The Kingdom of Witches

The Kingdom of Witches

At the end of the world

On an island alone,

Lies a city of secrets,

Mortar and stone.

Surrounded by serpents,

Spirits and spells,

The Kingdom of Witches

In mystery dwells.

Through the dungeons and ditches,

Strange shadows and lights

Fill the nooks and the niches

With unearthly sights.

Sultans and sages

From Karth and Darbeen,

Seek the counsel and favor

Of the Witch King and Queen.

Squadrons of crones

On brooms to and fro,

Fly cackling on errands

To the city below.

Each witch house and hut

Holds thrills, chills, and frights,

And plots, pits, and perils,

On long witchy nights.

So, if you would learn

Of each hex, curse, and potion,

And the march of the dead

At the end of the ocean

Then set you a course

To where no compass tells,

And the Kingdom of Witches

In mystery dwells.

Halloween's Short History

The word Halloween comes from the ancient Celtic expression All Hollows Eve, that is: the night before the Day of the Dead.

The Celtic people lived in the areas which are now Great Britain and Northern France more than 2,000 years ago.

November 1 was considered New Year’s Day, among the Celts and this holiday was called Samhain, honouring Samhain who was the lord of the dead and of the cold, dark winter season.

The Celts believed that on All Hollows Eve night the spirits of all those who had died come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. So they built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices; and dressed up in scary costumes and run through the streets holding torches and making noise to confuse the spirits.

Halloween is an old tradition in Ireland and Scotland. In those countries, people dressed up and carried lanterns made of turnips. When people moved from Ireland and Scotland to the United States in the 1840’s, they started using pumpkins because there were no turnips in The United States. This is where the Jack O’Lantern tradition comes from.

Halloween Vocabulary

If you want to learn the main vocabulary for the Halloween Holiday, take a look at this presentation:

The Witch and the Cat (Halloween Story)

Once upon a time a cat fell in love with a handsome young man. The cat went to a witch and asked her to change her into a pretty young woman, so that she might marry the young man.

The witch agreed, for she cared nothing for the young man, nor whom he married.

The cat, who was now a pretty girl, moved into the cottage next to the young man's home and soon they were engaged to be married.

However, the boy's mother, who knew something of witchcraft, did not like the girl. She did not like her green eyes which had black slits like cat's eyes, instead of round pupils as ordinary humans have.

The mother suspected that the girl was really a cat and told her son. However, he would hear nothing against his sweetheart and said his mother was merely jealous.

Determined that her son should not marry a cat, the mother waited until the whole family was seated in the parlour, then she let loose a mouse to run across the room. Immediately the girl, forgetting she was a young lady and only remembering her cat's feelings, pounced on the mouse and shook it in her mouth.

Then the young man believed the girl was a cat and the marriage did not take place; and the girl went back to being a cat and took up her old ways...

Halloween On-line Games

If you want to have fun this Halloween, just click on the links and try a lot of on-line games at:

Squigly’sGames

FWG

HalloweenArcade

Kaboose

Halloween Orange

A different way to carve a scary Halloween decoration. Try if you want, the results are impressive!