The Three Ravens Podcast

In this Haunting Season Bonus Episode, Martin and Eleanor chat about the life and crimes of Ronald O'Bryan, a.k.a. 'The Candy Man.' Part of the "Something Wicked" series about folkloric true crimes, they chew over the Satanic Panic, ideas of Halloween Sadism, the 'Mad Poisoner' trope and its roots in the Industrial Revolution, Urban Legends around food contamination and more, while also digging in...

These are nights of long shadows, where hollowed pumpkins watch with empty mouths and scarecrows stand lonely in the mist: it's Haunting Season, and time to feel afraid! For their third weekly double-bill of original ghost stories, Eleanor and Martin tell The Audience , a creeping chronicle of political horror, and The Coal Hole , a tale of fear real or imagined, told through a child's eyes, all b...

In this Bonus Episode, Eleanor and Martin explore the dying art of corn dolly making. Part of the "Dying Arts" series, they discuss the link between European beliefs around 'Harvest Maidens,' 'Corn Spirits,' and elaborately fashioned 'corn tokens,' including English regional variants such as the Worcester Crown and the Yorkshire Spiral, then dig into traditions recorded by James Frazer in his book...

The evenings are getting darker, and there's a spine-chilling tingle in the air, which can only mean one thing: it's Haunting Season! For their second weekly double-bill of original ghost stories, Martin and Eleanor step outside their comfort zones and tell Right Then, My Love , a twisted tale of old-aged terror, and The Blackberry Pickers , a Gothic romance where the sweetest fruit ferments into...

In this Haunting Season Bonus Episode, Martin and Eleanor explore the arcane history of demons. Part of the "Three Ravens Bestiary" bonus series, they move through Ancient Greek and Roman concepts of the demonic, discussing primal forces such as Nemesis, Eros and Phobos, then reach back further, to Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, and demons such as Ammit, The Devourer of Corpses, Memy, a flint-knif...

Grab yourself a mug of something warm, or maybe a glass of something stronger, wrap yourself in a blanket, close the curtains, and light some candles: it's Three Ravens Haunting Season and time to get spooky! For their first weekly double-bill of original ghost stories, Eleanor and Martin tell two 20th century tales, The Rosemary Branch , about a chilling encounter on a steam train, and Tomfoolery...

In this Bonus Episode, Eleanor and Martin start their month-long 'Haunting Season' with a discussion of the history of Ouija. Part of the "Magic and Medicines" series, they chat about the first recorded Spirit Boards from 12th century China, then dig into their next appearance: as the Ouija Board, which named itself, along with the Spiritualist Movement, the life and grisly death of William Fuld,...

For the Three Ravens Series 2 finale, Martin and Eleanor yomp to Yorkshire, England's largest county, releasing an appropriately-sized bumper episode! After looking ahead to Haunting Season, and discussing Old Man Day and the rather grisly tradition of Goose Riding, they load up the steam engine and traverse the history and folklore of Yorkshire - from the ancient city of York and beautiful places...

In this Bonus Episode, Martin and Eleanor discuss a ghostly murder that took the Victorian world by storm. Part of the "Something Wicked" series, they chat about the life of William Corder and his lover, Maria Marten, whose ghost returned after she was killed to help solve the crime. With a case that travels from Suffolk to London and involves a book bound in human skin, a haunted skull, an electr...

On this week's episode, Eleanor and Martin venture to Cheshire, a county rich with ancient mysteries. After discussing Old Holy Rood Day and St Helena, they dabble in the River Dee and then dive into the history and folklore of Cheshire - from the Lindow Man and Maiden Castle to the Dragon of Moston, the many mysteries of Alderley Edge, the ghost duck of Tushingham's Blue Bell Inn, and much more b...

In this Bonus Episode, Eleanor and Martin talk about the dying art of marionette-making. Part of the "Dying Arts" series, they discuss puppetry in general, including the history of the tradition across different cultures, then dig into the specific methods used by marionette-makers and marionettists - art forms which were once ubiquitous across Europe and Great Britain, but which are now only real...

On this week's episode, Martin and Eleanor head to Northumberland, heart of the once mighty Kingdom of Northumbria. Once they've had a quick chat about Samuel Johnson Commemoration Day and the Southwark Fair, they blow the dust off their manuscripts to illuminate the history and folklore of Northumberland - from the Mesolithic remains of the Howick House and stunning sites like Bamburgh Castle to...

