Colin Redwood told us the story of how the manufacturing of window glass developed from the 1800s up to the modern Float process.
The Float process was devised and developed by Pilkingtons and has since become the single, universal process, totally revolutionising the glass industry.
The incredible and vast uses of glass in the world was made possible by having the Float process.
Peter Gateley told us about the lives of the Butterfly populations in our area of Lancashire. How they have coped, or otherwise, with huge developments in industrial and farming practices.
The Film Appreciation Group will be restarting on 23rd May at 9.45 for coffee followed by the film which is A Good Year based on the novel by Peter Mayle. See the website Group Page for further details.
It is a good film which will take place in the big room. The charge is £2.00.Colin and I look forward to seeing you.
Regards Pat Morton (Group Leader)
After a Covid absence of 18 months, we were once again able to meet in person, complete with a new leadership team.
Martin Mere
First up was Bill Hale, who revealed the Science, the “Lies” and the Truth about Martin Mere – the Lake, not the Wildfowl Trust!”
Southport u3a are creating a Show Garden at this year’s Southport Flower Show (18 -21 August). It will be built and managed by their Gardening Group to celebrate the u3a’s 40th Anniversary. It is the aim to include many aspects of the diverse nature of the u3a as features in the design.
Alongside the Show Garden will be a u3a Stand enabling the promotion of the u3a in general and to talk to existing and prospective members. Southport u3a’s “Performing Groups” will also be playing on the Music Stand at times throughout the Show.
In recognition of this support for the Flower Show, ALL u3a members will be able to book tickets for the show at a specially discounted rate of £18, compared to the gate price of £27 using the promotional code, ‘u3a’ when buying tickets on the website Southport Flower Show.
On March 18th 2022, Debbie Parkinson and David Dewhurst spoke to the Health and Wellbeing Group about their work out in the Community testing blood pressure, pulse and for abnormal heart rhythms. The attached presentation provides more detail and is well worth a read.
https://aughton-ormskirk-u3a.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/U3A-Wellbeing-Group-March-2022.pptx
The session completed the topic of the Devil in British Folklore by finishing the sub-topic of the Devil making pacts with humans.
In return for worldly gain, the Devil could claim the souls of his victims. We covered the ways in which the Devil could be outwitted and the human prey escape his clutches. He was foiled by an assortment of parsons, school teachers and “ordinary” working people.
Four members of the group enjoyed a bright sunny morning at this reserve which is managed by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust. Highlights included good views of a Stonechat and a brief glimpse (by one member of the group) of a Kingfisher.
Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of 38 species recorded on this occasion.
Eleven members of the group attended this visit on an overcast (but mostly clear) cold February morning.
Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of 30 species recorded on this occasion.
27 February 2022
Peter Gateley gave us an interesting talk about the trees in St Anne’s Churchyard.🌳🌳 This was followed by refreshments ☕ 🍪 and a game of prize bingo.
27 March 2022
u3a member, Vaughan Wall, entertained us with some of his interesting Youtube videos.
24 April 2022
We were entertained by the Ukuleers, our very own Ukulele Group.
26 June 2022
Bill Evans gave us his very entertaining annual video show full of comedy🤣 and a little bit of serious stuff. Tea☕ and biscuits🍪 were course enjoyed and I do believe we had a record post lockdown turnout
24 July 2022
Jean Chambers, leader of the CARD-MAKING group, gave us a card-making demonstration.
After the refreshments break, local professional guitarist🎸 Ken Waters, entertained us with his wide range of great songs 🎶.
21 Aug 2022
Peter Gateley gave a talk entitled ‘LEAVES, … A LOT TO BE DESIRED!’.🌿
A look at the beauty of leaves, but of course we are in the realm of nature and the role they have in the diverse range of plants that have evolved. Refreshments and a game – as ever.
We will be visiting Leighton Hall, a centre of an agricultural estate since mediaeval times. See the Occasional Day Trips page. Continue reading
Friday 18th March, at 10.30am at St Michael’s Church Hall. The Health and Wellbeing Group explains the work of the volunteer Heart Heroes with regard to testing blood pressure, pulse and cholesterol levels at public venues.
Here is more information about the Health and Wellbeing Group
Speaker Meetings usually take place on the first Thursday of the month at the Scout & Guide HQ, starting at 11 am and lasting just over an hour. Last orders for tea and coffee 10.45 am. All the usual Horizons facilities (apart from the book stall) will be available until then.
Russell Parry
On 11th April Russell Parry will speak on the subject of The Appley Bridge Meteorite. Russell writes:
I will present this fascinating story of the Appley Bridge meteorite which fell in 1914 as told through newspaper reports and archive documents of the time. The meteorite explosions, fireball, the confusion with enemy zeppelins and the confiscation of the meteorite by the police will all be revealed. The story has recently been the subject of a 3 episode BBC radio dramatisation written by me.
I will bring samples of 4.5 billion year old meteorites to handle and photograph making this a unique experience. The illustrated talk will be followed by a Q&A session, and signed copies of the Appley Bridge meteorite book will be available for purchase.
Don’t miss this fascinating talk!
Dr John Patterson
On Thursday 9th May we will welcome Dr John Patterson, who is Principal at St Vincent’s School for visually impaired children, in the Archdiocese of Liverpool. After taking over as Principal in 2012, Dr Patterson set about encouraging students’ entrepreneurialism, employment skills, creativity, and solidarity with those less fortunate. On Wednesdays pupils choose lessons they feel play to their strengths, including in music, drama, sports, ICT, environmental work, and growing food on the school grounds to use in a student-run café. One of his many achievements has been to oversee pupils developing a disability sports toolbox that now helps children in 20 countries across four continents.
He has championed pupils’ leadership skills with an enriched curriculum which has them teaching their international peers in how to use the toolbox, and the Indonesian government has since asked for 70,000 of its social workers to be similarly trained.
The school’s pupils have made ceramic Remembrance poppies worn by leaders including the then-Prime Minister Theresa May; they have sung for the Queen; and have also been featured in an exhibition by celebrity photographer Rankin for the COP26 climate change summit that took place in Glasgow during 2021.
There is no meeting in June due to the Annual General Meeting being held on the 13th.
Jeff Vernon
Our final Speaker Meeting of the season will take place on Thursday 11th July, when retired solicitor and. u3a member Jeff Vernon will speak on the subject of Consumer Rights.
We are all consumers; we all buy goods and services both in shops and online. Normally all goes well and we are happy with what we have bought but, occasionally, things go wrong. Goods can fail to arrive or can break down very soon after, services may not be carried out satisfactorily. This talk aims to explain the main rights that consumers have when buying goods and services from traders, what remedies are available to them and how best to exercise those remedies.
After first pursuing a career in financial services, Jeff decided to change course and qualified as a solicitor. Jeff worked for a number of large, international firms and finished his career as a partner with DLA Piper UK LLP. His practice area was principally consumer credit law and he led a small team which dealt with all such work arising from all the firms’ offices within the UK. Examples of the work he undertook included drafting the personal contract purchase agreement for Tesla when they commenced selling in this country and advising the UK government when it became necessary for the Student Loans Company to be authorised be the Financial Conduct Authority.
Because he practiced consumer credit law all work with any “consumer” element tended to land on Jeff’s desk. Frequently, this involved advising on issues arising under the Consumer Rights Act, which is the main subject of his talk.
There are no meetings in August or September.
Southport University Extension Society (SUES)
We are planning a new, collaborative venture with SUES, whereby members of our respective organisations will be able to take advantage of each other’s talks and other events. Click here for more information. If you are interested in attending any of the events listed, please contact Pam Ball in the first instance on 07974 749362.
See Pam’s Past Speaker Meetings for info on previous events.
Please email any ideas for Future Speaker Meetings to Pam Ball, our Speaker Meeting Organiser, at:
speakerteam@aughton-ormskirk-u3a.co.uk or phone 07974 749362.
No meeting in January.
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Steve Halliwell
Tuesday 1 February 2022
As it was the first day of the Lunar New Year (also called the Chinese New Year), we had fortune cookies, followed by Steve Halliwell talking about his work as a local history detective.
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Tuesday 1 March 2022
Have you walked around Liverpool and wondered who created the many splendid bronze statues of people from our history?
There are monuments too that commemorate people from the past.
We were visited by Tom Murphy, one of the leading sculptors and painters of recent times, who is responsible for creations including The Hillsborough Monument Memorial and The Liverpool Pals Memorial. He told us about his work.
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Tuesday 5th April 2022
Jean Gidman visited us to give an illustrated talk about Richard III and the Stanley Family and the extensive research she has done.
In this session, we started with the legend of Faust and then traced the same theme of the Devil capturing human souls into British folklore.
There is a common theme of the Devil capturing human souls by exploiting human weaknesses and sins:
Disgruntled clergymen feature prominently in the Devil’s prey.
It was also possible to fall foul of the Devil through no fault of one’s own e.g., the Devil objecting to the intended plans for building projects.
We also considered folktales in which the Devil was cheated of his prey by clergymen and others who were too clever for him.
Two aspects of the Devil’s character are evident in these tales:
The first aspect may derive from older mythology concerning the Devil as a pagan god. The second aspect may derive from later Christian anti-pagan “propaganda”.
“The spontaneous rapturous standing ovation from what looked like
the entire audience at the end of this superb production says it all. “
A pearl-diving village in the Far East. As the villagers prepare for their dive, they sing of their fear of the sea. Zurga tells them they must choose a leader, and they unanimously swear loyalty to him. Nadir returns to the village after spending a year away. He and Zurga recall that their friendship was almost destroyed when they both fell in love with a Hindu priestess.
