Many Gods

The Association of Polytheist Traditions [APT]

is a fledgling organisation based in the UK.

Most of us practise Reconstructed Pagan Religions.

Our Goals:

• To educate both members and non-members about ancient and

modern polytheist religions
• To increase awareness of polytheism within the pagan
community, the interfaith community and amongst the wider
public.
• To act as a networking/social organisation, helping to establish
local polytheist groups and national gatherings.

What Do We Mean by Polytheist?

• We recognise many gods and do not deny the existence of gods

from religions other than our own.
• We see our gods as individual deities. They are neither 'aspects
of the Divine' nor 'avatars of the Godhead'.
• We understand our gods to have an independent existence
outside of our own psyches. They are not unconscious
archetypes.
• Our gods may appear to us as male, female, or of no fixed
gender.

To learn more about polytheism and polytheist religions,

visit our website at

http://www.manygods.org.uk

If you live in the British Isles, consider yourself a polytheist, and agree
with the statements above, why not get involved? You can start by
joining our forum, which is open to all interested people, not just the Association of Polytheist Traditions
members of the APT. The url is

http://polytheists.proboards20.com/index.cgi No. 1 Autumn 2005

Page 32 Page 1

Many Gods, Many Voices No. 1 Autumn 2005
Submission Guidelines:
Articles: The editor welcomes articles of polytheist interest.
Word guidelines: 2500—3000 main article, 800—1500 regular features.
Articles accepted in .doc, .txt and .rtf format only. No handwritten pieces
accepted.
Illustrations: Black and white drawings and photographs in .jpg or .gif
format.
Caer Clud
Meet third Sunday of the month, 2pm at Blackfriars in Glasgow except
March, June, September and December which are ritual meetings.
Contact Potia on caerclud@ntlworld.com
Yggdrasil Hearth
Meets on the last Thursday of the month in the city centre from 7:30pm.
This is a Heathen group, but any interested in Heathenry are welcome to
come along.
Contact DC on 07092 065702 or glasgowmoots@gmail.com
Website: http://www.yggdrasil.omnia.co.uk/
Suffolk

Reviews and reports: short appraisals of books, music and events of Ipswich Pagan Council
polytheist interest. Moots held on the second Wednesday of the month at Brewery Tap, Cliff
Road, Ipswich. Start 7.30pm. Active programme of talks, discussions etc.
Classified: Many Voices carries listings of polytheist friendly moots and Council also runs trips to sacred sites, ecological activities, free courses,
events free of charge. workshops, lending library, parties and various other services.
Contact Robin on 01473 402811.
Submission is no guarantee of acceptance.
SageCat Moot
Copyright remains the property of author/artist and no material should be Mildenhall, Suffolk. Monthly meetings held on the last Tuesday of the
reproduced without permission. month at the Bell Hotel, Mildenhall 7:30 start.
Contact: T on 07951176423.
Submissions should be made by email to Website: www.sagecatmoot.paganearth.com
apt_editor@ntlworld.com
or by post to Yorkshire
APT Editor,
108b Highbury Road, Sheffield Heathen Moot
Bulwell, Waggon and Horses, 57 Abbeydale Road South, Millhouses, Sheffield,
Nottingham, from 7.30. Last Monday in the month UNLESS the last Monday will be a
NG6 9DQ bank holiday, in which case we'll meet the Monday before.
This is an informal moot. While it's officially Heathen, we welcome
Next deadline for submissions: 31st January 2006 other polytheists.
Contact: Jenny on 07919 556371
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shefheathenmoot/

The views contained within this magazine do not necessarily reflect those
of APT nor of the Editor.
Cover picture, images on page 4 and 29 © Toby Lamb
Image on page 3 © Jezreell
All images for Performing Avebury article © Jenny Blain
West Midlands
Wolverhampton Pub Moot
In the Market Lounge the New Inn, Salop Street, Wolverhampton West
Midlands. Held on the 1st Tuesday of the month from 8pm £1 per person
goes to moot funds. Regular talks and associated field
trips.
Contact: Singe on 07957227746.
Website: http://www.midgard.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/pmwolvesmoot.html

Page 2 Page 31
 Polytheist Friendly Moots Letter from the Editor

These listings are provided free as a service to APT members. If
you would like your polytheist-friendly moot or event included
here, please send the details to apt_editor@ntlworld.com.
Hampshire
Southampton Moot
(Second Monday each month, back bar, The Duke of Wellington, Bugle
Street, Old Southampton, 7.30 pm onwards)
Friendly, unstructured moot with a hard core of polytheists including Celts
(Cornish and Irish), Heathens, Romano-Brits, a practitioner of central Asian
shamanism and a Zoroastrian as well as one or two polytheist witches and
druids.
Contact: Nick on 023-8055-4941
Email gens_moravia@domicilium.freeserve.co.uk
Welcome to the first issue of Many Gods, Many Voice, the magazine of the
APT (Association of Polytheist Traditions). We begin as we mean continue:
with high quality, original writing and artwork. This first issue is a
testament to the skill, talent and commitment of the APT membership.
Feedback on the magazine is very welcome, as are submissions for the
next issue, which will be published in spring 2006. For details, see the
facing page.
All the best to you all,
Blackbird Hollins
Editor
Contents
Featured articles

University of Southampton Pagan Society Moot Spirituality as Tourism: Performing Avebury Page 5
1st and 3rd Mondays of each month. 8pm till late @ The Stile pub (corner Jenny Blain explores place and ‘sacredness’
of University Road and Burgess Road, Southampton)
Contact: su_pagans@yahoo.co.uk The Norse Triple Goddess Page 22
Jezreell introduces us to a surprise contender
Hertfordshire
Mini Voices Pullout
West Herts Moot
The West Herts moot is run on a semi-regular basis, with meetings timed Mythos— Mother Holle Page 14
loosely with the sabbats and extra events as and when we feel like it. It is Crossword Page 20
usually Hemel Hempstead based with occasional excursions elsewhere in
the county as appropriate. Regular Items
Contact: Sophie on hintlemin@yahoo.co.uk
E-group: www.groups.yahoo.com/westherts-moot Letter from the Speaker Page 4

Lanarkshire Skald’s Corner Page 21

This issue features the poetry of Michaela Macha
Blackfriars Moot
Meets on the first Thursday of the month in the downstairs room of the Things to Make and Do Page 22
Blackfriars pub (corner of Bell St. & Albion St. in the Merchant City) from Arlea Hunt-Anschütz guides us through the process of soap making
7:30pm. This is a friendly, general moot open to pagans of all traditions,
whether experienced or complete newcomers. Most months Featured Faith Page 28
feature a talk or discussion on some topic. Blackbird Hollins enlightens us regarding the Brythonic Tradition
Contact DC on 07092 065702 or glasgowmoots@gmail.com
Information on location at: http://www.glasgowmoots.omnia.co.uk/ Classified Listings Page 30

Page 30 Page 3
 Letter from the Speaker in a more abstracted way. to be partially fictitious.

