Hollerbeer Hof 26 - Volume 8, Issue 1 - Spring

HOLLERBEER HOF
SPRING 2015
Hollerbeer Hof
formerly Hollerbeer Haven
Journal of Urglaawe, Braucherei,
Hexerei, and Deitsch Wisdom
Volume 8 – Issue 1 – Spring 2015
In This Issue…
Page 1
New Year, New Name
Page 2
Gediereschwetze:
American Goldfinch
Page 3
Urglaawe Myth: The Myth
of the Oschdre
Page 5
Snowshoe Hares
Cardinal Directions
Page 6
Oschdre and Matronae
Austrahenae
About Folklore Research
Page 7
Elbedritsch or Haas Muun
New Year, New Name
The time of the Spring Equinox is referred to as Oschdre in Urglaawe usage,
and traditionally begins the spiritual new year in Braucherei. On the
Lewesraad, or Wheel of the Life, this is the time we attune ourselves to the
birth of that which is new, the renewal of that which continues, and the
rebirth of that which returns. As such, we are bringing renewal to our
publication by renaming it from Hollerbeer Haven (with the Deitsch word
“Hollerbeer” meaning “Elderberry” and the English word “haven”) to
Hollerbeer Hof, which uses the Deitsch word for “yard” or “courtyard.” This
reflects an ongoing effort to construct a grove of Elderberry bushes at the
Urglaawe Lüsch-Müsselman Graabhof (cemetery) in Carbon County, PA.
The Urglaawe Myth of the Oschdre
The term “Oschdre” in Deitsch means “Easter, but, as is the case with the
English word “Easter,” the term is pre-Christian in origin. After several
years of pursuing leads and engaging in interviews, we are happy to present
the harmonized version of the Myth of the Oschdre that provides a tale of
the origin of color, cardinal directions, and the Distelfink.
pg. 3
Image from: animals.mom.me
HOLLERBEER HOF
SPRING 2015
Source:
images.northrup.org
Gediereschwetze:
“To talk to animals”
The
American
Goldfinch
is
treasured in the Deitsch culture.
Known as the Distelfink (or
Dischdelfink, depending on one’s
variant of Deitsch), the presence or
glimpsing of this bird signifies hope,
good fortune, and the very soul of
the Deitsch nation.
The original Distelfink was the
European Goldfinch (Carduelis
carduelis;
Deitsch:
Eiropischer
Distelfink); thus many depictions
Source: Statebirds.findthedata.com
American Goldfinch
Amerikaanischer Distelfink
Carduelis tristis
utilize the colors of the European
species: brown, red, white, and
black. There is, though, some
conflation among the Distelfink
and the Bird of Paradise and the
Goldfinch and the Painted Bunting
(Passerina
ciris;
Deitsch:
Paabschtfink).
Although
the
Painted Bunting and the American
Goldfinch are in the same
taxonomic Order (Passeriformes),
they are in different families.
However, they are both referred to
as finches in Deitsch.
Thus,
from
the
Urglaawe
perspective,
the
American
Goldfinch, European Goldfinch,
and Painted Bunting all are
considered Distelfinks, and we
delight in seeing their beauty and
color in our yards and gardens.
Hail to the Finch!
A few facts and myths of the Goldfinch:
It is good luck to see Distelfinks,
especially a mated pair, on one’s
wedding day. Even now, images of
Distelfinks grace the wedding
licenses issued in Berks County,
PA.
Like the charadrius, a Distelfink is
said to be able to remove the
ailments of those who look directly
in the bird’s eye.
Distelfink feathers can be used in
some healing and soul work rituals
in Hexerei.
It is bad luck to kill a Distelfink.
If a Distelfink lands on you, it is
considered to be carrying a divine
message.
The Painted
Bunting is not a common sight in
the Deitscherei, but they do
frequent as far north as New York.
In Urglaawe, Distelfinks are
associated particularly with Holle
and the Oschdre goddesses.
Image source: WikiMedia Commons
2
HOLLERBEER HOF
Image source: wqed.org/birdblog
SPRING 2015
Urglaawe Myth: Die Oschdre
Where Color Comes From
The Origin of the Distelfink and the
Easter Bunny?
