Question & Answer: Winter Solstice

Bowynn Gods: The Hlenn

Hlenn  (Hlen)  The Hlenn are one of the most popular of the Kii. They are much like their American/European Elven cousins and Nymphs. They are human in size and look most like mortal folk in all respects, but they are thin in nature and have long-ish ears and doe-like facial features, particularly the eyes. These Hlenn are said to be the champions and guardians of all woodlands. The know instantly when a leaf falls and withers and when a fern stalk breaks through the ground. They are very untrusting and cautious of mortal man. But there are tales of some Hlenn, male and female, that have fallen for mortals as well. However, it must be remembered that while the Hlenn looks like mortals in many ways and live like them, they are spirits and need to be respected as so. Bowynn folk will not enter a woodland nor leave it without leaving a respectable gift to the Hlenn,

Bowynn Gods: Kyrra

Kyrra (Keer-Rah)  Kyrra (sometimes Jyrra) are bird-like Kii and Tii that resemble the Greek Harpies. Unlike Harpies, they can be good as well. Said to have a humanoid head and torso but from the hips down the lower half of a bird. Originally, the Kyrra were all good natured and were messengers of Brand and the other gods but the god Mano corrupted some and turned them to be as malicious as himself. Bad Kyrra are often responsible for missing items and malfunctions in the home and life.  Good or bad, they are seen in small bird size. Someone who is having a bad swing of misfortune us referred to as "Being scratched by a Kyrra." Waking up with a scratch is an ill omen that one has been scratched by a Kyrra and bad times are coming. At the same time finding a random feather in your home is a sign of great fortune. "Kyrra Blessed."

Bowynn Gods: Draeken

Draeken (Dray-ken)  Draeken are beasts created by the god Brand to protect people and earth from the wrath and pranks of the god Mano. Draeken are the Bowynn version of 'Dragons' in every shape and form, for the most part. The only difference being is that Draeken can take the forms of people as well. The only way to tell is by their skin being marked with a draeken. In many ways Draeken are a form of Kii; as such, these Kii protect the 7 physical elements of the mortal world. Draeken are also protectors and guardians of the magickal and metaphysical properties, they are keepers or great wisdom of the ages and protectors.

Bowynn Gods: Arn

Arn  (Arn)  God of the North wind and the lord of the north. In some respects also the god of winter. He is often called “The Winter Wizard.” He is the eldest of the wind gods and as such, he is sometimes considered their watchers. Arn is the god that the goddess Myliea wed on the holiday of Kymeliea (also known as Candlemas and Imbolc). Their home resides in the far north and he accompanies Myliea on her first appearance on the winter solstice. In some ways, Arn is seen as a Bowynn version of Father Christmas and Santa Claus; On Winter Solstice eve Arn visits the homes that are decked in winter finery and have a candle lit in the window. If content, Arn will knock his staff on the doors and shutters, blessing the house and leaving a small gift at the door. Often these are in the form of foods; nuts, dried fruit and for kids, candy is left. Much like his contemporary, Arn has a stable that houses 12 great elk, which serve as his mounts.

     Arn is seen as an elderly man, sometimes adorned with white bird wings. His garments are of blue color, a wreath of holly on his head and in his hands, a staff with lantern on top, shaped like an acorn. When not in his godly form, he will appear as a white wolf or cardinal. Both of which are sacred to the god. On his side is a shoulder bag which holds the gifts to mankind. Arn is sometimes seen accompanied by the older winter mammoth god, Yormell, who also bears the same title of “The Winter Wizard.”

     Sacred gifts and offerings to Arn often consist of milk, fresh water, elk, wolf, feathers, cardinal, snow and white flowers. Pretty much anything winter and north wind related is sacred to him.

Bowynn Gods: Dylan

Dylan  (Dil-lan)  Dylann is the God of harbors, shores, ports and beaches. A sea god he is the protector of boaters and fishermen and anyone that depends on the sea for livelihood or entertainment.

     Son of Tane and Kauldra, Dylan is seen in one of three forms; either a bash handsome young man; A horse; or what is known as a Hippo-Ichthiocampus (The torso and head of a man, lower part of a dolphin and the front legs of a horse.) Dylan is the supplier of fish for those that are fishermen and shells for those that use them as craft. He is also the controller of tides and waves. One sacred tale speaks of a witch that stole Dylan’s powers to metamorph into his sea forms and he was kidnapped as a boat hand to row and maintain the large vessel. However, he fell into favor with the ship's captain, and they sailed to the island where the witch lived to steal his powers back. This they accomplished but at the cost of the mortal fishermen’s lives. Once he had his immortality back, Dylan changed all his friends into Dolphins and thus populated the sea. Dylan is also the herdsman of Lord Tane's sacred steeds, which are horses of the sea.

