Mythic Tides

Deep in the mines of Cornwall, men working in near darkness heard tapping in the rock. They called the unseen spirits behind these sounds the Knockers, and believed they could guide a miner to rich seams of tin, warn him of danger, or lead him to his death.

In this episode of Mythic Tides, I explore the folklore of the Cornish Knockers, drawing on my visit to Botallack, where the engine houses stand on the edge of the Atlantic.

The stories tell of warning knocks and offerings of the last bite of a pasty. When Cornish miners crossed the Atlantic to work in the American West, these beliefs travelled with them. There, the spirits became known as Tommyknockers.

But how closely were these tales tied to the real dangers underground? From arsenic and collapsing ground to the nine men and boys lost in the Boscawen shaft disaster of 1863, I look at the working lives behind the legends.

This is the podcast edition of my film shot on location at Botallack, West Penwith, Cornwall.

Do not follow voices by the marsh. Do not answer when the river calls your name.

In this episode, we travel to Morocco to explore Aisha Kandisha — a powerful jinn who has haunted the rivers and marshlands of North Africa for centuries. Demon to some, saint to others. Feared by men walking alone, yet invoked in sacred ceremonies.

She is one of the most enduring jinn in Moroccan folklore — a spirit bound to water who refuses to be simplified. We explore her origins, the rules surrounding her, and why her name is still spoken carefully in remote areas, as though sound itself might carry.

🔗 Watch the  video version on YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06PxgwiFrqE]

Topics: Jinn, Moroccan folklore, Aisha Kandisha, water spirits, North African mythology, Islamic folklore

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