The Deer Mother: A Solstice Story for December’s Cold Moon
“Deer wisdom is tender and ticklish, and dare I say, sensitive.” She rubbed a chenille tassel against her face. “Sensitive to our hungers and curiosities, the stories that live in our heads, but we wouldn’t dare speak aloud.”
Mingling between the pages of winter are Yuletide tales and Midwinter myths. Mistletoe arches pledge romance to passersby, while carollers promise a visit from Santa, his sleigh filled with presents handcrafted by a brood of Christmastime elves. Between the pages of winter, feasts are laid out in honor of the Epiphany, wayward ghosts, and the return of the long-awaited sun.
But, seasonal epics are long and winding, and before the chapters of ol’ St. Nicolas and Father Frost, the pages of winter featured another Solstice spirit. She, too, was a guardian and bringer of light but wiser and much older than the rest. And she did not carry the sun in her hands, as one might expect, but cradled within her horns.
Back then, dashing between the pages of winter was Mother Deer.
“In regards to this ‘Mother Deer’,” Little Witch stood and straightened her jumper. The woolen sweater was a hand-me-down from Mother, which meant Little Witch wore it more frequently than anything else she owned. The first time Little Witch pulled the faded jumper over her head, a magical current skated from her head to her heart to her hands, and no talk of dry winter air or static electricity could convince her otherwise. The sweater was creamy and soft, marked by several red reindeer prancing along the hem.
A witch knows the power of old things, Madam Spider always said.
Little Witch apologized for interrupting, and a bespectacled fairy curtsied her acceptance. “As your editor,” Little Witch tried again, “I’d like to hear some background on this new deer character.”
“Mother Deer is not a character!” Madam Spider didn’t give the fairy a chance to respond. “Nor is she new!” The spider poked a spindly leg outside her dressing room (a basket brimming with yarn) and felt around for a loose thread. She settled on a strand of orange chenille. “Mother Deer is what we might call mmph, ghow yew ow! A legend! A paragon! A star! Dhffuh mink? ” Madam Spider’s words were muffled, smothered behind a wall of fabric.
“Will you say that again?” Little Witch called into the basket. She peered into the crevice where her mentor’s leg had been and wondered if Mother Deer was an old friend. Madam Spider seemed to know everybody.
Little Witch jumped when a silver explosion and an orange blur burst forth from the basket. Amidst the confetti cloud, Little Witch saw the blur was Madam Spider cloaked in tassels and velvet. The weaver cartwheeled and flitted her way to the storyteller’s side, where a fairy clutched her notebook and quill, ready to take notes.
Madam Spider stopped twirling and straightened her hat. She tightened her belt and peered around the room as if she were looking for something. Or someone. Finally, the spider took a deep breath and announced to the room, “I’ve said all I have to say.”
Little Witch exchanged glances with the fairy bard and opened her mouth to ask the inevitable, but why? when Madam Spider spoke again, “Deer wisdom is tender and ticklish, and dare I say…sensitive.” She rubbed a chenille tassel against her face. “Sensitive to our hungers and curiosities, the stories that live in our heads, but we wouldn’t dare speak aloud.”
A plate of cookies floated in from the kitchen, balanced between the hands of a dozen fairies. The fairies flew around the room delivering treats to their covenmates, and by the time they arrived in front of Little Witch, their wings had cooled the cookies to the perfect temperature.
“If we talk about you-know-who too much, she’ll get spooked.” Madam Spider reached for a cookie. Her eyes widened when she spotted the reindeer-shaped sweets. “So tred lightly, witches, because something tells me Mother Deer is close.”
Yuletide greetings, witches! Solstice Blessings! Happy 13th (and final) full moon of 2023!
December's moon is most commonly known as the Cold Moon or the Long Night Moon. This year, it follows the Winter Solstice and arrives on December 26th. From our last year's conversation, The Moon Before Yule:
“Traditionally, the final moon of the year was an invitation to reflect on our struggles and successes, and where we'd like to be in the coming months. In magickal circles, people use this time to rest and recharge, while others utilize the longer nighttime hours for lunar magick. Spells related to dreamwork, journeying, and psychic forecasting are popular during the long nights – no matter the moon's phase.”
Many legends and stories are associated with this time of the year. In December, one of the most famous winter witches, the Cailleach, hops from one snowy mountain to the next with a hammer in hand. If she's not fearsome enough, parents also warn their children about Gryla, the Icelandic giantess who punishes all naughty children, except her own. Gryla is mother to the Yule lads, a brood of 13 tricksters known to steal presents and treats.
The Winter Solstice is associated with the wild woman and archetypal Crone, but the longest night of the year is also sacred to the Maiden and Mother faces of the Triple Goddess. In some Pagan communities, Yule Eve is celebrated as “Mother's Night.” Our latest Little Witch Tale, The Deer Mother, was inspired by folk stories from Nordic countries and Siberian legends, among others.
In the spirit of seasonal spells and wintering witches, here at Little Witch Books and Pointy Hat Press, we are snuggled deep within our creative cocoons. How about you?
From the outside, wintering may appear relatively calm, but the garden doesn't lose its ecstasy, not even in winter. As Rumi says, it's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous.
All this to say, Kristin is writing, Caitlyn is drawing, and together, the literary coven is reading, dreaming, seeding, and scheming for the magical year ahead. Come the stirrings of Imbolc, Little Witch Books is launching their next Kickstarter (click here to read a sample of Telling the Bees!). Check back then for new products in the shop, and more digital offerings via the Little Witch Tales Blog! If you haven’t already, check out The Headless Maiden here and The Hanged Weaver here.
In light of our thirteenth moon, the mothers, goddesses, our midwinter cocoons, and all that is and that will be - a bookish gift for you. Since literary recommendations and conversations are showing up more frequently in our inboxes, we've curated a dreamy online library and filled it with Enchanting Fiction, Fairy Tales, books for Plant Lovers and Little Witches! Here are Kristin & Caitlyn's 13 most-cherished books.
1. Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays, Mary Oliver
2. Nettle & Bone, T. Kingfisher
3. Mysteries of the Dark Moon, Demetra George
4. The Halloween Tree, Ray Bradbury
5. Baba Yaga's Book of Witchcraft, Madam Pamita
6. Piranesi, Susanna Clark
7. Women Who Run With the Wolves, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes
8. Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer
9. Witchcraft, Taschen
10. A Natural History of Fairies, Hawkins & Roux
11. An Illustrated Treasury of Swedish Folk and Fairy Tales, John Bauer
12. Spellbound, Chaweon Koo
13. Hagitude, Sharon Blackie
For the complete list of book recommendations via the Pointy Hat Press bookshop, click here.