Today I wanted to sit down and chat about a few witchcraft topics I've had on my mind. These are all related to the current changes in our lives and in the world as a whole, touching on animal signs, candle substitutions, university witchcraft and more.

I hope that you do enjoy this episode, if you would like, it is also available in video form via youtube: http://www.youtube.com/hearthwitch/

Today we're sitting down for a slightly different episode. I'm currently in the process of filming season 2, so while we wait, I'm hoping to do a few sit down and chat episodes surrounding witchcraft and other occult topics. This week we're talking about the most recent lunar eclipse, sabbats, my own ghost encounters and the differences between being empathetic and empathic.

I hope that you do enjoy this episode, if you would like, it is also available in video form via youtube: http://www.youtube.com/hearthwitch/

In today's episode we are looking at the Welsh folk tradition of the Mari Lwyd. A celebration with unknown origin, that continues to be celebrated throughout South Wales to this day.

If you would like to watch this episode, it can be found on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThroughTheBlackthornArch/videos

References:

The Tradition of the Welsh Christmas Horse Skull: Mari Lwyd in Dinas Mawddwy – We Learn Welsh

About | Chepstow Wassail Mari Lwyd

Mari Lwyd Article – Trac Cymru

The Story of Mari Lwyd – Rhinwedd

Mari Lwyd (folkwales.org.uk)

Tradition of the Mari Lwyd - BBC Cymru - YouTube

Welsh myths and legends from King Arthur to Celtic rituals | Visit Wales

The Mari Lwyd | Wales.com

Mari Lwyd - Wikipedia

Videos: 

Historic Video: https://youtu.be/G_xFo6Hifzk

Today on Through the Blackthorn Arch, we are discussing the headless horrors among other hauntings of the Tower of London.     

References: Myths and mysteries: 

The haunted Tower of London - Newspaper - DAWN.COM  

Haunted Castles England - Tower of London (medieval-castle.com)  

Heads Will Roll: 8 Restless Ghosts of the Tower of London (the-line-up.com)  

The Tower of London - Ghosts and Hauntings (anomalien.com)  

The Haunted Tower of London – Strange Unexplained Mysteries (coolinterestingstuff.com)  

The Tower of London Ghosts: Headless Haunts, Suffocating Sensations and Wandering White Women - Exploring Castles (exploring-castles.com)  

Tower of London Ghost Stories: Most Haunted Castle in England - Amy's Crypt (amyscrypt.com)  

The Tower of London, London | Haunted Rooms®  

Haunted London – 10 London Ghosts and the Places They Purportedly Haunt - Londontopia  

The Tower of London: England's Haunted Monument | Connolly Cove  

Haunted London |Tower of London - Paranormal Hauntings  16 Spookiest Tower Of London Ghosts And Hauntings | Spooky Isles   

All photos are public domain from Wikipedia

In today's episode we are looking at encounters with the Black Shuck. These phantom dogs have roamed through British legend for centuries, these are just a few of the hundreds of encounters, both historical and modern.

If you would like to watch this episode, it can be found on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThroughTheBlackthornArch/videos

References:

Black Shuck: Proof of Existence Finally Found? - #FolkloreThursday

Shucks-_-Barguest-dogs.jpg (800×1082) (wp.com)

Black Shuck | Cryptid Wiki | Fandom

Bungay History - The Market Place & The Great Fire - Bungay Business & Events Association (bungay-suffolk.co.uk)

The Legend of the Bungay Black Dog (thesuffolkcoast.co.uk)

Black Shuck at Blythburgh Church - The Suffolk church with a terrifying link to a ferocious hell hound - Suffolk Live

A straunge and terrible wunder wrought very late in the the parish church of Bongay, a tovvn of no great distance from the citie of Norwich, namely the fourth of this August, in ye yeere of our Lord 1577 in a great tempest of violent raine, lightning, and thunder, the like wherof hath been seldome seene. With the appeerance of an horrible shaped thing, sensibly perceiued of the the people then and there assembled. Drawen into a plain method according to the written copye. by Abraham Fleming. (umich.edu)

St Mary's Church, Bungay - Wikipedia

Is this the skeleton of legendary devil dog Black Shuck who terrorised 16th century East Anglia? | Daily Mail Online

Apparitions Of Black Dogs (archive.org)

'A Strange and Terrible Wonder' » (onesuffolk.net)

Black dog ghosts in popular culture - Wikipedia

Black dog (folklore) - Wikipedia

Barghest - Wikipedia

File:A Staunge and terrible Wunder.jpg - Wikipedia

The Element Encyclopaedia of Spirits and Hauntings

The Element Encyclopaedia of Magical Creatures

For the Fifth episode, I wanted to touch on a relatively well known story, across the water in Ireland. After family recently returned from Ireland and told me the story, I knew I had to cover it in full on here. Today we're talking about the Legend of the Giant's Causeway.