Origin of Cardinal Directions
Rob had only heard parts of this when
he was younger, mostly from relatives or
friends of relatives from the stretch
between Ashfield and Bowmanstown
(version A), PA but also from the
Berwick area (version B). In 2012, Rob
asked around the two areas and got
leads on some people who may know
about the story, and he ended up with
10 new informants for a total of 17.
Other informants were familiar with
one or two points of the story but not
enough to make a significant
contribution. More than half of the
informants came from farther south, in
a stretch from Orwigsburg to New
Ringgold (version C). Their versions of
the story bore more information and
some distinct contrasts with those of the
two northern areas. Thus, this
particular myth has undergone some
reconstruction using as a base the
information that the informants
provided.
The
more
important
variations are noted with footnotes
below.
It should also be mentioned that only
four informants (all of whom selfidentified as knowing Braucherei or
Hexerei), looked at any aspect of this as
being anything beyond a metaphor.
Informant #11 specifically referred to
the three Ladies as "goddesses"; #8
referred to Oschdra as a "helpful
entity"; #13 and #15 referred to the
sisters as "helpful spirits." Therefore, it
cannot be said that this was a
widespread myth with religious
significance historically, but it is
applicable to the modern perspectives of
Urglaawe.
not been seen. They decided to
meet at this moment because they
were bored with the blandness of
existence and wished to make it all
appear more interesting and
exciting.
Nacht stepped forward first
and as She did so, Her cloak
covered the world and everything
It is also by no means certain that this is
of any particular antiquity; it may be a
story that arose in the foothills since the
settlement. Thus, it is prudent to
encourage readers to look at this as a
new myth or a reconstruction or a
retelling of a regional folk tale while
allowing individuals or kindreds to view
it as they will.
- Michelle A. Jones and Robert L.
Schreiwer
-------------- DIE OSCHDRE ----------Three
sisters,
Helling,
1
Nacht, and Oschdra, gathered
together at a point on the world
they called East.2 Each sister wore a
cloak of transformative power.
Helling wore a cloak of light;
Nacht, a cloak of darkness; and
Oschdra wore a cloak that could
Image source: ibc.lynxeds.com
beneath Her and it became black.
Oschdra, seeing what happened
when Her sister progressed, moved
forward next. Only this time,
Oschdra’s cloak seemingly had no
effect on the world below. Next
Helling walked forward, and as She
did, the world below Her and Her
cloak was cast in white. Most
amazingly, as Helling’s white
touched Nacht’s black under where
3
HOLLERBEER HOF
SPRING 2015
Die Oschdre (continued from page 3)
Oschdra stood, Oschdra's cloak and
everything below Her transformed
and could now been seen in a new
shade She called "gray."
Oschdra then called upon a
pair of Finches,3 Distelfresser and
Himmelflucht,4 to fly from Her
right hand, a place She called
North, to Her left hand, a place She
called South. As they would make
their flight, everything in their path
would be washed in gray.
Distelfresser
and
Himmelflucht agreed, but asked
Oschdra to grant them a simple
request: Himmelflucht’s eggs shall
also be gray so that she could see
them regardless of Helling or Nacht
being above them. Oschdra happily
granted their request, and the
Finches began their flight.
The three Sisters continued
their walk around the world. Nacht
providing the black hue, Helling,
the white, and Oschdra, gray. After
nine days, Oschdra became restless
once again. She was unhappy that
she could only create a tint on the
world by standing between Her
sisters. She wanted to provide Her
very own hue. She looked upon
Her cloak and closed Her eyes. She
imagined one side of the cloak afire
with a varied warm glow and She
called it red, orange, and yellow.
She imagined the other side
luminescent with a cool iridescence
and She called it green, blue, and
violet.
Oschdra opened Her eyes,
and now Her cloak bore all these
hues which she called “Farewe,”
but in Her own tongue.5 Now as
Oschdra walked from the East to
the place She called West,6 the skies
radiated with the new colors. Her
sisters saw the change, and they
admired Oschdra’s craft.
