This almanac episode dives into the folklore of February through the lens of the Ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia on February 15th, tracing the themes of birth, milk, wolves, wildness, purification, death, twilight, and thunder through the month’s other pagan holidays, including St. Brigid’s day on February 1st, Candlemas / Gromnica / Perkunas Day on February 2nd, and Scandinavian St. Peter Hotstone on February 22nd.

This month’s episode asks what the notion of purification might mean in a pagan context, and suggests it may mean facing the shadow parts of ourselves that we tend to project onto animals (and women) so we can ritually integrate them, clarifying and owning our role as powerfully in-between creatures in a powerfully in-between world.

Important dates:

February 1: Brigid’s Day / Bride (Ireland / Scotland)

February 2: Candlemas (Christian) / Gromnica (Slavic) / Perkunas day (Lithuania) / Perun’s Day (Belarus)

February 14: St. Valentine’s day

February 15: Lupercalia

February 21: Mardi Gras / end of Carnivale / Start of Lent

February 22: St. Peter Hot-stone

Listen to the February Almanac playlist on Tidal:

https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/4c148b82-bfe5-46cf-ba26-63b7bc2a7acd

Listen to the February Almanac playlist on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QSKLQ8WeAq9v26NWfpTtX?si=33e31c5e2fe74971

Music in this episode:

“Lupercalia” by Faun

Buy Faun’s music: https://shop.faun-music.com/

“Värgsangen” by Jonna Jinton

More Jonna Jinton music: https://www.youtube.com/user/jonnajinton

Buy Jonna Jinton’s art: https://jonnajintonsweden.com/

“Ulvetimme” (The Hour of the Wolf) Maria Franz and Christopher Juul

Buy Heilung’s (Maria Franz and Christopher Juul) music: https://heilung.bandcamp.com/

“Mary’s Keen” by Noirin Ni Riain

Buy this track: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/marys-keen/992023961?i=992023970

Buy Noirin Ni Riain’s music: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/stor-amhran/41446103

“Grá” by Wardruna

Buy Wardruna music and merch: https://wardrunashop.com/collections/music

Buy Wardruna digital tracks: https://wardruna.bandcamp.com/music

Opening theme: "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods

Buy Sylvia Woods’ music:

www.harpcenter.com/category/harp-cds

Sources for this episode:

Watch Ronja Robbersdaughter: https://fsharetv.io/watch/ronja-robbersdaughter-episode-1-tt0088015

Watch Wolf Walkers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_Z_tybgPgg

Emperors of Rome Podcast, Lupercalia episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/episode-cxxxv-lupercalia/id850148806?i=1000465237605

History and Folklore Podcast: Medieval Wolves episode: https://historyandfolklorepodcast.libsyn.com/medieval-wolves

Medieval Folklore: A Guide to Myths, Legends, Tales, Beliefs, and Customs edited by Carl Lindahl, John McNamara, and John Lindow: entry: “Wolf [Canis Lupus] and Werewolf”

The Nordic Animist Year (book) by Rune Rasmussen

Candlelight Tales Podcast: Brigid episode: https://soundcloud.com/candlelittales/episode-7-brigid

Transcript:

Welcome to the podcast. This is the February Almanac episode  of Fair Folk called Wolf Milk.

In these Almanac episodes, I comb through European calendar custom. that is folklore relating to the cycle of the year, typically with a focus on Northern Europe. And I share what I find with you to help you orient the month ahead. Equipped with knowledge of nourishing traditions that can help reconnect you to the natural cycles of the year to land and the life in the plants, animals, our bodies, and ourselves.

Seasonal folklore and festivals call us back into community with all beings on the earth in its regular spinning wheel of life and death. And they help us to tend through ritual, our ties to our kin of all species, both our ancestral kin and our future kin to come. The recovery of European traditional cultures, the ones that privilege relationality, interconnection and respect for all beings, which you might call indigenous cultures, is so early in its stages.