Lughnasa, Lammas and Harvest Folklore

It's the first time we've done a Seasonal Special in a while, but this week we're celebrating the harvest and exploring the history and folklore of Lughnasa and Lammastide.We begin by discussing the Festival of First Fruits and the Eleusinian Mysteries of the Classical World, before getting into the nitty gritty of Lughnasa, or 'The Aseembly of Lugh.' From Irish festivals of games, hand-fasting rituals and ceremonial fires to a PR stunt for the Roman Emperor Augustus and all the way through to the 19th century Gaelic revival, Lughnasa has changed a fair bit over time. We have a brief brush with the Burryman of South Queensferry, then explore the king of the vegetative spirits himself, John Barleycorn and the archetype of the Dying and Rising God. The episode is accompanied by a selection of English poetry, exploring the harvest from the differing perspectives of Robert Herrick, John Donne, Thomas Hardy, Ted Hughes and William Wordsworth. We've also included a live recording of our version of the traditional song 'John Barleycorn' from Black Shuck Festival in 2025. About Three Ravens 🔮Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history.Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs.Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity.Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog!🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows!🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTokRETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUTOur Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.