I recently came across a terrible rumor spread by a man whose last name was Chick I belive. He's appearently been telling people for years that ancient druids would visit door to door in midevil europe, trying to find a royal virgin to rape and sacrifice, and that those who let them in where left with carved pumpkins containing a candle made of human fat, and this is where the TRUE trick or treat tradition of Halloween came from. It was so full in inacurricies it was funny, and I was wondering if anyone had an even sillier rumor.
Please note: This is a Pagan friendly question, and I WILL report any abuse. That said funny rumor time.
2006-10-04 19:02:51 · 13 answers · asked by valinthebard 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
well it really was not that bad, but it was funny because it happened to me.
i was approached in a grocery store by a woman. she told me that the Pagans at (insert address) were gathering to carve pumpkins, worship dark gods and have a massive hetero/bi/homosexual orgy. i looked her dead in the eye and said...
"well that is my house, i am pagan, and you sound interested would you like to join..?"
i later found out that my so called friends started that rumor as an experiment for school to see how long it would take to get back to me... small town 2 days...
however it is a rumor that does still go around once in awhile.
i just think that it is funny. people really do need something better to do with their time.
2006-10-04 19:26:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 8⤊ 0⤋
Oh my goodness, that's hillarious!
Here are my thoughts in order-
Pumpkins are native American. Mideival Europeans had never seen them.
During the Medieval period, the Church ruled most of Europe, the Druids had already been wiped out for quite some time.
Virgins, once raped, are no longer virgin sacrifices. Sacrifices were generally prisoners of war anyway.
Why go door to door looking for a royal one? Wouldn't she be at the castle??
TRUE Trick or Treating was somewhat like Wassailing, but it had to do with getting prayers for the dead. Also, I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure it came about AFTER the Church had co-opted Halloween and had to do with All Saints night.
At any rate, to answer your question, the only thing I've taken note of is the fact that the local animal shelters have a policy of not adopting out black cats during the season for fear they'll be tortured and sacrificed.
Converse that with the fact that the local Pagan community has started a black cat rescue...
2006-10-05 08:43:19 · answer #2 · answered by kaplah 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
The one that I hear quite a lot in my part of the world is that Halloween is the celebration of the birth of Lord Samhain (of which it is usually mispronounced...but not always).
I'm not a Pagan, but I have done my own research on the matter and know that Samhain wasn't a deity, that Halloween isn't a birthday of any deity, it is the end of the Celtic calendar and the begining of the new year. I know that the word Halloween is just old English for what today we'd probably call All Saints Eve (or All Holy Eve) and of course Nov 1 is Hallowmas or All Saints Day (or All Holy Day).
Of course I also have Pagan friends from various traditions and not all of them even celebrate Halloween. And the one's that actually call it Samhain take the time to honor their ancestors. Which is similar to the Hindu holiday that floats between September and October called Pitri Paksha, Sarvapitri Amavasya, Mahalaya Amavasya, among other names.
That's the most common rumor I hear and it makes me giggle when I hear people talk about "Lord Samhain". hehe, they haven't studied their celtic mythology very well (nor their celtic languages very well either).
Than again as a Hindu I have many of the same issues in which all kinds of rumors, misinformation, etc gets said to me all the time (usually from people who are trying to convert me....love it when people tell me what it is I am supposed to believe. Makes me giggle everytime!)
Peace be with you.
2006-10-05 02:24:30 · answer #3 · answered by gabriel_zachary 5 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Oh sure...all the "Those pagans sacrificed" this or that....ranging from small goats to large neighbors...
depending on how much hysteria the local lunatics could foment in the good ole boy crowd. You know, the "let's get ready to kick some butt" geniuses who beat up innocent people and set fire to most anything they find when they run out of beer.
Or the "You mean that old lady (or old man or mental patient) that lives in that creepy house ? The one near to the park where the children disappear?" Sure, urban legends go nuts the closer it gets to Halloween.
2006-10-05 02:22:34 · answer #4 · answered by Margo 3 · 6⤊ 0⤋
When I was a kid in 5th grade it was in the newspaper that a band of Pagans were going around forcing themselves into peoples homes and murdering the families. And they had dug up graves and shoved horses remains into the mouths of the deceased. Where do they come up with this crap?
Imagine if everyone knew why we bring an evergreen tree in at Yule! Do ya think the Christmas tree industry would go under? OMG its a pagan tradition, imagine that, just like Easter and Groundhogs day, and Halloween.... sorry I'm just ranting....
Blessed Be.
2006-10-05 02:10:15 · answer #5 · answered by Bree 2 · 8⤊ 0⤋
Hmmm. I think it's funny that Christians celebrate "the harvest" as an alternative to Halloween! Or have "Reformation Day" to honor the roots of Protestantism and long-gone Protestant heroes.
After all, celebrating the harvest and honoring our dead heroes and loved ones is what we Pagans do instead of the secular, commercial Halloween!
2006-10-05 02:41:35 · answer #6 · answered by GreenEyedLilo 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Jack Chick also said pagans put razorblades in apples in order to sacrifice kids and pagans place curses over candy in order to turn them away from god. I believe this appeared in an out of print tract he wrote that no longer appears on his website. I think it was called "Satan's Master" The stuff on his site is bad enough, but the out of print things he removed from the site are even worse.
2006-10-05 02:26:35 · answer #7 · answered by i luv teh fishes 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
The worst is the killing of cats. It used to happen in our neighborhood. We had to keep ours in on Halloween night. The rumor was the pagans were doing it.
2006-10-05 02:09:47 · answer #8 · answered by Nora Explora 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Yes it's all rumors and falsehoods. The one I heard said they ate babies on Halloween eve. None of it of course is true...
2006-10-05 02:11:32 · answer #9 · answered by ? 3 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Wow, I couldn't top that. That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Chick is a dolt.
2006-10-05 02:07:50 · answer #10 · answered by Girl Wonder 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