Samhain: The Roots of Halloween by Luke Eastwood Paperback Book

Description: Samhain by Luke Eastwood, Elena Danaan A full history of the festival of Halloween FORMAT Paperback CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description A full history of the festival of Halloween. The modern celebration of Halloween is derived from the ancient festival of the dead, known in Ireland as Samhain. It is from Ireland that most of the Halloween traditions we have are inherited, through the Irish diaspora. Delving into the ancient past, this book uncovers the history of this festival in Britain and Ireland, including the forgotten goddess Tlachtga and the sacred temple of the Druids in County Meath, Ireland, where the first Halloween fires were lit. AUTHOR: Luke Eastwood is a horticulturist, author, artist and musician who lives in County Kerry. He has written books on gardening and folklore and was the co-author for Kerry Folk Tales (THP, 2019). Luke is the founder of the Irish Druid Network. He speaks at many events about his books, Druidry, and social and environmental issues. 10 b/w illustrations Author Biography LUKE EASTWOOD is an author, artist and musician who spends his spare time writing book and articles and editing Pagan Irelandmagazine. His photography has been used for book covers and album covers, as well as being sold in small galleries. He organised the long-running Nua Art Exhibition and Éigse Spiorad Cheilteach, and gives talks about various aspects of Irelands history and folkore at festivals and events across Ireland. He lives in County Kerry. Table of Contents Acknowledgements7 Preface by Morgan Daimler9 Introduction13 Chapter 1Irish Cosmology and the Otherworld17 Chapter 2The Festival ofSamhain31 Chapter 3TlachtgaandMogh Ruith49 Chapter 4Tlachtga- the Sacred Site71 Chapter 5The Evolution into Halloween99 Chapter 6The Neo-Pagan Revival ofSamhain127 Bibliography139 Review An excellent and comprehensive exploration of this fascinating subject. -- Philip Carr-Gomm Review Quote An excellent and comprehensive exploration of this fascinating subject. Feature Extract in Irelands Own Halloween edition. Excerpt from Book Chapter 1 Irish Cosmology and the Otherworld This may seem a strange place to start, considering this is a book primarily aboutSamhain(Samhuinnin Scotland andNos Galan Gaeafin Wales), the ancient form of todays Halloween. In truth, this is the only logical place to start, as the festival ofSamhaincan only be fully understood within the context of the pre-Christian cosmology and practices of the ancient Irish - what is referred to as Druidism or Druidry. Druidry has been revived in recent centuries, from the early 1700s onwards, but this is a new form of Druidism, more correctly called Neo-Druidry, as it has no continuous link with the religion/spirituality of the original Druids. The arrival of Rome in Western Europe drove Druidism into the ground except in Ireland and Scotland, but even there it did not long survive the arrival of Christianity in the fifth century ce. By all estimates it had more or less died out by the eighth century and persisted only in social practices, folklore, stories and customs but not as a viable religion that anyone could practise openly. Despite the erosion of Druidism, first by the Roman Empire and secondly by the Christian Church, much of the pre-Christian structure and practices of Western Europe (and Ireland particularly) survived in a thinly disguised or mutated form. The pre-Christian view of the world and universe (or cosmology, if we choose to use a fancy term) survived both in the written word and the folk practices of the Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Breton and (to some extent) English peoples. It is to Ireland that we must look for the most complete model of how the Druids understood the world around them and what ways they celebrated the important moments of their year. The Irish year was divided into two halves - winter (geimhreadh) and summer (samhradh), with winter preceding summer. We see the same thing in Gaul, as demonstrated by the Coligny calendar, with three days to celebrateSamionos(Samhain) - TRINVX SAMO SINIV or the three nights ofSamonios. In the same way as the year, the day was divided into two halves, with the night (from sunset) preceding the daylight. The year itself was subdivided into eight parts of approximately six weeks, each marked by a festival. These eight festivals began at the Celtic New Year, which wasSamhain, summers end, which is considered the entry point into the dark part of the year. The eight points of note are (in order) Samhain, winter solstice,Imbolc, spring equinox,Bealtaine, summer solstice,Lughnasadhand autumn equinox. The equinoxes and solstices are universal, they have been celebrated by humanity across the world for millennia but the four Celtic festivals are unique to Western Europe, although there are somewhat similar traditions in many countries around the world. All eight of these pagan festivals have managed to survive in Europe in a mutated Christianised form, which has already been covered amply in many books, so I will not discuss them here - it is sufficient to say that the placing of Christmas, Easter, the beginning of spring, the beginning of summer, harvest festival and All Hallows Day is no accident. In Ireland and other countries around the world, there are ancient sites of the Neolithic period (late Stone Age) that are very obviously aligned to the equinoxes and solstices. In Ireland in particular there are some ancient examples that stretch back to 4,000-3,000 bce, with some, such asSl Description for Sales People There are plenty of books on Samhain, but mostly about ritual and very little history this book fills a gap in the market Sheds light on the origins of Halloween, which is still shrouded in mystery Identifies the roots of Samhain, which stretch back several thousand years, in Co. Meath, Ireland Sections on the sacred bonfire, communing with the dead, invoking of ancestors, the opening of the veil between the realm of Earth and the Otherworld and sacrifices Extensively researched but written for the popular market 10 b/w illustrations Details ISBN0750998008 Author Elena Danaan Year 2021 ISBN-10 0750998008 ISBN-13 9780750998000 Format Paperback Imprint The History Press Ltd Place of Publication Stroud Country of Publication United Kingdom Publisher The History Press Ltd Pages 144 AU Release Date 2021-09-03 NZ Release Date 2021-09-03 Publication Date 2021-09-03 UK Release Date 2021-09-03 Illustrations 10 Illustrations, black and white Subtitle The Roots of Halloween Illustrator Elena Danaan DEWEY 133.9 Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:136080476;

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