DIY Ogham Staves

For the past few months I have been trying to learn all about oghams. A very complicated and messy subject, due to the little facts that are actually known about oghams. The only concrete information about the oghams comes from the actual name meanings and the associations of the Bríatharogaim Kennings found in the Ogham Tract. However, there is plenty of opinion and speculation as to what the oghams represented and how they should be interpreted. 

Although there are some consistencies to be found among the many sources I have researched about the the meanings and associations of the oghems, there are still many others that differ or contradict what is found in other sources. Even the names of the oghams themselves have differing spellings. This becomes all the more complicated when you reach the last five ogham fews, which were a latter addition and for this reason not always discussed among literary sources.

To aid my learning I decided to create a physical set of oghams staves. My intention was to create a set from sticks, however as I have yet to procure the sticks I need, and because I had them on hand, I have created an ogham set from wooden nail cuticle pushers. I still intend to create a set from sticks, but for the moment these diy staves will do. They are wood and about the right height I wanted, just a little too skinny. All I needed to do was draw on the ogham figures and I was done. You can read more about using these Ogham staves HERE.

Beads Of 'A Year And A Day' - Faery Beads

'A Year And A Day' is a well known term that has, over time, held many significance's. There are stories in which couples would become handfasted for a year and day, which was a sort of temporary marriage commitment. After a year the couple could then decide to stay together or go their separate ways. It was seen as a period of time consisting of the 13 lunar months plus 1 day, making up the solar year. It was also said to be the length of time one would have to stay with the faeries in their realm, if one was to wander into their realm, before it would be possible to return to the mortal realm.

The instructions I found to create these beads describe using rowan berries threaded on string and finish with a cross of rowan wood. Not living in a country where rowan trees grow naturally, I instead decided I wanted to make these from actual beads. I also personally preferred the idea of creating beads that would last for a year and a day, as opposed to having to go through the process of drying out the berries and hoping the whole thing would not fall apart. I know it might have been nice to use natural products but that was not available to me and personally I prefer these beads that can be handled and worn.

 

Without access to rowan berries or wood, I instead decided to finish of my beads with a bronze star. There was no way I could use silver or iron on these faerie beads, for obvious reasons. To complete these beads of 'A Year And A Day' I used 4 different sized red, or reddish, coloured beads, totalling all up to be 366 beads. The full length of these beads from star to star measures about 133cm, creating one very long necklace if you wish to wear it as such. Though I have preferred to wear it wrapped around my wrist multiple times as a bracelet.

These faerie beads, as I like to think of them, were inspired by Eco Enchantments. The link to the instructions can be found HERE. There is short description about rowan berries and their use in healing and protection, as well as instructions for creating these using actual rowan berries and wood, if you are inclined to do so. Although I have no access to any rowan trees, I was lucky enough to have a small collection of different bead colours and types, so in creating this I used only the materials I already had, including the bronze star charm.