The Three Ravens Podcast
Three Ravens 487 episodes Nov 9, 2026
Three Ravens is an English myth and folklore podcast hosted by Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux. Each weekly episode explores a historic county in England, delving into its history, folklore, and traditions, including ghosts, mermaids, mythical monsters, and half-forgotten heroes. The podcast also features bonus episodes on folk remedies, cryptids, folk songs, and famous witches and wizards, as well as an interview series called Local Legends.
Episodes
Rhode Island | Series 8 Episode 6
In today's episode we're discussing the history and folklore of Rhode Island!We start with the story of Mercy Lena Brown and the roots of the New England 'vampire.' Then we talk about Roger Williams and his departure from the Massachusetts Bay Colony to form a utopian colony under the principles of separating church and state, his treaties and relationships with Canonicus and the N
Stephen Olbrys Gencarella | Local Legends #83
On this week's episode of Local Legends Martin chats with a champion of Connecticut, folklorist, scholar, author, and tenured Professor of Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Stephen Olbrys Gencarella.Stephen’s work explores the intersection of folklore studies, rhetorical criticism, and performance studies, with a strong emphasis on the cultural history, legends, and ecc
Israel Putnam and The Wolf | A Connecticut Tale
For this week's story we're retelling one of the great American myths, from the perspective of the man who made it famous...Written by Martin, Israel Putnam and The Wolf follows the life of a real person, presented to the world as a frontiersman and scion of virtue. Yet, to make his story effective, 'the writer' must make choices about which truths to include, which to omit, and wh
Connecticut | Series 8 Episode 5
With Haunting Season 2026 now behind us, let's get back to business and explore the history and folklore of Connecticut!We start with the story of Nathan Hale, and by opening up the idea of how folktales can shape national perceptions. We discuss the Puritan founders of Connecticut, who struck out alone without a Royal Decree, investigate how some of the state's most famous legends formed,
Chill and Drear, Red and Sere | November 2026 Update
For this month's update episode, we're emerging from the Other Side after Haunting Season!We review our fourth annual Haunting Season, announce the winners of this year's Pumpkin Carving Competition, and talk about some of our own news, before delving into Blood Month traditions and other bits of November lore, in preparation for the long dark winter. We may not be slaughtering our liv
Kent Ghostlore and "Tomfoolery" | Live at Godinton House and Gardens
Ghost Tales Live Show as recorded on Thursday 29th October at Godinton House & Gardens in Kent.We begin by exploring the ghosts of Godinton House itself, and those of the historic county of Kent more widely, from legends of grey ladies, white ladies and ghostly monks to the spectre of a Roman baby that haunts Dover's Reculver Fort, and beyond.Recounting quite why Pluckley is known as the m
Joanne Harris | Local Legends #82: Haunting Season
For our last Local Legend of Haunting Season 2026, Eleanor is chatting with the wonderful author Joanne Harris.Joanne is best known for her internationally bestselling and much beloved Chocolat series, particularly after the feature film adaptation in 2000 starring Juliette Binoche. However, she's written over 30 books across a huge variety of settings and themes. From darker Gothic fiction li
Scrimshaw | A New Ghost Story
For our fourth and final tale of Haunting Season 2026, Eleanor's story "Scrimshaw" is inspired by this week's theme, Ghosts of Sea and Shore.A twisting helix, drawing together multiple perspectives across time, it's a story of the sea, the things we take from it, and how they come back to bite us.From a marine scientist to a 19th century whaler and a far-seeing child in a Neo
Ghosts of Sea and Shore | Haunting Season 2026
For the final week of Haunting Season 2026 we're walking through the shallows and gazing at the wild waves as we talk about the Ghosts of Sea and Shore. We start with the ghosts of the SS Watertown before talking about famous ghost ships like the Flying Dutchman, Marie Celeste, and the magical legend of the Caleuche. Then we're drawn inexplicably towards a faint light on the headland, guid
"Oh, Whistle and I'll Come To You, My Lad" by M.R. James | A Classic Ghost Story
