Of Gods and Goblins

In this Halloween special we will be taking a look at the customs and traditions that that place at the onset of winter in Britain and Ireland, including the festivals of Samhain, Halloween, All Saint's, All Soul's, and Guy Fawkes Night. Many of the customs of this period draw from both a Christian festival for the dead, as well as from earlier pagan winter festivities that involved charms, divinations, and appeals to the deities of the natural world. Plus, a surprising amount of these customs have continued through into our modern Halloween traditions! So join us for all the fire, lambs-wool and apple-pips you could dream of!Twitter: https://twitter.com/godsandgoblinsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/godsandgoblins/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/godsandgoblinsYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTgEBT-yIqvaoEZozk9y35wSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/godsandgoblinsWebsite: https://godsandgoblins.buzzsprout.com/Email: godgobpod@gmail.comSources:‘A Glossary of Words Used in the Neighbourhood of Whitby’ by Francis Kildale Robinson Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Volume 2 ‘Christmas in Ritual and Tradition’, by Clement A. Miles ‘Crossing the Border: Provincial Records of Southeast Scotland’ by Eila Williamson and John J McGavin in ‘REED in Review: Essays in Celebration of the First Twenty-five Years, Volume 8’ edited by Audrey W. Douglas, Sally-Beth MacLean ‘The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore’ by Patricia Monaghan ‘The Religion of the Ancient Celts’ by A. MacCulloch ‘The Golden Bough’ by Sir James George Frazer ‘Observations on the popular antiquities of Great Britain: chiefly illustrating the origin of our vulgar and provincial customs, ceremonies and superstitions’ by John Brand ‘The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain’ by Ronald Hutton ‘The Every-Day Book’ by William Hone

Last time we talked about the ghostly apparition that is known generally as The Black Dog. It appears throughout the United Kingdom and is often seen as an omen, a foreteller of death, a spectral remnant of some tragic event, a haunter of boundaries and churchyards and sometimes a friendly guardian. Today, however, as we inch closer to Samhain and the barriers between worlds get ever more fragile, we are going to come face to face with some more malevolent mutts. Specific black dogs and the places they have wrought fear upon, black dogs as symbols of devils and witchery, and a look back at some potential origins for this canine creep in the roots of British mythology. Twitter: https://twitter.com/godsandgoblinsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/godsandgoblins/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/godsandgoblinsYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTgEBT-yIqvaoEZozk9y35wSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/godsandgoblinsWebsite: https://godsandgoblins.buzzsprout.com/Email: godgobpod@gmail.comSources:‘The Black Dog’ in Folklore Sep. 1942, Vol. 53 by W. P. Witcutt ‘Notes on the Folk-lore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders' by William Henderson ‘English Fairy and Other Folk Tales’ by Edwin Sidney Hartland ‘The Devil in Dog Form’ in Folklore Oct. 1954, Vol. 13, No. 4 by Barbara Allen Woods ‘A Note on the Witch-Familiar in Seventeenth Century England’ by F. H. Amphlett Micklewright Encyclopaedia Britannica ‘The Powers of Evil in Western Religion, Magic and Folk Belief’ by Richard Cavendish ‘Northern Mythology, Comprising the Principal Popular Traditions and Superstitions of Scandinavia, North Germany and the Netherlands' by Benjamin Thorpe http://www.sussexarch.org.uk/saaf/blackdog.html ‘The Norfolk antiquarian miscellany’ by Walter Rye ‘The Welsh Fairy Book’ by W. Jenkyn Thomas ‘English Fairy and Other Folk Tales’ by Edwin Sidney Hartland 'The Black Dog' published in Folklore, Sep., 1958, Vol. 69 by Theo Brown ‘The Black Dog’ published in Folklore, Jun., 1938, Vol. 49, No. 2 by Ethel Rudkin ‘Notes on the Folk Lore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders’ by William Henderson

