pinning and weaving has been an integral part of the mythology and folklore of European tribes since we developed the techniques for harvesting and processing plant and animal fibers into cloth. It must indeed have seemed magickal that things such as the tough stalks of hemp and nettles, later flax and wool could be transformed into soft warm clothing, blankets, bags to carry things and sails to allow us to travel to far distant places. Because of this mystery of transformation, a deep mythology evolved regarding the different tools used in the process and the women who used commonly used those tools.
       Unlike ancient Greece, Rome and other part of the Mediterranean if we travel into early pre-Celtic and Celtic times in NorthWestern Europe, it becomes difficult to identify specific Goddesses associated with spinning or weaving. The Irish Brighid is a likely candidate, but as a relatively recent arrival within the pantheon she incorporates the characteristics of several deities into one figure. Who came before? To whom did the ancient Celtic women devote their spinning and weaving activities? This is harder to ascertain. By looking at the carvings on spindles, by noting the traditions around spinning, weaving and the loom, as we will further on in this article, we begin to see that these tasks and objects became symbolic of a connection to the source of all life. Among the early island Celts this would include Danu, Aine, Dôn, Modron and Anu. Goddesses associated with birth, fertility, agriculture and possibly domesticated animals can indicate connections to textile production.
        In Russia, near Kiev, a Slavic earth-goddess named Mokosh was venerated into modern times. Christian chroniclers in the 16th century bemoaned the fact that women still went to Mokosh in times of need. Votive offering of flax, lamb's wool, woven material and thread were put into a well surmounted with image of her. In Russian folklore, Mokosh survives as Mokhusha, female spirits who inhabit houses and spin every night.
        As European societies became increasingly patriarchal through time and cultural exchange, the role of the Divine Feminine and women became subordinate, suspect and increasingly under the control of the masculine. One aspect of the Earth Mother became the Lady of the Loom, endowed with shadowy powers of prophecy, magick and influence over the fortunes and lives of men.
        During the early Christian era, the pervasive connection of the feminine with spinning and weaving gave rise to all sorts of injunctions, cautions and prohibitions. Many of these refer to prophecy and magick making. It was commonly believed that women could seek supernatural powers at the loom, in dyeing and in textile work. The penitential literature of the time frequently forbids doing "observances" while weaving, making "consultations" of woolen work or the "vanities" and "incantations" of the thread of the warp and weft. One Hincmar of Rheims associated weaving skills, colored threads and garments with the equipment of witches. He also speaks of witches using snails, which is interesting since several Iron Age women's graves included snail shells, one variety of sea snail-Murex, was used in ancient times to achieve a "royal" purple or crimson color.. Definitely a color the humorless Hincmar and his equally dour brethren would have frowned on.
        While it was believed that the repetitious labor of spinning or weaving could lead to trance states, however anyone who has tried these crafts knows full well that one must remain conscious or the yarn will be lumpy and the cloth crooked. Through a comparable personal experience working on an embroidery project that took close to 500 hours to complete in many 2-3 hour long sessions, I can attest that long hours spent spinning or weaving could lead to states of deep relaxation and concentration. The very states that we wish to reach in our meditations, rituals and spell work.

Spindles
       Spindles whorls have been found in many continental Bronze and Iron Age European women's graves and as votive offerings associated with ritual sites. Of the few spindles found in Ireland, most were found in conjunction with settlement sites, though one possible offering of this type was found at the court cairn at Ballyalton in county Down. This round, flat stone object dating, to fourth millenium, is 37 mm in diameter and has a central perforation. Though it has been identified by some as a spindle whorl it could just as easily be a stone bead. Whatever it's original use may have been the object was found, in addition to several pieces of worked flint, in a pit originally covered with a large stone that had been part of the facade of the cairn. It does not seem, at least from available evidence, that spindles were placed in the graves of Bronze Age Irish women, as for the Iron Age I haven't been able to locate information indicating the practice or lack of it.
       Continental spindle whorls dating from 5500 to 4200BCE are decorated with chevrons, meanders, Ms and zig-zags. In later times, Northwestern European spindles were decorated with spirals and meanders in La Tène style. From the perspective of sympathetic magic, the spindle whorl is used to create thread that can be used to "loose" and "bind". This principle was used in Early Medieval Europe healing spells as in this example: "For diseased cheek, take the whorl, with which a women spinneth, bind to the man's neck with a woolen thread." (from The Rise of Magic in Early Medieval Europe by Valerie I. J. Flint)

