Revealing Light: Summer Solstice from a Welsh Folklore Perspective

The summer solstice is a natural event but, if you're in Wales around the time of the solstice, be prepared to encounter the supernatural.

Did you feel it? At the end of June, an astronomical event occurred that will affect both daylight and air temperatures globally. Its impact has already begun, and it will continue until nearly the end of this year. It’s called a solstice, and there will be another one on December 21^st. It happens bi-annually and is the reason Earth has seasons.

Why does it happen and what are the effects of a solstice? I’ll explain the science behind it below, but there is another question that’s not as easy to answer. Can an event of such global magnitude impact the supernatural world along with the natural? Throughout the centuries, cultures across the globe have believed so. The Celts certainly did. And today’s post will look at what ancient druidic practices and Welsh folklore reveal about the connection between the natural and supernatural worlds.

But first, the science.

Light and the Earth’s Tilt

Why are there solstices? The Earth isn’t perfectly upright with the North Pole at the top and the South Pole at the bottom. It is tilted. So, the North Pole is slightly down from the top and points in one direction. The South Pole is slightly up from the bottom and points in the opposite direction. As the Earth makes its orbit, the sun shines increasingly more on one hemisphere than the other. Finally, that hemisphere reaches a point of maximum sunlight (its summer solstice) while the other hemisphere receives the least amount (its winter solstice).

Bring Peace. End All Wars.

As the earth’s orbit continues, the sunny hemisphere moves away from the direct light while the other begins to move more into the sun’s rays—and towards its summer solstice. As you can see, the summer and winter solstices occur concurrently, with one hemisphere in light and warmth and the other in dimness and cold.

The solstices occur twice a year, around June 21^st and December 21^st.  In the northern hemisphere, the summer solstice takes place in June and the winter solstice occurs in December. For the southern hemisphere, those solstices are reversed. So, don’t be surprised if your friends in Australia celebrate Christmas at the beach!

The solstices are the reason for the seasons. After summer solstice, the amount of daylight each day decreases, and the temperatures slowly drop. Summer warmth moves towards the chill of autumn and, finally, the cold of winter. Then, after the winter solstice, the light and warmth slowly return. Every year. Like clockwork. Nothing mysterious. It’s all quite scientific.

Or is it?

Celtic folklore sees the solstices as powerful events infused with both spiritual and magical energy. The light of the summer solstice, from a Welsh folklore perspective, penetrates the shadows and reveals that which normally is hidden. That includes the Otherworld and the future. And that can lead to some pretty unusual—and unsettling—experiences.

A Welsh Summer Solstice Scenario

Imagine yourself on holiday in Wales the evening before the summer solstice. As you stroll along a country road back towards your B&B, dusk descends. It’s that time when the light gets a little funny and things look a little…different.

A chill breeze tiptoes across your neck as you approach an old graveyard to your right. Dead leaves scrape along beside you, nudged by the wind.

With a sharp gronk, a raven flees the cemetery and disappears into the darkening sky. Faint strains of mournful music fill the air. You are suddenly jostled as if in a crowd, but there isn’t a living soul in sight. A procession of candles floats past you and turns into the graveyard.

You haven't gone mad. You're seeing omens of an imminent death--but not yours.

You haven’t gone mad. You’ve simply witnessed corpse candles and a phantom funeral. It’s not a ghostly experience. It’s an omen. Someone nearby is about to die. Prophetic visions are just one of the ways Alban Helfin—the summer solstice—manifests itself in Wales.

Alban Heflin, Spirit Night, and Thinning of the Veil

Although the summer solstice marks the official start to summer on the Gregorian calendar used across the western hemisphere, to the Celts, the solstice was the start of midsummer. This makes sense, especially from the perspective of an agrarian culture. The sun is at its height at the solstice. Immediately after, the light will start to lessen as the days get shorter. It is a reminder to get any last crops sown so they will be ready for the autumn harvest.

But Midsummer’s Day (Alban Heflin) is more than a reminder that bright, warm days will come to an end. In Celtic spirituality and folklore, the summer solstice marks a powerfully magical time when the supernatural spills into the natural world.

In Welsh folklore, Nos Gwyl Ifan (Midsummer’s Eve) is a Spirit Night. It is a time when the veil between the worlds thins, allowing faeries and other supernatural beings to cross into the human world. And, unlike vampires, faeries don’t need to retreat when the sun comes up. In fact, they’ll be around for a few days, often having fun by making mischief. Humans are well-advised to take measures beforehand to protect themselves, homes, crops, and livestock.

Fortunately, folklore offers protective measures. A main defense is to hang herbal garlands on the doors of your house and barn. This is plant magic, and the recommended herbals to use are St. John’s Wort, fennel, vervain, and birch. You should also stuff some purple vervain or yellow St. John’s Wort into your keyhole (you can’t be too cautious!).

To protect property and crops, on Alban Heflin morning, scatter ashes from the Nos Gwyl Ifan communal bonfire on your crops and yard.

Herbal garlands protect the home while a saucer of milk protects the baby.

In addition, be hospitable and thankful (faeries will bless you for it). Thank the bwbachod (your house sprites) by leaving out some ale for them. If you have a baby, leave an offering of milk outside your front door to keep faeries from stealing your child.

