The Three Ravens Podcast

Three Ravens
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Oct 23, 2025 • 1h 25min

Forgotten Melodies #6: Murder Ballads

It's Haunting Season, so for this month's Forgotten Melodies bonus episode we're exploring the bloody broadsides of Murder Ballads.As ever, the episode features new arrangements of three traditional Murder Ballads: Edward, The Bonny Bows and The Cruel Ship's Carpenter, and Martin, Ben and Eleanor talk about the history of the murder ballad and of the songs.From its medieval roots in Northern Europe to its journey across the Atlantic and back again, we explore the murder ballad's connection to true crime, and the narratives which reoccur again and again.Then, Martin gets his own back by springing a quiz on Eleanor and Ben...Forgotten Melodies will continue to enjoy the darker side of folk music in November, in which we'll be singing and discussing Witch Songs.The Three Ravens is a Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on a historic county, exploring the heritage, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcastProud members of the Dark Cast Network.Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Oct 20, 2025 • 3h 5min

Haunting Season 2025 #3: Connect With Me

We enter the third week of Three Ravens Haunting Season 2025 with our third 'Trilogy of Terror'!Our two winning entries for this week, both submitted for our annual Three Ravens Ghost Story Writing Competition, are quite different in tone."Forgotten" by Felix Woidtke is a dark tale of America's abandoned places with a real bite, while Alexa Harding's "Like Father; Like..." explores a dead father's long shadow.Then, to finish, Martin's epic-length story, "Connect With Me" is an insidious imagining of a grim near future where humanity is reduced to nothing more than a ghost of itself. We really hope you enjoy all three and can settle in for a longer listen. We'll be back on Thursday with a new Forgotten Melodies episode all about Murder Ballads!Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcastProud members of the Dark Cast Network.Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Oct 18, 2025 • 1h 12min

Local Legends #46: Rob Kirkup

For our second Local Legends interview of Haunting Season 2025, Eleanor chats to author, paranormal historian, ghost-hunter and the host of the outstanding How Haunted? podcast, Rob Kirkup!Rob’s from the north east of England, and has been leading paranormal investigations for over twenty years, which has involved him spending many nights in total darkness at some of the most haunted places in the UK. He’s author of Ghosts of the North East, Paranormal Northumberland, and loads of other titles, some of which include his own photography. To find out more about Rob's work, and of course, to listen to How Haunted?, visit how-haunted.com. For now, though, let’s make sure our camping torches have plenty of batteries and settle in for a conversation which includes spontaneous combustion, haunted dolls, Ghostbusters, and some genuinely inexplicable occurrences with a true Local Legend, Rob Kirkup. Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcastProud members of the Dark Cast Network.Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Oct 16, 2025 • 1h 11min

Three Ravens Bestiary #19: Zombies and Revenants

For this week's Haunting Season-themed Bonus Episode we're chatting all about the mythology of Zombies and Revenants! To start off with, which is which? Because one dates from Medieval times, and the other comes from a word invented by an English poet in 1819.And if we look further back, to Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome and Scythia, what root creatures and legends can we find that travel forward through history to become 'The Zombie' and 'The Revenant.'One is rooted in fear surrounding death, too, and society showing due respect to the dearly departed, while the other is rooted in racism, yet both end up in the same place.A world of paranoia, filled with the fear of others, and about the belief the End Times are coming.Mix in a little bit of Samurai and Cowboy mythology and a sprinkling of Science Fiction and it turns out we've ended up exactly where we wanted to be.A place where zombies could be anywhere, or anyone... but don't worry, as zombies can be cute now, so, presumably, less dangerous?Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcastProud members of the Dark Cast Network.Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Oct 13, 2025 • 1h 55min

Haunting Season 2025 #2: Sundowners

Three Ravens Haunting Season continues today with the second of our four 'Trilogies of Terror' across the month of October!We begin, in tried and tested style, with two winning tales from our annual Three Ravens Ghost Story Writing Competition.The first of these, "The Old Way Stone" by Alex Effinger, feels almost like a late Victorian classic, set in Scotland, while the second, "The Descendant" by Tim Lane is a wildly imaginative comedic ghost story, featuring a haunted tea cozy...Lastly comes Eleanor's new story for this week, "Sundowners." Channeling her recent experiences in hospital, it's a twisty one, featuring more than just one kind of creeping dread...We sincerely hope that you enjoy all three, and speak to you again on Thursday for our Three Ravens Bestiary Bonus Episode all about Zombies and Revenants!Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcastProud members of the Dark Cast Network.Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Oct 12, 2025 • 1h 17min

LIVE @ Gloucester History Festival 2025!