As voted for by the Conspiracy of Ravens on Patreon, for today's special Haunting Season Sunday release we warmly present our classic ghost story for this year, "Oh, Whistle and I'll Come To You, My Lad" by M.R. James.Do we talk too much about M.R. James on the podcast? We try to restrain ourselves, but any way you slice it this particular story ranks as one of the best ghost tal
Lucy Rose | Local Legends #81: Haunting Season
For this week's episode of Local Legends Eleanor is chatting with the wonderful author Lucy Rose.Lucy is known for her instantly bestselling debut novel The Lamb, a deliciously dark folk horror tale set in the isolation of rural Cumbria. However, she's also an award-winning film maker, and a lifelong devotee of haunting tales and the folklore of place.Lucy's work has often been include
The Airman | A New Ghost Story
For our third original tale this Haunting Season Martin tells us "The Airman" as inspired by this week's theme, Ghosts of War.Living in Dorset during World War 2, Valerie is a teenage girl helping to manage a house filled with secrets and unspoken things. One night, a chance encounter with a low-flying fighter plane sets in motion a sequence of life-changing events which impact her b
Ghosts of the War | Haunting Season 2026
Keep your weapon drawn, your eyes peeled, your powder dry, and WAIT WHAT'S THAT AND WHY IS IT MOVING?!For our third week of Haunting Season 2026 we're exploring the theme of Ghosts of the War. We start with Achilles and the Shade of Patroclus then talk through some major developments in ghost beliefs related to martial conflicts across history, from the 'Great Wonder' following the
In Miniature | A Ghost Story
We've thrown in an extra spooky story - it is Haunting Season, after all, and we've been releasing a few fun extras on Sundays.This story, In Miniature, Eleanor's take on the haunted doll's house, is the only one in our new book Three Ravens Ghost Tales which has never before been recorded for the podcast.Meet Lou. She's professional and attractive. She's interested in hist
Adam L.G. Nevill | Local Legends #80: Haunting Season
For this week's episode of Local Legends Martin chats with one of England's great living horror writers Adam L.G. Nevill.With 13 novels under his belt, several of them award-winning, and three short story collections too, you might expect Adam to have enjoyed rapid success which started early.Instead, for years Adam worked every night after work to shape his fiction while receiving little-
Vade In Pacem | A New Ghost Story
In our second original tale for Haunting Season 2026 Eleanor tells us "Vade In Pacem" as inspired by this week's Ghosts of Sacred Spaces theme.Set during the English Renaissance, the tale takes place within the confines of a cloistered, claustrophobic Cistercian monastery in the hours counting down to the arrival of Cromwell's men. Our monks, mortally dedicated to Our Lady of Sor
Ghosts of Sacred Spaces | Haunting Season 2026
Misty hooded figures flit through moonlit ruins, and a chorus of spectral chanting grows louder...For the second week of our month of Haunting Season, we've chosen Ghosts of Sacred Spaces as our theme. We start by exploring theories about why so many of Britain's current and former religious houses are said to be haunted, and talk about some of the notable sites. From a particularly monast
Halloween History and Customs | Live @ Treadwell's Books
Recorded on October 1st, for this Live Show we return to our favourite bookshop of all, Treadwell's in London, to discuss Halloween folklore, ghostlore, customs, and our new book Three Ravens Ghost Tales.Hosted by Treadwell's founder, owner, and historian of Gardnerian Wicca Christina Oakley Harrington, who Martin spoke with on Local Legends episode 66 over the summer, we are joined by a l
Nuzo Onoh | Local Legends #79: Haunting Season
In this episode of our Local Legends series Eleanor talks with the Queen of African horror, Nuzo Onoh.In 2022 Nuzo was the recipient of the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement, acknowledging her powerful contributions to the horror genre, which she has made through a terrifying catalogue of books like Where The Dead Brides Gather, The Sleepless, The Reluctant Dead, Futility and many more.Ou
The Grand Circle | A New Ghost Story
