how to decorate for Yule and Christmas at The Witch’s Cookery vlog. In this video, she also discusses the pagan origins to Christmas traditions, including Odin’s wild hunt that inspired Santa Claus and his reindeer, and Thor’s connection with Winter Solstice. Learn how to make a spiced orange tea and the Yule wagon (Thomas wheels).

Fill your home with warm light, wonderful scents and magic by watching Yule preparations | Pagan Yule stories & history | Witch vlog.

Do you believe in giants?

by Diane, posted in Mythology and Magic

All my life, I’ve been reading stories with giants in them. The first was probably Jack and the Bean Stock where Jack trades the family cow for a few bean seeds, grows the stalk into the clouds, climbs it, steals the goose that lays the golden eggs and escapes (sometimes killing the giant and sometime not, depending on the version).

There’s also David and Goliath, where little David kills the giant Goliath with a sling shot, and Gulliver’s Travels. In fact, if you search for books for kids with giants, you’ll find many. Why are giant stories popular with kids or at least with authors?

Locally, we have Glooscap, a legendary figure of the Wabanaki peoples, native peoples located in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Atlantic Canada. While some say he is fictional and certainly some of the tales about him are, there’s some evidence that suggest he was an actual person. How tall was he? Probably not as tall as the statue erected just outside Truro, Nova Scotia, along the 102 Highway.

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