Samhain

Before Halloween became a night of costumes and carved pumpkins, the turn to winter carried stories of strange encounters, returning spirits, and households preparing for the dark.

Samhain explores the history, folklore, and changing traditions of this seasonal threshold, tracing its evolution through medieval Irish literature, Christian observances, and the customs recorded by later collectors.

Beginning with the agricultural year and the earliest written witnesses, the book examines how Samhain became associated with feasting, gatherings, kingship and encounters with the Otherworld. Irish tales introduce figures such as Nera, the Dagda, the Morrígan and Cú Chulainn, revealing the season's place within a rich and complex storytelling tradition.

The story continues through All Saints and All Souls, beliefs about the returning dead, household protections, seasonal games, courtship and divination. It follows related traditions into Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany, considering both their shared themes and their regional differences.

Throughout, the book asks what the surviving evidence can tell us and where certainty ends. The book considers medieval narratives, later folklore, and modern interpretations are considered in their own historical settings, allowing readers to recognise the difference between a recorded custom, a literary motif, and a claim of ancient continuity.

Written in an accessible historical voice, Samhain offers readers interested in folklore, mythology and the origins of Halloween a thoughtful account of a season shaped by harvest, hospitality, remembrance and the approach of winter.