Samhain was one of four significant seasonal festivals in the Celtic calendar. These all centred around important times in nature and farming, heralding the beginning of new seasons and new activities. They were called Imbolc (February), Beltane or Beltene (May), Lughnasadh (August) and Samhain (October).
Samhain marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, the darker half of the year. It was traditionally celebrated on the evening of the 31st October and the 1st November and has now become the modern day Hallowe'en.
Samhain is the time of year when livestock would be brought in from the fields for the winter. It was believed that the boundary between the Otherworld and the land of humans would briefly disappear during Samhain. This connection with the supernatural is a key feature of modern day Hallowe'en. As with many other Celtic festivals, fires would have been lit and feasts were prepared as part of the celebrations. The fires were believed to have cleansing and healing powers.
Oweynagat (The Cave of the Cats) at Rathcroghan in County Roscommon is an underground structure or "souterrain". It features in many Celtic stories and some tell of it opening up at Samhain, becoming a gateway for mystical beings to traverse from the Otherworld into the land of humans. It was said to be the home of the famous Morrigan, a powerful female figure within Celtic mythology, capable of shapeshifting, changing from human into a variety of animal forms, including a raven.
In days long gone, at a time that is long past, there was a king of Wales called Bran, the Raven. It was a time of war, and Bran the King sought the strength of an alliance with Ireland. So a marriage was arranged between the King of Ireland, Matholwych, and Bran’s sister, Branwen.
During the marriage Bran’s half-brother, Efnisien, arrived and asked ‘why the celebrations’?. He was outraged. He ran to Matholwych’s beautiful horses lined up on the beach and slashed them with his sword. When the Irish King heard, he and his men returned seething with anger to their ships.It seemed that the alliance was doomed before it began. Bran offered gold and horses to make amends but Matholwych was not satisfied. To restore the peace the Welsh King offered the greatest treasure of his kingdom, the Cauldron of Rebirth which had the power to bring the dead to life. Matholwych returned to Ireland with gold, horses, his bride and the Cauldron. But he did not forget the bloody insult.
Time passed. Branwen bore a son, Gwern. But Matholwych’s resentment against Branwen had grown and when the child was old enough, she was driven from her husband’s bedchamber and into his kitchens, to work as a scullery maid. Bran heard of this and swore vengeance and set out to rescue his beloved sister.
As the scores of Welsh ships sailed for the Irish coast their masts appeared like a forest. Fearing defeat in open battle Matholwych retreated westward, but Bran continued the fight, across Boyne and Shannon and Moy. Finally, exhausted from the battle, Matholwych agreed to surrender and abdicate in favour of his son and Bran’s nephew, Gwern.
A celebration followed, but evil still followed evil, and Bran’s half-brother Efnisien, who resented everything won by the Welsh king, in rage, threw the young Prince Gwern into the feasting fire.
The battle resumed with great ferocity and having the Cauldron the Irish dead were restored to strength, while the Welsh were whittled away. Near the end of the fight, a poisoned dart struck Bran. Knowing that he was dying, his final request was that his head be buried in London, the city of the God Lugh. The seven Welsh warriors who survived made their way to London, and buried Bran’s head on the White Hill. There, the Tower of London, with its resident ravens, now stands.