A Mabon Story

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A Mabon Story

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, long before the time we call today, there lived a small village which bordered on a great dark and magickal forest. In the village there lived a young boy-on quite a child, but not quite a grown up-without a name. The boy had been found early on spring in the fields near the village by the village wise woman. From where the boy had come or to whom he belonged, no one knew.

The wise woman brought the new found child to the village council. The child, whose hair was a brilliant gold, and whose eyes sparkled like the stars up in the heavens, fascinated the people. His appearance in the fields, just prior to the spring planting, was both mysterious and magickal. The people felt that this boy must be a gift from the spirits of the land and that therefore, he must be a magickal child. The council decided that the entire village should adopt him and treat him as their own. For whatever reasons the spirits of the land had for bringing him to them, they felt that it would be bad luck to turn him away.

As time passed, and the child grew, he proved himself to be a hard worker. The people of the village loved him and may saw his presence in their village as a good omen. For, since the time of his coming to their village, the harvest from the fields in which he was found had been better and more bountiful then ever before. Each year, as the child grew older and took part more and more in the working of the land, the harvest bounty grew larger and larger. Each year the boy would work in the fields; always planting the first seeds, tending the first new shoots of green, and always the last out of the field, carrying with him the very last of the harvest. This became the tradition among the people in the village and the boy came to be seen as a symbol of the harvest. Somehow, they felt that his "sunny" presence, with his golden hair and warm smile, actually helped the crops grow and flourish.

One evening, quite like this, the boy was in the field, gathering, as he had done every year since he had came to this village, the very last of the harvest. He was singing and thanking the spirits of the land and the fields for the great bounty which they provided. He walked throughout the field until the sun began to set in the west and twilight settled over the land. As he placed the last ear of corn into his basket he noticed a flickering light just at the edge of the field nearest the dark and magickal forest. The light danced back and forth and seemed to twinkle its light as he looked at it, then suddenly, it sped off into the dark woods. The boy was so intrigued by the light that he put down his basket and chased after the light into the woods. He ran as fast as he could, darting here and there, under limbs and over bushes, around huge tree trunks and behind enormous rock. Faster and faster he went, with the light always just ahead of him. He ran farther and farther into the dark woods until he was so far from the village and the fields that he didn't know if he could ever find his way back. The forest was dark and thick with growth.

The boy stopped and looked around, not knowing which way might lead back to his beloved fields and the village which he now called home. He was lost and he knew it. His heart sank and he grew fearful of the dark forest and the unknown creatures that it held. He slumped down beside the base of a giant tree and began to weep. "Oh why did I come here?" he sobbed. "Why did I enter the dark forest? Why did I leave the field?"

Just then, the flickering light that he had seen and chased after appeared before his eyes. It hovered there, just above him and then slowly settled down to the ground in front of him. It's light pulsed and sparkled with all of the colors of the rainbow. The boy was stunned by its beauty to do anything but gaze upon it. The light then grew larger and larger and from within the light came a beautiful voice. "Do not fear the dark, my child. Do not cry." it said.

The boy looked around fearfully and said, "Who said that? Show yourself!" Slowly the light changed to pure white and from within it emerged a very small woman, no larger than a child, but an adult. The boy looked at her and somehow knew that she must be ancient, for though her face didn't show the lines of an old woman and her hair was not white with time, her eyes shone like the oldest of stars in the heavens and her smile was like that of one who had seen times before the mountains were made.

"Who are you?", he asked, half out of fear and half out of awe.

"I am Queen Maeve, or Mab, as they call me. Queen of the Faeries", she replied matter-of-factly. The boy looked at her in disbelief. "I saw you in the field, singing and thanking the spirits of the land for the harvest."

"Yes," the boy responded. "The dark of the year is coming and Harvest season is almost over. I thank them for all that they have brought us as we finish the harvest."

"Finish your harvest?" she asked in disbelief. "Do you not turn your harvest efforts inward, my child, when the light begins to wan?"

"How so? Once the harvest is brought in, the land lays fallow until the planting of the spring. You can't harvest during the dark time." the boy stated.

"Really?!?" Mab declared mockingly. "Perhaps that is how YOU see it. But, child, we Faeries know better. Just because the physical harvest ends as the light fades, doesn't mean things just stop and wait for it to return. Do the fruits of the harvest not carry within them the seeds of renewal?"

