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Gathering of the Magicae!

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Myth and Magic
 

Legend of the Holy Grail and Possible Celtic Inheritance

 We could talk about ad infinitum about the Quest for the Holy Grail. In general, though, in medieval legend, the Holy Grail is the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, and in which Joseph of Arimathea received Christ's blood at the cross. Various versions of the Arthurian legends written from the early 1200s onward describe quests for it undertaken by medieval knights.

Some scholars believe that the holy grail may contain both tropes of the magical cauldrons from Celtic mythology with the Christian legend surrounding the Last Supper. Let me share with you the cauldron from Celtic Mythology.

The Tuatha De Danann, or people of the goddess Danu, are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. They came from four cities to the north of Ireland: Falias, Gorias, Murias, and Finias, where they aquired their magical attributes. They also brought one magical item from each of the cities. From Falias, they brought the Stone of Fal. From Gorias came the Spear of Lug. Finias sent the Sword of Nuadu, and the Cauldron of Dagda came from Murias. I will write about the Stone, the Spear and the Sword another time, but for today, let’s talk briefly about the Cauldron... (click here to keep reading.)

Grey cloak pulled over your hair and wand at the ready, you walk with stealth and head down the torch-lit hall. The castle stone loom up on either side with rabbit-sized black spiders scrambling over the arches above you. You pray they are only spiders and not... It’s best not to consider the alternatives. It has been four days since you have left the school in search of the manuscript and your friend, but you have found neither. He had gone in search of the magical grimoire but did not come back. You know only what he left in his note.

“I overheard the elves whispering something about a stranger showing up on the outskirts of town. The man was wearing a black cloak and asking questions about the libraries available in a day’s walk. I think it was you know who. The shoppe owner at the bakery told him to check out the castle near the monastery. He headed north. I am following. There are only a couple of possibilities.”

There are two monasteries and two castles within a day’s journey. You chose to head to the kingdom of elves. The race of men fears your magic too much. So, you find yourself in the hallowed halls of the woodland elves, listening to the lyre being played in a great hall not too far away, with the echo of conversation and the clanging of cups covering most of the noise you are making. You come to a crossway in the hall, and as you pause, you hear a single scream from a girl. Now, you must make a decision about which way to go.

Do you run to the right towards the scream, hoping you are not too late to help?

Do you run back the way you came, hoping to get out of the castle before you are discovered?

Do you continue straight? Your friend needs you to find him.

What has AJ been up to? Wow! Life has been busy! My publishing house and shoppe, The Quill’s Lair, is up and running! I am still stocking the book shelves, but it is a virtual store to sell mystical, magical, and mindful wares and words. Think about the time and space where fantasy meets faith and fitness. TQL is both a publishing house and a shoppe where I sell books (my own, and as an affiliate with Amazon, others’ books) and goods such as essential oils (as a distributor for Young Living), cloaks, tunics, candle holders, cauldrons, jewelry (from Amazon, and hopefully soon from Etsy), and coffee and tea from Starbucks. I hope you’ll browse the store even as I increase the number of items linked on my pages over the coming months.


 

As many of you know, I also just release Quest for the King, a fantasy themed devotional, which I co-authored with the amazing Heather Sutherlin. It is available at The Quill’s Lair, if you are interested in a signed paperback, or Amazon for paperback or Kindle, Barnes & Noble for paperback or Nook, Apple for iBook and tons of other distributors too. It is the story of each of us on a quest for the King of Kings, and it is also the tale of the lost child, heir to the throne. I hope you’ll check it out.