Rowan & Pine: A Feminist Folklore & Mythology Podcast - April 25, 2025


Pine Cones： Fire in Folklore ｜ Rowan & Pine Shorts 🔥

Episode Forty-Three： Medusa - Snake pubes Episode Forty-Four： Little Red Riding Hood- obscure white people

Episode Stats


Length

12 minutes

Words per minute

127.08

Word count

1,583

Sentence count

63

Harmful content

Toxicity

3

sentences flagged

Hate speech

8

sentences flagged


Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 Irish meaning there's no fireside like your own or there's no place like home this is fire in
00:00:19.200 folklore. Our relationship with fire has always been one of awe, of need, of respect. It's a
00:00:32.980 dance we've never fully learned, a mystery we've never fully solved. Even now we sit beside campfires
00:00:39.980 and fireplaces mesmerized by the flickering, ever-shifting light. Something ancient stirs in
00:00:45.740 us, a memory of stories whispered in the dark. Fire is one of the oldest companions of human
00:00:52.180 civilization. It feeds us, warms us, protects us, and yet we can never forget that it can destroy
00:00:59.640 as easily as it gives. So today, in the spirit of the fire festival Baltina, let's gather around
00:01:06.880 the fire to share stories of flame, from divine thefts to sacred flames, from protection to prophecy.
00:01:15.740 it's about to be may the world is blooming the air is heavy with blossom and the home of new life
00:01:27.620 this is baltina an ancient celtic festival that marks the beginning of summer
00:01:32.380 a time of fertility light and protection one of the most significant dates in prehistoric and
00:01:40.640 Early Historic Ireland was the Festival of Baltina. The 1st of May is the cross-quarter day,
00:01:46.940 marking the midway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.
00:01:51.740 It is exactly six months away from Samhain, the new year, on November 1st. Like many ancient
00:01:58.640 festivals, the date has agricultural significance as it marks the end of the unfarmable winter in
00:02:04.700 the northern hemisphere and symbolises the start of the summer, when the cattle were moved to the
00:02:09.800 high pasture land. The word baltina is still used in the Irish language and translates as the month
00:02:16.440 of May. Traditionally bonfires were lit at sunset on Iha baltina or May Eve, April 30th and these
00:02:24.740 traditions still survive in parts of the country particularly in Munster. The name is said to
00:02:31.260 derive from the old Irish meaning bright fire where bell means light and could be linked to
00:02:36.520 the Celtic sun and healer god, Belinus. In ancient times, the main Bolton of Fire was lit at the hill
00:02:43.580 of Ishnach in County Westmeath, regarded as the centre of Ireland and traditionally known as the
00:02:49.160 naval of the country. Prior to lighting the main fire, hearth fires were extinguished and cinders
00:02:55.880 and torches from the main bonfire would pass from townland to townland, where each community would
00:03:01.220 light their own. Passing between two bonfires was seen as a rite of purification and herds of
00:03:07.780 cattle were driven between them in many villages. Members of the community was also passed between
00:03:13.700 the fires. It was considered lucky and the more daring would leap the bonfire to ensure their
00:03:18.680 fertility in the coming year. On this night before May Day households would decorate the outside of 0.77
00:03:24.720 their homes with yellow flowers like buttercups, marigolds and primroses. These blossoms were
00:03:30.240 believed to bring good fortune and protect the home from calyucks, mysterious figures often
00:03:35.040 described as hags or witches. According to tradition, calyucks roamed from house to house
00:03:41.300 on May morning, looking to steal milk or butter. In a reversal of the usual customs of kindness and 1.00
00:03:47.820 welcome, doors remained shut to visitors as it was feared that anything taken from the home on this
00:03:53.140 day could be turned into a curse. Other customs included walking the perimeter of one's land,
00:04:00.240 to mark and maintain boundaries, along with celebratory gatherings filled with food, drink
00:04:05.280 and dancing. Mythologically, May the First held great significance. The Book of Invasions tells
00:04:12.720 us that Parthelan, the first settle of Ireland, arrived on this day only for people to be later
00:04:18.480 wiped out by plague. In another tale, the Milesians defeated the Tuha de Nannan on May Day,
00:04:24.660 cementing the date's importance. Today, traditional bonfires have been revived
00:04:30.600 in many areas as part of local festivals celebrating the start of summer.
00:04:34.480 fire isn't always gifted often it's stolen in ancient greece prometheus defied zeus and stole
00:04:58.180 fire from the gods to give it to humankind for this he was chained to a rock condemned to eternal
00:05:04.340 torment but with that stolen flame came civilization the cherokee tell of grandmother spider after
00:05:14.000 others fail she weaves a web and sneaks into the land of light she steals fire from the sun
00:05:19.500 hides it in a clay pot and brings it back for the people
00:05:22.720 in the pacific northwest it's coyote or beaver or dog who tricks their way into stealing fire
00:05:31.300 matari's fan a figure in vedic mythology from india is a messenger of the gods and the one
