Wood Spirit Samhain Whisper

The wind tore oak leaves and spun them in a golden streamer. The forest had fallen still in solemn silence. The woody fragrance of fallen leaves and damp earth filled the cool air. But there was something else in it too... An almost tangible magic spread through the wordless waiting.

Yet the silence was an illusion. If you stopped and listened, in the whisper of the wind you could make out the crunch of branches under small hurrying footsteps, cheerful many-voiced singing, flashes of festive lights behind black branches. Then suddenly all fell quiet, and the forest held itself in eager expectation. And far off, a warm flicker of candles and the solemn glow of golden eyes dissolved the veil of mist. A wave of joy rolled through the forest from the mysterious arriving guest and echoed in the heart of every forest dweller. For this was the herald of the ancient festival — the Wood Spirit Samhain Whisper.

He brought with him the light smoke of bonfires, the fragrance of honey pumpkins and thick fogs. Samhain is the time when the boundary between worlds grows especially thin. In such a magical season the forest dwellers were glad to have a reliable guide into the world of mysteries and fallen leaves.

The ancient wooden mask of the autumn Wood Spirit always reflects his kind, sincere smile, and his eyes shimmer with gold even on overcast days. But he is not only a guide into the world of mysteries. After all, he is a Wood Spirit — and so his existence is inseparably bound to the trees and nature. The Wood Spirit loves late autumn. Perhaps that is why his eyes shine with the gold of leaves, and deep within them lie the white flakes of the first snow.

He loves to sit thoughtfully beneath the last falling leaves of mighty trees. To listen to the whisper of sleeping nature and tell the drowsy forest dwellers of distant times and events he witnessed. And those for whom winter sleep holds no appeal, the Wood Spirit cheers with his mischievous gaiety. In such moments his remarkable nature shows itself — an immeasurably ancient spirit combined with light-hearted unconcern.

A great deal of merriment is also contributed by the big-eyed little pumpkin that accompanies the Wood Spirit everywhere. He grew it himself one long-ago autumn, and was very proud of it. On the branching antlers of Samhain Whisper a little bat loves to doze, and a spider has spun his web — a reliable shelter. And although the Wood Spirit looks quite mysterious and enigmatic, he is perhaps one of the kindest and most friendly you could meet in the autumn forest.

Samhain Whisper loves to make merry himself and to bring joy and happiness to others. The sweets in his little cauldron are there precisely for that: the Wood Spirit gives them out to all the forest dwellers he meets. The cauldron never empties, and sweets appear in it of their own accord.

They say that when a ball of fire blazes beyond the forest at sunset, the Wood Spirit climbs the highest branches of an old oak. The cold autumn wind plays in his silky fur. And in such moments his eyes hold the living memories of the festive bonfires of the very first Samhain — joyful, majestic and ancient.

The pumpkin glows on every doorstep on Samhain night — and one forest sprite is especially close to this spirit of the season: the Forest Sprite Pumpkin Keeper. He guards his pumpkin with the same quiet dignity that Samhain Whisper guards his night.