Sacred Trees of Europe

Lithuania's Happy Paganism

Review - Morning Star

"Rowsell explains that his interest was kindled by growing up near ancient sites such as the Uffington White Horse. It’s interesting to look into the history of where you’re from and imagine how people lived and the battles and settlements that occurred where we are now standing. Literature and film heavily influenced or featuring the Saxons such as Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Tales book series-subject to an upcoming BBC series-have fired the popular imagination."

Runes, Ruins and Revelations - George Waterhouse - Morning Star 14/7/15

Read the full review here

The Knights Templar and the Temple Church

Article on Medievalists.net

"From Runes to Ruins offers viewers a glimpse into some of the mythic and spiritual past of the Anglo-Saxons as it talks about Wayland the Smith, the Uffington White Horse and the Ruthwell Cross."

Click here to read the full article: From Runes to Ruins: Documentary looks at rediscovering the Anglo-Saxon past

Interview on Red Ice Radio - Anglo Saxon Paganism

Tom explains his motivation for creating a film that is meant to contribute to the identity and dignity of the people of today. We discuss the phenomenon of our disenchanted youth, many of whom amble on meaningless paths with no connections to ancestral roots or culture. Tom describes how his youth spent growing up in the countryside of England shaped his passion for preserving the history of the Anglo-Saxons who founded his country. We look at the nature-based, pre-Christian pagan traditions of Europe that could not be shed with its shift to the imported Christian theological perspective. Then, Tom speaks about various locations of rich history depicted in the film and he gives examples of the deep connectivity that existed between all of the European countries in pagan times. In the second segment, we consider the modern issue of lack of cognizance of history and identification with the land. Tom illustrates treasures of extraordinary artifacts from medieval times found in the area of Sutton Hoo that represent the true richness and advanced nature of the early Anglo-Saxon cultures. Later, we discuss the process of industrialization and the enclosure movement that has forced people off their lands and uprooted Western civilization. Tom talks about the inspiration of J.R.R. Tolkien that has helped to restore a sense of folklore to a world that is craving a shared appreciation of spirituality, simplicity and tradition. We emphasize the importance of learning about and respecting our ancestors in order to exist with dignity and value, and also how we can shine a light on the distorted history and compulsory shame that has been drilled into our heads through academia. At the end, Tom gives us a lesson on ancient sacrificial rituals that were practiced in order to show gratitude to the gods.

Listen to the interview on Red Ice TV website

Review on Askrinn.com

Here's an excerpt from the review:

In 50 minutes, Thomas Rowsell brought me a lot of information, packed with beautiful landscape pictures and an absorbing story-telling. The whole documentary is really well-done, never boring, and (always) accurate. It is truly giving the motivation to search for more details regarding the many subjects and places evoked.

Read the full review here