I would like to acknowledge that I live, work, and learn on the traditional lands of the Dharug and Darkinjung peoples. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today.
***
Who would the Film Lady put inside her Wicker Man? 8/10 Rowan Hares for 1973 folk horror classic - The Wicker Man.
In the fourth episode of Kino Royale, The Film Lady goes deeper — into the ancient roots of paganism, the Slavic gods, the Russian double faith, and why the old religion never actually died. From Beltane bonfires to birthday candles, from Dazbog to the Wicker Man's final flame — plus a genuine Russian separation spell to close, because some episodes demand it.
Links:
- Visual Companion on The Cinefile Blog
- The Wicker Man Scenario on Royal Simulator App
- YT - Ivan Kupala - Pchyoly (Bees)
- YT - Ivan Kupala - Kolyada (Zainka)
- The Collected Tales of Nikolai Gogol
- Horror Movie 'Viy' based on Gogol's tale, watch in full on YT here
- Film Lady Productions portfolio here
- Comprehensive book on Slavic Paganism, Amazon
Follow me:
@filmladyroyal on Bluesky, Instagram & Letterboxd
Drop me a line: kinoroyalepodcast@gmail.com
Sources used in prep for the ep - especially 2d part, Studies:
- Aitamurto, Kaarina — Paganism, Traditionalism, Nationalism: Narratives of Russian Rodnoverie (Routledge, 2016)
- Beliefnet — "The Pagan Origins of May Day": beliefnet.com
- Boston Public Library Blog — "Origins and Practices of Holidays: Beltane": bpl.org
- Britannica — "Paganism": britannica.com/topic/paganism
- Celebrate Pagan Holidays — Statistics and Studies: celebratepaganholidays.com
- Cultural Atlas — Russian Religion: culturalatlas.sbs.com.au
- Davies, Owen — Paganism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2011)
- List25 — "25 Popular Holidays With Surprisingly Pagan Origins": list25.com
- neo-paganism.org — Pagan Demographics & Culture
- Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com/word/paganism
- Pew Research Centre — "Russians Return to Religion, But Not to Church" (2014): pewresearch.org
- Pew Research Centre Global Survey 2025 (via Wild Hunt): wildhunt.org
- Russia Beyond — "Is Slavic Paganism a Real Power in Russia?": rbth.com
- Thalira — "Rodnovery: Modern Slavic Paganism and the Revival of Native Faith": thalira.com
- The Conversation — "From Nordic Symbols to Sledgehammer Executions: Inside the Wagner Group's Neo-Pagan Rituals" (2024): theconversation.com
- Through Eternity Tours — "7 Pagan Holidays We Still Celebrate Today": througheternity.com
- VCIOM — "Religion and Society: A Monitoring Study" (June 2025): wciom.com
- Wigington, Patti — "History of Beltane and May Day," LearnReligions.com
- Wikipedia — Beltane, Easter, Halloween, Christmas, May Day, Modern Paganism, Paganism, Religion in Russia, Slavic Native Faith, Slavic Native Faith in Russia, Valentine's Day — Wikipedia entries
Music for bg - all tracks are royalty free via Free Music Archive — CC BY.
Recorded & edited via Audacity free software.