Artist: https://www.deviantart.com/crocorax

The cold bite of winter air rolls through the elven year, marking the end of a larger cycle. Though with the death of plantlife and the long slumber of many animals being simply an aspect of life before things flourish once more.

Frost and snow shall curl their frigid grasp upon the forests, glades and groves forcing our kin to rely on each other more for our survival much like wolves needing the pack more than ever during the harsher months.
 

First Week of Winter
Once the flames from The Autumn Equinox have been doused by the black waters of the Father Tree, the winter Ráithean shall lead a sacrifice to the Aspects and Mani for their blessing of the coming warmer months, once the sacrifice is made shall mark the start The Rite of Yule, otherwise known as Winter Solstice.

Second Week of Winter

The first true event is a spar, the fighters will have their faces painted with the red markings of the Father before starting their spar. The winner at the end of it all shall be named the champion of Yule and gifted a crown of antlers that they are to wear during the Winter Solstice all in honor of the Father of the Hunt himself.

Third Week of Winter

After the spar, once the bruises have healed, a grand feast shall be held. All of Nevaehlen and the Father Circle are welcomed to cook and bring their own food, for while the cold winter has it’s icy grip upon the lands it is wise to look to each other for comfort. Talking, cheer and song will be encouraged for the warmth of a joyful soul can help warm even the coldest of winters.

Fifth Week of Winter

Finally a time of gift giving shall come about. Family, friends and kin all sharing small trinkets from the heart to mighty works of art being gifted to each other for much like the feast it is always wise to remember that a pack of wolves is far stronger than a lone wolf. Once the gift giving has come to an end, those in attendance will write something that they wish to let go or be rid of from their lives the paper that it is written on will then be burned, symbolizing that woe being burned away from their life - marking the beginning of the end for the Winter Solstice.

>───⇌••⇋───<

“Come, little leaves,” said the wind one day. “Come over the meadows with me and play!

Put on your dresses of red and gold, for Summer is gone and the days grow cold.

Soon as the leaves heard the wind’s loud call, down they came fluttering, one and all;
Over the brown fields they danced and flew, singing the sweet little songs they knew.

-George Cooper

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The warmth of the summer’s days soon came to an end and the seasons began to change. The Autumn sun spread a carpet of leaves, by hundreds, all dressed in colors of yellow and crimson as the village prepared for the harvest. The wilds, too, prepared themselves for the coming changes. Busying themselves with preparing a safe haven and foraging for food to store before Winter came.

Changes were brought upon the realm after the ending of Ostara. The leaves transitioning from shades of green to vibrant colors or crimson and yellow as those of the fold prepare for the Rite of Mabon.

[Art by Mathias Zamęcki]

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• Offerings•

Baskets full of herbs and fruits foraged from the first day of fall will be brought to the ritual grounds. Members of the fold will also bring stacks of wood and other materials foraged from abandoned structures to add to the stacked fire pit. An act of parting from the plethora of goods provided by past seasons.

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• Ritual•

On the first day of Autumn, members of the fold will gather to head out into the lands to forage wood and other materials from abandoned structures or fallen trees to bring back to the village.

Members will gather beneath the glowing moon at dusk. At the start of the festival the Autumn Raithean will call upon members of the circle to stack their foraged goods into the pit where everyone will gather ‘round and chant to the Horned Father while the Autumn Raithean lights the pit ablaze. During the months of Autumn, Father Circle druii will feed the flames of Mabon to keep them lit throughout the changing season.

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• Rite•

At the end of the Autumnal months, members of the fold will gather around the fire once more. To mark the end of the Equinox, the Autumn Raithean will bring black water from the Father tree to douse the dancing flames.

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Eretria Arvellon - Raithean of Autumn

[!] The following letter was scribed by an elder and sent out across Nevaehlen's glade and to friends afar.

The eery stillness of Winter's presence thaws and the sound of emerging, huffing noses, chirping beaks and rustling branches fill the air. After this long, quiet and detrimental season, sprouts green from flourishing limbs -- signs of new life. While flora buds, fresh running water sings from the once deep-frosted terrain. 

