Lammas: Celebrating the Fruits of the First Harvest (Paperback)

~ (Author), Paul Mason (Author) "Although Lughnasa has an ancient and fascinating history, nowadays it is a rather obscure festival..." (more)
Key Phrases: corn rigs, sovereign goddess, corn lord, Crom Dubh, Dog Star, Native American (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This volume attempts to retrieve and revivify the ancient traditions surrounding the early fall festival of Lammas, or, as the authors assure us it is better called, Lughnasa. While a certain degree of whimsy, fancy, and wish-fulfillment play a part in their teachings on divination from ashes, color symbolism, and the like, the authors write engagingly. This book should give pleasure and welcome advice to those interested in pre- and extra-Christian ritual practice. For larger collections or where interest in neo-paganism is strong.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

Discover the ancient festival of Lammas and celebrate the harvest fruits according to tradition with this guide that describes the festival's origins and compares similar festivals around the world,

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738700940
• ISBN-13: 978-0738700946
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #275,062 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #65 in

  Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Mythology > Celtic & British Isles

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Golden corn, silver blade, here the sacrifice is made...*, March 16, 2003

By	Kelly L. (www.FantasyLiterature.com) (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

First of all, please ignore the review below that proclaims this book to be "Pagan Lite". This reviewer has cut-and-pasted that review, verbatim, under all of the books in the Sabbat Series. Given that I've read several of them which don't fit the "Lite" description, I am surmising that the reviewer read maybe one of the books and made a generalization about all of them. Bear in mind that they are written by different authors, with varying degrees of knowledge and writing skills.

Anna Franklin and Paul Mason do a great job here with the fragmentary material they have to work with. Lammas/Lughnasad is possibly the most obscure of the Wiccan holidays, both because little survives about it and because the sometimes uncomfortable theme of sacrifice is present in it. The authors piece together what information remains to us about the deity for whom Lughnasad is named--Irish Lugh, Welsh Llew--and about the ways they were honored. Since this isn't a huge body of information, they supplement it with material about other sacrificial gods whose rites occurred around this time of year, such as Odin, Adonis, and Dionysos. They add in some of Robert Graves's evocative speculations about sacrificial kings, and together all this stuff will give you a good starting point for your Lammas rituals.

There are also recipes, incenses, spells, dyes, etc. Additionally, there is a large section on warrior magic, since Lugh was a warrior and Lughnasad is often considered a time to honor these fierce energies. This section almost could have been another book, dealing with things such as totem animals.

The book concludes with several rituals for the season, each with a different cultural slant (Druidic, Norse, general Wiccan, etc.) The rituals are relatively simple as written, which I like, since it means I can use them as a framework and flesh them out with my own writing and ideas.

Overall, a valuable book about an obscure holiday.

*--A chant I made up.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A strong addition to the "Sabbat" series by Llewellyn, August 4, 2002

By	Jonathan Burgoine "bookseller" (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When discussing the sabbats, most pagan and wiccan books reserve only a few paragraphs to the various cellebrations, and most specific titles devote most of their time to Yule or Samhain/Hallowe'en. Lammas often gets a paragraph or two at best, and no real descriptive text giving you even a starting point on cellebrating the sabbat. Having taken a timid step toward the Sabbat series of books by Llewellyn with "Yule," and "Hallowe'en," I snapped up a copy of "Lammas" in time for my celebration in August, and read it cover to cover.

Much like Morrison's worldly take in "Yule," Franklin and Mason have penned a book that is a blend of various pagan and celtic folklore and world harvest celebrations. From Lugh to fashioning corn maidens, to specific Lughnasa magics, and rounding it all up with a cookbook perfect for any first harvest spread, the book was quite full of ways to craft a more serious Lammas cellebration, and had just the right mix of inspiration and lore to make it more than a glorified arts and crafts book for your New Age shelf. I cannot say enough about the folklore aspect of this book: there is so much here that helps bring a real focus to your Lammas cellebration.

Definitely more useful and in depth than Ravenwolf's "Hallowe'en" (the weakest of the series so far), "Lammas" will find a welcome home in the hands of beginner and more experienced pagans and wiccans alike.

'Nathan

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete, Scholarly, Practical and Fun, July 9, 2002

By	Terrie (Little Chute, WI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

It is true that the Llewellyn series of books on the pagan Sabbats is a mixed bag with some of the eight books being light-weight, some being useful and some, as in this case, being excellent in every way. Each of the books should be judged on an individual basis. This title has a thorough introduction and much history and lore on the subject of the pagan holiday or Sabbat called Lammas or Lughnasadh. The writing is engaging and well-researched and very informative. It discusses among others the customs of well dressing, Telltown marriages, handfastings, and Highland games. It provides good detail on the myth of the Celtic god Lugh from whom one name for this holiday is derived. It discusses similar harvest festivals and practices from other cultures around the world. It provides a well-rounded view of this holiday and does not depict it only as a harvest festival but includes the lesser-known aspects of competition, gaming, warrior activities, divination and the lore of the Ash tree. Even a well-read and experienced pagan is likely to find new and interesting insights in this book. It contains a good section on Lammas traditional foods that include Boxty Scones that I can personally attest to as being delicious. The craft section of this book has many seasonal crafts that are fun and easy, including the familiar and traditonal craft of making corn dollies. There are recipes for making incense and herbal dyes. The chapter on Warrior magic is filled with evocative and colorful crafts as well. Several simple but meaningful rituals are also included, adaptable for personal Sabbat celebrations.
The book is thorough and though not a beginner's book, certainly helpful and easily understood. It makes keeping this Sabbat a deeper experience and I think it will be much appreciated by the serious pagan. It is an interesting look at lesser-known cultural customs even for the non-pagan and can aid significantly in one's appreciation of the subtle turning of the wheel of the year.