If you would like to watch this episode, it can be found on Youtube: https://youtu.be/CzlLcPV6Ga8

References: 

Myths & Legends of the Causeway | The Giants Causeway Guide | Tours | Info | Things ToDo (giantscausewayofficialguide.com)  

The Giant's Causeway (irelandsmythsandlegends.com)  

The Giant's Causeway – Where Geology Blends With Mythology | Ancient Origins (ancient-origins.net)  

How the Giant's Causeway was Made (Irish Mythology) - Wasabiroots  The Bigger Giant: the Myth of the Giant's Causeway - Luminous Lore (luminous-lore.com)  

Giant's Causeway | National Trust  Was the Giant's Causeway built for love? | National Trust  The Giant's Causeway is Northern Ireland's only World Heritage Site | National Trust   

Photos:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant%27s_Causeway#/media/File:The_Chimney_Stacks,_Giants_Causeway,_County_Antrim.jpg

For the Fourth episode, I wanted to touch on a strange and unusual story, that of the Green Children of Woolpit. It's a legend so old, we're unsure of when it originated, with many potential reasons and speculations about the children's origins.

If you would like to watch this episode, it can be found on Youtube: https://youtu.be/CzlLcPV6Ga8

Resources:

EXTRA: Ralph of Coggeshall's Account of the Green Children | Anomalies: the Strange & Unexplained (anomalyinfo.com)

Chronicon Anglicanum - The British Library (bl.uk)

Radulphi de Coggeshall Chronicon Anglicanum, De expugnatione Terræ Sanctæ libellus, Thomas Agnellus De morte et sepultura Henrici regis Angliæ junioris, Gesta Fulconis filii Warini, excerpta ex Otiis imperialibus Gervasius Tileburiensis. Ex codicibus manuscriptis edidit Josephus Stevenson : Stevenson, Joseph, 1806-1895 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Woolpit - Wikipedia

In medieval times the range of the wolf covered a large part of Europe (ukwct.org.uk)

The Green Children of Woolpit | The Haunted Palace (wordpress.com)

The Green Children of Woolpit. The Green-Skinned Kids Who Spoke an… | by Alexander Yung | History of Yesterday

File:Babes in the Wood - 7 - illustrated by Randolph Caldecott - Project Gutenberg eText 19361.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

The Mystery of the Green Children of Woolpit | Mental Floss

The Green Children of Woolpit: A 12th century mystery that still baffles historians | MRU MEDIA (mysteriesrunsolved.com)

Green Children of Woolpit Village - Historic Mysteries

The Medieval Green Children of Woolpit — They Were Green | by Lioness Rue | Lessons from History | Aug, 2021 | Medium

The Green Children of Woolpit: A Medieval Encounter with Aliens, the Fae – or Orphans of War? - #FolkloreThursday

The Green Children of Woolpit. The Green-Skinned Kids Who Spoke an… | by Alexander Yung | History of Yesterday

The Green Children of Woolpit: the 12th century legend of visitors from another world | Ancient Origins (ancient-origins.net)

The Green Children of Woolpit | The Haunted Palace (wordpress.com)

Green Children of Woolpit actually existed? Here's their true story (scientificmystery.com)

Suffolk's strangest folk story - The green children of Woolpit - Suffolk Live

Witch trials are cruel, brutal events that still happen in some areas today. For this episode we are going back to 1704, watching as the tragedy of the Pittenweem Witch Trials unfolded through the tall tales of a young boy.

If you would like to watch this episode, it can be found on Youtube one day after podcast release: https://www.youtube.com/throughtheblackthornarch

Today we are taking a dive into the bottomless, black pools of the Peak District, looking into the stories and legends of Mermaids trapped in the Midlands. How did they get so far from the shore, tall tales, or tragic torment?

If you would like to watch this episode, it can be found on Youtube: https://youtu.be/CzlLcPV6Ga8

For the first episode, I wanted to touch on a gruesome and often forgotten practice, folk medicine. Where we combined early medicine, superstition and witchcraft together to form a grotesque form of medical treatment, often causing more harm than good.

If you would like to watch this episode, it can be found on Youtube: https://youtu.be/CzlLcPV6Ga8

For more information:

Folklore Thursday - Passing Through and Under: http://folklorethursday.com/folklife/passing-through-under-a-ritual-healing-in-england/Historic UK - Folk Remedies: https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Folk-Remedies/