Chants from northern lands
A workshop in simple pagan, animistic and medieval songs to create sacred space wherever you are.
IN PERSON!
Tues. August 18, 7-9 PM
Church of truth, VICTORIA, canada
£20 (approx $36 CAD)
Day-to-day reverence for animals, deities, land, and cycles of time was once passed down casually through simple songs. Altered states were as ready-to-hand as a string of words and a melody remembered.
we can revive those half-forgotten ways and make our relationship to the world sacred again.
I’ve been researching traditional song and paganism in northern Europe for a decade now, looking out for songs for sacred moments, and I’ve collected some gems in English, Scots, Scottish Gaelic, Swedish, Old Norse and more that I would love to share with you. Some are older, some are newer, and some are a mix of both!
The work of reclaiming sacred song is ongoing. Come join me to feel the power of our voices in the same room, to learn and make mistakes, to connect with the old ways, and to open a conversation with the ancestors about where we might go next.
What little ritual might you put into your pocket and carry with you into the future?
What to expect
We will gather in a circle of chairs in the beautiful and inclusive non-denominational Church of Truth in the James Bay neighbourhood of Victoria, BC.
I’ll hand out printed lyrics of songs in a few different northern European languages — including English — and lead us in singing them, sometimes accompanied by a shruti box (a drone instrument from India). You may find yourself sharing a lyric sheet with a neighbour, depending on the number of attendees. If the words or melody are too challenging in the moment, you are welcome to hum or listen instead.
There’s no getting it perfect and no expectation of performance, just a willingness to try out the sounds. We might stand up and do a very basic circle dance, depending on the desires of the group.
In the final 30 minutes, I will open the circle up for participants to share a simple chant with the group, if they’re carrying one.
Song workshop at Cascadian Midsummer in Washington State, 2024.
about Danica Boyce
I'm an educator, writer, and performer in vernacular spirituality, folklore and song. It’s my calling to put the tools of cultural healing into everybody’s hands, and remind us of what we already know about how to live in right relationship.
For the past ten years I have been producing the popular Fair Folk Podcast, a research-based show making information about traditional cultures of Europe available to folks around the world.
If you’re inexplicably fascinated with the past, and you seek reminders to stop and pay attention to life’s green invitation to prayer, if you are enthralled by the generosity of the sun and the moon, and you want to open fresh pathways into loving yourself and others, then you might enjoy my work.
Join me at the Chants from Northern Lands workshop on August 18th in Victoria!