Sam Redlark

image generated by Grok If, for the sake of festive novelty, you are prepared to endure weary expressions from friends whenever you offer them a mince pie, you could revert to using the old English word: Hafbæmbodig. This superannuated fragment of Anglo-Saxon is derived from the pagan god Haf, who is associated with cycles of birth, decay, death, and rebirth, as they relate to agriculture, the waxing and waning of the moon, and the gradual changing of the seasons. Haf was worshipped in sacred groves across England and in parts of Northern Europe. The first mention of him is in a Roman document called the Inventarium, which has been dated to 51BC and describes the indigenous tribes of Britannia, their culture and religions. The focal point of Haf worship was a mature apple tree. In the summer months this was usually colonised by one or more bee hives, and surrounded by fruit-bearing brambles and briars. Careful excavation around the roots would have unearthed subterranean epiphytes such...