My interview with Ignas Šatkauskas, pagan priest of Romuva, in August 2018

Pagan Ritual Songs from Romuva Camp, playlist on Fair Folk's YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwfbVKoLviE&list=PLDGCg4JtohsA1pJf6bB_pNbmKT_AK0d6W

Fair Folk's YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw5BgVgYLuRWmEs66AHx38A

Music:

Intro Theme: "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods

22:00 ”Kukal, Rože, Ratilio” by Jievaras

26:45 “Improvisation on the Bagpipe” by Skirmantas Sasnauskas

34:50 "Nuslaida Saulala" by Kulgrinda

39:50 “Vakarinė žvaigždelė” by Kulgrinda

46:40 "Turėja liepa” by Vilniaus čiurlionio Mgs Ansamblis

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 is not about belonging after all, but rather, more powerfully, about connection.

Music

Intro theme: “Forest March” by Sylvia Woods

00:45 “LIV Kompozicija” by Žemyna Trinkūnaitė

3:35 Elena Česnulytė, Žiūrai village, Dzūkija

5:17 “Lyliumoj” by Elena Česnulytė, Žiūrai village, Dzūkija

7:40 “Aš Kelaliu Keliavau” by Žiūrų kaimo folkloro ansamblis / Žurai village folklore ensemble (Dzūkija)

17:00 “Aš Pasėjau Balandėlį” by Obelija

19:55 “Ant Tėvulio Dzidzio Dvaro / In the Father’s Great Manor” by Obelija

22:55 Eglė Česnakavičiūtė

25:45 “LIV Kompozicija” by Žemyna Trinkūnaitė

38:30 “III Kompozicija” by Žemyna Trinkūnaitė

40:45 “Rimo Rimo, Tūto” by Birutė Račkaitienė, Vaidotas Digaitis, and Kęstutis Račkaitis

41:50 “XII Kompozicija” by Žemyna Trinkūnaitė

43:45 “Rimo Rimo, Tūtoj” by Jievaras

47:30 “XII Kompozicija” by Žemyna Trinkūnaitė

Šatrijos Ugnis: https://www.facebook.com/SatrijosUgnis/

Obelija’s music can be purchased on bandcamp, or streamed on Spotify. https://obelijaband.bandcamp.com/releases

You can find the amazing Žemyna Trinkūnaitė’s music on Spotify, the itunes store, and streaming at pakartot.lt. You can also email her at [email protected] to order a CD by post.

Thank you so much to all the people who helped me in various ways in producing this podcast; your assistance was essential to my understanding. Any factual or pronunciation errors are my own.

Special thanks to Matas Tamsusis Bodrijė for translating endlessly both song lyrics and social norms, and teaching me to dance, all while almost never cracking a smile.

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 Woods

4:10 - “XL Kompozicija” by Žemyna Trinkūnaitė

6:57 “Dūno upė” - Romuva camp attendees / Kūlgrinda

9:08 Gabija chant - Romuva camp attendees / Kūlgrinda

10:35 Leliumoj - Romuva camp attendees / Kūlgrinda

13:35 Žemyna chant -Romuva camp attendees / Kūlgrinda

17:35 “XLVI Kompozicija” Žemyna Trinkūnaitė

30:05 “Nuslaide Saulala” by Kūlgrinda

32:40 “XLI kompozicija” by Žemyna Trinkūnaitė

36:30 Inija Trinkūnienė

48:50 “Kompozicija xix” by Žemyna Trinkūnaitė

Thank you so much to all the people who helped me in various ways in producing this podcast; your assistance was essential to my understanding. Any factual or pronunciation errors are my own.

You can find Žemyna Trinkūnaitė’s music on Spotify, the itunes store, and streaming at pakartot.lt. You can also email her at [email protected] to order a CD by post.

Kulgrinda can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Kulgrinda

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 Song Sisters

“Winter Darkness (Mørketid)” by Georg Buljo & Nils Økland

“Haugebonden” by Folk Och Rackare

“Tomtarnas” Julnatt by Fem Bobbies

“Tomtehallingen” by Øyonn Groven Myhren

“Tomten” by Kraja

“Hej Tomtegubbar” by Nina Persson & Oscar Johansson

The book I referred to in the intro:

Gnomes and Secrets of the Gnomes Wil Huygen and illustrator Rien Poortvliet

Resources for this episode:

The Tradition of Household Spirits by Claude Lecouteux

Russian Folk Belief by Linda J. Ivanits

Tomten by Viktor Rydberg (a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rJ0Ec-jYg8)

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 is written by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. It’s available at used and new bookshops all over.

*42:05 the "schools collection" she refers to is part of the National Folklore Collection of Ireland, at University College Dublin

*This episode edited by Laura Hamill of Perennial Collective! http://www.perennialcollective.com/

Music:

Intro theme: “Forest March” by Sylvia Woods

“Carolan's Farewell to Music” by Julia Seager-Scott

“Untitled” by Jean Christian

“Carolan - Five Tunes By the Irish Harper: IV. Carolan's Farewell to Music” by Da Camera

“When She Cam Ben” by Da Camera

“Untitled” by Jean Christian

“Carolan's Farewell to Music” by Julia Seager-Scott

“The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry” by Ale Möller & Aly Bain

Image: Eithne Ní Gullaher on St. Colmcille’s bed at Glencolmcille, Donegal

This episode explores 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 Woods

2:09 “Nöstmo Halvar” by Per O G Runberg

7:04 “King Orfeo” by Alva

13:07 “Samhain” by Ron Allen

14:55 “Punkie Night” by Withe & Stone

17:11 “Tam Glen” by Jean Redpath

22:45 “Colcannon” by The Black Family

26:30 “The Wife of Usher’s Well” by Alfred Deller & The Deller Consort

31:38 “Souling Song” by the Watersons

38:10 “Faithful Johnny” by Bryony Griffith & Will Hampson

42:30 “Lyke Wake Dirge” by the Young Tradition

Image: Witch plate. Fancy dresses described, or, what to wear at fancy balls, Arden Holt, 1882.

