St. Patrick wasn't Irish, he wore blue, not green and there were no snakes.
​But there were vampires and leprechauns and witches. Oh my!

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, I'm using my alphabet prompts to learn more about all things Irish. I'm only doing one or two topics per letter, even though I can think of many more for some.. Even so, be warned. This will be a long post. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Let's start with something light and fun! Ha!

A is for Abhartach, the Irish Vampire. 
Even though Dracula, the character created by Bram Stoker, is most often associated with Transylvania, in reality he may have been based on an Irish king, Abhartach. He was said to be a dwarf and considered to be evil and feared by all who knew him.
He was a very jealous man and was suspicious of his wife, convinced that she was having an affair. While spying on her from a high castle window, he fell to his death. The entire kingdom was relieved.. They buried him upright, apparently the correct burial position for royalty, and enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep. One. Just one.
Because the next day, he rose from the dead, and demanded that all of his subjects slit their wrists and drain their blood into bowls. Well, you can imagine they were upset, so they traveled to the next village seeking help from another king, Cathan, who came, killed him and buried him once more. 
You guessed it. Up he came, ready for yet another snack.
This continued until Cathan decided to seek help from a saint who explained there was no way to kill someone who was already dead!
His suggestion was to bury him upside down, cover him with thorns and ash branches, and top it off with a huge boulder. As far as we know it worked, and peace returned to the kingdom. He served as inspiration for Stoker's Dracula, and all lived happily ever after!

A banshee is a terrifying, wispy, floating specter with a piercing scream who warns of a coming death in the family. First reports were in Ireland in the 8th century. This alarming figure, usually female, varies in age from a young maiden to an old woman. Some families were reported to have their very own banshee, possibly having been a family member who had passed. They were known for their  keening,  mournful singing and wailing, as they lamented the death of loved ones. 

,​King Lir, Bobd Derg, was left with four motherless children, one daughter and three sons, when his wife Aoibh, the queen, unexpectedly passed away. The king decided to marry Aoife, his wife's sister,

Holly has no rivals as a protective plant! It guards against poisons, evil spirits, lightning, and theft. Carry it with you if you are expecting to see any lions or tigers or bears - oh my! All you have to do is throw it in their direction and they will immediately stop their attack, lie down and take a nap! Handy!

Holly is a masculine plant, an herb of the planet Mars, so men will find it particularly useful in promoting good luck and protecting them from witches!

For centuries, holly, also called Holm, Hover Bush or Bat's Wings, was a pagan plant.The name holly means 'prickly'.  After the birth of Christ, it began to be associated with Christianity. One legend states that the holly plant sprang up under the footprints of Jesus. Another states that at one time the berries were white, but after Christ's death, they turned red from the blood he shed for all mankind. The prickly leaves are associated with the crown of thorns, and the white blossoms symbolize purity. 

It is one of the most often used greens of the holiday season. Whether you need protection, a splash of color or both, it is an ideal decoration. It will also determine who will rule the house for the coming year. If the leaves are prickly, the man will be in charge, and if it is of a variety with smooth leaves, the woman will rule the home.

Ivy is another herb frequently associated with Christmas. It is most often mentioned in association with holly, its male counterpart. Ivy is the feminine, a plant of the planet Saturn. 

The three points of ivy remind us of the Holy Trinity. She is an herb of protection and healing,  often seen in bridal bouquets, providing good luck, fidelity and health. 

The traditional English Christmas carol (carol translates to "a dance of celebration"), The Holly and the Ivy, dates back to 15 or 16th century. It was re-introduced by Cecil J. Sharp (1859-1924) in his collection of hymns and carols, in 1911.  

There was a contest between the holly and the ivy to determine which should be the 'best in the hall.'  I'll let you decide who took the prize!

The Holly and the Ivy

The holly and the ivy, 
when they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood, 
the holly bears the crown.

Chorus:Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a blossom as white as lily flower
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to be our sweet savior.

Chorus

The holly bears a berry as red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to do poor sinners good.

Chorus

The holly bears a prickle as sharp as any thorn,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ on Christmas Day in the morn.

Chorus

The holly bears a bark as bitter as any gall,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ for to redeem us all.

Helleborus niger was valued as a medicinal plant long before it became associated with Christmas. The first mention comes from 900 B.C. when her discovery was attributed to a shepherd. He used it first with restless, agitated animals and then a neighbor who was considered insane. The king of Argus heard of the cure and contacted him to heal his three daughters, all convinced that they were cows. The shepherd's treatment was successful and his reward was marriage to the youngest princess. You can't make this stuff up! 

The association with Christmas came from another shepherd, a  young girl named Madelon. It was a cold and bitter night when three wise men following a star passed by her watch. They told her of the wondrous birth and she followed them to the manger. When they arrived, all had gifts for the baby Jesus - frankincense, myrrh, gold, honey, fruits and herbs. She had nothing to give him and began to cry. An angel appeared and asked her why she was so unhappy. She explained that she had no gift for the new born King. The angel took pity on her and turned each of her tears into a beautiful white flower edged in pink. Madelon was over joyed as she presented her gift of the Christmas Rose to the tiny baby. 

Joseph of Arimathaea carried a staff made from the hawthorn to Glastonbury, Somerset, England when he journeyed there to share his ministry of Christianity to the ancient Britons.  He arrived at wearyall Hill, exhausted from his long journey, and thrust the hawthorn staff into the ground.  The tree took root, grew leaves and is said to blossom twice annually, in the spring and again in the winter on the birthday of Christ.  

The famous Abbey of Glastonbury was built next to the famous Glastonbury Thorn, and pilgrims traveled there for years to seek the blessing of the thorn.  The original tree has been propagated several times by grafting. Sadly, the original tree was burned during the English Civill War. It was replaced in 2010. Cuttings from the tree have been grafted since ancient times and one was taken to the National Cathedral in Washington, D. C. where it is currently growing in the Bishop's Garden.

When Christianity arrived in northern Europe and the legend of the Christmas tree became known, three angels, Faith, Hope and Charity were sent from the heavens to find the perfect tree!
The perfect tree was to be as 
Great as Faith
High as Hope 
Sweet as Charity
It was also to have a cross on every bough. 

The search ended when they found the fir tree.  
They lighted it with stars and it became the first Christmas Tree. 

"As for rosemary, it is the herb sacred to remembrance and to friendship." Sir Thomas More

When Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus fled through the Egyptian desert from King Herod's soldiers, they found shelter in a rosemary grove. Mary draped her blue shawl over one of the white flowered bushes before she retired for the night.

The next morning when Joseph removed the shawl, they found that the white flowers had changed to the shade of blue of Mary's shawl. Since then, most rosemary blossoms are blue and traditionally flower in December around the time of the celebration of Christ's birth.