Sign up for October's Cave of Dreams workshop: www.houseoflegends.me/cave-of-dreamsFind 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 win…

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-dreamsFind me on Substack: https://enthusias…

Subscribe to my Substack newsletter: https://enthusiastica.substack.com/Join the Cave of Dreams workshop series: https://www.houseoflegends.me/cave-of-dreamsIn 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 …

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-202…

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!: h…

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://p…

We have reached the energetic peak of the year. The main ancient and folkloric themes of June ritualise the human relationship to two of our primary life-givers, the sun and water. Our romance with these elements (and one another) reach a peak as the year completes its in-breath around the summer solstice. This episode outlines a faint thematic arc…

This episode, a bonus introductory unit to my upcoming Gathering the Gods course, introduces Old Norse culture and language, and describes the status of gods in the Old Norse religion and cosmology. This course will give an overview of the surviving historical texts and traces of the gods Thor, Odin, and Freya.Gathering the Gods begins May 7th! Sig…

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 …

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, Apri…

This episode outlines the folklore of April in northern Europe: April Fool's day, Palm Sunday, Easter, St. George's day, and the history of gathering greenery for ritual and soups, rising at the dawn to worship a goddess, cuckoo folklore, dragon lore, and lovely spring ritual songs to set the mood!This month's April Almanac Playlist: https://open.s…

This almanac episode dives into the folklore of February through the lens of the Ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia on February 15th, tracing the themes of birth, milk, wolves, wildness, purification, death, twilight, and thunder through the month’s other pagan holidays, including St. Brigid’s day on February 1st, Candlemas / Gromnica / Perkunas …

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? H…

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.comBuy Jenn Campus’ boo…

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.flodes…

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 …

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,…

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:…

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/newsletterMy Youtube channel wi…

This episode is a road map to the folklore, mythology, songs and rituals of the goddess of the dawn, gathered from the many cultures of the Indo-European language family. It paints the picture of a radiant, dependable, go-getter goddess who is born again with every day and every epoch. The episode ends with my ritual performance of the medieval hym…

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 ob…

An interview with Daniel Allison, Scottish storyteller and author. We talk about the beginning of the winter season, how he became a storyteller, and how we can make our dreams a reality with the winter dark as our guide and protector. He tells the beautiful story "The Dream Makers" from his book "Scottish Myths and Legends."House of Legends Podcas…

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 Woods2:09 “Nöstmo Halvar” by Per O G Runberg7:04 “King Orfeo” by Alva13:07 “Samhain” by Ron Allen14:5…

This is an extremely potent interview of myself by Kathryn Fink, of the Heart is a Cauldron Podcast! The Heart is Cauldron Podcast: https://kathrynfink.com/the-heart-is-a-cauldronSign up for my mailing list to hear when Abundance Paganism opens again: www.fairfolkcast.comKathryn Fink instagram: www.instagram.com/kathryn.a.fink/My instagram: www.ins…

In this episode I dive deep into Ancient Germanic apple and tree symbolism with researcher Joseph S. Hopkins of Norse mythology resource mimisbrunnr.info. Links:Abundance Paganism info and registration: https://fair-folk-media.mykajabi.com/sales-pageMimisbrunnr.infoAbout Joseph S. Hopkins: www.mimisbrunnr.info/hopkinsKvasir Symbols Database entry o…

Abundance Paganism sales page for January 2021:https://fair-folk-media.mykajabi.com/abundance-paganismThis episode introduces the concept of abundance paganism, and announces my offering of a course by the same name beginning September 2nd!Topics covered: *how abundance mentality dovetails with a pagan worldview and pagan practice*my definition of …

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 fo…

This episode witnesses the troubled relationship between the folklore of wells and springs and memories of trauma and violation. It discusses the vulnerability and suffering of women and Jews under medieval Christianity that is symbolized in the image of the well and processed through the embodied act of singing.Links:Mailing list: https://winter-l…

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 a…

The first in a series on wells and springs, this episode explores the phenomenon of wells and springs in mythology and spiritual belief and practice. Wells for magic, wells for healing, wells for wisdom and love; wells for the pure awe and wonder of living water. Bi-weekly Q&A on Patreon, Conjuration Tier: https://www.patreon.com/join/fairfolkcast/…

My interview with Faber Horbach of Sowulo Pagan Band in the Netherlands, June 2019. Listen to Sowulo's new album and more:https://www.sowulo.nl/ (Bandcamp)https://www.facebook.com/Sowulo/ (Facebook)https://www.instagram.com/sowulo.music (Sowulo Instragram)https://www.instagram.com/faber.horbach/ (Faber Horbach Instagram)https://www.facebook.com/amp…

My interview with Ignas Šatkauskas, pagan priest of Romuva, in August 2018Pagan Ritual Songs from Romuva Camp, playlist on Fair Folk's YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwfbVKoLviE&list=PLDGCg4JtohsA1pJf6bB_pNbmKT_AK0d6WFair Folk's YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw5BgVgYLuRWmEs66AHx38AMusic: Intro Theme: "Forest Marc…

