Castlefest Wicker Ceremony: DAGAZ

Fieke van den Hurk - 2026

How to write music and create a sonic landscape for something so old, so pure… that it is beyond the polarities which we need to describe our world?

I chose to express one of those polarities in the music: dark and light. For in the transition from one to the other, one passes the liminal space that is Dagaz. The Dawn. Before the coming of the dawn, one must first pass the darkest point of the night. What would that darkness sound like? I created an otherworld, where the beating wings of the phoenix that was once flying - turn into a fear-inducing slow pulse from a sound that is not coming from anything we know in this material world. Slowly it drags you into a world of shadow and doubt. Where the beautiful female voice is altered… lowered… stripped of is pure beauty. Where a choir sings only one remaining melody over and over again. All else is lost in this darkness.

There is however, a glimmer of light present in the music. In the shape of the Celtic harp. Even in the dark, there is the promise of light. Like the stars in the night… the harp embodies hope. In one part the harp plays the Gypsy minor scale, hinting back to the ancient times that the concept of Dagaz was already a part of, in the shape of the phoenix, and embodied by gods such as the Egyptian Ra.

The dark grows, up to a point where the female voice turns to growling. Is she still a woman? Or a beast? The percussion consist of metal snare drums, the darbuka and the percussion is mostly created by metal and stone objects. I used a big iron nail I once forged. And the beats are almost industrial. Sounds get more and more distorted. Until there is no sound left… only the mantra “I am a sleeping ember, I am dawn.” There is nothing left to do but to set flame to the darkness.

Only once the fire is lit, you hear the original beating of wings… The dawn is upon us, the sun rises… the female voice, now being reborn, screams her most intense scream… the violin plays her back to life. She finally gets her pure voice back. The music is now light, the sound of new hope, new beginnings, innocence… but with the fresh memory of what the darkness is.

I am grateful to all musicians that were part of this music. Without their input - I could have not made this piece. My gratitude also goes to my forever muse: Jyoti Verhoeff. She helped me with the choir parts, and the beautiful lyrics to the chants and inspiration and guidance when I went through some dark parts in the creation of this music.

The words to the ceremony are all mine.

The theme - DAGAZ, and the figure of the Wicker originate with Jeroen Overwijn / MagicWithin.

Lead vocals, growls: Micky Huijsmans
Violin, viola , choir vocals: Sophie Zaaijer
Celtic harp, choir vocals: Chloé Bakker
Drums & percussion: Rob van Barschot, Ivo van Dijk, Tim Elfring
Choir: Monique van Deursen, Sara Weeda, Klaartje van Zwol
Extra vocals & ceremonials: Jyoti Verhoeff
Narrator / priestess: Fieke van den Hurk
FOH sound: Marie de Koning

Wing sounds & screeching: recorded at Uilennist - by courtesy of Roald Jonkman

My eternal gratitude to Mark van der Stelt & Natasja Marshal for trusting me with the honour of accompanying this ritual in sound and words.