Celebrating Beltane || Bannock Oatcakes & Incantations

To the ancient Gaelic peoples there were only two seasons, the dark cold of winter and the warmth of Summer. The bonfire festival of Beltane signified that Summer had begun and thus the times of winter hunger and darkness had come to an end.  The first mentions of Beltane come from two early medieval texts: The Sanas Cormaic and the Tochmarc Emire. They state that on May 1st Druids would make two large sacred fires and then drive the cattle between the flames while giving incantations to insure the health and safety of the herd.  

Nowadays we mostly associate Beltane with Maypoles and flower crowns, but originally this was a festival for the herders and most of our surviving Beltane traditions are associated with protecting the food sources of the community.  In the Book, The Silver Bough, Celtic Folklorist Florence McNeill shares a folk tradition that would accompany the great Beltane bonfire.  She states that a person would approach the bonfire, facing away from the flames and then toss a piece of Oatcake, called a Bannock, over their shoulder and into fire.  Then they would state a rhyme like the following: 

“Here to thee, wolf, spare my sheep; there to thee, fox, spare my lambs; here to thee, eagle, spare my goats; there to thee raven, spare my kids; here to thee, martin, spare my fowls, there to thee, harrier, spare my chickens.”

With this little folk charm the person is combining an incantation with an offering.  In this case they are throwing the Bannock into the fire as an offering for the wild animals in the forests and in return they are asking the wild animals to spare their flocks of chickens, sheep, and goats.

As a Pagan reconstructionist, I’m always asking myself how can I preserve the main intentions behind these ancient Pagan traditions but bring them into the modern world so that they are still relevant for us today.  When you break down this Beltane folk practice, it’s really about providing an offering and asking for the protection of your food source.  So, this is something you can definitely do yourself even if you don’t have farm animals of your own.  I recommend making some Bannock oatcakes on Beltane morning and then giving one or two of the oatcakes as an offering to the health of the farm animals in your country. Or, if you're a vegetarian, as an offering to the health of the produce in your region.  You can also adapt the incantation mentioned previously to better fit your specific circumstances. 

Bannock Oatcakes for Beltane

I’ve made various versions of this traditional Scottish dish over the years and if I’m honest they are not always the tastiest. So I created a new recipe that stays true to the main concept of a Bannock but with modifications to improve the taste.

Recipe
You’ll need some oatmeal. Most recipes just call for regular oatmeal but instead I recommend using 2 packets of the Maple & Brown Sugar Quaker Instant Oatmeal. It’s not necessary to use the packets but I’m telling you it’s a game changer! Put the two packets in a bowl and add a pinch of baking soda, a pinch of salt, and 1/4t of cinnamon. Add just enough hot water into the bowl till it forms a malleable mixture (about 2 tablespoons). Form it into two patties and for extra texture roll the patties in some plain rolled oats. Heat up a pan and add 1 tablespoon butter. Fry the oatcakes in the pan, about 4 minutes per side. Enjoy!