The Folklore Podcast

In this episode of The Folklore Podcast Book Club, Jhenah Telyndru joins us to discuss her book examining the Welsh Goddess character Blodeuwedd, whose complexity makes her much misunderstood. Jhenah hold an MA in Celtic Studies from the University of Wales and approaches the subject both from the academic angle and also from her own spiritual side, bringing a unique perspective to the subject.Blodeuwedd is published by Moon Books, whose website is hereVisit Jhenah's website hereThe Folklore Podcast Book Club is part of the Folklore Network, striving to collect and preserve folklore for the future. You can support us on Patreon or click here for more information.

Sculptor Aidan Harte joins podcast host Mark Norman to discuss the figure of the Pooka in Irish folklore, as well as the recent controversy surrounding the design for a statue of the beast which he was commissioned to produce for the town of Ennistymon.This episode also features musician Enda Haran performing his protest song about the Ennistymon Pooka.Visit Aidan's homepage hereVisit Enda Haran Music hereThe Folklore Podcast is part of the Folklore Network, working to collect and preserve our folklore for the future. To help us undertake this vital work, please visit our Patreon page or make a small donation on our website.

Host Mark Norman is joined by Nina Allan, author of 'The Dollmaker' to discuss her novel 'The Good Neighbours' which fuses crime investigation, the power of myth is shaping human narratives and the world of fairy belief.We discuss some of the themes of the book, including the work of Victorian painter Richard Dadd, whose most famous work 'The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke' adorns the cover of the novel and beliefs in the world of fairy.Visit Nina's website hereThe Folklore Podcast Book Club is part of The Folklore Network, which strives to collect and preserve folklore materials for future generations, housing them in The Folklore Library and Archive. Please share our work and, if you can, support us here for extra content.

Folklore Podcast creator and host Mark Norman is joined by Gabriela Houston, author of the fantasy novel 'The Second Bell' to discuss the folklore of her native Poland. Gabriela uses various aspects of Slavic lore, in particular a reworking of the traditions relating to striga, in this book, although the conversation branches out far more into various aspects of folklore including healers, superstition and all things monstrous.The Folklore Podcast is part of The Folklore Network, which aims to protect and preserve our folklore for future generations. To help support what we do, please consider a small donation via our website or joining our Patreon page.

In an episode of The Folklore Podcast Book Club which is a continuation of our discussion with Prof. Jack Zipes on the main podcast, guest reviewer Hilary Wilson talks with artist Natalie Frank about her collaboration visualising the fairy tales in the book 'The Island of Happiness' from Princeton University Press. The Folklore Podcast Book Club is part of The Folklore Network, collecting, conserving and preserving folklore for the future. You can support our work on Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast or by making a donation on the website at http://www.thefolklorepodcast.com Music: 'November' by Kai Engel. CC BY 4.0. Click here to see Kai's catalogue.

When we think of tellers and recorders of fairy tales, our mind naturally turns to Hans Christian Andersen, Charles Perrault or, of course, the Grimm Brothers. And yet, the 17th century French writer who actually coined the term ‘conte de fee’, or fairytale, when she published her major collection of them in 1697 goes largely unremembered - sidelined perhaps because of her gender at a time when such prominence amongst women was sadly much more rare. That writer, who compiled the original collection in the French language, was Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, known more colloquially as Madame d’Aulnoy. Her work is not often found in English-language volumes, but is rather sidelined to one or two translated stories being put into anthologies alongside other writers. But in April of this year, Princetown University Press released a new English collection of Madame d’Aulnoy’s tales, beautifully visualised by Natalie Frank and translated by the eminent Professor Jack Zipes. The book, called The Island of

Guest interviewer Becky Jones meets Dr Martin Shaw, mythologist and storyteller and the author of the book 'Smoke Hole', published by Chelsea Green Publishing. 'Smoke Hole' uses traditional folk tales as a metaphor on modern life. Martin is director of the Westcountry School of Myth and the interview looks at his work as a wilderness guide, the ways in which his writing provides commentary on the modern through mythology and much more. Click here to find out more about the Westcountry School of Myth Click here to watch the video version of this interview on our YouTube channel The Folklore Podcast Book Club is part of the Folklore Library and Archive. To support our work in preserving and making folklore resources available for future generations, please click here.

We celebrate the 100th episode of The Folklore Podcast with special guest Mary-Ann Ochota who joins us to discuss the theme of folklore in the landscape. We cover archaeology, anthropology, the importance of communal spaces and much more. Please visit our website at www.thefolklorepodcast.com where you will find a variety of ways to support all of The Folklore Podcast's projects and we move into our next 100 shows.

Guest book reviewer Hilary Wilson speaks with Thomas Honegger, the author of the book 'Introducing the Medieval Dragon', published by University of Wales Press. The book explores the characteristics of the medieval dragon and discusses the sometimes differing views found in the relevant medieval text-types. The book is available from the publisher here To support The Folklore Podcast in producing free content with access to the world's experts in the fields of folklore as well as maintaining folklore for the future through the Folklore Library and Archive, please visit our Patreon page or make a one-off donation here.