As we turn the wheel, with death from Yule comes Ostara’s life, we pray to both Mother and Father for a season of prosperity and regrowth. 

The Father Circle invites citizens of Nevaehlen, as well as fellow allies to join us in the Rite of Ostara; to participate, rejoice, and celebrate new beginnings. 

Art by Charlie Bowater

As the sun rises over the horizon, those of the Circle begin to decorate their homes of varying flowers and their bodies of tiva wreaths. Offerings of flora, herbs and wooden charms may be presented during the ritual.

After the day's activities of decorating, painted in vibrant, lively colors, the Father Circle Drui, Acolytes and Raitheans meet along with their kin under the sun's highest point in the day. The Spring Raithean will call for those to bless the chosen seed of a tree, one the Archdruid had harvested during the early thaw of the season. 

While the sapling is planted by the Spring Raithean, each member of the Circle is invited to plant seeds of any flowers, to orbit around the youthful tree. Throughout Ostara, members are to take care of the flowers planted while the Raithean tends to the sapling. 

To carry on a tradition, a memorial for Sister Orison, Matriarch of Siramenor, Chieftess Awaiti of Sirame will be held, and the tree commemorated in her name.

To wrap up the ritual as the sky falls dark over our heads, the Spring Raithean will lead a rite calling upon Cerridwen to bless the Circle, Grove, and Glade to bring about a new generation. During the rite, the Spring Raithean will place an egg within a sea shell filled with water sourcing from the attunement pool. The liquid is black in nature, having been produced by the Father Tree itself. 

The egg is then given to a chosen child, teaching the valuable lesson of new life. Throughout the remainder of the spring season, members of the circle tend to the flora to ensure a prosperous summer solstice while also partaking in their duty of reclamation, aiding in the return to nature to whatever ruin or site feasible. 

Raithean of Spring

[OOC: The Rite will take place Saturday, April 23rd at 6:30pm EST. Meet at the Father Grove moot room within Nevaehlen!]

Year 46, SA

━─━─━━─━「₪」━━─━─━─━

[!] The heat of the Summer’s days would come to an end as an Autumnal chill rolled around. The sun seemed to linger for longer during the days as rays of sunlight peek through the changing leaves of the trees looming around the Vale of Nevaehlen, shades of bright reds and oranges blanketing the ground. Most of the animals began to scurry around in search of berries and nuts to stash away before Winter came.

The end of Ostara brought a beautiful change to the Vale to welcome in the Autumnal Equinox, also referred to as The Rite of Mabon. A ritual will be held beneath the glowing moon at dusk, where those of the fold come bearing baskets filled with herbs and fruits foraged from the first day of Autumn.

(Artist Unknown)

- Offerings -

As the colors of Autumn begin to take hold, those in the Vale will set out to forage for gifts to offer the roaring fire - an act of parting from the plethora of goods provided by the past seasons.

- Ritual -

Maturity and abundance of the passing seasons make Mabon rich with life. At the start of the festival, the Raithean of Autumn calls upon the members of the fold to stack a pit full of firewood and other materials gathered from the remains of an abandoned structure.
Everyone will then gather around the dancing flames and offer their foraged gifts to the inferno while chanting to the Horned Father, Cernunnos. Father Circle druii feed the flames throughout the coming months of fall so the bonfire is kept for the entirety of the maturing season.

- Rite -

As the sun begins to set against the horizon, the end of the equinox comes to an end - marked by the Autumnal Raithean dousing the burning pit with the black water from the Father Tree.

━─━─━━─━「₪」━━─━─━─━

             Year 17, SA

[!] Parchment with the following high-spirited letter finds ways around Elvenesse,

Floppy eared heads peek out from the thawing ground, a bulbous black nose snuffs the earthy spring air and the crackling of eggs could be heard from branches overhead as we welcome the new season. After a long, quiet, detrimental winter, sprouts of green flourish from the limbs of trees showing signs of new life. Flora bud as fresh running water sounds from the once deep-frosted terrain. 