In Part Two of Children of the Sun episode, I travel to the forests of Dzūkija region with ethnomusicologist Eglė Česnakavičiūtė to meet the elder and traditional singer Elena Česnulytė, and talk folksong politics. I finally wind up at Šatrijos Ugnis, a perpetual flame tended at a hill in a national park in Samogitia, where I decide maybe paganism …

In this episode I spend a week with pagan religious group Romuva, and reflect on the role of belonging in paganism and folk tradition. Live recordings taken in 2018.Music:Intro theme: “Forest March” by Sylvia Woods4:10 - “XL Kompozicija” by Žemyna Trinkūnaitė6:57 “Dūno upė” - Romuva camp attendees / Kūlgrinda9:08 Gabija chant - Romuva camp attendee…

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 …

I recorded this conversation last fall with the award-winning Irish storyteller Eithne Ní Ghallchobhair, who lives in Donegal, Ireland, and learned her craft from the last living traditional storytellers in Donegal.Get the Fair Folk tote at my new website www.fairfolkcast.com!Notes:*The book Eithne mentions at 39:00, Women Who Run With the Wolves i…

An astounding performance and conversation with Finnish expert runo-singer and jouhikko player, Outi Pulkkinen. Pulkkinen is a Doctor of Music specializing in runo-singing and holistic improvisation with voice, movement and speech. She also works with several bands, eg. the female a cappella groups MeNaiset and Pulkkinen-Räss-Sadovska. She is curre…

Nigel Pennick is the author of over fifty books, on topics ranging from paganism and folk magic to geomancy and divination with the runes.His book The Eldritch World will be available soon in an American edition, produced by Arcana Europa. You can read the preface here: https://arcanaeuropamedia.com/blogs/arcana-blog/preface-for-nigel-pennicks-the-…

Aslak Tolonen, recorded live in Riihimäki, Finland June 16, 2019.You can find more information about his music or contact him about purchasing a kantele here:https://nestfin.bandcamp.com/https://www.facebook.com/nestfinlandor email him at nestfinlandia@gmail.comThe intro music for Fair Folk is "Forest March" by Sylvia WoodsPatreon: www.patreon.com/…

In July of 2018 I spent a month in Iceland looking for performers of a stye of Icelandic folk singing called "tvísöngur." What I found was that the history of folk music in Iceland is far more complicated than I could have ever guessed. I found myself asking: In a nation known internationally for its indie music, why is Icelandic folk music so hard…

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 Almana…

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/fairfolkcastPayPal.me/DanicaBoyceMusic:“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” by the Ballycastle Pla…

In this episode I speak with Vicki Noble, co-creator of the Motherpeace Tarot Deck, a set of cards for divination that incorporates images of the sacred feminine from mythology and folklore. The creation of the Motherpeace Tarot in the late 1970s in Berkley California helped to kickstart the so-called Goddess movement, whose influence endures today…

This episode is a recording of Žemyna Trinkūnaitė playing a Kanklės, a traditional Lithuanian instrument, in a concert for a small group of people in a Baltic pagan temple in Lithuania.For more recordings, contact Žemyna Trinkūnaitė by email at zemynat@gmail.comTo support Fair Folk:www.patreon.com/fairfolkcastpaypal.me/DanicaBoyce…

A brief update about Fair Folk's summer and fall plans from northern Iceland, plus a spontaneous summer playlist to enjoy on the road or at home.To contribute to the Fair Folk travel fund:www.patreon.com/fairfolkcastpaypal.me/DanicaBoyceMusic:Intro: "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods"Langspils - Kvæðalag" by Eyjólfur Eyjólfsson"Lenten is Come" by Bridd…

This episode explores some of the better and lesser known celebrations and songs of the midsummer solstice in Europe. In the process it addresses some of the perennial questions of this holiday, like: What is a maypole? Why are all of those Russians bathing together? And how can I find buried treasure when all I’m wearing is this garland of mugwort…

The second in a series on traditional polyphonic singing, this episode visits the hunter-gatherer pygmies of the African rainforest, the peasants of pre-Christian Russia, and the possible residents of outer space, via one very special song from Georgia. It also features an interview with Georgian ethnomusicologist Joseph Jordania, organizer of the …

The first in a series on vocal polyphony, this episode gives credit to the ancient origins of vocal polyphony in rural community practices, looking specifically at the polyphony of Lithuania, whose sutartinės are a symbol of the nation's strong pre-christian folk heritage.Music:"Georgia: Vocal" by Greek Orthodox Church Choir"Vay, More" (Oh, the Sea…

This episode I chat with Jonny Dillon, an archivist at the Irish National Folklore Collection at University College Dublin. We discuss the history of the Folklore Collection, his podcast, Blúiríní Béaloidis / Folklore Fragments, and the deep need for folk tradition in modern life.The Irish National Folklore Collection is one of the largest folklore…