Together the three Sisters
of the East, thenceforth known as
the Oschdre, decided to do more.
Helling added white to the colors
and Nacht added black. Oschdra’s
palette grew and the Sisters loved
their work.7 The colors appeared in
the sky but not elsewhere in the
world. Oschdra and Her Sisters
wished for the whole world to
emerge with the colors of their
work so they sought the assistance
of the most prolific of the animal
world to help them with their work.
They found Haas8 and asked him to
transform the world wherever his
tail went by saturating everything in
its path with the colors of the
Ladies' craft. Haas agreed but asked
in return that all of his descendents
would inherit his role as the bearer
of color.
The
Oschdre
Sisters
agreed. While Helling and Nacht
stood opposite one another,
Oschdra sent Haas forth. Haas was
directed to begin at the nest of the
Finches, who, having completed
their journey, were now flying
South to North. Oschdra declared
to Himmelflucht, “With Haas'
colors, your eggs will always be in
your sight.”
Just as Haas painted the
last of the eggs,9 Distelfresser
landed in the nest to check on them
and he was pleased. Haas' tail
brushed against him as Haas was
leaving and Distelfresser’s plumage
transformed to vibrant yellow, blue,
green, and red.10
Haas continued on his
way, and to this day, wherever
Haas goes, color follows his tail.11
-------------- NOTES -------------1
Only two informants (#13 and
#15, both of the New Ringgold
area; version C) had names for all
three of the ladies: Helling
("Daylight"),
Nacht
("Night"),
Oschdra ("of the East"). The
northern versions (A, B) only listed
one individual, the Lady of the
East, Oschdra, rather than three.
Others in the southern stretch (C)
knew one name or another or
simply referred to them as
"Schweschdere" (sisters).
2
Informant #10 referred to the
Lady's home as "Mariyeland"
(sometimes spelled "Maryeland"),
which could be influenced by the
Deitsch name for Morgenland
(Lehigh County) and literally
means "Tomorrow Land," referring
to the East.
3
There is a distinct difference in
versions here. Version A refers to a
goose while version C refers to a
pair of finches. Version B makes no
mention of this at all. Rob initially
went with the goose route because
that was the version he was most
acquainted with. However, the
goldfinch has as many informants
and all of the informants from the
area of version C indicated some
knowledge (albeit in some cases
passive) of the finches being part of
the story.
4
Informant #13 (version C) was the
sole provider of the names of the
finches, and she had stammered
significantly on the male's name as
she tried to remember what her
father had related to her. She
ultimately provided Distelfresser
("Thistle-Eater") and Himmelflucht
4
HOLLERBEER HOF
SPRING 2015
Source: dailyamerican.com
Myth of the Oschdre (continued)
("Heaven-Flight") as the name of
the female. As these were the only
names provided, we used them.
5
Snowshoe Hares
There are a few types of rabbits
and hares in the Deitscherei.
Among them is the Snowshoe
Hare (Lepus americanus), which
has carries the same sorts of
fertility myths as do other hares
and rabbits. However, the color
change of its coat may play a
role in the Myth of the Oschdre.
Whatever word a goddess would
use in the language of the
Hohegegend (the realm of deity)
that would be the equivalent of
Farewe ("colors").
6
Almost every informant in
versions A and C reported this
"walk" from the East to the West.
Version B was more simple in a
reference to the dawn bringing the
colors.
7
Version A included mixing them
together to form the earth color
brown.
8
Cardinal Directions
The Myth of the Oschdre
presents the cardinal directions.
Although Urglaawe (and likely
earlier Germanic) days begin at
sundown, it is not surprising
that the East is the first cardinal
direction given due to the
importance of the rising sun
(“Sunna’s kiss”).
East: der Oscht
North: die Nadd; die Nadde
South: die Sudd; die Sudde
West: der Wescht
Haas ("Hare"). It should be noted
that the purpose of the story as
related in version B by informant
#7 was to explain where the Easter
Bunny came from, and the colors
were more a secondary tale. In
version C, it was the opposite; the
purpose of the story was to explain
where colors, including those of the
Distelfink, came from. Version A
fell somewhere in between with
more focus on the origination of the
colors of the world.