In our first original tale for Haunting Season 2026 Martin tells us "The Grand Circle" as inspired by this week's Ghosts of the Theatre theme.Rooted in the folklore of one haunted London playhouse in particular, though tying together lots of strange personal anecdotes and dark reflections on the theatre business, it's a contemporary tale threaded through with chilling moments and
Ghosts of the Theatre | Haunting Season 2026
The lights dim, the sounds of ghostly strings tuning up shriek from the orchestra pit, and in the wings the props just seem to keep mysteriously vanishing...Happy Haunting Season! This episode marks the beginning of our four themed weeks, and today we're talking all about Ghosts of the Theatre. We begin by talking about some famous theatre ghosts, along with a brief history of theatrical haunt
Three Ravens Ghost Tales Book Launch | Live @ Much Ado Books
Recorded a week ago today and hosted by our favourite local independent bookshop Much Ado Books in Alfriston, we warmly present a live interview to celebrate the launch of our second book Three Ravens Ghost Tales.Much Ado Books is particularly special to us as we went to the shop on one of our first-ever dates, Eleanor buying Martin a beautiful Folio Society edition of the collected poetry of Samu
Andrew Michael Hurley | Local Legends #78: Haunting Season
For our opening installment of Three Ravens Haunting Season 2026 we're chatting with one of Britain's finest horror writers, Andrew Michael Hurley.Based in Lancashire in north west England, Andrew's debut novel The Loney was published almost exactly 12 years ago, becoming a best-seller, winning prizes, and securing Andrew a legion of readers extremely keen to know how he might possibly
Haunting Season Returns! | October 2026 Update
On this month's update episode we have so much to talk about, as it's Three Ravens Haunting Season once again!Back for our fourth annual month-long celebration of original ghost stories and all things spooky a weird, we run down what's coming from us across October, including a brand new Spenser & Associates Mystery, our amazing guests for Local Legends this month (now including Jo
Wild Pathetic Legends | A Maryland Tale
Warning: this story is set in 1909 and portrays historic racist attitudes which in no way reflect our own views. It also makes mention of body-focused repetitive behaviours.For this week's story, we're getting into the dark origins of one of Maryland's most famous monsters.The Snallygaster is better known today for giving its name to an ice cream flavour, but it wasn't always so fr
Maryland | Series 8 Episode 4
Get ready to stuff a ham, because this week we're off to Maryland!We begin with the inspiring life of Harriet Tubman, before discussing Maryland's beginnings as a province, sprinkled with plenty of arguments about religion and different ideas about how to run a colony.Maryland is packed with folklore, spooky stories and cryptids, and we're on a hunt to find as many as we can, from the
Glastonbury Folklore | LIVE @ 3 Wishes Fairy Festival
Today, as it's Martin's birthday, we thought we would share with you a special little bonus gift recording in his birth county - our two Three Ravens Live Show pop-up performances at 3 Wishes Fairy Festival in Somerset from last month!Hopefully timed just about perfectly to mark the very end of Summer and start of Autumn, in the first part we discuss Glastonbury's fairy folklore explic
Roxie Zwicker | Local Legends #77
On this week's episode of Local Legends Martin chats with a celebrated New Hampshire-based folklorist, author, and entrepreneur, who has spent over two decades preserving and sharing the region's mysterious history, Roxie Zwicker.As a folklorist, Zwicker’s work focuses on documenting the oral histories, legends, and paranormal accounts that define the cultural landscape of the Northeast. S
Chocorua | A New Hampshire Tale
For this week's story we're throwing caution to the wind, preparing for societal collapse, and offering you a different kind of folk nightmare.Written by Martin, Chocorua follows the main story beats of one of New Hampshire's most famous legends, only with the titular Native American chief replaced by a radicalized white nationalist struggling through the Covid-19 pandemic.It might not
New Hampshire | Series 8 Episode 3
Time to break off your search for the Great Carbuncle and adventure through New Hampshire, the "Granite State!"We start with the story of Oceanborn Mary and then discuss New Hampshire's rugged terrain and the centuries-long struggles to define its borders. From the "Presidential Range" and the now collapsed iconic 'Great Stone Face' to the state's 18-mile sea coast and northern forests, it's a pre
