The Fae Moons - The Lunar Calendar and Legends of the Mother Circle

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Spoiler

 

 

For as long as the Circle has been able to cast eyes of wonder up to the moon, stories and myths have been sung and written by the Mother Circle. Cautionary tales, omens of fortune and legends of rare creatures are celebrated during the Mother’s Cycle, or the Lunar Calendar. Typically there are twelve moons of the year with a rare thirteenth moon, all with specific festivals, traditions, rites and patron mythical creatures. The twelve are divided into three lunar seasons in honor of the Mother’s Cycle of Birth, Life, and Decay. In addition, there exist fables of strange creatures that the Druids revere.

The Moons of Birth
The Moons of Birth represent nature’s revitalization from the changes of autumn and winter. The blessings of new blooming flowers and mild weather are celebrated, with the largest celebration being held during the Flower Moon. It is said that the vibrant energy of the NightFall domain pours in from the fae rings towards the end of winter and offers the eternal colors of spring and rebirth to the world. 

 

The Crystal Moon
The First Moon of Birth is still cold and symbolizes the challenges of birth. When the last of the ice crystals cling to the realm, the tale of the Fae Hare’s emergence is celebrated for the month. It describes a pure white, horned snow hare that emerges to carve away the last biting cold of winter and spread the seeds for the coming Spring.

 

 

The Painted Moon
Once Winter is but a memory, the realm is painted with the colors of spring. Dread erupts into joy as life surges in a green crescendo of new growth and the sky burns bright with spring’s radiance. The Circle celebrates the beginning of Spring by decorating the Grove with bright colors of druidic creation. It is believed that the Painted Moon offers passage to the Color Flight of Cerridwen, an innumerable flock of Hummingbird Fairies that represent every color imaginable and bring their rainbows to the world with new vibrancy.

The Flower Moon
The Flower Moon is one of the largest celebrations of the Mother Circle. A great forager’s feast is held of berries, sweet honey and artisanal fruits. With the great crescendo of flowers and nourishment from the land, brewmasters are summoned throughout the realm to display their mastery of nature’s elixirs and liquors. Flower dances and gifts of new clothing are cherished among the Circle.

 

The Cloud Moon
When the radiance of Spring begins to come to a close, Cerridwen’s Breath blows in great winds that summon warmer weather and billows fertility over the land. The flowers close up and begin their journey to fruition, or take flight in the wind to plant the seeds of future life. It is believed that this Moon brings a more mischievous Fae passage into the world; butterfly pixies as small as bees that enact the Mother’s promise of Life. It is said that if one were to be foolish enough to harm such a creature, they would be doomed to experience extreme misfortune for their savage disrespect to the Spring Sprite. 

 

The Moons of Life
The Moons of Life are believed to be the most powerful and strong Moons of the Mother’s Cycle. The Dayward Lands influence the four lunar cycles with energy from the eternally sunny realm and breathe vitality into all living beings.

 

The Storm Moon
Eventually, the breath of Spring turns into a great windy storm seen during the Storm Moon. When the weather suddenly shifts from balmy to the intense heat of the coming summer, Cerridwen’s Stormtreaders emerge as heralds of rain and thunder. Cleansing the land and nourishing the realm, Stags of mist and tempest bring thunder with their stomping hooves and cracks of lightning through the clash of antlers. In some tales, it is said that when lightning strikes the land, a Stormtreader has reprimanded a dangerous trespassing fae or draoi and returned it to the Fae Realm.
 

 

The Lion Moon
After the rains of summer have quenched the thirst of the land, the heat of summer is ushered in by the Midsummer Prince. He is a storied lion guardian of Cerridwen’s Glade within the Fae Realm, and will roar a wave of primal vibrancy from the Fae Realm. The sun will blaze bright and the days will become long and difficult. During this great offering of sunlight, however, the Midsummer Prince gifts the coming autumn bounty with Cerridwen’s Blessing of Life, so that there may be a grand harvest to nurture the world towards the end of the year.
 

