Magical squirrels

 

Well it's that time of year when we see squirrels gathering food, especially nuts, conkers, acorns and tree mushrooms. Red squirrels don't really like acorns as much as grey squirrels though. Reds change this month for getting a new coat for the Winter. Autumn is associated with various colours of falling leaves, red, brown, orange, pink, yellow. Squirrels are associated with Autumn too, along with foxes, deer, groundhog, monarch butterflies, mice, barn owls, hedgehogs, badgers, crows, bats and spiders. 

Besides the fact squirrels are just cute with bushy tails, they have a magical reputation that goes way back into ancient times. From the epics of Norse mythology to the shamanic stories of the Native Americans, squirrels have always been playing an important part in legends about creation, realms and spiritual journeys. To understand what I mean, visit this insightful page "Squirrel, fuzzy messengers... mythology" at Ancient Origins.

There is a link with Cinderella and red squirrels, and it isn't just Autumn pumpkins. Her famous glass slippers were not really made of glass but squirrel fur. Her magical shoes were soft booties made from the pelt of red squirrels. Her glass slippers in the traditional fairy tale that we know are verre of the French to mean glass, but earlier it was vair, which means "fur". Some believe that fur slippers would've fitted anyone's feet so they changed it, while others think there was a mistranslation. Fur shoes were very nice and considered fancy in the past but not in the 17th century when Charles Perrault wrote the story of "Cinderella" that we know of. It was a much older oral tradition story though but before Perrault, Giambattista Basile had wrote down "Zezolla: Cat Cinderella". To read this one visit Dreame.

There is an urban legend of a ghost squirrel in Dorking, England. Dorking is a picturesque market town going back centuries ago since the Roman occupation. Apart from Roman influences and coins found is the legacy of the Dorking Cockerel, a local symbol. Found in the county of Surrey, Dorking is well known for its ghostly beautiful Silent Pool as well as a phantom squirrel. 

This ghost squirrel was talked about amongst people for years, especially children who liked telling spooky stories. It turned out to have been a real squirrel that lived, an albino called Albi. Sadly this wonderful creature stepped into the road and passed away but is still a loved memory. Read more of this well loved Albi and is remembered still at newspaper article "Remembering Albi" on Get Surrey.  

She Wolf Night