Podcast Summary:

Why Are Ancient Myths Resurfacing in Modern Britain? With Zakia Sewell
Intelligence Squared, March 20, 2026
Host: Shahida Bari | Guest: Zakia Sewell

Overview

This episode of Intelligence Squared dives into Britain's ancient myths and folk traditions and their unexpected resurgence in contemporary British society. Author, broadcaster, and DJ Zakia Sewell joins host Shahida Bari to discuss her acclaimed nonfiction book, Finding Albion: Myth, Folklore and the Quest for a Hidden Britain. Through personal narrative and cultural exploration, Sewell unpacks how revived pagan and folk customs are shaping identities, offering alternative visions of Britishness, and revealing both hopeful and troubling undercurrents at a time of national division.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Genesis of "Finding Albion"

• Personal Quest Through Folk Culture ([02:08]–[06:40])
  • Sewell describes her journey beginning with a transformative concert by folk band Pentangle, which opened a doorway into British folk traditions.
  • Quote: “It felt like I was communing with this other Britain, this sort of alternative spirit of Britain ... the music and Pentangle were the sort of the gateway drug ... I’ve been an initiate and a follower ever since.” – Zakia Sewell [05:44]

"Albion": Mythic Britain and Its Stories

• Where Does the Name Come From? ([06:53]–[09:50])

  • “Albion” is the ancient, mysterious name for Britain, evoking a land predating today’s national narratives.
  • Sewell discusses ancient myths (giants, Trojan exiles, rebellious sisters) showing Britain as a land of outsiders and alternative beginnings.

• Quote: “In some of these early stories we have Britain as this refuge for outsiders, people arriving from Syria in small boats to start life anew. It’s a very different type of Britain ... one that is underneath, beneath the surface.” – Zakia Sewell [09:10]

The Wheel of the Year & Modern Paganism

• Resurrecting Seasonal Rituals ([10:13]–[11:10])

  • Sewell explains the Wheel of the Year—a modern neo-pagan cycle with roots in Celtic traditions, marking equinoxes, solstices, and natural transitions.

• Light-Touch Paganism ([11:10]–[13:03])

  • She calls herself “pagan light,” revering nature and ritual without dogmatic belief, and notes unexpected parallels with her Caribbean heritage.

• Quote: “Here is a spiritual path that is all about honoring ... the power of nature, no dogma ... it’s a very personal practice that's porous ... connecting me with Britain and my Caribbean ancestors.” – Zakia Sewell [12:20]

Glastonbury, Rituals, and British Diversity

• Glastonbury’s Equinox Gatherings ([13:03]–[15:06])

  • The guests describe the unexpected diversity in participants at pagan rites, noting how such rituals echo global spiritual practices and unite a cross-section of modern Britons.

• Quote: “Climbing up a big hill at six o’clock in the morning ... singing a song together, leaving a few offerings ... these are simple ritualistic acts that connect people in Britain with people all over the world.” – Zakia Sewell [14:24]

Folk Renaissance: Why Now?

• Britain’s “Folk Frenzy” ([15:06]–[16:55])

  • Folk traditions, once viewed as embarrassing and outmoded, are enjoying a revival—especially among young people, fueled by social media and pop culture.
  • New magazines, mainstream performances (e.g., Morris dancing at the Brit Awards), and aesthetic trends reveal this shift.

• Quote: “Something that was for a long time seen as deathly uncool is finding its way into mainstream culture ... it speaks to a yearning for alternative ways of making sense of who we are.” – Zakia Sewell [16:25]

Reclaiming Folk Culture from Embarrassment—and Embracing Eccentricity

• Morris Dancing and British Identity ([16:55]–[19:05])

  • Sewell eloquently describes how such rituals offer a playful, humble counter-narrative to dominant, militarized visions of Britishness.

• Quote: “There is this other England ... this other Britain beneath the surface. That should be cherished.” – Zakia Sewell [18:32]

Multicultural Threads: Wales, the Caribbean, and Carnival

• Personal Heritage and Shared Folk Traditions ([19:05]–[21:46])

  • Sewell explores the surprising interconnections between British and Caribbean folk practices, especially evident in Carnival and other rituals with roots in both regions.

• Quote: “On Karaku ... there’s a tradition of Scottish reels with West African drums. There’s a Mummer’s play ... exported to the colonies. This kind of entangled history ... is a very useful artifact for thinking about our identity and heritage.” – Zakia Sewell [20:08]

Rediscovering Radical Traditions: Folk as Counterculture

• Songs of Protest and English Radicalism ([21:46]–[24:39])

  • Folk songs and customs often encode histories of resistance—like poachers fighting enclosure—that offer alternatives to both nationalist bombast and “twee” Englishness.