Jeff Belanger | Local Legends #76
Eleanor chats with the Emmy-nominated paranormal researcher, bestselling author, and legendary explorer Jeff Belanger to uncover the spooks, scares, and deep folklore of Massachusetts! Jeff joins us around the campfire to share his incredible career tracing the things that go bump in the night. As the host, writer, and producer of the New England Legends series on PBS and Amazon Prime, and th
The Ghosts of Dogtown | A Massachusetts Tale
For this week's story, we're exploring one of Massachusetts' most atmospheric abandoned places...Written by Eleanor, the tale follows a young police detective searching for a missing person in the mysterious and disorientating woodlands of Dogtown Common, as something wants to lead her further and further away from the trailpath.Drawing on real legends and history of this fascinating place, it's a
Massachusetts | Series 8 Episode 2
It's already time for us to visit the second of the Thirteen Colonies - Massachusetts!We start by discussing the lives of the Wampanoag peoples who inhabited the North Eastern Woodlands prior to the arrival of European settlers, before returning to the small group of religious dissenters who arrived on the Mayflower to make a home in New England.Of course, the Salem Witch Trials cast a long shadow
Dr Jon Lohman | Local Legends #75
On this week's episode of Local Legends Martin chats Virginia, folklore, and cultural exchange with Dr Jon Lohman.For two decades Jon worked as the State Folklorist of Virginia, has a PhD in Folklore from the University of Pennsylvania, and has enjoyed a distinguished career bridging community activism, arts education, and public media.In addition to working for many years to document, sustain, an
The Phantom Lovers of Lake Drummond | A Virginia Tale
For this week’s story we have a ghostly legend inundated by real histories, “The Phantom Lovers of Lake Drummond.”Written by Martin, it’s a dark crater of surging eco-fiction engaging with one of Virginia's most famous folk tales, the early life of George Washington, Harriet Beecher Stowe's much maligned follow-up to Uncle Tom's Cabin, the poetry of Irish folk poet and bard Thomas Moore, the teena
Virginia | Series 8 Episode 1
Hold onto your preconceptions if you must as we, two English people, open a can of worms in our first full episode of Series 8 to discuss Virginia, the 'Mother of States!'We begin as colonial America did - in Jamestown - before digging into some of the key differences between life in Virginia in those early days and life in England at the same time, tracking points of comparison forward through in
Dr Gabrielle Tayac | Local Legends #74
On this week's episode of Local Legends Eleanor chats with historian, curator, author and activist Dr Gabrielle Tayac.We were thrilled Gabrielle spoke to us at the beginning of Series 8, after this week's background episodes on the history of North America. As Associate Professor of Public History at George Mason University and the inaugural curator of the Smithsonian National Museum of the Americ
How The Devil Came To America | An Immigrant Story
For this week’s story we have the tale of a particularly unwelcome immigrant called “How The Devil Came to America.”Written by Eleanor, it’s a piece of arcane folk horror that explores the failure of the infamous Roanoke colony, positing a new theory as to why things went wrong for the residents of ‘The City of Raleigh’ in a tale which travels from the private offices of Queen Elizabeth I’s chief
Let The Gourd Times Roll! | September 2026 Update
In this month's update episode we're chatting through Autumn Equinox folklore, the end of harvest, and the Devil doing unspeakable things to blackberries...Including discussions Britain's traditional Quarter Days and the folklore of Michaelmas, from 'Stubble Goose' divination to Medieval beliefs in "Dragon Days" along with autumnal spider folklore and a slice of apple magic, we also include some o
A Brief History of America | Series 8 Episode 0
Before we begin our adventures exploring the history and folklore of the Thirteen Colonies of America, we present our first episode of Series 8: A Brief History of America!We explore the history of North America from the earliest human migration across the Beringia land bridge, now the Bering Strait.Looking at the distinct archaeological stages of American pre-history, we talk through the Lithic,
