Did you know that September happens to be one of the busiest months for Birthdays? 

September also weighs in with plenty of folklore. Pull up your comfy chair and read on…

The ancient Romans named September after the god Septem which means 7.

Vulcan god of the forge of Volcanoes, fire, earthquakes and metalworks.

He was overseer of September. The Vulcan god is often depicted with a blacksmith’s hammer.

The Vulcanalia was the annual festival held August 23 in his honor. His Greek counterpart is Hephaestus, the god of fire and smithery.

In Etruscan religion, he is identified with Sethlans.

Statue of Vulcan, wearing an exomis (tunic) and pilos (conical hat), c. 1st century AD. Public Domain.

September’s Full Harvest Moon

The full Harvest Moon also known as the Corn Moon.

According to Indigenous American tribes, the moon was once held hostage by a warrior tribe.  A couple of kindhearted antelopes attempted to liberate the moon by catching it and securing it with a benevolent tribe from another village. Unfortunately, the trickster Coyote snatches the moon and flings it into a deep river every twilight where the two antelopes are unable to rescue it.

Ancient Corn Deity

In Europe and UK folklore during the final corn harvest the last bundle has the corn deity dwelling in it. Sometimes this last bunch was hung up for the birds to peck to spread the kernels into the field during New Years Day, other options was to craft a corn dolly or spread the kernels over the field at spring planting time.

Here are a few Lunar Deities revered in ancient times; Artemis, Selene, Thoth, Diana, Hekate and Cerridwen. In Feng Shui it is Kan a moon god. In Norse mythology it is Mani. 

Large Corn Dolly Below. Photo in Public Domain.

September Astrology shown below is the month for earthy Virgos represented by the Virgin August 23 – September 22 and some airy Libras September 23 – October 22 depicted by the scales of Justice.

September’s gemstone: Sapphire.

Below a lovely blue sapphire much like the one the late Princess Diana wore. Her son Prince William Duke of Cambridge placed it on his bride’s finger The Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine on their wedding day April 29th 2011.

Photo below in Public Domain.

 September’s Flowers: Forget-Me-Nots

These dainty blue flowers have a balancing effect when used in Holistic medicine as an essential oil to clarify memory this may be why it is the symbol for Alzheimer’s disease.

It helps one to recall their dead loved ones. Forget-Me-Nots are sometimes used in magical love potions.

Forget-Me-Not Folklore:

Here is an old German tale of how this beautiful blue flower attained its name.

One cloudy gray day a German knight and his beloved were strolling near a swift river when he picked some pretty blue flowers. The unlucky knight tripped over a rock and tumbled into the rapid river still holding onto the fresh flowers. He quickly threw the flowers to his sweetheart and said “nicht vergesse mir,”  which means “forget me not!”

Sources & References:

*Tess Whitehurst, The Magic of Flowers A Guide to their Metaphysical Use & Properties ISBN 978-0-7387-3194-0 Copyright ©2014 

*Gwydion O’Hara, Moonlore: Myths and Folklore from Around the World  August 8th 1997.

 *Arthur Cotterell, The Encyclopedia of Mythology: Classical Celtic Norse Hardcover- Sept. 1st 1996