While the rest of my modules for the ‘Ogham Prompts’ course rolls out, one per day for a few more days, to paid subscribers, to catch up with that first cycle … here’s another edition for you wonderful free subscribers. This may seem a few days after the event but it is still in conversation. I am going to talk about the ‘Imbolc’ and ‘Imbolg’ words.
When you pointed out how modern “Imbolc” is as a word, I checked with the Fellowship of Shasta materials we have from the 1930s by Ella Young. She called this holiday Bridget’s day, but used Beltaine, Lughnasagh, and Samhain for the other holidays.
Yes, I find the Imbolc word a bit weird as it does seem to be essential but only used during recent years and not really mainstream except through social media memes.
Bridget’s Day is a lovely one, to me, as I personally loathe adding ‘Saint’ to the word, but that is just my personal opinion and not tradition at all. Perhaps ‘Bridget’ is not so bad as at the opposite pole of the year is ‘Lughnasagh’ that is sort of saying ‘Lugh’s Day’ though it is the name of that month too.
I would rather see a name referring to ‘first harvest’ rather than ‘Lugh’ himself so the vision is on harvest rather than battles, competitions, and clearing forests, even though forests had to be cleared to grow food for harvest.
Whilst reading a fictional Nora Robert’s book set in Ireland she describes spring time as “The earth is pregnant” and refers to its awakening and its bounties to come.
Good way to describe now, and that’s the way I see and feel it too. Still not in mainstream language and vision yet, it seems. Sometimes I wish it was in farming language and vision of farmers, but I cannot tar farmers with the same brush. The farmers I have met around Leitrim here have a wonderful caring spirit for their land along with some wonderful ideas for making that better.
Thanks for setting us straight, John. I had heard that Imbolc came from the German folklore. I guess it's important to just enjoy each season with the knowledge that much, maybe most of our present celebrations have been made to move us into an acceptable celebration of life.
Thank you Robin, as i did not have space to write about possible Germanic and Saxon connections to the Imbolc, Imbolg words, so I can say a bit here in comments. I think since 19th century Celtic Romance times the Imbolc word link to Germanics, Saxons and Slavs was probably very active. I bet Robert Graves was into that too?
Going back further, many Anglo Saxons who dropped their ancient beliefs and took on Christianity did come to Ireland to study at the Medieval Monastic Universities. Remains of those barely exist now. But there is a chance that the reason for entry in Cormac's Glossary, and maybe the Dindshenchas poetry was these words being introduced by the Saxons and being re-interpreted a bit. Still all very geeky to have gone mainstream, just like a lot of university stuff today is.
When you pointed out how modern “Imbolc” is as a word, I checked with the Fellowship of Shasta materials we have from the 1930s by Ella Young. She called this holiday Bridget’s day, but used Beltaine, Lughnasagh, and Samhain for the other holidays.
Yes, I find the Imbolc word a bit weird as it does seem to be essential but only used during recent years and not really mainstream except through social media memes.
Bridget’s Day is a lovely one, to me, as I personally loathe adding ‘Saint’ to the word, but that is just my personal opinion and not tradition at all. Perhaps ‘Bridget’ is not so bad as at the opposite pole of the year is ‘Lughnasagh’ that is sort of saying ‘Lugh’s Day’ though it is the name of that month too.
I would rather see a name referring to ‘first harvest’ rather than ‘Lugh’ himself so the vision is on harvest rather than battles, competitions, and clearing forests, even though forests had to be cleared to grow food for harvest.
Whilst reading a fictional Nora Robert’s book set in Ireland she describes spring time as “The earth is pregnant” and refers to its awakening and its bounties to come.
Good way to describe now, and that’s the way I see and feel it too. Still not in mainstream language and vision yet, it seems. Sometimes I wish it was in farming language and vision of farmers, but I cannot tar farmers with the same brush. The farmers I have met around Leitrim here have a wonderful caring spirit for their land along with some wonderful ideas for making that better.
Thanks for setting us straight, John. I had heard that Imbolc came from the German folklore. I guess it's important to just enjoy each season with the knowledge that much, maybe most of our present celebrations have been made to move us into an acceptable celebration of life.
Thank you Robin, as i did not have space to write about possible Germanic and Saxon connections to the Imbolc, Imbolg words, so I can say a bit here in comments. I think since 19th century Celtic Romance times the Imbolc word link to Germanics, Saxons and Slavs was probably very active. I bet Robert Graves was into that too?
Going back further, many Anglo Saxons who dropped their ancient beliefs and took on Christianity did come to Ireland to study at the Medieval Monastic Universities. Remains of those barely exist now. But there is a chance that the reason for entry in Cormac's Glossary, and maybe the Dindshenchas poetry was these words being introduced by the Saxons and being re-interpreted a bit. Still all very geeky to have gone mainstream, just like a lot of university stuff today is.