We approach the lore in various ³See Coates, Invisible Britons: the view
Stormerne Hunt-Anschütz shares his thoughts with us... ways. Some would consider from linguistics. University of Sussex,
2004.
themselves to be traditionalists,
perhaps working within living
Further information and resources:
traditions in areas or as part of
families in which Brythonic
Question: How many polytheists does it take to start an organisation? Caer Feddwyd
languages are spoken. Others may
Answer: How many polytheists have you got? How many organisations do Website about the Brythonic
see themselves as revivalists or
you want? What do you mean by ‘polytheist’ and ‘organisation’? Can you Traditions. Includes articles,
reconstructionists, while others
address that question to the correct mailing list please? I thought this joke reading lists and forum.
work unconditionally with the lore
was supposed to be about light bulbs… … … www.caerfeddwyd.co.uk
as it has come down through
modern forms of druidry. However
If you put together some of the best minds, noblest spirits and fiercest The Atlantic Celts James, S.
we choose to work within it, the
wills in modern pagan society and asked them to form an organisation, you British Museum Press 1999.
Brythonic tradition is as alive as it
would probably get a scenario that would make herding cats look like Examines the evidence for ‘Celts’
ever was, informing our present
child’s play. The sheer independence of thought of such talented people in Britain and emerges with a far
just as it did our past.
would lead either to protracted wrangling or, more likely, to the setting more accurate picture of the British
up of several organisations. Iron Age.
Footnotes:

So what was different this time? What has happened with the setting up of ¹Brittonic is also correct
Llanerch Press
the APT? The same kinds of people have been involved and yet here we Small publisher specialising in both
have a coherent organisation up and running in a very reasonable ²His book was named ‘On the Ocean’. It reprints and new works of Brythonic
timeframe. Why has it been so successful? now only survives in fragments and interest.
many believe the journeys he described www.llanerchpress.com
I think it’s because the impetus for forming the APT has come from within,
not without. We have seen a common need, and we have each suffered for
many years because of the lack of provision for that need. And so,
prompted perhaps by our gods (and certainly aided by them) and by our
finding that the greater flow of events made the time right, we’ve done
what many thought was impossible and formed a thriving and diverse new
religious group.

Take a step back. Look for a moment what’s been done and in what short
space of time it’s been done. Look at the website. Look at our
constitution. Look at the influence we’ve already had outside the APT.
Look at this magazine. Look also at the vision what we have still to do and
know that this is just a start. And then pour yourself a glass of mead (or
whatever you normally do to celebrate), and toast your hardworking
friends who have made this a success, and tell yourself, “Well done!”

Page 4 Page 29
 Featured Faith:
The Brythonic Traditions
© Blackbird Hollins 2005
Mention of the phrase ‘Brythonic
Traditions’ induces a glassy-eyed
incomprehension among many
members of modern society. So
what exactly does it mean? And
what do we do?
Brythonic basically means British. It
is the name given to the language¹
spoken by the Romano-British, the
ancestor of modern Cymraeg (Welsh
language). It is related to words
describing the early inhabitants of
Britain and the island itself – i.e.
Prettanic, Prydein, Pretani.
The first person to record this name
was Pytheas, writing somewhere
around 325BCE². He was a
merchant and explorer, who
recorded the name of the British
Isles as ‘Prettanike’, amended by
Diodorus Siculus to the more
familiar ‘Pretannia’, which most
other Classical writers followed.
These days, the general public
associate ‘Brythonic’ (or perhaps
‘Celtic’) with Wales and Cornwall.
But the Brythonic languages were
spoken throughout Britain, right up
into Scotland, and elements do
survive in areas outside of the
obvious places. For example, here
in North Nottinghamshire and up
into Derbyshire, there is a cluster
of surviving Brythonic place names
such as the towns Mansfield and
Carburton and the river Derwent³.
In a nutshell, we are talking about
traditions that relate to the
language and culture of the
inhabitants of Britain from
prehistory through to around
600CE. The traditions also
encompass later expressions of that
lore, such as the medieval bardic
material, the Matter of Britain, the
poetry of Dafydd ap Gwilim and
even the writings of Iolo
Morgannwg. It encompasses some
of modern druidry and all of the
ancient.
The next statement offered is
usually along the lines of ‘So you
are druids’. To which the answer is
both yes and no. Not everyone in
ancient Britain was a druid, and the
same applies to those who are now
working within the Brythonic
traditions.
Some of us are called in that
direction. Others are smiths, bards,
harpers, jewellers – and some do
not practice any art, but are drawn
to the gods and the stories of the
land.
Another difference between the
Brythonic traditions and other
revivalist and traditionalist ‘Celtic’
groups is the emphasis, which as
set out above, is focussed directly
upon the British lore, rather than
upon the Irish or Scottish.
There is no fixed set of beliefs
within the Brythonic traditions, and
various practitioners approach the
material in different ways. Some
take their inspiration from
archaeological finds, while others
enjoy the word-craft of linguistics
and poetry. Some are bound
strongly to the gods and the land
where they live, while others work
Spirituality as Tourism: Performing Avebury
© Jenny Blain 2005
Exploring place and ‘sacredness’
'Performance' theory is gaining popularity in social sciences, especially
'tourism' studies and anthropology. This article was written for a
conference on 'Tourism and performance'. A longer version, with
references, will be available on the APT website.
Sacred sites, contested rights: and surrounding areas are open to
For five years, the Sacred Sites, the public (excepting Silbury). In
Contested Rights/Rites project has this contested landscape issues arise
been addressing issues of claims to both over festivals, site use, and
place, landscape and sacredness parking, and over protection issues
made by competing groups – with pagans and local people
Heritage management, pagans, attempting to put pressure on
travellers, tourists and local people, heritage organisations, for example,
in a number of venues. These to 'Save Silbury'. Pagan
include the prehistoric Avebury 'performances' of spirituality and
complex. The last twenty years have site include Druid rituals, but are
seen immense growth in 'visiting' by not restricted to these. Those
those who regard Avebury as a 'living pagans who are 'local' or 'regular'
temple' and its associated sites as may differentiate themselves from
places where spirits or ancestors 'festival pagans'. Meanwhile, the
may be met with. As part of this performances are recorded in pixels
project, here we investigate the and on film and tape, as cameras
'performance' and narrative surround Druid – or other – rituals,
construction of sacredness and as we shall see.
paganism at Avebury – how Avebury
is perceived as sacred and what The Avebury landscape:
people do as a result - as part of As aforesaid, the sacred sites at
the construction of alternative and Avebury are unique, in that it is the
pagan spirituality, and as best-known and largest stone circle
engagement of pagans with place in Europe, and has included a village
and landscape. Avebury draws from Saxon times until today. The
spiritual 'visitors' from around the prehistoric Avebury complex (West
world. It is the focus of large-scale Kennet Longbarrow, Avebury Henge,
pagan and Druid rituals at equinoxes Silbury Hill, Windmill Hill and
and solstices. It has also long been a various associated barrows and
focus of archaeological monuments) is curated by the
interpretation and excavation, and National Trust and English Heritage.
it is a site of contestation between Academic interpretation focuses on
pagans, heritage management, and ‘ancestors’ and ‘landscape’ (e.g.
local people – themselves including Pollard and Reynolds 2002; Whittle
pagans and archaeologists. 1997). The last twenty years have,
however, seen immense growth in
The Avebury situation is unique – a 'visiting' by pagans who may regard
village lies within Avebury Henge, Avebury as a 'living temple' and its

