In a crossover episode, The Folklore Podcast creator and host Mark Norman is joined by Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, the creators and presenters of The Three Ravens podcast. Between them, the trio have an in-depth discussion of all things folklore and folk tale, and Eleanor and Martin present their version of the story The Two Sisters. Visit www.threeravenspodcast.com to find out all about Eleanor and Martin, or listen to their podcast Support The Folklore Podcast in what we do and access extra content at www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

We explore the concept of the elements - Earth, Air, Fire and Water - with our guest, author and Wiccan practitioner and teacher Deborah Lipp. Her book on the subject, The Way of Four, was updated this year and republished in a new edition by Crossed Crow Books. Deborah discusses not only the ritualistic importance of the elements, but also how they can be and are integrated into our daily lives. Science may have renamed them, but their attributes and importance remain the same in the modern world. Find Deborah online at www.deborahlipp.com Crossed Crow Books are at www.crossedcrowbooks.com Support the work of The Folklore Podcast on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

In one of our occasional 'In Conversation' episodes, where we have no set theme but just chat with a fascinating guest from the world of folklore, we welcome Rev Peter Laws. Peter is the host of three of his own podcasts, an expert on 'Uncanny' with Danny Robins and the author of a number of books, including non-fiction title 'The Frighteners' which explores our interests with anything morbid. We cover ghosts, monsters, horror films and the significance to Peter of black rabbits. To find out more about Peter, please visit www.peterlaws.co.uk To support our work on Patreon to keep The Folklore Podcast running, please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

We get the rare opportunity to host an actual urban legend, as we welcome the mysterious Chuck Tingle onto The Folklore Podcast. In an interview which we think we surprise many, Chuck discusses his new mainstream horror writing, deconstructs the horror genre ... and maybe separates out some of the fact and fiction in his own work and life. You'll have to be the judge of that. Chuck is, undoubtedly, the embodiment of living folklore. If you thought you knew what his work was about, think again. You can help to continue to support the work of The Folklore Podcast as we head towards our ninth season with a small donation on our website, or by joining our Patreon page where you can access bonus content.

Rebels come in many flavours. Cultures around the world have their own examples of rebellious characters embedded within their folk tales. Some help others, some help themselves. Some you would love to meet, others you would do well to avoid. But what exactly is the meaning behind our rebellious folk characters? What purpose do their stories hold and what do they tell us about ourselves? Joining Mark Norman, creator and host of The Folklore Podcast, to discuss the role of the rebel in world folklore is returning guest Icy Sedgwick. Icy is a blogger and writer, the host of Fabulous Folklore podcast and the author of 'Rebel Folklore', published recently by Dorling Kindersley. To find out more about all of Icy's work, visit her website at www.icysedgwick.com You can support The Folklore Podcast on Patreon for as little as the price of a bar of chocolate each month, and help us to keep creating folklore content for the future. Please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast where you can sign up and access bonus content and other rewards too.

Tolkein, Pratchett, Gaiman ... there have been many great writers who use folklore to underpin their narratives. In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, author, musician and poet Ceallaigh MacCath-Moran joins us to discuss the creative application of folklore in writing. Ceallaigh is the creator of the newsletter, dispatch and podcast 'Folklore and Fiction' which examines folklore scholarship aimed at storytellers and writers. Learn more on Ceallaigh's website at https://csmaccath.com/folkloreandfiction To support The Folklore Podcast and our portfolio of folklore work and content, please visit our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast where you can also access extra content.

In this second of three bonus mini episodes recorded live at the International Society for Contemporary Legend Research 40th anniversary conference in Sheffield, Perry Carpenter (Digital Folklore Podcast) and Folklore Podcast creator and host Mark Norman chat about the folklore, creatures and beliefs of Iceland and Sweden with our two international guests. To support the work of The Folklore Podcast in continuing to produce episodes of the podcast, please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

It is now 50 years since the infamous horror film 'The Exorcist' made its way into cinemas, creating a rapid reputation which would go on to see it become a cult classic in the genre as well as spawning a raft of other franchise material which was not foreseen or intended. The recent death of the movie's director William Friedkin has brought to the forefront once more the important legacy which 'The Exorcist' has created. It is far more than simply a horror classic. It is a part of our social history, providing a cultural commentary on the world. In terms of folklore, it is based on a series of events which actually happened (whatever they may have been) and as well as drawing on these it shines a light on the often dangerous world of exorcism today. Film historian, broadcaster and author Nat Segaloff joins us to discuss 'The Exorcist' and it role in our society.

On the anniversary of his birth, we delve into the life of the cult American pop culture 'psychic' with a knack for failing to make accurate predictions, The Amazing Criswell. Leading us on this journey is Edwin Lee Canfield, who has spent the last two decades researching Criswell's life and interviewing those who knew him. Find more about Edwin's book on Criswell here. To buy a copy of The Vampire's Tomb Mystery, mentioned at the end of this episode, please visit this link. To support The Folklore Podcast on Patreon and help us to keep producing content into the future, please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

We explore the ways in which folklore can sit behind some of the everyday rituals that we perform at home with guest Alise Marie, author of 'The Beauty Witch's Secrets'. Following a pagan path in her work, Alise explores the ways in which plants, in conjunction with traditional beliefs about the cycle of the seasons, can be used in the field of health and beauty. You can visit Alise Marie's website at www.thebeautywitch.com To support the Folklore Podcast in continuing to create freely accessed folklore content, please consider joining our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

Literary correspondent Hilary Wilson chats with Genevieve Cogman, author of the 'Invisible Library' series, about the first book in a new trilogy. 'Scarlet' is a new take on the story of the Scarlet Pimpernel and the French Revolution, this time with added vampires! Learn more about Genevieve on her website at http://www.grcogman.com/ If you enjoy the free folklore content that we create and want to do more to help, please visit our support pages at www.thefolklorepodcast.com/support where you can learn more about things that you can do to support us.

In a new occasional strand of The Folklore Podcast, 'Folklore in the Field', we will be presenting interviews and other items of folklore interest which we have captured on location. This episode, recorded at the 40th anniversary conference of the International Society for Contemporary Legend Research at Sheffield Hallam University, features Mark Norman (host of The Folklore Podcast) and Perry Carpenter (co-host of Digital Folklore Podcast) in conversation with Dr Diane Rodgers of the Centre for Contemporary Legend Research Group. If you enjoy this episode, please consider supporting the Folklore Podcast to help us to keep making content. You can join our Patreon community where you can get exclusive extra content, or just make a small one-off donation. Please visit www.thefolklorepodcast.com/support to do either of these.

We shine a spotlight on some of the folklore and tales of importance in African culture. Guiding us on this path is Helen Nde, writer, artist and the curator of Mythological Africans. She is in conversation with Tracy Nicholas, as part of our occasional series on storytelling and storytellers. Visit Helen's website at https://www.mythologicalafricans.com/ To help us to continue producing free content on The Folklore Podcast, and to access a catalogue of exclusive bonus content, please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

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. To support The Folklore Podcast with a small monthly donation and receive bonus content and other benefits, please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

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

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. To support our work with folklore and to help us to keep producing content, please visit our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

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. To support the Folklore Podcast on Patreon for as little as £1 a month and help us to keep producing free content, please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast 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.