Three Ghosthunters and a Podcast with Rob Kirkup and Wayne Gilbert
For this special Spooky Season episode of Fabulous Folklore, I’m joined by my very good friends Rob Kirkup from the How Haunted? podcast, and Wayne Gilbert from the Eerie...
3 Ghostly Tales from North East England for Halloween
It is the month of Halloween so welcome to the Fabulous Folklore Fireside, for we shall have some ghostly tales this week! Unlike my usual episodes, which feature some...
Phantom Cubes and Spectral Smells: Ghost Stories with Three Ravens
Welcome to Spooky Season! I’m talking to Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux from the Three Ravens podcast about ghost stories! We talk about the fascination we have for ghost...
Very Very Frightening: The Folklore of Thunder and Lightning
Thunder and lightning offer one of nature’s more cinematic spectacles, so it’s unsurprising they would accrue a degree of folklore. The danger that lightning particularly poses sees a range...
The Folklore of the Autumn Equinox: Marking the Sun’s Path
The autumn equinox falls on 23 September in the UK in 2026. This marks the definite slide towards the winter solstice! In terms of folklore, there are many articles...
Sticking to the Faery Rules with Charlie Creed
In this episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, I’m joined by writer Charlie Creed, to chat about his new book, The Faery Rules: Forgotten Folklore for Living in Harmony with...
Moon Folklore: The Monthly Phases and their Superstitions
Much online discussion of the moon focuses on the new and full moons, especially when it comes to setting intentions and releasing things. I prefer to work on a...
The Aurora Borealis: The Beautiful Northern Lights in Folklore and Myth
As we’re focusing on the Folklore of the Skies this month, it seemed only right to start with a celestial phenomenon that becomes a lot easier to see as...
Folklore of Poison Hemlock: The Poison that killed Socrates
Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) is a member of the Apiaceae family—otherwise known as the Carrot family. It’s also known as Beaver Poison, Devil’s Porridge, Herb Bennet, Poison Parsley, Water...
The Folklore of Deadly Nightshade: Devils, Witches, and Murder
Deadly Nightshade (Atropa Belladonna) is part of the Solanaceae family, which also contains peppers, aubergines, tomatoes and potatoes! This most famous of poisonous plants is also known as belladonna,...
Aconite Folklore: From the Underworld to the Poisoner’s Cabinet
Aconitum, referred to as ‘aconite’, is part of the Ranunculaceae family, or the buttercup family. The Aconitum genus contains around 100 species, each of which is poisonous. Records of...
Folklore of Foxgloves: Witches’ Thimbles and Dead Men’s Bells
Foxgloves are one of the most enchanting wildflowers you might encounter in a shady woodland. With their deep pink flowers on spikes that can grow as tall as a...
Cuckoo Pint or Lords-and-Ladies: The Folklore of Arum Maculatum
When we talk about poisonous plants, your mind might leap to the celebrities, like foxglove, aconite, or belladonna. You may not immediately think of cuckoo pint (Arum maculatum). It’s...
Roma Lister: Witch, Medium, and Influence on Aradia with Dr A.D. Manns
We’re finishing up Witches Month by switching gears a little to examine the genesis of a foundational text of modern Wicca – Arada: Or The Gospel of the Witches....
A Surprising 1485 Witch Trial with Marion Gibson
In this episode of Fabulous Folklore, I’m chatting to Marion Gibson about Helena Scheuberin and her witchcraft trial in 1485 in Innsbruck, how her clash with Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer...
Jim Henson and the Fairy Tale Film with Dr Andrea Wright
In this episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, I chat to Dr Andrea Wright about the fairy tale film as a concept, Jim Henson’s career in film and television, the...
Ann Morgan: A 19th Century Shropshire Witch with Amy Boucher
In this episode, we’re chatting about witchcraft in Shropshire, a specific 19th century witch named Ann Morgan, and what Ann’s life – and death – can tell us about...
Salem Witch Trials with Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack
In this first episode of Fabulous Folklore’s Witches theme for July, I’m chatting to Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack from the End Witch Hunts project about the Salem Witch...
Maud Grieve: A Herbalist in War Time
I’ve covered three British herbalists so far on this podcast, and each has made a notable contribution to the development of botany and apothecary practice in Britain. This week,...
Nicholas Culpeper: Apothecary to the Masses
Last week, we met William Turner, who revolutionised English herbals in the 16th century by publishing the first one in English. This gave more people access to the herbal...
Ritual Building Protection with Wayne Perkins
In this episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, I’m talking to archaeologist Wayne Perkins, who worked as a field archaeologist before moving into Historic Building Surveys. He supervises urban excavations...