9
This is where the difficulty with
version C comes in as the most
typical reflections of eggs at
Oschdre/Easter are goose eggs and
chicken eggs. The only relatively
widespread association with smaller
bird eggs are those of Robins, who
are announcers of springtime in
Deitsch lore. The variety of colors
and shades among house finch
eggs, though, is not to be dismissed.
And, also, sometimes a metaphor is
just a metaphor.
10
There was some disagreement
among the version C informants of
this segment. Two informants
stated yellow and called it
Distelfink.. two stated yellow and
red and called it Distelfink... and
three related yellow, blue, green,
red and called it by both Distelfink
and Bird of Paradise. It is anyone's
guess whether any of these was the
original version or any/all were an
alteration to the story to reflect the
artistic
concepts
of
the
Distelfink/Bird
of
Paradise
depictions. The one conclusion we
do draw from this particular tale,
though, is that Distelfink got its
colors from Haas on his mission to
paint the world. Stressing again: It
is also by no means certain that this
is of any particular antiquity; it may
be a story that arose in the foothills
since the settlement.
11
This is probably the most
widespread portion that people in
general remember, even if vaguely,
outside of the informants on the
list.
-------------- INFORMANTS -----------#1. Orpha Balliet, Bowmanstown
(A)
#2. I. Billig, Bowmanstown (A)
#3. B. Bowman, Bowanstown (A)
#4. A. Henderson, New Jersey (A)
note, originally from Parryville
#5. S. Eckhart, Ashfield (A)
#6. Permission
Berwick (B)
not
attained,
#7. Willard Fritzinger, Berwick (B)
#8. Permission
Andreas (A)
not
attained,
#9. D. Fidler, Orwigsburg (C)
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HOLLERBEER HOF
Myth of Die Oschdre
(continued)
#10. J. Gray, Ashfield (A)
#11. Requested anonymity, Auburn
(C)
#12. Chester K., Hazleton (B)
#13. Emma H., New Ringgold (C)
#14. Requested anonymity, Deer
Lake (C)
#15. Stan K., New Ringgold (C)
#16. N. Alwers, Orwigsburg (C)
#17. E. Dreher, New Ringgold (C)
About the Folklore Research
The Urglaawe folklore research
project is a successor to Dennis
Boyer’s research on Braucherei that
led to the rejuvenation of a threatened
traditional practice.
Dennis engaged in approximately 80
interviews with elderly practitioners of
Braucherei. A few years later, Jesse
Tobin and Matthew Sicher continued
the effort and interviewed several
more.
As Urglaawe arose, Rob Schreiwer
began to utilize his contacts in the
community
to
find
additional
practitioners, and the inclusion of the
diverse population of folks who
identify as practitioners of Hexerei
increased the number of interviews
and the amount of oral lore
dramatically. These interviews are
continuing even now.
Many of the informants know parts of
stories, but often one informant
provides information that another did
not know, hence the ongoing process
of harmonizing the variants.
SPRING 2015
Speculation: Die Oschdre and the Matronae Austriahenae
Several discussions have recently emerged on the Urglaawe and Troth
groups on Facebook concerning the many Matronae identified through
votive stones in Europe. One conversation, in particular, led me to the
section on the Matronae Austriahenae (Owwerne Austriahenae,
Hausmidder Austriahenae, or Idise Austriahenae) in GardenStone’s Gods of
the Germanic Peoples, volume 1 (ISBN: 3734733960).
According to GardenStone (86-87), almost 150 votive stones have been
found that were dedicated to these three Matronae. Most, if not all, of them
were found in regions that contributed heavily to the Deitsch migration
(Rhein-Erft district and Cologne areas). The name is confirmed to be
Germanic, which the root austra meaning east or eastward. GardenStone
also makes a case for considering (not assuming, however) a connection to
the goddess Ostara/Eoster based on the name.
