Step into a journey into forgotten women – the healers, the so-called witches, and the stories warped by centuries of misunderstandings. With their upcoming album Hex (out 5th September via Pagan Folk Records), the renowned pagan folk ensemble FAUN seek to break the cliché of female magic across different cultures, reframing the figure of the witch through sound and story. A striking collaboration with Chelsea Wolfe and Turkish superstar Fatma Turgut add a dark, cinematic edge, while deep inspiration from academic research underpins the work. In our interview with Laura Fella, we explore how Hex is both a celebration and an honouring of women’s knowledge, a bridge between history, myth, and the present.
Welcome to FAUN and their album Hex
So, first of all, Laura, thank you so much for joining me today. Welcome to Femme Metal Webzine. Thank you so much. And first of all, how are you, and how are these days treating you with the album promotion?
Hey, thank you so much for having me. These are exciting times indeed. We are now one month and one day away from our album release, and it’s… yeah, getting really, really exciting at this point. I must say we’re getting nervous—but in a good way, of course.
The labor of love for Hex
I can imagine. So, what can you tell me about the general album production? I know it has also been a labor of love, this Hex.
So, yeah, Hex is our new album coming out on September 5th, and we’ve been working on it for quite a long time, I must say. Right after the release of Pagan, we actually started the songwriting process for this album, and we have already released some songs in advance—for example, Ylfa Spere, Umay, Blot, Black Eyed Dog, and Lady Isobel.
So that’s quite a long list already. Still, the whole process took more than two years, which is really interesting because, normally, back in the day, bands used to keep most of the songs to themselves. But this time, we decided otherwise—and that was really interesting because it also influenced the ongoing writing process.
For all the songs that haven’t been released yet, it’s truly amazing to see the feedback we’ve received so far for Blot and the other tracks that are already out. It actually makes us really, really excited—and nervous in the best possible way—to see how people will react and take on the other songs that haven’t been released yet.
Breaking the cliche(s)
So, I’m really, really curious to see how that goes. Yeah, you know, what I also find interesting about this album is that in Hex you sing about different themes—you try to break the cliché of female magic across different cultures, in a way, and you explore various aspects of it. I wanted to ask you whether you did academic research to discover all these elements.
Oh, definitely. We of course tried to find out which women we could honor, or whether there were certain sources we could actually quote from. For example, in Hare Spell we are quoting a true spell that was written down by a real convicted witch. And overall, I must say, what was far more important for us was to honor wise women, to honor witchcraft, and to honor all the knowledge that has been carried into the present—even though those women were convicted in the past.
Despite suppression, all this magic, power, and wisdom still managed to survive, and that’s so amazing. That’s really what we wanted to honor, because nowadays, when the world sometimes feels really, really dark, we find solutions, love, and light in nature, in mythologies, and in this kind of wisdom and connection to nature.
What align together in Hex?
You know, I understand that the main cultural focus of the album lies in Germanic, Celtic, and Anglo-Saxon traditions. So, I wanted to ask you—since you mentioned that you conducted academic research—what differences did you find among these cultures?
Well, actually, we chose to focus more on what connects them—what aligns, where everything comes together. It was really interesting. For example, Umay is a song rooted in very old Turkic traditions—an ancient nature religion that was suppressed. The song itself is a poem honoring an earth goddess, and it was written down in runes that were discovered.
People usually wouldn’t expect runes to exist outside northern Germany or Scandinavia, but they do. Of course, they’re not the Nordic runes, but other forms—yet there’s still a striking similarity. And of course, we also have Celtic influences, as in Nimue—the great love story of Merlin and Nimue, filled with magic, sacrifice, and myth.
What align together in Hex? #2
Furthermore, we have Blot, which refers not exactly to a tradition but rather to a Nordic ritual. So, I would say instead of emphasizing the differences, we wanted to spotlight what is shared across these cultures. In many songs on Hex, the focus is on giving rather than taking—and that’s something today’s society, today’s world, really needs. We need to be willing to give a little more than we take, because that’s when you can truly expect the most good to come back to you.
The misunderstandings over the role of witches and healers
You know, I wanted to ask—back in those times, there were many misunderstandings about the role of witches, healers, and wise women. What would you say was the most common one you discovered? And do you think these misconceptions still feel, in some way, relevant or present today?
Of course. There’s this widespread image of the old, wrinkled woman sitting there with a poisoned apple. That’s the negative stereotype of the witch—the woman who wants to hex someone she dislikes in order to gain some kind of benefit. That was really the most common picture we found.
But then, there are old spells that were written down and somehow managed to survive, which is incredibly inspiring. For example, we included one in Ylfe Sphere, one in Blot, and one in Hare Spell. And all of these, if we’re really talking about spells, actually paint a completely different picture.
“Being a witch wasn’t about harming others”
Being a witch wasn’t about harming others—it was often about doing something good for yourself. For instance, in Ylfe Sphere, there’s a spell meant to help heal back pain.
And in Hare Spell, it’s about hexing yourself into a strand of hair. That’s such a beautiful image, actually. It’s not about doing something to someone else—it’s about doing something to yourself.
And that carries so much power, right? It’s not surprising that this kind of power was meant to be suppressed.
Misunderstandings are still present
Yeah. Well, I find it fascinating how some of these misunderstandings are still rooted in the present.
