For this week's Bonus Episode we're padding through mists on silent paws and peering, with eyes of flame, at the history and folklore of Hellhounds! With so much to talk about, there's no mucking around: we dive straight into prehistory, discussing how humankind's domestication of the dog set the stage for conceptions of the Hellhound. From our earliest rock art through to the very first toys and statues, dogs were with us. But what about their dark double - the 'Demon Dog' or 'Hellhound?' From ...
May 22, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 6Ep. 34
On the week's episode we're digging into the history and folklore of Lincolnshire, and disturbing a monster in the woods that lives beside a half-forgotten well... We start off discussing St Dunstan's Day, including Dunstan's life as an English folk hero, and what the historical record tells us he actually did, all before we advance to Lincolnshire. Once there, we chat about the some county trivia before Eleanor guides us through the counties three 'Parts' - Lindsey, Holland, and Kestevon, from ...
May 19, 2025•2 hr 18 min•Season 6Ep. 10
On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin is joined around the campfire by Emma Heard, the creator of perhaps the country's preeminent folklore blog, Weird Wiltshire ! As Emma and Martin discuss during this conversation, Emma launched Weird Wiltshire during the pandemic. Originally intended as a means for Emma to explore her interests in folklore and paranormal activity, it then took off, with Emma, before long, sitting on a Twitter following of tens of thousands of people. The blog itself...
May 17, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 6Ep. 33
On this month's episode of Magic and Medicines , Eleanor is guiding us through the history of Alchemy, from turning base metals into gold to the truth behind the Philosopher's Stone to much more besides! We start off talking about how several traditions we might recognise as 'Alchemy' grew up in isolation in the ancient world, including in Ancient China, Ancient Greece, and across the Middle East. From the supposed works of Hermes Trismigestus via Zosimus of Panopolis (who may actually be a hipp...
May 15, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Season 6Ep. 32
This week, on the first of the 'Final Five' episodes in our second lap around England's 39 historic counties, we're digging into the sacred ritual landscape of Wiltshire, and getting weird! We start off discussing St Pancras Day, including Pancras' martyrdom in 4th century Rome when he was a mere teenager, before his bones went on tour with St Augustine, all before we wander to Wiltshire in England's South West. On the history front, we discuss the astounding history of the ancient capital of Ol...
May 12, 2025•2 hr 21 min•Season 6Ep. 9
We’re on a break at the moment to get married and enjoy a bit of time either side of our wedding, but, to fill the gap, this is the second of two new compilation episodes containing a trio of stories from across our earlier series. We have entitled this episode Three Tragedies , because these stories all involve the impacts of loss – be that the loss of an idea, the loss of a way of living, or the loss of a person whose absence has rippled across time ever since. They include our second-lap Devo...
May 10, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Season 6Ep. 31
In the fourth episode of our "Fairy Book Project," Martin tells The Yellow Dwarf - a picaresque adventure about fire-breathing basilisks, how mermaids champion the course of true love, and the dangers of indulging children... If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913 by a married couple, folklorists and translators Nora and Andrew Lang, with most of the work done to compile them completed by Nora, also known as Leonora Blanche...
May 08, 2025•48 min•Season 10Ep. 4
In the third episode of our "Fairy Book Project," Eleanor tells The Tale Of A Youth Who Set Out To Learn What Fear Was - a surprisingly macabre ghost story about stampeding beds, how older people can often be quite rotten to younger ones, and the benefits of bravery... If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913 by a married couple, folklorists and translators Nora and Andrew Lang, with most of the work done to compile them comp...
May 05, 2025•26 min•Season 10Ep. 3
We’re on a break at the moment to get married and enjoy a bit of time either side of our wedding, but, to fill the gap, this is the first of two new compilation episodes containing a trio of stories from across our earlier series. We have entitled this episode Three Weird Tales because these are tales about such strange folkloric concepts, there’s no easy to just explain them away. They include our second-lap Cambridgeshire story, The Tale of a Toad Man , and our recent Buckinghamshire and Rutla...
May 03, 2025•1 hr 50 min•Season 6Ep. 30
In the second episode of our "Fairy Book Project," Eleanor tells Prince Hyacinth And The Dear Little Princess - a story about the bliss of ignorance, dubious fairy wisdom, and about how truly enormous noses can obstruct the path of true love... If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913 by a married couple, folklorists and translators Nora and Andrew Lang, with most of the work done to compile them completed by Nora, also known...
