The mythology of October

October comes from the Latin word for eight; octo. This doesn’t make much sense for our modern Gregorian colander in which it is the 10th month, but when it was first used in the early Roman colander, it was the eighth month.  Later the Romans moved the first of the year from March 1st to January 1st. The from the Julian colander to the Gregorian colander came about because it was more accurate. When Britain switched in 1753, the result was that September 3rd instantly became September 14th. Many people thought this would shorten their lives, and protested in the streets demanding the return of their 11 days.

Folklore in England says that the devil stamps on or spits on bramble bushes, so blackberries must not be picked after Michaelmas day, which is the feast of saint Michael (the patron saint of the sea and maritime lands). He was also the angel who cast Lucifer out of heaven for his treachery. When he fell to the earth, he landed in a bramble bush. In his anger he stamped, spit on, and burned the plant, making it unfit for human consumption.  Legend holds that he renews his curse every year on Michaelmas day.

Mention October and most people will think of Halloween.  The origins of Halloween are a bit hazy. It is believed by some to be associated with the Roman feast of Pomona, or the Parentalia, also known as the festival of the dead. It is more commonly linked to a Celtic festival which celebrates the end of the “lighter” half of the year, and ushers in the “darker” half. The name of the festival is derived from old Irish; Samhain. It roughly translates to summers end.

The wearing of costumes probably came about as a way to protect oneself from evil spirits. The ancient Celts believed that the border between our world and the Otherworld becomes its thinnest on Samhain, which allows spirits, both good and evil, to pass through. The disguises fooled the evil spirits into thinking the wearer is an evil spirit himself. Passing out treats may have evolved from the practice of putting out bowls of food outside the home to appease the spirits and keep them out.

The jack-o-lantern was actually originally associated with not Halloween, but Punky night, which falls on the last Thursday of the month. It seems that sometime in the middle ages, all the men of Hinton St George, a village and parish in Somerset, England, went off to a fair. They didn’t return that evening, so their women went searching for them by the light of punkies. A punky is what they called a pumpkin with the insides hollowed out, and a candle inside. People also used to hollow out beets potatoes and turnips to use as a lantern. The Irish however have their own legend about the Jack-o-lantern. A man named Jack couldn’t enter heaven because he was a miser, but couldn’t enter hell either because he played jokes on the devil.  He was instead doomed to walk the earth with his lantern until judgment day, so they named the jack-o-lantern after him.

There is some weather related folklore about October:

1) Rain in October means wind in December.

2) If there is not a frost by the October moon, don’t expect frost until the moon of November.

3) When there are many berries in October, expect a hard winter

4) October will always have 29 fine days out of the 31

October is a month full of demons, devils, ghosts, and spirits. It has evolved from what was apparently a very scary time, to the fun, games, and frivolity we enjoy today. All of the frightening specters have been replaced with smiling children dressed as power rangers and princesses and calling out “trick or treat!”. October is no longer a month to fear, but one to look forward to for children and adults alike.