The Three Ravens Podcast

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, we talk about some traditional Rutland sports, including Nurdles and Leg Wrestling, the incredible Uppingham Fossil Wall, the Cecil family's rather grand country manor, and a whole bunch of ghosts - all before Eleanor welcomes us to a picnic beside Rutland water for this week's County Dish...Next, with our dinosaur still in tow, we whip over to Exton Park for some miniature historic naval battles, say a quick hello to the ancient pagan Braunston Goddess, discuss Oakham's macabre history of crime and punishment, and more, all enriched by some excerpts from Saturday's upcoming Local Legends interview with Matthew Vaughan from the Leicestershire and Rutland Guild of Storytelling.Then it's on to the main event: Eleanor's folk-horror inflected telling of "The Oakham Poachers" - a tale remembered in a murder ballad, featuring a mythical creature living in Empingham Old Wood...We really hope you enjoy the episode, and will be back on Thursday with a new Three Ravens Bestiary bonus episode about Mermaids, all before the full interview with Matt comes out on Saturday!The 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.CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE THREE RAVENS ACAST SURVEY - PLEASE DO! IT'LL HELP!!!Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, getting lost in underground caves, and Matthew Hopkins, Witch Finder General.As you will hear, both Ailsa and Bethan have really interesting backgrounds and educational journeys to where they are today, but part of the reason we love Eerie Essex though is because of its warmth. Yes, episodes frequently contain ideas that might make you soil your britches with fear. And yes, the research Ailsa and Bethan engage in is really thorough. But, more than anything, it's the cosy, generous, very funny tone of their podcast that we find to spellbinding.If you want to know more about Eerie Essex and listen to the podcast, just search for Eerie Essex on your favoured podcast app and you’ll find it. Alternatively, if you would like to know more about, and possibly visit, the East Anglian Folklore Centre, for which Bethan is serving as Co-Director, you can learn more about it at eastanglianfolklorecentre.co.ukFor now though, gather in close around the Three Ravens campfire for a conversation which ventures from caves full of smuggler’s treasure to a forest full of nightmares, from rural to urban, and from the Roman era right up to the modern day.We really hope you enjoy it, and will be back on Monday with our brand new County Episode all about the history and folklore of Rutland!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.CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE THREE RAVENS ACAST SURVEY - PLEASE DO! IT'LL HELP!!!Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dive into the fascinating libraries of early medical history as ancient texts reveal how medieval minds viewed ailments through a mix of the physical and spiritual. Explore Bald's Leech Book and its quirky remedies, alongside foundational works from figures like Hippocrates and Galen. Discover the evolution of healing practices, including the roles of acupuncture and moxibustion in traditional Chinese medicine. This journey highlights the enchanting blend of magic and medicine from ancient times to modern practices, inviting us to appreciate the wisdom of the past.

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 drawn out into Epping Forest to end their own lives, or the one where Matthew Hopkins, Witch Finder General, began his reign of terror ducking witches. All before Martin gets salty, jammy, and slightly fishy in pursuit of this week's County Dish...Next, we dig into some folklore, including six different dragon legends, a contender for the title of 'England's Most Haunted House,' Ralph of Coggeshall and more, all informed by some excerpts from Saturday's upcoming Local Legends interview with Ailsa Clarke and Bethan Briggs-Miller, hosts of the brilliant Eerie Essex podcast.Then it's on to the main event: Martin's telling of "The Rage of Boudica." So, if you're even partway Roman, you'd best start running now!We really hope you enjoy the episode, and we will be back on Thursday with a new Magic and Medicines bonus episode about Leech Books and Early Medical Texts, all before the full interview with Ailsa and Bethan comes out on Saturday!The 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.CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE THREE RAVENS ACAST SURVEY - PLEASE DO! IT'LL HELP!!!Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 worked as a primary school teacher with a passion for legends, and with experience, too, as a gardener, groundskeeper and cleaner, over 15 years ago Tom began his work as a professional storyteller and has gone from strength to strength.Through his use of puppets, traditional storytelling techniques, and a head full of tales, he has been enrapturing audiences of all ages. He then wrote his second book, with the third now on its way, as we discuss during the episode.As such, gather round the Three Ravens campfire for a warm, open, friendly conversation which ranges from Black Annis and Richard III to Lady Jane Grey, haunted country houses, and kidnapping giants.We really hope you enjoy it, and will be back on Monday with our brand new County Episode all about the history and folklore of Essex!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.CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE THREE RAVENS ACAST SURVEY - PLEASE DO! IT'LL HELP!!!Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Shipton lived and died, seemingly attracting the ire of the crown!Yet, considering the lack of historical detail relating to the woman also known as Ursula Southeil, getting to the bottom of who she may have been soon becomes a moot point, as, despite the work of generations of historians, from the Jacobean era onwards, following the period of 'Witch Hunt fever' in England Mother Shipton quickly became a political tool and means of making money.Appearing as a stock character in 17th century pantomimes, with her visual representations based on woodcut images of Mr Punch, records show how things soon spun out of control, throwing much of what we think we know about her into question.For example, was she really born in a cave? Was her father the Devil, or a necromancer, or perhaps the wizard Merlin? And what about her prophecies, almost all of which kept on coming uncannily true?Prepare yourself for an episode full of surprises, from flying goats and fifteen minute bouts of flatulence to mass hysteria and bucket-loads of bare faced lies. But sitting behind it all is a serious point: if history is written by the victors, what have the English ruling classes had to say about Mother Shipton across the last five centuries? And with this in mind, do all the things people believe about Mother Shipton have anything to do with her actual life and legacy, or everything to do with our own historic fears and prejudice?The 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 (Magic and Medicines about folk remedies and arcane spells, Three Ravens Bestiary about cryptids and mythical creatures, Dying Arts about endangered heritage crafts, and Something Wicked about folkloric true crime from across history) 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.CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE THREE RAVENS ACAST SURVEY - PLEASE DO! IT'LL HELP!!!Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 culture, including its significant and vibrant immigrant populations, the Hallaton Treasure, the gargantuan legacy of Daniel Lambert, the "Fattest Man in England" as he once was, the rather evil 'Leicester Boy', and more, all before Eleanor gets us all in a jumble for this week's County Dish...Next, we dig into some folklore, including the Birstall Shagdog, the Griffin of Griffydam, some of Leicestershire's strange traditions such as the "Whipping Toms" and Bottle Kicking, all informed by some excerpts from Saturday's full Local Legends interview with Leicestershire local, author and storyteller Tom "The Tale Teller" Phillips.Then it's on to the main event: Eleanor's story "Route 616," which is sad and beautiful and revolves around post-war bus journey!We really hope you enjoy it, and will be back on Thursday with both a new Magus bonus episode about Mother Shipton and our Patreon Exclusive Film Club episode for April about The Cry of the Banshee, all before the full interview with Tom comes out on Saturday!The 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.CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE THREE RAVENS ACAST SURVEY - PLEASE DO! IT'LL HELP!!!Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 will hear during our conversation, Terrie has made two additional, really important contributions to the modern folklore landscape. The two are interrelated, and both are very interesting.The first is her PhD research, which set out to prove the impacts storytelling has on people. Because, as we can all probably say, and many of the people we’ve interviewed for Local Legends have attested to this, there’s no doubt that storytelling has power – for adult audiences, not just for children – and Terrie has gone out of her way, at personal cost, to prove as much.The second, which, as she explains, came sort of hand in glove with the PhD, was that she set about collecting, for the first time ever, a proper corpus of folklore and folktales from Buckinghamshire, and her book, Buckinghamshire Folk Tales, is just one of the products of all of that work.As such, settle in for a deep and fascinating conversation which ranges from dragons to demon summonings, bull riding Anglo Saxons to vampires, and engages with really big ideas - not least how each of us creates an identity through telling our stories of ourselves.We really hope that you enjoy it, and will be back on Monday with our brand new County Episode, in which we will be lolloping through the history and folklore of Leicestershire!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.CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE THREE RAVENS ACAST SURVEY - PLEASE DO! IT'LL HELP!!!Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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," "Santiana," and "Spanish Ladies." If you've never heard of a Sea Shanty then don't worry - as ever, Eleanor and Ben will talk us all through the song-types' musical features, and Martin will become increasingly befuddled by nautical terminology!We'll be chatting through their history, too, from the roots of the form in African and African American work songs to which kinds of nautical musics were prohibited by the Navy, the reasons why shanties died out (and so quickly roared back into popularity) as well as other rum-soaked mysteries. Such as, why did pirates definitely not play concertinas? What does it take to make something 'ship shape and Bristol fashion?' And what exactly does it take to stop a cat? This one has it all: stolen wooden legs, sandy bottoms, and plenty of 'Drawing Room Safe' terminology that is very likely to make you giggle! We really hope you enjoy it, and will see you on deck, sailor! Once you've swabbed the galley, shivered your timbers, and paid the Shanty Man his dues, of course! Gyaaaargh!The 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.CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE THREE RAVENS ACAST SURVEY - PLEASE DO! IT'LL HELP!!!Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 of how people view the legends of the area, we start to delve into some strange facets of the county's history, including how Alan Turing and the codebreakers of Bletchley Park were haunted by a caffeine-hungry spectre, the strange and sinister doings of The Hellfire Club, and Buckinghamshire's very own dragon story.Then Martin not just double or triple carbs it, but presents the possibility of a four carbohydrate County Dish, while also getting quite alliterative...Next, we chew over some folklore, including one of the first UFO reports in British history, which occurred in Buckinghamshire, relay the details of some of the county's rather annoying, hedge-jumping fae beings, tell the tale of a spooky Green Man/ghost/Bishop hybrid, and throw a bone to the Black Beast of Aylesbury - all enhanced by some excerpts from Saturday's full Local Legends interview with Terrie.Then it's on to the main event: Martin's story "Cassian, The Vampire of Milton Keynes," in which the good folk of Buckinghamshire work together to show the divine power of a well written letter...We really hope you enjoy the episode, and will be back on Thursday with a new Forgotten Melodies bonus episode about Sea Shanties, all before the full interview with Terrie comes out on Saturday!The 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.CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE THREE RAVENS ACAST SURVEY - PLEASE DO! IT'LL HELP!!!Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.