This episode announces that I will not be producing Fair Folk Podcast for the forseeable future. I am deeply grateful for all of the support you have all given me as I have grown this podcast, and I hope you will continue to connect with me in one of the following ways:
My mailing list: https://mailchi.mp/53d8b01c469b/newsletter
My Youtube channel with my partner Quinn: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw5BgVgYLuRWmEs66AHx38A
Instagram: www.instagram.com/danica.boyce
Patreon: patreon.com/fairfolkcast
If you stay subscribed to this podcast, you will receive updates on any further Fair Folk activity, and I'll let you know if I start another audio venture in the future!
All my love,
Danica

Do What You Want: Pausing Fair Folk

Fair Folk is back in operation after a year's break! This episode shares some of the folkloric themes of October: it's the pagan start of winter, and features spooky post-harvest customs of feeding the dead, love longing, rekindling the community fire, and a cute dose of shoe folklore.

Call for key collaborators in the Pagan Monastery Project:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jq9XCt29MqQXEaRNtnoUj4n_5LObtqmWf-F-g8fGdto/edit?usp=sharing

Listen to the Pagan Monastery Podcast on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/pagan-monastery-podcast-with-danica-boyce/id1610505250

Listen to the Pagan Monastery Podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/7xFdHUx1nJqge8Oq9Bs1GY?si=53d91206134049e8

Join the Mailing List:
https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62d72c01da642d55a9868141

Listen to the October Almanac playlist on Spotify: 
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6vxucYP0zGjsH2AxfwlayL?si=d5ae8d42bbbe473f

Fair Folk’s Patreon: 
https://www.patreon.com/fairfolkcast

Listen to Our Supernatural Landlords: folklorist Terry Gunnell on northern European winter guising traditions: 
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/fair-folk-podcast/id1177770160?i=1000501474652

Songs featured in this episode:

Tam Lin by Anais Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer

Buy Anais Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer’s album:
https://anaismitchell.ochre.store/release/250476-anas-mitchell-jefferson-hamer-child-ballads

Cheshire Souling Song by Cantorion CynWrig Singers

Buy the Cantorion CynWrig Singers’ music:
https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/cantorion-cynwrig/156043718

Holland Handkerchief by Chris Foster

Buy Chris Foster’s music: 
https://chrisfoster1.bandcamp.com/music

Who’s Gonna Shoe my Pretty Little Foot by Barbara Dane

Buy Barbara Dane’s music:
https://barbaradane.bandcamp.com/

“Old Jacky Frost” by the Wildness Yet

Buy the Wilderness Yet’s music:
https://www.thewildernessyet.com/shop.html

The Wilderness Yet on Bandcamp (digital):
https://thewildernessyet.bandcamp.com/

Opening theme:
Forest March by Sylvia Woods

Buy Sylvia Woods’ music:
https://www.harpcenter.com/category/harp-cds

Some sources for this episode:

Andreas Nordberg “Ritual Time and Time Reckoning.” The Pre-Christian Religions of the North: History and Structures, Volume ii, 725

On Shoes in walls: https://ztevetevans.wordpress.com/2020/08/12/strange-folklore-the-mystery-of-concealed-footwear/

For more info on boots and shoes and Hedwig: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-edit/10.4324/9781315166940-13/boots-saint-hedwig-jacqueline-jung

Recipe for Hedwigsohlen (Hedwig's soles pastries): https://catholiccuisine.blogspot.com/2014/10/soles-of-st-hedwig.html

British Calendar Customs: England (1942)

Polish Customs, Traditions and Folklore. 1996.

Kevin Danaher. The Year in Ireland. 1972.

Rekindle: October Almanac

This episode asks how we can take the natural themes of the month and separate them from the contexts that have framed and sometimes twisted them, so we can use them to empower all beings – especially, this month, foxes and geese. It surveys November droving and pannage traditions, Guy Fawkes Day on November 5th, fox hunting and its complex legacy, St. Martins day on November 11 and its entanglement with goose lore, and St. Catherine’s day on November 25th, which opens the season of the Germanic winter goddesses, whose later folklore connects spinning and wheels, snow, wild animals, flying, geese, and children.

Join the Mailing List:
view.flodesk.com/pages/62d72c01da642d55a9868141

Listen to the November Almanac playlist on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/094rCk7NZWNOSLmoHHPqc2?si=83d27558f563416b

Fair Folk’s Patreon:
www.patreon.com/fairfolkcast

Songs featured in this episode:

“The Fox” by Laura Viers
Buy Laura Viers’ music on Bandcamp: 
https://lauraveirs.bandcamp.com/track/the-fox

“Kadrilaul” by Collage / Choir of Tallin University of Technology
Buy Collage’s music:
https://music.apple.com/gb/album/kadriko/1100185926

“Martinmas Time” by James Yorkston
Buy James Yorkston’s music digitally:
https://jamesyorkston.bandcamp.com/

Buy James Yorkston’s records:
https://www.jamesyorkston.co.uk/shop/

“Goose and Common” by the Askew Sisters
Buy the Askew Sisters’ music:
http://www.askewsisters.co.uk/

Opening theme:
Forest March by Sylvia Woods
Buy Sylvia Woods’ music:
www.harpcenter.com/category/harp-cds

Some sources for this episode:

The Year in Ireland by Kevin Danaher, 1972.

