Round the Herne

 This is my reading of the last part of Lucy M Boston's "The Children of Green Knowe" (1954), in which all the loose ends are tied up and the groundwork laid for the sequels. Christmas day arrives at the isolated country estate. Wishing a Happy New Year to all my listeners (both of you) - hope it is a great improvement on the year now going for all concerned.

 This is my reading of the tenth part of Lucy M Boston's "The Children of Green Knowe" (1954), in which Tolly has an encounter with the (only mildly) menacing spectre of a cursed tree. There's also some Christmas shopping, if you can bear the prospect at this time of year and are not sick to the back teeth of shopping.

 My reading of the next part of " The Children of Green Knowe" (1954) by Lucy M Boston. In this part Tolly learns about the malevolent presence of the cursed yew tree Green Noah. Getting back into recording the story after a Christmas hiatus for family members who were staying here (the house is nowhere near big enough to accommodate quiet space for me alongside everyone else).

  My reading of the next section of Lucy Boston's "The Children of Green Knowe" (1954). Tolly finds out about Green Noah and we hear another of Granny's stories about the ghosts and the origin of the flute. The snows begin to melt. A Merry Christmas to those viewers that celebrate it.

  My reading of the 7th part of Lucy Boston's "The Children of Green Knowe" (1954). Tolly has his strongest encounter yet with the ghosts of the past and hears a tale of a little girl and a giant.

  My reading of the next part of "The Children of Green Knowe" by Lucy M Boston (1954). This time hear a not very PC story about a gypsy with an interest in horses from Granny Oldknowe.

  My reading of the next part of Lucy Boston's "The Children of Green Knowe" (1954). This time Tolly gets to meet the ghosts directly and the midwinter snows begin to fall. Came back from town feeling very wheezy, but hopefully it doesn't spoil the story too much.

My reading of the fourth section of Lucy Boston's children's story, "The Children of Green Knowe"(1954). This short section is the story of Toby's horse, Feste, and one of their adventures together.  

  My reading of the third part of Lucy Boston's children's story, "The Children of Green Knowe" (1954). Here Tolly explores the gardens of the gran house and finds all manner of strange things (oh to have a garden with such statuary and topiary in it!). The presence of the spectral children becomes more overt in this part of the tale.

  My reading of the second part of Lucy M Boston's children's story, "The Children of Green Knowe" (1954). This time the hero, Toby or Tolly as you prefer, encounters other parts of the great house including the neglected stables. Plus the wonders of nature are brought further to life. If you can hear snoring in the background, that is my dog - everyone's a critic!

  My reading of the first part of Lucy M Boston's children's classic, "The Children of Green Knowe" (1954). Something to mark the Yuletide season! This is a spectral tale of a young boy discovering his ancestral inheritance - both the house, a forgotten relative, and a host of strange beings. I remember seeing the TV version of this story back in the 1980s. This part of the story is also a rather sad indictment of upper class families back in the day and how they dismally fail to nurture their own offspring. I have opted to pause the story at a slightly arbitrary spot because this first part is very long to record in a single session. I hope to complete the recordings before Christmas Day.

 The Ipswich Pagan Council is hosting an afternoon seminar/discussion to introduce interested newcomers to the different varieties of paganism that can be found in Suffolk. This will take place on Saturday 4th December, 12.30pm at the EEFA Centre on St Helen's Street, Ipswich. It is free to attend, refreshments will be provided (if you want to bring some lunch with you, feel free). We will look at the different traditions, theology, festivals, and moral codes found within various types of paganism. For further details see  Facebook Event for Intro to Paganism

 I have been mulling over the issue of religious writings within ancient paganism for a while now, and finally have the time to get some thoughts down in the hope of starting a conversation that others will chip in on. Whilst it was going on in Judaism well before, Christianity has become prominently associated with the practice of hermeneutics - the study of sacred scripture. Originally it was essentially the same thing as exegesis, but since the concept has secularised hermeneutics includes communications outside of the written text (spoken conversations, political speeches etc.) whilst the term exegesis is retained in the Church for the study of the written word. I want to keep the focus here on the books, poems, and other writings of significance to ancient polytheist cultures more so than modern writings or non-textual sources. That said, there are some works (such as the Havamal) which I strongly believe are best thought of as lyrics or scripts - that is to say, they were per...

