Three Yuletide Ghosts 🌲
& a memorial for accused witches in Sweden
In This Missive:
Tis the season for ghost stories. This is a seasonal tradition in the UK I wholeheartedly embrace. Here are three ghostly things I’ve enjoyed—Plus—a national memorial event for those accused of witchcraft in Sweden.
- Musing on the Moving Ceremony to remember those accused of witchcraft in Sweden.
- Reading The Deep by Alma Katsu
- Listening to Black Ops’ Hauntology
- Watching the paean to 70s folk horror, Enys Men
Musing On:
A ceremony remembering those accused of witchcraft was held as part of exhibit at Stockholm’s Swedish History Museum’s exhibit on the witch trials of the 17th century.
The historic ritual, held on December 4th, brought together 600 people. The names of the accused were read aloud and their sentences torn up and ritually burned in a cauldron. I am currently talking to people involved with this historic memorial event and hope to share more in a future post.
You can see a bit about the ritual on Rebecca Tiger’s Instagram.
Reading
The Deep by Alma Katsu. An emersive ghost story about the sinking of the Titanic. I found this transportive, elegant and truly horrific. A masterfully paced read that avoids cliche, despite everything we know about the Titanic and all the ways the story of that disaster has been told. It is a dark fairy tale/ghost story disguised as a historical horror novel.
Listening to
Black Ops—ambient hauntology, EVP soundscapes, transportive samples…but where are they taking us? I’ve listened to Black Ops’ playlists on Mixcloud for perhaps a decade. This bandcamp has more recent work.
Watching
Enys Men—this nuanced ghost story set on a remote island is a paean to 70s folk horror. It is perfection.
Do you indulge in ghost stories at Yuletide? What are you reading/watching/listening to?