Folk-Lore and Folk-Stories of Wales by Marie Trevelyan, 1909.
https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book//lookupid?key=olbp54204

Article: “The Winter Goddess: Percht, Holda, and Related Figures” by Lotte Motz
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HDXoKGBG3PojPXDJrJXZ3Ae2A7HQCCA7/view?usp=sharing

Article: "Perchta the Belly-Slitter and Her Kin: A View of Some Traditional Threatening Figures, Threats and Punishments" by John B. Smith
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1280qQAcXA-p0bbrF3_zujAbB0tJMr0Bo/view?usp=sharing

Frau Holle in the Grimm's Fairy Tales:
https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm024.html

An article about enclosure:
https://medium.com/@daveuwakwe/what-a-poem-about-a-goose-teaches-us-about-property-3dfe6f7972ec

St. Martin Lore from County Kerry ℅ the National Folklore Collection of Ireland: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4666609/4666442 (Search the vast collection for more!)

Fox & Goose: November Almanac

This is a conversation with Scottish folk-magic blogger and social worker Scott Richardson Read about the Gaelic folklore figure called the Cailleach: the old woman known as Scotland’s midwife; landscape shaper, storm-bringer, sovereignty figure, ancestral being, resurrected once and again, and present all through the folk calendar of the year.

The Cailleach has been popularly associated with wintertime, which is why I feature her on Fair Folk now, at the beginning of winter.

Transcript of this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12oDeT-0u-0fnnascirU_k5izVU4kQHACj2zqTFI2wGA/

Resources referenced in this episode:

Cailleach’s Herbarium blog, Cailleach article #1
https://cailleachs-herbarium.com/2015/08/the-cailleach-a-tale-of-balance-between-darkness-and-light/

Cailleach’s Herbarium blog, Cailleach article #2
https://cailleachs-herbarium.com/2015/08/the-cailleach-a-tale-of-balance-between-darkness-and-light-part-two/

Cailleach’s Herbarium blog entry on an animist shrine dedicated to the Cailleach:
https://cailleachs-herbarium.com/2018/01/the-cailleach-scotlands-midwife-tigh-na-bodach/

Article: The Cailleach in Place-names and Place-lore by Alasdair C. Whyte:
https://clog.glasgow.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/JSNS/article/view/58/107

Mckenzie’s Wonder Tale, Beira, Queen of Winter:
https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/tsm/tsm04.htm

9th century poem about the Cailleach, “The Old Woman of Beare”
Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65CWjdVcBmg
Text: https://www.ronnowpoetry.com/contents/anonymous/OldWomanBeare.html

Songs in this episode:

Opening theme: “Forest March” by Sylvia Woods
Buy Sylvia Woods’ music:
www.harpcenter.com/category/harp-cds

“The Old Woman of the Mill Dust / Cailleach An Dudain” by Alison Kinnair & Christine Primrose
Buy Alison Kinnair & Christine Primrose’s music:
https://guysegers1.bandcamp.com/track/cailleach-an-dudain-the-old-woman-of-the-mill-dust-alison-kinnaird-christine-primrose (album)
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/cailleach-an-dudain-the-old-woman-of-the-mill-dust/294080419?i=294080481

The Cailleach w/ Scott Richardson-Read

This episode surveys the folklore of the first half of December, including St. Nicholas' Day on Dec 6th, St. Lucia's day on Dec. 13th, and the solstice. As we approach the darkest point of winter, I ask the listener to follow the rhythm of nature and turn your gaze to the small, the domestic and the precious.

Join my mailing list:
https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62d72c01da642d55a9868141

Music in this episode:

St. Nicholas by Anúna
Buy this track:
https://anuna.bandcamp.com/track/st-nicholas-2

Luciavisa by Lisa (singer Emma Härdelin)
Buy this track:
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/luciavisa/204432292?i=204434789

There is no Rose by the King’s Singers
Buy this track:
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/there-is-no-rose/79623724?i=79623213

Orientis Partibus by Trouvere Medieval Minstrels
Buy music by Trouvere Medieval Minstrels here: https://www.medievalminstrels.com/

Kąlėdų rytų saulė pražydo (The Sun Blossomed on Christmas Morning) by Sedula
Buy this track:
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/kal%C4%97d%C5%B3-ryt%C4%85-saul%C4%97-pra%C5%BEydo/1427982403?i=1427982982

Rex Tua Nolo Munera by Trouvere Medieval Minstrels
Buy music by Trouvere Medieval Minstrels here: https://www.medievalminstrels.com/

Sources for this episode:

Lyrics to The Sun Blossomed on Christmas Morning by Sedula:
https://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=5162

Some more information about medieval animal carols:
http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/friendly_beasts.htm

More information about medieval carols:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology-south-east/news/2020/dec/evolution-medieval-christmas-carols

The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen:
https://americanliterature.com/author/hans-christian-andersen/short-story/the-snow-queen

Little Christmas: December Almanac

This episode explores folklore and pagan origins of the 12 days of Christmas, with a focus on the feminine winter figures of Perchta, Holle, and Grýla, featuring a conversation with Jenn Campus, author of A Guide to Celebrating the 12 Days of Yule.

