This piece was created for Samhain, the ancient Celtic Festival which celebrates the central portion of the birth-death-resurrection cycle.

Elements of Samhain represented include the Magical Apple Tree with its nine golden apples.  It was believed that anyone who ate the fruit of this tree was guaranteed eternal life.  The tree is represented in the center-front section of this piece.

The present day childrens’ game of Bobbing for Apples is rooted in an ancient mating practice.  Each girl would place her apple in a barrel of water, and the boys would bob for them.  Whichever one a boy bit into, that girl became his wife. Looking at the front of this piece, the apple on the right hand side has been bitten, and there is a subtle profile of a boy.

The forged copper flames in the back represent the light of Tara. Ancient Celts gathered at Tlachiga for the Feast of Tara.  They would light their torches from the large fire and then return home to re-light their own hearths with the flame.  This ritual would mark the time of new beginnings.