Cryptozoology is an area of 'Fortean' study (or zoological study depending on your views) which can be of great interest to folklorists because of its reliance on anecdote and oral transmission of stories. In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, host Mark Norman introduces a guest lecture from Paul Michael Donovan of Federation University, Australia on the indiginous legends surrounding the cryptid known as the Bunyip.
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No matter which was you cut it and no matter how you celebrate it, there is no doubt that Yule is a time of year steeped in tradition. Some of this will be unique to your own family and some will be more generally known. Other symbols and motifs occur frequently and are either timeless or have been changed and appropriated in other ways over the years.
In this edition of The Folklore Podcast, creator and host Mark Norman examines some of the customs, traditions and beliefs surrounding the festivities of Christmas, Yule and/or the Winter Solstice (to name but three variations). From candles to trees, reindeer to mistletoe and Santa to Krampus, learn some of the ancient roots and origins of the imagery that endures to this day. You may be surprised by some of the history of your favourite Christmas symbols.
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Belief in fairies and other creatures of the fae is ancient and deep-rooted in cultures around the world and hence there is a multiplicity of folklore and tradition surround our interactions with the fae as human beings.
Widespread belief in fairies generally died out around the 19th century, but that does not mean that people do not still report seeing or interacting with fairies in more modern times. In this episode, host Mark Norman discusses this subject with social historian Jo Hickey-Hall and they look at how modern fairy beliefs tie in with the older lore.
A Facebook group to accompany this research can be found here
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Fire can be a powerful and sometimes all-consuming force. Helpful and dangerous in equal measure, the ability to use fire sets man apart from the animals. It should not be too surprising, then, that fire features heavily in our folklore and traditions.
This episode looks at aspects of fire within our folklore from around the world, from calendar customs to mythical creatures; old gods to modern practises. Gather around your hearth and learn about the folklore of fire with The Folklore Podcast.
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Hallowe'en, Samhain or Allantide. However you view the time surrounding October 31st, it is an important part of our ritual year. It is traditionally a time when the veil between the worlds is thinned, when magic is more powerful and when spirits roam the Earth.
Joining regular host Mark Norman on this edition of The Folklore Podcast is special guest Judith Hewitt. Judith is co-manager, with her husband Peter, of the world famous Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle, Cornwall. Throughout 2016, the Museum has staged an exhibition looking at representations of Hallowe'en in the past and now.
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Judith discusses the folklore of All Hallows past and present: the glitter and the gravedust.
An episode supplement for this episode, containing a full transcript along with photos of the exhibition and some of the Museum's Hallowe'en collection is available to download from theFolklore Shop or is free to Patrons at any level from our Patreon page.
The Autumn Equinox passes and as the Wheel of the Year turns we enter a state when the world is said to be in balance. This is a time of harvest and of appreciation for the fruits of the land. The Folklore Podcast moves into October with two seasonal episodes looking at important folklore at this time of the year.
In this episode, The Folklore Podcast's creator and host Mark Norman moves from broader folklore themes to something much smaller, and discusses the varying roles of the apple and apple trees in our folklore. Superstitions, traditions and religious imagery are all discussed, and the show additionally includes some of Mark's field recordings from a traditional wassail ceremony in 2016.
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This episode of the Folklore Podcast features an exclusive talk from Dr David Waldron, a lecturer and folklore researcher from Federation University, Australia. David examines the phonemonon of hoaxing and guising as a ghost in the Victorian Era, from well known characters such as Springheeled Jack to more obscure examples from both the UK and Australia. Why did people do this and how have the stories entered into our folklore?
Visit the Folklore Shop to download the e-magazine supplement for this episode with a full transcript and suggested reading. Listen the the show on the player below.
Podcast host Mark Norman is one of only a few folklore researchers specialising in the field of Black Dog apparitions. He holds what it is thought to be the UKs largest archive of Black Dog ghost eyewitness accounts and traditions. In this episode, Mark draws on his archive to examine this phenomena which, despite sightings spanning nearly 1,000 years, is largely unknown by many people. In particular, the episode looks at connections between Black Dog ghosts and the wider European folklore of the Wild Hunt.
As usual an episode supplement in the form of an electronic magazine accompanies this show. It features a full transcript, with additional material, notes, photographs and illustrations and suggested reading and web resources. Click here to visit the Folklore Shop to download this and previous episode magazines.
Joining host Mark Norman in Episode 3 of The Folklore Podcast is historical ethnographer and archaeologist Dr Ceri Houlbrook. Ceri is a research assistant on "The Concealed Revealed" - a project which is cataloguing mysterious objects found in buildings and other unusual places. Mummified cats, children's shoes, witch bottles and coins are just some of the items under discussion in this episode. Listen and subscribe free below.
An optional 16-page electronic magazine is available to accompany this edition. This features a full transcript of this edition plus extra material, suggested reading, links to video interviews and galleries of images of some of the concealed items discussed. To purchase this, or other episode supplements for just 99p (a little over $1).
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Ghosts are one of the areas of folklore which hold a wide fascination. There are really two distinct types: hauntings accounts and the more traditional Folk Ghost. In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, regular host - folklore author and researcher Mark Norman - discusses two distict types of Folk Ghost. The first of these is the penitential ghost, which is only allowed to return to its grave at the rate of a cockstride a year. The second is the phantom coach motif. Both of these are illustrated with examples from the South West of the United Kingdom where they are common.
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