In much of folklore the holed stone is an important magical talisman used in protection against the evil eye and fairy mischief. When I say holed stone, I mean a large or small stone with a natural hole worn through it from water, be it rainfall or stream. The circular pattern of the holed stone might have suggested the eternal in the same way as any other circular shaped pattern such as rings or wheels suggest eternity.

Such stones, if small enough, could be worn as a necklace and used as a talisman or charm to ward off witches and malicious fairies. Sometimes holed stones were hung over doorways of houses, barns, and stables in much the same way as horseshoes. Large holed stones were often seen as potential doorways into the fairy realm and as symbolic pathways into the womb of the Great Mother (Nature). Thus such stones were connected to both fairies and the Goddess.

In one of the pictures of a holed stone, the stone resembled a prop from the old Star Trek TV series, the episode with the time portal. I'm sure that it's no coincidence. Many smaller holed stones were used as spindle whorls. And throughout the ancient world the practice of spinning was perceived as magical and even sympathetic magic with spinning and weaving being connected to the weaving of fate. The story of Arachne, the Mother of the Spiders, is a prime example of a story of magical spinning.

At any rate, the holed stone was also a charm against the evil eye, since it also resembled an eye. Sometimes small holed stones are placed under a pillow to ward off nightmares. In the ancient world such a naturally formed stone could not help but seem to be the creation of fairies or other magical beings. If it took such effort to create a stone carving, and yet one could be found out in the natural world, how could it not be enchanted? I have even read of beliefs in divinity stones among the gypsies and Pennsylvania Dutch which I'm sure is a likely relic of this ancient form of Stone Age Shamanism.

May 1st. was the day when the goddess Walpurgis was honored in many Teutonic cultures as the Lady of Summer. According to legend she was a deity who governed warmth, fertility, renewal of nature and the obvious return of summer. Many rituals were practiced to encourage the rebirth of summer and chase away the forces of winter blight. It was that nine days before May 1st Walpurgis was chased by those evil forces of winter known as the Wild Hunt. The Wild Hunt was made up of demons, ghosts, fairies and all spirits who became associated with the blight of winter.

At this time Walpurgis was chased by the Wild Hunt and had to find places to hide until May 1st. Villagers would leave doors and windows open so she could fly in and hide from the hideous Hunt. In one legend a farmer left open his barn door and she hid in a sack of grain. The next day she was gone and the sack of grain had been changed into granules of gold. If she could avoid capture by the Wild Hunt til May Day then summer would make her return. Until then the unsavory Hunt would intensify their chase to maintain their control over the land.

During the Christian Era Walpurgis Night was seen as a time to banish the forces of paganism. It also became a night when evil spirits were believed to be active. The famous Night on Bald Mountain scene in Disney's Fantasia is set on Walpurgis Night, not Halloween as most people assume. Walpurgis is depicted as a beautiful woman with long flowing hair and fiery red shoes. Due to her connection to summer she is associated with the sun. Her symbols are ears of grain, a triangle-shaped mirror (Connecting her to the triple form goddess) and with many goddesses associated with Fate the Spindle. Happy May Day.

Chris Friend, mars_art_13@yahoo.com, of Parkersberg, W.Va , who wrote BP #85’s poem, “Demons Play Flutes”; BP # 84’s poems, “The Sentinel” and “Psalm of Mithra”; the BP #81 poem set, “Angel of the Bereft,” Beauty’s Sleep,” & “Dark Trinity”; the BP #80 poem, “The Temple of Colors”; BP #79 poems, “The Marquis” and “My Bloody Valentine”; the BP #78 poem, “The Old Yule Goat”; BP #77’s 4-poem set: “At 50,” “Owls,” “Vintage Halloween,” & “Xmas in the Doll Asylum”; BP #76’s 4-poem set: “Hag Fairy Communion,” “Love’s Sepulcher,” “Night Wanderer,” & “St. Andrew’s Feast”; 2 poems for BP #75, “Angel of the Pagan Dead” and “Churchyard Watcher”; BP #72’s 2-poem set, “Ed Gein” & “Sour Puss”; and the 2008 poem, “All Hallows’ Eve,” writes and illustrates our “MARS News” column. He did a cover for Black Petals back in 2000 for the fall issue, and has been around ever since. BP keeps up two websites for him and prints his column in the issue quarterly. Chris has a gallery at http://chris.michaelherring.net/ and was featured artist in Kurt Newton’s Ultimate PerVersities (Naked Snake) [Jan. 2011].