The Three Ravens Podcast

The first of three very special interviews with some of the biggest names in Welsh folklore and ghostlore, in this episode it's author, journalist, cultural historian and self-proclaimed punk, Mark Rees!We begin with some merry badinage, discussing who Mark is and unpacking some of the important lessons we've learned from him and others across Series 7 - though the main event is a lovely chat that starts in Mark's home town of Port Talbot, via Mark's 'Lost Years' as a punk, through to the blossoming of his astonishing career as a D.I.Y. journalist, broadcaster, researcher, and author of wonderful books on the cultural history and legends of Wales.At the same time, inspired by an early love of Ghostbusters, Mark has been chasing down spooks for a while now - and not just in newspaper archives. He has uncovered things, including new details in the Rhonda Street Poltergeist case, the Cursed Wall of Margam, which is now top secret and thoroughly locked away, and a real life Scooby Doo case about a Welsh dog that genuinely caught a ghost.We're talking about what Mark thinks unites the Welsh and the English, and about those things that separate us. About the places in Wales he thinks people should go to and why, and about the people who inspired him, from Dylan Thomas and the 'Graveyard Poet' Thomas Gray to Peter Underwood.With an extra little bit at the end where Eleanor and Martin both share regrets about things they got wrong across Series 7, and a big announcement about our third book, we really hope you enjoy the episode. Speak to you again on Thursday for the second part of the trilogy - a chat with author, folklorist and expert pathologist Dr Delyth Badder!Visit Mark's website: https://markreesonline.com/about/ The Three Ravens is a Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on a historic county, exploring the heritage, 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 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?

For this week's Local Legends interview, Eleanor is chatting with author Francesca Simon MBE.We were pretty amazed when Francesca agreed to join us - she's very well known, the author of over 60 books, including the award-winning Horrid Henry series.Henry and his horrid exploits are hardly the only string to Francesca's bow, though. She’s written a lot of other fiction too, often inspired by mythology, like The Sleeping Army and The Lost Gods. One of her books, The Monstrous Child, based on Norse mythology, was adapted into an opera which premiered at the Royal Opera House.What a lovely coincidence, then, that Francesca’s most recent book, Salka, is a gorgeous retelling of Carmarthenshire’s most famous legend, the tale of the faerie woman of Llyn y Fan Fach.A tragic romance dealing with the bitter consequences of not being truly understood, Salka is Francesca’s version of a tale which has been told and retold many times, and always in slightly different ways. Unusually, Francesca first adapted the story as a cantata, 2022’s The Faerie Bride, which premiered at the Aldeburgh Music Festival for two voices, choir and symphony, but the story still had a hold on her - and so Salka was born.Francesca and I had an excellent chat about writing, opera, and the magic of the place which inspired Francesca, drawing out the presence of the ocean in her work, which has captivated her since her childhood spent on the beaches of California, to Carmarthenshire’s enchanting fairy lake.So gather round the Three Ravens fire and listen in, for a chat about a tale with a very long shadow, and the life and career of a true Local Legend: Francesca Simon.We really hope you enjoy this episode, and will speak to you again on Monday for a special interview with Mark Rees of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast!The Three Ravens is a Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on a historic county, exploring the heritage, 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 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?

On this month's episode of the Three Ravens Bestiary we're talking all about Leprechauns, hot on the heels of St Patrick's Day!We begin by setting some context, particularly around the cultural changes that took place across the 19th century in Ireland, from the sensational success of Thomas Moore's Irish Melodies in 1808 via the "Great Hunger" of the mid-century up to the birth of the Gaelic League.During this Celtic Revival, and spurred on by the success of Sir Walter Scott, this period in Irish life saw the Leprechaun reborn - though not as the cutesy, bright green gnome we're familiar with today, but as a "solitary fairy" famous for mending shoes and being, at best, amoral.Yet, is this new conception of the Leprechaun really all that Irish? Might they have more in common with the Scottish Redcap or the Welsh and Cornish 'Coblyn' and 'Knocker' fairies than the Lucky Charms marshmallow-hoarding cereal mascot?To find out, we leap back to the very start of the Leprechaun's story, from the water sprites known as "little people" in 8th century legends via a raft of Medieval sagas which give Leprechauns an all-new origin story.Could they in fact really be the withered remnants of Celtic gods, also written of in Wales and Gaul and Roman Britain, reshaped by the shame of defeat?As usual, expect deep dives into obscure places, monsters so terrible they fix your face into a mask of terror, and a bunch of linguistics as well. So if you can't hear one tapping away, mending shoes in your nearest hedgerow, we're offering the next best thing.Without the risk of your wishes crumbling to leaves or dust right before your eyes...Speak to you again on Saturday for Eleanor's Local Legends interview about Carmarthenshire with author Francesca Simon MBE!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 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