Marion Gibson | Local Legends #73
On this week's episode of Local Legends Martin chats with Sunday Times bestselling author Marion Gibson!Regular listeners will recall that Marion last came on Three Ravens during October 2025 to chat about her wonderful book Witchcraft: A History in Thirteen Trials, at which time we spoke about Marion’s childhood and career, so we this time we skip all that and jump straight into the 17th century
The Callow Inn | A Herefordshire Ghost Story
Our story for "Death Week" is a retelling by Martin of a ghost story, The Callow Inn.In rural Herefordshire, for over a hundred years people have reported two strange night-time phenomena connected to The Callow Inn, which was demolished at the end of the 19th century. First there are the ghostly shapes of two people carrying bodies out into Haywood Forest.Then there's the spectral windows, shinin
The Folklore of Death
The inevitable has occurred, dear listener, so pay up your Eye Money as Death Week has arrived on Three Ravens, riding a pale horse...The final part of our month-long celebration of the Cycles of Life, on this episode we're chatting through the history and folklore of that undiscovered country where all dreams may come - and from which the ancestors might return if we're not careful!We start at th
Sarah Clegg | Local Legends #72
On this week's episode of Local Legends Eleanor chats with Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah Clegg.We first met Sarah last year, when she was one of the guests at our Three Ravens Christmas Feast. Sarah had just published her book The Dead of Winter, all about the origins and changing lore of the dark side of Christmas.Sarah has a PhD in ancient history from the University of Cambridge, a
Alderman and Alphin | A Tale of Old Yorkshire
Our story for "Marriage Week" is a retelling by Eleanor of a giant legend, Alderman and Alphin.Set in Saddleworth, which was once a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire but is found in Lancashire today, not far from Oldham and Manchester, it's the tale attached to two particular landscape features, Alderman's Hill and Alphin Pike, two hills overlooking the entrance to the Upper Tame Valley. E
The Folklore of Marriage
This week we have our second installment of our month long mini series about cycles of life, all about the history and folklore of marriage!We explore the early beginnings of marriage contracts, legal regulation by the Church and state, and how utterly unromantic most weddings were for much of history!Discussing superstitions and preparations leading up to the big day, from arrangements between fa
Sue Bentley | Local Legends #71
On this week's episode of Local Legends Martin chats with best-selling author of over 80 books, Sue Bentley! As Sue explains, her decision to 'become a writer' didn't happen particularly early in her life, though she was ever a reader, inspired by books like Denys Watkins-Pitchford's The Little Grey Men, Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows, and C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.On
The Brigstock Fox | A Northamptonshire Folk Tale
Our story for "Birth Week" is a retelling from Martin of recently rediscovered Northamptonshire legend The Brigstock Fox.A tale of Medieval changelings, magic, princes and parenthood, it begins as the folktale does, with a strange, seemingly uncatchable creature stalking the forests around Fotheringhay Castle.Richard of York, away in Ireland, offers a bag of gold to whoever can catch the beast and
The Folklore of Birth
This week on Three Ravens, as part of our month long exploration of cycles of life, we're talking all about Birth Folklore! From Ancient Mesopotamian "birth bricks" and fires lit to smoke babies out of the womb to 20th century beliefs in hairy babies prompting their mothers to experience heartburn, human societies have cleaved to a whole load of fairly wild concepts related to reproduction.Yet, as
Matthew Bannister | Local Legends #70
On this week's episode of Local Legends Martin chats with veteran British broadcaster and host of Folk on Foot Matthew Bannister. In a conversation that folds in some of Matthew's other wonderful projects including The Song Detectorists and Last Word, while Martin and Matthew don't quite go on a wander together, our main focus is Matthew's multi-award winning podcast Folk on Foot, which combines f
The Corn Maiden