In this Bonus Episode, Martin and Eleanor discuss the immortal fire-bird of legend, the phoenix! Part of the "Three Ravens Bestiary" bonus series, they start by unpacking the earliest known references to the phoenix via Hesiod, Herodotus and Pliny The Elder, then start to draw connections between those early works and the Phoenicians, Christian writing, Victorian fantasy fiction, and similar creat...

On this week's episode, Eleanor and Martin sojourn in Surrey, a county whose borders have changed in every direction over time. After discussing Saint Felix and St Regula and the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, they raise their blue and gold banners and charge into the history and folklore of Surrey - from Hampton Court and Reigate's Barons' Caves to the Silent Pool, the Buckland Shag, Mother Ludlum an...

In this Bonus Episode, Eleanor and Martin offer solutions to try if you've been hexed! Part of the "Magic and Medicines" series, they briefly discuss the history and logic of curses and offer examples from tablet fragments excavated from the hot springs at the Roman shrine to Sulis in Bath, then dig into a set of case studies: what do you do if you've been hexed with prickling pains, or are a fish...

VOTE FOR THE THREE RAVENS PODCAST IN THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS HERE: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting On this week's episode, Martin and Eleanor bustle to Berkshire, the "Royal County," and tell the tale of "Herne the Hunter." After chatting through a raft of folk festivals taking place this week, including Nutting Day, the Hop Hoodening, and Colchester's Barnet Fair, they cut to the c...

VOTE FOR THE THREE RAVENS PODCAST IN THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS HERE: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting In this Bonus Episode, Martin and Eleanor explore the dark life of Elizabeth Bathory, the "Blood Countess." Part of the "Something Wicked" series, they discuss the 16th century penchant for stories of witches, magicians and the occult, the context in which Bathory lived in Renaissance...

VOTE FOR THE THREE RAVENS PODCAST IN THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS HERE: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting On this week's episode of The Three Ravens Podcast, Eleanor and Martin head to Huntingdonshire, a historic county latterly absorbed into Cambridgeshire. With the episode released on both Apple Pie Day and St Augustine of Hippo's Day, they discuss the duties of an Apple Pie Princess and...

VOTE FOR THE THREE RAVENS PODCAST IN THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS HERE: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting In this Bonus Episode, Eleanor and Martin talk about the dying art of vellum making. Part of the "Dying Arts" series, they discuss the differences between vellum and parchment, describe the processes involved in turning animal skin into stationery, and show a little love to a criticall...

VOTE FOR THE THREE RAVENS PODCAST IN THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS HERE: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting On this week's episode, Martin and Eleanor decamp to Devon and tell the tale of "The Hairy Hands of Dartmoor." After a nod to Grasmere's traditional Sports Festival and St Philibert's Day, they bomb down the Atlantic Highway to Devon and explore its history and folklore - from Kents Ca...

VOTE FOR THE THREE RAVENS PODCAST IN THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS HERE: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting In this Bonus Episode, Martin and Eleanor discuss the uncanny history and folklore of Banshees. Part of the "Three Ravens Bestiary" bonus series, they leaf through historical sources, including the 12th century Triumph of Turlough and The Book of the Dun Cow, before chatting about the...

VOTE FOR THE THREE RAVENS PODCAST IN THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS HERE: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting On this week's episode of The Three Ravens Podcast, Eleanor and Martin gallop to Westmoreland, a western part of Cumbria. With the episode released on St Arnulf's Day, they discuss his wolf-hampered hermitude and life of drink, then hop onto horseback to explore the history and folklor...

VOTE FOR THE THREE RAVENS PODCAST IN THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS HERE: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting In this Bonus Episode, Eleanor and Martin discuss the morally and... well, literally sticky tradition of Love Spells. Part of the "Magic and Medicines" series, they chat about the morality of love spells, how people view love magic today versus how they saw it in the past, and explore...

VOTE FOR THE THREE RAVENS PODCAST IN THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS HERE: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting On this week's episode of The Three Ravens Podcast, Martin and Eleanor journey to Cambridgeshire - and make a fuss about Peterborough for once! After a brief chat about Dog Days and the portentous movements of the heavens, they dig into the flooded fenlands of Cambridgeshire and explor...

VOTE FOR THE THREE RAVENS PODCAST IN THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS HERE: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting In this Bonus Episode, Martin and Eleanor discuss the ghastly crimes of Peter Stumpp. Part of the new "Something Wicked" series, they discuss the centuries-long period known as The European Werewolf Panic, the horrific means whereby Peter Stumpp was executed, the even more horrific thi...