The Folklore Podcast

In this special episode of The Folklore Podcast, recorded live on location at The Bookery, a community-owned bookshop in Crediton, Devon, host Mark Norman talks with BBC Radio 6 Music's Zakia Sewell about her book Finding Albion. Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, the book is an exploration of British identity, folk culture and myth and grew out of a documentary series Zakia made fo...

In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, host Mark Norman is joined by special guest Bar Fridman-Tell about her debut novel 'Honeysuckle'.Part horror, part fantasy, part magic but completely engaging, the story in an unholy alliance between the flower woman of Welsh mythology and a creation of Victor Frankenstein! Bar talks about her inspirations, the treatment of the original story and the ways i...

The second of two episodes featuring interviews recorded live at the UK Ghost Story Festival in Derby in February 2026.In this second part, host Mark Norman meets two more of the presenters from the event. You will hear:MELANIE ATKINSON: On horror and ghost story writingSUSANNAH WISE: On the tangential way that ghosts appear in her writing, and writing from screen as well as novels. Support the Fo...

Folklorist and author Mark Norman, the creator of The Folklore Podcast, looks at the imagery of the fairy, in conversation with illustrator and folklore enthusiast Tamsin Rosewell. As well as chatting with Tamsin about her past, and her interest in folklore and the fairy world more generally, the episode takes a close look at the fairy in art, literature and culture. We also want your views! What...

The first of two episodes featuring interviews recorded live at the UK Ghost Story Festival in Derby in February 2026.In this first part, host Mark Norman meets four presenters from the festival to discuss their particular areas of interest. You will hear:DAN WEBBER discussing queer readings of Dracula and theatrical adaptations of ghost storiesTRACY FAHEY on Irish ghosts and the idea of ghost est...

In this episode, recorded on location, host Mark Norman meets members of the Turning Tides Project to talk about their Arts Council funded project AND 'OTHER' STORIES which presents the work of a group of artists with and without 'learning disability' and 'autism' labels. And 'Other' Stories reworks fairy tales and folktales in different ways to challenge our ideas about disability. It invites you...

A very special feature length episode of The Folklore Podcast, with a panel consisting of the cream of those people associated with the classic children's title THE BOX OF DELIGHTS.Podcast host Mark Norman discusses the enduring love for Box in all its forms with an amazing line-up of guests, consisting of:PHIL ERRINGTON - John Masefield expert and author of 'Opening the Box of Delights'PIERS TORD...

In this episode we visit the 2025 UK Ghost Story Festival, which was held at the Museum of Making in Derby. Host Mark Norman meets some of the presenters from the festival and chats to them about ghost stories and their work. Children's author ALEX FOULKES discusses her middle-grade books, and talks about writing vampires for children. Author and editor TEIKA MARIJA SMITS talks about the darker si...

Folklore Podcast host Mark Norman chats with special guest, broadcaster and author Jeff Belanger, about some of the ghosts, folklore and other legends found in New England, in the north-eastern corner of the United States. Jeff is the host of 'New England Legends' on Amazon Prime Video, co-host of a podcast of the same name, and has written for and appeared on 'Ghost Adventures'. His book, 'Wicked...

Mark Norman is joined by broadcaster, author and medievalist Dr Eleanor Janega to look at the role of the ghost in the medieval period. What elements of the behaviour of the ghost might we still recognise today? What was the view and the role of the church when it came to ghosts? Did people use ghosts for entertainment as we do now? You can find out more about Eleanor, her broadcasting and her wri...

The Folklore Podcast returns to its original first principles for the first show of Season 11, with an episode written and presented by creator and host Mark Norman. The episode is a short exploration of the role of proverbs in folklore, and its writing was inspired by a new music track, 'Breadcrumbs' by artist Amy Hopwood which you can hear at the end of the show. Watch a video version of this po...

Want to know what to expect from the show as we head to 2026, and where to find the content you enjoy? Listen to this short announcement from creator and host, Mark Norman.

Welcome to the 2025 Folklore Podcast Christmas Special. Folklorist Mark Norman, the creator and host of The Folklore Podcast for the last 10 years, relates the legend of the Mistletoe Bride and provides a rare look at a very obscure reference to what is probably the earliest version of the tale in print, from 1809, placing the story in Germany and not England at all. The episode is rounded off wit...

