Archives: Digital Events

Beyond Sawney Bean: Scottish Cannibal Families – Fact, Fiction or Propaganda? – Geoff Holder – Zoom

Beyond Sawney Bean: Scottish Cannibal Families – Fact, Fiction or Propaganda?

Explore several cases of cannibalism from Scottish history, which may not be all that they seem.

Did three Scottish fathers from different centuries feed their families by killing and eating unsuspecting wayfarers during times of war and famine? According to the historical records they did. But were these stories actual reportage? Tall tales? Or even anti-Scottish propaganda? Join author Geoff Holder as he tries to uncover the ghastly truth or despicable lies behind these episodes reported from Dundee, Perth and Ayrshire. Expect a good deal of vile unpleasantness. And as a bonus, learn the story of a genuine nineteenth-century Scottish cannibal lass!

Bio

Geoff Holder is a Welsh author and screenwriter. He has published more than 30 books on the paranormal and general weirdness, including Zombies From History, 101 Things to Do With a Stone Circle, Poltergeist over Scotland, Scottish Bodysnatchers and The Guide to the Mysterious Lake District. He writes folk-horror screenplays and genre-mashup novels from a 300-year-old allegedly haunted house in deepest France and likes dogs and music with rocks in it.

Curated & Hosted by

Marguerite Johnson is a cultural historian of the ancient Mediterranean, specialising in sexuality and gender, particularly in the poetry of Sappho, Catullus, and Ovid, as well as magical traditions in Greece, Rome, and the Near East. She also researches Classical Reception Studies, with a regular focus on Australia. In addition to ancient world studies, Marguerite is interested in sexual histories in modernity as well as magic in the west more broadly, especially the practices and art of Australian witch, Rosaleen Norton. She is Honorary Professor of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Queensland, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

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Great Pan is Dead? 21st century television and film, ecohorror, and the Old Gods – Dr Katy Soar – Zoom

Great Pan is Dead? 21st century television and film, ecohorror, and the Old Gods

A quick glance at 21st century screen schedules might suggest that when it comes to the old gods, Thamus’ message was correct – the great god Pan is dead. There are few examples of television or film representations of the goat-horned god, and his representation within these examples are varied. When it comes to themes of folk horror and the eco-gothic, Pan is conspicuous by his absence, particularly in comparison to his earlier literary representations. Conversely, and admittedly again few in number, when it comes to representing the eco-gothic or eco-horror through the medium of the old gods, Cernunnos has become a more familiar figure. In this talk I will explore the 21st century screen representations of both of these gods, to consider why there may have been a move from Pan to Cernunnos as the go-to ‘old god’ for this medium.

Bio

Katy Soar is a Senior Lecturer in Classical Archaeology at the University of Winchester. Her research areas include Greek archaeology (especially the Bronze Age of the Aegean), the history and reception of archaeology, and the relations between archaeology and folk horror. She is the co-editor (with Amara Thornton) of Strange Relics: Stories of Archaeology and the Supernatural, 1895-1954 (Handheld Press), the editor of the British Library ‘Tales of the Weird’ volume Circles of Stone: Strange Tales of Pagan Sites and Ancient Rites, and a frequent contributor to the magazine Hellebore.

Curated & Hosted by

Marguerite Johnson is a cultural historian of the ancient Mediterranean, specialising in sexuality and gender, particularly in the poetry of Sappho, Catullus, and Ovid, as well as magical traditions in Greece, Rome, and the Near East. She also researches Classical Reception Studies, with a regular focus on Australia. In addition to ancient world studies, Marguerite is interested in sexual histories in modernity as well as magic in the west more broadly, especially the practices and art of Australian witch, Rosaleen Norton. She is Honorary Professor of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Queensland, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

Caption: Gundestrup boiler, inside Description Gundestrup boiler, inner plates, Y.FRJ, Rævemosen, Ålborg County. Creative Commons.

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Seances and the Female Medium in British Cinema – a Zoom talk with Icy Sedgwick – Zoom

Victorian Spiritualism offered women a tantalising glimpse of freedom through the financial earning power and social status provided to popular mediums. Indeed, while male mediums did exist and regularly toured Britain, it is the figure of the female medium that has characterised how we view these seance leaders in contemporary popular culture. Michelle Yeoh plays one such figure in the latest Poirot film, A Haunting in Venice. This talk will explore how the female medium has been represented in a selection of British films, including The Stone Tape, Quatermass and the Pit, and The Others.

 

Icy Sedgwick has recently completed a PhD exploring the representation of the haunted house in contemporary Hollywood horror films. She runs the Fabulous Folklore podcast, investigating European folklore and its appearances in popular culture. In case she tires of the research, Icy also writes dark fantasy and Gothic horror fiction.

