The Three Ravens Podcast

For this week's Haunting Season -themed Local Legends episode, the final of the four, Martin gathers round the Three Ravens campfire with folklorist Brice Stratford to chat all about his new book Halloween Folklore and Ghost Stories . This new collection is Brice’s third book, following his first collection, Anglo Saxon Folklore: The Struggle for the Saxon Kingdoms , and New Forest Myths and Folkl...

For the Three Ravens 2024 Halloween Special we've pulled out all the stops and are talking about the most infamous serial killer in history, Jack The Ripper! Part of the "Something Wicked" series about true crimes with folkloric twists, we start by chatting through what London was like in 1888, including the boom in crime fiction that had culminated in the creation of Sherlock Holmes, the city's 5...

What lives in the dark? For each of us, the sun, waning as it is through days of autumn rain, weakening, becoming paler, more obscure – the sun is a lifeline. Yet, each night, that lifeline vanishes. The hours of darkness grow longer, the cold dominion of night stretching out, growing larger, growing stronger. And each of us has an opposite. A dark-craving beast of shade. We know they’re there, th...

For this week's Haunting Season -themed Local Legends episode, Martin gathers round the Three Ravens campfire with writer, paranormal psychologist, and all-round super-cool spooky person Evelyn Hollow. It's likely you will have already heard of Evelyn, who is probably most famous for her work on Uncanny and various Danny Robins-hosted series such as The Battersea Poltergeist and The Witch Farm . Y...

Despite some admitted squeamishness, for this week's Haunting Season-themed bonus episode, we're exploring the uncanny history and craft of Taxidermy. Part of the "Dying Arts" series, we begin by chatting through distinctions between Ancient Egyptian mummification and the modern practice of taxidermy - a term which only came into usage in the 19th century, despite Renaissance-era apothecaries havi...

The last traces of blue have given way to a black, black sky, and a chill wind whistles down the narrow alleyway you’ve taken as a shortcut and are starting to wish you hadn’t. Was that the dry rustle of dead leaves under your feet, or something else? It’s pitch black, no moon, no stars, but you can just make out marks on the walls either side of you - marks which look like words, or furious scrat...

On this week's Haunting Season -themed Local Legends episode, the second of four, Martin gathers round the Three Ravens campfire with the acclaimed actor, art historian, and expert in classic ghost stories Robert Lloyd Parry. In case you've not heard of him, since 2005 Rob has been engaged in "The M.R. James Project," a set of performances where Rob, dressed and in character as 'The Father of the...

Sharpen your stakes and have your garlic handy, as for this week's Haunting Season-themed bonus episode we're opening up some deliciously rich veins of history to explore the history and folklore of Vampires! Part of the "Three Ravens Bestiary" series, we start by discussing how the creation of the vampire as a figure in popular culture has its roots in the 19th century, all before digging back in...

The nights are drawing in, and the veil is lifting. In the chill, spiders cling to windowpanes, seeking the warmth within.   Bats roost in chimney pots, foxes, rats and badgers settle down for their winter’s rest, while jackdaws pick at barren earth, pining for spring. When the wind blows, it bites, and on the breeze you think you hear the whispering of a song. Was that a voice you ask, or ju...

On this week's Haunting Season -themed Local Legends episode, the first of four, Martin gathers round the Three Ravens campfire with the author, voice actor, and co-creator of hit podcasts The Magnus Archives and The Magnus Protocol Jonathan Sims. It's a conversation which ranges from Magnus' origins as prompted by long nights working night shifts to Jonny's school-age discovery of M.R. James and...

In this special Haunting Season episode of Magic and Medicines, Eleanor dusts off her old grimoires and fetches up a severed head to guide us through the history of the arcane art of Necromancy! We start by discussing the modern conception of Necromancy, not least in video games, including summoning skeleton armies or raising the dead, and then jump back in time to explore how what was once consid...

There’s a pinch of frost in the morning air, and the colours of the leaves are beginning to change from emerald to rust. The bracken is browning, and the mist which hovers above the ground smells of woodsmoke and apples. Just at the edge of your vision, a lonely figure in white hovers with an outstretched hand – but when you turn to look properly they’ve vanished. This can all mean just one thing:...

