Flowing springs and Celtic Triskels ...

New items have been uploaded to the main website recently, including the Avalonian Triskel pendant above. The pendant is crafted from midford sandstone found naturally upon Glastonbury Tor and is carved with a Vesica Pisces on one side and a Celtic triskel on the other.

Above: Avalonian sandstone spiral pendant A beautifully simple and timeless pendant carved with a spiral, an ancient symbol of life and lifeforce.

Below: Avalonian sandstone Tree of Life pendant


Above: Rowan and slate athame

Below: Oak and slate athame Two simple athames where the the natural beauty of the materials really shines out. The slate is a deep, rich grey colour with hints of purple in the light.

Above: The reverse of the Oak and slate triskel athame showing the plain side of the blade and the shaping of the handle.

Below: The detail of the Triskel decoration on the slate blade
Below: The detail on the blade of the Rowan and slate Tree of Life athame

Above and below: Two Petite Avalonian sandstone and Rowan athames. These are such wonderful pieces, so unusual! The sandstone occurs naturally on Glastonbury Tor and the blades are shaped from small pieces it and then coupled with Rowan wood handles. The pictures above and below show the variation that can be found between different trees - both handles are Rowan, but one is cream-coloured with no obvious markings and the other shows off plenty of warm colour changes.

These athames are two of my own favourite items on the website, full of wonderful energies. Each of them will make a wonderful working tool.
We had a wonderful trip out yesterday to gather materials for sets of the corresponding ogham staves and stopped off on the way home at a little village called Cheriton. Near the village is a spring which is the source of the River Itchen and it was in full flow which was lovely to see. It feels like it's been a very long, drawn out winter this year but springtime is here at last!

Busy, busy ... and a special offer!

This week has been an incredibly busy one here at Spirit of Old with plenty of carving and crafting. Four new pendants were uploaded late last night with a 3-day special offer on them - £10 off until the end of Saturday. There's also free postage offered until the end of January so that's a saving of up to £16 if you get in quick!

Above and below are some photos of the birth of a beautiful Crow pendant carved from Rowan wood. First the basic shape is created, then the design is marked out and shaped until, finally, the detail can be added and a good coating of beeswax-based polish is applied.

Below: The finished Rowan Crow. A bird of the Shaman, the Crow has worldwide associations with birth, death, healing and resurrection.
Below: The detail on the Crow's back
Below: Overlapping feather detail. As you can see, this is a very special piece with alot of attention to detail and is beautifully finished. You can find full details on the main website. The price of this pendant is £65 but, as part of the 3-day offer it is offered at £55 until the end of Saturday 30th January.
Below: Celtic Raven Moon pendant crafted from deep black bog oak dating from around the Celtic period. You can find full details on the main website. The price of this pendant is £65 but, as part of the 3-day offer it is offered at £55 until the end of Saturday 30th January.
Below: This wonderful stylised Norse Raven bead crafted from warm brown Avalonian bog oak. The wood dates from around 6,000 years ago and is from Somerset, considered by many to be the site of the fabled Isle of Avalon. This rare and beautiful wood is a deep, warm chestnut in colour and feels full of positive energies. You can find full details on the main website. The price of this bead is £50 but, as part of the 3-day offer it is offered at £40 until the end of Saturday 30th January. If you'd like it to be woven into a wristband please add an additional £5 to the price.
Below: Hare bone stylised Celtic Hare bead. You can find full details on the main website. The price of this bead is £50 but, as part of the 3-day offer it is offered at £40 until the end of Saturday 30th January. If you'd like it to be woven into a wristband please add an additional £5 to the price.

The Hare was revered and held sacred by the Celts who associated them with moon deities and deities of the hunt. Killing or eating one was forbidden throughout the year, except at Beltaine when he ban was lifted and a ritual hunt and consumption was carried out.

The Anglo-Saxons also venerated the Hare and a ritual Hare hunt was a feature of the Spring festival of the goddess of Eostre, or Hretha. Folk survivals of these rituals still exist today.

Until the end of the 18th century on Easter Monday (originally Beltaine), a Hare hunt took place in the Dane Hills, near Leicester, England led by the mayor together with hunters and hounds. This hare was associated with Black Annis, a fearful hag said to live in a cave in the hills known as Black Annis's Bower, which she gouged out of the hillside with her own claws. Black Annis may actually be the Goddess Anu.

The Hare is strongly associated with the Moon in many different traditions and cultures including Buddhists, the Norse, Chinese, Europeans, Mexicans, Indians and Egyptians. It also has a strong association with the rising Sun, new life and fertility.

The above should give you a brief insight into the Hare and was taken from a highly recommended book called "Familiars - Animal Powers of Britain" and written by Anna Franklin.

Three Aetts pendant and Hare bone beads ...

These beautiful beads are carved from Hare bone. The Hare can be found in folklore and mythology throughout history and from tales around the world. With strong associations with Eostre, fertility and the moon, the Hare is an important symbol of Paganism and especially fitting for this time of year. You can find further information at this lovely site which ends with this poem by Walter de la Mare:

In the black furror of a field
I saw an old witch-hare this night;
And she cocked a lissome ear,
And she eyed the moon so bright,
And she nibbled of the green;
And I whispered "Whsst! witch-hare,"
Away like a ghostie o’er the fieldShe fled,
and left the moonlight there.

The unusual pendant pictured above is crafted from mistletoe which grew upon a local Oak tree and was blown down by strong winds. The pendant is carved with the Elder Futhark runes, divided into the traditional three aetts. Mistletoe has long been held sacred by the Druids but especially so when it has grown upon the Oak.

Information can be found at Wikipedia regarding Pliny the Elder, writing in the first century AD and describing a religious ceremony in Gaul in which white-clad druids climbed a sacred oak, cut down the mistletoe growing on it, sacrificed two white bulls and used the mistletoe to cure infertility:

The druids - that is what they call their magicians - hold nothing more sacred than the mistletoe and a tree on which it is growing, provided it is Valonia Oak.... Mistletoe is rare and when found it is gathered with great ceremony, and particularly on the sixth day of the moon....Hailing the moon in a native word that means ‘healing all things,’ they prepare a ritual sacrifice and banquet beneath a tree and bring up two white bulls, whose horns are bound for the first time on this occasion. A priest arrayed in white vestments climbs the tree and, with a golden sickle, cuts down the mistletoe, which is caught in a white cloak. Then finally they kill the victims, praying to a god to render his gift propitious to those on whom he has bestowed it. They believe that mistletoe given in drink will impart fertility to any animal that is barren and that it is an antidote to all poisons.

First of many ...

Hello from Spirit of Old! I figured it was about time that we ventured into this whole blogging idea and began our very own one. This will be the place to get notified about updates to the main website ... new items in stock,  new products available and also perhaps some general bits and pieces about us, Lou and Andy, the people behind Spirit of Old - that's if any of you are interested anyway!

The picture above is of a bog oak pendant due to be added to the website very soon ...