"Yes, I suppose they do", the boy responded sheepishly.

"And are humans so different? Don't you take the dark time to look within, at the seeds of your heart and soul, seeing all possibilities for the coming year? Do you not allow your mind to reap thoughts and ideas as your hands reap the gourds and the grain?" she questioned.

"I...I, don't understand" shuddered the boy, obviously taken back by the thought. "How can we 'turn in' and harvest what we cannot see?" he asked finally.

"Let me show you child," she said and with a gentle hand she took hold of him and pulled him with her into the light. Into the Land of the Faeries. "You see, here in my world, we see with different eyes. We can see the trees breathing, and the songs on the wind. We see the turning of the soil and we see the sparks of the minds and hearts of every living thing. See for yourself," she said as she turned the boy around to face the world, a world which looked a great deal different from the one which he knew.

At that moment, the boy looked around in amazement. He saw all of the things which she had spoken of and more. He could see the land, which he once thought of as being fallow and lifeless now turning with energy, preparing itself for regeneration and for the coming year. He saw the trees singing to their leaves, turning them wondrous colors with each note of their songs and then releasing them to the wind where they would settle to the earth and become food for the rich soil. Most amazing of all, he looked down upon himself and saw bright sparks all within him. The sparks were the sparks of ideas and thoughts, just as Mab had said, but they were only faint sparks now, scattered and small. The boy was speechless as he took in all of the beauty which he now saw.

"Now," said Mab, "try to touch those sparks within you. Tend them as you would any of the first shoots of spring," she instructed. "Care for them and see what happens."

The boy, hesitant at first, reached out to the tiny sparks and did just that. He touched them. Immediately they brightened and glowed and became just slightly larger than before.

"You see?" she asked. "Do you see the potential harvest that you hold within?"

"Yes. YES I can! " he cried. "Do we each carry these inside? All of us?" he asked.

"Yes child. all of life does," came her response.

"But why have I never seen them before? Never felt them? Why"

"Because," said wise Mab, "You have never looked for them before. Oh, sometimes you do see them, but only faintly. Right now you are seeing with Faerie eyes, but once you know what to look for, anyone can see them within themselves."

The boy stared in amazement, hypnotized by what he saw. "I never want to leave this place," he said finally. "It is so beautiful!"

"Ah, but that is not possible child. For you do not belong to me. You are a human child and it is with humans that you belong. But, now with this gift of sight that I have given you, you must return and show others."

"How can I do such a thing? How will they be able to see?" he asked.

"Show them by example, child. Show them what to look for. Teach them to see within themselves and celebrate not just the harvest of physical things, but to also celebrate the coming dark time which allows you opportunity to harvest within yourselves, within your hearts and within your minds. If you do as I ask, I will make a promise to you. Each year teach the people and each year, on this very night, I will meet you in the field and take you once again into the land of the Fey."

That was all the more the boy needed to hear. For the chance to return to this magickal place he would have promised almost anything. The boy promised to do as Mab had asked. Then Mab lead him by the hand out of the Faerie world and brought him through the forest to the edge of his field. She kissed him on the forehead and bid him a loving farewell. Then, just as suddenly as she had appeared, she vanished.

That night, back in the village, the boy gathered all of the people together and told them of his fantastic adventure. They looked at him with wonder and disbelief. It was all so strange to them. He decided to show them by giving each an apple from the harvest. He showed them that this was the physical harvest that they had worked so hard to bring in. Then he cut open the apple and revealed the seeds contained within. He told them to see themselves as the apples, to search within themselves for those seeds, those thoughts and ideas. The people closed their eyes and looked deep within themselves, deeper then ever before. Suddenly, on exclaimed, "I see it!" then another and another and another still until each person could see within themselves the seed of the dark time harvest.

From that night on the people truly looked to the boy as a gift from them spirits of the land. He not only was the harvest child of the light, but of the dark as well. They began to call him Mabon, meaning the son of Mab, for it was with her guidance that he was able show them the sparks within. And each year after, just as promised, Queen Mab met the boy on the promised night and took him back to the land of the Faeries, and brought him back before the sunrise the next day. And, as promised, the boy taught the people how to harvest both from the light and the dark.

