The Passion of the Flax, Continued: The Folklore Society Presidential Address 2026, and Annual General Meeting

Prof. David Hopkin's Folklore Society Presidential Address 2026 revisits Robert Eisler's 'The Passion of the Flax'

The Passion of the Flax, Continued

The Folklore Society Presidential Address 2026

by Professor David Hopkin

Tuesday 15 September, 17:30-18:30 BST

At 50 Fitzroy Street, London W1T 5BT and online

Flax is a “martyred plant” in folklore – to transform it into linen (and then paper) it has to be pulled, drowned, roasted, broken, beaten, heckled, spat on, hung… and that’s just the beginning.  The sufferings of flax are endlessly recounted in proverbs, riddles, songs, legends, folktales and laments from many European countries.  In a talk to the Folklore Society in 1948 the Austrian polymath Robert Eisler argued that these testaments were pagan survivals and evidence of a dying-and-rising god, typical of agrarian fertility cults.  The ‘Passion of the Flax’ was, therefore, akin to, and model for, the Passion of Christ.  However, looking over his material again, and more that has come to light since, I argue that while the harvesting of flax and its transformation into cloth is undoubtedly hard work – not just the plant but its labourers suffer – these sufferings were not meant to be taken too seriously.  In the end, the ‘Passion of the Flax’ was always also a joke.

David Hopkin is Professor of European History at the University of Oxford, and President of The Folklore Society.

Register to attend the lecture online:

The lecture is open to all online, everyone welcome and tickets are free via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-passion-of-the-flax-continued-tickets-1995920447788? We welcome donations to help support the work of The Folklore Society so please consider selecting the 'Free Ticket with Voluntary Donation' option when booking your ticket to attend online.

Register to attend the lecture in person: Seats at 50 Fitzroy Street are reserved for Folklore Society members intending to stay for The Folklore Society’s Annual General Meeting from 18:45-19:45: email us via https://folklore-society.com/contact to book a seat: first come, first served.

The Folklore Society Annual General Meeting 2026

The AGM will take place after the lecture, from 18:45-19:45: Folklore Society members only.

Folklore Society members may attend in person at 50 Fitzroy Street, London W1T 5BT or online via Zoom, and all members are entitled to vote, whether participating in person or online.

To attend the AGM in person: please email via https://folklore-society.com/contact to let us know you’re coming. Seats are limited, so first come, first served.

To attend the AGM online: the AGM Zoom meeting link, agenda, minutes of the 2025 AGM, and the Accounts & Trustee Report 2025, will be emailed to all Folklore Society members.

Image: Max Liebermann, 'The flax barn at Laren' (via Wikimedia Commons)