QUESTION & ANSWER: 3 Fold Law

Bowynn Gods: Drudenn

Drudenn  (Droo-den)  Drudenn is the Bowynn God who is the protector and guardian of domestic animals, guardian of barns and stables and guardian of pets. He is also the god that guards the stables of the gods and is the only key holder to the doors of Alaway; the hall which the gods feast in at night. Drudenn is the only one that allows access into the Great Hall and in that aspect, he can be considered a guardian of home as well. Though to be precise, he is more to be that guardian to the door of such places as court and council houses. In some respects, he is also considered "the opener of ways".

     Drudenn is a young god, the son of Anhur and Rhya. As such he was given the task of guarding Anhurs magnificent gryphons. This later became engrossed 100-fold when Morrighynn asked him to tend to her 30 white horses. Eventually he became the tender of all the sacred steeds of the gods. That is minus those of Duannat and under the sea. Because of this Drudenn learned the speech of animals and can communicate with all of the animals on earth. His 7 sacred days with mortals was spent teaching mankind how to tend and domesticate certain wildlife; milking cows, riding horses and teaching dogs and cats how to work with humans. This led to Drudenn teaching the first tribes of people to speak with all wildlife. Sadly, mankind abused this gift and Drudenn had to silence the ability.

Despite these arborist tasks, Drudenn is most happy in tending to the needs of domestic animals. Infact, he prefers the company of animals over people, sleeping in stables and pastures.

     Drudenn often walks amongst folk as a young hand, not too young as to be immature and yet not to old. His garments seem simple and almost peasant-like, but hardly dirty or like rags. on his belt hands the great keys that open and lock the doors of Alaway. At times, he will be seen riding his own horse or gryphon. Sacred offerings to Drudenn often appear in the form of milk, butter, bread, water, votive clay animals, seed and tiny bundles of hay. Not to mention the general form of incense. Plaques with the image of Drudenn are hung in barns and stables as well carved on the outside of doors to court houses and houses of law.

BOWYNN GODS: SUNII

Sunii  (Suen-eye)  Wind Kii that often accompany the wind gods. while not the true gods of the winds, they can be brewers of calm breezes or assist in the conjuring harsh winds. Most are human size and winged in description and like all Kii are numerous.

QUESTION & ANSWER: Familiars and Guardians

QUESTION: In your tradition's do your witches use Familiars and Guardians? If so, how are they summoned?

ANSWER: No. Mysts do not have any need nor summon any sort of creatures or spiritual animals. Our belief here is that a true working Myst is on guard and protected at all times. And that there is nothing a mystical creature can provide that we can not handle on our own. We do not believe in the calling of the spirits of the dead. As it is seen as rude, disrespectful and sacrilegious.

Aelles Briathenaet

Today (July 15th) is the first day of the holiday Briathenaet, the celebration of the first tribes to have migrated across the Bosphorus into Europe proper. Briathenaet is THE holiday for the month. The Migration was lead by the goddess Briathenaea and God Mask, and ended with blessed by the goddess Aleglea. It is a celebration of deliverance, freedom, survival, liberty and the escape from starvation. It is the time renewal, change, taking new paths, release and the formations of the first 7 tribes. And its is a time to honor and remember our ancestors, those that made the Migration, eons ago.

Day one of the holiday is spent fasting, in honor of those ancestors that had little to no food, many starving to death along the route. It is a time of thanks and remembering our ancestors. There is a silent candlelit ceremony led by two torch bearers, representing Brianthenaea, Mask and the ceremony is led by a priestess, representing Aleglea. Homes are cleaned and cleans on the first day. Then decorated in colors of red, white and yellow. Symbols of apples, Lilies, yellow flowers, butterflies and masks abound.

The second day is dedicated to ceremony with a great procession of people carrying either images of their ancestors or statuettes, representing those original people that made the migration. What follows is a feast and folly. And also great games are held, where the winners are given crowns made of apple wreaths and flowers, entwined with ribbons of holiday colors. These games last till the end of the 3rd day of the holiday.

