On the second day of ConVocation, we attended some interesting sessions. In looking at our schedules, we had both marked a certain presentation without even consulting one another: “The ‘Indians’ of Old Europe,” it was called. As we’re both deeply interested in anthropology and ancient Europe, it seemed like a no-brainer to attend this one. The presenter was Andras Corban-Arthen, a wonderful looking human who turned out to be a fascinating and engaging presenter. His work of many years has been to trace modern survivals of ancient European pagan practices. Since he hails from Galicia, in the north of Spain, he is himself a Celt.
That’s right, you got that. I wrote what you think you read. There is a thriving population in northern Spain of people who consider themselves Celtic to this day. [nerd alert!] Consider the first syllable of Galicia: GAL, and its linguistic similarity to other Celtic place names, like Gaul. Even the word “Celt” could be thought of as cognate for GAL, if you consider Grimm’s Law (as very briefly outlined in our recent post “Apples in the Mist”).[nerd level returns to normal]
Andras told us that everywhere you go in Galicia, you can see signs saying, “Galicia, a Celtic Land.” Galicia is the only nation in the world to name a Celtic king in its national anthem (Breoghan). The folktales and practices he grew up with could be considered ancient pagan survivals. So he has traveled all over Europe, seeking out the pagan remnants hidden in ethnic and folk traditions, mostly using word of mouth and email introductions to locate the people who might have information of interest to him.
At one point in his life, Andras was taken in and treated as family by a Scottish couple, who became his teachers and mentors. They showed him magical and folk practices that had been passed down through their family for centuries, and provoked his continued interest in seeking out similar survivals. He learned that many ancient religious practices, songs, traditions, and stories have survived into modern times by blending into Christianity. Many of the people he has interviewed are Christians and see nothing religious in the practices and traditions their families maintain. Often they consider their magical traditions a matter of national pride. Andras also told us about a small island off the coast of Scotland were the special form of Christianity that is practiced is so pagan that visiting priests ran screaming “Heresy!” all the way back to the Vatican.
All in all, Andras’ session on ancient European pagan survivals was extremely interesting and informative. We liked him so much that we attended another of his sessions the third day, and that one was....No fair giving it away yet! That’s for our next post. :-)
Another great session that was available the second day was titled “Exploring the Earth Mother” with Reverend Melissa Hill. Wow! is all I can say for this class! Reverend Hill was engaging, dynamic, and full of beautiful energy. We began with the Hittite Goddess, Hannahannas, covering her connections to her son, the thunder god, and to bees. The Hittites were of special interest because they were quite ancient, and their culture existed for a shorter time when compared to, say, the Greeks or Romans. This was of special interest since it did not give the Hittites time to evolve their pantheon to the same extent. So, it gives good insight into the fabric of the people’s lives and their vision of the Earth Mother. Here is a link to the Reverend Hill’s blog, and much more detail on the Hittites: Dandelionlady Earth Mother Kickassery.
Nerthus was another Mother Goddess that we discussed. She is a Germanic Goddess of the Suebi tribe, originating in areas of Northern Germany / Denmark. She was interesting because the tribe was united by her, and had a sacred grove dedicated to her located on an island. (Goddesses on islands post!) Within the grove, a holy cart was draped with a cloth that none but the priest might touch. When the priests felt her presence, the cart was drawn through town and met with revelry. When the journey was finished and the cart returned to the grove, it was washed by slaves in a secluded lake. Upon finishing this chore, the slaves were drowned.
The highlight of this class for me was the group meditation that we participated in. Yup! You got it--I was poked in the third eye again! (See our post about last year’s ConVocation.) Reverend Hill gently coaxed us into the calm pool of meditation. We moved from chair to carpet to earth, and then to expanding circles of forests. This was a wonderful journey through meditative spheres and visioning. I have only experienced group meditations this successful a handful of times. This one ranked way up there! I am grateful for the chance to have this experience.
Whew! What a great second day--great information and experiences shared, minds expanded, imaginations kindled--not a bad way to spend time at all! We did avail ourselves of the generous treasures contained in the vendor area. I purchased several wonderful items that I will enjoy for many years to come. Stay tuned for more vicarious learning in our next blog.
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