• Quote: “This ... opened up this history of radicalism and protest in Britain ... a real glimpse of an alternative Englishness.” – Zakia Sewell [23:09]

Folk, Community, and Contemporary Crises

• Why This Matters Today ([27:45]–[29:42])

  • In an era of climate anxiety, political instability, and declining mainstream religion, folk practices provide belonging, meaning, and rootedness.

• Quote: “There’s a kind of void of meaning ... it doesn’t take away the yearning we have for stories ... there’s something grounding about returning to that wisdom in a time of deep instability.” – Zakia Sewell [29:09]

Dark Histories: Folk Culture’s Appropriation and Exclusion

• Confronting Racism and the Far Right ([29:42]–[32:46])

  • Sewell acknowledges how folk traditions have been used for exclusionary or racist politics (e.g., blackface in Morris dancing, folk collector Cecil Sharp’s racism).
  • She argues for an honest reckoning with these realities, not escapism.

• Quote: “Albion is no escape from these dark aspects of our past ... what we need are stories that can hold that darkness without being entirely eclipsed by it.” – Zakia Sewell [31:36]

Celtic Identity vs. Englishness

• Welsh & Scottish National Consciousness ([32:46]–[34:58])
  • The guest analyzes why it’s easier or less “embarrassing” to claim Welsh or Scottish identity—because these cultures have historically cultivated alternative, oppositional narratives to Englishness.

Uncovering the Multicultural Ancient Past

• The Ivory Bangle Lady ([34:58]–[37:21])

  • Sewell tells the story of a high-status, possibly mixed-race Roman woman buried in York, a symbol that dismantles monocultural myths of Britain’s past.

• Quote: “Here we have this potentially mixed race woman ... it just completely challenges so many of the dominant and exclusionary narratives about the British past being exclusively white.” – Zakia Sewell [36:07]

Living Traditions and Future Possibilities

• Folk is Not Just Nostalgia ([37:21]–[38:39])

  • Sewell asserts that folk culture is ever-evolving, with groups now mixing sound system culture with pagan ritual, showing the adaptability and living vibrancy of folk.

• Quote: “Folk is all around us ... it is absolutely a living tradition.” – Zakia Sewell [37:54]

Participation, Hope, and Collective Reimagining

• Invitation to New Stories ([38:39]–[41:15])

  • Rather than prescribe a single vision of British culture, Sewell urges listeners to seek out what is magical and meaningful for themselves, to collectively construct alternative narratives of Britishness.

• Quote: “A collective endeavor is ... required for all of us who reject the exclusionary visions of Britishness ... this is my personal quest, but I hope others feel inspired to go on their own journey.” – Zakia Sewell [40:26]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Albion is a kind of alternative spirit of the nation ... but it’s sort of beneath the surface. You have to do a little bit of digging in order to reach it.” – Zakia Sewell [09:10]
• “What we need are stories that can hold that darkness without being entirely eclipsed by it.” – Zakia Sewell [31:36]
• “Here we have ... a mixed race woman living in Roman York of high status ... it just completely challenges ... the British past being exclusively white.” – Zakia Sewell [36:07]
• “Folk is all around us. It is absolutely a living tradition.” – Zakia Sewell [37:54]
• “I think a collective endeavor is ... required that all of us who kind of reject the exclusionary aspects ... do some work to find out what the alternatives are.” – Zakia Sewell [40:26]

Key Timestamps

• [02:08] – Sewell discusses the personal and musical origins of her interest in folk culture.
• [06:53] – Explains “Albion” and Britain's ancient myths.
• [10:13] – Introduction to the Wheel of the Year and modern pagan practice.
• [13:03] – Describes Glastonbury’s equinox celebrations and their surprising diversity.
• [15:06] – Analysis of Britain’s current folk revival (“folk frenzy”).
• [16:55] – Reflection on embarrassment/coolness of folk culture and its subversive value.
• [19:05] – Connections between Welsh, Caribbean, and British folk traditions.
• [21:46] – Folk songs as radical, alternative histories.
• [29:42] – Grappling with the appropriation of folk by exclusionary politics.
• [34:58] – The story and symbolic significance of the Ivory Bangle Lady.
• [40:26] – Sewell’s closing reflection on collective cultural reimagining.

Conclusion

Through her book and this conversation, Zakia Sewell invites Britons to rediscover the layered, evolving, and deeply multicultural roots of their land—to embrace folk culture as both joyful and subversive, but also to honestly reckon with its darker associations. Rather than retreat into nostalgia or uncritical celebration, she calls for a new, collective mythmaking—one rooted in play, ritual, and stories that can hold both hope and discomfort.

Episode available wherever you get your podcasts. “Finding Albion: Myth, Folklore and the Quest for a Hidden Britain” is out now.