Despite all the frivolity, it is a very serious and blessed holiday. A time to reflect on our freedoms, our liberties and those that sacrificed themselves to allow is to live as we do now. A time to give thanks to Briathenaea how shielded our ancestors along the way from the elements and gave us the apple orchards to feast on and gave us shelter. A time to thank Mask, the god of travels, who gave our ancestors safety and strength to carry on. And to Aleglea who awaited on the western back, embracing and blessing every ancestor that made the journey, blanketing the landscape with fertile fields, orchards, forests, fields and shelter.

Needless to say, the food of the holiday have a very apple theme to them: Pies, Cakes, stuffed and glazed meats and poultry.

QUESTION & ANSWER: Drugs

QUESTION: How do Bowynn practitioners feel about those that take recreational drugs?

ANSWER: What one does in one's home is not our business. HOWEVER...in general we frown on the use of drugs unless it is something that is prescribed by a doctor. Luckily for us, we are all close friends so we all know that we all abhor the idea of use of drugs, as a means of "escape."

I will say this also applies to the smoking of tobacco products and excessive alcohol drinking. All of these addictive articles are banned from celebratory gatherings, save for wine, which is heavily monitored. We come together is clear and clean body, mind, soul and spirit. We find that we do not need such things in our lives and celebrations. We find there is nothing spiritual nor fun to someone that needs to pollute the air with the smell of narcotics and the abused stench of alcohol.

QUESTION & ANSWER: Thanksgiving

QUESTION: Do Bowynn celebrate Thankksgiving (Canadian or American)

Answer: No. That for two reasons. The first being out of respect for the people's whose land North and South America belonged to.

The second reason is because we have a sacred holy festival day on the days of November 14-16th, Emberfest. It is the most holy of Feast and the celebration/preparation of Winter. Sacred candles are lit in the home praying that its warmth light and glow will never fad throughout winter, protecting house and home. Stoves, hearths, ovens and fireplaces are cleaned. Then the officiating priest and priestesses come to the home singing hymns to the Goddess Phoenix, the goddess of primeval and element of fire. The officiants then gift a single blessed charcoal to the home owners. It is lit and there is a roar of joy and love, hoping that abundance and protection lasts the home and family the winter through.

During the festival homes are decorated with autumn leaves, candles, lantern, gourds carved into bird houses and images of Phoenix birds are everywhere. Small and large. The gourds houses are invites for Phoenix's children to come stay in the house and protect it. While it seems this holiday is a feast day, it is more than that. It is a time to give praise and thanks to the goddess Phoenix for bestowing on mankind the gift to domesticate fire for light, warmth, cooking food and casting spells.

BOWYNN GODS: TARNA

Tarna with her sisters, Myliea, Quilla and Kora

Tarna  (Tar-nah)  Goddess of the summer season. She is the daughter of Morrighynn and Herne, sister of Kora, Myliea and Quilla and the consort to the god Saphon. Her name literally means "Summer."      Few tales are told of Tarna and her sisters as her role in nature keep her busy. She was born on the first day of summer. Tarna and her sisters were always bickering and contesting against each other over various things since their birth. Tarna contested with her sisters for which season they would rule over. In this contest Tarna created a field of sunflowers up from the ground. Tarna’s folks granted her the season of summer to govern over, judged by her gift. Thus, on the last day of Spring, Quilla departs the land, while Tarna appears on the first day of summer on a magnificent golden horse; bringing the greens and gold to the summer season and growing of sunflowers, marigolds and daisy.  The other sacred story tells of Tarna’s sacred marriage to Saphon, God of the South.

     Tarna is seen as a motherly female figure, refined with golden blond hair laced with a crown of ferns and sunflowers. She is clad in summer green colors and golden trim. Her hlad is of the same tones. Sometimes she is said to have a Daddalo [Stola] of golden yellows. In her hand is often seen a staff of Maple with ribbons wrapped on it of summer colors. Other times she is seen with a basket of summer flowers. Sometimes she is said to be winged with golden or yellow feathers. When about mortals she will take the image of a horse or a golden finch, her totem animals.

