Sabbat Kores

Dancing Goddess Dolls | home

Sabbat Kores | The Elemental Kores | The Muses

Sabbat Kores

This is the Imbolc Kore.

Her embroidery is of Brigid holding her eternal sacred flame,

accompanied by a newborn lamb.

Imbolc (February 2) is a multi-faceted, sweet holy day marking the beginning of Spring, and I tried to incorporate many of the symbols from this day into this simple design. One of the meanings given for the word "Imbolc" is "ewe's milk" in reference to the new lambs being born around this time, so I had to add a little lamb, of course! Some people refer to this day simply as "Brigid" because on this feast day we honor the Goddess Brigid, a fire Goddess of healing and inspiration. An ancient Celtic custom had people dress a doll in white and take her through the soon-to-be-planted fields to purify them, and then they'd "put the Bride to bed." I hope the Lady in white on this doll will allow you to explain these beautiful traditions to your children! Lastly, Brigid is holding her sacred flame, but just as a small candle, to honor the facet of this day which some call Candlemas. (Whew!) (The tiny version has a candle and two bunnies.)

(3.5 inch size and mini altar shown here)

This is the Ostara Kore.

Her embroidery is of a springtime tree with new leaves,

decorated with multi-hued Ostara eggs!

Ostara is celebrated on the Spring Equinox, a time of renewal and rebirth. The Earth is warming up and we honor the fertility of the land as we prepare our gardens. Eggs and rabbits are perfect symbols of fertility during this time, which is why you see a lot of them during this season.

This is the Beltane Kore.

She has an embroidery of butterflies

dancing around a maypole.

April 30th is Beltane, celebrated by most people today as May Day. Beltane is a joyous holy day celebrating the fertility of the Earth and the approach of Summer.

mini Beltane Kore and Beltane altar cloth

This is the Litha Kore.

She has an embroidery of the

Solstice Sunrise over Stonehenge.

Litha is the Summer Solstice (June 21st-ish), when we celebrate the longest day and shortest night of the year. In the northern latitudes, it is light for 24 hours a day, and on the Solstice some people stay up all night with their sacred bonfires! Many people travel to Stonehenge to greet the Solstice sunrise each year, a sacred place to mark the turning of the Wheel.

6-inch Litha Kore and pocket doll/altar cloth set

(altar cloth says "Sing Joy to Summer's Longest Day")

This is the Lammas (Lughnasadh) Kore.

She has an embroidered sheaf of wheat.

August 1st is called Lammas or Lughnasadh, and designates the beginning of the harvest season. There are two names and two main meanings for this Sabbat. Lammas means "loaf-mass" and celebrates the first grain harvest and the bread we bake from it. Lughnasadh refers to the feast day of the Celtic God Lugh, and is a good time to celebrate all of your special skills.

6-inch Lammas, and a pocket Lammas/small altar cloth set

This is the Mabon Kore.

She has an embroidered cornucopia of harvest fruits.

Mabon is celebrated on the Autumnal Equinox (September 21st-ish), a time when day and night are equal. As we celebrate the Harvest of our Summertime gardens and begin to prepare for Winter, we honor the balance of both life and death. Many Earth-spiritualists celebrate a 'traditional' Thanksgiving on this day.

6-inch Mabon Kore and also a pocket version.

This is the Samhain Kore.

Her embroidery is of a Phoenix rising from the flames, reborn.

Samhain (October 31st-November 1st) is the third and final Harvest festival, the beginning of Winter and celebrated by many as New Year's. This is when we honor our ancestors, our beloved dead, and trust in the cycles of death and rebirth to sustain us through the cold and dark Winter. A very ancient holy day across the globe, most people know of this festival as Halloween, All Hallow's, or Dias de los Muertos.

Samhain dolls in different sizes, plus the mini altar (below)

This is the Yule Kore (Winter Solstice).

(11" and 6" sizes shown)

The big event on the Winter Solstice is the rebirth of the Sun, and in this image, we see Mother Earth (literally a pregnant mother, lying prone as mountains of the Earth) crowned by the rising Sun.

(mini altar)

On the Winter Solstice (December 21st-ish), people all over the Northern hemisphere celebrate the rebirth of the Sun, the return of the Light. There are all sorts of Midwinter festivals of Light, and I love that different customs and beliefs all come together to celebrate the same thing each year.