Unearthed: medieval imperialism course: https://rustic-waterfall-641.myflodesk.com

Buy Jenn Campus’ book, A Guide to Celebrating the 12 days of Yule for $5: https://jenncampusauthor.com/product/a-guide-to-celebrating-the-12-days-of-yule/

Emilia Blom, who shared the solstice wishes ritual with me: https://www.instagram.com/vildmedicin/

My Big Fat Solstice playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2LFjxSUsJYrJE2S0nuYWdB?si=a743490a69a6459c

Gnome for Christmas Fair Folk episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ysFM2qushhgWVuEx5kLq1?si=6172f7663bc0479f

Join my mailing list: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62d72c01da642d55a9868141

Resources & references for this episode:

The Stations of the Sun: the ritual year in Britain by Ronald Hutton

"'He met his own funeral procession': The Year walk-ritual in Swedish folk tradition”  Tommy Kuusela: https://www.academia.edu/9403910

The Icelandic Yule Lads poem in English
https://ingebretsens-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/The-Yule-Lads-Poem.pdf

“The Winter Goddess: Percht, Holda, and Related Figures” By Lotte Motz
https://dokumen.tips/documents/motz-lotte-the-winter-goddess-percht-holda-and-related-figures-1985.html?page=5

“Perchta the Belly-Slitter and Her Kin: A View of Some Traditional Threatening Figures, Threats and Punishments” by John B. Smith
https://www.scribd.com/doc/17325747/Perchta-the-Belly-slitter-and-Her-Kin

‘Grýla, Grýlur, Grøleks and Skeklers: Medieval Disguise Traditions in the North Atlantic?” by Terry Gunnell
https://notendur.hi.is/~terry/articles/TerryGunnell-2001_Gryla,Grylur,Groleks_and_Skeklers.pdf

Music in this episode:

Opening theme: Forest March by Sylvia Woods
Buy Sylvia Woods’ music:
www.harpcenter.com/category/harp-cds

Malpas Wassail by the Watersons
Buy it: https://www.amazon.co.uk/music/player/albums/B09WJGTF52?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1483616862&sr=1-1

Spinn, Spinn, Spinnerinn by Herbergsuche Gruppe
Buy it: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/spinn-spinn-spinnerin/318155276?i=318155791

Grýlukvaeði by Thrju a Palli
Buy it:
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/gr%C3%BDlukv%C3%A6%C3%B0i/1621787315?i=1621787688

Instrumental track: The Wanderer by Juniper and the Wolf
Buy Juniper and the Wolf’s music: https://juniperandthewolf.bandcamp.com/

The Twelve Days: December Almanac

In this January almanac episode, I share about how English Plough Sunday and Plough Monday rituals dovetail with pagan midwinter worship of Odin to present a quandary as rich today as ever: 

How do we hold sacred the human capacity to employ technologies that multiply our power, while dancing on the delicate balance between service and domination? 

How do we bless the hard work of human hands where it meets the life of the world? 

This episode delves into traditions of chasing out the spirits of Yule, as well as blessing of apple trees, ploughs, and ultimately ploughboys as representatives of the overflow of human passion and physical power.

Sign up for UNEARTHED, my course on the roots of imperialism in the Christian Middle Ages: https://rustic-waterfall-641.myflodesk.com

Listen to the January Almanac playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2lcgJz369QMIDmN8J4LEAq?si=96bd3fac66c8482f

Contact me by email fairfolkcast [at] gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danica.boyce/

Music in this episode: 

January Man by Lau & Karine Polwart
Buy it:
https://lau-music.bandcamp.com/track/january-man

Apple Tree Wassail by Jon Boden
Buy his albums https://hudsonrecords.co.uk/shopfront/jon-boden

Ploughboy’s Dream by Janice Burns and Jon Doran
Buy it:
https://bandcamp.com/download?cart_id=97060025&sig=7770feb4eddf1844063928c397bc5b88&from=checkout

Ploughboy’s Glory by Lisa Knapp
Buy it:
https://lisaknapp.bandcamp.com/track/ploughboys-glory

Instrumental track:
St. Agnes’ Eve by Carol Wood
Buy it:
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/st-agnes-eve/130331483?i=130332115

Opening theme: Forest March by Sylvia Woods
Buy Sylvia Woods’ music:
www.harpcenter.com/category/harp-cds

Sources and Resources for this episode:
Rune Hjarno Rasmussen’s St Knut / Odin parallels video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l99YoPiPLrg

The Nordic Animist Year (book) by Rune Hjarno Rasmussen: https://shop.nordicanimism.com/shop/9-books-and-calendars/9-the-nordic-animist-year/

The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain by Ronald Hutton (book)

“The Winter Goddess: Percht, Holda, and Related Figures” By Lotte Motz
dokumen.tips/documents/motz-lot…s-1985.html?page=5

“Perchta the Belly-Slitter and Her Kin: A View of Some Traditional Threatening Figures, Threats and Punishments” by John B. Smith
www.scribd.com/doc/17325747/Perc…itter-and-Her-Kin

Lyrics to folk song "Ploughboy’s Glory"
http://www.joe-offer.com/folkinfo/songs/362.html

Episode Image: by John Bauer from story "The Ring," by Helena Nyblom, 1914

Transcript: 
This is the January Almanac episode of Fair Folk in which I will be discussing  the folklore and pagan roots of January celebrations with an emphasis on nourishing traditions  we can bring forward and apply to our modern lives,  to help us connect to land and to history in productive and empowering ways.

 This month I'll be focusing  on the new cycle of years changing over the end of the Yule season and our relationship to labour and technology,  which was a focus that arose for me while I was researching this January episode.  That hasn't arisen for me before, but it definitely is an emphasis of English and Nordic tradition, and it'll explain more  as we go ahead.

 Other themes that arise in January folklore are the continued divination and predictive quality for the year ahead that we've may have already seen in December. Folklore  also the supernatural and the feminine visiting from the wilds beyond, because it is still winter  and these forces still rule.