Page 28 Page 5
associated sites as places where from the 18th century, and today ‘trace’. The soap has traced when you can pour little streams of it off the
spirits or ancestors may be met Avebury is a 'temple' for several spoon and they make visible designs on the top of the soap in the pot
with. Druid orders in addition to various rather than immediately disappearing back into the liquid.
groups of Heathens, Wiccans and
Long-standing 'rights' issues address others, including those living locally You may wish to take your stockpot into the lounge, set it on the coffee
access to sites construed as 'sacred': and others from all areas of Britain table, turn on the TV and stir while you watch a cooking show. Or set the
chiefly Neolithic and Bronze Age and overseas. stockpot on your computer desk and stir while you read your email. You
monuments, as indicated by don’t have to stir fast or stir constantly. You can leave the soap for five
Chippindale et al (1990) and Bender So now, Avebury is a 'honeypot' site minutes while you go to the loo or answer the phone.
(1998) who focus on Stonehenge. with its own idiosyncratic history: it
The Avebury situation is different – is 'the village in the stones' (so It’s Finally Traced!
with its village and open access named in a BBC2 documentary),
(excepting Silbury, fenced off due to from which people have been Now you can add your essential oil and your ‘bits’. (No, not those bits -
damage and potential danger to removed, first by amateur the soap is still caustic at this point.) Stir till the scent and plant material
both site and public) and obviously millionaire archaeologist and are well incorporated.
so. In this ‘contested entrepreneur Keiller to facilitate
landscape’ (Bender & Winer 2001) excavations in the 1930s, further by Pour the soap into the food storage container. (You can use a rubber
issues arise both over festivals, site the National Trust as landowners. spatula to get the remaining soap off the sides of the stockpot.) Cover it
use, and parking, and over Tensions endure between loosely with the lid and put a towel over it to keep out the light. Leave
protection issues with pagans and management and local people. the soap overnight.
local people attempting to put Pagan pressure on the village and
pressure on heritage organisations, associated monuments is mounting, Shaping Bars
for example, to 'Save Silbury' (Blain and disputes ensue, particularly over
and Wallis 2006; see also Heritage use of the car park at festival times. Check the soap the next day by scooping some out of the container with a
Action website at http:// Management has changed several serving spoon. Roll it in your hands, if you can make a ball that holds it’s
heritageaction.org). Associations of times, with one National Trust site shape, the soap is ready to mould. If it’s too soft and sticky, put the cover
Avebury with modern Druidry date manager resigning in summer 2004, and towel back on it and check it every 8 hours or so. Sometimes soap
takes up to 48 hours to firm up.

Roll hunks of soap into balls or shape it into bars. If you want identical
sized bars, weigh out 150 or 200 grams of soap on your scale before
shaping it. The soap will have to ‘cure’ for 2 weeks to ensure that no
trace of sodium hydroxide remains. Put the bars out of the way
somewhere where they can be exposed to air during this time period.
Store the finished soap in a plastic food storage container with a snap-on
lid.
Enjoy!

Further Resources

If you want to try other recipes and methods for making soap, there are
several books and websites with more information. To begin with I
recommend:

Soap Making at http://waltonfeed.com/old/soaphome.html (This site has

lots of links to other soap sites.)

