27. Working the Weather: Witches Who Called the Storm

27. Working the Weather: Witches Who Called the Storm

Storm magic, wind knots, hail charms, thunder candles, weather workers, and the old fear that someone could call trouble down from the sky. In this episode of The Feral Folklorist, we explore the folklore of weather magic, from sailors buying wind tied into knots to witches accused of raising storms, sending hail, and working with thunder, rain, and lightning. From Agobard of Lyons and the strange cloud-ships of Magonia, to wind-selling traditions in Cornwall and Devon, Manx wells, St. Kilda fishermen, Olaus Magnus’s northern wind-seller, the Malleus Maleficarum, the Constance hailstorm case, and the North Berwick witch trials, this episode looks at how weather became charm, service, warning, accusation, and evidence. A storm could save a crop. It could wreck a ship. It could bring rain after prayer, or hail after a quarrel. And when the weather turned dangerous, people sometimes looked for the person who knew too much about the sky. These stories remind us that weather magic was never just about storms. It was about survival, blame, power, fear, and the old belief that someone, somewhere, might know how to speak to the wind. Want more from The Feral Folklorist? Dive deeper into each episode, explore merch, and get all the latest updates at:   https://feralfolklorist.com [https://feralfolklorist.com/] Become a patron to unlock Feral Footnotes (our exclusive after-show), get early sneak peeks, weekly folk magic articles, and downloadable spells featured in each episode: https://patreon.com/papagee [https://patreon.com/papagee] Stock up on your magical supplies from our metaphysical shop that’s been serving the public for over 25 years:   https://aromags.com [https://aromags.com/] Browse Papa Gee’s books, tarot readings, and more at:   https://folkloreum.com/  [https://folkloreum.com/%20] and be sure to checkout our new podcast if you love spooky storytelling - Feral by Night [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2615145] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/c/papagee]

Feral Folktales: A Short Tale - Jack and the Beanstalk, An Appalachian Jack Tale

n this Feral Folktales bonus episode, Papa Gee tells an Appalachian-flavored version of Jack and the Beanstalk, one of the best-known Jack tales in folklore. Jack is poor, hungry, and sent out with one last chance to make things better. Instead of doing the sensible thing, he trades for something that looks useless. But in Jack stories, foolish choices have a way of opening strange doors. Soon there’s a beanstalk reaching higher than any ordinary plant should, a dangerous world above, and a giant who owns more than he ought to. It’s a story about luck, nerve, hunger, risk, and the kind of poor-boy cleverness that runs through so many Appalachian Jack tales. These shorter Feral Folktales sit between the deeper episodes of The Feral Folklorist, offering traditional stories, old beliefs, animal tricksters, fairy-tale patterns, and the kind of folklore that explains how people made sense of danger, chance, and survival. Want more from The Feral Folklorist? Dive deeper into each episode, explore merch, and get all the latest updates at:  https://feralfolklorist.com [https://feralfolklorist.com/] Become a patron to unlock Feral Footnotes (our exclusive after-show), get early sneak peeks, weekly folk magic articles, and downloadable spells featured in each episode: https://patreon.com/papagee [https://patreon.com/papagee] Stock up on your magical supplies from our metaphysical shop that’s been serving the public for over 25 years:  https://aromags.com [https://aromags.com/] Papa Gee's personal website, Folkloreum, showcases his books, blog, podcast information, and more: https://folkloreum.com/  [https://folkloreum.com/%20] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/c/papagee]

26. The Deathwatch Beetle: The Tapping Omen in the Wall

Death watch beetles, tapping in the walls, old house omens, sickroom vigils, hidden insects, and the old fear that a small sound in the wood could warn a household that death was on its way. In this episode of The Feral Folklorist, we explore the folklore of the death watch beetle, why its faint ticking became an omen of death, and how ordinary sounds inside a house can turn into supernatural warnings. From old wooden rooms and bedside watches to Thomas Browne’s 1646 account of the “Dead-watch,” literary appearances in Tom Sawyer, The Tell-Tale Heart, and Practical Magic, and modern discoveries in places like Westminster Hall and HMS Victory, this episode looks at how one tiny wood-boring beetle became tied to dread, prophecy, decay, and the fear of death moving unseen through the house. The death watch beetle was never only about a sickroom. Its tapping could mean death was coming, but not always for whom, or when, or how. These stories remind us that folklore often begins with something ordinary: a wall, a beam, a quiet room, and a sound nobody can see. When the house starts tapping, people listen differently. Want more from The Feral Folklorist? Dive deeper into each episode, explore merch, and get all the latest updates at:   https://feralfolklorist.com [https://feralfolklorist.com/] Become a patron to unlock Feral Footnotes (our exclusive after-show), get early sneak peeks, weekly folk magic articles, and downloadable spells featured in each episode: https://patreon.com/papagee [https://patreon.com/papagee] Stock up on your magical supplies from our metaphysical shop that’s been serving the public for over 25 years:   https://aromags.com [https://aromags.com/] Browse Papa Gee’s books, tarot readings, and more at:   https://folkloreum.com/  [https://folkloreum.com/%20] and be sure to checkout our new podcast if you love spooky storytelling - Feral by Night [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2615145] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/c/papagee]

