Most folkloric devices, tropes and common characters have strong ties to the times and cultures they exist in, reflecting various mindsets and shapeshifting to stay relevant - just as fairy tales do. However, few creatures have such mysterious origins or such a chequered past as the 'Ogre' and its various other incarnations. In this second part of a two part episode, the dragons delve into how ogres have been used in fairy tales and fantasy, even in sci-fi, both to represent specific undesirable human characteristics and as a sly form of xenophobia. Join Jules and Madeleine as they look at how the ogre-villain narrative is gradually being shifted and what this means for the evolution of SFF.

 

Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic