Tania Yager as a returning guest and multifaceted visual performance artist, writer, holistic educator, shamanic practitioner, and creative director of Twisted Heart Puppet Works.

In this episode, Kristal and Tania Yager explore the Mari Lwyd, a Welsh winter tradition centered on a decorated horse skull, luck visits, and rhyming door battles. Tania shares how she discovered the Mari through synchronicity, ancestry, puppetry, and her creative work, then explains why this living folklore continues to resonate now. They also discuss how to respectfully approach the tradition outside Wales, the difference between a Mari Lwyd and a Mari Beast, and what it means to build, honor, and work magically with a horse skull.

Tania will be on a book tour from October 17th, 2026 to February 5th, 2027. In Washington, join us at these events:

November 14 - 15: Mari Lwyd Creation Workshop at Ashley's Pub in Bremerton

November 19: Book Talk at Holy Water Lounge, sponsored by Salmonberry Books in Port Orchard

November 21: La Befana & Italian Christmas Magic Workshop at the Rosarium in Olympia

December 3: Elka & the Beast Puppet Show at Gastro Pup in Bremerton

December 4: Book Signing at The Dusty Pug in Bremerton

December 5: Krampusnacht in Bremerton

Resources:
The Wild Hunt of Vista
Tania on Facebook
Tanis on Instagram
Register for the Mari Lwyd Workshop
Register for the La Befana Workshop
Get your ticket for the Elka & the Beast puppet show
Buy the book: The Allure of Dark Winter Spirits