--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I should add, however, that, particularly…" description: "\"“I should add, however, that, particularly on the occasion of Samhain, bonfires were lit with the express intention of scaring away the demonic forces ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/lewis-spence-26565_beltane_i-should-add-however-that-particularly-o_1282382.jpg" --- # I should add, however, that, particularly on the occasion… ![“I should add, however, that, particularly on the occasion of Samhain, bonfires were lit with the express intention of scaring away the demonic forces of winter, and we know that, at Bealltainn in Scotland, offerings of baked custard were made within the last hundred and seventy years to the…” quote by Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/lewis-spence-26565_beltane_i-should-add-however-that-particularly-o_1282382.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/lewis-spence-26565_beltane_i-should-add-however-that-particularly-o_1282382.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/lewis-spence-26565_beltane_i-should-add-however-that-particularly-o_1282382.jpg) > ““I should add, however, that, particularly on the occasion of Samhain, bonfires were lit with the express intention of scaring away the demonic forces of winter, and we know that, at Bealltainn in Scotland, offerings of baked custard were made within the last hundred and seventy years to the eponymous spirits of wild animals which were particularly prone to prey upon the flocks - the eagle, the crow, and the fox, among others. Indeed, at these seasons all supernatural beings were held in peculiar dread. It seems by no means improbable that these circumstances reveal conditions arising out of a later solar pagan worship in respect of which the cult of fairy was relatively greatly more ancient, and perhaps held to be somewhat inimical.”” [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ancient rituals used fire and offerings to scare away winter spirits, showing earlier pagan practices predating later solar worship. **In simple terms:** Old rites scared away winter demons. Key Takeaway Respect cultural heritage. Themes mythology ritual seasonal rites paganism Mood reflective educational Type historical anthropological When to use this quote - harvest festivals - winter solstice celebrations - community gatherings - historical reenactments Key Concepts symbolic sacrifice protective customs cultural continuity Questions to Reflect On - What does this reveal about human fear of nature? - How do such rites influence community identity? A Different Perspective Modern interpretations may oversimplify complex beliefs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beltane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beltane/) [Fairies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairies/) [Fairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy/) [Halloween](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/halloween/) [Paganism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paganism/) [Samhain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/samhain/) [Supernatural beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supernatural-beings/) [Wild animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wild-animals/) ## Related quotes > [“On the conversion of the European tribes to Christianity the ancient pagan worship was by no means incontinently abandoned. So wholesale had been the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/on-the-conversion-of-the-european-tribes-to-christianity-the-ancient/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“If we turn now to such vestiges of cult as are associated otherwise than with time and season, we discover a definite recognition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/if-we-turn-now-to-such-vestiges-of-cult-as-are-associated-otherwise/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“This brings me to the question of the antiquity of the belief in fairies and to the associated problem of the existence of strata…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/this-brings-me-to-the-question-of-the-antiquity-of-the-belief-in/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“As Mr. R. U. Sayee has well said: 'It should be clear a priori that fairy lore must have developed as a result of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/as-mr-r-u-sayee-has-well-said-it-should-be-clear-a-priori-that-fairy/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [Demons lie behind much of the world's pagan worship systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-anders/demons-lie-behind-much-of-the-world-s-pagan-worship-systems/) [Max Anders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-anders/) > [“Tell me, as a pagan, who do you worship?' 'Worship?' 'That's right. I imagine you must have a pretty wide open field. 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It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-consolmagno/intelligent-design-has-been-hijacked-by-a-narrow-group-of-creationist/) [Guy Consolmagno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-consolmagno/) > [Europe has resurrected its pagan gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhash-kak/europe-has-resurrected-its-pagan-gods/) [Subhash Kak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhash-kak/) > [The Doxology ... that testimonial to the Platonic Trinity, which divided the Roman Empire into at least eighteen quarreling sects, none of whom knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-hurmence-green/the-doxology-that-testimonial-to-the-platonic-trinity-which-divided/) [Ruth Hurmence Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-hurmence-green/) > [Christianity provided man for the first time with supernatural beings who, he knew, could neither envy nor ridicule him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-schoeck/christianity-provided-man-for-the-first-time-with-supernatural-beings/) [Helmut Schoeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-schoeck/) > [The Old Testament is a chronicle of horrors, describing an egocentric collection of supernatural beings who were always doing rotten things to gentle souls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-keel/the-old-testament-is-a-chronicle-of-horrors-describing-an-egocentric/) [John A. Keel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-a-keel/) > [No. He says when you're dealing with any kids of supernatural beings, Gods and Devils and angels, you tend to think about them like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/no-he-says-when-you-re-dealing-with-any-kids-of-supernatural-beings/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [In the realm of science, all attempts to find any evidence of supernatural beings, of metaphysical concepts, as God, immortality, infinity, etc have thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/in-the-realm-of-science-all-attempts-to-find-any-evidence-of/) [Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/) ## More by Lewis Spence > [“If we turn now to such vestiges of cult as are associated otherwise than with time and season, we discover a definite recognition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/if-we-turn-now-to-such-vestiges-of-cult-as-are-associated-otherwise/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“As Mr. R. U. Sayee has well said: 'It should be clear a priori that fairy lore must have developed as a result of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/as-mr-r-u-sayee-has-well-said-it-should-be-clear-a-priori-that-fairy/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“But I find it necessary to repeat in this particular place that the division