We have reached the energetic peak of the year. The main ancient and folkloric themes of June ritualise the human relationship to two of our primary life-givers, the sun and water. Our romance with these elements (and one another) reach a peak as the year completes its in-breath around the summer solstice. This episode outlines a faint thematic arc in historical Whitsun practices at the start of June, and Midsummer at the end, focusing especially on the folk rituals and folksong of the Baltic countries, Eastern Europe and Ireland. Purchase my new Gathering the Gods course on Thor, Odin, & Freya: fantastic-hall-390.myflodesk.com/ My excellent Midsummer Solstice / June Almanac playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0gG8z6O83kpkjflUqaSMZc?si=a7a6693c091046ef The Midsummer Solstice episode of Fair Folk podcast from 2018: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1QZliHXdfHHmSVy0ySfpbv?si=fe6608a7395c4a5e “Rusalki: Anthropology of time, death, and sexuality in Slavic folklore” by Jiří Dynda https://www.academia.edu/34620531/Rusalki_Anthropology_of_time_death_and_sexuality_in_Slavic_folklore “The Mythic Sun: An Aerial Perspective” by Thomas Dubois: https://chs.harvard.edu/chapter/thomas-a-dubois-the-mythic-sun-an-areal-perspective/ “Migration of Song Genres: Two Typical Lithuanian Cases” by Rytis Ambrazevičius https://bop.unibe.ch/EJM/article/view/8335 “The Midsummer Solstice As It Was, Or Was Not, Observed in Pagan Germany, Scandinavia and Anglo-Saxon England” by Sandra Billington https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hX0NJJHjoicOq-5VH3kPfsQAX3NTbAtj/view?usp=sharing Music in this episode: Opening theme: "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods Buy Sylvia Woods’ music: www.harpcenter.com/category/harp-cds “O Na Ivana Na Kupala” by Olexa Kabanov - Buy it: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/oh-na-ivana-na-kupala/919387915?i=919387973 “Švinta Jona Vakaralia” by Nalšia - Learn more and buy it (scroll down for English): http://www.lnkc.lt/go.php/lit/Kupole-roze-sekminiu-joniniu-dainuojamoji-tautosaka/110946 Ozolini, Ozolini by Vilkači - Buy it: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/j%C4%81nis/1201942701