Sometimes spooky, sometimes helpful, always good. This week we're looking at the particularly British legend of the Black dogs. From the spectral boogey men (dogs), to portents of things yet to come, these guys pop up throughout these fair isles and we're here to chat them up! So dig on in and throw us a bone, this is one fetching topic guaranteed to have you howling with laughter.Twitter: https://twitter.com/godsandgoblinsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/godsandgoblins/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/godsandgoblinsYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTgEBT-yIqvaoEZozk9y35wSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/godsandgoblinsWebsite: https://godsandgoblins.buzzsprout.com/Email: godgobpod@gmail.comSources:'Wild Life in a Southern County' by Richard Jeffries‘English Fairy and Other Folk Tales’ by Edwin Sidney Hartland'The Black Dog' published in Folklore, Sep., 1958, Vol. 69 by Theo Brown‘The Black Dog’ published in Folklore, Jun., 1938, Vol. 49, No. 2 by Ethel RudkinPopular Romances of the West of England’ by Robert Hunt'Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland' by Lady Francesca Speranza WildeMusic:Teller of the Tales by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4467-teller-of-the-talesLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Theme: Nat Keefe with The Bow Ties - Dude, Where's My Horse

It's part two of our series on hags, and this time we are taking a look at the various forms and representations of the Cailleach Beara in Gaelic mythology. Whether she is a fertility deity, a creator goddess or the cruel queen of winter she is a powerful and ancient figure in the folklore of Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man. Not bad for an old lady with only one eye!Twitter: https://twitter.com/godsandgoblinsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/godsandgoblins/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/godsandgoblinsYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTgEBT-yIqvaoEZozk9y35wSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/godsandgoblinsWebsite: https://godsandgoblins.buzzsprout.com/Email: godgobpod@gmail.comSources:‘The Book of the Cailleach: Stories of the Wise Woman Healer’ by Gearóid Ó Crualaoich'Legends and Traditions of the Cailleach Bheara or Old Woman (Hag) of Beare' in Folklore 38, no. 3 (1927) by Eleanor Hull'On the Goddess of War of the Ancient Irish' in Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy (1836-1869) 10 (1866) by W. M. Hennessy'Carmina Gadelica: Hymns and Incantations, Ortha Nan Gaidhea Volume 2l' by Alexander Carmichael'Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth and Legend' by Donald Alexander McKenzie 'Early Irish Lyrics: Eight to Twelfth Century' by Gerard Murphy'The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore' by Patricia Monaghan'Folklore Myths and Legends of Britain' by various, Reader's Digest'Sutton Companion to British Folklore, Myths and Legends' by Marc AlexanderMusic:Lost Frontier by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4004-lost-frontierLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Despair and Triumph by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3641-despair-and-triumphTheme: Nat Keefe with The Bow Ties - Dude, Where's My Horse

Let's talk about hags, baby. Jenny Greenteeth, Black Annis, nightmares, succubi, hag-riding, witchcraft, riding on storms, long-toothed hags and a fairy queen? This one's got it all!Twitter: https://twitter.com/godsandgoblinsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/godsandgoblins/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/godsandgoblinsYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTgEBT-yIqvaoEZozk9y35wSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/godsandgoblinsWebsite: https://godsandgoblins.buzzsprout.com/Email: godgobpod@gmail.comSources:‘Lancashire Folk-lore’ by Harland & Wilkinson ‘Sketches of Lancashire Life and Localities’ by Edwin Waugh‘On a Cave called Black Annis's Bower’ by John Heyrick Jnr‘Hag riding in 19th century west country England and modern Newfoundland’ by Owen Davies in ‘New Perspectives on Witchcraft, Magic, and Demonology’‘The Folk-Lore of the Isle of Man’ by A. W. Moore'British Goblins' by Wirt SikesDictionary of the Scots Language‘Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft’ by Walter Scott‘Flyting’ by Montgomerie'Beside The Fire' by Douglas Hyde'The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore' by Patricia Monaghan'Folklore Myths and Legends of Britain' by various, Reader's Digest'Sutton Companion to British Folklore, Myths and Legends' by Marc Alexander'"The Weird Sisters Wandering": Burlesque Witchery in Montgomerie's "Flyting"' by Jacqueline SimpsonMusic:Lost Frontier by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4004-lost-frontierLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Theme: Nat Keefe with The Bow Ties - Dude, Where's My Horse