In this episode of the podcast, host Mark Norman discusses some points relating to the folklore of rivers, with a particular focus on their perceived need for sacrifice and to 'claim a heart' each year. This is followed by a discussion with writer Darren Simpson, the author of a new folk horror book for young adults, 'Thirst', which uses similar themes in its plot. And finally, the show is closed...

I chat with author Michelle Paver about all things ghost story. What makes a good haunt? Which are her favourites and which doesn't she like? And what do ghosts mean to her? For the second part of the interview we take a look at Michelle's new novel 'Rainforest', a ghost story set in the Mexican rainforest. Having previously placed her ghosts in the isolation of the Arctic and high up a mountain,...

The British ritual year is full of fascinating public events, sports, games, processions and festivals. Whether long-running or modern, revival or continuous, there is something for everyone and a rich background of folklore and tradition behind them all. A new 6-part documentary series, "Gatherings", shines a light on some of these, but in an unusual way. No presenter. No celebrity. No narrative....

I gather together a gaggle of witchcraft historians to discuss the cult TV gameshow 'The Traitors'. To what extent do the machinations of the contestants in the show, whichever version that might be, draw parallels with the witch-hunts of the Early Modern Period? Joining me to debate this are:Professor Marion GibsonDr Tabitha StanmoreTracey NormanAll of whom are returning guests to the show. Suppo...

While there are many famous names associated with the ghost story, some are less commonly linked, and even fewer are women. In the episode of the podcast we focus on one of those in particular, Edith Nesbit. Best known as a children's writer under the name E. Nesbit, Edith wrote some effective spooky tales for adults. Many of these have not seen much light of day. A new one-woman theatre show - HA...

Returning guest to the podcast, witchcraft historian Professor Marion Gibson, discusses her book 'Witchcraft: A History in 13 Trials'. The book, and this interview, explores the history of witchcraft accusation and persecution through a number of key trials at different points in history - some well known and some more obscure. You can visit Marion's website at https://mariongibson.co.uk/ Support...

Folklore Podcast creator Mark Norman once again meets up with children's author Claire Barker, this time to discuss the final version of her new book 'Hettie Nettle's Handbook for Hedgewitches'.Described in the episode as a groundbreaking book, and not without good reason, Hettie Nettle introduces children to the subjects of solitary witchcraft, seasonal workings, our relationship with nature and...

In May of 2025, I was honoured to be asked by the British Academy to chair the final panel in their 'Folklore Reimagined' series, 'Lore of the Land'. This panel was titled 'Stories of wetlands, woods and weather'.How have landscapes been represented and perceived throughout time? What do the stories we tell about our environments reveal about ourselves? And how can our historical relationship with...

In this episode of the podcast, host Mark Norman takes an in-depth look at the White Witch of Exeter. Most times, when we speak of 'white witches' we are talking about a particular person, but in the case of the Devon city of Exeter, the White Witch was something a little different. Mark discusses the history of this character from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, and looks and some of their pr...

The Seven County Witch Hunt Project podcast mini-series collaboration comes to a close. In this final episode, Professor Marion Gibson and Dr Tabitha Stanmore once again join folklorist and author Mark Norman to discuss some of their favourite stories from the three years of research they have undertaken, before reflecting on the podcast as a whole and where it will go next. The Seven County Witch...

Mark Norman is in conversation with medical herbalist Jenny Carden, who practices as The Dartmoor Herbalist. In an interview recorded live in Jenny's workshop in the courtyard of the Museum of Dartmoor Life in Okehampton, Devon, Jenny discusses her work and the differences between a medical herbalist legally dispensing herbal blends and other forms of herbalism, both current and historic. Find out...

Our six part mini-series examining the seventeenth-century witch hunts across the eastern counties of England continues with a discussion looking at a topic not generally explored in this context: the environment. Professor Marion Gibson and Dr Tabitha Stanmore of the Leverhulme Foundation funded Seven County Witch Hunt Project join folklorist and host Mark Norman once again. Topics include the in...