Rekindle: October Almanac

Rekindle: October Almanac

Author: Fair Folk October 5, 2022 Duration: 1:38:22
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.

There's a deep, resonant history woven into the melodies passed down through generations across Europe, and Fair Folk Podcast is an invitation to listen closely. Each episode feels less like a lecture and more like a quiet conversation in a familiar room, where the focus rests entirely on the music itself-the ancient carols, the seasonal ballads, the work songs that carried people through their days. We explore these traditions not as dusty artifacts, but as living expressions of community, spirituality, and the human experience. You'll hear the songs in their raw, often haunting beauty, accompanied by reflections on their origins and the cultures that sustained them. This isn't about polished production; it's about authenticity and connection. Tuning into this podcast offers a rare space to slow down and let these timeless sounds settle in, revealing stories and emotions that feel both profoundly old and surprisingly immediate. It's a journey for anyone curious about the roots of folk music, the power of sacred song, or simply the comfort found in a melody that has weathered centuries. The Fair Folk podcast serves as a gentle guide, ensuring these resonant traditions find new ears and continue to echo into the future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 67

Fair Folk Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Apples & the Gods with Joseph S. Hopkins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:19
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-fol…
What is Abundance Paganism? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:42
Abundance paganism is running again in 2025! To sign up: danicaboyce.com/abundance-paganism This episode introduces the concept of abundance paganism, and announces my offering of a course by the same name! Topics covere…
Lughnasadh - bonus almanac re-release [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:52
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 begi…
Wells & Springs Episode 2: Water Of Death [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:58
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…
Healing the Wounds of Empire [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:54
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 a…
Wells & Springs Episode 1: Water Of Life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:33
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 f…
Faber Horbach of Sowulo Pagan Band [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:23
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.instagr…
Children of the Sun: Paganism and Folksong in Lithuania - Part Two [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:42
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 fin…