Uncommon Folk
The world of folklore is a diverse, thriving mix of ancient traditions, old gods, strange beasts and curious tales.
Every land has their own folk traditions, and while some themes are universal, each has something special about them that makes them unique.
Join stand-up comedian, writer, and folklore PhD candidate Dan Mitchell as he dives into the dark oceans of folk, hoping to find a never before found denizen of the deep. Featuring exclusive interviews with academics, folklorists, scientists, poets, magical practitioners, and many more special guests from around the world, Uncommon Folk hopes to unearth the bones of folklore and resurrect them with incantations long forgotten.
From deep dives to short nuggets, Uncommon Folk will enlighten, enthuse, and entertain the folk community.
Uncommon Folk
Uncommon Folk 31 Days of Winter- Lord of Misrule
Uncover the captivating history of the Lord of Misrule, a tradition that once turned Christmas on its head with a bold promise of chaos and joy. Travel back to a time where peasants and sub-deacons presided over England's grandest revelries, commanding the festivities with unchecked merriment. You'll learn how this eccentric leader orchestrated wild parties, much to the dismay of the Puritans who eventually put an end to the disorderly fun by the 17th century.
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The Lord of Misrule. Now, for centuries in England there was a custom to appoint someone to be in charge of all the Christmas revelries. They were given the title of the Lord of Misrule. This all ended in the 17th century due to the rise of the Puritan party, but this is a tradition that goes back for hundreds and hundreds of years Now in England, the Lord of Misrule he was also known as the Abbot of Unreason, in Scotland and in France, the Prince de Sotte. He was an officer appointed during Christmas time to preside over the Feast of Fools.
Speaker 1:The Lord of Rule was usually a peasant or even a sub-deacon, so something to do with the church there, and he was appointed in charge of the reveries uh, and these reveries were wild, wild party and a lot of uh drunkenness, which is why the puritan party um eliminated them. Uh. There were similar uh festivals uh by the by the cath Church in England, which involved a sort of boy bishop, but that was abolished by Henry VIII in 1541. It was restored again by Mary I and then abolished again by Elizabeth I. So I mean these revelries change according to the head of state, really, and the religion in particular. Some religions like to party more than others, but the Lord of Misrule, the Abbot of Misrule or King of Misrule as he's sometimes called, has been mentioned throughout history, and they would get involved in these huge festivals. Now, some say that this idea came from a similar custom during the Roman celebration of Saturnalia. In ancient Rome, from the 17th to the 23rd of December, according to the Julian calendar anyway, a man was chosen to be like a mock king and he, while not having any real power for those few days, he would be a powerful man and everyone would show him the respect that well as much respect as drunken people can show someone. A lot of the customs involved were very much like modern day carnival and Mardi Gras celebrations.
Speaker 1:Now, john Stowe's Survey of London, which was published in the Tudor period, gives this account of the Lord of Misrules' duties and also the privileges that came with them. In the feast of Christmas there was, in the king's house, wheresoe'er he was lodged, a lord of misrule or master of merry disports and the like. Had ye in the house of every nobleman of honour or good worship? Were he spiritual or temporal? Amongst the which the mayor of london and either of the sheriffs had their several lords of misrule, ever contending without quarrel or offense. Who should make the rarest pastimes to delight the beholders? These lords, beginning their rule on um halloween, al-halon eve, continued the same till the morrow, after the feast of the purification, commonly called candle mass day.
Speaker 1:In all which space there were fine and subtle disguisings, masks and mummeries, with playing at cards for counters, nails and points in every house, more for pastime than for gain. So basically, um, it was an excuse for the sort of like higher up people to shake off their stiffness and their sort of shackles, as it were, of their status. And they would put this man in charge to organise, well, card games, gambling, not necessarily for money alcohol, lots of fun, sort of mummers and plays and stuff like that. And they could be a bit more crude with it. Because this person was put in charge, they could celebrate in a way that the common people would obviously love to celebrate in, but also the higher ups, the lords, the sheriffs and stuff like that. They could pass on the responsibility. Oh, it's not us, what's it called planning all of this debauchery? It is the Lord of Misrule. So it gave them an excuse to properly celebrate as well. So that's the Lord of Misrule.
