As Samhain (Halloween, All Saints Day, All Souls Day) has passed and we are now in the darker, colder time of year, I like to take time and reflect on things. Fall and winter are, beyond a doubt, my favorite time of year. I have to ask you this because it is this way for me. Have you ever sat outside on a clear, cold, winter night and gazed up at the stars, the twinkling jewels that decorate our night sky and felt the wonderment and get this excited knot in the pit of your stomach at the mystery of what was up “there”? Have you ever walked in the woods past the hour of midnight, when the moon is full and frost sparkles on the ground? It will give you that same excited feeling. The Mystery. I cherish that feeling. For the past 36 years I lived in a rural area and have experienced it many times. If you have never done that, you should! What are you waiting for?
The Celts believed that the veil between the living and the dead blurred on Samhain and got so thin that it would break and that spirits and the dead would cross over into our realm. What led them to this belief? The mystery of death surely so, or at least that is my opinion. There are others more knowledgeable on that subject than myself.
I love to wonder what it would be like to live in the time of the Celts. Sure, it was a brutal time period. War was always a threat. Your life expectancy was short. But there was still mystery, because the world, in regards to man as a cognitive being, was still relatively new. Can you imagine what it was like to witness the Northern Lights during the time of the Celts and Vikings? Surely the Gods were putting on a display of power, or some other supernatural phenomenon was happening. Imagine the mystery those people felt looking up at the stars and the moon. It was also a time when we believed that magic existed. And we still want magic to exist.
I believe this is why fantasy books and fantasy based video games are so popular. It gives us that sense of mystery. Do we not love the unexplained, the unknown?
The Unknown beckons us.
Will you answer the call?
P.S. There are some songs that give me that feeling that the unknown beckons. I will link them below.
Lunar Sanctum by Kamelot - I love the haunting nature of this song.
All Souls Night by Loreena McKennitt - I am starting to see a pattern here. What can I say? She is awesome and this song is wonderfully haunting and lilting.
What things bring you that sense of the unknown? That sense of mystery that leaves you with an excited knot in the pit of your stomach?
I love this post! Yes, you're absolutely right. The mystery of living back then and not really understanding the science of everything and not having technology is something I often wonder about. I like the idea of medieval times mostly because of that. I could never really put my finger on what I like so much about games like Morrowind, but you nailed it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words, Christie! I appreciate your comment. It is nice to meet a kindred soul. For me, it started with EverQuest and then came along Dark Age of Camelot. I am currently reading The Winter King (again for the 50th time) just because it gives me that feeling.
DeleteP.S. My son told me to play Skyrim, wow it's fun!
Thanks again!