For our final County Episode of Series 7 we're chatting about the heritage and folklore of the largest Welsh historic county, Carmarthenshire! A county that still exists, it's home to one of the truly ancient settlements of Britain, Carmarthen, which continues to thrive today having been consistently occupied since the Bronze Age.Elsewhere on this bumper-sized season finale we're talking about the county's highs and its lows, its many ghost stories, terrifying river monsters, contributions to Welsh identity - including the codification of Welsh national dress - and much more besides.We're stopping by ancient tombs, Merlin's birthplace, paying our respects to the bones of Dylan Thomas, discussing the erased marginalia of Wales' oldest book, bat demons that hatch out of rocks at New Year, and perhaps the most famous legend in all of Wales - one that recurs in all 13 Welsh historic counties though firmly rooted in CarmarthenshireIt's this tale that inspired our Local Legends guest for this week, Francesca Simon MBE, to write her new novel inspired by this same story.Some call it "The Lady in the Lake of Llyn y Fan Fach." Some called it "The Three Blows." For her version, Eleanor has called it "Farewell to the Lake" and it's a cracking conclusion to our new tellings of the folk tales of Wales.We sincerely hope that you enjoy the episode, and will speak to you again on Thursday for our brand new, seasonally-appropriate episode of the Three Ravens Bestiary all about Leprechauns!Three Ravens is a Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on a historic county, exploring the heritage, 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, we 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 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?

On this week's episode of Local Legends Martin is chatting with award-winning broadcaster, anthropologist and author Will Millard. Will has presented major BBC Two anthropology series, including Hunters of the South Seas and the BAFTA-Cymru award-winning My Year With The Tribe, where he lived with the Korowai people of West Papua. His work for BBC Wales focuses on British heritage, including series on rivers, urban exploration, and history.He is also an international best-selling author. His debut, The Old Man and the Sand Eel chronicles a journey across Britain to reconnect Will with his fishing roots, and The Way of the Hermit has become a viral success on both sides of the Atlantic. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and has received awards from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust for his remote field research.As you can imagine, Will is a busy person – learn more here – though the reason I especially wanted to speak with him is the series Hidden Wales he made, with the BBC, along with Hidden Cardiff as well.This week we have been talking about Merionethshire – not a famous historic Welsh county, and not one where a whole tonne of folk tale scholarship has been done for over 50 years. So Will was very brave coming onto Local Legends for this conversation, but as you will here, the things he has to say about the area are fascinating – you are in for a real treat!As such, gather in close around the Three Ravens campfire and let’s listen in to a chat about a county that no longer exists – Merionethshire – including its monuments, incredibly deep mines and quarries, its flooded places, and much more besides...We really hope you enjoy this episode, and will speak to you again on Monday for our final County Episode of our folkloric tour of Wales, all about the historic county of Carmarthenshire!The Three Ravens is a Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on a historic county, exploring the heritage, 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 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?

Get ready for some vigorous shaking of bottles, because in today's episode of Magic and Medicine we're talking all about Homeopathy and Herbal Medicine!Although herbal medicine has very deep roots, stretching back to Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China, theories about disease and its transmission have been pretty varied over time.From foul, stinking miasmas to the adorably named 'animalcules', mysterious lichen and even the humble cup of coffee, ideas about the causes of disease have certainly evolved.In the 19th century, a time of cholera epidemics, bloodletting, leeches and other sticky things, a doctor named Samuel Hahnemann began experimenting with the system he would develop into homeopathic medicine.Almost from its beginnings, homeopathy has attracted a storm of criticism - quite the backlash, in fact, for a manner of treatment which is gentle, holistic, and plant-based!Our discussion covers the history and politics of homeopathy, the memory of water, the effect of modern austerity measures on the alternative medicine community, and the many people who have sought to prove that it really is all just nonsense!Unlike Hahnemann's remedies, though, we promise this one isn't diluted...We really hope you enjoy the episode and we will speak to you again on Saturday with our new Local Legends interview with the wonderful Will Millard!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 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?

