Finding Albion: Myth, Folklore and the Quest for a Hidden Britain

by Zakia Sewell

Zakia Sewell is on a quest for another Britain. Traversing the length and breadth of our island from Somerset to Scotland, she's seeking out a different story - one that lies beyond divisive national myths and symbols.

In Finding Albion, Zakia uncovers an alternative spirit of Britain that is vividly alive today. It is found in otherworldly folk songs, ancient legends, Celtic seasonal rites and mystic stone circles that punctuate our landscape. Her journey begins as the sun rises on the spring equinox over Glastonbury Tor, where she meets neopagans reclaiming traditions from our pre-Christian past. At summer's peak at Notting Hill Carnival she hears cultural echoes that passed along the slave trade routes from the Caribbean. On All Hallow's Eve she encounters the ghosts of Empire that are still haunting the nation, and in the depths of a Cornish winter she asks if today's new folk revival could unite our increasingly divided country?

Finding Albion brings a hopeful story of Britain out from the shadows, giving us a deeper sense of who we are, and heralding the promise of a brighter future.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Folklore, Mythology, Travel, British Literature

288 pages, Hardcover

First published March 19, 2026

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars
“The name Albion echoes down to us from our most distant ancestors, through myths and legends, symbols and songs, carrying memories of an older Britain. Albion is both a landscape and a dreamscape; the site of our hopes, dreams and fantasies about the nation. For many it evokes a romantic vision of the British past, often pre-industrial and pre-colonial; a time ‘before’, free from the conflicts and complications of the modern age. I see it as an alternative spirit of Britain; a genius loci, or ‘spirit of place’, which is both subversive and strange, shrouded in magic and mystery, and which leaves traces in the land, and all through our culture, if only we know where to look.”

Zakia Sewell has Welsh and Caribbean heritage and here she is looking for an alternative spirit of Britain as opposed to the one being peddled by the Right at the moment. A tradition opposed to the logic and traditions of the colonial past. Sewells travels the country in the course of a year following the traditional feast days and rituals. She starts with the Spring Equinox at Glastonbury: May Day in Oxford, Summer Solstice at Laugharne Carmartenshire, Lammas (a celebration of early harvest in August) at the Notting Hill Carnival, Autumn Equinox at Rufford Park, Samhain (Halloween) at York, Imbolc (New Year ish) at Isle of Erraid Inner Hebrides and finally Spring Equinox again at Stonehenge.
Sewell starts with origin stories and one stands out. Thirty sisters, all daughters of a Syrian King contrive to murder their husbands and are banished. They eventually arrive on a small boat on what are now the British Isles. One of the sisters is called Albina and so the land is named Albion. I do wonder how well refugees arriving on a small boat to find a home plays nowadays!!
She follows up on the views of people like the historian Geoffrey Ashe who believed that Albion was the alternative soul of the nation, a soul obscured by the veneration of “stately homes and the triumphs of British Capitalism” Ashe found the country he loved had “a mysterious offbeat quality, a transfiguring otherness far down in (Britain’s) almost hidden depths”.
Sewell looks at the vexed question of who owns the land and the links between Enclosure and Imperialism, which run deep. At the Autumn Equinox she is in Rufford Park in Nottinghamshire, where in 1851 there was a notorious clash between poachers and gamekeepers. A number of the poachers were transported to indentured labour. In 1908 Percy Grainger was collecting and recording folk songs in Lincolnshire. In a village called Saxby All Saints he recorded a man called Joseph Taylor in his mid 70s singing a folk song called The Rufford Park Poachers. You can listen to it on You Tube if you wish. There is a tension that runs through the folk tradition and there are many rebel songs like this within it.
Sewell also considers another controversial issue, black Britons over the ages. Again this is an area where the far right are in denial as the evidence is beginning to show that there have been black Britons from Roman times and possibly before. It is a contentious area given the current malice and hysteria about immigrants which Sewell addresses.
This is a useful book as it charts an alternative to the current of hate and xenophobia, an alternative strand of thinking.

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
loved the exploration of ancient and less ancient myths and folklore, including those just made up by the Victorians, but I found the overall conclusion a bit confused and unclear. Zakia Sewell tries to link the folklore to a wider story of immigration to Britain, which is a valid point, but I found it a bit poorly executed. A lot of it was more vibes than academic research and everything felt a bit rushed and without too much depth. It was still an enjoyable read but it ended up being more fun than informative.

Free ARC sent by Netgalley.

[Tutankhamun18 · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Sewell explores Britain’s folk traditions by travelling across Britain, Scotland and Wales. Through this examination she highlights that Britain has many different identities, and that the official version, shaped by empire, monarchy, and nationalism, is only one of them.