 There's often a theme in January songs especially of weather, bad weather, loneliness, cold and love, longing as metaphorically associated with those sensations of coldness and isolation in the wintertime.  And of course, the slow return of the sun is being observed across European folklore, which is what I always focus on.

Ploughboy's Glory: January Almanac

This episode my guest is Olle Möllervärn, Swedish folklore and paganism researcher and bear nerd! In this episode we discuss animism and how it brings us into more ethical relationship with animals, the connection between human fertility and bears, including human-bear romance, as well as the reason bears are connected with St. Tiburtius' day, April 14th.

Join my mailing list for a discount on my upcoming course on Old Norse polytheism, Gathering the Gods: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62d72c01da642d55a9868141 (Registration opens April 17th)

Olle Möllervärn on Academia.edu: https://miun.academia.edu/OlleM%C3%B6llerv%C3%A4rn

Norwegian bear dance - skip to 18:00: https://tv.nrk.no/program/FOLA69009669

Opening theme:
Forest March by Sylvia Woods
Purchase Sylvia Woods' music: https://www.harpcenter.com/category/harp-cds

Bear Culture: Scandinavian bear folklore with Olle Möllervärn

This episode outlines the key themes of May folklore embodied in the celebrations of May 1st, aka May Day or Beltane: bonfires for purification and protection, veneration of plants and trees, the leading of animals to green pastures, erotic expressions of pleasure, and the blooming promise of earth's abundance.

Join the Gathering the Gods course on Thor, Odin, & Freya: https://fantastic-hall-390.myflodesk.com/

Listen to the Big Beltane Spotify playlist (newly updated): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6UVpAwkdX39Bk5mY1Kd2Xc?si=0f91f96826544081

Big Beltane: May Day Song and Custom episode from 2019: https://open.spotify.com/episode/62jeozEUNP0FFrKKSafLEJ?si=4de8b4c66c284d5b

Music in this episode:
"Don't you Go a Rushing" by Lisa Knapp
https://lisaknapp.bandcamp.com/album/till-april-is-dead-a-garland-of-may

"Robin Hood and the Tanner" by Jesse Ferguson
Buy it: 
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/folk-favourites/1238844872

"Äggavisan" by Folk och Rachare
Buy it: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/%C3%A4ggavisan/1462963060?i=1462963069

Opening theme: "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods
Buy Sylvia Woods’ music:
www.harpcenter.com/category/harp-cds

The Generous Wood: May Almanac

In this episode I gently interrogate what we mean when we say "the veil is thin" at Halloween, and offer a vision of the whole of winter as a season of hospitality between humans and the otherworld(s) through fire, story, music, and rituals of generosity.
Listen to past Fair Folk episode "All Hallows' Folk Tradition at the Gates of Winter" https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/all-hallows-folk-tradition-at-the-gates-of-winter/id1177770160?i=1000452872493
Get love letters from me: https://winter-lion-59052.myflodesk.com/pijrgnu11x
Join my Patreon for as little as $2 a month!: https://www.patreon.com/fairfolkcast
Where to find Kirsten Milliken, the storyteller: instagram.com/kirstinmillikenstoryteller
facebook.com/com/kirstinmillikenstoryteller
www.kirstenmilliken.co.uk
Music in this episode:
Opening theme: "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods
Buy Sylvia Woods’ music:
www.harpcenter.com/category/harp-cds
"Réidh Chnoc Mná Duibhe" by Diarmuid Ó Súilleabháin
Buy the song: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/re-idh-chnoc-mna-duibhe/1653578592?i=1653581085
Image is Fairy Tale of Kings by Lithuanian painter Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis

The Banquet Beyond the Veil - Halloween Almanac

This episode surveys the folklore of the first half of December, including St. Nicholas' Day on Dec 6th, St. Lucia's day on Dec. 13th, and the solstice. As we approach the darkest point of winter, I ask you to follow the rhythm of nature and turn your gaze to the small, the domestic and the precious.

Sign up for the ONLINE Pagan Carols Singalong!: https://winter-lion-59052.myflodesk.com/sgn5zaflv8/
Sign up for the IN-PERSON Pagan Carols Singalong in Victoria BC: https://winter-lion-59052.myflodesk.com/yl53dvqx1w
 
Join my mailing list:
view.flodesk.com/pages/62d72c01da642d55a9868141

Music in this episode:

St. Nicholas by Anúna
Buy this track:
anuna.bandcamp.com/track/st-nicholas-2

Luciavisa by Lisa (singer Emma Härdelin)
Buy this track:
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/luciavisa/204432292?i=204434789

There is no Rose by the King’s Singers
Buy this track:
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/there-is-no-rose/79623724?i=79623213

Orientis Partibus by Trouvere Medieval Minstrels
Buy music by Trouvere Medieval Minstrels here: www.medievalminstrels.com/

Kąlėdų rytų saulė pražydo (The Sun Blossomed on Christmas Morning) by Sedula
Buy this track:
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/kal%C4%97d%C5%B3-ryt%C4%85-saul%C4%97-pra%C5%BEydo/1427982403?i=1427982982

Rex Tua Nolo Munera by Trouvere Medieval Minstrels
Buy music by Trouvere Medieval Minstrels here: www.medievalminstrels.com/

Sources for this episode:

Lyrics to The Sun Blossomed on Christmas Morning by Sedula:
www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=5162

Some more information about medieval animal carols:
http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/friendly_beasts.htm

More information about medieval carols:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology-south-east/news/2020/dec/evolution-medieval-christmas-carols

The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen:
https://americanliterature.com/author/hans-christian-andersen/short-story/the-snow-queen