Susan Miller Cavitch, The Natural Soap Book, Storey Books, 1995

Page 6 Page 27
ventilated. Lock the cats out of the kitchen. Never pour water over after a long-running series of issues
caustic soda crystals as they can explode. Always add the crystals to the with both pagans and local people.
water after measuring it out. In case all this has you worried, rest assured
that no sodium hydroxide will remain in the soap after the chemical Pagan 'performances' of spirituality
reaction is complete. and site include druid rituals which
have come to have a standardised
The Alkali Solution form (including processing around
part of the banks, with associated
Accurately measure the water by putting the Pyrex jug onto the scales, erosion issues – at least in dry
resetting them to zero, then slowly pouring in the liquid until the scales spells - according to some heritage
read 720gm. Set aside the water. Put on your safety gear. Now weigh management). Competing druid
out 280gm caustic soda. Slowly pour the caustic soda crystals into the groups undertake ritual on different
water whilst stirring with a wooden spoon. Do not touch the measuring days over festival weekends (to
jug, as it will rapidly become very hot. Keep on stirring until all the avoid ‘druid politics’), and both
crystals are dissolved, ensuring that none are stuck to the sides or bottom 'countercultural' druids – those
of the jug. Stick a thermometer into the solution. Now you can take off campaigning not only for improved
the geeky stuff. physical access to sites, but seeing
themselves as part of an active
The Fats global peace campaign - and
'personal growth' druids – who focus
Add the coconut oil, lard and olive oil to the stockpot and put it on the on self-improvement and progression
hob over medium heat. (Note - the easiest way to get all the coconut oil through a number of stages,
out of the jar is to heat it in the microwave until it turns liquid.) Weigh including those of bard (poet), ovate
out the beeswax and add that. If you want coloured soap choose a crayon (seer) and druid (ritual specialist
that will complement the essential oil you’ll be using (e.g. orange colour and knowledgeable or wise person
for orange scent, yellow for citronella) and throw it in the pot. Stir with a with magical abilities) - attempt to
wooden spoon until everything is melted then remove the stockpot from negotiate with site management
the heat and stick in a thermometer. over camping and parking,
particularly during festivals. It is
Achieving the Required Temperature important to point out not only that
some druids (and others) have been
The oil and fats need to be combined when both have reached a frequenting Avebury for several
temperature between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius. This is a bit tricky as the years – twenty or more possibly – but
caustic soda solution and the fats mixture start off at different that there are pagans who live
temperatures and cool at different rates. Luckily you have control over locally, whether in the village itself,
your fat (well the stuff in the pot anyway). If it’s cooling too fast, you can surrounding villages, or nearby
heat it on the hob. If it’s cooling too slowly, you can fill the sink with cold towns such as Devizes or Swindon,
water, stick the pot in, and stir. Keep checking the thermometers and and others who once lived locally
when the alkali liquid seems to be approaching 40 degrees, take the but do so no longer, though feeling
necessary steps to heat or cool the fats. it as 'home' and returning regularly.
Those pagans who are 'local' or
Stir, Stir, Stir 'regular' may differentiate
themselves from 'festival pagans'.
When both mixtures are within the temperature band (don’t worry if Meanwhile, pagans and others
they’re one or two degrees off), make a quick change into your safety attempt to lobby heritage
gear. Slowly pour the alkali solution into the fats whilst stirring constantly organisations to preserve
with a wooden spoon. When they’re well blended, you can remove the archaeology, notably Silbury,
goggles etc. Now settle in for a while. You are going to be stirring for creating their own pressure groups
anywhere between 45 minutes and 2 hours. Your goal is to get the soap to (e.g. http://heritage-action.org.uk).
Page 26 Page 7
Pagan engagements at Avebury
The consequences of these
engagements are quite noticeable,
and while there has been little
analysis of them, they are best
documented at various monuments
of the Avebury ‘complex’ in
Wiltshire (see also Wallis & Blain
2002; Wallis 2003). Around
midsummer (actually 19th June) in
1996, white and black ‘pseudo-
magical symbols’ (Carpenter
1998:24) were painted on some of
the megaliths of the West Kennet
Avenue, Avebury. While these
images may simply be graffiti,
connections to paganisms were
made in the media, with the
archaeological journal Antiquity
suggesting they may have been
executed by ‘New Age
crazies’ (Antiquity 1996:501). This
damage was not an isolated
occurrence: two more stones of the
avenue were vandalised in the June
of 1999, one covered in red and
green paint, the other painted with
the word ‘cuckoo’. Then, enigmatic
markings were scratched into stones
of the central chamber in West
Kennet long barrow at the Summer
Solstice in 2001. In addition, West
Kennet and various parts of Avebury
henge have been subject to fire
damage and scorch marks, with one
sarsen fragment from the barrow,
fractured due to a fire positioned
immediately next to it, having to be
restored with a gluing agent. Other
‘sacred sites’ have also been
damaged by ‘alternative’ interest
groups, from the ‘restored’ stone
circle at Doll Tor, Derbyshire, and
piece of stone chipped from one of
the Rollright Stones, to the
aforementioned ‘napalm’ damage at
Men-an-Tol, in Cornwall. These are
serious instances of vandalism, but
they cannot all be linked reliably to
pagans and in our collating of them
here we do not suggest a cohesive
link; at the very least, the
decentralised and heterogeneous
nature of paganisms signals these
are isolated and rare events.
More obvious and regular impacts on
sacred sites which can be reliably
linked to either pagan or ‘new age’
site-users, are in the form of votive
offerings --- of flowers, candle wax
and tea-light holders; the decoration
of specific places with chalk symbols
such as spirals or pentacles; and the
insertion of crystals, coins and other
materials into cracks. For some
pagans, these offerings forge and
strengthen links with sites, and
honour wights, goddesses or some
other local spirits. Indeed some will
come long distances to leave their
offerings at a well-known site. (West
Kennet long barrow apparently
attracts offerings from all over the
world.) For others, particularly
those who visit the same site
regularly and who also uphold the
preservation ethic, this is ‘ritual
litter’ to be cleared up and
discouraged, as outlined in a variety
of pagan documents, but
particularly the ASLaN sacred sites
charter. Local pagans often attempt
to keep a careful watch on activities
of ‘outsiders’ - as demonstrated by
reactions to a notification in spring
2002 that a Prophets’ Conference
was to be held in Oxford with trips
to Avebury, Stonehenge and the
Rollright Stones, with the goal of
‘awakening the stones’ through
ritual. (Numerous representations
from pagans and from the Rollright
stones site management resulted in
the postponement of the
conference.)
Indeed it would be ‘monolithic’ to
Page 8
suggest that all pagan engagements
with sacred sites are destructive or
non-cognisant of issues of
conservation. ASLaN, for example,
has pagans in its numbers. At
Avebury, also, there has been a
National Trust Guardianship scheme
(e.g. http://www.rollrights.org.uk/
cp.work.html), under which local
pagans and others joined forces with
the National Trust to clear up ritual
litter, monitor impact on sites, and
provide on-site guardianship during
annual pagan festivals. According to
Chris Gingell (then site manager at
Avebury) reports in the pagan
magazine Pagan Dawn (Lammas
1997) of this Guardianship Scheme
presented it as very effective, and
after reading the piece so many
pagans ‘from all over Britain’
offered voluntary help that Gingell
had to write a reply to the journal
(Imbolc 1998) pointing out that the
National Trust was too
‘decentralised’ to deal with all the
inquiries.
Relations between the National
Trust, pagans, and other interested
parties are not simple or
straightforward, however. Although
‘the village in the stones’ seems to
accommodate all comers, Avebury
exists today as a partially
reconstructed monument within a
historical situation of Keiller’s
restorations and evictions of some
local people, and further evictions
by the National Trust of people to
nearby Avebury Trusloe. Today some
pagans are local (or some locals are
pagan) and pagans, particularly at
festivals when they outnumber the
bikers (and, for that matter, any
other visitors), swell the tourist
trade of the Red Lion pub. In 2002,
several thousand converged on
Avebury at the summer solstice,
Things to Make and Do:
Soap Making
© Arlea Hunt-Anschütz
Soap making is an opportunity to be creative whilst producing an
imminently practical product. Why make your own soap? Because
commercial soaps are full of things you don’t want near your skin and
‘natural hand-made soaps’ are overpriced
