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H A R V E S T H O M E
=======================
by Mike Nichols
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
There were three men came out of the West,
Their fortunes for to try,
And these three men made a solemn vow,
John Barleycorn must die...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Despite the bad publicity generated by Thomas Tryon's novel,
Harvest Home is the pleasantest of holidays. Admittedly, it does involve
the concept of sacrifice, but one that is symbolic only. The sacrifice is
that of the spirit of vegetation, John Barleycorn. Occurring 1/4 of the
year after Midsummer, Harvest Home represents mid-autumn, autumn's
height. It is also the Autumnal Equinox, one of the quarter days of the
year, a Lesser Sabbat and a Low Holiday in modern Witchcraft.
Technically, an equinox is an astronomical point and, due to the fact
that the earth wobbles on its axis slightly (rather like a top that's
slowing down), the date may vary by a few days depending on the year.
The autumnal equinox occurs when the sun crosses the equator on it's
apparent journey southward, and we experience a day and a night that are
of equal duration. Up until Harvest Home, the hours of daylight have
been greater than the hours from dusk to dawn. But from now on, the
reverse holds true. Astrologers know this as the date on which the sun
enters the sign of Libra, the Balance (an appropriate symbol of a balanced
day and night). This year (1988) it will occur at 2:29 pm CDT on
September 22nd.
However, since most European peasants were not accomplished at
calculating the exact date of the equinox, they celebrated the event on a
fixed calendar date, September 25th, a holiday the medieval Church
Christianized under the name of 'Michaelmas', the feast of the Archangel
Michael. (One wonders if, at some point, the R.C. Church contemplated
assigning the four quarter days of the year to the four Archangels, just
as they assigned the four cross-quarter days to the four gospel-writers.
Further evidence for this may be seen in the fact that there was a brief
flirtation with calling the Vernal Equinox 'Gabrielmas', ostensibly to
commemorate the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary on Lady Day.)
Again, it must be remembered that the Celts reckoned their days from
sundown to sundown, so the September 25th festivities actually begin on
the previous sundown (our September 24th).
Although our Paganancestors probably celebrated HarvestHome on
September 25th, modern Witches and Pagans, with their desk-top computers
for making finer calculations, seem to prefer the actual equinox point,
beginning the celebration on its eve (this year, sunset on September
21st).
Mythically, thisis the day of the yearwhen the god of light is
defeated by his twin and alter-ego, the god of darkness. It is the time
of the year when night conquers day. And as I have recently shown in my
seasonal reconstruction of the Welsh myth of Blodeuwedd, the Autumnal
Equinox is the only day of the whole year when Llew (light) is vulnerable
and it is possible to defeat him. Llew now stands on the balance
(Libra/autumnal equinox), with one foot on the cauldron (Cancer/summer
solstice) and his other foot on the goat (Capricorn/winter solstice).
Thus he is betrayed by Blodeuwedd, the Virgin (Virgo) and transformed
into an Eagle (Scorpio).
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Twothings arenow likelyto occur mythically,in rapidsuccession.
Having defeated Llew, Goronwy (darkness) now takes over Llew's functions,
both as lover to Blodeuwedd, the Goddess, and as King of our own world.
Although Goronwy, the Horned King, now sits on Llew's throne and begins
his rule immediately, his formal coronation will not be for another six
weeks, occurring at Samhain (Halloween) or the beginning of Winter, when
he becomes the Winter Lord, the Dark King, Lord of Misrule. Goronwy's
other function has more immediate results, however. He mates with the
virgin goddess, and Blodeuwedd conceives, and will give birth -- nine
months later (at the Summer Solstice) -- to Goronwy's son, who is really
another incarnation of himself, the Dark Child.
Llew's sacrificial death at Harvest Home also identifies him with
John Barleycorn, spirit of the fields. Thus, Llew represents not only the
sun's power, but also the sun's life trapped and crystallized in the corn.