     Sacred gifts to Quilla are Milk, daisies and sunflowers, votive images of gold/yellow horses, sparrows, finch and of course incense. Most common gifts are wreathes and garlands of summer flowers.

Bowynn Gods: Jakk

Jakk    (Ja-k)   In of the many types of Kii. Jakk are diminutive kii of autumn. It is said they make their homes in gourds and in their vines. They are said to have deep red hair and wear black clothing. Jakk are most prominent during the Kykora or Samhain holiday.  During this time, they take pleasure in jumping over candles that are lit in pumpkins. The role of Jakk is that of ripening of gourds and late harvested food. They are drawn to decorated gourds, and if hung in the house and pleasing to the Jakk, they will bless the home.

Bowynn Gods: Daekk

Daekk  (Dayk)  Daekk is the god of abundance,  wealth, fortune, fame and patron to treasuries, banks, bankers, tradesmen, mints, minters and all other forms of commerce. Daekk is the son of Rhya and Anhur. He is one of the youngest gods of the Akua and in Alaway. His sisters are Tymora and Hemwey.

After taking his station as a god of Alaway, Daekk started to flaunt and abuse his gifts far less than wisely; giving gifts of wealth to only those that pleased him. This upset the great balance of Bia. Most people were poor, hungry and dying because they could not afford care. Yet Daekk still gave only to those who could afford to give to him and who wore rich robes and jewelry, because he was attracted to them. Having seen enough, Anhur, King of the gods at last punished Daekk and turned him into an old blind and deaf immortal. In this way Daekk would still be able to dispense his gifts to mankind without influence of wealth, looks or prejudice. Sadly, this means that sometimes Daekk's gifts of wealth and fortune is somewhat wrongly gifted.

     Another version of this sacred story is that Anhur made Daekk eternally baby him instead. This way he could not be influenced audibly or visually by those that pray to him. Either or version, this sacred story upholds the saying "Judge not a man by his appearance." At the same time, Daekk will take away the wealth of people who abuse it

     Being a babe or old man of Alaway, he is tended to by the goddess Tymora, the goddess of luck and fortune. When not being nursed by the goddess, he is placed in his chamber of wealth in the halls of Alaway where he spends his time playing in his riches and dispensing them to mankind. The chamber is the great treasury of the gods that is always plentiful, the walls decorated in Lapis, Amber, Silver and Gold, rich woods and well adorned roofing. This is Daekk's personal room. His bed also being decorated richly and he is fed on the richest of milk from the sacred herd of the gods. Being of such a young age, Daekk is one of the very few gods that never leaves Alaway.

     In his child-like form, Daek is seen as an infant of no more than a year old, still crawling about on his hands and knees. His hair is of blond locks and his eyes amber in color. He wears little to no clothing and no jewels himself. If he wears anything at all it may be a loincloth or a child's tunic. In his older form, Daekk is seen as a man of fatherhood years, often bearded. Yet still his simply dressed and a blindfold about his eyes and a walking stick. If the older Daekk does leave Alaway he often takes the form of a beggar man or a mouse. Mice being a Bowynn symbol of Wealth. Sacred gifts often given to Daekk come in the form of coins, money, sacks and bundles of grain, incense, milk and mice votives. Images of mice and baby Daekk are often represented on treasure boxes to ensure protection and encourage growth of the contents within. Another special offering to Daekk is that of "false money" or play money. It is often made and on it, prayers are written and then left on the altar, eventually buried. Though this is often to ask for wealth and the act of burying the "false money" with a plant seed is in hope that as the plant grows, so will a person's wealth.

Bowynn Gods: The Hyndd

Hyndd (Hynd)  These people are in some aspect related to the Greek and Roman Kentaurs. But instead of the lower torso of a horse, it is a deer or elk with dark eyes, antlers and ears. The female Hyndd so not have horns. They are the guardians of deep forests where most men will dare to dwell and they hunt down those the try to destroy the woodlands. The Hyndd are the cousins of the Thurdro.

The Hyndd are not mortal by any stretch but forest Kii (spirits), They can appear and disappear as needed. Stories tell how people will encounter a Hyndd and in a flash the Hyndd with whisk away like a flurry of butterflies.