Bizet’s rarely heard opera returned to the Met for the first time in a century on New Year’s Eve 2015, in Penny Woolcock’s acclaimed new production. Star soprano Diana Damrau sings Leïla, the virgin priestess at the center of the story. Matthew Polenzani and Mariusz Kwiecien are Nadir and Zurga, rivals for Leïla’s love who have sworn to renounce her to protect their friendship—and who get to sing one of opera’s most celebrated duets, “Au fond du temple saint.” Nicolas Testé is the high priest Nourabad and Gianandrea Noseda conducts Bizet’s supremely romantic score.
On Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina, Jasbo Brown is playing the blues for a group of dancers.
Clara sings a lullaby (“Summertime”) to her baby while a group of men gamble. When an argument breaks out, one of the men (Crown) strikes another (Robbins) dead. Crown flees, telling Bess, who is his girlfriend, that he will be back for her. The drug dealer Sportin’ Life offers Bess refuge, but instead she hides with Porgy, a disabled beggar. During Robbins’s wake, the police arrive in search of his killer.
Set during the Gold Rush, the ‘Polka’ Saloon, which is near California’s Cloudy Mountain, hosts the local community of gold miners. Like every good Western, this saloon is a place for drinking, gambling, fighting, dancing, and watching women, but in this lonely place the only woman worth watching is Minnie, the owner.. The men constantly argue over which among them Minnie will choose, and the bartender, Nick, knows the value of her presence as the men spend their winnings and wages trying to impress her. The local Sheriff, Jack Rance, is obsessed with her. A brooding and violent man, he cannot appeal to Minnie’s love for life, her love of God, and of the beauty of the world.
Synopsis; click here
Time ; 2hrs 24mins
This spectacular 1981 San Francisco production of Aida, directed by Sam Wanamaker, boasts production values more commonly associated with Hollywood to portray scenes from the time of the Pharaohs, notably a striking interior for the temple of Vulcan from where Radames is sent forth on his mission to conquer the invading Ethiopian army. With Margaret Price in the title role and Luciano Pavarotti as Radames, there is much going for this version, both musically and visually.
Synopsis; click here
Time 2hr 43m
Pier Luigi Pizzo’s production for La Fenice production is absolutely gorgeous with incredible care shown down to the smallest detail, yet always fresh and never fussy. Roses seem to be a central theme in this production and Pizzi gives us have tons of them, a virtual moving wall of roses. Thais (and later, Athanael’s) bed is made of huge ropey vines of roses (which transforms during the meditation – as Thais lies on it, the roses all fall off at once leaving only a bed of giant thorny vines!).
Eva Mei is a moving Thais and while the voice lacks some “plushness” her piano and sustained high register singing is pure and lovely. She’s an affecting actress and her transformation from courtesan to saint is not only believable but poignant, she seems to radiate. The Mirror Aria is well sung, but it is in her duets with Pertusi, especially the opening and closing ones of Act III where she shines. Her death scene is absolutely beautiful.
Tosca from Rome
“Beautiful cinematography and great performances throughout. I first checked this out from Netflix, watched it several times and then reluctantly returned it. I couldn’t get it out of my head and so, finally got a copy for myself so I could watch any time I wanted!!”
Filmed on location in Rome, 1976.
Real elements of nostalgia here, to see Domingo in full flight. His refulgent voice is one of the enduring joys of this film of Tosca.
Synopsis: click here
David Alden’s English National Opera production of Ariodante caused something of a stir on its first appearance in 1993.
Der Rosenkavalier – Strauss (Der Weiner Staatsoper)
‘One of the most enjoyable operatic performances available on DVD. What makes it so outstanding is primarily Carlos Kleiber’s conducting which is far more expressive and dynamic than anybody else, including the famous Karajan. You can watch how much he enjoys conducting this opera. The production by Otto Schenk is by far the most loyal to the opera by Strauss with none of the modern additions or interpretations that other directors are trying to make their mark with. I have watched this particular production in Vienna on a number of occasions and I have found it always stunning.
Synopsis: click here
Five members of the group enjoyed our first outing of 2022 to the RSPB site at Hesketh Outmarsh. It was a beautiful bright frosty Winter morning with occasional misty patches but mostly clear views over the marsh and across the Ribble Estuary. A total of 26 species were recorded.
Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen:
Thank you for supporting your u3a Musical Theatre Group as they endeavoured to get back to doing shows. The pandemic hit the group hard, so their numbers were low by March 2022, but they still had a great show to present to you.
Although not a musical, the “restart” production – “Dancing Fools” – had songs and dance from Musicals both old and new, comic songs and the like, and other items that took you back.
You may wish to join us on or off stage as a group member. Whatever you decide to do, we look forward to seeing you soon.
Our present Choir Group musical director, Paul Dickie has successfully led us for the past 18 months and in spite of the challenges of covid we organised and performed the u3a advent service under his direction. However, to secure continuity for the future we would like to bring in someone else with the necessary musical knowledge and creative skills to assist Paul, help take the choir forward and build on our success.
We are a very friendly, sociable group with 30 members and like to sing a wide range of music including; Musical Theatre, Folk, Sacred and Popular. We enjoy the challenge of three part singing as well as a good unison sing-a-long at most of our sessions.
We give one formal concert a year in the summer and organise the annual U3A Advent service. We are also regularly invited to sing at several local nursing homes.
We meet every Wednesday morning at Aughton Village Hall from 10 am until 12. (Broadly following school holidays). We have a well organised team who take care of admin, finances and hall bookings.
If you are interested in finding out more then please contact choir leader Ann Henders 07847 364330.
Please note there is no remuneration for this role.
Tuesday 5th October 2021 – Census and Sensibility
Stephen Bennett presented a light hearted look at local history census returns 1841-1911
Tuesday 2nd November The Co-Operative Retail Business
The co-operative selling began in Lancashire, perhaps some members remember their family ‘divi’ number.
Stephen Caunce talked about the history of the people’s own shop.
Tuesday 7th December 2 15 p.m.Hq. Trouble at t’Mill Again!
Ecy thump! the workers have gone to the ‘Village Square’ to celebrate Lancashire Day.
A taste of Lancashire food, a toast to Lancashire, and Sid Calderbank entertained us with Lancashire tales, dialect and songs.
In the session we continued the topic of the Devil in British Folklore in the context of the other world creatures we have been looking at.
We had previously grouped the topic, for convenience, loosely into 3 categories
This session we completed looking at the second category of attacks on Christianity including church buildings and then started the search for human souls.
1/. Attacks on Christianity
There were attacks on church buildings particularly the towers and church bells. Most of these were unsuccessful.
a/. We looked at examples of the throwing of stones/boulders.
We discussed why there were these stories. They show the power of Christianity, the one true faith. Early Christianity pitted against the Devil, the Devil is relatively easily outwitted. The Devil may be big and scary but put your faith in the Church and you will win through. The Devil cannot compete against the church. The power of the sign of the cross and prayer
b/. We looked at some examples which went against the usual tales
In these tales we learnt about the nature of the Devil, he is powerful, resourceful, endlessly scheming against the church, will take you to hell if you let him, relatively easily outwitted by the god fearing and the alert.
2/ The Devil Goes in Search of Human Souls
This is a powerful and scary Devil
Next Session will look at Faust
The final Bird Watching Group visit for 2021 was to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust site at Martin Mere. Eight members of the group enjoyed an excellent morning’s visit despite the mist hampering visibility at times and a total of 43 species were recorded. Thanks to new group member Ken for these pictures taken at Martin Mere:
Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen:
The weather forecast for the day had not been good with rain and heavy cloud expected and this put some of our members off but five members turned up anyway. The rain cleared after the first fifteen minutes and conditions improved further during the morning and we were rewarded with sightings of 47 species, our highest total for group visits this year. A particular highlight was catching a glimpse of a Kingfisher.
Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen:
After the cancellation of the u3a Christmas Lunch in 2020 because of Covid, we were so pleased to get together once again. The Social subcommittee pulled out all the stops to arrange a lovely meal courtesy of Martin’s Caterers and dancing to the music of the Phil Shotton Trio with vocalist Adee Lifshitz.
All the photographs show that the afternoon was a great success and that everybody will be looking forward to the next Christmas social to be held on the 9th December 2022.
The weather was mostly good for this visit which was attended by six members of the group. The water near the reception area was disappointing with less bird species than we usually see, but as we carried on it got better. A total mof 26 species were recorded. The Ravens and Buzzards were particularly impressive.
Raven
Buzzard
Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen:
NEW MEMBERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME.
If you are experienced in Photography/Photo Enhancement, please come and share your knowledge with us.
If you are new to Photography, we are a friendly group who will always be pleased to help with advice on Camera equipment and how to take better pictures.
Submitting Competition Entries – a reminder
We will judge the entries for the December competition and then enjoy the tasty morsels provided,
We will then judge the Winner of Winners of competitions enjoyed during the lock down period.
Entertainment will be provided by George ???
The cost of this extravaganza is £5.00 (inclusive of normal room hire charge)
Should you wish to join in with the festivities and were not at the November meeting to add your name to the list, please contact Alan Starkie no later than Sunday 21st November so that we can finalize catering arrangements
We were not so lucky with the weather this month with cloud and light rain for most of the morning. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable visit for the six members who attended. The visitor centre and the car park have been much improved since our previous visits to Mere Sands but unfortunately several of the hides have been vandalised and only two were available for use. A total of 21 species were recorded.
Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen:
This session we continued the topic of the Devil in British Folklore in the context of the other world creatures we have been looking at.
In the previous session, for convenience, the topic was loosely grouped into 3 categories, though there was some overlapping
In folklore the devil is very different from the one in the bible. We speculated on who the devil may be, the origins and purpose of these stories.
1/. Legends and Tales Linked to Unusual Landscape Features
We recapped and finished the legends and tales linked to unusual landscape features, very similar to features attributed to giants and were used to cover unusual things in the landscape by dropping stones, threatening to destroy certain towns etc.
