Round the Herne

 All five parts of my reading of Forrest Reid's supernatural teen romance "The Garden God" (1905). This is a somewhat controversial work, when it was published same-sex romances were illegal and, whilst there is no sex and it is all sighing and gazing rather than anything else, it was still incendiary ground for any author to tread upon. Even today the work is challenging, given that the main characters in the flashback sequences are about 16-years old. Teen romance novels have become very popular of late, but some of us are sufficiently old and crusty that we would sooner ignore adolescent crushes! However, this work follows the same intensely lyrical style that Oscar Wilde adopted, including the same great love of Greek mythology that weaves throughout this short story, and the vivid embrace of nature imagery. Reid, like his fellow Irishman Wilde, was clearly deeply wedded to the countryside. The supernatural elements are low-key, mostly centred around the possibility t...

 A short-ish philosophical musing on the Ancient Greek understanding of time and how it relates to two deities, Kronos and Caerus. It would be interesting to hear people's views about the nature of time and particularly the issue about whether brief good times can outweigh long bad times in the qualitative Caerus-sense.

 This is a recording made today or a story that I told along with other members of Clan Ogma (druid group that also does annual storytelling) at the Leaping Hare pagan convention in Colchester. Hard to credit, I know, but the accents were even less convincing at the live performance than they are in this recording. Judging from the feedback for the convention, everyone seems to have had a good day and are all looking forward to next year's event.

Continuing the whimsy to a third chapter of this serialised (and outrageously derivative) YA fantasy, I am quite enjoying this even if nobody else is, so might go to at least a fourth chapter if I can settle on a name for the villain of the piece. CHAPTER 1 is here CHAPTER 2 is here  (if you haven't already read them) CHAPTER 3   Catriona sat at the long wooden table in the Refectory staring at the empty plate and wishing that her head would stop spinning. She didn’t think that she’d ever has to get used to so many shocks in a single day. She had screamed hysterically at the sight of Kai transforming into a dog, only stopping when he sauntered across and licked her face. After that the screaming had turned into equally hysterical giggling. Eventually Dylan explained that everyone is Kai’s family was capable of transforming into dogs. Whilst not common, he outlined how a fair number of people who lived within the Veil were able to shapeshift. The stories of selkies, werew...

  My reading of the final chapter of Gore Vidal's "Julian" (1962) and a reflection on some of the themes in the novel and what it has to say about society both then and now. It's an excellent book, highly recommended and, like all great works, stimulates more questions than it answers. Without spoiling anything, this final chapter is a reflection by one of the key figures in the book on life after the Emperor Julian has died and Christianity reasserted itself. Even though it was penned in 1962, this book raises issues that are still relevant in 2024.

 The River Styx of Greek mythology is referred to by some ancient writers as the "Dread River of Oath", a suitably poetic image to inspire a few thoughts on the symbolism of both goddess and river within Greek religion and the nature of oath making.

 I was interviewed by Victoria Young Bennison for her American radio programme Fika United Public Radio on 107.7FM and 105.3FM, which mainly broadcasts in the New Orleans are. The first interview took place in February and was about my Magic of Wolves book: https://soundcloud.com/uprn/fika-with-vicky-author-robin-herne-the-magic-of-wolves-bard-song This was then followed up in April with an interview about Pantheon - the Egyptians book and A Dangerous Place crime anthology. It was an enjoyable experience being able to explore lots of ideas - not just talk about the books https://soundcloud.com/uprn/fika-with-vicky-author-robin-herne-returns-pantheon-the-egyptians-a-dangerous-place Discussing a third interview over the summer, so I guess the listener feedback must be fairly good!

 This reflection on the ethics of storytelling was prompted by a discussion on a radio broadcast that I took part in the other week. This considers some of the moral issues that might impact on the stories that people tell around the camp fire.

 The video is a reflection on the story of Demeter and her daughter Kore (later Persephone) from a Jungian point of view. This is primarily as a basis for discussion in the Suffolk Jungian Circle at the end of the month but, as ever, it might be of some interest to others as well. I have included reflections on how the myth can be understood and applied in psychological contexts from the viewpoints of Kore, her mother Demeter, and her eventual husband Hades.

 Yesterday I held a launch party to mark the release of my fifth book with Moon Books (sole authored ones, not including the various anthologies I have contributed chapters towards) - The Magic of Wolves. The book, which can be ordered via any bookshop of online, covers the mythology and folklore of wolves and werewolves alike, looking at Irish, Welsh, Norse, Greek, Roman, Slavic, Japanese, Indian and other cultural traditions. It also looks at natural history, fairy stories, films, and magical practices involving lupines. I gave a talk at the book launch, which I have now also recorded as an audio for people to listen to below. If anyone fancies a signed copy, I will be selling copies of the book at various events during the year, such as the Leaping Hare convention in March. I am currently working on finishing the sixth book and also contemplating a future book about the ogam alphabet and its symbolism.