into classes, which is so salient a part of modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/but-i-find-it-necessary-to-repeat-in-this-particular-place-that-the/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“But this is not to say that a highly specialized body of belief such as that associated with Faerie is not capable of subsidiary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/but-this-is-not-to-say-that-a-highly-specialized-body-of-belief-such/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“As regards the prohibition on the utterance of the fairy name by mortals, either that of the species as a whole, or of individuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/as-regards-the-prohibition-on-the-utterance-of-the-fairy-name-by/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“Here it is necessary briefly to consider the question of the cult of ancestors before venturing farther. The spirits of the departed are believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/here-it-is-necessary-briefly-to-consider-the-question-of-the-cult-of/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“At Bealltainn, or May Day, every effort was made to scare away the fairies, who were particularly dreaded at this season. In the West…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/at-bealltainn-or-may-day-every-effort-was-made-to-scare-away-the/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“In my view the study of fairy origins assumes a greater degree of importance than popular opinion is wont to concede to it. Indeed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/in-my-view-the-study-of-fairy-origins-assumes-a-greater-degree-of/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“It must be understood that in some cases the process by which a god or goddess degenerates into a fairy may occupy centuries, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/it-must-be-understood-that-in-some-cases-the-process-by-which-a-god/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“All three of the English types I have mentioned can, I think, be accounted for as the results of the presence of different cultures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/all-three-of-the-english-types-i-have-mentioned-can-i-think-be/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“Robert Kirk believed the fairies to be the doubles or, as he called them, the 'co-walkers' of men, which accompanied them through life, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/robert-kirk-believed-the-fairies-to-be-the-doubles-or-as-he-called/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“It must not be thought, however, that in pagan Ireland Fairyland was altogether conceived as a Hades or place of the dead. We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/it-must-not-be-thought-however-that-in-pagan-ireland-fairyland-was/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“To sum up: all nature-spirits are not the same as fairies; nor are all fairies nature-spirits. The same applies to the relationship of nature-spirits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/to-sum-up-all-nature-spirits-are-not-the-same-as-fairies-nor-are-all/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“In all likelihood fairies of larger stature were ancient gods in a state of decay, while their diminutive congeners were the swarming spirits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/in-all-likelihood-fairies-of-larger-stature-were-ancient-gods-in-a/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“...some evidence seems to exist that an idea prevailed that in the fairy sphere there is a reversal of the seasons, our winter being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/some-evidence-seems-to-exist-that-an-idea-prevailed-that-in-the-fairy/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) [Explore all 21 Lewis Spence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) ## More Beltane quotes > [“Tea was the order of the day, neat for the hardened drinker or containing a tot of whiskey for those who liked it watered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-carlton/tea-was-the-order-of-the-day-neat-for-the-hardened-drinker-or/) [Carole Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-carlton/) > [“The Old Cornwall Society decided during the 1920s to revive the custom of lighting fires along the Cornish peninsula, beginning in the east and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-carlton/the-old-cornwall-society-decided-during-the-1920s-to-revive-the/) [Carole Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-carlton/) > [“The festival of the spring equinox speaks of freshness and youth, of excitement and endless possibilities. Nature begins to quicken and early flowers open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-carlton/the-festival-of-the-spring-equinox-speaks-of-freshness-and-youth-of/) [Carole Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-carlton/) > [“In times when the grain was harvested by hand, many traditions and superstitions grew up around this important event.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-carlton/in-times-when-the-grain-was-harvested-by-hand-many-traditions-and/) [Carole Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-carlton/) > [“The Green Man has also become synonymous with Cernunnos, the Celtic horned God, often portrayed in Celtic art as part man, part stag, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-carlton/the-green-man-has-also-become-synonymous-with-cernunnos-the-celtic/) [Carole Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-carlton/) > [“At Bealltainn, or May Day, every effort was made to scare away the fairies, who were particularly dreaded at this season. In the West…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/at-bealltainn-or-may-day-every-effort-was-made-to-scare-away-the/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“Legend tells us that the High King of Tara, who ruled supreme over all the Kings of Ireland, looked out from his castle one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-carlton/legend-tells-us-that-the-high-king-of-tara-who-ruled-supreme-over-all/) [Carole Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-carlton/) > [“The spring equinox celebration included a dawn trip to the nearby Rillaton Barrow, a Bronze Age burial mound high up on the Cheesewring Moor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-carlton/the-spring-equinox-celebration-included-a-dawn-trip-to-the-nearby/) [Carole Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-carlton/) > [“Saturday morning brought an Imbolc gift of thick fog, as our select company of three set off onto the rain-sodden moor. ‘Here we are,’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-carlton/saturday-morning-brought-an-imbolc-gift-of-thick-fog-as-our-select/) [Carole Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-carlton/) > [“Strange as it may seem, the association of eggs and bunnies at Easter time are actually connected and, to discover more, we must once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-carlton/strange-as-it-may-seem-the-association-of-eggs-and-bunnies-at-easter/) [Carole Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-carlton/) > [“Pagan paths, of which there are many, more often than not, are based upon an acknowledgement of a Divine presence within nature, as acknowledged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-carlton/pagan-paths-of-which-there-are-many-more-often-than-not-are-based/) [Carole Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-carlton/) > [“The festival of Lughnasadh speaks of fullness and bounty of richness and sacrifice. 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