What can archaeology, old songs, parish churches, sagas and folk memories tell us about the people who lived in Orkney hundreds of years ago?
On a night of a full blood moon, Orcadian historians Dr Sarah Jane Gibbon and Tom Muir settle down for a friendly blether about the stories, songs, beliefs and archaeological remains that help us understand how Orkney became the place it is today.
From the Christianisation of Norse Orkney and the mysterious little churches found beside ancient settlements and “watery places”, to the contested question of where St Magnus was originally buried, Sarah Jane brings archaeology and historical research together with the living traditions of the islands.
They talk about Orkneyinga Saga, parish churches, medieval power and status, healing wells, the trauma of the Reformation, the Orkney witch trials, and the ways that folk memory can continue to influence historical research.
And then the conversation turns to song.
Sarah Jane tells us about The Big Orkney Song Project, which has uncovered and preserved more than a thousand traditional Orkney songs. She explores why songs of loss and grief have endured so strongly in seafaring communities—and sings two remarkable examples: the original tune of The Great Selkie of Sule Skerry, and the old New Year song “We Are All Saint Mary’s Men.”
Along the way, there are stories of archaeological adventures, midges, middens, trolls, ghosts, a mysterious stone with a double footprint, and what it might mean to look at medieval Orkney through medieval eyes rather than our own.
This is a conversation about Orkney history, archaeology, folklore, Norse heritage, St Magnus, traditional song and the people who shaped these islands—and about the many different ways the past continues to speak to us.
Join Sarah Jane and Tom for a fascinating and very Orcadian journey between saints, sandstone and selkie songs.
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