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This story is a bit of fact and truth mixed with fiction! I hope you enjoy it! Here are some of the research and interesting things I tried to incorporate...
Holly trees were traditionally planted near houses to offer protection from lightning. European mythology associated holly with thunder gods such as Thor and Taranis. We now know that the spines on the distinctively-shaped holly leaves can act as miniature lightning conductors, thereby protecting the tree and other nearby objects. Science occasionally catches up with an explanation for what may previously have been dismissed as superstition!
In Scotland the Gaelic name for holly is Chuillin.
In Celtic mythology the Holly King ruled over the half of the year from the summer to the winter solstice. At this time the Oak King defeated the Holly King to rule for the time until the summer solstice again._/p>
*(From Treesforlife.org.uk)
“But the hue of his every feature
Stunned them: as could be seen,
Not only was this creature
Colossal, he was bright green
No spear to thrust, no shield against the shock of battle,
But in one hand a solitary branch of holly
That shows greenest when all the groves are leafless;”
~ from ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ ca 1370 – 1390, author unknown
“Heigh ho! sing heigh ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.”
~ from ‘As You Like It’ by William Shakespeare
Once Upon a long ago time, when the earth was full of abundant life;
and humans, who now have dominion, were but a distant star in the night…
Everything in this magical Kingdom had a spark of awareness and a soul,
that humans claim now belongs to them and them alone.
The mountains of grandeur, those great peaks so high, communicated very smartly with the oceans and the sky.
All were sentient beings, right down to the least creatures of creation, aware and social, all having the language for conversation.
In a little valley, beyond the mountains of mist, in what is currently called Scotland, lived a Holly Grove, trees encircling where a fairy village stands.
The tiny creatures, native to this magical place, with time and the advent of humanity, will one day be erased.
But for now, they exist and they were in hot debate, over those very Holly trees who were standing guard at their gates.
The young fairies all stood united wanting to change the scenery, to cut down the Holly and replace them with oaks, Good for food and more pleasant to see.
The older fairies, equipt with wisdom and their understanding of history, had a meeting to discuss just what the Holly really means.
Wisdom Keeper Chuillin, the oldest fairy of them all, made her way through the throng,a crooked Holly Branch, for her bent frame to lean upon.
She told the fairies of a tale told to her by the trees when she was young, that she knew one day she'd be called to tell and pass along.
The gods of the fairies, Nature gods who ruled the seasons, King Holly ruled from summer until winter solstice freezes.
Then King Oak will challenge him and defeat the Holly King, and the sun and summer once again he will bring.
But that is not the first tale and prophecy ever told, for there is one God who is mighty and of old.
He is called the One God for his power is illumination…For this God is the God of all creation.
It is said in the prophecy proclaimed in the star pictures and retold by our trees, that a people will come after an Earth killing freeze.
The one God will form them in his own likeness, and they will one day rule this earth and all that is.
But these people are given a gift and a curse, for God will grant them freewill for better or worse.
They will fail, and they will sin, earning their God's awful wrath…like lightning is his judgement, like thunder his judgements passed.
No, don't be afraid, for there is another side, to this God of creation who lives far in the skies.
For He will love his children so much he'll die for them…in their place he takes the sentence that was meant for them.
And our trees here tell the story of this prophecy and God's Son, who will die upon a cross shedding blood to save everyone.
A crown of thorns will be placed on his sinnless, holy head; just as the spikey leaves of the Holly and berries as his blood is red.
Our beautiful Holly trees have another prophecy to foretell, just as they stay evergreen, The Son will rise again as well!
Do you recall last seasons storms, when thunder shook the ground? And the fierce lightning struck every tree all around?
Except our little fairy village all was made a ruined mess…because the leaves of the Holly give protection from lightning, we alone were safe and blessed.
And this Son of God that's coming is like the holly leaves that give favor…because he keeps those safe from God's judgements, he will be the people's Savior.
The congregation of young fairies were held in rapt attentions glaze, and having heard for the first time their Wisdom Keepers story of praise.
From then until now all the fairies understand, the importance of their Holly grove and the One God's love for future man.