Monday Musings: Aerre Geola (Early Yule)

Since it's Christmas, I thought I'd share this bit of history on the holiday. Early Yule, Aerre Geola, is the month before the Winter Solstice. The Anglo-Saxons considered the lunar months preceding and following the solstice as Yule. The shorter days made it difficult to do any kind of work, so they used this time to gather and celebrate with family and friends.

The solstice was called Mother's Night and celebrated one's female ancestors. Burning rosemary and calling out female ancestors by name is one way to honor them.

The oldest Yuletide tradition is the burning of the Yule log, usually the largest piece of wood. Many people today don't have a fireplace, so a Yule candle can be substituted. The candle tradition started way back in England in the early nineteenth century. Light the candle at sunset on the night of the solstice. It's customary to keep a small piece of the candle for luck in the coming year.

Merry Christmas, Happy Yule!

Kelley Heckart

Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

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Weird Word Wednesday

enosis

Pronunciation /ɪˈnəʊsɪs//ˈɛnəsɪs/

NOUN

mass noun

The political union of Cyprus and Greece, as an aim or ideal of certain Greeks and Cypriots.

Example sentences

‘The Turks invaded, in 1974, just as the island was edging towards reunion or enosis with Greece.’

Origin

1920s: from modern Greek henōsis, from hena ‘one’.

Pronunciation

enosis/ɪˈnəʊsɪs//ˈɛnəsɪs/

Kelley Heckart

Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

https://www.facebook.com/kelleyheckartauthor

http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Kelley-Heckart/e/B002BMOQ3C

Weird Word Wednesday

ennead

NOUN

rare

A group or set of nine.

Example sentences

‘I think that it goes back even further, to the Ennead, the pantheon of nine gods and goddesses in ancient Egypt.’

‘Ennead refers to a grouping of typically 9 gods.’

Origin

Mid 16th century: from Greek enneas, ennead-, from ennea ‘nine’.

Pronunciation

ennead/ˈɛnɪad/

Kelley Heckart

Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

https://www.facebook.com/kelleyheckartauthor

http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Kelley-Heckart/e/B002BMOQ3C

Arizona cloud formations photos

Kelley Heckart

Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

https://www.facebook.com/kelleyheckartauthor

http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Kelley-Heckart/e/B002BMOQ3C

Weird Word Wednesday

enlace

VERB

literary

Entwine or entangle.

‘a web of green enlaced the thorn trees’

More example sentences

Origin

Middle English: from Old French enlacier, based on Latin laqueus ‘noose’.

Pronunciation

enlace/ɪnˈleɪs//ɛnˈleɪs/

Kelley Heckart

Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

https://www.facebook.com/kelleyheckartauthor

http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Kelley-Heckart/e/B002BMOQ3C