Fionah Fae and the Tale of Samhain

Laureen C. Guldbrandsen

Once upon a fall morning, a leaf fell from a tree. It was an old oak tree, and the tree itself was a home to many forest creatures. The tree itself was home to one special person, if the truth be told. It was the home to the small, curious faerie who oft went by the name Fionah Fae. The leaf that had fallen startled the young faerie by landing, plop, right on top of her head. A giggle shattered the silence of the forest, and Fionah Fae pulled the leaf over her tiny body. She had been in deep conversation with one of the squirrels who lived in the same tree as herself, and the leaf had certainty disturbed the conversation!

"I suppose this means Samhain is coming soon," the squirrel stated to the young girl.

Now, for those of you who know Fionah Fae, the next question was an obvious one. "What is Samhain?"

"Well," the squirrel thought for a moment. "It means the end of summer is here, and winter will be starting soon. This is the time of year we prepare for the cold season ahead. And the time of year when I should be getting as many nuts and acorns as I can!" With that last remark the squirrel scampered away, calling over her shoulder only to add that the young faerie should seek out the Goddess to find out more.

Fionah sat under the leaf for a minute longer, thinking to herself. She'd sought out the God and Goddess before to find out about Imbolc, and Summer Solstice, and even Yule. Each trip had been long, but in the end she had learned a lot, and had even had fun. And besides, Squirrel hadn't finished explaining just what Samhain was. So Fionah fetched her warm fall jacket, and her warm scarf, and set off, properly dressed for the weather, to find the Goddess and learn more about Samhain.

Fionah Fae set off through the forest, looking for the Goddess so she could find an answer to her questions. She played in the falling leaves, and danced over the tops of mushrooms. She stopped for tea with a badger, and then continued her journey. After spending hours searching for the Goddess, she came across a pumpkin patch, and gently flew higher, until she could see the whole of the patch. And there, standing in the middle, was a tall, beautiful woman. Her skin was a deeply tanned brown, and her hair fell in waves of yellow, orange, red, and brown. The young faerie didn't need to ask who the woman in the field was, knowing right away that it was the Goddess she had been searching for.

A smile lit the young girls lips as she hurried across the field to stand next to the Goddess. "Mother Goddess," Fionah smiled up at the woman. "I've come to ask you some questions if I may?" After so many times of speaking to the Gods, Fionah Fae found she wasn't quite so shy with them anymore, and came right to the point.

The Goddess laughed softly, and nodded. "Of course you may, Fionah." They made a place amongst the pumpkins to sit down, and the Goddess smiled gently. "Judging by the time of year, I will assume you're here to ask me about Samhain. Am I correct little one?"

"You are! Squirrel said it was the end of summer, and a time for her to gather food for winter, but she said you could tell me more."

"She was right, Fionah. Samhain is a celebration of the harvest. The harvest being the food we gather for winter. But that is not the whole of the celebration, little one. Samhain is also a time when we honour our family that has passed on. Perhaps a grandparent, or a parent, even a sister or brother, or even a loved pet. Anyone in our family that has passed on we honour at this time. We can also try to speak with them, and ask for their help with things in our life, or for advice. Some people call this night Halloween, and dress up in costumes. We do this to scare away bad energy, or bad creatures. But this is one celebration we usually celebrate with a feast, and with fun and games."

Fionah Fae nodded her little head and thought about all of the information that the Goddess had just told her. There was a lot of it! "So, how do we celebrate it then?"

The Goddess laughed, and gently kissed the top of Fionah's head. "Well, for starters, we get dressed up as whatever we want, be it a princess or a monster. We can play games, or some people 'trick-or-treat'. That is when they go house to house asking for treats. Then we have a large feast, and invite the spirits of our ancestors to join us." There was a small pause as the Goddess looked at Fionah. "Would you like to join me in a small celebration?"

"Oh yes, Goddess!" the young faerie smiled, happy to be invited to join in.

"Well then, child, we shall set the feast out." With that, the Goddess spread a large picnic blanket out, and set three places, filling each places plate with a large amount of food, and each cup with a fruit punch.

"Why is there three plates when there is only the two of us?" Fionah Fae asked.

"That last place is for our ancestors, whom we invite to join us tonight." was the kind answer Fionah recieved. The young girl nodded to show she understood, then seated herself next to the Goddess.

"We give thanks for the harvest we have had this summer, and welcome the coming winter. We give thanks and blessings to those who have gone before so we could be here today." The Goddess and faerie spoke together, smiling. "We ask for our ancestors to join us if they wish to, to give us their blessings in the years to come. The old has died, but new birth will come. As the days will become shorter, and the nights become longer, we pray for peace and happiness for friends and loved ones." As the last words died away the two ate their feast, and laughed.

When they were done Fionah Fae smiled, and took some of the juice and food to share with the nature spirits, by pouring some of the juice under a tree, and gently placing the food she had taken on the ground.

"Thank you, Goddess, for teaching me about Samhain." the young faerie smiled, and the Goddess smiled in return.