Wild Kin: A Celtic Podcast

From the sovereignty goddess tradition of the early Irish, through the May Day customs, this episode traces where the traditions of Beltane originated. Most of what people associate with the festival today was invented surprisingly recently, but underneath the layers, there's something older and more interesting worth finding. For more Celtic-inspired stories, check out Wild Kin Studio on Substack...

The Celtic festival of Beltane was never just about the fires. Behind the bonfires of May Eve lay something deeper — a three-thousand-year reverence for cattle, milk, and butter, and a persistent fear of the forces that might steal them away. Further Reading Sanas Cormaic (Cormac’s Glossary) The Schools’ Collection, 1937–1939 “The Needfire Ritual” Examples of the Survival in Scotland of Superstiti...

As the first of May approaches, the ancient Celtic festival of Beltane marks a turning point as a threshold between seasons. In this episode, we explore how communities may have prepared for the coming summer with rituals that hint at something darker. From the preserved body of Lindow Man, to 18th century Beltane customs recorded by John Ramsay, to the later May Day figure of Jack in the Green, a...

What does it mean to hold power, and what does it take to claim it? In this episode of Wild Kin , we step into the world of early Ireland through the story of Medb, a queen remembered for her ambition, her strategy, and the war she waged to secure her place as an equal ruler. But beneath the drama of cattle raids and battlefield tactics lies something deeper. Medb’s story opens a window into a soc...

As the year draws to a close, there is a stretch of winter when time feels suspended. The space after holiday celebrations have ended, but before the light truly begins to return. In this episode of Wild Kin , we step into that liminal time, when spirits were once believed to roam freely, and the wild came knocking at the door. Resources: * National Museum Wales: Christmas Traditions: The Mari Lwy...

In the heart of winter, when storms rage and resources grow thin, generosity has never been easy, or even optional. In this episode of Wild Kin, we step into the deep history of midwinter to explore why hospitality, gift-giving, and communal care have carried such moral weight across time. From Neolithic stone monuments aligned to the returning sun, to Celtic laws that mandated hosting as a sacred...

Holly is more than a Christmas decoration — it’s one of winter’s oldest guardians. In this episode of Wild Kin , we trace holly’s path from pagan threshold magic and medieval law to ogham lore, wandering spirits, and the evergreen symbol we still hang above our doors today. Resources & Further Reading Ilex aquifolium (Holly) — University College Cork Auraicept na n-Éces — CELT Edition Bríatharogam...

The first frost isn’t just a shift in weather — it’s the moment the Cailleach rises. Mountain-shaper. Storm-bringer. Guardian of the wild herds. This week on Wild Kin, we travel into the heart of her mythology:how the winter crone shaped the landscape, why she appears at the turning of the season, and what her ancient stories reveal about aging, power, and the wisdom found in darkness. Resources a...

Long before Halloween, the ancient Celts gathered under darkening skies to mark Samhain , the festival that ended the harvest season and began the dark half of the year. From Neolithic monuments aligned to the autumn sun, to Iron Age bonfires, and medieval tales of spirits and heroes crossing between worlds, this episode follows how Samhain evolved through the centuries into the Halloween we know...

From feasts for the dead and sacred burial mounds to the shimmering Otherworld of Irish mythology, this story explores how Celtic spirituality saw death not as a departure, but a transformation- a continuation of relationship. We follow how this worldview evolved through Christianization, the Victorian spiritualist revival, and into the modern fascination with ghosts and consciousness studies, sho...

This episode explores the origins of Ireland’s werewolf legends — from Celtic wolf-warrior rituals and shapeshifting myths to the medieval Werewolves of Ossory and the extinction of real wolves in Irish history. Blending Celtic mythology, folklore, and history, it traces how these sacred symbols became stories of fear and fascination from ancient Ireland to the modern world. Resources & References...

Before she became a ghostly omen in folklore, the banshee began as a woman whose voice bridged the living and the dead. Her cries were not curses, but calls of love and remembrance, echoing the ancient Celtic tradition of keening: ritual laments that helped souls cross to the Otherworld. In this episode of Wild Kin , we trace the origins of the banshee from these ancient traditions of early Irelan...

Thousands of years ago, Artio was revered as a goddess of wilderness, transformation, and abundance. Worshipped by the Helvetii tribe of Switzerland and later remembered in Roman-era inscriptions and statues, she embodies the wild strength of the European brown bear and the cycles of the natural world. Resources & References: The bronze statue of Artio from Bern, Switzerland UNESCO: Białowieża For...

Your first sneak peek at Wild Kin , a seasonal podcast that reconnects us with Celtic myths and traditions. Join your host, Jess Neary, as she brings ancient legends to life and explores how these pagan stories still shape our modern world. Each season, Wild Kin follows the Celtic calendar, with episodes dropping around Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasadh. Every week during these festivals, y...