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Oct. 30th, 2008 09:04 pmNo direct SPN spoilers here! As a Halloween historian, however, I must refute a long-held assumption that Samhain was the Lord of the Dead. There was no such thing, aside from Victorian imagination run amok.
In fact, as I stated in last year's Halloween countdown of facts and history:
Taken directly from Wikipedia:
Popular literature over the last century has given birth to the near universal assumption that Samhain/Hallowe'en was the "Celtic New Year". However, recent research by historians has begun to scrutinize the assertion. Historian Ronald Hutton, in his study of the folk calendar of the British Isles writes that there are no references which attest to this usage earlier than the 18th century, neither in church nor civic records.
A review of Hutton's book in which he explores this most interesting speculation is here
Um. Yes. I'll stop nitpicking now!
Also? SPN=GLEE OMG I LOVE THIS SEASON!
In fact, as I stated in last year's Halloween countdown of facts and history:
Taken directly from Wikipedia:
Popular literature over the last century has given birth to the near universal assumption that Samhain/Hallowe'en was the "Celtic New Year". However, recent research by historians has begun to scrutinize the assertion. Historian Ronald Hutton, in his study of the folk calendar of the British Isles writes that there are no references which attest to this usage earlier than the 18th century, neither in church nor civic records.
A review of Hutton's book in which he explores this most interesting speculation is here
Um. Yes. I'll stop nitpicking now!
Also? SPN=GLEE OMG I LOVE THIS SEASON!