 Every year I coordinate a programme of open lectures ad seminars on various topics for the college. Due to covid-19 restrictions we have started to combine live attendance from students with the virtual presence of outside guests. When the technology works, we record them and I will share some of them here. If any blog-readers would like to join events virtually, let me know and I will post the links for Microsoft Teams. The recording here is from a lecture on Carl Jung's use of alchemical imagery to explain the development of the human psyche. The rest of the 2021-22 programme is given below - email me at robin.herne@wsc.ac.uk if you want to receive the links to join in (the time are for the UK, just in case you are tuning in from more distant regions). Tuesday 16 th November, 2pm to 4.30pm (TG1.15) – The Big Three. Robin Herne leads a discussion of the explanations of Life offered by major thinkers in early psychology – Freud, Fromm, & Jung. Monday 29 th November, 2pm...

 A few years ago I recorded Christina Rossetti's 1862 "Goblin Market" poem from an anthology I have. Yesterday a graduate gave me a beautifully illustrated copy of the poem from a 1977 edition of the work, and so felt like recording another version of it. The illustrations, shown in the recording, are by the famed Arthur Rackham - to make it easier to see some of them in full technicolour, I have posted some images into this blog post.  My earlier recording of the poem is actually the most popular post (in terms of viewings) that has gone up on this blog - nobody ever leaves a comment, so I am not sure if there is a big Rossetti fan club out there or if it is people who just really like goblins (or maybe they are goblins who like hearing about themselves). Whatever the case, I hope you enjoy this hauntingly beautiful poem and learn from to be careful of what overly ripe temptations you succumb to in life!      

 Another story to mark Halloween 2021. This is my reading of E F Benson's short story, "The Temple" in which holidaymakers end up regretting their choice of accommodation. It reminds me a little of a holiday cottage I once stayed in. The obsession of earlier centuries with shattering standing stones in order to use them for building projects - much like the soulless Puritans who destroyed large swathes of the Avebury circle - has resulted in quite a few buildings have chunks of defiled temples worked into them. I've not heard off any of the inhabitants of such places having the experiences of Benson's characters, but who knows?

 With Halloween around the corner, this is my reading of Robert Bloch's atmospheric story about 'The Skull of the Marquis de Sade' in which the earthly remains of the infamous libertine exert a corrupting influence on all around. Whether the real de Sade was guilty of half the things he was condemned for is a matter of debate, with some conjecturing that he was mostly just sweaty-minded but spent so much time in prison he probably had few opportunities to indulge his fantasies (which is probably just as well). Bloch is best known for writing the story which became Hitchcock's 'Psycho' film about Norman Bates and his ghastly mother. This short story was made into a film in 1965, starring the wonderful Peter Cushing as Maitland the collector and Christopher Lee as his rival collector of ghoulish curiosa. The film sticks closely to the original story, though Lee's character is renamed. I hope to record a few more stories and perhaps poems between now and Hallow...

  My reading of the final story from Ruth Manning-Sander's book "A Book of Magic Animals" (1974). The last tale is a German one, 'Elsa and the Bear'. It is a variation on Beauty and the Beast, a trope that riles and inspires people in equal numbers. Those who get irked by it often do so because they interpret it as a moralistic story that encourages young girls to marry abusive monsters (of the more human sort) in the naive hope that they can transform them into handsome princes through patience and compassion. Those with a more upbeat view are sometimes just romantics who believe in the power of redemption (as do billions of Christians, of course, though I think it would be stretch plausibility a bit to see Elsa as emblematic of the Holy Spirit or the Shekinah bringing a lost soul back from its bestial state). Others take a more Jungian view that Beauty and the Beast are two sides of the same person - Higher and Lower Selves and that the one can eventually transf...