“Albion,” the ancient name for Britain, becomes a symbol for an alternative story rooted in folk traditions, myths, and local cultures rather than power and empire.
These include pagan practices, folk music, seasonal rituals, and community celebrations that feel more grounded, spiritual, and connected to place. Paganism, for example, is presented not just as a religion but as something anti establishment, tied to nature, pre Christian beliefs, and even linked to other traditions such as Caribbean spiritual practices. At the same time, the book reminds us that much of what we think we know about Britain’s past comes from colonial perspectives like Roman accounts, which often dismissed native cultures in order to justify colonisation.

A key idea running through the book is that national identity is not fixed but invented and constantly reshaped. Traditions like Morris dancing show this clearly. They feel ancient and authentic, but are often partly reconstructed or even recently created, especially during the Victorian period. Morris dancing though it provides belonging, does have minstrelsy and facist appropriation in its history. Instead of ignoring this, the book argues that English identity should be understood as complex and contradictory. Folk culture can be both empowering and problematic, and that tension is part of what makes it meaningful. The same applies to larger ideas of Britain itself, which has always been shaped by mixing, borrowing, and reinvention rather than a single pure origin.

The book also connects British identity to its colonial past, especially through examples like carnival. The Notting Hill Carnival, rooted in Caribbean traditions, reflects a history where British and colonial cultures were deeply intertwined. Caribbean carnival itself began as an elite European tradition before being reclaimed by enslaved people as a form of resistance and satire. This shows how British folk culture is not separate from empire, but deeply shaped by it. Traditions, music, and customs moved back and forth across the empire, changing both Britain and the places it colonised. Recognising this challenges the idea of a simple, purely “English” culture and instead shows a shared and often difficult history.

Another major theme is that Britain is still haunted by its past, especially its colonial violence. While ghost stories often focus on harmless or nostalgic figures, the real “ghosts” of empire,including enslaved people and victims of colonial conquest, are largely absent from national memory. This absence shapes how Britain understands itself today. The book suggests that failing to confront this history has created a kind of collective unease and confusion about identity. At the same time, modern Britain is marked by a loss of community and shared ritual, partly due to historical changes like the rise of capitalism, Protestantism, and the suppression of festivals and communal practices. This has contributed to a sense of isolation and disconnection in contemporary society.

In response, the book looks at both revived and newly created traditions as a way forward. These can be more inclusive, adaptable, and relevant to modern communities. For example, newer versions of rituals can include environmental awareness or bring together different cultural groups. The idea of *dùthchas* in Scotland, meaning a deep connection to land, ancestry, and place, highlights something that has been largely lost in England through industrialisation and empire. This loss helps explain why people often search for meaning in spirituality, travel, or even nationalism. Some turn to older traditions for healing, while others cling to myths of national greatness.

In the end, the book argues that Britain needs a new, more honest and inclusive story about itself. Folk traditions, songs, and customs can help build this by bringing in voices and histories that have been ignored. Instead of relying on official symbols like the monarchy or the Union Jack, the book imagines a richer and more diverse Britain. This is a place shaped by many influences, full of contradictions, and still evolving. It is a Britain where ancient myths, colonial histories, local traditions, and modern identities all exist together, and where people have the power to rethink what the nation means today.


Notes & Quotes


“Now with hindsight, I can see that this is partly why I was so entranched with Pentagles music on that fateful summer’s night. Like the old myths of albion, their other worldy folksongs seemed to emminate from a very different kind of Britain to the one envoked by anthems like God Save the King and Rule Britannia. Or by the union jack. These folksongs had little to do with glorifying the empire, the military or the monarchy. They were alternative stories of Britain, told from the ground up.”

Ch1: Glastonbury, Somerset - Spring Equinox

* Glastonbur Tor: Avalon, Glastonbury
* Pagan comes from latin paganous meaning countryside, used for non belivers, uncivilised who still worshipped the old gods
* Paganism is one Britains fastest growing religions
* prechristian, pre colonial, nature based religion
* “…hungry for Britains pagan past. I liked the idea of a free spirited, pre christian, pre colonial, nature based religion. There seemed to be something a bit punkrock, a bit anti establishment about it that mirrored the herbal medicines and magical practices I had heard whispered about in the Caribbean.”
* “But we must remember to take what these Romans sag with a pinch of salt. Only a few of their reports are eye witness accounts, and they were after all colonisers setting out to justify their civilising imperial mission in Britain. Using language that mirrors the later writings of British colonialists, a Roman soldier writing between AD 97 and 105 described Britains native tribes dismissively as retunculi, meaning wretched little brits.” ⭐️
* grandfather of Wicca, Gerald Gardner began researching into traditional medical practices, he too observed the similarities between African derived voodoo and European witchcraft, which he believed was suggestive of an older, shared culture and a forgotten shared past.”
* From Caliban and the witch: “As in the carribean folk practices and religion pose a threat to the existing order. Although this time the order was not the plantation society but the burgeoning capitalist system. They were seen as a danger because they were seen as an illicit form of power and a way of obtaining things without work…In both slavery era carribean and early modern Britain, folk magical practices were feared by the establishment for their prenicious potential. They put power into the hands of ordinary people, beyond the reach of the established systems of governance and the christian church. For some contemporary pagans, reclaiming these practices is a subversive and defiant act.”
* prechristian traditions

