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Witchfest & The Seax
389 Plays1 year ago
#TBWP hosted by Swailes the Friendly Green Witch
In this episode update you on my moldervite life impact, my amazing experience volunteering at Witchfest International and the impressive raffle prise I won.... A replica of The Seax of Berghoff and its history
With special thanks to
Witchfest - https://witchfest.net/
Witching Around Podcast- https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/witchingaroundpod/
*PLEASE SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW*
Fancy being a guest or suggest a topic? Email thebellwitchpodcast@yahoo.com
Produced with love and magic by @Thefriendlygreenwitch
Follow TBWP on Instagram @the_bell_witch_podcast
((DISCLAIMER- swear words, religious protesters)
Music by Geoff Harvey
Made on WavePad Master.
Sponsored by Zencastr- https://zen.ai/XhlfKFvATaBXPdZNaQ7kdg
OFFER CODE: BELLWITCH
#witchfest #magic #spirituality #witch #pagan #witch #witchcraft
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Transcript
Joy of Podcasting
00:00:00
Speaker
It's no secret that I love podcasting. It's an absolute joy to create and it's kind of become a way of life for me. Since becoming a podcaster my internal healing has been huge. I now like my voice and I enjoy creating content and it's nice to know that people actually come here to listen to what I have to say. And when you start to feel good on the inside you also start to feel good on the outside
Starting a Podcast with Zencastr
00:00:25
Speaker
too.
00:00:25
Speaker
But then beginning a podcast can be a little bit daunting and one of the big decisions you've got to make when creating a podcast is choosing how and where to record which platform to use to distribute your amazing new show which you're dreaming up right now. I chose Zencaster. The design of it is easy to navigate. It shows you video but only records audio if you wish. Your guests don't need to have an account.
00:00:52
Speaker
You can send a link and they can join. Zencaster is now the all-in-one solution making podcasting easy. It's the ultimate web browser podcast solution and it provides high quality audio and video podcast production and hosting. Podcasters can seamlessly record, produce and publish studio quality content
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Speaker
Log in using your browser and start recording high quality podcasts right away. Record quality sound and up to 4k video with your guests. Feel a sense of zen knowing Zencaster's multi-layered backups ensure you always have your recording in the highest quality even if the connection is poor and unstable. Zencaster's post-production process makes you sound buttery smooth.
00:01:37
Speaker
If you have thought about podcasting before and realised that you need a lot of different tools and services, those days are over. You can create your podcasts and distribute to Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all other major platforms. If you are interested in joining me on this amazing podcasting lifestyle and want to get going with your own podcast,
00:01:59
Speaker
You can go to zencaster.com forward slash pricing and use the official Bellwitch podcast offer code which is Bellwitch B-E-L-L-W-I-T-C-H and you'll get 30% off your first month of any Zencaster paid plan. That's zencaster.com forward slash pricing and use my code Bellwitch to get 30% off
00:02:27
Speaker
And once you've mastered the technicalities of creating a podcast, you can have all the fun preparing and interviewing. Honestly, it's absolutely brilliant. Find my offer link in the show notes. Being a creator has never been easier.
00:03:02
Speaker
you
00:03:14
Speaker
Sand will fall, stone will stay, moon will rise and the sun will set. We have good days and we have bad days, but we have to appreciate our lives. And that was written by my lovely daughter Flossie, who is almost eight.
Pagan Traditions in Christmas Decorations
00:03:33
Speaker
Now then, witches and beautiful souls, welcome back to the Belle Witch Podcast with me, Swales of Friendly Green Witch. Thank you for joining me, I love that you're here. As we hurtle headfirst towards the scary month of December, we're at the end of November now, getting ready to get festive. Are you ready for it? Have you got your Christmas shopping? I haven't even put my Christmas tree up yet.
00:03:56
Speaker
Have you put your Christmas tree up? It is the 27th of November and I know quite a lot of people who have put the tree up already this year. They are ready for it, willing to get in there and feel festive. They just can't wait.
