In the winter of 1855, after a heavy fall of snow, residents across a large area of the county of Devon, in the South West of the UK, awoke to find a mysterious trail of prints in the snow. Looking like an hoof, the single-file line of prints allegedly covered a distance of some 100 miles, ignoring obstructions in their path and continuing over high walls hayricks and even the roofs of houses. No satisfactory explanation has ever been given for the event, which became known as the Great Devon Mystery.
Although the case has been widely reported, interestingly it is not the only time that this has happened. Very similar lines of marks have been found in different parts of the world over the last 175 years or so. It's just that the other cases are much more obscure. In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, creator and host Mark Norman compares and contrasts cases from 1840 through to 2009. Listen FREE on the player below. An episode transcript for this episode will be available soon from the webstore. To get all of the episode supplements and other rewards, please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon. Click here for more details
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In this episode of the Folklore Podcast, creator and host Mark Norman is joined by guest Dr Claudia Schwabe, assistant professor of German at Utah State University. Amongst other things, Claudia teaches classes on fairy tales and in this interview she discusses the content of her forthcoming book "Craving Supernatural Creatures" which examines German fairy tale creatures through the lens of American Pop Culture. Listen FREE on the player below. An episode transcript for this episode will be available soon from the webstore. To find our more about Claudia, please visit the Guests page To get all of the episode supplements and other rewards, please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon. Click here for more details 
Of all the objects in your house, the mirror probably has more superstitions attached to it than any other. It may be used for divination. It may be a portal to another dimension. And woe betide you if it should fall off the wall and break.
In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, folklorist Mark Norman - the creator and host of the podcast - looks at the mirror through history and in various cultures to explore some of the more obscure folklore attached to it. Listen FREE on the player below. Research assistance provided by Tracey Norman. Support the Folklore Podcast on Patreon to earn more content and rewards. Click here An episode transcript for this episode will be available shortly. 
This episode presents a recorded folklore talk from the archives of the podcast creator and host, Mark Norman.
Alien Big Cats was recorded in September 2013 at the Folklore Society conference 'Beasts in Legend and Tradition'. The talk, presented by writer and folklorist Steve Patterson, examines the zoological phenomenon of out of place cats in the landscape. Whilst there is plenty of evidence to suggest that big cats do live in the British landscape, Steve discusses the ways in which these cases feed into the folklore narrative of the creatures before moving on to discuss the image of the cat in mythology. Listen FREE to this episode on the player below. Make sure to subscribe to get all episodes free. Click here to visit Steve Patterson on the Guests page An episode transcript for this episode is available on the Folklore Shop here To support the future of the Folklore Podcast and get exclusive extra content and rewards, please consider joining the Patreon page here 
There is no doubt that modern day ghost hunting is a big deal. From television programming to participatory events, the search for evidence of ghosts is more prevalent than ever. But how does folklore have a role to play in paranormal investigation? Benjamin Radford is editor of Sceptical Inquirer science magazine, a critical investigator and author or co-author of over 20 books and many hundreds of articles. In the episode of the Folklore Podcast, host Mark Norman discusses Ben's book 'Investigating Ghosts' and looks together they look at the important place for folklore in the field of ghost investigation. Listen FREE on the player below, where you can also subscribe for free to all episodes. An episode supplement is available for this episode with a full transcript of the interview. Please click here to purchase for just 99p To support the podcast on Patreon and get great rewards each month, please click here. To support the podcast in other ways, please leave a review on iTunes or your app. To learn more about Ben's work, please visit his website here or go to the Guests page. 
Many fairy tales have their roots in a much darker past, but these origins are watered down to make the tales more wholesome or moral. But did the story of Hansel and Gretel really stem from a case of entrepreneurial intrigue and murder in 17th century Germany? And did the Grimm Brothers know more than they were letting on it their version of the story? Why do the illustrations in their book look so similar to modern day locations? In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, creator and host Mark Norman examines a case to which their is certainly more than it seems at first glance. Listen FREE on the player below. An e-magazine supplement for this episode ia available from the web store 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. 
There is a piece of artwork which has been around for many years and has a long and involved narrative surrounding it. It may be found in thousands of homes in differing prints and is usually known as The Crying Boy. This image has a wonderful and fascinating urban legend attached to it - a legend which has been tracked and analysed for many years by Dr David Clarke, the guest on this episode of The Folklore Podcast. Is The Crying Boy really cursed? Find out its history in this episode. Listen FREE on the player below. An e-magazine supplement for this episode ia available from the web store 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. Find out more about David on the Guests page. |
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