The recipe and methods explained here produce a soap with a good lather
and wonderful aroma which will not dry out your skin. Please note that
saponification is a tricky process. Don’t try to vary the ingredients or alter
the method shown here without first doing some research into the
chemistry behind soap making or you may be disappointed.
Equipment:
1 litre or larger Pyrex measuring jug
8 litre stainless steel stock pot
2 brewing or cooking thermometers
2 wooden mixing spoons
4 litre plastic food storage container with lid
Digital kitchen scales
Safety goggles
Dust mask
Rubber gloves
Ingredients:
720 ml water
280 gm caustic soda (sold at Boots)
1 litre coconut oil (sold at Asian food stores)
500 ml cheap olive oil (extra virgin won’t make better soap)
500 gm lard
50 gm beeswax
1 large child’s crayon
50 ml essential oil
Optional -1 tablespoon ‘bits’ (grated citrus rind, dried herbs, dried flower
petals etc.)
Safety
When fats are mixed with an alkali under the right conditions, the
chemical reaction between them creates soap. The alkali we’ll be using is
sodium hydroxide - sold as the drain cleaner caustic soda. Treat it with
respect. It can cause severe burns if it touches the skin and you really
don’t want to breathe in the fumes. Wear a dust mask, safety goggles and
rubber gloves when handling caustic soda. Make sure the room is well
Page 25
building of the walls of Asgard is
told, and during this, the deity
concerned bears a wonderful child
who becomes the close companion
of Odin throughout his life,
accompanying him when he travels
and when he presides over battles or
the Hunt. In fact, Odin is rarely
pictured without him. In another
tale, other children are mentioned,
and are said to be ogres. In a third
tale, Odin says of this deity, ‘..eight
winters you were, beneath the
earth, a woman milking cows, and
there you bore children…’
--
The last role, that of Crone, is well-
documented. In the Tricking of
Gylfi, a tale mentioned before,
Balder has been killed and is in
Helheim. Hel says he can be
released if every being in the nine
worlds will weep for him. Balder’s
mother, Frigg, sends messengers all
around the worlds, and everyone
and everything weeps for Balder –
except for one person, an ancient
Crone who gives her name as
Thanks. She refuses to weep, saying
‘Thanks will weep dry tears for
Balder’s burial. No good got I from
Page 24
the old one’s son dead or alive. Let
Hel hold what she has.’
--
So. There we have it. The Norse
Triple Goddess, attested in the
tales, sufficient for any pagan quiz
night.
The only problem is, this particular
Triple Goddess is Loki, and as well
as mothering many children, he is
the Father of the Wolf, the Snake,
the goddess Hel and many other
beings. He is said to have slept with
most – if not all – of the goddesses,
and maybe even most of the gods…
He is a Shape-Shifter par excellence,
a poet beyond the skill of men or
most of the gods, a cleverer
Trickster than anyone, a teller of
tales, a keeper of secrets, a holder
of treasures, a shaper of chaos, a
builder of dreams…
particularly after Stonehenge happen. A policeman who was asked
A Triple Goddess, and a Trickster ‘closed’ on solstice morning, until surveyed the scene with good-
God. And without him, the northern the National Trust ‘closed’ the car natured concern: ‘Dunno,’ he
gods would have almost none of park to solstice celebrants on the replied, ‘all depends what time
their greatest treasures. Saturday. Media perceptions of they find Arthur Pendragon. He’s
pagans and travellers there drew on probably drunk and asleep in a
And yes, he does have a place on my rather mild sensationalism; for hedge somewhere…’
altar. instance Rod Liddle’s account in The But the authorities were
Guardian of circumstance immovable. Get out of town or you
surrounding a pagan handfasting or will be locked up, was their
wedding: response to the exquisite romance
of the moment (Liddle, 30 June
Nobody, however, wished to leave. 2002).
One of the main objections to
moving on was that they were so While this points to tensions
utterly and totally drunk that they between the ‘authorities’ and
would constitute an enormous pagans, it conveys nothing about
traffic hazard on the A303 - an sacredness or meaning, and pokes
excellent and, I would have fun at (homogenously) drunken
thought, incontestable, defence. pagans to make a (political) point.
Badger, a cheerful, lank-haired And other tensions have manifested:
hippy, intended to marry his the National Trust has, in recent
beloved in a ceremony conducted by years, operated an unofficial
some similar creature known as camping policy in the Avebury
Arthur Pendragon. But nobody was environs, so long as it is small-scale
quite sure when it would all and brief. Now, though, there are
Page 9
rulings designed to prevent camping to come over to pay his respects to and Crone, all three in One. ‘her’ companion, dressed as ‘her’
on the site other than controlled Tim and others. The radio crew, -- Maid, to the Giants’ land to trick the
camping in the small overflow car however, see, at last, 'a Druid' and The first role, that of Maid, is found thief into returning the hammer.
park - instituted as part of the court reach him just as he reaches us. We in the Poetic Edda, in a beautifully
ruling supporting the National watch: they fix an interview with crafted poem called the Lay of Thor, it seems, does not make a
Trust’s eviction of a small traveller him later, and depart back to their Thrim. very convincing bride, even heavily-
community known as the ‘hedglings’ stone where they are readying veiled, but each time he is in danger
of Green Street, in March of 2002. equipment. The 'Druid' pays his Thor of being
Tentative attempts to create a respects and moves on. In a little awakens, discovered,
parking/camping field for summer while, when the ritual is about to and finds his Maid
solstice 2003 misfired. So Avebury, start, we gather our belongings and that his (who,
too, is constituted within tensions Tim robes up - startling the radio hammer, apparently,
and competing discourses, which crew. (I think they did manage to the mighty needs no
heighten as pressure of numbers speak with him later.) Mjollnir, is disguise at
increases. missing. He all) cleverly
The public performance of calls to his answers for
Performing Avebury – paganisms is most evident at places closest him and the
Performance is also movement in such as Avebury, but they can be companion, deception is
space. In the sacred sites project we understood in many ways. Part of and maintained
have talked about how people relate the remit of our Sacred Sites project together until, at the
to place and constitute 'sacredness', is the constitution of identity and they go to culmination
in part through ritual. Here are meaning through 'performance' at Freya and of the
some examples: sites – when such 'performance' is borrow her marriage,
itself in contention, both as the feather the hammer
Picture the summer solstice of 2003 right to access place and space, and cloak, so is brought
at Avebury: it is early afternoon and the ability to define what is done that the out to
people are sitting on the grass, in there – the term 'performance' companion consecrate
groups by the stones of the south becomes problematic, even while it can fly the bride
circle, in view of the Red Lion pub. indexes anthropological theory, across the and laid on
Later there will be a ritual. I am when applied to issues of dealing worlds and Thor’s lap.
with a small crowd – they include a with other-than-human people, as search in This is the
leading Druid, several academic we've discussed elsewhere (Blain the land of moment the
writers on paganisms (at least one and Wallis, forthcoming in Journal of the Giants. giants find
of whom is here), various others. Ritual Studies). Rather than out exactly
Dressed in jeans and t-shirts, we 'performance' we are preferring to There, it is how silly it
don't attract attention from the talk about agency or active discovered is to steal
red-shirted BBC radio crew who are accomplishment of meaning. that a things from
occupying the next stone over. particular the Son of
In July 2005, I am driving through giant has Odin. Thor
Enter from the Red Lion, a rather Avebury, on a detour to wave at the hidden the Loki portrayed by Arthur Rackham and his Maid
neophyte Druid… Last year I was stones in passing. In the avenue, hammer return to
talking to him about doing his first though, are people clearly intent on eight leagues deep beneath the Asgard, hammer in hand…
ever handfasting at Avebury: he'd what they are about: a neo- earth and is demanding Freya as his
been nervous, as a new practitioner. shamanic group from Toronto area, I wife before he will give it back. The evidence of the second role,
He's often about the place, find, the 'wolf clan'. They have that of Mother, is far clearer, but
becoming an expected figure in the brought water from their own land Freya indignantly refuses to submit spread across several tales. In one,
landscape. Now he's walking across to offer to the stones. to this, and so it is decided among the tale of the building of Asgard in
the road, in white gown and the gods that Thor will dress in the Prose Edda, in a tale called the
feathered hat. He sees us and starts I park, take photographs, and women’s clothes and travel with Tricking of Gylfi, the story of the re-