There are a number of stories relating to raising the Devil
These had rituals involving circling the hills, stones etc for a set number of times, sometimes backwards, counter to the circling of the sun in the sky etc.
The number seven recurs in the tales
We looked at an extract from ‘Folklore, Myths And Legends Of Britain’ Geoffrey Ashe et al, 1973, covering the Horseman’s Word from Scotland. This covered the initiation into a secret society, which when successful gave control over horses. This was from around 1870-1930’s. There were Celtic horse cults which may be the precursor of this. There had to be an odd number, preferably thirteen, special knocks, oaths taken, a ‘minister’ who oversaw the ritual etc.
2/. Attacks on Christianity
We started the second category covering attacks on Christianity and how Christianity developed his character.
We looked at several ones relating to churches including
These often included church bells. Bells have their own identity and personalities and in bell ringing they have names. They were believed to drive away evil spirits and protect against storms. They are also used to mark the important stages of life; birth, marriages and deaths.
Firstly, many thanks to everyone who came along to help on a bright but cool day. Whether it was Leaders and Coordinators showcasing their groups, the Catering Team serving tea, coffee and biscuits, the Welcome Desk and Membership Teams dealing with newcomers and returning members, or music and dance groups entertaining us throughout the afternoon, it all added up to make the day a success.
There were also many others, too many to mention, who played a vital part in planning, preparing and running the event – agreeing a date and venue, inviting groups to join in, liaising with GLs over attendance and table layouts, advertising the event, producing name plates and signage, arranging tables and chairs (and putting them away).
And of course the day wouldn’t have been the same without the many members and friends who attended – we hope they enjoyed what they saw and will join more of the group activities on offer.
To accompany the Open Day, we produced a full colour Brochure, listing all the groups and illustrating a couple of groups from each of eleven ‘categories’: culture, dance, fitness and exercise, indoor games, language and literature, making things, outdoors, performance, social, sport, and technical. The idea is to open people’s eyes to the wider possibilities within our u3a than just the usual groups they attend. Thank you to all who contributed to the brochure and its production.
There are plenty of brochures now available for Group Leaders to pick up at Horizons and then hand out at their own meetings, along with a schedule of when and where the groups meet. You can also download a pdf version of the brochure here. There is also an online version of the groups schedule which is kept up-to-date.
From the Relaunch Team and the Communications Team
Tuesday 1 October 2019 – Historic Graffiti
Love it or loathe it, graffiti is not a modern day phenomenon. You may be surprised where some historic graffiti has been written, and what it says, some of it in Latin. Dr. Colin Penny’s illustrated presentation of graffiti from our past will enlighten us.
Tuesday 5 November 2019 – Lancashire’s Home Front in W.W.2 plus a commemoration of D.Day.
Professor Penny Summerfield joins us with her research in an illustrated presentation about life on the home front during W.W.2. Our afternoon continues with a film recording of an emotive and dignified trip to France with a small number of D.Day veterans. The veterans share memories of the largest amphibious invasion in world history when some 160,000 Allied troops landed on the Normandy coast, 6th June 1944.
Tuesday 3 December 2019 – A Winters Day
Our seasonal meeting with Local Historian Alan Crosby.
Tuesday 4 February 2020 – Trains, Cranes and Dinky Vehicles plus the Waltzer and Sweet Treats
Les French from the Hornby Trust joins us to to talk about local man Frank Hornby’s humble beginings to his skills simplifying engineering for children.
Tuesday 3 March 2020 – Read All About It!
Reports in our local newspapers early in the 20th Century. Kathy Donaldson will relate some of the news from the Liverpool Mercury, The Daily Post and the Echo.
We also heard some of the news of the time reported in the Ormskirk Advertiser.
Monday walkers by the canal at Rufford, September 2016
Monday walkers in Haskayne nature reserve, June 2014
Local walk around Aughton and Lydiate it was good to meetup again and welcome some new members
Wood Sandpiper and Dunlin at Lunt Meadows
Eight members of the group attended our first visit following the Summer break. It was a perfect late Summer morning for this visit and a total of 31 bird species were recorded.
Highlight of the visit was seeing a Wood Sandpiper, a first ever sighting by our group of this uncommon wader on it’s migration South for the Winter. Two of us managed to get ‘record shots’ which enabled us to confirm the identification following the visit.
Some more pictures of birds seen at Lunt Meadows:
As well as the birds lots of butterflies and dragonflies were to be seen enjoying the sunshine – here are a few that stayed still long enough to be photographed:
Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen:
Welcome back to everyone who has managed to make it to the last two meetings in July and August. It was wonderful to see so many of you.
In July 2021 we were delighted to welcome back the famous Bill Evans to entertain us with his video 📺and comedy 🤣😂😆clips then, with the gorgeous weather, we were able to take refreshments ☕🍪outside.
August saw Peter Gateley giving us a wonderful presentation on Garden birds which was very interesting. Sadly the weather was not at its best but everyone was happy to continue catching up with each other over 🍪 and ☕
In September we had a bit of variety with some poetry, a quiz, a game or two of Bingo and homemade cakes.
Wednesday October 20th at 1.00pm Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) is the most enduring ‘serious’ opera from a composer otherwise better known for his sparkling operettas. It’s not hard to see why: Offenbach’s witty and highly melodious music finds the perfect vehicle in the Romantic, richly imaginative world of the storyteller E.T.A. Hoffmann. Offenbach adapted Jules Barbier and Michel Carré’s play, in which Hoffmann is cast as the deeply flawed teller of his own tales. The composer’s death shortly before the opera’s completion has resulted in a number of alternative versions – but this multiplicity has done nothing to dull the irresistible appeal of an opera in which music and story come together in a deeply satisfying whole.
Opera Appreciation GroupWinter 2021/22 Programme |
length | |
|
Wednesday October 20th 1:15pm |
Tales of Hoffman—Offenbach A superb recording with Opera National de Lyon from 1993. It features a cast of top singers with the choir and orchestra of the Opera National directed by Kent Nagano |
120 mins |
|
Wednesday November 17th 1:15pm |
Don Giovanni—Mozart (Zurich Opera) This is a thrilling performance. It is deeply attractive on a number of levels, the stage (and screen) presence of the central male duo: ……Those two are funny and sexy, often both–delicious to listen to and to look at. |
182 mins |
|
POSTPONED Wednesday December 15th 1:15pm |
Der Rosenkavalier – Strauss (Der Weiner Staatsoper) any discussion of this DVD must begin with the superb conducting of Carlos Kleiber. From the first bar of music, you know you’re in for an altogether different “Der Rosenkavalier.” His is an extraordinary approach: spirited, agressive even — and it is wholly successful. wonderful. |
193 mins |
|
POSTPONED January 19th 1:15pm |
Ariodante—Handel (English National Opera) Without a doubt’ this is Handel at his best. A sublime score and a great production |
178 mins |
As we look forward to the Autumn and what we hope will be a full and uninterrupted programme of visits, a brief report on the June and July visits which were still affected by some Covid restrictions:
The site was only partially open because of the pandemic with one way systems in place and no access to the Mersey Estuary shore so sightings were limited to what we could see from the grounds. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable visit attended by eight members of the group and a total of 23 bird species were recorded.
A good day for our final visit before the Summer break. Eight members of the group attended and a total of 34 bird species were recorded.
In addition to the birds it was lovely to see this Six-spot Burnet Moth newly emerged from the chrysalis on the stalk below:
Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full lists of species seen on these 2 visits:
In the session we started a new topic of the Devil in British Folklore in the context of the other world creatures we have been looking at.
The devil in this context is different from the biblical one, he is not a fallen angel, nor is he Lucifer.
There are different origins and a vast collection of stories and legends.
For convenience the topic was loosely grouped into 3 categories, though there was some overlapping
We started with the first grouping
1/. Legends linking the Devil to unusual features in the landscape covering things like hills, rocks, glacial erratics, including natural and man-made features also covering prehistoric structures.
They come from all over the country and there are a huge selection of them:-
Devil’s Night Cap, Studland, Isle of Wight.
Bronescombe’s Loaf & Bronescombe’s Cheese, Okehampton, Dartmoor. Bishop Bromscombe was travelling to Widdecombe became lost and hungry was tempeted by bread and cheese offered by a stranger. The bishop’s servant spotted cloven hooves and pushed the food away which flew into the air and when they landed formed the rocks known as Bronescombe’s Loaf & Bronescombe’s Cheese
Hel Stone, Dartmoor:- used by the Devil in a game of quoits with King Arthur.
Hurdlestones, Somerset:- used by the Devil in a game of quoits with the Giant of Grabbist.
Broad Stone, Tidenham, Gloucs.:- thrown by the Devil in a contest with Jack o’Kent.
White Rocks, Garway Hill, Herefordshire:- failed attempt by the Devil & Jack o’Kent to dam the weir at Orcop Hill.
Stiperstones Ridge & the Devil’s Chair, Shropshire.
Lea Stone, Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire.
Hartforth, North Riding:- Devil’s failed attempt to destroy the town.
Devil’s Arrows (prehistoric standing stones) Boroughbridge, Yorkshire:- Devil’s failed attempt to destroy Aldborough.
Hell Gill Beck, North Riding:- the Devil building a bridge across the beck.
Devil’s Apron Strings, Casterton Fell; Apronfull Stones, Settle:- stones dropped by the Devil when he was building the bridge at Kirby Lonsdale Carl Crag, Seascale, Cumbria:- formed by the Devil when he was trying to build a bridge between Cumbria and the Isle of Man.
Holes of Scradda, Esha Ness, Shetland:- formed by the Devil.
Semer Water, N.Yorkshire:- stone-throwing contest between the Devil and a giant.
Six Hills (Iron Age burial mounds), Stevenage, Herts.:- created by the Devil when he tried to destroy Stevenage.
