Events

A talk by Melanie Lorien

Corn Dolly
“Tis but a thing of straw” they say
Yet even straw can sturdy be
Platted into doll like me.
And in the days of long ago
To help the seeds once more to grow
I was offering to the gods.
A very simple way indeed
Of asking them to intercede
That barn and granary o’erflow
At harvest time, with fruit and corn
To fill again Amalthea’s horn.

What drew me first to working creatively with the corn, was not the complexity or beauty of making traditional corn dollies. Instead, it was the reason behind ‘why’ they were made that always fascinated me. Something that I felt was rapidly being lost. Looking into their origins, the more myths, mysteries and magic I discovered; harking back as far as Greece and Egypt. Then moving to Ireland, I had a whole new mythic landscape to explore, of folkloric customs and harvest traditions. The simple corn dolly has always played a very important role in the cycle of the harvest in the lives of rural communities in the past. The elusive Spirit of the Corn running throughout; as swiftly as the harvest hare avoiding the flashing scythe’s blade. As dowsers we tend to be more aware of subtler energies, as well as our relationship with The Spirits of the Land. I hope you will join me at Lughnasadh, the first harvest, to explore this mystery a little deeper.

About Melanie
Melanie Lorien has spent over 30 years working as a heritage straw worker. She bought her first corn dolly at six years old, when she saw one hanging in a farm shop in Kent, on a school trip. It wasn’t until her 30s, and quite by accident that she met a corn dolly maker, who told her she had never found anyone else who wanted to learn. A few years later she moved to Southern Ireland, and a chance meeting demonstrating the corn at a Heritage Seed Charity’s open day, she found she was talking to a lady from the National Museum of Ireland; which led to her demonstrations in the Museum, working with school groups and supplying the National Museum of Ireland shops, both in Mayo and Dublin with traditional corn designs for over 20 years. Yet another chance meeting gave her the opportunity to join ‘The Heritage in School Scheme’, working with the INTO & The Heritage Council. For 23 years, travelling to schools all over the country, teaching primary level pupils about the corn and how it was used rurally. Melanie has also demonstrated at Heritage Events, Castles, Mediaeval Fairs, Art Centres and Museums all over Ireland and still works annually with The University of Limerick. She is a longtime member of the Straw Craftsmen, and has been their regional contact for Ireland for many years. Melanie is a keen Earth Energy Dowser & co runs with Dawn Kirkham in Canada, ‘The International House Healers Network.’ https://internationalhousehealersnetwork.com/