Page 10 Page 23
 The Norse Triple Goddess
© Jezreell 2005
Jezreell reveals a surprise contender for the role...
At a local moot in a northern Hel as the Crone simply because
town, far away and long ago, I she rules over Helheim, where
and a friend took part in a quiz… some of the dead reside, but who
is, as those who tell us nowadays
Now, there’s nothing unusual in of their experience of her, a very
that, of course, but one question beautiful young lady…
stuck in my mind, a question that,
at the time, caused a lot of I’ll also leave aside, for now, the
laughter for the only heathens in solid polytheism of the pre-
the room. Christian religions of northern
Europe that leaves no place for
The question was, ‘What were the the conflation of these three
names of the Norse Triple distinct goddesses into one All-
Goddess?’ Mother to rival the title of the
All-Father…
Now, this caused problems on
many different levels. What did I’ll even leave aside, for now, the
they mean by ‘Norse’? Why use rant about Triple Goddesses and
the past tense? And last, but not Archetypes. Other people have
least, how did anyone come to de-bunked dear old Graves, and
the idea that the ‘Norse’ had a the Jungian ideas are either your
Triple Goddess? thing or they are not. For me, the
gods are real, independent beings
For the sake of the quiz, we with their own lives, their own
decided to try and guess what the interests, their own paths through
answer they wanted actually was. Wyrd, and that’s how I live my
We came up with Freya, Frigg and life, and how I see my religion.
Hel, and we were right… We Other people have their own
laughed about it – and made ideas, and if it works for them,
offerings, on our return, sharing that’s fine. Just don’t expect me
the joke. to set a place for the Triple
Goddess on my altar…
I’ll leave aside, for now, the irony
of calling Freya the Maiden when But then, I thought, wait a
she paid for the Necklace of the minute…
Brisings by sleeping with all four
dwarves, of calling Frigg the There is one deity in the Northern
Mother when she rides with the Sagas and Eddas who does fit the
Wild Hunt and claims her share of Triple Goddess mould. A deity
the dead in battle, and of naming who is recorded as Maid, Mother
Page 22
discover on returning to my car that
the silencer is falling off it: well,
Avebury is a better place for this to
happen, by far, that the M4 or M1
motorways! In search of a shady
spot where I can get mobile
reception, I am in the south circle
when the neo-shamanic group – who
have processed around the
landscape - descend from the banks,
so I watch as they attract the few
tourists, with cameras, on this non-
festival day, and watch the
onlookers who carefully do not
watch them, as they engage with
space and place.
Later, I speak to their apparent
'leader', who says she does not want
to 'intellectualise' her group's
engagement but that their practice
is both Celtic and Seneca (an
Iroquoian nation from what is now
the Canada/US border area). While I
am rather puzzled by the
association of either with Avebury,
and by her asking if I know the
'great white mother', I respect her
tiredness and the work that she and
her people have done at the site – a
pilgrimage in process, in the heat of
the day, walking to and touching
each stone. I respect, also, their
abstinence from leaving traces that
will affect the engagement of
others. She says she has noted, and
respected, my acknowledgement
and partial avoidance of their
engagement with the site. I talk of
pilgrimage, and, to make a link to
show that I am not
straightforwardly an observer, of
my own 'shamanic' practices. In
short, both her people, and I, have
'performed' Avebury – each the
Avebury that we know – and both
been noted by the other, as have
those watching (us both) with
cameras in hand.
In my analysis, meanings are
Page 11
constituted through doing and
through discourse – in post-
modernist accounts of 'self' there is
no separation of interpretation,
perception and experience, we
perceive discursively and bodily,
though interpretations and meanings
change as experience is re-told, re-
storied. Pagan accomplishments, at
Avebury or elsewhere, are not
simply 'experience' but are
constituted from understandings of
the world(s) – that is, they are
theoretical and political, with
deliberate and non-deliberate
elements, events and outcomes.
(People make history, but they do
not make it just as they please…).
And they are accomplished within
sets of relationships, through
different modes of consciousness,
through attending to and
interpreting different inner and
outer events within space and time.
Archaeologists and pagans:
performing ownership
Some archaeologists attempt to
engage with prehistoric spiritualities
and pagan identities, in various
ways. Others may feel they these no
place in 'serious' interpretation, but
may serve to attract tourist 'visitors'.
Still others appear vaguely
embarrassed by the whole thing and
one gets the feeling they just wish
we'd go away…
However there remains an
understanding among archaeologists
and heritage managers that 'they'
have knowledge and 'we' do not. As
a previous presenter at this
conference said, "Whose cultural
heritage are we talking about, and
for the benefit of whom?" For
heritage management, it appears
that the performance of site – such
as Avebury – is one of
 · excavating
· publishing (or not)
· relaying archaeological
knowledge as top-down
distribution.
Ideas that, for instance, people
chanting within the West Kennet
Longbarrow may be able to
contribute perceptions as
knowledge, seem fairly foreign to
most archaeologists. Those who do
take such ideas on board often ally
with other sources Parker-Pearson's
association with Ramilisonina, for
instance, comes to mind, akin to
Rob Wilson's (1994) account in the
seminal volume on Being Changed
by Cross Cultural Encounters: the
anthropology of extraordinary
experience... 'Indigenous Peoples'
are able, in the western mind-set,
to have or adopt seemingly
'irrational' views. members of our
own 'western' societies are not, and
so the exotic other is maintained.
But chanting in West Kennet
Longbarrow – described as
'inexplicable' or 'bizarre' or
sometimes (patronisingly)
'experimental' has many stories
attached to it, of meeting
ancestors or Woden, or simply
seeking the experience and letting
the swirling sound alter
consciousness in ways that are akin
to, but cannot be measured by, the
patterns found by instruments
which deal only with frequencies
and standing waves. As a scientist,
I am fascinated by the experiments
of Aaron Watson and others, and
their explanations; as an
ethnographer looking at people's
engagements with place, I am both
fascinated by, and repelled by, the
patterns and decorations that some
(not all or most) pagans or neo-
shamanists) leave in chalk or as
Page 12
offerings. Likewise, as an 32. Monstrous lake 39. Ac: River Do: Otherworldly
ethnographer I am equally intrigued 33. Magical practitioner being
by why the offerings, or indeed the 34. Creature created from the 40. Third person between
rituals of the neo-shamans wind arbitrators
described above, are so puzzling to 35. Fortified place (Welsh) 41. Ill fated city
heritage management or to 36. One, some, every or all 42. Sufferers of nervous disease
tourists. 37. Ac: African god of two halves
"What are they doing" a couple Do: Simple weapon Answers in Spring 2006 issue.
asked me, last weekend, when they 38. Equal odds
found in conversation that I was an
anthropologist. "Why do they leave
these things," heritage people have
likewise asked.
The simple answers, because they Skald’s Seat
want to, or because they see it as Poetic offering
fitting, or indeed because it has
been asked of them, do not seem
to be enough, and yet these are the
best ones I can give. In whatever
why they can, these people are
acknowledging the land, the past,
the history, the cultures. In so Hadding
doing they are constituting
themselves, not as abstract A dear friend’s death in distant lands
identities but in relation to time
and place. And in so doing they offered the omen to face my own;
are – we are all – performing words rise half-drowned from drowsy oblivion:
Avebury. No hand but my own would bring my end.
For references and footnotes,
please see the APT website.
No arm of woman lay ever as lightly
around my neck as now the noose
nor did my kinfolk greet me as keenly
as high now the ravens´ call overhead.
The boughs above me bend in the breeze;
set are my sails but not for the swan’s path.
A branch of ash will be my oar,
parting soon the wine-red sea.
The vessel is rushing, taut is the rope;
my life-boat held by Hangatyr’s hands.
© 2005 Michaela Macha
Page 21
 Quick Crossword