     Sacred to Dylan are all the abundances of the ocean; fish, shells, coral, sea mammals, sea birds, sea plants and these all make wonderful offerings to him, as well as incense, of course. Often Dylan is seen enjoying his days on the beach, fishing, swimming and running about, either in human or horse form. At evening Dylan sometimes can be seen camped on the beach by a bonfire, feasting and watching the boats and sunset.

Bowynn Gods: Abbennaea

Abbennaea  (Ab-bhen-nay-ah)  Goddess of all sorts of offerings and libation. She is the daughter of Phaenixx and Sumon. Abbennaea is a rather young goddess, mother-like in appearance, said to be graced with deep red hair. She is the goddess that receives the spiritual essence of the offerings sent to the gods by mortal men and in turn, turns them into “that which is good for all beings.” After the “Great Migration” of mankind, Abbennaea was said to have spent her “7 sacred nights” among the first tribes and taught them the arts of making incense and what offerings were allowed to be offered to the Akua. After the god Mano tricked mankind to sacrifice blood to the gods, it was Abbennaea that had to come back to mortal man, cleanse their altars and re-teach them all that what was acceptable.

    In Alaway, Abbennaea is not only a messenger of the gods but has the duty to purge and cleanse the halls with incense daily; burning Tsa'hekas of incense to dispense the energies from the night before. It was Abbennaea that cleansed the great hall after the battle between Mano and his cousins after one fight took place in the halls of Alaway.

    Abbennaea is said to be of a most loving face and of natural beauty, her garments often of reds and she is depicted always with either a single stick of incense in one hand (or a bundle of sticks). And in the other hand, a libation pitcher. She is often said to take the form of a bird or butterfly if she does mingle among men. The butterfly being her totem

Bowynn Gods: Naea

Naea  (Nay-ah)  Naea is the Bowynn goddess of springs, wells, lakes, rivers, streams and other small fresh bodies of water. She is the daughter of Tane and Kauldra and is one of the very few multi arm gods. As such she is a spider goddess. Her multi limbs represent the many rivers of the world.      Naea is a free spirited goddess, spending much of her time wandering the sides of wells and ponds and weaving away in her godly or animal form on the side of streams and rivers. Her prime domain is to make sure such bodies of water are protected from pollutants and destruction as much as possible. As such, Naea is one of the very few gods of the Bowynn pantheon to seek revenge on mortals that destroy her realm. One sacred story speaks of the fisherman that was so filled with joy when he caught a fish as soon as his hook hit the water. He became so happy that he kept fishing till the lake was depleted of fish. Naea found out about this and that night as he and his family gorged out on the fish the man caught, there was a knock on the door of a beggar woman. She asked for a fish to get her by. The man and woman gave her the smallest fish in the batch, so small it would not fill a cat. The old woman ended up being Naea and for the couple's lack of moderation and charity, Naea made all the other food in the house disappear till all that was left saw the fish. The couple quickly became sick of eating fish all the time and thus learned their lesson. There are many legends of mortals abusing wells and springs then suffering Naea’s wrath but never death.      Despite this and other such sacred tales Naea is not a vicious goddess. Infact she is a most gentle goddess. She only seeks out those that have done wrong with her gifts. So, she should not be feared. Other times she is most giving, as the sacred stories of her creating a well for a family that had nothing to drink for days. Because of her watery realm, Naea's temples are often nothing more than a well surrounded by a gazebo.      Naea is depicted in her godly immortal form as a delightful young woman with long flowing hair. Her garments are of blues, purples and greens and silver or glass baubles as jewelry. Sometimes she is seen with a pitcher of fresh water and other times with a loom. In her totem form Naea is seen as an elegant spider. Sacred gifts to Naea come in the form of glass pieces, fresh water, river and lake plants and flowers, spoons of white and blue yarn and votive images of a spider.

The 7 Sacred Offerings

Within the faith of the Bowynn tradition it is said that the gods ask for only 7 basic types of offering. These seven became the staple of offerings and are called "Tau Numa Abennes", literally The Seven Offerings. The list is as follows

Flowers, Plants, Flora and Foliage. (cut, potted, wreath, garlands)

Uncooked foods. (Fruits, honey, veggies, nuts, grains, herbs,)

Cooked foods. (Meats, cakes,)

The light of a Candle

Incense

Libations of all sorts (Anything liquid from water to brews)

Votive offerings and objects (clay, wax, cloth, wood figures. Objects)

There is technically and 8th form which is personal self, often meaning cuts of hair, nails and drops of blood. These are only used to bless and bind with a sacred religious tool and even then, very minimally. The gods otherwise abhor the sacrifice of life and the disrespect of the body. "Your body be a gift from us immortals, defile it not but instead keep it clean and pure.)

Once a year on New Years {Then Ohenn} a great complete set of all 7 offerings is displayed on Altars and is offered to the gods.