00:04:13
Speaker
but remember decorating your tree is a witchcraft a pagan spell, a pagan celebration putting ornaments on a tree actually does have history in the pagan tradition decorating the tree with things that represent your pagan spirituality and themes of the seasons light, sun symbol, magical items, natural objects is a tradition that dates back at least as far as Egyptian and Roman civilizations
00:04:42
Speaker
during the winter solstice. A pagan thing to do and there's lots of pagan crafts you can create to put on tree. One of my favourite ones, slicing up oranges really thinly and then putting them in the oven on a really low temperature and drying them out.
00:05:02
Speaker
and then when they're done you can take them out put them on string and hang them on your tree and they just smell absolutely divine and I do it every year and I also make a few for my altar and I make a few for the bath as well so if you're looking for a quick easy pagan tradition with your little kiddies to do on Christmas Eve or on Yuletide
00:05:24
Speaker
then yeah that's that's a good one I can recommend there's also the sticking cloves into the skin of the orange too I do that often and I create a little pentacle sign or infinite is quite a good one as well and because of the smells or it smells divine yeah them two things I do every year and it's a bit of a swales Yuletide tradition
00:05:50
Speaker
I always mean to do a yule log every single November, December and that's the tradition of getting an actual log given by nature, like off the ground, drying it out, tidying it up, decorating it with pine cones and fur needles, flowers, acorns, twigs and cinnamon sticks and pinnacles and making it look really gorgeous, having it on the table
00:06:19
Speaker
for your Yuletile meal and then putting it on the fire to burn. Every single year I go I'm gonna do that and every single year I don't do it because life but that's okay.
00:06:34
Speaker
Now, I feel like I've got loads to tell you since I last spoke to you.
Volunteering at Witchfest
00:06:39
Speaker
I was just about to head off for Witchfest to volunteer as a steward and it was an amazing experience. I really, really enjoyed myself there and made new friends and felt welcome in the community. So I'll have to tell you all about that and then this amazing raffle prize that I won at the end of the night. Ooh, where can it be? And then I had to run off.
00:07:02
Speaker
to get my bus home that took six blooming hours which I really regret because I would have liked to have stayed and partied till early hours in the morning because it just looked fabulous and yeah it's a shame I missed out next year I will stay in Croydon and I will party till early hours
00:07:21
Speaker
But you live and learn, and you can't win them all. Ooh, yes, and another update. Oh my gosh, this maldivite, you know, it is transforming my life. So I don't know if you remember a few episodes back. I bought myself a tiny little pizza slice shape of maldivite, 1.4 grams. Did a bit of silver wrapping, put it on a hook, put it on a chain, wear it every so often, not every day, almost every day, take it off at night.
00:07:50
Speaker
but wow, it has done a lot for me. So in the beginning I was seeing patterns, coincidences, things on the radio, thinking about people in the called me, masses of angel numbers, like absolutely masses of them. Then I would have been these really vivid dreams that I'd wake up and remember, random, me on a stage, things going well dreams, which I've never actually experienced before.
00:08:19
Speaker
And then for a while it went really quiet and I was a bit like, hmm, I might start wearing it every day as opposed to every other day, which I did. Things are going well, I feel really happy and I've taken up a jogging.
00:08:34
Speaker
This is a big deal. I've never jogged in my life. I've never wanted to jog in my life. I don't generally like running in general. I just feel really motivated to get out there and jog and it's amazing really because I've always been so against running and jogging. Well not against it but like I ain't got time for that. Who's got time for that? I'd just rather not you know. I've got other things I enjoy more.
00:09:01
Speaker
There were things I would have rather have done then go outside in the piss wet through end jog but I was recommended to start the couch to 5k a few months back and I'd been looking at this app for a while and I downloaded it onto my mobile phone, left it there for quite a long time just kind of silently judging me that I hadn't opened the app yet.