Yes, it’s fascinating—and also devastating, right? Because, actually, if you look at so many cultural depictions—for example, in Disney movies—witches are almost always portrayed as something bad. Whether it’s Snow White or Sleeping Beauty, witchcraft is shown as something evil, dangerous, or deadly.
There’s no black and white
I think Disney has, over the years, really shaped this distorted version. If you think of Ursula in The Little Mermaid, or the evil fairy in Sleeping Beauty, or even Cinderella—there’s this same black-and-white view. There’s no grey in between. And that’s why I find it so fascinating that you’re taking these mythological figures and humanizing them—showing that there is a grey area, that they are more complex than the stereotypes.
Thank you so much. Yes, that’s true—and it’s something really important. Because, as you know, life isn’t black and white. Life has so many facets, so many colors. Back in the day, it used to be portrayed in a very black-and-white way, especially under the strong influence of the church and the fear of being judged. But those times are supposed to be over.
And it’s a beautiful thing to contribute to that larger movement of change, because women, especially, can only benefit from it.
The collaborations on Hex
Absolutely. And speaking of women, I want to ask about the collaboration on Nimue with Chelsea Wolfe, and in a way also with Fatma Turgut.So, how did these collaborations develop? Because Chelsea Wolfe, in a way, feels like a mythical figure. I’ve always admired and loved her as an artist, but I was still surprised by this collaboration. And with Fatma as well—it’s the same. I did some research on her, and I was curious about how everything started.
Yeah, you know, with Fatma it was clear to us from the very beginning that we wanted, if possible, a Turkish female singer for the song, because it’s about the earth goddess. And we’ve always had this kind of folk-inspired touch in some of our music, so we decided we wanted to revisit that.
The collaborations on Hex, part 2
So, when we wrote Umay, we started reaching out and thinking about which singer could fit. Luckily, we found Fatma. She was completely up for it, and we’re so happy to have her on the track because it turned out so beautifully. She’s an amazing singer—actually very famous in Turkey—and it was pure joy to work with her. I’m still so proud whenever I listen to the song, because the magic she added was the perfect fit.
The collaborations on Hex, part 3
And as for Chelsea Wolfe—well, if you think about witches or witchcraft in music, you can’t avoid her name. She’s ethereal, a magical figure, and such an inspiring woman. We just had to try to get her on one of the tracks because we really love her art, and it fit perfectly with the theme.
We were incredibly lucky that she liked the song and agreed to add her vocals to Nimue. Honestly, it was a track we struggled to finish—we had been working on it for such a long time, and it never felt complete. But then Chelsea sent over her vocals, we added them to the mix, and suddenly it clicked. It felt meant to be.
Covering Nick Drake in Hex
Yeah. You know, I was also quite surprised by your choice to cover Nick Drake’s Black Eyed Dog. So I wanted to ask: what was the connection you felt between that song and the lyrical concept of Hex?
Yeah, it’s really interesting. For this album, we knew early on that we wanted to address the theme of death. It’s something so omnipresent in our lives—or at least it should be, because it plays such a huge part. But humans tend to close their eyes to things that feel uncomfortable, and death is one of those.
We wanted to shed some light on it, to approach and engage with the subject rather than shy away from it. And since Nick Drake has always been a big inspiration for us, and we really love that particular song, it was almost a no-brainer to give it a try. And also, we had never really done that before—covering a song—so it was a very interesting musical challenge for us to take on.
And as you may know, Black Eyed Dog isn’t the only song that deals with death. We also have Lament on the album, which addresses death as well. We lost someone almost two and a half years ago, so it felt like the right time to give that experience a significant place on the record. And it also ties perfectly into the themes of witchcraft and nature-based religion that run through the album.
The video for “Lament”
You mentioned Lament—I really loved the video. How was shooting it?
Oh, that was amazing. We shot the video in May, so you’d expect warmer weather and a comfortable shoot. But it wasn’t like that at all.
We filmed in the mountains, and on that very day a thick cloud hung over the peak where we were shooting. It ended up fitting the theme and atmosphere perfectly. We saw it almost as a gift from the gods. But it was cold—really cold—around zero to five degrees, wet, and exhausting.
In a way, it felt symbolic. We had spoken earlier about sacrifice, and that day it felt like we were making our own sacrifice—stepping completely out of our comfort zone. But the result made us so proud. And since we filmed it right after finishing the album, it also felt like a celebration for us—an unusual one, but a celebration nonetheless. We’re truly proud of the video.
In honor of Hex, the upcoming European tour
Speaking of celebrations, I know that at the beginning of September you’ll start your extensive European tour. What are you looking forward to the most?
To be honest, I’m really, really looking forward to fans finally hearing the album live, and especially to seeing their reactions. For me, one of the most beautiful parts of touring is not just playing the shows but also chatting with fans afterwards—hearing their stories, their joy, their feedback about what touched them most.
I also love the moments when fans bring earbooks or LPs for us to sign and dedicate—that connection is really special. And of course, I’m excited about visiting so many cities we haven’t been to yet. It’s going to be an incredible experience.
Closing words
So, Laura, I want to thank you for your time and your availability. I hope you enjoyed our interview, and I hope I covered everything.
Yeah, thank you so much for having me. I really enjoyed our conversation. These are exciting times, and I’m looking forward to what’s ahead. And especially, it was very nice to talk with another woman in the music scene—that doesn’t happen too often. So, thank you for that. You’re welcome.