The Tara Hedge College in the Teutoburger Forest is situated between two old ways, the Osning and the Helweg. The names “Osning” and “Helweg” are of Saxon / old German origin; but from archaeological foundings in the area it becomes clear that people settled in the environment since mesolithic times. The the most antique flintstone tools, which had been excavated in the region date from about 6000 BC.

Those tribes, neither of Saxon nor of “Teutonic” origin, used to settle where the environment was friendly to them. They lived a half nomadic life, hunting the deer and the mammoth; they lived in tents, made from animal skins and their diet contained mainly meat and edible herbs, berries and nuts, which the forest granted them so generously.

From aerial photographies we know that later they lived in small settlements; they built roundhuts similar to those we find in the north of Ireland, and they had cattle, which were sent for grazing into the forest.

The Romans never arrived in our area; for them it was no more than a muddy and hostile wilderness, populated by people who seemed to be part of the forest, appearing and disappearing as if they had the ability of making themselves invisible…

II. Herne – the Guardian and the Hooded One

We can very well assume that the tribes living here were part of the quite large Cherusker tribe, whose famous member Arminius (Herman the German) defeated the Roman general Varus in the battle near Kalkriese in the year 9 AD. Cherusker means “men from the tribe of the deer”; and indeed the god with the deer´s antlers, who is invoked by the name “Herne” has his home in our friendly valley, from where he undertook a long lasting and long distance journey which brought him in the course of history even to Windsor Castle. Legends know of Herne the Hunter of Windsor Forest, appearing at the old oak, until it was cut down by order of the English royal family to offer a better roundview for those residing in the palace.

It was long after Varus distastrous defeat by Arminius and his men from the Cherusker and Marser tribes that the Saxons came from the east to raid the settlements, situated in the green hills of Teuto-Forest. The people living here now started to build primitive fortresses, where they could take refuge with their families and cattle. Our ruined “Huenenburg” - giants´ castle” (1), a hill fort, about 10 miles from Tara Hedge College, is a relic from those unsafe times.

Several translations of the old term “Osning” are possible: it may mean “Path of Light”, as “Os”, according to some sources may mean something like “Heavenly Light”; other theories make from “Osning” “the Sacred Path of the Goddess Ostara”; and indeed both theories are not wrong, if we take into consideration the local mythology. It is known that until about the 13th century the chariot of the Goddess was drawn from village to village, bringing the blessing of life and spring to the people. We cannot say exactly the name by which She was worshipped; but it is a well-known fact, that Deities´ names were nearly never just names. The sense of those old “names” may in most cases be lost for us, but in general these names were more of an attribution or an address, a title, as, for example “Morrigan” is “The Great Queen” or even a “Great Queen”. So an “Eostre” or “Ostara” may have been a “light bringer”, as she brought the warming light from the east, she brought the warming sun of spring.

If we travel on the ancient Helweg it leads us to the northwest; and we journey directly into the heart of the “Senne”. “Senne” is derived from the latin word “sina”, which means “heather”. And indeed we travel into a desolated spot, heather and nothing but heather as far as the eye can see. Occasionally small muddy ponds bubble in duet with the toads and frogs living there. From time to time the deep silence may be interrupted by the hoarse caws of the crows, seeming to mock at the lonely wanderer who at each second is likely to lose his way in the lonely wilderness, where no tree or rock guides him as a landmark through this desolated wasteland. He may drown in one of the bubbling ponds of this moorlands or starve, walking in circles until he is too weak to find the way out.

It was not before the 16th century that people settled here. In the pagan times this was the place of the ancestors, of restless spirits and unfriendly nature spirits. The tribes, residing at the slopes of Teuto-Forest used this place only as a burial place; for them it was the entrance to the Otherworld. Here we can find some ruined tumuli (=burial mounds); none of them intact; what has not been plundered in the course of history, has been destroyed by German and later English troops who used this place as an exercise ground for their war games. I am ashamed to say it – but the first put their Russian war captives there and let them starve without mercy; the latter even reconstructed the streets of Derry and Belfast in the Senne to train their soldiers there in house to house fighting.

Many theories with a more or less nationalistic background had been spun around the pagan use of the Externsteine. The only facts we know for sure come from Christian sources. Roman sources offering descriptions of a place where the German tribes had erected their holy pillar, the “Irminsul” may or may not relate to the Externsteine.

From Christian sources we know that Carolus Magnus ordered the complete destruction of the place. Causing a revolt of the Saxon tribes, the plan failed, at least partly. Later Christian monks occupied the place, using what had been left from pagan times and chiselling a copy of the Jerusalem rock tomb of Jesus into one of the Externsteine rocks.

We may assume that the place had been used for solar worship in pagan times. A hole in the wall of one of the rock chambers points directly to the place of sundawn at the solstices. Each year the place attracts many neopagans from all corners of Germany, who celebrate their full-moon and seasonal rites in the forests around the Externsteine.

At summer solstice pagans and new-age travellers expect the rising of the sun at dawn at a specific place. There they view the solar rising and receive the healing and renewing energy of the solstice sun shining through a hole, that had thousands of years ago had chiselled into the rock.

Neither human destruction in the past nor the thousands of tourists visiting the place nowadays could minimize the magic radiating from the place for open spirited visitor. Nothing is forgotten. The Goddess and Her Consort are still guarding the place were they have their awe inspiring thrones, built by nature and refined by human hands.

But let us leave the famous monument, where in the 70's Kenneth Anger produced parts of his “Lucifer Rising” with the Rolling Stones, who in the movie, climb up the stairway leading to the “sun-chamber”at the Externsteine.

VI. The Fairy Folk of Silvus Teutoburgensis

Let us turn to the twilight world of the Goddess and Her fairy entourage. The fairy world of Teuto-Forest is populated with Hollen, Moemkes, Lohfraeuleins, Moosweiblein, Holzweiblein, Schnatermann and Moorgeistern.

The Hollen could be translated with the “Gentle Ones”. Hollen is plural of Holle, and everybody knows Frau Holle, who makes it snow in winter by shaking feathers from her duvet cover... As Frau Holle, the Hollen appear as friendly benevolent spirits, helping with all kinds of household work.

The Moemkes could be translated as “The Hooded Little Ones” . They are also called the “Innererdsken”, the ones, living under the earth. We have “Moemkeberg” - mountain of the Moemkes, Moemkebach – river of the moemkes and Moemkeloch, hole or cave of the moemkes. They appear as little people, hooded with a shining white or green hood. They are helpful and friendly, but they may also be revengeful when being teased or insulted by humans.

Lohfraeulein may be translated as women of the small forests. In former times farmers left a small peace of forest between their fields. The swine were driven there to eat the acorns. These small pieces of forest were called “loh”, the syllable is still part of many place names, as Guetersloh, Wadersloh, etc.