As we turn the wheel, with death from Yule comes Ostara’s life, we pray to both Mother and Father for a season of prosperity and regrowth. 

We invite all druii and citizens of Elvenesse to join us in the Rite of Ostara, to participate, rejoice, and celebrate new beginnings.

Art by Charlie Bowater 

As the sun rises over the horizon, those of the Circle begin to decorate their homes of varying flowers and their bodies of tiva wreaths. Offerings of flora, herbs and wooden charms may be presented during the ritual.

After the day's activities of decorating, painted in vibrant, lively colors, the Curaidh, Acolytes and Raitheans meet along with their kin under the sun's highest point in the day. The Spring Raithean will call for those to bless the chosen seed of a tree, one the Archdruid had harvested during the early thaw of the season. 

While the sapling is planted by the Spring Raithean, each member of the Circle is invited to plant seeds of any flowers, to orbit around the youthful tree. Throughout Ostara, members are to take care of the flowers planted while the Raithean tends to the sapling. 

Beyond tradition, a memorial for the passing of our  Sister Orison, Matriarch of Siramenor, Chieftess Awaiti of Sirame will be held, and the tree commemorated in her name. 

To wrap up the ritual as the sky falls dark over our heads, the Spring Raithean will lead a rite calling upon Cerridwen to bless the Circle, Grove, and Glade to bring about a new generation. During the rite, the Spring Raithean will place an egg within a sea shell filled with fresh water, and those still gathered will sip and pass the shell around. To conclude the rite, herbs are to be set ablaze producing a smog of earthy aromas. 

[OOC: The Rite will take place Friday, March 26th at 5pm EST. Meet at the Father Grove hearth!]

❄️ THE RITE OF YULE ❄️

- A Celebration of the Winter Solstice -

Year 7 SA, (1803)

 [!] An announcement of jubilation is written in an array of paints and inks.

The winter months of any elven year are filled with change and rebirth. The death of plants and the hibernation of animals are only some of the ways in which the natural world around us replenishes itself. However, each time the snow begins to fall upon our forests and glades, it is time for us too to go through our own cycle. The Winter Solstice, or what we in the Father Circle call the Rite of Yule, is a sacred festival and series of ceremonial rituals that allow us to come together, give thanks, and celebrate nature’s death in preparation for the blossoming to occur in spring.

All who live under the Crown of Elvenesse are invited cordially to attend, alongside any and all who seek to likewise honor the bounty that nature has provided us this previous elven year.

The Offering 🦌

To begin the evening, our Raitheans will lead in the sacrificing of a great elk, an offering to the Aspects in the hopes of granting our realm a shortened winter. Crafted wreaths and sprigs of holly, mistletoe, and pine are laid upon the elk’s corpse, the hide being painted in shades of red and brown. The offering is left somewhere out in the wilds until the day where only the bones remain, in which case they will be buried  within the grounds of the Father Grove.

The Feast 🍗

Following the sacrifice and dedication, a feast shall commence. A meal provided by each attendee is welcome, to ensure a full and hearty table. However, to further honor the Aspects, the feast is a strictly-silent affair with only the sounds of the surrounding environment to accompany the food and drink. To speak during this meal is considered highly disrespectful.

The Exchanging of Gifts & The Winter’s Brawl 🌿

In conclusion, two options are given for those in attendance. For visitors who seek to give crafts and trinkets to friends and loved ones, an exchange of gifts will be open for those interested to participate in. These tokens and presents are encouraged to be handmade.

For those not so inclined to simple gift-giving, a brawl will be open to all participants in our sparring pit. Whoever proves their physical prowess will be rewarded with a prize by our own Sister Venom, who will stand in for the Raithean of Winter and  is overseeing the festivities.

With Season’s Greetings,

The Viper Druid, Taeral Caerme’onn, Raithean of Winter

The Bear Druid, Miven Caerme’onn, Raithean of Spring

The Wildfire Druid, Eir’thall, Raithean of Autumnl

The Venom Druid, Syndra Caerme’onn

[Information]

Date: Sunday, January 17th, @ 7pm EST

Where: The Father Grove, Realm of Elvenesse