The Folklore Podcast

The day that Rowena Murray was born, two-hundred-and-fifty starlings dropped dead out of the sky. Or so her mother says. Ever since, she has been marked by Death. First came the visions; then her boyfriend died suddenly. Now Death has taken her father, too.

Salvation, Rowena is told, lies to the North: in Culcrith, where her grandmother can save her from the curse...

We meet author Nadia Attia who discusses her debut novel 'Verge' and the folklore behind its story.

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In this last of three interviews recorded live at the UK Ghost Story Festival in Derby, podcast host Mark Norman chats with author Lauren McMenemy, who was also one of the people helping with the organisation of the festival itself. The pair discuss ghosts, recommendations for spooky fiction and the time that Lauren spent living in the bizarre serial killer capital of Australia!

To support the work of the Folklore Podcast and help us to keep producing more folklore content, please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

Following on from our last episode looking at execution ballads, we stick with the subject of the folklore of death. This time, we focus our attention on England in the 19th century. Discussing the topic with podcast host Mark Norman is author and researcher Claire Cock-Starkey whose PHD research covers this subject.

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On her website, Execution Ballads, Dr Una McIlvenna writes:

"Across Europe, from the sixteenth century until the early twentieth century, the news of the deeds of criminals and their subsequent executions was delivered via song, often printed on cheap, single-sheet broadsides or small, book-like pamphlets, as well as passed on orally or via manuscript. Songs were usually set to a familiar tune (often indicated at the top of the pamphlet), which allowed anyone to easily sing along. They were sold in busy streets and marketplaces by street singers, who usually sang the contents of the pamphlet in order to promote their wares."

In the episode of the podcast, Una discusses, and sometimes sings extracts of, execution ballads spanning four centuries of our history.

Content warning: This episode contains descriptions of historic execution and torture. Listener discretion is advised.

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Odyssey Theatre is Ottowa's premiere professional theatre company, specialising in the old tradition of masked performance. So what happened when the world when into lockdown and theatre became, for a while, a think of the past?

In the case of Odyssey, it became an opportunity to branch out into audio drama with 'The Other Path' - a magical podcast which reimagines traditional folk tales in a new and immersive modern setting.

In this episode we meet Laurie Steven (creator and director) and writers Marty Chan and Daniel Peretti to explore the process of developing these modern twists on some classic tales.

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Links to guest biogs and more information can be found on the episode page for this episode on the Folklore Podcast website at www.thefolklorepodcast.com

The Folklore Podcast presents a recording of a panel discussion hosted at Maidstone Museum on the subject of the Kentish tradition of Hoodening and the Hooden hobby horse. This panel was presented as part of a museum exhibition entitled "Animal Guising and the Kentish Hooden Horse" which runs until June 2023. The recording was provided for broadcast by Maidstone Museum.

The discussion panel is chaired by Professor Ronald Hutton and features Dr Geoff Doel (lecturer in medieval and traditional culture), George Frampton (author of 'Discordant Comicals') and Ben Jones (St Nicholas-at-Wade Hoodeners).

Music featured in this episode is performed by Mary Foxley.

To support the Folklore Podcast and the Folklore Library and Archive in its work preserving folklore for the future, please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

We explore the figure of the Slavic forest witch Baba Yaga in this episode of The Folklore Podcast, through the lens of a new women in horror anthology called 'Into the Forest'. Amongst the 23 stories and poems in the book are ones written by a New York Times bestselling author, a number of Bram Stoker Award nominees, and our guest Catherine McCarthy - a Welsh author of dark fiction.

Catherine chats with film studies lecturer Jenny Barrett about her background and inspirations, and her take on Baba Yaga.

Into the Forest is published by Blackspot Books. You can find Catherine on Twitter here.

To help us to keep producing this podcast, as well as supporting our non profit work through the Folklore Library and Archive, please consider joining our Patreon page for extra content.

We welcome Dr Amy Jeffs back to The Folklore Podcast. After the much-lauded success of her first book, 'Storyland' we chat about Amy's new book 'Wild', published by Quercus, which examines tales from Early Medieval Britain. In the book, Amy provides new tellings of some of the stories of the period, once again giving her expert analysis on the material.

Visit Amy's website at https://www.amyjeffshistoria.com/ or follow her on Twitter @amy_historia

Closing music in this episode is 'Callanish - Sacred Moon', performed by Car Dia. Find them on the web at www.pagansongs.com

If you find The Folklore Podcast of value to you, please consider supporting us with a small donation via our website at www.thefolklorepodcast.com or join our Patreon page for extra content and support our work there.

In another interview recorded live at the 2023 UK Ghost Story Festival at the Museum of Making in Derby, Folklore Podcast host Mark Norman chats with Norwegian author Camilla Bruce about the folklore of her country, ghosts, witches and the inspiration for her writing.

Visit Camilla's website at www.camillabruce.com

To support the Folklore Podcast and the Folklore Library and Archive in its work preserving folklore materials for the future, and to access bonus material, please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

In the next in our occasional series of episodes looking at American storytellers, theatre and film correspondent Tracy Nicholas meets teller Rachel Ann Harding.

To support the Folklore Podcast on Patreon, please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

Rachel Ann's website links:

http://rachelannharding.com/

https://storystorypodcast.com/

https://www.storieswithspirit.co/

https://www.facebook.com/storieswithspirit/