On our penultimate County Episode of Three Ravens Series 7 we're off to the heartland of Welsh language-speaking in Merionethshire! Abolished in 1974, its flag, showing three goats rampant above the dawning sun, still flies in the area, which is filled with monuments like Harlech Castle, Tomen y Mur, some of the deepest slate mines in Wales, and a town guarded by demonic flaming cartwheels. Taking its name from the founder of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, its most famous saint founded a monastery on an island now filled with the bones of 20,000 saints. On its most famous mountain Idris the giant once watched the stars and threw loads of stones about. In its deepest lake lives Teggie, the Welsh version of the Loch Ness monster - and there's indications she actually exists!Including excerpts from this Saturday's Local Legends guest writer and broadcaster Will Millard, host of BBC's Hidden Wales, we'll talk you through it - from the strangeness of Port Merion to the shimmering wonder of the Dolgellau Gold Belt and beyond.Then we come to Martin's story for this week, "The Werewolf of Gellilydan" which is a one of a kind Victorian legend that might just unsettle you...We hope that you enjoy the episode, and will speak to you again on Thursday with our brand new episode of Magic and Medicines all about Holistic and Herbal Healing!Three Ravens is a Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on a historic county, exploring the heritage, 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, we 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 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?

On this week's episode of Local Legends Eleanor is chatting with anthropologist and author of The Folklore of The Tanat Valley, Dr Jack Hunter, all about Montgomeryshire.In addition to being an academic, teacher and very prolific writer, Jack has a fascinating variety of research interests. He’s explored spirit possession and shamanism, he’s a research fellow for the Parapsychology Foundation, and he’s involved in the Fairy Investigation Society too. Jack takes an immersive approach to research, fully involving himself in experiences in order to study them. That includes, in the course of his PhD at the University of Bristol, an ethnographic study of contemporary trance and physical mediumship.We talked about Spiritualism, and seances - and yes, a fair bit of ectoplasm too!Jack is currently a tutor with the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture, and on the University of Wales MAs in Ecology and Spirituality and Cultural Astronomy and Astrology. As if all that wasn’t enough to keep him busy, he also tutors on Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology at the Alef Trust.We had a great chat about the history and stories about an often overlooked part of Wales. Find out more about Jack at jack-hunter.yourwebsitespace.com. We really hope you enjoy this episode, and we will speak to you again on Monday as well for our next County Episode, all about the historic county of Merionethshire!The Three Ravens is a Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on a historic county, exploring the heritage, 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 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

For this month's episode of Magus we're going Medieval and talking about the one and only Sibyl of the Rhine, Hildegard of Bingen!Born at the tail end of the 11th century, during the religious fervor following the First Crusade, Hildegard was given to an order of Benedictine monks through a pretty strange quirk in the Holy Roman Empire's tax code. Even in infancy however she reported visions of the "Living Light" - a supernatural spiritual phenomenon that revealed to her occult truths about the real ways the Universe functioned.Maintaining the secret of her revelations until the age of 42, she then spent the next four decades writing trance-inducing musical compositions, books of trailblazing philosophy, and the earliest surviving mystery play, as well as overseeing the construction of two convents, arguing with Frederick Barbarossa, becoming the first named female artist in history, and so much more.A pioneering herbologist, crystal healer, and 'White Witch' who sought to heal the cosmos through 'balancing' the individual, did she really commune with the Living Light to enable her discoveries, or was she simply a migraine suffering bookworm who pulled the wool over people's eyes?If so, where did all of her knowledge actually come from, and how much of it has proven to still be scientifically valuable over 800 years after her death?Also, after her music and created language, Lingua Ignota, were rediscovered during the 19th century occult revival, could it be that society is only now catching up with the implications of her work? Loosen your hair, pin on a white silk veil, and lets sing divine arias until we lose consciousness.Either that or just kick back and listen into to the Music of the Spheres, as this is one of those episodes that may just offer you a route to commune with the divine... We really hope you enjoy it, and Eleanor will speak with you again on Saturday for this week's Local Legends episode all about Montgomeryshire with author, anthropologist and pursuer of the paranormal Dr Jack Hunter!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 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