In this episode we explore how fairy belief in Britain took hold once again in the 19th Century, but this time it reached the intellectual upper class! We discuss Victorian spiritualism and mysticism, the folk revival and the interplay of fantasy, theology and science! With discussion of the Cottingley fairy photographs, Madame Helena Blavatsky's Theosophy and Arthur Conan Doyle - a man forever at the intersection of science and spirituality.Twitter: https://twitter.com/godsandgoblinsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/godsandgoblins/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/godsandgoblinsYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTgEBT-yIqvaoEZozk9y35wSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/godsandgoblinsWebsite: https://godsandgoblins.buzzsprout.com/Email: godgobpod@gmail.comSources:'Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness' by Carole G. Silver'The Coming of the Fairies' by Arthur Conan Doyle'Isis Unveiled' by Helena BlavatskyMusic:Teller of the Tales by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4467-teller-of-the-talesLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Lost Frontier by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4004-lost-frontierTheme: Nat Keefe with The Bow Ties - Dude, Where's My Horse

What is the origin of fairy belief, and where do they come from? Are they diminished forms of earlier pagan deities of celtic and classical antiquity? Are they elemental spirits that animate the natural world? Or are they spirits of the dead, whether recently deceased or long departed ancestors?"Since the first decade of [the 20th] century the pursuit of the secret [of fairy origins] has been engaged in only fitfully by an exhausted and depleted corps of interpreters. It has become the philosopher’s stone of traditional science" or so says Lewis Spence, our main man of this particular episode and author of 'British Fairy Origins'.Let's go!Twitter: https://twitter.com/godsandgoblinsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/godsandgoblins/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/godsandgoblinsYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTgEBT-yIqvaoEZozk9y35wSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/godsandgoblinsWebsite: https://godsandgoblins.buzzsprout.com/Email: godgobpod@gmail.comSources:'Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness' by Carole G. Silver'British Fairy Origins' by Lewis Spence'Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland' by Lady Francesca Speranza Wilde'British Goblins' by Wirt Sikes'Popular Romances of the West of England' by Robert Hunt, Music:Teller of the Tales by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4467-teller-of-the-talesLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Lost Frontier by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4004-lost-frontierTheme: Nat Keefe with The Bow Ties - Dude, Where's My Horse

In this episode, we discuss the places that fairies live and how they link with aspects of the landscape of Britain. We cover ancient earthworks, fairy rings, remote lakes, mountains, woodland and more.Save BBC Four https://www.change.org/p/british-broadcasting-corporation-save-bbc-four-from-closureTwitter: https://twitter.com/godsandgoblinsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/godsandgoblins/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/godsandgoblinsYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTgEBT-yIqvaoEZozk9y35wSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/godsandgoblinsWebsite: https://godsandgoblins.buzzsprout.com/Email: godgobpod@gmail.comSources:'The Fairies in Tradition and Literature' by Katharine Mary Briggs'A Treasury of British Folklore: Maypoles, Mandrakes and Mistletoe' by Dee Dee Chainey'Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness' by Carole G. Silver'The Folklore of Cornwall: The Oral Tradition of a Celtic Nation' by Ronald M. James'Celtic Myth and Religion: A Study of Traditional Belief' by Sharon Paice MacLeod'Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland' by Lady Francesca Speranza Wilde'British Goblins' by Wirt SikesFolklore Myths and Legends of Britain' by various, Reader's Digest'Sutton Companion to British Folklore, Myths and Legends' by Marc Alexander'Folklore of the Scottish Highlands' by Anne Ross'A Dictionary of the Sussex Dialect' by William Douglas Parish'Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology' By Theresa Bane'Popular Romances of the West of England' by Robert Hunt, 'The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore' by Patricia MonaghanMusic:Teller of the Tales by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4467-teller-of-the-talesLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Achaidh Cheide by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3338-achaidh-cheideLost Frontier by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4004-lost-frontierGregorian Chant by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3825-gregorian-chantTheme: Nat Keefe with The Bow Ties - Dude, Where's My Horse

