May Mary the mild keep the sheep,
May Bride the calm keep the sheep,
May Columba keep the sheep,
May Maolruba keep the sheep,
May Carmac keep the sheep,
From the fox and the wolf.
This digital art was created by Tira Brandon-Evans from a Creative Commons image found at the Aberdeen Beastiary on Wikipedia. Beastiaries were popular in the Middle Ages. The prevailing philosophy behind the beastiary was that all of nature was a reflection of God, the author of the universe. Consequently, everything in nature spoke of God and had some wisdom to impart to humanity. The manuscripts were highly decorated and the illustrations were illuminated, burnished with gold leaf. They were extremely valuable and each was specially commissioned by some wealthy patron who paid to have the work executed by artists and calligraphers. The Aberdeen Beastiary was created in the 12th century (the 1100's) in England. Nothing is known of the artist, scribes, or patron.
Among Celtic Christians, and pre-Celts too, lambs, sheep, and cattle were all under the particular protection of Bride.
The Lamb was symbol of purity, innocence, and sacrifice. One of the titles of Jesus is "Lamb of God". In addition to the symbolic meaning of the lamb we should also bear in mind that lamb was a mainstay of the diet. In addition, lambs allowed to mature into sheep were a source of both meat and wool. Prior to the invention of polyester and nylon, wool was one of mankind's most important cloth fibres. Wool still remains a major fibre of the clothing industry and as our oil supplies ebb natural fibres such as wool, cotton, and flax will once again replace our artifical fibres.
ABOUT THE COVER VERSE
GUARDING THE FLOCKS
May Mary the mild keep the sheep,
May Bride the calm keep the sheep,
May Columba keep the sheep,
May Maolruba keep the sheep,
May Carmac keep the sheep,
From the fox and the wolf.
Brighid, or Breej as she is called in Scotland, was called Great Bride of the Flocks by the Highlanders and the Gael who lived in the Isles. Imbolc is sacred to Great
Bride of the Flocks, for it is at Imbolc that the new lambs were born and the ewes' milk began to flow, thus the name 'First Milk' or Imbolc.
This verse is from the Carmina Gadelica. The Carmina is a collection of blessings, invocations, and charms collected by Alexander Carmichael in the latter half of the 19th century in Scotland. Although many of the verses are heavily Christian in tone, many others contain obvious pre-Christian elements.
Tira Brandon-Evans is the Founder and Moderator of the Society of Celtic Shamans, editor of Earthsongs: Journal of the Society of Celtic Shamans, and is, herself, a Faery Shaman. Her books, The Green and Burning Tree: A Faery Shaman's Handbook, Portals of the Seasons: A Celtic Wheel of the Year, Through the Unremembered Gate: Journeys of Initiation, The Labyrinthine Way: Walking Ancient Paths in a Modern World, and Healing Waters, are all published by Elder Grove Press. She is presently writing a book about the Ogham. You may contact Tira by email at info@faeryshaman.org.
