The Three Ravens Podcast

On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin is joined by storyteller, author and psychotherapist David England, whose book of Berkshire Folk Tales uncovered a wealth of lost and brilliant stories.As we discuss, David made a wild change in his career during the 90's, jettisoning his job in IT and selling his house to retrain as a storyteller, then hit the road. This opened up a wealth of possibilities, including collaborating with Tina Bilbe, the Secretary of the Society for Storytelling on Berkshire Folk Tales, and working with poet Jennie Ruth Bailey on his second book, Lancashire Folk Tales.Unfortunately, Tina is no longer with us, but is warmly remembered in this chat, not least for her work, scouring archives for the stories which made up the collection David put to paper. As he recounts, these include a wild range of stories, from epic Viking battles to the near-burning of a Saxon queen to legends of milk-hungry dragons, cannibalistic landlords, and wizards getting spanked out of town.With David also being an acclaimed psychotherapist, whose book Soulfulness blends contemporary therapies with ancient shamanic practices, as you might expect, this is a rich interview, filled with warmth, anecdotes, and David's reflections on his own retelling of Gawain and the Green Knight, which available on YouTube.To learn more David and his work, do visit his website – https://www.davidengland.co.uk/ – which links to his books, storytelling videos, and more.Otherwise, we will be back on Monday with our brand new County Episode, where we will be digging into the history and folklore of Surrey. 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/threeravenspodcast

Adapted in a light-hearted, comical style from a diverse set of genuine Medieval Arthurian Romances, this special Three Ravens retelling of the iconic 14th century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is our bonus miniseries for Advent 2024.Split into 25 parts, one for each day of December leading up to and including Christmas Day, the tale follows Gawain, a young knight in King Arthur's court who embarks on a rambling quest, packed with adventures, which takes him all around ancient Britain - a journey which begins at one Midwinter feast and ends at another, exactly one year later.In today's chapter, again Sir Bertilak and his knights embark on a hunt, this time chasing down the Boar King, Ysgirythwyn, through the marshes - though all does not go according to plan. Likewise Lady Bertilak, who finds Gawain ready for her, with the Knight of the Surcoat then subsequently disturbed by Hautedesert's dispassionate funereal traditions...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/threeravenspodcast

Adapted in a light-hearted, comical style from a diverse set of genuine Medieval Arthurian Romances, this special Three Ravens retelling of the iconic 14th century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is our bonus miniseries for Advent 2024.Split into 25 parts, one for each day of December leading up to and including Christmas Day, the tale follows Gawain, a young knight in King Arthur's court who embarks on a rambling quest, packed with adventures, which takes him all around ancient Britain - a journey which begins at one Midwinter feast and ends at another, exactly one year later.In our 19th instalment, Sir Bertilak and his knights ride out to hunt the deer of the wild woods, leaving Gawain at home. But, as Lady Bertilak appears in Gawain's chamber to 'offer him comfort' the Knight of the Surcoat might well ask, who exactly is the apex predator here, and who is their intended prey?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/threeravenspodcast

Magic and Medicines is BACK for it's second series, and in this episode Eleanor talks us through the ancient origins and subsequent history and major developments of the Zodiac.We start by chatting through how the Zodiac is divided, including what the 'Celestial Sphere' is, and how the Ancient Egyptians and Babylonians used Sidereal Time to inform their agrarian calendar systems.After that, we're off to the races, exploring how Ancient Greek's like Ptolemy and the wise astronomers of the Islamic Golden Age developed and refined the Zodiac and the associations with its signs. This, in contrast to other examples, such as the Chinese Zodiac, saw an increasing emphasis on the use of Horoscopes, Birth Charts and other forms of divination, and the shearing away of Astronomy from Astrology as time went on.Folding in writers like Dante, Chaucer and Shakespeare, and 19th century commercialization of things like Daily Horoscopes in newspapers, it's a slightly bonkers journey - as you might expect from Three Ravens.Yet, what do the stars say about Eleanor and Martin's compatibility? And why are particular star signs associated with specific deities or body parts? Well, have a listen and find out!Martin will be back on Saturday for our Local Legends interview with Dr Francis Young, and we then hope you will join us on Monday for our next county episode, in which we will be exploring the history and folklore of Worcestershire!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/threeravenspodcast

Adapted in a light-hearted, comical style from a diverse set of genuine Medieval Arthurian Romances, this special Three Ravens retelling of the iconic 14th century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is our bonus miniseries for Advent 2024.Split into 25 parts, one for each day of December leading up to and including Christmas Day, the tale follows Gawain, a young knight in King Arthur's court who embarks on a rambling quest, packed with adventures, which takes him all around ancient Britain - a journey which begins at one Midwinter feast and ends at another, exactly one year later.Today, Gawain awakes to discover Sir Bertilak's castle in the midst of its Midwinter's Eve celebrations, which are rather different to Camelot's. Although, are the Lord of Hautedesert and his Lunar Knights all really as chilled as they seem to be about Gawain being quite so 'Good?'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/threeravenspodcast

Adapted in a light-hearted, comical style from a diverse set of genuine Medieval Arthurian Romances, this special Three Ravens retelling of the iconic 14th century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is our bonus miniseries for Advent 2024.Split into 25 parts, one for each day of December leading up to and including Christmas Day, the tale follows Gawain, a young knight in King Arthur's court who embarks on a rambling quest, packed with adventures, which takes him all around ancient Britain - a journey which begins at one Midwinter feast and ends at another, exactly one year later.In this episode, Gawain spends the final days of the year searching through the cold and dark, driving himself and Gringolet towards almost certain death. Although, through the snow and bleak night, strangers come to his aid, and take him to a pure white keep which he is pretty sure wasn't there even a moment ago...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/threeravenspodcast