The End


	Behold The Mystery \| home A Mabon Story Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, long before the time we call today, there lived a small village which bordered on a great dark and magickal forest. In the village there lived a young boy-on quite a child, but not quite a grown up-without a name. The boy had been found early on spring in the fields near the village by the village wise woman. From where the boy had come or to whom he belonged, no one knew. The wise woman brought the new found child to the village council. The child, whose hair was a brilliant gold, and whose eyes sparkled like the stars up in the heavens, fascinated the people. His appearance in the fields, just prior to the spring planting, was both mysterious and magickal. The people felt that this boy must be a gift from the spirits of the land and that therefore, he must be a magickal child. The council decided that the entire village should adopt him and treat him as their own. For whatever reasons the spirits of the land had for bringing him to them, they felt that it would be bad luck to turn him away. As time passed, and the child grew, he proved himself to be a hard worker. The people of the village loved him and may saw his presence in their village as a good omen. For, since the time of his coming to their village, the harvest from the fields in which he was found had been better and more bountiful then ever before. Each year, as the child grew older and took part more and more in the working of the land, the harvest bounty grew larger and larger. Each year the boy would work in the fields; always planting the first seeds, tending the first new shoots of green, and always the last out of the field, carrying with him the very last of the harvest. This became the tradition among the people in the village and the boy came to be seen as a symbol of the harvest. Somehow, they felt that his "sunny" presence, with his golden hair and warm smile, actually helped the crops grow and flourish. One evening, quite like this, the boy was in the field, gathering, as he had done every year since he had came to this village, the very last of the harvest. He was singing and thanking the spirits of the land and the fields for the great bounty which they provided. He walked throughout the field until the sun began to set in the west and twilight settled over the land. As he placed the last ear of corn into his basket he noticed a flickering light just at the edge of the field nearest the dark and magickal forest. The light danced back and forth and seemed to twinkle its light as he looked at it, then suddenly, it sped off into the dark woods. The boy was so intrigued by the light that he put down his basket and chased after the light into the woods. He ran as fast as he could, darting here and there, under limbs and over bushes, around huge tree trunks and behind enormous rock. Faster and faster he went, with the light always just ahead of him. He ran farther and farther into the dark woods until he was so far from the village and the fields that he didn't know if he could ever find his way back. The forest was dark and thick with growth. The boy stopped and looked around, not knowing which way might lead back to his beloved fields and the village which he now called home. He was lost and he knew it. His heart sank and he grew fearful of the dark forest and the unknown creatures that it held. He slumped down beside the base of a giant tree and began to weep. "Oh why did I come here?" he sobbed. "Why did I enter the dark forest? Why did I leave the field?" Just then, the flickering light that he had seen and chased after appeared before his eyes. It hovered there, just above him and then slowly settled down to the ground in front of him. It's light pulsed and sparkled with all of the colors of the rainbow. The boy was stunned by its beauty to do anything but gaze upon it. The light then grew larger and larger and from within the light came a beautiful voice. "Do not fear the dark, my child. Do not cry." it said. The boy looked around fearfully and said, "Who said that? Show yourself!" Slowly the light changed to pure white and from within it emerged a very small woman, no larger than a child, but an adult. The boy looked at her and somehow knew that she must be ancient, for though her face didn't show the lines of an old woman and her hair was not white with time, her eyes shone like the oldest of stars in the heavens and her smile was like that of one who had seen times before the mountains were made. "Who are you?", he asked, half out of fear and half out of awe. "I am Queen Maeve, or Mab, as they call me. Queen of the Faeries", she replied matter-of-factly. The boy looked at her in disbelief. "I saw you in the field, singing and thanking the spirits of the land for the harvest." "Yes," the boy responded. "The dark of the year is coming and Harvest season is almost over. I thank them for all that they have brought us as we finish the harvest." "Finish your harvest?" she asked in disbelief. "Do you not turn your harvest efforts inward, my child, when the light begins to wan?" "How so? Once the harvest is brought in, the land lays fallow until the planting of the spring. You can't harvest during the dark time." the boy stated. "Really?!?" Mab declared mockingly. "Perhaps that is how YOU see it. But, child, we Faeries know better. Just because the physical harvest ends as