00:09:24
Speaker
but it was there and it was on my mind and I kept thinking about it and not opening the app but just looking at it on my home screen thinking hmm I should probably do something with this at some point and then after I received the baldivite I took the plunge I opened it up I set it up and I started running when I say running I actually mean jogging
00:09:45
Speaker
like jogging really really slow and it was quite challenging and i wasn't sold on it anyway this morning as of the 27th of November i ran
00:09:58
Speaker
my third week and I did three minutes of jogging which for me is just phenomenal and it was raining cats and dogs and it was wet and my feet were just like swimming pools in my shoes and I didn't care I didn't care that I had soggy feet and I didn't care I was getting wet in the rain and I was on my own no other people around no other joggers around for sure I tell you that but I just couldn't help but run I wanted to jog so bad
00:10:24
Speaker
and I've never felt like this ever so I might even have this running book which everybody tells me is a thing and I've never really quite believed them well like runners tell me it's a thing not everybody just people who like running but yeah I'm feeling really motivated and I do honestly think it's gonna change my life in terms of health and fitness but not so coincidental that I'm wearing Moldavite almost every day things really have aligned people are giving me confidence and supporting me
00:10:54
Speaker
And I've got an accountability album on the old Facebook. And also I've got accountability now on this podcast. I mean, how hardcore is that? You better do it now, swales, because you've just announced it on the Belwich Podcasts, for God's sake. It's just really nice being outside and watching the birds and running and breathing the fresh air. God, I'm so pagan.
00:11:19
Speaker
So thank you dear Moldavite for helping me to make the changes. Give me the motivation to change my life because prior to getting this crystal I was really unmotivated and I sat on my bottom on the sofa for days and days and days. So have you still on the fence about getting yourself a little bit of Moldavite? It doesn't have to be a huge bit, it can be a tiny bit. I absolutely
00:11:45
Speaker
recommend that you do and I think you should if you want to change your life, you absolutely should. Witches and Beautiful Souls, I will keep you updated on my progress, if of course you are interested.
Origins and Growth of Witchfest
00:11:57
Speaker
So Witchfest on the 18th of November was brilliant. I travelled down on the coach at 12 on Friday, got there at 6, stupidly booked somewhere in the centre of London on Oxford Road. So I spent the Friday night
00:12:15
Speaker
just having a bit of an artist date in Soho and then I went to Liberty London and just walked around the store with my Yorkshire head on looking at stuff going.
00:12:26
Speaker
How much? How much? Like a proper novener does. Had to get up early on Saturday morning to get the train from middle of London down to Croydon which was a good half an hour. Didn't realise it was that far. Who knew Croydon was so far out of the centre of London. I thought it was classed as London but a few people have told me it's actually classed as Surrey or something. Also six or I don't know.
00:12:56
Speaker
Now I've got a rookie error there.
00:12:58
Speaker
When I walked into the building, I was a bit unsure what to do with myself. Everybody was just kind of milling around, having a bit of food. There were this amazing little doggo that were just sat chilling and it was really obvious that these volunteers were a family and they'd been doing it quite some time. So in the beginning I felt a little bit awkward just because nobody knew me for a start and it was my first time coming as a volunteer. I was a bit nervous if I'm honest. I was hoping they would like me.
00:13:26
Speaker
because it's always a bit nerve-wracking when you join something that's been going on for quite some time. I have been to Witchfest before, just once in 2019 with Jodie. Again, we went down on the bus on Saturday morning, we got there quite late. But I remember just being so amazed by the fact that this was a festival for witches that had all kinds of amazing speakers on and the traders there were just absolutely fantastic and
00:13:54
Speaker
That in fact is where I got my goddess and god statues that you always see on my alt pictures. Yeah they came from Witchfest from a company called, oh I think it's called In The Belly Ceramics and their designs are brilliant and beautiful and I like absolutely everything.
