The Three Ravens Podcast

For this week's bonus episode, we proudly present the first installment of a new series, Magus, all about the legendary lives of the most famous witches and wizards in history, and their legacies in the magic of the modern day.

In this first episode we are exploring the mythical life and magical accomplishments of King Solomon, including some of the iconic objects associated with him, such as the Seal of Solomon and the Lesser Key of Solomon, while also digging into the history of how the legends about him have come to be.

Via early Jewish mystic writings to Arabian folktales and Medieval European grimoires, we're sifting through sand, rifling through parchment scrolls, and seeking the truth behind forged texts, disputing revisionist accounts of the past and discussing archaeological evidence to separate fact from fiction.

For example, what was Solomon's Temple said to be like, and why can nobody find it? Did he really have a flying throne to whizz about on jolly adventures? What was his relationship like with the Queen of Sheba, and why is it said the Kingdom of Israel fell to pieces after he died?

From super-destructive magical worms to demons forced into manual handling work, a litany of pagan deities being worshiped in buildings right alongside armies of busy sex workers, we're weaving a wild tangle of stories, spells, mysteries and enchantments that we hope will enlighten and entertain.

Also, if anyone has any ideas as to what to get 700 wives as anniversary presents, please send your answers on a postcard.

Ideally one enhanced by an angel-summoning arcane wax seal...

About Three Ravens 🔮

Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history.

Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’

We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs.

Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity.

Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in…

Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨

🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog!

🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows!

🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop

👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon

📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales

👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027

📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok

RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT

Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the icing on the cake of our Series 5 finale, we split Eleanor's chunky new mystery story "Old Stinker" into three parts, and this is its' suitably lycanthropic conclusion!

If you missed the first two parts, GO BACK! The tale begins in Series 5 Episode 13, continued with "Old Stinker Part II" and ends here, with Finn, Oona and Mr Timms taking a trip to the funfair - though what they find there is more than just dodgems and a coconut shy...

We won't say more about it here, but we hope you enjoy it, and do hang around at the end to hear Eleanor speak about her inspirations for the story, as well as the surprising amount of the tale which is based in folklore and in fact!

About Three Ravens 🔮

Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history.

Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’

We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs.

Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity.

Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in…

Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨

🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog!

🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows!

🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop

👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon

📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales

👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027

📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok

RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT

Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As part of our Series 5 finale, we've split Eleanor's tangled mystery story "Old Stinker" into three parts.

This is the second.

If you missed the first section, do check out yesterday's Yorkshire episode, in which Oona St Clair, in her new job working for 'Heritage Management' company Spenser & Associates, found herself drawn to Wold Newton, alongside her boss, Finn, and his friend and fellow assistant Mr Timms.

What lured the trio to Yorkshire were reports of missing pets and grave robbery, but as the team continue in their investigation and their list of suspects expands, Oona begins to wonder quite how many of the case's disparate threads might be connected...

About Three Ravens 🔮

Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history.

Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’

We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs.

Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity.

Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in…

Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨

🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog!

🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows!

🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop

👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon

📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales

👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027

📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok

RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT

Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our Series 5 finale, we're talking about the history and folklore of England's largest county, and Eleanor is telling a story so epic we've split it into three ridings! Or, should that be three parts?!

We start off chatting about St Hilary of Poitier, a right pain of a saint known for his pedantry and not much else, after which we yomp on to Yorkshire and get a bit literary!

We discuss all sorts to do with the county's past, not least the legacy of the Brontë Sisters, Whitby and its enduring Goth Weekend, and its claim to possess England's oldest pub, and plenty else, all before Eleanor offers up a silver platter of tasty County Dishes, including Yorkshire Pudding, Ilkley Cakes, and, of course, Parkin.

As for folklore, interspersed with some excerpts from next Saturday's Local Legends interview with Yorkshire-based folklorist, author and musician Paul Weatherhead, we talk about UFO abductions, demonic cats guarding treasure on lonely hilltops, screaming skulls, greedy dragons, lumbering giants, and much more besides.

Then it's on to the main event: the first third of Eleanor's sharp-clawed mystery story, "Old Stinker."

be sure to check out the second and third parts of Old Stinker!

About Three Ravens 🔮

Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history.

Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’

We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs.

Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity.

Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in…

Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨

🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog!

🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows!

🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop

👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon

📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales

👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027

📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok

RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT

Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week's bonus episode, we proudly present the first installment of a new series, Forgotten Melodies, which is all about folk music, featuring explorations of types of folk song and original recordings which put fresh spins on trad tunes!

In this first episode, we are talking all about the seasonally-appropriate Wassail tradition, and are joined by our friend and collaborator Ben Harber, who, with Eleanor, delivers brand new versions of "Here We Come A-Wassailing" and "The Bottom of the Punch Bowl," talking through the song-types' musical features.

If you're unfamiliar with what a Wassail even is, you're in the right place, as we're chatting through the earliest records we have, from Anglo Saxon drinking games to Geoffrey of Monmouth and Shakespeare weaving Wassails into the fabric of English Literature.

But, while modern perceptions of Wassailing might relate hundreds of regionally varied folk songs to waking up apple orchards after winter, is that the purpose they have always served? Is there any difference between a Wassail Bowl and a Loving Cup?

And why oh why, on a Wassail, do people pin bits of toast to fruit trees?

As ever, we'll do our best to get to the bottom of these mysteries, and several others. All while trying to appease the Old Apple Tree Man, in the hope he might show us the way to buried treasure!

About Three Ravens 🔮

Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history.

Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’

We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs.

Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity.

Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in…

Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨

🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog!

🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows!

🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop

👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon

📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales

👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027

📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok

RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT

Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, for our penultimate County Episode of Series 5, we're talking all about the history and folklore of Cheshire, a legend-rich county whose identity and boundaries have been in near-constant flux ever since its founding.

We start off discussing Epiphany and Twelfth Night traditions, also touching on Wassailing, which we will be going into much more depth on during Thursday's Forgotten Melodies bonus episode.

After which we wander the Cheshire Plain and dig into the county's rich mines of folklore!

We chat through all sorts, not least the county's traditional teapot-shaped outline (and which bits of it have been lost to other counties and regional authorities) plus a whole bunch of Cheshire's haunted historic houses and natural features, as well as plenty else, all before Martin presents us with not just a County Dish this week, but a full-on County Three Course Meal, plus some traditional Cheshire snack options too!

When it comes to folklore, we've got lashing of lore, too, including local cryptid "The Wirral Kraken," tales of hitch-hiking witches, the Devil transforming into a hedgehog, mermaids, Ginny Greenteeth, and so much more.

Then it's on to the main event: Martin's unsettling telling of "The Cursed Fisherman of Hoylake."

About Three Ravens 🔮

Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history.

Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’

We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs.

Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity.

Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in…

Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨

🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog!

🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows!

🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop

👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon

📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales

👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027

📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok

RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT

Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin is joined by the absolutely lovely, incredibly talented writer, folklorist and podcaster Dr Icy Sedgwick, whose show Fabulous Folklore is absolutely brilliant.

While her podcast has been running for nigh-on six years, Icy has been blogging about folklore for much longer, and she has written several books, including the excellent Rebel Folklore: Empowering Tales of Spirits, Witches and Other Misfits from Anansi to Baba Yaga, which came out in 2023.

Though that collection is only the very tip of the "Icy-berg" as she has also published short story collections, novels and novellas in an array of genres, from Westerns to Fantasy books to Gothic horror, and many others.

In terms of the ‘Dr’ bit, Icy’s PhD is in Haunted House movies, which, if you weren’t already convinced, makes her, firstly, super-cool in an of itself, and, secondly, a very Three Ravens-y type of person.

Icy is the perfect person to speak to about Northumberland as she was born there, is still resident there, and she has lived in the county for almost all of her life, developing detailed and ranging knowledge of the county’s heritage and stories.

So, settle in for a good ol' chinwag which covers so many topics, from life as a jobbing writer to the joys and challenges of discussing folklore on social media, Icy's capacity to bend time, and some wonderful stories, from Silky, Northumberland's Swiss Army Knife-ghost, to The Laidly Worm, the Simonside Dwarves, and all sorts of other appropriately fabulous stuff.

