Category Archives: Days and Seasons

St. George’s Eve and the Master of Wolves

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Russian icon of St. George battling the dragon

Russian icon of St. George battling the dragon

There are many legends and customs associated with the celebration of St. George’s Day on April 23 or the night before (St. George’s Eve). One of the most mysterious is that of the Master of the Wolves. On St. George’s Eve a man is wandering in the forest, becomes tired, and climbs into a tree to rest. He falls asleep. When he awakes, he sees the Master of the Wolves below him, who is giving out food to the wolves or werewolves, sometimes sending them in all directions to search for food. The last in line is the Lame Wolf. Since there is no more food, the Master of the Wolves says he can eat the man watching from the tree.

Among part of the southern Slavs (Serbs, Macedonians, Bulgarians) the legends and beliefs about the Master of the Wolves are also connected with numerous commandments, prohibitions and customs associated into the so-called “wolf holidays”. Legends about some type of Master of the Wolves can also be found in written form among the majority of southern and eastern Slavs, partially also among the Poles, and among the Estonians, the Gagauz in Moldavia, in Latvia, Romania and in an incomplete form even in France. His function, as can be established from the legends and beliefs, is to lead the wolves and determine what they may and may not eat. In some versions of the legend, the Master of Wolves is St. George himself! (For more about the Master of Wolves, read here.)

In the book Dracula, by Bram Stoker, evil things are said to occur on St George’s Day, beginning at midnight. The date of St George’s Day presented in the book, 5 May (on the Western, Gregorian calendar), is St George’s Day as observed by the Eastern Orthodox churches of that era:
“Do you know what day it is?” I answered that it was the fourth of May. She shook her head as she said again: “Oh, yes! I know that, I know that! but do you know what day it is?” On my saying that I did not understand, she went on: “It is the eve of St. George’s Day. Do you not know that tonight, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway?”(Excerpt from Dracula, 1897)

Stars and Cards: Aries

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The Tower and Seven of Wands cards from the "Tarot of Durer" by Lo Scarabeo.

The Tower and Seven of Wands cards from the “Tarot of Durer” by Lo Scarabeo.

As the first sign in the zodiac, Aries (March 21 – April 19) almost always marks the beginning of something energetic and turbulent. Aries people are continuously looking for dynamic, speed, and competition. They are always first in everything – from work to social gatherings. Thanks to its ruling planet Mars (associated with the Tower in the tarot deck), Aries is one of the most active zodiac signs. People born under the Aries sign, are meant to emphasize the search for answers to personal and metaphysical questions.

Aries is a fire sign. This means that it is in their nature to take action, sometimes before they think about it well. Their fiery ruler affects their excellent organizational skills, so you’ll rarely meet an Aries who doesn’t like to finish more things at once, often even before the lunch break! The challenges are increased when they are impatient, aggressive and vent anger on others.

The tarot Tower card portends sudden, unexpected change (often perceived as disaster but that interpretation of events is up to the one experiencing the sudden, unexpected change). Aries is also associated with the suit of Wands which is related to enterprise, ambition, enthusiasm, challenge and competition.

With these cards in mind, consider your spiritual journey and where you might need courage, change, or renewal in your life. Have you used your enterprise and daring to become a mature ruler of your own life? Have you acted in too arrogant a manner and called down the wrath of the gods upon yourself? What aspects of your life require “spring cleaning” at this time?

April Fools’ Day 2016

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Chanticleer the rooster and Reynard the fox from Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales."

Chanticleer the rooster and Reynard the fox from Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.”

Precursors of April Fools’ Day include the Roman festival of Hilaria, held March 25, and the medieval Feast of Fools, held December 28, still a day on which pranks are played in Spanish-speaking countries.

In Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (1392), the “Nun’s Priest’s Tale” is set Syn March bigan thritty dayes and two. Modern scholars believe that there is a copying error in the extant manuscripts and that Chaucer actually wrote, Syn March was gon. Thus, the passage originally meant 32 days after April, i.e. May 2, the anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia, which took place in 1381. Readers apparently misunderstood this line to mean “March 32”, i.e. April 1. In Chaucer’s tale, the vain rooster Chaunticleer is tricked by a fox.

The Roman celebration of Hilaria on the eighth day before the Kalends of April—March 25—in honour of Cybele, the mother of the gods; the day of its celebration was the first after the vernal equinox, or the first day of the year which was longer than the night. The winter with its gloom had died, and the first day of a better season was spent in rejoicings. All kinds of games and amusements were allowed on this day; masquerades were the most prominent among them, and everyone might, in his disguise, imitate whomsoever he liked, and even magistrates.

For another “take” on April Fools’ Day, read the article here.