00:14:14
Speaker
Gorgeous! Love it! But yeah, Witchfest, it was a good little mix of people and outfits. Some people just came in relaxed clothing, just like jeans and a band t-shirt and other people came dressed up to their absolute nines with big beautiful headdresses and amazing makeup with, you know, like corsets and huge beautiful witchy nails. Everybody looked absolutely stunning
00:14:43
Speaker
And I remember thinking, oh, I need to come back to this every year. It's bloody fantastic. But then, of course, 2020, everything got cancelled. Although I'm pretty sure they did like an online festival in place of the in-person festival. These things are never really the same, though, are they? But at the time, that's all we could get. I bought a ticket for maybe 21
00:15:08
Speaker
and that got cancelled too and I don't know what happened in 22 I can't actually remember but this year in I think it was July Jodie tagged me on their post for volunteers and I applied and I got it and I was thinking like oh my god this will be amazing you know because like I can do this because I'm a steward for work and I get to meet people and I love meeting people it's one of my favorite things in life and also yeah free ticket
00:15:34
Speaker
Please remember, I'm Northern. To go there as a volunteer, oh my God, it was so good. So which fest have you heard of it? Do you know what it's all about, shall I tell you? This year was actually its 21st year. It started way, way, way, way back in November 2002, which is astonishing. I mean, I was, what was I? I was like 15 and rebellion at that time.
00:16:00
Speaker
And it's always been at Fairfields Hall in Croydon in South London. That's like its birthplace. Quite a nice place. Wheelchair friendly. Don't know about parking. Easy to access on public transport. Kind of like a theatre convention centre. Not too big. Just the right size. So the birth of Witchfest. It all began with the children of Artemis Group.
00:16:26
Speaker
The Children of Artemis first started out as a ritual group, a pagan gathering, founded in I think the early 90s, though I'm finding that quite hard to confirm, which continued as a small group up until about 1995 when it was transformed into a
00:16:44
Speaker
public membership organisation. It grew quite slowly around 1999 to the year 2000 and then with the establishment of the website and magazines and events and spreading the word with the lightning speed dial-up of
00:17:00
Speaker
2000s internet, things started to gain traction and grow. Children of Artemis grew quite quickly, became market leaders in their field of witchcraft and wicker and getting people together and the magazine's subscription would have helped massively I would think and that was also called witchcraft and wicker and was written by the volunteer team. I mean it was entirely run by volunteers
00:17:27
Speaker
and they were all responsible for certain areas like bringing people together in ritual and organizing events. And Witchface ended up being one of those events which obviously became huge, international, the biggest witch event
00:17:43
Speaker
in Europe and probably the world. I mean how amazing is that? It's just huge how it just took off and got a huge gathering and happened for 21 years after and it's still going. It has no hierarchy, it tries not to be political which is you know kind of hard in today's age, day and age because life is just political in it. As it's run by volunteers you can
00:18:08
Speaker
opt into supporting it via like a membership subscription where you choose the amount you want to donate every month to help it run so that they can organize events throughout the year and i think there's a few perks with that you get a fabulous id card that says which fest i think you get added to the subscribers newsletter i think you get first dibs on tickets some money off
00:18:35
Speaker
the bar, entrance into the VIP and I think the official store you get 10% and a load more membership perks as well so do have a look into that and become a Witchfest VIP. It's a pretty amazing grassroots non-profit organisation. Check out Witchfest.net if you want to have a look at what they're offering or the next year's events are on there already. There's
00:19:01
Speaker
Tons of information on paganism and witchcraft associated topics. It's well worth a look. But also I'd be pretty devastated if it didn't happen because it is such a brilliant event in the calendar every November and it's just really great to be part of something like this so yeah I highly recommend it. I've got lots of social media including Pinterest and Instagram but if you go to witchfest.net you'll find all the links there.
00:19:31
Speaker
Amazing how people could just turn up and be their authentic selves.
00:19:36
Speaker
and wear whatever they want and everybody was welcome here apart from the protesters that stood outside all day and all night shouting absolute tosh at people coming in which made me really cross I must admit saying really gross things and making some people upset you know because Witchfest is special to them and some people came for the first time without loved ones that had lost in Covid or last year or whatever and they were ruining it for a minute it made me so mad
00:20:06
Speaker
And then, yeah, we had the SIA security staff at the doors. I kept having to send them out, you know, to tell these protesters to back off because they were coming into the building pretending to buy a ticket. Trying to engage me in some kind of half-assed conversation, telling me what I believe, knowing nothing about what I believe.