Part A of our classification of the fairies of the british isles focussed on the friendlier fairies - the brownies, bwcas, bwbachs, robin goodfellow and the origin of Shakespeare’s Puck, the origin of JK Rowling’s Dobby, and we tried to make sense of the differences between piskies and pixies, some of which are helpful friends and some who enjoy tormenting people by leading them into peat bogs at night.Today we will be discussing three further categories of fairies - solitary fairies, trooping fairies and mining fairies.https://twitter.com/godsandgoblinsSources:'The Fairies in Tradition and Literature' by Katharine Mary Briggs'A Treasury of British Folklore: Maypoles, Mandrakes and Mistletoe' by Dee Dee Chainey'Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness' by Carole G. Silver'The Folklore of Cornwall: The Oral Tradition of a Celtic Nation' by Ronald M. James'Celtic Myth and Religion: A Study of Traditional Belief' by Sharon Paice MacLeod'Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland' by Lady Francesca Speranza Wilde'British Goblins' by Wirt SikesFolklore Myths and Legends of Britain' by various, Reader's Digest'Sutton Companion to British Folklore, Myths and Legends' by Marc Alexander'Folklore of the Scottish Highlands' by Anne Ross'A Dictionary of the Sussex Dialect' by William Douglas Parish'Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology' By Theresa Bane'Popular Romances of the West of England' by Robert Hunt, 'The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore' by Patricia MonaghanMusic:Teller of the Tales by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4467-teller-of-the-talesLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Lost Frontier by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4004-lost-frontierGregorian Chant by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3825-gregorian-chantTheme: Nat Keefe with The Bow Ties - Dude, Where's My Horse

So far we’ve only talked about fairies in general, the common fairy. There are all sorts of fairies that inhabit the British Isles though - and once again they are wildly varied. Some are hideous, some are radiant; some vicious, some kind, some small, some… less small. The murderous little man chasing you down in our opening story (well done for taking him down btw, great work) bears little similarity to a member of the Tuatha de Danann and yet they are all part of the same category of mythical folk. In this episode we’ll be describing some of the different types of fairy in British folklore, their similarities and differences depending on region and figuring out the differences between the words that we use as synonyms - elf, fairy, pixie etcWe will be covering some of the most common types of household or guardian fairies, as well as some of the more sociable trooping fairies. So, what’s the difference between a pixie, a piskie and a pigsey? A brownie and a boobach? And how do their definitions in contemporary usage & fiction differ from the older records?Sources:'The Fairies in Tradition and Literature' by Katharine Mary Briggs'A Treasury of British Folklore: Maypoles, Mandrakes and Mistletoe' by Dee Dee Chainey'Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness' by Carole G. Silver'The Folklore of Cornwall: The Oral Tradition of a Celtic Nation' by Ronald M. James'Celtic Myth and Religion: A Study of Traditional Belief' by Sharon Paice MacLeod'Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland' by Lady Francesca Speranza Wilde'British Goblins' by Wirt SikesFolklore Myths and Legends of Britain' by various, Reader's Digest'Sutton Companion to British Folklore, Myths and Legends' by Marc Alexander'Folklore of the Scottish Highlands' by Anne Ross'A Dictionary of the Sussex Dialect' by William Douglas Parish'Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology' By Theresa Bane'Popular Romances of the West of England' by Robert Hunt, 'The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore' by Patricia MonaghanMusic:Teller of the Tales by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4467-teller-of-the-talesLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Lost Frontier by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4004-lost-frontierGregorian Chant by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3825-gregorian-chantTheme: Nat Keefe with The Bow Ties - Dude, Where's My Horse

In this very first episode, we are starting with an introduction into the world of fairies in the mythology of Britain.Fairies take various forms, from industrious if mischievous wee folk, to cruel and vengeful wielders of magic, with many tales falling between the two. They have gone from beings more powerful than any mortal, to cute Tinkerbells frolicking at the bottom of the garden, but one thing is for sure - tales of fairies have fascinated and frightened British folk in equal measure.Thank you for joining us in our first foray into the world of podcasting, we hope you enjoyed the ride! Stay tuned for episode 2 for a taxonomy of British fairies.Sources:'The Fairies in Tradition and Literature' by Katharine Mary Briggs'A Treasury of British Folklore: Maypoles, Mandrakes and Mistletoe' by Dee Dee Chainey'Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness' by Carole G. Silver'The Folklore of Cornwall: The Oral Tradition of a Celtic Nation' by Ronald M. James'Celtic Myth and Religion: A Study of Traditional Belief' by Sharon Paice MacLeod'Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland' by Lady Francesca Speranza Wilde'Folklore of Sussex' by Jacqueline Simpson'British Goblins' by Wirt SikesFolklore Myths and Legends of Britain' by various, Reader's Digest'Sutton Companion to British Folklore, Myths and Legends' by Marc Alexander'Folklore of the Scottish Highlands' by Anne Ross'A Dictionary of the Sussex Dialect' by William Douglas ParishMusic:Teller of the Tales by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4467-teller-of-the-talesLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Theme: Nat Keefe with The Bow Ties - Dude, Where's My Horse