For this week's story, sticking with our theme of Harvest, we present a slice of US-set folk horror for you to enjoy!The tale begins with Robin, a recently widowed wheat farmer whose crops have failed due to drought. At his farmhouse Mother rules, although a new feminine energy has arrived in the shape of Amelia, who believes Robin's loss might open space in his heart for her.Though out on Robin's
Lughnasa, Lammas and Harvest Folklore
It's the first time we've done a Seasonal Special in a while, but this week we're celebrating the harvest and exploring the history and folklore of Lughnasa and Lammastide.We begin by discussing the Festival of First Fruits and the Eleusinian Mysteries of the Classical World, before getting into the nitty gritty of Lughnasa, or 'The Aseembly of Lugh.' From Irish festivals of games, hand-fasting ri
Sickles At The Ready! | August 2026 Update
In this month's update episode we're welcoming in the harvest and exploring some of August's lesser-known traditional festivals!We're talking about Marymas, which seems like it would have been pretty witchy, and Bartlemas, which was quite violent and packed with "back swording" - though that's not all, as, in addition to sharing some of our own news, we're chatting about Christopher Nolan's cinema
Richard Dawson | Local Legends #69
On this week's episode of Local Legends Martin chats with award winning singer-songwriter and progressive artist Richard Dawson. Hailing from England's northernmost city, Newcastle upon Tyne, Richard doesn't much like being pigeon-holed or for his music to be put into a genre, but across this chat he just about surrenders to Martin's insistence that he's a folk musician, and proudly avant garde.St
Who Were The Langs? | The Lang Fairy Tales
We round out our recent completion of the Red Fairy Book by taking a deeper look at Leonora and Andrew Lang. Who were they, what were their lives like, and where did they fit into society and culture at the end of the 19th century?Looking at what we know so far about the Langs' own story, we talk about the boom in print culture after the advent of steam, and the rise of the wide variety of periodi
Gerald Gardner | Magus #13
For our final episode of the series, we're casting a circle and exploring the life of the last great name in British magic, Gerald Gardner!We begin with Gardner's youth overseas where, accompanied by his nurse, nanny, and personal tutor, he explored Europe and parts of North Africa and the Middle East, developing an interest in folklore, paganism, and ethnography.After a career working on tea and
Sacha Coward | Local Legends #68
On this week's episode of Local Legends Martin chats with British author, LGBTQ+ historian, museum researcher and escape room artist Sacha Coward.Sacha's first book, Queer As Folklore, explores how LGBTQ+ communities have historically found safety and representation in the shadows of mythology, bridging centuries of storytelling, and it won Best Non-Fiction Book at the British Fantasty Society Awa
The Marvellous Musician and The Story Of Sigurd | The Lang Fairy Tales: The Red Fairy Book (1890)
It's been a strange, charming, and sometimes baffling journey, but we've reached the end of the Red Fairy Book!Two very different stories finish the collection off. The Marvellous Musician is a German tale, collected by the Grimms. It's a curious tale with an extremely questionable hero, leaving a rather unpleasant taste behind. Is our musician marvellous, monstrous, or perhaps even the Devil hims
Death and Afterlife Songs | Forgotten Melodies #13
In this final episode of our 13-part exploration of folk music history we are concluding with Death and Afterlife Songs!We welcome our musical collaborators for the series Ben and Katie to join us for this bumper-length episode, which includes a conversation at the end in which we reflect on the journey we have been on together over the last 15 months.As for the songs, we begin with Death and the
Karen Kay | Local Legends #67
On this week's episode of Local Legends Eleanor is chatting with the Fairy Whisperer, Karen Kay.Fairies are notoriously tricksy beings, but if there’s anybody out there with exactly the right advice for inviting fairy energies in and adding a dash of magic to your day, it’s Karen Kay. Karen’s work is all about sharing and building a kind, positive community, which reflects in her many project
Snowdrop and The Golden Goose and The Seven Foals | The Lang Fairy Tales: The Red Fairy Book (1890)