00:20:25
Speaker
telling me what I believe is wrong. I was like, nah mate, why do you believe in the devil? There's no devil in craft. Get out, you know. It just makes me laugh, like, you know, their preconceived notions of witchcraft is evil and dark.
00:20:42
Speaker
and everything from Hollywood. I mean I'd give them a tiny bit of respect if they just did a little bit of research into exactly what paganism is and what we believe. You know, we want to look after the earth but yet they're going, you're evil, you're evil and you're dark and you don't believe in Jesus. It's just like, dude, turn up man, what are you talking about?
00:21:06
Speaker
sidebar last night i just i was sharing memes on my instagram account and i saw one that said jesus died just for me that's manipulative and somebody else replied he didn't stay dead either so that's gaslighting to the max it just made me laugh so much oh bless him you carry on carrying your big wooden cross around on your back to make a point carry on lad
00:21:33
Speaker
Anyway, the Met Police have been involved, I think there's an ongoing investigation into it so if they did do anything to upset you, if they cross the boundaries do get in contact with Witchfest and the Met and I'm sure there's a report going on and people are going to get in trouble because they just overstepped the mark.
Energetic Opening at Witchfest
00:21:51
Speaker
I've got to mention the amazing drummers we had in the opening. A group of these fantastic drummers that were all dolled up, you know, a bit like Morris dancers.
00:22:01
Speaker
and they were called the Pentacle Drummers, I believe, so go check them out. And they were brilliant and they were so loud and fantastic. 45 minutes or so. Absolutely loved that bit, I loved it. Oh yes, and I also met another witchy podcaster, Jenny, from a podcast called Witchin' Around, which is a fantastic podcast. If you like the Bell Witch podcast,
00:22:29
Speaker
I would think you would also enjoy witching around and she was lovely we had a bit of a geek out about how we record and how we plan stuff that was nice to meet another podcasting witch call to action yeah go over there and check them out they're on Spotify two witches every month talking about pagan and witchcraft and have guests on so yeah similar to us over here but I think you will like it
00:22:58
Speaker
Hello lovely listeners, I just wanted to stop the podcast for a moment and tell you about this wonderful new online community I've discovered just recently. Pagans of the North online magazine is a network for pagans, witches, heathens and others on similar paths in and around the north of England. Providing a free online magazine, a blog, a directory and other resources on the website as well as online courses. Offering free advertising for businesses and sellers.
00:23:29
Speaker
Highlight in the North of England but read by people nationally and internationally. It's a great place to find magic in different businesses or connect with like-minded souls. Speaking about being a pagan and a witch in the 21st century as well as all the centuries ago. Every shoe is unique and absolutely beautiful. You can subscribe at Pagans of the North
00:23:54
Speaker
for early access to the magazine, news and events coming up, as well as other little sneak peeks and easter eggs. This is a free magazine so it's entirely run by volunteers who would love to connect with you, got a business you want to advertise then give us an email.
00:24:09
Speaker
You can email us at pagans of the north at gmail.com and we're always looking for people to write stuff in from poetry to a subject you're passionate about to a blog post and all kinds of magical subjects. Come aboard join our little community make friends and unearth some more magic in your beautiful pagan life.
00:24:33
Speaker
For my little stint in volunteering at Witchfest, I got this fabulous purple high-vis jacket which said Witchfest Crew on the back with a gorgeous big pentacle and I absolutely love it. And we also got a spiffing Witchfest Crew t-shirt which I love. So I was walking around feeling pretty chuffed to myself like, look at my outfit doll! Yes!
