The Folklore Podcast

The British ritual year is full of fascinating public events, sports, games, processions and festivals. Whether long-running or modern, revival or continuous, there is something for everyone and a rich background of folklore and tradition behind them all.A new 6-part documentary series, "Gatherings", shines a light on some of these, but in an unusual way. No presenter. No celebrity. No narrative. Gatherings presents the events as the onlookers would see them, along with interviews with organisers, participants and visitors.In this episode of the podcast, I meet with the director Dave Brewis to learn more about how the series came about, the ethos behind it and, of course, the events themselves.You can learn more about Gatherings, and find out how to watch, at https://gatherings.tv/Support the Folklore Podcast and get extra content, as either a free member or on a supporter's tier, at https://www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcastThe Folklore Podcast is an independent podcast. Please help to spread the word by sharing episodes and other content.

I gather together a gaggle of witchcraft historians to discuss the cult TV gameshow 'The Traitors'. To what extent do the machinations of the contestants in the show, whichever version that might be, draw parallels with the witch-hunts of the Early Modern Period?Joining me to debate this are:Professor Marion GibsonDr Tabitha StanmoreTracey NormanAll of whom are returning guests to the show.Support the Folklore Podcast on Patreon for extra content at http://www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

While there are many famous names associated with the ghost story, some are less commonly linked, and even fewer are women. In the episode of the podcast we focus on one of those in particular, Edith Nesbit.Best known as a children's writer under the name E. Nesbit, Edith wrote some effective spooky tales for adults. Many of these have not seen much light of day.A new one-woman theatre show - HAUNTED SHADOWS - performed by Claire Louise Amias and directed by Jonathan Rigby shines a light on Edith and her gothic stories. I meet Claire to discuss Edith Nesbit's work, and of course her new show.Haunted Shadows is a production of A Monkey With Cymbals theatre company. Find out more on their website at https://www.amonkeywithcymbals.co.uk/haunted-shadowsFollow them on social media:Instagram: @AMonkeyWithCymbalsFacebook: @AMonkeyWithCymbalsX: @MonkeywithcymbBluesky: @ClaireLouiseAmias.bsky.socialTo support the work of The Folklore Podcast in creating free folklore content for everyone, please join our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast - you can also join the free member community there too.

Returning guest to the podcast, witchcraft historian Professor Marion Gibson, discusses her book 'Witchcraft: A History in 13 Trials'. The book, and this interview, explores the history of witchcraft accusation and persecution through a number of key trials at different points in history - some well known and some more obscure.You can visit Marion's website at https://mariongibson.co.uk/Support the work of The Folklore Podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast where you can get extra content both as a free member or on a paid tier.

Folklore Podcast creator Mark Norman once again meets up with children's author Claire Barker, this time to discuss the final version of her new book 'Hettie Nettle's Handbook for Hedgewitches'.Described in the episode as a groundbreaking book, and not without good reason, Hettie Nettle introduces children to the subjects of solitary witchcraft, seasonal workings, our relationship with nature and much more in a safe and meticulously researched way.In this episode, we chat about the ethos of the book, the ways in which it deals with folklore and how it fuses real-world practice with fiction.Support the work of The Folklore Podcast on Patreon and get extra rewards, either as a free member or from just £1 a month for bonus content. Visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast for more details.

In May of 2025, I was honoured to be asked by the British Academy to chair the final panel in their 'Folklore Reimagined' series, 'Lore of the Land'. This panel was titled 'Stories of wetlands, woods and weather'.How have landscapes been represented and perceived throughout time? What do the stories we tell about our environments reveal about ourselves? And how can our historical relationship with the land help us reconsider our connection to the natural world today? The panelists for this discussion were Professor Melanie Giles FBA, British archaeologist specialising in Iron Age Britain; Fiona Stafford FBA, Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford; and Marilina Cesario, Professor in the School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen’s University Belfast.You can watch the original filmed panel on the British Academy's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej60YO1_qrIThe Folklore Podcast has been committed to producing high quality free folklore content for almost a decade, bringing you access to the world's experts in the subject. To help us to keep doing what we do, please consider supporting us with a small monthly subscription on our Patreon page, where you can find more subscriber-only content. Please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast and help to fund the podcast for the future.

In this episode of the podcast, host Mark Norman takes an in-depth look at the White Witch of Exeter. Most times, when we speak of 'white witches' we are talking about a particular person, but in the case of the Devon city of Exeter, the White Witch was something a little different.Mark discusses the history of this character from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, and looks and some of their practices and cures.The content of this episode is drawn from the book DEVON'S FORGOTTEN WITCHES, 1860-1910 written by Tracey and Mark Norman and published by The History Press. Order a copy from the Folklore Podcast website or wherever books are sold.To support the Folklore Podcast please join the Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast for free or on a paid support tier and get extra content.

