Sarah Clegg's The Dead of Winter was an unexpected delight for me, offering a chillingly captivating look at the darker side of Christmas. From Krampus and the Mari Lwyd to eerie traditions like the Wild Hunt, Clegg unveils fascinating folklore that turns the festive season on its head. Her expertise as an Oxford-trained historian shines through in her deep dives into these traditions, yet her engaging storytelling makes even the most bizarre tales-like horse skulls and spectral hunts
-gripping. This isn't just a history lesson; it's a celebration of the strange, spooky, and richly human roots of winter festivities, perfect for anyone craving a break from holiday sweetness. Highly recommended for history buffs and lovers of the macabre alike.

I know we should not judge a book by its cover however this non-fiction text by Sarah Clegg really does ask to be picked up and read! It is a beautiful book that is perfect for the darker months of winter and the current festive season. The text explores European folk laws and traditions primarily based on the darker history of Christmas, tracing its roots and celebrations over time. From the text, absolutely petrifying characters emerge such as Krampus, Grýla, Mari Lwyd and Père Fouettard. In introducing the reader to these figures the author travels around Europe both as an observer and partcipant in the festivities and revellery.
There are moments in the book that were particularly interesting, such as the Venetian festival where masked attendees roam the city in the wild abandonment that being disguised affords. The explanation of ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ was humourous whilst striking a particularly sinister note with guests refusing to leave until they were fed and watered! I did find it fascinating how historically past celebrations that were more considerations and explorations of the darkness of winter months have evolved into something more palatable and commercialised. It made me think how the very concepts of Father Christmas and Elf on the Shelf have become homely and cute, much more so than the monsters and witches on these pages and yet they are still based on quite the creepy premise that if you misbehave you are being watched and their will be consequences for actions that are seen as unacceptable.
An interesting alternative to the ‘merry’ Christmas we often see today. Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

Especially in a slim volume such as this, Sarah Clegg could probably have got away with a gentle travelogue of vaguely spooky festive customs, mummers and Krampus runs and the solstice at Stonehenge and aren't people eccentric and isn't Christmas great? But commendably, this book is much more than that, a Trojan horse aware that even people who would be unlikely to pick up an academic work on folklore might well be lured in by a giftable little book at this time of year and learn something along the way. It starts out gently enough; an eerie nocturnal walk gets us in the mood, while also establishing Clegg's willingness to risk playing with that mood through wry asides, especially in the footnotes*. Then it's off to Venice for Carnival, which she admits might seem outside the remit of the book, but points out as a survival and migration of the old, wild, social winter feasts that dominated before the shift to a more family-centred Christmas. Next, back to Gloucester for a weirdly sombre mummers' play, which is that way because it was revived by a folklorist keen to impress on the villagers that this was a terribly serious and ancient ritual.

Except, as Clegg is keen to show, pretty much none of this stuff is as ancient or serious as we like to think, often having demonstrable roots a couple of centuries back. And even when it might go back further, there tend to be gaps in the record, an inevitable quantity of guesswork, and vast shifts in the practices over time, as you'd tend to expect if you stopped to think about it for a moment. So yes, there may be a link back to the Kalends of antiquity in mummers, guisers, wassailing and the Mari Lwyd, but it can't be proven, and even in the stretches for which we do have records, those things have all shifted, interacted, recombined, and sometimes exchanged names. And, importantly, it doesn't really matter if that's the case, because every tradition started somewhere, and what does it change if the first person to have a given bright idea for livening up the gloomy months had it 30 years ago, 300, or 3000?

Livening up, too, is key; generally speaking, anyone found being serious about any of these rituals back in the mists of time will be a churchman or other grey authority figure disapproving of them, and thereby helpfully preserving records of them, albeit usually ones with less detail than Clegg would have liked ("Burchard, we know you knew how to write a date, because you specifically complained about masking on 1 January. Would it have killed you to write the actual dates the Fates supposedly appeared as well?"). If the book has a flaw, beyond a couple of editing glitches that were hopefully ironed out between my Netgalley ARC and the finished item, it's that Clegg could have admitted the continuity between these historic disapprovers and her own frustration at the more retrograde aspects of some of the modern performances. Though even here, a) I am basically on her side and b) it does occasion one of the best and longest footnotes in the whole thing, which I'm tempted to reproduce in full but also don't want to give away, so let's just say that it's about what people are and are not willing to change, and wonderfully splenetic.

But underlying this emphasis on Christmas strangeness as communal fun rather than sinister pagan survival there's a countervailing awareness: "It's often said that Christmas is a celebration of the light – a way of driving out the darkness of midwinter, but I think we want to celebrate the darkness as well, to plunge ourselves into it, use it to make things as excitingly horrifying as they can be, to fill the night with monsters and scares that take full advantage of the longer, deeper darkness". There's a moment that keeps returning throughout the narrative, where a Mari or Krampus will give a reveller a genuine fright – but one where they laugh straight after. And even under that, there's an awareness of how easily this licensed misbehaviour could tip over into something genuinely scary, or, especially in earlier times, how quickly the seasonal overturning of social hierarchy could pass invisible boundaries and land someone in real hot water. But, as Clegg suggests, maybe it's precisely this lingering sense of menace for whose absence we try to compensate with our own tales of how these customs can be traced back to grisly blood sacrifices and fell druidic rites.