This episode explores folklore and pagan origins of the 12 days of Christmas, with a focus on the feminine winter figures of Perchta, Holle, and Grýla, featuring a conversation with Jenn Campus, author of A Guide to Celebrating the 12 Days of Yule.
Pagan Ritual Song course: https://f77d9f-2.myshopify.com/products/pagan-ritual-song-course-jan-feb-2024
Buy Jenn Campus’ book, A Guide to Celebrating the 12 days of Yule: jenncampusauthor.com/product/a-guid…-days-of-yule/
Emilia Blom, who shared the solstice wishes ritual with me: www.instagram.com/vildmedicin/
My Big Fat Solstice playlist on Spotify: open.spotify.com/playlist/2LFjxSU…a743490a69a6459c
Gnome for Christmas Fair Folk episode: open.spotify.com/episode/5ysFM2qu…6172f7663bc0479f
Join my mailing list: view.flodesk.com/pages/62d72c01da642d55a9868141
Resources & references for this episode:
The Stations of the Sun: the ritual year in Britain by Ronald Hutton
"'He met his own funeral procession': The Year walk-ritual in Swedish folk tradition” Tommy Kuusela: www.academia.edu/9403910
The Icelandic Yule Lads poem in English ingebretsens-blog.com/wp-content/upl…-Lads-Poem.pdf
“The Winter Goddess: Percht, Holda, and Related Figures” By Lotte Motz dokumen.tips/documents/motz-lot…s-1985.html?page=5
“Perchta the Belly-Slitter and Her Kin: A View of Some Traditional Threatening Figures, Threats and Punishments” by John B. Smith www.scribd.com/doc/17325747/Perc…itter-and-Her-Kin
‘Grýla, Grýlur, Grøleks and Skeklers: Medieval Disguise Traditions in the North Atlantic?” by Terry Gunnell notendur.hi.is/~terry/articles/T…_and_Skeklers.pdf
Music in this episode:
Opening theme: Forest March by Sylvia Woods Buy Sylvia Woods’ music: www.harpcenter.com/category/harp-cds
Malpas Wassail by the Watersons Buy it: www.amazon.co.uk/music/player/alb…483616862&sr=1-1
Spinn, Spinn, Spinnerinn by Herbergsuche Gruppe Buy it: music.apple.com/ca/album/spinn-sp…55276?i=318155791
Grýlukvaeði by Thrju a Palli Buy it: music.apple.com/ca/album/gr%C3%BD…7315?i=1621787688
Instrumental track: The Wanderer by Juniper and the Wolf Buy Juniper and the Wolf’s music: juniperandthewolf.bandcamp.com/

Subscribe to my Substack newsletter: https://enthusiastica.substack.com/
Join the Cave of Dreams workshop series: https://www.houseoflegends.me/cave-of-dreams
In this episode, Daniel Allison tells the story of the god Lugh (after whom Lughnasadh is named) at the hall of the king Nuada, leading us into a discussion of how we might approach Lughnasadh folklore and mythology now. Then we share what each of us has been up to lately, especially emphasizing the role of pagan devotion in each of our work, and diving into the role of “permission” to embody sacred traditional culture.

Lughnasadh Special with Scottish storyteller Daniel Allison

In this episode I share about September as harvest month in folklore, Old English names for the month and season, spirits of the grain, the meaning of the equinox in tradition, the upcoming lunar eclipse, and Michaelmas!

Sign up for the Cave of Dreams workshop series: https://www.houseoflegends.me/cave-of-dreams
Find me on Substack: https://enthusiastica.substack.com/
September Almanac playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0gajsHJ86ljT3f1TuFtLFI?si=ce9b72a3701d4b77

Music in this episode:
Opening theme: "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods
Buy Sylvia Woods’ music:
www.harpcenter.com/category/harp-cds
“Ripest of Apples” by Anna and Elizabeth
Buy Anna and Elizabeth’s music:
https://annaandelizabeth.bandcamp.com/
“Band of Shearers” by Carla Sciaky
Buy Carla Sciaky’s music:
https://carlasciaky.com/index.html#store
“My Son David” by the Brothers Gillespie
Brothers Gillespie tour and music: https://thebrothersgillespie.com/shows
“Apples and Potatoes” by June Tabor
June Tabor tour: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/112582-june-tabor
Instrumental tracks:
“Apples in Winter” by Peter Acty
Buy this track: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/apples-in-winter/1617403163?i=1617403387
“Harvest Home” by Willie Clancy
Buy the album: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/willie-clancy-the-gold-ring/458399572

Image: Theodor von Hörmann - Mondaufgang nach der Ernte

Haligmonað / Holy Month - September Almanac

Sign up for October's Cave of Dreams workshop: www.houseoflegends.me/cave-of-dreams
Find me on Substack: https://enthusiastica.substack.com/
In this almanac episode, I survey some themes of the folklore of October, from fire rituals to guising, and invite listeners to dream into the relationship they would like to cultivate with the unseen in the winter months of the year. The full moon of October this year is October 17th, from which this episode took its Anglo-Saxon name, Winterfylleþ, winter-full, the full moon marking the start of the winter half of the year.
Music in this episode:
Opening theme: "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods
Buy Sylvia Woods’ music:
www.harpcenter.com/category/harp-cds
"Tam Lin" by Moira Craig
Buy this track: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/tam-lin/1617427959?i=1617427977
"The Foggy Dew" by Ye Vagabonds
Buy it: https://yevagabonds.bandcamp.com/track/the-foggy-dew
"Dromte Mig En Drom I Nat" by Musica Ficta & Bo Holten
Buy this track: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/dromte-mig-en-drom-i-nat/474624260?i=474624262

