Spring!
Oh, my! Yesterday the 2007 vernal equinox occurred and that means spring has officially arrived.
Here on the mountain, however, the signs are scant. My black hellebore and a handful of daffodils are blooming. A few things -- sweet woodruff, chives, colts foot, lungwort and the Japanese irises -- are beginning to poke through the ground. But, other than that, it's still pretty much winter.
In general, it seems to have been a relatively mild winter this time around. We had no snow to speak of and no really cold spells. Yet, I've seen more tree bark gnawed by deer this year than usual. And, nearly all the perennials have died back completely to the ground. Strange.
The vernal equinox has long been a special mythological day and is generally associated with fertility and birth (or, or rebirth, in the case of some religions). My favorite myth is that of the Germanic lunar goddess, Oestra (from which we get the name Easter), whose feast day was held on the first full moon following the vernal equinox. Sound familiar? Legend has it that Oestra found an injured bird and transformed it into a hare to save its life. However, the transformation was incomplete and the creature continued to lay eggs. The hare would decorate these eggs and leave them for Oestra to find.
Meanwhile, down in Rome (on what is now Vatican Hill), the ancient Cybele cult held a celebration of her lover, Attis, who was born of a virgin birth as a sacrificial victim to bring salvation to mankind. He was crucified on a pine tree and his blood flowed down to redeem the earth. The annual Attis celebration began on Black Friday as a day of blood and culminated three days later with rejoicing over his resurrection -- in a cave -- by Cybele. During the celebration, his body was eaten by the celebrants in the form of bread. Sound familiar? This annual rite of spring was first held at least 6000 BC.
Oh, should I forget, the followers of Cybele and Attis often chanted, "As our Lord was saved, so are we all saved." They called him the Savior of Humanity and the Good Shepherd.
Yes, before his death, Attis was a shepherd.
Is there nothing new for spring anymore?
Here on the mountain, however, the signs are scant. My black hellebore and a handful of daffodils are blooming. A few things -- sweet woodruff, chives, colts foot, lungwort and the Japanese irises -- are beginning to poke through the ground. But, other than that, it's still pretty much winter.
In general, it seems to have been a relatively mild winter this time around. We had no snow to speak of and no really cold spells. Yet, I've seen more tree bark gnawed by deer this year than usual. And, nearly all the perennials have died back completely to the ground. Strange.
The vernal equinox has long been a special mythological day and is generally associated with fertility and birth (or, or rebirth, in the case of some religions). My favorite myth is that of the Germanic lunar goddess, Oestra (from which we get the name Easter), whose feast day was held on the first full moon following the vernal equinox. Sound familiar? Legend has it that Oestra found an injured bird and transformed it into a hare to save its life. However, the transformation was incomplete and the creature continued to lay eggs. The hare would decorate these eggs and leave them for Oestra to find.
Meanwhile, down in Rome (on what is now Vatican Hill), the ancient Cybele cult held a celebration of her lover, Attis, who was born of a virgin birth as a sacrificial victim to bring salvation to mankind. He was crucified on a pine tree and his blood flowed down to redeem the earth. The annual Attis celebration began on Black Friday as a day of blood and culminated three days later with rejoicing over his resurrection -- in a cave -- by Cybele. During the celebration, his body was eaten by the celebrants in the form of bread. Sound familiar? This annual rite of spring was first held at least 6000 BC.
Oh, should I forget, the followers of Cybele and Attis often chanted, "As our Lord was saved, so are we all saved." They called him the Savior of Humanity and the Good Shepherd.
Yes, before his death, Attis was a shepherd.
Is there nothing new for spring anymore?
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