  My reading of a short story - Bull's Winter House - from the children's anthology "A Book of Magic Animals" by Ruth Manning-Sanders (1974). This is the tenth story in the collection. It is a Russian tale, I am not sure of the vintage but feel it reflects a certain Communist sentiment about selfish freeloaders not pulling together to help the worthy bull - an appropriate animal for a culture fixated on the image of the noble peasant labourer. The ending though does not seem to carry the sanctimonious schadenfreude I would expect of a Communist country so perhaps the outcome reflects the views of Manning-Sanders herself or whoever she initially heard the story from.

  My reading of the first surviving chapter (Agamemnon) of Petronius's vulgar comedy 'Satyrica'. This is widely considered to be the earliest version of a novel, recounting the bawdy adventures of a former gladiator, Encolpius, and his boyfriend Giton. Much of the original work is lost which goes some way to explain why the story tends to jump about all over the place. It is written in the first person, from Encolpius' point of view, as he travels about with Giton and two friends whom he'd probably be better off without. The first few chapters are missing, so this recording picks up with Encolpius some way into his torrid life. Quite what happened earlier is open to speculation, but I assume it involves how the gladiator met Giton and some palaver in which they sowed a lot of coins into the hem of a garment (presumably to hide them) that was then stolen or lost - reappearing in this chapter. Unusually for a Classical work, the characters in the Satyrica are almost e...

 This is a day late, but... here's a story to mark International Dog Day. It's an Armenian myth told about their famous King Ara, given the sobriquet "the Handsome". Such was his charm that the famed Queen Shamiram of Assyria (also called Queen Semiramis) fell obsessively in love with him - the kind of passion that the Greeks used to warn so strongly against. Ara, for reason not made clear, would have none of it. Maybe he simply did not fancy her (though when it comes to royal alliances, sexual attraction is seldom a consideration), maybe he had eyes only for another, maybe he just didn't want to become part of her ambitious schemes. Who can say? Nonetheless, Shamiram would not take no for an answer and waged a war to capture him and force him to her bed. Which rather takes stalking to a whole new level.  If you are wondering what any of this has to do with dogs, they do not appear until the end of the story and you will just have to listen to find out quite what ...

  My recording of the ninth story, 'Jon and his Brothers', in Ruth Manning-Sanders children's anthology "A Book of Magic Animals" (1974). This is a tale from Canada, though quite how they manage to get castles and monarchy into Canada I do not know - presumably the tale was brought to Canada by European settlers. Anyway, we have a talking horse, a menagerie of wild beasts, and the endlessly repeated meme of the youngest brother making good. Not to mention some wicked witch women who enjoy causing mischief for no particular reason (dare say we've all met a few people like that). The prophetic water is an interesting idea and a good way of keeping track of errant relatives.

  My reading of the eighth story in Ruth Manning-Sanders children's anthology "A Book of Magic Animals" (1974). This story is called Little Babette and tells of a little girl who is aided in her grinding poverty by a talking robin (not me) and a strange, shapeshifting animal. This tale also serves as a reminder that writing a will is a thoroughly sensible idea, especially when it comes to protecting loved ones from grasping relatives or the grasping tax man.It's one more thing to add to the endless list of "stuff to complete", my own will being very out of date now.

  My reading of the seventh short story, "The Dolphin", in Ruth Manning-Sanders (1974) children's anthology 'A Book of Magic Animals'. This entry hails from Mallorca and recounts the saga of a rather drippy brother and a much more organised sister whose royalist shenanigans are assisted by the titular talking dolphin. The outcome for the sister is really rather appealling.

  My reading of the sixth story from Ruth Manning-Sander's children's anthology "A Book of Magic Animals" (1974), entitled 'The Small-toothed Dog'. This is basically a British version of Beauty and the Beast with a canine twist. Stories of this trope have come in for some stick in recent years as normalising abusive relationships, giving young girls the fancy that if only endure plenty of beastly behaviour eventually their future husbands will turn int handsome princes. Whilst there is undoubtedly a tendency for people to believing that infinite patience will turn vindictive curmudgeons into romantic figures (an ideal that cuts across gender lines), it seems unfair to blame fairy stories for pushing such an agenda. Colette Dowling blew that idea up out of all proportion and made a mint with her "Cinderella Complex". A Jungian reading would see Beauty and the Beast not as two separate people but as differing aspects of the same person. Whereupon it be...