May 01, 2025•17 min•Season 10Ep. 2
In this first episode in what we have been calling our "Fairy Book Project," Martin tells The Bronze Ring - a story about the nature of nobility, talking mice, evil sorcerers, and why you should always be nice to old ladies... If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913 by a married couple, folklorists and translators Nora and Andrew Lang, with most of the work done to compile them completed by Nora, also known as Leonora Blanch...
Apr 28, 2025•26 min•Season 10Ep. 1
On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin is joined by folk musician, editor of Facts & Fiction magazine, and author of books including Derbyshire Folk Tales , Pete Castle. If you’re part of the storytelling world then you will likely know of Pete already. Likewise, if you are an English folk musician, as, after a career spanning almost 50 years, including the release of literally dozens of albums, Pete is a bit of a national treasure in both fields. Like a true, traditional bard or ra...
Apr 26, 2025•59 min•Season 6Ep. 29
On this month's episode of Magus we are travelling all about Renaissance Europe and up through the layers of the heavens to undertake divine revelations into the life, times, and accomplishments of Giordano Bruno! From Bruno's early life as a Dominican priest, forced to flee one of six popes he thoroughly annoyed, right up to his horrid execution in the Campo de' Fiori, we're running through a wild highlights reel of his accomplishments - both in the development of his pioneering mnemonic memory...
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr 34 min•Season 6Ep. 28
On this week's episode of Three Ravens we're off to the land of the Dark Peak and the White, exploring to history and folklore of Derbyshire! We start off by chatting through traditions associated with Easter Monday festivities, and the live of St Anselm, who we conclude ought to be the Patron Saint of Jerks, all before we depart for Derbyshire in England's East Midlands. With Martin having absolutely rinsed the county's history last year, we dig into some strange and unexplored corners, includi...
Apr 21, 2025•1 hr 47 min•Season 6Ep. 8
On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin is joined by blogger, museum worker, tour guide, and all-round champion for Herefordshire, The Herefordian Historian. Real name Tom Quinsey, The Herefordian Historian was born in Swansea and is an identical twin. His parents, who are both from Herefordshire, eventually settled back there before Tom turned 10 years old - but even before then he had developed a passion for history. At first, prompted by the film Titanic , he was preoccupied by boats,...
Apr 19, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 6Ep. 27
For this month's Forgotten Melodies bonus episode we're talking all about Fair Songs - in particular, Scarborough Fair, Brigg Fair and Widecombe Fair - and the histories behind these iconic tunes. The episode of course features new takes on all three of these songs, 'Scarborough Fair,' 'Brigg Fair' and 'Widecombe Fair,' and this time it's not just Eleanor and Ben singing, but our friend and collaborator Katie Sommers, too! Boosted along by her fine soprano, we chat through what we know about whe...
Apr 17, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 6Ep. 26
On this week's episode of Three Ravens we're heading into disputed territory: Herefordshire in the Welsh Marches, which is a county with so much history and folklore! We start off by going over all Queer Eye and giving April 14th a makeover, concluding that, while we could make this 'Nothing Day' about gardening, or ice skating on bone-bladed skates, it really ought to be a day devoted to the celebration of Justin. Be that the ancient pre-Christian philosopher, or the Justin's in your life. All ...
Apr 14, 2025•2 hr 52 min•Season 6Ep. 7
On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin is joined by storyteller, library manager, and Secretary of the Leicestershire and Rutland Guild of Storytelling, Matthew Vaughan. Matt has been a storyteller for well over a decade. Since 2011 he has also worked in East Midlands’ Public Library Services, and, in addition to working as a storyteller in Early Years, Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, Colleges, Universities, Youth organisations, the Care, Health and Heritage Sectors, and in Prisons,...
Apr 12, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 6Ep. 25
For this week's Bonus Episode we're basking on slippery rocks, swishing our tails, and looking into the magic mirror of Mermaid history and folklore, combing our hair all the while! We start off chatting about the plethora of 19th century Mermaid-themed media, from paintings and plays to poems and songs, all of which paved the way for our modern perception of merfolk. Then though, we swim against the current, back through time, to discover the ways in which Mermaids were first represented in hum...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 6Ep. 24
On this week's episode of Three Ravens we're off to Rutland to explore the history and folklore of England's smallest county - on the back of a dinosaur! We start off chatting about a couple of beautifully obscure traditions that take place around this time each year, including one involving a jacket on a flagpole and another relating to a Secret Society in Somerset, after which we ramble on to Rutland! We begin with a sad fact: Rutland may actually be about to disappear! In addition to which, w...