Often this corn spiritwas believed to reside most especially in the last
sheaf or shock harvested, which was dressed in fine clothes, or woven into
a wicker-like man-shaped form. This effigy was then cut and carried from
the field, and usually burned, amidst much rejoicing. So one may see
Blodeuwedd and Goronwy in a new guise, not as conspirators who murder
their king, but as kindly farmers who harvest the crop which they had
planted and so lovingly cared for. And yet, anyone who knows the old
ballad of John Barleycorn knows that we have not heard the last of him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
They let him stand till midsummer's day,
Till he looked both pale and wan,
And little Sir John's grown a long, long beard
And so become a man...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Incidentally, this annual mock sacrifice of a large wicker-work
figure (representing the vegetation spirit) may have been the origin of
the misconception that Druids made human sacrifices. This charge was
first made by Julius Caesar (who may not have had the most unbiased of
motives), and has been re-stated many times since. However, as has often
been pointed out, the only historians besides Caesar who make this
accusation are those who have read Caesar. And in fact, upon reading
Caesar's 'Gallic Wars' closely, one discovers that Caesar never claims to
have actually witnessed such a sacrifice. Nor does he claim to have
talked to anyone else who did. In fact, there is not one single
eyewitness account of a human sacrifice performed by Druids in all of
history!
Nor isthere any archeological evidenceto support thecharge. If,
for example, human sacrifices had been performed at the same ritual sites
year after year, there would be physical traces. Yet there is not a
scrap. Nor is there any native tradition or history which lends support.
In fact, insular tradition seems to point in the opposite direction. The
Druid's reverence for life was so strict that they refused to lift a
sword to defend themselves when massacred by Roman soldiers on the Isle
of Mona. Irish brehon laws forbade a Druid to touch a weapon, and any
soul rash enough to unsheathe a sword in the presence of a Druid would be
executed for such an outrage! Jesse Weston, in her brilliant study
of the Four Hallows of British myth, 'From Ritual to Romance', points out
that British folk tradition is, however, full of MOCK sacrifices. In the
case of the wicker-man, such figures were referred to in very personified
terms, dressed in clothes, addressed by name, etc. In such a religious
ritual drama, everybody played along.
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
They've hired men with scythes so sharp,
To cut him off at the knee,
They've rolled him and tied him by the waist
Serving him most barbarously...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Inthe medievalmiracle-play traditionofthe 'RiseUp,Jock'
variety (performed by troupes of mummers at all the village fairs), a
young harlequin-like king always underwent a mock sacrificial death. But
invariably, the traditional cast of characters included a mysterious
'Doctor' who had learned many secrets while 'travelling in foreign lands'.
The Doctor reaches into his bag of tricks, plies some magical cure, and
presto! the young king rises up hale and whole again, to the cheers of the
crowd. As Weston so sensibly points out, if the young king were ACTUALLY
killed, he couldn't very well rise up again, which is the whole point of
the ritual drama! It is an enactment of the death and resurrection of the
vegetation spirit. And what better time to perform it than at the end of
the harvest season?
In the rhythm ofthe year, Harvest Home marks atime of restafter
hard work. The crops are gathered in, and winter is still a month and a
half away! Although the nights are getting cooler, the days are still
warm, and there is something magical in the sunlight, for it seems silvery
and indirect. As we pursue our gentle hobbies of making corn dollies
(those tiny vegetation spirits) and wheat weaving, our attention is
suddenly arrested by the sound of baying from the skies (the 'Hounds of
Annwn' passing?), as lines of geese cut silhouettes across a harvest
moon. And we move closer to the hearth, the longer evening hours giving
us time to catch up on our reading, munching on popcorn balls and caramel
apples and sipping home-brewed mead or ale. What a wonderful time
Harvest Home is! And how lucky we are to live in a part of the country
where the season's changes are so dramatic and majestic!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
And little Sir John in the nut-brown bowl--
And he's brandy in the glass,
And little Sir John in the nut-brown bowl
Proved the strongest man at last.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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