  My reading of the fifth story from Ruth Manning-Sanders children's anthology "A Book of Magic Animals" (1974) - a curious Russian tale called "Eh, Eh, Tralala!" about a magical cat, a gormless chicken, and a cunning fox. I think I deserve some sort of award for managing to say Little Cock so many times without sniggering. If anyone is wondering what Dracula is doing in a Russian story, I can only assume that he had stopped off for a rest after a long flight.

 The fourth story from Ruth Manning-Sanders children's anthology "A Book of Magic Animals" (1974) is 'Lilla Rosa', a Swedish tale about a princess with the inevitable wicked stepmother who falls victim to various magical shenanigans. Not sure if the linden tree in this story is the original Singing-Ringing Tree of awful, badly dubbed 1970s children's TV fame. It's a frothy piece and I don't want to start reading too much symbolism into it, but the shapeshifting struggle near the end (a common theme in many legends, folk-songs and the like) ca be understood as reflective of the ways people change in response to grief and being caught up in treacherous family dynamics - and how difficult it is for those who love them to hold on to the essence of who that person is amidst the dark times when they seem to have become something alien and frightening.

  My reading of 'Mainu the Frog', the third story in Ruth Manning-Sanders' anthology "A Book of Magic Animals" (1974). This is an African tale - I'm not sure which country because the book does not specify - about a talking frog that acts as go-between to arrange the marriage of a sky maiden to a mortal man. I suspect that magic frogs cannot be any more ineffective than the current fad for dating apps.

 The second story from Ruth Manning-Sanders (1974) anthology "A Book of Magic Animals". This one is a Russian tale (although the names of the main characters do seem especially Russian) in which the youngest of three brothers encounters magical horses, firebirds, a rotten Tsar, talking whales, and magical beings of strange sorts.

  My reading of the first story (The North-west Wind) from Ruth Manning-Sanders anthology "A Book of Magic Animals" (1974). The book was a gift from a friend, Kathryn, who acquired it from the book stall run by another friend, Adam, at Lavenham antique centre This story tells of a talking monkey, an irate French farmer with an outrageous accent, and the House of the Winds. The latter element of the story reminds me a little of Irish myth which accounts for sixteen winds, each with their own colour. Copyright issues permitting, I will endeavour to read more of the stories over the course of the summer holiday - ideally all of them.

 To mark Midsummer I decided to record a reading of Kenneth Grahame's children's story "The Reluctant Dragon". the first few attempts succumbed to technical problems (or possibly the ghost of the author trying to save his tale from being subjected to such ham butchery), but on the third attempt the recording worked.  Grahame was the author of one of my favourite books - Wind in the Willows - and this gentle tale sits within that same world with its love of the British countryside. The story doesn't actually mention midsummer, but it does have a feel about it that goes well with this season of the year. The villagers obsessed with imaginary grievances which they dream up to satiate their desire for a punch-up strikes me as strangely prophetic of the modern world of social media. The wonderful actor Anton Lesser has recorded a far superior version of this story which is well worth tracking down, should you get the chance.

 My new book "Pantheon - the Egyptians" arrived in bookshops in late May. Due to interminable covid restrictions the launch was virtual (though I hope to have a real world one at some stage - watch this space).  This link is for the talk give via Facebook Live, which includes a brief reading from the book and general description of what it is about, as well as a general chat about some of the dynamic tensions to be found with Egyptian mythology and how people in the 21st century can potentially understand them. There is a competition (of sorts) at the end for people who want a free copy. The deadline to get your answer in will be midnight on Sunday 6th June - I will then put all the names in a hat and draw a winner. If anyone is interested in future books, I am currently working on a novel and an idea for a book around philosophy and polytheism. There are also some anthologies which Moon Books is putting out later this year and early next year which include chapters by me - a...