The Seven County Witch Hunt Project podcast mini-series collaboration comes to a close. In this final episode, Professor Marion Gibson and Dr Tabitha Stanmore once again join folklorist and author Mark Norman to discuss some of their favourite stories from the three years of research they have undertaken, before reflecting on the podcast as a whole and where it will go next.The Seven County Witch Hunt blog will continue to be updated with new articles even though the primary research stage is complete. Make sure to follow it at https://medium.com/@Witches7HuntIf you have enjoyed this series and want to help to support the work of The Folklore Podcast in creating more content, please visit the Patreon page and join up at https://www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

Mark Norman is in conversation with medical herbalist Jenny Carden, who practices as The Dartmoor Herbalist.In an interview recorded live in Jenny's workshop in the courtyard of the Museum of Dartmoor Life in Okehampton, Devon, Jenny discusses her work and the differences between a medical herbalist legally dispensing herbal blends and other forms of herbalism, both current and historic.Find out all about Jenny and her work on her website at https://thedartmoorherbalist.wordpress.com/Support the Folklore Podcast and its work providing ongoing free folklore content for everyone at www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast from just £1 a month

Our six part mini-series examining the seventeenth-century witch hunts across the eastern counties of England continues with a discussion looking at a topic not generally explored in this context: the environment.Professor Marion Gibson and Dr Tabitha Stanmore of the Leverhulme Foundation funded Seven County Witch Hunt Project join folklorist and host Mark Norman once again. Topics include the influence of the weather, farming and crops and the coastal fishing trade and how all of these have a bearing on the witch trials.To support the work of The Folklore Podcast in creating more specialist mini-series and other folklore content, please visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

In this episode, Professor Marion Gibson and Dr Tabitha Stanmore turn their attention to the families involved in the witch hunts. Were all family members tarred with the same brush? How did dynamics work when families were accusing each other of witchcraft?Moving on from this, we also look at the role of familiars - not necessarily the animal familiars which are more well recognized, but ghostly assistance provided from within the family and beyond, and the role of spectral evidence that emerges from this time period.Once again, podcast host Mark Norman leads the questioning.To support the Folklore Podcast is producing more mini-series' and content such as this, please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast and sign up for a membership tier for extra rewards. Or make a one-off donation at www.thefolklorepodcast.comRead the Seven County Witch Hunt Project blog at https://medium.com/@Witches7Hunt

In this mini-episode of The Folklore Podcast, recorded live at the UK Ghost Story Festival 2025 in Derby, UK, I chat with Professor Bob Edgar about the theme of Folk Horror.With specialisms in scriptwriting, adaptation, music memoir and genre fiction, Bob has notably published widely on folk horror and hauntology. He is one of the editors of the Bloomsbury Academic series 'Spectres, Hauntings and Horrors'.To support the work of The Folklore Podcast and access extra content, please visit our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

The third episode of our mini-series looking at the witch hunts headed up by Matthew Hopkins and John Stearne looks at the most stereotypical of subjects - that of gender. Just how many of the accused were women and how did gender figure in the hunts and the ways in which they were carried out?The Seven County Witch Hunt Project podcast series is produced by The Folklore Podcast, and host Mark Norman is in conversation with Professor Marion Gibson and Dr Tabitha Stanmore.The Seven County Witch Hunt Project was based at the University of Exeter, and funded by the Leverhulme Trust.

In the second episode of the Seven County Witch Hunt Project podcast mini-series, we look at the accusations that were being levelled against people accused of witchcraft in the English witch hunts of the 17th century. Were these people in league with the Devil, or did the accusations reflect other tensions within the community? We also dispel some myths about the witch hunters themselves, particularly Matthew Hopkins.The Seven County Witch Hunt Project podcast series is produced by The Folklore Podcast, and host Mark Norman is in conversation with Professor Marion Gibson and Dr Tabitha Stanmore.The Seven County Witch Hunt Project was based at the University of Exeter, and funded by the Leverhulme Trust.