Your host for this event will be the writer Edward Parnell, author of Ghostland: In Search of a Haunted Country. Ghostland, a work of narrative non-fiction, is a moving exploration of what has haunted our writers and artists – as well as the author’s own haunted past; it was shortlisted for the PEN Ackerley 2020 prize, an award given to a literary autobiography of excellence. Edward’s first novel The Listeners (2014), won the Rethink New Novels Prize. He recently edited Eerie East Anglia: Fearful Tales of Field and Fen (2024) for the British Library’s Tales of the Weird series. For further info see:
https://edwardparnell.com

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[Photo: a publicity still from the 1964 British crime thriller Seance on a Wet Afternoon]

Arthur Conan Doyle’s Tales of the Supernatural – by James Machin – Zoom

Best known as the creator of the arch-rationalist Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) also had a deep fascination with the supernatural, which found expression in his eerie, Gothic fiction. This talk delves into the spectral terror, weird horror, and occult intrigue of Doyle’s lesser-known stories in the genre. His fascination with the supernatural shaped his fiction throughout his career, from early tales of Arctic fright and ancient curses to later works exploring spiritualism, psychic phenomena, and the limits of human perception. Beyond the page, Doyle’s unwavering belief in the unseen – particularly spiritualism – became a defining aspect of his public life during his later years, drawing admiration from spiritualist circles but controversy from elsewhere.

Join us for an evening of spectral visitations, haunted minds, and the blurred line between science and faith.

 

James Machin is an editor, researcher, and writer who lives in Tring. Recent books include British Weird: Selected Short Fiction, 1893–1937 for Handheld Press – and his short fiction has been published in Supernatural Tales, The Shadow Booth, and Weirdbook. His edition of Conan Doyle’s 1895 novel The Stark Munro Letters for Edinburgh University Press was published in 2024 and he has since commenced work in his next volume in the same series, Conan Doyle’s 1908 collection of ‘grotesque’ tales, Round the Fire Stories. More information about the Edinburgh Conan Doyle Project can be found here:
https://edinburgh-conan-doyle.org/

Your host for this event will be the writer Edward Parnell, author of Ghostland: In Search of a Haunted Country. Ghostland, a work of narrative non-fiction, is a moving exploration of what has haunted our writers and artists – as well as the author’s own haunted past; it was shortlisted for the PEN Ackerley 2020 prize, an award given to a literary autobiography of excellence. Edward’s first novel The Listeners (2014), won the Rethink New Novels Prize. He recently edited Eerie East Anglia: Fearful Tales of Field and Fen (2024) for the British Library’s Tales of the Weird series. For further info see:
https://edwardparnell.com

 

Don’t worry if you can’t make the talk live on the night – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day

Atomic Albion – Tom Bolton – Zoom

 

Photo: Trawsfynydd Power station, Tom Bolton.


Walking Britain’s Nuclear Power Stations

With his new book Atomic Albion, Tom Bolton journeys to the margins. Britain has sixteen nuclear power stations. Most go under the radar, but their presence is enormous, both physically and culturally. They divide opinion like nothing else. Are they relics of a past era, or a crucial part of our futures? Are they cathedrals of science or temples of doom? Tom’s talk will discuss his travels in search of nuclear power station, from the Essex marshes to the Anglesey coast, from the Dungeness shingle to the far north of Scotland, he explores how nuclear sites shape the places around them, and enters the occult world of nuclear power.

About the speaker

Tom Bolton writes about place and culture, architecture and landscape. His latest book, Atomic Albion, is published in Autumn 2025 by Strange Attractor Press. He has published five books: London’s Lost Rivers: A Walker’s Guide Volumes 1 and 2 (Strange Attractor, 2011 & 2019), Vanished City (Strange Attractor, 2013), Camden Town: Dreams of Another London (British Library Publications, 2017) and Low Country (Penned in the Margins, 2018), the latter shortlisted for the New Angles Prize. He works in architecture and urban design, and has a PhD on London’s railway terminals. He also writes on theatre and music for publications including Plays International and The Quietus.

Don’t worry if you can’t make the live event on the night – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day.

 

 

Scott Cunningham – The Path Taken –  Christine Ashworth – Zoom

The life and legacy of author, herbalist and pagan trailblazer Scott Cunningham

In his all too brief lifetime, Scott Cunningham (1956-1993) wrote over 16 books which beteeen them changed the way that pagans, wiccans and occultists practiced and thought about their craft. Over thirty years after his death, his books remain hugely influential .

Tonight, join his sister, author Christine Cunningham Ashworth for an intimate talk and Q&A about Scott, inspired by her acclaimed book Scott Cunningham – The Path Taken. Discover the personal stories behind his beloved works and gain insight into the man who shaped modern Pagan literature.

” Here you will learn how Scott, writing in the 1970s and 80s, felt he had to live in two closets, both as a gay man and as a witch. Still, he legitimized solitary witchcraft by helping individuals ‘remember’ the natural, everyday practice of magic; he made Wicca, its knowledge, and essential practices, available to everyone.”
–Mary K. Greer, author of Women of the Golden Dawn and Archetypal Tarot

About the Speaker

Christine Ashworth’s biography of her brother, Scott Cunningham – The Path Taken – Honoring the Life and Legacy of a Wiccan Trailblazer, was published in September 2023 by Red Wheel/Weiser Books. You can find her at ChristineAshworth.com.