Roll on another month and another Three Ravens Live Show release - and of not just one but two performances recorded at Gloucester History Festival at the end of September 2025!As we explain in the episode, first comes our Forgotten Melodies Live show, performed on Sunday 21st September in the Great Hall at Gloucester's Blackfriars as part of Witch Night, followed by a retelling of Martin's Gloucester story first heard in Series 3 Episode 2 about Gloucestershire, "The Torbarrow Guardian" as recorded that afternoon in the Scriptorium Buttery.We really hope you enjoy both recordings, speak to you tomorrow for an all-new episode of Three Ravens Haunting Season, and if you would like details of the Forgotten Melodies Live set list then it's as follows:The Earth, The Air, The Fire, The Water (Trad)On Matthew Hopkins by Samuel Butler (c.1663)Ring Down Below (Trad)Hecate's Speech from Macbeth by William Shakespeare (c.1606)Old Pendle (Trad)Very Wicked People (spoken word)Witches Reel (Trad)Witch Burning by Sylvia Plath (1959)Sovay (Trad)The White Witch by James Weldon Johnson (1915)Hare Spell (Trad)Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcastProud members of the Dark Cast Network.Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Oct 11, 2025 • 1h 13min

Local Legends #45: Dr Susan Owens

For our Local Legends interview this week, the first of Haunting Season 2025, we've spoken to the celebrated author of 'The Ghost: A Cultural History' Susan Owens!Recorded at Susan's home in Suffolk, this ranging chat includes discussions of the ghost that haunted the old V&A Museum's stores of paintings, Susan's all-time favourite ghost story, and plenty of discussion of the way England's past haunts its present. Along the way we touch on the great Romantic painter John Constable, the Pre-Raphaelites, Rob Lloyd Parry, and plenty else beside.So, settle in with a nice big cup of something warm, and let's talk Medieval ghosts. Let's talk Ham House and the ghost of Elizabeth Murray, Duchess of Lauderdale. Let's also talk about the point in time when ghosts turned invisible. Before which, they were something else entirely...For now, though, let's listen in to a conversation with The Storyteller of Wales about his life, career, and this week’s Three Ravens historic county, Denbighshire.Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcastProud members of the Dark Cast Network.Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Oct 9, 2025 • 1h 33min

Magic and Medicines #19: Voodoo

This month's Magic and Medicines Bonus Episode definitely has Haunting Season associations, as we're talking all about Voodoo! Although, being up front, "Voodoo" is but a tiny subset of a vast number of syncretic religious and cultural practices dating back to Africa 6,000 years ago - 'syncretic' meaning something which merges different beliefs into a unified whole. Sharing lots of ideas with forms of ancient pagan animism found all over the world, 'Vodun' is a religious faith with over 60 million followers today. But how has it changed due to societal factors, including slavery, which directly birthed Haitian 'Vodou' and its curious relationship to Catholicism?So yes, we will be talking about Louisiana Voodoo, the 20th century Voodoo Revival, "Voodoo Dolls" and all sorts of other cool stuff, from temples marinaded in sacrificial blood to Mami Wata, Legba the 'Spirit of Crossroads' to Marie Laveau, and so much more. But we also need to acknowledge both where our Western concepts of Voodoo come from and how those ideas came to dominate much of the cultural consciousness.It's dark matter, as they say, and we've done our best to do the topic justice!Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcastProud members of the Dark Cast Network.Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Oct 6, 2025 • 1h 51min

Haunting Season 2025 #1: Uncle Wilf

Three Ravens Haunting Season is now officially risen from the grave, hungry for coziness and chilling tales of terror!As in previous years we begin this Monday episode with two winning tales from our annual Three Ravens Ghost Story Writing Competition. The first of these, "Cold" by Susanne Okulitch, offers up a cool bit of class discussion set against a backdrop of an ice cold Alpine blizzard, while the second, "The Lion Tamer" by Maria Williams presents something altogether stranger, though perhaps more heart-warming in the end. Lastly comes Martin's new story for this week, "Uncle Wilf." Another slightly offbeat tale, it features a certain amount of Gothic gloom, then becomes a tale about cycles of time, grief, and family. Hopefully it still freaks you out, while also reaching for something else. Not least, to please The Master...Fingers-crossed you enjoy all three, and speak to you again on Thursday for our Magic and Medicines Bonus Episode all about Voodoo!Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcastProud members of the Dark Cast Network.Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Oct 4, 2025 • 1h 28min

Local Legends #44: Chris Baglin

Martin is joined around the campfire by storyteller, magician and puppeteer Chris Baglin.Chris performs as 'Professor Llusern' and 'Cyfarwydd Cymru', with the second being his bardic name, meaning 'the storyteller of Wales'. Chris performs at castles, heritage centres and fetes across north Wales and beyond, and for the past several years he has been the regular storyteller at Conwy Castle and a half dozen other places, too. When not performing, Chris travels across the country and abroad as a drama adjudicator for various festivals, and organises events for Welsh Language promotion organisation. He is also a script writer and voice over artist, is a lead Creative Schools practitioner (an Arts Council Wales project), and he, too, has a storytelling podcast.You can learn more about Chris and his work on his websites, https://professorllusern.com/ and http://www.cyfarwydd.cymru/.For now, though, let's listen in to a conversation with The Storyteller of Wales about his life, career, and this week’s Three Ravens historic county, Denbighshire.Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcastProud members of the Dark Cast Network.Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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