For our penultimate episode of the Red Fairy Book, we have a triple bill of rather different stories.First, we have one of the best known fairy tales out there - Snowdrop, otherwise known as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It's got some excellent moments, though things get a little out of hand closer to the end!We follow that up with another Grimm tale, The Golden Goose, an example of the 'All St
Fairies | Three Ravens Bestiary #26
For the final episode in our 26 part A-Z of mythical creatures we're slipping into some liminal spaces to talk about Fairies!Starting with the question of what even is "a fairy" and how did that word come to be?Should we think of them as handsome and seductive, like in the Romantasy genre, or as nature spirits that need feeding with human blood, via your sourdough starter?Do we still identify with
Christina Oakley Harrington | Local Legends #66
On this week's episode of Local Legends Martin is chatting with recovering Medievalist, occult bookshop owner, and esoteric researcher Christina Oakley Harrington!Growing up for a large part overseas, then crash-landing into the north American education system, Christina was perhaps always destined to be an outsider. Yet through her dedication to academic rigour, her life in Wicca, and her passion
Minnikin | The Lang Fairy Tales: The Red Fairy Book (1890)
This Norwegian tale from the Red Fairy Book features a plucky, diminutive hero so unscrupulous, he might just be worse than Dapplegrim!With trolls with increasing numbers of heads (returning favourites), princesses with suspicious motives, mysteriously intelligent babies and flying ships, Minnikin really does have it all.Also known as Lillekort in Norwegian, and Shortshanks in translation, it's ce
Palmistry and Phrenology | Magic and Medicines #26
For the last episode in the second series of Magic and Medicines, we're talking about Palmistry and Phrenology!We start by looking at uses of palmistry across the world, from Vedic astrology with Hindu Jyotish over to the divination practices of the Chinese Ming dynasty.We discuss whether or not it's true that Aristotle discovered an ancient palmistry text and got Alexander the Great into the art,
Frankie Archer | Local Legends #65
On this very special episode of Local Legends Martin is chatting with the brilliant British folk singer-songwriter Frankie Archer!To mark the release of her debut album, The Dance of Death, Frankie made time to come on the podcast to discuss how she has ended up making the music she has, which fuses centuries-old traditional melodies with modern electronic production, synthesizers, and manipulated
Bushy Bride and Mother Holle | The Lang Fairy Tales: The Red Fairy Book (1890)
For today's episode of the Lang Fairy Tales, we're proceeding on apace through the Red Fairy Book, and we've got another double bill of stories.First up is the excellently named Bushy Bride, a Norwegian story which exploits the fairy tale obsession with very, very long noses - and has some very curious features. There is a charming dog called Little Snow, though!We follow that on with Mother Holle
Well Dressing & Rush Bearing | July 2026 Update
In this month's update episode we're chatting all about the folkiness of summertime - including Well Dressing and Rush Bearing!Though that's not all, as, in addition to sharing some of our own news, we're working through the story of Swithin, the English weather saint who once had a very holy hole, Swan Upping, the origins of cricket, Canada Day and America's birthday, too.Then we share the openin
Cornelius Agrippa | Magus #12
This month on Magus, for our penultimate episode of the series, we're exploring the life and work of the father of Western esotericism, Cornelius Agrippa!Born into a Europe wracked by wars, he attends university in Cologne at thirteen, earns his MA by sixteen, and then he abandons the Holy Roman Empire for France.There, under the noses of the House of Valois, he begins to establish a hidden brothe
LIVE @ Great Dunmow BookFest
For this episode, we go where no podcast has gone before - welcome to Three Ravens Live @ Great Dunmow BookFest!During a one day festival where an entire Essex town famous for giving out sides of bacon to married couples turned itself into a bookshop, we were warmly welcomed to Jack's 1952, an outdoor goods shop who gave us a space in their basement and several dozen camping chairs to record a fre
Rapunzel, The Nettle Spinner, and Farmer Weatherbeard | The Lang Fairy Tales: The Red Fairy Book (1890)
