Samhain

 

A Sahmain Poem

 

Hearth Of Wyrd  · 

A Sahmain Poem

The Hunter

When shadows reign and the land grows cold

The leaves all fall and the nights are long

Gather round your evening fires

And pray you that your halls are strong

For on winter’s wings I ride tonight

Slow I creep in the greenwood’s chill

Damp fingers steal through to chill your skin

And the long dark beleaguers your soul

I have killed the summer flags

I have stolen the harvest

The very daylight I have carried away

And for now you dwell in darkness

And death is my ambassador

Who follows my dark toil

The veil is thin indeed tonight

For this night I harvest souls

Tonight is Sahmain winter’s eve

Tonight when the veil is thin

Witches know the secrets tonight

And let the Wild Hunter in!

I am still the Lady’s consort

‘Tis the Calliech’s wise face

The Crone who is the Lady now

Death is no disgrace

I will lead the Wild Hunt home

Take souls to her waiting arms

To be re-born to the world again

Her gift is within her hands.

Greenman

* 8 ) x

J.R.R. Tolkien

 

The greatest love story J.R.R. Tolkien ever wrote wasn't found in Middle-earth—it was carved on two gravestones, 55 years in the making.

Long before hobbits, dragons, and the One Ring captured imaginations worldwide, a 16-year-old orphan named Ronald Tolkien met a 19-year-old orphan named Edith Bratt in a Birmingham boarding house in 1908. They were both alone in the world, both musical, both searching for something that felt like home.

They found it in each other.

Their courtship was simple and sweet—long conversations over tea in local cafés, walks through the countryside, and playful moments that became the stuff of legend. They would sit in teashops and try to toss sugar cubes into each other's hats from across the table, laughing when they missed, celebrating when they succeeded. It was innocent. It was joyful. It was young love in its purest form.

But not everyone approved.

Father Francis Morgan, the Catholic priest who had become Tolkien's guardian after his mother's death, saw danger in the relationship. Edith was Protestant. She was older. And worst of all, she was a distraction from Ronald's studies and his future. In 1909, Father Morgan delivered an ultimatum: Tolkien was forbidden from seeing, writing to, or even speaking about Edith until he turned 21.

For three agonizing years, they were torn apart.

Tolkien obeyed—barely. He threw himself into his studies at Oxford, but Edith was never far from his thoughts. Meanwhile, believing herself forgotten, Edith moved on with her life. She accepted a marriage proposal from another man.

Then, on the night of his 21st birthday—January 3, 1913—Tolkien sat down and wrote Edith a letter. He poured out everything he had held back for three years. He told her he had never forgotten her. That he loved her still. That he always would.

Her reply shattered him: she was engaged to someone else.

But the story didn't end there. When they met in person days later, the truth became undeniable—their love had survived the silence. Edith broke off her engagement. She converted to Catholicism, knowing it would cost her relationships and security. And in March 1916, as World War I raged across Europe, they were married in a small Catholic church in Warwick.

Three months later, Tolkien shipped out to the blood-soaked trenches of the Somme.

He survived the war, but barely—contracting trench fever that sent him home broken and haunted. Yet through it all, through four children, decades of academic work, and the creation of an entire mythology, Edith remained his anchor. She was his first reader, his greatest supporter, his muse.

There's a moment Tolkien never forgot: early in their courtship, Edith danced for him in a woodland glade filled with flowering hemlocks. She moved through the trees like something out of legend, and in that instant, she became immortal in his imagination. Years later, he would write the tale of Beren—a mortal man—and Lúthien—an immortal elven maiden whose beauty and grace transcended worlds. It was their story. It had always been their story.

When Edith died in 1971 at the age of 82, Tolkien was devastated. He had the name "Lúthien" engraved on her tombstone—the elven heroine who gave up immortality for love.

Two years later, in 1973, Tolkien followed her. He was buried beside her, and beneath his name, a single word was added: "Beren."

Even in death, they are together—the mortal man and his immortal love, reunited at last.

For 55 years, Edith was his partner, his inspiration, his Lúthien. She danced for him once in a forest glade, and he spent a lifetime trying to capture that magic in words. The greatest fantasy epic ever written was born from something achingly real: a boy and a girl tossing sugar cubes across a table, laughing, falling in love, and refusing to let go—even when the world demanded they should.

Their love story didn't need dragons or magic rings. It just needed time, faith, and two hearts that refused to forget.

Unsolved Mysteries & Natural Wonder Facts
 

Dog Walking

 

A Library

 

A seductive orangutan, a smoking duck and a penguin Pied Piper are among the hilarious images vying for Wildlife Comedy Photo of the Year

 From a seductive orangutan, to a smoking duck and a penguin Pied Piper - this year’s Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards finalists prove that animals can be every bit as funny as we are.

The 2025 shortlist includes 40 brilliantly timed photos and 10 laugh-out-loud videos capturing the lighter side of the natural world.

Each moment, snapped by photographers across the globe, shows creatures in perfectly comic situations - often without even trying.