Ch2: Oxford, Oxfordshire - May Day
* 1836 May Day Pole dance
* reimagining of england in victorian era during a time when everything was changing
* Morris dancing: low countries with french origins but very english flavour
* Morris dancing and other other folk traditions provide a new way of wnglish identity
* folk and fascism are bedfellows both in UK and Germany
* regernative power of folk
* folksongs and customs = race products = truer patriot (Cecile Sharpe)
* black face in morris dancing-> minstralcy
* “Im not convinced that folk traditions like morris dancing represent and entirely progressive aspect of english culture, at least not in the political sense. To brand folk culture as entirely progressive would be to airbrush out some of the darker details of its history and although ive certainly considered toppling cecile sharpes bust and watching it smash into smitherines, im not sure that is entirely necessary either. Instead, perhaps there is value in embracing folk cultures complexities and contradictions. Morris dancing is seen as a quintessentially English dance and yet it is supposedly moreish and came to England via Europe, its a diy, anti establishment, working class tradition that was promoted by conservative victorians to control the masses. And it contains traces of minstracy and facism, which whether we like it or not are both aspects of this nations complex history. Perhaps, in this sense, its a perfect expression of english identity.”

Ch 3: Laugharne, Carmerthenshire - Summer Solstice

* 1707: Great Britain combined England, Scottland and Wales
* “If we can accept the fact that nations are always to a certain extent invented, perhaps it gives us permission to dream our nations a new. Who could the Welsh be if they acknowledge their position as both colonised and coloniser? Or if the english took a cue from wales and drew from their oldest stories for their sense of belonging and identity. what would happen if we reestablished the tale of albina and her thiry syrian sisters, a story which imagined Britain as a place of refuge for outsiders as our foundational British myth? Perhaps then wed be able to let go of the fantasies that no longer serve us, whether that be the fantasies of victimhood or of indesputable greatness and to envisage a new national story, one that reflects who we aspire to be today.”

Ch4: Notting Hill, London - Lammas
* Nottingham Carnival
* takes a place a few weeks after Lammas, the start of summer
* First carribean carnival 1959 in London in the face of racism (Jones), Rhaune Laslett in 1966 first time outside and first time in Notting Hill. Combo of Traditional English Fair and Carribbean History
* “The mass tradition began after emmancipation, when the newly freed former slaves used costumes as a form of satire and subversion. Sticking two fingers up to their former masters. But while Trinidedean Carnival and its traditions later became a power symbol of resistance and independence for people across the carribbean, it acctually began life as a form of folk entertainment for the islands white slave owning class. The island of trinidad shared a similar fate to many of its neighbouring islands. Originally inhabited by indigenous south americans, it was colonised by europeans in the 16th century. When the island was established as a plantation economy and carved up into sugar, coffee and cotton estates that were worked by enslaved africans. The island was ruled by the Spanish, the French and finally the British in 1797, until it gained independence in 1962. Under British rule, the number of enslaved people increased dramatically and the island swayed with new settlers from England, Ireland and Scotland drawn in by the lucrative offerings of plantation life. Both enslaved and enslaved, arriving on Trinidadean soil for very different reasons, carried their traditions along with them, sowing seeds for the carnival as we know it today. Before the emancipation of the enslaved in 1838, the carnival was a high society affair where planters would host lavish masked balls and promenade through the streets in their carriages before lent, adorned in expensive costumes. The parade reflected the folk origins of the islands mixed planter community, blending Roman Catholic traditions with May Day customs, but the festivities were structly off limits to the enslaved… While these practices are well remembered in the Carribbean, in Britain we rarely hear about the folk customs that were exported to the colonies and especially not in this context, where customs were used by the planter classes to mock the alteadg oppressed population, who were often outlawed from practicising their own traditions or even speaking their own lagauges and to reinforce the strict boundaries of Trinidads highly stratified enslaved society. The history of the carinval in Trinidad, the ancestor of the Notting Hill Carnival, provides yet another shadowy countervision to merry England and to the bells and hankies paraded through British streets on May Day. It reveals a dark truth about British folkculture that has for too long been kept out of sight and out of mind. The fact that it too like to mant aspects of British heritage and culture is interwoven with the threads of colonial empire. After emmancipation, everything changed. The white plantations folk origins were reimagined and reclaimed bt the former enslaved people, who turned the carnival on its head. Using it as an opportunity to mock their former masters and express their new found freedom. The newly liberated population danced and revelled in the streets, imitating the speech and clothing and gestures of the planter class. In fact many of the masquerade characters that are now synonymous with the carnival drew on British traditions and imperial power as a form of satire.”
* Creole: african roots with British empire
* Sea shantys, carribbean origin

