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Sybok Pendderwydd
Awhile
back I received an email from someone who wanted to
know if we "knew the TRUE meaning" of
the seven pointed star. I think at the time I blew
him off, thinking that this was a symbol that was
thousands of years old, so how can it have a "true
meaning?" It's meaning is whatever the individual
or group wants that meaning to be. But in reflecting
back, that seems like a rather lame explanation,
so
I've done a little more research.
Wikipedia
has an extensive article which gives a good overall
view, but just scratches the surface. You can view
that article here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faery_star
In
my research I have found that long before it
was adopted
by "Otherkin" or by the "Feri Tradition"
it was a recurring symbol amongst the ancient Druids.
They called it the "Seren Derwydd" and
it often times was hidden among Celtic knot work
designs.
It was first discovered by itself by an archeologist, Dr. Ebrill Ynfytyn,
digging near the Ars river in Brittany. He found what
he thought was a simple stone square plate, the symbol
having been carved on it sometime in antiquity. As
he dug further, the plate was the top of a longer
marker, about 3 feet long, with an inscription in
Ogham on four of it's sides. Later he translated the
inscription, which was from the ancient Welsh, and
found that it was a grave marker for the grave of
an ancient Druid. Now this was an important discovery
because heretofore it had been assumed that Druids
always cremated their dead, and indeed this was usually
the case, but carbon dating this marker indicated
that it came from a much earlier time, perhaps before
the practice of cremation was adopted, centuries before
the Roman invasion of Gaul.
Digging
further, it was discovered that the marker was actually
the top of a long buried mound. Bones and grave goods
were found within, further confirming that the grave
was that of a high ranking Druid.
The
Order of the Mithril Star has used the seven pointed
star since it's beginning in 1996 (years before
anyone decided they were "Otherkin")
as it was a symbol that spoke to the co-founders.
Since then it has been adopted by the greater Reformed
Druid movement.
Perhaps
the author of the original letter didn't mean
"true meaning" but rather the "deeper meaning." If
so, the following links will take you to a
series of articles exploring that very question:
Introduction:
http://druidsegg.reformed-druids.org/newssamhain07-06.htm
Part 1: http://druidsegg.reformed-druids.org/newsimbolc08-07.htm
Part 2: http://druidsegg.reformed-druids.org/newsbeltane08-18.htm
Part
3: http://druidsegg.reformed-druids.org/newslughnasadh08-05.htm
Part
4: http://druidsegg.reformed-druids.org/newssamhain08-10.htm
Part
5: http://druidsegg.reformed-druids.org/newsimbolc09-14.htm
Part
6: http://druidsegg.reformed-druids.org/newsbeltane09-14.htm
Part
7: http://druidsegg.reformed-druids.org/newslughnasadh09-14.htm
Epilogue: http://druidsegg.reformed-druids.org/newssamhain09-22.htm
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