Welcome to the 2025 Folklore Podcast Christmas Special.

Folklorist Mark Norman, the creator and host of The Folklore Podcast for the last 10 years, relates the legend of the Mistletoe Bride and provides a rare look at a very obscure reference to what is probably the earliest version of the tale in print, from 1809, placing the story in Germany and not England at all.

The episode is rounded off with a performance of the song which popularised the legend, 'The Mistletoe Bough' given exclusively for the audience of the podcast by critically acclaimed English folk singer Jackie Oates.

Visit Jackie's website at www.jackieoates.co.uk

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In this episode of the podcast, host Mark Norman discusses some points relating to the folklore of rivers, with a particular focus on their perceived need for sacrifice and to 'claim a heart' each year.

This is followed by a discussion with writer Darren Simpson, the author of a new folk horror book for young adults, 'Thirst', which uses similar themes in its plot.

And finally, the show is closed with a new single from folk duo Lunatraktors, 'Yarrow', based on a Child Ballad.

You can find Darren Simpson online at https://darrensimpsonwrites.co.uk/

Lunatraktors have a website at https://www.lunatraktors.space/

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I chat with author Michelle Paver about all things ghost story. What makes a good haunt? Which are her favourites and which doesn't she like? And what do ghosts mean to her?

For the second part of the interview we take a look at Michelle's new novel 'Rainforest', a ghost story set in the Mexican rainforest. Having previously placed her ghosts in the isolation of the Arctic and high up a mountain, Michelle once again shows that you can have an effective haunt in an unexpected location. We explore Mayan folklore, shamanism and the cultural roles of that civilization on the story.

The episode includes an extract of the audiobook version of Rainforest, read by Richard Armitage.

You can visit Michelle's website to find our more about her work at https://michellepaver.com/

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The British ritual year is full of fascinating public events, sports, games, processions and festivals. Whether long-running or modern, revival or continuous, there is something for everyone and a rich background of folklore and tradition behind them all.

A new 6-part documentary series, "Gatherings", shines a light on some of these, but in an unusual way. No presenter. No celebrity. No narrative. Gatherings presents the events as the onlookers would see them, along with interviews with organisers, participants and visitors.

In this episode of the podcast, I meet with the director Dave Brewis to learn more about how the series came about, the ethos behind it and, of course, the events themselves.

You can learn more about Gatherings, and find out how to watch, at https://gatherings.tv/

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I gather together a gaggle of witchcraft historians to discuss the cult TV gameshow 'The Traitors'. To what extent do the machinations of the contestants in the show, whichever version that might be, draw parallels with the witch-hunts of the Early Modern Period?

Joining me to debate this are:

Professor Marion Gibson

Dr Tabitha Stanmore

Tracey Norman

All of whom are returning guests to the show.

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While there are many famous names associated with the ghost story, some are less commonly linked, and even fewer are women. In the episode of the podcast we focus on one of those in particular, Edith Nesbit.

Best known as a children's writer under the name E. Nesbit, Edith wrote some effective spooky tales for adults. Many of these have not seen much light of day.

A new one-woman theatre show - HAUNTED SHADOWS - performed by Claire Louise Amias and directed by Jonathan Rigby shines a light on Edith and her gothic stories. I meet Claire to discuss Edith Nesbit's work, and of course her new show.

Haunted Shadows is a production of A Monkey With Cymbals theatre company. Find out more on their website at https://www.amonkeywithcymbals.co.uk/haunted-shadows

Follow them on social media:

Instagram: @AMonkeyWithCymbals

Facebook: @AMonkeyWithCymbals

X: @Monkeywithcymb

Bluesky: @ClaireLouiseAmias.bsky.social

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Returning guest to the podcast, witchcraft historian Professor Marion Gibson, discusses her book 'Witchcraft: A History in 13 Trials'. The book, and this interview, explores the history of witchcraft accusation and persecution through a number of key trials at different points in history - some well known and some more obscure.

You can visit Marion's website at https://mariongibson.co.uk/

Support the work of The Folklore Podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast where you can get extra content both as a free member or on a paid tier.

Folklore Podcast creator Mark Norman once again meets up with children's author Claire Barker, this time to discuss the final version of her new book 'Hettie Nettle's Handbook for Hedgewitches'.

Described in the episode as a groundbreaking book, and not without good reason, Hettie Nettle introduces children to the subjects of solitary witchcraft, seasonal workings, our relationship with nature and much more in a safe and meticulously researched way.

In this episode, we chat about the ethos of the book, the ways in which it deals with folklore and how it fuses real-world practice with fiction.

Support the work of The Folklore Podcast on Patreon and get extra rewards, either as a free member or from just £1 a month for bonus content. Visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast for more details.

In May of 2025, I was honoured to be asked by the British Academy to chair the final panel in their 'Folklore Reimagined' series, 'Lore of the Land'. This panel was titled 'Stories of wetlands, woods and weather'.

How have landscapes been represented and perceived throughout time? What do the stories we tell about our environments reveal about ourselves? And how can our historical relationship with the land help us reconsider our connection to the natural world today? 

The panelists for this discussion were Professor Melanie Giles FBA, British archaeologist specialising in Iron Age Britain; Fiona Stafford FBA, Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford; and Marilina Cesario, Professor in the School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen’s University Belfast.

You can watch the original filmed panel on the British Academy's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej60YO1_qrI

The Folklore Podcast has been committed to producing high quality free folklore content for almost a decade, bringing you access to the world's experts in the subject. To help us to keep doing what we do, please consider supporting us with a small monthly subscription on our Patreon page, where you can find more subscriber-only content. Please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast and help to fund the podcast for the future.

In this episode of the podcast, host Mark Norman takes an in-depth look at the White Witch of Exeter. Most times, when we speak of 'white witches' we are talking about a particular person, but in the case of the Devon city of Exeter, the White Witch was something a little different.

Mark discusses the history of this character from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, and looks and some of their practices and cures.

The content of this episode is drawn from the book DEVON'S FORGOTTEN WITCHES, 1860-1910 written by Tracey and Mark Norman and published by The History Press. Order a copy from the Folklore Podcast website or wherever books are sold.

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