Ch6: York, Yorkshire -Samhai

* “But dehmanising the other came with a spiritual and psychological cost. This is one of the most powrful spectres haunting the nation: our inability to come to terms with our colonial past and the racism that was used to justify it. Our colonial history is the ghost in the attic, the skeleton in the closet, which colours our sense of self, the actions in the present and the way we view our most ancient past. Britain is haunted. Not just by headless school teachers and victorian children, but by the unacknowledged victims of the empire and the slavetrade, by the 3.4 million enslaved african transported on british ships, the millions of who were killed dueing Britains imperial conquest in Africa, India and the Middle East, the indigenous people of North America, Australia and New Zealand who were violently dispossed and displaced of their lands, the maroons, the mau maus and the countless nameless victims of British exploitation, occupation, between the 16th and 18th century who suffered and were sacrified in order for Britain to become great. These real ghosts are notably absent from British ghost lore. There are very few ghosts stories that reference the empire or its victims, perhaps because Britains colonial activies happend elsewhere, out of sight and out of mind.”

Ch7: Penzance, Cornwall - Winter Solstice

* “One of the benefits of these newer customs, is that they can be designed to the needs of communities today without the fear of getting things wrong or being chastised for falling to honour tradition. In Meg and Ellens revived tradition, the community gathered together to protect the wren rather than to hunt it, adding an ecological spin to the days proceedings. Customs can also be tailor made to be more inclusive than some of our existing traditions. Meg and Ellen have already resched out to some of rhe newer Ukrainian and Bulgarian residents of the town in preparation for next years tradition. Their keen to collaborate with and include different cultures.”
* “We Brits have a reputation for being a bit repressed, stifled by the curse of a stiff upper lip. Especially when there is no alcohol involved. But this wasnt always the case. Our contempotary inhibitions about letting go, could be seen as a consequence of the clamp down on communal activies that took place between the 16th and 17th centuries alomgside the rise of protestantism, the birth of capitalism and the pursuit of empire. In Dancing in the Streets, the cultural historian Baraba erren writes that a brilliant exploration of dance and ritual, she argues that European encounters with the inhabitants of the new world solified the association of Western restraint with civilisation and superiority. The essence of rhe western mind and particularly the male western upper class mind, she writes, was its ability to resist the contagious rhythm of the drums, to wall itself up in a vision of ego and rationality against the seductive wildness of the world. Rituals and festivities that included communcal dancing or estatic elements were deemed primitive and unsavory, evidence of colonial subjects savage nature. And there was a similar distain for festivities of the working classes of Britain, which were seen as a fervent of dissenting ideas and rebellious behaviour as was Londons fates and fairs…”
* Puritains abolished all festivities
* Austerity, isolation = loneliness, UK, collectively bad mental health, community shaped hole in UK
* Communities of place vs communities of interest, online

Ch.8: Isle of Erraid, Inner Hebrides - Imbolc
* Dùthchas is a Scottish Gaelic word for connection to place, ancestry, and heritage
* “So much has been lost in England, which became modern and industrialised long before the highlads and which set its distinct sense of identity as it embarked on its imperial pursuits under the banner of Britishness. Many have little sympathy for a nation that has so for so long been in a position of power, a colonising and slaving nation, that has destoryed so many forms of knowledge, traditions, customs and entire communities in its quest for world power. But as England consumed and destoryed the other, it became cut off from itself, plunging the nation into a profound collective malaise.”
* Gaelic culture
* “Though for many it remains unconcious, I feel it is this sense of loss that drives people to places like the highlands searching for the old ways, rhat sends flocks of travellers to India, Bali and the amazon rainforest in search of spiritual healing and wisdom. Others, meanwhile, find solace in nationalism and the lofty myths of power and supremacy, which replace the older identities rooted in community, tradition and custom.”

