KATHERINE NEVILLE’S
Solstice in Brittany Newsletter
December 20-21, 2024
The Sun Goddess of Brittany
According to scholar Miranda Green, in The Sun-Gods of Ancient Europe (1991) the oldest Sun Goddess of the Solstice in Western Europe is found in Brittany, on the west coast of France. The Goddess’ figurines were “decorated with sun-symbols, wheels, concentric circles, crosses and elaborate ‘sun-bursts’.” These female solar figurines were created in Rennes, Finistère, Morbihan, and can be visited at the Musée de Bretagne. The Sun Goddess spends the late summer and autumn months traveling to the Underworld, and is about to begin her return, starting on December 21st, when the Sun stops at Solstice and heads North.
Solstice in Brittany
I spent a recent Winter Solstice in Brittany, moving from Chartres to Pont-Aven to Carnac, awaiting the Sun’s last days in the Underworld and the beginning of her return to the World. It’s easy to see how this magical region inspired Paul Gauguin and his circle of Breton painters. The inspiration is contagious!
Solstice in the Studio
Greetings from my painting studio where my long-awaited book about painters will be reborn tomorrow at sunrise!
Best thoughts for the New Year, beginning at Dawn!
