the Claddagh

It's rare, but occasionally I stumble across this icon on a grave stone. It has to be one of the most romantic images I know of.  It's a symbol of love created in the small Galway fishing village of Claddagh. The word “Claddagh” comes from the Irish term An Cladach, meaning a flat, stony shore.


The parts of the symbol are broken down as so,
Two hands (friendship) cradling a heart (love) topped by a crown (loyalty).

Legends behind the claddagh are many but one stands out as a triumph of the power that true love can hold...

Richard Joyce, a native of the small fishing village, was captured by Algerian pirates and sold as a slave to a Moorish goldsmith. When William III of England demanded the release of all British subjects, Joyce, too, was released. Not wanting to lose a valuable and skilled apprentice, the Moorish goldsmith offered Joyce a major portion of his wealth and his daughter in marriage, if Joyce would stay on in Algiers. Joyce refused the tempting offer and returned to the village of Claddagh where he had left behind the woman he loved. Some legends say that each day Joyce took a tiny bit of gold and saved it till he had enough to form a ring. Other accounts say he designed the symbol upon his return to Ireland. Either way, the ring he made stood for eternal love and was given, with his heart, to the woman who waited for him at home.

How to wear the Claddagh

If the ring is worn on the right hand with the crown facing out ward, the heart is available and looking for love.

  If the crown is turned to face the wearer... love has been found and is being considered.

Once the ring has been transferred to the left hand, love has become eternal.

To find the Claddagh on a gravestone speaks to the love a couple shared in life and their promise to each other that not even death can take it from them.  

Seriously... is that romantic or what?

Thyme, the herb of Death

While walking through a very old garden cemetery, I happened to noticed for the first time, a very steep embankment that was covered in something that was clearly not grass. Little purple blossoms were peeking out here and there in bunches within the massive green carpet of the stuff. My friend who is an avid landscaper told me to pick a bit of the green ground cover and crush it between my fingers.

Instantly I recognized the pungent aroma from stews and stuffings that I have made countless times in my own kitchen. There was no doubt, it was Thyme. 

She told me that thyme was a common plant to be found growing unchecked in the oldest of cemeteries. THIS fact, I had never heard of. I was intrigued. She went on to tell me that this fragrant little herb was commonly planted in cemeteries of antiquity to mask.... well, odours.

I had to know more about this so I did a little research and was shocked at the many uses of thyme and it's long and close association with death.

Wild or creeping thyme or Thymus Serpyllum, a species of the mint family, has been used in death practices and various rituals all the way back to Ancient Egypt. The Egyptians used thyme in their embalming practices. The Greeks burnt thyme as an incense in their temples, believing it to be a source of courage. Roman soldiers, who may be away from home for long periods of time, slept on the herb to help them with melancholy.

The practice of sleeping on thyme can also be found in the Middle Ages when Europeans used sprigs of thyme under their pillows to ward off nightmares.







Teas made of thyme were promised to relieve ailments such as headaches and hangovers.

It was also encouraged to plant thyme for the bees as it was said to fortify them.

Patches of thyme were even set aside by gardeners who thought them to be inhabited by fairies.

 Due to it's fragrant aroma, thyme along with lavender, was sprinkled on the floors of churches to purify the air. For those of you who aren't aware... long ago, people were once buried under the floors of churches and well, with no Lysol around. You get the picture.

Thyme has been burnt as a purifying incense for as long as sage has.  It has also long been placed into coffins during funerals. This practice was thought to help insure the departed one's passage into the next life.

Members of the Fraternal Order of Odd fellows carry sprigs of thyme during their funeral rites. They ceremonially throw the herb into the open grave of their passed members.

 The practice of planting creeping thyme in cemeteries can be found beginning in Wales. This made sense to me since I realized that some of the earliest slate stones in New England were imported on ships from Wales. The Island of Wales has long been known for it's thriving slate industry. My mind made the instant connection, if settlers were bringing over stones the knew well for carving, maybe they were bringing other bits of cemetery tradition with them as well... fragrant, spreading thyme plants. 

Some British citizens hold to an age old death superstition dealing with thyme... 

 

It is thought that bringing thyme sprigs into a house will also bring death or illness to a family member within that house.

 Thyme is also said to be a phantom scent common with haunted locations.

Today, thyme may be a common herb found in the household spice rack but this noble herb has quite an interesting list of uncommon uses and a mystical, almost magical wealth of folklore attached to it.

the Siren's song

Siren Song  n. An enticing plea or appeal, especially one that is deceptively alluring.

The Cemetery and Mythology... not a combination one sees very frequently. That's why I was pretty excited to find the image above.

This is the stone was dated 1849 and belonged to a 53 yr old man. The cemetery is on the Coast of Maine and holds countless ship captains. There are images of anchors and boats of all kinds on various stones here. Stories of bravery and tragedy.


Could this be a grieving wife.... yes. It may even be the classic image of the Virtue - Faith.

But, this imagery makes me think it could be even more than that. The parted curtain symbolizes the entry into Heaven. The anchor, a strong symbol of a life on the Sea as well as that of Christian faith. The finger pointed upwards, yet another sign of the final reward.

Then there is the woman herself. The first thing that struck me was her long Lady Godiva style hair. A long flowing dress with what looks like bare arms.

This would have been irresistible imagery in the mid 19'th century. Is she not a wife but a temptress maybe?



So what exactly is a Siren?





Sirens were dangerous creatures who lured mariners with their beautiful music and enchanting voices to an untimely death.

They were considered the daughters of the river god Achelous. There were said to be between 2 and 5 of them existing off the islands of Greece. There are two Sirens referred to in Homer's tale the Odyssey. As well as more references in the Iliad.

Though these creatures are tied to the Sea, they are not sea maidens and are not to be confused with mermaids. In fact they are not fish-like at all.

The earliest Greek images portraying Sirens showed them as large birds with female faces. They sang like birds and were granted wings by Demeter.





This pottery portrays an interesting legend. 

It is said that Odysseus was curious as to what the Sirens sung in their song to him, so, on Circe's advice, he had all his sailors plug their ears with beeswax and tie him to the mast. He ordered his men to leave him tied tightly to the mast, no matter how much he would beg. When he heard their beautiful song, he ordered the sailors to untie him but they bound him tighter. When they had passed out of earshot, only then was Odysseus untied.

The depictions of Sirens have changed over time as they became less bird like and portrayed more as femmes fatales.

There have even been references to them as the muses of the underworld.

Descriptions are also found of them on the islands, "lolling there in their meadow, round them heaps of corpses rotting away, rags of skin shriveling on their bones."  Not your average maiden.


With all of the death in the 19'th century by men making their fortunes from the Sea, it is no wonder the legend of the Siren may still be found in the cemetery. Though it's origins are Greek, the Siren appears any place in the world where people feared for their lives and the unknown.  Even in a small cemetery off the coast of Maine.