The case of Gef, the alleged talking mongoose, which may or may not have been a poltergeist, or a ghost, or a hoax, or any one of a number of things, took place over a period of around 8 years on a remote farm in the Isle of Man in the 1930s. It was investigated by Harry Price, Nandor Fodor and other researchers, but there was never a definite conclusion as to what was going on.
On this episode of The Folklore Podcast, creator and host Mark Norman talks to Christopher Josiffe, the author of the award winning book on Gef, published in 2017, and the result of 7 years of research by Chris into the subject. Together, they approach the case of Gef from the folklore perspective. Listen FREE on the player below. An e-magazine supplement for this episode is available here The Folklore Podcast relies on its Patreon supporters to keep going and stay free to listen to. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider signing up with a small monthly pledge here. All patrons, even at $1 a month, enjoy various rewards. To learn more about Chris, click here for our guests page. To find out more about Chris's book, please visit his publisher Strange Attractor Press here.
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The skills of weaving, spinning and knitting were vital to clothe and keep warm members of every class, race, religion or social group from the poorest to the richest. And so, we find wool, yarn and thread and the working of those materials rooted very deeply in the folklore of countries around the globe. In this episode, Folklore Podcast creator and host Mark Norman discusses the folklore associated with wool, thread, spinning and associated crafts, through folk and fairy tales, customs and more. Listen FREE on the player below. An e-magazine supplement for this episode is available here. Support the Folklore Podcast on Patreon and get all of the supplements free, as well as other rewards and bonus content. Visit the Patreon page here. 
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This episode of the Folklore Podcast examines the broad themes of witchcraft and the supernatural, but focuses down to look at how they were portrayed in the early modern period; specifically, how witches were represented on the 17th century musical stage. Folklore Podcast creator and host Mark Norman is joined by special guest and musicologist Shauna Caffrey who discusses her unusual research into the role of witches in the opera. To find out more about Shauna and her work, please visit the guests page on our website here Listen to this episode FREE on the player below. An e-magazine supplement for this episode is available from our store Earn rewards by supporting the podcast on Patreon here 
In the second part of this two-part examination of vampire from lore from around the world, Folklore Podcast creator and host Mark Norman moves on to discuss ways of ensuring that the recently deceased do not rise again as vampires and, if these measures fail, what differing methods are available to destroy a creature. What are the differences between pinning and staking? Which wood should you use for your stake? Why were some bodies buried with farm implements? Listen FREE on the player below. An e-magazine supplement for this episode will be available soon from the Podcast Shop. Earn rewards by supporting the podcast on Patreon here 
Many of the folk tales that inspire us, teach us or just intrigue us have been passed down through many generations. In some cases we can find a root for the story. In most, we cannot. But they draw on the knowledge, the beliefs and the imaginations of our ancestors. Many of the stories that we have today, both the well-loved tales and the more obscure lore, survive because of the practices and skills of the storyteller.
In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, creator and host Mark Norman is joined by classically trained actor and professional storyteller Jon Buckeridge, of Parable Arts, to discuss the synergies between folklore and storytelling. Listen FREE on the player below. An e-magazine supplement for this episode is available here. Earn rewards by supporting the podcast on Patreon here Learn more about Jon and his work by visiting the Guests page and also here and here 
Most people are familiar with the story of 'Count Dracula' and have more than a good general knowledge of the typical vampire tropes of stage and screen; the fangs, the pale skin, the blood sucking. But to truly understand the motif of the vampire in culture, we need to look across the world at all of our cultures and this is where the folklorists approach is so valuable. In the first of this special two-part examination of the vampire, podcast creator and host Mark Norman examines the origins and emergence of the idea of the vampire across races, religions and cultures through the folklore record. Part two next month will examine death lore and protection symbolism.
Listen FREE on the player below. An e-magazine supplement for this episode is available here. To support The Folklore Podcast, please visit our Patreon page here. 
Through the early to mid part of the 20th century there were a number of characters, often women, who would travel their parts of the world collecting folk songs, stories and superstitions and recording them for the future. These people are often forgotten in modern times, but without them we would not have the archives and knowledge of our folkloric past that we do now.
In this episode of the Folklore Podcast, host Mark Norman talks to Cindy Campbell-Stone, Vice-president of the Helen Creighton Folklore Society about Canada's 'First Lady of Folklore' and offers a chance to hear some of Helen's original field recording audio as well as modern renditions of songs and stories that she collected. Listen to this episode FREE on the player below. The Folklore Podcast will always be free to listen to, but to help secure the long term success of the show please consider joining our Patreon page where you can get transcripts and bonus content in recognition of your help. To do so, please click here. Patrons get e-magazine supplements for every episode free. You can also buy the supplement for this episode for a nominal charge in our web store here. 
Returning from its month off for the summer, the Folklore Podcast takes to the water with an episode on the folklore of the mermaid. From Cornish folk tales to Slavic undead, from TV mockumentaries to outright hoaxes and all points in between, podcast creator and host Mark Norman offers a look at the nice, and not so nice aspects of the mer-creature, both male and female.
Listen to this episode FREE on the player below. The Folklore Podcast will always be free to listen to, but to help secure the long term success of the show please consider joining our Patreon page where you can get transcripts and bonus content in recognition of your help. To do so, please click here. Patrons get e-magazine supplements for every episode free. You can also buy the supplement for this episode for a nominal charge in our web store here. 
WITCH - Preserving Tradition and Folklore through Theatre. The special guest on this episode of The Folklore Podcast is Historian and Author Tracey Norman. Tracey is discussing her acclaimed play WITCH, which takes as its premise actual events from witch trial documents and depositions from the early modern period and maps them onto three fictitious characters. This serves to give a voice to those people from our past who were denied one at the time, telling an important story. Tracey talks about her research, the play and the other projects which are coming out of this important work.
Listen to this episode FREE on the player below. Follow the project at www.traceynormanswitch.com An e-magazine supplement to accompany this episode is available here. Patrons of the Folklore Podcast at any level receive all our magazine supplements free. To sign up for as little as $1 a month, click here. 
Animal totems as symbols in folk rituals are common and go back probably further than any of us can track. By far the most prolific of these is the hobby horse. Often associated with calendar customs as well as an accompanying figure for many Morris dance sides, there are a number of common varieties of hobby horse and they are found in customs around the world. In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, creator and host Mark Norman examines the motif of the hobby horse as well as telling a little about a very unusual one that he is currently preserving. Listen FREE on the player below. To download the e-magazine supplement for this episode, please click here. Or to access all of our e-magazine supplements free, please sign up as a patron of the podcast here. |
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December 2017
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