Now in its tenth year, the competition has become one of the most eagerly anticipated events in wildlife photography, celebrating humour as a way to connect people to conservation.

Among this year's entries are a mischievous monkey caught pulling faces and an elephant playing peek a boo with his ears - each one showing how unpredictable and human - nature can be when caught at just the right second.

The images were chosen from thousands of submissions, with finalists selected for both their technical skill and their ability to make judges laugh out loud.

The overall winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony in London on December 9, but for now, these snapshots of animal mischief are sure to brighten even the gloomiest day.

From a ballerina bird, a smoking duck and a penguin Pied Piper - this year’s Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards finalists prove that animals can be every bit as funny as we are. 'Smile, you're being photographed: A bear appears to be smiling at the camera 

The 2025 shortlist includes 40 brilliantly timed photos and ten laugh-out-loud videos capturing the lighter side of the natural world. 'Steller Eagles Practice Kung Fu Tango': Two eagles tussle in front of a snowy backdrop

Now in its tenth year, the competition has become one of the most eagerly anticipated events in wildlife photography, celebrating humour as a way to connect people to conservation. 'Landing Gears Down': A Red-throated Loon is pictured landing on water 

'Headlock': Guillemots are pictured nesting on a small rocky cliff ledge where space was at a premium

The images were chosen from thousands of submissions, with finalists selected for both their technical skill and their ability to make judges laugh out loud. 'Welcome to Zen Lemur Yoga Course!': Lemurs in the above image are seen demonstrating their flexibility and balance 

Pied Piper of Penguins: King penguins were pictured leading sheep on the Falkland Islands

'Go away': A Stellar eagle on the island of Hokkadia in Japan, where temperatures were minus degrees, the coldest day being minus 18 Celsius

'OMG he's at it again!': Morning antics of the Red-Crowned Cranes

'Squirrel airborne': A squirrel  flies towards the camera in a forest in Belgium 

'Monkey business': Video grab shows a mischievous monkey caught pulling faces is among this year's entries

'Peek a Boo': A Sri Lankan Elephant playing peek a boo with his ears

'Darling, please stop!': Lion's in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania shake off the rain following a storm 

'Outdoor smoking zone': Breath streams from a duck's beak on a cold morning in Bavaria

'Relaxing in the trees!': a Yellow-cheeked Gibbon hanging out in the trees

'Time to party!': A gorilla appears to be dancing in Rwanda 

'Hornbill In A Hurry': A yellow billed hornbill in Zimanga, South Africa

'Fonzies advertising': A crowned sifaka licks his hand in Madagascar

'Masquerading as an arrow': A black woodpecker tucks its wings under its body, creating the perfect illusion of sheer speed

'Baptism Of The Unwilling Convert': Two frogs are pictured fighting in a pond

'Flamingone': The picture shows a flamingo whose head is hidden

'Battle Hug': Two monitors locked in battle Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park in Singapore

'Territorial Defence Operation': Gyrfalcons in Iceland

'The Shoulders of Giant': A frog standing on another frog apparently to get a better view in Australia 

'The Wig': A Greater One-Horned Rhino feasting on aquatic fine food

'Now which direction is my nest?': A windy day on Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire during the nesting season

'What do you mean I need to see a dentist?': A porcupine fish in the shallow waters of the Sea of Cortez, California

'Oh my!': A young baboon looking up as an elephant approaches, unsure whether to stand his ground or to run away. He decided to flee shortly after the picture was taken

'It is tough being a duck': A duck relaxes on the surface of the sea loch in Scotland

'Friendly fish': A scuba diver in the Philippines spotted this little fish popping its head out of its home

'Just Can't Wait To Be King': Lion's in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park

'Hit the dance floor!': Foxes playing in a nature reserve 

'Stretch your Leg': A cricket was snapped stretching in the Everglades, Florida

'The Choir': Three lions were captured yawning at the same time in the above image

'Aaaaaww Mum!': This photograph shows a mother Gorilla cradling her baby in Rwanda 

'Bad Hair Day!': A mother grey squirrel was relocating her babies to a new nest in Downtown Victoria, Canada 

'Bad mouthing': Leopard siblings play in Yala National Park Skri Lanka

'The Frog Prince of the Grape Vine': A frog sits in a grape vine in an orchard

'Great Hair Day': An Amazonian Umbrellabird in a forest in the Pantanal in Brazil

'Monkeying around': Monkeys playing in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe

'All Smiles': A Flame Skimmer Dragonfly lands on the stalk of an Aloe Vera plant and flashes a quick smile for the camera

'Monkeying Around': A gorilla is photographed picking its nose 

'What's so funny?': Video grab shows a kangaroo laughing hysterically 

'How embarrassing!':Video grab shows a red faced Muscovy duck 

'No paparazzi please': In this video grab, a seal is seen hiding its face with its arm 

'Run as fast as you can!': A sandhill crane can be seen running down a path in this video grab

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15216101/Wildlife-Comedy-Photo-Year-finalists.html