Ch.9: Stonehenge, Wiltshire - Spring Equinox
* “I believe that the old songs and stories and customs can help us to form a more inclusive and progressive sense of identity in Britain. An odentoty that is more balanced, more honest and which is informed by the voices and perspectives of those who have been traditionally excluded from the national imaginary. Stories that are remembered in folk songs and dance steps, both her and across the former empire. For too long our institutional emblems and myths, handed down to us by those in power, have obscured the nations magic, it eccentricity, its magical heart, they have pasted over the dark legacies of colonialism that shaped the nation, the acts of political resistance that fought for the rights we have today and the weird, mischievious and unruly aspects of our culture, leaving us with a story of Britain that is flavourless and dull. My quest for Albion has revealed a nation that is far more vivid than Britishness evoked by the crown and the union jack, it has brought into view a land of morris dancers, myh bearers and carnival goers, a land of disparate tribes each with their own customs and traditions, locked ina struggle for power. A land of druids and bards, where imperial spectres haunt ghost stories by cambridge dons and hippies on acid clash with policemen on top of historical burial mounds. A land of class hierachies and divisive histories, dreamed anew by utopians and radicals, who believed another better Britain was possible.”

[Maria Kravchenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a type of book I'd normally read but I found it a fascinating exploration and reflection on how we conceptualise different British traditions, folklore and why we are drawn to 'going back to old ways'. 4.5⭐

[Verity · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many ways, this twisting quest through folk Britain was enlightening and frustrating. It is a well-researched and deeply personal account, compellingly weaving a thread the pre-Christian vision of the land to today’s turbulent political climate. I only wish there was a little more of a focus on the tales of English folklore and an unpacking of its traditional symbols: the green man / punch / the old gods.

[Billie Partridge-Naudeer · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the perils of the romanticisation of woo woo!!!! Something I can be very guilty of. It’s nice to sit in my echo chamber and feel at home in a book. Plenty of familiar material for us woo woo lovers, but also a beautiful entry point for those who are new to the woo.

Particularly loved the chat about whimsy and mischief as a bona fide way to fight the power. If no one got me, jesters privilege got me 😔😏🃏Could have maybe done with a bit more myth and legend but that’s because I’m a glutton for that stuff.

This was thoughtful and personal and that’s exactly what I need from my non-fiction. The pervasive black mould of fascism, racism, and imperialism are well handled in these pages too. I just want to prance around my commune’s forest in all my stolen-valour-1/4-Irish-glory harping on about Beltane and communing with nature on disastrous amounts of mushrooms. But noooo, in this timeline me and thousands of bisexual star sign bitches just like me now have to fight the far right. Smh.

Feel like the same point was re-hashed a few times, but again, if this is your entry-point then I think it’s important to have someone hold your hand and show you the cork board with thumb tacks and red string and say this is insane how this is all connected, right?? Right?!

[Bobbie Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes us on a journey around Britain in search of the mythical land predating us as ‘Britons’- before our many invasions from the continent and long before we began to dispense our own horrors around the world. Sewell searches for a history of the land, the spiritual, pagan heart which lived among the giants of Albion. This book is very broad and her journey did not seem to have a clear argument but when paganism and English myth is so hidden in time she relies on the seasonal pagan rituals, the ancient solstices and equinox’s combined with modern rituals which try to forge a national and regional identity which people can feel proud of and connected to.

[J.A. Ironside · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few great points swimming in a soup of otherwise shallow understanding. A lot of the historical points were one sided and failed to capture socio economic, political and population realities. For example the Highland clearances, while awful, happened predominately due to the 1700s population explosion going hand in hand with mismanagement of lands and estates by Scottish clan lairds who were up to the hilt in debt to Lowland Scots and some English. It was these landowners who decided that clearances to make way for sheep farming was the best way to keep things going. Their bondsmen in Duchas were forceably sent to crofts which were not sufficient for families to sustain themselves from like the previous farms had been. Not without other means of revenue such as kelp collecting or fishing. It was a massive loss of status and a source of disenfranchisement. But a) it was done by the Scots to their own clansmen and b) many of them had no choice and actually thought they were providing for their people. I don't dispute that the English took advantage of the situation but they didn't cause it. (Banning gatherings, repressing the Scottish language and preventing the wearing of the clan plaids was definitely the English however look at it from a strategic pov. Country A shares a border with Country B. There have been centuries of squabbles with both sides crossing the border to rape and pillage - Country B likes to throw in a bit of burning as well as is tradition in Scotland. Both sides have tried and/or succeeded in killing each others monarchs over the centuries. The latest attempt by Country B to politically destabilise Country A utilised the largely untouched Clans whose situation, location and familial ties make them a difficult enemy. Country A wins and sends the pretender to the throne running. In order to stop the clans being utilised in that way again, they place sanctions on Country B with much support from factions in that country. This effectively breaks up the clans which had already been in decline for a centurt or so because the way of life was not adapting to more modern times. Overall it was a horrible loss of culture. As a strategist, if you were country A, what would you have done? This does not mean anyone is a hero here. It's just what happened. Putting it all at the feet of greed or the English or even the Scottish objection to a protestant king is facile. I'm saying this as a half Scot!) This is just one of the many things Sewell just doesn't understand. And that's the big issue with this book. It's far too much feels, not nearly enough facts, reasoning and evidence. Or even stories and myths! Overall a frustrating read. I love the author's optimism. I wish she had become better informed.