 

 

The Ocean Moon

When the Roar of Summer begins to warm the oceans, the Festival of the Sea Maiden is held upon the beaches and shores of the Mother Grove. The Sea Maiden is the fabled mother of summer sea creatures, often depicted with the scales of a rainbow trout, luminescent tails of the jellyfish, or long hair of lakebed greens. She can leap from any body of water to another and morph her body to suit any climate. During the Festival of the Sea Maiden, the bounty of the Ocean is celebrated through great works of art in sand, coral, and sea stone. During this Moon, it is said that the Children of the Sea Maiden, Mermen and Sirens, will guard the tide and rivers against greedy travelers. Doom is said to follow those who are unable to resist the mischievous games of the Fae, while those who respect the waters of the world might stumble upon a small token of wealth from the sea in the form of rare pearls and sea-stones. Many of these riches are gifted to loved ones, guides, or to the Mother herself to ensure more good fortune will follow.

 

 

The Fox Moon
To celebrate the first changes of Autumn, the Rite of the Vixen is held once the toiling of summer has concluded. During this celebration, a masquerade is held in honor of the nine-tailed Fae spirit that symbolizes riddles, change, and clever wisdom. It is told that by hiding one’s face behind a Fae that they attain the most wisdom from during the rite, the mischievous sons of the White Vixen will not age the festival participants unkindly. Instead, her young pups will cloak the realm in shades of autumn and chase the prey animals of the world into the season of the Wild Hunt.

 

The Moons of Decay
When the Mother’s Cycle reaches the time of decay, the days become shorter and the radiance of summer turns quiet. With each dusk and dawn, the realm of the Twilight Bound hushes the roar of summer into a somber lullaby. Darker nights and trickster creatures of the fae rule the final phase of the cycle.

 

The Crimson Moon
The Rise of the Crimson Moon signals the beginning of the Wild Hunt. The Circle will form parties of mighty hunters to follow the guidance of the Fae Vixen’s children to their prey. Wreaths of autumn leaves and berries are adorned as crowns onto successful Hunt Masters, denoting status as a harvest provider within the Circle. During this moon, the Windrunners have been rumored to briefly present themselves before particularly skilled hunters. Very little is known of the purpose of the Windrunner’s visit, but it is associated with the spirit of fairness and clean kills. Should a hunter not properly use their kill or leave excessive waste, the Windrunner may secretly stalk them and sabotage their days until the imbalance has been corrected.

 

 

The Pumpkin Moon
The Pumpkin Moon is perhaps the largest event held within the Mother Circle. The harvest’s yield comes to a close, and the Ritual of the NightWing is performed during the full moon of the month. The NightWing is depicted as a great bat that visits the young of the realm and gifts them with sweets and toys stolen from naughty children and bullies. He will appear as kind and happy to those that have respected the Hunt, while playing games of mischief and terror upon those who have wasted the season. With a promise to share their gifts with their mother and father, the children and their families of the Grove will carve lighted pumpkin and gourds in honor of NightWing to ward off the dangerous fae spirits that may enter the realm during winter months.
 

 

The Night Moon
The Night Moon is the start of the coldest time of year. Frost sweeps over the land silently in the night, thought to be ushered in by a flock of moonlit moths that flutter from the silver rays of the silvery winter moon. The MoonMoths are silent and never intentionally interact with descendants in legend and are considered a dangerous Fae. Those unlucky to find themselves alone and lost in the wilds during the winter months may find themselves frozen to death, rumored to be the work of the moth spirits themselves who have been found by a doomed wanderer. The final days of the Night Moon are marked by the resilience of the evergreen trees, the largest of which is grown by the Druids in reverance of the Mother’s Promise of Rebirth. Traditionally gifts were exchanged to ensure the Circle’s prosperity during the colder months, but tokens of appreciation are also popular in the form of new clothing, toys, and sweets.
 

 

The Wolf Moon
Marking the End of the Cycle, the last and coldest moon of the year is marked with the trials of survival. The Mother’s children, if they are to navigate the obstacles of deep winter, must show resilience and faith in Cerridwen. In the wilds during particularly cold nights, the Spirits of Hunger stalk the realm. Also known as Icefangs, these fae monsters hunt the weak and the dying so that their life might be recycled in the coming spring. Howling cacophony of hungry wolves might just be the rallying cry of a pack of Icefangs bringing a kind end to suffering, and hunt both descendants and evil fae spirits. The greatest trophy of a pack of Icefangs is the soul of a draoi, who they hunt tirelessly during the Wolf Moon. A talisman of an IceFang is said to bring their protective nature to the aid of innocent newborns and children, whom the IceFangs shall never harm as decreed by Cerridwen. On the last day of the year before the Moons of Birth, an offering of old items, food, or clothing is set before an altar to Cerridwen in hopes that by discarding what is not needed and offering it to another, the Icefangs may overlook their homes and glades and continue their hunt for more appropriate trophies.
 