Devil’s Shovelful (prehistoric burial mounds), Shobdon, Herefordshire:- created when the Devil tried to destroy Shobdon.
Pyon Hill & Butthouse Knapp, Herefordshire:- formed when the Devil tried to destroy Hereford.
Devil’s Spadeful, Bewdley, Worcs.:- formed when the Devil tried to destroy Bewdley.
Cley Hill, Wiltshire:- formed when the Devil tried to destroy Devizes.
Silbury Hill, Wiltshire:- formed when the Devil tried to destroy Marlborough.
Silbury Hill:- formed by the Devil when he was digging the Wansdyke.
Devil’s Ditch, Berkshire; Devil’s Dykes Cambs. & Herts; Devil’s Dyke, Sussex:- all created by the Devil.
Devil’s Churchyard (stone circle), Minchinhampton, Gloucs:- failed attempt by the people to build a church.
Devil’s Den (prehistoric chambered tomb) Fyfield Down, Wiltshire.
This version of the devil had a lot in common with the stories about giants.
There are a lot of stories around the River Severn and the boatmen may have been carrying the story as they travelled.
Next time we’ll finish this grouping, and speculate on who the devil may be, the origins and purpose of these stories.
Then we’ll move on to the second category and look at how Christianity developed his character.
In the session we discussed the role of the mythological heroes taking over from the gods in their constant battle against the giants.
Gilgamesh from Sumerian and Babylonian myths fought the giant Humbaba, the guardian of the cedar forest. Humbaba was friendly with the gods and was installed as forest guardian by Enlil (the father of the gods). Enlil cursed Gilgamesh for killing his guardian. Possibly we could put Humbaba in the same category as the co-operative giants from the early creation myths?
Fionn MacCumhaill from the Irish Celtic myths was held captive by the Giant of Lough Our on the eve of Samhain, but then later released in a weakened state. Possibly this is a version of the cycle of the season mythology, with the Giant representing winter, and Fionn as the sun god, released in time for spring?
We moved on then to see the way in which the hero versus giant myths filtered down into folklore, with stories of local folk heroes who also killed their giants- King Arthur, Jack the Giant Killer, the humble widow’s son who killed the Red Ettin and rescued the King of Scotland’s daughter.
The meeting continued looking at how giants connect to the natural world and feature in the landscape in British folklore.
The Role of the Giants in Folklore:-
1/. So far in the topic the giants we have looked at have been relatively benign and involved in engineering type projects, providing an explanation for the landscape and large buildings or structures.
We recapped Wade’s Causeway, North Yorkshire:- constructed by Wade and his wife Bel.
Churches at Putney & Fulham, London, were built by two giantess sisters who only had one hammer so threw it across the river which according to vulgar tradition was the source of the place names, they called out instructions to each other ‘put it nigh’ and heave it ‘full home’ when they wanted the hammer.
The Wrekin, Shropshire:-
(a) created by two quarrelling giants
(b) created by a Welsh giant who intended to destroy Shrewsbury but was outsmarted by a cobbler who met him on his way to do the deed. The cobbler had with him a large number of worn out shoes in need of repair and told the giant he had worn them out walking from Shrewsbury and it was too far for the giant to get to. The Wrekin is the large shovelful of earth the giant was carrying to dump on Shrewsbury and left behind when he abandoned his trip. There a lot of tales of cobblers and tailors outsmarting giants.
2/. Some tales of giants have origins in real people and the tales grew over time, they were larger than life characters
Llowes, Powys:- the castle at Hay-on-Wye was built by a giantess called Moll Walbee. Matilda/Maud de St Valery:- the real life counterpart of Moll Walbee; married to William de Braose who built Colwyn Castle and Painscastle in the time of King John. She was a very shrewd woman who successfully defended Painscastle against the Welsh. She features in Welsh folktales as a giantess and her husband a giant.
Piers Shonks:- in real life the Lord of the Manors of Brent Pelham & Barkway in Hertfordshire; according to folktales (a) he was a giant (b) he killed a dragon.
Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke:- possibly the real life counterpart of Jack o’Legs , a giant who was said to live at Weston, Hertfordshire.
3/. Some giants were not so well respected or benign
St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall:- a giant stole the people’s cattle, sheep & hogs, the giant would wade across the causeway and seize them and tie them round his waist.
Portreath & Godrevy Point, Cornwall:- a giant called Wrath captured and ate fisherman and sank ships. He lived in the sea.
Blackgang Chine, Isle of Wight:- a giant named Chale captured, roasted children over a charcoal fire and ate them. This continued until both he and the Chine were cursed by a holy man. There is no giant there now but it remains a forbidding place.
Nether Stowey & Stogursey, Somerset:- giants who lived under a huge mound of earth terrorised the local people, grabbed cows and the like and then developed a taste for human flesh. They were eventually overcome but people were always wary of the area, a dangerous place to be around. It is suggested that these sort of tales were harking back to creation mythology; chaos and destruction being overcome.
3/. Heroes and Giants
These tales go all the way back to Babylonian myths, Odysseus and the cyclops etc. It can be traced into folktales but on a more modest scale.
Jack:- killed the giant who lived on St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall by digging a pit, a stone was put over the hole. The giant stood on the stone and fell into the pit. There are a lot of stories of Jack the giant killer.
Sir Bevis of Hamtoun (Southampton):- according to a C13th romance killed a dragon and fought a giant. He spared the giant’s life and accepted him as his servant. In some accounts, Sir Bevis was a giant himself. This tale includes a horse called Arundel, which may have originally been Hirondelle which was a popular name for heroes horses.
Tom Hickathrift:- an enormous man who killed the giant who lived on the Smeeth at Tilney, Norfolk. There is an enormous stone in the church yard reputed to be his grave. He was dull and lazy at school, grew to a great height, he was 6ft tall when he was 10 years old and ate five normal children’s food. When he grew up, he took a job in a local brewery transporting barrels of beer. There was a giant in Smeeth who robbed and killed all who trespassed on the area. Tom had to take a long detour to avoid him. Being lazy he decided to take the direct route, ended up fighting and killing the giant. The giant had lots of gold and silver so Tom was rich for the rest of his life. This tale may have had its origins in the rights to land disputes.
Sir Guy of Warwick:- according to a C13th French romance, in Saxon times Sir Guy fought a giant called Colbrand who was the champion of a Danish force encamped at Winchester. Guy killed the giant and saved the people from the Danish threat. He went to the Holy Land and was so affected by his experience when he returned home he lived as a hermit and begged for food from his wife who did not recognise him. She died not long after he did and they were buried in the same grave.
Next Session. We shall complete the topic of giants and then move on to the Devil in Folktales
The meeting considered how giants connect to the natural world and feature in the landscape in British mythology and folklore. We started by looking at creation myths and then how they featured in folklore.
We started by looking at Irish Celtic creation myths. In Celtic myths the world has always been there but they do cover the first beings. There are a number of written sources which have survived. The book of Invasions is from 11 Century and uses earlier written and oral sources. In these myths Ireland was invaded by a succession of races from the Otherworld. Starting with the Race of Partholon, then the Nemedhians, the Fir Bholg, and then the Tuatha de Danaan. They all tamed and cultivated the land and fought the Formorii who were huge, evil deformed beings who lived in the air or under the sea. It could be argued that the Formorii is the chaos in creation so fighting these giants is something to keep the universe safe.
It is assumed the Welsh myths are the same but no written records remain. However the topic is covered in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s “History of the Kings of Britain” which was written around 1136. He made use of earlier transcripts and oral sources.
In his account the first humans were Trojans. Britain was first settled by Brutus who was descended from Aeneas, Prince of Troy. Brutus accidently killed his father and was expelled from Italy. It had been prophesied that Brutus would settle on an island in the western sea inhabited only by giants. After a long adventure he landed in Totnes. Brutus drove out most of the giants who were living there, leaving only a few in Cornwall and divided the land between his followers.
Corineus was Brutus’ right-hand man who liked to fight giants for sport. Brutus set up a fight with the Cornish giant Gogmagog. During the fight Gogmagog broke three of Corneus’s ribs. Corneus became enraged and picked up the giant, took him to the coast and threw him into the sea. The sea was stained red with the giant’s blood and his body was broken into a thousand pieces.
This can be seen as part of the gods/heroes working against the forces of chaos so the land can be settled.
These myths give a slightly different picture. The universe has a definite beginning.
In the oldest myths the giants worked alongside the gods to create the universe. The universe was created by the Sky God working with the giant Nokkvi, the helmsman to the moon as it sails across the sky.
The Sky God gave chariots to the giants Night and Day and sent them into the heavens to drive around the Earth.
Ymir the Giant was the first being, made from the meeting of fire and ice in a void. He fathered the first of the Frost Giants and produced the first man and woman from the ooze under his left armpit.
Audumla the cow fed Ymir on her milk and licked Buri, the first of the gods, out of the ice.
Bor, the son of Buri, married the Frost Giantess Bestla and fathered the gods Odin, Villi & Ve with her.
Odin, Villi and Ve had no liking for Ymir and eventually attacked and killed him. His blood drowned all but two of the giants who escaped on a boat on the flow of the blood, these giants constantly looked for revenge. Ymir’s body made the world, his flesh made the soil, his bones the mountains, his blood the seas and the lakes and so on.
The folklore mirrors earlier myths, some portray giants as being good and others as being bad. They were generally big and strong and neutral towards humans, sometimes friendly and destructive by accident. Figures of fun and the centre of amusing tales.
A number of folklore tales involve giants in building projects and as explanations for things in the landscape. There are lots of tales on this topic and there are lots of them from Cornwall.
There are a number of reasons for the tales. In some stories the real reason things were in the landscape was already well known and the tale told for amusement or entertainment. In some cases the knowledge may have been lost and made up by less educated local people. Others hold echoes of past mythology.
