Numbers in folklore: Why are 3, 7 and 9 important?

The pub is well entrenched in the cultural life of Britain. As a hub of social contact and often a provider of decent food, pubs offer a central meeting point for many groups of people. Yet how often ...

5 Feb 202218min

When you say the name 'Elizabeth Bathory', a few things probably spring to mind. After all, she's widely known as the Blood Countess, so you probably imagine a woman in a bath of blood. But did she r...

29 Jan 202220min

Lady Godiva has been immortalised in some strange ways, giving her name both to a brand of chocolates and a line in Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now'. Yet it's fascinating that the star of an 11th-century s...

22 Jan 202218min

Every year, panto season rolls around again, and amid the usual mixture of fairy tales and family favourites, we often find several versions of Dick Whittington around the country. Unlike Sleeping Bea...

15 Jan 202217min

The name 'Boudica' conjures up a range of associations, but most often we perhaps think of a flame-haired warrior standing up to the might of Rome. Freedom fighter, warrior queen, Celtic icon—she's pe...

8 Jan 202225min

New Year's Day has long been a time associated with gift-giving, visiting friends, and attempting to predict the fortunes of the year ahead. Unsurprisingly, it's also been a time of rituals and supers...

1 Jan 202220min

In this second interview-based episode of Fabulous Folklore, I chat to folklorist Mark Norman, host of The Folklore Podcast and author of Dark Folklore! We talk about what may lie behind the resurge...

23 Dec 202140min

The Grey Man of Ben Macdui appears to haunt the summit of Ben Macdui in the Cairngorms—Scotland's second-highest mountain. Climbers have reported strange sounds, feelings of dread, and even glimpses o...

18 Dec 202119min