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Hazel
Song History
Caledonia
A simple brief
thought on Scottish
Independance.

Were the outdated
union not of some very
high value to England and
the English, why would
they fight so to try to
keep it?

There are only so many
slices to a pie, for one to
have more, another must
have less.

Lastly - to those Scottish
"Loyalists" - to whom are
you loyal?
Scots royalty died in the
1700's so it can be no
Scots crown - And
certainly not it appears to
those who came before,
that bled for Scotland
and her freedom !  
In the words
of Burns, as he
wrote from the heart.

Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome to your gory bed,
Or to victorie.

Now's the day, and now's the hour;
See the front o' battle lour;
See approach proud Edward's power,
Chains and slaverie.

Wha would be a traitor-knave?
Wha can fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a Slave?
Let him turn and flie:

Wha for Scotland's king and law,
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Free-man stand, or free-man fa',
Let him follow me.

By Oppression's woes and pains!
By your Sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins,
But they shall be free!

Lay the proud Usurpers low!
Tyrants fall in every foe!
Liberty's in every blow!
Let us Do - or Die!!!

Choose your destiny.
Caledonia

With Alba, the most ancient of terms for Scotland, who's
folk were known as either the Caledonii or Albannach, as
much is told elsewhere on this site of Scotland, a little
here about her elder Gods who are mentioned strongly in
this song.












Aife/Aoife ("AY-fah"; Ireland): Scottish warrior defeated
by Cuchulain, who fathered the ill-starred Connla with
her. She raised and trained Connla in the war arts, but
Cuchulain killed him in a fight in which the two did not
recognize each other until it was too late.

Ambisagrus (Gaul, Britain): an influential weather god
comparable to the Greek Zeus and Roman Jupiter.

Andarta: a goddess of bears and wilds; compare with the
Greek Callisto.

Andraste (Britain): war goddess similar to the Greek
Athena and the Roman Minerva.

Aveta: goddess of childbirth and breast-feeding.
Compare Artemis (of Ephesus) and Diana.

Badb, The ("Bahv" - Ireland/Scotland): five war
goddesses similar to the three Erinyes (Greece) or Furies
(Rome). Also, the raven death-predicting aspect of the
Morrigan.

Bel (Ireland/Scotland): widely worshipped fire and sun
god celebrated at Beltane and also associated with
music, science, and healing. Similar to the Irish god Bile.
Often compared with Apollo, who also kept cattle.

Beltane/Bealtaine ("bee-AL-ten-ay"): Celtic celebration of
May Day.

Borvo (Britain): a hot springs healer god sometimes
compared with Apollo.

Brigit/Brigid ("Breet"; Ireland/Scotland): goddess of
acquiring talents such as divination, healing, prophecy,
smithing, and occult knowledge; associated with the
serpent. Compared by Caesar to Minerva (Athena). Also
known as Sulus and Brigantia.

Brugh ("Bruh"): an underground fairy palace.

Buggane: a tunneling, territorial, black-haired ogre of
Manx myth. Fairies used them to punish offensive people.

Bussumarus: a Gaulish and Galatian thunder god
comparable to Zeus and Jupiter. His name means "Great
of Voice."

Cailleach Bheur ("CAL-yahck" - Ireland, and Scotland,
where she is Beira, the winter queen): a veiled, wintry
crone turned to stone on Beltane and back to feminine
form on Samhain. Her name means "veiled" or
"cloaked." In one tale a knight's love converts her into a
beautiful woman; in another she is connected to Brigit. A
possible parallel with the Greek Medusa, who was
connected to Athena. Her hammer shapes mountains,
and her staff freezes the ground. Caledonia is named
after her. She was particularly prominent at Samhain.

Camulos (Britain, Romania, Germany, Belgium): a
sword-bearing war god similar to Ares (Greece) and Mars
(Rome). Symbolized by a boar or by a male head with the
horns of a ram. The name might derive from the same
root as "champion" and is the basis for Camelot.

Cliodhna ("klee-OH-nah" - Ireland): goddess of beauty.
Greek: Aphrodite. Roman: Venus.

Cocidius (Britain): god of hunting. Compare with the
Greek Pan and Roman Sylvanus. Also called Segomo.