 The other week at work I ran a seminar on Jean Baudrillard's theories around the nature of hyper-reality in a world as immersed in mass media as ours is. Following a few questions and emails afterwards I started musing about how Baudrillard's ideas might apply within modern paganism. I've yet to more towards anything like a cohesive idea on this, but the podcast is part of the reflective process of toying with concepts. Hopefully viewers might provide some feedback and ideas of their own, which will help with reaching something a little more concrete. The French sociologist's ideas are merging in this meander with those of the Australian scholar of religion, Adam Possamai. He draws on a fair amount on Baudrillard and writes about hyper-real religions (ones heavily influenced or based entirely upon works of openly acknowledged fiction). Possamai regards paganism as decidedly hyper-real. On consideration I find myself rather agreeing with him (though I have hopes that th...

 This is my version of the traditional German folktale, included by the Brothers Grimm in one of their collections, about how four elderly farm animals try to start a new life away from the farm and form a musical band. There are a number of versions of this story from around the world, sharing both the comedy elements and also reflections on the ingratitude of humanity.  As well as having something to say about the way animals are maltreated, there is doubtless a hint here of how many downtrodden labourers and servants probably felt about the way they were treated by high-handed employers. How often are people worked to exhaustion and then cast aside as no longer being viable "units"? The statue in the photograph is to be found in the city of Bremen, where is exudes more talent and charisma than many a pop band.

 No, this is not a commentary of the cheesy 2009 movie but my telling of the myth that may possibly have inspired the scriptwriters of that creature feature. The islands of Fiji have many ancient myths including the tale of how the shark deity Dakuwaqa clashed with the octopus deity Rokobakaniceva. I have come across two slightly differing versions of this account, one which favours the shark as the more heroic of the two and one which puts the octopus in the better light. I suspect (though have insufficient knowledge of Fijian religion to say with any certainty) that the two versions may originate from tow different islands - one where the devotees of Dakuwaqa live and the other where the followers of Rokobakaniceva dwell. in matters of faith, human worshippers often take on the function of a Public Relations team promoting their favoured divinity. Whilst I am being flippant, the impact of loyalty and inter-tribal politics has a significant role to play in the recording of mytholo...

 This short story by E F Benson first appeared in 1922 and details a man's childhood recollections and more recent experiences in an isolated Cornish village, where something horrible lurks in the darkness. Apparently this tale was well regarded by the American horror writer H P Lovecraft - for obvious reasons, given the echoes this tale has with that of the New England cosmic horrors. The photograph is a Fendahleen, a creature that appeared in an episode of Dr Who from the 1970s (and scared the life out of me back then). I have no idea if the special effects people responsible for designing the monster costume had read Benson's short story, but the look of the alien horror that Tom Baker did battle with does seem to fit very well with the "pestilence that walketh in the darkness". In other news, thanks all the Gods that the barber shops have reopened!

 This is my reading of the prolific novelist E F Benson's beautiful short story "The Man Who Went Too Far", in which an artist shares his philosophy about the pursuit of joy and the worship of Pan as the embodiment of all that is wondrous and free in the world. The inset photo shows the author as a young man - maybe this is what the fictional character of Frank would look rather like.  Benson is better know these days for his comedic novels about the rivalry between two wealthy society matrons, Mapp and Lucia, forever feuding for social status in the market town of Tilling and beyond. You can enjoy the story in and of itself, or take it in conjunction with the philosophical waffle below the video link.... This story exists in an intertextual network of other works of fiction featuring the Greek deity Pan. There are definite echoes here of "Wind n the Willows" (published a couple of years earlier than the anthology in which this tale first appears) with the wonde...

 Here are the video links to Leaping Hare 2021, which is virtual due to the pandemic. The initial video should automatically lead to the next recording, but in case there are any gremlins I have included the rest of the URLs below. “Introduction” - https://youtu.be/7sY2Hi6mSWA “Altered States” talk by Jo van der Hoeven - https://youtu.be/D7-SLafLIdA “Wolf Song” music by Carys - https://youtu.be/_DKslE4Z_uQ “Too Jung to Die” talk by Robin Herne - https://youtu.be/OacH-dS4DQk “Gods Just Wanna Have Fun” talk by Nick Ford - https://youtu.be/r3qEmwRTPQ4 “Pathways to Initiation” talk by Johnathan Boddam-Whetham - https://youtu.be/jJDNap8cqOI “The Dagda’s Harp” storytelling with Clan Ogma - https://youtu.be/XaNzUY40CIc “Thanks and Farewell” - https://youtu.be/JaB3CwfgFus   Please make a donation to one or more of our good causes: Hedgehog Havens - http://www.hedgehoghavenessex.co.uk/pages/ East Anglian Children's Hospice - https://www.each.org.uk/ Colchest...

