Wassailing is a Anglo-Saxon Yuletide tradition which survives in two forms.

1. As a type of door to door Christmas carol singing which carried on even in North America. The carol singing tradition originated with wassailers and in that sense is still widespread across the English speaking world, although church carols are a different tradition

2. The second type survives only in England's West Country and involves singing to apple trees to increase their harvest next year. This takes place on the 12th night of the old Julian calendar which is testament to its antiquity.

In this film I document surviving examples of the second kind and explain how it likely has a pagan origin.

https://youtu.be/kFwKFseL8WQ

Jolly Wassail 2026!

An invitation I, Tom Rowsell, received to speak at the Cambridge University Conservative Association, in my capacity as an historian and YouTuber, has recently been rescinded after a “cancel-culture” attack-posted to Instagram by the Cambridge University Labour Club.

In this public statement I will defend all four examples as rational, factual, scientific and not “racist. Anti-black and anti-Semitic” as is claimed and/or implied by the either ill-informed or dishonest author of the post.

https://survivethejive.blogspot.com/2026/01/response-to-cambridge-university-labour.html

Northern lights at my home in Devon tonight

CSH has been working on the art for this for ages and it looks amazing

NEW BOOK: Wagnerian Epics

Wagnerian Epics is a full retelling of all the stage-songs of Richard Wagner, wrought anew in clear, strong Anglish by Mike Maxwell. Shorn of heavy loan-words yet far from crabbed or quaint, the tongue of this book seeks to give the reader what Wagner himself sought on the stage: tale, blood, fate, and fire—set forth plainly, and with might.

Here are the whole cycles and lone works alike: gods and giants, lovers and outcasts, oaths sworn and broken, gold won and lost. The lore of the North and the deep well of Germanic myth are brought together in a single telling, fit for the hearth as well as the scholar’s desk. No knowledge of music or opera is asked of the reader. These are tales meant to be read aloud, heard inwardly, and remembered.

The book is richly bound with fifteen newly wrought paintings by Christian Sloan Hall, made for this work alone, each one setting forth a key sight or turning point from the epics. They do not merely adorn the page, but stand as windows into the world of the tales.

Written with care for faithfulness yet with an ear for living speech, Wagnerian Epics offers a fresh road into one of the great story-hoards of the West—ancient in root, yet ever new in its telling.

This book is available in regular colour and premium colour paperback formats.

https://www.imperiumpress.org/shop/wagnerian-epics/

Similar copper votive offering from Roman-Britain, 3rd c AD, but to the Roman god Apollo rather than a British Celtic god.
From Nettleton, Wiltshire.

Displayed in Bristol museum.

Rather disappointed in the Conservatives of Cambridge. Never back down and never apologise to the reds.

https://www.instagram.com/cucacambridge/p/DTq5ptGDPIs/

Pretty decent summary of my life’s work on Grokipedia

https://grokipedia.com/page/Tom_Rowsell

Angrboða “she who brings grief” the monster hell witch who begets more monsters that will destroy the world was a black woman? What did they mean by this 🤔

ABC news and some activist academics are cringing because Bob Katter spoke into a megaphone with runes on it.

The solution? BAN RUNES! Never mind they are part of the Anglo heritage of Australia. Never mind they are holy symbols for pagans. Just ban everything associated with the right.

This is like if the right called for roses or hammers to be made illegal because they are used in left wing branding. 🌹 🚫

King Totila of the Ostrogoths flexed upon his enemies before the battle of Busta Gallorum in 552 AD by riding out in gold and purple armour and performing acrobatic feats on horseback in full view of the foe.

Then he changed into more practical armour before the fighting began.

This means he had a suit of golden armour which was just for mogging.

Very holy symbol. Not only used in Bronze age Europe but continued by the Angles and Saxons who brought it to England. It appears several times on the golden horns of Gallehus made by Angles in 5th century Denmark. I will analyse them in my next video.

This sign could be the flag of the new EU when we ditch the rubbish one we have now.

I made a new video about a very interesting insight into Bronze Age beliefs.

This star symbol was long thought to be a solar symbol, and it looks like how we draw stars today. But it might also be something much more surprising...

You can see it here.