the light fades, doesn't mean things just stop and wait for it to return. Do the fruits of the harvest not carry within them the seeds of renewal?" "Yes, I suppose they do", the boy responded sheepishly. "And are humans so different? Don't you take the dark time to look within, at the seeds of your heart and soul, seeing all possibilities for the coming year? Do you not allow your mind to reap thoughts and ideas as your hands reap the gourds and the grain?" she questioned. "I...I, don't understand" shuddered the boy, obviously taken back by the thought. "How can we 'turn in' and harvest what we cannot see?" he asked finally. "Let me show you child," she said and with a gentle hand she took hold of him and pulled him with her into the light. Into the Land of the Faeries. "You see, here in my world, we see with different eyes. We can see the trees breathing, and the songs on the wind. We see the turning of the soil and we see the sparks of the minds and hearts of every living thing. See for yourself," she said as she turned the boy around to face the world, a world which looked a great deal different from the one which he knew. At that moment, the boy looked around in amazement. He saw all of the things which she had spoken of and more. He could see the land, which he once thought of as being fallow and lifeless now turning with energy, preparing itself for regeneration and for the coming year. He saw the trees singing to their leaves, turning them wondrous colors with each note of their songs and then releasing them to the wind where they would settle to the earth and become food for the rich soil. Most amazing of all, he looked down upon himself and saw bright sparks all within him. The sparks were the sparks of ideas and thoughts, just as Mab had said, but they were only faint sparks now, scattered and small. The boy was speechless as he took in all of the beauty which he now saw. "Now," said Mab, "try to touch those sparks within you. Tend them as you would any of the first shoots of spring," she instructed. "Care for them and see what happens." The boy, hesitant at first, reached out to the tiny sparks and did just that. He touched them. Immediately they brightened and glowed and became just slightly larger than before. "You see?" she asked. "Do you see the potential harvest that you hold within?" "Yes. YES I can! " he cried. "Do we each carry these inside? All of us?" he asked. "Yes child. all of life does," came her response. "But why have I never seen them before? Never felt them? Why" "Because," said wise Mab, "You have never looked for them before. Oh, sometimes you do see them, but only faintly. Right now you are seeing with Faerie eyes, but once you know what to look for, anyone can see them within themselves." The boy stared in amazement, hypnotized by what he saw. "I never want to leave this place," he said finally. "It is so beautiful!" "Ah, but that is not possible child. For you do not belong to me. You are a human child and it is with humans that you belong. But, now with this gift of sight that I have given you, you must return and show others." "How can I do such a thing? How will they be able to see?" he asked. "Show them by example, child. Show them what to look for. Teach them to see within themselves and celebrate not just the harvest of physical things, but to also celebrate the coming dark time which allows you opportunity to harvest within yourselves, within your hearts and within your minds. If you do as I ask, I will make a promise to you. Each year teach the people and each year, on this very night, I will meet you in the field and take you once again into the land of the Fey." That was all the more the boy needed to hear. For the chance to return to this magickal place he would have promised almost anything. The boy promised to do as Mab had asked. Then Mab lead him by the hand out of the Faerie world and brought him through the forest to the edge of his field. She kissed him on the forehead and bid him a loving farewell. Then, just as suddenly as she had appeared, she vanished. That night, back in the village, the boy gathered all of the people together and told them of his fantastic adventure. They looked at him with wonder and disbelief. It was all so strange to them. He decided to show them by giving each an apple from the harvest. He showed them that this was the physical harvest that they had worked so hard to bring in. Then he cut open the apple and revealed the seeds contained within. He told them to see themselves as the apples, to search within themselves for those seeds, those thoughts and ideas. The people closed their eyes and looked deep within themselves, deeper then ever before. Suddenly, on exclaimed, "I see it!" then another and another and another still until each person could see within themselves the seed of the dark time harvest. From that night on the people truly looked to the boy as a gift from them spirits of the land. He not only was the harvest child of the light, but of the dark as well. They began to call him Mabon, meaning the son of Mab, for it was with her guidance that he was able show them the sparks within. And each year after, just as promised, Queen Mab met the boy on the promised night and took him back to the land of the Faeries, and brought him back before the sunrise the next day. And, as promised, the boy taught the people how to harvest both from the light and the dark. The End