Calendar of the Sun
26 Thrimilchimonath
Lemminkainen's Day
Color: Light blue
Element: Air
Altar: Upon cloth of light blue set two spears, two arrows, a black cup of water, and a pot of
honey with the figure of a bee.
Offerings: Examine the area where you feel most clever, and humble yourself.
Daily Meal: Venison.
Invocation to Lemminkainen
Great Lemminkainen,
Trickster of the cold north country,
Yours is the story of the fall from pride.
You took your wife by force
Because she was the only one
Who would not have you,
When all others were impressed.
You fought the Saami mages and won,
You slew the great moose of the snows,
You caught the fiery horse of the mountains,
But when you faced the River of Death
Dark Tuonela caught you, Lemminkainen,
And cut you into a hundred pieces
Floating in the dark water.
Only the love of your mother,
Who fished out all your lost parts,
Who sent bees for the sacred honey
To restore your life with sweetness,
Could save your humbled heart.
Remind us, trickster of the north country,
That when we fall from grace
By our own fire and pride,
That only the love of those we scorned
And thought so little of
Can save our souls from the river's rushing dark.
(The water is passed around, and all sip from it, saying, "I will face the River of Death." Then
the honey is passed around by the eldest or most frail member of the House, who says, "Only this
humble sweetness can save you from the River." All taste of it, kneel, and bow their heads to the
floor, saying, "I will never forget what it is to fall and be restored.")
[Pagan Book of Hours]