The Pagan Carols Restored

The Pagan Carols Restored is a book of traditional English Christmas carols with lyrics re-written through Iles's exploration of what the original lyrics may have been. Iles claims that many traditional English Christmas carols have pagan origins, but that the pagan or secular lyrics were systemically edited, distributed, and popularized by the English clergy starting in the 15th to 16th centuries. Iles attempts to recreate multiple Christmas carols into forms that resemble how their pagan origins may have been based on his assumptions regarding the development of folk music over the past five centuries.