Corrections:
The whales I saw were in fact porpoises, and I was recording near Dunstanburgh Castle, rather than Dunstan Castle

Winterfylleþ - October Almanac

In this episode I share my most popular Substack mailing list post from 2024, as well as some ways you can work with me this January.
Sign up for my mailing list on Substack: https://enthusiastica.substack.com/
Sign up for Entheos workshop: Danicaboyce.com/entheos
Sign up for Wolf Milk or the Cave of Dreams series: https://www.houseoflegends.me/cave-of-dreams
Make a coaching appointment with me: https://www.danicaboyce.com/shop/p/walk-talk-coaching-session
Listen to the Wolf Milk almanac episode from 2023: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5itug3FltIUkTwY29YzP4j?si=c2883a9841cb4a6d
Listen to Craft as pagan devotion with Daniel Allison: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2VT0N5gjTNDOR5Gpifd2pN?si=d86300a4b3754085

Towards a metaphysics of neurodivergence

In this episode I speak with Scottish storyteller Dougie Mackay about the troubled relationship between humankind and wolves in the British isles, and how we might revive the days when culture was shared with entertainment and joy at the centre. He shares a moving story from Ireland about a peculiar family a man meets while searching for lost cows, and offers a blessing for the revival of the wolf's vital place in our world.

Learn more about the upcoming Wonder Club saints course, starting March 5th: https://www.danicaboyce.com/wonder-club
Sign up for Cave of Dreams - Feast and Fast workshop, February 23: https://www.houseoflegends.me/cave-of-dreams
Learn more about A Song of Oak and Ash retreat, Sept 11-14: https://www.houseoflegends.me/2025-retreat

Dougie’s Mailing list: sendfox.com/dougiemackaystory
Dougie’s website: storyconnection.org
Dougie’s Podcast: Tales for our Times: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/tales-for-our-times/id1691719370
The Hearthfire sessions: https://scottishstorytellingcentre.online.red61.co.uk/event/913:5916/913:25451/
The Edinburgh Fringe: https://www.edfringe.com/
Dougie’s book, Scottish Tales for Telling: https://dougiemackaystory.bandcamp.com/album/scottish-tales-for-telling

Wolf at the door - interview w/ Scottish storyteller Dougie Mackay

In this episode, I welcome Joanna Tarnawska aka Polish Folk Witch to the podcast, who teaches online about Polish folk magic with a syncretic perspective. In this episode she speaks generously with me about her understanding of and experience with saints within the Polish folk tradition, and I respond with my own reflections on engaging with saints with a pagan and animistic lens.

Sign up for Wonder Club, my course on saints for the Christian-ambivalent: danicaboyce.com/wonder-club
Join Joanna’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/polishfolkwitch
Pre-order Joanna’s book, Polish Folk Magic: https://www.crossedcrowbooks.com/shop-crossed-crow-books/p/polishfolkmagic
Joanna’s website: https://polishfolkwitch.pl/
Find her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polish.folk.witch/

Image: A wayside shrine

Syncretic saint lore with Polish Folk Witch Joanna Tarnawska

In this episode I talk with the incredible Lindsay Mack of Tarot for the Wild Soul Podcast and No Bad Cards on Substack!
Sign up for our collaborative workshop Holy Homecoming: Reclaiming Magic in an Age of Illusion on May 25th at 10 am PT, 1 pm ET, 6 pm UK: https://www.tarotforthewildsoul.com/holy-homecoming
Lindsay's podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6AXz5dXTFFceckBMve9vNT?si=48c0a83ff9044a52
Lindsay's Substack, No Bad Cards: https://lindsaymack.substack.com/
Danica's Substack: https://enthusiastica.substack.com/
Intro theme to Fair Folk: "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods

Reclaiming our Magic with Lindsay Mack of Tarot for the Wild Soul podcast

Sign up for the free Abundance Paganism mini-course: https://danicaboyce.myflodesk.com/q266txu4bb
Sign up for Abundance Paganism course: https://www.danicaboyce.com/abundance-paganism
Join my mailing list: https://enthusiastica.substack.com/
Find me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danica.boyce/

How to embody possibility with abundance paganism

Join Abundance Paganism: https://www.danicaboyce.com/abundance-paganism
Join the Abundance Paganism mini-course: https://danicaboyce.myflodesk.com/q266txu4bb
Marika's summer course, Ancestral Embodiment: https://wildbody.ca/ancestral-body
Join my Substack mailing list: https://enthusiastica.substack.com/

Ancestral Embodiment with Marika Heinrichs

In this episode I talk with Irish sean nós (old-style) singer Chan Reid about the experience of living as an immigrant far from one’s ancestors, and how experiences of migration and dislocation resonate in the heart of Irish traditional song and music. Chan sings some heart-cracking-open songs, and even obliges me by explaining how Irish traditional singers do the “diddly bits” that make sean nós songs sound so unbelievably cool.

