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  As Samhain approaches, and the East Anglia Goddess Temple turns to the North-West on our Wheel of Andraste, we meet the Crone Goddess, Keridwen* once more.

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  In the North-West of our East Anglia land sits The Fenlands. This very low-lying land was once a wetland before it was drained during the 17th century. And even before that, was a huge woodland filled with yew trees of some 4-5K years old. I’m sure Boudicca would have travelled through this part of East Anglia on Her many travels, possibly when visiting the Corieltauvi tribe of The Fens and the Midlands. Her journeys are mentioned  in the book ‘The Ravens of Avalon’ by Diana L. Paxson.

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  In  the past, The Fens have been referred to as the "Holy Land of the English" because of the former monasteries of Crowland, Ely, Peterborough, Ramsey and Thorney. In the village of Peakirk we meet Saint Pega, an anchoress – the ‘holy virgin of Christ Pega’, sister of Guthlac, daughter of Penwalh of Mercia. When I visited Peakirk, the village sign, to me, shouted ‘Andraste’!

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​​​​​​​                  You can find more about St Pega here

   – worth a read - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pega 

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                                        Photo by Caryl Lynzy

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  Apparently evil spirits of The Fens lived in the marshes and bogs waiting to lure the unwary to their deaths! These spirits were known as Lantern Men, ghostly lights. Now explained to be ignitable marsh gas. We can still believe them to be supernatural entities!

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  This makes even more sense to have Keridwen in the North-West on our Wheel for She is our Death Goddess, our Dark Goddess. At Samhain, it is one of the times when the veil is much thinner, and we can connect with our Ancestors who have passed over to the Summerlands. Keridwen, although a Welsh Goddess, was said to be once the presiding Goddess of Britain and the Great Mother of all creation, from the book ‘Celtic Goddess of Inspiration – Cerridwen’ by Kristoffer Hughes.

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  We associate the cauldron with Keridwen – the cauldron of inspiration, of transformation and of testing. Make of these what you wish – they are all Keridwen-led and here to guide us through the Samhain season as we head for mid-winter.

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  Now very much an agricultural area, The Fenlands are fertile and have an abundance of wildlife, from Andraste’s Hares to Arianrhod and Sulis’ owls, Idunna’s swans, Damara’s dragonflies, Nehelannia’s otters, Habondia’s sheep and cattle, Erce’s earth creatures and even Keridwen’s Natterjack Toad! And to be aware that there is archaeological evidence that pigs were a part of the diet in The Fens as far back as the Bronze Age, alongside cattle and sheep.

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​​  The Fens are absolutely so full of magik and folklore – too many to mention here. But here is a link to a story of old – my favourite. This is so Samhain, it is perfect for the oncoming dark months. Take the time to have a little watch and really get to know the Tidy Mun, a bog spirit of The Fens  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6rs8D2jFVg&t=726s  If you are short on time, go to 10.27 for the main Tidy Mun story in part three.

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  Another folklore worth taking a look at is the Wild Hunt of 1127 when the Wild Hunt touched down in Peterborough between the deer park and the cathedral. It is said because of an Abbott that wasn’t very popular at being appointed. This is recorded in the Doomsday book and is one of, if not the first time, the Wild Hunt was seen in England.

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  And of course, Black Shuck has been seen in The Fens - and why not? One story tells of a young woman who claimed to have met Shuck in the 1980s. She said the incident occurred when she and her young son were out alone at night. They were walking along the lonely Throckenholt Bank, at Parson Drove near Wisbech. The creature looked at them for a long time, staring with its one yellow eye from behind a bush. When it finally raced off across the fields, she could see it was the size of a small calf. In her opinion there was no other explanation. It had to be Black Shuck!

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  So, take a little time out this Samhain and have a deeper look at The Fens as part of your connection to the season here in East Anglia and what Keridwen offers the Temple from the North-West. Wouldn’t She sit well with the Tidy Mun in the marshes? Bent over Her cauldron, the ‘crooked one’, the witch, the gatekeeper between the worlds – a place of ancestral wisdom and the faery land.

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  * Keridwen is known to be spelt in numerous ways. My way is taken from In Ystoria Taliesin. Others are Cerridwen, preferred by the Temple, Cerituen, Karidwen, Kerituen, Caridwen, Kyrridwen, Kyrritven. Which way do you prefer?

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  ** With grateful thanks to my priestess sisters of The Fens, Priestesses of Andraste, Michelle Skeats and Clare Measom of www.facebook.com/cardykesoay for their knowledge of The Fens and their contribution to this article.

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          © Caryl Lynzy, October 2025