 

The Fae Queen’s Moon
Occasionally, a thirteenth moon will arise during the year. Such a rare and sacred event to the Mother Circle has been celebrated at the season of Cerridwen herself, the Fae Queen. In stories, the light of the Fae Queen’s moon calls all of the Fae back to the Realm in summons to a great court of nature and seasons. The souls of druids past convene with Cerridwen and the Fae to discuss matters of the Balance and the three realms of the Fae. An unusually bright full moon illuminates the night sky, with the Mother Circle holding the greatest rite of all, the Gathering of Lights. The gathering involves the creation of glowing lanterns that are sent into the heavens, holding prayers and wishes that the Circle hopes that the Mother’s court may hear.
 

 

 

Notable Legends of the Mother Grove
While not necessarily associated with any season, the following mythical fae creatures carry important teachings to the Druids of the Mother Grove. Whether they actually exist or not is certainly debated among the realm, but their stories are very real and sacred to Druids.

 

The Wanderer

The Wanderer is the most elusive fae storied within the library of the Mother Circle, but beloved by believers. It is a tall, olog-sized fae ape that strides around the outskirts of fae rings to ensure that no fae of ill-intent comes to harm Druids by trespassing into the world. Many druids believe that The Wanderer is a sole member of a once plentiful sect of the Mother’s Guardians, and has been gifted with the ability to phase in and out of the fae realm without the need of a direct gateway. This makes the Wanderer a creature of legendary elusivity and the ultimate ambusher. In some texts, the Wanderer is locked in an endless hunt for the Hungered, fae that embody the starving winter months and harbor a deep hate for druids and descendants.

 

The Hungered

 

The Hungered is by far the most sinister of cautionary tales of the Mother Circle. When the Moons of Decay come, there are some spirits and souls that wish to cheat death by resorting to the most heinous and evil of hunts; the murder and feasting of their own kin. The Hungered are  invisible sprites that will infect the forms of starving, desperate druids and animals that have killed or eaten their family. When the sprite has possessed the body, it will mutate into a hideous creature of winter with skin like permafrost and teeth of needles and icicles. Plagued by a never satiated, primal hunger, they wander in and out of the fae realm on cold nights and consume the flesh of the weak while they are still alive. According to legend, the first Hungered was the warped soul of a draoi that has since harbored a hate for the Aspects. Forced to forever seek contentment, the draoi spirit searches the world for weak druids to tempt and possess in a method of continued revolt against the Balance.

 

 

The Glimmerhorn
Collectively known as unicorns, the Glimmerhorn fae are the Mother’s beauty incarnate. Incredibly rare and thought to bring fertility and wealth, they travel the world in solitude bringing the light of the Fae Realm by their shimmering hooves and long horns. Residing within all three portions of the Fae Realm, they can come in nearly any array of colors and glow. The Glimerhorn is the patron fae of warriors who enact the Mother’s Wrath against mages, dragonkin, and evil spirits. These unicorns are extremely territorial and will guard their glades valiantly. The longer the gleaming horn upon a unicorn, the more imbalance it has vanquished in its life.

 

The PrideMother
Feline creatures are immensely important myths and real companions of the Mother Circle. Some druids claim that the cats of the world, big and small are descendant from the PrideMothers themselves, great saber-toothed cats that hunt and track draoi and more dangerous fae. They may resemble a ghostly specter or a whimsical recreation of their natural descendants.  The reflective eyes of the cats that remain with us in this realm are remnants of the PrideMother’s ability to see even invisible fae or demons, and the light caught within their gaze is used to locate their prey with pinpoint accuracy. To witness the shine of a cat’s eyes as a descendant or druid is a certain sign that foul magics are afoot. The Talisman of the PrideMother is a common gift given to new mothers so that they may be blessed with the gift of Cerridwen’s discernment to protect her young.

 

The Glade Serpent
Historically, Taynei the Great Green Dragon has offered the druids trials, wisdom, and strife. Lesser dragons called Glade Serpents inhabit all reaches of the forest but bear very little of Taynei’s intelligence and ability to speak. To the Mother Circle Druids, the Glade Serpents are the symbols of joy and prosperity, as they are thought to be the faithful companions of smaller fae that reside in the Fae Realm. They are typically depicted as a whimsical mount for fabled sprites, aiding their daily tasks within the Fae Realm.