A Collection Of Pagan Folk Songs

Introduction

The month of May has inspired a couple of poems by me featuring The Green Man and Jack In the Green, and you can read the latter here and the former is linked in that poem.

I have been scouring my record collection and the net for pagan folk songs and found this blog post with the six most pagan traditional folk songs and some modern pagan folk songs. These are both from the Green Man Blog.

Both posts have links to the actual songs but they are not embedded.

I have also come across many Nordic folk song performances as well, but I will not plagiarise these two excellent lists which are most definitely worth investigating.

I also found this excellent Pagan Folk Song list which will give me a few selections:

The songs I feature here will have no electrification. "Jack In The Green" is unaccompanied. They take the seasonal reawakening of the flora and fauna, as well as forest gods and nature gods and creatures.

Paganism encompasses a diverse community with some groups concentrating on specific traditions, practices or elements such as ecology, witchcraft, Celtic traditions or certain gods. Wiccans, Druids, Shamans, Sacred Ecologists, Odinists and Heathens all make up parts of the Pagan community. expand all.

This is the BBC Page

And the Wiki Page:

And so to the songs

FAUN - "Hymn to Pan"

This is the first song that I found, and reminds me a little of Clannad. It does make you feel you are in a magical realm.

Magpie Lane - "Jack In The Green / Jack's Alive"

"Jack In The Green" is an unaccompanied performance and the second is an instrumental piece.

The first version was printed in Wilson's "Companion to the Ballroom (1816). The seconed was played by morris musicians at Badby in Northamptonshire but also turns up in "Tunes for the Violin" a manuscript tune book belonging to Dorset fiddler Thomas Hardy, father of the novelist.

XTC - "GreenMan" From "Apple Venus"

This is not an acoustic piece, but is perfect for the general concept of this playlist and is full of dark magical beauty. The video is also incredible as well.

Midsommar - Maypole Dance

This is a sequence from the film, and the music almost makes me think of The Wicker Man and all the darkness that it brings with it.

FAUN feat. Lindy-Fay Hella (of Wardruna) - "Galdra"

Some great quotes about this amazing song:

Einar Selvik: "The songs of the old ways are gone, we have to make new ones, that's the whole point"

Its crazy how when i listen to music by bands like this when i dont even speak the language whether irs in german or the bands that do it in old norse. I can feel it in my European soul. We must remember our roots no matter where in the world we are now.

Wardruna - "Rotlaust tre fell"

This is a very percussive and heavy chant. It is relentless but very impressive.

By Odin's beard, I legit can't stop listening to this. The amount of emotion and passion Einar puts into this, especially the "At liv skal du spinne, at liv skal du tvinne, at liv skall du binde, binde til rota" part and the last bit where he lets out the absolute energy, it's just magnificent. Thank you Einar and Wardruna for this absolutely beautiful music.

Loreena McKennitt - "Caravanserai"

Why is this a masterpiece? Because everything is perfect: the scenery is more beautiful than any concert hall in the world. Musicians: by the best of their own. The rhythm and the melody make me travel to Arabian territories. Loreena has the unique talent to modernise, universalise and enrich ancient tunes. My only problem is...to come back To the real world when the song is over. Lorreena, carry on! Don't stop the caravan!