Astronomical Fall

Blog: Hideaway Pond hideawaypond.com 11/22/23

November. That chilly month that lies in limbo between Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice—so called Astronomical Fall.  In case you’re interested. Or not.

The paradiddle of acorns bouncing off the roof has long since abated. Leaves have finished their annual serenade of lush greens and bright colors, now dwindling into a forlorn dirge of a few wrinkled old crones. Quivering in the wind. Clinging to their final hopes of hanging on.

Most small critters—squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, field mice, mink, raccoons, beavers and other critters of a  furry persuasion have retreated to winter dens. They will occasionally venture forth to seek the most appealing or available sustenance they can find. Turkeys wander about trying desperately to avoid looking like a potential Thanksgiving dinner table centerpiece.  And migrating ducks are navigating around a thin skim of ice that has formed on the pond. Winter “pickins” can be quite slim in the critter world.

Although some critters, like bobcats and coyotes, are unafraid to assert themselves, bears are uber boss in the Northeastern forests. Especially mother bears (sows).  By summer’s end, they will have fattened up for the winter and the impending birth of cubs.  They will find shelter and await the blessed event. Thereafter, they will waken to feed and give birth to the cubs. Dinner is served on a first come, first served basis. This can be an existential issue to some cubs who are born small and/or crowded away from the table and will become “runt” of the litter. Or float quietly up to Ursa Major, the Big Bear in the sky.

Unlike fish and some mammals that enter a deep state of torpor, bears hibernate lightly and can be easily aroused. So please don’t disturb them. It pisses them off. Although their body temperature drops slightly and their heart rate slows to as low as 8 beats/minute, they are still alert and aware of their surroundings. Female bears usually give birth in January or February, after about 8 months of gestation. The cubs are very small and helpless at birth. They weigh only about 1 pound and are blind, deaf, and almost hairless. Strange little critters whom only a mother could love. They rely on their mother’s warmth to stay alive.  Meanwhile, male bears (bores) wander the woods seeking food while wondering what to do with their spare time.

Bears also held a  significant place in Greek mythology. Though Artemis, Greek Goddess of the Hunt, is often depicted with either a hunting dog or stag, one of  her most sacred animals was the bear. Artemis held domain over the moon as well as the forest and all wildlife within it. Like most Greek deities, she had incredible multi-tasking skills. The bear was the largest and most powerful animal, so Artemis found it to be a special animal. Any time a bear was killed by the Greeks, Artemis would lay a plague on the people as punishment. Tough love.

Callisto was a nymph who served as a companion of Artemis. She was very beautiful and caught the eye of Zeus, who disguised himself as Artemis and seduced her. Callisto became pregnant and gave birth to a son named Arcas. When Artemis discovered Callisto’s secret, she was furious and turned Callisto into a bear. Years later, Arcas, who had grown up to be a hunter, encountered his mother in the woods and was about to kill her, not recognizing her. Zeus intervened and snatched them both to the sky, where he made them the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, the big and little bears. However, Hera, the wife of Zeus, was jealous and asked her nurse, the ocean goddess Tethys, to prevent the bears from ever dipping into the sea. That’s why these constellations never drop below the horizon.

One of the goddesses most directly associated with bears (and one of my favorites) was Mielikiki. Mielikki was the healing goddess of Finland. She was associated with the woods and with wildlife, but her main attribute was her healing abilities. She healed the animals when they were sick or wounded. Mielikki was one of the goddesses who had a part in the creation of the bear. According to the story, Mielikki left earth and traveled into space, past the moon in search of the materials with which to make the perfect animal. She returned and stitched together the materials from the heavens to make the bear. The bear was Mielikki’s favorite animal. Incidentally, a mountain on the planet Venus and an asteroid are named after Mielikki. Well earned tributes, indeed.

All months have a moon and every moon has one or more names. November is no different. November’s moon names highlight the actions of animals preparing for winter and the onset of the colder days ahead. Digging (or Scratching) Moon, a Tlingit name, evokes the image of animals foraging for fallen nuts and shoots of green foliage and bears digging their winter dens. The Dakota and Lakota term Deer Rutting Moon refers to the time when deer seek mates, and the Algonquin Whitefish Moon describes the spawning time for this fish. The moon most commonly associated with the month of November is the Beaver Moon. This is the time of year when beavers begin to take shelter in their lodges, having laid up sufficient food stores for the long winter ahead. During the fur trade in North America, it was also the season to trap beavers for their thick, winter-ready pelts Monthly names are tied to early Native American, Colonial American, and European folklore. Traditionally, each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred and through all of the Moon’s phases—not only the full Moon. Seems fair.

Finally, in the midst of all of this chaos of unruly gods, goddesses, names, seasons, critters and critter sitters, Artemis (Goddess of the Moon), Arcus and Callisto (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor)–unlikely sky mates that they are–will share the placid skies of the beautiful Catskill Mountains. One hopes. To paraphrase, “When the Gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers.” Oscar Wilde