Condatis (Britain): god of the place where waters mingle,
as when two streams meet. He had an affinity for warm
waters. The Romans thought of him as Mars.

Cromlech: an ancient circular stand of tall stones, like
Stonehenge.

Cyhiraeth: stream goddess whose banshee cries
anticipated death. Similar to the Greek Sirens.

Dahud-Ahes/Dahut (Britain): a coastal goddess of
pleasure and sensuality sometimes compared to
Aphrodite/Venus. She was said to have been reviled by
Christian monks.

Druantia (England/Scotland): druid queen and tree deity
similar to a Greek dryad or the goddess Dentritus.

Elphane (Scotland): a crone and witch queen sometimes
associated with illness and death but also with arcane
knowledge. Compare Hecate.

Epona: goddess of horses (hence "pony"). Called
Bubona in Scotland. Might have prefigured Lady Godiva.
Her earliest manifestations as a divine mother recall
Rhea. See Rhiannon.

Esus (Britain): a sea god similar to the Greek Poseidon
and the Roman Neptune. In Gaul he was worshiped as a
forest and nature god.

Imbolc: the early spring festival (February 1). Associated
with milk, the first lambs, and lactating ewes before
missionaries turned it into the Feast of St. Brigid and then
Candlemas.

Lia Fáil (Stone of Destiny; Ireland/Scotland): a stone
brought to Ireland by the Tuatha de Danaan. It sat on an
Forrad (Inauguration Mound) on the Hill of Tara. Moved to
Scotland with the Scotti around 600ad. According to
legend the rightful king of Scotland can not be crowned
without it, and as long as it is known in Scotland the
nation shall be free. Reported moved to England in 1297
by Edward I, but also reported this was a red sandstone
"fake" given by the monks of Scone who hid the real jet
black stone to prevent Edward plaeing his foot upon it.

Lugnasadh: the end of harvest celebration (August 1).
Associated with games and contests before being
Christianized as Lammas. The Fir Bolg came to Ireland on
this day and their Queen Tailtiu died of weariness after
clearing the land for planting. The holiday is named after
her adopted son Lugh.

Melusine (England/Scotland): a two-tailed mermaidlike
water spirit similar to a siren.

Morrigen, The ("moh-REE-gan"; also "mohr-IG-nah";
Ireland): queen of the pantheon and war goddess married
to the Dagda. She led him to victory over the Fomorians
at the second Battle of Magh Tuireadh. Sometimes takes
the form of a raven or crow. She gave the Heraclean hero
Cuchulainn a lethally bad time after he rejected her
appearance as a young, lovely woman. Compare with the
Irish Murigen, Morgan le Fey, the Greek Hera, and the
Roman Juno.

Nehalennai (England/Scotland): coastal protector of
travelers and sailors. Similar to the Greek Fortuna and
especially Brizo, protector of mariners.

Nicevenn (Scotland): a witch goddess associated with
Samhain and the moon. Possibly a parallel with
Artemis/Diana.

Samhain ("SAH-wain"): the Celtic origin of All Soul's Day.
The word means "November" and refers to the time
when this world and the Otherworld are in maximum
conjunction as the metaphysical doorways of the sidh
stand open. It was also the day that the Dagda mated with
the Morrigan as she stood astride the River Unius
washing the armor of men about to die in battle and with
Boanne (from whom the River Boyne is named) on the
eve of the Second Battle of Mag Tuiredh.

Selkie (Ireland, Scotland, Iceland): magical seals who can
temporarily assume human form, often long enough to
love and break the heart of a human lover.

Silvertree and Goldtree (Scotland): a jealous mother and
a beautiful daughter. The mother had a habit of asking a
magical trout, "Who is the most beautiful woman in the
world?" When the trout replied "Your daughter" one day,
Silvertree plotted to have her killed; instead, she was
forced to drink poisoned wine, ridding Goldtree of her
influence. Moral of the story: Never flaunt a fancy parasol
during a trout.

Tannus/Taranis: a thunder god similar to the Roman
Jupiter and the Greek Zeus. He carried a spoked wheel
and was associated with the oak and the eagle.

Uroica (Scotland): goddess of heather and of
heather wine; compare with the
Greek Amphictyonis,
byform of Demeter.