Charlotte Sophia Burne was a pioneering British Folklorist who was not only the first female president of The Folklore Society, but also undoubtedly the first female president of any learned society in the country. She was instrumental in the production of the second edition of 'The Handbook of Folklore' and her work on folklore in the county of Shropshire is still well respected today. Our guest Nicole Stout is a direct descendent of Charlotte and also the author of 'Unexpected Companions', a novel in which Charlotte features, using many words and events based on her life. Nicole discusses the life and career of Charlotte in this episode, which is part of our occasional series on great folklorists. To visit Nicole's website and find her book, please click here. The Folklore Library and Archive contains digitised copies of all the notebooks of Charlotte's which are known to still exist today. Click here to visit the website, where you will find them in the Document Archives. To support the work of The Folklor

On this episode of The Folklore Podcast Book Club we talk with author Lizzie Fry about her fiction title 'The Coven' published by Sphere Books. The book is a global thriller, set in a world where witchcraft is real and the US president decrees that all witches must be imprisoned for their own safety - creating a world in which being female is only one step away from being criminal. To support the Folklore Podcast Network and help us to preserve and make available folklore resources for the future, please visit our Patreon page or make a small one-off donation on our website.

Guest reviewer for The Folklore Podcast Book Club, Hilary Wilson, interviews author David Castleton about his book 'Church Curiosities'. To support us in creating free content across The Folklore Podcast network, please click here David's book is available from the publisher at https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/church-... David's blog can be found at https://www.davidcastleton.net/ Watch the video of this interview at https://youtu.be/tsGqrgDym-A

We travel back to the 11th century to examine the use of erotic magic and the church's response to this in the form of penitential literature, with a particular focus on the writings of the bishop of the Holy Roman Empire, Burchard of Worms. Guest Larissa Lyth speaks about the types of magic employed, how women were viewed by the church at this time and the types of penance given for magical use. Please note this this episode discusses adult themes of a sexual nature and carries a content warning for abortion, and as such is not considered as suitable for children. To support us in providing free folklore content across the Folklore Podcast network, please visit our Patreon page.

We are joined by author Joanne Harris, on her second visit to The Folklore Podcast network. Joanne discusses her latest book 'Honeycomb' - a collection of 100 stories set amongst the world of fairy lore which had a very unusual method of writing. If you enjoy this episode please consider making a small donation to The Folklore Podcast on our website, or signing up to our Patreon page. Thank you

We talk with American author CM McGuire about her debut Young Adult novel 'Ironspark' which takes as its central theme an ongoing battle between humans and the fae folk, through a family connection going back years. The book uses ideas of existing fairy folklore to shape its narrative.

We speak with PhD researcher Karin Murray-Bergquist about her research into ghost ship stories off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, and her project which is plotting these onto a new digital map of the area. To view the map, visit Karin's MapHub page To contact Karin with stories, please email her at karin.murraybergquist@gmail.com You can view Karin's other projects on her website To support The Folklore Podcast and help our network to keep producing free content, please visit our Patreon page

Guest reviewer Howard David Ingham, from Room 207 Press, discusses the book 'New Queer Horror Film and Television', published by University of Wales Press. This is an audio version of a Folklore Podcast Book Club episode originally made for YouTube. You can watch the original on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/FolklorePodcast To support The Folklore Podcast in all of its projects to preserve folklore and make it available to the public, please visit our Patreon page.

In a feature length episode, special guest Howard David Ingham takes an in-depth look at the life and career of the late Gordon Higginson - one of the most prolific psychic and physical mediums of the 20th century and yet a character who is relatively unknown by most.To see Howard's replication of the manifestation of ectoplasm, please click here.​To support all of the work of The Folklore Podcast in bringing world-class presenters and folklore resources to a global audience, please consider joining our Patreon page, or making a one-time donation

In this episode of the Folklore Podcast Book Club, originally made as a video release for YouTube, we discuss the book "Tales of Witchcraft and Wonder" with authors Candia and Tony McCormack, founders of the pagan rock group 'Inkubus Sukkubus'. The book examines the stories behind 13 of the tracks from their trilogy of albums bearing the book's title, looking at the history and folklore which led to the penning of the songs. Inkubus Sukkubus can be found on the web at www.inkubussukkubus.com To support the Folklore Podcast in producing folklore content across all of its strands and mediums, please visit our Patreon page

Our adventure in the Atlas Mines concludes as storyteller Matthew Dawkins brings our campaign in the folk horror world of Solemn Vale to a conclusion. Please note that this episode is not suitable for children. This episode was produced in association with Red Moon Roleplaying To support the Folklore Podcast on Patreon and help us to keep producing content, please sign up for our Patreon page,.