As we near the end of another year, the dragons turn their enquiring minds to more festive matters - like the rampant use of very pagan imagery in Christmas carols. The word carol has come to mean a specifically festive song with religious overtones, but once the word carol - derived from a verb in Old French - simply meant a circle dance with singing. Intrigued by this and other avenues of interest when it comes to Christmas songs, Madeleine and Jules delve in to the history of carol singing, examining the repeated motifs and themes and looking at just where the tradition came from. Naturally there will be folklore in this episode!
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Episode 276: All Around My Hat - More Folksong Writing Inspiration Part 1
Episode 275: Mean Girls and Internet Trolls -Positive Body Representation in Speculative Fiction Part 2
Episode 274: Mean Girls and Internet Trolls - Positive Body Representation in Speculative Fiction part 1
Episode 273: The Dark Descent into Hell - Tracing the Origins of Persephone and Other Underworld Goddesses
Episode 272: This is Not 1984 - Stopping Dystopia and False Utopia Spilling into Reality
Episode 271: Maintaining the Mood - How to Avoid Misusing Tone in Speculative Fiction
Episode 270: Its Complicated - the Highs and Lows of Relationships in Speculative Fiction
Episode 269: Making Friends and Influencing People - The Heroine's Journey in Speculative Fiction
Episode 268: He Growled, She Ejaculated - Reader Peeves and How to Avoid Them
Episode 267: The Beast Within - Exploring Characters with Darker Sides
Episode 266: That's Not Equality - When Sexism Dresses as Feminism in Speculative Fiction Part 2
Episode 265: That's Not Equality - When Sexism Dresses Up as Feminism in Speculative Fiction: Part 1
Episode 264 Challenging the System - How Magic Helps Us Deconstruct History, Politics and Social Issues
Episode 263: The Blade Itself - the Genesis of the Sword in History, Mythology and Speculative Fiction
Episode 262: Of Liking and Loathing - How to Hook Readers on your Characters
Episode 261: Reading the Classics - Hidden Meaning and Censorship in Stoker, Bronte and Shelley
Episode 260: Links and Linguistics - Why Word Choice Matters in Writing
Episode 259: Taking a Toxicity Reading - Criticism and Compromise in Speculative Fiction
Episode 258: Frills and Flirtations - What Clothing brings to Speculative Fiction
Episode 257: Peacekeepers to Punishers - The Police Force in Speculative Fiction
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