Walking through the Dead of Winter with Sarah Clegg in Cambridge

Author Sarah Clegg will be taking us on a journey through midwinter to explore the lesser-known Christmas traditions in her discussion of The Dead of Winter. A mesmerising, erudite and entertaining mix of cultural history and myth, Clegg's fascinating book reveals the darker side of Christmas, exploring the sinister customs, strange ancient rites and disturbing lore that lie behind our festive traditions. From English mummers plays and Austrian Krampus runs, to modern pagan rituals at Stonehenge and the night in Finland when a young girl is crowned with candles as St Lucy - a martyred Christian girl who also appears as a witch leading a procession of the dead. At wassails and hoodenings and winter gatherings, attended by ghastly, grinning horses, snatching monsters and mysterious visitors, we discover how these traditions originated and how they changed through the centuries, and we ask ourselves: if we can't keep the darkness entirely at bay, might it be fun to let a little in?

About the author

Sarah Clegg has a PhD in ancient history from the University of Cambridge. She has written for various publications including History Today and has appeared on podcasts such as BBC History Extra and History Hit The Ancients. Her first book, Woman’s Lore traced a group of seductive, child-snatching demonesses through folklore from ancient Mesopotamian to the present day and was shortlisted for the HWA Non-Fiction Crown. Sarah lives in London and works in publishing.

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Host or Publisher Waterstones