The Folklore Podcast

By Mark NormanSociety & Culture Documentary Religion & Spirituality Spirituality History

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The Folklore Podcast episodes

June 15, 2017 Episode 23 - THE PADDING HORROR
A deviation from the normal format of the podcast for this edition by way of a change. In this episode, host Mark Norman introduces a reading of a fiction story which he wrote using themes from his research into Black Dog apparitions, and local tradition and folklore from his area of the world.
In this podcast, the story is read by Sam Burns.
"The Padding Horror" is a Lovecraftian style short story which was originally written for an anthology of similar tales put together by authors voluntarily to raise money for the mental health charity MIND. An ebook of the original anthology can be purchased by donating any amount to the charity. To do this, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/secretinvasion
1 hr 1 min
June 01, 2017 Episode 22 - DEVOURING THE SUN
Before naturally occurring events were understand by humans, they needed stories in order to explain them, much in the same way as we have seen with physical conditions such as the Old Hag phenomenon which we examined earlier in this season. In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, creator and host Mark Norman looks at the eclipse in folklore, both solar and lunar, and relates some of the mythological and traditional tales associated with these events, as well as some obscure lore on what you should and should not do while an eclipse takes place. For the episode supplement for this episode, the Folklore Shop and more information, please visit www.thefolklorepodcast.com
27 min
May 15, 2017 Episode 21: TRACKING THE CHUPACABRA
Many people believe that the Chupacabra - the mysterious 'goatsucker' of New Mexico - is a folkloric creature of some age. Yet its origin cannot be traced earlier than 1995 and even then it has been reported in two very distinct forms. In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, our special guest is Benjamin Radford, author of the definite book on the lore of the creature, "Tracking the Chupacabra". In one of the most in-depth interviews given on the subject, Ben takes us through his 5-year long investigation into the Chupacabra, and explains how he believes he has solved the mystery of where it came from, and how its folklore will continue to disseminate.
1 hr 2 min
May 01, 2017 Episode 20: TRADITIONAL WITCHCRAFT NOW AND THEN
Creator and host of the Folklore Podcast, Mark Norman, examines the lore and practices of those who follow a Traditional pathway of Folk Magic: the Cunning Man, the Wise Woman, the pellar and the wayside witch. This episode examines to what extent the role and the techniques of the Traditional Witch have changed over the last 200 years and how similar the folk magic beliefs are in more modern times.
35 min
April 15, 2017 Episode 19 - KNOCK ONCE FOR YES
The topics of spiritualism and mediumship have always been, and will always be, controversial. It is important to note that as folklorists, we should not be judging whether such things are 'real' or 'imagined', but rather the role that the phenomenon and the stories associated with it play within our cultures.
What is certainly the case is that there have, through history, been people who claimed mediumistic powers when they had none.
In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, host Mark Norman examines some of the cases of séance room fraud through history, why people did it, how they did it and how the law brought them to book.
21 min
April 01, 2017 EPISODE 18: SPECTRAL HOUNDS: A Monster Talk Crossover
In this episode, host of The Folklore Podcast Mark Norman links up with Blake Smith and Dr Karen Stollznow of Monster Talk podcast in the US for a joint episode examining the field of spectral hounds. Monster Talk is an official podcast of Sceptic Magazine and takes a critical, but open minded look at fields of the paranormal, cryptozoology and folklore.
The show also goes more deeply into oral traditions and the use of the motif within folklore. This podcast is simultaneously released by Monster Talk and it is suggested that you listen to their version of the show too, as the edits will contain different material.
1 hr 7 min
March 14, 2017 Episode 17 - FOLKLORE IN FANTASY FICTION
In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, host Mark Norman interviews special guest Carin Marais, a qualified language practitioner from South Africa and writer of specualtive and fantasy fiction, about the ways in which fantasy authors use the folklore of the real world as a basis to form their own fictitious worlds. Also, how the fictitious folklore then begins to bleed back into our own lore. Using authors such as Tolkein, Terry Pratchett and Jim Butcher, as well as examples from her own Africaans and other cultures, Carin explores many well known books as well as drawing upon her own writing.
An episode supplement for this episode is available to download at www.thefolklorepodcast.com
34 min
March 01, 2017 Episode 16 - INCUBUS AND SUCCUBUS
This episode of The Folklore Podcast is the second part of our examination of the folklore surrounding sleep paralysis and Old Hag phenomena. This time we focus in on some aspects of the folklore relating to the witch trials, to the sexual aspects of the incubus and succubus demonic motifs ... and a look at the role of cheese in nightmares!
Following on from this, we are proud to present a special guest interview with pagan rock band Inkubus Sukkubus, who draw their name from this lore and who use much folklore in their songwriting.
To support this podcast, please visit our website at www.thefolklorepodcast.com and click on support. To download the e-magazine supplement for this episode visit the supplement pages on the website.
43 min
February 15, 2017 Episode 15 - FOLKLORE: MORE THAN JUST A WORD
MORE THAN JUST A WORD: "Folklore" : What It Meant and What Happened To It. On this episode of the Folklore Podcast, host Mark Norman is joined by fellow Folklore Society committee member Dr Paul Cowdell. In what you might like to consider as a kind of 'Folklore 101', Paul goes back into history to examine the emergence of both the word Folklore and the discipline itself and traces them through to the modern day. What exactly was, and is, 'Folklore' and what do we study as 'Folklorists'? A full transcript of this valuable academic discussion on the nature of the subject with suggested reading is available from the website at www.thefolklorepodcast.com
Patrons of the podcast receive this and all of the emagazine supplements as they come out. To become a patron for as little as $1 a month please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast
34 min
February 01, 2017 Episode 14 - OLD HAG SYNDROME
In the days before we had a good understanding of many medical conditions, folklore would generate around them in order to reconcile what was happening and provide explanations. Such is the case with sleep paralysis, often referred to these days even in medical circles as Old Hag Syndrome. The name derives from the hallucinatory aspect where people often report a hag sitting on their chest preventing them from moving. In medieval folklore the demonic Incubus and Succubus were to be blamed for this condition.
This is the first of a two part examination of Old Hag Syndrome and the theme was suggested by one of our listeners to the Folklore Podcast. The second part of this episode will be in two episodes time and will feature some very special guests.
To download the e-magazine supplement for this episode please visit www.thefolklorepodcast.com
Patrons receive all of our supplements free. To become a patron please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast
28 min

About The Folklore Podcast

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Folklore: Beliefs, traditions & culture of the people. Traditional folklore themes from around the world. An accessible podcast ranked in the top 0.5% of shows globally, bringing free access to…