Fair Folk Podcast

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/pos...

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 Ensembl...

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. Links: Fair Folk Patreon: https://www.patreon.co...

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.com To support Fair Folk: www.patreon.com/fairfolkcast paypal.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/fairfolkcast paypal.me/DanicaBoyce Music: Intro: "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods "Langspils - Kvæðalag" by Eyjólfur Eyjólfsson "Lenten is Come" by Briddes Roune "Aililiu Na Gamhna (Calling Home T...

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? And what’s all this about human sacrifice? Music...

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 International Symposium on Traditional Polyphony i...

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) by The Women's Folklore Ensemble of Staraya T...

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 collections in Europe, and has just this month b...

Traditional herding calls from Sweden and Norway, with an interview with Swedish folk musician and kulning instructor Siri Holm. Music: Intro theme - "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods “Kulning” by Adolf Fredriks Kyrkas Kammarkör & Karin Backstrom “Kulning” Maria Hulthén Birkeland “Kulning” by Susanne Rosenberg “Farlock (Sheep Calls) - Getlock (Goat Calls) - Kalvlock (Calf Calls)” by Karin Edvardsson...

Malevolent or helpful, pinched and small, or beautiful beyond description, elves are a mainstay of western folk belief. Today we’re exploring the many manifestations of elf belief, delving into the folklore of the British Isles and Scandinavia, the two regions where elves have been most robustly represented. This episode features an interview with Terry Gunnell, professor of Folkloristics at the U...

This episode is dedicated to the many wonderful tales shared in ballad form in Scandinavian countries. You'll learn that not all stories have happy endings (most don't), which part of the dragon you need to eat in order to gain the gift of prophecy (the heart), and how Groundhog Day is really a holiday about a Scottish hag's woodpile (she's called the Cailleach). Music: Intro theme - "Forest March...

Elves, epic poetry, sheep milk and murder... welcome to the world of Icelandic folk music! This episode features an interview with Bára Grímsdóttir and Chris Foster, two of the most accomplished performers of Icelandic folk music, and experts on rímur chanting, a form dating from middle ages, with its ancestry in the Icelandic Sagas and Eddas. Music: Opening theme: Forest March by Sylvia Woods Hey...

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 /...

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 Jä...

***CORRECTION*** In this episode I talk about Sami joik, and then play a Karelian joik, which I have been informed is not related at all. This episode of Fair Folk delves into the rich musical and mythical world of Finland, blisses out on rune-song, and investigates the science behind the smell of snow. Music: Intro theme - "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods "Valolle" by Lau Nau "Valkealan Valssi" by...

This episode of Fair Folk you’ll hear about how an early modern Scottish king literally wrote the book on witchcraft, making Harry Potter possible for future generations, I’ll tell you about the Swedish Queen who is revered to this day for murdering her suitors, and you’ll hear some of the very best folk songs about witches. Music: Opening Theme - "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods "I Once Lived in Se...

On this episode, you'll find out just how many landscape features can be attributed to the petty hostilities of overgrown men, you'll hear about that one time Stan Rogers dabbled in druidism, and you'll learn what Fe Fi Fo Fum actually means. Music: Intro theme: Sylvia Woods - Forest March "The Sun" by Warsaw Village Band "Jotunheimr" by Adrian Von Ziegler "Giant" by Stan Rogers "The Legend of Fio...