From Hibernation to Deer Horns
Via Taking Up Space, The Cailleach, The Bringer of Spring and Medicinal Imperial
Dearest Gentle Reader,
It is so wonderful to be back writing to you. I hope you have managed some rest over the festive period even if this isn’t a time of celebration for you. I have had a holiday, well I have traveled in time and visited many lands through books and films and sometimes just my imagination which is very nearly as good and occasionally better than a real holiday. I was lucky enough to receive lots of lovely books as festive gifts which shouldn’t surprise any of you. Has anyone else had any excellent book presents or books they have treated themselves to? I have also had time for contemplation just as I wrote in my early December letter to you all. I’m still making sense of my thoughts for the future and I have some exciting plans which need a little more polishing but hopefully I will have something to share with you as the world starts to wake up.
The world, in the northern hemisphere at least, is still sleeping. That isn’t to say that things aren’t happening in the land beneath us but much of that is things gaining energy for growth, absorbing nutrients ready for when the sun starts to gently warm the ground and bring things out of their sleep. I think it might be one of many ways humans go wrong. Our culture has made us so used to everything being available when we want it, that we forget that we need time to recharge and consume nutrients for our brains and bodies. What better time to do that when the earth is doing exactly the same thing? The weather is horrid outside, it is still dark in the early evenings so why would we choose this time to try and force ourselves to over-exercise and deprive ourselves of food? The weather and the earth is giving us a pretty big hint that when we can we should be taking shelter, keeping warm and absorbing nutrients in the form of good food and new knowledge.
The reason that you don’t want to eat salad and get up early for a run in the dark is because every indication your body is receiving from the natural world around is that this is not what you need right now. Instead, you could be curled up on a sofa under a blanket with soup reading a new book, enjoying television or a film. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t be taking care of yourself. That soup is full of nourishing ingredients and your brain is part of your body that needs looking after too. Also whenever the earth manages a rare bright cold day you could be taking advantage, if you wish, to take a brisk walk to give yourself an appetite for that stew which you are going to serve with buttery jacket potatoes.
This is assuming that exercise is a possibility for you, it isn’t for everyone. If your body suffers from illness & chronic pain or you simply have a physical disability, being part of a world that suggests that you have to improve yourself in January and that the only way to do that is to join a gym and start counting those calories, is a pretty rubbish place to be in. Its a pretty rubbish place to be in for most people, honestly, especially when the exercise regime and diet are starting to pall and your self esteem takes a dive.
If you want to make healthier but happier choices, maybe start adding in new types of nutrients rather than changing one type for another. You could still enjoy cheese but have a lovely vegetable soup too. You could also find ways to exercise that don’t set you up for failure, perhaps walking, yoga, pilates or swimming or even just chair exercises, maybe warming up to a more intensive practice as the world moves towards spring when you could genuinely enjoy that morning run as the sun rises gently over the horizon. In the interest of transparency there is absolutely nothing that would make me enjoy a morning run, even someone waving cheese at me from the other end, but I accept that my experience isn’t everybody’s. The most important thing really is to remember that you can take up as much space in the world as you want or need to.
Of course I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, what fun would that be? If you’re here for a story, more than my thoughts, I have a wondrous one for you, although it is also a long one so I will finish the tale on my website but let me begin it here:
The Cailleach & The Bringer of Spring adapted from the tale as collected by Donald Mackenzie
The Cailleach was the mother of all the gods and goddesses in Scotland. She was of great height and very old, and everyone feared her. When roused to anger she was as fierce as the biting north wind and harsh as the tempest stricken sea. Each winter she reigned as Queen of the world, and none disputed her rule. But when the sweet spring season drew nigh, her subjects began to rebel against her and to long for the coming of the Summer King, Angus of the White Steed, and Bride, his beautiful queen, who were loved by all, for they were the bringers of plenty and of bright and happy days. It enraged Cailleach greatly to find her power passing away, and she tried her utmost to prolong the winter season by raising spring storms and sending blighting frost to kill early flowers and keep the grass from growing.
The aged Cailleach was fearsome to look upon. She had only one eye, but the sight of it was keen and sharp as ice and as swift as the mackerel of the ocean. Her complexion was a dull, dark blue, Her teeth were red as rust, and her hair, which lay heavily on her shoulders, was as white as an aspen covered with hoar frost. On her head she wore a spotted cap. All her clothing was grey, and she was never seen without her great duncoloured shawl, which was drawn closely round her shoulders. The only tool that Cailleach used was a magic hammer. When she struck it lightly on the ground the soil became as hard as iron; when she struck it heavily on the ground a valley was formed.
After the mountains were all formed, the Cailleach took great delight in wandering between them and over them. She was always followed by wild animals. The foxes barked with delight when they beheld her, wolves howled to greet her, and eagles shrieked with joy in mid-air. The Cailleach had great herds and flocks to which she gave her protection— nimble-footed deer, high-horned cattle, shaggy grey goats, black swine, and sheep that had snow-white fleeces. She charmed her deer against the huntsmen, and when she visited a deer forest she helped them to escape from the hunters………
If you’d like to find out if the Cailleach can be defeated by the Bringer of Spring read on here.
Did you enjoy that? Let me know if you enjoy the longer stories or if you would prefer something on the shorter side.
We should move to our remedy and recipe now. We haven’t quite finished with The Practice of Cookery from Mrs Dalgairns printed in 1830 in Scotland but I think these will be the last snippets from here for now.
First Medicinal Imperial, I’d introduce it here for the name alone but it sounds as though it might not actually endanger you in small doses (medical advice recommended as always) . The book doesn’t say what it’s a remedy for, perhaps just general remediness is implied by the name.
Secondly our interestingly named pastries. If you’d learned everything I have about the folklore of ricotta recently, you would probably find this much more entertaining than you probably do. They do sound tasty though, even if not very vegetarian:
With that, Gentle Reader, I must bring this letter to a close. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch via the comments or via any of my social media profiles/my website . If you have enjoyed this and would like to read further such nonsense and have not yet subscribed, please don’t hesitate to subscribe for free at the button below. You’d be very welcome and it would be a joy to write to you.
I agree with you that winter is a time for reflection and recharging. Taking a run in the morning when it’s freezing outside doesn’t sound pleasant to me either. It’s unfortunate that so many people buy into the fad of diet and exercise every January. An exercise regime makes more sense in spring since it’s such an active time. That being said, I got a few books over the holidays. My favorite one is “Winter Tales” by Dawn Casey. It’s a beautiful coffee table size book with illustrations. I love reading all the wintry folktales from other cultures -- and there’s even one about the Cailleach! I don’t mind long stories at all btw 😊