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The Dead of Winter

The Demons, Witches and Ghosts of Christmas

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The Dead of Winter

By: Sarah Clegg
Narrated by: Antonia Beamish
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About this listen

THE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

As winter comes and the hours of darkness overtake the light, we seek out warmth, good food, and good company. But beneath the jollity and bright enchantment of the festive season, there lurks a darker mood—one that has found expression over the centuries in a host of strange and unsettling traditions and lore.

Here, Sarah Clegg takes us on a journey through midwinter to explore the lesser-known Christmas traditions, from English mummers plays and Austrian Krampus runs, to modern pagan rituals at Stonehenge and the night in Finland when a young girl is crowned with candles as St Lucy—a martyred Christian girl who also appears as a witch leading a procession of the dead. At wassails and hoodenings and winter gatherings, attended by ghastly, grinning horses, snatching monsters and mysterious visitors, we discover how these traditions originated and how they changed through the centuries, and we ask ourselves: if we can't keep the darkness entirely at bay, might it be fun to let a little in?

©2024 Sarah Clegg (P)2024 W. F. Howes Ltd. Anthropology Customs & Traditions Europe Social Sciences Winter Christmas Scary Magic Users Witchcraft Tradition
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I listened to this in almost one go on Christmas Eve and it was the perfect guide to the darker traditions of Christmas. From ghosts to monsters and witches. For a short book there’s a lot packed in.

Fascinating folklore

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I have loved listening to this over the Christmas period, perfect winter book to sit and relax with

winters night

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I really like all the descriptions, especially of the author’s own experiences and the dismantling of some long held but inaccurate beliefs about midwinter customs. It was entertaining and informative.

The writing style and descriptions were very engaging.

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Lovely book,very good narration will be listening to it a few times over I’m sure

Lovely book

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Loved this. Explores the European folklore surrounding the festive season. Beautiful connection to the more ancient characters residing over the winter season. The perfect 'anti Christmas' tonic!

Festive frights and folklore

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