 It's World Book Day so I have plucked some books off the shelves to share a few stories and a poem with you. In order of appearance they are: "King of Lies" from an anthology called Children of the Salmon, by Eileen O'Faolain (a collection of Irish legends and folk tales. "River God", a poem by Stevie Smith in the Penguin Poetry collection. "The Widow's Son" from an anthology called Twenty Folk and Fairy Tales from East to West, collated by Charles Folkard (this one would give a Jungian a field day in analysing its symbolism, and probably give a feminist apoplexy). The story is originally Greek, though the setting  does not make this obvious. "The Tale of the Parasite", from The Book of the Thousand Nights and One - the stories of Shahrazad. This version is translated by Powys Mathers from an earlier version by J C Mardrus.

 It's St David's day, so here is a short tale about another saint with Welsh connections. Collen was a warrior-monk who served as abbot of Glastonbury for some years before getting tired of it and seeking the solace of hermitage in a cavern partway up the Tor. This did not last long as he had failed to ask permission of Gwynn app Nudd who held court at the top of the famous mound. It all came to a head and Collen decided that Glastonbury was no longer for him. This story picks up from that juncture, where God guides the hermit to find a new sanctuary after a long pilgrimage on foot and then by horse. The meandering equine takes him to Bwlch Rhiwfelen, which would eventually be renamed after its new resident at Llangollen, not far from Wrexham. All would have been fine had Collen learned his lesson and actually asked permission of the resident Presence - in this case a carnivorous giantess, Cares (which translates as Dear One, an unusual epithet for so frightening a being - thou...

 Today is February 15th which, in the Ancient Roman calendar, was the festival of Lupercalia on which the wolf deities were honoured. This story is Irish rather than Roman, but gives due honour to the power of lupines. Irish texts differ a little as to the names of characters, but the key points in the story have consistence - the queen has a prophetic dream about her descendants, the king dies at the hands of the treacherous Lugaid MacConn, and his wife flees for her life only to give birth and for the infant to be raised by wolves. In this respect there is an echo to the Roman myth that forms the core of Lupercalia, which also relates to wolves rearing lost human infants.  This could be regarded as a totemic story in which the people of Cormac become associated with wolves - perhaps an older understanding of the story would have seen them as having a long-term association with lupines.

  My reading of the final, tenth, chapter of "Puck of Pook's Hill" by Rudyard Kipling (1906). This time the children meet the shade of a Jewish doctor and accountant. Not the most politically correct delineation of a Jewish character ever written, but the character plays a subtly heroic role in this final tale-within-the-tale. Worth bearing in mind that "The Song of the Fifth River" was published in 1906 (presumably written a little earlier than that) and that Israel was not proclaimed as a nation state until Ben-Gurion did so in 1948 - so when Kipling composed it no Jewish person was metaphorical king of their own nation. I cannot find a musical version of that poem. There is a musical version of "The Children's Song" by an amateur composer, but I'm not including it here because the tune was just painful to listen to.

  My reading of the ninth chapter of "Puck of Pook's Hill" by Rudyard Kipling (1906). We find out more about Old Hobden (as much land-wight as human) and his mysterious friend Tom. A musical version of " The Bee Boy's Song " at the start of the chapter was composed by Peter Bellamy. The " Three Part Song " which appears at the end of the chapter is sung here by Jackie Oates.

 A traditional Chinese story about how cattle came to Earth from the heavenly realms, to mark the Year of the Ox. Apologies to anyone who actually speaks Mandarin properly for my hatchet job in trying to say Happy New Year at the end. The spirit is willing, even if the tongue is flabby. There are quite a few tales from around the world about beings who serve as messengers from the divine realms, which I dare say could form the basis for a talk or general musing at some stage. When (if) my brain comes back to life, I will come back tt he ideas that are lurking in the unconscious. 