[Patrick Tullis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounding up from 3.5 stars. This book is a travelogue/memoir in which the author, who is a British musician/DJ with multiple ethnic identities, discusses the folklore of the “British Isles” and how that folklore is interpreted in the modern day.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and am thankful for the perspective of the author. The book is strongest when discussing folklore and weakest when straying into politics, DNA, or other topics.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Zakia Sewell became interested in the old ways of Britain as a teen. Now older, she sees a wide and growing post Brexit and Covid 19 interest in folk culture, legends, symbols, sacred sites, and in the old ways. She likes using the word Albion, which she says is the “original, ancient name for the island of Britain.”

Since some of this growing interest in the old ways can be found in various local celebrations, she traveled around Britain to study them, and sometimes, participate. Finding Albion is the story of her journey around Britain and her observations, from spring equinox to summer solstice, to autumn equinox, and on to winter solstice and then back to spring equinox.

Sewell brings a different perspective to her observations from having a Welsh father and a Caribbean mother. She is very aware of how people of mixed race are treated in Britain.

It was a pleasure to listen to her fresh and somewhat unique commentary on what she saw and how it relates to herself and to the new interest in Britain’s past.

I listened to the audio book which was delightfully narrated by the author.

Finding Albion was longlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.

[Nell Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved Sewell’s non-fic journey to uncover ‘Albion’. I am already incredibly fond of anything to do with the pagan calendar or way of life, so I am very much the target audience for this book. Nevertheless I think it’s a wonderful read for anyone who is perhaps slightly hesitant about identifying as a ‘proud Brit’.

[Karina Geddes · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic read and conversational essay. it really inspects England's lack of identity in a fear and empathetic way. beautifully written.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really timely and refreshing exploration of British folk culture and its current revival.

[Cordelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this

[Mackenzie]

I echo others in that this book is more meandering around speaking to new age pagans than it is exploring ancient traditions and histories of Britain.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at the stories that nations and the people within them tell themselves to construct their national identities. Also an investigation of who these stories are for, and who they are not.

[R Davies · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up at Hay Festival after hearing her speak with David Olusoga. She came across as very intelligent, lucid and eloquent in talking about the motivation behind the book, her own background and trying to look back to older stories and traditions that might facilitate more inclusive narratives, more compassionate and engaging tales we can tell to talk about collective identities in Britain and perhaps England more specifically.

It sounded like this book could have been really interesting. Perhaps there was a mismatch of expectation on my behalf after that talk, perhaps Olusoga's presence skewed my expectations as I love his fantastic books on history. I suppose I must have been expecting a more detached journalistic inquiry alongside her personal travels around Britain as she follows a pagan themed calendar to visit different locations.

Her investigations however, are fairly paper thin and often consist of little more than asking a handful of hippy pagans what they think. There is research referred to in the book in fairness, but I guess I wanted much more of that, rather than the author herself engaging in ( in her words ) "woo-woo".

There is some charm in those tales, but it just feels so light. Accessible though. If you do just want a light overview of some hidden traditions, I'm sure you would enjoy this book, but I have to confess to being frustrated by the book. I suppose I'm frustrated by it not being what I thought it would be, which is perhaps unfair. Though, I even allowing for that I think it's still too superficial and light.

[Clare Robb · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This eternal dance of the seasons has provided the rhythm to human life since the beginning of time - it is the steady pulse of persistent and relentless change that drives us forward.”

I read Finding Albion by Zakia Sewell under a tree in Princes St. Gardens, it was my first under a tree read of the year and it lived up to the setting: this book is magic. The air was full of tree pollen and for the first time in so long the sun felt warm on my skin. I felt alive and now I want to carry Zakia’s quest for Albion with me all year. I’ve carried it in my bag and in my bike basket, and it has carried me through spring already.

