Some Poems about Fairies

Why did this remain largely unnoticed? Is it because so very few people can feel the magic of places nowadays, the presence of the "genius loci"? Beware maidens, when you go through the haunted woodlands of Weir around the time of Yule. Beware the Stone of Sacrifice, where once the blood of innocents flew, making that ground an evil place. Better sit with me at the cracking fire, and shiver at the howling of the winds... or is it an evil sprite? Come nearer, and I will tell you the story of the seven daughters of Gwyn Raggle, who all loved the young Laird of Brynn...
Wonderful poems!

Man, that's strange.... I saw Stanton Moor and my mind hit Stanton Moore, the drummer. In the second poem you mention Philly Joe - and, of course, Philly Joe Jones is a legendary drummer. Just struck me ass odd.

i enjoyed the poems, Dave, thanks!

And do I hear the muttering Voice of Joyce?? Take Old Erin, mix in some whiskey (a Redbreast, by preference), and we'll sing bawdy songs together. And then a story.... Aye, tell me about Ireland, tell me ALL about Ireland. Cuchulainn lives, and Deirdre is my love!

YouTube - Celtic Woman - the Voice

I liked the name when I heard it in a Tom Waits song - Heartattack and Vine - I'm not sure if he was referring to the drummer or not. "Little Ninny" is from a Captain Beefheart song - Moonlight on Vermont - I just thought they sounded like an interesting pair of characters. Stanton Moor is a very picturesque part of the Peak District National park, and the Nine Ladies and other locations are megalithic sites in the area.

Thanks to you and Catch for the kind words - I wrote these as lyrics for a band I played in a while back.

---------- Post added 07-17-2009 at 01:46 PM ----------

Sorry to disappoint, but the places mentioned are from Derbyshire in the English midlands (though the Rawhead is thought to be an Irish myth originally). I think it's a terribly underrated part of the British Isles, Arbor Low in particular is stunningly wierd, like a giant 2,000 year-old clockface:

A book! A book! My kingdom for a book! Has anyone ever read Scott Peck's "In Search of Stones"? A trip through the western British Isles, combined with an autobiography, and seeking for megalithic monuments as a metaphor of seeking for sense... Hm, what the point was? Thanks for the clarification, but I chose imagination. And a Redbreast tastes good everywhere, no? ;-)

I've not heard of that one - I'll add it to my list of books to seek out. I really like "The Modern Antiquarian" and "The Megalithic European" by Julian Cope, and Aubrey Burl is another author of texts on megalithic sites.

I've got that one, it's good.

I really would recommend the Megalithic European if you haven't yet read it, it's expensive but it's a huge full colour hardback that covers sites throughout Europe from Ireland to Greece.

Plus, the author wrote "World Shut your Mouth".

Megalithic European: The 21st Century Traveller in Prehistoric Europe: Amazon.co.uk: Julian Cope: Books



Julian Cope's long-awaited follow up to The Modern Antiquarian, his bestselling and critically acclaimed guide to ancient Britain. The Megalithic European takes us on a breathtaking journey around prehistoric Europe's first temples.

Contents
* The Megalithic European is a monumental colour guide to the standing stones and ancient temples of prehistoric Europe.
* In a 6-year personal odyssey (leaving no stone unturned) Julian Cope covers 300 of the important sites of Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.
* The book looks further, revealing several thousand years of information which scholars have previously ignored, to the Classical temples of the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean Seas.
* Section 1: a series of essays, looking at the universal desire of all settlers: to celebrate and mythologize the landscape in which they have chosen to live, highlighting comparisons with British settlements.
* Section 2: a gazeteer of the many ancient sites in Europe that Julian Cope has personally visited, from Ireland to the Netherlands, from Crete to Denmark, discussing many areas outside the European arena, from Mount Ararat in Armenia to Mount Fuji in Japan, via the celebrated Mount Olympus of the Greek Myths to the legendary Tree of Yggdrasil of the Norse Myths.

Stone Circles in Cornwall These are a few that are a stones throw from me.The best ones are the little known ones where you can meet your ancestors.

This one's very close to Carrickfergus, where I live. I've no idea what it's called or if there are any legends attached to it - those most such stones in the area are about 2,000-3,000 years old and mark the graves of celtic chieftains.

Well hm, it looks a bit like a hm you-know-what. But that's an old part of the magic of the Stones no, to be read as a fertility symbol. By the way Xris, are you familiar with Daphne Du Maurier? Wrote a good booklet on Cornwall if I remember well.

Daphne Du Maurier she has a strange connection,her husband was the fool who let Arnhem go ahead against intelligence advice.she was supposed to have suggested the red beret and the pegasus for the parachute regiment.
She really captures the atmosphere of cornwall and sadly it has changed a lot since i moved here forty years ago.All the 18c. cornish,as i describe them, have nearly all died out.Entering a cottage with the smell of the range and parafin lights.Earth covered floors with chickens picking at the crumbs as my host ate his pastie.The yellow paint work stained after centuries of wood smoke and pipe tobacco.Simple but warm hearted folk,used to hard labour and with a faith that i envied.I on occassions meet similar souls but they are few and far between.I would not live anywhere else.

Thanks Catch, Erin Go Bragh (A bit o'me bones a rattlin')

William

---------- Post added 07-18-2009 at 10:02 AM ----------



Ahh, but another.


YouTube - Celtic Woman - Orinoco Flow

William