The Folklore Podcast

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

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

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

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

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