*There's one towards the end about grammar and the Grimms where I very nearly woke my spouse up from laughing.

As a lover of all things folklore, especially during the forced positivity around christmastime, I was so excited when I heard about this book. Thus, the disappointment when it did not deliver was tenfold. The author picked some interesting tales and creatures for her collection, but she struggled massively with pacing. She jumps from Welsh to Icelandic Creatures in two sentences and the focus was little on the mythological retelling and very much on (to be honest rather boring) historic backgrounds of it. Shame.

Christmas is a feast that has managed to reinvent itself through time. It is, of course, one of the key dates in the Christian calendar, a celebration of the birth of Jesus. However, Christian celebrations and customs have also absorbed other, darker, traditions related to secular or pagan winter festivals. Thus, alongside the fairy lights and carols of peace and good cheer, Christmas is also a time of year associated with ghosts, spirits and tales of horror. Throughout Europe – from the dark, cold climes of the North, to the warmer coasts of the Mediterranean – there are surprisingly similar traditions of witches and monsters which make their appearance at Christmas, sometimes, as in the case of the Krampus, alongside more specifically Christian figures such as St Nicholas and St Lucy. (Incidentally, even tiny Malta has its own Christmas monster, the Gawgaw: you can read a scholarly article about this here).

Folklorists up to the 20th Century tended to explain this as a survival of pre-Christian pagan traditions. The history behind the more ghoulish aspects of wintertide, however, is much more complex and nuanced. It is explored in Sarah Clegg’s excellent The Dead of Winter – The Demons, Witches and Ghosts of Christmas. Clegg does not limit herself to the obvious characters (for instance the Krampus) but also brings into the mix other dark figures such as the Nordic “Grýla” and the Welsh “Mari Lwyd” (the grinning equine monster whose popularity is resurging). Clegg also examines traditions such as mummers plays, wassailing and Stonehenge dawn rituals. She traces the origins of some of these festivals to the Roman Saturnalia and carnival celebrations of Late Antiquity, although she also points out that some “traditions” are, on the other hand, relatively recent despite their claims to ancient roots.

This book could easily have turned into a dry academic tome. However, Clegg wears her deep knowledge of the subject lightly. I enjoyed her approach, where facts are presented alongside the author’s personal experiences of winter celebrations ranging from a masked ball in Venice at Carnival, to a “Krampus Run” in Salzburg. Some segments of the book read like an uncanny travelogue. Clegg’s humorous observations (usually in witty footnotes) provide a diverting counterpoint to the book’s dark subject. Truly an ideal book for long Winter nights…

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-dead-of-winter-by-sarah-clegg.html

The Dead of Winter is a non fiction book that explains about all those dark traditions and fold tales surrounding the darkest parts of our year, the winter. I found reading this book fascinating and insightful as it takes us on a journey through the centuries and all over the world. From Krampus to those mid winter traditi0ns and Christian Martyrs, it will leave you shivering and not from the cold!

Antonia Beamish who narrated the audio version has a wonderful storytelling voice, which is both lulling and interesting,

Thank you Netgalley, Granta publishers and W. F. Howes Ltd ( audio version ) for the arc of this compelling book


5 stars

Absolutely loved the idea of the book - super entertaining, albeit maybe not the most academic of researches. But that is also far from what the author sets out to do, and dshe definitely succeeds in her intentions: entertain, spook, and shed light onto the deliciously dark nature of Christmas's origin.

It’s not even Hallowe’en yet and here I am reviewing a book centred around Christmas. This book, however, is not your typical Christmas book.

The Dead of Winter is the perfect book for people who think that Christmas has become too sweet and are looking for something a little bit creepier. Clegg goes around Europe looking at the less bright and cheerful Christmas traditions. They are dark, they are creepy and they are wonderfully interesting to read about.

Clegg is very engaging as a writer. I never found myself bored at any point and she really managed to bring all of these Christmas traditions to life. The book is structured well, grouping the traditions into themes. This works well because you can see the similarities and differences between traditions in various European countries.

The Dead of Winter is perfect if you like dark, creepy stories. As a history book, I didn’t get creeped out at all, which is a good thing given that I am a massive wuss and I don’t really like horror. The book has a wonderfully spooky feel to it that works well for Hallowe’en and it’ll be perfect for Christmas as well.

I am very interested in traditional festive customs and traditions and try to learn about those from other cultures and countries at every opportunity so title was an absolute must for me. I love that the author describes the less warm and tinselly elements of the Yuletide period but from a peculiarly intimate perspective. Thank you to the publisher for granting me digital review copy in return for my unbiased opinions, I will be purchasing further hard copies both for myself and to gift.