00:25:01
Speaker
Saw some fabulous guest speakers in between the volunteer in Malarky. One speaker being Angela Barker of Phoenix Flames, spelled F-E-N-I-X. She did a talk
00:25:15
Speaker
on how to use crystals in magic and do like sex magic and stuff oh my god it was really good i enjoyed it so much some of it are new but some of it didn't so for example you know like skull carvings of crystals really good to do deep meditation to connect to spirit if you have
00:25:37
Speaker
a palm size or smaller skull crystal you can meditate with it on your third eye and then you can connect but she was saying as well because it's a shape of a skull and that a skull represents death sometimes when the crystals are carved they can capture spirits within them and if you meditate well and you make a connection you can actually connect to the spirit that may be in the skull
00:26:04
Speaker
that just lived there and you had no idea. So people were really intrigued by this, including myself, and there were a few questions like, is it the spirit of the person who made it, or is it the spirit of whoever lived in the ground it came from? And Angela said, no, it's just a passing spirit who saw the skull, you know, went in it, thinking it were like a sign of, I don't really know, like a death gateway or something, and they could get trapped in there. And so if you've got any skulls at home, spend time with them and try and connect to them.
00:26:34
Speaker
and I mean I've got a tiny little rhodonite skull that I've never really connected with until just now so when I got home straight away I was hunting it out and giving it my time and it's next to my bed now and I'm gonna try and connect with it but how fascinating is that it's so good isn't it she also had this selenite penis so there were lots of conversations around that one
00:26:57
Speaker
And she was saying, you know, like, why would I have this? This is to represent the god aspect in my magic. You know, if she were doing sex magic, she'd make an altar around this Selenite penis to, you know, give the sex magic power. And we're like, whoa, that's well cool. Like, I don't actually own a crystal penis, but I really want one now because that's just fantastic. What's not to like?
00:27:24
Speaker
But yeah, there were a really good selection of speakers there from lots of different backgrounds, including Jessica Howard and Pete Jennings, Diane Naraway, and of course Professor Roland Hutton. I actually managed to catch
00:27:41
Speaker
the professor's talk on Stonehenge which again was fascinating about just how shoddy the work of my ship was on Stonehenge, the people who made it didn't really have a clue. You know, they were saying why there, apparently underneath Stonehenge does this spring deep down and it's got pink water in it and that attracted the Stoneage people
00:28:07
Speaker
to come and create a monument there because i guess to them back then it was to be magic and i think it's something to do with copper content or some chemical reaction of this spring water but at the time it probably was used to dye clothes and do offerings and stuff and so they made stone henge there where but then you know bits fell off and it would just
00:28:28
Speaker
Alright, should I do? But the talk itself was just so enlightening and actually quite funny. The guys, it can be quite hilarious. The prof. Overall, the whole day was amazing. I really enjoyed it and it was pretty easy for me to do. It's what I do for my job. Kath and Dave, who are the organizers of the whole day. Kaz as well, who was looking after the volunteers and directing them with tasks and how we can help and stuff.
00:28:58
Speaker
Mostly I'd just hung around, helped traders set up, walked around, give information, folded programmes and then that weren't it really, just had a bit of free time. It's a shame I couldn't stay for the bands, I had to leave at about half past seven to go get my coach, half past ten to get home to Leeds at 3am to fall into bed at 4am. Well I was there, something pretty amazing happened.
Winning the Anglo-Saxon Sword
00:29:25
Speaker
You know me, right? I love a gamble. I love gambling me. I mean, I got mine in Vegas, so, you know, it's obvious I love gambling. So I can't help myself when it comes to a raffle. At Witchfest, they had two raffles on the ground every day, one where all the stall holders donate a prize. And then they had the VIP raffle for members that were up in the VIP bar.
00:29:50
Speaker
The prize for the VIP raffle was an Anglo-Saxon replica of a ritual sword. Ooh! Loads of people wanted to get it. Loads of tickets sold. Now I know nothing about swords, but I knew I loved the raffle and I was trying to find the everyday raffle and I ended up buying the VIP raffle just because I was there and the volunteers were there and I thought I may as well.
00:30:20
Speaker
When I bought the raffle ticket, a little voice in my head, you're going to win that. How are you going to get rid of it? When I were like, shush, it'll be normal. It'll be fine. You know, kept saying to myself, oh, I need to buy a raffle ticket for the little one. But then part of me were going, well, no, I don't need to because I'll win the other one.