Join my pagan ritual song course here: https://www.danicaboyce.com/pagan-ritual-song

Follow or contact Chan Reid here: https://www.instagram.com/seannossinger

Join my mailing list here: https://enthusiastica.substack.com/

References:
Joe Heaney for sean nós songs
Irish Traditional Music Archive: https://www.itma.ie/
Scottish sound archive Tobar an Dualchais (Kist o' Riches): https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/

Songs in the episode:
Dooley Gate by John Shiel (sung by Chan Reid)
Here's a Health to the Company, traditional (sung by Chan Reid and Danica)
The Shores of Loch Bran (sung by Chan Reid)

Thank you to Sylvia Woods whose tune, Forest March, is the theme music to Fair Folk podcast

Irish folk song and the feeling of leaving home - interview with sean nós singer Chan Reid

This episode, you’ll learn why the Swedish will be wearing candles on their heads and dressing up as goats this week, you’ll hear about Saint Nicholas’ past life beating and kidnapping children with his demon slave companion, and you’ll meet St. Stephen, the first man to be stoned to death for bringing a rooster back to life.

Music:
Intro theme - "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods
Staffansvisa Från Jämtland by Triakel
Karolinermarsch by Peter Hedlund
Staffan Var en Stalledräng by Folk & Rackare
Vittskövlevisan by Esbjörn Hazelius
Ut Kommer Staffan by Folk & Rackare
Rudisar Vísa by Kari Sverrisson
Saint Stephen by Magpie Lane
The Carnal and the Crane/King Herod and the Cock/The Miraculous Harvest by Nowell Sing We Clear
St. Nicholas by Anúna
La Légende de Saint Nicolas by Anne Sylvester
The Last Stand by Michael Sobel
Tackvisan by Triakel
Coventry Carol by Maddy Prior & the Carnival Band

Saints & Demons of December

This episode features some of the more ancient and obscure midwinter traditions that have endured alongside Christmas, as well as some lesser-known carols of this festival, many of which are pagan in origin. 
Content warning for animal sacrifice and general heathen revelry.

Music:
Intro theme - "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods
"Christmas Is Now Drawing Near at Hand" by Norma Waterson
"Bonny At Morn / Hunting the Cutty Wren" by Clive Williams & Mark Prescott
"Nou Is Yole Comen" by Shira Kammen
"The Boar's Head Carol" by The Young Tradition, Shirley Collins & Dolly Collins
"Wexford Mummer's Song" by Mary O'Hara
"Gloomy Winter" by Bonnie Rideout
"The Cutty Wren" by Royston Wood & Heather Wood
"Dryw Bach" by Carreg Lafar
"Hela'r Dryw" by Fernhill
"The Hern" by John Fleagle
"Down in Yon Forest" by Shirley Collins
"Apple Tree Wassail" by Doug Eunson & Sarah Matthews
"Malpas Wassail" by the Watersons
"Gower Wassail" by Kerfuffle 
"Green Grow'th the Holly" by Coope, Simpson, Fraser & Freya
"Nay Ivy Nay" by Sue Brown & Lorraine Irwing
"The Ditchling Carol" by Waterson : Carthy

Rarer Carols

This episode traces the age-old European origins of many of the Winter Solstice traditions we enjoy today, from mother goddess worship through stories of the wizard child Jesus, to Christmas fortune telling with bones.

Support Fair Folk: 
www.patreon.com/fairfolkcast
PayPal.me/DanicaBoyce

Music:
“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” by the Ballycastle Players
“Miri it is While Sumer Ilast” by Ensemble Belladonna 
“O Frondens Virga” by Augsburg Early Music Ensemble
“Podblyadnye Song” by byAgrafena Glinkin
“Ancient Gates” by Olga Glazova
“Podblyadnye Songs” by Ensemble Joy
“Persephone” by Stellamara
“Tec, Peleite, Zernju Zogtu” by Kitka
“The Holly She Bears a Berry” by the Voice Squad
“Haugebonden” by Tiriltunga
“Oi Linksta Suolaliai” by Keisto Folkloro Grupė” 
“Et Lite Barn Så Lystelig” by Julestemmer
“The Bitter Withy” by the Valley Folk
“Cherry Tree Carol” by Shirley Collins
“Mari Lwyd (The Grey Mare)” by Carreg Lafar  
“Ecco donne la befana / Ninna nanna ninna oh (Filastrocche e canto natalizio Bologna)” by Stefano Zuffi & Pneumatica Emiliano Romagnola 
“Fum, Fum, Fum” by Winter Harp Ensemble
“Frau Holle, Frau Holle, die Schüttelt ihre Betten aus” by Philharmonischer Kinderchor Dresden & Blockflötengruppe Bautzen
“Bring Us In Good Ale” by Maddy Prior & Tim Hart

Winter Solstice, Queen of Feasts

May Day, or Beltane in Scottish Gaelic, is a joyous occasion to welcome new growth and fertility in the fields, the hills and home. With its all-night bonfires, green branches, towering may poles and delicate flowers, this might be the most tactile and sensual holiday of the entire year. And it's just bursting with song.

Check out my 2020 May Almanac episode and others: https://www.patreon.com/posts/generous-wood-36480866

Instagram:  danica.boyce   https://www.instagram.com/danica.boyce
Youtube channel:  Fair Folk https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw5BgVgYLuRWmEs66AHx38A/featured

Music:
Intro: "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods
"Hal-An-Tow" by the Watersons
"Arise, Arise" by Robert White
"Jack in the Green" by Martin and Shan Graebe
"Maypole Dance" by Richard Myhill
"Searching For Lambs"(feat. Graham Coxon) by Lisa Knapp
"As I Walked Through the Meadows" by Magpie Lane
"As I Roved Out" by The Voice Squad
"Bedfordshire May Carol" by Jack Sharp
"In the Merry Month of May" by Patricia Spero
"The May Morning Dew" by John Lyons
"Padstow Hobby Horse" on English Customs and Traditions (album)
"Padstow" by Steeleye Span
"May Song" by Beggars Velvet