Albion is both a landscape and a dreamscape; the site of our hopes, dreams and fantasies about the nation. Zakia uncovers an alternative spirit of Britain, one which is vividly alive. Following the wheel of the year, we begin with the promise of spring, setting out on a quest with the buds and crocuses just coming out of the soil, through the peak of summer into dark winter days and then back around into light again.

“Cast your eyes around you and you will begin to notice the new shoots, the early signs of daffodils and snowdrops rising out of the debris of winter. The spirit of Albion is stirring beneath the soil: a different story, a different way of being, right here, where you stand.”

[Colin Thomson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75*
Broadly speaking, I agree with the general sentiment of the book and politically align with the author. I enjoyed the topics explored and appreciated the blend of music, folklore, myth, and culture. But this was wishy washy, under researched at points, under critical, and weirdly narrow in it's scope. Pagan borderline cultish stuff was put on a pedestal, and the fact that so many of the teachings/moral lessons were alcohol and drug fueled was just ignored. If the author explored alcohol and drug use as means of connection, fair enough, but to just ignore it felt odd. Afro Caribbean traditions player a major part, something I really enjoyed learning about, but Chinese, Pakistani, Italian, and other diasporas with their own cultures and traditions that fuse with our own had no presence in the book. The scary outfits of Notting Hill Carnival, with the chainsaw dragging across the ground were reverted. While a chapter later, a Halloween outfit, adorned with a similar chainsaw, was looked down upon as modern capitalist drivel. This confusion, that some aspects of modern culture were inherently bad, yet any modern "folk culture" that was artificially aged and often about as old as me, was given way more respect. I feel like the book could be doubled in scale and scope and even then only scratch at the surface. 

[Ellie T · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the relatively low rating for this book may well be a case of "it's not you, it's me". I, like many other people in the UK apparently, have become increasingly interested in how old rituals tie into the seasons. I have no faith beyond humanism and the world feels pretty bleak, so I was keen to read something that would tell me more about myths and folklore.

Bits of this book are really interesting, though I did feel that if it was going to be structured around the significant festivals of pagan times then doing the related activity actually at the time of the festival rather than a little while after would have shown more commitment.

Zakia Sewell write of how England lacks a cultural identity in a way that Wales, Scotland and Ireland don't, possibly due to the effort it put into making itself a colonial power. I think a lot of the problem I had with the book was that a fair bit of time was spent explaining how bad colonialism was, which is indisputable. As someone looking for a way to cope better with life, I struggled with being told just how bad my people had been historically. I agree though that assimilating traditions and customs from other cultures and building our own new ones would be a great way to help social cohesion.

[Marisa Goldy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 || The title of this drew me in when I saw it had been announced for the Women's Prize longlist, and I was very excited to read it. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. Part of it was my misunderstanding of what the book was about. I expected a deep dive into Albion and Arthurian mythology and folklore, and while that is part of the book, it is not the focus overall.

As someone who wants to take time this year to study the history and learn the folklore of the places where my ancestors are from, I understand why Sewell embarked on this quest. I also enjoyed her commentary on the state of folklore in the UK and how society, economics, and politics affect it. However, I am not British. I do not really care about Britain finding its own cultural identity when I have my own, not British identity to find.

The bottom line is I enjoyed this book for what it was, but I didn't really get that much out of it. It was about 50/50, knowing the folklore mentioned in the book, and there weren't really that many jumping-off points to research if you prefer medieval/ancient sources.

[Katie Pattinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a big fan of Zakia Sewell for years (yes yes), so was hyped for her first book.

She does a great job weaving together different fragments of cultural identity, bringing in the effects of empire, colonialism, racism & xenophobia to the story. She goes beyond pastoral images of "Merrie England" / morris dancing / the simple life, to see what opportunities for a more fulfilling collective future and identity we can dream up, or are already enacting.

I happened to read this alongside Mark Fisher's Capitalist Realism, which is quite the pair. Faced with the seeming inevitability of today's capitalist, globalised world, Finding Albion offered pockets of hope to reclaim what is lost, and generate richer cultural lives for ourselves.

Finally the book got me reflecting again that it is a very English pursuit to reinvent / invoke Albion. I just don't think would ring true or be as relevant elsewhere in these British Isles. Maybe an appeal to a larger grander identity shows some lingering colonialism in our thinking.