With all the faeries and other beings roaming the countryside, you may feel it’s best to stay tucked up in the house, but if you want to go out, you can. Just take precautions. Place a St. John’s Wort flower in your pocket and stay out of crossroads. They are liminal places where this world and the other meet. Also, stay out of the woods! It’s the sacred domain of the Tylwyth Teg, the Welsh faeries.

And, if you see a light, don’t follow it!

Don’t Follow the Lights!

As you stroll down a road, approach a crossroad, or wander into the woods (Wait! Why are you in the woods?) you see a distant light. It may feel warm and comforting. You may feel it beckoning you to follow. Don’t. Why? The Tlywyth Teg and the Pwca. Lights from the Tlywyth Teg are a warning. The Pwca’s light is a lure to danger.

Golden, flickering, or dancing lights, especially in wild places (like the woods) or at crossroads are often faerie lights. Called ellylldan in Welsh folklore, these lights are thought to be one of the forms the Tlywyth Teg (the Good Family) take.

The woods are their sacred place. If you see their golden lights, consider it a warning. Leave!

At a crossroad, flickering lights may be a way of protecting you. Crossroads, in Celtic folklore, are considered liminal places, areas that mark where the human world and the Otherworld meet. The Tlywyth Teg are trying to keep you from stumbling into the Otherworld. And, as anyone who studies Celtic folklore will tell you, going to the Otherworld rarely turns out well for humans.

Faerie lights in a crossroad are a warning. don't ignore it.

The greater danger, though, is following a Pwca Light, a swinging lantern in the distance. The Pwca or Puca is a pan-Celtic folklore being. In Irish folklore, he is a trickster, but not usually mean-spirited. The Welsh Pwca, however, is a malevolent, shapeshifting goblin. The Pwca’s light is meant to lead you to dangerous places, like the edge of a cliff. Ignore it. You’ll live longer.

Then there are corpse candles, which have nothing to do with faeries, goblins, or ghosts. They are an omen of death and often appear on the road the funeral procession will take. Notice I used the future tense. These candles are not part of some ghostly experience. They are a prophetic sign that someone nearby will die soon.

Light Reveals What’s Hidden

Often, people associate the supernatural with midnight and darkness. It’s understandable. At night, it’s hard to see clearly. Shadows can add to the eeriness. Also, in the quiet of the night, one sometimes hears unexplained sounds. This creates a sense of mystery, spookiness, and an awareness of human vulnerability.

So, it may seem odd that Otherworldly things and an increased tendency for ordinary people to have visions are a part of Celtic folklore about the summer solstice. After all, summer is a time of abundant sunshine.

Think of it this way. If you walk into an unlit room on a cloudy day, the corners of the room that are dimmed by shadows. Turn on a bright overhead light and things that were hidden suddenly become visible. That’s what the summer solstice is: abundant light that gives clearer sight. The druids took advantage of this time of clearer sight to peek into the future.

Seeing into the Future

The summer solstice is a time for divination. Pay attention to your dreams!

Ancient Welsh druids, as well as the religious leaders of the Irish and Scottish Celts, saw the summer solstice—and particularly the night before the solstice—as a prime time for divination. Using a variety of divination methods, including sacred rituals at communal gatherings, observing animal behavior and weather events, and interpreting the movement of sparks at the communal bonfire, the druids tried to discover what the future held.

Will the harvest be good? Will the coming year be a prosperous one? Are the gods pleased is there a catastrophe—a drought, a plague, or famine—that needs to be warded off with prayer and magic? These were the types of things the Celtic religious leaders attempted to determine at the start of midsummer.

Divination isn’t limited to the ancient druids, however. Welsh people into modern times have taken advantage of the highly magical time of Midsummer’s Eve and the summer solstice. Like other Celts, they played divination games. Perhaps the most popular folklore activity was for young women to place flowers or herbs, such as lavender, under their pillow at night so they could dream of their true love.

The Welsh didn’t just want to see the future, though. They took proactive steps to protect themselves, their families, livestock, and crops, such as hanging garlands and scattering ashes as mentioned above. They also collected herbs for healing and magic.

Welsh (and Celtic folklore in general) recommend gathering herbs on Midsummer’s Day. The lore says that the magic in herbs (and all plants) is most potent at summer solstice because they are infused with the sun’s energy. So, grab a basket and start collecting! But always ask the plant’s permission, then offer a thanksgiving of some kind. Remember the faeries are about, and they don’t take kindly to people who treat nature with disrespect.

Reflections Going Forward

Midsummer is a good time to reflect.

Even though the solstice has passed, we are still in the season of light. Why not take some time to reflect on some Welsh summer solstice themes?

1) What is hidden within you that needs to be revealed? This could be a fear, a hurt, a desire, or a talent that you yearn to share.

2)  Are you approaching a crossroad? Do you feel a little lost in the woods? Is there a light beckoning to you? Is it cautioning you? Leading you to safety? Or leading you to a potentially dangerous place.

3)  The solstice is a liminal (in-between) time. Celtic folklore says that in-betweens are where magic lives. What magical thing are you on the edge of?

4)  The light of the summer solstice infuses plants with potent energy. What energizes you right now?

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this post and any of my others you check out. Please LIKE and SHARE.  To SUBSCRIBE for FREE, just click on the “Sign Up” button in the upper right of the page.

    All artwork for this post (except for the Ukrainian flag and the GIF) by Christine Dorman via Bing Image Creator.

Go raibh maith agat! Slain go foil!

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