Today, I am delighted to feature a guest post by poet and author, Colleen Chesebro. Colleen is an amazing poet and has devoted extensive time and energy to teaching her fellow bloggers and poets all about syllabic poetry.
Guest post by Colleen M. Chesebro
Thank you, Robbie for the opportunity to share the news of my new book, just in time for the winter solstice and Yule.
In Fairies, Myths, & Magic II I share poetry, short stories, myths, and legends about Yule and the winter solstice. One of my favorite discussions was about the mythology of the seven sacred plants connected to the winter solstice.
(Image created with Canva.com)
They are evergreens, holly, ivy, mistletoe, birch, oak, and yew. The greenery symbolized life, rebirth, and renewal. Ancient peoples believed evergreens held power over death itself because the green color never faded.
Holly is connected to the myths of the Druids, Celtics, Pagans, and Christians. The holly trees or bushes with their red berries and glossy green leaves were sacred to the Druids, who are said to have thought holly protected them against evil spirits. The berries also represented the menstrual blood of their goddess, and the boughs were cut and brought into the home since the leaves were viewed as a magical source which would restore spring.
The Druids were a ruling class of the ancient Celts. Druid means “oak-knower.” Most of what we know about the Druids comes from the Romans and is a mixture of mythology and propaganda. The Druids did not leave any written records.
There is a long tradition of decorating with holly at this time of year. The Romans gave holly branches during Saturnalia to bring good fortune to friends and family.
As you can see, I decorate with holly in my home. This photo shows my reclining Buddha on the mantle surrounded with a holly vine and twinkle lights. I also display the four elements of water, earth, air, and fire.
(Colleen’s Mantle decorated with holly branches & twinkle lights around reclining Buddha)
Here’s a closeup of the photo:
About the book
In this second book in the Fairies, Myths, & Magic series, step into a world where dark fairies, and other magical beings converge in a collection of poetry and short stories inspired by winter and the celebration of the winter solstice.
From Autumn’s scary fairies to the forgotten female characters of Yule, prepare to embrace the magical winter solstice myths from around the world. Meet Frau Holle in the Wild Hunt, Befana—the Christmas Witch of Italy, and the Japanese goddess Ameratasu who controls the springtime. Prepare to embrace the Scottish trows, The Irish Goddess of Winter—the Cailleach Béara, and Snegurochka—the Snow Girl.
Learn how to make Yuletide rituals part of your celebration by embracing the symbols of Yule by decorating with evergreens and crystals.
Fairies, Myths, & Magic II Links:
Colleen’s Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Colleen-M-Chesebro/e/B01N9MV2RX
Amazon Universal Link: https://mybook.to/FairiesMythsMagicII
My review
This beautifully written book comprises of short stories, flash fiction, and poetry, all linked by the common thread of Winter & Yule fairies and magical creatures. Winter is a time of darkness, cold, and hibernation and this is reflected in the magical creatures who reign supreme at this time of year.
The stories and poems detail myths and legends from all over the Northern Hemisphere including house elves from Sweden, a faery queen and an old hag from Ireland, trows from Shetland Island, a snow maiden from Russia, and many more. It was enchanting to read these fascinating fairy tales, a few of which, like Gryla and the thirteen Yule Lads were known to me, and many that were entirely new.
Many of the stories are sad and tug at your heart strings but others will make you smile. My two favourite stories were The Long Walk, which although short was reminiscent for me of The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Tomte, the House Elf, which reminded me of Dobby from the Harry Potter series.
All of the poems are vividly description and I liked that two were dedicated to special people in the poet’s life.
A short quote from a favourite poem, Winter, is as follows:
“silver hair …
winter’s first frost
touches her eyes”
This book is a must for readers who enjoy fairytales, mythology and legends, and beautiful poetry.
About Colleen M. Chesebro
An avid reader, Colleen M. Chesebro rekindled her love of writing poetry after years spent working in the accounting industry. These days, she loves crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction.
In addition to poetry books, Chesebro’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of her writing community on Word Craft Poetry.com by organizing and sponsoring a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called #TankaTuesday, where participants experiment with traditional and current forms of Japanese and American syllabic poetry.
Chesebro isan assistant editor of The Congress of the Rough Writers Flash Fiction Anthology & Gitty Up Press, a micro-press founded by Charli Mills and Carrot Ranch.
In January 2022, Colleen founded Unicorn Cats Publishing Services to assist poets and authors in creating eBooks and print books for publication. In addition, she creates affordable book covers for Kindle and print books.
Chesebro lives in the house of her dreams in mid-Michigan surrounded by the Great Lakes with her husband and two (unicorn) cats, Chloe & Sophie.
Find Colleen M. Chesebro
Word Craft Poetry: https://wordcraftpoetry.com
Colleen M. Chesebro, Author, Poet & Unicorn Cats Publishing Services: https://colleenmchesebro.com
Facebook Page: Colleen M. Chesebro, Poet & Author: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085941528913 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/colleen-m-chesebro-6b856b237