  My reading of the eighth chapter of "Puck of Pook's Hill" by Rudyard Kipling (1906). This time the children meet with an architect and hear tales of pirates (and yes, I did accidentally say Suffolk instead of Sussex at one point, but could not be bothered to record the whole thing all over again.) There does not appear to be a musical version of "Hal o' the Draft" as heard at the beginning of the chapter, but there is a musical rendition of " A Smuggler's Song " which appears at the end. This is by Robin Jeffrey and Tim Laycock.

  My reading of the seventh chapter of "Puck of Pook's Hill" by Rudyard Kipling (1906). The centurion continues his tale of life up on Hadrian's Wall. There is a musical version of " A Pict Song ", which ends this chapter, by Emerald Rose. Their lyrics are slightly different from Kipling's original verses.

  My reading of the sixth chapter of "Puck of Pook's Hill" by Rudyard Kipling (1906). In this instalment, the children are further regaled by the adventures of the Roman centurion - this time with a sage of life on Hadrian's Wall. There is a musical version of " A Song to Mithras " which appears at the end of this chapter. This is produced by Griffin Distribution. The same company also do a musical version of the song at the start, untitled in the book but called " Rimini " by the singer. The site does not give the names of the specific singers or instrumentalists.

 My reading of the fifth chapter of "Puck of Pook's Hill" by Rudyard Kipling (1906). The children encounter the shade of a Roman centurion who tells them about life in his era and how he came to join the army. No attempt at song this time but, if you would like to hear a musical version of the poem " Cities and Thrones and Powers " at the beginning of the chapter, then Peter Bellamy created one. I cannot find a musical rendition for "A British-Roman Song" that ends the chapter.

 The saga continues with a further account from the ghost of Sir Richard about dark dealings in the days of Norman England (with one poem, no singing! That said, Leslie Fish has created a musical setting for the Runes on Weland's Sword ).

 My reading of the third chapter of "Puck of Pook's Hill" by Rudyard Kipling (1906). This time the children have a return visit with Sir Richard for tales of daring-do at sea. I've given up trying to sing (be grateful for small mercies) and settled for discordant recitation. Puck is less prominent in this chapter. The more politically correct listeners might want to stopper up their ears at the use of some racial terms that are very much of their Edwardian day. The two songs that bookend this chapter can be listened to with renderings by proper singers, this is a lovely version of Harp Song of the Dame Women  by Wendy Stewart (which should obviously be sung by a woman, or a chorus of them, and not by me) and here a nice sea shanty version of Thorkild's Song by Peter Bellamy.

 This is my reading of the second chapter of Rudyard Kipling's "Puck of Pook's Hill" in which the children are introduced to the shade of a Norman knight from the 11th century. Having made ears bleed with my attempts at singing in the first chapter, I've avoided the temptation here.  There is a musical version of Sir Richard's Song which I found that people might prefer to listen to (I didn't attempt to recreate the tune in my reading here), with Michael Kelly singing .

 To cheer up a student who is very unwell, here is my reading of the first chapter of Puck of Pook's Hill by Rudyard Kipling (1906) replete with godawful silly voices and tuneless crooning - it can scarcely be called singing - of Kipling's song-poems that frame the chapter. Several folksingers have set some of Kipling's songs to music and given a proper chunky-knit sweater version of them of various music channels. I can add links if anyone would like to hear the at some point.

 An anonymous poem written originally in Old Irish, which was in circulation between 600 and 900 CE is dedicated to Saint Brigit and extols her various titles and the virtues they represent. That this is a Christian saint is indicated via the line that refers to her as Daughter of Dubhtach, the father of the future abbess of Kildare as mentioned in her hagiography. The other lines of the poem could as easily be about the goddess Brigid to whom the imagery of the saint is so closely related. it may well be that audiences hearing this poem at its inaugural reading might have struggled to distinguish one from the other - and in some cases not even regarded there as being much difference. The theological demarcations of today were not necessarily seen as all that important well over a millennia ago. Even the clearly Christian references to her as being the Heaven-King's sister and having reached Holy Heaven could be seen as remembrances of pagan Brigid as sibling to divine figures such...