In this last blog of four about Samhain, I finally get a chance to use what I learnt in my research to have a stab at placing Samhain on Dartmoor. Where might the gatherings, fires and drinking have happened?
Category: <span>Stories and Myths</span>
In this blog I look at a selection of Halloween folklore, building from an understanding of the earlier Samhain customs. Included here is a long-dead Devon tradition, recorded by Mrs Bray that harks back to the pagan rhythm of the festival year.
In this second blog of four about Samhain, I delve into Irish Celtic mythology and the research literature on Samhain practices, to lay the groundwork for understanding what Samhain might have been like on Dartmoor in the pre-Christian days before it became Halloween.
This is the first of a quintet of blogs on Samhain Dartmoor; Samhain being the pagan predecessor to Halloween. I am going to use the first three blogs to build an understanding of these sinister celebrations so that in blog four, I can sketch out a picture of what this might have meant in the culture and landscape of Dartmoor.
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