Next time we shall look at more tales of giant, some not well disposed to humans.
The session completed the topic looking at Seal People (Selkies), Sea Trows, Water Cattle and Kelpies.
1/. Seal people’s (Selkies):-
In tales from the West of Ireland and Scotland their normal environment is the sea, they can shed their skin and take on human form. This happens at dawn and dusk and on special days.
People used to claim they were descended from Selkies who bred with human men whilst in their human form.
One tale was of a young crofter/fisherman who saw a Selkie in the act of turning into a woman, he stole her skin so she could not revert and go back to the sea. He took her home to be his wife and they lived together and had children. She always wanted to return to the sea and one day found the skin the young man had left and went back to the sea and was never seen again.
There was another tale of the Selkie Bride from long ago on the coast of Scotland where a beautiful human form Selkie was left behind by her own kind when they were startled by a man. He kept her skin even though she begged for it as he had fallen in love with her. She was trapped and had no option but to agree to live with him. He kept the skin in a crook in the chimney. They were married and he truly loved her and she grew to love him too and they had 7 children. She pined for the sea and the children would sometimes see their mother on the beach. One of the children asked her why and she replied that she was born in the sea and your father has hidden my seal skin. The child knew where the skin was and moved by his mother’s distress brought the skin to her. She put the skin on and went into the sea. The fisherman’s heart broke in two and he realised how wrong he had been. They missed her for the rest of their lives, they often saw a seal close to the shore and they never went hungry as every time they went fishing, they had a net full of gleaming fish.
2/. Sea Trows from Shetland:-
These looked like human beings, they were mortal and very beautiful men and women with super natural powers. They lived in the sea down below any fish. The only way they could come up was by putting on the skin of an amphibious creature, once on shore they could take the skin off but they could not return if they lost the skin.
Samuel Hibbert in his book ‘A Description of the Shetland Isles’ says these were fallen angels who took refuge in the sea but records show these stories were there before Christianity.
They were fond of the Skerries and would revel in the moonlight protected by the turbulent water around the islands.
There are connections to Celtic Mythology, from the other world, using water as a way to cross over and shape-shifting
3/. Water Cattle:-
These are stories from the Celtic parts of Britain, Scotland, Wales and Coastal Ireland. In the Highlands of Scotland and Wales they are fairy cattle whose real homes are under the water and belong to the fairy folk. They are brown with no horns. One tale was of a fairy cow which was bred with a normal bull. When it had come to be of no further use they were about to butcher it when it was called home by a green woman, the cow sped away and took all her offspring with her.
4/. Horses/Kelpies:-
Kelpies were most often horses but they could also take on human form. Old men, young men, young women. They would go courting and could be recognised by the waterweed in their hair. They haunted fords and rivers especially at night in storms and when the rivers were full. They were dangerous and malevolent beings. They delighted in the drowning of men, distress of sailors as a ship went down.
The White Horse of Spey was ready saddled with reins dangling to lure tired travellers to ride it, then would gallop off into the water.
When the Conon River in Ross-shire was in flood it would appear as a woman or as a horse. The woman was described as being very tall and dressed in green. Her face was distorted by a malignant scowl. They would leap out from the water beside travellers and beckon them into the water. The traveller couldn’t resist and could not be saved. One tale covers a man being saved from drowning and taken to a church but later found face down in a trough. It was his fate.
Such was the belief in Kelpies that on one occasion some people were stuck on a sandbank in the Solway Firth and the people on land did not try to save them as they assumed it was kelpies and they could not be saved.
There were lots of these stories, with the majority resulting in mutilation with fingers being chopped off to loosen grip on reins in order to escape or drowning. On occasion the Kelpie could be outwitted.
These stories were a way of explain natural phenomenon.
Next time we shall start a new topic of Giants.
Eight members of the group attended the first visit that has been possible for more than a year. Twenty five species were recorded including a very interesting group of Dippers and a number of Grey Wagtails. We were also able to get close to a juvenile Nuthatch.
Thanks to Peter Gateley for these photographs taken on this visit.
Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen:
This is a list of vacant slots at the S&G HQ during the period up to September 2021.
If a Group Leader wishes to book a slot, the best way is to email Group Support.
Please note that established lunchtime activities mean that:
Morning sessions in the large hall on Monday, Tuesday and Friday must finish by 11:45.Morning sessions in the small hall on Thursday must finish by 11:45.
| AUGUST | |||||
| 2nd | Monday | Morning | small hall | vacant | |
| 2nd | Monday | Afternoon | small hall | vacant | |
| 3rd | Tuesday | Morning | large hall | vacant | |
| 3rd | Tuesday | Afternoon | large hall | Table Tennis | |
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| 16th | Monday | Morning | small hall | Guitars | |
| 17th | Tuesday | Morning | large hall | Creative Writing | |
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| 23rd | Monday | Afternoon | large hall | HEOG | |
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| 24th | Tuesday | Afternoon | large hall | Table Tennis | |
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| 31st | Tuesday | Afternoon | large hall | Church History | |
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| SEPTEMBER | |||||
| 1st | Wednesday | Morning | small hall | vacant | |
| 2nd | Thursday | Morning | large hall | vacant | |
| 7th | Tuesday | Afternoon | large hall | Derrick Fewings | |
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| 9th | Thursday | Morning | large hall | Derrick Fewings | |
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| 28th | Tuesday | Afternoon | large hall | Table Tennis | |
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| OCTOBER [No bookings being taken until August] | |||||
| 29th | Friday | Afternoon | large hall | vacant | |
Derrick Fewings
The session looked at mermaids and church bells and then other creatures.
1/. Legends Concerning Mermaids & Church Bells:-
Examples
These legends were common and may have had their origins in the old folklore of water spirits, goddesses. They hark back to pagan beliefs and old religions. The legends concerning church bells obviously come about with Christianity and are perhaps related to the struggles to get Christianity accepted. Metal is linked to the old beliefs and church bells may be dim memories of offerings in the past. Several the stories pick up on the theme of virtue and sin. Although it is set within a Christian context a number of the stories involve wise men and pagan like rituals which must be strictly adhered to or they will fail.
2/. Sea-Living Mermaids:-
There are a lot of these stories. They probably started as water spirits and had the mermaid label attached later, with Celtic mythology roots. Water being the portal between this world and the other world. They often had long blonde hair. The sea living mermaids had a range of supernatural powers, some could shape change shift, if they married a human they became a human. If the mermaid was treated well you would have good luck, if treated badly you would be cursed. Human husbands would live with them for all eternity. Some mermaids lived in the sea and also had farms on land.
We looked at a number of examples
3/. Water Fairies:-
Some mermaids were called water fairies and there is a blurred line in their definition. The water fairies also have their origins in water spirits, Celtic mythology and appear a lot in Welsh folklore. These would have towns on the beds of lakes, involve magic, time passing at a different rate, aversion to iron.
We looked in detail at
The Fairies of the Mountain Lake:-
“The people who lived near to Beddgelert in Snowdonia used to watch the Fairies dancing in the moonlight on the shores of a certain mountain lake. One night a young man fell in love with one of the Fairy women and he took her off and locked her in his house. She agreed to act as his servant, and then she married him. They had two children and lived together happily for some years. Then one day, when she was helping her husband to catch a horse, an iron bit struck her on the shoulder, iron being anathema to all Fairy Folk, and in an instant she vanished. However, on the Fairies’ mountain lake there was a floating island that was blown about by the wind, and from time to time, the Fairy wife would appear in this island and she would talk to her husband while he stood on the shore.” Janet & Colin Bord, “Atlas of Magical Britain”, 1990.
and at
The Lake Island in Llyn Cwm Llwych:-
“At the foot of Corn Du in the Brecon Beacons is the tiny lake of Llyn Cwm Llwych which is reputed to be bottomless. In ancient times, it was believed that there was a door in a rock which gave access to an island in the centre of the lake, which was invisible to those who stood on the shore. People who went to the island were hospitably received by the Fairies who lived there, but one day the Fairies were angry with a guest who took away a flower. They closed the door and for hundreds of years it could not be found.
One day some local people decided to drain the lake to see if the Fairies had left any treasure behind. They dug a deep trench and just when they had got to the point where another blow with the pick would have broken the bank and let out the water, there was a flash of lighting and a peal of thunder. From the lake rose a gigantic man, who warned them that if they disturbed his peace he would drown the valley of the River Usk, starting with Brecon town.”
and
The Poet Southey on the Subject of the Fairies’ Enchanted Island:-
“Of these islands or green spots of the floods, there are some singular superstitions. They are the abode of the Tylwth Teg, or the Fair Family….They love to visit the earth, and seizing a man enquire whether he will travel above wind, mid-wind, or below wind: above wind is a giddy and terrible passage, below wind is through brush and brake, the middle is a safe course…In their better moods they come and carry the Welsh in their boats. He who visits these islands imagines on his return that he has been absent only for a few hours, when in truth whole centuries have passed away. If you take turf from St David’s churchyard and stand upon it on the sea shore, you behold these islands. A man once who thus obtained sight of them immediately put to sea to find them, but his search was in vain. He returned, looked at them again from the enchanted turf, again set sail and failed again. The third time he took the turf into his vessel and stood upon it until he reached them.” Chris Barber, “Mysterious Wales”, 2000.
and
Wirt Sykes, “Goblins”, 1880:-
“Sailors on the coasts of Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire still talk of green meadows of enchantment which are visible sometimes to the eyes of mortals, but only for a brief space of time. In former years, some sailors went ashore on the Fairy islands, not knowing they were such, until they returned to their boats and were filled with awe at seeing the islands disappear from their sight, neither sinking into the sea, nor floating away upon the waters but simply vanishing.” Chris Barber, “Mysterious Wales, 2000.