Feral Folktales: A Short Tale - Coyote Steals Fire

Coyote Steals Fire | Native American Trickster Folktale. s a Feral Folktales bonus episode about one of the great trickster stories: the tale of how Coyote helped bring fire to the people. Before fire, the nights were colder, food stayed raw, and the dark had more control than it should have. But Coyote sees what others see and decides waiting won’t fix it. So he slips close, snatches a burning stick, and runs. What follows is a chase, a relay, and one dangerous gift passed from animal to animal until fire reaches the human camp. It warms people. It feeds them. It keeps them alive. But like many old gifts in folklore, it comes with risk. Feral Folktales are the shorter stories that appear between the full episodes of The Feral Folklorist. They’re meant to be heard the way folktales were always told: simply, spoken aloud, and carrying the quiet wisdom that kept these stories alive for generations. These bonus episodes are just a little something extra between the full installments of The Feral Folklorist, which is where you’ll find the deeper dives into history, folklore, magic, hauntings, and the stranger corners of human belief. A new folktale appears between the regular podcast releases—just a short story to keep the world of folklore moving. Want more from The Feral Folklorist? Dive deeper into each episode, explore merch, and get all the latest updates at:  https://feralfolklorist.com [https://feralfolklorist.com/] Become a patron to unlock Feral Footnotes (our exclusive after-show), get early sneak peeks, weekly folk magic articles, and downloadable spells featured in each episode: https://patreon.com/papagee [https://patreon.com/papagee] Stock up on your magical supplies from our metaphysical shop that’s been serving the public for over 25 years:  https://aromags.com [https://aromags.com/] Papa Gee's personal website, Folkloreum, showcases his books, blog, podcast information, and more: https://folkloreum.com/  [https://folkloreum.com/%20] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/c/papagee]

25. The Devil’s Handprint: Devil Marks, Witch Marks & the Folklore of Evil Signs

Devil handprints, witch marks, haunted churches, strange marks in stone, burned signs in wood, and the old fear that evil could touch the ordinary world and leave evidence behind. In this episode of The Feral Folklorist, we explore the folklore of the Devil’s Hand, from claw marks in Scottish chapels to burned paw prints on courtroom tables, protective marks in old houses, and the dangerous belief that the Devil could mark a human body. From the haunted chapel near Loch Awe, to Saddell Abbey, Kirkby Lonsdale’s Devil’s Bridge, the Devil’s Paw of Lublin, the Devil’s Footprints of Devon, and old protective marks carved or burned near doors, windows, beams, and hearths, this episode looks at how strange marks became proof, warning, protection, accusation, and story. A mark could mean something tried to get in. It could mean someone tried to keep evil out. And in the ugliest cases, it could be used against a real person during witch-trial searches for the so-called Devil’s mark. These stories remind us that old marks were never just scratches, stains, burns, or dents. They were places where fear, protection, blame, and belief all came together. ---- Want more from The Feral Folklorist? Dive deeper into each episode, explore merch, and get all the latest updates at:   https://feralfolklorist.com [https://feralfolklorist.com/] Become a patron to unlock Feral Footnotes (our exclusive after-show), get early sneak peeks, weekly folk magic articles, and downloadable spells featured in each episode: https://patreon.com/papagee [https://patreon.com/papagee] Stock up on your magical supplies from our metaphysical shop that’s been serving the public for over 25 years:   https://aromags.com [https://aromags.com/] Browse Papa Gee’s books, tarot readings, and more at:   https://folkloreum.com/  [https://folkloreum.com/%20] and be sure to checkout our new podcast if you love spooky storytelling - Feral by Night [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2615145] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/c/papagee]