Newgrange, Co Meath, Ireland - Maeshowe, Orkney....
Celts and Norse folk have much to share in terms of burial chambers and beliefs. If it is said that no great Celtic tale in between Samhain and Yule is told, with maybe the exception of Daghda's mating with Boand, and Oengus, the son who is conceived at dawn and born before dusk, was born. And although this interpretation has little to do with the winter solstice, it nonetheless evokes the Celtic motif for the pre-eminent Feminine darkness containing (notably) Daghda's seed of light ... Well, to both Celts and Norse folk, the winter solstice is somehow used through a mystic construction. If I am not mistaken, Newgrange's stone sepulchre was constructed in such a way the primal rays of the sun would shoot straight into the inner chamber... Just like Maeshowe! That great chamber cairn houses not only Europe's largest collection of Viking graffitti but also a dragon! (It's an unforgettable visit, highly recommended, should you happen to tour the Northern Isles.)
Amazing parallels! Please check out both sites: Newgrange Co Meath and Maeshowe and solstice
Speaking of which...winter sunrise
From my bus window, I dazzled at the hues of blue gradually blending with those primal rays from the sun. Stunning palette of colours as we were driven to the islands' urban hubl!
My great trek north began in gey-blue...
School bairns in the snow...
Bressay and the Noop of Noss now clad in pink...
Last leg of sunrise... my dear island, this mini- Svalbard in the light.
In other words...
Very few spectacles in our world feel as powerful as those born from the light. We are priviledged to be dazzled by its magic; whether at dawn, dusk or at night, as we contemplate the cosmos and closer to us, our big sky.
It has the power to inflame our beliefs, imagination and it remains a source of constant creativity.
Dusk deserves its own blog entry!
...In the meantime, I stick to my devotion to haiku :-)
Sunrise over Mousa,
shameless, dare-devil bonfire -
celestial hearth in Nordic dawn...
Dawn breakers,
two starlings perched on bare willows -
breakfast on grass.
Morning ravens,
jet solitaire wings on tarmac -
tearing flesh.
Just beautiful imagery, Nat.
ReplyDeleteI love this post - all the snowy pictures and the light!
ReplyDeleteSix and a half days ?
ReplyDeleteNo I don't think so Winter Solstice is on 22nd December this year.
Poets have a guardian in Aengus/Oengus for he, this young god was a poet.
Sarah - Thank you, dear friend :-))
ReplyDeleteSuch moments feel so precious.
Elizabeth - Thank you kindly to you too, dear friend :-) I was lucky enough to carry da baby lens in my pouch that morning... So ethreal :-)
Sir Heron - My blog entry title was not clear enough, obviously! ...6 1/2 days followed the greenness of autumn - prior to those arctic conditions :-). Although I am also eager to reach that Winter Solstice that coincides with the first day of my Xmas break!
Wow, THANK YOU for enlightening more about Oengus :-))) ...I didna ken dat :-)