Next time we shall continue with Seal People (Selkies) could shed their seal skins and assume human form, and Water Cattle/Kelpies
We wrote to all Science Group members towards the end of March 2021 to advise that the existing Science Group leaders would be retiring and the group would need new leaders to continue. Thank you to all who replied, many with very complimentary messages, for which we are truly grateful. We ourselves have greatly enjoyed our 12-year tenure in charge and hope we have brought both pleasure and mental stimulation to all who attended the talks, visits, short courses, quizzes, competitions and experiments.
We also thank everyone for their attendance over the years – that is the reason we kept going for so long, and it was always rewarding to see so many turn up. Attendance averaged 60 for the last 20 meetings prior to Covid-19, showing remarkable determination to keep up an interest in science whatever the weather, and whatever the topic. Members’ questions helped enliven the sessions and kept the speakers on their toes; indeed, the speakers always left with a very positive impression of our u3a.
Special thanks are due to all those who have played an active part in the monthly meetings, whether in organising and serving refreshments, putting chairs and tables out and tidying them away again, making sure everyone signed the register, or made sense of the microphone system! And we can never forget the many members who planned, researched, rehearsed and delivered such a wide spectrum of talks, whether full length single topic ones, or sharing a platform on “my favourite element” sessions. Without all these contributions, we couldn’t have done it, and our members wouldn’t have enjoyed it! So thanks to all once again.
A new team, comprising Bill Hale, Bill Soens, Peter Gateley and Colin Redwood, has volunteered to lead the group, on an interim basis, from September until Christmas 2021. We wish them every success, and hope that Science Group members will give them their full support. Indeed, they will no doubt appreciate any offers of help which can be given in this venture.
With very best wishes to you all – stay safe, get your vaccinations and believe in science!
From Jack Brettle, Patsy Colvin, Marguerita McBride, Alan Nolan
Though we weren’t able to have visiting speakers or arrange visits, we continued to tease you with some armchair science:
To see what we mean, head over to the “Science during Lockdown” page.
Jack Brettle, Alan Nolan
The session started looking at a selection of creatures associated with the natural world covering mermaids, water spirits, seal people, kelpies, all with watery connections.
Mermaids in Inland Water:-
By late C12th in western art the mermaid had acquired all her familiar features. In western Christian imagery she was a symbol of lust & desire.
In British folklore, mermaids were associated with water, love, marriage, procreation , danger and also wisdom.
Examples looked at in the session were:-
Atargatis:- venerated in ancient Near East; associated with the River Euphrates; personified the light & aspects of love; by C2nd AD depicted as half woman/ half fish.
Aphrodite:- Greek goddess of love (Roman Venus); born from the foam of the sea: in Roman times depicted as rising from the sea holding a looking glass.
Sirens:- in Greek mythology lured sailors onto the rocks with their beguiling song; depicted as half woman/ half bird.
Child Ercall, Shropshire:- a mermaid guarded treasure at the bottom of her pool.
Rostherne Mere, Knutsford, Cheshire:- a mermaid swam from the River Mersey to the mere every Easter Sunday (by way of an underground channel) and rang a bell at the bottom of the mere.
Marden, Herefordshire:- a mermaid appropriated a church bell that fell into her river.
Black Mere, Staffordshire:- a mermaid lured unwary travellers to their deaths.
East Anglia:- mermaids haunted the fens and inland pools.
River Kinder, Derbyshire:- a mermaid with the gift of immortality appeared in a pool at dawn on Easter Day.
Loch Benachally, Tayside:- the Laird of Lornty escaped a mermaid in the loch.
Girvan Water, Strathclyde:- a mermaid cursed the Lord and Lady of Knockdolian.
Dalbeattie Burn, Galloway:- a mermaid took revenge on a Christian woman.
Monmouthshire:- Nicky Nicky Nye dragged unwary children into rivers.
Fordham, Cambridgeshire:- a mermaid dragged unwary children into her pond.
Rendlesham, Suffolk:- a mermaid dragged unwary children into her pond.
Lancashire, Cheshire, Shropshire:- Jenny Greenteeth dragged unwary children into weed-filled rivers, ponds, lakes.
Piercebridge, County Durham:- Peg Powler lurked in the River Tees.
Frig/Nerthus:- Germanic/Scandinavian Earth Mother.
Rivers Tweed, Dart, Till, Derwent, Ribble:- “demanded” a certain number of lives each year.
There was a discussion on the possible origins of Mermaids in Inland water sources
We will have more to say about the mermaids and church bells in our next session (19th April).
The sessions continued and completed the subject of the Fairy Folk/Good People:
For ease of discussion we grouped the tales into 4 categories:-
1/. In the previous session we looked at a number of tales about the first group of The Good People. There are lots of stories about these and often involved farmers and their wives and their help would be rewarded with little loaves, pats of butter or cheeses. These stories occurred all over Britain and continental Europe.
2/. This second group had a less benign flavour to them. Great care had to be taken to show respect or there could be dire consequences. Giving way to greed, arrogance and abusing hospitality were often fatal. They may have been used as morality tales, and perhaps in later versions reflected Christian mores. They attribute supernatural causes onto natural events, for things at the time there was no obvious explanation such as wasting diseases.
The Midwife at Garth Dorwen
We looked in detail at the story of The Midwife at Garth Dorwen. Human midwives were often summoned to fairy births to help fairy mothers or assist human women who had been abducted.
An old man and his wife who lived at Garth Dorwen, near Llandwrog went to Caernarfon to hire a servant at the Fair. They hired a girl with yellow hair who was standing a little apart for the others.
The girl, Eilian, would go out into the meadow to spin by the light of the moon. Here the Tylwyth Teg (the good people) used to come to her and sing and dance. One day in Spring, she ran off with the Tylwyth Teg and no more was heard of her.
The old woman at Garth Dorwen helped women in childbed, and some time after this, a gentleman on horseback came to the door one night when the moon was full, to fetch her to his lady. The old woman rode pillion behind him and they came to Rhos-y-Cowrt. In the centre of the rhos (moor) was an old fortification. Here they entered a large cave and came to a room- and it was the finest place the old woman had seen in her life- where the wife lay in bed.
When the baby was born, the husband gave her ointment to anoint its eyes, warning her not to get it into her own, but one of her eyes happening to itch, she rubbed it with the finger she had used to anoint the baby’s eyes. At once she saw with that that the fine chamber was a cave, the bed a ring of stones lined with rushes and withered bracken, and the gentleman’s wife none other than her servant girl Eilian; yet with the other eye, she still saw the grandest place that ever she had seen.
Not long afterwards, the old woman went to Caernarfon market and there she saw the husband. “How is Eilian?”, she asked. “She is pretty well, thank you”, he said, “but which eye do you see me with?”. “Well this one”, said she. At once he took a bullrush stem and poked it out.
In this tale Eilian has unusually coloured hair which would make her attractive to the good people. They were thought to need human blood lines to strengthen theirs. The spinning, moonlight, full moon, caves, old forts, travelling at night are common themes. Grand fairy abodes were often revealed to be very modest. Again there was a great consequence for disobeying, a warning not to cause even accidental offence.
Tom Monahan and the Hurley
We also looked in detail at the tale of “Tom Monahan and the Hurley”, as recorded in Galway in 1945.
Tom Monahan from Doonlaun was one of the finest players of hurling in the district. One bright moonlight night, he was on his way home, and as he passed a field that sloped down from a wood, he was surprised to see two teams of men playing hurling in the moonlight, and as he watched the game, he realised that they must be the Good People. They played wonderfully well and after a time, Tom became so excited that he let out a yell, which alerted the Good People to his presence.
“Would you like to join in?”, they asked. “Indeed I would”, said Tom, and “Have you a hurley?” They handed Tom the finest hurley he had ever seen, and he played as he never had before, and his team won.
“I’ll tell you who we are, now”, said the Good People. “We are from the churchyard beyond, and we are in a great fix, for we have to play our old rivals from Knockmar on this night week, and they have a mortal, the red-headed Paddy Ruadh, to play for them, and he is the best hurler in County Mayo. Will you play for us, to even things up?’ “Indeed I will”, said Tom, ‘but can I have the same hurley?” And it was agreed.
So a week from that night, Tom crept out, telling no-one where he was going, and he found the two teams and his hurley waiting for him. They played and played, and in the end, Tom’s team won. “What would you like now?” said the Good People, “and we’ll give it to you.” “I’d like the hurley that I played so well with”, was the reply. “You’ve asked for the one thing we can’t do. Tis fairy property and we couldn’t give it away.” “Well I want it”, said Tom. “Well you can’t have it”, said the Good People. “Well I must”, said Tom, and with that he walked away, taking the hurley will him.
Well Tom was hardly home before he began to sicken. His mother could do nothing for him, and the doctor could do nothing for him, and all the time, he grew worse and worse. And when he knew that he was going to die, Tom asked them to bury the hurley with him in his coffin. Sure they did it, so maybe he’s still winning matches for Doonlaun now.”
The common themes let us know early in the tale that the good people are involved, moonlight, reference to red hair, the finest hurley, from a church yard, and with this Christian morality. He paid a high price for breaking the rules of hospitality.
3/. The third group, Changelings, have a very dark tone to them, especially in the early stories. The origins of these may have come from disabled babies, sudden illness, congenital disorders and defects, and infanticide. The changelings survive for a while. In the later stories, the human parents sometimes get the children back and the fairies don’t abandon their own.
There was a view that changelings were taken to strengthen the fairy stock. Boys with fair hair and rosy cheeks were prized, they were taken, treated well and in due course took a fairy bride. Something would be left behind in their place such as a magic block of wood or one of their own.
A changeling could be recognised as they were ugly and wizened, unnaturally knowing, becoming weak, grizzling, moping, and failing to thrive.