On this week's Lang Fairy Tales episode we have another triple-bill - though these ones are all slightly wonky...We begin with Rapunzel, a tale with its roots in ancient Persian mythology, although what the Langs do with it leaves a little to be desired!Next up it's The Nettle Spinner, another Charles Deulin legend out of Flanders which seems to speak to the power of the Protestant work ethic in t
Nature Songs | Forgotten Melodies #12
Get ready to escape to the lake isle of Innisfree, because for the penultimate episode of Forgotten Melodies we're talking all about Nature Songs!We explore the English trees and plants which have inspired folk musicians, poets and all true Romantics, and the songs which use them as motifs.First, we look at stone cold classic A North Country Maid, and its oak, ash and bonny ivy.More oak and ash ab
LIVE @ Leominster Festival
Recorded on steamy summer's evening in the John Abel Room of Grange Court, welcome to Three Ravens Live @ Leominster Festival!While Hereford might try to steal all the glory - literally in some cases - "Lemster" was just as grand a place in the Medieval era, famed most of all as a market town rich in wool.This recording, made on Thursday 11th, explores that historic rivalry, along with the tale of
The Enchanted Canary | The Lang Fairy Tales: The Red Fairy Book (1890)
On this week's Lang Fairy Tales episode we're encountering a tale by folklorist Charles Deulin, The Enchanted Canary.Positioned as a legend out of Flanders, it sees a prince head out to find a wife whose skin is not white or pink...Perhaps wisely, he goes south, following his dream of an orange grove, waylaid by witches, bricklayers, and his own inability to follow advice.A surprisingly rounded st
Ogres | Three Ravens Bestiary #25
Let's strip away the meat of mythology and render down the fat of folklore to cook up a delicious chat all about Ogres!The word itself was coined by Chrétien de Troyes during the 12th century, and was used to talk about the brutish Britons on the other side of the channel - but from the Ancient Egyptian "Cannibal Hymn" of Pharaoh Unas to the Greeks and Romans with Polyphemus and Orcus, the name of
Dapplegrim and The Twelve Brothers | The Lang Fairy Tales: The Red Fairy Book (1890)
We present a double bill of tales from the Red Fairy Book today!First up, we've got the Norwegian tale of the cleverest (and possibly the most ruthless) horse out there, Dapplegrim, and the lucky human he teams up with.We follow it up with The Twelve Brothers, collected by the Brothers Grimm - and spoiler alert, this one contains ravens!They make a great contrasting pair, with plenty to discuss, a
The Golden Branch | The Lang Fairy Tales: The Red Fairy Book (1890)
Today's Lang Fairy Tale is another Madame d'Aulnoy spectacular, The Golden Branch!So spectacular is this tale, in fact, that it was adapted for the stage as part of James Robinson Planche's 19th century 'fairy extravaganzas', lavishly costumed musical displays of whimsy which must truly have been a joy to behold. But will this be the decider for Martin for or against Madame d'Aulnoy? We discu
Familiars and Animal Magic | Magic and Medicines #25
We're growling, purring and hissing our way into this month's Magic and Medicines episode to talk all about Familiars and Animal Magic!We start by talking about animistic beliefs in early societies, along with associations of animals with particular deities, before diving into Medieval and Renaissance ideas about witches' familiars documented in witch trial materials.With Vinegar Tom, Sacke-and-Su
LIVE @ Chiltern Open Air Museum
Welcome to a warm summer's evening in a Medieval barn, complete with twilight birdsong, for Three Ravens Live @ Chiltern Open Air Museum!Set across 45 acres of the Chiltern Hills, "COAM" rescues endangered historic buildings and reconstructs them at its picturesque site - one where a working historic farm and traditional craftspeople continue Buckinghamshire's old folk occupations and ensure they
The Ratcatcher, The True History Of Little Golden Hood, and The Three Dwarfs | The Lang Fairy Tales: The Red Fairy Book (1890)
Today, for our 50th Lang Fairy Tales episode, it's time for another triple - and this trio of stories are ones most people might already know.The Ratcatcher is a fairly straight take on the Pied Piper of Hamelin, albeit with a Transylvanian Twist.The True History of Little Golden Hood marks the Lang's second attempt at Red Riding Hood - and it's pretty great!The Three Dwarfs meanwhile starts promi