The Loom
       The vast majority of early looms were vertical warp weighted looms, using carved stone or clay weights to hold tension in the warp threads. This type of loom was used form ancient until modern times throughout Europe and Eurasia. Everything from simple tabby to complex tapestries, from narrow fabric to 60 inches wide or more can be woven on a warp-weighted loom. As with the earliest spindle whorls noted above, Old European loom weights of the same time period are incised with representations of tribal goddesses or with simple chevrons and meanders, again linking weaving with the feminine.
       Loom weights have yet to be found in Ireland, this absence may indicate that a horizontal loom was in use. Before concluding that they did not have vertical looms we need to consider the fact that only a small percentage of habitation and burial sites have been excavated. According to those knowledgeable in textile production, the borders of cloth remnants found in Ireland are consistent with those produced by warp-weighted loom.
       As stated earlier in this article, the spiritual connection of the feminine and looms became one of magical and prophetic faculties. During the La Tène era in Western Europe, beginning in about 450BCE, there developed a formalized structure of this relationship that lasted into the Medieval Age.
       This period in European history sees the emergence of the Warband, a close-knit artificial family of men allied to a Chieftain or Petty King. The Feminine in the person of the wife of the leader or the tribal prophetess, played an important role in uniting the band and determining the timing and result of their actions. The term "freoduwebbe: meaning peace weaver is applied to women who married in order to form peaceful alliances between tribes or petty kingdoms. (For an excellent study of this topic see "Lady with a Mead Cup; Ritual, Prophesy and Lordship in the European Warband from La Tène to the Viking Age by Michael Enright)
       Though spindles, whorls, distaffs were associated with prophecy and the prophetess in Germanic as well Celtic cultures it was the weaving beam that became the widely recognized badge of office. The weaving beam or garma in Gaelic, is the top most support of the vertical loom, it is from there that the warp is set. This piece of wood became stylized into the artwork of the period as a Lady/Goddess depicted carrying a stylized staff. Such staffs were sometimes found in the graves of wealthy women. One interesting example was found in Dürrnberg near Hallein, Austria. Dating back to 500BCE the wooden staff is about 19 ½ inches long and about ½ inch in diameter, it has small bronze knobs at the top and bottom. A small loop is attached to the top knob from which hang two 5 ½ inches long chains. These chains are joined to a flat crescent pendant from which hangs three more chains tipped with identical little club-like danglers. Many similar staffs were found throughout continental Europe. Without exception they were found in the richly ornamented graves of women, women who, for their time would have held a certain amount of power and status.
       Within Irish myth we find a similar figure of a prophetess in the Ulster Cycle tale of the Tain bó Cúailnge. The time frame in which the stories of the Ulster cycle take place is thought to be within the late La Tène era. In the prologue to the cattle raid, Queen Meave is waiting for an auspicious day to launch her battle. She finally decides to depart even though her advisers have told her the raid will not go in her favor. Still concerned about the outcome of the expedition she listens to her charioteer who advises her to turn her chariot in a sun-wise direction to strengthen their luck. As they come about they see before them a grown maiden, richly dressed, wearing a gold brooch and a tunic with red embroidery, her shoes have gold fastening and in her hand she carries a weaver's beam of white bronze with gold inlay.
       The maiden tells the Queen that she is Feidelm, the ban-file or ban-faith of Connaught, Maeve's own Kingdom. Maeve questions her and is told that the ban-file possesses the art of divination or filidecht part of which is imbas forosnai-the great knowledge that illuminates. Unfortunately her counsel follows the same line as that of Maeve's advisors, the raid will come to a bad end, which it does. In a similar story, Maeve turns to find a woman sitting in her chariot weaving a border with a claidem or lath of findruine or white bronze. A lath is a tool used in weaving to smooth the woof upon the warp. During the Iron Age, small portable looms were used to produce tighly woven brainds and border designs using wool, linene and metallic threads of gold, silver and bronze. These "braids" were used to trim the edges and sleeves of tunics as well as the edges of cloaks.
       In Old Norse we find the term "sigrwefr" which means "web of battle." In Old English, the term "wigspeda gewiofu" which means "web of battle luck". Both these words link the concept of weaving with arms and battle. The 11th century common era poem Darradarljod, is a direct reference to the role of the "women's bower" and the weaving Valkyries in the battle of Clontarf fought between the Scandinavians and the Irish. After the battle the Valkyrie women ripped the cloth form their looms each keeping the shred she held in her hands. This reference to "spelled" cloth is linked to the magic itself and helps explain the presence of bits of cloth in graves, at offering sites, as well as thread found in amulets and used in healing.
       An interesting 10th century east Frankish charm called the "First Merseburg charm" illustrates this concept clearly:

       There is some dispute as to whether this charm refers to physical battle or to warding off illness. In either case warfare or conflict is the central concept and women are involved because the binding and loosing of knots in the weaving hut is interpreted as the magical equivalent of binding and loosing warriors or disease.