The Eternal Pull of Myths & Stories
Story telling is the language of human connection. We retell stories to better make sense of the world, especially when times are turbulent. The big mythical stories have stood the test of time, and reoccured in many forms across the world, but their themes are universal, for example the story of the mythical heroine or hero, leaving an ordinary life, crossing into an unknown world and coming back changed. Do we not embark on this odyssey every few years as we move through life stages?
Through ancient myths we go deeper into instinct, intuition, and what is been asked of us in this season of life. To get what we want out of life, to become wise we have to continually find out who we are. Ancient stories that are passed down are a guide book to the human condition. They are the stories of the goddesses, the epic battles, and the wisdom of the seasons and nature. A story about Athena, a reminder of the simple and pure magic of the Irish hare, or a tale about the Irish goddess Brigid whose cloak spread to cover and win her many acres of land - these are ideas that click with us. They are the subconscious doing its work.
When we have a call to answer or a threshold to cross in a new phase of life, we are exploring that old wisdom. Finding out who we are. Along the way stories and objects can hold that meaning for us, and can become a talismans accompanying us forward. An old Irish coin found in a Galway market carries the story of an ancient country rediscovering its identity. A key is a token of home as well as a reminder to walk through new doors. Water symbols cast in precious metal reassure us that we will survive the waves, when we inevitably leave the safety of the harbour.
When I create a new piece of jewellery, it's the art of expressing and encapsulating a story into precious metal form. Some of the oldest human made things were what we would today call; jewellery. Talismans persist alongside myths. Long after the story has evolved through eons of telling, the small metal story against the skin remains constant.
Goddess Jewellery Athena, Artemis and Brigid
Myths, stories, talismans all remind us that the ordinary life we are living has a deeper, more ancient undercurrent. Whatever season we are we in- a departure, a storm, a journey home - these have all been lived and survived before. We can wear whatever helps - a coin, a key, the symbol of an ocean wave, to remind ourselves of the deeper meaning.
Andrea
August 2026