Big Beltane: May Day Song and Custom

This episode explores the ancient traditions behind today's favourite Halloween activities: trick-or-treating, jack-o-lantern carving, divination, and... communing with the dead.
This episode's music:
Intro Music: “Forest March” by Sylvia Woods
2:09 “Nöstmo Halvar” by Per O G Runberg
7:04 “King Orfeo” by Alva
13:07 “Samhain” by Ron Allen
14:55 “Punkie Night” by Withe & Stone
17:11 “Tam Glen” by Jean Redpath
22:45 “Colcannon” by The Black Family
26:30 “The Wife of Usher’s Well” by Alfred Deller & The Deller Consort
31:38 “Souling Song” by the Watersons
38:10 “Faithful Johnny” by Bryony Griffith & Will Hampson
42:30 “Lyke Wake Dirge” by the Young Tradition
Image: Witch plate. Fancy dresses described, or, what to wear at fancy balls, Arden Holt, 1882.

All Hallows': Folk Tradition at the Gates of Winter

This episode draws on the folklore of the household spirit (gnome, tomte, tonttu, nisse, domovoi, et al)and the folk music of Scandinavia to explore the ancient traditions of animism and ancestor veneration at midwinter.

Music:
Intro theme: “Forest March” by Sylvia Woods
“Tomtarnas Julnatt” by Göteborgs Symfonietta (instrumental)
“Nisse-Polka” by Sing Song Sisters
“Winter Darkness (Mørketid)” by Georg Buljo & Nils Økland
“Haugebonden” by Folk Och Rackare
“Tomtarnas” Julnatt by Fem Bobbies
“Tomtehallingen” by Øyonn Groven Myhren
“Tomten” by Kraja
“Hej Tomtegubbar” by Nina Persson & Oscar Johansson

The book I referred to in the intro:
Gnomes and Secrets of the Gnomes Wil Huygen and illustrator Rien Poortvliet
Resources for this episode:
The Tradition of Household Spirits by Claude Lecouteux
Russian Folk Belief by Linda J. Ivanits
Tomten by Viktor Rydberg (a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rJ0Ec-jYg8)

Gnome for Christmas: the Midwinter Household Spirit

This episode discusses Empire and its deconstruction, and the relationship between healing and learning in life and in this podcast. 

I speak on abundance and scarcity in the context of European traditional spirituality and culture, and invite listeners to give themselves moments of grace in order to address the work of anti-racism from a place of abundance and love.

Music:
Intro theme: "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods
Instrumental track: "The Warm Shoulder" by Mary Lattimore
"Sleepers Awake" by Jackie Oates

Healing the Wounds of Empire

This is a re-release of last year's August Fair Folk Almanac for Patreon about the Irish festival of Lughnasadh, its mysterious history, and its afterlife in modern Irish folklore.
This is the feast of the harvest's beginning, of the shining sun, of first precious golden loaf.
In Irish, Lughnasa is a gathering for the god Lugh, who was responsible for teaching the people of Ireland how to harvest the grain, and for maintaining the four quarters of the year, with the harvest at their peak. 
Music:
Intro theme: Forest March by Sylvia Woods
10:00 Instrumental track: The Dear Little Isle (air)” by Antóin Mac Gabhann & Caitlín Nic Gabhann with Brian McGrath
18:45 "Corn Rigs" by Us and Them
29:00 "The Band of Shearers" by Carla Sciaky
37:15 "Corn Rigs" by Whirligig
44:30 "The Lammas Tide" by the Corries
51:05 "Corn Rigs" by Whirligig (again)
The book I referenced is "The Festival of Lughnasa" by Máire MacNeill

Lughnasadh - bonus almanac re-release

Enjoy this 2019 episode exploring the ancient traditions behind today's favourite Halloween activities: trick-or-treating, jack-o-lantern carving, divination, and... communing with the dead.
This episode's music:
Intro Music: “Forest March” by Sylvia Woods
2:09 “Nöstmo Halvar” by Per O G Runberg
7:04 “King Orfeo” by Alva
13:07 “Samhain” by Ron Allen
14:55 “Punkie Night” by Withe & Stone
17:11 “Tam Glen” by Jean Redpath
22:45 “Colcannon” by The Black Family
26:30 “The Wife of Usher’s Well” by Alfred Deller & The Deller Consort
31:38 “Souling Song” by the Watersons
38:10 “Faithful Johnny” by Bryony Griffith & Will Hampson
42:30 “Lyke Wake Dirge” by the Young Tradition
Image: Scotch Mist by John Duncan

In our second conversation on Fair Folk, folklorist Terry Gunnell and I discuss the northern European folklore of the winter season, especially the tradition of guising and monstrous visitors in pagan and Christian times, and -- getting to the juicy stuff -- how male deities came to dominate the Nordic sphere in the Viking era, when it is rather obvious feminine deities used to play a significantly larger role.
Join me on Patreon for future pre-released episodes and Q&As:
www.patreon.com/fairfolkcast
Some of Terry Gunnell's articles can be downloaded here: https://hi.academia.edu/TerryGunnell

Music:
Intro theme: "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods
32:32 “K Viola” by ICP Orchestra
58:30 “K Viola” by ICP Orchestra (again)

Our Supernatural Landlords: folklorist Terry Gunnell on northern European winter guising traditions

Fair Folk is a podcast rediscovering and sharing the sacred song and folk traditions of Europe.

Popular tracks by Fair Folk Podcast with Danica Boyce