During the Holiday of "Kodex Tor" it is costumery to burn what is called a "Tsa'heka" of incense, which is 'bundle of 100 incense sticks." Sometimes a myst will off a Tsa'heka to the gods when casting a particularly powerful spell that is in dire need.

Unlike Wiccans, the gods of the Bowynn do NOT have any one set of particular offerings they require. That is to say there is no need to attribute only certain scents, colors and food to a particular god or goddess. they will accept any offering if given with all respect and love.

As to why offerings are gifted to the Bowynn gods, it's out of love and respect. For they have given some of the greatest gifts to mankind, its only right to give a gift in return. Brea, the goddess of the earth speaks very clear in this when she replied ...

"For all this that I have given on to you, for the life you live, the air you breath and that land you walk on, the light the lets you see the beauty of the day and the night that lets you sleep, would not you give the same to me? Gift to me a stone, a cutting a grass, a plate of your meal, light, waft of smoke. Kind comes in kind my beloved children and in circle again. Give what you can in love and hurt nothing that I have life to. Give to us, your beloved parents, and in kind we will give to you."

As to the "post offering" or to say what happens after offerings are gifted. the goddess Abbennaea clarifies this in her own words.

"Precious child, fret not because that which you offered is still on the plate. For you see, I take not that which you give to us in the mortal world but instead I take its divine essence, its spirit and love that you have given. And I bring it to those of us who you have offered it to. In turn, we the immortals, turn your gifts into that which is good for all, mortal and immortal alike. Only the scented herbs that you burn for us, we receive directly, as it rises and flies to our presence. Then within the turning of a full day and night, dispose of the mortal husk of your offering into a pit in the earth, into the waves of the sea, the waft of the wind or that is most befitting of such a gracious gift. And take heart knowing your gift has pleased us."

So, in a word, the gods take the divine essence of your gifts to them and after 24 hours you may dispose of the food or plants in a respectable manner, as best one can.

With this, we close with the basic outline of the Bowynn faith. Posts beyond this point will deal with the Holidays that the Bowynn celebrate and the Gods themselves in detail.

Aelles Ky'Quilla

Brightest blessings and happy Ky'Quilla to you one and all.

Today started the first of the 3 day holiday of Ky'Quilla, which some may dare to equate with the Wiccan holiday of "Beltane". Ky'Quilla falls on April 30th, May 1st and May 2nd.

Ky'Quilla literally translates to "Mid-Spring". It is the celebration of the Goddess Quilla (Goddess of Springtime) marrying her consort Lyan (God of the Eastern Wind and Realm) Thus, this holiday in celebration of a divine wedding. During these three days brend [love] is the theme and all of the symbols of love abound. the primary colors used to decorate is white, red and pink. red flowers like rose are found everywhere and foods of apples, pomegranates, strawberries, cherries, and raspberries are used in all festive foods. Apples are the most divine in the Bowynn Tradition, so it is not shocking to see apples, apple blossoms and foods all over the place.

In ritual procession the icon of Quilla is housed in a canopy of white. Garlands and wreathes of apple and cherry blossoms and rose decorate circles, groves, temples and homes. A greatly decorated red candle is decorated and burned throughout the 3-day holiday.

The last day of the holiday is a great celebration for all. Celebrating the union of the God and Goddess. Foods abound, especially candies, berry drinks, rose and berry wines, sweet cakes, pies and berry cakes.

During this holiday it's used as a time for guys to profess their love to those they love. Traditionally, a young man will take this day to propose to the woman she loves by bringing an apple tree sapling or a small rise shrub. If the female accepts, they will plant the tree or shrub together in front of the girl's home. After they are wed, the tree/plant is removed to their new home.

Amongst other symbols of the holiday are images of various Kii [fairy folk] because it is said in the wedding of Quilla to Lyan, Kii formed the procession for Quilla to their sacred grove where they were wed. So its not shocking to see statues of Kii everywhere. Children will craft small houses for the various types of Kii or make cutouts of Kii and hang them about the house and celebration place.

However, you celebrate Ky'Quilla, may its be a special and blessed holiday for you. May love and friendship abound.

BOWYNN GODS: UYA

Uya Jarra and her three sisters

Uya Jarra  (Yu-ya Jar-rah)  Goddess of the healing arts and physical therapy. One of the daughters of Owenn, mothered by a Kii. Primarily Uya is the goddess that rules over the healing properties of exercise to make one recover faster. She is also a patron of Nurses, doctors and physical therapists.   

      There are no sacred tales of Uya or her sisters outside of their constant vigil over mortals. Uya is said to be seen at her father’s side almost always. Her place in Alaway is rarely visited, as she is always in constant vigil of those that require her help. She is considered the “Goddess always on the move”

      Uya is described as a young goddess with light hair a dress of white with a hide coat over that. Many have seen her with a staff and scroll in hand. When not seen in this form, Uya will take the form of a Bird of some sort. Offerings to Uya are flowers and incense.