Precautions could be taken to protect a child from being taken. Iron and steel were well known to be repugnant to fairy folk, salt, rowan twigs, crucifix and rosary beads were protective. These are a mix of pagan and Christian beliefs co-opted into the stories later. In rural Ireland boys were dressed as girls to protect them from coming to the notice of the fairies until they were old enough to be safe.
These tales were from all over the country with examples from Ipstones, Staffordshire, Fermanagh, Ireland, Kington, Powys, Scotland and Llyn Ebyr, Wales. The people recounting the tale were often well-regarded members of the community and therefore viewed as reliable. A way to get the changeling to show itself was to act in an unexpected way, in the tale from Llyn Ebyr eggshell stew was served to the workers.
4/. The fourth group are those where adult humans wander into the fairy realm or are abducted. There were numerous examples of these.
These had echoes of the Celtic other world. Involved journeys near water, at night, at length, through caves, underground, through gaps in rocks, through a door, getting lost. You were safe if you did not eat or drink. The passage of time was different. Behaving oddly or bringing something from this world could be used to escape or rescue a person. Some tales left the protagonists caught between worlds where they could be heard from time to time outside cave entrances, in the wind etc..
The other world could be recognised because it was beautiful, vibrant and splendid. In Irish culture it was often the land of youth and health. It was often shown to be enchantment and not real.
The Fairy Dwelling on Selena Moor
We looked at this tale in detail, it has many of these elements.
A Farmer called Noy once took a short cut on Selena Moor in Cornwall and he became lost. After wandering for many miles over country that he could not recognise, he came upon a house, outside which hundreds of people were either dancing, or sitting drinking at tables. They were all richly dressed, but they looked to the farmer to be very small, and the tables and cups were small as well.
The farmer was astounded when he recognised a young woman who was serving drinks. She was his former sweetheart Grace, and as far as everyone was concerned, she had died three or four years before. Grace beckoned him aside, into the orchard that surrounded the house, and told him that she had also become lost on the moor, while searching for a lost sheep. What her friends found on the moor, what they thought was her body, was in fact a changeling, a stock, put there by the Fairies. In fact she had wandered around for hours until she came to an orchard where she could hear music playing. Although the music sounded near at hand, she could not get out of the orchard to find it.
At last, worn out with hunger and thirst, she plucked a golden plum from one of the trees and began to eat it. At once the fruit dissolved into bitter water in her mouth and she fell into a faint. When she revived, she found herself surrounded by a crowd of little people, who were very pleased to have acquired such a likely looking girl to bake and brew for them, and to look after their human babies.
Farmer Noy asked her about the little people, and she told him that their lives seemed unnatural and sham:- “They have little sense or feeling; what serves them in a way as such, is merely the remembrance of whatever pleased them when they lived as mortals, maybe thousands of years ago.”
Farmer Noy asked if Fairy babies were ever born, and Grace replied just occasionally, and then there was great rejoicing. Every little Fairy man, however old and wizened, was proud to be thought its father:- “For you must remember that they are not of our religion, but star-worshippers (pagans). They do not always live together like Christians and turtle doves; considering their long existence, such constancy would be tiresome for them.”
When Grace was called back to her work, she warned the farmer not to touch any fruit or flower in the orchard “for your very life”.
Farmer Noy thought that he might find a way to rescue them both; so he took his hedging gloves out of his pocket, turned them inside out and threw them in among the Fairies. Immediately everything vanished, including his lady-love, and he found himself standing alone beside a ruined cottage on the moor.
He was found some time later, dazed and bewildered, by the friends who had come out search for him. When he recovered his senses, he was much surprised to discover that he had been missing for three days.
Origins of the Fairy Folk in British Folklore:-
At the end of the topic we looked at the possible origins of the Fairy Folk. These tales stand out as being a distinctly different set of stories and there are a great many legends concerning them.
(i) they may have been used to illustrate examples of proper behaviour in stories designed to have a teaching function for children and adults. With Christian morals co-opted into them in later versions.
(ii) they may have been the existing inhabitants of Britain displaced when either the Bronze Age people or the Iron Age Celts arrived and they were pushed to the margins. The fairies didn’t like iron and the Celts had iron weapons. However, it is now thought that these peoples were blended together. There may be echoes of human origins in the long distant past.
(iii) they may have been linked to a cult of the dead, cult of the ancestors. Glastonbury Tor, Somerset:- St Collen met Gwyn ap Nudd (King of the Fairies, Lord of Annwyn) in his palace inside the Tor. Fairy Folk and the realm of the dead.
(iv) they may represent a survival of Celtic mythology: originally they may have been Celtic gods & goddesses. Aine:- wife of the Celtic sea god Manannan Mac Lir; wife of the sky horse Echdae; strong associations with the Earth Mother/ Great Goddess; in Munster venerated at Cnoc Aine as goddess of the dawn and also as Queen of the Fairies.
Next time we shall continue with supernatural in the natural world and landscape including the sea and mermaids.
We are very fortunate, this year, to be treated to a series of tales written by members following an initiative from Sue Watkinson, Trustee and member of Communications Subcommittee. Here are the initial examples, already published in one of the monthly enews of 2021.
Many thanks to Sue for having this idea in the first place and then promoting it. And, of course, the efforts of the authors are applauded and much appreciated.
If you have a suitable tale to tell ie one in which you have some direct or indirect involvement and you would like to share it with us, please contact webteam@aughon-ormskirk-u3a.co.uk.
In the dark night sky above the village of Hoveringham a Lancaster bomber circled, its engine spluttering. It was a training flight, and on board was a crew of 7 British and Canadian airmen, including the Flight Engineer, Albert Mercer, aged 23. As horrified villagers watched, the aircraft burst into flames and exploded, scattering pieces of burning fuselage across the surrounding fields. None of the crew survived.
Olive made her way home from the station in the cold, blackout darkness of the January night. She was happy and excited, thinking about the handsome young man she had met on the train to Liverpool a few weeks earlier. As she turned into Chester Road and walked towards the house, she became aware that something wasn’t right, and as she turned her key in the lock she realised that there were no lights on, no smell of cooking, no voices to be heard. Heart thumping, she made her way into the living room to find Mum, Dad and 14 year old brother Billy, huddled round the fire. Billy turned, tears streaming down his cheeks: ‘Albert’s crashed’.
Janice had almost given up hope of finding anyone in the village who remembered the crash. She had always known about Albert, her mother’s older brother, who had been killed in an air crash during the war, but no details had ever come to light. Why did the plane crash? Was he killed instantly? Had there been an investigation? The last door she knocked on was opened by an elderly gentleman. ‘Oh yes, I was only a child at the time but I remember it well …’
Walking across the fields adjacent to her home with her brother David, a former RAF pilot, Helen was anxious to try out the metal detector she had been given for Christmas. Within minutes they discovered several pieces of jagged metal, which David identified as aeroplane fuselage. Intrigued, they made enquiries locally, and found eye witnesses, children at the time, who had seen that fatal crash in January 1945. One gentleman also mentioned a lady who had knocked on his door some years earlier, and who had left a name and phone number.
Olive was my Mum, Janice my sister and Albert my uncle, although I never met him as he died 5 years before I was born. He loved music, motor bikes and horses and by all accounts was the life and soul of any party. Growing up, we knew that Albert had died in a plane crash during the war, and we had visited his grave in Southport’s Duke St Cemetery. The events described above might have been the end of the story, but Helen discovered that there was not just one crash, but two, within weeks of each other in January 1945, in which 14 young men from Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand had perished. Over the next 12 months she managed to make contact with the families of all but one of them, and in May 2010 we were all invited to the dedication of 2 memorial stones, erected on the land where the aircraft crashed. Helen also wrote a book: ‘The Courage of the Small Hours’, describing each individual airman, the wartime background and the role played by Bomber Command during the war. Finally, the huge and tragic sacrifice made by those young men so long ago had been recognised.
Uncle Albert would have been 100 in August 2021.
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Helen later wrote:
The Lancasters were based at RAF Syerston and both crews were on their final training flights. The aircraft crashed for different reasons, but reading the accident reports, it would be fair to assume structural or engine failure played a part as crews in training were given ‘beaten up’ old aircraft to learn in, which had been retired from active service. They frequently suffered structural disasters.
Of the 125,000 young men who served as aircrew in Bomber Command, nearly half were killed (55,573). Of that number, roughly 8,500 died in training accidents. There were 15 aircraft crashes in the local area around Hoveringham during the war, mostly heavy bombers, and around 100 young airmen died in the skies above and in the fields around us in this quiet corner of Nottinghamshire.
Pamela
February 2021
The photo is of our son, Michael Ingman, next to the monolith that appeared mid January in Hightown Dunes.
The first monolith was discovered in the Utah Desert mid November 2020 after being seen by a pilot from a small plane. It then disappeared with no trace after a few weeks. Since then over 170 similar monoliths have been viewed around the globe and within days of being discovered have vanished like the first one.
The mystery of why and how these monoliths came to appear for short periods around our Planet has given vent to various ideas. It has been likened to an alien life form as imagined in the 1968 film of “A Space Odyssey.” The appearances and disappearances have both added in equal forms in the attempt to discover a realistic explanation.
In the meantime different artists have come forward to claim credit and the term “Land Art” has been used to describe these metal monoliths. How appropriate, though, for one to appear in such close proximity to Anthony Gormley’s, ‘Another Place’ within a mile further down the coast.
There is, I believe, sadly no mystery over this one’s disappearance within a week, as by all accounts Sefton Council have it in storage, to prevent visitors damaging more of the dune area where conservation projects are ongoing.
As yet though, my understanding is that no-one seems to have claimed this monolith! So could there still be a mystery to be discovered?
Judy Ingman February 2021.