A look at the darker side of Christmas in Europe including: Krampus, Santa's alter-ego St Nicholas, & how Christmas carolling from door-to-door could have developed from the originally much more sinister practice of guising (visiting people's homes & refusing to leave until rewarded with food or gifts).

This subject is potentially a huge area & the author has obviously completed a lot of research. They write well with a few pithy asides now & then. I particularly enjoyed reading about their experience at the 'Venetian Carnival'' & the section on guising. I've always thought that the words to 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' were a little bit sinister - demanding figgy pudding & refusing to leave until they received it - & if it did originate with guising then no wonder.

Although the author did explain why the book wasn't laid out in date order, I found the jumping about from month to month a little frustrating. I also thought that for such a wide-ranging subject , it was quite a short book & certain things could have been expanded on. For example, the walk on Christmas Eve before sunrise where legend has it that you could see ghostly re-enactments of the future burials that would take place during the next year - I'm from the UK & never heard of this. Where did it come from? Is it a regional thing? I think the whole ghost side of things could have featured more.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Granta Publications, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I really got quite engrossed in this book it certainly shows a different side of the festive period. The range of tales ,in terms of different countries and customs, is expansive and fascination. This will make me look at our Christmas activities in quite a different light.

“The Dead of Winter” by Sarah Clegg is a masterfully written non-fiction book that delves into the traditions, myths, and mysterious creatures that lurk and threaten the idyll of the winter months. What I loved most about this book is how it presents factual information in a way that feels like reading a collection of short stories. Clegg’s writing style is engaging and makes the book both easy to read and incredibly captivating.

This book is a perfect blend of history and folklore, making it a fascinating read about the dark winter, its history, and the legends that have been passed down through generations. Having read several books on this topic, I can confidently say that “The Dead of Winter” deserves a top spot among the best in its genre. It’s an excellent choice for a Christmas gift for readers who enjoy exploring the mysteries of winter.

This was an interesting exploration of midwinter/Christmas traditions around the world. Some of them I thought were relatively well know but others were completely new to me. This is a lovely book to sit down with with the family on a cold winter evening.

This was a very informative read full of a darker side of Christmas. It was really interesting to learn more about these dark traditions, especially the Mari Llwyds.

I loved this book and will 100% be rereading closer to Christmas! With personal touches it’s a fabulous mix of folk stories and history!
Not much more I can say other than it’s well worth the read!
I loved it so much I bought a ticket to see the author give a talk in Bath and a copy for a friend!
Thank you netgalley!

This was an interesting book about various Christmas traditions, some of which are still observed, particularly in Europe. I think that everyone who goes on about the 'War on Christmas', and how we have always celebrated Christmas this way should be made to read this, and hopefully they would understand that what they consider 'Traditional' is only a few hundred years old.

Unsure if it was a misunderstanding on my part but I am not the targeted audience for this book.. I am still confused about what I read.. I had extremely high expectations.. the tales seemed thrilling and interesting.. only this just felt to me like a very long Wikipedia.. a book was unnecessary..
The writing was alright.. the pictures and illustrations were eye catching.

This book surprised me so much, you will learn a lot!

I’m not much of a festive person, I love the season for edible reasons only. This author creates a great immersive atmosphere incorporating folklore, myth and monsters. It’s dark but fun!

Highly recommend if you’re looking for an atmospheric read that’s unique and interesting.

The Dead of Winter is a delightfully dark and frightfully festive read that is incredibly atmospheric. I can’t wait to re-read closer to December and loved Sarah’s take on folklore. I love learning more about various traditions but understand they have been warped and reshaped over time and Sarah was able to discuss this beautifully.

“Never mistake folklore for something ancient and unvarying - it is creative and dynamic, ever changing”

I would definitely recommend this to lovers of folklore with an extra side of horror. What an excellent collection of various folk tales and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Sarah’s journey across Europe to experience these festive traditions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Granta for the arc.

This is a solid and accessible work looking at the darker folk customs associated with winter generally and Christmas specifically. Sarah Clegg has a readable (if at times judgemental) writing style and I appreciated the fact that the book goes beyond British customs and covered a number of European traditions such as Krampus, the Wild Hunt and St Lucy as well. I think the author may have been a little over-ambitious in what they have tried to do with this work however. It seems to be trying to be both academic-lite and a first-person account of what it feels like to witness or participate in some of these customs; to cover multiple types of tradition; to trace the origins and development of customs; to cover traditions that span several months and key calendar dates (midwinter, solstice, Christmas, New Year etc) and a geographical area so diverse that multiple volumes would be necessary. The result is a slightly chaotic and frustrating read.
I would definitely recommend this as an introduction to some of the themes associated with winter calendar customs and a glimpse into the folklore that underpins them and then would suggest using the excellent list of references at the end of the book to explore the topic in more depth.