The Folklore Podcast

To kick off Season 4 of The Folklore Podcast, host Mark Norman examines traditional New Year customs and celebrations around the world, noting the many similarities in different cultures as well as t…

The Krampus has become a big folkloric figure at Christmas time in recent years. But less discussed and of equal interest are the female figures of the Perchten from the alpine regions. On this, the …

In the first of two episodes of the podcast examining festive folklore for December, Folklore Podcast creator and host Mark Norman looks at the history and origins of the Mummers Play and other Yulet…

Prejudices against people because of the colour of their skin are unacceptable. And yet, it is often socially accepted to make fun of people because of the colour of their hair. Why should this be an…

As beautifully performed and presented as it was, there is far more to the concept of the 'genie' than Disney's manic blue singing version in Aladdin. The genie is the Westernised version of the Jinn…

A guest lecture from the great British folklorist Jeremy Harte who examines the character of the miller in folklore. Recorded live at the Folklore Society Conference at the Museum of English Rural Li…

This episode features two guest speakers, recorded live at the flagship conference of The Folklore Society in 2018, held at the Museum of English Rural Life in Reading and examining aspects of rural …

This guest talk was recorded at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic's Ritual Magic conference in May 2018.

William Dawson Bellhouse (1814-1870) was many things - magician, surgeon and galvanist to nam…

This episode of the Folklore Podcast is the first featuring expert presentations from the Hidden Charms 2 conference in Salisbury - a conference organised by Brian Hoggard of the Apotropaios website …

In the winter of 1855, after a heavy fall of snow, residents across a large area of the county of Devon, in the South West of the UK, awoke to find a mysterious trail of prints in the snow. Looking l…

Of all the objects in your house, the mirror probably has more superstitions attached to it than any other. It may be used for divination. It may be a portal to another dimension. And woe betide you …

This episode presents a recorded folklore talk from the archives of the podcast creator and host, Mark Norman.

Alien Big Cats was recorded in September 2013 at the Folklore Society conference 'Beasts…

Many fairy tales have their roots in a much darker past, but these origins are watered down to make the tales more wholesome or moral. But did the story of Hansel and Gretel really stem from a case o…

The case of Gef, the alleged talking mongoose, which may or may not have been a poltergeist, or a ghost, or a hoax, or any one of a number of things, took place over a period of around 8 years on a r…

The skills of weaving, spinning and knitting were vital to clothe and keep warm members of every class, race, religion or social group from the poorest to the richest. And so, we find wool, yarn and …