On this week's very special Local Legends episode, Martin gathers round the Three Ravens campfire with England's first-ever Storytelling Laureate, the folklorist and author Taffy Thomas. In his younger years Taffy was a drama teacher and entertainer, founding the highly influential theatre company Magic Lantern. Then a debilitating stroke at the age of 36 changed Taffy’s life, and he turned to sto...

On this week's bonus episode, Martin takes us back to colonial South America for a tale of mass murder, witchcraft, sex, torture, and Jesus's ghost peering disappointedly down upon the sinful... Part of the "Something Wicked" series, we start by chatting through the ancient history of the western coast of South America, from the Nazca, Inca and Mapuche through to the arrival of Spanish conquistado...

Because this is our last "County Episode" for a while, what with next Monday seeing the start of our month-long Haunting Season of spooky content, for this week's episode we've pulled out all the stops, going a bit bonkers for the half-forgotten history and folklore of Westmoreland! We start off chatting about various Harvest Fair traditions, including beliefs about Michaelmas, "Lawless Hours" and...

This week's Local Legends episode sees Martin gather round the Three Ravens campfire with the rather extraordinary Dr Kevan Manwaring, a multi-talented son of Northamptonshire who is also a true champion of the underdog. Kevan has written in the region of 30 books, including his collections of Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire Folk Tales, and his tremendous collection Ballad Tales - and that's not...

For this week's bonus episode, Eleanor trims her baleen into lengths, finds our natural waists, and loosens the laces of underwear history to explain the rich heritage of Corsetry and Stay Making! Part of the "Dying Arts" series, we start by discussing the basics of what corsets and stays even are before we whisk back to Ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt to explore how ladies' underwear used to work,...

On this week's episode we've traveled to the heart of England to rifle through the rich history and folklore of Northamptonshire! We start off trying to revive interest in St Tecla's Day, including Tecla's penchant for getting into trouble with naughty old St Paul, her ability to avoid electrocution, and her lucky escape from killer seals - after which we navigate to "The Rose of the Shires!" Afte...

This week's Local Legends episode is a very special conversation in which Martin gathers round the Three Ravens campfire with Tim Laycock, an inspirational, multi-talented person and a true champion for the county of Dorset. Author of books including Dorset Folk Tales , writing is just the tip of the iceberg with Tim, who came to the attentions of many in the British folk community through his wor...

Dust off your halo and flap your wings, dearest ravens, as today we're rejoicing in the absolutely bonkers history of Angels, following up on last year's "Haunting Season" episode about Demons. Part of the "Three Ravens Bestiary" series, we start by discussing how words for things like "angels" and "God" in ancient texts have created a mess of confusions across the ages. Then we leap straight down...

For this week's episode we're venturing to the Westcountry and exploring the history and folklore of Dorset! We start off chatting about St Edith's Day, including Edith's incorruptible magic thumb, her love of holy wells, and her penchant for snazzy dressing - after which we delve deep into Dorset. After discussing some of the county's most famous features, including Durdle Door, Maiden Castle, it...

For our first Local Legends episode of Series 5, Martin gathers round the Three Ravens campfire with Stephen G. Rae, the Bard of Cumberland. Though he was born in Scotland, Stephen has deep family links in Cumberland. He spent a lot of time there as a child, and, once he’d grown up, he settled there, slowly but surely developing a deep understanding and love of Cumbria and its many mysteries.&nbsp...

Focus on your question, shuffle the deck, and let's dig deep for our first Bonus Episode of Series 5, in which Eleanor offers an introduction to and history of Tarot! Part of the "Magic and Medicines" series, we start by exploring how relatively young Tarot is, tracing the route playing cards took from the Chinese Tang Dynasty to Egypt and on into Medieval Europe. From there we dig into how simple...

On the first episode of Three Ravens Series 5, we are back up in England's north west, exploring the history and folklore of Cumberland! We start off chatting about a few of the long-running famous folk festivals taking place at this time of year, including the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance and Widecombe Fair, after which we cavort on up to Cumberland. After chatting through some curious historical ti...

Hold onto your beaks, and tuck your claws in good and tight on entry, because we are BACK and ready to get stuck right in to Series 5! In this little introductory episode we offer some updates about what we've been doing over the summer, provide an explainer about what Three Ravens  is for new listeners, and chat through some of the little tweaks and changes we're thinking about making to the...