Apr 07, 2025•2 hr•Season 6Ep. 6
On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin is joined by the hosts of the Eerie Essex podcast, Ailsa Clarke and Bethan Briggs-Miller! Ailsa and Bethan have been at this here podcasting malarkey since the pandemic, and it’s highly likely that you are already familiar with Eerie Essex. If you’ve never had the pleasure to listening to them though, well, you’re in for a treat! In this episode Ailsa, Bethan and Martin talk about everything from lasagne to garden centres to demonic possession, get...
Apr 05, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 6Ep. 23
On this week's Bonus Episode, Eleanor leads us through the libraries of early medical history to guide us through Leech Books and early medical texts! We start off talking about the book generally thought to be the oldest 'English' medical text, Bald's Leech Book, discussing how the Medieval mind perceived of ailments - namely as issues interlinked with spiritual and supernatural problems, not just physical ones. We then leap back to discuss Ancient Chinese medicine, its roots in the work of the...
Apr 03, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 6Ep. 22
On this week's episode of Three Ravens we're off to Essex, exploring the history and folklore of a county that has everything. Apart from mountains... We start off discussing April Fool's Day, which has a surprisingly long legacy, after which we embark for Essex! We begin by talking about a bunch of strange historical quirks in the county, including lots of things to do with ponds - ones in which dead pirates have oak trees growing out of their chests, or where, for centuries, people have been d...
Mar 31, 2025•2 hr 1 min•Season 6Ep. 5
On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin is joined by author and storyteller Tom “The Tale Teller” Phillips. Leicestershire born and raised, Tom is the county's most celebrated storyteller - even the Leicestershire Guild of Storytellers told us, directly, that he is the person to talk to about Leicestershire's lore. And just a fraction of his knowledge and passion is on show in his collection Leicestershire Folk Tales for Children - but that's only part of the story. Having trained and wo...
Mar 29, 2025•54 min•Season 6Ep. 21
For our second episode of Magus , we are delving into the deep dark cave of history to the unravel the mysterious life of Mother Shipton, a Tudor era prophetess with links to folkloric sites all over England, from Knaresborough to the Rollright Stones to Somerset and beyond. Our journey starts in the English Renaissance, where we explore how the concept of a witch had been presented and appeared in legal cases and famous stories, up until the reign of Henry VIII - during which it's said Mother S...
Mar 27, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Season 6Ep. 20
On this week's episode of Three Ravens, we are diving deep into the pink river of Leicestershire's history and folklore - and Eleanor has written a real weepy story, so brace yourself for that one! We start off discussing the Nothing Day that is the 24th March - a day which used to be something, all before the Julian calendar happened, and the Archangel Michael got a bit big for his boots. After which we lollop into Leicestershire! We start with some curious aspects of the county's heritage and ...
Mar 24, 2025•1 hr 41 min•Season 6Ep. 4
For this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin is joined by academic, storyteller, author, and bona fide expert in Buckinghamshire’s folklore, Dr Terrie “Red Phoenix” Howie. Terrie, who performs as “Red Phoenix” when she’s leading workshops or telling stories, would be an absolutely worthwhile guest for this episode just from a storytelling perspective. She has performed all over the country as well as internationally, and has been a professional storyteller for over 25 years. However, as you ...
Mar 22, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Season 6Ep. 19
For this week's bonus episode, we have something very special for you - the second installment of our 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 episode we are talking all about Ben's absolute favourite kind of folk song, the Sea Shanty, as well as 'Songs of the Sea' more generally - including three brand new versions of classics of the genre, "Haul Away Joe," "S...
Mar 20, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 6Ep. 18
On this week's episode of Three Ravens, we are chatting all about the history and folklore of Buckinghamshire, a county once believed - completely wrongly - to have very few folktales... We start off chatting about St Patrick's Day, discussing his weird life amongst pirates and of generally annoying people, all before he became Patron Saint of Ireland, after which we bounce on over to Buckinghamshire! After discussing how this week's Local Legends guest Dr Terrie Howie changed the game in terms ...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr 56 min•Season 6Ep. 3
On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin is joined by author, academic, and storyteller Dr Anthony Nanson, who has written three books just about Gloucestershire's folklore! Born in Lancashire, Anthony is a storyteller who has had a pretty amazing career. He has toured internationally as well as all over the UK, and, with his wonderful wife Kirsty Hartsiotis, is also a founder member of performance company Fire Spring s. Aside from Gloucestershire Ghost Tales and Gloucestershire Folk Tale...
Mar 15, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Season 6Ep. 17