Don’t worry if you can’t make the live event on the night – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day.

 

 

International Women Day Special – Witches and Bitches – Lena Heide-Brennand

International Women Day Special – Witches and Bitches

“Huldre, witches, and bitches – Views on women through the ages.” It’s quite peculiar , but women have always posed a bit of a challenge for society throughout all eras. Just think of the philosophical discussions the ancient Greeks had many centuries before our era, where respected men in society gathered to speculate on whether women could actually be categorized as human beings or merely as bothersome creatures. They concluded that women should not be taken seriously. The perception of women has changed countless times through the ages. Women have been seductresses, nightmares, huldre, witches, and bitches. They have been labelled hysterical beings destined to stay within the walls of the home, dedicating their lives to their husbands, children, and the household. Women have changed politics, academia, finance, and the workforce. They have been the muses of art, the goddesses of the catwalk, and the eternal headache of the conservative patriarchy. Welcome to an informative and entertaining lecture where we dive into the history of the societal role of the woman and the development of the feminist movement.

Bio:

Lena Schattenherz Heide-Brennand is a Norwegian lecturer with a master degree in language, culture and literature from the University of Oslo and Linnaeus University. She has been lecturing and teaching various subjects since 1998. Her field of interest and main focus has always been topics that others have considered strange, eccentric and eerie, and she has specialised in a variety of dark subjects linked to folklore, mythology and Victorian traditions and medicine. Her students often point out her thorough knowledge about the subjects she is teaching, in addition to her charismatic appearance. She refers to herself as a performance lecturer and always gives her audience an outstanding experience, Lena’s New Book – Mythical Creatures in Scandinavian Folklore is now available on Amazon

don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day

The Gods of Egypt – RavenRissy – Zoom

The Gods of Egypt

Ancient Egypt! Mysteries and wonder! Hieroglyphs, mummies, kings, pharaohs and the Book of the Dead, but all of this would not be possible without the Gods! This lecture will give an overview of the different types of Egyptian Gods, where they lived when visiting earth and how the Gods were depicted. RavenRissy will share a glimpse into the life of an Ancient Egyptian and how the ideology took a drastic turn for a period of time with the Amarna Period, all the way from sunny Brisbane Australia.

Speaker Bio

RavenRissy has a degree in Graphic Design, as well as a BA in the Art and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, specializing in Egyptology, Art History and Archaeology. She has studied internationally in Cyprus, Italy, and Germany. RavenRissy has over 15+ years of experience working within Paganism and Mythology. She is the founder of the Pagan Folk band Hem Netjer, founder of Pagan Folk Nights event group, co-founder of Wyld Women’s Weekend, May Queen, featured in the book Spinning Wyrd and has studied at Magic Universities based in Scandinavia, Latin America and Europe. She is an accomplished artist, musician, author, lecturer. RavenRissy is currently teaching classes privately. You can find RavenRissy at: https://linktr.ee/RavenRissy

Hosted & Curated by:

Lena Schattenherz Heide-Brennand is a Norwegian lecturer with a master degree in language, culture and literature from the University of Oslo and Linnaeus University. She has been lecturing and teaching various subjects since 1998. Her field of interest and main focus has always been topics that others have considered strange, eccentric and eerie, and she has specialised in a variety of dark subjects linked to folklore, mythology and Victorian traditions and medicine. Her students often point out her thorough knowledge about the subjects she is teaching, in addition to her charismatic appearance. She refers to herself as a performance lecturer and always gives her audience an outstanding experience, Lena’s New Book – Mythical Creatures in Scandinavian Folklore is now available on Amazon

don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day

Medieval Graffiti – with Wayne Perkins

Medieval Graffiti: Apotropaic Symbols & Ritual Protection Marks

Surveys undertaken by the author have recorded a fascinating corpus of medieval and historic graffiti which includes compass-drawn circles, ‘Marian’ marks, pentangles & saltires, all of which will be discussed in this illustrated talk.

Many of the marks are so-called ‘ritual protection marks’ – also known as ‘apotropaics’ (from the Greek, ‘to turn away evil’) – whose purpose was to defend the buildings against evil spirits and to confer good luck. This graffiti spans the entire medieval period but appears to peak between AD 1650 –1850, the time of the so-called ‘witch craze’ in Europe. Recent re-evaluation of these marks has revealed many more subtleties and diverse meanings than hitherto imagined, and we’ll explore them tonight.

The talk will begin with examples culled from the medieval buildings of England, then expand the discussion to compare the corpus of graffiti with international examples.

About the Speaker

Wayne Perkins is an archaeologist of 23 years with a special interest in apotropaic graffiti, folklore and concealed objects recovered from ancient buildings.

Don’t worry if you can’t make the live event on the night – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day.