From the Myth of the Oschdre, we know that at least some Deitsch folk
considered there to be three goddesses involved with the Oschdre (Spring
Equinox) holiday. In the myth, these three goddesses, Helling ("Daylight"),
Oschdra ("of the East"), and Nacht ("Night") brought colors and shades to the
world, gave names to the cardinal directions, and are associated with the
fertility of animals (Hare and Finch (or Goose, depending on the variant)),
and more.
While it is unlikely that there is a direct connection between this particular
myth of the Oschdre and the Matronae Austriahenae, it is worth
speculating upon whether tales that were retained or that emerged over the
centuries may have some sort of association with deities who were known
in days long since passed. Thus, it is worthy to consider whether it is
possible that the Oschdre may be a living reflection of previously-known
goddesses.
Matronae Austriahenae. Source: piereligion.org
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SPRING 2015
Elbedritsch or Haas Muun
On March 21, 2015, a New Moon fell just hours before
the Spring Equinox. Thus, it is the thirteenth New
Moon since last year's Spring Equinox.
The Oley Freindshaft guild of Braucherei had no
information on this circumstance, due in large part to a
different reckoning from others, but my greatgrandmother's guild (Palmerton-Harrity) as well as
some of those interviewed for the Folklore Research
knew this as the Elbedritschmuun. If you search on
Google Images (images.google.com) for "Elbedritsch,"
you will come up with a bunch of pictures that
resemble a bird. The English equivalent would be
"Snipe," as in snipe-hunting. Part of the likely reason
for this name is the evasiveness of the Elbedritsch and
the fact that this thirteenth moon does not happen
every year.
Some folks view the Elbedritsch almost as an "antiDistelfink." It is an evasive, tricky, slippery character
with a lot of fun folklore attached. However, in
journeywork, we come across a trickster character who
is, roughly, a shape-shifting elf. Hence comes the
"Elbe" in the name; the "dritsch" part can have several
meanings, among them "twitch," resulting in "Elf
twitch," which is similar to the sudden sharp pain one
sometimes feels called an "Elfschuss" ("Elf Shot").
Those born under this moon sign are said to be very
smart... perhaps even clever or cunning. They are said
to keep their word, but the way their word is
interpreted may not be exactly how another party
might have intended an agreement. Also said to be
extremely bright, very aware of their surroundings and
the people with whom they interact, their biggest
challenge is that others often do not know how to
respond to them or to interpret their actions.
Now then, all this being said: I had a conversation with
an elderly Amish woman today. We were talking about
the snow coming on the first day of spring, and I
mentioned the New Moon that fell earlier today. She
said quite casually that her great-grandmother had
told her that this was the "Haasmuun" (Rabbit Moon)
because it was an extra moon from last year.
I was both stupefied and excited, but I didn't want to
freak her out. Thus, I restrained myself and calmly
asked her whether she had ever heard this called the
"Elbedritschmuun." She responded that she had not,
but she had heard there were names for the other
moons, but she never knew all of them. Digging a bit
deeper, she said her great-grandmother did the
"laying of the hands," which is part of Braucherei.
I spent a good deal of the evening looking into shared
aspects of a Hare and an Elbedritsch in various
depictions in our lore, and the following is conjecture
at this point. Both do have some trickster aspects,
though, in the case of the Hare, they do not follow
through consistently from tale to tale. One significant
shared aspect is the awareness of surroundings. Also,
the nature of rabbits as being able to see behind them
while moving forward could be a reason for seeing
this as a Hare or Rabbit moon.
This is one of those that will be an exploratory topic
for a while, almost surely.
Elbedritsche.
Source:
http://adjowah.de/stories/elwetritsche/elwe_pics/zweeelwe.jpg
7
HOLLERBEER HOF
SPRING 2015
Distelfink Sippschaft
Distelfink Sippschaft is an Urglaawe kindred
and
501(c)(3)
not-for-profit
religious
organization registered in the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania. The Sippschaft's public
events take place primarily in Fleetwood,
Berks County, PA ad Cedar Brook, NJ.
Distelfink also maintains the LüschMüsselman Graabhof cemetery in Mahoning
Township, Carbon County, PA.
Source: fcps.edu
Distelfink Sippschaft
P.O. Box 2131
Bristol, PA 19007
www.distelfink.org