Don't Witch About Me!

A short bonus episode with some background information about 'The Mabinogion', the oldest collection of Welsh prose texts and the source for all the fascinating stories this series.

Series 2 Episode 2 is part 2 of the story of Branwen, the 2nd story in the Mabinogion. All the 2s!! In this episode, we rejoin Branwen as she struggles to escape from her cruel husband, with the help of her giant brother Bran. My source for this episode was the Penguin Classics edition of 'The Mabinogion', translated by Jeffrey Ganz.

Inexplicable giants! A magic cauldron! A female character who has to pay the price for men's behaviour! It's the second branch of the Mabinogion: Branwen, Daughter of Llyr.

It's spooky season!! So here are two supposed ghost stories, featuring so-called witches.

Inspired by a recent visit to Ely, the story of St Etheldreda, her ability to advocate for her own bodily autonomy and her miracles. Sources are all said at the end of the episode because I think listing them here deleted my last episode!

This episode seemed to 'publish' but then vanished from all streaming platforms with no explanation! So let's try again... I've deleted all the sources in case it was one of the sources which was the problem which I appreciate is not great...In this episode, we explore James I's (James VI of Scotland) beliefs about witches and their deadly consequences, as well as the influence on Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'. Also, find out all about Doideag - the witch who saved us from the Spanish Armada.