In the Name of the Devil: An Immersive Guide to the History, Folklore, and Rituals of Samhain & Halloween

Halloween isn’t just a holiday. It’s a lifestyle.

On Halloween night, a girl stands in front of a mirror, an apple grasped in her hand, hoping to glimpse the face of the one she’ll marry. But this ritual requires a certain... invocation. She has to do it in the name of the devil.

In the Name of the Devil is an immersive guide to the real history, folklore and rituals of Samhain and Halloween in Ireland. It’s not just history you read; it’s history you do.

Drawing primarily on medieval Irish myths and the 1930s Schools’ Collection, where children recorded the folklore of their elders, historian Dr Christina Wade digs up the traditions buried under decades of money and marketing.

You’ll meet:

• Nera, who braved Samhain night to tie a withe around a dead man’s foot (and lived to regret it)
• The Fae, the púca, the banshee and the Washer at the Ford
• Jack of the Lantern and the original carved turnips, the scariest jack-o’-lanterns you’ll ever see
• Sheet ghosts, Snap Apple, Nutcrack Night, and divination rituals that promised a glimpse of your future spouse… or your own coffin

Every chapter ends with the Devil’s Due, a set of tasks to bring the history to life: dares, divinations, and games to complete this Halloween. Document it all in your own scrapbook, a record of old customs made new again.

Also inside: historical recipes for your Halloween feast, including Father Kilduff’s boxty loaf, colcannon, soul cakes, a bambrack adapted from 17th-century adapted cake, and apple fritters.

Designed for adults, but easily modified for little ghouls with a trusted supervisor.

Format: PDF ebook, 82 pages, with clickable chapter navigation and full notes.

Go on. I dare you.