Mini Voices
Pull out section for the younger generation

Clues:

1. Web spinner 16. Unbearable

2. Rare locomotive inspired 17. Not the power animal of
disorder choice?
3. Disliked intensely 18. God of the deft hand
4. Smiths patron 19. Soap making ingredient
5. British deer 20. Famous alien
6. Spirits 21. Goddess of Kerry mountains
7. Keeper of embalmed livers 22. Loki’s daughter
8. Myopia 23. Parent culture? (Abbr)
9. Opposite of interest? 24. Priestly garment
10. Heathen enclosure? 25. Fliers construction
11. Trojan epic 26. Lyre-master
12. Wave maiden 27. Whirl
13. Ac: Toris (anag) Do: Curative 28. Intelligent rodent
winter drink 29. Domestic protector
14. Alongside 30. On ship Inside - the tale of Mother Holle
15. Does the bidding of 31. A plural of prophets

Page 20 Page 13
 The Myth of Holle oven, and the woman and the green house, and the owl.

And her father listened and smiled, and she could see he did not believe
I have a tale of once upon a time, a tale of long ago and yesterday, a tale her.
of far away and near. I have a tale of here and now, of there and forever.
But I can prove it, she said. Here, there are apples fresh from the tree,
Will you hear my tale? and bread hot from the oven, and the owl who led me here is sitting in our
roof!
I have a tale of a maiden, a girl dark of hair and bright of eye, red of
mouth and slender of form, the joy of her family. She was skilled at the And she opened her apron, and took out the bread, but although it looked
spindle, and at dyeing and sewing, and she could cook, bake and brew, for like bread it was heavy, heavier than bread could be.
she was a quick study and clever with her hands. And she could sing, a
clear, bright song that filled the air with sound. This is not bread, said her father. This is gold.
But there was a blight on her house, for she had no brothers and no sisters. And she took out the apples, red and green, and they sparkled in the
Every summer, her mother would swell with the season, but every year firelight.
sadness followed, and there was no child born. And then in her tenth
winter, her mother swelled and grew big with child, and there was joy, These are not apples, said her father. These are rubies and emeralds.
and at the Midwinter feast, the women came and sent her to her father’s
sister’s house, and her father away to drink with his friends. And then she looked at her spindle, and the thread on it was red silk,
enough for a year and a day.
But the time passed and on the third night her father came to bring her
home and they sat by the corpse and sang the songs and sent her on her And he believed her, and so did the rest of the village.
way.
But no-one else ever saw the owl, even though she lived in the roof of the
And the house grew silent. house for as long as the girl was alive.
Each year, spring came, and the girl felt the need to sing. But her mother ©This version Jezreell 2003
had been a great singer, and she looked at her father and said to herself, I
will not sing here, I will go to the woods and sing, so as not to bring the
memory of my mother into the house. And so each spring she went to the
woods, and because she was a good girl, and wasted none of her time, she
took with her spindle, tied to her waist.

This year was no different.

The girl walked into the woods, and began to sing, and the birds grew
silent to hear her, and she walked along the path and took out her spindle
to spin - and realised she had left her distaff in the house.

Never mind, she thought to herself. There is wool aplenty here where the
sheep have walked and left their wool along the way. So she began to
glean the wool from the briars and the brambles, and as she walked, she
sang, and went deeper into the wood. At last she had so much wool she
had to find herself a rod for a distaff. And she wound the wool onto the
distaff and looked around for a place to sit and spin.

