DruidCraft Study Group - Strength

Mi-Shell

Oh sorry!- It is a fully grown wild boar that sports the characteristic upturned large teeth-- much like the one on Strengths, but could be bigger and more massive in the neck.
Mi-Shell
 

Mi-Shell

Strengths and some rather "boring" boar details:

Here is some legends and lore
and some tales and some more
about the Celts and the boar :

The boar attained greater renown in the Old World.
Most of the symbolism about boar comes from the Celts. They connected the boar with battle and leadership. It gave strength and courage.
(Here we have our Strengths!)
To dream of boar, or to have a vision of one, indicated the warrior or war and a fearless band of men.
Boar bristles were valued, and considered filled with innate power. In one Celtic legend, Fion steps on a boar bristle and dies, after breaking a gaeas (vow, or in this case prohibition) against hunting boars. In the end the bristle had more power than man, and indirectly the boar dispensed justice.
Ceridwin, goddess of inspiration was represented by a boar and often traveled as a sow .
Boar meet was buried with the dead to lend strengths in the afterlife.
Muic-inis or boar Island is an old name for Ireland
Like the druid, the boar was closely connected with the forest, feeding on acorns, while the wild sow, symbolically surrounded by her nine piglets, rooted in the ground at the foot of the apple, the tree of immortality. Since the Celts' herds of pigs lived more or less in the wild, the pig and the wild boar were often undifferentiated, and since the boar was the animal dedicated to Lug, pork was the sacrificial food at the festival of Samain (1 November). A number of legends tell of the feasts in tbe Otherworld at which there is a magic pig, always perfectly cooked and never growing less. Mercury is given the surname, Moccus, ('pig') in a Gallo-Roman inscription from Langres (France). The Twrch Trwyth (Irish: triath, 'king') with which Arthur did battle symbolizes the power of the priesthood in conflict with that of the king at a time of spiritual decline. Lug's father, Cian, changed himself into a 'druidic pig' to escape his pursuers.
Nowhere in Irish literature, not even when under Christian influence, is the boar anything but a symbol of good.
The Carnyx (battle horn) of Scotland and Wales bore the figure of the boar's head. Their helmets and shields were often adorned by its image.
The Vikings also venerated boar's warlike qualities. It was invoked by Nordic warriors to give them the fortitude and determination to win.
Frig and Freya were also guided by fearless boars and Norse warriors wore helmets in boar head shape and adorned with boar teeth.

....I know, I have too many books - and a brand new scanner!
Mi-Shell
 

Hemera

Thanks Mi-Shell, this was really interesting!
Is there a reason why the boar has got such blue eyes? I thought they usually have brownish/yellowish eyes? Maybe the bright blue is just to show that the boar has magical qualities? What do you think?
 

Hemera

inanna_tarot said:
Its like when we have an addiction it can rule us, but its not until we realise that and become friendly with it, understand it and its ways that we can control it. Our addictions become our best friends because it reflects something very personal about ourselves I feel. We need the strength to get as far as making friends with it, and then the constant strength to keep it as part of us and integrate it within our being. Otherwise it becomes seperate and rules us again.
I really like this lady, I want to be like her when I grow up ;)
x

This was really fantastic, by the way! I have read and re-read this and thought about this a great deal. There´s just nothing to add to this!

Yes, and I want to be like her,too :)
 

Mi-Shell

hemera said:
Is there a reason why the boar has got such blue eyes? I thought they usually have brownish/yellowish eyes? Maybe the bright blue is just to show that the boar has magical qualities? What do you think?

There is a Slavic myth that says that the blue eyed boar is the "manitou"
(not the right word but the equivalent concept...)the archetypal mythical leader of all boars everywhere - - a Spirit, not a critter that you find in the woods.... Maybe that is why the artist drew the eyes like that???
I can try and root around in my books and see if I find the name of that "Grandfather"
Mi-Shell
 

coyoteblack

78 weeks strength

Description : there is a woman wearing red and gold with long red hair and blue eyes she has an arm band symbolizing as above so below her right hand is holding her robe open at the chest level
on her left is a boar also with blue eyes he is calm almost serene
On the ground on her right side is a sword she is standing in the middle of a meadow
First impression: She and the boar have the same color eyes and her hair and the boars coat are almost the same color red. She appeared to be bearing her breast as if to say she fears nothing and the sword on the ground say she has no need to fear anything. She seems very confident but not cocky
Also she is wearing red and gold very masculine colors. It is the balance between wild side and the cultured side the wild energy and passion compassion
Element, mode, number
Mode: She is asking if you have the intestinal fortitude to get this done if not why?
Element: Fire. This card is a lot about nwyfre, manna, pranna, there is also a lot of compassion and balance in this card because if fire is let go on its own is will destroy itself and others around it.
Number 8 : abundance and manifestation(druid craft) also direction and control( 21 ways to read tarot)
Combined you can see how if we earn to control our base animal nature with will and become one with it we can manifest great abundance with inner strength not control that’s more like the chariot but this is that intestinal fortitude.
Brining it all together:
With fire, the 8s and all this balance between refinement and animal ,male( red, gold and the boar) and female there is a lot of balance in this card I think this is achieved with compassion and that inner energy a different type of will power more like the power going through the magician. Until today I never realized this card had so much depth to it.

Good:; controlling the base animal instincts, inner strength , compassion,
Bad: forceful, will fill, can be a ego maniac stubborn can lead to being a people pleaser
Indifferent: intestinal fortitude, non violent non aggressive.
 

Fostha

coyoteblack said:
78 weeks strength

Description :There is a woman wearing red and gold with long red hair and blue eyes she has an arm band symbolizing as above so below,her right hand is holding her robe open at the chest level
on her left is a boar also with blue eyes he is calm almost serene
On the ground on her right side is a sword she is standing in the middle of a meadow
First impression: She and the boar have the same color eyes and her hair and the boars coat are almost the same color red. She appeared to be bearing her breast as if to say she fears nothing and the sword on the ground say she has no need to fear anything. She seems very confident~ but not cocky
Also she is wearing red and gold,very masculine colors.It is the balance between wild side and the cultured side,the wild energy and passion compassion.
She is asking if you have the intestinal fortitude to get this done~ if not why?
Element: Fire. This card is a lot about nwyfre, manna, pranna, there is also a lot of compassion and balance in this card because if fire is let go on its own it will destroy itself and others around it.
Number 8 : abundance and manifestation(druid craft) also direction and control( 21 ways to read tarot)
Combined you can see how if we learn to control our base animal nature with will and become one with it we can manifest great abundance with inner strength,not control that’s more like the chariot but this is that intestinal fortitude.
Brining it all together:
With fire,and all this balance between refinement and animal ,male( red, gold and the boar) and female there is a lot of balance in this card and I think this is achieved with compassion and that inner energy,a different type of will power,more like the power going through the magician. Until today I never realized this card had so much depth to it.
Me neither :). I really love this deck,and this cards image.:D
 

canid

Fostha, it's an amazing deck, isn't it? Strength is awesome but my absolute favorite is the 9 of Pents. I even printed it on fabric for a very special personal bag. The woman in the 9 of Pents has that same inner fortitude.
 

crazy raven

I was looking at this card and the womans stance and these words just seemed to jump right out at me......"Keep exposing new sides of your self and presenting new talents so that they can be made stronger".