00:05:40.720 who brings agony the fire deity back to humanity after he was hidden in the waters or inside wood
00:05:47.060 agony himself is central to vedic ritual born in the fire stick residing in the hearth and
00:05:54.080 carrying offerings to the gods his flames consume and transform linking heaven and earth
00:05:59.800 to honor agony is to maintain a direct line to the divine
00:06:04.120 again and again fire is divine hidden hoarded until someone brave or clever or mad enough
00:06:14.000 risks everything to bring it to us.
00:06:23.800 Fire is sometimes associated with deities of trickery and chaos,
00:06:28.520 probably because while we may think we have domination over it,
00:06:32.560 ultimately it is the fire itself that is in control.
00:06:35.940 In Norse mythology, fire is often linked to Loki,
00:06:39.740 god of mischief and chaos.
00:06:41.380 in greece there's hephaestus or vulcan in roman legend the god of fire and metalworking who
00:06:49.080 demonstrates no small amount of cunning and deceit these are not gentle hearth gods these
00:06:54.720 are fires of forge and fury once a year in tahiti the heat of the earth is met with reverence and
00:07:02.660 ritual the umuti fire walking ceremony held in usually late june or early july signals the start
00:07:09.720 of the Hava festival. Its origins lie in ancient survival when fire was used to not only nourish
00:07:16.360 but to preserve. In times of famine root vegetables were cooked in deep stone-lined earth ovens to
00:07:23.020 keep them edible for months. To honour the gods and ensure their blessing a high priest would walk
00:07:28.200 barefoot across the glowing stones. If his feet were unburned it was taken as a sign the gods
00:07:33.960 were pleased, and the food would keep. Today, the ritual continues. A long trench is filled
00:07:40.180 with firewood and dried coconut palms, covered with volcanic stones, burned for a full day
00:07:45.600 or more. When the stones turn white-hot, the Tahuah, the priest, offers chants and prayers.
00:07:52.860 Then, in an act of spiritual and physical bravery, volunteers step barefoot across the
00:07:57.980 heat. It is said to cleanse the body and the soul.
00:08:03.960 some fires are sacred in greece the goddess hestia tended the olympian hearth and every
00:08:18.060 home fire was her domain she was given the first offering in every sacrifice in rome she became
00:08:25.020 vesta her flame was so important that it was tended by priestesses the vestal virgins in a
00:08:30.860 temple where even water was forbidden. As long as her fire burned, the empire endured.
00:08:38.040 Back in Ireland, the goddess Bridget was associated with healing, poetry, fertility and the forge.
00:08:44.600 She was a powerful figure in pre-Christian Celtic spirituality. In County Kildare,
00:08:49.980 her sacred fire burned for centuries tended by women. With the rise of Christianity, 0.98
00:08:54.960 Bridget was syncretised into Saint Bridget, one of Ireland's most beloved saints.
00:08:59.960 While the two figures are distinct, Bridget the Goddess, a deity of the Doha de Danon,
00:09:05.300 and Bridget the Saint, a 5th century Christian nun and abbess,
00:09:09.160 they share many attributes, especially in their connection to fire, healing and generosity.
00:09:14.280 The sacred flame in Kildare continued to burn under Christian stewardship
00:09:18.220 until it was extinguished under English rule,
00:09:20.840 but in 1993, the Brigidine sisters rekindled it and it still burns today.
00:09:28.980 fire is also a guardian in scandinavia germany and britain candles were lit around newborns
00:09:44.780 to protect them from evil in bulgaria homes and clothes were purified with burning embers 0.92
00:09:51.420 the chukchi of siberia drive reindeer near sacred flames to cleanse them 0.95
00:09:57.400 similar to the cattle driving of Celtic societies. 0.99
00:10:01.540 Letting a hearth fire go out was a sign of misfortune across many cultures.
00:10:08.260 And fire can tell the future.
00:10:10.140 In East Anglia and Greece, people spit on coals to see if they crackle.
00:10:14.840 In Dorset, a sudden flame foretells a stranger.
00:10:18.620 In Lincolnshire, the fire that burns too long on its own is a death omen.
00:10:27.400 even now we light candles for birthdays vigils and prayers we gather around bonfires and fireplaces
00:10:45.900 and kitchen stoves we share stories we make food we talk to each other fire is still with us and
00:10:53.500 it's still sacred until next time keep your flame bright 0.99
00:10:58.860 thanks for listening and fuck yeah 0.98
00:11:23.500 looking for your next obsession the creators collective podcasts is your gateway to the dark 0.99
00:11:50.440 the chilling, and the downright fascinating. We're a community of independent podcasts with
00:11:55.580 one goal, to share the best in true crime, paranormal tales, folklore, and unexplained
00:12:00.740 mysteries. Whether you crave cold cases that won't stay closed, haunted histories that refuse to be
00:12:06.300 forgotten, or stories that make you sleep with the lights on, there's a show waiting for you
00:12:11.080 in the collective. And when you join us, you're not just listening to one podcast, you're stepping
00:12:16.080 into a world of creators who love this stuff as much as you do. Check out the Creators Collective
00:12:21.700 today. Follow the link in our show notes to discover your next favorite podcast. We'll be
00:12:26.680 waiting for you.