00:30:40
Speaker
As I, you know, you do a conversation and you're like, don't you're very sure of yourself, are you? And then I were even helping Dave fold the tickets up for the raffle entries. The late raffle entries I hastened to add because I had bought the ticket earlier on in the day, possibly in the morning, way before it was going to get drawn in the evening. When he picked out the number, you know, somebody said to me,
00:31:07
Speaker
You're going to win it. You're going to win it. Are you going to get it home? Are you going to get it home? And I won it, believe it or not. And I couldn't believe that I won it. You know, people were like, it's a fix. It's a fix. It really wasn't a fix. But just throughout the whole day, I kept seeing myself.
00:31:26
Speaker
with this big sword wrapped up in my backpack on public transport and I was gonna do it. It was just that I was visualising a novel that you read, I could just keep seeing it being played out. Like spiritually, that's how a lot of things come to me. I can visualise stuff really clear in my mind and I've no idea where it's come from and I take them as messages.
00:31:50
Speaker
But I hadn't actually seen the sword that was the prize. I'd only heard it was a sword. I hadn't seen it. God, I was breaking it. It's like, how would you take a sword through London and not look suspicious? So I will dive into telling you about this special sword. This sword is absolutely beautiful. So it's an Anglo-Saxon sword and it's got runes down each side of the blade.
00:32:17
Speaker
and it's in a sort of like a leather carry case thing that you'd put behind your back, you know, and grab it. It's quite a big carry case. It's not bad because it swells, come on. I did a bit of research on it. It's actually amazing what I found. The sword is called
00:32:34
Speaker
a Sax of Bergenoff and it's a replica of an original created by an independent maker called Phil Stagman which I think he was an independent business creating amazing replicas and it's a really famous sword
00:32:52
Speaker
that was found in the Rither Thames near Battersea. It was found in 1857 and now it lives at the British Museum in London. So the inscription on the blade, it's the only known complete inscription of the 28 letter Anglo-Saxon runic alphabet, as well as the name Bergenoff, which is in runic letters.
00:33:16
Speaker
And the runes that are on it, inscripted on it, are actually A, B, C, D, E, the whole alphabet. Which is quite strange within itself, unusual. And people think the name inscripted on it
00:33:32
Speaker
Bergenoff is either the owner of the weapon or the smith who forged it. I mean lots of swords apparently have inscriptions in latin alphabet written on the blade or avrunic inscriptions on the hilt or the scabard which i think is the leather leather holder case thingy bob that you put over the blade so it doesn't like
00:33:57
Speaker
slasher when you're carrying it around in your bag around London. The carry case. The sacks of Bergenoff is the only one of a handful of finds with runic inscriptions actually on its blade. So there's many replicas made because it's just such an interesting sword with such an interesting background.
00:34:18
Speaker
and it's quite intriguing because it's just so unusual and unique. Believed to be from 10th century Anglo-Saxon. Also an interesting pub quiz fact, I didn't realise that the Saxon part of Anglo-Saxon, the word Sax actually means knife or sword, I think probably sword.
00:34:42
Speaker
I can't remember which now but I just thought that was a really cool little pub quiz fact for you there. I probably learnt that at school with the Roman stuff or the Viking stuff and it just completely fell out of my head. This Sax in question thought to be a prestigious weapon decorated with elaborate patterns of inlaid copper, brass and silver which is another unusual thing about it apparently.
00:35:05
Speaker
So at the time it was made it was the common practice to just use one type of metal to do this, hammered into it you know to make the writing stand out like silver or brass but I think because it's a mixture of silver, brass and something like bronze
00:35:25
Speaker
It makes people wonder what if it was an extra special sword and because it was found in the Thames and it had no battle marks on it or damage or anything it was in really good condition for its age and it obviously was in really fantastic condition when it got thrown into the water.
00:35:46
Speaker
Historians believe it was thrown in the Thames on purpose, which leads to people believing it was a ritual sword that people would do a ritual with in a group before a battle.