To learn more about Icy, read her blog, buy her books, and find links to he social media channels and the Fabulous Folklore Podcast, do visit her website at www.icysedgwick.com.

About Three Ravens 🔮

Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history.

Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’

We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs.

Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity.

Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in…

Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨

🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog!

🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows!

🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop

👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon

📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales

👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027

📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok

RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT

Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week's Bonus Episode, we're peering through the veil and into the history and folklore of Elves, from their earliest recorded mentions through to today!

We start off chatting about the modern perception of Elves, which, in most of the Western world, sees them linked to Santa Claus and Tolkien's Middle Earth mythos. Yet, despite the 'White Ones' being all magical and shimmery, they actually have a shady history that is inextricably linked to tales of abduction, sexual violence, and, from the 18th century, they have a significant role in ethno-nationalism, too.

Despite becoming a byword for 'fairy' or even 'demon' by Shakespeare's day, as we dive back to the beginning we find that Elves really were distinct creatures, mentioned in some of the earliest North European literature that has survived across the millennia, as well as in Anglo Saxon medical texts, some of the very first Scottish witch trials, and, of course, the Icelandic Eddas, Beowulf, and tonnes of fascinating Medieval writing.

From ancient border ballads to myths of early kings, legends of Wayland and Erik The Red to saucy old Chaucer, we're really running the gamut with this one!

Yet, how did the terrifying, often God-like Elf become synonymous with household pixies? And what did the church to do transform elves into something to be pitied?

Plus, how could using the lavatory with extreme prejudice serve as a useful defense against Elf-kind - in addition to silver crosses and pentagrams?

As ever, we have at least some of the answers - though, fair warning, there's still plenty to fear when thinking about Elves, so leave some butter outside your door, and be sure to steer clear of wild places at sunrise and sunset...

About Three Ravens 🔮

Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history.

Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’

We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs.

Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity.

Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in…

Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨

🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog!

🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows!

🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop

👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon

📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales

👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027

📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok

RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT

Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode we're heading about as northerly as England gets, to Northumberland - and Eleanor's telling her suitably slithery take on The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh!

We start off chatting about St Egwin's Day and traditional New Year's Eve celebrations, including Hogmanay, after which we bomb up the A1 to explored the history and folklore of Northumberland.

We discuss all sorts, including the Northumberland and Border Ballad traditions, through which much of the county's folklore has survived, the county's clog-based dances, and plenty else, all before Eleanor presents us with a series of really delicious sounding things for once for this week's County Dish.

When it comes to folklore, interspersed with some excerpts from next Saturday's Local Legends interview with beloved podcaster, folklorist and author Dr Icy Sedgwick, we talk about some of Northumberland's fae creatures, which range from terrifying to quite helpful, discuss bicycling ghosts, the treasures of Jingling Geordie's Hole, and much more besides.

Then it's on to the main event: Eleanor's beautiful, frost-covered telling of "The Laidly Worm."

About Three Ravens 🔮

Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history.

Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’

We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs.

Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity.

Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in…

Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨

🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog!

🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows!

🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop

👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon

📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales

👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027

📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok

RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT

Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin is joined by the much-acclaimed, multi-award winning author, folklorist and archaeological researcher Jeremy Harte, whose books, including Cloven Country: The Devil and the English Landscape and The Green Man, are beloved texts, yet barely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Jeremy's work!

As Jeremy explains, he almost fell into folklore research via a semi-accidental career in museums and the heritage industry. Since then however, from topics as diverse as geomancy and English toponymy, Medieval faerie belief and detailed studies into the country's holy wells, he has gone on to write some of the most important literature on folklore as written in the last half-century.

While this chat is ostensibly focused on the history and folklore of Surrey, across the course of this interview topics discussed include what life is like for a local museum curator, the growth of 'the Devil' as a concept, Gawain and the Green Knight, haunted grandstands, debates about which came first, graveyard elms or the churches alongside them, and so much more.

It's a fascinating, ranging conversation, and one which, of course, also delves into the character, stories, and strange status of Surrey in terms of its folklore and place in the national consciousness.

About Three Ravens 🔮

Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history.

Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’

We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs.

Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity.

Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in…

Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨

🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog!

🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows!

🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop

👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon

📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales

👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027

📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok

RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT

Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.