As everyone knows, the Census comes once every 10 years.
And this year, it’s on 21st March.
If you have questions such as Why do I have to complete the census? What information do they want? or Is it used for more than just family history research? you can get the answers from Lauren Mullen, the Census Engagement Manager for West Lancashire, who has offered to talk to us via Zoom.
If you wish to join this Zoom session, please email webteam@aughton-ormskirk-u3a.
See also Lauren’s email about the Census.
Diana’s Funeral by Margaret Kitchen
Journalists go out on assignments with the intention of observing, questioning and reporting. We don’t go with the idea of expressing our personal opinions.
So when, the day before Princess Diana’s funeral, I was boarding the London bound train, I was ambushed by a local TV company asking for my views, I was taken aback. In the maelstrom of the hysterical days since August 31st I had been busy reporting on the situation and had not had much time to consider what I thought.
Since entering social isolation started early last year, we have covered the times and seasons in various website ‘galleries’ filling them with items sent in by our talented members.
The first lockdown started in March 2020, so we missed late Winter and early Spring. This new Gallery, on the theme of ‘Signs of Spring’ aims to fill that gap. We hope too that it will give members cheer that warmer and brighter weather is on its way, new life is returning to the world and there is renewed hope for a safer and more carefree future.
Many, many thanks to all contributors so far. Scroll down the Page to see the latest sections. This Gallery Page is work-in-progress. If you have snapped any other ‘Signs of Spring’ in your garden or on your walks in February or March, please do send them to us at webteam@aughton-ormskirk-u3a.co.uk. As well as flowers, bushes and trees, we particularly welcome relevant images pics of birds, bees, butterflies and other insects, new life in farm or field such as lambs, and country and garden wildlife awakening from winter slumbers.
(Click on any picture to move through the slideshow.)
* Note – According to Wikipedia, the Green Man is a “legendary being primarily interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, representing the cycle of new growth that occurs every spring.”
Many of the first photos sent in were of snowdrops. So here is a poem from Judy. Although written a few years ago, it is particularly pertinent to 2021.
Leading us into a warmer direction
Taking us forward away from the snow
Away from the wind and the cold that will go.
As we see Spring colours starting to brighten
And the days grow longer in order to lighten
Projecting the warmth that will help us to cope
We will all move forward into seasons of hope.
Judy Ingman, Jan. 2018.
All of these flowers were on display in mid April, making an oasis of colour between two major roads in the town.
To refresh your memory of the lovely and interesting 2020 Galleries, do revisit:
1/. Flitting with the Boggart . Sometimes the helpful or mischievous boggart would become so troublesome a family would seek to move . We followed a detailed tale of a boggart attached to a family. This tale was designed to entertain.
We looked at the development of a story recorded in two different locations. The story we started with was from Yorkshire recorded in Literary Gazette April 1825, quoted in Katharine M Briggs British Folktale and Legends: A sampler London Paladin/Granada 1977 p122. The family were being troubled by an unseen Boggart who tormented the children. This Boggart lived in a closet which had a knot hole in the door. The children would poke things through, and they would be violently thrown out. Eventually the family resolved to move out and leave the Boggart behind. The Boggart hid himself in a large churn and spoke to them as they were travelling to the new home. The family decided to return to the house they had just left.
This tale bears a remarkable likeness to that recorded by John Roby in ‘Traditions of Lancashire’. This had some added details such as a worthy old lady recounting the tale but elements of it were almost verbatim. This was set in Lancashire and is thought to be a more recent version.
These tales often have little gems of old traditions and ancient beliefs. Knot holes were thought to be a way of seeing things you could not otherwise see, portals. Holes in stones were believed to be protection from witches.
2/. Fairy Folk/Good People
They are very much the superior elite of household beings. These are not the fairies from children’s story books and are more sinister, tricksy, and dangerous and need to be treated with respect.
They would spend most of their time in their own realm but would visit our world for their own purposes or to encounter humans.
Care had to be taken in interactions with them. Humans had to play fair with them, not be mean-spirited with them, not be disrespectful, not spy on them, not talk openly about them. They are addressed as ‘Good People’, ‘Hidden People. Using their names is disrespectful and there is power in using a name. It was a widespread and ancient belief that using a name gave you power over them. This is something which comes up in other tales such as Odysseus, Rumpelstiltskin. It also features in modern day story-telling in films such as Beetlejuice and Candyman.
If they were offended, they would take swift and nasty retribution.
Stories often like morality tales
The lifestyle of the Good Folk was similar to humans and they had a social hierarchy.
There was an aristocracy with a king and a queen. They would come to this world to hold their feasts, ride or hunt.
There were also ordinary Fairy folk who were small about the size 3-year-old children who looked human like. They too enjoyed feasting, but they also had to work as farmers and bakers etc.. As part of their work, they would visit markets in the human world. They could extract money from human farmers’ pockets without their knowledge.
Good people were masters of magic. They could give gifts which appeared to be of little or no value and turn them into gold etc. They could not fly using wings but used some magic device such as a cap, belt or spell. They could appear and disappear at will.
The best time to see them was at dawn or dusk, bright star or moon lit nights. Out of the corner of your eye between one blink and the next. Also if you held a 4 leaf clover or had a holed stone.
There are lots of tales and legends which fall into 4 categories:-
We looked at a number tales about the first group of The Good People and these included :-
A common theme was finding Fairy underground homes under houses, tree roots etc. This may link back to prehistoric workings which had chambers underground and may have been seen as an explanation of that. There were also memories of offerings made in the past linking back to ploughing and rites to ensure a good harvest.
We looked in detail at Paddy O’Gadhra’s Fairy Shilling Malin Glen, Donegal:- where a Fairy rewarded his help carrying a heavy basket with a shilling which kept reappearing in his pocket even after he had spent it. Eventually, he started to fear his wonderful gift so he went to the priest in Glencolumcile and told him what had happened. The priest put his stole around his neck and made the sign of the cross on the shilling, and it vanished. This tale shows rewards for a good deed and the response to Christianity.
We also looked at the Broken Fairy Peel (ref Westwood & Simpson, “The Lore of the Land”):- A peel is a wooden shovel for the removal of bread from the oven. This was set at Burlow Castle, Ardlington, in Sussex which was well known for fairies, and nobody liked to go by it after dark for fear of them. One day, a man called Charles was ploughing a field alongside the earthwork, together with a mate called Harry, when they heard a noise under the ground, which was a Fairy, calling for help because she was baking bread and had broken her peel. “Put it up and I’ll try and mend it”, said Charles, and up through a crack in the dry ground came a little peel, no bigger than a cheese knife. Charles was careful not to laugh at the tiny thing, but mended it and laid it back in the crack. Harry had his back turned during this and when Charles told him about it, he refused to believe it, saying it was nonsense and there were no fairies nowadays.
Next day they were working in the same field and stopped for their lunch, Charles heard the voice again, and saw standing close by the crack, a little bowl full of “summat that smelled a hell and all better than small beer.” He drank it up eagerly and meant to keep the bowl to show Harry, for he was elsewhere again, but it slipped out of his hands and smashed to pieces, so Harry only laughed at him. But Harry was paid out. He fell ill and could no longer work, and pined away ’til he was only skin and bone. The doctor could do nothing for him, and he died a year later, at the very same day and hour that the little voice was first heard and when he spoke against the Fairies.
This tale picks up a number of the recurring themes. A place where you did not venture after dark, located close to ancient earthworks, with the fairy living under ground. A reward for a good turn and showing respect. Dire punishment for being disrespectful.
Next time we shall continue with Fairies.
1/. We finished off the Hedley Kow. Kow being the North Country name for a Boggart/Boggle. This was known for playing tricks, could shape shift and would cause torment. It could appear at the birth of a child, mocking and taunting those involved. This was a special time where when new life is brought about and seen as a time where the boundaries between this world and the other were blurred. It took many forms not all of them animal.
The origins of this type of being go back into history and have been embellished over time. Tales of shape shifting goes back into Celtic Myths and legends.
2/. We then had a look at a large number of examples of helpful creatures, these were found all over the country and included:-
3/. There was a sort of common set of rules/themes when dealing with these creatures:-
4/. Origins
The origins of this folklore lie far back in time and they may have provided a consequence and a reason for things that happened that could not otherwise be explained. There could have been a teaching purpose behind them. They may have provided a moral framework as they were willing to help decent humans and this may have been developed as Christianity grew.
References to trees in the tales links back to Norse mythology, Yggdrasil was the tree which held the various worlds together and offerings of milk would be given to nourish it. Holly is regarded as protective against things evil.
Next session Flitting with the Boggarts and then moving on to The Faery Folk or The Good Folk.
As you know, from looking at the 2020 programme, things did not go as planned last season. At present (3rd February 2021) it is still impossible to say when meetings in the usual venue will be able to resume. As soon as there is any clear news of when we can resume, there will be a notification via Beacon.
Of the planned sessions for 2020 only the presentations for Canterbury and Rochester actually took place. Assuming we can start again some time this Summer it is planned that we continue from where we left off, with the presentations on Chichester Cathedral, St Alban’s, St Paul’s and finally Westminster Abbey. We don’t expect that the two planned visits, to Lancaster and to Beverley, will take place in 2021, but should be able to proceed in 2022, if there is still continuing interest by that point!
After these four presentations all the major medieval English cathedrals will have been covered. However, all the Peters have been discussing possible subjects for 2022 and beyond, for example there are other cathedrals, more-recent foundations in England as well as ancient cathedrals in Wales and Scotland. Another possible route would be the great store of remains of medieval abbeys and other religious houses, or surviving large medieval churches and minsters, no decisions are yet made.
In the meantime we look forward to seeing you all again for the Chichester Cathedral presentation, whenever that may be, and hope that you are staying safe and well.
Peter, Peter and Pete