The Folklore Podcast

Season 7 of The Folklore Podcast begins with an examination of the case of the Bideford Witches - three poor women from a port town in Devon in the South West of the UK who are notable for the fact that they were the last three women accused of witchcraft to be hanged in England. But exactly how much of their story has anything to do with witchcraft, and how much is a commentary on the social and physical conditions of those living in poverty in our past?

Dr John Callow discusses his research into the case, which forms the backbone of his new book on the women.

Visit John's website at www.johncallow.co.uk

To support the Folklore Podcast and its work collecting and preserving folklore for the future, please visit the support pages on our website.

We round off Season 6 with a special feature length episode. Broadcaster and comedian Robin Ince is in conversation with podcast creator and host Mark Norman in this live recording, made as part of Robin's 100 Bookshops tour in 2021, supporting his book "The Importance of Being Interested". The discussion covers science, folklore, storytelling and the intersection of all three things in an free-form conversation.

This episode is closed in traditional fashion by the talented music duo Lunatraktors, with a unique performance of "The Holly and the Ivy" using reconstructed pre-Christian themes of the song.

To support the Folklore Podcast in its aim to collect and preserve folklore materials for the future, please visit our Patreon page or make a small donation via our website.

Visit The Cosmic Shambles Network for more of Robin's work, and the Lunatraktors website to learn more about them.

In the final episode of The Folklore Podcast Book Club for 2021, guest reviewer Bethan Briggs-Miller (Eerie Essex podcast) speaks with author Clio Velentza about her modern reworking of the Faust story, "The Piano Room", published by Fairlight Books.

The Folklore Podcast Book Club is part of The Folklore Network. To support our work preserving folklore for the future, please visit our Patreon page.

Guest reviewer Hilary Wilson speaks with Dr Maria DeBlassie about her book "Weep Woman Weep" which centres around the Mexican legend of La Llorona. The discussion takes in a diverse range of topics from urban legend to New Mexico folk medicine via the decolonisation of the diet and more.

Visit Maria's website here

To support our work saving and preserving folklore for the future, please visit our Patreon page.

Hearing stories. Telling stories. Adapting stories. The power of stories...

We speak with Nydia Hetherington, author of "A Girl Made of Air" and Molly Aitken, author of "The Island Child" about their use of folklore and story in their novels. For Nydia, these stories are drawn from Manx folklore which Molly's book is firmly rooted in Irish lore.

The Folklore Podcast Book Club is part of the Folklore Network; committed to collect, preserve and make available folklore material in all forms for the future. To support our work, please visit our Patreon page or visit our website here where you can learn more and make a one-off donation.

Lindsay Sharman and Laurence Owen of Long Cat Media, the creators of fiction podcast Mockery Manor, discuss working with themes of folklore and fairy tale in the construction of their popular show. We examine some of the folklore which has found its way into Mockery Manor as well as a wider discussion of this way of telling stories.

Visit Long Cat Media on the web here

To support our work at The Folklore Network in collecting and preserving folklore in all forms for the future, please visit our Patreon page here or visit our website to learn more

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 here

Visit Jhenah's website here

The 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 here

Visit Enda Haran Music here

The 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 here

The 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.