In front of her, there was a bright space in the trees. It was a clearing and
in the centre of it there was a still pool. She walked to it, gleaning the last
of the wool as she went and then she sat and span, sat and sang, and the

Page 14 Page 19
onto the shaft and so she found her way to the wood, and through the
wood to the pool. And the owl flew with her from tree to bush and bush to
tree and tree to bush.
And what should I do now, she asked. For the pool is shallow and I do not
know how to pass through it to get to my home.
And the owl said. If you want to go home enough, then you can pass
through the pool.
And she said. I want to go home, and she cried, and big tears fell into the
pool, and the water rippled and under it she could see the blue of the sky.
And she took a breath and walked into the pool and under it, and the
water closed above her head.
Do you want me to go on, or will you leave her there?
Well, the water closed over her, and the darkness came down around her,
and she opened her eyes and looked and she saw the owl flying through
the water in front of her, and soon her feet touched the bed of the pool
and she put her head out and then her body, and looked around, and she
was in the wood at home, and there was a blue sky touched with red gold
above her head, and she walked out of the pool, and she wasn’t even wet.
And then she looked around her and realised that she could see no path.
What is the matter now? asked the owl.
And the girl looked up. Which way shall I go? she asked. For I can see no
path. I was lost when I came here last time.
Ah, said the owl, but then you did not have me with you.
And the owl flew along in front of her from tree to bush and bush to tree
and tree to bush and she walked after it and at last they came out into the
open, and there, in the valley, was the village, and her father’s house.
Do you want me to go on, or will you leave her there?
Well, she ran down to the house, thinking how worried everyone would be,
and how surprised they would be. And the owl flew with her from tree to
bush and bush to tree and tree to bush. But when she got to her house her
father just looked up and said. Ah, there you are. It is getting late.
But I have been away for months! she said.
Her father laughed. Hours, maybe, he said. But not months.
And she told him the story of the pool and the apple tree, and the magic
Page 18
shadows grew short. It is midday, she said to herself, and I must set out for
home. So she stood up and looked around for the path, and she could not
see it, because the brambles and the briars had dropped back down, and
there was no wool caught on their thorns for her to follow. Never mind,
she thought, I will wait a little longer, until the sun is red, and then I will
know the way home, for the village is to the east of the wood.
And so she sat a little longer, and sang and span, and soon she had finished
all the wool on her distaff save the last shreds, and she stood up and took
the last strands in her fingers and cried out, for a thorn had pricked her
finger and the blood fell in big drops onto the thread she had wound onto
the spindle, staining it red as red.
The girl frowned, but she thought to herself, I will wash the thread in the
pool, and as long as I am quick the stain will come out and leave the
thread as white as white. So she stepped into the pool to wash the thread,
and she lost her footing and fell, and found herself under the water,
dropping down and down into the darkness.
Do you want me to go on, or will you leave her there?
The girl was deep in the pool now, but she could see white, cold light in
front of her, and she swam towards it, and soon her feet touched the bed
of the pool and she put her head out and then her body, and looked
around.
It was a strange place. Around her there were trees, but different trees
from home. Above her there was blackness, as if it were night, and the
stars shone out as they did at home, but the sun was still in the sky, and
the ground was green and not silver, though the sky was black. In front of
her there was a path. And behind her, the pool shone black and reflected
the stars.
She looked back at the pool. Well, she thought, there’s no way back there.
I can see the bottom of the pool. So she walked along the path, her
spindle still in her hand, and at last she came out of the woods and there
in front of her was an apple tree, laden with fruit.
Little girl, little girl, shake my branches, for I am about to break, I have so
much fruit to give.
Of course I will, she said, and she put down her spindle and she shook the
branches to let the tree lift them again, and gathered up the apples she
could reach, and then stacked them in baskets she found at the base of
the trunk.
Thank you, said the tree. Take some apples, for you have a long journey in
front of you and you will need something to eat.
Page 15
And the girl filled her apron with apples and tied them safely and thanked
the tree.
Which way shall I go? she asked.
To the west to the west, the tree said. Always to the west.
Do you want me to go on, or will you leave her there?
And so she went to the west and at last she came to a neat stone wall and
in the enclosure there was an oven.
Little girl, little girl, said the oven, come and open me, for the bread is
done and it will burn.
Of course I will, she said, and she opened the oven and took out the bread
and stacked it neatly on the wooden boards beside the oven.
Thank you, said the oven. Take some bread, for you have a long journey in
front of you and you will need something to eat.
And the girl took the smallest loaf of bread in her apron with the apples
and tied them all up safely and thanked the oven.
Which way shall I go? she asked.
To the west, to the west, the oven said. Always to the west.
And so she went to the west and there in front of her was a house, a
strange house all of green, and at the gate there sat an owl, and in the
garden outside the house there stood a woman dressed all in green, with
hair of silver and eyes as green as her dress, and she was cutting herbs.
Welcome, she said. Come in, for I can see you have had a long journey.
Thank you, said the girl. And she opened her apron, and said I have apples
and a loaf of bread to offer.
And the woman smiled and they sat down to eat apples and bread and the
green stuff from the garden.
Do you want me to go on, or will you leave her there?
Well, the fact is that the girl was tired, and she slept at the green house
that night and the next, and she helped out in the garden, and she cooked
and she cleaned and she sewed and she went to the oven to fetch the
bread, and to the apple tree to fetch fruit, and time passed and the sun
never grew lower in the sky, and nor did the stars ever change. And she
was happy enough, but one day she looked at the black sky and tears ran
down her cheek and the woman saw them and said.
Page 16
Little girl, little girl, why are you crying? Are you not happy here?
Oh, I am happy enough, she said, but I am thinking of my father and how
sad he will be that I have not come home.
And do you want to go home? asked the woman.
Yes, I do, she said.
Then you shall, said the woman. Take your leave of the garden and of the
house, and take the path to the east with my blessing.
And so the girl said farewell to the plants in the garden and to the house
and set out on the path to the east.
She went past the oven and the oven said.
Before you go, take out my bread one last time. For it is a long way and
you will be hungry.
And she thanked the oven and took out the loaves and put the smallest
one, about the size of two hands, into her apron.
And she went on to the east, and she came to the apple tree and the tree
said.
Before you go, shake down my apples one last time. For it is a long way
and you will be hungry.
And she thanked the tree and shook it, and put the fruit, red and green,
into her apron.
Then the girl looked around, for she had come to the end of the path.
Which way shall I go, she asked. For I can see no path.
Well, said the tree, I have never seen anyone but you come from that
wood, but I shall ask the owl. Maybe she will know.
So the tree asked the owl, and the owl opened one eye and stretched her
wings and said:
When you came you had a spindle, and there it is. Maybe that will help.
And she looked on the ground beside the tree, and sure enough, there was
her spindle, forgotten all that time ago, and the shaft was nearly empty,
and when she looked, the thread had all unwound and was lying on the
ground.
So she picked up the spindle and as she walked she wound the wool back
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