 A reflection on a variety of issues from a polytheist perspective - linking the notion of worship (from the Anglo-Saxon weorth-scip) to Max Weber's ideas on religious value systems, medical ethics and the boundaries of Beauchamp and Childress's philosophising around moral values in medicine.

 This poem was written yesterday, to occupy my mind whilst at a very boring event, for an Interfaith gathering that now appears to have been postponed. Normally these events have some centralised theme, but this one does not appear to have any such focus to it so I decided to write a poem instead of the usual somewhat dry historical/theological overviews that I normally given when invited to Interfaith functions. Hoping this will give an emotional flavour of paganism (as I experience it) instead of an academic grasp. I'm not sure if the poem will ever get read at the event (given some ongoing issues), so thought I'd record it here just to get my mind away from work and various domestic burdens. 

 Not what the title may lead you to expect, but some poems - some of which I shared at the Wolfshead Pagan camp this weekend past and others which I would have shared had we not all nearly died of heatstroke from the excessive weather! The two of my mine are 'Song of the Wolf Clan' and 'Sigyn's Burden' from the Moon Poets anthology (edited by Trevor Greenfield) whilst the two by Hilary Llewellyn-Williams are 'The Song of Blodeuwedd on May Morning' and 'Muin' from her collection Hummadruz. Finally, the poem by Cathal O' Searcaigh is 'Hound of Ulster' from his collection Homecoming.

 A few random thoughts about Carl Jung's notion of participation mystique and how it can link into animism, paganism, and the creative arts. It would be interesting to hear other views and experiences around this topic (especially what might pretentiously be called the "death of art", touched on towards the end of the video).

 Very chuffed today - advance copies of my next book (The Magic of Wolves) arrived today. Copies will be hitting the bookshelves in February 2024 and I will organise a launch party at that time. It will retail for £8.99. The book covers lupine mythology from around the world, suggesting ways in which those stories can be understood, linking to ritual and celebratory calendars - ideal for anyone who is a wolf-lover, a storyteller, a mythology devotee, or a werewolf. This is the culmination of a lifelong obsession with wolves, I just wish the book could have been bigger and included all the stories which I had to leave out. Moon Books has created a whole series of "Magic of..." books about various animals, each by a different author.

  My reading of John Masefield's first chapter of his children's book "The Box of Delights" (1935), ready for Yule 2022 - I hope to finish all the chapters before the solstice, life and technology permitting. It is a charming and festive tale, dressed about with hints of paga magic alongside Christian theology that I first encountered via the TV series some decades ago. The nook cover also features a still from the TV series featuring Patrick Trought as the old wizard Hawlings.

 My spin on a popular notion found in Slavic folklore about the wolf-herder (identified in Christianity with various saints, including Andrew and Nicholas - Romanian lore favours the former). In pagan tradition, the figure is often thought of as the god Dabog. The holy night of the saint is when the herder predicts what each wolf will eat in the coming year. The relevance of the pretzels is a mystery to me, but might make more sense to someone far more familiar with ancient Slavic religion than I am. The image of the herder of wolves is a very evocative one and is examined in a chapter in my forthcoming book "The Magic of Wolves" (which can be pre-ordered via Moon Books!). 

 As previously mentioned, I gave the Annual Faith Lecture at the university campus in Ipswich, talking about animism and paganism and their involvement with environmentalism. The talk lasted an hour and the questions after were about half as much again. I made a recording of the talk, as near as I could remember it. Hopefully it might prove of interest to at least some subscribers to this blog.

  Lecture - Tuesday 17th May, 6pm in Lecture Theatre #1 at the Waterfront Building, Ipswich Modern forms of Paganism have undergone a revival in the last century, drawing on the polytheist and animist religions of the ancient world for their inspiration and world view (though often blended with ideas from a variety of other sources). Many, perhaps the majority, of modern pagans feel a reverence for the natural world and a wish to restore the damage done by increasing industrialisation and population growth. This talk examines some of the major influences on the development of Paganism, the relationship with the environmental movements, and how an animist worldview shapes an understanding of the Land, the living beings we share it with, the realm of spirits, and our respective duties towards them. Biography Robin Herne is the Route Leader for Sociology and Criminology at West Suffolk College, having previously been the Lead for Religious Studies and Ethics there. He regularly contri...

 A couple of people who had missed the start of the Leaping Hare convention last Saturday asked if I would record a version of my talk on the Royal Myth of Egypt. I've tried to keep to the same length as at the convention and as close to identical topics. This is a reflection on the myth of the feuding brothers and the trials and tribulations faced by their sister in restoring her beloved. If these topics are of any interest to readers (both of you), let me know and I will explore further in future. Tomorrow, Sunday 3rd, I will be giving a talk on the Egyptian concepts of Ma'at and Isfet at an MBS fair being held at Kegrave Community Centre - I shall be talking at 1pm, if anyone fancies coming along to listen.