FIRE
was much a central aspect of Belteine, the word for fire being thought
to make up part of the very name of the feast. In Irish tradition, if
the fire goes out on May morning it is considered very unlucky, and it
cannot be re-kindled except by a lighted sod brought from the priest's
house. And the ashes of this blessed turf are afterwards sprinkled on
the floor and the threshold of the house. Neither fire, nor water, nor
milk, nor salt should he given away for love or money, and if a wayfarer
is given a cup of milk, he must drink it in the house, and salt must he
mixed with it. Salt and water as a drink is at all times considered a
potent. Charm against evil, if properly prepared by a fairy doctor and
the magic words said over it.
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