Gaul the Wizard

Gaul was one of the great wizards of his time. Perhaps the greatest if you believe the legends and tales of yesteryear. His name inspired ordinary folk and struck fear into his enemies. And he was wise beyond his years.

Gaul lived as a reclusive mountain mystic, often disappearing for weeks at a time. Some people say he had a lair in the ancient forests in the Land of the Long Teeth, a place where few humans dared to venture. Others say he went to the Quiet Valley, the other world. The only thing people could agree on was that every full moon, he could be found at the Circle of Wisdom holding court with the Elders, a motley crew of ethereal creatures representing the various realms.

Anabell and Taragon hope to find Gaul and the Elders, and seek out their wisdom. But first, they must find the Circle of Wisdom. Located in the misty mountains, finding this circle is challenging even for the most determined pilgrim.

The character of Gaul is based on the deity Belin, who is associated with sunlight, healing, springs, and strength.¹ The tradition concerning Belin could stem from the Celtic deity Belinus, which was worshipped in Iberia, Gaul and the western Alps.² Belin was worshipped as late as the nineteenth century in the Soča Valley of Slovenia, where it was linked with several sacred healing sites, such as Belinov Tron (Belin’s Throne), a megalithic circle with powerful healing properties - the inspiration for the Circle of Wisdom.³ Additionally, there were two healing water springs named Belinova Voda (Belin’s water) situated on the slopes of Jelenk (Mount Jelenk) and Sveti Lovrenc (Mount Saint Lawrence), Belinov Vrh (Belin’s Peak), and Belinova Skala (Belin’s Rock).⁴ ⁵ Belin was considered a great healer whose “key” could cure blindness. Unfortunately, very little is known about this key. It may be that it was a flower.⁶ Academic Miha Mihelič argues it was something else, and writes that it is likely that several keys existed, including “the keys of the monastery of St Martin in Belinja near Aquileia [Slovene: Oglej] and of the church gate of St Belin in Cividale del Friuli [Slovene: Čedad”]”.⁷ Whatever this “key” was, and how it was used, remains a mystery to this day. This mysterious key appears in my fairy tale - it is the secret to unlocking the Enchanted Door.

1. Simon Rutar, Zgodovina Tolminskega (Gorica: Nat. Hilarijanska Tiskarna, 1882), 8. Marjeta Šašel Kos, Belin, Studia Mythologica Slavica, 4 (2001), 9-16. Blanca María Prósper, The irreducible Gauls used to swear by Belenos. – Or did they? Celtic religion, henbane and historical misapprehensions, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie, 64, (2017), 255-298.

2. Marjeta Šašel Kos, Belin, Studia Mythologica Slavica, 4(2001), 9-16.

3. Pavel Medvešček, Iz nevidne strani neba (Ljubljana: ZRC-SAZU, 2015), 398.

4. Pavel Medvešček, Iz nevidne strani neba (Ljubljana: ZRC-SAZU, 2015), 106, 288, 298.

5. Mount Jelenk is located near the village of Kanalski Vrh, and Sveti Lorvrenc is situated between the villages of Grgarske Ravne, Bate and Sveto. I have often walked both mountains as my grandfather and grandmother lived in Kanalski Vrh and Grgarske Ravne respectively.

6. Mountain Arnica (Slovene: Arnica, Scientific name: Arnica montana) was known as Belin’s Flower in the Soča Valley, while the Silver Lady Mantle (Slovene: Plahtica zvezdolistna, Scientific name: Alchemilla conjuncta) was known as the White Man’s Flower in the Nadiža valley. It has been suggested that Belin’s Flower, per the folk tale Beli možiček (White Little Man), could be Black Henbane (Slovene: Črni Zobnik, Scientific name: Hyoscyamus niger). Pavel Medvešček, Let v Lunino Senco (Nova Gorica: Taura, 2006), 52. Ljudmila Bokal, Narečna Terminologija V Zbirki Glasovi, Hrvatski Dijalektološki Zbornik, 14(28), 166.

7. Miha Mihelič, “Trije Belini in njihovi sinkretizmi v ustnem izročilu zahodne Slovenije” in Staroverstvo v Sloveniji med religijo in znanostjo, Studia mythologica Slavica, Supplementa, Supplementum 17 (2022), 95. The translation is attributable to Daniel Goulding.

8. Simon Rutar, Zgodovina Tolminskega (Gorica: Nat. Hilarijanska Tiskarna, 1882), 8. The translation is attributable to Daniel Goulding.

9. Jakob Kelemina, Bajke in pripovedke slovenskega ljudstva (Celje: Družba sv. Mohorja, 1930), 59. The translation is attributable to Daniel Goulding.