Scotland has a broad mix of folklore. Some is found elsewhere, or has variations in other areas, and some is unique to the country. Some is well-known and some is much more obscure.In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, host Mark Norman is in conversation with Scottish writer Lyndsey Croal about the subject. Lyndsey often works with elements of Scottish lore, most recently that connected with the sea which she uses to good effect in a collection of short stories recently published under the title Dark Crescent. Do you know your Frittening from your Mither? There's only one way to find out!Find Lyndsey online at https://lyndseycroal.co.uk/To support the work of The Folklore Podcast and access extra bonus material, please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast where you can join as a free member or on one of a number of paid support tiers.

In the years 1645–1647, when England was embroiled in a traumatic and bloody Civil War, roughly three hundred people in the South East were accused of witchcraft. Received wisdom — and some shameless self-promotion on the part of the chief investigators — has dictated that the largest witch-hunt in English history was driven by the obsessive enthusiasm of two men: John Stearne and Matthew Hopkins, the self-appointed Witchfinder General. Much of the scholarship surrounding the so-called “Hopkins Trials” trials has focused on these two men, placing them centre-stage in a story that affected hundreds, if not thousands, of people.“England’s Mass Witch-Hunt: A Seven County History of the Hunt” is a Leverhulme-funded Project run by Professor Marion Gibson and Dr Tabitha Stanmore. The aim is to create a people’s history of the witchcraft trials of 1645–1647 and to recover the voices which were once deemed unimportant: the accused women and men, their neighbours and accusers.This 6-part mini-series produced by The Folklore Podcast and hosted by folklorist Mark Norman uncovers the stories and findings of the project. In discussion with Marion and Tabitha, we bring these new stories to a global audience for the first time.Follow the project on BlueSky at https://bsky.app/profile/witches7hunt.bsky.socialRead the project blog at https://medium.com/@Witches7Hunt

This episode of The Folklore Podcast is an interview of two halves, as host Mark Norman sits down to chat with herbalist and writer Su Bristow.In an interview recorded live at Su's dining table, the first half of the show explores her work as a herbalist. We chat about the history of using plants in folk medicine, the approaches used and how valuable or otherwise volumes such as Culpeper's Herbal are in the modern world. Su discusses her techniques and dispels some of the myths about herbal treatments and plants in folklore.Moving on from this, the conversation turns to Su's writing. As well as two non-fiction books on herbalism, Su is also the author of two folklore-themed novels. The conversation begins with her prize-winning first novel 'Sealskin' which is a reimagining of the Scottish selkie legends, before turning to 'The Fair Folk' and a foray into fairy folklore.Finally, Su discusses the novel that she is currently working on, and reads a short extract from her work in progress.Find Su on the internet at https://subristow.weebly.com/To help to keep The Folklore Podcast going and producing even more folklore content, please consider joining the Patreon page at www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast with a small monthly donation from just £1. A small contribution makes a massive difference. Thank you.

Award winning author, historian and occultist Liz Williams discusses her book 'Miracles of our own Making: A History of Paganism', published by Reaktion Books.The interview takes in the history of paganism and Liz's work in Druidry as well as her writing.Read the review of the book on the Folklore Podcast website at https://www.thefolklorepodcast.com/miracles-of-our-own-making.htmlSupport the Folklore Podcast on Patreon to access extra content (free and paid tiers are available) at www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

Folklore Podcast creator and host Mark Norman delves into the topic of folk music and performance with special guests Lunatraktors. The duo, formed in 2017 and made up of Carli Jefferson and Dr Clair Le Couteur aim to strip folk back to the bare essentials of rhythm and voice, and use in-depth research methods to investigate Anglo-Celtic music, to which they then apply a modern twist.Carli and Clair also discuss their latest release Wassail, which you can also hear in the episode.To support the work of The Folklore Podcast and help to keep the show going, please visit https://www.patreon.com/c/thefolklorepodcast where you can sign up as either a free or paid supporter and access bonus content.Explore the Lunatraktors website at https://www.lunatraktors.space/Watch Lunatraktors performances on their YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/LunatraktorsWatch the Lunatraktors TEDx Talk at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v-5QB1QQpM&t=605s

In this 'Meet the Author' bonus episode of The Folklore Podcast, creator and host Mark Norman introduces a conversation between literary correspondent Hilary Wilson and university lecturer and poet Kailey Tedesco.Kailey discusses her poetry collection 'Motherdevil' which takes the story of the Jersey Devil and the Pine Barrens as its inspiration for an exploration of folklore and motherhood.Kailey Tedesco is a university lecturer delivering courses in horror writing and gothic literature. This episode is part of the 'Folklore Podcast Rewind' strand, and was recorded at Halloween, 2024.Visit Kailey's website at www.kaileytedesco.comTo support The Folklore Podcast as well as accessing extra bonus content, please visit www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast