Once upon a Beltane: The Tale of Syrinx & Pan
We’ll pick lilacs and daisies and weave them through our hair; smear nectar on our skin and tell the bees they’re welcome there.
- Ellis Nightingale
In some communities, Beltane's crowned as the start of summer.
If your soil is newly thawed, your spring garden barely rooted, don’t fret – for a sabbat is not limited to a day, but a season. This means some Witches and Pagans honor Beltane on April 30th and May 1st, while others make their plans according to nature.
Also known as May Day or Walpurgis Night, in the old world, the Beltane fires were only lit once the thorn trees bloomed. At the same time, farmers were moving their animals out to pasture. Since May Day flames were believed to protect from ill fortune, farmers walked their herds between two lit pyres on their way to the fields. Smoke from Beltane fires was also believed to drive away the mischievous fairies.
Little Witch and the fairies are coven mates, but in years past, not everyone was keen on these elusive sprites. Some landowners blamed fairies for garden mishaps like blight, pest infestation, drought, and whatever else threatened their future harvests. To appease the fae folk, people hung bells and planted extra rows of flowers in their gardens. Others crafted flower crowns and protective wreaths for their homes.
May Day lore suggests that fairies were drawn to all wildflowers and springtime blooms, particularly those with thorns…
Beltane is the inverse of Samhain, so when the Hawthorn trees bloom, the veil to the Otherworld thins. The Hawthorne tree is said to be protected by Bloddeuwedd, the Welsh Goddess of Flowers and Initiations. Like the bee seeks out the most fragrant blooms, Hawthorn's blossoms attract abundance and authenticity, and Bloddeuwedd's berries speak to our ancestral roots. Legend says if we're able to gain the fairies' trust, Bloddeuwedd offers us a bouquet of protective thorns for as long as our Beltane fires glow.
Like many goddesses and nymphs, fairies are shapeshifters - taking the form of animals or humans, sometimes even dressing as their favorite flowers.
We see the shapeshifting fairy in the myth of Syrinx and Pan. Syrinx (also known as Syringa) was a peaceful naiad and follower of Artemis. One day, while Syrinx was stringing her bow in the woods, Pan spied the maiden and fell in love. Sensing the satyr's unwanted gaze, Syrinx took off into the trees. The nymph managed to outrun Pan, but only temporarily, as the horned god knew the forest as well as she. Syrinx hid behind tree trunks, flowering shrubs, and even within a tangle of brambles and thistles. But sadly, it was no use.
Exhausted, Syrinx ended up at the water's edge. With Pan closing in, she appealed to the water and woodland spirits, and to chaste Artemis for escape. When Artemis responded, offering Syrinx her hand, the naiad took it.
Instantly, the maiden transformed into a bed of lilacs.
Some versions say that it's not within lilacs, but simple water reeds (similar to the flutes Pan plays), where Syrinx now lives. Perhaps it's both. You see, Syringa Vulgaris is the name for the common lilac, which translates to 'purple tube' – referring to the lilac's partially hollow stem.
Lilacs are associated with spiritual pursuits, but they also symbolize youth, wisdom, and the changing seasons. Depending on their color, lilacs can be used for a bevy of magickal workings. This Beltane, gather some lilac dew in the morning for a future love spell or purification potion, or in the spirit of the season (and the upcoming full Flower Moon!) - a flower essence.
If you're looking to explore more magickal plants and their stories, and weave your own tales into this seasonal web, The Spring Crossroads is here!
During this five-week series and program, happening every Wednesday beginning on May 3rd, Pointy Hat Press co-founder Kristin Lisenby and Word Witch Kate Belew hold space with you at the creative cauldron of spring. Gathering by the hearth, the lit candle, and the Hawthorn tree, together, you’ll explore and tell the tales of the Spring Witches, potent plants, folklore, and myth.
This program includes five classes (with downloadable recordings), five downloadable PDFs with rituals and prompts for extended study, and a Slack Community & Coven to connect with other Spring Witches. In week one, you meet with Aphrodite and Rose. In week two, you gather with Arachne and Ivy. In week three, you’ll learn from Flora and Foxglove. In week four, you’ll travel with Cardea and Hawthorn, and in week five, you will divine with Persephone and Pomegranates.
From Kate’s latest newsletter:
Meet the Potent Plants from the Spring Crossroads…
From Aphrodite’s garden, the Roses whisper, “Hello, and welcome to the crossroads.” In Witchcraft medicine, Rose knows the magic of beauty, yes, but the kind of beauty born in the blood, the beauty of the earth, and the ocean’s depths. Rose teaches to unfurl much like the flower's petals but also honors that which is thorned. Rose’s thorns are a warning, a celebration of all considered prickly by the patriarchy and divine by the earth. Thorns honor the sacred wildness in all things. Rose is protection magic, sensual magic, and softening magic. Rose encourages you to move through the world with a deep knowledge of your authentic beauty (which is as stunning and varied as this flower).
From Arachne’s garden, Ivy weaves around the margins and whispers, “You’re finally here!” This mythic plant is known for its apotropaic magick. As it winds and spirals, Ivy reminds you to heed the lessons of the shadows. Ivy is protection magick, curse magick, and resilience magick. Known for its associations with the druids, find Ivy covering gravestones, sacred statues long forgotten by time, in the crowns of poets, the festivals of Bacchus, and in the wreaths of Dionysus. Ivy encourages you to unfurl into the world with your strange magick, relishing in the shade, and the liminal aspects of things, to discover another layer of your authentic being.
In Flora’s springtime garden, the Foxgloves have arrived. Foxgloves are also called Elf’s glove, Folk’s Glove, or Fairy-Cap. This magickal plant is connected to the Otherworld and the world of the Fae. This plant is beloved by faeries, and its appearance in the wild indicates their presence. Likewise, fairies can be attracted to a domestic garden by planting foxgloves. In some Norwegian folktales, it is said the Fae showed the foxes how to ring the bell-shaped flower to warn each other of hunters. Another story said the foxes used the flowers as slippers to sneak quietly into chicken coops. Foxgloves teach that magick is everywhere, that the earth spirits are listening and watching, and that we’re a part of this wild world. Trickster stories are medicine.
At the hinge of Cardea's threshold garden, the Hawthorn trees grow. Hawthorn medicine is heart medicine, embracing the beautiful weaving of blossoms, thorns, and berries. When the Hawthorn blooms appear, Beltane is here. A traditional May Pole was made from Hawthorn, and crowns and wreaths of its blossoms can be found during these celebrations. Hawthorn is known for its associations with love, fertility, and the otherworld, a portal of the heart. In Cardea's garden, Hawthorn teaches a lesson about hinges, opening, and closing, and seeing things in a new way, held by their beautiful branches.
Persephone returns to her garden in Spring, carrying a basket of Pomegranates. Both maiden of spring and queen of the Underworld, Persephone eats the seeds of this sensual fruit. The seeds of the pomegranate tell a story of the importance of cycles. And this fruit, a fruit of fertility, also honors death in the death and birth cycle. Pomegranate says, “Identity is a weaving with many threads." And in Persephone's garden, Pomegranate teaches you how to put your ear to the earth to listen to the messages of the underworld, even in spring. Spring has arrived, and so have you. You can learn more about the Spring Crossroads here.
“The Crossroads was an amazing five weeks, one where I learned so much about myself and got to connect with so many like-minded individuals. I feel like both my writing and my goddess connections are stronger because of visiting the Crossroads. I came because the goddesses called. I'm grateful because of the voices and words from the beautiful coven. I'm thankful for Kristin's storytelling and Kate's intimate knowledge of plants. The Crossroads is a place of so much growth. I am so thankful I attended.”
- M.
One last thing before we skip off into the liminal…
Have you submitted your writing to our Spooky Spring challenge?
Hosted by Pointy Hat Press and Little Witch Books, the Spooky Spring Series was inspired by haunted hearts, spectral travelers, and confessional poetry. To join in on the Spooky Spring challenge, submit an original poem, song, sonnet, short essay (500 words or less), or illustration about ghosts, ghouls, witches, or whatever haunted chambers you're exploring this spring.
Share the post to your IG feed, tag @pointyhatpress and @littlewitchbooks, and use the hashtag #spookyspring. You can also email us your submission at hello@pointyhatpress.com.
One lucky writer will receive a custom fine art print of their work designed by our in-house Art Witch, created and delivered at no cost to them!
Check out a couple of submissions that we’ve fallen in love with this week. Above is the Violet Flames of Beltane by Veronica Piastuch and below, Her Depths of Spring by @renderingrococo.
Pointy Hat Press's Spooky Spring contest runs from April 5th - June 1st, 2023. The Winner will be chosen by Pointy Hat Press founders, Kristin and Caitlyn, and announced at 12 pm EST on the Full Flower Moon, June 4th, 2023.
Merry May Day, Witches!