Folklore in Britain

[watervole]

With wonderful timing, a gift from merrymaia  anddecemberleaf  arrived just as the library got in the copy of Stations of the Sun that I had requested.

Result?  I've been listening to a lovely selection of songs about wassailing, and clips of mumming plays, with the relevant book right in front of me to be able to read about the history of wassailing and mumming plays!

'Stations of the Sun' is a refreshing and fascinating read, not least because Hutton sticks firmly to the data and thus carefully avoids wishful thinking interpretations of these customs.  The result actually places them more firmly in their historical context, but avoids an invented pagan pre-history for mumming.

Spent part of the night (stess is wrecking my sleep right now) mentally writing a new mumming play.  I wonder if the Guides would like to try mumming?  Or wassailing...

Thank you, ladies, your timing was excellent, and the gift perfectly matched to my tastes!

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Stations of the Sun is on of the best books on this sort of thing that I know: sensible, interesting and well-researched. I'm impressed with all of Hutton's books -- the one on pagan religions is terrific.

[cdybedahl.livejournal.com]

Hutton is awesome. Not only is he a real, working historian, he can actually write in a way that's readable for laypeople as well. I found his history of Wicca ("Triumph of the Moon") to be absolutely fascinating.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

I may have to look out for that one. Hutton's caution in assigning pagan origins to things that do not have convincing data means that I would trust him when he talks about what is genuine with regard to pagan religions.

PS. If you wanted to talk about pagan religions at Odyssesy, that would be high on my list of ones I'd like to hear.

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

This book looks very interesting.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

THere's a photo in it of an old British maypole that reminds me of your maypole.

[merrymaia.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad!!!

(I'm sorry I'm replying to this so late - I've gotten way behind on LJ.)