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I found this endlessly fascinating and it was enjoying to read. I was worried it would be too "intelligent" for me, as I don't really want to have to work to enjoy a book. But this was instantly accessible. I did have a few niggles with it though. It didn't flow well for me; I understand the order she's put it in, but at times they felt a bit random which meant each section felt separate. The chapters are also a little long for my liking but I find non-fiction chapters tend to be longer. I like how honest she's been. Also, I felt at times that Zakia didn't really know what angle she was going for, or what she was hoping to discover, so it did get a bit lost at times. She hasn't sugar-coated anything, or hidden the less savoury elements of British history and I think that's powerful.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zakia Sewell travels England, Wales and Scotland exploring the folk traditions pointing to a national identity beyond that championed by Reform (and to an extent, by the Tories and Labour): demonising immigrants and non-white people. Along the way she confronts the fact that a lot of folk traditions are somewhat fash-adjacent, while others have been imported by colonised people.

It's thought provoking, but suffers from the current non-fiction trend for imitating a TV documentary (and it turns out it was based on a radio documentary series). So we get descriptions of Sewell’s train journeys and cafes she visits. TV does this partly because there's no footage of the historical events in question. They have to show the host travelling about. A book can bring historical moments alive - and the best narrative non-fiction writers do. More of that would be welcome.

[Sal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is supposed to be a search for a new less divisive national identity, an attempt to find Albion. Unfortunately I don't think the author had a very clear idea of what she was trying to find and we are left with a very muddled book that left me confused as to what lessons I was supposed to take from it.
Pagan, folk, ancient and made-up by Victorians - it all gets added to the mix. Hippies at Stonehenge, communes, new age shops and rituals at Glastonbury. I would have liked to have seen more exploration of genuine ancient rituals and how they have been changed over the years. A bit of archaeology would have been nice rather than endless chats with new age pagans.
There are some interesting ideas about British traditions that have been taken to the colonies and adapted but I wish the author had linked that back more closely to Britain adopting and adapting European traditions for thousands of years as we were invaded again and again. She mentions that Beowulf is based on a Scandinavian story but doesn't really follow up on what this shows us about our so-called indigenous traditions.
The author is stronger exploring the growth of new local traditions that have been reborn from older ideas and become part of new community festivals. I love the idea of adapting ancient rituals to create more inclusive traditions that can serve to bring communities together rather than shut people out.
This is also quite an Anglo-centric look for a national identity. The author does have family connections to Wales and the book does explore Celtic identity, including Cornwall, but I would have liked more on how Wales has long struggled to hang on to a sense of identity when it's English neighbour's culture dominated half the world. The success of keeping the language alive and the 'Yma o Hyd' pride already suggests that Wales has its own identity to explore and that will have little to do with the author's nebulous sense of Albion.
I did find this book thought-provoking but largely because I didn't agree with a lot of the author's conclusions and had to try and pull together my own ideas into something more coherent so I could argue against them! But maybe that is part of what the author is trying to do - make us think.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up because of the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction Longlist but it is absolutely my kind of book - exploring Britain (or Albion's) folkloric past and how people connect with it today, including both the groups that found belonging in it but also how it has been used to reinforce the racist stereotypes of who counts as 'British'. I enjoyed the author's exploration of different festivals at different places around the Great Britain, and then discussed the history and present day celebration of the festivals and why they have changed.

It was a fascinating book and I'm really glad my attention was brought to it.

[Jenny Blacker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it's a fresh look at traditions (new, reinvented or modern) that we Brits practice across the year.

Like the author I've never really felt a sense of what being British/English meant to me (though unlike the author I'm white, so can easily hide amongst the crowds and pretend), and so this really hit home to me.

I'd love to read more of Zakia exploring more customs, hopefully there'll be a part 2!

I received an advance copy for free from NetGalley, on the expectation that I would provide an honest review.

[Sophie (RedheadReading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Floating somewhere between a three and a four, this is a very accessible and engaging non-fic which combines exploring the folklore and mythology of Britain with quite a memoir-slanted travelogue style journey. I think I potentially know a bit too much about both paganism and history for all of this to hit hard and I wanted a bit of a stronger conclusion, but I had a fun time reading and particularly valued the focus on expanding the view to encompass a much more diverse range of people's engagement with paganism.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and hopeful book about a country I've largely forgotten but that still has a vice-grip on my soul. The England of my youth is almost certainly still there in so many ways, but it's ironic that with the distance of time and place I am coming to see it now more clearly than I ever did as a young teen - in all its beauty, failure, promise and pain. I can't wait to return. In the meantime, I will hold books like this close.

[A.K. Adler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quest to find new symbols and stories for a multicultural Britain. This focused more on socio-political commentary than on folklore, which was unexpected, but I found it both moving and thought-provoking. The writing is well-researched, engaging, and has inspired me to think more deeply about my cultural identity - or lack thereof - and how it can be more inclusive.