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 currently researching archaic music through a shamanistic approach, and she teaches folk music, voice training and holistic improvisation at University of the Arts Helsinki.

She has released three solo albums, which you can purchase here: http://shop.digeliusmusic.mycashflow.fi/search/?q=Outi+pulkkinen

You can also listen to her music on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/outipulkkinen

Find her group MeNaiset on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-505647846

The MeNaiset album Kelu can be purchased here: https://www.kansanmusiikkiliitto.fi/nettiputiikki/aanitteet/menaiset-kelu

MeNaiset has recorded another album, which will be released next year, so keep your eyes open for that!

Pulkkinen can also be contacted directly by email: [email protected]

The intro theme to Fair Folk is “Forest March” by Sylvia Woods

Portrait of Outi Pulkkinen by Christoffer Relander

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-eldritch-world

Many of Pennick's past and future books can be found at Inner Traditions, including the soon-to-be-released Operative Witchcraft: https://www.innertraditions.com/author/nigel-pennick/

Music:

"Edith Swan-Neck" by Paddon and Pennick

"Ellacombe (Berthon)" by Nigel Pennick

"Ground Hog Blues" by John Lee Hooker

"Fairy Bells" by Nigel Pennick

"The Outlandish Knight" by Will Noble

"The Bobtail Mare" by Nigel Pennick

The image Nigel mentioned of the sorceror's apprentice is here: https://tinyurl.com/yy53sg4x

Subscribe to the Fair Folk Almanac on my Patreon page: www.patreon.com/fairfolkcast

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/nestfinland

or email him at [email protected]

The intro music for Fair Folk is "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods

Patreon: www.patreon.com/fairfolkcast

Facebook: www.facebook.com/fairfolkcast

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 to come by?

Thank you to the many musicians, researchers, and friends who contributed music, personality, and information to this episode. Special thanks to Gunnstein Olafsson, Linus Orri, Eyjolfur Eyjolfson, Orn Magnusson and Marta Halldorsdottir, Kimberly Cannady, Runa Inginumdardottir, Gudny Robertsdóttir Orlygur Kristfinsson, and Gustav Danielsson. Thank you also to the Icelandic folk music centre in Siglufjordur and Herhusid artist residency for hosting and helping me while I researched this topic.

My paper on tvísöngur for the International Symposium on Traditional Polyphony October 2018: www.academia.edu/37863707/Tv%C3%A…rary_Performance

Fair Folk Patreon:

www.patreon.com/fairfolkcast

Music and Notes:

0:00 “Forest March” by Sylvia Woods

:50 “Ísland Farsælda Frón” by Jean Christian

2:40 “Ísland Farsælda Frón” by Kvæðamannafélagið Rima

4:00 Guðrún Ingimundardóttir and Svanfríður Halldórsdóttir

5:22 “Húmar Að Mitt Hinsta Kvöld” by Pétur Halldórsson & Símon Þórðarson

7:25 Baroque Cello and Langspil by Gadus Morhua

8:55 “Fagurt Syngur Svanurinn (Beautifully Sings the Swan)” by Spilmenn Ríkínís (Rikini Ensemble: Marta Halldórsdóttir, Örn Magnússon, Ásta Sigríður Arnardóttir, and Halldór Bjarki Arnarson) - Recording courtesy of Arni Moller

10:45 Langspil and Symphonie by Marta Halldórsdóttir and Örn Magnússon

11:15 Spilmenn Ríkínís (Ásta Sigríður Arnardóttir) - Recording courtesy of Arni Moller

13:00 Reykjavík Trad Sessions

14:00 “Langspils Kvæðalag” by Örn Magnússon

14:55 “Fryeja” by Gadus Morhua (Eyjólfur Eyjólfsson, Björk Níelsdóttir and Steinunn Arnbjörg Stefánsdóttir)

16:15 Duo Atlantica

17:45 “Ísland Farsælda Frón” by Jean Christian

20:00 Gustaf Danielsson and Örlygur Kristfinnsson

20:30 Gadus Morhua

23:35 Spilmenn Ríkínís (Ásta Sigríður Arnardóttir) - Recording courtesy of Arni Moller

26:00 & 27:45 Gustaf Danielsson and Örlygur Kristfinnsson

30:15 Speech: Marta Halldórsdóttir

31:10 Speech and diatonic langspil: Örn Magnússon

34:30 “Björt Mey og Hrein” by Duo Svanni

35:20 Speech: Guðrún Ingimundardóttir

French explorer mentioned is Paul Gaimard, author of Voyage en Islande et au Groënland

39:20 “Björt Mey og Hrein” by Duo Svanni

41:10 Spilmenn Ríkínís (Ásta Sigríður Arnardóttir) - Recording courtesy of Arni Moller

43:05 Speech: Ómar Ellertson

48:20 Speech: Linus Orri

55:00 Correction provided by Linus Orri: The author mentioned is actually Jón Þórarinsson

57:20 Spilmenn Ríkínís (Ásta Sigríður Arnardóttir and Halldór Bjarki Arnarson) - Recording courtesy of Arni Moller

58:20 Speech: Örn Magnússon

59:15 “Fagurt Syngur Svanurinn (Beautifully Sings the Swan)” by Spilmenn Ríkínís - Recording courtesy of Arni Moller

1:02:25 Speech: Linus Orri

1:03:40 Spilmenn Ríkínís - Recording courtesy of Arni Moller

1:06:30 Rímur by Linus Orri