00:36:01
Speaker
and throw the sword into the water as an offering for a good outcome for their battle which is why many many people believe it's a ritual sword and not a fighting sword not a battle sword that's seen any action whatsoever it was pretty much just created engraved finished and then thrown into the water i mean how cool is that i've never really
00:36:29
Speaker
given swords much thought but then winning this sword I just went down a huge rabbit hole learning all about about different sacks and swords and how they're used magically and
00:36:46
Speaker
thought processes behind the history of them and what they look like and who collects them and gosh there were loads and i've pretty much just thought about it non-stop since i won it just how intriguing the story of the sacks that i've won the replica of actually is
00:37:03
Speaker
and that they found it in the Thames and I've sat and I've kind of meditated with it and I just get this feeling, I mean it's just a bit of a thing that I do with spirit when I talk to them about stuff but it's almost like it was a project for a young maker who was trying to improve his skills in making, get good at making sacks for warriors
00:37:33
Speaker
And then perhaps, I don't know, they were young and they were playing with it and it got thrown into the Thames by mistake. I cannot play with it like little kid plays of a toys, but a bit like two adolescent lads, just larking about with it and just having a bit of a silly banter time and then going like, oh bollocks, I've dropped it and it's falling in. That's just what I can see in my mind's eye.
00:38:00
Speaker
And that's why it's got ABC on it, you know, because they were learning how to create inscriptions in the blade. And that's, they probably just used whatever material they had lying around left over from the dad's workshop or something. And it was purely accidental that it ended up
00:38:22
Speaker
in the water for all these hundreds of years it's just oh my gosh fantastic i mean that's just a theory that's a proper personal swales theory but every time i think about this sword that's just what i see so it was amazing to win it and i'm glad i won it and i did get it home safe and it just so happens that i'm decorating what used to be my jewellery workshop and creating
Decorating with the Sword
00:38:50
Speaker
A beautiful forest green podcasting slash altar slash witchy hideaway room in my house. So when my house gets chaotic and I need to retreat from the mess and the noise, I have somewhere just for me that's clean and tidy and just my space.
00:39:09
Speaker
And I'm absolutely going to put this sword on the wall and say, wow, I can't believe I won that for my first ever witchfest. So thank you, universe. I feel really lucky and quite honored that I've won it and it absolutely will go pride a place on the wall in my witchy room. And I may get it down from time to time to do a bit of posing with it.
00:39:33
Speaker
photography wise. Beverly Thornton, if she's listening, you know, the amazing photographer, the pagan photographer from episode 10. If you're listening, don't you think this would make a really good prop for photographs? Let's get it done. We could get some right. The Princess Warrior pictures going on with my hand tattoo and the ritual sword. It would be so good.
00:39:57
Speaker
It's time to plug the old witchfest, it happens every year, it's well worth having a look at their website and signing up for their VIP sponsorship that they do every month to help them keep on creating awesome events for witches and pagans and druids and everybody else. They do other stuff, they do the Artemis Gathering which is an amazing camp in August.
00:40:21
Speaker
and now I've been accepted as a volunteer I'll probably always be there definitely at Witchfest volunteering quite like to volunteer at the camps as well in the summertime so you might even see me wandering around in my big witchy hat with my big earrings and my big nose ring and be like hey oops whales
Listener Engagement and Upcoming Episodes
00:40:42
Speaker
Thank you so much for giving me your time and tuning in this episode. I hope it's been alright for you. It's always fun to record them. If you want to be a guest on the podcast, you can email me at thebellwitchpodcast at yahoo.com. I'm on social medias, thebellwitchpodcast, separated by underscores on Instagram. I've got the next couple of
00:41:03
Speaker
episodes planned so the next one is going to be an interview with the amazing Anna who's a fantastic astrologer talking about the characteristics of the planets and how they fit into readings that she does and then I'm also going to do a Yule special with my good friend Louise Bloomert the Wiccan lady to celebrate the Yule sabat coming in
00:41:26
Speaker
And finally, if you could review me and put ratings on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, that would mean the absolute world to me and identity for a while. I was hoping to get 250 by the end of the year, which probably is a bit of a stretch now as I'm on 26. But please do if you can, it means the world and it helps me not podfade. All right then, witches and beautiful souls, have a fantastic couple of weeks. Stay magical.